Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Your Righteousness...His Righteousness





[Some people end up] "Trusting in their own righteousness. This is a soul-ruining mischief. When men trust in their own righteousness they do indeed reject Christ's. Beloved, you had need be watchful on every hand, for not only your sins—but your duties may undo you. It may be you never thought of this; but so it is, that a man may as certainly perish by his seeming righteousness and supposed graces—as by gross sins; and that is, when a man trusts to these as his righteousness before God, for satisfying His justice, appeasing His wrath, procuring His favor, and obtaining His pardon. This is to put Christ out of office, and make a Savior of our own duties and graces. Beware of this, O professing Christians; you are much in duties—but this one fly will spoil all the ointment. When you have done most and best, be sure to go out of yourselves—to Christ; reckon your own righteousness as filthy rags (Phil 3:9; Isa 64:6)."

Joseph Alleine



Sunday, July 26, 2009

Chambers of the Heart...











Chambers of the Heart - Audio


This Sunday I preached from Ezekiel 8:7-12 , a message called "Chambers of the Heart". I found this text to be very interesting as the priests and leaders of Israel were found to be at the temple in Jerusalem, yet they were nowhere to be found in the temple...not in the outer court, inner court nor in the Holy of Holies. These priests who were supposed to be set apart by God were really no priests at all, because they were found to be in a hidden room full of idolatrous images, offering prayer and inscense to them. Their deceitfully wicked hearts (Jer 10:1,17) led them to believe that the Omnipresent, Omniscient God, was nowhere to be found and was not observing their wickedness because His presence had departed from the temple.
My main focus in this sermon was upon the heart, and what lurks inside the chambers of a man's immagery? Christ said that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" and the question of genuine faith is "Where is your heart?" Will it be found in a hidden room such as these priests were in Ezekiel 8, professing to be called by God, claiming to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, yet found worshipping and residing in the lusts of your flesh? Or will your heart be found with Christ, delighting in the Lord, denying self and taking up your cross?
These men in Israel had engraved upon the walls of this hidden room beasts, four-footed animals, and idols of every kind, very similar to those of the people found in Romans 1:22-24.(Ezekiel 8:10 ; Romans 1:23). To me, this means that idolatry has no new faces, no new tricks...all that a wicked man wants is to worship an image of God that he creates with his own mind and he loves what he makes. And the wicked man may even do this while he is so called "serving" the One True God, and this is impossible because no man can half-way serve Jehovah...he must be everything or nothing at all. This is the deception that these priests and many others fall into because they believe that they can serve the Lord and serve their lusts and "no man can serve two masters".
Hiding sins from God, or reserving a place in your heart for self-centeredness exposes that you never had the light of the gospel at all. Hidden sins dont have to be drinking, smoking, fornication, or homosexuality...many people, especially professing Christians believe that sin is defined by things of this magnitude, but the heart is so deceitfully wicked because it will convince a man to believe that he is ok because he is not doing these things, internally or externally, yet the heart lies to a man because he is still serving the idol of self.
The hidden room of the heart where a man spends most of his time, can be filled with sinful things, yet it can also be filled with career, family, material possessions,relationships, reputation, or even morality. Church activities, money, music,TV shows, media, things wanted or things needed, can all be engraved upon the walls of our hearts, and although a man may not have these idols physically present in the room...or he may never even see them in his lifetime, he is devoted to attining them and glories in the adoration of them and these are the things which his heart is set upon. These priests in Ezekiel 8 ENGRAVED these idols upon the wall...they had no statues or "creeping things" present because they knew it would be wrong to bring these things inside the temple , yet they still were wrong because they engraved these images upon the walls (deceived). Sometimes the issue with sin is not necessarily whether the actions your doing are wrong or not...we all know wrong actions are sinful...the issue can be that your affections and desires are for things which appear to be "right" and in this is wickedness because our focus is not upon Christ, the focus becomes the benefit of self...which is the root cause for all sin.
Bottom line...If Jesus Christ is not your treasure, if He is not the one upon which your heart longs for daily, then you have a hidden room in your heart where He is not welcome and His presence will depart from your temple...rather, you might just find that His presence never entered to begin with.
Anything which we give more adoration to and take more pleasure in more than Him is an idol and it must be torn down. The deceitful heart will long to hold on to its hidden treasures yet try to find Christ as a treasure as well...it might even put them on an equal playing field where Christ is just as delightful to have as the shoes at the mall or the 52"TV.....The problem with this is that the one who truly sees Jesus as their treasure cannot and will not hold on to anything else in this life or look to it for supreme satisfaction (a good tree cannot produce bad fruit), while the one who "halfway" seeks Him, or sometimes wants Him, but loves the things of this life far better cannot fake as though they have found the treasure in Christ, their lives will speak for them....they look for supreme satisfaction in other things...and Jesus ( a bad tree cannot produce good fruit).
The fruit of the heart which longs to hold on to its secret sins and hidden lusts, will be passed by and given over by God. This is God's wrath. Yes, His wrath is manifested in Hell: fire, torment, physical, emotional, and spiritual agonies which cannot be fathomed, and eternal separation from Him, yet God's wrath is manifested here on earth upon the one who loves their life and loves their sin more than they love Him in the way that He just leaves them alone. He allows the "rich man" to store up goods for himself and live for himself his whole life and then God says to him "FOOL, this night your soul is required of you and whose will all these things be?" (Luke 12:18-20)
Harden not your hearts, destroy your hidden, idolatrous rooms, and make Christ your treasure...

