Goshen Baptist Church Pastor's Blog: 2013

Monday, December 30, 2013

"Now We're Both in the Hole"

From the West Wing:

December 29, 2013 | Colossians 4:2-6

We are quickly approaching the end of our study of Colossians. And it is fitting that we conclude 2013 studying prayer and a gospelized tongue.

²Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; ³praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; ⁴that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

⁵Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. ⁶Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

The Difference Between a Redeemed and Unredeemed Tongue

In his commentary on Colossians, John MacArthur offers a helpful summary of what the Bible has to say about the tongue of the redeemed and unredeemed. His basic point is simple: you ought to be able to tell the nature of one's heart by their mouth. He writes:

When our Lord told the Pharisees that ‘the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart’ (Matt. 12:34), He gave an important spiritual principle: Speech will reflect the kind of person one is. Because the tongue can speak so easily and is difficult to control, a person’s speech becomes the truest indicator of his spiritual state (cf. Matt. 12:37).

He then goes on to highlight the characteristics of an unredeemed tongue which is prone to:

evil (Prov. 15:28)
sexual immorality (Prov. 5:3)
deceit (Jer. 9:8)
curses (Ps. 10:7)
oppression (Ps. 10:7)
lies (Prov. 12:22)
destruction (Prov. 11:11)
vanity (2 Pet. 2:18)
flattery (Prov. 26:28)
foolishness (Prov. 15:2)
madness (Eccles. 10:12-13)
carelessness (Matt. 12:36)
boasting (Ro. 1:30)
false doctrine (Titus 1:11)
evil plots (Ps. 37:12)
hatred (Ps. 109:3)
too many words (Eccles. 10:14)
gossip (Prov. 26:22)

He then does the same for the redeemed tongue which is characterized by

confession of sin (1 John 1:9)
confession of Christ (Rom. 10:9-10)
edifying speech (Eph. 4:29
talk of God’s law (Ex. 13:9)
praise to God (Heb. 13:15)
blessing of enemies (1 Pet. 3:9)
talk about God (Ps. 66:16)
wisdom and kindness (Prov. 31:26)
gentleness (prov. 15:1).

He then concludes: It takes as its model the Lord Jesus, who spoke instructively (Matt. 5:2), graciously (Luke 4:22), blamelessly (Luke 11:54), and without deceit (1 Pet. 2:22). (177-178)

The Best and Worse Part

In preparation for Sunday's sermon (on Colossians 4:2-6), I came across the following illustration from John MacArthur on the tongue.

One of the seven ancient wise men of Greece was a man named a man named Bios. And the reason he was considered to be one of the most wise men in all Greece was the fact that one person on one occasion had sent him an animal as a gift with the instruction that he was to sacrifice the animal but that before he had sacrificed the animal he was to cut out the best and the worst part and send it back to the donor. He sent back the tongue. And as a result of that he was considered to be one of the wisest of men. The tongue is the best and the worst of you. It is the best and the worst of me in so many, many ways. -"The Speech of the New Man, Part 1"

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

December 15, 2013 | Colossians 3:22-4:1

Sunday we finished our exposition of the third chapter of Colossians by discussing Paul's exhortation to masters and slaves.

²²Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. ²³Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, ²⁴knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. ²⁵For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

4:1 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Mouth Reveals the Heart: MacArthur on the Tongue

From John MacArthurs commentary on Colossians:

“When our Lord told the Pharisees that ‘the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart’ (Matt. 12:34), He gave an important spiritual principle: Speech will reflect the kind of person one is. Because the tongue can speak so easily and is difficult to control, a person’s speech becomes the truest indicator of his spiritual state (cf. Matt. 12:37).

