Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
THAT’S WHAT CHRISTIANS DO NOW
The following is a poem I wrote based on an article written by Dr. Donald E. Wildmon of the same title.
THAT’S WHAT CHRISTIANS DO NOW
Luke 9:23 says, “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.’”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and watch television. That’s what Christians do now.
Matthew 28:19-20 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and play on the computer. That’s what Christians do now.
Luke 10:2 says, “And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and play video games. That’s what Christians do now.
1 Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and complain about how long the sermon was. That’s what Christians do now.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and talk on the phone and text message. That’s what Christians do now.
2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and take a nap. That’s what Christians do now.
1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and act and talk just like the world. That’s what Christians do now.
James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and try to think of something to do so I won’t be bored. That’s what Christians do now.
James 1:22 says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and do nothing. That’s what Christians do now.
THAT’S WHAT CHRISTIANS DO NOW
Luke 9:23 says, “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.’”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and watch television. That’s what Christians do now.
Matthew 28:19-20 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and play on the computer. That’s what Christians do now.
Luke 10:2 says, “And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and play video games. That’s what Christians do now.
1 Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and complain about how long the sermon was. That’s what Christians do now.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and talk on the phone and text message. That’s what Christians do now.
2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and take a nap. That’s what Christians do now.
1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and act and talk just like the world. That’s what Christians do now.
James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and try to think of something to do so I won’t be bored. That’s what Christians do now.
James 1:22 says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”
Me? I go to church, the pastor preaches, I go home and do nothing. That’s what Christians do now.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Don't Judge Me You Stinkin' Hypocrite!!!
Matthew 7:1-5- Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold, the log is in your own eye? Your hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Now, do these verses teach that we are not supposed to judge in any way? Can we not say anything that is perceived as negative to anybody? In other words, can we ever tell anybody that they are wrong? Let's get to the bottom of this judging thing. Let's begin by looking at what these verses do not mean. Then we will see what they do mean.
This does not mean that we cannot say something is a sin.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22- But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
Romans 12:9- Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to differentiate between evil and goodness. I don't think that anybody will argue with this point. From Genesis to Revelation, God tells us what is evil and sinful. He tells us to do this. He tells us not to do this. When God tells us in His Word that something is sinful, we can be confident that it is certainly sinful and wrong. God's Word is very clear on what He considers sin. So, Jesus did not mean that we cannot say something is wrong. We most certainly can and God repeatedly commands us to make the distinction between good and evil. So, this kind of judging is okay.
This does not mean that we have no right to point out false teaching.
2 John 9-11- Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
Matthew 7:15, 20- Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Jude 3- Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
Titus 1:9- Holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
A lot of people think that we don’t have a right to correct somebody that is teaching something that is incorrect. These verses and others take away that myth. We are commanded to judge whether what somebody teaches is Biblical or not. Not only that, we are supposed to point out their false teachings and correct them. God takes false teachings very seriously. That is why we have to judge whether a teaching or a teacher is teaching the correct thing. We can’t sit by and let people be deceived. John went so far to say that you should not receive a false teacher in your house. This kind of judging is also okay. It is not only okay, but we are commanded to point out false teachings.
This doesn't mean that we are not supposed to talk to unbelievers about sin.
Matthew 28:19-20- Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Luke 24:47- And that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
We could look at a multitude of Scriptures on this one, but we'll settle for these two potent reminders. These verses and many others let us know that we are to take Christ's teachings to the whole world. Not only are we to take Christ's teachings to the world, but we are also supposed to call people to repent (turn from their sins to God). We are commanded to call people to turn from their sins. The Scriptures are clear on this one as well. We are supposed to share God's Word with all people. It doesn't matter what their nationality or religion is. We are commanded to call them to repent. So once again, this kind of judging is okay.
This doesn't mean that we cannot confront sin in the life of a fellow believer.
Matthew 18:15-17- If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Leviticus 19:17- You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
Proverbs 27:6- Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
Galatians 6:1- Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
A lot of people think that they don’t have any business to confront sin in the life of a believer. We are commanded to confront it, though. Jesus gave us a process of confronting sin that can potentially end pretty severely. Some think it is hateful to confront sin, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is the loving thing to do. If you don’t confront sin in the lives of fellow Christians, then you are not really loving them. We can’t sit by and let them destroy their lives and their witness for Christ. So, this kind of judging is okay, too.
THEN WHAT DOES “DO NOT JUDGE” REALLY MEAN?
We have to remember that Matthew 7 took place during the Sermon on the Mount. The whole way through that sermon, Christ was comparing the way the Pharisees (and other "religious" people of the day) practiced their religion and how true believers were supposed to. Pharisees were some of the most critical, malicious, judgmental people on the face of the planet. They enjoyed making themselves look good by making others look bad. They were very good at pointing out other people's faults, but they never dealt with their own. They also excelled at making up their own standards while ignoring the standards of Scripture.
Jesus was really getting to the heart of the matter. One of the biggest things Jesus stressed during that sermon was our motives and our heart's desires. The Pharisees desire was to belittle others. They would gossip, slander, and talk about others. That made them feel "super-religious". That is what Jesus is condemning. That is why he said that they were trying to take a speck out of their brother's eye, yet they had a log in their own eye. They had a bigger problem than the people they were criticizing. But, Jesus didn't stop there. He went on to say that if they took the log out of their own eye, they would see clearly to take the speck out of their brother's eye. It is okay to try and take the speck out of somebody's eye. First, you need to examine yourself, though. We need to carefully inspect our own life and make sure our motives and actions are sincere.
Did you notice that when Jesus said we are supposed to confront a brother in sin, He said to do it privately? That is the exact opposite of how the Pharisees handled things. We are not supposed to be spreading gossip to everybody and their brother. We are supposed to confont them privately and discreetly. How does Galatians 6:1 tell us to approach them? "In a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." Do you see? It is all about our motives and the way we handle the situation. We are supposed to confont sin. How do we do it? Quietly, gently, and with much love (and only after much self-examination). If confronting them privately does not work, then we are supposed to bring the issue to the church (Matthew 18).
When we follow God's guidelines on judging, then it is not us who is doing the judging. It is God's Word. We are not to be like the Pharisees and make up our own standards. The Word of God is the standard by which we should judge and the standard by which we are judged.
P.S. Why is it that the ones who always say "Don't judge me" are the ones who have been caught in sin? Maybe instead of complaining about people judging us, we should examine ourselves, seek God's forgiveness, and turn from our sins... That would be the godly response to somebody judging us. Lord help us to have that attitude...
Proverbs 15:32- Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
Proverbs 1:7- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Now, do these verses teach that we are not supposed to judge in any way? Can we not say anything that is perceived as negative to anybody? In other words, can we ever tell anybody that they are wrong? Let's get to the bottom of this judging thing. Let's begin by looking at what these verses do not mean. Then we will see what they do mean.
This does not mean that we cannot say something is a sin.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22- But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
Romans 12:9- Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to differentiate between evil and goodness. I don't think that anybody will argue with this point. From Genesis to Revelation, God tells us what is evil and sinful. He tells us to do this. He tells us not to do this. When God tells us in His Word that something is sinful, we can be confident that it is certainly sinful and wrong. God's Word is very clear on what He considers sin. So, Jesus did not mean that we cannot say something is wrong. We most certainly can and God repeatedly commands us to make the distinction between good and evil. So, this kind of judging is okay.
This does not mean that we have no right to point out false teaching.
2 John 9-11- Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
Matthew 7:15, 20- Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Jude 3- Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
Titus 1:9- Holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
A lot of people think that we don’t have a right to correct somebody that is teaching something that is incorrect. These verses and others take away that myth. We are commanded to judge whether what somebody teaches is Biblical or not. Not only that, we are supposed to point out their false teachings and correct them. God takes false teachings very seriously. That is why we have to judge whether a teaching or a teacher is teaching the correct thing. We can’t sit by and let people be deceived. John went so far to say that you should not receive a false teacher in your house. This kind of judging is also okay. It is not only okay, but we are commanded to point out false teachings.
This doesn't mean that we are not supposed to talk to unbelievers about sin.
