Christianity in America in Biblical Perspective

Today’s sermon from Dr. Harry Reeder at Briarwood Presbyterian Church was entitled, “Christianity in America in Biblical Perspective: Christian Citizenship.” This sermon topic was very appropriate as America prepares to celebrate its birthday this coming Friday, July 4, 2008.

Reeder began with a rhetorical question: “Have you ever seen the dismal sight of a person with a large inheritance that has squandered that wealth?” Many heirs eventually squander the wealth that was passed down to them. This is very similar to the current state of Christianity in America. What was handed to us has been (and is being) squandered. We are currently living off of the dividends and trust of God’s blessing handed down to our forefathers. In America, we are squandering – not building on – the wealth we have been handed.

Today’s sermon was taken from 1 Peter 2:9-17:

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

What does it mean to be a Christian citizen of the United States of America today? First, three reminders of why a preacher doesn’t sleep well on Saturday nights: 1) He will be handling God’s word, which contains Truth, a message of the only hope and the message of life; 2) All of those you speak to are a heartbeat away from eternity and you feel you are insufficient to do the work that is required; and 3) You want to deliver a message to those who know Christ that will encourage them to live for Christ now so that we might give Him glory in the future. That is where Peter is as he writes the inspired words in the above passage. Here is how this message applies to Christians in America today.

1. (v. 9-10) If you are in Christ, “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession.” You are now citizens of the kingdom of God. Now, Christ is your king. From the text you see that one moment you are not part of the kingdom, the next you are. Note that there is no “work” involved. With this status – as a citizen of God’s kingdom – the question is, “How do I live NOW for the king?”
2. (v. 11-12) “Abstain from the passions of the flesh.” Remember, you don’t live this way to earn the kingdom of God. You live this way because you are already a citizen. After salvation you must realize that you are in a war – a spiritual war – with the passions of the flesh. You must live thoughtfully and intentionally with this in mind. Reeder noted that, “if you don’t die to sin it will bring death to your life.” Also note that there will be those that “speak against you as evildoers” because of how you are intentionally living. These people will continue to speak against you unless they come to know Christ! But you are to return a blessing so that you will glorify God now and so that they will “glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Pastor Reeder then noted that this portion of Scripture contains seven things to do to live as citizens in this world.

“Seven Things to do to Live as Citizens in This World”

1. (v. 13) “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.” – Remember that you are living as a temporary citizen in this world. Do not live as a troublemaker. The world may bring trouble to you because you live for Christ, but do not bring trouble to the world. For example, as a Christian in the United States we live in subjection to our mayor, governor, president, etc.
2. (v. 16) “Live as people who are free.” – If you know Jesus, you are free. There is freedom in Christ, live in it.
3. (v. 16) “Not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil.” – Never use your freedom in Christ as a license for self. Freedom is not to be used for anarchy. This freedom is not a cover-up for sin. This grace God shows us brings freedom to exalt God.
4. (v. 17) “Honor everyone.” – Remember, all are made in the image of God. Because of this we honor everyone. Speak to all with dignity and bless all. We should also remember that we were once unsaved.
5. (v. 17) “Love the brotherhood.” – We should love all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The world should see this and want to participate in our fellowship! This doesn’t mean to just fellowship with only those who are like us. It means to love all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is a special type of devotion that we need because we need one another.
6. (v. 17) “Fear God.” – We should strive to banish all fear in our lives except the fear of God. This should show up in our worship and in our lives. This presents an interesting question: “How do we worship God with the appropriate reverence and appropriate rejoicing?” If we get it wrong, reverence can become morbid and rejoicing can lead to triviality. We live under the eye of God and should ask Him to remove all other fears.
7. (v. 17) “Honor the emperor.” – Who was the emperor at the time Peter wrote this passage? Nero, a leader who terrorized and massacred Christians. Despite all of this, Peter instructs us to “honor the emperor.” In today’s context, our mission field – the United States – is being lost to paganism. This battle is especially hard when evil is called good, dark is called light, etc. We are living in a post-Christian, neo-pagan society where we can have any god except the real God. The gods of today are not allowed to have a claim on anything. There was a time in our country when the “three spheres” of influence – state, church and family – coexisted. Reeder gave the example of a judge who sentenced a man to death, then as a Christian went to minister to him in prison and then later used his son to help disciple the man. This shows the wonderful coexistence of the three spheres which were totally unique to our country. Even our concept of government was based upon the organization of the Presbyterian church. Today, our “emperor” that we honor in the United States is the constitution.

