Sully Notes 5 | Gospel-Centered Discipleship Part 2 of 3

Sully Notes 5: Books in 25 minutes or less

Sully Notes are more than a book review. They are meant to provide you with direct quotes from some books I've read in the last year, so you can get a taste of the overall theme of the book and then begin to chew on what your life might look like if you applied what you read. 

Here are links to the previous Sully Notes books:

• Sully Notes 1 | AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church Part 1 of 3 
• Sully Notes 2 | Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community Part 1 of 3   
• Sully Notes 3 | A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community and Mission Around the Table Part 1 of 3
• Sully Notes 4 | Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional Part 1 of 3 

And here is the link to the previous post in the Sully Notes 5 | Gospel-Centered Discipleship series:

• Sully Notes 5 | Gospel-Centered Discipleship Part 1 of 3

Gospel-Centered Discipleship | Sully Notes 5: Part 2 of 3

Part 2 | Getting to the Heart: Chapter 3 | Twisted Motives: The Failure of Discipleship

“Our churches should be filled with fighting – fighting for justice, for peace, for holiness, for perseverance, for faith, for one another, and for the gospel.” – pg. 63

“We can become so passive in fighting the fight of faith that confession to others, and daily confession to God, seems bizarre. We might write off confession as morbid, failing to believe the way God has written it into our DNA, as a blessing. David discovers this blessing in Psalm 32: ‘Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit' (Psalm 32:1-2). The person without deceit is a person who is honest about who he or she is – failures and all. Honest confession brings the blessing of forgiveness, and forgiveness brings us back under God’s blessing to enjoy his grace and peace. ... Confession is a verbal way of spiritually recovering our authenticity in Christ. Confession rejects an inauthentic image in order to realign with our true image. Sin stands in the way of authenticity. It is a silent, spiritual rejection of our identity in Christ. It denies judgment and grace. However, when we confess our sin in true repentance, we come to our senses in Jesus. We return to ourselves. Confession of sin is a kind of repentance from being inauthentic.” – pgs. 67-68

“Both the religious rule keeper and the confessionless rule breaker are inauthentic. They choose ‘sinner’ over ‘son.’ The difference between the two is that the rebel avoids God while the religious person tries to impress him. One runs away from him, while the other runs past him. Instead, rebels and the religious need to run straight to God in confession of their sin and in confidence of his forgiveness. The reason we can confidently run to God is because we have an advocate in Christ. Jesus sits ready to receive us. Right now he sits at the right hand of the Father ready to plead our innocence: ‘But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous’ (1 John 2:10). His advocacy never ceases: ‘He always lives to make intercession’ for us (Hebrews 7:25).” – pg. 69 

“Religious performance deceives us by saying: ‘Impress God and he will approve of you.’ The truth of the gospel, however, says: ‘You don’t have to impress God because Jesus has impressed him for you.’ When we turn to the God of the gospel, we can’t help but serve him. We serve not to receive his love but because we have already received his love, and love will compel a man to do remarkable things.” – pg. 71

Chapter 4 | Gospel Motivation: The Center of Discipleship

“Jesus incessantly emphasized the importance of motives: ‘The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks’ (Luke 6:45). Jesus taught his disciples not merely to do good, but that true goodness comes from the heart. Why the heart? In Jewish theology, the heart encompasses the mind, will, and emotion … if we want to bear the fruit of Christian discipleship, it follows that we must pay attention to our heart motivations.” – pg. 75

“A true disciple possesses foundational delight in Jesus that compels obedience. The Bible regularly appeals to delight as a motivation for obedience: (1) ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments’ (John 14:15). ‘Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart’ (Psalm 37:4). ‘Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart … therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you’ (Deuteronomy 28:47-48). ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice’ (Philippians 4:4). ‘Rejoice always’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16).” – pg. 77

“ … all men are born with animosity toward God (Psalm 51:5; Romans 1:18-31). However, the gospel announces Jesus’s victory over our sinful animosity through his death, and accomplishes our joyful surrender with his life. When we turn to Jesus, our hostile man is executed and a joyful man is born.” – pg. 78 

“We possess the strength to deny sinful pleasures because of our delight in a superior pleasure … Whomever you take pleasure in most is the person you honor the most.” – pg. 79

“We were created in Christ not to run on emotional power but spiritual power – the filling of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Spirit comes to life when we trust in his Word.” – pg. 80

“Peter tells us that we have been given everything we need for life and godliness through God’s very great and precious promises, which make us more like God and less like the world (2 Peter 1:3-4). Paul reminds us that all the promises of God are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). They are doubly trustworthy. Consider the following promises God has made to us, guaranteed in his Son: (1) ‘Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart’ (Psalm 37:4). ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’ (Matthew 5:8). ‘And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28). ‘Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is’ (1 John 3:2). ‘Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time’ (1 Peter 5:6).” – pg. 82

