Category: Sermons

New Hope Sermons

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Sermon: “Reaching Higher”

I delivered this sermon to New Hope on 11 February 2007. The sermon addresses the topic of “glossolalia,” or speaking in tongues. I encourage you to read the entire sermon before making up your mind.

Sermon text: Jeremiah 1:1-10.
Sermon text: 1 Corinthians 14:1-20.

The Church exists to glorify God, and only to glorify God. We bring glory to His name by fulfilling the task of carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations. For millennia, the Church has accomplished this task through ministry, proclamation of the gospel, and through baptizing new believers into the Body of Christ.

The work of spreading the gospel benefits from a unique aspect of the Church: We have never claimed the Bible exists in purity in only one language. We have never required anyone to learn Greek or Hebrew to read the “true” Bible. We can trust our Bible in English just as the original believers could trust their Bible in Koine Greek.

This advantage also implies a great intellectual challenge: The translation of the gospel into the languages of the world. A few weeks ago (28 January 2007 p.m.), we studied the confusing of the languages at Babel in Genesis 11. The results of pride on that occasion has complicated our task, but we continue undaunted in carrying the gospel to people of every tribe and language. We may be tempted, as was Jeremiah, to tell God, “we do not know how to speak.” However, as with Jeremiah, we find that God accepts no excuses; He accepts only obedience.

However, at certain times in the history of the Church, the Holy Spirit has “helped” the Church through a great gift: The gift of “tongues.” The most obvious example of this gift appears in Acts 2, when the Church began at Pentecost. In a great miracle, God blessed Galilean and Judean Jews with the ability to speak numerous languages with no previous study or experience. As a result, the Church spread into numerous nations from this one event.

Unfortunately, this great gift has brought great controversy from the first days of our existence. When St. Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, he had to address the abuse of “tongues.” Chapter 14 contains the greatest and most specific treatment of this gift.

As Southern Baptists, we tend to ignore this gift at worst, or belittle it at best. Some in the Convention and in other parts of Christendom confidently claim the gift no longer exists. In light of events in the Southern Baptist Convention (2007), I believe our belittling and cessationist tendencies have returned to haunt us. We can no longer ignore the fact that a large segment of Christianity emphasizes this gift, even to the point of teaching that only those with this gift have received the Holy Spirit at salvation.

Therefore, I want to address 4 questions today:

  1. What is the gift of “tongues” in the Bible?
  2. Are tongues necessary for salvation or for the reception of the Holy Spirit in a new believer’s life?
  3. Does the gift of tongues still exist?
  4. Lastly, should the Church give greater emphasis to the gift of tongues?

First, let’s consider the terminology relating to tongues.

The word “tongue” in the King James Version can refer to either a known human language or to an ecstatic utterance that no one understands, including the speaker. The events of Pentecost in Acts 2 lead us to believe that the believers’ words sounded like gibberish to most people except to those who heard in the “gibberish” the gospel in their own language.

The Greek word translated “tongue” in chapter 14, “glossa,” means just that: “tongue.” For that reason, the term for ecstatic utterances is “glossalalia.” In Koine Greek, this word refers to both the organ we call the tongue and to language. In the King James Version, the word is translated consistently as “tongue.” (The only occurrence of the word “language” in the New Testament in the King James Version is Acts 2:6, where the translators used the word as a translation for “dialektos.”)

When St. Jerome translated the New Testament from Koine Greek to Latin, he used the used the word “lingua,” the root for our word “language.” St. Jerome’s action, however, doesn’t help us much as the word “lingua,” like the word “ glossa,” can also refer to “tongue.”

As you can see, a great deal rides on the translation, especially in languages such as English that distinguish between “tongue” and “language.” If the word refers to “language,” then it may eliminate ecstatic blabbering as a possibility in the translation, because a language requires structured, consistent use of sounds.

In recent translations of the Bible into English, most versions, including the English Standard Version (my preferred version), the New American Standard Bible and the New International Version, translate this chapter using the word “tongue.” On the other hand, the new Southern Baptist translation, the Holman Christian Standard Bible, translates “glossa” as “language.” (Perhaps the translators wanted to eliminate any ambiguity as to their doctrinal preferences in this chapter.)

