Saturday, October 31, 2009

Why WE Still Need the Reformation

Russell Moore:
For most conservative American evangelicals, "Reformation Day" is not a big deal. Many, if asked, might think it to be a special emphasis day for prison ministry.

Most of us know the day as Halloween instead (or something closely approximating it), even if we feel a little guilty about that. I'll be away travelling tonight, unable to indulge the trick-or-treaters, so maybe I'll just nail 95 Reese's to the door.

But as one who grew up in a half-Catholic, half-Baptist extended family, October 31st is an interesting time for me. What would Martin Luther have done on that thundrous road if he'd had a background like mine? Invited Saint Anne into his heart as his personal lightning rod? Pledged to start a "True Nuns Wait" campaign?

What I do know is that, whatever your view of the Reformation, it's obvious to see that some of the things that drove Luther to anger (and to despair) are everywhere present, to this day, often even in the most "Reformation-centric" evangelical churches.

Hardened rebels against God rest easy in a prayer said at Vacation Bible School, or a card signed at confirmation class. And guilty consciences stand paralyzed outside, fearful that Christ can only save those who look or dress or speak a certain way. And, through it all, American Christianity has become a vast conspiracy to sell one another products.

The combination of the damning power of cheap grace with the accusing agony of performance-based righteousness before God exists in every wing of the church. That's because it's not a medieval problem, but a primeval one.

Syncopated Luther

In honor of Reformation Day today, here is a video (more audio than video, really) of Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." It is sung in German in the original syncopated style. What?! You thought that syncopation originated 100 years ago with ragtime? Not so.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Stingy Jack

More from David Wayne on some of the history behind Halloween-- in this installment, the story behind the Jack o' Lantern:
The pumpkin, which many of us associate so strongly with Hallowe’en, is native only to North America, and grows nowhere else in the world. They simply did not have pumpkins to use as symbols, until about 300 years ago! The original Jack-O-Lanterns go back a little further, but were usually made from turnips or potatoes, and are a relatively recent European invention (c. 1200 A.D.).

According to tradition, the Jack-O-Lantern is the good-natured result of an old Irish-Christian wives-tale about a miser named Stingy Jack who refused his good wife’s exhortation to go to church. Jack instead frequented saloons, were he eventually met and tricked the Devil himself into paying for the drinks. A year later, on the eve of the Hallowed Day, Jack choked to death, eating a turnip. When he arrived at heaven’s gate he was turned away as an unrepentant sinner. At the gates of hell, Satan drove him off by throwing glowing embers of hell-fire at him, still angry over being tricked. Jack was doomed to walk between heaven and hell until the Judgment Day, still carrying his half-eaten turnip, in which burned the glowing embers he had caught. They called it Jack’s-Lantern, and Christians would put them up to mark the locations of their Hallowe’en parties. According to the legend, if Satan saw such a lantern he would turn and walk the other way rather than risk meeting Stingy Jack in such a gathering.

Isn't it interesting how a "Christianity" without an emphasis on the Scriptures fosters a folk religion that instinctively creates its own stories? And how, in this imagination, the Devil is always a more interesting character than, say, Jesus? And, not incidentally, that the gospel is absent?

At least it got a couple of things right: Unrepentant sinners don't go to heaven, and you can't swallow a whole turnip. So don't be a fool like Stingy Jack.

As Holy As Possible

Robert Murray McCheyne:
Lord, make me as holy as it is possible for a saved sinner to be.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Counting the Days

Psalms 139:16
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

Carolyn Nystrom:
God’s power, blended with his knowledge, has sobering implications. I remember well the day when I sat down and calculated the days that my own firstborn child had lived: a mere 8,175 days until a car crash on the way to work ended Sheri’s life as well as that of her own unborn child. At age seven, Sheri had completed nearly a third of her lifetime—and God knew. He had counted the days. When Sheri danced at her senior prom, she had completed more than three-quarters of it—and God knew. He had counted the days. At college graduation, she had completed all but seventy-one days. God had already counted them. I am grateful that those counted days were in God’s knowledge, not mine. It is comforting to know that the length of Sheri’s life did not somehow escape the knowledge and power of God, that her life (far too short by human measure), continues to this day in his presence. God the Creator shapes—conceives, constructs, connects, controls—all that he brings into any mode of being, and this shaping is his omnipotence in action.