Saturday, July 25, 2009

How Big is the Universe?

Please watch these two videos and be in awe and wonder at the Creator of the Universe ... I honestly have no words for what you are about to see...this may seem simple to some who are self-centered and believe that ALL of these wonders revolve around them..lol...I think the issue with man is that we think that He started with the earth FIRST, when scripture tells us that He began with nothing and created the heavens and the earth...He did all this (universe): then made you and I....lol how many of us would be infinitely exausted after just thinking about the intricacies of one molecule...much more after making one from nothing at all? When the verse in Isaiah mentions the universe being in the span of His hand...the question is not ,"How big is His Hand?" The question is "How big is the Universe?"
..but think about these verses as you watch these videos...



Isaiah 40:12 "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,and marked off the heavens with a span,enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

Job 38

Psalm 8 "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"







A Call to Wonder - Paul Washer from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.




If you cannot see the videos: please go to AdjustMyThoughts for the original post

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

What God Begins, He Finishes...

"What God Begins, He Finishes.." - audio








What God begins, He finishes. This was the title of the message that I preached on last Sunday. The sermon focused on Philippians 1:6 and how what God begins in us, the work of salvation, he will finish and bring to completion in us. While God will not lose any of those who He saves, and no man can pluck them out of His hand (John 10:28-29), believers are called to endure and persevere in faith, fighting the good fight, submitting themselves to God, and striving for the holiness which without no one will see the Lord. Christ, The Great Shepherd, will make provision for His sheep, He will lead them, guide them, protect them and be with them in times of peril and troubles (Psalms 23), and His sheep will know His voice and follow Him.

We are commanded to continue in His goodness, make our calling and election sure and to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, but while we are doing these things, we must realize that it is God who is working within us both to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). The saints perseverance requires both human responsibility and Divine Sovereignty, but it is clear that all the glory belongs to God because He enables the believer to will and to do. He gives us a new heart and a new spirit, an everlasting faith that will not fail and because He has given us these things He will complete and bring to fullness the work which He started.

The nature of one who is genuinely born again is that they will have heart within them to endure and to fight the good fight. If any were to coast and neutralize or stop in a state of comfort then that is evidence that they never believed. Likewise, if any were to "separate themselves" or "pluck themselves out"of God's hand, this is evidence of a lost state, and nothing really happened on the day they professed salvation. Genuine faith remains, endures and lasts . The life of a Christian may be filled with highs and lows, seasons of blessedness and at times seasons of sinfulness. The saint may fall down several times but the grace of perseverance is that God will pick them up and they will finish the course.

The wonderful realization in endurance is that while the Christian is keeping himself from sin and keeping his eyes on God...God is keeping Him, protecting Him with His power so that no man will pluck the believer out of His hands and nothing shall separate the Christian from the love of Christ. God does not stand afar off from His child summoning him to come while the enemy of his soul pursues after him desiring to kill and destroy him. God walks with His children, His staff leads and guides His sheep, even through the valley of the shadow of death. Just as Satan persecuted Job before the Lord, he would try to destroy the Christian through various trials and tribulations. This was also the testimony of Peter, a man who Satan desired to sift as wheat, but as in both accounts, the all knowing God had already made provision for the righteous,and although the trials and tribulations were not easy, but painful, distressing, and grevious, the Lord never left or forsake His own. "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail" are the words of Jesus, our Lord who makes intercession for His saints always (Luke 22:32; Hebrews 7:25)and because of His prayers the believer WILL always be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:5)
With confidence Peter wrote these words to the persecuted church with assurance, remembering it was not long before that his faith was tried by fire, yet Christ prayed, and Peter's faith endured...

