Goshen Baptist Church Pastor's Blog

Sex, Marriage, & Fairytales || Spoken Word

2012-01-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

January 22, 2012 | Matthew 13:44-46 - Like Treasure: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You

2012-01-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday we looked at Matthew 13:44-46 and its two parables on the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price. Here are the audio, notes, and resources.

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, ⁴⁶ and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Audio
Notes

For more:
GBC - Christianity And . . .: The Subtle Formula of Idolatry
GBC - He is Not This Guy: The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
Sermon - January 1, 2012 | Matthew 13:1-23 - Like Soil: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
Sermon - January 8, 2012 | Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - Like Wheat & Weeds: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
Sermon - January 15, 2012 | Matthew 13:31-35 - Like Mustard Seeds & Leaven: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Kingdom
GBC - Matthew Thus Far: Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on the Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series

My Hope by Matt Redman

2012-01-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

Christianity And . . .: The Subtle Formula of Idolatry

2012-01-20T14:48:00.000-08:00

The best book I read last year was without a doubt Tullian Tchividjian's wonderful book "Jesus + Nothing = Everything." In one very helpful section, quoted at left below, Tchividjian reminds us of CS Lewis' book Screwtape Letters where Lewis, through the mouth of Screwtape, shows us how subtle idolatry can be even for the Christian. Please read the following in full.

So if we aren’t naturally prone to look to the finished work of Jesus for us as it’s presented in the gospel for the ‘everything’ – where are we looking?

Typically, it’s not that Christians seek to blatantly replace the gospel. What we try to do is simply add to it. . . .

Maybe you recall how this ‘addition’ concept is brought out in C. S. Lewis’s famous work The Screwtape Letters. As the high-ranking demon Screwtape trains his protege Wormwood in satanic strategies against Christians, he discusses how (in Screwtape’s words) ‘to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.”’ Screwtape gives a few examples (reflecting some fads from Lewis’s time . . .): ‘Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing,’ and even ‘Christianity and Vegetarianism.’ These were all various manifestations of the urgent, Devil-fostered temptation believers face to add something else to our faith in Jesus and the gospel – all b/c of those deficiencies we sense in our own experience.

Today, Screwtape’s list would doubtless look different. The currently tempting formulas might include ‘Christian and coolness,’ ‘Christianity and self-affirmation,’ ‘Christianity and self-improvement,’ ‘Christianity and personal progress,’ or ‘Christianity and spiritual formation.’ There’s a host of causes that might crop up: ‘Christianity and environmentalism,’ ‘Christianity and home schooling,’ ‘Christianity and social justice,’ ‘Christianity and diversity and tolerance,’ not to mention abundant ‘Christianity and political action’ variations –liberal conservative, libertarian, hope-and-change, take-back-America, whatever.

Besides those, there are plenty of extras that have timeless appeal for any and all generations: ‘Christianity and popularity,’ ‘Christianity and success,’ ‘Christianity and power,’ ‘Christianity and social status,’ ‘Christianity and reform,’ even ‘Christianity and tradition.’

The list could go on and on. It will include whatever we’re clinging to, whatever we won’t let go of b/c we’re using it to fill the void only God can fill.

Screwtape is telling the demon Wormwood that if he wants to distract Christians, if he wants to debilitate them, if he wants to keep them off course, powerless, and ineffective, simply make sure they never come to a place of believing that ‘mere Christianity’ is enough. Make them feel god about affixing something further to the faith. It could be the latest fad; though perhaps far more likely it’s a more personal fixation or obsession that grips us b/c of our endless, aching search to fill our inner hollowness.

Christianity an . . . For many of us, it may be Jesus and our achievements, Jesus and our strengths, Jesus and our reputation, Jesus and our relationships, Jesus and our family’s prosperity, Jesus and our ambitions and goals and dreams, Jesus and our personal preferences and tastes and style, Jesus and our spiritual growth, Jesus and our hobbies and recreational pursuits and entertainment habits – and, especially, Jesus and our personal set of life rules.

Whatever it is our heart is drawn to – a cultural trend, a cause, a diversion, a personal ‘passion,’ a relationship, a pursuit, a venture, a comfortable routine – and however subtly it pulls us in, the cold, hard truth is that almost immediately it becomes an idol, and our heart grabs hold. As Martin Luther once said, ‘Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God’ – your functional savior. -38-40

From "Jesus + Nothing = Everything" by Tullian Tchividjian

For more:
Reviews - "Jesus + Nothing = Everything" by Tullian Tchividjian
Reviews - Top 11 Reads of 2011

He is Not This Guy: The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

2012-01-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

Next Sunday we will look at the parable of the man who finds treasure in the field. As I read this story, I can't help but ask why this guy is out digging in fields? And that question leads me to think about the following commercial that was running a few years ago that still makes me laugh.

As we'll discuss Sunday, this is not what the man who stumbled upon the treasure in the field did. He is not this guy.

January 15, 2012 | Matthew 13:31-35 - Like Mustard Seeds & Leaven: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You

2012-01-18T08:30:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday we discussed Matthew 13:31-35 and the two Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven.

³¹ He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; ³² and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.”
³³ He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” ³⁴ All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES;
I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”

Audio
Notes

For more:
Sermon - January 1, 2012 | Matthew 13:1-23 - Like Soil: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
Sermon - January 8, 2012 | Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - Like Wheat & Weeds: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
Sermon - January 15, 2012 | Matthew 13:31-35 - Like Mustard Seeds & Leaven: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Kingdom
GBC - Matthew Thus Far: Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on the Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series

January 8, 2012 | Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - Like Wheat & Weeds: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You

2012-01-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

On January 8th, we looked at the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds from Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. A fascinating parable that gives us some great insight into what the Kingdom of God is.

²⁴ Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. ²⁷ The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” . . .

³⁶ Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” ³⁷ And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸ and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, ⁴² and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Audio
Notes

For more:
Sermon - January 1, 2012 | Matthew 13:1-23 - Like Soil: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Kingdom
GBC - Matthew Thus Far: Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on the Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series

January 1, 2012 | Matthew 13:1-23 - Like Soil: The Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, & You

2012-01-17T13:57:00.000-08:00

Each year we begin by focusing on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. In recent years we have been going verse by verse through the Gospel of Matthew. This year we will study Matthew 13-16. Below is the first sermon taken from Matthew 13:1-23 on the Parable of the Soils.

Audio
Notes

For more:
GBC - MacArthur on the Lessons of the Parable of the Soils
GBC - Things of This World - dc Talk
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Kingdom
GBC - Matthew Thus Far: Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on the Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series

Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not

2012-01-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

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

The True Parable of Clergy With Sticks: A Warning Against Superficial Christianity

2011-12-30T09:47:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if you've seen this video or read about this in the news, but this is both priceless (the SNL skit writes itself) and tragic. Recently Areminian clergy and Greek Orthodox clergy fought with brooms in the middle of the Church of the Nativity which is believed to be built over the birthplace of Jesus. So here we are in the Christmas season in which we celebrate the incarnation of our Lord and the clergy of these two Christian traditions are fighting over jurisdiction issues inside the church.

At first I thought this was a parody, only to find out that its true.

I post this because this Sunday we will be discussing the Parable of the Soils in which Jesus describes the superficial Christian and I couldn't help but think about church hoppers, those who are easily offended, high maintenance believers, and those who cause divisions in the church. This is what we look like. Unfortunately, Christians seem to have a habit of devouring and destroying one another.

Superficial Christians, as we'll discuss Sunday, care about their wants, demands, and desires instead of caring about the others around them. Superficiality is a cancer in our churches and it leads to complacency, complaining, and divisiveness. But the gospel is better than that. The gospel calls us to crucify our pride and our superficiality and to pick up our cross and to follow Christ outside the camp.

We need more Christians who are willing to die to themselves and live to Christ rather than continue to crucify Christ so we can live for ourselves.

Telegraph - Clergymen fight with brooms at Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

For more:
GBC - MacArthur on the Lessons of the Parable of the Soils
GBC - Things of This World - dc Talk
Sermon - November 8, 2009 - "God Be Merciful To Me a Sinner": The Gospel in 7 Words
GBC - Matthew Thus Far: Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on The Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series
GBC - Fruitie-Tales: Living By the Fruit of the Spirit Series

MacArthur on the Lessons of the Parable of the Soils

2011-12-30T08:24:00.000-08:00

From John MacArthur's sermon, The Responses to the Gospel:

The first lesson in the parable is to look at your own life to see what kind of ground you are. Here's the second lesson, and I love this. The second lesson is this, the issue in the parable is not the talent of the sower, did you get that? It is not the talent of the sower. You take a little kid, barefoot, five-years-old, wants to go out and sow a field with his daddy. His father knows how to do it beautifully, boy, he throws that seed just mechan ... and the little kid's going along throwing seed all over the place. And you know something? It may not be as much seed hit the good soil when the little guy throws it as when his dad does, but when the seed hits the good soil, it doesn't matter who threw it, right? It's going to grow. It does not depend on the talent of the sower. And that's so important to know.

Some people say - We'll I'd like to preach the gospel, I'd like to witness for the Lord, but I'm... I'm not very talented. That isn't the issue. You got the seed, the Word of God? Throw it! The issue is the condition of the soil, not the talent of the sower. I...I'm always amazed to hear people say - Oh, you know, if we could ever get so-and-so saved, oh howmany they could win to the Lord. No, no, no, no. Or, - If so-and-so ever got turned on, wow could they be a great soul winner. No, no, no, no. No, it is not the talent of the sower; it's the nature of the soil. But let me tell you something, folks, the more you throw the better the opportunity you're going to hit some good soil. I mean, some people are letting out a seed or two every year, and it is really tough. You just keep slinging it and you'll be amazed how much good soils lying around... no matter how incapable you may be as a sower.

And then, remember this. That sometimes the Lord plows up the stuff that doesn't receive the seed the first time, so don't give up. In fact, you know, they had a way of sowing sometimes in Palestine that was quite interesting. They would throw the seed first, and then plow it under afterwards. Sometimes you've just thrown the seed; you throw it there and before the birds can hit it, comes the Holy Spirit with the plow... and plows it under. So, be faithful ... hard soil, shallow soil, weedy soil, may not always stay that way, by God's grace He may do some tilling in that soil ... so keep throwing the seed in that same field over and over, over and over, over and over and see if the Lord won't break up the soil.

For more:
GBC - Things of This World - dc Talk
Sermon - November 8, 2009 - "God Be Merciful To Me a Sinner": The Gospel in 7 Words
GBC - Matthew Thus Far: Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on The Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series
GBC - Fruitie-Tales: Living By the Fruit of the Spirit Series

Things of This World - dc Talk

2011-12-29T13:14:00.000-08:00

My all time favorite band is without a doubt dc Talk. The three singers are now exploring their own solo projects and have been doing so for about a decade. Nonetheless, I still listen to a lot of their newer solo stuff and their older stuff. One song that has resonated with him because of its power is their great song "Things of This World."

The reason I bring this up is that this upcoming Sunday we will be discussing Matthew 13:1-23 and the Parable of the Soils.* As you may know, in the parable some of the seed fell upon the path (which gets eaten by birds) rocky soil (which springs up but then withers because it has no deep roots), thorny soil (which gets choked by "the things of this world"), and the good soil (which grows and bears a lot of fruit).

That third soil - the thorny soil - is what reminded me of this song. Jesus says, And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. That is exactly what this song is about.

70 years is all we got
To accumulate goods that seem to mean a lot
For the first 20 years, you're off to school
Learnin' principles and learnin' the tools
To make lots of money, the ultimate goal
Gain the whole world and yet lose ya soul
Huh, humanism is on a roll
20 gets the the knowledge, 30 years to apply
and just 20 years left for askin' why
I didn't realize what it was all about
And, was there any use in this rigorous route because

[chorus:]
Things of this world are passin' away
Here tomorrow, but they're sure not here to stay
Things of this world are passin' away
So lay your treasure above
And start to live for Him today

All done for self in this world will pass
And all done for Christ in this world will last
Sounds like a simple task...
But everyday life seems to get in the way
No time to serve, barely time to pray
Our focal points lost and we get tossed
In the wind, cold facing the cost
Of fallin' without stallin' or even callin' the Lord
While you were blackballin'
He was waitin' for you to see the light
And find for yourself, these things are trite

[chorus]

[vamp:]
Our mind transforms a want to a need
A simple process that we call greed
Ya say ya like to have money, well I do too
The problem starts when the money has you
Workin' overtime to keep up with the pace
A lifestyle that you want to embrace
But it's 2 steps from where your needs are met
You're keepin' up with the Joneses, but your all in debt
Which will lead to stress, not meeting the bills
While ya sportin' a Benz with all the thrills
The domino effect's gotcha life in check
A temporary stitch and ya livin' a wreck

[chorus x2]

Don't lay up your treasures upon this Earth
They'll soon pass away
And all return to dirt [x4]

Things of this world are passin' away
Here tomorrow, but they're sure not here to stay
Things of this world, things of this world
The things, the things, the things of this world

Don't lay up your treasures upon this Earth
They'll soon pass away
And all return to dirt [x2]

* The parable is sometimes known as the Parable of the Sower, but in my estimation, this is a parable more about the soils than the sower.

For more:
Sermon - November 8, 2009 - "God Be Merciful To Me a Sinner": The Gosple in 7 Words
GBC - Matthew Thus Far: Matthew 1-5
GBC - The Sermon on The Mount Series
GBC - Matthew 8-12 - The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
GBC - The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series
GBC - Fruitie-Tales: Living By the Fruit of the Spirit Series

November 27, 2011 | Psalm 22: The Lord is My Deliverer

2011-12-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday we looked at another Psalm of David. This one is both a Psalm of Lament and a Messianic Psalm. Next to Isaiah 53, no other text in the Old Testament offer us such vivid and accurate descriptions of the cross than this. Yet in all of it, we not only see Christ hanging on the cross for our sins, but we hear the cries of a desperate man pleading for help trusting his God will deliver him.

Audio
Notes

For more:

Repost | Advent: God With Us

2011-12-27T10:06:00.001-08:00

Wow! Simply Wow. Here is the gospel with emphasis on the prophecy, birth, death, resurrection, and return of Christ. Thanks to the Village Church and Isaac Wimberley for writing this and producing this video.

If the video doesn't work, you can view it here.

Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.

HT: Justin Taylor

Here are the lyrics to this song/poem.

The people had read of this rescue that was coming through the bloodline of Abraham
They had seen where Micah proclaimed about a ruler to be born in Bethlehem
Daniel prophesy about the restoration of Jerusalem
Isaiah’s cry about the Son of God coming to them
So for them—it was anticipation
This groaning was growing, generation after generation
Knowing He was holy, no matter what the situation
But they longed for Him
They yearned for Him
They waited for Him on the edge of their seat
On the edge of where excitement and containment meet
They waited
Like a child watches out the window for their father to return from work—they waited
Like a groom stares at the double doors at the back of the church—they waited
And in their waiting, they had hope
Hope that was fully pledged to a God they had not seen
To a God who had promised a King
A King who would reign over the enemy
Over Satan’s tyranny
They waited
So it was
Centuries of expectations, with various combinations of differing schools of thought
Some people expecting a political king who would rise to the throne through the wars that he fought
While others expecting a priest who would restore peace through the penetration of the Pharisee’s façade
Yet a baby—100% human, 100% God
So the Word became flesh and was here to dwell among us
In His fullness, grace upon grace, Jesus
Through Him and for Him, all things were created
And in Him all things are sustained
God had made Himself known for the glory of His name
And this child would one day rise as King
But it would not be by the sword or an insurgent regime
It would be by His life
A life that would revolutionize everything the world knew
He would endure temptation and persecution, all while staying true
Humbly healing the broken, the sick and hurting too
Ministering reconciliation, turning the old to new
A life that would be the very definition of what life really costs
Saying—if you desire life, then your current one must be lost
And He would portray that with His own life as His Father would pour out and exhaust
And Jesus would be obedient to the point of death, even death upon the cross
So just 33 years after the day that He laid swaddled in the hay
He hung on a tree suffocating, dying in our place
Absorbing wrath that is rightly ours, but we could never bear the weight
So He took that punishment and he put it in the grave
And He died
And when I say that He died, what I mean is that He died
No breath, noheartbeat, no sign of life
God is a God of justice, and the penalty for our sin equals death
That’s what Christ did on that cross
Then… On the third day, in accordance with scriptures, He was raised from the grave
And when I say that He was raised, what I mean is that He was raised
Lungs breathing, heart pumping, blood pulsing through His veins
The things that He promised were true
He is the risen Son of God, offering life to me and you
Turning our mourning into dancing
Our weeping into laughing
Our sadness into joy
By His mercy, we are called His own
By His grace, we will never be left alone
By His love, He is preparing our home
By His blood, we can sing before His throne
Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
So now we, as His bride, are the ones waiting
Like the saints that came before, we’re anticipating
He has shown us that this world is fading
And He has caused our desire to be for Him
So church, stay ready
Keep your heart focused and your eyes steady
Worship Him freely, never forgetting
His great love for you
Immanuel, God with us

HT: Folk Angel

December 18, 2011 | Psalm 137 - The Lord is My Refuge

2011-12-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday we concluded our series looking at the various genres of Psalms called The Songs of Psalms. I hope it has been helpful to you as it has been to me. Each week I had the joy to dive deeply into these great writers and their songs and was encouraged, challenged, and exhorted each week. Preaching and studying the Psalms isn't always easy, but it is always worth the work. Here is the last sermon in our series from the Imprecatory Psalm, 137.

