Saturday, October 02, 2010

Monday, March 01, 2010

Does Your Soul Need to be Refreshed?

If you’ve been coming to church for any length of time, then you know there is more to life than simply living for your work, your self, or your family. As important as all of these ‘treasures’ are, they can’t compare to the greatest treasure of all—the living God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Do you have a friendship with the living God? Is it a vital friendship in which you trust Him as your all-in-all? Even after we are adopted by God into his family, we still will have slow periods when faith seems like drudgery. The Bible says, ‘Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you…Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exult you’ (James 4.8, 10). Jesus declared, ‘Whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never be thirsty forever’ (John 4.14). If you haven’t done so already, then make God your first love. If He already is but you’ve neglected Him lately, then return to Him now, today. Trust in his mercy and grace to refresh you in the days ahead.

Getting the Most from the Message

Have you ever sat through a sermon that was hard to take? When it comes to listening to sermons, we all can use some help.

Jesus says, ‘Take care then how you hear’ (Luke 8.18). What does our Lord mean? Jesus explains that if we listen to God’s word one way, we will be given more, but if we listen to His word another way, even what we think we have will be taken away from us. So, the way we listen is not only crucial, it is a matter of life-or-death. It is possible to have ears that do not function properly—they fail to hear in a way that leads to understanding (Mark 8.18). In other words, they always hear, but never understand what God is telling us (Mark 4.12). How can we listen so that we understand the message which God is communicating through His word proclaimed? In the booklet Listen Up, Christopher Ash (Director of the Cornhill Training Course in London, England) gives seven ingredients for healthy sermon listening:

1. Expect God to speak 
Ash writes, ‘Jesus governs His church by the written word of Scripture... The main way He does this is not by the written word being read, but by the written word being preached and taught.’ This does not mean the preacher has special powers of prophecy, only that when he faithfully preaches the Bible, he is bringing God’s Word to God’s people. Otherwise, it’s simply the pastor’s personal opinion. Therefore, the people of God should expect to receive a message from their Lord in the sermon. What can you do? Pray for the preachers, that they would properly handle the word; pray for others, that the word would nourish them; and, says Ash, pray ‘for yourself, that by His Spirit, God will grow in you a heartfelt expectation that God himself will speak to you as His word is preached.’

2. Admit God knows better than you  
When God speaks through His word, we should listen and obey. But often the opposite occurs. We hear the word but quickly forget as the cares of the world crowd out God’s message. ‘You and I must not only take seriously the voice of God; we must bow the knee in submission when he speaks.’ What does this mean in practice? Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to submit to what the Bible clearly says.

3. Check the preacher says what the passage says 
Check, double-check, and triple-check. ‘We need to check that the preacher is actually using the only available authority, which is borrowed authority that only comes from teaching what the Bible passage teaches,’ says Ash. The only legitimate authority a preacher has is the authority that is given to him so long as he faithfully opens the Scriptures to explain their meaning. How can you get involved? Read the passage over beforehand, if that is possible, and listen carefully to the sermon, taking notes if necessary.

4. Hear the sermon in church  
Listening to sermons on the TV or internet is not the ideal. ‘When we listen together, we respond together.’ Being with our brothers and sisters in Christ is part of listening to the word proclaimed. Christians who focus mostly on virtual sermons isolate themselves from the very people whom God has ordained to be their immediate family of faith. God has placed us together as a congregation for a purpose: to function as a family—that means encouraging and, at times, correcting each other, in love as happens in every healthy family. A virtual pastor and a virtual congregation—no matter how good—can never care for you like the real thing. As you listen to the sermon in your local congregation, be aware of others who are there. How might you care for them? How might they care for you?

5. Be there week by week  
Ash reminds us, ‘The Bible is not designed to give me a series of instant fixes. It is God’s instrument to shape and mould my mind and character into the likeness of Christ. And that takes time…So we need, not a random series of sermon fixes, but to sit together regularly, week by week, under the systematically preached word of God.’ After the service, ask yourself how the morning Bible passage should shape your heart and ask others how it should shape our church.

6. Do what the Bible says  
Don’t just hear the word, the Bible says, but also do what it teaches. Otherwise, we deceive ourselves into thinking we are someone we are not (James 1.22). Ash writes, ‘The purpose of sermons is to change us into Christlike people. What do you need to do to obey God? Pray that God would give you the obedience to follow His word, especially when it will require you to stretch, grow, and mature in your faith in Christ.

