Pastor Brad's Thoughts

Thoughts along the Home Stretch

2011-07-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

We are rounding the corner, heading for the home stretch. It is Monday morning in Sydney and we are about to depart for the Blue Mountains where we will be spending a few days with Alison’s friends, Hugh and Barbie. At the top of the mountain, in Leura, it will be close to freezing, at least toward sundown. Believe it or not, I am looking forward to that! (Update – it is now evening and we had a great time in the hills – almost thought it was going to snow!)

Yesterday was a blessed day. We worshiped with the church family at St. Philip’s Anglican Church in Sydney (well, Turramurra, but it’s all Sydney to me). Life was flowing through this body. It reminded me so much of Grace Community Church. The singing was wonderful and the Word was both piercing and encouraging in the way that only God’s Spirit-filled Word can be.

St. Philip’s seems to be an oasis in a desert – spiritually speaking, that is. As previously mentioned on this page, there is little attention paid to the gospel in Australia. It is increasingly the case in the U.S., but it is critical here in OZ. This morning on Good Morning Australia (equivalent to “Today” in America), one of the guests was the founder of a web site that encourages married men and women to cheat on their spouses. It was noted that this site receives more hits in Australia than any other country. Furthermore, in every other country, far more men visit the site than women. In Australia, just as many women “sign up” for an illicit relationship as do men. Australia, like America, is sinking.

But, God always has His people, does He not? We were so encouraged by the growth at St. Philip’s! The body there is talking about expansion – please pray that this light on a hill in a very dark place will find the resources to expand their facilities and yield to the Holy Spirit as He grows the gospel in Sydney.

Want another really encouraging word? It was announced in church that the Alpha Course – a Bible Study program that originated in England – is being conducted in Baghdad. It is the largest such study in the world – 2,700 people! Alpha would not be my first choice of Bible study programs, but God has greatly used it and I give Him great praise for this wonderful news!

I must say that I spend a lot of time explaining my political preferences in Australia. It is interesting to me that the same people who cheer the news about the church in Iraq have little more than contempt for George Bush. By no means did I agree with everything President Bush did, but I strongly believe that he is a brother in Christ and a man of honorable character. Did he contribute to this economic mess we are in? Absolutely! But, not an ounce more than I contributed to the mess, and, almost certainly, no more than you contributed to it. Greed is what has us where we are; greed in almost every one of us. I seek to be generous, but there is a self-centered “get it, and get it now” streak in me that will not die easily.

When it comes to politics, voting always comes down to a “lesser of two evils” for me. I DO NOT think that all politicians are evil. But, even though all governments are ordained by God (don’t even begin to ask me to explain that), they are imperfect – many times, evil. God is nothing but good, but He uses all governments and people and circumstances for His sovereign will and purposes. My responsibility is to vote responsibly, since I live in a democracy. I can’t say that I would never vote for someone who is pro-abortion (remember – lesser of two evils), but there would have to be a very strong, compelling reason for me to vote that way. That is the first item on the list, when I consider which candidate to support.

I had better get off the old soap box. It’s time for bed and then my penultimate (full) day in OZ. Remember, we are 14 hours ahead of you blokes on the East Coast. Early Thursday morning, I will click my heels (don’t you dare call me Dorothy) and say, “There’s no place like home!”

Great - no, check that - Incredible Food!

2011-07-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

Last year in Australia, we pretty much ate 5 times a day. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Then, there was the occasional late-night snack. Ridiculous! Well, this year I determined it would be different. Alison enjoys certain Aussie foods and treats, so I did not expect her to follow my lead, but I - - Okay, I started well, but lately I have fallen off the wagon.

Fish and chips are exceptionally good here, but I really love the grilled Barramundi, a delicious white fish that is almost always accompanied by a dreamy - I mean, creamy white sauce. It is the sweets that consistently get you, though. It is almost disgusting to see these skinny people eating chocolate caramel slice after lemon tart after meat pie after Tim Tams after - you get the idea. How do they do it!?!

Tonight, Alison and I had the most delightful evening with her (and, now my) good friends, John and Ann McGeachie who love in beautiful Terrigal on the Central Coast. In fact, the Pacific Ocean lies about 300 yards from where I am writing this post. The conversation tonight was fun, uplifting, and extremely gospel centered. Over and over, John and Ann preached the gospel without necessarily meaning to. It is just who they are! They acknowledged the fallen state of humanity, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, and the hope we have of heaven. Over and over again.

The conversation began over the tastiest (and, quite healthy) meal that either of us have had in a long, long time - and, if you have prepared food for us in the last year, please know that your meal was delicious. This was - I don't even know how to communicate how good this meal was! Roast pork, steamed and/or grilled broccoli, cabbage, zucchini, sweet potatoes and white potatoes, rice and gravy. Oh, my goodness - I do not watch enough Food Network to adequately describe the explosion of flavors that brought waves of delight to our respective palates! As good as the conversation was, I could hardly concentrate because I kept wondering what I would save for the last bite. Then, there was dessert - a large pear slice, baked in pure maple syrup mixed with vanilla and topped with real cream and vanilla ice cream.

I wonder how good the meals are in heaven? My dad enjoyed eating at least as much as I do, so I wonder what he is eating today? Isn't it good to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus, knowing that heaven awaits? Isn't it good to know that in addition to dwelling with Jesus, all cancer, dementia, and depression will be gone and all broken relationships (with believers) will be made right? Occasionally we are allowed just a glimpse of heaven. I got a little taste tonight - pun intended!

Hillsong!

2011-07-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Since I have such limited Internet access, I am publishing two posts at once. The one just before this one is actually a guest column. It is MUST reading. What a beautiful testament to the grace of God (a grace spoken of in a different context in this post - both true)! Now, on to this post.

Last year when we visited Australia, Alison and I fully intended to spend one of our Sundays at Hillsong Church in Sydney. Alas, we failed to get to the world-renowned church. We use a lot of their music at Grace Community Church, so it was a disappointment not to make it to Hillsong. My disappointment was nothing, though, compared to the amount of criticism (abuse? :)) that I took for not attending. This year, we made it!

On Sunday morning, Alison and I met her good friend, Sharon, who drove us to church. Sharon is a member at Hillsong. To say that the music was loud was quite the understatement. Well, at least Alison and Sharon told me it was loud. I didn’t notice – volume just doesn’t bother me. I never got over the 60’s, so I still listen to loud music, especially when I am alone in the car – though you won’t hear the bass thumping from my speakers!

During the first song, youth were jumping up and down during the song. It looked like a mosh pit. When I looked later in the service, there were quite a few adults in the first few rows. Do you think . . . ? On the platform, behind the musicians, there was a choir, of sorts – or, perhaps I should say, of singers and jumpers (praising God – don’t think I am making fun – well, not too much fun). These jumpers were being led by a chief jumper, whose face I never saw. She did have a very long ponytail, though.

The message, delivered by founder and lead pastor, Brian Houston, was about grace. So many good thoughts, but this one stands out: “We are told that God’s grace is sufficient for all of our troubles. We tend to think that it is barely enough grace to get by. The same Greek word (for “sufficient”) is used when we are told that ‘sufficient for the day is its own trouble.’ We certainly do not think that our troubles are barely enough to register – we think they are overwhelming! Well, so is grace!”

After Hillsong we went to downtown Sydney where we spent the night in a hotel with a beautiful view of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. On Monday morning we caught a ferry to Manly Beach where we had lunch with Max and Rose Boys. Max was Alison’s pastor for eight years at St. Philip’s Anglican Church in Sydney. What an encouraging refreshing time! The body of Christ is a marvelous blessing!

As I write this post, I am also listening to a debate about religion on Australian TV that includes a Muslim, an atheist, a journalist who has written about religion – and, John Lennox, an outstanding debater for Christianity. Lennox is a professor of math at Oxford University. He will be debating well known atheist, Peter Singer, next week in Australia. This fair land is in trouble, with regard to the gospel. (Notice, it is not the gospel that is in trouble – it is flourishing in Africa and Asia) America is, of course, very much in trouble as well.

In the last post, I wrote about Mike Raiter, who is principal of Melbourne School of Theology. In January, Mike will be embarking on a passion of his and developing a school/center to promote the practice of expository preaching – passionate expository preaching, that is. May the gospel regain a foothold in Australia! If it does, it will be according to God’s will – so, PRAY! Does that seem strange to you – pray because God is sovereign? After all these years, it makes perfect sense to me! God is the only one who can change the hearts of men and women, and He calls us to pray that He will. He also uses the (expository) preaching of the cross to draw men to Himself.

Thanks for checking in!

Guest column - this is must reading!

2011-07-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

This past week, my good friend, David Carson, passed from death to life - into the presence of Jesus. It was an extremely difficult year for David's family as his health declined because of a brain tumor. Last week, just a day or two before he died, David's daughter, Lydia Wells, wrote the following words on her blog. I have not asked for permission, but I am 100% certain Lydia would not mind you sharing her grief - and, trust - through her words. Read, and weep, but be blessed:

Today has been a hard day for me. I've lived for over a year now with the knowledge that my Dad is dying. All along, I have prayed for either healing or a quick, painless death. Neither has happened. My Dad is suffering, his body is rotting, his mind is not clear, he is unable to do anything for himself. He has lost nearly everything that made him David Carson. It is hard to watch.

For the past week, I have been really dwelling on what he must be thinking and feeling, if he is able to think much. I don't know since he doesn't communicate with us anymore. Is he focusing on heaven? Is it dark where he is at? Is he groaning in his mind? I hear his sighs and quiet moans and I know he is hurting, though he has never once complained. Is he talking to God or is silent in his mind? Is he only capable of feeling the weariness and pain that I know he is feeling? Does he ever allow the thought to cross his mind that maybe God has forsaken him? OR is he content to suffer, knowing the glory that is coming?

I have had many conversations with God over the past two days. For some reason, my Dad's voice enters these conversations. Because I know my Dad's heart so well, I am easily able to imagine his interjections into these conversations, where I am, at this time, unable to hear God's reply. The great I AM is very silent right now. But my Dad, well, I can hear him pretty clearly. I know some of you may think that I am only giving my Dad's voice to God's replies...maybe.

When I rant and say things like, "It's not fair! My Dad is a good man and has served you well." my Dad's voice reminds me that no man is good enough to enter the presence of God and that no one deserves mercy. My Dad reminds me that we all deserve eternal separation from God, that we all deserve suffering and death. It is because of Jesus Christ and his death, and my Dad's acknowledgement of and acceptance of that, that my Dad will (eventually) enter heaven and spend eternity gazing on the face of his Savior.

When I *remind* God (as if HE needs reminding) of all the sacrifices my Dad has made for Him, of all the ways that my Dad has served and followed and loved Jesus Christ, my Dad's voice reminds me that he did not do those "works" to get to heaven or to make death easier. He lived the way he lived because he loves Jesus and wanted to honor Him with his life. Dad has always desired that others see Jesus in him, he has never cared that they see David Carson. One of my Dad's favorite verses is 1 Corinthians 2:2- "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." Dad did not need lofty speech or worldy wisdom to show others Jesus. I believe others so clearly see Jesus in the life of my Dad because he resolved to live the gospel for all to see.

As I watch my Dad's body fall apart, as I reflect on his life, I feel closer to him than I have ever felt, even though we are no longer able to communicate. Even though God remains silent to my entreaties and questions, I am still comforted by the knowledge that what I believe is REAL and it is TRUE. Even as I shed tears, I am at peace, because I know He holds the future and my Dad's future is with Him.

God sent His son,
They called Him Jesus.
He came to love, heal and forgive.
He lived and died, to buy my pardon.
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know, I know, He holds the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a new born baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still, the calm assurance
This child can face uncertain days because Christ lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know, I know, He hold the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day, I'll cross the river.
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory.
I'll see the light of glory and I'll know that He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know, I know,He hold the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives

Melbourne!

2011-07-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

I love the smell of this city! Perhaps I should say I love the way that this city smells. Melbourne is known as a city of restaurants and coffee shops. From the first moments in this great city, Alison and I were inundated with sights, aromas, and tastes that thrilled our senses! Coffee shops along the alleyways and restaurants that always seem to be cooking their best fare beckoned to us all day long.

Melbourne is a beautiful mixture of old and modern. The architecture and angles of buildings and museums and shops and art galleries invite one to participate in the city’s charm. Charming? Is it possible to consider a city of three million plus, charming? Indeed, one is tempted to employ the word “quaint!” As one resident said, “Melbournians enjoy their city.” It is, without question, a more leisurely pace in Melbourne than Sydney, or almost any other world class city of its size that I have visited. One particularly impressive spot was the reading room in the State Library. I will try to post a picture on Facebook, soon.

Visiting with friends and family were the highlight of the trip to Melbourne. We stayed with Alison’s long-time friends, Mike and Sarah Raiter. Mike is the principal (Americans would use the term “president”) of the Melbourne School of Theology and Sarah is an artist who thinks deeply about life. Fortunately, for us, Mike was on holiday. In addition to showing us the lay of the land, we enjoyed many long talks about life and ministry, one night going strong after 1 AM. The Raiters’ two adult sons, Joel and Nathan, delighted us with their company much of the three days we were in Victoria. I cannot tell you how impressed I was with this wonderful family!

One day was spent with other (new, for me) friends and (some new, some not so new to me) family. We had lunch (maybe the best lasagna I have ever had!) with Alison’s friend for many years, “Musha,” (Aussies love nicknames!), whose husband, Thomas, welcomed us into their home along with their two delightful children, Sonya and Henry. Betty (Alison’s aunt) and partner Ian, and Cousin Jane had us for dinner where we enjoyed Christmas in July, complete with decorations and mince pie! In all, I think there were three distinct, delicious desserts after a sumptuous meal of corned beef and potatoes and all the fixings.

We are back in Sydney, now, and preparing for a dinner party with 30 friends. I am sitting in McDonald’s, one of the few places that offers free wi-fi. I am not kidding, I have only seen one lap top (besides mine) open in Australia in a week’s time – and, I have been looking! The coffee shops are full, but no computers. Even in Mackers (as they call McDonald’s), no one is surfing the web. I would conclude that Aussies get their Internet fix on their phones – but, there seems to be precious little of that. Could it be that they are simply more interested in connecting with people than they are in surfing the web, at least while out in public? Good form!

Thanks for checking in. I will be back!

Toilet Humor - But, It Is Not What You Think!

2011-07-11T03:09:00.000-07:00

In the Toronto airport last week, on our way to Australia (crazy route, but you have to take those sometimes with frequent flyer miles), I went into the men’s restroom and saw a little boy moving around in front of a toilet and making it flush. “Dad – is it magic!?!” “Yes, son.” “Dad – they’re all magic!”

How could you not smile? I LOVED it! I also thought about my father, who probably thought the same thing 10 or so days ago when he entered heaven – “Is this place for real?” But, he knew that it was, and he knew he was there because of Jesus, not because of twenty plus years of teaching Sunday School or being a church member or being baptized, but because he repented of his sin and placed his trust in Jesus, who died for his sin and took God’s punishment for sin that was directed toward Billy Talley. Jesus got in the way of God’s wrath – Praise the Lord!

We have been enjoying a blessed few days in Sydney with Alison’s mom – and we have been blessedly out of touch! We have limited access to Internet and email, though we may have a little more access the next few days when we are visiting friends in Melbourne. I did not go that far South last year, so I am looking forward to being with Alison’s friends, the Raither, in Melbourne, though I am not looking forward to the 4:30AM to get back to the airport while jet-lag is still a factor. If you think that three-four days in is a little long to be struggling with jet-lag, come to this enchanted land they call OZ sometime – it is well worth it, but it ain’t an easy trip!

I hope to write from Melbourne. It will be a little cooler than the 50’s we have been experiencing here with brilliant sunshine. Jealous? You should be, even though I freeze here when I am inside! Aussies are quite committed to saving energy, and they do so with heat! Our ways are just as different to them, I am certain, so for my Aussie friends reading this, please know that your way is more than OK. It’s just cold! You are, without doubt, though, some of the warmest people I have met! So glad that most of our time here is still ahead of us.

In Memory - Billy Talley

2011-07-06T15:39:00.001-07:00

I am sitting in the Toronto airport, waiting for a flight to Vancouver and then on to Sydney, Australia. We are going to visit Alison's mum and other family. Like last year, I plan to chronicle our journey in this space.

We almost didn't make this trip. My father, Billy Talley, passed from death to life - into the presence of Jesus - last Saturday, July 2. We buried him yesterday. This post is dedicated to his memory with the words that I shared during my portion of leading the service.

Funeral Service for Billy Talley

July 5, 2011

FUN! I suppose that is the word I would first associate with my father. I imagine most of you who knew my dad beyond just the most surface level would add an n-y to that word and think of my dad as FUNNY! When I grew up with my dad, life was just plain old fun.

They say that we tend to relate to God in the same ways we have come to know our fathers. If your father was stern and demanding, then you have to work hard to see God as loving and gentle. If your father was permissive and/or absent, you may struggle to grasp God’s holiness and transcendence. You may not be surprised to know that I see the Father holy and transcendent, yet with a sense of humor who sees the irony in life and the corners of His mouth turn slightly upward.

Understanding God in relation to our fathers is natural. We are, after all, made in the image of God. Since God is Spirit, we know that being made in His image does not refer to the physical, even though God appeared in the flesh in Jesus. So, what does being made in God’s image mean? Most would say that it is our ability to reason that separates us from animals, so to be able to think and reason is the primary way we exhibit the image of God. One theologian has said that it is man’s imagination that is indicated, for when we are creating, we are most like God. That explanation resonates with me.

My dad had quite an imagination. He was quick-witted and almost always had a funny comment about the circumstance of the moment. I would like to think that I received a measure of my dad’s wit, but what made him exceptionally funny is that he didn’t care whether you thought he was funny or not. When I think of something clever, I want you to hear it! When he thought of something funny, he often spoke it softly, not really caring if anyone else heard or not – or, at least he seemed not to care – and that is funny. Nan and Sabra and I have laughed more than we have deserved to laugh, I suppose, because of his influence in our lives.

My dad was incredibly blessed with the two wives that the Lord graciously gave to him. Like father, like son. I love you, Alison. I will say more about Patricia, whom most of you know as Pat, in a few moments, but let me say how much joy and laughter he brought to their lives! When I was called to care for my dear, dying wife over four years ago, I had the perfect role model. No one could have cared better for my mom than my dad did in her last many years of life, suffering with emphysema. He rolled her, I imagine, over every square inch of Raleigh in her wheel chair. Sometimes he put her life in danger because of the ways he would make her laugh when she was desperately short of breath. I laugh when Patricia tells me about the way that he courted her, showing up every morning to greet her on her way to school, calling her on the phone, disguising his voice with various accents from around the world, and singing to her as the crooner that he was. Billy Talley was a funny – and, a fun – man.

But, not all of you would respond the same way if I asked you to describe my dad. When you have spoken to me over these last five years, no doubt, most of you have said that he always made you smile – always! But, there have been just as many comments about my father’s love for Jesus, his love for children and his love for teaching them, his heart-felt prayers, and his godly character. It is, in fact, his relationship with Jesus as his Savior that has sustained him, and us, over these past five years.

In many ways, my father died five years ago when he began to slide rapidly and inexorably into the living hell of Lewey Body Dementia. For all the fun that my dad had in the first 75 or so years of his life, these last five years have been anything but fun. Many of you have had similar experiences with your loved ones. I don’t know what he would have done without Patricia’s tender loving care that went so far beyond what would have been expected, even of a devoted spouse. Our family knew that God had blessed us with a beautiful addition even before Dad and Patricia said “I do.” We are so grateful God brought you into our lives, Patricia – we love you!

Just think of how difficult these years have been for Patricia. Dementia was, for Billy, a horrible disease that caused him to act in ways that were horrifyingly embarrassing to him in the few lucid moments early in his disease. If you had seen him this past Friday, repeatedly gasping for breath with terror in his eyes, you would understand why it is such a relief for us that he is with Jesus, today. That doesn’t mean we are not sad, though. Quite a few tears have flowed along with the laughter. But, as Scripture says, we do not grieve in the same way as those who have no hope. We recognize that our parting is only temporary. Consider these words from John 14:1-6, spoken by Jesus just before He was to part, temporarily, from His disciples:

1 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
4 And you know the way to where I am going."
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The night before He was crucified, Jesus told His disciples that He was going away. They were shocked, because they had thought that He was going to establish the kingdom of God on earth, but now He told them, in essence, that He was going to heaven and that they were to be at peace about it! And, He told them, He would be busy preparing a room for each of them in His Father’s house. He concluded by saying, “You know the way to where I am going.”

Thomas said, “Uh, uh – we don’t have any idea where You are going, so how can we possibly know the way there?” Jesus responded with some of the most important words any of us will ever, ever hear: “I am the way – and the truth – and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Wow! Jesus was either incredibly arrogant – or, He was God. I don’t know about you, but I am going with the latter. Jesus was God! He had to be in order to accomplish our salvation because our sin had separated us from God. My dad suffered as he did because of sin. Not any particular sin of his, but because of Adam’s sin, which we have all inherited – every one of us. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, they sinned, and thus were separated from God, and there was NOTHING they could do about that separation. There was no way back to God. But, God covered their nakedness, which represented their desperate condition, and He did so with animal skin. Blood was required in order for their sin to be covered.

But, as the book of Hebrews tells us, it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin, no matter how many sacrifices were made in the Jewish Tabernacle and Temple in OT days. Jesus, though, being the perfect, spotless Lamb of God, went to the cross to absorb the wrath of God against sinners. Since we are all sinners, God’s righteous, judicial wrath is aimed squarely at us and unless someone stands in the way and absorbs God’s wrath, we will experience it one day. But, God's love made a way!

This may be hard for you to accept, but all the terrible things in this world, including these last five years of my dad’s life, are just a little taste of God’s wrath being revealed against sin, as are tsunamis and wars, and they may have NOTHING to do with the people who are experiencing tragedy. Until Jesus returns to rule on a new earth, which will really be heaven, every one of us will suffer because of sin. But, as Jesus promised His disciples, if we are related to God the Father through Jesus, we will experience perfect peace and joy throughout eternity!

My dad’s days are now full of joy because so many years ago he repented of his sin and trusted Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as payment for his sin. My father’s hope of heaven was Jesus, not twenty years of teaching Sunday School, or baptism, or church membership, or comforting the grieving, or quiet acts of service and giving about which most never knew. He is OK today because of Jesus! Patricia pictured him clicking his heels when he got to heaven. What a beautiful picture – Billy Talley made whole and perfect because of Jesus! I don’t doubt that the beautiful parts of our personality are retained in heaven. Clicking his heels, indeed!

As I close, let me share how my dad passed from death to life, into the presence of Jesus. The staff at Senter’s Assisted Living Center was wonderful to my dad. This past Saturday afternoon, Patricia asked Gwen Morrison to sing for Billy. She was delayed because she had to make her rounds, but she arrived just before 3:30. In a beautiful, soulful voice, Gwen sang the first verse of Amazing Grace. As she sang the last note and turned to go, my dad breathed his last, clicked his heels, and fell into the arms of Jesus! Oh, I do hope that you will put your faith in what Jesus did for you so that you may have the same hope when your time comes, as everyone of us knows our time surely will come.

I cannot prove this in Scripture, but I have all ideas that there were a host of people waiting for Billy, including my late wife, Linda, and my mother. Sabra had a picture of how she thought it was in heaven on Saturday. In the last year of my mother’s life, Nan, Sabra, and I all lived away from Fuquay. When we would come for a few days, my mother could hardly stand the wait. She eagerly anticipated our arrival, so much so that when our car would roll down the driveway, she would tap her feet and say, “They’re here they’re here!” In Sabra’s mind – and, how can we argue – she was tapping her feet on Saturday and saying, “He’s here, he’s here!” To God be the glory!

Remembering Mom - Autumn, for the Kids

2011-03-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

Remembering Mom

It’s that time of year again when my thoughts of Mom have been pressing and heavy. I think about Mom many times every single day, but these first three months of the year are thick with more difficult memories from her sickness, ultimately culminating to March 3rd, 2008 when she, as Dad said in his last post, passed from death to life. I really wanted to do something to honor Mom’s memory this year so I asked Dad awhile ago if I could post something on her blog. And now that it’s time to post, I have serious writer’s block.

I don’t have a lot of theology or wisdom to impart, but I just wanted to take some time and intentionally remember Mom. The idea came to me on her birthday last month when I was reading some Facebook comments. Our dear family friend, Sherri Russell, posted a comment on Aunt Terri’s page simply saying, “I love her and miss her too.” It reminded me again how many countless people out there, from so many places of our lives, love and miss Mom. What a tremendous impact she made on so many lives in her short 53 years on Earth. We were reminded of that in droves when she was sick. The meals, visits, cards, housecleaning, yard work, uplifting videos, music, scrapbooks and gifts poured in nonstop for over a year. It was an amazing testimony of the body of Christ in motion. Can I say THANK YOU again on behalf of the whole family, including Mom? We were all absolutely overwhelmed by your love and generosity.

I really miss Mom’s smiling, beautiful face. She loved Jesus with all her heart and it radiated through her. I love to listen to old hymns now because they remind me of Mom’s sweet voice singing harmonies in the pew beside us at Fellowship Baptist. I think of her standing there with her strong voice, lovingly shepherding her little flock of Liz, Michael and me, making sure we were growing up in God’s Word. She was a beautiful example of Deuteronomy 6: 6-8, faithfully growing in love and service to the Lord and teaching those values to her children.

One of Mom’s favorite verses that she shared with me was from Isaiah 30:15, “…In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength…” Mom really exuded these qualities of quietness and confidence. Liz reminded me one time that she almost always had a smile on her face – both when she was healthy and sick. She had a genuine little laugh that would come out in conversations and I miss that laugh. She was shy and insecure but I’m so proud of her for boldly stepping out and serving and counseling so many. Maybe that’s why she liked that verse…she was quiet, but she found her confidence in Christ.

She was a great Mom and I appreciate so many things about her. I love that she modeled the importance of an education by going back to college and graduating in her thirties. She gave us a love for reading, she taught us the value of true nutrition long before it was popular, and she gave us a lot of freedom in letting us run wild all over TVR property.

Mom’s absence from this earth is really hard for me in two ways. One, because I was just developing a true “friendship” with her as an adult. We had finally moved past those difficult teenage years, accepted each other as individuals and settled into a nice groove. I’m sad that we weren’t able to further develop that relationship. The other really tough thing is really missing her guidance and support now that I am a mom to a sweet and sassy 19-month old who is brimming with life and energy and is just so lovable! Mom loved, loved, loved her grandchildren Laurel, Judge and Willow. And now three years later she has three more in Alia, Audrey, and little Miles on the way. It’s sad for me to know that the kids are missing the love of their Nina in this lifetime. I know she would give really great advice on a lot of the questions that I have. She was very wise, well-read and imparted her knowledge is such a gentle way.

I miss Mom every single day. Walking through the difficult year of her sickness and then seeing her die changed me in so many ways. I am a stronger, less fearful, more patient and loving person after experiencing the intensity of caregiving. I always feared sickness…and then she got sick…and died…the very worst thing I could imagine! But you know what? It’s okay. I’m still trying to accept that. It’s okay. It’s more than okay. She finished her race (Hebrews 12:1). The thing that’s tough is that I am still running mine and still trying to come to terms with the fact that more sickness and more death will come; it is guaranteed. I’ll admit that, along with the fear I’ve cast to the side, sometimes it feels like I’ve just shouldered different fears of losing someone else close to me, or myself dying while my daughter is still young.

These are just aftereffects of the grief, I suppose, but I am dealing with them. In fact, even as I write this, I’ve thought about Hebrews 12 that I just referenced. It gives a really good answer for this fear that still paralyzes me from time to time. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” I guess it’s full circle back to what I said at the beginning – that Mom absolutely loved Jesus. She had such a firm foundation in His Word and His love, that she was not shaken when she was given a diagnosis of an aggressive brain tumor. Like any human, she had her moments of fear and weakness. But she kept circling back to Jesus. That is awesome and I’m so proud of her and the example she set.

I think I’ve officially written more than what is considered acceptable for a ‘blog,’ but I did want to mention one more thing before I close this out. While it has been hard to be a young mom and not have my mom around, God really does give more grace. I want to give a big hug to my amazing husband, Brian who shepherds our family with grace, love and a lot of fun; and to so many women who have stepped in to fill a role: my dear friend and mother-in-law, Debbie; my new stepmom, Alison (Who, by the way, is just as incredible as Dad describes in his posts. What a tremendous blessing she and her kids, Jonathan and Sarala, are to our family!); my beautiful sisters, Liz and Laura; my steadfast grandmas, Virginia and Patricia; my godly aunts and cousins, and so many other amazing women in my life who have loved me through some really tough times. I love you all so much.

And by the way, since I’ve poached this space, I want to say that all of these godly characteristics of Mom are equally true of our Dad. We are so incredibly blessed to have grown up in a household that had a firm foundation in God’s Word. Thank you, Dad, for being a rock as we walked through this darkest valley; for always pointing us to Jesus and for being equal parts leader, mentor and friend to us now!

Thanks for taking the time to visit and hear where I am today (every day is different) after three years of missing Mom on this earth. God bless you all as you also reflect on your own special memories of her on this day!

Blessings, Past and Present

2011-02-28T12:37:00.000-08:00

Blessings, Past and Present

It has been quite some time since I last wrote for this space, but I wanted to alert those who still check in from time to time that one or more of my children may be reflecting in this spot next Thursday, March 3, the third anniversary of the passing from death to life of their mother and my wife of 31 plus years, dear sweet Linda Faile Talley.

I cannot tell you how many times I have been told that I must be one of the most fortunate men alive to have been blessed first, with Linda, and now, with Alison! Like father, like son, I suppose – my dad has been equally blessed with my mother, Bobbie Griffin Talley, and with his current wife, Patricia Keith Talley. My father, who lives with dementia, is blessed, along with our entire family, by the most incredibly caring wife you could imagine. One of the last pieces of his mind to slip was his recognition of the beautiful blessing that Patricia is to him. Even now, he longs to see her every day as the final chapters of his life play out in a rest home. He is not disappointed, for Patricia is well known to all at Senter’s Rest Home, located about a mile from her home.

This life is hard, is it not? There are so many ways of looking at difficult circumstances, such as asking “Why me?” or “Why not me?” Those are questions that my dear friends, David and Pam Carson ask as David lives the last days of his life (barring a miracle from our God, Who is, indeed, capable, but may not heal, in His sovereign will) with the same tumor – Glioblastoma Multiforme – that Linda had. Another of my close friends, Mark Poindexter, had surgery last week to remove a brain tumor. We know that it is malignant, but we do not know the grade, yet. Please pray for Mark and Kim, and their daughters, Lauren (with husband, James Peavy) and Sarah. Oh, we do hope and pray that Mark’s tumor is more manageable!

So, why would I speak of blessings in the title? Well, because alongside of God’s sovereignty, in equal measure, is His goodness! Evidences of His grace and mercy are everywhere, even in crises, but sometimes his goodness shouts to those who are listening! Do you think David Carson and Mark Poindexter are aware of His goodness in the beautiful, loving families that God has given them? Absolutely! Am I aware of my own blessings that far, far exceed anything I remotely deserve in Linda and Alison? Without question! I told Alison recently that in the center of many painful realities of this existence, my “lows” are considerably higher than they were a few years ago, and much higher on the chart than they would be without her. She blesses me with 100% support and encouragement at the same level that Linda did. Amazing! Is my primary hope in Jesus? Of course! And He sustained me as I endured loneliness at a level that I did not think possible because of the loss of life and love from one of God’s most incredible human beings of our time, and wouldn’t you know it, He brought blessing back to me in an equally beautiful and valuable package, though of a different nature (personality, past experiences, etc.) altogether.

I had not intended to write nearly this much – I had only intended to alert you to a coming post on Thursday – but since I am on a roll . . . When you marry for the second time, it can be quite a delicate proposition to speak of your previous spouse. Not so in our house! We both recognize and believe with all of our hearts that God is sovereign and God is good. Alison has never once shown the slightest hint of discomfort (jealousy is not even on the radar in the slightest form) when I speak of Linda. In fact, Alison has often asked my children and me about Linda. You may think it odd, but we went to Rome, Georgia this past Thanksgiving to be with Linda’s parents and all of her siblings and their families. What an awesome time it was for all of us! Was it awkward? No! Linda’s family is one of the most incredible, caring group of men, women, and children you will ever meet, and they welcomed Alison graciously into “the family.” Was it difficult? Certainly! It was painful for all of us to remember Linda so poignantly in that setting.

As we drove away from Rome, Alison was unusually quiet (that is not a jab – I talk at least as much as she does!). After a bit, I noticed that she was crying. I asked why, of course, and she said that she had always known that the cost had been high for the two of us to be together, but she felt the emotions of the entire family together at a level she had not experienced to that point. Blessings, past and present!

Well, I could go on, but I had better stop. If you have read this far, I would encourage you to get a life! Just kidding! Thank you!!! and, PLEASE return on Thursday to read the children’s (one may speak for all) words of praise and tribute to the beautiful, lovely lady who pointed others to Jesus, Linda Faile Talley.

Um, well, OK, go here for wedding pictures

2010-08-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

I really feel odd doing this, but in case you were at the wedding, there may be some pictures of you. If not, I will have to say that our photographers, James and Jen Tarpley, are some of the best anywhere and you may enjoy viewing these just for the photography itself! And, for the beautiful pictures of my beautiful bride! I will include the two paragraphs that they sent to us about the pictures, which will give you the proper links and passwords.

From Visio Photography:

I hope you're having a great day! We are excited to let you know that you can now view your beautiful images online. :) But first, before you go to your gallery, make sure the volume on your computer is up and go to http://visiogallery.com/preview/kasbe-talley/

We hope you enjoy watching the preview slideshow of a selection of images from your day. Feel free to pass it on to family and friends for the next couple of weeks. Once you have seen your slideshow, you can view your full gallery by going to our website, www.visiophotography.com. Once there, click on Weddings, then Client Login on the bottom menu bar. The main galleries page will come up and your password is kasbe-talley.

Homeward Bound

2010-07-28T05:42:00.000-07:00

It is our last night in Australia, and on this last day I have seen some beautiful views of the Australian Outback. No, I didn't actually go there, but I got a taste of the Australian heartland on the Aussie Reality Show, The Farmer Wants a Wife. Do I really need to explain? The scenery was beautiful, and if you are in to such reality shows, you may want to check it out online. I am continually surprised and amazed by this remote land that is teeming with life.