Audio
Notes

For more:
GBC - Spurgeon on Psalm 137
GBC - Repost | Justice and the Implications of Atheism: Doug Wilson Hits the Nail on Its Head
Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight
Sermon - November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation
Sermon - November 20, 2011 | Psalm 136: The Lord is My God

Repost | The Gospel and the Story of Everything

2011-12-17T10:59:00.000-08:00

I love videos like this and there are tons of them on YouTube. I may not like every little thing in this video, but its overall message needs to be embraced and articulated by Christians everywhere. I have found that telling the whole story of Scripture is a powerful tool. Whether one is talking about salvation, the church, God's providence, or whatever, telling the whole story is helpful.

Also, avoiding the many problems of short changing the gospel can be prevented if we approach evangelism and Christian mission in this way. The gospel is individual, communal, and cosmic and this approach reveals all three. It also places us in the story of God. Thus we matter on account of our creation by the Creator, and by participating in the grand story that God is writing. The church matters. Sanctification matters. Prayer matters. Spiritual growth matters.

Finally, this approach presents a more balanced approach to the various aspects of the gospel such as redemption, deliverance, justification, ransom, etc. Redemption, for example, is tied clearly to God's work in delivering the Jews from slavery in Egypt. God as redeemer/deliverer is a powerful message that the New Testament writers pick up on. We, like they, are in bondage to sin. Only God can deliver us.

Anyways, here is the video.

HT: Evangel

Spurgeon on Psalm 137

2011-12-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

The mother of all Imprecatory Psalms, 137, is a real challenge especially verse 9 which calls for the infaticide of the children of Babylon in violent language: How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones Against the rock. The apparent barbarism of this verse is immediately apparent and how do we reconcile a verse like this (and others could be used here) with the message of Scripture of grace, forgiveness, and mercy?

Well, the Prince of Preachers, Charles H. Spurgeon, warned us of viewing this in the wrong light. He writes:

Let those find fault with it who have never seen their temple burned, their city ruined, their wives ravished, and after children slain; they might not, perhaps, be quite so velvet mouthed if they had suffered after this fashion. It is one thing to talk of the bitter feeling which moved captive Israelites in Babylon, and quite another thing to be captives ourselves under a savage and remorseless power, which knew not how to show mercy, but delighted in barbarities to the defenceless. -Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Psalm 137.

Spurgeon, as always, is right. It is easy for us to judge the Psalmist for his strong language, but just listen to the voice of the mother who pleads for the death penalty against the man who murdered her child. Is it barbarism or a cry for justice and vengeance? This Psalm is echoed in the voice of the angry father who’s daughter was raped. This Psalm is echoed in the voice of the child who watches his parents destroy each other in anger and abuse. This Psalm is echoed in the voice of a nation who at the rubble of two buildings scream, “Go get them George!” Who then replies, “I hear you, the whole world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!”

Before we speak in outrage over this text, let us realize that we have uttered similar things and it is right to beg God to defend the righteous and to judge the wicked.

For more:
Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight
Sermon - November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation
Sermon - November 20, 2011 | Psalm 136: The Lord is My God

Repost | Justice and the Implications of Atheism: Doug Wilson Hits the Nail on Its Head

2011-12-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

Sunday we will be discussing Psalm 137 - the mother of all Imprecatory Psalms. As I sit here and prepare, I can't help but think about how the dangerous implications of the church's effort to wussify God. By watering down what it means to love and defining God as love with that weak definition can lead to only 2 logical conclusions about God and evil:

If wrongs will not be made right, if judgment will not reign down, if wickedness will not be destroyed either (1) God is either Wicked or a Wimp or (2) Wickedness & evil are relative & illusions.

I came across this realization from a brief quote from Douglas Wilson. Consider the following:

The following quote was just published by Doug Wilson at his blog Blog and Mablog regarding the difference between Christianity and atheism regarding justice and the problem of theodicy. It is simply too good to not to pass along. The quote is taken from Wilson's book Letter From a Christian Citizen: A Response to "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris.

If the two of us [an atheist and Christian] were looking at a new report of the latest atrocity, I would say that at some point in the future, in some fundamental way, that will be put right. You want to say, as an atheist, that it will not ever be put right. But you refuse, for some reason, to take the next logical step and admit that there is therefore nothing wrong with it now. (54).

I can't think of a better way of confronting the issue of theodicy with an atheist then that. Great post from Wilson.

HT: Doug Wilson

For more:
Blogizomai - Collision: An Important Documentary About Faith and Atheism
Blogizomai - Atheism and Moral Relativistic Parenting: Touchstone Takes on Harris
Blogizomai - Harris on the Science of Morality: Nice Try But No Cigar
Blogizomai - Natural Morality: The Disconnect Between Darwinism and Morality
Blogizomai -Freud's Wish Fulfillment: Why Atheism Can't Explain Atheism
Blogizomai -The Atheist Debates
Blogizomai -Atheism Is Not Great - The D'Souza and Hitchens Debate
Blogizomai -John Lennox: The New Atheism and the Gospel Blogizomai -D'Souza: Are Atheists Cultural Christians
Blogizomai -Survival of the Moral: Can Man Be Moral Without God?
Blogizomai - Re: Survival of the Moral: Can Man Be Moral Without God?
Review -"Atheism Remix" by Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
Review -"The Delusion of Disbelief" by David Aikman
Review -"The End of Reason" by Ravi Zacharias
Review -What's So Great About Christianity? by Dinesh D'Souza

Review - "Life After Death" by Dinesh D'Souza

Reviews -D'Souza - Letters To A Young Conservative

Reviews - D'Souza - Ronald Reagan

Reviews - Mohler: An Argument Against Atheists - Dinesh D'Souza on Christianity

Repost | "Jesus + Nothing = Everything" by Tullian Tchividjian

2011-12-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

I have read a lot of good books this year, but without a doubt, the best book I have read all year is Tullian Tchividjian's new book Jesus + Nothing + Everything. The context of the book is Tchividjian's struggle as a pastor to wade through the storms of ministry. After merging his church with the late Dr. D. James Kennedy's church, Tchividjian ran into serious struggles and hardships that almost led to his firing. Once he went on vacation one summer, he was ready to quit until he started to read Paul's letter to the Colossians and was gripped by the gospel. He writes:

His good news met me in my dark place, at my deepest need. Through his liberating word, I was being transformed, freed, refreshed.

I started learning to see the many-faceted dimensions of the gospel in a more dazzling way. it's almost as if, for me, the gospel changed from something hazy and monochromatic to something richly multicolored, vivid, and vibrant. I was realizing in a fresh way the now-power of the gospel - that the gospel doesn't simply rescue us from the past and rescue us for the future; it also rescues us in the present from being enslaved to things like fear, insecurity, anger, self-reliance, bitterness, entitlement, and insignificance . . . Through my pain, I was being convinced all over again that the power of the gospel is just as necessary and relevant after you become a Christian as it is before.

Tchividjian sings my tune. This is a book about the gospel, pure and simple. The title summarizes it all. Wherever we may be, whatever we may be struggling with, Jesus is enough. Jesus equals everything. We need nothing else. The gospel is just as much for the redeemed as it is for the lost. The gospel not only tackles our past and assures us of our future, but meets us where we are in the present.

Yet the problem in all of us is idolatry and legalism. All of us have idols that we worship and through is experience at his church, the author came to realize this. What mattered most to him was being loved by his congregation and followed by his church. Thus when he was attacked and challenged, his world was falling apart. Yet he learned, through the power of the gospel, that Jesus was enough.

But maybe our idol is very different. The author walks the reader through various idols and how the gospel is better than them. The problem with idolatry is that it implies that we need Jesus and something else in order to be happy, contentment, and at peace. Legalism does the same thing. Tchividjian offers some sharp critique of these two demons. He writes, for example:

So if we aren't naturally prone to look to the finished work of Jesus for us as it's presented in the gospel for the 'everything' - where are we looking?

Typically, it's not that Christians seek to blatantly replaced the gospel. What we try to do is simply add to it.

He then goes on to elaborate CS Lewis' argument in Screwtape Letters that a Satanic strategy against the Christian is "Christianity And." It is the opposite of what Tchividjian argues in this book. Christianity And Vegetarianism. Christianity and Faith Healing. Christianity And the New Psychology. Christianity And . . . Such a mindset, which haunts us all, destroys the gospel and prevents the gospel from truly ministering to us. This is all idol worship. Jesus + X is idolatry and not the gospel.

In fact, idolatry and legalism hold us in bondage. They make us slaves. Finally someone of prominence other than John MacArthur is speaking the language of slavery when describing sin and its hold on us. The gospel frees us from the bondage of sin, idolatry, and religion. Such things convince us that without them and their control on us, we will not be content or happy. But the gospel says otherwise. All we need is Christ and nothing else. That is true freedom. No need to satisfy these false gods anymore. He writes:

For each of us, the "everything" that Jesus can represent in our lives is always linked, directly and inescapably, to our most basic need - a rescuer to free us form our slavery to sin, from our bondage to self-reliance, and from the burden of our idols. It's a need we never grow out of.

He's right. The gospel is constantly freeing us from slavery when we see our redemption and hope in Jesus Christ - past, future, and yes, present.

I could say more about this book, but you get the point. It is a book about the gospel. The sweet, liberating gospel. A gospel that meets us where we are, brings us to the Savior, and calls us to leave everything behind because we need nothing else but Him. No more chasing after the wind, worshiping non-existent, false idols. No more religion. No more legalism. No more hypocrisy. Just Jesus.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Every pastor ought to read it and shape their ministry around the gospel. Not religion, ritual, or church politics, but on the gospel. Every struggle needs the gospel. Every moment of bliss and rejoicing needs the gospel. Every sermon needs the gospel. Every prayer needs the gospel. And every book - and here we have one - needs the gospel.

Jesus + Nothing = Everything: Intro from Crossway on Vimeo.

This book was given to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.

For more:
Reviews - "Life's Biggest Questions" by Erik Thoennes
Reviews - "Welcome to the Story: Reading, Loving, and Living God's Word" by Stephen J Nichols
Reviews - "King Solomon" by Philip Graham Ryken
Reviews - "Am I Really a Christian?" by Mike McKinley
Reviews - The Beginning and End of Wisdom" by Douglas Sean O'Donnell
Reviews - "Thinking. Loving. Doing." by John Piper & David Mathis

November 20, 2011 | Psalm 136: The Lord is My God

2011-11-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

The Sunday before Thanksgiving we studied Psalm 136; a great congregational Psalm that calls on us to affirm the everlasting love of our God. A great text. A great Psalm.

Audio
Notes

For more:
GBC - FLAME - Power [with Rap-Along lyrics]
GBC - The Most Terrifying Truth of God: He is Good
Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight
Sermon - November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation

November 22, 2011 | Mark 15:16-39 - Thanksgiving Service

2011-11-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I had the high honor of speaking at the community-wide Thanksgiving service at Hardinsburg Baptist Church. My wife and I agree that it was one of the best services we have attended in recent memory (and not just because I was the speaker). The music was amazing. The choice of songs was dead on. Christ was exalted. People worshiped. Unity was clear. And the gospel drove the service.

Thanks to the Breckinridge County Ministerial Association for inviting me to speak. I hope the gospel was proclaimed and God was glorified.

Audio
Notes

November 20, 2011 | Psalm 23:1 - The Peace of Contentment

2011-11-29T15:07:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to preach at Friendship Baptist Church just north of Hardinsburg. I preached an old sermon from our series on Psalm 23 and the Fruit of the Spirit. Below is the audio and notes from that night.

Audio
Notes

November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation

2011-11-29T14:09:00.000-08:00

I had some computer problems and am finally back up and running. Here is the audio and the notes from the sermon from November 13 from Psalm 51 written after David was confronted by Nathan the Prophet regarding his sexual sin with Bathsheba and his act of murder against her husband Uriah.

Audio
Notes

For more:

Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight

The Most Terrifying Truth of God: He is Good

2011-11-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

If you want to understand the gospel, consider the following video of Paul Washer, a well-known evangelists who is best known for his approach of telling it like it is. His point that the most terrifying attribute of God is His goodness is dead on. What does a good God do to people like us? Watch His answer:

HT: Reformation Theology

FLAME - Power [with Rap-Along lyrics]

2011-11-15T15:15:00.000-08:00

As I prepare for Sunday morning, I couldn't help but sing the following song "Power" by Christian rapper Flame. The second verse is particularly similar to our text (Psalm 136). Flame point is that remembering and reflecting on what God has done assures us that God is active and has power today. This is why the Jews repeatedly referred back to the Exodus and other mighty acts of God.

And before you hit play, remember that the following is rap. You can't say that I didn't warn you :o)

Here are the lyrics:

[Chorus:]
He got power man, You ain't never seen it like this
He got power man, His words make the world exist
He got power man, He can turn your situation 'round
I've seen Him do it, do it, do it, do it, do it

[Verse 1:]
I've seen the Lord do a lot of things in my day
Time after time, He blows my mind and He blows my faith
I like to read, and see what He's done in the past
He can do in the present, if His people would ask
I've seen Him shut a whole strip down
Full of strip clubs, now the dude's a Christian now
Wow, now that's power like you've never seen
How He dug in the man, and made his soul clean
Oh, I've even seen Him heal a broken home
Couple couldn't get along, now you be like, get a room
Man, I'm so impressed with His slate
I want to trust Him more and more, and strengthen my faith
Yes, I hope you know it's true, all power's in God's hands
What can't you make it through, the proof is the Godman
Nobody took His life, but Jesus He laid it down
And three days later, yes, He popped outta the ground

[Verse 2:]
Now for the record, we're talking about Almighty God
Please don't forget, what He did with Moses' rod
Please don't forget, when He split the Red Sea
What is a light bill, or a deadly disease
What is a marriage problem, or one that's on the rocks
To the One who speaks to storms, and storms stop
To the One who got Lazarus outta the grave,
Not after one, but two, three, four days
He is the Life, and the Resurrection
You give Him your filth, and get His perfection
I'm trying to get you to see, if He can save a soul
Defeat Satan and sin, all else is micro
And if He chooses to not grant a request
It's not because He lacks power, but He's seeking our best
It's not because He lacks strength, but He's seeking our good
Now go and walk through that trial, like Jesus would

[Verse 3:]
I know some people in my hood, that's been struggling with some things
They've been addicted for so long, they don't think that they can change
Then I tell them about Jesus, and how He can set them free
But they choose to stay away, man now that's just unbelief
But He's worthy to be trusted, He's a keeper of His word
But it's either you don't believe in Jesus, or that's just scared
Now what you're scared of, you shouldn't be scared of your sin
And not trusting in His name, that's the danger you're in
But you ain't gotta stay that way, you can pray and confess
Live a, life of repentance, receive Jesus' best
Himself, His love, His grace, His power
Give you strength in the darkest hour, so you won't be devoured
Give you strength against temptation, because He's stronger than sin
He's much stronger, than your corruption, erupting within
He's much strong, than your addiction to sex or a drug
To alcohol, or a club
Homie, that's what He does

[Verse 3:]
I know some people in my hood, that's been struggling with some things
They've been addicted for so long, they don't think that they can change
Then I tell them about Jesus, and how He can set them free
But they choose to stay away, man now that's just unbelief
But He's worthy to be trusted, He's a keeper of His word
But it's either you don't believe in Jesus, or that's just scared
Now what you're scared of, you shouldn't be scared of your sin
And not trusting in His name, that's the danger you're in
But you ain't gotta stay that way, you can pray and confess
Live a, life of repentance, receive Jesus' best
Himself, His love, His grace, His power
Give you strength in the darkest hour, so you won't be devoured
Give you strength against temptation, because He's stronger than sin
He's much stronger, than your corruption, erupting within
He's much strong, than your addiction to sex or a drug
To alcohol, or a club
Homie, that's what He does

November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight

2011-11-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

Here is Sunday's message. So far in our series on the Psalms, we have discovered the the Lord is my Shepherd, my King, my Lord, and now, my Delight.

Audio
Notes

For more:
GBC - Everything is Awesome But Nobody is Happy: A Late Night Sermon on Psalm 1
Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - January 17, 2010 - Matthew 5:1-12: If Your Joyful and You Know It . . .
Sermon - Matthew 5:1-4 - The Joy of Spiritual Humility - Audio
Sermon - Matthew 5:5 - Starving? Why Wait? - Audio
Sermon - Matthew 5:6-9 - The Joy of Holiness - Audio
Sermon - Matthew 5:10-12 - The Joy of Being Hated - Audio

Everything is Awesome But Nobody is Happy: A Late Night Sermon on Psalm 1

2011-11-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday we'll be looking at the Wisdom psalm found in Psalm 1. The Psalm begins with How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked . . . The word blessed carries the idea of joy and happiness and as I continue to prepare for worship Sunday, the following video keeps coming to my mind. I know nothing of the comedian in the video (I know a little about Conan O'Brien), but even the secular world hits the nail on the head.

