Title: Look At Your Day Through a Gospel Lens Meta: Some wrongly measure God's approval of them by their obedience; and thus never feel like they measure up to God. Believer, you must look at your day through a gospel lens. That is, focus in upon the precious atoning work of Christ. When you do this, everyday is a good day no matter your performance and good works. It is the best of days because your sins are forgiven in Christ. Tags: Don Currin,assurance,Gospel,believer,Bible,performance,works 1 00:00:00,763 --> 00:00:03,573 The first problem is that some believers 2 00:00:03,573 --> 00:00:05,351 are kept from assurance 3 00:00:05,351 --> 00:00:09,920 because they focus exceedingly upon 4 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,917 what they do - their performance. 5 00:00:12,917 --> 00:00:15,791 Some measure God's approval of them 6 00:00:15,791 --> 00:00:18,687 by their obedience. 7 00:00:18,687 --> 00:00:22,813 Good days are determined from bad days 8 00:00:22,813 --> 00:00:27,006 by how well they perform spiritually. 9 00:00:27,006 --> 00:00:29,682 Consequently, their lives are characterized 10 00:00:29,682 --> 00:00:32,314 by a sense of never feeling 11 00:00:32,314 --> 00:00:37,623 that they measure up before God. 12 00:00:37,623 --> 00:00:40,644 Let me be transparent. 13 00:00:40,644 --> 00:00:44,440 I get up relatively early in the morning. 14 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,678 I go out to my office. 15 00:00:47,678 --> 00:00:49,898 I battle. 16 00:00:49,898 --> 00:00:51,859 But I go and I open my Bible 17 00:00:51,859 --> 00:00:56,344 and I begin to read the Scriptures. 18 00:00:56,344 --> 00:00:59,110 And as I read, there are mornings 19 00:00:59,110 --> 00:01:04,286 that certain things seem to be illumined to my mind. 20 00:01:04,286 --> 00:01:07,764 Indeed, it is nothing short of something divine. 21 00:01:07,764 --> 00:01:09,172 God is speaking. 22 00:01:09,172 --> 00:01:10,663 God is showing me some things. 23 00:01:10,663 --> 00:01:13,612 My spirit is invigorated. 24 00:01:13,612 --> 00:01:16,422 A spinoff of that is as I begin to pray 25 00:01:16,422 --> 00:01:19,393 there is a sense of God. 26 00:01:19,393 --> 00:01:23,420 As I offer up my petitions or confessions or whatever, 27 00:01:23,420 --> 00:01:26,532 I sense that the Lord has drawn near, 28 00:01:26,532 --> 00:01:27,904 and He hears. 29 00:01:27,904 --> 00:01:29,630 He forgives. 30 00:01:29,630 --> 00:01:32,283 He's ready to answer. 31 00:01:32,283 --> 00:01:34,875 There's a sense of excitement and vitality 32 00:01:34,875 --> 00:01:37,924 and spiritual reality in it all. 33 00:01:37,924 --> 00:01:39,239 And then in a little while, 34 00:01:39,239 --> 00:01:41,563 my wife - she's up and she's in the kitchen. 35 00:01:41,563 --> 00:01:43,017 She's prepared breakfast. 36 00:01:43,017 --> 00:01:45,062 And she calls me on the intercom, 37 00:01:45,062 --> 00:01:48,143 and I go over and we sit down at the table. 38 00:01:48,143 --> 00:01:49,345 We pray together. 39 00:01:49,345 --> 00:01:50,951 We have this wonderful breakfast. 40 00:01:50,951 --> 00:01:52,863 We start talking about different things. 41 00:01:52,863 --> 00:01:57,833 And then we have our devotional time as a couple. 42 00:01:57,833 --> 00:01:59,374 And right now, I might add, 43 00:01:59,374 --> 00:02:01,468 we're just reading a couple of pages 44 00:02:01,468 --> 00:02:04,552 from Thomas Brooks. 45 00:02:04,552 --> 00:02:06,907 The little book is what inspired Spurgeon. 