From Praying: Finding Our Way through Duty to Delight, by J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom

The History Behind Halloween

David Wayne, with "just the facts" on Halloween (the numbers at the end of sentences refer to footnotes you can see at his original post-- follow the link):
Hallowe’en was created by the Early Christian Church during the 4th century.1 Originally celebrated on the 13th and 14th of May as “All Martyr’s Day,” it was instituted to remember those who had given their lives for the Faith during the Great Christian Holocaust, by Rome.2 It was, in other words, the Christian Memorial Day — the second most important holy-day in the entire Christian Calendar. Fact.

Somewhere along the way it apparently became customary to hold Church pageants on the preceding evening. Everyone, even the audience, came dressed as their favorite martyred saint.3 Those who chose Paul, came beheaded. Those who chose Matthew, came with a spear thrust through them. In skits, congregations would reenact the valor and passion of the Church-in-persecution. Others dressed as the antagonists of the stories — Satan, his demons, the wild animals of the coliseum, the soldiers and the Caesars. These were the defeated enemies, booed and hissed, while the victorious heroes were cheered. Afterward they would all spill out into the streets of the city, begging food for the poor among them.4 Fact.

Some three hundred years later, the city of Rome donated a building to the Church in memory of all the “martyrs” of the Great Persecution. The building had formerly been used as a place of torture and the execution of Christians. Now, it would be used to worship Jesus Christ. The irony was not lost on the Church, and many shifted their All Martyr’s celebration to the day the new building was dedicated — November 1.5 Within the next fifty years that change became official in the Western Churches (the Eastern Churches still celebrate in the spring, to this day6). The celebration was gradually expanded to include any who had been persecuted for the name of Christ, and many began calling it “All Saints’ Day.” Fact.

In the centuries that followed, the name was finally changed to the “Holy Day” – or more popularly, the “Hallowed Day.” The festivities traditionally began the night before, because until recent times both Jews and Christians began their day at dusk. This is not the result of culture or superstition, but because God made them that way (”… and the evening and the morning, were the first day”, etc.). So, to the early Church the evening of a Saturday, for instance, was the night before, not the night after — Saturday began with Saturday-evening (what you and I would call Friday night). In fact, what we call “Christmas Eve” today, was originally the evening of/before Christmas-Day. The same is true of New Year’s Eve. Similarly, the Hallowed Day began with the “Hallowed Even’,” which was ultimately contracted to the “Hallowe’en” we know today. Today, we still begin our celebration on the evening before – what appears on our calendars as October 31. Fact.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Here I Stand

As Reformation Day approaches (October 31), you can celebrate with a 24-minute audio dramatization of Martin Luther's famous speech, available this week as a free download here. This is the site's description of the program:

In the late afternoon of April 18, 1521, in the city of Worms, Germany, Martin Luther, a 37 year-old Catholic monk was called to defend himself before Charles the Fifth, the Holy Roman Emperor. The speech he delivered that day, Here I Stand, marked the beginning of the Reformation, a critical turning point in Christian history, that decisively altered the spiritual map of the world.

In this recording, Max McLean introduces the events leading up to the Diet of Worms: Martin Luther’s prayer the night before he delivered his speech; Luther's stirring defense; the Catholic church’s rebuttal; and, Luther’s final heartfelt response.

