Friday, January 30, 2009

Colson on Obama

In this article, Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship comments on President Obama's first few days in the presidency. It is very insightful and helpful in viewing our President from a biblical worldview. I recommend it. Stay strong in the Lord and God bless!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

01-18-09 Sermon Review

Divine Apologetics
John 5:31-47

There is a field of study in Christianity called Apologetics. You might have heard of it. It is not a study of how to say sorry. The word comes form a Greek word that means defense. Apologetics is the study of the proofs and defense of Christianity. You don't have to be a Christian long to find out that Apologetics is absolutely necessary. When you're out sharing your faith, one of the most frequent questions you'll hear is, "How do you know?" Anyone making such a claim as the ones Christianity makes must be able to make his case and answer this recurring question adequately.

We find Jesus in the same situation. In the previous passage He has claimed equality with the Father. No one can make such a claim without any basis. Anticipating the demand from the Jews to prove His assertions, Jesus moves on to defend what He just said in verses 31 to 47. I am sure you'll be amazed at how Jesus defended His own claims to His divinity.

John the Baptist - Most people would point to a witness, a human witness, when making a claim, and so Jesus starts giving John as a witness. It would have been an adequate maneuver, but Jesus was not willing to rest His case on a man's testimony. Sure, John the Baptist was a prophet, but he was still human. If Jesus pointed to John as the basis for His divinity, John the Baptist becomes of higher authority than Jesus and humanity has authority over the deity. Therefore, Jesus explicitly states that He receives not the testimony of man. What a way to defend His divinity! What Jesus then follows up with is even more amazing.

Jesus' Works - What can be greater than a human eye witness? In the court of law, nothing holds more weight than an eye-witness testimony. Yet Jesus claimed that there is a witness greater than the witness of John, and that is the witness of the signs that Jesus did Himself (vs. 36). This is an interesting witness to the claims He made. He was ultimately claiming that He is the Messiah because He is the Messiah! He does what the Messiah is supposed to do. The greatest sign that He will show to prove His deity and Messiahship is the resurrection. He lays down His life and takes it up again. Who can do this? No one but God can. Jesus is God because He does what only God can do. His actions, His power, His words, they all proclaim that He is the Son of God.

The Father's Declaration - Next, Jesus points to the witness of the Father: "And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me"(vs. 37). There are two events recorded in Scripture where the Father makes an unmistakable declaration regarding the Son. First is Jesus' baptism, and the second is Jesus' transfiguration (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5). Both testify to the deity of Jesus. God calls Jesus His Son and gives the logical response due Him in the form of a command in the transfiguration declaration, "Listen to Him." This does not simply mean to hear Him, but stresses that we obey Him.

The Scripture's Testimony - Lastly, Jesus points to the Scripture. This is another amazing claim in and of itself. Jesus states, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me" (vs. 39). Jesus claimed He was this author of life, and the Scriptures are there to support His claim. The Scriptures, the guide to eternal life points only to the author of life. What an amazing statement. The Scripture gives life by pointing to Jesus Christ. But how does this prove that Jesus is indeed divine? If the scribes could only see, they would see that Jesus, because He is the Messiah, is the only one who fits the picture of the Messiah given in the Scriptures. But they missed that. They missed it big time. The author of life stood before them, and it could not have been any clearer. Yet they missed it.

Here is what's interesting about Jesus' defense of His deity: He only points to that which is of divine origin to prove His deity. And that is fitting, for there is no higher authority to point to. If He indeed is divine, but trusted in any other authority to testify to His deity, He would no longer be the self-existent, sovereign Lord of the universe that He claims to be. No one talks like Jesus. No one. If you boil down His argument, He is simply stating, "I am God because I am. God says I am, God's Word says I am, I say that I am, and I am." Discussion ends. No one talks like Jesus. The Jews were right if Jesus was only a man; He deserved to die. But He surely was and is the Son of God, Savior and Lord of all, and the Jews should have bowed down to worship. Are you amazed at Jesus' defense? Then bow down to worship. Listen to Him. That is the only logical response. Stay strong in the Lord and God bless!

Monday, January 26, 2009

A Monument to Your Foolishness

Luke 14:28-30

"For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'"

Discipleship is not to be taken lightly. Christian life is not to be taken lightly. There have been many who have not counted the cost of discipleship and received Christ easily. Their easy reception of Christ is not something to be praised because their later behavior proves that the faith that they built was nothing more than foolish. Their complaining and grumbling towards the Lordship of Christ stands as a monument to their foolishness deserving of rebuke. Christ demands everything. Christ demands your entire submission. Do not say later that this was not part of the deal. As you truly count the cost of discipleship, I pray you see that Christ is really worth it. There has never been a better deal: Christ gets all of me, and I get all of Christ. Stay strong and God bless!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

01-11-09 Sermon Review

Resurrection, Judgment, and the Glory of Christ
John 5:19-30

There not many things in Scripture that are more certain than the resurrection and judgment in the last days. Paul so authoritatively writes, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Yet, there are many today, even in evangelical circles, who are willing to say that the certainty of judgment cannot be maintained because Scripture speaks of a God who loves all people. I can understand why people do not like to preach on the matter; it doesn't make you popular. But it amazes me that there are “Christians” who downplay such an important doctrine of Scripture for the sake of popularity. They regard it as a dispensable teaching. Today, I would like not only to show you the certainty of the resurrection and judgment through the text, but also its importance and beauty.

