The Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ is fast becoming, for me, the most exciting book in all the sacred volume!
The highly symbolic apocalyptic genre, in which these brilliant, radiant visions are wrapped, is a joy to unfold indeed.
The key thing being, I believe, the phrase, "in the spirit".
Not only does John see a vision...this he does – and, in that, many of them. But he takes part in the very fabric of these marvellous moving pictures. He becomes an actor in the story line of this final volume of Holy Writ.
This is vital in our appreciation of this pristine, prophetic epistle because it will iron out some of the creases of erroneous, speculative exegesis pertaining to the Revelation needing to be taken as literal.
John literally sees and experiences everything exactly as he says (writes) it. That is a given. But these visions of which he is himself a character must be interpreted in light of their intended associations. Rooted deeply and richly in the Old Testament Scriptures, Revelation draws its contentual imagery from the vast and rich sum of ancient sacred soil.
The first audience would immediately have grasped this.
The section we unpacked this Lord's Day past was chapter 10:1-11. Connected, of course with all that has gone before it, especially with respect to the 8th and 9th chapters, as well as leading on, in its meaning, to what follows, this section gives us none other than a re-affirmation of the Great Commission given to John on Patmos so as to encourage this suffering but stalwart saint of God to get up and get going again in the very purpose for which he was exiled in the first place...the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ - that is preaching the gospel!
Not only will John derive comfort from this portion, and that, again, to preach Christ risen and coming again, but each and every one of his audience, then and now, who too suffer for their faith will and must so draw from this holy spring sustenance and strength to ‘surf the prophetic wave all the way to the shore line’.
And so, in our text, Christ comes to John in the form of a mighty angel. (Either this is Christ or an actual angel - either way he, at very least, acts the part of Christ...note the descriptions he carries!) ‘Wrapped in a cloud’, ‘face’ shining ‘like the sun’, ‘rainbow over his head’ etc.
All of this is meant to bring our hearts and minds to familiar Biblical imagery!
Furthermore, this ‘mighty angel’ has a ‘little scroll’ (now called ‘little’ in contrast to the gigantic angelic holder thereof) in his right hand...not closed but opened! I wonder why…not!
Chapters 6ff tell us why. Christ, the Lamb/Lion took the seven-sealed scroll and, with specific reference to the conquest of the cross, has become worthy of opening its seals, all seven of them!
God's entire redemptive purpose is here meant and this is only possible by the life, death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour!
So He, Jesus, rides off ‘conquering and to conquer’ (white horse)! This then leads to all manner of suffering unique and general that the Church must expect as par for the course.
Chapter 7 sends our minds to the positive protective side of this coin, the Church militant being sealed on their foreheads, and ends with the Church triumphant in glory resting, at last, in her Bridegroom’s arms.
Chapter 8 brings us back to the beginning of the New Covenant age with all the prayers of the saints, perfected by Christ’s intercession, ascending into the very throne room of God.
These are not only answered by God in powerful ways, but used of Him, as instrumental agencies, in the unfolding of His eternal redemptive and damning decree. From these prayers and in direct association with them come the seven trumpets of judgment...judgment, yes, but not final judgment...at least not until the seventh of these is brought to the fore (11:15ff).
These destroy ‘a third’ of the different parts of the universe and are given as parables of perdition so as to call the wicked to repentance...thus enhancing their culpableness if unheeded.
We must discern herein all the suffering of the wicked as coming from God Himself, without exception, as ‘mini-hell's’ until the real deal hits like a bare fist in the resurrected faces of the impenitent.
God is calling to repentance, with arms wide open, all sinners who will hear...this He does in these terrible, but not final, parabolic foretastes of wrath! (See Rom 1:18ff).
Chapter 10 then brings with this mighty angel (Christ - I believe) the oath to the Father (representing the Trinity) that there will be no more delay! Next in the chronological clock is chapter 11:15...however this is yet a little while away...at least as far as content and imagery goes. But the next aspect, unless the angel is ‘telling tales’, is the final judgment (the seventh trumpet).
Something important, however, remains to be said before this culminatory act of God in the Second Advent and judgment therein. This is to, quite simply, push 'pause' as it were, and that so as to call John to ‘go, take the scroll’ (once sealed, now fully opened - describing the seals and trumpets) and to ‘eat it’ (digest it fully himself), and then to ‘prophesy’ it!
This is none other than a re-enactment of the Great Commission that John had been party to receiving so many decades before, this time from the now (then) perspective of this struggling and frail apostle.
He is re-commissioned!
We are herein too re-commissioned!
Whenever we are feeling at the end of our rope…no matter how much we are suffering, this is to be interpreted as normative Christian experience!
Our prayers are heard in our trials and persecutions and even used of God in the unfolding of His eternal decree. The trumpets are how God answers and stands up for His bride against her enemies this side of the Grand Finale!
We must preach this!
This alone is Christianity!
Tell the Church what to expect and what to do in the face of suffering...that is, to get up and get going! God is yet your strength and shield!!!
Tell the devils people (all non-Christians) that all their suffering is from the hand of a very involved and blatantly busy God!
Whether He uses Satan (Job) or other demonic agencies, or people - ultimately all are His servants!
