talia*

Awake My Soul

2011-06-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

The image of God invisible, the first born of all life

Before and within, he holds it all in

One name, one faith, one Christ

No one is good enough, to save himself

Awake my soul tonight, to boast nothing else

I trust no other source or name, nowhere else can I hide

This grace gives me fear, and this grace draws me near

And all that it asks it provides

No seam in this garment, all my rags to hide

No less than your love, Jesus is mine

When I stand on the edges of Jordan

With the saints and the angels beside

When my body is healed, and the glory revealed

Still I can boast only Christ

Romans 3:10-11 "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God."

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."

Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Galatians 6:14 "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

Christ Is All

2011-02-22T10:34:00.001-08:00

There are a great many differences among believers, but there is no difference as to this essential point. Unhappily, the Christian church has been divided into sections, but those divisions do not affect our agreement upon this one point, that Christ is all.

It is no uncharity if I say that the man who does not accept this is no Christian, nor is it too wide a liberality to affirm that every man who is sound in heart upon this point is most certainly a believer. He who trusts alone in Christ, who submits to him as his sole teacher, king, and Savior, is already a saved man; but he who gives not Christ the glory, though he should speak with the tongues of men and of angels, though he should have the gift of prophecy, and all knowledge, and though he should have all faith, and could remove mountains, and he should appear to have all virtue, yet he is no Christian if Christ be held in light esteem by him, or be anything less than all in all; for in the new creation this one thing stands as the mark of the newly created, that “Christ is all, and in all” to them, whatever he may be to others. _chs

May I treasure Christ as all through my thoughts, passions, actions, and love!

Looking to Jesus

2011-01-05T23:48:00.000-08:00

Thought you all would enjoy reading the blog of a dear sister in Christ who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Lizzie Metcalf is beautiful, vibrant, chic, and best of all is in love with our Savior, possessing a child-like faith and desiring His pleasure before her own.

I love her blog, because in it she lavishes praise upon our Savior whom she trusts so completely and encourages me to fix my eyes heavenward even as she seeks to do so herself.

I am jealous of the ways she has grown to cherish and know Jesus better throughout this trial. Which has caused me to realize two things:

1) I need to be pursuing and loving and knowing Jesus NOW, by begging Him for His grace and for faithfulness

2) Only when I am preparing in the easy times will I be prepared for the hard times...as many a person has quoted, "We are like sponges, who we really are comes out under pressure."

Oh to be prepared for the storms ahead like my sweet friend, Lizzie! Oh to be a beacon of light to a generation who has lost what hope is, replacing it with empty imitations. People are watching us, and how we respond to each trial the Lord sovereignly places upon our path either magnifies and validates the Gospel, or disgraces and detracts from it!

May we all strive to run hard like Lizzie, leaning on His everlasting arms...our God is so faithful!

Enjoy!

http://chemochronicles.tumblr.com/

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." -Hebrews 12:1-2

Justice & Mercy

2011-01-05T22:51:00.001-08:00

Bear with me as I think out loud....it'll be a bit messy....

Justice - getting what is obligated to you; getting what you deserve; getting something by merit. Reward and punishment can both be aspects of justice.

Mercy - not getting the just punishment you deserve for the evil you have done

Grace - getting what you don't deserve and have not justly merited

That's why mercy and grace can never be obliged, deserved or merit. As soon as they are obligated to you, deserving or merited, then you are no longer talking about mercy and grace...you are talking about justice.

Salvation is by the mercy and grace of God. Therefore, it is never right to speak of salvation as something that is merited, obligated or merited. Salvation would no longer be by mercy and grace, but by justice. And only Christ can satisfy the justice of God. Mercy and grace have to be voluntary for them to be such. And since we cannot satisfy the justice of God, either by merit or by punishment, then we must rely on another to satisfy His just demands. This is where Christ shines brightest and His gospel becomes good news. He alone satisfies God's justice in taking my punishment...He got what I deserve. And I get what He deserves...and that is mercy and grace in action.

It's freely given. Not merited. Not earned. Voluntary. And God gives it to whom He wills...whom He chooses. It has to be that way or else we are no longer talking about mercy and grace...but justice.

In light of this, the doctrine of election has to be what it is as taught from a reformed perspective.

Just thinking out loud here. Not trying to write eloquently. Just working some thoughts out from our Bible study tonight.

PAGE CXVI

2011-01-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

Page CXVI just released their 3rd album.
You can listen to it in it's entirety.

Marveling at the Incarnation, Marveling at the Cross

2010-12-24T01:16:00.002-08:00

Just came across this wonderful excerpt from Dr. MacArthur's sermon entitled: "The Incarnation of the Triune God," taken from Philippians 2:6-11, and thought I should share it:

"Humility is the theme of Christmas...humility. St. Augustine wrote so beautifully of His humility, so beautifully. 'The word of the Father," he said, "by whom all time was created was made flesh and born in time for us. He without whose divine permission no day completes its course, wished to have one of those days for His human birth. In the bosom of His Father He existed before all the cycles of the ages. Born of an earthly mother, He entered on the course of the years on that very day. The maker of man became man that He ruler of the stars might be nourished at the breast, that He the bread might be hungry, that He the fountain might thirst, that He the light might sleep, that He the way might be wearied in the journey, that He the truth might be accused by false witnesses, that He the judge of the living and the dead might be brought to trial by a mortal judge, that He justice itself might be condemned by the unjust, that He discipline personified might be scourged with a whip, that He the foundation might be suspended on a cross, that He courage incarnate might be weak, and He security itself might be wounded, and He life itself might die.' "
(taken from: http://www.biblebb.com/files/mac/m2003.htm. Copyright by John MacArthur, 1997, Grace to You).

May we all take time this Christmas to marvel at the incarnation of the Son of God and remember and cherish the PURPOSE of it all.

Let us not simply stop at the manger but recall the cross...Once your enemies, now seated at your table, THANK YOU JESUS.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

The Wedded Poor

2010-12-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

Similar to a few other Talians here, I’ve recently married a person who loves the King of kings. My wife and I became “wife and I” in October. Prior to that, we (like others) ran around for weeks getting various errands finished before our wedding day. One errand in particular brought an interesting thought to mind.

First, let’s talk about the season we’re in: Christmas. We’re celebrating the Son of God who came to Earth by way of a virgin birth. He was born a baby and grew up to accomplish the Father’s work, which encompassed and accomplished much in His life, ministry, death, and resurrection.

I’d like to touch on just one accomplishment for the time being: Christ’s calling of His church. One reason Jesus became a man was to begin and establish His church, His future bride. His coming, accomplishing power over sin, and ascending to the Father sealed forever a redemption and reconciliation of sinners to God. These sinners would be His church, His future bride. Christ’s coming was, in part, a beginning of His own wedding preparations.

Revelation 19:7 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."

My own wedding had a lot of preparations, and the one that struck a note with me in particular was when we went to get our marriage certificate. It was a simple process, but what stood out was the cost: $90. We had no problem paying for the simple piece of paper, but it seemed a notable expense, especially for those with great financial difficulty. Ever wonder what Della and Jim would have done?

It made me think of God’s merciful call to those who thirst... who hunger... who are poor.

Isaiah 55:1 "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

Christ’s bride is poor. Penniless. And yet He chose us... those who have no money, no standing, no worth... no righteousness. We can’t afford a wedding. We certainly can’t afford Christ as our bridegroom. But that’s ok, but He’s paying. Notice the important key in Isaiah:

“... you who have no money come, buy and eat... without money and without cost.”

How can we, with no money, still buy? How can we make a purchase when we have nothing? Because Christ purchased. He came to Earth, born as a man to redeem men. Living perfectly to fulfill the needed righteous life that we needed to live. He purchased with His blood, that we might be His bride, without any cost to us... without any price further needed. His righteousness is what seals us as His bride.

From our standpoint, broken and poor, we could never hope to afford a marriage, let alone a wedding feast. We simply can’t afford it. Our righteousness is as filthy rags before the most holy God. But joy breaks in on our position, just as our Lord said in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

We were poor in spirit, with no merit before God. But He, in His infinite mercy and grace, sent forth His excellent, worthy Son to be born of a woman, that He would redeem sinners whom He chose... and then marry them, clothing them with His righteousness.

We are the wedded poor. Brought in from the streets and filth, cleaned up by His work and love, to be expert worshipers of Him. I hope this Christmas will be filled with worship, seeing the Lamb, our bridegroom, and not just a baby pictured in a manger, as we prepare ourselves for the feast and joys to come!

Our bridegroom is at the door. Where are we?

Empty Words

2010-11-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

What am I doing with my life? Who am I really living for? Does my theology in action (my day to day choices/actions) match up with the theology that I say I believe in?

I've been reading through Matthew lately and thinking about "empty words." That just as someday, individuals will declare: 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' And He will answer, 'Depart from me, I never KNEW you,' so too is it EMPTY for us to claim that Christ is our Treasure, when our lives declare otherwise.

A prayer of repentance:

Father, I need your help. I cannot walk faithfully on my own. I ask for your grace and your Spirit's empowerment to live a life that is worthy of and that validates the Gospel. Give me more of you, and less of me, Jesus. Help me to mortify my pride and give me humility- help me to talk less about being faithful, and actually be faithful- by being in your Word, communicating with you through prayer, and keeping my eyes fixed on the prize. Remind me that YOU are the Author and Perfector of my faith, and that I am completely dependent upon you. Lord may you TRULY be All in All to me, and may the way that I live provoke curiosity and opportunities that would be for the glory of your name and the futherance of your kingdom, Amen.

A Call To Gratitude

2010-11-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

I’ve been inspired.

Through my good friend Alyssa, I sovereignly “stumbled” upon the blog of a woman name Ann Voskamp, and a new journey upon which I am about to embark.

On her blog, Ann has been listing gifts from God that she sees in her life.
She states:

” I am one waking from slumber … from the stupor of indifference and ignorance. Too often I miss Him, oblivious, blind. I don’t see all the good things that He is giving me, gracing me with, brushing my life with.”

I am one who can completely relate. In a culture where I have so much.. too much, I miss so much. Regretfully my eyes are so clouded by self, that the grace of God goes unnoticed hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second.

And so, this is the start of an effort to refocus my vision and to give thanks for the evidences of grace that are currently being missed.

I encourage you, brothers and sisters, to focus on the gifts of grace that God has given uniquely to you. Let us give the Giver of all good things the gratitude He so deserves.
Psalm 118:28
“You are my God, and I will give thanks to you..”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***The following is the beginning of my list of One Thousand Gifts***

1) A hotel room to rest in while my husband is at work.

2) The jolting of my laptop brought about by kicks coming from inside my tummy.

3) The new pink journal that awaits the listing of many more gifts.

4) The stirring in my heart from the Spirit to pray for an orphan I know, who is under the effects of national devastation.

5) The heat that is keeping me warm as it rains outside.

6) The calming sound of the rain.

7) An ultrasound picture that shows my little boy, Alistair's, face, and represents the comforting news that he was okay.

Pursuant Love

2010-10-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

This past Monday for chapel (at The Master's College) our provost spoke, and the message was labeled "pursuant love." His main passage was 1 John 4:7 which simply states:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

So what is “pursuant love” and what does it look like?

The very reason we desire to pursue people and desire for people to pursue us is because God in Christ pursued us! He did this for us “while we were yet sinners” so this tells us that this kind of love is not performance based. I think often we live our lives day to day with an underlying fear or unrest that our friendships are at risk. We’re constantly worried at the prospect of not being funny enough, or athletic enough, or even spiritual enough to keep our friends around. But there is peace with pursuant love.

1 Corinthians 14:1 tells us to “pursue love.” It’s active. It also isn’t always easy if you have to pursue it. We can’t ever manipulate our character enough to transform our friendships into pursuant love kind of friendships on our own. It is only when we live at the foot of the cross, realizing that God sought us out when we hated Him, that we can love people without condition.

Another thing Tatlock said was “don’t wait around your entire life for someone to pursue you. You’re wasting time. Be the pursuer.” If this love truly is unconditional then we can love even when we are not, knowing that the love of Christ is perfect and fully satisfying. The result is unity in the body which exemplifies Christ’s love and gives glory to God.

Pastors, Stop For A Moment...

2010-10-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

When you preach from the Old Testament does it resemble the way the Apostles preached from the Old Testament? You might think that your preaching is Biblical because you use the Bible, but Biblical preaching from the Old Testament hones in on Christ and the redemptive story--sin and the gospel.

Your sermons are to be Christian, not moralistic or therapuetic. I plead with you to help God's people get their eyes off of themselves and on to something much more grand. Not many of you should want to be teachers of God's Word because the Lord will hold you accountable for aptly teaching His Word or mishandling it. Rightly divide it.

Please stop being selective in preaching only from the New Testament passages of Scripture that address familial life, duty to government and our employers. In context, all of those passages are rooted in the gospel and can only be properly addressed when Christ is front and center. If you're going to teach from a New Testament letter, might I humbly suggest that you teach from the beginning of the letter to the end of it to see how the doctrines of the gospel are to shape our life in Christ. The Apostles admonished the church to live holy lives only after bringing redemption into high definition so that the church would be motivated to honor Christ in the mundane and ordinary moments of life.

In the words of theologians....indicative first, imperative second. Or orthodoxy before orthopraxy. Get them aligned in the gospel before you send them back to the law for obedience. If all you do is lay down the LAW (do this, don't do that) on them you will lay a heavy yoke upon them and they will fail to remember that Christ lived the perfect life for them and died in their place for all their acts of disobedience--even the ones you command them to do in your sermons but they fail to do again and again.

Scripture is not a manual for living. Although there are guidelines for holy living, it is self-declaration of God's work in a fallen world and all that He does through Christ, the Spirit and His Word to effectively change things for His glory. I beg of you to read the beginning of Genesis and see that the story of redemption starts immediately after sin enters the picture and a Savior is promised. Then go to the end of Revelation and see Christ there as well. Everything in between those pages falls within this amazing story. Love it. It is our only hope of ever being delivered from these wretched and sinful bodies. It is our only hope of ever being delivered from the wrath of God. It is our only hope for eternal joy in the presence of God's glorious might.

Authorial Intent And "Christian" Music

2010-09-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

I enjoy newly written songs that express the Christian faith. Every now and then you stumble across a song that musically is easy to learn and easy to sing. As the pastor of our church, I also enjoy introducing new songs to our congregation. Introducing new songs not only encourages the congregation to grow musically, but it also keeps them aware of "what" they are singing. There are times when singing an "oldie but goodie" that we go on auto-pilot and forget the meaning of the lyrics and gospel message. But great care must be administered when selecting songs (newer or older) to introduce to the church because not all songs express the Christian faith clearly and some songs are contrary to the Christian faith even if they carry the label "Christian."

For example, the following lyrics were written by a "Christian" musician.

Oh, how could it be
That my God would welcome me
Into this mystery
Say take this bread, take this wine
Now the simple made divine
For any to receive

This musicians songs are sung in a large portion of churches today. But when you discover the background of the worship leader, you discover that his theology is Catholic. And while it could be true that many of his songs express true Christian doctrine, one should expect some songs to carry theology that is distinctly Catholic.

Knowing that this musician is Catholic, I have to wonder what he meant when he penned the lyrics "now the simple made divine." The song, being about communion, would seem to work musically and lyrically. But when put it up to a doctrinal test, it would seem that it fails the test of true doctrine--if I correctly understand the author's intent. In Catholic theology, the view of communion is that the elements of bread and wine become the true body and blood of Christ--transubstantiation. In the words of the musician, the "simple [is] made divine." If that is what the author intended to say, then this should not be a song sung in Protestant churches. If the Catholic author intented to say something else, then his lyrics are ambiguous at best.

Unfortunately, most musicians don't offer a commentary on all of their songs and indeed it seems that many might even allow a vast array of interprations of their songs as long as it encouraged others in the "faith" and in their "walk with God." What the songs "meant to you" and what it "did for you" can in no way be the means of authenticating it's message. As always Scripture alone is the rule of belief and practice. And if one is writing a song to express Christian doctrine, then one should be clear in what he/she is intending to say. In this case, the message seems clear enough and thus the song would not pass the test of right doctrine.

A word of caution would be helpful for all of us. Just because someone writes one or two theological correct songs, doesn't mean that all of their songs are given a free pass. Always be discerning and remember that is the habit of Satan to subtly introduce heresy into the church.

every single thing.

2010-09-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Every single thing that happens to us expresses God's love to us, and comes to us for the furthering of God's purpose for us. Thus so far as we are concerned, God is love to us--holy, omnipotent love--at every moment and in every event of every day's life. Even when we cannot see the why and the wherefore of God's dealings, we know that there is love in and behind them, and so we can rejoice always, even when, humanly speaking, things are going wrong. We know that the true story of our life, when known, will prove to be, as the hymn says, "mercy from first to last" -- and we are content.

_j.i. packer, Knowing God, page 123

Meet The Puritans.

2010-08-24T03:33:00.000-07:00

On this day (August 24th) in 1662, English Parliament/The Church of England banished the puritans from the churches and schools in England. The decree was known as "The Uniformity Act of 1662" or "The Great Ejection." Puritans didn't let that stop them from preaching God's word. They ended up preaching in fields, barns, or wherever possible. In 1664, The Conventicle Act was passed. This banned all "non-conformists" from preaching in fields or conducting services in secret. In 1665 the Five Mile Act was passed and outlawed puritans from coming within five miles of their former churches or any city or town.

Although Puritans were barred, it didn't silence them. They continued to preach God's word and write many incredible God-exalting books.

The reason for such hostility against the Puritans was for their fervent dedication to God and scripture, that provoked them to speak up about the problems within the Church of England. The church began to become weak on scripture, which led to much compromise in teaching, church leadership, obedience, and truth. Some major goals/focuses of the Puritans were:

1. Dedication to search and study the truths/doctrines of scripture and apply them to their lives. They believed doctrine and life-change went hand in hand.

2. A fascination with the character of God and His work in their lives (but not on the experience itself) to give all glory to God for any work done in one's life. Their high view of God was also evidenced also by their strong reformed theology. (High view of God/Low view of Man.)

3. A passion for love.

"It is unusual today to find books that feed the mind with solid biblical substance and move the heart with affectionate warmth, but the puritans do both. They reason with the mind, confront the conscience, and appeal to the heart. They write out of love for God's Word, love for the glory of God, and love for the souls of readers. They set forth Christ in His loveliness, moving us to yearn to know Him better and live wholly for Him."

-Meet The Puritans (Joel R. Beek & Randall J. Pederson)

4. In the same mind as the Reformers, they sought for change within the church that called for the church to conform to the instruction of Scripture on all matters of doctrine, leadersip, and fellowship.

5. Focused on personal evangelism by proclaiming God's word/the gospel.

There is so much more I can write about these men and women. They were/are my heroes.

(much of the information that i got for this post was summarized from what I read in the book "Meet The Puritans")

Biblical Principles Can't Sanctify You

2010-08-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Studying the great Romans 7 debate, I have come across some beautiful gems of Gospel truth. One of them, once again, points out the inadequacy of relying on Biblical "do's" for sanctifying work. These Biblical principles that we all have a tendency to cling to in our Bible reading are no more than the "law" as described in Romans 2,3,4,5,6,7 and so forth.

Romans 7:4

"Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God."

Doug Moo:

"[in Romans 7], Paul argues that a person's bondage to the law must be severed in order that he or she may be put into a new relationship with Christ (7:1-6)... Despite [the law's] divine origin, the law can neither justify nor sanctify."

We are quick to say that the law will not justify us (save us), but after we are "in", we quickly hug the law as our sanctifying tool. Instead, we should use the law in the same way it was used to show us our need for Christ for justification - As unregenerate sinners we only bring sin to the table. But as believer's we STILL only bring sin to the table. We can't depend on our ability to "love God and love others" but we need complete reliance on the cross. The righteousness of Christ is our only righteousness. So instead of "do" we rely on His "did".

why pray?

2010-08-14T21:40:00.001-07:00

Hebrews 4:16

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Psalm 27:7
"Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me."

"You say, “Well what is the point in talking to God like that? I mean, if you know God is sovereign and you know God is all wise and all powerful and all knowing and has purposed everything from the beginning to the end and all the way through the middle, what in the world is the point of praying?” And the answer is because God has not only ordained the end, He has ordained the means to the end. And I don’t know about you but I’d rather be a part of God’s means than anything else."

-John MacArthur

Memorial Service For Floyd McKeehan

2010-07-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

My good friend and dear brother passed into glory a few days ago. I've joyfully wept and cried many times knowing full well that he is with Christ. I was humbled and privileged that, prior to his death, he and his family asked me to preach at his memorial service. It was an honor to know this man who led me to be more godly. He made me want to be a better dad, husband, pastor and lover of Christ. It was a pleasure to honor him by honoring Christ and proclaiming the gospel of His glorious death, burial and resurrection. This message was preached to several hundred people, many of which were unbelievers. I pray that God was glorified in the exaltation of His Son, Jesus Christ.

