Matthew 11:28-30: Our Rest: Today, Tomorrow and Forever

I had the privilege of preaching yesterday at my church as our pastor was out of town at the Shepherd's Conference. I have given an abbreviated post below on the message, but if you would like to listen to it, you can listen by clicking here: Our Rest: Today, Tomorrow and Forever. The Scripture that was covered was Matthew 11:28-30

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Finding Rest in Christ: Come to Me

When taking a look at our Scripture in Matthew 11:28-30 it comes in two parts: it is a benefit of justification and proper understanding of our rest in progressive sanctification. This first part of the verse is pointing us to a benefit of justification.

The meaning of justification is simply: a declarative act of God by which he establishes persons as righteous

This justification is a one time happening. It is at the point that the person believes in Jesus Christ, God impugns, or clothes that person, with Christ’s righteousness as though it were their own. We see this in 2 Corinthians 5:21

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21

It is sometimes called the “great exchange.” Because God exchanged our filthy sinful rags and clothed us with the righteousness of Christ. It is like a homeless man giving his filthy clothes to a king and that king wrapping the homeless man in a robe only due a prince.

All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6

Not a bad deal for us. This is necessary, this great exchange, because we learn that God cannot approve of evil.

You who are of purer eyes than to see evil
and cannot look at wrong,
Habakkuk 1:13

The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
The LORD tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
Psalm 11:4-6

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
Psalm 34:15-16

So, we see that we must be righteous to remove the wrath of the Father, but the problem is that we find that none are righteous, none are good and in Romans 3 it actually calls us useless because of our condition.

But, what is our human response to this understanding that only the righteous will enter in the Lord’s presence? Jesus gives us a subtle polemic, or refutation against those who work for salvation. He tells us simply: Come to Me.

And He then gives attention to who he is talking to: all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest

He is speaking to those who are weary and heavy laden. Those who have heard and understood the call to be righteous to remove the wrath of God. Those who know that God cannot look upon evil, and hates it.

These, weary and heavy laden, are both terms involving work. Those who are weary are those who have grown tired because of work and heavy laden are those who have large or heavy burdens placed upon them.

The Jews had 613 laws in the Torah to follow in order to please God and bring them salvation.
So the Jewish people were well acquainted with having an impossible yoke upon their necks in regards to salvation of their souls.

4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders…
Matthew 23:4

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that Eternity has been written on man’s heart. What man tries to do is fill this eternity in their hearts with other things that are finite, but that is impossible. Think of it:
wisdom leaves us in old age, our strength is weakened over time, money comes and goes, and even those that we love grow sick and die. And ultimately what we try to do is fill this eternal need, this need for our salvation, with either stuff or works of goodness.

And we continue to try and fill the eternity of our hearts with finite things, and when one thing stops working for us, we move on to another. Our anxiety and happiness are never fully dealt with and with that in thought, Jesus simply says, “come to me and I will give you rest, because I am the eternal joy that can fill your eternal want”

The text before us is taken most of the time to just speak of the Jews, who no doubt had many rules they must keep to receive heaven. It was a “do” religion. It was always continually preached that you must do this, you must do that, to be saved. Is this not what we have in all of our religions of the world?

There are really only two religions in this world, and each one begs a different question:

1. What can I do for God, or the higher being, so that I can expect heaven? It is “my good deeds have to outweigh my bad deeds”

2. What did God do for me, so I can receive mercy and grace and receive heaven as a gift which I cannot merit?

One is a terrible yoke of works on your back that must be fulfilled for God to love you and the other is taking that yoke, that burden of work, and placing it on Christ, because through him the yoke of the Law has been fulfilled.

One pastor put it as: World Religions continue to say, “Do, Do, Do”, but the cross screams out “Done”

Christ says, it is finished, I have accomplished it, now come to Me, rest in Me.

This is what 1 Peter 3:18 is saying when it says that the just died for the unjust so that he could bring us to God.

For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of 2sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:3,4

God is saying that because we could not fulfill the Law in the flesh, God fulfilled it for us through His Son Jesus Christ.

This rest now that is given to us at the end of this first verse is a rest that is to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength and of calm and patient expectation.

How can Christ promise this rest?

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
Hebrews 10:11-12

Why does Jesus not offer sins for himself? How did he accomplish the yoke of good works? By never sinning!

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15

Further, Hebrews 7:26 says that our high priest was holy, innocent and undefiled.

Luke records Jesus crying out: It is finished! Jesus says in his high priestly prayer that he accomplished everything that he was sent for. The reason that Christ can tell us to rest is because he is the one who fulfilled all the work that was required. Jesus fulfilled the law for us, there is no reason for us to be burdened by the law.

When it says in Hebrews that he sat down, this is an implication of a finished work and a rest from the work Christ did on this earth.

You see, we believe in a works based salvation. But it is not of our works, it is solely Christ’s work!

Continuing Our Rest in Christ

If we find our rest in simply coming to Christ and giving him our yoke and our heavy burden, then what happens after that? What Jesus says is that we must take on his yoke and we will find rest for our souls. This new yoke is one that is easy and it is light. The reason is because this new yoke is not one to where we need to worry and be anxious if we are doing enough for the kingdom to enter, for it has been finished. But Jesus seems to have a little more in store for us here in this passage as Jesus says, “learn from Me”

Jesus knows that our rest starts at justification but that our life doesn’t end there on this earth.

Notice the small change of wording that Christ uses here. The first is Jesus giving us rest, because of his work. This second phrase tells us that if we learn from Christ, if we take upon his yoke after he gives us rest, that we will find rest for our souls.

This term “find” in the Greek can be seen as “to find out by practice and experience.”

This is what we call the doctrine of progressive sanctification, or the process of God working along with us through the Spirit in becoming more and more holy.

I like how Matt Chandler has put it:

We all like hearing the dramatic conversion stories of new Christians, but what is often left out is the next 10 years of struggle with our faith and this world.

I mean, listen to some of these quotes in the Scriptures:

we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
John 15:18

Further, Peter in 1 Peter 4 tells the scattered, beaten, dying, persecuted Christians not to be surprised at the fiery ordeal among them, as though it was strange.

Also, tradition tells us that all of the original apostles, besides John, ended up being a martyr for the sake of Christ.

So, are we going to have struggles and conflict after we become Christians? The answer is yes. But, in our text Jesus tells us that after we are saved, to learn from Him and we will find rest for our souls. We will find this rest through our experiences of learning from Christ.

This is key. To learn from Christ. Just read the overwhelming verses that show us to learn from Jesus’ example: John 13:15; Phil 2:5; 1 John 2:6; 1 Peter 2:21.

I am going to give you three things that will aid you in to a continual learning experience of who Christ is and what Christ did as he was afflicted.

You will also notice that all these, that we are about to observe and learn from Christ, require us to be humble and gentle as Christ said he was in Matthew 11:29.

Greek word gentle: Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend them against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time. (Is. 41:17, Lu. 18:1-8) Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will. (Gal. 5:23).

