Oh, long and dark the stairs I trod,
With stumbling feet to find my God:Gaining a foothold bit by bit,
Then slipping back and losing it:Never progressing, striving still,
With weakening grasp and fainting will,Bleeding to climb to God: while He
Serenely smiled, unnoting me.Then came a certain time when I
Loosened my hold and fell thereby.Down to the lowest step my fall,
As if I had not climbed at all.And while I lay despairing there,
I heard a footfall on the stair,In the same path, where I, dismayed,
Faltered and fell and lay afraid.And lo! when hope had ceased to be,
My God came down the stairs to me.-As quoted in Christian Disciplines
by Oswald Chambers
I first heard this poem from Dr. Michael Vanlaningham while taking his Romans course at Moody Bible Institute 10 years ago. This week, while preparing to preach Ephesians 2:1-10, I was reminded of it again. I remembered portions of the quote and Google’d what I could. I found the quote again at this blog, http://asweetfragrance.com/2010/10/17/my-god-came-down/. It truly is a sweet display of God’s grace to us, while we were at our wits end trying to earn God’s favor by climbing the stairs of good works. We tried and tried, only to find ourselves at the bottom step! We need Him…our God, who came down the stairs to us.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved.” ~Ephesians 2:4
5 Worship-Quenching Attitudes
As I studied Ephesians 1:7-14 for a recent message, Blood-Bought and Sealed, the Spirit showed me Five attitudes of the heart that will choke out a heart of worship.
1. Ingratitude – It’s far too easy to view blessings from based on what we should be receiving materially rather than what God has promised and delivered in the “heavenly places” (Eph 1:3). When we have this mindset, we take for granted the glorious blessings that are ours in Christ. This ungrateful heart brings bitterness and does not cultivate a heart of worship. Paul’s writing Ephesians while in prison (3:1, 4:1, 6:20), and yet he can begin his letter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” He understood and was grateful for all of the spiritual blessings that were his, although his external circumstances were difficult.
2. A cheapening of Grace – A grand hindrance from living as an instrument of praise is a cheapening of God’s grace. The power of the blood of Christ demonstrates the riches of God’s grace, which covered the “cost” of our bondage and bring forgiveness for our trespasses (Eph 1:7-8). However, some people diminish the value of God’s grace with a “He’ll forgive me” mindset. This “I can sin and then ‘repent’” attitude tramples upon God’s grace. “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may abound? By no means!” (Rom 6:1-2). God’s grace is of infinite worth driving us to worship. An attitude that cheapens God’s grace quenches worship.
3. Allowing past bondage prevent present worship – In Christ, you have been redeemed from the bondage of sin (Rom 6:6-7), death (Rom 8:2), Satan (Hebrews 2:14-15), and the Law (Rom 7:4-6) and delivered from the wrath of God (Rom 5:9). In Christ you have been forgiven! Yet, some of us live as if this were not the case. We believe that Jesus had died for us, but still back in our minds we feel like we still must earn God’s love or acceptance. So we feel chained by our past sin. But there is nothing you can do to free you from your guilt. Jesus has done that through his blood. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, remember that you have been redeemed and forgiven (Eph 1:7). God’s grace has been lavished upon you. Don’t let your past bondage prevent present worship.
4. Despair over the struggles of this life (personal, local, global) – It’s easy to despair when we here of Christians being arrested for their faith. It’s easy to despair when we hear of suicide bombings. It’s easy to despair when our country is in the midst of a financial crisis and jobs are lacking but bills are increasing. It’s easy to despair when we read statistics of sex trafficking, statistics of child abuse, statistics of families breaking down. It’s easy to despair when we watch the news at night. Although it seems our world is unraveling, we must trust God’s sovereignty that he will unite things under Christ (Eph 1:9-10). When the fullness of time comes, amidst the great hurts and pains of this life, God will redeem those who are His and execute judgment on those who reject. He will unite all things under Christ. So do not let despair quench your worship. Hope in God, for He is sovereign.
5. Unbelief – Nowhere in the Scripture does the Spirit come into the lives of Believers in a “quiet” way. When the Spirit comes, he comes in power! He comes to change your life by giving you a new one in regeneration. He comes to seal you with a sure hope. He comes to enliven godly affections that stir your heart to worship. But where there is unbelief, the Spirit is not present and there is no heart to worship God because there is no Spirit within. Unbelief is a deadly venom that will prevent a heart of worship. But when we have heard the gospel and believed in Christ, the Spirit has sealed us securing our salvation and giving us a heart of worship (Eph 1:13-14).
Our God is worthy of all worship so let us be unquenchable worshipers of Him, to the praise of His glorious grace!
Father, I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Hymn of Grace
Fast bound in Satan’s chains I lay,
Death brooded darkly o’er me,
Sin was my torment night and day;
In sin my mother bore me
But God had seen my wretched state
Before the world’s foundation,
And, mindful of his mercies great,
He planned for my salvation.
He turned to me a father’s heart.
-Martin Luther’s hymn, “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice”