With all this right interpreting of life to the world remember all the while that ‘the gate is narrow’ and most will still reject God and curse Him to His face! That is not our problem ultimately...our business is to be faithful!
On the day of Judgment all these will not only have to give an account for their association with, and part in, the sin of our first parents, and that in the fall; not only will they have to explain their wholesale embrace of their sinful nature; not merely of all their actual sins committed in this life; not only will they have to answer for their further denial of God, albeit having heard and supressed the trumpets of general revelation in their every ounce of pain and torment throughout this life; but, more so, they will be irreparably culpable in that they have heard the preaching of the Word (little scroll) that explains God's calling to them in all their experiences and that in the view of Christ and His accomplishment on the Cross!
This, I believe, is the meaning of the angel and the little scroll!
What a glorious text indeed!
Preach it to everyone!!!
"You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings."
God be praised completely!!!
Showing posts with label KBC Compass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KBC Compass. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
All things for good!
This morning I began to preach through Romans 8:28-30, and I will be finishing that message tonight.
It is part 5 in a series entitled (within the larger epistle) 'Assurance of Glorification'. This particular message received the subtitle 'All things for good' - my points being 1. What bold statement does Paul here make? (V 28) 2. What evidence does he bring to the table? (V 29) 3. What practacle help does this give me? (Matt 6:19ff, Jas 5:10-11).
We saw that the definite group that the apostle has in mind have primarily two descriptions, namely, 'those who love God,' firstly, and then, 'those who are called according to His purpose'.
The latter objective truth is the reason and cause for the former subjective experience. We love Him because He first loved us! This love for God is, again, the subjective aspect that we must seek to either identify within ourselves or discover to be absent. Not to say that we love Him well or sufficiently, far from it, but that we are, with Paul, grieved and groaning and mournful about the fact that we don't as we ought!
Such is a manifestation of this love for God that all true saints should be able to identify within them!
These, as already stated, do so because they are called according to His purpose (eternal decree) and that has, implicitly, its basis as just that - His purpose alone!!!
We are not called according to His prescience (foreknowledge) of what we would do etc. But according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His own will always and without exception!
This then brings us to ask and so answer the question what does this ‘all things’ entail?
The context makes plain that it refers, firstly, to the sufferings of this life. Whether internal (7:24) or external (8:18, 35ff) - however you slice it - sufferings in every conceivable sense are meant.
This however does not limit the intent of 'all things' as some minimalist exegetes may assume. Each and every action, thought, word or aspiration of each and every creature, animate and inanimate, physical or spiritual, visible or invisible must be seen as included in this all-encompassing statement!
The occasion doesn’t limit the ‘clout’ of the theological truth drawn on to meet its specific end!
The all things then are just that 'ALL THINGS'!
God providentially oversees the unfolding of His eternal decree right down to the most evil aspects, and the most seemingly mundane as well. All this without being Himself contaminated in any way whatsoever by the evil therein or, in any sense, taking away the fact that the creature is fully culpable and accountable for his actions that He, the just Judge will hold him to, and call him to give an account for.
So all things work together for good! What is here meant by good? Simply Christlikeness as verse 29 expounds clearly!
Conformity to the image of Christ is the overarching and supreme goal of glorification and that all to God's glory alone! See Job!
By way of an explanation or so as to prove or provide evidence for the bold assertion above the apostle presents the ‘ordo solutis’ (order of salvation) which stretches all the way back to the eternal, intrinsic, free and sovereign love of God for some of Adams fallen race.
This is what the phrase 'those whom He foreknew' means. Not 'that which He foreknew' or 'those whom He foreknew would do this or that (believe/love Him etc.),' but those (themselves) whom He foreknew.
These He also predestined (all of them without exception) and that to be conformed to complete Christ-like-perfection. And incidentally, He will accomplish all His eternal will! (Dan 4:34-35). He gets what He sovereignly decrees!
These same foreknown individuals who have all been predestined by God unto complete Christlikeness He also (without dropping so much as one of them) effectually called…savingly granting faith, repentance, eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to respond favourably to His gospel call.
Every one of those foreknown, predestined to Christlikeness, and called ones say 'yes Lord' to His compelling call and are so (without exception) Justified on the basis of the true atonement of Christ. His righteousness is eternally and so irreversibly traded for their wretchedness by the ‘imputational’ swap that occurs the moment they, by grace, believe.
These foreknown, predestined to be fully Christ like, effectually called, and irreversibly justified ones - each of them, without any falling through the proverbial ‘cracks’, are also, from God's perspective already glorified. This has not yet happened in our lives and even in the case of our departed loved ones, who’s spirits are made perfect, this ultimate hope of glorification will only reach its apex at the second advent of our Saviour and Lord. Suffice it to say that this, as God has eternally planned/decreed/purposed it is as good as done!
All things work together to this ultimate and un-derail-able end of perfect Christ like holiness and glorification. This is progressively realized in the season of sanctification that precedes its fulfilment, but is only fully realized when we enter the judgment through the resurrection, that which itself presents, in our case, the favourable verdict of ‘not guilty’!
This is a tremendous basis and precious hope kindling promise for our glorification to come!
If we love God - as we all do who are truly His - then this is only because He first loved (knew) us! And if this be the case it is absolutely certain that He will perfect the good work He has unilaterally and Omni-potently begun in us (glorification)!
