Posts
He Came to a World at War: O King of Nations
4 hours ago
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Gospel of Self
By Pastor Anton Bosch
The Gospel in the western world has gradually been changed over the past 50 (or more) years so that what is believed to be the gospel today is no longer the true Gospel but a false gospel which differs substantially and dramatically from the true Gospel. But because the changes have been brought in gradually, no one seems to have noticed.
Paul mostly just refers to the Gospel as “the gospel” meaning that there is no other gospel, and assuming that his readers understand what the term means. But about 30 times he calls the gospel “the gospel of Christ” (Romans 1:16; 1Corinthians 9:12 etc.) or “the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1; 1Thessalonians 2:2 etc.). In fact, Mark opens his gospel with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).
By calling it the “gospel of Christ” the writers of the New Testament are saying that the Gospel is about Jesus Christ, it is founded in, and by, Him. It is completed in, and by, Him. And He is the object and center of the Gospel. Nowhere is this clearer than in Paul's explicit definition of the gospel:
Continue reading here.
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,..."We seldom take notice, when things change very slowly. I am sure you know the story (probably an urban legend) that if you threw a frog in a pot of boiling water, it would immediately jump out of the water, but if it is put into the pot when the water is cold and the water is gradually heated, it will stay there until it is dead.
(1 Timothy 3:1-2a) [emphasis added]
The Gospel in the western world has gradually been changed over the past 50 (or more) years so that what is believed to be the gospel today is no longer the true Gospel but a false gospel which differs substantially and dramatically from the true Gospel. But because the changes have been brought in gradually, no one seems to have noticed.
Paul mostly just refers to the Gospel as “the gospel” meaning that there is no other gospel, and assuming that his readers understand what the term means. But about 30 times he calls the gospel “the gospel of Christ” (Romans 1:16; 1Corinthians 9:12 etc.) or “the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1; 1Thessalonians 2:2 etc.). In fact, Mark opens his gospel with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).
By calling it the “gospel of Christ” the writers of the New Testament are saying that the Gospel is about Jesus Christ, it is founded in, and by, Him. It is completed in, and by, Him. And He is the object and center of the Gospel. Nowhere is this clearer than in Paul's explicit definition of the gospel:
Continue reading here.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
I Never Knew You
What did Jesus mean when He told people who were prophesying in His name, driving out devils, and doing miracles, that they were workers of iniquity and He never knew them? That's the question that Pastor Jim McClarty seeks to answer in this short video.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Children of Promise
Excerpt from the message "Children of Promise" on Romans 9:6-13, Genesis 18:9-14, 21:1-12 by Pastor Ron Bridge of Rehoboth Baptist Church given on May 1, 2011
Download the mp3 or listen to the full sermon here.
Download the mp3 or listen to the full sermon here.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Guilting vs. Glorying into Obedience
by Erik Raymond
As a pastor my whole goal is to see people grow in Christ likeness. Pastors want to see transformation. We want to see obedience, maturity and growth. This is nothing new. The apostle Paul labored and strived to see or present “everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1.28).
But how do you get them there?
There are two main approaches that I have seen. One is more popular than the other, and sadly, it is also less biblical.
Continue reading here.
As a pastor my whole goal is to see people grow in Christ likeness. Pastors want to see transformation. We want to see obedience, maturity and growth. This is nothing new. The apostle Paul labored and strived to see or present “everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1.28).But how do you get them there?
There are two main approaches that I have seen. One is more popular than the other, and sadly, it is also less biblical.
Continue reading here.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
God's Sovereignty, the Gospel, and Sleeping Well
Excerpt of a message on Mark 4 given by John MacArthur at Together For The Gospel 2010.
So here we are, a year before the Great Commission and the Lord gives us really a whole chapter here on evangelistic instruction. It’s foundational, I think, to our understanding of biblical evangelism. It’s comprehensive. It’s detailed. It is critical for us to understand what’s in this chapter. I want to begin by having you look at verses 26 to 29 and it is from this portion of the chapter that I have drawn the title. Our Lord gives a series of parables here, this one only in Mark as the others appear in Matthew and Luke, this one only in Mark. Verse 26, “He was saying, ‘The Kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day and the seed sprouts and grows, how he himself does not know.’”
