What is Christian Apologetics?

Christian Apologetics

Christians need to know what they believe and how to defend and share their faith! The Apostle  Peter made this plain as he wrote to the Christians in Asia Minor in the first century saying, ” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;” (1 Peter 3:15 ) This he wrote to the average Christian in the pew, so to speak. It is one of my passions to help my Brothers and Sisters in Christ fulfill this command.

Ready To Give An Answer – LESSON AUDIO

I had the opportunity last Saturday to meet with a few of them and share my most recent paper on the subject which I wrote for my current seminary studies at The North American Reformed Seminary.   We all need to be “Ready To Give An Answer.” I encourage you to check out the paper, its the post on the blog here entitled Ready To Give An Answer. Isn’t that convenient? You can listen and read as I read and discuss the paper in the lesson above or just read or listen.

A friend of mine who is an apologist himself said this of the paper, ” it’s one of the most concise, clear and useful short expositions on the matter that I’ve seen.” you can check out his ministry, Applied Apologetics. Read, listen, learn and enjoy! I pray that the Lord strengthens you as you share the Gospel with those He bring across your path.

In Christ!

Kevin

What is the “Fear of the Lord?” [Exodus Pt. 2]

Fearing the Lord

Have you ever asked yourself whether you would be able to stand in the face of persecution? Every week we pray for Christians around the world who are suffering for their faith. This week in our Voice of the Martyrs prayer update we read of a pastor who lost an eye when Islamic extremists threw acid in his face for his evangelism efforts. We also read of a church in China that meets outside because the police discourage those who would rent them a space from  doing do. Yet they continue to meet outside, year around, facing persecution and inclement weather.

What is the Fear of the Lord? – SERMON AUDIO

For the people of God, facing persecution is nothing new! Since 64 AD and even before it has been going on. Peter tells his readers in Asia Minor exactly this as he writes to them at that time;

1 Peter 4:12-13  Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;  13  but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Yet even before this, the people of God were persecuted and threatened with extinction. All the way back in Exodus, about 1,500 years bef0re Peter’s time, we see that Pharaoh had very strong ideas about what he would like to see happen to them;

Exodus 1:8-14  Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.  9  And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;  10  come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”  11  Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.  12  But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.  13  So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.  14  And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage–in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

Despite his greatest efforts, the children of Israel grew stronger and increased their number. That is when he stepped things up to the most despicable of actions against them.

Exodus 1:15-16  Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;  16  and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

Pharaoh was the most powerful man in the known world at this time. He was regarded as a god among his people and was king over the mightiest empire in the land.  He simply told the midwives what to do and I am certain that he was not used to being ignored. Yet.

Exodus 1:17-18  17  But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.  18  So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”

These women stood against the most fearsome king in the world and refused to do his bidding. But we read, “But the midwives feared God….” They did not respect the power of the great king when it was compared to the power of their God. They had seen Him multiply His people in the midst of their enslavement. I believe that they knew the promise of God to Abraham, to multiply his descendents. They had been faithful to protect and care for his offspring, faithful to their people and to their God. Fear really comes down to respect of power. We can fear men or we can fear God. With the fear of God also comes honor of His Person.

I believe that these ladies were faithful and feared God (respected His power and His Person) in the small things from day to day. When the day came for them to be tested, by the grace of God, they passed! Their faithfulness to His faithfulness allowed the covenant people of God to continue until the one who would redeem those people was born (See Exodus 3). God’s timing impeccable! So, to answer that question about standing in the face of persecution. If I was the pastor who’s eye was burned out by acid would I continue to preach the Gospel? If I had to go to church outside because the local government refused to allow me a place to worship, would I show up? If the government ordered me to perform an immoral act, could I refuse like Shiphrah and Puah? The Grace of God is at the heart of it, yet, our own faithfulness our “fear of God” will also play a part. If we are not faithful in the little things that we encounter day by day, I do not believe we have much to hope for on that day.

