The Joy of Forgetting About Me - Purity 1367

To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.com or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of leaves floating on the surface of the clear blue waters of a swimming pool comes to us from yours truly as I captured the scene while working somewhere in Rotterdam back in, back in September, back on September 13th, 2019. I remember taking this photo to document the first sign of the transition from summer to autumn and recall being a little melancholy about it. Of course, I was still in the midst of a transition of a divorce, having waited over a year at this point in time since filing the papers to end what was broken. So it's no surprise that I may have been looking at the negative aspects of the inevitable loss of those sunny days of summer. But the end was nigh. Our agreement would finally be signed in 6 weeks later, and that may have been unfortunate, but the pathway to the peace and joy that I know now had no other route but to go through it. No one likes to suffer, and we all like the pain to end sooner rather than later, but after you walk through the fires of affliction and get burned you can emerge into a new life that has been in many ways better than you ever were before. Oh boy. That is, of course, if you walk through those fires and base your new life on who you are in Christ. Well, it's Tuesday, and you have to forgive me for the rather simple photo, as I lost myself for a while as I was scrolling through the photos from years ago to find something to share. I have really cleaned house of most of the scenic photos from 2018 and 2019, but wasn't surprised to discover a bunch of faith-filled positive memes that I had shared on Facebook and saved to my phone. As my whole life was being redefined because of the dissolution of my marriage, I needed to focus on something that wasn't bleak. My Ex's opinion of me was nothing I wanted to focus on because in her opinion I was disposable and not worthy of respect or love. Similarly, my opinion of myself and my abilities to navigate that crisis was nothing to put stock in either, as I felt guilt and shame over having a failed marriage and didn't have a clue of what I would do next. So I focused on my faith. The Lord's goodness and my relationship with Him. When I chose to forget about the opinions of others and even my opinion about myself and focused on what God said about me, I found the strength to carry on and walk through that difficult time with— do I dare say it— with a certain amount of grace. I forgot about myself to a certain extent and just focused on doing what I had to do day to day. Day in and day out to make it through. Because I was walking and talking with God, I was able to do it with real moments of peace and joy as well. I just read, uh, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim Keller this morning, and I highly recommend it to anyone listening or reading this message because Keller points to this ability to find joy and freedom when we no longer consider the opinions of others or even of ourselves. And instead focus on the freedom that the Lord has given us and stop falling into our ego's trap of comparison and self-evaluation. When we stop putting ourselves on trial with the standards of others or of ourselves and accept God's verdict of justification and acceptance, we can discover a joy that few people know. The joy that the Lord has for us that comes with the freedom from a performance-based mode of existence where we don't think too highly of ourselves or too lowly of ourselves because we don't think about ourselves much at all. Instead of trying to prop ourselves up by how we compare to others or by our accomplishments, we can rest on what Christ has accomplished and how he has made us acceptable and beyond reproach in the eyes of God. The only one who matters. I really recommend getting Keller's book. It's small, it's a small book, and it's easy to read. Because the teaching is profound and my time is limited, but there is great joy to be found by setting yourself free of the opinions of others and even of yourself by knowing who you are in Christ. We can stop striving and stop the insidious self-assessments and just rest knowing that God loves us and and gives us a new identity from which we can be the people we always wanted to be but didn't think we were capable of being, because we are accepted, significant, and secure in Christ. Today's Bible verses come to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Crews. This morning's meditation verses come from the section on depression, and today's verses are Isaiah 40, verses 1 through 31. And the word of God says, comfort, oh comfort my people, says your God. Speak kindly to Jerusalem and call out to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice is calling, clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness. Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low, and let the rough ground become a plain and the rugged terrain a broad valley. Then the Lord— then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. A voice says, 'Call out!' Then he answered, 'What shall I call out?' All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are grass, the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, Bearer of good news! Lift up your voice, mighty O Jerusalem, bearer of good news! Lift it up, do not fear! Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" Behold, the Lord God will come with might, with his arm ruling for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he will tend his flock, In his arm he will gather the lambs and carry them in his bosom. He will gently, he will gently lead the nursing ewes. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor has informed him? With whom did he consult, and who gave him understanding? And who taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and informed him of the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales. Behold, he lifts up the islands like fine dust, Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him; they are regarded by him as less than nothing and meaningless. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness will you compare with him? As for the idol, a craftsman cast it; the goldsmiths plate it with gold, and the silversmiths fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering selects a tree that does not rot. He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman to prepare an idol that will not totter. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is, is who reduces rulers to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, scarcely have they been sown, scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, but he merely blows on them and they wither, and the storm carries them away like stubble. To whom then will you liken me, that I would be his equal? Says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the one who leads forth their host by number. He calls them all by name because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power. Not one of them is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God'? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired; his understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks Might he gives, he increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. Today's verses fall under the 6th point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on depression. 6. Words of comfort were given to the faithful of Israel as they became depressed while in Babylon. They were called to put their faith into action in their dark hour. Today's verses remind us that the Lord understands our struggles and can give us strength when we are weary. The nation of Israel had lost everything. They were exiled to Babylon and slaves to a foreign nation's rule. Their circumstances were not good, and the threat of losing all hope was a very clear and present danger. But the prophet Isaiah shares the word of the Lord that assures them of the Lord's presence, care, and power to help those who put their faith in him. I have suffered in life before and since I put my faith in Jesus, and I know the truth of these scriptures. Yes, I understand that this was a message to it a word to Israel. But the same God that helped those people way back then is the same God that is available for us today to give us hope and strength. So if you are weary, trust in God, follow him, and ask him for strength and guidance to lead you through, to lead you through. God is with us, and he helps us when we ask. As always, I invite all to go to mtforchrist.org, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from Stephen Alford's According to Your Word, morning and evening through the New Testament. And in Alford's devotional, he shares a— well, he prompts us to read a chapter of scripture, and today's scripture is Romans 10. From Romans 10, he shares a portion of verse 11, which says, whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. And Stephen Alford writes, the shame the apostle writes about here is the shame that the Lord Jesus spoke about when he said, for whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father and with the holy angels. Mark 8:38. The man who is going to Be ashamed is the man who lives a Christ-less life. This applies in measure to believers as well, for it is possible to be saved and then fall back or backslide. The cause of this is unbelief. The above verse declares that it is the man who believes who shall not be ashamed. If there is an evil heart of unbelief, however, there will be shame even for the Christian. Abide in him that we may not be ashamed before him at his coming. 1 John 2:28. Alford ends with the quote from Hebrews 11:6, which says, without faith it is impossible to please him. Amen. And, uh, yeah, I, you know, Alford talks about backsliding. In terms of that, you know, our behaviors may not always match up with who we are in Christ, but if we put our faith in Jesus, we would be saved. So I don't think we lose our salvation, you know. And with that, you know, you can have someone who says they believed in Jesus then walk away from him. Then you got to really ask the question, did they ever actually believe in Jesus? So there's always room and debate for the, the whole question of whether or not was once saved, always saved. But, you know, in my opinion, yes, you are, if you— but there's a caveat— if you are indeed actually saved. And how will we know if you're indeed actually saved? That you'll remain faithful, you'll continue to follow the Lord, there'll be fruit in your life. You know, Jesus said, if you love me, you obey my commandments, and you'll be known for the love you have for others. So these things aren't growing in your life, you need to surrender to the Lord's will and follow His ways for living. You know, you could be saved and just be, you know, enslaved by the deceptions of this world that, you know, keep you joyless and keep you from focusing on who you are in Christ. Instead, you stay in that rat race of comparing yourself to others or even beating yourself up because of your own performance. I really recommend Keller's book. You