Everything is awesome, but nobody is happy. So true. This out to be a reminder of our tail-chasing ways. We keep looking for lasting joy and happiness but few of us ever find it. But as Psalm 1;1-2 suggests, How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

For more:
Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - August 2, 2009 - Psalm 23:2: Peace of Rest
Sermon - August 9, 2009 - Psalm 23:3: The Peace of Restoration (notes only)
Sermon - August 16, 2009 - Psalm 23:4: "The Peace of Comfort"
Sermon - August 23, 2009 - Psalm 23:5: The Peace of the Shepherd's Sovereignty
Sermon - August 30, 2009 - Psalm 23:6: The Peace of the Shepherd's Providence
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23"
GBC - Weekly Recommendation: "Traveling Light"
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "Restore My Soul"
GBC - In More Detail: Repost of the Beatitudes
GBC - Bonhoeffer: The Meaning of Poor In Spirit and the Joy of Being Spiritual Bankrupt

October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord

2011-11-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

The third sermon in our series entitled, "The Songs of Psalms" looks at the great Hymn Psalm 8 which extols God as Creator who is majestic. The Psalm opens and concludes with the simple truth that Yahweh is our Lord. Psalm 8 is one of the more popular Psalm and rightfully so. God is majestic and even in the expanse of the cosmos, He knows our names.

Audio
Notes

For more:

October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King

2011-11-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

The second sermon in our series, "The Song of Psalms" is an Enthronement Psalm that glorifies our God as King. Psalm 99 is a great Psalm though it is oftentimes overlooked. God's Sovereignty - His rule as King - is an important doctrine with very practical truths.

Audio
Notes

For more:
Sermon - October 10, 2010 - God is Sovereign
GBC - MacDonald on Divine Sovereignty
GBC - Charles Hodge on Sovereignty
GBC - God's Sovereignty Defined: A. W. Pink on The Doctrine of Divine Sovereignty
Sermon - April 18, 2010 - Haggai 2:1-9: And the Lord Said, "Get-r-Done"
Sermon - August 23, 2009 - Psalm 23:5: The Peace of the Shepherd's Sovereignty
Sermon - Sunday Night - "The Agony of Job and the Sovereingnty of God
GBC - Tony Evans on God and Purpose

October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms

2011-11-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

We have begun a new sermon series looking at the book of Psalms highlighting a number of its various genres. The series is being titled "The Song of Psalms" and we will be in the book each week until Christmas. The book of Psalms has been a source of comfort and peace for countless believers throughout the centuries.

We begin with the most beloved Psalm - Psalm 23.

Audio
Notes

For more:
Sermon - August 2, 2009 - Psalm 23:2: Peace of Rest
Sermon - August 9, 2009 - Psalm 23:3: The Peace of Restoration (notes only)
Sermon - August 16, 2009 - Psalm 23:4: "The Peace of Comfort"
Sermon - August 23, 2009 - Psalm 23:5: The Peace of the Shepherd's Sovereignty
Sermon - August 30, 2009 - Psalm 23:6: The Peace of the Shepherd's Providence
GBC - Fruitie-Tales: Living By the Fruit of the Spirit Series
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "Finding Peace"
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23"
GBC - Weekly Recommendation: "Traveling Light"
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "Restore My Soul"

Mere Churchianity Sermon Series

2011-11-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

This summer we spent some time discussing the doctrine of the church. Instead of focusing on issues of polity, church government, or even Baptist distinctives, we focused on the local community. This is a very important series that I hope was and remains helpful. We need to reevaluate why we go to church, what we think the church is and for, and how we, as individual members, contribute to and participate in the local community.

We need to break out of the evil hold of complacency, apathy, and indifference. The church of Christ has sat on its tail for far too long. It is sad that Christians will get active in politics and moral causes, but heaven forbid if God expects us to share the gospel, grow in Christ, or participate in the local community. Our priorities are out of whack and we need to return to a more biblical and gospel centered ecclesiology.

Sermons:

July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared
July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
August 7, 2011 | The Story of the Church
August 21, 2011 | The Trinity and the Church: Unified Diversity
September 18, 2011 | Ephesians 4:11-25 - The Training of the Church

October 2, 2011 | John 2:13-22 - The Worshipping Church
October 9, 2011 | Galatians 6:1-5 - The Growing Church

Articles:

GBC - Driscoll on Consumers vs. Worshippers
GBC - The Church that is Holy
GBC - Tim Hawkins on Worship Styles
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Church
GBC - The Church As Family
GBC - Ware on the Trinity & Relationships
GBC - Unified Diversity - The Church & Flyleaf's Beautiful Bride
GBC - The Holy Church: The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed
GBC - Do We Want a Museum or a Movement?
GBC - Cool Churches Are Empty Churches: The Wall Street Journal Wakes Us Up
GBC - Are We Contemporvant?
GBC - "Christ, Christ Baby!": Why I Do Not Seek to Be Relevant
GBC - How To Grow a Church and Fill It With Unconverted Believers: A Humorous But Sad Video
GBC - Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests
GBC - Me Church
GBC - A Divine Kick in the Pants: Jim Elliot and the Call to Go Out
Blogizomai - Accomodationism Breed Irrelevancy: Why Liberalism Fails and the Transcendent Gospel Triumphs

Other Links:
Sermon - September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!
Sermon - Ephesians 4:12: How God Grows His Church

Other Series:
God: Proper Theology Proper Sermon Series
Faith in the Midst of God-Ordained Storms Sermon Series
The Sermon on the Mount Series
Matthew Thus Far: Matthew 1-5
The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series
Fruitie-Tales: Living By the Fruit of the Spirit
Basic Christianity Series
Revelation Study

Psalm 8, the Majesty of God, & that Pale Blue Dot

2011-10-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we will be studying Psalm 8 - a Psalm about the majesty of God. One of the famous verses in that passage is vs. 4 which says, What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? As I study this text, I can't help but think about the difference between atheism and Christianity as we both look up at the skies. Atheism studies the cosmos and sees our small, seemingly insignificant planet of existence and finds purposelessness. In other words, atheism sees the cosmos and all they can see is our insignificance. Christianity, on the other hand, looks up at the skies and is overwhelmed by God's majesty. In atheism, we are small. In Christianity, God is majestic. This makes that question in verse 4 all the more relevant, What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?

This is the point raised in world renown astronomer and agnostic (atheist?) Carl Sagan. The picture above, known as the Pale Blue Dot, portrays the earth taken from 3.7 billion miles away in space. The earth, in the vastness of the cosmos, is nothing more than a pale blue dot. Sagan, who encouraged NASA to take the picture, was inspired by the picture to write a book by the same title. Below is the famous section of the book where Sagan offers the emptiness of atheism/agnosticism. He sees our insignificance, but Christians see the amazing fact of our worth and the power of our God.

Here is the quote written out:

Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

For More:
Blogizomai - There Is No Such Thing As Atheists: Hawking's Curious Theism
Blogizomai - Before There Was Time: Hawking on the Origina of Everything
Blogizomai - Causation and the Existence of God: How Scientists Continue to Prove Aquinas's Point
Blogizomai - Just Add Universes: The Foolishness and Motivation Behind Atheism's Leap of Faith
Blogizomai - Creation or Manipulation: The Limits of Man and the Evidence for God
Blogizomai - Evolution Animated & Refuted
Blogizomai - Justice and the Implications of Atheism: Doug Wilson Hits the Nail on Its Head
Blogizomai - On Why Darwin Still Matters
Blogizomai - Expelled: A Film About Freedom, Evolution, and Intelligent Design
Blogizomai - Expelled: A Movie We Must Take Seriously
Blogiozmai - D'Souza: Ben Stein Exposes Richard Dawkins
Blogizomai - Collision: An Important Documentary About Faith and Atheism
Blogizomai -The Atheist Debates
Blogizomai -Atheism Is Not Great - The D'Souza and Hitchens Debate
Blogizomai -John Lennox: The New Atheism and the Gospel
Blogizomai - Natural Morality: The Disconnect Between Darwinism and Morality
Blogizomai -D'Souza: Are Atheists Cultural Christians
Blogizomai -Survival of the Moral: Can Man Be Moral Without God?
Blogizomai - Re: Survival of the Moral: Can Man Be Moral Without God?
Blogizomai -Freud's Wish Fulfillment: Why Atheism Can't Explain Atheism
Blogizmai - "Why God Won't Go Away" by Alister McGrath
Review - "Why God Won't Go Away" by Alister McGrath
Review -"Atheism Remix" by Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
Review -"The Delusion of Disbelief" by David Aikman
Review -"The End of Reason" by Ravi Zacharias
Review -What's So Great About Christianity? by Dinesh D'Souza

Repost | "It Pleased God": MacArthur on the Darkness and Drama at the Cross

2011-10-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening I was on my way to a near-by hospital to make an important visit of one of our members who is suffering severely and who's condition continues to deteriorate. While on the road, I listened to two sermons by John MacArthur I had just received in the mail from his Grace To You ministry titled Darkness and Drama at the Cross, Parts 1 and 2. The sermons was originally titled Divine Mercy for the Blasphemers and God Visits Calvary and were exposition of Mark 15:22-41.

The first sermon was particularly powerful and I want to pass it along to you. After surveying the mockings, beatings, and abuse of Jesus on the cross, MacArthur raises the question why doesn’t God come down and kill these sinners? His answer is important: because God was pleased to kill His Son for those sinners. That’s Isaiah 53, “It pleased God to crush Him.” It pleased God.

I couldn't help but clap and worship God while on my way to pray with a dear loved one and church member who is suffering as I thought about the cross, my Savior, and my God. I hope the following sermons are as touching to you as they were to me.

Darkness and Drama at the Cross, Part 1 or Divine Mercy for the Blasphemers:

Darkness and Drama At the Cross, Part 2 or God Visits Calvary:

For more:
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | MacArthur: A Tale of Two Sons
Blogizomai - Reformed in Grace But Arminian Everywhere Else: MacArthur on the Future of the YRR Movement
Blogizomai - He Turned the Water Into Wine: MacArthur, Alcohol, & Christian Liberty
Blogizomai - Alcohol Today, Marijuana Tomorrow: When Money Changes Our Values
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | Theology and Ministry: An Interview With John MacArthur

Blogizomai - MacArthur: How to Confront the Culture
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | MacArthur and the Gospel
Blogizomai - Weekly Recommendation - "Slave" by John MacArthur
Blogizomai - Weekly Recommendation - John MacArthur Study Bible
Reviews - A Tale of Two Sons
Reviews - The Prodigal God

Third Day - King of Glory

2011-10-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Who is this King of glory is the question we'll be answering in tomorrow's sermon.

More on the King James Bible

2011-10-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight we will be studying the history and legacy of the most read and most influential book in English history - the King James Version of the Bible. Below are some videos and other resources on the translation.

CBN:

More on the King James translation: (a bit over the top)

On William Tyndale:

For more:
GBC - Book Recommendation - "God's Secretaries"

Book Recommendation - "God's Secretaries"

2011-10-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight we have moved our regular Wednesday night services to Fordsville Baptist Church in order to listen to Dr. Chad Owen Brand talk about the history of the translating of the King James Version. It is a fascinating story and I strongly encourage everyone to join us tonight in Fordsville for this fascinating conversation. I preparation of that, I want to repost an old review I wrote on an important book on the translation of the King James Version called "God's Secretaries." I highly recommend the book.

The review is a little dated, but the point is still made.

My pastor preaches from the King James Bible. Whenever he had open heart surgery and was spending a lot of time recovering unable to do much I gave him a copy of the book, "God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible." I always thought that the book would be interesting to read, and so, once I found it for real cheap at a used bookstore, I thought I might read it. And I am glad that I did.

I am not a KJV-only kind of person. The KJV has a lot of flaws. Perhaps the two biggest flaws it has are first, it's language (my favorite verse coming from John 11:39, "by this time he stinketh") and secondly, it's use of bad manuscripts (it was the best they had at the time, but since then, we have been able to uncover a more accurate Bible). Therefore, I do not teach or preach from the King James. Usually I will teach and preach from the New King James Version because I know my audience. However, my personal favorite is the New American Standard Bible along with the English Standard Version and the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

But with all of that aside, what the King James Bible has done for the English language and for Western culture in general cannot be overlooked. 200 years prior to the 1611 Bible, it would have been unthinkable that a Bible would have been translated into English with the full authority of a protestant king.

The work of men like Tyndale, Wycliffe, Luther, and others had finally come to fruition. These ground breaker's deaths had not been in vain.

The book as a whole is an excellent read. The author looks at many of the translators, the events leading to the translation, and the events surrounding the translation. I was most surprised by the "terrorist" attack that took place by the hands of some Catholics who tried to kill the King and others in his court.

One thing is obvious about the author, he loves the language of the King James Version. Throughout the book, especially at the end, he gives example after example of the richness of the language and translation of the KJV. He does this best whenever he compares the KJV to other versions available at the time and even translations since. One of the advantages of such a study reveals the benefits of having a committee of translators (like the KJV) rather than just one person doing all of the translation (like the Tyndale Bible and Luther's Translation).

One cannot deny the richness and precision of the translation. The only problem today, with most people, is the that the language is a bit outdated. Though I do not use the KJV myself (for reasons mentioned above), I have great respect and even refer to it in my own personal Bible study. Just because the KJV is hard to understand doesn't mean we should abandon it. What it means for Western Christianity, culture, and literature is profound.

Perhaps my favorite part of the book comes at the end where the author looks into some of the printing mistakes of the KJV. One such mistake is a known as the "'Wicked Bible." The Wicked Bible had one one inherent flaw: it was missing a word in the seventh commandment. Instead of saying, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." It said, "Thou shalt commit adultery." Therefore, the Bible was replaced with a more accurate copy.

Overall, if anyone is interested in the history of King James, his translation and the events surrounding it, I highly recommend this book. It is a good read, with excellent research, and is a story that keeps your attention. I have walked away with a better understanding of it's legacy and a greater appreciation of it.

The one thing the author emphasized throughout the book was the purpose of King James making this translation: unity. And though it took sometime, unity was reached (though at times strained). How important it is to note that what should bring us together is the Word of God above everything else. Perhaps this is the greatest of legacies of the KJV: unity among the brethren.

"Unforgetful You" by Jars of Clay

2011-10-18T10:27:00.000-07:00

Recently, I went back to the music archives and pulled out an old album by Jars of Clay and listened to one of its singles, "Unforgetful You" and was challenged by its message. I encourage you to give it a listen below followed by the lyrics.

<br>

I never minded calling You a King
If that meant that I could count on You
To give me everything
I never thought to ask You
I always thought You knew
It was never my intention to question You
You never minded calling me a child
Well, I guess that's how I acted all the while
But You live through every tantrum, You see through every lie
Though they seem to be more common
I just wanted You to know why oh why

Unforgetful You, unforgetful
Unforgetful You, so unforgetful

You never minded giving us the stars
Then showing us how blind and unaware of You we are
You painted me a picture and showed me how to see
Though I just won't behold it
Unless it pertains to me...

For more:
GBC - It is Well With My Soul: The Story of Horatio Spafford
GBC - Nothing But the Blood
GBC - Third Day: Our God is a "Consuming Fire"
GBC - Unified Diversity: The Church & Flyleaf's Beautiful Bride

October 9, 2011 | Galatians 6:1-5 - The Growing Church

2011-10-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we completed our series on the church entitled Mere Churchianity. I hope it has been helpful and below is the final sermon in that series. Right now I do not have any audio for it, but I pray that the notes will be helpful. Next week we will begin a new series on the Psalms that should be fascinating.

Notes

For more:
Sermon - October 2, 2011 | John 2:13-22 - The Worshipping Church
Sermon - September 18, 2011 | Ephesians 4:11-25 - The Training of the Church
Sermon - August 21, 2011 | The Trinity and the Church: Unified Diversity
Sermon - August 7, 2011 | The Story of the Church
Sermon - July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
Sermon - July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared
Sermon - September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!
Sermon - Ephesians 4:12: How God Grows His Church
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Church
GBC - The Church As Family
GBC - Do We Want a Museum or a Movement?
GBC - Cool Churches Are Empty Churches: The Wall Street Journal Wakes Us Up
GBC - Are We Contemporvant?
GBC - "Christ, Christ Baby!": Why I Do Not Seek to Be Relevant
GBC - How To Grow a Church and Fill It With Unconverted Believers: A Humorous But Sad Video
GBC - Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests
GBC - Me Church
GBC - A Divine Kick in the Pants: Jim Elliot and the Call to Go Out
Blogizomai - Accomodationism Breed Irrelevancy: Why Liberalism Fails and the Transcendent Gospel Triumphs

October 2, 2011 | John 2:13-22 - The Worshipping Church

2011-10-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we looked at John 2:13-22 and the story of Jesus cleansing the temple. This is an important text and its application is particularly timely and needed.

Notes
Audio

For more:
GBC - Driscoll on Consumers vs. Worshippers
Sermon - September 18, 2011 | Ephesians 4:11-25 - The Training of the Church
Sermon - August 21, 2011 | The Trinity and the Church: Unified Diversity
Sermon - August 7, 2011 | The Story of the Church
Sermon - July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
Sermon - July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared
Sermon - September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!
Sermon - Ephesians 4:12: How God Grows His Church
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Church
GBC - The Church As Family
GBC - Do We Want a Museum or a Movement?
GBC - Cool Churches Are Empty Churches: The Wall Street Journal Wakes Us Up
GBC - Are We Contemporvant?
GBC - "Christ, Christ Baby!": Why I Do Not Seek to Be Relevant
GBC - How To Grow a Church and Fill It With Unconverted Believers: A Humorous But Sad Video
GBC - Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests
GBC - Me Church
GBC - A Divine Kick in the Pants: Jim Elliot and the Call to Go Out
Blogizomai - Accomodationism Breed Irrelevancy: Why Liberalism Fails and the Transcendent Gospel Triumphs

September 18, 2011 | Ephesians 4:11-25 - The Training of the Church

2011-10-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

I am really far behind on posting past sermons, but things have been really busy. Here are the notes (my battery died on my recorder) on the sermon from Ephesians 4:11-25 regarding the trained church. I hope it is helpful.