There is much more to be said on the subject. I encourage you to listen to the sermon audio by clicking the link below to hear it. Before I stop typing this out, I need to ask you, how are you doing in the little things? Are you faithful when the world tries to impose itself on you? Do you fear men and their opinions or do you fear the Lord?

What is the Fear of the Lord? – SERMON AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

How Can You Believe?

What is it that stands in the way of true faith? Is it that there is not enough evidence, or is there more (or less) to it than that? Actually, evidence is not in short supply, the very creation calls for the necessity of a Creator. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Believers in Rome, he informed them of this;

Romans 1:18-20  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,  19  because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.  20  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…

The evidence is there and it is plain, but men do not want to be accountable. As Jesus confronted the religious leaders of His day, he said essentially the same thing to them. After healing a man on the Sabbath Day to get their attention, He spoke of the testimony of God through the Prophets, and of the Miracles He had performed publically…

John 5:31-34  “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  32  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  33  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  34  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.

John 5:36-37  But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish–the very works that I do–bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  37  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

Though the evidence was overwhelming, these men persisted in their hard-heartedness. It was not their intellect that restrained them from believing that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus gives the accusation;

John 5:43-44  I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  44  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?

These men were primarily concerned about appearances; what other men thought of them. They were following the status quo of their time. Not to mention that their positions of power would be demonstrated to be without foundation if they accepted Jesus as Messiah. And so, Jesus demonstrates the impossibility of their faith as long as they maintained the mindset that man’s opinions of each other was paramount. When man’s judgment is the determining factor of truth, then the best they can do is to make a god that fits their scheme. God is above all of creation. He has made men in His image and implanted the work of His law on our hearts. In our rebellion, we have sought to suppress that knowledge, but as we hear the truth of His Word and it is quickened by His Holy Spirit, we are able to set men’s opinions aside and seek the truth of the Only True God. It takes a large dose of humility, but in the end, is it better to be thought wise by your peers or the possessor of real wisdom?

How Can You Believe? – AUDIO

One God, One Mediator [1 Timothy Pt. 8]

One God, One Mediator

Holding the Faith with a good conscience. This was the basic charge that the Apostle Paul gave to young Timothy. If we are to continue in our faith we need to know who we are and who God is. This sounds really basic, but it needs to be in our very being to understand the basic nature of our relationship to Him. It is a relationship of grace, but also one of authority and submission. Those who reject the later half of this relationship are in danger of exposing the fact that they really do not know Christ at all.

Paul warns Timothy about some who sacrificed their good conscience and lost their faith, that is, they did not submit themselves to God’s authority and ended up making shipwreck of their faith.

1 Timothy 1:18-20  This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,  19  having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,  20  of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Last time, we saw how this command relates to prayer and godly living in our unsaved and potentially hostile society. As we submit to God and His authority, we trust Him in the area of our political leaders, we pray for all men, including those leaders, and we live in godliness and we live honorably. This is important to God because it is His way of reaching the world with the Gospel.

1 Timothy 2:1-4  Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,  2  for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,  4  who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

God has chosen to make the Gospel known to men through other men. And the Gospel must have an effect on all who claim its promise of forgiveness. One necessary, defining characteristic of the Believer is trusting obedience, submitting ourselves to God’s plan. And today we see why that is so important.

1 Timothy 2:5-7  For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,  6  who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,  7  for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle–I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying–a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

That reason is, that there are no other alternatives. There is only One God and there is only One Way to that God, through Jesus Christ. The prescribed method of men coming to Christ is for other men to pray, live godly, honorable lives and testify of the Savior, faithfully and truly. God intends that the Gospel go out to every nation, tribe and tongue and we who know Him are the vehicle by which He has chosen to send it. If you know Christ as Savior, then the Gospel came to you through a person. Would you judge others as unworthy of what you have received as an undeserved gift? Your lifestyle will tell. Are you a person who is a person of prayer, for all men, for kings and for all who are in authority? Are you godly and honorable in your living among the unsaved? Are you testifying of the Gospel where the Lord has put you? To reject this basic description of the lives of those who “hold faith and a good conscience” is to put yourself in the place of being exposed as a false convert, of “suffering shipwreck concerning the faith.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15  For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;  15  and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Audio of the lesson is available by clicking on the link below