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Meeting God...

Great God, in public and private, in sanctuary and home, may my life be steeped in prayer, filled with the spirit of grace and supplication, each prayer perfumed with the incense of atoning blood. Help me, defend me, until from praying ground I pass to the realm of unceasing praise. Urged by my need, invited by Thy promises, called by Thy Spirit, I enter Thy presence, worshipping Thee with godly fear, awed by Thy majesty, greatness, glory, but encouraged by Thy love.
I am all poverty as well as all guilt, having nothing of my own with which to repay Thee, but I bring Jesus to Thee in the arms of faith, pleading His righteousness to offset my iniquities, rejoicing that He will weigh down the scales for me, and satisfy thy justice. I bless Thee that great sin draws out great grace, that, although the lest sin deserves infinite punishment because done against an infinite God, yet there is mercy for me, for where guilt is most terrible, there Thy mercy in Christ is most free and deep. Bless me by revealing to me more of His saving merits, by causing Thy goodness to pass before me, by speaking peace to my contrite heart; strengthen me to give Thee no rest untiI Christ shall reign supreme within me in every thought, word, and deed, in a faith that purifies the heart, overcomes the world, works by love, fastens me to Thee, and ever clings to the cross.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Did Jesus go to Hell??




Whats Wrong With This Picture?



Today, I ran into a doctrinal error I formerly believed and I spent alot more time giving it thought than I had originally planned to. Many in Christendom believe what I now believe is an error and I simply want to expose the error and bring the truth to light....Now, I believe this is a foundational error, mainly because it has to do with the death of Christ, and if we are wrong on His death, then we should ask ourselves, do we really have His life? On the other hand, this error is a small part of what happened at Calvary and I dont believe that it really jeapordizes the spiritual walk of a Christian to the point where they are facing eternal reprocussions for believing in it...but it can lead to heresy and if you believe this and refuse what "scripture saith" then you are not far from it, and we know that believing in heresies will not get you into the kingdom of heaven (Galatians 5:20)
So....the error? Ill put it forth in a question: Did the Lord Jesus Christ go to Hell after His death on the cross and was He tormented there for 3 days and nights before God declared Him righteous and He rose again? Long question, but grasp all the elements in it...because all of them are wrong.

Now, I wont come up with "Rayshawn's way" of getting around this or avoiding this issue because I'm "scared of the truth" or something.....What does scripture say on this matter and what have men made up? Some men say that Jesus went to hell, was tormented there for three days and nights and then out of nowhere defeats all of his demonic,Satanic tormentors in the midst of hell and then gets out of there - thereby conquering them. So, sometime between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Jesus went to Hell and these things happened. This way of looking at the glass is backed up by these verses:

Ephesians 4:8-10
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

1 Peter 3:18-20
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Acts 2:31
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.


Lets look at the context of these scriptures to see if Jesus' descending into Hell is found in here. Ephesians...."the lower parts of the earth". What does this mean? Many would think it means "hell" being that many believe hell is in the center of the earth...which I believe it is, but I do not think that this passage is referring to hell...rather, I think it is referring to the grave, being that "of the earth" can also be translated "lower regions, the earth (ESV)"in contrast to "far above all, the heavens". So its more like..."he drove down to Broad Street, namely to South broad street"...that is a very trite illustration, but my point is that lower regions is referring to the earth in the Greek as in Jesus was buried in the tomb, the earth. Another illustration: when we bury a loved one, we do not say we are going to bury them in hell...that would be wrong...rather, we say we bury them in the ground, the earth. Therefore, I do not think that hell is being reffered to here in Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4:8-10 is also very similar in wording to Romans 10:6-7
But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down [from above]:)
Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)


Paul refrences Deuteronomy 30:10-12 when he uses it in Romans 10:6-7 and in neither passage is the reference made to hell - therefore I dont believe that the reference is made to hell in this passage.

