Truth and Love: A Study of 2 John (part 2)

As we continue in our study of 2 John we are reminded that John is writing to a local church, reminding them of the importance of love and truth. He gets more specific this week as he continues.

“I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth…” John has apparently seen the lifestyle of the people in this church. Their obedience brings him joy. Great joy. This lifestyle is habitual and faithful (noted by the use of the term “walking”). We also note that this joy was found in seeing “some” of then walking in the truth. All of the children had not been walking in this way. This should in some ways comfort us in knowing that when God calls us “children” it means he doesn’t expect us to stand on our own right away. It is also comforting to note that he does celebrate progress.

It cannot be escaped that the Holy Spirit through John is highlighting “the truth.” A fixed, body of eternal truth. Relativism is incompatible with a Christian worldview and incompatible with Christian living. We cannot live out truth if truth is not fixed and knowable- “just as you were commanded by the Father.” Truth is knowable because God has spoken.

With this foundation, John continues with his point in writing. “I ask you dear lady” He begins by pointing two things, first that his exhortation is not given without deep care for them. John models what this book proclaims, truth must be declared in love. He notes first his love for the church (the “lady”). Then he declares that what he is going to exhort them in is truth by saying, “not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning.” By this he is saying that he is not writing a new command (though he could, he had the authority to do so), but that this truth is truth which John himself, and this church, knew well. In fact, it reached all the way back to the days of Moses. His command was “that you love one another.” This command reached back into the book of Leviticus, but certainly its echo was fresh in the ears of the disciples from the Lord Jesus. In His last week of earthly ministry He commanded His disciples to “love one another” and that by doing so the world would be “know that they were his disciples.” Love proclaims truth. But, as John points us next, love does not exist apart from truth.

“And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.” John goes so far as to explain how we love- through obedience to God. Love does not exist outside of obedience, and therefore; love can never be without truth. The most loving thing we owe Christians and non-Christians around us is to live an authentic life of obedience to God. 1 John is all about how this plays out in the Christian life. But, this should be the central point we walk away with from these verses in 2 John; “We must love one another in truth…” Loving one another in truth begins by living as an authentic witness in our life. Obedience is not just done to declare our love for God, but our love for others. We must reminder these essentials as we look next at why he so concerned with love: because deception abounds!  See you next week.

Truth in Love: A Study in 2 John (Week 1)

Not sure how I feel about this,
but it will work for this short series. =)

Size matters.  When we are buying clothes, we want clothes of a certain size.  When we are buying food, we want a certain size.  In fact, in the case of the latter, bigger is often better.  I fear we as Christians take this ideal to our Bibles.  The bigger books are not more important.  The bigger books do not contain “deeper truth.”  We often put the shorter books of the Bible on the back shelf for the days we oversleep and need to get our “quiet time” in.  But, if we slow down in these books, and allow the Spirit speak, we will discover God can say much with very little. 

I discovered this recently as I was studying the book of 2 John.  Over the next few posts we will be diving into this wonderful letter from the apostle John.  Today we will introduce it by looking at the author, the audience, and the affection of the letter.

John begins by referring to himself as “the elder.”  A term which obviously would denote age, along with it authority, respect, and wisdom.  John is known to not use his name in his writings (the only time he does is once in the book of Revelation), which I denote as a sign of humility.  In 1 John he remains unnamed, 3 John he is “the Elder” and in the gospel he is “the one whom Jesus loved.”  John seems to desire to exercise his authority, while getting his identity out of the way.

Another important thing to note in his opening is his audience.  “…to the elect lady and her children.”  Commentators are divided on who exactly this lady is.  John MacArthur and Matthew Henry both comment that John is writing to a godly matron (perhaps one who hosts a church in her home) desiring to encourage her in the face of false teachers.  Others argue that John is using the language of a “lady” and “her children” to denote a local church.  Four reasons I take the latter view:

1) John uses the image of the church in feminine terms in his writings (Revelation 21:2).  Also, throughout his first letter John refers to believers as “children.”
2)  It is very odd for John to command a woman and children to “love one another.”  This seems to fit better with the idea of a church.
3) Commentators note that John is using the second person plural throughout his letter.  Thus he is writing to many people who were able to understand his words (and thus “children” could not have been primarily in view).
4) The last verses of 2 John seem to denote children of an “Elect sister” language which fits a church better.  Notice, the children greet the lady, not the sister. 

