SLEEPLESS NIGHTS by Dr. Paul Tripp

by | Jul 11, 2014 | Paul Tripp

Have you had any sleepless nights lately? Do you struggle to lay peacefully in bed because something, or someone, is consuming your thoughts?

Maybe it’s a looming deadline and you’re putting all the pressure on yourself to make that big project a success. Maybe it’s a life-altering decision you need to make on behalf of your family and you just don’t know what option is best.

Maybe it’s an act of betrayal and deceit and the good thing you had been working towards is now destroyed by the corruption of another. Maybe it’s news from your doctor about a new physical affliction that’s going to drastically impact your life.

We all struggle to sleep at night, and to be fair, life in a fallen world is harsh and unpredictable. There are many outside factors that make life difficult and provide reason for restless nights.

But I’m deeply persuaded that in the midst of trial, we often abandon our theology. We quit believing that the Bible has the answers for life and we try to take the reins. With the weight of the world now on our self-appointed shoulders, we struggle to get a good night of sleep.

GET A BETTER NIGHT OF SLEEP

When you’re facing the harsh and unpredictable realities of life in fallen world, what should you do? Here are four actions that find their roots in the Word of God, but it’s important to recognize that these actions are not one-time quick fixes. As long as you’re facing difficulty, you’ll need to continually preach the gospel to yourself as you fall asleep.

1. Accept the Confusion

If you haven’t recognized it already, you have very little control over your life. You didn’t choose where you would be born or how your parents would raise you. You didn’t choose the color of your skin, the language you spoke, or how wealthy your family was.

The reality is that you have a miniscule amount of control in gargantuan universe. Add to that the sin and brokenness you face at every turn, and life gets overwhelming.

If you believe a false gospel of self-sovereignty and personal control, you’ll be kept awake when life doesn’t go according to plan. The first step in falling asleep is to accept that you don’t have much reason to sleep peacefully!

2. Evict the Imposters

When the waves of pain and difficulty come crashing down, you need to seek shelter. Sadly, so many of us seek shelter in all the wrong places.

Some pick up a bottle of alcohol or painkillers to physically numb their bodies; others drown out the pain with television and food. Others yet take a credit card to purchase items they don’t need, in the hope that material things will provide comfort for their soul.

If you buy into the false gospel of earth-bound treasures, you won’t have many restful nights of sleep. Evict the imposters and invite the Messiah to commune with your soul once again.

3. Pursue the Disciplines

In the midst of trial, it’ll be very tempting to abandon the spiritual disciplines of your faith: prayer, fasting, meditation/memorization of Scripture, and attendance at worship services/small groups.

When you abandon these disciplines, whether you intentionally mean to or not, you’re saying, “I don’t need God or His church – I can make it on my own!” That’s never a good idea; your heart is corrupt, and you need help to see yourself and your situation with accuracy.

If you believe a false gospel of self-sustainment, you’ll struggle to wake up each morning with energy. You weren’t created to live independently, even in a sinless world. Live with God – His Spirit, His Word, and His body of believers.

4. Trust the Author

All these other actions – Accept, Evict, and Pursue – make no sense unless one thing is true: God is the good and wise author of your story:

  • Because God is the author of your story, you can accept the confusion and find rest, knowing that everything in the universe is managed with complete and specific authority.
  • Because God is the author of all that is good, you can evict the imposters and find comfort in communion with Him, even in the midst of physical trial.
  • Because God is the author of life, you can pursue the spiritual disciplines and find peace, knowing that God’s wisdom for your life is far better than pursuing it on your own.

You and I don’t have to crumble when we don’t understand; we don’t have to be paralyzed with fear because our plans have blown up in our face. We don’t have to dread what the next day will bring.

You and I can sleep because God is wise, loving, and powerful. He is in moment-by-moment control of every detail of our lives.

I GIVE UP! by Dr. Paul Tripp

by | May 28, 2014 | Paul Tripp

The Psalmist continues: “Who shall dwell on your holy hill … [the person] who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent.” (Psalm 15:5)

The person being described in this Psalm is one who is absolutely faithful to their word. Their dealings are always upright, trustworthy, and honorable. They’re always on time and committed to following through with what they promised.

Even when their promises require sacrifice and personal pain, they won’t back out. I don’t know about you, but I’ve thrown the towel in when the going gets tough.

