The last few weeks have been somewhat trying as the Lord has seen fit to allow our eldest daughter, Elisha, to continue on with the chronic cough that has been plaguing her (us) for the last 2 1/2 years. I honestly can't remember the last night we've been able to sleep without being up multiple times attending to her attacks.
Alongside her attacks, I have felt many other attacks of late, but from a more insidious source. Last week, during a time of prayer, a great & evil heaviness almost overwhelmed me, and would have, had not the the Lord enabled me to fight back with Psalm 3. Again, during prayer time yesterday, thoughts of atheism begin to creep in, as the tempter began administer his miserable & flaming darts. And yet again, in God's grace, the accuser of the brethren did not prevail.
Here are some strategic warfare lessons that I feel the LORD taught me in this most recent ordeal:
1. I desperately need others to be holding me up in prayer. As is often the case when I am being bombarded by the evil one, a brother "out of the blue" emailed me to encourage me that he was praying for me, especially as he sensed the evil one attacking me. A faithful wife who prays often for me is a great asset as well: how encouraging were Christina's texts yesterday, reminding me that I was in her prayers. God is so gracious to me! Don't be afraid to ask others to pray for you. Nothing could be more proud, and thus a great portal of entry for the evil one, than thinking you can do this on your own! Also, if the Lord lays someone on your heart to pray for, for cryin' out loud email them or text them or call them to let them know. What a blessing it is to know that God loves us enough to put us on the hearts of other people!
2. Obedience to the LORD's commands & great commission is a great way to get one's mind off of the doubts. They are a great "re-focuser". Often we struggle the most when we think about ourselves the most.
a. Last night a couple brothers (all newcomers to the church, praise God) graciously helped in the distribution (another 400) of an evangelistic book called "WHY on earth am I here?" We spent time in prayer together, doing warfare & praying for God to open up the eyes of Lethbridge to see Christ. I have always noted that often when I go out intentionally to "testify" of God's love for sinners in Christ, I am usually the most blessed recipient. Being able to pray for every house was perhaps a greater blessing to me than to those who were to receive the "coffee-table" book. This morning, already I am asking the Lord to have mercy on Lethbridge. Thus, the by-product of serving the Lord in evangelism is greater & more fervent prayer for the lost. This in & of itself draws me closer to my Strong Tower, wherein I find safety (Proverbs 18:10). John Piper's dad was correct when he said that evangelism is the greatest agent of sanctification in the Christian's life! It makes the Scriptures come alive (how often I forget the words of Jesus, wherein He repeatedly reminds us that the world hates Him, and thus those belong to Him as well [e.g. John 15]), and prayers once insipid & soul-less become fervent & desperate intercessions for the lost.
b. This week, the Lord spoke to me during a lunch time conversation with Elisha, who of late has shown a love for talking about Jesus and spiritual things. She mentioned that there are lots of people in the world who don't have enough food, and that we should pray for them. A battle then ensued, as the Holy Spirit began convicting me, through the Scriptures, to not simply pray for those who were starving, but to put my money where my mouth was. The Lord was relentless, and I sensed that as I "put it off until later", the enemy's attacks intensified accordingly. Finally, being busy, I put a reminder on my cell, which kept beeping & beeping until obedience was rendered. By God's grace, a huge burden feels as though it has been removed. What a privilege to "lend to the LORD" (Proverbs 19:17). God has created & re-created us who are Christians to be His agents of mercy & justice & compassion to the world. To not obey Him always opens us up to His Fatherly discipline, which (for me) often involves letting the tempter loose.
3. I love to read, think & ponder, often to an extreme. When Satan attacks me, it is very rarely through things like lust or greed or bitterness. Rather he uses things like "empty philosophy" (Col. 2:8) & "plausible arguments" (2:4) to make me to rationalize the existence of God, and of His glorious plan of salvation in Christ. Again, crying out with David in the Psalms (yesterday Psalms 4 & 5 were sweet) helped. But I was especially encouraged late last night, as I read through John Paton's [auto]biography, wherein he wrote the following:
"When I have read or heard the shallow objections of irreligious scribblers and talkers, hinting that there was no reality in conversions, and that Mission effort was but waste, oh, how my heart has yearned to plant them just one week on Tanna, with the "natural" man all around in the person of Cannibal and Heathen, and only the one "spiritual" man in the person of the converted Abraham, nursing them, feeding them, saving them "for the love of Jesus" - that I might just learn how many hours it took to convince them that Christ in man was a reality after all! All the skepticism of Europe would hide its head in foolish shame; and all its doubts would dissolve under one glance of the new light in Jesus, and Jesus alone, pours from the converted Cannibal's eye."
My paraphrase: the power of a changed life is more evidence to me of the grace of God than all the philosophical arguments contained in all of my philosophical books on my book shelf. How often I forget who I was before God saved me! As good 'ol John Newton wrote, "I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am." This is the evidence of the Holy Spirit: a changed life that yearns for holiness (i.e. "repentance unto life"). I see it in myself, and in brothers & sisters God has placed in my life - people, who like me, were once the vilest of sinners. The only explanation is the grace of God in Christ. For me, this is a more powerful "defense" of God than watching the greatest philosophical & intelligent debate on YouTube between the atheist & Christian.
Simple things are often the most effective. This humbles me, and thus gives all the glory to our faithful God, who not only has begun His good work, but has promised to complete it until the day Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6).
Praising my Savior all the day long,
Pastor Ryan
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Salt & Light in This World
Of late, the Lord has been rekindling my love for the study of Church History. Not surprisingly, then, I was up late last night reading an old seminary textbook from my Church History I class. In God's good providence, I happened upon an old letter written in the 2nd century, entitled "From an anonymous Letter to Diognetus". As I read through it, I was thoroughly encouraged, and yet simultaneously convicted, not to mention somewhat rebuked, when confronted with how the first Christians conducted themselves in the world they lived in. Below is the the letter in its entirety:
"For Christians are not differentiated from other people by county, language, or customs; you see, they do not live in cities of their own, or speak some strange dialect, or have some peculiar lifestyle.
"This teaching of theirs has not been contrived by the invention and speculation of inquisitive men; nor are they propagating mere human teaching as some people do. They live in both Greek and foreign cities, wherever chance has put them. They follow local customs in clothing, food and the other aspects of life. But at the same time, they demonstrate to us the wonderful certainly unusual form of their own citizenship.
"They live in their own native lands, but as aliens; as citizens, they share all things with others; but like aliens, suffer all things. Every foreign country is to them as their native country, and every native land as a foreign country.
"They marry and have children just like every one else; but they do no kill unwanted babies. They offer a shared table, but not a shared bed. They are at present 'in the flesh' but they do not live 'according to the flesh.' They are passing their days on earth, but are citizens of heaven. They obey the appointed laws, and go beyond the laws in their own lives.
"They love everyone, but are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and gain life. They are poor and yet make many rich. They are short of everything and yet have plenty of all things. They are dishonored and yet gain glory through dishonor.
"Their names are blackened and yet they are cleared. They are mocked and bless others in return. They are treated outrageously and behave respectfully to others. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; when punished, they rejoice as if being given new life. They are attacked by Jews as aliens, and are persecuted by Greeks; yet those who hate them cannot give any reason for their hostility.
"To put it simply - the soul is to the body as Christians are to the world. The soul is spread through all parts of the body and Christians through all the cities of the world. The soul is in the body but is not of the body; Christians are in the world but not of the world."
As I read this, I couldn't help but sense that there is a blatant disconnect between the church's nascent years, and what we see today (at least in North America). At the same time, I couldn't help but feel a growing (and hopefully a long-term, irrepressible) desire to imitate & emulate our faithful forefathers, who obviously were more in synch & harmony with our dear Lord's likening of His messianic community to being a city on a hill, or a preserving salt in this corrupted world (see Matthew 5:13-16, in light of 5:2-12).
May the Holy Spirit, who enabled these 1st & 2nd century Christians to be noticeably different in the world they were living in, likewise work in us that which is pleasing in His sight. May we too have such a beautiful testimony, so that we too might "in the same way let our light shine, so that others may see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16, note immediately previous context of persecution).
God knows this is the desire of my heart. I long to see Him glorified in this world, and subsequently, many people brought into the Kingdom of God as we both preach & live the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Him & for His renown,
Pastor Ryan
"For Christians are not differentiated from other people by county, language, or customs; you see, they do not live in cities of their own, or speak some strange dialect, or have some peculiar lifestyle.
"This teaching of theirs has not been contrived by the invention and speculation of inquisitive men; nor are they propagating mere human teaching as some people do. They live in both Greek and foreign cities, wherever chance has put them. They follow local customs in clothing, food and the other aspects of life. But at the same time, they demonstrate to us the wonderful certainly unusual form of their own citizenship.
"They live in their own native lands, but as aliens; as citizens, they share all things with others; but like aliens, suffer all things. Every foreign country is to them as their native country, and every native land as a foreign country.
"They marry and have children just like every one else; but they do no kill unwanted babies. They offer a shared table, but not a shared bed. They are at present 'in the flesh' but they do not live 'according to the flesh.' They are passing their days on earth, but are citizens of heaven. They obey the appointed laws, and go beyond the laws in their own lives.
"They love everyone, but are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and gain life. They are poor and yet make many rich. They are short of everything and yet have plenty of all things. They are dishonored and yet gain glory through dishonor.
"Their names are blackened and yet they are cleared. They are mocked and bless others in return. They are treated outrageously and behave respectfully to others. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; when punished, they rejoice as if being given new life. They are attacked by Jews as aliens, and are persecuted by Greeks; yet those who hate them cannot give any reason for their hostility.
"To put it simply - the soul is to the body as Christians are to the world. The soul is spread through all parts of the body and Christians through all the cities of the world. The soul is in the body but is not of the body; Christians are in the world but not of the world."
As I read this, I couldn't help but sense that there is a blatant disconnect between the church's nascent years, and what we see today (at least in North America). At the same time, I couldn't help but feel a growing (and hopefully a long-term, irrepressible) desire to imitate & emulate our faithful forefathers, who obviously were more in synch & harmony with our dear Lord's likening of His messianic community to being a city on a hill, or a preserving salt in this corrupted world (see Matthew 5:13-16, in light of 5:2-12).