The soil produces crops by itself. First the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head, but when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle because the harvest has come. Our Lord spoke about the Kingdom of God, and by that He meant the sphere of salvation over which He reigns, the domain of His Lordship over believers. What is it like? It’s like seed that sprouts and grows and the farmer does not know how it happens. And he’s the expert, by the way. He’s the agricultural expert. The wonder of the gospel is this, you sow the gospel and you go to sleep and it grows. We have no control over that. We don’t know how that happens anymore than the farmer knows how that seed which is dead, or dormant in the ground, produces abundant life. The most erudite botanist and biologist and agriculturalist cannot explain the forces of life.
The only human act, our Lord is saying, is to sow and go to sleep, while the crop mysteriously grows. All the work of forces completely separated from the farmer, even the best farmer. This is the language of the Apostle Paul, some sow, some water, and God does...what?...gives the increase. This is also bound up in those very familiar words in the gospel of John, “To as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become sons of God, even to those who believe on His name who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Spiritual, birth, spiritual life, seed that grows is a divine miracle.
Read, listen or download the entire sermon here.
So here we are, a year before the Great Commission and the Lord gives us really a whole chapter here on evangelistic instruction. It’s foundational, I think, to our understanding of biblical evangelism. It’s comprehensive. It’s detailed. It is critical for us to understand what’s in this chapter. I want to begin by having you look at verses 26 to 29 and it is from this portion of the chapter that I have drawn the title. Our Lord gives a series of parables here, this one only in Mark as the others appear in Matthew and Luke, this one only in Mark. Verse 26, “He was saying, ‘The Kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day and the seed sprouts and grows, how he himself does not know.’”
The soil produces crops by itself. First the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head, but when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle because the harvest has come. Our Lord spoke about the Kingdom of God, and by that He meant the sphere of salvation over which He reigns, the domain of His Lordship over believers. What is it like? It’s like seed that sprouts and grows and the farmer does not know how it happens. And he’s the expert, by the way. He’s the agricultural expert. The wonder of the gospel is this, you sow the gospel and you go to sleep and it grows. We have no control over that. We don’t know how that happens anymore than the farmer knows how that seed which is dead, or dormant in the ground, produces abundant life. The most erudite botanist and biologist and agriculturalist cannot explain the forces of life.
The only human act, our Lord is saying, is to sow and go to sleep, while the crop mysteriously grows. All the work of forces completely separated from the farmer, even the best farmer. This is the language of the Apostle Paul, some sow, some water, and God does...what?...gives the increase. This is also bound up in those very familiar words in the gospel of John, “To as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become sons of God, even to those who believe on His name who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Spiritual, birth, spiritual life, seed that grows is a divine miracle.
Read, listen or download the entire sermon here.
Friday, May 13, 2011
No Little People, No Little Sermons
Excerpt of a message on John 9 given by Al Mohler at the Shepherds' Conference 2010. Download the full video from http://grace.ly/sc2010video
Monday, May 9, 2011
Christ Crucified
Listen to the incredible pamphlet "Christ Crucified" by J.C. Ryle (1816-1900); read by Joshua M. Wallnofer, Minister of Klondike Baptist Church of Pensacola. The first half is geared towards Christians and Pastors. The second half is written directly to those who are skeptics.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Are You Wasting Your Life? (Compilation)
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:14-15
"So I am eager to preach the gospel to you...For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:15-16
HT: http://www.aomin.org
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Is Church Membership Biblical?
By Matt Chandler
In all honesty, I wasn’t sure at the time that church membership was biblical. Despite that, the Spirit had made it all too clear that I was going to be pastoring this small church in the suburbs of Dallas. That was one of the many ironies of my life in those days.
