Thursday, August 23, 2012

"A Bloody Shame" by Hershael York: A Sermon

Yesterday in Bible study we studied the strange text from Exodus 4 regarding Zipporah, the wife of Moses, circumcising one of their sons. Here is the sermon preached by Dr. Hershael York from Southern Seminary and Buck Run Baptist Church on this text.



For more:
GBC - Archeological & Historical Evidence of the Exodus
Blogizomai - The Search For the Real Mount Sinai
Blogizomai - MacArthur & The Attacks on the Bible
Blogizomai - Digital Media and Scholarship: The Dead Sea Scrolls Goes Online
GBC - The Prince of Egypt: Moses and the Burning Bush Scene
GBC - Joseph, the Hyksos, and Archeology

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Archeological & Historical Evidence of the Exodus

I must admit that the archeological and historical challenges surrounding the Exodus and Israel in Egypt have been a difficult part for me. I have been told for years that there was no evidence that Israel had ever been in Egypt, that they were redeemed by a former, adopted prince of Egypt, and that they wondered in the desert for 40 years. Though I have since learned that there is some evidence supporting the contrary, I have not heard much scholarship supporting the biblical record. Below is a video suggesting that there is in fact evidence of Israel in Egypt and the Exodus and it comes from a respectable scholar. Though I have not seen all of this lecture yet, but this is a great presentation showing evidence of Israel in Egypt and the Exodus.



Lecture with Dr. James Hoffmeier from Lanier Theological Library on Vimeo



HT: Justin Taylor


I would also point you to this History Channel special that I saw parts of a few years ago that seeks to show that there is some evidence of the Exodus and Israel in Egypt. But again, I have not seen all of it. The narrator has been known to make some wild, inaccurate claims before. Perhaps most famously is his assertion that the lost tomb of Jesus had been found.






Also consider this exciting movie called the Search For the Real Mount Sinai.





Originally published February 25, 2012



For more:
Blogizomai - The Search For the Real Mount Sinai
Blogizomai - MacArthur & The Attacks on the Bible
Blogizomai - Digital Media and Scholarship: The Dead Sea Scrolls Goes Online

The Prince of Egypt: Moses and the Burning Bush Scene

Here is one of the scenes from Exodus we'll be discussing tonight. Hope to see you there.

August 19, 2012 | Isaiah 55 - Come & Seek A God Who Forgives

We bring our series on temptation and sin to a conclusion with a message from Isaiah 55 on the subject of grace and forgiveness. A precious truth of Scripture. The good news wouldn't be good news without it.

“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.
“Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.
“ Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies shown to David.
“Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
A leader and commander for the peoples.
“Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
“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.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
12 “For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up,
And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up,
And it will be a memorial to the Lord,
For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”





Audio
Notes


July 1, 2012 | Mark 1:1-15 - Make War: The Great Cosmic War & the Warrior Whose Already Won It 
July 8, 2012 | 1 John 2:15-17 - Gone Fishing: The Bait & Hook Strategy of Temptation  
July 15, 2012 | Luke 3:18-4:22 - Who's Your Daddy?: Our Christian Identity and the Nature of Temptation
July 22, 2012 | Matthew 4:1-4 - Hungry? Why Wait?: Learning to Feast When on a 40 Day Fast
August 5, 2012 | Matthew 4:5-7 - Don't Jump: Why the Gospel is Greater Than Self-Vindication
August 12, 2012 | Matthew 4:8-11 - My Kingdom Come: Why the Gospel is Greater Than Kingdom Building Idolatry
August 19, 2012 | Isaiah 55 - Come & Seek A God Who Forgives


For more:
GBC - "The Truth About Forgiveness" by John MacArthur 
GBC - "The most probable explanation is that I was made for another world": Lewis on How To Satisfy Our Thirsts
GBC - Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
GBC - "Tempted and Tried": A Review
GBC - Trip Lee "War" (lyrics)
GBC - Brad Stine on Fishing and Fishermen
GBC - "Make War!": Piper's Call To Fight Sin
Sermon - December 20., 2009 - Worship the King:  The Folly of Misplaced Allegiance 
Sermon - November 22, 2009 - Self-Control in the Face of Temptation
GBC - Still Surviving The Storm

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not

I found this to be helpful and wanted to pass it along.

