Resurrection Power: The Future Hope of Easter

This week in corporate worship we will be celebrating the resurrection of the Savior. As we are preparing for this Lord's day, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what this means both from a redemptive-historical standpoint as well as what this means for God's people today. First, I would like to consider the essentiality of the resurrection of Christ as it relates to God's plan of salvation. When Christians speak of the gospel we often "leave Christ in the grave" as one of my seminary professors would put it. The gospel (lit. good news) of salvation for sinners is only good news if Christ was resurrected from the grave. We must consider that if Christ stayed in the grave, he was no savior at all—sin and death reign supreme. Therefore, the resurrection is absolutely an essential work in God's redemptive plan. Last week, I mentioned that for Christ to save he must die. Likewise, for Christ to save he must be resurrected from death. Notice how Paul phrases this for us in the book of Romans: "It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Rom. 4:24b-25) At the core of a biblical theology of the resurrection is the proclamation that Christ’s resurrection is integral to the Gospel message and essential for salvation. May we always be careful never to proclaim a powerless Christ we have left in the grave. Rather, let us proclaim our omnipotent resurrected savior who has power over death—the very source of eternal life. "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." (Jn. 1:4)

Having considered the resurrection from a redemptive-historical standpoint, let us now consider what the resurrection means for God's people today. First, it means eternal life in Christ Jesus. Peter illustrates this for us in the book of 1 Peter: According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." (1 Pet. 1:3b-4) What is this "inheritance" that Peter speaks of? It is Christ Jesus himself—co-creator God who put on flesh to offer himself as a sacrifice for those that are by nature hostile to him. If you are united to Christ by faith, He is your inheritance and through the resurrection you are assured that this inheritance is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." (1 Pet. 1:4b) Additionally, the resurrection of Christ not only assures us of Christ himself, but it also assures us of our own resurrection. Paul explains this for us in 2 Corinthians: "knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence." (2 Cor. 4:14) What a powerful truth to grasp—through the resurrection of Christ God's people are assured of their own resurrection with Christ himself! It's no wonder that Paul says in Philippians, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection." (Phil. 3:7,10a) It is precisely the omnipotence of the Lord displayed in Christ's resurrection that assures us of our own resurrection from eternal death, bodily death, and spiritual death. 

As we contemplate the resurrection and prepare for this week’s worship, I want to leave you with this quote from Augustine on how the resurrection of Christ anticipates our own resurrection: “The greatness of the Power of the Lord as He was made Man, in the virtue of the Resurrection doth appear. Think ye that this is the great thing, that He raised His own Flesh again? Did He call this ‘the power of His Resurrection?’ Shall there not be a resurrection of ourselves, too, at the end of the world? Shall not this our ‘corruptible body,’ too, ‘put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality? As He rose again from the dead, shall it not be so with us too, even in a more wonderful manner, so to say? For His Flesh saw not corruption, ours is restored from ashes.”

Life With One Another

In the New Testament alone, the phrase "one another" is used roughly 100 times and 59 of those specifically reference our relationship with the body of Christ—59 times! Hypothetically, if we were to spread out the "one another" passages evenly throughout the New Testament and read 5 chapters a day in our devotional time, we would come across one of these passages every single day! It seems clear that the way we live in community within a local body of Christ is important. Talk about exhaustive—59 times we are commanded to take action in our service to one another in Christ. 

One thing I think is helpful to notice in each of these 59 passages is that there isn't anything qualitative about the other person when it comes to the church. Perhaps the reason for this is that our love for one another is not based on one's merit, rather it is the merit of Christ. It is the gospel alone that naturally leads us to a supernatural affection for the body of Christ. When the gospel has truly been believed it will always lead us to love God's people. This is one of the very marks of spiritual rebirth in 1 John: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." (1 John 4:7-8;20-21) 

One cannot love God and hate his brother because love for the brethren is a natural and necessary byproduct of our love for God. When we truly understand the extent to which we have been forgiven in Christ, we can't help but want to extend that forgiveness and love to those around us—specifically the body of Christ. The way we love others is not so much dependent on the more we know of them, rather it is dependent on the more we know of God. As we grow in our knowledge and understanding of the gospel it compels us to love our brothers and sisters. If you want to grow in your love for the people around you, it begins and ends with wholeheartedly seeking after Christ. 

