FOUND Part IX: The World is an Orphanage

Pastor Dan's sermon from 4/27/2008
Scripture Reference: Ephesians 1:4-5; Romans 8; John 1:12-13
Click here to listen.

There has been a tiny bit of confusion based on a few funny remarks from this past week's sermon concerning my desire to spend time outside of my home. I was poking a little fun at myself concerning how I am a homebody. I commented on how I like to be in the comfort of my own home. Now, this has the possibility to be misconstrued so I want to clear a few things up just in case you were wondering.

I am a person who likes the comfort of home--just like most normal people. But home does not necessarily mean only my address. I like to be in familiar environments. This means around friends, family, favorite vacation spots, favorite social spots etc. What this does not mean is that I only want to spend time with my wife and children at our primary residence and no one else. My family loves to be around people whether in our own home or theirs. The best times we have are with friends and family!

I love spending time with people. I love being in big groups of people. I love going out and having a great time with family AND friends. I enjoy the company of other people in my home and going to their home for dinner, lunch or just to shoot the breeze.

Why am I writing this? Because I was thinking about my homebody comments and believe they could be taken the wrong way. Besides, I might be missing out on a few dinner invitations because of them and Lord knows I love a good meal.

My point in the illustration was about that terrible feeling of homesickness. Once you get it there is nothing that can solve it except a return trip to home. I wanted to illustrate the point of the spiritually orphaned who are homesick yet have not yet been found. Hopefully this is something we can all identify with. We love the familiarity of home and when God FINDs us, that sickness is gone and replaced with the warmth of a familiar place--the arms of God.

When we are adopted by the God the Father we no longer have this homesickness to the degree that we had it before. That sin that entered the world through Adam alienated us from God. But God out of his mere good mercy and pleasure elected some to everlasting life and entered into a New Covenant with them so that he might adopt them as his sons and daughters. Adoption means that God is once again as familiar to us as a father is familiar to his children. What a wonderful God we serve!

So yes, I do like to hang out in other places outside of my own home...just as long as I get to go back home at some point in the future. Being home is a wonderful thing.

The Significance of the Lord's Day

I think timing is always perfect in God's eyes. My dad, Dr. Betters, preached a sermon on the Lord's Day this past week. This same week I finished the final copy of my Thesis for my Master's Degree entitled, "The Perpetual Significance of the Fourth Commandment". What this means in real-world language is that the paper addresses the importance of the Lord's Day for the Church today. I am uploading a copy today if you should ever want to take a look at it and read. It is less than 100 pages of reading. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, if you should take the time to read it, and be blessed by God's Word. Click Here for the Thesis.

FOUND Part VIII: My Chains Fell Off

Pastor Dan's sermon from 4/20/2008
Scripture Reference: Various Scriptures
Click here to listen.

It was good to be back this week with my brothers and sisters at GRPC. God continues to bless our congregation and multiply us both in numbers and in our spiritual depth. May his name be praised.

This past week, I preached on Justification by faith alone. Now as many of you know, I could continue preaching on justification for many weeks to come. However, I have decided to keep moving toward Adoption (this next week's sermon). I have also finished the FOUND publication for this week which can be found to your right on the screen by clicking on "Issue 7". We will not be printing Issue 7 so think of it as an online exclusive. I hope that you will enjoy it.

Remember, we will be printing Issue 8 this week and you can pick up a copy on your way into church. I am looking forward to worshipping with you all once again this Lord's Day. I am sure there will be another post between now and then as I study God's Word and prepare to preach on Adoption-what a wonderful doctrine...

Spain Day Five

Tonight was the last night of conference for the missionary men. It was our last night to lead worship and from here on out we will get to take in some of the sights of Malaga. I am very much looking forward to the sight seeing time. Historical sights always put things in perspective for me--the help me to see how little time we are here on this earth.

Tonight while Chuck, Markie and I were waiting for dinner and for the conference to wrap up, something incredible happened to us. Most of the story will be best told in person--and you know that I WILL share it in a sermon. But what happened in those few minutes became the reason why I was in Spain. As we sat there speaking with one of the missionaries two men appeared out of nowhere and began to ask us why we were there. The missionary and the men spoke a few words between them about the difference between Presbyterians and other denominations. It turned out that these men were from Norway and Iceland and were on visiting Malaga.