May the Holy Spirit, who enabled these 1st & 2nd century Christians to be noticeably different in the world they were living in, likewise work in us that which is pleasing in His sight. May we too have such a beautiful testimony, so that we too might "in the same way let our light shine, so that others may see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16, note immediately previous context of persecution).
God knows this is the desire of my heart. I long to see Him glorified in this world, and subsequently, many people brought into the Kingdom of God as we both preach & live the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Him & for His renown,
Pastor Ryan
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Holy Spirit's Role in Conversion (Part 2)
As promised in my last post, we will be investigating the Biblical data regarding how true conversion comes about.
The first thing we need to understand is the state of the unbelieving heart. If we start with a faulty premise, our methodologies will consequently be faulty at best, and heretical at worst. However, if we properly understand what the Bible teaches about the state of the unregenerate person's heart, we will hopefully evangelize them accordingly.
According to the Bible, the natural state of man's heart is not good. Despite the hopeful & good intentions of some well-meaning Christians, the Bible asserts that the natural heart is not even neutral. On the contrary, the Bible depicts the natural person's heart as a rank, sin-loving, God-hating idol factory. This is because all people, apart from a saving union "in Christ" are what theologians call "radically depraved."
When our first father, Adam, fell in the garden, the Bible teaches that a cataclysmic event happened, wherein not only he became a sinner, but that in some mysterious way his sin was passed down, or "imputed" to, all his descendants (and thus all mankind).
The apostle makes this clear in Romans 5:12 where we read: "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." A couple verses later he reiterates this idea, telling us that Adam's "one trespass led to condemnation for all men" (5:18).
And so, despite what most people think, people sin because at the very root of things, they are by nature sinners. When I was a young punk, there was a movie that many people my age watched, called "Natural Born Killers." Well, the Bible says that all people, without exception, are "natural born sinners." It is not the other way around - i.e. that people are born neutral and become sinners when they sin. Anyone with children will not have to wait long to see Adam's nature in their little bundles of joy. The reason we don't have to teach our children how to be selfish or how to lie is because the Bible says that sin is bound up in their very nature.
Because all are by nature "in Adam", or as Paul says in Romans 3:9 "under sin", we have no trouble seeing how he can go on to write in the same chapter & thought:
"None is righteous, no, not one;
No one understands;
No one seeks after God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
No one does good,
Not even one" (3:10-12).
As unpalatable as this is to the heightened view we often have of our innate goodness, the Bible says that those who are in Adam are not by nature righteous, nor do they have the slightest inclination to seek after being reconciled to a right relationship with their Creator. Such thinking couldn't be further from the truth!
In Romans 6, Paul goes on to say that not only do those who are "in Adam" love to sin, they actually are slaves to it (vv.6, 16-18). They are what Paul implies, alive to sin but dead to God and His righteousness (vv.11, 20). For those not "in Christ", sin indeed has dominion over them: that is, sin is their cruel taskmaster. The reason why all "die" (5:17), regardless of whether they are under the law or not, is because "the wages of sin is death" (6:23). This is - by nature - the seemingly incurable state that the natural, unregenerate person is in.
If it couldn't get any worse, Paul ratchets his argument up even more. Not only are unregenerate unbelievers lovers of sin, they are simultaneously haters of God. In Romans 8, Paul continues his barrage against those who would minimize conversion to the raising of a hand or nodding a head. The only raising that will save, as we will see next week, is the sovereign, Holy Spirit-initiated work of regeneration, where a new heart with new affections is granted to the elect sinner upon reception of the gospel (Romans 10:17). But I'm getting ahead of myself. In Romans 8, Paul tells us:
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh...For to set the mind on the flesh is death...For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (vv.5-8).
It is important to note that when Paul says "in the flesh", he is not talking about having a human body of flesh. This terminology is opposite & in contradistinction to being "in the Spirit", which Paul repeatedly contrasts in order to show our supreme need of God the Holy Spirit to make us right with God by applying the redemptive work of God the Son to those who are "in Him" (cf. 8:1-4). To be in the flesh is to be "under sin." Those in the flesh are to be equated with the natural man, that is, those who are not "in Christ", or in our vernacular, unbelievers/non-Christians.
What Paul says of the unregenerate person is terrifyingly spectacular. Man by nature is not only a slave to sin; he loves the very sin he is enslaved to. Even more frightening, He hates & abhors God. In Paul's words, he is "hostile" towards God. This explains Paul's assertion in chapter 3 why no unregenerate person naturally seeks after God. Why the hostility you might ask? Because elsewhere the Bible says that God is light, and mankind by nature is darkness. Because man naturally loves his darkness, he hates God's pure, holy, and sin-exposing light (John 3:19-20). As John elucidates in his gospel narrative, man loves his sin so much that, if possible, he would kill God if He got in the way.
This is precisely what happened when God came down to earth as the God-man, Jesus Christ. Because He testified that even the most religious man's "good works" were evil (John 7:7), both Jew & Gentile alike plotted His horrific murder on the cross.
THIS is the portrait the Scriptures paint for us of those whom we are seeking to evangelize. A moralistic, gospel-less sermon sprinkled with funny jokes & anecdotes betrays this very theology, making salvation nothing more than a mere decision after an altar call is given. I have sat through many-a-sermon, where the gospel was not preached, or even alluded to, which was followed by a call to let Jesus into one's heart, which unfortunately was responded to by many, whom we then rejoiced in by the church following their tally of 'converts'.
The problem with this approach is that the natural heart of man hates God. For a man or woman "in sin" to give up their slavery will take nothing more than a sovereign miracle (i.e. regeneration) granted by God the Holy Spirit. Those who are dead in sin, under the sway of the world's alluring power, and slaves to Satan (Eph. 2:1-3) are thus unable to savingly respond to the call of the preacher. They may raise their hand, but it doesn't change the fact that they have not repented of the sin they still love, or believed in the Biblical Jesus who demands He be Lord of all.
The solution: a new heart, with new desires and affections is needed. A heart that actually loves Jesus for who He is & what He truly offers; a heart that loves righteousness and hates sin & wickedness; a heart that longs to be holy; a heart that seeks to glorify God instead of self. Ultimately men & women need a heart that will embrace the true gospel of Jesus Christ gladly, even at great cost to self. Only people who have been given a new heart with new affections for the beauty of Jesus will truly & gladly deny self, take up their cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34). Why? Because they have been given new eyes to see that Jesus is the true & supreme treasure worth giving up everything in this world for (Matthew 13:44). What is needed is not a flashy worship team, a cool pastor, or a state-of-the-art building. The only thing that is needed is this: a heart that no longer regards Jesus according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16), that is, a heart that no longer sees the cross as foolishness, but rather as the wisdom & power of God (1 Cor. 1:24).
The massive question then that needs to be answered is this: HOW does one receive a new heart, in order that they might truly & savingly respond to the gospel invitation that we are commanded to offer to all people?
As Paul says in 1 Cor. 1:30, "by His doing you [i.e. the "called" believers in Corinth] are in Christ Jesus" (NASB). This is what I will try to unpack in the next post. How are we by God's doing "in Christ"? I will argue, not only from the context of 1 Cor. 1-2, but also from many other of Paul's letters, as well as other Scriptural witness from the OT & NT, that it is by the sovereign initiative of God the Holy Spirit in regenerating sinners as the gospel is heralded, graciously giving them spiritual eyes, ears & hearts to savingly receive the true Jesus as their Lord & Savior.
May God use these Scriptural truths to influence how we go about into this world to fulfill His Great Commission to make disciples of all the nations. May He be pleased to use us to save many, many sinners to Himself. May we be those who pray without ceasing that God the Holy Spirit would accomplish His new covenant ministry until the gospel reaches the ends of the earth! May we be given hearts aflame for the evangelization of the world, ultimately to the glory of our great God & Savior Jesus Christ, who died for the world we are seeking to reach (John 3:16).
For the glory of Jesus, our great Redeemer, to the ends of the earth,
Pastor Ryan
The first thing we need to understand is the state of the unbelieving heart. If we start with a faulty premise, our methodologies will consequently be faulty at best, and heretical at worst. However, if we properly understand what the Bible teaches about the state of the unregenerate person's heart, we will hopefully evangelize them accordingly.
According to the Bible, the natural state of man's heart is not good. Despite the hopeful & good intentions of some well-meaning Christians, the Bible asserts that the natural heart is not even neutral. On the contrary, the Bible depicts the natural person's heart as a rank, sin-loving, God-hating idol factory. This is because all people, apart from a saving union "in Christ" are what theologians call "radically depraved."
When our first father, Adam, fell in the garden, the Bible teaches that a cataclysmic event happened, wherein not only he became a sinner, but that in some mysterious way his sin was passed down, or "imputed" to, all his descendants (and thus all mankind).
The apostle makes this clear in Romans 5:12 where we read: "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." A couple verses later he reiterates this idea, telling us that Adam's "one trespass led to condemnation for all men" (5:18).
And so, despite what most people think, people sin because at the very root of things, they are by nature sinners. When I was a young punk, there was a movie that many people my age watched, called "Natural Born Killers." Well, the Bible says that all people, without exception, are "natural born sinners." It is not the other way around - i.e. that people are born neutral and become sinners when they sin. Anyone with children will not have to wait long to see Adam's nature in their little bundles of joy. The reason we don't have to teach our children how to be selfish or how to lie is because the Bible says that sin is bound up in their very nature.
Because all are by nature "in Adam", or as Paul says in Romans 3:9 "under sin", we have no trouble seeing how he can go on to write in the same chapter & thought:
"None is righteous, no, not one;
No one understands;
No one seeks after God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
No one does good,
Not even one" (3:10-12).
As unpalatable as this is to the heightened view we often have of our innate goodness, the Bible says that those who are in Adam are not by nature righteous, nor do they have the slightest inclination to seek after being reconciled to a right relationship with their Creator. Such thinking couldn't be further from the truth!
In Romans 6, Paul goes on to say that not only do those who are "in Adam" love to sin, they actually are slaves to it (vv.6, 16-18). They are what Paul implies, alive to sin but dead to God and His righteousness (vv.11, 20). For those not "in Christ", sin indeed has dominion over them: that is, sin is their cruel taskmaster. The reason why all "die" (5:17), regardless of whether they are under the law or not, is because "the wages of sin is death" (6:23). This is - by nature - the seemingly incurable state that the natural, unregenerate person is in.
