Mike Abendroth's Blog, page 6

The Pope or Christ – Who is the Church’s Head?

The fanfare is all over. The speeches to the U.S. Congress and to the U.N.have been given. The Mass was celebrated at Madison Square Garden and in Philadelphia with hundreds of thousands. And now Pope Francis is back at the Vatican after his historical visit to the U.S.

But the question that I would like to consider and that must be asked is: Who is the real Head of the Church – The Pope or Christ?

In his epistle to the Colossians where he highlights the supremacy of Christ, the apostle Paul categorically states in Scripture that Christ is the Head of the Church.

“And he is the head of the body, the church.”

Colossians 1:18

Who is the “he” referring to?

It is referring to the one in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.(Colossians 1:14)

It is referring to the one who is the image of the invisible God.(Colossians 1:15)

It is referring to the one who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.(Colossians 1:16-17)

It is referring to the one in whom all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell(Colossians 1:19)

It is referring to the one through whom there is reconciliation with God by His death(Colossians 1:20-22)

It is referring to God’s beloved Son!(Colossians 1:13)

Throughout church history, God raised up men to remind us once again that Christ, not the pope, is the head of the church. One such man was Martin Luther.

“I am persuaded that if at this time, St. Peter, in person, should preach all the articles of Holy Scripture, and only deny the pope’s authority, power, and primacy, and say, that the pope is not the head of all Christendom, they would cause him to be hanged.”

Martin Luther(Table Talk)

Another such man was Charles Spurgeon, who declared unequivocally the headship of Christ over His Church in a sermon entitled “The Head of the Church.”

“Of all the dreams whatever deluded men and probably of all blasphemies that were ever uttered, that has never been one which is more absurd and which is more fruitful in all manner of mischief than the idea that the Bishop of Rome can be the head of the church of Jesus Christ. No, these popes die and how could the church live if its head were dead? The true Head ever lives and the church ever liveth in Him.”

Charles Spurgeon

In yet another sermon entitled “Jesus is Lord”, Spurgeon drives the stake home in answering the question of who is the real head of the church.

“It is awful blasphemy for any man on earth to call himself Christ’s vicar and the head of the church, and it is a usurpation of the crown rights of King Jesus for any king or queen to be called the head of the church, for the true Church of Jesus Christ can have no head but Jesus Christ Himself.

Charles Spurgeon

Jesus Christ is the true Head of the Church because it is Christ Himself who loved the Church and gave Himself for her(Ephesians 5:25) Jesus Christ is the true Head of the Church not only because of his loving substitutionary atonement, but also because of His resurrection, conquering death, and because of His exaltation to the right hand of the Father, as head over all!

“that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Ephesians 1:20-23

 

I Am The Greatest

Recently I was watching a T.V. documentary of Muhammad Ali. Whether it was the Thrilla in Manila when he fought Joe Frazier, or the Rumble in the Jungle when he fought George Foreman, Muhammad Ali was known for his self-proclaimed “I am the greatest.”

BUT…

The only one who could ever say “I am the greatest” and in reality IS the greatest is Jesus Christ.

To the Jews of Jesus’ day, the temple represented the worship of God, yet Jesus Christ Himself emphatically declared…

“I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”

Matthew 12:6

Jonah was one of God’s prophets, yet Jesus Christ Himself emphatically declared…

“The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

Matthew 12:41

And king Solomon was so well known for his wisdom, yet Jesus Christ Himself emphatically declared…

“The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”

Matthew 12:42

Furthermore, if you thought like a Jew in Jesus’ day, you would have an exalted view of angels. According to the Talmud and rabbinical teaching, Jews viewed angels as the highest next to God. Above everything else, what exalted angels in the mind of a Jew was that the Law was brought to them from God by angels. They believed that the angels were the mediators of their covenant with God.(Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19)

Yet Scripture emphatically declares Jesus is superior to the angels.

