Thursday, September 18, 2008

Long for the return of Jesus

I was a privileged man today. I had the great opportunity of visiting a friend in the hospital. If there could be a man who talked too much about heaven--this would be the guy! Every time I see him (literally!) he reminds me that we will, one day (soon!), be with the King of kings and Lord of lords! He always speaks of being in Glory and seeing our Savior face to face and worshipping him without any sinful tendencies or motives.

While he was lying in bed, I asked him what I could read for him from God's Word to encourage him. He said he wanted to hear 1 Peter 5. So I read the chapter slowly and with a loud voice (for the doctors in and outside the room to hear and afterwards we had a great talk on that day "when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory" (1 Pet 5:4).

If there was one truth which convicted me today, it was the simple fact that I--as a seminary student and as a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--don't exemplify the exuberate and joyful and unquenchable longing for the soon return of our Savior as I should. If you were to ask me: "Geoff, do you long for the return of Christ?" I'd respond by quickly affirming, "Yes, I do." But, I want, I really want, that kind of constant, unquenchable, and joyful attitude knowing that I will, all because of God's unconditional grace and mercy, receive that crown of glory--soon! I went to the hospital to be a blessing to another. Yet, I was the one who was truly blessed! Praise God.

On a not too distant note, I like what Phil Johnson wrote today about God loving all men yet being angry with the sinner:
I believe Scripture plainly teaches that there is a true and significant
sense in which God loves even those whom He hates. Scripture says His mercies
are over all His works (Psalm 145:9). He cannot hate His own
creatures with a pure and undiluted hatred, because they are the works of His
hands. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45 that the way to be
like God is to love even our enemies.God's eternal love for his elect is unique,
and reserved for them alone. But we understand that there is more than one kind
of love, even in the realm of human relationships. My love for my wife is vastly
greater—and a different kind of love—from my love for my neighbor. But my love
for my neighbor is no less love, and not a mere pretense.In a similar way, God
loves the reprobate differently—a love of compassion; not a redemptive love. But
He does love them and His plea for them to be reconciled with Him (2 Corinthians 5:20)
is well-meant.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Christian College Profs In Support of Obama?

Really? Can this be true?

According to a recent poll taken at Covenant College, it is true.

Specifically, a blog stating the matter says:
After the above, no one will be shocked to find out thirty-five percent of
Covenant's faculty members say they're likely to vote for Senator Obama. That's
one third of the faculty supporting the presidential candidacy of the most radically pro-baby slaughter politician in Washington
D.C.

And again--and even more shockingly:

Interestingly, only half the faculty members considered "abortion" to be
"Very important" in their selection in their anticipated vote for a presidential
candidate. This means half of the faculty members made a conscious decision to
respond that abortion was not "Very important." What got a higher rating than
abortion?
"Social justice." Abortion had a rating average of 3.23 whereas
"Social justice" won with 3.40. (Ten faculty members responded that abortion was
either "Not important" (2) or only "Somewhat important" (8), but only one
faculty member responded that social justice was "Not important" and just two
that it was only "Somewhat important."
For the top rating, "Very important,"
three issues tied in the faculty's vote: "Abortion," "Health care," and "Social
justice," with "Social justice" taking the honors.
Covenant's president, Niel
Nielson, might suggest the school's chaplain invite Submergent (they
themselves call it Emergent) Church leader, Donald Miller, to visit the campus
and preach in chapel along the theme of his mini-sermon given as a bendiction to
the Democratic National Convention in Denver last month.

Let us pray that our Christian faculty in some of the leading schools--which are very scant these days--would repent of this wishy-washy theology and take a stand for biblical truth.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Jesus is the Sovereign King

Here's a quote with which I'm concluding my sermon on Revelation 19:1-10 by the old 19th century preacher, George Livingstone Robinson:

Let us picture to ourselves that celestial coronation scene. Jesus our King
seated on the throne of heaven, surrounded with glory, His kingdom universal,
His enemies under His feet, Satan vanquished, earthly magistrates and
potentates, sages and kings, armies and emperors, bowing submissively before Him
as King of Kings and Lord of Lords; hymns of praise chanted by the heavenly
choir; tributes of adoration by the saints clothed in white; His elect singing
hallelujahs to Him that sitteth upon the throne of God most high, and worshiping
multitudes raising their voices in songs of triumph, as God the Father
places upon His brow the crown of victory! Oh, Jesus, thou art the monarch of
the skies, thou art king of heaven and of earth!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Spurgeon on the preaching of the Word of God

Ah, my dear friends, we want nothing in these times for revival in the
world but the simple preaching of the gospel. This is the great battering
ram that shall dash down the bulwarks of iniquity. This is the great light
that shall scatter the darkness. We need not that men should be adopting
new schemes and new plans. We are glad of the agencies and assistance
which are continually arising; but after all, the true Jerusalem blade, the
sword that can cut to the piercing asunder of the joints and marrow, is the
preaching of the Word of God. We must never neglect it, never despise
it. The age in which the pulpit is despised, will be an age in which
gospel truth will cease to be honored….God forbid that we should begin to
depreciate preaching. Let us still honor it; let us look to it as God’s
ordained instrumentality, and we shall yet see in the world a repetition of
great wonders wrought by preaching in the name of Jesus Christ.

Monday, September 8, 2008

The kingdom of God

Here's my quote for the day:
There is a clear progression [in human history] toward a goal. The goal is
the consummation of the kingdom of God, in which human beings glorify God by
exercising rule over this planet in his name and by serving and enjoying him
forever. The glory of God is the highest of all ends and purposes (Larry R.
Helyer, Yesterday, Today, and Forever [Salem, WI: Sheffield, 1996],
255).

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Union with Christ

I love Galatians 2:20:
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
"Indeed, the Christian believer possesses an ideal completeness in Christ. Since the fullness of the Godhead indwelt Christ, and since believers are in the exalted Lord, Paul could affirm, "you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the Head over every power and authority" (Col 2:10; John 1:16).

Hear Martin Luther speak to this:

Through faith you are so closely united with Christ ... that you can say with
confidence ... Christ's righteousness, victory, life, etc., are mine; and
Christ, in turn, says: I am this sinner, that is, his sins, death, etc., are
Mine because he clings to Me and I to him; for through faith we have been joined
together into one flesh and bone!
Praise God!

Friday, September 5, 2008

Do you the youth have it in 'em?

Well, I'm off to six flags tonight to see if my youth group can hang upside-down with their youth pastor. Yes, you are reading my intended meaning; I intend to go on the roller-coasters that go upside-down over and over and over again! Can they handle it?

Thursday, September 4, 2008

A reminder of the gospel

The Gospel

I want to be quick to follow yesterday's post with the gospel truth that you can be saved from hell. Here is a simple reminder from Ephesians 2:1-10 that the Gospel is the greatest news one could ever hear!

1. We are dead in sin (1-3)

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in
which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to
the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the
sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts
of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
2. We are helpless apart from God’s intervention (4-6)

Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love
with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and
raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus,
3. We are made to demonstrate God’s glory (7)

Ephesians 2:7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing
riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

4. We are saved by grace through faith (8-9)

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so
that no one may boast.
5. We are saved resulting in a life of good works (10)

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Finally, recognize the urgency to heed these biblical truths and do not linger!