The Bible has much to say about the speech fo both the redeemed ad the unredeemed mouth. The unredeemed mouth is characterized by evil (Prov. 15:28), sexual immorality (Prov. 5:3), deceit (Jer. 9:8), curses (Ps. 10:7), oppression (Ps. 10:7), lies (Prov. 12:22), destruction (prov. 11:11), vanity (2 Pet. 2:18) flattery (Prov. 26:28), foolishness (Prov. 15:2), madness (Eccles. 10:12-13), carelessness (Matt. 12:36), boasting (Ro. 1:30), false doctrine (Titus 1:11), evil plots (Ps. 37:12), hatred (Ps. 109:3), too many words (Eccles. 10:14), and gossip (Prov. 26:22)

In contrast, redeemed speech is characterized by confession of sin (1 John 1:9), confession of Christ (Rom. 10:9-10), edifying speech (Eph. 4:29( talk of God’s law (Ex. 13:9) praise to God (Heb. 13:15), blessing of enemies (1 Pet. 3:9), talk about God (Ps. 66:16), wisdom and kindness (Prov. 31:26), and gentleness (prov. 15:1). It takes as its model the Lord Jesus, who spoke instructively (Matt. 5:2), graciously (Luke 4:22), blamelessly (Luke 11:54), and without deceit (1 Pet. 2:22).” (177-178)

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Remember Jonah?: A Great Nugget from Acts 27

Earlier this year we studied the the book of Jonah. This afternoon while preparing for tonight's Bible study, I came across the following paragraph in Dr. John Polhill's commentary on Acts regarding Paul's shipwreck at the end of Acts.

The story of Paul's stormy voyage is reminiscent of the voyage of Jonah. The prophet also encountered a violent storm at sea. Jonah's crew also jettisoned the cargo and began to despair of life. And the crew and passengers of Jonah's ship were ultimately delivered. There is, of course, a major difference between the two. It was Jonah's presence on the ship that gave rise to the storm, and only in his absence were the others saved. It was altogether different for Paul's ship. The apostle's presence on the ship led to the deliverance of all aboard. (522)

The story itself is one of salvation as Luke uses the Greek word for "save" at key moments of the story. The crew and all those on board were in desperate need of deliverance. It is a fitting picture of the spiritual state of the unredeemed. Unable to deliver ourselves, we need salvation.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

December 1, 2013 | Colossians 3:20-21 - The New Man and the Home

Sunday we looked at what Paul says about how the gospel transforms us as children and parents. The last two chapters in Colossians are very practical and his words here are no different.

²⁰Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. ²¹Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

“Children Learn What They Live” by Dorothy Law Nolte: A Poem

While preparing for Sunday's sermon, I came across the following poem. It serves as a great word of exhortation to parents in the spirit of Colossians 3:21.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.

If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.

If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.

If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.

If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

August 18, 2013 | Colossians 1:1-8 - Faith, Hope, and Love: The Greatest of These is Hope?
September 1, 2013 | Colossians 1:9-12: The More You Know
September 8, 2013 | Colossians 1:13-23 - Salvation is Creation: A Biblical Theology
September 22, 2013 | Colossians 1:13-29
October 6, 2013 | Colossians 1:13-23 - Tear Down This Wall: Tearing Down the Secular & the Sacred Divide
October 13, 2013 | Colossians 2:1-7 - Walk in the Lord: A Call to Agonize for the Christ’s Bride
October 20, 2013 | Colossians 2:8-15 - Beware of Counterfeits: Why Jesus is Better. Period. - Part 1
October 27, 2013 | Colossians 2:16-23 - Beware of Counterfeits: Why Jesus is Better. Period. - Part 2
November 3, 2013 | Colossians 3:1a - “Raised with Christ”: Why the Resurrection of Jesus is More than HisStory
November 10, 2013 | Colossians 3:1-4 - Putting on Christ or You Ain’t From Around Here Are You?
November 17, 2013 | Colossians 3:5-17