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR FLOYD MCKEEHAN, JULY 31, 2010

For those of us that are Christians and knew Floyd well in this capacity, we knew that his heart grieved over the condition of the American church. It grieved him to see pastors delivering soft and sugar-coated self-help messages to people who are lovers of self and despisers of God. It pained him to see the true message of Scripture watered down and diluted. He would often comment on how some of the older songs written about God contained more theology and food for the soul than the so-called sermons preached from plastic pulpits. You see, Floyd was one who loved God immensely because of the deep and soul-satisfying treasures found in Scripture. It was in the Scripture that Floyd found and came to know the treasure of the crucified, risen and now reigning Jesus Christ. And it was this Christ that Floyd wanted pastors and Christians to proclaim. As so today, you will not, indeed you should not hear a message that will be of no eternal benefit to you. The message from Scripture, from Jesus Himself, that I will share with you is intended, on purpose, to awaken you from your spiritual slumber, if need be. It is meant to be helpful for you for all eternity. I pray that you would receive it as such.

Loved ones and friends of Floyd, I stand before you today as friend of Floyd’s, as a pastor, but more importantly, as a servant of the most High God, Jesus Christ. And I come to bring you great news from God in this time of bereavement, mourning and loss. But before you can appreciate and receive and cherish this good news, this message of hope, I must share with you the flip side of the coin—that is, the bad news.

In Luke 13:4-5, Jesus poses a most amazing question to the crowds He has been teaching. It is startling when you hear the answer He gives to His own question. For those that think that Jesus’ teachings were nothing more that tidbits of information for wholesome living or that He only spoke on love, you will be surprised at what He says and I think it ties in perfectly for today.

Jesus had been teaching the crowds and His disciples and some people came up to Him and informed Him about a Roman ruler who had just slaughtered and killed some people. It was an atrocious act. Death was in the air. Jesus, knowing the way humans think, poses this question to the crowd: “Do you think that these people were worse sinners, were more wicked, were more evil than others because they were slaughtered and suffered in this way?” In others words, “Do you think that bad things like this only happen to bad people—to people who deserve it?” Jesus gives an answer and then He poses a 2nd and similar question and then gives the same answer to the first question.

Luke 13:4-5 Or [What about] those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?

So that’s Jesus 2nd question. There was a tower in Siloam that fell over and killed 18 people—a random tragedy if you will. Do you think that they were worse offenders, worse sinners before God than all the other people who lived in Jerusalem? Do you think God judged them for their sin and brought the building down on them? Some people have died, a tragedy has taken place and Jesus brings up the issue of sin and judgment and our standing before God. That is the nature of Christ. Always saying the unexpected…always taking people where they don’t want to go…always leading them to consider what matters most in life.

Now I want you to listen to the answer Jesus gives to these two questions…it is the same answer. Were the people murdered and slaughtered more wicked that the others who lives around them? Were the people killed by the falling tower more wicked than those who lived around them? Jesus says,

5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

That is a statement that calls for us to pause and reflect. No! He says. They were not more wicked—in fact, it appears that from a human standpoint they were less evil. Death happens to wicked people. Death happens to people who appear to be good from a human standpoint. But unless you repent, you will all die. And when Jesus speaks of death here, he means eternal judgment from God in hell. Notice that Jesus doesn’t answer the questions that you and I may have? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there evil in the world? Those are legitimate questions but I think secondary to what matters most. If the answers to these questions mattered more, Jesus would have given those answers. But Jesus doesn’t answer those questions and in fact, He takes them to a more important issue—that of our individual deaths and eternal damnation before God.

Let me put it to you like this. It really doesn’t matter how you die, whether it be in a collapsing building, whether you are murdered, whether you die of old age or whether you die of cancer. We all have an appointment with death. People who seem to be good die and so do people who have an outer appearance of greater wickedness. Everyone dies. The day is coming when others will give my eulogy, when others will eulogize you and the person next to you. We all have a date with death, with a casket or with an urn, and there is nothing, absolutely nothing we can do to stop it. We can take vitamins and exercise to put it off a few more years. We can seek medical attention when sick to stall it just a little bit longer, but everyone dies. So the issue of how you die is really secondary to the fact that you will die and that judgment from God takes place upon death. Death is the more important issue that Christ brings to these people’s attention and it happens to good and bad people.

Right now, you’re probably thinking, “Hey, dude, I thought you said you had great news?” I do, but remember that I said that before you can appreciate, receive, desire and cherish the good news you must hear the bad news. A person who is unknowingly sick and feels well has no desire to take any physician recommended medicines or treatment. The medicine is not good news to him when he does not feel sick or see evidence of his sickness. The medicine is but a nuisance. So it is with the sinner. The good news God has for you is a nuisance to you, an inconvenience. You will not want it, desire it, or take it unless you see how serious your condition of coming death is.

Death is serious and it comes from God and is a result of sin. Sin is disobedience to God and His commandments. Sin is loving other things more than God. You and I are great sinners. There is not a good person in this room. Sure, you may be good compared to the person next you, I mean, “come on, you’re way better than them, right?” And therein lies the problem preventing you from ever accepting the good news God has for you. It’s called self-righteousness. People are naturally self-righteous. They think they are righteous or good. They think they are well or healthy before God. They don’t consider themselves to be bad people or sinners that deserve the judgment of God. That is what I mean when I say that an unknowingly sick person will never take a cure for a sickness they are not convinced they have and see no evidence of. You have a sin condition that you may be denying because you don’t feel sinful and you don’t see evidence of your sin. But just as the doctor is there to show a sick person their sickness so that they’ll desire the cure, take it and be healed, so too, there is the pastor and Christian in your life to help you see your souls true condition so that you’ll desire the cure for your deadly condition, take it and receive eternal life. This cure is the good news we all need and will desire when our need for it is exposed.

You must be convinced of your badness, of your sinfulness, of the judgment due you, IF you are to ever understand and embrace God’s love for you. You see, God says there is none good but Him. The standard of goodness that God compares you to is not the person next to you or the criminal on death row or the registered sex offender. We are not judged on a curve. The standard of goodness that God compares you to is God Himself. He is gloriously perfect and we fall way short of that glory. If we want to know if we are truly sinners then God has given us His Law, His commands to see whether or not we fail. God’s commandments and God’s law are reflections of His character and nature. And to violate them is to fail to be like God, it is to fail to love God, it is to be a sinner. And the souls that sins will surely die. The penalty and wage and compensation due all of us for our sin is death in hell. So have you sinned? Indeed, all of us have.

God is a God of truth and commands us not to lie. That is something we are all guilty of countless times. God is a giving God and has given to us and commands us not to take from others. Yet I would say that all of us have taken things from others that do not belong to us. The value of the stolen object does not determine whether stealing is bad. If I took two dollars from your wallet or purse you’d know that was wrong and you’d be angry. But it’s only $2. No. It’s stealing. God commands us to honor our father’s and mother’s. Christ, the Son of God, honored His Father perfectly and so to fail to honor and obey our parents is to fail to be like the perfect Son of God. If we’ve ever used God’s name flippantly or as a cuss word, we’ve taken the name of God in vain and have committed blasphemy. If we have loved other things more than God then we are idol worshippers. Think about it. Many of us have gone camping, or to the snow, or to a lake or beach and have enjoyed God’s creation without ever giving thanks to Him. We’ve enjoyed food without gratitude. We’ve slept many pain-free nights and never expressed gratitude to God. We can be such ungrateful people who take for granted every good gift that God has given us. We love His gifts but not Him so much. I am merely touching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the sins we commit. But hopefully you can see with just the few mentioned, that indeed we all are sinners before God. These are serious offensives to God. Do not kid yourself and think that sin is trivial.

Let us go back to Jesus’ words. Unless you repent, you will likewise perish or die. Jesus doesn’t mean that if you repent of sin, or stop sinning that you’re never going to die a physical death. Here He’s referencing the eternal death in hell that awaits those who do not turn from their sin and come to Christ who is the Savior from sin, death and hell. We all have an appointment with death. What matters is this: How will God judge you? Will He judge you as a sinner or as a perfectly obedient, law-keeping, God-loving person? If you’re honest with yourself, you will hopefully see that all of us should be condemned as sinners. This is the bad news that awaits us all at death. We will all perish apart from God, according to Jesus, unless….Unless what? Unless we repent. The word repent means to change the way you live and to change the way you think. It means to abandon and forsake your sin…stop loving what God detests. Stop thinking in a way that is contrary to God’s thinking. Stop thinking you’re a good person. Start realizing you’re a sinner. Come to grips with the fact that you need someone to rescue you. You need a Savior. Let go of all that is taking you to hell and cling to the One who will bring you to God for all eternity in order that you might have everlasting joy in knowing Him.

The good news is that you can be rescued by God from the judgment of God in order to be with God in heaven. How is it that God accomplishes this for you—this rescuing, this salvation? He accomplishes all this through the life and work of Jesus Christ. The Father sent the Son to live the perfect life that you and I have utterly failed to live. Jesus is the only one who has ever obeyed God’s commandments perfectly. Jesus did everything that the Father required of Him. In Him was no sin. He was the only good person to have ever lived and thus the only one to deserve eternal life with the Father. Understand that first. That was part of what Christ came to do.

Secondly, understand that when Jesus died on the cross, He was dying in the place of those who repent of their sin and trust that He alone can save them. He came to be our substitute in death. We deserve to die. He paid the penalty and fine for us and suffered the wrath of the Father in our place. We deserve the wrath of God. On the cross Jesus absorbed and took the wrath of God upon Himself so that it can be diverted from us.

So here’s what happens when we repent of our sin and come to Christ for eternal salvation, for eternal life with God. When we turn from sin and turn to Christ, when we believe that He alone can save us and that there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves, when we put our faith in Him, two wonderful things happens. (1). We can know that Christ has taken away our sin and removed it from us. Where did the sin go? That sin was placed on Him when He died on the cross so that when He died, He was being treated as a law-breaker even though He was not. He was suffering for my sins, my crimes against God and the crimes and sins of all those who would believe or trust in Him. Our sin gets put into His account, so that He was treated as a sinner and thus suffered the wrath of God in our place. (2). When we repent of our sin and believe in Christ, His perfect obedience and righteousness, His perfect commandment keeping gets transferred to my account, so that God will treat me as if I had never sinned. Even though I am a sinner, God will treat me as the perfect Son of God and I can be with God forever. Christ treated as sinful me. I can be treated as the perfect Christ. This is the work of Christ. This is what He came to do. And only those who repent of their sin and believe that He is the Savior have this wonderful gift of forgiveness…these same believers have this great gift of righteousness.

This is why those of us that knew Floyd can rejoice today. While our hearts miss him. We are confident that he is with God right now. Not because he was a good person…because Floyd was a sinner too. We are confident that he is with God right now because Floyd recognized his sin and Floyd came to Christ seeking forgiveness, seeking the perfect righteousness of Christ, seeking salvation…and God gave that to Floyd when Floyd repented and put His faith in Christ. Floyd knew that the cross of Christ was where the justice and mercy of God met in a beautiful display. And Scripture says that if Christ is our Savior, then death has lost its sting. The grave has no more victory of us. Though we die a physical death, that death has be transformed into a passageway that leads Christians into the very presence of God where our joy will be taken to infinite levels. To see a Christian family rejoice when a loved one has gone to be with Christ is a most comforting and encouraging thing. God has turned our mourning into dancing through Christ.

For those that reject the Savior, then the words of Jesus still remain waiting for you to come to terms with. Unless you repent, you will likewise perish. Those are words that should make your heart pound. We live in a world were we are amused to death. The radio is loud. The food smells good. The movies are great. The clubs are bouncing. The text messages are constantly going off. And unfortunately it takes moments like this, days like today, to get us to stop for a moment and realize that we are all but a breath away from meeting our Maker. Do not be so distracted by the entertainments of life that you never stop to consider what really matters. Satan would love for you to be preoccupied the trivial. Really, he would.

In the time that I knew Floyd I can say that he wanted his life to matter. And right now and I know he is with God and he wants his death to matter. His death would be a waste if we did not share this vital message with you. God appointed this day, the memorial service of Floyd, to be the day that you would hear the good news of salvation. So what is left for you to do? Do what Christ said and taught through His ministry. Repent of your sin and believe that He died, was buried and rose again in order to bring you to God for all eternity. The answer isn’t to look within. The answer is to look outside of yourself. Look to the cross. Look to Christ. Look to the empty tomb and you will not perish. Though you die, you will live forever with God. And that is great news.

"The Love of Christ"

2010-07-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

by William Gadsby

The love of Christ is rich and free;
Fixed on His own eternally;
Nor earth, nor hell, can it remove;
Long as He lives, His own He’ll love.

His loving heart engaged to be
Their everlasting Surety;
’Twas love that took their cause in hand,
And love maintains it to the end.

Chorus: Love cannot from its post withdraw;
Nor death, nor hell, nor sin, nor law,
Can turn the Surety’s heart away;
He’ll love His own to endless day.

Love has redeemed His sheep with blood;
And love will bring them safe to God;
Love calls them all from death to life;
And love will finish all their strife.

He loves through every changing scene,
Nor aught from Him can Zion wean;
Not all the wanderings of her heart
Can make His love for her depart.

At death, beyond the grave, He’ll love;
In endless bliss, His own shall prove
The blazing glory of that love
Which never could from them remove.

Indelible Grace did an awesome rendition of this by putting this old hymn to new music. Listen here > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufTrN4dTSac&feature=related

Prone To Wander, Lord I Feel It...

2010-07-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

It's interesting how much of the day can go by in the monotony of life and not have a single thought about Christ or His work. Often I will cling to the cross in reliance, knowing that every step of obedience is a result of the cross. However I somehow will manage to sleepwalk away from the cross and then wake up only to find myself miles away from it.

I decided to set an alarm clock to wake myself up from this sleepwalking tendency. For some reason I happen to coincidentally look at the clock or an address or a receipt where there is a repeating number - very often. For example: 3:33pm, 222 San Jose Ave, $7.77, etc. I seem to see this about 3-5 times a day. Since it happens so often I decided to use it. Each time I see a repeating digit, I will thank God for an aspect of the gospel.

For example:

"Thank you Father, that because of the gospel, you have adopted me."

"Thank you Jesus for fully relying on the Father's will on my behalf."

"Lord, I am thankful that because of the gospel, this earth will be made new."

"Thank you God for vindicating your glory through the gospel."

It has been a blessing lately. I get excited dwell on these realities at random times unexpectedly throughout the day.

Our Journey, Our Song, Our Story: Not Taking for Granted the Gospel

2010-07-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

If you were at Resolved Conference two weekends ago, the lyrics below will not be unfamiliar to you. The words were penned by Jordan Kauflin, son of Bob Kauflin, a well-known and faithful worship leader, the director of Sovereign Grace Music and the author of "Worship Matters."

I love this song, not only because the melody is rich and beautiful, but because the words are loaded with doctrine and portray an accurate Gospel-centered view (which sadly is becoming more and more of an anomaly in Christian music, thanks to the highly self-centered, shallow, and sappy evangelical environment of the twenty-first century).

When I sing this song, I am reminded of the prodigal son and of the reality that while I grew up in a Christian home and have attended church all of my life, this song about the prodigal son's journey, is MY JOURNEY, MY SONG, AND MY STORY as well! "I once was lost in darkest night Yet thought I knew the way...But as I ran my hell-bound race Indifferent to the cost You looked upon my helpless state And led me to the cross."

If you have been on the go this summer, busy while on vacation, at work, or even with ministry, or if you have been in the faith and in the church for so long, the Gospel message is second-nature to you, I would encourage you to Youtube or purchase "All I Have Is Christ" by Jordan Kauflin on iTunes, then to play it and stop to reflect upon the words.

If you belong to Christ, whether you were saved out of a background of drugs and premarital sex, or you were saved from sitting on a pew bench and singing about the glorious realities of the Gospel, without them having ANY effect upon your heart or life, remember that this is YOUR JOURNEY, YOUR SONG, AND YOUR STORY as well...then get on your knees and thank our great Lord and Savior and ask for His grace so that you never take His substitutionary work on your behalf for granted again!

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way.
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave.
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will.
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still.

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross.
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life
Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me.
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose.
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You.

© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI), by Jordan Kauflin

Learning to Be Content

2010-07-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

"Paul had come to learn this great truth by working out a great argument. Let me give you some of the steps of the argument which you can work out for yourself. I think that the apostle's logic was something like this. He said to himself:

1. Conditions are always changing, therefore I must obviously not be dependent upon conditions.

2. What matters supremely and vitally is my soul and my relationship to God--that is the first thing.

3. God is concerned about me as my Father, and nothing happens to me apart from God. Even the very hairs of my head are all numbered. I must never forget that.

4. God's will and God's ways are a great mystery, but I know that whatever He wills or permits is of necessity for my good.

5. Every situation in life is the unfolding of some manifestation of God's love and goodness. Therefore my business is to look for this peculiar manifestation of God's goodness and kindness and to be prepared for surprises and blessings because 'His ways are not my ways, neither His thoughts my thoughts'. What, for example, is the great lesson that Paul learned in the matter of the thorn in the flesh? It is that: 'When I am weak then am I strong'. Paul was taught through physical weakness this manifestation of God's grace.

6. I must regard circumstances and conditions, not in and of themselves therefore, but as a part of God's dealings with me in the work of perfecting my soul and bringing me to final perfection.

7. Whatever my conditions may be at this present moment they are only temporary, they are only passing, and they can never rob me of the joy and the glory that ultimately await me with Christ."

....

"The big principle that emerges clearly is that he had learned to find his pleasure and his satisfaction in Christ and always in Christ. That is the positive aspect of the matter. We must learn to depend upon Him and in order to do that we must learn to know Him, we must learn to have communion with Him, we must learn to find our pleasure in Him. Let me put it plainly--the danger with some of us is to spend far too much of our time even in reading about Him. The day may come, indeed will some, when we shall not be able to read. Then comes the test. Will you still be happy? Do you know Him so well that though you become deaf or blond this fount still be open? Do you know Him so well that you can talk to Him and listen to Him and enjoy Him always? ...That was the apostle's condition. His intimacy with Christ was so deep and so great that he had become independent of everything else."

_D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression, pg 284-285

---------

such a good book. if you haven't read it, and you have the time, it will (Lord-willing) transform the way you live your life and deal with feelings, circumstances, trials, and regrets.

Only What's Done for Christ Will Last

2010-06-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

Been reading 1 Corinthians 3, about the Bemacy, the judgment seat where believers' lives will be evaluated and where they will be rewarded for their faithfulness. The passage talks about building on the foundation (Christ) works of gold, silver, and precious metals as well as works of hay, wood, and straw! It is sobering to reevaluate your life and to ask yourself, is my life's trajectory *truly* *fully* and *completely* aimed towards Christ and His glory?

Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God's holy will to cleave;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, "twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say,"Thy will be done";
And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say "twas worth it all";
Only one life,'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

-C.T. Studd

"Are the things you're living for worth Christ dying for?" ~epitaph of Leonard Ravenhill

Questions and Answers with John MacArthur

2010-06-09T14:19:00.001-07:00

On April 18, 2010, at Grace Community Church there was a night of Q & A. This night particular was awesome, because of a certain question asked. I decided to share this question and answer that hit home for me, as I use to be Catholic. In August 2006, I was saved by faith in Christ alone.

QUESTION: Hi, I’m a Catholic. I’ve been a Catholic all of my life, that’s 75 years. The question I’m going to ask is a very, very basic and has been bothering me for many, many years of my adult life. To the billions of non-Christian denominations, I’m talking about the Jewish, the Buddhists, the Profuciests, Mormons and so forth that truly believe in their faith, that lived a very good life according to their faith. My question is, is there salvation...a heaven for them? Or all they all condemned to hell?

JOHN: Yeah, that’s a very good question. What’s your name?

CHARLIE: Charlie...........Simmons

JOHN: Hi, Charlie. That’s a very good question, Charlie.
The answer to that from the Word of God is they will all perish in hell because there is only one way to go to heaven. There’s no salvation in any other name than the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus said “You will die in your sins,” to the Jewish leaders, “because you believe not on Me...because you believe not on Me.” “God, that familiar John 3:16, so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes on Him shall not perish.”

There’s only one heaven and there’s only one way into heaven and that is through faith in Christ. It is the only hope, that is why we are told to go to the ends of the earth, preach the gospel to every creature. So all who perish without the knowledge of Christ, die in their sins and go everlastingly to hell.

Now the degree of punishment in hell will vary. But what makes it vary is not the goodness of the person because no person is good before God, no person. Only God is good and Jesus said that. No person is good, no person is good enough to earn heaven. The only difference in hell will be that the people who heard about Jesus Christ and rejected Him will have a greater punishment than the people who didn’t hear about Him. They will all be punished, but those who knew about Christ and didn’t receive Christ will have the greater punishment. That’s Hebrews, “How much sorer, or greater will be the punishment of those who trampled underfoot the blood of the covenant and counted the work of Christ, as it were, an unholy thing, rejected Christ.”

Now the other thing to say is this, that even if you believe in Christ, even if you believe in Christ as God and Christ dying on the cross and Christ being raised from the dead and Christ being Lord, and all those things, that may not be enough to get you into heaven either because in Matthew 7 it says, “Many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, we did this in Your name and that in Your name.’ And He’ll say, ‘Depart from Me, I never knew you.’” So you can know about Christ and you can know that He lived a holy life and was born of a virgin and that He died on the cross and He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven and reigns and is returning and not go to heaven.

But here’s the key. You must trust Christ for your salvation alone and reject any works of your own as having any contribution to your salvation.