Salvation is all of God and all of grace!
What practacle lessons may now be gleaned?
Simply that if this is God's bent...His passion...His driving interest, namely our sanctification to the ultimate goal of our glorification (complete Christlikeness), then surely we ought to 'join' Him in His purpose to make us like Christ.
So let us not gather treasures on earth - at all! Even our families can be treasures in the wrong sense! Job's weren’t. He, while he had them, offered sacrifices faithfully on their behalf. He was a good dad! When God, through Satan, took them Job responded in a proper manner - the only proper manner! (I have no harshness in my tone as I write these sobering truths).
When we read James' account of Jobs life we may be surprised to find that his narrative may be used as an opportunity to show off the gracious dealings of God in the lives of His children! But if Christlikeness is in view...this apparent problem is quickly resolved.
God is more concerned about our character (Christlikeness) than our comfort (immediate), and more concerned about our holiness (Christlikeness, again) than our happiness (immediate). I add ‘immediate’ for the fact that ultimate comfort and happiness will be synonymous with the former virtues and even now, in part, somewhat coincide!
Let us set our minds on the things that God is after!
Let us give ourselves completely to this end alone!
And let us long for His coming and as it is written in the Revelation of our Lord Jesus say with the Spirit (who is constantly saying, even praying [Rom 8:26-27] to this end), "Come Lord Jesus!"
Praise God forever!!! He alone is worthy!!!
It is part 5 in a series entitled (within the larger epistle) 'Assurance of Glorification'. This particular message received the subtitle 'All things for good' - my points being 1. What bold statement does Paul here make? (V 28) 2. What evidence does he bring to the table? (V 29) 3. What practacle help does this give me? (Matt 6:19ff, Jas 5:10-11).
We saw that the definite group that the apostle has in mind have primarily two descriptions, namely, 'those who love God,' firstly, and then, 'those who are called according to His purpose'.
The latter objective truth is the reason and cause for the former subjective experience. We love Him because He first loved us! This love for God is, again, the subjective aspect that we must seek to either identify within ourselves or discover to be absent. Not to say that we love Him well or sufficiently, far from it, but that we are, with Paul, grieved and groaning and mournful about the fact that we don't as we ought!
Such is a manifestation of this love for God that all true saints should be able to identify within them!
These, as already stated, do so because they are called according to His purpose (eternal decree) and that has, implicitly, its basis as just that - His purpose alone!!!
We are not called according to His prescience (foreknowledge) of what we would do etc. But according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His own will always and without exception!
This then brings us to ask and so answer the question what does this ‘all things’ entail?
The context makes plain that it refers, firstly, to the sufferings of this life. Whether internal (7:24) or external (8:18, 35ff) - however you slice it - sufferings in every conceivable sense are meant.
This however does not limit the intent of 'all things' as some minimalist exegetes may assume. Each and every action, thought, word or aspiration of each and every creature, animate and inanimate, physical or spiritual, visible or invisible must be seen as included in this all-encompassing statement!
The occasion doesn’t limit the ‘clout’ of the theological truth drawn on to meet its specific end!
The all things then are just that 'ALL THINGS'!
God providentially oversees the unfolding of His eternal decree right down to the most evil aspects, and the most seemingly mundane as well. All this without being Himself contaminated in any way whatsoever by the evil therein or, in any sense, taking away the fact that the creature is fully culpable and accountable for his actions that He, the just Judge will hold him to, and call him to give an account for.
So all things work together for good! What is here meant by good? Simply Christlikeness as verse 29 expounds clearly!
Conformity to the image of Christ is the overarching and supreme goal of glorification and that all to God's glory alone! See Job!
By way of an explanation or so as to prove or provide evidence for the bold assertion above the apostle presents the ‘ordo solutis’ (order of salvation) which stretches all the way back to the eternal, intrinsic, free and sovereign love of God for some of Adams fallen race.
This is what the phrase 'those whom He foreknew' means. Not 'that which He foreknew' or 'those whom He foreknew would do this or that (believe/love Him etc.),' but those (themselves) whom He foreknew.
These He also predestined (all of them without exception) and that to be conformed to complete Christ-like-perfection. And incidentally, He will accomplish all His eternal will! (Dan 4:34-35). He gets what He sovereignly decrees!
These same foreknown individuals who have all been predestined by God unto complete Christlikeness He also (without dropping so much as one of them) effectually called…savingly granting faith, repentance, eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to respond favourably to His gospel call.
Every one of those foreknown, predestined to Christlikeness, and called ones say 'yes Lord' to His compelling call and are so (without exception) Justified on the basis of the true atonement of Christ. His righteousness is eternally and so irreversibly traded for their wretchedness by the ‘imputational’ swap that occurs the moment they, by grace, believe.
These foreknown, predestined to be fully Christ like, effectually called, and irreversibly justified ones - each of them, without any falling through the proverbial ‘cracks’, are also, from God's perspective already glorified. This has not yet happened in our lives and even in the case of our departed loved ones, who’s spirits are made perfect, this ultimate hope of glorification will only reach its apex at the second advent of our Saviour and Lord. Suffice it to say that this, as God has eternally planned/decreed/purposed it is as good as done!
