It's the Little Things

Pastor Dan's sermon from 12/23/2007

Scripture Reference: Micah 5:1-6

Click here to listen.

Christmas has really become a big time of the year. In the church you hear that Jesus should be your reason for the season. In our American world you pretty much hear about "holidays". Somewhere in between all of the bigness of Christmas there is a little bit of guilt for some Christians because we try to straddle the fence of gifts and The Gift.

In this sermon, I tried to address from Scripture what the bigness of Christmas is all about. If I could sum it up in one sentence it would be that, "The bigness of Christmas is found in the smallness of the manger." Jesus is not the reason for the season. He is the reason for our very lives.

What Does God Want From Us?

Here we go on another series journey. In Acts 8, we read about the story of Philip and his evangelistic journey. One particular story, which we will take a closer look at this Sunday, is of Philip and the Ethiopian treasurer. What a great picture of true evangelism. This is a template of what God desires from us. But more on that later.

I wanted to share a reading that I came across from the Teacher's Commentary as I was studying for preaching this week. It is about church growth and I believe a picture of GRPC. Check it out...

“What’s happened to us? We were so close before. And then we started growing … and. … ” Carol’s words reflect a common experience. A little group of believers comes together, grows close, and forms a local church. There’s an exciting sense of closeness and warmth and enthusiasm.

As time passes, growth comes. We become busier and busier. New people come in whom we don’t know, and before long the closeness we felt with earlier friends is lost. Soon decisions about buildings and parking lots and programs and staffing and so many other things crowd in on us.

It’s easy then to look back at the earlier days and to long for the intimacy of that smaller group. It’s also easy, if we’ve never experienced that kind of fellowship, to doubt whether it is even possible in this day and age.

All such longing is not only useless; it is also foolish. It is in the very nature of life to reproduce. It is in the very nature of Christian faith and life to reach out, to welcome more and more people into the family of God. It may be more difficult to maintain warmth and a sense of oneness in a church when growth comes. But the solution is never to push back to the past. The solution is in finding new ways to affirm and to experience our [solidarity].

It was no different in the early church. With growth and expansion came tensions. There were disagreements. There was sin. There were suspicion and misunderstanding. But through it all the early church expected that God the Holy Spirit would enable them to experience the unity that He Himself had fashioned in that bond which knits believers to Jesus and to one another."

I can't help but think of our church. I have been here since the beginning. I have watched people come and go. When I observed the dramatic musical this past Sunday it really hit me that there are many new faces in our church. But there are also many faces from the past! What I saw on the stage was a meeting of the old and new, blended together as one gigantic family of believers.

Our vision for the Kingdom of God can never be so small as "I want a smaller church". Can you even fathom those words coming from the lips of our Savior? Jesus didn't say to go into some of the world, he demanded that we go to ALL nations! Jesus envisioned one gigantic mega church. Yes, I know mega church is a bad word, especially in small church circles. But read John 17 and see what Jesus desires for his church--ONE CHURCH.

The Church is not about buildings, programs or who the preacher is. It is about doing the work of the Kingdom and GROWING the church. This means that your church is meant to grow. No matter how big your church is, are you actively involved in building the Kingdom.

We will be asking over the next few weeks, "What Does God Want From Me?" We will study Philip, Paul and Peter as the Scriptures reveal to us what God wants from us as individuals and what he wants from us as part of a congregation of believers. I hope you will take the journey with me.

The Heaven Series All In One Place

Right now we are working on putting together one media resource of all of the sermons, videos and devotionals from the "Heaven" series. We want to make this available to you and your friends and family and will announce something shortly. For now, you can download everything here or direct friends and family to this page to listen, download devotionals, and watch videos. I really hope that you were blessed by the series on heaven and that you have been encouraged to be heavenly minded so that you are of earthly good. All glory be to God!

You can download the sermons here.

Week One: You're On A Need To Know Basis.

Week Two: And to Die is Gain.

Week Three: Big Houses and Eternal Square Footage.

Week Four: That's One Long Church Service!

Week Five: Eternal GPS

You Can Download the Devotional Packet Here.

What is Heaven Like Devotions. (Coming Soon)

You Can Watch and Download the Special Film Presentations Here.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Imagine

The IronMan

What's Heaven Really Like? Part 5: Eternal GPS

Pastor Dan's sermon from 12/16/2007

Scripture Reference: John 14:1-6

Click here to listen.

What's Heaven Really Like? Week 5 Devotional

This is the devotional on Heaven that Pastor Dan passed out during his sermon on 12/16/07.

Week 5 Devotional

The Iron Man

This past Sunday morning, I closed the Heaven series with an illustration of a close friend of mine. I have posted the video of his experience in the IronMan that he finished in Florida in the Fall of 2007. To me, this is a picture of our race and the victory God has given those who know Jesus Christ. The Lord gives us small victories in this life. For some of us, victory comes if we make it through another day. For others, victory comes when we finish a monumental feat like the IronMan. Still, all of us who have faith in Christ have been given complete victory over sin in death as we share in Jesus Christ's sufferings on this earth as we anticipate sharing in his glory in heaven. I hope you enjoy this video. It will be embedded soon but for now you can download it here (it is about 48 MB).

You can download the IronMan Video HERE.

The Making of "Imagine"

QUICK NOTE: The "Imagine" video will be available for download this week. Check back for an update.

These past two weeks have been a real blessing for me as a pastor. I have had the opportunity to meet many of you for the first time, to catch up with some of you and even to learn some new things and hear some stories that I have never heard before.

I can say honestly that we were a little nervous when we first opened up the "Imagine" video to the whole church. Who would turn out? Would anyone turn out? How would the film turn out? What a blessing it has been to see God answer all of those questions.

The filming of each person only takes a few minutes, but the the conversations that I have had with many of you following the filming have been heart wrenching, uplifting, encouraging and a blessing.

I wish that every person in the congregation could watch the film this week with the eyes that I am watching with. I know the "back stories" to these pictures. I have heard the pain, seen the tears and have been privileged to receive a little piece of your grief and your anticipation for that Great Day. I am still trying to think of ways in which you could share your story with everyone else.

If you would like to post your story, feel free to do so. If you wouldn't mind me sharing your story, just e-mail it to me and I will find the time to post it to my blog.

I want to thank each of you for taking part in this project. You have been a blessing to me, you will be a blessing to your congregation, and you have glorified our Lord and Savior.

I can only imagine what it will be like, to meet all of these people in these precious pictures.

Coming to a Close

This has been one of the most encouraging series' that I have taken part in. I have heard over and over again how God is blessing many people through His Word. Personally, the study of heaven has been transforming for me.

Over the past several weeks I have had the opportunity to get to know many of you and hear about why you anticipate heaven. Through the video project that you have taken part in, I have been able to laugh, cry and pray with many of you. I wanted to say "thank you" for your willingness to lean into pain and memories as you share with the congregation what you are looking forward to in heaven.

The video that will be shown on Sunday is not so much about the people that have already gone to heaven, but more about the anticipation WE have of heaven. I would encourage all of the congregation to fix their mind on things above rather than on earthly things as you take part in watching the video and singing worshipful songs to our Lord and Savior. Of course, it is impossible to show everyone in our church who waits for a perfect reunion. The purpose of the video is to help you fix your mind on heaven--what it will be like, the joy we will experience, the love and peace we will finally have in a perfect way!

As great as it will be to see our loved ones again, how much greater will it be to be in the presence of God?! I cannot wait for that day when we are all made perfect and the new heaven and new earth are made complete. What a day that will be.

So the series is coming to a close. We plan to make the video/audio and devotions available to the congregation in one resource that you can hand out to friends who don't know the Lord or who are on their way to meeting him very soon.

I have used a lot of resources throughout the series, but I would really like to give credit to a few of them. I would encourage you to read some of these books and test them against sound doctrine and the teachings of Scripture. Some of them are "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn, "The Glory of Heaven" by John MacArthur, "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis (and of course many other writings by him) and a compilation called "A Glimpse of Heaven" which quotes many different teachers, theologians, authors and the like.

Continue to run the race that has been marked out for you. Press on toward the mark so that you might receive the prize of heaven. I hope you have been blessed by this series.

What's Heaven Really Like? Part 4: One Long Church Service!?

Pastor Dan's sermon from 12/9/2007

Scripture Reference: Luke 6:20-23; Revelation 7:15; Matthew 5:1-11

Click here to listen.

What's Heaven Really Like? Week 4 Devotional

This is the devotional on Heaven that Pastor Dan passed out during his sermon on 12/9/07.

Week 4 Devotional

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

I have had many people come up and ask me where the video "Where the Rubber Meets the Road" can be viewed online. Well, here it is. I hope it blesses you as much as it did me while creating the video.

What's Heaven Really Like? Part 3: Big Houses and Eternal Square Footage

Pastor Dan's sermon from 12/2/2007

Scripture Reference: I Corinthians 15; Revelation 21-22; Isaiah 60

Click here to listen.

What's Heaven Really Like? Week 3 Devotional

This is the devotional on Heaven that Pastor Dan passed out during his sermon on 12/2/07.

Week 3 Devotional

Do All Children Go to Heaven?

Do all children go to heaven? I guess depending on who you talk to and how many children they know may determine different answers--negative and positive. I wonder how many stay at home mom's and dad's would answer this in the affirmative in the midst of breaking up another whining fight or flare up in temper tantrum's? It is a valid question. I have been asked this many times before and I do believe that I have an answer from my theological perspective.

The Bible teaches the doctrine of election (Ephesians 1:4, Romans 8:30, chptrs 9-11 etc). And it also teaches covenant theology (Genesis 3, 12, 15, 17, 22, Jer. 31, Ezekiel 37, I Cor 11 etc). I believe these two doctrines hold the answer--especially for believers.