If it couldn't get any worse, Paul ratchets his argument up even more. Not only are unregenerate unbelievers lovers of sin, they are simultaneously haters of God. In Romans 8, Paul continues his barrage against those who would minimize conversion to the raising of a hand or nodding a head. The only raising that will save, as we will see next week, is the sovereign, Holy Spirit-initiated work of regeneration, where a new heart with new affections is granted to the elect sinner upon reception of the gospel (Romans 10:17). But I'm getting ahead of myself. In Romans 8, Paul tells us:
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh...For to set the mind on the flesh is death...For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (vv.5-8).
It is important to note that when Paul says "in the flesh", he is not talking about having a human body of flesh. This terminology is opposite & in contradistinction to being "in the Spirit", which Paul repeatedly contrasts in order to show our supreme need of God the Holy Spirit to make us right with God by applying the redemptive work of God the Son to those who are "in Him" (cf. 8:1-4). To be in the flesh is to be "under sin." Those in the flesh are to be equated with the natural man, that is, those who are not "in Christ", or in our vernacular, unbelievers/non-Christians.
What Paul says of the unregenerate person is terrifyingly spectacular. Man by nature is not only a slave to sin; he loves the very sin he is enslaved to. Even more frightening, He hates & abhors God. In Paul's words, he is "hostile" towards God. This explains Paul's assertion in chapter 3 why no unregenerate person naturally seeks after God. Why the hostility you might ask? Because elsewhere the Bible says that God is light, and mankind by nature is darkness. Because man naturally loves his darkness, he hates God's pure, holy, and sin-exposing light (John 3:19-20). As John elucidates in his gospel narrative, man loves his sin so much that, if possible, he would kill God if He got in the way.
This is precisely what happened when God came down to earth as the God-man, Jesus Christ. Because He testified that even the most religious man's "good works" were evil (John 7:7), both Jew & Gentile alike plotted His horrific murder on the cross.
THIS is the portrait the Scriptures paint for us of those whom we are seeking to evangelize. A moralistic, gospel-less sermon sprinkled with funny jokes & anecdotes betrays this very theology, making salvation nothing more than a mere decision after an altar call is given. I have sat through many-a-sermon, where the gospel was not preached, or even alluded to, which was followed by a call to let Jesus into one's heart, which unfortunately was responded to by many, whom we then rejoiced in by the church following their tally of 'converts'.
The problem with this approach is that the natural heart of man hates God. For a man or woman "in sin" to give up their slavery will take nothing more than a sovereign miracle (i.e. regeneration) granted by God the Holy Spirit. Those who are dead in sin, under the sway of the world's alluring power, and slaves to Satan (Eph. 2:1-3) are thus unable to savingly respond to the call of the preacher. They may raise their hand, but it doesn't change the fact that they have not repented of the sin they still love, or believed in the Biblical Jesus who demands He be Lord of all.
The solution: a new heart, with new desires and affections is needed. A heart that actually loves Jesus for who He is & what He truly offers; a heart that loves righteousness and hates sin & wickedness; a heart that longs to be holy; a heart that seeks to glorify God instead of self. Ultimately men & women need a heart that will embrace the true gospel of Jesus Christ gladly, even at great cost to self. Only people who have been given a new heart with new affections for the beauty of Jesus will truly & gladly deny self, take up their cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34). Why? Because they have been given new eyes to see that Jesus is the true & supreme treasure worth giving up everything in this world for (Matthew 13:44). What is needed is not a flashy worship team, a cool pastor, or a state-of-the-art building. The only thing that is needed is this: a heart that no longer regards Jesus according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16), that is, a heart that no longer sees the cross as foolishness, but rather as the wisdom & power of God (1 Cor. 1:24).
The massive question then that needs to be answered is this: HOW does one receive a new heart, in order that they might truly & savingly respond to the gospel invitation that we are commanded to offer to all people?
As Paul says in 1 Cor. 1:30, "by His doing you [i.e. the "called" believers in Corinth] are in Christ Jesus" (NASB). This is what I will try to unpack in the next post. How are we by God's doing "in Christ"? I will argue, not only from the context of 1 Cor. 1-2, but also from many other of Paul's letters, as well as other Scriptural witness from the OT & NT, that it is by the sovereign initiative of God the Holy Spirit in regenerating sinners as the gospel is heralded, graciously giving them spiritual eyes, ears & hearts to savingly receive the true Jesus as their Lord & Savior.
May God use these Scriptural truths to influence how we go about into this world to fulfill His Great Commission to make disciples of all the nations. May He be pleased to use us to save many, many sinners to Himself. May we be those who pray without ceasing that God the Holy Spirit would accomplish His new covenant ministry until the gospel reaches the ends of the earth! May we be given hearts aflame for the evangelization of the world, ultimately to the glory of our great God & Savior Jesus Christ, who died for the world we are seeking to reach (John 3:16).
For the glory of Jesus, our great Redeemer, to the ends of the earth,
Pastor Ryan
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Holy Spirit's Role in Conversion
As I reflected upon yesterday's sermon on Ephesians 1:8-10, I was again reminded how utterly vital prayer is if we are to see true revival & true conversion in our land.
Unfortunately, because they have turned from serious study of the Word of God and the doctrines contained therein, many "churches" have made God's unique & sovereign work of salvation of unregenerate sinners "do-able" - if the right ambiance, mood, methodologies, & message are presented to the listener.
In essence, to borrow an illustration from Alistair Begg, the 'evangelical' church has replicated the salesman approach to how we do ministry, and thus consequently how people are "converted." Basically, there are 3 aspects that every salesman needs to be aware of: first, there is a product that needs to be sold. For many churches, the product that needs to be sold, or accepted, is the gospel of Jesus Christ; second, there are customers to whom the product must be sold; thirdly and finally, salespeople are required to make the deal, as the sole purpose of a company's existence is to sell their product.
Consequently, and unsurprisingly, we have in the last couple of generations seen the drastic reduction of true Biblical preaching from the pulpit. It's quite simple, actually, to understand why: unconverted people prefer non-convicting entertainment over & above convicting, faithful, monologue preaching. And since most pastors have believed the lie that his mission is to sell his product, he has removed any & every obstacle that impedes this. Unconverted people rarely make second appearances to a church that preaches the 'full counsel of God' on a regular basis, and so to ensure that they come back, they jettison any stumbling block that inhibits a return visit. For, they say, if such visitors don't come back, they won't be able to hear the gospel the next time they come, and thus be saved.
Unfortunately, and I agree 100% with Paul Washer on this, what such "churches" and "pastors" don't understand is this: that what we "win them with, we win them to." Put another way, if we win them with a non-gospel, we need to keep them "in" with a non-gospel. This is a deadly trap that I have seen many churches fall into, and to be honest, I have (often) been tempted to succumb to. But this kind of thinking is fatally flawed for this reason: if we are scared they will leave upon hearing about sin or Hell, then we can never ultimately preach such distasteful truths, whether on their first visit, or their tenth visit, since they will leave on their tenth visit just as assuredly as they will on their first. The result, preaching focuses more on things that are "receivable", on things that make them feel good, despite their desperate & damnable state before a holy God, who will only save them if they repent of their sins & trust in Christ alone for their sins (Acts 20:21), even if it is at great cost to themselves (Luke 14:25-35).
And thus, since the leadership of many churches has believed the lie that they are more like salesmen than a heralds, they consequently hold innumerable meetings to discuss & strategize how to entertain the goats, rather than devoting herself to prayer & the study the Word of God to feed the sheep (Acts 6:4). Worship songs are chosen not according to lyrical fidelity to the gospel & the Word of God, but instead according to how catchy & memorable they are to visitors. We add cafe bars loaded with espressos and lattes, spend wanton amounts of money on sound systems, and make our visitors feel that they are visiting a movie theater instead of a church, where Christ is supposed to be faithfully proclaimed. Have not we committed the same error as the religious people in Mark 11, where the House of God was transformed into a marketplace where products were sold? It is one thing when goats & sheep & bulls & pigeons are sold to Gentiles at exorbitant prices; but it is an entirely different thing when the precious & glorious gospel of Jesus Christ is treated with such indifferent contempt, as though it were a product to be "modified" and made palatable for the consumption of unbelievers!
I, with many pastors & churches, feel the pressure to equate success with the amount of people attending (or being entertained); I too am tempted to equate success with the size of the building that lodges those who come to our show. But is such thinking not unlike that of Jesus' deluded disciples in Mark 13, who boastfully exalted in the sheer magnitude & magnificence of their beloved temple, all the time not realizing that the true Temple was in their very midst (Mark 13:1-2).
All of these misconceptions & misunderstandings are rooted in a biblical doctrine that has in these last 100 years been forgotten & forsaken, largely in part to the distaste & disdain the church has developed for what has become a naughty, thing-not-to-be-spoken-in-church-or-'fellowship' concept: the theology of monergistic regeneration.
When Luther said, "Doctrine is life", he was absolutely & undeniably correct. Though those who espouse the necessity of having a right theology & expounding difficult-to-swallow doctrines are often labelled "unspiritual", or "legalists", or (my favorite) "Pharisees", they are actually in perfect congruity & accord with what the Bible actually says. (I always find it humorous how those who have a distaste for in-depth study of the Bible are absolutely consistent with their ignorant misinterpretation of the Bible they eschew, & subsequently label those who love, and thus study, the Word [e.g. Psalm 119] in such negative connotations. Apparently, at least in their (unfounded) opinion, those who study to show themselves approved of the Word of Truth are the unbiblical ones, where those who neglect the Life-giving Word, and yet offer their opinions on important issues are the spiritual ones [read the contrast in 2 Timothy 2:14-26]).
Rambling....
Anyways, I originally intended to expound upon the crucial, yet now-forsaken doctrines of (1) the radical depravity of man, and (2) the sovereign regenerating work of God the Holy Spirit. In the next post, I will - by God's grace - attempt to show that when these glorious doctrines are neglected & forsaken, the inevitable consequence is what we are seeing in most 'churches' in North America.
To sum up this initial post: if man is in and of himself able to make a decision for Christ, then such men can be coerced & manipulated by strategies employed by salesman to make his decision to be 'saved.' However, if all people are, as the Bible says, "dead in his trespasses & sins" (Ephesians 2:1-3), and naturally "unable" (1 Corinthians 2:14) to come to Jesus Christ unless He is sovereignly drawn (John 6:44), then our approach to doing evangelism is to be entirely different (i.e. derived from the council of Scripture & not the council of men).
