December 2008
Jesus Our God
Category: Sermon Prep (and follow up)
In yesterday's sermon, we began by asking C. S. Lewis' question: What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?
Jesus said and did many audacious things:
- He forgave sins.
- He drove money changers out of "My Father's house."
- He claimed to give waters springing to eternal life.
- He claimed to be the final Judge of the Universe.
- He declared that God would answer prayers offered in His name.
- He claimed authority to send God's Spirit and that God's Spirit would glorify Him.
- He gave commandments (His commandments).
- Weeping and fasting should cease because He is present.
- That He was in glory with God before the world was created.
- That everyone who is of the truth hears His voice.
- He claimed to be the bread of life, the light of the world, the door leading to salvation, resurrection, the way, the truth, the life, that eternal life is knowing Him.
- He declared Himself to be 'I AM'.
We conclude with Lewis that a man who thinks he is God is either insane or divine. The overwhelming testimony of the Scripture is, of course, that Jesus is God.
John 1:1-4 reveals that the Son of God ("the Word") was already in existence when the universe was created, indeed, He was its creator. It also affirms that the Word was God and was with God. Here we have two-thirds of the Trinity. "Word was God" speaks to His being God in His essence; "Word was with God" speaks of His being a distinct person within the Godhead. Remember, the Trinity is defined as God: one in essence, three in person. Beyond that, we must be slow to speak so that we do not distort the nature of God.
Why the deity of Christ matters:
1. Jesus revealed God (If we are to know God, we must know Christ. If Christ is not God, He could not reveal God, for the finite cannot comprehend the infinite.)
2. Worship
-If Jesus is not God, then to worship Him is to commit idolatry.
-If Jesus is God, then to not worship Him is idolatry.
What are we to make of Jesus Christ? It is the single most important question any human being can ask.
You Mean We're Not Beasts?
Category: Worldviews
"For of what use is existence to the creature if it cannot know its Maker? How could men be reasonable beings if they had no knowledge of the Word and Reason of the Father, through Whom they had received their being? They would be no better than the beasts."
~ St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation
The American Way?
Category: That's Funny
After reading this, be sure to click on the AA graphic. (By the way, don't take this as an endorsement of the entire website, I haven't read anything beyond this article.)
Jesus Our Brother
Category: Sermon Prep
This Sunday we will continue answering the question—Who Is Jesus? Specifically, we will consider that Jesus is a man, that is, He is entirely and utterly and completely a human being. In preparation for the message, ponder these questions and ideas:
• The Son of God ("The Word") is altogether divine; as God He possesses all the attributes of God.
• Jesus of Nazareth is altogether human; as a man He possesses all the attributes of men.
• What are the attributes of men and how do the Scriptures present Jesus as having them?
• In what ways is Jesus unlike other men?
• Why is it important and significant that God became a man? Why does it matter?
I encourage you to read Hebrews 2:9-18 and 4:14-16. Meditate on the significance of the Incarnation as revealed in these verses and let the birth of the Savior provoke a deeper sense of joy and thanksgiving this Christmas season.
Jesus Our Lord
Category: Sermon Prep
In order to be a Christian, a person must confess, "Jesus is Lord." Obviously, this confession must be more than empty words, it must be a sincere declaration that Jesus is the King before whom the confessor bows in humble submission and obedience.
So, the question arises—What are the commands of Lord Jesus?
If your mind immediately gravitates toward issues like lust, fornication, adultery, abortion, homosexuality, stealing, lying, etc., you do well. But, when Jesus says, "This is my commandment," what follows? What are His sovereign decrees? What does He command His subjects to do?
Too often, I fear, we believe that we are faithful citizens of His kingdom if we abstain from most of the "big sins" listed above. But is that what the King Himself taught?
This Sunday, we will consider how the lordship of Jesus Christ should, must, be manifest in the lives of His people, and we will see that there's more to it than simply staying out of trouble.
It Is Finished!
Category: FRAC Matters, Approaching the Throne of Grace
It's official, Front Range Alliance Church has a certificate of occupancy for our new building.
We praise You, O God, and rejoice in Your abundant goodness to Your people. Your sovereign and gracious power have been revealed in many ways throughout this project. All glory to Your name! May this physical building be used mightily to build Your Spiritual building. Edify Your people, expand Your kingdom, shine the light of Your glorious Gospel to Colorado Springs and beyond through the ministry of Your people in this place. Amen!
You Don't Say...
My lack of recent blogging is due to several factors, including the happy yet copious work involved in occupying a new church building and trying to get a new issue of New Covenant Journal published. However, there is another reason. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about what purpose I want this blog to serve, and I believe I have settled on a few things. I am not going to tell you what they are, you'll just have to stay tuned and see. Now, I am not trying to be overly mysterious. You may not even perceive a major change in the future. (Or you may.) But I will, because my writing will flow with a bit more intentionality and planning. I say "a bit," because I'm sure that random and unplanned musings will still spill out.
I say all of this to say why I haven't been saying much—I have been thinking about saying some things. And with that said, I will say no more. For now.
