Summary of Love

1 Peter 1:22 "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart"

It has been several weeks since my last post, and I must confess that with the addition of seminary work this year it is not as easy to maintain a blog. Nevertheless I hope and aim to post two articles this week to follow up on recent sermons preached at Grace and Truth. First of all let me say that camping out in 1 Corinthians 13 has been extremely helpful to me on a personal level and I trust it was beneficial to all those who sat under the preaching. For anyone interested in further reading on 1 Cor. 13, I would recommend Jonathan Edwards timeless work- (which I referred to quite a bit)  Charity and Its Fruits. I am sure in your expanded reading you will be truly edified.

As for my summary, I want to bring the last few sermons regarding loves character and remind everyone that love is the most excellent way for Christians to live. We are commanded to pursue love and make it our lifestyle. After examining all the traits of love in 1 Corinthians 13 we find out that it is all contrary to human nature and very much contrary to our social standards of the day. By nature we are selfish, rude, inconsiderate, and proud. Furthermore we are taught by our society that such characteristics are actually virtues. But this love is not a love of this world but a love of divine origin. It is the love of God. And we as Christians are called to "to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires" Eph. 4:22  and instead "put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Eph. 4:24. Part of putting on the new self means living as Christ lived, namely manifesting the love of the Father to a lost and degenerate world. As imitators of Christ we glorify him most when we live a life that reflects Christ's love. Sadly in many reformed circles we have moved away from any notion of love as a knee jerk reaction to the over-emphasis of love in many non-reformed circles. However such an approach can lead us to be sadly labeled "the frozen chosen" and in the worst case actually put us in disobedience to God's word and poorly reflecting the image of Christ. This means we must put love into action. It is not merely enough to talk about how we can be more loving to others, nor are we to wait to feel it, because we learned already...love is an action. Therefore, what are some practical ways we can demonstrate our love for others that will both reflect the image of Christ, and prove our obedience to the word?

1 John 4:18 "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

I am interested to hear from others how the sermon series on Christian love has personally convicted you and what new ways you have applied this to your life.

Love Does Not Boast

After preaching this last sermon, I have been thinking about how many times I have boasted or bragged to others and how many times others have bragged to me. Bragging rights seems to be something we cherish in our human nature and comes very easily to us, however in God's estimation a braggart is nothing more than a "bag of wind". The Corinthians were nothing more than spiritual show offs and it proved they lacked love. The same can be said of many Christians today.  I have found that there are several areas where we can caught up in bragging in thinking we are being spiritual when in reality, we are indirectly demeaning others. For example:

As a pastor it is easy to brag about how many people came out to your service and how many people you were able to get to come out to a special event. But in the process of doing so especially in the company of other pastors, we may indirectly demean that person and make them feel inferior to us.
Such is not Christian love.

Or sometimes we may be attending a church that we really are blessed by and brag about our pastor or church to other Christins as if any other pastor or church was inferior and second rate compared to our church. Now while it may be true that you are blessed by the ministry in your church, wisdom would seek to be careful in how we couch our words lest we directly or indirectly make others feel like second rate Christins.

Then we can easily deceive ourselves by practicing our religion with ostentation to attract the praise and glory of men- just like the Pharisees did. Jesus made no qualms about condemning them for thier overt display of religion to elevate their egos above everyone else.


Matt. 7:5 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

We are good at covering up our failures and equally good at blowing the trumpet at our success. But God's word tells us that Love doe snot boast. And if we do not have love, than all our religion and spirituality is utterly worthless (1 Cor. 13:1-4) We can brag in just about anything. We can brag about our jobs, our children, our health etc. But bragging only reveals 2 things. First a denial of God's grace in providing all of our needs according to his riches an glory. Anything we have is a gift from his hand and so the only thing we should boast in is our knowledge of him (Jer. 9:23-24) Second- it reveals a heart that does not love others but is more concerned abut being loved by others.. IF we were more sensitive to the feelings of others we would be careful not to brag. We  should ask, "Would I make my brother or sister in Christ feel second rate if I boast in this success of mine?"" Is my intention to make my my brother or sister in Christ feel inferior to me?"" Is it necessary that people acknowledge my successes?" How will it glorify God? "

After asking several question like this- you will be far less quick to brag in the company of others. And if you really want people to like you you will excel by not bragging- no body likes a braggart. 

