‘Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Tonight I am teaching my care group about Jesus’ statement in John 14, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”

You could come and hear me speak, or you could just read this:

“Follow thou me. I am the way the truth and the life. Without the way there is no going, without the truth there is no going, without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou must follow, the truth which thou must believe, the life for which thou must hope. I am the inviolable way, the infallible truth, the never-ending life. I am the straightest way, the sovereign truth, true life, life blessed, life uncreated. If thou remain in my way thou shalt know the truth, and the truth shall make thee free, and thou shalt lay hold of eternal life.” (Thomas a Kempis in “The Imitation of Christ” as quoted by F.F. Bruce’s commentary “The Gospel & Epistles of John”)

Romans: God’s Gospel of Sovereign Grace

I’ll never forget meeting a young man in a bookstore coffee shop in Kansas City. My wife and I were on a weekend trip with some friends in a popular shopping plaza, taking a break from all of the walking around. We see this guy reading his Bible, Greek helps out on the table. My wife, being the well-assuming kind of person she is, figures that if he has his Greek helps out, he must be our kind of guy.

As it turns out he was a charismatic who believed that baptism is necessary for salvation. “Believe and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (acts 2:38…uh…sort of).” was all he kept saying. According to this guy, Acts was the ONLY book of the Bible that contained the gospel.

So I asked him, “What about Romans?”

He actually said, “The gospel isn’t in the book of Romans.” That was it for me. At that point I was no longer interested in discussing the nature of the gospel with him. His gospel was a perverted, works-based gospel, and he clearly approached Scripture with heretical baggage. If he didn’t find his twisted message, there was no message at all.

That encounter, among other things, left me with the impression that what you believe about the book of Romans says a lot about you. Time has done nothing to change that.

As my pastor is warming us up to go through Romans, he has been showing us many facets of the book. One things that stands out to me is that Romans makes clear, expansive statements about controversial documents. I can only think that these doctrines are controversial because people don’t take Romans seriously, or the Bible itself for that matter.

Romans teaches at length about such difficult subjects as the total depravity of man, the necessity of faith alone in Christ alone for salvation, the Lordship of Christ, and the perseverance of the saints. Romans is steeped in the doctrines of sovereign grace, teaching that because of the depravity of man, we depend on God to initiate our salvation and carry it out to its end. Romans teaches that the nature of salvation is to glorify God, reflecting His nature in His subjects, meaning that God’s salvation produces holiness and endurance.

Why do people resist the doctrine of Romans? The doctrine of Romans is consistent with the rest of Scripture, and yet Romans is explicit about the gospel of God’s sovereign grace in a way that pushes people’s buttons. What button is that? I’d say the main button pushed is the “pride” button.

The gospel destroys boasting (Rom 3:27). It strips a man of his ability to congratulate himself on his salvation. To tell a man that he not only isn’t a partner in his salvation but an unwilling, resisting rebel can really sting. To tell a man that God alone acts to save can sting too.

Beyond pride, Romans exposes doctrinal laziness. For the professing Christian who does not prize wisdom and learning, Romans is pretty intimidating. Some professing Christians do openly disdain doctrine with a kind of “all head and no heart” criticism of scholarship, but most claim to be interested in learning the Bible. However, Romans is a book that when opened up for discussion draws a lot of blank stares. It reminds me of when Jesus began teaching in parables (Matt 13:13, Mark 4:10-12). By simply covering His teaching with a thin layer of effort, many turned away.

Romans also exposes hardened hearts. Its teaching about the depth of sin and the importance of God’s election has often resulted in the hearers changing their opinion about God. When confronted with the necessity of election, I have personally heard many turn and try to place the blame for their sin on God (Rom 9:19). I think this is because Romans is so direct, so plain, it is like a theological jackhammer that doesn’t let you say “Well, let’s just agree to disagree.” Romans says “It’s my way or the highway.” Sadly, theological push comes to shove.

I’m looking forward to going through Romans, though my participation in the starting of a new church campus will prevent me from hearing most of it. I have been reminded what an exciting book Romans is. The precision of the arguments pt forward have always appealed to be. I love, like in Romans 6:1, Paul keeps anticipating our response (”What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?”) and crushing our objections with truth, unto the mercy of His gospel.