Our Victorious King

This week in our study of Matthew’s genealogy we focused on the kingly line of Jesus as the rightful heir to the eternal throne of God’s people. One of the great hopes of the gospel is that King Jesus has already defeated the evil forces of the world (sin & death). The victory has been won and all of those who belong to Christ are playing a winning game! Peter reminds us that Christ "has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him." (1 Peter 3:22) There is no monarch or president on earth who acts outside of the sovereign hand of our good and gracious King. The Lord says in Isaiah 46, "I make known the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose" (Isaiah 46:10)

Peter also assures his readers that not even the evils of Nero and the Roman empire can thwart the mighty hand of God. Are these same principles not true for us today? Of course they are! Have hope friends — the ruler is on the throne and his Kingdom is forever. We know one thing for sure, just as the Roman empire, the establishment of all nations will one day come to an end. But it is just as sure that the Kingdom of God will endure forever! (Ps. 45:6, 2 Sam. 7:16, Dan. 2:44) We do not live simply for an enduring "city" on earth; "instead, we seek the one to come." (Hebrews 13:14b) Peter reminds us that our citizenship is not of this world and our master is not of this world—our citizenship is in heaven and our master is the Lord Jesus Christ alone! No matter what our future holds, the victory is ours in Christ. Let us keep the main thing the main thing and live in light of the gospel—Christ's death, resurrection, and present rule as King.

Does God Really Harden Hearts?

Friends,

Please read these sobering words from John 12:40 (quotation from Isaiah 6:10)

“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”

John is pulling from Isaiah 6 to explain the unbelief of God’s people who rejected Jesus as their rightful King. What’s striking is that we see this same passage quoted in the first 5 books of the New Testament (Matt. 13:14-15; Mark 4:11-12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40, Acts 28:26-27). In addition to the repeated use of the text, Paul then uses essentially the same language to explain unbelief in the first chapter of the 6th book (Romans). He writes, “Therefore God gave them up in the lust of their heart.”

The temptation of the sinful heart may be to subtly accuse God of injustice (although under the guise of compassion for our fellow man). The finite might stoop so low to question the infinite God in an accusatory manner. The flesh may ask, “How can a benevolent God harden a man’s heart and close his eyes to the truths of salvation?“ I offer some responses to this accusatory question (although I give it no credence):

1. We are not God and therefore we cannot self-determine what “fair” is.

2. Because God alone defines justice, we conclude that justice for all men under the curse of sin is His righteous indignation.

3. God’s justice is displayed both in the outpouring of wrath upon Christ who was crushed for our iniquity, and it is likewise displayed in the rightful condemnation of sinners.

4. If these questions arise in our hearts, we must tread lightly considering what Isaiah later says in chapter 45: “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker— A piece of pottery among the other earthenware pottery pieces! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’? Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’ Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’”

5. Ultimately, when the Lord hardens man’s heart, he is giving them what they want. This is why Paul writes that they have been given over to “the lust of their hearts” (Rom. 1:24) Who is man to craft idols in his heart and then accuse God of injustice when he is given over to the very idols that he himself fashioned to replace his creator.

Brothers & Sisters, may we turn to the Lord in repentance with opened eyes and softened hearts.

Holy, Holy, Holy

The call to pursue holiness is the call to obedience as we are sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit. The English word sanctification as it is used in the New Testament is a translation of the word ἁγιασμός which comes from the root word άγιος denoting holiness. In other words, to be sanctified is to be made holy! Therefore, understanding the process of sanctification begins with understanding holiness. Defining holiness can be difficult as it is a term that may be defined in many ways. In fact, it is a term that is defined vaguely by the Westminster Dictionary as a “peculiar quality of the religious.” For the Christian attempting to define holiness from scripture, I would define it as all of that which relates to who God is. This is why Peter says we are called to be Holy as God is Holy in his quotation from Leviticus. (1 Peter 1:16)  The aim of growing in holiness is to be a progressively clearer reflection of who God is. 
In Colossians 3, Paul is contrasting what he refers to as the “earthly nature” i.e., old self, with the new self.  Paul says that this new self is being renewed into the image of its creator. The language he uses indicates that in our sanctification we are being renewed into the image of Christ. Here, we have an excellent definition of holiness: “renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:10) To be made holy is the process of being transformed into the image of the triune God. There is no true definition of holiness outside of God — it is only in God himself that the term finds meaning.
Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God in the flesh; thus, the way in which we are made holy is following him in obedience. In following Christ, we are growing in holiness as we are conformed by the work of the Spirit into the image of Christ. This means first and foremost that we increasingly share in the character of Christ—holiness is to have Christlike character. Being like Christ means that we share in his attitudes and actions. Take a moment to think through some of the attitudes and actions mentioned by Paul in his imperative given to the church in Colossae. They were called to put to death: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malice, filthy language. (Colossians 3:5-8) These things are incompatible with the character of Christ and therefore incompatible with anyone claiming to be a follower of Christ. Holiness is not only the absence of such things — for it not only puts to death that which is contrary to the character of Christ, but it also puts on that which is consistent with the character of Christ — compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, forbearance, love, & gratitude. (Colossians 3:12-16)

The Humility of Washing Feet

In light of everything that is going on in our country, it’s essential that as followers of Christ we remember the importance of responding with humility. We see what true humility looks like from the example of Christ in John 13 as Christ washes the feet of his disciples. After washing their feet, he says, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:12b-17) Christ gives his disciples the imperative to follow his example of humility. 

