Other People’s Sins

Some people are masters at pointing out other people’s sins, aren’t they? It is our tendency to use the faults of others in order to justify or cover our own sinful attitudes and actions. You know what I am talking about. You know the type. The hard-core fundamentalists who veils his hateful attitude as he chastises the “worldly” Christians for their worldliness. Or the cool, contemporary Christian who feels justified in mocking his more conservative Brother while pushing the boundaries of his own morality. I bet I could get just about any of you going and lead you right into this very sin, comparing others to ourselves to feel or show our own alleged superiority. It is called self-righteousness.

Other People’s Sins – SERMON AUDIO

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were just such folks.

John 8:2-6  Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.  3  Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,  4  they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  5  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”  6  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

Trying to trap Jesus, they managed somehow to find a woman who was “in the very act” of adultery. They thrust her forward as an example of a great sinner. But Jesus didn’t fall for it, instead He changed their focus.

John 8:7-9  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”  8  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  9  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Jesus is more concerned about you dealing with the sin in your own life than He is about you pointing out the sins of others. Sure, there is a place for confronting sin in others, but it is always with the attitude of restoring our fallen brother or sister.

Galatians 6:1  Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

It is never to be the source of advancing our own superior spirituality.

2 Corinthians 10:12  For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

No matter what the reason, Christianity ought not to be about comparisons. It is about following Christ. It is about dealing with our own sin and helping our brothers and sisters to grow and be more holy.

Other People’s Sins – SERMON AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

The Main Point [Hebrews 8]

The Main Point

As we celebrate Christ’s coming into the world, we are often distracted with the trappings of the season. Many do not realize the true significance of the event or what happened to bring it about.  When the angels said, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14) it was not a statement akin to “Can’t we all just get along.”  Rather, it was a statement that God is to be ultimately glorified because he took a world in rebellion and declared peace and good will toward us, His enemies, and He did it in the Person of Jesus Christ. As we embrace Christ, we are at peace with God and experience His favor.

The Main Point – AUDIO

This was not done in a corner. It was not a surprise. It was not a plan B. It was the result of the plan of God from eternity past. The Apostle Peter tells us, “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you…” (1 Peter 1:20).  Jesus did not sneak into the world. It was foreknown by God and foretold by Him with increasing clarity from the beginning of the world. It was recorded on the pages of the Bible. It was given to His people. After Jesus’ resurrection, Luke tells us that He encountered a couple of His disciples walking to the town of Emmaus. As He spoke to them, we find that He was critical of their slowness to believe what the Old Testament said about Him.

Luke 24:25-27  Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

He took them back to their Old Testament Scriptures (the only ones around at that time) and showed them how they spoke of Him. When He had left them, they ran back to Jerusalem and shared their experience with the other disciples.

Luke 24:44-48  Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.

He left the responsibility to communicate the truth about Himself with His disciples. He showed it to them in the Old Testament and then pronounced them to be “witnesses” of it. Would it not have been amazing to hear what He said? Would it not have been a great comfort to hear the truth of the Gospel as given over the previous 1,500 years or so from God’s Word to His Old Testament saints?

That tradition was not lost. As a matter of fact, The letter to the Hebrews is a great representation of it. In that letter, the Old Testament is quoted some 41 times! It is correlated to the New Testament truths about Jesus and used as a means to assure some Hebrew converts to the Christian Faith that Jesus is the completion of all of the Old Testament promises. He is better than the angels, better than Moses, the Ultimate High Priest, better than Aaron, and gives a better rest than Joshuah. He is also the Ultimate Sacrifice, better than bulls and goats. And all that He did was the reality of those ancient types.

Hebrews 8:1-6  Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “SEE THAT YOU MAKE ALL THINGS ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.” But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

And so, not only did God foretell the coming of the Messiah in verses sprinkled throughout His Word, verses such as;

Isaiah 7:14  Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Micah 5:2  “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.

or even entire chapters like Psalm 22 or Isaiah 53. Rather, He demonstrated it in His people, Israel and in their whole system of worship. The Old Testament was a type or a picture of what God was ultimately doing on a much larger scale. God has declared His purpose from the beginning. He has not only spoken of it, but He has illustrated it and made it clear. Every word of the Old Testament is related to this purpose in some way. The most amazing thing is that He did this to demonstrate His desire for reconciliation to a world of rebels and traitors. He declared it. He demonstrated it. He did it. Planned from eternity past, He carried it out that He might declare “Peace on earth and good will toward men.” And then we might proclaim, “Glory to God in the highest!”

The Main Point – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Fulfill the Ministry [Colossians Pt. 22]

Fulfill the Ministry

When you think about your walk with Christ, what is the first thing you think about? Is it something to do with what you have done like, “I believed,” “I go to church,” “I pray?” In reality, if we understand it properly it should be more about what He has done. “I am His because He purchased me with His blood while I was His enemy.” “I am not worthy, but He made me worthy.” The foremost task of the pastor is to help the people in the pew correct their thinking on this matter.

Fulfill the Ministry - AUDIO

As Paul’s letter is received in Colosse, them man in charge there seems to be a Archippus. He is probably an associate pastor to the man named Epaphras who made the 1,000 mile journey to Rome to get advice from the Apostle Paul concerning the false teaching of Legalists and Mystics that had corrupted that fellowship. As he waited for several months, he probably became skeptical and weary as he saw the fellowship weaken. The final admonition in the letter that he received was for the people of the church to encourage him to get at it in his ministry.

Colossians 4:16-17  Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.  17  And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

The key, now that he had the authoritative word on the subject, was to get the job done! To deal decisively with the legalism and mysticism and demonstrate the absolute authority and perfect completeness of Christ and His Gospel; to take away the very idea of moralistic restrictions or ritualistic requirements and get the people’s eyes on Christ alone.