A Gift for Her You'll Both Love
Photo by jspad
Category: Romance 101
Recently, a husband remarked (okay, complained) about how the colder temperatures of fall and winter always bring equally icy conditions in his bedroom (if you know what I mean). His wife's winter PJs are thick, heavy, all-encompassing, and don't easily let go of their owner. My friend spoke as if intimacy with his wife would soon be entering its annual state of hibernation.
Now, frankly, it does not sound as though my friend applied much effort to problem-solving here (the same resolve would surely get him fired at work). And it soon became clear that their romantic slumbers involve more than the turning of the calendar. Nevertheless, I graciously shared a couple of gifts from my Christmas past which would provide the perfect remedy (for this part of the problem, at least).
Two years ago I purchased a heating blanket for my wife. Big deal, you say, any guy can do that. Yes, but most guys don't. And why not? Because most guys (my age) are not about to put something on the bed that will make it hotter. But, here is my ingenious solution: I bought a blanket for a twin bed. We have a queen. My wife's side of the bed stays toasty (way too hot for flannel pajamas), while mine remains unaffected.
The second inspired gift? A space heater. Now, my wife can adjust the temperature of the bed and the room to her liking. Granted, the warm air from the heater makes its way over to my side, but, I must say, it's a small price to pay for the, eh, concurrent benefits.
Last I heard, my friend had imitated my resourcefulness, bringing a warming trend through his bedroom and putting hibernation on delay. The forecast calls for a mild winter.
True Christmas Joy
Category: General Reflections
C.J. Mahaney offers the appropriate perspective of Christmas that every Christian would do well to ponder. Please read it and make whatever adjustments are necessary in your Christmas Eve/Day planning.
Living on Purpose
Photo by John Wardell (Netinho)
Category: Planning
The full title of this post would be something like: Living on Purpose—The importance of evaluating and setting goals.
I recently asked a group of Christians to identify an area of their life they would try to improve in 2009 over 2008. I got mostly blank stares. Then I asked them to name a way in which they had improved their life in 2008. Again, deadpan. It quickly became apparent that these folks were not living life on purpose. That is not to suggest that they had no stated purpose; each of them would have certainly affirmed that they live "to glorify God." They did not lack intentions, they lacked intentionality. They lacked a plan. I asked one more question—"Do you go through life in more of a proactive or reactive way?" Not surprisingly, the majority were reactors.
Our Creator intended to make the world. He also intended to send His Son to the cross to save sinners. Fortunately for us, He actually developed a plan to accomplish these goals and implemented it. As beings created in His image, we do well to imitate this pattern of formulating and carrying out plans for worthy achievements. Righteousness is not something one just stumbles upon.
While I am not a fan of New Year's Resolutions, I do encourage new year planning. In future posts, I will offer suggestions for what and how to plan for the upcoming year. In the meantime, I encourage you to give careful thought to how you would like to look back at the end of 2009 and see marked improvement in the areas most pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. And then consider what steps will help you get there.
The First Man
Category: Theology 101
The first human to walk this planet was not born, he was created. God took the dust of the earth, and supernaturally breathed into it the breath of life. It became him; Adam became a living soul (Gen. 2:7).
God gave to man special responsibilities. First, he was commanded to reproduce himself and fill the earth with little Adams (Gen. 1:28). This presented a problem—Adam could not reproduce himself by himself. So God created the second human, only this time rather than starting with dust, He started with one of Adam’s ribs. God created woman, bone of Adam’s bone and flesh of Adam’s flesh (Gen. 2:21-23). This woman, Eve, was to be a helpmate to Adam. She was especially helpful in accomplishing the first objective because man and woman, together, have what it takes to make baby humans. This relationship is the foundation of the family, and God’s design for procreation (Gen. 2:24).
Second, man was exhorted to subdue and rule over all of the other creatures which God had made (Gen. 1:28). He was to serve as the Lord’s vice-regent and exercise dominion over the earth. Civilization, culture, government, and industry were placed into the hands of man to develop and administer.
These abilities and responsibilities set man apart from the other creatures that God made. However, the most significant and unique attribute of mankind was the imago dei, that is, he was created in the image of God. Three times in two verses God makes reference to creating man in the image or likeness of God (Gen. 1:26, 27). This repetition serves to emphasize the importance of this gift.
A precise definition of the imago dei is not found in the Scripture. Many theologians include the following as aspects of it: original righteousness, rationality, natural affections, moral freedom. The New Testament seems to indicate that the imago dei, at least in part, was lost when Adam sinned against God. In Ephesians, Paul speaks of the “new man created according to God in the righteousness and holiness of truth” (Eph 4:24). In Colossians, he writes of the “new man being renewed into full knowledge according to the image of the Creator” (Col. 3:10). These verses suggest that the person who is in Christ is being made new again into the image of God, and the attributes which are being restored are: righteousness, holiness, and knowledge. If this is the case, then it would seem to be a reasonable conclusion that part of the imago dei is righteousness, holiness, and knowledge, and that these were lost, for all men, when Adam disobeyed.
However, the Scripture clearly teaches that a portion of the imago dei remained in man even after the fall. Following the flood, God instructed Noah that murderers should be punished by execution, because they took the lives of men who were created in the image of God. Unfortunately, we are not told of what the image of God consists.
