"Trading One Dramatic Resolution for 10,000 Little Ones"

Here is a helpful article, "Trading One Dramatic Resolution for 10,000 Little Ones," to read as you take some time to reflect on 2010 and think of changes you want to make in your life for 2011.

Reflecting on the Sermon: 12/26/10

Rod preached on Romans 8:28.  I really enjoyed the message, and I hope you take the time to listen to it if you missed it.  As he spoke about God causing all things to work together for the good of those that love God, he used a great illustration from Spurgeon.

Spurgeon said, that if you take a watch and open it you will see one gear turning counter-clockwise and another one turning clockwise (back in the day...now a days they are made differently I think).  At first glance the insides seem confusing.  But, the watch designer made it this way and it causes the hands on the face of the clock to turn clockwise.  This analogy reminds us that at times our life circumstances seem confusing, yet it is all designed by our God for our ultimate good.

Reflecting on the Sermon: 12/19/10

For our "out-of-towners," check out the sermon online if you get a chance during some of your down time...maybe when you wake up from your turkey induced coma on Christmas afternoon.  The sermon was from Romans 8:26-27 and dealt with prayer.  Rod focused on two points from these verses: 1. God only hears the prayers of his saints, 2. The Holy Spirit prays for Christians according to the will of God.  One good practical point he dealt with is the question, "If God is sovereign, why pray?".  The short version of the answer is 1. God commands it, and 2. God is sovereign over the ends and the means.  Listen to the sermon if you missed it to hear a more detailed answer.

The Infinte Ocean of Christ's Love

Here is an excerpt from Octavius Winslow that is sure to stir your heart with the love of Christ.  The whole thing is worth reading. I pray you will make time to meditate on Christ's great love as we celebrate his incarnation.

Beloved, nothing shall take the love of Christ from you,
or separate you from it. It does not ebb with the ebbing
of your feelings; it does not chill with the chill of your
affections; it does not change with the changing scenes
and circumstances of your life.

The love of Christ has depths we cannot sound,
heights we cannot explore, an infinite fulness and
freeness tiding over all the sins, infirmities, and
sorrows of its blessed and favored objects.

Seek to know this love of Christ, though it is so vast
that it 'passes knowledge.' Infinite though it is, you
may experience its reality, taste its sweetness, and be
influenced by its all commanding, all constraining power.

Reflecting on the Sermon: 12/12/10

Still in Romans 8...and I'm glad...there is so much good stuff here.  This week Rod covered verses 26-27.  He began by discussing the Holy Spirit and how God preserves those who belong to him.  Then he moved to discuss how the Holy Spirit groans for us when we do not know how to pray.  There are times in life when we are so confused we don't even know how to pray.  But, we can take heart knowing that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to God's will!  What a relief.  When I am perplexed and groaning in under a heavy load or trial, I can have peace knowing that the Spirit of God groans for me.  The third person of the Godhead interceding for me- amazing.

Reflecting on the Sermon: 12/5/10

Rod preached on Romans 8:19-25, focusing on how every true believer has the hope of glorification.  He focused a lot on how a true believer has tasted of the hope of glory and groans for more- yearns for glorification.  I thought he gave a real practical way for us to examine our own hearts to determine if we exhibit this evidence of groaning for heaven.  My life is anchored here (instead of in heaven), if I am often focusing my time, energy, and money to try and make life better for me here and now instead of seeking God's kingdom.  This is a tangible way for me to examine my unseen heart.  I can look at my check book, how I spend my time, and what I think about most often and get a feel for where I am anchoring my life.  Man, that is a challenging test and reminds me that I often yearn too much for temporal happiness instead of eternal things.  God, loosen our grip on this world and cause us to cling to the hope we have in you.

Perseverance: Objections to The Doctrine Part 2

Last time, I began discussing objections to the doctrine.  Today we will begin looking at a second objection.

Objection 2: It Seems to Contradict Scripture

Another set of questions/objections comes from various passages of Scripture which seem to, on the face of it, contradict this doctrine.  These can be divided into two types of passages: 1. Calls to continue in the faith, 2. Cases of apostasy.  Today we will just look at one. 

1. Calls to Continue in the Faith

First, are passages which exhort believers to continue in the faith.  This includes passages such as Matthew 10:22b, which says, "But the one who endures to the end will be saved" and John 8:31b, which says, "'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.'"  In Colossians 1:22-23 Paul says,

he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.

Do these passages mean that God might not keep those who belong to Him until the end?  Does it mean that a true Christian might fail to endure and thus lose his or her salvation?  The answer is a resounding "No!"  For starters, "[i]t is only natural that Paul and the other New Testament writers would speak this way, for they are addressing groups of people who profess to be Christians, without being able to know the actual state of every person's heart" (Grudem, 793).

Second, these passages simply look at the doctrine from the human side of the equation; the side where we see that all true Christians must persevere in the faith.  They place the emphasis on our calling to persevere (just as other passages place the focus on God preserving us).

Finally, we are reminded that God uses means in accomplishing his stated ends.  In this case, the end is that all true Christians will be kept to the end.  The means by which God preserves a believer includes "the exhortations, threatenings, and promises of his word" (Hoekema, 246). This should not seem to unusual for the Christian since we know God uses means in other areas.  For example, when God was going to bring judgment on Israel, he decided to use the Assyrians. He could have just supernaturally wiped them out or punished them.  Instead, he used the Assyrian army and king calling them the rod of his anger (Isaiah 10:5-7). In other words, they would be the instrument or means by which God would bring his ends (i.e. judgment).