Dr. Gage, taught beautifully on this Psalm yesterday, during a one week respite from his teaching in Isaiah. He introduced the lesson by commenting on the late start to his class, necessitated by the reception of the New City newcomers as CRPC members. He said, he embraces those kinds of inconveniences when the payoff (of receiving new members) is so great.

Tullian,
The lesson would be worthwhile for all of us. Don Law, in his response above, offers the opportunity to
download Dr Gage’s lesson as a MP3 file from his website.

It was wonderful to see the first wave of former NCC members take vows this morning – I look forward to serving Christ alongside all of you in the coming years!!

In honor of that occasion, Dr. Gage took a diversion from his series on Isaiah and spoke on the topic of unity, and David’s guidance from the Lord on how we can foster it. His class was an exposition of Psalm 133

Tullian, today’s sermon was excellent! It had me thinking things like “Wow – I didn’t know the Gospel was that big! – Thank you so much for your ministry!!

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Well said; I receive it!
…And may God richly bless you as well

Thank you for your transparency. I so appreciate where you are coming from. Sometimes I feel that I live “at His feet in despair.” I think we need to distinguish between loving sacrificially and living with circumstances. One may not have anything to do with the other. You say, “God blesses those who strive for Godly, sacrificial living and loving,” and then proceed to explain that that may not change circumstances. No, husbands don’t love their wives as Christ loves the church. Wives don’t respect husbands, etc., etc. We can point to things that caused the “breakup”. However, I believe that laying down our lives to love that person (spouse, friend, whoever) can be done before, during, and after the breakup/blowup. We do it in spite of the circumstances in which we are living. Tullian, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I once heard you say from the pulpit that with God, there are no irreconcilable differences. I believe that. The problem is that God is left out (by one or both parties), and thus we have divorce, etc. I also firmly believe that God can turn divorce (and evil) around for good. No matter what, I am called to lay down my life and love, forgive, and pray for that person – no matter the circumstances or whether God ever changes the circumstances.

I love this blog for the opportunity to connect with our pastor and fellow believers; however, it is a challenge for me to communicate my heart over a keyboard May God richly bless you, my sister!

Thanks so much for jumping on board. I hear your precious heart…and believe sincerely that God blesses those who strive for Godly, sacrificial living and loving.

I believe also though that in marital relationships we make ourselves vulnerable to love and be loved. When we say ‘I do’, we say I do to loving and cherishing along with hardship and adversity and ALL come into play on the complex field of relationship. I am by no means an authority on this subject of brokenness, I only have my experience to go on and my God to trust in.

Eph. 5:25
Husbands LOVE your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Anything short of that command, or the command for wives to respect their husbands, is going to stir up a nasty storm, be it in the quiet of our hearts or a loud audible cry. Satan waits to rip the roof off our marital mansions and he is exceedingly patient. Our satellite for the pattern of the storm is mapped out all over scripture.

In the song ‘Brave’, Nichole Nordeman wrote:

I’ve never known a fire that didn’t begin with a flame
Every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if you believe in me
That changes everything

Again, I am not an authority, but I think what can happen so often is that we stop believing in each other and that too changes everything, and not for the good. There is so much great advice in God’s word about marital relationships. He says, do not deny eachother intimacy except for a time of prayer. When couples refuse to love eachother sacrificially it can easily end up in weeks, months, and years of physical separation which leads to spiritual separation. Chances are that if you’re not sleeping together, you’re probably not praying together either (or visa-versa.) At that point you’ve received your R.S.V.P from Satan.

It’s so hard sometimes, but God in His faithfulness will never fail to respond to the sincere child who falls at His feet in despair. I know this because I spent three years there…

I love you sister -Robin

I, too, can relate. However, I do believe it is only possible (but IS possible) through God’s grace- and only through His grace – that one can love without anything in return. Love being not a fuzzy feeling, but a self-sacrificing committment to meet the needs of the cherished person. That doesn’t mean letting anyone “off the hook” as far as consequences for illegal behavior (as in abuse), but to love them with the love that God has for us. God laid down His life for us while we were yet sinners, so I may lay my life down for even an unloving husband. God Himself is a faithful, loving Husband to me, and in turn I am able to love others as He has loved me. I cry out to God regularly that “I can’t do this.” And He gently or not so gently reminds me that He can. It is all God. As Tullian says, If I have God and nothing else, I have everything.

Psalm 34:18 -Love, Robin