Thursday, July 28, 2011

Reflecting on the Sermon: 7/24/11

Another week in Romans 10:9-10 and it was great.  Rod taught on regeneration.  Regeneration is "the divine impartation of spiritual life to an otherwise dead sinner that results in repentance and faith."  If we are going to "believe with our heart" then God must give us new life, a new heart.  We spent some time in John chapter three looking at regeneration- being born again.  There are "no steps to being born again."  It isn't something we can manufacture.  The Spirit of God does the work, and He "blows where he wills." 

Just like the wind, I can't predict where it will blow, but I can see the effects of it.  I can see that the wind has come through.  Rod concluded by giving a few evidences of how you can know the wind (Spirit) has regenerated you or someone else (these all come from 1 John).

  1. You will practice righteousness
  2. You will love other Christians
  3. You will love God
  4. You will believe Jesus is the Christ
  5. You will overcome the world
Good stuff to reflect on.  The question isn't if you are perfect.  It is "have you been regenerated?"

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Questionbox: What Does "Good" Mean in 1 Tim. 4:4?

Here is a question I received in the questionbox along with my answer.  If you have questions, about theology, apologetics, culture, or ethics just click on the questionbox link and submit them.


Question: I have a question regarding things that are "good."  I was reading 1 Timothy and I got to chapter 4 verse 4 where Paul says, "For everything created by God is good..." Can you expound on that for me?  We are sinners, and therefore evil from birth, so is that saying we are good only because we were created by God, going back to Genesis where it talks about man being very good when created?  Or is it speaking of just other creations by God that are good?  Also, some might use this passage to defend human goodness, how can we say that's not what it's saying here.  Thanks! 

Answer
[4:1] Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, [2] through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, [3] who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. [4] For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, [5] for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
(1 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV)

When seeking to understand a particular word, we always want to look at the context to see what the author is talking about.  Often, context is one of the major determining factors for how we know what the author meant.  In this case, Paul is discussing false teachers who “forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods…” (v. 3a).  So, these false teachers are saying things created by God as good should be avoided as evil.

Paul, contrary to the false teachers, says that these things were created by God, “to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (v. 3b).  He supports this statement in verse four, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”  So, every created thing is good because it was made by God.  In Genesis one, God declared all His creation “good” (which is what I think “the word of God” refers to in verse 5).  All creation is good.  This does not negate the truth that we can and do use these good things for sinful purposes, but the problem is in our sinful heart and fallen world and not the creation itself.  All these good things are affected by the fall, but that doesn’t mean they are inherently bad.

So, does this mean people are naturally good?  No.  First, that isn’t what Paul is talking about here.  Remember, in the context, we are talking about marriage, food, and other things God created for humans.  We are not discussing the nature of humanity (see Romans 3 or Ephesians 2 for Paul’s discussion of human nature).  Even if you include physical, human bodies as part of Paul’s description, we still aren’t saying that fallen humans are morally good.  We are simply affirming that all the created order is good and to be used for God’s glory.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

ESV Student Study Bible

If you don't own a study Bible, I recommend getting a good one.  I enjoy my ESV Study Bible.  The only downside is that it is HUGE (which is also good because that means it has tons of study notes, charts, helpful articles on theology, cults, ethics, etc.).  If you are still in the market for a good study Bible, you may want to check out the new ESV Student Study Bible.  As best I can tell it includes the same notes as the ESV Study Bible, but they have taken out some of the notes and articles to make it smaller (about 30% smaller).  They have added some additional things too (like 100 Bible character profiles).  Plus you get free access to the online version of the ESV Student Bible so you can use it from any computer with internet access.  You can get it for 40% off for a short time if you order it here (that makes it about $23).  Plus shipping is free right now.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Reflecting on the Sermon: 7/17/11

Rod was back and we were back in Romans!  I have been enjoying our time in Romans.  He spoke from 10:9-10 on the heart as key to conversion.  Salvation is not primarily an issue of the head (though it does involve understanding certain truths).  It is an issue of the heart (ie the "real" you, the center of your will, personality, desires, and intellect too).  So, salvation is more than just mental assent to facts about Jesus.  It is nothing less than the regeneration of the heart- new life.  A person can pray a prayer or make a "decision," but if they do not believe with their heart they are not truly converted.  How about you?  Have you just been content to have some changed thinking without a changed heart? 

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Pray for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani

Pray for Pastor Youcef.  He is an Iranian pastor who has recently been sentenced to death for evangelizing Muslims in Iran (he himself is an Iranian).  There are some reports saying the sentence may have been overturned, but he is being asked to recant his faith.  So, it is unclear what will happen if he refuses to renounce Christ.

Pray for this pastor and his family that the Lord might strengthen them and help them to remain firm in the faith. Also, ask that the Lord might spare his life and that some might come to know Christ as Lord by this man's testimony.

Here is a fuller article on the situation.

Update 7/14/11 from Voice of the Martyrs 

VOM's contacts are reporting a new development in the case of Youcef Nadarkhani. His lawyer has finally received the written ruling from the Supreme Court. According to one source, the Supreme Court has agreed with the death sentence verdict. However, the court "pointed out procedural flaws and is asking the lower court to re-examine the case."

The judges would like clarification as to whether Youcef was truly a Muslim prior to becoming a Christian. If Youcef is determined to have been a "true" Muslim, and he does not recant his Christian faith, the death sentence will stand.

There is no guarantee Youcef will not be executed before the court re-examines the case.

Please continue to pray.
 

