Bible Creed

If you have not been following Mark Driscoll’s bit-by-bit interview with R.C. Sproul as it has been posted on Driscoll’s blog, you will want to watch the interview in its entirety. In this interview you will find two completely different men who are reaching completely different sectors of society and yet are embracing the same biblical Gospel and mission. They are on the same page theologically (at least in regard to Calvinistic theology) and biblically, and yet they are very different. I personally found the interview to be refreshing and encouraging. To watch the full interview click here.

Although many in our culture belittle the making of resolutions, it is my contention that resolutions can be extremely helpful, and especially in the life of a Christian. Without a doubt, resolutions, if approached the wrong way, can lead to rigid, legalistic law adherence; however, one ought not cast resolutions away because of their abusable nature (in this case we would have to throw out our abusable Bibles, money, and well… everything else that has the potential to be abused). Resolutions can be an appropriate way of refocusing our energy, intellect, and time on what is most important. And although I believe that Christians should make resolutions every morning before they roll out of bed, resolving to live their every moment to the glory of God, it can be invaluable to, from time to time, prayerfully resolve to get back on track in one area of life or another.

Every Christian has their own unique struggles–some struggle with prayer, others with bible study, others with evangelism, others with temper, etc. I can tell you that my greatest personal struggle at this point in my life is with evangelism. I feel that this New Year provides me a fresh start at fearing God more than man, loving man enough to put my reputation and comfort on the line to tell them about God and what He has done for sinners like me through His Son, Jesus.

For those of you who struggle with Bible reading, let me suggest to you a certain bible reading program that both Kristal and I have found extremely profitable. We have found that mustering up the discipline to read the Bible is much easier than mustering up the energy needed to read with intentionality and focus. So, about a year ago we made up our own Bible reading program. We decided that we were going to read two chapters a day, starting in Genesis going right straight through to Revelation. To aid our ‘intentionality’ and ‘focus’ issues we decided to make up a list of four questions that we had to answer (in 1 to 2 sentences) after reading each chapter.

Here are the questions:

1. List at least one thing that I learned from this chapter (or from a verse or set of verses within the chapter):

2. List at least one question that I cannot at this point answer about this chapter (or one question about a verse or set of verses within the chapter):

3. List one thing that this chapter (or a verse or a set of verses within this chapter) reveals about God.

4. List one way in which this chapter (or a verse or set of verses within this chapter) can be applied to my life.

We have found that answering these four questions has helped us not read the Bible like mere drones, mindlessly performing the duty of Bible reading. Answering these questions requires full attention, meditation, and reflection.

You will find that some chapters of the Bible make answering these four questions quite difficult. The purpose is not necessarily to always have a great answer for each of the questions, but rather to simply stimulate the mind and heart to at least attempt an answer so that your reading of the word is not merely mechanical. Anyway, I hope that this will be as much help to some of you as it has been to Kristal and I.

And the most wonderful thing about being a Christian is that if you fail to uphold your New Year’s resolutions, you do not have to wait until January 1, 2011 to start it up again.

While I was at college I was holding one of my friends accountable to reading the Bible on a daily basis. One night we went to a basketball game that was being held on campus. While at the game I asked him how his Bible reading was going. He ashamedly said, “I was lazy this morning. I just couldn’t get out of bed. I totally blew it.” I responded to him, “What are you talking about?! It is only 8 pm; you still have like 4 hours before you go to bed.”

The most important thing to remember regarding resolutions is that we do not need a certain time or day to pick up where we left off.

I must warn, however, that the greatest danger in making resolutions is making our perfect performance in keeping these resolutions the center of our joy and assurance when our joy and assurance should be coming from the perfect performance of Christ (including both his life and cross work).

I would like to draw your attention to an article written by Burke Parsons (at the Ligonier blog) on the topic of resolutions. I found it to be quite good. Click here to read it.

Oh yeah, and I wouldn’t mind losing a few pounds in 2010 either.

A few weeks ago I put up a post directing you to a sermon I preached on the topic of angels. Well… I finally uploaded the second part of this message on angels. The subject of angels is so very important primarily because there are so many dangerously unbiblical ideas of angels roaming around out there in our culture. I strongly urge you to watch the sermon video.

Here are the links to the video, sermon manuscript, and audio.

Angels: Servants and Worshippers (Part II)
Hebrews 1:1-14
December 13, 2009
Video | Text | Audio

I want to direct your attention to two articles that have recently been posted in regard to the discipline of listening. Often times the Sunday morning sermon is seen as a ‘one man show’. It is a time where the preacher labors to ‘do his thing’ while the folks in the pew sit back to enjoy the  performance. This, however, is a poor view of a community-based pursuit of truth.