Now in saying this, let me tell you what forgiveness is not, because again, this is very important. Gracie and I put in the book, “Forgiveness is not denying, approving, or diminishing sin that is committed against us.” “Oh, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s no big deal. It’s in the past. I forgot about it.” It’s saying, “You know, I appreciate you recognizing that. It really bothered me and it was a big deal to me.” And sometimes people will feel awkward when they’re repenting. “Ha-ha-ha,” they’ll try to make a joke of it. Say, “You know what? I really appreciate you bringing that up, but how about if we just take the awkward laughter out? This really was a problem.” Make it more awkward, that’s what I’m suggesting. Right?

Forgiveness is not naivety and ignoring sin. It’s not saying, “I’m not going to look. I’m not going to ask. I’m just going to pretend that I don’t even see it.” No, that’s not forgiveness. Forgiveness is eyes open, knowing the truth, and choosing to simply forgive it. That’s forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not naively ignoring the sinful condition of people ‘cause sometimes we’ll say, “Well, yeah, you did a bad thing, but you’re a good person,” or, you know, “You’re amazing and you just had a bad day,” or, you know, “You have a good heart.” No, you know what? Sin is down in the roots. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you need to pretend that everything’s fine and they’re really good and this was an aberration, that sin is a condition down in the roots.

Forgiveness is not enabling sin. It’s not, “Well, I forgive you and I’ll keep helping you,” because that might be enabling. I’ll give you an example that I see some occurrences of. A wife in the name of submission sometimes will just forgive her husband over and over and over and over and over and over and over for some sin, but he’s not really repenting, he’s not putting it to death. And she’s just enabling him, okay. . . .

Forgiveness is not forgetting about the sin that is committed against us. Forgive and forget is foolishness. You can’t forget. You can’t forget. Some of you have had horrendous evil committed against you, it’s not like, “I forgive them and I don’t even remember.” You do. When the Bible says that God remembers our sin no more, which it does in the Old Testament, one of the prophets, it doesn’t mean God’s in heaven going, “I don’t know. I don’t know what they did. I don’t know where my car keys are. I’m very absent-minded,” right? Instead, it means that he chooses not to interact with us based upon our sin, but his grace if we’re believers in Jesus. It furthermore means that he does not establish our identity based on our transgression, but Jesus’ salvation.

But it doesn’t mean you forget. I mean, religious people just make up these stupid little bumper sticker–isms that are very discouraging. Now the Bible does say in 1 Corinthians 13 that love keeps no record of wrong. So you’re not, you know, like an archaeologist trying to always dig up history. But it does mean you’ll remember. That’s what it means. But you choose not to interact on behalf of that person based upon the sin and transgression. It means that you want good for them, that you love them, that you pursue good for them. And even if it hurts emotionally, you’re still willing to continue to seek good for them. But it doesn’t mean you forget. It doesn’t mean you forget.



Mark Driscoll - Luke 17:1-10:  How to Fight to the Glory of God 




For more:
Sermon - June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive: The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness 
Sermon - November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation
GBC - Some Light Reading:  On Prayer and Forgiveness  
GBC - Wax on Forgiveness  
GBC - Colson on Forgiveness
GBC - Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
Reviews - "The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness"  
GBC - "Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do" - A Lesson on Forgiveness  

Friday, August 17, 2012

"The most probable explanation is that I was made for another world": Lewis on How To Satisfy Our Thirsts

No one could say it like CS Lewis. Sunday we will be discussing the wonderful truth of God's forgiveness from Isaiah 55. In that chapter, God calls on us to come to him. If we are thirsty (and we are), come to the waters and be quenched. If we are hungry (and we are), come and partake in Him.

This is really the point Lewis is making in the following quote taken from Mere Christianity:

The Christian says, 'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.’-135-136

Amen and Amen!