2 Corinthians 6:2 Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION "—

Hebrews 4:7 He again fixes a certain day, "Today," saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS."

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

A reminder regarding eternity

Let us not forget that we stand at the edge of eternity. Whenever God sovereignly chooses to end one's life, we must bear in mind that heaven (for some) and hell (for most) are closer than we may think.

I heard read this quote today and it gripped me. If you read it and it doesn't make you stop and think: read it over again--and again.
"Religion inflames the imaginations of men with a good opinion of their own
state, so that nothing can disturb them."

Let us not forget that many people who are religious will close their eyes in death and awake in the shrieks and torments of eternal hell. We must not minimize the reality of eternity--an eternity under the wrath of an infinite Being. Hear Jonathan Edwards speak regarding this subject:
"If it seemed real unto men that there is a hell of everlasting burnings,
that all that die impenitent and unconverted must immediately be cast
into as soon as they die, and never be delivered from, it would be impossible in nature and a self-contradiction that they should be easy
and merry, and that they should go cheerfully about their worldly business and
recreations while they are in an impenitent and unconverted condition--as
impossible as it is for a man to love pain and delight in being miserable"

Edwards is dead on. If the world recognized that they walk along an old, ragged, moth-eaten cloth over the pit of hell, and yet it is the sheer mercy of God that, at any one moment, doesn't drop them through that garment into the eternal misery of hell, there is no way that people could rejoice in life because of the eternity that awaits them.

There is a problem, however. And that problem is that people don't believe this truth. Either they don't know it or, most probably, they refuse to believe this truth. For a believer who truly understands the glorious truth that he has been saved from sin, saved from God's wrath, and justified because of Jesus Christ's substitutionary death, then that concept will instill the fear of God him.

Yet, as it has been said, "If you are not afraid of hell, you are almost certainly going there" (Gerstner, Repent or Perish, 13). We as preachers must not shy away from preaching on the horrors and agonizing torments of this eternal place--even if it scares people. As Spurgeon said: "I'll scare people into the Kingdom if I have to."

Is it appropriate for a preacher to herald the horrors of hell? Some think so. Here is a proposed proposal that preachers should wrestle with:
1. The sinner is threatened with the horrible hell he so justly deserves
unless he accepts Christ's undeserved salvation.
2. But he hates the Christ who alone can save him.
3. That hatred can only be removed, and a believing heart bestowed in its
place, by sovereign divine mercy and the irresistible call of God the Holy
Spirit.
4. So the sinner must seek God's mercy, which will come, if God pleases,
only by divine regeneration.


Therefore, the effect of biblical scare preaching is, therefore, to set a sinner to seeking salvation. In a word, scare preaching is to produce: not salvation, but the seeking of salvation.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Coffee and Creation This Morning

This morning I woke up and had a great time in the Word on our front porch with my coffee and a beautiful scene of God's handiwork:
Psalm 19:1-6 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And
their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth
speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are
there words; Their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the
earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a
tent for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It
rejoices as a strong man to run his course. 6 Its rising is from one end of the
heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden
from its heat.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Apologetics 101

I'm convinced that Apologetics--though it is many-faceted--is pretty simple and straightforward. Here are six principles I'm giving in an upcoming Bible study that must be included when you want to share your faith with someone:

1. You must know Christ Yourself (2 Cor 13:5)

Hear Richard Baxter (16th century puritan) speak to this issue [to pastors, but indirectly, this applies to all Christians]: “See that the work of saving grace be thoroughly wrought in your own souls. Take heed to yourselves, lest you be void of that saving grace of God which you offer to others, and be strangers to the effectual working of that Gospel which you preach; and lest, while you proclaim to the world the necessity of a Savior, your own hearts should neglect him, and you should miss of an interest in him and his saving benefits” (Reformed Pastor, 53).

2. You must believe in the Sovereignty of God (Isa 46:8-10)

You cannot save anyone.
Your words cannot save anyone.
Your skillful presentation cannot save anyone.
Only God can save someone.

It is as Greg Bahnsen states: "A successful apologetic, being given according to Christ’s Word and Spirit, is a function of the grace of God, not human cleverness and wisdom" (Bahnsen, Always Ready, 85).

3. You must live a life Distinctly Different than the World (James 4:4)

4. You must actively seek to Initiate the Conversation (Luke 10:1-5; 2 Tim 4:2; Matt 28:18-20).

Ezekiel had to do this. He was called to proclaim God's message to a hard-hearted and stubborn people:

Ezekiel 2:4-5 4 "And I am sending you to them who are stubborn and
obstinate children; and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God.' 5
"As for them, whether they listen or not-- for they are a rebellious house--
they will know that a prophet has been among them.
5. You must believe that--in their heart--they Already Believe and Know that God Exists (Rom 1:20; 2:14-15).

Bahnsen notes:

It is God’s word which must be our ultimate and indisputable presupposition
in thought and argumentation, rather than independently supported “brute facts”
(ibid., 73).
And again:

The unbeliever should not be left with false pretensions: such as, that his
problem is merely a lack of information, or that he simply needs to correct some
of his syllogisms … The Christian apologist simply recognizes that the ultimate
truth—that which is more pervasive, fundamental, and necessary—is such that it
cannot be argued independently of the preconditions inherent in it. One must
presuppose the truth of God’s revelation in order to reason at all. (ibid.,
75).
6. You must Know and Proclaim the Biblical Gospel (Gal 1:6-9)

a. God
He is Holy Judge
He is Loving Savior
b. Man
We are totally dead in sin
We are unable to save ourselves
c. Jesus
The perfect God-Man
Died for His own
Salvation comes to a sinner by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
d. Commitment
Being a Christian involves Sacrifice
Being a Christian involves Service
Being a Christian mandates Sanctification
Being a Christian requires Self-denial
Being a Christian requires Submission to God’s Word
e. Heaven/Hell
Eternal life in heaven is the narrow path for those who are saved
Eternal torment in hell is the broad path/way of life for most people in the world.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

A marvelous manifestation of mutual encouragement and manly meat

Today was a great day--plain and simple. I arrived at school at 6:45 this morning and was able to read through 1 Peter 1-2 which was a tremendous way to begin the school semester of classes. Then I had my two classes for the semester--Advanced Hebrew Grammar and Seminar in History of Israel: Methodological Issues. They will be fabulous classes with awesome professors.

Then at noon, I raced over to Pasadena to have lunch with an 'ol college buddy of mine. We actually went to Israel together and were roommates there! We went to this awesome Bar and Grill and got huge burgers (which now clues you in to my title of this blog). Over these juicy burgers, we talked authentic church ministry. I haven't had a conversation like this in a long time--heart to heart, man to man, brother to brother, honest heart before a honest heart--attempting to delve deep into the wonders of "practical ecclesiology." It was a fabulous time of manly encouragement and manly meat!