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Reflecting on the Sermon: 7/10/11

I preached again on "Temptation and the Triumph of Christ" from Matthew 4:5-11.  I taught on the second and third temptation of Christ.  The second temptation is a pull towards living by sight instead of faith- attempting to test God to see if his words of promise are really true.  The third temptation was about a pull towards seeking the kingdom apart from the cross.  Examining these temptations, and seeing Christ's faithfulness in them encourages me.  Remember the concluding exhortation and encouragement:

Take heed- Satan will come against you, 
Take heart- Christ will come for you

Here are two quotes I mentioned in the sermon that have had a big impact on me.  Both are from Dr. Russel Moore.


“When our ultimate goal becomes security and protection, God becomes a means to that [end]. We ‘test’ him then, to see if he is able to serve as a means to our real god…As long as we see our way toward physical, emotional, financial, relational, or familial well-being, God is welcome. But when such things are threatened, we indict God with our grumbling, even when we carefully disguise this as ‘venting’ against our circumstances, not against God.  We assume that God’s love entails God’s visible protection right now. When that is absent, we grow distant and prayerless toward God. We put him to the test.”
 “Often we’re deceived into thinking self-exaltation isn’t a weak point for us because we don’t see ourselves clamoring for global power or celebrity. But kingdom and glory are always relative terms. The satanic powers don’t care what size kingdom you want or what quantity of glory is enough for you to bow the knee. They just want to see you worship something other than God to get what you want. …For some people, the self-exaltation impulse means fantasizing in the mirror about being a world-renowned musician. Others, though, seek the same kind of renown, just limited to the world of air-conditioning repair in West Chester, Ohio. Some people want to be billionaires with villas in the south of France. Others just want their neighbors to envy them because their marriage is intact… The issue isn’t the size of the kingdom; it’s what you will do to get it.”

Friday, July 8, 2011

Do Christians Have to Go to Church?

As you know, I really think the doctrine of the church is under attack in our day and age.  Here is a helpful, succinct video to help us think biblically about this issue.  


Do Christians have to join a church? from Crossway on Vimeo.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Reflecting on the Sermon: 7/3/11

I preached this Sunday from Matthew 4:1-4 on Temptation and the Triumph of Christ (Lord willing I will preach again this Sunday from verses 5-11).  Preparing for this was good for my own soul.  A lot of things the Lord taught me.  At the end, I said we should battle temptation by feasting on gospel truths.  Here were the four I pointed out:

  1. You are not a slave to your desires anymore, no matter how strong your urges are, if you are a Christian
  2. God is your loving Father who provides all you need, when you need it.
  3. Jesus endured temptation, died and rose again so that he could be your faithful high priest.
  4. Your desires are strong, but in Christ, they are being transformed into the God-honoring desires they were originally designed to be.
And remember,   “Temptation is so strong in our lives precisely because it is not about us.  Temptation is an assault by the demonic powers on the rival empire of the Messiah. That’s why conversion to Christ doesn’t diminish the power of temptation- as we often assume,- but actually, counterintuitively, ratchets it up.” (Russell Moore, Tempted and Tried, 21).

Friday, July 1, 2011

What's the Big Deal with Baptism?

Here is another guest blog entry I did for Doug's blog (www.teachthemdiligently.blogspot.com- a blog for the parents at Grace Church) on the Heidelberg Catechism.

Did you ever wonder why Jesus made a big deal out of baptism by including it in the great commission? The main command in that passage is to "make disciples." So, why not just include the command to baptize these new disciples in one of the pastoral epistles (not to say that the commands in these epistles are less important; my point is just that Jesus, in his final instructions to his disciples, seems to draw special attention to the importance of baptism). It is because baptism serves the cause of the gospel and of making disciples in a vital way.

It is so important because it marks a person as a follower of Jesus. It visibly portrays the inward realities of the gospel that a believer partakes in when he or she becomes a disciple. The waters of baptism remind the believer, and testify to the non-believer, that salvation is by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It pictures the reality that the believer is united with Christ in his death and resurrection and that his or her sins have been washed away.

Sometimes we can downplay the importance of baptism because we fear of sounding like we are saying you must do something to be right with God. But the reality is, Jesus saw baptism as a vitally important work in gospel ministry and we should too. It doesn't get us favor with God, but it vividly portrays the work Christ did to earn us favor with God. Therefore, we must not fail to emphasize it's importance.

I hope you see baptism as important for your ministry to your children. Tell them why it is important and what it represents. Take them to baptismal services at Grace Church and talk about it with them afterwards. If you have questions about baptism, check out the booklet, in the church foyer, on "Baptism and Communion" which addresses issues like, "How old must a person be for baptism?".

Lord’s Day 26

69. Q. HOW DOES BAPTISM REMIND YOU AND ASSURE YOU THAT CHRIST’S ONE SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS IS FOR YOU PERSONALLY?
A. In this way: Christ instituted this outward washing and with it gave the promise that, as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so certainly His blood and His Spirit wash away my soul’s impurity, in other words, all my sins.

70. Q. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WASHED WITH CHRIST’S BLOOD AND SPIRIT?
A. To be washed with Christ’s blood means that God, by grace, has forgiven my sins because of Christ’s blood poured out for me in His sacrifice on the cross. To be washed with Christ’s Spirit means that the Holy Spirit has renewed me and set me apart to be a member of Christ so that more and more I become dead to sin and increasingly live a holy and blameless life.

71. Q. WHERE DOES CHRIST PROMISE THAT WE ARE WASHED WITH HIS BLOOD AND SPIRIT AS SURELY AS WE ARE WASHED WITH THE WATER OF BAPTISM?
A. In the institution of baptism where He says: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” This promise is repeated when Scripture calls baptism the washing of rebirth and the washing away of sins.