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.