But before I do, let's talk about the incredible assertions Christ made in conjunction with the resurrection and the judgment. There are at least two amazing statements Jesus says of Himself in relation to the Father.

Jesus is equal with God – Jesus had just offended the Jews by calling God Father. But His “outrageous” statements do not end. He does not intend to apologize for a possible misunderstanding. Actually, He argues even more strongly for His equality with the Father. Jesus claimed 1) that He was equal in His person. He was the same nature as God. Unlike us who are children of God by calling, Christ is the Son of God by nature. Not only this, but Jesus also claimed 2) that He was equal in power. In verse 21, Jesus makes the assertion that He is able to give life as life is in the Father! What a claim to His omnipotence. Jesus goes further by claiming 3) that He is equal in His sovereignty. In the same verse, Jesus claims He gives life to whomever He wishes. Jesus has the sovereign choice to give life or to take life. Lastly, and this is where I am just struck by Christ's boldness, Jesus claims 4) that He is equal in honor. How dare He say that if He is just a man? God does not and will not share His glory with another. Yet, here is Jesus saying, “I will receive the same honor as my Father God.”

Jesus is in perfect unity with God – Not only does Jesus enjoy equality with God, He experiences intimacy with God in His unity with the Father. In verse 30, Jesus claims, “I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” His will is perfectly in line with the Father. He also states, “for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner” (v. 19). This extraordinary unity between Father and Son is explained by the deep love that exists between them. Jesus says, “For the Father loves the Son, and shows shim all things that He Himself is doing” (v. 20). The Father and the Son experiences perfect unity through their perfect love for one another. Jesus was not only saying that He was equal with God, but also that He had a relationship with God that the Jews could not even conceive of. He was that extraordinary of a man.

Now why did I spend the whole sermon talking about Jesus' claims to deity when this sermon is about resurrection and judgment? After saying all this about Himself, He says, “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (vs. 28-29). Why does He say this? Here is my thesis from the text: Ultimately, the resurrection and judgment is a display of the glory of Christ through the manifestation of His unity with the Father for the joy of His people. The Father giving over the judgment to the Son was a manifestation of His love for His Son. So what do we do when we take the resurrection and judgment lightly? We take Christ's glory lightly. We make the Trinitarian love and unity so beautifully expressed into nothing, as if throwing a Picasso into the trash not knowing its value.

Christian, the resurrection and judgment is not a pretty topic, but it is a necessary topic. The Father has ordained it to be a means by which we will marvel at His glory. So then Christian, marvel. Eagerly wait for this glorious event. And until that day, may He sustain you and keep you blameless. Stay strong in the Lord and God bless!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Blessed be the Name of the Lord

Job 1:20, 21

"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head..."

I had one of these moments last week (well, not quite like Job's). I lost my friend's guitar (which I later found); I killed the engine in my car; I got sick; and I got my wallet stolen. And you know what? It's tough. It sucks. Suffering is meant to be painful. Belief in a sovereign and good God does not take away the pain in suffering. Job was not smiling through his suffering. But belief in a sovereign and good God leads us to worship through our suffering. I'm glad the verse does not end with Job's grief. Here is how it ends:

"... and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.'"

Joy in worship is the goal, not removal of pain. Don't forget that through your suffering.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Hungry for the Christ in 2009

1 Peter 2:1-3

"Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord."

We have been doing a two-part series about Christ in 2009(Hoping for Christ in 2009 and Proclaiming Christ in 2009, reviews forthcoming). If I had another week, I would preach this one. Will we be hungry for Christ in 2009? Or will we be hungry for all malice, deceit, hyposcrisy, etc. Here are some quick bullet points of my thoughts on this passage: 1) You start with an understanding of the grace you've received (consider that the verse begins "Therefore". 2) You put aside the former lusts which were yours in ignorance. 3) You fill yourself up with the knowledge of Christ in God's Word. 3) You do it to taste more of Christ. Many of you have made resolutions to read more of Scripture this year. That is a great resolution. We ought to be in the Word more often. But do it to taste more of Christ. Do not make it legalism. fight the worldly lusts and devote yourself to the Word because you have tasted Christ and are hungry for more of Him. May the Lord bless you in your time in the Word. Stay strong in the Lord and God bless!