“How do we apply these things in our lives?”

1. Always remember that the gifts of God’s grace call for responsible living in Christ. We should be doing the same things our forefathers did so that we can influence the future. Remember, that our work is a response to the gospel, not a payback for it. We can’t earn it. Thank Jesus by living for Him!
2. Submission to human authority is a statement of trust in God and to do so is to worship God.
3. As a Christian, we live with dual, but unequal, status. We first and foremost live as a citizen of the kingdom of God. Secondly, we live as citizens of the kingdom of men – in our case the United States. We are only a sojourner in this world. We are to treat others with respect, but remember that all authority on earth comes from God. With this in mind, we know who to obey – God first, then man. Philippians 3:20 helps us to understand this:

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. – Philippians 3:20

Pastor Reeder noted that he believes a nation that abandons the sanctity of marriage will not last. Paganism is converging to try to set aside Christianity. But this is not something from which we run. As Christians, with grace, courage and humility we obey God over man! We know that this country will only be transformed by bringing the glory and majesty of King Jesus to men! Christians must live the gospel! The church should lead to send the gospel everywhere and into every sphere! Law either restrains or accelerates evil, but it will not transform a nation! Christ does not exist for America. America is here to glorify Him. This is not by legislation, but by gospel influence.

Dobson vs. Obama

From the Associated Press:

“Even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools?” Obama said. “Would we go with James Dobson’s or Al Sharpton’s?” referring to the civil rights leader.

Dobson took aim at examples Obama cited in asking which Biblical passages should guide public policy — chapters like Leviticus, which Obama said suggests slavery is OK and eating shellfish is an abomination, or Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, “a passage that is so radical that it’s doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application.”

“Folks haven’t been reading their Bibles,” Obama said.

Dobson and Minnery accused Obama of wrongly equating Old Testament texts and dietary codes that no longer apply to Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament.

“I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology,” Dobson said.

“… He is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter.”

The Life of Joseph #1 (Genesis 37)

Today Briarwood Pastor Harry Reeder returned to the series entitled, “Genesis in Biblical Perspective: The Gospel of Christ from Genesis.” The series picks up in Genesis 37 with “The Life of Joseph #1: The Sure Hand of God’s Providence.”

Reeder began by asking, “Has there has ever been a time when we think God hasn’t been good to us?” The answer to that question is “no.” God is always good to us. Studying Joseph from the book of Genesis helps us to understand and appreciate that. A couple of things that are quickly noted:

1. The Bible portrays Joseph’s human side along with all of his shortcomings.
2. Studying Joseph helps us to understand the sufficiency of God’s grace.

Did you know that there is approximately 25% more in the Old Testament about Joseph than Abraham?

Joseph is an inspiring and encouraging story. He didn’t fall away when faced with adversity. He never complains or compromises. Prosperity didn’t ruin him. He was a man for all seasons.

In this study we will see the sure hand of God’s providence working through the life of Joseph. The key introductory passage:

“The work of God’s Providence securing the glory of God, the triumph of His purposes, and the well-being of His people is more often done through the everyday activities of life than the miraculous, and is overwhelmingly greater and grander than that which is obvious at the moment.”

“Meet Joseph”

1. (v. 2) By chapter 37 he was seventeen years old.
2. His parents were Jacob and Rachel.
3. (v. 3) His father loved him more than any of his other 11 brothers. Why didn’t Jacob love Benjamin, the youngest, the way he loved Joseph? Possibly because Jacob loved Rachel so much and she died giving birth to Benjamin.
4. (v. 3) Jacob showed his favoritism of Joseph by giving him an ornamental coat. This gift most likely meant “primacy,” that somehow Jacob would try to make Joseph the primary heir.
5. (v. 2-11) He couldn’t keep his mouth shut. From a bad report about his brothers (that could have been slanted or embellished) to the pronouncement of his dreams, Joseph seemed to continually incite his brothers against him.

“Two Dreams and Two Responses”

1. (v. 5-8 ) In the first dream, Joseph is described as an upright sheaf and his brothers as sheafs of wheat that are bowed down to him. This dream was easy to interpret by his brothers and as verse eight says, “so they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”
2. (v. 9-11) In the second dream, “the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to” Joseph. After telling the dream to his brothers and father, his father rebuked him, “but his father kept the saying in mind.”

