Wash My Feet, Lord: Living the Cross Centered Life: Parts Four and Five

"Wash My Feet, Lord"

I am a sinner, saved by grace, loving and loved by the Saviour, and striving to live the words of Scripture throughout my sanctification. I need to be convicted and changed more into the image of Christ. I desire to share with you, within this blog, all that I am daily learning. I want to serve Christ and become more and more like Him. I don’t want to live a legalistic life, but I do want to live a holy one. I want to see God receive the glory He deserves. I want to see the depth and richness of the Gospel come back to the Church. I want to see God’s people encouraging and building one another up in Christ. I want to encourage young people, and be encouraged by them, to live a set-apart life. I want to give up my life for the sake of the Kingdom and it’s King.
May you accept what is written here, if it truly honors the Lord, as coming from a heart that purely wants to honor Jesus Christ, my Savior. As He teaches me, rebukes me, corrects me, and trains me in righteousness, I hope to grow in my knowledge and love for Him. May everything that is said here bring Him glory. If I stray from the truths of Scriptures, please tell me. May my words be full of grace, as though seasoned with salt. May "the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps. 19:14)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Living the Cross Centered Life: Parts Four and Five

Living the Cross Centered Life

Chapter Four
The Divine Dilemma: An Inescapable Penalty and a Longed-for Salvation

“Men are opposed to God in their sin,
And God is opposed to men in His holiness.”
-
J.I. Packer

· Why do you think many Christians are unfazed when they hear that God loves them?
Could it have anything to do with the fact that modern-day evangelicalism makes
little of God’s wrath against sin and focuses most of its attention on God’s
love and forgiveness? How can this be dangerous?
· When we begin to grasp the “terrible threat facing each of us in our human
condition”, shouldn’t we be more amazed and astounded at God’s love and
forgiveness?
· Contrast Psalm 5:5 in the NASB with the message:

“The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate
all those who do iniquity.”

“Hot-Air-Boaster collapses in front of you; you shake your head over Mischief-Maker.”

· Does God merely “shake His head” over our “mischief” or is He personally offended
and angered at our sin?
· The Divine Dilemma: 1 Timothy 1:17 vs. 1 Timothy 1:9-10
· C.J. writes, “For God, the divine dilemma comes about because He isn’t
indifferent to any of this sinfulness on mankind’s part. He is, in fact,
righteously and furiously opposed to every bit of it. He cannot simply overlook
or excuse it. In light of His holiness and justice, He has no alternative but
to punish sin and punish the sinner.”
· In our sinfulness, we have no other hope for redemption and forgiveness except to
cry out for a mediator, the Mediator, Jesus Christ, to save us.

Living the Cross Centered Life

Chapter Five
The Divine Rescue: Why Only Jesus Christ Could Save Us

“The debt was so great, that while man alone owed it,
only God could payit.”
-
Anselm

· Blood was necessary for forgiveness, but it doesn’t have to be our own.
·
Hebrews 9:22, “...without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
· 1 Timothy 2:5-6, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony
given at the proper time.”
· How do you respond to the truth that God, the righteous and offended party, in
amazing grace “toward those who thoroughly deserve only His wrath”, not only
allowed but planned the death and substitutionary work of His perfect Son,
Jesus Christ, so that unworthy wretches like you and me could stand blameless
and forgiven in His sight? 2 Corinthians 5:21/Hebrews 4:14-16/ 1 John 3:5
· Do I recognize my responsibility and do I have the desire to share this great news
with a lost and dying world, even if it will cost me? Luke 14:26-27

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Wash My Feet, Lord

This blog is about sin, salvation, sanctification, and the Savior. The title comes from John 13. The book of Luke tells of the disciples arguing in the upper room during the Passover meal about who was the greatest. All too proud to humble themselves, the twelve were stunned into silence as Jesus gently brought out the basin of water and a towel and washed the feet of the ones He loved. But when He comes to Peter, he says to Jesus, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”Pastor John Macarthur explains this passage in his NASB notes on John 13: 6-10, “While others remained silent, Peter, perhaps on behalf of others, spoke up in indignation that Jesus would stoop so low as to wash his feet. He failed to see beyond the humble service itself to the symbolism of spiritual cleansing involved. Jesus’ response made the real point of His actions clear: Unless the Lamb of God cleanses a person’s sin (as portrayed in the symbolism of washing), one can have no part with Him. The cleansing that Christ does at salvation never needs to be repeated – atonement is complete at that point. But all who have been cleansed by God’s gracious justification need constant washing in the experiential sense as they battle sin in the flesh. Believers are justified and granted imputed righteousness, but still need sanctification and personal righteousness.”So here lies the essence of this blog. We are all sinners in desperate need of salvation. After we are declared righteous by God - justified, and repent of our sin, we live the lifelong process of sanctification. This is only possible because of the Saviour. Just as Peter and the disciples needed Jesus to wash their feet, so, too, do we need Jesus to forgive us and cleanse us of the sin in our lives. We need His correction, reproof, teaching, and discipline throughout our lives. For those who do not know Christ, the entire body must be cleansed, but for those who have been given new hearts, we must recognize our utter helplessness without Him and say, “Lord, wash my feet.”