Mike Abendroth's Blog

A.W. Pink plainly describes God’s decree as “His purpose or determination with respect to future things.” The Westminster Shorter Catechism is slightly more expansive saying; “The decrees of God are His eternal purpose according to the counsel of His will, whereby, for His own glory, He hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.” 

The most incredible aspect of the noun decree in the “decree of God,” is its grammatical number. The Bible proclaims that the divine King has one, and only one, decree. In God’s supreme mind, there are no plan Bs, no if/thens, and no what-ifs. God has no flow chart tracing human history that contains lines and arrows pointing in lots of crazy, different directions. More than that, He certainly does not have a plan that is need of an eraser so that He can make changes to His edict when the unexpected happens. God never needs any Wite-Out®! If God were a chess player strategizing against human history, He would never hear check (or checkmate for that matter) from humanity. Succession of thought is too human for God.

For those who travel on the sea, venture off for moon exploration, climb Mount Everest, they must have contingency plans in case of unexpected emergencies. Not so with God. God’s decree is fixed, eternal, unchanging, and singular; therefore, nothing can arise that God does not ordain and know. God’s plan cannot get better because it is already the wisest it could be, and it stems from a perfect God who has the perfect mind. When was the last time you made plans at work or for a vacation and then changed them due to some unforeseen circumstance? 

Human kings and their decision-making processes are the polar opposite of the infinite plan of God. Even the phrase decision-making process should not be used when describing the mind of God.  There is no need for processing, sorting, or evaluating. Notice the singular nouns referring to God’s plan or purpose in God’s Word (emphasis added):

Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. (Eph. 1:11)

This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Eph. 3:11)

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28)

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, “My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” (Isa. 46:10)

Could there be a greater comfort than know the God of the universe is sovereign? When divine sovereignty is combined with the eternal love of God, the result should be human trust and praise. 

One of the Scripture references that my spiritual father Carl Vargo used to regularly sign off his letters to me with was the following.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

2 Peter 3:18

As my spiritual father he was always concerned about my continued spiritual growth and my spiritual well-being and health. He always demonstrated his love and care for me.

From these last words that Peter penned(2 Peter 1:13-15), we can learn five foundational truths about spiritual growth.

1. You cannot grow spiritually if you are led astray by false teachers.

This is seen from the very first word, the contrasting connective term”but”. Peter had just warned his readers that they should take caution and guard themselves from being “carried away with the error of lawless people.”(2 Peter 3:17) Peter echoes the same passionate plea of the apostle Paul.

“so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Ephesians 4:14

Peter highlights 3 qualities of these false teachers(2 Peter 3:16). First of all, they are ignorant, ἀμαθεῖς, literally unlearned. They are not true disciples. Furthermore, they are unstable. And if that wasn’t enough, the greatest indictment that Peter lays against them is that they twist and pervert the Scriptures, the very Scriptures that Peter said are more sure than his mountaintop experience of seeing Christ transfigured(2 Peter 1:16-19) and which were never produced by the will of man(2 Peter 1:20-21) Their end is destruction, eternal torment and damnation in hell under the wrath of Almighty God. In His sovereign plan and eternal decree, God has foreordained their destruction.

“And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

2 Peter 2:3(emphasis added)

“But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction,”

2 Peter 2:12(emphasis added)

“These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.”

2 Peter 2:17(emphasis added)

 

2. Spiritual growth is the key to your protection against false teachers.

This is the flip side of the first truth.

“It is the unfailing panacea(solution, remedy) for all spiritual ills.”

H.A. Ironside

3. Spiritual growth is proof of spiritual life!

This is seen from the very next term “grow”. It is an imperative in the present tense, meaning continuous and repeated action in the future. Thus, proper translation would be, “keep on growing”. There was growth already and now Peter is exhorting continued growth. All living things grow.

4. Spiritual growth is a life-long process!

Again, the present tense of the verb reminds us that we are a work in progress because we have not yet arrived. God is not finished with you yet. Now, be careful, that should not be an excuse for sinful behavior, as many use it, but an honest testimony of growth in Christlikeness!