I have actually been incredibly blessed by a congregation which listens with both mind and heart. Nonetheless, whenever the topic of preaching comes up in Christian circles, the emphasis is generally always laid squarely on the shoulders of the preacher and hardly ever on the shoulders of the listener. This is partly understandable (after all, the listener needs something to listen to) and partly tragic (because of God’s emphasis in Scripture on hearing His word through His messengers). This is why I find it worthwhile to  direct your attention to these two articles on the discipline of listening. The first article is written by Jim Elliff, Hearing Aids for Believers. Click here to read it. The second is by Tim Challies, Being a Diligent Listener. Click here to read it. Enjoy!

I want to draw your attention to a sermon I preached on the subject of angels. I am going to be doing a Part II to this message next week. We live in a culture which exalts angelic and spiritual beings oftentimes above God Himself. Our culture is unfortunately obsessed with angels to the point of idolatry. My purpose in this sermon is to build an introductory understanding of what God’s word has to say about angels. I highly urge you to consider this very important topic in a world that more often than not finds itself being awed more by creatures than by the Creator.

I want to expound upon something that I discussed in the sermon. I mentioned the fact that angels are God’s agents of judgment. We find them all over the place in the book of Revelation. In fact, it is just a simple fact that the book of Revelation is the bloodiest book in the Bible. The blood that is being shed in Revelation is the blood of the enemies of God and His people. But it is vital to note that it is the angels who are shedding this blood. God sends them out as agents of judgment–they do His bidding. Jesus Christ surely bought and secured our redemption on the cross of Calvary, but our redemption will be fully consummated upon the final destruction of the enemies of God and His people at the return of Jesus Christ. And the final defeat of the enemies of God and His people will happen through the agency of angels. Thus, the angels do play a central role in God’s plan of redemption. And yet, if angels are that powerful and majestic, how much more majestic is the One who created them; yea… how much more majestic is the One whom they worship and serve!

Here is the sermon:

Angels: Servants and Worshippers (Part I)
Hebrews 1:1-14
December 6, 2009
Video | Text | Audio

New Testament Scholar, Dr. Ben Witherington III (to the left), has just put up a post on his blog demolishing most of our modern day misreadings of the Christmas story as it is laid forth in Scripture (primarily in regard to the Christmas narrative in Matthew 2 and Luke 2). I highly recommend the post. It is incredibly interesting, insightful, and easy to read. If you want read it, click here.

1 Timothy 3, understood within the context of Paul’s First Letter to Timothy at large, and 1 Corinthians 14 both serve to convince me of the need for structure in the local church. Without such structure, and especially in light of the bigger picture of 1 Timothy, there is no way to protect God’s people against wolves in sheep’s clothing. May the people of God be ever watchful to not follow ‘every wind of doctrine.’ (Ephesians 4:14). Notice from the context of Ephesians 4 how the church is to protect itself against being “blown around by every wind of doctrine”: it can only be done when the saints of God are committed to mutual edification in the context of a structured body of Spirit-empowered individuals. A growth that is not pursued ‘together’ is not true growth. I do not at this moment possess it, but I am seriously thinking about picking myself up a copy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s seminal work, Life Together.

I was watching Fox and Friends this morning as I was pouring a cup of hot coffee. I got caught up in what I was watching and accidentally overfilled my cup. As you could imagine, it didn’t take long before my fingers began to swell.

Unfortunately, the hot coffee poured right over my ring finger. I immediately slipped my wedding ring off before my finger began to swell. I have had to take my wedding ring off various times throughout my marriage. Whenever I do, I feel naked.

As I was standing at the sink this morning, running my hand under icy cold water, I began to think about husbands who do not wear their wedding ring. Some men are not allowed to wear wedding rings at work, others do not wear their wedding ring because it is uncomfortable, others refrain because they do not like jewelry, while others do not because they have simply put on a few too many pounds.

Now those who cannot wear their ring because of work related obligations, no dirt ought to be slung your way so long as you slip it on as soon as you clock out. However, for the rest of you schlumps who do not wear your wedding ring; whatever your reason may be, knock it off. If you have packed on a few pounds since the day you said your vows, get a treadmill, get familiar with Jenny Craig, and lose some weight or buy a bigger ring. If you don’t have money to buy a bigger ring, get a side job delivering pizzas until you can afford one. In the meantime, where a bread tie or something (and I am serious).