However, before the church returns to God's methodologies to see the lost truly converted to Christ, she must first realize the helpless estate of unregenerate people. If by God's sovereign grace we are given eyes to understand this, we will see our prayer meetings filled with people who are pleading for the Holy Spirit to descend in power & accomplish what only He as God can do: apply the saving benefits of the gospel purchased by God the Son to those who are by nature "enemies of God" (Romans 8:7). Unfortunately, most churches have disposed of their weekly prayer meetings. Not surprisingly, this is because they have an exalted view of the natural man, and a diminished view of the sovereignty of God. Just as sad is that many prayer meetings have degenerated to the point where very little prayer actually takes place; moreover, any prayers that are lifted up are rarely for God to send revival to our godless nation that is under His wrath for rejecting His Son in all His fullness. Revival will only come as God's people plead for the Spirit to come in His fulness to accomplish HIS new covenant ministry: namely to point unbelievers savingly to Christ.
As we will see in my next post, true conversion will come when the Holy Spirit, in His sovereign prerogative, gives spiritual eyes to the spiritually blind, gives spiritual ears to the spiritually deaf, and gives a new heart to those who have hearts of stone.
If "salvation is of the LORD" alone (Jonah 2:2), then may we seek to accomplish the Great Commission of Christ as faithful heralds, not slick salesmen. We don't sell the product, we preach it, as Paul said when he was defending his apostolic ministry against the successful hucksters in Corinth:
"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers (TNIV: "hucksters") of God's Word (i.e. the message of the gospel), but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ" (2:14-17).
May God the Holy Spirit open & enlighten the eyes of our hearts to understand what Paul teaches in the next two chapters (i.e. 2 Cor. 3-4), that those who are blinded by the god of this world (Satan) can only see & gaze upon the glorious gospel of God in Christ when God the Holy Spirit grants us new life to do so (see the comparison of 4:4-6 to Genesis 1, where God sovereignly speaks life into existence).
Oh Jesus, may Your church understand her need of Your Spirit to do anything worthwhile in this world for Your glory. May You fill us with the spirit of prayer, and may we weep for those who are perishing, realizing that unless You in Your great power & might visit them & grant them eternal life, they will forever reject You, despite their enjoyment of entertainment & false-assurance that so many churches offer them.
For Jesus & His glory, to the ends of the earth, Lethbridge included,
Pastor Ryan
Unfortunately, because they have turned from serious study of the Word of God and the doctrines contained therein, many "churches" have made God's unique & sovereign work of salvation of unregenerate sinners "do-able" - if the right ambiance, mood, methodologies, & message are presented to the listener.
In essence, to borrow an illustration from Alistair Begg, the 'evangelical' church has replicated the salesman approach to how we do ministry, and thus consequently how people are "converted." Basically, there are 3 aspects that every salesman needs to be aware of: first, there is a product that needs to be sold. For many churches, the product that needs to be sold, or accepted, is the gospel of Jesus Christ; second, there are customers to whom the product must be sold; thirdly and finally, salespeople are required to make the deal, as the sole purpose of a company's existence is to sell their product.
Consequently, and unsurprisingly, we have in the last couple of generations seen the drastic reduction of true Biblical preaching from the pulpit. It's quite simple, actually, to understand why: unconverted people prefer non-convicting entertainment over & above convicting, faithful, monologue preaching. And since most pastors have believed the lie that his mission is to sell his product, he has removed any & every obstacle that impedes this. Unconverted people rarely make second appearances to a church that preaches the 'full counsel of God' on a regular basis, and so to ensure that they come back, they jettison any stumbling block that inhibits a return visit. For, they say, if such visitors don't come back, they won't be able to hear the gospel the next time they come, and thus be saved.
Unfortunately, and I agree 100% with Paul Washer on this, what such "churches" and "pastors" don't understand is this: that what we "win them with, we win them to." Put another way, if we win them with a non-gospel, we need to keep them "in" with a non-gospel. This is a deadly trap that I have seen many churches fall into, and to be honest, I have (often) been tempted to succumb to. But this kind of thinking is fatally flawed for this reason: if we are scared they will leave upon hearing about sin or Hell, then we can never ultimately preach such distasteful truths, whether on their first visit, or their tenth visit, since they will leave on their tenth visit just as assuredly as they will on their first. The result, preaching focuses more on things that are "receivable", on things that make them feel good, despite their desperate & damnable state before a holy God, who will only save them if they repent of their sins & trust in Christ alone for their sins (Acts 20:21), even if it is at great cost to themselves (Luke 14:25-35).
And thus, since the leadership of many churches has believed the lie that they are more like salesmen than a heralds, they consequently hold innumerable meetings to discuss & strategize how to entertain the goats, rather than devoting herself to prayer & the study the Word of God to feed the sheep (Acts 6:4). Worship songs are chosen not according to lyrical fidelity to the gospel & the Word of God, but instead according to how catchy & memorable they are to visitors. We add cafe bars loaded with espressos and lattes, spend wanton amounts of money on sound systems, and make our visitors feel that they are visiting a movie theater instead of a church, where Christ is supposed to be faithfully proclaimed. Have not we committed the same error as the religious people in Mark 11, where the House of God was transformed into a marketplace where products were sold? It is one thing when goats & sheep & bulls & pigeons are sold to Gentiles at exorbitant prices; but it is an entirely different thing when the precious & glorious gospel of Jesus Christ is treated with such indifferent contempt, as though it were a product to be "modified" and made palatable for the consumption of unbelievers!
I, with many pastors & churches, feel the pressure to equate success with the amount of people attending (or being entertained); I too am tempted to equate success with the size of the building that lodges those who come to our show. But is such thinking not unlike that of Jesus' deluded disciples in Mark 13, who boastfully exalted in the sheer magnitude & magnificence of their beloved temple, all the time not realizing that the true Temple was in their very midst (Mark 13:1-2).
All of these misconceptions & misunderstandings are rooted in a biblical doctrine that has in these last 100 years been forgotten & forsaken, largely in part to the distaste & disdain the church has developed for what has become a naughty, thing-not-to-be-spoken-in-church-or-'fellowship' concept: the theology of monergistic regeneration.
When Luther said, "Doctrine is life", he was absolutely & undeniably correct. Though those who espouse the necessity of having a right theology & expounding difficult-to-swallow doctrines are often labelled "unspiritual", or "legalists", or (my favorite) "Pharisees", they are actually in perfect congruity & accord with what the Bible actually says. (I always find it humorous how those who have a distaste for in-depth study of the Bible are absolutely consistent with their ignorant misinterpretation of the Bible they eschew, & subsequently label those who love, and thus study, the Word [e.g. Psalm 119] in such negative connotations. Apparently, at least in their (unfounded) opinion, those who study to show themselves approved of the Word of Truth are the unbiblical ones, where those who neglect the Life-giving Word, and yet offer their opinions on important issues are the spiritual ones [read the contrast in 2 Timothy 2:14-26]).
Rambling....
Anyways, I originally intended to expound upon the crucial, yet now-forsaken doctrines of (1) the radical depravity of man, and (2) the sovereign regenerating work of God the Holy Spirit. In the next post, I will - by God's grace - attempt to show that when these glorious doctrines are neglected & forsaken, the inevitable consequence is what we are seeing in most 'churches' in North America.
To sum up this initial post: if man is in and of himself able to make a decision for Christ, then such men can be coerced & manipulated by strategies employed by salesman to make his decision to be 'saved.' However, if all people are, as the Bible says, "dead in his trespasses & sins" (Ephesians 2:1-3), and naturally "unable" (1 Corinthians 2:14) to come to Jesus Christ unless He is sovereignly drawn (John 6:44), then our approach to doing evangelism is to be entirely different (i.e. derived from the council of Scripture & not the council of men).
However, before the church returns to God's methodologies to see the lost truly converted to Christ, she must first realize the helpless estate of unregenerate people. If by God's sovereign grace we are given eyes to understand this, we will see our prayer meetings filled with people who are pleading for the Holy Spirit to descend in power & accomplish what only He as God can do: apply the saving benefits of the gospel purchased by God the Son to those who are by nature "enemies of God" (Romans 8:7). Unfortunately, most churches have disposed of their weekly prayer meetings. Not surprisingly, this is because they have an exalted view of the natural man, and a diminished view of the sovereignty of God. Just as sad is that many prayer meetings have degenerated to the point where very little prayer actually takes place; moreover, any prayers that are lifted up are rarely for God to send revival to our godless nation that is under His wrath for rejecting His Son in all His fullness. Revival will only come as God's people plead for the Spirit to come in His fulness to accomplish HIS new covenant ministry: namely to point unbelievers savingly to Christ.
As we will see in my next post, true conversion will come when the Holy Spirit, in His sovereign prerogative, gives spiritual eyes to the spiritually blind, gives spiritual ears to the spiritually deaf, and gives a new heart to those who have hearts of stone.
If "salvation is of the LORD" alone (Jonah 2:2), then may we seek to accomplish the Great Commission of Christ as faithful heralds, not slick salesmen. We don't sell the product, we preach it, as Paul said when he was defending his apostolic ministry against the successful hucksters in Corinth:
"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers (TNIV: "hucksters") of God's Word (i.e. the message of the gospel), but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ" (2:14-17).
May God the Holy Spirit open & enlighten the eyes of our hearts to understand what Paul teaches in the next two chapters (i.e. 2 Cor. 3-4), that those who are blinded by the god of this world (Satan) can only see & gaze upon the glorious gospel of God in Christ when God the Holy Spirit grants us new life to do so (see the comparison of 4:4-6 to Genesis 1, where God sovereignly speaks life into existence).
Oh Jesus, may Your church understand her need of Your Spirit to do anything worthwhile in this world for Your glory. May You fill us with the spirit of prayer, and may we weep for those who are perishing, realizing that unless You in Your great power & might visit them & grant them eternal life, they will forever reject You, despite their enjoyment of entertainment & false-assurance that so many churches offer them.