November 24, 2013 | Colossians 3:18-29 - The New Man and Marriage

For more:
10 Ways to Irritate Your Child
"Take My Life and Let It Be"
All You Need is Christ: MacArthur on the Sufficiency of Jesus
Ravi Zacharias' 12 Arguments For the Historicity of the Resurrection
Jim Monroe: I Am Second
Strengthen Your Hearts: Fun With Mark Lowry
The Secular vs the Sacred: Brand on the Influence of Luther
The Secular vs. the Sacred: Wax on the Lordship of Christ
Martin Luther on the Secular/Sacred Dichotomy
Nancy Pearcey on the Secular/Sacred Dichotomy
Is Colossians 1:15-20 a Hymn?
"That's My King"
Faith, Hope, and Love: An Early Christian Confession
MacArthur on a Faith that Saves

Monday, November 25, 2013

10 Ways to Irritate Your Child

Next week we will be discussing Colossians 3:20-4:1. Verses 20 and 21 discusses parenting and children. In verse 21, Paul warns parents not to irritate, provoke, or exacerbate their children. In his sermon on this text, John MacArthur offers the following 10 ways to provoke a child. So avoid these.

1. Overprotection. I hear the "Amen" corner over here really going at it. A couple of overprotected people over here. Overprotection. No trust. All rules. All deprivation. You never ever allow them any liberty. You draw the lines so narrow and the boxes are so closed that they soon feel that you do not believe in them. You do not trust in them. No matter what they do to earn that trust, they never experience that trust. Consequently, they give up and say, "What's the difference anyway?" Then you've got that seething rebellion. You can really irritate your children by overprotecting them. Give them a sense of trust. You don't have to cover every single detail of every single thing they've ever done. well, what did you do? What did you do after that? Well, then where did you go? Well, when you got back from there, where did you go? Why did you go over there? let them live. You know, when they're born, they're born with an umbilical cord and they're connected. And from then on, their whole life, you're just letting it out. And it ought to sometime be cut and the kid ought to be so far out that he doesn't even know he's not connected anymore, it's just so natural.

2. Favoritism. The second way you can really irritate your children is by favoritism. Make sure you always compare them with the other kids in the family who do better than they do. Why can't you be Like Albert? He always does his homework. It's very irritating for a child to be less than an individual. It's very irritating for the child to be a lemon on the assembly line. Favoritism. Favoritism means you constantly compare the child with the other child.

3. Depreciating his worth. A third way you can irritate your child is by depreciating his worth. One good way to really depreciate his worth is whenever you have company, have him eat in the kitchen. That'll really let him know that he just really isn't worth having around anything important. or else, when he comes in and has something to say, you say, "Hush up and go back an the den. Go to your roan." And then you get the autistic kind of child who finally tries to communicate and gives up and so then he can't communicate at all and he won't. And then you get that ultimate kind of autistic person who doesn't say anything anytime, because he never did get listened to when he tried to. We were talking about this with Howard Hendricks when we were back at the conference last weekend, you know. And he was saying, "Look -- if you come to my house for dinner, you've got to get ready. They're all going to be there, staring you right in the eye. The whole bunch. When we have Company, the kids are all there, looking right dawn your throat." Because they're part of our family. They have every right to be a part. Don't depreciate their worth. Don't tell them to shut up and go to bed. There are boundaries -- yes.

4. Discouragement. A fourth way you can irritate your child is by discouragement. Don It ever -reward him for anything. Make sure that he never feels like he's succeeded. I know a girl that killed herself for that reason, because no matter what she did, it was never enough. No matter what her grades were, it was never enough. No matter how well she did, it was never enough, let's face it. A parent who feels that way about a child is trying to get a child to he something the parent never was. That's not fair. And this girl couldn't handle it, so she killed herself. That's sad. Discouragement -- no rewards, no honors.

5. No affection demonstrated. Another good way to irritate your child is never demonstrate any affection for him. Don't ever go out of your way to love him or hug him or kiss him or pick him up...squeeze her or be gentle or thoughtful in a physically affectionate way. Very, very discouraging. So if you want to discourage your child, don't reward your child, don't honor your child, and never demonstrate any love or affection. So the child just begins to feel totally alienated, totally unacceptable, can't do anything right, isn't worthy of your love, isn't worthy of your affection -- he gets very, very discouraged.'