All things work together to this ultimate and un-derail-able end of perfect Christ like holiness and glorification. This is progressively realized in the season of sanctification that precedes its fulfilment, but is only fully realized when we enter the judgment through the resurrection, that which itself presents, in our case, the favourable verdict of ‘not guilty’!
This is a tremendous basis and precious hope kindling promise for our glorification to come!
If we love God - as we all do who are truly His - then this is only because He first loved (knew) us! And if this be the case it is absolutely certain that He will perfect the good work He has unilaterally and Omni-potently begun in us (glorification)!
Salvation is all of God and all of grace!
What practacle lessons may now be gleaned?
Simply that if this is God's bent...His passion...His driving interest, namely our sanctification to the ultimate goal of our glorification (complete Christlikeness), then surely we ought to 'join' Him in His purpose to make us like Christ.
So let us not gather treasures on earth - at all! Even our families can be treasures in the wrong sense! Job's weren’t. He, while he had them, offered sacrifices faithfully on their behalf. He was a good dad! When God, through Satan, took them Job responded in a proper manner - the only proper manner! (I have no harshness in my tone as I write these sobering truths).
When we read James' account of Jobs life we may be surprised to find that his narrative may be used as an opportunity to show off the gracious dealings of God in the lives of His children! But if Christlikeness is in view...this apparent problem is quickly resolved.
God is more concerned about our character (Christlikeness) than our comfort (immediate), and more concerned about our holiness (Christlikeness, again) than our happiness (immediate). I add ‘immediate’ for the fact that ultimate comfort and happiness will be synonymous with the former virtues and even now, in part, somewhat coincide!
Let us set our minds on the things that God is after!
Let us give ourselves completely to this end alone!
And let us long for His coming and as it is written in the Revelation of our Lord Jesus say with the Spirit (who is constantly saying, even praying [Rom 8:26-27] to this end), "Come Lord Jesus!"
Praise God forever!!! He alone is worthy!!!
Monday, July 25, 2011
The Indwelling Intercessor/Hear what the Spirit says to the Churches!
What a Saviour! What a God! Father, Son and Holy Spirit! I'm so glad He came to save me!
Yesterday morning I preached on Romans 8:26-27 which I gave the ongoing title, 'Assurance of Glorification' (part4 - this time) - subtitled, 'The Indwelling Intercessor'.
We looked at the fact that 1. We are weak and need help! 2. God the Holy Spirit comes to our aid! 3. God the Father always says 'yes' to the Holy Spirit's perfect prayers!
What blessed me was the fact that Paul includes himself in this honest acknowledgment of human weakness and all round frailty (Rom 7:24 continued really) and that even down to his prayers – the vehicle of expression with regard to all of life’s concerns.
If Paul was weak, as he was, and if this was okay, as it is (not an excuse to be lazy and passive – but perspective that ‘oozes’ comfort for the fact of its universal truth!) then little old 'I' am in good company for being weak too! Paul needed the prayers of his brethren, so do I etc.
Especially, and more honoring to the immediate context, however, Paul, the church in Rome, and all saints in all ages with them need the intercessory (prayer) aid of the almighty Holy Spirit.
Good news...He comes to meet that very need in our lives!
The very groaning’s that we experience, the aches and cravings - those heavenly aspirations for holiness and to be all that Christ has called us to be for Him and His glory - is proof positive of the Holy Spirits presence in our hearts!
But it goes further!
These self-same groaning’s are caused within our hearts (the arena of activity) by Him and ought to bring to the forefront of our minds the fact that He is about His holy business of ‘inter-Trinitarian-communion’ on our behalf.
He is praying to the Father for us!
Now these prayers, are they of a positive or a negative nature? Seriously the question is even silly because of the obvious answer - yet worth the time to highlight the obvious and so perhaps therefore taken for granted.
Let’s see, we are weak and need help. Otherwise stated we are insufficient, broken, leaking, flat (something less than sufficient) - He (God the Holy Spirit) comes to help (not harm) us!
It's positive!
More so, He intercedes for the saints (whom He has come to help!) according to the will of the Father (entire Godhead really) who is - by the way - "for us" (see verse 31)!
So what have we seen?
God the Father, obviously, says 'yes' to the very things He Himself wants (‘will of God’ prayers articulated to Him by God the Holy Spirit who is praying the Fathers will).
God the Holy Spirit cannot pray amiss! He never errs! He utters perfect prayers that the Father always answers in the absolute affirmative!
And now ‘connect the holy dots’...which are all ‘for’ and not against us!
These Holy Spirit prayed prayers are all for our good, help and, in short, becoming all that God wants of us - absolute conformity to the image of His Son!
Just this one text alone, if all Scripture besides were lost to us, would suffice for the thinking Christian to have absolute assurance of salvation!
We cannot ever lose our salvation!
We must rejoice in the assurance of Glorification that this Indwelling Intercessor doctrine brings in its wake!
Praise God forever!
Last night we summed up the seven letters to the seven churches of the Revelation (Ch. 2-3) and my message was entitled, 'To all pastors of all churches in all ages', subtitled, 'Hear what the Spirit says to the churches'.