Source

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

True and Better

Here's Tim Keller on seeing Jesus in the Old Testament-- not in a Hidden Pictures or Where's Waldo? sort of way, but with a deep appreciation for the way the Scriptures point us to Christ:
Jesus is the true and better Adam, who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel, who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out not for our condemnation, but for our acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar, and go out into the void, not knowing whither he went, to create a new people of God.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac, who was not just offered up by his Father on the mount,but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “now I know you love me, because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me, now we can look at God, taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing Him, and say,” now we know that you love us, because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from us.”

Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserve, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph, who at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold Him, and uses His new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses, who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better rock of Moses who was struck with the rod of God’s justice, and now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends.

Jesus is the true and better David, whose victory becomes his people’s victory though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther, who didn’t just risk losing an earthly palace, but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk his life, but gave his life to save his people.

Jesus is the true and better Jonah, who was cast out into the storm so we could be brought in.

He is the real passover lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so that the angel of death would pass over us.

Source

Saturday, October 24, 2009

More Necessary, Not Less

A quotation on the topic of preaching for Saturday, from John Stott-- way back in 1982:
It is difficult to imagine the world in the year A.D. 2000, by which time versatile micro-processors are likely to be as common as simple calculators are today.

We should certainly welcome the fact that the silicon chip will transcend human brain-power, as the machine has transcended human muscle-power.

Much less welcome will be the probable reduction of human contact as the new electronic network renders personal relationships ever less necessary.

In such a dehumanized society the fellowship of the local church will become increasingly important, whose members meet one another, and talk and listen to one another in person rather than on screen. In this human context of mutual love the speaking and hearing of the Word of God is also likely to become more necessary for the preservation of our humanness, not less.

Source

Friday, October 23, 2009

Still, My Soul Be Still

A few weeks ago, Katie and I saw Keith and Kristyn Getty in concert at Moody Church. Here's a video of a Canadian television appearance they made recently. We've been enjoying their new CD Awaken the Dawn quite a bit, but you can listen to the stream of the entire two-hour Moody concert here for free.

What's New about the New Birth?

Colin Smith describes a few ways that the "new birth" is new:
A new disposition
God created you. He made you with your own unique gifts, personality and temperament. The new birth does not violate what God has made. Shy sinners become shy Christians. Zany sinners become zany Christians. Cautious sinners become cautious Christians.

God's Holy Spirit will give you power to overcome the effects of sin in your personality, like pride or anger or greed. But God will not override His own work. He redeems His work by giving you a new disposition. God never makes two snowflakes alike and he certainly never makes two Christians alike.

God takes the personality that you were born with and moves it in a new direction. It is you - moving, desiring, thinking and feeling - in a new direction. That's what happened to Peter. Christ took this man - with his exuberance, his flair and his passion - and moved him in a whole new direction. Peter and Thomas were completely different before and after they met Christ.

A new appetite
Nature determines appetite. When you are born again God gives you a new appetite that reflects your new nature. Birds have an appetite for worms and slugs. Cats have an appetite for meow mix. I don't care for either because it's not in my nature.

Cats have an appetite for what cats love. Dogs have an appetite for what dogs love. Sinners have an appetite for what sinners love. Those who have been born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ have an appetite for what Christ loves.

This new appetite is not something that is imposed from the outside. God has created a desire to live a new kind of life that rises from within you. Real freedom is found when what you most desire turns out to be exactly what God commands.

A new capacity
Nature determines appetite, but it also determines capacity. Dogs can't fly; it's not in their nature. Fish can't run; it's not in their nature. Sinners cannot live in the presence of God or obey the laws of God.

That used to be your position. But when you were born again God's Spirit came to live in you, giving you not only the desire to live a new life, but also the capacity. Never underestimate the miracle God has done in bringing you to faith in Christ.

