Right Use of the Law [1 Timothy Pt. 4]

Right Use of the Law

A couple of weeks ago we considered the Wrong use of the Law. This time we took on the other side of the issue. How is the Law to be used in the New Testament Church?  As the Apostle Paul instructs the pastor, Timothy, charging him to stop false teachers from corrupting the church he tells him this,

1 Timothy 1:7-11  desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.  8  But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,  9  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.

Although there is an issue in the church with putting people under legalistic restrictions and Paul wants to confront that issue, that does not mean that we should throw out the baby with the bathwater. There is a proper use for God’s moral commands and the Apostle says that it is to used, not with righteous people, but with sinners.  I think that the most amazing phrase in this passage is in verse 11,

…according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God…

According to the Gospel, the law is to be used in the confrontation of sinners and the Apostle gives us a typical laundry list of behaviors that he classifies as sin. Notice that there are extremes like murder and sexual sin that are included with others that we would consider less sinful such as lying. According to the standard of God, there is no difference. The problem here is common in the church, probably more so than the legalism that we discussed last time. Not calling sin, sin is the result of the culture telling the church how to think about things. Certainly the average “sinner” does not want to consider himself as such. But sin is the human problem.

Sin is THE problem that humanity has more than any other. All other problems have sin as their source either directly or indirectly. Unless and until we come to grips with it we will never see our need for the Savior. Speaking to the Ephesian Church at another time the Apostle reminded them of where they had come from and how they had gotten there;

Ephesians 2:1-5  And you, 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.  4  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),

He tells the Romans after two chapters of educating them about the  nature and origin of sin;

Romans 3:19-20  Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  20  Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

If this is the case and God has given us the tool to bring the knowledge of sin and bring conviction over it, if Paul says that it is so, “according to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God,” then to leave this tool unused in our preaching of the Gospel is to mistrust God’s judgment and consider ourselves smarter than He. Author Ian Murray says in an article on Puritan, Thomas Hooker‘s understanding of conversion, “If repentance means turning one’s back upon sin, and if conversion entails turning from sin to holiness, no one is going to see the need for such a change who has not first felt sin to be a burden. Faith is more than reason but it is not irrational. It is a response to truth, and where faith is not the act of a person who understands his need of the saving power of Christ it is not scriptural faith.” And so, it is our responsibility to use the Law to bring conviction of sin in order that men will see their need of the Savior.

This is the way to love people. This is the way to bring rebels to reconciliation with a Holy God. The alternative is to leave them to their destruction and that is not love.

You can listen to the audio of this study by clicking on the link below.

The Right Use of the Law – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

The Sign of Jonah, Jesus’ Call to Believe

The Sign of Jonah

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a subject that is often viewed with skepticism or even outright rejection. What is the basis of that rejection?

As Jesus was casting out demons and teaching one day, He was accosted by the leaders of the Jews.

Luke 11:15-16 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”  16  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.

There was an outright rejection of His authority, even in the face of His power being shown. Those leaders of the Jews did not like Him, even though He demonstrated Himself to be the One of whom the Old Testament Scriptures had spoken. As John the Baptist sat imprisoned an wondering about the reality of Jesus’ ministry, he sent some of his own disciples to inquire about it.

Luke 7:20, 22 When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ “  ….. “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.

The fulfillment of prophecies from Isaiah 35:5-6 and Isaiah 61:1 were enough to convince that prophet. God had foretold the ministry of His Messiah in hundreds of ways throughout the entirety of the Old Testament. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy, from His birthplace in Bethlehem, to being born of a virgin, to coming out of Egypt, and so on. He would fulfill others as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 with details down to the type of burial He would be given. And again, as He cried from the Cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” These words from Psalm 22 give a detailed description of His crucifixion experience, written 1,000 years prior. Jesus’ life was a classic lesson in homiletics, that is the method for presenting a sermon. One method is to first, tell your audience what you are going to tell them, then to tell them, and then tell them what you told them. A three-time repetition of the information. Jesus whole life, death and resurrection was done in this way.