“The Astounding Betrayal”

Verses 12 through 36 describe how Joseph’s brothers betrayed him. His brothers were pasturing their flocks in Shechem (v. 12), where two years earlier (chapter 34) Jacob and his sons had gone to war. Joseph volunteers to go check on them (v. 13-14). A man found him wandering and pointed him toward Dothan where he would find his brothers (v. 15-18). They saw him coming – the favorite son with his ornamental coat – and conspired to kill him. Reuben persuaded his brothers to not kill Joseph and they responded by throwing him into a pit (v. 19-24). The group then sold Joseph to a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way to Egypt (v. 25-28). The brothers then deceived their dad by showing him a torn and bloody robe (v. 29-35). Joseph was then sold into slavery “in Egypt to Potiphar; and officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.” (v. 36)

“Life Takeaways”

1. “A Word to parents in general and dads in particular.” Does Reeder believe in generational curses? No, but he does believe in generational sins. In Genesis, we see the inability of this family to treat others equally – e.g. Isaac, Jacob, Rachel, Joseph. There may be favorites in our homes today, but our children must never suspect this. Kids must know that they don’t have to perform in order to have our love. There must never be a hierarchy like what we see happening in Genesis. There is a bit of irony in this chapter. Jacob, the deceiver, was being deceived by his sons. This message doesn’t just apply to families, but to all of life – teachers, employers, coaches, etc. We are all made in the image of God so we should show others that we acknowledge that God made them too. Dads today operate in a hostile culture. We need to stand up and be Biblical men. Lead our homes. Love our wife and kids. Don’t produce frustrated children, take the testimony of Christ to them.
2. “Two Words to God’s people.”
   1. Brokenness (or humility) (I think) – Certainly, if we love God we should confess it! However, Joseph made his confessions in this chapter with “triumphalism.” Never do this! We can proclaim the message of Christ with confidence, but we also need do to it with brokenness and humility. Be ready to give an account of what has happened to us, but do it with gentleness and reverence, with brokenness and humility.
   2. Faithfulness (I think) – Look back to Genesis 15:12-16 and see what God told Abraham. He revealed to Abraham what would happen to His people (see below). That His people would be in servitude in Egypt and then come out was no surprise to God! His word is will be accomplished! He is faithful! What we see in Genesis, and especially in the life of Joseph, is that God is “making a straight line with crooked sticks.” His prophetic message will be fulfilled. Will God turn His back on us? No! He will be faithful in our circumstances as well.
3. “Three Words about Christ and you.”
   1. Grace. God’s grace through an imperfect man is shown here. Here we see the sufficiency of God’s grace. God’s promise is there and seen in Joseph. God is accomplishing what He set out to do.
   2. Providence. God’s providence is very easy to be seen in the life of Joseph. Look at all of the little twists and turns that take place: He volunteers to check on his brothers, a stranger points him to Dothan, Reuben steps up to spare his life, a caravan passes by and buys him, he’s sold into Potiphar’s house…and on it goes. Is Joseph just lucky? No, God is in control.
   3. Illustration. In Joseph, we see an Old Testament illustration of Christ. How so? He’s loved by his father, sent to his brothers, his brothers hated him, he’s sold out by his brothers (for 20 pieces instead of 30), imprisoned, he stands between two criminals (one of which is delivered), he’s exalted to the king’s palace and he saves his brothers.

My conclusion: It is so easy to study through the Old Testament, and Genesis in particular, and just highlight the characters involved. There are surely some lessons to be learned that way, but if that’s all we take away we have missed the point. Pastor Reeder’s last section above – “Three Words about Christ and you” – summarize really well what we need to take away from this and other Old Testament studies. We will surely see the sufficiency of God’s grace through the lives of these Old Testament people, but we will also see His sovereign hand accomplish His purposes. Ultimately, we’ll see that this “straight line being drawn with crooked sticks” will lead us to our Savior – Jesus Christ. If you have received King Jesus as your Lord and Savior, won’t you surrender to him right now?

Battling Unbelief: Anxiety

Chapter one of John Piper’s book, “Battling Unbelief,” tackles anxiety. Benny Youngblood, assistant pastor of shepherding at Briarwood Presbyterian Church, led this part of the study. [The outline of the study was presented by Youngblood, other quotes from the book are noted.]

Youngblood’s outline began with this question, “Is anxiety a real issue for men today?” The obvious answer to that question is “yes.” Work, finances, health, marriage, etc. are some easy answers to this question. The important thing, as Piper notes, is “that anxiety is a condition of the heart that gives rise to many other sinful states of mind.” (p. 24) Youngblood commented that anxiety causes our heart to go toward sin. For example, anxiety about a task may lead to actions that are abrupt or ugly, anxiety about finances may lead us to steal and anxiety about possessions may lead us to covet what our neighbor has. Youngblood also stated that anxiety leads us to trust in something other than God; it distracts us from our first love – Jesus. Therefore, the root of our anxiety is a lack of faith in Jesus Christ.