JOHN: It doesn’t matter how many times you went to church, it doesn’t matter how many humanly good deeds you did, it doesn’t matter how many times you took the Mass, for example, in a Catholic situation, it doesn’t matter how many times you went to Confession, it doesn’t matter how bad you felt about the sins that you did, it doesn’t matter how many rosaries you said, it doesn’t matter any of those things...none of those things individually and all of those things collectively cannot save a person. A person will be saved by faith in Christ alone, recognizing that in my flesh dwells no good thing, by the deeds of the Law will not flesh be justified. You can’t earn your way in by being good. You can only receive salvation when you know you’re not good enough and you cry out to be forgiven of your sin by the sheer grace of God based upon the death and provision of Christ on the cross. Okay?

CHARLIE: Oh one last thing, I meant to add this. I am leaving the Catholic Church and hope to join this church.

JOHN: We welcome you. (Applause) Now you folks over there, you folks over there need to open your arms to Charlie, right? Let him know we love having him here.

You understand the gospel, right? The way I explained it? All right, Charlie, never too late, right? You’re the youngest-looking 75. What happened to me? I don’t get it. Okay. Alright.

[This has been taken from the Grace To You website.]

Our Great High Priest

2010-05-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Psalm 110:4 “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’”

Hebrews 10:19-23 “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

“Once for all” [Hebrews 9:12]…what does this mean? When you find yourself committing that sin that you swore yesterday you would stay away from, that sin has already been paid for. You don’t have to go pay some sort of penance because Christ paid that for you. “It is finished” [John 19:30]. We’re always tempted to think “now I’ve really done it. That was the last straw” and Satan wants you to think that, but you have a Great High Priest who has paid for your sins past, present, and future. “You are perfect forever” [Hebrews 10:14] …you can’t screw up your perfection because Jesus already saved you. As our Great High Priest, Christ is seated at the right hand of God interceding and offering perfect prayer for us. Why does Jesus still intercede for us if His work on the cross is already finished? Christ lives to plead the settled-ness of His finished work on the cross. It’s not as if God forgets about that sacrifice and needs His Son to constantly remind him, no, He preserves us in the faith. Think of when Jesus spoke to Peter and told him “Satan has asked for you, but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail…” [Luke 22:32] Our Great High Priest will preserve us and keep us until the end.

-Based on a Sermon by David Balzer

It's All About Love...No, It's All About Christ

2010-05-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

Since the inception of our church I have tried to impress upon my brothers and sisters that all of Scripture is about Christ. To hear a sermon from the Old Testament or New Testament and to not have Christ as the aim or focal point is to have a Christless sermon—a non-Christian sermon really. The substance and essence of all Scripture is Jesus Christ Himself. He said so and taught accordingly.

John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

And so in some way, we must always head to Christ from whatever passage we preach from. It was Charles Spurgeon who said, “I take my text and make a bee-line to the cross.” So whether the passage shows us our sin and utter depravity and need for the Savior like in Genesis 3…or whether the passage shows God’s faithfulness in presevering the people through whom Christ would be born like in Genesis 50…or whether the passage gives a prophecy of the work and person of Christ like in Isaiah 55…or whether the passage shows us a type of Christ like Jonah…or whether the passage gives us the wisdom of Christ as in Proverbs…or whether the passage points to the judgment of Christ as in Joel…IT’S ALL ABOUT CHRIST.

My aim in the past three and a half years has been to build this truth into my family and into our church. Naturally, you can understand my joy when my daughter and I had this conversation last night after she read her Bible.

“Macy, what did you read in your Bible?”

She replied, “Dad, I’m a little nervous to tell you.”

“Why? It’s ok if you forget a little. Just pick up your Bible and show me some of the things you learned. Was it about soccer? What is about food? Was it about Jesus?”

”Dad! All Bible stories are about Jesus,” she replied as if I didn’t know and that it should have been obvious to me.

She went on, “Dad. It was hard to understand. I’m not sure if I got it.”

I replied, “Well, it looks like God gave something to Moses. Did he give him some fish? Did he give him a high-five? What did He give him?”

“Commandments,” she said.

The Bible she reads from has some lessons that are designed to teach her essential truths of the faith. This lesson focused on the fact that we can’t know God unless He reveals Himself to us. Thus we see God speaking His Word. Scripture, which is God-breathed, shows us what God is like and what He expects of us.

Our conversation then went on to explaining the point of why God gave us His Law: to show His perfection and our sin, thus our need for Christ’s perfect obedience and His salvation. We had a good chat as she snuggled up into my arms and I told her the gospel story once again from Exodus.

Calvin's Commentary Set

2010-05-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

They're coming in the mail. I thought I'd just let somebody know.

I'm a little giddy. My bookshelf is getting a makeover. And my heart and brain will be getting some tutelage.

Gospel Realities in the Barnyard

2010-05-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

I love how in just a few short words, Christ can teach us of mercy and judgment. On one hand, if we come to Christ, we receive mercy. On the other hand, if we reject Him via rejecting His messengers, we are damned.

Matthew 23:37-38 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate.

In this passage, Christ uses a tender metaphor to teach Jerusalem, the Scribes and the Pharisees what He intends to accomplish for repentant sinners. Christ explains that the gospel work He came to accomplish is like that of a hen tucking her chicks under her wings. A hen will do this to provide protection for her little precious ones. Protection from what? From foxes, from hawks or from whatever dangerous predators may lurk out there. In the event that an animal comes to attack the chicks, the hens wings will be the first line of defense. Whatever wounds are meant to come upon the chicks will indeed be inflicted upon the hen. In may even be that the hen gives her life for her chicks in order for them to live.

Thus it is with Christ, as He says. "How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" Sinners need protection under the wings of Christ. Protection from what? From foxes? From hawks? From what? From God. God and sinners are opposed to each other. As a just God, God will punish and inflict judgment and eternal death upon sinners. Violating God's holy nature is that serious, that offensive, that ugly. Yet our God is a merciful God. The Father, Son and Spirit had an eternally existing plan that was meant to provide protection for sinners. This plan entailed our coming under the wings of Christ so that when God comes to strike us down for our sin, our Christ edures the pain, the stripes, the punishment, the death blow.

We are safe from eternal danger because Christ is to us what a mother hen is to her chicks. Those outside the wings are Christ will be stricken, smitten and afflicted by God. They will be left desolate just as Jerusalem was.

Isaiah 53:4-12 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Christ alone

2010-05-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

Let me put it plainly, I will not make my boast, I will not glory, even in my orthodoxy, for even that can be a snare if I make a god of it. I will glory only in that Blessed Person Himself by whom this great thing has been done, with whom I died, with whom I have been buried, with whom i am dead to sin and alive unto God, with whom I have risen, with whom I am seated in the heavenly places, by whom and by whom alone the world is crucified unto me and I am crucified unto the world. Anything that wants to come into the centre instead of Him, anything that wants to add itself on to Him, I shall reject. Knowing the apostolic message concerning Jesus Christ in all it's directness, its simplicity and it's glory, God forbid that any one of us should add anything to it. Let us rejoice in him in all His fullness and in Him alone.

_d.m.lloyd-jones, "Spiritual Depression"

The Blog Every Christian Should Read

2010-05-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

I recently read someone's post / blog who wrote about a sermon that was available for free download. They said, "This is a sermon every Christian needs to hear." I forget who said it really, but I might as well post my name to that.... mostly because I've said that before. C.J. Mahaney's message at the Resolved Conference in 2008 from Galatians 4, "God as Father: Understanding the Doctrine of Adoption", is a sermon I've heart about 4 or 5 times; and I've said more times than that, "Dude, you have to listen to this." What can I say... it was a great message.

When I see or hear something great, I usually want to share that with people I know. Sometimes I get really excited about it...
"You have to watch this movie!"
"You need to buy this CD."
"You've gotta listen to this sermon!"
"Dude! You need this thing that adds to the Bible! You just have to!"

My dad is someone who I look up to a lot (not literally though). I remember a time not too long ago where he was talking about a word I use pretty much every day... "awesome!". He was talking to a mutual friend about how he chooses to reserve that word for God alone, just as a personal choice of reverence to the Lord (because ultimately, only God is awesome... not God and my burrito). It's not something that he expects to be a governing point in everyone else's life, but he wanted to shepherd his heart to love God as being a holy (uniquely set apart) God. It's nice to set apart certain things to only certain people. I've never told a girl "I love you", which will be nice someday when I can say that to my future fiancée / wife (and yes, I have told my mom, grandmothers, and aunts... doesn't count).

There's something about our hearts, though, that wants to go beyond straightforward communication with each other, and it's called pride. When I experience something you haven't, like say.... the newest Pixar short, I want to share that with you so that you watch it too. For me, what usually happens is I let my pride get in the mix, and I go from "Pixar has a new short, you need to see it!" to "I've seen something you haven't and I'm now going to be the one to share it with you because I'm privileged in my experience and knowledge in a way that you can enjoy what I'm already ahead of you in." Did you catch that? It was kinda subtle... which is the point really. What we say may or may not divulge our pride. Sometimes it's noticeable; sometimes it's hidden. Sometimes it's not even there... we just genuinely want someone else to be blessed too. But pride is kinda tricky, so best to watch for it.

Circling back around, there's nothing wrong with saying "You need to listen to this message!", but there is something wrong when I say that out of a foundation of pride. Let me tell you, it's hard... because Pride is one of my 'closest' friends. I hate Pride, but he's with me almost all the time. One of the clearest miscalculations we make in our speech is when we qualify exponentially or universally. "Everyone", "must", "need", etc. Let's go back to what I've probably said a few times before: "Every Christian needs to hear this sermon." Um... really? So... the new born believer in Argentina needs to hear this? Obviously, the statement doesn't intend to qualify in this way... we're just trying to strongly encourage others to experience what we've experienced. But are those cases really "needs"?

I need Jesus Christ and I need His spoken Word. Jesus is my chief need and His Word is how He teaches me about Himself. A sermon is just a way to point to Him and His Word. Sometimes we get overly excited about a specific, available tool that God can use and forget about the tool's craftsman. I don't need to listen to every ground breaking sermon that Piper, MacArthur, Mahaney, or... Joe Smith has preached... I need the One who breaks the hard soil. I don't need to go to every great conference or hear every amazing song or read every articulate book. God is great, amazing, and articulate.

Again, there isn't anything wrong with getting excited about a conference, message, book, or Christ exalting song... those are great! I tell people all the time that they "need to listen to this"! I just need to check my heart more often than I do. Because my pride often underlies the root of those qualifiers in a way that might try to steal glory from my God. It might make me think that I'm privileged in experience or information. Or it might make my brother or sister feel "left out" on God's grace because they haven't read a certain book, or even just very many books at all. Grace flows onto the one who dwells on the love of Jesus Christ and His glory... not me with my stack of books, iPod full of Piper, four sermons a week, Mr. I-Can-Find-Galatians-Faster-Than-You-Can "accomplishments". Be encouraged by the brother who spends a quarter of the sermon flipping through the Bible as he tries to find the text... he's thirsty for the Word. Pray for him; don't do what I do and think, "Just go to the index already, bro! It's right there!".

If a book, sermon, song, or conference was something that "every Christian" should read / hear / listen to / attend, God would have put it in His Word.

Watch out for our pride when we seek to share or encourage, and love Jesus Christ instead.

Abide With Me

2010-05-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see—
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

- Henry F. Lyte

i hear the words of love

2010-04-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

I hear the words of love,
I gaze upon the blood,
I see the mighty sacrifice,
And I have peace with God.

’Tis everlasting peace,
Sure as Jehovah’s Name;
’Tis stable as His steadfast throne,
For evermore the same.

The clouds may go and come,
And storms may sweep my sky;
This blood-sealed friendship changes not,
The cross is ever nigh.

I change—He changes not;
The Christ can never die;
His love, not mine, the resting-place;
His truth, not mine, the tie.

My love is oftimes low,
My joy still ebbs and flows;
But peace with Him remains the same,
No change Jehovah knows.

_h.bonar

Gubment & Powerpoint

2010-04-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

This article makes and interesting point concerning Powerpoint in the military. Here are two excerpts from the article.

"Commanders say that behind all the PowerPoint jokes are serious concerns that the program stifles discussion, critical thinking and thoughtful decision-making. Not least, it ties up junior officers — referred to as PowerPoint Rangers — in the daily preparation of slides, be it for a Joint Staff meeting in Washington or for a platoon leader’s pre-mission combat briefing in a remote pocket of Afghanistan."

"In a daytime telephone conversation, he estimated that he spent an hour each day making PowerPoint slides. In an initial e-mail message responding to the request for an interview, he wrote, 'I would be free tonight, but unfortunately, I work kind of late (sadly enough, making PPT slides).'"

Not that I am against the use of Powerpoint in a sermon, but this article got me thinking about the rampant use of Powerpoint in our worship services. I wonder if the church has the same problems. Are we spending much valuable time and resources on diagrams and bullet points...and not enough time with people or in sermon preparation or in evangelism? Would our families be healthier if we dropped the 30 slide presentation and spent more time with them? Can Powerpoint reduce critical thinking or stifle discussion? Can Powerpoint give the mistaken notion that Biblical matters, sin issues and doctrinal issues can be reduced to bullets?

Again, I don't want to dismiss the use of PPT, but surely an overuse can trivialize or pollute or blurr the message of Scripture. On Sunday, will the focus be on Christ or on a slide presentation? If the PPT show towers above Christ then it's time for it to go.

the same Spirit.

2010-04-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

'God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts' -- the Spirit of His own Son. Do we realize that we have within us the self-same Holy Spirit that was in the Son of God when He was here on earth?...The Spirit that enabled Him will enable us.

_d.m.lloyd-jones, 'spiritual depression'

The Solid Rock

2010-04-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

Does our life declare that we are clinging onto this truth?

"He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken."
Psalm 62:6

On Christ the solid Rock I stand, *all other ground* is sinking sand...

The Lord Provides

2010-04-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

I have to take a minute and share God's goodness to me and my family. If God never did anything but show me gospel grace, I would always have to say that God is good. Yet in God's ever-gracious giving, He gives physical, material and daily blessings. We are taught by Christ Himself to ask the Lord for our daily needs and thus we thank God when He does provide.

For those that do not know, I sell cars for a living. This is the same job that the Lord provided for me when I moved back to Victorville to plant a church near the end of 2006, beginning of 2007. Since 1996 this is the only job I've held outside of a church (aside from the 2 years I worked part-time at a local high school to meet and evangelize students). Instead of making tents, I sell cars to support my family while we plug away at part-time ministry. It's been a blessing to recieve no salary from the ones I get to minister with. At the same time it has been a struggle to make a living selling cars.

My first year in the business was a tough one. The economy was fine, but learning about cars and learning the ropes for a new career was tough. I held my own and managed to keep the job. Thank you, Lord.

My second year was a lot better. I had a little more knowledge and experience. And although the economy struggled and sales dipped, I was able to make more of an income that second year because of the knowledge I had gained. God was good to our family financially and I was able to pay off all my credit cards and one of my cars. On top of all that I was still able to put about 4 months of income in savings. It took nearly two years to save that much. It was great because in my entire adult life (I'm now 36) I've never had more than a couple hundred bucks in savings. In 2008 I felt like the harvest came and I put away some grain in the storehouse.

Then came 2009. We began to see drastic changes near the end of 2008, but it hit like a hailstorm in 2009.

1. Chrysler filed for bankruptcy. We were in the news constantly! Customers were rude to us every chance they got. They expected us to sell cars for 10-15 thousand dollar losses. They rejoiced that we were hurting and they let us know it.

2. The banks had received their bail-out money but they were being stingy with the money. People with credit scores in the 700's and even 800's were having a hard time getting loans if the banks parameters didn't line up perfectly. It's like the banks didn't want to make money by loaning it out.

3. With Chrsyler out of bankruptcy, they had to elimate dealerships that were not performing well. We survived the cut, but they took suspended the flooring plan for all dealership. Our flooring plan is the line of credit we get to order new vehicles and keep them on the lot. Without it we have to pay for the vehicles with the owner's own money. Seeing that a dealership can easily have $10-20 million dollars of inventory, there was no way this was happening. So we continued to sell what little cars we had and watched our inventory rapidly deplete

4. The factories also shut down for several months. And we thought things couldn't get worse. What this meant was that even when our flooring plan was cleared, it would be several months after that before we'd start seeing a steady flow of new inventory come in. It looked bleak.

5. Cash for clunkers then came around. If you read the newspaper, watched television or read online, it may have appeared like this went over really well. But consider the previous things I just mentioned and you'll see that the program wasn't so hot. The factories were shut down, our flooring plan was suspended...on top of that our inventory levels were already extremely lean to try and prevent an outrageous monthly overhead cost. So when cash for clunkers came, it sucked up our inventory like a dry sponge. At one point we were about down to 7 new cars. Our lot was empty! No new cars could be ordered because the factories were closed...and even if we could order cars we had no flooring plan. Then came more customers attacks...."You guys are going out of business. Where's the two for one cars! You guys are done!" Constantly hearing things like this can really tear down your morale.

It's hard to sell cars with these constraintes. At one point our bosses and owners told us that our dealership might not make it. We might be forced to close because our hands were tied. The few people that were left vowed to "go down with the ship." I was blessed to be one of those. It was a brutal year. It was hard for me to smile most days. I often felt like bitterness and synicism was becoming a daily ritual for me. Yet I had the gospel to keep me grounded. Thank the Lord for that. I struggled many days to show others that my true treasure lay in Christ, not success or money.

I will remember 2009 as the year that our hands were tied, our mouth was gagged, our ears and eyes were covered and we still had to sell cars. My income for 2009 was nearly cut by 50%. Our savings account was bleeding to death and at one point I told our church that I might need monthly financial support to remain being their pastor. If I couldn't pay my bills I would have to pack up and move somewhere (in with the in-laws). Thankfully, we never needed the help. My wife and I cut back on anything and everything...and when we couldn't cut back anymore, we cut back some more. There were times when my asking my wife to watch the spending sent her into tears. She was already trying so hard and I was asking to her try harder. It breaks my heart to recall those moments.

It was an exhausting year. And I thank God for it. God taught me the value of being debt free. God taught me to depend upon Him for daily provisions. God taught me to be more content. God helped me to treasure Christ above all and to look forward to redemption day--how I long for Christ to return. God allowed me on many occassions to rejoice in the midst of frustrating circumstances. Although I have failed and sinned on many accounts, the Lord permitted me to grow a few inches in each of these (and many more) areas.

With the grain in my storehouse all but wiped-out I have tried and tried to use it as slowly as possible. Who knows how much longer we'll struggle through this economy and if a time like this will ever come again. Yet even in the midst of this, God has done something amazing for me and my family. This past month I had a great month and was paid several bonuses. This month I won a couple of contests: one in California and one for the West Business Center. On top of this I am having another great month in sales....AND for the first time in years I am getting some money refunded from my taxes. The short of it is this: what I saved during 2007-2008 was nearly depleted in 2009 and the beginning of 2010. From what I can tell, within a four week time period, God will have restored to us all that we lost in 2009. I'm speechless. That amazes me. God's blessing confounds me. What took 2 years to gain, 1 year to lose, has now been given back in 1 month.

It's like having rain in the middle of a drought. It's like having food in a starving belly. I say this with a grateful heart and yet I feel some sort of embarrassment for having been frustrated knowing that others have suffered way worse than I will probably ever suffer. Persecuted Christians, earthquake victims, flood ravaged cities...and the list goes on.

At the same time, I do not want to deprive God of His glory and praise for having provided for my family. He is good. And throughout life we all experience different degrees of hardship, frustrations, and calamities. Sometimes they're physical, sometimes mental or sometimes spiritual. This funky economy messed with me in all three areas and God has sustained me. Here I am...alive...still preaching...still with my family...still saved....still blessed. Indeed I have always been blessed and will always be blessed in Christ. So whether the Lord gives or takes away, we ought to bless His name. And right now it is my time to bless Him for giving. The Lord took away and He taught me to be better at praising Him in loss. But now my cup overflows. Thank you, Father.

Dwelling on Gospel Truth

2010-04-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

[an excerpt from a I.M. conversation that I had with Andrea's husband, Mike]

Michael: I was studying for the sermon this week and something struck me about the greatness of the gospel, so I want to share it with you

Joey: RAD. Let's hear it!

Michael: heb. 6:10 - God is not unjust so as to forget your work and love which you have shown toward his name.
What strikes me is God will not remember any of my sins, but will remember and reward the work that I have for His name sake. That is grace. Underserved blessing.
Sent at 12:25 PM on Wednesday

Joey: That's incredible. I have to dwell on that truth today.

Michael: Just imagine if God said, "I am going to weigh your bad deeds against your good and bless you accordingly"?
there would be fear, not toward God, but of doing more good then bad
but now, that my sin has been forgotten in Christ, I have freedom to serve Him for His glory
Ps. 130:4, there is forgiveness with you that YOU should be feared

A Race Of Lazaruses

2010-04-06T11:38:00.001-07:00

I saw this on Brittany's facebook status:

"The One who gave the command to Lazarus (to rise from the dead) gave life to him so that Lazarus could respond to the command. We are a race of Lazaruses." _j.macarthur

photo credit: Carissa Gallo

Wandering Heart

2010-04-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

"King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary."

"Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary."

-Jennie Hussey (Lead Me To Calvary, 1921)

4 Views On The Millennial Reign Of Christ

2010-03-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

If you've ever wanted a brief summary of what the four major eschatological views are concerning the 1000 year reign of Christ, then these videos break it down for simple folk like me.

