I know that Tuesday is the day that we do the link of the week. But I found this today and thought it would be of interest and timely to post now. It contains some history of Halloween and talks about a very important event that happened on Halloween day 1517.
Halloween and The Reformation
An Exposition of Romans 5; Part 4
These expositions of Romans 5 have been rather lengthy so far. I am going to try to make this one very short. I am doing so not for the sake of making easier or more likely to be read. Instead it is being done because the point of verse 6 is simple and vital to come to grips with.
Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
In his book, “Commentary on Romans”, Martin Luther says, “He died at the time when we were still weak, that is, when we were neither righteous of sanctified, but helpless and lost.”
We are not capable of being reconciled to God on our own, so Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He became legs to a crippled man so that the man could walk to the love of God. He became eyes to the blind man so that he could see the beauty of God. He became ears to the deaf man so that he could hear the beautiful song of the Lord. He became breath to the dead man so that he might truly live.
Worship this Jesus today who died for you.
Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
In his book, “Commentary on Romans”, Martin Luther says, “He died at the time when we were still weak, that is, when we were neither righteous of sanctified, but helpless and lost.”
We are not capable of being reconciled to God on our own, so Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He became legs to a crippled man so that the man could walk to the love of God. He became eyes to the blind man so that he could see the beauty of God. He became ears to the deaf man so that he could hear the beautiful song of the Lord. He became breath to the dead man so that he might truly live.
Worship this Jesus today who died for you.
Tuesday Link of the Week
This is a great video by Josh Harris on why it's important to commit to a local church.
Dave Kuntz, an elder at North Church, preached yesterday. It was a very practical sermon. As I sat listening to it, I was thinking to myself, "There are so many people that could use this insight for situations that they currently find themselves in." So I decided to write this blog summarizing what Dave led us to last night.
You can listen to the sermon here
The sermon come from Mark 13:1-13. Jesus is teaching here what scholars call the "Olivette Discourse", he is on the Mount of Olives as he teaches it. This is the last intentional teaching that Jesus will do and he teaching his disciples. We can take application for us as we live in this age. Jesus is giving us practical things to live in a world where evil exists.
Dave brought out 7 imperatives or directives Jesus gave to his disciples that we can apply to us. Here they are::
1. See things eternally/properly- in verse 2 Jesus says that no stone will be left unturned. We were not meant to live in this fallen world, restoration is coming, but for now it is hard. Keep your mind focused on the eternal.
2. Don't be led astray- in the midst of this crazy world confusion can reign about what we are to do and where we are to go. Stay focused on Jesus and what purposes he has given you. The mind can be misleading, trust in Jesus and what he has done in you.
3. Don't be alarmed- verse 7 says bad stuff is going to be happening all around. He says wars and rumors of wars. This has been happening since the beginning of time. People in this world just can't get along. From wars to interpersonal relationships. It will happen, do not let it paralyze you.
4. Be on your guard- This is a great point Dave made. Guard does not mean that we are to try to prevent bad things. Dave said, "You can't prevent evil but you can be prepared for it." Dave also quoted K Edward Copeland, "If God is God, and he is; if truth is truth, and it is; then evil is never capable of a perfect plan. Every lie has an end."
5. Proclaim the gospel- We are to share this news of our sin and Jesus acceptance of us and his death on the cross in the contexts where God has placed us. I also think that we are to continually proclaim to gospel to ourselves.
6. Don't be anxious- This one comes from verse 11. When you encounter hardship, understand that God is in control. Hardship is coming to make us even more keenly aware that God is God.
7. Endure- Dave ran in the Chicago marathon a couple of weeks ago. His wife, Danielle, wanted to be there at the 20th and 25th miles because she knew that was the hardest part of the race for Dave. She said, "I want to be there when it is hardest for you." Just like Dave, we are running a race. Just like Danielle, Jesus is there when it is hardest. The only difference is that Jesus endured the physical pain of the beatings and the cross, the emotional pain of being abandoned by his friends and the spiritual pain of being forsaken by God as he carried the sin the world. Jesus has endured so that we can too.
Take heart and run your race!
You can listen to the sermon here
The sermon come from Mark 13:1-13. Jesus is teaching here what scholars call the "Olivette Discourse", he is on the Mount of Olives as he teaches it. This is the last intentional teaching that Jesus will do and he teaching his disciples. We can take application for us as we live in this age. Jesus is giving us practical things to live in a world where evil exists.
Dave brought out 7 imperatives or directives Jesus gave to his disciples that we can apply to us. Here they are::
1. See things eternally/properly- in verse 2 Jesus says that no stone will be left unturned. We were not meant to live in this fallen world, restoration is coming, but for now it is hard. Keep your mind focused on the eternal.