Matthew 28:19-20- Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Luke 24:47- And that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
We could look at a multitude of Scriptures on this one, but we'll settle for these two potent reminders. These verses and many others let us know that we are to take Christ's teachings to the whole world. Not only are we to take Christ's teachings to the world, but we are also supposed to call people to repent (turn from their sins to God). We are commanded to call people to turn from their sins. The Scriptures are clear on this one as well. We are supposed to share God's Word with all people. It doesn't matter what their nationality or religion is. We are commanded to call them to repent. So once again, this kind of judging is okay.
This doesn't mean that we cannot confront sin in the life of a fellow believer.
Matthew 18:15-17- If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Leviticus 19:17- You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
Proverbs 27:6- Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
Galatians 6:1- Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
A lot of people think that they don’t have any business to confront sin in the life of a believer. We are commanded to confront it, though. Jesus gave us a process of confronting sin that can potentially end pretty severely. Some think it is hateful to confront sin, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is the loving thing to do. If you don’t confront sin in the lives of fellow Christians, then you are not really loving them. We can’t sit by and let them destroy their lives and their witness for Christ. So, this kind of judging is okay, too.
THEN WHAT DOES “DO NOT JUDGE” REALLY MEAN?
We have to remember that Matthew 7 took place during the Sermon on the Mount. The whole way through that sermon, Christ was comparing the way the Pharisees (and other "religious" people of the day) practiced their religion and how true believers were supposed to. Pharisees were some of the most critical, malicious, judgmental people on the face of the planet. They enjoyed making themselves look good by making others look bad. They were very good at pointing out other people's faults, but they never dealt with their own. They also excelled at making up their own standards while ignoring the standards of Scripture.
Jesus was really getting to the heart of the matter. One of the biggest things Jesus stressed during that sermon was our motives and our heart's desires. The Pharisees desire was to belittle others. They would gossip, slander, and talk about others. That made them feel "super-religious". That is what Jesus is condemning. That is why he said that they were trying to take a speck out of their brother's eye, yet they had a log in their own eye. They had a bigger problem than the people they were criticizing. But, Jesus didn't stop there. He went on to say that if they took the log out of their own eye, they would see clearly to take the speck out of their brother's eye. It is okay to try and take the speck out of somebody's eye. First, you need to examine yourself, though. We need to carefully inspect our own life and make sure our motives and actions are sincere.
Did you notice that when Jesus said we are supposed to confront a brother in sin, He said to do it privately? That is the exact opposite of how the Pharisees handled things. We are not supposed to be spreading gossip to everybody and their brother. We are supposed to confont them privately and discreetly. How does Galatians 6:1 tell us to approach them? "In a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." Do you see? It is all about our motives and the way we handle the situation. We are supposed to confont sin. How do we do it? Quietly, gently, and with much love (and only after much self-examination). If confronting them privately does not work, then we are supposed to bring the issue to the church (Matthew 18).
When we follow God's guidelines on judging, then it is not us who is doing the judging. It is God's Word. We are not to be like the Pharisees and make up our own standards. The Word of God is the standard by which we should judge and the standard by which we are judged.
P.S. Why is it that the ones who always say "Don't judge me" are the ones who have been caught in sin? Maybe instead of complaining about people judging us, we should examine ourselves, seek God's forgiveness, and turn from our sins... That would be the godly response to somebody judging us. Lord help us to have that attitude...
Proverbs 15:32- Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
Proverbs 1:7- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Happy Anniversary Baby, I've Got You on My Mind!!!
Today is a very special day. Thirteen years ago today, Kelli and I said "I do". I have absolutely no idea how she has put up with me for so long. I guess it is just another amazing case of the grace of God! I am so thankful that God has given me such a wonderful woman to spend my life with. It's so hard to try and sum up in words what I feel about my wife, so I am going to post a poem I wrote about her in the last year or so.
A virtuous woman, is there one to be found,
Whose compassion and faithfulness always abound?
More precious than diamonds or the purest of pearls
Her husband’s heart is captured, it is her he adores.
She is completely selfless of heart and puts others first
She looks to her Savior, for His righteousness she thirsts.
When she sees those in need, her heart truly breaks
She will rise up to help, whatever it takes.
Her children and husband have no cares for tomorrow
For her continuous care shields her family from sorrow.
She teaches her children reading, writing, and more
They learn character and integrity from the Word of God she adores.
Her children call her “Mom”, but they mean so much more
From their hearts comes the cry, “She is blessed of the Lord”.
Her husband loves her more than he did at the start
He is living a dream since she captured his heart.
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain
But the light from her heart dispels all the rain.
The fear of the Lord comes first in her life
That fear is what makes her an excellent wife.
Her children rise up to tell her she’s blessed
Her husband calls out she exceeds all the rest.
How can a woman so special be found
Whose compassion and faithfulness always abound?
You can travel the earth and look far and wide
But your search will bring you straight to my bride.
Love,
Your adoring husband
P.S. Kelli wrote a blog today that chronicled "our songs" through the years. My sweetie forgot about one of our songs that sums up our lives quite nicely. I don't know how she could forget this one! ;-)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Master's Plan for Spiritual Leaders
The following is a passage from "The Master's Plan for the Church" by John MacArthur. This has been an incredibly challenging and convicting book.
I believe the Devil attacks spiritual leaders with more severe temptations than most Christians will ever experience. It makes sense that those who lead the forces of truth and light against the kingdom of darkness will experience the strongest opposition from the Enemy.
An unholy pastor is like a stained glass window: a religious symbol that filters out the true light. That's why "above reproach" is the initial qualification for spiritual leadership. The seventeenth-century Puritan Richard Baxter wrote,
"Take heed to yourselves, lest you live in those sins which you preach against in others, and lest you be guilty of that which daily you condemn. Will you make it your work to magnify God, and, when you have done, dishonor him as much as others? Will you proclaim Christ's governing power, and yet condemn it, and rebel yourselves? Will you preach his laws, and willfully break them?
If sin be evil, why do you live in it? If it be not, why do you dissuade men from it? If it be dangerous, how dare you venture on it? If it be not, why do you tell men so? If God's threatenings be true, why do you not fear them? If they be false, why do you needlessly trouble men with them, and put them into such frights without cause?
Do you "know the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death;" and yet will you do them? "Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adlutery," or be drunk, or covetous, art thou such thyself? "Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God?" What! Shall the same tongue speak evil that speakest against evil? Shall those lips censure, and slander, and backbite your neighbor, that cry down these and the like things in others?
Take heed to yourselves, lest you cry down sin, and yet do not overcome it; lest, while you seek to bring it down in others, you bow to it, and become its slave yourselves: "For of whom a man is overcome, the same he is brought into bondage." "To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness." O brethren! It is easier to chide at sin, than to overcome it. (The Reformed Pastor, [Carlisle, PA.: Banner of Truth, 1956 reprint], 67-68)
I believe the Devil attacks spiritual leaders with more severe temptations than most Christians will ever experience. It makes sense that those who lead the forces of truth and light against the kingdom of darkness will experience the strongest opposition from the Enemy.
An unholy pastor is like a stained glass window: a religious symbol that filters out the true light. That's why "above reproach" is the initial qualification for spiritual leadership. The seventeenth-century Puritan Richard Baxter wrote,
"Take heed to yourselves, lest you live in those sins which you preach against in others, and lest you be guilty of that which daily you condemn. Will you make it your work to magnify God, and, when you have done, dishonor him as much as others? Will you proclaim Christ's governing power, and yet condemn it, and rebel yourselves? Will you preach his laws, and willfully break them?
If sin be evil, why do you live in it? If it be not, why do you dissuade men from it? If it be dangerous, how dare you venture on it? If it be not, why do you tell men so? If God's threatenings be true, why do you not fear them? If they be false, why do you needlessly trouble men with them, and put them into such frights without cause?
Do you "know the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death;" and yet will you do them? "Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adlutery," or be drunk, or covetous, art thou such thyself? "Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God?" What! Shall the same tongue speak evil that speakest against evil? Shall those lips censure, and slander, and backbite your neighbor, that cry down these and the like things in others?
