My Identity
God is definitely at work. How do I know this? For one thing, I begin to re-evaluate my life and question what does it mean to be a "Christian"? How do I define myself as a Christian? This can be such a daunting question. Last year, my primary prayer request to God was to teach me how to fall in love with Him all over again. As I prayed, God just pressed so many different things in my life that I tend to ignore. Things such as: Where do I draw my strength from? Do I base my life on the approval of others?
"Prodigal Sons" by Tim Keller
http://sermons2.redeemer.com/
Luke 15:1-2, 11-32
1) There are two sons (one is very good, one is very bad - but both were alienated)
-Each one of them used the father to get what they really love; one of them did it by being very very good
2) For the older brother, it was not his sin that's keeping him from the father, its his goodness and righteousness. We always have to look at our motivations behind what we do.
3) Default mode of every human heart is self-justification (being your own Savior and Lord, controlling things and controlling people)
I identify myself so well, especially with the older brother...with regards to these points:
Me: If I love people, read my bible, pray --> God has to bless me
Reality: You are your own saviour (you are avoiding Jesus by avoiding sin)
Fact: Religious people obey God to get things; Gospel people obey God to get God
The older brother lived such a good life, angry, b/c he sees that God owes him! This explained why he (and I) can look down on people and judge them so much.
So... how can we be saved?
1) We need the initiating love of the father
-father goes out to both sons
-the father's kiss washes the repentance
-father goes out to the older son (like how Jesus pleads the Pharisees to come in)
2) We need to learn how to repent on something beside sins
-the older brother has lost but nothing on his list (he still has his inheritance with the father)
-Note that there is a BIG difference b/w Christian and moralist:
-->Christians repent on what they done wrong, but Christians also repent for the reasons you did right (ie. we recognize for even the right things we as Christians do is actually for self justification and for desiring to control God and others)
-->But through Jesus Christ, everything changes (we enter this New Birth)
3) We must be melted and moved by what it cost to bring us home
Pharisees obey God to get things
Christians obey God to get God
The father said, "Everything I have is yours"
If the true older brother acted more like Jesus: "I'll bring my younger brother home at any expense" (this is such a big challenge for me to move from my comfort zone and get off the couch)
So I thank God for showing me these things, even though I still have a longggg way to go, his grace and his mercies are new everyday. I declare that I want to step back and examine closely what are the motives behind my actions and decisions as a Christian. May my life reflect the great love that Christ has cherished upon me.
In these past weeks, it has been so hard for me to live my life. I can attribute so many reasons to this ("senioritis", seasonal affective disorder, etc) but it ultimately draws me back to the very question that God asked me in the first place - what is my identity? It is so easy for me to live this "Christian" life and start to evaluate others by my own standards/ expectations. As I was preparing to lead my small bible study group, God definitely affirmed some of those questions that are found in my heart. I used the sermon by Tim Keller on the Prodigal Son (more specifically, he focussed on the older brother). There are some things from his sermon that struck me:
"Prodigal Sons" by Tim Keller
http://sermons2.redeemer.com/
Luke 15:1-2, 11-32
1) There are two sons (one is very good, one is very bad - but both were alienated)
-Each one of them used the father to get what they really love; one of them did it by being very very good
2) For the older brother, it was not his sin that's keeping him from the father, its his goodness and righteousness. We always have to look at our motivations behind what we do.
3) Default mode of every human heart is self-justification (being your own Savior and Lord, controlling things and controlling people)
I identify myself so well, especially with the older brother...with regards to these points:
Me: If I love people, read my bible, pray --> God has to bless me
Reality: You are your own saviour (you are avoiding Jesus by avoiding sin)
Fact: Religious people obey God to get things; Gospel people obey God to get God
The older brother lived such a good life, angry, b/c he sees that God owes him! This explained why he (and I) can look down on people and judge them so much.
So... how can we be saved?
1) We need the initiating love of the father
-father goes out to both sons
-the father's kiss washes the repentance
-father goes out to the older son (like how Jesus pleads the Pharisees to come in)
2) We need to learn how to repent on something beside sins
-the older brother has lost but nothing on his list (he still has his inheritance with the father)
-Note that there is a BIG difference b/w Christian and moralist:
-->Christians repent on what they done wrong, but Christians also repent for the reasons you did right (ie. we recognize for even the right things we as Christians do is actually for self justification and for desiring to control God and others)
-->But through Jesus Christ, everything changes (we enter this New Birth)
3) We must be melted and moved by what it cost to bring us home
Pharisees obey God to get things
Christians obey God to get God
The father said, "Everything I have is yours"
If the true older brother acted more like Jesus: "I'll bring my younger brother home at any expense" (this is such a big challenge for me to move from my comfort zone and get off the couch)
So I thank God for showing me these things, even though I still have a longggg way to go, his grace and his mercies are new everyday. I declare that I want to step back and examine closely what are the motives behind my actions and decisions as a Christian. May my life reflect the great love that Christ has cherished upon me.
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