Look Around!

One thing this Table demonstrates is unity. We are at peace with God, united with Jesus Christ. This meal is a participation in Him, a sharing of His life. The foundation of our unity is Jesus. Without that, the house will crumble and fall. But with it, we have a joy together that knows no bounds. This is why it’s good to look around often while we eat and drink. The favor you show others is a pointer to the favor God has shown us in Christ. We are united in the love and grace of God through Christ.

3/23/14

An Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, again we recall you are holy, that we do not deserve such fellowship with You. But you have graciously made a way to You through Jesus. We bind His name to us this day. We remember why we gather to worship you on this day, for you raised him from death to life on Resurrection Day, putting aside our guilt and death and restoring us in Him to life and favor. As we confess our sins and devote ourselves to you, and partake of Communion, enliven our hearts to beat for you each moment, our minds to pursue knowledge of you, our hands to serve you with passion and wisdom.

Gracious Father, we approach You in the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, who live and reign with You, 1 God without beginning or end - Amen.

3/23/14

Delighting in the Bride

Psalm 149:4

"Yahweh takes pleasure in His people."

God delights in His people, the bride He has chosen for His Son. When Jacob served 7 years for Rachel they seemed like nothing to him because of the love he had for her. We go to great lengths to be with the one we love. This is our next question in this Lenten series: Do you delight in the bride of Christ? We certainly delight to be with Jesus Himself as we pray and read His word. But do you realize you are with Jesus here? Where 2 or 3 are gathered, Jesus is there. Jesus delights in His people. If His spirit is in you, then you will share that delight.

This delight is not something we can force or shame or fight into ourselves. It must grow in the heart like flowers grow, not be dragged out of us. We are not always a delightful bunch, but the Lord loved us and gave Himself for us. Will we be like Christ in this way? Do you delight in God’s people?

Let us confess our desire to have Jesus without His bride.

3/23/14

What Do They Need?

Acts 4:32-35

"Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need."

When we read these passages we usually get sidetracked into political qualifications. No, this isn’t an enforced communism or socialism but that’s not the point, either. The point is the generosity of the saints with their treasure and their time to serve those in need.

Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others?

One mark of the maturing believer is that we see others’ needs more and more, and focus on our own needs less and less. Jesus washed his disciples’ feet in his last week to emphasize this. He came to serve, not be served. Too often we get it the other way around. One way to think of this is whenever you are at church or a party or some get together, be on the lookout and plan to come away with one thing you can do for someone else in the next few days.

Do you care for the needs of others?

3/16/14

Negative Examples from Testaments Old and New

Jesus used the bread and wine of Passover to start this new covenant sacrament. Like Noah (sermon on Genesis 9:18ff), we drink wine in God’s house. But the effect is very different. Instead of self-indulgence and shame, we remember the Lord Jesus, His sacrifice, which brings blessing upon us and our children. Instead of mocking disrespect among family members, we look upon each other with love and respect, as fellow saints for whom Christ died. Now, in the new covenant we can abuse God’s grace and His sacraments.  The Corinthians show us this.  They got drunk and insulted each other (1 Corinthians 11:17-22), just like Noah and Ham. But God restores sinners. Whatever shameful things we have done, we are invited to God’s table to eat with His people. Lay down your sin, rejoice in your Savior.

This is your sign that God has remembered you, and it is the way God has given you to remember him.

3/9/14

Godly Grief

Do you grieve over sin? One mark of the maturing believer is that we see our sin more and more. We become more aware of our pride, and less aware of our humility. More aware of our weakness and need for God, and less aware of what we are doing for God. Arther Pink says what distinguishes a child of God from an unbeliever is not the absence of sin in our life, but the grief over it. When Jesus blesses those who mourn, He isn’t just talking about the grief of death or hard times. Blessed are those who also mourn over their sins. God calls us to rejoice always, but also to grieve for our sins our entire lives. We should be asking God to show us the reality of our sins – their depth and offense against Him. Without that we won’t be torn up in heart over them, and we won’t flee to Christ for refuge and forgiveness. Do you grieve over your sin?

Let us confess our hurried "sorries" given to siblings and spouses, our routine surface repentance to God, when God is seeking broken and grieving hearts.

3/9/14

Immediate Ratification of the Word Spoken

John Calvin says, “God, after speaking, immediately wants to ratify His promises in a way that seems good to Him.”

