What is the "gospel"? (Romans 1:16) If it is the "power of God" then I desperately need to know what it is, to believe it and to apply it in my life. (Galatians 2:20)
But the answer to this question, "What is the gospel?," can be presented in various ways, all of them correct. It is like answering the question, "What is the ocean?" You can answer that question by saying, "The ocean is the water you find lapping up on the beach at hide tide." Or you can answer the question by saying, "The ocean is the water you find one mile deep on the bottom of the ocean floor." Both would be true. The first is a "shallow or surface or simple or 'shore'" answer and the second is a "deep or complicated or 'floor'" answer. The first answer is simple enough for a child to understand (John 3:14-16; Acts 16:31; Luke 18:9-14) and the second answer is difficult enough to keep the greatest minds wrestling for their entire lives (Romans 11:33-36; 2 Peter 3:16).
On the 'shore' the gospel is simply what God has done in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) and what God has promised us because of what He has done in Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44-49). It is not what we must do or what our commit to Him must be. It is what He has done and what His commitment to us is (Hebrews 6:13-20; Genesis 15:17)!
The gospel is an ocean of grace. It is the good news of salvation (rescue from all that is bad and enjoyment of all that is good in God)by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone.
But there is so much more to be said and believed and lived out! It will take the rest of our lives to plumb the depths of the riches in Christ (Colossians 2:2-3). To God be the glory!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Promises, Promises
Those Tricky Trials
Have you ever thought about what makes trials so difficult for us and what makes difficult trials ‘easier’ for some believers, to the point that they can even sing after a beating while in prison?
Our experiences are difficult on two levels:
(1) what they actually involve
(2) what they “say” to us or about us
The second difficulty is really the greater of the two.
This is a very important truth about living by faith in what God has promised us in Jesus:
“Judge not Christ's love by providences, but by promises.” (Puritan Thomas Wilcox, Honey Out of the Rock)
This kind of thinking enables believers to respond to trials in amazing ways:
• The “Beating” of the Apostles (Acts 5:40-41; 16:23-25; Matthew 5:10-12)
• The “Seizure” of the Believer’s Property (Hebrews 10:34; 2 Corinthians 4:17)
We can either look at the “Providence Pile” or the “Promises Pile” in order to evaluate God’s love for us. Which pile we meditate on will determine how we respond to “beatings” and “seizures.”
“Faith in Jesus” means looking to Jesus for access to God and for all that God has promised to be for us, because of Jesus and His cross.
Ten Categories of Promises to Hold On To
It’s helpful to think of all that God has promised us as “categories” of promises.
Let me give you ten “categories” of promises of God to those trusting in Jesus that we find scattered throughout His Word, either explicitly or implicitly.
I will divide these 10 categories of promises into two categories that correspond to Romans 5:17 (“a righteousness that leads to life”) and the image of a house (“house” = the enjoyment of the dwelling place of God’s manifest glory [Psalm 36:7-9]; “door” = access into the house [John 10:7-10])
Righteousness Promises (Promises of the “Door” of Access to God’s “House”)
1. Pardon Promises
Like In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:14)
2. Perfection Promises
Like For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)
3. Peace Promises
Like Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1)
LIFE Promises (Promises of the “House” of Help and Happiness in God)
4. Presence Promises
Like ... teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
5. Provision Promises
Like And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
6. Power Promises
Like I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
7. Protection Promises
Like The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul. (Psalm 121:7)
8. Purification (Pruning) Promises
Like "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2)
9. Pleasure (or Profit) Promises
Like You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psalm 16:11)
10. Permanence Promises
Like Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
Holding On to Jesus in the Hurricane Force Winds of Life
When do you need to look to Jesus? All the time!
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2, ESV)
How do you fix your eyes on Jesus?
You look at the cross of Jesus and see flowing from it all that God has promised in His Word and hold on to that good news with all that is in you!
On a commuter flight from Portland, Maine, to Boston, Henry Dempsey, the pilot, heard an unusual noise near the rear of the small aircraft. He turned the controls over to his co-pilot and went back to check it out. As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket, and Dempsey was tossed against the rear door. He quickly discovered the source of the mysterious noise. The rear door had not been properly latched prior to takeoff, and it flew open. He was instantly sucked out of the jet. The co-pilot, seeing the red light that indicated an open door, radioed the nearest airport, requesting permission to make an emergency landing. He reported that the pilot had fallen out of the plane and he requested a helicopter search of that area of the ocean. After the plane landed, they found Henry Dempsey – holding onto the outdoor ladder of the aircraft. Somehow he had caught the ladder, held on for ten minutes as the plane flew 200 mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet and then, at landing, kept his head from hitting the runway, which was a mere twelve inches away. It took airport personnel several minutes to pry Dempsey’s fingers from the ladder. (Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching)
Holding on to Jesus (with all 10 fingers or categories of Scriptural promises to us in Jesus) should be like the man who fell out of the plane and held on for dear life until he landed safely – we must do the same until we land safely in the immediate presence of God.