2. Don't be led astray- in the midst of this crazy world confusion can reign about what we are to do and where we are to go. Stay focused on Jesus and what purposes he has given you. The mind can be misleading, trust in Jesus and what he has done in you.
3. Don't be alarmed- verse 7 says bad stuff is going to be happening all around. He says wars and rumors of wars. This has been happening since the beginning of time. People in this world just can't get along. From wars to interpersonal relationships. It will happen, do not let it paralyze you.
4. Be on your guard- This is a great point Dave made. Guard does not mean that we are to try to prevent bad things. Dave said, "You can't prevent evil but you can be prepared for it." Dave also quoted K Edward Copeland, "If God is God, and he is; if truth is truth, and it is; then evil is never capable of a perfect plan. Every lie has an end."
5. Proclaim the gospel- We are to share this news of our sin and Jesus acceptance of us and his death on the cross in the contexts where God has placed us. I also think that we are to continually proclaim to gospel to ourselves.
6. Don't be anxious- This one comes from verse 11. When you encounter hardship, understand that God is in control. Hardship is coming to make us even more keenly aware that God is God.
7. Endure- Dave ran in the Chicago marathon a couple of weeks ago. His wife, Danielle, wanted to be there at the 20th and 25th miles because she knew that was the hardest part of the race for Dave. She said, "I want to be there when it is hardest for you." Just like Dave, we are running a race. Just like Danielle, Jesus is there when it is hardest. The only difference is that Jesus endured the physical pain of the beatings and the cross, the emotional pain of being abandoned by his friends and the spiritual pain of being forsaken by God as he carried the sin the world. Jesus has endured so that we can too.
Take heart and run your race!
An Exposition of Romans 5; Part 3
Rom 5:3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
Rom 5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
Rom 5:5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
We will look at three verses today. The focus of them is to use our suffering as a means to connect with God. Let’s walk through this looking at some Biblical definitions that are like ladder rungs which leave us with this unshrinkable connection with God through His love.
Here are the definitions that we have to fully digest in order to get to the end.
Rejoice- Other translations use the word glory. The root of the word is to pray to God. There is a sense of communication to God of your thankfulness for the suffering.
Suffering- A pressing in or pressure. In our 2009 context, it is stress, the things that cause us stress to a great degree. Also translated as anguish, affliction, distress.
Endurance- Steadfastness. In the New Testament context it means: the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.
Character- Trial approved. It is the same word that we get our word for stylus. It brings to mind a chipping away like an artist working on a sculpture.
Hope- Joyful, confident expectation.
These three verses are building on who you are in Christ that Romans 5:1-2 led us to.
What you are is justified and at peace with a God who is a righteous judge. The words
“more than that” provide us with the knowledge that we are not just justified when we stand before God, but we are also climbing a ladder that ends with suffering as a means to godliness. And, godliness is the point of this life.
All of this leads us to this unshrinkable connection to God because of His love. Shame is not an option because of love. We can use the illustration of the scale. When God’s love and the intensity of the joy and pleasure it brings to our fully satisfied souls is weighed against any pressure or anguish this world can bring; the scale is tipped in the direction of God.
This is the basis of the hope that carries the afflicted man to a place of worship in the midst of the affliction. Not in spite of the affliction, but because of it. And, we wind up seeing pain, stress or any sort of affliction as a tool in the hand of God used to make us aware of the treasure that He is.
Rom 5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
Rom 5:5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
We will look at three verses today. The focus of them is to use our suffering as a means to connect with God. Let’s walk through this looking at some Biblical definitions that are like ladder rungs which leave us with this unshrinkable connection with God through His love.
Here are the definitions that we have to fully digest in order to get to the end.
Rejoice- Other translations use the word glory. The root of the word is to pray to God. There is a sense of communication to God of your thankfulness for the suffering.
Suffering- A pressing in or pressure. In our 2009 context, it is stress, the things that cause us stress to a great degree. Also translated as anguish, affliction, distress.
Endurance- Steadfastness. In the New Testament context it means: the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.
Character- Trial approved. It is the same word that we get our word for stylus. It brings to mind a chipping away like an artist working on a sculpture.
Hope- Joyful, confident expectation.
These three verses are building on who you are in Christ that Romans 5:1-2 led us to.
What you are is justified and at peace with a God who is a righteous judge. The words
“more than that” provide us with the knowledge that we are not just justified when we stand before God, but we are also climbing a ladder that ends with suffering as a means to godliness. And, godliness is the point of this life.
