by: John Park, September 8th, 2010
When we downplay the punishment that we rightly deserved, we are not too far from downplaying Christ’s work on the cross.
[25] It (Christ’s wrath-absorbing sacrifice on the cross on behalf of sinners) was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
[26] It (Christ’s wrath-absorbing sacrifice on the cross on behalf of sinners) was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
(Romans 3:25-26 ESV)
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by: John Park, September 8th, 2010
This may sound a bit morbid, but I’ve been thinking about death/dying a lot lately.
It may be because of the fact that ever since I came back from China, my immune system has been getting progressively worse by the year (it started off with only a few colds and headaches in the beginning, but now I’d be lucky if I went one month without getting sick).
But all to say, lately when I’ve been getting sick, the thought of death and dying has been coming to mind (a lot) … and it’s been bugging me.
Now, I know that none of us are going to live forever and that death is an inevitability (that is, unless Christ returns before God takes us). And so, it’s not as if I’m in denial.
Rather, it’s quite the opposite; with the increasing number of times I’ve been getting sick, I am reminded that death is more and more a certainty.
However, what has been bugging me is just the shear uncertainty of what happens after the fact. That is to say, how does anyone know what happens after we die?
I recently came across this fascinating blog in which Rachel Barkey, a woman who knew she was dying of terminal cancer, wrote letters, chronicling her spiritual and emotional journey through her battle with cancer until she died on July 2, 2009.
In her second to last entry titled, “Dying is hard,” she wrote the following:
I’ve never done it before and there’s no one around who’s done it before to ask how to do it well.
She articulated into words what I had been thinking.
Undoubtedly, some might wonder at this point: “But John, you’re a pastor! You study the Word of God! Shouldn’t you, of all people, be confident and hopeful of the glory that comes after death to all those who are in Christ?”
And herein lies the dilemma – namely, yes, I should be hopeful… and yes, I should be confident. But, contrary to popular sentiment, pastors do struggle. And for a while now, this was an issue that I was wrestling with for quite some time theologically; emotionally; practically.
But, in the end, God is merciful.
Today, I picked up a copy of J.I. Packer’s book Knowing God and God spoke powerfully through it, as I couldn’t put it down.
Without going into all of the details, one thing I felt God speak ever-so-clearly to me (not audibly; I feel I should always qualify this, why?) through the book was this: “John, you don’t know me. You may know a lot about me. But you don’t know me.”
This diagnosis was spot on.
The reason I was so uncertain (and if I had to be honest, even fearful to some extent) of death was because I didn’t know God. Of course, that’s not to say that I didn’t know Him through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. But, in the end, I didn’t know Him.
In the book, Packer makes the point that theology (the study of God) must be seen only as a means to an end – with that end, being to know God. Only insofar as theology helps us to that particular end is it useful. Any other use of theology is simply vain idolatry.
God was gracious to reveal to me (yet again) what a wicked idolater I am.
Reading this book has stirred in me a passion to know Him (as opposed to simply knowing about Him). I can firmly say now that one of my deepest desires now is to truly know God (as He has revealed Himself through Scripture).
I now picture a day in which, God-willing, I will be on my deathbed - not uncertain or fearful of death – but rather, excited to finally see face to face the One I had been getting to know little by little everyday.
God, be gracious to me, a sinner, even in this.
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by: John Park, September 7th, 2010
Excerpt from Knowing God by J.I. Packer:
“… meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. It is a matter of talking to oneself about God and oneself; it is, indeed, often a matter of arguing with oneself, reasoning oneself out of moods of doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God’s power and grace. It’s effect is ever to humble us, as we contemplate God’s greatness and glory, and our own littleness and sinfulness, and to encourage and reassure us – ‘comfort’ us, in the old, strong, Bible sense of the word – as we contemplate the unsearchable riches of divine mercy displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ.” (p. 19)
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by: John Park, August 22nd, 2010
In today’s sermon, I noted the importance of constantly reminding ourselves of how holy and righteous God is. It is only when we do this that we see ourselves as we truly are – namely, sinful and in need of God’s grace.
Remember, repentance and faith is not simply a one-time deal that we just do at the beginning of our Christian lives, but rather, is an “attitude of the heart that continues throughout our lives as Christians” (Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrine, p. 313).
And so, one of the ways in which we remind ourselves of God’s holiness is through daily immersing ourselves in Scripture. For the last eight months, I’ve been using this Bible-reading plan that was recommended by John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
By God’s grace, reading through the Bible using this reading plan has been the single most helpful thing for me in growing my relationship with God. Also helpful has been asking these four questions along with the Bible-reading.
For all of us who are starting school this week (and even if you’re not), let’s start tomorrow by humbly asking God to grant us repentance (and faith) as we encounter Him in His Word.
Again, click here to download the Bible-reading plan.
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by: John Park, August 10th, 2010
Okay, guys. So here are the finalized details about when to meet on Friday, what to bring, what not to bring, etc.
Meeting Time on Friday
Be at church by 12:30 p.m. The bus will leave at 1:30 p.m. SHARP. But we’re going to need to pack up the buses so be there early. Note: There will be no lunch provided – so eat lunch BEFORE you come to church. Dinner that night, will be served at 7:00 p.m. We will arrive back at church on Sunday around 1:00 p.m.
What to Bring:
- ONE SLEEPING BAG/PILLOW PER CAMPER. So, it turns out that we DO have to bring these, so spread the word: BRING SLEEPING BAGS and pillows! (one per camper).
- TOWELS for showers/washing up/swimming.
- BIBLES AND WRITING MATERIAL (e.g. notebook, paper, pens, pencils, etc.).
- COMFORTABLE CLOTHING suitable for either warm or cool days, warm jackets or sweaters and comfortable walking shoes.
- TOILETRIES (shampoo, toothbrush/paste, etc.)
- WATER BOTTLE to keep you hydrated.
- FLASHLIGHT to get around at night.
- MODEST SWIMWEAR. Only one piece modest swimwear is to be worn on the grounds of Forest Home. A T-shirt or cover-up must be worn outside the pool and lake areas. (Note: Swimming is optional)
- SPENDING MONEY to cover the Clubhouse, crafts, miniature golf, ping pong, or foosball, and the Outfitters Bookstore.
- MP3 PLAYERS okay.
- SNACKS to eat on the bus ride.
*** Note: ALL of these things (with the possible exception of the sleeping bag/pillow) can be fit into a SMALL tote bag or SMALL suitcase.
What NOT to bring:
- Drugs of any kind, alcohol of any kind, weapons of any kind. Cigarettes are also prohibited. If there is even a hint of any of these, all parties involved will be asked to call their parents to come pick you up from the camp immediately.
- Cell phones. If there’s an emergency, all of the teachers will have access to the camp’s phones to call parents.
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