Thursday, November 19, 2009
New blog
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The Death of Death in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Imagine with me D.C. without the White House, St, Louis without the Arch, Atlanta without the Varsity, New York without the Yankees, and L.A. without the Lakers and you begin to get a remote idea of what it means to have a gospel without the doctrine of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is more than a historical fact; it’s the main motif and high water mark of the historical drama known as God’s redemptive story.
We leave this massive truth out of our preaching at the peril of telling only half the story, a half truth in an incomplete story that is impotent to save sinners. We must preach Jesus’ atoning death and victorious resurrection. It’s not an either/or proposition, it’s a both/and proclamation.
The resurrection must have been on the minds of the Corinthian believers as they questioned the Apostle Paul about the comprehensive nature, redemptive scope, and historical particulars of the resurrection. Had the resurrection of the dead already occurred? Had Jesus really been raised from the dead? Was resurrection even possible? And did any of this matter to the gospel they had believed?
Believe it or not, these questions remain pertinent today, even in our modern, post-modern, post-Christian, pre-Christian day (you take your pick at to the times we live in). Questions about the resurrection matter because the resurrection matters to the gospel we preach. If the gospel we preach is simply about how to have a better life, a better marriage, or success in business then the resurrection is unnecessary. In fact, if the gospel is just another self-help method then away with a dying God and a living Lord.
There are plenty of good books, websites, and magazines to help in all of these categories. Sadly, too many preachers have distilled the gospel in a minimalistic fashion that views the gospel as a ‘tack on’ to a life in search of success and fulfillment, i.e. “Let’s see, I have my pretty wife, my smart kids, my green car, and my house in the burbs. I care about the poor, global warning, healthcare for all, and being a good neighbor. I better add on this God thing to cover all my bases.” This is the plastic gospel of our era, which is no gospel at all.
If we are interested in actual success and not just perceived success, if we are interested in essential change and not topical change, and if we are interested in life-changing change then the resurrection is essential. If the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is true, and it is, then it supersedes all other claims – it makes all the difference because it is the difference between life and death.
The Apostle Paul’s answer to the Corinthian believers is amazingly comprehensive. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Paul outlines the basic contours of the importance of the gospel. The gospel is the life-changing truth 1) we receive and believe in salvation, vs. 1a.; 2) it is where we stake our claim and take our stand as believers, vs. 1b.; 3) it is what saves the sinner, vs. 2a.; 4) and, it is what we preach to the nations, vs. 2b. Preacher, this will preach!
But the gospel is more than just a truth with contours but no specific content. It’s more than just a nice story. Preacher, do you understand what you are claiming? We are claiming that a dead man died, but rose again and that this matters to our death and life. Amazing! Preposterous! Lunacy! The gospel is historical truth wrapped in a redemptive narrative that is breathtaking, mind-blowing, and God-revealing. Paul continues unfolding the content of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-11. The gospel is:
1) that Jesus died an un-accidental death because it was predicted in history and in the Scriptures; and not just a simple, martyr death, but a vicarious, substitute death ‘on behalf of’ or ‘in the stead of’ sinners; though perfect, Jesus died in the place of sinners, satisfying the justice of God so that the awakened, repentant sinner might be given a righteousness not his own (see Rom. 3:21-26), vs. 3;
2) that Jesus was buried in a borrowed grave – used with the intent of giving it back, (see Mk. 15:42-47);
3) that Jesus was raised from the dead not as a divine afterthought but according to God the Father’s sovereign plan unfolded in history and Scripture, vs. 4;
4) and that this physically, corporeally raised Jesus did not hide himself after his resurrection, but appeared to numerous people in various settings at differing times, vs. 5-11. Preacher, this will preach!