7. Do what the Bible says today—and rejoice!  
‘Every time we hear the word of God preached, we must respond today,’ says Ash. ‘It is not that we become Christians again day by day, that is not necessary. As James put it, the word of God has already been implanted and has taken root in our hearts; and yet we still need to receive it humbly and urgently day by day’ (James 1.21). Ash says, ‘Ask yourself how the preached passage shows you an attitude, or words, or actions that need to change…Then change, urgently, praying for grace to enable you to repent.’

Monday, June 30, 2008

What is Justification?

Have you ever heard a Christian mention the word 'justification' and wondered, in the context of the Christian faith, what was meant? Here is an excellent article on this all-important topic. Very thorough. But stick with it, it's worth reading to the end!

Getting in Christ's Way

Michael Horton, as host of the radio talk-show The White Horse Inn, has been dissecting Christless Christianity with his like-minded Reformed friends. Read his article of the same name here. His basic contentention is that in the post-modern era, Christians are tempted either to be like the Sadducees and prioritize the inside (reason, feelings, and imagination) over the outside (doctrine, historical facts, and the Bible) or to be like the Pharisees and prioritize the outside (law and the standard of righteousness established by the law) but in a smug, self-satisfying way.

Here's a quote from Horton on one way post-modern Christians distort the gospel:

Another way we distort the proclamation of Christ in the "Pharasaic" mode is by what has sometimes been called "the assumed gospel." This is often the first stage of taking our eyes off of Christ. Even where Christ is regarded as the answer to God's just wrath, this emphasis is regarded as a point that can be left behind in the Christian life. The idea is that people "get saved" and then "become disciples." The gospel for sinners is Christ's death and resurrection; the gospel for disciples, however, is, "Get busy!" But this assumes that disciples are not sinners, too. There is not a single biblical verse that calls us to "live the gospel." By definition, the gospel is not something that we can live. It is only something that we can hear and receive. It is good news, not good advice. The good news is that, "But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the Law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe," since sinners "are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, received through faith" (Rom. 3:21-25).

Christless Christianity

Since January, Michael Horton, who teaches apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster Seminary California, has been hosting a fascinating series with his Reformed-minded friends on the radio talk-show, The White Horse Inn. The series, Christless Christianity, ranges over a great deal of terrain--including the bizarre phenomenon of Crossless Christianity, the even more bizarre phenomenon of Joel Osteen, and the problem of entertainment in the worship service, among other things. It's a great series that sheds light on some murky issues with bright wit and the sobering analysis of Reformed thinking.

In his letter to a number of early churches, Jude mentioned how some people within the church were pushing Christ to one side. Apparently, our Lord was standing in the way of their ability to indulge their own desires. 'For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ' (Jude 4). The interlopers regarded Christ as a spoil-sport, who had taken up far too much of their precious time. He needed to go and the sooner the better. Some scholars date the letter of Jude to around A.D 65 to 67. So, within approximately three decades, the church that Christ founded was already experiencing ambivalence about his significance. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Jesus Christ is God

When it comes to the matter of the deity of Jesus Christ most people who are unfamiliar with the Bible think there is no evidence indicating that Jesus Christ was God; nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is we have an embarrassment of riches in the form of sound textual evidence. Let’s consider the evidence from Scripture.

(a) The witness of others. The apostle Peter testifies to being an eyewitness to the majesty of Christ (2 Peter 1.16). This isn’t definitive but it is still highly suggestive. Another apostle, Matthew, equates Jesus with God when he reports Jesus as having said, ‘baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit’ (Matthew 28.19). Three persons are mentioned but only one name. That is, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all share the same name. The apostle John declares that the Word (Jesus) is God (John 1.1) and the apostle Thomas, when he sees the Risen Christ, declares, ‘My Lord and my God!’ (John 20.28). Then there is Paul who didn’t know Jesus while he lived but who received special revelation from Jesus after the resurrection. The Risen Christ visited Paul directly (Galatians 1.11-12). Paul’s letters contain several wonderful attestations of the deity of Christ Jesus.