All of this leads us to this unshrinkable connection to God because of His love. Shame is not an option because of love. We can use the illustration of the scale. When God’s love and the intensity of the joy and pleasure it brings to our fully satisfied souls is weighed against any pressure or anguish this world can bring; the scale is tipped in the direction of God.
This is the basis of the hope that carries the afflicted man to a place of worship in the midst of the affliction. Not in spite of the affliction, but because of it. And, we wind up seeing pain, stress or any sort of affliction as a tool in the hand of God used to make us aware of the treasure that He is.
Tuesday Link of the Week
Matt Chandler is a pastor in Dallas. In this short video clip Matt talks about his personal time with God. He says that he wants to pay close attention to the things that have an affect on his affection.
Enjoy and have a great day.
Matt Chandler on time with God
Enjoy and have a great day.
Matt Chandler on time with God
An Exposition of Romans 5; Part 2
Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
So last week we looked into what it meant to be justified and to have peace with God. We came up with this:: “Faith is what brings us to the place of being rendered right, which leads to an appeased conscience and confidence with God. That is just the first half of verse one.
The second half is "through our Lord Jesus Christ." If faith is the vehicle that takes us there, the work of Jesus is the road that paves the impassable divide between us and God. But that is just a simple child’s word picture to illustrate what has happened. While it is simple, it is truth. It is what this passage is teaching.
There is another piece here that we cannot miss, even though many times we do. It is the word "Lord." It is not an insignificant title for Jesus. A practical definition for this word is:: The master I serve. When Paul writes, “Lord Jesus Christ,” he is communicating that Jesus is the master that we serve.
In verse 2 Paul brings more reinforcement and clarification with a restatement of sorts. The phase "obtained access" is used. This is another metaphor. We have rights to enter. Think about the Cardinals winning the National League Central. Winning more games than any other team in the division is what obtained them access into the playoffs. The Dodgers winning three games in a row against the Cardinals in the NLDS did not allow the Cards access to the National League Championship Series. If the Cardinals showed up tonight in Philadelphia to play the Phillies, they would not be allowed to play them because they did not obtain access.
For us, Jesus is the one who has obtained our access. Grace is what we have access to. Grace is the gift of God; it is a gift that we did nothing to get. So here we are, standing in the grace of God in His presence, having been made right by faith in our master Jesus. This leaves us with hope. Hope is more than crossing your fingers; it is like watching a game on DVR. If you go back and watch last week's debacle, no matter how much you want it to happen, Matt Holliday is going to drop that ninth-inning fly ball. The Cardinals are going to lose that game. This sort of hope is the same thing. We have the full expectation that we will look with awe into the wonderment of the beauty of God.
1 Corinthians says that no eye has seen or ear has heard or mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. This is what we look to -- what we place confident trust in. This is what Paul means by, “we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Breathe in deep these promises of who Jesus is, who God is, what they have made you into, and what awaits you because of it.
Tuesday Link of the Week
This is a video link of John Piper talking about the gospel. Watch the video and feel free to interact in the comment section with his take on the gospel.
John Piper on the gospel
John Piper on the gospel
An Exposition of Romans 5; Part 1
As we have been talking about improving the traffic and content at this blog, we have decided that consistent content is a key. As a result of that, we began the "Tuesday Link of the Week" this week. We also have what we are beginning today, an Exposition of Romans 5. This exposition will appear every Thursday. When it is finished, we will undertake another series.
Before we get started with that, I need to explain two things: First, let's look at the term "exposition." Exposition simply means to expose something. So we will take Romans 5 verse by verse, and at times word by word, and try to draw out deep meaning expose exactly what the author (Paul) is trying communicate to Christians in Rome, as well as what God is revealing about his character.
Why Romans 5? There are several reasons. Do not skip past this part and go on to the actual exposition; this is really important for us as we set out on this journey. Romans 5 is filled with teaching on justification and faith and peace and love and propitiation and atonement and lots more. Some of these are really big and scary words for the average Christian or seeker. But they are key elements to understanding your relationship with God. We cannot shy away from them simply because they are seemingly difficult to understand. My hope is that this study will leave us all with a greater understanding of Jesus and how we relate to him. I also hope it will leave us with a resource that we can look back to in future days for our benefit and the benefit of others.
Another reason for studying Romans 5 stems from a conversation with a friend I had a few weeks ago. She was concerned about her salvation and her security. I do not think she is alone. Many people stand on a shifting-sand faith, and Paul is teaching us about a faith of substance that is not moved by our disobedience but is held firm by a perfect and saving Jesus. It is crucial for us to understand our positional relationship with God the Father, and Romans 5 addresses it.
