My first preach on a Sunday morning at Kings...
Assurance_of_Salvation.pdf
'Assurance of Salvation' and 'Conscious Change' from Kings Church Eastbourne on Vimeo.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Matt 6:33
I've been reading the Autobiography of George Muller and in it he highlights two things regarding the verse above: pursuing the Kingdom of God and pursuing holiness. I don't know why, but I've always missed the second point. I've just had a real blind spot for it. But it's a really key factor in doing God's work here on Earth, a real motivator in the pursuit of holiness, and a promise for experiencing material provision as you go. Here's what George Muller said in his book:
"...let a man once become really holy, even though he has but the slenderest possible ability, he will be a more fit instrument in God's hand than the man of gigantic acquirements, who is not obedient to the divine will, nor clean and pure in the sight of the Lord God Almighty."
p32, The Soul Winner, Charles H. Spurgeon.
"When I listened to Mr George Muller, as he was preaching at Mentone, it was just such an address as might have been given to a Sunday-school by an ordinary teacher, yet I never heard a sermon that did me more good, and more richly profited my soul ... you could not help saying, 'That man not only preaches what he believes, but also what he lives'. In every word he uttered his glorious life of faith seemed to fall upon both ear and heart. I was delighted to sit and listen to him; yet, as for novelty or strength of thought, there was no trace of it in the whole discourse. Holiness was the preacher's force; and you may depend upon it that, if God is to bless us, our strength must line in the same direction."
p32-33, The Soul Winner, Charles H. Spurgeon.
Some wise words from J.I. Packer on the subject of holiness:
"Personal holiness is an issue for every believer without exception. I am really expected to be so much like Jesus Christ that others will know at once and unmistakably that I am a Christian."
p19, J.I. Packer, Great Joy.
"Believers are positionally holy (separated by God for himself) from the word "go." Their obligation to practice moral and spiritual holiness on a day-to-day basis is derived from that fact. Our setting ourselves apart for God, in purpose separation from the world, the flesh, and the devil, is our proper response—our only proper response—to the knowledge that God has already claimed us by right of redemption."
p19, J.I. Packer, Great Joy.
"Holiness of life is not precisely a human achievement, however much it demands of human effort. It is a work of the Holy Spirit, who prompts and energizes the human effort as part of it. We do not sanctify ourselves."
p19-20, J.I. Packer, Great Joy.
"Self-reliance is not the way of holiness, but the negation of it. Self-confidence in the face of temptation and conflicting pressures is a sure guarantee that some sort of moral failure will follow."
p20, J.I. Packer, Great Joy.
My second talk at 'Authentic' students and 20s group at Kings Church Eastbourne. Not especially eloquent, but gets the job done!
Inch_By_Inch_Growth.pdf
Authentic: Inch By Inch Growth from Sam Arnold on Vimeo.
I feel like God teaches me some practical lessons every time I do a bit of gardening. Hope that doesn't sound too bizarre! It's like a workshop on tending to your soul. Here are my thoughts:
→ If you want to get rid of a weed, you have to uproot it. You have to dig beneath the surface, to it's point of origin which is unseen, and remove it entirely. It's exactly the same with sin. We can try and prune back our external behaviours, but really we must dig down and expose the root. Core beliefs, thought patterns, habits and idols.
→ The reason the weed is removed isn't just because we don't like that particular weed, but it's to create something much more beautiful in it's place. Our pursuit of holiness is tending to our soul like a well pruned garden. Over time, something very beautiful can developed.
→ Choosing not to tend to your garden does not prohibit growth. It just allows the wrong growth. The longer it's left unchecked, the more severe and extensive the weeds become. If our sin is left to develop, it will become more severe over time. We will become a mangled mess of thorns and thistles.
Quotes from 'Christ's Glorious Achievements'
"For myself, I love to live near a sinner's Saviour. If my standing before the Lord depended upon what I am in myself and what good works and righteousness I could bring, surely I should have to condemn myself a thousand times a day."
p18
"To believe is, to trust, to confide, to depend upon, to rely upon, to rest in."
p18-19
"There is no difference between one believer and another as to justification. So long as there is a connection between you and Christ the righteousness of God is yours. The link may be very like a film, a mere spider's line of trembling faith, but, if it runs all the way from the heart to Christ divine grace can and will flow along the most slender thread"
p20
"Come, look up, ye believers who are burdened with a sense of sin. While you chasten yourselves and mourn your sins, do not doubt your Saviour, nor question His righteousness."
p21.
"... for only by regeneration can we know ourselves to be the true seed."
p34.
"You must not think the devil cares much about you : the battle is against Christ in you."
p41.
""If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." Read, and the reading will be accurate, "He is a new creation." This is a very sweeping statement. A man in Christ is not the old man purified, nor the old man improved, nor the old man in a better humour, nor the old man with additions and subtractions, nor the old man dressed in gorgeous robes. No, he is a new creature altogether."
p70.
It occurred to me that when you say a particular task or goal is 'impossible', you effectively remove any obligation to try. I know I often think certain things are impossible when really they are just difficult. There's quite a distinction between the two.