“After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,  having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”

Hebrews 1:3b-4

Jesus is superior to angels because He is…

1)…addressed by the Father as “My Son”(Hebrews 1:5)

2)…adored by the angles as firstborn(Hebrews 1:6)

3)…anointed by the Father as King(Hebrews 1:7-9)

4)…addressed by the Father as “God”(Hebrews 1:8-9)

5)…addressed by the Father as “Lord”(Hebrews 1:10)

6)…ascribed by the Father the divine act of creation(Hebrews 1:10)

7)…ascribed by the Father the divine attribute of immutability(Hebrews 1:12)

8)…ascribed by the Father the divine attribute of eternality(Hebrews 1:10-12)

9)…appointed by the Father to His right hand(Hebrews 1:13-14)

God raised up Moses to lead the Jews out of slavery in Egypt. Yet Jesus is greater than Moses.

“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)  Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son.”

Hebrews 3:1-6

And the icing on the cake so to speak is that Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant.

“But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.”

Hebrews 8:6

So,

Jesus is greater than the temple.

Jesus is greater than Jonah.

Jesus is greater than Solomon.

Jesus is superior to angels.

Jesus is superior to Moses.

Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant.

HE ALONE IS THE GREATEST!!!

 

 

 

 

Blow Your Mind Theology

It’s been a two month summer hiatus for me. So now I get back to blogging. My first blog back will be about one of my passions, theology.

Just today I received a text from a friend I am helping in his walk with the Lord concerning a particular verse. He wrote that this particular verse always blew his mind. What’s the verse?

“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

Ephesians 1:4

I had asked him to read through Ephesians 1. Verses 3-14 is one sentence in the original Greek text. I recall reading it with my oldest daughter and she commented that the apostle Paul did not know how to write because of this run on sentence.

Why are verses 3-14 of Ephesians chapter 1 one long sentence? Because Paul was so excited for all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ.(Ephesians 1:3) It’s a doxology. He is praising and worshipping God.  Verse 3 is his general thesis and then he lists out the specific blessings in verse 4-14, highlighted by the soteriological work of the Triune God: the Father’s election; the Son’s redemption; the Spirit’s sealing.

And the very first item that begins his list is that of the Father’s election…before the foundation of the world. Now if that does not blow your mind, nothing will. To think that God chose me before the foundation of the world. Or as he put it elsewhere, before the ages began.

“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began”

Titus 1:1-2

And why did He choose me?

Answer: For His own glory.

“In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”

Ephesians 1:5-6

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:11-14

Now here is the clincher. What is so mind blowing is that He chose me because I was in rebellion against Him(Romans 8:8-7). He gave me life because I was dead(Ephesians 2:1). He opened my mind because I was blind(2 Corinthians 4:4) He chose me because I would never(not willing) and could never(not able) choose Him.

Mind blowing theology! God chose!! And He chose me!!! What love!!!!

“In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Ephesians 1:5

 

Severe P.M.S. Warning Issued to All Pastors

Tullian Tchividjian(pronounced cha-vi-jin) , grandson of Billy Graham, from Graham’s oldest daughter, succeeded James Kennedy as the Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Ft. Lauterdale, in 2009. His pastorate was not without controversy. James Kennedy’s daughter, along with some church members, petitioned early on for Tchividjian’s dismissal. Then last year he was asked to leave The Gospel Coalition. And now he resigned as he disqualified himself from the ministry due to an affair.

Forecasters issue storm alerts and warnings before the storm hits so that we can better weather the storm. Consider this a severe P.M.S. warning issued to all pastors.

Yes, your read correctly. P.M.S. Power. Money. Sex. Three temptations that men, including pastors, are not immune from.

” Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

1 Corinthians 10:12

So what must you guard your own heart against so that you do not fall prey to P.M.S like Tchividjian?

“Watch over your heart with all diligence,

For from it flow the springs of life.”

Proverbs 4:23

1) Guard your heart against pride.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God…”

1 Peter 5:6a

Pride was the downfall of King Uzziah.

“But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction.”

2 Chronicles 26:16a

And as a result, what was the legacy he left behind? What was he remembered for?

“And Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.”

2 Chronicles 26:23

Pride was also the downfall of King Nebuchadnezzar.

“All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.”