Since I have already written a lot today, I will be quick with the actual exposition piece this week.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I once heard someone say that if you see the word "therefore," you must ask yourself what it is there for. That is a cheesy saying, and I do not like cheesy sayings, by my love of truth outweighs by dislike of anything cheesy, and this statement is true. So, we ask, what is the "therefore" there for. Paul has just spent time writing about justification and mentions it again here. He then gives us one of the gifts we have as a result.
The word "justified" here is the Greek word "Dikaioo." It means to render righteous. Tuck that away for a minute, and we will come back to it.
Faith is a big word that has so much meaning and nuances. It packs a lot of truth. Too much for us to get into in great detail. We could, and probably will, do a series on defining faith. For our purposes here, let's say that faith is the combination of trust and surrender and has at its root an understanding of authority. As my son learned to trust in me, he was more willing to jump into a pool where the water was over his head. As a result of that trust, he surrendered his well being and jumped into what would have been death for him had I not been there.
I got in my car this morning and took my daughter to school. My 2001 Saturn is the vehicle that brought my daughter to school. Faith is the vehicle that brings us to justification. Tuck that away for a minute and we will come back to that.
That leaves us with peace to close this part out. Martin Luther says, "The Apostle (Paul) here means that peace of which all the prophets speak, namely, spiritual peace. This peace consists properly in an appeased conscience and in confidence with God, just as conversely the lack of peace means spiritual anxiety, a disturbed conscience and mistrust against God."
So we can say this confidently from scripture: "Faith is what brings us to the place of being rendered right, which leads us to an appeased conscience and confidence with God."
Live in that peace. Christ died for you to have it!
Before we get started with that, I need to explain two things: First, let's look at the term "exposition." Exposition simply means to expose something. So we will take Romans 5 verse by verse, and at times word by word, and try to draw out deep meaning expose exactly what the author (Paul) is trying communicate to Christians in Rome, as well as what God is revealing about his character.
Why Romans 5? There are several reasons. Do not skip past this part and go on to the actual exposition; this is really important for us as we set out on this journey. Romans 5 is filled with teaching on justification and faith and peace and love and propitiation and atonement and lots more. Some of these are really big and scary words for the average Christian or seeker. But they are key elements to understanding your relationship with God. We cannot shy away from them simply because they are seemingly difficult to understand. My hope is that this study will leave us all with a greater understanding of Jesus and how we relate to him. I also hope it will leave us with a resource that we can look back to in future days for our benefit and the benefit of others.
Another reason for studying Romans 5 stems from a conversation with a friend I had a few weeks ago. She was concerned about her salvation and her security. I do not think she is alone. Many people stand on a shifting-sand faith, and Paul is teaching us about a faith of substance that is not moved by our disobedience but is held firm by a perfect and saving Jesus. It is crucial for us to understand our positional relationship with God the Father, and Romans 5 addresses it.
Since I have already written a lot today, I will be quick with the actual exposition piece this week.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I once heard someone say that if you see the word "therefore," you must ask yourself what it is there for. That is a cheesy saying, and I do not like cheesy sayings, by my love of truth outweighs by dislike of anything cheesy, and this statement is true. So, we ask, what is the "therefore" there for. Paul has just spent time writing about justification and mentions it again here. He then gives us one of the gifts we have as a result.
The word "justified" here is the Greek word "Dikaioo." It means to render righteous. Tuck that away for a minute, and we will come back to it.
Faith is a big word that has so much meaning and nuances. It packs a lot of truth. Too much for us to get into in great detail. We could, and probably will, do a series on defining faith. For our purposes here, let's say that faith is the combination of trust and surrender and has at its root an understanding of authority. As my son learned to trust in me, he was more willing to jump into a pool where the water was over his head. As a result of that trust, he surrendered his well being and jumped into what would have been death for him had I not been there.
I got in my car this morning and took my daughter to school. My 2001 Saturn is the vehicle that brought my daughter to school. Faith is the vehicle that brings us to justification. Tuck that away for a minute and we will come back to that.
That leaves us with peace to close this part out. Martin Luther says, "The Apostle (Paul) here means that peace of which all the prophets speak, namely, spiritual peace. This peace consists properly in an appeased conscience and in confidence with God, just as conversely the lack of peace means spiritual anxiety, a disturbed conscience and mistrust against God."
So we can say this confidently from scripture: "Faith is what brings us to the place of being rendered right, which leads us to an appeased conscience and confidence with God."
Live in that peace. Christ died for you to have it!
Tuesday Link of the Week
We begin a new piece of the North Church Pastor's Blog today...the Tuesday Link of the Week.