All this seems to point to the fact that John has the local church in view.

Looking at the author, then the audience, we can jump into the rest of his greeting which is focused on his affection.  He writes of his “love” for the church “in truth” and this love is not simply his, but “also all who know the truth.”  Truth and love are at the heart of John’s message in this letter.  In fact, John is communicating that Christian love is always defined by truth.  One does not exist without the other.  Even when John states the reason for his love, it is “because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever.”  Christian love is not based on social class, or race, or economic level.  Christian love is based on eternal unchanging truth.   We’ll close by looking further at why this is.

First, our relationship to God is based on love and truth.  Look in verse 3.  “Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.”  

The little words are important here.  First we must notice that grace, mercy, and peace come from God (both the Father and the Son).  These promises only come by the Father and through Christ.  Without them none of these blessings are yours.  Second, we notice that they “will be with us.”  Future tense.  God’s unmerited favor, his unconditional forgiveness, and his incomparable peace are not simply realities for this moment, but reach forward into every step we take.  Not a moment for the Christian is without access to grace, mercy, and peace.  Thirdly, we must notice the means by which we access these gifts.  “In truth and love.”  The means of truth and love are how we access God’s infinite well of grace, mercy, and peace.  Truth and love are continuous means of accessing the gospel treasures of grace, mercy, and peace.  Truth and love bind us to God, but they also bind us together.

Notice, in closing, verse 1 again.  If the “lady” is the church, and the “children” are the congregation, than certainly all Christians share the same identity together. We are all children together.  Each of us have received grace, mercy, and peace through the Christ, so that we as fellow children can extend grace, mercy, and peace to each other.  We love each other in truth- yes perfectly- but we do so grounded in our identity as children.  This means Christian community should expect imperfection.  It should be the hallmark of Christian community- we haven’t got it all together yet.  Also, notice the sort of commitment this should give us to the local church.  We are children together of God and of “the elect lady” the church.  Sure, mistakes will be made, people may mistake “care” for many other things, but truth stands and unites and love emboldens us to go forward both in our relationship with God, and our relationship together.

Continue with me the next three Mondays as we continue through this amazing letter from John.

Is Peter the "Petra" of Matthew 16?

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As the Pope makes his visit to America, I find it important to bring some clarity to the subject.  One thing that is sadly missing is any theological significant discussions of the doctrine of the papacy itself.*  Significant in the Roman Catholic system is the understanding that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ, the head of the true Church, who infallibly can define doctrine.  They believe that the Pope has taken the “seat of Peter”, who they believe to be the Prince and Chief of the apostles, and that those who follow after him as the Bishop of Rome.  This doctrine was first clearly articulated in the Vatican 1 Council.  In this council the church infallibly interpreted Matthew 16:13-20 as well as John 21 to refer to Peter’s primacy.  They also made the claim that this has been the teaching of the church since the beginning.  Vatican 1 reads:

We teach and declare that, according to the gospel evidence, a primacy of jurisdiction over the whole Church of God was immediately and directly promised to the blessed apostle Peter and conferred on him by Christ the lord.

It was to Simon alone, to whom he had already said You shall be called Cephas , that the Lord, after his confession, You are the Christ, the son of the living God, spoke these words:

Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the underworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

And it was to Peter alone that Jesus, after his resurrection, confided the jurisdiction of Supreme Pastor and ruler of his whole fold, saying: Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.

To this absolutely manifest teaching of the Sacred Scriptures, as it has always been understood by the Catholic Church, are clearly opposed the distorted opinions of those who misrepresent the form of government which Christ the lord established in his Church and deny that Peter, in preference to the rest of the apostles, taken singly or collectively, was endowed by Christ with a true and proper primacy of jurisdiction…

And so, supported by the clear witness of Holy Scripture, and adhering to the manifest and explicit decrees both of our predecessors the Roman Pontiffs and of general councils, we promulgate anew the definition of the ecumenical Council of Florence, which must be believed by all faithful Christians, namely that the Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff hold a world-wide primacy, and that the Roman Pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles, true vicar of Christ, head of the whole Church and father and teacher of all Christian people.