Chuck and I began to get involved in the conversation and all of the sudden it turned from a discussion about denominations to answering the question, "What must we do to be saved?" The incredible thing was that these men did not seem to believe that faith in Christ is what saved but rather our obedience to the law and our good works. I began to share with them from the Scriptures about faith in Christ alone and union with Christ. I named chapters and verses. As time went on, one of the men seemed to become more frustrated while the other was visibly moved by what I shared. He said that he had never heard such teachings before and that he was amazed! I was able to experience what the disciples experienced as they taught the Scriptures and they too were amazed 2000 years ago.

There is much more to share about this story and I promise that I will in time. But the Lord showed me that I belonged in Spain at that moment. I established a relationship with the man and will continued to share the Gospel with him--at his request. All good things come from the Lord

Spain Day Four

We had dinner with all of the men again. Chuck and Markie and I ate with the Swedish contigent. We had great conversation with a few national Swedish pastors and their American counterpart. We talked music, worship, kids, family and the things of the Lord. We laughed...a lot. Markie has been crowned the king of fried food. Anything fried looks American to him and he is all over it. They serve wine with our dinner every night--as much as we want--no worries, we don't want that much--though the Irish missionaries are a type of wine expert and a lot of fun to be around.

It has been interesting to see how our worship evolved quickly from a mixture of hymns, psalms and choruses to mostly hymns and psalms. You have got to hear these men sing the psalms. Tonight, I read Romans 5 to the men through verse 11. I shared a story about my dad's love for us--even to a fault. I related my dad's love to the love of God and the love each of these men have for their own children. God loved us so much more than we love our own children. He loved us so much that while we were still his enemies he gave his son over to us to die for our hatred. After I read Scripture we sang How Deep the Father's Love for Us. This song resonated with the men as they sing it in their own churches and deeply appreciate the theological depth to a modern song.

Today, the three Amigos (Chuck, Markie and Myself) walked along the Mediterranean Sea yesterday for a few moments of sunshine. Previously, I was feeling very homesick and was typically worried about the future travel plans. I sat down and prayed in my room. I asked the Lord for peace. A few minutes later, the rain stopped, the clouds broke and the three of us were able to get outside, laugh and just debrief with all that we were learning. What a direct answer to prayer.

God really has been good to us even in the small things. The conference will be coming to a close tomorrow and the three of us will be taking in some of the sights.

Spain Day Three

It is now day three. Even since yesterday, my relationship with some of these men has grown past "hi". What I am learning is that the pastors of the churches in Eastern and Western Europe are a microcosm of what the American church will be in 25-50 years. They are struggling with the same issues that pastors in America struggle with. How do we stay relevant without dumbing down the Gospel? Why are there less people in the American churches? One quote from a Scottish preacher was that only 5% of Scots are in a church. One pastor has a large Scottish church of 300 people (tiny by American standards)! The churches are in a truly secular world that is bogged down in rationalism and nominalism. And yet these men press on.

What grieves my spirit is that I see all of the same signs in America. I see the lights in the American church going dark. They are going dark because many large churches do not preach the Gospel. Sure, they have some numbers but they are not faithful to God's Word. What good can come of this?

As I sit here right now and hear the preacher expound on Elijah on Mount Carmel (I Kings 17) I am encouraged because I remember once again that God can and will have victory in his church. He can do it in an instant or he can do it over much time. We can never stop preaching the Word. Even if the prophets of Oprah are in the hundreds and thousands and the disciples of Osteen/T.D. Jakes and other health, wealth and prosperity heretics continue to lead people astray, we cannot ever compromise. We must stand here on Mount Carmel and KNOW that God will reveal himself to even the most pagan of people. God is not a domesticated God. He will not be held in a false prophet's box.

No. Our God scoffs at the wickedness of men (Psalm 2). He is Holy, holy, holy who instills fear in the godliest of prophet's. He causes men to fall down as though dead. He cleans house when his house has been corrupted. I do not fear for the invisible church of God. I fear for those who are outside of it.

