Jeremiah 22:30
"Thus says the Lord, 'Write this man down childless, a man who will not prosper in his days; for no man of his descendants will prosper sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah."
Coniah (also known as Jehoiachin) is the second to last king to sit on the throne of Judah. The legal right to become king comes through his line (the last king was a puppet king set up by the Babylonians). Yet, God says that none of Coniah's descendants will sit on the throne of David or rule in Judah. This posits a problems for the future Messiah, because He needs to have both the legal right as well as the blood of the royal line to be able to claim the throne. If He is born through Coniah's line, then He would contradict God's word against Coniah. If He is born outside of Coniah's line, he would not have the legal right to the throne. How is this problem solved? In the virgin birth of Christ. Jesus is born through Mary who is a descendant of David through his son Nathan (not Solomon) and therefore is born in the kingly line. But how does Jesus get the legal rights? Joseph is a descendant of Coniah and therefore carries the legal rights. Jesus being Joseph's adopted son receives the rights to the throne. In this way, God sovereignly keeps His word that none of Coniah's descendants will sit on the throne while allowing the Messiah alone to be uniquely allowed to rule Judah as the legal heir to the throne. This should amaze us. God keeps His word and His wisdom surpasses our understanding. To God be the glory!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
He Saves Us from Sin
Matthew 1:21
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
It cannot be stressed enough that Christ came to save us from sin, not only the penalty of sin. This requires us to realize that our problem is not just the wrath of God that burns justly against us but also our total inability to do that which is pleasing in God's sight. We are slaves to sin and we obey its demands so willingly. We are of the flesh, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But now, because we continue in His word, the truth has set us free (John 8:32)! Once we were slaves of sin, but now slaves of God (Romans 6:22)! Christ saves sinners that we may live in righteousness and please God forever. I pray your understanding of "being saved" grows deeper each day. God bless!
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
It cannot be stressed enough that Christ came to save us from sin, not only the penalty of sin. This requires us to realize that our problem is not just the wrath of God that burns justly against us but also our total inability to do that which is pleasing in God's sight. We are slaves to sin and we obey its demands so willingly. We are of the flesh, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But now, because we continue in His word, the truth has set us free (John 8:32)! Once we were slaves of sin, but now slaves of God (Romans 6:22)! Christ saves sinners that we may live in righteousness and please God forever. I pray your understanding of "being saved" grows deeper each day. God bless!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Failed Gospel Tract
Found this on The Contemporary Calvinist. Thought it was hilarious as well as insightful. God bless!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Before...
Jeremiah 1:5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."
It is amazing to me that God chose Jeremiah to be His prophet even before Jeremiah was formed in the womb. Jeremiah did not have a say in what his duty in life will be just as he could not choose who his parents will be. It points out one very important truth: our lives are not ours; they are God's. It shows that the God is indeed Lord and sovereign over our lives. This should be a liberating truth. Consider that there is no Lord like our God. Let us not grumble at the lot the Lord has allotted us but rather rejoice knowing that we have a perfectly good, gracious Lord.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."
It is amazing to me that God chose Jeremiah to be His prophet even before Jeremiah was formed in the womb. Jeremiah did not have a say in what his duty in life will be just as he could not choose who his parents will be. It points out one very important truth: our lives are not ours; they are God's. It shows that the God is indeed Lord and sovereign over our lives. This should be a liberating truth. Consider that there is no Lord like our God. Let us not grumble at the lot the Lord has allotted us but rather rejoice knowing that we have a perfectly good, gracious Lord.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
That's My King
A video fitting for this Passion week.
Visuals set to the audio of the famous sermon "Seven Way King" (aka That's My King) as spoken by Dr. S.M. Lockridge. The audio is slightly edited for a better flow in the video.
The music in the background was performed live by the GCC band while the video played on the screens. It then led directly into the worship song "Here is Our King" (To see the performance in it's entirety go here: gccwired.com/mediaplayer/playeropener.as p?id=478 )
Created entirely using After Effects with footage from the movie "The Passion of the Christ". The video took 30 hours to create plus around 6 hours of rendering. The final After Effects project file totaled well over 600 layers.