Daniel 4:28-33(emphasis added)

So how can you remain humble and not succumb to pride when ministerial success comes knocking on your door?

Answer. By not losing your awe of God. The term “awesome” has unfortunately become so commonplace. But there is only one who is awesome, God Almighty.

Have you lost your awe? Do you daily stand in awe of God? How do you guard from losing your awe?

Answer: From not losing sight of who God is. Praising Him daily in your prayer life for his attributes. Reading and meditating on portions of Scripture that highlight the character of God.

“Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool;

what is the house that you would build for me,

and what is the place of my rest?

All these things my hand has made,

and so all these things came to be,

declares the Lord.

But this is the one to whom I will look:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit

and trembles at my word.”

Isaiah 66:1-2

Familiarity can cause you to lose sight of who God is and thus lose your awe and in turn become proud.

“We are frequently told, indeed, that the great danger of the theological student lies precisely in his contact with divine things. They may come to seem common to him because they are customary. The words which tells you of God’s terrible majesty or of His goodness may come to be mere words to you – Hebrew and Greek words, with etymologies, inflections and connections in sentences. The reasonings which establish to you the mysteries of His saving activities may come to be to you mere logical paradigms, with premises and conclusions, fitly framed, no doubt, and triumphantly cogent, but with no further significance to you than their formal logical conclusiveness. The very atmosphere of your life is these things; you breathe them in every pore; they surround you, encompass you, press in upon you from every side. It is all in danger of becoming common to you! God forgive you, you are in danger of becoming weary of God!”

B.B. Warfield(“The Religious Life of Theological Students” from an address delivered at a conference at Princeton Theological Seminary, Oct. 4, 1911)

In danger of becoming weary of God! That’s losing your awe. And once you no longer stand in awe of God, pride is on the horizon.

2) Guard yourself against an intimate relationship with another female other than your wife, especially during times of trial.

“I returned from a trip a few months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to focus exclusively on my marriage and family. As her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself. Last week I was approached by our church leaders and they asked me about my own affair. I admitted to it and it was decided that the best course of action would be for me to resign.”

Tullian Tchividjian

Notice that he sought comfort in a female friend.

So, how do you guard your heart against this?

Answer #1: By cultivating your relationship with your wife.

Answer #2: By cultivating an intimate friendship with another man.

Answer #3: By seeking comfort from the Lord Himself.

“Deterioration is never sudden. No garden “suddenly overgrows” with thorns. No church suddenly “splits.” No building suddenly “crumbles.” No marriage suddenly “breaks down.” No nation suddenly becomes a “mediocre power.” No person suddenly “becomes base.” Slowly, almost imperceptibly, certain things are accepted that once were rejected. Things once considered hurtful are now secretly tolerated. At the outset it appears harmless, perhaps even exciting, but the wedge it brings leaves a gap that grows wider as moral erosion joins hands with spiritual decay. The gap becomes a canyon. Take heed, you who stand: take heed, lest you fall! Be careful about changing your standards so that they correspond with your desires. Be very cautious about becoming inflated with thoughts of your own importance. Be alert to the pitfalls of prosperity and success.”

Charles Swindoll(Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life)

 

 

 

 

 

Will God Forgive the Charlestown Shooter?

“You hurt me. You hurt a lot of people. But God forgives you.”

Did He? Did God forgive the Charlestown shooter who killed 9 during a Bible study? According to the daughter of one of the victims, He did, as revealed by this statement she made in one of her comments at the initial court appearance on Friday, June 19, 2015.

There is no sin, no matter how heinous, that God cannot forgive, because no sin is greater than His grace.

“…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…”

Romans 5:20b

Or as that great hymn puts it:

“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,

grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!

Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,

there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

grace, grace, God’s grace,

grace that is greater than all our sin!”

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

But for forgiveness to be granted in the highest courtroom of all, the Divine Courtroom, by the eternal Judge, God Himself, there must be repentance by the individual.

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,”

Acts 3:19

Why does God require repentance? First of all because of coming judgement.

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Acts 17:30-31

Secondly, because sin is first and foremost against God.