For more:
Blogizomai - "Screwtape Letters" by CS Lewis: A Review
Blogizomai - Theology As a Map: Lewis, Practical Theology, and the Trinity
Blogizomai - He is Not a Tame Lion:  Aslan, Jesus, and the Limits of Postmodern Inclusivism  
Blogizomai - To Be Undragoned:  Aslan, Christ, and the Gift of Regeneration 
Blogizomai - Lewis on Practical Theology  
Blogizomai - Lewis on the Why of Democracy
Blogizomai - From Uncle Screwtape:  Christianity and Politics     
Short-Blogizomai - Beyond Narnia:  A Great Documentary 
Reviews - "Surprised by Joy" by Lewis
Reviews - "Jack:  A Life of CS Lewis"  
Reviews - "The Great Divorce" by Lewis
Reviews - "Finding God in the Land of Narnia"
GBC - Christianity And . . .: The Subtle Formula of Idolatry
GBC - Lewis on the Accident of Evolution
GBC - Theodicy as Evidence of a Theos
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "A Grief Observed"
GBC - The Miracle of the New Creation: CS Lewis on the Resurrction
GBC - Weekly Recommendation: "Mere Christianity"

Thursday, August 16, 2012

"The Truth About Forgiveness" by John MacArthur

If there is one thing that could heal virtually every church, every marriage, every marriage, and every relationship, it is forgiveness.  In his book, The Truth About Forgiveness, author and pastor John MacArthur tackles this important issue. The book begins with a heavy attack on the trend among evangelicals to use pop-psychology clouded with Christian language. MacArthur speaks boldly here and really calls Christians to task to rethink how they approach counseling and how they apply the Christian gospel. One of the points he makes here is that such an approach to Christianity confuses sin for a sickness, orientation, disease, or we are merely victims. He writes:

But assume for the moment that the problem is sin rather than sickness.  The only true remedy involves humble repentance and confession . .. - then restitution, and growth through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, communion with God, fellowship with other believers, and dependence on Christ. IN other words, if the problem is in fact spiritual, labeling it a clinical issue will only exacerbate the problem and will offer no real deliverance from the sin. That is precisely what we see happening everywhere.

The sad truth is that disease-model treatment is disastrously counterproductive. By casting the sinner in the role o a victim, it ignores or minimizes the personal guilt inherent in the misbehavior. 'I am sick' is much easier to say than, 'I have sinned.' But it doesn't deal with the fact that one's transgression is a serious offense again a holy, omniscient, omnipotent God.

Personal guilt is for that very reason at the heart of what must be confronted when dealing with one's sin. But the disease-model remedy cannot address the problem of guilt without explaining it away. And by explaining guilt away, disease-model therapy does untold violence to the human conscience. It is therefore no remedy at all, but a disastrous prescription fr escalating wickedness and eternal damnation. -9-10

MacArthur is dead one and his critique of this "disease-model" approach to counseling and the Christian life is worth the price of the book itself. But from here, MacArthur moves from what he calls the "bad news" here to the good news: the gospel. By understanding we are sinners, we can now understand better the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ that though we are rebels, we can be forgiven. This dominates most of the book. MacArthur focuses on the cross, of course, and also highlights various stories in the Bible to illustrate the point. He spends some time on the Parable of the Prodigal Son which he rightly believes is a beautiful illustration of God's depth of love He has towards us and how that love leads to our forgiveness.

This all leads to the final chapter which discusses turning our vertical forgiveness to a horizontal one. It is not enough for the Christian to accept God's forgiveness, we must also forgive others. MacArthur does not attempt to uncover every stone and answer every question here, but he does offer a helpful framework on forgiving others.

Overall, this is a great book that remains brief but thorough. MacArthur has already written a book on forgiveness which looks more deeply at this issue. This is more of an introduction to the subject and is a helpful book to both scholars and lay people. If you want to know the truth about forgiveness, you will find it here.