This is one reason we have communion right after the sermon. Word and sacrament need to be together. This meal is your rainbow, a promise that God will preserve you to the end. No flood waters can separate you from God.  Wild horses can’t drag you away from the Lord Christ.

This is your sign that God has remembered you, and it is the way God has given you to remember him.

3/2/14

Review: Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible Is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me

Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible Is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me by Kevin DeYoung

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Rarely do I give a new book 5 stars, but this is an exception.

In a mere 120 pages, DeYoung covers clearly what we need to believe about Scripture. The Bible is enough, clear, final and necessary, as God's inspired Word.

"If authority is the liberal problem, clarity the postmodern problem, and necessity the problem for atheists and agnostics, then sufficiency is the attribute most quickly doubted by rank-and-file churchgoing Christians" (45).

DeYoung has a knack for defending Scripture against liberal assaults and also pointing out evangelical weaknesses in the next breath. He lays out the classic theology from the Reformation, and applies it to today's issues.

"The unity of Scripture also means we should be rid, once and for all, of this 'red letter' nonsense.... If we read about homosexuality from the pen of Paul in Romans, it has no less weight or relevance than if we read it from the lips of Jesus in Matthew" (118-9).

- He takes on the neo-orthodox view of Scripture posed by Barth
- Does God still speak today?
- liberal higher criticism

"If Jesus is right in how he handles the Bible, then boatloads of higher biblical criticism must be wrong" (104).

An easy read, but packed with truth, I highly recommend this book!



View all my reviews

Take Part, and Hope

Communion after preaching on Noah sending out the dove.

This table points to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is why I break bread and pour wine every week. We are showing you the sacrifice, symbolically. The main point of this meal is to remember – that’s what Jesus said. Sometimes we think a better way would be to watch a movie of the crucifixion, if we are to remember what happened. But we are also to participate in His death. The main thing isn’t the breaking, the pouring or the gory details. The main thing is our eating and drinking with faith in our hearts.

At the cross God was pleased with a sweet-smell. At this table, as we trust in the sacrifice at the cross, God smiles on you. He is pleased with You in Christ.

Here at this table is your olive branch from God, your sign that the earth will be renewed, that you will be renewed. God gives you a symbol of hope amidst death. Even as the carnage comes into sight, as the waters go away, new life comes into sight, too. Remember that dove, hovering over the waters.  The Holy Spirit hovers here, offering you God’s peace instead of punishment.

This is your sign that God has remembered you, and it is the way God has given you to remember Him.

2/23/14

Don't Forget!

When God called Jonah, Jonah ran away. God swept him into the storm waters and he almost drowned. But God preserved Him in the fish, and there Jonah remembered God, verse 7. In the middle of his misery, still stuck in the fish, Jonah acknowledges God, repents, and remembers God.

We tend to think that forgetting is an excuse. Children, sometimes we offer it up as an explanation of why we didn’t do what mom or dad asked. Oh, I’m sorry I forgot. It may explain, but it does not excuse. It is a sin to forget, not an excuse. God calls us to keep Him in mind. To keep our neighbor, our family, our friends in mind. We are to Love God with all your mind.

Let us confess forgetting God for most of our moments.

2/23/14

Flood, Baptism, Communion and Faith

1 Peter 3:18-22

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him."

Noah was saved through flood water. We are saved through baptism water.

The real saving is done by God’s grace, and our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. But God gives us signs and seals of that saving, and usually He uses them to apply the saving work of Christ to us. The Word rains down and waters the earth and doesn’t return void, Isaiah 55 says. The ark worked for all who went in – it kept Noah safe. Baptism works for all who believe – it washes us clean. This Supper works when we come in faith – it actually feeds our faith. Here is your door into the ark. You have the opportunity here to enter the ark of Christ with Noah.

Now, some honesty about the ark and about us. In here the air sometimes feels stuffy to us. Manna again? It’s all we ever get. Same routine week after week. Can’t do what we want, can’t do this, can’t do that. Can’t I just live a little? The siren song of the world calls to us, even as God shows us so clearly the judgment that sin brings. We still want what we want.

Instead, Let us thank and praise God for giving us a life raft, giving us a wonderful cup to drink, in place of the cup of wrath Jesus drank. Jesus drowned in God’s flood so you could survive to see the new creation He has for you.

2/16/14

Are You on E?

