Monthly Archives: November 2008

Mobile post of the day: The Theology of Parents

Is there a theology about parents? I believe there is. I am writing this from the lobby of an assisted living facility in Washington, DC. I am here on business. As I observe the elderly residents of this place I am reminded of the scriptural command to “Honor your father and mother.” I am sure most of the residents here are loved and cared for by their grown children, but there may be some who are not. Our heavenly Father expects us to honor our parents as an act of obedience to Him, and as a sign of respect for what our parents have done for us.

Honor your parents while they are still here. It will please God, comfort your parents and encourage your own heart.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

1 Thessalonians 5:18  18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.  Oh, I love eggnog, the smell of a fresh cut wreath and Christmas carols; but Thanksgiving has always been number one on my list.  I’m 47 now.  I suppose that qualifies for being middle-aged.  The great part about approaching my fifth decade is the warm memories I have of my past.  My childhood was not without turmoil.  My parents divorced when I was a boy, and my mother had it hard; raising two children and having to work multiple jobs.  My maternal grandparents stepped in as surrogate parents, and I became very close to them.  But even when times were rough, Thanksgiving was a time to take stock of all the good things in life.  I was thankful for my mother, my sister and my grandparents.

I can still smell the aromas that traveled through my grandmothers kitchen on Thanksgiving morning.  The turkey and all the trimmings took all day to cook.  The meal was actually anti-climatic.  We were all together, and that bond meant more to me than whether the turkey was moist or the mashed potatoes were free of lumps.  My grandfather and I had a contest to see who would “win” the wishbone.  Somehow I always wound up with the winning piece courtesy of my hero-grandpa.  Even after my grandfather died in 1975, the tradition of Thanksgiving continued.  The cooking moved to our home at that point.  No need for my grandmother to carry all the burden.  The absence of my best friend and  hero was noticeably felt, but Thanksgiving still went on.

I went into the Air Force in August of 1979.  That November, I faced my first Thanksgiving away from my family.  It was hard.  I had to eat my Thanksgiving meal in a chow hall in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Who ever heard of corn bread stuffing?  This wasn’t the Thanksgiving meal that I remembered.  And where was the hanging around aftewards talking about how the Mets were going to win the World Series next year, and all my grandfather’s stories about growing up in New York City and working in the subway.  I spent the next three Thanksgivings away from my family.  I made it home for a few Christmas Days, but my favorite holiday was spent with my fellow airmen.

I left the Air Force in 1983 and have never missed a Thanksgiving Day with at least part of my family.  I married my wonderful wife Laurie in 1989, and my precious daughter Bethany was born in 1991; so I have a family of my own now.  Some of the Thanksgiving traditions of my youth have continued while new ones have been added, but the importance of the holiday hasn’t changed.  It is still my favorite holiday.

This past Sunday, our church family gathered to celebrate the holiday with our annual Thanksgiving feast.  As I watched all our parishioners getting their food, eating and enjoying rich fellowship; I realized that the real significance of the holiday is not the food or the gathering of family.  Those things add to my enjoyment of the day, but the real meaning of Thanksgiving is the gratitude that is expressed to God for all the good things He has blessed us with.  As a Christian, I realize the most important blessing from God in my life is the gift of His Son, and the eternal life that became mine by faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross.  As I dwelt on blessings of Christ in my life, it dawned on me that while I will never be able to recapture the memories of my childhood, the new memories of my life as a Christian are even better.  Thanksgiving is no longer just one day out of three hundred and sixty-five, but it is now a daily Thanksliving!

I’m sure many of you have similar memories from your childhood.  Some of you may not.  But if you come to Christ by faith, turning from your sin and embracing the Son of God, you will come to know God’s gift of eternal life and have plenty to be thankful for.  If you are already a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, then may this holiday give you cause to dwell on the manifold of blessings of God in your life (Eph. 1:3) and give Him thanks.