Spain Day Two: Are We Still Amazed

Worship went very well this morning because these men love to sing God's praises. We opened with Psalm 122 to the tune of an old hymn. You should have heard these men sing! I was wondering if they would sing on songs like, Blessed Be The Name of the Lord"...no worries there. Like I said, we are all a bit similar.

But it is the message that I heard today that I want to tell you about. A Scottish missionary/pastor, David Meredith spoke this morning on I Kings 17:7-24. It was amazing to hear God's word preached. At one paint David preached that we often become deists in the Reformed Faith. We believe God has wound up that world and now sits back and watches. He wondered if we believe that God can do amazing things.

I wonder the same thing. Do I believe that God does work in miraculous ways and that he is completely involved with me, with my family, with my ministry, with our church? I wonder. We often want to do things ourselves and God allows us to set up our pride and our idols and we never get to experience the work of God in his amazing way.

Well I was truly blessed and can't wait to see what the Lord will teach me next.

Spain Day One

I have never been on a different continent before. Here I am, in Europe, in Spain. Our first day was full of future sermon illustrations. From jetlag, to customs, to interrogations by Spanish police. Then there was the taxi ride which proved to me how safe flying really is!

Chuck and I are wondering how things will go tomorrow. We have met several of the missionaries and our main speaker and are excited to worship with them. There are men here from Bulgaria, the Ukraine, England, Ireland, Scotland (the Glorious Republic of Scotland we were reminded), France and many other countries. And yet what I realize is how similar we all really are. These men have many of the same struggles and battles that I have in the ministry.

It is incredible to see how small the world really is. I am on the Mediterranean Sea yet I feel as if I am just across the street. Spain is beautiful (except for their Customs headquarters!). The people are laid back and pleasant and it seems as if time is a little slower here. That could be just the jetlag, but these are my first impressions.

Looking forward to worship and the word in the morning. I hope that the Lord blesses you this week as you press on for the Gospel in your own context.

FOUND Part VII: Rewired

Pastor Dan's sermon from 4/6/2008
Scripture Reference: II Corinthians 7:9-13 & Acts 16:16-40
Click here to listen.

See as God Sees

Be transformed...this is the instruction of Paul in Romans 12:2. Be transformed. What will happen when we are transformed? We will know what God's will is. What does this mean to us? We will see as God sees. In respect to what? We will see God, ourselves, sin and righteousness in a new light as we live a new life. This is the walk of repentance.

Repentance often has bad connotations. When we are told to be transformed and to walk a life of repentance we conjure up visions of whipping our backs and mourning all of the time. Although we are to mourn over our sin we are not to live a life of sadness but rather of joy. When we are transformed we have an understanding of walking a joyful life of repentance. We are transformed when God implants new life and we respond by placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We understand that we cannot do what Christ has done. As a result we live a faithful life of repentance. We see the world the way God sees the world.

In respect to God he is now the loving Father and not the one we hate. We were once the enemies of God (Romans 5) but now are loved by him and love him. We approach the throne with humility and confidence (Hebrews 4). God is to be worshipped when we are transformed.

In respect to ourselves we come to an understanding that we were once lost in sin (Romans 3) but now have been rescued (Galatians 4). We were once lost and in need of salvation but are now found and awaiting glory.

In respect to sin we now hate it with all that we are. We still sin. In fact, when we are redeemed the battle has just begin (Romans 7). Sin has been dealt a mortal wound yet we continue to do battle until the day that we are present with Christ Jesus in heaven. Yet our view concerning sin changes. When we do sin, we confess it to the Lord and desire to never do it again. Our consciences are no longer seared and scarred (Romans 1).

In respect to righteousness we now crave to be made so. We understand that nothing we do makes us righteous. No, it is by faith that we are justified, not by observing some code of conduct (Romans 4, Galatians 2). Being justified we have been made righteous in the sight of God by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Have you been transformed by the renewing of your mind? Are you walking a life of repentance? It is then that you will know what God's good, pleasing and perfect will is for you.