Then, I was going to go to Fuller seminary to get some library books that Master's doesn't have. Unfortunately, this just "happened" (in the already-planned-before-the-foundation-of-the-world Sovereign decree of God) to be the week that they're closed for remodeling! So, I then went to my third home (first is my house; second is the Master's library)--Starbucks! I was there for four hours working on my thesis--with a little success.

Then, I had a very important dinner appointment today with John Goldingay--an Old Testament and Hebrew professor at Fuller seminary in Pasadena. We met at a Pub and had a delightful time over a burger and talked about Psalm 93, Canaanite literature, Ugaritic, Mowinckel's (totally "speculative and purely conjectural") theory of the "Enthronement Festival of Yahweh" in the Royal Psalms, and shared testimonies. Not only all that, we talked about Israel quite a bit because--having lived in England most of his life and "closer" to Israel--he had been there numerous times! Again, I got a nice juicy (big!) burger with some excellent fries!

After a day of classes, Bible study, fellowship, burgers, fries, ecclesiological talks, and learning from a scholar much smarter than this puny 'ol self about Canaanite literature and its relationship to Psalm 93, I have come to the conclusion that it was a "marvelous manifestation of mutual encouragement and manly meat!"

Monday, August 25, 2008

My Bias of Biblical Accuracy

My Bias of Biblical Accuracy

I am reading for one of my courses this Fall about the history of Israel. I must confess, I have a bias for biblical accuracy. It is so clear to me that 1 Kings 6:1 says:

Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

So, if we believe that Solomon came to be king in 970 B.C. (which isn’t disputed among conservative scholars). Therefore, the 4th year of Solomon’s reign would be 966 B.C. If you had 480 to 966 B.C. you come to a date of 1446 B.C. It is a very clear, simple, straight-forward verse which wasn’t intended to be speculative and certainly the author of Kings wasn’t “wrong” in his clear statement here. It is as Rasmussen says ("Conquest, Infiltration, Revolt, or Resettlement," in Giving the Sense, ed. by David M. Howard, Jr., and Michael A. Grisanti [Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2003], 152):

"Within the biblical text, the basis of the Early-Date Exodus/Conquest Model is 1 Kings 6:1, which implies a date of about 1446 B.C. for the Exodus and a date of 1406 B.C. for the beginning of the Conquest of Canaan under Joshua. This means that the period of the Judges stretched from roughly 1375 B.C. to about 1050 B.C.—the beginning of Saul’s rule.”

It really is straight-forward. But, I unashamedly confess my bias of biblical accuracy in this regard of Israel’s history.

Friday, August 22, 2008

A way to live and surely end up in hell

A way to live and end up in hell

“We must warn sinners to avoid those ways that lead to hell. If you would not come to those extreme torments, you must not walk in those paths that lead to them (cf. Ps 1). There is but one path that leads to haven (Matt 7:13–14), but there are many that lead down to the bottomless pit. Beware, therefore, of those paths. Multitudes are going on in paths that lead directly to the chambers of death. I shall particularly mention some of them.

First, a way of drunkenness most certainly leads to hell. There are many that are in this way, and they are in the way to those great eternal torments that we have heard of. The Apostle tell us, 1 Cor 6:9–10, that drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God (cf. Gal 5:19, 21). A man that continues in this way, and ben’t [sic] changed from this court till he dies, he assuredly goes to hell … therefore beware of this as a way that leads to eternal torments.

Second, another way that leads directly to hell torments is a way of lasciviousness. A way of lascivious acting in various kinds and degrees, and of lascivious speaking, yea, and a way of indulging lascivious thinking. That is, those that live in an unclean way, whether in company or alone, they are going to those torments that we have heard of … 1 Cor 3:17, “IF any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.”

Another way that leads to hell is a way of keeping bad company. That is, associating with the lewd, immoral, profane persons and being with them that are disorderly and vain in their conversation. I prove that this is a way to hell by the 13th of Proverbs at the 20th verse: “A companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Therefore, if you have addicted yourself to such company, you had best to forsake them, if you would not go to those terrible torments that have been proved shall come upon all wicked men. That is all the motive that I shall propose to you to forsake them: that you shall be damned if you don’t.

Finally, a way of Sabbath-breaking and of profaning God’s worship is a sure way to hell. Is not this a common thing amongst us? Are there not many amongst us—especially young people—that have no regard to holy time, but in their talk and actions trample God’s Sabbath under foot, and make no difference between holy time and other time? In Ex 31:14 we are told that he that defiled the Sabbath shall surely be put to death. That soul shall be cut off from the congregation. They were to be stoned with stones, which sort of death seems to be appointed more especially to represent God’s wrath poured upon the head of the sinner. And how many are there that not only profane the Sabbath, but profane God’s public worship on the Sabbath by an irreverent, indecent, rude behavior. All such as make this a practice are going to hell.

Adapted from my reading this morning: Jonathan Edwards, The Torments of Hell: Jonathan Edwards on Eternal Damnation. Ed. by William C. Nichols (Ames, IA: International Outreach, 2006), 173–75.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Hell is Real and God is Not Silent About It

Mohler has a blog today on the declining American belief in the existence of hell and the Bible's clear description and portrayal of it.

The fact that I'm teaching through Revelation and we're studying the bowl judgments tomorrow night causes me to appreciate all the more these stalwarts in the faith who unswervingly uphold the doctrine of eternal damnation of the unsaved - like Mohler.

Read his post here.

Suffer for Christ

From one of my heroes:
Today I'm requesting prayer for the couple pictured below.
This past week they were arrested and put into prison for being followers of Jesus. This was the same couple whose 8-year old daughter was brutally murdered several years ago because she came from a family that loves Jesus. (Her headless body was discovered in a well.)
Acts 4:1 says, "While they were speaking to the people...." That's all the apostles had to do to get into trouble. That's all they had to do to get arrested and imprisoned by the civil authorities. Just share the love of Jesus with others. But God sent an angel and released them! And why did God do this? So that they could go back again and "tell the people the message of the new life" (Acts 5:20)!
Here's what I'm saying, friends. Please listen carefully. God is looking for disciples who will live for Him sacrificially. People who love their enemies. People who do good to those who persecute them. People who love those who hate them. And here's the most amazing thing about it all: As much as God loves this wonderful couple, He loves their persecutors -- He loves their daughter's murderer! -- to the very same degree. I'll put it plainly: If you do not love the enemies of Christianity, you are not my brother. That's because you are not a Jesus-follower. If you are not willing to be martyred to share Jesus' love with the persecutors of Jesus, you are not a Christian. Don't tell me about your church membership. Don't tell me about your tithing. Don't tell me about your perfect Sunday School attendance. Do you love Muslims? (This is not a rhetorical question. Please answer yes or no.) Do you love Iraqis? Do you love Iranians? Do you love Hispanics? Do you show it? Do you prove it by your deeds? I write in my forthcoming book The Downward Path of Jesus:
Radical disciples of Jesus embrace those on the other side of the dividing walls of hostility in our world, even including our "enemies." Christianity transcends all boundaries – cultural, racial, political, geographical, natural, even national.
Do you really believe that? If so, while you are praying for this precious couple in Jesus as well as for their persecutors, it might also be a good time for you to remove those idolatrous American flags from your sanctuaries and get real about the Body of Christ. Friends, Jesus is not an American. He's not a Democrat or a Republican. He's a foot washer. Are you? Am I?

