Paul makes an interesting statement in 1 Corinthians 2:2. There he says, "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." In this statement he is commenting on the content of the gospel message that he proclaimed to them and the manner in which it was proclaimed. Most of the context relates to the idea that the gospel message was not about Paul and how he presented it, but about the power of the Word of God proclaimed and enabled by the Spirit of God to connect with the heart of the hearer.
I do not know about you, but I need to be reminded of this because I tend to sneak into my life far too often. It is very easy to become the center of what Christ has done. He did it after all for me. This thought is both misleading and dangerous. Christ did not die for me in the sense that He died for the singular purpose of my salvation. That is simply not true. Christ died in obedience to the will of the Father and to bring honor and glory to God in His perfect salvation plan. When we say that He died for me, what we need to be referring to is substitution. He died the death I should have died and in this sense, biblically, he did die for me.
But when we are proclaiming the gospel, perhaps we, like Paul, need to be reminded that we should preach nothing except Jesus. Not Jesus and our preferences in worship. Not Jesus and our neatly wrapped theological package that we think you must accept all of it or none of it. Not Jesus and . . . anything. It is simply the work of Jesus Christ on the cross that saves and that should be the center of our gospel-centered conversation.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Why I Preach the Bible
Why do I spend so much time preaching the Bible? I may be able to get more people in the pew if I preached "10 ways to be a better father" or "How to engage a sinful culture". Why spend any time reading the Bible if people can do this on their own. Actually, my reason is quite simple - God tells me to do it.
Paul says to a young pastor named Timothy in his second letter to him in chapter 4 and verse 1, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word." It is fascinating that this comes in a section referencing times when it is difficult to preach the gospel. In a world that is out of control what is it that a pastor can do to ensure his faithfulness to God? Preach the Word. And, Paul exhorts Timothy to do so. This is more than a suggestion, it is a strong command. It is a command that is judicially binding, as it requires witnesses. And the witnesses that testify to Timothy's need to preach the Word are as follows: God himself, Jesus Christ who is judge of living and the dead, by the appearance of Christ and the kingdom of God in its entirety! Every time I preach, I preach in the presence of these witnesses and therefore am exhorted to make sure that my message is the Word of God!
Paul says to a young pastor named Timothy in his second letter to him in chapter 4 and verse 1, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word." It is fascinating that this comes in a section referencing times when it is difficult to preach the gospel. In a world that is out of control what is it that a pastor can do to ensure his faithfulness to God? Preach the Word. And, Paul exhorts Timothy to do so. This is more than a suggestion, it is a strong command. It is a command that is judicially binding, as it requires witnesses. And the witnesses that testify to Timothy's need to preach the Word are as follows: God himself, Jesus Christ who is judge of living and the dead, by the appearance of Christ and the kingdom of God in its entirety! Every time I preach, I preach in the presence of these witnesses and therefore am exhorted to make sure that my message is the Word of God!
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
People
Living the Christian life would be really easy if it were not for the other people around. Ever thought that? Ever thought that if no one else was around you would have no trouble doing all the things you need to do? I mean it would be so easy to be kind if they would just be kind to me. I could tell the truth if I did not have to impress my boss. I would be patient if they were just a little easier to get along with!
It is interesting that the church is just as difficult a place to get along with people. We all have different personalities and different ideas of how things should be done. And sometimes these clash and cause conflict. When this happens there are a few verses that I think we should remember.
Ephesians 4:31-32
We know the second verse in this set. We know that we are to be kind, but have you ever thought about how hard it is to be kind without letting go of the bitterness, wrath, anger, slander and malice in verse 31?
Have you ever thought that this verse is here because of the tendency we have as people to exhibit this kind of behavior?
Philippians 2:1-11
Here is a challenging one where we realize that the way that we relate to one another is directly impacted by how we have related to the things that Christ has done for us. And that how we relate to one another is connected to how our ultimate example - the Lord Jesus Christ. For me this puts into perspective the things that I have to endure. Sure people can be harsh but they whipped and beat Jesus. Sure they can be mean, but they killed Jesus. And Jesus still loved them.
Today, remember that God loves you enough to include other people in your life so that you can demonstrate His love to them. Even when they are difficult!
It is interesting that the church is just as difficult a place to get along with people. We all have different personalities and different ideas of how things should be done. And sometimes these clash and cause conflict. When this happens there are a few verses that I think we should remember.
Ephesians 4:31-32
We know the second verse in this set. We know that we are to be kind, but have you ever thought about how hard it is to be kind without letting go of the bitterness, wrath, anger, slander and malice in verse 31?
Have you ever thought that this verse is here because of the tendency we have as people to exhibit this kind of behavior?
Philippians 2:1-11
Here is a challenging one where we realize that the way that we relate to one another is directly impacted by how we have related to the things that Christ has done for us. And that how we relate to one another is connected to how our ultimate example - the Lord Jesus Christ. For me this puts into perspective the things that I have to endure. Sure people can be harsh but they whipped and beat Jesus. Sure they can be mean, but they killed Jesus. And Jesus still loved them.
Today, remember that God loves you enough to include other people in your life so that you can demonstrate His love to them. Even when they are difficult!
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
The Purpose of the Law
We are soon going to be studying the law of God in our Sunday School class. Whenever I do this it is good to remind myself of the purpose of the law according to the New Testament. For this we turn to Galatians chapter 3. I want to focus today on a single verse from this text. Please note with me Galatians 3:22.
"But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise of God by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."
My mom used to tell me to stop telling my brother to shut up, but that is precisely what the Bible says that the law does. The law shuts me up. The law reminds me that I have no ability to keep it on my own. It tells me that I am not good enough and need the love of Christ and the work of Christ to keep me in the favor of God. The law shuts me up.
Here is the simple reminder that we all need. We are all failures under the law of God. No one can keep it perfectly. No one. Not a single one of us. And that is precisely its purpose. To keep us quiet. To remind us of our need. May God use His word to consistently and constantly remind us of our need for Him.
"But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise of God by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."
My mom used to tell me to stop telling my brother to shut up, but that is precisely what the Bible says that the law does. The law shuts me up. The law reminds me that I have no ability to keep it on my own. It tells me that I am not good enough and need the love of Christ and the work of Christ to keep me in the favor of God. The law shuts me up.
Here is the simple reminder that we all need. We are all failures under the law of God. No one can keep it perfectly. No one. Not a single one of us. And that is precisely its purpose. To keep us quiet. To remind us of our need. May God use His word to consistently and constantly remind us of our need for Him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)