King David knew this.

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”

Psalm 51:3-4

And the prodigal son knew this.

“I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”

Luke 15:18-21

Since God requires repentance for the forgiveness of sins, it is important to understand what repentance is. The New Testament Greek term for repentance, metanoia, literally means a change of mind. It is a change of mind as to who God is, namely Holy and Righteous Judge. It is a change of mind as to who I am, namely a sinner by nature and at heart who deserves and has earned God’s just judgment. It is a change of mind that there is salvation in no one else and in nothing else, whether it be my own self-righteousness or my baptism or my faithful church attendance or my Confirmation or any other religious ritual I am clinging to. It is a change of mind that there is salvation in Christ alone.

Repentance also means a turning to the living and true God from false gods.

“For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,”

1 Thessalonians 1:9

Repentance is manifest to others by its fruit and works.

John the Baptist said so.

“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Matthew 3:8

And so did the apostle Paul.

“…that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”

Acts 26:20b

So, will God forgive the Charlestown shooter? Yes, if and only if there is true biblical repentance on his part.

“Repentance means that you realize that you are a guilty, vile sinner in the presence of God, that you deserve the wrath and punishment of God, that you are hell-bound. It means that you begin to realize that this thing called sin is in you, that you long to get rid of it, and that you turn your back on it in every shape and form. You renounce the world whatever the cost, the world in its mind and outlook as well as its practice, and you deny yourself, and take up your cross and go after Christ. Your nearest and dearest, and the whole world, may call you a fool, or say you have religious mania. You may have to suffer financially, but it makes no difference. That is repentance.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones(Studies in the Sermon on the Mount)

 

Fatalism and the Sovereignty of God

So, why bother?

This is the attitude of those who look at life from a fatalistic vantage point. If everything is predetermined, then why put any effort? Why even bother?

“It teaches that what is to be will be. It does not matter what you do or say, it is going to happen. What is to be will be. Therefore it is utter folly to strive or make any effort. Fatalism teaches that you can do nothing about life, that there are powers and factors controlling you inexorably, and holding you in the grip of a rigid determinism.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones(Studies in the Sermon on the Mount)

So, how should a Christian respond? If God is truly sovereign over everything, and thus will work all things according to the counsel of his will, should Christians even bother? More specifically, if God is sovereign in salvation, choosing whom to save, why bother evangelising? Even more so, if God is sovereign, why bother praying, since God is not a man that He should change His mind(Numbers 23:19)?

A Christian should respond the way the apostle Paul would respond. How would the apostle Paul respond concerning evangelism and the sovereignty of God?

Let’s say you were to sit down with the apostle Paul and ask him point blank if he believed in the sovereignty of God in salvation. Paul would answer with a loud “AMEN”.

“And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”

Romans 9:10-16(emphasis added)

Then your very next question would be to ask him if he believed in evangelism, the proclamation of the Evangel, the Good News, the Gospel, even though God had already elected those who would be saved. Paul again would answer in the affirmative.

“For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

Romans 9:3

In essence, Paul wished that he would be accursed, literally damned, for the salvation of his fellow Jews.

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.”

Romans 10:1

Can you hear the apostle Paul’s passion for the lost in that sentence?

Here in Romans 9:3 and Romans 10:1, Paul book-ends his theology of God’s sovereignty in salvation with his burden for the lost. And after explaining the doctrine of election in Chapter 9 of Romans, he goes on to explain how a person comes to saving faith in Chapter 10, namely through evangelism. God ordains the means as well as the end!

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Romans 10:14-17

Now, as you continue your interview with the apostle Paul, you ask if he believes God’s choice of those who would be saved happens in eternity past. He would say of course.

” even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world…”

Ephesians 1:4(emphasis added)

Your follow up question would be if he believes it is necessary to pray concerning evangelism though God has chosen in eternity past. His answer.

“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Ephesians 6:18-20

Fatalism? NO. The sovereignty of God? Most definitely. Evangelism? But of course, because only the Gospel is the power of God for salvation(Romans 1:16). The apostle Paul proclaimed the Gospel boldly with the assurance that all who were appointed to eternal life would believe.(Acts 13:48)

DO YOU?