We are heading home in the morning. It will be a bittersweet goodbye. I have grown to love Joan Cotton (Alison's "mum") in these three short weeks. She was great on the phone and in letters, but she is better in person! I have been truly blessed with in-laws of all kinds in this life!

We will leave Sydney at 1:50 Thursday afternoon and arrive in Los Angeles at 10:17 Thursday morning - another marvel of air travel with significant distances that involves crossing the time line. You may recall when we began this trip that we chased the sun out of Los Angeles (departing an hour or so after sunset) on a Monday night and ended up just beating it into Sydney on Wednesday morning some 14 hours later. Tomorrow, we get our lost day back.

In addition to leaving family, we will also leave behind good friends. These dear ones in Australia have had significant spiritual input into Alison's life, and I am the beneficiary. Alison's mother told her tonight as she went to bed, "I am so happy for both of you - everyone is!"

As Alison and I have said many times, "Neither of us wanted to be where we are - but neither of us would want to be anywhere else." Indeed! Can I explain that? No way. Life can be extremely painful - and, there are no promises that life will get better. We are well intentioned when we say, "God will always make things better," but we are often wrong. God is good, but He is God and His ways don't always make sense. A father in North Korea, no doubt, was dragged away from his family on the way to prison and maybe execution in this last week because of his faith in Jesus. We can't make sense of this life that is so often painful, but we can know that God is sovereign and that God is good. Our hope is not in this world - it is in eternal life with Jesus.

But, sometimes - many times, in fact - God brings beauty out of the ashes. It is just a taste of what life will be with Jesus in heaven, and it can be a treat to the senses and the imagination as we wait for the day when our Father calls us to be with Him. Do you know Jesus? As much as I have enjoyed meeting so many new friends in Australia, and as much as I love my friends back home, I SO want to be with you in heaven! Call out to Jesus, would you? He died to take the judgment of God that was directed toward you and me - until He stepped in the middle as a sacrifice that would satisfy God's righteous wrath against sin and against sinners. Repent of your sin (acknowledge it before the Lord) and call out to Jesus, believing that He died for you. He has promised to save you if you will!

It has been quite a trip, and an extremely full one. I will be back in the States soon, so if you see someone driving on the left side of the road . . .

Whales, Kangaroos, and Shrimp on the Barbie

2010-07-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

Is this an authentic Australian experience? Oh, yeah! There is so much to report from the last trip that I would never get it done if I recalled all of it, so I will just hit some highlights. Alison and I spent two wonderful days with her sister, Heather McAlpine, and John (husband), Melinda, Christine, Matt (children), and Jo (Matt's good friend). On the way down to Kiama (over an hour south of Sydney), where the McAlpines reside, I saw possibly the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.

Alison and I have been quite busy on this trip meeting dozens of people and spending quality time with many of them, so the trip down was quite nice just to catch up with one another. We went through a National Park (we would say National Forest in the States) for about 8-10 miles. The Australian bush is much, much prettier than I had anticipated. The large variety of Eucalyptus trees - there are over 700 total - and palm trees, often situated along spectacularly beautiful rivers, well, it is quite a scene. In this particular National Forest, we went downhill for 4-5 miles and then went uphill for about the same amount of distance in curvy, mountain-like roads. It reminded me, in fact, of Three Mile Road in Avery County, North Carolina where I used to live. Three Mile is actually Hwy. 194 between Linville Falls and Hwy 19E, close to Spruce Pine. The road we were on was quite curvy, one of those roads on which you wonder if you will ever come out of the curves and the hills. All of a sudden, we burst out of the forest to find ourselves quite high and overlooking the incredibly blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. The view was very much as one you might see on the Pacific Coast Highway in California - only much more beautiful. It was lunch time, so we stopped just a few miles down the road and ate at a restaurant overlooking the Pacific. Magnificent!

We did not see a whale on Thursday, but we did see three whales on Saturday and one breached (leaped out of the water rolling over on his back). That was on the same day we saw the famous blow hole of Kiama, a cove in the rocks that border the ocean and in which the water rushes in and gushes up into spectacular spray. By the way, I exhausted my admittedly meager supply of descriptive adjectives to describe this beautiful land and this particular experience in Oz several days ago.

But, what about kangaroos? Can you have an authentic Australian experience without kangaroos? No worries, mate! We ate lunch very close to kangaroos on Friday in another National Park. OK, OK, it is like bears in Alaska hanging out close to picnic areas, but you have to admit it is better than seeing them in a zoo! Indeed, we had a mother and two joeys hanging out, just hoping that we would give them a snack, which we did not, of course. The kangaroos were within 25 feet of us just about the whole time we were eating.

The Rosella's - beautiful tropical birds - did not wait for us to throw them a morsel. They were all over us, literally, competing with us for our food. They were on our shoulders, our heads, on the table, trying to eat the sandwiches out of our hands. What a day! I am constantly thinking about how much Professors Bartlett and Metz (biology profs at Campbell University and part of the Grace Community Church Family) would enjoy being with me. In fact, I would enjoy having them with me immensely, telling me all about the plant life and wildlife in this magical land! And, by the way, did I mention the incredible views of the coastline and the bays along the Pacific Coast of Australia, south of Sydney?

Sunday night, we went back to Gil and Jo's home for shrimp on the barbie! It was a barbecue (I can't believe I am using that word as a verb!) that almost any American would award the highest of marks! We had steak, shrimp, chicken, and beef sausages, in addition to salad and risotto. What a great time with these good friends! Today, Monday, has been a day chock a block (full) of meetings with more of Alison's close friends. One lady, who is a close friend of Alison and her mom, happens to be the grandmother of Bonnie Wright, better known as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter films. Doreen, Bonnie's grandmother, is a gracious and beautiful follower of Jesus.

It has been a wonderful trip, but I am very much looking forward to being back home later this week. We leave Sydney at 1:30 on Thursday and get in to Raleigh that night at 11:30, so it is a 10 hour trip. No, wait - with the time change, it is about a 24 hour trip, with stops in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Maybe there will be time for one more post from here, but if not, I will see you in the States!

More from Australia

2010-07-21T04:12:00.000-07:00

Alison and I are more than half-way into our stay in Australia. We have gone nearly non-stop. It has been quite a ride. This past Saturday night, we gathered in Gil and Jo's home (see earlier post) along with around 50 of Alison's family and close friends (mostly, friends). In one of the speeches, which are important at nearly all celebrations in Oz, it was noted how amazing it is that someone could be gone from the country for 14 years and this many people show up for a celebration. Indeed! Several more had planned to come, but were unable to for various reasons. The numbers are a testament to Alison's commitment to stay in touch with her friends, even on the other side of the globe. It has me thinking about the importance of staying connected with the people who are important to me.

At Tuesday lunch, 15 more people gathered at the community center of the village where Alison's mother, Joan, lives. They joined us to celebrate our marriage with us. 15 more will gather next Tuesday at the same place. My memory is not as sharp as it once was, so even though it is great to meet so many new family members and friends, it is a challenge to remember names.

Food. Lots of food! We eat five times a day. Breakfast, morning tea (or coffee) with a snack, lunch, afternoon tea (or coffee) with or without a snack, and dinner. It will be "work it off" time when we return to the States.

If there is one place that I have heard that people want to visit, but have not yet done so, it is Australia. It is a long flight - 14 hours - with significant jet-lag (at least for me) and an expensive ticket (though Alison is flying free from miles and I am on a relatively cheap ticket because I got it early), but it is well worth the trip if you can make it.

I have engaged in several interesting conversations with people about theology, ministry, history, and politics. Several people have asked me about Obama. It is interesting to interact with people from other countries on the topic of America. I have found everywhere I go that Americans are treated very, very well. When the discussion turns to politics, however, very few people seem to like America, considering her (as a country) arrogant and aloof. I quite disagree, of course, but that is the perception that others have. I am eager to engage in these conversations, but they always have the potential to go awry.

The conversations about theology, ministry, and history have been invigorating and enlightening. It is so encouraging to find that the kingdom of God transcends national boundaries, and that differences inherent in politics are transcended by life in the shadow of the cross. I guess it is true that (Jesus') blood is thicker than water!

While America is waking up, I am getting ready for bed - tonight, in the States! I will close by telling you how very much I was blessed reading from the Gospel of Matthew today. The Sermon on the Mount was particularly encouraging. Jesus' words are very straight-forward in chapters 5-7. Laced with grace as they are, however, my heart soared to think that God cares for me so deeply and that He desires my full heart and attention, which will be seen in the kind and forgiving ways that I treat others. "Thank You, Jesus, for telling me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear."

Driving on the Wron - I Mean - the Other Side of the Road

2010-07-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

I have been driving for several days in Australia. I have been driving so much, in fact, that I have been unable to get to the computer to update our stay. We are meeting so many people that I had better dispense with trying to recall everyone - more of the same, though. Wonderful, wonderful friends Alison has here, just as she does in the States!

Have you ever driven on the opposite side of the road than the one you are used to? I have been driving on the left side of the road of late. The steering wheel, of course, is on the right side of the car. I took a few days to get acclimated to the Aussie way of driving on the left side, then I asked my beautiful and lovely mother-in-law, Joan Cotton, if I could drive her car. She agreed, and off I went on a very short excursion. By the next day, I was driving all around Sydney and having a grand time.

The place that gives me the most trouble is in parking lots, where I find myself reverting back to a "right side" mentality. Actually, the most difficult aspect of the whole experience is hitting the correct lever for the blinker. I am forever turning the wiper on trying to get to the blinker, which is on the right side of the steering wheel. As for the driving, so far, so good. No doubt, I am much more careful and focused here than I would be at home. It was unnerving at first (and still is, a bit), but quite exciting all in all.

New experiences - both scary and exciting. It is like that with many of life's ups and downs, isn't it? I have been having my Quiet Time in Philippians 1. Early in the chapter, Paul calls the Christ-followers at Philippi, "partners in the gospel." In verse 12, he seeks to encourage them by saying that all that has happened to him has actually served to advance the gospel. You may know that "what had happened to Paul" was that he had been arrested and put in prison. I wonder if Paul thought this was a good thing for the gospel at first when he was arrested. I wonder if perhaps he thought Satan was having a good go and now the gospel would be hindered. I doubt it, really, knowing Paul's understanding of God's sovereignty. Sometimes, God’s ways are not always clear to us. Often, though, as in Paul's case, the not so wonderful turns in life make sense later on.

As a special prisoner, a member of the Imperial (Praetorian) Guard would be chained to Paul at all times. The guards were assigned to the apostle in four-hour shifts, which meant that 6 different guards would be chained to Paul in a 24 hour period. Do you think Paul witnessed to them? Verse 13 tells us that the entire guard knew that Paul was a prisoner for Christ! Surely, some of these men trusted Christ. No doubt, many of these elite soldiers went on to serve the Roman Empire in important posts around the world - and, the gospel advanced!

It is easy to see how Paul began to understand clearly what God was doing. Oh, that we will make the most out of opportunities, no matter how they look at first – even if they appear to be disastrous. Far better for us to trust God from the beginning so that we are doubly blessed when God's purposes begin to take shape in front of our eyes.

Tomorrow night (Saturday), we will have an Australian wedding reception with about 60 friends! We are looking forward to a great evening. I am quite excited, also, about meeting Alison's sister, Heather, and her husband, John, for lunch, and then meeting my new nieces and nephew (Melinda, Christine, and Matthew) at the party. We will spend a few days with them next week in Kiama - a spectacularly beautiful place (as just about all of the East Coast of Australia is - I can only speak for what I have seen).

Hopefully in the coming days I can catch up on our experiences at the Australian Reptile Park and the Central Coast and incredible views and food, etc., etc., etc. For now, sweet dreams for those of us Down Under, and a good Friday to those in the West.

A Whirlwind in Oz

2010-07-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

It is not exactly the tornado in The Wizard of Oz, but it sure feels like it! This cyclone is named Alison, who goes, it appears, non-stop when she is in her native land. Well, actually, she goes non-stop in her adopted land, also. My children talk about how I am constant motion and activity. I have met my match in my new bride - but, I knew that, of course, before we married and I wouldn't have it any other way. What a delicious natural disaster!

What a first week (not done, yet) it has been! After arriving Wednesday and recovering from the flight (well, I needed the recovery time, anyway), we headed for friends in the Blue Mountains on Thursday - the Hugh and Barbie I wrote about earlier. On Friday, Alison, Barb and I drove up into the Blue Mountains, which remind me, in many respects, of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. We saw the Three Sisters, a special rock formation of the sandstone that is so prevalent in this range and about which there is an Aboriginal legend. The temperature turned cold, as it should in this colder than normal Australian winter. Back at Hugh and Barbie's home, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and marvelled at the pictures from their recent 200 plus kilometers hike in the high mountains of Nepal. Exactly the kind of trek I like to experience - vicariously!

On Saturday morning, we were blessed to meet more ministry friends - George and Dim - awesome minsters for Christ! These faithful friends of Alison's provided incredible support. George had the same theology books on his shelf that I have! Later that morning, we went with Hugh and Barbie on a bush walk. We walked down one spot so grown over and narrow that there is almost no way I would walk that path in the summer with Australia's large number of venomous snakes and spiders! If you don't know about those, google them and prepare for reading-induced sweaty palms.

We got home to Sydney just in time to shower and head for the city for an awesome night on the town with Hugh and Barbie, who provided us with quite a wedding gift. After dinner right on the water at the Harbour, we walked a few blocks to the famous Sydney Opera House to watch the Broadway Play, A Little Night Music, starring Australia's own Sigrid Thornton (The Man from Snowy River) and Anthony Warlow (who has played the lead in Phantom of the Opera). None of us knew the plot to this play or we would probably not have gone, but it was fine theater, great acting, and great singing! As we exited our section of the theater, we walked into the lobby to find massive glass and a fine view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Beautiful, beautiful city, this Sydney, Australia.

Sunday after church (see last post), we went back downtown with Gil and Jo, two more of Alison's good friends. We took a ferry to Watson's Bay where we were generously treated to lunch at the famous Doyle's Seafood Restaurant. Delicious fish and chips! Gil regaled me much of the day with interesting facts about Australia, particularly Sydney, while the ladies shared their hearts with one another, both being breast cancer survivors and mothers of teenagers and sisters in Christ and - you get the idea. We went up to The Gap and looked out on the Pacific Ocean where we saw a whale (at least the other three assured me that spot in the distance was a whale). The Gap is a narrow expanse of land that ends in cliffs high above the Pacific and separates Watson's Bay from the Pacific ocean. More than a few Aussies have committed suicide at this place, jumping off the cliffs. It was so good to reflect on life in Christ and the joy that is in my life with my wife, my children and their families (Jonathan, Sarala, Ben, Brian, and Laura being the same as my own three) and the beautiful body of Christ - at Grace and around the world.

Sunday evening, Alison and I met with Kayla (sp?) Wall, granddaughter of GCC members, Jay and Ellie Wall. We first met Kayla at the fireworks extravaganza at the Moneypennys on July 3, less than 36 hours before we flew out of North Carolina, heading here. We learned that she was also heading to Australia for a semester at the University of New South Wales while they reside in Coogee Beach (what sacrifices these young scholars endure), just south of Sydney, so we planned to connect Down Under. Kayla and her friend, Bridgette, met us for dinner at the Circular Quay (pronounced "Key") at Sydney Harbour. It was great to watch Alison help these girls acclimate to their new home for the next five months.

As I wrap this up on Monday evening, we have just returned from dinner with two more of Alison's 1,237,538 friends in Australia - these two are Ross and Sarah. What a great night! I have met one really interesting person after another in this country (and enjoyed some wonderful food - lasagna tonight!). An aside - on the flight from LA to Sydney, we sat beside Tim, a flautist with a chamber group out of Chicago named "Eighth Blackbird." Did I mention him before? Interesting guy! One of the things he loves about living in the U. S. is that he says he is far more interesting in the States than he is in Australia - the accent, you know. So, I ask myself about these Aussies - is it the accent, or are these genuinely interesting people? It is ABSOLUTELY the latter! I'm blessed, though, because I am so used to finding the exact same kind of people in North Carolina, and, particularly at Grace. Ross and Sarah (whose four children - vibrant, I understand - were in bed) jumped right in to spiritual conversation, which turned to theology, which turned to the sharing of deep issues (where but in the body of Christ can that happen so quickly?), which turned to discussions of books and history and politics. Riveting!

Tomorrow is an off day. Sort of. It is a bit in flux, but perhaps we will spend the day at Manly Beach, reading (I am really inspired after the conversations this past week), praying, writing thank you notes to our good friends here and at home, talking and continuing to indulge in the blessing of getting to know one another more, and just being quiet at times and reflecting on God's Word while being sensitive to His Spirit. As for now, sleep callllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllls.

The Body of Christ - in Sydney and Worldwide

2010-07-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

St. Philip's Church in Sydney reminds me a great deal of Grace Community Church. Alison's home church is an Anglican Church. The relaxed liturgy at St. Philip's has much the same feel as the services that I have attended at Church of the Apostles in Raleigh (special Thanksgiving and Good Friday services, though not a Sunday morning service). It was, as you can imagine, quite a blessing to be with brothers and sisters in Christ who love our Lord so much, and who love my dear wife, Alison, so very much, as well. Even as I enjoyed the sweet fellowship with new saints, my heart was drawn in spirit and prayer to the services at Grace Community Church that would begin some 14 hours later. The powerful preaching on the Sermon on the Mount and the friendly spirit of so many believers at St. Philips that held us for an hour after services (morning tea, you know - quite right) filled and warmed my heart on a cold Sunday morning.

It is always a joy to worship with brothers and sisters in different parts of the world. We have the common fellowship around Jesus that binds us together before we even meet one another. It is always heartening to see that the truth of Scripture that is so important to one's life (beliefs, thoughts, philosophy, worldview, etc.) are equally important to Christ-followers anywhere in the world you may find them. Sadly, I often find the level of commitment to be greater in other parts of the world than I do in the U. S. Of course, that could be a perception based on limited knowledge.

It is easy to love and enjoy new brothers and sisters in Christ, especially when you meet them in different parts of the world. The challenge is to love those same brothers and sisters 15 to 20 years later when you have lived life together all that time. Such reality is a picture of the truth found in Scripture that we are never commanded to create unity, because it is already built into the body of Christ. We are, however, strongly commanded to keep and protect unity because it can be such a fragile thing. It is surprising (or, not so, really) how much the NT speaks to this very issue, whether directly or indirectly. It is the point Peter is making in 1 Peter 4:8 when he says that we are to "love one another earnestly, because love covers a multitude of sins."

The Lord is the same everywhere. We know that, don't we? The believers in Sydney are beautiful - but, I have found them to be so, as well, in Prague, Budapest, Beijing, Chengdu, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Rome, and many other places around the world and in the States. Why? Because our Savior is beautiful! Thus, the body of Christ is beautiful, as well, and the Lord loves us deeply, regardless of where we reside.

In Australia

2010-07-08T02:18:00.000-07:00

Alison and I arrived in Australia yesterday morning, having chased the sun out of Los Angeles on Monday night and then beating it to Sydney by about 30 minutes Wednesday morning. I just got Internet access earlier today (Thursday evening) for my computer. I have been able to access emails and the Internet via my Blackberry, but there is no way I was going to post anything from that! Besides, yesterday was a day of recovery from the flight - the most difficult I have had in a long time.

Although it was a difficult day physically, there was no let-down in the anticipation of meeting Joan, Alison's sweet and hardy Mum. Joan had a stroke two years ago while visiting her son's family in Spain. It appeared she may not ever see her home again, but the Lord brought her back from the brink and I am blessed for her resilience. What a delightful lady who loves the Lord, loves people, and loves life! I look forward to many coffee's and tea's and hours of conversation with my mother-in-law.

Currently, we are in the home of dear friends of Alison's, Barbie and Hugh. Barbie met us at the airport (along with Alison's cousin, Max, and Joan), as is the tradition for these close friends of many years. Alison has a passle of friends in the U.S., and it is becoming apparent that she has an equal number of pals in Oz. Tomorrow, we will go higher in the Blue Mountains - hopefully I will have more to report after our adventures. We may go to an area where we can expect to see kangaroos in the wild. Tonight, we may be able to hear a local wallaby from Hugh and Barbie's home on the edge of the bush.

Australia is a beautiful country, but the people are more beautiful than the landscape! Easy and fun (yet meaningful and purpose-filled) conversation is the norm, here. The bread is delicious - and that, my friends, is trouble. Oh, do pray for us!

Going Down Under

2010-07-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

It has been quite some time since I have given serious attention to this space. I have written to announce the births of grandchildren and to announce my engagement to the lovely Alison Kasbe. She is now my wife - the new Alison Talley - and she becomes lovelier every day. We were married on June 14 at a ceremony at Alison’s Raleigh church – Church of the Apostles – in what would be characterized by all who were there, I feel certain, as a true worship service. Patrick Dominguez, lead pastor at Apostles, led us to the very throne room of God where many of our friends gave thanks for God’s beautiful grace in sending His Son, Jesus, to make a way for us to relate to God. And, our friends gave thanks to God for bringing us together, thus, blessing us immeasurably!

So, now we head to Australia to meet most of Alison’s family. Hey, I’m no fool – marry first, meet the family afterwards! I am just kidding – we have already fallen in love with one another from opposite sides of the world. Alison’s brother, David Cotton, and his incredible family (wife, Catherine and children, Sophie, Laura, and Josh – awesome missionaries in Spain, by the way) blessed us with their presence at the wedding and then were able to stay with us for a week in Fuquay after we returned from our honeymoon. I cannot tell you how wonderful that time was – well, for us, anyway! They helped us move from Alison’s house to an apartment in Raleigh, where we will be staying for a year while Sarala graduates from high school (more about our first year – I am not going anywhere, GCC!). Most of what was moved from Raleigh, though, went to storage in Fuquay, where my daughter, Autumn, and her husband, Brian Stafford, will be staying this year while we are in Raleigh (though we will be in Fuquay on the weekends and plenty more).

Waiting for us in Oz are Alison’s mother, Joan, and her sister, Heather (finishing treatment for breast cancer), her husband, John McAlpine, and children Melinda, Christine, and Matthew. I can’t wait to meet this dynamic family that is deeply committed to the kingdom of God! Additionally, we will meet a host of friends in this place that many think of as the friendliest country in the world.

So, I will stay in touch while we are in Australia. Many of you have expressed excitement with us about this trip, and a few have suggested that I chronicle the days and events while away. Our stay will be a decent one – we will not return until the end of July. Shaun Cross and David Calvert will be preaching at Grace while I am away, so please pray that I still have a job when I return!

I have been meditating on the first four verses of the book of Philippians for the last few days. I have, yet again, been struck by the Apostle Paul’s committed heart of prayer for others. My ADD mind (never diagnosed, but, hey, come on . . .) finds it difficult to sustain lengthy periods of prayer. In these last few days, I am working hard to pray for you when I think of you – and, I have been thinking about you quite a bit as I have contemplated blowing the dust off the old blog and cranking up again. You must know that Paul’s prayers focus on the spiritual rather than the physical, so that is guiding my thoughts and prayers for you. I am quite eager to share experiences with a whole new family (both those related to Alison by blood and those precious friends who mean so much to my dear wife) on this excursion, but I also want to share what God is doing in my heart and mind. I will be giving much prayer and thought to what God is doing at Grace Community Church as I interact with elders and staff back home in this marvelous age. I am certain some of those thoughts will spill over here.

Travelogue? Hardly! I wish the quality of the writing would be worthy of such a title. Experiences shared on paper? Oh, yeah! In fact, may I tell you about the 12 hour layover in Los Angeles in which we currently find ourselves? Not interested? OK – talk with you from Sydney!

Audrey Elizabeth Talley - My Fifth Grandchild!

2010-01-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

This morning at 4:28 AM, Audrey Elizabeth Talley entered this world. Luara, my daughter-in-law, went into serious labor last night. Michael and Laura arrived at the hospital (in the snow) at about 10:30. Praise the Lord, it was not an extremely long labor, especially for the first child! We are thankful, as well, that Audrey is beautiful and healthy. She weighed in at 7 lbs., 14 oz and was 20 inches with a head-full of hair. Thank You, Father, for this beautiful new addition to our family!

She Said Yes!

2010-01-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday afternoon, Alison Kasbe became my fiance when she said YES to my proposal of marriage! We both knew before Sunday that God had brought us together in His gracious, sovereign plan, but Sunday was a day of pure delight for us both. It was a day when weeping (for both of us) was officially turned to laughter and rejoicing. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that God has called her to be by my side as we, together, seek to follow His plan for our lives as we minister together in the kingdom.

The current plan is for us to be married at 6:00 PM on Monday, June 14. I say "current plan" for two reasons: 1) We have considered several other options, from a destination wedding, to a small local wedding, to a larger church wedding (the current plan); and 2) I am still holding out hope that I can talk her into eloping before that! Just kidding.

Sort of.

For those of you who don't know the Kasbe's, Alison has two wonderful children - Jonathan, a freshman at Elon University, and Sarala, a junior at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh. Jonathan and Sarala both love Jesus and follow hard after Him! In order for Sarala to be able to finish her senior year at Leesville Road High, we will live in Raleigh next year, so I will be commuting backwards. The elders of Grace Community Church have graciously granted my request for this arrangement. I am not going anywhere - I LOVE being the teaching elder at GCC, and if God will allow me to, I hope to retire at Grace. That will occur when I am 85 years old. Just kidding.

Sort of.

Alison and I plan to travel to Australia in July. I am so looking forward to my time Down Under and meeting my new friends (and, readers) in Alison's native land. What a pleasure it has been to correspond with some of you and to speak with some of you on the phone. I very much look forward to meeting many of you in Australia! Of course, there is family to meet in Oz, and I can't wait! In coming days and years, you will read more about Joan (Alison's awesome Mum), John and Heather (Alison's sister, who is battling breast cancer - please pray for her), McAlpine and their children (Melinda, Christine, and Matthew), and David (Alison's brother - missionary in Spain) and his family, though I will meet David, Catherine, and children (Sophie, Laura, and Joshua ) here this summer rather than in Australia.

OK, any more would be information overload. There is more to say, and I promise to get to kingdom matters in this space, but this is big news, and I'm not kidding! Thanks for caring! Oh, one more bit of info - for you Americans who don't know, Alison is spelled with one "l," which, apparently, is more common in Australia.

Alison

2010-01-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

That's her name. Most of you know about Alison, but in case you don't, she is the beautiful (inside and out) Ozzie (Australian, in case you didn't know) lady that God brought into my life this past year. I tell her that she is my happy song because on the day that I met her, I stopped listening to sad music and began listening, once again, to happy music. Music is a big part of our lives. Last night, in fact, we enjoyed listening to Joshua Bell play violin with the North Carolina Symphony. He only played for about 35 minutes, so we figured it cost us about $2 per minute - each! You do the math. It was worth every penny of it! If you have not heard about the Washington Post's experiment with Joshua Bell playing in the entrance to a Washington, D.C. subway, check it out on You Tube.

Back to the topic at hand. Alison, though originally from Australia, lives in Raleigh. We share a deep commitment to Jesus, identical values, and many of the same interests, though football is a challenge for her and board games are equally difficult for me. Her smile lights up every room (and, always, my heart) and her genuine love and concern for people attracted me to her very early in our acquaintance. You will hear more about Alison on these pages, but I just wanted to introduce you to her in case you didn't know.

Thanks for hanging in there!

Is Anyone Still Out There?

2010-01-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

Long time, no posts. That will change, soon, though, with so many kingdom matters on my heart and mind and with many interesting and wonderful events occurring in my life these days. So, in case anyone is still checking, stay tuned!

Home Sweet Home!

2009-07-23T12:33:00.001-07:00

Alia Lynn Stafford is home! If you have no idea what I mean by that, please see the previous post. Alia was sent home from the hospital this morning and is sleeping contendedly at home (or, at least she was when I last spoke with the contented parents around noon!). The pneuma thorax is much better - if there at all - and her breathing is good enough for doctors to feel completely comfortable for her to be at home. Of course, Brian and Autumn only live 3 miles from the hospital, so that is nice just in case . . .

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement! Now, please pray with me that Alia will one day put her trust in Jesus as the one who died for her sins and that she will follow Him all the days of her life. I pray this for your children, also! God bless.

My New Granddaughter, Alia Lynn Stafford!

2009-07-20T19:25:00.001-07:00

Well, just in case you still check this spot from time to time, let me tell you about my brand new granddaughter, Alia Lynn Stafford, born to Brian and Autumn Stafford on July 19 at 1:46 PM, weighing in at 7 lbs., 9 oz. Alia was clearly in no hurry to get to this troubled world. She came nearly a week after her due date, and only after a long, long labor and delivery. She is a stunning beauty. Really!

Alia came into this troubled world with a few troubles of her own. She was born with a pneuma thorax (collapsed lung) and spent much of her first twenty-four hours under an oxygen bubble (it looked like a space helmet). She is no longer under the oxygen tent, but still not where she needs to be. The problem should resolve itself within this week. There is also an irregular heart beat that shows up every so often. Brian and Autumn are counting their blessings rather than expending energy on anxious thoughts - though at times . . . Please pray that all of this will be behind them soon.

Our prayer for Alia is the same as it is for all of our children/grandchildren/nephews/nieces/cousins, etc.: that she may believe that Jesus died for her sins (of which she must repent) and that she will follow Him all of her days. If you are reading this, thank you for caring so much about our family!

I cannot end without tell you that the family of Cali Moody, the little girl in our church with a brain tumor, received incredible news today. After the most radical radiation imaginable, there are no signs whatsoever of the tumor in her body! PRAISE THE LORD! Is there a chance the tumor will return? Of course, but this is exceedingly good news - a miracle, really! Had there been any signs of the tumor apparent on the scan, it would mean that her days are numbered. Well, we know that all our days are ordered even before one of them comes to pass (Psalm 139), but we long for our precious Cali to be with us for many, many, many blessed years! So, today is a happy day - Alia and Cali - thanks be to God!

Trinity Series - Sermon #12, Our Great God!

2009-06-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

This post marks the final offering in a series about the Trinity that began on January 22 and includes both Sunday morning sermons and small group notes. If you have not been following this series and are interested, you may want to go back to the first post and procede. For those of you who have persevered to the end, I do hope it has been profitable! God bless!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Our Great God!
Hebrews 1:1-14

Earlier this morning, our children’s ministry held its annual Promotion Sunday, complete with breakfast – although when Keisha told me they were having muffins and fruit, I thought maybe it was a Senior Citizen promotion of some sort with bran muffins and apple slices. Hey, promotion Sunday is a big day, especially for the 8 to 10 5th graders that will be moving up to the youth group. Now, that’s big time for those guys! A whole new world is opening up to those moving up to the youth group with activities and adventures heretofore unknown, especially since most of the ones moving up come from such boring families. Just kidding!

Along with the new privileges and opportunities that await these young students, there will be a higher level of expectation for their knowledge and behavior. With maturity comes responsibility. That’s the way it always is, is it not? The more we know the more is expected of us.

This morning will be my last message on this series about the wonder of God found in the Trinity. We will be reviewing some of what we have learned and also thinking about the responsibility that accompanies our newly acquired knowledge. The more we know about God, the more we are expected to apply what we know.

Hopefully today’s message will be easier on your ribs than last week’s message was! Our text will be the first chapter of Hebrews, and while I will refer to it, we will not spend a great deal of time here, although we may revisit it in a few weeks because of its connection to the psalms.

Just a heads up, our next series is entitled, Pain, Praise, and Peace: A Summer in the Psalms. Many of us have experienced a great deal of pain this year, and in the psalms we will find God right in the middle of our mess. For this morning, I chose Hebrews 1 for our text as we review what we have learned about the Trinity because it points to the awesomeness of our great God – God the Father and His Son, Jesus. Even though the Holy Spirit is not mentioned here, He led the author to write these words and He is present in the work of salvation that is expressed at the end of the chapter.

As we read together in just a moment, look for the following truths:

Ø The awesomeness of God the Father (His transcendence)
Ø The awesomeness of God the Son (His immanence)
Ø God’s communication to us through His Word (as the prophets were led by God’s Holy Spirit to write – 2 Peter 1:19-21)
Ø God’s communication to us through His Son
Ø The deity of Jesus
Ø Jesus’ present glorification
Ø God’s gracious salvation to those who believe

I have learned so much about our triune God these last four months – and I already knew a pretty good amount! I imagine you have learned more than you think you have. A lot of our knowledge of God builds upon what we already know, and in many case the new truths we learn are actually making our understanding of God more precise. As your understanding of God has grown this spring, I trust that God Himself has also grown in your mind and your heart. Let’s read about our great God in Hebrews 1. Would you please stand for the reading of the Word?

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become as much superior to angels as the name He inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? Or again, “I will be to Him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
6 And again, when He brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”
7 Of the angels He says, “He makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness beyond Your companions.”
10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of Your hands;
11 they will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment,
12 like a robe You will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.”
13 And to which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet”?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Have you ever considered your biblical knowledge and understanding of God to be a burden? Of course not! Wait a minute. Have you ever had a discussion with a co-worker or an aunt or a neighbor about God and had your friend or family member say something like, “Well, I just believe God is love and He is not going to send anybody to hell,” or, “I just believe that God helps those that help themselves”? When you try to point out that God is not that way, they are offended. Even if you show them Scripture to refute their claim, they fall back on, “Well, my God isn’t that way.” Hmm.

This is a good place to start our review. Our God is three, yet He is one. Not only does Deuteronomy 6:4 tell us so, but so does Romans 3:29-30. It would have been much easier for the apostles and early church fathers to declare that we serve three gods – after all, they lived in a polytheistic age where most people worshiped multiple gods. But, the early Christians understood that not only was Jesus sent by God, but He was, as He claimed, God Himself! Jesus also made it quite clear, as did the apostles in Acts 5, that the Holy Spirit is God. Thus, three Persons, one substance, one nature. When someone asks if we all worship the same God as other religions, our response should be, “Only if they worship the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: three in one.”