Psalm 86:12-13  12 I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.  13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Moralism, Therapy or Sin?

In his book “Christless Christianity, The Alternative Gospel of the American Church”, Michael Horton writes:

Far different is David’s confession in Psalm 51: “Against You, and You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight…I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me…Do not cast me away” (vv. 4-5, 11 NASB). Although the confession follows his adultery against Bathsheba and murder of her husband, Uriah, the fact that makes sin so utterly sinful is that is ultimately against God. It is the vertical relationship with God (law and gospel) that will not allow us to reduce confession to the horizontal plane of our neighbors (moralism) or our inner self (therapy).

Horton writes that American Christianity has come to view confession as a therapeutic experience to resolve the pangs of conscience we have for not meeting the expectations we or someone else has set for us. The problem with this view is that it is man-centric and not God-centric. It obfuscates sin as a human shortcoming and not an offense against a holy God. King David recognized that he was not in need of a form of therapy, but forgiveness. “Against You, and You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” It was only after David recognized his sin that he was able to plead for God’s mercy.

The philosophy of this world, especially the attempt to remove the utter sinfulness from sin, is a danger even to the church. Christians are often just as likely as unbelievers to buy into the world view that says, “I’m really not that bad. I make mistakes, but so does everyone else.” When we do that we repudiate the atoning work of Christ on the cross – the same work that made possible our forgiveness from sin. Indeed, the Apostle Paul said, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). Christians need to remember that sin is an offense against a holy God (“against You, and You only, I have sinned”) and it cost the life of the Son of God to make the way possible for forgiveness. Reject the worldly lie that says sin is just a shortcoming or failure of expectations.

What are you rights?

You don’t have to listen closely to society in order to hear people demand “their rights.”  We have animal rights, abortion rights, health care rights, voting rights etc.  The Constitution of the United States has ten amendments that are called the “Bill of Rights.”  Those who have rights get upset when their rights are infringed upon.  Even criminals have rights.  The Civil War was fought over the issue of rights.  Considering that we have all these rights, I have a simple question.  What rights do we possess at birth?  What are our rights as a newborn infant coming into this world?  I’ll wait for your answer.

The bible tells us, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5)  From birth we are at emnity with God.  Considering that God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), and that he holds our very breath in His hands (Isaiah 42:5); it is a fearful thing to be an enemy of God.  As enemies of God, we have no rights.  Our very life is borrowed time.  God would be justified in judging all His enemies and condemning them to h*ell without any right to appeal.  All the rights we have in this world, granted by human government, amount to nothing in the sight of God.  Those rights will not carry into eternity.

If we have no rights in the sight of God, then how can any be saved?  The Apostle Paul wrote:

Romans 5:8-10 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

What is this about?  While were yet sinners, Christ died for us?  The path to reconciliation of God has been made possible to those who have no hope, no rights.  How can this be?

Ephesians 2:4-9  But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

God saved us by His marvelous grace.  While we were yet dead in our sins, enemies of God, He made us alive together with Christ.  He did this for sinners who had no portion in Him, who had no rights.  We could not demand God’s forgiveness or take Him to task for being so unfair as to condemn us to h*ell.  We were once mute in the sight of God, but now, because of His marvelous grace, He has brought us near to Him through Christ.

And now, things have changed.  Once we who had no rights now have them.  They are rights given to us as sons.  What rights?  The right to adoption as sons (Romans 8:15), every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3), and the right to reign with Christ for eternity (Revelation 20:6).  All these “rights” are gifts of God’s grace.  They were not earned or deserved, but given to us as loving gifts by our heavenly Father.

If you are in Christian, praise God for the rights that are yours in Christ.  They will last forever.