I want to answer the general question first--do ALL children go to heaven. The answer is that all "elect" children go to heaven. Who is included in that elect bunch only God knows. My heart wants to say that all children are elect and I think I can make a strong argument for that based on Jesuss own words in Matthew 19.

Matthew wrote, Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Luke 18 adds that babies were also brought to Jesus. I think it is clear from these passages that at least some children, yes even babies go to heaven when they die.

But I believe that the proof of the children of the "elect" is even stronger. I am under such conviction concerning this doctrine that I would be confident in telling a Christian parent who has lost a young child that their child is with Jesus and like Jesus in heaven. In I Corinthians 7:14 the children of believers are called "hagios" which means "saints". They are called the same word as those who are true believers. This means that children of believers are considered heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Of course there are objections to this interpretation. But most of these objections are non-sensical questions such as, "What if the child of the believer matures and does not profess faith in Christ--would they still go to heaven if they died young?" This is non-sensical in that it is an impossibility for it can never happen. If we stop with the first part of the question than we find our answer as the Apostle John answers this question clearly in his first epistle--they were never true believers. The second part of the question assumes that a person can grow old, not profess faith, and become young again and die--doesn't make much sense does it?

The question we must stick with is concerning the death of CHILDREN who belong to believers. Paul answers this question clearly--they are in the covenant and considered holy. Peter says in Acts 2 that the promises of the Gospel are for us and our children. In Acts 16, Paul tells the jailor to believe and that he and his whole household would be saved. I can say confidently that young children of believers are in the grip of our Lord for eternity.

What about the others whose parents aren't Christians? I can only stop at the words of Jesus. Jesus does not say that ALL children inherit heaven. He indicates that many children such as the ones that were brought to him will inherit heaven. I believe we worship a merciful God. I must believe the words of God himself when he says that he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy.

What's Heaven Really Like? Part 2: And To Die Is Gain

Pastor Dan's sermon from 11/25/2007

Scripture Reference: Philippians 1:21-23; John 14:1-6; I Corinthians 15; I Thessalonians 4:13-18

Click here to listen.

Update 11/27/2007: This link should now play the correct sermon.

What's Heaven Really Like? Week 2 Devotional

This is the devotional on Heaven that Pastor Dan passed out during his sermon on 11/25/07.

Week 2 Devotional

What's Heaven Really Like? Part I

Pastor Dan's sermon from 11/18/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 8:54-60

Click here to listen.

What's Heaven Really Like? - Devotional

This is the devotional Pastor Dan passed out during his sermon on 11/18/07. There are two different versions, one for high speed internet connections, and the second for dial-up connections.


Devotional - High Speed

Devotional - Dial-Up

What's Heaven Really Like?

What happens when we die? Will I be scared? Will Jesus truly come take me into heaven? Will I see a blinding light? What will heaven be like assuming I make it there? Will I look like I do now just glorified? What does that mean? Will there be age differences? Will I really not be married? What about those harps and clouds? Will I be singing worship songs the WHOLE time? What is heaven really like?

This past week, I thought I had finished a series on Stephen in Acts 7. However, my wife pointed out that I did not reach the conclusion of the story starting in verse 54. This account is one of the only actual glimpses of heaven that the Scriptures reveal to us. As a result, I decided to preach on Acts 7 and to truly finish the story of Stephen.

However, as I began to study I realized that the Lord was directing me to not preach about Stephen but rather about what Stephen saw. Luke records a real glimpse into heaven. Upon further prayer and meditation and reflection upon God's Word I realized that I don't know that much about heaven. It is true that I could talk about it and what may or may not be happening there--but do I have a true full biblical view of the promises of heaven.

Therefore, the Lord has led me to begin a series on heaven this week. I will take the series through December 16th. It will begin with a study on Stephen's picture of heaven. I can't wait to begin this series on Sunday. I am planning to involve the whole congregation on this journey. Come along with me as we see what God has in store for us.

No Matter What the Cost Part III

Pastor Dan's sermon from 11/11/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 7:1-53

Click here to listen.

No Matter What the Cost Part II

Pastor Dan's sermon from 11/4/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 7:1-53

Click here to listen.

Counting Blessings

I recently heard a pastor say that we ought not just to think about the bad times but also praise God for the good times. Of course I would agree with him. All throughout the Old Testament, God's people set up altars to commemorate how good God is. They counted their blessings.

Often as Christians we don't count our blessings. We think about the bad times and the times in our lives where God either said "no" or we had to go through some kind of trial. Don't get me wrong, we ought to remember those times and thank the Lord for those times of growth. But we ought to also thank God for the many blessings he has given us.

Recently, my wife and I were struggling a bit with faithfulness. For some weird reason, we decided to put our house up for sale in this last spring. News reports began to spread that the housing market was crashing. Well, we would have taken our home off the market if we could have, but we were already legally committed to a new home closer to our church. Things were rough. We had a new baby to tend to (our third) open houses that seemed to be worthless, many on-call walk throughs--the stress level was high.

On one particular night we were both feeling down. I walked into the room and my wife was watching a woman sing her heart out on the TV. She was incredible. She was singing about praising God for all of his blessings. Then she sang something along these lines, "Sometimes I don't think I have anything to praise the Lord about, but last time I checked I woke up this morning!"

Isn't that the truth? God has given me another day of life to enjoy Him and His creation and all of the many blessings and hardships that he has given me. What more could we desire or want? I echo the words of Paul, "For me to live is to Christ and to die is gain."

We ought to count our hardships and consider them pure joy. But we ought to count our blessings and consider them pure joy as well. God is the giver of all good things. Have we thanked him lately?

Live Victoriously

Pastor Dan's sermon from 10/28/2007

Scripture Reference: 1 John 5

Click here to listen.

"No Matter What the Cost"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 10/21/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 7:1-25

Click here to listen.

YOU CAN DO IT!

You know one of Joel Osteen's statements in HIS CREED is that we are what the Bible says we are. Yet his preaching and ministry and self help books do not live up to this wonderful statement of truth. I have had the privilege of watching Mr. Osteen the past few days as the "evangelical" consumer gets ready for the launch of his second book "Becoming a Better You". Once again, he has continued to deny the Gospel of Jesus Christ by not taking a stand on a world wide stage. I don't want to get into the questions of Osteen's salvation. After all God is the final judge. I don't even want to get into his motives. After all God is the final judge. But I would like to address his actual message regardless of what his heart tells him or what he may or may not say in an interview.

I have posted a video below that a website had put together with some of Joel's preaching. There is one fundamental that is completely missing from all of Joel's preaching. He does not understand the message of the Bible as fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Dr. Michael Horton says it perfectly when he refers to Osteen as a cotton candy gospel who preaches the Bible as if it were a fortune cookie.

Why should we even comment on these kinds of preachers? Because the world has been fooled into a gospel that is no Gospel at all. Christian consumerism (which is questionable in an of itself) thrives on preaching such as this. We are talking about millions of dollars that are spent to bring a false gospel to a needy and broken world.

When preachers remove Jesus and Christology from their preaching, there is nothing left. Even if 95% of what they say is "good stuff" without Christ-centered preaching, the message is 100% bogus.

Anyway, judge for yourself what you think....

"The Workers Are Few"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 10/14/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 6:1-7

Click here to listen.

"Robbing God to Pay Peter"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 10/7/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 5:1-16

Click here to listen.

"Living Boldly"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 9/23/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 4:23-31

Click here to listen.

God Will Strike You Down

This week, I will be preaching on Acts 5 as we get into the story of Ananias and Sapphira. This has been a hard passage to study and apply to my own life because it is very revealing. All of us have a little of Mr. A and Mrs. S in us. It is convicting and scary all at the same time.

A few weeks ago I got into an online argument with a PCUSA pastor who has graduated from a school that is very liberal in it's view of the Bible. These types of schools have unapologetically attempted to destroy the authenticity and veracity of the Scriptures. This man's education came out of him in our online debate about Mormon's and whether or not they should be included as "Christians". I won't get into the details.

To be honest, I was a little jealous of him in a weird way. He was able to pretty much say whatever he felt like saying. His truth was not based on the authority of Scripture but rather he based his claims on whatever he felt should be right. He could throw Scripture out the window and still call himself a theologian and biblical scholar. I was constrained to the truth of Scripture. I was jealous because there were times when I just wanted to "go off" at him but knew that I couldn't.

I share that story to share this with you--it is stories like Acts 5 that prove the inspiration of Scripture. Why would Luke include this account when it demonstrated the warts of the early church. Not only this, but it would be so much easier if I could misinterpret this passage to make it say whatever I wanted.

The facts of the passage are that a believer in Christ was decieved by Satan, fell into sin from temptation, attempted to lie to the church and Holy Spirit and ultimately died as a consequence for his sin and to demonstrate to the rest of the church that the Kingdom of God was serious business--so to speak. These aren't easy pills to swallow.

I am looking forward to preaching this passage, but only with some fear and trepidation. I pray that I would not be like Ananias any longer. I pray that I would not hinder the Gospel in any way, but that our church would be a shining light for Jesus Christ. To God be all the glory.

Vacation Time

It is time to go away on vacation. My family and I are going to the Outer Banks. I love the OBX this time of year. I have been visiting this area since I was about 11 years old and I look forward to it every year to catch a few waves (I have been surfing 20 years now!), and watch my children start to enjoy what I enjoyed for so many years.

I am looking forward to getting back into the pulpit next Sunday as we continue to move through Acts. For the time being, check out Acts 5 and the account of Annanias and Sapphira. Ask yourself why the Holy Spirit would guide and direct Luke to include such a story in the account of the early church.