Three, yet one. This was difficult to swallow for a number of people in the early church who thought deeply about God. You will recall that it was not until the fourth century that the church agreed on an orthodox position about God, about the Trinity. Why did it take so long? Essentially because there was no need for orthodox doctrine until a heresy about God gained enough traction to require a response. Heresies developed because theologians wrestled with the difficulty of explaining three in one. Rather than accepting the teaching of Scripture by faith, these theologians sought ways to explain how “God works.” They ended up with a theology that was based more on “I just think such and such about God,” rather than one based on what God said about Himself in His word. There were two primary heresies in the early church.

The first heresy was modalism. This was the idea that God exists in all three Persons – but since even the NT is clear that He is one God, He can only be Father, Son, or Spirit at one time – it is not possible to be all three at once. This heresy was dismissed fairly early because of Jesus praying to His Father and the presence of all three Persons at Jesus’ baptism and a host of other texts that render this heresy untenable. Amazingly, there are modalists today. In fact, I received a nasty response from a pastor in Mississippi on my blog when I preached and wrote about modalism earlier this year.

A far more dangerous heresy in the early church was a belief that came to be known as Arianism, named after Arius, a 3rd and 4th century North African priest who could not accept the notion that Jesus was co-eternal and equal in nature with God the Father. He believed that Jesus was created by the Father, and thus was only able to remain sinless by the Father’s power. Arius ended up not being the primary spokesperson for his heresy, but his ideas gained a fair amount of support and had to be addressed. God raised up a theologian named Athanasius who fought Arianism through much of the first half of the fourth century. Later in the century, there were three other men known as the Three Cappadocians who helped to bring us to the place of understanding of the Trinity that we accept today and, frankly, tend to take for granted. I hope this study has raised your level of appreciation for those who have fought for truth through the centuries, particularly those in the fourth century.

If you are here today for the first or second time, you may be lost. I hope this short review on the Trinity will whet your appetite to go our website and either listen to the sermons from this series or click on the link to my blog where you can find the written transcripts of the messages to this series. The title of the series has been All of God: Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity. Indeed, the idea of the Trinity can seem mysterious when you recognize that God is three Persons, one nature. But the use of the word “mystery” in the title does not refer to that which is mysterious or unknowable.

There is a difference, theologically, between a secret and a mystery. A secret is something we cannot know because God has not revealed it to us. There is much about God we do not know because He has chosen not to reveal Himself fully to us. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” But, a mystery in the NT is different than a secret. A mystery is something that was previously hidden but has now been revealed to us by God. Romans 16 25-27 helps us understand this theological principle: “Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages, but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith – to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” And, Amen indeed! God has told us much more about Himself than He did before Christ. That is what the author of Hebrews was telling us in our text.

So, can we know God or not? Yes – and no. God is both transcendent and immanent. He is transcendent, or far above His creation. God doesn’t need us to be fulfilled, or for anything else. He is self-sufficient. Furthermore, if God did not choose to reveal Himself to us, we could not know anything about Him. But He did choose to reveal Himself to us. In addition to being transcendent, God is also immanent, or, close at hand. He remains in and interacts with His creation. He has done so in two ways, as we were told in Hebrews 1 – through his Word and through Jesus.

For the first 1800 or so years of the church, God’s transcendence was emphasized. Oh, there was a great deal of talk about Jesus, but people had a respect for God that kept Him high above us. The problem was that sometimes people were led to believe that God was so distant that He set the world in motion and has little to do with it because He can’t be bothered with unimportant matters, really. Some of our founding fathers believed that, even though they talked about God.

The last 200 years have seen a shift to an emphasis on God’s immanence, or His nearness. We saw that this morning as we sang worship songs and some of you, I imagine, raised your hands in praise to a God who is near and who loves you deeply and who is concerned about the intimate details of your life. Is that wrong? NO! Unless we lose our awe of a holy and majestic God. It is best to acknowledge and approach God with both His holiness and His accessibility fully in our hearts.

There is danger in emphasizing either extreme. Since the church is currently riding the pendulum on the side of God’s immanence, we need to be aware of potential theological errors about God on that side of center. When God’s immanence is emphasized, there is a tendency to focus on experience. Now, once again, referring back to Hebrews 1, we are told that God has revealed Himself through His word and through Jesus. But, since we were not alive when Jesus was on earth, we must depend on God’s word to tell us about Jesus, who told us specific information about God, the three in one, the triune God. When people begin to rely on personal experience or personal thoughts about God rather than on the truth revealed in Scripture, it is easy to get off course. And though an error about the nature of God may seem small, if it is pursued to its logical end, it can be quite troubling theologically. Is this making sense?

All this leads us to take a few minutes to think about the popular book by William Young, The Shack. Although it is a work of fiction, Young very much wants to teach us about the Trinity. The main character in the book is a man named Mackenzie Phillips whose daughter, Missy, was abducted on a family camping trip while Mack was rescuing one of his other children from a canoe accident. When Missy’s bloodstained dress was found in an abandoned shack in the Oregon Mountains, it was assumed that she had been murdered. As you can imagine, Mack, who is a Christian, struggles emotionally and doubts God’s love and goodness. Three years after his daughter was abducted, Mack receives a note in the mail saying he should come back to the shack for a talk. The note is from Papa, which is the name that Mack’s wife calls God the Father. When he arrives at the shack, Mack is met by an African-American woman who represents God the Father. She calls herself Papa. A Jewish carpenter, naturally, represents Jesus. A mysterious Asian woman, who wisps in and out, represents the Holy Spirit.

Before Mack ever gets to the shack, William Young lets us know that God reveals Himself to us in new ways and He does not limit Himself to the pages of Scripture, especially to the interpreters of Scripture like Athanasius, the Three Cappadocians, and theologically trained pastors around the world today. Of course, Mack has been to seminary so he is qualified to make the following statement as he muses about God:

“In seminary he had been taught that God had completely stopped any covert communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen and follow sacred Scriptures, properly interpreted, of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects. It seemed that direct communication with God was something exclusively for the ancients and uncivilized, while educated Westerners’ access to God was mediated and controlled by the intelligentsia. Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book. Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that guilt edges?”

This stops just short of expressing contempt for biblical teaching by trained pastor/teachers – or, does it stop short? The result is a fictional book about God that has very much the feel of, “Well, I just think this about the Trinity.” Oh, Young uses Scripture and theological terms in the book, but ultimately he has come to specific conclusions about God based on what he wants God to be. It is the classic error of man making God in man’s image.

To be sure, some of the things Young says about God are extremely well said. As someone whose heart has been broken in recent days, I understand why it is so appealing. When Mack first gets to the cabin and sees Papa, before he can turn around and run, she has enveloped him in her arms, saying, “Mackenzie Allen Phillips!” She then pulls back and grabs him by the shoulders and says, “Mack, look at you! Here you are, and so grown up. I have really been looking forward to seeing you face to face. It is so wonderful to have you here with us. My, my, my, how I do love you!”

I understand how that appeals to a broken heart. But, at the same time, there are problems galore, and the ideas taught about God in this book are especially dangerous because when people get emotionally attached to something said about God, it is very easy for truth to take a back seat to emotions. First of all, I have a problem with God the Father being represented by a woman of any kind – or a man like Morgan Freeman, for that matter, but especially by a woman since God is always represented as a male in Scripture. God is said to have characteristics of a loving, compassionate mother, but He is always presented to us in masculine terms.

Second, as appealing as this scene is, it speaks only to God’s immanence and says nothing of His transcendence. Remember how we have studied in this series that God the Father is never clearly seen? He is seen in visions in Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4, but both Ezekiel and the Apostle John had trouble describing Him and their visions indicated a great distance between God the Father and man. Thank goodness for Jesus!

The last problem I have with this portrayal is that Papa is entirely too familiar for the role of the God the Father. As much as you want the word “Abba” to mean “Papa,” it doesn’t. It is the Aramaic term for Father, and if anything it is a tad on the formal side, not the other way around. It is a term of respect. Don’t ask me how it got so confused. Within the past year or two, I was going to emphasize the intimacy we can have with the Father and use the term “Abba” in a sermon, but something told me I had better check it out before I used it. I looked at several sources and every one said the same thing – it is a term of respect for one’s father. That is not the sense one gets in the Shack.

So, if you have been using the term “Papa” for God the Father, He has probably been standing with arms folded saying, “Don’t use that term for Me,” right? Of course not! God looks at your heart! BUT – when you have the knowledge, you are responsible to act accordingly. It is like a baby in a family – he or she is quite comfortable coming up to Dad or Mom at anytime with a request. As the child grows, though, respect is learned and he or she approaches with more caution – not out of fear, but out of respect.

Well, in order to keep from going all day, I will just give two more examples of concerns in the book and then we will close, though there is much more about the book and about the Trinity that I want to say. At the shack, Mack notices that Papa has scars on her wrist. He says, “I thought Jesus died on the cross” and she says, “When one of us suffers, we all suffer – I was there.” “But,” Mack protests, “What about when Jesus said, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” Papa answers, “I didn’t forsake Him, just like I didn’t forsake you when Missy was taken. I was at the cross”

This is a problem. As we discussed last week, each Person of the Trinity has a specific role, and these roles include authority-submission relationships. These authority-submission roles are intentionally blurred in the book where mutual submission is the order of the day, even to the point that God is said to submit to us in love. Bizarre. At one point, Mack is having breakfast with all three Persons of the Trinity and the Holy Spirit says to him, “Mackenzie, we have no concept of final authority among us, only unity. We are a circle of relationship, not a chain of command.” That is just blatantly wrong. Past sermons give ample Scripture to contest the idea of no authority-submission roles within the Trinity.

As for the Father bearing the scars of the cross, think about it. What happened on the cross? Jesus took our sin upon Himself as our substitute to absorb the wrath of God against sin. He bore the equivalent of an eternity in hell for us while He was on the cross. For that time, He was separated in every way from God’s favor. God’s wrath was fully poured out on sin and Jesus was bearing our sin, so the Father’s wrath was poured out on Jesus, and that included turning His back on the Son. Jesus will bear the scars of the cross for eternity, which will serve as a reminder to us of God’s great love for us, but I can assure you that there will be no scars on the wrists of God the Father. In fact, there is no indication in Scripture that we will ever see the Father in a form that allows us to discern where His wrists are.

One last problem with the book, and there are many more that I do not have time to mention. William Young admits that he has nothing to do with the institutionalized church because he has been hurt by the church. In an exchange between Jesus and Mack, Jesus says, “I don’t create institutions; that’s an occupation for those who want to play God. So, no, I’m not too big on religion . . . and not very fond of politics and economics either. And why should I be? They are the man-made trinity of terrors that ravage the earth and deceive those I care about.”

So, Young takes a shot at the organized church by saying that Jesus is against it. Doesn’t add up with Scripture, though. In Matthew 16:17, Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” As we read last week in Ephesians 5:23, “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior.” Every time that the church is addressed in the NT epistles, a local church – or, an institutional church, Young would say – is being addressed. Jesus loves the church! He loves this church - Grace Community Church!

Well, I have to stop, and it seems a strange place for me to conclude several months about the Trinity. Our God is an awesome God – but a lot of people do not want Him to be as awesome as He is. When we make God in our own image, it really works for us for a time, but since we are imperfect, when we succeed in making God in our image, the end is always bad. The only way we will ever know the full blessing of this awesome triune God is to know as much as we can about Him and to interact with Him on His terms.

God the Father, the ultimate authority in the universe and the grand architect of the plan of salvation. Jesus, God’s Son, our Redeemer, the perfect substitute, dying in our place and taking all the righteous wrath of God upon Himself for those who believe. The Holy Spirit of God, author of God’s word and servant to the Father and the Son and the primary agent of God at work in the world today. Praise the Father and the Son. Praise the Spirit, three in one. Let’s pray.

Trinity Series - Small Group Notes #12

2009-06-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Order in the Trinity, Order in the Court:
Applications from the Trinity
Week of May 17, 2009

Ø Order in the Trinity is seen over and over in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 15:26-28, we are told that God has put all things under Jesus’ feet – except for the Father Himself, that is – and that one day all will come under God the Father’s rule, even the Son. John 14:26 and 15:25 tell us that the Father and the Son sent the Spirit. How does the order in the Trinity speak to order in the home, church, and society?

In addition to thinking about how authority/submission structures in life reflect the structure of the Trinity, consider how our obedience to God in our various roles of leaders and followers points others to Jesus.

Ø Husbands and wives have distinct roles in the home, as described in Ephesians 5:22-33, Colossians 3:18-19, and 1 Peter 3:1-7. After reading these passages, carefully discuss tangible ways that husbands can love their wives and wives can show respect to their husbands. DO NOT “teach” your spouse in this time – in fact, list the ways your spouse has wonderfully fulfilled his or her biblical responsibility.

Ø Read the following passages that instruct the Christian with regard to his/her responsibility toward government: Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-3; and 1 Peter 2:13-17. Remember that these words were initially written to men and women living under a rather heavy-handed government. Discuss the unique challenges we face in a democratic society in which we have a say in who our leaders will be and in the laws and policies that will be enacted. When is it right to refuse to obey government rules and regulations?

While it is a blessing to live in a nation in which we are afforded free speech (for now, at least) and many other basic liberties, the lines of authority and submission can be blurred in such a society. We value our independence and are tempted to think that when we consider laws to be immoral, we do not have to obey them.

Some refuse to pay taxes on the grounds that tax dollars are being spent to fund organizations that promote and practice immoral behavior, such as abortion. Jesus’ admonition to render unto Caesar what he is due seems to indicate that even in a nation that is led by those who think little or nothing of God, we are called to submit to governmental authority.

There is a time, though, when we must obey God over civil authorities. In Acts 5:17-42, the story is told of the arrest of some of the apostles for preaching in the name of Jesus. When they were warned not to speak in Jesus’ name, Peter told the religious leaders (the apostles’ governmental authorities) that the apostles would obey God rather than men in this matter and that the gospel would be preached. Many early Christians were martyred because they refused to say, “Caesar is Lord.” It is not that they were executed because they proclaimed “Jesus is Lord,” but because they refused to also proclaim that Caesar was a god. There can be no compromise on our primary allegiance to Christ, even as we obey our government and live as the best citizens we can be. We are never to seek out persecution, but when we are called to deny Christ (whether outright or in sharing His glory with another), we must refuse and be willing to suffer the consequences. This is the exception, though, not the rule.

Trinity Series - Sermon #11

2009-06-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Order in the Trinity, Order in the Court:
Applications from the Trinity

I am a child of the 60’s. I was a teenager in high school in those days, not a college student, but I consider myself, nonetheless, a child of the 60’s. Many times, when my children were growing up, I heard these words: “Dad, turn the radio down!” I am not bragging, nor am I confessing – it is just a fact, I grew up in the 60’s, and like most of us, whether we admit it or not, I was affected by the spirit of the day. What was the spirit of the day? Rebellion and rejection of established authority.

I would say that is the spirit of this age, also. Even though we don’t see protests and riots of the magnitude of the late 60’s and early 70’s, the radical ideas of those days left an indelible imprint on our national psyche. We tend to dislike and/or distrust those in authority. Americans tend to be very individualistic, anyway, and our “I will take care of it myself” mentality also tends to breed a spirit of “leave me alone and let me get the job done my way.”

My way. That, in a nutshell, is why we bristle against authority. We want to do it “my way.” Now, your way may very well be better than your boss’s way or the government’s way, or your husband’s way, or your parents’ way, but there is a problem with insisting on bucking against authority, even if your way is clearly better. Before you turn me off, please know that I am not saying you should always be quiet and let anything and everything go. We are blessed enough to live in a land where opinions of those under authority are often valued. What if we lived in a totalitarian society? Well, whether we live in a free or oppressive society, there is much we have to learn from the structure of the Trinity, and I want to get into some biblical meat before we read our text because after we read our passage we will be thinking about human relationships as an application of our knowledge of God.

There is order within the Trinity. Authority and submission are found within the Trinity without the slightest hint of resentment, jealousy, or bitterness. Bruce Ware said, “One of the lessons of the Trinity is that God loves, exercises, and embraces rightful authority-submission relationships. In the very eternal relations that are true of the Persons of the Trinity, authority and submission are lived out with love and joy.”

We spent a lot of time earlier talking about the order that exists in the Trinity. The Father is the ultimate authority and the Son is submissive to the Father, and the Spirit is submissive to the Father and the Son, though when Jesus was on the earth He was led by the Spirit in all that He did. These roles are eternal, both in eternity past and eternity future, and are irreversible – the Son never exercises authority over the Father, nor is the Father ever submissive to the Son or the Spirit. Does this mean the Father is greater than the Son and the Spirit? No. The three all have the same identical nature, they are equal in divinity and all three are eternal – for, they are one. So, there is no rank in the Trinity that would show that the Father is on a different plane than the Son or the Spirit, but there is clear order.

I will not take time to review the numerous passages we have read that establish this truth, but you can find all of the messages in audio form on our website and the written transcripts on my blog, which you can also access from our website. The truth that we have learned about order in the Trinity serves as the foundation for God’s teaching about authority and submission in human relationships. You will see just a little of that in our text, but the main focus after we read Ephesians 5:15-6:9 will be to think about our responsibility in authority-submission relationships in our lives. Let’s look at our text – please stand for the reading of the Word.

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27 so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
30 because we are members of His body.
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

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.
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,
6 not by the way of eye-service, as people pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,
8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave, or free.
9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with Him.

I suppose one of the first objections we might raise to the prospect of submitting ourselves from the heart, as in children to parents, a wife to a husband, employees to their boss, and as citizens to a government whose policies we consider irrational at best and immoral at worst, is that even though there is order in the Trinity, the three Persons of the Trinity are perfect. We are called to submit to imperfect humans, and, I might add, humans with only half the sense that God has given us! We all get that, don’t we? We see the problem, and God addresses it by saying – well, God doesn’t address it. He just calls for submission to authority, whether it is Christians to whom we are called to submit, or it is unbelievers who are our authority figure. How can we do that when we are, in effect, a rebellious people? By being filled with the Spirit.

It is significant, don’t you think, that the long section about all kinds of authority-submission relationships is prefaced by the challenge to be filled with the Spirit? Interestingly, the Spirit knows how to submit. We refer to the Holy Spirit as the third Person of the Trinity, not because He is ranked below the Father and the Son, but because His role is one of submission. He gladly does the Father’s business and glorifies the Son.

As we have repeatedly observed in other NT texts, once again we see all three persons of the Trinity in Ephesians 5:18-21. Notice that when the Spirit is in control of our lives, we will dwell together as a church in unity and with love for one another, love that goes so far that we submit to one another, or, in other words, we live in humility and treat one another with deference.

There is debate about whether verse 21 belongs with the section before it or the section after it. Do we submit to our brothers and sisters in the body, or are husbands and wives called to live in mutual submission to one another? Verse 21 is most likely a bridge between the two passages, but it is more in the sense of, “Submit to one another – and while we are talking about submission, wives, submit to your husbands.”

Now, this is a structure that is widely accepted in society today. Hardly! In fact, what are your emotions when you hear these words spoken – “Wives, submit to your husbands?” Red flags, alarm bells, words of warning. We all have examples that would nullify this command and so we are tempted to make the monumental mistake of wanting to let the exception serve as the rule. “Wives, submit to your husbands – as long as he is a godly man and he loves you like Christ loves the church and he is a good father to your children and he fulfills your emotional needs.” Doesn’t say that, does it? It is amazing how many Christian women want a divorce from their husbands on the grounds that “he keeps me from being all I could be and surely God would not want me to live in a relationship in which I am hindered from being the best Christian I can be. Right?” No, it is not right!

Now, please understand that I believe, though some of you will disagree, that in Matthew 19 Jesus stated that divorce is an acceptable course of action when one’s spouse commits adultery. What you may not know is that in so saying, Jesus was not giving people an out, but rather He was actually seeking to put a stop to the ridiculous reasons men were giving, with rabbinical approval, to divorce their wives. Offenses such as putting too much salt in the food or talking too much were all men needed to put their wives out. God makes it clear that He hates divorce and we are called to do whatever we can to keep our marriages intact. In the cases of infidelity or abandonment, as detailed in 1 Corinthians 7, divorce is allowed, and I understand why! Also, I would not want a woman or children to live in a home where physical or extreme emotional abuse puts them in danger. I say “extreme” emotional abuse because it would be so easy to overstate an unhappy relationship.

If God’s order for the home is the same as it is the Trinity, a leader and a follower, is it any surprise that Satan would want to cause us to question that order? For decades, almost all secular entertainment depicted husbands and fathers as ignorant and/or tyrannical, either buffoons that deserved scorn or bullies that required being put in their place. Guys got tired of such treatment and thus the sports/beer drinking crowd put men back in control. Neither picture is biblical.

What does it mean for wives to submit to their husbands? There is not a whole lot of explanation given here, though other NT texts talk about a gentle quiet spirit, pure conduct, and a godly heart. In verse 33 of Ephesians 5, wives are told to respect their husbands. I suppose the best example I have ever seen of that is my own dear wife. When I doubted myself, she did not. Ever. Not in my worst moments, and believe me, there were times that I made life less than wonderful for her and probably didn’t deserve her respect. It is not that she never raised her voice at me, she did – but, she always, always, always respected me, and her respect made me a far better man, husband, father, and minister.

God’s design for wives is that they submit to their husbands, giving them honor and respect. It is counter-cultural. Bruce Ware says that “we live in a culture that despises submission as much as it does authority.” You know that is true. But, we are not going to answer to society at the end of this age – we are going to answer to Jesus. That’s why, in verse 24, spiritual accountability is brought into the command to submit – in the same way the church is to submit to Christ, wives are to submit to their husbands.

So, husbands are probably feeling pretty good about things right now. Unfortunately, God’s word is quite clear, both here (Ephesians 5:25-31) and in other places, such as James 3:1 and 1 Peter 3:7, that those who have leadership responsibilities have the greater responsibility and are more accountable than those they are called to lead. The kind of leadership to which husbands are called is one of absolute sacrificial love. It is compared to the kind of love that Jesus exhibited for the church when He died for us. We are called to be the spiritual leaders of our homes, just as Christ leads the church.

1 Peter 3:7 is one of those verses that will make you wince, if you care more about what is culturally acceptable than what is biblical: “Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” In other words, if you mistreat your wife, don’t waste your time in prayer. That’s pretty blunt, but it is the heavy responsibility put on husbands as leaders of their homes. Within the Trinity, God the Father’s plan and His love are perfect. Men, as leaders of their homes, must be filled with the Holy Spirit if they are to have any hope of being the kind of husbands God has called them to be.

I know a lot of husbands who love their wives – on their own terms. 1 Peter 3:7 commands husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way – in other words, love them the way they need to be loved. With words that would be most controversial today, Peter describes women as the weaker of the two. Probably Peter means that men are stronger physically and emotionally, and certainly they have more delegated authority, so the temptation to abuse is significant. Most men would hurt their wives in a physical struggle, they can damage their wives’ spirits greatly with careless words, and they can take advantage of their spiritual authority given to them by God. If they do, they have forgotten that there is someone to whom they are accountable who is much bigger than they – God. Along with leadership comes great responsibility.

Well, now that we have looked at Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3, you have all the answers you need for a long and fulfilled marriage, right? We have not scratched the surface! I want to recommend a book that I admit I have not yet finished. In fact, I bought it several weeks ago, but because of a very busy schedule and the Carolina Hurricanes’ quest for the Stanley Cup, I have not been able to finish it. I am discovering as I read it, though that what I have heard from a number of people that I highly respect is accurate – this is a great book! Love and Respect, by Emerson Eggerichs, is saying something quite well that needs to be said and that we need to hear. The subtitle affirms what we have been discussing: The Love She Most Desires, The Respect He Desperately Needs. Rush out to a bookstore in the next few days and pick up this valuable help for your marriage.

Order in the Trinity, order in the home. In addition to wives being submissive to their husbands, children are called to submit – or, more precisely – to obey their parents. Children are called to honor both father and mother. In so stating here in Ephesians 6:1-3, the Apostle Paul looked back to the Ten Commandments and pointed out that this commandment carried a promise with it – a prosperous and long life. Once again, the order in the Trinity is our model. Just as Jesus said that He did what the Father told Him to do, we are called to obedience. Children are called to obey from the heart – that is what it means to honor our father and mother.

This does not mean that parents get a free pass. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” It is the role of the parents – and, especially the father – to point children to Jesus. This requires that we are consistent in our lifestyles – not perfect, but consistent. It means that we instruct them rather than bully them. It means that we love them deeply and recognize that it is our responsibility to prepare them, as we were told in Ephesians 5, to leave our homes ready to serve the Lord and love their wives and respect their husbands.

Before we conclude this text and message in the next few verses, I want to point out that Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-3, and 1 Peter 2:13-17 are quite clear that we are to submit to governmental authorities, thus the title of this message – Order in the Trinity, Order in the Court. Please write these passages down and study these texts. You will think more deeply about this command in Home Fellowships this week. God makes it clear that if we want to be in obedience to Him, we are to be subject to every human institution – even to the point, we are told in 1 Peter 2:17 honoring the emperor. Remember, the Roman Emperor was hardly a godly man when Peter wrote his letter. In fact, many were about to be put to death for their refusal to worship the emperor. Peter – and, thus, God – distinguished, though, between worship and honor. Our submission to government is a matter of our testimony – so says God’s word. That’s hard, as is the call for employees to submit to employers.

Well, OK, Ephesians 6:5-9 says that slaves are to submit to their masters and masters are to treat their slaves with dignity, but since we are thankfully devoid of such in our society, we will make application to bosses and workers. It certainly fits. Once again, both authority and submission are shown to be matters of the heart. Workers submit as unto Christ and bosses lead recognizing that they have a boss in heaven, and this boss shows no partiality. He has no favorites. He is not inclined toward certain personalities or physical appearance. He created us all and He expects us to fulfill whatever role to which we have been called with love from the heart, and we are to live our lives seeking to please Him, not men.

That does not mean that we give no thought to others – indeed, the whole lesson has been that we treat others with love and respect. But, we do not do what we do in order that others will commend us and treat us well. We lead and follow with our eyes on heaven – and that brings us full circle, with our eyes on the Trinity.

We are made in the image of God. As we learned last week, the Father, Son, and Spirit dwell in perfect unity and express perfect love for one another. To be made in God’s image means that as the people of God, we called to live in community with love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have talked today about the authority-submission structure in the Trinity and how it should translate to our human relationships where we gently lead in love and submit, first to Jesus, then to those in authority over us with honor and respect.

I began this message by saying that we are a rebellious people. That is true. When God is absent from our lives and we are allowed to go our own way, we really want to go our own way. But, since we are made in the image of God, there is a part of us that very much craves order, including proper leadership and proper submission. If you think government should stay completely out of our lives, what will you do if and when there is anarchy in the streets? You will desire for order to be restored. Of course, the ultimate answer is for Jesus to be in control of this world. That will happen, regardless of your beliefs about end times – whether it is a thousand year reign on this earth or in the new heavens and new earth. For now, though, we can clearly give people a glimpse of God as we agree with and embrace God’s design for authority-submission and as the Spirit of God fills us with His power to live for Him, not for ourselves. His plan is perfect. Let’s pray.

Trinity Series - Small Group Notes #11

2009-05-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Loving God, Loving the Body – Applications from the Trinity
Week of May 10, 2009

Ø Love originates within the Trinity and flows to us. (John 15:9; 17:22-26) We, in turn, love God and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Read 1 John 4:7-21 and discuss the connection between God’s love for us and our responsibility to love one another.

Ø Over and over in the New Testament, love is singled out as the highest Christian virtue. Discuss the implications of the following verses: 1 Corinthians 13:13; Colossians 3:14; Galatians 5:22-23 (where love is the first and possible primary fruit of the Spirit); and 1 Peter 4:8.

Ø There is great diversity within the Trinity, yet there is perfect unity. Because of the love and unity that exists between the Father, Son, and Spirit, everything that needs to be accomplished is accomplished. The differences that God has built into the body of Christ are sometimes causes for frustration because of the flesh and the negative influence of our enemy, Satan. Look at Ephesians 4:1-16 and 1 Corinthians 12:1-26. Discuss the need for every single person in the body and also the temptation to look down on others or ourselves because of our differences.

In Ephesians 4, notice the significance of “one” at the beginning of the chapter, the importance of teachers in the body, and the need for every single person to function as God has designed him or her (v 16) for the health and growth of the whole body.

In 1 Corinthians 12, notice the feelings of inferiority and superiority that are detrimental to the wellbeing of the body. In all of the discussion we need to remember the diversity within unity that exists in the Trinity.

Trinity Series - Sermon # 10

2009-05-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Love and Unity in the Body – Applications from the Trinity
John 17:1-26

This past Thursday was the National Day of Prayer. It is a shame that I am mentioning this today instead of last Sunday. I was remiss in not encouraging you to participate in the event, whether in Angier, Dunn, Lillington, Fuquay, or Raleigh. I was actually a participant in the program at Fuquay-Varina on Thursday. I was asked to pray for the church, which I was very glad to do. I have never heard so much about Jesus in one hour as I did at the event in Fuquay on Thursday. Apart from standing and sitting in the direct sun for an hour and a half without having applied any sunscreen, it was a great day and a real encouragement to me!

As I prepared for the two minutes I was allotted to pray for the church, I did so with an audience in mind. It was my desire to instruct those who were listening as well as to bring my petition to the Lord. Does that seem strange to you? Sometimes we hear people say things like, “Prayer is simply a conversation with God.” That’s true – but, that’s not all there is to prayer. There are all kinds of prayers – private prayers, small group prayers among believers or non-believers, large group prayers led by an individual in front of secular, religious, or church groups. During prayer we can worship, we may confess, we bring our requests to the Lord, and always we should give thanks to our Creator and Redeemer. Anyone can pray at any level, but not all prayers are exactly alike.

We are going to look at an extremely important prayer in Scripture today – Jesus’ prayer in the garden on the night He was arrested, recorded in John 17. When we read this prayer in a moment, you will think it quite different from the other words Jesus spoke on this same occasion when He passionately asked the Father to allow the cup of suffering that was before Him to pass. In John 17, as we will read, Jesus will consecrate Himself in preparation for the cross. Is this a contradiction? Absolutely not! It is no surprise that Jesus was both resolute and horrified as He considered the burden of taking the whole world’s sin upon Himself! But, that’s another topic for another day. Today we will begin to make application to this long study that we have pursued about the mystery of the Trinity. We will continue to see how the Trinity matters in our everyday lives over the next few weeks.

Clearly, we would not have time to exhaust the truth in John 17 – truth that was given to us in Jesus’ prayer, a case where He taught doctrine as well as communed with His Father. Since our focus is on the Trinity, please look for references to the oneness of the Father and the Son and consider how that makes a difference in our relationship with God and in our relationships with one another. Also, you will notice, when we begin to read, that the first words of chapter 17 are “When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven” – and, then He began His prayer. What words had Jesus just spoken? The words that we have read so often these last few months, as we have learned about Father, Son, and Spirit, that are recorded in John 14-16 when Jesus taught His disciples about their relationship with the Triune God in His last major time of instruction with them. Even though John 17 does not bring the Holy Spirit into this relationship, we know, based on our understanding of Scripture, the Spirit was facilitating, and intimately involved in, this prayer. So, as you stand for the reading of the Word, please look for teaching about the Trinity in our text. John 17:

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You,
2 since You have given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given Him.
3 And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
4 I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed.
6 I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
7 Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You.
8 For I have given them the words that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
10 All mine are Yours, and Yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
12 While I was with them, I kept them in Your name, which You have given Me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not ask that You take them out of world, but that You keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
18 As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
19 And for their sake I consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
20 I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word,
21 that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.
22 The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one,
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, I know You, and these know that You have sent Me.
26 I made known to them Your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

“I want, I want, I want!”

“I’m sorry, Justin, I am sorry Nicole – candy will ruin your dinner.” “I want, I want, I want!”

“I said, No.”

“You’re mean! I want, I want, I want!”

“Well, just a little piece – I want you to eat your dinner!”

That kind of scene occurs far too often in our day. And, even though many of us would be appalled when we observe it, or something similar, almost all of us are affected by the spirit of the age. It also subtly influences the way we think about God. For instance, when you think about Jesus praying for the Father to spare Him from the cross, how does that play out in your mind? Do you think of the Father as mean, or at the very least, stern, severely so? Maybe some of you think of His heart breaking as He says, “No, Jesus – I am so sorry, but this is the only way,” but I imagine that many would picture the Father replying, “I said No – don’t ask again!”

If so, it is a classic example of this world shaping our thoughts about God. Instead, we need to allow the truth about who God is to determine and direct our hearts, minds, and actions. Let’s put it into perspective. When your child is threatened, in any way, how do you feel? Afraid, angry, defensive, deeply hurt – the range of emotions. And we are imperfect parents. Our heavenly Father is perfect. And He loves the Son with a perfect love – He always has and His love did not change one bit when Jesus sought another way for the redemption of men and women other than bearing our sins on the cross. Can you imagine the agony of the Father when the Son asked, “Please, let this cup pass from Me?”

No wonder Scripture speaks so much about the Father’s love in sending the Son to die for our sins! And, it is why when we face pain and loss in this world, our best response is to look to the cross. I believe it was John Stott who said, “I could not live in this world of suffering and believe in God apart from the reality of the cross.” In other words, God understands our pain because He endured pain at a much higher level than He ever calls us to endure. “But,” you say, “that agony was temporary and had a very short end in sight – 3 days.” Two responses to that: 1) if, on the cross, the Father poured out and the Son endured the wrath of God that was equal to an eternity of hell for us, there is a dynamic that is so far beyond our comprehension that we should be quiet; and 2) for those who belong to Jesus, our struggles are also temporary. Heaven is our ultimate reality.

Let’s think about the love within the Trinity. Look at verses 22-24:

22 The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one,
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

From eternity past, the Father loved the Son and the Spirit, the Son
loved the Father and the Spirit, and the Spirit loved the Father and
the Son. Some have said that it was necessary for God to create men
and women in order to be able to love. But, the love that existed in the Trinity was the foundation for His love for us. In the portion of Jesus’ prayer that we have just considered, we see order – the Father loved Jesus; now Jesus wants His followers to know the Father’s love that He has known since before the foundation of the world.

C. S. Lewis addressed this question in Mere Christianity. Quote: “All sorts of people are fond of repeating the Christian statement that ‘God is love.’ But they seem not to notice that the words ‘God is love’ have no real meaning unless God contains at least two Persons. Love is something that one person has for another person. If God was a single person, then before the world was made, He was not love.”

