Sermon Jam

Listen to this. From a sermon preached by John Piper

Its a Sermon Jam made by Relevent Revolution here’s a link to there site for more: http://sermonjams.com/

Suffer

Faith Leading to Action-Trust Leading to Obedience

Luke 5:4-6 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

What an amazing passage of scripture! We see one of Jesus’ apostles put his faith and trust in his Master even though all the odds were against him. R.J. Rushdoony stated in one of his many lectures on American History that faith provokes action and told his class that if they believed there were a thousand silver dollars on the lawn he would not be able to keep them inside. Why is this? Because faith, belief, leads to action. We see this fact vividly portrayed in Luke 5. peter had faith and put his trust in Christ, therfore he acted upon that faith and trust, resulting in an amazing miracle.

This also shows the providence, sovereignty and power of our Lord. Though we may have tried, like Peter, when our God intervenes, His purposes are fulfilled and He is glorified. There is a lesson in these Scriptures for all believers, that if we put our faith and trust in Christ, we must act on that faith and obey our Master and He will be glorified.

An important fact that I must point out though is this, He alone gets the glory. Not us. We don’t get glory for acting, but we are rewarded. We do not get glory for having faith, but we are rewarded with eternal life where we will eternally glorify Him. This takes humility, and God breaking our pride, because we naturally will not want to glorify Him. But by His grace, we will decrease in pride and He will increase in glory.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Scotty

On Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle-Why I No Longer Support Him

Many of you may know of Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seatttle Washington, but for those of you who don’t know, here’s a little about him. Over the past few months Driscoll has been preaching through the book of Song of Solomon and many evangelicals have bashed Driscoll for preaching on the erotic and sexual subjects contained within the book. Due to these messages, Driscoll received many questions from the members (and non-members) of his congregation that would be considered private. Recently, a sexual question was posted Driscoll’s website which he responded to with a link to a website that, though claiming to be Christian, is also sexually graphic. Driscoll cautioned readers on going to the site due to its adult content, but the content could almost be said to be pornagraphic. Some people may not take issue with this, but I am greatly concerned.

Here are a few of my concerns.

1: Questions such as the those asked on the website should not even be posted publicly as they are private in nature and are innapropriate for all audiences.

2: For a Christian and especially a elder, to link to such a site shows a great lack in discernment and wisdom.

There are topics that should be left for private conversation, so I have no quam with people asking questions, but my problem is with a man in a position such as Driscoll, publicizing private matters. Also, he may be causing brothers and sisters to stumble by posting links to such sites.

Becuase of this, many evangelicals have claimed that all their suspicions about Driscoll were true. But I ask this: If Driscoll were to recant (For lack of a better word) and remove the links on his site, should we not as brothers and sisters in Christ receive him back? Yes we should.

Though I am dissapointed, this has taught me more and more not to put my trust in men, for they will always let you down. Only Christ, who reigns soverign over all things is worthy of our complete trust! No matter which man it is, wether it be Mark Driscoll, John Piper or even the President, he will fail. But our God is stronger than men and so much more worther of our praise and trust.

To God Be the Glory,

Scotty

Eternal Rewards

I came across this qote by C.S Lewis and I thought I’d share it with everyone:

“Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.”

This just reminded me of how great the rewards will be for us as Christians. We will even judge angels, 1 Corinthians 6:3 says. Luke 9:25 says, “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” and I believe Lewis had this verse in mind when he said this quote.

Verses like these, and now this quote, come to my mind whenever I begin to covet the things of this world or the possessions or positions of unbelievers. It is a constant encouragement for me to know that we will receive crowns and an inheritance with Christ (Ephesians chapter one shows this) and I hope that it can also be for you.

In Christ,
Scotty

Merry Christmas!

Baptism

Here is a little something a put together a few days ago. Its probably a little confusing but I hope you are edified. Scotty

What is Baptism?

Ordinance or Sacrament? These names are interchangeable and are regarded as synonymous in meaning. Most Protestants dislike the use of the word “Sacrament” because the Catholic Church regards their sacraments as a means of grace, which is a position Protestants reject.

Wayne Grudem says that baptism is by full immersion in water, he argues this by the use of the Greek word baptizo which means “to plunge, dip, immerse”, this is the word used in the New Testament for baptism. Also, when the Scriptures describe baptism, they describe it as immersion in “much water” (John 3:23), Jesus was said to have come “out of ” the water (Mark 1:10) and when Phillip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch they went “down into the water” (Acts 8:38-39). Grudem’s conclusion from these examples is that biblical baptism is by full immersion, not by sprinkling.