But what does all this mean? And why is it so important? The Apostle Paul continues unpacking the importance of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:12-34 by first looking at what happens if the resurrection is not true, and then looking at the resurrection, by implication, positively by what happens because the resurrection is true. If Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead:
1) Jesus Christ himself has not been raised from the dead – he is a fraud, vs. 12-13;
2) Preaching the gospel is vanity, empty – we are liars, vs. 14a.;
3) Faith is misguided/misdirected – we are peddlers of a false worldview, vs. 14b.;
4) We are misrepresenting God – we are using false advertizing, vs. 15;
5) Faith is futile or vain – faith in a liar is no faith at all, vs. 17a.;
6) Sinners are still in our sins – we are unsaved, unredeemed, vs. 17b.;
7) Those who died believing the gospel have perished – death is it, vs. 18;
8) Believers are to be pitied – we are fools for having believed a lie, vs. 19;
If Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, and all the indicators evidence this truth, then:
1) Jesus himself has been raised from the dead, vs. 20;
2) Preaching has meaning because we herald God’s truth (Rom. 10:14-21);
3) Faith is rightly and savingly directed toward the resurrected Christ who gives life (Eph. 2:8-10);
4) We rightly represent God in our ministries;
5) Faith is fulfilled in the gospel;
6) Sinners are no longer in their sins (Titus 3:1-11);
7) Those who have died have not perished but are present with the Lord;
8) We do not have to be pitied – God has made us wise in Christ.
I cannot imagine a gospel without the twin truths of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without these complimentary and essential truths there is no gospel. What is there for us to say if these truths are not true? It was this gospel that instilled great confidence and power in those early disciples who continually gave witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:33). It was the truth that put Paul on trial (Acts 23:6). The gospel is the power that makes new life possible in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3).
It was this gospel that enabled Jim Elliot to say a crazy thing like, “He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” It is this gospel that empowers the oppressed church in China, undergirds believers in missionally closed countries, and that warrants hope in the face of cancer, courage in the face of trouble, and confidence in the face of death.
Preacher, this will preach! This is the message of gospel. God died for sinners. This dead God lives again! Sin, death, and hell have been vanquished. The last enemy of life has been murdered. In the murder of Jesus and his subsequent resurrection we see the murder of death. Death was lured to the cross and was crucified in the crucifixion of Jesus (Col. 2:13-15). A price was paid, a debt was resolved, and a holy God was satisfied and pleased. We can join with that great Puritan divine, John Owen, in celebrating the death of death in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Heb. 2:14-18). Preacher, this will preach!
We leave this massive truth out of our preaching at the peril of telling only half the story, a half truth in an incomplete story that is impotent to save sinners. We must preach Jesus’ atoning death and victorious resurrection. It’s not an either/or proposition, it’s a both/and proclamation.
The resurrection must have been on the minds of the Corinthian believers as they questioned the Apostle Paul about the comprehensive nature, redemptive scope, and historical particulars of the resurrection. Had the resurrection of the dead already occurred? Had Jesus really been raised from the dead? Was resurrection even possible? And did any of this matter to the gospel they had believed?
Believe it or not, these questions remain pertinent today, even in our modern, post-modern, post-Christian, pre-Christian day (you take your pick at to the times we live in). Questions about the resurrection matter because the resurrection matters to the gospel we preach. If the gospel we preach is simply about how to have a better life, a better marriage, or success in business then the resurrection is unnecessary. In fact, if the gospel is just another self-help method then away with a dying God and a living Lord.
There are plenty of good books, websites, and magazines to help in all of these categories. Sadly, too many preachers have distilled the gospel in a minimalistic fashion that views the gospel as a ‘tack on’ to a life in search of success and fulfillment, i.e. “Let’s see, I have my pretty wife, my smart kids, my green car, and my house in the burbs. I care about the poor, global warning, healthcare for all, and being a good neighbor. I better add on this God thing to cover all my bases.” This is the plastic gospel of our era, which is no gospel at all.
If we are interested in actual success and not just perceived success, if we are interested in essential change and not topical change, and if we are interested in life-changing change then the resurrection is essential. If the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is true, and it is, then it supersedes all other claims – it makes all the difference because it is the difference between life and death.
The Apostle Paul’s answer to the Corinthian believers is amazingly comprehensive. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Paul outlines the basic contours of the importance of the gospel. The gospel is the life-changing truth 1) we receive and believe in salvation, vs. 1a.; 2) it is where we stake our claim and take our stand as believers, vs. 1b.; 3) it is what saves the sinner, vs. 2a.; 4) and, it is what we preach to the nations, vs. 2b. Preacher, this will preach!