But, of course, we have just read that God loved the Son before the foundation of the world. There is much more support for this truth throughout the New Testament, as there is support for the truth that there is complete unity within the Trinity. In verses 22-23, Jesus asks the Father to bring unity, perfect unity, within the ranks of His followers, and once again, the request is based on the perfect unity that already existed within the Trinity.

Next Sunday morning we will talk about how the order of authority and submission within the Trinity speaks to order in government, in society, in business, and in families. Our focus today is on the unity of purpose within the Trinity that exists along with the perfect love of the three for one another and for the one, for the three are one. The Trinity exists in a community and part of what it means that we are made in the image of God is that we were created to exist in community. In the process of creation, God repeatedly said, “It is good, it is good.” When He created Adam He said, “It is not good that man should be alone. I will make a helper for him.” Community. Love and Unity.

Can you imagine how good it was for Adam and Eve before the fall? Perfect love for their Creator and perfect love for one another. Even though they were different, they had unity of purpose, looking to their Creator for guidance to know what to do and how to live. Then, sin ruined everything. And while there were excruciating consequences for their sin, God immediately began to work toward the redemption of those who would believe Him. He made a covering for Adam and Eve’s nakedness from the skin of animals, thus the first strokes on the canvas that displayed the picture of redemption that would point to the cross where Jesus, the Lamb of God, would die as the perfect substitute and sacrifice for our sins and so bring partial redemption to this fallen world. Full redemption awaits those who repent of their sins and believe that Jesus died in their place.

In the midst of this fallen world, the church is a called out assembly, or, community, of believers. We are called to be salt and light to a dark and decaying world, a part of God’s plan to draw men and women to Himself. Jesus told His disciples “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) And, the value of such knowledge for those who do not believe? They begin to recognize something tangible about the character of God.

The more the community of Christ-followers reflects the true community of the Trinity, the greater our impact on this world will be. Many of us feel that our primary responsibility for love and sacrifice must be toward those outside the church. Scripture, in fact, says the opposite – our first responsibility for love and assistance is to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Though it may seem strange to you, loving one another is one of the ways we evangelize. True community among followers of Christ has a palpable effect on those who observe from without.

Unfortunately, Satan is aware of how important our unity and our love for one another is, and he designs his opposition to God’s plan accordingly. I would say that he is pretty effective in leading us to express true love – for ourselves – and to stand with self-righteous fervor against our brothers and sisters who see or do things a little differently than we do. Now, if you whole-heartedly agree with me, quit thinking about how you hope so and so is listening. The thing about love is that it always begins as my responsibility. It is not based on someone else’s actions or reactions to my love. Linda used to say that when a relationship between two people is at a breaking point, someone has to give 100%. Giving in love doesn’t mean “giving in,” but it does, indeed, speak to the way that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit love us.

I have heard far too often, “I get along with non-believers at my work better than I do with Christians.” That statement represents a host of inconsistencies that seem all too common in our day. Why do we allow ourselves to be caught in Satan’s snare in the way that we treat one another? I think it is the age old problem that when you put religious fervor behind a personal conviction that you have against a particular action or style that someone else exhibits, there is great danger. Something that has deeply impacted me these past few years as we have studied 2 Timothy and Philippians is the biblical principle that while there are some truths that are non-negotiable, such as the truth of the gospel, there is also much room for diversity within our community.

Just think of the diverse roles of the three Persons in the Trinity. Yet, there is perfect unity. I know, there is also perfection in the Trinity. Since some of you are not perfect, that makes my job much more difficult! Just kidding. I am the first to admit imperfections! Even with our imperfections, we are called to represent the nature of God on earth. How can we do that as the sinful men and women that we are? When we yield to the Lord, the power of the Holy Spirit makes us more like Jesus, which is the eternal plan of the Father.

Oh, my goodness – we could stay here until 12 midnight and barely scratch the surface of the truth we have encountered this morning. I wish you could know only half of the Scripture that I considered bringing into this message. We will get to a little more application in the Home Fellowships this week, but I want to end with a word of hope and a word of challenge concerning our call to live in this community of believers, as love and unity identify us with the Savior. The Apostle Peter, writing to first century believers, said “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

All of us have the sin nature within us, whether we are Christ-followers or not. If we are Christians, either the old man, dominated by the sin-nature, or the new man, led by the Holy Spirit, will be in charge of our lives. My problem is that so often it is difficult to discern who is in charge, God or me. When I am in charge but I think that God is in charge, I can really make a mess of things, especially when I want to set someone else straight. The answer? Love. Love others in the community, because love covers a multitude of sins, and there is no way to anticipate the creative ways we can sin against each other in the body of Christ. So, let’s love one another and work together in unity in order that all will get at least a tiny glimpse of our triune God, where perfect love and perfect unity reign in the great three in one. Let’s pray.

Trinity Series - Small Group Notes #10

2009-05-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Jesus IS God, Week of May 3, 2009

Ø There is a difference in the way believers are called to deal with false prophets in the church and with those who are trapped in a false religion. In 2 Timothy 2:14-26, we see both groups. Read this passage and discuss the prescribed treatment for false prophets and for those who are confused about Jesus.

This passage begins with Paul’s call to Timothy to study the Word diligently (v 15) so that he will be an approved workman before the Lord. It would be necessary for Timothy to recognize truth and error, for there was already error in the body (16-19). That is not surprising b/c in a large house, there are all kinds of vessels, some for good use, some for not so good use! In the church, there will be honorable and dishonorable leaders. Timothy was encouraged to purge the dishonorable (false prophets) leaders from the church (See also 2 Timothy 3:1-9)

In the verses that follow (2 Timothy 2:22-26) however, it is clear that Paul did not want to cut off everyone who didn’t believe just like he believed. Paul urged patience and trust in God to turn them around. When it comes to teaching in our church, there are essentials and non-essentials. It is essential that GCC members believe in the Trinity and the authority of Scripture and that salvation comes by grace through faith. It is not essential that we agree on the mode of baptism in order to commune with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Discuss “essentials” and “nonessentials” if you would like – you can access our Church Constitution on the web to see what our church considers to be in each category.

Ø In the first 18 verses of John 1, the Apostle John makes a clear case for the doctrine that Jesus is God, although many try to point to the Greek of the first verse to deny Jesus’ equal status with God. John used the title “Word” for Jesus to make his point. In 1:14, John makes it clear that the “Word” to whom he is referring is Jesus. This verse could be literally translated, “The Word became flesh and pitched His tabernacle among us.” Read Exodus 33:7-34:35 to see some of the connections John was making between God and Jesus.
From D.A. Carson: “The ‘tent of meeting’ was the place where the Lord ‘would speak face to face, as a man speaks with his friends’ (Ex. 33:11). In Exodus Moses hears the divine name spoken by God Himself, and this is followed by God’s word written on two stone tablets. Now, John tells us, God’s Word, His Self-expression, has become flesh. He donned our humanity, save only our sin. God chose to make Himself known, finally and ultimately, in a real, historical man.

“The Word made His dwelling among us. More literally translated, the Greek verb ‘skenoo’ means that the Word pitched His tabernacle, or lived in His tent among us. For Greek-speaking Jews and other readers of the Greek Old Testament, the term would call to mind the ‘skene,’ the tabernacle where God met with Israel before the temple was built. The tabernacle was erected at God’s command: ‘Then have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them’ (Ex. 25:8).”

Clearly, Jesus is God and has chosen to speak to us not only through the written Word, but also by the living Word, Jesus, who is God in every way.

Ø During Sunday’s message, we talked about one way to engage Jehovah’s Witnesses through Scripture. Jehovah’s Witnesses seek to establish that in the Greek, the last phrase should read “and the Word was a god” rather than “and the Word was God.” In Jesus’ prayer on the night He was arrested, He acknowledged that the Father is the one true God in John 17:3. Ask a Jehovah’s Witness if there is only one true God. He will almost certainly agree. Then ask how it is consistent to call Jesus a god at all. Look at all of these claims that Jesus made about His equality with God in the gospel of John alone and discuss the implications of these verses: John 8:58; 10:30 (in both cases, the reaction of the religious leaders indicates that they knew He was claiming to be God); 14:9-11

If you are willing to engage in a discussion of the grammar found in John 1:1, you can use the following excerpt from the sermon as a guide – please feel free to call for clarification:

Perhaps you are familiar with the way that those who ostensibly derive their doctrine from Scripture and yet deny the deity of Christ interpret John 1:1. Let’s look again at the way we read this verse in English: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” But, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons like to point out that this is an improper translation from the Greek. They point out that there is not a definite article before the last word in the sentence.

Now, since I do not want to put the actual Greek up on the screen, I will do the next best thing and show you in English how some think this verse should look in the Greek since it is translated the way it is. At the end of the sentence, they say, if we are going to use the English translation, “the Word was with God and the Word was God” that it should say in the Greek “the Word was with God and the Word was the God.” It should have the definite article “the” in front of the word “God.” Since there is no definite article in the Greek text, some say that it should be translated this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was a god.”

I can imagine that what we have been covering for the last few minutes is quite confusing for some, if not many, of you. So, I understand why you are unwilling to engage someone on your doorstep who is telling you all about the Greek structure of this sentence. The fact is, though, that they do not know what they are talking about.

Do you know what a predicate noun is? A predicate noun is a noun that follows a “to be” verb, like “is” or “was.” A predicate noun renames the subject of the sentence. An example of a predicate noun would be to say that Barak Obama is the US President, or, for those of you with different political inclinations, John Roberts is Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. The predicate noun, “President,” is renaming the subject of the sentence, “Barak Obama.”

That is what is happening in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In fact, in the Greek the absence of a definite article in this structure can actually add emphasis to what is being stated, so that we could say “the Word was with God and the Word was absolutely God.”

Ø Spend some time in prayer asking God to give you a heart for evangelism and the understanding necessary to engage those who claim to have a relationship with God, yet deny the doctrine of the Trinity.

Trinity Series - Sermon #9

2009-05-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God: Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Jesus IS God
John 1:1-18

You are home on a Saturday morning and you hear the doorbell – the dreaded doorbell. When you open the door, you see two people dressed nicely with literature in their hands. You know that they are either Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons. OK, every once in a blue moon a Baptist will show up on your doorstep, but usually it is a JW or a Mormon and they want to talk with you. Problem is, you don’t want to talk with them for one of two reasons – 1) you feel it is a waste of time b/c they are not going to convince you and you are not going to convince them, or 2) you are afraid you will lose the theological debate that is almost certain to ensue.

Now, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons have significantly different doctrines, but they find common ground in their denial of the deity of Jesus Christ. This is true, of course, of all cults and other religions. In fact, we talked about the marks of a cult in the first message of this series. All cults deny the deity of Jesus – they all claim that Jesus was and is lower than God the Father. It automatically follows, then, that they also deny that salvation comes by grace alone. There is always a system of works that seeks to impress and obligate God for their salvation. Jehovah’s Witnesses say that we are saved by grace – but, some are not worthy of grace. I think that would be all of us! Another major mark of a cult is that there is always a source of revelation outside of the Bible; thus, the book of Mormon and Watchtower Society publications. Usually an authoritarian figure oversees the writing and dissemination of current revelation being given by God to the faithful.

Why are we afraid of JW’s and Mormons? Because they are so well trained to debate when they come to your door. Indeed, they are! When Jehovah’s Witnesses come to your door, they will use their translation of the Bible that sounds a whole lot like your translation with subtle differences. They will also tell you why these verses should be translated the way they are, even though none of the “scholars” who translated the New World Translation knew much, if anything, about Greek and Hebrew.

When Mormons approach you, they will tell you that Jesus Christ is very important to them. The official name of their church, in fact, is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They speak of salvation through obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It all sounds good, but as we have learned over and over in this study, we can say the same things about God but mean different things. Mormons contend that Jesus was pre-existent in spirit form, but all humans, according to Mormon belief, existed in spirit form before coming to earth. Mormons believe that Jesus was conceived in a literal physical union between God the Father and Mary.

One of the primary differences between Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons is that a lot of the false doctrine of Jehovah’s Witnesses comes from faulty interpretation of Scriptures, though they certainly believe that their leaders are given special revelation from God to this day. Mormons derive much of their faulty doctrine from the book of Mormon. There are excellent books and websites designed to help you witness to people in these cults. I will mention a couple of these resources later. For us to deal with the primary heresies point by point would require a series of studies lasting many weeks. What I want to do today is to reaffirm our belief and understanding that Jesus is God and has always existed as God – He was not created. After we look at our text, John 1:1-18, I will mention specific errors taught by these two churches and how we might deal with the false teaching, but the primary goal is to encourage you to know truth well enough that you can articulate and defend the doctrine of Jesus’ deity. John 1:1-18 is our text – would you please stand for the reading of God’s Word?

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through Him.
8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.
12 But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John bore witness about Him, and cried out, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because He was before me.’”)
16 And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.

John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Is that verse clear to you? Well, if you know what “Word” stands for it may seem quite clear to you. The English word “Word” comes from the Greek word logos. In Greek philosophy, logos stood for the principle of reason that governs the universe. There was no god beyond logos for many intelligent Greeks, even though many in the first century worshiped multiple gods.

For Hebrews, logos represented something much more sacred. It was the ultimate expression of God. The Hebrew word for “word” is dabar. D.A. Carson says that “God’s ‘Word’ in the Old Testament is His powerful self-expression in creation, revelation, and salvation.” Thus, the Jewish mind would understand God’s Word to be, in essence, inseparable from God Himself.

When John begins his gospel by saying “In the beginning,” he was recalling Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In other words, God existed before the world was ever created. Now John is telling us that the Word also existed before creation. If the Word is simply God’s verbal expression, then this is no big deal. But, verse 3 tells us that the Word was responsible for creating everything that exists.

Does that mean God spoke His word and the earth came into existence? That’s what Genesis 1 and 2 tells us. But, in John 1:3, the Word takes on personal qualities – “All things were made through Him – and without Him was not anything made that was made.” John was building a case. From this point he went on to talk about the life that is in the Word and how the Word was a light in the darkness. But, the light was rejected – and, it is clear that it was a Person who was rejected. For those who received Him, we are told in verse 12, He saved and gave the right to be called the children of God. Finally, in verse 14, we are told that the Word became flesh – or, He was born as a human – and, He lived among us.

The person is immediately identified as the Son of the Father, a claim Jesus makes for Himself repeatedly in this gospel. To further confirm that he was speaking of Jesus, the Apostle John went on to explain how John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, and that it is this very Jesus who came from God, who was with God, and who was God. It is very important that you understand the claims that are being made in this prologue to John’s gospel found in the first 18 verses of chapter 1. And, if you understand this very clear and profound statement about Jesus’ deity, then you will be ready for those who claim that Jesus is not God, right? Well, you have to understand that those who would deny Jesus’ deity, or divinity, are prepared to argue about this passage. They “see it another way,” as it were.

Perhaps you are familiar with the way that those who ostensibly derive their doctrine from Scripture and yet deny the deity of Christ interpret John 1:1. Let’s look again at the way we read this verse in English: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” But, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons like to point out that this is an improper translation from the Greek. They point out that there is not a definite article before the last word in the sentence.

Now, since I do not want to put the actual Greek up on the screen, I will do the next best thing and show you in English how some think this verse should look in the Greek since it is translated the way it is. At the end of the sentence, they say, if we are going to use the English translation, “the Word was with God and the Word was God” then it should say in the Greek “the Word was with God and the Word was the God.” It should have the definite article “the” in front of the word “God.” Since there is no definite article in the Greek text, some say that it should be translated this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was a god.”

I can imagine that what we have been covering for the last few minutes is quite confusing for some, if not many, of you. So, I understand why you are unwilling to engage someone on your doorstep who is telling you all about the Greek structure of this sentence. The fact is, though, that they do not know what they are talking about.

Do you know what a predicate noun is? A predicate noun is a noun that follows a “to be” verb, like “is” or “was.” A predicate noun renames the subject of the sentence. An example of a predicate noun would be to say that Barak Obama is the US President, or, for those of you with different political inclinations, John Roberts is Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. The predicate noun, “President” is renaming the subject of the sentence, “Barak Obama.”

That is what is happening in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In fact, in the Greek the absence of a definite article in this structure can actually add emphasis to what is being stated, so that we could say “the Word was with God and the Word was absolutely God.”

So, now that we have cleared up the grammar of John 1:1, you are ready to debate anyone who denies the deity of Jesus Christ based on the structure in the Greek text. Right? Well, I wanted to let you know that not only is there an answer to the technical objection that are made by deniers of Jesus’ divinity, but that, in fact, the argument is problematic, at best, if not entirely bogus. Besides the illegitimate use of the Greek grammar, there is a significant problem saying, from John 1:1, that Jesus is a god, but not the God.

During this series on the Trinity, we have discussed, at length, the non-negotiable belief of both Jews and Christians that we serve one God. It would be unthinkable for the Apostle John, a leader in the 1st century church, to imply that Jesus was a lesser god than the Father. There is only one God, and to say that Jesus is a god rather than God Himself, as John actually says in John 1:18, would be antithetical to all Jewish/Christian thought. In context, the idea that Jesus is “a god” is impossible. Either He was God, or he was an imposter, a false prophet and blasphemer, as the Jews said He was. It was Jesus’ claim to deity that the Jewish religious leaders used to justify having Jesus crucified, though they had to go through Roman authorities in order to have Him executed.

So, how would you deal with a Jehovah’s Witness who denied the deity of Christ and pointed to the grammar of John 1:1 as evidence for his or her belief? First, you must deal in love, not defensively or angrily. There is a difference in the way we deal with false prophets in the church and with those who are mislead in their beliefs – you will discuss that this week at Home Fellowship. Second, please know that if you are willing to engage a Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon about doctrine, it will most likely require several sessions together, so you would have to be patient, realizing that they are trying to convert you, also.

In dealing with someone who has been misled on this doctrine, you wouldn’t even have to talk about the grammar. One would have to reject or reinterpret a whole lot of Scripture in order to deny the doctrine of the Trinity. Not that one argument is going to make the difference, but just one example of how you can engage others about their beliefs is to go to John 17:3 and have them read this verse that is a part of Jesus’ prayer in the garden on the night He was arrested: “And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Ask your friend if he or she agrees with this statement that there is only one true God. Of course your friend will agree with you and in fact tell you that this is what he has been trying to show you, that there is only one God. Then, ask how it is possible for John 1:1 to be saying that Jesus is “a god” if there is only one God and Jesus is not that God?

We do believe that Jesus is God. We worship Him as God, just as the disciples that we read about last week in Matthew 28 did. The goal today was not to teach you how to witness to a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness in three easy steps. That is impossible to do. My goal was to show you how the debate goes regarding this most important truth and to help you see why you need to be able to articulate what you believe. If you have a strong belief system, you will be in much better position to help someone who is in darkness.

I would like to share a couple of resources with you. In preparation for this message, I went to Lifeway a few weeks ago and picked up a copy of Ron Rhodes’ book, Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Though the copyright on this book is 1993, I would heartily recommend it as a resource to help you find biblical ways to interact with those who do not believe that Jesus is God.

Another resource is Watchman Fellowship. You may recall that the president of this apologetics ministry, James Walker, spoke here about three years ago. The web address is www.watchman.org. You will find a number of helpful resources at this site to help you interact with people in all kinds of cults and other religions.

This morning, as we prepare for communion, I want us to reaffirm our belief in the deity of Jesus as we quote, together, the Nicene Creed, which is really an updated version of the Nicene Creed, but we don’t have time to discuss that. In quoting this Creed, we affirm our connection in belief and spirit to our brothers and sisters who have gone before us and who did a great deal of work on the doctrine of the Trinity. Would you stand as we affirm our faith?

I believe in one God,the Father Almighty,maker of heaven and earth,and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,the only begotten Son of God,begotten of his Father before all worlds,God of God, Light of Light,very God of very God,begotten, not made,being of one substance with the Father;by whom all things were made;who for us men and for our salvationcame down from heaven,and was incarnate by the Holy Ghostof the Virgin Mary,and was made man;and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;he suffered and was buried;and the third day he rose againaccording to the Scriptures,and ascended into heaven,and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;and he shall come again, with glory,to judge both the quick and the dead;whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,who proceedeth from the Father [and the Son];who with the Father and the Son togetheris worshipped and glorified;who spake by the Prophets.And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;and I look for the resurrection of the dead,and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

Trinity Series - Small Group Notes #9

2009-05-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Tongues and the Holy Spirit’s Work in Acts, Week of April 5, 2009

Ø The following elements are almost always seen at conversion in the NT: 1) Repentance of sins, 2) Belief in Jesus, 3) Water baptism, 4) Spirit baptism. Is water baptism an essential element of salvation? Can one be saved if he/she has not been baptized by water?

It is true that some verses seem to make water baptism a requirement for salvation. Acts 2:38 is often used to promote this doctrine. But, other verses (such as Acts 16:31) omit the act of baptism as an essential element of salvation.

If baptism were a non-negotiable element of salvation, then surely Jesus, Who came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10 ), would have baptized converts. We are told, though, that Jesus did not spend His time baptizing His followers (John 4:1-2). In addition, the Apostle Paul, who gave his life for the gospel, went so far as to say that he was glad he had baptized very few believers in Corinth because of the rivalries that had developed in Corinth around church leaders (1 Corinthians 1:14-17, esp. v. 17 )

So, we conclude that baptism is not required for salvation. However:

Ø Though water baptism is not required for salvation, first century Christians could not conceive of a profession of faith that was not followed by water baptism. Discuss the importance of this crucial step in one’s relationship with Jesus.

Time and again in the book of Acts, we see baptism immediately following profession of faith (Acts 2:41; 8:26-40; 16:29-33 - the Philippian jailer from the first point). Baptism is an important step for the believer. It is a symbol of one’s faith and allegiance to Jesus, much like a wedding ring symbolizes total commitment to one person. In some cultures, when a family member makes a profession of faith in Jesus,, a great deal of energy is expended by the rest of the family in an attempt to dissuade the “wayward” member from his/her decision. When the person is baptized, though, the family will reject and cast out the one who has chosen to follow Jesus. Discuss the need for the church (at large – and GCC) to give more attention to this important ordinance of the church.

Ø There is a difference in a personal relationship with God and a private relationship with God. A private relationship indicates that God will reveal new and/or exclusive truth to me. I am not promised that kind of relationship. A personal relationship is not only a possibility, but it is a reality for all Christ-followers. I draw closer to the Lord as the Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to point me to Jesus. Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. Look for the work of all three Persons of the Trinity in our salvation, spiritual growth, and service.

Ø Our personal relationship with God is made stronger by our commitment to the Word. 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that believers who behold the glory of the Lord (we behold God’s glory in the Word) are being transformed into the same image (Who do we see in all of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation? JESUS) from one degree of glory to another as a result of the work of the Spirit. In other words, when the child of God spends time in the Word of God, he is changed into the image of the son of God by the Spirit of God. This concentration on Jesus is a serious, intense focus on Jesus in the Word. Spend some time, as a group, going beneath the surface on the following passages: Psalm 23; Philippians 4:4-9; Colossians 1:9-14.

For Psalm 23:1, you could read the verse several times and emphasize a different word each time (The LORD is my Shepherd; The Lord IS my Shepherd; The Lord is MY Shepherd, etc.). Just read the passages slowly, picking up truth as you go.

Trinity Series - Sermon #8:

2009-04-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Tongues and the Holy Spirit’s Work in Acts
Acts 2:1-24

We have been talking about the Trinity, off and on, for the last three months. Today would be a natural day to end this series since next week is Easter, the following week Roy Lyttle, our missionary in Suriname will be speaking, and then the students will be scattering. It is too soon to stop, though. We will spend at least two more weeks on this topic in late April and early May. Unfortunately for those of you who will be leaving, it will be two weeks of solid personal and practical application for all the theology we have learned in these past three months. So, even now, let me encourage you to plan on catching the sermons online at our website after you leave.

Today’s message involves a topic that creates great controversy in the church. You can tell that I spent a long time trying to devise a clever title for the message. After mere seconds of thought, I came up with – Tongues and the Holy Spirit’s Work in Acts – as in, the book of Acts. It doesn’t cover everything, but it will at least be a foundation for understanding this controversial subject with regard to how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.

During the course of our study about the Trinity, we have recognized that there are many aspects of this doctrine that are non-negotiable. For instance, we worship one God, yet we worship Him in three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are coequal and coeternal with the Father. You must believe that in order to be saved – it is a non-negotiable truth.

There is a fair amount of difference, however, in the way that committed Christ-followers understand the work of the Holy Spirit in the church’s life today. It is not that those who disagree with us on secondary matters are believing and promoting heresy, but there is no question that there are significant differences in the way believers understand the Spirit’s role in the Trinity and in the church. While we can feel confident in the conclusions we draw from Scripture about the Holy Spirit’s role today, we would do well to deal gently with our brothers and sisters in Christ who disagree with us. I doubt any of us would claim that everything we believe about biblical doctrine is 100% correct. Yet, we act as though we are infallible. We would do well to take a lesson from Snoopy.

Maybe you have seen the Peanuts cartoon where Snoopy is sitting on the roof of his doghouse typing away and Charlie Brown says, “I hear you’re writing a book on theology.” A noble pursuit, for sure. “I hope you have a good title.” We all know how important a good title is – as in today’s sermon. As Charlie Brown walks away the ever-confident Snoopy is thinking to himself – “I have the perfect title,” which he goes on to say, is, “Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong?” To which many would say, “No!”

Let me say to those of you who would say, “No I am not wrong,” that your confidence is a good thing when it comes to fundamental doctrines that are crystal clear in Scripture, such as the Trinity, salvation by grace through faith, and the authority of Scripture. Be careful, though, about the areas where godly believers differ. Always have a teachable spirit and be open to God’s truth.

As we read today’s text, Acts 2:1-24, you will become aware quickly that there is much about which believers disagree concerning the truths found here, and I do not pretend to have all the answers, though I have a theologically informed opinion. We will not stay in Acts 2, but also look at other key texts in Acts where we see reference to the gift of tongues and to the baptism of the Spirit. Because of time constraints, I will not be able to mention all of the different thoughts about these issues, but rather I will spend the time that we have giving what I think is the proper interpretation of the various texts. So, let’s get started as we stand to read God’s Word together. Acts 2:1-24:

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in his own native language?
9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome,
11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians – we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on My male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know –
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
24 God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.”

Would you have liked to have been in Jerusalem at the temple on the day of Pentecost? What an exciting day that must have been! You will remember that Jesus had told His disciples that the Holy Spirit had been with them, but that He would come to be in them. Pentecost was the time when the Holy Spirit began to indwell believers.

Three supernatural phenomena on that day announced the Holy Spirit’s presence in the church. There was a sound of a rushing wind – not wind, but the sound of a wind. There appeared to be tongues of fire above the heads of at least some of the 120 disciples who had been waiting in obedience for the Holy Spirit to come upon them – not actual tongues of fire, but the appearance of such. Last, and the supernatural activity that is given the most attention, was the preaching of the gospel in the languages of those who were in Jerusalem for Pentecost. These languages were previously unknown to the disciples who were proclaiming the gospel.

It is possible that when the Holy Spirit came upon them that they were in a house, or it could be that the house we read about here was actually one of the many rooms in the temple. We know that when they shared the gospel in the many languages represented that day, they were in the temple. Since these disciples were Galileans and considered to be a bit backwards, the impact of their witness, delivered with what must have been impeccable diction and grammar, was astounding to the hearers.

So, the Holy Spirit came in very obvious power on that day. The primary manifestation of His power to the lost on that day was the supernatural, spiritual gift of tongues to many, if not all, of the 120 or so Christ-followers. Does the Holy Spirit still fall on us in this manner today? Is the manifestation of His presence always the gift of tongues?

First of all, remember that the book of Acts gives us a record of how God established His new covenant with those who will repent of their sins and believe that Jesus’ death on the cross satisfied God’s wrath against their sins. In the same way that Jesus’ divinity was confirmed by miracles, called signs in the gospel of John, so the ability to speak in a language that was previously unknown to the speaker confirmed God’s new work amongst His people. All those who followed Jesus at this point were Jews or Gentile proselytes.

One important fact to recognize is that these were known languages begin spoken, not the ecstatic babblings of people who were practically in a trance. The speakers were sharing the gospel in languages that already existed – but, they didn’t know the languages they spoke, thus, the miracle. And they were telling their lost listeners about Jesus! Remember, the Holy Spirit’s role is to magnify Jesus and that is exactly what was happening here. The proclaiming of the gospel combined with the miraculous use of tongues was confirmation that God was now saving people through faith in Jesus.

I would like to spend a great deal more time here, but we will miss important truth elsewhere if we linger, so let’s move to Acts 8 where we will see a passage that has led to crucial differences in the way Christians understand the baptism of the Spirit. To provide foundation for the verses we will read, we should know that Philip, an important deacon in the early church, had gone to Samaria to preach the gospel. This is the first record of the gospel being preached outside of Jerusalem. That is important. In Acts 8:12, we are told that “When they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” Then in verse 14:

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,
15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
16 for He had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
It would appear from this text that these believers were saved when they believed the Word and that they were baptized by water at the same time. Later, the apostles came and laid hands on them, at which time they received – or, were baptized with – the Holy Spirit. Is that so, and is that the norm today?

Please know that while I do not have time to give you the evidence, this is the only time in the NT that we see the baptism of the Spirit occurring separate from salvation. Here is what you always see occurring simultaneously in other places in the NT: 1) Repentance of sins; 2) Belief in Jesus; 3) Water baptism; 4) Spirit baptism. By the way – I have to say that I am guilty of emphasizing numbers 1, 2, and 4, but not number 3 very much. It was inconceivable to the early Christians that a person would repent of sins and believe in Jesus, but not be baptized. Water baptism always accompanied faith in the early church.

So, may I ask you – have you been baptized since you trusted in Jesus? We will be having a baptismal service next week. I cannot emphasize strongly enough what an important step this is in your relationship with Jesus. While I do not believe it is a part of salvation, I will say at the very least that I find it difficult to see how a Christ-follower can advance very far in his or her walk with Jesus and not be baptized. PLEASE talk with me this week if you have not been baptized!

But, the emphasis today is the baptism of the Spirit. Why, in this one NT text, is the baptism of the Spirit clearly at a different time than repentance, belief, and water baptism? For starters, remember that this was the first time that the gospel had been preached outside of Jerusalem. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews, because they had intermarried with Gentiles and were thus considered impure by Jews. While Philip was an important figure in the early church, he did not have the stature that John and Peter did as church leaders. I imagine Peter and John went to Samaria to investigate what had happened with the Samaritans, and when they discerned that their faith was genuine, the apostles acknowledged God’s work by laying their hands on them, and when they were baptized by the Spirit, God confirmed to Peter, John, and the whole church that He had indeed accepted Samaritans into His family. This order would never again be repeated in the NT, so we must conclude that it is not the normative procedure in the life of one who believes in Jesus. Spirit baptism always occurs at salvation in every other NT instance. Those who would say, “Well, at least it happened once,” will often go on to say, “And, that’s the way God always works today.” Do you see the theological inconsistency with such a position?

Let’s go to Acts 10 to see how the gospel advanced from Jews, to Samaritans, to Gentiles. Well, let me just tell you that through a set of visions from God, Peter, who was in the coastal town of Caesarea, went to share the gospel with an important officer of the Roman Army named Cornelius, who was, as you would expect, a Gentile. When Peter shared the gospel with Cornelius, the Holy Spirit came upon him, his family, and all who were present and they spoke in tongues. Peter was convinced and said, “God is doing a work here – you need to be baptized with water,” and so they were.

Peter was excited about what God had done, but some in the Jerusalem Church were not so happy and demanded an explanation from Peter. So, Peter appeared before the Church Council and told them the story of how God had led him to Cornelius. Then, beginning in Acts 11:15, Peter said:

15 “As I (Peter) began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized you with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17 If then God gave the same gift to them as He gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Do you see how God used the gift of tongues to show the Jews that He was now in the business of saving Gentiles – Gentiles who were not required to become Jewish proselytes before following Jesus? It is interesting that Peter referred back to Pentecost, some ten years earlier, when recalling how they had spoken with tongues. He did not say, “The same thing happened to them as happens to us whenever we get together and worship Jesus.” No, he said, “You remember how the Holy Spirit came on us ten years ago, how we spoke with tongues? Well, the same thing happened to Cornelius’ family!” And the rest said, “That settles it – God has saved them!”

There is only one more place in the book of Acts, in chapter 19, where we read about the gift of tongues. I don’t even have time to put the text up on the screen, but it is at the very first of the chapter when Paul encountered followers of John the Baptist who had evidently left Jerusalem before Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, and certainly before Pentecost. These were men who were serious about their relationship with God. Paul asked them if they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit, and they said they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit! When Paul told them about Jesus, they believed and the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke with tongues. Why? I think it was to confirm the message of the gospel – no matter how religious you are, you will not be saved apart from repentance of sins and belief in Jesus Christ.
Every place in the book of Acts where we see the gift of tongues, God is confirming the truth of salvation in Jesus. The only other place in the NT that we see any talk at all about the gift of tongues is in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. In those chapters, Paul is not talking about what a blessing the gift of tongues was, but he was pointing out the problems that had arisen in the church because of the misuse of this gift. Furthermore, he exhorted the Corinthians to seek after more important and useful gifts, such as teaching the Word. He does go on to say, though, do not forbid the use of tongues.

You need to know that from the second century until the beginning of the 20th century, the gift of tongues and other miracle gifts were rarely, rarely experienced in the church. Does God use this gift today? I think so! But, it seems pretty clear to me that many of the abuses of this gift that occurred in first century Corinth are alive and well today. We have seen repeatedly in this last month that spiritual gifts are intended for the good of the body, not for our personal benefit. The use of tongues today, especially here in America, is so often employed for personal benefit – to improve or confirm my personal relationship with God.

A personal relationship with God. We all want that, don’t we? It is a noble desire and pursuit. But we must recognize that there is a difference between a personal relationship with God and a private relationship with God. A personal relationship with the Triune God is available to all who call on the name of the Lord, as we were told in our Acts 2 text. The Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ and we become the children of our heavenly Father Who loves and cares for us as no earthly father ever could. All Christ-followers have a personal relationship with God.