5. You must grow both in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.

To grow in the grace does not mean that any effort on our part to grow is of the flesh. In the immediate context Peter Paul exhorts his readers to be diligent(2 Peter 3:14), literally to exert themselves and to strive. Even in the greater context of this epistle, Peter begins by telling them to “make every effort” no less than seven times(2 Peter 1:5-7)

So what does it mean to grow in grace then? It means first of all to grow in our understanding and appreciation of God’s grace in salvation. Furthermore, it means to rely on Him, and His grace in times of suffering.

“Personally I can be certain I am growing in grace if I have an increasing sense of my own sinfulness and my own unworthiness; if I see more and more the blackness of my own heart.”

-Martin Lloyd-Jones

To grow in the knowledge of the Lord is important as a protection against the error of false teachers.

Now why is it important to grow in both the grace and knowledge of the Lord? If you only grow in grace and not in knowledge, it is easy to be led astray by false teachers. On the other hand, if you grow in knowledge but not in grace, you can succumb to pride and become arrogant.

“When you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you will be sure to grow in humility.”

-Spurgeon

 

 

 

 

 

As we come to the Lord’s table, who should partake in communion? The Bible gives 2 stipulations. The answer…wait for it…only those who are first reconciled to God(believers) and also reconciled to others. But we need to answer from the Bible “Why?” As NoCo listeners and readers I am sure this question had already crossed your mind.

The Lord’s table is only for genuine believers.Why?

1) Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”(Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) When the Lord spoke these words, He clearly didn’t have in mind unbelievers. Communion is an ordinance for believers to remember who Jesus is and what He did, specifically His substitutionary atonement on the cross. Only a true believer should partake of communion because it is a memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ. There is personal meaning and significance for the believer. For the believer the cross is the power of God but for the unbeliever it is folly(1 Corinthians 1:18). The cross to the believer is something he boasts in(Galatians 6:14), but to the unbeliever it is an offense(Galatians 5:11).

2) Jesus said, “for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”(Matthew 26:28) For the forgiveness of sins. Only believers have their sins forgiven because of blood of Christ(Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:22)

The 2nd stipulation Scripture gives is that the Lord’s table should not be taken lightly without first examining oneself.

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”

1 Corinthians 11:27-30

This is a serious matter. So much so that God’s judgement was to put the worst offenders to death(1 Corinthians 11:30). What does it mean to not take communion “in an unworthy manner”. As seasoned pastor John MacArthur writes in his MacArthur study Bible, “in an unworthy manner” means with an unrepentant heart or a spirit of bitterness.

So the believer is to examine himself and make sure there is no unconfessed sin and no relationship that has not been reconciled, that he is not harboring bitterness.

It has been my experience that many pastors don’t administer communion rightly. They don’t explain who it’s for, who SHOULD partake and who should NOT.

Now many will tell you it’s because they want as many as possible to be able to take part in such a beautiful ordinance. That’s fine. But we want to submit to the authority of the Word and so be clear about the stipulations delineated there.

So how should communion be administered? Pastor to pastor allow me to give you some basic guidelines.

First, clarity is of the utmost importance. You can never be too clear. Be very clear that communion does not save. Also be clear that communion is for believers only. So when the elements are passed tell the people that if you’re not trusting in Christ alone for salvation to just pass the elements.

Secondly, know your audience. For instance if your church is in a highly Roman Catholic area, tell them that the elements are simply symbolic and that it is not the actual body and blood of Christ(transubstantiation).

Furthermore, always preach the Gospel, namely the plight of sinful man before a holy and just God and the sufficient work of Christ in His death and resurrection. And preach the response to the Gospel, repentance and faith.

Also in light of 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 tell the believers to examine themselves before taking communion if there is any unconfessed sin or bitterness that is harbored. This is much neglected. The people need to feel the weight of this. I recall a lady once said that she was not going to forgive and yet still continue to partake communion. Those who were her pastoral leaders addressed the bitterness she was harboring, but never addressed the fact that she would not be allowed to partake communion until she reconciled. I mean why would they? They might lose her or even offend her. But those aren’t the real issues. The issue boils down to obedience, namely will I simply do what God tells me to do.

These principles are so important because there is much confusion around the Lord’s table nowadays, even among pastors.

I recall a pastor once saying during communion that anyone who wants to receive the grace of God can. That’s so mystical and unclear it can leave someone confused. What does it mean receive the grace of God? Does it mean that by partaking communion I can get saved? As a pastor you MUST take the time during communion to explain what it is, what it is not, who can take, who can’t.