From the sermon preached on March 14, 2010: What Are You Trusting Jesus For? (Part 2) (Romans 3:26)
Have you ever thought about what makes trials so difficult for us and what makes difficult trials ‘easier’ for some believers, to the point that they can even sing after a beating while in prison?
Our experiences are difficult on two levels:
(1) what they actually involve
(2) what they “say” to us or about us
The second difficulty is really the greater of the two.
This is a very important truth about living by faith in what God has promised us in Jesus:
“Judge not Christ's love by providences, but by promises.” (Puritan Thomas Wilcox, Honey Out of the Rock)
This kind of thinking enables believers to respond to trials in amazing ways:
• The “Beating” of the Apostles (Acts 5:40-41; 16:23-25; Matthew 5:10-12)
• The “Seizure” of the Believer’s Property (Hebrews 10:34; 2 Corinthians 4:17)
We can either look at the “Providence Pile” or the “Promises Pile” in order to evaluate God’s love for us. Which pile we meditate on will determine how we respond to “beatings” and “seizures.”
“Faith in Jesus” means looking to Jesus for access to God and for all that God has promised to be for us, because of Jesus and His cross.
Ten Categories of Promises to Hold On To
It’s helpful to think of all that God has promised us as “categories” of promises.
Let me give you ten “categories” of promises of God to those trusting in Jesus that we find scattered throughout His Word, either explicitly or implicitly.
I will divide these 10 categories of promises into two categories that correspond to Romans 5:17 (“a righteousness that leads to life”) and the image of a house (“house” = the enjoyment of the dwelling place of God’s manifest glory [Psalm 36:7-9]; “door” = access into the house [John 10:7-10])
Righteousness Promises (Promises of the “Door” of Access to God’s “House”)
1. Pardon Promises
Like In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:14)
2. Perfection Promises
Like For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)
3. Peace Promises
Like Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1)
LIFE Promises (Promises of the “House” of Help and Happiness in God)
4. Presence Promises
Like ... teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
5. Provision Promises
Like And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
6. Power Promises
Like I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
7. Protection Promises
Like The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul. (Psalm 121:7)
8. Purification (Pruning) Promises
Like "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2)
9. Pleasure (or Profit) Promises
Like You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psalm 16:11)
10. Permanence Promises
Like Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
Holding On to Jesus in the Hurricane Force Winds of Life
When do you need to look to Jesus? All the time!
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2, ESV)
How do you fix your eyes on Jesus?
You look at the cross of Jesus and see flowing from it all that God has promised in His Word and hold on to that good news with all that is in you!
On a commuter flight from Portland, Maine, to Boston, Henry Dempsey, the pilot, heard an unusual noise near the rear of the small aircraft. He turned the controls over to his co-pilot and went back to check it out. As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket, and Dempsey was tossed against the rear door. He quickly discovered the source of the mysterious noise. The rear door had not been properly latched prior to takeoff, and it flew open. He was instantly sucked out of the jet. The co-pilot, seeing the red light that indicated an open door, radioed the nearest airport, requesting permission to make an emergency landing. He reported that the pilot had fallen out of the plane and he requested a helicopter search of that area of the ocean. After the plane landed, they found Henry Dempsey – holding onto the outdoor ladder of the aircraft. Somehow he had caught the ladder, held on for ten minutes as the plane flew 200 mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet and then, at landing, kept his head from hitting the runway, which was a mere twelve inches away. It took airport personnel several minutes to pry Dempsey’s fingers from the ladder. (Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching)
Holding on to Jesus (with all 10 fingers or categories of Scriptural promises to us in Jesus) should be like the man who fell out of the plane and held on for dear life until he landed safely – we must do the same until we land safely in the immediate presence of God.
From the sermon preached on March 14, 2010: What Are You Trusting Jesus For? (Part 2) (Romans 3:26)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Say "When!"
For the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:26)
What am I trusting Jesus for When …
When I get married and have kids and a house with a white picket fence and achieve the American dream? When I get the job I’ve always wanted? When I score the winning basket in the NCAA national championship? When I become CEO of a Fortune 500 business? When I become rich and famous?
