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Boot Camp #2: Triune Love & Covenant Life

April 20, 2013 — Leave a comment

Introduction
The Gospel that we looked at last week implies a certain view of God and therefore of man made in His image. The good news that Jesus died for our sins and was raised again for our salvation is only the tip of the iceberg.

The most famous Bible verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16)

Notice two things: God has an “only begotten son.” This implies that there is already community/family in God Himself. Second, notice that God loves. In 1 John, it says that God is love. Furthermore, here, John says that God’s love extends to the world. Last week we established the fact that ever since the first sin of Adam, man has been ungodly, sinners, and enemies of God. This has brought death and destruction and confusion and pain into the world. Again, John says that because of God’s great love for the world, He gave His only Son (cf. Rom. 5:8). And we know that this love is an overflow of the love God the Father has for His Son (Jn. 3:35, 5:20, 10:17, 17:24).

Finally, we have the final marching orders of Jesus after His resurrection: “Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…” (Mt. 28:19-20)

Putting all of this together, we should make several points: First, here we have what Christians call the doctrine of the Trinity. This is a word that the Church coined early on to describe the One, True God as a “Tri-Unity” – God is three persons that exist eternally as only one God. We do not worship three gods. Nor are we Unitarian. Much could be said on this, but we’ll keep our comments short: 1. There is only one God because this is how God revealed Himself to Israel (Dt. 6:4). 2. This one God exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Spirit is God. Three persons in One God. 3. The Trinity is how love and community are inherent in the nature of God. God is Himself a community of persons that share eternal love with one another. 4. Man was created to share in this Triune community of love. But we rebelled and rejected God’s love and built our own cities and kingdoms in anger and bitterness and bloodshed. But God in His mercy came and sought us by His own Son who suffered in our place, rose up victorious over the curse of death, ascended to heaven and poured out His Spirit upon all who believe. Continue Reading…

In Bible - 1 Corinthians, Bible - Hebrews, bible - John, Bible - Romans, Manalive, Theology - Ecclesiology, Theology - Sacraments, TRC

Jesus is Not a Victim: Good Friday 2013

March 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment I received of my Father.” (Jn. 10:17-18)

It’s hard for us to imagine choosing suffering.

Who chooses to hurt? Who signs up for pain? Cancer, miscarriage, barrenness, the humiliation of job loss, strained and broken relationships, rebellious children, betrayal, misunderstandings that just don’t seem to go away, disappointment, death of our parents, a spouse, a child, not to mention the painful consequences and shame of any number of our own mistakes and failures.

Even the sturdiest of Christians often find themselves saying something like this: I wouldn’t have chosen this path, but I can see God’s grace in it. I wouldn’t have told the story this way, but I can see how the glory of God has shone through. How many of you have said something like that?

But Jesus is saying something different than that. Jesus is not saying that a series of unfortunate events will befall Him but God His Father will work them out for good. Jesus is not saying that. We know that God does in fact work all things out for good. God is working all things out for good. But Jesus is not passive in that work. Jesus is not merely being acted upon. Jesus doesn’t just have things happening to Him. Jesus is not a victim of circumstances. Jesus is not a victim of bad luck. Jesus is not even the victim of the plotting of evil men.

Jesus says that no one can take His life from Him. Jesus is not a victim. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus did not come to feed the sheep and somehow He got caught in the middle of a wolf attack. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. That’s not a possibility, not a potential hazard, that’s the plan. That’s what the Good Shepherd does. That’s what the Good Shepherd is for. That’s how you know He’s the Good Shepherd because He gives His life for the sheep. Continue Reading…

In Bible - Galatians, bible - John, Bible - Romans, Church Calendar, Lent, Sermon Outlines

Jesus is Enough Power: Col. 1:9-20

January 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

Introduction
Paul is writing the Colossians, a new church in Asia Minor, to encourage them in their new faith in Jesus. He writes to assure them that for all their needs, Jesus is enough.

Summary of the Text:
Following his initial doxology (1:3-8), Paul continues to explain what else he has been praying for (1:9). He has specifically been praying that the Colossians would a) know God’s will (1:9) b) walk worthy of the Lord (1:10) c) increase in knowledge of God (1:10) d) be strong enough to be patient and joyful (1:11) and e) be a really thankful people (1:12). This thankfulness is rooted in the fact that they have received the ability to receive the inheritance of saints (1:12), been delivered from the power of darkness (1:13), transferred into the Kingdom of the Beloved Son (1:13), and have been redeemed and forgiven (1:14). At this point, Paul breaks out into high poetry, perhaps quoting a well known hymn about Jesus (or writing one on the spot), acclaiming Him as the image of God, the firstborn, the creator, the sustainer, the fullness of God, and the reconciler of all things (1:15-20). This poem is carefully constructed in basically two stanzas. The first stanza describes the preexistence and preeminence of the Son in all things since the beginning (1:15-17). The second stanza describes the preeminence and power of the Son through the Church since the re-beginning of all things at the resurrection (1:18-20). There are a number of key terms and titles that Paul gives to Jesus, but the adjectives go a long way to making Paul’s point: all things, all things, all things, all fullness, and all things.