We are not granted, however, a private relationship with God. A private relationship is one in which God reveals truth to an individual that He does not reveal to anyone else. There is no promise of such a relationship anywhere in Scripture. Everything that God is going to tell me is in His Word. Now, for sure, the Holy Spirit must enlighten my understanding in order for me to benefit from the truth of God’s Word, but it is equally true that the Holy Spirit of God will not reveal truth in my heart and mind apart from God’s Word. I spent a lot of time this past week in the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians where this truth is quite plain.

Apostles and prophets in the first century were given truth directly from God so that it might be communicated to the church. Now that the Scriptures are complete, we have all the truth we need – God will not reveal new truth to us, such as there will be fires in New York. Now, there may be fires in New York and I may have a sense that certain things are going to occur, but it is not because God is telling me the future as a result of a private relationship that I have with Him. Have you ever sensed God leading you in a particular way and it turned out that it was your own desire or conviction that had led you rather than the Holy Spirit?

Please know that when I say what I am about to say that I do not mean to lump everyone who speaks in tongues or believes that the gifts of healing and miracles should be prominent in church life into the one group. Many times, though, the ones who are focused on these manifestations of God are tempted to believe that they have a private relationship with God. When a person believes that he or she has a direct line to God that circumvents what God has revealed in His Word – even though the person would deny such a connection – the potential for theological error and tremendous damage to the church is great. And, the Holy Spirit is not the author of such confusion.

Well, it is an awkward place to stop, but to continue preaching would be even more awkward! Today’s message has been more negative than positive – about the way the Holy Spirit does not work in the church today, but it needed to be said. Even if this has not cleared up all your questions, I do hope it has increased your understanding to a small degree. Let’s pray.

It's All About God. Which Makes it All About Me. Which Makes it All About Him.

2009-04-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

Confused yet? If this world is all there is, then I had better make the best of it, for as they say, you only go round once. After defining personal success and fulfillment on my terms, I should structure my life in such a way so as to achieve my own goals and enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts. Sickness? Accidents? Reverses? PLEASE! Don’t bother me with such negative vibes – I am doing the best I can in this life.

That’s the way it should be if this life and my own plans and schemes are all that matter. But, if a Creator exists Who lays claim to my life – well, that changes everything! I can determine my own destiny only if I created myself (which is, when you think about it, why even suicide doesn’t work!). Well, OK, let’s make it a little easier on beloved self – I can direct all of my efforts toward personal gain and satisfaction only if I am accountable to no one but myself.

None of us live that way, ultimately, do we? Instinctively, all humans recognize that every person is accountable to someone. That is why cruel dictatorships (do you know any dictators that are not cruel?) seem to be so unnatural and such a perversion of justice and fairness. The human heart cries out for justice – as long as it is being meted out to someone else!

In Psalm 50, the Creator of the universe, the Triune God (well, we know now that He was three-in-one even when this psalm was written) calls the whole earth to give account to Him. In verse 21, He accused men and women of evil deeds that were caused by a terrible misjudgment – made possible because of His decision to not always judge sin immediately – that assumed God is like one of us. Men and women had created God in their own image rather than the reverse. Man had become – and continues to be so today with more technology and creativity at his disposal – a god in his own mind.

Those who follow Jesus recognize that they owe allegiance to God. We recognize that this life is not about us, but about Him Who created and redeemed us! We gladly give Him praise for the gift of salvation and for abundant life, no matter our circumstances. In seasons of pain, our heart still beats for Him. We lose ourselves in His grace, His love, and His will for our lives.

So, Christ-followers give up on personal passions, pursuits, and dreams, right? Well, yes and no! While we surrender our plans and priorities to Him, we discover, in time, that in addition to being all about His own glory (which is OK if you are perfect and holy and 100% righteous with no chance of ever being otherwise), God is all about us! Proof? The cross! Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?”

“Hey, this is better than I thought! Now, it is not up to me to make sure all my dreams come true – but, it is up to God!” That is hardly the meaning of Romans 8:32. Did you miss the first part? He gave up His own Son for us! God’s grace and gifts do not imply a life of ease, but, rather, the wisdom for his perfect will to be accomplished and the strength to endure anything. But, think about it! God loves you so much that He focuses all of His love squarely on you. When we make this life all about us, we miss God’s full participation in our lives. When we make it all about Him, He, in turn, makes it all about us. His heart becomes our heart. His desires become our desires. Our insecurities and heartaches are swallowed up in His awesome love, mercy, and grace, and He surrounds and overwhelms us. Life has meaning and fulfillment that we did not know was possible.

When it is all about God, it becomes all about us – which makes it all about Him. Our gratitude for His work in our lives directs our hearts and praise to Him! OK, it should be that way, but it isn’t, always, is it? Sometimes when God does something good for/through us, we are greatly tempted to absorb all the good (praise, included) that comes from God’s gifts. Even as we rest in God’s blessings, the temptation is to make as much about Number 1 as possible, only now that God has intervened in our lives, we can shine in a big-time way! STOP! Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights Who does not change! (James 1:17) It’s all about Him!

God is moving in distinct and discernible ways at Grace Community Church, though we acknowledge the painful reality that many of us are suffering. It scares me, frankly, that our church seems so healthy. We are prime targets for Satan’s diabolical schemes and arrows of doubt and deception. As the ministry to which God has called us continues to grow and expand, let’s make it all about Him – and, not in a way that says, “My theology is better than your theology,” but, rather, in humble gratitude that He created us, redeemed us, and continuously pours out His grace on us, both individually and as the body of Christ. I love you, dear brothers and sisters!

Trinity Series - Small Group Notes #8

2009-03-31T11:20:00.001-07:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Questions about the Holy Spirit, Week of March 15, 2009

Ø Ephesians 5:18: “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” The verb “filled” is in the passive voice in the Greek – in other words, it is not something we do, but something that the Spirit works in and through us. Since it is a command, however, we clearly play a role. What is our role, then? To yield to the Spirit and not get in the way with our human efforts to serve God (in the flesh). Think about the contrast of controlling elements (wine and the Spirit) of this verse, and the implications of being filled with the Spirit.

Wine was the drink of choice in the Mediterranean world where Paul’s words were directed. They would find fertile ground anywhere, though. Paul was not condemning the consumption of alcohol, but rather he was condemning drunkenness. Drunkenness leads to impaired judgment which leads to poor decisions that usually have negative consequences. The drunk often experiences a personality change and says and does things he would never do while sober. Rarely is he glad for the actions that the influence of alcohol caused in him. Many times, the drunk not only hurts himself, but those around him.

The comparison between alcohol and the Spirit is made, but is only for the purpose of showing the power of an outside agent that can overtake a person’s life when yielded to that power. In the positive case, the power is a Person – the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. The comparison ends here because the parallels between drunkenness and the Spirit’s control are superficial. From here out, there is contrast.

When the Spirit is in control of our lives, power to live in a manner beyond our natural ability creates good works that build and strengthen others in their walk with Christ. Being filled with the Spirit should lead us to worship with other believers and to submit – respect, love, and assist – to other believers, as is seen in verses 19-21.

Ø One of the reasons that the Holy Spirit fills us is to empower us to share the gospel with the lost. Spend time thinking about Acts 1:8 and the Spirit’s role in evangelism.

Spend some time thinking about the importance of sharing the gospel with the lost. This was the last thing Jesus said to His disciples before He ascended to heaven. Ask the group how they are reaching their Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Think about creative ways to engage the lost with the gospel. Before you move to the next point, spend time in prayer that God would empower you to share the gospel and that He would specifically bring opportunity to do so this week.

Ø The Holy Spirit empowers people to serve God and fellow Christians. Ephesians 4:7-8 tells us that Jesus gave (spiritual) gifts to men. 1 Corinthians 12:1 tells us that we are given spiritual gifts, and verse 7 of the same chapter indicates that the Spirit unleashes the gifts in God’s people. Without the Holy Spirit’s presence and power, “spiritual” gifts aren’t. Talk about the difference between serving God in the flesh or by the power of the Spirit.

When we are in the flesh, we serve ourselves. When we yield to the Spirit to activate the spiritual gifts that have been given to us, others are served. You may want to read all of the passages about spiritual gifts, emphasizing that they are always given for the benefit of the body. The passages are Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Ephesians 4:9-16; 1 Peter 5:10-11.

Most of the lists contain different gifts with a bit of overlap – 19 or 20, depending on how you count them. It is highly unlikely that these lists are exhaustive, but rather, representative of the way God empowers us with His Spirit to serve others and glorify Him. If questions arise about the miracle gifts of 1 Corinthians 12, tell the group that I will be talking about them next Sunday, March 22.

Christ-followers often expend a great deal of energy defining and discussing spiritual gifts. This is not a wasted exercise – but, it is considerably more than Scripture says about the gifts. They are shared to indicate how important it is to yield to the Spirit in whatever service we render to the Lord.

Trinity Series - Sermon #7: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and Baptism of the Holy Spirit

2009-03-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

After a break, we return to the series about the doctrine of the Trinity in this spot. This particular study covers two very controversial topics - blashpemy against the Holy Spirit and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God: Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Questions about the Holy Spirit

Today we will resume our study that explores the mystery of the Trinity, or one God in three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now, when I refer to this as the “mystery” of the Trinity, I do not mean that the Trinity is unknowable, that He is mysterious and beyond our capacity to comprehend. We would not even be talking about the Trinity if God had not revealed Himself to us as one God, three Persons. While there is much that we can and do know about our awesome God, there is much that we cannot understand or explain to full satisfaction. That is where faith finds its place in our hearts. It is not blind faith, though. God has revealed much about Himself in His Word, which the Holy Spirit makes plain to us. So, when we come to the place that is beyond our ability to comprehend – like, God is one, and He is three with no contradiction – we must simply believe.

Would a God that we could fully comprehend really be God? Most gods that are worshiped in our world are made in man’s image rather than the other way around. Even if those gods appear unpredictable, happy one day and angry the next, they still look very much like humans made large. Our triune God is nothing like any other god. We are a little over halfway in our examination and contemplation of this transcendent, yet imminent, God. He is both far beyond our comprehension, yet near – as near as Jesus and as near as the Holy Spirit.

Thus far we have spent several weeks studying about the doctrine of the Trinity, and then one week studying about God the Father, one week with God the Son, and one week considering the work of God, the Holy Spirit. There is order in the Trinity, thus we call the Father the first Person of the Godhead, Jesus the second Person of the Godhead, and the Spirit the third Person of the Trinity. All three have the same nature and are equally God, yet each has a distinct role. Since there is so much confusion about the role of the Holy Spirit we are going to spend more time thinking about His role in our lives. The goal is to look at several questions that Christ-followers have with regard to the Holy Spirit. While it would be beneficial to spend more time with each question, it is more profitable over-all, I think, to think briefly about as many topics as possible.

Our text today will address the first question, which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. We will also look at what the baptism of the Spirit is, though we will spend more time thinking about that next week. Next, we will think about spiritual gifts, then we will examine what it means to quench the Spirit. Do you ever think about quenching the Spirit – or, about grieving the Spirit. We are going to talk about them both. Finally, we will spend time contemplating the fruit of the Spirit. We will cover all of that today. And then in three years I will run for the office of President of the United States. And, I will be elected. I am just kidding about that – it is going to take us three weeks to cover all of these topics about the Holy Spirit. That changes the over-all plan for this series, but I knew that would happen anyway. It is the leading, I believe, of the Holy Spirit.

Our text today, Matthew 12:22-32, covers the first topic, which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. There is a great deal of confusion about the blasphemy of the Spirit, and more than a little fear about the difficult, harsh words of Jesus on the subject. Hopefully today will enlighten your mind and ease your heart a bit. Would you please stand as we read God’s Word together?

22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was
brought to Him (Jesus), and He healed him, so that the man
spoke and saw.
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son
of David?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul (Satan), the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”
25 Knowing their thoughts, He said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.
30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. I wonder how many of you have wondered if you have committed this unforgivable sin? What does it mean? It is interesting that Jesus said you could speak against Him – against the Son of Man – and still be forgiven. But, if you speak against the Holy Spirit, forget it. You are eternally cursed. Hmm. Let’s think about this for a minute.

Who is God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit? The answer is Yes. Who is more God? Neither, of course. Jesus was not making a statement about the divinity of either Person of the Trinity, but clearly if speaking against the Holy Spirit is an eternal sin, then the Holy Spirit has to be God. But, so is Jesus – the term He used for Himself, Son of Man, referred back to Daniel’s use of this title for a divine one in Daniel 7:13.

It is unlikely that Jesus was saying something akin to when we would say something like, “Mess with me, that’s OK, but you mess with my family, you are in trouble.” Well, maybe there is a correlation, because when I say that, I really don’t mean that it is OK to mess with me – it means don’t mess with me or mine. That’s kind of what Jesus was saying. A little context will help us understand.

If you were here way back on January 18, you may recall (though, probably not) that we were in the 8th chapter of John’s Gospel where we witnessed a debate between Jesus and the Pharisees. The debate was about who Jesus was. Jesus said very plainly that He was God. The Pharisees called Him an illegitimate blasphemer. If you really want to understand the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, it would be most helpful to go online and listen to that sermon again. The Pharisees experienced direct encounters with Jesus that are not possible for us today.

I don’t know if you have seen this to be true, but in my experience, almost every time I share the gospel with someone and they understand it, they put their belief and trust in Jesus. Now, there are a lot of times that they don’t understand the gospel when I share it, but when they understand that Jesus was God’s Son who came to die for their sins, they almost always believe. It is clear in those cases that the Holy Spirit is working in someone’s heart to bring them to Jesus.

The Pharisees understood who Jesus claimed to be and they had a lot of evidence at their disposal that would support Jesus’ claims. But, they rejected the truth. If they had acknowledged Jesus as God’s Son, they would have had to repent of their sins and give up their power among the people. They didn’t want to lose that power. So, they said – in the presence of all the people – that Jesus was getting His power from Satan. And, Jesus said, in essence, “You just crossed a line. You know full well that I fulfill all of the prophecies that point to Messiah, even if I don’t appear to be the kind of Messiah you expected. Do you attribute My works to the power of the devil in the hearing of all these people? Not only do you reject Me, but you seek to turn the very ones I came to save against Me. You have blasphemed the Holy Spirit of God, by whose power I heal the sicknesses of these people, and this sin will never be forgiven.”

Does this make sense to you? Here is the point I want to drive home today – it is highly unlikely that you are even able to commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is possible that when a person rejects opportunity after opportunity to believe truth that God says, “No more.” That may be a modern day version of blasphemy of the Spirit, but I doubt it, and it certainly was not what was occurring in our text. It was a willful rejection of truth that was literally in front of their faces. So, it is highly unlikely that you, or anyone you know, has ever been guilty of the sin Jesus was condemning on the day this debate took place. Once again, if this is not yet clear and you really want to know the truth here, then go back and listen to the second study in this series from January 18. Or, you can go to my blog for the written transcript. What you see in those transcripts is most often strikingly close to what is said here on Sunday morning. I have to stay fairly close to the transcript because I get in trouble when I travel far afield.

Well, that’s the first topic – blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Now let’s take an easy one: the baptism of the Spirit! Have you ever had someone ask you, “Brother, sister, have you been baptized in the Spirit?” Or, they may ask if you have been baptized by the Spirit. But, saying “brother or sister” and “baptized by the Spirit” in the same sentence is redundant. If you are a Christ-follower, thus a brother or sister in Christ, you have been baptized by the Spirit! It happens at the point of salvation. As we go to 1 Corinthians 12, you may well recall us talking about this in the not too distant past. I bring this up fairly often because there is such confusion about the work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life.

Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 12:13: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” Now, let’s take a few minutes to consider all the truth found in this one verse. These words are found toward the end of a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. What kind of church was this church, a good church or a troubled church? Troubled! Big time! In 1 Corinthians 3:1-2, Paul lamented the fact that he could not address them as spiritual followers of Christ. Instead, he was forced to speak to them as self-absorbed, fleshly, baby Christians, even though that sounds like an oxymoron.

So, this was not a very spiritually minded crowd that Paul was addressing. Yet, he said in our text that all of them who were Christians had been baptized into one body. He was referring to the body of Christ. The specific point that Paul was making was that all Christians are equal in Jesus – Jews and Gentiles, leaders and followers, even to the extent of slaves and non-slaves alike. Slaves were very much a class of people in the first century, yet they were considered on the same spiritual level as their owners when they were believers in Jesus because they had been baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ. If all of the Corinthian believers had been baptized by the Spirit, it could only have happened at the point of salvation.

But, what about subsequent times of Spirit baptism in the lives of believers? A lot of people think that there is at least a second moving of the Spirit in our lives that takes us to another spiritual plane where there is victory over sin and power to do great works for God. But, Ephesians 4:4-5 tells us, “There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

It seems pretty clear to me that we are baptized by the Holy Spirit one time – and the meaning is that the Spirit fully immerses us into the body of Christ with all others who profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Do we always live as if Jesus is the Lord of our lives? I think the Corinthians answered that question – NO! But, we have been, nonetheless, baptized by the Spirit. So, if someone asks you if you have been baptized by the Spirit, you can say YES! If they ask when, tell them you were baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ when you became a Christian – and point to these verses as the foundation for your belief.

You need to be aware, though, that they are going to have a few verses of their own. And almost certainly, they are going to go to the book of Acts, particularly chapter 8, to support the doctrine that salvation comes at one point and the baptism of the Spirit comes later. I want to address that partially now, but more fully next week.

It is extremely important to recognize the nature of the gospels and the book of Acts when forming doctrine and understanding how God works in our lives today. The gospels, of course, tell the story of Jesus’ redemptive work. Much of Jesus’ teaching was not understood, even by His disciples, until after Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to indwell believers. The book of Acts tells the story of how the gospel of Jesus spread to the whole world. This entire period was a period of transition. Remember, it was a time when the Holy Spirit transitioned from coming alongside of people in order to enable them to do God’s work to now permanently indwelling believers once they believed the gospel of Jesus. We will talk next week about how the work of the Spirit was quite visible at every point of transition, with Jews, with Samaritans, and with Gentiles.

Much of the Spirit’s work that was done at these crucial points of redemptive history is misunderstood and misapplied by Christ-followers today, especially with regard to the doctrine of the baptism of the Spirit. That is why it is so important for us to make sure the epistles, or the letters written by apostles to first century churches, back up whatever doctrine we may derive from the gospels and Acts. If this does not seem clear to you today, hopefully it will make more sense next week.

In preparation for next week, I want to read one of the NT passages about spiritual gifts and offer the briefest of comments. I am going to look at a few verses in 1 Corinthians 12, verses 4-7. The first three verses set up this section, but we will stay here for now.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Did you catch Paul’s Trinitarian theology? Remember, when Paul uses the term “Lord,” he is almost always referring to Jesus. So, the Holy Spirit is in verse 4, Jesus in verse 5, and God the Father in verse 6. Verse 7 sums up the purpose for spiritual gifts, and you see this same purpose articulated every single instance in the NT that you see a list of spiritual gifts – they are given to us for the purpose of building up one another. They are not given to build up ourselves or even to improve our relationship with God, but to build the faith of others! Next week we are going to look specifically at the gift of tongues. That particular gift, in my opinion, is often misunderstood and misused in our day. I do think it is a gift that God still gives and that the Holy Spirit uses, but perhaps we need a better biblical understanding of how God used tongues in the first century and what that means to us today.

Well, that is all the time we have today. Two and a half out of six from our list ain’t too bad. We will talk more about spiritual gifts in the Home Fellowships this week, more about the gift of tongues next week, and then we will complete the list on the first Sunday of April. Don’t forget that Mike Calhoun will be here on March 29 – you will not want to miss that Sunday. Let’s pray

New/Old Site

2009-03-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

Wanna see some beautiful pictures? So many of you commented on Michael and Laura's wedding pictures. The photographers for their wedding were our good friends, James and Jenny Tarpley, of Visio Photography. Their website has been updated, and if you have not been there in awhile, it would be worth your time: http://www.visiophotography.com/ Your welcome!

Trinity Series - Small Group Notes #7

2009-03-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
God the Holy Spirit, Week of February 22, 2009

Ø John 14:17 helps us understand the difference between the way that the Holy Spirit worked before Pentecost (OT days and in the gospels) and after Pentecost (when He came to indwell believers as recorded in Acts 2.) Jesus told His disciples, “You know Him (the Holy Spirit), for He dwells with you and will be in you.” In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon men and women for special purposes and specific times. He could leave as surely as He came. In Psalm 51:10-11, David prayed that God would not take His Spirit from him. Would that be an appropriate prayer today? Why or why not? How does John 14:17 and other NT verses about the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives inform our understanding of our relationship with the Holy Spirit?

First of all, it is important to note that David did not understand the Holy Spirit as a distinct Person of the Trinity. In fact, David did not understand the Trinity at all, because it was a secret then, though it is a mystery, now. Remember, a secret, theologically, is something that we cannot know because God has not revealed it to us. A mystery, in the NT, is something that was previously unknown but has now been revealed (see Deuteronomy 29:29 and Colossians 1:24-27, particularly verse 26). David did understand that God’s Spirit had been strong in his life. You will recall that both Samson (Judges 14:19; 15:14, 16:18-22) and Saul (1 Samuel 10:9, 11:6, 16:14) had the Holy Spirit taken from them.

The difference in the NT is that when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers at Pentecost (Acts 2), He took up residence with all who believe in Jesus. John 14:17 says that He is given to us forever. Ephesians 1:13-14 says that once He is given to a believer, He can NEVER be taken back –He is the guarantee of our inheritance (eternal life). See also 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 4:30 – we can grieve the Holy Spirit by our sin (particularly, in this text, with how we treat others in the body), but we are sealed – He will never leave us).

How should the truth of the eternal presence of God’s Spirit in our lives affect the way we live? It certainly should not cause us to take the promise of eternal life for granted and live as we desire – in fact, it should have the opposite effect. It should cause us, with hearts of gratitude, to seek His power to live a life pleasing to God!

Ø Jesus said in John 14:23 that both He and the Father would come and dwell with believers. We know without question that the Holy Spirit indwells believers. Does Jesus’ promise mean that the Father and Son indwell believers through the Holy Spirit, or that all three Persons of the Triune God indwell believers? Augustine leads a group of theologians that say this verse and John 14:25-26 indicate that all three Persons of the Godhead indwell believers, while other theologians think that the Holy Spirit has that role exclusively. Either way, it emphasizes the fullness of the Trinity and our relationship with God.

Our goal, with this point, is not to come to a conclusion – it is to magnify the greatness of God! Talk about the mystery of the Trinity, how great our God is and how much higher He is than us. Is it possible that a God we could comprehend fully could really be God?

It is certainly safe to say that all three Persons of the Godhead are intimately involved in our lives. It also appropriate to say that all of God is in every Person of the Trinity – each Person has the same nature, thus, when we worship one, we worship all because the three comprise one God. See what I mean about explaining it? If one attempts to make too much sense of this, the troubled waters of error are not far away. We have done much to understand the construction of the Trinity, but there is a point when we must simply believe, simply trust. Read, with gratitude, the following quote from Gregory Nanzianzen (4th century) that was shared on Sunday:

“No sooner do I conceive of the one than I am illumined by the splendor of the three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the one. When I think of any one of the three I think of Him as the whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness of that one so as to attribute a greater greatness to the rest. When I contemplate the three together, I see but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the undivided light.”
.
Ø Much of what is written about the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives has to do with His work in causing/helping us to get along with one another in the church. Ephesians 4:1-3 is a good example as we are commanded to keep the unity of the Spirit in the body. This section goes through verse 17. We are not commanded to “build” unity in the church, but to “keep” the unity that the Spirit has already built into the body, of which Jesus is the head. Discuss ways we can keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace at Grace Community Church.

Read through verse 17 and reflect on the importance of a solid understanding of Scripture (12-15) which is why we are conducting this study on the Trinity. Also, discuss the importance of church leadership (11) and why everyone should pray regularly for the church leaders! Last, emphasize the absolute necessity of everyone using the spiritual gifts they have been given in service (16) if we hope to have a healthy body. Challenge everyone in the group to find a place to serve at Grace.

Ø The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 is given, not only to improve our relationship with God, but to enable us to give evidence to God’s presence in our lives in the way that we treat one another. Talk about ways that the fruit of the Spirit will help to keep the unity in our body.

Read Galatians 5:13-24. Consider the following: 1) Satan will seek to destroy us if possible (13-15); 2) We will either be lead by the Spirit or by our flesh (16-17). Whether it is the Spirit or the flesh that controls us will determine the spiritual temperature of our church; 3) The Holy Spirit lives inside us – let’s allow Him to control us, for goodness sake (24)! It will require death to self – only the Spirit can accomplish this in our lives; 4) Spend time discussing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, constantly emphasizing the reality that we cannot generate these qualities in our lives – they are the fruit of the Spirit. Thus, let us submit to His work in our lives. Think about times when you know that the Spirit has enabled you to do what you could not have done in your own strength.

Trinity Series - Sermon # 6

2009-03-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
God the Holy Spirit
John 14:15-26; 15:26-16:15

We are in the middle of a three month series about the Trinity. The Trinity is considered by some to be the most important doctrine in Scripture – I agree. We are told in the Bible that God is one – and, He is three. One nature, one essence, but three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are coequal and coeternal. Since God the Father has never had a beginning, neither has Jesus or the Holy Spirit. While all three are equal, there is order in the Trinity with God the Father holding the position of leadership and authority over Jesus, and with the Father and the Son both holding authority over the Spirit. Today’s message is about the Holy Spirit, but before we go there, let’s think for just a moment about the Trinity.

One of the most important figures in church history in helping us understand the deity of the Holy Spirit was a late fourth century priest named Gregory of Nazianzus, which was a town in modern day Turkey. You may recall about a month ago we talked about how important Athanasius was in the early to mid part of the 4th century when the debate about the deity of Jesus was raging. Late in the 4th century, the debate continued about Jesus, and more attention was being given to the Holy Spirit, also.

Gregory of Nazianzus was known, along with his two friends, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, as one of the three Cappadocians. And, I bet many of you just don’t care! But, if you believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, you are indebted to the three Cappadocians! I will not go into great detail about their contributions to our understanding of the Trinity, but I want to share with you a passage about the wonder of the Trinity from Gregory Nazianzen’s book, Oration on Holy Baptism. John Calvin said, “This passage vastly delights me.” I think you will see why. Quote:

“No sooner do I conceive of the one than I am illumined by the splendor of the three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the one.” Stop right there – does this experience seem familiar to you? Rather than let it frustrate you, let it bless you as your wonder of the greatness of God grows. Let’s start over: “No sooner do I conceive of the one than I am illumined by the splendor of the three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the one. When I think of any one of the three I think of Him as the whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness of that one so as to attribute a greatness to the rest. When I contemplate the three together, I see but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the undivided light.” You will hear that again at Home Fellowship this week, and in fact, if you would like a copy, there will be some available for you as you leave today.

Well, today we are talking about one of the three Persons of the Trinity – God, the Holy Spirit. There is probably more sloppy theology about the Holy Spirit in our day than with any other doctrine. People are waiting for something that has already happened and they are praying for something that they already have. We will attempt to bring a little light on the Holy Spirit’s role in the Trinity and His work in our lives today. But, today is not going to be enough – we will need at least one more week, probably two, to cover all that needs to be said about the Holy Spirit.

This morning, we will read from several places in John 14, 15, and 16, which covers the teachings that Jesus shared about the Holy Spirit with His disciples on the night before He was crucified. Much of what is in our text will not be covered in the message – there is just not enough time – but I want you to absorb all the truth you can as we read. Some of these truths will be covered at Home Fellowship this week, including the truth about how the Holy Spirit worked differently before He came to the believers at Pentecost than He did afterwards. Today we are going to see the Holy Spirit’s place in the Trinity and His blessings to us in our lives. So, let’s get started.

Would you please stand as we read God’s Word together? We begin with Jesus speaking to His disciples:

John 14

15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live.
20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21 Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, He it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, He will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
24 Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word that you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

John 15
26 “But, when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from
the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
He will bear witness about Me.
27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with
Me from the beginning.”

John 16

1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me.
4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
5 But now I am going to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.
8 And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no longer;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.
15 All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

My son-in-law, Ben Price, is quite a talented guy. He can do almost anything. He is quite an athlete, he can fix anything or build anything within reason, he converts used cooking oil into fuel for his van that has a diesel engine, he loves horticulture, he is a wonderful husband to my daughter Liz and a fantastic, fun father to my three grandchildren. He is also a gifted speaker, an avid reader, and can discuss the philosophically nuanced theology of Frances Shaffer at a high level. Whenever something breaks in my house, I count the days until Ben can get here and fix it. He is multi-talented.

My gifts are more limited. If I could no longer make a living in some sort of speaking ministry, I would be in trouble. I barely know the difference between a screwdriver and a hammer. But I do love people, and I especially love to connect people when there is need and also, opportunity. It gives me great pleasure to introduce people to one another when I am almost certain that the relationship that will develop will be beneficial to both. Even though I don’t know how to fix your problem, I know a person who can and I can connect you with that person, and I know the person who helps will be glad he got to know you.

That is a poor analogy for the work of the Holy Spirit, but it is in the right direction, because the Holy Spirit connects us with the Father and with Jesus. He is God, you know, thus the title – God, the Holy Spirit. Oddly enough, we could have titled this message, “It’s All About Jesus,” and not changed much of the Scripture or the focus even though we are talking about the Holy Spirit. Our text included most of what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit on that special night of teaching about the Trinity which was conducted just before He was arrested. Jesus’ comments were said in the flow of the greater context, but because we have time constraints, we will skip around and put the verses into an order that helps us understand the Holy Spirit as best we can. We will look at three truths about the Holy Spirit, beginning with the one to which I have already alluded:

I. The Holy Spirit delights in glorifying Jesus (14:26, 15:26, 16:13-14)

We call the Holy Spirit the third Person of the Trinity. He is every bit as much God as the Father or the Son, yet He takes a less conspicuous role than the other two Persons of the Trinity. He comes to us, in fact, both by the Father’s will and Jesus’ will, not of His own accord. Look at the truth found in our text: Jesus said the Father will send the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name. But, then Jesus also said that He, Jesus, would send the Spirit in the Father’s name and that the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Jesus made it clear that the Holy Spirit would not speak on His own authority, but that He would speak, or lead us into truth, at the direction of the Father and the Son – you may only see the Father in this verse, but a little later we will see the Spirit pointing Christ-followers to the truth taught by the Son. In John 16:14, Jesus says very plainly, “He will glorify Me.”

Do you remember last week how we saw that God the Father has chosen to exalt His Son, Jesus, above all creation? The Father directs the Spirit to help in this process of exalting Jesus. But, in our day, so much attention is given to the Holy Spirit that the glory of the Son seems secondary. God’s Word, written at the direction of the Holy Spirit, makes it absolutely clear that our exaltation of the Spirit is absolutely not the way it should be. You don’t have to worry about hurting the Holy Spirit’s feelings. He wants to glorify Jesus!

To exalt the Spirit would be akin to stopping a wedding right in the middle of the ceremony and the pastor saying, “Before we go one step further, I think you would all agree that Scott and Lisa make a beautiful couple, am I right? Well, here is what you don’t know. Scott and Lisa were introduced to one another by Janice Roland, so Janice is the real star of this ceremony today – Janice come on up here and everyone give it up for Janice Roland!” If Janice is the kind of friend she should be, she would be horrified at such attention on her – her delight is in the attention being put on the groom and the bride! Bringing attention to Jesus is what delights the Holy Spirit.

So, it sounds like the Holy Spirit is inferior to the Father and the Son, is that right? NO! If you are just getting in on this series about the Trinity, you need to know that we have clearly established from Scripture that the Holy Spirit is every bit as much God as the Father and the Son. Each Person of the Trinity has a role, and their roles involve leadership and following, authority and submission. Since each Person of the Trinity is fully God, there is no bickering or frustration. Every Person fills His role perfectly, and the role of the Spirit is to glorify Jesus.

Another truth we find is that:

II. The Holy Spirit is the agent of truth (14:16-17; 16:12-13)

Jesus told us so. The Spirit gives us truth. If we believe God the Father and God the Son, we can have 100% confidence in the Spirit. We will not take time to read from 2 Peter 1:20-21 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17, that tell us that the Spirit, or God’s breath, guided all who wrote Scripture. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 tells us about the Spirit’s role in helping us to understand Scripture.

This is one of those days when we need much more time than we have to unpack what I am about to say, but it should be said in this context anyway: The Holy Spirit will never lead us in ways that contradict His Word. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit’s primary purpose and desire is to elevate Jesus, and Him crucified. Why is that significant? Because, in our day, there are a number of people who claim to be led by the Holy Spirit to act and speak in certain ways that are contrary to God’s Word.

For instance, if you were to say that God has led you to steal from someone in order to support missions, that would be contrary to His truth about honesty. That’s an easy one, though. How about someone who says that the Holy Spirit had led him to rebuke someone who disagreed with him over a non-biblical matter, say what color the sanctuary should be painted? That’s just wrong. More dangerous, though, are the kinds of claims that the Spirit is leading me to tell you to sell your house and give that money to a needy family. If you want to point to Jesus and the rich young ruler as your Scriptural proof, may I say that a lesson on biblical interpretation would be in order? Be very careful about taking examples from the gospels and the book of Acts to justify a particular action or doctrine. Also, know for sure that if people are exalting the Holy Spirit, it is being led by the Holy Spirit. I am NOT saying that it is a wrong motive that is inspired by the Devil – it is simply a misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit’s role to point us to Jesus. It is fine to worship Father, Son, and Spirit, but Scripture never encourages us to single out the Spirit for special worship. Do not forget that when we worship the Father, when we worship Jesus, we are worshiping the Holy Spirit, because all three members are God and the essence of the Father is the essence of the Son and Spirit. There is so much more to say about this and I have not defended the point as fully as I would like to, but let’s consider for just a moment:

III. The Holy Spirit is the Perfect Helper (14:26; 16:7-11)

The Holy Spirit is our Helper. Of course, your translation may call Him the Counselor, the Comforter, or the Advocate. So which is it? All of those descriptions would fit the Paracletos. The Holy Spirit is our perfect Helper. Consider the context in which these words were said. Jesus had been with His disciples for three to three and a half years directing their every move. His leadership had been perfect, of course. Now, He tells them that it is a good thing that He is going away, because on earth, Jesus had limited Himself, most of the time, to being where His body was and there only. There were exceptions, but that was the standard. Now that He would be going back to heaven, the Holy Spirit would come and be in every single Christ-follower. And, He would help them.