For Jesus & His glory, to the ends of the earth, Lethbridge included,
Pastor Ryan
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
RUN! RUN for your lives
If you watch this, please pray for me. I am a preacher, and I long more than anything to see Jesus Christ glorified as His gospel is preached & lived out consistently by His bride, the church. I long to see people converted, and so pray that I would never, ever, EVER compromise preaching the whole council of God. I dare you to watch this powerful clip & not be challenged & awaken to want to live wholeheartedly for the glory of God in Christ. Pray for me! I beg you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnNOoisCy7k&list=LLS1mwfr4vpX704_K3eJLSRw&index=1&feature=plpp_video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnNOoisCy7k&list=LLS1mwfr4vpX704_K3eJLSRw&index=1&feature=plpp_video
Monday, December 5, 2011
No sin, no problem, no repentance, no salvation
As I sat in my office this morning, reflecting upon what transpired this weekend, a few things ruminating in my fried brain resurfaced as I already start to plan for this Sunday, as well as our Christmas Eve service.
This Friday, Christina (my wife) & I took our neighbors out for dinner (the bait), and then went to Lethbridge's annual Christmas drama/musical at the largest church in the city. To say the least, the production was excellent. Their choir alone has more members than the church I pastor! Great musicians, great soloists, great lighting, great directing. I watched as our guests were delightfully tapping their feet to the beat of the songs, obviously enjoying themselves.
Now I confess, as a believer, I absolutely loved the play. There was a ton of Scripture referenced, along with much, much praise & glory given to God for His wise plan in sending His Son to the earth to 'make things right.' I was constantly dropping amens (even vocally) as Christ was adored for His rescue mission of humanity.
However, by the end of the play, I couldn't help but feel uneasy that one major aspect of the gospel was completely neglected. Now I am in no way insinuating that this was intentional, as if the director said, "let's leave the sin part out this time." However, I believe that the majority of modern, contemporary preaching has so omitted the truths of sin & repentance that such sin-less, law-less, & repentance-less "preaching" has become the norm. I can only hope that there were more dissatisfied Christians who likewise noted (and were troubled by) this gaping hole in this 'gospel' presentation. Unfortunately, I am quite positive many Christians left satisfied that their unbelieving acquaintances left having heard "the old, old story." Perhaps this is because they themselves have become accustomed to a form of preaching that seeks more to tickle ears than convict hearts.
Now I know that the Bible says that I must preach the gospel to our unbelieving friends & neighbors; I can't simply hand my duty off to others, nor relegate the great commission of Jesus to professionals, something which most North American Christians are content to do.
However, I must confess my disappointment in knowing that somewhere around 5000 people will have attended this Christmas program without having heard the true gospel message.
A few Scriptures that come to mind are:
"And when He [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8). As offensive as these three words are, they are essential to a faithful, accurate presentation of the gospel. For the Spirit to work effectually, He needs the full gospel to accomplish His ministry fully.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). I know no one loves to hear the "H" word, but faithful preachers throughout redemptive history have always warned their hearers of "the wrath to come" (Matthew 3:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:16). Though it doesn't tickle ears, the reality of Hell doesn't change if we don't preach it.
Those who are unbelievers are "dead in [their] trespasses and sins", under the sway "of this world", who "follow the prince of the power of the air", since they are "by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind" (Ephesians 2:1-3).
That all those who are not "in Christ" by faith do so because they actively "suppress the truth [of God] in their unrighteousness", and consequently "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against them" (Romans 1:18).
That "the whole world is accountable to God" for their lawless living (Romans 3:19). Thus, the law is preached since, "through the law comes a knowledge of sin" (3:20).
Why so dire? Because for sinners to actually be saved we need to hear the message of repentance. But sinners will never repent if they believe that they are "OK" with God, even though they are "condemned already" (John 3:18) for rejecting His only Son. This is the pattern of preaching we see in the Book of Acts, and it is unfortunate to see how the church has deviated from this Spirit-inspired model of what faithful preaching & ministry is to look like. It's simple: Peter preached to his hearers that they were guilty, helpless & vile. Their response, under Holy-Spirit-inspired conviction of sin, righteousness & judgment: "What shall we do?" Peter's solution is the 2nd half of the gospel: "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the Name of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
I know that one will try to defend the production by saying that it's only an hour long, and the purpose is to show people why Christ's coming is good news. But my retort is this: why is Christ's coming good news if I'm already "OK" with God - I'm trying my best, am a decent guy, and am definitely not as bad as the guy down the street. We must always remember that Romans 1:16 is in the context of verses 17 & 18-32.
My final "gleaning" from last Friday night was what Paul enunciated in Romans 10, namely the necessity of "preaching" for sinners to be converted. The play was 45 minutes, and I confess I don't believe the gospel was fully presented (even if it was, the words were hard to make out as the music simply overpowered whatever 'message' there was). However, when the pastor came up to speak, it seemed like the audience's awareness became more acute, as if they sensed something special was going to take place. Unfortunately, something special did not take place. With 1000 captive listeners, "good news" was alluded to, but in my opinion, the Good News was not preached (see verses above).
My prayer: God give me humility to not be critical in a proud way; at the same time, give me the same humility to not worry if I offend my brothers & sisters in Christ for calling them out on what I believe was a lost opportunity. My prayer is that this church would endeavor to make the necessary changes for next year's production. However, let us remember that Jesus Christ is coming like a thief in the night; we may not see next year's production.
Jesus, give me the grace to preach the whole council of God & to not shy away from the message that got You crucified. You have not called me to be popular, or to entertain the masses, but to join You in Your journey to the cross, begging sinners to likewise "deny self, take up cross, and follow You to glory."
For Christ, and His glory to the end of the earth (Lethbridge included),
Pastor Ryan
This Friday, Christina (my wife) & I took our neighbors out for dinner (the bait), and then went to Lethbridge's annual Christmas drama/musical at the largest church in the city. To say the least, the production was excellent. Their choir alone has more members than the church I pastor! Great musicians, great soloists, great lighting, great directing. I watched as our guests were delightfully tapping their feet to the beat of the songs, obviously enjoying themselves.
Now I confess, as a believer, I absolutely loved the play. There was a ton of Scripture referenced, along with much, much praise & glory given to God for His wise plan in sending His Son to the earth to 'make things right.' I was constantly dropping amens (even vocally) as Christ was adored for His rescue mission of humanity.
However, by the end of the play, I couldn't help but feel uneasy that one major aspect of the gospel was completely neglected. Now I am in no way insinuating that this was intentional, as if the director said, "let's leave the sin part out this time." However, I believe that the majority of modern, contemporary preaching has so omitted the truths of sin & repentance that such sin-less, law-less, & repentance-less "preaching" has become the norm. I can only hope that there were more dissatisfied Christians who likewise noted (and were troubled by) this gaping hole in this 'gospel' presentation. Unfortunately, I am quite positive many Christians left satisfied that their unbelieving acquaintances left having heard "the old, old story." Perhaps this is because they themselves have become accustomed to a form of preaching that seeks more to tickle ears than convict hearts.
Now I know that the Bible says that I must preach the gospel to our unbelieving friends & neighbors; I can't simply hand my duty off to others, nor relegate the great commission of Jesus to professionals, something which most North American Christians are content to do.
However, I must confess my disappointment in knowing that somewhere around 5000 people will have attended this Christmas program without having heard the true gospel message.
A few Scriptures that come to mind are:
"And when He [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8). As offensive as these three words are, they are essential to a faithful, accurate presentation of the gospel. For the Spirit to work effectually, He needs the full gospel to accomplish His ministry fully.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). I know no one loves to hear the "H" word, but faithful preachers throughout redemptive history have always warned their hearers of "the wrath to come" (Matthew 3:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:16). Though it doesn't tickle ears, the reality of Hell doesn't change if we don't preach it.
Those who are unbelievers are "dead in [their] trespasses and sins", under the sway "of this world", who "follow the prince of the power of the air", since they are "by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind" (Ephesians 2:1-3).
That all those who are not "in Christ" by faith do so because they actively "suppress the truth [of God] in their unrighteousness", and consequently "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against them" (Romans 1:18).
That "the whole world is accountable to God" for their lawless living (Romans 3:19). Thus, the law is preached since, "through the law comes a knowledge of sin" (3:20).
Why so dire? Because for sinners to actually be saved we need to hear the message of repentance. But sinners will never repent if they believe that they are "OK" with God, even though they are "condemned already" (John 3:18) for rejecting His only Son. This is the pattern of preaching we see in the Book of Acts, and it is unfortunate to see how the church has deviated from this Spirit-inspired model of what faithful preaching & ministry is to look like. It's simple: Peter preached to his hearers that they were guilty, helpless & vile. Their response, under Holy-Spirit-inspired conviction of sin, righteousness & judgment: "What shall we do?" Peter's solution is the 2nd half of the gospel: "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the Name of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
I know that one will try to defend the production by saying that it's only an hour long, and the purpose is to show people why Christ's coming is good news. But my retort is this: why is Christ's coming good news if I'm already "OK" with God - I'm trying my best, am a decent guy, and am definitely not as bad as the guy down the street. We must always remember that Romans 1:16 is in the context of verses 17 & 18-32.
My final "gleaning" from last Friday night was what Paul enunciated in Romans 10, namely the necessity of "preaching" for sinners to be converted. The play was 45 minutes, and I confess I don't believe the gospel was fully presented (even if it was, the words were hard to make out as the music simply overpowered whatever 'message' there was). However, when the pastor came up to speak, it seemed like the audience's awareness became more acute, as if they sensed something special was going to take place. Unfortunately, something special did not take place. With 1000 captive listeners, "good news" was alluded to, but in my opinion, the Good News was not preached (see verses above).
My prayer: God give me humility to not be critical in a proud way; at the same time, give me the same humility to not worry if I offend my brothers & sisters in Christ for calling them out on what I believe was a lost opportunity. My prayer is that this church would endeavor to make the necessary changes for next year's production. However, let us remember that Jesus Christ is coming like a thief in the night; we may not see next year's production.
Jesus, give me the grace to preach the whole council of God & to not shy away from the message that got You crucified. You have not called me to be popular, or to entertain the masses, but to join You in Your journey to the cross, begging sinners to likewise "deny self, take up cross, and follow You to glory."