The Real Bruce Jenner Is…

Would the 1976 Olympic gold medal winner of the decathlon be the real Bruce Jenner? NO.

Would the current Caitlyn Jenner be the real Bruce Jenner? NO.

Then you ask, “Who would the real Bruce Jenner be? ” To answer that question, we must first understand that it doesn’t matter who you or I think is the real Bruce Jenner or who he says is the real Bruce Jenner. What matters is what God says about who is the real Bruce Jenner.

God says that the real Bruce Jenner…

…is hostile to God.(Romans 8:7)

…cannot submit to God(Romans 8:7)

…cannot please God.(Romans 8:8)

…is spiritually dead.(Ephesians 2:1)

…follows the course of this world.(Ephesians 2:2)

…lives in the passions of his flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind.(Ephesians 2:3)

…is darkened in his understanding.(Ephesians 4:18)

…is alienated from the life of God.(Ephesians 4:18)

…is ignorant.(Ephesians 4:18)

…has a hardened heart.(Ephesians 4:18)

…is callous.(Ephesians 4:19)

…has given himself over to sensuality.(Ephesians 4:19)

…is greedy to practice every kind of impurity.(Ephesians 4:19)

…is captured by the devil to do his will.(2 Timothy 2:26)

…does not accept the things of the Spirit of God and is not able to understand them.(1 Corinthians 2:14)

…is separated from Christ.(Ephesians 2:12)

…has no hope.(Ephesians 2:12)

…is without God(Ephesians 2:12)

…is unrighteous.(Romans 3:10)

…does not seek for God.(Romans 3:11)

…does not do good.(Romans 3:12)

…has a hard and impenitent heart.(Romans 2:5).

SO THE REAL BRUCE JENNER IS…GULP…YOU AND ME!

You may think to yourself that you are not as bad as Bruce Jenner.

“you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.”

Romans 2:21-23(emphasis added)

You see, before a holy and just God, we all stand guilty as charged before Him.

“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?”

Romans 2:1-3(emphasis added)

What are the “such things” being referred to here.

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

Romans 1:28-32

We all deserve the righteous judgment of God. That is what we have earned. Therefore our greatest need is to be delivered from His wrath.

Jesus came the first time as Savior.(John 3:17) He is coming the second time as Judge. What will YOU do in light of that truth? The word of God alone has the answer.

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Acts 17:30-31(emphasis added)

 

 

Expository Preaching: Cheating & Easy?

At least that is what Andy Stanley said in a recent interview

when asked what he thought about preaching verse by verse through books of the Bible. That is his first of two reasons why he does not believe in expository preaching.

It is obvious that Andy Stanley has never preached verse by verse through any book of the Bible because if he had, he would never make that statement. It is a challenge to give the true and real meaning of the text as intended by the author and as understood by the original recipients when you have to consider such things as historical background, the meanings of the original languages, the literary context, etc.

What is cheating because it is easy is what Andy engages in, topical sermons where you find verses to hang on your petty human thinking so that you meet the “felt needs” of people.

“In what more resembles “sermonettes for Christianettes”, casual discourses are becoming increasingly focused on massaging “felt needs” rather than allowing the biblical text to expose real needs.”

Steve Lawson(Famine in the Land)

Furthermore Andy does not believe in verse by verse preaching because that is not how you grow people. Andy is right. Ok now, just breathe for a moment and recuperate from what you just read. Andy is right in that simply preaching the Word is not how any person grows people. If you want to grow people, then follow Andy’s pattern. But if you want God to grow people, follow the pattern of the early church.

So how did the early church grow?

Answer: The conviction of the Holy Spirit and the sovereign call of God:

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

Acts 2:37–41

Answer: Simply the Lord:

“And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Acts 2:47

Answer: The Word of God

“But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.”

Acts 4:4

“And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”

Acts 6:7

And why did the word of God continue to increase?