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Preaching Mediates God Himself

From Don Carson:
“Granted that ‘preaching’ or ‘proclaiming’ in the Scriptures is not
restricted to something done behind a wooden pulpit between 11:00 and 12:00 on
Sunday mornings, it is nevertheless hard to avoid the strength of this emphasis
on proclamation in the New Testament. The reason for the emphasis lies in the
message itself. God has taken action, and the good news is announced, it is
proclaimed. God is not negotiating; he is both announcing and
confronting.
Done properly, preaching is simply the re-presentation of God’s
gospel, God’s good news, by which men and women come to know him. Thus preaching
mediates God himself. Many preachers, afraid of being thought arrogant, avoid
talking about preaching. They prefer to think of what they do as ’sharing.’ In
some limited contexts, doubtless there is nothing wrong with ’sharing.’ But
something important is lost if we never speak or think of preaching and
proclamation. That is our job, our calling.
It is not arrogant to re-present
as forcefully as we can God’s gospel; it is simply faithful stewardship.
Further, if we focus on the powerful proclamation of the gospel, we shall be
less likely to be seduced by siren calls to soften the sheer non-negotiability
inherent in preaching.”
HT: Unashamed Workman

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Theological quote for today

I found this quote today and I like it:

"From Eden to the final explosion of His eschatological wrath, a strange
paradox exists: God is busily working to save sinners from His own wrath."

Monday, August 11, 2008

The “Small Sins” Displease God, Too

The “Small Sins” Displease God, Too

Today I went to Carls Jr. (it is the West Coast’s version of Hardees) for lunch and after I ordered my food I waited patiently until they called my number so I could return to church for a meeting. As I was waiting for my number to be called, a homeless person walked in. It was very evident he was homeless. He was pushing a wheelchair with his goods contained in a basket underneath the chair. I saw him approach the self-serve soda machine and he pulled out a large McDonald’s soda cup (it had obviously been used before) and refilled his soda cup with their soda. Then he put that in a bag and put it under the wheelchair seat in his basket. Then, he proceeded to pull out a large plastic bag and fill it up with ice from the soda machine. Finally, he pulled out a water bottle and filled that up with water. After he finished filling his containers, he then pushed his wheelchair out the front door and went on his way.

I stood there stunned for a moment. Then I went up to the cashier and told her that that person just came in and filled up three different containers with their goods without paying even one penny!

She responded to say, “Oh, I know.” After standing stunned for a brief moment at her blowing off the issue, I repeated myself, “He just came in here and took your goods without paying for them and walked out.” Again she repeated herself, “I know, it’s OK.”

I thought to myself – disgusted inside – that homeless person walked in and, without even hesitating for a second, stole from Carls Jr. On top of that, the worker at Carls Jr. could have cared less that someone came in and stole from their store. Immediately I thought of David when he wrote:

Psalm 101:3–4 3 I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. 4 Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.

How God must hate our attitudes when we think of “small sins” as insignificant. O how God must despise it when we commit acts of disobedience and blow it off as if it “simply just happens.” I was angry inside because that man came in and stole from Carls Jr. But then I began to think of my own heart and life and how I often offend God – even without even knowing it at times – and think so lightly of my sin against a holy God.

Was it only a soda that the homeless man stole today? Yes. But, a “small sin” is still a “sin” against an infinitely holy God who absolutely hates sin (and, consequently, sinners). It is my prayer that Psalm 101:3–4 would be true of us – that we would hate sin, hate lawlessness, and earnestly desire to not even let the “small sins” creep into our lives.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Is hell really "separation from God"?

Forgive me if I seem to have this topic of eternity on my mind, but I have noticed that since I have been preaching through Revelation and, consequently, doing much reading on heaven and hell, my life has changed -- for the better.

Currently, I'm reading through Jonathan Edwards on the Torments of Hell by William C. Nichols. It's (can I say) a good book. It is scary, humbling, terrifying, and provoking my evangelism desires all the more. At any rate, Nichols gives a great page on modern-day preaching and how preachers are so apt to refrain from saying hell but are quick to speak of it as "separation from God" or "that other place." Hear Nichols speak to this issue:

[Pastors] make the misery of hell to consist principally in the punishment of loss. They shall be cast out of God's sight and shall not have God's favor as others shall. One of the most common phrases which can be heard when the subject of hell is addressed in today's church is the description of hell as "separation from God." This is somehow supposed to communicate the horrors of hell in a more gentle, politically correct way, so that people get the message that hell is really bad, but are not offended at the minister or his description of hell. Perhaps the object of such preaching is to retain the minister in the good graces of the parishioners, so that they will continue to give their money to the church, and not leave and go elsewhere.

Such "doctrine" might be called "hell-lite." It is part of the "don't offend anyone" mentality of our culture, and, as a result, people begin to think in their own minds that hell is really not all that bad.

Many modern evangelical leaders have jumped on this bandwagon with the result that it is difficult to hear today's preachers speak of hell as anything other than "separation from God." ... If such preaching is meant to strike terror into the hearts of the ungodly or perhaps stir up within them a desire for God, it won't.

The vile and wicked men of this world and even the religious church attendee want nothing more in this life than to be separated from God. They would love it if God would leave them alone and separate Himself from them forever. The unconverted have no burning "thirst for God that cannot be quenched." They hate God and wish He did not exist at all. To be separated from Him for all eternity would be their greatest joy and happiness, especially if no physical punishment were doled out to them for their endless acts of sin, and rebellion, and willful rejection of His laws and authority during their life on earth. Separation from God is exactly what the wicked of this world long for.

One may also question the theological accuracy of such a statement as "separation from God": for how can anyone ever be separated from an omnipresent God? Edwards believed that both saint and sinner would spent eternity "in the immediate presence and sight of God." This is confirmed in Revelation 14:10-11, which tells us: "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever (p.134-35).

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Acts 6 - Godly Leadership

I'm studying now for Sunday's sermon on Acts 6. I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey of study through the book of Acts thus far.
Here is where my preliminary study consists...
Blessings.

Biblical perspective on budgeting and handling your money - part 2

Continuing from yesterday's post, I conclude with part 2 of my Bible study on How to handle your money:

VI. PROTECT YOUR FAMILY WITH LIFE INSURANCE
a. Principle: Proverbs 27:12 12 A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty.
b. Guys: 1 Timothy 5:8 8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
c. Women: Titus 2:4-5 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. (cf. 1 Tim 5:10.)

VII. HAVE RETIREMENT PLAN IN PROGRESS WHEN YOU’RE 40 YEARS OLD
a. Yes we know that: Proverbs 16:9 9 The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
i. But at the same time, we must be wise and plan accordingly.
b. Proverbs 21:5-6 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. 6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
c. Proverbs 13:16 16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly.

VIII. OWN YOUR HOME DEBT-FREE BY AGE 65 OR RETIREMENT
a. Note first about retirement: The only reference in the Bible to retirement is found in Numbers 8:25, which concerns the retirement of the temple priests or Levites. That is not much biblical justification for the multibillion dollar retirement system America has built (http://www.crown.org/LIBRARY/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=544).
b. Proverbs 13:16 16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool displays folly.
c. Prov 6:6-8: So, according to Proverbs 6:6-8, workers need to lay aside some surplus in higher-income-earning years so that the latter years can be spent in peace.