We will consider God’s judgment in the flood today, a somber warning of His just punishment on the wicked. One of the last teachings of Jesus before He goes to the cross, our Lord gives a sober warning to be prepared for His coming. Is the oil of the Holy Spirit flowing fresh within us? Do we eagerly look for the Bridegroom of our hearts, Jesus Himself? In this parable, all the bridesmaids fell asleep. That wasn’t the problem. Do you have oil and light to meet Jesus when He comes unexpectedly? Does Jesus know you?

Now, the point isn’t to scare us into confession this morning. If all you have is a desperate sense of self-preservation, you don’t have much real repentance, if any. But hearing of God’s judgment, and warnings to be ready can prompt us to remember our offenses against Him, and the mercy of the Savior.

Let us confess letting our gas tanks run down to empty, careless to the Spirit’s prompting, our conscience calling. 

2/16/14

Prayer at the Start of a Worship Service

Heavenly Father, you call us through Your Son to rest in Your fellowship. Help us set aside our restlessness now, we pray. We train ourselves to sit still for this worship service outwardly. Grant our hearts and minds to also rest and be at peace before You today.

Your Son Jesus is glorious, majestic, and full of mercy. Shine in our hearts so we can see His face and know Him fully. Direct us by Your holy Spirit to Your glory and greatness and grace. In this season of epiphany we remember that You must shine light on us if we are to see, if we are to worship You properly.

We are weak and need your help in this, we admit.

2/16/14

Experiencing God

The false teaching of mysticism has made deep inroads into mainstream evangelical Christianity today.

JI Packer, in Knowing God, chapter 20, writes of God guiding us in the Christian life.  He does not do so apart from Scripture.  The Spirit leads us to remember Scripture and apply it to our circumstances.  But we ought not to claim authority over our lives or others' lives if we hear a still small voice and if we cannot find a parallel obligation in Scripture.

Tim Challies writes of the false teaching of Teresa of Avila.  Many see her as a commendable person today, and in some ways she was.  The difference between godly meditation or contemplation, and damaging mysticism can be hard to recognize in the midst of religious experience, sometimes.  But it is a clear one.  Here is the question:

Am I giving more weight to my interpretation than I am to the Bible in evaluating what is happening?

We do this far more often than we realize.  But first

When Absalom chases David out of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15:31-32), David prays that God would confound the counsel given to Absalom.  The next thing that happens to David: Hushai, a known royal advisor, meets him, and David sends him to confound Absalom's counsel.  This happens today.  After we pray for something we should watch our circumstances expectantly.  I do not deny this experiential element to our spiritual lives.

However.

The modern man would assume, lacking all humility, that this was God, with a glib, "Way to go, God!"  David knew enough not to make such self-centered presumptions.  He continues to act deliberately and hopefully, but not presuming to know confidently God's intent in any given event.

Many people measure their piety

• by how certain they are that prayer x led to event y, or
• by the number or intensity of times when they feel God is leading them or speaking to them, or
• by God speaking immediately - not through the Bible but directly.

These assure them that God is real and alive today.  They would doubt Him in the absence of these experiences.

Another way this goes wrong is tempting God.  Some find it pious to put themselves in a dangerous or precarious situation, and ask God, trust God, to rescue them.

Each of these violates the main guard rail against a false mysticism:

don't ignore Scripture for the sake of your experience.

The Bible tells us to wait on the Lord, and though He slay me, yet I will trust Him.  Mysticism and experience-driven Christianity ignore this, doubting God too deeply if He doesn't speak to them or guide them as they expect.  The Bible tells us not to endanger ourselves or tempt God - mysticism will do this to bolster its faith.

Covenant to Preserve Us from Flood

God established a covenant with Noah to preserve him and his family before the flood. God established a covenant with Moses and Israel to preserve them and their families before the plagues and Passover. God the Son established a covenant with the disciples in the upper room before the ultimate judgment of the cross. The blood of Christ preserved them from the wrath of God poured out on the cross.  And here in Acts 2 that covenant is continued and offered again freely to all Jerusalem and to us, and to our children. God extends his promises to you, just as your neighbor extends the tray of wine to you, expecting you to take the cup of salvation and pass it on to someone else.

But the promise. What is the promise? To preserve you from wrath as real as the flood. God has given you a way out. An ark is provided, a life raft. It is The Lord Jesus Christ. Not a boat we have to build ourselves. Not temporary, cramped quarters. Not an object but a person. In the indestructible life of Jesus, we find life everlasting. As we commune with Him, fear of the flood melts into peace of knowing Him.

2/9/14