Take heed to yourselves, lest you cry down sin, and yet do not overcome it; lest, while you seek to bring it down in others, you bow to it, and become its slave yourselves: "For of whom a man is overcome, the same he is brought into bondage." "To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness." O brethren! It is easier to chide at sin, than to overcome it. (The Reformed Pastor, [Carlisle, PA.: Banner of Truth, 1956 reprint], 67-68)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Properity Gospel???
Mark 8:34-36: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
A Wake-Up Call to Pastors
I've been reading a book called "The Master's Plan for the Church", by John MacArthur. It has been very convicting, but two paragraphs in particular have really made me stop and think.
1. J. Oswald Sanders writes that if a man "is unwilling to pay the price of fatigue for his leadership, it will always be mediocre" (Spiritual Leadership, p. 175). He also says, "True leadership always exacts a heavy toll on the whole man, and the more effective the leadership is, the higher the price to be paid" (p. 169). Because we understand the urgency of our ministry, we will not mitigate that price. Weariness, loneliness, struggle, rising early, staying up late, and forgoing pleasures all come with excellence.
2. Richard Baxter (1615-1691) wrote that the ministerial work, "must be managed laboriously and diligently, being of such unspeakable consequence to others and ourselves. We are seeking to uphold the world, to save it from the curse of God, to perfect the creation, to attain the ends of Christ's redemption, to save ourselves and others from damnation, to overcome the devil, and demolish his kingdom, and set up the kingdom of Christ, and attain and help others to the kingdom of glory. And are these works to be done with a careless mind or a slack hand? O see then that this work be done with all your might! Study hard, for the well is deep, and our brains are shallow. (The Reformed Pastor [London: James Nisbet and Co., 1860 reprint], 164-65)
1. J. Oswald Sanders writes that if a man "is unwilling to pay the price of fatigue for his leadership, it will always be mediocre" (Spiritual Leadership, p. 175). He also says, "True leadership always exacts a heavy toll on the whole man, and the more effective the leadership is, the higher the price to be paid" (p. 169). Because we understand the urgency of our ministry, we will not mitigate that price. Weariness, loneliness, struggle, rising early, staying up late, and forgoing pleasures all come with excellence.
2. Richard Baxter (1615-1691) wrote that the ministerial work, "must be managed laboriously and diligently, being of such unspeakable consequence to others and ourselves. We are seeking to uphold the world, to save it from the curse of God, to perfect the creation, to attain the ends of Christ's redemption, to save ourselves and others from damnation, to overcome the devil, and demolish his kingdom, and set up the kingdom of Christ, and attain and help others to the kingdom of glory. And are these works to be done with a careless mind or a slack hand? O see then that this work be done with all your might! Study hard, for the well is deep, and our brains are shallow. (The Reformed Pastor [London: James Nisbet and Co., 1860 reprint], 164-65)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A Word to Parents
"Parents, if you fail to teach your children to fear God, the devil will teach them to hate God. If you fail to teach them to guard their minds, the devil will teach them to have a corrupt mind. If you fail to teach them to obey their parents, the devil will teach them to rebel and break their parents' hearts. If you fail to teach them to select carefully their companions, the devil will choose companions for them. If you fail to teach them to control their lusts, the devil will teach them how to fulfill their lusts. If you fail to teach them to enjoy their own spouses, the devil will teach them to destroy their marriages. If you fail to teach them to watch their words, the devil will fill their mouths with filth. If you fail to teach them to pursue their work, the devil will make their laziness a tool of hell. If you fail to teach them to manage their money, the devil will teach them to squander it on riotous living. And if you fail to teach them to love their neighbors, the devil will teach them to love only themselves. We have a great responsibility to this generation and the next."
From John MacArthur's book "What the Bible Says About Parenting"
From John MacArthur's book "What the Bible Says About Parenting"
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Crushed for Christ
Revelation 2:8-11- And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.'
I wonder what the church in Smyrna would have thought of modern day American Christianity. I wonder how they would have responded to the message that God wants you happy, healthy, and wealthy. I wonder what they would have thought of the promises of American pastors that if people would just come to Christ, then all of their problems would instantly be solved. I wonder what they would think of the many professing American Christians whose lifestyles seem identical to non-Christians.
I'll tell you what I think they would have said. They would have said it was hogwash. They would have said it was heresy. They would have said that America could keep there Christianity-lite. They would settle for the true Gospel that calls us to REPENTANT faith in Christ as our only hope of salvation. They would hold on to the demand of the Gospel that they should deny themselves, pick up their crosses daily, and follow Christ.
Why would they choose such a hard and demanding lifestyle over the possibility of having their "best life now"? Maybe because they actually believed the Word of God. They had the audacity to believe verses like 2 Timothy 3:12. "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Did you notice a striking phrase in that verse? It says that ALL who desire to live a godly life in Christ WILL be persecuted. Notice it didn't say some might. It said that all will. They had the nerve to believe Matthew 5:10-12. "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." They even had the gall to believe John 15:18-21. "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master ' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me." They understood that Christians are not called to a life of leisure. We are called to follow Christ no matter the cost.
I'll tell something very fascinating about the church in Smyrna. Smyrna means "myrrh". Myrrh was a spice used for perfume and anointing dead bodies. Myrrh had to be crushed before the aroma would really come out. It is the same way with Christians. It is the hard times that prove who the genuine followers of Christ are. Anybody can "follow" Christ during the easy and happy times. Persecution and trials separate the true from the false. Hard times actually make the true Christians stronger, while it makes the fake believers jump ship.
Romans 5:3-5 tells us, "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
John MacArthur told a story that illustrates how the persecuted church may seem poor, but it is actually rich beyond measure (just like Christ said about the church in Smyrna).
"They had holiness, they had power, they had love, they had joy, they had grace, they had peace, they had true friends. They had a divine resource. They had a sympathetic Savior. They had grace upon grace. They were rich. That's how it is with a persecuted church. Don't you ever feel sorry for the persecuted church. I will never forget standing down here in front of this row after a service and having a pastor come to me when the Soviet Union was still under communist rule and shaking my hand and saying, "I have read your material in Russian and I come here and I have experienced your church today and I just want to tell you I don't know how you can possibly endure being a pastor in the United States."
And I said, "What do you mean?"
He said, "I could never be a pastor here. It's so much easier in the Soviet Union."
I said, "Why do you say that?"
He said, "Because your people are caught up in the world and material things and comfort and how can you find true commitment?" He said, "I would far rather pastor in the Soviet Union." John MacArthur
In closing, I'm going to let Scripture speak for itself.
1 Peter 1:3-9- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
I wonder what the church in Smyrna would have thought of modern day American Christianity. I wonder how they would have responded to the message that God wants you happy, healthy, and wealthy. I wonder what they would have thought of the promises of American pastors that if people would just come to Christ, then all of their problems would instantly be solved. I wonder what they would think of the many professing American Christians whose lifestyles seem identical to non-Christians.
I'll tell you what I think they would have said. They would have said it was hogwash. They would have said it was heresy. They would have said that America could keep there Christianity-lite. They would settle for the true Gospel that calls us to REPENTANT faith in Christ as our only hope of salvation. They would hold on to the demand of the Gospel that they should deny themselves, pick up their crosses daily, and follow Christ.
Why would they choose such a hard and demanding lifestyle over the possibility of having their "best life now"? Maybe because they actually believed the Word of God. They had the audacity to believe verses like 2 Timothy 3:12. "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Did you notice a striking phrase in that verse? It says that ALL who desire to live a godly life in Christ WILL be persecuted. Notice it didn't say some might. It said that all will. They had the nerve to believe Matthew 5:10-12. "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." They even had the gall to believe John 15:18-21. "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master ' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me." They understood that Christians are not called to a life of leisure. We are called to follow Christ no matter the cost.
I'll tell something very fascinating about the church in Smyrna. Smyrna means "myrrh". Myrrh was a spice used for perfume and anointing dead bodies. Myrrh had to be crushed before the aroma would really come out. It is the same way with Christians. It is the hard times that prove who the genuine followers of Christ are. Anybody can "follow" Christ during the easy and happy times. Persecution and trials separate the true from the false. Hard times actually make the true Christians stronger, while it makes the fake believers jump ship.