One God, One Mediator – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Increase From God [Colossians Pt. 14]

Increase from God

Is the Christian’s life about achieving success? Is it about performance? While most religions put the emphasis there, the Christian Faith puts the emphasis on the vital connection of man to God through Jesus Christ.  The error usually comes when we try to figure out what that is supposed to look like in the lives of Believers. This is really the crux of this letter to the Colossian Church. Those who are motivated by outward shows of religion have infiltrated the church there and begun to add rituals and restrictions to the basic faith in Christ. The problem is that, any time we add to that which is perfect, we ultimately end up taking away from it. This is the case with the Christian Faith. Paul tells them in Colossians 2:10, “And you are complete in Him.” Then he goes on to explain what that means.

Colossians 2:11-15  In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,  12  buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.  13  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,  14  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  15  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

As we place our faith in Christ, we are circumcised with the Circumcision of Christ as is demonstrated in baptism. That is, we are brought into a covenant relationship with Christ. (Vs. 11-12) Next we are made alive, having previously been dead in sin, (Vs. 13) completely forgiven by His work on the Cross (Vs. 14) and finally, freed from the accusations of authority of every other being in the universe as it relates to our standing with God. What we have been given in Christ is perfect and complete. Therefore, Paul exhorts these Christians;

Colossians 2:18-19  Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,  19  and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

The danger of a strong focus on performance has the potential to “cheat” us of the “reward.” That is, that when we begin to focus on self and what we do to earn or maintain God’s favor, we disregard the perfect gift of God’s righteousness that is credited to the account of those who trust in Christ. We need to base our relationship to God solely upon the revealed knowledge of our sin and His grace applied by faith alone. We need to accept what the Bible says about our sin, Christ’s authority and God’s faithfulness to His promise or we will push Christ away as we seek elsewhere what is found only in Him.

This is why Paul tells the Believers in Colosse that those who teach them a false humility (not trusting God, or His messengers the Apostles, but imagining that these things remain a mystery), the need for the worship of angels (or the introduction of another mediator of some kind, i.e. angels, saints, or rituals), and trying to teach what they have never studied from the only source, God’s Word, will ultimately lead them to apostasy.  It comes through an attitude of arrogance in denying what is revealed, in alternate forms of righteousness, denying the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement and ultimately ends in apostasy, having moved away from the central figure of the Faith.

However, this does not mean that we live without regard to holiness. He have been saved from sin and we cannot continue to live in it as though it was unimportant to God. The thing is, is that this success in the area of holiness does not come by seeking holiness in addition to what Christ has done on the Cross. The Cross is the source of holiness, not human effort. If we are truly connected to Christ, He will produce holiness in us. The problem that the Colossian false teachers had was that they were, “…not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.” Jesus told the Disciples on the night of His arrest’

John 15:5-6  “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  6  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Fruit bearing, i.e. holiness, overcoming sin, growth in grace and being conformed to the image of Christ is not what leads to union with Christ, but the result of it! Rather than seeking success, we would be better off to apply ourselves to the means that God has given for us to seek Christ; to attend to His Word, both read and preached, to be a part of a solid Bible believing and preaching church fellowship and to spend time in prayer, seeking the conversion of the Spirit in our lives. Grounding ourselves in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ and coming to Him daily for the grace to overcome sin is the road to sanctification.  As a part of His Body, we are nourished and knit together with Him and His people and the growth that results comes from God and not from self-effort. Again, this does not mean that we should sit back and wait for God to do something, but that we should earnest make use of the means He has given and trust that He will do what only He can do, cause growth.

