The Promise of Change
The Company We Keep, prt. 7
Wildwind Community Church
David Flowers
June 13, 2009
Last week I spoke to you about “means of grace.” Let’s do a quick review. What are the means of grace? They are the ways you receive God’s grace into your life. This week I want to talk to you a bit more about why we need to be practicing “means of grace,” and give you an example from my own life, which will help me talk to you about how you apply these disciplines to your specific life situation in ways that will be productive and beneficial for you. This is a must because we have already established that simply praying and reading the Bible and attending church (all the “regular” stuff people do) does not bring the transformation that is needed in life. But the way of Christ is one of gradual but certain, and often observable, transformation. Let me make this clear. As Christians we often (at the beginning) WILL be mired in our vices – but we do not HAVE to be. Jesus has promised to lead us out of them and he will surely do that if we allow him to do so. Certainly that is God’s desire.
Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG)
22 But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments,
23 not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way.
Those are “fruits” of life in the Spirit of God. Rather than allowing Jesus to change our hearts so the right fruit grows on the tree, most Christians are out there trying to glue the fruit onto the tree. We see that a fruit of the Spirit is serenity, so we try to be serene. We see that another fruit is not needing to force our way in life, not needing to control outcomes. So we grit our teeth and try to pretend it doesn’t bother us when we don’t get our way. But underneath we often are NOT serene, and we usually DO need to control outcomes and are greatly bothered when people don’t act the way we want them to. This is what Jesus referred to as the rightness of the scribes and Pharisees. It’s a rightness that is “put on.” We see a certain standard, we adopt that standard, and then try to “act” the way we should.
Now there has never been a greater opponent to religious hypocrisy and fake holiness than Jesus. In fact Jesus said to ordinary people,
Matthew 5:20 (MSG)
20 Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.
In other words, the Pharisees are all trying hard to do the right thing, but they’re missing what matters most, which is cultivating a right heart. This kind of righteousness (by trying rather than training) leads to arrogance and pride in how “spiritual” we are.
Matthew 23:25-26 (MSG)
25 "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony.
26 Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.
What is Jesus saying here? He is saying the inside has to change. The heart must be righteous. We must bring ourselves to where we are going far past just DOING what is right, to where we actually DESIRE what is right! See, we can do stuff with the wrong intentions, but our desires show who we are. Of course we can’t make ourselves desire right things, so we have to embrace spiritual practices, habits, and disciplines (means of grace) so that God over time can change our hearts – give us right hearts that deeply desire to do what is right. When our hearts are right we don’t have to glue the fruit on the tree – it grows naturally.
Matthew 12:33 (MSG)
33 "If you grow a healthy tree, you'll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you'll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree.
That’s the freedom and lightness Jesus refers to. We live freely and lightly when we can do right things out of hearts that are right.
This is not the way most people work. Most people desire to do right things, but they are prepared to do evil things when it suits their purposes. And then, when they do wrong, evil things, they defend them by saying, “You’d have done the same thing if you were me.” And indeed, many people would have. But the heart Jesus longs for us to have is a heart that is prepared only to do good, never evil – even when doing evil might seem to benefit us in some way. This heart is holy and righteous, but not conceited, because conceit cannot come out of this kind of heart.
The Apostle James was the brother of Jesus, and his writing often mirrors the teachings that he probably heard Jesus give again and again. He wrote:
James 3:11-12 (NIV)
11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?
12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
The heart Jesus desires for us is a heart that cannot produce both righteousness and arrogance. It cannot hate some people and love others. This heart cannot force its will upon others, or speak flatteringly while hiding deep resentments. It cannot remain for long in a place of fear. This heart is incapable of guile, of intentionally misleading others. It is able to love, even when its love is not returned – to bless and bring life, even when it is being trampled and killed. It is at peace with itself and does not need others to validate it, yet it warmly loves others and welcomes them. And all of these things it does not with clenched fists and heaves of effort, but easily, effortlessly, and joyfully. No glue is needed. In fact, there is no need even to worry about the fruit. Ours is to make sure the tree is right – and then certainly the fruit will come. That, my friends, is freedom. You will be free from the oppression of constantly trying to be good, for a person who IS good does not need to TRY to be. The rightness of your life will be known not because of the great effort you expend in doing what is right, but because of how easily you do it. Who is stronger, the one who lifts 200 lbs with great strain and effort, or the one who does it effortlessly?
This is where the means of grace take their place. The means of grace are the “hows” – the things we can do now to develop the kind of heart that easily and naturally does what is right. They align us with God, separate us from all that comes between him and us, and allow him to pour his grace into us. And to receive God’s grace is always to be changed. The more grace we receive, the more we are changed. The more we are changed, the more we are free to do what is right (which will become what we truly desire!), and released from feeling that we either cannot do what is right, do not wish to do what is right, or desire to do what is wrong.