We will be posting a new link each Tuesday. The theme of each link will vary from week to week. Be sure to check the blog every Tuesday for the link of the week.
The first is a link to the introduction of the latest Tim Keller book called Counterfeit Gods. The book is due to hit stores on October 20. Enjoy the link!
Introduction to Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller
We will be posting a new link each Tuesday. The theme of each link will vary from week to week. Be sure to check the blog every Tuesday for the link of the week.
The first is a link to the introduction of the latest Tim Keller book called Counterfeit Gods. The book is due to hit stores on October 20. Enjoy the link!
Introduction to Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller
More on Authority
I was cutting the grass this morning and had these thoughts while listening to Matt Chandler preach.
Look at the story of Moses and Pharoah and the plagues that God sent to the land. God sent these plagues in the midst of a struggle over authority with Pharoah. In other words, Pharoah says, "I am in charge." God says, "No I have authority."
Please, do not think of this story as some fairy tale kids movie. This is not for kids, it is intense awful stuff that happened to a nation whose leader was in opposition to the authority of God.
Among other things, this is what God to show his authority. Every bit of livestock from the nation of Egypt died. Every horse, camel, cow, sheep and every other piece of livestock just dropped dead. The great river Nile turned into blood. Houses were filled with locusts, dust turned into gnats. Then every first born son of everyone in the land of Egypt died in the night.
Make no mistake, God has authority. We can submit to it or we can be in opposition to it.
Look at the story of Moses and Pharoah and the plagues that God sent to the land. God sent these plagues in the midst of a struggle over authority with Pharoah. In other words, Pharoah says, "I am in charge." God says, "No I have authority."
Please, do not think of this story as some fairy tale kids movie. This is not for kids, it is intense awful stuff that happened to a nation whose leader was in opposition to the authority of God.
Among other things, this is what God to show his authority. Every bit of livestock from the nation of Egypt died. Every horse, camel, cow, sheep and every other piece of livestock just dropped dead. The great river Nile turned into blood. Houses were filled with locusts, dust turned into gnats. Then every first born son of everyone in the land of Egypt died in the night.
Make no mistake, God has authority. We can submit to it or we can be in opposition to it.
Ferocious Faith
When we read and study about the heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11, we see that every single example of faith produced in them an outward, ferocious way of living for the Kingdom of God. Faith is never simply an inward thing, but always produces an outward way of living that exalts Christ and advances His Kingdom.
How is the Lord calling us to be bold and ferocious in our pursuit of Him - to live out our faith and be placed into the category as people "of whom the world [is] not worthy" (v.38)?
It goes without saying that what these men and women accomplished by faith in advancing the Kingdom (as described in Hebrews 11), required an act of God and never was it comfortable and easy. In fact, most of the time they were probably out of their element and completely out of their comfort zone. I mean, think about it, what in the world is comfortable about "stopping the mouths of lions, escaping the edge of the sword, being tortured, suffering mocking and flogging and chains and imprisonment, being stoned, and sawed in two (SERIOUSLY!?!?!) and killed with the sword?" ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! So why do we think that our calling to advance the Kingdom of God should look any different???
As Matthew put it:
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force (Matt 11:12).
THE ANSWER!!
So how in the world do we do this??? I love it when the Bible shoots you straight...so here it is.
Heb 13:20-21
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Notice how the gospel produces the power of God in our lives to equip us to be and do exactly what he is calling us to be and do. Oh that God would work this kind of faith in our lives...that we would never be the same...that our church and our community and the nations would never be the same!!!
Will you join me???
How is the Lord calling us to be bold and ferocious in our pursuit of Him - to live out our faith and be placed into the category as people "of whom the world [is] not worthy" (v.38)?
It goes without saying that what these men and women accomplished by faith in advancing the Kingdom (as described in Hebrews 11), required an act of God and never was it comfortable and easy. In fact, most of the time they were probably out of their element and completely out of their comfort zone. I mean, think about it, what in the world is comfortable about "stopping the mouths of lions, escaping the edge of the sword, being tortured, suffering mocking and flogging and chains and imprisonment, being stoned, and sawed in two (SERIOUSLY!?!?!) and killed with the sword?" ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! So why do we think that our calling to advance the Kingdom of God should look any different???
As Matthew put it:
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force (Matt 11:12).
THE ANSWER!!
So how in the world do we do this??? I love it when the Bible shoots you straight...so here it is.
Heb 13:20-21
20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Notice how the gospel produces the power of God in our lives to equip us to be and do exactly what he is calling us to be and do. Oh that God would work this kind of faith in our lives...that we would never be the same...that our church and our community and the nations would never be the same!!!
Will you join me???