 That apostolic primacy which the Roman Pontiff possesses as successor of Peter, the prince of the apostles, includes also the supreme power of teaching. This Holy See has always maintained this, the constant custom of the Church demonstrates it, and the ecumenical councils, particularly those in which East and West met in the union of faith and charity, have declared it. -Vatican 1, Session 4, 1:1-4, 3:1 4:1 (https://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/V1.HTM)

The Roman doctrine of the papacy stands or falls on Matthew 16:13-20.  We will examine this Roman Catholic dogma in three phases: first, looking at Matthew 16:13-20, second, looking at relevant New Testament passage, and third, looking at history before giving concluding thoughts.

"How Shall we Sing the LORD’s Song in a Foreign Land?" Psalm 137 and Exiles of Religious Conviction

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Psalm 137 is based on a true story.  Not the kind of “based on true story” accounts that needs to be rewritten by Hollywood.  Psalm 137 has all the elements of a good plot- suffering, antagonists, shock-and-awe, and a central theme meant to impact the readers in the present, and empower them for the future.  What makes it even better is that this Psalm, like all of them, are set to music.

In Psalm 137 we find the people of God in exile.  Long had the prophets- Isaiah, Jeremiah and the like- warned of the outcome of Israel’s sin.  In their rebellion they hardened their hearts and as punishment they had been attacked and taken out of the land by Babylon.  As the Psalmist (and presumably the people of God as a whole) set down and reflected on the land God had promised, that they had seem to lose, verse 1 says they wept.  God gave them exactly want they wanted, and as sin always does, it leaves run and misery in its path (Romans 3:16).

“On the willows there we hung up our lyres.” (137:2).  The people had put up their instruments.  This was not a time to sing and celebrate, nor for entertainment, as instruments were often used for.  This was a time for mourning.  Not only were they in a foreign land, but they captors, called “tormentors” were openly mocking the people of God.  They would profane the sacred songs of the Lord!  With mirth (laughter), they would ask them to sing songs about the Promised Land they were taken from (v.3-4).  Mockery of God’s people is not a new invention.  Enemies of God have done it for ages.

This leads the Psalmist to ask a very simple question, “How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?” (v. 4).   They were taken out of the land of promise.  They were being pressured to allow men to defame and mock their God.  These songs were Holy and not meant to be sang in this foreign land by rebellious people.  People were forcing these men to disobey their conscience and what they knew to be right.  No doubt the mockers said, “It is just a song!  It won’t hurt anyone.”  “It’s the law, you must obey.”  “You can hold to your convictions in your houses, but not in the public square.”  For the Psalmist, to sing songs in mockery to the Lord was to “forget” the city.  To forget His promise.  The Psalmist is clear in verses 5-6, it would be better not to play any music at all than too do it in a way that doesn't acknowledge God and His Word.  For the Psalmist, obedience to conscience is worth suffering for.

Notice the end of verse 6, “Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth…if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!”  To sing these songs would blaspheme God and thus show Him to be small.  To sing these songs in this context was disobedience to God.  If they cave to the pressure and obey the commands of their captors, they are showing what they value more: the safety and security that men provide more than God and His promises.  Jesus would speak of sin in a similar way, it is better to faithfully suffer and enter into the presence of God than to succumb to the world’s pressure to sin.  “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell” - Mark 9:47.  The kingdom is greater than the fleeting promises of sin.  Jesus would say in the beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)  Future grace of perfection empower purity in the present.  The people of God in persecution have always set their hopes on the promises of God.

The Psalmist continues with his hope set on the future promises of God as he finishes the Psalm.  Just as he set his hope on the perfect joy of Jerusalem, he sets his hope on God’s justice.  When God purifies, part of that means He destroys impurity.  The Psalmist cries out for God to remember against His enemies, the Edomites who had laid bare the foundations of Jerusalem and that the one who repays Babylon for what they had done would be blessed (v. 7-8).  Notice the Psalmist’s hope, even as it seems His enemies are winning, Babylon remains “doomed to be destroyed.”  God is a redeemer and rids His people of all enemies.  Notice the severity of the judgement God would give to the enemies of God: “Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” (v. 9).  At first glance that verse should take us a back.  Why would God consider the man blessed who dashed babies against rocks?  That sounds cruel.  What was ever done to deserve that?  