I am reminded that I was saved during my same pastor’s teaching of the book. I can’t recall an exact moment. There was a period of time in which I came to see that my beliefs had changed; I knew I then understood the gospel, and that I hadn’t understood before.

What a great book. What is your response to the book of Romans? Do you love it? Do you find it difficult? Do you find it dull. Are you indifferent? Have you even read it all the way through, once? My challenge to you is to read through as often as you must to gain an understanding of its meaning and flow. Gauge yourself as a Christian by how you respond to its teaching. I pray that it will direct to glorify God for His gospel of sovereign grace!

Jesus, Prince of Patience

“Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.” (John 13:36-3

Ever gotten a spiritual “strawberry” on your chin? Ever charged out of church ready to conquer the forces of Hell, only to fall on your face midweek? Ever ridden a wave of enthusiasm right into a reef of your own foolishness? I sure have.

Good news for schleps like us: Jesus is supremely patient. Jesus knows that our enthusiasm often outstrips our maturity. have a look at Peter. Often ready to jump in with both feet, Peter is pushed back by his Teacher on many occasions. He even garnered to “Satan” gloss once (Matt 16:23). And yet, his hubris goes unchecked.

A few weeks back, I was having a great conversation with my wife about the anguish of unconquered sin. Our spirits really smart when we fall into transgression that we are familiar with. Repeated offense of the same kind really shines a light on our hearts. Beyond guilt, it brings feelings of shame, doubt, and grief. We are very familiar with the greatness of the price paid for us (Rom 5:6), and it tears us up to see that we’re squandering the great cost of the Savior’s blood.

Peter felt this too. Luke 22:61 tells us that upon Peter’s third denial of Jesus, that He made eye contact with Peter. I can’t imagine how great Peter’s sorrow must have been.

But again, this is meant to bring us some encouragement. In the context of Jesus’ grounding of Peter in John 13, let’s highlight a few heartening observations:

1. Jesus checks Peter but doesn’t reject Him.
2. Jesus want to be with Peter. Jesus goes on the explain in John 14 that He must go ahead of the disciples, to the Father, to prepare their way to the Father. In this, Jesus is making it possible to Peter to follow Him, just not yet. Jesus is only telling Peter that he isn’t yet ready, not that he can’t come.
3. Jesus, by going to His Father, is going to trigger blessings that will overcome Peter’s weakness. Particularly Jesus tells us that His going is to drive them into prayer (14:13), make the capable of “greater works” (14:12), give them peace (14:27) and send the Holy Spirit (14:26).
4. Jesus underlines the importance of the fact that, like all other believers, Peter will eventually succeed because of his spiritual union with Christ through the coming Holy Spirit (John 15).

You know, the mark of self-righteousness is eagerness to punish. When we sin, there are often many people ready to scorn us and put the “Matthew 18″ screws to us. It’s a mistake to think that Jesus regards our sin in this way. Yes, it is absolutely true that God hates our sin, and Jesus shows this by sternly putting Peter in his place. Yet, Jesus ultimate goal is that we glorify God on earth as He did when HE was here, Himself (John 13:31-35). that His response to our sin is serious, and yet gentle, is proof of this.

Let us proceed with a greater love of Christ. Let us be strengthened by a disdain of our sin, and yet be unvanquished by its emergence. let us show mercy to fellow sinners, and yet call them to accountability. Let us confes our sin, and appeal to Christ for the power to overcome it.

Some thoughts on evangelizing your children.

Today was kind of a long day. There are certain patterns that I notice with my children that when broken, bring predictable results. One of those patterns is what happens when we miss the first service at church and go to the later service. Our kids are just more wound up a later time in the afternoon and therefore less likely to take their naps. They’ve never been one to get cranky and just crash like some kids. They get more wound up and have a harder time winding down. We give them an extra measure of grace for their physical weakness, but when they miss their naps (or I should say, when my daughter misses HER nap) the pattern continues through the rest of the day.

All of that is to say that my daughter went to bed early this evening. despite multiple attempts to help her reel herself in, she just needed to go down early. She is nearly four, and very verbal. I’d say she can take in more that most other kids her age. The fact that she was going down early for disobedience was a good stage for talking about the gospel.