With that said, I am off to the OBX. See you all soon.

Should GRPC Change Their Name?

The staff usually goes out to Applebees for lunch after staff meetings on Tuesdays. We frequent this same restaurant A LOT. The staff at Applebees knows us and we know them. They see us praying, discussing, laughing, and debating. And yes, they see us tipping too. We have established some good relationships with the staff there.

One Tuesday after a discussion on a possible name change for our church, one of our staff members decided to run an experiment. He actually decided to ask one of the actual people that we are actually trying to reach what they actually think about our name and the name change issue (a lot of actuality I know).

He turned to one of the waitresses and said, "__________, if I were to invite you to the Glasgow Reformed Presbyterian Church or to the (insert his favorite name here) Church, which one would you go to."

She replied, "I would go to the (insert favorite name here) Church for sure."

We all began to laugh and the inquiring staff member asked, "Why? Why would you go to the (insert favorite name here) Church rather than the Glasgow Reformed Presbyterian Church?"

She replied, "Because I don't even know what that first name...what was it called? The Reformery Glasgow Presbo Church? Yeah that one. What is that, a reforming school? It sounds like a correctional institute. The other name you mentioned sounds friendly, ya know, like a place I would go."

The staff began to laugh and invited the waitress to church. She did come. Hasn't been back yet. But we still leave a good tip.

The point is this. Often as a church we develop a club mentality. We have our congregational meetings, newsletters, prayer groups, bible studies and so on. When the idea of a name change comes up some feathers get ruffled. That is understandable. But I would challenege each of us to think from a different angle. Think from the waitresses angle. Think from the perspective of the world that we are trying to reach. Think for the angle of who we are and what our mission is.

How do you do this? Ask your unsaved friends what they think about the GRPC name along side of some of the other great name ideas that are coming up (Redeemer, Summit, Redemptive Presence etc). Don't try to defend the GRPC name. Just listen to them. Listen carefully to what they are saying.

Now ask how a name change, if we were to have one, could help us to be redemptive and missional in our community.

These are just some thoughts. To be honest, I am not personally all that concerned with a name change. It is not a personal mission of mine. GRPC's name means so much to me. I have been here since the beginning. But what matters more to me is our mission to reach a lost community. Whatever sacred cows hinder us in that one mission can be slaughtered at the altar of missional thinking.

Feel free to post your opinions.

No Guts, No Glory

As I preach through the book of Acts, I am also taking some time to blog about passages that I may not have time to get to on a Sunday morning. My sermon series on Acts is more of a "Highlight Reel" rather than a word-by-word study of all 28 chapters. This upcoming Lord's Day I will be preaching on Acts 4:23-31.

Last week, I preached on Acts 3 as Peter and John preached to the crowd in the temple after healing the lame man at the gate. 2000 people were added to the number of Christians after that sermon. The leaders of the temple observed that "The Way" was gaining momentum and that something needed to stop this new Messianic movement--and so the persecution of the Christian Church began.

Peter and John were hauled in to the same court that had convicted Jesus a few weeks earlier. They demanded that Peter and John stop preaching the name of Jesus Christ. They feared that the people would realize what a great crime this court had committed. Peter and John had a choice...relent and go on living comfortably, or, proclaim and risk further persectuion. Both of these men not only stood their ground but preached the name of Jesus Christ to the court.

No guts, no glory. But this was not glory for the disciples. This was glory to God for the great things he had done. This was glory for the servant of God, Jesus Christ. Peter and John needed to have the guts so that God would have the glory. They were on a divine mission for Jesus Christ. They were willing to proclaim the true Gospel no matter what the cost.

What about us? How do we measure up in the court room where the Gospel is on trial? The Gospel is on trial every day in our circle of influence. If the people who know us, know what we believe, than they are watching. What do they see in us? The better question is "who" do they see in us? Do they see a selfish, inconsiderate, self-centered, greedy, lustful, loud person? Or do they see the humble servant who boldly proclaims Jesus Christ and lives out their faith in their action. After all faith without action is surely dead.

We have got to stand up for the Gospel. We have to posess spiritual intestinal fortitude as we proclaim the Gospel. When we are in the court room of life, who gets the glory?

"Name Above All Names: Jesus, Our Savior" Part II

Pastor Dan's sermon from 9/16/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 3

Click here to listen.

It's Been A While

In the blog world it has been a while. Things have been very busy here. We had our grand opening of our new youth room this past Sunday with over 120 people attending. Our men's ministry has kicked into high fall gear. My family is in fall mode and we are trying to keep up with the current.

I didn't preach this past Sunday and it was wonderful to sit under the preaching of my dad from the book of Matthew. The Holy Spirit was ministering to me in a powerful way and I was glad to be able to rest in God's Word. Although, I am looking forward to preaching again this week from Acts 4.

If you have been following along, I would encourage you to read Acts 3-4 this week. It will help you to have the context of the passage before Sunday morning. See how God uses the healing of the lame man to all 2000 people unto himself. See how Peter had to take a stand in front of the murderers of Jesus Christ. See how he didn't back down. See how God blessed his boldness and how it was God, not Peter, who received all of the glory.

Often preachers received praise and adulation after a good sermon. These compliments help if we keep it in perspective to encourage us to fight the good fight. However, my hope is that the Lord is the focus of praise and adulation after a sermon. My dad said something to this effect this past week. It is always wonderful to hear how "I" ministered to someone through preaching. But my true goal is to point you to our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who strengthens me and who has found me faithful and has appointed me to this work. For I was once a blasphemer...and yet the grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly.

My prayer is that you would be blown away by God's incredible grace and salvation this week. Start by reading Acts 3-4 and ask God to give you opportunities, like Peter and John had, so that the Gospel might go out in a dark world.

"Name Above All Names: Jesus, Our Healer"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 9/2/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 3:1 - 4:4

Click here to listen.

"The Christ Reformission: 'Unified, Magnified, Multiplied.'" II

Pastor Dan's sermon from 8/26/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 2: 41-47

Click here to listen.

No Guts, No Glory

Peter the Apostle had guts. He always had guts. Sure, there were times when he would falter, but Jesus called him the rock for a reason. In Acts 3, we see the Rock in action. Here he is, about 2 months or so after Jesus had been crucified, standing before the same men who killed his Lord, proclaiming that these judges were not only murderers, but God-haters. But Peter took his accusations to another level. He defied their judgement by continuing to proclaim Jesus as Lord. He was going to obey God rather than man.

Could I have done the same thing with my life on the line? Do I have any real guts at all? Peter had guts and the glory went to Jesus Christ. We must have guts to give glory to Jesus Christ. The funny thing is that we aren't facing life and death situations in America when it comes to our faith. So how do we have guts when many people could get away with being gutless?

It takes guts to invite people to hear about the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes even more guts to not depend upon your local pastor to do the work. It takes guts to share the message of sin and grace with your family and friends. And what happens in the end? Do we receive any of the glory? Absolutely not. Our Lord receives all the glory. He is glorified no matter what the outcome of our gutsy moves.

Do we have guts for God's glory?

"The Christ Reformission: 'Unified, Magnified, Multiplied.'"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 8/19/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 2: 41-47

Click here to listen.

There are lots of things to comment on for this sermon. What about the Kingdom Rules? What about the idols of the American Church that make us so powerless as compared to the early church work? Feel free to talk about it and post.

Unified, Magnified, Multiplied

This week, I have been studying Acts 2:41-47. Here you will find a summary of the true church. Notice that I did not say a summary of the "early church". I believe we find in these few words the marks of the true church. We also see the result of the true church.

Luke tells us four things about the true church. The church is to preach the Gospel as handed down to the apostles, it is to uphold the sacraments (baptism and the Lord's Supper), it is to have a brotherly fellowship and to be devoted to prayer. I am going to preach on these marks this Sunday so I won't get into a whole exegesis now. Suffice it to say, where these marks are present, the church grows both spiritually and numerically.

This is not an argument for nickles and noses as I have heard some pastors put it. On my staff many of us call it concern with "dimes and derriers" or "bucks and butts". Isn't it funny how many smaller churches believe they are twice as righteous because they are half the size? But I digress.

The result of the true church is that the Lord's Bride is unified, magnified and multiplied. These early brothers and sisters had unity. Their unity was found in sound doctrine, the Lord's Supper, their fellowship and devotion to prayer. As a result, people took notice. They saw something different in these Christ followers. There was a difference in the way that they treated each other and others. There was a difference because of what Jesus Christ had done. As a result, Luke says that the Lord (notice it was the Lord and not some kind of program or person) brought people to the church.

The current church needs to learn a few things. Do we have unity? Are we really all that different from the world? Why aren't we multiplying on a grand scale? How do denominations gel with unity? They seem pretty foolish to the world. Why is that programs continually fizzle out whether purpose driven, promise driven, seeker friendly or community oriented? What does the world see when the church doors are open?

Now for fear of being classified as a post-modern who just asks questions but offers no solutions, I will offer some solution. Get back to the basics...sound doctrine, the sacraments, fellowship, and devotion to prayer. Why do we have to make things so stinkin' difficult?

"The Christ Reformission: 'Who is This Jesus?.'" Part II

Pastor Dan's sermon from 8/12/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 2: 14-41

Click here to listen.

Smiling at a Funeral

I went to a funeral today. You could call it more of a celebration. One of our Deacons and oldest members went home to be with the Lord. When the news broke that he had finally gone home, there was a celebratory relief rather than a depressing cloud. This man truly loved the Lord.