Then there was someone who once told me that he had no doubt his 5 yr old daughter was a Christian and that they let her take communion, to which I replied that kids are very impressionable and they want to please their parents. So as a pastor it is essential to teach and train the parents you shepherd how they are to shepherd their kids regarding this issue.

No discernment. Everyone seems to be oblivious to it all. But simply because the Lord, the head of His Church, instituted this ordinance, we must administer it biblically, properly and seriously.

Though it’s been 25 years since I graduated seminary(No I’m not that old I’m just that much wiser), I can remember like it was yesterday Prof(Howie Hendricks) telling us that at weddings and funerals to always preach the Gospel. Since then it’s been forever etched in my mind. To me it’s part of being in Gospel ministry. To fathom anything other would be unthinkable. I mean, what else can be more basic than to be able to proclaim the Evangel, the Good News of free and full forgiveness found in Christ alone, especially when you have an audience of people who may not even grace the door of a church building other than on such occasions.

However, to many today, that is a foreign concept. You have to explain why it is important that on such occasions as weddings and funerals the proclamation of the Gospel ought to be part of the ceremony. Many people actually get offended.

I recall a few years ago at a wedding where I gave the charge to the newly married couple. I addressed them from Colossians 3:12-14  about the character qualities they are to put on, one of which is forgiveness. That was my springboard into the Gospel. I talked about the need for forgiveness, highlighting the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. I encouraged the audience to take to heart their need to turn to Christ alone by faith for forgiveness and not to postpone this all important response to the Gospel.

At the reception one lady left her table at one point and came and sat next to me at my table. I could tell from the body language and the facial expression that she was distraught about something. She was offended that I gave the Gospel because in her words the wedding is to be a joyous occasion. I did not apologize to her but rather explained to her that as a minister of the Gospel I am to proclaim the Good News, especially at such opportune times as a wedding.

More recently I was at a funeral where the pastor did a great job teaching the portion of Scripture he chose to encourage the family of the deceased and the believers in the audience concerning the perseverance of the saints knowing that the deceased was a believer who suffered the last few years of life. His text was Revelation 14:13. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” He said that in a hurricane of judgment this is a most strange place for a beatitude and that true believers persevere and this is not a command or a suggestion, but a biblical statement. But He did not preach the Gospel for anyone in the audience who needed to know about salvation in Christ.

I was speaking to someone about this and their response was, “I know faith comes by hearing, but…”.

At a recent wake, I had the privilege of preaching the Gospel. After offering my condolences to the family I spoke from John 11  about the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus alone is the resurrection and the life. I said that God is holy and just to punish sin, and because we are unable to do anything to reconcile ourselves to God, Christ did it on our behalf through His substitutionary death and resurrection. I said that our response is NOT to trust in our morality, or in our religion, or in our baptism, or in our pastor, or in our priest, BUT to trust in Christ alone!

So if you are a pastor who does weddings and funerals, here are some guidelines. Consider this your pastor’s handbook.

As Romans 12:15 delineates, make sure you rejoice with those who rejoice(weddings) and weep with those who weep(funerals). Be pastoral. Show affection. Shepherd them. Both privately and publically.
 Preach the Gospel. By this I do not mean as some may think to play the hymn “Just As I Am” 20 times and have an altar call for people to come forward. What I do mean is present the content of the Gospel and leave the results to God. Here’s a basic format to help you with that.

Who God Is – Holy and Just
Who Man Is – Sinful, Corrupt, Heart is wicked and deceitful(Jeremiah 17:9)
Who Christ Is – Lord, Savior, the God-Man
What Christ Did – lived perfect life; died for sins as a Substitute, rose again
What is Man’s Response – Repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ(Acts 20:21)


If the deceased was a believer, mention that to encourage the family concerning the promise of heaven.
If the deceased was unsaved, do not comment on the state of their soul, but simply address those who are still living, those who need to hear the Gospel.

Weddings and funerals. One a joyous occasion while the other a sad occasion. But both an occasion for being Christ’s ambassador, a herald of the King, to declare the Gospel!

 

If only I had studied more for this test, I would not be failing this class.

If only I had just apologised and asked for forgiveness, I would not be in this strained relationship.

If only I had thought more before I spoke, I would not have turned so many people away.