Romans 5:3-5 tells us, "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
John MacArthur told a story that illustrates how the persecuted church may seem poor, but it is actually rich beyond measure (just like Christ said about the church in Smyrna).
"They had holiness, they had power, they had love, they had joy, they had grace, they had peace, they had true friends. They had a divine resource. They had a sympathetic Savior. They had grace upon grace. They were rich. That's how it is with a persecuted church. Don't you ever feel sorry for the persecuted church. I will never forget standing down here in front of this row after a service and having a pastor come to me when the Soviet Union was still under communist rule and shaking my hand and saying, "I have read your material in Russian and I come here and I have experienced your church today and I just want to tell you I don't know how you can possibly endure being a pastor in the United States."
And I said, "What do you mean?"
He said, "I could never be a pastor here. It's so much easier in the Soviet Union."
I said, "Why do you say that?"
He said, "Because your people are caught up in the world and material things and comfort and how can you find true commitment?" He said, "I would far rather pastor in the Soviet Union." John MacArthur
In closing, I'm going to let Scripture speak for itself.
1 Peter 1:3-9- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Advice to Teachers
The following is an excerpt from "The Soul Winner" by Charles Spurgeon.
"Let every teacher weigh these words of Paul, "But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us." The genuine soul-winner knows what this means. For my own part, when the Lord helps me to preach, after I have delivered all my matter, and have fired off my shot so fast that my gun has grown hot, I have often rammed my soul into the gun, and fired my heart at the congregation, and this discharge has, under God, won the victory. God will bless by His Spirit our hearty sympathy with His own truth, and make it do that which the truth alone, coldly spoken, would not accomplish. Here, then, is the secret. You must, dear teacher, impart to the young your own soul; you must feel as if the ruin of that child would be your own ruin. You must feel that, if the child remains under the wrath of God, it is to you as true a grief as if you were under that wrath yourself. You must confess the child's sins before God as if they were your own, and stand as a priest before the Lord pleading on its behalf."
"Let every teacher weigh these words of Paul, "But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us." The genuine soul-winner knows what this means. For my own part, when the Lord helps me to preach, after I have delivered all my matter, and have fired off my shot so fast that my gun has grown hot, I have often rammed my soul into the gun, and fired my heart at the congregation, and this discharge has, under God, won the victory. God will bless by His Spirit our hearty sympathy with His own truth, and make it do that which the truth alone, coldly spoken, would not accomplish. Here, then, is the secret. You must, dear teacher, impart to the young your own soul; you must feel as if the ruin of that child would be your own ruin. You must feel that, if the child remains under the wrath of God, it is to you as true a grief as if you were under that wrath yourself. You must confess the child's sins before God as if they were your own, and stand as a priest before the Lord pleading on its behalf."
Friday, January 23, 2009
My Boys are Living Up to Their Names
Kelli and I often joke about how our boys are living up to the names we gave them. After the boys and Kelli went to bed tonight, I began to think about how true that is. Allow me to illustrate.
Nathaniel Jacob is our oldest. It took us a little while to decide on his name, but when we came up with it, we knew it was the one. Nathaniel means "gift of God". Nathaniel has no doubt been a gift from God. Kelli and I got married in June of 1996. That December we found out she was pregnant. I think we had tried for only a month or so before we found out she was pregnant. We were ecstatic to put it mildly. Nathaniel has been a blessing in countless ways. From the beginning he has been a Momma's boy. To this day, he fiercely takes up for his Mom (whether she is right or wrong! lol). He loves his dear old Dad, but Mom will always hold a special place in his heart. I was working very long hours on night shift when he was little, so Kelli spent a lot of one on one time with him. Jacob means "supplanter or deceiver". Nathaniel really takes after his namesake in this category. Jacob was a good guy in Scripture, but he sure could be sneaky when he needed to be! That's my Nathaniel. I could tell story after story about the sneaky things he has done. He has definitely given us our share of laughs.
Next came Benjamin Isaac. Remember how I said that Nathaniel was a major Momma's boy? Well, Benjamin went to the other extreme. When he was a baby, it would break Kelli's heart because he didn't want her to get him to sleep. He only wanted his Dad! She could try to get him to sleep for 2 hours. I could snuggle him and 5 minutes later he was sound asleep. It's no wonder that Benjamin means "son of my right hand". Benjamin and I still cut up about how he is the son of my right hand since he is such a Daddy's boy. Nathaniel might take up for Kelli, but Benjamin always takes up for me (even whey I'm wrong). Isaac means "he will laugh". Wouldn't you know that Benjamin would be our little comedian. We knew from the beginning that he would be the class clown. He loves to make people laugh. And when he laughs, he brightens up a whole room. He is always trying to find a funny joke to tell or come up with some kind of practical joke. There is never a dull moment with Benjamin.
And last but not least, Samuel Joseph. I had always dreamed of having 3 boys. After we had 2 we decided that was enough, though. God had another plan for us! Samuel was our little surprise. I'm glad that God does what He thinks is best for us instead of what we think is best. Nathaniel is the Momma's boy. Benjamin is the Daddy's boy. And Samuel is right in the middle. He tries his best to be equal to both of us. Samuel means "His name is God". In the Bible, Hannah named Samuel that because God was the one who answered her prayer for a child. You have to put both of his names together to get the full effect of how he is living up to his name. Joseph means "He will enlarge". In the Bible, Rachel named Joseph that because God had enlarged her family (and would continue to enlarge it). So you've got "His name is God" and "He will enlarge". We thought we were done with children, but God reminded us that we are not God. He is God and He decided to enlarge our family by giving us Samuel. I sure am glad He did. Samuel is one of a kind to put it mildly.
Oh, here is one more interesting thing about the names in our family. Mark means "warrior" and Kelli means "warrior woman". Yet another example of how we are made for each other.
Until next time, blessings and peace to you...
Nathaniel Jacob is our oldest. It took us a little while to decide on his name, but when we came up with it, we knew it was the one. Nathaniel means "gift of God". Nathaniel has no doubt been a gift from God. Kelli and I got married in June of 1996. That December we found out she was pregnant. I think we had tried for only a month or so before we found out she was pregnant. We were ecstatic to put it mildly. Nathaniel has been a blessing in countless ways. From the beginning he has been a Momma's boy. To this day, he fiercely takes up for his Mom (whether she is right or wrong! lol). He loves his dear old Dad, but Mom will always hold a special place in his heart. I was working very long hours on night shift when he was little, so Kelli spent a lot of one on one time with him. Jacob means "supplanter or deceiver". Nathaniel really takes after his namesake in this category. Jacob was a good guy in Scripture, but he sure could be sneaky when he needed to be! That's my Nathaniel. I could tell story after story about the sneaky things he has done. He has definitely given us our share of laughs.
Next came Benjamin Isaac. Remember how I said that Nathaniel was a major Momma's boy? Well, Benjamin went to the other extreme. When he was a baby, it would break Kelli's heart because he didn't want her to get him to sleep. He only wanted his Dad! She could try to get him to sleep for 2 hours. I could snuggle him and 5 minutes later he was sound asleep. It's no wonder that Benjamin means "son of my right hand". Benjamin and I still cut up about how he is the son of my right hand since he is such a Daddy's boy. Nathaniel might take up for Kelli, but Benjamin always takes up for me (even whey I'm wrong). Isaac means "he will laugh". Wouldn't you know that Benjamin would be our little comedian. We knew from the beginning that he would be the class clown. He loves to make people laugh. And when he laughs, he brightens up a whole room. He is always trying to find a funny joke to tell or come up with some kind of practical joke. There is never a dull moment with Benjamin.