Or
When my car breaks down? When I lose my job? When I sin again in the way I’ve sinned for years? When my health fails? When my child rebels? When my parents are unreasonable? When my friends reject me? When school is boring? When my spouse leaves me? When I can’t find a spouse? When I can’t have children? When I can’t seem to handle the children I have? When I can’t buy a house? When I can’t hang on to the house I bought? When life isn’t what I expected? When my latter years aren’t what I’ve dreamed of? When I’m not rich and beautiful and famous and accomplished? When life is hard? When relationships are difficult? When my sin is ever before me? when I die? When I stand before God and give an account for my life?
So often in everyday life we forget what we came to Christ for … what we are trusting Jesus for! And we fail to apply that to our life situations.
• For some of us, our problem is condemnation. You need to trust in Jesus and submit to God’s gift of righteousness. (Romans 10:3)
• For some of us, our problem is complaining. You need to trust in Jesus and submit to God’s sovereign will. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
• For some of us, our problem is conformity. You need to stop conforming to the world and start conforming to Christ by submitting to God’s Word. (Romans 12:1-2)
• For some of us, our problem is conversion. You need to turn from idolatry and self-righteousness and trust in Jesus for LIFE and righteousness. (Romans 5:21)
Are you trusting Jesus? Have you ever come to Jesus for LIFE?
All You Need is Willingness
If the reason why a sinner is to come is because all things are ready, then it is idle for him to say, ‘But I am not ready.’ It is clear that all the readiness required on man’s part is a willingness to come and receive the blessing which God has provided. There is nothing else necessary; if men are willing to come, they may come, they will come. Where the Lord has been pleased to touch the will so that man has a desire towards Christ, where the heart really hungers and thirsts after righteousness, that is all the readiness which is wanted. All the fitness he requires is that first you feel your need of him (and that he gives you), and that secondly, in feeling your need of Him you are willing to come to Him. Willingness to come is everything. (Charles Spurgeon, p 29, Advice for Seekers based on Luke 14:17)
Come to Jesus for righteousness and LIFE and keep coming every day of your life! (Colossians 2:6-7)
This is a portion of the written sermon, What Are You Trusting Jesus For? (Part 1) (March 7, 2010)
What am I trusting Jesus for When …
When I get married and have kids and a house with a white picket fence and achieve the American dream? When I get the job I’ve always wanted? When I score the winning basket in the NCAA national championship? When I become CEO of a Fortune 500 business? When I become rich and famous?
Or
When my car breaks down? When I lose my job? When I sin again in the way I’ve sinned for years? When my health fails? When my child rebels? When my parents are unreasonable? When my friends reject me? When school is boring? When my spouse leaves me? When I can’t find a spouse? When I can’t have children? When I can’t seem to handle the children I have? When I can’t buy a house? When I can’t hang on to the house I bought? When life isn’t what I expected? When my latter years aren’t what I’ve dreamed of? When I’m not rich and beautiful and famous and accomplished? When life is hard? When relationships are difficult? When my sin is ever before me? when I die? When I stand before God and give an account for my life?
So often in everyday life we forget what we came to Christ for … what we are trusting Jesus for! And we fail to apply that to our life situations.
• For some of us, our problem is condemnation. You need to trust in Jesus and submit to God’s gift of righteousness. (Romans 10:3)
• For some of us, our problem is complaining. You need to trust in Jesus and submit to God’s sovereign will. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
• For some of us, our problem is conformity. You need to stop conforming to the world and start conforming to Christ by submitting to God’s Word. (Romans 12:1-2)
• For some of us, our problem is conversion. You need to turn from idolatry and self-righteousness and trust in Jesus for LIFE and righteousness. (Romans 5:21)
Are you trusting Jesus? Have you ever come to Jesus for LIFE?
All You Need is Willingness
If the reason why a sinner is to come is because all things are ready, then it is idle for him to say, ‘But I am not ready.’ It is clear that all the readiness required on man’s part is a willingness to come and receive the blessing which God has provided. There is nothing else necessary; if men are willing to come, they may come, they will come. Where the Lord has been pleased to touch the will so that man has a desire towards Christ, where the heart really hungers and thirsts after righteousness, that is all the readiness which is wanted. All the fitness he requires is that first you feel your need of him (and that he gives you), and that secondly, in feeling your need of Him you are willing to come to Him. Willingness to come is everything. (Charles Spurgeon, p 29, Advice for Seekers based on Luke 14:17)
Come to Jesus for righteousness and LIFE and keep coming every day of your life! (Colossians 2:6-7)
This is a portion of the written sermon, What Are You Trusting Jesus For? (Part 1) (March 7, 2010)
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