If only I had learned how to swim as a child, I would not be so scared to go swimming on vacation.

Can you hear yourself saying any one of these or something similar? You’ve done it. You’ve said it. You’ve thought it. We’ve all done it. We’ve all said it. We’ve all thought it. There are a myriad of times when we’ve said, “If only…”. But none of them remotely compares to the greatest “If only…” EVER.

There were 2 sisters and a brother, Martha, Mary and Lazarus. They were dearly loved by the Lord Jesus Christ(John 11:5). Lazarus had died. Jesus was so moved with compassion over the sister’s grief and over the loss of his friend that when He wept the crowds looking on commented how much the Lord loved Lazarus(John 11:35-36).

In the account recorded by the apostle John, there are three responses. And they all happen to be the same. The first response came from Martha.

“Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

John 11:21

Martha knew that the Lord who had healed the sick could heal her brother. This was part and parcel of the Lord’s earthly ministry. At the pool of Bethesda Jesus healed a man who was invalid for thirty-eight years(John 5:1-5). With the simple command from the Lord, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” the man was cured instantly(John 5:8-9). Could not Jesus have done the same with Lazarus? If only!

At another time, an official approached Jesus begging him to come to his sick child BEFORE he dies(John 4:49). With Jesus’ simple reply, “Your son will live.”(John 4:50), the boy was healed. Later on the father realized that it was at that exact time when Jesus spoke those words that his son got better(John 4:52-53). Could not Jesus have done the same with Lazarus? If only!

” And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.”(emphasis added)

Matthew 4:23

Healing every disease and every affliction among the people was Matthew’s way of depicting the ministry of Jesus. Could not Lazarus been one of those that Jesus healed before he died? If only!

“That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.”(emphasis added)

Mark 1:32-34

Could Lazarus not have been one the “many” whom Jesus healed as Mark records? If only!

The second response came from the other sister, Mary, and it echoed the same exact sentiment of Martha’s.

“Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

John 11:32

Like Martha, Mary knew Jesus could heal her brother and that is why she said that if Jesus had been there in time, her brother would not have died. Could not Jesus have been there in time to heal Lazarus before he died? If only!

The third response came from some in the crowd who were observing this real life drama unfold before their very eyes.

“But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

John 11:37

They were referring to the account the apostle John records two chapters earlier about the man who was blind from birth(John 9:1). Their conclusion is simple. If Jesus opened the eyes of the blind man, surely He could have kept Lazarus from dying! If only!

Jesus most definitely could have healed Lazarus and prevented him from dying. Actually, when He found out that Lazarus was sick, He did not immediately go to him, but rather purposely “stayed where He was two more days.”(John 11:6). But why? Jesus said to the disciples it was for their sake that they may believe(John 11:14-15). In His prayer to the Father He said it was that the people who were standing there may believe that the Father sent Him(John 11:42; cf. John 5:24). That is why. And it is consistent with the intent for which the apostle John wrote, namely that you may believe(John 20:31).

Coming to the tomb where Lazarus was for four days, being deeply moved, and having prayed to the Father, Jesus cried out with a loud voice: “Lazarus, come out!”(John 11:43). Or as I like the way the King James Version puts it, “Lazarus, come forth!”(King James Only? Henno to use NoCo language!)

Only God raises the dead!(Acts 26:8; 2 Corinthians 1:9). So rather than healing him before his death, Jesus performed the greater miracle, raising Lazarus from the dead, to show that He was who He claimed to be, namely God incarnate, and that people would believe in Him as such. And to believe in Jesus is NOT to believe in yourself, or in your priest, or in your pastor, or in your religion or in your morality to save you. To believe in Jesus IS to believe in Him and Him alone.

If only? You better believe it. Martha did.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

John 11:25-27

 

 

You are out of town and for Sunday you visit one of the local churches with your family. After all, whether at home or away, you want to be with God’s people for corporate worship.

As you and your family enter the church building, you are greeted in the foyer by a friendly family. They make you feel right at home. As the service begins, without putting you on the spot, you are acknowledged and welcomed as first time visitors.

The music is God honoring and God exalting. No man-centered, seeker-sensitive stuff here. Then the pastor gets up to read the Word. After reading, he prays. In His prayer he praises God for His greatness and then he brings the needs of the congregation before the throne of grace.