Colossians 2:9-10  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.

WHAT MORE COULD YOU POSSIBLY NEED? Nothing but the faith to believe that it is so. This is the thing that provides both our salvation and our sanctification. We do not need to (and in reality we cannot) move beyond the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Any attempt to add to what is already perfect takes away from it. Any idea that we have that we need to provide something, either in our saving or our keeping, is to tell Christ that He is not enough!

Christian teacher, John Hendryx, tells us, “The more we look at Him the more we are transformed into His likeness (2 Cor 3:18). As long as we view the core of spirituality as some morbid self-introspection and practice of disciplines then we fall into the danger of taking our eyes off of Jesus.” (Christ Vs. Moralism) This is the case, this is the big picture of the letter to the Colossians and this is the meat of the job of the Christian minister. The more the Christian’s life is focused on Christ, the more He is the source of their power and the greater they advance in their sanctification. So, when you think about your walk with Christ, what is the first thing you think about? Is it something to do with what you have done, or what Christ has done for you?

I encourage you to listen to the sermon and even check out the other sermons in the series. The goal of the whole thing is see that Christ is at the center of our lives.

Fulfill the Ministry - AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Indulgence of the Flesh [Colossians Pt.20]

Indulgence of the Flesh

If I am a Christian, why do I still struggle with sin? If you are a Christian, you have struggled with this kind of thought. For the past several posts in our study of the Letter to the Colossians, we have been dealing with the imperatives (the commands or “oughts”) of the Christian Faith. “Set your minds on heavenly things.” Put to death your sinful members…” Put on the new man.” and so on. If we are Complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10) then why do we still have this battle and, most importantly, what do we do about it when we fall into sin?

Indulgence of the Flesh – AUDIO

As Paul instructs the Colossian Believers, he first pushes them away from legalistic, rules-oriented forms of dealing with sin.

Colossians 2:20-23  Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations– 21  “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,”  22  which all concern things which perish with the using–according to the commandments and doctrines of men?  23  These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Then, he pushes them toward Christ.

Colossians 3:1-2  If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  2  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Then, he begins to direct them toward dealing with sin and being conformed to the image of Christ (Colossians 3:4-4:6) In the letter to the Colossians, Paul does not get into the great depth with the process that is involved. Sanctification is simple, but it is not easy! The Apostle gives his own testimony to this in his letter to the Romans

Romans 7:15-19  For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.  16  If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.  17  But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.  18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.  19  For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

If you have walked with the Lord for any length of time, this should sound familiar to you. But what is Paul’s solution to this dilemma?

Romans 7:24-8:4  O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  25  I thank God–through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.   8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.  3  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,  4  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Paul admits that he is a wretch, that his flesh (humanness) has a propensity to sin. He looks to the Lord for his deliverance and acknowledges that there is a battle that will be going on, “So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”  Then he comes full circle back to the Gospel. That is where he began back in chapter 6. Thus, it is not by legalistic rules-oriented religion that we improve our sin problem. While the wrong method (legalism) promotes pride and focus on others’ sins, the Gospel promotes humility and focus on our own sins. This is the path to true progress in godliness. It keeps the focus on Christ and off of self. It grows us little by little.

On the other hand, if there is no desire for true godliness, there is no evidence of the grace of Christ in your life. Many people fall of on one side of this or the other. Legalism and license both cater to our pride and sense of self-worth. The Gospel humbles us and point us continually to Christ. This helps us to remain dependent upon Him in this life and encourages increase in our faith.

Indulgence of the Flesh – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Your Life is Hid with Christ in God [Seminary Paper]

Union With Christ

This week at Donuts & Doctrine we are looking at the Union of the Believer with Christ. This is not a subject that is frequently preached on the Church today, but it is a primary doctrine and one that really move us on to maturity in Christ. Audio will be posted after the meeting on Saturday, but for now, here is the text of the lesson from my final paper for the class, Salvation and Regeneration which I am taking through The North American Reformed Seminary.  Check it out!

 Union With Christ - AUDIO

Your Life is Hid with Christ in God

God’s providence is evident as I have committed myself to my studies. While I am studying the doctrines of salvation and regeneration, I am also preaching through Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Having spent 14 weeks examining the first two chapters of that letter I have looked deeply at the basis of salvation. It is rooted in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ as Creator, Sovereign Ruler, Head, Redeemer, Justifier, and Sanctifier. In a powerful description of Christ’s redemptive work the Apostle tells the Colossian Christians “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” (Col 1:15-22 ESV) What an amazing truth. The Creator and Ruler of all has come and offered Himself for His rebellious creation and caused them to stand faultless in His presence. He has reconciled them in the body of His flesh.

The Application of Redemption

This is indeed the “short list” but all of the things mentioned above are very important attributes, offices or works of Christ. All of them were in some way imparted to us as we were “reconciled in the body of His flesh” and it is our union with Him that allows us to partake of those glorious benefits. So many Evangelicals think of salvation as a simple transaction that involves no more than mere assent to some basic truths related to these offices and works of Christ, and yet it is infinitely more. That would be like saying, “If I believe that food is good and nutritious, it will sustain my body and give me the energy that I need to live, though it never enters my mouth and passes through my body.” What a foolish notion! The life and death of Christ must be applied to us or we are no better off than the hungry man who looks through a restaurant window having nothing in his pocket with which he might be able to buy the food that he sees. In his Condensed Theology lecture, Union with Christ, R. W. Glenn quotes John Calvin from his Institutes of the Christian Religion saying,

“We must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us and we are separated from Him, all that He has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us… all that he possesses is nothing to us until we grow into one body with Him” (III. i. 1).