I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


I review for BookSneeze 



MaArthur Books:
Reviews - "The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness"  
Reviews - "The Truth About Grace" by John MacArthur
Reviews - "The Truth About the Lordship of Jesus" by John MacArthur 
Reviews - "Slave" by John MacArthur 
Reviews - "Slave" by John MacArthur Audio
Reviews - "The Gospel According to Jesus"  
Reviews - Hard to Believe  
Reviews - "A Tale of Two Sons
Reviews - "the Jesus You Can't Ignore
Reviews - Why One Way
Reviews - "The God Who Loves" 
Reviews - "Who Money Is It Anyway?"
Reviews - "Lord, Teach Me to Pray"
Reviews - "Our Sufficiency in Christ"
Reviews - "Fools Gold"
Reviews - "The Vanishing Conscience"
Reviews - "Can God Bless America" 
Reviews - "Twelve Ordinary Men"
Reviews-  "John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology"
Reviews - "Welcome to the Family"
Reviews - "The Second Coming"
Reviews - "God in the Manger"
Reviews - "John MacArthur Study Bible"
Reviews - "Found: God's Will"
Reviews - "Preaching the Cross"
Reviews - "Truth War"


MacArthur sermons:
Blogizomai - "Slaves of Christ" by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | MacArthur: A Tale of Two Sons
Blogizomai - "The Greatness of Being a Slave" by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - Honoring God through Edifying Preaching by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - "The Theology of Christmas" (Philippians 2:5-11) by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - MacArthur & The Attacks on the Bible
Blogizomai - "It Pleased God": MacArthur on the Darkness and Drama at the Cross

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

August 15, 2012 | Matthew 4:8-11 - My Kingdom Come: Why the Gospel is Greater Than Kingdom Building Idolatry

Sunday we discussed the third and final temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:8-11 emphasizing how easy it is for us to build our kingdoms through the means of idolatry. I believe that if you can understand idolatry, you can overcome temptation. When we crucify our idols, we can be freed from sin. But first, we need the cross.

Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “ All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘ You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.







Audio
Notes


July 1, 2012 | Mark 1:1-15 - Make War: The Great Cosmic War & the Warrior Whose Already Won It 
July 8, 2012 | 1 John 2:15-17 - Gone Fishing: The Bait & Hook Strategy of Temptation  
July 15, 2012 | Luke 3:18-4:22 - Who's Your Daddy?: Our Christian Identity and the Nature of Temptation
July 22, 2012 | Matthew 4:1-4 - Hungry? Why Wait?: Learning to Feast When on a 40 Day Fast
August 8, 2012 | Matthew 4:5-7 - Don't Jump: Why the Gospel is Greater Than Self-Vindication
August 15, 2012 | Matthew 4:8-11 - My Kingdom Come: Why the Gospel is Greater Than Kingdom Building Idolatry


For more:
GBC - Using God's Gifts As Weapons: Dr. Moore on the 3rd Temptation
GBC - "Tempted and Tried": A Review
GBC - Trip Lee "War" (lyrics)
GBC - Brad Stine on Fishing and Fishermen
GBC - "Make War!": Piper's Call To Fight Sin
Sermon - December 20., 2009 - Worship the King:  The Folly of Misplaced Allegiance 
Sermon - November 22, 2009 - Self-Control in the Face of Temptation
GBC - Still Surviving The Storm

Friday, August 10, 2012

Using God's Gifts As Weapons: Dr. Moore on the 3rd Temptation

The book that inspired our current series on the temptation of Jesus is Dr. Russell Moore's wonderful book, Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ. Regarding next Sunday's temptation, the third temptation, Dr. Moore has the following to say:

When Eve, and then Adam, turned from the world of God to believing th word of Satan, they acted as though Satan could be the guarantor of their exaltation. They worshiped him. The nihilism of the fall wasn’t simply tat the primeval couple a from the wrong tree. They worshiped the wrong god and thus attacked the entire structure of the divine economy.

The further the Israelites went away from their merciful rescue from Egypt, the more they showed the same idolatrous instinct. The golden calf incident sums up perfectly the nihilism of human pride. The calf was made of gold, of course, but the Scripture insists that we acknowledge where this gold had come from in the first place. Aaron had taken up an offering of “the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters” (Ex. 32:2). Now where did these “rings of gold” come from? The Israelites had plundered this gold jewelry from their Egyptian taskmasters, right before their flight into the night (Ex. 12:35) They did so at the direction of the word fo God. And how did it come about? It was because “the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked” (Ex. 12:36).

