Jesus the Perfect Man

Luke 2:40,52 "And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man."

Jesus was a man who did in all ways grow. Growth, it seems, is generally considered as one who is inferior becoming more superior. For example, one goes to school to grow and develop the mind and to gain knowledge that was not there before. But I would like to point out that growth can be, and perhaps ought to be, looked at as one making ones way forward by pushing aside obstacles. What I mean is that by growing we are not trying to be good or righteous but getting better and becoming more holy and loving and wise and happy. This is how we ought to grow, as a process not a end.

Jesus grew perfectly but He grew none the less. It does not mean that Jesus was morally imperfect and needed to grow to perfection. Think of the "perfect" love that a newly married couple shares together. Would anyone deny the beauty and joy of such a relationship? But as they grow together they learn to reach new depths of love, commitment, communication, and intimacy that they did not know were possible on their wedding day. Was their "wedding day" love imperfect? No, not at all. Why? Because we grow as we respond to new experiences and new reasons and ways of expressing ourselves.

This is the sense in which Jesus, and we as His brethren now, grow in grace. I trust that you are growing. It is difficult and often humbling but know this: "Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Humility

I love the Philips paraphrase of the passage I am to preach on this Lord's Day.

Matthew 18:1-6 It was at this time that the disciples came to Jesus with the question, "Who is really greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?" Jesus called a little child to his side and set him on his feet in the middle of them all. "Believe me," he said, "unless you change your whole outlook and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. It is the man who can be as humble as this little child who is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. "Anyone who welcomes one child like this for my sake is welcoming me. But if anyone leads astray one of these little children who believe in me he would be better off thrown into the depths of the sea with a mill-stone hung round his neck!"

Children are such a good illustration of true Christianity. They are generally devoid of ambition (apart from learning some new talent), pride (two words: eating habits), are teachable (they want to be like their parents), live in delight of what is around them (just give them some mud), they trust in ways that are sometimes scary (ever had a kid say "catch me" and then jump when you were not ready?), they believe what they are told (I am guilty of using this to my advantage and here repent). In short, children are humble.

Humility has become a forgotten virtue in some believers lives. Has it in you? The disciples of Jesus' day did not get it and, sometimes, we do not either. So pray with me today, "Lord, strengthen me in my weakness and, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, help me as I humble myself in the light of Your Word, for Jesus' name sake, Amen."

On A Difficult Passage

"When we are puzzled by scripture's difficulties, we must apply ourselves to Christ by prayer for His Spirit to open our understanding and lead us into all truth." Matthew Henry

Remember the word of Jesus "Ask and it shall be given to you." His word is not a book of secret sayings. God intends us to know Him. Knowledge of Him comes through this word. So when you are struggling with a difficult part of the Bible pray through it, about it, and think on it. The Lord will bring understanding and you will know Him better and love Him more!

Regeneration

"When a man is converted to God, it is done in a moment. Regeneration is an instantaneous work. Conversion to God, the fruit of regeneration, occupies all our life, but regeneration itself is effected in an instant. A man hates God-- the Holy Spirit makes him love God. A man is opposed to Christ, he hates his gospel, does not understand it and will not receive it-- the Holy Spirit comes, puts light into his darkened understanding, takes the chain from his bondaged will, gives liberty to his conscience, gives life to his dead soul, so that the voice of conscience is heard, and the man becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus.And all this is done, mark you, by the instantaneous supernatural influence of God the Holy Spirit working as he wills among the sons of men."
From C.H. Spurgeon's, "THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"

The Straw Man

I am disappointed with the characterization and outright misrepresentation of Reformed theology (yes, Calvinism) that people who should know better offer up. We all have presuppositions (traditions) and those who claim to have none are the most enslaved to theirs. That is the only reason, I can think of, for men who ought to know better to misrepresent other believers. Well no, I can think of another. Perhaps it is just outright ignorance of what is being taught or said in other traditions. When you think that you have a corner on the truth why would you study what someone else believes to accurately represent them? Instead what is offered up is a dogmatic rejection of a position that I do not even recognize as my own, and yet is attributed to me.

Let me be a little more clear. When someone says that they "reject the 5 points of Calvinism" they ought to be able to explain what it is exactly they are rejecting. Instead what is offered, often times, is a straw man. A straw man is a weak or incorrect argument offered in place of the proper argument because it is easier to defeat. Once the straw man argument is defeated it is offered that the proper argument is defeated. The old switch-a-roo. This at best is ignorance and at worse underhanded. Either way it is shameful for a Christian (especially a minister) to behave in such a way. But careful study and accurate representation is difficult, not as emotionally tantalizing, nor is it as appealing to the crowd or ones own pride as is setting up a straw man and then knocking it down and claiming victory. Sad. Truly sad.

The quoteable Calvin

We celebrate the Advent season at Sovereign Joy. This is something that I had not done in previous churches that I have attended. Hopefully this will become a rich tradition in our church that we all look forward to with great expectation and joy.

Well as I am preparing to preach on Jesus as our Priest I find myself reading Calvin. He had been the first (I believe) to articulate the Prophet, Priest, King distinction of Jesus' ministry for us. So naturally I would look to him for some insight. Here is just one of many quotes that I could give on this subject. May your faith be strengthened by these words.