One of the primary ways that Jesus said the Holy Spirit would help them, and by extension help all Christ-followers, would be to not allow us to live as we want to live. The Holy Spirit will, Jesus said, convict the world of sin. During His entire ministry time on earth, Jesus had pointed out the sin of the world, but His Word had not been believed. The Holy Spirit would now continue this ministry of showing the world its sin through the witness of those who follow Jesus. This is not as negative as it sounds. Indeed, the only hope we have to be related to God is to face, acknowledge, and repent of our sin and put our hope in Jesus. The Holy Spirit helps us to come to this place of repentance.

What about the next two points of conviction? There are a lot of different ideas about that, but since the Holy Spirit often led John to look back to the OT book of Isaiah, there is likely a connection to Isaiah when Jesus said that the Spirit will convict the world of righteousness. There is a good chance that Jesus was referring to the world’s self-righteousness. Isaiah had given the spiritual leaders of his day the message from God that all their righteousness was as filthy rags. Jesus had preached the very same message to the religious leaders of His day. The Holy Spirit continues that message today. Sometimes, as believers who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, other people don’t like us – for no reason other than the lives that we lead convict them and they don’t want to think of themselves as sinners.

We are also told that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of judgment – of its false judgments and ways of looking at life. Why does the Spirit convict in this way? Because Satan is judged. Remember, just a few hours after Jesus spoke these words, He would die on a cross. The religious leaders would think that their judgment was vindicated. Not so. Jesus’ heel would be bruised, according to Genesis 3:15, but Satan’s head would be crushed.

No matter how you interpret these particular verses, the point is that the Holy Spirit is our helper and He leads us into God’s truth. Aren’t you glad that He will not allow you to live any way you want to live? Aren’t you glad He cares enough to tell you the truth rather than let you be deceived and spend eternity apart from Him in hell?

God, the Holy Spirit – every bit as much God as the Father and the Son, but willingly taking a lesser role and pointing to the Father and especially to the Son. I hope that God continues to grow bigger in your heart and mind as we proceed in our study. More about the Holy Spirit after a two-week break. Let’s pray.

Tis Better to Have Loved - Linda Faile Talley: February 11, 1955 - March 3, 2008

2009-03-03T06:04:00.001-08:00

I must agree with Alfred Lord Tennyson who said, “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Love has risks. The greater the love, the greater the risk. Many people refuse to love because of the fear of rejection, the fear of disappointment, the fear of loss. But, in every case, the emphasis is on the fear of what may happen to – me!

The ultimate price that love pays is loss. One year ago today, I lost the love of my life. Now, do not think that I do not consider my children, their spouses, and my grandchildren and the rest of my family to be loves of my life – I do! But, I am not “one flesh” with any of them. Linda and I were absolutely one.

I do believe that God gave Linda and me a love that was rare in these days. Oh, it wasn’t always that way! Both of us wondered in those early years of marriage if this is what love really is. But, God allowed us to figure it out. What we learned was that our frustrations with one another that precipitated arguments were not attacks. There were genuine differences, but they were not attacks, though they were absolutely perceived that way by the other one. We spoke different languages (as men and women are apt to do), and once we were willing to put in the work that was necessary to communicate in a way the other one could understand, the commitment to not only stay with one another through difficult times, but to love the other one during those times, paid off in ways beyond our wildest expectations!

Love has its risks. We both thought that we were paying the price of disappointment for the first several years of our marriage. We were not ultimately fulfilled as we had hoped to be, though we had seasons of genuine happiness. But, maybe that was OK because we learned to protect our own hearts. Neither one of us was going anywhere because we were committed to God’s plan and to one another, we had three phenomenal children – we were doing OK. Life was more than acceptable, even though we had hoped for more. Maybe it was best just not to risk giving our hearts fully to one another, but to love as best we knew how.

It is true that the greater the love, the greater the risk. It is equally true that the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward. The pity of failure to love that comes in an attempt to avoid pain is the failure to be loved as one could be loved. Now, do not read more into that than is intended. I have close friends that are very fulfilled who have never been married. If you are already married though, or if you have full intentions of being married someday, the only thing you protect yourself against by not fully giving your heart to your spouse (or, spouse to be) is the potential of being loved at the level you want to be.

“But,” you protest, “I may get hurt.” True enough. You will also never know the joy of being fully loved. The “self” that you are protecting will never become all that it could be. The irony of true love is that as you give yourself completely to another, you become (often on the basis of the love that is returned from the one to whom you have given your whole heart) so much better as a person, much more fulfilled, much more successful in life. Even if your love is unrequited, you are the unwitting beneficiary of true love. Did not our Savior say that it is better to give than to receive?

The pain of losing Linda has been almost unbearable at times this past year. On my way to the funeral home last week to visit one of our members who had lost her mother, I cried out, impulsively, at the top of my voice, “NO!” It was out of the blue. On balance, the pain is somewhat subdued these days and I do not seek to aggravate the wound. If every day were spent in the pit of despair, though, I would unhesitatingly say, “LOVING LINDA AND BEING LOVED BY HER WAS WORTH THE PAIN!” Without question!

I miss Linda. I miss her touch. I miss the way that she could soothe my troubled soul when I felt that I had made a foolish remark in the pulpit on Sunday morning (which happens more than I would wish to confess!). I miss her sweet, sweet smile and even sweeter, kinder spirit. I miss her desire with every fiber of her being to build me up in respect and to love me unconditionally and to find her greatest joy in this life (outside of her relationship with the Lord) in my love for her. I miss buying gifts for her. I miss calling her when I am on my way home from church or from a movie or from anywhere. I miss everything about my precious wife. Everything.

But, God blessed me with this great love for thirty-one and a half years! And, I am a FAR better person for having been the object of Linda’s love. I realize that God gave me the gift of one of His most incredible creations. And, while I am so glad that she was mine for a long season of my life, I know that she belonged to you, also. We are all blessed, are we not? On this day of grief, let us also give thanks to God for His grace to us in the beautiful, beautiful person of Linda Ruth Faile Talley. Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Remembering Linda - and, Looking to Jesus - at Church

2009-03-01T14:58:00.000-08:00

Two days from now - Tuesday, March 3 - will mark one year since Linda left us to go to her beloved Shepherd - Jesus. This morning at church, she was much on my heart and mind as we sang the songs that were sung at her funeral (KJ's idea - you cannot believe how much I love and appreciate the staff at GCC) and I preached from John 10, the passage that meant so much to Linda that told of the Good Shepherds love for her. She had followed Him since she was seven years old, and in the last 13 months of her life, she sensed that He was carrying her in His arms. Here is a transcript of the sermon:

The Beauty of Life
John 10:1-18

A little over three and a half years ago, I was at Wake Med Hospital when it was announced that Dan Brisson had died in surgery. Most of the family was present in the hotel room at the hospital. Becky was there, of course, and the Lanes and their children and spouses and the grandchildren. It was a surreal scene. There was stunned silence on the part of some adults, quiet weeping from other adults, - - and jumping on the beds by the children. Efforts were made to subdue the children, but they were – well, little children. It was a vivid picture of the cycle of life. It was one of those seminal moments when you see the pain and joy of life all at once.

Becky is my second cousin, so this was family. And, it hurt. Of course, I have seen the same cycle of life in my own immediate family. Two days from now, this coming Tuesday, will mark the one-year anniversary of Linda’s graduation to heaven. Even so, my daughter, Autumn, is halfway through her first pregnancy – our granddaughter is expected July 13! As for Linda, preparation for real life ended March 3 of last year. She is experiencing life at a level that the rest of us can only imagine.

But wait – is it fair to say that only those that have left this world are experiencing real life? As painful as these past few years have been for me, I think not. In fact, our text today would argue against such a pessimistic view of this life, pain and all. But, is it fair to go so far as to title the message, “The Beauty of Life?” Is that fair to Rosa Maria Matthews who said goodbye for the last time to her mother this week or to Josh Tate whose face and hands were seriously burned yesterday as he served the Lord preparing dinner for the Grace Outdoors’ Banquet? Is it fair to the Moody’s who live with the agony of cancer in their 2 year old treasure named Cali or to Woody Woodruff who is halfway through chemo treatment, or to those who are still waiting for jobs?

Let’s take some time to answer that question. We will read John 10:1-18 together, but most of our focus will be on the truth found in verse 10. If you had much contact at all with Linda in the last year of her life, you know how very much it meant to her that Jesus was her Shepherd. Would you please stand for the reading of God’s word?

1 “Truly, truly, I (Jesus) say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of the strangers.”
6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what He was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me,
15 just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep.
16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again.
18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”

What does it mean that we are created in the image of God? Does it mean that God looked like us before we were created? There is indication, as we have seen these last few weeks, that God the Father may have some vague form of a human, but certainly nothing like us. We know that Jesus looked like us when He came here because he was one of us at the same time He was God – 100% God, 100% man. Most theologians believe that Jesus appeared in human form in the OT, though some would say He did not. The vague form of a human that God the Father takes in Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4 may be for our point of reference rather than an indication of His appearance in eternity past. The same would be true of any Christophanies that the OT may include.

In John 4:24, Jesus told the Samaritan woman that God is spirit, and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. So, we will start defining what it means to be made in the image of God by saying that we are spiritual beings. God is spiritual, and so are we. We recognize that we are far more than flesh and bones. If our physical condition defines who we are, then the last year of Linda’s life was meaningless. It was not meaningless, though, because we are spiritual beings.

And, we are relational. We relate to our Creator, in fact, spiritually. To be made in the image of God means that we are spiritual beings, as He is, and that we have the ability to have meaningful relationships, both with our Creator and with other human beings. One of the reasons that we can meaningfully relate to God and to one another is our ability to reason.

In Isaiah 1:18, the Lord told a wandering nation of Israel, “Come now, let us reason together.” Of course, the ability to think rationally has been used by creatures to reason their Creator right out of existence! That was a risk God willingly took, though, if you are willing to accept that language. I think all of us are grateful that He made us with the ability to think and discern and draw conclusions. It is this ability to reason that many people point to as the primary component in the image of God.

I have heard it said, though, and it resonates with me, that the image of God is most clearly seen in the imagination because when we are creating, we are most like God. True. That is why secular art, secular literature, and secular music are not intrinsically wrong or evil. Much of what secular artists do is exactly what we were created to do. But, as with anything, sin often makes what could be beautiful, ugly. Even if there is nothing specifically sinful in the secular entertainment, education, and activities that we enjoy, to think we can find fulfillment or true life there is to be deluded and to be headed for major disappointment. For the Christ-follower to seek ultimate meaning in this life is to be intentionally deluded.

When we utilize our imagination, we do not create ex-nihilo, or, out of nothing. Any creations that we attempt, including our efforts at engineering life itself, are fashioned out of created substances of some sort. But, just consider how great is the imagination of men and women who are, after all, made in the image of God! Think of our discoveries and inventions just in the last century alone. Our problem, of course, is that we seem to be building another tower of Babel in which man thinks nothing is impossible to him. We seem to have forgotten that we are creatures working with a creation not of our own doing. We are not creators determining our own destinies.

The fall of man, when Adam and Eve sinned, marred a beautiful creation. Can you imagine what this place must have been like before sin? Can our minds conjure even the tiniest image of the beauty of an unspoiled world and only pure thoughts and perfect relationships and not even a hint of sorrow, pain, or death? Not even knowing what disappointment was, in fact! Can you imagine?

Unfortunately, we know “the rest of the story.” Sin entered this perfect world with perfect people and perfect circumstance – and, scarred the land and its inhabitants. Since that time, groaning has been the way of life. Not only do we suffer the consequences of sin, but Satan does all he can to insure that our experience is as miserable as possible. His plan for misery often includes the illusion of success and happiness in order that we might become proud and totally unprepared for the inevitable difficulties of life and for the natural conclusion of the universal principle of sowing and reaping.

After the fall, God brought some order to the world by giving laws to mankind – laws that were initially written only on the hearts of men and women, but were eventually given to His chosen people, Israel, in written form. The law provided a measure of structure and civility in the land, but its primary function turned out to be revealing man’s inability to live according to God’s standards. Our failure to meet God’s standards ultimately brings more intense pain and deeper sorrow. Death will always prevail, regardless of how closely one is able to live to God’s standard, unless that standard is perfectly kept.

But, the law was pointing to something – or rather, to Someone. The law pointed to Jesus! John 1 tells us that the world was full of darkness and death – and Jesus came to provide light and life, even in the midst of the chaos that is around us as a result of sin. To some degree, Jesus redeemed this world and our lives by His perfect life and atoning death. It is an incomplete redemption at present as we wait for the establishment of Jesus as King over the world and the entire universe. Thus, darkness and light, and death and life all coexist in this temporary state.

Theologians speak of common grace that is given to all mankind, and special grace that is given to the elect, who trust Jesus as their Savior. It is true that all men and women benefit from God’s common grace, but for those who follow Jesus – light and life are theirs, even when they suffer because of the curse of sin on this world. When life’s indignities and pain close in, those who know Jesus can rest in His life.

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” That pretty much sums up what we have been saying, doesn’t it? To be more accurate, John 10:10 is the truth and we have been talking about how it plays out. Much of this life is less than wonderful. For Americans, bad news is particularly painful because we think we have conquered difficulties in this advanced age.

But, we are still susceptible to the natural laws of life in a fallen world. The pain that Chad and Sarah Moody are experiencing can be even more intense than it is in other places because their trial is juxtaposed to the “normal” lives of those all around them where vaccinations and superb medical care that is paid for by the ingenious system that gives us insurance companies combine to create an illusion of the idyllic life. Not so, but it seems that way. And, Satan appears to have won.

The thief has no good intention for us. But, he doesn’t have the final say for the Christ-follower! Satan has nothing but destruction planned for us – and, Jesus has nothing but good intentions for us! “I came that they may have life – and have it abundantly!” What does that mean? Does it mean that I have woken up every day this past year with praise on my lips, singing, “This is the day that the Lord has made – we will rejoice and be glad in it?” NO – I haven’t been rejoicing day in and day out this year! I have been crying a lot, in fact. Not nearly as much now as I did for the first six months or so, but it has been painful to lose the love of my life.

But, fortunately, Linda was not the only love of my life. Jesus was, and is. And, in Him, all will be made right one day. There is no need to think only of the future, though – He has promised abundant life now! How is that possible? By recognizing Him as my shepherd, just like Linda did. By believing that He only intends good for me, in spite of the pain of the curse experienced in this world and life as a result of sin. Jesus is the redeemer – and, life is beautiful, no matter how it appears right now.

To believe that life is beautiful is an act of faith. We all recognize that grief is a part of life, and it occurs when we lose something or someone we love. The promise of abundant life that Jesus promises would seem to indicate fullness and consistency. If our hope is in the blessings of life and the ease of circumstances, we will ultimately be crushed and the promise of life will seem like a cruel joke. If we trust our Savior, though, in the face of life’s pain, we will find meaning in Him. We will discover that abundant life is not in apparent success, or in ease of circumstances, or in the absence of pain and trouble. When we trust Jesus, we will find that life is in Him, just like He told us. Let’s pray.

Trinity Series - small group notes # 6

2009-02-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
God the Son, Week of February 15, 2009

Ø Almost all of the teaching in the New Testament tells us that we are to pray to the Father (Luke 11:1-4; Colossians 1:3; Ephesians 3:14). The Son’s role is to mediate (argue for us in the face of Satan’s accusations) for us before the Father (Romans 8:34; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25). The Spirit’s role is to help us to pray and “translate” our prayers for us so that they are in line with God’s will (Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 6:18). Is it appropriate to pray to the Son?

Read all the passages. Each member of the Trinity has His particular role in our prayer lives. There is no command to pray to Jesus (beyond the gospels when He encouraged His followers to bring their requests to Him) in the New Testament, but we can infer that Paul communed with Jesus in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 (The “Lord” in vv 8-9 was almost certainly referring to Jesus, as vv 9-10 would indicate). Also, for Paul to “know” Jesus at the level he expressed in Philippians 3:10, it is almost certain that interpersonal communion was required – more about that in another question.

Ø Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He was tempted just as we are. Was it possible for Jesus to sin? Armenian theologians usually say, “Yes, because otherwise the temptation was invalid,” while Reformed theologians say, “No, He was God.” I say “No” but this question is probably one of the least useful and fruitless theological questions about Jesus’ humanity. The outcome is ultimately the same – Jesus was tempted and yet did not sin (Hebrews 4:14-16). While the aforementioned theological debate renders little that is good, the fact of Jesus did not sin, though He was tempted just as surely as we are is a wonderful encouragement to us! How does this knowledge help you in your Christian life?

God has always understood our weaknesses (Psalm 103:13-14), but the emphasis in the book of Hebrews is that now WE know that He understands. In Hebrews 4:16, both God’s mercy, in forgiveness, and grace, in help for overcoming temptation, are available.

Ø In Philippians 3:10, the Apostle Paul expressed a desire to “know” Jesus. He had followed Christ for some 20-25 years by this point. Clearly He meant that he wanted to know Jesus more intimately than he already did. No doubt, this required interpersonal communication with the Son, which thus speaks to the question about prayer to the Son. Consider the depth of Paul’s desire as evidenced by the rest of this verse and discuss how we can follow Paul’s example to know Jesus more intimately than we do now.

It would be good to read Philippians 3:7-14 for context. Paul had come to the end of himself in his attempts to become acceptable to God and had put all of his hopes in Jesus (vv 7-9). He so badly wanted to know Jesus more intimately than he already did that he was willing to suffer and to put his own desires to death every day. In this way, Paul would know the power of the resurrection, but it would only be a by-product of knowing Jesus.

How do we get to know Jesus better? The same way we get to know others better – we talk, we listen (prayer, Word and Spirit). In our early walk with the Lord, we tend to imitate the actions, words, and responses of Jesus. As we grow in Jesus, we tend to become more like Him – because we know Him. For instance, when confronted with a situation that requires a thoughtful response, a young Christian would say, “What would Jesus do?” A more mature believer would know what Jesus would do – because, He knows Jesus!

One last thought. We grow to know Jesus as the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see Him in God’s Word. A low view of Scripture (questioning miracles, questioning the accuracy of historical accounts given in Scripture, its contemporary relevance, etc.) will inevitably lead to a low view of Jesus, no matter how clever the objection to such a charge might sound. The ONLY way to know Jesus more intimately is to spend more time with Him in the Word.

Trinity Series - Sermon #5

2009-02-25T04:35:00.001-08:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
God the Son – Jesus!
Colossians 1:3-23

Would you like to be famous? No, really. Would you like to walk into a strange place and a number of people walk up to you and say, “Excuse me, aren’t you so and so? I just love the way you do that thing you do!” I am not talking about Tiger Woods famous or Brittany Spears famous, but famous enough. Well, I hope you wouldn't want to be Brittany Spears famous!

Whether you say you would like to be famous or not, we are teaching our children that fame is something to be highly prized. And, if you can’t be famous, maybe at least you can know and be known by someone famous. I heard Jake Halpern being interviewed this week about America’s shift in its worship of God to worship of celebrity. You know old Jake, don’t you? In 2007 he wrote Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths Behind America’s Favorite Addiction.

Halpern conducted a survey of high school students in three different schools that were representative of American students across the country. The students were asked, “Which profession would you choose if you could be any of the following: A) CEO of a Fortune 500 company; B) President of Harvard or Yale; C) Navy Seal; D) Assistant to a star; or, E) US Senator. Can you guess which choice was the most popular? You guessed correctly – assistant to a star. The choice was not even to be a star, but to carry the star’s water. Girls in particular picked this option, choosing 2 to 1 over being a US Senator, 3 to 1 over being President of Harvard or Yale, and 4 to 1 over being the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

In the same interview, Halpern referred to an ongoing survey among American teenagers called the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory in which students are asked if they think they are important. In the 1950’s, 12% said “yes.” By the late 1980’s, 80% said yes. Halpern went on to say that while it is a good thing for teenagers to think they are important, perhaps we have overshot the mark and have caused our children to move from self-esteem to narcissism.

In a society made up of individuals increasingly looking for their place in the son, their 15 minutes of fame – no, scratch that – whatever time they have left of fame – there is little room for an exalted Savior. Oh, lip service may be paid to Jesus, but does He really have the place of priority, even in the church? He certainly has the exalted status in all of the Creation that really knows the deal, such as in the spirit world, and one day we are told that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

This morning we are going to read from Colossians 1 where we are told that Jesus is preeminent in the universe, the famous one. Just before we read, would you ask the Lord to take away your desire to be famous and put in your heart a desire for Jesus to be famous in your heart? We are going to read verses 3-23 of Colossians 1, but our focus will be on the last half of this passage. Last week we learned of God the Father’s place of authority in the Godhead, and today as we read you will notice many of the truths we learned about God the Father last week, but you will also see the Father’s plan to exalt His Son, Jesus, and to make Him famous in all creation. Would you please stand as we read God’s Word together?

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,
5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing – as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,
7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved follow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf
8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.
19 For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20 and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
22 He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him,
23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

How many Sundays do you think we could spend talking about Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity? Let me rephrase that – how many years do you think that we could spend talking about Jesus? No telling! So, how can we possibly say all that needs to be said on one Sunday morning? We can’t. We are going to let today’s text be our primary guide, though such a vast subject requires an additional passage or two. We will be concentrating on three different facets of this wonderful one we call God, the Son. I think you will find that these are all important areas for us to consider, though if you are thinking deeply about this series on the Trinity – and, I hope you are – you will no doubt wonder why I did not cover a particular aspect that you were wanting to think about at a higher level. It will help if you consider this message in context of all of the messages thus far in this series. For this morning’s content, I can only apologize and claim limited time. But, enough talk about how little time there is! The first aspect of Jesus that we want to consider this morning is His nature:

I. Jesus – 100% God, 100% man (vv 15, 17, 19)

You will recall several weeks ago when we talked about why it is so important to be precise in our definitions of the Trinity that many people could never accept Jesus’ full divinity and full humanity in the same person. How is it possible to be 100% God and 100% man at the same time? It just isn’t logical? The first answer to such a dilemma is that it doesn’t have to be logical – God is so much higher than we and what is impossible in our realm is not so with God. Nothing, in fact, is impossible with God. But, Scripture gives us more than enough information to enable us to form our beliefs.

Our text in Colossians speaks mostly to Jesus’ divinity. Verse 15 tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. It was understood in the Old Testament that to see the face of God was to die. Even though we are told that Moses spoke with the Lord face to face, we understand that to be symbolic, not literal. In fact, when Moses asked the Lord to show him His glory, God told Moses that it would be impossible to see His face and live. So, what does God look like?

Well, Ezekiel had a vision of God that he recorded in the first chapter of his book. There was somewhat of a shape of a human, but the vision was very murky and Ezekiel fell on his face in the presence of the glory of the Lord. John had a similar vision in Revelation 4 of God the Father. Again, the image was murky and distance between the Father and John was all too evident. Isaiah’s vision of God recorded in the sixth chapter of his book was also a terrifying experience. The difference in Isaiah’s vision and the other two was that John 12 tells us Isaiah saw Jesus, not God the Father.

And yet, Jesus came to earth and lived here as one of us. He was the image of the invisible God (v15), which means He was an exact representation of God, but in a form – human, to be exact – that made God accessible to us. Now, we can see God.

Colossians 3:17 tells us that Jesus is before all things. In other words, He is coeternal with the Father. He has always existed. Verse 19 informs us that He embodies all the fullness of God – not partial deity, as some of the heresies we have talked about purport, but all of God is in Jesus. Indeed, you will recall last week when we read from John 14 that Jesus told Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

I want to say something with which I know some will disagree. As far as I can see in Scripture, Jesus is the only face of God we will ever see in eternity. John’s vision in Revelation 4 indicates that we will be aware of God the Father’s presence, but we will never get a handle on His appearance. No one ever questions who Jesus is – He will be recognizable to all creation. He restricts the fullness of His glory so that we can approach Him. In addition to Isaiah’s terror, Revelation 1 tells us that when the Apostle John saw Jesus in heaven in all of His glory, he fell as though he were dead. Remember, John was the one who had laid his head on Jesus’ breast at the Last Supper. Jesus mercifully holds back the effulgence of His glory in order that we might commune with Him.

So, Jesus is 100% God, but was He 100% man when He was on earth? Philippians 2:6-8 says “Yes.”

6 (Jesus), though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

There is no way to go into the details of this passage. You may recall that we had a rather lengthy and technical couple of sermons about these verses back in May of last year. You can access the messages online, plus I can e-mail you a study guide to go along with the messages if you are interested. The truth we need to glean here is that though Jesus was and is as much God as the Father was and is, He did not hang onto His position of glory, but rather in humility became a man and lived His entire life in total obedience to the Father. Jesus did not give up His divinity, but rather He took on human flesh, which means that He gave up some of the privileges He had as part of the Godhead. That is why Luke tells us that as a boy Jesus grew in wisdom as well as in body. Jesus willingly limited the use of some of His divine attributes to the leadership of the Father and the power of the Spirit for the purpose of identification with humanity. Just think of the implications! You will, this week, at Home Fellowship.

Consider how different Jesus is than us. Adam was a human who sought to be God. Jesus existed as God yet chose to unite Himself with humanity. That is what it means that Jesus emptied Himself. It is the essence of the incarnation – a union of perfect humanity and undiminished deity. Jesus added a human body to His glorious self. For us, adding something means an increase, but for the Eternal Word, adding a human nature involved a process of emptying Himself.

A human nature – that raises so many questions about Jesus’ sinlessness. There is not time to go into all of the details, but let me just say a few things about Jesus’ nature. Does the virgin birth ensure Jesus’ sinlessness? Well, I suppose, if the sinful nature is received only through the father. But, Mary was sinful. The Catholic Church understood this problem, so they decided that Mary must have been miraculously kept from sin. But, that’s not what the Bible teaches. I will put what I am about to say on the screen, but you may not have time to write this down. It is very important, so please access it online next week if you are interested.

We do not receive our sinful nature genetically, but representatively. We do not receive it because Adam and Eve were our ancestors, but because Adam is our federal head, or, the representative of the entire human race. But, Jesus is not a member of Adam’s race (and the virgin birth does speak to that). Jesus is the 2nd Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) and He conquered sin. It was necessary for Him to have a human soul in order to meet the requirements necessary to be a perfect substitute for our sin.

Well, I have spent almost the entire time on the first point. There is no way to tell you how difficult it was to decide what to talk about today – the material is overwhelming. I do want to briefly, and I do mean briefly, consider two more thoughts from our text in Colossians 1 about Jesus, the first of which is:

II. Jesus is the Preeminent One in the Universe (vv 15-20)

Our text says so, very plainly in verses 15-20. This was the Father’s will. He is Creator. All that exists was created by Jesus. He is Sustainer. If Jesus did not hold the universe together, it would cease to exist. He is Redeemer. Verse 20 says so, even though it is not on the screen. Jesus rescues us from certain eternal punishment – He does so through the literal blood of His literal body that was nailed to a cross as the perfect substitute, the only one eligible to absorb God’s judgment of our sin. Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior? Have you believed that He died for you? Ask God to forgive your sin and ask Jesus to save you – He will gladly receive you to Himself on this day.

Jesus is also the Head of the Church. Today, we will vote on an amendment to our Constitution about the terms of elders. Let me assure you that as elders, we recognize that this is not our church – Jesus is the head of Grace Community Church. We verbally acknowledge that at almost every meeting we conduct, and we conduct all the business of Grace under His headship. Does that mean we get it right every time? No – Jesus was the only perfect human, remember? But you have to know that there is not one elder who takes his responsibility as a steward of Jesus’ church lightly. And, they didn’t tell me to say that!
Oh, that all of us would make Jesus preeminent at Grace Community Church! In fact, let’s put that into contemporary vernacular and:

III. Make Jesus famous in our hearts, minds, and lives (vv 21-23)

Christianity. Think about it. Without Jesus, it doesn’t exist. And, yet, a lot of people who speak freely about God are reticent to utter Jesus’ name. The temptation for the believers at Colossae was to remain spiritual, but to not make such a big deal about Jesus. They had just been told in no uncertain terms that the entire universe will recognize Jesus as the preeminent one in all of creation. He identified with us, we should now proudly identify with Him!

Verse 23 comes across differently in the Greek than it does in our English translations. Paul wrote this verse in such a way as to communicate his confidence that they would continue in the faith, which meant “faith in Jesus.” He did not expect them to turn away from Jesus. Indeed, to renounce Jesus is to indicate that one never had genuine faith in the first place.

Well, that’s the easy interpretation of verse 23 for those of us who believe in eternal security. But, let’s not miss the call for Christ-followers to think and live as though we do, indeed, belong to Jesus. What do Christ-followers do, after all? We follow Jesus! That will not be easy if we allow ourselves to be swept up in the current of our society’s obsession with famous actors, politicians, and athletes in our midst. God’s call on our lives is for us to keep our focus on the preeminent one in all of creation – Jesus is the famous one.

Trinity Series - small group notes #5

2009-02-20T13:33:00.001-08:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
God the Father, Week of February 8, 2009

Ø We call God the Father the first person of the Trinity. Why? We have already clearly established (and will continue to stress) that Father, Son, and Spirit are coequal and coeternal. Yet, there is order in the Trinity. Each person of the Trinity has a particular role. The Father’s role is to lead. Talk about how Psalm 2, Matthew 6:9-10, and 1 Corinthians 15:28 all show God’s supreme authority, even in the Godhead.

Acts 2: Verse 7 is referenced in Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 1:5; 5:5, thus the Son of Psalm 2 is none other than Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, and God in Psalm 2 is God the Father.

Matthew 6: It is God the Father’s will that is asked to be accomplished

1 Corinthians 15:28 – a powerful verse!

Ø Ephesians 1:3-14 (the passage we covered on Sunday February 8) and Colossians 1:3-20 (the passage we will cover on Sunday, February 15) both tell us that Jesus is the centerpiece of history. He holds this position, though, at the Father’s direction and pleasure and for God the Father’s glory. Read these passages to see how the Father lovingly exalts Jesus.

Ø James 1:17 says that God the Father is the source of all good gifts. EVERY single good thing in our lives can be attributed to God’s goodness. Name some of God’s gifts to us that are listed in Scripture, then name some of His good gifts to you as an individual or family, and to Grace Community Church.

1) Jesus and salvation – John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9
2) Good works – Ephesians 2:10
3) Spiritual blessings – Ephesians 1:3 (we tend to look for blessings in all the wrong places, such as material possessions, health, etc. – our blessings are spiritual – from the Spirit – and are in heavenly places)
4) Above all, God’s presence – Romans 8:31-39

Ø How does the authority of the Father over the Son and the Spirit speak to our relationships today, such as husbands being the head of wives (Genesis 3:16; Ephesians 5:22-33), employers over employees (Colossians 3:22-25), and elders leading the church (Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Timothy 5:17a)?

The following excerpt is from Bruce Ware’s book, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance. Our small group leaders are using this excellent resource to help them prepare for these lessons. Absorb Ware’s cogent thoughts on a very important, yet controversial, issue in our time:

“There exists today a widespread movement to remove from Christian vocabulary, hymnody, and even from the Bible itself, references to God as Father. Motivated by misguided and radical feminist convictions that reject all male headship and see fatherhood language about God as promoting the domination of the male, some would seek to change the very language of God’s own self-revelation in order to further their social agenda. But the fact is that we as Christians are not at liberty to modify how God has revealed Himself to us. He has chosen specifically masculine language, and this includes terms such as ‘king,’ ‘lord,’ and ‘father.’ Do we claim to know better than God how God Himself should be named? It seems clear that what stands behind this movement, at bottom, is really a fundamental dislike of the very notion of authority, and in particular of male authority in settings of the home and the believing community. Sinful resistance to authority in general and to the authority of husbands and elders (both male) in particular leads to a desire to undermine the language used by God as Father. We in the evangelical church need to reaffirm and celebrate the fact that God is our Father. Rather than chafing at this language, it should inspire in us deep and profound thanksgiving, confidence, faith, and hope. It should not surprise us that something cherished in the Christian faith is despised by the world, and we should not be swept along by a movement that turns us away from Scripture’s clear teaching and from God’s own self-revelation of who He is and what He wants to be called. Yes, naming God as Father helps us see just how radical it is to be a Christian in today’s culture. May God grant us grace and strength to be faithful to Him by giving Him our most sincere respect, obedience, love and devotion, for He is none other than ‘our Father.’”

Ø The perception we have of God the Father is often clouded by the poor relationships we have/had with our earthly Fathers. Close your eyes while your leader – or, someone he designates – reads Psalm 103 to you (read notes below before doing this on your own). Consider your heavenly Father’s great love for you!

Before you close with this following exercise, it is important to note that Jesus is the only face of the Triune God we will ever see in eternity (at least, as far as I can tell). When we are confronted with images of God the Father (Ezekiel 1, Revelation 4), the picture is very, very murky and mysterious. Then, the Lamb (Jesus, of course) of Revelation 5 and Revelation 22:6-21 comes into view! .

Read from the New Living Translation if you have a copy. Close your eyes and picture yourself crawling up into the Lord’s lap and allowing the Father to put His arms around you. Then, read Psalm 103 slowly and deliberately (is that redundant?). When you finish reading, take time to thank God for His many mercies and blessings to you.

Trinity Series - Sermon #4

2009-02-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
God the Father

My father has dementia. That is a shame for so many reasons, but one of the reasons is because he always had such a quick mind. He was a funny man. No, let me rephrase that – he is a funny man. He still has his sense of humor. He also was a great singer. He especially loved singing with his granddaughter, who is my daughter, Autumn. One day at lunch, Autumn asked my dad of all the songs that he had sung through the years what his favorite song was. He said that his favorite song of all time was I Feed my Baby Onions So I Can Find Her in the Dark. When we quit laughing, Autumn asked him what his second favorite song was. He said, “When that’s your number one, you don’t need a number two.”

You know, I think God has a good sense of humor. I also tend to think that He likes music. While there is biblical support for both assertions, I guess the main reason I think about God that way is because that’s the way my father is. We tend to do that, you know – project the image of our earthly fathers onto God the Father. If our fathers were fun and free-spirited, that is most likely the way we see our heavenly Father. If our earthly fathers were overbearing and controlling, that’s how God is to us. If our fathers were absent, where is God when you need Him?