6. Not providing his needs. Another thing - this is kind of practical. You can irritate your child by not providing his needs. You know what a child's needs are? Believe it or not, in our society, do you know what a child needs? A room. Yes, he does. He needs a room, a little privacy. That would be good. Now, you can overcome that, maybe your economics don't make it possible for every single child to have his own domain, but provide some place for him. Your child needs a place to play and if it can't be at your place, then take him to the park, because he or she needs a place to play. Another thing is clean clothes. That's a good thing to provide your children. And when they get a little older, somewhere to study - you know, I think that one of the reasons that some children never do well in school is because they don't know where to land when they some home. They sit down at a table and you say, "What are you doing in here with that homework?" "Get out of here and go to your room." And they go to their roan and they get backaches from sitting five minutes on their bed, because there's no where to sit. Provide some place for them to study. Another thing is to give them something that belongs to them -- whatever itis. Another thing is to feed them good meals. Let them know that you've prepared something special just for them. These little practical things, where a child begins to know that you are concerned about him and about her as a person.

7. Lack of standards. On the other hand, you can irritate a child by a lack of standards. You know, there are children and young people, and when I use the word child, I mean anybody who is still in the home, but you can really irritate your young people by not giving them any rules. Because then they are totally left on their own and they can't handle that kind of liberty and they are constantly getting into problems that they really can't cope with. Cross some lines; make some fences.

8. Criticism. Another way to irritate your children is by criticism. A well-known doctor, Dr. (Haim Geno) says this: "The child who lives with criticism does not learn responsibility. He learns only to condemn himself and find fault with others. He learns to doubt his own judgment, disparage his own ability, distrust everybody. Above all, he learns to live with continual expectation of impending doom." End quote. Now that is no way to live. Criticism. Don't irritate your child with criticism. Create a positive environment, an uplifting, up building one.

9. Neglect. And then I think another way to irritate a child is by neglect. You know what a classic illustration of that is? Absalom. Absalom was a tragic young man, who tried to kill his own father, David. And Absalom is a classic illustration of a son who was neglected by a father. You can really irritate your child by indifference, neglect. Play with your children.

10. Over-discipline. And then, of course, and this is the last one I'll mention, you can really irritate your child by over-discipline. This is where your discipline is hurtful, you know, when you haul off and really hurt them. Or it can be when you just scream at them all the time, or holler at them or yell at them, or shut them in their rooms. Or you're actually some people even discipline their children in a show of their superior strength, if you can believe it. You talk about battered children, or whatever. But the idea is that of over-disciplining children. You can do it by yelling and screaming at them for every single thing they do. You know, they can knock -- this happens all the tine -- bang! Over goes the milk at the table. You stupid... Or you can say, "Well, here we go again. Laugh about it. You can over-discipline them. I man, he didn't do it on purpose. You can over-discipline them by actually using your brute strength to show your superior power over your child. I've often thought that we say things to our children we'd never say to anybody else, don't we? Don't ever discipline them in anger.

November 24, 2013 | Colossians 3:18-19: The New Man and Marriage

Sunday we continued to walk through Paul's wonderful letter to the church in Colossae. After exhorting us to put on Christ (3:1-17), Paul turns to address social ramifications of the gospel. If we have been raised with Christ (3:1a), then exercising such a resurrection looks like the following in marriage:

¹⁸Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.

Monday, November 18, 2013

November 17, 2013 | Colossians 3:5-17

Sunday we continued to follow Paul's argument that a real Christian is a raised Christian. Thus to "put on Christ," we see in vs. 5-12 reveals itself in our continual putting off of the old self and in its place, putting on love.

⁵Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. ⁶For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. ⁹Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, ¹⁰and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— ¹¹a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

¹²So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; ¹³bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. ¹⁴Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

November 10, 2013 | Colossians 3:1-4 - Putting on Christ or You Ain’t From Around Here Are You?

We continue our verse-by-verse exposition through Colossians.

