Here is an article from our local paper, the IC Press-Citizen. It's about a friend of ours, Ed Grattan, and his gift to a man he doesn't even know. I highly recommend giving it a read.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Questions - Doctrine: Salvation
There were a number of questions from the recent message I preached on the Doctrine of Salvation. Here are the questions and the answers.
"What if people don't have the opportunity to know Jesus? There are other countries that have not heard the gospel."
This is a widely debated question. It is often times used as a response by people who refuse to accept Jesus as Lord, citing that God would never condemn those who had never heard about Jesus (Universalism). So because it is such a widely debated question there are many theories and ideas. But here is the bottom line; we don't know exactly what is going to happen to them...and quite frankly it's not our job to know. Our job is to carry out the Great Commission and tell as many people as possible about Jesus. So with that in mind, here is what the Bible reveals.
First off we know that God is omniscient. He knows everything that you are going to do and He knows who is ultimately going to choose Jesus. My guess is that God's foreknowledge plays a role in answering the question. To what extent only God knows...but He does know.
Second, God is a just God. He is going to handle the situation perfectly, justly, and rightly. No one is going to be able and say that God was unfair. Acts 17:31 says,
"For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed."
If there is anyone in the universe prepared to handle this situation it's God. He doesn't need a blindfold (Lady Justice) to hand out impartial justice. He, by his very nature will be fair.
Third, the apostle Paul makes it clear that regardless of the situation, "men are without excuse." Here read it for yourself:
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." ~ Romans 1:18-20
Lastly, 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is patient, waiting for people to repent. Do you think that God is out to entrap as many people as possible and send them to hell? Think again. God loves the world and He wants everyone to have an opportunity to return to Him. So what that means is if God loves the world and wants them to know Jesus and if our job is to tell people about Jesus...well we had better get after it! In fact, one could make the argument that God is waiting patiently until everyone has had an opportunity to hear about the Good News concerning Jesus.
"Repentance meaning 2 turn away from. What about a sin we continue 2 do over and over knowing its wrong but unable 2 beat it?"
For starters, we forget that life here on earth is war. There is a battle raging every second of every moment of the day. What is the battle? The battle is for our hearts...for our very souls. The Enemy? Satan and his angels seek to tempt and lure humanity to reject the Living God and His Son Jesus. The Enemy is also the sinful world that we live in. The sin of this world can be very appealing. Just like the fruit in the Garden had appeal to Eve, so the sin of this world can grab our attention. Throw in the fact that our bodies are very susceptible to the sinful desires of this world and you see the issue at play here: We are at war!
Paul's lament in Romans 7:14-25 powerfully describes his own personal situation. I really like how the New Living Translation translates it. Here are verse 21-25:
"According to the Bible, what is the difference between justification and salvation?"
Think of salvation as "the big picture" or "the main idea." Salvation is God engaging a plan to save mankind from sin and man then receiving or responding to that gift offered to them in Jesus Christ. So "the big picture" is salvation. Within "the big picture" there are different facets. God's grace, his mercy, man's faith, repentance, baptism, etc. Justification is one of those facets within salvation.
The word justify is a forensic term meaning "to acquit," "to declare righteous," the opposite of condemn. Thus justifying is the judge's act. So in the salvation process, one is justified when they put their faith in Jesus Christ and enter into a covenant relationship with him. The apostle Paul does a magnificent job of describing this in Romans 3:23-26. Here is verse 26 -
"...he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." So according to Paul, in the process of salvation, justification (or acquittal) takes place when one puts their faith in Jesus.
"If Jesus died for us, why does he take innocent peoples lives away? Why does he also give people diseases that hurt peoples families and themselves?"
For starters let me point out that no where in the Bible dose it suggest that Jesus takes away the lives of innocent people, nor does he give diseases. If you are looking for someone to blame start with Satan who according to Jesus "only comes to steal and kill and destroy." (John 10:10) You can also blame the sinful people who inhabit planet earth. The apostle Paul states,
"The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23) The nasty, ugly, painful realities of this earth are not of God's doing. Instead they are the results of the influence of a deadly enemy and the rebellious choices of sinful people. God allows these realities to exist because He is patiently waiting for people to turn to him and receive the forgiveness of their sins (2 Peter 3:9).
"What if people don't have the opportunity to know Jesus? There are other countries that have not heard the gospel."
This is a widely debated question. It is often times used as a response by people who refuse to accept Jesus as Lord, citing that God would never condemn those who had never heard about Jesus (Universalism). So because it is such a widely debated question there are many theories and ideas. But here is the bottom line; we don't know exactly what is going to happen to them...and quite frankly it's not our job to know. Our job is to carry out the Great Commission and tell as many people as possible about Jesus. So with that in mind, here is what the Bible reveals.