(b) The witness of the miracles. Jesus Christ performs many mighty deeds which attest to his deity. Who but God is able to perform miracles on the scale and variety of Jesus Christ? In fact, the Lord says that his deeds (miracles, signs and wonders) bear witness to who he is (that is, God). Who but God can heal the infirmed, give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, feed the multitudes, calm storms, walk on water, and raise the dead? The fact that the Lord performed all these mighty deeds tells us something about him that goes far beyond the idea that he was a great teacher or a prophet. His miracles and signs and wonders testify to his deity.

(c) The witness of Jesus Christ himself. The Lord says, ‘I and the Father are one’ (John 10.30). There isn’t a trace of subordination in his statement. In fact, he unequivocally claims oneness with God. Clearly, Jesus Christ was equating himself with God. But Christ Jesus goes one better by taking upon himself the name of God; he does so when he refers to himself as ‘I AM,’ the personal name of the Lord God Almighty. Jesus Christ is referring back to the theophany in Exodus, when God reveals himself to Moses on Mount Horeb. Moses asks God, “‘What is your name?’…God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3.13-14). In that episode, God discloses his name.

Now fast forward to the days of Jesus Christ, who says of himself, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ In saying ‘I am,’ Jesus was ascribing the name of God to himself. This was not an isolated incident.

On several other occasions, Jesus used the name of God to describe himself. He said, ‘I AM the light of the world’ (John 9.5), ‘I AM the good shepherd’ (John 10.14), ‘I AM the resurrection and the life’ (John 11.25), ‘I AM the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14.6), ‘I AM the true vine (John 15.1). He was bearing witness to his deity by applying the name of God, ‘I AM,’ to himself.

(d) The witness of God the Father. On two occasions, the Father bears witness to the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.

(i) At the baptism of Jesus, a voice from heaven declares that Jesus is the beloved son of God and states that God is well pleased with him (Matthew 3.17; Mark 1.11; Luke 3.22). In this way, the voice confirms that Christ is the Messianic king (Psalm 2.7).

(ii) At the Transfiguration, a voice from heaven declares the Jesus is the beloved son of God and charges those who are in earshot to listen to him (Matthew 17.5; Mark 9.7; Luke 9.35). Since Moses and Elijah are present at the moment and Peter is acting deferentially to all three of them, the voice from heaven makes the point of distinguishing Jesus as supreme over Moses and Elijah. ‘Listen to him’ rather than ‘listen to them.’ The glory of Christ shines forth from his clothes (Matthew , Mark, Luke ) and his face (Luke ). Of that moment, the author of Hebrews says, ‘He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature…’ (1.3) while the Apostle Paul says that, ‘the light of the knowledge of God (shines) in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4.6).

As I’ve said, when it comes to proof that Jesus Christ is God, the Bible provides an embarrassment of riches in the form of sound textual evidence.

Friday, June 06, 2008

The Christian Walk

How do you gain maturity in your walk of faith?

The answer is complex.

(1) The essential agent is God. God, the Holy Spirit, is at work in believers sanctifying them so that they are able to produce the fruit of the Spirit. God gives them a new nature, one whose emotions, intellect, and will are inclined towards joyful obedience to God.

(2) As a result of the new nature, Christians co-operate with the Holy Spirit in the work of sanctification. Only the Holy Spirit can sanctify believers; yet, they still have their part to play. Believers co-operate in various ways.

(i) We co-operate, by studying the Word of God. So, for instance, one of my favourite verses in the Pastoral Letters counsels the Christian: ‘Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything’ (2 Timothy 2.7, NASB). The Lord Jesus Christ will give understanding, through the Holy Spirit, to every believer who considers what Scripture (in this case written by Paul’s hand) says.

(ii) We also co-operate by doing good works. Our doing good works is inextricably connected with the hearing the Word. ‘All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped to do every good work’ (2 Timothy 3.16-17). Notice two things about this passage:

First, Christians respond to the new life they have been given by allowing Scripture to shape and define them. This is a period of preparation.

Next, they do good works.

The passage from Second Timothy suggests that there is a definite sequence to the formation of a person who has been regenerated. There are two parts to the sequence.

In part one, the believer is taught by Scripture, rebuked by Scripture, corrected by Scripture, and trained in righteousness by Scripture. The activities—teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training—denote a season of cultivation of the new life that God has planted.