IX. HAVE A WORKABLE BUDGET
a. Proverbs 16:3 3 Commit your works to the LORD, And your plans will be established.
b. Proverbs 24:3-4 By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4 And by knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.
c. Proverbs 21:5 5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.
d. Proverbs 27:12 12 A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty.
i. Cf. Luke 14:28-30 – calculate before you start building.

Conclusion:
Some Biblical Convictions
1- Learn to be content: 1 Timothy 6:6 6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.
2- Give God a chance first: Psalm 37:7 7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
3- Avoid hasty speculation: Proverbs 28:22 22 A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth, And does not know that want will come upon him.
4- Evaluate every purchase: 1 Corinthians 10:31 31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
5- Don’t be deceitful: Proverbs 19:1 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool.
Proverbs 20:7 7 A righteous man who walks in his integrity-- How blessed are his sons after him.
Proverbs 20:17 17 Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
6- Seek good Christian counsel: Proverbs 13:20 20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm. (cf. Ecc 9:14-16.)
Luke 16:10-11 10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?

Source:
Source:
This outline for my Bible study was adapted from Jim Rickard's Stewardship Services ministry. Check it out here.
Also see Crown Ministries for a host of articles that may serve you in great ways!

Monday, August 4, 2008

Biblical perspective on budgeting and handling your money - part 1

More than a few people have asked me to publish a recent Bible study I gave on "Biblical Budgeting: How to handle your money." I trust this will be profitable for many who check this blog. Since I cannot assume that people know how to handle their money (even if you're a college student with not a lot of money!), I thought it wise to give some biblical principles to guide people in need of this important teaching:

Introduction
The importance of biblical stewardship
Materialism is not having nice things.
It is not driving a nice car, etc.
Materialism IS your attitude towards it all
It is not a possession issue, but an attitude issue.
The desire to want more.

Note these Credit Card Statistics (Source: Reader’s Digest, August, 2007)
Over 200 million credit cards used every day (691 million dollars total)
In 2001, over $670 billion charged on credit cards
In 2007, 1.8 trillion charged on credit cards
Presently, there is over $800 billion owed on credit cards.
There is an average 17% interest rate
There is an average of 5 credit cards per household
60% of people carry unpaid balances from month to month

“We will never handle anything less significant than money, nor more outwardly indicative of our inward spiritual condition” (Jim Rickard).

Matthew 6:21 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.

Note: In 85% of divorces, the reason has something to do with money.
Whenever you value something too much, whatever happens to it happens to you. For example, if your car breaks down; then you break down.

Here are 2 worldly (sinful) attitudes regarding money:
1. Keep God out of it – it is mine anyway!
2. My ego is supreme and should rule!

Outline

I. LEARN TO BE A GIVER
a. 1 Corinthians 16:2 2 On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come.
b. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.
i. God set the example for us!: 2 Corinthians 8:9 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
c. Psalm 37:21 21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives.
d. Proverbs 3:9 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce;

II. LEARN TO BE A SAVER
a. Proverbs 13:11 (ESV) 11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
b. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. 7 Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
c. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 2 On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come.

III. LEARN TO SPEND LESS THAN YOU EARN
a. Proverbs 21:20 20 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.
b. Don’t get into debt:
i. Conclusion to the article: “Ten Ways to Save Money” on the crown.org website: Debt-free living is still God's plan for His people today. The blessings of becoming debt free go far beyond the financial area. They extend to the spiritual and marital realms as well. No one who is financially bound can be spiritually free. The effects of financial bondage on a marriage relationship are measurable in the statistics of failed marriages. Therefore, God's people need to make saving money and debt freedom top priorities in their families.

IV. HAVE MONEY SAVED AWAY IN AN EMERGENCY FUND
a. 1 Timothy 5:8 8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.
b. Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, 7 Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, 8 Prepares her food in the summer, And gathers her provision in the harvest.
c. Proverbs 21:20 20 There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man swallows it up à this is the principle of learning to save for the unexpected (cf. Prov 6:6-8).
i. Cf. Prov 27:23

V. DON’T FINANCE PLEASURE ITEMS
a. Proverbs 22:3 3 The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.
b. Don’t take out debt for pleasure items à stereo, video games, clothes, etc.
i. 1 John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.a. Proverbs 22:3 3 The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.
b. Don’t take out debt for pleasure items à stereo, video games, clothes, etc.
i. 1 John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
i. If you are in debt: read the article: “Getting Out of Debt” on the crown.org website.

Part 2 will follow tomorrow.

Source:

This outline for my Bible study was adapted from Jim Rickard's Stewardship Services ministry. Check it out here.

Also see Crown Ministries for a host of articles that may serve you in great ways!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Acts 5:17-42 - God is actively involved in your life

Here is my sermon outline for today. I trust it'll be an encouraging (and convicting!) time for us all...

Introduction
Job 42:1-6 Then Job replied to the LORD: 2 "I know that you can do all
things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, 'Who is this that
obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not
understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 "You said, 'Listen now,
and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' 5 My ears
had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise
myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Here are three encouraging truths to realize so that your joy in the Lord and your fervency to serve will increase all the more.

I. God’s Power Cannot be Rivaled (17-21a)


II. God’s Salvation Cannot be Hidden (21b-32)

What was their message?
1. Obeying God is priority (29)

2. Jesus is alive! (30a)

3. He died on a cross (30b)

4. He is at the right hand of God the Father (31a)

5. He gives repentance and forgiveness (31b)

6. The Holy Spirit lives within believers (32)


III. God’s Will Cannot be Overcome (33-42)


Concluding Application:
Ø How can you specifically give these “Words of Life” to someone this week?
Ø Think of one area where you can change to be more obedient to God just as the Apostles were.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Jonathan Edwards on the sin of selfishness

Man naturally has no other principle to direct and govern him in his actions, but only self-love … this being the only principle he has to govern him, all that aman is prompted to pursue is his own private and separate interest. Then he will have no sincere regard at all to the glory of God or the good of others.

All sinfulness can be traced to selfishness as its source. Men never act from any worse than selfish motives.

Thomas Boston wrote: “Man was created, directly looking to God, and turned into himself; and, like a traitor usurping the throne, he gathers in the rents of the crown to himself … they seek not God, but themselves … the unregenerate, though most insensible of it, are under the power thereof, and whithersoever they turn themselves, they cannot move beyond the circle of self.

The devil loves himself above all other beings in the universe, and seeks for men to imitate him and follow him by exalting themselves in the place of God, and living to please themselves (The Torments of Hell: Jonathan Edwards on Eternal Damnation, Ed. by William C. Nichols [Ames, IA: International Outreach, Inc.] 2-3).