46 00:02:06,907 --> 00:02:10,909 He compiled it for he and his own future wife Susannah. 47 00:02:10,909 --> 00:02:14,815 It's called "Smooth Stones from Ancient Brooks" 48 00:02:14,815 --> 00:02:16,157 And so we read those things. 49 00:02:16,157 --> 00:02:17,473 We talk about those quotes 50 00:02:17,473 --> 00:02:19,307 and those paragraphs that he writes, 51 00:02:19,307 --> 00:02:22,590 and bring it into more of a biblical focus, 52 00:02:22,590 --> 00:02:24,551 to understand what Brooks was conveying. 53 00:02:24,551 --> 00:02:26,943 And then we have prayer together. 54 00:02:26,943 --> 00:02:28,762 And this particular morning, friend, 55 00:02:28,762 --> 00:02:30,259 as we prayed together, 56 00:02:30,259 --> 00:02:32,493 there was such sweetness and love between us 57 00:02:32,493 --> 00:02:35,671 and it's like corporately, we're really drawing near to God. 58 00:02:35,671 --> 00:02:40,271 And I sense God is pleased. 59 00:02:40,271 --> 00:02:42,536 And then I'm ready to go to town. 60 00:02:42,536 --> 00:02:44,040 We go to town that morning 61 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,053 and somebody cuts me off on the highway. 62 00:02:47,053 --> 00:02:49,055 Hey, no problem. 63 00:02:49,055 --> 00:02:53,096 I just rejoice in the fact, you know, it's ok. 64 00:02:53,096 --> 00:02:54,525 They've got an agenda 65 00:02:54,525 --> 00:02:57,643 and I just need to defer. 66 00:02:57,643 --> 00:03:00,241 So I go to town, and while I'm going around 67 00:03:00,241 --> 00:03:01,942 and fulfilling my errands, 68 00:03:01,942 --> 00:03:03,610 I go into a particular place 69 00:03:03,610 --> 00:03:06,802 and I just sense the prompting of the Holy Spirit 70 00:03:06,802 --> 00:03:08,875 and I share Christ with the person 71 00:03:08,875 --> 00:03:11,342 that I'm doing business with. 72 00:03:11,342 --> 00:03:13,772 And I'll tell you, friend, there's such liberty 73 00:03:13,772 --> 00:03:17,305 and such boldness and love that exudes, 74 00:03:17,305 --> 00:03:20,657 and I say, "this is great!" 75 00:03:20,657 --> 00:03:23,680 And I come back home in the afternoon. 76 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:25,459 I go out to my office, 77 00:03:25,459 --> 00:03:27,719 and I start to study or write emails. 78 00:03:27,719 --> 00:03:30,151 Man, this is wonderful. 79 00:03:30,151 --> 00:03:33,465 I come to the evening, and I think to myself: 80 00:03:33,465 --> 00:03:35,897 Good day. 81 00:03:35,897 --> 00:03:38,154 This has been wonderful. 82 00:03:38,154 --> 00:03:40,194 Thank You, Father. 83 00:03:40,194 --> 00:03:42,566 The next morning I get up. 84 00:03:42,566 --> 00:03:45,462 I get up later than I wanted to. 85 00:03:45,462 --> 00:03:47,281 I know how much I've got to do 86 00:03:47,281 --> 00:03:48,764 during the course of the day, 87 00:03:48,764 --> 00:03:50,173 so I rush out to the office, 88 00:03:50,173 --> 00:03:51,744 I pick up my Bible, 89 00:03:51,744 --> 00:03:52,994 I begin to read. 90 00:03:52,994 --> 00:03:54,465 I read rather quickly. 91 00:03:54,465 --> 00:03:56,524 There is no sense of God. 92 00:03:56,524 --> 00:03:58,312 Then I have to re-read some things. 93 00:03:58,312 --> 00:04:00,250 Lord, I really want something here 94 00:04:00,250 --> 00:04:02,714 and I want it quickly. 95 00:04:02,714 --> 00:04:04,341 And so I get to the Bible reading, 96 00:04:04,341 --> 00:04:06,440 but there's no sense of God. 97 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:08,804 There's nothing that opens up to me. 98 00:04:08,804 --> 00:04:11,843 It's like the Bible's a closed book. 99 00:04:11,843 --> 00:04:13,135 And then I try to pray 100 00:04:13,135 --> 00:04:15,432 and it's more mechanical and superficial. 