It must certainly be that we cannot purchase our salvation with our own resources. What we need is an interest in the One who is providing it. When the owner of the restaurant is our Big Brother, our money means nothing whether we have it or not. Thank God that He says through the Prophet Isaiah, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.” (Isa 55:1-3 ESV) What an invitation! What a blessed call to the starving and poverty stricken soul to partake of the “rich food” of the Gospel! This rich and abundant food and drink which is spoken of here is given to God’s people through the merits of another, given without price, given to sustain the true, eternal, spiritual lives of God’s elect. Not just a snack or enough to get us by, but good and rich food that we can delight in. Food in plenty! Fed to the full! It is spoken of here as coming through union with “David,” as a result of God’s love given to him. It is according to the eternal covenant, that we receive these benefits. They come by faith in Christ as Redeemer (the Descendant of David who was a type). That faith is not a man-generated assent to the facts, but a relationship that is begun in eternity past and applied to the sinner in time, to bring him, not only to faith, but into a real union with His Redeemer. It is a union by way of covenant. A union by way of headship. A union by being, quite literally, joined to Christ.

Amazingly, this union is possible because of; the union within Christ of the natures of Deity and humanity, because of the union between the Father and the Son in the eternal covenant, and through that covenant, as Christ is made our new Head when we are united to Him by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This whole idea of our union with Christ deepens our understanding of redemption. Christ paid our debt, but He did not just pay it and let us go on in our own strength or even a strength, aided by the Holy Spirit. Many man-centered forms of the Christian Faith have taught that this was so, including Roman Catholicismⁱ which teaches that Christ’s redemption only purchased man’s freedom from Original Sin and that life and the hope of heaven are essentially up to their own abilities after that. Men are allegedly given a new disposition and inclination, but if Adam didn’t make it, not having a sin nature and being in a pristine environment, we who are born in sin, and in a world of sinners, are destined to be mired in hopelessness and misery! Rather than being united to Christ and receiving what He has accomplished in our place as He lived in obedience to the Law of God and the requirements of His office as Redeemer (The Eternal Covenant), they only receive the opportunity to make themselves holy. As they sanctify themselves, they work toward justification. Though this is not far from how many, even in the Evangelical Church, understand the Gospel, this is not what the Scriptures teach.

The New Testament is filled with the idea of our union with Christ and makes it very clear that it is on the basis of that union that we have hope of forgiveness (justification) but also, hope to be who God has called us to be (sanctification). Jesus said to His disciples, just before His death, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. (Joh 14:16-20 ESV) By the regeneration and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Christ is united to His Followers just as He is to the Father. He comes to us in the Holy Spirit, as Paul tells the Galatians “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (4:6 ESV)What an amazing and profound concept! Our union with the Godhead by the plan of the Father, the work of the Son and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. John Calvin says this in his commentary on John 14:20 (In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.);

“Some refer this to the day of Pentecost; but it rather denotes the uninterrupted course, as it were, of a single day, from the time when Christ exerted the power of his Spirit till the last resurrection. From that time they began to know, but it was a sort of feeble beginning, because the Spirit had not yet wrought so powerfully in them. For the object of these words is, to show that we cannot, by indolent speculation, know what is the sacred and mystical union between us and him, and again, between him and the Father; but that the only way of knowing it is, when he diffuses his life in us by the secret efficacy of the Spirit….

….For Christ does not speak merely of his eternal essence, but of that Divine power which was manifested in him. As the Father has laid up in the Son all fullness of blessings, so, on the other hand, the Son has conveyed himself entirely into us. He is said to be in us, because he plainly shows, by the efficacy of his Spirit, that he is the Author and the cause of our life.”

As the Holy Spirit was given to those first disciples, uniting them to Christ, He is also given to all who come to faith in Christ. Titus 3:4-7 tells us “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (ESV) This aspect of that union is (or was) accomplished in time, but there is an aspect of our union with Christ which was accomplished in eternity past. In His omniscience and omnipotence, God has, before the foundation of the world, chosen us “in Christ.” The first chapter of the letter to the Ephesians is dominated with the idea that all we have as Christians is due to our union with Christ.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Eph 1:3-14 ESV )

Here we see that our salvation, every “spiritual blessing” our election, redemption, forgiveness, the revelation of the mystery of the Gospel, union with God, our inheritance, our faith and the sealing of the Holy Spirit are all said to be “in Him.” We also see that this began before the world was made “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world…” Seminary professor, Michael Horton, says, “…this doctrine is the wheel which unites the spokes of salvation and keeps them in proper perspective. “In Christ” (i.e. through union with Him) appears, by my accounting, nine times in the first chapter of Ephesians. Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, God has thus, “made us accepted in the Beloved.” He cannot love us directly because of our sinfulness, but He can love us in union with Christ, because He is the One the Father loves. “In Him we have redemption,” “In Him we have an inheritance,” and so on.” (Union With Christ) Therefore we must not just believe in Him intellectually (even really, really believe!), but we must be united to Him in reality.

Paul speaks of this “uniting” to Christ in the sixth chapter of the Letter to the Romans where he says,

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 6:4-11 ESV)

Christ died our deaths and lived our lives. John Owen speaks of this in his work Communion with God where he puts it this way, “He lived for us and He died for us. He was ours in all He did and in all He suffered.” (p. 124) As we are “in Him” we are free from sin and death and free to live for Him. R.W. Glenn says “You have to get into Christ and Christ has to get into you in order for you to be saved.”(Ibid) The Apostle Paul says we need to “consider” ourselves as dead to sin and alive in Christ. To take into account that this is the case. Not to pretend that it is so, not to imagine that we are, but to actually consider that this is a fact. This is essential as we strive to live above sin. We are in Him. We are in Him as He is in the Father. We are called to live as though this is true because it is! This is not only the source of our justification but the substance of and the power that drives our sanctification.