The call of the Christian to holiness is indispensable! Yet, it is not achieved through rituals or legalistic observances, but through a vital connection with Jesus Christ as we submit to Him through His Word and Spirit. I encourage you to listen to the audio of the message and heed the call to hold fast to Christ.

Increase From God – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Avoiding Shipwreck [1 Timothy Pt. 6]

Avoiding Shipwreck

Ministry is tough! How tough? Paul described it to Timothy as “waging the good warfare.” That’s right, the ministry is a difficult task. The fact that this was prophesied to Timothy was a reason to be encouraged to that task. Many people enter the ministry for notoriety or a sense of importance and yet those who are given the task of overseeing the Flock of God need to be sure who appointed them and take strength from the fact that He knows about the difficulties associated with the job.

Having opened this letter with the declaration that Timothy needed to stop some false teachers in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3) and going on to give an overview of the basic point of the ministry, producing love from a pure heart (1 Timothy 1:5), Paul charges the young pastor to take up the reigns of the ministry there.

1 Timothy 1:18-19  This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,  19  having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,

The necessary tools for him to completes his task are “faith and a good conscience.” Those who have lost sight of these things have come up short. The idea of “shipwreck” here is that they never made it to their final destination. They got on the boat, the Church of Jesus Christ, but that boat did not take them where they had hoped to go. The two elements of successful ministry are also applicable to the Christian life. We need to live having both Faith and a Good Conscience.

Faith: Here we are not talking about our ability to ascent to basic facts, but the facts themselves. There are many people who have faith in many things. Some prefer to have an abstract faith that is based on what they think ought to be. This is not faith at all but a delusion.  J.C. Philpot says, “If your doctrine be unsound, your experience must be delusion and your practice imposition.” We have to believe what God says about us and about Himself. We have to take it on His authority. If not, we are not holding to faith but to speculation. Faith has to be in what God has said because faith is taking God at His Word.

The greatest problem we have as fallen human beings is that we don’t want to submit to authority and so, we often struggle to take God at His Word. Our wills get in the way and we skew God’s precepts and promises to fit our preconceived notions. This is dishonest and so Paul adds to simple faith.

Good Conscience: That is, accepting God’s Word, His authority without manipulation. We need to accept what God says about us with unswerving fidelity. Only then will we be able to hold the faith with a good conscience.  Paul mentions men who have used the Gospel to promote their own agenda, Hymenaeus and Alexander. We can’t be sure who Alexander was, but we know that Hymenaeus taught that the resurrection had already happened and overturned the faith of some (2 Timothy 2:17-18). What was the basis of his false teaching? Many commentators believe that it was rooted in proto-Gnosticism. The Gnostics were a group of people who began with the teachings of Plato and formulated their religion around his idealism. That is, out there somewhere is a perfect everything but the things we actually see are imperfect copies of that spiritual ideal. This developed into the idea that spiritual is good and physical is evil. Men brought this presupposition into the Christian faith and began to teach that our souls and spirits are saved, but the evil flesh is unsavable. This lead them to teach that once the soul is saved (Hymenaeus’s resurrection) that the body can continue in sin without detriment. Thus, a licentious Christianity was preached and it destroyed the faith of some. Hymenaeus came to the Faith and altered its truths to fit his ideas and tried to make the faith serve him rather than the other way around. Thus, his faith was superficial and did not allow him to arrive at his expected destination, he suffered shipwreck.

In their commentary on this passage, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown say “If one’s religion better not his morals, his moral deficiencies will corrupt his religion.” The Gospel is a story of God’s remedy for sin, about man’s absolute moral corruption and God’s gracious offer of redemption from all of that. It is salvation from sin, not a way to feel better about yourself. Feeling better about ourselves will eventually come,  but not in such a way as to give us the freedom to walk in sin without compunction.