Highland Village First Baptist Church was a “seeker-sensitive” church in the Willow Creek mold and had no formal membership process, although they were actively working on one and wanted the new pastor’s input. I had a strong understanding of the church universal but wasn’t well versed—and, as I said, somewhat skeptical—about the church local. We started growing quickly with young and oftentimes disenchanted 20-somethings who usually had no church background, or bad church backgrounds. They liked The Village because we were “different.” This always struck me as strange because we weren’t doing anything but preaching and singing.
In conversations with these men and women I began to hear things like “The church is corrupt; it’s just about money and a pastor’s ego,” or “I love Jesus, it’s the church I have a problem with.” My favorite one was, “When you organize the church it loses its power.” Although something occasionally resonated in me with these comments (I, along with most of my generation, have authority and commitment issues), I found them confusing since they were being made to me by people who were attending the church where I was the pastor.
Continue reading here.
“The spouse of Christ cannot be adulterous; she is uncorrupted and pure. She knows one home; she guards with chaste modesty the sanctity of one couch. She keeps us for God. She appoints the sons whom she has born for the kingdom. Whoever is separated from the Church and is joined to an adulteress, is separated from the promises of the Church; nor can he who forsakes the Church of Christ attain to the rewards of Christ. He is a stranger; he is profane; he is an enemy. He can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother.”I was 28 when I became the pastor of Highland Village First Baptist Church (now known as The Village Church). I had had a rough go early on in my church experience, and at that time I was not fully out of my “disenchanted with the local church” phase.
— Cyprian, Treatise on the Unity of the Church, 6.
In all honesty, I wasn’t sure at the time that church membership was biblical. Despite that, the Spirit had made it all too clear that I was going to be pastoring this small church in the suburbs of Dallas. That was one of the many ironies of my life in those days.
Highland Village First Baptist Church was a “seeker-sensitive” church in the Willow Creek mold and had no formal membership process, although they were actively working on one and wanted the new pastor’s input. I had a strong understanding of the church universal but wasn’t well versed—and, as I said, somewhat skeptical—about the church local. We started growing quickly with young and oftentimes disenchanted 20-somethings who usually had no church background, or bad church backgrounds. They liked The Village because we were “different.” This always struck me as strange because we weren’t doing anything but preaching and singing.
In conversations with these men and women I began to hear things like “The church is corrupt; it’s just about money and a pastor’s ego,” or “I love Jesus, it’s the church I have a problem with.” My favorite one was, “When you organize the church it loses its power.” Although something occasionally resonated in me with these comments (I, along with most of my generation, have authority and commitment issues), I found them confusing since they were being made to me by people who were attending the church where I was the pastor.
Continue reading here.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Hatred of God - Paul Washer & Tim Conway
Pastors Paul Washer and Tim Conway preach on a much neglected, despised, but absolutely necessary topic: the hatred of Almighty God. To embrace one aspect of God and reject another is to reject God completely...you either take Him as He is, and believe Him to be who He has declared Himself to be, or you will die in your sins (John 8:24). God is loving, but He is also full of justice, anger, and wrath; and His love can never be understood or appreciated without acknowledging that He is filled with indignation toward the unrighteousness of men.
The statement, "God loves the sinner but hates the sin" is also exposed as a lie in direct opposition to the Scriptures which teach that God's fierce hatred is directed not only toward sin but those who practice it as well (Psalm 5:5-6).
This video contains excerpts from various sermons:
Paul Washer's:
- "The Greatest Words" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W2fuFWUIL0
- "The Shocking Youth Message" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cncEhCvrVgQ
- "The True Gospel (VCY Ralley)" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7X24_vOWwU
http://www.heartcrymissionary.com
Tim Conway's:
- "Hell is Necessary" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF7t6rDLcFw
http://www.youtube.com/illbehonest
http://www.illbehonest.com
For more resources please visit http://www.truthsource.net
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Joy and Rejoicing in Philippians
by Pastor Ron Bridge of Rehoboth Baptist Church
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. -Philippians 4:4-9 nkjv
“Rejoice in the Lord always, Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). This is one of the most well known verses in Philippians, and also in the entire New Testament – and rightly so! The good news of salvation through faith in Christ is a source of great joy to all who have experienced it – a joy that enables them to be content in all circumstances (Phil. 4:11). At least, that is what it is supposed to do. But does it? Does the fact of our salvation actually cause us to rejoice in all circumstances?