What a paradox we have here—the infinite omniscient creator washing the feet of the finite creation. The paradox is even greater when we understand the cultural & historical context. The disciples were traveling along the road; thus their feet would have been dirty as the roads were covered by a layer of dust or mud. At the entrance to many of the homes was a pot of water meant for washing feet—a job that was typically done by the lowliest slave. This shouldn’t surprise us if we know our New Testament. After all, we know from Philippians 2 that this is precisely the worldly status Christ entered into in his incarnation. The Son of God left the eternal glories of heaven and entered into the form of a slave, the lowest possible form of servitude. Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, was doing a task that was far beneath the status of his beloved disciples. The imperative given to the disciples to follow the example of Christ stands true for us today. As you may be entering into various dialogues regarding the state of this nation, be reminded of the example of Christ in order that you may then be an example to others. Christian, seek humility as Christ your savior was the supreme example of humility on your behalf.

The Attitude of Gratitude

Brothers & Sisters, I have been praying for you all this morning. May the Lord bless you on this thanksgiving day as you take a break from everyday life to thank the Lord for his care and provision. As we are preparing to celebrate today, I am so filled with gratitude that our good and gracious Father has called each of you (and us) to be a part of this body of Christ at First Presbyterian. I cannot overstate how welcoming and encouraging you all have been to our family during our transition this past year. It is because of your faithfulness that I can say with Paul, "I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus." (1 Cor. 1:4)

While we celebrate God’s provision and care today, I want to take a moment to discuss what the bible has to say about gratitude. First, did you know that the idea of thankfulness appears over 70 times in the New Testament alone? Have you ever considered that the root of bitterness and self-pity is actually a lack of gratitude? In the gospel, God has given us reason to be eternally thankful. Thankfulness is a gospel imperative which we are commanded to cultivate in ALL circumstances. When are we to be thankful? Always. We can rejoice always because God has given us the greatest gift that has ever been given—forgiveness from sin through Christ’s sacrificial atonement and eternal life. The Father sent The Son and who was pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5) as he was nailed to a cross that he might then bring us into his glorious presence for all eternity. Friends, what else is there that we truly need? When we lack gratitude, ultimately we are telling the Lord that the gift of the savior is not sufficient for our joy—that we need more!

Today, as you give thanks around the table, thank God for his provision—for a roof over your head and food to eat. The Lord is truly the great provider and he meets all our earthly needs. (Genesis 22:14) But, while you give thanks for the Lord's provision for our earthly needs, remember that he has met our GREATEST need — forgiveness. Far more than anything else, give thanks for the gospel of our glorious savior. It the gospel that we are commanded to give thanks for even in the midst of the fiery trials of life. (1 Thess. 5:18, Eph. 5:20) If you have been feeling like life is beating you up and God's presence is not easily felt, the antidote is to go back to your first love— go back to the gospel of Christ and behold the love of God incarnate crucified for you. In this you will find an eternal treasure that is sufficient for an eternity of joyous gratitude for Christ Jesus. I pray that you all are so filled with Christ today that the natural outpouring of your hearts would be joyous thankfulness for the Lord's provision of the sacrificial lamb. (John 1:29) "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken." (Hebrews 12:28a)

The Double Cure

        Last week we discussed what we called "imperatives of the gospel."  It is common in the New Testament epistles for the authors to move from the indicative (all that is true about the gospel) to the imperative (how the gospel plays out in our lives). This week, we will be sticking to the imperatives as we wrestle with Peter's call to holiness in 1 Peter 1:14-16. One thing to keep in mind as we continue on in our study of 1 Peter is that God's act of sanctifying us is a loving work of grace in our lives. The more one understands God’s loving work in sanctification, the more they will desire it.  In book III of Calvin’s Institutes, Calvin refers to these doctrines as a double grace: “we principally receive a double grace: namely, that being reconciled to God through Christ’s blamelessness, we may have in heaven instead of a Judge a gracious Father; and secondly, that sanctified by Christ’s spirit we may cultivate blamelessness and purity of life.” I think this terminology is extremely helpful to us in that it emphasizes the grace of God in sanctification. 

      Works done for the glory of God are in and of themselves a gracious gift of God. In view of Paul’s teaching in Romans 3, we are completely and utterly dead in sin. The reality that God would work in us in such a way that we can now please him with our lives is nothing short of spectacular! There is perhaps no more beautiful wording in all of literature that connects this truth with the human heart than that of the famous hymn we sung two weeks ago written by Augustus Toplady: “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure.”  The joyous plea in the hymn is for the “double cure” of God’s salvific work whereby he changes the believer’s status in justification and renews him after the character of God in sanctification.