Premillennial Timeline from Puritan Reformed on Vimeo.

Dispensational Premillennial Timeline from Puritan Reformed on Vimeo.

Postmillennial Timeline from Puritan Reformed on Vimeo.

Amillennial Timeline from Puritan Reformed on Vimeo.

The Cross-Centered Prayer Life

2010-03-26T03:33:00.000-07:00

“Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24)

“A most powerful incentive to prayer is found in a close and realizing view of the atoning blood. What encouragement does it present to this blessed and holy life of communion with God! The atoning blood! The mercy seat sprinkled over! The High Priest before the throne! The cloud of incense constantly ascending! The Father well pleased! What can more freely invite the soul that pants for close and holy communion with God? And when the atoning blood is realized upon the conscience, when pardon and acceptance are sealed upon the heart by the Eternal Spirit, oh, then what a persuasion to draw near the throne of grace has the believer in Christ! Then, there is no consciousness of guilt to keep the believer back; no dread of God; no trembling apprehensions of a repulse. God is viewed through the cross as reconciled, and as standing in the endeared relationship, and wearing the inviting smile of a Father. With such an altar, such a High Priest, such atoning blood, and such a reconciled God, what an element should prayer be to a believer in Christ! Let the soul, depressed, burdened, tried, tempted, as it may be, draw near the mercy seat: God delights to hear, delights to answer. Taking in the hand the atoning blood, pleading the infinite merit of Christ – reminding the Father of what His Son has accomplished, of His own gracious promise to receive and favorably answer the petition endorsed with the name and presented in behalf of that Son – the feeblest child of God, the most disconsolate, the most burdened, may approach and open all the heart to a prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God. Let the atoning blood be strenuously pleaded, let the precious and infinite merit of Christ be fully urged, and the blessing petitioned for will be obtained.”

“May not this be assigned as a reason why so few of our petitions are answered, why so little blessing is obtained: The faint pleading of the atoning blood? There is so feeble a recognition of the blessed way of access, so little wrestling with the precious blood, so little looking by faith to the cross, the dear name of Immanuel so seldom urged, and when urged so coldly mentioned – oh, is it any marvel that our prayers return to us unanswered, the petition ungranted, the draft on the full treasury of His love unhonored? The Father loves to be reminded of His beloved Son; the very breathing of the name to Him is music; the very waving of the censer of infinite merits to Him is fragrant. He delights to be pressed with this plea; it is a plea at all times prevalent; it is a plea He cannot reject; it glorifies Himself, honors His Son, while it enriches him who urges it. And, oh, in the absence of all other pleas, what a mercy to come with a plea like this! Who can fully estimate it? No plea has the poor believer springing from himself: he searches, but nothing can he find on which to rest a claim; all within is vile, all without is marred by sin; unfaithfulness, ingratitude, departure do but make up the history of the day. But in Christ he sees that which he can urge, and in urging which God will hear and answer.”

- Octavius Winslow (1808-1878), Daily Walking With God, June 12th.

photo credit: carissa gallo

He Came Not To Be Served

2010-03-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Jenny!

2010-03-23T03:33:00.000-07:00

Talian Jenny Murphy [J MO] just got married!

We love you Jenny & we are excited that you get to proclaim the Gospel through your marriage with Ryan.

it is all of grace.

2010-03-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Do not keep record or an account of your work. Give up being book-keepers. In the Christian life we must desire nothing but His glory, nothing but to please Him. So do not keep your eye on the clock, but keep it on Him and His work. Do not keep on recording your work and labour, keep your eye on Him and His glory, on His love and His honour and the extension of His Kingdom.

...There is no need to waste time keeping the accounts, He is keeping them. And what wonderful accounts they are. May I say it with reverence, there is nothing I know of that is so romantic as God's method of accountancy. Be prepared for suprises in this Kingdom. You never know what is going to happen. The last shall be first. What a complete reversal of our materialistic outlook, the last first, the first last, everything upside down. The whole world is turned upside down by grace. It is not of man, it is of God, it is the Kingdom of God. How excellent this is....Our ledgers are out of date; they are of no value. We are in the Kingdom of God and it is God's accountancy. It is all of grace.

...The secret of a happy Christian life is to realize that it is all of grace and to rejoice in that fact. 'So likewise ye,' says our Lord in another place, 'when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say, "We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which is our duty to do."'

...'Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus'. You see what that means. He did not look at Himself, He did not consider Himself and His own interests only; He made Himself of no reputation, He laid aside the insignia of His eternal glory. He did not regard His equality with God as something to hold on to and say: 'Come what may I will not let it go'. Not at all, He laid it aside, He humbled Himself, He forgot Himself, and He went through and endured and did all He did, looking only to the glory of God. Nothing else mattered to Him but that the Father should be glorified and that men and women should come to the Father. That is the secret. Not watching the clock, not assessing the amount of work, not keeping a record in a book, but forgetting everything except the glory of God, the privilege of being called to work for Him at all, the privilege of being a Christian, remembering only the grace that has ever looked upon us and removed us from darkness to light.

It is grace at the beginning, grace at the end. So that when you and I come to lie upon our deathbeds, the one thing that should comfort and help and strengthen us there is the thing that helped us at the beginning. Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace, wondrous grace. 'By the grace of God I am what I am.' 'Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.'

_m.lloyd-jones

My Incomplete Joy

2010-03-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of the more comforting things God has pointed me to in the past year is the joy in knowing that I do not need to rely on my joy. As believers, our chief end in being created beings (in simply existing) is to glory in our God, to joy in our Savior, to enjoy God and His holy glory.

In practice, however, I find that my joy wavers over time. I have days when my joy in God is full and overflowing, but I also see times when I know and agree with the idea of having joy in God yet my heart is not fully exercising it or expressive in it. That can be quite saddening when we think of how much God has loved us and to then see how little I am joyful for it. It's why I was created: to worship God. And as a believer that worship springs higher by our enjoying of God.

But what is abundantly comforting is that our joy will not ultimately come from us. To that I am thankful, because my heart is naturally wicked and un-joyful in God. My joy is weak and has a very limited scope of knowledge with which to gain a greater foundation to be joyful in and about. My joy is tainted and effected wrongly by my fleshly emotions and feelings. My joy seeks it's own rather than seeking it's true deserved recipient: God. My joy can be strong or weak rather than full.... which is where my friend Jesus changes all of that.

In John 15:1-11 Jesus says something. The passage is familiar. Jesus is speaking about Himself as the vine, the Father as the vinedresser, and we as the branches. He ends the paragraph as so:

"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." (John 15:11)

I so very often walk past many things in scripture, but thanks be to God who enlightened my ears to hear what a dear pastor spoke from this passage last year. Jesus said "that My joy may be in you." That is greatly comforting to a sinner who, although saved by grace, has an incomplete and weak joy.

I know that in my present walk with my Lord, as well as the coming walk face to face, I need not rely on my joy to muster up its strength to be enough for God. I can't do that. It's impossible. I need only see and rely on the joy that my Christ has given and is giving me. It's similar to His righteousness: I can't produce, yet I so need it. I need to joy in my God, but my own joy isn't enough to satisfy. That's when this verse causes my heart to lift above the limits I have ever past experienced! To know that I need not rely on my joy. Christ has a sufficient joy for me. Joy that will be full.

Thanks be to our amazing God!

You Are What You Worship

2010-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Worship is a as common to humans as breathing because it is part of who we are. Worship is not a religious thing it is a human thing. But the unique thing that I am starting to discover about worship is that you resemble most what you treasure deepest. That is to say you reflect in emotion, thought, and action what you worship with emotion, thought, and action. Psalm 115: 4-8 is the text I am drawing my understanding of this principle from. The Psalmist is giving a description of how idols are made (v. 4), the qualities they possess (v. 5-7), and the effect they have on those who worship them (v. 8). These idols are made by human hands (v. 4), yet do not even hold the attributes of a human because they cannot speak, walk, or talk (v. 5-7), and as a result those who worship them lack spiritually what the idols lack physically (v. 8). The error in understanding idolatry and its effect on those who participate in it is to assume that this was a cultural point and does not affect us presently. But because the Bible is timeless and worship is woven into the fabric of our being this principle is very timely.
To illustrate how timely the idea of you are what you worship let me give two present cultural examples:
The Second Largest American Religion: Sports
Any discerning person taking a trip to a Sports stadium during a game who understands historical pagan religion will see the connection. Pagan worshippers dressed up in weird gimmicks, painted their faces and bodies, and chanted unintelligible songs in order to influence their tribal deity. Compare that to a football game where people dress up in the most ridiculous costumes, paint their entire bodies in their teams colors in subzero temperatures, and sing fight songs to support their teams efforts. People get so wrapped up in the worship of a sports team that they start to refer to their team as “we” when referencing anything done by them. Also, a person who worships a sports team will also have his emotions determined by that sports team. When they win their happy and stable and when they lose they are depressed and unpredictable. Or if you are a Minnesota sports fan you are emotionless because you have been taking anti-depressants for so long that you have forgotten how to feel.
The Largest American Religion: Sex
I think this one is pretty obvious seeing as the Porn industry last year brought in more money than the NBA, MLB, and NFL combined. People who worship Sex are marked by the same passion that sex offers. They are people driven by passion and controlled by it so much so that they are willing to sacrifice anything to indulge it. Examples, would be husbands sacrificing their marriage and families to indulge a passion with a woman who is not his wife. A kid willing to sacrifice his purity and parents trust to view pornography. A man willing to sacrifice his freedom and risk going to jail to indulge a passion for someone underage. People resemble (are passionate indulgers of pleasure) what they worship (Sex: a passionate pleasure).
So the question is not do you worship but what do you worship. Sadly for most people they are idolaters who have worshipped themselves into sin by substituting the worship of the creator for the worship of created things (like sex and sports) (Rom 1:18-32). Jesus came to save us from our idolatry by paying for our false worship so that we could be restored to true worship (1 Peter 3:18). You worship your way into sin and you must worship Jesus to save yourself from sin (2 Cor 3:18).

Confusion IS an Answer

2010-03-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Lord has allowed me to realize something incredible lately, that I thought would be helpful and encouraging to share!

Recently I have been frustrated, because as I have lifted up certain prayer requests to the Lord and begged Him for clarity...it seems as though the situation gets even more confusing.

My initial response: "Thanks Lord!! (Sarcasm). Why aren't you answering my prayers? Why can't you just give me a clear-cut yes or no?"

And in the soul-searching and silence that follows...I come to understand...confusion IS an answer.

His answer to my troubles and confusions, His solution---TRUST ME.

It's like I'm a ship surrounded by fog on all sides. I ask the Lord to take away the fog...but instead He simply provides the Light that I need to navigate through the fog.

DON'T SEEK YOUR CONFIDENCE IN ANSWERS. FIND YOUR CONFIDENCE IN ME.

Stop trying to manipulate, control, or figure out the situation...JUST CLING TO ME.

Confusion IS an answer.

Lord, what are you doing? --Confusion-- TRUST ME
Lord, what should I do? --Confusion-- TRUST ME
LORD, CAN YOU PLEASE MAKE SENSE OUT OF ALL THIS??!!! --CONFUSION-- TRUST ME!!!!!!!!

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts." --Isaiah 55:8-9

Do Not Shut The Kingdom of Heaven

2010-03-13T00:07:00.000-08:00

The sin of directing people away from Jesus and the sin of not directing people to Jesus may be slightly different, but the result is the same.

Clarifying Insurance for Assurance

2010-03-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

This is a clarification of a post I published on 3/9/10. I'd encourage you to read that first, though I still think this will be helpful if you don't have the time.

Faith is how salvation takes place from start to finish, from justification to glorification. This is so true among all that know anything of the Bible, that to cite scriptures to prove it would be to light a candle to see the sun at noon. Instead of looking into ourselves, we look outward to Christ. We “behold the man upon the cross.” We look “upward and see Him there who made an end of all our sin.” One look to Christ packs a triple punch. It creates faith, it kindles faith, and it kills lack of faith. All of those describe the process of salvation. That is, it is by “beholding the glory of the Lord” that we “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

And just as justification is inseparable with sanctification, so assurance and sanctification go hand in hand as well. Unless we’re justified we won’t be sanctified, and unless we’re sanctified we won’t have any assurance (or we shouldn’t!). BUT when we try to focus on our justification without the eye of faith on Christ, we actually can’t be justified! And when we try and focus on our sanctification without an eye to Christ we get legalism and condemnation- not newness of life. And when we try to focus on our assurance without an eye to Christ we get doubt and insecurity- not comfort or peace at all! This is because introspection breeds condemnation not salvation, on all levels of the saving process. Always looking to ourselves kills us. Getting stuck on ourselves always gets us stuck in the 'miry bog.' When we introspect concerning our justification it breeds condemnation. When we introspect concerning our sanctification it breeds condemnation. And when we introspect concerning our assurance it breeds condemnation too.

See when we are filled with doubts, concerning any of those things, we are only to look upon ourselves long enough to identify and acknowledge the unbelief, so that we can then look upon Christ to find reason to believe. In other words, we must not dwell on all the bad reasons for belief in us, but on all the good reasons for belief in Christ- not on the sinful clamor of our hearts, but on the awful cries of Calvary. Sure we can (and should) take a glimpse into our own hearts to ‘examine ourselves’, but we shouldn’t stay there. It’s ‘Looking unto Jesus” that both begets faith and strengthens faith. Looking to ourselves ought to only force us to look to Jesus. Because looking to ourselves only shows us where our lack of faith is so that we know what to look for in Christ. And so, really the best ‘examination’ of ourselves is what happens when we look to Jesus. Because the greatest evidence of a Christian is that He is one. In other words, the greatest evidence that a man is a Believer is that he believes! He cries, “Lord I believe! Help my unbelief!”

So when the doubting Christian comes to you saying, “I don’t know if I really believe. I am questioning whether I am really saved or not.” You should first ask them why they think that, and so identify the reasons for unbelief. But then, instead of always getting them bogged down with trying to discern whether or not they have any evidences of a divine and supernatural light elsewhere in their lives (and so just help them in their introspection), you should rather draw their gaze upward and outward to Christ, by identifying all the reasons for belief in Him. For instance you ask them, “You say you doubt you believe. Well do you believe Christ is able to save?” “Well yea. He’s the Son of God. He can’t fail. ‘The Lamb of God will receive the reward for his sufferings.’” “And do you believe Christ is willing to save?” “Yea, He wouldn’t have come to die for sinners if He weren’t.” “Then why can’t He be able and willing to save you? You may question your salvation, maybe rightly so, but saved or not, faith comes from believing in Jesus, not yourself. And if you can but believe in Him, that He is who He says He is and that He is therefore able and willing to save you, then I don’t know why you can’t call yourself a born-again Believer. After all, Believers are those who believe! Now let’s examine these sin issues that are causing you to doubt and figure out how to declare war on them by the Spirit…”

In other words, you preach the same gospel to the doubting Believer as to the Unbeliever. You point to Christ and say, “Believe!” And then when, as they look to Him, they find they do believe, you can confidently tell them that there’s no reason then that you can find why they can’t be a Believer. If they just keep on believing, if they just keep ‘Looking unto Jesus,’ all their unbelief will wither away! Not only their doubts as to their salvation, but their sins that are making them to doubt! Not only will unbelief in their own state evaporate, but so will the unbelief at the root of their sin die as well! When you “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and look full in His wonderful face. All the things in this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” “All things.” Lack of assurance included.

Though guilt may come and comfort leave, this is assurance for me:

I may yet doubt if I believe, but I know whom I have believed.

And when this fact, the one just said, I find I am believing,

This just cold heart, that I thought dead, is once again now beating.

Insurance for Assurance

2010-03-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

How sure are you of your salvation? How sure are you that you are saved? Maybe you have full assurance right now and can “read your title clear to mansions in the skies.” Or maybe you are constantly teetering in and out, fifty-fifty, never quite at peace, but neither altogether despairing. Or maybe, you really haven’t questioned your salvation much at all, in which case I would warn you that that means you probably should! But maybe you are none of these persons. Maybe, unlike them, you are like myself, and when you look into your heart for evidences of grace, instead of being comforted, you find in yourself so much sin, so much remaining corruption, so much hypocrisy, unmortified lust, and undefeated “old-man” habits, that you are prone to cry, “O wretched man that I am! Who will save me from this body of death?” Now, I’m not one to say that any of these states are in and of themselves good or bad, but I am one to offer my help regardless. And so, I hope to specifically address this last person, though in doing so I think I’ll help everyone. But before you continue, I want you to know that I am not here going to help you build yourself up to assurance of faith by pressing you to produce all your evidences of grace so that I may weigh them to see whether they are counterfeit or no, then say, “See! See! That wouldn’t be there if you weren’t a genuine believer!” Or, “Umm…. Well… I think we should maybe pray about a couple things here first…” Though that would be one way to go about it, that is a tedious task which I don’t have the skill nor the time to do even for myself (after all Mr. Edwards in his Religious Affections has already done this!). Not to mention, when I do try that route on myself I find I just deny all my own evidences of grace anyways. So let me submit to you a simple way of reasoning with your soul that I have found unspeakably helpful.

Let’s paint a scenario where we’ve all been, and maybe even you are right now. Let’s say you have just fallen, and your sin is “ever before you.” Let’s say your ‘bones are rotting away within you’, and your ‘strength is sucked right out of you as by the heat of summer.’ And let’s say you can hardly raise your head because sin has laid you low and your stuck in the ‘miry bog.’ And let’s say the Accuser is right now assaulting you, even a thousand times at once, saying something like, “Look at you. Do you sell your Lord so cheaply? Do you yet again betray and crucify your precious Jesus afresh? Ha! And look how quickly you do it! How easily! How often! How is it you could be one of the ones for whom he died when you think it but little to keep killing him again and again and again? You pitiful soul. Stop kidding yourself. You are no Christian. You have no interest in Christ. You have no true love to him. Your love for him is but from self-love. For you love your sins over your Savior. That is evident enough. Get off it. You have no part with Jesus. You are plainly still in your sins! You’re not one of God’s children. You’re still in open rebellion against Him! No, you have no assurance for your salvation. If you’re still here in sin after all this time, the only assurance you have is that you will never be saved. Seek for repentance with tears, yet just like Esau, you will never find it. Strive for it as you might, you have crucified once again the Son of God, and God condemns you Himself in His Word, ‘it is therefore impossible to restore such as you again to repentance. There no longer remains a sacrifice for your sins.’” And let’s say you feel it would just be a sin on top of sin to argue with him, and that you would just be deceiving yourself further to tell yourself that you are somehow still a Christian in light of your sin- still somehow a born-again believer, still in someway indwelt with the Holy Spirit and the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead.

When you are in such a case, such a hopeless, despondent, maybe even suicidal case, speak to yourself this: Say to your soul and say to your Accuser, “Yes. Maybe you are right after all. Maybe I don’t have any reason to be assured of my salvation. Maybe I have no reason to be assured of anything good of myself at all. Maybe all I can be assured of is that I am truly the chief of sinners, yea the chief of all the chiefs of sinners, and that I ought to be damned to Hell quicker than anyone and ‘endure the worst of Hell’s furies for failing God so’! Maybe I am the worst sinner who has ever breathed and who will ever walk the face of this planet. Maybe it is all true. I wouldn’t doubt it. I can see it plain enough. And so it is difficult for me to believe I am saved or ever have been. It is difficult to believe I could even be saved! But still, this remains: Though it is difficult for me to believe I am saved, it is not difficult for me to believe in my Savior. I have no trouble doubting myself. But I cannot doubt Him. I may doubt my ability to be saved, but I do not doubt His ability to save me. I may be the vilest of the vile, and the filthiest of all, still I cannot question He has the strength to make a world, and the might to raise the dead! I may be too far gone, fair enough, but His arm reaches across the heavens. I may be too low, I may have gone too deep, but His Spirit searches even to the depths of Sheol. I may have sinned myself away, against mercy and light and grace, and maybe even I have crucified the Lord afresh and there is no sacrifice left for my sins; yet still His blood is sufficient to save the dirtiest and His hand is strong enough to keep even the most wayward. My sin may be too wicked, my secrets too dark, my past scars too deep, my offenses too grievous indeed for me to ever think I could have any part in Christ; but Oh! Jesus is more righteous, His blood is darker still, His scars are deeper, His mercy is even greater than my worst offense. Yes, when all’s said and done, I may not know if I believe, but I know whom I believe if I do! I may wonder whether I am a son of God, but I do not wonder about the Son of Man. I may doubt me, but I do not doubt Him. And though there may be a thousand reasons for unbelief in me, there are far more reasons for belief in Him. My sin abounds as infinite upon infinite, an abyss deeper and wider than the depths of Hell itself; yet His grace super-abounds all the more, His forgiveness is greater than my sin, His mercies are new every morning. Oh my guilt is much, but there is more mercy in Christ than sin in me! My need of forgiveness is desperate indeed, yet He is more ready to forgive than I am to be forgiven! Yes, ‘Forgiveness has been in his heart all along, and when I approach him to make right my wrong, he runs up to greet me, and draws to me near; embracing and kissing and ready to clear.’ So maybe you are right about me after all. Probably, I don’t know. But I do know I am not wrong about Him. Though I am unable, He is able. Though I am unwilling, He is willing. Though I am weak, He is mighty to save. Though I may even be dead in my sins, still He can raise the dead. Oh yes, it may be difficult for me to believe I am saved, but it is not so hard for me to believe in my Savior. And so I will keep believing in Him. He says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” He says, “Let the one who desires, drink of the water of life without price.” He says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” He says, “All who come to me I will in no wise cast out.” He says, “Everyone who looks on Me and believes should have eternal life.” He says, “All who believe in me will be saved.” He says, “No one can pluck you from my hand.” He says, “If my Father began a work in you, He will bring it to completion.” He says, “Though you are faithless, I will remain faithful.” He says, “Though you were unlovely and unfaithful, and though you did not love me, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued My faithfulness to you.’” Oh, what Jesus says! Oh, who Jesus is! I don’t see much when I look into my heart, but I see Calvary when I look into His. I don’t hear much good when I listen to myself, but, Oh when I dwell where the cries of Calvary are louder than the clamor of my heart, then “I hear the Savior say, ‘Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness watch and pray, find in Me thine all in all.’”