Notes

For more:
GBC - Driscoll on Consumers vs. Worshippers
Sermon - August 21, 2011 | The Trinity and the Church: Unified Diversity

Sermon - August 7, 2011 | The Story of the Church
Sermon - July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
Sermon - July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared
Sermon - September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!
Sermon - Ephesians 4:12: How God Grows His Church
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Church
GBC - The Church As Family
GBC - Do We Want a Museum or a Movement?
GBC - Cool Churches Are Empty Churches: The Wall Street Journal Wakes Us Up
GBC - Are We Contemporvant?
GBC - "Christ, Christ Baby!": Why I Do Not Seek to Be Relevant
GBC - How To Grow a Church and Fill It With Unconverted Believers: A Humorous But Sad Video
GBC - Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests
GBC - Me Church
GBC - A Divine Kick in the Pants: Jim Elliot and the Call to Go Out
Blogizomai - Accomodationism Breed Irrelevancy: Why Liberalism Fails and the Transcendent Gospel Triumphs

Faith in the Midst of God-Ordained Storms Sermon Series

2011-10-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

During the summer months, we looked at what Scripture has to say on the issue of suffering well. The past few years have been difficult for our church as we have suffered a lot of tragic losses. The gospel shows us how to suffer well and how to respond to tragedy. Below is the list of sermons and articles published during that series and I pray that it is a helpful resource.

We began by looking at the book of Habakkuk verse by verse (my favorite Old Testament book). There the prophet asks the questions we all ask and he is forced to trust in the Providential Sovereignty of God. Afterward, we highlighted a number of important biblical texts that discuss the issue of suffering.

Sermon:

May 22, 2011 | Habakkuk 1:1-2:1 - Praying From the Watchtower: When God's Answer Leaves Us Unsatisfied
May 29, 2011 | Habakkuk 2:2-20
June 5, 2011 | Habakkuk 3:1-19
June 12, 2011 | Job - Saving Faith is Persevering Faith: Job and the Suffering of the Righteous
July 10, 2011 - Hebrews 12:1-3 - His and Our Suffering: The Cross of Christ and A Faith That Endures
July 17, 2011 | Romans 8:31-39 - Sorrow Like Sea Billows: Immanent Love in Suffering

July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared

Articles:

It is Well With My Soul: The Story of Horatio Spafford
Stomach Virus' and the Humanity of Christ: Moore on the Suffering and Sick Servant
Some Helpful Answers To Common Questions: DA Carson Weighs In
Theodicy as Evidence of a Theos
Weekly Recommendation - "A Grief Observed"

Other Series:
God: Proper Theology Proper Sermon Series
The Sermon on the Mount Series
Matthew Thus Far: Matthew 1-5
The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series
Fruitie-Tales: Living By the Fruit of the Spirit
Basic Christianity Series
Revelation Study

Tim Hawkins on Worship Styles

2011-10-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

This is just hilarious!

HT: Thabiti

And here is an extra clip from Tim Hawkins discussing denominations and the Message Bible.

For more:
GBC - Christian Comedy: Church Greeters and Hand Sanitizers - Tim Hawkins

Repost | The Hidden, Spiritual Side of Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Everyone is talking about the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who changed the world with innovation. In fact, as I type this on my laptop (a Microsoft, sorry Mr. Jobs), next to me is an iPhone and an iPad (the blogger apps on them is terrible). For Christmas, I intend on upgrading my phone to the newest iPhone and right now I'm getting a reminder that I need to update my iTunes and other Apple products on my computer. We simply cannot escape Jobs' influence; and I'm not one of those die-hard Apple-only fans but even I cannot escape their products.

But unlike most bloggers and news articles highlighting Jobs' amazing rise-fall-and-rise-again biography, I am wanting to share with you CNN's article on the spiritual side of Jobs. Jobs, like most other aspects of his life, was private in regards to his faith. But as CNN highlights, Jobs was influenced by and a believer in some form of Buddhism. CNN writes:

The name of Jobs' company is said to be inspired by the Beatles' Apple Corps, which repeatedly sued the electronics maker for trademark infringement until signing an exclusive digital distribution deal with iTunes. Like the Beatles, Jobs took a spiritual retreat to India and regularly walked around his neighborhood and the office barefoot.

Traversing India sparked Jobs' conversion to Buddhism. Kobun Chino, a monk, presided over his wedding to Laurene Powell, a Stanford University MBA . . .

Rebirth is a precept of Buddhism, and Apple experienced rebirth of sorts when Jobs returned, after he was fired, to remake a company that had fallen the verge of bankruptcy.

"I believe life is an intelligent thing, that things aren't random," Jobs said in a 1997 interview with Time, providing a glimpse into his complicated belief system that extends well beyond the Buddhist teachings.

Karma is another principle of the religion, but it didn't appear to be a system Jobs lived by. If he feared karma coming back to bite him, the sentiment wasn't evident in his public statements about competitors and former colleagues, calling them "bozos" lacking taste. Those who worked for Jobs described him as a tyrant they feared meeting in an elevator.

The article goes on to offer more of a personal biography than a spiritual biography of the technology giant seeking to apply his theological beliefs to how it applied to his work and his company. Read the rest here.

Here is a biographical piece done by CNET on the work of Jobs at Apple.

HT: Denny Burk

CNN - The Spiritual Side of Steve Jobs

For more:
Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. - Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

Blogozimai - Repost | The Hidden, Spiritual Side of Steve Jobs
Blogizomai - My Top 10 Free iPhone Apps For the Pastor

Repost | The Gospel and Pulpit Freedom Sunday: How Christians Have Missed the Point

2011-10-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Pulpit Freedom Sunday. Last year I wrote on the subject and am reposting it here.

This past Sunday was an important date. Not because Christians worldwide gathered together to celebrate the resurrection of their Lord, but because a group of 100 pastors endorsed political candidates in their church's pulpits baiting the Internal Revenue Service to remove the church's tax exempt status. This is not the first time such an event took place, but everytime such a stunt is performed by well-meaning church leaders, the coverage increases.

USA Today reports:

On Sunday, a group of 100 preachers nationwide will step into the pulpit and say the only words they're forbidden by law from speaking in a church.

They plan to use the pulpit as a platform for political endorsements, flouting a federal law that threatens churches with the loss of their nonprofit status if they stray too far into partisan politics.

While other church and nonprofit leaders cringe at the deliberate mix of the secular and the religious, participants in the annual Pulpit Freedom Sunday protest hope this act of deliberate lawbreaking will lead to a change in the law.

The support from the Christian community is robust in this situation. Perhaps the most prominent voice supporting the even has come from Christian author, thinker, and influential voice Charles Colson. In an article titled Legislated Laryngitis Colson lays out the origin of church's being silenced by the IRS. He shows that then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson silenced the church in an re-election effort. He writes:

In 1954, then-Senator Lyndon Johnson was in the middle of a particularly bruising re-election battle. Two nonprofit groups had been especially troublesome to the senator, vocally opposing his candidacy.

So, on a hot summer day in Washington, D.C., Johnson slipped an amendment into the IRS 501(c)(3) code that governs nonprofit organizations in order to restrict their speech -- including the speech of churches. Johnson’s amendment stated that nonprofits could not “participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing and distributing of statements) any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.”

The penalty for such “participation?” Revocation of their tax-exempt status.

Without debate, the Senate held a quick voice vote on the amendment. As the chamber filled with a chorus of “Ayes,” the church became infected with an instant case of laryngitis, thanks to the Senator from Texas.

Colson goes on to note that prior to Johnson's amendment, the church was always at the center of public and political debate. And, thanks to an encroaching government, the church has been silenced and thus unwelcomed in the public debate. This begs the question, posed by Colson, then:

It’s now time to ask the question: Who decides what the church can and cannot say?

Should it be the government? Or should it be the church?

Colson makes an important point from a citizenship perspective. Traditionally Christians and those of other religious beliefs have had a robust influence in the political and public arena. Now, however, the government is abusing the tax code to silence unwanted political free speech. The last question quoted above by Colson is an important question for Christians to ask. Who decides what the church can and cannot say? It does seem that in this one instance (not to mention the countless hate speech codes being passed throughout the nation and throughout the West) the government is determining not what the Church can say (that's the business of hate speech laws) but what they can't say. Should not the Church, rooted in the gospel and Scripture, determine what the Church says?

I offer a loud Yes! Yes, the Church should be free. Yes the Church should speak for itself and have the liberty to say, proclaim, and believe whatever she wishes. But I am afraid that even this misses the point.

Other Christians have offered their criticism of Pulpit Freedom Sunday. The head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. Richard Land, raised his concern by saying "It puts congregations in an awkward position. It's not a wise thing for churches to endorse candidates. We think candidates should endorse us." As the head of the ERLC, Land finds himself very much involved in the political arena and as a Southern Baptist I wholeheartedly respect and support Dr. Land. However, I believe that even he has missed the point.

Colson is concerned with the issue of freedom and the 1st Amendment and rightly so. Dr. Land is concerned with the State aligning with the Church and not the other way around and rightly so. But neither response is the correct one.

When we as pastors stand up in the pulpit and proclaim politics we have missed the point. Certainly there are political implications of the gospel, but to campaign for the ways of man at the cost of the ways of God is not the duty of preachers. As a pastor and as a voting citizen I know what I believe and already know how and who I am going to vote for. However, when we meet on Sunday's to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord we meet to celebrate the resurrection and worship the God of our salvation. Our priority at worship is worship, not politics.

I do believe that the government is walking on dangerous Constitutional lines disallowing religious institutions to endorse political candidates. I also am against the government passing hate speech laws that silence religious believers and leaders from espousing their convictions and faiths. I am first and foremost loyal to the gospel, not the tax code. However, when the Church gets more press regarding who they are going to vote for than the message they are called to proclaim everyday, we have missed the point.

The Bible is clear on this issue. The gospel is more important and ought to be our utmost priority than anything else including public policy. Yes Jesus did comment on political issues (like paying taxes), but he needed protested political policy. Yes Paul certainly used his Roman citizenship to his own benefit but still expected believers to submit to government (even government ruled by the wicked Nero) as we submit to our Lord. Yes Peter refused to obey the political and religious leaders of his day when they asked him to stop proclaiming Christ, but otherwise called on Christians to live peaceably among men and to obey the governmental authorities.

Furthermore, it is the priority of preachers and pastors to proclaim the gospel. When God called Ezekiel, he described him as a watchman on the wall. If he fails to proclaim the message of God, the blood of men's souls falls on his hands. But if he does proclaim God's message and they refuse to obey, their blood is on their own hands. In other words, "Preach the Word!" (2 Timothy 4:1ff).

Everything is about the gospel. Everything. And the minute we take up precious time of worship and gospel proclamation we have cheapened the gospel. If we really want to influence politics, we must proclaim the gospel. Are we trying to moralize the unconverted or convert the immoral? If we want real solutions, then we must preach Christ. The gospel is central to all that we are and believe. Unless our vote is centered on a gospel worldview, then it is empty. Unless our sermons on centered on the gospel then they are nothing more than self-help, empty psychological babble.

Clearly I did not participate in Pulpit Freedom Sunday at the church where I pastor not because politics is insignificant but because the gospel is too important. Let us preach Christ and trust in the power of the gospel. You know its a sad day in the health of the Church when trust in the policies of Washington more than the transcendent message of our immutable God.

Preach Christ!

Speak Up Movement Promo from Josh Garlow on Vimeo.

Alliance Defense Fund - Pulpit Freedom Sunday: Participating Pastors Will Exercise First Amendment Right to Speak on Positions of Elecotoral Candidates Sept. 28

Townhall (Charles Colson) - Legislated Laryngitis

USA Today - Pastors plan to 'bait' IRS with pulpit politics
CBN - Pastors to Challenge IRS on 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday'

For more:
Blogizomai - Endowed by Who?: President Obama and the Source of Liberty - A Gaff or a Statement?
Blogizomai - The Ongoing Conversation on Religious Liberty
Blogizomai - The Politics of Cowardice: Health Care Passes
Blogizomai - To Build or Not to Build, That is Not the Question: Where is the Gospel in the Ground Zero Debate?
Blogizomai - To Build or Not to Build, That is Not the Question: Where is the Gospel in the Koran Burning Debate?
Blogizomai - Have We Forgotten the Gospel? Glenn Beck, Social Justice, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Blogizomai - Why I (Hesitantly) Signed the Manhattan Declaration
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide: The Separation of State and Church (Part 1)
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide: Under God or Under Government? (Part 2)
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide: The Necessity of Government in a Fallen World (Part 3)
Blogizomai - Where the Gospel and Politics Collide: The Birth of the American Concept of Separation of State and Church
Blogizomai - Where Does the Madness End?: Where the Homosexual Agenda Ends - Part 2
Blogizomai - What is to Be Our Response?: Living As a Christian in an Obama Administration

Bloodlines: A Documentary About Racism

2011-09-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this documentary of John Piper released in anticipation of his new book Bloodlines. I want us to consider what Piper has to say here. Racism is a curse that Christians must be cleansed of and Piper shows us how the gospel does just that.

Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper from Crossway on Vimeo.

HT: Justin Taylor

Breaking: Plane Crash At Rough River

2011-09-30T12:36:00.001-07:00

Keep those involved in your prayers!!

ROUGH RIVER, KY (WAVE) - A plane has crashed into a hotel near Rough River.
WAVE News has confirmed the plane hit the Pine Tree Inn around 1:30 Friday afternoon. There was 1 person on board the plane.

The Pine Tree Inn is near a small airport.

There is no word on any injuries.

We have a crew on the way to the scene and will bring you more information as it becomes available.

Driscoll on Consumers vs. Worshippers

2011-09-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

As I work on Sunday's message from John 2:12-22 on Jesus cleansing the Temple, I came across the following section from Mark Driscoll's very helpful sermon Angry Worship.

Do you guys see what’s happened here? Do you guys know what the difference is between a consumer and a worshipper? This is exactly what the difference is: A consumer is someone who believes that the entire world exists to service their needs, and that they have a certain amount of money that they are now going to place in some particular business. Therefore, all the businesses should compete for their dollar. And then whoever wins, right – I’ll just show it to you. This is how it works: Here’s my buck. I’m a consumer. Now, I want some things. Now, what I’m trying to figure out is who will give me the most for my dollar. And so I start to look at competitors, and then people rise up against each other to compete for this. And then what I try to find out is where can I place this and get the maximum return with the least amount of inconvenience? Who will do for me the most and charge me the least? That is a consumer.

Now, a worshipper is just the opposite. A worshipper looks at this and says, “Where can I give this so that the most number of people are benefiting? Where can I give this so that I don’t get anything from this, but that someone else gets God’s love, grace, mercy extended to them in some tangible way?” A worshipper looks at it and says, “It is not about me. It is about God and those people that don’t yet know God.” A consumer looks at it and says, “It’s all about me. I’m the customer. The customer’s always right. The customer is king. Whatever the customer wants.” We live in a world that is governed and dominated by consumerism. And when consumerism creeps into our spirituality, what happens then we look at church and brothers and sisters in Christ and God and the work of the Gospel as something that is to compete for our interest. “What will it take for me to get as much as I can and give as little as I can? How can I have some sort of transacting relationship in which I win?” That’s exactly what is happening. “How can I get the biggest bang for my buck?”

And a consumer views church and view God and views religion as the place where they can get all of their needs met without making any sacrifices, without being inconvenienced, without having to carry any responsibility for anyone else. The worst of it is when men don’t look at it and say, “Well, gosh, what can I do for women, children, single moms, widows, orphans, the poor, the handicapped, the neglected, those in need?” If I am an able-bodied male, that means “How can I take what I have and invest that so that they are blessed and that they are loved and that they have an opportunity to worship God as well? How can I pay the bills for them so that they can come to know God?” That’s an attitude of a worshipper, but a consumer it is not.

A consumer takes every single dollar and hour and interest and invest them – invest that in themselves. And what that is, is it’s idolatry. It’s self-worship. It is giving what belongs to God to myself. It’s self-glorification. We also call that things like self-esteem or self-actualization. We got a whole language for pride. Jesus is confronting the heart of this kind of worship. The disciples look at it and they say, “You know, he has zeal for his father’s house.” What always happens then is the religious professionals that are making a good income off of this sort of transaction they get angry because they’re losing market share. They’re losing income. And if people believe what Jesus has to say, then the whole thing is going to come undone.

For more:

Thanks For Your Gifts!: Another Donation to Turn on the Tap

2011-09-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

After some time collecting pocket change and donating it into the "Turn on the Tap" program bottle at the back of the church, today Goshen donated that money (totaling $35) to Franklin Graham's Samaritan Purses Turn on the Tap. Below are some resources explaining what the program is and why we, in this small way, support this program.

And starting Sunday we will begin collecting again. Bring your pocket change!

We also participate in the Samiritan Purses Operation Christmas Child (what we have called Joy Boxes). We are beginning those with more information to come in the coming weeks.