There was no need to make up nice things about this man. He was truly a nice man. He was a servant for the Lord. But you know how it is. Some funerals are just attempts to help people get through a hard time by talking about how a person was such a good person and as result is now in a "better place". You hear things about "the man upstairs", or how the dearly departed is now doing his/her favorite thing with angels. All of these jokes and antidotes are an attempt to ignore our own mortality and a flight from the weighty questions of life and death. There was no need to talk about this brother as a nice man...there was a confidence in where our brother now resides.

There was no need to put on a fake smile when we as Christians, today, have the confidence to smile at death. There is no need to comfort ourselves with nonsense and our best guess as to what happens when someone dies. We already know and are confident in what we do not see and sure of what he hope for.

Our Deacon and friend is serving at the feet of the risen Lord Jesus Christ because he had faith in Jesus Christ and was redeemed and now glorified by Jesus Christ. There were so many smiles today. People were laughing and joking. Sure we miss our brother as we will miss many others as we get older and people continue to die. But what I saw today was true joy. Joy in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"The Christ Reformission: 'Who is This Jesus?.'"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 8/5/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 2: 14-41

Click here to listen.

"The Christ Reformission 'The Sound Heard Around the Earth'"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 7/29/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 2: 1-13

Click here to listen.

A few comments on chapter 1 of Acts.

The disciples had received their instructions from Jesus Christ. "Go to Jerusalem and wait." And wait they did. But they didn't just sit on their hands and wait. They labored before the Lord in prayer. They had big decisions to make. Who would replace Judas? What would they do after they picked Matthias? What was next? How would they get the message out?

Acts 1 is sort of like the first official church staff meeting in history. They had a mission to do, the mission of Jesus Christ, and they needed to make some decisions. But what strikes me the most is that they didn't come up with a bunch of programs and committees. They didn't even have a Book of Church Order yet. Heck, they didn't even have the New Testament. They were completely dependant upon the promises of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. So what did they do? They prayed. Luke says it was an ongoing and constant prayer.

Do we approach life in this way any longer? It seems as if every decision we make is from logical conclusions in the absence of prayer. Disciples need to labor in prayer. We need to get past the whole idea of, "Yeah, I will pray about it," and leaving things to our own wisdom. We need to seek God's wisdom. These men (and women) trusted the Lord with all of their heart.

Matthias. We hear his name one minute and the next minute he is gone forever. Tradition has it that Matthias eventually gave his life for Jesus Christ in Jerusalem not long after he had become the 12th disciple. Who is this guy? Does Acts 1 allow for playing chance games? Was Matthias a credible choice since we don't hear anything about him ever again?

The casting lots was an ancient Jewish practice which Ecclesiastes speaks about. The poet says that God even controls the lots that are cast. These men were simply following Scripture. Matthias was chosen by using traditional methods of choosing between options. We may not hear about Matthias ever again, but we don't hear about several of the disciples ever again. Luke is simply giving us information as he continues to tell Theophilus the story of Jesus Christ.

Like Minds

As a pastor, I get the opportunity to read a lot. I also receive a lot of recommendations about books, sermons, tapes and CD's and MP3's (depending on the age of the recommending person). I am not in the habit of recommending any books and in that vein, I will recommend a few books.

The reason I am recommending them is because I believe they are mostly sound and because they will help you understand somewhat of where I am coming from. Basically, by reading these books I believe you will be edified and encouraged and also brought into a like-spirit and like-mind.

Check out Mark Driscoll's "Radical Reformission" and "Confessions of a Reformissional Reverend". Just go to Amazon.com and look up "Radical Reformission". I read both of these books in two days. Much of what was said has affected me and I hope they will do the same for you.

In now way do these recommendations supplant the Word of God. In fact, I believe that these books sometimes disagree with God's Word. But these kinds of books can encourage you and make you think. Feel free to post about what you are reading.

In the mean time, God bless.

Teaching Your Kids About the Lord's Supper

As I was "fencing" the table this past Sunday I really thought about the children in our church. It is my belief that as parents we should be excited about teaching our kids about the Lord's Supper. If you are like me, than you probablly don't think about teaching your kids about the Lord's Supper during the week. You may not even remember to talk to your kids about it in between the times that we celebrate the sacrament. Before you know it, they are 12 years old and you still haven't talked with your children about the Lord's Supper. I want to encourage all parents to teach their children quickly so that they might participate with the rest of the body in the Lord's Supper. To that end, I want to give you a few points about the Lord's Supper that might teach you so that you can teach your children.

Start off by looking at the Westminster Shorter Catechism. You may want to read the Larger Catechism for yourself and the Confession of Faith chapter on the Lord's Supper and the one on the Sacraments. But for these purposes, read and study the Shorter Catechism questions and answers for questions 91, 92, 96, and 97. You can click on the "Shorter Catechism" link on the right side of this page for easy reference.

After your own study and reflection, focus on question 96 and 97. Let's break it down for you and for your children.

Question 96. What is the Lord's Supper?
First it is a sacrament. Teach your children what that means (refer to question 92). Simply put, sacraments are commands of Christ. We observe "communion" because Jesus has told us to do so.

Second, we eat a little piece of bread and drink some grape juice (should be wine!) because these little signs were given to us by Jesus on the night he was betrayed to represent how his body would be hurt and punished in our place. He would be put on a bloody cross and the cup and bread represent how Jesus took our punishment for sin on the cross. He was punished for us.

Third, Jesus told us to remember him by this sacrament. So when we take part in the Lord's Supper, we remember what he did for us. We celebrate with joy that fact that we are forgiven. We also look to his coming again with anticipation

Fourth, by taking the bread and wine we are strengthened in our faith and we grow in grace. Just like our bodies need food to get bigger and stronger, our faith is fed by doing what Jesus told us to do.

Now take a look at question 97. Simply put, how do I prepare for the Lord's Supper?

First, you must be a Christian. Explain to your children what it means to be a believer. We must have repentance for our sins, posess faith in Jesus Christ as our atoning sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, and follow after him by faith. Parenthetically, raise your children as if they are always believers. You must assume that they are unless they demonstrate otherwise. They may never have that moment where they "ask" Jesus into their heart. That is more for us than it is for them. Raise them to know, love and fear God rather than to "pray the sinners prayer".

Second, when we partake of the Lord's Supper we must ask if we are repentant of sin in our lives and committed to love God and love others. We don't come to the Table as perfect people but as broken and joyful people. Maybe tell your kids the story of the publican and the pharisee that Jesus tells to demonstrate this point.

Use illustrations when talking with your kids. But your goal, once you know that your children believe should be to have your children interviewed by and elder-- hopefully one that they feel comfortable with. You can sit in with them to discuss the Lord's Supper with an elder of the church.

When should you begin talking with your kids about the Lord's Supper? As soon as possible. Why would we want them to miss out on another observance?

For children, I believe that an understanding of the Lord's Supper can be as simple as, "The Lord's Supper reminds me that Jesus died for me on the cross for my sins. Taking the Lord's Supper helps me to grow in my faith as I remember that Jesus died, resurrected and is coming again."

Feel free to post or ask questions. But make it a point before we celebrate communion again!

"The Christ Reformission: 'The Final Four.'"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 7/22/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 1: 8-11

Click here to listen.

What a wonderful time of worship we had yesterday on the Lord's Day. The Holy Spirit was present among us. It was good to sing, worship, pray, read God's Word and take part in the Lord's Supper with the body of Christ.

It was a busy day for sure. Our S4 children's ministry kicked-off with 160 students! At one point as the children were moving from station to station there was a line of kids from the office building area, through the old fellowship hall, all the way to the Family Life Center! What a blessing to be part of such a great body of believers and to see their children learning to know, love and revere the Lord.

I arrived at church around 6:45am to make some final preparations for worship, preaching and S4. Worship team practice began at 7:45am. We were learning a new song which we all sang yesterday "Here is Our King." At 8:25 I had to make my way over to the S4 staff. I really believed that we would cut Here is Our King from the worship order. It didn't sound so good.

I prayed with the S4 staff from 8:30am to about 8:50am. Met with the elders at 9am to go over our details for the Lord's Supper. Preached, talked with many of you, preached, talked with many of you and went to Maryland to enjoy some recreational paintball with some students and members of the church.

I came home by 7:30pm and was completely beat. I am resting with my family today. Even in the midst of all the business, yesterday was a true blessing for me. To start the day off by worshipping amd singing, to preach God's Word and take the Lord's Supper with the Church and to end the day with fellowship with like-minded believers was such an exciting time.

I thank the Lord every day for the position he has given to me. I will pray for you this week as a body that the Lord would give each of you opportunities to be reformissional. We have a mission in the midst of all of our business. We are sent as Christ was sent, too all peoples without preferences, to bring the message of repentance and forgiveness as the witnesses to the ministry and work of Jesus Christ. May God's blessing be on you this week as you labor for the kingdom of God.

Being Reformissional

Now you are starting to hear all kinds of new terms. You might wonder what they mean in real life. The pastor is talking about something called "reformission" or being "missional". If you were to type these words into your word processing program it would result in a squiggly red line that indicates a spelling error. These words aren't even in the dictionary. What are these new words?

Being reformissional is preaching the Gospel in the context of your culture. We are missionaries on a mission that Jesus gave us in his earthly ministry. I mean that we are to be like Christ was in his humiliation while having the confidence of the exalted Christ as we boldly proclaim truth. What truth? The truth. I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Redeemer. I have freedom in Christ from sin and death and so can all of those who place their lives in the Redeemer's hands.

Being reformissional means taking the truth to the people in a way that they can understand--not in a way that they necessarily might agree with, but in a way that is clear cut Gospel. This involves being relational with people so that we can actually communicate and conversate (ha, I think I made up another word--but you get the point). People relate to people they know and trust. That means in order for us to be reformissional we have to know others outside of the church so that they can get to know and trust us.