Roe V. Wade Overturned: Looking Back 100 Days Later

Yes, words matter. It’s fascinating the affect that one’s choice of words has had on the abortion debate—especially when it comes to those who profess Christianity.  If you’ve spent some time over the last 100 days to reflect on the Supreme court’s ruling to overturn Roe V. Wade (giving states the right to outlaw the genocide of unborn children), then you likely would have noticed the very intentional use of peculiar language. For example, The PCUSA office of Public Witness released this statement on twitter, “The Supreme Court overturned the historic Roe v. Wade decision. We are deeply outraged, saddened, and mortified by this decision!” Now, imagine for a moment that they released this statement instead, “The Supreme Court has voted to give states the right to ban parents from murdering their unwanted children by dismembering them limb by limb. We are deeply outraged, saddened, and mortified by this decision. We must protect a mother’s right to murder and dismember her unwanted children.” Oddly enough, these two statements are nearly identical in their meaning. Sadly, it seems as if nobody opposing the Supreme Court’s ruling wants to speak plainly about the nature of abortion.

What we are seeing from many professing Christians is language like the statement made by the PCUSA office of Public Witness. Instead of jubilation at the prospect of young image bearing children being spared from murder, the decision has been met with anger and disappointment by many professing believers. The language being used is vague, hypothetical, indirect, and unbiblical. However, the Lord’s language is not so indirect or unclear. God’s Word is clear that a baby is an image bearing human being in the womb just as much as out of the womb. God’s Word is clear concerning taking the life of another human being unjustly. God’s word is also clear that the solution to sin is never abortion and that committing murder will never help anyone heal. The solution to healing from sin is the found exclusively in gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, words matter. Therefore, let us speak of such things as our Lord has spoken of them. So, how does God define terms as it relates to the abortion issue?

Thankfully, we are not left in the dark on such matters. In God’s infinite goodness, he has left us with 66 books revealing all that we need for Christian life and practice. (2 Timothy 3:15-17) Therefore, since words matter, let’s start define our terms biblically. What is a human life? Human life is God’s pinnacle act of creation. (Genesis 1:27) Man & Woman are distinct from the rest of God’s creation in that he has granted us the incomprehensible privilege of bearing the image of God. Unlike the animals, God has given humanity immortal souls, endued with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness. (WCF 4.2) Furthermore, humanity has been given dominion over the all the earth. (Genesis 1:26) (WSC Q. 10) This is why we are born with an innate awareness of the value of a human being (although it is suppressed by the pseudo morality of our culture). We see this in Jesus’ own statement, “You are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31) The point Jesus is making is that if God cares for the birds of the sky, how much more will he care for the crowning act of creation which is of far more value. So, here’s our starting point—human life is the crowning act of creation. It is distinct from the rest of creation in our inherent value as image bearers made up of both body and soul.

Now that we have the basic framework for understanding how God defines human life, the next important question is when this life begins? After all, if we are to prove that the two previous statements have essentially the same meaning, we must define our terms biblically. The bible is clear that life begins at conception. David writes, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:13,14) The Psalmist does not say the Lord knit him together at his first heartbeat, nor does he say he was made wonderfully at his birth. No, it was in the womb—from the moment of conception. The prophet Jeremiah clarifies this when he writes, “Then the word of the Lord came to me saying ‘Before you were born, I knew you.’” (Jeremiah 1:4-5a) Then, there is the forerunner of the savior who was filled with the very Spirit of God as he was nestled in his mother’s womb. (Luke 1:15) Human life begins at the moment of conception. Therefore, a child shares the same image bearing value inside the womb as outside the womb. Once we understand this very basic biblical idea, the rest is quite simple.

         We began with answering the “what” and “when” questions surrounding human life, but now will answer the “how.” Who is the author of life? Where does it come from? These are both answered with the great “I Am”—creator God. God alone has authority over life and therefore God alone has the authority to take a life. We see God’s authority over life inherit in creation. The fact that God gives life should not surprise anyone. He is the maker of every living thing. It is because of him that they have life and strength (Acts 17:24-25). They could not exist without him, and they depend on him for their life, their food and everything else that they need (Psalm 104:27-29). Life itself exist in and through him as God is both creator and sustainer of life. (John 1:4) God also has authority over death. We see this in Christ’s own resurrection but also in the resurrection of Lazarus. Christ displays the Lord’s authority over death when he shouts at Lazarus’ rotting corpse and Lazarus gets up and walks out of the tomb alive. (John 11:38-34) God alone has the authority to take a life because God alone is the author of life.