By this time you are thinking to yourself, “This is great. Warm. Welcoming. God exalting.” The pastor then preaches from the Bible on the Perseverance of the Saints. His text: 1 Peter 1:5-9.

But then, at the end of the service, things take quite a different turn. The song leader gets up and asks everyone to turn to the last hymn. The congregation starts singing “A Mighty Fortress Is Our Faith.” You look over to your wife in wonder. You are sure that in your home church you sing the classic Martin Luther hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

As the service ends, people around you are congratulating each other that their faith is so strong that they will persevere through any trial. As you greet the pastor, he asks you if your faith is a mighty fortress to withstand any trial.

So is one’s faith the reason that person will persevere? I mean, if someone truly believes, they will never stop believing, right? Is the mighty fortress one’s faith?

The apostle Peter wrote his first epistle to persecuted Christians. The Roman emperor Nero increased the heat of the persecution these Christians were already facing by burning Rome and putting the blame squarely on the Christians. Nero burned Rome including its cultural and religious artifacts so that he could rebuild it for the glory of his majesty and renown of his name. According to Tacitus, the Roman historian, Nero rolled Christians in pitch and then set them on fire while they were still alive and used them as living torches to light his garden parties.

Peter referenced these trials throughout this epistle.(1 Peter 1:6;  2:12-15; 3:9, 14-17; 4:12-16, 19; 5:10). But from the very outset he wanted to encourage them that they would persevere in the faith even through these most trying times. But why?

In 1 Peter 1 :5-9 faith/believe is mentioned 4x. Faith is a gift of God(Ephesians 2:8) “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction is things not seen.”(Hebrews 11:1)

“We cannot be said to believe that which we distrust too much to commit ourselves to it.”

B.B. Warfield

But why will believers persevere? What was the reason Peter gave these downtrodden Christians that they would persevere? 

“who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

1 Peter 1:5

A: God’s power!!!!

The Greek φρουρεο means “fortress.” Like a mighty army unable to penetrate the fortress, so no trial could penetrate the faith of these Christians under severe persecution because of God’s protecting and keeping power.

Jesus specifically prayed this in His high priestly prayer.

“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost ”

John 17:11-12

The Prince of preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, knew of God’s power to guard him and actually was what God used to bring him to faith.

“The doctrine that He would keep the feet of His saints had a charm indeed for me. I must confess that the doctrine of the final preservation of the saints was a bait that my soul could not resist. I thought it was sort of life insurance – an insurance of my character, an insurance of my soul, an insurance of my eternal destiny. I knew that I could not keep myself, but if Christ promised to keep me, then I should be safe for ever; and I longed and prayed to find Christ, because I knew that, if I found Him, He would not give me a temporary and trumpery salvation, such as some preach, but eternal life which could never be lost.”

Charles Spurgeon

At the end of the service you can encourage each other that despite your wavering and weak faith at times, God’s faithful to guard us, protect us and keep us by His power.

With Martin Luther you can therefore unequivocally declare

“A mighty fortress is our God,

a bulwark never failing;

our helper he, amid the flood

of mortal ills prevailing….

…Did we in our own strength confide,

our striving would be losing,”

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

Jude 24-25

 

 

“God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”

That statement is bad evangelism, but good Trinitarianism.

It is bad evangelism because the Gospel does not begin with the love of God but with the wrath of God (Romans 1:16-18). Furthermore it is bad evangelism because the Gospel is not about a wonderful plan for your life but about the lost state and condition of your soul that of necessity requires redemption because you are charged guilty of sin and deserving death.

On the other hand that statement is good Trinitarianism because it highlights the doctrine of the Trinity in a biblical manner. Think of it this way. God the Father loves You the Son and has a wonderful plan for Your life, namely to send You the Son to earth to fulfill His plan of redemption.

The question that is most important is this. Why does the Father love the Son? And to answer that we turn to Christ’s own words in one of the most beloved chapters of the Bible.

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

John 10:17-18

Here Jesus explicitly answers this all important question as to why the Father loves the Son. Because the Son lays down His life that He may take it up again. Laying down His life is language referring to His death on the cross and taking up His life again is language referring to His resurrection. The Father loves the Son because of the Son’s SACRIFICE!!!