101 00:04:15,432 --> 00:04:19,303 I'm just not getting through. 102 00:04:19,303 --> 00:04:21,678 And then I come to the breakfast table. 103 00:04:21,678 --> 00:04:23,295 My wife and I, we begin to talk, 104 00:04:23,295 --> 00:04:25,225 and suddenly an issue comes up 105 00:04:25,225 --> 00:04:30,109 and we have a disagreement about it. 106 00:04:30,109 --> 00:04:32,197 And I say some unkind things. 107 00:04:32,197 --> 00:04:33,240 And the way I say it 108 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:37,635 is very unbecoming to Christ. 109 00:04:37,635 --> 00:04:41,937 And I leave without reconciling with my wife at the table. 110 00:04:41,937 --> 00:04:44,530 I don't want to have devotions. 111 00:04:44,530 --> 00:04:46,213 I don't want to be a hypocrite. 112 00:04:46,213 --> 00:04:49,609 So I go out to my office and I pout for awhile. 113 00:04:49,609 --> 00:04:53,161 And then I have to get ready to go to town. 114 00:04:53,161 --> 00:04:57,138 Still not having resolved things with my wife. 115 00:04:57,138 --> 00:04:58,417 I go to town that day 116 00:04:58,417 --> 00:05:00,405 and somebody cuts me off on the highway, 117 00:05:00,405 --> 00:05:05,174 and this time I'm muttering under my lips 118 00:05:05,174 --> 00:05:09,026 some very un-Christlike things. 119 00:05:09,026 --> 00:05:10,817 I'm frustrated. 120 00:05:10,817 --> 00:05:14,562 I'm angry. 121 00:05:14,562 --> 00:05:16,725 I have no sense of God. 122 00:05:16,725 --> 00:05:19,109 There's no confidence in my witness. 123 00:05:19,109 --> 00:05:21,570 Even though I see the need before me 124 00:05:21,570 --> 00:05:23,413 as I go to a certain place, 125 00:05:23,413 --> 00:05:26,327 a certain establishment to do business, 126 00:05:26,327 --> 00:05:27,787 I don't want to witness 127 00:05:27,787 --> 00:05:31,437 because I don't want to feel like a hypocrite. 128 00:05:31,437 --> 00:05:33,369 And so I go back out and get in my car 129 00:05:33,369 --> 00:05:34,389 and I go home. 130 00:05:34,389 --> 00:05:35,475 I'm frustrated. 131 00:05:35,475 --> 00:05:36,888 I'm burdened down. 132 00:05:36,888 --> 00:05:39,024 There's no sense of God. 133 00:05:39,024 --> 00:05:41,102 I come to the end of my day 134 00:05:41,102 --> 00:05:44,674 and even though I reconcile with my precious wife, 135 00:05:44,674 --> 00:05:46,581 I think to myself: 136 00:05:46,581 --> 00:05:50,684 Bad day. 137 00:05:50,684 --> 00:05:52,497 Guess what, friend? 138 00:05:52,497 --> 00:05:54,452 When you see your days 139 00:05:54,452 --> 00:05:57,440 from a Gospel vantage point, 140 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:00,090 from a biblical perspective, 141 00:06:00,090 --> 00:06:02,197 from the precious, magnificent 142 00:06:02,197 --> 00:06:03,797 atoning work of Christ, 143 00:06:03,797 --> 00:06:06,983 every day is a good day. 144 00:06:06,983 --> 00:06:10,743 It is the best of days! 145 00:06:10,743 --> 00:06:12,206 You think about that Puritan 146 00:06:12,206 --> 00:06:15,545 who sat there with just a cup of water 147 00:06:15,545 --> 00:06:18,530 and a piece of stale bread and said, 148 00:06:18,530 --> 00:06:22,073 "All of this and heaven too?" 149 00:06:22,073 --> 00:06:24,780 You have no idea, friend. 150 00:06:24,780 --> 00:06:26,917 Every day is a great day 151 00:06:26,917 --> 00:06:31,748 when you look at it through the lens of Calvary.