If we also take a look at the words of Jesus, who spoke more on hell than anyone in the Bible, he never refrences Himself as going there or needing to go there for any reason concerning the atonement. When Christ in Matthew 12:40 says that he will be in the heart of the earth as Jonah was in the whales belly, it is clear that Jesus is referring to the grave, and not hell.

Ill touch on Acts 2:31 briefly :Peter clarifies that the Psalm he is referring to is not speaking about David..why? Because David DIED and was BURIED (abandoned to death (Hades) and saw Corruption...follow me close here) but because David was a prophet, he was referring to one of his descendants (Christ) who would sit on the throne. So David spoke of Christ who would not be abandoned to Hades, "left in hell" (DEATH) nor would see corruption (the effects of BURIAL) i.e. Lazarus (he stinketh). So now lets look at the nature of hell and corruption....the nature of corruption: youre either corrupted or not - your flesh is falling off and decaying or its not. The nature of hell: its eternal, youre either in it eternally or not. I like how the ESV translates Acts 2:31 -"he was not abandoned to Hades" - meaning he didnt go there...he was in the grave, but didnt remain there, "nor did his flesh see corruption" - meaning it did not corrupt.

I Peter 3:18-20 - Instead I will use a quote I read on this subject matter:These are 5 possible scenarios that could be going on in this passage -

"View 1. After Jesus died, during the three days before His resurrection, He went and preached the Gospel to people in Hell in order to offer them one final opportunity to believe and repent.

View 2. After Jesus died, during the three days before His resurrection, He went and proclaimed to the people in Hell His ultimate victory over them and to also proclaim that their condemnation was final.

View 3. After Jesus died, during the three days before His resurrection, He went to a place where the OT believers were kept until the coming of Jesus and freed them so that they could go to Heaven.

View 4. After Jesus died or after His resurrection, but before His ascension, Jesus went to Hell to proclaim victory over the fallen angels who had sinned in Genesis 6 by taking on human bodies and marrying the daughters of men.

View 5. During the days of Noah, Jesus preached the Gospel through Noah by the power of the Spirit to those who were disobedient back then, but who were already in Hell at the time of Peter’s writing."

As you can see, I agree with choice 5 and this is why -
Choices 1-4 contradict the scripture in Hebrews 9:27 where "it is appointed unto a man once to die and then the judgment". There is no second chance for those who sinned against God because the law of God was written on their consciences and His attributes were made known to them (Romans 1:20-22)
Also, these spirits whom are being preached to are not fallen angles who married humans. Jude 1:6 tells us that those angels who left their first estate are doomed...forever. The gospel is also not meant for angels but for man, so for Christ to preach the gospel to those who dont even qualify to be recipients of it would be useless.
Colossians also tells us when and where He defeated principalities and powers (Colossians 2:14-15)..."nailing it to the cross"
Furthermore, If Christ only went to preach to Noah's generation, then that isnt fair to all the other nations, tribes, and tounges that rebelled against God even after the flood. These people in Noah's day heard the preaching of Christ...through Noah's Spirit-empowered preaching BACK THEN and now they are in prison.


My final point concerning this error is focusing once again on the nature of hell.
1) Hell is not Paradise. Jesus tells us exactly where He went that Friday afternoon when He died on the cross...heck, he even tells us that he is bringing a guest with Him...to Paradise (Luke 23:43) Christ also tells us where His spirit went when He died "Into THY HANDS" (Luke 23:46)
2)Abraham's bosom was the abode of the righteous = heaven, maybe not the third heaven or even the throne room of God, but we know that it wasnt hell because the righteous are still counted as living while the unrighteous are counted as dead and tormented....check out Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-26) There was a huge gulf between "the bosom" and Hell...they were not the same place in different compartments....this is an idea of some purgatory wich is heretical...people only go to one of two places when they die...heaven or hell. Paul said "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord".
How bout Elijah? He was taken up in 2 Kings 2:11 in a chariot to where? HEAVEN
Enoch: was not for what? God took him (Genesis 5:24)to where, a temporary hell? No, Heaven.
Abraham, Issac, Jacob - Jesus says in Matthew 22:32 "God is not the God of the dead; but the living." Even when Jesus discusses where these men are in Matthew 8:11, "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." we can see that this is no temporary hell called the bosom of Abraham. In contrast to the kingdom of heaven, in the next verse of Matthew 8 we can see that there is only one other place to go "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "
Psalms 73:24Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me [to] glory.
Psalm 49:15 God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me.