The end of the matter came to us in the following questions being answered. 1. How does Christ want us to think of Him? 2. What pleases Christ? 3. What displeases Him? 4. What will be the outcome for those who refuse to heed His warnings? 5. What will be the outcome for those who overcome?
We had a heart searching time together and recommitted our lives individually and as a church family to His cause and glory alone.
The gist – worship Him in spirit and truth! Love God with all you are and have and your neighbour as yourself!
However you ‘slice it’ - authentic inside-out heart religion along with sound doctrine is absolutely vital. No compromise with sin ever! We need to learn to be righteously intolerant of sin in our own lives as well as the lives of others…patient, indeed, with penitent, failing brethren but disciplining impenitent pretenders promptly so as to guard the purity and holiness of the church of our precious Saviour.
We need a new fear of Christ in our churches!
“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Eccl 12:13-14)
All glory to Him and Him alone!
Yesterday morning I preached on Romans 8:26-27 which I gave the ongoing title, 'Assurance of Glorification' (part4 - this time) - subtitled, 'The Indwelling Intercessor'.
We looked at the fact that 1. We are weak and need help! 2. God the Holy Spirit comes to our aid! 3. God the Father always says 'yes' to the Holy Spirit's perfect prayers!
What blessed me was the fact that Paul includes himself in this honest acknowledgment of human weakness and all round frailty (Rom 7:24 continued really) and that even down to his prayers – the vehicle of expression with regard to all of life’s concerns.
If Paul was weak, as he was, and if this was okay, as it is (not an excuse to be lazy and passive – but perspective that ‘oozes’ comfort for the fact of its universal truth!) then little old 'I' am in good company for being weak too! Paul needed the prayers of his brethren, so do I etc.
Especially, and more honoring to the immediate context, however, Paul, the church in Rome, and all saints in all ages with them need the intercessory (prayer) aid of the almighty Holy Spirit.
Good news...He comes to meet that very need in our lives!
The very groaning’s that we experience, the aches and cravings - those heavenly aspirations for holiness and to be all that Christ has called us to be for Him and His glory - is proof positive of the Holy Spirits presence in our hearts!
But it goes further!
These self-same groaning’s are caused within our hearts (the arena of activity) by Him and ought to bring to the forefront of our minds the fact that He is about His holy business of ‘inter-Trinitarian-communion’ on our behalf.
He is praying to the Father for us!
Now these prayers, are they of a positive or a negative nature? Seriously the question is even silly because of the obvious answer - yet worth the time to highlight the obvious and so perhaps therefore taken for granted.
Let’s see, we are weak and need help. Otherwise stated we are insufficient, broken, leaking, flat (something less than sufficient) - He (God the Holy Spirit) comes to help (not harm) us!
It's positive!
More so, He intercedes for the saints (whom He has come to help!) according to the will of the Father (entire Godhead really) who is - by the way - "for us" (see verse 31)!
So what have we seen?
God the Father, obviously, says 'yes' to the very things He Himself wants (‘will of God’ prayers articulated to Him by God the Holy Spirit who is praying the Fathers will).
God the Holy Spirit cannot pray amiss! He never errs! He utters perfect prayers that the Father always answers in the absolute affirmative!
And now ‘connect the holy dots’...which are all ‘for’ and not against us!
These Holy Spirit prayed prayers are all for our good, help and, in short, becoming all that God wants of us - absolute conformity to the image of His Son!
Just this one text alone, if all Scripture besides were lost to us, would suffice for the thinking Christian to have absolute assurance of salvation!
We cannot ever lose our salvation!
We must rejoice in the assurance of Glorification that this Indwelling Intercessor doctrine brings in its wake!
Praise God forever!
Last night we summed up the seven letters to the seven churches of the Revelation (Ch. 2-3) and my message was entitled, 'To all pastors of all churches in all ages', subtitled, 'Hear what the Spirit says to the churches'.
The end of the matter came to us in the following questions being answered. 1. How does Christ want us to think of Him? 2. What pleases Christ? 3. What displeases Him? 4. What will be the outcome for those who refuse to heed His warnings? 5. What will be the outcome for those who overcome?
We had a heart searching time together and recommitted our lives individually and as a church family to His cause and glory alone.
The gist – worship Him in spirit and truth! Love God with all you are and have and your neighbour as yourself!
However you ‘slice it’ - authentic inside-out heart religion along with sound doctrine is absolutely vital. No compromise with sin ever! We need to learn to be righteously intolerant of sin in our own lives as well as the lives of others…patient, indeed, with penitent, failing brethren but disciplining impenitent pretenders promptly so as to guard the purity and holiness of the church of our precious Saviour.
We need a new fear of Christ in our churches!
“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Eccl 12:13-14)
All glory to Him and Him alone!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Incarnate Deity - Full of Grace and Truth
This morning, really yesterday morning by now, we had a baptism service at KBC and I have decided to preach the gospel of John at baptism services...focussing, as my overarching title has it, on 'Life in His Name' from the purpose statement found in verses 30-31 of chapter 20.
Lifting up Christ and seeking to demonstrate something of His resplendent glory is my desire.
We examined the first 18 verses of chapter 1 under the title, 'Incarnate Deity', and subtitled, 'Full of Grace and Truth.'
