May 11, 2014 | Matthew 23: Religion vs. the Gospel, or Why Don't You Tell Us How You Really Feel Jesus

Here are the sermon audio and notes from our study of Matthew 23.

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, ² saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; ³ therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. ⁵ But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. ⁶ They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, ⁷ and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. ⁸ But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. ¹¹ But the greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
 
¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. ¹⁴ [Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ ¹⁷ You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? ¹⁸ And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ ¹⁹ You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? ²⁰ Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. ²² And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

³⁴ “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, ³⁵ so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. ³⁸ Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! ³⁹ For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Audio
Notes


January 12, 2014 | Matthew 19:1-9: All the King's Horses: Marriage, Divorce & the Gospel
January 19, 2014 | Matthew 19:10-12 - What's the Point?: Marriage, Singleness, & Living for the Glory of God
January 26, 2014 | Matthew 19:13-30: What Must One Do to be Saved? 
February 2, 2014 | Matthew 20:1-16: Marvel at Grace
February 16, 2014 | Matthew 20:17-28 - The Key to True Greatness
February 23, 2014 | Matthew 20:29-34
March 3, 2014 | Matthew 21:1-11: The Royal Entry
March 9, 2014 | Matthew 21:12-22 
March 23, 2014 | Matthew 21:23-46
March 30, 2014 | Matthew 22:1-14 - What Not to wear or Heeding God's Invitation to Celebrate His Son
April 6, 2014 | Matthew 22:15-22: Life After Death and Taxes
April 13, 2014 | Matthew 22:23-33 - I Don't Want to be a Sad-You-See, or Why the Doctrine of the Resurrection Matters
May 4, 2014 | Matthew 22:34-46
May 11, 2014 | Matthew 23: Religion vs. the Gospel, or Why Don't You Tell Us How You Really Feel Jesus


For more:
Matthew 1-18 | The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
MacArthur on the Greatest Act of Love
Ain't No Grave . . .
The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus
The Gospel of Matthew Movie
Humpty Dumpty & Grace
I Am Yours, Save Me

Jim Monroe: I Am Second

Here is the Jim Munroe video we watched Sunday night.

MacArthur on a Faith that Saves

In his sermon on our passage for next Sunday, Colossians 1:1-8, John MacArthur offers the following illustration on how faith in Jesus Christ saves:

Spurgeon use to tell a story about two men in a boat. They were caught in a very, very severe rapids and they were going to a place where there was a waterfall and even worse rapids and there was really no way, if they ever hit those rapids, that they would ever live. And they began to struggle for their lives. And as they were carried swiftly down stream, they were carried toward the perilous rocks and the falls and some men on the shore saw them and tried to save the two men and they threw a rope out. By this time the men had fallen out of the little boat, were struggling in the current. One man caught the rope and was saved. At the same instant, said Spurgeon, the other man who could have seized the rope, in the panic of the moment, grabbed onto a log that was floating by and that was a fatal mistake. One man was drawn to the shore because he had a connection with the people on the land. The other clinging to a log was carried down through the rapids and never found again.

Now, yousee, what faith does is faith gives you a connection with the shore. Faith gives you a connection to Jesus Christ. Good worksis grabbing a log. It doesn't go anywhere but along with you to your doom. And Paul says, first of all, Colossians, I want to thank God that you got the rope, not a log.


John MacArthur - The Gospel Truth

June 30, 2013 | 1 Corinthians 6:9-14

Here are the audio and notes from Sunday's sermon taken from 1 Corinthians 6:9-14. Next week we will return to our series on the cross by looking at the doctrine of redemption.

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

¹² All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³ Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. ¹⁴ Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.





Audio
Notes

Simul justus et peccator: Luther & the Heart of the Gospel

Sunday we will be examining Jonah 2 which is a psalm of thanksgiving and repentance. Jonah is a believer who has rebelled. Nonetheless, God's grace reaches him even at the bottom of the sea. This is good news. I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ and yet I find myself always failing. Though I seek the glory of Christ and daily fight to live a holy life, I find myself oftentimes losing. So what hope do I have?

