Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Been listening to some of the messages from the TGC. I am again reminded that the Gospel is moving people from worshipping idols to worshipping God. There are many functional gods in our lives. Stuff from money, to family, to kids, to work, relationships, etc. Tim Keller’s message was hit it right on the head, not only for ministers, but also for people needing the message.
People who hear the sermons are people who struggle and are tempted to worship idols. Things that act as a god but offer nothing in return except sin and misery. Sermons that are faithful to the word and preach the gospel offers hope in the power and work of Jesus Christ.
It is my continued prayer to see men and women come into a relationship with Christ and follow him.
Driscoll’s talk was one of a father to a son. He gave very practical advice for ministers in dealing with people. I think I will benefit in listening to it again.
Related posts:
Introduction to the Gospel Coalition
How to Preach through Adversity
Tags: jesus christ, tgc, the gospel coalition, worshipping god
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Friday, April 17th, 2009
I wrote this to the people in my Sunday School a few years back. It was quite possible after I saw an episode of 24 where terrorists dropped a nuclear bomb on Los Angeles. I was quite horrified to say the least…
Brothers and Sisters in the Lord…
Grace and Peace to you all. The latter part of Romans 12 was very challenging to me. Love. Not referring to a romantic love, but the kind of love that says “I forgive you” in the midst of persecution, injustice, and hate… the kind of love that says “even though you hurt me, I will pray for you and care for your soul…” the kind of love that says “father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing.”
This love refers to a weapon of mass destruction… a weapon to destroy hate and sin… It refers to a weapon that changes the face of your enemy… a weapon that changes the world…
May the God of love and of all hope be with you today. We love you guys and praying for each one of you,
Tags: Add new tag, god of love, grace and peace, romans 12, weapon of mass destruction
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Thursday, April 16th, 2009
Chapter 8 of the Westminster Confession of Faith looks at Jesus Christ as Mediator.
Background in church history. The first two centuries after Christ, the church battled mostly against generalized doctrinal errors like paganism and Gnosticism. Between the third and fourth centuries, the Doctrine of the Trinity came under fire. It was at the Councils of Nicea and Constantinople that the statement of the Church’s faith and creeds concerning the orthodox understanding of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were crystallized.
After that, the big controversy was over the Doctrine of Christ. Between the fifth and seventh century, theologians debated and argued whether Christ was only divine and not human or if he were two persons, one divine and the other human or if he was both divine and human in one person… It was at the council of Chalcedon in AD 451 where the church formulated the true doctrine of Christ’s person. We learn last week that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person without conversion, composition, or confusion.
In this section of the Confession we learn how the human nature of Christ was equipped for his mediatorial work by the power of the Holy Spirit. We also see why he needed to be God to perform this work, that he was invested with authority and ability by God the Father to execute this work.
Why did Jesus have to be Man? Only in being man was Christ qualified to become the second Adam to undo the wrong of the first Adam… Only as a man could he keep to the law perfectly where Adam failed in meeting the condition of the covenant of works. Only as a man could Jesus experience suffering and accomplish the work of salvation.
Why did Jesus have to be God? Because a man could not have endured what the mediator endured. If we look at the Old Testament, Moses, Noah, David… they were all men yet they sinned. They could not perfectly fulfill the law of God and were in need of a savior. A mere man could not satisfy divine justice. A mere man could not endure the wrath of God as Christ did. Only by being both divine and human could Christ as mediator fulfill the requirements of the law of God.
In his human nature, united to the divine nature, the Lord Jesus was set apart and anointed with the Holy Spirit beyond measure, having in him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In him the Father was pleased to have all fullness dwell, so that—being holy, blameless, and undefiled, full of grace and truth—he might be completely equipped to fulfill the office of a mediator and guarantor. He did not take this office to himself but was called to it by his Father, who put all power and judgment into his hand and commanded him to execute it.
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Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
God was pleased, in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son, to be the mediator between God and man. As the mediator, he is the prophet, priest, and king, the Head and Savior of the church, the heir of all things, and the judge of the world. God gave to him, from all eternity, a people to be his seed and to be by him, in time, redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.
This confession considers Christ as mediator. It is out of God’s mere good pleasure and foreknowledge that he chose Jesus to be the mediator between God and man… It is by grace alone that God saves his people through Christ. Because humanity left to themselves would result only in the wrath of God being poured out.
As the mediator Christ fulfills the role of prophet, priest and king. The Old Testament gives us a glimpse of these offices… we saw a succession of prophets (Abraham, Moses, etc.), priests (Melchizedek, Moses, Aaron, etc.) and kings (Saul, David, Solomon, etc.) throughout Old Testament history. As mediator, Christ is our perfect Prophet, our perfect Priest and our perfect King… all fulfilled in one person.
Even today, in this worship service and in our lives, Jesus Christ as prophet reveals God’s will for our salvation through his Word and Spirit; Christ as Priest, has offered himself as a sacrifice and has, therefore, satisfied divine justice to reconcile us to God, and continues to pray for every Christian while sitting at the right hand of the Father; and Christ as King actively rules and defends all His people, while restraining and conquering all His enemies.
Tags: jesus christ, mediator, perfect king, perfect prophet, westminster confession of faith
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Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
In the time of the law, this covenant was administered differently than in the time of the gospel. Under the law, it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the passover lamb, and other types and ordinances given to the Jewish people, all of which foreshadowed Christ to come. These were, for that time, sufficient and efficacious, through the work of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in their faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they received complete forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation. This covenant administration is called the old testament.
Throughout redemptive history, the covenant of grace has slowly been revealed. We can read through the bible and see the covenants made with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and others and see that they are the same covenant.
Through the various administrations there “appears” to be different covenants, but upon closer inspection, we can see that it is the unfolding of God’s revelation throughout history.
In the Old Testament, we see the Jewish people sacrificing animals, circumcision, and many other things that are stopped after Christ came. The error in thought is to believe that God used entirely different principles in saving mankind in different time periods.
But if you look closer, all the requirements in the law of Moses, the promises in the Psalms, the prophecies… they all pointed to Christ. They all foreshadowed the coming of the Lord Jesus and in this there is a unity between old and new testaments… there is a unity in the covenant of grace that spans all of redemptive history after the fall of Adam.
As we read today’s confession, let us with thanksgiving, acknowledge the unity of the covenant of grace that has fully been revealed and wholly accomplished through the person of Jesus Christ, our mediator.
Tags: christ our mediator, eternal salvation, person of jesus christ, redemptive history, westminster confession of faith
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