Wash My Feet, Lord: Living the Cross Centered Life: Part Two

"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: Part Two

Living the Cross Centered Life

Chapter 2
The Divine Order: What You Feel vs. What is Real

“Oh, the havoc that is wrought, and the tragedy, the misery, and the
wretchedness that are to be found in the world, simply because people do not
know how to handle their own feelings!” – D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Do we live by “good” or
“bad” feelings?
Do I live by truth?
Do I determine where I stand
before God based on my emotions or based on Scriptural truth?
Do I realize that living by
my feelings and not by God’s Word is pride, a sin God is fiercely opposed
to? (James 4:6 says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the
humble.”)
Living by our feelings makes
us miserable.
When we focus on truth, our
feelings follow, and those feelings can be real, deep, and profound
because they are the effect of Scripture rightly understood and believed.
When you are tempted to
listen to yourself:

Stop!
Ask God for help
Invite another godly person
into the situation
Ask the other person to
help you see the sin that is distracting you
Review the Gospel

Don’t focus on the inward
and the subjective; focus on the outward, the upward, and the objective!
The Gospel is objective truth; it never changes!
Where do you consistently
direct your faith? What does it rest on? Is it your emotional state...or
the objective realities that the Word of God and the Spirit of God have
revealed?
When you read or hear
biblical truth proclaimed, what internal conversation takes place in your
soul? Is your first reaction, ‘What
do I feel about this?’ If so, do you plan to continue submitting
everything ultimately to your feelings? Or will you instead trust in God’s
testimony, so that whenever you encounter biblical truth, your initial
question will always be, ‘Do I
believe it?’

Many, in waiting upon the Lord, find immediate
answers, but this is not the case with all. Some are turned from darkness into
light in a moment, but others are plants of slower growth. A deeper sense of
sin may be given to you instead of a sense of pardon, and in such a case you
will need patience to bear the heavy blow. Though you may be beaten and
bruised, trust God. Though He gives you an angry word, believe in the love of
His heart. Do not give up seeking or trusting the Master because you have not
yet obtained the blessed joy you long for. Cast yourself on Him, and
perseveringly depend even when you cannot enjoy hope. -C.H. Spurgeon

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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.”