So, when we go through things that might upset our rest, I submit that we must learn to find our rest by doing the following things as Christ did:

1. Submission in Prayer

When you pray what are you doing? Are you not admitting that you cannot accomplish what you are asking for? Does this not cause one to be humble? When David is afflicted by the wicked, he cries out in Psalm 5:1-3

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my groaning.
2 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3 In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.
Psalm 5:1-3

If Jesus was truly the God/Man we would expect the same thing in his life. Look to what Luke states:

16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.
Luke 5:16

Where was Jesus when he was on the eve of his crucifixion? Jesus went to pray in the Garden Think of this! How would we have responded knowing that this very night we were going to be taken and slaughtered as a lamb? When you go through serious struggles, where do you run to? Christ, our Saviour, the Creator of everything, completely omnipotent, all powerful, goes to the garden to pray. You think that Christ’s “rest” was a little disturbed? Look at this:

37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed.
38 Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26:37-39

When Christ was at his lowest, when he was greatly distressed, where did he go to find rest? Jesus Christ fell on his face and prayed.

Jesus shows us this clearly: learn from Him. Take your afflictions to Jesus through prayer, and he will give you rest.

Prayer reminds us that we are not in control, but that we do believe that there is One who is in control, and we ask Him to fill our cup, because he is the only One who can. Through prayer we find rest for our souls.

2. Submission to the Word

Secondly, we don’t find rest in the wisdom of the world, but in the wisdom revealed to us in the word, by the Spirit. Again, every time you read anything for the purpose of learning you are admitting that you don’t know it all.

2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
1 Peter 2:2

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.
John 16:7

This Helper, this Comforter, how will he comfort you? Verse 13 states that it will be through the guidance of truth:

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.
John 16:13

We find that Jesus Christ while he was being tempted, when Satan was trying to take his rest from him, what did Christ do?

He quoted Scripture over and over…Satan tries in three different ways to steal Jesus’ eternal rest, and Jesus responds, “It is written, it is written, it is said”

The reason that we can take rest in the Scriptures and they are where we go to for rest is because the God of our Salvation says, that His word endures forever and that his word is truth. In this day with all the questions of truth, we have it!

Look to the cry of David’s heart for God’s word in his time of unrest:

25 My soul clings to the dust;
give me life according to your word!
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;
teach me your statutes!
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word!
29 Put false ways far from me
and graciously teach me your law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I set your rules before me.
31 I cling to your testimonies, O LORD;
let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart!
Psalm 119:25-32

So, by learning from Christ in the wilderness we understand that through the word of God we find rest for our souls.

3. Submission of our burdens to each other

So, we are called to go to the Lord in prayer, to his Scriptures for comfort through the Spirit, we are called also to go to each other to aid us in our rest. After Christ went and fasted for forty days and was in desperate need of food, Satan came and tempted him and Christ responded with the Scriptures. What some don’t see or simply overlook is how Christ was aided after the temptation.

Matthew 4:11 states:
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

We must learn from Christ in this area. Allow others to minister to us. Further after Jesus went to the garden to pray look at what happens:

41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,
42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.
Luke 22:41-44

Jesus, the One who created the angels, allows one of his creations to come and minister to him, to strengthen him. If Jesus allows it, we must follow his example and allow others.

2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2.

This term has the idea of taking a load or a yoke off of someone back and putting it on your own. Remind you of a passage that we are looking at? As Christ took our yoke of works of the Law so our fellow Christians take our daily yokes and burdens and aid us and minister to us.

The reason a lot of us do not like to do this is usually we don’t want to bother them or we think that they will look down on us. Listen to me. Everyone is a sinner, and they doubt and have issues just like you do.

If we are to be a people who find rest in Christ, we are to be a people who allow others to minister on our behalf. When we tell others of the burdens on our back, we give them the opportunity to fulfill the law of Christ, namely to love their neighbor as themselves.

In this respect God allows us to be what are called ambassadors for Christ. We are his representatives and when we aid each other with our burdens we are physically showing them what Christ has done for them for eternity.

My father once picked up a hitchhiker and shared the gospel with him and the hitchhiker said that he had many issues and many burdens. But, he could not give them to Jesus because he had never seen Jesus. Because he had never seen Jesus, he could not believe in him. My dad responded kindly but with authority, “today, you have seen Jesus, for I am his ambassador.”

Christ shows us this truth when He comes down and yells at Saul of Tarsus and asks, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me” Who was Paul killing and persecuting? Christians. Jesus equates the persecution and killing of his people as the same as doing it to his own body.

So, when we come alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ we give them a glimpse of who Christ is. We carry their burdens, because Christ has carried ours. In this way, we are learning from Christ, and we are finding rest for our souls.

The Reason for our Rest in Christ

It means coming to the one who has become everything to us. Jesus did not come into the world mainly to bring a new religion or a new law. He came to offer himself for our eternal enjoyment and to do whatever he had to do—including death—to remove every obstacle to this everlasting joy in him. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). When Jesus demands that we do things—like “Come to me”—the essence of these demands is that we experience the life that most fully savors and spreads his supreme worth
John Piper

So the real question should be “why?” We have looked at Jesus Christ taking our load and bearing it himself for our rest. We have seen that if we learn from Christ by prayer, the word and through allowing others to carry our burdens for our continual rest, then we must ask, “why?” It is one thing to know the “how”, but yet another to know the “why”.

Some might say that the reason why is because God loves us and wants us to rest in him…although this is true, it is not the ultimate reason.

16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16

The ultimate reason for Christ to give us rest through his work on this earth, in His cross, in His resurrection and that we find rest through prayer, God’s word and the bearing of one another’s burden’s is not for our sake…but for the sake of God’s glory. It is to point continually to Jesus.

Think of this. If your burdens in your life, if the toils of this life don’t keep you down but you find rest in Jesus, people will see the glory of God and His gospel.

First we find these verses for the sake of our eternal rest in justification: So, when Jesus says come to Me, when we do, we glorify Christ, not ourselves: here are some verses to exemplify this:

Jesus endures his final hours of suffering for God’s glory (this is part of the yoke Christ carried)

27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
John 12:27-28

God gave His Son to vindicate the glory of His righteousness

25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness,
Romans 3:25

God forgives our sin for His own sake

11 For Your name’s sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
Psalm 25:11

It is not for us! It is all for the glory of God. Further when we find rest in our sanctification through prayer it is for God’s glory:

Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:13

The word of God is shown as the glory 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.
John 1:14

He tells us to serve or minister to each other for the glory of God

whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:11

Do you see this? What is the ultimate reason that you were pardoned from sin, given rest in justification and are also given continual rest through prayer, the word and through those ministering to you? It is all to point to Jesus Christ! It is all for his glory not our own.

Simply, this is why we are told to do all things to the glory of God. It is all for him, not us. It is greater than us. So, when you have rest, know that it is not merely for your good, but it is for the great and glorious God our Saviour Jesus Christ. Your rest is more powerful and proclaims the greatness of our God.

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God's Eulogy of Moses

Thought I would repost this from one of the first posts that I ever posted on this site. Enjoy...and have a great weekend.