Though guilt may come and comfort leave, this is assurance for me:

I may yet doubt if I believe, but I know whom I have believed.

Meet Mollie.

2010-03-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

It would be an understatement to say that Mollie Mehringer (member of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, CA) has a lot of energy. Her energy level is always on full blast. What makes this valuable is that it is combined with an insatiable appetite for Christ & His Word. This can be seen in her daily status updates reflecting on the greatness & wonder of the Gospel, as well as her enthusiastic leadership and constant encouragement to others.

Mollie has been a part of the Grace Community family for 14 years and is currently involved with the college/career ministry, specifically on the campus of Cal Arts - one of the most prominent art schools in the nation. She is currently a student at the Master's college and plans to continue being involved in church ministry - investing in the body and also to one day be a writer and a Proverbs 31 wife & mother!

Joy that Doesn't Come from Prosperity

2010-03-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

To get the full weight of this meditation I suggest that you read Psalm 73 before reading on.

If ever I have thought in my head that the Psalms are practically unhelpful to the Christian walk this Psalm has put that argument to death. The principles of the problems that the Psalmist is facing and trying to wage the war of faith against are omni-prevalent (aka you face them a lot) in our western culture. The Psalmist when examining his culture is struck by the fact that there is a certain group of people that is marked by lavish prosperity and this group happens to be arrogant and wicked (v.3). Their prosperity is marked by a comfortable worry free lifestyle and abundant riches (v. 12). Through observing this prosperous group the Psalmists desires start to be enticed and he claims to be envious (v. 3), and even frustrated at his religious pursuits because he deems them worthless since they have not produced the prosperity that he is seeing around him. Prosperity is a prominent pursuit in our culture (just look at any magazine at your local grocery store) and is even in our constitution, which states that we are entitled to the “pursuit of happiness” (whatever that means). Christianity has responded to this craving for prosperity in a number of ways. One way Christianity has responded has been by buying into the desire of prosperity and shaping the gospel around the desire for it. Some have reasoned that prosperity is a good thing and God is good therefore God will give us prosperity if we trust in him (in case you were wondering that is really bad logic). But this Psalmist did not fall into that trap of atrocious logic and he still believed in the goodness of God (v. 1). So how did this Psalmist fight the fight of faith and wage war against his deceitful desires. First, the Psalmist sought to turn away his eyes from the culture onto God by seeking the presence of God (v. 16-17). His constant dwelling on the state of the wicked had caused him to desire the state of the wicked. The same way standing in front of an In-N-Out burger would entice you to desire food. But this is because he had lost a God-centered discernment which can only be attained through a constant and consistent dwelling in the presence of God through which we are able to discern the truth of God. As the Psalmist pondered the state of the wicked in the presence of God, he was able to gain an accurate view of the end of the wicked (v. 18-20). Also, he gained a God-centered view of his own state and how his sovereign God related to him. The Psalmist grasped two crucial truths that showed him that he ultimately lacked nothing. First, in his present circumstance God was sovereignly caring for him and guiding him to glory (v. 23-24). Although he was not materially wealthy he had infinitely more security than wealth could ever give him because he was being guided to ultimate glory by the sovereign hand of God. Second, the Psalmist saw that having God satisfied his soul with everlasting joy (v. 25-26). In light of the glorious God of the universe the Psalmist came to understand that he lacked nothing because he possessed everything, namely God himself, his portion forever.

I find it helpful sometimes to summarize big things into small power packed statements and I did such a thing with this Psalm:

Prosperity enticed my every desire,
as my faith dwindled like a dying fire.
To Your house I came with desperate prayer,
and was lifted up by sovereign care.
Now to God I look and adore,
As my exceeding joy forevermore.

Hope for the Future

2010-03-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

Recently, I thought about a time when I was sitting in an EBC class last year, talking with Brent about having a peace and assurance in relation to our salvation both now and in the future. I remembered sitting in that class listening to our professor, and having the feeling of my heart hitting the floor, because if it rested on me, how could I ever find assurance? The following excerpt from C.H. Spurgeon's All of Grace sparked truth in my head and peace in my heart and I hope it does the same for you:

THE HOPE which filled the heart of Paul concerning the Corinthian brethren we have already seen to be full of comfort to those who trembled as to their future. But why was it that he believed that the brethren would be confirmed unto the end?

I want you to notice that he gives his reasons. Here they are:

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:9).
The apostle does not say, "You are faithful." Alas! the faithfulness of man is a very unreliable affair; it is mere vanity. He does not say, "You have faithful ministers to lead and guide you, and therefore I trust you will be safe." Oh, no! if we are kept by men we shall be but ill kept. He puts it, "God is faithful." If we are found faithful, it will be because God is faithful. On the faithfulness of our covenant God the whole burden of our salvation must rest. On this glorious attribute of God the matter hinges. We are variable as the wind, frail as a spider's web, weak as water. No dependence can be placed upon our natural qualities, or our spiritual attainments; but God abideth faithful. He is faithful in His love; He knows no variableness, neither shadow of turning. He is faithful to His purpose; He doth not begin a work and then leave it undone. He is faithful to His relationships; as a Father He will not renounce His children, as a friend He will not deny His people, as a Creator He will not forsake the work of His own hands. He is faithful to His promises, and will never allow one of them to fail to a single believer. He is faithful to His covenant, which He has made with us in Christ Jesus, and ratified with the blood of His sacrifice. He is faithful to His Son, and will not allow His precious blood to be spilled in vain. He is faithful to His people to whom He has promised eternal life, and from whom He will not turn away.

This faithfulness of God is the foundation and cornerstone of our hope of final perseverance. The saints shall persevere in holiness, because God perseveres in grace. He perseveres to bless, and therefore believers persevere in being blessed. He continues to keep His people, and therefore they continue to keep His commandments. This is good solid ground to rest upon, and it is delightfully consistent with the title of this little book, "all of grace." Thus it is free favor and infinite mercy which ring in the dawn of salvation, and the same sweet bells sound melodiously through the whole day of grace.

*You can read All of Grace in its entirety here.

Perfectionism v. Glorification

2010-03-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

Perfectionism -

The depressive belief that all things will be made right on this earth in this life by our own power.

Glorification -

The liberating truth that all things will be made right in Heaven by God's power and God's might.

The Five Solas - Basic Reformed Theology: Solus Christus

2010-02-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

“In Christ alone my hope is found.” These are the famous words of the modern-day hymn penned by Keith and Kristyn Getty. The song is only a few years old and has made its way across the globe and is quickly becoming a staple of church music and worship. Those opening words reflect one of the vital points of the Protestant Reformation. Salvation is found only in Christ. That is what Solus Christus means—Christ alone.

The doctrine of Solus Christus stands in direction contradistinction from the Catholic doctrine that says that salvation cannot be found outside of the Catholic Church. The doctrine of Solus Christus firmly declares that there is one mediator between God and man. We are not the mediators between a holy God and us. Mary is not the mediator for mankind. Neither are angels, good works, self-improvement or anything else. Christ alone is our mediator and Christ alone is our only hope of salvation.

Our look at Solus Christus will take us to the book of Colossians. The Apostle Paul is attacking heresy head on with this letter to the church in Colossae. There were some in the church bringing in all sorts of teachings that corrupted the truth that we are saved by Christ alone. Before he addresses these issues and heresies he sets forth the supremacy of Christ. He exalts Him high above and shows Him to be the one and only Savior. Read through these verses and notice how Paul describes Christ: the image of God, the first born of creation (which is a term of rank and does not mean He was created), He’s the Creator, eternal, the head of the church, preeminent….it was through Him that God is reconciling sinners to Himself.

Colossians 1:15-23 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

The rest of Paul’s letter to these Christians is a strong warning to them to not be disqualified by letting others insist that salvation is Christ PLUS other things. In other words, Paul is saying that salvation is found in Christ alone. To replace Christ with anything or to add anything to the finished work of Christ is to be disqualified from the race—this means that you are not saved. Solus Christus is not just a matter of preference. It’s a matter of life and death. Cling to Christ alone and you are saved. Cling to anything else and you are damned.

In Colossians 2 Paul warns the church not to fall prey to the philosophy and empty wisdom of the world. The world’s philosophies and wisdom they provide are empty. They appear to be full of wonderful promises and delights, but they empty. They are like storm clouds that look like they’re going to deliver rain, but then don’t! Paul plainly says that these things are not according to Christ. The wisdom of the world and their philosophies are not the way to combat sin. That is not how sin is dealt with. Sin is dealt with in Christ only. He cuts the sin out of our hearts…that is the point of spiritual circumcision. Christ, not the world, is doing the saving and redeeming and restoring.

In that same chapter we are told that the old man died with Christ…the new man was raised with Christ. His death and resurrection accomplished that for us. Our trespasses and sin were nailed to the cross that He hung on and because of that our sin debt was canceled. God disarmed the evil forces that dominated us and He did this through Christ.

Nowhere in Scripture are we told that anyone else or anything else does this for us. Scripture elevates Christ to such a high degree that you should be left with only one conclusion. Christ alone is our Savior and Mediator. He alone reconciles us to God and secures our salvation.

LEGALISM CAN’T SAVE YOU
In the latter part of Colossians 2, Paul tells the Colossian believers that no one is to pass judgment on them for not adhering to dietary laws and Old Testament holy days.

Colossians 2:16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Apparently there were some false teachers in the church saying that “real Christians” need to keep the dietary laws, festivals, new moon celebrations and Sabbaths. In other words, to be saved, the Colossians were wrongly told they had to practice the Old Testament ceremonies and rituals. What was Paul’s response to these teachings? “Don’t let anyone pass judgment on you! You are not damned for not keeping these regulations.” Paul then explains the truth regarding the Old Testament feasts, holidays and ceremonies: they were shadows of Christ….pictures of the things to come. All those things were leading us up to Christ. You know how when you see a shadow and you follow it to see what it casting it…well, once your eyes find what is making the shadow, then you have found the substance. The shadow exists because there is something real creating it. So too, when you looked at the Old Testament holidays, feasts and Sabbaths, you could follow them with your eyes and see what is casting the shadow. You should find that the shadow leads you directly to Christ. He is the substance. He is the real deal. They were about Him. Those Old Testament rituals, ceremonies and feasts were very important--they were there to lead people to Christ. But once Christ had come those things, those pictures became obsolete…they were no longer to be regarded. Not only that, but participating in those things never saved anyone. They pointed to Christ, who alone saves!

So the false teachers were trying to convince these Christians that salvation was found in Christ PLUS these rituals. Paul’s opening chapter in the letter was to warn these believers against the danger of failing to see Christ as the All-sufficient Savior. If they listened to these false teachers they would not be saved. Christ alone was to be their salvation.

ASCETICISM CAN’T SAVE YOU
Paul then goes on in the next few verses and says:

Colossians 2:18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

The word asceticism carries some deep meaning. Some translations have rendered this phrase as, “taking delight in false humility”. In it’s fullest sense, the word asceticism is used to describe the pride that these false teachers had in humbling themselves. They were proud of the fact that they denied their body food, clothing or anything else pleasurable. That’s why some translations use the phrase “false humility”. The act of humbling their body was a source of pride for them. It’s like being proud that you’re humble. It’s fake. It’s not real. They assumed that salvation and union with God was found in disciplining the body and suppressing desires. Many of the world’s religions still do these types of things in hopes that they will be united to God.

Some religious renounce all sexual relations. Some do not use electricity or they do not wear shoes. Some will wear clothes that are uncomfortable because they are made from rough material. Some will stand while eating or even fast for up to a month. There are some who own almost no possessions and even refuse to live in one place for more than two months because they may become attached to one place. Others engage in the Hindu practices of Yoga. To them, this is good news. This is how they are set free from the flesh. This is how they are set free from sin.

And Paul says, “Let no one disqualify you by insisting on asceticism.” Asceticism is not what frees you from sin. It does not lead to salvation. It does not lead to sanctification or becoming more holy and looking like Christ. But if you look at these kinds of these from the outside, it looks like these people are becoming more holy. But here is what Paul says. He says, “these regulations of…”

Colossians 2:21-23 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” [22] (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? [23] These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Paul is saying that these are human rules and teachings. Do not handle this. Do not taste this food. Don’t touch that. These are according to the wisdom of man, not God. Living by strict rules will not save you. Paul says, “But it has the appearance of wisdom.” It sure looks good. But it is self-made religion, this severity to the body stuff. Look at what he says in the last phrase. They are of NO value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. They do not help whatsoever in controlling your sinful appetite. They cannot quench your desire for sin.

Do you want to see how this plays out in our world today? Because people practice this kind of stuff…perhaps not as extreme, but they think that somehow their lesser forms of asceticism make them better people…and it surely puts them in right standing with God. Some people think they are good people and going to be with God because they have never done drugs, have never hurt anybody, they never speed on the road, they don’t spend their money frivolously, they watch what they eat, they exercise and take care of their body. They don’t realize it but they are practicing some form of asceticism. They are trying to live a life that denies extremes. Whether it be overeating, overspending, overreacting, or whatever, they think that their life of moderation is what makes them a good person. They think that this is the kind of life that pleases God and earns them salvation with God. It has the appearance of wisdom. But it is nothing more than a man-made religion that will disqualify people from the prize that Paul talks about. It disqualifies them from true holiness and true salvation.

But sadly this is just about all that pop-psychology can offer man these days. If Christians struggle with the sin of overeating what do they do? They don’t run to Christ do they? No. They run to Jenny Craig and put them on some ascetic diet. When children are bad, what do a lot of parents do? They put their kids in time-out—and that’s all they do. No fun for you…no pleasure for you—that’s asceticism. This will not work in saving our children, nor will it work in making them more holy. As parents our privilege and duty is to show our children law and gospel, sin and salvation—we show them how their sin is against God and how Christ saves them. And when we fail to point their children to Christ when it comes to discipline, we fail miserably. If you want your child to be saved and grow in godliness, asceticism won’t cut it. Only Christ will. Do not be disqualified. Do not participate in the disqualification of others by pointing them to inferior methods of avoiding sin and attaining salvation.

ANGELS CAN’T SAVE YOU
The worship of angels? I had no idea that baseball was so old. Just a bit of comic relief. But seriously, this church was plagued with blatant heresy. There were some ideas floating around that said that if you wanted God to hear and answer your prayers, then you had to get to God through angels.

Colossians 2:18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels,

In their false humility these false teachers said that God could not be approached directly. He was too great to have humans come to Him directly. So the way that people reached God was through the angels that He created. In other words, the angels were the mediators between God and man. In order to get to God you had to go through His angels. This is how they paid homage and worship to the angels…by praying to them. The Judaizers reasoned that because the law of God was given by angels, then it was OK to invoke them or pray to them. This heresy started in the Colossian church and history records that it continued for another three hundred years. In fact, in about the year 363 A.D. a council of 30 clerics or clergyman got together in Asia Minor to discuss some concerns. Of the 60 concerns raised, number 39 had to do with heresies—specifically the heresy of angelici—or the angel invokers. The heresy of worshipping and praying to angels that started in Paul’s day continued on and the council took a stand and said that this was wrong because scripture condemned it.

These so-called humble people took their humility to an extreme. We are so low and God is so high that we cannot approach Him. There must be a mediator that we can pray to. There must be someone who stands between God and us and communicates to Him for us. They chose the angels to do this and prayed to them. But Scripture never teaches us to pray to angels as mediators. Christ alone grants us access to the Father.

There is no mention in Scripture of invoking angels when we need the help of God in overcoming sin. Christ told us to speak directly to the Father and pray, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” In Hebrews 4, the Bible tells us that we can come confidently to God’s throne in prayer to seek His help in overcoming sin. Unlike the humble Judaizers who were proud of their humility in not approaching God and prayed to angels for help, the writer of Hebrews tells us the opposite. Don’t be afraid to come to God for help in growing in holiness. Come boldly. Come confidently to God so that we can receive mercy and grace for the sins we commit.

Hebrews 4:14-16 [14] Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

How awesome are these verses? We are weak and we will sin. How do we deal with this? Asceticism? Calling on angels? No. Going to God in prayer and holding fast to our confession. Our confession is that Christ is the Savior who died and rose again that we could be declared innocent of our sin and righteous before God. When we sin, we can confidently draw near to God, to the throne of grace and receive the mercy and grace that we need. When we are tempted to sin we can draw near to God and ask for help in overcoming it. Christ is able to sympathize with us. He knows what it is like to be tempted yet not cave in to sin. He knows we are weak and that we need His strength. So we ask the Lord for help. We do not need a mediator between God and us. Christ has provided that link for us.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

We insult God when we pray to beings that are not capable of answering prayer. We become disqualified from growing in holiness when we pray to another being. And ultimately, whom you pray to is the one who you believe can help. In essence that person or thing you pray to is your god. This would disqualify you from ever having a part in eternal life unless you repent of it and put your trust in Christ alone.

Sadly, this kind of thing takes place takes place when others insist that to get to God you must pray to the Virgin Mary or you must pray to dead saints. The problem of worshipping angels or needing dead saints in order to get you to God is that they lead you away from Christ. And any practice that leads you away from Christ, His salvation, His sanctification is a terrible thing and should be guarded against.

MYSTICISM CAN’T SAVE YOU

Colossians 2:18 going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,

You may recognize the root of the word mysticism. It looks like the word mystery. It has to do with things that are hidden. It has to do with hidden knowledge that needs to be found out. This was something that the early church continually fought against. The Gnostics came along and said that salvation and holiness were found in discovering secret knowledge of God. This secret knowledge was found in dreams and altered states of consciousness. Much like the Hindus practice with their yoga and chanting. It’s designed to put them in an altered state of consciousness whereby they can attain union and peace with God. These types of things are forbidden in Scripture. Union with God and secret knowledge of God are nowhere to be found in dreams. Union with God is found only in Christ. A saving knowledge of God is only found in Scripture as the Holy Spirit enables you to grab a hold of these truths spiritually.

These false teachers in the church of Colossae were so proud of their dreams and visions. They went on in detail describing every aspect of their dreams and what they had supposedly learned about God. They became puffed up or proud. This is what their sensuous or sinful mind led them to be. So get this. They were supposedly so humble because of their asceticism and worship of angels and dreams that it led them to be proud—it was a false humility they had. And it was without reason. Meaning that because this stuff was bogus there was no real reason for them to be proud. It only condemned them and led them to hell. There is no reason to be proud in that. Not only were they falsely humble, but they were also foolishly humble. They were fooled into thing that their dreams led to salvation and union with God.

These bogus Christians were bragging about their supposed new knowledge and revelation from their dreams. These false Christians told other believers that they were proud and arrogant for praying directly to God instead of praying through angels. These hypocrites insisted on asceticism as a way to holiness. All of these things they practiced showed that they did not understand the gospel. They did not understand Christ. They did not understand the reason for which He came. They did not know His power. Thus, they were disqualified. They were not at peace with God. They were never going to grow in true holiness. They were out!

You see, true Christianity is about the Supremacy of Christ in all things. He alone will be praised for all eternity for the salvation He gave us. How sly and wise the devil is in trying to get us to fall away from our Savior. These Satanic teachings have the appearance of godliness and truth, but they are damnable. They seem to be good news but when exposed they are bad news. They seem to be gospel but they are a false gospel. The heresies in Colossae all put the emphasis on what you do and they take your focus away from Christ and what He has done. True salvation is found in Christ alone.

Christ alone. Anything else disqualifies you from eternal life. And that is why we say with Scripture and with the Reformers, “Solus Christus!”

Divine Sovereignty & Human Responsibility in Prayer & Temptation

2010-02-24T18:09:00.001-08:00

Pray that God would not lead you into temptation (Matthew 6:13). When that prayer goes unanswered, rejoice (James 1:2-4) at what God is doing!

When you fall into temptation, resist the evil one (James 4:7). Then give thanks to God (Psalm 19:13) for answering your prayer according to Matthew 6:13.

Idle Sticks

2010-02-23T04:00:00.000-08:00

"God, I pray, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn up for thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is thine. I seek not a long life but a full one like yours, Lord Jesus." - Jim Elliot

God is Rhetorical, and I am Dumb

2010-02-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

My dumb thoughts must begin on the foundational principle of a little splotch of ink.

The Question Mark: "?"

Yes it looks kind of weird, but it's quite powerful. The question itself is really a tremendous tool. Often we think of questions as the show of our weakness, because we often ask things pertaining to what we don't know. "What time is it?" for example. But they can also be used to engage: "What do you think?". There can be deep meaning before that funny, little punctuation.