Being reformissional is not about getting people to church so that pastor can do what he is paid to do. Rather we are to be the messengers. Church serves as the community of believers that can have a real hand in sharing the Gospel. But once a person is in the pew, the job is only beginning.

Being reformissional is not about safety and a fortified church. Reformissional Christians put their comfort on the line to achieve eternal purposes. We must think with eternal things in mind (where have I heard that before?). When we think with eternal things in mind we become like that cute little boy, who is no longer that cute, from the movie "The Sixth Sense". You don't see anonymous people walking around, you see opportunities to share life with those who are dead.

Are we reformissional? This is just the beginning.

"The Christ Reformission: 'Houston, We Have A Problem.'"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 7/15/2007

Scripture Reference: Acts 1:1-11

Click here to listen.

A Few Statistics For Us

As I begin a new series this week that will carry on for a long period of time as we study the work of Acts, I wanted to introduce a few statistics. By the way, each week I will be fleshing out some of my sermon points on this blog. Feel free to ask questions and get involved.

Houston, Do We Have A Problem?

I remember sitting through Apollo 13 when going to the movies was still relatively cheap and fun for that matter. I had never heard of the story and was hooked from lift-off onward. I remember holding back tears of joy when the boys finally returned home. What an incredible story of danger, heroism, and joy.

One of the scenes that has always stuck out in my mind was when the families of the pilots came to NASA to sit down and watch their husbands on closed-circuit TV. The astronauts believed that they were on LIVE national TV as they sped toward the moon. Much to the wives surprise, NASA officials informed them that none of the networks were carrying the broadcast and that they would be lucky to make the evening news. In a word, NASA had become irrelevant. The race to the moon was over, the USA had won that battle years ago when Neil Armstrong took those first steps and uttered those famous words. America, and the world for that matter, had moved on. Going to the moon was as common as the new millenium's reality TV. The world would not tune in until the men's lives were in danger and NASA admitted those now infamous words, "Houston, we have a problem."

I wonder if the AMERICAN Church is in the same position as NASA. As we take our trips to the moon every week through Sunday Worship, the sacraments, the programs, the youth ministry, the house churches and so on, I wonder if the American really cares about our mission. Is there a problem in the American Church? What are we doing on Sunday mornings? What are we doing throughout the week? What is our purpose? Has the American Church become "one and done" on the Lord's Day? Do we have oxygen spewing out of our life support tank while we thrust towards a goal that no one cares about?

Let me demonstrate my point with an every day example. Take a minute one day and just step out and ask your neighbors, friend, family member, or random person what they think about "church". Then ask them what they think about God. What about Jesus? Chances are, in America, they believe that there is a God, believe that Jesus has something to do with this God and that Church has nothing to do with either one of those "beings". What the church does on Sunday morning and throughout the week is like NASA taking another trip to the moon to collect a bunch of rocks that have already been examined.

Maybe the American Church needs to take a look at itself and wonder, "what are we doing here and why doesn't anybody outside of the club care about what is that we are doing?" These questions are being asked in the seminaries around the country. What usually starts in the seminaries will eventually reach the members of the church. Is something broken in the American Church? Do we have a problem?

Home Now

Just a quick update. I am home now. I ended up in the hospital on Tuesday and thought I would be out pretty quick. I had some infection and more damgage than I previously thought. I am now on crutches, a knee immobilizer and working toward full recovery.

What I thought was really awesome was the witness of many of the people of our church. Thank you for ministering to me with cards, flowers, visits, phone calls and encouragement. It really meant a lot to be ministered to by all of you. I really do belong to a great body of believers in our Savior. I am looking forward to worshipping with you all this Lord's Day!

Taste-Tester or the Real Deal - III

Pastor Dan's sermon from 6/24/2007

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Click here to listen.

Personal Note--I covet your prayers....

On Sunday night, I was planting a tree. In order to do so, I had to dig through the great soil of Odessa, Delaware. You know the type, rocks, sand, clay, and dry as a bone. Well, my wife went to Lowes and purchased a pick axe for me to use. I was hoping for a powered auger, but that just wasn't in the budget.

I was about 2 feet down and 2 feet wide when I began to swing the axe side to side to chip away some rock, err, I mean dirt--at least that is what they call the soil here. Just as I was thinking that I ought to be careful not to hit my leg...you guessed it...the sharp end of the pick axe found its way to the inside part of my left knee.

Long story short, I finished the job but found myself in a great deal of pain later that night. I was in so much pain, and continue to be in so much pain that I cannot walk right now. I am asking for prayer for healing if you think of it. I am on some pain meds and antibiotics and plan to see an orthopedics doctor today. Please pray that my beautiful wife would be able to keep up with her fourth child now--me. She is such a blessing.

Judas Vs Peter

I received a great question this past week after the conclusion of my sermon series, "Taster Taster or the Real Deal?" In my sermon I compared Judas Iscariot with Peter. Judas was a taste tester and Peter was the real deal. We know this because the Scriptures record the facts that Peter repented of his betrayal whereas Judas, although sorry, did not truly repent, was filled with evil and ultimately took his own life.

The danger of identifying Judas as an example of a "taste tester" is that we know what happened to him and history (as well as the church) has labeled him as the ultimate villian. What we must consider is that Judas ministered with Jesus for 3 years. He was by his side, preaching the Good News, casting out demons, maybe even healing people. From the outside, Judas was a full disciple of Christ. Maybe this is why upon Jesus' announcement at the Last Supper that one of his own would betray him, the disciples looked around in confusion. Judas wasn't wearing an evil grin and laughing in Jesus' face. No, Judas seemed like he was the real deal.

Ultimately, Judas did not truly repent and put Jesus to open shame by rejecting the Gospel. If Judas had repented as Peter did in John 21, the end of the story might have been just the beginning for Judas.

So what do we learn from all of this? If you claim to follow Jesus Christ, you must truly repent of sin, rely on the finished work of Jesus Christ, Stay in the Word, and test your calling so that you may be mature and complete. Keep on persevering.

How do you know the Bible is the Word of God?

I was recently listening to a Christian broadcast which was playing a few interview clips from a conservative Christian college concerning their theology on the Word of God. The simple question was, "Why do you believe the Word of God to be God's Word?" or "How do you know the Bible is the Word of God?"

The answers were very interesting. But it gave me an idea. I would like to know how you know that the Bible is the Word of God. I will post your answers on my blog. I think it would make for some great discussion and sharpening of one another. If you would like to post, click here and fire away. The question, "Why do you believe that the Bible is the Word of God?"

"Taste-Tester or Real Deal?" Part II

Pastor Dan's sermon from 6/10/2007

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 6:4-6

Click here to listen.

Flip-Flopper?

Warning: This one is long, but should only take five minutes to read...

I know the sermon hasn't been posted yet from this past week. It will be shortly when our tech guy gets back from vacation. I have been asked as to what exactly had I flip flopped on this past week? I wanted to take a moment and be clear.

Up unto Saturday night around 6pm I was under the impression that Hebrews 6:4-6 was a description of someone who is truly born again, who had fallen away (not a complete falling away), and was in a continuing pattern of sin. Because of their continuance in gross sin it is impossible for this person in Hebrews 6 to be brought back to repentance. However, if they were to turn from their sin, they could repent. (More on this in a week).

The point I flip flopped on is the position of those here described as related to whether or not they are standing in grace. These people in Hebrews 6 ARE NOT true believers though they call themselves believers. Well, how did I come to the first conclusion and what changed my mind?

THE FIRST CONCLUSION.
One tiny word--tasted. The author uses this word here to describe these people. They have tasted of the heavenly gift (salvation, faith), the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. Now many would say (which I NOW agree with) that tasting is not the same as ingesting and full participation. The problem I had with this view before last Saturday was the fact that the same author uses the same word to describe Jesus in his redemptive work. It says that Jesus "tasted" death. If one is to draw the conclusion that these people in Hebrews 6 only tasted of something without full participation then why did the author use the same word to describe Jesus who REALLY did die?

A difficult question to be sure. Here is the short answer. Jesus did taste of death in the same way that all of God's children will taste of death. But death will not defeat the true believer. In fact Paul challenges death in I Corinthians 15--oh death where is thy sting? Grave where is your victory. Death did not have victory over Jesus--even though he physically died--he physically and spiritually rose again to defeat the grave. We are also told in Scripture that Jesus drank the cup that the Father had given to him. He also humbled himself completely to death. He tasted and he drank.

THE FLIP FLOP.
Why did I flip flop? As I studied the words "enlightened, tasted, partaking" a little further it became clear to me through several commentaries that none of these words describe salvation. In fact, none of these words are used anywhere else in Scripture to describe someone who is truly saved. It is that simple. It would be different if the author had said,

For in the case of those who have once been regenerated and have been justified and sanctified, and have received the gift of faith from God,and then have rejected Christ, it is impossible to renew them again to salvation...

But the author does not say this. As a reformed thinker I put a lot of theological weight on the words of Scripture. This case is no different.

WHAT'S SO DIFFERENT ABOUT MY VIEW?
I believe these words may be describing non-Christians but they are written to and a warning for ANYONE who calls themself a Christian. Because it is possible that the most fervent outward believer is not truly saved if they are only tasters rather than the real deal.

Jesus Christ demands full commitment from his followers. A person who is truly a believer is sold out, the real deal, indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Let me put it this way with an illustration. When I was younger I would only put my toes in the ocean. There was no way I was going to get into that water with those scary waves. As I got older I finally picked up a surfboard. I was determined to become a surfer. Now I look for the biggest waves and when I find them, I charge out full steam ahead. These people in Hebrews 6 are like many self proclaimed Christians in that they are standing on the beach with their toes in the water. They see and taste the blessing but they never experience the thrill of riding the wave. They are what surfers like to call fake surfers--posers.