I have been reading through Philippians again and have been reminded that I need to ask this question of myself repeatedly. I need to because I can be easily discouraged by trivial little problems. You would think that after thirty six years as a Christian I would have learned, as Paul had, to be content in whatever state I am. But, I find that I am not, or at least not as often as I should. I could excuse myself by saying that I am not Paul – true enough, but it is a transparent excuse because I have not had the kind of problems he did. The truth is that I find myself discouraged and lacking joy because I do not think deeply enough about my salvation, and more importantly, about my Savior. I am not speaking theologically because my theology of salvation is solid. I know what a sinner I was (am), and I know what Jesus has done for me. The trouble is that there is often a disconnect between my head and my heart – and it is the heart where rejoicing occurs – where it is felt – but it starts in the mind.
Paul was always thinking about Jesus. In the four chapters of Philippians, he mentions Jesus by name ortitle forty eight times (in 104 verses). If we add references to God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, there are seventy four (and I may have missed a few) references to the Divine Being. Paul's mind was saturated with thoughts of God, not just about what God had done for him, but about God Himself, thoughts of His greatness, beauty, love, grace, and glory. Paul counted everything secondary to the excellence of the knowledge of Christ (3:8). The secret of Paul's joy in the face difficult circumstances was a mind fixed on the Lord (cf. Col. 3:1-3; Heb. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 4:16-18). Having a Christ-centered mind enabled Paul to rejoice in all things, and it will enable us, as well. May I encourage you to read Philippians again, and join with Paul and me thinking about Jesus and learning to rejoice in the Lord, always (the table below is taken from the ESV Study Bible).
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. -Philippians 4:4-9 nkjv
“Rejoice in the Lord always, Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). This is one of the most well known verses in Philippians, and also in the entire New Testament – and rightly so! The good news of salvation through faith in Christ is a source of great joy to all who have experienced it – a joy that enables them to be content in all circumstances (Phil. 4:11). At least, that is what it is supposed to do. But does it? Does the fact of our salvation actually cause us to rejoice in all circumstances?I have been reading through Philippians again and have been reminded that I need to ask this question of myself repeatedly. I need to because I can be easily discouraged by trivial little problems. You would think that after thirty six years as a Christian I would have learned, as Paul had, to be content in whatever state I am. But, I find that I am not, or at least not as often as I should. I could excuse myself by saying that I am not Paul – true enough, but it is a transparent excuse because I have not had the kind of problems he did. The truth is that I find myself discouraged and lacking joy because I do not think deeply enough about my salvation, and more importantly, about my Savior. I am not speaking theologically because my theology of salvation is solid. I know what a sinner I was (am), and I know what Jesus has done for me. The trouble is that there is often a disconnect between my head and my heart – and it is the heart where rejoicing occurs – where it is felt – but it starts in the mind.
Paul was always thinking about Jesus. In the four chapters of Philippians, he mentions Jesus by name ortitle forty eight times (in 104 verses). If we add references to God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, there are seventy four (and I may have missed a few) references to the Divine Being. Paul's mind was saturated with thoughts of God, not just about what God had done for him, but about God Himself, thoughts of His greatness, beauty, love, grace, and glory. Paul counted everything secondary to the excellence of the knowledge of Christ (3:8). The secret of Paul's joy in the face difficult circumstances was a mind fixed on the Lord (cf. Col. 3:1-3; Heb. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 4:16-18). Having a Christ-centered mind enabled Paul to rejoice in all things, and it will enable us, as well. May I encourage you to read Philippians again, and join with Paul and me thinking about Jesus and learning to rejoice in the Lord, always (the table below is taken from the ESV Study Bible).