As Believers, we already have Christ, His sacrificial death and His perfect life credited to us by our union with Him. We do not need to obtain more in order to become who He has called us to be. R. W. Glenn speaks of the Ordo Salutis at the beginning of his lesson. This is the order that redemption is applied to us and it is important to consider. It is not as much a chronological order, but a logical order. Paul tells the Roman Christians, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Rom 8:29-30 ESV) We already saw, concerning our union with Christ, that though it happened in time (when we were regenerated) it is also something that happened before the foundation of the world. We were first foreknown and predestined (that was before time), we were also called and justified (that was in time, as we heard the Gospel and responded to it in faith), finally, (at the end of time), we will be glorified.

All of this is given to us “in Christ.” Christ has purchased it and given it to His elect, applying it by the regeneration and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is where the language of the letter to the Colossians is so important. After explaining the Divine Nature of Christ and the work of redemption in the first chapter and declaring Believers to be “complete in Him” in Colossians 2:10, the Apostle begins to command certain behaviors for these Christians in chapter three. These behaviors are actually outgrowths of this relationship to, or union with, Christ. He says,

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Col 3:1-5 ESV)

There is a mystical union going on here! Just as certainly as Christ will appear in glory, just as sure as He is, and will be, in the presence of the Father, we are already there. We are with Him, in God! What an amazing and humbling truth! I was the “enemy and alien” of Colossians 1:21, yet, reconciled in Christ, I am with Christ in God. My life is hidden there even now. As noted earlier from the first chapter of Colossians, “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Col 1:18-20 ESV) His headship is an important aspect of our union. It is possible because of His humanity. But the “fullness of God” was also, “pleased to dwell in Him.” These are both crucial to our relationship to Him and to the Father through Him. His righteousness is the “righteousness of God.” It is not only the satisfaction of the debt of sin, but the positive righteousness credited to my account to make me stand before God fully justified. Paul continues, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” (Col 1:21-22 ESV) This is vital to our relationship to God. As John Owen states earlier in his aforementioned work,

“Whatever Christ did as Mediator He did for those whose Mediator He was or in whose place and for whose good He carried out the office of Mediator before God (Rom 8:3-4). What His people could not do because of sin, Christ did for them. He did it so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.

The whole purpose of Christ’s obedience cannot be said to be merely to fit Him for His death and oblation, because He was in Himself the Lamb without spot or blemish and therefore quite fit to be the Sacrifice for sin. He did not need to make Himself a fit sacrifice for sin by a course of obedience.

If Christ’s obedience is not imputed to us, having been done on our behalf, then there is no reason why He should have lived so long in the world as He did in perfect obedience to all the laws of God. Had He died earlier, His death would have been a sufficient atonement in itself for our sins.

If Christ’s perfect obedience had not been for us, then all that would have been required of Him was obedience to the law of nature, the only law to which He, a sinless man, could have been subject. His obedience to this law was a voluntary act of His in becoming man.

Christ’s obedience cannot be reckoned among His sufferings but is clearly distinct from His sufferings. Doing is one thing. Suffering is quite another.” (p. 120)

This is all a part of that covenant that I mentioned earlier. It was, as God and Man, in accordance with the Eternal Covenant that Christ was able to act as Mediator for His elect. It was by the transcendence of His deity and the imminence of His humanity that He could be the Perfect, Sacrificial Lamb of God. Through His humanity He could be the Sacrifice for men. Again, “He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” Through His deity, His Sacrifice was sufficient and efficient “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things,”

Putting it in Shoe Leather, (or Maybe a Wedding Dress?)

But we must be in that covenant. We must be related to the One in whom are all the “spiritual blessings in the heavenly places.” The “love of David” must be given to us. Though we have seen that it is a work of the Spirit in us, this idea can seem almost impossible and very ethereal. It is by the regeneration and indwelling of the Holy Spirit that this union is made. But there is more to it than an act of God upon an impotent man. The union is mystical and spiritual, but it is real and practical. We have seen that it is the basis of our justification as well as our sanctification and so it is a very practical doctrine. Another aspect of this union is illustrated by the marriage relationship. I believe that this will make this idea more tangible. It will also make the motivation toward sanctification to be grounded in more familiar concepts. It seems that the Scriptures use it this way with some frequency. Much as we saw in Romans 6 and the letter to the Colossians, as the Apostle Peter gives this profound truth, he ties it to intentional holiness and spiritual growth;

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2Pe 1:3-8 ESV)

The promises contained in our union with Christ, here related to us as being “partakers of the Divine Nature,” Peter gives as the impetus to sanctification, “For this very reason…..” But the Apostle Paul gives it even more shoe leather as he tells the Corinthian Believers;

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1Co 6:14-20 ESV)

We are not only united to Christ because of the indwelling of the Spirit which we saw in John 14, Romans 6, Galatians 3 and Titus 3, or because of the covenant between the Father and Son that brought about our reconciliation, but just as one is united in love and by covenant in the marriage relationship, we are also united to Christ in this way. Just as we become “one flesh” with our spouse, we become “one spirit” with Jesus when we are born again. Our entire being is united to Him at our conversion as we become one body with Him (Vs. 14). We become His Body. Paul addresses the idea of sexual sin here and he declares that we who are joined to Christ cannot think so little of that union as to join ourselves, simultaneously, to a prostitute. This would mean that Christ, Himself is joined to that prostitute. What an abhorrent thought! To begin to think seriously about all that Christ has invested into my salvation, to imagine that He not only took on my nature, but took me on, took me into Himself, has to make my relationship to Him all the more profound. Just as the scandal of sin rocks a school or a government, it mars the reputation of our Covenant Head. Yet knowing the weakness of my flesh and my propensity to be unfaithful, He joins Himself to me by uniting my nature to God by His Holy Spirit, by uniting Himself to me by becoming a man that He might die as the innocent Victim for my rebellion, and by entering into a covenant with me to extend to me the “sure love for David” which I, so infinitely and immeasurably, do not deserve.