Maybe you haven’t thought of it or even caught it in Scripture but God gives Moses a eulogy when he finally passes after a long life of servitude. As the recount of Moses’ death is shared with us in the final penning of the second law, or Deuteronomy, as we know it, we then come to the great calling and recounting of God’s new servant, Joshua. The item to take notice in the call of Joshua in the first chapter is God’s eulogy of Moses. Notice in Joshua 1:2;

“Moses My servant is dead”

The eulogy is not long; it is not filled with many inspiring words to lift the spirit of Israel’s new leader, but is a description that we should all desire to attain from God’s own mouth: My servant. Oh how I long to hear those words from my Creator, my El Shaddai, my Jehovah Jireh. This is how God describes Moses! Paul called himself and calls us to be bond slaves for Christ (Titus 1:1; Romans 1:1), Jesus, Himself, calls us to serve God and not mammon (Luke 16:13). He tells of a parable where at the conclusion the master is pleased with his servant in the handling of talents and says to him, “Well done good and faithful servant.” But, to actually run the race, to finish the course of our work as pilgrims on this earth and have God Almighty, say “My servant” is cause for great celebration that our work was not in vain.

Notice that God does not tell of Moses’ faults or of Moses’ great works, He simply says, “My servant.” We are told most often that when God sees one of His own, one of the elect, He only sees Christ. We are told that He imputed Christ’s righteousness on us because Christ took our shame; by His stripes we are healed. That the Just died for the unjust, that our sins were nailed to the cross, that if we confess He is faithful and righteous to forgive us. We know all this yet there is always the flesh, always the temptation from Satan that says, “But you have done so many wicked things, so many wicked thoughts, surely God cannot look at you as righteous.”

This is the same Moses that was terrified and feeble in his person as he said to God after his call:

“I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
Exodus 4:10

Did God, after the death of Moses, bring forth his sins yet again? No, God separated those sins as far as the east is from the west, and saw Moses white as snow.

What a great promise we have from God that we are truly His sons, His heirs, because we have died and have been buried with Christ (Romans 6). Let us all strive to be, “holy as our Lord God is holy,” but when we come up short, which we will, let us have confidence that when we confess, God sees us as He sees His Son. Let us strive to have God speak our eulogy as simple and to the point that He spoke for Moses, “My Servant is dead.”

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What is Contextualization?

I was reading erik's notes from the Shepherd's Conference and was caught by this quote by John MacArthur:

“contextualization is a curse.” The sermons we preach and the messages we proclaim should transcend “zip-codes.” MacArthur said, referring to Peter in Acts 2, “Not only did he not identify with the generation, but he said you have to be saved from it.”

So, what is contexualization? Because I believe that John MacArthur is either throwing out the baby with the bath water, or has no clue what he means by it.

First, let me say that if MacArthur is simply meaning that we don't try and change the word of God to make it easier for people to follow by taking truths out of the gospel to do so, then I agree with him. Such as. We shouldn't stop using words like sin and hell or speaking about the cross just because the current culture doesn't like to talk about certain things. That would be wrong and is downright blasphemy of the Gospel.

But, for Dr. MacArthur to simply say that "contextualization is a curse" I find to be way off...and I believe that his thoughts on Acts 2 are way off...because I believe that Peter actually contextualizes the Gospel in this very passage!

What is contextualization? First, good biblical contextualization is not what was previously mentioned, but good biblical contextualization is to know the audience and culture you are speaking to and bringing it to them in ways that they would easily understand.

I not only believe that it is okay to contextualize, but I believe that it is biblical and what Christ would have us do and what Christ actually did when he was here on the earth.

If I can give you an example:

Read John 10. The whole of the chapter is a passage on the good Shepherd, which is Christ. Why would Christ use this kind of explanation to give eternal truths? Because those in that region were very familiar with the shepherd and sheep relationship. It was very easy to see the truths that were being offered because Christ used the context, the culture that he was in, to explain the unexplainable. And Christ did this through his whole tenure as lead pastor while he was on this earth. Think seed and sower, the vine dresser, etc. All culturally relevent to those in that time.

You might be saying, "Well that was Jesus, he can do what he wants, He is God." Well...first, I don't like that reasoning for the mere fact that we are called to imitate Christ (1 John 2:6) and he is our perfect example (1 Tim 1:16) to follow in all things. But, I will play along.

First Example: Paul

Everyone knew that I would go here, but look to Acts 17. Paul is in Athens to preach the Gospel and notices a bunch of gods being represented and especially one that is called, "The unknown God." What I like here is the use of correct biblical contextualizaion. Notice that Paul uses the culture around him to illustrate eternal truths. The truths are not changed, nor are they watered down. The reason we know this is because the Stoics didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead, and yet what does Paul preach?

because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
Acts 17:31

Paul, although in a different culture than a Jewish one, didn't ignore the truth but proclaimed it. But notice that he didn't ignore who he was speaking to either, but contextualized the gospel so that it would be more clear for the hearers, just as Christ did the entire time he was on this earth.

Second Example: John

I am not sure how many people know this but John contextualized actual God-breathed Scripture, and he did it with one of our favorite verses that prove the Deity of our Lord Jesus. It is found in John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1

The term here, as most know, for the term Word is the Greek word logos. What most don't know is the usage of this word in it's historical context. The term logos was known to most Greeks as that "thing," whatever it was, that held the earth together.

Look at what the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says about this word logos:

Although little used in epic,32 λόγος; achieved a comprehensive and varied significance with the process of rationalisation which characterised the Greek spirit. Indeed, in its manifold historical application one might almost call it symbolic of the Greek understanding of the world and existence.

Theological dictionary of the New Testament.
1964-c1976. Vols. 5-9 edited by Gerhard Friedrich. Vol. 10 compiled by Ronald Pitkin. (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (4:77). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

John contextualized the very pages of Scripture so that those whom he was writing to would have a greater understanding of what, and who, he was speaking of. John did his own form of speaking of the "unknown logos" by showing that they could know the actual Logos, that became flesh.

Last Example: Peter

The last example is actually going to be shown from the very passage Dr. MacArthur tries to argue his point, Acts 2. Do you think that Peter knew who he was talking to? If Paul uses the unknown god to show who God was to the Stoics in Athens and John uses the term "logos" to show the Logos for the Greeks to understand, then what should we expect Peter to use when he speaks to those in Jerusalem? Wouldn't Peter be smart to use their very patriarchs? It is hard to see what he is doing, but if you look closely, Peter is speaking to those in Judea (Acts 2:14) and then he uses what they would know, namely the Jewish Scriptures and patriarchs. He quotes Joel in Acts 2:16-21, then quotes David and the Psalms in Acts 2:25-28, then again quotes Psalm 132:11; 2 Samuel 7:12; and Psalm 89:3 in Acts 2:30; and finally ends with a quote from Psalm 110:1 in Acts 2:34,35. Notice that the message that he preaches is the exact message that Paul preaches in Acts 17 but with some tweaks because he is preaching to Jews and not Gentiles. In Acts 17 Paul does not quote one single Old Testament verse because he is speaking to the Gentiles so he contextualizes it to their unknown god so that they would understand.

I believe that Dr. MacArthur is making a huge mistake by saying that "contextualization is a curse," and continues to show that he is ignoring what emerging folks mean when we say we are contextualizing for the sake of Christ and His fame.

May we continue to love those who we are evangelizing and ALWAYS look for ways to contextualize the Gospel in a way that the will understand.

Soli Deo Gloria!