The answer to this question is found in Martin Luther's coined phrase simul justus et peccator (that is, "Simultaneously righteous & a sinner). What Luther meant by that is explained by Dr. RC Sproul in the video below. In short, if you can understand this concept you can understand the gospel.


What Does "Simul Justus et Peccator" Mean? from Ligonier Ministries on Vimeo.



For more:
I Hear You: A Sermon Illustration
April 7, 2013 | John 1:1-3 - You Can Run But Not Hide: Why That is Really Good News
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Historical?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Midrash?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Allegorical?
Holman Dictionary on Jonah
Bibledex on Jonah
VeggieTales and Jonah  

St. Nick the Stranger vs. God in the Manger

There is No Gospel Without Blood

Last Sunday I mentioned a number of things we would not have without the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  Here is that list.

1. No Church - “. . . shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

2. No Justification - “. . . we have now been justified by his blood . . .” (Romans 5:9)

3. No Forgiveness - "In we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses . . .” (Ephesians 1:7)

4. No Reconciliation - "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:17)

5. No Peace - “and through him to reconcile to himself all things . . . making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:20)

6. No Freedom - “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” (Revelation 1:5)

7. No Sanctification - "So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.” (Hebrews 13:12)

8. No Worship - “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9)

9. No Heaven - “He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.” (Revelation 19:13)

In short, there is no gospel without blood. There is no Christianity.

Repost | Advent: God With Us

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

Repost | The Gospel and the Story of Everything

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  

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

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

The Most Terrifying Truth of God: He is Good

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

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

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

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

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

"Without the Gospel": A Gem From John Calvin

This is just too good not to share.  It comes from the pen of one of the greatest theologians (like him or not) in Church history John Calvin.  It comes from the preface to the French translation of the New Testament by Pierre Robert Olivetan (1534).

Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God. But by the knowledge of the gospel we are made children of God, brothers of Jesus Christ, fellow townsmen with the saints, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, heirs of God with Jesus Christ, by whom the poor are made rich, the weak strong, the fools wise, the sinner justified, the desolate comforted, the doubting sure, and slaves free. It is the power of God for the salvation of all those who believe.

It follows that every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone. For, he was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for our life; so that by him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal. In short, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune.

For all these things which were to be the weapons of the devil in his battle against us, and the sting of death to pierce us, are turned for us into exercises which we can turn to our profit. If we are able to boast with the apostle, saying, O hell, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? it is because by the Spirit of Christ promised to the elect, we live no longer, but Christ lives in us; and we are by the same Spirit seated among those who are in heaven, so that for us the world is no more, even while our conversation [life] is in it; but we are content in all things, whether country, place, condition, clothing, meat, and all such things. And we are comforted in tribulation, joyful in sorrow, glorying under vituperation [verbal abuse], abounding in poverty, warmed in our nakedness, patient amongst evils, living in death.

This is what we should in short seek in the whole of Scripture: truly to know Jesus Christ, and the infinite riches that are comprised in him and are offered to us by him from God the Father.


HT:  Tim Challies and  Tullian Tchividjian 

MacArthur: Salvation is Divine Transaction & Transformation

This Sunday -- Resurrection Sunday -- we will be studying Romans 6:1-14 as it relates to how the gospel -- namely the cross and the resurrection -- transforms our everyday lives.  In other words, the gospel isn't just a transaction, but transformation.  This is the point John MacArthur makes in a sermon titled Dying to Live, Part 1 taken from Romans 6:1-14.  It is well worth the read and I encourage you to listen to the sermon (audio, manuscript)

Now listen to what I say. Holiness is as much a gift of God to the believer as salvation is in the redemptive act. I’ll say it again. Holiness is as much a gift of God to the believer as redemption is in the saving act. When a person is redeemed it is not only a divine transaction, it is a divine miracle of transformation. It is not only legal, it is real. It is not God just saying - Now you're saved. It is God transforming you. It is not only God saying something to be true, it is God making it true. It is not only God declaring you righteous, it is God recreating you in righteousness. You see, as I've been trying to point out earlier in the book of Romans, God doesn't say things that aren't so. And He's not about to call people righteous who aren't. And so, sanctification and justification are linked.  -MacArthur, Dying to Live sermon

January 30, 2011 | Matthew 8:1-9:8 - Chasing a Tail Named Idolatrous: Our Enslaved Idolatry and How Jesus Sets Us Free

Here is the audio and notes from this past Sunday.  You may notice in the notes that I did not take any nor do I have a bibliography.  This sermon is one that kept me up all night and really burdened me all week.  I have a real concern that everyone inside and outside the church are enslaved and yet they think they are free.  This will radically change the way we view everything.  The beauty of the gospel is that it transforms us from slaves to sons to joint heirs with Christ.