The gist was utterly redemptive and sought to highlight the fact that creation is something of a parable, albeit entirely real and actual occurrence based, of redemption! Christ, being the Light who enlightens, gives light etc. is to be seen as so doing in a general sense as far as it involved the first creation...but more so with respect to the new creation as in salvation from the darkness of the world system under Satan’s rule and so from sin and hell!
Christ, the Word, the true Light is the active agent in both creation and redemption, with the other members of the Holy Trinity.
He is God's perfect revelation of Himself, being eternally and fully God. He takes upon Himself full humanity, exactly like ours, yet without sin, and then as the God Man brings to the fore the new creation and that in His own person and work.
Seeing Christ is everything…for "no one has ever seen God, the only God, who is at the Fathers side, He has made Him known!"
Christ has made Him known! Who but God can reveal God in this full revelatory sense? Who but God can be full of grace and truth? Who but God can be partaken of in an undiminished sense as it is written, "…of His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace"?
The fact of His 'Incarnate Deity' has been, I trust, a source of great joy to us!
God bless all who are needy!
Lifting up Christ and seeking to demonstrate something of His resplendent glory is my desire.
We examined the first 18 verses of chapter 1 under the title, 'Incarnate Deity', and subtitled, 'Full of Grace and Truth.'
The gist was utterly redemptive and sought to highlight the fact that creation is something of a parable, albeit entirely real and actual occurrence based, of redemption! Christ, being the Light who enlightens, gives light etc. is to be seen as so doing in a general sense as far as it involved the first creation...but more so with respect to the new creation as in salvation from the darkness of the world system under Satan’s rule and so from sin and hell!
Christ, the Word, the true Light is the active agent in both creation and redemption, with the other members of the Holy Trinity.
He is God's perfect revelation of Himself, being eternally and fully God. He takes upon Himself full humanity, exactly like ours, yet without sin, and then as the God Man brings to the fore the new creation and that in His own person and work.
Seeing Christ is everything…for "no one has ever seen God, the only God, who is at the Fathers side, He has made Him known!"
Christ has made Him known! Who but God can reveal God in this full revelatory sense? Who but God can be full of grace and truth? Who but God can be partaken of in an undiminished sense as it is written, "…of His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace"?
The fact of His 'Incarnate Deity' has been, I trust, a source of great joy to us!
God bless all who are needy!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
That Book in your lap/Let Me in
This morning we looked at that well known and loved passage in the second epistle to Timothy chapter 3 and verses 16 through 17.
My message was entitled 'That Book in your lap' subtitled, 'What Satan doesn't want you to know about the Bible'.
There were essentially 7 points that were gleaned from the text namely: 1. All Scripture is all Scripture. 2. All Scripture is God breathed. 3. All Scripture is authoritative. 4. All Scripture is profitable. 5. All Scripture is accessible. 6. All Scripture is perfect. 7. All Scripture is sufficient.
We ‘landed’ with reference to the 15th verse which highlights the fact that Christ is the Word of God become flesh and that 'all Scripture' is either about Him in a forward looking sense or, from the New Covenant's perspective, looking back to the historical person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The challenge was for us to not take for granted ‘that Book in our laps’ but to marvel, and that ever increasingly so, at the grace and love of God in graciously giving us His holy Word!
The evening's message was preached from Revelation 3:14-22.
As a title, 'The Letter to the Pastor of the Church in Laodicea', subtitled, 'Let Me in'.
The gist being that this church, and they were His church in spite of their failing to be all they could and should have been, had come to the point of slowly but surely excommunicating Christ from their fellowship and that due to their economic ‘wealth’ and pseudo ‘success’ causing within them a degree of independence. Their great sin was that they were sinfully self-sufficient and so had no need of Christ really, at least in their evident, albeit unbeknown to them, estimation of it.
He is found outside the church, as it were, knocking. This has nothing to do with the gospel, as in evangelizing the lost (that silly painting!), but everything to do with restoring fellowship with Himself, and that within the context of a wayward backslidden church...His true ‘lampstand’/church nonetheless.
The 'lukewarm' aspect is to be seen not as ‘straddling the line’ or being a half-hearted ‘fence-sitter’, as it were, but as being outright useless and distasteful and so ineffective as light bearers due to their ‘power source’ – Christ Himself – being ‘side-lined’ to the ‘outer courts’.
The hot medicinal springs of Hierapolis were of great value to those who were sick, the cold refreshing drinking water of Colossae was a real source of joy to weary travellers, but the lukewarm, nauseating water (if you could even call it that) of Laodicea was enough to make one vomit on tasting it!
Hence the hot and cold are both of value, contextually speaking, and do good...the lukewarm - no value!
It is, I firmly believe, a grave mistake to take the text to mean that Christ would rather we were complete pagans, as His church, than that we were ‘iffy’, ‘middle of the road’ saints. This is untrue, in and of itself, and not what this particular congregation would have understood.
So the matter is clear...we are to repent of all and any self-sufficiency and let Jesus back into our own lives personally and our church corporately. Not in a salvific sense but in a fellowship/communal sense!
He is ‘the Amen’. (The firm One… trustworthy and true throughout) He is ‘the faithful and true Witness’. (The One who always and only did according to the will of God in obeying His commission - the Laodiceans has lost the plot and were unfaithful and unhelpful either to the sick or weary!) And He is the omnipotent Creator of all things, able to enable those who abide in Him!