The Corinthians were a bunch of braggarts and show offs and as a result were guilty of offending their fellow Christians and God. Are we show offs? Do we boast to make ourselves look better than everyone else? If so then you need a lesson in love. 

John MacArthur made an excellent point in his commentary on this subject: "I don't know if you realize it, but boasting is geared to hurt other people. It is geared to wound somebody else--to make you stand out and them look inferior.

Love is Kind...

Paul's positive affirmation of love's character is that love is both long suffering and kind. Here are two sides of the same coin. While in  one sense love suffers long and patiently enduring personal injury and offenses, on the other side we repay those who are mean, unfair and mistreat us with kindness. Such ideas are really foreign and contrary to human nature. In our humanity it is natural to be self defensive, lose patience, get angry and give up on people. And when that is not enough we dream up of ways to get revenge ranging anywhere to outright violence, to a cold shoulder. No matter how you cut it- such behavior is unloving and not reflective of God. It is easy to be nice to people who are nice to us, but Jesus said, "Even sinners can do that!" The real test of your faith is to be kind and generous to those who are not nice to us,  just as our Heavenly Father is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. So what are some ways we can be kind to others?

We can show respect to others even when we think they do not deserve it, or they disrespected us. All people have a desire to be shown the most common decency. Why is it we are so quick to show respect and be polite to a civil official for instance, but will think nothing of dismissing a homeless man as a bum and treating him as less. True kindness, shows respect to all people regardless of their lot in life or regardless of their actions. Simple gestures like Good Morning or Good Evening, or simply acknowledging someone else human  dignity. Even the lowest of men reflect their creator to some degree, no matter how marred.

To show compassion and sympathy is another way we practice kindness. There are so many people who are hurting around us all day. Often we are so consumed with our own problems we feel little sympathy for others. Also we have become so desensitized to pain and suffering by being exposed to so much on broadcast media, that it is not even bothersome to us. It is common to hear of some tragic story on the 5 o'clock news, and we easily dismiss it. However, we need to cultivate genuine compassion and sympathy for others. When we see others in pain and suffering for whatever reason, it is easy to say, they had it coming, or poor souls, or think we have it worse. But the reality is we should see all human suffering to whatever degree it is, as painful to the person experiencing it, and show some type of kindness by "weeping with those who weep". But we should also seek to do something to alleviate the pain of others. James uses sarcasm to show how some people are kind only in their words,
"If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?" Ja. 2:15-16. But rather we should love people not just in word but in deed. If we have it in our ability to alleviate the pain of others and withhold, what are we saying about God who has shown so much kindness towards us?

Love: A Necessary Virtue

What's love got to do with it? Everything. That was Paul's message to the Corinthians, it was Jesus' message in his public ministry, and it is God's message to us today. Sadly I believe many professing Christians have moved far away from this essential truth of the gospel. The basis of the cross, and God's act in salvation had everything to do with His love. We know that his love for even the reprobate is demonstrated in His common grace, and therefore as children of God, are we not to be imitators of our Lord? In Ephesians 5:1-2 , we see this admonition in plain language:

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

The point is this: We are the spiritual offspring of God. We have been born again, born from above and born of God. Our identity is that we are children of the Most High God. Therefore, we are to imitate (mimites)- mimic God. To mimic means to copy closely, or repeat another’s actions, speech and behavior.  To Mimic God we are called to repeat his actions, speech and behavior.  Essentially- Mimicking God calls us to reflect the character of God in our life. To be God like. It is nothing different that what Jesus said in Matt 5:48. “That we be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect”, or in Luke 6:36 “To be merciful as your Father in Heaven is merciful”

But the only way it is going to happen is when we spend more time with the Lord. Just like our own children become facsimiles of us, by spending time around us, we become facsimiles of God by spending time with him. But how can we spend more time with the Lord? How can we know him better? Through bible reading, prayer and worship.  When we spend more time with the Lord, we will be able to repeat his actions, echo his speech and duplicate his behavior. Essentially- the more time we spend with God, the more we will be able to love like Him, see the world as He sees it, and be imitators of God.