Having spent the last couple of weeks studying this great truth I just have to ask, how could I ever have missed this? How could I read the Bible in such a selfish way so as to see that Jesus would be the provider of salvation like Walmart is the provider of merchandise? Can I look to the Gospel so that I see it as, “I just need to come to Him and want what He has and make the right arrangements so that I can go and spend what He has given as I see fit,” when in reality, He desires the intimacy of being “one spirit” with me? When in reality He desires to give me wine and milk and rich food to the full while instead, I satisfy myself with a hot dog because that is what I can afford!? This kind of relationship with Christ has been short-sold by people who value human will more than God. It has turned the Gospel into nothing more than a self-help program and gutted it of the love of God which is its very heart. It has produced a bunch of nominal Christians who have no power over sin because the power of God is not present in their lives, because this beautiful and full union is not a part of that relationship. The irony is, that in an effort to have the Gospel and personal satisfaction, we sacrifice the greatest satisfaction we could possibly have for the sake of maintaining our self-worth.

In our sinfulness, we struggle hard to submit. We struggle hard to submit in every area, but especially to God. In our sinfulness we battle to hold back a piece of our hearts because we are afraid to trust and afraid to be honest about what is in our hearts. Yet, Christ laid His heart bare for us. This loving union is based solely upon God’s love, laid bare in the Person of Jesus Christ. What more could the Creator of the Universe have given? He gave His Son, His Spirit, His Righteousness, His covenant, and through this, He united us to Himself in the bonds of love , through this, He gave us all we need for life and godliness, He gave us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, He gave us an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, reserved in heaven. But more than this, He united us to Himself by nature and by covenant and guaranteed our presence in the presence of God for all eternity. What a far cry from removing original sin and giving us the opportunity to get ourselves to heaven by belonging to the right church and performing the right rituals as we try to remain pure.

As I mentioned earlier, this complete giving of self and assets, of complete trust and submission is pictured in the marriage relationship. As His Saints, we are married to Christ and this union is modeled in human marriage. Paul wrote to the Ephesians;

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Eph 5:22-33 ESV)

Here is the description of that relationship. The wives first submit because of the man’s role as head, but also because he is the savior. (Vs 22-24) Husbands love with a sacrificial love that induces a devotion that purifies the desires through the obvious love that cherishes its beloved (Vs. 25-31) We see in verse thirty-two that, “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” That is, that as His bride, we are united to Him through His great love and as a result of our union, He bestows all of His wealth upon us. He is our Savior, not only from sin, but our Protector and Provider. In Him we have an inheritance, every spiritual blessing, etc. In Him, we are lead to singleness of devotion as He purifies and presents us. By His great love and our union with Him in flesh and in spirit, we are free to yield ourselves completely to Him. It is our response to His loving generosity. Just as the husband is supposed to invest himself fully into the marriage relationship, Christ has already done so for His Bride. Just as Her response is loving submission, not only to His authority, but to His care, we are to lay ourselves fully upon Him without reservation. This is the ideal of marriage in the earthly realm. This is the reality of what Christ gives to us as we enter into this covenant with Him and become His Bride.

As I look at myself in light of this, I begin to understand all the more clearly the words of the Epistle of James when he says, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?” (Jas 4:4-5 ESV) Considering the anger and lust, the envy and pride that still resides in me, thinking of this union that I am in with Christ and all the He has devoted to it, I really, for the first time, feel the full import of that word, “adulterous” in verse four. It always seemed like a metaphor in the past, but I believe it is nothing more and nothing less than an accurate description. Yet, as the loving Husband that He is, the words that follow are filled with hope and the reminder of the endless supply of love that flows from my Savior! “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (Jas 4:6-10 ESV)

The cleansing love of the Savior triumphs for those who know Him. The sanctification process is driven by the blessings of our union. The Spirit that He has put within longs for His presence. The Covenant that He has entered into with this “Gomer” is the token of His unfailing love. The fact that, as the Creator, He would condescend to come to me at all, let alone take on my nature, infinitely more! to take me, individually, into Himself is the ultimate act of mercy. His grace humbles and calls us to submit. It draws us to purify our hearts and set our focus on Him, It causes us to mourn over our sin.

This makes the idea of salvation without submission as ridiculous as digestion without eating! It takes the matter of easy-believerism and neutralizes it completely. How can I imagine to enter into this intricate relationship with God and claim that He is merely providing a commodity to me with no strings attached? Why would I want that kind of relationship with Him if it was not to receive His love so that I could live as though He does not care? What an oxymoron. What an amazing God we serve and what greater proof of my own corruption than to try and exploit Him for my own ends?

Lord, help me to never forget all that I have received in Christ. As the Puritan great, Richard Baxter exhorts his readers in his 17^th century Gospel tract, A Call to the Unconverted to Turn and Live, let me always consider what I have attained in Christ. He lists them as follows;

“You shall immediately be made living members of Christ, and have an interest in Him, and be renewed after the image of God, and be adorned with all His graces, and quickened with a new and heavenly life, and saved from the tyranny of Satan and the dominion of sin, and be justified from the curse of the law, and have the pardon of all the sins of your whole lives, and be accepted of God, and made His sons, and have liberty with boldness to call Him Father, and go to Him by prayer in all your needs, with a promise of acceptance; you shall have the Holy Ghost to dwell in you, to sanctify and guide you; you shall have a part in the brotherhood, communion, and prayers of the saints, you shall be fitted for God’s service, and be freed from the dominion of sin, and be useful, and a blessing to the place where you live; and shall have the promise of this life, and that which is to come: you shall want nothing that is truly good for you, and your necessary afflictions you will be enabled to bear; you may have some taste of communion with God in the Spirit, especially in all holy ordinances, where God prepareth a feast for your souls; you shall be heirs of heaven while you live on earth, and may foresee by faith the everlasting glory, and so may live and die in peace; and you shall never be so low but your happiness will be incomparably greater than your misery.” (p. 169-170)

Notice that he begins with being made members of Christ and having an interest in Him. All other attainments flow from this great truth. And what great attainments they are! What a glorious God! What a blessed Gospel!