From here, Youngblood used Mark 4:35-5:1 to describe “Three Essentials to Faith in God.”

4:35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

5:1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. (ESV)

“Three Essentials to Faith in God”

1. “We Must Know and Trust the Person of God” (v. 41) – “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (underline added) Jesus’ companions didn’t know or understand the attributes of God. They cried out, “Who then is this?” as if they didn’t know Him. Here are several key points to remember about God’s attributes:
   1. God’s attributes put the storm in perspective.
   2. We often trust in what we see, not God.
   3. We often trust in our own experiences, not God.
   4. We often trust in our own emotions, abilities (i.e. ourselves), not God.
   5. Key verses: Isaiah 46:9-10; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Jude 1:24-25
2. “We Must Know God Cares for Us and Loves Us!” (v. 38 ) – “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Of course God cares for us! He died for us – see Romans 5:8! No matter what happens we must know that He cares for us.
   1. Key verses: Jeremiah 31:3; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Isaiah 41:10; 1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 28:20
3. “We Must Fully Trust in God’s Word and His Promises” (v. 4:35; 5:1) – “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’… They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.” Jesus did what He said. He said “Let us go across to the other side” and that’s what they did. He was able to sleep because He know what was going to happen. Some key passages:
   1. Jeremiah 29:11 – “God has a good plan for His children.”
   2. Romans 8:28 – “God will work all things out for good for His children.”
   3. 1 John 3:1 – “You are a loved child of God.”
   4. John 6:35 – “God will truly satisfy you and meet your every need.”
   5. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 – “God will work through you to accomplish what He has called you to do.”
   6. Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!”
   7. Luke 11:9-10 – “God will answer your prayers.”
   8. Philippians 4:19 – “God will provide for your every need.”

“Key Application”

1. “Know who God is and trust in Him.”
2. “Trust He cares for you.”
3. “Know and hold to His word and promises.”

“Battling Our Anxiety with God’s Word” (p. 33-35)

1. “Anxiety of Unbelief” – Isaiah 41:10
2. “Anxious about Ministry” – Isaiah 55:11
3. “Anxious about Being Too Weak” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
4. “Anxious about Decisions” – Psalm 32:8
5. “Anxious about Facing Opponents” – Romans 8:31
6. “Anxious about Welfare” – Matthew 7:11; Mark 10:29-30
7. “Anxious about Sickness” – Psalm 34:19; Romans 5:3-5
8. “Anxious about Getting Old” – Isaiah 46:4
9. “Anxious about Dying” – John 14:1-7; Romans 14:7-9
10. “Anxious about My Faith and Falling Away from God” – Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 7:25

To repeat the main point from above, anxiety “leads us to trust in something other than God.” I have found in my own life that I often hide or don’t recognize anxieties. Instead of recognizing the opportunities to trust in God, I will often “do what I know to do.” There are many types of anxious situations listed above. I’m sure there are many more. My hope and prayer is that when I meet these situations, I will trust in the one true God.

“The Challenge of Discipleship” (Luke 9:23-27)

Yesterday Pastor-Teacher Harry Reeder of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham delivered the fourth and final installment of the sermon series called, “Christ-Centered Disciple Making and the Difficult Texts. Part four was entitled, “The Challenge of Discipleship.” Parts one through three can be reviewed here, here and here. The Scripture passage for the sermon was Luke 9:23-27:

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.” (ESV)

Reeder began by noting that the response of the church to its lack of saltiness was commonly to remove anything in its message that was hard. This would typically manifest itself in two ways: 1) To modify the message – which is usually associated with liberalism; and 2) To minimize the message – which typically means to minimize the call to follow Christ. In either case the hard texts in Scripture are usually left out or ignored. This is a shame because the hard texts usually lead us to a deeper walk with Christ.

Pastor Reeder then summarized the main points from the “Christ-Centered Disciple Making and the Difficult Texts” series:

1. The Call to Discipleship (Matthew 11:25-30) – “Evangelism is not a call to salvation and heaven as you consider following Jesus, but a call to follow Jesus who will save you and take you to heaven.”
2. The Commitment to Discipleship (Luke 14:25-33) – “To come to Christ is to follow Christ. To follow Christ requires the renunciation of all priority claims upon our attention, affection, allegiance and adoration.”
3. The Cost of Discipleship (Luke 957-62) – “It is impossible to be saved unless you come to Christ and it is impossible to come to Christ without intentionally turning loose of this world and passionately following Christ as Lord and Savior.”