Particularly, His three days in the grave were foretold from His own mouth on several occasions during His ministry. At the time recorded in Luke 11 (also recorded in Matthew 12), as He was being chided by the leaders of the Jews He rebuked them, saying,

Matthew 12:39-41 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  40  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  41  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

The leaders of the Jews were fully aware of this and after His crucifixion pleaded with Pilate for an extra guard to watch over the grave to keep the disciples from stealing the body. (Matthew 27:62-64) It was not a lack of information. It was not even the credibility of the One who gave that information that made these men reject it. It was their unwillingness to believe. But why would the Jews be unwilling to believe the fulfillment of the prophecies of their own holy book? Because it conflicted with their idea how things ought to be. They enjoyed their position and power. Jesus preached against them (Matthew 23). Jesus held them to too high of a standard. Yet Jesus gave them a “sign,” a proof of who He was and what He was going to accomplish. The historical evidence is overwhelming. The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians that the Resurrected Christ was seen by more than 500 people. The resurrection was preached in the Jerusalem, where the greatest opposition was. No one ever produced the body, no one ever stopped the message from being preached. All of the disciples gave life, liberty and property to perpetuate this story.

The Apostle Paul preached this message. He had been one of its chief opponents. When he preached on Mars Hill in Athens, he said this, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,  31  because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”  32  And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’ “ (Acts 17:30-32) I would argue that it was not the resurrection that caused these people to mock, but the statement, “ He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness.” We do not want to be judged and we reject a God who would judge us. If God has created the world (and it is impossible that He did not) and chose to enter the world to redeem fallen mankind; if He chose to die for the sins of the world; what are the odds that he would remain dead? ZERO! Though He died as a man, His sinlessness and Divine Nature would of necessity require Him to live.  As Peter preached at Pentecost he told the men of Jerusalem this (only fifty days after the crucifixion)

Acts 2:23-24 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;  24  whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

It is to be expected. These men were “cut to the heart” when they realized their sin and repented and that day 3,000 souls were added to the church. The resurrection is not a problem when we get the big picture. The leaders of the Jews would not believe and so Jonah, the prophet who came out of the belly of a fish (at least as good as dead) and preached to Nineveh is used as a sign against these men   “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.” (Matthew 12:41)

Jesus had much greater signs than Jonah. He had the testimony of the Scriptures. He had the life that proved the validity of those Scriptures. And when He had done it all, He came to His disciples and taught them from the Scriptures that all that had happened was indeed foretold.

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!  26  Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”  27  And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Again, a classic lesson in homiletics. He told what would happen in the Old Testament Scriptures and by His own mouth. He did what He said He would do. Then He came back and explained to them what He had done.  The only reason to reject it is because of our own pride. It is not a lack of information, but a lack of humility that keeps us back. The challenge today is to hear His testimony, to understand His purpose, To acknowledge our need, and to see His mercy!

You can listen to audio of this message by clicking on the link below.

The Sign of Jonah

In Christ!
Kevin

The Consequences of Repentance [Jonah Pt.8]

The Consequences of Repentance

What is the impact of the Word of God on your life? When it all comes down to it, we have to respond to it in some way. As Jonah “called out” the people of Nineveh on their sin, the Apostles and Prophets call each of us out on ours. Jonah said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown!”  and the people responded. They knew their sin and felt the weight of God’s displeasure.

Jonah 3:8-9 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.  9  Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

The King himself knew what had to be done and the bearing it had on the entire city. He did not make excuses or minimize his sin. He did not try to blame it on someone else or put it off until later.   “Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes” (Jonah 3:6). He humbled himself and threw himself on the mercy of God. He did not try to cut a deal with God. He did not try to manipulate Him. He certainly did not expect to stand on his rights and make demands. Even as a king, he was able to submit himself to the righteous judgment of Almighty God. True repentance does that to us. It makes us humbly submissive.  That’s right, humbly submissive. That is what God’s Word does when it finally hits home. He is the Judge of the Universe, the Creator of all and the Ultimate Authority.

But He is not an evil tyrant. Jonah knew that. Once the city had repented he went of to pout because he was not pleased about what God had done.

Jonah 4:1-2 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.  2  So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.

