How I Explained the God-centeredness of God to a Group of Teenagers

All of the Sunday school classes in our church are going through The Gospel Project.  Last week we reflected on the statement, “In all God does, His first aim is to glorify himself”.  I asked the students whether they agreed with that or not. 

Some of them dutifully nodded their heads.  A few expressed consternation.  Something didn’t seem quite right about that statement.  So in an attempt to get everyone a little uncomfortable with this truth I shared with them a bogus reason for preaching the gospel. (Part of the illustration I tweaked from this Piper sermon)

I told them that my hopes in preaching that morning was that whenever I was finished everybody would give me a standing ovation and bask in my awesomeness.  I told them that every point that I made I expect worship for my artistry.  Whenever I make a point that is helpful to them it is my hope that they will continue to realize that I am a storehouse of helpfulness and that they will continue to come back to me for all their information.  My goal that morning in preaching is simply for their praise. 

They were, rightly, appalled. 

Then I shared with them a little from Ephesians 1.  I had them note that according to this text the fundamental reason why God does what He does in our redemption is “to the praise of his glorious grace”.  That means that God saves us and does us good ultimately so that we might give him a standing ovation when he is finished. 

Is that appalling? 

It seems that way at first doesn’t it?  Because when humans do things like that it seems off putting.  But it’s off-putting simply because we are not the most wonderful and precious being in the universe.  God is.  And to make anything else our hearts treasure and joy is fundamentally ripping ourselves off.  So, God is deeply loving to be God-centered and to transform our hearts in such a way that we are too. 

The Loveliness of the God-centeredness of God Illustrated

I feared they were a little confused still, so I tried sharing an illustration. 

Imagine that you and your family were going on a trip.  You pick the destination.  Pick something beautiful.  Something that would be breathtaking.  You can go to see the Grand Canyon.  Or a beautiful national park.  Or travelling in space.  Or seeing Niagra Falls.  Or the Rocky Mountains.  Or travelling overseas to see all of the awesome history, architecture, and things that you cannot see here in America.  Now imagine—which ever of these amazing places that you want to vacation--that your parents have one stipulation…

The entire time you have to stare at a mirror.  Everyone else in the family enjoys the beautiful sunset.  The glaciers.  The caves.  The mountain peaks.  But for the entire trip, except for driving through Kansas, you have to look at this mirror. 

You know that is a rip off because even though you are “the crown of creation” and uniquely made in the image of God it’s not your physical being that’s so awesome.  It’s that you are part of something bigger.  You weren’t made to spend your life looking in a mirror.  You were made to worship.  You were made to see these great and grand things, to marvel, and to see the beauty of the Creator.  It’s loving to let you enjoy the Grand Canyon and to be swept up by it’s magnificence. 

How much more, then, the Lord of glory who created the Grand Canyon? 

BLBC: God is the Gospel Chapter One

“If I had a million dollars I would give 999,999 to the church and 1 to education.”  -Billy Sunday

After reading this chapter I hope that you see Billy Sunday’s famous quote is unhelpful.  Many have followed in Sunday’s trail by dismissing the importance of theology and doctrine for the sake of proclaiming the gospel.  Piper clearly shows that is false dichotomy.  It is both proclamation AND doctrine. 

While showing the importance of doctrine Piper also puts it in its proper place, when he says, “explanation is necessary, but it is not primary.” (22)  It is possible to fall off on either side of the horse; you can exalt doctrine in such a way that it fails to serve its purpose.  But you can also ignore doctrine in such a way that the proclamation becomes essentially meaningless. 

It saddens me that many see doctrine as almost unnecessary.  It also saddens me that doctrine, and our discussion of it, is often more contentious than it is worshipful.  I think Piper’s view of doctrine here is really valuable and would serve us well to attempt keeping this balance:

Gospel doctrine matters because the good news is so full and rich and wonderful that it must be opened like a treasure chest, and all its treasures brought out for the enjoyment of the world. Doctrine is the description of these treasures. Doctrine describes their true value and why they are so valuable. Doctrine guards the diamonds of the gospel from being discarded as mere crystals. Doctrine protects the treasures of the gospel from the pirates who don’t like the diamonds but who make their living trading them for other stones. Doctrine polishes the old gems buried at the bottom of the chest. It
puts the jewels of gospel truth in order on the scarlet tapestry of history so each is seen in its most beautiful place.

Piper goes on to say that with doctrine does this “with its head bowed in wonder that it should be allowed to touch the things of God.  Here is a call to humility as well as love.  As Piper will again say, “love is the point”. 

NOTE:

It is my hope that your comments will dictate the direction of our discussions.  I was very disappointed with the level (or lack of) discussion last week.  I will assume that it was my fault for not writing a compelling enough introduction.  I want to refrain from simply asking questions and me being the one dictating the direction of the discussion.  So this week I’ll keep it open and simply say, “your turn”.  But if there is little discussion this week I’ll assume I need to provide more direction for our little band of book readers.