“Three Imperatives for Those Who Commit to Christ as Lord and Savior”

1. (v. 23) “Deny himself” – This does not mean denying “things.” It means to give up yourself, not your stuff. This is not an act of atonement, but an act of sacrifice.
2. (v. 23) “Take up his cross daily” – This does not refer to taking up a cross like Jesus did. That was His cup to drink and He has already done so. This means “God’s appointment in our lives – in prosperity and adversity – to follow Him.” We may receive blessings in life, but they should not become our idols. The crowds may mock us and the world will hate us, but we will be humble and broken and following Christ.
3. (v. 23) “Follow Me” – The call here is to follow Jesus and like Jesus, we shall be raised.

“Three Incentives for the Three Imperatives”

Our primary incentive is to love God with everything because there is none like Him. The incentives detailed here are secondary incentives related to this passage.

1. “Denial of Self” – (v. 24) “A saved life is a lost life.”
2. “Take up your cross daily” – (v. 25) “Gaining the world and losing the soul.” We are to be in this world, but not of it.
3. “Follow Christ” – (v. 26) “Confess Christ today, confess Christ on the day.”

A summary of what Jesus is saying in this passage is this…

“To come to Christ is to follow Christ and to follow Christ is not the isolated act of a moment but the astounding acquisition of a new life.”

Life Takeaways:

1. “Denial of self, taking up our cross daily, and following Christ do not merit God’s grace they evidence God’s grace, toward us in Christ.” This is not penance or atonement. This is what grace does in our lives. Christ has already paid the total price for us. This is the path we walk on the way to heaven. It is not done by might or by power, but by His Spirit living in us. Some ministries may try to modify or minimize this call (some even with good intentions), but this is the life of the converted. Christ has laid this out for us in a portrait. Follow Him to the resurrection!
2. “The Day of the Lord will infallibly and irrevocably reveal those who have confessed Christ.” As 1 Peter 2:11-12 says, “11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” The Day of the Lord will declare those who belong to Him! On that day, those who rejected Christ will glorify Him by the good works we’ve done by His grace.
3. “Christ invites us to make our decision about coming to Him by evaluating the P and L statement of time and eternity.” If all of God’s other attributes haven’t called you yet, then consider what Jesus says as you would from a business perspective. In effect, Jesus is asking if it would be worth your soul in the pit or lake of fire to reject Him?

Won’t you come to Christ!

Introduction to “Battling Unbelief”

The Men’s Ministry at Briarwood Presbyterian Church began a new Bible study today using John Piper’s book, “Battling Unbelief.” This book was adapted from a much larger book written by Piper called, “The Purifying Power of Future Grace.” The application chapters were pulled out to form “Battling Unbelief.” This blog will attempt to journalize the study as it unfolds over the next few weeks. Today’s installment covers the introduction to the book.

Do we do what we do – including serving God – out of “devotion to duty” or out of faith in God’s promises, what Piper describes as “faith in future grace.” Piper gives the example of a self-sacrificing soldier. If the soldier steps up to die for other troops does he do this because of “devotion to duty” or is it an example of “the kind of love that faith in future grace releases?” Piper notes that we don’t know, because we don’t know the heart of the soldier. We can do great and self-sacrificing things, but if we don’t do them out of love, we’ve really done nothing (1 Corinthians 13). As Piper notes on pages 12:

“The difference between the sacrifice that comes from sheer devotion to duty and the sacrifice that comes from faith in God’s future grace is that the first highlights my strong resolve, and the second highlights the glory of God’s grace. The aim of this book is to magnify the value of Christ by feeding faith in future grace and helping Christian battle the opposite, namely, unbelief in God’s promises that leads to Christ-dishonoring sin.”

Piper notes (page 16) that we sin “because we believe the deceitful promises that sin makes.” Conversely, there are hundreds of promises that God makes to His people in the Bible. So as we go through life and face its challenges, we have choices to make. Do we believe the deceitful promises of sin? Or do we believe the promises that God makes to us through His word? When we choose the latter, we choose to live by “faith in future grace.”

As Piper notes, “‘Battling Unbelief,’ is another way of saying, “living by faith in future grace.” The ‘unbelief’ that I have in mind is the failure to trust the promises of God that sustain our radical obedience in the future.”