“Repentance is not a one-time act to get us into heaven, but an entire way of life to maintain Christian joy. Repentance isn’t a work we tack onto our faith that restores our fellowship with God. Repentance is faith … Repentance and faith are two sides of the same gospel coin, one movement made possible by grace. This gospel grace is at our disposal continually in Christ. Martin Luther said: ‘The entire life of believers is to be one of repentance.’ Why our entire lives? Because in our everyday failures, we have every opportunity to turn to Jesus for grace and forgiveness. Jesus, himself, exhorted the disciples at Laodicea to repent: ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent’ (Revelation 3:19) ... To turn from sin is to turn to Christ, a fluid movement of grace, which is a gift from God (Romans 2:4) … We turn from our sinful behaviors and turn, not to good behaviors, but to Christ. … Repentance is an exchange of joys, the lesser for the greater.” – pg. 84

“Repenting Christians are growing Christians. Tim Keller underscores the role of repentance when he says: ‘All-of-life repentance is the best sign that we are growing deeply and rapidly into the character of Jesus.’ The purpose of repentance is to lead us into true joy. Repenting is rejoicing! The intoxicating joy of the Lord exposes our lesser joys for what they are – false and empty – and leads us to faith in the true and rewarding promises of God. A gospel-centered disciple rejects the pursuit of perfection and embraces the gift of repentance.” – pg. 85

Chapter 5 | Gospel Power: The Essential Role of the Holy Spirit

“ … it is impossible to have gospel holiness apart from the Holy Spirit. No Spirit, no gospel holiness. You might get morality, even a veneer of Christianity, but no gospel holiness. True joy will escape you. Discipleship devoid of the Spirit’s power is no discipleship at all. Apart from the presence and power of the Spirit, our attempt to desire God, believe his promises, fear his warnings, and walk in his ways is absolutely futile. Disciples need more than resolve to believe the gospel; they need the Holy Ghost.” – pg. 89

“Luke, theologian of the Holy Spirit, goes out of his way to emphasize the necessity of the presence and power of the Spirit in the life and ministry of Jesus. In accordance with Scriptures, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit prior to his public ministry (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18). This anointing lines Jesus up with the prophets who possessed the Spirit in a unique way. In Luke 3, Jesus is baptized by the Holy Spirit and approved by the Father for ministry (21-22), but proceeds into the wilderness, compelled by the Spirit, for a forty-day trial. He emerges from the wilderness ‘in the power of the Spirit,’ succeeding where Adam and Israel failed in their ‘temptations’ (Luke 4:14). Next, Jesus makes his way to Nazareth to announce he is the much awaited, Spirit-anointed Messiah the Jews have been longing for (Luke 4:18-21). After being anointed with the Spirit, Jesus’s ministry is marked by a cycle of prophetic teachings on the kingdom of God, performances of exorcism, and profound healings. How did he accomplish this? It was the motivating power of the Spirit that enabled Jesus to endure temptation and live in obedience to the Father. … When we consider Jesus, very often we look to him as an example of godly character but fail to see his example of dependence upon the Spirit. The life of Jesus is exemplary not just in what he did but also how he did it. Jesus was not immune to temptation or impervious to suffering. He fought the good fight of faith but he did not fight it alone. Jesus did not sever himself from the Trinity in order to accomplish his mission. He remained in communion with the Father and dependent upon the Spirit. The Spirit empowered and motivated everything Jesus did.” – pgs. 90-91

“Jesus clearly relied on the Spirit for direction. This sensitivity to the directing influence of the Holy Spirit is characteristic of the disciples in the book of Acts. Philip is directed to speak to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8). Peter is directed to the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). The Jerusalem Council is directed in their decision making (Acts 15). Paul is directed to not go to Bithynia (Acts 16). How is the Spirit directing your life? Very often, our modern, self-reliant sensibilities cut the Spirit right out of everyday decision making. Rarely do we request or expect the Spirit’s direction. Yet, we are repeatedly told to ‘walk’ in the Spirit throughout the Bible (Ezekiel 36:27; Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:16, 25) and to make decisions by seeking the Lord (Proverbs 5:4-6; James 4:13-15). Being motivated by the Spirit should affect not just moral decisions but also our general approach to life. Paul tells us to ‘be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). How often do we start our day by requesting a fresh filling of the Spirit’s power for the day that lies ahead? Instead, we assume his presence and barrel forward. Our assumption of the Spirit reveals a self-reliant faith. Instead of starting and continuing our days in our own strength, what would it look like to fight for faith with utter dependence upon the power and direction of the Holy Spirit?” – pg. 92 