I don't want to be a poser and so I continue to work out my salvation with fear and trembling--all Christians are called to this--work it out--be diligent--if we do these things, we will never fall.

The Point of No Return?

I am continuing to enjoy the study of Hebrews 6:4-6 this week as I was unable to reach the end of all that I have to say about the passage last Sunday. I was told this past week that I left everyone hanging but interested in what the passage means. That is an exciting place for a pastor to be for sure.

The question that we all want to answer in this passage is, who are the "those" in Hebrews 6:4? Are they Christians, non-Christians, tasters, testers or the real deal?

We know one thing for sure, these people, whoever they might be are unable to be brought to repentance. How is this possible? Is this the sin that Jesus refers to in the Gospel of Luke about blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? Is this the unforgivable sin? Are these Christians who have fallen away for good and have lost their salvation?

My approach this Sunday will be different than many of the traditional views on this text. I have studied it long and hard and believe I have arrived at some sound conclusions. My last post may give some hints to where I am going but I do not believe it fully reveals what I believe is the truth in this passage.

If you want to get ready for this Lord's Day I would encourage you to read Hebrews 5:11-6:12. Particularly study the words carefully in verse 4-6. These people who are unable to repent are in the midst of something. It is not about what they have done but what they are currently doing and continue to do. This passage is not about the unforgivable sin...this particular sin is forgivable...

"Taste-Tester or Real Deal?"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 6/3/2007

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 6:4-6

Click here to listen.

"Secured by Sovereignty" Part II

Pastor Dan's sermon from 5/27/2007

Scripture Reference: John 6:37-40

Click here to listen.

Does Hebrews Scare the Hell Out of You?

Hebrews 6:4-6, "it is impossible...if they fall away to be brought back to repentance..." No matter what theological persuasion you come from this verse presents some great problems...that is, when it is taken out of context.

To be sure, this verse is enough to scare the hell out of the true believer. When I read this verse I automatically begin to wonder what must I do to do the works of God (see John 6)? Is there something more that must be done that I haven't already done? The author of Hebrews did not include this verse to scare us from hell but to draw us unto Christ.

Notice where my concerns lie in the words above. It is all about me. We are barking up the wrong tree if our response to these words immediately falls to the self. Interestingly enough, the entire book of Hebrews is about the priesthood and work of Jesus Christ--it is never about us. I know that this is not a very popular message in a post-modern, emerging, emergent, narcissistic church. Many of our fears concerning security in salvation are a result of our ego. I begin asking, "What must I do in order to know that I am saved?" Is this the response that the author of Hebrews was looking for from the tiny Jewish/Christian house church in the first century?

What usually happens in a discussion on this verse is that party lines are drawn and sides fall away to polar opposites. The Calvinist will argue that these people were never really Christians at all. Once saved always saved. The Armenian will argue that these people were Christians in that the description of enlightenment, tasting etc could not be more clear. Who does the writer have in mind? Simple. The early Jewish-Christians to whom he had sent the letter.

This is a warning to the Hebrews as it is a warning to the church today. The message is simple--continue to persevere and do not fall away from the faith. Make no mistake, it is impossible for a true believer to fall away even though they can fall into sin (John 6, John 10, Philippians 1 etc). But the warning is that there are many in the world who profess faith, yes, even take part in all the benefits of the Christian community, but never actually commit their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This author is talking about those who renounce Jesus and are "crucifying the Son of God all over again".

The warning is for you and me. We can't simply call it a day when we call Jesus Lord. We must believe that he is Lord. If he is truly our Lord we must follow and submit to him as Lord. This is why Paul tells the Philippians to continue to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Likewise, Peter says that we are to make our calling and election sure and that if we do these things, we will persevere!

This passage makes it oh so clear that some "Christians" are tasters, testers and players. They have tasted of the Holy Spirit without drinking. They have experienced the fellowship of believers without actually receiving the benefits of Christ. Their minds have even been enlightened to the truth but their heart has never committed to Christ. It is scary to think that I might be one of these tasters rather than a follower. But I would also suggest that by the very fact that I ask that question and that I continue to repent of and confess my sins and strive after the Lord that I am not a taster but a follower.

Preserved to Persevere

Do you ever struggle with your call to salvation? Do you ever fall into sin and wonder how one who is saved could possibly not lose their greatest gift? Does God ever become so angry with us that he takes back what we thought he irrevocably gave to us? These questions bring the words of Paul to mind when he told the Philippian church to continue to work out their salvation with fear and trembling.

Reformed believers are often accused of a false sense of security. Arminians are accused of a man centered religion that involves no security at all. I remember talking with a person that might be considered as an extreme Arminian--a Perfectionist. In a nutshell he believes that the Bible teaches that man can become perfect in this life once recieving Christ. Not only so, but these same Christians must remain perfect until the day that they die or they must become saved all over again.

The Scriptures are clear (as we will dive into this Sunday) that God preserves all of his people. Those that he gives to Jesus will be guarded and preserved until the last day (Phil. 1:6, John 6:44 etc). This is all the work of God. Just as election, redemption and calling are the work of the Triune God so preservation continues to be the work of God in salvation. However, man is called to persevere. We are called to holiness, to faith, to abide in Christ to "fight the good fight" if you will. Perseverance is man's responsibility. In fact I would argue that we should add a 6th point to "Calvinism" called "Preservation" and this point should come before perseverance (for reasons I don't have space to get into right now).

God preserves his people and his people persevere. In other words Faith alone saves us but faith is never alone. By the very fact that God preserves his people secures his people unto salvation. None of them will be lost.

But what about those who profess faith in Christ and absolutely fall away and die in their sin? Simple and sad to be sure...they were never under grace in the first place. Jesus promises his people that not one of them will be lost--not one. If you are truly saved, you can be confident that the promises of God will always be yours.

"Secured by Sovereignty"

Pastor Dan's sermon from 5/20/2007

Scripture Reference: John 6:35-40

Click here to listen.

Well, once again, I was unable to wrap up this series on the Reformed Faith. All in the Lord's timing. I am looking forward to this Sunday as we will take an in depth look at the doctrines of Preservation and Perseverance. Two sides of the same coin. For a preview check out my latest posting.

God's Invincible Embrace Wrap Up

This past Sunday I preached part four of a series within a series on the Holy Spirit and His work in salvation. My desire was to finish the series on the Holy Spirit. I was preaching from I Corinthians 2:1-16 and just flat out ran out of time. What I have decided to do is to “complete” the series through a few writings on the last verses of I Corinthians. I will include these writings on my weblog and in the Redemptive Presence newsletter.

We left off in I Corinthians 2:10 as we learned about effectual calling and conversion. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to us the simple truth of the cross. This is what we call “effectual calling” or God’s invincible embrace of grace. Conversion is the result of effectual calling. The Holy Spirit regenerates us, implants new life in us and the soul is made holy. We respond in faith and repentance which are the gifts of God (not by works so that no man should boast!). Paul leaves verse 10 by saying that God has revealed the Truth of salvation to us by his Holy Spirit.

As Paul continue he follows up this revelation of effectual calling by writing a hyperbole. A what? A hyperbole is when a figure of writing or speech where a writer uses one example to amplify his point. In verse 11 Paul says that only a man knows what his true intentions and thoughts are. No one outside of that person can know what his inward thoughts are. We basically take each other’s word on faith. We believe a person because they have asked us to do so. After Paul makes this statement about a person’s thoughts he relates the example to God’s thoughts. In other words, Paul is saying, “If we can’t possibly know what a person is truly thinking, and we are just like that person, how is it possible to imagine that we can know what God is thinking?” To know God’s thoughts is to know the mind of God. Something miraculous has to happen for us to have any knowledge of God’s thoughts.

The only persons who know the thoughts of God are the persons of the Trinity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit know each other intimately. Paul answers his own hyperbolic question. Who can know God’s thoughts? The Holy Spirit! And we have been given the Holy Spirit! Now we can understand what God has freely given us. God has freely given us the Gospel. When I read a passage like this I think about language barriers. There is this one language out there that only young people speak. It is the language of text messaging. It is almost a secret language. Mark my words, the time is coming, if it hasn’t already, when text messaging dictionaries will be required reading for communications majors! When we receive the Holy Spirit, the message of the Scriptures are no longer foolishness to us (much like text messaging is to most parents of teens and tweens). No! The Gospel makes perfect sense because the Holy Spirit has enabled us to embrace grace. He has persuaded us of the truth of the person of Jesus Christ.

Paul makes a further distinction in the following verse when he says that the man without the Spirit “does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God.” Why? Because his mind, heart and soul are totally depraved! He is dead until someone wakes him up. Dead in foolishness. Dead in the pursuit of “happiness”. Dead in the love they have for this world.
The person who is foolish comes up with all kinds of excuses to continue on in foolishness. They believe they can get religion later on in life. They believe they can walk the line between the world and God’s Kingdom. They believe that the message might be a good message for others but not for them. They believe that there is a God but that Jesus is not the only way to God. Why do they believe these things? Why do they continue to live their life this way? Because Jesus is foolish to them! Is he foolish to you?

The message of the Gospel is to drop what we are doing and follow Jesus NOW! The Gospels speak of many who wanted to follow Jesus but were unwilling to drop what they were doing—even good things. Why would we drop what we are doing when it seems to give us so much fulfillment? Jesus promises a life that is hard, traveled down a beaten path, a life of humility and servanthood all for the glory of God. This is foolishness to those who are perishing. So what happens? Those who are perishing reject grace and reject the foolish message of the Cross.