Repost | Pray For Youcef: Iranian Pastor To Be Executed For Refusing to Deny Christ

2011-09-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

The news is breaking that an Iranian Christian pastor likely faces execution due to his refusal to recant of his Christian faith. Please pray for him, his family, and ultimately the gospel. Christian history has proven that such methods of silencing the gospel are futile, but that does not negate the heartache and pain that such evil leaves behind. It is well documented that Iran is changing from the inside and Islam is slowly losing its grip on its people despite of its leaders efforts to suppress movements like Christianity.

The Christian, Youcef Nadarkhani, is quite bold in the faith. Consider the following paragraphs from Fox News and pay particular attention to his words:

An Iranian pastor who has refused to recant his Christian faith faces execution as early as Wednesday after his sentence was upheld by an Iranian court.

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who maintains he has never been a Muslim as an adult, has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ, the 11th branch of Iran's Gilan Provincial Court ruled. Iran's Supreme Court had ordered the trial court to determine whether Nadarkhani had been a Muslim prior to converting to Christianity.

An undated photograph provided by the American Center for Law & Justice shows Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian pastor who faces execution for refusing to recant his Christian faith.
The judges, according to the American Center for Law & Justice, demanded that Nadarkhani, 34, recant his Christian faith before submission of evidence. Though the judgment runs against current Iranian and international laws and is not codified in Iranian penal code, the judge stated that the court must uphold the decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.

When asked to repent, Nadarkhani stated: "Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"

"To the religion of your ancestors, Islam," the judge replied, according to the American Center for Law & Justice.

"I cannot," Nadarkhani said.

Nadarkhani is the latest Christian cleric to be imprisoned in Iran for his religious beliefs. According to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based organization that serves Christian churches in Iran, there was a significant increase in the number of Christians arrested solely for practicing their faith between June 2010 and January. A total of 202 arrests occurred during that six-month period, including 33 people who remained in prison as of January, Elam reported.

Fox News - Iranian Pastor Faces Execution for Refusing to Recant Christian Faith
The Blaze - Iranian Pastor Must Disavow His Christian Faith This Week…or He’ll Be Executed

For more:
Blogizomai - Pray for the Persecuted: Memorial Day & the Persecuted Church
Blogizomai - Pray For Our Brothers and Sisters in Iraq
Blogizomai - Punishing Prejudice By Being Prejudice: The Lesson and Legacy of Hate Crimes
Blogizomai - Repost | Coming Out of the Closet As Christians?: Welcome to the New World
Blogizomai - The (In)Tolerance of the Homosexual Movement: See, I Told You So

Blogizomai - The (In)Tolerance of the Homosexual Movement: A Response

Blogizomai - Where Does The Madness End? Where the Homosexual Agenda Leads - Part 2

Blogizomai - Feel the Rainbow: Is There a Hate Crime For That?

Blogizomai - D'Souza: The Equal Protection Hoax

Blogizomai - Colson: A New Form of Discrimination

Blogiomai - Mohler: "An Enforced Secularism" -- A Threat to the Pulpit

2011 Governor's Cup Highlights

2011-09-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

You knew I couldn't exist! Here are some highlights from the U of L football victory over UK. The Governors Cup is finally back where it belongs! :o)

2011 FB: Louisville 24 vs. Kentucky 17 from CrumsRevenge on Vimeo.

HT: Card Chronicle

Worst Preaching Mistakes: MacDonald, Chandler, and Dever Offer Their Stories

2011-09-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

What would my worse preaching mistake be?

Preaching Goofs from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

HT: The Gospel Coalition

Repost | America on the Eve of the Storm: The News on September 10, 2001

2011-09-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday we discussed this and I said I post it. Here it is:

As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 quickly approaches, what were the major issues going in the days before the 9/11 attacks? Below are some exerts taken from various newspapers from September 10, 2001. It is amazing how much changed in just one day. No one remembers what happened on the 10th and no one cares about the controversies and debates taking place on that day because of what happened on 9/11.

And that is the lesson here. Life was going on as usual when those planes hit the World Trade Centers and American came under attack by Islamic terrorists - "faceless cowards" as President Bush called them on that day. The attacks on 9/11 changed our conversations, our attitudes, and our loyalties. We no longer viewed things through political lens, but through American lenses. We no longer thought about me, but about us. And in all, most of what was important to us on 9/10 we discovered were trivial.

I fear that we are back at that point. In spite of the spiritual surge that immediately followed the attack, things are back to normal. We are distracted by things that don't really matter. After all, such things keep us entertained, distracted, and make us feel important. Though we may never go back to a pre-9/11 world we are in many ways already there.

We have learned a lot of lessons since that day. But for the many other lessons we could have learned, we've simply ignored.

New York Times - Religious Strife in Nigeria Leaves Bodies in the Streets

Frightened Muslims and Christians huddled together for safety at a police training ground in this northern Nigerian city today after three days of clashes between the two groups left smoke rising in the sky and charred bodies in the streets.

Blackened homes and hundreds upon hundreds of burned cars, some still smoldering, lined the road into this hilltop city, a peaceful community of four million people until tensions between Muslims and Christians exploded Friday evening after Muslim prayers.

Heavy police patrols and troops called out by President Olusegun Obasanjo were taking control today. The police sealed the borders of Plateau State, of which Jos is the capital, to keep violence from spreading.

CNN Sports Illustrated - Jordan will return to the NBA 'for the love of the game'

Michael Jordan still loves this game. And he's about to prove it.

In a half-hour conversation on the curb outside Hoops the Gym on Monday, Jordan all but confirmed that he'll be coming out of retirement again.

Jordan told our little group, which also included reporters from The Associated Press and the Chicago Sun-Times, that his knees felt fine and, barring any flare-up of the tendinitis he's battled recently, he's coming back.

Jordan said he was moving up on his performance scale. He said he was a 7 1/2, maybe an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. "I'm winning games," he said with a smile.

Jordan added that there's a mechanism in place for a news conference to announce his return in Washington, D.C., sometime in the next 10 days.

TIME Magazine - Does Israel Have A Right To Assassinate Leaders Of The Palestinian Intifadeh?

In wars throughout history armies do kill enemy soldiers. This is an unfortunate but universal fact of life. Was Abu Ali Mustafa an enemy soldier or just a political or an ideological figure? I don't know. I think that in this horrible battle Israel is entitled to defend itself, though not by hurting or killing innocent civilians, not by killing politicians, ideologists or even dreadful inciters and agitators. With a heavy heart, I justify the killing of Palestinian fighters, uniformed or not, but of no one else. The term assassination is a very misleading one. Killing unarmed civilians is assassination; killing fighting Palestinians or active terrorists is self-defense, and I justify it.

The criticism of what Israel is doing is too comprehensive and undiscriminating, as criticism often is. Israel deserves very serious criticism when it kills civilians. Israel does not deserve criticism when in a state of war it kills fighting enemies. In principle, when a country is attacked, it can choose among three ways: it can indiscriminately kill the "others," it can turn its other cheek to its enemies, or it can fight back against those who carry weapons. I prefer not to fight at all, but if there is a war I definitely prefer the last way.

TIME Magazine - Bush's Fuzzy Science?

It made for big news when President Bush confidently declared on prime-time television last month that private research had produced a trove of more than 60 stem-cell lines. Most experts had assumed that there were as yet only a dozen or so such colonies of the cells that might become weapons against a range of debilitating diseases, from Alzheimer's to juvenile diabetes to Parkinson's. The vastly larger number was enough, Bush said, to "explore the promise and potential of stem-cell research"--and, not incidentally, enough to give him room for a politically palatable compromise on the question of federal funding. But last week came another surprise, when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a catalog of the existing 64 stem-cell lines that are eligible for government money--a surprise, this time, to the researchers around the globe who were reportedly producing them.

Startled scientists from Mumbai, India, to Goteborg, Sweden, to San Diego cautioned that many of their embryonic stem-cell colonies were not yet--and may never be--worthy of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson's claim that they are robust and viable for research. Goteborg University, for instance, was credited with the world's largest cache--19 lines--even though its researchers had told Thompson the week before that only three had progressed beyond the earliest, most tentative stages. Goteborg fertility expert Lars Hamberger told the Washington Post that he and his colleagues thought the White House either had made a "mistake" or had decided to "stretch things" to suit its need for a larger number. And while the tiny San Diego biotech firm CyThera Inc. was credited with the largest number of lines in this country, CEO Michael Ross concedes that "we're not there with any of our nine yet." What the company has, Ross says, are "derivations" that may or may not develop into stem cells capable of transforming themselves into endlessly replenishing muscle, brain or other tissue.

TIME Magazine - CONDI RICE: The Charm Of Face Time
Condoleezza Rice has a reputation for toughness, and in the first seven months of the Administration she has lived up to it. Originally pegged as a peacemaker between hard-liners and moderates, Rice turned out to be the driving force behind the Administration's early "my-way-or-the-highway" tone on such issues as Russia, North Korea and the Kyoto protocol on climate change. A diplomat meeting with her last spring complained that for the U.S. to drop Kyoto would set the fight against global warming back 10 years. Rice thought that was one more reason not to delay the treaty's inevitable end. And she told him so.

>Rice's personal story of hard work helps explain her tenacity. She grew up under segregation in Birmingham, Ala., willed her way to college at age 15 and eventually became a Soviet expert in the White House of Bush I--finding time along the way to become an accomplished pianist, ice skater and sports buff. Her hard-line positions have surprised even seasoned alumni of Republican administrations. J. Stapleton Roy, Bush Sr.'s ambassador to China, says Rice is "prone to the naive view that we are strong and they are weak and we should ruthlessly exploit that." Rice, like her boss, has a rebellious streak.

TIME Magazine - Odd Man Out

Colin Powell has the gift of presence. When he walks into a room, people sit up, straighten their ties, hold their breath in anticipation. And he dazzles them with his effortless command. The moment he set foot in the State Department last January, he was met with rapturous applause. When he paid a call in Beijing three months after a U.S. spy plane was forced to land on Hainan island, he coaxed a joke out of somber President Jiang Zemin and left the leadership beaming that he "respected" China. They returned the compliment with a long-awaited $2 billion order for Boeing 737s. When Powell met George W. Bush in 1997 at a Texas charity fund raiser, the new Governor stepped forward and saluted: "General, Texas is reporting for duty."

So it comes as one of the biggest surprises in the emerging Bush II era that Colin Powell, the man many thought would walk into the presidency himself a few years ago, is leaving such shallow footprints. By the cruel calculus of Washington, you are only as powerful as people think you are. Powell's megastar wattage looks curiously dimmed, as if someone has turned his light way down. People who like the Administration's foreign policy credit it to Bush, not Powell. People who don't, wonder where he is. Leaders abroad are not certain he is the definitive voice of America. A former Secretary of State says Powell seems absent from the big issues of the day. Another former top diplomat, when asked to provide an adjective for the phrase "Colin Powell is a 'blank' Secretary of State," says, "Yes, he is." A senior official in the Bush Administration who has worked with Powell for three Presidents in three agencies registers much the same reaction: "I've been struck by how not struck I am by him." A friendly foreign official notes, "It's not useful to sit as silent partner when you have his stature." What people noticed most at the U.N. Conference on Racism that opened last week in Durban, South Africa, was Powell's absence.

NY Daily News - Fox Challenges Bush to Reach Immigration Pact
WASHINGTON - Mexican President Vicente Fox surprised President Bush yesterday by challenging him to protect the rights of illegal workers from Mexico by the end of the year.

"We want to continue making progress toward the establishment of an agreement on migration which will be of mutual benefit to us and which will recognize, above all, the value of migrants as human beings and as workers whose hard work is a daily contribution to the prosperity of this great nation," Fox said as he arrived at the White House.

"For this reason, we must and we can reach an agreement on migration before the end of this very year." Fox had said just days earlier that a deal on immigration could take four to six years. His statement puts Bush on the spot because many conservative Republicans oppose granting amnesty to illegal aliens. One U.S. official conceded it was hard to tell whether Bush was prepared for Fox's challenge, while others tried to dance around the issue.

New York Times - DEFENDING BUDGET, BUSH AIDES TAKE FIGHT TO CONGRESS
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5— President Bush's budget director and defense secretary mounted a vigorous defense of the Bush budget today in separate appearances on Capitol Hill, insisting that the administration and Congress could protect the Social Security surplus and still increase military and education spending.

But Democrats intensified their attacks against Mr. Bush, blaming his $1.35 trillion tax cut for the shrinking federal surplus and asking him to submit a budget that would protect Social Security funds.

''This is a result of the Bush budget and the Bush tax cut,'' said Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, the majority leader, of the dwindling surplus. ''Certainly, they're the architects of our current economic condition, and I think we have to turn to them for leadership now as we find our way out of the box that has been created.''

New York Times - Saying Too Many Are Losing Jobs, Bush Pushes His Policies

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7— President Bush said today that ''too many people are losing their jobs,'' and he cast the surge in the unemployment rate as reason for Congress to advance his economic agenda by expanding trade agreements and reducing energy costs while holding down government spending.

''The slowdown is real, and it's affecting too many lives, and we're concerned about it,'' Mr. Bush said. ''Any American out of work is too many Americans out of work.''

His hastily arranged appearance outside the Oval Office this afternoon reflected growing concern among his aides and officials of his party that the deteriorating economic and budget outlook could dearly cost the White House and Congressional Republicans politically.

For a complete list of what was in the LA Times on 9/10/01, click here.

For more:
Blogizomai - As It Happened & As It Was: Remembering 9/11
Blogizomai - W: The 9/11 Interview
Blogizomai - Remember 9/11: 102 Minutes That Changed America
Blogizomai - The First Responders: CSB 9/11 Documentary
Blogizomai - Graham: The Unwavering Love of God
Blogizomai - September 11th Remembered - 2007
Blogizomai - "Justice Has Been Done": President Obama Announces the Death of Osama bin Laden
Blogizomai - The Beginning of the End: Obama Announces the End of Operation Iraqi Freedom
Blogizomai - To Build or Not to Build, That is Not the Question: Where is the Gospel in the Ground Zero Debate?

The Church that is Holy

2011-09-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

I came across the following paragraphs discussing the holiness of the church based on the Nicene Creed's attributes of the church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. The quote is taken from The Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic by Richard D. Phillips, Mark E. Dever, and Philip Graham Ryken.

Holiness is a prominent theme in the NT teaching about the church. What is the church? It is the holy people of God. We have ‘a holy calling’ (2 Tim. 1:9); we are ‘set apart as holy’ (2 Tim. 2:21); we were chosen to ‘be holy’ (Eph. 1:4); we are ‘God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved’ (Col. 3:12). The Bible identifies us as ‘a holy priesthood’ (1 Peter 2:5), ‘a holy nation’ (1 Peter 2:9), and a holy temple (1 Cor. 3:17; cf. Eph. 2:21). In fact, this is why Jesus died on the cross. It was ‘so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, w/o spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy . . .’ (Eph. 5:27; cf. Col. 1:22).

The holiness of the church is the logic behind the remarkable word that the Bible uses to describe Christians: ‘saints’ – literally, ‘the holy ones.’ The New Testament repeatedly uses this word to identify believers in Jesus Christ: ‘To the saints who are in Ephesus’ (Eph. :); ‘To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi’ (Phil. 1:1); ‘to the saints . . . in Christ at Colossae’ (Col. 1:2). ‘Saint’ is not a term the Bible reserves for a special category of Christians. Sainthood is not a lifetime achievement award – a merit badge for people who volunteer to teach junior high Sunday school, do door-to-door evangelism, and attend evening church. It is the term the Bible uses for every believer. The church is so holy that every one of its members is a saint. -47-48

For more:
GBC - The Holy Church: The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed
GBC - The Nicene Creed
GBC - Tozer on Holiness
GBC - Third Day: Our God is a "Consuming Fire"

Spurgeon as Pastor on Assurance

2011-09-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

I came across the following quote taken from the autobiography of Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, regarding how he counseled a woman in his congregation on the question of assurance. He called her Mrs. Much-Afraid. I think its great advice to take to heart.

One day, when I was talking with her, she told me that she had not any hope at all, she had no faith; she believed that she was a hypocrite.

I said, “Then don’t come to the chapel any more; we don’t want hypocrites there. Why do you come?”

She answered, “I come because I can’t stop away. I love the people of God; I love the house of God; and I love to worship God.”

“Well,” I said, “you are an odd sort of hypocrite; you are a queer kind of unconverted woman.”

“Ah!” she sighed, “you may say what you please, but I have not any hope of being saved.”

So I said to her, “Well, next Sunday, I will let you go into the pulpit, that you may tell the people that Jesus Christ is a liar, and that you cannot trust Him.”

“Oh!” she cried, “I would be torn in pieces before I would say such a thing as that. Why, He cannot lie! Every word He says is true.”

“Then,” I asked, “why do you not believe it?”

She replied, “I do believe it; but, somehow, I do not believe it for myself; I am afraid whether it is for me.”

“Have you not any hope at all?” I asked.

“No,” she answered; so I pulled out my purse, and I said to her, “Now, I have got £5 here, it is all the money I have; but I will give you that £5 for your hope if you will sell it.”

She looked at me, wondering what I meant. “Why!” she exclaimed, “I would not sell it for a thousand worlds.” She had just told me that she had not any hope of salvation, yet she would not sell it for a thousand worlds!

I fully expect to see that good old soul when I get to Heaven, and I am certain she will say to me, “Oh, dear sir, how foolish I was when I lived down there at Waterbeach! I went groaning all the way to glory when I might just as well have gone there singing. I was always troubled and afraid; but my dear Lord kept me by His grace, and brought me safely here .”