(i) Evangelical churchmen do not treat the sacrament of baptism lightly. We do not forget that it was instituted by the risen Lord, nor that it was administered by the infant Church from the Day of Pentecost onwards (Acts 2:38, 41). Because of the precept of Christ and the practice of the apostles, it is the plain duty of every professing Christian to ask for baptism for himself and his children; and of the ordained minister to press upon his congregation this obligation and privilege.

(John Stott, The Evangelical Doctrine of Baptism, 1964, The Anglican Synthesis)

I disagree with someone’s children being baptized unless they themselves have a true confession of faith.

Act 2:38
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

I believe this scripture shows the order of baptism, that it follows repentance and is therefore a believers baptism. Wayne Grudem also says in his Systematic Theology in Chapter 49, page 967, that baptism is appropriately administered only to those who give a believable confession of faith in Jesus Christ. (Direct quote in italics)

Baptism defined by John Calvin-

Baptism is a sign of our forgiveness, of our participation in Christ’s death and resurrection and also in his blessings.

Romans 6:3-6
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

This passage shows that Baptism is a symbol of our union with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. On the point of infant baptism, the infant would have no idea of the significance of this act and would not understand the meaning.

Also, baptism does symbolize being cleansed from our sins.

Acts 22:16
“‘And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

Grudem states that though the symbolism of washing away our sins is an important aspect of baptism, it is not the most important, that the rest of the scriptures clearly show the symbolism of being buried with Christ to be more significant. (Rom 6:1-11, Col 2:11-12)

The Necessity of Baptism

Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

These are commands given to 1) baptize and 2) be baptized. The first command is from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and it is to baptize disciples, point being, to baptize believers only. The second command comes from one of the Twelve Apostles, Peter, and is that believers be baptized after they have repented. In both commands baptism follows repentance, therefore it is command to believers to be baptized.

If we also look at the pattern of baptism shown in the New Testament, we see baptized believers being baptized. First we have Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:13), we see thousands of new believers being baptized (Acts 2:41), we see Phillip baptizing newly believing men and women and even Simon the magician in Samaria and also the Ethiopian eunuch, Paul the Apostle (then Saul) was baptized by Ananias after believing the Gospel, and we have many more accounts of new believers being baptized all over the New Testament. I believe these accounts and the commands are biblical proof that baptism is necessary for a believer. But is it necessary for salvation? No. That would be to say that we are partially saved by works and not by faith alone. We see the perfect example of someone not being baptized yet assuredly being saved in the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43).

Grudem says this,

Baptism, then, is not necessary for salvation. But it is necessary if we are to be obedient to Christ, for he commanded baptism for all who believe in him.

So we do not believe that baptism is necessary to salvation, but I conclude that a believer who has not been baptized would be in sin. If we agree with the definition of sin given by the Baptist Catechism which is, sin is any lack of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God, then it would seem that disobeying a command given firstly from Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, and then from his apostles, would be sin. We then should ask, what is transgression? A simple version of the Westminster Shorter Catechism defines transgression as, doing what God forbids. But I would add, doing what God forbids or not doing what he commands. If we can take these definitions that it would follow logically that to be a believer and to profess the name of Christ and yet to not be baptized would be sin.

1 Peter 3:21-22
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers being subjected to Him.

I believe this verse shows that baptism is also recognition of Christ’s authority, and so that we may have a good conscience in front of God knowing that we have publicly professed that we are followers of His Son.

Barack Obama- The 44th President of the United States of America

Those of you who have been following my blog (not many!) will know that I haven’t posted anything on the election. Why? Mostly because I forgot to post about it, also, what more can be said that hasn’t been already? I know, I know, that is definitely not a good reason not to talk about it, but what’s done is done.

Well now its November 4th, almost 5th, Obama has 295 of the electoral votes and McCain has 155, 270 are needed to win. The next four years of our American lives will be changed. But not the good kind of change that Obama has promised, but a terrible change. Taxes will be raised, homosexual marriage will be legalized, abortion will be legalized, our Constitution will be abolished, and so much more that I can’t even think of them all. We as Christians are entering into a time of persecution, the true church of God will be made known, His people will stand out in a world where morality is destroyed, justice is done away with, Socialism, Marxism and Communism are the norm and where the righteous are condemned.

Now is the time for trusting in the sovereignty of God over our lives, how else will we survive the persecution of our government? If you look at 1 Peter 1:1, you see that Peter addresses the church as “elect exiles”, this signifies that we have been chosen and our trials have been ordained beforehand. To some, this might not be the least bit comforting, to others, knowing that God is sovereignly in control, is the most comforting thing in the world.

This is the time where we as Christians need to let our light shine before men (Matt 5). Though the next four, maybe eight, years will be trying, God has ordained this time to produce steadfastness (James 1) in our faith. The true believers will persevere, the false believers will fall. As I said before, now is the time, especially now, for trusting in God’s sovereignty.