know, I've had that little booklet floating around my room, and I've carried it with me here and there. People have recommended it to me, and it just sort of floated around. And luckily, I finally opened it and decided to read it this morning during my devotional time, and it was great. And it really talks about, you know, how we have a terrible view of how to treat self-esteem, and, you know, how building people up by their own standards is a trap. We're not supposed to be putting, you know, we're not supposed to condemn ourselves, and we're not supposed to think too highly of ourselves, because If we do that, we'll be in the trap of our own ego and trying to please ourselves or please others when the Lord has peace for us by focusing on him and what he says about us and how we're supposed to live according to him. That's where the peace is found. And when you do that, you tend to forget about yourself. You forget about your rights and what will make you happy. Instead, you focus on the joy you already have. You don't have to make yourself happy. You've been made, you know, you've been set free. There's nothing to accomplish. You're accepted by God, the highest authority there is, and he's given you the freedom to operate in his kingdom. According to who you are in Christ. That's where you don't have to try to impress people. You don't have to try to impress yourself. You know, he draws you to do what is right, but it's not a matter of being, you know, being accepted. It's a matter of finding the peace that he has for you. That's why we do— that's why we turn from sin and why we do good works is to be an expression of God's love and to, you know, feel it. So that's what it's about. It's not about performance. And as for, you know, the long passage from Isaiah today, you know, it tells you that God's over and above all things, that things just, you know, will fade away. People who think they're powerful will, you know, we'll see how powerless they are. And it doesn't matter how long you rule and reign on the earth, the Lord rules all of eternity. We'll all have to come to answer to Him. So when we don't have strength, we can find it in Him. And it's how to live, it really is. It'll bring you through the darkest day and give you peace and joy when you focus on Him. Follow him. So that's our encouragement today. As always, we have to— not always, but we have to work today, so we have to get out there and do it. We are hosting or leading the Celebrate Freedom growth group, our support group, at Starpoint Church tonight for anyone in the Capitol District who'd like to stop in and get encouraged encourage. Our leaders, Scott Salvador and Debbie Teal, will be leading the lesson, and I'll be there to encourage you. No, basically an overseer if anything should go wrong. Um, but nothing goes wrong. We come together as a community to support one another in our walk of faith and to overcome our hurts, habits, and hang-ups. And, uh, there's been great growth amongst us. So we invite people to join us. And if you can't make it out to, you know, to Celebrate Freedom and want encouragement, I am a Christian life coach. I have appointments on Thursdays. You can book an appointment basically to talk to me. It won't cost you because I minister to everyone I speak to, and I don't want to waste my time trying to encourage someone who's not going to not going to invest themselves in their own help. If you want encouragement, it might cost you something, but it'll tell you that I'll tell you the truth. I'll point you in the right direction, and if you want to be in a relationship with me as a client, I can walk with you. So you can discover the new life that Jesus has for you, and so you can get some guidance, some instruction, and, and someone to look at your blind spots to help you along the path. So that's what I do. I'm continually evaluating my walk though, because I lose my peace, so what's going on with that? Let's go back to the Lord and go back to the ways that work, not in those of flesh, and we'll discover it. Today's day 3 of the fast, and I feel wonderful. Who knew? I haven't had to struggle. I just have been drinking water, and I did have an energy drink yesterday as well. It was floating around my truck, and I got rid of it, but zero calories on that. So no food, just living in the Spirit, and I fed richly on another booklet by John MacArthur called Defeating Discontentment. I recommend that. You can look it up online. The booklet is $2 from Grace to You, and it was good stuff. So, you know, another recommendation. Keep seeking the Lord and his wisdom and knowledge and applying it to your life, and you'll discover the pathway to peace. Just when you veer off of it, like indulging the flesh or getting caught up in your performance or how you compare to others, that's when you got to go back to God. So that's our advice today, and, uh, here's our prayer. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. We thank you so much for all that you do for us, Lord. We thank you for the joy you set before us, uh, through salvation in Jesus Christ. We pray for anyone listening or reading today's message, that you come alongside them and their prayer request. Help them in their walk of faith, Lord. And as always, we pray for you to go before us, open our eyes to the things you want us to see, and lead us in the way we should go. Because all we want to do is represent you and your kingdom, Lord, and share your love wherever we go. And we need your help with that, so we're praying and asking for it. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.