The Firstborn & Beginning
The word “firstborn” is a loaded word going deep into Israelite history. Israel was God’s firstborn (Ex. 4:22), and this was not merely a relational fact but rather a statement of purpose for the future. Israel was to become God’s chosen means of communicating and enacting God’s presence and mission in the world. Firstborn sons received a double portion of inheritance from their fathers because they were the beginning of their strength (e.g. Dt. 21:7, Gen. 25). When God delivered Israel from Egypt, He sanctified them to Himself as His firstborn (Ex. 13:1ff), and the Levites became the specific representatives of this holy calling, keeping the tabernacle and receiving the inheritance of tithes and offerings (Num. 3:12-13ff, 8:17-18, 18:21-26). In other words, Israel was given the authority and means by which they were to present and proclaim the truth of God: the words of God and the sacrifices of God. That was their job. It was what they were for. When applied to Jesus, Paul is insisting not only that Jesus represents what Israel was always meant to be, but that He is the original representative of the truth of God, the perfect Icon/Image of the invisible God (1:15). That’s what He’s for. This authority and power to order and rule the world rests not least upon the fact that He made it all (1:16-17). Paul insists that this authority that Jesus has by right, He has begun to establish in fact through His resurrection from the dead (1:18, cf. Heb. 2:8). But given what we have seen, the fact that Jesus is the “firstborn” from the dead indicates that Jesus is the “head” of this new creation, the new beginning. Paul is piling up words and piling up images: Jesus is the head, rosh (in Hebrew), which is related to the word for beginning (resheet), and just to make it clear, the arxe – the beginning, the pinnacle, the source (e.g. Jn. 1:1). Jesus is the New Adam, and we are Adams and Eves in Him. The world (all of existence) that Jesus made and has ruled on behalf of the Father by right, He is in the process of reconciling to the Father through the blood of His cross – proving His power for all to see (1:20). The cross is our Tree of Life, our source of God’s glorious power. Continue Reading…

In Bible - Colossians, bible - John, Grace, Jesus is Enough, Sermon Outlines, Theology - Christology, TRC

13th Sunday in Trinity: Exodus 32

August 28, 2012 — Leave a comment

Introduction
When things are going really well, many are tempted to think: just wait, in a few minutes it’s all coming down. We have a sinking sensation that when things begin going well, we’re headed for some kind of disaster. This is our innate knowledge of the curse of sin, the curse of the Fall.

Exodus 32 is a hinge story connecting the instructions for building the tabernacle (Ex. 25-31) with the actual building of the tabernacle (35-40). This story is a “fall” story following God’s seven new creation speeches, but the point is that God is determined to overcome the curse of sin by finally dealing with all sin and rebellion.

Summary of the Text: This story is in the middle of much larger, well known story: God has redeemed His son from slavery in Egypt, brought him to a mountain and spoken a new way of life to him. And the plan is to make this new way of life into a new world through faithful worship so that God will dwell with His people once again, like once upon a time. Like the first Adam, Israel is offered a new covenant of life with God, if he will trust and obey. But like the first Adam, Israel falls, disobeys, and breaks covenant with God. Israel breaks covenant by breaking most of the commandments explicitly and the rest implicitly by the time the episode is finished (32:1-6). God offers to destroy the people and build a nation out of Moses’ family, but Moses argues with the Lord, reminds Him of His promises, and God relents from His anger (32:7-14). Moses goes down the mountain and brings a small version of God’s fury with him (32:15-28). Given the way Moses has pleaded for the people, we have to see Moses’ actions as driven by love and not by blind wrath. The slaughter of the 3000 Israelites is likely not a mass execution of random people. There were leaders of this rebellion (e.g. 32:4), Egyptian sympathizers, and as in the first Passover, an Angel of death passes through the camp and those whose loyalty is to Pharaoh and his ways are struck down. After this new Passover, Moses again pleads for Israel, and God promises that His Angel will go with them into the Promised Land (32:29-35). Continue Reading…

In Bible - Exodus, bible - John, Bible - Romans, Sermon Outlines, TRC

Knowing God is Hearing God

August 15, 2012 — Leave a comment

“We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 Jn. 4:6) John says to first century Christians that they could tell who their friends should be based on who they listen to. People who hear the apostles know God.