When we choose to sin we are providing evidence for our lack of faith. Piper explains on page 15 that “this faith (in future grace) is the power that severs the root of sin.” Therein lies the battle of unbelief.

The Cost of Discipleship (Luke 9:57-62)

On Sunday, June 08, 2008, Briarwood pastor Harry Reeder delivered part three of the sermon series entitled, “Christ-centered Disciple Making and the Difficult Texts.” This installment was called, “The Cost of Discipleship” taken from Luke 9:57-62.

Dr. Reeder reminded us of the value of studying the difficult texts: 1) There is usually a rich deposit of truth buried in these difficult texts; and 2) The difficult texts sharpen us in our study of God’s word. He also reminded us of three steps to take when studying a difficult passage: 1) Find a parallel text; 2) Take time to search out the context of the text; and 3) Always look for the simple text. God’s word will never contradict itself, therefore, understanding a simple passage may help understand a more difficult text.

Next followed a reminder of the first two parts of this series, “The Call to Discipleship” [Matthew 11:25-30] and “The Commitment to Discipleship” [Luke 14:25-33]. The call to discipleship means that we first come to Jesus, then He will save us. The commitment to discipleship means that following Christ requires the “renunciation of all priority claims upon our attention, affection, allegiance and adoration.”

Today’s text:

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” [From ESV.org]

“Three Men and One Message”

1. “Mr. Too Ready to Follow” (v. 57-58 ) – The parallel text is in Matthew 8, where only two men are noted. Matthew 8 tells us that this man is a scribe, or religious man. In today’s church, this man would have been baptized, put on a committee, made a Sunday School teacher, etc. Jesus’ remarks to him are startling, stunning – “…the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (v. 58).
2. “Mr. Not Ready to Follow” (v. 59-60) – This man wants to go home to bury his father. The commentaries try to get Jesus off the hook by explaining that the man’s father was not even dead yet. Jesus doesn’t need off the hook. There was something in between this man and following Jesus. Going to bury a relative is not bad, but the place was bad. This man was willing to put Jesus into second place. When you follow Jesus, there will be costs. If you move Jesus to second place, soon he’ll be moved to third place, fourth place, etc. Jesus says, “leave the dead to bury their own dead.” What does this mean? The spiritual dead can bury the physical dead.
3. “Mr. Almost Ready to Follow” (v. 61-62) – This man volunteers, but wants to go backward first by saying farewell to his relatives. Jesus says that you are not equipped to serve Him if you are looking back. What happens if you look back? “You can’t plow a straight furrow looking back.”

Jesus’ conversations with these three men have a singular thrust: it is impossible to follow Christ without turning loose of the world. Turning loose declares to the world where our heart is!

“The Cost of Discipleship” – “It is impossible to be saved unless you come to Christ. And it is impossible to come to Christ without intentionally turning loose of this world and passionately following Christ as Lord and Savior.”

“Life Takeaways”

1. “Jesus will not allow us to negotiate or dictate terms to come to Him and follow Him.” – You have to turn loose intentionally to follow Him. Negotiation is not a part of following Him. You come to Christ without reservations although the implications are yet to be seen. This is a “crowd thinning” type of message. Jesus seems to be outside of the contemporary paradigm of the church which tries to be current or relevant. Jesus doesn’t modify or minimize the call. To do so would be deceitful and deceptive. In Christ we find sufficiency, joy suffering, adversity, etc. Come. Follow Jesus. That is what Abraham did. He left his father and eventually placed his son upon an altar. Are we prepared to leave all for Christ? Raising our kids is a great example of this. Are we using the Bible to help our child-rearing or are we growing our kids to love and follow Christ.

2. “While Jesus does not allow us to set the terms of being His disciple, He is patient, persistent and powerful in saving and growing us as His disciples.” – Jesus will use whatever it takes to get or to keep His children on track and to get them to the end.

3. “The call of Christ to come freely to Him is also designed to make sure that present exuberance is informed with future expectation.” – Jesus doesn’t capitalize on present exuberance. He warns of the future expectations. An example was given from Julius Caesar’s invasion of Britain. At the White Cliffs of Dover he told his troops that the ships were burning, there is no turning back. The same is true of following Christ: there is no turning back.

The three things mentioned by the men in their conversations with Jesus weren’t bad, but nothing is more important than following Christ. Follow Christ. He’s been there, is there and will be there for us. He will get us there. A missionary couple served overseas for 46 years and then returned home. Upon their arrival by ship, they noticed a welcoming party, and for a moment thought the excitement was for them. They were disappointed to find out the welcome was for President Teddy Roosevelt who was returning from an African safari. They eventually confided their feelings of self-pity to the Bible college president and his wife who have come to greet them. The Bible college president responded that President Roosevelt was home, but you are not home yet. Jesus will get us there.