We recognize that Babylon had dashed the Israelite babies to pieces (Isaiah 13:16).  Babylon was an instrument of judgement against Israel for their sin, but they had gone too far.  They have done what was wicked in God's sight.  What the Psalmist desires is that, as verse 8 says, they be repaid according to what has been done to them.   In other words, He desires that standard Jesus teaches- that measure that they use shall be used back against them (Matthew 7:1-2).  God promises to judge in accordance with the deeds done- how He does it is up to Him.  That was the Psalmist’s confidence

Christians- we face a similar pressure to those of the people of God in Psalm 137.  Not from an enemy nation, but from our own nation.  We facing pressure to cave on God and His Word.  The culture trivializes it, just as I’m sure the Babylonians did- “It’s just a cake.  It’s just a marriage license.”  I’m sure the Israelites were being pressured under the “rule of law.”  But we must stand as they did.  We must place the God and His Word above our highest joys.  We must trust that a new and better country awaits us.  We must not cave on our convictions, but work hard to obey God, even when it is unpopular.

We must trust in God’s justice.  The 21st century church seems to emphasis “mercy” while minimizing “justice”, but in the shadow of the cross those two are intrinsically wed.  We trust and know that Judgement Day is a reality.  2 Thessalonians 1 describes that day as a day of relief because God will destroy those who have sought to destroy us (v. 7-8).  The long awaited promise land is ushered in, and along with it are God’s enemies tossed out.  But, as New Testament people we know God is pleased to judge sin in the death of Another.  We were all once enemies, but God has sought out His enemies in love and mercy.  Christ has come, He has died to reconcile us to Himself, by satisfying God’s wrath, and rising again to stand as our Advocate.  By faith, we die when He died, and we rise as He rose. The only hope for us has never been in obedience to Babylon, for one day all will look and see her judgement (Revelation 18:15-18).  Godless culture cannot keep its promises.  Our hope is in a new and better city, which no unclean will enter (Revelation 21:27).  We must endure in the present, for the promise of the future is greater than the present promises of sin- we will see His face (Rev. 22:4).

Gifted By Grace Sermon Audio

Here is a sermon I was honored to preach at the Awakening Conference.  The conference was geared toward college students (like myself) and was held at Walnut Memorial Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky on February 28, 2015.  I was given the topic of Spiritual Gifts, so I chose Romans 12:1-8 as my text in hopes of showing how the gospel is the foundation for our gifting and then I hoped to show three practical applications for our gifting(s).

May God be glorified, His gospel preached, and His people edified.

Biting the Hand that Feeds You

Facebook has been filled with noise, very unpleasant noise.  This week the Supreme Court has taken up the case for same-sex marriage.  Every time a story like this hits the news I notice two things.  First, secular people all of a sudden become Bible scholars.  Second, Christians become cowards.

The first observation looks something like this: “Wow.  Look at all of those Christians, who say homosexuality is a sin, they must also believe that we can’t eat shell fish too!  Get with the times.  Aren’t we supposed to love our neighbor?  Ugh!”  Regardless of what these scoffers may proclaim, people who use this kind of thinking are secular regardless of what their Facebook or Sunday morning routine may say.  Their reasoning is ignorant and the foundations of their worldview are empty.  Secular thinking must presuppose, while also suppressing, Christian thinking. 

Source

The above scenario shows this to be the case.  First, one simple Google search could provide theologically consistent answers as to why being homosexuality is a sin while eating shellfish is not.  American Christians need to realize that many of those who attack our faith are ignorant of what it teaches.  Willfully ignorant.  A simple reading of Jesus shows us that this is in fact consistent.  Mark 7 opens with Jesus putting the smack down on the Pharisees about embracing men’s traditions.  He then began to teach about how it’s not what is outside of people that makes them unclean, but what is inside.  His disciple then ask him to explain the parable further.  In classic Jesus style his answer was pretty straight forward:

And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,  since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. – Mark 7:18-20

The Biblical Vision of the Good Life.

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“Psalm 128 is a picture of the good life.” These words from Dr. James Hamilton have been echoed in my ears since I arrived at Southern Seminary for a recent Alumni Academy on Biblical Theology. While the whole two days left me with much to dwell on, this passage has been heavy on my heart. Little did I know recent events in Atlanta would tie right into what God has said. The good life is intrinsically tied to family life.*

Psalm 128 begins, “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!”  “Blessed” means happy.  Reverence was to lead the Psalmist to rejoicing.  And not just a moment of rejoicing but a “walk.”  Fear of God is more than what you do in a Sunday service; it is a continual walking in obedience to God.  And we see in Psalm 128, the fear of God is connected with blessedness.  It is clear that the author of this Psalm was familiar with the blessings for obedience in Deuteronomy 28.  The people were promised blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience.  Notice verse 2 which carries this thought along, “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.”  The blessing of God brought him provision.  Notice both what the Psalmist does say, and what he does not say.