I, personally, do not have vivid recollections about my own birth. I've heard about it and gather that I caused a lot of problems by refusing to get into the right position, but I don't remember it! The evidence that I was born is that I am alive. The evidence that a person was born again is that they are living the new life.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Fizzy

Douglas Wilson on the spectacular failure of atheism:
So if the universe is what the atheist maintains it is, then this determines what sort of account we must give for the nature of everything -- and this includes the atheist's thought processes, ethical convictions, and aesthetic appreciations. If you were to shake up two bottles of pop and place them on a table to fizz over, you could not fill up an auditorium with people who came to watch them debate. This is because they are not debating; they are just fizzing. If you were to shake up one bottle of pop, and show it film footage of some genocidal atrocity, the reaction you would get is not moral outrage, but rather more fizzing. And if you were to shake it really hard by means of art school, and place it in front of Michelangelo's David, or the Rose Window of Chartres Cathedral, the results would not really be aesthetic appreciation, but more fizzing still.

If the atheist is right, then I am not a Christian because I have mistaken beliefs, but am rather a Christian because that is what these chemicals would always do in this arrangement and at this temperature. The problem is that this atheistic assumption does the very same thing to the atheist's case for atheism. The atheist gives us an account of all things which makes it impossible for us to believe that any account of all things could possibly be true. But no account of things can be tenable unless it provides us with the preconditions that make it possible for our "accounting" to represent genuine insight. Atheism fails to do this, and the failure is a spectacular one. Nor does atheism allow us to have any fixed ethical standard, or the possibility of beauty.

See his exchange with Christopher Hitchens here.

Source

A Bit of (Almost Local) History

Confirmation that Wheaton College was part of the Underground Railroad in the years leading up to the Civil War, as noted on the Christian History blog:
David Malone, head of Wheaton’s archives and special collections, explained to The Daily Herald newspaper that the discovery of a comment in an 1889 manuscript is actually quite significant.

"We've never been willing to say for ourselves that we were a stop on the Underground Railroad," Malone said. "Others were willing to say it for us. But we wouldn't confirm that. Now we're able to say with full assurance that this was a stop on the Underground Railroad."

Turns out the text isn’t massively hard to find if you know what you’re looking for: Google Book Search has a scanned, downloadable copy of The History of the Thirty-Ninth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Veteran Infantry (Yates Phalanx) in the War of the Rebellion 1861-1865. Here’s the passage, a first-person account of Ezra A. Cook:

In the fall of 1853 … we moved to Illinois and settled on a farm about twelve miles from Chicago. About four years afterward [my father] sold this farm and purchased another in Du Page county, about one and a half miles from Wheaton, his object being to give his children a liberal education; the oldest daughter having already spent several terms at Wheaton College.

The outbreak of the war in the spring of 1861 found myself and two sisters attending Wheaton College, which had a national reputation as an Abolition school in an Abolition town. So strong was public sentiment that runaway slaves were perfectly safe in the College building, even when no attempt was made to conceal their presence, which was well known to the United States Marshal stationed there. With hundreds of others, I have seen and talked with such fugitives in the college chapel. Of course they soon took a night train well-guarded to the next station on the U. G. R. R.

When Sumter was fired on, I did not doubt that it was the death-knell of slavery, and my heart was in the battle for freedom from that moment.

Unforeseen Circumstances

My blog could stand a little more humor. So, here you go...






My monitor had some trouble with the darker side of the sign. It reads, "The class on prophecy has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances."

Source

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

An Idle Attempt

This quotation goes well with our text for this week. Can you see this reality in Jesus' response to the rich man?

Charles Spurgeon:
It is an idle attempt to heal those who are not wounded,
to attempt to clothe those who have never been stripped,
and to make those rich who have never realized their poverty.

Next Sermon - Matthew 19:13-30 on 10/25/09

Here is the text for our next sermon from Matthew. We covered 19:1-12 back in February with Jesus' teachings on lust, adultery, and divorce from the Sermon on the Mount (5:27-32). We also covered 19:13-15 with the first section of chapter 18, but I'm including it again here because the contrast with what follows is significant.