Paul rounds out his passage on the Holy Spirit when he poses another question in verse 16. For who has known the mind of the Lord…? I love how he ends the passage in such a profound answer. “But we have the mind of Christ.” Paul once again answers his own question. He is literally saying, “Who has known the mind of the Lord? We know the mind of the Lord because we have the very mind of Christ who is the Lord.”

This is another great statement of the theology of the person of Christ. Jesus was not just a prophet or great teacher. He is the very God of the universe as the second person of the Trinity. He is fully God and fully man. He bridges the gap between us and God. Because we have been given the Holy Spirit we now have the mind of Jesus Christ. The message makes perfect sense to those who are being saved by the power of God. The Gospel is salvation to all who believe.

In a way, this passage rounds out the work of the Trinity in Salvation. The Father predestines and elects his people, the Son agreed to provide redemption and did so, the Holy Spirit finally applies salvation to God’s people by calling them, regenerating them and applying the merits of Christ to them. What a wonderful message of grace! Notice how it is the work of God all the way through.

However, we’re not done yet. Not only has the Triune God saved us, but we will certainly persevere until the end because of his saving grace. But we will talk about Perseverance of the Saints over the next week or so. Until then continue to keep your eyes fixed on Christ, not on earthly things.

God's Invincible Embrace - IV

Pastor Dan's sermon from 5/13/2007

Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

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God's Invincible Embrace - III

Pastor Dan's sermon from 5/6/2007

Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

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God's Invincible Embrace - II

Pastor Dan's sermon from 4/29/2007

Scripture Reference: John 10:15-26

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God's Invincible Embrace

Pastor Dan's sermon from 4/22/2007

Scripture Reference: John 14:15-26

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The Voice of the Shepherd

Pastor Dan's sermon from 4/15/2007

Scripture Reference: John 10:14-21

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Who is the Holy Spirit?

Take a look at the question..."who" not "what". We often think of the Holy Spirit as some kind of power rather than the person that He is. In doing so, we often, in our own minds, subordinate the Holy Spirit to the First and Second Persons of the Trinity. As a result, we may miss the blessing as we misunderstand who the Holy Spirit is.

As many of you know, I have been preaching through the teachings of the Reformed Faith. We began weeks ago with Total Depravity and have recently finished a two part series on the particular nature of Redemption. It hasn't been easy to get to this point for many. It is curious that the the doctrines of depravity, election, and redemption are often too much for people to bear. But everyone wants to hear about the invincibility of grace and the perseverance of the saints. The problem is that you cannot fully appreciate any of the points of the Reformed faith without also fully embracing and appreciating all of the other points. In other words, you can't have a party unless you are going to pay the band.

Tomorrow, I am supposed to begin preaching on Irresistible Grace. I started off this week by trying to answer two questions: Who is the Holy Spirit? and "What is the work of the Holy Spirit in Salvation?" Obviously, these two questions would be difficult to answer in 35 minutes (40 if I go long!). So tomorrow, I will begin preaching about who the Holy Spirit is.

Funny, most Presbyterians tend to ignore the Holy Spirit because of the charismatic abuses of the doctrines of the Spirit. I bet the Arminian would be happy if we would have done the same thing with the doctrines of election! We miss out on so much if we ignore the Holy Spirit and the teachings from Scripture. So this week, we will set out on a journey as we take a look at John 14 (where Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to the disciples and the Church). Who is this third Person of the Trinity?

Crucified with Christ - Were you there?

Pastor Dan's sermon from 4/06/2007

Scripture Reference: Galatians 2:20

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Chosen and Redeemed

Pastor Dan's sermon from 4/08/2007

Scripture Reference: John 10:11, 14-18, 24-29

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Insight on Two Sermons

There are always points that you can't get to when preaching a sermon. Either you forgot, you didn't have time, the Holy Spirit takes you in another direction or, like this morning, you skip to page three of your notes before preaching from page 2!

This past Friday, I preached from Galatians 2:19-21 which is Paul's rebuke of the Apostle Peter for disregarding grace and continuing to follow Jewish dietary laws. What I didn't mention which I really wished I had was that there is evidence that Peter did accept Paul's teachings. Check out II Peter 3:16 sometime. Peter, once again did turn from his ways and embraced grace once again.

This morning, I was preaching from John 10 on Limited Atonement. I didn't really get to that accept very briefly. I do plan to get to it next week. Notice that in John 10 Jesus calls HIS SHEEP and they and they alone hear his name. He also talks about laying down his life for HIS SHEEP. This passage is very exclusive. I do plan to get to this next week as we finish up particular redemption, what it means to your every day life as a Christian and what the Scriptures say about it. I know I mentioned it briefly, but thought it was worth noting for those who are interested.

John 10 is a very important passage for those who hold to the Limited Atonement of Jesus. Using the word "limited" can be decieving. That is why you will often hear a preacher saying "particular" redemption. Either way, whether you are Arminian or Reformed you are limiting the atonement. The Arminian limits the work on the cross by saying that Jesus died for all but did not actually save anyone. The believer makes a decision for Christ and in effect saves himself. It is also limited in that not every single person is saved even though Jesus died for them. This means that the atonement is limited in power.

The Reformed thinker limits the atonement in who it was intended for rather than it's actual power to save. It surely will save all of the Good Shepherd's sheep--every last one of them. That is why we say that Jesus only died for the chosen ones of God. More on this later--next week in fact.

In the mean time, have a Happy Easter and enjoy the time with your family and friends. Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

Preparing for Easter Sunday

As many of you know, I have been preaching a series about the major points of the Reformed perspective on salvation. The general skeleton has been the "five points of Calvinism". When I set out on this journey I didn't know how long the series would be and now that I am on "limited atonement" I still couldn't tell you when it will come to end. It has been a real joy.

This Sunday I am preaching on John 10:1-18. This passage is beloved by many Christians. Jesus proclaims himself to be the Good Shepherd. But what about Easter? Shouldn't I take a break from this series and preach a special holiday message? Not so much. Every sermon should be about the Risen Lord! This Sunday will be no different. After all the Good Shepherd is the only Shepherd that can not only lay down his life for HIS SHEEP (notice particular redemption!) but he also takes his own life back up again! This is the Easter message...Christ has risen!

On another note, my wife and I must give a prayer of thanks to the Lord. After a great worship service on Friday night with all of you, we came home and were preparing to relax. I was talking with my daughter on the top flight of our steps when I noticed my baby boy, Caleb, beginning to climb the last flight of stairs towards us. I thought in my mind that I needed to go grab him. We don't like seeing him on the steps. As soon as the thought entered my mind, Caleb began to fall down the tallest part of the steps--head over heels. I began to chase after him, screaming for him to stop, pleading for him to stop. I was helpless and just one step behind him the entire time. Just as I was about to reach him, Caleb hit the bottom step and floor. My wife was there on the spot. We just sat there and hugged him as he sobbed.

Here is the funny thing. Not a bruise on his body. Not a scratch. In fact as he was falling it was almost as if he was floating. He fell so softly and gently that it was as if an angel were lightly lowering him to his destination. We just praise the Lord that this weekend could have been so different but God chose to spare us any grief. Praise God for His love endures forever! See you this Easter!

Rescued by Sovereignty - II

Pastor Dan's sermon from 4/01/2007

Scripture Reference: Romans 8:28-30

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Ordination Sunday

It is 2:30pm on March 25th after the installation and ordination service at GRPC. I am a little more than wiped. I just wanted to take a few moments and just thank the congregation of GRPC for participating in the service, for calling me, and for supporting me and my family through all of this. What an outpouring of worship we had this morning as the Lord Jesus Christ was lifted high.

I want to thank all of the men and women who planned the service and refreshments and countless details. Of course I will be sure to thank you in person, but while things are still fresh in my mind I wanted to share with you my gratitude.

God has truly been faithful throughout this entire journey. He has continued to refine me in the fire as all of my imperfections and sin are constantly at war with the Spirit. He has changed me in many ways and continues to work out His will in my life. We are in this together. We are in the battle together and I couldn't be any more joyful than to be fighting the good fight, side by side with my brothers and sisters of GRPC.

Thanks again for encouraging me on and spurring my family on toward love and good deeds. I pray we will do it all the more as we see the great Day of the Lord approaching.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Dan Betters

How Does It Feel?

Friday Night, the ice storm came in and shut down Delaware. I was lying down on my couch with my PDA in hand as I was going through each section of power point slides--theology, English Bible, Church History, PCA History, the Sacraments, back to Presbyterian History--ugh, I am tired of these slides...so I stopped in the middle of Presbyterian History and came to the realization that if I passed the ordination exam the following day, I would never have to see those slides again. I was a bit sad in that these power point slides on my PDA have been a part of my life for almost 3 years now! Should I keep studying? Nah, they probably wouldn't ask too many Presbyterian History questions. It was time to relax and go to bed.

Saturday didn't start off so great. 2 inches of solid ice on my wife's car made me think that the Presbytery meeting for my ordination might be cancelled or at least postponed indefinitely. It was freezing cold and I was getting frustrated as my nerves were rattled.

However, we were able to make it out of the treacherous neighborhood and make it to the church with time to spare. Of course, attendance was light. This was to be expected at a specially called meeting and especially with an ice storm. But you know what was really awesome? Many of the presbyters had called me as soon as they heard about the special called meeting to let me know why they couldn't be there and that they were praying for me. That was a real encouragement.

The meeting went as scheduled once we had more than a quorum requirement. The Bible and Theology exams zipped by. The sacrament questions were interesting as I discussed with the brothers what I might do in certain situations. The final oral exam was the history exam and guess what question came up? That's right. Presbyterian European History. My weakest point and the exact area I stopped studying from the night before. After stumbling and mumbling through a few points I finally conceded and said, "This isn't my best area of history." The brothers were gracious enough to move on in the exam and I did a fine job through the rest of history.