Being Thankful With our "Whole Heart" (Psalm 138)

I was flipping through my Bible in search of a passage the other night and stumbled upon notes on a passage I don't remember making. Upon investigating closely, I had written notes all over Psalm 138. What follows are notes and reflections put together to share.  I feel God brought me back to this passage for reasons only He knows. Hope it encourages you.

David introduces Psalm 138 this way- "I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;" He was giving thanks to the Lord!  Notice with his "whole heart."  David said he would even do it before the "gods." This is simply a phrase referring to rulers who are in a sense little gods. Psalm 95:3 and 96:5 are perfect examples of the use of the term "god" in the Psalms to refer to rulers. Before all kings God is worthy of praise for He is greater than any king! This brings us into the first thing David gives thanks for.

He was thankful for God's name.

I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness - Psalm 138:2

He gives thanks to God's name (who He is at His core) because of His steadfast love and faithfulness.  This would draw us back to the words of God to those in Exodus. God's faithfulness is not something He gives, but it something He is. He is thanking God for being who He is. He also thanks God for what He has done.  He is thanking God for His character, which means he must have had something to inform this understanding.  God's word was what informed it.

Reading List: November, 13, 2014

These are the books (outside of school) which I am getting into.

Just Finished: "Drawing the Net: 30 Practical Principles for Leading Others to Christ Publicly and Personally"  O.S. Hawkins

Currently Reading: "The revived Puritan: The spirituality of George Whitefield" Michael A.G. Haykin

Audiobook: "The Attributes of God Volume 1" - A.W. Tozer

On Deck Reading:  "He is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World" R. Albert Mohler

"...Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." - Ecclesiastes 12:12-14

"Prepare Him Room" Music for Advent

Advent is quickly approaching!  Advent is a season of not only celebrating the coming of our Savior (Christmas) but anticipating His second Advent n glory.  I have found emphasizing this season in my life (and the life of a church) can be deeply enriching.  A great place to start is with Gospel-Centered Advent music.  Sovereign Grace has recently released a new album of Advent music.  Check it out and I pray it benefits you in this Advent season.  Playlist comes via Sovereign Grace's Bandcamp:

Faith in Future Grace

"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him..." - Psalm 91:14

The Psalmists knew that past grace, provision, and power has been enough for him (91:1-13), and would continue to be in the future. We "abide in the shadow of the Almighty" (91:2) Psalm 91:14-16 is God's response to his faith.  "I will deliver...I will answer you...I will satisfy." God promised future grace. In light of past grace, he trusted future grace.  Faith in future grace lead him not only to hold fast to the Lord, but to hold fast "in love." The rock solid foundation of "hold fast in love" faith is thankfulness for past grace with expectation of future grace.

 

Trust God's grace, it was enough yesterday, will be enough for you today, and for the endless ages to come.

Below are two videos to consider as well:

I am deeply indebted to John Piper's ministry in my life.  This concept of "Faith in Future Grace" was first revealed to me by him.  Check out the video below for more:

Broken Sufficiency

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere." - 2 Cor. 2:14

God, in the gospel of Christ, has conquered us and broken us that we might "spread the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere."  God saves us that we might speak of Him to others.

We are "Christ's aroma to God," God's beloved ones in Christ, among those who are perishing and those who have life (2:15).  The fragrance doesn't change, the recipient does. "to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life." (2:16)  Some will see your witness and reject it out right, others will see your witness and be sanctified.  "Who is sufficient for these things?" Who is sufficient for the witness of Christ?  Only those who have been honestly broken by God to speak for God.  Be broken today.  In Christ, only a broken jar can release a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. - 2 Cor. 2:17

5 Reasons Christians Should Sing and Sing Often

This is a photo from my church choir at Christmas.
http://yellowcreekbaptist.com/worship/

I’m sure we’ve all met those people who “just don’t sing” at church.  Whether due to their lack of vocal ability, shy personality, or (supposed) unfamiliarity with the songs; I have heard tons of excuses for why people do not want to sing in church.  While, certainly singing is not a requirement for being a Christian (faith in Christ alone is!) we find that singing is right at the heart of our faith.

