Simple thoughts on God, Jesus, and the Bible

John 1.1-4: Doctrine Matters

2021-07-04T18:06:48+00:00By |Re:Sermon, Theology 101|

This week we began our series titled ASSURANCE, a 14-week traipse through the three letters of John.   The letters of John are essentially a basic introduction to New Testament Theology. Unlike a traditional letter, John begins his by establishing his authority to teach as an eyewitness to Jesus.  False teaching wolves have infiltrated the flock and are now leading sheep astray and away into new grazing fields.  These are the fields are full of ear-tickling false doctrine, specifically, a false understanding of who Jesus is.  Paul warned in 2Corinthians 11 of false teachers coming with "another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel" , and in these letters, we read how a 90+ year old "Son of Thunder" faces them head on. Like often happens today, persuasive wolves have drawn people out of a gospel-centered community and started their own church.  John carefully  delineates between these two churches, a new false [...]

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Glory for, by, and with

2021-07-04T18:05:49+00:00By |Theology 101|

I don't know why I am writing this blog right now.  And though I would like to pretend it is an effort to "teach" others, I have a feeling it is in fact intended as a lesson for me. A lesson about what?  It's the same lesson I am always learning--sanctification.  What is sanctification?  A simple definition is, "loving Jesus more and sin less."  This simple definition does not explain how exactly this happens, which is why I think I am writing. The following quote is what inspired me to write: "It is when we change from looking at ourselves with our imperfections, sinfulness, and helplessness and turn to the Lord Jesus and see and depend on His power and perfection, that we can expect a transformation to begin." The motivation is glory for God.  There are a lot of reasons that men and women will fight against their sinful [...]

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When God Holds His Breath

2021-07-04T18:07:17+00:00By |Re:Sermon, Theology 101|

I recently preached on Joshua 11. Tucked into the last chapter detailing the violent warfare in Joshua, is an obscure couple of verses describing God's sovereignty.  In describing why the Canaanite armies fought against Joshua, the Bible says: 18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. 20 For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.  Joshua 11:18-20 Without doubt, the passage is disturbing.  If it isn't, we either don't understand what is said or we don't believe it.  Scripture teaches time and time again, that God is [...]

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The Gospel in 25 Words +/-

2021-07-04T18:11:10+00:00By |Theology 101|

What is the gospel?  The facts of the gospel are clear. Paul explains it in all of his letters, most explicitly in 1Corinthians 15.3-8.  The gospel begins with the basic facts of Jesus life, death, and resurrection.  But the gospel is also the interpretation and application of these facts.  The gospel informs, guides, and judges all that we do including our doctrine, our behavior, our relationships, our leadership, our marriages, even our finances.  Before we understand HOW the gospel applies to other areas of our lives, it is important that we meditate on the basic.  It is denial of this basic understand that leads to all bad teaching & living: 1.  The gospel means I am accepted, therefore I obey;  NOT, I obey, therefore I am accepted. 2.  The gospel means work and live FROM my righteousness, not FOR my righteousness 3.  The gospel means Jesus dies the death I [...]

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Church Planting Lesson #20: Doctrinal Mercenaries

2021-07-04T18:11:26+00:00By |Church Plant Lessons 101, Theology 101|

Our church has been going through Paul's first letter to Timothy.  As Paul had warned when he first left the church at Ephesus (Acts 20), "fierce wolves" have risen up from among the leadership and are causing all kinds of problems--leading sheep astray.  The letter is a direct charge to Timothy, to draw lines, take stands, and shoot false-teaching wolves.   He charges Timothy to protect SOUND DOCTRINE which accords with the gospel. The last book of the New Testament, Revelation, begins with Jesus' seven letters to seven actual churches.  The first is written to the same church at Ephesus.   It appears that, perhaps in response to Paul's letter and Timothy's leadership, the Ephesian elders learned all-to-well how to fight false teachers.  Jesus commends their intolerance for wolves and courage to shoot them.  In the same letter Jesus commends them for fighting, he condemns them for their failure to love Jesus. [...]

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Calvinism is new again a.k.a. people are Biblical again

2021-07-04T18:13:47+00:00By |Church Plant Lessons 101, Theology 101|

“And I have my own private opinion, that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and him crucified, unless you preach what now-a-days is called Calvinism. I have my own ideas, and those I always state boldly. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism. Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else." Charles Spurgeon There is a teacher at a local High School, both of which will remain nameless, that recently told some of kids our church that "No one really believes in Calvinism anymore."  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Below are a few articles that speak to the renewal of what is called "New Calvinism".  It is not in fact "new", it's as old as Habakkuk's conversation with God, older actually.  And, it's not just a few wackos that believe it. 100 Ideas Changing the World Right Now, TIME magazine Christian faith: Calvinism is back, Christian [...]

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The “House Broken God”

2021-07-04T18:13:59+00:00By |Re:Sermon, Theology 101|

The title of this post comes from a quote I heard today from a sermon preached at Damascus Road.   The text was John 12.12ff, and it focused on the expectations that the Pharisees and even Jesus' disciples had as he rode, like a King, into Jerusalem on the first day of passover (Palm Sunday).  Within four days, the "King" hadn't wiped out Rome in some grand political coupe, rather, he spent most of his time during the week challenging the Pharisees as he flipped tables in the temple.  He wasn't the King they expected. The sermon challenged our notions of who God is (house broken) in contrast to who he has revealed himself to be (wild). We want a "House Broken God" that fits into our boxes, one that makes me comfortable, one that is predictable, one that I can control, one that I can cuddle with when he does [...]

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Godly Grief vs. Worldly Grief

2021-07-04T18:15:28+00:00By |Note to Self...and Others, Re:Sermon, Theology 101|

Are you repentant?  Paul describes the nature of true repentance in his 2nd letter to the Corinthian church, chapter 7.5-13.  In it, Paul all but apologizes for the previous letter that he wrote.  Scholars differ on whether this letter is 1Corithans, whether 1Corinthians is in fact two letters, or if we have it all.  Whatever the case, Paul's words were HARD and they were received like a punch on the nose.  But Paul does not regret sending the letter, rather, he rejoices over the effect--repentance.  In writing this, Paul distinguishes between two kinds of grief, godly and worldly.  In other words, tears are not enough.He  writes, "For godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what EARNESTNESS this godly grief has produced in you, but also what EAGERNESS to clear yourself, what INDIGNATION, what FEAR, what LONGING, what ZEAL, what PUNISHMENT!  [...]

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