I will say this in closing, when Christ on the cross said "It is finished"..that statement would have been incomplete if after the cross He would have to go to hell and endure 3 days worth of "hell". It is finished means It is finished...the wrath of God had been absorbed, the sins of the world had been atoned for...the veil in the temple was rent (Luke 23:45) and Christ had died.

See, the error that many fall into concerning the atoning work of Jesus Christ is that many believe that it was to Satan to whom the ransom was paid...but Christ gave His life as a ransom for many to remove the wrath of God from over the lives of those who would believe on Him...not the wrath of Satan. It was God who would punish for sins committed, it was God who would execute His wrath upon sinful mankind , and it was God to whom the price had to be paid to. It would make Satan some sort of sovereign if he were to hold us hostage with a gun to our heads, until God "finally came up with a plan to get us back". That is a "romantic" view of the gospel, but it is romantically wrong. Christ was foreordained to die for His people from the foundations of the world (1 Peter 1:20).When we were sinners who rebelled against God, hated him severely and worked against Him daily - God, not because of who we were "his darling beloved, precious, free-willed, in desparate need, children" -because we were not this...we were sinners, enemies, the ungodly and helpless, spiritually dead in sins, walking according to the course of this world, following after satan like a child follows his father (Romans 5:6-10; Ephesians 2:1-3; John 8:44) but God,not because of who we were, but in spite of what we were,because He is love, and unconditional agape love at that, chose - because of His own good pleasure to send His Son to die to save for Himself a people who He will conform to the image of His gloriously beloved Son.

The reason Christ made an open show and triumphed over principalities is because "He's got it like that" and just when Satan thought He could somehow stop God, by decieving Adam and Eve, God had already had a design for it way before Satan ever put the fruit in front of Eve...The plan of salvation wasnt a "reaction" to a bad event....it was God's glorious plan from the beginning, and Christs death on the cross and His triumphing vicroty over Satan was a God-Glorifying reminder to let Satan know "All things were created for the glory of God - even Satan, principalities, powers, and sin" "All things were made for Him (Colossians 1:16)....and here is the mystery Paul was speaking of...because if the devil knew about Christ being crucified in order to save...then he would have tried to stop that from happening (which he did try)but because God is Sovereign and in control of ALL THiNGS, what Satan devises and means for evil (killing the Son of God) God strategizes and works for good (it pleased the LORD to crush Him (Isaiah 53:10) ...God is Sovereign and none can stay His hand. "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."- 1 Corinthians 2:7-8

Christ bore the wrath of God upon the cross and God doesent need Satan to somehow "validate" Christ's sacrifice by tormenting Him in hell for 3 days until God says stop...God was the one we sinned against, not Satan, and God was the one who saved us....yes, from Himself...

Monday, July 13, 2009

To Know Him...











To Know Him - Audio

Last Sunday I preached on Philippians 3:1-10.My main focus was on knowing Jesus, and how the worth of knowing Jesus is infinitely valuable and eternal. Why is this? Because knowing Jesus Christ and being known of Him is worthy of eternal life...spending forever seeking to know more and more about the one who died for the sins of His people and raises them to new life. On the other hand, to not know Jesus and to not be known of Him is worthy of eternal separation from the blessedness of God and infinite punishment that will not cease day or night. Jesus in Matthew 7:23 tells those whom He did not know "Depart from me...I never knew you".
This message really hits home because we see that knowing Jesus Christ is delighting in Him and knowing Him is making Him our treasure. In a world that makes sports, careers, houses, money, and friends our treasure..where does Christ fit in and do our lives speak that we are living for Him and to know Him...or do they testify that we are seeking after the rotten treasures of this world??

Listen well.... www.adjustmythoughts.com

1Year Anniversary



Yesterday my wife and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary!! God has truly been awesome to us both and this first year of marriage has been a blessing, more than either of us could ask or think. Marriage is a beautiful union and I thank God for the privilege to be able to be in this wonderful union with such a beautiful woman of God as my wife...I love her dearly and this last year has been the best of my life. To God be the Glory...