In fact, questions are really an interesting inter-social dynamic... aren't they? They demand a contemplative interaction between people. When one is thrown at you, you need to consider yourself engaged. You are now personally involved, whether you choose to acknowledge the question or not, answer it or not, or even think through your answer or not. You have a responsibility to the one who has demanded your contemplative response.

Imagine the greater responsibility when you are asked by one with authority... an authority who is well knowledgeable... an authority who is above reproach... respected... perfect. God is quite the One to be asked a question by and to feel such a weight at your need to answer Him.

Imagine needing to answer God if He asked you these:
- What have you been doing?
- What are you thinking?
- What are you loving?

Try to shake off (if you're like me) the deep fear at your answers to those for a moment and rethink how personal and engaging those are. They invoke a great inter-personal connection; they are relational. Not only that, but the answer is wanted, and the questioner is awaiting it's arrival. But what happens when the question is asked with no expectation of an answer to be given? In this event, we find ourselves face to face with the awkward rhetorical question.

A question can actually be intensified in it's demand for contemplation when the answer is never intended to be spoken. Why? Often because the answer is apparent through a great weight and amount of proofs that lie behind the answer itself. The Bible is riddled with rhetorical questions that deem no communicated response because the answer has such weight behind it, making it adequately apparent:

- "Who can count the dust of Jacob...?" (Num 23:10)
- "O Lord GOD... what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours?" (Duet 3:24)
- "...if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?" (1 Sam 2:25)
- "...[God] is unique and who can turn Him?" (Job 23:13)
- "Who can say, 'I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin'?" (Prov 20:9)
- "For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without [God]?" (Eccl 2:25)
- "The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it?" (Joel 2:11)

God spoke these questions through writers inspired by His Spirit. They all invoke a sizeable amount of contemplation when asked. Sometimes, though, God himself asks questions. But why?

I ask questions often because I don't know the answer. I'm not very smart to throw out rhetorical questions and get my audience thinking along with me, so I stick with the usual stuff, like: "Where are my sunglasses?". But why does God ask questions? I think it's because I'm dumb.

God knows everything, so we know that He does not ask questions for the sake of Himself, but for us. Take God's first question for example:

"But the LORD God called to the man [Adam], "Where are you?'" (Gen 3:9)

God didn't lose His creation. He knew where Adam was and why, yet He still asked. And His question prompted an amazingly odd answer.

"He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." (Gen 3:10)

Our first thought should be: "Too much information, Adam!" Maybe our second should be: "You didn't answer God's question." Adam didn't say where he was (just that he 'hid'); instead he said why he was hidden. God's question drew out a deep, complex contemplation from Adam; one that made Adam fearful, and quick to explain the situation to his Father because he saw his error and sin. God needed Adam to think, because Adam had been... well.... dumb.

That's just one example of many. Now let's look at my friend.

Jesus asked lots of questions. But again: why? He knew the answers. Again, I think it's because I'm dumb.

Anytime Jesus would ask a question, it was for our benefit... mainly because we need to think about something important (often things relating between us and Him: ie - His gospel that we need). We can learn from what He asks, and we can learn from what is answered. You could, in a way, see each question that He asks as a rhetorical question because the answers that He seeks aren't needed for Himself but for those who would hear (or even think) of the answers.

- "Jesus asked them a question: 'What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?'" (Matt 22:41-42)
- "He questioned them, saying, "Who do the people say that I am?'" (Luke 9:18)
- "And again He said, 'To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?'" (Luke 13:20)
- "So when He had washed their feet, ...He said to them, 'Do you know what I have done to you?'" (John 13:12)

Jesus asked what a demon's name was (Luke 8:30). He asked who the arresting mob was searching for (John 18:6). He asked why an officer hit Him (John 18:23). What do these mean?

Jesus wants us to know something and to think about it. Not because we are good thinkers, but because we're aren't. Not because we have the answers, but because we don't. Not because we are knowledgeable, but because we're foolish, weak, base, etc (1 Cor. 1:26-29). Ultimately, He questions so that we would believe in Jesus as the Christ, Son of God.

"So they removed the stone [from Lazarus' tomb]. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.'" (John 11:41-42)

God asks us questions because we need to contemplate Him. We need to contemplate Him because He is holy and we aren't. We need to see Him as holy because we are vile and sinful. We must see ourselves as sinful because we need His righteousness. And we must think about this needed righteousness because salvation from sin is serious, specific, personal, eternal, and demanding. There is a cost to be counted to follow Jesus. Every question He asks should root us in some way back to His gospel for a response and contemplation. That contemplation before our salvation should be to repent; afterward it should be to worship.

Contemplate with me, a deep question from an attention-demanding Questioner:

"[Jesus] said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You" Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep."

death, where is thy victory?

2010-02-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

I was talking with two dear friends back in december, and the subject came around to death.

one of the girls lost her grandma this past year, and the other lost her mom a few years ago. having never experienced the death of someone close to me, I listened intently as they explained the heart ache and pain that they still feel over their losses.

and yet.

They both agreed that though their losses were painful beyond words, they are grateful for what they've learned, and for the eternal perspective they now have on life. they said they wouldn't trade that perspective for anything.

and all of a sudden it struck me. what a testimony of the power of Jesus Christ that He has taken the actual punishment that God bound us to because of our sin (i.e. death), and has conquered it in such a way that He uses death itself for our good! Although death is wrong and unnatural and awful and painful, Jesus' redeeming power is not limited by it. His power to redeem His creation far surpasses the power of death.

and one day He will fulfill His promise and death will be no more.

All because of Jesus!

Prayer

2010-02-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Taken from C.S. Lewis' book 'The Screwtape Letters' ...

"The best thing, where it is possible, is to keep the patient from the serious intention of praying altogether. When the patient is an adult recently reconverted to the Enemy's party, like your man, this is best done by encouraging him to remember, or to think he remembers, the parrot-like nature of his prayers in childhood. In reaction against that, he may be persuaded to aim at something entirely spontaneous, inward, informal, and unregularised...he will try to produce in himself a vaguely devotinal 'mood' in which real concentration of will and intelligence have no part...

It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out... Whenever they are attending to the Enemy Himself we are defeated, but there are ways of preventing them from doing so. The simplest is to turn their gaze away from Him toward themselves. Keep them watching their own minds and trying to produce 'feelings' there by the action of their own wills...

Mortals will make God into an image all their own. But whatever the nature of the composite object, you must keep him praying to it -- to the thing that he has made, not to the Person who has made him. If he ever comes to make the distinction, if ever he consciously directs his prayers 'Not to what I think thou art but to what thou knowest thyself to be,' our situation is desperate. In avoiding this situation - this real nakedness of the soul in prayer - you will be helped by the fact that the humans themselves do not desire it as much as they suppose. There's such a thing as getting more than they bargained for!"

Justification By Works?

2010-02-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

"These good works are evidence of the true nature of these people. Notice the response of the righteous (Matthew 25:31-40). These believers are clearly not sitting around waiting to be justified by their works. When Jesus commends them for what they have done, they humbly respond by saying, "When did we do this?" That does not sound like folk who are waiting to be justified by works, waiting to be saved by works. Instead they are completely stunned that Jesus would even mention their works." -- J. Ligon Duncan, Fear Not: Death and the Afterlife from a Christian Perspective, page 79

Strange Fruit

2010-02-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance James 1:2-3

Some of the worlds best tasting fruits do not come from the grocery store or the farmers market. In fact, some of the best fruits in the world are produced in harsh tropical conditions where few people have dared to travel.

Take for example the Durian fruit. It survives tropical heat and humidity and often endures tropical storms. Despite it’s rugged spiked exterior and funny smell it gives off a taste of the sweetest carmelized custard that cannot be compared to any other. It is no wonder the natives of South East Asians where this fruit can be found have labeled it “the king of all fruit”.

The Christian life can often be like this. While God has graciously blessed others in abundance, He has decided to keep some of us in the heat, humidity and enduring many storms for the sole purpose of His glory. These conditions will leave us emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained. But the end result is a tried and tested character that can only be produced in the harshest conditions that gives of the sweetest flavor.

The Five Solas - Basic Reformed Theology: Sola Gratia

2010-02-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Sola Gratia! The English translation of this Latin phrase is “grace alone.” It means that all of salvation is by God’s grace alone. In other words, every aspect of salvation is because of the kindness, generosity, benevolence, mercy, favor and love of God. In no way whatsoever is salvation because of anything we do. It’s all a gracious gift of God.

The idea that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for God’s glory alone is in complete contradistinction to the Catholic teaching of salvation. Catholic doctrine basically asserts that salvation is a reliance on Christ’s righteousness, but that we are not finally made acceptable to God and saved until we take the righteousness of God and convert it into a daily and experiential righteousness. In other words, we are saved by Christ and the accomplishment of our works.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

We are saved by grace. Now the whole process and package of salvation has many aspects and “parts” to it. Each of these, according to Scripture is also by the grace of God.

FAITH
Faith or belief in Christ as the Savior is more than just a mental belief of some facts. It is a reliance upon Christ to do for you what you cannot do. Let me say something that may shock you: there is no inherent power in faith. Faith is merely a receiving of what Christ has done for you. Again, it is a reliance upon Him. You may lean up against a building to hold you up and rely upon its immovability to keep you aright. But the power is not in your leaning upon the building; the power is in the reliability of the building.

When we believe in Christ, we are trusting in Christ. And some of us may be tempted to think, “Oh, but that faith…that trusting was something that I did. It was ME trusting.” And that is true. But you need to see how faith is described in Scripture and who is given credit as to the source of faith.

Acts 18:27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed.

This Scripture and others teach us that our reliance upon Christ is also by the grace of God. He grants us faith. It is not inherent in us. It is a gift. So even our reliance upon Christ, our belief in Him as Savior is by grace. Without God’s grace and kindness towards us and the granting of belief we would never be saved. Sola Gratia!

JUSTIFICATION
Justification is the act of God declaring us righteous even though we are sinners. I’ve shared with you before that the Bible says that we are justified by faith alone in Christ alone. When we place faith in Christ a great transfer takes place. My sin is credited (or imputed) to the account of Christ so that He was treated as a sinner and transgressor of God’s Law—even though He was not a sinner. At the same time, when we place faith in Christ another great transfer takes place. Christ’s righteousness is credited (or imputed) to my account so that I can be treated as a perfectly righteous person—even though I am a sinner. Christ suffered for my sin; I am pardoned and declared righteous—by faith.

Knowing that faith is a gift of God and that we are justified by faith alone in Christ alone, it would make sense to say then that justification is by the grace of God. Indeed Scripture says this.

Romans 3:23-24 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Our being declared righteous is by God’s grace, not by our works of the Law. We failed at keeping the Law. Christ succeeded. He is our justification. It’s by grace we are saved. Sola Gratia!

PEACE WITH GOD
When Christ was born the angels announced “Peace on earth.” There appears to be a whole lot of fighting going on in this planet. So where is the peace. As one songwriter penned, “Did the angels waste their words?” The rhetorical question is answered with a resounding, “No!” The angels, of course, did not waste their words. The peace they proclaimed was the peace that would exist between God and sinners.

God’s wrath abides on those who sin. We are haters of God prior to salvation. If you don’t believe me, just look at how good we kept God’s commands. We didn’t. We rebelled against His authority and demonstrated the spiritual war that exists between God and mankind. There is no peace. There is a detest for our Creator and consequently His just wrath is upon us is something isn’t done about it. But we aren’t going to do anything about it. So God acts. He sends Christ to make peace between sinners and the Creator.

How is it that God can have peace with us when we are sinners? The grace of justification! God declares us righteous by the faith that He gives us. Now instead of looking at us as one who should be punished eternally, God declares us forgiven, righteous, holy and blameless in Christ. If this is how God now sees us, then the “war” has been ended. Peace is made. What did you and I do to deserve this? Nothing! What did we do to make God act this way towards us? Nothing! Why moved God to do this for us? Pure grace. Sola Gratia!

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

ETERNAL LIFE
Those who sin are damned before God and deserve eternal death in the lake of fire. Only those who are perfectly righteous are worthy of eternal life with God. Again, we are in a bad position unless the grace, kindness and mercy of God comes to us. Having just looked at a few of the saving gifts and gracious acts of God, we can see how it is that we can be granted eternal life.

If only those that are righteous are worthy of eternal life, then how do we become righteous? Through good works? Through self-effort? No. Through the righteousness of Christ. How do we that? By the grace of justification…which comes by the grace of faith. So we see that eternal life is also by the grace of God. Sola Gratia!

Romans 5:21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

ELECTION
Election is the doctrine that says that God chooses who to save. You are chosen by God to salvation. I admit that at first glance this is hard to understand and it can sure make God look like a meanie. In fact it is one of the most hated doctrines in Scripture. I once despised this teaching; hated it! But the problem of man’s sin must first be addressed in order to appreciate and affirm this Biblical doctrine.

Scripture tells us that man is so caught up in sin that he is actually dead in sin and is incapable of understanding spiritual truth. If man is spiritually dead in sin and cannot understand spiritual truth, then at what point does he bring himself to spiritual life so that he can spiritually believe in Christ and be saved? He can’t. There is no point at which he does this. Left to himself, man will never come to God—indeed, he cannot. It’s a matter of ability—he is radically unable to do what God requires of him. If man is to be saved, then God must decide to come and save man. That is what we mean of election. And the Bible tells us that election took place before the earth was made so that we would be compelled to say that salvation is by God’s grace alone. He chose you before you could do anything that might make you erroneously believe that you are worthy of His choosing.

When you understand that we all deserve the wrath of God…and that none of us deserve to be saved and shown God’s goodness…and that we’ll never call out to God to save us on our own…then it becomes apparent that God must come to us. It’s like the dead man that had drowned and has been at the bottom of the ocean for several hours. What is he going to do to be rescued? There’s nothing he can do. He’s dead. He needs a resurrection. So it is with us. We are dead and cannot call to God for help in this dead state; we never will. So God must come to us and resurrect us so that we can believe. This is partially what we mean when we say that God chooses to save us. He sovereignly decides who He will give life to so that they can receive faith and be justified and thus be saved. He elects them to salvation.

Some will ask: why does God do this for some and not others? How unfair! To that I say, “Why does God do this for anybody when He is not obligated to? He doesn’t have to! It’s pure grace that He does this for anyone. Soli Gratia!

Romans 11:5-6 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

We have to take this doctrine and say, “Why me, God? I did nothing to deserve this great salvation. Why me?” And the answer from Scripture takes us away from trying to find reason in ourselves to be saved by God…and it directs us to God’s grace.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS
One of the benefits of salvation is that we are place within the church body—the body of Christ. We are a corporate unity that is to function together as the human body does. To be a Christian without church is a contradiction and a serious sin. How can you say that you love Christ when you don’t love His body? How can you say to a person, “I love your head…but not the rest of you.”

When we were saved we were placed in the church body. And one of the things that God has done for each of us is that He’s given us spiritual gifts. These gifts are from the Holy Spirit and they are meant to serve the body of Christ in order that the body may be healthy and properly display Christ’s glory to the world. The body (the church) is connected to the head (Jesus Christ) and we are to look like Him and shine like Him. Your spiritual gifts are meant to serve that purpose. Consequently, the spiritual gifts given to others are meant for your benefit and spiritual good for Christ’s glory. These spiritual gifts that comes with salvation are also by grace. Sola Gratia!

Romans 12:6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

RIGHTEOUS BEHAVIOR
Prior to salvation our attempts at righteous deeds were seen by God as nothing for that filthy rags. This is what Scripture says. And that term “filthy rags” is a reference to menstrual cloths. This is the way our good deeds are seen by God before salvation. Any attempt at being good is soiled by the fact that it is not done for God’s glory. Good deeds may be done for one’s own glory, or for money, or for promotion, or even to spite someone. But they are not done to show the greatness of God. And if they are not done in faith, then they are of sin. So man’s best attempt to do good is still sin. That is, until we are converted and saved by grace.

The Apostle Paul explains to the Corinthian church that his own good deeds and love for them did not arise from the wisdom and counsel of this world, but from God’s grace.

2 Corinthians 1:12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that we were created for good works and that these good works have been prepared beforehand by God. So even our righteous and holy behavior is attributed to the grace of God. Without His enabling grace, we would do things only for our glory and thus would be sin. Holy behavior arises from the fact that we are saved by grace and that this salvation comes packages with holy living. Sola Gratia!

THE INCARNATION
Christmas is always a wonderful time of the year. Not so much because of the secular festivities, which are fine and dandy, but because we are reminded afresh of “our dear Savior’s birth.” Without the Son of God taking on flesh, we would have no real sacrifice for our sins. The early church fought against a heresy known as Docetism. These false believers tried to say that Christ did not actually take on flesh, but only appeared to do so. He was, to them, like a hologram—only appearing to be real flesh and blood. If that were the case, then His blood was not shed for us and His body not broken. If this were the case, then we would have no hope of salvation or a resurrection because Christ actually did nothing for us.

The fact that Christ was born like us is part of saving grace. God clothed in skin is remarkable to ponder. 2 Corinthians makes reference to the fact that Christ left His heavenly home and riches and became poor so that we could become spiritually rich. This is indeed a reference to His lowly birth.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Next time you reflect on Christ’s birth, remember that this is part of the grace we need to be saved. Sola Gratia!

PREDESTINATION
Right up there with election is another doctrine that many despise. This word “predestination” has been the subject of much controversy and feuding. In simplest of terms, it means that God predetermined our destination. He determined ahead of time to save us and to bring that salvation to completion when Christ comes again. He determined ahead of time to take us from point A to point B—and He mapped out the way to get there and that plan cannot and will not fail.

When you think about the attributes of God, it has to be this way. Here’s why. God’s wisdom, His decrees, His decisions and His determinations are not made in time. They are eternal—meaning that they’ve always existed and will stand forever. Being that they are eternal, they are also inalterable—they cannot change. Election (point A) is part of God’s eternal wisdom and so is our final victory when Christ comes again (point B). It’s all part of His eternal predetermined plan. This doesn’t mean that we are fatalists or robots of any sort and that nothing we do matters. Scripture never speaks like this. Rather, it just points us to the fact that our salvation is secure because God has determined to start and finalize it. He who began a good work (point A) will be faithful to complete it (point B). He is the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Ephesians 1:5-6 In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Next time you take your children on a fun vacation I’m sure that you will map-out and predetermine your destination and stops along the way. Your children will be grateful that they safely arrived at the destination you determined for them. You will not look at them as robots with no will. And neither will they look at you some control freak. Rather they should praise you for the wonderful thing you have accomplished for them. So it is with God’s predestining of us to a complete salvation. It is so that we’ll praise His grace. Sola Gratia!

REDEMPTION AND FORGIVENESS
Do you remember the last time you saw some aluminum cans redeemed? You had them captive in your syrupy clutches. Then a man with an apron came out and paid you some money to release those cans and hand them over to him. His paying of money to you was the redemption value of those cans, bottles or whatever.

So Christ has redeemed us. Sin, death and Satan had us captive. A price needed to be paid so that we could be released from the power and consequences of evil over us and evil in us. That price was the very life of Christ. He paid the ransom, the redemption cost to secure us. That is by His grace, not our doing. Sola Gratia!

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Forgiveness is also part of the salvation package and that, too, is attributed to His grace. We owe a debt to God and it must be paid. That debt has been wiped away or forgiven. We been released from the penalty that our sin deserves. That penalty was paid when Christ was beaten and then crucified on the cross. He bore my sin. He bore my penalty. He bore my wrath. And I am now forgiven. I did nothing to earn it, merit it or deserve it. Sola Gratia!

THE CRUCIFIXION
Christ was our substitute on the cross. He died for what we did. He did this voluntarily at the will and request of the Father. He tasted death for His chosen people and this is by the grace of God. It’s not like we asked Him to do this for us because we would have done so. In man’s natural state he does not seek the mercy and forgiveness of God—man is too proud. Rather he attempts to please God and bribe God with his own good deeds and self-righteousness. So God planned it in eternity past—it has always been His plan. It has always been His plan to be gracious to us despite of our wretchedness. Sola Gratia!

Hebrews 2:9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

GLORIFICATION
This is the final stage, if you will, of our salvation. When Christ comes to get His elect, the church, His chosen ones, He has promised that at that moment we will become like Him for we will see Him as He is. The perfect Son of God will clothe us with glory. We will be transformed to look like the perfect incarnate Son of God. We will restored to the perfect image of God…that image that was wrecked when Adam sinned in the garden and disobeyed God. That is the whole point of God’s creating mankind. “Let us make man in our image.” Sin ruined it. God determined that mankind will reflect His image and glory. So His salvation plan ultimately leads us right back to the pre-fall state. Christ achieves this for us because we cannot.

When Christ comes again, our bodies will be changed into bodies that aren’t able to decay. Our wills will be changed as well because we will never sin again. Faith will become sight—everything we’ve been waiting, hoping and trusting will happen will be finally tangible! This is our eternal hope. God gave this hope to us. That makes it grace. Sola Gratia!

2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

I had actually intended this article to be the shortest of the bunch. But as I began to look at how gracious God has been to us I just had to share all these wonderful truths—and there are many more. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

I think I understand a little better (and I hope you do too) what the Apostle John means in John 1:16.