HT: Pyromaniacs

For more:
Blogizomai - A Minister's Melancholy: Spurgeon on the Downcast Preacher - Entire Series
GBC - Morning and Evening: January 15
GBC - "Nothing But Hypocrites": A Response From the Prince of Preachers
Blogizomai - Theology Thursday | Spurgeon on Uniformity vs. Unity
Blogizomai - Shai Linne: Spurgeon

The Holy Church: The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

2011-08-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

I'm doing some early study and research on next Sunday's sermon which will be on the holiness of the church. The classic Four Marks of the Church are taken from the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed: One, Holy, Universal (word used is Catholic) and Apostolic. The church is all four of them and we will highlight the second of these Sunday.

Below is the classic creed which reflects Nicea's theology as well as hints of the Apostle's Creed.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, True God of True God, Begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made:

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man;

And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;

And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;

And ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father;

And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets;

And I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.

I look for the Resurrection of the dead,

And the Life of the age to come. Amen.

For more:
GBC - The Nicene Creed

August 21, 2011 | The Trinity and the Church: Unified Diversity

2011-08-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a few days behind, but here is the sermon audio and notes from this past Sunday. We discussed how the Trinity helps us to understand what it means to be the church. If it is elementary Christianity to say that we ought to be like Christ, then it ought to be elementary to say that the church ought to be like the Trinity. We begin with the truth that the Trinity is a Unified Diversity: one God in three Persons. That has huge implications on the church.

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. ⁴ For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ⁶ Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; ⁷ if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. -Romans 12:3-8

⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. ⁶ There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. ⁷ But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
¹² For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
¹⁴ For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. ¹⁹ If they were all one member, where would the body be? ²⁰ But now there are many members, but one body. ²¹ And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; ²³ and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, ²⁴ whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, ²⁵ so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
²⁷ Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. ²⁸ And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. ²⁹ All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? ³⁰ All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? ³¹ But earnestly desire the greater gifts.
And I show you a still more excellent way. -1 Corinthians 12:4-31

Audio
Notes

For more:
Sermon - August 7, 2011 | The Story of the Church
Sermon - July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
Sermon - July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared
Sermon - September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!
Sermon - Ephesians 4:12: How God Grows His Church
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Church
GBC - The Church As Family
GBC - Do We Want a Museum or a Movement?
GBC - Cool Churches Are Empty Churches: The Wall Street Journal Wakes Us Up
GBC - Are We Contemporvant?
GBC - "Christ, Christ Baby!": Why I Do Not Seek to Be Relevant
GBC - How To Grow a Church and Fill It With Unconverted Believers: A Humorous But Sad Video
GBC - Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests
GBC - Me Church
GBC - A Divine Kick in the Pants: Jim Elliot and the Call to Go Out
Blogizomai - Accomodationism Breed Irrelevancy: Why Liberalism Fails and the Transcendent Gospel Triumphs

Ware on the Trinity & Relationships

2011-08-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite books on the Trinity is Dr. Bruce Ware's wonderful book Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance. One of the emphasis of the book regards how each member of the Trinity submits to the other. In particularly, the Father exercises headship over the Son and Spirit and thus the Son obeys the Father in complete and full obedience.

One can probably see why this would be controversial. Do you see the implications? If there is a distinction of roles yet equality in essence even within the Trinity, then why not among humans? As in marriage and gender roles. If it is biblical and correct to say that God is the head of Christ (though same in essence, both fully, completely, and distinctively God and at the same time one) then why is it wrong to say that the man is the head of the household? Hence the controversy and the resistance.

But I consider this to be an important point about the Trinity. Christ is complete, satisfied, and glorified in His role as the Son without the need to be the Father or the Spirit. In other words, Christ never rebels against the Father and is at the same time exalted. That is to say, there is God-glorying joy to excel in the office and role given to us. Whether we be male or female, black or white, politician or voter, employer or employee, singer or songwriter, front stage or back stage, married or single, student or teacher, etc. God wants us to be satisfied and content with where He has us and how He has made us.

Thus in application to gender roles, let us glorify God in the roles He has given us. Being male isn't better than being female. God is glorified in both. Let us then not engage in the wars of the sexes, but maximize our masculinity and femininity to God's glory. Celebrate the diversity and pursue unity.

This also applies to the church as we will discuss Sunday morning.

Here is what Dr. Ware has to say on the subject;

3. The relationships in the trinity exhibit so beautifully a unity that is not redundancy, and a diversity that is not discord.

Consider again the difference between unison and harmony in music. Unison achieves a kind of unity, but w/o texture and with built-in redundancy. With unison, you have several voices singing the same melody. And while unison has its own beauty, there is in harmony a kind of glorious unity with texture and complexity that is simply lacking with unison. The unity achieved through harmony avoids redundancy, for every voice matters ,and every part contributes its unique sound. The beauty of harmony is a beauty of diversity w/o discord, of distinctiveness w/o disarray, of complexity w/o cacophony.

While only an analogy, the contrast between unison and harmony helps reflect something true of the Trinity. Here, we have a three-part harmony n which each “Voice” sings the same song, following the same composition and reading off the same page, yet each Voice joyfully sings a difference part, and the three together contribute a richness and texture that no one voice alone could accomplish.

In our own relationships in the home and in ministry, we should endeavor, by God’s grace, to model our work and worship in ways that reflect the Trinitarian unity expressed through harmony. This will mean, on the one hand, that we celebrate rather than begrudge many of the differences among us. When we insist that everyone be just like ‘me,’ we have settled for the unity of unison and we have lost the vision of harmony. Rather than bemoan the fact that God gives various gifts in the body of Christ, and rather than look down on others whose interests in ministry and service vary from our own, e can see these as the harmonious display of various ‘voices’ which, if they sing correctly, can create a beautiful common song. Our differences, so long as they are within the boundaries of the moral character of God and express the gifting of the Spirit, need to be embraced and employed in Christian service, both in the home and in the church.

On the other hand, work and worship that reflect the Trinitarian unity expressed through harmony will also seek to follow one conductor and to sing or play off the same score of music. When the differences among us result in each person doing what is right in his or her own eyes, we have moved from harmony into the pain and hurt of anarchy. Harmony works only with differences that are fettered by common cause. Our various parts must be played or sung according to what the common music o the whole choice or orchestra calls for. We must all be seeking to follow the same leader and make our contributions in ways that assist the whole. In the Trinity, the various parts played by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit lead to the beauty and unity of harmony, and this is the model we should emulate in our relationships. -Bruce Ware, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance, 135-36

For more:
GBC - Unified Diversity - The Church & Flyleaf's Beautiful Bride
GBC - Driscoll on Trinitarian Heresies and Living the Trinitarian Life

GBC - DeYoung on the Trinity
GBC - MacArthur on the Comfort of the Spirit
GBC - The Nicene Creed
GBC - November 20, 2010 - God is Triune: God the Father
GBC - November 28, 2010 - God is Triune: God the Spirit
GBC - This is Who We Are What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Father
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Son
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - God the Spirit
GBC - Shai Linne: Triune Praise

Unified Diversity - The Church & Flyleaf's Beautiful Bride

2011-08-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite rock bands in recent years is Flyleaf - a band of Christians who have had some mainstream success. The first track of their latest full length album, Memento Mori (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Deluxe Version) is called "Beautiful Bride" and is about the church. The emphasis of the song is summed up in the first line: "Unified Diversity functioning of One Body."

I know the song is a bit rockish, so the video below includes the lyrics and I have posted the lyrics below the video. Its a good song with a great message and reflects some of what we will discuss Sunday.

Here are the lyrics:

Unified diversity
Functioning as one body
Every part encouraged by the other
No one independent of another
Irreplaceable, indispensable
You're incredible
Incredible

Beautiful bride
Body of Christ
One flesh abiding
Strong and unifying
Fighting ends in forgiveness
Unite and fight all division
Beautiful bride

Strengthen your arms now
Train your fingers for battle
Urgency's here now
Train your fingers for battle
Fighting this violence
With your feet wrapped in peace
Sad tears and silence
Now screams of joy
Victory

We're not gonna fall and forget
How far You went to pick us up
If one part's hurt the whole body's sick
If one part mourns we all mourn with Him
Rejoice, and we'll sing with You
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

For more:
GBC - It is Well With My Soul: The Story of Horatio Spafford
GBC - Nothing But the Blood
GBC - Third Day: Our God is a "Consuming Fire"

"Why Don't You Ever Do Anything For Me?"

2011-08-11T00:43:00.000-07:00

Our church (and certainly I) need this.

Credit: Naked Pastor

The God Who Became Man: Millard Erickson on the Implications of the Humanity of Christ

2011-08-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

In preparation for tonight's Bible study, I came across the following paragraphs from Millard Erickson's great systematic theology text Christian Theology regarding the implications of the doctrine of Christ's humanity. We wholeheartedly affirm the deity of Christ, but too many of us, as Evangelical, Conservative, Baptist Christians, fail to reflect, study, and apply the important doctrine of Christ's deity.

What Erickson offers below is a good summary of the practicality of this doctrine. Remember that all doctrines are practical and all of us are theologians. Thus what we believe about the doctrine of Christ (Christology) matters and thus it is important to consider both the deity and the humanity of Christ. Erickson gives us a good sample as to why.

1. The atoning death of Jesus can truly avail for us. It was not some outsider to the human race who died on the cross. He was one of us, and thus could truly offer a sacrifice on our behalf. Just like the Old Testament priest, Jesus was a human who offered a sacrifice on behalf of his fellows.

2. Jesus can truly sympathize with and intercede for us. He has experienced all that we might undergo. When we are hungry, weary, lonely, he fully understands, for he has gone through it all himself (Heb. 4:15).

3. Jesus manifests the true nature of humanity. While we are sometimes inclined to draw our conclusions as to what humanity is from an inductive examination of ourselves and those around us, these are but imperfect instances of humanity. Jesus has not only told us what perfect humanity is, he has exhibited it.

4. Jesus can be our example. He is not some celestial superstar but one who has lived where we live. We can therefore look to him as a model of the Christian life. The biblical standards for human behavior, which seem to us to be so hard to attain, are seen in him to be within human possibility. Of course, there must be full dependence upon the grace of God. The fact that Jesus found it necessary to pray and depend upon the Father is indication that we must be similarly reliant upon him.

5. Human nature is good. When we tend toward asceticism, regarding human nature, and particularly physical nature, as somehow inherently evil or at least inferior to the spiritual and immaterial, the fact that Jesus took upon himself our full human nature is a reminder that to be human is not evil, it is good.

6. God is not totally transcendent. He is not so far removed from the human race. If he could actually live among us at one time as a real human person, it is not surprising that he can and does act within the human realm today as well.

With John we rejoice that the incarnation was real and complete: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

-Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, 737-738.

Let me also point you to one other point hinted at in the list above (regarding Jesus' work as our Intercessor and Mediator). And that is the fact that the sacrifice of God only is problematic for a number of reasons. First of all, God is eternal and not subject to human weakness and the Fall. In other words, God can never and will never succumb to death. But there is another reason beyond this obvious point. Jesus has to be both God and man because both are necessary for Him to be our propitiatory sacrifice and our mediator. How? The Docetic belief that it was God (who only "appeared" to be a man) who was on the cross is problematic for the same reason that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away human sin (Hebrews 10:4). Animals aren't human enough to be the perfect sacrifice and mediator for salvation. Similarly, if Christ is not both Divine and Human, then He is not human enough to be the perfect sacrifice and mediator for our salvation. Christ, as our Mediator, must be both.

This is why Paul boldly proclaims, "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).

For more:
Sermon - December 26, 2010 - Jesus is Man
GBC - Mahaney on the Person and Work of Christ: Christ Our Mediator
GBC - Stomach Virus' and the Humanity of Christ: Moore on the Suffering and Sick Servant
GBC - Sayers on the Incarnation of Christ
GBC - If Jesus Were Born in Our Digital Age
Blogizomai - We Are All Theologians: The Root of Everything We Are and Do

Repost | "A Light to the Nations"

2011-08-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

One of the growing and popular trends in ecclesiology and evangelicalism is the missional movement. In this book, Dr. Michael Goheen offers an missional ecclesiology that traces the biblical story. From the first line, the author states that his thesis is to analyze the missional identity of the church by tracing its role in the biblical story (ix). Goheen has a background in missional thinking and seeks to present the reader with an ecclesiology, rooted in the biblical narrative, that reflects missional convictions. However, he notes that even the best missional books, thus far, have little sustained biblical-theological and exegetical work (ix). And thus he seeks to present such a book that has been lacking in missional circles.

The author begins with a simple and important idea. God has promised that he would bring about a new world and he would make it visible through community. This is why ecclesiology is so important. The local church and the universal church, rooted in the biblical narrative and the missional drive, will create such a world.

The problem is that the church is captivated to bad theology, cultural accommodation, etc. Thus the author seeks to return the reader back to Jesus and the Gospels – the church’s origins. Central to the Gospels and the ministry of Jesus was His preaching on the Kingdom of God. Goheen says that the Kingdom is about cosmic renewal, the restoration of all creation and all human life and society; it is not the kind of announcement that should be tucked away in the religion section of the newspaper (17). And it is in this message of the Kingdom of God, fulfilled in the cross and resurrection, that Goheen sees as central to a missional ecclesiology.

The author sees the Kingdom of the God central to the gospel and the gospel central to missional ecclesiology. Here he sees five landmarks of the gospel on ecclesiology. First, the gospel demands of its hearers that it be accepted as the real story of our world (18) Secondly, God’s purpose and activity to renew the entire creation and the whole human life (19). Thus it is the mission of God to restore the creation and the life of humanity from the ravages of sin (19). Thirdly, is simply the coming of the Kingdom of God. Fourthly, God works out his redemptive purposes in this story by choosing a people to make know to all where history is leading (19). And finally, the gospel reveals that this community chose and sent by Jesus is both the beginning of something new and the continuation of something much older (20).

It is from here that Goheen launches into the rest of his book. From here the author traces this biblical story by which God restores all things, gathering for Himself a people, and builds the Kingdom of God. And it is here that much of the great insight of the book is gained.

First, his discussion of missions in the Old Testament is rare and helpful. He breaks missions in the Old Testament down into three parts: Universalism, Incorportation of Outsiders, and Proselytism. Ancient Judaism, up to the time of Jesus, saw missions in these three areas. God is a universal God, the creator of all people. And the drive towards proselyticism reaches its climax seemingly during the first century AD. Few discuss this aspect of missions and the Kingdom of God. What Jesus presents in the Gospels is a continuation and a fulfillment of the work that was expected of Israel.

This leads to the second great insight. God seeks to gather to Himself a redeemed people. That is what Israel was to be in the Old Testament: a light unto the nations. The great difference between the Jews in the Old Testament and the young church in the New Testament is how easily and almost immediately they break down barriers and include both Jews and Gentiles. The cross and resurrection stands as the climax of this story that ultimately fulfills God’s plan of gathering for Himself a people.

Thirdly, the author sees in the cross and the resurrection everything. The passion of Christ is the fulcrum by which the church stands and falls. Missional ecclesiology, that is, is based upon the work of Christ on the cross and resurrection. The author argues the full significance to the church of the death and resurrection of Jesus has too often in the last two centuries been let unexplored (101). It is a connection that is rarely made. The cross and resurrection drastically affects our ecclesiology.

And this leads to the fourth insight. The emphasis on the communal aspect of the gospel is eye opening to how we present a more complete gospel. The author does not diminish the individual aspects of the gospel. Certainly we must embrace the gospel, we must be transformed, we must repent, and we must be more like Christ. But limiting the gospel to individualism leaves it incomplete. The gospel has a communal aspect of it and we must proclaim it. Remember, God is gathering for Himself a people and that is what the Kingdom of God is. And the Kingdom of God is found through the gospel – the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

Finally, his discussion on the various images of the atonement is helpful. The author does not discount, reject, or diminish substitutionary atonement. Propitiation is upheld, affirmed, and we must take the author at his word. There is nothing in the book to suggest that penal substitution is unbiblical, ought to be rejected, outdated, or unimportant. In fact, the opposite is true. However, the author does note that it is dangerous to limit the significance of the cross to one of these images. He highlights three: Christus Victor, Substitution, and Christ as Representative. The author suggests that the first two have historically been pitted against each other, yet both are important to fully understand the cross for a mission church (see 108). It is incredibly helpful to take Scripture at its word and to apply each motif allowing them to speak. Goheen applies them to the church, but we could easily apply them to each extension of the atonement: the eschatological, the communal and cosmic, and the transformitive (to use the authors language 109).

This all leads to two basic questions. The first regards how the missional movement has been understood. It would be fascinating to hear him discuss the liberal trend within the missional movement. Many have confused “being missional” with the likes of the Emergent Church. And like the Emergent Church, missional communities promote community and the biblical story. How can missional churches avoid the Emergent trap that tends towards liberalism? Why does it seem like mission communities are more susceptible to liberalism?

Secondly, why has there been so little ecclesiology developed out of missional circles? What Goheen presents here is fairly straightforward and not complicated. What he argues here can be affirmed by those who have watched the missional movement from a distance. All Goheen offers is a survey of the biblical story applied directly to the local and universal church. He is careful to avoid many of the common traps and presents a case that ought to be taken seriously. His admission that there has been little credible books written on gospel-centered missional ecclesiology is right. But why? It would seem that a movement this large would have developed a book by now. Why the wait?