But, God is not like our human fathers. Now, if we are very blessed, our earthly fathers are godly, or – like God. Our heavenly Father, though, is the perfect Father. And this morning, we are blessed to think about the one we call the first Person of the Trinity – God the Father.

At the end of the message today, we will read from Matthew 6 and marvel at our perfect Father. We must look first, though, into the role that God the Father has in the Trinity and why it is we call Him the first Person of the Trinity. Our text, today, is Ephesians 1:3-14. There is much truth here that we will not pursue because our focus is on God the Father’s position in the Trinity and His work in relation to the Son and the Spirit, and His work in our lives. There will be no trouble spotting those truths in this text and in several more I will mention today. As we read, look for all three Persons of the Trinity. Would you please stand as we read from God’s Word, Ephesians 1:3-14? (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love
5 He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will,
6 to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,
8 which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.

I cannot emphasize enough just how important this week’s Home Fellowship study is. There is so much – and much in the way of application of this truth about God the Father – that we will not possibly be able to cover this morning. If you are not attending a Home Fellowship, you can find the notes for this week’s lesson on my blog – next week. Everything there is a week behind. If you regularly attend a Home Fellowship and can’t be there this week or if you don’t attend but you want those notes while this message is fresh on your mind, e-mail me and I will send you a copy of the notes that will be published next week on the blog.

This morning we begin talking about the Persons of the Trinity. Though God is one, He is three Persons. Today we are going to focus on God the Father, the first Person of the Trinity.

Now, if God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are coequal and coeternal, why we would label them as first Person, second Person, and third Person? Is Jesus as much God as the Father? Is the Holy Spirit as much God as the other two? Yes. Then, why the order? Well, some shy away from doing so today, but it is not incorrect to identify them this way because, Scripture presents a very clear order within the Trinity. There is tremendous love and respect among the Persons of the Trinity – and we will cover that before this series is over – but each has His particular role to play and there is order, which includes authority and submission.

Did you pick up the clear references to all three Persons of the Trinity in our text? Did you also notice the priority given to the Father as the architect of our redemption? Next week we will talk about the preeminence of Christ – He is, after all, the centerpiece of history. He is so, though, because it is the Father’s good pleasure for Him to be in the spotlight. It is the Father, in our text, who is at the beginning of all that is good for us and in the end, He rightly receives glory.

Ephesians 1 is often used to make a point about election. It is, indeed, a good text for that purpose. But, may I encourage you to put aside those theological ruminations as we work our way through this text and instead, concentrate on the blessings of God’s calling on your life? If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, you are the apple of His eye. Focus on the blessing of election, adoption, and redemption, all part of the Father’s plan for you in Jesus.

It is the Father who is the author of these blessings to us. (vv 3-6) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as HE (the Father) chose us in Him (Jesus) before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” It was God the Father who planned that we should become His children, who blessed us in Christ, which means that He sent Jesus to die for us. It was the Father’s design that we become holy and blameless, something we have no hope of doing on our own.

We often speak of how much Jesus loved us by going to the cross for us. That is so very true! It is also true that God’s Word often tells of God the Father’s love in sending Jesus to die in order that we might have eternal life. It seems like there is a verse that starts off, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. . .” Have you ever heard that one? :)

Then, according to the purpose of His will, God the Father adopted us as His children through Jesus Christ. Praise His name! Praise His glorious grace! He has blessed us greatly in the Beloved – in Jesus! What a loving Father!
God the Father’s plan provides for our redemption through the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice. (vv 7-10) What is the significance of this statement? If you were not here last week, you should get the disc from last week or listen online to Law Professor Jim McLaughlin’s clear explanation of why it was necessary for Jesus to die and absorb the Father’s righteous wrath, even though Jesus is every bit as much God as the Father is. Jesus often said that He had come at the direction and pleasure of His Father, and He did only that which His Father directed Him, through the Spirit, to do. It was the Father’s plan to lavish His grace upon us and to reveal the secret plan of salvation that is now known to us, but is a mystery, nonetheless.

A lot of people spend their lives hoping that they will get lucky with the lottery or in Vegas or that a previously unknown relative will die and leave them a large sum of money. The inheritance we have in Jesus (vv 11-12) is astounding beyond imagination, but when we understand the power and majesty and wisdom of God the Father, especially with regard to His plan of salvation through Jesus, it really should not be that much of a surprise. We can do little more than marvel at the Father’s goodness to us – bringing us into His family, cleaning us up and making us worthy to be in His presence, a promise that we have for all eternity!

And it is no empty promise. (vv 13-14) If it was not enough that the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins, He also sent the Holy Spirit to guarantee that He is not a whimsical God who will change His mind about our place in His family. When we believe in Jesus, He seals us with the Holy Spirit – a seal, by the way, that cannot be broken. He gives the Holy Spirit as a non-refundable down payment, or deposit, of our salvation and inheritance. No wonder we praise Him so!

God the Father is the chief architect and instigator of our salvation. He sent the Son and the Holy Spirit as agents of His plan. He exercises authority over them, even though they are 100% God, just as the Father is. And, there is not a hint of jealousy or rebellion from Jesus and the Holy Spirit, only loving submission to the Father’s plan. This truth is proclaimed over and over and over in the New Testament. If you will look for it, you will see it everywhere.

If you attend a Home Fellowship, a few weeks ago you spent time in John 14-16 where Jesus’ last instructions to His disciples before His crucifixion were given. Chapter 17 records Jesus’ prayer to the Father in which we discover even more about the Father’s relationship with Jesus and with us, His children. Jesus’ lesson for His disciples that night was about the Trinity. I want to take a few minutes and talk about the Father’s role with regard to Jesus and with regard to us. I will give you a list for each with references – you may want to write these down and take a look at them later – we will not take time to read these verses, but I wish you would write them down and investigate them on your own. If you will, I am confident that your understanding of the Trinity will grow. All of the verses are from the Gospel of John.

First, with regard to Jesus, the Father:

Ø hands all things over to the Son (13:3; 17:2)
Ø has sent Jesus (13:20; 15:21; 16:5, 28, 30)
Ø glorifies Jesus (13:31, 32, 17:1, 5, 22)
Ø reveals Himself through the Son (14:6-11; 17:6, 11)
Ø is in Jesus (14:10-11, 20)
Ø instructs Him what to say and do (14:24, 31; 15:10, 15)
Ø grants His requests (14:16)
Ø is greater than Jesus (14:28)
Ø loves Jesus (15:9; 17:23, 26)
Ø gives people to Him (17:6, 9)
Ø is one with Jesus (17:10, 11, 21-22)

In order to give those who are writing time to get this list on paper, I want to read one of the passages referred to in this list – John 14:6-11: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.’ Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does His works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

Did you catch that Jesus said, “I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does His works?” Jesus recognized the Father’s authority and submitted to it. But, God the Father works in our lives, also. Let’s consider how He works with regard to believers. Once again, all of these verses come from John’s Gospel and were spoken by Jesus to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion and these are all promises about the Father’s relationship with His children.

Ø there is adequate space for them in His house (14:2)
Ø He will send the Holy Spirit to them (14:16, 26; 15:26)
Ø He will love His children (14:21, 23; 16:27)
Ø He will come and stay with them (14:23)
Ø He will care for them in order that they may bear more fruit (15:2)
Ø He will grant their requests (15:16; 16:23)
Ø He will protect them from the evil one (17:15)
Ø He will enable them to be one (17:21-22)

We are getting just a glimpse of God the Father this morning. There is a little more to come, but the real application will come at the Home Fellowships this week. If you cannot get there, then let me encourage you next week – not this coming week, but next week – take a look at my blog, which you can access through our church’s website.

Before we finish with one closing thought, I wanted to read a passage from Matthew’s Gospel in which Jesus tells us of our heavenly Father’s tender care for us. We will look at Matthew 6:24-34 in the New Living Translation as Jesus speaks at the Sermon on the Mount:

25 So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing?
26 Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than they are.
27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.
28 And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,
29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
30 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t He more surely care for you? You have so little faith!
31 So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing.
32 Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs,
33 and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

We were not naturally the children of this loving and caring heavenly Father. When we trusted Jesus as our Savior, we were brought into His family. We were adopted as His sons and daughters. Adopted!

Years ago, a young mother sent a note to a national magazine telling about a visit with her parents. Here is what she said: “I stayed with my parents for several days after the birth of our first child. One afternoon, I remarked to my mother that it was surprising our baby had dark hair, since both my husband and I are fair. She said, ‘Well, your daddy has black hair.’ ‘But Mama, that doesn’t matter because I’m adopted.’ With an embarrassed smile, she said the most wonderful words I’ve ever heard: ‘I always forget.’”

Let’s pray.

It's A Girl!

2009-02-17T04:29:00.000-08:00

Autumn and Brian will be bringing home a girl in July, Lord willing! There was a slight concern about problems with the baby last week, but those concerns are past - everything looks good and it is a girl for sure! Autumn is beginning to feel the baby move, and a quite active baby she is. That, of course, is right in line with her mother. Autumn was extremely active in the womb. We are all excited for the Staffords.

On another note, my three and a half year old grandson, Judge Price, went to his first day of pre-school yesterday - and took swimming lessons! A spot opened up in the class and Liz and Ben decided to let Judge give it a shot. He loved his first day! I was able to see Laurel, Judge, and Willow last week. What a great time! I learned, when Laurel first arrived a little over six years ago, how true the saying is that I used to hear from Jimmy Johnson, a minister in these parts - "The Bible calls God a Father, not a Grandfather. If He were a Grandfather, He would be too good!" Oh, the joys . . .

Speaking of seeing my grandchildren last week, of course I saw their parents (Ben and Liz) and I also spent time with Michael and Laura. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have the children and in-laws (really, it feels like six children) with which God has blessed me. While I was in the mountains, Michael's condition was confirmed as Crohn's, which we knew anyway, but he was also told that it had not spread. Thank You, Lord! He is feeling better and has a first rate caregiver, also (Laura is awesome in the way she helps him!).

I had better stop. I guess most people who muse in the blogging world don't talk about grandchildren - thank you for indulging me!

You Don't Want to Miss This!

2009-02-14T05:24:00.001-08:00

My good friends, James and Jenny Tarpley, are launching new websites today. James and Jenny are extremely gifted photographers - you will likely recall (if you visit this site often) that the Tarpleys captured the joy of Michael (my son) and Laura's wedding. One of their first weddings was Brian and Autumn's (my daughter) several years ago. Watching them in action was quite a treat! It is no surprise that they are able to get the shots that reveal the tender, yet intense, emotions of a most special day. There is no way to count the number of people who told me how much they enjoyed viewing Michael and Laura's pictures online. If you are interested in more, check out the new sites at http://www.visiophotography.com/#

Trinity Series - small group study #4

2009-02-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Our Triune God, Week of February 1, 2009

Ø God is transcendent – He is far above His creation and He is independent of it. We sense this to be true. The very Word that God gave to us to reveal Himself to us confirms our suspicion that He is far above us. In addition to our text from Sunday, Acts 17:22-34, can you think of other passages that state this truth?

Isaiah 55:8-9; Job 38:1-4;42:1-6; Read all of Psalm 50

Ø God is immanent – He remains in His creation, and, indeed, interacts with it. God specifically revealed Himself to us through His Word, but it is through His Son that God has come to us. Identify where in Scripture we are told about God’s immanence and discuss what it means to us.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6; Hebrews 1:1, 2; John 1:14-18; God’s transcendence and immanence are both seen in Ephesians 4:6.

Ø The Trinity helps us understand both God’s transcendence and His immanence – God is the eternal Creator (Psalm 102:25-27), yet He entered His creation to bring peace to us and establish God’s kingdom on earth (Isaiah 9:6). His kingdom rules only in our hearts and in the church for now. How, as a church, can we give testimony to our relationship and, thus, the existence of, the Triune God?

Ø God is immutable – He does not change: Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8. How does this truth bring comfort to you?

Reflections on Living Alone

2009-02-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday would have been Linda’s 54th birthday. It was about this time last year that she took a noticeable turn for the worse, spending less than three more weeks with us. She graduated to heaven on March 3, 2008. I have been thinking much more, of late, about her joy in heaven than I have my sorrow here on earth without her. Maybe that is partially due to the fact that the holidays – from Thanksgiving until after New Years – were so difficult that I am intentionally keeping those sad thoughts at bay.

Either way, I miss her terribly and I thought it was a good time to reflect on living alone. So, here goes:

1. I am not really alone

If one is a Christian, that is not the desperate cry of faith; it is the reality of God’s presence patiently sustaining those of us who are left behind. That doesn’t mean it is easy. Au contraire, it is painful beyond explanation. But, we have known for a long that this life is difficult, and it is not nearly as tough for us as it is for people who are trying to find only enough food to stay alive today, or who are watching, from a hiding place, their loved ones being hacked to death because they were born into the wrong tribe.

But, we always lived life within our own context, and that is to be expected. That is why I redirect the conversation when someone says to me, “Well, this situation is hard for me, but it is nothing like you are going through.” True enough, but you can’t know what I am going through until you experience it (and, I pray that you will not experience it until you are 97 years old!), so whatever you are facing right now is tough enough for you at the moment – and, I care.

Back to the main point, though – we are not alone, no matter what it feels like. But, I am in the place where I have opportunity to experientially embrace the reality of God’s presence like I never have been in my life. Not that I am doing it. I am, in fact, taking a bit of time away from church this week to seek the Lord.

2. Looking up is more natural from the bottom

Why is it that we have to come to the end of ourselves before we will really learn to trust God? Is it because we are self-absorbed and self-preservationists in every area of our lives – materially, emotionally, even spiritually as we seek to justify our paltry faith that passes for a “walk with the Lord?” Yes. Oh, to learn the lesson in an easier fashion! Our failure to look up expectantly is only an indication that we have not reached bottom – and, do we really want to take that plunge? Better to look to the Lord NOW!

3. It is almost as expensive to live alone as it is with another

Really!

4. It is hard to cook for one

That’s what Linda used to always tell me. I would ask, incredulously, “WHY? You need to eat, and better to eat well than to scrounge!” I would not ask that question, now.

5. I am a better dancer

Well, a less inhibited one, anyway!

6. Life is about priorities

You know that anyway, but it absolutely comes into focus when you live alone. The tendency, especially when you live alone and you are grieving, is to fill your life with noise. Another way of saying that is that it is extremely easy to waste time. I am very busy, thank goodness, but when I have free time, the temptation is great to avoid the important so that I can “check out” emotionally. There are a lot of good TV shows on these days – I could not have told you anything of note about more than one or two shows that were playing for the last 35 years, but I find myself attracted to the trivial these days. I don’t know if this is a grief thing, or a living alone thing. Doesn’t matter – life is about priorities for all of us.

7. The value of friends

God has always blessed me with good friends. In every stage of life, He has provided those who want to make my life better. My friends are especially important, now. As the great theologian John Mayer said, “You know it’s nothing new, bad news never had good timing. Then, the circle of your friends will defend the silver lining.” How true! Thank you for your love, care, and friendship.

Trinity Series - Sermon #3

2009-02-10T15:37:00.000-08:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Our Triune God

As most of you know, I spent 20 years at TVR Christian Camp in the NC Mountains. One of the great burdens of the job was the requirement to go snow skiing anywhere from 10 to 15 times a year at Beech Mountain or Sugar Mountain. Tough job, but somebody had to do it.

The winters were a good bit colder than they are here with typical winters seeing a lot more snow than we do here. Since the camp was located at about 3,000 feet above sea level and we would go up to 5,400 feet above sea level to ski at Beech Mountain, we found ourselves in the clouds a good bit. Here, we would just call it fog.

There is a climb of some 1,200 – 1,300 feet from Banner Elk to the top of Beech Mountain. It is more than that, but as far as the road is concerned, it is about 1,200 feet or so. You have to climb that distance in about 3 miles, so you can imagine how steep and how curvy the road is. Sometimes when we would take a group skiing on Beech Mountain, we would drive into the clouds. There is no way to communicate to you how thick that fog can be unless you have been in it. I have been driving on Beech Mountain when you could literally not see more than 10 feet in front of you. The white line on the side of the road was the only thing you could see, so you can imagine how hairy such a trip would be with a 500 foot drop off the side of the road just a few feet away.

That doesn’t mean the fog was all bad, though. When the temperature was below freezing, the moisture from the clouds would freeze on the trees. When the clouds would lift, they would, as you would expect, do so from the bottom of the mountain and go up. If you happened to be on top of Beech Mountain on a cold winter’s day when the fog lifted, you were in for a sight that is rarely seen this side of heaven. We called the moisture that froze on the trees ice fog, though most people call it hoar frost. On a brilliant sunny day with ice fog everywhere you could see and views for miles and miles in several directions from the top of Beech Mountain – what a treat!

We are in the beginning weeks of our series on the Trinity here at Grace Community Church. Some of you feel like you are in a fog. A thick fog. You may even feel like you are just a few feet away from taking a big plunge. Hang in there – the view will be worth it. Here’s the good news about what you are learning – or, not learning right now. The fog clears behind you. As you go up this mountain, you may be in a fog, but it is clearing behind you. What seemed rather abstruse last week is suddenly making sense to you this week. You are not exactly sure how it happened, but your understanding is growing. Just wait for the view at the top!

The first few weeks we have talked about why it is important to study the Trinity, and why it is so crucial that we have a precise understanding of this doctrine and not just a general sense about what it means that God is three in one. For the month of February, we are going to talk about our Triune God. Today we will learn – or, as the case may be – review the truth about this awesome God we worship and serve, this God who is one. For the next three weeks, we will consider the three persons of the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Today’s text is Acts 17:22-34. Some of you know the context of this passage. The Apostle Paul was in Athens when he came to stand before the Areopagus on Mars Hill where philosophers debated religion and philosophy all day. They were particularly pleased when a new idea came to the Hill. Some of the men realized that Paul had a new religion and thought it would be good to hear from him. In a very few words – at least all that we have of Paul’s presentation is confined to a very few words – Paul said a great deal about God that is absolutely verified throughout Scripture. We will read this passage, and then I want to talk about our great Triune God before we meet Him at the Lord’s Table where, according to 1 Corinthians 10, we will participate in the body and blood of Jesus. Would you please stand as we read Acts 17:22-34? (ESV)

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of
Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
26 And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
27 that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us,
28 for ‘In Him we live and move and have our being;’ as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed His offspring.’
29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent,
31 because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He as appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.”
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”
33 So Paul went out from their midst.
34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

What do you think God is like – is He far away, or is He near? Is He someone we can know, or is He ultimately unknowable? Another question – Is God righteous and just, or is He gracious and merciful? Is He so righteous and perfect that sin cannot be allowed into His presence, or is He willing to forgive sin and welcome sinners to Himself? You know the answer to these questions, don’t you? The answer is YES! He is all of the above.

How is it possible to be all of the above? The answer is found in the Trinity. If God existed in some other form, that would be OK, of course – He is God, after all, and we are not. But He does exist as one God, yet three persons, which, according to Romans 3:26, allows Him to be both just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus. We saw last week how very important it is for us to be as precise in our definition of the Trinity as our finite minds will enable us to be. We will be defining this great mystery – three in one – for several more weeks as this series continues. This morning we are going to simply look in awe at a God who is much bigger than we have known or, frankly, can ever know. Our appreciation will grow, however, as we consider the far reaches of His holiness and His goodness. We will also see, in these coming weeks, how the doctrine of the Trinity is revealed to us for our comfort and the deepening of our relationship with the Triune God.

When we speak of God’s greatness, we refer to His transcendence, which means that God is far above His creation and He is independent of His creation. For the first 1800 years of the church, God’s transcendence was emphasized. That’s why hymns that emphasized God’s greatness like “A Mighty Fortress is our God” were so prominent.

When one first considers the greatness of God, the temptation is to think that He can never be known or even approached. (vv 24-26) At Mars Hill, Paul told his listeners that God cannot be confined to places that man has built, like man-made temples. Indeed, God made the very people who made the temples! God doesn’t need anything from us, nor does He need anything in the entire universe in order to be fulfilled. He is self-sufficient and self-sustaining. He cannot be contained in buildings made by human hands. We ought to take this a step further and admit that God cannot be comprehended in a finite human mind. How can that which is created understand its creator unless the creator reveals himself? Can you imagine how foolish we look to God when our thoughts and comments about Him begin with something like, “Well, I just think God is such and such a way?”

It is not surprising that we would think like that because there is always a temptation to create God in our own image! But, He cannot be contained in our finite minds – He is infinitely beyond our capacity to understand – unless He reveals Himself to us, and fortunately for us, in addition to the reality that God is a transcendent God, He is also immanent – He is near to us, revealing Himself to us.

When we speak of God’s nearness, we refer to His immanence. To say that God is immanent is to acknowledge that He exists, and, in fact, remains in His creation and interacts with those He created. While God’s transcendence has been emphasized for the greater part of church history, His immanence has been featured in the church for the last 200 plus years. That is why we sing so many praise songs as if we are intimately acquainted with God, like the song David sang for our special – “Praise the Father, praise the Son, praise the Spirit three in one.” Even though Chris Tomlin was acknowledging God’s greatness in His worship, there is an intimate feel to this song and to many of his songs.

And, well there should be. After Paul spoke of God’s transcendence, of His greatness, he quickly moved to say that God is near to us. (vv 27-29) He also acknowledged that there is a void in our hearts that we seek to fill. That is understandable – we are creatures and we seek to know and understand our Creator. Fortunately, God is not far from us! He makes it possible for us to know Him. Remember last week in John 8 when Jesus told the Pharisees that He spoke of what He had seen with His Father? Jesus revealed God very directly to us.

God is awesome and far above us – and, yet, He is near. Since we have the tendency to make God into our own image, you can see how easy it would be to get God’s transcendence and His immanence out of balance, can’t you? Those who focus more on God’s transcendence could end up believing that God is far too great to be concerned with the daily affairs of this world. One could conclude that God set the earth in motion and left us to our own petty devices.

At the other extreme, those who focus excessively on God’s immanence can see God in everything – including the chairs upon which you sit. Pantheists fail to distinguish between the Creator and the creation. To say that God is everywhere does not mean that He is a part of everything that He has created. We must worship the Creator – not His creation. Take care of His creation? Of course! Worship it? Absolutely not! We are responsible to be good stewards, but never fail to make the distinction between God and His creation.

So, is God transcendent or immanent? Yes. I suppose the question that we desperately need an answer to is whether God is so holy that He cannot look upon sin, or does He forgive and welcome sinners. Once again, Paul tells us that He is both. Let’s look one more time at Acts 17:29-31, then Jim McLaughlin will come to lead us in communion and to help us make sense of this paradox. Acts 17:29-31:

29Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the
divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by
the art and imagination of man.
30The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He
commands all people everywhere to repent,
31because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in
righteousness by a Man whom He as appointed; and of this He
has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.

For the conclusion of this sermon delivered by Law Professor Jim McLaughlin, go to our church website and access the sermon for February 1.

Trinity Series - small group study #3

2009-02-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Getting the Trinity Right – What’s the Big Deal
Week of January 25, 2009

Ø Modalism was an early heresy (2nd century) that stated that God is not three persons, but rather one person who manifests Himself in three different modes, or, ways – as Father, Son, and Spirit – but, He is only one of the three manifestations at a time. This heresy was quickly rejected, though there are modalists in Christendom today. Why would Scripture not support such a claim?

John 17 – Jesus praying to His Father
Matthew 3 – Jesus’ baptism, all three persons of the Trinity are present
Hebrews 10:12 – Jesus is at the right hand of the Father ( and v 15 – the Holy Spirit is bearing witness to us of the truth of the gospel)
Contemporary modalists – United Pentecostal Church; United Apostolic Church; modern singers: Phillips, Craig, and Dean.

Ø A far more destructive heresy was Arianism, named after the North African priest, Arius, who introduced the dangerous idea that Jesus had a similar nature as that of the Father, but not the identical nature – Jesus was necessarily different from the Father since God is one. Orthodox belief states that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are coequal and coeternal with, and have the exact same nature as, God the Father, though there are three distinct persons within the Godhead. Discuss the truth found in the following passages: John 10:22-33; Colossians 1:15-20; 2:8-15 ( we will see these passages again soon)

John 10 – emphasize the fact that the Pharisees understood fully that Jesus claimed to be God, the same as in the John 8 passage, which we will also look at tonight.

Colossians 1 – image of the invisible God: the representation of God to us in bodily form; firstborn – not as in the Arian heresy, but one with all the rights of the firstborn son in a monarchy who would rule (see the next passage for confirmation of this truth); Jesus was the agent of creation; He was not a “creature”

Colossians 2 – once again, the visible expression of God who rules and will rule with absolute authority in God’s kingdom

Note: it is important to be familiar with this heresy, since Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses believe a form of it today

Ø One proof of Jesus’ deity is the way that He received worship from people. Compare the way the angel of Revelation 19:10 reacted to the Apostle John’s attempt to worship him with the way Jesus received worship in Matthew 16:13-17 and John 20:24-29

After reading the John passage, you may want to stop and spend a few minutes worshiping Jesus!

Ø Read John 8:31-59. Look for verses that Arius (who believed that Jesus was not God) might have used to prove that Jesus was created rather than equal with God. What does Jesus say that absolutely refutes such a belief?

Arius would have said that all the references to God as Father would indicate that Jesus was created – there was a time when God was not a Father, because the Son was not the Son until He was born. We will deal with this heretical idea next week.

Jesus stated that the Father would glorify Him. God would never do such a thing for a creature. John 8:58 – compared with Exodus 3:14, of course. In Exodus 3, God called Moses to go back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites. Moses was reluctant, giving many excuses for his reluctance to go. He protested that the leaders would not listen to him. He asked God, “Who am I going to say sent me?” God’s response: “I am.” In other words, 1) I am self-existent – I depend upon no one for My existence; 2) I am the creator and sustainer of all that exists; 3) I will not change (see also Hebrews 13:8); 4) I am eternal” Jesus was saying all of those things about Himself in John 8:58

Response

2009-02-05T13:24:00.001-08:00

In brief response to my friend who takes such issue to the doctrine of the Trinity, I will say that although he clearly read the message, he obviously disagrees with the notion that extra-biblical language must be used to define our beliefs because we look at the same verses and draw different conclusions. My response to Rev. Phillips - well, lies in what has already been said and what will continue to be said in the next two months. And, that's all. I will be glad to engage honest questions, but to engage one that speaks of the Triune God and follows with "blah, blah, blah" is not productive in the least. Since I am not convinced that modalism is a make or break belief, I will not respond as to a false gospel - though, I must say it seems close, to me.

Trinity Series - Sermon #2

2009-02-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God: Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Getting the Trinity Right: What’s the Big Deal?, Week of January 25

May I ask you a personal question? Don’t worry, I am not going to ask for a show of hands! Here is the question – how do you handle conflict? Which of the following would best describe you?

A. I hate conflict and will do almost anything to avoid it
B. I don’t like conflict, but I will face it when it is necessary
C. I welcome a good challenge and if that includes conflict, so be it
D. I am looking for a fight – meet me out back after church!

I guess I fit in Category B. I really don’t like conflict, but sometimes it just can’t be avoided. If you find yourself in Category A, being a Christian is not going to be easy for you. Jesus certainly never promised an easy life! Matthew 10:34-39: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Are you looking for your purpose in life? If you are a Christ-follower, whatever He calls you to do, lose your life in Him! It will not be easy, though. In John 15:16-17, Jesus said to His disciples, and by extension, to us: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” Then, in John 16:33: “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

The life of a Christian is, in many ways, a life of conflict. The world does not understand us. The message of Jesus is particularly repugnant to the world today. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” to which many today would respond, “How dare he say that! How dare he say that he is the only way to heaven!” But, that is the truth we believe and it is the message we proclaim – and there is conflict with the world because of the message.

But, conflict also arises among those who seek to understand the truth that we find in God’s word. There is a fair amount of disagreement about the doctrine of the Trinity among those who claim to have a relationship with Jesus. Is it really that big of a deal to get it right? Do we have to be that precise about whether or not Jesus has always existed, or was He created, though created far more special than us? Let’s put it this way – if Jesus is going to say that our only hope of heaven is through Him, and He makes clear that it is our belief in Him that matters, well, I would think we better understand what God says in His word about Jesus.

Throughout this series, we will be talking about orthodox doctrine, or orthodox theology. In fact, there will be times when you hear something along the lines of, “this (teaching) is orthodox.” The Orthodox Church – as in Eastern Orthodox or Greek Orthodox Church – is not what is meant when the term “orthodox” is used. What is meant is the right and accepted teaching of the true, universal church. This teaching, or doctrine, has been hammered out throughout the history of the church, but most of the important issues were settled in the first five centuries, particularly in the fourth century, with regard to the Trinity. The church has lost its way from time to time and has been in need of reformation, but much of the battle for truth was fought and won early.

So, why concern ourselves with the fight for truth today if it was established back then? Because, even though the true universal church has settled on truth, teachers who are in error about who Jesus was continue to find an audience in our day. Many of their heresies are repeats of early theological mistakes, so it is helpful to gain a bit of an understanding about the issues that were so hotly debated in years gone by.

Before we read our text today, you need to know that the biggest theological battles over the Trinity were engaged over the person of Jesus Christ. Once the church accepted Jesus’ divinity and eternal existence as a person of the Trinity, it was not much of a battle to accept the Holy Spirit as God, at least among those who were orthodox. That doesn’t mean that there have not been significant disagreements in the church about the Holy Spirit, some of which we will investigate in this series, but our focus this morning is on Jesus’ deity, or His claim that He was God.

Today’s text is one of the classic texts in which Jesus declared not only divinity, but an eternal existence. In John 8, Jesus’ teachings were challenged by the Pharisees. They questioned Jesus’ credentials to teach and Jesus told them, in language that they understood, that He was God. Jesus used the same name for Himself that Exodus 3:14 tells us God had used in identifying Himself to Moses – “I Am.” It is interesting that so many people have wondered whether or not Jesus claimed to be God through the years. The Pharisees knew exactly what He was saying, as their response will show. We are going to read John 8:31-59 – a lengthy passage but an important one because of Jesus’ comments about the importance of truth, and because of His claim to be God. Please know that while Jesus was initially talking to those who had believed in Him, unbelievers quickly spoke up and challenged Him. Please stand with me as we read John 8:31-59.

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, ‘You will become free?’”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham, yet you seek to kill Me because My word finds no place in you.
38 I speak of what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
39 They answered Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,
40 but now you seek to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.
41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father – even God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love Me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of My own accord, but He sent Me.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear My word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I tell you the truth, why do you not believe Me?
47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
48 The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right in saying that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
50 Yet I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks it, and He is the judge.
51 Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”
52 The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death.’
53 Are You greater than our father, Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
55 But you have not known Him. I know Him. If I were to say that I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know Him and I keep His word.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad.”
57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
59 So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

There were quite a few important words being exchanged in the
debate that we just read. It is easy for us to simply write the Pharisees off as being spiritually proud and blind. You would be right is saying so, but we must at least acknowledge that their objection to Jesus’ claims of divinity were rooted in their understanding – or, misunderstanding, as the case turned out to be – of the God of the OT. God said unequivocally, that He is one God in Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one.” So, when Jesus claimed to come from God, they shot back quickly, in essence, that they worshiped one God, not two.

We all understand, from the OT, that God is one. Did our understanding change when Jesus came and claimed to be God? No. The NT makes it clear that we worship one God, not three. Romans 3:29-30 is only one NT text that clearly states that God is one: “Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of the Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles, also, since God is one – who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”

How does that jibe with Jesus’ claim that He is absolutely God? That was the question that the early church felt compelled to answer. They were forced to do so by using extra-biblical language – like, “Trinity.” Why was it necessary to explain God using language that was not in Scripture? It would seem easy enough to say, “All they needed to do was to go to Scripture and quote verses, like John 8:58 where Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” The response to such a contention is to recognize that people can use Scripture erroneously. Isn’t that what the Jews did when they told Jesus, in so many words, “You can’t be God – we serve only one God, and no one has seen Him?”

So, what was the church to do with Jesus’ clear statements that the Father and Son were one? The debates were quite intense, and quite interesting. They were also incredibly technical. I am going to give you just about the simplest version possible, and even then you must understand that though very precise language was used, people on different sides of the issues used the same terms but meant something entirely different from their opponents. Orthodox teaching about the Trinity is only clear to us, though, because of the tedious work of theologians of the first five centuries.

Speaking of theologians, if you are a Christ-follower, then you are a theologian! Contemporary theologians, from Bart to Sproul to J. I. Packer sound the cry for all believers to become theologians and study Scripture in order to better know the God of the Bible. Are you going to study the Trinity at the level that some of us are doing, now? Of course not! That is why the Lord gave teachers to the church. Every Christian, though, has a responsibility to study, to learn, and to be as accurate as possible when determining what he or she believes about what the Bible teaches. It is one of the answers to the question of today’s message, “What’s the Big Deal about Getting the Trinity Right?”

Theologians in the first three centuries, like Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen all made strides at a Trinitarian belief, but they were not terribly precise and when viewed in light of later understanding, may seem a bit suspect. One reason for their lack of precision was that they were not forced to be. Our precise understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity today came in response to false ideas that arose as people began to think about the implications of one God, three persons. By the way, Irenaeus’ big contribution to the church was to fight Gnosticism, which was as much or more philosophy than theology and was a far greater threat to the church than the heresies we will discuss in this series. Some go so far as to suggest that Gnosticism was a threat to Western civilization because of its popularity and its absolute disdain of procreation. But, that’s another study.

One of the earliest heresies about the Trinity that developed in the third century was a belief known as modalism, which is the belief that God is not three persons, but rather one person who manifests Himself in three different modes, or, ways – as Father, Son, and Spirit – but, He is only one of the three manifestations at a time. Basically, He was Father in the OT, Jesus in the Gospels, and the Holy Spirit after Pentecost. This was an attempt to deal with both realities that God is one and God is three.

Now, modalism is not always an eternal-damnation heresy, though it can be. It was not a big deal, though, as the early church quickly rejected this belief. How could Jesus pray to His Father in the garden? How could all three persons of the Trinity be represented at Jesus’ baptism with the Father speaking and the Spirit descending like a dove? Modalism proved to be untenable, so it was permanently put to rest, right? Nope. Modalists are on the scene today. United Pentecostal Churches and United Apostolic Churches are modalists, and so are some singers that some of you know – Phillips, Craig, and Dean.