Matthew 19:13-30
13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Perspectives

This goes well with our text from last week. It may seem a little slow, but stick with it.

Perspectives from Peacemaker Ministries on Vimeo.



Source

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Enthralled

Thirty years ago, John Piper sensed God leading him away from his career as a college professor (teaching Bible) to serve as the pastor of a local church. Here is a portion of his journal entry from October 14, 1979, that inspires and challenges me on this Saturday as I finish my sermon for tomorrow.
The urge is almost overwhelming [to resign from position as professor to pursue the pastorate]. It takes this form: I am enthralled by the reality of God and the power of his Word to create authentic people.

He later writes, imagining God speaking to him and contrasting the role of the academician from the shepherd:
I will not simply be analyzed; I will be adored.

I will not simply be pondered; I will be proclaimed.

My sovereignty is not simply to be scrutinized; it is to be heralded.

It is not grist for the mill of controversy; it is gospel for sinners who know that their only hope is the sovereign triumph of God’s grace over their rebellious will.

Source

Friday, October 16, 2009

ENCOURAGE

Continuing with themes from Matthew 18, here is a model for biblical confrontation, by Paul David Tripp, using the anacronym ENCOURAGE:
Examine your heart. Confrontation always begins with you. Because we all struggle with indwelling sin, we must begin with ourselves. We must be sure that we have dealt with our anger, impatience, self-righteousness, and bitterness. When we start with our own confession, we are in a much better place to lead another to confess.

Note your calling. Remember that confrontation is not based on your opinion of the person. You are there as an ambassador and your job is to faithfully represent the message of the King. In other words, your goal is to help people see and accept God's view of them.

Check your attitude. When you speak, are your words spoken in kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, forbearance, compassion, and love? Failure to do this will hinder God-honoring, change-producing confrontation. We need to examine both our message and our attitude as we speak.

Own your own faults. It is vital to enter moments of confrontation with a humble recognition of who we really are. As we admit our own need for the Lord's forgiveness, we are able to be patient and forgiving with the one to whom God has called us to minister.

Use words wisely. Effective communication demands preparation, particularly of our words. We need to ask God to help us use words that carry his message, not get in the way of it.

Reflect on Scripture. The content of confrontation is always the Bible. It guides what we say and how we say it. We should enter moments of confrontation with a specific understanding of what Scripture says about the issues at hand. This means more than citing proof texts; it means understanding how the themes, principles, perspectives, and commands of Scripture shape the way we think about the issues before us.

Always be prepared to listen. The best, most effective confrontation is interactive. We need to give the person an opportunity to talk, since we cannot look into his heart or read his mind. We need to welcome his questions and look for signs that he is seeing the things he needs to see. We need to listen for true confession and the commitment to specific acts of repentance. As we listen, we will learn where we are in the confrontation process.

Grant time for a response. We must give the Holy Spirit time to work. There is nothing in Scripture that promises that if we do our confrontation work well, the person will confess and repent in one sitting. Rather, the Bible teaches us that change is usually a process. We need to model the same patience God has granted us. This patience does not compromise God's work of change, but flows out of a commitment to it.

Encourage the person with the gospel. It is the awesome grace of God, his boundless love, and his ever-present help that give us a reason to turn from our sin. Scripture says that it is the kindness of God that leads people to repentance (Rom. 2:4). The truths of the gospel--both its challenge and its comfort--must color our confrontation.

From War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles
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Thursday, October 15, 2009

A Formal Apology

Of course, there's always two sides to a confrontation. Not only is it important to know how to admonish appropriately, we need to be prepared to receive criticism and correction. This would be an example of a poor response to correction. [Click the image to see it larger.]









Source

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Help Me to Judge Rightly

This prayer written by Ken Sande seems pertinent to our text from Matthew for this week:
Help Me to Judge Rightly
Lord, help me to judge others
as I want them to judge me:
Charitably, not critically,
Privately, not publicly,
Gently, not harshly,
In humility, not pride.
Help me to believe the best about others,
until facts prove otherwise—
To assume nothing,
to seek all sides of the story,
And to judge no one until I’ve removed
the log from my own eye.