Monday, April 6, 2009
His Life Our Ransom
Mark 10:45
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
This week is the week we remember the Passion of Jesus Christ, the last days before His crucifixion and resurrection. I believe it is a good tradition. It helps us to reflect upon the suffering of Jesus Christ, but if we forget the purpose of His suffering, we missed it all. This Passion Week, I pray you will consider the reality that Jesus Christ suffered as our ransom. He was the purchase for our freedom. He did not suffer only to set a moral example; He suffered to free us from our bondage to sin and bring us into the Kingdom of God. Let us, unworthy as we are, rejoice in the suffering of Christ this week. Stay strong and God bless!
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
This week is the week we remember the Passion of Jesus Christ, the last days before His crucifixion and resurrection. I believe it is a good tradition. It helps us to reflect upon the suffering of Jesus Christ, but if we forget the purpose of His suffering, we missed it all. This Passion Week, I pray you will consider the reality that Jesus Christ suffered as our ransom. He was the purchase for our freedom. He did not suffer only to set a moral example; He suffered to free us from our bondage to sin and bring us into the Kingdom of God. Let us, unworthy as we are, rejoice in the suffering of Christ this week. Stay strong and God bless!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
02-15-09 Sermon Review
Bread of Life
John 6:28-59
Difficult teachings are not usually hard to understand; they are hard to accept. That is what we find in this next episode in the Gospel of John. We come across another "I am" statement that reveals Christ's claim to deity portraying Christ as the author of life. Many will depart from Christ because this teaching is hard to accept. Yet, Christ does not bend on this issue, teaching doctrines that will tickle the ears of His hearers. He speaks even clearer and without compromise.
The Comparison - When Jesus was demanded by the crowd to give them manna as Moses did, Jesus boldly claims that He is the bread of life. This is no insignificant statement. In those days (and even today), bread meant daily sustenance. You could not live without bread; it was the major staple food. He was comparing Himself to the food which the people had as their only means of sustenance. With such a comparison, He was stating that He was the One who sustains life. Jesus makes that very clear to them. He did not speak it in riddles. He is the Author and Sustainer of life, and apart from Him one cannot live. Not only that, but Jesus was also drawing a comparison between the manna that God provided with Himself. He was essentially pointing to His divine origin.
The Conflict - Jesus' message had not changed from the time he had met with Nicodemus or the Samaritan women, but unlike them, the crowd in this instance started grumbling amongst each other. The real issue is not the message. The issue is the unbelieving heart. Normally, one would think that clarity will distill conflict, but that is not what happens here. Jesus clarifies His statements by making yet another grand statement, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day" (v. 44). Jesus goes even farther by saying, "the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh" (v. 51). This causes the people to start arguing once again. Jesus giving His flesh was a clear illustration of His sacrifice for the atonement of His people. This would have now been the second year of Jesus' teaching ministry and the allusions to the cross must have been many let alone all the prophecies of the the Jews' holy book. Yet, those who were there could not connect the dots. In the conflict between what you understand and your unbelieving heart, your unbelieving heart will always win unless you overcome by faith.
The Conclusion - Twice already did the crowd start to grumble; yet, a third time Jesus patiently teaches them. The teaching becomes now even clearer as Jesus with lucidity says, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (v. 56). So the message is clear: the imagery of the flesh and blood are highlighting the importance of abiding in Christ. Once again this shows that Christ is the only source of eternal life and there is no other source of life to be found. The Father has sent Jesus for this very purpose, to be the life of all those who come to Jesus and appropriate Him by faith. All the teaching so far has been to answer the very question that the Jews asked in the first place, "What shall we do that, so that we may do the works of God?" (v. 28) Jesus' reply was, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (v. 29). Even amidst the confusion among the people, Jesus never changed His message. Jesus sat patiently with them answering their unbelieving hearts over and over again. Yet, once again we do not see in the words of John any hint that the crowd of Jews got the point, repented, and believed in Jesus. Here is what is amazing to me, even the teaching of Christ, even the message spoken by Christ Himself did not cause everyone to believe in Him. No methods nor schemes can guarantee "results." It is only as when the Father draws men to Jesus that hearts will believe in Him. The power of the unbelieving heart only God can overcome. Our job is to faithfully preach the Gospel message as Jesus did.
Jesus' teaching that He is the bread of life is not hard to understand; it is hard to swallow. Just as Jesus was met with stiff resistance from the unbelieving, we also will have to deal with such people. Remember then that just as Jesus was patient with them, unwavering in His commitment to the Father, so also must we hold steadfast to the One who calls us by grace. We need to stand upon the Word of God and pray that God draws men to Himself. Jesus is the bread of life. Let's preach that. Stay strong in the Lord and God bless!