Jonah knew what kind of God God is. One who is more ready to forgive than we are to repent. Nonetheless, He is also One who will judge the wicked, those who, in their pride, think that they are just fine without his mercy. Those who continue on in sin without regard to His authority, His justice and His hatred of sin. Many think that because they take His name on their lips that He will be satisfied and look the other way while they continue on in sin.

Psalms 50:16-23 But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth,  17  Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?  18  When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers.  19  You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit.  20  You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.  21  These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes.  22  “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there be none to deliver:  23  Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”

We know that good conduct is not what “saves” us, but trust in the Covenant mercy of God. Repentance and good conduct is the evidence that we take God seriously. Do you acknowledge that God is the Sovereign Judge of the Universe and that He has the right to judge and find guilty all who live outside of His holy standard? If you do not, that is one more strike against you. Yet, as I have said, He is ready to forgive. Ready of His own initiative to extend mercy to the one who recognizes his own sin and is willing to fall on His mercy. That is why Christ came into the world. Not to overlook sin, but to give those who truly acknowledge their need forgiveness and mercy.

Acts 17:30-31 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,  31  because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

When the Greeks heard this, we read, “some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”  So Paul departed from among them. “ (Acts 17:32-33) What is your response?

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

The Consequences of Repentance – Jonah 3:8-10

In Christ!

Kevin

The Cause of Repentance [Jonah Pt.7]

The Cause of Repentance

“…it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” It does indeed seem foolish to many that men stand and proclaim Divine truth and expect a supernatural response. That a man would turn from his sin and embrace Christ as Savior is not a mere act of the will, but an act of God in the life of an otherwise fallen and rebellious soul. Paul praises God for His intervention in this matter;

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.

Jonah had an impossible job to do. He (for the first time in history!) was called to preach the words of Yaweh to the Gentiles. To the angriest, vilest, most brutal people of the region, Jonah was sent to bear the message of God. What hope would a single Jew have to persuade these wicked men that God was serious? What would be the result of this man walking among his enemies, unprotected and denouncing them to their face? (No wonder he did not want to go!) And yet we see his words in the fourth chapter;

Jonah 4:2 So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.

It was not retribution from the Ninevites that he feared, but that his preaching would actually be effective! What power there is in the Word of God! It is His ordained means of changing men’s hearts. And so, what should the content of our own preaching be?

2 Timothy 4:1-2 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:  2  Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

We need to make sure we are preaching the truth of God on His own authority. Again to Timothy, Paul says, “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  14  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.  15  Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  16  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:13-16) How important is this? Only a matter of eternal consequence!

1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you

God has ordained that the preaching of His Word be the means of bringing repentance and faith to the rebel sinner. We have the tool we need. Do we have the courage to wield that tool? Jonah managed to bring about the biggest “revival” ever recorded with it. Jonah 3:2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”

Jonah 3:4-5 “And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”  5  So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.” The entire city (600,000 to 1,000,000 people) repented. The preaching of a man. The Words of God. And “the people of Nineveh believed God.  Why would we even think to change what God has ordained and makes effective? The Cause of Repentance is the Word of God preached by the Man of God and made effective by the Spirit of God. Man can never accomplish this result with all of entertainment, psychology and rhetoric he can possibly muster. What is your method?

Audio from this sermon can be heard by clicking on the link below. Take the time to check it out and let me know what you think.

The Cause of Repentance - Jonah 3

In Christ!
Kevin

The Character of Repentance [Jonah Pt. 6]

The Chacter of Repentance

Sometimes we need to grow up and move beyond our childhood Sunday School knowledge of the Scriptures. I was approached by one lady from the church after the service who was amazed at how good the messages from Jonah have been. God’s Word is so powerful! Not to pick on the lady, rather it is the PULPIT that is to blame as much as anything else. Too many milk-sodden pews leave the people in them with no defense against people like Rob Bell and his latest horrific offering to to consumer Christianity. No, I haven’t read Love Wins (and I find myself too busy now to give it my time), but the MSNBC interview with him showed me that the news guy has a better grasp on the Gospel than poor Rob does.