But the gospel is more than just a truth with contours but no specific content. It’s more than just a nice story. Preacher, do you understand what you are claiming? We are claiming that a dead man died, but rose again and that this matters to our death and life. Amazing! Preposterous! Lunacy! The gospel is historical truth wrapped in a redemptive narrative that is breathtaking, mind-blowing, and God-revealing. Paul continues unfolding the content of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-11. The gospel is:
1) that Jesus died an un-accidental death because it was predicted in history and in the Scriptures; and not just a simple, martyr death, but a vicarious, substitute death ‘on behalf of’ or ‘in the stead of’ sinners; though perfect, Jesus died in the place of sinners, satisfying the justice of God so that the awakened, repentant sinner might be given a righteousness not his own (see Rom. 3:21-26), vs. 3;
2) that Jesus was buried in a borrowed grave – used with the intent of giving it back, (see Mk. 15:42-47);
3) that Jesus was raised from the dead not as a divine afterthought but according to God the Father’s sovereign plan unfolded in history and Scripture, vs. 4;
4) and that this physically, corporeally raised Jesus did not hide himself after his resurrection, but appeared to numerous people in various settings at differing times, vs. 5-11. Preacher, this will preach!
But what does all this mean? And why is it so important? The Apostle Paul continues unpacking the importance of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:12-34 by first looking at what happens if the resurrection is not true, and then looking at the resurrection, by implication, positively by what happens because the resurrection is true. If Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead:
1) Jesus Christ himself has not been raised from the dead – he is a fraud, vs. 12-13;
2) Preaching the gospel is vanity, empty – we are liars, vs. 14a.;
3) Faith is misguided/misdirected – we are peddlers of a false worldview, vs. 14b.;
4) We are misrepresenting God – we are using false advertizing, vs. 15;
5) Faith is futile or vain – faith in a liar is no faith at all, vs. 17a.;
6) Sinners are still in our sins – we are unsaved, unredeemed, vs. 17b.;
7) Those who died believing the gospel have perished – death is it, vs. 18;
8) Believers are to be pitied – we are fools for having believed a lie, vs. 19;
If Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, and all the indicators evidence this truth, then:
1) Jesus himself has been raised from the dead, vs. 20;
2) Preaching has meaning because we herald God’s truth (Rom. 10:14-21);
3) Faith is rightly and savingly directed toward the resurrected Christ who gives life (Eph. 2:8-10);
4) We rightly represent God in our ministries;
5) Faith is fulfilled in the gospel;
6) Sinners are no longer in their sins (Titus 3:1-11);
7) Those who have died have not perished but are present with the Lord;
8) We do not have to be pitied – God has made us wise in Christ.
I cannot imagine a gospel without the twin truths of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without these complimentary and essential truths there is no gospel. What is there for us to say if these truths are not true? It was this gospel that instilled great confidence and power in those early disciples who continually gave witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:33). It was the truth that put Paul on trial (Acts 23:6). The gospel is the power that makes new life possible in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3).
It was this gospel that enabled Jim Elliot to say a crazy thing like, “He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” It is this gospel that empowers the oppressed church in China, undergirds believers in missionally closed countries, and that warrants hope in the face of cancer, courage in the face of trouble, and confidence in the face of death.
Preacher, this will preach! This is the message of gospel. God died for sinners. This dead God lives again! Sin, death, and hell have been vanquished. The last enemy of life has been murdered. In the murder of Jesus and his subsequent resurrection we see the murder of death. Death was lured to the cross and was crucified in the crucifixion of Jesus (Col. 2:13-15). A price was paid, a debt was resolved, and a holy God was satisfied and pleased. We can join with that great Puritan divine, John Owen, in celebrating the death of death in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Heb. 2:14-18). Preacher, this will preach!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
I Don't Need a Cute Gospel
My sin is great - great sin that produces worry, anxiety, and fear in my soul, sin that deadens my spirit and alienates me from eternity. The last thing I need is a self-help gospel. I am helpless. I don’t need another three-step program. I don’t need a better me, I need a transformed me. I don’t need a better life, I need a new life.
Too often, the gospel is reduced down to a quaint, cute story about a phenomenal man (Jesus) who inspires us and examples for us a new way of living. This is partly true. In fact, Jesus was the most inspiring person to have ever walked this terrestial ball. But is Jesus just an inspiring example? Is an inspiring example the best God can do? I can find plenty of inspiring stories in sports or in the military. A good example may inspire me but it won’t save me or change me.