If you do not wear your ring because it is uncomfortable and you don’t like jewelry, take one for the team. Put it on your finger. If it makes you bleed, always have on your person of  box tissues and a bottle of aspirin. The ache on your finger will only last as long as your physical life.

If you don’t have fingers, get a tattoo. If you think that tattoos are sinful, don’t add rules to the Bible.

There is no reason why a man should not be advertising himself as ’sold’ if he has entered into a covenantal relationship with one of God’s daughters. Women find comfort in knowing that their men are pleased to advertise themselves as ‘mine.’  You need to do whatever it takes to give that to her.

As soon as the swelling in my hand goes down, the ring will find its way back on my finger. In the meantime I will carry it in my pocket. The indent on my finger, highlighted by the redness of the coffee burn will be sufficient to serve as a backup. As soon as the swelling in my finger subsides enough for me to slip the ring back on, we will be back in business.

If you need a new ring for whatever reason, you might want to think about getting a wedding ring for yourself for your wife for Christmas. I guarantee you, your wife will appreciate a ring on your finger, advertising yourself as ‘her’s’, much more than she would appreciate a new broom, apron, or dish drying rack (typical male-driven gifts).

Wearing your wedding ring will not guarantee that you are ’set’ as a good husband, but it is the little, everyday things that will set the tone for your marriage.

And if you are a faithful ring wearer, remind your wife from time to time why wearing your ring is so important to you. Tell her how proud you are to advertise yourself as ‘her’s’.

Since Thanksgiving is two short days away, I want to draw your attention to the last two sermons that I preached on the topic of Thanks-giving. Two weeks ago I preached a sermon, Give Thanks In Everything… Literally, from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, and this past Sunday I preached a sermon, Paul’s Big Fat Sigh, from 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:10. I trust that the Spirit of God will use these messages to both challenge and encourage you this Thanksgiving season.

Give Thanks In Everything… Literally
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
November 15, 2009
Video | Text | Audio

Paul’s Big Fat Sigh
1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:10
November 22, 2009
Video | Text | Audio

Happy Thanksgiving!

Consider what C.H. Spurgeon, the great 19th Century British preacher–known as the “Prince of Preachers,” had to say about the power of God’s word in the preaching of the Gospel. I hope that those who do not frequent a pulpit with a sermon will understand that preaching the word of God is not always (and most certainly is usually not) done behind a pulpit. Most preaching is done in the home with your children, in the car with your spouse, at work with your coworkers, at the thanksgiving table with your extended family, and at the supermarket with the punk taking your money. Preaching the word is not always done from believer to non-believer, but also from believer to believer. I think that some non-pulpit preachers (a distinction must be made and yet we are all preachers to at least one degree or another) struggle with the power of God’s word more than some pulpit preachers. Some people think that the word of God is only powerful and effective if it is coming out of a certain man’s qualified voice. NO! The word of God is effective and powerful to save no matter what vocal chords are ringing its truth so long as it is done in the power of the Spirit.

I play a large part in the youth ministry at the church I pastor, and one of my utmost goals is to teach these youths (or if I were Joe Pesci in “My Cousin Vinny” I would call them ‘Youts’) that they are just as full of the Spirit as any man or woman with grey hair. Their preaching of the Gospel, even in their youth, is just as effective as John Piper’s or Martin Luther’s. In fact, I remind them, the same Spirit that indwelt the Apostle Peter, enabling him to preach that heart rending sermon in Acts 2, lives within you as well. Anyway, enough of me… here is some Spurgeon.

“Beloved, have genuine faith in the Word of God, and in its power to save. Do not go up into the pulpit preaching the truth and saying, ‘I hope some good will come of it;’ but confidently believe that it will not return void, bust must work the eternal purposes of God. Do not speak as if the gospel might have some power, or might have none. God sends you to be a miracle-worker, say to the spiritually lame, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk,’ and men will rise up and walk; but if you say, ‘I hope, dear man, that Jesus Christ may be able to make you rise up and walk,’ your Lord will frown upon your dishonoring words. You have lowered Him, you have brought Him down to the level of your unbelief; and He cannot do many might works by you. Speak boldly; for if you speak by the Holy Spirit, you cannot speak in vain.”*

Do you believe that God can use you? As Spurgeon warns; do not ‘bring Him down to the level of your unbelief.’

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* Charles Spurgeon, An All Round Ministry (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1900), 343.