         To summarize, a child in the womb bears the image of God as His unique creation (no two human beings are the same). An abortion is to usurp God’s authority and violate his law by murdering and dismembering a child. This is evil in the eyes of the Lord and thus must be outrightly condemned by His people. As Christians, we should be repulsed by the legality of murdering little image bearing children. May we never obscure God’s law and nod our heads in agreement for the sake of appealing to our culture. Yes, words matter. Therefore, let our words reflect the words of the God that purchased us with his own blood. We are called to speak the truth plainly in love. Our words should be both biblical accurate and seasoned with grace. The way we show grace to others is not by lying to them about their sin for the sake of tolerance and acceptance—that is not love. The way we show grace is by speaking honestly, directly, and clearly with conviction, compassion, grace, and humility. The duty of the Christian is not to make people feel better about their sin, nor is it to win an argument. The duty of the Christian is to expose the wickedness of our sin and beg sinners to flee from their sin to Jesus for reconciliation. That is how the church loves. If you’ve had an abortion, repent, and run to Jesus! It is there at the foot of the cross that you will find forgiveness, peace, hope, joy, and best of all—God himself! That is the most loving thing I can tell you.

When Words Fail Us

The Lord often gives shepherds a supernatural love for the sheep He has entrusted into their care. We see this in the apostle Paul who refers to his beloved brothers and sisters as his “crown” and “joy.” (Phil. 4:1) (1 Thess. 2:19) We see his heart for the sheep repeatedly in the epistles. He always gives thanks for them as he labors for them in prayer and longs for their presence. (Rom. 1:8-10) (1 Cor. 1:4) (Eph. 1:16) (Phil. 1:3-4) (Col. 1:3) (1 Thess. 1:2-3) (2 Tim. 1:3) I’ve seen this in my own heart. There’s times that words fail me as my heart hurts for those that are suffering.
As the Lord stirs our affections for his people, we will inevitably endure great heartache as we do life with them. Sometimes, we don’t have words. There are those times when one of our beloved loses a child, spouse, parent, or close friend. There are times when a diagnosis is made and assuredly premature death is right around the corner for them. What do we say in those moments? I’ve learned this year that words are not always necessary — at least not right away. Sometimes we just sit and cry alongside them. We show them our love for them as we enter into their suffering as if it were our own.
So, maybe in those times we don’t need to feel as if we must say anything at all. Instead, maybe we just cry with them. We follow the example of our beloved savior who wept with Mary & Martha at the tomb of their brother. (Jn. 11:33-35) In so doing we open wide our hearts to them that they may see we have made room for them inside. (2 Cor. 6:11, 7:3) Then, if words continue to allude us, we point them beyond our own inadequacy to the one who is fully adequate to comfort their hurting souls — the sympathetic high priest who lives and makes intercession for his people. When words fail us, we sit, we cry, we pray, we point onward to Jesus.

The Natural Man

The natural man may delight himself in self-righteous pharisaical religion because it fills him with pride and self-esteem. He may likewise relish in Christian liberalism hoping that his sins are forgiven devoid of Spirit-wrought contrition and true repentance. It is not uncommon that the natural man is drawn to pharisaical religion or Christian liberalism. However, he is never drawn to the Jesus of the Bible. The biblical gospel rejects both self-righteousness and spiritual apathy. God alone draws men to himself and transforms them into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Has he drawn you? Do you reject any righteousness in yourself? Do you love the righteousness of Christ and pursue holiness in Him? May we cling to the cross and plead with the Spirit for a greater desire to please Jesus.

How God's Attributes Change Us

I wanted to encourage you all to spend some time meditating on the attributes of God this week. Nothing is more comforting to the soul than to spend time dwelling on the sheer awesomeness of our God! One thing that always amazes me about God’s attributes is how dwelling on them shapes our thoughts and actions. For example, the more time you spend meditating on the Love of God the easier you will find it to love others etc.. God is eternal, immutable, omnipresent, holy, love, omnipotent, omniscient, sovereign, wise, just, etc.. There are attributes of God that we are not even capable of understanding. As finite creatures we cannot fully understand the infinite. However, God has revealed himself in his Word—all that he desires us to know of himself can be found in the Bible. 

When thinking about the attributes of God in scripture, I always go back to Exodus 34 when the Lord revealed himself to Moses. Notice how the Lord chose to describe himself in that passage: "The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.’” This is precisely the way God revealed himself to us over 2,000 years ago on the cross. God is so infinitely complex and yet he has revealed himself with such simplicity. The famous theologian Karl Barth was once asked by a student, “what is the most profound thing you have ever learned about God?” The long-tenured theological scholar responded, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” The students began to laugh only to quickly realize that Barth wasn’t joking.