And last but not least, Samuel Joseph. I had always dreamed of having 3 boys. After we had 2 we decided that was enough, though. God had another plan for us! Samuel was our little surprise. I'm glad that God does what He thinks is best for us instead of what we think is best. Nathaniel is the Momma's boy. Benjamin is the Daddy's boy. And Samuel is right in the middle. He tries his best to be equal to both of us. Samuel means "His name is God". In the Bible, Hannah named Samuel that because God was the one who answered her prayer for a child. You have to put both of his names together to get the full effect of how he is living up to his name. Joseph means "He will enlarge". In the Bible, Rachel named Joseph that because God had enlarged her family (and would continue to enlarge it). So you've got "His name is God" and "He will enlarge". We thought we were done with children, but God reminded us that we are not God. He is God and He decided to enlarge our family by giving us Samuel. I sure am glad He did. Samuel is one of a kind to put it mildly.
Oh, here is one more interesting thing about the names in our family. Mark means "warrior" and Kelli means "warrior woman". Yet another example of how we are made for each other.
Until next time, blessings and peace to you...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Path to Insanity???
We are several weeks into a new Bible study with our youth group. In this study, we are looking at the "The Path to True Happiness". We have been looking at our tendencies to seek stuff to make us happy instead of seeking God. We love to elevate gifts over Giver. We seek pleasure from everything under the sun except for the only One who gives lasting joy. In this particular blog, I just want to give you a few things to chew on that God has been convicting me (and hopefully our youth group) about lately.
First, I want us to look at the story of a guy in Scripture who literally tried everything under the sun he could think of to bring himself happiness. Let's see what Solomon said about his relentless pursuit of happiness.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 says, "I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?" I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the children of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. The I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun."
Now here was a guy who tried to find happiness in every way imaginable. Let's summarize some different things he tried to find happiness in, according to this passage. He tried all kinds of pleasure, enjoyment, laughter, drinking, partying, goofing off, work, career, houses, countless possessions, servants, unlimited money, entertainment, relationships, as much sex as he wanted, and everything his heart desired. This was astounding!!! But even more astounding than all of the things he tried is his assessment of his life after experiencing all of this pleasure. He said that all of it was vanity. It was all pointless. It was all useless. It might have brought temporary pleasure, but it never brought lasting happiness.
If his approach to life doesn't resemble the American dream, then I don't know what does. If you want it, do it. If it makes you happy, go for it. Just follow your heart and you will find happiness. Yet Scripture teaches and life confirms that stuff and relationships, as much temporary pleasure as they might bring, cannot give us lasting joy. It's no surprise that even though America is the most prosperous nation in the history of the world, depression is at an all-time high.
If only I had that job, I would be happy. If only I had that car, I would be happy. If only I had that house, I would be happy. If only I had that spouse, I would be happy. If only I had a different spouse, I would be happy. If only I had kids, I would be happy. Do you see the endless cycle? We are seeking lasting joy from temporary experiences. Meanwhile, we are ignoring the only Source of true and lasting joy. We are treasuring gifts instead of treasuring Giver. And as long as we do that, we will never experience true happiness.
I want to close out this blog by looking at Jesus' teaching on the path to true happiness. It is a familiar passage, but I'm afraid we usually just skim over it instead of really considering the implications of what is said.
Matthew 5:3-12 says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven... Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted..... Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth..... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied..... Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy..... Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God..... Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. .... Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..... Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account... ..Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
In this passage, blessed literally means "happy, fortunate, or blissful". Is it just me, or does this seem like complete insanity at first glance? Happy are the poor in spirit. Happy are those who mourn. Happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Happy are those who are persecuted for the sake of Christ. This sounds like lunacy! How can those things bring happiness? How can all of the desirable things we seek be unable to bring happiness, while this crazy list is a guarantee to bring lasting happiness?
I hope you will be considering how this passage relates to the way you are living your life. We are going to consider some implications of this passage next week. Until next time, blessings and peace.
First, I want us to look at the story of a guy in Scripture who literally tried everything under the sun he could think of to bring himself happiness. Let's see what Solomon said about his relentless pursuit of happiness.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 says, "I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?" I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the children of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. The I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun."
Now here was a guy who tried to find happiness in every way imaginable. Let's summarize some different things he tried to find happiness in, according to this passage. He tried all kinds of pleasure, enjoyment, laughter, drinking, partying, goofing off, work, career, houses, countless possessions, servants, unlimited money, entertainment, relationships, as much sex as he wanted, and everything his heart desired. This was astounding!!! But even more astounding than all of the things he tried is his assessment of his life after experiencing all of this pleasure. He said that all of it was vanity. It was all pointless. It was all useless. It might have brought temporary pleasure, but it never brought lasting happiness.
If his approach to life doesn't resemble the American dream, then I don't know what does. If you want it, do it. If it makes you happy, go for it. Just follow your heart and you will find happiness. Yet Scripture teaches and life confirms that stuff and relationships, as much temporary pleasure as they might bring, cannot give us lasting joy. It's no surprise that even though America is the most prosperous nation in the history of the world, depression is at an all-time high.
If only I had that job, I would be happy. If only I had that car, I would be happy. If only I had that house, I would be happy. If only I had that spouse, I would be happy. If only I had a different spouse, I would be happy. If only I had kids, I would be happy. Do you see the endless cycle? We are seeking lasting joy from temporary experiences. Meanwhile, we are ignoring the only Source of true and lasting joy. We are treasuring gifts instead of treasuring Giver. And as long as we do that, we will never experience true happiness.
I want to close out this blog by looking at Jesus' teaching on the path to true happiness. It is a familiar passage, but I'm afraid we usually just skim over it instead of really considering the implications of what is said.
Matthew 5:3-12 says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven... Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted..... Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth..... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied..... Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy..... Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God..... Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. .... Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..... Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account... ..Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
In this passage, blessed literally means "happy, fortunate, or blissful". Is it just me, or does this seem like complete insanity at first glance? Happy are the poor in spirit. Happy are those who mourn. Happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Happy are those who are persecuted for the sake of Christ. This sounds like lunacy! How can those things bring happiness? How can all of the desirable things we seek be unable to bring happiness, while this crazy list is a guarantee to bring lasting happiness?
I hope you will be considering how this passage relates to the way you are living your life. We are going to consider some implications of this passage next week. Until next time, blessings and peace.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
What's the Big Deal With Repentance???
Repentance..... Now there is a word that we don't hear very much any more. It seems the most common teachings that are going around these days are: God wants you healthy, wealthy, and happy. Just come to Christ and all of your problems will go away. Do you want a new car, job, or a problem free life? Just name it and claim it! We don't hear words like sin, hell, and repentance. It reminds me of 2 Timothy 4:3-4. It says, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." If that is not an accurate description of the modern church, I don't know what is. This ear tickling has also seaped into teachings on salvation. Just repeat this prayer, come to the altar and pray, and raise your hand are a few that come to mind. How does this line up with what Scripture teaches about salvation? Is that all we have to do? Do we just repeat a prayer or raise our hand during an invitation? In the words of the Philippian jailer, "What must I do to be saved?". I want us to take a look at the role of faith and repentance in salvation.
Is repentance really that important? Is it necessary for salvation? We are going to see that repentance and faith are different sides of the same coin. They are inseparable when it comes to salvation. Throughout all of the New Testament, repentance is taught as being essential for salvation. Don't believe me? John the Baptist taught it. Matthew 3:2 says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus taught it. Luke 13:3 says, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." The disciples taught it. Mark 6:12 says, "They went out and preached that men should repent." Peter preached it at Pentecost (Acts 2:38) and Paul taught it as well (Acts 17:30-31). It sounds like repentance is vital to the Gospel. That is why Jesus told His disciples in Luke 24:47 that we are supposed to preach repentance to all the nations. Jesus said if you don't repent you will perish. If repentance is that important, I think we need to understand exactly what it is.