The Body of Christ

When we think of the human body and how intricately woven all its members are, we begin to understand why the Lord uses this analogy of his church. We the church, like the human body, are a living organism in which each member is intricately woven together functioning by the power of the Holy Spirit to the praise and glory of God. Such a concept makes it clear how important church membership is and how important it is to be an active member as well. Many people do not like the idea of joining a church because they see it as oppressive and unnecessary. However the bible makes it clear that coming to faith automatically makes us members of the universal church, thus becoming a member of a local church is simply the visible expression of our membership to the larger body of Christ. It demonstrates that we understand that the local church is where God wants us to grow and develop with other members and be discipled. It is where we practically serve the interests of others fulfilling the Great Commandment of loving one another, and where we recognize that just as Christ has authority over the church universal, he has appointed elders in each church representing his spiritual authority  as stewards of his word.

Clearly the bible teaches in Hebrews 13:17 "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you." This is not a suggestion but a command. The Lord knows that we are prone to wander away from him and in his grace provides under-shepherd to care for and direct his sheep. When true biblical eldership is in place in any local assembly the members of the church will reap the spiritual benefits. However sadly in our day, there is a lack of qualified men serving as elders, and a lack of appreciation from members for those who do.

The point I really wanted to make, was that because the local church is the body of Christ joining a healthy church is access to the life of Christ. Not joining a local church is NOT having access to the life of Christ. This is why church discipline is so important. It recognizes the covenant blessings of those who are members of the church and when one is removed from the church they are considered, "handed over to Satan" 1 Cor. 5:5 and "counted as a heathen" Matt. 18:17. Being dis-membered from the body of Christ is equivalent from being cut off from the covenant community. Just like cutting a limb off of your body cuts it off from the life that flows through your blood. When thinking of it this way, joining a church should be the desire of every true born again believer. Why? To partake of the life of Christ and to participate in the covenant blessing.

I believe the parable of the vine illustrates the principle I have just wrote about. Read the following:

John 15:1-6 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
 

Just as a branch cannot continue to live and produce grapes unless it is joined to the vine from which the life giving sap flows…A Christian cannot bear spiritual fruit in progressive sanctification unless one has spiritual union with Christ, from which all the life giving grace flows through the Holy Spirit.Our union to Christ will be made evident when we join the only institution on earth where his presence dwell in power and authority. The church is simply the best place on earth where we grow in our relationship with God and grow in our relationships to others. To come to church and take all the benefits without becoming a members is no different than having premartial sex, and enjoying all the benefits of marriage without making a commitment.

What Were the Angels Singing?

Tonight as I was putting my daughter to bed, we read the nativity account from her Jesus Story Book Bible and left off on the account of the shepherds who had a vision of the angelic host of heaven singing on that first Christmas night. After we read the account I sang "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" to her and put her to bed. Every Christmas when I hear that song, it invokes memories of George Bailey holding his baby daughter in his arms and hearing a bell ring, signaling that Clarence the angel has obtained his wings.  Although I love "It's a Wonderful Life" and enjoy the wholesome message of a classic movie, I think many people overlook the classic Christmas carol and the rich theology behind it. When Charles Wesley wrote this song he was thinking of the glorious event of Christmas when God became a man. His words were as theologically sound as can be, "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th’incarnate Deity, Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel." Wesley the evangelist was preaching the gospel even in his music.

