Matt Chandler was phenomenal, as expected. Definitely the best spiritual development talk (as opposed to Leadership) of the conference.
Matt Chandler brought what, in my opinion, was missing in the Catalyst Conference: a focus on the gospel as the fuel for world change and personal heart change.
Here are my notes from the talk. They’re a bit disjointed as Matt tends to be. My favorite points are bolded.
- What I was saved into was — ‘here are the rules’
- As long as you keep the rules, me and God are cool
- But I stunk at it
- I would dominate the rules for a month and a half — and then I would fail
- You know what that would lead me to do? — it would cause me to run from God for a month and a half
- Paul preaches the gospel to believers in every book he writes with the exception of 2 Cor.
- Paul believes that the gospel is not only what saves you but what sanctifies you
- BB Warfield on why Christians can never move beyond the gospel:
There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be trust as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His “blood and righteousness” alone that we can rest.
- My fear is that we shackle our people with chains when we don’t understand the gospel
- Because what we give people is the list
- What they’re going to get from you is what Christ came to destroy
- You have to do ____ to be accepted by Him
- Most young people assume that the gospel is only their ticket into heaven
- That’s why secret sin dominates the church — it’s a failure to apply the gospel
- “Well if we have cheap grace, then people will live in licentiousness”
- 1) They won’t if they’re saved 2) Heb 12 — there is the Lord’s discipline
- It’s what DA Carson calls Grace Driven Effort
- How do I know if I get the gospel?
- When they screw up what they do? If they run to God, they get it. If they run away from God, they don’t get it
- How do you train your people to fight the flesh?
- Wrong — The threats of the law and the promises of heaven (do this — don’t do this). If you do this _____, this will happen. We build a reward system with God. Â Â Â Â Â Heaven’s not a place for people afraid of hell. It’s a place where God is.
- Right — We’ve been given the weapons of Grace (not with the will) – The word of God and the Promises of the Covenant
- You don’t need to feel good about you. You need to feel good about Jesus
- Do you teach people that sin is an external sin or a heart issue?
- Are you training people to attack the root or to attack the branches?
- If you’re just shaping morals, you’re attacking branches
- Was it not the best behaved people on earth that killed Jesus?
- Grace driven effort — it’s violent
- You teach your people the weight of sin
- A lot of people don’t like sin because it ruins things but they have no idea of the offense of their sin
- Levity is a predominant thing in so many of our churches
- But sin is heavy
- Most of us don’t deal violently with sin
- We keep sin close and give it room, board in our heart
- People who understand the gospel understand that sin is an afront on God’s holiness that shames His name
- So we deal with sin violently
- When I go to the gym, I know there will be some lady running basically in her bra and panties on the treadmill. I know that the enemy is there to destroy me. “Lord, guard my eyes, let me feel what’s on the line, for your name”
- “I’m in a long line of incompetent men that God has made much of Himself thru” (Moses, a donkey)
- When we look at our money, I like nice stuff, I’m drawn toward it.
- God’s on mission here and my comforts come in the new earth (when I don’t live in Dallas anymore, I live in San Diego)
- The great thing about living in Dallas is that no matter where you go it’s awesome.
- You’ve got nothing without the gospel
- Can you get people to do all kinds of external things without the gospel? Sure
- Can you grow a huge church without the gospel? sure
- But you can’t see hearts transformed and worshippers of God happen without the gospel
- We are made to worship
- It’s why grown men paint their bodies and go to games
- God is not in love with a future version of us — he is in love with us as we are right now