Works Cited

Baxter, Richard. A Call to the Unconverted. New York: American Tract Society, 1800′s. Print.

Glenn, R.W. Union With Christ. Audio Lecture ed. Minnetonka, MN: Solid Food Media, 2005. N. pag. Web. 26 Sept. 2011

Horton, Michael. Union With Christ. Article ed. Escondido, CA: Michael Horton, 1992. Web. 30 Sept. 2011.

Owen, John. Communion With God. Puritan Paperbacks ed. Edinburgh, Scotland: Banner of Truth Trust, 1991. Print.

What is Worship?

As Christians, we love to sing the praises of our God. Often times, “style of worship” is what defines us, as to what type of Christian we are. Yet, worship is so much more than the songs that we sing in a church service! As I shared with the students of the Northern Christian Fellowship in their evening service last Sunday, we took a look at the reaction of the Apostle Paul as he described, with some detail, the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these Believers. You can hear that message by clicking on the link below.

What is Worship? – AUDIO

As I read the first three chapters of the letter to the Ephesians, I can almost hear the excitement in the Apostle’s voice. He is excited about what the Lord has done. From eternity past as He laid the plan and set things in place;

Ephesians 1:3-6  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,  4  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,  5  having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,  6  to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

He goes on to talk about how the knowledge of this was brought to men and then he prays for these Believers, giving thanks for them and praying that they would truly “get it!”

Ephesians 1:15-19  Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,  16  do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:  17  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,  18  the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,  19  and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

Then, just to make sure that they really understand how profound this is, he speaks of what God rescues us from, as he enters into the second chapter. He does this with a scathing demonstration of our sinfulness!

Ephesians 2:1-3  And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,  2  in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,  3  among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

As God’s eternal plan, brought about in spite of man’s selfish and sinful rebellion, the Apostle magnifies God amazing grace as he says to them;

Ephesians 2:4-7  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  5  even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  6  and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  7  that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

He goes on to speak of how, as Gentiles or “Non-Jews,” the whole world was separated from any kind of positive relationship to God and how through the Cross, we have been made members of His very household and been brought into covenant relationship to Him. As Paul enters into the third chapter, he is amazed that God has chosen him to be used as the vehicle to carry this great news to those Gentiles.

As all of this piles up in his mind and on the page as it flows from him by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it moves him into unabashed worship as he writes;

Ephesians 3:14-21  For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  15  from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,  16  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,  17  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  18  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height– 19  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  20  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  21  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Therefore we see that, to the Apostle, worship was so much more than a song. It is really the attitude and motivation behind that song. This is, as I see it here in the passage, what worship is. “Worship is the response of the redeemed to God; for Who He is,  for what He has accomplished, for His mercy, love and faithfulness. It is the expression of our whole person to God in word, deed and attitude (all of life). It is based on what God has revealed about Himself in history and eternity through His Word and as it is demonstrated in our lives.”  From this flows the doxology of praise that is a part of that worship, but worship itself is much larger.

It is my prayer that you are encouraged and challenged as you consider this great truth and I hope that you take the time to listen to the message by clicking on the link above..   “to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

In Christ!
Kevin

Women Professing Godliness [1 TImothy Pt. 9]

Women Professing Godliness

One of the most difficult passages in the New Testament is 1 Timothy 2:9-15. This is in large part because of the political pressures of our day, but there are also some interesting ideas here, like women being saved in childbearing. What in the world does that mean?

As we have studied this letter of Paul to the young pastor, Timothy, we have seen that there is a primary theme to the letter that makes it all fit together,               1 Timothy 3:15  “but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” But there is also a progressing idea that Paul presents in order to help Timothy and the church to stay on the right track.  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,”

Therefore our conduct in the house of God is based largely on our continuing in faith with a good conscience. The substance of that, as we have discussed previously is trusting the Lord and submitting to His authority in all areas.  (See previous posts)  One area of struggle when Paul wrote this letter must have been in the area of women in the fellowship and their struggle with submission to God’s order.

1 Timothy 2:9-15  in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,  10  but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.  11  Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.  12  And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.  13  For Adam was formed first, then Eve.  14  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.  15  Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

I recognize that to most people who read this post, that these words probably sound harsh and demeaning, yet, it is the inspired Word of God that we are dealing with here. Many try to contextualize this passage and give it a limited, cultural application and declare that it was good then, but, we are not the 1st Century church at Ephesus. Others try to use it to say that there are obvious errors in the Bible. If this is your view, you have bigger problems than the role of women in the Church. The Apostle goes right back to the Fall in order to lay the groundwork for what he teaches here. The Fall is a foundational doctrine that we cannot miss or diminish in any way or we will come to the wrong conclusion every time, having begun in the wrong place. Puritan, John Owen, says this of the importance of getting this right;

“The entire structure of saving, evangelical theology is built on the fact of a completely wretched state of all mankind by nature, and that theology cannot be understood or practiced without a clear sense of that natural wretchedness. Why so? Well, what will follow without it? The healthy feel no need of a doctor, do they? The righteous no need of repentance, the pure no need of sanctification, the living no need of a quickening Spirit, the innocent no need to make redress. Good sight has no need of eye-salve, those with resourced of their own to render due obedience feel no need of the intervention of a gracious God to change their hearts by an efficacious power, God’s good friends stand in no need of reconciliation, the blessed are hardly in any need of deliverance!”