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Legitimate food fight in pizza restaurant

Today I took some of my youth group out for pizza. We had - no joke - a food fight. But it wasn't with peas, carrots, or other nasty (ehhm.... "I mean, healthy") food. We had a food fight with peanuts. The greatest thing about it was that it was totally legitimate. Now I know that everyone wants me to tell you the restaurant because you are on the edge of your chair waiting to find out so you can close the internet browser, start your car, and go there.

But you'll just have to go here to find it.

Just to let you know, it is perfectly acceptable (and even encouraged!) to throw your peanut shells on the ground! :=)

PS -- Can I just say that I literally, hands-down, laid the smack down on Clint today. He could barely eat two pieces of pizza. Clint, I own you! :=)

Take pleasure and hope in God's Word

I'm studying this morning for my Acts 5 sermon on Sunday and as I was studying, I came across this quote from Piper in one of his messages on Acts 5. It's a great nugget of truth and encouragement. Do we find encouragement and hope from simple - yet pregnant - thoughts in Scripture like Piper does here?

Last summer as I was finishing the book The Pleasures of God, one verse that guided a whole chapter and gave me tremendous hope was Psalm 147:11, "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." I think that's the best news in the world—that God is the kind of God who is happy with us not when we work for his approval but when we hope in his love.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Preach with Authority

As R. Kent Hughes concludes in his great article,

Logos, Ethos, and Pathos are the key ele-
ments of exposition. What you
believe
about the Word is everything. As a
preacher, if you believe the
Scripture is
wholly inerrant, totally sufficient, and
massively potent,
you will give yourself
to the hard work of biblical exposition.
Such
belief and hard work are not enough,
however. You must let the Word of
God
course through your being, inviting the
Holy Spirit to winnow your
soul in order
to conform your life to the truth you are
preaching. God’s
Word must come out of
the inward affection of the heart without
any
affectation. When you stand to
preach, you must be drenched in
an
authentic passion that causes you to speak
with the utmost earnestness.
When you
gather the Logos, the Ethos, and the Pathos,
you are preaching
the Word, and the wind
of the Holy Spirit is in your sails. God’s
name is
lifted up, and God is glorified.

Read it all here.

Friday, July 25, 2008

The Need for Purity In the Pews

Many pastors fear that the practice of church discipline will drive people
away and ruin their churches. It will drive away those who love their sin, but
attract those who hate it and seek repentance and righteousness.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Do you really use your Bible as much as you ought?

You live in a world where your soul is in constant danger. Enemies are round you on every side. Your own heart is deceitful. Bad examples are numerous. Satan is always laboring to lead you astray. Above all false doctrine and false teachers of every kind abound. This is your great danger.

To be safe you must be well armed. You must provide yourself with the weapons which God has given you for your help. You must store your mind with Holy Scripture. This is to be well armed.

Arm yourself with a thorough knowledge of the written word of God. Read your Bible regularly. Become familiar with your Bible. . . . Neglect your Bible and nothing that I know of can prevent you from error if a plausible advocate of false teaching shall happen to meet you. Make it a rule to believe nothing except it can be proved from Scripture. The Bible alone is infallible. . . . Do you really use your Bible as much as you ought?

There are many today, who believe the Bible, yet read it very little. Does your conscience tell you that you are one of these persons?If so, you are the man that is likely to get little help from the Bible in time of need. Trial is a sifting experience. . . . Your store of Bible consolations may one day run very low.

If so, you are the man that is unlikely to become established in the truth. I shall not be surprised to hear that you are troubled with doubts and questions about assurance, grace, faith, perseverance, etc. The devil is an old and cunning enemy. He can quote Scripture readily enough when he pleases. Now you are not sufficiently ready with your weapons to fight a good fight with him. . . . Your sword is held loosely in your hand.

If so, you are the man that is likely to make mistakes in life. I shall not wonder if I am told that you have problems in your marriage, problems with your children, problems about the conduct of your family and about the company you keep. The world you steer through is full of rocks, shoals and sandbanks. You are not sufficiently familiar either with lighthouses or charts.

If so, you are the man who is likely to be carried away by some false teacher for a time. It will not surprise me if I hear that one of these clever eloquent men who can make a convincing presentation is leading you into error. You are in need of ballast (truth); no wonder if you are tossed to and fro like a cork on the waves.

All these are uncomfortable situations. I want you to escape them all. Take the advice I offer you today. Do not merely read your Bible a little—but read it a great deal. . . . Remember your many enemies. Be armed!

HT: Justin Taylor

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Back Home...

After a week of fun up at Humelake with our youth group, I am dead tired. I direct you to our youth group webpage so you can see a few pictures giving you an idea of what we did this week. Blessings.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Fellowship on Earth Preparing for Fellowship in Heaven

Fellowship on Earth Preparing for Fellowship in Heaven

One of the worst things God could ever do would be to allow a person to enter into heaven while hating fellowship with other Christians. For one thing, God never makes a mistake. Second of all, God will never allow one to be miserable in heaven. No one ever stumbles into the eternal Kingdom of God. No one enters into heaven with a quasi excitement about seeing God face to face. This simply does not happen.

Obviously, it is understood that God’s Word so clearly teaches that one enters heaven only through the shed blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ who was slain for the sins of those who would believe upon Him. He suffered and bore the extremities of divine wrath in place of those who believe in Him. Without this atonement, or covering, one will stand before the great Judge in that future Day without hope of entering into eternal bliss and will be cast into eternal hell.

With that said, however, one confirmation that assures me that I am a true believer is that I love fellowship with God’s people. Yes, of course I need to grow in this area and can (and should!) increase in my love for the saints all the more, but this morning I had a glorious time with one of my best friends in the faith. Though we have seen each other only once in the last year, it was as if nothing had changed and we had only spent a few days apart.

But the fellowship with this dear brother was so sweet that it helped assure me – again – that I am destined for heaven. Of course, I affirm that one does not enter into heaven because of the fact that he loves the saints. Rather I’m affirming that one enters into heaven because of Jesus’ death and resurrection and my faith and trust in Him with the effect that I have a passionate desire to fellowship with God’s own people. And that is what happened to me today.

I can’t understand how a person can dislike fellowship with Christians; not want to go to church; not want to hang out with “Christians” because they are “uncool;” etc. I would assert that someone who doesn’t love – yes, even long for – fellowship would be a miserable person in heaven. This, after all, is what will be one of the glorious joys of heaven. This is why we have names in heaven. Because there will be relationships, fellowship, love, communion, work, service, and life-on-life friendships.

In conclusion, therefore, hear me again, I am not affirming that fellowship is in any way a merit that earns one eternal life. But what I am saying is that fellowship is one of the surest proofs that a person has already been redeemed by Jesus Christ. Furthermore, if a person claiming to be a Christian dislikes fellowship with other Christians, then I would question if that person truly understands God’s Word and is really destined for heaven where there will be eternal fellowship with the Savior and other believers.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The necessity for a holy, pure life

Here are some words from one of my heroes, Robert Murray McCheyne, to a young minister in Christian ministry:
Do not forget the culture of the inner man - I mean of the heart. How
diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he
rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God's sword, His instrument -
I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according
to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not
great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is
an awful weapon in the hand of God.
From: Andrew A. Bonar, Memoirs of McCheyne (Chicago: Moody, 1978), 95.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Are there really only a few saved?