The Commitment of Discipleship (Luke 14:25-33)

Yesterday Briarwood Pastor-Teacher Harry Reeder continued his series called Christ Centered Disciple Making and the Difficult Texts by examining Luke 14:25-33. This sermon was entitled “The Commitment to Discipleship.”

At the beginning of the sermon, Reeder noted that we shouldn’t run from the difficult to understand passages of Scripture and we shouldn’t rely on the expertise of a particular preacher to help our understanding. Instead, we should (and will) find answers to these questions in the Scriptures. If you are trying to understand a difficult passage, refer to the simpler passages first. Why? Because the simpler passages will help our understanding and the hard passages will not be inconsistent with the easier texts.

First, a reminder about “The Call to Discipleship” (Matthew 11:25-30) = “Evangelism is not a call to salvation and heaven as you consider following Jesus, but a call to follow Jesus who will save you and take you to heaven.”

“The Commitment to Discipleship” means that “salvation is free, but discipleship costs.”

The Scripture being examined:

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

[From ESV.org]

1. “The Difficult Statement” (Setting aside all to follow Christ) – This passage appears difficult to understand because we are reminded elsewhere to love others as we love ourselves, but here, we are instructed to “hate” others (and even our own life as discussed below). A look at the parallel text Matthew 10:37 helps us to understand that this word “hate” is really a term of comparison. If Christ becomes our all-in-all, then affection for everyone and everything else looks like “hate” in comparison. We cannot have a love for other things alongside our love for Christ. He deserves all of our love, our “attention, affection, allegiance and adoration.” Jesus is not an add-on. Our “love” for anything else is filtered through our undivided, total commitment to Christ.

2. “The Really Difficult Statement” (Setting aside self to follow Christ) – The really difficult thing to do is to “hate” our own self. Again, there appears to be a conflict with the passage that instructs us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Again, “hate” is a comparative term. We are to die to every possible relationship – even our relationship with ourselves – and turn to Christ alone. Our number one competitor is our own self. We have a tendency to make Jesus all about ourselves. We must set aside ourselves to follow Christ.

3. “The Really Difficult Statement Intensified” – We must not only deny ourselves, but we must take up our cross and follow Christ. What does this mean? The “cross” in this sense does not mean we earn our salvation. The cross represents mocking and shame, not salvation. We must die to self and embrace whatever cross God gives. We may be the object of ridicule, jokes and mockery. We must embrace these things and die to ourselves. God may use illness, tough decision, etc. to accomplish this. Many persecuted missionaries respond to crisis in this way, “You can’t kill me. I’ve already died to self.”

4. “An Illustration” – Two illustrations are given in this passage: count the costs of building a tower and a king would consider strategy before war. A crowd had been gathering around Jesus and He used this opportunity to warn that following Him would not be easy, count the cost before following Him. Don’t take the decision to follow Him lightly!

Life Takeaways:

1. “Why do I have to hate my parents, my children, my brothers and sisters and myself to come to Christ and follow Him?” Because a surrendered heart is an uncompromised heart. An “ardor” for Christ orders our life, but the implications are challenging! Pastor Reeder notes, “To come to Christ is to follow Christ – to follow Christ requires the renunciation of any and all priority claims upon our attention, affection, allegiance and adoration.” Jesus is not at the top of the list, He is the list! We don’t give Him our spare change or spare moments He deserves all of our allegiance because He gave His all for us! See also Galatians 2:20.

2. “What are the reasons for renouncing all priority claims of others upon my attention, affection, allegiance and adoration as a follower of Christ?”
   1. “Because Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and deserves my whole heart, mind and soul.” This particular point has been on Pastor Reeder’s heart. Most stuff we do is done out of gratitude to Jesus Christ. We acknowledge the usefulness of Christ. This passage calls us beyond the “usefulness” of Christ. We need to glorify Him because He is beautiful! He’s worthy of our praise!

   2. “To protect me from the destructiveness and despair of idolatry.” We have an insatiable desire to raise up idols in place of Jesus. Our next husband, wife, marriage, toy, etc. that will “make us.” We need to guard against something “making us.” Most of the time, Reeder has observed the downward spiral in people’s lives beginning by taking something God-given and good and putting it alongside Him. Don’t put anything beside Him! Nothing else redeems us besides Christ!
   1. “To fulfill the call of grace and the desire of my new heart in Christ.” Christ builds these desires in us!
   1. “To position me for an authentic, productive and unhindered love for others.” He positions us for the commitment to Him. The example of marriage was given. God’s position is for us to “leave, cleave and become one.” We subvert that by either: “one plus one equals six” or “one plus one equals two” instead of “one plus one equals one.”