Song of Solomon 8:6-7


Place me like a seal over your heart,like a seal on your arm;for love is as strong as death,its jealousy unyielding as the grave.It burns like blazing fire,like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love;rivers cannot wash it away.If one were to giveall the wealth of his house for love,it would be utterly scorned.


Friday, July 10, 2009

Happy Birthday John Calvin!!


John 3:13-18

"It is a remarkable commendation of faith, that it frees us from everlasting destruction. For he intended expressly to state that, though we appear to have been born to death, undoubted deliverance is offered to us by the faith of Christ; and, therefore, that we ought not to fear death, which otherwise hangs over us. And he has employed the universal term whosoever, both to invite all indiscriminately to partake of life, and to cut off every excuse from unbelievers. Such is also the import of the term World, which he formerly used; for though nothing will be found in the world that is worthy of the favor of God, yet he shows himself to be reconciled to the whole world, when he invites all men without exception to the faith of Christ, which is nothing else than an entrance into life.

Let us remember, on the other hand, that while life is promised universally to all who believe in Christ, still faith is not common to all. For Christ is made known and held out to the view of all, but the elect alone are they whose eyes God opens, that they may seek him by faith. Here, too, is displayed a wonderful effect of faith; for by it we receive Christ such as he is given to us by the Father -- that is, as having freed us from the condemnation of eternal death, and made us heirs of eternal life, because, by the sacrifice of his death, he has atoned for our sins, that nothing may prevent God from acknowledging us as his sons. Since, therefore, faith embraces Christ, with the efficacy of his death and the fruit of his resurrection, we need not wonder if by it we obtain likewise the life of Christ."

- John Calvin on John 3:16

Thursday, July 9, 2009

In Spirit and in Truth..

"Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full (or halffull)
of artificial admirers (like people who write generic anniversary cards for a
living). On the other hand, emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and
cultivates shallow people who refuse the discipline of rigorous thought. But true
worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and
sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow
of biblical worship."



Yes, this might be my second Piper post today, but hey, I love this guy...well-worded sound theology that really brings out the truth of scripture.



This quote comes from Piper's book "Desiring God"...a classic...a must read for anyone who wants to see that the greatest pleasure,delight, and admiration anyone can experience is in God, and God's infinitely, eternal, and glorious pleasure rests in Him revealing and giving His children the only thing that is worthy of being delighted and satisfied in....Him and His glory.



I came across this quote in the book and I absolutely agree with Piper as he is refrencing John 4:23 -24 and talking about true worship. Both a proper knowledge and conception of God along with a deeply moving conviction within ,that produces the utmost joy and passion for Him is necessary for genuine worship. One without the other will ultimately result in dead worship that is vain in the eyes of God.
It is so easy to just come to church and sing the songs, Sunday after Sunday...many lift their hands, close their eyes, and repeat the lyrics as if their whole lives were wrapped up in the meaning of the song....only to return to carnal minds and fleshly lifestyles 40 minutes later after the service is over. People can easily jump, shout, and dance, all in the name of worship when their favorite song is on...but when those same Christians encounter the soothing sounds of their former favorite artist, they return to finding pleasure in the secularized lyrics that they ought to hate...this nullifies the "worship" that they thought they were previously in because their lives and actions testified that what comes from the world is just as worthy, if not more worthy, of worship as God. This is only one side of the square...
On the other hand, when worship lacks the foundation and four walls of sound doctrine, and when a proper conception of God is missing, then it will produce an emotional, hyped- up "empty" Christian who cannot tell you anything about the God they serve, yet they are confident that they know whom they are worshipping...and upon this foundation, many require, look for, and are ready to recieve signs and/or extra- biblical accounts to validate and verify as well as feed their shallowness; things such as powerful dreams, visions, and supernatural experiences - sightings of angels, fire from heaven, mighty signs and wonders and so forth fill the void that proper theology ought to fill. Don't get me wrong, these things are well and blessed(most of them), and they are mighty to experience and behold...but there will be many on the great day of Judgment who will hold fast to these things as a confirmation that they knew God, yet Jesus declares to them that He never knew them, which also means that they never really knew Him.
Worship in spirit and truth must be more than a passionate, emotional zeal that is only a mask for ignorance because there is no genuine theological foundation under it (Proverbs 19:2 ; Romans 10:2) Worship is passionate, it truly involves the emotions, and it is experiencing the awesomeness and fullness of a vastly incomprehensible, yet all consuming and filling God who desires that we seek and worship Him with all that we are; but our emotions and the outward displays of worship that are genuine are the fruit of a genuine knowledge of God and a proper theology. Both work hand in hand to glorify Him truly and worship Him in spirit.