May I never bring only the Law,
to find fault and condemn.
Help me always to bring the Gospel,
to give hope and deliverance,
As you, my Judge and Friend,
have so graciously done for me.

Source

Next Sermon - Matthew 18:15-35 on 10/18/09

This is a text that could probably just as well stand on its own, but I'll try to preach a sermon from it anyway.

Matthew 18:15-35

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Moral Effort or Grace?

Tim Keller:
Christianity teaches that our main problem is sin. What then is the solution? Even if you accept the Christian diagnosis of the problem, there doesn't seem to be any particular reason why one must look only to Christianity for the solution. You may say, "Fine, I understand that if you build your identity on anything but God, it leads to breakdown. Why must the solution be Jesus and Christianity? Why can't some other religion do as well, or just my own personal faith in God?"

The answer to that is that there is a profound and fundamental difference between the way that other religions tell us to seek salvation and the way described in the gospel of Jesus. All other major faiths have founders who are teachers that show the way to salvation. Only Jesus claimed to actually BE the way of salvation himself. This difference is so great that, even though Christianity can certainly be called a religion in the broader sense, for the purposes of discussion we will use the term "religion" in this chapter to refer to "salvation through moral effort" and "gospel" to refer to "salvation through grace."

From The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
Source

Sunday, October 11, 2009

More on Church Membership

Kevin DeYoung defends the notion of church membership in two posts, concluding the second thusly:
The bottom line is that if you are looking for a verse that talks about a membership class and certificates of transfer, you won't find it. But if you are looking for the concepts of a defined in/out community, record keeping, covenant making, and submission to a recognized body that exercises authority over the circumscribed group, you can find all of that in both testaments.

Oh yeah, and the word "member" is in the Bible too.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Our Faith Is a Person

Charles Spurgeon:
Our faith is a person; the gospel that we have to preach is a person; and go wherever we may, we have something solid and tangible to preach, for our gospel is a person. If you had asked the twelve Apostles in their day, "What do you believe in?" they would not have stopped to go round about with a long sermon, but they would have pointed to their Master and they would have said, "We believe him." "But what are your doctrines?" "There they stand incarnate." "But what is your practice?" "There stands our practice. He is our example." "What then do you believe?" Hear the glorious answer of the Apostle Paul, "We preach Christ crucified." Our creed, our body of divinity, our whole theology is summed up in the person of Christ Jesus.

Source

Friday, October 09, 2009

Justification and Adoption

J. I. Packer:
That justification—by which we mean God’s forgiveness of the past together with his acceptance for the future—is the primary and fundamental blessing of the gospel is not in question. Justification is the primary blessing, because it meets our primary spiritual need. We all stand by nature under God's judgment; his law condemns us; guilt gnaws at us, making us restless, miserable, and in our lucid moments afraid; we have no peace in ourselves because we have no peace with our Maker. So we need the forgiveness of our sins, and assurance of a restored relationship with God, more than we need anything else in the world; and this the gospel offers us before it offers us anything else...

But contrast this, now, with adoption. Adoption is a family idea, conceived in terms of love, and viewing God as father. In adoption, God takes us into his family and fellowship—he establishes us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with the God the judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.

From Knowing God
Source

Thursday, October 08, 2009

A Product of the Gospel

Christopher J. H. Wright:
There is a potentially serious misunderstanding in this Lausanne Covenant sentence: "World evangelization requires the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world." Read without referring to what the covenant says about the church's need to examine itself, this sounds like the church is nothing more than the bearer of the message, like a postman delivering a letter. It doesn't really matter if the postman who delivered my letter this morning was committing adultery last night. So long as I get the letter, the moral behavior of the carrier is irrelevant.