John 6:28-59
Difficult teachings are not usually hard to understand; they are hard to accept. That is what we find in this next episode in the Gospel of John. We come across another "I am" statement that reveals Christ's claim to deity portraying Christ as the author of life. Many will depart from Christ because this teaching is hard to accept. Yet, Christ does not bend on this issue, teaching doctrines that will tickle the ears of His hearers. He speaks even clearer and without compromise.
The Comparison - When Jesus was demanded by the crowd to give them manna as Moses did, Jesus boldly claims that He is the bread of life. This is no insignificant statement. In those days (and even today), bread meant daily sustenance. You could not live without bread; it was the major staple food. He was comparing Himself to the food which the people had as their only means of sustenance. With such a comparison, He was stating that He was the One who sustains life. Jesus makes that very clear to them. He did not speak it in riddles. He is the Author and Sustainer of life, and apart from Him one cannot live. Not only that, but Jesus was also drawing a comparison between the manna that God provided with Himself. He was essentially pointing to His divine origin.
The Conflict - Jesus' message had not changed from the time he had met with Nicodemus or the Samaritan women, but unlike them, the crowd in this instance started grumbling amongst each other. The real issue is not the message. The issue is the unbelieving heart. Normally, one would think that clarity will distill conflict, but that is not what happens here. Jesus clarifies His statements by making yet another grand statement, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day" (v. 44). Jesus goes even farther by saying, "the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh" (v. 51). This causes the people to start arguing once again. Jesus giving His flesh was a clear illustration of His sacrifice for the atonement of His people. This would have now been the second year of Jesus' teaching ministry and the allusions to the cross must have been many let alone all the prophecies of the the Jews' holy book. Yet, those who were there could not connect the dots. In the conflict between what you understand and your unbelieving heart, your unbelieving heart will always win unless you overcome by faith.
The Conclusion - Twice already did the crowd start to grumble; yet, a third time Jesus patiently teaches them. The teaching becomes now even clearer as Jesus with lucidity says, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (v. 56). So the message is clear: the imagery of the flesh and blood are highlighting the importance of abiding in Christ. Once again this shows that Christ is the only source of eternal life and there is no other source of life to be found. The Father has sent Jesus for this very purpose, to be the life of all those who come to Jesus and appropriate Him by faith. All the teaching so far has been to answer the very question that the Jews asked in the first place, "What shall we do that, so that we may do the works of God?" (v. 28) Jesus' reply was, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (v. 29). Even amidst the confusion among the people, Jesus never changed His message. Jesus sat patiently with them answering their unbelieving hearts over and over again. Yet, once again we do not see in the words of John any hint that the crowd of Jews got the point, repented, and believed in Jesus. Here is what is amazing to me, even the teaching of Christ, even the message spoken by Christ Himself did not cause everyone to believe in Him. No methods nor schemes can guarantee "results." It is only as when the Father draws men to Jesus that hearts will believe in Him. The power of the unbelieving heart only God can overcome. Our job is to faithfully preach the Gospel message as Jesus did.
Jesus' teaching that He is the bread of life is not hard to understand; it is hard to swallow. Just as Jesus was met with stiff resistance from the unbelieving, we also will have to deal with such people. Remember then that just as Jesus was patient with them, unwavering in His commitment to the Father, so also must we hold steadfast to the One who calls us by grace. We need to stand upon the Word of God and pray that God draws men to Himself. Jesus is the bread of life. Let's preach that. Stay strong in the Lord and God bless!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
02-08-09 Sermon Review
Walking with Jesus
John 6:13-31
A while back, I remember a famous pop star coming out with a song called "Jesus Walk with Me" and so many Christians were extremely excited about it. I listened to the song and found it to have no Biblical grounding. It was simply a song that makes one "feel good" at the thought of someone being there with them. It takes sin and discipleship lightly. It is nothing like the biblical idea of walking with Jesus. The fact that many Christians find nothing wrong with such a song makes me think that many Christians simply do not understand what it means to walk with Jesus. I enjoy the Gospels because it shows us what it was like to really walk alongside Jesus. Our text for today will do just that.