A far more problematic belief in the early years was introduced by an Alexandrian priest named Arius, though he ended up not being a terribly big player in the debate that some of his ideas generated. Arius stated that the three persons of the Trinity were distinct from one another – more about that in just a moment. Arius’ ideas garnered a significant following, so much so that the Council of Nicea, in modern day Turkey, was called for by the Emperor Constantine to deal with the controversy.

Have you ever heard people say that when Christianity was made the state religion by decree of Constantine, the church was corrupted? That is true. It is also true that the recognition of Christianity allowed the kind of theological work that was done at the councils of the fourth century. All Christ-followers are the beneficiaries of the work that was done then.

Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, was the primary opponent of Arianism. He was a young man at Nicea and would lead the battle against Arianism throughout a good bit of the fourth century. The heresy remained surprisingly strong for years after Arius died. Again, Arius was not the primary spokesman for his ideas – indeed, he was dead before the debate grew white-hot in the middle of the fourth century.

It would not be accurate to say that Arius challenged orthodox doctrine and Athanasius defended it. There was no orthodox doctrine at the beginning of the fourth century. It would be more accurate to say that Athanasius helped to formulate orthodox doctrine. The popularity of Arius’ beliefs about Jesus made a statement of orthodox doctrine a necessity.

Arius believed that God was one, and thus, the idea of a Trinity was problematic. We have seen this problem before. Arius’ problem was that he made Scripture accommodate his beliefs rather than the other way around. He reasoned that if God is one, then Jesus had to be created. His famous statement, “There was a time when He (Jesus) was not,” sums up his thoughts about Jesus. And, herein lies the problem with using specific verses to be precise about doctrine. When we say that Jesus was begotten by the Father, we mean that Jesus was sent by the Father. When Arians say it, they mean that Jesus was created by the Father. It is no problem for them to say that Jesus came from the Father – but, what do they mean? Not what we mean when we say that.

If Jesus was created by the Father, said Arius, it only stands to reason that he was distinct in nature from the Father. In fact, Arius claimed, if it is necessary to use a different name to describe different persons, then they must be different entities. Since Arius believed that Jesus was created, he did not believe that Jesus was capable of remaining perfect apart from God’s determination and power.

You can see why these beliefs had to be dealt with and why it was necessary to call these beliefs heresy. The orthodox position that was established declared that the Trinity is three persons of the same substance, or essence. Arians believed that the Trinity consisted of three persons with similar substance. This debate was far, far more technical than I am making it sound. Much clarification was needed after Nicea. It was not until 381 at the Council of Constantinople that many of the finer points were clarified.

So, why is this important enough for us to take a Sunday morning to discuss when we could be looking directly at Scripture? For starters, it is important to know that the work done in the early church laid a foundation for us that makes it possible for us to drink deeply from the riches of God’s word without having to deal with fundamental truths about Scripture. More importantly, as we will discuss in coming weeks, groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons that embrace beliefs that are Arian in nature are having quite a negative impact on our family members, neighbors, and co-workers and many of us have no idea how to battle false beliefs.

We have to stop – and, this is not a great place to stop. If we had time to read John 8 again, we would – but, you will do that this week in Home Fellowships. By the way, I will post both the sermons and HF lessons, with notes, on my blog, but it will be a week behind what we are doing here. You can get to my blog from our church website, and you can find the address for that in the bulletin.

All of God: Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity - small group study #2

2009-01-29T06:55:00.000-08:00

If you have not been following this series, please go to the post for January 22 where an explanation of the format is given. Happy studying!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Why Study the Trinity? Week of January 18, 2009

Ø One of the primary reasons we study the Trinity is because God chose to reveal Himself to us in this way. The fact that Jesus took so very much time to talk about the Trinity on the night He was betrayed is especially compelling. This was His last time to instruct His disciples and He told them about who He really was – God. God is one, and God is three. Take the time, as a group, to read chapters 14-16 in John’s Gospel. Read slowly enough to absorb the number of references to one of the three persons of the Godhead.

Ø It is vital that we know God. How can we know God? What Scripture supports your belief?

1. God reveals Himself through creation. Psalm 19:1-6; Acts 14:15-17; Romans 1:18-20
2. God reveals Himself in human nature, particularly through our conscience. Genesis 1:27; Acts 17:22-29 (esp. 28-29); Romans 2:12-16
3. God reveals Himself through His word. 1 Samuel 3:21; Psalm 19:7-11; 1 Corinthians 14:37; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 John 5:13 (Scripture gives us assurance – through belief – that we have eternal life)
4. God reveals Himself through Jesus. Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:1-18 (v. 9 – He gives light, or understanding, to us; v 14 – Jesus dwelt, or, literally “pitched His tent” among us); it is also our privilege to know Jesus much better than we presently do – Philippians 3:10 – by spending time with Him through His word, in meditation, and in prayer.
5. God reveals Himself through the work of the Holy Spirit. We saw this over and over in John 14-16; 1 Corinthians 2:11-16.

Ø If God has specifically revealed Himself to us through His word, through His Son, and by His Spirit, why do we say that He is incomprehensible?

These notes come directly from the ESV Study Bible.

God is infinite and His creatures are finite. By definition, creatures depend on their Creator for their very existence and are limited in all aspects. Yet God is without limitations in every quality He possesses. This Creator/creature, infinite/finite gap will always exist.

The perfect unity of God’s attributes is far beyond the realm of human experience. God’s love, wrath, grace, justice, holiness, patience, and jealousy are continually functioning in a perfectly integrated yet infinitely complex way.

The effects of sin on the minds of fallen humans also greatly inhibit the ability to know God. The tendency of fallen creatures is to distort, pervert, and confuse truth and to use, or rather abuse, it for selfish ends rather than for God’s glory.

God has chosen not to reveal some things to us. Deut. 29:29. As all good fathers, God’s wisdom leads Him to refrain from answering all questions His children ask Him, and this contributes to His incomprehensibility. In heaven, God’s incomprehensibility will no doubt be lessened, but He will always be infinite, and we will always be finite (even though we will live eternally, we did have a beginning, and, all of our knowledge and understanding are totally dependent upon God).

All of God: Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity - Sermon #1

2009-01-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

If you did not read the last post about the series on the Trinity that our church is conducting this spring, both on Sunday mornings and in our small groups, please go back one post and read the introduction - and, look at the questions for the first small group session before you read this sermon. God bless!

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Why Study the Trinity?

Did you recognize the words that David just sang? Maybe, if you have come here from a liturgical church – or, if you are a fan of Rich Mullins, Petra, or Third Day. He sang the words to The Apostles’ Creed. At the end of this message we will recite and then, sing, this creed. It is significant because at least a portion of it constitutes the earliest creed, or statement of belief, of the Christian Church. If you were listening carefully, you heard the earliest thoughts from the church about the Trinity – God in three persons.

What is the big deal about the Trinity, anyway? You might say, “I have grown up my whole life knowing that God is three in one. Explain it? Of course! You see, God is three, but He is one. You want more explanation? Well, you just gotta believe, that’s all!”

And, that’s about the best many of us can do! Hey, we have to acknowledge right up front that even though we know God in varying degrees, depending on where we are in the Christian life, nonetheless He is somewhat mysterious to all of us, and the doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery! I don’t know about you, but I tend to think of God as “one” or as “three.” He is much more, though – He is three-in-one. But just because God is mysterious and there is mystery surrounding the truth of the Trinity doesn’t mean that we cannot know anything about this most important doctrine!

I told you last week that there is a difference, in theological terms, between a secret and a mystery. A secret is something we absolutely cannot know if God doesn’t reveal it to us. Period. A mystery is something that was previously hidden from us but that God has now revealed to us. Even though we now have knowledge and awareness of a particular truth that was hidden before, there is more to the truth that God has shown us than we will ever be able to fully comprehend, and we will never be able to adequately explain this doctrine. A mystery, in theological terms, is not what we typically think of as a mystery today. When you hear the term mystery, you probably think of something that is unknown but is solvable if you can put all the pieces together – like a murder mystery. That is not a biblical mystery, though.

Perhaps a bit of Scripture will help. First, with regard to secrets. Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Secrets are something we cannot know. But a mystery, in the NT, is something that was prev – well, you’ll see.

In Romans 16:25-27, the Apostle Paul gives an informative benediction by writing, “Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages, but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith – to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”

You see it, don’t you? A mystery, in the NT, is something that we didn’t know about but now we do because God let us in on it. But, many of the truths in the New Testament that are called mysteries – such as, the gospel in Romans 16, the idea of Christ in you, in Colossians 1:27, and the mystery of faith in 1 Timothy 3:9 – while, indeed, are truths that are identified and explained to a significant degree, are still, nonetheless, beyond our human ability to fully understand and explain. For instance, try explaining Christ in you, the hope of glory.

You may feel like you are on a see-saw here, but I need to come right back and say that there is much about God that we can know. That we should know. That we will, after this series, know a lot better than we do now – at least that is the goal! BUT, as the see-saw teeters back, we must acknowledge that we will never fully comprehend God – which brings us back to the title of our series: All of God: Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity.

We will talk a lot more about how God is knowable, and yet incomprehensible, in the Home Fellowships this week. Throughout this two and a half month series, with a few breaks built in, we will be learning more and more about God while all the while realizing that there are some things that we can never know about Him in this life, and we cannot say with certainty how fully we will know Him in eternity.

I want to make one more introductory note before we read our text for this morning. When the name God is used in the title of the series, it is not referring to God the Father. It is referring to God the Father, God the Son, Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. When the Old Testament speaks of God, it is not referring to God the Father, but, rather, to Father, Son, and Spirit. God has always been triune, or, three in one. Remember, it was a secret in the OT, but the mystery has been revealed in the NT. And, we are going to explore that mystery! Let’s get to our text this morning, Romans 11:33-36.
This text is about the mystery of God, who is always triune, remember, and our text reminds us that with all we know about God, His awesomeness is beyond our comprehension, though our awareness of God’s awesomeness expands as we contemplate the truth we are given about who He is! Stand with me, if you would, as we read Romans 11:33-36:

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and How inscrutable His ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?”
36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

Why should we study the Trinity? There are several reasons, beginning with the plain and simple fact that:

1. God chose to reveal Himself this way to us

He chose to reveal Himself to us in this way because it is who He is – and, He did so for our benefit and comfort. His glory, absolutely! But, also for our benefit and comfort. Our knowledge increases as we learn about God’s true nature and our faith grows as we see the many ways God, in the persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, work together to secure our salvation, to shepherd us through this world, and to guard and guarantee our inheritance of eternal life.

When Jesus was at the very end of His time with the disciples on earth, the night before His arrest when you would think He would say only the most important things, Jesus repeatedly spoke about the Trinity. We will see just how much in our Home Fellowships this week.

The second reason we should study the Trinity is that:

2. It connects us with all our brothers and sisters since the church began at Pentecost

The study of God has dominated theological discussions ever since Jesus went back to heaven to be with the Father and the Holy Spirit came to us at Pentecost. Christianity is a historical religion – there is no way to divorce ourselves from the past. Whether we know it or not, whether we acknowledge it or not, our understanding of Scripture is greatly impacted by the theological work done by saints through all 20 centuries of the church’s existence. In fact, the study of the history of the church is, in many ways, the study of theological formulation. Today, we characterize God as “three in one,” and even though we cannot fully explain that, we do accept it. Not only has that not always been the case, it is not true among all people who claim to be Christians today. Interestingly enough, the heresies about Jesus today are essentially the same heresies that have been around for centuries, even though they may take a bit of a different form from one century to the next.

Next Sunday we will be talking about why it is important to get the doctrine of the Trinity right. We will take a look at some of the main controversies through the centuries and how we came to the conclusions about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit that we embrace today. I promise that it will not be simply a history lesson, and I will do my absolute best not to be boring! When we study the Trinity, we inevitably connect ourselves with all those who have gone before us – and, if they had not remained true to the triune God, we would not be here today.

Another reason we study the Trinity is that:

3. This doctrine distinguishes Christianity from all other religions and from “Christian” cults

We should understand this crucial difference because it has eternal implications. It is why that when someone asks, “Don’t we all worship the same God?” it would be appropriate for you to say, “Only if we all worship the triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” While some other religions acknowledge Jesus as an important teacher, and in some cases, such as Islam, as a prophet, no other religion recognizes Jesus as God. In fact, this is true of cults, as well. If you are wondering whether or not a particular group is a cult, here are three distinguishing marks of a cult:

1) They deny the deity of Jesus. Even if they say they believe that Jesus was God, they are playing with words. When you press them, they do not believe that Jesus was God. More about that next week.
2) They deny salvation by grace. Always, there is some effort on a person’s part that is required for salvation.
3) They have another source of revelation – the book of Mormon, the writings of the current leader, whatever. There is always some source of revelation that is thought to be directly from God that comes from outside the Bible.

It is my desire to spend one Sunday in this series – or, at least a portion of a Sunday – talking about how to witness to someone who denies the deity of Jesus, such as someone involved with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I can promise you, if you are going to convince someone in a cult that his or her beliefs are faulty, you are going to have to understand the Trinity. A good bit of their training is based around how to shake your confidence in the Trinity. It is our defining doctrine and we need to study it so that we can understand all of God. A fourth reason to study the Trinity is:

4. A proper understanding of the interaction between Father, Son, and Spirit and an understanding of their roles in our lives will lead to significant spiritual growth

It is interesting that when I have said to people inside and outside of our church that we will be studying the Trinity, at least a couple of people have said, “That’s great – I always wanted to know more about the Holy Spirit.” Interesting. Maybe that desire is there because unless you are charismatic, you don’t spend nearly as much time thinking about the Holy Spirit as you do thinking about God the Father and Jesus. All three persons of the Trinity are intimately connected with one another and are intimately involved in the lives of Christ-followers. The more we know about the roles the different persons of the Godhead have in our lives, the more potential for spiritual growth.

Speaking of roles, I suppose the most frequently asked question so far about the Trinity involves prayer. To whom do we pray? I am going to let you in on a secret, and in so doing, it will reveal how complex this topic is – I don’t have that answer, yet. I used to think I had it, but I am not as sure as I was. If you pressed me for an answer, I would say that it is clear that we pray to God the Father. No one questions that. Do we pray to Jesus? Well, there is evidence that the Apostle Paul communed with the Savior, but we are not commanded to pray to Jesus. We will get deeper into that topic in two or three weeks. How about the Holy Spirit? If there is command or example to pray to the Spirit, I do not currently know where it is. I can tell you, though, when you understand the Spirit’s role in prayer, your confidence in prayer will take off like a rocket! We are going to get there – just be patient.

The last reason I will give to study the Trinity is that:

5. It will increase our awareness of God’s awesomeness!

God is knowable. God is incomprehensible. Let me say that again: God is knowable; God is incomprehensible. If those seem like mutually exclusive ideas, trust me, they are not. The harmony of these two truths will be thoroughly explored at Home Fellowships this week. Are you getting the hint, yet, about how important the small groups are to what we are learning this semester? See KJ or me if you are not connected with one yet. Hey, why don’t you plan to go to Home Fellowships for just this semester while we are studying the Trinity? If you do not find it that helpful to your spiritual life, you don’t have to come back in the fall. I am not being sarcastic when I say that – I mean it. Just come for this spring, if you want to, while this church-wide study is being conducted. One of the reasons it is so important to be in those groups is that there will be much more opportunity for exploring Scripture in small groups than Sunday morning allows, especially with a topic like ours today.

God is awesome beyond our comprehension. Our text told us that, but we already knew it. The more we learn about the Trinity, the more amazed we will become at just who God is! But, it is not just an ontological or theological understanding we will gain – we will find Him all the more real and all the more awesome in our lives. I hope you are excited about this study. Please let me encourage you to hang in there, even if the waters seem to be a little deep for you at times. I pledge, as do the Home Fellowship leaders, to keep this as attainable as possible. But, if your knowledge and understanding of the Trinity is not challenged, we fail on this last point. Our goal is to find, at the end of this study, that God is far more awesome and wonderful and terrifying and gracious and mysterious than we ever knew Him to be.

As I have already stated, next week we will spend a little time learning how we came to the belief about God that we have today. You may have heard about the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople, both occurring in the 4th century – or, maybe you haven’t heard about those councils! Perhaps you have heard of the Nicene Creed or the Apostles’ Creed. I can tell you that almost all of the major councils and creeds in church history were a reaction to bad theology and involved the understanding of the triune God.

David sang the Apostle’s Creed as the special this morning. In just a moment, we are going to stand and quote this creed, and then David is going to lead us as we sing it. How many of you know the Apostles’ Creed by heart?

The Apostle’s Creed is the earliest known creed of the church. Well, actually the old Roman Creed is the oldest creed – and, it was eventually expanded and became known as the Apostle’s Creed. The version of the Apostle’s Creed that is recited today was not in its final form until the beginning of the 10th century. The Roman Creed, on the other hand, was established no later than the end of the second century. The earliest form is very abbreviated. The oldest document we have states this, and this only:

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord. And in the Holy Spirit, the holy Church, the resurrection of the flesh.”

Do you see anything significant in this creed? Just about the only thing it states is the truth of the three persons of the Godhead, though we could not derive the full doctrine of the Trinity from this brief creed. The same is true of the Apostle’s Creed, but it is significant, nonetheless, as a statement of belief of the early church. So, let’s affirm the Apostles’ Creed together. By the way, when this creed speaks of the “catholic” church, it means the universal church – it is not referring to the Roman Catholic Church, but rather to all true Christ-followers, those who have been saved by grace through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus’ death on the cross. So, having clarified that, let’s stand and quote this creed.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.
Amen.

All of God: Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity - small group study # 1

2009-01-22T12:39:00.000-08:00

OK, I have decided to publish the series our church is conducting about the Trinity. Our church (Grace Community Church) has recently begun a series titled: All of God: Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity We are studying this topic both during the Sunday morning services and during our small group studies that meet throughout the week. I will include all of the studies here - both Sunday morning messages (though, again, the recorded version is better - go to: http://www.graceccnc.org/) and the small group studies. For the small group studies, I will include some of the leader's notes to give you a better feel for what we are learning. This way, GCC family, if you miss the Home Fellowship, you can catch up here, though it will be a little behind the "real-time" schedule.

I have included the title of the series in the title of this post. In the future, I will simply put "The Trinity - Small Group Study #1" or, "The Trinity - Sermon # 2" in the title of the post. In case there are newcomers, I will include a short explanation in the first paragraph of the post (you can skip that part if you are a regular).

Most of the feedback I receive about this blog comes outside the comments posted at this site. I receive them in person, by phone, or via e-mail (which you may always choose if you want to communicate privately - see the January 14 post for information). If you want to interact about the Trinity, though, feel free to respond at this site and I will interact with the feedback in this forum.

Having said all of that, here are the first week's small group questions (for the week of January 11) with comments:

All of God:
Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity
Introduction, Week of January 11, 2009

Ø The Trinity. Three in one. Three persons, one substance (or, essence). Unexplainable, and yet, we try. Give your best shot at explaining this important Christian doctrine.

What do you know about the Trinity? It is quite a difficult doctrine, yet an absolutely essential doctrine of the Christian faith. Three persons, one essence – Hebrews 1:3 is a good place to go – Jesus was clearly separate from God the Father, yet according to this verse, He was the exact imprint of God’s nature – He had the exact same essence as God because He was God.

Ø Can you give some examples in Scripture that support the doctrine of the Trinity? Take time as a group to discuss some of the passages you find. (e.g., the baptism of Jesus – Matthew 3:13-17)

After you have thought about places in the NT that show us that God is three, yet one, consider these passages: Matthew 28:19 – the earliest formulation of the Trinity; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Acts 5:1-11 – in verse 3, Peter accused Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit, and in verse 4 Peter said that he had not lied to men, but to God; Mark 2:1-12 – you will get it; John 14:1-14

Ø The Old Testament is quite clear that there is one God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and the God who interacts with His people through His word. Does the New Testament make the claim that God is one? If so, how can this be reconciled with a belief that God is seen as Father, Son, and Spirit?

OT: Deuteronomy 6:4 (through v 9, but especially v 4); 1 Kings 8:59-60; Isaiah 45:5-6
NT: John 17:3; 1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 3:29-30; James 2:19 – we reconcile it, for now, by acknowledging that Scripture teaches “one” and “three in one,” and we can only accept this as a mystery. Our understanding will increase as we proceed through this study.

Ø Most of us tend to think of God as “one” or as “three” rather than “three in one.” Why do you think we have this tendency? What we do to adjust/improve the way we think about and worship God?

It is extremely difficult to get our minds around, isn’t it? It is much easier to think of one or the other, but we are called to believe in the Trinity.

Ø What questions do you have about the Trinity that you would like to have answered during this series?

It's 2009 - Get Over Yourself!

2009-01-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

Every year at Grace Community Church, I preach a New Year's sermon. Below, I am publishing the sermon I preached this past Sunday. It is based on the encouraging text of 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, where Paul writes of finding Christ's strength overcoming his own weaknesses. It is a good reminder that this year we need to allow Jesus to do the work in our lives, not the person we see in the mirror every morning! This text continues to significantly minister to me almost a week after I preached it! I do hope you will find it helpful (though, the recorded version on our church's website is better). Here goes:

It’s 2009:
Get Over Yourself!
2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Before we get to the message today, I want to make you aware that next Sunday we will begin a series on the Trinity. The title of the series will be, All of God: Exploring the Mystery of the Trinity. We will go into more detail at the Home Fellowships, starting this week. I hope you will anticipate learning much about what many call the most important doctrine in Scripture. OK, on to this morning’s message.

I have an announcement to make this morning, which may or may not come as a surprise to you. I’m in love. I can’t help. In spite of all my efforts, I am madly in love. It may not be what you think, though. I have been in love with this person for over 55 years. You see, I am in love with – me. In fact, since Psalm 51 indicates that I was conceived as a sinner, this love affair with self actually began before I was born.

Is it wrong to love yourself? Not according to Oprah or dozens of authors whose books fill the self-help sections in bookstores and even find their way into grocery stores. Indeed, God assumes that we love ourselves. Ephesians 5: “Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself, for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.” And don’t forget that Jesus taught us to love our neighbors in the same manner that we love ourselves. The kind of love referred to in those passages is not the narcissistic, self-absorbed, self-focused behavior that is so common and encouraged today. It is true that if we fail to appreciate the person that God has made us to be, we will likely not have much to give to others. If we hate ourselves, our tendency is to be short with and even to despise others as well. Not liking moi usually translates into not liking thou. And when you think about it, a hatred of self is often the result of an unhealthy focus on self, anyway.

We should go ahead and love ourselves, then, so that we will love others, right? Not in the way we are encouraged to love ourselves today! When we love and pamper ourselves, 21st century style, there is little left for Jesus or for others. All the focus is on self. And, here we find ourselves at the beginning of 2009. Isn’t it time that we just get over ourselves? I think so.

Our text this morning is 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. Before we read the text, let me explain something in this passage that is important to our understanding of what the Apostle Paul was trying to accomplish with some of the language he was using. In Corinth, there were certain teachers who were attempting to slander Paul and render his teachings null and void. They didn’t feel that Paul was “spiritual” enough. They had received visions, and they spoke ecstatically with languages they did not know. In addition, they were wealthy, and surely their riches were a sign of God’s blessings. They considered Paul’s poverty and the persecution he encountered as signs of God’s disapproval.

Before we go any further, can I speak to those of you who are without a job? Some of you have been unemployed for quite some time. I would imagine it is very tempting to see yourself as being squarely in the crosshairs of God’s disapproval on your life. You feel like He is punishing you, or you feel like He doesn’t respond to your prayers, thus He just doesn’t care. I understand how easy it would be to feel that way in today’s world, but our text today will put that idea to rest, so if you are out of work, you may be the one more blessed than all the others in here. Sound absurd? See if it does by the time you leave church today.

Because Paul had been attacked and the very truth of the gospel was at stake, he had to defend himself. He felt like a fool offering his credentials – so much so, that he wrote quite hesitantly, speaking in the third person. By the end of our passage, though, Paul was boldly proclaiming his boast – in Jesus and in anything in his life that would drive him to Jesus. That which drove him to Jesus turned out to be hardships and weaknesses.

Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. Would you please stand for the reading of the Word?

1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.
3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows –
4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.
6 Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Did you sense Paul’s reticence to defend himself, even though it was absolutely necessary to do so? Fourteen years before he wrote this letter to the Corinthians, which would have been before his first missionary journey, God took Paul up into heaven. Paul asked, “Did my body go up to heaven, or was it an out of body experience? I don’t know – all I know is that I was shown and told some amazing things, some of which I can’t even repeat. That’s why I am an apostle and why you should listen to me. What I have to tell you will make the difference in your eternal destiny. I am not bragging; it’s just fact. But, I will tell you what I will brag about – my weaknesses!”

That doesn’t sound very much like our world today, does it? In fact, it would take a gigantic shift in our thinking to embrace Paul’s spirit that welcomes weakness because it allows Jesus to shine. Let’s look again at Paul’s heart coming through his pen. Verses 6 through the first part of verse 9:

6 Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Now, it is important to recognize that our call to humility is not because we realize we are nothing. For Paul, it was the exact opposite – he had been granted an extreme privilege – taken into heaven and given secrets that he couldn’t even divulge. God knew the persecutions that were in store for Paul and it is likely that his close communion with God kept his perspective in tact.

Because of the gifts that Paul had been given, God sent him a reminder of the limitations that come to every human, whether they are children of God or not. Paul was given a thorn in the flesh. Well, technically, Satan provided the pain, but Paul understood it to be in God’s plan for his life.

So, what was his thorn in the flesh? You may have a pretty strong opinion, and if you do, then you have a pretty strong opinion – and that’s all. One thing we know for sure it was not – his wife! Paul wasn’t married, so ladies, you are off the hook. I imagine some of you ladies would say to me, “Come spend a few hours at our house – you will see who the thorn is!” All kinds of physical and emotional ailments have been offered as possibilities. I doubt seriously that it was a struggle with sin. It is far more likely it was physical or emotional malady. Hey, when you think about it, it is probably a good thing that God leaves it unrecorded because it leaves room for fairly broad application. You and I both may have a thorn in the flesh, but they may have a very different look.

It is not that Paul initially welcomed his particular thorn. In the same way Jesus pleaded for God to accomplish our salvation apart from His sacrifice on the cross, Paul begged God, three times, to take the thorn away. God said no. But, He gave Paul an explanation, and in so doing, He provided an explanation for us as well: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

I don’t think there are too many Christ-followers who would say that humility is a negative quality. We would, rather, profess a desire for humility. Can we ever attain humility? Tim Keller shares just how great of a challenge it is to find humility. In the December, 2008 issue of Christianity Today, he acknowledges that we observe pride and arrogance all around us, and then says, quote, “If we notice a humble turn of mind in ourselves, we immediately become smug - but that is pride in our humility. If we catch ourselves doing that we will be particularly impressed with how nuanced and subtle we have become.” End quote. Indeed. You know that struggle, don’t you?

It is never a bad thing to be in a place that requires humility on our part. A physical handicap, a medical condition, a job loss, a family issue – you fill in the blank. There are all kinds of circumstances that cause us to make a choice about our response to the curves that life – no, Satan – no, God throws our way. Will we rest in God’s will for our lives and be humble, or will we take the easy route and succumb to humiliation? There is a difference, you know. Humility brings a positive spirit, an acceptance of our place in God’s world, in God’s kingdom. Humiliation, on the other hand, is the opposite, almost – it is a negative spirit that can manifest itself in absolute despair, or angry defiance. We can find ourselves humiliated when things go badly and when our security is based in who we are rather than in who God is, or in who we are in Jesus.

Humility begins when we rest in Jesus’ words to Paul, and thus, to all of His followers: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Most of us want to shine in this world. We want others to be proud of us, to admire us. But – Jesus doesn’t want us to shine. He wants to shine through us! And, if we walk closely with Him, we will want the same thing. Which would you rather have – you shining or Jesus shining in you? Well, theoretically we would prefer for Jesus to shine through us – but, since we are not really sure what it looks like, let’s go with “me” shining.

No, let’s don’t! It’s 2009 – let’s get over ourselves and allow Jesus’ power to come through us in our weaknesses. And, Jesus’ power in our lives should be our motivation to accept the messengers of humility in our lives. It is not that we welcome hardship in a stoic kind of way so that we can feel good about our strong will and self-discipline. Paul said that he would gladly boast in his own weaknesses so that the power of Christ could rest upon him. Do not miss this point! It is the same language that was used in John 1:14, where we are told that Jesus came to this earth and dwelt among us – or, literally, pitched His tent among us. In the same way, the power of Jesus rests on – or, Jesus pitches His tent among – the weak.

Now, I don’t know about you, but that seems backwards to me. Most of us do not think of Jesus pitching His tent among the weak. We think that we will find Him among the strong and the successful. Not so, according to God, and who are you going to go with, God or society? God, or the contemporary church? We ought to go with God.

So, stop and let 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 wash over your soul. I will give you just a moment to read those verses and think about them.

Verse 10: “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.” Calamities, for goodness sake! The man was content with calamities! But notice how carefully his words are chosen. He didn’t say that he sought out hardships. Paul was no fanatic that found some sort of psychological satisfaction in self-inflicted troubles. He simply said that he was content with troubles when they came. And, he has already given the reason he was content with circumstances that forced him to be humble – it was for the sake of Christ! And, in those circumstances, Paul found personal gain, also – “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

We tend to go to great lengths to hide our weaknesses, don’t we? Even though we are well acquainted with the teachings of Scripture, we can easily find ourselves thinking – even if it is subconsciously – that troubles in our lives indicate a character flaw, or worse, judgment on our lives from God. Well, we worry that others think that, and so we hide.

But, what if this passage were true? Of course we believe it is true, but we have not embraced it as fully as we should, have we? One of the reasons we fail to actually sell out totally to the truth of this passage is that we are so full of ourselves. It’s 2009. It’s time we get past that. It is time we rest in God’s will for our lives. That doesn’t mean we quit working to make our circumstances better, but we must, for the sake of Christ, humbly accept the thorn in the flesh, the weaknesses that God has built into our lives. When I am weak, then I am strong. But I have to get over myself to get there. Let’s pray.

My new address - and a few words about the blog

2009-01-14T06:17:00.000-08:00

I was blessed to hear from many of my good friends this past Christmas - I received quite a few Christmas cards. Most all of them went, initially, to my old address in Buies Creek. I now live in Fuquay-Varina and wanted to share my new address - not that I am expecting any more Christmas cards! I now live at 1408 Old Bramble Lane, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526. Also, my e-mail address is btalley5@embarqmail.com

It is not unusual to receive gentle reminders from some of you that there are still people reading this blog. In the next day or two, I am going to publish the sermon I preached this past Sunday - which, could be viewed as a substitute (cop-out) for writing, but I know that many of you do not come to Grace, nor do you listen to the sermons on our website (I almost never listen to sermons online - probably a bad thing), and when I think you might be interested in a particular message, I publish it. This past Sunday was somewhat of a New Year's sermon, about letting Christ be our strength in places of weakness (from 2 Corinthians 12).

Beginning this coming Sunday (Jan. 18th), I will be starting a series on the Trinity. There is a possibility that I will be writing, here, about this study and seeing if there is any interest in interacting about this most important doctrine in Scripture. Our Home Fellowships have already begun study on the topic and there seems to be significant interest.

Thank you for visiting here and for your prayers!

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T06:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a time of - well, fill in the blank. For the Christ-follower, it is pregnant with meaning. Our understanding of Christmas takes us far beyond the sentimental, yet, superficial notions of secular thinking at this time of the year. As much as we would love peace and should do all we can to work toward it, Jesus reminded us that there will be wars and rumors of wars until the end of this age.

But, because of what this day represents - the Incarnation, God becoming one of us to ultimately pay the penalty that is demanded of all humans because of sin, yet a penalty that no human is capable/eligible to pay unless He also be God - causes our hearts to soar. Jesus, God in the flesh, died that we might live eternally.

At this time of year, joy is intensified, as is pain. It is thus that our family recognizes all we have lost this year as we buried Linda Faile Talley on March 3, and yet we are equally aware of how very blessed we were (and are!) to have her in our lives for so long. We will see her again - because of Christmas, and, because of Easter!

One of my warm reflections this season is how very well Linda fulfilled her obligation as a godly wife to respect and honor her husband. You cannot imagine how much she positively impacted my life. Well, she would have considered it a privilege rather than an obligation, although there were many times I failed to live up to the level of respect she extended to me. I was so blessed that I feel compelled to write to all the husbands and wives - and, husbands and wives to be - who may read this space. The reason I write is not because we were experts, but because God allowed us (or, caused us) to figure marriage out over the years. So many of our early years were less than pleasant, but when we realized that we were not attacking each other but rather that we were speaking different languages, we began to understand how God had designed us to compliment one another. We had thought that our lives would be spent in a state of controlled conflict, but complimenting, completing one another was a blessed discovery, indeed!

How do you get there? By getting over yourself, first of all! That is the essence of a Christ-follower, isn't it? Death to self in a day when we are encouraged toward everything, but. Husband, your wife is the most beautiful lady on earth! Tell her so, loving her as Christ loved the church, listening, caring deeply about her issues. Quit trying to fix all of her problems - just listen. Just hold her. Find out how she receives love - and love her!

Wife, your husband is the greatest guy on earth. Treat him like he is! NEVER tear him down in public. OK, so you are both kidders. Kidding is one thing, but the line where kidding becomes insult and lack of respect is very thin, indeed, and is easily crossed. Build him up, especially in front of others. What if he is lazy or not as thoughtful as you? I don't think the option of disrespect is to be found in Ephesians 5 or anywhere else in Scripture.

Women need to be loved and men need to be respected. Linda and I were given a gift of being deeply, madly in love with one other. We both recognized it as a gift - from God. He is waiting only for you to look to Him and obey His brief, yet rich and far reaching comments about marriage. Do what you are supposed to do, whether you feel like it or not. And, don't expect results overnight. It may take years, in fact, but it will come if you are both committed. The result will be wonderful beyond anything you can imagine.

So, on this Christmas morning, thank God for the gift of Jesus and the gift of eternal life available to those who will confess their sins and believe Jesus' death on the cross as payment for their sins. Thank God, also, for the loved ones in your life. I have written about marital love, but love for anyone will require the same starting point - death to self and concern for the other. God bless you. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, when hope springs again in our hearts.