It really surprises me how much she grasps. Lately she has been asking a lot of questions about Hell, often without prompting and usually during quiet times when discipline is not in play. The other day she made the remark, “Daddy, in Hell there is no ‘handle’ to turn on the light is there?” She also asked :Are there monsters in Hell?” My wife and I had been trying to de-program her since I’d made the mistake of letting our kids watch the beginning of Monster’s Inc. In this case I had to confess that monsters exist, and they are called demons, and that we can’t see them. That was a step backwards!

What really struck me tonight was how much she grasps about penal substitution. She definitely understands that God is angry at sin because He is holy, and that sinners cannot enter heaven. She also gets that the only way to be admitted to heaven is but having God put the consequences for her sin on Jesus, and that on the cross He bears the sins of those who repent.

What she doesn’t really get is repentance. I’ve instructed her that to have our sins pt on Jesus you have to say “I repent. I will not sin anymore.” I’ve also modeled my own repentance saying “I don’t want my sin anymore” and so on. She has even said ‘I repent.”, but does not understand the implications.

Out of this evening I am seeing that her need is to understand the lasting implications of repentance; that it’s not a magical incantation, it is a commitment and a change of mind, a change of heart. To understand repentance, I think she must understand the biggest obstacle to repentance: sin nature. Right now she definitely understands sin, but doesn’t grasp her nature as a sinner.

I have to say, too, that at times like this it is never sweeter to quote passages like these:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

A verse like this has so much familiarity that it becomes stale to us. When quoting it to a child, it takes on a freshness because you are struck by how it must sound to them; it is brand new. I am struck by the power of quoting simple Scriptures like Romans 5:8 “ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

I hope that all of you Christian parents out there are laboring to see your children complete in Christ (Col 1:28). It impresses me at what a lifelong task this is, and how many building blocks are laid as children grow into their understanding of the world. I eagerly await the opportunity to talk with my child about the gospel again. My son, who is 2 1/2 is getting his Bible ABC’s down right now, but my daughter is asking questions daily, and our after-dinner Bible studies are growing in their fruitfulness. I can only (only!) pray that this fruitfulness will yield eternal life!

Hot tubs are not graves.

Here’s an awkward scene: Two pastors in shorts, kneeling down in a hot tub in front of the congregation, holding a member of the church by the back in preparation for baptism. The recipient of baptism’s testimony has been read and now sits waiting to be immersed, arms folded, nose plugged. The lead pastor declares, “We now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” and leans the member backward into the water.

Nothing awkward about that? Hold your breath.

What should take only moments stretches into seconds as the recipient of baptism fails to emerge from the water. Are the pastors holding him under? Is he unconscious? Seconds stretch to a minute, and then a few minutes more. The pastors wrench the body of their church member from the water, lifeless. This public proclamation of faith in Jesus has turned into a funeral. How did this happen?

This Sunday, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I pause to mourn the absence of His resurrection from churches across America for the remaining 364 days of the year.

Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are are vitally important to the believer because of the believer’s spiritual union with Him. By faith His perfect righteousness is credited to us. By faith our sin is credited to Him on the cross, drinking dry the cup of God’s wrath (Matt 26:39). And by faith we are born again, being joined to Him in His resurrection. All three elements are vital, but the resurrection of Jesus is most important because it completes the picture. His resurrection is the period at the end of the sentence. His resurrection seals the victory over death (1 Cor 15:55), and ensures His eventual return in victory (Matt 26:64). As the Scriptures say:

“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom 6:4)

But when countless professing Christians want to claim the benefit of Christ’s perfect obedience and death for the forgiveness of their sins, and walk in darkness UNLIKE the manner of His resurrection, I am grieved. Those who want the benefit of Christ’s work without being born again (John 3:3,7) and repenting from sin deny the fullness of God’s work. Those who seek Jesus for food (John 6) and not for regeneration draw a picture of baptism in which the recipient of baptism never emerges from the water.

The nature of God’s work is that He glorifies Himself by seeing what He starts to completion:

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

Without the resurrection, there is no new birth (Rom 6:4). Without the new birth, there is no eternal life (John 3:3,7).

Which picture of baptism best suits yo?. Do you claim to benefit from Christ’s perfect life and death? Are you born again? There is no ther way to the Father than through the Son, and if you would have the Son you must have Him completely.