1) Jesus was a “singing person.”  Jesus was all about singing!  One example of this is found in the Last Supper He shared with His disciples.  “After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”- Matthew 26:30.  Jesus does this during a crucial moment in His ministry.  He is sharing what would be His last supper with His disciples before the cross, but He also is instituting an ordinance for His church!  This was a moment to be cherished and remembered and what does Jesus do?  SING!  This raises so many questions I wish we could know!  What vocal range was Jesus?  What song did He sing?  Was this spontaneous or planned?  What we can know is that singing was used as a part of the celebration and was a part of the Son of God’s preparation to suffer.  This bring us to number 2….

2) Singing helps us endure suffering  We can also draw the conclusion that Jesus was a singer because of how much He seemed to cherished God’s inspired song book: the Psalms.  We find that 14 times in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus quotes the Psalms (ESV Study Bible, pg.2609-2610).  One of the most profound moment we find is when Jesus is on the cross, and of all He could declare, He quotes lyrics to Psalm 22 (Matthew 26:45-46).  In Jesus darkest hour He found comfort in songs overflowing with Holy Spirit inspiration.  As Jesus Christ was bearing out sin, He had a song in His head.  Should not songs of truth be a bedrock for us in the midst of suffering?

3) Singing is a means of fighting temptation.  Once again, in the ministry of Jesus we find another example of Jesus singing.   Jesus, when faced with temptation found power in Holy Spirit inspired Torah and Psaltery.  In Matthew 4 Satan actually tempts Jesus through misquoting Psalm 91, but, He knew Psalm 91 and counteracted with a quote from Deuteronomy.  A song was a means by which Jesus overcame temptation, how much more for us?  Yes, we have the Psalms, but the truth of Scriptures can be communicated via the songs we sing corporately.  Gospel saturated songs have sin conquering power.  In the midst of heavy temptation I often find myself singing, “When Satan tempts me to despair, And tells me of the guilt within, Upward I look and see Him there, Who made an end of all my sin.”  If Jesus fought temptation through singing God’s truth, how much more should we?

4) We will sing in Heaven

Corporate worship is an earthly shadow of a Heavenly reality (Hebrews 9-10), so when we sing we are mimicking (and joining in with) the choir off Heaven!  Revelation 5 pulls back the veil and we hear that the Gospel truth is declared even by glorified saints, “And they sang a new song, saying ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.’” (Rev. 5:9)  Heaven will be far to glorious to want to hold back due to being “shy.”  Worship will not be cold or dead in Heaven.  In fact, many may think we are Charismatic (this coming from a non-Charismatic!).

Certainly we are going more than sing for all eternity, the next verse says we will be reigning as well, but this passage and many others make clear that much of the joy of Heavenly is going to be found in expressing our salvation in song.  Song is not sinful, but in fact even in the garden was expressed by God’s image bearers to express delight (Gen. 2:23).  Singing is at the core of what it means to be human.  Even God Himself expressed his delight in song, which is why we need not fear singing to Him…

5) Because God’s singing over us will always be louder than our singing to Him

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” – Zech. 3:17 (ESV)

The glorious news is that God does not accept us because we sing well, or because we sing loud, but God sings over us because of His great love for us in Christ.  Christ died that God might sing.  Sing over sinners.  Delight over you.  You.  In the gospel, God sings a song over you.  Even on our “best” worship days, the singing of God over His people will always be louder than a congregation in chorus together.  That, my friends, is good news.  News good enough to sing about.

How Should Christians Feel about “Blood Moons”?

In the news recently there has been swirling around talk about the “blood moons”, lunar eclipses which will set the moon to a red color.  There events are set to also happen on Jewish Feasts.  Many Christians and non-Christians alike see significance in these events and there timing.  But, how should Christians feel about these events?  Here are three quick thoughts.

Rediscovering Jesus' Hymnbook (via 9Marks)

Interesting article from 9Marks on Psalm Singing (which I have only recently meet people who do).

How interested would you be if archaeologists unearthed a hymnbook embossed with the name, “Jesus of Nazareth?” Overlooking the anachronism for a moment, wouldn’t “Jesus’ hymnbook” be immediately republished and rocket to the best-seller lists? Wouldn’t those songs find instantaneous popularity in worship services across the globe?

We have that hymnbook. We do know what songs Jesus sang: he sang the psalms.