But the church is not just the mechanism delivering the gospel. It is also the product of the gospel, and is to be the living, visible proof of the ethically transforming power of the gospel. So the failures and abuses in the worldwide evangelical community are, in the literal New Testament sense of the word, a massive scandal—a stumbling block to the gospel being seen, heard, and accepted. For that, the only answer is repentance and reformation.

What We Imagine

Darren Whitehead:
My 3-year-old daughter dreamed about Elmo, the Sesame Street character. I realized she's dreaming about not her own characters but about someone else's. Her imagination has been "taken captive" by the world, in that sense.

If God gave people everything they ever dreamed of, what would that be? More money. Finding a great spouse. Good-looking children who are athletically gifted, academically strong, respectful. A nice home. A car that won't break down. People who don't go to church have the same dreams; have our imaginations been taken captive by the world?

In Ephesians 3, Paul is talking about "God doing immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine," and we don't know what to ask for or what to imagine. What to do?

The future of the church is in how willing we are to be counter-formed by the story of God, the full view of Gospel, so it unleashes in us "kingdom imagination."

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Cautions When Talking about "Kingdom"

Kevin DeYoung:
Whenever we try to define something as big, broad, and potentially confusing as the kingdom, it’s important we state our definition in positives and negatives. So in addition to the three statements above [click the link above to view his entire post], let me suggest five cautions.

1. Don’t be afraid to talk about the kingdom. Some conservatives avoid preaching the gospel of the kingdom, believing that kingdom talk is for liberals. But Jesus and the apostles showed no such hesitation. The message about God’s reign and rule was hugely significant to their theology and should be to ours as well.

2. Don’t have a truncated view of the kingdom. For many people the kingdom of God equals social services. But the kingdom is not just the alleviation of suffering, it means conquering God’s enemies, ridding the world of impurity, and acknowledging the splendor of the King. So before we get all excited about “doing kingdom work” we should remember that the coming kingdom will not just be devoid of hunger, it will also be devoid of the wicked and unbelieving.

3. Don’t drive a wedge between the church and the kingdom. The church does not equal the kingdom, but in this age the kingdom is largely manifested in the church. That’s where we find the people of the King. That’s where we are supposed to see reconciliation, the alleviation of poverty, the mitigation of suffering, the conquering of evil powers, and the worship of King Jesus. A vision for the kingdom is a vision for the growth, reformation, and revival of the church.

4. Don’t think we build the kingdom. The kingdom is something brought by the King, not something we build. The verbs related to the kingdom in the New Testament aren’t verbs like “build” or “expand,” but verbs like “receive,” “inherit,” and “enter.” The kingdom is a gift that God gives to us, not a project that God expects us to accomplish.

5. Don’t forget to talk about how we enter the kingdom. As Greg Gilbert has pointed out before, we haven’t proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom unless we have told how people they can enter into this kingdom. The good news of the kingdom is not simply that God is in the world establishing his rule, conquering his enemies, righting wrongs, forming a holy people for himself, and reversing the effects of sin and suffering. The good news must also include the message that through Christ’s wrath-bearing death and his glorious resurrection we can be a part of this kingdom. The gospel of the kingdom is no good news unless we tell people how unrighteous, unholy, undeserving sinners can receive this kingdom through repentance for our sins and faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Next Sermon - Matthew 18:1-14, 19:13-15 on 10/11/09

The texts for this coming Sunday's sermon are as follows:

Matthew 18:1-14
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 11 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Matthew 19:13-15
13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Then I Will Go with You

A story told by Tullian Tchividjian that I think serves as a good complement to my previous post:
I close the book with a story from Civil War days before America’s slaves were freed, about a northerner who went to a slave auction and purchased a young slave girl. As they walked away from the auction, the man turned to the girl and told her, “You’re free.”

With amazement she responded, “You mean, I’m free to do whatever I want?”