God has a created order and a structure that He has placed on all things, including the Church. That created order is the very source of the Apostle’s direction to Timothy. If we reject that, we reject the God who gave it and we prove that He is right when He tells us through Moses and through Paul that the source of sin is rebellion against the order that He has placed on the world. When Adam and Eve had sinned for the first time, God cursed the Serpent (Satan), the woman and the man. When he cursed the woman, He said;

Genesis 3:16  To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

The fact that women struggle with the idea of submission (and men with the idea of good leadership) is because it is the result of sin and its curse. This is an ample demonstration of what Paul is trying to get across.  However, this by no means degrades women! No more than Christ is degraded in His submission to the Father in the plan of Redemption. He is equal to the Father (Phi 2:6-7, Col 1:19), but the structure of the plan requires submission in order that that very plan might be accomplished. Thus, women are no more useless in the church or the culture than Christ is in our redemption!

I encourage you to listen to our discussion of this text and hear more. This is a pretty deep subject and we will be picking it up again next week, Lord willing. You can listen to the audio by clicking on the link below.

Women Professing Godliness – AUDIO

In Christ!
Kevin

The Substance is of Christ! [Colossians Pt. 13]

The Substance is of Christ

“We must start with the doctrine, and out of that will come the life, the experience, everything we need.” I just read this great quote from Martin Lloyd-Jones. He says this in one of his sermons from the Gospel of John. How true it is and yet how ill thought of by most Christians these days.  In contrast, I think of a popular song being played on the Christian Radio Stations that says, “Love, is the only thing that matters.” Without proper doctrine, (an accurate knowledge of who Christ is, what He has done on our behalf and the proper response to it) we cannot even know what real love is. Love is hugely important, but it is so far from “the only thing that matters” that this song and this line of thinking takes us from the Christian truth into gross error by emphasizing one attribute of the Christian over others that are just as important.

This is the problem that Paul is dealing with in Colosse. Not an overemphasis on love, but the need of some there to add to what Christ has done in order to feel secure in their faith; the neglect of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ in favor of man-centered external religion that makes them feel more like Christians. In this case it takes the form legalism, but those who resist legalism and tell us that we cannot be Christians (or at least “good Christians”) unless we follow their skewed version of the Faith are just as guilty. We need to move in and focus on what Christ has accomplished on behalf of His people and revel in that amazing Gift. We need to understand the profound nature of our Justification and all that it entails. Once we arrive there and live out of God’s great and gracious goodness, we will begin to live a life of love and one of obedience. That is why the Apostle is calling these Believers back to the fundamental understanding of what happened on the Cross in order to correct their errors with regard to the way they conducted their religious observances.

Colossians 2:13-17  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.  16  So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,  17  which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

Here is the Doctrine that supports everything else that we do. It begins with an honest assessment of our sin! That is true love. But the most amazing love that is demonstrated is that while we had pushed ourselves away from God’s standard (in trespasses) and His Person (in the uncercumcision of our flesh), He came to us and He “made us alive!” He took on human flesh and died as the Sacrifice for Sin in order to re-instate the rebels who would trust in Him. His work on the cross was so complete that every trespass that I have made (or will make) was dealt with as He was nailed to the Cross.

The interesting conclusion that the Apostle makes from this in verse 16 seems like a stretch at first. He tells these Christians that no one can hold them to any religious observance in addition to being held to the eternal consequences of their moral failures.  Christ satisfied the Divine demand for ultimate justice, but He also removed the necessity of temporal rituals. No once can say you need to worship Christ and in addition, perform any ritual related to the Old Covenant. Paul goes on in this section and mentions other “self-imposed” religious observances as well. There is no ritual that Christ has not given that can be added to simple trust in Christ.  This does not mean that we don’t need to go to church or that we can live an immoral life. We have been saved from sin, not to it. We have been saved from our own brand of false religion, and cannot continue in self-styled religion, either legalistic or licentious.  Paul goes on in chapter 3 to talk about those parameters.

Suffice it to say that we cannot fellowship with one who claims Christ and lives immorally, neither can we fellowship with anyone who says, “If you do not worship the same way I do (music style, Bible translation, dress code) you are not saved or have an inferior faith. It is actually the one who adds to Christ whose faith is inferior.  Paul puts it this way in Colossians 2:18  “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,”
The point of all of this is that our Christian life is based on what God has accomplished for us through Christ. It is His sufficiency that creates and maintains my standing before God. If I think I have to add to it in any way, I have demonstrated that I do not believe His perfect gift of forgiveness and imputed righteousness is enough. If I think that I can earn or keep His favor my wearing the right clothes, listening to the right music or by marginalizing those who disagree with me though embrace the Savior,  I need to realize that all I am doing is adding to my condemnation by holding a standard higher than the one that was given to me by Christ.

Calvin puts it this way as he comments on verse 16; ” He says, therefore, that it is not in the power of men to make us subject to the observance of rites which Christ has by his death abolished, and exempts us from their yoke, that we may not allow ourselves to be fettered by the laws which they have imposed. He tacitly, however, places Christ in contrast with all mankind, lest any one should extol himself so daringly as to attempt to take away what he has given him.”

And so we must must ask whether this is the case with ourselves? Is there anything that we add to our faith in Christ in order to feel secure in our faith? Is there anything that we try to impose on others and judge them as lacking if they do not comply to our standard? Again, this is not just the “legalist” who looks down on the person who does not hold their standard, but any Christian who looks down on the person who does not walk and worship like them.