Are there really only a few saved?


According to the Bible, yes. Jesus Himself stated:


Matthew 7:13-14 13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. 14 "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.


There are some stark contrasts here given by Jesus to paint this vivid picture before his disciples and the large crowds gathered on that mountain in the Galilee region. As is his custom, Jesus often gives startling contrasts to drive the unmistakable point home. And here that point is that there are only a few who will be saved. Yes, you heard Jesus correctly, only a few shall enter heaven whereas everyone else shall be doomed to eternal hell.

Listen to Jesus’ words: He commands the Jewish people there around him (including the most religious people of that day, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes) to “Enter by the narrow gate!” This presupposes that they have NOT entered this narrow gate yet. They are still living in Judaism. They are still trying to keep the Law – which is impossible (as Jesus shows through this Sermon on the Mount; cf. 5:48).


The next startling statement is that Jesus affirms that there is a broad path that leads to destruction (avpw,leia) and there are many who enter by it. This word for destruction is often used referring to hell. It does not mean that one will literally be “destroyed” as synonymous with annihilationism. Rather, it emphatically teaches that in hell a person shall have unending, physical and spiritual torture and heinous torments for all eternity – without end. Notice that those who enter destruction enter by both the wide gate and the broad way. Living as a “carnal Christian” will not lead to eternal live with Jesus Christ. No. On the contrary, walking on the broad path – the path the world accepts as the norm – will lead a person to destruction in hell.


But Jesus gives hope to these Jewish people. Indeed, he gives them the gospel! He tells them about the small gate! There is one path to salvation. There is only one gate leading to the Father. There is only one Savior who can save a sinful soul. That Savior is Jesus Christ! It is a narrow gate that saves a person. But Jesus continues. It’s not only enough for a person to enter through that narrow gate. Notice he says that the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life. There must be a way of living that is narrow. There must be a wholehearted devotion of life that affirms and confirms one’s entrance through that narrow gate. There is absolutely no room for habitual, sinful, pagan living in the Christian community according to Jesus.


It is my prayer that we would heed these verses and not only enter through the narrow gate, but also live life on the narrow path as we are devoted and committed to following Christ wherever he leads us. Remember this, there is ONE broad gate and ONE narrow gate. Many will enter through the broad gate and few will enter through the narrow gate. Test yourselves today! See if you are in the faith – unless of course you fail the test! Repent today! Today is the day of salvation!

Friday, July 4, 2008

Hiking with my best friend

Isaiah 45:12 "It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, And I ordained all their host.

Isn't God great?

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Prayer and the Sovereignty of God

So, let's just agree at the getgo that we shall not exhaust this study today. However, I found a great post over at the Pyromaniacs blog which I thought would be of help to the readers here. Here is the conclusion:
Here, in one final enumeration, is what I take from this:
God gives
believers' prayers a significant place in His plans.
We should never downplay
the importance of approaching God in prayer, Biblically
understood.
It is the height of folly to let circumstance or human
reasoning discourage us from bringing our petitions to God. In other
words...
Let God say "No, I have a better plan," rather than, "Since you did
not ask (James
4:2b)...."
Read it here

Sunday, June 29, 2008

The greatest thing about heaven

The greatest thing about heaven

I have been thinking much on hell lately because of the recent Resolved conference. But it’s not only the Resolved conference that has sparked my thinking on the all too true reality of hell. I have been thinking on hell and God’s judgment much in recent months because of a startling realization of the lack of teaching on hell and God’s judgment that has swept across churches around the globe. I am almost done with two books and then I’m eager to get to my next book (which I literally am excited [can I use that word with this kind of topic] about reading the book by Jonathan Edwards, The Torments of Hell: Jonathan Edwards on Eternal Damnation). I pray that this will spark many conversations on my bus rides to and from seminary.

At any rate, this morning after singing our last song in our worship service I prayed a prayer that focused on another place where people will spend eternity, namely, heaven. We finished our music set by singing Shout to the Lord. The last line of the chorus is: “nothing compares with the promise I have in you.” We repeated that last line a few times and then I closed with prayer. As I prayed I found myself saying this:

The greatest thing about heaven will not be the fact that we are absent from this sinful, pain-stricken, prone-to-do-evil body, as glorious as that will be. Nor will the greatest thing about heaven be the reality of serving God night and day in a perfect new city for all eternity, as glorious as that will be. Yes, it is encouraging that I will see Elizabeth and others whom I love in heaven and be able to worship the Lamb with them, but that’s still not the greatest thing about heaven. In fact, these things will all pale in comparison with the greatest thing in heaven. The greatest thing in heaven will be the reality that we will be eternally and perfectly happy because we will be with our Savior.

I would venture to say that this must be (yes I use that word “must” deliberately) the true passion of every genuine believer. I dare say that many want to go to heaven to be delivered from the toils and pains of this life; to see parents or a spouse who is already there; to have a nice “mansion,” or to be delivered from some kind of malady – though these will become reality for true born-again believers, yet for the person who wants to go to heaven and who has the unhindered, unrivaled, and awesome presence of Jesus as the backburner of the joyful bliss that they expect to partake of, I fear that they will never enter into heaven. Not because the want or desire isn’t there; it is. Not because they didn’t prophecy (or preach) in God’s name; they did. But there are many religious people who do religious things (in the name of God) who will be fiercefully cast into eternal hell. It’s not enough to want heaven. It’s not enough to want eternal happiness, bliss, and joy. But what Jesus Christ did on the cross almost 2,000 years ago is enough. The person who repents of his sin, recognizes his violation of the perfect holiness of God thereby incurring the anger, wrath, and fury of the Almighty, and he who believes in Jesus Christ and his substitutionary death on the cross followed by a lifelong commitment to love, serve, honor, and magnify the Savior will be saved. This is the person who lives life to savor the Savior. He lives life with a heavenward focus. This is the man who lives to bring honor to Jesus Christ longing for that day when he will be in the presence of the Savior for all eternity.

With that said, what is the greatest thing about heaven to you? Will you be there?

Justified by faith alone. Period.

Here is why the Scripture ascribes justification to faith alone:
Namely, because in faith it is more manifested that man is justified not by his
own virtue, but by the merit of Christ. For as in beholding the serpent God
placed healing in the desert, because the looking indicated more than the men
were healed by the virtue of the serpent, not of any personal work or medicine;
so faith shows that sinners are justified by the virtue and merit of Christ, in
whom believing they are saved, not by any virtue and merit of their own. And it
is the reason why justification is ascribed to faith especially by Paul, who
strives to exclude from justification the works of the law, and human merit or
efficacy, and to place it in the virtue and merit of Christ alone. Therefore he
makes mention of faith in Christ. This neither repentance, nor love, nor hope
have, for faith is carried more immediately and distinctly to it, by whose
virtue we are justified.

--Toletus in Turretin, Francis. Justification. Ed. James T. Dennison, Jr. Trans. George Musgrave Giger. Phillipsburg, N. J.: P & R Publishing, 1994.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

As long as...

Sobering (and accurate) thoughts from one of my mentors and heroes in ministry...