It’s not too late to join our study.  The introduction and first chapter are very short so you can catch up really quickly.  You don’t even have to buy the book; it’s free online:

http://cdn.desiringgod.org/pdf/books_bgg/books_bgg.pdf

What are your thoughts about this chapter…

BLBC: God is the Gospel Introduction

Sorry for the tardiness of this post, I know that I had originally said we would start on Monday.  A 15 page paper kept me from fulfilling that task.  But we will begin today by looking at the introduction to Piper’s book. 

In case you are just beginning remember that you can read this book online for free:

http://cdn.desiringgod.org/pdf/books_bgg/books_bgg.pdf

Summary:

The central statement to this entire book, and this introduction, is that the greatest gift of the gospel is God Himself.  The fundamental question that Piper wants us to ask ourselves as we go through this book is, “Do you love God or do you love His gifts?”  Perhaps the most penetrating question in the entire book is this one:

The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—
is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the
friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and
all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no
human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with
heaven, if Christ were not there?  (Piper, 15)

If you are unfamiliar with Piper you need to know that central to his ministry is that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”.  That has been the driving statement of Piper’s ministry.  This foundational commitment is what drives statements like this one: “The saving love of God is God’s commitment to do everything necessary to enthrall us with what is most deeply and durably satisfying, namely himself” (13). 

Piper closes his introduction by giving a word to pastors and church leaders.  Honestly, I think this probing question is fitting for everyone in the way that we present the gospel.  It is a fitting question, “Can we really say that our people are being prepared for heaven where Christ himself, not his gifts, will be the supreme pleasure?” 

There is a ton to chew on in this introduction.  So I’ll let you bring out the things that you found beneficial, had questions about, or wanted to discuss further. 

A Word on Reading Piper

Some people find reading John Piper pretty difficult.  I think it has to do somewhat with his writing style.  He reminds me of C.S. Lewis and the Apostle Paul in that he puts a ton of stuff in one sentence.  Therefore, it is best to try to read Piper slowly.  He has a tendency to say something and then say the same thing again in another way.  Be aware of this. 

I encourage you to read through this slowly and thoughtfully.  But remember there is a reason that we are reading this in community.  If something simply does not make sense feel free to leave a comment and ask, “what in the world is Piper saying here?”  Also, feel free to disagree and ask questions of Piper.  You may not agree with everything he says.  He may at times sound an alarm and go just a little too far.  But then again he may also be correct. 

Let’s freely interact and respect one another as we go through this book!

It’s your turn…

Burroughs--The Mystery of Contentment

Today we begin Chapter 2 in our study of Jeremiah Burroughs The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. Again, a reminder that you can buy the book here, or read it online here. In this chapter, and the third, Burroughs will exposit for us the great mystery of contentment. What does he mean by mystery? He gives an example with this statement: "You never learned the mystery of contentment unless it may be said of you that, just as you are the most contented man, so you are also the most unsatisfied man in the world." What a great mystery it must be that a man is discontent and content at the same time. Burroughs goes on to explain: "though his heart is so enlarged that the enjoyment of all the world and ten thousand worlds cannot satisfy him for his portion; yet he has a heart quieted under God's disposal, if He gives him but bread and water." In order for this to not be utterly insane we must see it as a great mystery indeed. This marks the difference between a godly man and he with a carnal heart. The godly man that is contented will not find his portion in this world and thus will be satisfied with what little he is given. The carnal man will find the world for his portion and thus will never be satisfied.

The heart of the issue lies in what satisfies us. "A soul that is capable of God can be filled with nothing else but God...therefore, whatever God may give to a gracious heart, a heart that is godly, unless He gives Himself it will not do". As Burroughs expounds upon Philippians 4:7, 9 we see the depth of his thought as it is compared to the carnality of our modern thinking. I have known many of Christians when reading, Philippians 4:9 ("And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ,") will pursue the peace of God. Listen to what Burroughs offers as an observation of that text: "the peace of God is not enough to a gracious heart except it may have the God of that peace. A carnal heart would be satisfied if he might but have outward peace, though it is not the peace of God...but mark how a godly heart goes beyond a carnal. All outward peace is not enough; I must have the peace of God...we must enjoy the Fountain of peace, as well as the stream of my peace".

A good measure of whether or not we have this godly contentment is to ask ourselves whether or not we can honestly agree with Psalm 73:25, "Whom have I in heaven but you and there is none upon the earth that I desire beside you." If you want to further information on this concept I suggest reading Piper's excellent book God is the Gospel. You can purchase it here or read it online here. Piper's central thesis is that the greatest gift of the gospel is God Himself. This strongly echoes Burroughs sentiment that a contented heart is dissatisfied until he has God Himself, but is yet contented with the little the world has because of the measure of grace God has given Him.