So a little over a week ago, a dozen or so of us descended upon Palm Springs for one of the best conferences ever, Resolved. What an incredible weekend of friends, fellowhip, sunshine, and most importantly incredible teaching about our GREAT GOD and our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ.
The theme of the conference was Sin. I definitely felt anxious about going to a conference where I expected to be convicted beyond all belief about the sin in my life. I spent the week before reflecting on the areas where God might reveal to me that sin has a foothold. I was nervous about hearing pastors whom I have grown to respect to the utmost come down on me for all of the awful sins in my life. That the guilt of unconfessed and repetitive sin would consume me. I prepared my heart for a shocker of a weekend as best I could.
What happened at Resolved was entirely different and in no way close to what I would have even imagined. The sessions led by incredible pastors like CJ Maheney, Steve Lawson, and John Piper were not a gauntlet of all the awful things I was doing and how much I was hurting God with my sin, but instead, a beautiful image of this enormous God, a God who can stand and tolerate no sin, but is so loving and kind, generous and powerful that he sent his Son Jesus Christ to atone for those sins. This gift of his Son a free gift to me, no guilt and shame needed, just a repentant heart along with his immense grace and mercy on my life.
In the two sermons by John Piper, which were 2 of the most incredible times of teaching in my life, Dr Piper, or Grandpa John as we say, was able to bring us to see our GREAT GREAT GOD. A God who is sovereign over ALL things, including, and especially sin.
I guess until now I always knew that God was sovereign over sin, but I don’t think I even realized the enormity and magnificence of what that meant. I knew God designed this world, all the time knowing that his Son’s death and ressurection would be the pinacle moment of all history, all to give God the glory (Sunday School answer here!) – but to really hear it spelled out, that this was God’s PLAN from the beginning. That the fall of Satan, fall of Adam, betrayal by nation of Israel, and finally the betrayal by Judas all fell into God’s sovereign, ordained plan.
As Dr. Piper said, He could have stopped and taken away a lot of these enormous sins or even created an earth without them, and we would have seen the power of God, in His creation – but through Sin, God showed his incredible grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, majesty and so many other attributes within His divine plan.
I also loved the way Grandpa John defined the way he uses the word ordained as something God either causes or permits with infinite knowledge and ultimate power to stop or change, but doesn’t.
In his second sermon, Grandpa John also said God even blesses our wicked prayers. Because if he didn’t, we’d all be dead. Think about that, how God loves us even when we are terrible, day after day. What a huge image of love that is right there.
What I took home from Resolved was not a conscience paralyzed with guilt, feeling like a failure, but instead a heart so enamored with my beautiful, loving, omnipotent God. The God I desire and long for like nothing else in this world. My soul was not so concerned with the ME, ME, ME of Sin, all the things I am doing wrong in my life, and how I am hurting others and my precious God. But instead focused on the God that I seek to please and serve with all abandon. I love this fresh perspective, of not coming at sin, as healing the symptoms of myself before healing the heart, but instead, replacing my sinful ugly heart, with the heart of Jesus, the all loving, giving, serving Savior. By worshipping and praising the Almighty God, and starting with seeking and serving Him first and foremost, and knowing that the Holy Spirit will lead the way in a life that is pleasing and honoring to God.
As he wrapped up the final night of Resolved, he summarized all he taught, saying, “In ordaining the fall, Lucifer’s and Adam’s, the treason of Israel and Judas – in order that I might be conformed by the image of Christ, so that I will make much of the Glory of grace – which will come back around and bring Grace to all of the treasonous people” – and to that I only can say AMEN!