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10 Steps to Become a Legalist: Step 2

Well, hopefully you have the first step down and now you can move on to step two. This is where we take the pride learned in the first step and apply it. We need to learn that people need to also look like us as well. Go take a look in the mirror and then take a look at your closet, now everyone must look like that.

Remember this goes both ways. If you are one that parts your hair down the side, that is the standard, if you have purple hair then all those who have their hair parted are frickin weirdos and must hate Jesus. If you like wearing a cardigan for Jesus then all those with skulls and crossbones and weird buckles all over their clothing must be freaks that are of the world. So...

Step 1: Make sure that all Christians dress like you. Whether you dress like the businessman or you dress like the crack dealer downtown, know that the opposite of how you dress are the weirdos that don't really love Jesus. So, those people that have holes in their jeans and black Converse need to know that Jesus doesn't love the way that they dress. Jesus only loves those people who look like you do on the outside, forget the inside. Or, if you see someone in church that has a button up shirt and a tie for the sake of Christ, don't they know that they are boring and just conforming to the world's system? Here is the point. People need to dress like me to love Jesus like me.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

I am sure that we can come up with an interpretation that will fit within our view of clothing somehow. Just say it with authority and hope that no one challenges you on it.

Step 2: If someone looks like a crack dealer, lives on the same block as crack dealers, acts like a crack dealer, they must be a crack dealer. Can you believe that some people would wear all black and like rock music? Don't they know that it is of the devil? Who cares if you have never talked to them, there is no need because you don't want to be a part of the world. If someone hangs out with them and lives amongst them they must be one of them! Maybe the Pharisees were right:

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
Luke 7:34

I would rather watch the drunkards and crack dealers from afar instead of talking to them because I might get infected by their dirty sin. Plus, if you decide to be amongst them, what will the people in the church think? No matter that the Pharisees were the people of the "church" back in the day and decided it would be a good idea to kill Jesus.

Step 3: Why don't all pastors wear suits to church? Doesn't everyone know that we should dress our best to impress? I have heard it said that if you were to meet the President of the United States how would you dress? Then that is how you should dress for Jesus. (wait...you mean some wouldn't dress in a suit to meet the President?!) Especially the men speaking for Jesus.

I have heard a story where a man from Africa came over and was turned to Jesus by some missionaries. He was asked in what ways would he have done it differently if he could have some input for further mission's work.

His reply was:

These preachers love Jesus, no doubt. But, after we were converted they told us that we must abandon the clothes of our tribe and put on suits and ties, cause we needed to dress correctly for Jesus. The African said, that would be the only thing I would change.

Man, this African guy needs to lighten up and understand that Jesus does care about your clothes and it should always be the clothing of the United States Business Man. Who cares if some see it as a symbol for greed, Jesus needs your money too!

Who cares that the New Testament only speaks negatively when speaking of those who dress up in fine clothes. Who cares if Jesus wore the clothes that were appropriate for his culture, for the trade that he was in and the people that he was reaching. Men like Hudson Taylor were used by Jesus but Jesus hated that Mr. Taylor decided to respect the Chinese and dress like them, he should have had on a suit and tie.

Here is the point of this post. The only time that we see glamorous robes for God's people being used is in the Old Testament when the Gospel was really a "come and see" Gospel as John Piper has put it. Not only were the priests girded up with the bling, but so were all the temples of God along with his ark of the covenant that was definitely something to gaze at. But, as we left the "come and see" gospel behind and came into the "go, seek and save" gospel we only see the act of dressing up to be mentioned in the negative, not the positive. Take a look at James 2 and 1 Tim 2:9.

We are to emulate Jesus. Jesus dressed in the culture he was in, this is why Hudson Taylor should be our hero and not our foe. Taylor was amazing in that he changed his entire look to fit in with the culture because he felt that God had called him to that people.

Here is the bottom line. Dress like the people that God has called you to be with, but don't assume that it means that you must be in a three piece pimp suit if you are serving a bunch of people that dress in jeans and t-shirts. Suits are NOT the clothing of God. I should know,I wear one everyday to work. Why do I wear a suit? Because my clients who are seniors think that I am smarter if I do and most of my clients come from an age that suits were appropriate for my field, so I play their game and deal with it. Why do I cover up my tattoos when I go to work? Because most of my clients would throw a hissie fit if they saw that I had tats. What if I were to wear my suit to youth group? I would be an idiot. What if I wore my hat on backwards to work? I would also be an idiot.

Your clothing does not glorify God, your heart does. So, if you are sporting purple hair and skulls on your t-shirts to get a reaction, you are in just as much sin as the dude in a three piece showing off his bling. So, if the preacher wears a clown suit to get attention and prove that God doesn't care about clothing, he has missed the point, because does care about the intention of why you do things.

But don't put a burden on people just because you don't like the way that they dress or look. I love when people speak out against people with purple hair and then I ask if their wives color their hair. Most of them say, "yes." So, then, it's not if we can color our hair but God is now pleased with which color we choose for our hair? That is messed up.

We need to understand that they guy rolling in a Benz needs the same Saviour that the punk rocker in the VW bus with weed smoke coming out the window does. Love who God has called you to be, who he has called you to minister to and who he has made you into and love all others and respect who God has made them to be as well. Who knows, maybe the guy with purple hair, tattoos and earrings in his nose loves Jesus? Naaaah...no way...that is just too weird. :)

Jesus is no respecter of persons and neither should we.

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For all you blog addicts...Some Links

Here are some links for your enjoyment before we continue in the 10 Steps to Become a Legalist series:

David has done a masterful job at putting together Calvin quotes on the unlimited/limited position of the atonement: Calvin on Unlimited Expiation, Sin-Bearing, Redemption and Reconciliation

John Piper ellaborates on his thoughts on allowing Arminians to teach in your church: Calvinism, Arminianism and Education

erik at Irish Calvinist brought back an oldie but goodie: What does Light Beer and American Evangelicalism have in common?

Bob Kauflin at Worship Matters has a great post on: Can Christian Musicians Play Secular Music for God’s Glory?


Have fun reading...be back tomorrow...

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10 Steps to Become a Legalist: Step 1

Before we start this series, I want all to know that the reason that I am doing this is primarily to make fun of myself. Most of the things that you will see presented here, I have believed, or lived out, at some point. I might not have said it out loud, but my mind and my heart definitely condemned me on these. I hope that the discussions will allow for a little laughing at ourselves and also at how we come across when we are dogmatic about any of this stuff. Also, know that this will not only hit those that we would think look like legalists, like most of those I have run into in the IFB, but also any of us that really truly think that it is our way or nothing else.

So, just because you don’t wear a suit, believe in exclusive Psalmody and dream about you ruling the world when theonomy becomes the norm, doesn’t mean that you have escaped the trap that we call legalism.

Let’s get down to business.

The first step in becoming a legalist is to realize that you are the best and everyone else sucks. If you can get this step down, you will no doubt be well on your way in allowing for all the rest of the steps to fall into place. You need to definitely do some certain things to make sure that you can get this down.