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

Substance is of Christ – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

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, 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. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Colossians 2:13-17

Responding to God’s Justice and Mercy [1 Timothy Pt.5]

Responding to God's Justice and Mercy

When you consider the justice of God, His righteous judgment of those who violate His standard, What is your heart’s response? Is it anger? Fear? Self-Righteousness? Many don’t like the thought of God’s Justice and yet as the Apostle Paul gave instruction to Timothy with regard to the proper use of God’s Law, to bring conviction on sinners and to drive them to the mercy of the Savior that is in the Gospel,  it brings him to unrestrained praise.

1 Timothy 1:9-17  knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,  10  for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,  11  according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.  12  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,  13  although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  14  And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  15  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  16  However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.  17  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

In order for this to happen, we need to be willing to recognize the nature of our sin. After listing several types of sin that the Law will bring conviction over and attaching this use of the Law to the Gospel (Vs. 11) He moves directly into a doxology, thanking Christ for His forgiveness and for using him in the ministry. I don’t know how you lived before you came to faith, but I know that for myself, I was nearly as contrary to the Lord and the Apostle Paul had been, though not in the same ways. To consider that He would forgive me and especially that He would use me in His service is a reason to break out into praise and thanksgiving.

Paul is so moved that he adds his own personal sin list to that which he has already given. He was a Blasphemer, yet he was one of the most religious men in Israel. Why? Because He spoke against Jesus Christ. To call Him anything less than God is to speak evil of Him or to “blaspheme.” He was a Persecutor, arresting, beating and confiscating the property of the followers of Christ. He was an Insolent Man. This is the heart issue that he faced. His attitude of insolence, feeling he was above everyone else, better than them. This  justified his abuse of them. See, for Paul, the Law was now turned inward and used to examine his own heart, and not the lives of those whom he saw in the world around him as it had been before his conversion. This is the effect that the Law should have on all of us who have found grace in the sight of God through the Gospel.

He says,  “And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:14-15)  Grace in his life changed him from an ignorant, unbelieving, blasphemous, insolent persecutor to one who have been given Faith and Love.  I love what Calvin says about verse 14:

“But I prefer a more simple interpretation, that “faith and love” are indications and proofs of that grace which he had mentioned, that it might not be supposed that he boasted needlessly or without good grounds. And, indeed, “faith” is contrasted with unbelief, and “love in Christ” is contrasted with the cruelty which he had exercised towards believers; as if he had said, that God had so completely changed him, that he had become a totally different and new man. Thus from the signs and effects he celebrates in lofty terms the excellence of that grace which must obliterate the remembrance of his former life.”

This kind of encounter with the Law and the Gospel is necessary to move us to this attitude about the Law, our sin and God’s mercy and grace. This is what produced in the Apostle, a great and fervent love that broke out into unrestrained praise at the thought of God’s righteous judgment, coupled with his mercy in the Gospel. What about you? Does the thought of our guilt and God’s grace produce gratitude in you? Does it open your lips to show forth His praise?

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Audio of our lesson and discussion time is available by clicking on the link below. I encourage you to give it a listen.

Responding to God’s Justice and Mercy – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Grounded and Steadfast [Colossians Pt. 9]

Grounded and Steadfast

Over the past four weeks we have been taking time to give serious consideration to the Gospel as we see it presented in Colossians 1:15-23. This is the text that we are using to teach the kids in our Vacation Bible School about God, themselves and the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. I thought it would be good to expand on those lessons and take the rest of the church through the text so that they would be prepared to talk to the kids about what they are learning. It has been a good five weeks in the pulpit.

Having discussed the Nature of Christ (Colossians 1:15-19), The nature of sinful man (Colossians 1:21), the nature of redemption (Colossians 1:20) and the nature of justification (Colossians 1:22), we turned our sights today on the proper response to God’s amazing work on our behalf.

Colossians 1:23  if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

This is really where the reality of our faith becomes apparent. Do we continue in it? Will we do what it takes to be “Grounded and Steadfast” so that we are not “moved away from the hope of the Gospel?” To put it bluntly, this is kind of the “put up or shut up” part of the faith. Many people talk about being Christians, but really put no effort into their Christian lives. Not that we are in any way saved by our efforts! On the contrary, if you go back and check out the four previous posts on Colossians, you can never come to that conclusion. But genuine, saving faith in Jesus Christ produces a pronounced effect on the life of the Believer.  Having been a pastor / teacher for the past dozen years or so, I am greatly disappointed in the lack of zeal coupled with general ignorance of basic Christian doctrine that I see in most of the Church.

Understanding the Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things visible and invisible, the very source of all authority, that we have rebelled in earnest against that authority and become hostile to it, that He, of His own volition became the Innocent Victim that was needed to reconcile the rebel to the Righteous Judge, and that not only did He take away the offense of our sin, but established us with a positive righteousness before the Father, needs to humble us and fill us with a reflection of the love that He has shown to us.

I love Paul’s response to God’s amazing, redeeming love as he breaks forth into a doxology in his letter to the Ephesians;

Ephesians 3:14-19  For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  15  from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,  16  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,  17  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  18  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height– 19  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Is that your response to the Gospel? Does it drive you to your knees and and bring a fountain of praise from your lips? Does it cause you to consider the amazing, unfathomable love of an offended God who chose to love and redeem His elect as they simply trust in His provision for their reconciliation in such a way that you can’t handle it?  This love then moves us to a grounding and steadfastness that is rooted in His love for us. Work becomes motivated by that love. Energy and stamina result. Amazement multiplies!

That is the proper response to the Gospel.  I encourage you to give it a listen and to exalt God for His amazing grace. Audio is available by clicking on the link below.

Grounded and Steadfast – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin