Only One Addiction Can Set You Free
Matt 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
Only One Addiction Can Set You Free
Matt 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
“As Blaise Pascal so aptly put, ‘Man’s sensitivity to little things and insensitivity to the greatest things are marks of a strange disorder.’4 Our hearts are sensitive toward the little opinions of others, and insensitive to the great judgments of God.” (source)
“We were created by God and for God, and until we understand that, we are restless, brokenhearted glory chasers, always seeking something more.” (source)
“Sanctification is really the process of us catching up with our justification.” (source)
“That word consider in the Greek is fascinating. It is the word that a jeweler would use when he examines a diamond to discover its excellence and value. He ‘considers’ it. He holds it up. He roves over every facet of the diamond. He studies it.” (source)
“No willpower, sheer human grit, or determination will overthrow that pseudo god. It will not be removed; in fact, it cannot be. Idols are never removed. They are replaced. Displaced. They are not suppressed. They are eclipsed.” (source)
Matt Papa is a minister, recording artist, and worship leader. He serves on staff at The Summit Church in Durham and is currently finishing a master's degree at Southeastern Seminary. Matt lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife, Lauren, and three daughters. Learn more at www.mattpapa.com.