Step 1: Realize that you should emulate, as much as possible, the publican in Luke 18. You must thank God that he made you so good and so much better than all these other sinners out there. I mean seriously. You dress appropriately, you listen to the right music, you pray more, you study better, you use the right translation of the Bible (not just talking about KJO guys here...hint hint) and if these other guys would get it, they too could be loved as much as you are by God. You really should thank God for not making you like these other people who are not as mature as you are. For you are God’s anointed and these other “Christians” just aren’t there yet. So, if people don’t look like you, worship like you do, pray like you do, go to church on the correct day at the correct time, then they are just immature and need to grow up and be a big boy…just like you.

Step 2: Pray for others. You need to pray for everyone else because they need the most work! When they ask for prayer requests from you, make sure you give them some answer that will make them think that you need prayer, but you know in reality, you don’t need that much prayer because you are on your way to perfection in the eyes of the Lord. Your progressive sanctification is almost complete, you just need the glorified body and you’ll be good. Make sure prayer time becomes a time of eloquence and perfect timing of your words and let everyone know how much you will pray for them, but whatever you do, don’t open yourself up for others to pray for you because they might think that you aren’t as stellar as you truly are. I mean, how much do their prayers matter anyway? James 5 says that the prayers of a righteous man accomplishes much, not the prayers of these people. Thank God that these people have you to be the righteous man, so that someone’s prayers accomplish something.

Step 3: Act like you are listening when others talk. Although James 1:19 says that we are to be quick to hear and slow to speak, it doesn’t say that we can’t be thinking of a way to rebut someone as soon as they shut up! I mean really, why do they have to talk for so long without adding anything to the conversation? Why can’t they just shut up?! Start realizing that others that don’t know as much as you do of the word, culture or whatever topic is being discussed, have nothing to add to the conversation. So, when they are speaking, don’t listen, but ready yourself for an answer. If you listen you will be wasting your time because they don’t really have anything to teach you. Who cares that the Word says,

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel. Proverbs 12:15

This isn’t talking about you, because you aren’t a fool. Right?!

Step 4: Realize that your way is the correct way. Why can’t everyone be like you? If people would just be like you then the church would run so much smoother and be more glorifying to God. Sure, the church wouldn’t be the body that is described in 1 Corinthians 12, but that church was messed up and if they just had you as their pastor, they wouldn’t have done all that stupid stuff.

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Proverbs 26:12

Don’t you feel sorry for the wise man described in this verse? Thank God it isn’t you! Make sure that you don’t take reproof from anyone because they don’t understand the Scriptures or methodology they are to be carried out with, like you do. They can’t even use big words like you. They don’t even know how to defend the Regulative Principle against the Normative Principle, they don’t know the difference between infralapsarianism and supralapsarianism, how could they ever give you advice? But, remember step 3, just act like you are listening and quickly put them in their place by using those big words so they understand whose the man! I mean, think of this...some people have to actually click on the links in this very article to see what these words mean...what morons for Jesus.

Overall, you really need to make sure that you realize that you are the man! You still need to do the “biblical things” so that people will think that you are teachable, but seriously, what can they teach you that you don’t already know? But, you aren’t prideful because you know that it is all by God that you are a Calvinist or it is all because of your choice that you are an Arminian. So, you give God his glory by studying, praying for others, correcting others and trying to make sure that everyone understands the correct interpretations of Scripture since the Holy Spirit has only been given to you and a bunch of dead guys. If you are a Calvinist, it by God’s grace that he has made you so intelligent, and if you are an Arminian it is because of your intelligence that you saw the light and they are still in the darkness. I mean, what would God have done if it wasn’t for you in the 21st century? Who would he use? He definitely wouldn’t use anyone in your church or any of those people in that other church across town. So, thank God (or yourself) that you are here to put everything in order.

Here is your motto to live by: Learn from No One, Be ready to Teach Everyone!

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10 Steps to Become a Legalist

I thought it would be kind of funny and informative to do a series on "How to Become a Legalist." The reason is that I have found that in my past I had some real legalist tendencies. But, the one thing that I have always told people is, "Show me in the Bible, and I will change." Because of this, I have changed a lot in the past 5 years.

Just to give you some background. I grew up in the Bible belt in Oklahoma as a pastor's kid until I was 12. Then, we made the transition to moving to the Seattle area. Let's just say that these two are not even close to being the same in any way. The only way that they seem to be the same is that both contain sinners, but, one hides their sins (Oklahoma) and one could care less who knows of their sin, so they flaunt it (Seattle). My father was never into legalism and always thought the same thing that I did...Scripture before everything else. I think I lost some of this thought as I started doing some study in the Scriptures and listening to some who had good ideas about the practical implications of Scripture (at least in my mind at the time) but really the ideas weren't grounded in Scripture. The were convictions but should have never crossed the line into full admonition of sins unto others.

In the past 5 years, I have been all over the place. I have gone from caring less about serving and glorifying Christ, to a legalist in many ways, and now to someone who believes that they are moving in the correct understanding of who Christ is and the mission that he has for me. So, I thought I would put some of my own personal interaction with topics, where some of them used to be my own convictions and others being ones that have tried to be placed on my back as a yoke I could not carry.

So, I am going to do a series on how you too can become a legalist. As I write these I want people to understand that not all of these are bad convictions but once you cross the line and make your convictions, sin for all others, that is when you start to place your yoke on the neck of others that are unnecessary. I will make sure that this is placed in each post so you can see the balance that is necessary when thinking on these different topics.

So, here is the list I will go through in the upcoming weeks:

1. Everyone sucks besides me: a lesson on how to build up your pride
2. People need to look like I do
3. People need to read the same Bible I do
4. People need to raise their children the same way I do
5. People need to study the same amount of time and the same way that I do
6. People need to pray the same amount of time that I do and pray how I pray
7. People need to do church how I do church
8. People need to listen to the same music I listen to
9. People need to watch, or not watch, the same things I watch
10. People need to abstain from everything...well except food and money

These ten will of course be elaborated on more as we study these topics. I would love some interaction and stories on things that you have come across when going through these topics. I hope it is fun and also convicting as we look at the unnecessary yokes we put on others.

May we do all things for the glory of God and not ourselves.

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John Piper: Filling of the Holy Spirit

I found this quote on Adrian Warnock's blog and found it to be a good one:

"Let me use an illustration from Martin Lloyd-Jones in his book Joy Unspeakable to describe the difference between common Christian living and what happens when the Holy Spirit "clothes" a person with power or "comes upon" a person with this unusual power.

He says it is like a child walking along holding his father's hand. All is well. The child is happy. He feels secure. His father loves him. He believes that his father loves him but there is no unusual urge to talk about this or sing about it. It is true and it is pleasant.

Then suddenly the father startles the child by reaching down and sweeping him up into his arms and hugging him tightly and kissing him on the neck and whispering, "I love you so much!" And then holding the stunned child back so that he can look into his face and saying with all his heart, "I am so glad you are mine." Then hugging him once more with unspeakable warmth and affection. Then he puts the child down and they continue their walk.

This, Lloyd-Jones says, is what happens when a person is baptized with the Holy Spirit. A pleasant and happy walk with God is swept up into an unspeakable new level of joy and love and assurance and reality that leaves the Christian so utterly certain of the immediate reality of Jesus that he is overflowing in praise and more free and bold in witness than he ever imagined he could be.

