Look and Live

Matt Papa

Description

Only One Addiction Can Set You FreeMatt Papa was a "professional Christian" in full-time ministry, ready and determined to change the world. All the while he was depressed, addicted to the approval of others, and enslaved to sin. But then everything changed. He encountered the glory of God.All of us live in the tension between where we are and where we ought to be. We try our best to bully our desires into submission. And we all know, this is exhausting.Are you tired? Stuck? Still fighting the same sin you've been fighting for years? The call in these pages is not to work or to strive, but to lift your eyes. You don't need more willpower. You need a vision of greatness that sweeps you off your feet. You need to see glory. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.Look and Live."Matt has helped me see that love for God grows out of an experience of beholding the love of God. We burn only as we behold. . . . This is a fantastic book and I commend it to you with the most enthusiastic support."--from the Foreword by J.D. Greear"Matt Papa cares about the glory of God, and you can sense that zeal on every page of this dynamic book. He also cares about you and me getting to grips with that glory. . . . Matt guides us through these pages with kindness, seriousness, and love--for God's greater glory and our greater good."--Matt Redman, songwriter and worship leader"Making our lives about one unflinching gaze upon the glory of Christ--what a vision Matt Papa has put before us. I encourage everyone to read this book!"--Tony Merida, pastor, professor, and author"Matt Papa's book is a snakebite kit for suffering sinners. Each sentence of Look and Live extracts Satan's deadly venom and resuscitates the soul with the life-giving power of the glory of God!"--Tony Nolan, snakebite survivor, author, and gospel preacher"To journey through this book is to go on a quest that will awaken our souls to the reality of the One who is 'majestic in holiness' and 'awesome in glorious deeds.'"--Dr. Brent Crowe, author, speaker, and vice president of Student Leadership University"I have been wonderfully blessed by Matt Papa's friendship and ministry. I am grateful his reflections on worship are now shared in Look and Live. It is biblically faithful and keeps the focus of worship where it belongs: on our glorious God."--Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary"Matt Papa faithfully points us to the soul-stirring glory of God. Read this book and allow your heart to once again behold the wondrous mystery."--Matt Boswell, founder of Doxology & Theology, and pastor of ministries and worship at Providence Church, Frisco, Texas"This is Matt's life message--that Jesus Christ alone is worth living for, and that when you gaze upon His majesty and glory you will never be the same. This book is theologically robust and practically helpful, packed with Scripture and insight into the person and work of the risen Son of God. . . . This is a true gift to the church."--Clayton King, president of Crossroads Camps and Clayton King Ministries"If C. S. Lewis and David Crowder wrote a book together about worship, you would have the rich theology of the great Christian apologist with the deep passion of worship from the contemporary artist. That's what Matt Papa has given us in Look and Live--a must-read for every worshiper."--Mike Harland, president of LifeWay Worship

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 28 octobre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441264886
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

© 2014 by Matt Papa
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www . bakerpublishinggroup . com
Ebook edition created 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-6488-6
Emphasis in Scripture shown by italics is the author’s. Song lyrics from Look & Live album used by permission.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007
Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations identified NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cover design by LOOK Design Studio
Author is represented by Wolgemuth & Associates
“Matt Papa cares about the glory of God, and you can sense that zeal on every page of this dynamic book. He also cares about you and me getting to grips with that glory. Sometimes as preacher, sometimes as prophet, sometimes as pastor, Matt guides us through these pages with kindness, seriousness, and love—for God’s greater glory and our greater good.”
—Matt Redman, songwriter and worship leader
“Making our lives about one unflinching gaze upon the glory of Christ—what a vision Matt Papa has put before us. I encourage everyone—Christian and non-Christian alike—to take up and read this book! We were all made to worship. The only question is whom or what do we worship? Matt shows us the biblical answer, and gives us compelling reasons for putting our eyes on Him.”
—Tony Merida, pastor, professor, and author
“Matt Papa’s book is a snakebite kit for suffering sinners. Each sentence of Look and Live extracts Satan’s deadly venom and resuscitates the soul with the life-giving power of the glory of God!”
—Tony Nolan, snakebite survivor, author, and gospel preacher
“I have enjoyed the privilege of serving with Matt Papa numerous times, and have always sensed that his leadership was an open invitation to join him in declarative worship. Look and Live is pen to paper in what I have observed from Matt’s life and influence. To journey through this book is to go on a quest that will awaken our souls to the reality of the One who is ‘majestic in holiness’ and ‘awesome in glorious deeds.’”
—Dr. Brent Crowe, author, speaker, and vice president of Student Leadership University
“I am a Matt Papa fan, and have been wonderfully blessed by his friendship and ministry. I am grateful his reflections on worship are now shared in writing in Look and Live . It is biblically faithful and keeps the focus of worship where it belongs: on our glorious God.”
—Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Whether in songs that help the church sing, or with words that aid us as we read, Matt Papa faithfully points us to the soul-stirring glory of God. Read this book and allow your heart to once again behold the wondrous mystery.”
—Matt Boswell, founder of Doxology & Theology and pastor of ministries and worship at Providence Church, Frisco, Texas
“I’ve worked with Matt for years as we attempt to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Matt’s always been a thoughtful and passionate minister, but he seems to have tapped into something deeply powerful in the pages of Look and Live . This is Matt’s life message—that Jesus Christ alone is worth living for, and that when you gaze upon His majesty and glory you will never be the same. This book is theologically robust and practically helpful, packed with Scripture and insight into the person and work of the risen Son of God. Matt lives out this message as a dad, husband, worship leader, and evangelist. This is a true gift to the church and the world.”
—Clayton King, president of Crossroads Camps and Clayton King Ministries and teaching pastor at NewSpring Church, South Carolina
“If C. S. Lewis and David Crowder wrote a book together about worship, you would have the rich theology of the great Christian apologist with the deep passion of worship from the contemporary artist. That’s what Matt Papa has given us in Look and Live —a must-read for every worshiper.”
—Mike Harland, president of LifeWay Worship
“Matt Papa’s helpful book offers a compelling reminder that in the fast pace of life, there is a still small voice with a Galilean accent calling us to look and live: because He alone is the way, the truth, and the life.”
—Dan DeWitt, author of Jesus or Nothing and dean of Boyce College, undergraduate school of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
This book is dedicated to the precious people of The Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina. It has been an honor to behold the Lamb with you.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Endorsements 5
Dedication 7
Acknowledgments 9
Foreword by J.D. Greear 11
Introduction 13
1. Glory and Worship 19
2. The Glory of God 37
3. Bad Aim (Glory and Sin) 63
4. The Blazing Center 81
5. Let My Eyes Adjust 111
6. Scattered Beams 135
7. Glory and Mission 163
8. Glory and Suffering 189
9. Show Me Your Glory 219
Notes 247
About the Author 253
Back Cover 254
Acknowledgments
On a theoretical level, this book’s existence is owing to the teaching, preaching, and writing ministries of the following pastor-theologians: Jonathan Edwards, John Piper, Tim Keller, and J.D. Greear.
Edwards’ philosophical theology has been unparalleled in helping me see the world with “God glasses.” I think Edwards’ life was, in a sense, an exposition of the Isaiah 6 truth: “The whole earth is full of His glory.”
John Piper’s Christian hedonism has been crucial in helping me make the connections between worship and joy. Psalm 67 jumps into mind when I think about Dr. Piper: “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy. . . . Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.” Glory, joy, worship, mission . . . these contributions from Piper into my thinking have been profound and life-altering.
Tim Keller’s astute and pastoral ability to take lofty theological concepts and make them bear down on the heart is, to my limited knowledge, unequaled. The phrase “full of grace and truth” comes to mind when I think of Dr. Keller. His preaching has been personally transforming, and this book owes a great debt to his ministry.
J.D. Greear, my pastor, has been a dear friend, and sitting under his teaching has uniquely helped me to make the connections between glory, the gospel, and true transformation. “We love, because He loved us first” are words that come to mind when I think of J.D. and his distinct contribution. I am truly grateful for all of these men, and I hope I have honored them with this work.
On a practical level, I would love to thank Bethany House Publishers for making this book a reality. I’m not sure if this is stereotypical to say in an acknowledgments section, because I’ve never done this before (writing a book), which is precisely why I am so grateful to them. They took a chance with me, and I see it as a gift . . . a bright scattered beam.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the three gentlemen I affectionately call “my band”: Zach Smith, Tyler Mount, and Jon Dobberstein. These dear friends and partners in ministry have walked with me through a lot. I distinctly remember a van ride about three years ago during which the (seven-hour) topic of conversation was “What is glory?” (I know. We are nerds.) Virtually every idea you will read in this book I have said on a stage somewhere, or in a van somewhere, with hours on end of follow-up discussion about accuracy, precision, and helpfulness with these men of God. This book started a long time ago. The van rides I think will always be my favorite memories. Scattered beams.
Foreword
“Bro, that makes me want to run through a wall.” That’s what Matt Papa said to me after we had spent an hour discussing the glory of Jesus revealed in and through the book of Revelation, and it pretty well summarizes Matt’s life. When I listen to Matt teach about or lead worship, I feel like I’m watching a guy who has caught a glimpse of something glorious trying to run through a wall. And he makes me want to go with him.
I honestly don’t know of anyone who has taught me more about worship than Matt Papa. For many years as a professional Christian I struggled to really love God. I knew a lot of facts about God, I was obedient in the church, and I knew how to engage fervently in mission, but the passions of my heart burned only lukewarm. Matt has helped me to see that love for God grows out of an experience of beholding the love of God. We burn only as we behold. The cross, as Matt loves to repeat, is the blazing center of the glory of God. So look, Matt says, and live.
Matt’s worship shows us that true worship begins with the gospel and ends in the mission. It is a rhythm of revelation and response: beholding the wondrous mystery and declaring that mystery to others. I