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. ³For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Friday, November 8, 2013

"Take My Life and Let It Be"

I came across these lyrics from the hymn Take My Life and Let it Be" while studying Colossians 3.

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

Monday, November 4, 2013

November 3, 2013 | Colossians 3:1a - “Raised with Christ”: Why the Resurrection of Jesus is More than HisStory

Many of Paul's letters are divided between theology and practical living. To Paul, theology is practical. In Colossians, Paul has focused on deep theological truths for two chapter. Now in chapter 3, Paul turns to more practical matters. His argument here is that believers should lived resurrected lives. But first, we must understand the resurrection.

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, . . .

October 27, 2013 | Colossians 2:16-23 - Beware of Counterfeits: Why Jesus is Better. Period. - Part 2

Last week we concluded our study of Colossians 2 and Paul's warning against counterfeit gospels. Colossians 2:8-23 serves as a single unit in my interpretation, but do to the limitations of time, we broke it down into two parts. Here is part 2.

¹⁶Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— ¹⁷things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
²⁰If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, ²¹“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” ²²(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? ²³These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

"Luther"

Being that tomorrow is Reformation Day marking the anniversary of when German monk Martin Luther nailed his infamous 95 Theses on the Wittenburg Castle Church door, we will be watching the 2003 movie Luther at the parsonage. I hope you will make it. If not, below is the movie.

Ravi Zacharias' 12 Arguments For the Historicity of the Resurrection

In his sermon He is Risen given at the 2013 Ligonier Conference (video below), Ravi Zacharias offers twelve arguments in favor of the historicity of the resurrection.

1. The disciples eye-witness experience where they saw and touched.
2. The early proclamation the resurrection.
3. The transformation from fear to martyrdom
4. The empty tomb
5. They proclaimed the resurrection in Jersulamen itself.
6. No one was able to produce the body.
7. The existence of the church founded by law-abiding Jews.
8. The change of the day of worship to Sunday
9. The conversion of James.
10. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus.
11. Why on earth would they have put the evidence in the mouths of women?
12. Why would Jesus claim He was going to rise bodily when He could have claimed He was going to raise spiritually?

Monday, October 28, 2013

All You Need is Christ: MacArthur on the Sufficiency of Jesus

From John MacArthur on Colossians 3:1-4:

Now if you will notice the first four verses, I'll show you something interesting. He says in verse 1 "with Christ," in verse 1, "where Christ," in verse 3 "with Christ," in verse 4 "when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall you also appear," there it is again, "with him in glory." With Christ, where Christ, with Christ, with Christ, The emphasis is pretty clear. Having Christ is having everything. He is is the center of our resurrection life, and the conscious preoccupation of the believer is to be on Christ. That's what it means when it says, "seek the things that are above." Get your preoccupation on Christ, He is the center of your life. Remember chapter 2, spiritual intimidation? Don't let anybody come along and intimidate you with human philosophy. Christ is all. Don't let anybody come along and intimidate you with human rules and rituals and legalism. Christ is all. Don't let anybody come along and intimidate you with their angels and their visions and their ecstatic experiences, Christ is sufficient. Don't let anybody come along and intimidate you with their acts of self-styled fleshly self indulgence. Christ is all And Colossians 2:10 put it as well as it will ever be put. "Ye are complete in him." And that is what he is saying here. You have everything in having Christ. You don't need any of the world's systems of religions. You don't need to say Christ, plus human philosophy, Christ, plus legalism, Christ, plus mysticism, Christ, plus asceticism, all you need is Christ.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

October 20, 2013 | Colossians 2:8-15 - Beware of Counterfeits: Why Jesus is Better. Period. - Part 1

Here is the sermon audio and notes from Sunday's message taken from Colossians 2:8-15. Time would not allow us to finish the chapter which means we will look at part 2 next week.