For more:
Reviews - "The Radical Reformission"
Reviews - "Nehemiah Factor" by Frank Paige
Reviews - "Compelled By Love" by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation

Repost | The Church as Family

2011-08-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

I thought this video was really good. Its a portion of a sermon delivered by Mark Driscoll who serves in Seattle, WA. Driscoll goes into detail into why the local church is a family and what that means. It would be important that we see our church in the same way. Though we are perfect, we are still a family . . . not a business.

HT: Andrian Warnock

For more:
Sermon - August 7, 20 | The Story of the Church
Sermon - July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared
Sermon - July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
Sermon - September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!
Sermon - Ephesians 4:12: How God Grows His Church
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Church
GBC - The Church As Family
GBC - Do We Want a Museum or a Movement?
GBC - Cool Churches Are Empty Churches: The Wall Street Journal Wakes Us Up
GBC - Are We Contemporvant?
GBC - "Christ, Christ Baby!": Why I Do Not Seek to Be Relevant
GBC - How To Grow a Church and Fill It With Unconverted Believers: A Humorous But Sad Video
GBC - Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests
GBC - Me Church
GBC - A Divine Kick in the Pants: Jim Elliot and the Call to Go Out
Blogizomai - Accomodationism Breed Irrelevancy: Why Liberalism Fails and the Transcendent Gospel Triumphs
Reviews - "Do Hard Things"
Theology - Mohler: Youth Ministry in a New Key? Substance Over Sugar-Coating
Theology - Lets Get Back to Ministry: When Entertainment Creeps into the Church
Theology - Old Enough to Know Better. But I'm Still Too Young To Care
Reviews - "Start Right Here"
Reviews - "Already Gone"

August 7, 2011 | The Story of the Church

2011-08-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we officially began a new sermon series called "Mere Churchianity." Our goal is to grasp an understanding of what the church is and how that applies to Goshen Baptist Church. Although the previous two weeks have been centered on the church (one on the role of the church in suffering and the other on unity), we officially begin with a study of the story of the church.

There are a number of things to grasp from this story. First, we are part of God's divine story. God has blessed, redeemed, and built our church for the purpose of blessing others and being a light unto the nations which then results in His name being glorified. It is all about Him. It is not about us. So any attempt to make the church about us - our wants, needs, desires, traditions, etc. - misses the point of the church's existence. We exist to glorify God and we glorify God by being His light unto the world.

Secondly, this is why holiness is so important. The church is the Kingdom of God in miniature, thus when people think of Goshen, do they see holiness on display, or something else. The local church is made up of individual believers that make a collective whole. Holiness is critical to being a light.

I strongly encourage you to download the notes which offer a more in-depth study. I had to skip a number of passages due to time (like Revelation). Also, I encourage you to buy and read the book Light to the Nations, A: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story which was a huge influence and guide in this sermon. I have not found another book yet that surveys the entire Bible in an attempt to understanding what God is doing in His Church.

Audio
Notes

For more:
Sermon - July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared
Sermon - July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity
Sermon - September 27, 2009 - Matthew 16:13-21: Don't Just Stand There. Do Something!
Sermon - Ephesians 4:12: How God Grows His Church
GBC - This is Who We Are: What a Baptist Is and Believes - The Church
GBC - The Church As Family
GBC - Do We Want a Museum or a Movement?
GBC - Cool Churches Are Empty Churches: The Wall Street Journal Wakes Us Up
GBC - Are We Contemporvant?
GBC - "Christ, Christ Baby!": Why I Do Not Seek to Be Relevant
GBC - How To Grow a Church and Fill It With Unconverted Believers: A Humorous But Sad Video
GBC - Will They Stay?: Rainer on Returning Guests
GBC - Me Church
GBC - A Divine Kick in the Pants: Jim Elliot and the Call to Go Out
Blogizomai - Accomodationism Breed Irrelevancy: Why Liberalism Fails and the Transcendent Gospel Triumphs
Reviews - "Do Hard Things"
Theology - Mohler: Youth Ministry in a New Key? Substance Over Sugar-Coating
Theology - Lets Get Back to Ministry: When Entertainment Creeps into the Church
Theology - Old Enough to Know Better. But I'm Still Too Young To Care
Reviews - "Start Right Here"
Reviews - "Already Gone"

July 31, 2011 | Ephesians 2:11-22 - Brown & Black Don't Make Gray: Art, The Gospel, and Church Unity

2011-08-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Another Glen Dean Day is in the bag and it was a good one. I enjoyed seeing everybody, the food was great, and the fellowship even better.

¹¹ Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— ¹² remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, ¹⁵ by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, ¹⁶ and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. ¹⁷ AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; ¹⁸ for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Audio
Notes

For more:
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

Owenton Teen Finishes 2nd in National Bible Drill

2011-08-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

For those who read the Western Recorder, you may have read an article about a teenager from Owenton, KY (my home town) who got 2nd place in the national Bible Drill recently. She is my youth pastors daughter and I strongly encourage everyone to read the article. We're excited for her, it is a great honor, and she deserves it.

Owenton—Fifteen-year-old Autumn Adkins has been doing Bible drills for as long as she can remember.

Even before she was allowed to compete at the associational level, Autumn would practice alongside her much-older brother. At age 6, she recalled snapping to attention with a magazine between her hands—mimicking his response to “present Bible.”

Nine years, six trips to state-level competition and countless hours of scripture memorization later, Autumn achieved her highest honor when she placed second in the National Invitational Youth Bible Drill and Speakers Tournament in Birmingham, Ala., June 24.

The event drew participants from 11 states who competed in the categories of Youth Bible Drill (grades 7-9), High School Bible Drill (grades 10-12) and Youth Speaker (grades 10-12). Autumn was invited to participate in the national youth drill after taking first in April at the state qualifying round in Elizabethtown.

“It was very exciting,” Autumn said of the national tournament. “I had worked hard for it and it definitely made my parents proud.”

But, Autumn noted, participating in Bible drills is much more than winning competitions. The monthly, weekly and sometimes daily practice schedule provides its own rewards.

“It’s also about hiding His word in our hearts and, when tested, being able to give a testament of your faith,” Autumn said. Someone recently tested her, and Autumn said she was glad to have that knowledge base to defend her Christian beliefs.

Western Recorder - Owenton Teen Takes 2nd Place at National Bible Drill

July 24, 2011 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - I Pray, Therefore I Am: The Emptiness of a Privatized Faith & Why Comfort Is Meant to Be Shared

2011-07-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the sermon from last Sunday which concludes our sermon series on suffering which began as a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Habakkuk and then we began to highlight a number of important passages on the subject of suffering.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. ⁶ But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; ⁷ and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

⁸ For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; ⁹ indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; ¹⁰ who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, ¹¹ you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

Audio
Notes

For more:
Sermon - July 17, 2011 | Romans 8:31-39 - Sorrow Like Sea Billows: Immanent Love in Suffering
Sermon - July 10, 2011 - Hebrews 12:1-3 - His and Our Suffering: The Cross of Christ and A Faith That Endures
Sermon - June 12, 2011 | Job - Saving Faith is Persevering Faith: Job and the Suffering of the Righteous
Sermon - May 22, 2011 | Habakkuk 1:1-2:1 - Praying From the Watchtower: When God's Answer Leaves Us Unsatisfied
Sermon - May 29, 2011 | Habakkuk 2:2-20
Sermon - June 5, 2011 | Habakkuk 3:1-19

July 10, 2011 | Hebrews 12:1-3 - His and Our Suffering: The Cross of Christ and A Faith That Endures

2011-07-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I failed to post the sermon from July 10, even though I had posted it on the podcast. My apologies.

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Audio
Notes

For more:
Sermon - July 17, 2011 | Romans 8:31-39 - Sorrow Like Sea Billows: Immanent Love in Suffering
Sermon - June 12, 2011 | Job - Saving Faith is Persevering Faith: Job and the Suffering of the Righteous
Sermon - May 22, 2011 | Habakkuk 1:1-2:1 - Praying From the Watchtower: When God's Answer Leaves Us Unsatisfied
Sermon - May 29, 2011 | Habakkuk 2:2-20
Sermon - June 5, 2011 | Habakkuk 3:1-19

July 17, 2011 | Romans 8:31-39 - Sorrow Like Sea Billows: Immanent Love in Suffering

2011-07-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm almost 2 weeks late, but here is the sermon from Romans 8:31-39. It is part of our series on suffering by which we are highlighting a number of important passages in Scripture on the subject of suffering. Romans 8 is a great passage and I wish we had more time to walk through the entire chapter.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,

“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Audio
Notes

For more:
It is Well With My Soul: The Story of Horatio Spafford
Sermon - June 12, 2011 | Job - Saving Faith is Persevering Faith: Job and the Suffering of the Righteous
Sermon - May 22, 2011 | Habakkuk 1:1-2:1 - Praying From the Watchtower: When God's Answer Leaves Us Unsatisfied
Sermon - May 29, 2011 | Habakkuk 2:2-20
Sermon - June 5, 2011 | Habakkuk 3:1-19

Jesus Chrsit is Divine: The Biblical Evidence

2011-07-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight we'll be discussing the doctrine of Christ as we continue our Wednesday night series on some basic beliefs of Christianity loosely based on Wayne Grudem's great book Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know. Here are some of the reasons to believe that Jesus was fully and completely God.

(Much of what follows is taken from Mark Driscoll, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe (RE: Lit), beginning on page 221.)

God the Father said He was God

Hebrews 1:8 - “But of the Son [the Father] says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever & ever.’”

Jesus Said He Was God

Matthew 26:63-65 – his enemies declare JC spoke blasphemy
John 6:38, 41-46 – JC clams He was eternally God in heaven before coming to earth
John 5:18; 10:30-33 – JC enemies said He made “himself equal with God.”

Demons Said He Was God

Mark 1:24; Luke 4:3-34 - "the Holy One of God."
Luke 4:40-41 – “the Son of God.”

The Bible Says He Was God

John 20:28 – Thomas’ confession: “My Lord and my God!”
Romans 9:5 – “the Christ who is God over all.”
Titus 2:13 – “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Titus 3:4 – Jesus is “God our Savior.”
1 John 5:20 – Jesus “is the true God.”

Jesus has the names of God

Son of Man
Son of God
Lord
Alpha and Omega

Jesus Posesses the Attributes of God

He is Omnipotent

Matthew 28:18 - "All authority has been given to me."
Matthew 8:26-27 – quieted the storm
Matthew 14:19 – fed thousands with little boys lunch
John 2:1-11 – turned water into wine

He is Omnipresent - Psalm 139:7-12

Matthew 28:20 - "I'm with you always, even to the end of the age."

He is Omniscient - Matthew 11:27; John 2:25; 4:18

John 16:30 – (Disciples) “Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.”

He is Immutable/Unchanging - James 1:17

Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

He is Sovereign Over the Future - Matthew 16:21; 17:22; 20:18-19; 26:1-2

Predicted the certainty of His own death.
Predicted the certainty of His own return.

He is Eternal - John 1:1; Phil. 2:6; Heb. 1:11-12

John 17:5 - "And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”

He is Creator - Isa. 37:16; 44:24; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2

John 1:2-3 – “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through im, and w/o him was not anything made that was made.”

He is Soverign

1 Cor. 15:27 – “For God has put all things in subjection under his feet.”

He is Sustainer – Heb. 1:3

Colossians 1:17 - “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

He is Savior - Joel 2:32

Rom. 10:13 - “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Jesus Did the Works of God

Performed Miracles

John 20:30-31 - “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Remained Holy and Sinless

John 8:46 – “Which one of you convicts me of sin?”
Peter – Acts 3:14; 1 Pet. 1:10; 2:22; 3:18
John – 1 John 3:5
James - James 5:6
Paul - 2 Cor. 5:21
Judas - Matthew 27:3-4
Pilate - Luke 23:22
Executing Soldier - Luke 23:47
Robber on the Cross - Luke 23:41

Forgave Sins

Mark 12:1-12– JC forgave paralytics sins. Pharisees replied, “who can forgive sins but God?

Judges Eternal Destinies

John 5:21-22 - "“For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.”

Grants Eternal Life

John 10:28 - “I give them [my sheep] eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Accepted and Demanded Worship

Jesus said to pray to Him – John 14:13-14; 15:7
Stephen prayed to Jesus – Acts 7:59-60
Canaanite woman prayed to Jesus
Matthew 15:25 – Bu she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’”
Jesus is worshiped by a man He healed

John 9:38 – “He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.”

John 5:23 – “All may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”
Colossians 2:9 – “in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”

How one can look at this evidence (and this barely scratches the surface of the wealth of biblical evidence of the deity of Christ) and deny that Jesus Christ is God. Liberals, Jehovah Witnesses (who are in the tradition of Arius and the Arian heresy), when they deny Christ deity are at the same time questioning the authority and clarity of Scripture.

Consider following what James Boyce had to say on the importance of this doctrine:

The importance of this fact of the Scripture teaching cannot be over-estimated. In its appropriate relations to the other truths taught it becomes the foundation of every hope. It is not a mere speculation. It enters into the very life of the Christian, enabling him to say: “I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Tim. 1:12. It is not sufficient for us to know that the person who died for us was divine before he came into the world. The Scriptures assure us, and we need to comfort ourselves with the assurance, that he was equally divine when a babe in Bethlehem, when suffering upon the cross, when ascending from Olivet, and even now, while in human nature, he rules as Mediatorial King, or makes intercession with the Father as our great high Priest. We must even go beyond the idea of some kind of divinity, and recognize him as the unchangeable God, who was, and is, and ever shall be, the Almighty, the well-beloved Son of the Father, whom that Father always hears, and to whom all things have been entrusted, in order that the consummation of his glorious kingdom may be fully attained. The incarnation has been indeed, of only one person of the Godhead, but of a person truly and essentially divine, whose relations to the divine nature have remained unaltered during his incarnation on earth and in heaven. -James Boyce, Abstract of Systematic Theology, 275-276

For more:
Sermon - December 19, 2010 - Jesus is God
Grudem on the Deity of Christ
The Gospel Coalition on the Deity of Christ
December 5, 2010 - Jesus is Lord
The Nicene Creed

Abbott And Costello 13 X 7 is 28

2011-07-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

It is Well With My Soul: The Story of Horatio Spafford

2011-07-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the true story of Horatio Spafford, the author of the great hymn "It Is Well With My Soul."

Here is Chris Rice's version of the famous song taken from his album Peace Like a River: The Hymns Project:

Here are the lyrics (read them in light of the story behind the hymn):

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

For more:
GBC - Nothing But the Blood

Frozen Embryos & the Gospel: Is It Time to Consider Embryo Adoption?

2011-07-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we talked about adoption and I mentioned the challenge and the need to start thinking about adopting embryos. Here is the article I referenced.

The question of bioethics continues to be a challenge in our culture. Everyday, new issues arise that force us to think seriously about the implications of our worldview and what ethical conclusions are best guidelines for our culture. Ongoing medical and technological advances force us to go beyond abortion and euthanasia but also to consider issues like cloning, infertility treatments like in-vitro fertilization, embryonic and adult stem-cell research, genetic testing, chimeras, and many other countless ethical and moral issues.

A few months ago, the world of biotechnology forced the world to heighten its ongoing debate regarding frozen embryos. An unnamed 42-year old woman recently gave birth to an embryo that had been frozen for 20 years setting a new record for the oldest baby born. The mother adopted the embryo that had been created by another couple that created multiple embryo's as they went through in-vitro fertilization treatments. When that couple had successful with other embryos and unwilling to birth their other frozen embryonic-children, they simply allowed the clinic to put the remaining embryos up for adoption for similar couples struggling with infertility (or we might add feminists and lesbians unwilling to conceive the more traditional way).

This all means that the boy born in May of this year has a full-blooded sibling conceived at about the same time as he was, but technically, 20 years older than him.

The issue of frozen embryos is a serious issues that needs to be taken more seriously. In a culture that considers the embryo a commodity or as "potential" life, such barracks of unplanted embryos is not that big of a deal. But to those who consider an embryo to be human life ought to be shocked to think that humans are literally being frozen in time. How Western nations have legally responded to this issue makes it only more frightening. According to new British Laws, a frozen embryo cannot be stored for more than 55 years. Thus, the far majority of embryo's (read: human life) is either destroyed (I'm guessing to make more room for other frozen embryos) or donated for research (in which the embryo will be destroyed). Either way, human life becomes an experiment or a second-thought. The world in which we live in is a frightening thought.

At this point perhaps we should begin discussing how Christians ought to respond. With anger? Rightly so. With concern? How could we not? With a call to action in defense of innocent human life being stored and oftentimes destroyed? No doubt. But is it not time for us to consider, especially as Christians, another option in addition to each of these? If we are truly pro-life and want to defend the lives of those not given the chance of life and oftentimes encourage scared mothers to give their children up for adoption at birth, perhaps it is time for Christians to more seriously consider embryo adoption.

Unfortunately most Christians have not given this any thought. With millions of experimental frozen lives sitting on shelves soon to be destroyed, how can we not intervene? And while we continue to fight for their life through cultural debate and legislative action, why don't we also focus on something more powerful: the gospel and adoption. Christians are grounded in the gospel. We are redeemed and have our faith, hope, and identity in the gospel. The gospel ought to be everything in our lives. All that we say, do, believe, and fight for ought to be driven by that fundamental doctrine of the gospel So why not apply the gospel to a world that considers human life to be nothing more than an experiment or a commodity?