Avoiding anxiety in uncertain times

Philippians 4:4-7  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The word for “rejoice” means to be glad.  Paul is telling the Philippian believers to, “Be glad, for the Lord is near!”  There is no better news for the Christian to dwell on than the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again.  Our nation has just experienced a major election, and it’s quite possible that “change” is on the way.  There are real issues that Christians are to be concerned about.  Will the new President seek to curb or eliminate abortion, or will he act opposite  and continue the murder of the unborn?  Will the covenant of marriage, given by God, be upheld as between one man and one woman, or will our government try to weaken it?  These are fair questions, and as believers we should remain informed and engaged.  Like the prophet Jeremiah, and even our Lord, there is an appropriate time to grieve for our nation and it’s unrighteous deeds (Jeremiah 9:1; Luke 13:32).  But while we are to grieve for the national sin of our nation, we are not to lose hope and be robbed of the joy of the Lord.

The Lord does not want His children to worry or fear.  He commands us to come to Him in prayer and make our requests known to Him.  We are to pour our hearts out to God, for He cares for us.

1 Peter 5:7  casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

God does not promise to show us the answer to our prayers immediately.  His ways are much higher than ours, and He acts in accordance with His own will.  But we have been promised that we will know His peace, “which passes all understanding.”  This is how the Christian, in the midst of great grief and anxiety, can know the peace of God in uncertain times.

Dear Christian, know that our loving heavenly Father has saved you eternally through Christ Jesus.  You are a citizen of heaven, a people for God’s own possession (1 Peter 2:9).  Do not allow the sin and cares of this world to overwhelm you, for God knows about them and will reconcile all things to Himself on the last day.  On that day there will be no more sin, no more grief and no more anxiety.

Rejoice!

How do you measure up against God?

Have your parents ever drawn a chalk line on the wall or made notches in the door frame to measure how much you’ve grown?  You stand against the wall and they mark off how tall you are today.  Eventually your growing will stop and you’ll be as tall as you’re ever going to be.  But what if you were being measured against God’s holy nature?  The bible says, “Be holy for I am holy.”  How “tall” is holiness, and can you ever achieve it?  Gary Inrig, from the Gospel Coalition, deals with this issue in the following short video.

America has made a deal with the church

R.C. Sproul preached this sermon to his congregation at Saint Andrews Chapel Sanford, Florida. America has made a deal with church. As long as preaching is limited to the pulpit and directed to the church, there is freedom of religion. But what happens when the message of the gospel is proclaimed in the public square? When the gospel exposes the sin and depravity of society, what is the result? R.C. Sproul examines the deal that the government has made with the church. Please take the time to listen to this broadcast.

Principles for Choosing a Leader

Saved? From what?

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The Greek word for repent is metanoia.  It means to, “change one’s mind, or purpose.”  Jesus didn’t simply say, “Believe!”  He said, “repent.”  Jesus was preaching a message that called on people to make a change.  A change from what?  If I were to ask you to change your mind about something then it stands to reason that you had an existing opinion that I wanted you to change.  So what was Jesus asking people to change?

Earlier, In Matthew 3:2 John the Baptist declared, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  John was also calling for change.  Among those who came to be baptized by John were a group of Pharisees and Sadducees.  John called them a “brood of vipers” for he knew that they lead the people of Israel falsely.  Along with their baptism John called on them to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”  Here we see context added to the call to have a change of mind.  The religious leaders of Israel were to change their mind about their actions.  John was commanding them to “bear fruit” or in other words “show that your repentance is real.”  One chapter later we read that our Lord Jesus Christ was preaching a gospel of repentance.  He was also calling on people to change their behavior.  The behavior that Jesus was preaching repentance on was rooted in sin.  Therefore what Jesus was preaching was, “Turn away from sin!”

Of course we know that we cannot turn away from sin in our power.  Sin is master over us and we are powerless against it.  It’s power was broken by Christ on the cross, and it is the finished work of Christ on the cross that makes it possible for us to turn from sin.  This turning away is done by faith alone in Christ alone.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9)

When someone asks you, “What are you saved from?” you can answer, “I am saved from the power of sin through repentance and faith in Christ Jesus.”