What a Savior!
This note might come across as a little different or perhaps even a bit weird from me, so hang in there until the end.
This last Saturday, I had the privilege of speaking to 44 Young Adults from Living Hope Bible Church (Issaquah) at their weekend retreat. I met their pastor, Joe Lum during COVID and we encouraged each other and exchanged ideas with other pastors about how our churches were navigating the onerous COVID restrictions.
I spent a good amount of time preparing this retreat message on self-discipline that Joe had requested.
I was excited to share what God communicates to us about self-discipline.
When I stood up to speak, my heart sank when my Surface computer surprisingly would not turn on.
For a moment, I was panicked and then thought someone in this young tech-savvy crowd would be able to fix it and turn it on…but no one could.
I sensed the Lord calm my spirit and so I proceeded to share what I had prepared from memory and closed with a time of Q & A as requested.
After the message, I was asked to sit in on one of their small group discussions, and about 5 minutes into the discussion my computer shockingly turned on by itself for all the small group to see.
We all laughed and I said, “Well, the Lord did not want me to use my message notes.” I also let them know that on my way to the retreat, I had prayed, among other things, that there would be no complications with my Surface computer (which I rarely pray about) and for some reason, the Lord didn’t want me to use my notes.
All that to say, one of the points I spent some time emphasizing in the message was why we must pursue and practice self-discipline as believers. One is the internal “self-control” the Holy Spirit produces in and through us (Gal. 5:22–23). Another is the work we are called to do in cooperation with Him as we practice the external behaviors that “self-discipline” requires. But the key element of being self-disciplined is aiming your efforts at doing this for the Lord (Heb. 12:2), for the comprehensive benefit godliness provides (“profitable for all things," 1 Tim. 4:7–8), and for the “imperishable” wreath God awards (1 Cor. 9:25–26a).
Why is this important to highlight? Because my computer experience reminded me that at the end of the day, every aspect of our life is at the mercy and for the glory of our amazing Savior and King who lavishly gave you and me what we needed most and could never discover on our own…His grace and mercy and forgiveness and eternal life and empowerment, all so we could be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29).
On the way home, I listened to the following song at least three times and was once again moved by what God did for me through His Son. The song is called “Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery” by Matt Boswell and Michael Bleeker.
Let me encourage you to carefully read and think about the lyrics below and then listen to this song over and over again as it highlights the paramount gospel truths we can’t live without. What a Savior we have who is worthy of our best effort in all of life.
Verse 1
Come behold the wondrous mystery in the dawning of the King.
He the theme of heaven’s praises, robed in frail humanity.
In our longing, in our darkness, now the light of life has come.
Look to Christ who condescended, took on flesh to ransom us.
Verse 2
Come behold the wondrous mystery, He the perfect Son of Man
in His living, in His suffering, never trace nor stain of sin.
See the true and better Adam come to save the hell-bound man.
Christ the great and sure fulfillment of the law; in Him we stand.
Verse 3
Come behold the wondrous mystery, Christ the Lord upon the tree,
in the stead of ruined sinners hangs the Lamb in victory.
See the price of our redemption, see the Father’s plan unfold,
bringing many sons to glory, grace unmeasured, love untold.
Verse 4
Come behold the wondrous mystery slain by death the God of life,
but no grave could e’er restrain Him. praise the Lord; He is alive!
What a foretaste of deliverance, how unwavering our hope.
Christ in power, resurrected, as we will be when He comes.
Pastor Jeff
“ “Jesus is a bottomless ocean of sufficiency for your every need. You can never exhaust His provision. You can never deplete His grace. You can never wear-out His love.”