Nothing transforms us like meditating on the mercy, graciousness, long-suffering, love, and faithfulness of God revealed to us on the cross. In the words of R.C. Sproul, “in this simplest Christian truth there is enough profundity to occupy the most brilliant human minds for a lifetime.” If we are to grow in our love and devotion to Jesus Christ, it begins with meditating deeply on who God is. If you want to grow in your knowledge of God, spend some time dwelling upon the gospel of Christ as it is presented in the Word. Nowhere do we get a clearer picture of who God is than Jesus suffering on the cross for the sake of sinners.

The Modern Misconception of Legalism

If you recall, I began last week's message with a question: What is legalism? In my experience in the church, there seems to be many misconceptions over what legalism is. I cannot count the amount of times I've heard great expositors of God's Word referred to as "legalistic" because he is preaching on a text calling Christ's church to repentance and the pursuit of holiness. (Phil 2:12, I Thess 4:3, II Tim 2:21, Acts 26:18, Col 3:5, Heb 12:13, 1 Cor 1:2, Acts 3:19, Matt 4:17, James 4:8, Acts 17:30 etc..) 
Seeking to follow Christ in bearing the fruits of repentance and growing in grace is the call on the life of every believer. The irony for the ones making such accusations is that an outright rejection of God's law as a guide for Christian faith and practice is in reality a rejection of God's grace in everyday life. Is the law of God a gracious gift given to the people of God? Is the law of God of any benefit to us in our everyday lives? I pray that your answer to these questions is a resounding yes! I think of the words of the Psalmist, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2) 
In contrast to this kind of pseudo-legalism, true legalism takes various forms in the church. The clearest form of legalism is an attempt to undermine the essential doctrines of grace (salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone). The core issue here is that the legalist adds necessary conditions for salvation which are not revealed in God's Word. Any attempt to add to what is already revealed in God's word is clear biblical legalism. Then, there is a more subtle form of legalism in which the law is viewed outside of God's loving relationship with his people. This legalist isolates the law from the God who gave the law.  For this legalist, Christianity is about obedience to rules that are devoid of any personal relationship. We must remember that as far back as the Mosaic Covenant, the law of God has always been given in the context of a loving relationship with His people. In obedience to the law apart from the context of a loving relationship, there’s no love, joy, or passion. It’s a merely external, machine-like way of keeping the law. The focus is only on following rules at the exclusion of the wider context of God’s redemptive love in which we received the law in the first place.
The conclusion of the matter is this — love God and love the law which is a revelation of His character. Love it passionately, knowing that the law is God's desire for his people — both for his glory and our ultimate good. Brothers and Sisters, the law is a tremendous blessing in that it both points us towards our need for justification by faith and serves as a guide for how the Lord may be glorified in our lives!

The Righteousness of God

This week we celebrated Reformation Sunday by exploring the doctrine of Sola Gratia (Grace Alone). I mentioned that years prior to the reformation Martin Luther was teaching a class through the book of Romans when he came upon Romans 1:17 which reads, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.” This theme of the righteousness of God is mentioned in one form or another 8 different times in Romans (although it is worded differently elsewhere). Righteousness can be defined as the state or condition of being perfectly conformed to God’s law and Holy Character. True righteousness belongs only to the Lord—it is perfect because it is “of God” thus it is the perfect righteousness that only God possesses.  This is where the issue lies—it is perfection so therefore we must be perfect to obtain it. This is why the righteousness of God was at the heart of Luther's theological struggle. No matter how hard he worked, he could never obtain it and by it he stood condemned.

It wasn't until Luther understood what Paul was illustrating when he wrote, “from faith to faith.” Two chapters later in Romans 3 he uses the exact same phrase again; “apart from law the righteousness of God has been manifested." (Rom. 3:21) This phrase seems to be placed here very strategically by Paul. In the verses leading up to it, Paul has established that this righteousness of God cannot be obtained by works. He even states in verse 5 that this righteousness of God is shown through our complete inability to be truly righteous. Having done this, verse 21 shows us that the righteousness of God can only be obtained apart from the law. As previously mentioned, it can only be obtained "through faith.”

This is the beauty of the gospel—true righteousness belongs to God; therefore, it is the righteousness of God. God offers us this "alien" righteousness freely in Christ based on no merit of our own. Paul echoes this concept elsewhere in his epistles. Perhaps, nowhere is it better explained than in his second letter to the church in Corinth: “He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." (2 Cor. 5:21) Paul is showing his readers that sinful man can only become righteous in God’s sight through a substitute. Paul illustrates this further in Romans 4 as he draws upon the example of Abraham’s faith in Genesis 15: “21fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Rom. 4:21-25) It was the gift of faith by which one received the righteousness of God. Paul makes clear that the substance of this righteousness is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the righteousness of God that is necessary for salvation is given by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, on the authority of scripture alone, to the glory of God alone. What a gracious God we serve!