Is there a turning from sin in your life? Can you lay claim to being pulled from the waters of baptism? or does your embrace of sin leave you yet in the grave? Have you turned from your sin or are you still powerless to effect real change? Are you trying to steal God’s favor without submitting to His demands? An unchanged life betrays and unregenerate heart. You cannot take from God, you must submit yourself to him in honor of what is right; that your Creator calls you to be reconciled to Him through the blood of His Son. The power for your liberation lies in your union with His resurrection! Come to Him in faith, laying your sin at the foot of the cross, and find new life at the mouth of the empty tomb!

You can come out of the water now. He is risen indeed!

Christ did not die quietly.

During our sermon today, we were looking at the numerous supernatural effects of Christ’s death on the cross in Matthew 27. Chief among them, to me, is the fact that dead saints rose from the grave to testify to the power of His death in raising the dead:

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” (Matt 27:50-53)

I think that this is one of the most overlooked facts in all of the Bible. What shape were the dead in? Where did they go? I’m not sure about that, but of all the other things surrounding His crucifixion and death like darkness at midday and the earthquake, this one must have freaked people out the most.

More than that, it was a testimony to the world that Christ’s death would be followed by resurrection and the He would rise in three days as the first fruits from the dead (1 Cor 15:20). This day in world history, in this region was a real shocker. We see from the response of Jesus’ executing superintendent, the Roman Centurion, the conclusion that Jesus was the Son of God was both intended and undeniable (Matt 27:54).

Jesus did not die quietly.

We are tempted to remember the death of Jesus as a protracted period of silence marked by shame and cowardice on the part of His disciples. We are tempted to think of Jesus enemies toasting their success, and those who loved Him walking around with their heads down, dejected and unsure of the future. Rather, the activity of those sleeping in Him was a testimony of victory.

When we read of Christ’s most noisy victory, we need to understand how personal it is; our own futures are sealed in His death and resurrection. Indeed, the future of all creation and eternity is sealed as well:

“But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. ” (1 Cor 15:23-2

There’s something worth getting excited about! Go out and make some noise of your own!

Ever seen a toilet paper cake?

I just thought I’d share this touching family moment with all of you. This past Thursday marked two years at my current job. I am in sales, selling custodial and food-service supplies. My wife came up with idea and managed to surprise me. At the bare minimum, I’d say it’s unique. More than that, I’d call it touching in a kind of weird way. I’m grateful that God has given me a wife who would put this kind of thought and creativity into something like this.

If you can’t see it, the picture caption reads: “We love the T.P. king of Omaha!”

Nice.

Satan’s greatest weapon is God’s character?

I came across this otherworldly quote in the book, “Pierced for Our Transgressions” by Jeffery, Ovey and Sach. The quote itself is taken from Henri Blocher’s “Christus Victor”:

“But how is Satan’s role as the Accuser related to his power? If Satan’s opposition to the Lord were a matter of mere power, the rebel’s finite resources would equal zero confronted with infinity. But the Accuser can appeal to justice. [italics mine] He may also indulge in slander, but his force resides in the rightness of his accusation. Joshua is unclean, unspeakably unclean…(Zech. 3:4). The righteous Judge of all the earth, who can do only right, cannot refuse to hear the charges the Accuser brings without denying himself. In other words, the weapon in the devil’s hand is God’s own law, God’s holy and perfect law - “

Blocher is explaining how penal substitution is necessary for sins to be forgiven. Where he is going is the point that God’s justice, righteousness and holiness cannot be ignored during the process of reconciliation. Something had to be done. What was done was Christ’s substitutionary death on our behalf, exercising God’s love and satisfying His justice at the same time. What an incredible point!

Misplaced passion for the Passion.

This morning our pastor was in Matt 27:45-50. In particular we spent a lot of time on v45:

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. ”

I know we talked about a lot more than this, but this is what I immediately seized upon and stuck with for most of the duration of the message.

The sensation that was Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” is years gone now, but some of the things I learned from the popularity of the film still remain. For one, I was impressed with how legalistic some people are. For many it was flat out sin to so much as see the movie, even just for the purpose of being informed. For another thing, I was disheartened by how many people were enthralled with the movie but couldn’t be troubled to be enthralled by Jesus as depicted in the Scriptures.