Some sound theologians respond to Love Wins

Michale Horton’s  Whitehorse Inn

Tom Pryde’s Sermons in Song

Today we looked hard at an important aspect of the true Gospel, repentance. Repentance is a part of the Gospel. It is an integral part of the message of Jesus and the Apostles! The way we live in time reflects what our eternity will be like. If we embrace the message of the Gospel by faith, that faith will be demonstrated in a difference in the life we live from that point on.

John the Baptist preached it; Matthew 3:7-8 “But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  8  Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, ”

Jesus Began His ministry with the message, Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

The Apostle Peter’s Pentecost sermon was capped with the very same command, Acts 2:38-39 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  39  ‘For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all those afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’”

So, what does it truly mean to repent? When Jonah finally submitted to the command of the Lord and made it to Nineveh, we see true repentance. It is not so profound from the man of God as it is from the entire city of heathens.  When God’s message reaches the people of Nineveh this is the response.

Jonah 3:8-9 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.  9  Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

An acknowledgment of sin. A resignation to the authority and justice of God. A realization that only by His mercy will we ever be able to stand. A desire to turn away from that which God hates. Only when these things come together will we ever truly repent. Unless and until we do repent, we have no hope of God’s mercy. Separating repentance from the Gospel is like separating the office visit from going to the doctor. I believe I am sick. I have made an appointment. Then I sit at home and expect to get better without doing what is required. If I really believe I am sick and that the doctor is my hope of getting well, that will affect my behavior. I will go to the doctor.

If I believe I am God’s enemy because of my sin and that He can and will rightfully judge me; that my only hope is to trust in His method of redeeming me, then the act of trusting must be accompanied by an act of departing from that which initially made me His enemy.  This is the message from the beginning of the Scriptures to the end. This is the Gospel. To ignore repentance is to take away the power of the Gospel to save and the evidence that salvation has taken place.  “Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance”

I challenge you to give the message from Jonah 3 a listen. Click on the link below and hear The Character of Repentance and see whether you have found true, biblical repentance.

The Character of Repentance – Jonah 3

In Christ!

Kevin

Mortification of Sin [Chapters 5-6]

Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers

This is part 3 of the continuing series on Sunday nights covering material from the consummate English Theologian John Owen on the Subject of The Mortification of Sin in Believers.

Here we covered chapters 5-6.

Mortification of Sin

Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers

We are currently working our way through one of the great puritan works of all time, John Owen’s Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers. This work deals with the duty and power of the Christian to overcome sin. Not in a “Perfectionistic” sense, but gaining true victory over the sin that would dominate our lives. It is very practical and should be read and understood by every Christian. I will be adding audio of our evening service as we study through it over the next couple of months. I hope you find it helpful.

In Christ!

Kevin

Following Jesus [Part 2, Mortification of Sin]

Last time we considered Jesus demand on those who would follow Him to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Him Luke 9:23. We examined that teaching and found that it requires the relinquishing of personal rights and the willingness to suffer for Him. As we look further at discipleship in Mark 9:38-50 we see also that it involves the removal of sin from our lives.

Mark 9:42-44 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.  43  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched–  44  where ‘THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.’

As Jesus says these words, He is speaking to the disciples. It is motivated by John’s declaration, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” (Mark 9:38)  Jesus seems to be concerned that John’s attitude of superiority has a potential to damage or destroy the faith of the man who is following Him and casting out demons, though he is not among the twelve.  As you continue to read (Mark 9:45-48) you will see that Jesus threatens such action with the flames of Hell a total of three times.  He is not telling John that he will lose his salvation through this sin, rather that he (and we) will demonstrate our lack of saving faith if we continue to live in sin or prove its reality as we put it to death.

This idea is taught frequently in the New Testament:

Romans 8:13-14 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Galatians 5:24-25 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

1 John 3:1-3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  2  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  3  And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

And so as Christians we have the command and the power to “take sin out” in our lives. The evidence that we have truly embraced the Gospel is that we have an attitude of “killing” sin in our lives. Jesus did not save us from the penalty of sin so that we could live comfortably in it! Romans 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” His intention is to restore the image of God which we were created in and which is marred greatly by the sin.  Colossians 3:9-10 “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,  10  and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,”

Though we are given new life and sanctified positionally when we receive Christ through His Gospel, we are yet commanded to take on sin in a true “death match” as recipients of that new life and the grace that accompanies it. This is practical sanctification. It is the active restoration of the image of God in the lives of those who truly know Him. It is done through the will of the Believer but by the power of the Spirit. It is the reality of the faith that we profess, worked out in our lives.