I believe that many in the Church today are here to let God serve them through the Gospel. To give them personal freedom to live godless lives. This is not holding the faith with a good conscience. As I see it here, the question comes down to this, Who’s agenda takes precedence? Am I looking for a Gospel that will serve me or a Gospel that demands my service to it? The answer to that question will also determine whether you ship will arrive at the destination that you hope for or become shipwrecked along the way.

I encourage you to listen to the audio of our discussion and to make an assessment of your agenda.

Avoiding Shipwreck – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Circumcision of Christ [Colossians Pt.12]

Circumcision of Christ

Legalism: the belief that we need to earn or keep God’s favor by righteous acts or religious observance. It is the oldest form of religion. It is the way that many of us as fallen creatures naturally see ourselves in relationship to God. This was the problem that the Apostle Paul was addressing as he wrote to the Christians at Colosse. Once he lays the foundation of the reality of their faith, the basics of the Gospel and then the intention of his ministry, he begins to address the issues that need correction:

Colossians 2:9-11  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;  10  and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.  11  In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

Beginning with the authority of Christ and the fact that He has declared the work of justification “finished,” Paul begins to discuss circumcision. It seems that there is a fundamental disconnect in the minds of the false teachers there as to the relationship of the Church and that of Old Testament Israel. This disconnect is often in the minds of Believers to this day. The problem, I believe, is seeing Israel too much as an end or goal in God’s plan rather than a means to an end. We want to make their status as the “People of God” supersede the reality that God has, from the beginning, desired to draw all people to Himself. The promise to Abraham was more about the blessing of all the families of the earth than about the calling of a single nation.

This issue of Giving the Jews the wrong place in the plan of God (end vs. means) is the heart of error in much of the Church to this day. This pushes many into the notion that the rituals, (such as in the case of the Colossian church, circumcision) are to be a part of the religion of the followers of Christ. Others take the same principle and place more emphasis on outward rites and righteousness rather than an inward work of God on the heart. We tend to feel that if we have participated in certain activities or maintained a certain level of righteous deeds, that God will be pleased with us.

First, we need to understand the place of the Old Testament Saints in the larger plan of God.

Secondly, we need to understand the place of the rituals that they were required to perform and how it related to their relationship to God.

Then, we need to see how, it at all, this relates to our own relationship to the Lord.

This is what we did as we looked at Colossians 2:9-13. Putting it all into perspective we can see the purpose of Israel, their rituals and the place of Christian Ordinances in the lives of New Testament Believers. It is a discussion very much worth having and one that will help us to get these often misunderstood concepts right. I encourage you listen to the audio below and think it all through.

Circumcision of Christ – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

By Him, Through Him, For Him [Colossians Pt. 5]

By Him, Through Him, For Him

Who’s in charge around here? Sometimes it seems like the bad guys are winning. But, as the old hymn reminds us, “This is my Father’s world, O let me never forget, that tho’ the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” Our discouragement is often from a lack of understanding and trusting in God’s control. The Colossians struggled with this too. They had been a part of a culture that was very superstitious and who thought that angels influenced the events of the world. Fear ruled their lives because they did not understand that Christ is over everything.

Colossians 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  16  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  17  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Being the visible representation of the invisible God, Creator of all things visible and invisible which includes the very idea of authority, there is nothing that overrules Jesus Christ! Verse 16 gives a list of authorities that relate to the invisible realm; angels or demons who exert influence in the visible realm. “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” and yet we see that they too were created by Christ, through Christ and for Christ. Their authority is derived. The influence that they wield is only through the filter of His control. Like the Devil and his attack on Job, it comes through the permission of God for the benefit of His people.