“Yes,” he said.

“And to say whatever I want to say?”

“Yes, anything.”

“And to be whatever I want to be?”

“Yep.”

“And even go wherever I want to go?”

“Yes,” he answered with a smile. “You’re free to go wherever you’d like.”

She looked at him intently and replied, “Then I will go with you.”

Jesus has come to the slave market. He came to us there because we could not go to him. He came and purchased us with his blood so we would no longer be a slave to sin but a slave to Christ—which is the essence of freedom. And now there’s no freer place to be in life than going with him—with the one who is himself our true liberty.

Remember: In the person of Jesus Christ, God came into this world, not to strip away our freedom, but to strip away our slavery to self so that we could be truly free.

You Follow a Crucified Savior

Colin Smith:
"Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ." 1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)

What do you expect the Christian life to be like? Our expectations of life in this world should be shaped not just by the reality of this fallen world, but by the fact that we have chosen to follow a crucified savior.

As you think about Jesus' experience of life in this world, remember that you have freely chosen to identify yourself with Him and to follow Him.

1. He worked hard in manual labor making a living that was never more than enough to get by.

2. He was never married, and He had no children.

3. He never became a homeowner. In fact He had no place to lay His head.

4. He was the special focus of Satan's particular attention. The devil tempted Jesus with greater force than any man has ever been tempted.

5. He was the most under-appreciated person who ever lived. Rejected in His own home town-a prophet without honor in His own country.

6. He experienced the constant frustration of colleagues who did not understand what He was saying and who were reluctant to follow Him.

7. He knew the deep pain of being betrayed by one with whom He had shared so much of life and to whom He had given so much trust.

8. When He faced His hour of greatest need His friends let Him down.

9. When false charges were brought against Him there was nobody who would help Him find justice.

10. He knew what it was to reach out in love, and to experience hatred from the very people He had chosen to love.

That's what life in this world was like for Jesus. We have chosen to follow Him. So, if your experience is the same as His, that's par for the course. If you have more than He had, then regard that as a unique gift and privilege from God.

The question God asks you is not, "Do you want to go to heaven?", but, "Are you ready to follow Jesus?" Let the life of Jesus set your expectations. If there is one person who is there for you in your darkest hour, then you have more than Jesus had.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

A Dying Man

Another quotation for Saturday, aka "final sermon preparation day."

Richard Baxter (1615-91)
I preached as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.

Friday, October 02, 2009

Fruit, Not a Root

Charles Spurgeon:
I once knew a good woman who was the subject of many doubts, and when I got to the bottom of her doubt, it was this: she knew she loved Christ, but she was afraid he did not love her. “Oh!” I said, “that is a doubt that will never trouble me; never, by any possibility, because I am sure of this, that the heart is so corrupt, naturally, that love to God never did get there without God’s putting it there.” You may rest quite certain, that if you love God, it is a fruit, and not a root. It is the fruit of God’s love to you, and did not get there by the force of any goodness in you. You may conclude, with absolute certainty, that God loves you if you love God.

From his sermon titled "The Relationship of Marriage"
Source

Tune In Tonight

I'm taking Katie to a concert tonight at the historic Moody Church in Chicago for her birthday coming up on Monday. We'll be hearing Keith and Kristyn Getty, backed by the Moody Bible Institute choir. The reasons why I'm telling you this are...

1. The Gettys are excellent worship songwriters who have a new album available.

2. You can listen to the concert without going to Chicago by going here at 8:00 p.m. tonight.

3. You can wish Katie a "Happy Birthday!" on Sunday.

Next Sermon - Matthew 17:1-27 on 10/04/09

I'm sorry if you've stopped by and found nothing new, but a busy week means little blogging.

Here's the text for this coming Sunday's sermon. It's a whole chapter, and it's a challenge to find some threads that can hold a sermon on all this together. Can you see them?

Matthew 17:1-27
1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” 21

22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”