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Monday, June 27, 2011

True or False?

Thoughts on the Sabbath School Lesson dated 7.2.11

When I was growing up, one of the Bible stories I had a really hard time with was the story of Cain and Abel.  I couldn’t understand why God didn’t accept Cain’s offering.  It seemed like a reasonable sacrifice to me: Abel had given from what he was best at and Cain offered from what he was best at.  No wonder Cain got mad. It was a long time before I understood that sacrificing or offering only what we thought was liked best to God is not worshipping Him at all.  It’s trying to impress God with how good we are at one thing or another, and that’s not going to end well for anyone.
“In an article for the Gospel Coalition, pastor and author Tim Keller offers this potent definition of sin: ‘Sin isn't only doing bad things, it is more fundamentally making good things into ultimate things. Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry.’
“In his bestseller The Reason for God, Keller further develops this line of thought, showing the reader examples of the ‘particular kinds of brokenness and damage’ caused by idolatry:
“If you center your life and identity on your spouse or partner, you will be emotionally dependent, jealous, and controlling. The other person's problems will be overwhelming to you.
“If you center your life and identity on your family and children, you will try to live your life through your children until they resent you or have no self of their own. At worst, you may abuse them when they displease you.
“If you center your life and identity on your work and career, you will be a driven workaholic and a boring, shallow person. At worst you will lose family and friends and, if your career goes poorly, develop deep depression.
“If you center your life and identity on money and possessions, you'll be eaten up by worry or jealousy about money. You'll be willing to do unethical things to maintain your lifestyle, which will eventually blow up your life.
“If you center your life and identity on pleasure, gratification, and comfort, you will find yourself getting addicted to something. You will become chained to the ‘escape strategies’ by which you avoid the hardness of life.
“If you center your life and identity on relationships and approval, you will be constantly overly hurt by criticism and thus always losing friends. You will fear confronting others and therefore will be a useless friend.
“If you center your life and identity on a ‘noble cause,’ you will divide the world into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ and demonize your opponents. Ironically, you will be controlled by your enemies. Without them, you have no purpose.
“If you center your life and identity on religion and morality, you will, if you are living up to your moral standards, be proud, self-righteous, and cruel. If you don't live up to your moral standards, your guilt will be utterly devastating.”[1]
If you switch the phrase “center your life and identity around” with the word worship, suddenly I understand the difference between Cain’s sacrifice and Abel’s.  Abel presented the sacrifice that God asked for, while Cain offered God what he centered his life and identity around.  See if you see shadows of Cain and Abel in this story about giving.
“In his book The Prodigal God, best-selling author and pastor Timothy Keller offers the following story to illustrate self-centered giving:
“Once upon a time there was a gardener who grew an enormous carrot. So he took it to his king and said, ‘My Lord, this is the greatest carrot I've ever grown or ever will grow. Therefore I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you.’ The king was touched and discerned the man's heart, so as [the gardener] turned to go the king said, ‘Wait! You are clearly a good steward of the earth. I own a plot of land right next to yours. I want to give it to you freely as a gift so you can garden it all.’  And the gardener was amazed and delighted and went home rejoicing. But there was a nobleman at the king's court who overheard all this. And he said, ‘My! If that is what you get for a carrot—what if you gave the king something better?’ So the next day the nobleman came before the king and he was leading a handsome black stallion. He bowed low and said, ‘My lord, I breed horses and this is the greatest horse I have ever bred or ever will. Therefore I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you.’ But the king discerned his heart and said thank you, and took the horse and merely dismissed him. The nobleman was perplexed. So the king said, ‘Let me explain. That gardener was giving me the carrot, but you were giving yourself the horse.’[2]
“The power of Christ alone can work the transformation in heart and mind that all must experience who would partake with Him of the new life in the kingdom of heaven. ‘Except a man be born again,’ the Saviour has said, ‘he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ John 3:3. The religion that comes from God is the only religion that can lead to God. In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This will lead to watchfulness. It will purify the heart and renew the mind and give us a new capacity for knowing and loving God. It will give us willing obedience to all His requirements. This is true worship.”[3]
True worship has nothing to do with self and everything to do with God.
“When the music fades / And all is stripped away / And I simply come / Longing just to bring / Something that's of worth / That will bless your heart
“I'll bring You more than a song / For a song in itself / Is not what You have required / You search much deeper within / Through the ways things appear / You're looking into my heart
“I'm coming back to the heart of worship / And it's all about You / All about You, Jesus / I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it / When it's all about You  / It's all about You Jesus
“King of endless worth / No one could express / How much You deserve / Though I'm weak and poor  / All I have is Yours / Every single breath
“I'll bring You more than a song / For a song in itself / Is not what You have required / You search much deeper within / Through the ways things appear / You're looking into my heart
“I'm coming back to the heart of worship / And it's all about You / All about You, Jesus / I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it / When it's all about You  / It's all about You Jesus”[4]


[1] Tim Keller, The Reason for God (Dutton, 2008), pp. 275-276, and Tim Keller, "Talking About Idolatry in a Postmodern Age," www.thegospelcoalition.org
[2] Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God (Dutton, 2008), pp. 60-61; submitted by Van Morris, Mount Washington, Kentucky
[3] E.G. White, Counsels on Health, p. 129
[4] Matt Redman,  “The Heart of Worship”

1 comment:

  1. I thought for sure that sin was selfishness, and pure works came from selflessness.

    'Sin is primarily idolatry.’

    I see that clearly. Sin is an alternate value system. The bible refers to it over and over as the flesh. Which would then define sin as the works of the flesh.

    So then Cain's sin was that he imposed his own value system on God by offering to God what he, Cain, valued. When instead he was required to offer the thing in continuity with God's value system.

    I need to understand works. There is human doing. But works seem to be a special category of doing.

    I'll pray for God's blessing on your ministry here.

    ReplyDelete