(sola)s hattiesburg

This thursday we’re kicking off our summer gatherings and our study of C.J. Mahaney’s book, Living the Cross-Centered Life.  I’m stoked about going through this book – it’s going to be a great encouragement and help in our attempt to live out the gospel everyday.  If you’re free on Thursday nights, join us for some fellowship and discussion.  And if that’s not enough to hook you, the Carley’s are hosting us this week and they’ve offered to feed us.  So be at their house promptly at 6:30, or the food might disappear quick!  (For directions to their house, follow this link).

In Revelation 12 John refers to Satan as “the deceiver of the whole world.”  In the gospel of John he says that Satan is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).  If you go back and look at the exchange between the serpent and Eve in the garden of Eden, you’ll see that he’s worthy of his titles.  He speaks half truths (lies) that deceive Adam and Eve and lead them to doubt God’s goodness and care for them.  The serpent says to Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”  God never said this. He actually said almost the opposite.  He told them they could eat from every tree in the Garden except for one tree (Gen. 2:16-17).  Satan twisted God’s word and Eve took the bait.  

The serpent is still slithering around today doing the same thing.  He twists the Word of God and inverts the gospel.  When we are faced with a temptation, what we should be telling ourselves in that moment is, “Because I am dead to sin and alive to God I do not have to gratify carnal desires.  I can walk by the Spirit and put to death the deeds of the flesh.”  But what Satan tempts us to do is to speak grace to ourselves – cheap grace.  He tempts us to say, “There’s grace for this sin…it’s okay this time.”  And if we listen to the deceiver we convolute the gospel and fall into sin. 

Then, on the other side of the temptation, once we have fallen prey and have disobeyed, Satan then takes on the role of accuser.  He says to us, “You’re an unworthy sinner.  God is angry at you.  You’ve disqualified yourself from being usable by God!”  But what the true gospel says is, “While we were still sinners Christ died for us. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Christ cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Rom. 5:8, 8:1 and Col. 2:13-14).  

Satan would love to invert the gospel in your life.  He would love for you to fall into sin by not believing God and trusting His word.  He would love to lead you into disobedience by preaching a gospel of cheap grace.  And then once you’ve sinned he’ll point the finger at you and tell you that there is no grace for what you’ve done.  But what you must do is to get the gospel right-side up.  As you’re being tempted you must know the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”  And you must think hard about God’s holiness and your calling to be holy as he is holy (1 Peter 1:16).  But should you fall on our face in sin, you must also know that you are forgiven in Christ.  He makes you worthy by clothing you with his righteousness and hushes the mouth of the accuser (2 Cor. 5:21, Col. 2:13-15).