For Christ, and His glory to the end of the earth (Lethbridge included),
Pastor Ryan
Thursday, December 1, 2011
John Owen on the Mortification of Sin
In his foreword to John Owen's classic, and now republished work, "Mortification of Sin", John Piper writes,
"As I look across the Christian landscape, I think it is safe to say concerning sin, "They have healed the wound of my people lightly" (Jer. 6:14; 8:11, ESV). I take this to refer to leaders who should be helping the church know and feel the seriousness of indwelling sin (Rom. 7:20), and how to fight it and kill it (Rom. 8:13). Instead the depth and complexity and ugliness and danger of sin in professing Christians is either minimized - since we are already justified - or psychologized as a symptom of woundedness rather than corruption."
As Kelly Kapic writes in the introduction, "Christians are called to war against sin." Why? Owens tells us: "Your enemy is not only upon you...but is in you also."
Owens calls this warfare "mortification", which he defines as "a habitual, successful weakening of sin that involves constant warfare and contention against the flesh." Following his definition, he gives his proposition to the reader:
"As I look across the Christian landscape, I think it is safe to say concerning sin, "They have healed the wound of my people lightly" (Jer. 6:14; 8:11, ESV). I take this to refer to leaders who should be helping the church know and feel the seriousness of indwelling sin (Rom. 7:20), and how to fight it and kill it (Rom. 8:13). Instead the depth and complexity and ugliness and danger of sin in professing Christians is either minimized - since we are already justified - or psychologized as a symptom of woundedness rather than corruption."
As Kelly Kapic writes in the introduction, "Christians are called to war against sin." Why? Owens tells us: "Your enemy is not only upon you...but is in you also."
Owens calls this warfare "mortification", which he defines as "a habitual, successful weakening of sin that involves constant warfare and contention against the flesh." Following his definition, he gives his proposition to the reader:
The choicest of believers,
who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin,
ought yet to make it their business all their days
to mortify the indwelling power of sin.
What I love about Owens' application in the book is that is thoroughly gospel centered. Putting the deeds of the flesh - that is, indwelling sin - to death is an impossibility to accomplish in the flesh. As Paul writes, we are to mortify, or kill, the deeds of the flesh "by the Spirit" (Rom. 8:13).
As we recall that the primary "ministration" of the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant is to apply to the elect the benefits of the gospel which Christ has purchased for them, we come to realize that Owen is certainly correct in his diagnosis that "the flesh profits nothing" in this venture of mortifying indwelling sin. Indeed, "Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world."
The true way to mortify sin: communion with God. Kapic writes, "The believer is not working to secure these realities [i.e. the benefits of the gospel], but seeking to live in light of them. It is through this ever-growing communion with the Father, Son and Spirit that the believer is most able to resist sin and temptation."
True and lasting resistance to sin comes not through willpower and self-improvement but through the Spirit who empowers believers with a knowledge and love of God. Not only does the Spirit of God bring life to those who are dead in sin (regeneration/new birth), but He also continues the work of God in the renewing of that person into the image of Christ, as we gaze upon Him through the gospel (2 Cor. 3:18-4:6). Indeed, as Owens writes, "Mortification is the gift of Christ to believers, and this is given by the Spirit of the Son."
And though our sanctification is wholly a divine work of God, we are not passive bystanders in this process. Surely referencing Phil. 2:12-13, Owens writes, "God's working in us is not suspended because we work, nor our working suspended because God works [as if God were to do His 'part' and we our 'part']. God works in us and we also work. But the relation is that because God works we work."
Jonathan Edwards, when articulating what true conversion "looked like", summed it up this way: a true believers have religious affections for Christ, which manifest themselves in holiness of life.
In God's grace, He has been burdening me to "pursue the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).
In light of Ephesians 1:4, may we remember that God has "elected us in Christ" to be "holy and blameless before Him." May we revel that we were also "in love predestined unto adoption as a sons through Jesus Christ, for Him" (1:5). God has saved us to be holy and blameless, and He has saved us to be His adopted son. They are not in opposition, but the very grammar of the Greek shows us that the two concepts are parallel and complimentary. Election and holiness are not enemies but friends; predestination and blameless living are not in opposition to each other. Thus those who call themselves "sons of God" by the Spirit must also pursue holiness. God's adopted children are to love what their Father loves, and hate what their Fathers hates, since they have been recreated in His image through Christ.
For the glory of God my prayer is that I would through the Spirit applying the gospel of Christ to my heart put to death all those deplorable deeds that bring shame and disgrace to the One who loved me and gave Himself for me (the premise of Ephesians 4-6).
Oh that we might in engage in what Owens calls "gospel mortification"! Fill me O Spirit, and conform me into the image of Christ, the very thing for which I was predestined for! (Rom. 8:29).
In Christ, and for His supreme glory to the ends of the earth,
Pastor Ryan
Friday, September 9, 2011
Conflict is the Price of Growth
In my prep for this Sunday's morning service, I came across an interesting blurb by Mark Driscoll in his book entitled "Vintage Church." It's definitely something I need to ponder, especially as it seems that Grace Community has seen some decent growth this past year. He writes:
"When a church grows, it changes, and that change causes conflict. Importantly, conflict is not always a bad thing in a church. Conflict, if handled in love and humility according to the principles of Scripture, can and should be the impetus for a more mature church that is more unified than ever. By way of analogy, every married couple knows that there is inevitably conflict in any loving relationship. The question is, "Not will we ever have conflict?", but rather, "How will we deal with our conflict?" Having been with my high school sweetheart for many years, I can attest to the fact that learning to work through our conflict has allowed us not to fear conflict but to use it as an occasion to build our loving unity by God's grace, and the same is true for my eleven years of service in our church.
"The price of your church growing so that more people are worshiping Jesus is conflict. I am convinced that many churches refuse to grow, even building theological justifications for not growing, because they are afraid of conflict, which means that rather than worshiping Christ, they are worshiping comfort. Simply, the desire to grow in numbers and maturity requires change, and change causes conflict. Therefore, growing churches are the ones that are prone to experience the greatest seasons of division, as the following process illustrates:
1. Growth causes change.
2. Change causes complexity.
3. Complexity causes chaos.
4. Chaos causes concern.
5. Concern causes conflict.
"This conflict comes in eight different forms. With each form, a person or a faction of people want something that they perceive they lost due to a change. They fight to preserve what they lost and in so doing oppose change. Their efforts focus on gaining or regaining one of eight forms of church currency that they value."
Driscoll goes on to list that these eight currencies, which I am simply going to list, are:
1. Power
2. Remuneration/compensation
3. Preference
4. Information - newcomers have access to the same things veterans have 'earned' during the years
5. Visibility - when gifted newcomers become visibly prominent, this often threatens the veterans
6. Personal energy - more people requires more leadership and service
7. Pace - veterans constantly pull the emergency brake because they fear loss of control
8. Control
Driscoll concludes by saying:
"For a church to grow it must accept the pain that accompanies change. Because we want more people to worship Jesus as God, we must be willing to accept the inevitable conflict that change brings. Such change can be perceived by some as a loss of power, remuneration, preference, information, visibility, role, sustainable pacing, or control. Or, it can be viewed as an opportunity to share those things with others for the sake of Jesus' gospel and his church."
Since this is already a lengthy blog post, I will save my theological musings for later posts. Feel free to leave your comments, as I value them. I am in agreement with Driscoll here, and so if he is out to lunch, then so am I.
Jesus promised to build His church, not make it comfortable (something that actually kills it, well at least according to most of the NT letters). May we pray that His kingdom come, not that our comfort remain.
In Christ, and for the sake of His supreme glory to the ends of the earth,
Pastor Ryan
"When a church grows, it changes, and that change causes conflict. Importantly, conflict is not always a bad thing in a church. Conflict, if handled in love and humility according to the principles of Scripture, can and should be the impetus for a more mature church that is more unified than ever. By way of analogy, every married couple knows that there is inevitably conflict in any loving relationship. The question is, "Not will we ever have conflict?", but rather, "How will we deal with our conflict?" Having been with my high school sweetheart for many years, I can attest to the fact that learning to work through our conflict has allowed us not to fear conflict but to use it as an occasion to build our loving unity by God's grace, and the same is true for my eleven years of service in our church.
"The price of your church growing so that more people are worshiping Jesus is conflict. I am convinced that many churches refuse to grow, even building theological justifications for not growing, because they are afraid of conflict, which means that rather than worshiping Christ, they are worshiping comfort. Simply, the desire to grow in numbers and maturity requires change, and change causes conflict. Therefore, growing churches are the ones that are prone to experience the greatest seasons of division, as the following process illustrates:
1. Growth causes change.
2. Change causes complexity.
3. Complexity causes chaos.
4. Chaos causes concern.
5. Concern causes conflict.
"This conflict comes in eight different forms. With each form, a person or a faction of people want something that they perceive they lost due to a change. They fight to preserve what they lost and in so doing oppose change. Their efforts focus on gaining or regaining one of eight forms of church currency that they value."
Driscoll goes on to list that these eight currencies, which I am simply going to list, are:
1. Power
2. Remuneration/compensation
3. Preference
4. Information - newcomers have access to the same things veterans have 'earned' during the years
5. Visibility - when gifted newcomers become visibly prominent, this often threatens the veterans
6. Personal energy - more people requires more leadership and service
7. Pace - veterans constantly pull the emergency brake because they fear loss of control
8. Control
Driscoll concludes by saying:
"For a church to grow it must accept the pain that accompanies change. Because we want more people to worship Jesus as God, we must be willing to accept the inevitable conflict that change brings. Such change can be perceived by some as a loss of power, remuneration, preference, information, visibility, role, sustainable pacing, or control. Or, it can be viewed as an opportunity to share those things with others for the sake of Jesus' gospel and his church."
Since this is already a lengthy blog post, I will save my theological musings for later posts. Feel free to leave your comments, as I value them. I am in agreement with Driscoll here, and so if he is out to lunch, then so am I.
Jesus promised to build His church, not make it comfortable (something that actually kills it, well at least according to most of the NT letters). May we pray that His kingdom come, not that our comfort remain.
In Christ, and for the sake of His supreme glory to the ends of the earth,
Pastor Ryan
Monday, September 5, 2011
Letting the Word Do its Work
On long-weekends, it is the normal practice to sleep-in on the day we're supposed to be working. Since pastors essentially never get days off, I'm not really surprised that I was up at 4:30 this morning (Monday), taking advantage of some 'me time', which is essentially extra time to read while the girls are sleeping comfortably in their nice, warm, cozy, beds.