Part two, now that the believer has been cultivated, he or she is equipped to do the good work that all Christians were made to do. God regenerates believers, basically, so that they can do good works and, thus, give glory to God, who created them. In fact, the Bible teaches that good works is a fairly accurate indicator of whether or not a person is genuinely regenerated (Matthew 3.8, 10; 7.16-20; 12.33; 21.43, James 2.20).

This does not mean that good works save; they do not. Only the grace of God saves (Ephesians 2.8-9). We play no part in the gracious act of salvation. But, once we are saved, we have a purpose that was prepared for us long ago: to do good works. (Ephesians 2.10).

Also, it would be misleading to say these parts (preparation and doing) are clearly perceived as separate and distinct to our conscious mind. New believers may desire to do good works, but it is crucial they know from the counsel of Scripture why they are doing those good works. So many Christian do good works expecting a pat on the back. This shows a wrong motivation. The correct motivation is to glorify God. Our satisfaction comes from doing his will.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Eight Characteristics of a True Believer

Are you a true believer? This question will either sound offensive to your ears or attractive. Even if it sounds attractive, you may still experience a sense of uneasiness. So, you may ask yourself, Am I chosen by God? Or am I only fooling myself? To help answer these soul-searching questions, here are words of wisdom from a master of faith, Christopher Love, an English Puritan. In one of his sermons, Love provided eight characteristics of a person whom God has effectually called (I've taken the liberty to paraphrase and modernize his points):

  1. The effectually called person loves the word of the Lord and the Christian who preached that word to him.

  2. The effectually called person has been delivered, by the power of the Holy Spirit, from a state of darkness and ignorance and given a measure of knowledge so that she is acquainted with the mysteries of God and Christ and knows her own sinfulness.

  3. The effectually called person no longer relies on himself and his own limited resources but clings to Jesus Christ and his infinite resources.

  4. The effectually called person has been enabled by the Holy Spirit to cry to God for salvation.

  5. The effectually called person utterly loathes and detests all the evil that he committed before he was made alive in Christ.

  6. The effectually called person obeys the commands of Jesus Christ because her spirit has been brought into a state of obedience by God.

  7. The effectually called person is ridiculed and hated by the world.

  8. The effectually called person makes every effort to walk in a way that is worthy of his calling.
It's worth remembering what Paul taught about this matter, 'For it is by grace that you were saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast' (Ephesians 2.8). In other words, to be effectually called does not mean we have worked really hard at pleasing God. On our own, no one has ever pleased Him. The root problem is our sinfulness. God effectually calls his children out of that state and grants them new life in his Son, Jesus Christ. The list comes from Sermon Three in A Treatise of Effectual Calling by Christopher Love (Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1998).

Friday, May 09, 2008

The Chief Aim of Humankind

When the English and Scottish reformers of the mid-1600s were composing the shorter version of material that would be used to teach new converts the basics of the Christian faith, they began by considering humankind. Specifically, the second generation of British reformers asked 'What is the chief end (or aim) of man?' (Yes, they used the archaic term 'man' to reference all-people). Today, we would probably phrase it differently: What is humankind's primary purpose? But the point is the same. Why are we here? What are we for?

They answered: 'The chief end (or aim) of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever' (Question 1, The Westminster Shorter Catechism). Being scrupulous readers of Scripture, they drew their answer from the deep well of God's holy word. They understood that our primary purpose was two-fold because Scripture said so.
  1. The Bible proclaimed the central importance in our lives of rendering glory to God: '...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God' (1 Corinthians 10.31b) and 'For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen' (Romans 11.36).
  2. It also taught that our highest purpose is to take great delight in God (Psalm 73.25-28).

When pondering one of the greatest questions of our existence, what is the purpose of life, the British reformers didn't look inwards, to themselves, or outwards, to the Church or human knowledge for the answer. They turned to a higher authority, Scripture. As the revealed word of God, Scripture was able to provide them with the knowledge of the chief aim of all humankind. It also is able to do the same for us.

It has become popular to wonder why on earth we humans are here. Some people say there is no purpose to human existence; we're simply products of the blind forces of nature. Others say we're a curse to the earth because we drain earth's most precious resources and lay waste to our environment and other species. The Bible says something far different. It says we were created for a great purpose. The men who composed The Westminster Standards learned the purpose as they carefully and thoughtfully and prayerfully studied Scripture. We can gain much wisdom from them who gained much wisdom from God's revealed word.