| Ref: | Paul... |
|---|---|
| 1:4 | prays with joy |
| 1:18 | rejoices that Christ is proclaimed |
| 1:25 | will remain living on earth, for the Philippians' joy in the faith |
| 2:2 | asks the Philippians to complete his joy |
| 2:17,18 | is glad and rejoices with the Philippians |
| 2:28 | sends Epaphroditus, that the Philippians might rejoice |
| 2:29 | tells the Philippians to receive Epaphroditus with joy |
| 3:1 | tells the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord |
| 4:1 | tells the Philippians they are his joy |
| 4:4 | tells the Philippians twice to rejoice in the Lord |
| 4:10 | rejoiced in the Lord at the Philippians' concern for him |
Nor of the Will of Man
Excerpt from the message "The Word Made Flesh" on John 1:1-18 by John MacArthur
The whole point of the coming of the logos was to bring people into intimacy with the living God. And that's why the Apostle Paul says that we are joint heirs with Him. We are sons of God crying "Abba, Father." John says in 1 John 3 that we'll be like Him for we see Him as He is. We are drawn into intimacy, that His fullness dwells in us, that we possess the divine nature. He's made us children.
Who? Them that believe on His name. What's His name? His name is all that He is. That's our side. Verse 13 is His side, "Who were born"...that is born into God's family, not of blood. In other words, it didn't happen because you inherited it, it wasn't racial. "Nor of the will of the flesh." It didn't happen because you longed for it and you hungered for it and you desired it and you exercised yourself for it. "Nor of the will of man." And nobody else could do that for you either. It didn't come to you because some human agency or human instrumentation made it possible. It wasn't due to your heritage. It wasn't due to your strong desire. It wasn't due to some other human resource. You came because of God, that's what verse 13 says. So 12 says, "As many as believed received," but 13 says, "If you did that it wasn't because you desired it, it wasn't because somebody desired it for you, and it wasn't because you inherited it, it was because of God." So you have at the very beginning of John's gospel the introduction of the tension between the electing sovereign power of God and the faith of an individual. In verse 12 we are saved because we believe. In verse 13 it's all of God. That non-reconcilable tension, at least non-reconcilable in this world is given us there.
No human birth, no human desire, no racial identity, no human resource can bring us to salvation. It is a sovereign act of God. He does it. But it is always accompanied by personal faith in all that the living Word is and did. So He's the saving one. How marvelous.
Listen, download or read the full message here.
The whole point of the coming of the logos was to bring people into intimacy with the living God. And that's why the Apostle Paul says that we are joint heirs with Him. We are sons of God crying "Abba, Father." John says in 1 John 3 that we'll be like Him for we see Him as He is. We are drawn into intimacy, that His fullness dwells in us, that we possess the divine nature. He's made us children.Who? Them that believe on His name. What's His name? His name is all that He is. That's our side. Verse 13 is His side, "Who were born"...that is born into God's family, not of blood. In other words, it didn't happen because you inherited it, it wasn't racial. "Nor of the will of the flesh." It didn't happen because you longed for it and you hungered for it and you desired it and you exercised yourself for it. "Nor of the will of man." And nobody else could do that for you either. It didn't come to you because some human agency or human instrumentation made it possible. It wasn't due to your heritage. It wasn't due to your strong desire. It wasn't due to some other human resource. You came because of God, that's what verse 13 says. So 12 says, "As many as believed received," but 13 says, "If you did that it wasn't because you desired it, it wasn't because somebody desired it for you, and it wasn't because you inherited it, it was because of God." So you have at the very beginning of John's gospel the introduction of the tension between the electing sovereign power of God and the faith of an individual. In verse 12 we are saved because we believe. In verse 13 it's all of God. That non-reconcilable tension, at least non-reconcilable in this world is given us there.
No human birth, no human desire, no racial identity, no human resource can bring us to salvation. It is a sovereign act of God. He does it. But it is always accompanied by personal faith in all that the living Word is and did. So He's the saving one. How marvelous.
Listen, download or read the full message here.
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