A Must Hear...

Today in chapel, my PhD supervisor, Dr. Jason Lee, presented a sermon on Ephesians 6:1-4.

"1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 'Honor your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 'that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.' 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Eph 6:1-4)

This sermon is one of the best I've ever heard on the issue of parenting. What is the aim of biblical parenting? In what ways are parents models of the Gospel to their children? What does it mean for children to obey "in the Lord"? What is at stake with this matter? Dr. Lee addresses these questions and more.

I strongly urge you to listen to this at your earliest convenience. I believe that regardless of one's marital or family status that the content of this sermon will be of great value to you now or in the future.

May God grant us His grace to honor and obey Him in order that He alone may receive glory and honor and praise.

Jonathan

Vatican Creates New Structure to Convert Anglicans, Episcopalians

This is an event with momentous implications for the course of Church History. Check it out:

Vatican Creates New Structure to Convert Anglicans, Episcopalians

Evangelism Defined

This week, my Pastor, Tim Presson, preached a sermon on the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). If you would like to listen to the sermon in its entirety, you can do so by clicking here. In that sermon he cited what I feel is one of the best definitions for evangelism I have ever heard from a man named William Temple. The definition is as follows:

Evangelism focuses on Christ, depends upon the power of the Holy Spirit for results, and seeks to make disciples of Jesus who recognize His lordship in all of life (every part without distinction) and plant themselves in the fellowship of a local church. I pray that everyone who reads this blog has become a disciple (or follower) of Christ. However, I realize that there will be some who have not.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ involves coming to Him in faith and repentance. In faith, one must believe to the point of trusting and staking one's life upon the fact that Jesus is who He said He was, that is, the Christ, the Son of the living God (cf. Matthew 16:13-17), the only way to reconciliation of humans to God (John 14:6). It also means affirming that He did what He said He would do and which his followers and the Scriptures gave witness. All of what one must believed about Christ is summarized in one word--the "Gospel" (or "Good News"). The Apostle

Paul summarizes the Gospel as follows: “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (1Corinthians 15:1-8 ESV)

Believing this truth also involves believing another one, namely that all humans are sinful by nature, condemned before God, and unable to reconcile themselves to God (cf. Romans chapter 3, esp. vv. 10-26). True discipleship also involves repentance--a turning away from sin and self and a turning to God in faith and obedience. Jesus said that those who love Him will keep his commandments (John 15). Our works do not improve our standing before God. On the contrary, God saves us by His own mercy. However, in view of God's mercy, we offer our lives as living sacrifices to God for His purposes (cf., Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Matthew 5:16).

The Apostle Paul summarizes these points well: “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works...” (Titus 3:3-8 ESV).

Both our coming to faith in Christ and our living the remainder of our lives in faith and obedience to Christ are the gracious work of God. He alone is worthy of glory for saving us in spite of ourselves (Romans 11:33-36). The Scriptures tell us that those who place their faith and trust in Christ will have eternal life and fellowship with God, but that those who do not believe will be condemned (John 3:16-21). I pray that we will all recognize His glory and reflect that glory in the grateful sacrifice of our lives to Him. If you have never placed your faith, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ as your sole means of reconciliation with God, repented of your sins, and cast yourself upon God's mercy, I beg you to do so without delay.

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner,"

Jonathan

Repost: No "Except That"

One of the elders at my church, Dale Stonecipher, sends out a weekly e-mail in which he reflects on Scripture and makes application. They are devotional in nature and I cannot remember reading one from which I failed to draw encouragement. God has truly blessed our body with his service, a gift for which I am truly grateful.

This week's e-mail was especially challenging/encouraging and I wanted to share it with you. Thanks be to God for the ways He uses others to encourage and lift us up through His Word. I pray that we will not be characterized the the phrase "except that."

Soli Deo Gloria,

J
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Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

I am listening to the blessing of the rain from our gracious God as I write this. How many ways He blesses us!

As I was reading from 1 Kings this morning, two words jumped out at me. Those words were "except that." The passage is regarding Solomon's being established as king of Israel after the death of King David. Scripture states that Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. The "except that" is the problem in that sentence.

The "high places" had been pagan worship sites and the Israelites had been told to destroy those sites and build their own for the worship of the Lord. Others before Solomon had built altars for the worship of God prior to the construction of the Tabernacle.

Solomon apparently continute worship at the established high places thinking it was not a big issue and would not lead to any problems. In the previous verses, we are told he also married Pharaoh's daughter and made a treaty with her father, probably a political move, but still marrying a foreign woman rather than one of Israel. These might seem to be small things at the time, but later Solomon's heart was turned from God and he even built high places for the worship of pagan gods for his other wives.

This tragic story of Solomon made me question my own life and what I allow in my life that I might consider to be small issues, but which are not pleasing or acceptable to God. Might if be said of me that I love the Lord, "except that".......

Even sins we might consider to be small are a big deal to a holy God. Indulging in sin, even those we consider small, is an offense against our God.

It is scary to think of small allowances we might make and where they might lead. Might an issue that we think is not a big deal lead to a turning away of our hearts later, as did Solomon's. God calls His people to "be perfect", an impossible task, of course, but nevertheless a goal for which we strive.

May God give us grace to remove the "except that" from our lives and love Him with our whole hearts.

Dale