⁸See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. ⁹For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, ¹⁰and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; ¹¹and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; ¹²having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ¹³When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, ¹⁴having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

Jim Monroe: I Am Second

Here is the Jim Munroe video we watched Sunday night.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

September 22, 2013 | Colossians 1:13-29

I just realized that I failed to post the audio and notes from our exposition of Colossians 1:13-29. Total, we spent three weeks with the last half of Colossians 1. The links to all of the sermons are available near the bottom of this post.

¹³For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, ²⁰and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

²¹And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, ²²yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— ²³if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. ²⁵Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, ²⁶that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, ²⁷to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. ²⁹For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

October 13, 2013 | Colossians 2:1-7 - Walk in the Lord: A Call to Agonize for the Christ’s Bride

Here is the audio and notes from Sunday's message taken from Colossians 2:1-7.

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, ²that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, ³in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. ⁵For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.
⁶Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, ⁷having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Audio
Notes

August 18, 2013 | Colossians 1:1-8 - Faith, Hope, and Love: The Greatest of These is Hope?
September 1, 2013 | Colossians 1:9-12: The More You Know
September 18, 2013 | Colossians 1:13-23 - Salvation is Creation: A Biblical Theology
October 6, 2013 | Colossians 1:13-23 - Tear Down This Wall: Tearing Down the Secular & the Sacred Divide
October 6, 2013 | Colossians 2:1-7 - Walk in the Lord: A Call to Agonize for the Christ’s Bride

For more
Strengthen Your Hearts: Fun With Mark Lowry
The Secular vs the Sacred: Brand on the Influence of Luther
The Secular vs. the Sacred: Wax on the Lordship of Christ
Martin Luther on the Secular/Sacred Dichotomy
Nancy Pearcey on the Secular/Sacred Dichotomy
Is Colossians 1:15-20 a Hymn?
"That's My King"
Faith, Hope, and Love: An Early Christian Confession
MacArthur on a Faith that Saves

October 6, 2013 | Colossians 1:13-23 - Tear Down This Wall: Tearing Down the Secular & the Sacred Divide

Before leaving Colossians 1:13ff, it is important we discuss one important subject critical for Christians to understand. We unfortunately live in a bifurcated world between the sacred and the secular. Many do not see everyday, routine things as sacred like work, family, marriage, etc. Yet if Christ is both Creator and Redeemer, then all is sacred including changing diapers and clocking in.

¹³For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, ²⁰and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

²¹And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, ²²yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— ²³if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Audio
Notes

August 18, 2013 | Colossians 1:1-8 - Faith, Hope, and Love: The Greatest of These is Hope?
September 1, 2013 | Colossians 1:9-12: The More You Know
September 18, 2013 | Colossians 1:13-23 - Salvation is Creation: A Biblical Theology
October 6, 2013 | Colossians 1:13-23 - Tear Down This Wall: Tearing Down the Secular & the Sacred Divide

For more
The Secular vs the Sacred: Brand on the Influence of Luther
The Secular vs. the Sacred: Wax on the Lordship of Christ
Martin Luther on the Secular/Sacred Dichotomy
Nancy Pearcey on the Secular/Sacred Dichotomy
Is Colossians 1:15-20 a Hymn?
"That's My King"
Faith, Hope, and Love: An Early Christian Confession
MacArthur on a Faith that Saves
September 2, 2012 | Philippians 1:1-11 - The Joy of Thanksgiving & Prayer
September 16, 2012 | Philippians 1:19-30 - The Joy of the Future
September 23, 2012 | Philippians 2:1-4: The Joy of Humility
September 30, 2012 | Philippians 2:5-11: The Joy of Holy Condescension
October 7, 2012 | Philippians 2:12-30: The Joy of Sanctification
October 21, 2012 | Philippians 3:1-11: The Joy of a Pure Gospel
October 28, 2012 | Jude 1-25 - Is Grace a License to Sin?: Jude & the Antinomians

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Strengthen Your Hearts: Fun with Mark Lowry

Sunday we'll be looking at Colossians 2:1-7 and in verse 2, Paul prays that the hearts of the Colossians would be encouraged/strengthened. This got me to thinking of the following comedic bit from Mark Lowry.