I will be posting more on this topic in the future. Just keep checking for new posts. Tell your friends. Spread the word.

In Christ,
Scotty

Apologetics or Christ? Feeling Convicted.

Over the past few months, my dad, a close friend and I, have been on a major Apologetics kick. We’ve listened to hours upon hours of Dr. Greg Bahnsen on worldviews,  apologetics and logic. We’ve read books by Cornelius Van Til, Gordon Clark, Greg Bahnsen, Gary DeMar and Rousas J. Rushdoony. We’ve read articles by Van Til, Clark, Bahnsen, Vincent Cheung  and many more. So we have been devoted to the study of Presuppositional Apologetics for months now and we have gained vast amounts of knowledge, all the while, trying to keep it Christ-centered. Yet lately, I feel as if Christ has been lost from my study of apologetics (I can’t speak for my dad or friend) and now I use my new found knowldge against unbelivers (and sometimes belivers) just to prove a point. As I’ve been reading What Jesus Demands from the World, by John Piper, I feel that I should be concentrating more on strengthening my relationship with Jesus Christ and less on learning how to argue better. 

Please don’t here what I’mm not saying, that apologetics isn’t important, but for me, I believe that my time should be better spent in prayer and meditation. Being able to defend our faith is of extreme importance, but even Musilms have apologists, yet we as Christians have what all other faiths lack, a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe, and I do not want to take that for granted. So I’ll still study and learn but with God’s grace, I hope I can balance it with more prayer, reading and meditation. And with God’s grace, I hope others can also find that balance. 

In Christ,

Scotty

Thoughts on the Immaterial.

I came across a little quote by Albert Einstein recently and it got me thinking. Here’s the quote, 

“If I give you a pfennig, you will be one pfennig richer and I will be one pfennig poorer. But if I give you an idea, you will have a new idea, but I shall still have it too.” 

So things of immaterial nature cannot be owned by any one person, God alone can claim possession of the immaterial. Truth is an immaterial, for lack of a better word, thing. Men can know truth, but they cannot know it fully, why? Because full knowledge belongs to the Lord, and men have no control over the immaterial. What controls a person’s thoughts? Other thoughts, so though the thoughts are the person’s, they must use something immaterial to control something else of immaterial nature. 

These immaterial truths, such as logic, mathematics, and morality, cannot be claimed by any person, society, culture, time or, religion, only God can control them. Man cannot change the truth, man cannot change that which is right or wrong, God alone has the ability to do so. But does He? No, because he stands by his own laws, by the logic of his making.  

So even though the immaterial effects the material (thoughts effect action), the material can do nothing to change, or manipulate the immaterial. No actions that take place in time and space can change anything of immaerial nature, and not any immaterial thing can change such immaterial truths that were ste in place by God. 

Comments please, I’m not sure how this all sounds. 

 

Never Stop Reading! Never!

When I was younger, my mom instilled in me a passion for reading, and that passion has continued and hopefully it will never stop. I’ll read books from almost any genre, from science-fiction to biographies, from historical fiction to mysteries, anything. 

Now these books are good to just make time pass, or as a form of entertainment, but everything we do should be for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), so the books we read (especially the books I read) should be glorifying to God and for the purpose of edification. In my desire to turn my reading habits from books of entertainment to more God-honoring books, I’ve realized that those “boring” theology books, aren’t so boring. Its been said by many men to let men of the past be your teachers, and reading their books is a great way to learn, so its good to read older books, too. And of course, let’s not forget the Bible, the greatest book of all time, no book written by any man can compare to its greatness, as it is the very Word of God. 

Here are some of the books I’ve recently read and am currently reading:

What Jesus Demands from the World, by John Piper

What’s the Differnece, by John Piper

Do Hard Things, by Bret and Alex Harris

The Purity Principle, by Randy Alcorn

Living the Cross Centered Life, by C.J Mahaney 

The Legacy of Soveriegn Joy, by John Piper

The Hidden Smile of God, by John Piper

The Enemy Within, by Kris Lundgard 

Always Ready, by Greg Bahnsen 

And a few more that I can’t remember right now. These are all books that I highly recommend, most of them are new-ish, and are very helpful for growing in your walk with Christ.

The point of all this is, books can be (and usually are) more educational, more encouraging, more edifying and more confrontational than most poeple. Why then would anyone not take advantage of these amazing, God-given resources? 

If the Lord wills, I will never lose my desire to read books by godly men, but especially  His Holy, Infallible Scriptures. Books written by must be carefully examined, there is sometimes content which must be ignored, but God’s Word is not like the works of men, it is perfect and its content is pure. 

And as a last exhortation: Never stop reading! Never!