The gospel is more than inspiring; the gospel is regenerating (it makes me alive), transforming (it changes me), justifying (it declares me not guilty), and sanctifying (it begins a work in me that will one day be complete). A cute, quaint, self-help, three-step mish-mash of “me and God” just doesn’t cut it. I don’t need more of me in the process. That’s the problem. I need less of me. Correction! I need none of me because I am dead in my sin. I need to be made alive. This is the kind of gospel I need.
The gospel is the only kind of transforming, life-altering good news God gives us in Jesus Christ. God enacted the “great exchange” in Jesus Christ. He exchanged my unrighteousness for the righteousness of Jesus Christ. In other words, God imputed my sins to Jesus Christ ‘as if’ he had committed them so that he could impute to me Christ’s righteousness to me ‘as if’ I had never sinned. This exchange is realized in me when God awakens me from the deadness of my sin and makes me new in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:1). Once awakened in Jesus Christ I’m no longer on the run from God, fearing that I’ll be caught and exposed for the fraud that I am. In Christ I am forgiven. Who, then, should I fear?
So, away with the cute, the quaint, and the purely practical; in with the conquering, transforming, life-changing, fear-smashing, worldview altering gospel of Jesus Christ.
Too often, the gospel is reduced down to a quaint, cute story about a phenomenal man (Jesus) who inspires us and examples for us a new way of living. This is partly true. In fact, Jesus was the most inspiring person to have ever walked this terrestial ball. But is Jesus just an inspiring example? Is an inspiring example the best God can do? I can find plenty of inspiring stories in sports or in the military. A good example may inspire me but it won’t save me or change me.
The gospel is more than inspiring; the gospel is regenerating (it makes me alive), transforming (it changes me), justifying (it declares me not guilty), and sanctifying (it begins a work in me that will one day be complete). A cute, quaint, self-help, three-step mish-mash of “me and God” just doesn’t cut it. I don’t need more of me in the process. That’s the problem. I need less of me. Correction! I need none of me because I am dead in my sin. I need to be made alive. This is the kind of gospel I need.
The gospel is the only kind of transforming, life-altering good news God gives us in Jesus Christ. God enacted the “great exchange” in Jesus Christ. He exchanged my unrighteousness for the righteousness of Jesus Christ. In other words, God imputed my sins to Jesus Christ ‘as if’ he had committed them so that he could impute to me Christ’s righteousness to me ‘as if’ I had never sinned. This exchange is realized in me when God awakens me from the deadness of my sin and makes me new in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:1). Once awakened in Jesus Christ I’m no longer on the run from God, fearing that I’ll be caught and exposed for the fraud that I am. In Christ I am forgiven. Who, then, should I fear?
So, away with the cute, the quaint, and the purely practical; in with the conquering, transforming, life-changing, fear-smashing, worldview altering gospel of Jesus Christ.
"The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God & keep his commands, for this is the whole duty of man...for God will judge." Ecc. 12:13
Monday, October 26, 2009
It's Time for a Change
It’s time for a change, don’t you think? No, I’m not speaking of the false promises made by political leaders or pundits. Nor, am I speaking of the faddish change that comes with every cultural wind. Instead, I’m speaking of that of change of the soul and mind that makes us new and keeps us fresh. This is what the new birth is all about – giving new life and breath to something that was dead and lifeless (Jn. 3:3). In fact, God has promised us newness of life in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 beautifully puts it this way – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” What a promise! What power.
So, what about you? Aren’t you ready for a change? What about a change of mind, an altering of your passions, behavior, and purposes? God commands us to continue to grow in Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). When we become stagnant we digress and do not reflect the grace of God in our living and thinking.
Beginning November 1st I am beginning a series entitled “Time for a Change.” It’s a series based upon one of the most exciting passages in Scripture, Colossians 3:1-17. We will look at how a change of mind can lead to a change in passions, behavior, and purpose. This new series is coinciding with the launch of our new website at Inglewood Baptist Church. Beginning November 1st you will be able to find us at http://www.inglewoodbc.com/ . You will find this interactive site helpful and informative. You can get downloadable sermon notes, ministry information, and eventually podcasts of every message. Join us in person and online. It’s time for a change.