The child is simply stunned. He doesn't know whether to cry or shout or fall down or run, he is so happy. The fuses of love are so overloaded they almost blow out. The subconscious doubts—that he wasn't thinking about at the time, but that pop up every now and then—are gone! And in their place is utter and indestructible assurance, so that you know that you know that you know that God is real and that Jesus lives and that you are loved, and that to be saved is the greatest thing in the world. And as you walk on down the street you can scarcely contain yourself, and you want to cry out, "My father loves me! My father loves me! O, what a great father I have! What a father! What a father!"

. . . I think this is basically what happened at Pentecost. And has happened again and again in the life of the church."


— John Piper: You Shall Receive Power, 1990

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Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions

This book was definitely different than Mark's previous works. This was Mark's chance to just tell it how he sees it through the Word of God. In just 233 pages Mark and Gerry do their best to give the reader a better or a more refreshing look at who Jesus truly was, is, and is to come and how this should affect our lives.

The basic set up of the book is one of my favorites that I have ever seen. Mark answers a specific question to fill up each chapter (i.e. Is Jesus the Only God?) and then after answering the question, filled with biblical quotes and references, then goes on to answer common objections (usually 3 or 4 questions) at the end of each chapter (i.e. Does the Bible clearly say that Jesus is God?). This was very well thought out and done very well, to help engage the reader to what they might be thinking as possible objections to the original question posed in each chapter.

If you are used to Mark and his preaching this book will be nothing surprising or different than how he preaches every week. If you are not used to it, you might have some initial objections if you are "churchy" or might be surprised to hear such a down to earth approach to theology if you haven't grown up in church. But, I will tell you from experience, once you listen to what Mark has to say, he will allow you to see what Christ's mission truly was and continues to be in our daily lives.

Vintage Jesus tries to tackle a lot of subjects in a smaller book (233 pages), but does a great job of giving the reader something to grasp and look into further study without overloading them with content. I personally enjoyed the book and thought it was a good reminder and add on to Mark's preaching series that bears the same title.

This is a great book to give to someone who is unfamiliar with Jesus and is also filled with great material for those that have leaned too much on traditional views or legalistic ones of Christ. Mark brings every question back to the Word and challenges the readers to do the same.

The book is filled with humor and Mark really just "brings it" and because of this, like usual, he will have some haters that will say that he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Which would make me laugh if they weren't so serious about it. I do laugh though everytime Mark describes these kinds of guys...cause I used to be one of them...Anyways...great book and look forward to the next title in October. Highly Recommended

Link to Buy

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The Resurgence Conference: Final Thoughts

So. The conference is over and back to the real world. Everything was good about the conference. The music, the speakers, the volunteers, the venue, the coffee, and especially the messages preached.

We found out that 46 states and 11 countries were represented and only 24% of the attendees were from Washington. I found this to be very encouraging to see that people are listening to men like Driscoll and Chandler, but let's not kid ourselves, they also came to hear Piper and Mahaney.

The one thing that I really appreciate about these two men (Piper and Mahaney) is that they wouldn't agree with everything that Driscoll and Mars Hill are doing, even Piper took a poke at the music at Mars Hill, but they completely support them, knowing that they are of Christ and doing the work of evangelists. I won't name others, but there are other well known pastors around the country that can grow up and learn something from Piper and Mahaney in this regard.

The hard part of going to these kinds of conferences is seeing and hearing men and churches where it looks just like you want things to look at your own church, but then you have to remember the resources and budgets they deal with, and the resources and budgets that are a reality at your own church.

My pastor has given me some good insights on this, and that is: take what you learn and apply it at the level that our church is currently at. I like that. And I will do that.

If I could take some things from all of these guys and what they spoke about, it would be this:

Driscoll: The Emergents are idiots, the Scriptures are timeless, the methodology is timely

Chandler: The Scriptures are authoritative, don't try and be a Driscoll, but be who God has called you to be

Mahaney: Look for the grace in those around you, love them, have faith in them, and then, exhort and admonish...but only if you have those first things down

Piper: Trust the Scriptures. Make sure they are guiding and directing your ministry.

Gilmore: uhhh...what? Still not sure.

I will honestly make this point. I believe these four guys are doing ministry the exact way that I would. There are a few things I wouldn't do, but very very few.

I absolutely loved the conference and it will have one of those lasting impacts on me and my ministry that God has placed me in.

I can't wait to go back next year.

Also, just as an update, all the conference material should be up on the Resurgence Conference website within the next couple of weeks, so look for it. I would especially draw your attention to the Q & A with Chandler, Piper and Driscoll on Tuesday night. Probably one of the best Q & A's ever...funny and informative:

Just some insights:

Piper doesn't have a TV and wouldn't plug it in even if Mark bought him one
Mark was thankful that Piper gives him and Chandler some slack on the rope, and Piper just doesn't want them to hang themselves
Piper makes fun of the music at Mars Hill
Chandler has a photo of Piper on his fridge
Piper thinks that Doug Wilson has a bunch of dumb guys around him (cue the Driscoll and Chandler fist pump)
We are still in the dark how much Piper can bench press

If you didn't get a chance to go to the conference, look for the free audio online in the upcoming weeks. If you can, be ready for next year, as I will.

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Resurgence Conference 2008: Tuesday Afternoon

This is not going to be the most detailed session, because Piper asked us to put away our notes and just listen. He told us that the notes and the session would be online, but because it was a 32 point sermon, yeah...seriously...Piper did a 32 pointer...How ya like that for exposition MacArthur? ;)

I would highly encourage you to check out the notes and sermons by clicking here.

It was very well done and one that I will need to listen to again to get all the details but the passion was high and thought invoking, as usual,when listening to Piper.

After Piper, Driscoll and Chandler came back with a church planter focus. Although I don't feel called in any way to be a church planter I wanted to hear what the focus would be on. Because my computer was charging I didn't take great notes on these sessions either.

What Driscoll's focus was, was a walk through of what it means to be an elder in the church, and I have to say, I have a lot of work to do before I am comfortable with the calling. I guess everyone says that though so it probably just sounds like lip service, but truly it is not. And...if you know me...you know, sadly, that it is not lip service. That is an idictment on my sin and not on the work of Christ.

Of course the focus was on men being the elders and then he walked through 1 Timothy 3 and just exposited the Scriptures and spoke to the hearts of the men.

Chandler ended up speaking about what it takes to be a missional church. Chandler's message was again, top notch and everyone was blown away. From what it seems, many do not know about Chandler, so I don't think they were expecting much. What is funny, is that this was a specific Acts 29 church planters message and totally optional. Yet, I found the auditorium packed to hear the sermon, because of the truths that he had brought in the morning.

Chandler's main focus was on making sure that we walk in the way that we preach. That instead of being scared and running from sinners, we are to love and run to the sinner with the message of Jesus as the God that came and died for them.

This was classic Chandler, and this message was just like the ones that helped bring me out of fundamentalism and legalism, to a Christ incarnational focus.

One thing that stuck with me is when he was speaking about us in heaven with the new wine. He said,

When you tip your cup to tell of the works on this earth, the more of you that is in this "toast" the less we will sing of the glories of Jesus and therefore the less you will be able to share. But, if it is all about the glory of Christ, then we will all be able to toast together and praise God for the work that He did for His glory. Matt then said, this is a toast that I don't want to miss out on.

Amen!

and

Soli Deo Gloria!