“What if you began to expect unplanned change and interpreted it as an opportunity to rely on the Spirit? Obstacles, challenges, and trials would take on a very different meaning. Instead of becoming inconveniences and injustices, unplanned change could become an opportunity to rely on the Spirit to discern God’s will and purpose in our circumstances. … One very practical way we can be motivated by the Spirit in our discipleship is to expect unplanned change and respond to the Spirit in those circumstances. For example: (1) Instead of getting angry or frustrated when unplanned things occur, ask the Spirit to show you his purposes in the circumstances. (2) Instead of just deciding which restaurant or coffee shop you want to go to, ask the Spirit to lead you. (3) Instead of jamming your calendar full of personal preferences, pray and ask the Spirit to guide you as you plan your week, month, or year.” – pg. 93

“When confronted with temptation, Paul underscores that victory comes through the Spirit: ‘But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh’ (Galatians 5:16). Our flesh longs for a variety of things, including control and sinful self-reliance. How do we combat these fleshly patterns? Paul tells us explicitly that the way we avoid the desires of the flesh is to ‘walk by the Spirit.’” – pg. 94

“The Spirit will direct us into undesirable circumstances. He led Jesus to fast for forty days, in a human body, in the wilderness, under the attack of the Devil. The leading of the Spirit sometimes includes suffering, but even that suffering is designed for our gospel holiness. Consider how Jesus relied on the Spirit during his wilderness temptations. During each temptation, Jesus relived the temptations of Israel during their forty years in the wilderness. Yet, instead of failing at each temptation of food, faith, and fame, Jesus succeeded. How? He relied on the power of the Spirit to believe the promises of God. When faced with the promises of Satan, Jesus responded by faith in God’s promises. He realized God’s words were true and reliable and that the Devil’s words were false and unreliable. Jesus trusted in the promises of God by the power of the Spirit.” – pg. 94

“(Richard) Lovelace shared with us how he made a point of communing with each person of the Trinity throughout the day by praying to the Father in the morning, the Son in the evening, and the Spirit in the afternoon.” – pg. 96

“In order to experience the Spirit’s power, we need to know the Spirit as a Person, to begin a relationship with him through prayer. Here are a few ways to begin: (1) You may need to begin with repentance over your neglect of the Spirit. Confess your sinful self-reliance to the Father and the Spirit, asking the Son for forgiveness, and thanking God for the gift of the Spirit. (2) Make a point of addressing the Spirit throughout the day in ways that reflect his role in your life (understanding, discernment, decision making, power to overcome sin, desire for God, faith in the gospel, etc.). (3) Memorize and meditate on texts that show you who the Spirit is so that you can get to know him (Exodus 31:3; Numbers 27:18; 1 Samuel 16:13; Joel 2:28-29; Acts; Romans 8, 15; 1 Corinthians 2; 2 Corinthians 3; Galatians 3-6). (4) Rejoice in the gift of the Spirit as a Person who indwells us with power to believe the gospel, glorify, and enjoy God!” – pg. 98

“The Spirit is present in our subtle inclinations to serve our spouses, do what’s right, read the Bible, love the marginalized, make disciples, and commune with God. He is that renewing presence that says: ‘Choose what is good, right, and true.’ He is that tug toward self-sacrifice for the good of others. He is that challenge to boldly tell someone how Jesus is changing your life. He is that Person that brings Scripture to mind and coaxes you to believe it. He is the one who prompts you to pray for others. He is the one who restrains you from clicking on that image on the Internet, making that purchase, or silently judging someone. He prompts you to encourage a friend, to praise the good in a coworker, or to rejoice in God’s remarkable grace. If you are in Christ, you have the Spirit, and he prompts you all the time. We simply need to surrender to his prompting!” – pg. 99

“How many times have we rationalized away an opportunity to communicate the gospel? ‘They are in a hurry.’ ‘She would think I’m weird.’ ‘I don’t even know that person.’ These rational objections didn’t stop Philip with the Ethiopian, or Peter with his kinfolk, or Paul with strangers. Instead of assuming a dialogue with your reason, enter into dialogue with the Spirit. Talk to him and ask him for clarity, direction, and power to believe the gospel. In a word, surrender! Surrender to the Spirit’s promptings, follow his nudging, and talk to him about it along the way. When we surrender to the Spirit we become ourselves in Jesus.” – pg. 100

Next post: Gospel-Centered Discipleship | Sully Notes 5: Part 3 of 3

– Sully
 
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