Lastly, the other side to this is having a mighty theology , yet lacking a desire and a passion for God. Many, including myself hold to the great doctrines concerning God's Sovereignty in all things, and some, in pursuit of more knowledge about these doctrines lose their first love, become less loving themselves, and take on the role of critic rather than counselor. In my own personal experience, I have found theology not as a quest for more head knowledge, but a nest where the Gracious and Merciful Father has chosen to hide me under His wings when I never even deserved it, and because He has already done so much for me, I now forsake all to know Him more and more.... Theology has become a foundation for worship like I have never known it before...a worship that fills and overflows and not a worship that is leaking as if I were a glass with holes in it or a broken cistern. It has caused me to see and hold fast to the fact that God saves, God gives grace, God gives faith, and God keeps that faith working until the end. Theology has helped me to be able to sit in the most quitest of places without music, without stage lights, and without glorious guitar-riffs , and take in the beauty and magnificance of God by just observing something as small as a caterpillar on the ground...yet, when I do enter the worship that is found in venues with beautiful lighting, sound, awesome instruments, and many other worshippers, I still feel the same confidence in Him and in His presence as I did in the stillness...
Theology must produce worship, or its no theology at all....because men were made to worship and enjoy God and glorify Him forever.

A Few Thoughts on Free Will by John Piper




Before the fall of Adam sinless man was able to sin. For God said, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

As soon as Adam fell, sinful man was not able not to sin, since we were unbelieving,and “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).

When we are born again, by the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to not sin, for “sin will have no dominion over you” (Romans 6:14).

This means that what Paul calls “the natural man” or “the mind of the flesh” is not able not to sin. Paul says this in Romans 8:7-9

The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (See also 1Corinthians 2:14).

How then shall we think of free will?

It is not a saving power. In his freedom to will, fallen man cannot on his own do anything but sin. Such “free will” is a devastating reality. Without some power to overcome it’s bent, our free will only damns us.

We could stop here and turn with joy to the gospel truth that God overcomes our resistance, gives us life, wakens our dead inclination for Christ, and freely and irresistibly draws us to himself (John 6:44, 65; Acts 13:48; Ephesians 2:5; 2 Timothy 2:25-26).

But it sometimes helps to answer objections. One common objection is that, if we “cannot” do what is right, and “can only” do what is sin, then we are not acting voluntarily and cannot be praised or blamed.

Here is part of John Calvin’s answer to this objection:

The goodness of God is so connected with his Godhead that it is not more necessary to be God than to be good; whereas the devil, by his fall, was so estranged from goodness that he can do nothing but evil.

Should anyone give utterance to the profane jeer that little praise is due to God for a goodness to which he is forced, is it not obvious to every man to reply, “It is owing not to violent impulse, but to his boundless goodness, that he cannot do evil?”

Therefore, if the free will of God in doing good is not impeded, because he necessarily must do good; if the devil, who can do nothing but evil, nevertheless sins voluntarily; can it be said that man sins less voluntarily because he is under a necessity of sinning? (Institutes, II.3.5)

Monday, July 6, 2009

The Gospel vs. The Common Good...

"You know as an evangelical pastor, my deepest faith is in Jesus Christ,” Warren stated. “But you also need to know that I am committed not just to what I call the good news, but I am committed to the common good.”

- Rick Warren addressing Muslims at the ISNA Convention (Islamic Society of North America)

My question is when did the good news of the Gospel become different from the common good?

Romans 5:8 :But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

James 1:27 :Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Matthew 25:31-46 :"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Matthew 5:13-16 :You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

I guess my main point is that there is no common good without God being glorified in it. All of our good works apart from a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ will not stand in the end. All those who are the beneficiaries of the "common good" and those who are the benefactors of the "common good" will perish eternally without the knowledge and salvation of the One who is Infinitely Gracious and Good - Jesus Christ

Therefore the greatest good we can do for all is to extend the good news of the Gospel to men, while displaying the light of the Gospel to them in our deeds.