In my musings, I ran across a book on Pneumatology (i.e. the study of the God the Holy Spirit) written by my former Church History professor, Dr. Michael Haykin, who wrote something that really caught my attention, as there was a deep resonation within my heart of something that the Spirit Himself has been teaching me of late - the priority, preeminence, and power of the Word of God, not only for Christian ministry, but also for everyday Christian life (which of course, is ministry). Haykin writes:
"In the early days of the Reformation in Germany, Martin Luther (1483-1586) reflected on the Reformation truths that he and his colleagues were preaching and publishing were making such a deep impact on various parts of German-speaking Europe. To the God-centered Luther, the answer was patent:
'I simply taught, preached and write God's Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept or drank Wittenburg beer with my friends...the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing, the Word did everything.'
In emphasizing that "the Word did everything", Luther is not simply giving his personal opinion, but making plain a vital theme in the history of the Christian faith."
Along the same vein, Christian historian/biographer Iain Murray aptly notes, "The advance of the church is ever preceded by a recovery of preaching [the Word]."
Or finally, as David Platt says in his book Radical Together, "the Word of God accomplishes the work of God." Platt rightly continues that it is God's Word, and God's Word alone that "forms and fulfills, motivates and mobilizes, equips and empowers, leads and directs the people of God in church for the plan of God in the world."
Perhaps this was why the apostle Paul asked that the believers in Thessalonica would continue to pray that the Word of God would advance rapidly and consequently be glorified, even as it did among Paul's audience there (my paraphrase of 2 Thes. 3:1).
So often in the church I see us as Christians fall into the carnal trap of praying that God would bless "our ministries". But how rarely do we hear prayers such as "O Lord, that You would bless the ministry of Your Word in that ministry"? If it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that alone evokes regeneration via the ministry of the Holy Spirit, why then are we so man-centered in our prayers, as if God will somehow use our "Word-less" efforts to accomplish His sovereign purposes in His universe?
Oh that we would remember Jesus' parable of the soils, the very one of which our Lord said is the quintessential one to understand (Mark 4:13)! If the Spirit does not cultivate and prepare the hearts (referred to as "soil" by Jesus) of our listeners (this of course assuming that we are being obedient to Christ's command for us to preach the gospel, Mark 16:15), we have - as the psalmist so aptly puts it - labored in vain (cf. Psa. 127:1). Though not all have faith (2 Thes. 3:2), God is faithful (3:3). He will not, nay, He cannot let His Word return to Him void or null; it will most definitely accomplish the very purposes for which He sent it (cf. Isa. 55:11).
If this is true, then let us pray accordingly, preach accordingly, and live accordingly. And when we see the powerful might of God's right hand extended as He furthers His kingdom on earth as it is on heaven, let us with Luther appropriately respond, "We did nothing; the Word did everything."
For Christ and the Supremacy of His Name to the ends of the Earth,
Pastor Ryan
P.S. for the sermon I preached last Sunday night on 2 Thes. 3:1-5, see http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonid=8291112232710])
In my musings, I ran across a book on Pneumatology (i.e. the study of the God the Holy Spirit) written by my former Church History professor, Dr. Michael Haykin, who wrote something that really caught my attention, as there was a deep resonation within my heart of something that the Spirit Himself has been teaching me of late - the priority, preeminence, and power of the Word of God, not only for Christian ministry, but also for everyday Christian life (which of course, is ministry). Haykin writes:
"In the early days of the Reformation in Germany, Martin Luther (1483-1586) reflected on the Reformation truths that he and his colleagues were preaching and publishing were making such a deep impact on various parts of German-speaking Europe. To the God-centered Luther, the answer was patent:
'I simply taught, preached and write God's Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept or drank Wittenburg beer with my friends...the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing, the Word did everything.'
In emphasizing that "the Word did everything", Luther is not simply giving his personal opinion, but making plain a vital theme in the history of the Christian faith."
Along the same vein, Christian historian/biographer Iain Murray aptly notes, "The advance of the church is ever preceded by a recovery of preaching [the Word]."
Or finally, as David Platt says in his book Radical Together, "the Word of God accomplishes the work of God." Platt rightly continues that it is God's Word, and God's Word alone that "forms and fulfills, motivates and mobilizes, equips and empowers, leads and directs the people of God in church for the plan of God in the world."
Perhaps this was why the apostle Paul asked that the believers in Thessalonica would continue to pray that the Word of God would advance rapidly and consequently be glorified, even as it did among Paul's audience there (my paraphrase of 2 Thes. 3:1).
So often in the church I see us as Christians fall into the carnal trap of praying that God would bless "our ministries". But how rarely do we hear prayers such as "O Lord, that You would bless the ministry of Your Word in that ministry"? If it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that alone evokes regeneration via the ministry of the Holy Spirit, why then are we so man-centered in our prayers, as if God will somehow use our "Word-less" efforts to accomplish His sovereign purposes in His universe?
Oh that we would remember Jesus' parable of the soils, the very one of which our Lord said is the quintessential one to understand (Mark 4:13)! If the Spirit does not cultivate and prepare the hearts (referred to as "soil" by Jesus) of our listeners (this of course assuming that we are being obedient to Christ's command for us to preach the gospel, Mark 16:15), we have - as the psalmist so aptly puts it - labored in vain (cf. Psa. 127:1). Though not all have faith (2 Thes. 3:2), God is faithful (3:3). He will not, nay, He cannot let His Word return to Him void or null; it will most definitely accomplish the very purposes for which He sent it (cf. Isa. 55:11).
If this is true, then let us pray accordingly, preach accordingly, and live accordingly. And when we see the powerful might of God's right hand extended as He furthers His kingdom on earth as it is on heaven, let us with Luther appropriately respond, "We did nothing; the Word did everything."
For Christ and the Supremacy of His Name to the ends of the Earth,
Pastor Ryan
P.S. for the sermon I preached last Sunday night on 2 Thes. 3:1-5, see http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonid=8291112232710])
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
A Sermon for Talitha Grace
I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven & earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper; He is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night;
The LORD will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121)
The inspired Word of God tells us that Psalm 121 is what the writer calls “a song of ascents”, which basically meant that this was one of the many psalms that the chosen people of God would sing during their pilgrimage towards Jerusalem for one of the three required festivals God required of them.
Not unlike our pilgrimage in this life, theirs too was fraught with apparent uncertainties, unseen dangers, acute anxieties and even the threat of death, as bandits and robbers and beasts lurked in the dark shadows of the night.
With all these daunting circumstances encompassing them on their pilgrimage, such songs of ascent were a God-inspired and God-given gift to His special people. Such songs reminded God’s people that they were not to focus their eyes upon the all-too-present dangers and evils that are part and parcel of this fallen age. No, God had called them to lift their eyes to the horizon, towards Mount Zion, the place chosen by God where He had promised to dwell in the midst of His chosen people, a place where the never-slumbering nor sleeping God of the universe would forever “keep” His people from every evil.
Gazing upon the immensity of God’s dwelling place was a merciful means given to God’s people to silence their fears and vanquish their doubts as they pilgrimaged through the valley of the shadow of death. As the only true and living God, the One who alone created the heavens and the earth, He was sovereign over every threatening circumstance that endangered the well being of His people. Even more, as covenant God, Yahweh, He was intimately and imminently present to comfort and overshadow His people as a cloud protected the helpless infants from the scorching heat of the sun. They knew that the unchanging, undying sovereign and covenant keeping God had promised to never leave or forsake His people, that nothing, nothing, could ever separate them from His eternal and electing love.
This was their comfort in this life as they pilgrimaged not merely to the earthly Jerusalem, but ultimately to the heavenly Jerusalem, the eternal abode of the eternal triune God, a place of promised rest and safety and peace and security, a place where God Himself dwelled in the midst of His people as their Immanuel, and thus a place of eternal and unceasing joy and gladness and glory.
Some had to travel many miles and endure many trials to reach Mount Zion, the dwelling place of God. In immeasurable mercy, some were born there. Yet regardless of their lot in life, all those whom God had entered into covenant with would certainly arrive there. Talitha’s pilgrimage was sovereignly shortened; she was one of those so privileged as to be born within the gates of the City of God.
In accordance with God’s revelation of Himself to us through His inspired Word, and even more, through His revelation of Himself to us in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, we as God’s people have great and unwavering confidence that Talitha Grace was included in the gracious electing purposes of God to save a great host of people to Himself, so that in the coming ages they might demonstrate the immensity of His grace in kindness towards them in Christ Jesus.
For those who have tasted and seen that the LORD is good, we long to be amid the redeemed throng, alongside Talitha, where we all in glorious harmony will sing with unbridled joy the eternal Song of the Lamb, Who by His blood ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation – unborn children included.
Talitha is safe in the arms of Jesus. He has become her Refuge and Strong Tower. He is the first One whom she was so gloriously privileged to gaze upon. He is the One to whom we are reminded yet again to lift up our eyes by faith and gaze upon: the Son of God who lived, died, and was raised again, so that those who trust in His finished work of redemption might find solace and safety in Him, not only in this life, but ultimately as the Psalmist wrote, “from this time forth and forevermore.”
Dear listener, our prayer has been that through this glory-tinged tragedy, many would put their trust in, that is, would lift up their eyes in hope-filled and confident faith towards Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Those who die outside His grace die without hope. Those who refuse lift up their eyes and trust in Him as Savior will likewise be refused when they lift up their eyes to gaze upon Him as Judge.
The LORD has mercifully kept Talitha Grace “from all evil.” For those of us who have sinned against our holy and wrathful God, the only way we can be kept from all evil is to be found in Jesus Christ, the One who on the cross bore the wrath of God for us as sinners. Oh, look to the One whom Talitha is now intently gazing upon! May He alone be the One from where your help comes.
In beautiful Name of Jesus Christ, and for His eternal glory, Amen.
Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fear relieved;
How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come;
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
And when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil, a life of joy and peace.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we’ve first begun.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
God saves bad people (Deut. 9)
The title of this article is borrowed from one of best - if not the best - sermons I have ever heard before from a preacher very few Christians are aware of, namely Arturo Azurdia. The title of the sermon from Joshua 2 (can be listened to here, http://www.spiritempoweredpreaching.com/sermons.htm [check out the youtube clip, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoMIDK1SXTU) is the same, but my passage from which I draw the same conclusion is different. I have no problem highjacking Azurdia's clever sermon title, for the biblical narrative paints a consistent and coherent picture from Genesis to Revelation, namely the great story of redemption wherewith a loving and sovereign God saves a people, who are - to be painstakingly honest - in the words of the apostle Paul, "the worst of sinners" (1 Tim. 1:17). The text from which I see this theme once again reemerge is Deuteronomy 9.