So, what about you? Aren’t you ready for a change? What about a change of mind, an altering of your passions, behavior, and purposes? God commands us to continue to grow in Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). When we become stagnant we digress and do not reflect the grace of God in our living and thinking.
Beginning November 1st I am beginning a series entitled “Time for a Change.” It’s a series based upon one of the most exciting passages in Scripture, Colossians 3:1-17. We will look at how a change of mind can lead to a change in passions, behavior, and purpose. This new series is coinciding with the launch of our new website at Inglewood Baptist Church. Beginning November 1st you will be able to find us at http://www.inglewoodbc.com/ . You will find this interactive site helpful and informative. You can get downloadable sermon notes, ministry information, and eventually podcasts of every message. Join us in person and online. It’s time for a change.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Get Some Real Fear!
I’m in a very sarcastically bad mood today. And what’s the source of my dower attitude? Answer: we’re lacking some real fear. Let me explain. I hear so many people use the phrase, ‘I’m afraid of…?’ They then fill in the blank with some superficial fear such as – I’m afraid my outfit doesn’t match my shoes; I’m afraid I’ll be late for a latte with my equally shallow friend at the local ‘artsy’ coffee shop; I’m afraid I won’t be up-to-date on the latest music or TV show; I’m afraid they won’t think I’m hip/cool, etc. This litany of shallow fears reveals a shallow life. Shallow fears diminish legitimate fears.
This is what we’re afraid of? You’ve got to be kidding me? Are you joking? Get serious! Is our cowardice to be measured by whether or not we are brave enough to wear the right kind of clothes or have the right kind of look or on whether or not we’re current on the latest drivel in the media? If so, we’re in more trouble than first thought.
If we’re going to have fear let’s get some real fear! I mean some supersized fears for a supersized gospel. For example, let’s be afraid of not getting the ‘God thing’ right; let’s be afraid if we don’t get the parenting thing right; let’s be afraid of not getting the marriage thing right; let’s be afraid of not being committed to a set of important principles by which to live; let’s be afraid of being known as a person who is a ‘mile wide and an inch deep’ instead of a person of depth, commitment, and loyalty; let’s be afraid of having lived without purpose.
Shallow, silly fears do not constitute essential fears. Shallow, silly fears cover the real fears of life. The gospel of Jesus Christ is THE sin-crushing, fear-smashing power of God that alters our ego, rearranges our priorities, and changes our world-view. So, if you’re going to have fear get some real fear so that you’ll understand the awesome power of God in Jesus Christ.
This is what we’re afraid of? You’ve got to be kidding me? Are you joking? Get serious! Is our cowardice to be measured by whether or not we are brave enough to wear the right kind of clothes or have the right kind of look or on whether or not we’re current on the latest drivel in the media? If so, we’re in more trouble than first thought.
If we’re going to have fear let’s get some real fear! I mean some supersized fears for a supersized gospel. For example, let’s be afraid of not getting the ‘God thing’ right; let’s be afraid if we don’t get the parenting thing right; let’s be afraid of not getting the marriage thing right; let’s be afraid of not being committed to a set of important principles by which to live; let’s be afraid of being known as a person who is a ‘mile wide and an inch deep’ instead of a person of depth, commitment, and loyalty; let’s be afraid of having lived without purpose.
Shallow, silly fears do not constitute essential fears. Shallow, silly fears cover the real fears of life. The gospel of Jesus Christ is THE sin-crushing, fear-smashing power of God that alters our ego, rearranges our priorities, and changes our world-view. So, if you’re going to have fear get some real fear so that you’ll understand the awesome power of God in Jesus Christ.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Fear Killer confirmed to speak at 4 Thursday nights at the University of Kentucky Campus Crusade for Christ mtg. in Jan. 14, 21, 28, Feb. 4!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
I have no problem with God choosing who will be saved, who will not; problem is when we think we know who the elect are prior a witness
Friday, August 21, 2009
Why did I nearly weep as I wrote this blog entry about time, change, and the fear of...check it out http://ping.fm/RNNvX
Monday, August 10, 2009
Ready for Davidson Academy back to school retreat with 300 students, Aug. 13-15 - making known the power of the Fearkiller - Jesus Christ.
Is it possible to be afraid of fear, afraid of being afraid? It's not what you think. Read about it http://ping.fm/lKyCI
Sunday, August 2, 2009
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