The Israelites used the very gifts God had given them as a weapon against him, the height of entitlement and hubris. This was, of course, precisely what our first ancestors did as well. God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He gave the vegetation to the man and woman to eat. They used the one as a means of insurrection and the other as a hiding place from communion with God. In their pride they’d forgotten they were creatures and subjects and sons and daughters. As the Israelites danced around the golden calf, and in every other instance of worshiping a thing rather than God, they showed they loved their kingdom more than their King. By offering praise to a crated thing made out of their own stuff, they were “rejoicing in the works of their hands” (Acts 7:41).

Satan was willing to give away his territorial rights to the kingdoms of this world partly because he knew he wouldn’t be giving up a kingdom but rather would be gaining another subject. Satan knew from millennia of experience that seeking the kingdom while rejecting the King means losing both
. -140-141


July 1, 2012 | Mark 1:1-15 - Make War: The Great Cosmic War & the Warrior Whose Already Won It 
July 8, 2012 | 1 John 2:15-17 - Gone Fishing: The Bait & Hook Strategy of Temptation  
July 15, 2012 | Luke 3:18-4:22 - Who's Your Daddy?: Our Christian Identity and the Nature of Temptation
July 22, 2012 | Matthew 4:1-4 - Hungry? Why Wait?: Learning to Feast When on a 40 Day Fast
August 8, 2012 | Matthew 4:5-7 - Don't Jump: Why the Gospel is Greater Than Self-Vindication
 

For more:
GBC - "Tempted and Tried": A Review
GBC - Trip Lee "War" (lyrics)
GBC - Brad Stine on Fishing and Fishermen
GBC - "Make War!": Piper's Call To Fight Sin
Sermon - December 20., 2009 - Worship the King:  The Folly of Misplaced Allegiance 
Sermon - November 22, 2009 - Self-Control in the Face of Temptation
GBC - Still Surviving The Storm

Flame - Caught In The Lights feat. V. Rose + Jeremy Lin !

Here is a taste of Sunday's sermon.




Caught in the lights oh my
You're just so caught in between all your lies and your dreams
You're so blind oh my
You know I'm right but you hide on your stage to the right
Ohh
You know that I'm calling you can only run away for so long
If you knew it then know it would just stay the road that you're on
I just want you back at home you know it's where you belong
Would you come home it's where you belong
Just come home it's where you belong
Don't be caught in the lights

Little homie had hoop dreams man he loved sports
On the court he was short but he had a lotta heart
Picking up a basketball made him feel like there was hope
If he didn't play ball he probably be selling dope
No father figure in a single parent home
There's so much going on made him feel like he was grown
That he had to go hard in the gym like a champ
And all he thought about was him and his camp
He said fam we go'n make it that's all he had to say
Cause at the end of the day I'm talking NBA
Contracts it's a fact mom ain't gotta a lot of grip
Know I gotta play hard to get the college scholarship
That's exactly what he did little homie's on the way
But little does he know that he is being led astray
Cause fulfilling your dreams may get you outta the trap
But there is a sin problem that is way bigger than that
The light

You know that I'm calling you can only run away for so long
If you knew it then know it would just stay the road that you're on
I just want you back at home you know it's where you belong
Would you come home it's where you belong
Just come home it's where you belong
Don't be caught in the lights

He say it self therapy and if he didn't rap he would snap
Plus his dream to make a hundred million flat is on his back
And on his shoulders homie's getting older
Accepting the fact that he can't get the time back
So he acts when he ain't in the studio
Hoping that that would lead to a movie bro
Heard em say that he is sick of being broke
But he ain't going to college and he ain't selling coke
So he spend a lot of time with a pen and a pad
Trying to make ends meet cause he's finna be a dad
Wanna get a record deal sell a couple mill
House on the hill fall back and just chill
Now he looking for that one shot homie trying to blow
But little does he know that if that's the way it go
That he could end up way worse than before
Cause you can gain the world and still lose your soul
The lights