And what a sacrifice. But for whom did He die? On whose behalf? The context is clear. In Christ’s own words He laid down His life “for the sheep”(John 10:11, 15) He was their SUBSTITUTE. And He died for the sheep because He is the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep and knows them(John 10:11-14).

Note that Christ did not die as a substitute for the goats. He only died for the sheep. He did not die for all people. At the end of the age when all the nations are gathered before Him, He will separate all as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goat(Matthew 25:31-34, 41). The sheep will enter into the kingdom while the goat will enter into the eternal fire.

So Christ died for the sheep, those, according to Christ’s own words(John 10:27-29)

…who follow Christ

….whom Christ gives eternal life to

…who will never perish

…whom no one will snatch out of the Son’s hand or the Father’s hand

…whom the Father has given to the Son

How did Christ die? Christ died willingly. He said, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” And the reason He died willingly was because He is SOVEREIGN.  He said “I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.”

“So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.”

John 19:10-11

But why did Christ die? Ultimately and first and foremost Christ died to obey the Father. “This charge I have received from my Father.” The term “charge” in the original Greek text literally means “command”. So Christ died in obedience to the Father’s command. This shows His SUBMISSION.

“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

John 4:34

My food. How essential. To Christ it was essential to do the Father’s will, which meant to accomplish the Father’s work.

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

John 5:30

To make it unequivocally clear Christ explicitly states that He does not seek His own will.

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

John 6:38

The purpose Christ came from heaven was to do the Father’s will.

SACRIFICE – why the Father loves the Son

SUBSTITUTE –  for whom did Christ die

SOVEREIGN – how did Christ die

SUBMISSION – why did Christ die

The Father loves the Son because of the Son’s sacrifice as a substitute for the sheep, laying down his life sovereignly and willingly out of submissive obedience to the Father’s will.

Where do you stand? What is your response to these words of Christ? You are in one of two groups.

“There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

John 10:19-21

Who do you day Jesus is? Do you say He is insane and has a demon? Are you a goat for whom God’s righteous judgment awaits in eternal fire or are you one of the sheep who is trusting solely in the Good Shepherd?

 

 

“No creed but the Bible!”

“Deeds not creeds!”

Catchy sayings. Biblical? Partially. The revelation of Holy Writ reveals the inspiration, the inerrancy and therefore the sufficiency of Scripture. The Bible also reveals that we’re not saved by deeds or good works(Ephesians 2:8-9) but nonetheless saved unto good works(Ephesians 2:10). James actually says that the proof or evidence of a living, saving faith is good works(James 2:14-26). Simply stated a said faith is a dead faith. Show me what you believe.

But the thrust of these 2 catchy sayings is to downplay and negate the importance of creeds. The Westminster Confession. The Heidelberg Confession. The Belgic Confession. The Nicene Creed. The 1689 Baptist Confession. Confessional Christianity is that which believes in creeds and confessions. But why? Let me suggest two reasons.

First of all, the creeds and confessions are important because they were forged during times of heretical teaching in church history, thus serving to crystallise theology.

One particular example is Arianism(325). Arius used Hebrews 1: 5-6 to try to prove that the Son was generated from the Father and thus had a beginning; the first being created by God. The Council of Nicea was called to discuss this controversy. The focus was clearly on the 2nd person of the Trinity. The Council concluded that Christ was “of the same substance” as the Father.

“And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made;”

Nicene Creed

To combat the heresy perpetrated by Arius, God raised up a man by the name of Athanasius, who vigorously defended the Deity of Christ.

“The Son is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten.”

Athanasian Creed(4th Century)

Now let me remind you that Arius used Scripture to come to his heretical position. And that is why the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed were so vital in crystallising what Scripture meant by the term “begotten”. Without this crystallised thinking of the creeds, we can be easily tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, a mark of spiritual children, not the spiritually mature.

“until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Ephesians 4:13-14

Secondly, creeds and confessions are important because heretical teaching in church history is cyclical.

Many of the heresies that the early church faced have come around full circle.  One such heresy from the early church was Sabellianism, which in essence denied the Trinity. Today it has come around again through false teachers like T.D. Jakes, who by the way has made inroads into evangelical circles thanks to so called conservative and Reformed pastors like James MacDonald. It is known as modalism because the teaching says that God appears in one of three modes, Father OR Son OR Holy Spirit. So there is a denial of the Triune God as revealed in the Bible.