As long as there is a strong emphasis on church membership rather than on Christian witness and sacrifice…
As long as the book of Acts is ignored in favor of books on church growth and mission strategy…
As long as worship is something we attend rather than something we do…
As long as the focus is on “missionaries” rather than on the whole people of God…
As long as the gathered church refuses to be the scattered church…
As long as Christians believe that church is a place of solace rather than a place of work…
As long as planning and decision-making is entrusted solely to the leadership…
As long as interest in humanity and the world is replaced by self-interest…
As long as we identify “minister” with clergy status…
As long as the pastor remains “the answer man”…
As long as we refuse to acknowledge that the Old Testament distinction between priest and people has come to an end…
As long as we love our churches and our organizations more than we love Jesus…
As long as we go to church in the mood of a spectator and not a participant…

...the church will never be a freed and freeing Body, equipping all believers to be agents of the kingdom of God.

From David Alan Black's article, "As Long As."

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Christ, our substitute

From the Daily Spurgeon archive:
Any theology which offers the pardon of sin without a punishment, ignores
the major part of the character of God. God is love, but God is also just — as
severely just as if he had no love, and yet as intensely loving as if he had no
justice. To gain a just view of the character of God you must perceive all his
attributes as infinitely developed; justice must have its infinity acknowledged
as much as mercy. Sin must be punished. This is the voice which thunders from
the midst of the smoke and the fire of Sinai — “The soul that sinneth it shall
die;” “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them.” “Sin must be punished” is written on the
base of the eternal throne in letters of fire; and, as the damned in hell behold
it, their hopes are burned to ashes. Sin must be punished, or God must cease to
be.The testimony of the Gospel is not that the punishment has been mitigated or
foregone, or that justice has had a sop given it to close its mouth. The
consolation is far more sure and effectual; say ye unto the daughter of Zion
that “the punishment of her iniquity is accomplished.” Christ hath for his
people borne all the punishment which they deserved; and now every soul for whom
Christ died may read with exultation — “The punishment of thine iniquity is
accomplished.” God is satisfied, and asks no more. Sin deserved God’s wrath;
that wrath has spent itself on Christ. The black and gathering clouds had all
been summoned to the tempest, and manhood stood beneath the dark canopy waiting
till the clouds of vengeance should empty out their floods. “Stand thou aside!”
said Jesus — “Stand thou aside, my spouse, my Church, and I will suffer in thy
stead.”

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

God's Sovereignty and My "Free" Choice

I decided to blog on a simple topic this morning (haha). Listen to a nice quote from A.W. Tozer:
The matter of man's free will versus God's sovereignty can be explained in
this way: God's sovereignty means that He is in control of everything,
that He planned everything from the beginning. Man's free will means that he
can, anytime he wants, make most any choice he pleases (within his human
limitations, of course). Man's free will can apparently defy the purposes of God
and will against the will of God. But how do we resolve this seeming
contradiction?
God's sovereignty means absolute freedom, doesn't it? God is absolutely
free to do anything He wants or wills to do -- anywhere, anytime, forever. And
man's free will means that man can make any choice he wants to make, even if he
makes a choice against the will of God.
But here is what we see in Scripture: God Almighty is absolutely sovereign,
free to do as He pleases (Psa 115:3). Among the things He is pleased to do is
give me freedom to do what I please. And when I do what I please, I am
fulfilling the will of God, not controverting it, for God in His sovereignty has
sovereignly given me freedom to make a "free" choice.
Even if the choice I make is NOT the one God would have made for me, His
sovereignty is fulfilled in my making the choice.
The sovereign God has put the decision in your lap and said, "This is
yours; you must make that choice." And when I make a choice, I'm fulfilling His
sovereignty, in that He sovereignly wills that I should be free to make a
choice. If I choose to go to hell, it's not what His love would have chosen, but
it does not controvert nor cancel out His sovereignty.
Yes, I believe in the sovereignty of God and in the freedom of man. So,
anytime I make a choice, I'm fulfilling the freedom God gave me and therefore
I'm fulfilling God's sovereignty and carrying it out.

Thoughts?

Saturday, June 21, 2008

I think I'm convinced...

Did Christ's death accomplish the actuality of salvation or the potentiality of salvation. I argue for the former, as does my friend, Mr. Spurgeon...

We are often told that we limit the atonement of Christ, because we say
that Christ hasnot made a satisfaction for all men, or all men would be saved.
Now, our reply to this is, that, on the other hand, our opponents limit it; we
do not. The Arminians say, Christ died for all men. Ask them what they mean by
it. Did Christ die so as to secure the salvation of all men? They say,
"No, certainly not." We ask them the next question - Did Christ die so as to
secure the salvation of any man in particular? They answer, "No." They
are obliged to admit this, if they are consistent. They say, "No, Christ has
died that any man may be saved if" -- and then follow certain conditions of salvation. Now, who is it that limits the death of
Christ? Why you. You say that Christ did not die so as infallibly to secure the
salvation of anybody. We beg your pardon, when you say we limit Christ's death;
we say, "No, my dear sir, it is you that do it." We say that Christ so died that
he infallibly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can
number, who through Christ's death not only may be saved, but are saved
and cannot by any possibility run the hazard of being anything but
saved. You are welcome to your atonement; you may keep it. We will never
renounce ours for the sake of it.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Election from Ephesians 1

The foundation on which the salvation of every believer rests: God's free and gracious choice of us.

Calvin writes:
God having chosen us before the world had its course, we must attribute the
cause of our salvation to His free goodness; we must confess that He did not
take us to be His children, for any deserts of our own; for we had nothing to
recommend ourselves into His favor. Therefore, we must put the cause and
fountain of our salvation in Him only, and ground ourselves upon it.

Election must also promote humility, not pride in the heart of the believer. Listen to AW Pink along these lines:
The truth of God's sovereignty ... removes every ground for human boasting and
instills the spirit of humility in its stead. It declares that salvation is of
the Lord - of the Lord in its origination, in its operation, and in its
consummation ... It tells us we are "born, not of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God" (Jn 1:13). And all this is most humbling to the heart
of man, who wants to contribute something to the price of his redemption and do
that which will afford ground for boasting and self-satisfaction.

Finally, our good friend, Mr. Spurgeon, will help us understand more about this glorious doctrine:
When you yourself are low, it is well to sing of the Fountainhead of mercy; of
that blessed decree that ordained you to eternal life ... I tell you, believer, if you can go back to the years of eternity; if you can in your mind run back to that period
before the everlasting hills were fashioned, or the fountains of the great deep
were scooped out; and if you can see your God inscribing your name in His
eternal book - if you can see in His loving heart eternal thoughts of love to
you, you will find this a charming means of giving you songs in the night. No
songs [compare with] those which come from electing love ... In our darker hours
it is our joy to sing: "Sons we are through God's election, who in Jesus Christ
believe; By eternal destination, sovereign grace we now receive."

And one concluding quote:
"God has so arranged salvation as to bring us the
highest possible blessing and Himself the highest
possible praise, both of which result only through the glory of His
grace!"

Bibliography: Phillips, Richard D. Chosen in Christ: The Glory of Grace in Ephesians 1. Phillipsburg, NJ: P& R, 2004.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)