Now it is important to say that there is no value in any spiritual practice in and of itself. Any of the disciplines you apply in your life you apply only because they can be a way of connecting to God or disconnecting from whatever keeps us from God. Apart from that function they have no value.
Means of grace, when used properly, allow us to receive God’s grace in our lives and we will know whether it’s God’s grace we are receiving by the kind of fruit that is growing on the tree. You can call these whatever you want. I have called them spiritual disciplines, spiritual habits, spiritual practices, and means of grace. I prefer the team “means of grace,” because technically the disciplines, habits, and practices are not spiritual in themselves. They’re just activities. But referring to them as “means of grace,” constantly reminds us of what they actually are – ways of receiving God’s grace into our lives. That is why on our membership application, the first consideration is whether a person is “practicing the means of grace and growing in grace.” That is how we define a Christian at Wildwind.
I have told you that when you correctly understand the means of grace, they will be unique to your situation, custom-made for the areas where you are struggling to experience God. I want to share with you an area where I am currently struggling with something and show you what most Christians would do (that is usually ineffective), then show you what it means to seek and find means of grace to deal with it.
I mentioned to you a few weeks ago that in the middle of managing our money on a Sunday morning, I realized that I have this terrible pattern. When I manage our money I nearly always get into a major funk. I get frustrated and angry that it seems like we’re always just barely getting by. I call my own stewardship and responsibility into question. I start having fantasies about being in a different financial situation, and get angry and feel ripped off by God that we have huge student loans to pay and why aren’t we at this place or that place different in our lives. I think about all the work that needs to be done on our cars, on our house, and I start feeling fearful that we’re not going to be able to do what needs to be done, and then something terrible will happen because of neglect. Thus the descent into the abyss begins. I feel a dark cloud coming over me. My attitude and tone changes toward Christy. I feel bitter inside and then anger wells up as I increasingly feel trapped and unable to get us beyond this situation. This is nearly a weekly thing. I experience this far more often than not when I manage our money. Now please understand, we are not wasteful. We do not carry credit card balances month to month. We pay our bills on time and we’re never late on anything. We don’t spend beyond our means – we always have money in the bank to pay for anything we buy. Our girls pretty much get to go where they need to go and do what they need to do. They don’t lack for anything essential. Are you getting my problem here? There’s something spiritual happening in my life, and money brings it out. Because there is no immediate crisis, yet there is constant dread and fear, even though I have conquered fear in most other areas of my life. God has a pretty good track record. He has provided and taken care of us, and we have made massive progress in the past three years. And yet, like the Rolling Stones, I paint it black – every week. And this means one thing – I don’t trust God to take care of us. The heart that fully trusts God simply cannot worry.
So there’s the issue I’m struggling with. During these economic times, perhaps some of you really resonate with that. Now I want to tell you how most Christians would deal with this – how they would be counseled by their spiritual leaders to deal with it. The counsel would typically be 1) to pray about it; and 2) to seek God’s guidance in His Word. And by and large this would be it. In some places it might be even worse, like simply, “Trust God.” Okay, but how? So I would set about praying this prayer – “God, I don’t trust you. Help me to trust you.” I would find scripture that deals with money, and with God’s provision for us, and would read them a lot. And every week I’d open that computer and find myself feeling tense and stressed and increasingly upset, and I would then question whether God was listening to me and hearing my prayers, because I would probably not experience much change, though I was praying every week – perhaps every day – God, please help me to trust you.” That is the way we deal with most problems in our lives. We seek out information in the Bible about the issue, and we pray about the issue. And usually it is not effective, and usually we do not know why.
But what would it mean to practice the means of grace in this situation? I mean even practicing prayer and Bible reading – the same activities – but as means of grace. Most Christians in this situation would read the Bible for information, reminding themselves that God takes care of his children and just TRY to keep reminding themselves. Used this way, the Bible cannot serve as a means of grace. Or if it can, only marginally. Because we’ll read about how Jesus says not to worry and then we’ll set about trying hard not to worry (tying the fruit on). And of course we fail, and then we can’t figure out why the Bible isn’t “working.” It isn’t “working” in this case because the information that we should not worry and should trust God is powerless to change us. You will not be changed by information. You will be changed by confrontation with God through his Word. Most people would read about not worrying, but would not engage God and make God part of that conversation. They’d read it, say a quick prayer, and then set out trying to do it. What do I call this? I call it showing up for the marathon unprepared, then heaping guilt upon ourselves for not being able to run it. It is not trying that is needed. I do not need to try not to be angry, or try not to worry. I do not need to carry around information in my head about God’s provision. So what do I need to do? What can actually change me? How can I receive God’s grace in this area of my life? How can I “train myself to be godly?”