John is paraphrasing what Jesus had told the Jews in John 8: “Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to my word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do… He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” (Jn. 8:43-44, 47)

Throughout the history of the world there is this fundamental divide, and it runs through nations, families, communities, and even churches. We preach the covenant, we preach the objective claim of God upon every baptized individual: you belong to Jesus. But we insist with Jesus and John and all the apostles: you must know God. God must be your Father. You must hear His words, love His words, feed on His words, grow up into His words. Continue Reading…

In Bible - 1 John, bible - John, Exhortations

11th Sunday in Trinity: Exodus 30-31: Lessons: Ex. 31:1-18, 1 Cor. 2:1-16, Jn. 13:3-17

August 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

Introduction
We noted previously that the tabernacle is a portable Mt. Sinai, but Mt. Sinai and the tabernacle are also miniatures of the whole universe (Heaven-Sky-Earth-Sea) created in Genesis 1. The chapters we consider today finish and organize the instructions for the tabernacle in 7 speeches meant to illustrate and emphasize how big God’s plan of redemption is.

Golden Altar of Incense (finishing Day 1)
The altar of incense is golden which means that it is associated with the Most Holy Place (30:3). It is placed in the Holy Place directly in front of the veil of the Most Holy Place (30:6). Nothing else goes on this altar except for “sweet incense” every morning (30:7), and once a year on the Day of Atonement, blood is smeared on its horns “to make atonement for it” (30:10). Chapters 25-30:10 are “day one” of this new creation. The tabernacle is the light of the new world; the tabernacle is what separates the Day of Israel from the Night of the nations.

Census and Atonement (Day 2)
“Day two” is the provision for the people to protect them from the plague when a census is taken (30:12). The obvious implication is that if they took a census without this “atonement offering” they would be struck by a plague. Remember that the story of the Exodus as a great battle between the “hosts” of Israel (Ex. 6:26, 7:4, 12:17, 41, 51) and the fortress-strength of Pharaoh (14:4, 9, 17, 24, 28). There, at the Passover, blood covered the armies of Israel. This whole provision has to do with reckoning strength/security (cf. 2 Sam. 24). The second day of creation concerned the firmament that separated the waters above from the waters below; it has to do with how heaven and earth are joined and relate (e.g. 2 Kgs. 6:8-17ff). Continue Reading…

In Bible - 1 Corinthians, Bible - Exodus, bible - John, Sermon Outlines

Glory & Beauty

July 31, 2012 — Leave a comment

9^th Sunday in Trinity: Exodus 27-28: Lessons: Ex. 28:1-30, 1 Pet. 2:1-12, Jn. 17:20-26

Introduction
We continue to work through the book of Exodus this morning and the instructions for building the tabernacle and establishing faithful worship there. Today we look particularly at God’s determination to share His glory and beauty with His people.

The Text:
The instructions for the tabernacle work their way from the inside out. So we began with the Ark (Ex. 25:10-22), worked our way out into the Holy Place (Ex. 25:23-40), and then considered the coverings and curtains of the tent enclosing the Holy Place and Most Holy Place (Ex. 26:1-26). In our text, we move outward to the bronze altar just outside the entrance to the Holy Place (Ex. 27:1-8) and then continue with the construction of the fence enclosing the Courtyard (Ex. 27:9-19). Given the overall movement outward, it seems strange to revert to instructions for the lampstand (Ex. 27:20-21), but what follows are instructions for the garments of the priests (Ex. 28) and their ordination (Ex. 29). The lampstand is tended by the priests (Ex. 28:21), and more importantly, the lampstand symbolizes the priests who are anointed with oil (Ex. 29:7, 21).

There are intricate instructions for the garments of the priests, but we should specifically note several things: First, the garments are for “glory and beauty” (Ex. 28:2, 40), and here we have the first mention of “gifted artisans” who are filled with the “spirit of wisdom” (Ex. 28:3, cf. 28:6, 15). Secondly, notice that the garments match the rest of the tabernacle (Ex. 28:5-6, 8, 15, 23-24, 26-27, 31, compare with 25:12, 26, 26:1, 31, 36). In other words, the priest is an embodied, walking tabernacle. But the symbolism goes the other way too: the tabernacle represents a human: she has sides that are literally “ribs” (Ex. 25:12,14, 26:20, 26, 27, 35, 27:7), and she is covered in “skins” (Ex. 25:5, 26:14, cf. Gen. 3:21, 27:16). Literally, each curtain is referred to as a “woman/wife” (Ex. 26:3, 5, 6, 17). The “tenons” that hold the boards together are “hands” (Ex. 26:17, 19). Continue Reading…

In Bible - 1 Peter, Bible - Exodus, bible - John, Church, Culture, Sermon Outlines, TRC, Worship