3. “How do followers of Christ hate their parents, children, brothers and sisters and themselves?” “By loving them in and through Christ as their Lord and Savior.” Come to a relationship with Jesus Christ. Christ has met our needs so that children, parents or a spouse don’t have to make us! We don’t have to rely on our children or parents or things or relationships to be our messiah. Jesus makes me and sets me free! Jesus is not just number one on our list. There is no list with Jesus. Jesus makes my list for me!

“The Call to Discipleship” (Matthew 11:25-30)

Yesterday Dr. Harry L. Reeder III of Briarwood Presbyterian Church preached a sermon entitled, “The Call to Discipleship,” which was taken from Matthew 11:25-30. This is a continuation of the series entitled, “Christ Centered Disciple Making.”

This passage, taken from the ESV translation, is as follows:

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This is a familiar passage of Scripture, but Pastor Reeder’s explanation of the text yesterday was wonderful and thought provoking.

As an introduction to the passage, Pastor Reeder noted that Matthew 10 deals with salvation and chapter 11 deals with rejection of that offer of salvation. He posed the question, “Why would anyone reject Christ?” That’s a very simple question, however, think about the answers people would give.

[The following is Pastor Reeder's outline of the passage plus my notes of his comments.]

1. “Two Foundational Statements by Christ”
   
   1. “God the Father sovereignly saves sinners by grace and is to be worshipped and honored.” Jesus worships Him as He says, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth…” This is a prayer of adoration that affirms Christs deity and the magnificence of His Father. Jesus also gave the same affirmation in a conversation with Peter. This passage notes the sovereignty of God.
      

   2. “God the Son sovereignly saves sinners by grace and it to be believed and followed.” Jesus is sovereign. The passage notes, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father…” Jesus has the ability to save and the position to be the Savior. What ultimately tells who we are? What we do with power. Jesus has ultimate power and authority. What did He do with it? He came to seek and to save the lost.
      

2. “Two Fantastic Invitations to Christ”
   
   1. “The call of the Gospel is to Jesus who saves, not to salvation and then to Jesus.” The call goes out to the broken. The good news is that Jesus has made a way. This is not about “accepting Jesus.” This is about following Jesus. Jesus didn’t invite the broken to salvation. He invited them to Himself. It is then Jesus who saves. [This points out how evangelism and discipleship are intertwined.] Many churches will bring the lost to a time of decision to “accept Christ.” Christ does not need our acceptance! He is our sovereign Lord. We are invited to follow Jesus.
      

   2. “The call of the Gospel is to Jesus is [a] call to rest and work.” The call to the broken is to rest in Jesus. Then the call is to take up the yoke. In Scripture, the yoke is almost always presented in a negative fashion – except here. This is the only place in Scripture where there is a positive connotation. Taking the yoke is easy because 1) we were designed to glorify God and 2) Jesus is in the yoke with us!
      

3. “Life Takeaways”
   
   1. Sharpening our focus on evangelism – The church can’t save, but it has the responsibility of evangelism. Let’s don’t just stand against things, let’s be aggressive for Christ. Evangelism is the call to follow Christ. He will take us to heaven! The weary will come and trust.
      

   2. Sharpening our focus on disciple making – The life of a follower of Christ is based on the wisdom of Christ. Believing in Jesus makes total sense and makes everything else in life understandable.
      

   3. Sharpening the focus of our lives – There are so many different ways to order things and to do things in life, but there is only one way to have life – Jesus!
      

“Large Diet Coke, Hold the Loogey”

Eunice, La. Sonic customers find a little something extra in their sodas:

Two fast-food workers at a Sonic eatery in Eunice spit into customers’ drinks, a company representative said.

 

Several customers at the restaurant said their drinks were spiked with saliva.

“(My daughter) came up here and got a soda and come to find out some girls spit in the drink” father Joe Lawrence said.

 

A Sonic representative told KFLY-TV that the incident has been investigated and action has been taken.

Sonic said that the former employees at the eatery spit in the drinks, the KFLY report said.

 

“It was brought to my attention by the manager of the store that the incident was brought to his attention that an employee had spit in a drink of a customer,” Sonic representative Steve Richard said.

[Full story]