On top of their faithfulness, this person is uncompromising in integrity. Even when they stand to gain financial profit, they never cut corners, they never make back-room deals, and they never take advantage of the weak.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t match that standard. Sure, we might not have done anything “that bad” to land us in federal prison, but can we say with honesty that we’ve never taken advantage of another?

Can we say with certainty that we’ve never cut corners at work and that we give 100% of honest labor each day? Can we say with confidence that we’ve never made questionable decisions that result in our gain?

If you’re honest, you have to throw your hands up and say, “I quit! I can’t do it! This standard of righteousness is so far from the reality of my life.”

Think about what I’m going to write next – that despair is a good thing. Why? Because if you think that you can dwell on God’s holy hill by your own merit, you’re going to crush yourself. You need to give up all hope in your own righteousness and rely only on Christ.

This doesn’t give us a license to sin (Romans 6:1-2), but I’m going to cover our responsibility next Wednesday. For today, I want you to meditate on this question: are you trying to dwell on God’s holy hill by your own merit?

TRUTH IN YOUR HEART by Dr. Paul Tripp

by | May 6, 2014 | Paul Tripp

Last week I started a series on Psalm 15 (grab a Bible to read along). The simple question the Psalmist asks is: “Who deserves to live in the presence of God?” The writer goes on to describe a list of qualities this person should possess if they want to dwell on God’s holy hill.

We fail the first test quickly: “he who walks blamelessly and does what is right.” We should all know from Sunday school that we fall short of God’s standard (Romans 3:23) and only Christ can present as blameless (Colossians 1:22).

It’s pretty obvious that a pattern of failure is emerging, but don’t get discouraged. Christ measured up on your behalf precisely because you would fail. Moreover, He gave you His Spirit so you can continue to pursue righteousness and become like Him. Let’s continue…

“And speaks truth in his heart.” Notice how this is internal. We usually associate speaking truth with external words, and we’ll learn about that next week from verse 3, but this quality is about talking to yourself.

Righteous living starts with the heart, and this verse tells us that we’re in a constant conversation with our own heart. What are you saying to you?

Everyday you’ll have dozens, maybe even hundreds, of opportunities to have a “heart-to-heart” conversation with yourself (literally!). What is being said in those conversations?

Are you telling yourself to desire what God calls beautiful? Are you telling yourself to pursue what God declares honorable? Whenever I read this verse, I’m reminded of my own failure. There are many conversations when I lie to my heart, and my words and actions follow.

But here’s the Good News. God provides us with the Truth, both written and in person. His Word (2 Timothy 3:16) and His Son (John 14:6) are available to us every day for each of those “heart-to-heart” conversations.

THE TRAP OF DOUBT by Dr. Paul Tripp

by | Apr 3, 2014 | Paul Tripp

The Bible says that suffering should not take us by surprise – we live in a fallen world during restoration and redemption. But I’ve found in my years of counseling (and even in my own heart) that many Christians are unprepared for when suffering enters their door.

In moments of suffering, it’s tempting to allow yourself to doubt the goodness of God. You’ll reason with yourself that somehow, someway, this moment of suffering is evidence that God is less than who He has depicted Himself to be.

Suffering will tempt you to doubt God’s goodness and kindness. Suffering will tempt you to doubt His faithfulness and love. Even though you may never speak this aloud, your theology will bring God into the court of your judgment and accuse Him of being unloving and unfaithful to His promises.

Here’s why doubt is such a deadly trap: as soon as you begin to question the character of God, you’ll quit running to Him for help because you don’t go for help to someone whom you no longer trust.

If you no longer believe that God is loving, faithful, and gracious, you won’t run to Him for hope and peace. Instead, you’ll seek out earthly saviors who will provide the supposed rest and comfort you think you need (this could be drugs, people, television, food, or a host of other numbing agents).

There are a host of Scripture verses that remind us that suffering is evidence of God’s grace. Those can provide enough of a theological framework in which you can interpret your suffering. But sometimes, you won’t find answers. In your lifetime, you may never know why God allowed it to enter your door.

Here’s what you always need to remember: you can trust the character of God because He sent Jesus to die for you, even when you were still His opponent. You don’t have to doubt the character of the Father because He gave His Son for your hardened heart.

In moments of suffering, don’t run away from God in doubt. If you do, you risk missing out on the wonderful blessings of grace that He has made available. Even if those blessings are uncomfortable or even excruciatingly painful, you can run to the Father.

He proved His eternal love for you by sending Christ to hang on that bloody Cross.