Continue Reading....

Thought for the Day: "Free Will"

“Free Will” is a concept many people boast in.  Free Will is the ability is “do as we please”.  But, then is free will in fact not free, but a servant to pleasure?  The prophets of old told of a day when we would get new desires through a New Covenant.

By His death, Jesus inaugurates this New Covenant (Luke 22:20) in the hearts of His People and regenerates them from death to life (Eph. 2:1-10) not by infringing on “free will” but by redirecting desires away from sin and toward Christ. 
Apart from God's work you would never chose Him (Romans 3:10). 
Praise Him for His gift of a new heart.

Great Response to the Nye-Ham Debate from Last Night

"The central issue last night was really not the age of the earth or the claims of modern science. The question was not really about the ark or sediment layers or fossils. It was about the central worldview clash of our times, and of any time: the clash between the worldview of the self-declared “reasonable man” and the worldview of the sinner saved by grace."

Check out Al Mohlers Response HERE.

Greek Words, Dan Brown and Why the New Testament is Not like the iPhone

Preface:  This is a paper I wrote for my English 102 class on the validity of the New Testament and why it should be studied.  It was meant to be a 15 page argument paper, but we were able to talk the teacher down to 9 pages.  The following paper is 11 pages (with the worked cited) in Times New Roman 12 point font, double spaced.  So grab a beverage and a comfy place; my hope is this will edify you.  This is why I have stacked my life, both finite and eternal, on the words found in a book.

Matt Chandler on "Actively Engaged in the Abortion Battle"

"If you’re a young woman in here, or maybe an older woman—I didn’t say old; I said older woman—and you were pregnant in your first or second trimester, and you were driving toward the abortion clinic to have an abortion, and on the way to the abortion clinic you were hit by a drunk driver, that person is charged with involuntary manslaughter of your baby. But if you make it to the clinic, the doctor in the clinic is legally allowed to take a vacuum pump and rip that baby to shreds in your womb."

Click here to read the rest.

Bearing Witness

"For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." - Hebrews 2:2-4

"Prove it!" This is common statement I hear from skeptics regarding Christianity. "That's all fine and good, but prove with absolute certainty that what you say is true." The issue ultimately is not the lack of evidence, because believe me it's there, the heart of the issue is the issue of the heart.

Just as it is for us, it was for the apostles and Jesus Himself. The hearts of the Pharisees were no more harder then the skeptics of today. They s the works of Jesus and still walked away from Christ. We can look at one example in Luke 7 where Jesus resurrected the widows son. What did it says the reaction of the people were?

"Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country." -Luke 7:16-17.

We can see that the people saw that Jesus was obviously speaking for God. It showed that the message He had was authoritative and divine in origin. This doesn't stop just with Jesus but continues on to the apostles as well. Paul, in 2 Corinthians begins to defend his apostleship and authority. In chapter 12 verse 12 he gives a defense of his apostleship writing, "The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works."

Signs and wonders were the sign of the true apostle- an authoritative witness of the Glorious Risen Savior.

This is exactly why I started this section with Hebrews 2. It also supports the idea that signs and wonders (The supernatural working of the Spirit of God as we see in the book of Acts) were to authenticate the authority of the apostles.

"For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution- Hebrews 2:2

Here the writer of Hebrews is talking about the Old Covenant- the law, a message of sin and condemnation. It was proven reliable by signs and wonders. It doesn't take more then a cursory look at the book of Exodus to see how God proved his messengers reliable.

Exodus 4:6- Leprosy Miracle
Exodus 7:8-13- Aarons staff turns into a snake
Exodus 7:14-12:51- Plagues of Egypt
Exodus 14- Crossing the Red Sea

And on and on the miracles go in the book of Exodus.

I do think, before going further, a definition for miracle (signs and wonders etc...) would be imperative to the discussion.

R.C. Sproul gives a very precise definition of a miracle. He defines a miracle in the broad sense that, "A work that only God can do, such as bringing life out of death, such as, restoring a limb that has been cut off—by command—such as, walking on the water, such as, turning water into wine." So, when the extraordinary happens through the ordinary. [1]

In this sense, this is not the same as God working supernaturally or God healing through prayer. The difference is in the use of human agent in the work. We all know God can (and will) raise the dead. (1 Cor. 15). But, when we see Elisha do it in 2 Kings 4, it is a miracle in a sense Sproul is speaking of.