We often forget that we live in a fallen world that is cursed because of our own sin. We expect that if God is good then life should be trouble-free. On the contrary, if God is good we should all be consigned to eternal torment because of our rebellion against Him as the source of all goodness. We are the evil in the world and should be eradicated by the Good God who rules the universe. Yet, He chooses to show mercy and compassion to us through the Cross of Christ. As redeemed people we live in that fallen world where the fruit of sin is constantly ripening around us. And yet we live in the midst of that world under the authority of the One who rules all. He will bring us through the difficulties of this world and carry us to His appointed end because He is in charge.

Romans 8:31-39 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  32  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  33  Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.  34  Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.  35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  36  As it is written: “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE ACCOUNTED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER.”  37  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  38  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  39  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We can derive great comfort from this as His children. He is just in His judgment of sinners who continue to rebel. He is caring for and protecting His own. He will govern all things to His appointed end and there is no power in the created realm, whether visible or invisible that can thwart His will. Is the the God that you worship today? Can you trust Him to do what He knows is right?

Audio from this message is available by clicking the link below.

By Him, Through Him, For Him

In Christ!
Kevin

Knowing God’s Will [Colossians Pt.3]

Knowing God's Will

Knowing God’s will. To some this certainly seems impossible. To others God’s will appears elusive. And in some ways this is true, but not because God is withholding it from us.  On the contrary, if we know Christ as Savior, God loves and wants nothing more than to reveal His will to us, in order that we might live in it. The problem is on our side. We often want to know God’s will, only as it pertains to our important decisions. “Will I get this job?” “Should I marry that person?” “Will I be healed from my disease?” But God’s will is not a “bits and pieces” proposition.  As the Apostle Paul prayed for the Colossian Christians, he began with this very thing.

Colossians 1:9-10 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;  10  that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

The important part of this prayer is not that it is a simple or partial knowledge of God’s will, but a being “filled” with it. In addition it is not a knowledge of God’s will for the purpose of temporal blessings of pleasures, but “in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” It is about improving our relationship with God. Spiritual understanding, not just understanding.  It results in a life that is pleasing to the Lord, one in which we bear spiritual fruit and one in which we continue to  increase in our knowledge of God. Verse 11 gives us other added benefits.

Colossians 1:11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

Strength from God’s infinite store for our patience and longsuffering through difficulties, as well as joy in those same situations. Suffering is a part of the human condition. It is the result of man’s sin in the world. As Believers, God is able to use it for good in our lives (Romans 8:28). With it, He strengthens us, purifies and at times, allows us to encourage others as they look on, drawing faith from our response to trials.

The interesting thing is, that when we are taking God’s will as a holistic concept rather than living in our own will most of the time and then trying to seek God’s will for the important stuff, the big stuff is not as big to us. We are not worried or wondering nearly as much, we are not nearly as nervous about the outcome because we understand that the same God who loves us and sent His Son to die for our sins, the same God who declared His will to us in His Word about how we should conduct our daily lives, has also promised to care for His own.  As we live for God’s will daily, as we apply it to the things we do all of the time, it actually frees and strengthens us and allows us to have joy even in difficult times. But we need to trust Him in the little things.

I really want to encourage you to listen to the audio of this one. It is such a major thing and when we get it wrong we often end up blaming God for not getting it right. In reality, we have been walking in disobedience for a very long time, ignoring the will of God until something important comes up and then suddenly we want God to be our fortune teller. We need this. We struggle with this. Paul prayed for the Colossians about it. We need God to move us along in this area. We need to look at God’s will as it is revealed in His Word (amazingly practical!) and strive to live in it, not because it will make Him like us more, but because it is the right response to what He has done for all Christians through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and also because it has temporal benefits!

I can’t wait to look into Colossians 1:12-14 next Sunday!~

Audio from this message is available by clicking on the link below.

Knowing God’s Will

In Christ!

Kevin

Love From a Pure Heart [1 Timothy Pt. 1]

A Pure Heart, A Good Conscience and Sincere Faith

Have you ever struggled with loving people around you? We are commanded to love one another as Christians. It is the New Commandment of John 13:34 and the thing that shows the world that Jesus came from God in John 17:22-26.  Paul tells Timothy that it is the purpose behind the instruction in our churches.