Patience: Spiritual Fruit & Evidence of Love

 I thought I would share a few brief thoughts on the believers' call to be patient. God’s Word has some wonderful things to say about patience. First, patience is far more than the ability to wait for future gain. It really refers to the maximum amount one can endure before becoming angry or annoyed. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul illustrates that patience is one of the characteristics of love itself. Furthermore, he goes on to write that patience is evidence of spiritual rebirth as it is one of the fruits produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of God’s people. (Galatians 5) As a fruit of the spirit, we know that patience is ultimately the reflection of God’s own character. 

Question: Why is patience so important?

Answer: A patient soul is one which rests on God’s perfect timing and character. It walks by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Its trust is in the perfect timing of a perfect God. It waits patiently for God without the need for instant gratification. A truly patient person is one who trusts in the Lord with all their heart. I pray that we will learn to be patient. May we not lean on our own understanding but trust in the Lord with all our hearts. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Remember, God’s timing is never off.

The Immutability of God

Change is inevitable. Grass withers away, trees rot out, given long enough even a rock will decompose. People change — none of us are exactly the same as we were a year ago. From a biblical perspective, we are either more like Jesus or more like the fallen world. Even life's circumstances are constantly changing—just think about how our circumstances have changed this year. What a wild year this has been for all of us, right? In seminary, they certainly don't teach you how to navigate a global pandemic your first month in the pastorate (maybe Robbie can start this class at Knox, haha). Perhaps such a radical change in our circumstances is less of a surprise for those of you with more life experience than myself, but it has absolutely astounded me how quickly our lives can change. Let's be honest, most of us don't like change because change means we lack control. There's absolutely nothing in our power that can keep everything the same—whether that's people, circumstances, or even physical objects.

Question: How can we have any peace or security in the world of unending change? 

Answer: We can't. We can't have any peace or security in anything that is prone to constant change. Even if something is good or trustworthy, there's no possible way we can be absolutely assured it will remain so as long as it is mutable. Therefore, we have to look outside of this world for any ultimate peace and security. The mutable must look to the immutable, i.e., humanity must look to God. What a profound truth that God always has and always will be exactly the same—God is who he is. This means that God is fully trustworthy and in him alone there is ultimate peace and security. The God you have come to know in his Word is exactly the same God you serve today. I pray that in a world of uncertainty, you find peace and security in the one who is certain. Our God is an unchanging God and what an amazing God he is!   

The Snare of Self-Pity

I pray you all have enjoyed the services, podcast, audio devotionals, etc.. I sure do miss seeing you all in church, it’s always a weird feeling pulling into an empty parking lot on Sunday. With that being said, the Lord has been so abundantly gracious to Cornerstone during this season and we have much to be thankful for. I have been thinking about gratitude recently—specifically the gratitude we see reflected in the life of the apostle Paul. Lately, I have felt the temptation to fall into the snare of self-pity. I wonder if you too have been struggling with this. It’s so easy for us to see our circumstances only in terms of what we don’t have. Ironically, when our circumstances change for the better we immediately find something else to complain about. This cycle of self-pity is a dangerous trap and often an expression of our unbelief. As this temptation has been on my mind, I’ve found great encouragement from the apostle Paul. I keep going back to the book of Philippians and marvel at Paul’s joyous spirit despite circumstances that are far worse than ours—yes even worse than COVID-19. 

When we really boil it down, the root of Paul’s joy was gratitude! Paul wasn’t focused on his situation in prison, he was focused on everything he did have. Thankfulness is a choice. God has given us life, he’s given us people who care for us, he’s given us himself in his Word, he’s given us his Son, and he’s given us an eternity in the presence of his glory to look forward to. God has given us more than enough for an eternity of thankfulness! If you are struggling with the temptation to fall into the snare of self-pity, choose thankfulness! Go back to the gospel, go back to the character of God, go back to his Word. Open your eyes and realize even when things are seemingly hard, the fullness of joy in Christ is just around the corner if we would only avail ourselves to it. Remember the imperative we receive from Paul in Philippians 4: “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Brothers & Sister, the call to thankfulness is not an option, it is an imperative. Choosing gratitude for the love of God revealed to us in the gospel of Christ is an expression of obedience. Isn’t it amazing that God, in his infinite wisdom, lovingly gives us commands for our own joy and satisfaction in him?  