2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death." What exactly do we feel sorrow for? What is this sorrow that leads to repentance? We feel sorrow because of our sin. We come to understand our condition. We realize that we have sinned (Romans 3:23). We realize that the best we have to offer is filthy in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6). We realize that we have no hope of pleasing God on our own. We are sinners (Rom. 5:8), enemies (Rom. 5:10), helpless (Rom. 5:6), alienated (Col. 1:21), blind (2 Cor. 4:4), fools (Rom. 1:22) depraved (Rom. 1:28), children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), and dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1). Because of our sin, we are worthy of death (Romans 6:23) and eternal punishment (2 Thess. 1:9). When we really understand our condition, it should produce a disgust for our sin. It should produce a desire to get rid of the filth in our life. It should produce a terror that we have offended a holy God. Notice I said it SHOULD. Before we come to Christ, we are spiritually dead, though (Eph. 2:1). Left to our own, nobody would ever seek God's forgiveness. Romans 3:11 tells us that nobody seeks after God. God seeks us (Luke 19:10). God Himself must convict us and open our eyes to our true condition. Romans 2:4 tells us that, "the kindness of God leads us to repentance." 2 Timothy 2:25-26 tell us that God is the One who grants repentance. So, repentance is loathing our sin. You go from loving and being okay with your sin to being disgusted by it. We can't stand our sin and we want to be rid of it. That is the part repentance plays in salvation. Repentance strips away all of our pride and self-righteousness. Then it creates a hunger for the true righteousness that can only come from God. Where does faith come into all of this, though. If you were to stop with repentance, you would have an incomplete Gospel. Let's see how faith plays it's part in salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." We simply cannot earn our salvation. We have nothing to offer. It is only by God's grace (undeserved favor) that we can be saved. It is a gift. You don't earn a gift. It is freely given. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Christ paid the price for our sin when He died on the cross. Romans 3:25 says, "He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because our justification." He died for our sins and arose three days later so we can be declared innocent. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." When we believe in Christ, He takes our sin and gives us His righteousness. It must be repentant faith, though. Simply believing Christ exists, or even that he died for our sins is not enough. James 2:19 says that even the demons believe and they tremble. Remember the people in Matthew 7? Verses 21-23 say, "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." Those people believed Christ was real and even did great works in His name. Their faith was in their works, though. It wasn't a repentant faith. Many, many people are in that same situation today. They believe Christ is real, but they aren't trusting in Him as their only hope of salvation. They believe in Christ, but trust in their own works. Somebody who has truly repented knows that they have nothing to offer. They are spiritually bankrupt and have no hope of paying the debt themselves. Repentance takes all of the confidence out of yourself and faith puts it in Christ. That is why I said that they were two sides of the same coin.
Leaving repentance out of our teaching on salvation has had disastrous results. It is no wonder that most people who claim to be Christians show no evidence of it. They have repeated a prayer, walked an isle, or raised their hand, but they have never repented. Repentant faith produces a change. That is why John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:8, "Therefore bear fruit, in keeping with repentance." James 2:14,17-18 says, "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? Even so faith, if it has now works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works": show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works." Works do not save us, but they are the product of true faith. Matthew 7:20 says you will know a tree by it's fruit. In the words of Paul in Romans 6:2, "How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" True believers can't live the same way they used to. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." If we will start teaching repentance and faith, we will see transformed lives; lives that are transformed by the power of the Gospel. My prayer is that you have repentant faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God will grant you repentance to make you loathe your sin and to strip you of all confidence in yourself. Then I pray you will trust Christ as your only hope of salvation. Until next time.......
Is repentance really that important? Is it necessary for salvation? We are going to see that repentance and faith are different sides of the same coin. They are inseparable when it comes to salvation. Throughout all of the New Testament, repentance is taught as being essential for salvation. Don't believe me? John the Baptist taught it. Matthew 3:2 says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus taught it. Luke 13:3 says, "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." The disciples taught it. Mark 6:12 says, "They went out and preached that men should repent." Peter preached it at Pentecost (Acts 2:38) and Paul taught it as well (Acts 17:30-31). It sounds like repentance is vital to the Gospel. That is why Jesus told His disciples in Luke 24:47 that we are supposed to preach repentance to all the nations. Jesus said if you don't repent you will perish. If repentance is that important, I think we need to understand exactly what it is.
2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death." What exactly do we feel sorrow for? What is this sorrow that leads to repentance? We feel sorrow because of our sin. We come to understand our condition. We realize that we have sinned (Romans 3:23). We realize that the best we have to offer is filthy in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6). We realize that we have no hope of pleasing God on our own. We are sinners (Rom. 5:8), enemies (Rom. 5:10), helpless (Rom. 5:6), alienated (Col. 1:21), blind (2 Cor. 4:4), fools (Rom. 1:22) depraved (Rom. 1:28), children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), and dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1). Because of our sin, we are worthy of death (Romans 6:23) and eternal punishment (2 Thess. 1:9). When we really understand our condition, it should produce a disgust for our sin. It should produce a desire to get rid of the filth in our life. It should produce a terror that we have offended a holy God. Notice I said it SHOULD. Before we come to Christ, we are spiritually dead, though (Eph. 2:1). Left to our own, nobody would ever seek God's forgiveness. Romans 3:11 tells us that nobody seeks after God. God seeks us (Luke 19:10). God Himself must convict us and open our eyes to our true condition. Romans 2:4 tells us that, "the kindness of God leads us to repentance." 2 Timothy 2:25-26 tell us that God is the One who grants repentance. So, repentance is loathing our sin. You go from loving and being okay with your sin to being disgusted by it. We can't stand our sin and we want to be rid of it. That is the part repentance plays in salvation. Repentance strips away all of our pride and self-righteousness. Then it creates a hunger for the true righteousness that can only come from God. Where does faith come into all of this, though. If you were to stop with repentance, you would have an incomplete Gospel. Let's see how faith plays it's part in salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." We simply cannot earn our salvation. We have nothing to offer. It is only by God's grace (undeserved favor) that we can be saved. It is a gift. You don't earn a gift. It is freely given. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Christ paid the price for our sin when He died on the cross. Romans 3:25 says, "He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because our justification." He died for our sins and arose three days later so we can be declared innocent. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." When we believe in Christ, He takes our sin and gives us His righteousness. It must be repentant faith, though. Simply believing Christ exists, or even that he died for our sins is not enough. James 2:19 says that even the demons believe and they tremble. Remember the people in Matthew 7? Verses 21-23 say, "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." Those people believed Christ was real and even did great works in His name. Their faith was in their works, though. It wasn't a repentant faith. Many, many people are in that same situation today. They believe Christ is real, but they aren't trusting in Him as their only hope of salvation. They believe in Christ, but trust in their own works. Somebody who has truly repented knows that they have nothing to offer. They are spiritually bankrupt and have no hope of paying the debt themselves. Repentance takes all of the confidence out of yourself and faith puts it in Christ. That is why I said that they were two sides of the same coin.
Leaving repentance out of our teaching on salvation has had disastrous results. It is no wonder that most people who claim to be Christians show no evidence of it. They have repeated a prayer, walked an isle, or raised their hand, but they have never repented. Repentant faith produces a change. That is why John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:8, "Therefore bear fruit, in keeping with repentance." James 2:14,17-18 says, "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? Even so faith, if it has now works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works": show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works." Works do not save us, but they are the product of true faith. Matthew 7:20 says you will know a tree by it's fruit. In the words of Paul in Romans 6:2, "How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" True believers can't live the same way they used to. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." If we will start teaching repentance and faith, we will see transformed lives; lives that are transformed by the power of the Gospel. My prayer is that you have repentant faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God will grant you repentance to make you loathe your sin and to strip you of all confidence in yourself. Then I pray you will trust Christ as your only hope of salvation. Until next time.......
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Great is Thy Faithfulness
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain
Monday, January 19, 2009
Pity the Fools
Pity the Fool(s)
John MacArthur
Compassion
God’s love to all humanity is a love of compassion. To say it another way, it is a love of pity. It is a broken-hearted love. He is “good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon [Him]” (Ps. 86:5). “To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him” (Dan. 9:9). He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth” (Exod. 34:6).
Again, we must understand that there is nothing in any sinner that compels God’s love. He does not love us because we are lovable. He is not merciful to us because we in any way deserve His mercy. We are despicable, vile sinners who if we are not saved by the grace of God will be thrown on the trash heap of eternity, which is hell. We have no intrinsic value, no intrinsic worth—there’s nothing in us to love.