First off we know that God is omniscient. He knows everything that you are going to do and He knows who is ultimately going to choose Jesus. My guess is that God's foreknowledge plays a role in answering the question. To what extent only God knows...but He does know.
Second, God is a just God. He is going to handle the situation perfectly, justly, and rightly. No one is going to be able and say that God was unfair. Acts 17:31 says,
"For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed."
If there is anyone in the universe prepared to handle this situation it's God. He doesn't need a blindfold (Lady Justice) to hand out impartial justice. He, by his very nature will be fair.
Third, the apostle Paul makes it clear that regardless of the situation, "men are without excuse." Here read it for yourself:
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." ~ Romans 1:18-20
Lastly, 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is patient, waiting for people to repent. Do you think that God is out to entrap as many people as possible and send them to hell? Think again. God loves the world and He wants everyone to have an opportunity to return to Him. So what that means is if God loves the world and wants them to know Jesus and if our job is to tell people about Jesus...well we had better get after it! In fact, one could make the argument that God is waiting patiently until everyone has had an opportunity to hear about the Good News concerning Jesus.
"Repentance meaning 2 turn away from. What about a sin we continue 2 do over and over knowing its wrong but unable 2 beat it?"
For starters, we forget that life here on earth is war. There is a battle raging every second of every moment of the day. What is the battle? The battle is for our hearts...for our very souls. The Enemy? Satan and his angels seek to tempt and lure humanity to reject the Living God and His Son Jesus. The Enemy is also the sinful world that we live in. The sin of this world can be very appealing. Just like the fruit in the Garden had appeal to Eve, so the sin of this world can grab our attention. Throw in the fact that our bodies are very susceptible to the sinful desires of this world and you see the issue at play here: We are at war!
Paul's lament in Romans 7:14-25 powerfully describes his own personal situation. I really like how the New Living Translation translates it. Here are verse 21-25:
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin."
So even the apostle Paul understood the battle faced by humanity...even those who had been redeemed. I'll say it one more time: We are at war!
Now, in your question you mentioned repentance. Repentance is greatly misunderstood, so let me emphasis that repentance isn't a one time deal. Every day you wake up and every night you go to sleep you make a choice to repent. That is why Jesus told his disciples that if anyone wanted to follow him they had to take up their cross daily. In other words, Christ's followers die to themselves each day. So I say all of that simply to remind each of us that because we are at war in this world we need to daily repent and realign our lives with our King...Jesus.
If you want to "beat" a continued pattern of sin, here are a two biblical suggestions.
1) The apostle Paul in Romans 8 (which BTW would be a good chapter to read) makes a strong case for the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians leading them away from sin and closer to God. Never forget that it's a "holy" Spirit that is present in your life to help you become holy. My guess is that the Holy Spirit has been working to lead you away from this particular sin. For example, if this is a sexual sin, I'm sure that the Holy Spirit has prompted/convicted you to break off this relationship and stay away from this person. After the sin there is usually that moment when you experience guilt or shame. "Why did I do that again?" "I need to quite doing that." The Holy Spirit is never going to drag you away kicking and screaming from a sinful situation. But he is going to put up red flags and convict you of your wrong doing. So pay attention to the ques of the Holy Spirit in your life.
2) Since you are recognizing this is a sin that is out of control you need to confess your sin to another Christian. The Bible has numerous examples of the importance of confession in dealing with sin.
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." ~ Proverbs 28:13
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." ~ James 5:16
So I would suggest seeking out someone who is more mature in their Christian faith and of the same sex as you. Confess your sin to them, ask for their prayers, counsel and accountability.
So even the apostle Paul understood the battle faced by humanity...even those who had been redeemed. I'll say it one more time: We are at war!
Now, in your question you mentioned repentance. Repentance is greatly misunderstood, so let me emphasis that repentance isn't a one time deal. Every day you wake up and every night you go to sleep you make a choice to repent. That is why Jesus told his disciples that if anyone wanted to follow him they had to take up their cross daily. In other words, Christ's followers die to themselves each day. So I say all of that simply to remind each of us that because we are at war in this world we need to daily repent and realign our lives with our King...Jesus.
If you want to "beat" a continued pattern of sin, here are a two biblical suggestions.