John 1:16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

God has taken one act of grace and stacked another on top of it, then another, then another, then another, then another…so that we’ve received “grace upon grace.” In light of this, I don’t know how we cannot love our God more and more. I don’t know how we can see our salvation as a small thing. It’s just not possible unless we are indifferent to the Word of God—and that speaks of a real spiritual problem. Those that slumber in the church and have no vibrancy in their worship have failed to comprehend in larger measure the grace of God. So my prayer for all us is the prayer of Peter in his second letter.

2 Peter 1:2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Sola Gratia!

You Brought Nothing.

2010-02-05T05:05:00.000-08:00

In 1 Corinthians 4:7 Paul says,

"And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?"

"O believer, learn to reject pride, seeing that you have no ground for it. Whatever you are, you have nothing to make you proud. The more you have, the more you are in debt to God; and you should not be proud of that which renders you a debtor. Consider your origin; look back to what you were. Consider what you will have been except for divine grace.

Great believer, you would have been a great sinner if God had not made you to differ. O you who are valiant for truth, you would have been as valiant for error if grace had not laid upon you.

Therefore, don't be proud, though you have a large estate - a wide domain of grace, once you did not have a single thing to call your own except sin and misery.

O strange infatuation, that you, who have borrowed everything, should think of exalting yourself." - Charles Spurgeon

photo credit: matt wahl

Unbelievable.

2010-02-04T07:08:00.001-08:00

"He has saved us from the power of darkness and carried us into the kingdom of the Son of His love...And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight"

So incredibly amazing we need the Holy Spirit to believe it.

Colossians 1:13, 21-22

Behold! All Things Have Become New.

2010-02-02T02:22:00.000-08:00

John 8:12

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Colossians 1:13-14

" For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Today is my birthday. I was born 31 years ago. However, there is a day that far surpasses the importance of this day. It is my spiritual birthday - April 7, 2007. The day that Jesus plucked me out of the kingdom of darkness and placed me into the kingdom of light.

Since then, everything has changed. A sudden distaste for sin. An unnatural longing for Him and His word. While before, I was attempting to tie on plastic fruit to my barren branches. Now - out came natural, plump, juice-filled fruits of the spirit. It was a whole new world.

I now know what "To live is Christ" means.
I now know what "Your lovingkindness is better than life" means.
I now know what "In your presence is fullness of joy" means.

The Battle With Sin.

2010-01-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

Some have battled with sin in their blatant outward rebellion against God.

I struggle with quite the opposite.. Spurgeon describes it best.

[A cake not turned is soon burnt on the side nearest the fire, and although no man can have too much religion, there are some who seem burnt black with bigoted zeal for that part of truth which they have received, or are charred to a cinder with a vainglorious Pharisaic ostentation of those religious performances which suit their humour. The assumed appearance of superior sanctity frequently accompanies a total absence of all vital godliness.]

My pastor--{Mark Lauterbach] is so good to us to remind us of the danger of putting on an attitude of self righteousness/pride that resembles the Pharisee's...i felt most guilty of that this weekend during my baby sister's wedding weekend.

God in his gentle and loving ways, reminded me of graces so specific and so fresh.

Praise Him I am not left in my sin, Amen?

Photo Credit: Carissa Gallo

The Five Solas - Basic Reformed Theology: Sola Fide

2010-01-24T00:05:00.000-08:00

Sola Fide! This is a Latin phrase that is meant to convey the Biblical doctrine that teaches that we are justified by faith alone.

Martin Luther said that this is the “doctrine by which the church stands for falls.” If Luther is right, then we seriously need to understand what it means to be justified by faith alone. Before we look at the Scriptures that teach us this very important doctrine or the reformation history and controversy surrounding it, let’s break it down in laymen’s terms.

JUSTIFICATION
Take a quick look at the root word of this theological and Biblical term. If you see the root word as “TIFICATE” then you’re way off base already (a little humor there). Of course you will all see that the root word of JUSTIFICATION is JUST. The idea behind justification is that it is a legal declaration from God that we are just, perfect, righteous, sinless, totally holy and blameless. So imagine standing before the just Judge of the universe and He looks down at you and declares to you from a legal standpoint, “You are not guilty. In fact, you are perfectly righteous.” That might sound as if God is lying. Doesn’t it? After all, you and I are sinners by nature. Having inherited our sin nature from Adam, we sin regularly. Scripture declares it. Experience proves it. So how in the world can God legally declare me righteous or justified, if in fact I am not righteous or just? That leads us to another doctrine that we must first discuss.

IMPUTATION
I love this word. It is marvelous and full of gospel realities. You need to love it and understand it, too. The book of Philemon is a great example of what this doctrine looks like. In this little letter (just 25 verses), we find the Apostle Paul writing to a man named Philemon. Philemon was sort of a wealthy guy and was able to open up his home as the meeting place for a local church of which he is a member. Well, Philemon has a servant who runs away from him. And from the implications of the letter, it appears that this servant stole something from Philemon. This servants name is Onesimus. In the course of time, Onesimus runs into the Apostle Paul, hears the preaching of the gospel, repents of his sin, puts his faith in Christ and then becomes a useful brother to Paul. For whatever reason, Paul decides to send Onesimus back to Philemon. I can only imagine the fear that Onesimus must have felt. He wronged his master. He committed a crime. He could have suffered tremendously for the injustice he committed. And so this letter was sent on ahead to Philemon so that when Onesimus arrived, Philemon would receive him as a brother in Christ, not as a runaway thieving slave.

Now when you read verse 17-18 you will see the doctrine of double-imputation. Paul says this to Philemon: “So if you consider me your partner, receive him [Onesimus] as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” And there you have a tangible instance of what the doctrine of imputation means and looks like. Philemon loved Paul and Paul was elderly and in prison for preaching the gospel. And in essence, what Paul said was this: “Philemon, you treat Onesimus as you would treat me.” But that’s not all Paul says. He goes on to say, “Philemon, whatever wrong Onesimus has done to you, I’ll bear the penalty for it. You treat me as if I were your runaway thieving slave.” The good standing that Paul had with Philemon was to be credited to Onesimus so that Philemon would treat Onesimus as if Paul were standing before him. Even though Onesimus was guilty of sinning against his master, he would be treated as if he were the beloved Paul. Conversely, Paul offered to take on the debt that Onesimus owed Philemon, so that Paul would be treated as if he actually did was Onesimus had done, even though he had not. The bad standing that Onesimus had with Philemon was to be credited to Paul. Paul arranged for all of this. Onesimus would simply be the recipient of Paul’s gracious actions.

Paul’s taking on of the debt of Onesimus AND Onesimus’ taking on the right (just) standing of Paul is a picture of the gospel. Paul represents Christ, Onesimus depicts sinners and Philemon portrays the Father. What happens to us when we are justified? When we are justified, Christ takes upon Himself my sin so that He is treated as if He had lived my wicked, wretched and sinful life. Conversely, when we are justified, we take upon ourselves the gift of Christ’s righteousness so that God will treat us as if we lived the perfect life of Christ. And Christ looks to the Father and says, “Father, receive this runaway sheep as you would receive Me—the perfect Lamb of God! And treat Me as if I had done wrong to You.” Brothers and sisters, this is what our Savior has done for us. He has given us His righteousness and has taken upon Himself our sin. There has been a great exchange. He has arranged all of this. You and I are simply the recipients of Christ’s grace.

You and I live eternally and have been saved because we have an “alien” righteousness—a righteousness that comes from without, not from within….a righteousness that comes from Christ. It is only when this transfer takes place that we can actually be called “justified” by God Almighty. Although we are not righteous, we are called righteous because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

When does this transfer take place? That’s where the FIDE is Sola Fide comes into play. Remember that FIDE means faith. We are justified the moment we place faith in Christ. And we are justified by faith alone. We are not called just because we lived good lives and tried to be just or righteous…because we’ve already proved that we’re not righteous. Rather, we are justified by faith and faith alone. In other words, the moment we put faith in Christ, is the moment that the great exchange is applied to us--imputation. No faith in Christ = no justification. Faith is the gift of God through which we receive the righteousness of Christ.

Look at these verses that tell us how we ARE NOT justified:

Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 3:10-11 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

These are but just a few of the prominent verses in Scripture that clearly tell us that we ARE NOT justified because we attempt to live JUST lives. Our attempts to perfectly keep God’s Law does not make us just or righteous. That would be the essence of self-righteousness. Indeed that is what a self-righteous person truly is—one who thinks that they are just, good and holy on their own efforts. Just ask any unbeliever if they think that they are a good person and they will almost unanimously declare, “YES!” So if you rely on your efforts to keep God’s Law so that one day God can look at you and declare you righteous, then I have bad news for you: You are under a curse. You will surely be declared guilty (unjust) because any breaking of any of God’s Laws means that you’ve broken God’s Law.

Now look at these verses that tell us how we ARE justified:

Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Scripture makes it emphatically clear that we are justified by faith and by faith alone. Not faith plus your deeds. Not faith plus anything, but faith alone. Faith is the vehicle through which righteousness is delivered to us and even FAITH is a gift so that we cannot consider it a good work. Brothers and sisters, that is why it is so important to understand that when we call sinners to turn away from Christ that we call them to believe in Christ—to have faith in Him. The Biblical response to the gospel has always been, “Turn from your sin and trust in Christ’s finished work to save you.” In the name of evangelism, we have asked people to do all sorts of things in order to be justified. We’ve pleaded with people to walk the aisle, to pray a sinner’s prayer, to sign a commitment card, to jump off a plank, to ask Jesus in their heart, etc., etc. But the Biblical response to the gospel has been that of repentance and faith in Christ. We must call people to believe in Jesus and what He has done because it is through this gift of faith/belief that we receive His righteousness.

In the 1500’s, Martin Luther came out swinging against the Catholic Church’s understanding of justification. In their understanding of justification, when a person believes in Christ they are then infused with the life of God so that they can be transformed to look more and more like God in an experiential and daily way. They teach that God does this SO THAT we can eventually get to the point where our lives look so much like God’s that we are finally declared righteous because we have achieved a day-to-day experience of righteousness. It might seem like a small deal and small difference, but I assure you that such is not the case.

In the mid-1500’s the Catholic Church convened in order to try and put a stop to the Reformers and their teachings which included the doctrine of Sola Fide. This meeting was called the Council of Trent and in Canon 9 they said this:

CANON 9: "If any one says, that by Faith Alone the sinner is Justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema (damned forever)."

A Catholic's understanding of justification has everything to do with what God gives us, THEN what we do with what God gives us. We have to live in a way that produces righteousness in us so that God can finally declare us just. We in essence would have to earn our justification by completing what God started in us. The Reformation and Protestant understanding of justification is that nothing we do makes us just. We are called just because of what Christ has done—He has been perfect for us. One teaching relies completely on Christ’s work. The other relies on Christ’s work plus what we do. If there is anything clear about the Scriptures above, it is that we are not justified by anything we do, but what Christ has perfectly done.

Let me say that when we are justified that the Bible teaches us that we do grow in holiness. That gradual and certain growth is called SANCTIFICATION—to be set apart from sin. This does happen in the life of a believer--but sanctification is not the basis for our being called perfect. Justification and sanctification are entirely different but radically connected. Those whom God has justified will be gradually sanctified as the Spirit applies the Word to our hearts and minds. Catholic doctrine confuses the two and actually teaches that once you are fully sanctified THEN you can be justified. They reverse the order of justification and sanctification and confuse the definitions. Catholics would say that we are not justified until we can actually lives just and holy lives. Christians would say that we are considered righteous by God because of what Christ has given us, not by our trusting in Christ plus our keeping of the Law. This is what essentially divides Catholics and Christians and creates a host of other errors on the part of the Catholic.

This doctrine of justification by faith alone is the doctrine on which the church stands or falls. This much is true: the Catholic Church affirms justification by faith. But they do not affirm justification by Faith Alone. Reread Canon 9 in case you missed it or if that was unclear the first time. If the church declares that we are justified by anything other than faith alone in Christ alone then we would eventually have no true believers in the future…the church would fall completely. But thanks be to God that faithful Christians have contended for Sola Fide throughout the centuries and that many are justified because they have trusted in Christ alone.

Thank You, Lord, that You have called us to salvation and that we are now justified by your gracious and saving gift of faith. When we sin this week, let us not rely on our self-efforts and attempts of righteousness to be righteous and acceptable before You. Let us rest on Christ alone by faith alone. Then send us out into the world to live a life of worship that displays Your righteousness and glory for the world to see. Help us to proclaim to the world the wonderful news that peace with God is possible only when we are justified by faith in Christ. This we pray in the great name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Soul Cry

2010-01-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

As the deer pants for the water, my soul longs for You
As the body dies without water, my soul dies without You

They may say, “Come on, get over it
Drink, be merry, for tomorrow we die”
That’s why I’d rather sit in the house of mourning
Than at the table with fools
Blessed are the hungry—You said it, I believe it
Hunger is an escort into the deeper things of You
You satisfy, you satisfy

My soul cries, my soul cries, my soul cries for You

Take me to the place where You satisfy, take me to the river
I’ll do anything, God; there is no price, take me to the river

They may say, “Come on, get over it, everything is okay”
They may say, “Why the hunger?
Why the thirsting? Why the mourning?”
But my soul cries, my soul cries

All my tears You hold in a bottle; You will pour them out like rain
Weeping endures for the night, for the night
But joy comes in the morning, joy comes in the morning

Blessed are the hungry, blessed are the thirsty
You said it, I believe it; I believe it, I believe it
Hunger is the escort into the deeper things of You

Deep is calling out to deep is calling out to deep

Yesterday’s depth is feeling really shallow
I’ve gotta go deeper, deeper, deeper still
And all Your waves and all Your billows crash over me
Pulling me deep, deep, deeper
From glory to glory, from strength to strength
From depth to depth, I want to fellowship with You

You’re not so far away, it’s not too mysterious
You’re living on the inside of me, Your Spirit on the inside of me

Spring up, O well; spring up, O well; spring up, O well, within me

Who Is Jesus?

2010-01-21T05:18:00.000-08:00

[Click the picture to listen to a sermon jam that I made]

"The sermon jam that Brent made is possibly the most important sermon clip that you'll ever hear."
-Joseph Edward Mejia

"I will help you."

2010-01-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

"It is but a small thing for Me, your God, to help you. Consider what I have done already, What! Not help you? Why, I bought you with My blood. What! Not help you? I have died for you; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less? Help you! It is the least thing I will ever do for you; I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose you; I gave up My life for you; and if I did all this, I will surely help you now. In helping you, I am giving you what I have bought for you already. If you had need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it to you; you require little compared with what I am ready to give. It is much for you to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. Help you? Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of your granary asking for help, it would not ruin you to give him a handful of your wheat; and you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My all-sufficiency. I will help you."

O my soul, is this not enough? Do you need more strength than the omnipotence of the united Trinity? Do you want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring here your empty pitcher! Surely this well will fill it. Hurry, gather up your wants. and bring them here--your emptiness, your woes, your needs. Behold, this river of God is full for your supply; what else can you desire? Go forth, my soul, in this your might. The Eternal God is your helper!

Fear not, I am with you, oh, be not dismay'd!
I, I am your God, and will still give you aid.

chs | morning by morning, January 16

Throw Away the Band Aids

2010-01-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

Matthew 9:12-13

But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

So many these days try to fix their problems with a band aid. When I think of liberal psychology today I envision a person who sees a paper cut on their finger. The individual then realizes they need to fix the problem, so they get a band aid from the bathroom cabinet. After a day of keeping a band aid on their finger they realize they didn’t fix the problem because the cut is infected. How do they solve the problem? Change the band aid. Soon the cut is a blistering puss filled cesspool. The person with the paper cut got one crucial fact wrong in the beginning of the process; they perceived the issue to be a paper cut when in reality their entire hand had been cut off.

Modern day psychology misses step one of the healing process. There are nuggets of truth to be found in the field of psychology but they typically miss out on one fundamental truth: the nature of man. J.C. Ryle says, "Wrong views of a disease will always bring with them wrong views of a remedy. Wrong views of the corruption of human nature will always carry with them wrong views of the grand antidote and cure of that corruption." The fundamental difference between modern day pschology's view of man is that man is basically good and his problems are external, whereas Biblical Christ-centered counseling tells us that man is completely corrupt and his basic problem is internal.

Today's psychologists hand out band aids, and if the first band aid doesn't work they hand out another one. Biblical Christ-centered counseling adjusts the perspective of its patients first by giving them a glimpse into the reality of their condition. The glimpse is Christ hanging on the cross, marred by sins ugliness. Only by looking at the cross can we understand the seriousness of our condition; sin is the issue and it has polluted us. Author J.I. Packer address’ the importance of understanding sin when he says,"If you have not learned about sin, you cannot understand yourself, or your fellow-men, or the world you live in, or the Christian faith.”

A firm understanding of sin and grace, justice and mercy, and kindness that leads to repentance found in the gospel will heal our ailments and solve our problems more deeply than the band aids offered by today’s culture. In a teaching called, “Another Gospel”, author and speaker C.J. Mahaney says, “Popular literature and teaching today begins with man and then proceeds to make God in our image according to our preferences.”

The gospel is the fountain of youth for the old man that lives inside of us all. The center of the gospel story is the main character, Jesus Christ, the healer and great physician. “Jesus Christ does not merely give better answers to psychological questions, He gives the only answers to questions psychology does not even ask, much less answer.”

The Five Solas - Basic Reformed Theology: Sola Scriptura

2010-01-12T23:22:00.000-08:00

Sola Scriptura! That’s Latin for Scripture Alone! Simply put it means that Scripture is the only rule for what we believe and what we practice. Scripture alone is the revealed mind of God and tells us about sin and salvation, our wretchedness and God’s righteousness, hell and heaven, death and the life to come. While creation is a general revelation of God, Scripture is the specific revelation of God and tells us why the world is so sinful and how God redeems us through His perfect Son, Jesus Christ. Without God revealing this to us, we’d be left to our own speculations and imaginings. This would no doubt lead us to many different attempts at being reconciled to Him. But God has not left us in the dark. He has spoken and what He has spoken has been written down. These writings, inspired by God and written at the hands of men, are what guide us in orthodoxy and orthopraxy—right belief and a right practice that flows from these beliefs.

Sola Scriptura does not mean that the Bible is the only book that we are to read and that we cannot learn from the books and writings of great Christians—living or dead. Indeed, God had given us pastors and teachers to edify the body of Christ so that we may mature spiritually. These pastors and teachers are given to us so that they may explain the Scriptures in a Christ-centered fashion and then call us to believe them and then live in a way that magnifies our Savior. And many of their teachings and sermons are written down and put into books so that their admonitions and insights can be passed on to future generations. Nevertheless, their teachings are to bow before Scripture—for Scripture alone is the ultimate authority and there is no other authority that rises to the level of God’s Word. The Lord’s Word written down is our ultimate authority because it comes directly from God.

This is one of the central truths that the Reformers sought to bring back to the forefront of Christianity. The Catholic Church did not and does not hold to the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. Let me say that they do believe Scripture to be the Word of God; it’s just not the ONLY rule for faith and practice. They also believe that tradition, certain teachings of the pope and the verdicts of councils are to rule over the people with the same authority as God’s written Word. Let’s take for example the Catholic Church practice of Ex Cathedra.

Ex Cathedra is a Latin phrase that means “from the chair.” It is used in reference to the pope when he is teaching and his teachings are to be considered without error--or infallible. In real life application, this means that what the pope says in certain teachings is as good as the Word of God. It means that his teachings are binding upon the people within the Catholic Church. If a member of the Catholic Church were to disregard Ex Cathedra teachings, then this member would be considered as one who abandoned the faith and is an apostate—or a spiritual traitor. These people would be considered accursed by the Catholic Church for not adhering to the pope’s teachings.

In 1950 there was an Ex Cathedra doctrine that said that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken bodily up into heaven at the end of her life. Of course, there is nowhere in Scripture where this is taught. Yet if the pope is teaching Ex Cathedra and claims this, the Catholic Church is bound to belief this. After this doctrine was installed as official Catholic doctrine, these words were added to it: Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith.

I hope you hear what the Catholic Church is saying. They are saying that Ex Cathedra teachings are directly from God and if you do not adhere to them, you have fallen away from the “true” and “universal” faith. They elevate the teachings of the pope to that of Scripture. So as far as Catholic doctrine goes, Sola Scriptura is a heresy and a danger to them. Sola Scriptura would require that all their teachings be subject to God’s Word and that whatever is not derived from God’s Word must be discarded and repented of. Reformation Theology teaches that scripture alone is our basis for doctrine and practice. Hopefully you see the vast difference between these opposing views.

But the Catholic Church is not the only group to deny the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. Many Christians would affirm and say that this doctrine is true, but what they do actually denies this truth. Let me give you another example of how some Christians actually deny Sola Scriptura.

There is a prominent Christian author named Henry Blackaby. I’ve read several of his books and for a time in my life I agreed with his teachings and actually promoted them to others. I have since repented of these certain teachings. Blackaby says that God speaks through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church. Now you may say to yourself, “This man seems to affirm that God does speak through His Word.” And that is certainly true, but so does the Catholic Church as I mentioned earlier. The problem is not in his affirming that God speaks through His Word. The problem is that God’s Word is not seen as the ONLY rule for faith and practice. According to Blackaby, God also speaks through circumstances, prayer and the church. Here’s the problem with these three ways that God supposedly speaks to us.

Scripture never tells us that God speaks to us in prayer. Prayer is us speaking to God and praying for His will to be accomplished in the world and in our lives. As Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Contrary to popular belief, prayer is not a two-way communication. God speaks to us by His Word. We speak back to Him by prayer.