The Kingship of Christ

This week on Palm Sunday we will be celebrating Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem in the final week of his earthly ministry. In this section of the bible we are especially reminded of the kingship of Jesus Christ. In light of Palm Sunday, please consider a question:

 Q. How does Christ's kingly rule affect the daily life of his church (you)?

A. Followers of Christ, we are able to rest in the incredible truth that the God who lived a life of utter perfection and gave up his own body for the sake of sinners rose from the grave and is seated at the right hand of the Father. It is this thought that gives a supernatural comfort to the believer which transcends ALL our daily struggles (yes even COVID-19). It is from the seat at the Father's right hand that Christ presently rules over his people. There is a very real sense in which the modern day evangelical church has undermined the significance of Christ's kingly rule. Biblically speaking, there is often kingship language associated with the person of Jesus which reflects his ultimate authority and royal position. One of the primary ways Christ exercises his kingship today is through his Word. The doctrine of sola scriptura teaches that God's word alone has the final authority over the church. Let us recall that this doctrine came about during a time in which scripture’s authority was exchanged for ecclesiastical authority in the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther and his followers sought to turn from this ecclesiastical tyranny and return to the sole authority of king Jesus found exclusively in his Word. This is how the rule of Christ must play out in the daily life of the church—a daily return to the authority King Jesus revealed in His Word. Any undermining or disputing of the authority of His Word is a denial of King Jesus himself. To summarize, I think it is inadequate to ask how Christ’s rule plays out in the life of his church. Perhaps it is more fitting to ask how the person of Christ becomes the life of his church. There is no part of the Christian life that is not subject to the kingship of Jesus Christ. This ought to stir our hearts to a deep sense of gratitude—knowing we serve a King who is not a tyrant, rather the perfection of goodness and the supreme model of love towards his people.

Faithful Suffering

The bible’s teaching on suffering is one of the most mis-understood subjects of scripture in the United States today. All you need to do is turn on the TV on Sunday morning and listen as many televangelists will make the claim that living the Christian life well will ultimately result in health and prosperity in this life. Along with this comes the notion that if a Christian encounters real suffering it is because of some sin in their life. This sort of teaching on Christian suffering which claims that health & wealth are evidence of holiness is one of the most prevalent heresies of our day. 

One of the issues with this view of the suffering is that it takes away from the reality that Christianity is rooted in the sufferings of Christ. Hear the words of Isaiah on the suffering of Christ: “He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:4-5a) If Christ suffered the full extent of human suffering in the wrath of God on our behalf, are we to presume that we are exempt from suffering?  In being like Christ, are we to hate all affliction for the sake worldly comfort? Should we prioritize our personal desires while neglecting to serve others so we won’t have to suffer? Certainly not! We are not exempt from suffering, although we as believers will never experience it in its fullness, as that penalty has been paid, we will experience temporal forms of it here on earth. Paul even went as far as to say he longed to share in the sufferings of Christ! (Phil 3:10)

It is true that we will endure suffering, such as that which you may be enduring right now due to COVID-19. But friends rest assured that God does not allow suffering to no reason, suffering comes with a purpose! We can trust full-well that the suffering we encounter serves a greater purpose and an ultimate good. Clearly when we are in the midst of suffering, we cannot always see the greater good, but we can certainly trust the Lord’s purposes. Commentating on Romans 8, Dr. Timothy Keller writes, “Although bad things happen, God works them for good. This verse does not promise that those who love God will have better circumstances. Nor does this verse say that bad things are actually good things. Rather, it acknowledges that these are bad things, but it promises that they’re working for good. That means God will work them to good effect in your life.”

Resting in the Sovereignty of God

Christian, are you presently resting in the sovereignty of God? With all of the chaos that is ensuing as the result of the Coronavirus, it is crucial that we allow the truths of God’s sovereignty to sink deep into our hearts. Take a moment to read the words of our confession concerning the providence of God: 

“God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and      govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.” (WCF 5.1)

God has orchestrated and will continue to orchestrate all of human history for his own purposes. All the wars, plagues, and even pandemics are disposed by God in accordance with his perfect and secret plan. This same God who decrees everything that comes to pass is entirely merciful and good. The question that must be answered is not whether we simply give some intellectual assent to this reality, rather has this truth taken root in our hearts? There is nothing more comforting to God’s people than his sovereign control over all time and matter for his own glory and their good!

Despite a life riddled with severe depression along with mental & physical pain, Charles Spurgeon took refuge in the sovereignty of God. Spurgeon wrote, 

“There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God’s sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children ought to more earnestly contend to than the doctrine of their Master over all creation—the Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands—the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that throne...for it is God upon the Throne whom we trust.”

We don’t need to feel as if we are totally in control. At its core, the need for control is evidence of a lack of faith in the goodness and sovereignty of the Lord. Brothers and sisters, if you are being overcome with fear or anxiety, set your minds on the sovereignty of God!