Their own assessment of themselves was sorely flawed...Christ lovingly yet firmly sets the record straight diagnosing their plight and proscribing the cure...namely, Himself!
The challenge to us as a church family is to 'let Him in' and that as, not the humble carpenter of Nazareth, in His humiliation that is...but as He has already revealed Himself in that glorious vision of Revelation chapter 1. He is conquering constantly and we are to render Him homage and reverent worship and honour!
The long and short of it...the daily bread from the sacred Volume amounts to this: Take up and read...read of Christ and rejoice in His absolute sufficiency. And, with that, return to an awareness of your wretchedness and acknowledge your acute and, chronically so, need of Him.
No compromise ever!!!
Soli Deo Gloria forever!!!
My message was entitled 'That Book in your lap' subtitled, 'What Satan doesn't want you to know about the Bible'.
There were essentially 7 points that were gleaned from the text namely: 1. All Scripture is all Scripture. 2. All Scripture is God breathed. 3. All Scripture is authoritative. 4. All Scripture is profitable. 5. All Scripture is accessible. 6. All Scripture is perfect. 7. All Scripture is sufficient.
We ‘landed’ with reference to the 15th verse which highlights the fact that Christ is the Word of God become flesh and that 'all Scripture' is either about Him in a forward looking sense or, from the New Covenant's perspective, looking back to the historical person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The challenge was for us to not take for granted ‘that Book in our laps’ but to marvel, and that ever increasingly so, at the grace and love of God in graciously giving us His holy Word!
The evening's message was preached from Revelation 3:14-22.
As a title, 'The Letter to the Pastor of the Church in Laodicea', subtitled, 'Let Me in'.
The gist being that this church, and they were His church in spite of their failing to be all they could and should have been, had come to the point of slowly but surely excommunicating Christ from their fellowship and that due to their economic ‘wealth’ and pseudo ‘success’ causing within them a degree of independence. Their great sin was that they were sinfully self-sufficient and so had no need of Christ really, at least in their evident, albeit unbeknown to them, estimation of it.
He is found outside the church, as it were, knocking. This has nothing to do with the gospel, as in evangelizing the lost (that silly painting!), but everything to do with restoring fellowship with Himself, and that within the context of a wayward backslidden church...His true ‘lampstand’/church nonetheless.
The 'lukewarm' aspect is to be seen not as ‘straddling the line’ or being a half-hearted ‘fence-sitter’, as it were, but as being outright useless and distasteful and so ineffective as light bearers due to their ‘power source’ – Christ Himself – being ‘side-lined’ to the ‘outer courts’.
The hot medicinal springs of Hierapolis were of great value to those who were sick, the cold refreshing drinking water of Colossae was a real source of joy to weary travellers, but the lukewarm, nauseating water (if you could even call it that) of Laodicea was enough to make one vomit on tasting it!
Hence the hot and cold are both of value, contextually speaking, and do good...the lukewarm - no value!
It is, I firmly believe, a grave mistake to take the text to mean that Christ would rather we were complete pagans, as His church, than that we were ‘iffy’, ‘middle of the road’ saints. This is untrue, in and of itself, and not what this particular congregation would have understood.
So the matter is clear...we are to repent of all and any self-sufficiency and let Jesus back into our own lives personally and our church corporately. Not in a salvific sense but in a fellowship/communal sense!
He is ‘the Amen’. (The firm One… trustworthy and true throughout) He is ‘the faithful and true Witness’. (The One who always and only did according to the will of God in obeying His commission - the Laodiceans has lost the plot and were unfaithful and unhelpful either to the sick or weary!) And He is the omnipotent Creator of all things, able to enable those who abide in Him!
Their own assessment of themselves was sorely flawed...Christ lovingly yet firmly sets the record straight diagnosing their plight and proscribing the cure...namely, Himself!
The challenge to us as a church family is to 'let Him in' and that as, not the humble carpenter of Nazareth, in His humiliation that is...but as He has already revealed Himself in that glorious vision of Revelation chapter 1. He is conquering constantly and we are to render Him homage and reverent worship and honour!
The long and short of it...the daily bread from the sacred Volume amounts to this: Take up and read...read of Christ and rejoice in His absolute sufficiency. And, with that, return to an awareness of your wretchedness and acknowledge your acute and, chronically so, need of Him.
No compromise ever!!!
Soli Deo Gloria forever!!!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
The pains of childbirth/Hold fast what you have
This is the first opportunity for me to put to pen that which I discern to be God's will for us as a church family specifically at this present moment in time, and that in view of His Word preached to us, as His people, this Lord's Day.
This morning I preached from Romans 8:18-25 and my message was entitled 'Assurance of Glorification' (part 3), subtitled 'The Pains of Childbirth'.
The gist of the matter was that our present sufferings (all inclusive sufferings in that) are, albeit real and at times significantly difficult to bear up under, not worth comparing to our ultimate state of salvation, namely our glorification.
That said, Christ however most definitely sympathises with us in our sufferings and loves and comforts us in and through all our traumas and tragedies. He is a High Priest who knows the depth of pain and agony...indeed the suffering of hell itself (on the cross).