I recently overheard a radio talk-show psychologist attempting to give a caller an ego-boost: “God loves you for what you are. You must see yourself as someone special. After all, you are special to God.”
But that misses the point entirely. God does not love us “for what we are.” He loves us in spite of what we are. He does not love us because we are special. Rather, it is only His love and grace that give our lives any significance at all. That may seem like a doleful perspective to those raised in a culture where self-esteem is elevated to the supreme virtue. But it is, after all, precisely what Scripture teaches: “We have sinned like our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly” (Ps. 106:6). “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa. 64:6).
Pity the Fool(s)God loves because He is love; love is essential to who He is. Rather than viewing His love as proof of something worthy in us, we ought to be humbled by it.
God’s love for the reprobate is not the love of value; it is the love of pity for that which could have had value and has none. It is a love of compassion. It is a love of sorrow. It is a love of pathos. It is the same deep sense of compassion and pity we have when we see a scab-ridden derelict lying in the gutter. It is not a love that is incompatible with revulsion, but it is a genuine, well-meant, compassionate, sympathetic love nonetheless.
Frequently the Old Testament prophets describe the tears of God for the lost:
Therefore my heart intones like a harp for Moab, and my inward feelings for Kir-hareseth. So it will come about when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself upon his high place, and comes to his sanctuary to pray, that he will not prevail. This is the word which the Lord spoke earlier concerning Moab (Isa. 16:11–13).
“And I shall make an end of Moab,” declares the Lord, “the one who offers sacrifice on the high place and the one who burns incense to his gods. Therefore My heart wails for Moab like flutes; My heart also wails like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have lost the abundance it produced. For every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins” (Jer. 48:35–37).
Similarly, the New Testament gives us the picture of Christ, weeping over the city of Jerusalem: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matt. 23:37). Luke 19:41–44 gives an even more detailed picture of Christ’s sorrow over the city:
And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Those are words of doom, yet they’re spoken in great sorrow. It is genuine sorrow, borne out of the heart of a divine Savior who “wanted to gather [them] together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,” but they were “unwilling.”
Those who deny God’s love for the reprobate usually suggest that what we see here is the human side of Jesus, not His divinity. They say that if this were an expression of sincere desire from an omnipotent God, He would surely intervene in their behalf and save them. Unfulfilled desire such as Jesus expresses here is simply incompatible with a sovereign God, they say.
But consider the problems with that view. Is Christ in His humanity more loving or more compassionate than God? Is tenderness perfected in the humanity of Christ, yet somehow lacking in His deity? When Christ speaks of gathering the people of Jerusalem as a hen gathers her chicks, is this not deity speaking, rather than humanity? Do not these pronouncements of doom necessarily proceed from His deity as well? And if the words are the words of deity, how can anyone assert that the accompanying sorrow is the product of Christ’s human nature only, and not the divine? Do not our hearts tell us that if God is love—if His tender mercies are over all His works—then what we hear in Jesus’ words must be an echo of the divine?
John MacArthur
Compassion
God’s love to all humanity is a love of compassion. To say it another way, it is a love of pity. It is a broken-hearted love. He is “good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon [Him]” (Ps. 86:5). “To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him” (Dan. 9:9). He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth” (Exod. 34:6).
Again, we must understand that there is nothing in any sinner that compels God’s love. He does not love us because we are lovable. He is not merciful to us because we in any way deserve His mercy. We are despicable, vile sinners who if we are not saved by the grace of God will be thrown on the trash heap of eternity, which is hell. We have no intrinsic value, no intrinsic worth—there’s nothing in us to love.
I recently overheard a radio talk-show psychologist attempting to give a caller an ego-boost: “God loves you for what you are. You must see yourself as someone special. After all, you are special to God.”
But that misses the point entirely. God does not love us “for what we are.” He loves us in spite of what we are. He does not love us because we are special. Rather, it is only His love and grace that give our lives any significance at all. That may seem like a doleful perspective to those raised in a culture where self-esteem is elevated to the supreme virtue. But it is, after all, precisely what Scripture teaches: “We have sinned like our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly” (Ps. 106:6). “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isa. 64:6).
Pity the Fool(s)God loves because He is love; love is essential to who He is. Rather than viewing His love as proof of something worthy in us, we ought to be humbled by it.
God’s love for the reprobate is not the love of value; it is the love of pity for that which could have had value and has none. It is a love of compassion. It is a love of sorrow. It is a love of pathos. It is the same deep sense of compassion and pity we have when we see a scab-ridden derelict lying in the gutter. It is not a love that is incompatible with revulsion, but it is a genuine, well-meant, compassionate, sympathetic love nonetheless.
Frequently the Old Testament prophets describe the tears of God for the lost:
Therefore my heart intones like a harp for Moab, and my inward feelings for Kir-hareseth. So it will come about when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself upon his high place, and comes to his sanctuary to pray, that he will not prevail. This is the word which the Lord spoke earlier concerning Moab (Isa. 16:11–13).
“And I shall make an end of Moab,” declares the Lord, “the one who offers sacrifice on the high place and the one who burns incense to his gods. Therefore My heart wails for Moab like flutes; My heart also wails like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have lost the abundance it produced. For every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins” (Jer. 48:35–37).
Similarly, the New Testament gives us the picture of Christ, weeping over the city of Jerusalem: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matt. 23:37). Luke 19:41–44 gives an even more detailed picture of Christ’s sorrow over the city:
And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Those are words of doom, yet they’re spoken in great sorrow. It is genuine sorrow, borne out of the heart of a divine Savior who “wanted to gather [them] together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,” but they were “unwilling.”
Those who deny God’s love for the reprobate usually suggest that what we see here is the human side of Jesus, not His divinity. They say that if this were an expression of sincere desire from an omnipotent God, He would surely intervene in their behalf and save them. Unfulfilled desire such as Jesus expresses here is simply incompatible with a sovereign God, they say.
But consider the problems with that view. Is Christ in His humanity more loving or more compassionate than God? Is tenderness perfected in the humanity of Christ, yet somehow lacking in His deity? When Christ speaks of gathering the people of Jerusalem as a hen gathers her chicks, is this not deity speaking, rather than humanity? Do not these pronouncements of doom necessarily proceed from His deity as well? And if the words are the words of deity, how can anyone assert that the accompanying sorrow is the product of Christ’s human nature only, and not the divine? Do not our hearts tell us that if God is love—if His tender mercies are over all His works—then what we hear in Jesus’ words must be an echo of the divine?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
To the Praise of His Glory
Ephesians 1:3-14- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Apathy
Everywhere there is apathy. Nobody cares whether that which is preached is true or false. A sermon is a sermon whatever the subject; only, the shorter it is the better. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Divided by Truth
Today's blog is going to be the shortest I've ever done. My mind has been swirling with different things that I could blog about, but one thing in particular has stuck out. Have you ever read a quote that you couldn't get out of your mind? Well, I read one this week.
I better give a little background first. A pastor had been preaching through the book of Romans. He was about to preach on one of the most controversial passages in that book, possibly in the whole Bible. The chairman of the deacon board, one of the most powerful men in town, warned him not to continue. The chairman said the sermon would divide the church.
Curious what the response was? It is the quote that won't get out of my head. So, without further ado, here is the quote along with who said it.
"Better to be divided by truth than united in error." Steve Lawson
Until next time, blessings and peace.
I better give a little background first. A pastor had been preaching through the book of Romans. He was about to preach on one of the most controversial passages in that book, possibly in the whole Bible. The chairman of the deacon board, one of the most powerful men in town, warned him not to continue. The chairman said the sermon would divide the church.
Curious what the response was? It is the quote that won't get out of my head. So, without further ado, here is the quote along with who said it.
"Better to be divided by truth than united in error." Steve Lawson
Until next time, blessings and peace.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Bonhoeffer??? Gesundheit!!!
The following is an excerpt from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book entitled "The Cost of Discipleship". In this excerpt, he is explaining that true faith produces works. In other words, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).