Next week we'll get back on track and look specifically at Matthew 9:1-8.  A wonderful passage of Scripture.





Audio
Notes 


For more:
January 2, 2011 | Matthew 8:1-17 - "Be Cleansed":  The Great Healer & His Great Gospel 
January 16, 2011 | Matthew 8:18-27 - The High Worth of Discipleship   
January 23, 2011 | Matthew 8:23-34 - Knowing is Only Half the Battle:  The Authority & Power of King Jesus
The Sermon on the Mount Series
Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5
The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series  

Mahaney on the Person and Work of Christ: Christ Our Mediator

I love the following passage taken from CJ Mahaney's book Christ Our Mediator: Finding Passion at the Cross (LifeChange Books).  Its a short book that can be read quickly, but its content is fantastic.  Let us always be reflecting on the cross!  Tomorrow we will be discusing the humanity of Christ and in the following quote, Mahaney shows how Christ's humanity and deity are necessary in order for the gospel to be real.  If Chrit is one and not the other then we remain in our sins.

Since sin has been committed by man, therefore sin must be atoned for by a man.  Only a human being can be the perfect substitute for other human beings.  The deb and obligation and responsibility is mankind’s alone.  Neither you nor I, however, can atone for our sin to satisfy God’s righteous requirements; our own disobedience already condemns us before a righteous God.  Furthermore, we’re captive to sin; it’s humanly impossible for us to release ourselves from its rip.  Even if somehow, from this moment forward, we steeled ourselves to stop winning (which is impossible), our record is still stain by the sins of our past.


That’s our condition – having no possible way to atone for our sin, nor any possible way to free ourselves from enslavement to it.
 
A divine rescue is necessary.  We need a savior.  And in order to be our savior, in order to pay our debt, this individual must be like us – not just God in a form that merely appears to be human, but someone fully and truly human.  Yet he must be unlike us as well, because he must be sinless, since only a perfect sacrifice is acceptable.  He must be fully God, and not simply a man with a limited set of divine powers an abilities.  -44-45

Shai Linne on God and the Gospel

I really enjoyed the following video and wanted to pass it on to everyone.  Shai Linne is a Christian Rapper (yes there is such a thing!) and lyrically he is one of the most incredible.  No one is laying out the theology through music that rappers like Shai Linne are.  In the video that follows, Shai Linne gives us a detailed introduction into who God is and what Christ has done and then he clealry lays out the gospel.  Enjoy!




HT: Reformed Voices

October 17, 2010 - A Legacy of the Gospel

As I'm sure some of you noticed, I wasn't at Goshen Sunday.  Instead, the family and I were back home and I spoke at Greenup Fork Baptist Church where I served as youth pastor for 5 years prior to coming to Goshen.  Recently their pastor of 30 years (my pastor as well) retired and the church threw him a big celebration honoring him and celebrating how God used him for the past 3 decades.  I was honored to be the guest speaker and what follows is the audio from that.

See ya Wednesday and next Sunday.




Audio
Notes

September 5, 2010 - Not By the Hairs of My Chinny Chin Chin: Standing on the Rock of the Gospel

I know I'm really behind but there were problems with the recording and audio and I just got around to fixing it.  This is the message from two Sunday's ago and is the conclusion to our series on the Sermon on the Mount.  In the near future I will post all links and messages from our long series on this wonderful and greatest sermon every delivered by our Lord.

In the meantime, here is the message from Matthew 7:24-29.