Oh my
You're just so caught in between all your lies and your dreams
You're so blind oh my
You know I'm right but you hide on your stage to the right

The devil took him very high to the highest mountain peak
And he said if you would fall down and worship me
All of the kingdoms of the world and the glory
Would instantly be yours end of the story
Jesus' mission was to rule all the nations
This is exactly why it is a temptation
No more suffering no more pain
Start the Christian cosmos let your kingdom reign
No Nero no Adolf no slavery the cross you can stay off
Bind the broken hearted heal the sick
Establish truth and justice no crucifix
But Jesus resists and goes to the cross
And trusting God's promises He doesn't self exalt
Would shed His own blood in the three He rose again
He wins the God man never sinned
The light


July 1, 2012 | Mark 1:1-15 - Make War: The Great Cosmic War & the Warrior Whose Already Won It 
July 8, 2012 | 1 John 2:15-17 - Gone Fishing: The Bait & Hook Strategy of Temptation  
July 15, 2012 | Luke 3:18-4:22 - Who's Your Daddy?: Our Christian Identity and the Nature of Temptation
July 22, 2012 | Matthew 4:1-4 - Hungry? Why Wait?: Learning to Feast When on a 40 Day Fast
August 8, 2012 | Matthew 4:5-7 - Don't Jump: Why the Gospel is Greater Than Self-Vindication
 


For more:
GBC - "Tempted and Tried": A Review
GBC - Trip Lee "War" (lyrics)
GBC - Brad Stine on Fishing and Fishermen
GBC - "Make War!": Piper's Call To Fight Sin
Sermon - December 20., 2009 - Worship the King:  The Folly of Misplaced Allegiance 
Sermon - November 22, 2009 - Self-Control in the Face of Temptation
GBC - Still Surviving The Storm 

Did Jesus Go To Hell After He Died?

Mark Driscoll says no.  I'm not there yet, but I sure am close.  One thing I do know for sure is that the belief that Jesus descended into hell between His crucifixion and resurrection has led to some very dangerous, wrong, and even heretical beliefs.  There are two I just want to mention.

1)  Post-mortem evangelism - Many have unfortunately taken this event and made the argument that everybody gets a second chance to either reject or accept Jesus after death.  Prominent theologians like Dr. Molly Marshall-Green affirms this and I have written on the subject previously.

2)  Ransom Theory of the Atonement - Popular among Charismatics, many argue that at the cross Jesus paid a ransom to Satan.  I have huge problems with that.  Regardless many see Jesus' descent into hell as part of that ransom where Satan, demons, and the powers of hell tortured Christ.  Although this is not the traditional teaching on this subject, many have taken it and corrupted it.  Turn on TBN (which stands for Twisting the Bible Nightly) and you will see what I mean.

So though these are just two extremes one could point to when it comes to this subject, this isn't the best reason for rejecting the belief that Jesus descended into hell.  However, one must admit that taken to its logical end, these two wrong ideas are reasonable, though clearly misguided and wrong.




For more:
Theology - Be Wary of Dangers:  The Descent of Christ and Postmodern Salvation
Molly Marshall-Green - He Descended into Hell
Wayne Grudem - Did Jesus Descend Into Hell?
Russell Moore - Evangelical Feminism Lurches Leftward:  Is Molly Marshall an "Evangelical" Feminist?  
Theology - Piper:  Did Jesus Spend Saturday in Hell? 
Theology - Allison:  A History of the Doctrine of the Atonement

March 20, 2011 | Matthew 11:1-19 - Jesus in a Box: Why Jesus and the Gospel is Better Than Our Idols

Here are the audio and notes from March 13, 2011 from Matthew 11:1-19.