One state of mind requires no effort what-so-ever, while the other you have to try, train, pray, problem-solve and persevere. I know I have to be really careful in mindlessly substituting the latter for the former. In one sense they're similar words, but the distance between them is incredible.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
Honor the LORD with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights."
Proverbs 3: 5-12
Absolutely packed full of goodness! So much there. Here are my own thoughts on this passage of Scripure:
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."
It says to trust with you heart. Interesting that it says 'heart' and not 'head'. If we trusted with our head, our trust would be based on knowledge, rationality and understanding. But we are denied all three. Instead, we are commanded not to lean on our own understanding, which is another way of saying we may have no clue what's going on.
Quite liberating in a way, because we're not then limited by our own IQ, but rather God's, which is infinite.
I would describe the heart as your innermost convictions, beliefs and desires that underpins your entire person. In this your heart is much deeper that your head. It's the 'wellspring of life' (Prov 4:23). If this heart is set trusting in the Lord, you are anchored well.
"In all your ways acknowledge him" - it's a deliberate act. It takes a decison. We can acknowledge him in some of our ways, that's easy. We give the easiest things over to Christ's headship. Things we don't really mind, that we don't feel the cost of handing over control. But the more precious things, these we can hold onto in a fashion that's "off-limits" for Jesus.
"and he will make straight your paths." - what an awesome promise. The Lord will draw a line in front of you and show you the way. We will know where we're going. Our path will be a simple one. But simple doesn't mean easy. We could have many battles along the way. Perhaps our biggest battle is faith in God when it really counts.
"Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil."
Three specific commands that will safeguard our soul through life. All three require a conscious effort, and the reason they're listed must be because we have a natural inclination to do the opposite. Holiness will not happen on it's own, our flesh will not take care of itself. We have to walk humbly and make war on sin.
In the next verse we are given a serious incentive:
"It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones"
Love it! Who wouldn't want that? Having your bones refreshed - who else can give you that level of refreshment? Only Jesus!
"Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce"
Giving to God is honour to God. It's so easy to forget! We can fall into thinking that it's just something we're supposed to do. But no! It's personal, a display of love and service to our illustrious Master. Honouring God extends to the whole of our wealth, it's not just our giving. It's all of our expenditure executed as an act of worship.
"Firstfruits" - give to God before anything else. Slip the giving in there before the rent, the electricity bill, the weekly food shop. In this God is the number one priority. Other things can fall by the wayside. And this is one of the ways we acknowledge him.
A brilliant guide to giving is found in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
We are under no law as to what we give, but simply to decide in our heart. We should be lead by the Spirit and prayerfully submit it to God. We can give as much or as little as we want, in the knowledge that we will reap what we sow. Generosity is the issue, rather than a hardline legalistic percentage of your income.
Our giving should be a joy to us. Your heart, your desires and your passions need to be aligned with the Kingdom of God. Faith needs to override fear when money's tight. If giving is painful and a chore, we should get time to check our hearts, our faith in God, our true desires.
"then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine."
We see the same promises in the Old and New Testaments. And they're pretty amazing. It's the whole idea that you can't out-give God.
"My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights."
The beginning of Proverbs is like a father instructing a son. It's done in love. We all need discipline and correction from time to time. The question is, are we prepared to walk in humble repentance?
Proverbs 9:8-9 says
"Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning."
It's not easy to be a wise man. Sometimes a rebuke is like a slap in the face. Your gut feeling is to strike back, especially if they've touched on an area that's very sensitive. It takes a lot of self-control and humility to simply take the hit, and then thank the person.
The conviction of the Holy Spirit is similar. It pin-points the sore spots, like a surgeon with a scalpel. It's very sharp and is delivered with pin-point accuracy. Our natural reaction can be to wince, curl up in a ball and sulk.
"The more spiritual the exercise, the sooner we tire in it. The choicest fruits are the hardest to rear: the most heavenly graces are the most difficult to cultivate. Beloved, while we do not neglect external things, which are good enough in themselves, we ought also to see to it that we enjoy living, personal fellowship with Jesus."
Charles H. Spurgeon
A brilliant quote from the Biography of James Hudson Taylor that further expands this concept:
"Where God is working the devil is sure to be busy; and the nearer one seeks to live to the Lord Himself, the more painful are the consequences of grieving Him"
p265
This perfectly echoes Ephesians 4:27
"do not give the devil a foothold"
"Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God"
1 John 3:21
Aside from the fact that we sin to some degree every hour of every day, in thought, word and deed, there are prominent and deliberate sins that even our own hearts condemn us for. I guess we call that our conscience.
A heavy conscience can so easily block you off from God. You know you could pray but instead you hang your head in shame until the feeling subsides. Your confidence is gone. It's always hard to talk to someone when you've got your back to them.
How free we can be when holiness is pursued and victory over sin attained. Nothing hangs on our heart or mind.
"For my yoke is easy and my burden is light"
Matthew 11:30
I can't help but think this is what Jesus has in mind for us.
Looking back at John Wesley in the English Revival of the 18th century, his pursuit of holiness was absolutely remarkable. And yet the foundation of his faith was the free and undeserved gift of salvation.
God's grace propels us into the pursuit of holiness. It doesn't score us extra points with God, yet you can't underestimate its importance. The pursuit of holiness is really the pursuit of unbroken communion with God.