1) The apostle Paul in Romans 8 (which BTW would be a good chapter to read) makes a strong case for the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians leading them away from sin and closer to God. Never forget that it's a "holy" Spirit that is present in your life to help you become holy. My guess is that the Holy Spirit has been working to lead you away from this particular sin. For example, if this is a sexual sin, I'm sure that the Holy Spirit has prompted/convicted you to break off this relationship and stay away from this person. After the sin there is usually that moment when you experience guilt or shame. "Why did I do that again?" "I need to quite doing that." The Holy Spirit is never going to drag you away kicking and screaming from a sinful situation. But he is going to put up red flags and convict you of your wrong doing. So pay attention to the ques of the Holy Spirit in your life.
2) Since you are recognizing this is a sin that is out of control you need to confess your sin to another Christian. The Bible has numerous examples of the importance of confession in dealing with sin.
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." ~ Proverbs 28:13
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." ~ James 5:16
So I would suggest seeking out someone who is more mature in their Christian faith and of the same sex as you. Confess your sin to them, ask for their prayers, counsel and accountability.
"According to the Bible, what is the difference between justification and salvation?"
Think of salvation as "the big picture" or "the main idea." Salvation is God engaging a plan to save mankind from sin and man then receiving or responding to that gift offered to them in Jesus Christ. So "the big picture" is salvation. Within "the big picture" there are different facets. God's grace, his mercy, man's faith, repentance, baptism, etc. Justification is one of those facets within salvation.
The word justify is a forensic term meaning "to acquit," "to declare righteous," the opposite of condemn. Thus justifying is the judge's act. So in the salvation process, one is justified when they put their faith in Jesus Christ and enter into a covenant relationship with him. The apostle Paul does a magnificent job of describing this in Romans 3:23-26. Here is verse 26 -
"...he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." So according to Paul, in the process of salvation, justification (or acquittal) takes place when one puts their faith in Jesus.
"If Jesus died for us, why does he take innocent peoples lives away? Why does he also give people diseases that hurt peoples families and themselves?"
For starters let me point out that no where in the Bible dose it suggest that Jesus takes away the lives of innocent people, nor does he give diseases. If you are looking for someone to blame start with Satan who according to Jesus "only comes to steal and kill and destroy." (John 10:10) You can also blame the sinful people who inhabit planet earth. The apostle Paul states,
"The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23) The nasty, ugly, painful realities of this earth are not of God's doing. Instead they are the results of the influence of a deadly enemy and the rebellious choices of sinful people. God allows these realities to exist because He is patiently waiting for people to turn to him and receive the forgiveness of their sins (2 Peter 3:9).
Saturday, November 15, 2008
10 Reasons Why You're Probably Going To Fail
This article was posted by Tony Morgan, one of the bloggers I read on a regular basis. I thought that it was very insightful and worth a read. Check it out here.
Iowa vs Penn State Highlight Video
Just a note on Daniel Murray the Iowa kicker. He's an Iowa City kid who graduated from Regina a couple of years ago. Anyway, after the game Daniel's parents took him out for a steak dinner. Then he got to bed because he had to usher at church the next day and study for a Monday test. Very cool.
While it's usually the troublemakers that get the press, there are a lot of good kids on every football team across the country who don't get the props they deserve. They work hard on the field and in the classroom and are just flat out good kids.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Aligning Your Faith?
I was going to use this in my sermon on Sunday, but as I was putting everything together I just didn't have enough room. So I thought that I would share it here.
The basis for this current message series on Doctrine is on building a foundation for our faith. Faith isn't a feeling, a Jesus fish on your car, or weekly church attendance. One's faith in God is based upon truth. Way too many Christians say they have a faith, yet they don't know what they believe. This causes problems when difficult times in life hit or when ones faith is brought into question. The result is Christians allow their faith to become fluid. It shifts and moves depending on what they feel, what they hear, or what Oprah says.
Here is an example. Last Sunday, a group of gay and lesbian folks protested the recent amendment to the California Constitution saying that marriage can only be between a man and a woman. Because of the amendment, a number of churches have had protests, this one in particular was at Saddleback Church in Orange County. One of the women protesting, Laura McFerrin, made this statement; (you can read the whole story here)
“The hardest part of coming out as a lesbian is aligning your faith with who you are.”
The truth is you don't align your faith with who you are. You align who you are with your faith in God. This isn't just a gay or lesbian issue. This is an issue for every person in how they deal with their relationships, thought life, money, careers, sex...the list is endless.
Solomon writes in Proverbs 3:5. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."
If there is going to be any fluidity in your faith it should be found in you moving and changing to fit God's truth. So let me close this out with a question: What is your faith built upon?
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
In God We Do Not Trust
There is a blog that I read on a regular basis written by Mark Driscoll. I came across this post this morning and I thought that it put the election in a good perspective...especially if you are a Christian. Understand also that this has nothing to do with Obama or McCain nor is it a Republican or Democrat issue--it's a Jesus issue.
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