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Matt Chandler: Resurgence Conference 2008

Okay...I know that I am seriously biased towards Chandler since I have been podcasting him over a year now because "Orthy" turned me onto his preaching. But, Matt brought it today. He poured his passion towards the congregation and the Spirit of God was felt. I know that sounds little hokie, but completely true.

The "sermon" was titled, "Preaching the Gospel in the Center of the Evangelical World." I put sermon in quotes because it was more of an admonition and exhortation than biblical exegesis. Chandler's main point was to understand and practice the sufficiency of Scripture.

The main focus being that we need not only preach the "how" of Scripture but also the "why?" He mentioned that it isn't enough to preach how to be content, or how to be committed, but to focus in on also the "why" of these things. The why being focused in on the exaltation and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matt's focus in on this is because of the fundamentalist charge against liberalism was to rebut them through the liberal questioning of the inerrancy and infallibility of the word with a focus in on the word being a combination of a lock. Meaning, if you have an issue, you just needed the right combination of verses to unlock the power contained within it. The outcome was then a bunch of big headed jerks with no hearts. It was, as Matt put it:

All about the head, and not about the heart.

Matt then went on to show the shape of our problem is also found in the enlightenment. Matt pointed out the following:

The poison of the enlightenment was the death of the soul, earth became the new heaven. Rational pragmatics became king. Numerically in size was a bigger importance instead of the number of transformation of lives.

Then he pointed out that the sixties brought about sermons that, because of the frustration with institutions and progress, were more contemporary relaxed models of worship and really religion with light fair.

The best part of the entire message is when Chandler told everyone to allow God to bring about your calling and stop trying to be the next Driscoll, or the next Piper, or the next...whomever...

He said, and I quote,

The Holy Spirit uses Driscoll in a lot of ways. Driscoll can tell you that you are stupid on a Sunday morning and everyone will say, "yes I am, how can I be saved?" But, if you try and be Mark, instead of who God has called you to be, you are going to look like a bunch of jackasses!

It was on point, and drew a lot of "oohs" and "ahhhs" and ultimately seen as truth.

In the end the "sermon" was very well done. It was on point and the ultimate understanding that I came to, was that the gospel is the truth and it is sufficient for the apostles culture, the reformers culture and even our culture.

Matt really brought it today, and not sure if anyone can live up to his billing.

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Jim Gilmore: Fear and Trembling in the Experience Economy

This morning Jim Gilmore brought his first message to us. Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to hearing Gilmore and his economic outlook of today's culture.

I was pleasantly surprised but still wonder how I am supposed to take it home with me as a church leader. I am hoping that he will uncover this more tomorrow, but I really enjoyed his presentation. It was also interesting to find out that he is a reformed Christian first, and an economist second. He even put the conference in its correct context, by pointing out that it is called, Text and Context, in that order, for a reason.

The focus of Gilmore was to uncover the transgression of the experience economy and then how it is effectively sold. As an example:

Commodities:

Coffee costs 3 to 4 cents a cup

If someone gives you the coffee for you to make: 5 to 10 cents a cup (think Maxwell House)

Then if someone makes you a cup of coffee: 50 cents to $1 (restaurant, Dunkin Dounuts)

If they provide a place for the experience of coffee: 3 to $5 per cup (of course we are speaking of Starbucks here)

Now, I know what you are thinking, but Gilmore strongly asserts that we are not to make the church a business, but we are to take the church (the people) into business and learn to change it. The reason being that the experience economy is ultimately leading us to the transformation economy, which will sell us the thought of becoming perfect. Gilmore stressed, both in presentation and in his book, "Authenticity" that we are not to sell perfect but focus in on the perfection of Christ.

I hope that more will be brought about how to take this to our actual church tomorrow.

Next comes Chandler.

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John Piper: Why I Trust the Scriptures: Resurgence Conference 2008

The night ended with John Piper, but started with Pastor Tim Smith and the worship band Ex Nihilo. That was some of the best worship music that I have heard in a long time. All of the songs were hymns that were redone by the band. I have heard most of these songs through the Phillippians series that Mars Hill went through in 2007, but it was a lot more amazing worshiping live with them.

Not a bad way to end a day of preaching and teaching from the word of God. As Mark Driscoll introduced Dr. Piper, you could see the importance that Dr. Piper has been in his life as Driscoll dropped some tears in his introduction.

Dr. Piper came forward to give us what I felt was an hour and half introduction for his sermons for the rest of the week. Because there is so many questions still unanswered, as it was an introduction, there will be much more meat the rest of the week. This doesn't mean that tonight didn't have meat, but you could tell that tonight wasn't the climax of the week.

Dr. Piper started off this night with the question:

Why do we need to preach on Trusting the Scriptures? Why this really matters.

Dr. Piper gave eight reasons why this needs to be answered when looking at today's culture.

1. Many in our day deny the existence of truth
2. One trait of secularism is the bible is a mixture of truth and error
3. The competing body of holy books are coming increasingly close
(They aren’t far off anymore, but very much accessible to everyone)
4. One trait of liberal Christianity is rejection of inerrancy of Scripture and finding a canon within the canon

The NT is not the basis of the unity of the church, but, it is the basis of the disunity of the church. Multiple theologies in it and you need to figure out which one to follow

5. In every generation there are new creative attacks on the trustworthiness of the Bible.
6. If it is true, the message of the bible is the only message of eternal life
7. Building our lives on sacrificial service when it is all a mistake it is all pitiful
8.The bible makes claims of inspirational authority and inerrancy

Dr. Piper then came with two assumptions for us:

1.In asking the question, Why do I trust the scriptures?, I am agreeing that there should be a, “why’? cf. 1 John 4:1; Acts 17; 1 John 5:13; Acts 1:3

2. God is not honored by leaps in the dark

Dr. Piper then ended with his five steps he takes into a warranted solid confidence into the word of God. Again, I stress, as he stressed, this was Dr. Piper's steps not necessarily what everyone should follow.

1. I met Jesus in the gospel and his self authenticating glory has won my affections, and I could not turn away

2.Turn to the apostle Paul as a contemporary witness to Jesus who more than any others lets us see his own soul and his own ministry

3.I go to the gospels…I say Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell me about the Jesus I now believe in. Show me the story. Show me this man. As they show…he is the same as those found in steps 1 and 2. These also show Jesus' affirmation of those in the Old Testament speaking the word of God. cf. Mark 12:36 (David is speaking in the Spirit); Matthew 19:4 (Moses is talking, even though Jesus says, God said)

4. Westminster Larger Catechism:

How do we know that the Scriptures are the word of God?

- the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God cf. John 7:16-18; John 5:41-44

The thrust of the Bible is that you don’t get the glory, God gets the glory!

- but the Spirit of God bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man, is alone able fully to persuade it that they are the very Word of God.

Calvin on the Testimonium Internum Spiritus Sancti - How can we know the authority of Scripture? Calvin believed that “Scripture exhibits fully as clear evidence of its own truth as white and black things do of their color or sweet and bitter things of their taste” (I, 7.2). The persuasion that God is the author of Scripture was established in us by the internal testimony of the Spirit. The Word of God does not derive its authority from the Church, but the reverse. The authority of the Word arises from the testimony it receives from the inner work of the Spirit in the regenerate mind:

J.I. Packer on Calvin

“The testimony of the Spirit is more excellent than all reason. For as God alone is a fit witness of himself in his Word, so also the Word will not find acceptance in men’s hearts before it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit” (I, 7.4).