But why is Christmas so important? Why do we celebrate this holiday every year? Why do we sing carols like this? Because the night Jesus was born, the single most spectacular and historical event that would even happen- took place. The same God who created the universe and placed all the stars in their place, and who created the earth and all that exists, and who had been making promises to mankind through the descendants of Abraham for generations, had come down to earth and was born to a woman as a human baby boy. The night Jesus was born the unimaginable took place...A Holy, Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omni-present God, humbled himself to become like the very people he created... in His image. The concept is so amazing, and so tremendous, that for generations people have denied the incarnation of Christ, from the religious( like the Watchtower Organization), to the intellectual, and scientific community who disregard it as a myth of the old world. But to us who believe, it is no fable, and it is no theological paradox- it is the greatest truth that we hold dear to our hearts- that God loved us so much he gave us his only Son as a gift, to die for our sins, that all who believe in him, would have hope of being forgiven our sins, and living forever with him in all eternity. This is the greatest gift anyone can receive! It is the gift of God, His Son. And as scripture says, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" Rom. 8:32. Essentially Christmas is about God giving us everything. You may not have gotten an I-pad this Christmas, or that vacation to Hawaii, but in reality- you have much more if you have Christ.

So what were the angels singing? Luke 2:14 answers the question, "“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

What more can we sing or say on such an occasion, but "Glory to God in the highest."? In no other way is God glorified more than in the reconciliation of his elect back to himself though  the work of His son, who destroyed the works of the devil. And what more can the angels sing but, "Peace to those on earth" That is because when Jesus was born, he was the very one who would make peace, between God and man by becoming our peace offering and bearing our sins on the cross reconciling us back to God. And only through faith in Jesus Christ can there ever be true peace on earth between fellow human beings. Through Jesus, the walls of hostility have been broken down and in Christ there is no east or west, or Jew or Gentile, but all are ONE in Him. There was great reason to sing at the first advent of Christ and great reason to rejoice. And we still have great reason to rejoice.

I pray that the Lord would bless you all this Christmas and that you may truly enjoy this holiday for what its really means and not for the word has turned it into. May God grant us all the grace to behold his wondrous and glorious ways, in comprehending the mystery of the incarnation, and all the implications of that great expression of divine love.

Apostolic View of Pentecost

Yesterday I preached one of the most difficult sermons I have ever had to preach. Not so much because the text and subject was hard for me to understand, but because of the sensitivity of the subject for so many believers. One of the main things that was important to me in yesterday's sermon was the importance of understanding the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  What was even more important was to see not my interpretation, but to see the apostolic interpretation. Both at Pentecost and at the home of Cornelius, the Apostle Peter gives an apostolic interpretation of the meaning of the Baptism in the Spirit, and the following occurrence of glossolalia.

1n Acts 2 Peter clearly give the meaning of the event: Acts 2:14-17 “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.."

The significance of Pentecost was that ALL of God's people would receive the Holy Spirit for empowerment of ministry, and the speaking of tongues was visible and dramatic demonstration of this truth, in that different dialects of different people were being heard. This meant that ALL people meant ALL "nations, tribes and tongues". 

In Samaria, when the Gospel was following the path that Jesus had ordained, there was another Pentecostal experience,  again to confirm the inclusion of Samaritans into the Covenant community, and again Peter is sent in to affirm that the Samaritans as well were to be accepted as members of God's covenant community. 

Acts 8:14-17  Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 

After Peter had preached to Cornelius and his home and saw them baptized in the Spirt as well,  he reported back to Jerusalem this amazing event, and again interpreted again the meaning. 

Acts 11:15- 18 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

This was truly amazing! That the Lord gave his Spirit to the Gentiles just like he did the Jews indicating that they were to be included and accepted by the Jewish believers as co-heirs in the gospel! This may not sound like a big deal now, but had tremendous significance at this point in redemption history.

Today we are far past the age where God needs to demonstrate to us visibly who is included and accepted in the Kingdom of God. We are living in a post -Pentecostal time, where ALL believers, no matter their background are baptized in the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion.

As the scripture teaches us, "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit." 1 Cor. 12:13

It is important that we read the bible in its context and let it interpret itself. When we try to interpret the bible based on our own experiences than we are leaning in a direction of subjective hermeneutics that can be very dangerous.