“And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Acts 6:2-4

Andy Stanley must consider himself above the early apostles who considered it “not right” to give up preaching the Word. Instead of devoting himself to the ministry of the Word like the early apostles, Andy has devoted himself to “growing people” through marketing the seeker-sensitive way.

It would behoove Andy Stanley, and anyone else who is not committed to expounding the Scripture verse by verse, to heed the following prophetic words!

“To an alarming extent the glory is departing from the pulpit. The basic reason for this gloomy condition is obvious. That which imparts the glory has been taken away from the center of so much of our modern preaching and placed on the periphery. The Word of God has been denied the throne and given a subordinate place. Where such exposition and authoritative declaration of the Word of God are abandoned, Ichabod, the glory has departed, must be written over the preacher and over the pulpit from which he preaches.”

Merrill Unger

 

The Lordship of Christ(Part 2): Established by the Father

God alone is the Creator. Man is the image-bearer of his Creator.

God alone regenerates. Man is in desperate need of regeneration, of being made alive when spiritually dead(Ephesians 2:1-4)

So you would never ask a mere human to perform a divine act like creation or regeneration, or would you?

You may have done what many in evangelism have done. That is, after presenting the truth of the Gospel, you invite the person to make a response to the Gospel. The response you ask for: “Make Jesus Lord”. After all, you do not want to invite the person to just make Him their Savior.

But think for a moment with me. To invite a person to make Jesus Lord is to enthrone self over the one true Lord and Sovereign. Jesus does not need anyone to make Him Lord. He is Lord!

In a monarchy, the citizens in the kingdom are subjects of the king. The king rules. The subjects submit to his rule. So, the invitation to respond to the Gospel should not be, “Make Jesus Lord” , but rather “Submit to His Lordship”.

So if Jesus is Lord, the question is: who has made Him Lord? The apostle Peter gives us the answer in the culmination of his sermon at Pentecost.

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Acts 2:36

The Lordship of Christ is established by the Father because as we can clearly see in Peter’s declarative statement, it was God the Father who made Jesus Lord. That is a divine act that God alone can do. No mere human can make Jesus Lord. He is Lord due to the fact that God the Father has made Him Lord.

Peter says that is is something his audience can “know for certain”. How can they have such certainty, such confidence, such assurance that God has made Jesus Lord. The answer to that question weighs upon the word “therefore”.

What is the “therefore” there for? It is there to force us to look at the context, specifically what comes before in the text. Well right before is the exaltation of Jesus(Acts 2:33-35). It is God the Father again who has exalted God the Son.

Peter uses Scripture to support this very point.

“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

Acts 2:34-35

He quotes from the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament, Psalm 110:1.

The Greek term for “sit” indicates that the Son is indeed seated next to God the Father and is told to continue to do so.

And where is Christ seated? At the right hand of the Father, a position of honor, power and authority. Notice it is the Father who puts the Son at His right hand, and this by His own initiative. It is the Father’s prerogative to appoint the Son to sit at His right hand in a position of honor, power and authority.

And until “I make your enemies your footstool.” Conquering kings emphasized their triumph by placing a foot upon the neck of some conquered king. A victorious king or general would place his feet on the neck of a defeated king.

“And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings.” Then they came near and put their feet on their necks.”

Josh. 10:24

“God thinks so much of His Son that He cannot set Him too high; He has placed Him at His own right hand…The great God thinks heaven and earth too little for Him, and magnifies Him exceedingly above all, as King of kings and Lord of lords. The place at the right hand of God, to which He is now exalted, is the place of power. There sits the Mediator, the Son of God, the man Christ Jesus,…”

Charles Spurgeon

Peter’s sermon at Pentecost is so theocentric, not anthropocentric, because he continually highlights what God has done. God has made Jesus Lord(Acts 2:36). God has exalted Jesus to His right hand(Acts 2:33-35). God raised Jesus from the dead(Acts 2:24, 32). Even Jesus’ crucifixion was according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God(Acts 2:23).

Jesus is Lord! God the Father has made Him Lord. Will you submit to His sovereign rule today?

Episode 103 – The Sin of Presumption: Another Roman Catholic Lie