Andrew and I went to Palm Springs for the Resolved conference June 12-15. The theme of the conference this year was "Sin". This makes it all the more amazing that 4000 people showed up to listen to multiple sermons a day on the subject.
By the end of the conference this light bulb came on in my head. The Lord used a combination of sermons by Steve Lawson and John Piper to lead me to a truth I knew in part, but had never seen in it's fulness. Lawson was explaining the "purity" means to be singular, to be refined towards one aim, one goal, one standard. So when sinners are being purified, being made like Christ, we have the sin that taints that purity stripped away. When I think of my sin being pointed out to me, it gives me such comfort to know that the purpose is to strip it away in the aim of purity. But the fullness of what God revealed was through John Piper's messages. The introduction to one of his messages was a summation of the end to which men are created: To be made into the image of Christ to reflect His glory. Sinners are slowly taken from rebellion to the greater good of obedience to Christ making Him look great in His superiority over sin and death. As Christians we are to be "little Christs" to make Him look great, to magnify His grace and His love. So, in my daily life, I'm not trying to adhere to a set of rules for the sake of the rules, I'm not trying to conform to these vague concepts of love and mercy. Rather, I am being conformed to the image of Jesus, in whom the FULLNESS of God was pleased to dwell. And this process makes Christ look great. God is ordering all things to the end of His glory, including my life. I am a part of how this creation will sing in praise of its creator. By walking according to the Savior. How sweet is that?
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