Rihanna, Regeneration, and the Words of God

July 4, 2012 — 1 Comment

Been on something of a hiatus the last month or so, but Lord willing, I’m getting back into a blogging routine again. And for starters, there’s been a pleasant conversation going on in the blogosphere regarding regeneration, the new birth, new hearts, and what exactly we mean by those words. My friend Jim Jordan has questioned whether the Bible really pictures the “new birth” as some sort of permanent change in the nature of individuals. He prefers to describe salvation as the Spirit wrestling with all baptized individuals in various ways, some persevering, some falling away, though recognizing that people are reoriented in their affections and desires toward God. My friend Doug Wilson has wanted to preserve the idea that something does in fact change in the person, though recognizing that we ought not become a soul gestapo, nor do we denigrate the real, normative grace of the covenant, the sacraments, and the many ways the Spirit works through fellowship and families, formal discipline, etc.

Seems to me that 95% or more of both perspectives are completely compatible. The Bible describes salvation in terms of once-for-all conversions and rebirths, and the history of the church is full of these testimonies. At the same time, many of us covenant kids grow up and experience dozens of “mini-conversions” to Jesus (maybe mostly in the wood shed with faithful moms and dads), but with a fundamental loyalty to God as far back as we can remember. And three cheers for that. Continue Reading…

In Against Christianity, bible - John, Creation, Federal Vision, Grace, Pastoral Theology, Theology - Sacraments, Theology - Soteriology

Fourth Sunday in Trinity Season: Ex. 20:18-26, 2 Cor. 4:7-5:5, Jn. 4:5-26

June 27, 2012 — Leave a comment

Introduction
We return to our series in Exodus, zooming back out from the Ten Words. Remember the big picture context: Yahweh has come for His son and rescued him from a false father (Ex. 4:20-21). Israel has come to Mt. Sinai to make covenant with the God who has redeemed them, to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:4-6, 20:1).

The Hinge of Worship
When the covenant with God is ratified, the people ascent to the “words” (Ex. 20:1) and the “judgments” (21:1), promising to do both (24:3). Right between the words and the judgments is this reminder that the central thing is the first two commandments: worshiping the true God alone and worshiping Him rightly. The scene pictures Mt. Sinai is an enormous altar: God has descended on the mountain in fire (19:18), and this has caused the mountain to smoke and the smoke and thick cloud cover the mountain and ascend to heaven (19:18). This with the sounding trumpets and thunder moves the people to say that it would be better for Moses to speak directly to God on their behalf (20:18-19). Moses explains that this whole set up is for their good (20:20), but the people are permitted to stand back a bit while Moses draws near the presence of God (20:21). Through Moses, God wants to press the point that He really does intend to have as direct a conversation with Israel as possible (20:22). It is for this reason that God immediately reminds Israel not to make gold or silver gods (20:23). Instead of making gods of gold and silver with which to communicate with Him, He instructs them to make an altar of earth on which they will sacrifice their offerings (20:24). If they use stone, it must be uncut stone, otherwise they profane the altar (20:25, cf. Dt. 27:5-6). The last regulation here prohibits steps for the altar, significantly limiting the size of the altar, but this also guards against nakedness being exposed (20:26, cf. 28:42). Continue Reading…

In Bible - 2 Corinthians, Bible - Exodus, bible - John, Sermon Outlines

Assurances of Salvation

June 6, 2012 — 1 Comment

Pastor Jim Wilson has a great little booklet entitled Assurances of Salvation, available here in Kindle format and available here for free download, along with a few other goodies.

The booklet lists 8 ways to have assurance of salvation but begins with the recommendation to read 1 John which is written “so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 Jn. 5:13).

Pastor Wilson continues with the following assurances:

1. The Holy Spirit seals, guarantees, and assures us (1 Jn. 4:13, Rom. 8:16-17, Eph. 1:13-14, 2 Cor. 5:5, 1 Cor. 2:11-16).
2. Change of Character: read the lists of the works of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:19-25. Which list characterizes you? Jesus saves out of the first list into the second.
3. Confessing Jesus as Lord (1 Cor. 12:3, Rom. 10:9-10, Lk. 6:45).
4. Obedience: People who are saved obey Jesus (1 Jn. 3:6, 3:9-10, 5:18, 2:3).
5. Discipline: If you are getting away with disobedience, you are not a child of God. If you are being disciplined, pay attention and repent (Heb. 12:5-11). Continue Reading…

In Bible - 1 Corinthians, Bible - 1 John, Bible - 2 Corinthians, Bible - Colossians, Bible - Ephesians, Bible - Galatians, Bible - Hebrews, bible - John, Bible - Luke, Federal Vision, Pastoral Theology, Theology - Pneumatology, Theology - Soteriology