Paul too is no 'ivory tower' theologian. His intense heartaches are recorded in the 11th chapter of 2nd Corinthians and verses 24-29.
This is said so as to affirm the fact that our pain is both real to God and that He is not saying to us 'build a bridge and get over it'...on the contrary, he is calling us to, in the full view of our most painful plights, ‘zoom out’, as it were, and see the big picture...the heavenly perspective! Don’t think this world promises health, wealth and comfort on every turn...if you do you will be horribly disappointed.
God promises pain! He doesn’t allow it, no ways! (Who is writing the book anyway?) He ordains it! Everything in the most absolute sense of the word is from His own sovereign hand and is for our ultimate good and His absolute glory!
'I don't know what God is doing, but I know that God is doing, and that God is good!'
There is purpose in our pain, Hebrews 12:3ff affirms this to the hilt..."that we may share in His holiness".
This evening I unpacked Revelation 3:7-13. 'The Letter to the Pastor of the Church in Philadelphia', subtitled 'Hold fast what you have'.
The thrust of the matter could be put forth as follows: This church was made up of sincere, genuine saints and Christ has no rebuke for them. This in no way says they were perfect...but highlights the fact that Jesus isn’t ‘nit picking' at every little blemish. He affirms their genuineness and expresses His love for them. He says their enemies, who, although claiming to be Jews, are in fact spiritual Gentiles and will, through the open door He has provided (having the key of David), prove this by coming to them and bowing down at their feet - referencing Isaiah 45:14; 60:14 etc. They will know that the church is the fulfilment of Israel's promises and, while not replacing 'national Israel' is Israel 'through the cross'! He tells them that He is going to sustain them through the coming trial. He calls them to hold fast what they have or they could lose it.
What does this mean for us in a nut-shell? Basically, we are, many of us - like those in Philadelphia, sincerely seeking to honour Him in our lives and service. And so we, if that be the case, can extract real encouragement from His words. But this not so as to ‘sit back and chill out’! Rather to heed His challenge to ‘hold fast what we have received from Him’ till the end!
And so, God is saying, without sounding too prophetic, I hope, that we as a church family (KBC) must expect trials and embrace them as God's loving, 'hand maidens' to the end of our Christ-likeness, and with that to cling tenaciously to what He has given to us...until we see Him ‘face to face’!
God bless and keep you all!
This morning I preached from Romans 8:18-25 and my message was entitled 'Assurance of Glorification' (part 3), subtitled 'The Pains of Childbirth'.
The gist of the matter was that our present sufferings (all inclusive sufferings in that) are, albeit real and at times significantly difficult to bear up under, not worth comparing to our ultimate state of salvation, namely our glorification.
That said, Christ however most definitely sympathises with us in our sufferings and loves and comforts us in and through all our traumas and tragedies. He is a High Priest who knows the depth of pain and agony...indeed the suffering of hell itself (on the cross).
Paul too is no 'ivory tower' theologian. His intense heartaches are recorded in the 11th chapter of 2nd Corinthians and verses 24-29.
This is said so as to affirm the fact that our pain is both real to God and that He is not saying to us 'build a bridge and get over it'...on the contrary, he is calling us to, in the full view of our most painful plights, ‘zoom out’, as it were, and see the big picture...the heavenly perspective! Don’t think this world promises health, wealth and comfort on every turn...if you do you will be horribly disappointed.
God promises pain! He doesn’t allow it, no ways! (Who is writing the book anyway?) He ordains it! Everything in the most absolute sense of the word is from His own sovereign hand and is for our ultimate good and His absolute glory!
'I don't know what God is doing, but I know that God is doing, and that God is good!'
There is purpose in our pain, Hebrews 12:3ff affirms this to the hilt..."that we may share in His holiness".
This evening I unpacked Revelation 3:7-13. 'The Letter to the Pastor of the Church in Philadelphia', subtitled 'Hold fast what you have'.
The thrust of the matter could be put forth as follows: This church was made up of sincere, genuine saints and Christ has no rebuke for them. This in no way says they were perfect...but highlights the fact that Jesus isn’t ‘nit picking' at every little blemish. He affirms their genuineness and expresses His love for them. He says their enemies, who, although claiming to be Jews, are in fact spiritual Gentiles and will, through the open door He has provided (having the key of David), prove this by coming to them and bowing down at their feet - referencing Isaiah 45:14; 60:14 etc. They will know that the church is the fulfilment of Israel's promises and, while not replacing 'national Israel' is Israel 'through the cross'! He tells them that He is going to sustain them through the coming trial. He calls them to hold fast what they have or they could lose it.
What does this mean for us in a nut-shell? Basically, we are, many of us - like those in Philadelphia, sincerely seeking to honour Him in our lives and service. And so we, if that be the case, can extract real encouragement from His words. But this not so as to ‘sit back and chill out’! Rather to heed His challenge to ‘hold fast what we have received from Him’ till the end!
And so, God is saying, without sounding too prophetic, I hope, that we as a church family (KBC) must expect trials and embrace them as God's loving, 'hand maidens' to the end of our Christ-likeness, and with that to cling tenaciously to what He has given to us...until we see Him ‘face to face’!
God bless and keep you all!
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