Secondly, Scripture nowhere teaches us that we are to look at circumstances to determine what God is saying to us. This is where the rubber meets the road for many Christians. A lot of Christians live their lives as if circumstances are some sort of tarot cards that they need to observe and then determine what God is saying. The look for signs and open doors and situations and when they see them “align” they say, “God is telling me to do this or that.” Oh, how many people have made poor decisions because they assumed that God speaks not by His Word only, but also by circumstances and open doors. Rather, we should to look to God’s Word to see what God requires us of, then ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment and then make appropriate decisions that do not compromise the glory of God and His gospel. God gives us much liberality to made decisions that are in accordance with His Word. To assume that God has some hidden agenda and will for your life and that you need to figure it out by gaining a higher knowledge that is not derived from Scripture is dangerous. That is mystical and has close ties to the heresy of Gnosticism that the first Christians fought against.

Thirdly, while God does use pastors, teachers and other believers to disciple you and train you in God’s Word, they should be simply reiterating what God has already said. God is not speaking fresh revelation to us through those whom He has called to preach. If He were speaking fresh revelation, then we would need to have those words recorded down for future generations to have. If He were speaking fresh revelation through preachers or other church members then our Bible would continue to grow and grow and additions would be needed. But Scripture tells us that we need to contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints. In other words, Scripture says that what we need to know from God has BEEN delivered and is not continually being delivered and added to.

As you dive deeper into the teachings of Blackaby, you get caught up in looking to all sorts of things from which to hear God…and they are all apart from Scripture. The only sure word that we have for faith and practice is God’s Word and God’s Word alone. So while many Christians will give lip service to Sola Scriptura (like I did), they actually deny it (like I once did) through their everyday living and practice.

The biggest argument against Sola Scriptura is that it’s tough to find that doctrine directly in Scripture. You won’t find a verse that explicitly says, “Sola Scriptura!” That much we have to concede. But we would all agree that there is no higher authority than God Almighty. And if God has spoken, then what He says must have ultimate authority in our lives. If God has spoken, and if we know what He has said, then that is what we must ultimately submit to. And since Scripture claims to be the Word of God, then we must either submit to and yield to Scripture as the authority of God…or else we must prove that the Bible is not the Word of God written down.

If God’s Word is not the ultimate authority in our lives then we are left to the whim and feeling of every person who claims to hear from God or wants to define truth in their own terms. Truth then becomes subjective or based on personal experience and personal feeling, rather than its basis in the ultimate Truth Giver. For example, you will hear Christians say that they can no longer regard homosexuality as a sin because of the hurt that a homosexual family member has had to endure. Their standard for truth is subjective, internal, based on what they feel is right. It is not based on what God has said. Their ultimate authority ends up becoming themselves. Be on guard against those who profess to be Christians but use experiences, traditions, circumstances, feelings and other things to determine what they believe and how they should live. They may be true Christians, but they are sorely misguided. Sola Scriptura ensures that what we believe and what we do is in sync with the mind of God. As an aside, may I also say that while church constitutions and by-laws are important, they too must yield to the Word of God. Those documents are man-made and when they need to be adjusted or re-written to be in accordance with God’s Word, let it be done with glad and joyful submission.

Lastly may I say that God’s Word is precious to us. It is most vital for our salvation and spiritual growth. Without God’s Word we would be perishing in our sin. Without God’s Word we would still be under God’s wrath and judgment. The fact that God has spoken to us and called us to salvation is remarkable. If you just missed what I said, let me rephrase it. You and I are saved because God has called us to salvation, which requires words. Scripture shows us our sin and need for the Savior. Scripture shows us who this Savior is and what to believe about Him. Scripture grants us spiritual life so that we can grasp the spiritual truth about Jesus. Scripture is what God uses to give us faith. Scripture is what transforms us to look more like Christ. Look at what God says about His Word

1. Scripture is what the Holy Spirit uses to CONVICT us of sin. Romans 7:7 – “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” Another synonym for God’s Word is the Law. The Law or God’s Word shows us our sin and damnation before God. John 16:8 – “And when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

2. Scripture is what the Holy Spirit uses to REGENERATE us or make us born again. In other words, the Word of God is what the Holy Spirit uses to bring about a spiritual resurrection in our lives. The Bible says that we are spiritually dead because of sin. Spiritually dead people cannot respond to a spiritual being or comprehend spiritual truth—they are spiritually dead. In order for them to believe in Christ, which is a spiritual act, they must first be brought to spiritual life. That is why the Bible describes believers as those who are raised (past tense) with Christ. We have been resurrected to spiritual life. God’s Spirit uses God’s Word to accomplish this for us. 1 Peter 1:23 – “Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” What grace we’ve been shown! John 3:6-7 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.

3. Scripture is what the Holy Spirit uses to grant us FAITH in Christ. How amazing is God’s Word. Romans 10:17 – “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Do you believe that Christ is the Savior? Do you trust in Him alone to save you from God’s wrath and from sin? If you do, you do so because of God’s Word. The gift of faith comes to you by your hearing God’s Word. Faith is not internal or inherent in us. It comes from without as a present to us from God. Amazing grace!

4. Scripture is what the Holy Spirit uses in SANCTIFICATION or in making us more like Christ. Believers are called to salvation by God’s Word in order to have the sin marred image of Christ restored in them. Remember back to the garden of Eden when God created man to be representations of God’s glory. “Let us make man in our image.” Well, sin wrecked that. And salvation is not only about God saving us from hell, but it’s also about God restoring us to look like Adam and Eve did before sin entered creation. Christ, who was God in the flesh, was the only one to ever have lived the perfect life that Adam and we were commanded, but failed to do. We are supposed to look like the human Jesus, the Adam before sin, but we don’t. So part of our salvation includes having that image slowly but surely restored---God will do it. And He does this by His Word. That transformation of us is called sanctification. John 17:17 – “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” A Christian who fails to sit at the teachings of our Savior and His apostles is a person who is not growing to look more like Christ. If you still struggle with sin, like I do, then the answer is more of God’s Word. He will put His Word in your heart so that you will not sin against Him.

In light of all that Scripture says about God’s Word, it’s hard to think that anything else could ever do what God’s Word does for us. The exhilarating reality is that God’s Word stands alone as ultimate authority and the only thing that can bring us effectively to salvation. His Word endures forever! – Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 2:25.

The Ugly Truth

2010-01-09T04:16:00.000-08:00

Quick what is the most offensive thing someone at work can do?

Steal your stapler?

Show up 15 minutes late to a meeting?

Take credit for your work?

No silly, it’s showing up to work in a Hawaiian shirt.

I know business casual has not been clearly defined in the employee handbook but I c’mon that shirt is so errr…..uhhh…BRIGHT!

For arguments sakes it does have sleeves, collar, and it does button up, but c’mon it has flowers, tropical birds, and it’s so err…….BRIGHT! And on top of that it’s Wednesday couldn’t you have waited to wear it on Friday? Plus the fact that your blasting the best of Jimmy Buffet does not help your case.

Please someone talk to this guy. People are starting to file complaints at the HR office cause that shirt is so offensive.

Now telling someone that their shirt is ugly errr… I mean…uhh.. BRIGHT is not an easy task. Its has no other option that coming across as offensive. That’s why whoever tells him has to be as loving and tactful as possible to give him the uncompromised truth.

Evangelizing is very similar to this.

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. …to the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. 1 Cor 9:19 and 22

I am a firm believer in the fact that it is possible to be both loving and bold in our gospel presentation.

Telling an unbeliever that they are living an offensive life and need a savior has no other option that coming across as offensive. So we have two options. Beat them over the head with the Bible. Or befriend them and serve them so that by all means with the divine intervention of God, save some.

That's why it is our duty as Christians, to be aware of others cultures, customs, and emotions so when we boldly yes... boldly present them with the Gospel it is only God's word that confronts and convicts them. People have never gotten into heaven through someones clever gospel presentation. But it is your personality, honesty, and love that God uses as tools to rely his message.

I’m sure there are more tactful ways of telling some who wears Hawaiian shirts on Wednesday that their shirt is so hideou……err I mean ….obnoxiou……err I mean …oops….I mean unsightl…….uhhh I mean …BRIGHT!

God's Grace Makes Much Of God

2010-01-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing I love, it is the grace of God. And this grace was supremely revealed at the cross of Christ, where He was slain for the sinful. When I think about my salvation, I always like to put it in its proper context in order to make much of the grace of God. Grace pictured incorrectly diminishes God and makes grace look cheap. So, I don't picture myself standing at the gates of Heaven begging God to let me in. Then, God finally calls my name and I come sprinting through the gates of Heaven breaking the golden ribbon that was conveniently placed there to add drama to my entrance. Upon entrance there is a set of bleachers, you know the kind you see at a little league game, with a group of angels raising signs saying, "You made it," "Go you." No I don't picture my salvation like that, as flattering as it is. I don't picture myself playing a game of hide and go seek with God, one where God is hiding under my kitchen counter and I conveniently walk in as he sneezes alerting me to his position. Then, as I creep up to the counter doors I throw them open yelling, "FOUND YOU." No, when it comes to salvation God is definitely not the one hiding. I don't think either picture even comes close to touching the true reality and depth of the grace of God in a sinner's conversion like me. I like to picture my salvation like this: God is standing at the door of Heaven saying "Whosoever will, may come." But I am deaf to that call because I am running toward Hell with all the strength I can muster up all the while indulging myself in sinful passion along the way. But God overflowing in grace grabs me, turns me around, calls to my dead heart, "ARISE," and displays His infinite glory and worth to me. That is the way I picture my salvation and you should too, because apart from the grace of God you were deaf to God. And apart from the grace of God you were dead to God. Those who understand the reality of their deafness and deadness will picture their salvation like this, because it makes much of the grace of God. When I get to Heaven I am going to blame God for getting me there, because the same grace that grabs me is the same grace that guides me home. And that is how grace makes much of God.

Romans 9:16

"So then it depends not on human will and exertion

but on God who has mercy."

Photo Credit: Carissa Gallo

The King

2010-01-03T04:00:00.000-08:00

Why would a rich man become a poor man?
Why would a King cast off his crown to put on the rags of a servant?
It is because the rich King is love incarnate; he is powerful in might yet strong in love.
The King could crush me with his power but instead cradles me in his arms.
This King was once cradled as well; cradled in his mother's arms.
The King, the creator of the universe, shackled himself to flesh;
It was the tender vulnerable flesh of a newborn child.
Self-sufficiency became dependency.
The one who breathed life into man took his first breath as he emerged into the world.
The one who sustains the world was sustained and nourished by his mother.
Yet, the cloud of holiness did not lift from this child; his perfection was being made perfect for sacrifice.
The King came to earth to give us his perfection. He was born for death.
Born for the grave and yet raised to life.
The tender vulnerable flesh became calloused and rough to be broken.
Broken, torn and ripped flesh, offered up on the altar of a tree.
This is our King who poured himself out and counted his Kingship as nothing.
This is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who came as a baby to bring his people out from the clutches of darkness.
He lived a human life so we might have life in him; he died to give me life eternally.

The Branch's Resolution

2010-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

At the brink of each passing of the modern calendar year, scores of people resolve to change themselves by focusing on a habitual tendency. Something they want to get rid of. Something they want to add that's missing.

Life takes on perhaps the most introspective viewpoint of the year during the day that is literally like every other day. January first is no different than August seventh. But we make it so because a small number changes on everything we read, write on, or look at. Today, it will change from a "9" to a "10". It is the nearly global self-assesment beacon. It alerts us to spend at least a moment to look inward. It alerts us to assess who we are in our accomplishments or what we need to do next in order to 'upgrade' with that small digit. And it is the greatest of socially shared contexts for personal, simultaneous sin.

We love us... quite a bit, really. I often do, at least. I'm probably the biggest fan of "me". And there's not a whole lot more that we like to do than to think of ourselves and ponder ways to make "me" into something even better. And when New Years rolls around, we jump on a lot of opportunities to take advantage of how we can better ourselves in the future (new habits, new activities, etc) or pat ourselves on the back for the past (accomplishments, experiences, etc).

The majority of the world is aware of the new year and the trends of comparing our past year with what we want to do in the next. But do we look with eyes of praising God for our past, and pleading to our Father for our future? Or do we spend all of that time looking... inward?

New Years isn't a horrible thing... it's just a lot easier to become a deeper lover of ourselves. Or to simply take our eyes off the One who gave us all the grace we desperately needed to even be who we are (in Christ, no less... remember "I am the vine, you are the branches"?)

I like making changes in my life. I love it, actually. Especially when it involves my best friend, Jesus Christ. When I see that I've learned more about Him in September than I did in August, I like it a lot. January can be just like any other month, and to make a resolution isn't a bad thing. Making changes and praying that they actually happen is wonderful if it glorifies God.

So this New Year, please pray that your brother (that's me) and the rest of your family (that's all of you) will spend as much time as we can fighting against introspection and seeking... Christ-o-spection... or whatever it's called. He is to be praised for 2009; all of it. And our Father is He who will guide us through 2010 by His grace... no differently than 2009, or 2000, or 1258, or 33 when He crushed His Son for our sins that He would be exalted and glorified.

Treasures In Heaven

2009-12-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matt 6: 20-21

I’ve been trying to figure out a way to bring my huge CD collection and “swanky” sneakers into heaven. I really have! I’m stuck for the moment so I’ll blog.

2 years ago, from transition to living at my apartment in to my home I decided to live at a motel for a week. It was your typical run of the mill motel. It had its perks of room service and continental breakfast but for the most part the room was a dump. It had worn out carpets, old dressers, moldy smell…the works. To be honest it only took about a day before I wanted to rip out the carpets and install hardwood floors, install linoleum floors in the bathroom, and re- paint the walls just to brighten up the place.
But as common sense would have it I didn’t for three main reasons.

1) The stay was temporary.
2) I couldn’t take any of it with me.
3) I had a new home waiting for me.

Why spend all my time and resources into re-modeling this motel when I could pour it into my home? My heart was elsewhere.

As obvious as the decision may have sounded we do the same in out Christian life. We cannot take earthly possessions with us into heaven no matter how much time and effort we put into obtaining it. But we put so much of our effort into doing it regardless.

Time, money, and health are gracious resources given to us by God. We can either do two things; use them to obtain earthly temporary things or use them to build up the eternal kingdom.

But I sure do wish we get to wear cool sneakers in heaven!

The Gift Of Gifts

2009-12-24T05:49:00.000-08:00

O Source of all good,
What shall I render to Thee for the gift of gifts?
Thine own dear Son, begotten, not created,
my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,
His self-emptying incomprehensible,
His infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.

Herein is wonder of wonders:
He came below to raise me above,
was born like me that I might become like Him.

Herein is love;
when I cannot rise to Him He draws near on wings of grace,
to raise me to Himself.

Herein is power;
when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
He united them in indissoluble unity, the uncreate and the created.

Herein is wisdom;
when I was undone, with no will to return to Him,
and no intellect to devise recovery,
He came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost,
as man to die my death,
to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
to work out a perfect righteousness for me.

O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds,
and enlarge my mind;
let me hear good tidings of great joy,
and hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore,
my conscience bathed in an ocean of repose,
my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father;
place me with ox, ass, camel, goat,
to look with them upon my Redeemer's face,
and in Him account myself delivered from sin;
let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child to my heart.
embrace Him with undying faith,
exulting that He is mine and I am His.

In Him thou hast given me so much
that heaven can give me no more.

"The Gift of Gifts" | Valley of Vision

----------------------
Have a joyous Christmas everyone!

Figs, Christmas and Hypocrisy

2009-12-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what figgy pudding is, but is sounds scary. But I digress so quickly...

In Matthew 21:18-22 Jesus has just returned from Bethany to Jerusalem and from a distance sees a fig tree by the side of the road. Scripture makes it a point to say that there were leaves on this particular fig tree. Although it was at least a good month and a half away from the normal season for figs to bear fruit, the presence of leaves on the tree signified that fruit was there. Being hungry and seeing this fig tree with leaves from afar, Jesus heads towards the tree to grab a morning bite to eat. He finds no figs, curses the tree and the tree withers away.

Before making application, we need to understand that in several instances in the Old Testament Israel was likened to a figless fig tree (Micah 7:1-4, Hosea 9:10). In these instances, figs are symboic for godliness, devotion to God, true faith, true believers. The absences of godliness and true believers in the land of Israel was detestable to God. From a distance, any nation observing Israel would have thought that they were godly and very religious. But from God's standpoint and upclose examination, Israel was barren.

When we head back to Matthew 21, we see that the problem with the fig tree was not such much barreness. The gospel of Mark tells us that it was not the time of figs. But being that the tree had leaves, which Jesus saw from a distance, and being the leaves were supposed to indicate that fruit was on the tree, Jesus anger arises from the fact that the tree gave the appearance of fruit but did not have any. The tree was a hypocrite...a pretender...a deceiver. Jesus curses it and it becomes good for nothing except to be thrown into a furnace.

So, too, had Israel become once again. They had all sorts of leaves and no fruit. They had just welcomed Christ into Jerusalem with shouts of praise: Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest. They had just thrown their cloaks on the floor which was the cultural way of welcoming a king or war hero. They had cut palm branches (symbols of peace) and laid them on the ground along with their cloaks, believing that Christ was bringing peace for them. Yet their understanding of the peace He was bringing was political not spiritual. They had the appearance of real spiritual fruit. Their worship seemed to be genuine. Yet it was a farce. They were hypocrites. They were pretenders. A week later those shouts of praise would be turned into shouts of hate: Cruficy Him!!! Cruficy Him!!!

Israel had leaves. They had the temple in Jerusalem where this fig tree is located. The temple system, ceremonies and sacrifices all elaborately portrayed the gospel. Yet when Christ arrives He finds merchants and money-changers using the gospel to fulfill their own greedy lusts. The problem wasn't that they were doing business. The problem was that the merchants and money-changers were taking advantage of those participating in the temple ceremonies. The gospel became a means to fulfill ones greedy lusts.

Jesus then drives everyone out of the temple--even those being taken adantage of. Christ is displeased with them as well. They should have been just as indignant and righteously angry as Christ was, yet they went along with the program and failed to contend for the gospel and God's glory. They should have been zealous for the gospel. There should have been others doing what Christ had done, but there was no one else cleansing the temple. Israel had leaves...but no fruit. They had the appearance of godliness, but it was pure hypocrisy.

The cursing of the fig tree then becomes an ojbect lesson for the disciples as to the state and condemnation of that generation. What a powerful display of God's judgment upon hypocrites--upon those who appear to be godly but upon close examination from the Lord are found wanting.

Christmas is right around the corner...but a few weeks away. A lot of leaves will be displayed. There will be an unprecedented amount of professed godliness dispalyed during this holiday season. Hmmm...something to think about. Will those with true fruit rise up and warn the current generation of the condemnation that will come from the one who was born in a stable if they are found to be trees with leaves and no fruit?

How we need the Savior! That is the good news of the Christmas story. Christ came to save us from our wickedness and God's wrath in order to make us God's children who bear godly fruit and display His glory. Bearing fruit and displaying the glory of God doesn't save you. Rather, God saves you in order to display His glory with little pieces of fruit that look like Him.

How good God is in warning the visible church of the hypocrites that are hiding within the true church.

Now if by chance you come across the fabled figgy pudding this Christmas, and if you find that figgy pudding is made with figs...remember Matthew 21 and the cursing of the figless fig tree.

Idolatry

2009-12-18T05:12:00.000-08:00

Our choices are predicated upon what we think is "good,' what we "delight in," what we find most "desirable." The truth about our choices is that we always choose what we believe to be our best good.We always choose what we believe will bring us the most delight. ...

Idolatry is a sin that has its beginning in the mind, in your thoughts, beliefs, judgements, and imagination. ... Instead of fashioning idols out of wood or stone, we fashion them in our imagination - worshiping that which we believe will bring us happiness. ... These beliefs function as gods just as surely as if we had carved them from wood or overlaid them with silver. ... We must learn to put away the gods of our imagination: gods that promise happiness in exchange for our worship.

Our longings and desires ... are the driving force behind everything we do. ... Why do we profess great love for the Lord on Sunday morning and exaggerate our successes to our boss on Monday morning? Because we have divided desires. ... [T]he desire that is strongest ... is what our will acts on. ...

My sin has its roots in my false worship. Don't be deceived: you are already passionately worshipping something. ... Learning to take great delight and joy in God is the strongest deterrent to idolatry.

Elyse Fitzpatrick Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone

photo credit: jenny james

Zechariah 3

2009-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

And the Lord said to Satan,
“The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”

Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.
And the angel said to those who were standing before him,

“Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.

The Grace of the Incarnation

2009-12-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

Those of us that enjoy the history of the reformation and the doctrines that were recaptured during that time period are fond of the Latin phrase Sola Gratia, which means that we are saved by grace alone in Christ. All of salvation, every aspect of it, all of Christ's works to secure it for us, all the gifts given to us that we may be saved....well, they're all by the grace of God. Our salvation would not be possible had the Son of God not become flesh. In fact, Scripture refers to the incarnation as one of the gracious things Christ has done to secure us a right standing with the Father.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

How rich we are because of the grace of the incarnation. I pray that your Christmas is filled with more of God's grace.

Only One Life Twill Soon Be Past, Only What’s Done For Christ Will Last

2009-12-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life's busy way;

Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;