As John, the disciple to whom Jesus originally directed these words, says, “Everyone who has this hope purifies himself.”  Are you a disciple? It is easy to determine. What is your attitude toward your own sin? Are you comfortable in it? Are you wallowing in it miserably? Are you putting it to death by the power of the Holy Spirit? Only if the last is true can you be sure that you have embraced Jesus and His Gospel.

You can listen to audio of this message as well as a message from a new series we began on Sunday evening based on John Owen’s Book, Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers, by clicking on the links below.

Following Jesus Pt. 2 (Mortifying Sin)

Mortification of Sin Pt 1

In Christ!

Kevin

Unless You Are Converted…..

As we continue to examine the things that Jesus said as recorded in the Gospels we have come across a rather startling statement; Matthew 18:3 ….. “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” What does Jesus mean by this? Is He implying that we must be be without discernment and blindly trust as a child does? Some have interpreted this passage in that way. However the Bible never calls men to a blind trust, but to rely upon a God who has faithfully communicated and kept promises to His covenant people throughout human history.

What Jesus is actually saying is that we must trust Him implicitly and put no stock in our own ability to save or to keep ourselves even as a little child, here a suckling infant, relies completely upon the love, care and provision of its mother. We contribute nothing to our salvation but the fact that we are sinners. God is a loving Father who chooses to set His love on the unlovable, the rebellious sinner who has set himself contrary to God’s commands and fails to recognize that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all. God chooses to save sinners not because they are good, but because He is good!

In Matthew 18:3 Jesus is not calling the disciples to blind or reckless faith, rather He is calling them to recognize their own inability to come to God and to trust completely in Him for their eternal well being.  So much of Christian (so called) teaching today is just another form of self-help, self-improvement psychology that it is difficult even for many Christians to get their minds around this truth. Self-worth and self-esteem are the order of the day and this teaching really flies in the face of all of that. Jesus says that  you have nothing to contribute to this except to recognize your inability and fall upon the loving care of your Heavenly Father. If this idea sounds strange to you, whether you are a Christian or not, I encourage you to listen to the message by clicking on the link below. I would love to hear your feedback on this. This is the historic Christian faith. This is the message that we need to hear and to heed

Unless You Are Converted – Matthew 18:1-3

In Christ!

Kevin

Repentance and the Kingdom of Heaven

We began a new series today on the sayings of Jesus. It seemed good to me to begin at the beginning. I wonder how many Christians could identify the first thing out of Jesus’ mouth as He began His formal ministry in Galilee. Many may be startled to hear what those words were; Matthew 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

That’s right, the first message and really the substance of His message throughout His ministry was a massage of repentance. Looking at His message in different places in the Gospels we see what that means very clearly.

Luke 18:9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  10  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men–extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  12  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’  13  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’  14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Apparently it is less about righteous acts or refraining from unrighteous acts and more about humility and acknowledgment of our own sin. There is not one of us without sin as the Apostle Paul points out clearly in Romans 3:9-23  A failure to properly assess our own situation is the source of self-righteousness. We need to see sin as exceedingly sinful or we will never appreciate God’s goodness in giving us the time and space to repent as He has commanded.

The Greek word that underlies the word REPENTANCE in our English Bibles is  metanoeo. It comes from two Greek words Meta: in relation to Noieo: the mind. It literally means to think differently afterward or to reconsider. The way we most often think of sin is to think of the offense of others against ourselves. That is really a thing that needs to change. We must always think first of our sin as an offense to God. Understanding our offenses and God’s great patience and mercy should bring us to a place of sorrow for our own sins and patience with the sins of others.

What do you think about your sin? About your need to repent? Even Christians need to live a life of repentance in acknowledging our sin and God’s goodness. It is a sign that we really understand the issue at hand and respect God’s Word regarding the situation.

Audio of this message can be heard by clicking the link below.

Repentance and the Kingdom – Matthew 4:17

In Christ!
Kevin