John Calvin

Overall, this was a great first day of the conference. Dr. Piper's introduction, although long, was well worth the length for him to set the precedence of the conference. Of the three that we heard today, I would definitely have to say that I enjoyed Mahaney's and Driscoll's messages more, but that is just because they were able to finish their thoughts, and Dr. Piper is still yet to be determined. This isn't to say that Dr. Piper's message wasn't well done, for I believe it was. I just feel as though there was a lot of ground that he was covering and a lot of foundation was being laid. I look forward to see how this sermon works its way out in the next couple of days.

Until tomorrow.

Soli Deo Gloria

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And it begins...Resurgence Conference 2008

The conference started off with a bang. Seriously. It was started off with an urban hip hop mission organization with some live performances of some of their songs that they have written and performed for the sake of witnessing for the cross of Christ. It was funny to watch a bunch of white dudes clap awkwardly at first and almost looking around to see if it was okay for them to enjoy young black guys worshiping the Lord in a way they might have called heresy in the past. But, then, it just clicked. The words were coming forth, the Spirit led, and the awkwardness went away as everyone saw that these men of God were bringing a message of repentance for the glory of Christ. It was seriously...amazing.

After that, Pastor Mark got up to bring the message laid on his heart. It was supposed to be a message on Incarnational Ministry, but he admitted that he changed it this weekend as he was studying. The topic was right on and hit with power. This message was entitled, "Putting Pastors in Their Place." The idea of the message was making sure that the pastors understand that preaching is for today and relevant, even though others, specifically in the emergent postmodern movement, would deny this fact.

Mark went on to show this fact from Genesis to Revelation. His main resting spot was in Acts where he went through all the circumstances that faced the church and its people and the one congruent thought was that the message must be preached. After convincing everyone from the Word of God that preaching must take place he made sure everyone understood the calling of what it is to be a church. Driscoll laid out some distinctives of a church:

1. Christ is high and exalted
2. Qualified male elders
3. Preaching of the word, rightly divided (word is heard)
4. Sacraments rightly given (word is seen)
5. Church discipline rightly enacted (word is protected and guarded)

One of the things that really stuck out with me is this statement:

We live in a day when authority is really the issue, and there are two things that are consistantly taken out of the postmodern "churches":
Preaching and its authority
Discipline and its authority

All in all...Mark brought it and it was seen throughout the faces of the audience.

Now C.J. Mahaney's turn



C.J. came to bring a message entitled, "Pastoral Character & Loving People", focusing on 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. This message was very much needed by yours truly.

It was a three part message broken down into:

1. Seeing the Call of God in Yourself and Others
2. Paul's Recognition of God's Grace
3. Confidence in God's Faithfulness

I am not going to rehash the entirety of this message but its intent was to first understand the calling of God in your life and to continually remind yourself of it. After you have done so, make sure that you understand that those around you were also called, with just as much sin in their lives, by the grace of God. C.J. said:

Think of the doctrine of Sin as job security

CJ simply asked, "Do you see people as being called by divine initiative or their dificiency/immaturities?" This caused quite the deep breaths by the audience as the statement was felt throughout.

CJ also reminded us that,

Progressive sanctification is gradual and not a moment, it is not sudden, it is gradual." and "Don’t correct anyone you don’t have faith for or affection toward. Remind yourself that they are the object of divine initiative and that God has started in them a good work. You will find fresh faith in them and for them. For the Corinthians, correction is coming but first divine understanding of their call is the start for Paul towards the Corinthians.

CJ continued to show that Paul looked for the grace FIRST in those around him so that he could then come to them with a humble attitude of correction.

CJ remarked, "Only the humble can notice the presence of Grace in others."

As he moved to the pastors of the group he made sure that we were in an understanding of what we must do to keep a right perspective.

When you think of the pastors, the church, your children, your wife…what do you feel coming on? Evidences of grace, or areas in need of adjustment and growth? Your evaluation of your church must start with the evidences of grace in your church. Do you perceive where and how God is at work? This understanding will protect you from being discouraged.

He then added,

"Sadly, We are more aware of sin instead of grace, we are more aware of sorrow instead of joy. Draw attention to the evidences of Grace because, GOD IS AT WORK!"

This, so far as been very good and we haven't even heard from Piper yet. I hope that the God honoring word continues to be the focus, which I can't imagine it wouldn't be, for the groundwork has been laid.

Soli Deo Gloria!

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Resurgence Conference Check In

So, I wanted to give you an idea of what things look like around the church and the start of the Resurgence Conference. Because Mars Hill wants to be kind to its neighbors they have made sure that everyone parked away from the church so that businesses weren't affected by a huge stream of cars not using their services. For those of us around the Seattle area we were asked to park at Seattle Center and then we were shuttled in. Mind you, these aren't normal Chevy 15 passenger vans taking us to the church, but were remodeled Seattle Metro buses with tall the "stankonia" taken out of them. We went and picked up a group at the local Holiday Inn and it was funny to hear one of the guys say that he didn't get the memo on the dress code. He was way overdressed, by just having a collared polo and corduroy pants. Most of us were sporting our cargos or jeans and t-shirts. I failed to mention to him that you must also have a minimum of 3 tattoos to be admitted as well.

Like last year, when I arrived we were greeted friendly by those at the registration table and given some SWAG. In our bag this year was Pastor Driscoll's new book, Vingtage Jesus and also John Piper's new book, The Future of Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright. Of course I already own and have read Vintage Jesus, so someone will get a free book from me as an early Christmas present. As far as Piper's book, I was just reading some stuff online about it and so I was excited to see that I got it for "free" instead.

I arrived really early, so to get a good seat and have had the opportunity to take some pics on my iPhone. I hope you enjoy as I know that I will. I also found out that you can watch the conference online as well.

Here are some pics:

:::Shuttles from Seattle Center Parking lot:::

:::Front of Church:::

:::Foyer of Church, Check In:::

:::Internet Cafe:::

:::View from Back of Church "Sanctuary":::

:::Dr. Steven Crain speaking with people:::

:::Driscoll doing a sound check:::

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The Resurgence Conference

So, I know that I have been away for a little bit. It has been very busy around my office and also getting things kicked off for the new year at my church. I apologize for this and I will get back to the debate soon. I will make sure I email Turretinfan to let him know what is going on so that we can pick back up when I get a chance.

What I also wanted to do is give everyone a heads up that I will be blogging this next week at the National Resurgence Conference: Text & Contenxt. Slated to come and teach are most of the guys that I respect highly around the nation:

John Piper
CJ Mahaney
Matt Chandler
Mark Driscoll

What I plan on doing is some live blogging at the conference to keep everyone in touch. I went to the Resurgence Conference last year with Bruce Ware and was very impressed with Mars Hill's hospitality and can't wait to be with them for three straight days this year. Click below for the schedule of the conference. I will only be there for the Monday thru Wednesday part of the conference being I am not part of the Acts 29 network, nor am I planning on planting a church. Hope you enjoy.

Conference Schedule

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