So what does the gospel have to do with frozen embryos and embryo adoption? Everything. The gospel begins with God's holiness and our depravity. The gospel humbles us and exalts our Father. Our God is bigger than the pockets we try to fit Him in. At the same time, we are rebels. We have spit in God's eye (so to speak). However, in spite of such angry vitriol against our Creator, God has not only loved us, but has offered His love through the sacrificial gift of His Son. And through the cross and resurrection, we are not just given a clean slate, but declared and made righteous and adopted as sons of God - heirs with Christ.

Adoption is central to the gospel.

How can we who have been adopted by God not give serious consideration to the adoption of others? Certainly there are serious issues and questions to raise and consider prior to making a decision to adopt either an already born child, a soon-to-be born child, or a frozen embryo, but I believe it is time for Christians to take this more seriously. At the same time, it is necessary for Christians to see that the gospel goes beyond walking the aisle but has real-life implications. Do we see the gospel in the lives of the unwanted and the frozen? In our confused world, Christians must respond with more than just legislative action, but with gospel evangelism and gospel-saturated action. Until we go beyond the voting booth, the many ethical and moral issues we face today will not go away. It is time for Christians to do more than just vote and debate. It is time we act. It is time we do what God has done for us: show mercy, love the stranger, liberate, redeem, and yes, adopt.

Telegraph - Baby born from embryo frozen 20 years ago
My Fox NY - Baby Born From Embryo Frozen For 20 Years

For more:
Blogizomai - The Challenge of Frozen Embryos: South Korea Undefines Human Life
Blogizomai - Whose the Daddy?: Biological Truth and Moral Ideology

Driscoll on Neither Feminism or Chauvinism

2011-07-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

I'm studying for tonight's Bible study on the doctrine of man and I came across the following quote from Mark Driscoll on the creation of Eve from Genesis 2.

“So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up that place with flesh.” This is beautiful. Everything is created by God’s word. The man is created from the dust of the earth by God’s metaphorical hands. And the woman is created from the rib, the side of the man. This shows that the woman is not to be out ahead of him, as feminism would teach, or behind him, as chauvinism would teach, but alongside of him as an equal image-bearer of God, as the Scriptures teach.

I like the language here. Feminism and chauvinism is nothing more than an extreme reaction to the other that fails to solve the real problem. Complementarianism balances these two. Men and women aren't better than each other, but different and unique. Furthermore, biblical marriage is a picture of the Trinity where there is a unified diversity. Men and women are different, though unified. This is why intimacy (not just sexual, though certainly including it) is critical. It one out of two.

It is critical to remember that every time fallen man tries to fix a certain extreme, it inevitably goes to the other all the while missing the point. The turn from chauvinism to feminism perfectly illustrates this tendency.

To watch the sermon the above quote is taken from, view below.

Here's the audio:

For more:
Driscoll on Trinitarian Heresies and Living the Trinitarian Life
What Creation Reveals About God
Driscoll Sermon: God is Creator
How Much Do We Owe?: Discoll on our Need for Redemption
The Church as Family

David Crowder Band - How He Loves

2011-07-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

All the Pastor's of Goshen: From 1808-Present

2011-06-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a busy one as Amanda and I have tried to finish up the cookbook (which is finally done!). I worked on the history part and in the cookbook we have placed all of the pastor's who have served at Goshen Baptist Church over the past 200+ years. I am the 55th pastor of Goshen and am honored to be among this prestigious list. Here we have pastors, ministers, preachers, Ph.D's, professors, missionaries, parachurch leaders, and writers. To read the stories of these fascinating men was a joy and I strongly encourage everyone to read our history book (one of the best local church histories I have ever read!! Very thorough).

Anyways, here is the list and the years they served.

James H. L. Moorman – 1810-1815
2.    Christopher Wilson 1816-1817
3.    Samuel Anderson 1818-1826
4.    James H. L. Moorman 1827-1834
5.    Samuel Anderson 1835-1836
6.    Simeon Buchanan 1837-1858
7.    Darnell Dowden 1859-1867
8.    John Armstrong 1868-1870
9.    T. A. Robertson 1871
10.    Darnell Dowden 1872-1881
11.    Squire LaRue Helm 1882-1885
12.    Benjamin Fulton Jenkins 1886
13.    Ebenezer Hise H. Maddox 1887-1888
14.    C. M. Reid 1889-1890
15.    Wiley Blount Rutledge, Sr. 1891-1901
16.    J. F. Vines 1902-1903
17.    Daniel B. Clapp 1904-1906
18.    E. L. Rogers 1907
19.    J. I. Lewis 1908-1914
20.    J. E. Meng 1916-1918
21.    Evarts B. English 1919-1922
22.    H. L. Smith 1923-1924
23.    J. A. Hudson 1925-1926
24.    I. D. Eavenson 1927-1928
25.    H. L. Lennon 1929
26.    Gordon C. Whitely 1930-1936
27.    John Isom 1937-1938
28.    Carl E. Talbert 1939
29.    Ivan E. Boles 1940
30.    Fred E. Neiger 1941
31.    E. G. Cole 1942
32.    George Lovell 1943
33.    B. G. Bass 1944-1945
34.    Waldo Harris 1946-1947
35.    Robert Harris 1948
36.    Dr. Marvin Tate, Jr.1949-1955
37.    Charles Belknap 1956-1958
38.    R. L. Armsistead 1959-1960
39.    Tom Lee 1961
40.    Joseph C. Daniel 1962-1963
41.    Ron Brown 1964-1965
42.    Robert Sandford 1966-1968
43.    Joe Evans 1969-1970
44.    Gene Daggerhart 1971
45.    Lowell Fisher 1972-1976
46.    Paul Hindman 1977-1978
47.    Dr. Don McClung 1981-1983
48.    James Garrison 1984-1986
49.    Wesley Barton Gibbs 1987-1988
50.    Richard Meade 1989-1992
51.    Dr. Miguel De La Torre 1993
52.    Noel Jordan 1994-2000
53.    Eric Jackson 2001-2003
54.    Daniel Whitman 2004-2008
55.    Kyle McDanell 2008-present

June 19, 2011 | Proverbs 31: The Virtuous Man - Father's Day 2011

2011-06-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day and it is always great to celebrate our earthly fathers on the day we worship our Heavenly Father. Here is the audio and notes from Sunday's message.

Audio
Notes

For more:
May 8, 2011 - Proverbs 31: The Virtuous Womans - Mother's Day 2011
November 20, 2010 - God is Triune: God the Father
June 21, 2009 - The Faithful Father
Myths of Fatherhood
May 9, 2010 - Manly God for Godly Men: A Word to Men on Mother's Day
God is Not a Dude: Rob Bell and the "She" Video
The Maternal Nature of God: Jim Wallis and the Emergent Worldview

On Toilet Paper and Mission Work: Ezell's Report at the SBC

2011-06-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

The Southern Baptist Convention met this past week concluding just the other day. Though I did not attend, I have been trying to stay caught up on what has been going on at the national convention. One of the parts I was most anticipating was the North American Mission Board report by NAMB President Kevin Ezell. I anticipated his report because he has said before that he was going to have to level with the convention. Southern Baptists, as he rightly stated, love numbers and have a history of inflating numbers to make us look bigger, better, and more powerful. A lot of it is misleading.

I strongly encourage you to watch his report. I can excited for the future and direction of the North American Mission Board and this year our church will focus more on missions, mission giving, the Cooperative Program, etc. With leadership like Ezell, I am confident that our money will not be wasted. As Ezell shows, he has cut out a lot of the bureaucracy in order to free up more money and resources to go towards local and foreign missionaries. That is music to my ears!!

Part 1:

Part 2:

My favorite line (and point) regards his line about Wal-mart toilet paper. If Wal-mart can track when each roll of toilet paper is sold, surely Southern Baptists ought to be able to track where they send missionaries, where churches are planted, etc. Dido Ezell!

For more:
Theology - SBTS: A Conversation With Kevin Ezell
Theology - 8 Months In: Kevin Ezell Reflects On His Tenure Thus Far
GBC - Repost - Facing Reality: How to Respond to SBC Decline

Repost | A Letter & Gift From God: Palin's Letter on Trig & the Challenge of Down Syndrome

2011-06-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

Former governor of Alaska and Vice-President candidate Sarah Palin needs no introduction. Unlike anyone else in recent memory, Alaskan Sarah Palin has managed to remain in the news though her voice is limited to Twitter, Facebook, books, and appearances on Fox News. Palin is an outspoken political conservative, but what I find most fascinating about her story isn't what she believes about tax cuts or ANWAR, but how her life changed with the birth of her Down Syndrome child named Trig Palin.

Palin admits in her book Going Rogue: An American Life that she had contemplated abortion due to her son's extra chromosone. Most would, if honest with themselves, confess that raising a Down Syndrome child would radically alter one's life and present new life-long challenges and abortion (at least on the superficial surface) may seem like an attractive option. But Palin, as we know refused to abort Trig holding fast to her pro-life convictions.

The reason this story is timely is because of the recent release of over 24,000 emails hacked from Palin's account and poured over by the mainstream media. It is certainly fascinating that for many politicians we know virtually nothing (for example, we do not have current President Barack Obama's grades from college), but we are constantly bombarded with another attempt by the media and the left to uncover the smoking gun of a woman who has stepped down from her governorship in a state most in America ignore and is right now not a candidate for anything. She just has her Twitter and Facebook account. Even her reality TV show has ended. What are we to gain with these emails?

Nonetheless, these emails have uncovered one gold jewel. A letter, written by Mrs. Palin, has been released regarding the soon-to-be birth of their child with Down Syndrome. Palin writes from the persective of His Creator. As a Christian, I find this fascinating and encouraging. Palin's language is right in seeing that Trig is not an accident nor unwanted. God made no mistake by allowing him to have an extra-chromosone. This does not mean that God rejoices in genetic deficiencies, but that He is greater than any deficiency. In the letter, Palin seeks to portray God celebrating Trig's birth and thus encouraging the Palin family to celebrate his creation.

Portions of the letter had been released, but now the entire letter has been made available to the public and I strongly encourage you to read the entire thing. This is not profound theology written by an academic scholar. It is not a speech to be given by a sitting governor. It is instead a letter written from a mother to her family as she herself struggles and joyfully anticipates the birth of her child who will have his challenges but bring with him unyielding joy.

SARAH PALIN’S COMPLETE LETTER TO HER FAMILY ABOUT TRIG

To the Sisters, Brother, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Friends of Trig Paxson Van Palin (or whatever you end up naming him!):

I am blessing you with this surprise baby because I only want the best for you. I’ve heard your prayers that this baby will be happy and healthy, and I’ve answered them because I only want the best for you!

I heard your heart when you hinted that another boy would fit best in the Palin family, to round it out and complete that starting five line-up. Though another girl would be so nice, you didn’t think you could ask for what you REALLY wanted, but I knew, so I gave you a boy because I only want the best for you!

Then, I put the idea in your hearts that his name should be “Trig”, because it’s so fitting, with two Norse meanings: “True” and “Brave Victory”. You also have a Bristol Bay relative with that name, so I knew it would be best for you!

Then, I let Trig’s mom have an exceptionally comfortable pregnancy so she could enjoy every minute of it, and I even seemed to rush it along so she could wait until near the end to surprise you with the news – that way Piper wouldn’t have so long to wait and count down so many days – just like Christmastime when you have to wait, impatiently, for that special day to finally open your gift? (Or the way the Palins look forward to birthday celebrations that go on for three, four days… you all really like cake .) I know you, I knew you’d be better off with just a short time to wait!

Then, finally, I let Trig’s mom and dad find out before he was born that this little boy will truly be a GIFT. They were told in early tests that Trig may provide more challenges, and more joy, than what they ever may have imagined or ever asked for. At first the news seemed unreal and sad and confusing . But I gave Trig’ s mom and dad lots of time to think about it because they needed lots of time to understand that everything will be OK, in fact, everything will be great, because I only want the best for you!

I‘ve given Trig’s mom and dad peace and joy as they wait to meet their new son. I gave them a happy anticipation because they asked me for that. I‘ll give all of you the same happy anticipation and strength to deal with Trig’s challenges, but I won’t impose on you…

I just need to know you want to receive my offer to be with all of you and help you everyday to make Trig’s life a great one.

This new person in your life can help everyone put things in perspective and bind us together and get everyone focused on what really matters . The baby will expand your world and let you see and feel things you haven’t experienced yet. He’ll show you what “true, brave victory“ really means as those who love him will think less about self and focus less on what the world tells you is ”normal“ or ”perfect”. You will grow and be blessed with greater understanding that will be born along with Trig.

Trig will be his dad‘s little buddy and he’ll wear Carhartts while he learns to tinker in the garage. He’ll love to be read to, he’ll want to play goalie, and he‘ll steal his mom’s heart just like Track, Bristol, Willow and Piper did. And Trig will be the cuddly, innocent, mischievous, dependent little brother that his siblings have been waiting for in fact Trig will – in some diagnostic ways – always be a mischievous, dependent little brother, because I created him a bit different than a lot of babies born into this world today.

Every child is created special, with awesome purpose and amazing potential. Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed up world you live in down there on earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome. Doctors call it “Down’s Syndrome”, and Downs kids have challenges, but can bring you much delight and more love than you can ever imagine! Just wait and see, let me prove this, because I only want the best for you!

Some of the rest of the world may not want him, but take comfort in that because the world will not compete for him. Take care of him and he will always be yours!

Trig‘s mom and dad don’t want people to focus on the baby’s extra chromosome. They’re human, so they haven’t known how to explain this to people who are so caring and are interested in this new little Alaskan. Sarah and Todd want people to share in the joy of this gift I’m giving to the Palin family, and the greater Alaska family. Many people won’t understand… and I understand that. Some will think Trig should not be allowed to be born because they fear a Downs child won’t be considered “perfect” in your world. (But tell me, what do you earthlings consider “perfect” or even “normal” anyway? Have you peeked down any grocery store isle, or school hallway, or into your office lunchroom lately? Or considered the odd celebrities you celebrate as “perfect” on t.v.? Have you noticed I make `em all shapes and sizes? Believe me ,, there is no “perfect”!)

Many people will express sympathy, but you don’t want or need that, because Trig will be a joy. You will have to trust me on this.

I know it will take time to grasp this and come to accept that I only want the best for you, and I only give my best. Remember though: “My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts… for as the heavens are higher than the earth, my ways are higher than yours!”

I wrote that all down for you in the Good Book ! Look it up! You claim that you believe me – now it’s time to live out that belief!

Please look to me as this new challenge and chapter of life unfolds in front of you. I promise to equip you. I won‘t give you anything you can’t handle. I am answering your prayers. Trig can’t wait to meet you. I’m giving you ONLY THE BEST!

Love,
Trig’s Creator , Your Heavenly Father

HT: The Blaze

And for my own enjoyment, here is my favorite clip from Palin's famous speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention of her daughter brushing the hair of Trig.

The Blaze - ‘A Down’s Syndrome Baby Will Expand Your World’: Sarah Palin’s Poignant, Moving Email About Her Unborn Son Revealed in Email Investigation
Daily Mail - 'A Down's Syndrome baby will expand your world': How Sarah Palin imagined God talking to her in extraordinary and touching letter about her unborn son

For more:
Blogizomai - When Politics Hits Home: Sarah Palin and the Defense to Save Trig
Blogizomai - The Threat of Trig Palin: The Return of Life Worthy of Life
Blogizomai - The Other 10%
Blogizomai - Eugenics in the Present Tense: The Reality of Eugenics in America Today - Part 2
Reviews - "Going Rogue" by Sarah Palin
Reviews - "Sarah" by Kaylene Johnson

June 12, 2011 | Job - Saving Faith is Persevering Faith: Job and the Suffering of the Righteous

2011-06-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

Though we are done with the book of Habakkuk, we are continuing our discussion on suffering by looking at various passages in Scripture on the subject. The Book of Job is really the standard text, like Habakkuk, that seeks to answer the question of theodicy (the problem of evil). I believe that if we understand Job, we will be able to suffer well. Remember the three key doctrines of God that apply here: Sovereignty, Providence, and Immutability (God does not change). If God is Sovereign we can trust that He will be glorified in the end and no amount of evil or suffering will thwart that. If God is Provident then we can hope that He remains in control and He will be glorified through us. God remains on His throne and we are part of His plan. Finally, if God is Immutable, then we have the assurance that the God of Scripture is still the God of today.

Remember, the God of the cross is still the God of the resurrection.

Audio

May 22, 2011 | Habakkuk 1:1-2:1 - Praying From the Watchtower: When God's Answer Leaves Us Unsatisfied
May 29, 2011 | Habakkuk 2:2-20
June 5, 2011 | Habakkuk 3:1-19

For more:
October 18, 2009 | 1 Peter 2:21-23 - Christus Exemplar
Stomach Virus and the Humanity of Christ: Moore on the Suffering and Sick Servant
Theodicy as Evidence of a Theos
Some Helpful Answers To Common Questions: DA Carson Weighs In
Sunday Night - "The Agony of Job and the Sovereingnty of God
Weekly Recommendation - "A Grief Observed" by CS Lewis
January 2, 2011 | Matthew 8:1-17 - "Be Cleansed": The Great Healer & His Great Gospel
MacArthur on Matthew's Use of Isaiah 53
Theology - The Immutability of God: Its Truth and Relevancy - Theodicy and God's Sovereignty