The context of the early chapters of Deuteronomy shows Moses preparing the chosen people of God as they are on the verge of entering the promised land of Canaan. This section consists mostly of repeated reminders of Yahweh's sovereign faithfulness in not only rescuing the Hebrew nation out of slavery in Egypt, but also in conquering every possible obstacle and hindrance to their entrance into the land "flowing with milk and honey."
The question we need to answer then is, why does God repeatedly remind the people of this cardinal truth, namely, that God chooses to save bad people? The answer, simply stated, is that the only people God can save are bad people. A quick perusal of the Scriptures shows just how replete they are with this dire assessment of the natural state of fallen humanity. For instance, Paul, quoting the OT says, "None is righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10). Prophets such a Jeremiah describe the natural human heart as "desperately wicked above all things and desperately/incurably sick" (17:9). Even King David, described by the Scriptures as "a man after God's own heart" can lament that he was sinful from birth (Psa. 51:5). Isaiah, perhaps the most glorious prophet of the Old Testament, could even speak of himself - he who was also a legitimate Old Testament priest - "Woe is me / I am ruined / For I am a man of unclean lips" (6:5). A man whose duty was to declare with his own lips the very oracles of God declares that even his lips are unworthy to speak of or for the thrice holy LORD of Hosts (6:3).
Even the writer of Deuteronomy, Moses, elsewhere portrays the mass of humanity inhabiting the earth prior to the great Flood this way: "The LORD saw that the wickedness of mankind was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5, italics mine).
So we should not be surprised, then, when we read God's words to the Israelites at the threshhold of entering into the land of Canaan:
"Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them [i.e. the pagan inhabitants of the land] out before you, 'It is because of my 'righteousness' that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,' whereas it is becasue of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. Not because of your 'righteousness' or the 'uprightness' of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out before you, and that He may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (9:4-5)
To prevent even the slightest chance that the reader might presume that Israel was chosen because they were not as bad the inhabitants of the land, Moses continues:
"Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your 'righteousness', for you are a stubborn people. Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD." (9:6-8, emphasis mine)
Rather than taking passages such as these as offensive, I on the other hand find great comfort in the truth that the only people that God chooses to save are wicked sinners. Why? Because I actually agree with God's assessment of mankind that it is not by nature good. No, mankind by nature is bad. Mankind is, like Israel, stubborn and rebellious. Mankind is by nature depraved. Mankind by nature hates God. If mankind could, it would not only mock and beat and ridicule God, it would kill Him.
Actually, this is precisely what mankind did to God. Though mankind has derided and blasphemed God throughout the ages, when it received the opportunity to kill God, it did so by hanging Him upon a Roman cross. Mankind killed the God that came to save mankind.
The Scriptures unashamedly and unrelentlessly declares to us that these are the kind of people that God in Christ came to save. Sinners like you and sinners like me. Sinners like Moses and Rahab and David and Isaiah and Peter and Paul.
Why this "consuming fire" (9:3) does not devour us rebels is just beyond explanation. But then again, sovereign and electing grace defies a perfect explanation. This is why we will marvel throughout the ages at "the immeasurable riches of God's grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7).
And so Moses' repeated exhortation is the same as Paul's: "Remember!" In Deuteronomy, Moses uses this word 14 times, almost exclusively in the context of the immensity of God's grace in kindness towards His people, which is neatly juxtaposed against the backdrop of their sinful rebellion against Him. Likewise, in Ephesians 2:11, Paul exhorts his Gentile listeners to remember that they were formerly "dead in the trespasses and sins in which they walked" alongside the fact that God, in His rich, electing grace, "made us alive together with Christ Jesus" (2:1-6).
God doesn't save good people; He saves bad people. I was by nature bad, and thus a perfect candidate for the grace of God that saved me. The Good News of the gospel just doesn't make sense until we understand the bad news of the gospel. The bad news is that mankind is inherently bad. The Good News is that Christ Jesus came to save bad people.
Those who see themselves as not bad have fallen from grace, for they only need Jesus as a band-aid, or accessory (Gal. 5:4). The cancerous lie spreading through Galatia in Paul's time is the same gangrene that permeates our culture and, sadly to say, most of our churches, who have fallen hook, line and sinker for the deception that we as people generally (and individuals specifically) really not as bad as God says we are. This lie is filling Hell up with scores of deceived people who think they are going to Heaven. Why? Because Hell is not only for bad people, it is also for 'good' people.
Why? Because Heaven is not for 'good' people, but for forgiven people. Heaven is for people who have acknowledged their wicked ways through genuine repentance, beat their breast with contrition for personally sinning against their Creator, and cried out for mercy from a merciful God who demonstrates His mercy with sinners on the cross of Christ.
Jesus, the Great Physician, did not come for those who are 'well'. He came for those are sick (Mark 2:17). Only the sick will find the healing they so desperately need. Those who are blinded by their illusionary 'goodness' will never truly see their need of a Savior (John 9:39; cf. Luke 18:9-14).
May the Holy Spirit continue to open our eyes to see our continual need of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Him and for His supreme glory,
Pastor Ryan Case
The context of the early chapters of Deuteronomy shows Moses preparing the chosen people of God as they are on the verge of entering the promised land of Canaan. This section consists mostly of repeated reminders of Yahweh's sovereign faithfulness in not only rescuing the Hebrew nation out of slavery in Egypt, but also in conquering every possible obstacle and hindrance to their entrance into the land "flowing with milk and honey."
The question we need to answer then is, why does God repeatedly remind the people of this cardinal truth, namely, that God chooses to save bad people? The answer, simply stated, is that the only people God can save are bad people. A quick perusal of the Scriptures shows just how replete they are with this dire assessment of the natural state of fallen humanity. For instance, Paul, quoting the OT says, "None is righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10). Prophets such a Jeremiah describe the natural human heart as "desperately wicked above all things and desperately/incurably sick" (17:9). Even King David, described by the Scriptures as "a man after God's own heart" can lament that he was sinful from birth (Psa. 51:5). Isaiah, perhaps the most glorious prophet of the Old Testament, could even speak of himself - he who was also a legitimate Old Testament priest - "Woe is me / I am ruined / For I am a man of unclean lips" (6:5). A man whose duty was to declare with his own lips the very oracles of God declares that even his lips are unworthy to speak of or for the thrice holy LORD of Hosts (6:3).
Even the writer of Deuteronomy, Moses, elsewhere portrays the mass of humanity inhabiting the earth prior to the great Flood this way: "The LORD saw that the wickedness of mankind was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5, italics mine).
So we should not be surprised, then, when we read God's words to the Israelites at the threshhold of entering into the land of Canaan:
"Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them [i.e. the pagan inhabitants of the land] out before you, 'It is because of my 'righteousness' that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,' whereas it is becasue of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. Not because of your 'righteousness' or the 'uprightness' of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is driving them out before you, and that He may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (9:4-5)
To prevent even the slightest chance that the reader might presume that Israel was chosen because they were not as bad the inhabitants of the land, Moses continues:
"Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your 'righteousness', for you are a stubborn people. Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD." (9:6-8, emphasis mine)
Rather than taking passages such as these as offensive, I on the other hand find great comfort in the truth that the only people that God chooses to save are wicked sinners. Why? Because I actually agree with God's assessment of mankind that it is not by nature good. No, mankind by nature is bad. Mankind is, like Israel, stubborn and rebellious. Mankind is by nature depraved. Mankind by nature hates God. If mankind could, it would not only mock and beat and ridicule God, it would kill Him.
Actually, this is precisely what mankind did to God. Though mankind has derided and blasphemed God throughout the ages, when it received the opportunity to kill God, it did so by hanging Him upon a Roman cross. Mankind killed the God that came to save mankind.
The Scriptures unashamedly and unrelentlessly declares to us that these are the kind of people that God in Christ came to save. Sinners like you and sinners like me. Sinners like Moses and Rahab and David and Isaiah and Peter and Paul.
Why this "consuming fire" (9:3) does not devour us rebels is just beyond explanation. But then again, sovereign and electing grace defies a perfect explanation. This is why we will marvel throughout the ages at "the immeasurable riches of God's grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7).
And so Moses' repeated exhortation is the same as Paul's: "Remember!" In Deuteronomy, Moses uses this word 14 times, almost exclusively in the context of the immensity of God's grace in kindness towards His people, which is neatly juxtaposed against the backdrop of their sinful rebellion against Him. Likewise, in Ephesians 2:11, Paul exhorts his Gentile listeners to remember that they were formerly "dead in the trespasses and sins in which they walked" alongside the fact that God, in His rich, electing grace, "made us alive together with Christ Jesus" (2:1-6).
God doesn't save good people; He saves bad people. I was by nature bad, and thus a perfect candidate for the grace of God that saved me. The Good News of the gospel just doesn't make sense until we understand the bad news of the gospel. The bad news is that mankind is inherently bad. The Good News is that Christ Jesus came to save bad people.
Those who see themselves as not bad have fallen from grace, for they only need Jesus as a band-aid, or accessory (Gal. 5:4). The cancerous lie spreading through Galatia in Paul's time is the same gangrene that permeates our culture and, sadly to say, most of our churches, who have fallen hook, line and sinker for the deception that we as people generally (and individuals specifically) really not as bad as God says we are. This lie is filling Hell up with scores of deceived people who think they are going to Heaven. Why? Because Hell is not only for bad people, it is also for 'good' people.
Why? Because Heaven is not for 'good' people, but for forgiven people. Heaven is for people who have acknowledged their wicked ways through genuine repentance, beat their breast with contrition for personally sinning against their Creator, and cried out for mercy from a merciful God who demonstrates His mercy with sinners on the cross of Christ.
Jesus, the Great Physician, did not come for those who are 'well'. He came for those are sick (Mark 2:17). Only the sick will find the healing they so desperately need. Those who are blinded by their illusionary 'goodness' will never truly see their need of a Savior (John 9:39; cf. Luke 18:9-14).
May the Holy Spirit continue to open our eyes to see our continual need of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Him and for His supreme glory,
Pastor Ryan Case
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