All the exams were sustained and I was asked to leave the room for the vote. The rest is history. What an incredible experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I started out on this journey knowing nothing and now I begin a new journey knowing I don't know enough. The study of God, theology, is humbling. It is never finished. It is incomprehensible. We can't qualify everything even though we try. We find out how insignificant our knowledge is in the face of the knowledge of God.

Do I feel good? You betcha! I was driving into work today and another pastor brother's family pulled up beside us at a red light. She rolled down her window and was so happy and congratulating that I had passed the exams. You see, she went through this with her family years ago. A man couldn't possibly serve without his completer. My wife is my completer. I never could have done this without her total support. There was a particular night where I was having a tough time studying and had to devote more time to studying than the family. I told her how sorry I was and she just kissed me and said, "I will be here waiting for you." My wife truly is my completer.

Thank you brothers and sisters for your prayers through all of this. You have been encouraging, sharpening and a huge support as you always have throughout my entire life. I am looking forward to serving the Lord with you in this role as a pastor. To God be all the glory forever and ever, Amen!

Rescued by Sovereignty

Pastor Dan's sermon from 3/18/2007

Scripture Reference: Romans 8:28-30

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Rescued by Sovereignty

I am at a crossroads today. As many of you know, I am preaching through some doctrinal points concerning the nature of salvation. Where does it come from? What is our role in salvation? What is God’s role? Are we truly chosen? Does God really pass over some and elect others? A lot of tough questions. I originally thought I could preach a five week series on TULIP (the five points of Calvinism) and realized that this had to be much more than a sermon series. It needs to be a spiritual journey for me. I hope to take the congregation along with me. I hope God uses the blessings in my life through His Word to edify His people on His Day.

Oh yes, the crossroads. I am currently teaching on the sorry estate of mankind. If we don’t understand depravity and our total inability to choose God, we can never understand the fullness of salvation. We can be saved even if we ignore this doctrine, but we miss the blessing. A real blessing. We miss the depth to which Jesus went for his people. We actually cheapen the Cross if we miss the point of depravity. But I am at a crossroads. I want to teach on election and the Calvinist in me can’t wait to search the Scriptures on this great doctrine. I know it must be handled with special care and prudence but I also know it is full of God’s blessing. If I am completely depraved, how did I come to faith? God, in his infinite wisdom, chose me, a simple insignificant man. In a way, God’s redemptive purpose is really all about me in that it is all about His glory!

So I turned to Romans 8. A passage on the power of life in the Spirit. We are joint heirs in Christ and will certainly be glorified when our time has come. But right in the middle of Romans 8 is this often quoted passage in verses 8:28-30. Read it before Sunday. Pray over it and praise the Lord for these words. This is the gateway, as it were, from the doctrine of depravity to God’s sovereign will and election. You see, because God is sovereign, we have been rescued. In God’s eternal decree he predestined me to be adopted as his son through Christ Jesus in accordance with his pleasure and will.

What do I see in Romans 8:28-30 that has to do with God’s sovereignty? First off, God CAUSES all things to work together. God is the cause of all things. He brings all events to pass. Matthew 10:29 says that he even knows when a dirty bird falls from a tree. Acts 2:23 says that God purposed for the greatest event in world history to take place in the crucifixion of his son. He knew who, what, when, where and why they would do it. God was in control! He caused it.

I also notice that God has CALLED a certain people and that the apostles use of the word “those” indicates that this is a selected group of people according to God’s good purposes. I also notice that it is God who calls his people to their purpose (Phil. 2:12-13). God wills in us to act according to his good purposes. These few verses proclaim the sovereignty of God. God is control of all things. He understands us because he made us. Isn’t it awesome to know that God is in control of all of the details?

The apostle continues with a statement that so crushes any kind of Pelagian claim that we ought to be embarrassed to even suggest that there is something in us that chooses God without His grace and Spirit first enlightening us. Paul says through the Holy Spirit that those God foreknew, he also predestined. Predestination is simply God’s purpose for his moral creatures. Predestination not only secures the certainty of God’s purpose but also every event in the process of reaching that purpose. Check out King Ahab’s timely demise in I Kings 22. The narrative account says that a stray arrow killed Ahab. By Chance? FAT CHANCE! Later on in Scripture we find out that it was GOD who killed Ahab and not a “stray arrow”. Even “chance events” are not chance or fate at all. Rather, it is God who works to bring about his predestined purposes in his moral creatures.

And finally in Romans 8:30 we see a statement of God’s order of salvation. Before all time began, he predestined us to be conformed to the image of his son (Eph. 1:4-5, II Tim. 1:9 etc). Those He predestined He also called in temporal history, that is in real time (Matt. 16:17, Titus 3:4-5, John 3:3) by the work of his free grace through the operation of His Holy Spirit. Those who were called where declared righteous (justified) and will certainly be glorified (Romans 8:18). What a picture of God’s work in salvation. No where do you find a person making the initial move toward God. It is always God who first calls and man responds. God is sovereign even in our salvation.

Of course these are just a few thoughts that I plan to develop over the next couple of sermons. Read Romans 8 this week. Pray over it. Study it. Let God’s Word reign in your life—it is a shield for all who take refuge in it.

Wake Up Dead Man!

What brings us to the Cross? If we are so depraved, how can some actually be wrought to salvation? The heart of man is desperately sick, yes even fatally so. We are a desperate people without hope outside of the mercy of God. Romans 3:10 says that there is no one righteous—not even one! Yet many of us attempt to argue that there is something good in us that enables us to embrace Jesus Christ as He is offered to us in the Gospel. Our claims cheapen the unmerited love that is God’s grace.

Slap a dead body on the face, call the body by name, and tell it to wake up and see what happens. Of course we wouldn’t expect anything to happen lest a miracle were to be performed. And yet, we who are dead in our transgressions assume something even more ludicrous! Spiritually speaking, we believe that the dead body can wake itself up. If we are so depraved and sinful, dead in our transgression, unable to approach the Throne of Grace, then it is well to say that some kind of miracle must come about to wake us up. This is the miracle of regeneration. An awakening if you will. This regeneration comes by the free grace of God through the work of His Holy Spirit as He works in us, renews our minds and effectually enable us to embrace Jesus Christ as He is offered to us in the Gospel.

But we cannot speak of total inability to choose God and the miraculous work of regeneration without also speaking of God’s great sovereignty, predestination and election. These terms are completely misunderstood by many Christians today. The word election even causes some self-proclaimed “Calvinists” to shudder in that they become defensive and over-protective (as if the Almighty Sovereign God needed protection or could be qualified and explained). However, election is all part of God’s redemptive plan. If we ignore election, we ignore the role of God the Father in the plan of Redemption.

Before we talk about what election is, let’s talk about what it is not. Election is not salvation in and of itself. It is only part of salvation and is crucial to salvation for without election there is no salvation. But election does not save a person. Election is the special work of God’s providence and sovereignty that assures the certainty of salvation yet it is not salvation in and of itself.

There is sufficient Biblical evidence that the three Persons of the Triune Godhead made a covenant with each other from all eternity (Zech. 6:13, Jn. 5, 6, II Tim. 1:9, Ps. 2, Heb. 10:22-25). In this covenant of Redemption as it has come to be known, the Father agreed to elect, the Son agreed to provide redemption, and the Holy Spirit agreed to apply that redemption to the elect of the Father. As you can see, election is only part of the plan. The entire Godhead is involved with the redemptive work.

We cannot fully understand election without also understanding the sovereignty of God, His eternal decree and his acts of providence. God’s decree is His eternal purpose, according to His own council by which He has forordained all that has and will come to pass. He accomplishes his decree by His work of creation (which is already complete) and his acts of providence. God’s acts of providence are His most holy, wise, powerful, preserving and governing acts over all His creatures and all their actions. In other words, to quote a 1990’s contemporary Christian artist, “God is in control.”

God governs us, preserves us, curbs the destructive power of sin, causes us to act according to his purpose and yes, He has elected us. His works of providence are those acts that bring us to our purpose and ultimately to salvation through Jesus Christ. And what is our purpose? Our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. But none of this happens without God’s decree.

An interesting point on God’s decree. We often think of God having many decrees. But God has one eternal purpose which is His decree. His decree is founded in wisdom (Eph. 3:9-11), it is eternal (II Tim. 1:9), it comprehends all events (Matt. 10:29), it is permissive of evil (Acts 2:23), and yet it is one eternal decree. In this decree God has elected that some should be saved and still other should be passed over (Rom. 9:18-20).

We think this is unfair. Why would God do something like this? Could not the all powerful God save everyone? Why save anyone at all? Because in God’s eternal decree he has foreordained some men and angels unto death and others unto everlasting life. God, as our Creator, owes us nothing and we owe Him everything. What is man that God is even mindful of him? Why not ask a different question? Why would God choose me?

There is certainly no one who is righteous so God’s election is a free act of God’s own will and rooted in His love and mercy. How dare we proclaim that we had a part in our salvation that was not first born of grace!

Of course this is not all there is to say about the sovereignty of God. Over the next few weeks I plan to post some of my thoughts and questions as I work through the Scriptures and the theology of election and predestination. I am not claiming that I can answer every question and problem that comes up. But I do believe we are to search the Scriptures to grow in our faith and understanding. Why preach on predestination and election? Peter tells us to be diligent in making our calling and election sure. These doctrines are full of God’s blessing, they glorify God when they are preached, and the bless those who hear it in faith. I pray that these next few weeks will draw us closer to the Lord as we see the Scriptures reveal how much we really do rely on God’s grace for our salvation.

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not of yourselves it is the gift of God…”