Audio
Notes


For more:
Whose Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?:  A Children's Tale With a Biblical Message    
January 17, 2010 - Matthew 5:1-12 - If Your Joyful and You Know It . . . 
January 24, 2010 - Matthew 5:13 - Stuck Between Salt and Manure:  The Call to Preserve the Gospel 
January 31, 2010 - Matthew 5:14-26 - Its Dark in Here:  The Call to be the Light of the World 
February 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:17-20 - Medium Rare is Unbiblical or What Do Christians Do with the Law
February 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:21-22 - I Am a Murderer . . . And So Are You 
February 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:23-26 - Resetting What Was Broken:  The Necessity of Reconciliation
February 28, 2010 - Matthew 5:27-30 - America's Pastime: Our Lust for Lust 
March 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:31-32 - The Gospel and Divorce:  What Does the Bible Say?
March 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:33-37 - Allergies to Toast, the Gospel, and Integrity
March 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:38-42 - I Surrender!  I Surrender!
March 28, 2010 - Matthew 5:43-48 - Love God as He Loved You
May 23, 2010 - Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5 
January 17, 2010 - Matthew 5:1-12 - If Your Joyful and You Know It . . . 
January 24, 2010 - Matthew 5:13 - Stuck Between Salt and Manure:  The Call to Preserve the Gospel 
January 31, 2010 - Matthew 5:14-26 - Its Dark in Here:  The Call to be the Light of the World 
February 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:17-20 - Medium Rare is Unbiblical or What Do Christians Do with the Law
February 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:21-22 - I Am a Murderer . . . And So Are You 
February 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:23-26 - Resetting What Was Broken:  The Necessity of Reconciliation
February 28, 2010 - Matthew 5:27-30 - America's Pastime: Our Lust for Lust 
March 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:31-32 - The Gospel and Divorce:  What Does the Bible Say?
March 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:33-37 - Allergies to Toast, the Gospel, and Integrity
March 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:38-42 - I Surrender!  I Surrender!
March 28, 2010 - Matthew Thus Far:  Matthew 1-5 
January 17, 2010 - Matthew 5:1-12 - If Your Joyful and You Know It . . . 
January 24, 2010 - Matthew 5:13 - Stuck Between Salt and Manure:  The Call to Preserve the Gospel 
January 31, 2010 - Matthew 5:14-26 - Its Dark in Here:  The Call to be the Light of the World 
February 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:17-20 - Medium Rare is Unbiblical or What Do Christians Do with the Law
February 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:21-22 - I Am a Murderer . . . And So Are You 
February 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:23-26 - Resetting What Was Broken:  The Necessity of Reconciliation
February 28, 2010 - Matthew 5:27-30 - America's Pastime: Our Lust for Lust 
March 7, 2010 - Matthew 5:31-32 - The Gospel and Divorce:  What Does the Bible Say?
March 14, 2010 - Matthew 5:33-37 - Allergies to Toast, the Gospel, and Integrity
March 21, 2010 - Matthew 5:38-42 - I Surrender!  I Surrender!
March 28, 2010 - Matthew 6:1-4 - Camouflaged Gold:  Why Christians Should Give In Secret
May 30, 2010 - Matthew 6:5-8 - Jesus on Prayer:  Our Inward Motivations
June 6, 2010 - Matthew 9-13 - The Model Prayer 
June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive:  The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness
June 27, 2010- Matthew 6:16-18 - The Gospel of Self-Denial:  Why Fasting is Biblical and What it Says About Our Faith
July 11, 2010 - Matthew 6:19-24 - Investing in the Kingdom of God  
August 1, 2010 - Matthew 6:25-34 - Worry and the Providence of God:  What Our Anxiety Says About What We Believe About God 
August 8, 2010 - Matthew 7:1-6 - Judge Not But Please Remove This Speck.  Its Killing My Eye:  Learning to Judge Righteously, Not Hypocritically   
August 15, 2010 - Matthew 7:7-12 - The Golden Rule and a Community of Love
August 22, 2010 - Matthew 7:13-14 - The Gospel is for Fools:  How to Empty a Church and Grow a Kingdom  
August 29, 2010 - Matthew 7:15-23:  Watch for False Gospels