I recall engaging a modalist in conversation once. I asked him who Jesus was addressing on the cross when He cried out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” or “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” I begged the question further in asking who Jesus was talking to when He prayed for example in the Garden of Gethsemane or in His High priestly prayer recoded in John 17. I said to him that if I believed his modalistic view of God I would naturally conclude that Jesus was schizophrenic. I admit I was in rare NoCo mode that day.

To not be a confessional Christian who reads and studies some of the great creeds and confessions of the Church is to be ignorant of the heresies during which the creeds were forged and is to be susceptible to heresies that attack your spiritual life “by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

 

 

 

A little boy floating down the river while sitting on top of a bear in the middle of the jungle. You guessed it. The little boy is Mowgli and the bear is Baloo from the Disney classic Jungle Book. This was one of my daughters’ favorite scenes as they sang The Bare Necessities of Life.

But what are the bare necessities of…eternal life? In other words, what are the essentials one must believe in order to possess eternal life? To put it yet another way, what are those things that without believing in them one cannot possess eternal life?

1) The Holiness of God

This is the bare essential and where it all must begin. God is unstained by sin. He is perfectly righteous and perfectly pure. There is not a drop of corruption in Him. All of who He is as expressed in all His attributes and all of what He does as expressed in all His works is completely upright.

2) The Sinfulness of Man

Sin taints the whole of man. The depravity of man due to sin is not partial, but total. The corruption of man due to sin is not mild, but radical.(Jeremiah 13:23; 17:9) The depravity is so total and the corruption so radical that “Therefore they could not believe.”(John 12:39, emphasis added) One must personally believe that they have sinned(Romans 3:23) against a thrice holy God and are deserving of God’s justice expressed by His wrath now and ultimately I hell(John 3 :36; Romans 1:18; Romans 6:23).

“If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—”

1 Kings 8:46

“The soul who sins shall die.”

Ezekiel 18:20

3) The Deity of Christ

The person of Jesus Christ is so fascinating that it’s like looking at a diamond from all it’s angles. The synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke each portray a particular facet of the person of Christ. Matthew focuses in the Royalty of Jesus, presenting him as the King. Mark focuses on the Ministry of Jesus, presenting Him as the Servant. And Mark focuses on the Humanity of Jesus, presenting Him as Man.

John however focuses on the Deity of Jesus, presenting Him as God. And John explicitly states in his purpose statement that in order to have life one must believe that Jesus is God.

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

John 20:30-31

One can see this throughout the gospel of John. The people of His day wanted to stone Jesus because they understood Jesus’ claim to deity.

“This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”

John 5:18

“I and the Father are one.”

The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

John 10:30-33

After all, if Jesus was not God, He would not be able to grant eternal life since he would not have been raised from the dead. And if He wasn’t God, He would not be sinless and therefore unable to save sinners.

“For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”

Hebrews 7:26

4) The Humanity of Christ

In order to be able to offer eternal life to sinful humans, Jesus Himself had to cloak Himself with humanity, as their representative.

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 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.”

Hebrews 2:14-17(emphasis added)

One of the heresies that the apostle John addressed was a denial of the humanity of Jesus Christ. This was the heresy of Gnosticism. The Gnostics believed that spirit was good and flesh was evil. Thus they denied that Jesus could take on human flesh because He could not be tainted by evil. John said to deny the humanity of Christ is not of God.

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.”

1 John 4:2-3(emphasis added)

5) The Exclusivity of Christ

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus,

1 Timothy 2:5

6) The Substitutionary Death of Christ

There are 2 small Greek words, υπερ and αντί, that are the basis of the substitutionary death of Christ. (Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 3:18) In the place of, in the stead of, Christ died as a substitute, as a sin bearer(Isaiah 53:12), as a wrath bearer.

7) The Resurrection of Christ

The apostle Paul makes it unequivocally clear that one of the bare necessities of eternal life is to believe in the resurrection of Christ.

“if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9(emphasis added)

8) Justification by Faith

Justification is a legal declaration by God that a person is righteous. God justifies the ungodly(Romans 4:5). And He justifies by crediting or imputing the perfect righteousness of Christ(2 Corinthians 5:21). And this justification is by faith in Christ…ALONE.(Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16).