The big question regarding this topic is not "Is Jesus walking with me?" The question is "Am I walking with Jesus?" Jesus is not a motivational speaker, a psychological crutch, or even a friend who believes you can do everything. He is the sovereign Lord, and walking with Him means we are following after Him. In the text for today, we will see that walking with Jesus meant that his disciples will be tested, confronted, and finally, demanded a response.
You will be tested. - The text starts off with something interesting: Jesus "compelled" his disciples to go on without him. What's interesting is that they are sent by themselves into the sea on Jesus' initiative. Not Satan's, not our own, but Christ's. By this time, the disciples would have already seen many signs and miracles pointing to the divinity of Christ. In fact, they had already seen Jesus calm the sea. So here was the test: Would the disciples trust in Christ and in His Sovereignty in the midst of a dangerous storm? They didn't. They were scared. Instead of crying out to the one who could save, they relied on their own strength. Yet Jesus did not abandon them. As you walk with Jesus, be sure to be tested by Him through carious trials. And indeed, you will fail many times. This is not to depress you, but rather to move you to put more trust in Jesus Christ. And there will be times where you pass, and it will be a time of great rejoicing. Please keep in mind that you are put under these trials so that your faith "may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:7).
You will be confronted. - Jesus does not take sin lightly. Jesus also does not take sinful motives lightly. Any sinful motive in following Jesus will be confronted by the master Himself. Any who follows Christ for some other goal rather than for Christ Himself is following Christ for the wrong reason. All of us will be confronted on this issue. When the crowds came to Jesus, they showed great zeal. They crossed over the sea to where Jesus was and even called Him by the respectful title "Rabbi." Yet, Jesus confronts them and brings out their true motive in following Him: full stomachs. They were not interested in the Messiah but the power to stop their phsyical hunger. Jesus does not even commend them. He clearly rebukes them. Why are you following after Jesus? Not all who desire to "walk with Jesus" will walk with Him. Only those who are ready to follow Him for who He is will walk with Him.
You will need to respond. - Jesus' rebuke ends with a exhortation. What a heart our Savior has for the lost! Rather than condemning them out right, He gives them yet another chance to repent and walk with Him rightly. He calls them to do works for "food that endures to eternal life." He does not say it's okay, He demands a response, a call to repentance. The crowd responds with a seemingly "godly" question: "What must we do to do the works of God." Jesus responds by telling them to belive in Him. You see, it all boils down to your response to the person of Christ, and you need to make a decision. We cannot take a middle position. Those who are not for Him are against Him (Matthew 12:30). The crowd then replies with another demand for signs. Rather than accepting what Christ demands, they wanted to push him until they received something that was palatable to them. Walking with Jesus is a matter of obedience to the Lordship of Christ. Jesus made it clear what His demands are. We need to respond with joyful obedience.
Walking with Jesus is not what our pop stars and media (and even some of our churches) make it out to be. It is a very serious matter, a matter of life and death. It is something that Christ takes seriously. All those who are walking with Him must remember that they will be tested, confronted, and demanded to follow His leadership. That is what walking with Jesus looks like. It is a life of discipleship that conforms us more and more into the image of Christ. It all starts with our trust in Him as the Lord of lords. Those who walk with Him have truly found it to be far greater than what the world offers. Will you ask yourselves today, "Am I walking with Jesus?" I pray that you already are. And I pray you are coming to love Him more and more as you are transformed into the image of the One who saved you with His death on the cross. Stay strong in the Lord and God bless!
John 6:13-31
A while back, I remember a famous pop star coming out with a song called "Jesus Walk with Me" and so many Christians were extremely excited about it. I listened to the song and found it to have no Biblical grounding. It was simply a song that makes one "feel good" at the thought of someone being there with them. It takes sin and discipleship lightly. It is nothing like the biblical idea of walking with Jesus. The fact that many Christians find nothing wrong with such a song makes me think that many Christians simply do not understand what it means to walk with Jesus. I enjoy the Gospels because it shows us what it was like to really walk alongside Jesus. Our text for today will do just that.
The big question regarding this topic is not "Is Jesus walking with me?" The question is "Am I walking with Jesus?" Jesus is not a motivational speaker, a psychological crutch, or even a friend who believes you can do everything. He is the sovereign Lord, and walking with Him means we are following after Him. In the text for today, we will see that walking with Jesus meant that his disciples will be tested, confronted, and finally, demanded a response.