Let me give you some examples. Rather than simply reading a few scriptures, I need to learn some stuff by heart. If I’m tied to reading it, then it can only be helpful when I can read or listen to it. If I learn some things “by heart,” it can become part of me. So that’s the first thing. [Spiritual director Jan Johnson prefers the term “learn by heart” over memorize because the goal is not to simply be able to recite it – it is to hide God’s Word in our hearts and carry it with us always.]
Psalms 119:11 (NIV)
11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
We cannot and will not find ourselves in a God-shaped universe until God’s Word begins to fill our minds and hearts. So I might memorize this passage:
Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)
6 Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
7 Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
I commit it first to memory. Once it’s memorized, I would then take it regularly into my times of prayer, where I pray it by heart.
“God, you have said not to fret or worry. I realize that if I trust you, I cannot do either one, and my desire is to trust you. So instead of worrying, I will pray. Hear my praises and petitions today, and through them please shape my fears into prayer, moment to moment. Thank you that you already know my concerns, and that you are faithful to your promises.”
Then I would visualize myself sitting there doing my money management with Jesus sitting at my side. I picture myself going envelope through envelope and looking at the balances and Jesus saying to me, “Show me now – where is the balance so low that I cannot provide? Where am I unable to help you? Where do you have need to care for yourself? Where is the storm so large that I cannot silence it?” And as Jesus asks each of these questions, I reply to him, “Nowhere Lord. Thank you that you are sufficient for me and my family.” I imagine him saying to me “Peace, be still.” I sit there for a long time in the center of that stillness, picturing my computer on my lap and those balances blinking in front of me, quiet next to Jesus, confident that he will be faithful.
So those are some ways I could meditate on God. I will do this daily and constantly, moving on to learn more scripture by heart when the one I have learned stops speaking to me with power. I will ask God what I am afraid of, and take notes of how God answers, because I know he will answer if I ask him.
Aside from that, I might find a song that reminds me of my position in Christ – that I am safe and nothing can harm me.
I will cease opening that computer until I have immersed myself in prayer and meditation on God’s promises. I will invite Christy to be honest with me about when I am sounding tense and will stop then and there to deal with God and what’s in my heart. Our spouses cannot make us face the truth or follow it, but if we ask them, they can help us find it.
Finally, I need to consider the discipline not of saving, but of spending. Some people spend too much and are poor mangers of their money. They would need to apply the discipline of simplicity and restraint with regard to money, and that would be difficult for them. I am too worried about every dollar and I make myself and my family miserable. I need to carefully apply the discipline of celebration with our money, spending on occasion to make memories with people I love. But if I simply spend money, it will be of no use – it’ll just be spending money. I must spend prayerfully, thanking God for what he provides and the opportunity to use it with joy. Perhaps for a period of time, instead of sending our tithe checks out from our bank, I need to write the checks out personally. I need to pray over that money, see it coming out of my account, and thank God for the chance to use money in this way. I probably need to look for other opportunities to give. See it’s not that Christy and I don’t give. We give – but I do not give freely. I worry about it once the money passes through my hands and fear that I will not have enough.
Do you see what I’m talking about? I’m talking about something that goes FAR beyond, “Read what God says about money and then pray and ask God to help you.” Sure that’s okay, but the goal isn’t just to get information on what to do, it’s to receive God’s grace that transforms, so that a few months from now I can stand up here and tell you that I’m not struggling with that anymore, like I can now stand here and tell you that I have seen God put an end to fear in so many other areas of my life!
That is what Jesus means when he says,
Matthew 11:29-30 (MSG)
29 Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
30 Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
It is not a life of knowing I shouldn’t worry about money and feeling like crap because I worry anyway. Like John Ortberg jokingly says, “If we can’t be changed, at least we can feel guilty.” That’s not light, that’s heavy! The Jesus life is a life of identifying where I am not experiencing God’s grace and freedom, then applying in my life specific practices and disciplines that can help me receive grace.
As I stand here now, I simply do not trust God when it comes to our money. But within a few months, that will no longer be true. I have a vision for the freedom that would be mine if I trusted God with our finances. I have the intention of doing what it takes to receive God’s grace to change this, and I know the means I must use if that is to happen. I don’t have to struggle with this anymore and by God’s grace, I will not.
Whatever you are struggling with right now – you don’t have to struggle with it anymore. You can get a vision for the freedom that would come from fully releasing this to God. You can intend to do whatever it takes to receive God’s grace to deal with it, and you can learn and practice the means that are needed in your specific situation. As you do this, you will be keeping company with Jesus – living in dependence on the Father just as he did. And the sure result will be power over things you do not currently have power over, the joy that comes with that, and looking just a bit more like Christ.
I just want to ask you one thing this week. Where in life are you experiencing heaviness and lack of freedom? God needs to free you in that place. Can you begin to think about what this might look like for you? What do you need to do to experience God’s grace in this area? Whatever it is, those activities become, for you, spiritual disciplines. Let’s pray.