Also there is the point that Mel Gibson holds to a very strange strain of Catholicism, and that point came out in what he included in the movie. This was a point that didn’t interest most people who saw the movie in the least. But more that the cultic-Cathlolic aspects of the movie was Gibson’s very Catholic preoccupation with the suffering of Jesus. This most of all is what has stuck with me in the years since then.

Here’s what I mean: The human suffering of Christ, as brutal as it was, only signified that element of suffering that actually accomplished His redemptive work; the outpouring of God’s wrath was what made the cross effective.

This is what is further signified by the darkness spoken of in v45. For those three hours, Christ bore the brunt God’s eternal wrath for all the sin He would ever forgive. It was an eternity of wrath somehow squeezed into just a few short hours. Christ’s Roman torturers didn’t hold a candle to what He experienced, becoming accursed for us.

So that’s the thing: all that emphasis on blood, the flesh being stripped by the whip, the beatings and so on were only a weak prelude. His human suffering accomplished nothing. It was God’s wrath delivered in spiritual currency and nothing else. Christ could have received a million lashes and never have atoned for one moment of sin.

We are not under man’s judgment. We have not violated man’s righteous standards. We have not impugned the holiness of man. God is the offended party. For us to have propitiation made, it was necessary for God in human flesh, Jesus Christ, to stand under the fury of the Father. And He did.

Perhaps this is why Catholics tend to get stuck on the human suffering of Christ. It’s hard to think that bearing the wrath of God for three hours could be considered an incomplete work. The reference to the Eucharist as a perpetual, bloodless sacrifice belies, again, a preoccupation with what men did to Him. Christ’s work is a once for all sacrifice (Heb 10:10). God’s wrath was unfurled on Him in full; there is no more payment to be rendered.

because Christ suffered the Father’s wrath on the cross, He is now seated at the Father’s right hand:

“but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD” (Heb 10:12)

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

What Kierkegaard has tought me about parenthood, Pt.2

Talk about a problem with getting to the point…this started as only one point. I promise to write more and say less…err..I think I meant that the other way around.

So where we left off, I was observing that Kierkegaard saw Abraham’s faith as irrational. for him, this saved Christianity from his modernistic philosophy. When he missed was that Abraham’s faith was well founded on God’s past promises and delivery. So what does that have to do with parenting?

If you have kids, you no doubt found yourself saying one (or all) of the following:

“Because I said so.”

“Because I’m your father/mother.”

“I shouldn’t have to explain why.”

“Don’t ask questions, just do it.”

Inevitably, children ask “why” or challenge our reasons for directing them. I think it’s important to answer that questions for ourselves as parents. recently I found myself trying to give a more meaningful answer to my 3 1/2 year old daughter who was asking my why she had to comply with something I’d told her to do. I explained that “the Bible says that God put mommies and daddies in charge of little boys and girls.” But this answer wasn’t entirely satisfying to me.

Madison couldn’t have cared less, she was focusing on the order of things and struggling to accept her place at the bottom. For me, I knew that this explanation was true but it seemed like the Biblical equivalent of “because I told you to.”.

I considered the fact that Scripture says “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. the rod of discipline will remove it far from him (Prov 22;15).” I believe that discipline, especially corporal discipline is necessary because the child’s instinct is not just uninformed but foolish and ultimately destructive. if you let a child choose what they eat, it would be ice cream three times a day, you know?

So given that a child depends on you to make decisions for their own good, and that you will be resisted because of their foolishness, the Christian parent must make a resolution which will build their ability to train their child: establish yourself as a worthy object of trust.

This is what Soren Kierkegaard missed. Abraham was willing to obey what would otherwise have seemed like a bizarre and extreme request because God had established Himself as trustworthy, a valid object of faith.

Children, over time, want to see that we consistently make decisions that are in their best interest. If we don’t commit to proving ourselves in this we, we will rightfully fail to gain their trust, and therefore fail to secure their obedience. We must show ourselves to be not only trustworthy in making decisions about our children, but in our own lives as well. Authority is not enough for obedience; that kind of faith IS blind. Wisdom and selflessness make not for lemmings, but for disciples.

Granted because of the authority vested in us by God, we are not required to earn obedience. But trust, even faith is something different. Without a worthy object, faith is irrational, foolish, shall we say even childish.