As I look over these notes again, I'm encouraged that God revealing the thorns in my life is His act of grace to me. It's painful. It's hard. It's discouraging. But that should make me even more thankful for Christ who is my righteousness and my hope and who is determined to finish what He began in me, not for my own benefit but for His glory as He sanctifies me as part of His bride. Lord, give me grace to believe in your grace in this process, and humble me to admit my failures and leave my sin at the foot of the cross where Christ is sufficient to take it on Himself and to clothe me in His righteousness instead.
Chapter 9: Thorns
1—What Entangles You
“It is easy to give way to thoughts, emotions, and desires
that should no longer rule us, and easy to be more defined by our problems than
by the grace of Christ” (117).
Thorn bush = our sinful responses to life’s circumstances.
We bend and twist the truth.
We manipulate others to get what we want.
We attempt to get our identity from other people or our
performance.
We curse one another with silence or rejection.
“…facing the way we are like a Thorn bush is one of God’s
chief ways of transforming us into Fruit trees” (118).
God’s Call to Discontent
“As Christians, [we] are far too easily satisfied. God calls
you to be dissatisfied. You should be discontent, restless, and hungry! The
Christian life is a state of thankful discontent or joyful dissatisfaction”
(119). Reminds me of that CS Lewis quote about us being far too easily
satisfied.
“This life of self-examination and joyful discontent should
not be confused with a life of paralyzing self-condemnation [can you spell ME?!].
Goes does not call us to self-loathing, but to a willingness to examine our
lives in light of our hope as new creatures in Christ. That hope is not only
based on the promise of forgiveness, but on his promise of personal deliverance
and restoration as well” (119).
Heb 4:14-5:10
What is my hope?
1.
God is not surprised by my struggle.
2.
The Bible is for people just like you and me.
3.
Christ enters into my struggle.
4.
Christ will help.
5.
Christ pleads my case to the Father.
6.
I can come to God with confidence.
“Real hope is not rooted in my performance, my maturity, my
theological knowledge, or my personal perfection. It is not rooted in the
quality of my character, my reputation, or my success in ministry. My hope is
in Christ! He is in my life forever, looking on me with tenderness and
compassion. He will progressively transform me until the job is complete. That
is the hope that helps us to persevere with the Thorns in our lives” (120). I
feel like that was a word just for me!
Don’t Live Like a Gentile
Eph 4:17-6:18
Spiritual war takes place in all the normal circumstances
and relationships of every day life. “It is the war for our hearts. But Christ
my Redeemer has already won this war by his life, death, and resurrection. I
now have the right to apply that victory to my heart and life. I can come out
of hiding, confess my need, and believe that there is hope and help for me. The
Christian life is a war. WE cannot live with a peacetime mentality, pursuing
rest, retreat, and spiritual relaxation” (123).
Getting Personal
What are your thorns?
“God calls you to humbly take a close look at yourself. He
calls you to believe and act upon the gospel promises of forgiveness,
restoration, wisdom, strength, deliverance, and power by acknowledging your
responsibility for the Thorns in your life. Getting to the Fruit tree always
starts there! The first step in planting a healthy, beautiful garden is to
remove the weeds” (124).
Thorn Bush Responses
1.
Deny, avoid, escape
2.
Magnify, expand, catastrophize
a.
“We use suffering as the lens through which we
view our entire world, and only see pain, loss, and want. We convince ourselves
that no one has gone through what we are going through. The larger our
suffering looms, the more blind we are to the blessings we enjoy every day”
(124).
3.
Become prickly and hypersensitive
a.
“When we haven’t taken the Lord as our refuge,
we become hypervigilant, scanning our surroundings for possible disrespect or
mistreatment. We live defensively and self-protectively, always keeping our
guard up” (124-5).
4.
Return evil for evil
5.
Bogged down, paralyzed, captured
6.
Self-excusing self-righteousness
a.
“There is an abundant supply of grace for every
Thorn you identify in your life, so that your Thorns may be turned into sweet
and beautiful Fruit!” (125).
Fruit Tree Responses
1.
Face reality
2.
Respond with proper intensity
a.
“There is always something bigger than the
heartache of the moment….my relationship with God, my identity in Christ, the
truths of God’s Word, and the glory of eternity all remaind secure and
unchallenged [2 Cor 4:7—5:10]” (126).
3.
Be alert
4.
Engage in constructive activity
5.
Remember
a.
Remind ourselves of simplicity of God’s comfort
and call
i. God
comforts us with His presence and power
ii. God
calls us to trust Him
iii. God
calls us to obey Him & promises to bless us
iv. God
provides everything in Christ that we need to obey Him
b.
“I can admit my faults with no need to minimize,
hide, or give way to paralyzing guilt. I can confess that I need to grow without
beating myself up. I can cry out when life is hard but accept responsibility
for the way I deal with it. I don’t have to cover my sin, polish my reputation,
and keep a record of my successes. I can look at my tomorrows with enthusiasm
and hope. Yes, I am still a flawed person in a broken world. But my view of
myself is not dark and depressed because the gospel has infused it with hope.
Christ is with me and in me, and I will never be in a situation where he isn’t
redemptively active. Though change is needed in many ways, I am not
discouraged. I am in the middle of a work of personal transformation. This
process is often painful, but always beneficial” (127).
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