"It was no ordinary example of incomparable love toward us to struggle with dire terrors, and amid fearful tortures to cast away all care of himself that he might provide for us. We must bear in mind, that Christ could not duly propitiate God without renouncing his own feelings, and subjecting himself entirely to his Father's will. ..Thus, as trembling consciences find no rest without sacrifice and ablution by which sins are expiated, we are properly directed tither, the source of our life being placed in the death of Christ...Our acquittal is in this-that the guilt which made us liable to punishment was transferred to the head of the Son of God. We must specially remember this substitution in order that we may not be all our lives in trepidation and anxiety, as if the just vengeance, which the Son of God transferred to himself, were still impending over us." Book 2 Chapter 16

Oops is's been a while.

Wow!! I have not posted since October. Well shame on me. There is no excuse except busyness, but that does not always suffice. But it will today. So on with the post.

I have a great quote to post. I have been doing a "guess the quote" thread on my facebook page but you will not guess this quote so I will give you the name of the author. Actually it is the same man as my last post, Peter White. His book "The Effective Pastor" is excellent. A ministry resource that ought to become a classic.

"This is what we aim to achieve in public worship: a people bowed in heart and spirit, in homage, adoration, love and fealty, before God in His glory. When God is being genuinely accorded the weight and worthiness that are His by His people, there is true worship."

That should suck the wind out of many a sail in the modern, and let's be fair, post-modern churches today. Is that what you expect when you gather together with the saints in a Sunday to worship? Most go to sing a few happy-clappy "love songs" to Jesus and then hope to get something out of the sermon. True worship does not exist in many a gathered body of believers, to the shame and added weakness of the church. We need a awakening of the majesty, justice, holiness, glory, grandeur, weight, mouth stopping awesomeness of God almighty.

So my prayer for myself and Sovereign Joy is that we would experience such an awakening by the moving of the Holy Spirit that we would come prepared to offer true worship to God when we gather together. For His glory and His great namesake.

On Preaching

"Preaching the whole Christ from the whole Bible to make us whole people."
Peter White

Perhaps the single best sentence I have ever read on preaching.

Law and Gospel

I have been drawn to the topic of law and gospel lately. Growing up spiritually I was never instructed on the proper relationship between these two. Trying make sense of them with out completely separating them has been quite difficult. So I have been reading on this subject lately. To find out that these two are not opposed to each other but in fact quite complementary to each other has been a joy.

Bryan Gumpy and I have been reading a book together on this very subject. Michael Horton's "The Law of Perfect Freedom" has been a refreshing read thus far. Here is how he defines law and gospel.

“Law” does not equal “Old Testament”, while “grace” or “gospel” equals the New Testament. “Law” refers to any command, from Genesis to Revelation. “Gospel” refers to any place in either testament where the promise of salvation by grace alone through faith alone is found. The law tells us what we ought to do, and this leads us to despair of meeting God’s standard. Then the gospel tells us what God has done for us already in Christ, meeting the standard as our substitute and taking our punishment on Himself so that we could be regarded as righteous.

This is so helpful in understanding the way that the Testaments should be read and understood. Like the belief that God has always had one covenant people called the Elect (not separating Israel and the Church) brings unity between the to testaments so does this understanding of law and gospel. The Bible is a unified unified revelation of God. Any theology that amputates the Old from the New Testament is a deficient theology. I love the unity that is found in God's Word. The more I look the more I see it everywhere.

Acceptable to God Through Keeping the Law?

"When it comes to being accepted by God, observing the law is completely ruled out. Here Paul makes an absolute distinction between salvation by works of the law and salvation by faith in Christ. Law-keeping cannot justify anyone.

Not that there is anything wrong with the law itself, which comes from the righteous character of God. As Paul said to the Romans, "the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good" (Rom. 7:12) The problem with the law is our lawlessness! The reason we cannot be justified by the law is that we cannot keep it. Even if we could keep God's commandments outwardly, we break them inwardly. "No human deeds, however well motivated and sincerely performed, can ever achieve the kind of standing before God that results in the verdict of justification."

...we are acceptable to God - not by keeping the law ourselves, but by trusting in the only man who ever did keep it, Jesus Christ. The doctrine of justification can be stated in these general terms: we get right with God not by observing the law, but only by trusting in his Son...

This principle, that justification cannot come by works, is what distinguishes Christianity from other religions. Other religions try to achieve ultimate bliss by scaling God's throne through human effort, but the Bible says we cannot get to God this way. In fact, Martin Luther explained that if we try to merit grace by our works, we are simply "trying to placate God with sins." Luther meant that even our best works are tainted by evil motives. Paul had learned this universal principle from the Old Testament, for he is virtually quoting one of the psalms of David: "Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you." (Ps. 143:2). Or, as Paul translates it, "By works of the law no one will be justified" (Gal. 2:16). Total depravity extends to all humanity.

Becoming a Christian, therefore, means admitting that you cannot be saved by the good things that you do. The Galations were tempted to gain favor with God by getting circumcised. This is no longer a temptation for most Christians, but many other things are. Going to church, reading the Bible, taking communion, giving to charity - these things will never get us into heaven. Not even becoming a martyr for the cause of Christ will qualify.

There is no way to be made right with God except through faith in Christ. In Luther's words, "Now the true meaning of Christianity is this: that a man first acknowledge, through the Law, that he is a sinner, for whom it is impossible to perform any good work.... If you want to be saved, your salvation does not come by works; but God has sent His only Son into the world that we might live through Him. He was crucified and died for you and bore your sins in His own body."

- Philip Graham Ryken "Galatians: Reformed Expository Commentary (p.63-65)