1 Timothy 1:5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,

We looked at the first half of the verse last time The Purpose of the Commandment. This time we will look at how it comes together. There is an important series of connected concepts that are required to produce the love that we are supposed to get from the teaching. “The purpose of the commandment is Love from a pure heart,” but how do we get that out of the commandment? Well it comes from a “good conscience” and that from “sincere faith.”

How important are these steps? Absolutely necessary. The Love that we are supposed to receive and give is the fruit not just of faith but of “Sincere Faith.” That is a real and vital trust in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. He is God in Human Flesh who suffered as the innocent Victim in order to take the penalty for our sins and transfer to our account, His own perfect righteousness! But, in order for this to happen, we have to begin with our own guilt!

I know that guilt is a dirty word in modern American culture. Freud has taught us that it is bad and destructive to the human psyche. When it is abused it certainly is, but it is necessary for us as humans to acknowledge real guilt for many reasons, the most important of which is, that if we deny our guilt we will never be saved from its consequences. Christ died because we are guilty people! Therefore our “sincere faith” begins with a true assessment of our guilt and that begins in our conscience.

Our conscience is the thing inside of us that shows us our guilt. We can either allow it to do that and follow through with acknowledging and dealing with our guilt, or we can ignore it and pretend like it is not a problem. Unfortunately, we have been instructed by our culture that guilt itself is not our fault, but the fault of others. I know many people abuse others. I know that many people, religious people and institutions, abuse guilt for some kind of personal gain. That does not mean that guilt is bad, but that those who abuse it are! God made us with a conscience.

Romans 2:14-16 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,  15  who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)  16  in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Ultimately we will be judged by what we did with our conscience. The word conscience means “with knowledge,” we all know what is right and wrong at the deepest level. We are created in God’s image and a part of that is that the work of the Law is written on our hearts. Though it is heavily tainted and can be ignored, it is very real. We know when we have sinned. This knowledge of our sinfulness keeps us from God. It makes us run from Him in shame because we are aware that we are not what we should be. The Gospel does not just take away the penalty of sin, but it purifies our conscience too. It removes that barrier altogether!

Hebrews 9:13-14 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,  14  how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Once our “sincere faith” rests upon the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, our knowledge of sin, the thing that keeps us from God, is removed too.  We are washed clean inside and out.  We also get a “good conscience.” While our relationship with God is never in jeopardy if our faith is sincere, we still have a conscience that needs to be dealt with. We will continue to sin as Christians. We need to confess our sins regularly and to fix the things that we mess up.  The Apostle Paul said in Acts 24:16 “I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” Thus, we should also strive for the same. We cannot abuse the gift that God has given to those who trust Him. If we do, we run the risk of proving that our faith is not sincere.

1 Timothy 1:18-19 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,  19  having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,

If we do not take sin seriously as Christians, it is because we really do not understand this. Guilt is not a big deal to us because we do not understand what it has done to us and our relationship to God. It destroys what faith we think we have. A true assessment of our guilt and God’s amazing grace in forgiving us leads to gratitude. It works itself out in what the Apostle calls “Love from a Pure Heart.” A heart that knows its guilt and sees God’s goodness is a heart that loves God more than any other thing.  Jesus said it this way, “He who is forgiven much, loves much.” (Luke 7:47)

How is your conscience, Christian? Are you dealing with the sin in your life and striving to maintain a good conscience? If not, it may prove that you are less than you believe you are. If so, you understand the mercy and grace of our loving God who not only took away the penalty for sin, but its power to separate us from Him. Confess you sins. Deal with your situation. God is faithful. Doing this will give you a greater understanding of His love and allow you to love more like He does. After all, that is the reason for what we are supposed to be teaching in our churches.

Audio of this message is available by clicking on the link below.

Love from a Pure Heart

in Christ!

Kevin