When he was challenged by Jesus to accept a life of voluntary poverty, the rich young man knew he was faced with the simple alternative of obedience or disobedience. When Levi was called from the receipt of custom and Peter from his nets, there was no doubt that Jesus meant business. Both of them were to leave everything and follow. Again, when Peter was called to walk on the rolling sea, he had to get up and risk his life. Only one thing was required in each case- to rely on Christ's word, and cling to it as offering greater security than all the securities in the world. The forces which tried to interpose themselves between the word of Jesus and the response of obedience were as formidable then as they are today. Reason and conscience, responsibility and piety all stood in the way, and even the law and "scriptural authority" itself were obstacles which pretended to defend them from going to the extremes of antinomianism and "enthusiasms." But the call of Jesus made short work of all these barriers, and created obedience. That call was the Word of God himself, and all that it required was single-minded obedience.
If, as we read our Bibles, we heard Jesus speaking to us in this way today we should probably try to argue ourselves out of it like this: "It is true that the demand of Jesus is definite enough, but I have to remember that he never expects us to take his commands legalistically. What he really wants me to have is faith. But my faith is not necessarily tied up with riches or poverty or anything of the kind. We may be both poor and rich in the spirit. It is not important that I should have no possessions, but if I do I must keep them as though I had them not, in other words, I must cultivate a spirit of inward detachment, so that my heart is not in my possessions."
Jesus may have said, "Sell thy goods," but he meant: "Do not let it be a matter of consequence to you that you have outward prosperity; rather keep your goods quietly, having them as if you had them not. Let not your heart be in your goods," We are excusing ourselves from single-minded obedience to the word of Jesus on the pretext of legalism and a supposed preference for an obedience "in faith." The difference between ourselves and the rich young man is that he was not allowed to solace his regrets by saying: "Never mind what Jesus says, I can still hold on to my riches, but in a spirit of inner detachment. Despite my inadequacy I can take comfort in the thought that God has forgiven me of my sins and can have fellowship with Christ in faith."
But no, he went away sorrowful. Because he would not obey, he could not believe. In this the young man was quite honest. He went away from Jesus and indeed this honesty had more promise than any apparent communion with Jesus based on disobedience. As Jesus realized, the trouble with the young man was that he was not capable of such an inward detachment from riches. As an earnest seeker for perfection he had probably tried it a thousand times before and failed, as he showed by refusing to obey the word of Jesus when the moment of decision came. It is just here that the young man was entirely honest. But we in our sophistry differ altogether from the hearers of Jesus' word of whom the Bible speaks.
If Jesus said to someone: "Leave all else behind and follow me; resign your profession, quit your family, your people, and the home of your fathers," then he knew that to this call there was only one answer- the answer of single-minded obedience, and that it is only to this obedience that the promise of fellowship with Jesus is given. But we should probably argue thus: "Of course we are meant to take the call of Jesus with 'absolute seriousness,' but after all the true way of obedience would be to continue all the more in our present occupations, to stay with our families, and serve him there in a spirit of true inward detachment." If Jesus challenged us with the command: "Get out of it," we should take him to mean: "Stay where you are but cultivate that inward detachment." Again, if he were to say to us: "Be not anxious," we should take him to mean: "Of course it is not wrong for us to be anxious: we must work and provide for ourselves and our dependents. If we did not we should be shirking our responsibilities. But all the time we ought to be inwardly free from all anxiety." Perhaps Jesus would say to us: "Whosoever smiteth thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." We should then suppose him to mean: "The way really to love your enemy is to fight him hard and hit him back." Jesus might say: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God," and we should interpret it thus: "Of course we should have to seek all sorts of other things first; how could we otherwise exist? What he really means is the final preparedness to stake all on the kingdom of God." All along the line we are trying to evade the obligation of single-minded, literal obedience.
How is such absurdity possible? What has happened that the word of Jesus can be thus degraded by this trifling, and thus left open to the mockery of the world. When orders are issued in other spheres of life there is no doubt whatever of their meaning. Are we to treat the commandment Jesus differently from other orders and exchange single-minded obedience for downright disobedience? How could that be possible?
When he was challenged by Jesus to accept a life of voluntary poverty, the rich young man knew he was faced with the simple alternative of obedience or disobedience. When Levi was called from the receipt of custom and Peter from his nets, there was no doubt that Jesus meant business. Both of them were to leave everything and follow. Again, when Peter was called to walk on the rolling sea, he had to get up and risk his life. Only one thing was required in each case- to rely on Christ's word, and cling to it as offering greater security than all the securities in the world. The forces which tried to interpose themselves between the word of Jesus and the response of obedience were as formidable then as they are today. Reason and conscience, responsibility and piety all stood in the way, and even the law and "scriptural authority" itself were obstacles which pretended to defend them from going to the extremes of antinomianism and "enthusiasms." But the call of Jesus made short work of all these barriers, and created obedience. That call was the Word of God himself, and all that it required was single-minded obedience.
If, as we read our Bibles, we heard Jesus speaking to us in this way today we should probably try to argue ourselves out of it like this: "It is true that the demand of Jesus is definite enough, but I have to remember that he never expects us to take his commands legalistically. What he really wants me to have is faith. But my faith is not necessarily tied up with riches or poverty or anything of the kind. We may be both poor and rich in the spirit. It is not important that I should have no possessions, but if I do I must keep them as though I had them not, in other words, I must cultivate a spirit of inward detachment, so that my heart is not in my possessions."
Jesus may have said, "Sell thy goods," but he meant: "Do not let it be a matter of consequence to you that you have outward prosperity; rather keep your goods quietly, having them as if you had them not. Let not your heart be in your goods," We are excusing ourselves from single-minded obedience to the word of Jesus on the pretext of legalism and a supposed preference for an obedience "in faith." The difference between ourselves and the rich young man is that he was not allowed to solace his regrets by saying: "Never mind what Jesus says, I can still hold on to my riches, but in a spirit of inner detachment. Despite my inadequacy I can take comfort in the thought that God has forgiven me of my sins and can have fellowship with Christ in faith."
But no, he went away sorrowful. Because he would not obey, he could not believe. In this the young man was quite honest. He went away from Jesus and indeed this honesty had more promise than any apparent communion with Jesus based on disobedience. As Jesus realized, the trouble with the young man was that he was not capable of such an inward detachment from riches. As an earnest seeker for perfection he had probably tried it a thousand times before and failed, as he showed by refusing to obey the word of Jesus when the moment of decision came. It is just here that the young man was entirely honest. But we in our sophistry differ altogether from the hearers of Jesus' word of whom the Bible speaks.
If Jesus said to someone: "Leave all else behind and follow me; resign your profession, quit your family, your people, and the home of your fathers," then he knew that to this call there was only one answer- the answer of single-minded obedience, and that it is only to this obedience that the promise of fellowship with Jesus is given. But we should probably argue thus: "Of course we are meant to take the call of Jesus with 'absolute seriousness,' but after all the true way of obedience would be to continue all the more in our present occupations, to stay with our families, and serve him there in a spirit of true inward detachment." If Jesus challenged us with the command: "Get out of it," we should take him to mean: "Stay where you are but cultivate that inward detachment." Again, if he were to say to us: "Be not anxious," we should take him to mean: "Of course it is not wrong for us to be anxious: we must work and provide for ourselves and our dependents. If we did not we should be shirking our responsibilities. But all the time we ought to be inwardly free from all anxiety." Perhaps Jesus would say to us: "Whosoever smiteth thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." We should then suppose him to mean: "The way really to love your enemy is to fight him hard and hit him back." Jesus might say: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God," and we should interpret it thus: "Of course we should have to seek all sorts of other things first; how could we otherwise exist? What he really means is the final preparedness to stake all on the kingdom of God." All along the line we are trying to evade the obligation of single-minded, literal obedience.
How is such absurdity possible? What has happened that the word of Jesus can be thus degraded by this trifling, and thus left open to the mockery of the world. When orders are issued in other spheres of life there is no doubt whatever of their meaning. Are we to treat the commandment Jesus differently from other orders and exchange single-minded obedience for downright disobedience? How could that be possible?
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