Audio
Notes


For more:
January 2, 2011 | Matthew 8:1-17 - "Be Cleansed":  The Great Healer & His Great Gospel
January 16, 2011 | Matthew 8:18-27 - The High Worth of Discipleship   
January 23, 2011 | Matthew 8:23-34 - Knowing is Only Half the Battle:  The Authority & Power of King Jesus
January 30, 2011 | Matthew 8:1-9:8 - Chasing a Tail Named Idolatrous:  Our Enslaved Idolatry and How Jesus Sets Us Free 
February 6, 2011 | Matthew 9:1-8 - Anything You Can Do . . .:  Why Forgiveness Is Greater Than All Our Sin 
February 13, 2011 | Matthew 9:9-13 - "Its Just a Flesh Wound:  Jesus, the Liberating and Transforming Gospel, and Why We Need It 
February 27, 2011 | Matthew 9:14-17 
March 6, 2011 | Matthew 9:18-10:4 - Be Ye Restored:  The Gospel of Jesus & the Gift of Restoration 
March 13, 2011 | Matthew 10:5-42 - The Few.  The Proud.  The Christian
The Sermon on the Mount Series
Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5
The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series 

Thursday, August 9, 2012

July 22, 2012 | Matthew 4:1-4 - Hungry? Why Wait?: Learning to Feast When on a 40 Day Fast

I just realized that I forgot to post the notes of our study of Matthew 4:1-4. Better late than never. I do have the recording, but it is on another device. As soon as I can figure it out, I will posted it here.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘ Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”


Notes


July 1, 2012 | Mark 1:1-15 - Make War: The Great Cosmic War & the Warrior Whose Already Won It 
July 8, 2012 | 1 John 2:15-17 - Gone Fishing: The Bait & Hook Strategy of Temptation  
July 15, 2012 | Luke 3:18-4:22 - Who's Your Daddy?: Our Christian Identity and the Nature of Temptation
July 22, 2012 | Matthew 4:1-4 - Hungry? Why Wait?: Learning to Feast When on a 40 Day Fast
August 8, 2012 | Matthew 4:5-7 - Don't Jump: Why the Gospel is Greater Than Self-Vindication
 


For more:
GBC - "Tempted and Tried": A Review
GBC - Trip Lee "War" (lyrics)
GBC - Brad Stine on Fishing and Fishermen
GBC - "Make War!": Piper's Call To Fight Sin
Sermon - December 20., 2009 - Worship the King:  The Folly of Misplaced Allegiance 
Sermon - November 22, 2009 - Self-Control in the Face of Temptation
GBC - Still Surviving The Storm 

August 8, 2012 | Matthew 4:5-7 - Don't Jump: Why the Gospel is Greater Than Self-Vindication

We continued our series looking at the second temptation of Jesus Sunday focusing on Matthew 4:5-7. Here are the notes and the audio from that message.

Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
He will command His angels concerning You’;
and
On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘ You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”











Audio
Notes


July 1, 2012 | Mark 1:1-15 - Make War: The Great Cosmic War & the Warrior Whose Already Won It 
July 8, 2012 | 1 John 2:15-17 - Gone Fishing: The Bait & Hook Strategy of Temptation  
July 15, 2012 | Luke 3:18-4:22 - Who's Your Daddy?: Our Christian Identity and the Nature of Temptation

August 8, 2012 | Matthew 4:5-7 - Don't Jump: Why the Gospel is Greater Than Self-Vindication


For more:
GBC - Trip Lee "War" (lyrics)
GBC - Brad Stine on Fishing and Fishermen
GBC - "Make War!": Piper's Call To Fight Sin
GBC - "Tempted and Tried": A Review
Sermon - December 20., 2009 - Worship the King:  The Folly of Misplaced Allegiance 
Sermon - November 22, 2009 - Self-Control in the Face of Temptation
GBC - Still Surviving The Storm 

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

July 29, 2012 | Ezekiel 37:1-14 - Can These Bones Live? - Glen Dean Day 2012

Last Sunday was the annual Glen Dean Day where people from around the country gathered in our community for fellowship, worship, and of course, food! As always, we had a great time and I enjoyed seeing everyone again. Our text was Ezekiel 37:1-14, the infamous Valley of the Dry Bones.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “ Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’”
 
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.”’” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. 14 I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’”





Audio
Notes


For more:
Sermon - July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
Sermon - Glen Dean Day 2010 | July 25, 2010 - Revelation 2:1-7 - All You Lack is Love: The Danger of a Cold Faith
Sermon - Glen Dean Day 2009 | Psalm 23:1:  The Peace of Contentment