Miracles (signs and wonders) carry with them the authority of God. As we've seen, only true messengers of God do true signs and wonders. The writer of Hebrews takes this thought forward into his day and time in the rest of the passage.

how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. -Hebrews 2:3-4

The message of salvation was declared first by Jesus then by those who heard from Jesus and, the writer says, this message was attested to by "signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." We have seen various examples throughout Scripture of the miracles of Jesus. But, let's put the microscope under the miraculous workings of the apostles, specifically those laid out in 1 Corinthians 12.

Signs of the Spirit

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills - 1 Cor. 12:4-11

Here we see that gifts of the Spirit (tounges, prophecy etc...) put right alongside the working of miracles. While we will handle each gift specifically later on, it is important to see that the working of these gifts gave testimony to the message of the Gospel. Signs and wonders, along with gifts of the Spirit were "distributed according to his will." (2 Cor. 12:11, Heb. 2:4). These gifts were one of the many ways the Spirit testifies about Jesus (John 15:26). As 1 Corinthians 12:3 says "...and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit." and that is the whole point, they were to show that Jesus is LORD both through gifts and conversion. They were signs pointing to the reality of the Gospel.

What About Stephen?

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. - Acts 6:8  Many would point to this in the book of Acts and would claim that obviously these gifts were available past the apostles and to everyone in the church.  It is true that Stephen was not one of the twelve, but neither was Paul (and yet Paul performed miracles as well).  What were the requirements of being an apostle in the Bible?  They had to have seen the ressurected Lord Jesus (Acts 1:22).  There were nearly 500 men who had seen this according to Paul (1 Cor. 15:6).  So, in one sense Stephen was an "apostle" though not in the same sense as being one of the chosen, like Mathias.

Also, whether Stephen had seen Jesus or not is somewhat of an inference, but after Stephen preaches to the people, we have a confirmed sighting of Jesus.  "But [Stephen], full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." -Acts 7:55.

Stephen did see the risen Jesus, just as Paul had.  This shows that he was certainly someone in a different category then "the rest of the church" as some have claimed.  He was a man who was full of the Spirit, yes, but even as the disciples did miracles before seeing the risen Christ (Matthew 10 for example) so Stephen did too.  The Spirit, through his miracles, and through his visions points the people to the "glory of God".  Let us also remember that even faithful men like Stephen faced persecution for his message, and he only got to the message of sin, not of the cross (Acts 7:51-53).

The Here And Now

As we've seen, the signs and wonders done in Bible were meant to be an authoritative sign of the early church.  We don't see these signs in the church today. We don't literally raise the dead, restore limbs or do the works that the apostles did. Though we, like Stephen and the apostles, had not seen the risen Jesus, our witness is not without hope! The Holy Spirit still does the work in conviction of sin (John 16:8) and the work of teaching and revealing Spiritual truth (John 14:26, 1 Cor. 2) and the work of rebirth. (John 3). Now we have the message of the apostles, in the Word of God, and there miracles testify to it. The Holy Spirit "carried along" the authors of Scripture so that it is the true authentic Word of the living God and there miracles prove there divine origin. By this word we are born again (1 Peter 1:23) and it is this word that will endure forever (Matthew 24:35).  The London Baptist Confession 1686 speaks of the work of the Spirit and the Holy Spirit this way,

"The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased." (1:1)

The works of these men were as a witness to the Scriptures, but while "those former ways" has now "ceased" the Scriptures abide forever.

The new birth, given by the Spirit through the Word of God is our commendation- our testimony to the outside world. Paul writes more about this in 2 Corinthians 3.

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. - 2 Corinthians 3:1-3

The Spirit's work in us, promised all the way back in the Old Testament (Ezek. 36:26) is all the testimony we need for the truth we claim. Whatever the skeptic might want to say, God Himself has already made Himself known in Creation (Romans 1:18-20), but ultimately in Christ. Skeptics will say if God will just show Himself they will believe Him, but He already has shown Himself in Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh. (John 1:14). He came to earth, destroyed the temple of His body, and as He said He would, He raised it up again (John 2:19). The skeptic will never see this apart from the work of Spirit to show them the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3-4) and we praise the one who opened our blinded eyes to see. 

[1] http://www.ligonier.org/blog/does-rcsproul-believe-miracles/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWayLMRg91M