You will be tested. - The text starts off with something interesting: Jesus "compelled" his disciples to go on without him. What's interesting is that they are sent by themselves into the sea on Jesus' initiative. Not Satan's, not our own, but Christ's. By this time, the disciples would have already seen many signs and miracles pointing to the divinity of Christ. In fact, they had already seen Jesus calm the sea. So here was the test: Would the disciples trust in Christ and in His Sovereignty in the midst of a dangerous storm? They didn't. They were scared. Instead of crying out to the one who could save, they relied on their own strength. Yet Jesus did not abandon them. As you walk with Jesus, be sure to be tested by Him through carious trials. And indeed, you will fail many times. This is not to depress you, but rather to move you to put more trust in Jesus Christ. And there will be times where you pass, and it will be a time of great rejoicing. Please keep in mind that you are put under these trials so that your faith "may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:7).
You will be confronted. - Jesus does not take sin lightly. Jesus also does not take sinful motives lightly. Any sinful motive in following Jesus will be confronted by the master Himself. Any who follows Christ for some other goal rather than for Christ Himself is following Christ for the wrong reason. All of us will be confronted on this issue. When the crowds came to Jesus, they showed great zeal. They crossed over the sea to where Jesus was and even called Him by the respectful title "Rabbi." Yet, Jesus confronts them and brings out their true motive in following Him: full stomachs. They were not interested in the Messiah but the power to stop their phsyical hunger. Jesus does not even commend them. He clearly rebukes them. Why are you following after Jesus? Not all who desire to "walk with Jesus" will walk with Him. Only those who are ready to follow Him for who He is will walk with Him.
You will need to respond. - Jesus' rebuke ends with a exhortation. What a heart our Savior has for the lost! Rather than condemning them out right, He gives them yet another chance to repent and walk with Him rightly. He calls them to do works for "food that endures to eternal life." He does not say it's okay, He demands a response, a call to repentance. The crowd responds with a seemingly "godly" question: "What must we do to do the works of God." Jesus responds by telling them to belive in Him. You see, it all boils down to your response to the person of Christ, and you need to make a decision. We cannot take a middle position. Those who are not for Him are against Him (Matthew 12:30). The crowd then replies with another demand for signs. Rather than accepting what Christ demands, they wanted to push him until they received something that was palatable to them. Walking with Jesus is a matter of obedience to the Lordship of Christ. Jesus made it clear what His demands are. We need to respond with joyful obedience.
Walking with Jesus is not what our pop stars and media (and even some of our churches) make it out to be. It is a very serious matter, a matter of life and death. It is something that Christ takes seriously. All those who are walking with Him must remember that they will be tested, confronted, and demanded to follow His leadership. That is what walking with Jesus looks like. It is a life of discipleship that conforms us more and more into the image of Christ. It all starts with our trust in Him as the Lord of lords. Those who walk with Him have truly found it to be far greater than what the world offers. Will you ask yourselves today, "Am I walking with Jesus?" I pray that you already are. And I pray you are coming to love Him more and more as you are transformed into the image of the One who saved you with His death on the cross. Stay strong in the Lord and God bless!
How our girls are growing up
An interesting, yet sad article on Newsweek about how girls are growing up. Here's an excerpt:
Yes, you will not find anything about girls growing up with Proverbs 31:30 as their motto. It is sad that boys are growing up with other standards than Proverbs 31:30 as well. Something to think about.
"Sounds extreme? Maybe. But this, my friends, is the new normal: a generation that primps and dyes and pulls and shapes, younger and with more vigor. Girls today are salon vets before they enter elementary school. Forget having mom trim your bangs, fourth graders are in the market for lush $50 haircuts; by the time they hit high school, $150 highlights are standard. Five-year-olds have spa days and pedicure parties. And instead of shaving their legs the old-fashioned way—with a 99-cent drugstore razor—teens get laser hair removal, the most common cosmetic procedure of that age group. If these trends continue, by the time your tween hits the Botox years, she'll have spent thousands on the beauty treatments once reserved for the "Beverly Hills, 90210" set, not junior highs in Madison, Wis."
Yes, you will not find anything about girls growing up with Proverbs 31:30 as their motto. It is sad that boys are growing up with other standards than Proverbs 31:30 as well. Something to think about.
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