“and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith”

Philippians 3:9

 

 

Why does the church gather? What is the purpose of our meeting Sunday? Is it just to get a spiritual shot  in the arm to get me through the week? Is it to have a social outlet that is at least spiritual? Is it to hear a biblical sermon? After all, isn’t that what we pay the pastor for?

In one word, the reason the saints assemble on the Lord’s day is….WORSHIP!!!!! “Wait a minute” you are thinking to yourself. “Don’t we gather to hear the exposition of God’s Word? Why only worship? I mean, I love singing the great hymns of the faith, but I also want to hear the Word of God preached.”

Let me say to you that you do not have a right understanding of worship if you think that worship simply means singing as distinguished from the Word.

Worship is for God. It is God-centered because it has to do with giving God the laud, honor, praise, adoration, exaltation and thanksgiving that He alone deserves. Worship is about the Church gathering to exalt the name of her Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, if the worship of God is why the church gathers, then gathering on Sunday is not about you. It’s about Him. After all, God said…

“I am the Lord; that is my name;

my glory I give to no other,”

Isaiah 42:8

So, all that takes place during a Sunday morning worship(that is a clue) service is a form of worship. Singing is worship. But not that alone. Preaching  and hearing His Word is worship because in doing so His Word shows forth the majesty and glories of the One we worship so that our singing does not become a mindless, emotional excitement stirred by smoke, drums and a light show(i.e. Hillsong), but a deeply heartfelt passion for the one whose divine attributes and divine workings of salvation we’ve come to know and understand.

“Our people can only rise to heights in worship proportional to the depths to which we have taken them into the profound depths of the Word. There is no way they can have lofty thoughts of God unless we have plunged them into the depths of God’s self-revelation. By the way, true worship is not something that can be simulated artificially. A bigger, louder band and more sentimental music might do more to stir people’s emotions, but that is not genuine worship. True worship is a response from the heart to God’s truth(John 4:23). You can actually worship without music if you have seen the glories and the depth of what the Bible teaches.”

John MacArthur, Preaching(Introduction pgs. xv-xvi)

Furthermore, the Scripture reading and the pastoral prayer are also worship. Though part of the pastoral prayer may include bringing the needs of the Body before the throne of grace, it is to give God the praise by praying through that particular portion of Scripture just read. And no less our giving of our financial offering is also a means of our worship and should be seen in no other way.

You may be thinking of yet another objection. “What about evangelism? Isn’t that why the Lord has left us behind? After all, there won’t be any evangelism going on in heaven, but there will be worship.” Indeed we are to bring the Gospel to every person. But the church gathers to worship, not to evangelise. Granted, there may be encouragement and equipping for evangelism through the instruction of the Word and the pastor-teacher may even preach the Gospel and implore people to respond in faith and repentance. But the order of service for the worship service Sunday is geared toward the saints, those who have trusted in Christ alone for salvation. It is not geared toward sinners, unbelievers who are trusting in something other than Christ to save them, such as their own self-righteousness or morality.

Which brings me to another point of contention and misunderstanding amongst many today concerning worship. An unbeliever can come to a Sunday morning service and sing along the great hymns of the faith, but they cannot worship because they are unregenerate and therefore don’t know the God we’re singing about. An unbeliever may come to hear the Word of God, but they cannot worship through the hearing of the Word of God unless and until such a time when the Spirit of God takes the seed of the Word of God to cause that person to be born again.

“These first gatherings of the church were designed primarily for edifying believers, not for evangelizing unbelievers. Of course, they were reaching out to the unsaved, for ‘the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.’(Acts 2:47) But this ‘evangelism explosion’ was the result of their teaching, not the stated purpose of it. They gathered for edification; they scattered for evangelism. The primary focus of their corporate worship gatherings was for building up the believers, not for reaching seekers. When this priority becomes reversed and the church meets primarily to save the lost, the apostles’ teaching soon becomes compromised and diluted.”

Steve Lawson, Famine in the Land

So the church gathers to worship. You, like every other person in this planet, is a worshipper. The question is who or what do you worship? Fame? Glory? Money? Self-satisfaction? Your heart is an idol making factory. There is only one true God(John 17:3). Do you know Him? If you don’t, you do not possess eternal life(1 John 5:20). Won’t you come to Him(John 6:37-40) and together with the church worship the One who will not give His glory to another?