We can see where both definitions — ecstatic utterances and language — can apply to Corinth. Corinth was a major sea port of the Roman Empire, and Corinthian Christians would have routinely encountered people from across the Roman Empire and from the Black Sea. Those blessed with the gift of languages such as believers at Pentecost could have ministered to people from many nations on a routine basis.

On the other hand, St. Paul seems to imply that the other definition dominated the church at Corinth. Many Corinthian believers claimed the “gift” of tongues and attempted to display them every time the church gathered. For that reason, St. Paul tried to give some guidelines on the use of “tongues.” It is difficult to see these restrictions placed on those who spoke natural human languages, especially the restrictions on women. (Interestingly, in many cultures, women make better translators than men, leading to some rather amusing gaffs by men learning the language from women.)

I believe we may safely assume that St. Paul is referring to ecstatic utterances in this chapter.

Secondly, many people claim that only those with the gift of “tongues” have received the Holy Spirit and therefore qualify as true believers. Is this really the case? Are those of us who have never spoken in tongues really bereft of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

While event in Acts seem to imply that speaking in tongues always followed conversion, this belief lacks historical validity. For centuries, the Church believed that those born again received the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion. St. Paul wrote the letter to Corinth in A.D. 55. When he wrote to the Romans in A.D. 57 and to the Ephesians in A.D. 60, he didn’t mention tongues in relation to the spiritual birth.

In the Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas refers to St. Augustine’s statement that in his lifetime, the gift of tongues no longer appeared at the moment of conversion. St. Augustine lived at the turn of the fifth century A.D.

In the eighteenth century, a religious renewal we call the Great Awakening swept through the New England colonies. The minister Jonathan Edwards, who some call America’s greatest theologian, oversaw this awakening in his church and in the surrounding areas. Edwards wrote several treatises on the awakening, explaining it to skeptical ministers in both the American colonies and in England. In A Divine and Supernatural Light, Edwards wrote:

The Holy Spirit operates in the minds of the godly, by uniting himself to them, and living in them, and exerting his own nature in the exercise of their faculties….

When it is said that this light is given immediately by God, and not obtained by natural means, hereby is intended, that it is given by God without making use of any means that operate by their own power, or a natural force God makes use of means; but it is not as mediate causes to produce this effect. There are not truly any second causes of it; but it is produced by God immediately.

We are there abundantly taught, that the saints differ from the ungodly in this, that they have the knowledge of God, and a sight of God, and of Jesus Christ.

It is rational to suppose, that this blessing should be immediately from God; for there is no gift or benefit that is in itself so nearly related to the divine nature, there is nothing the creature receives that is so much of God, of his nature, so much a participation of the deity: it is a kind of emanation of God’s beauty, and is related to God as the light is to the sun. It is therefore congruous and fit, that when it is given of God, it should be nextly from himself, and by himself, according to his own sovereign will.

Edwards, then, believed that, as St. Paul taught in Romans and later letters, that the Holy Spirit comes upon us immediately at conversion. Otherwise, we would not recognize the work of God in our lives and would lack the protection of the Holy Spirit St. Paul clearly taught we enjoy.

Thirdly, does the gift of tongues still exist?

Remember that I pointed out Corinth’s advantage in tongues in relation to its purpose in the Roman Empire. The gift of languages would have greatly aided the church’s ministry. However, in A.D. 90, the Bishop of Rome, Clement, wrote a letter to the Corinthian church exhorting them to peace and cooperation. (Apparently, the Corinthians had a merry tradition of disunity that continued for decades after St. Paul’s death.) For this gift to claim such prominence in St. Paul’s time, St. Clement never mentioned tongues at all. Apparently, the gift had ceased in Corinth in the roughly 5 decades since St. Paul’s letter.

I mentioned St. Thomas Aquinas and the Summa Theologica earlier. St. Aquinas gave us the reason St. Augustine stated the gift had ceased: “whereas even now the Holy Ghost is received, yet no one speaks in the tongues of all nations, because the Church herself already speaks the languages of all nations: since whoever is not in the Church, receives not the Holy Ghost” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, “Of the Grace of Tongues, Reply to Objection 3”). In other words, St. Augustine saw no reason for the gift since the Church had reached every tribe surrounding the Empire.

If the gift ceased at that time, is it back? Could God have sent the gift back in our time?

We’re currently witnessing one of the greatest expansions of the Church in her history. The gospel is spreading faster in Africa and Asia than anywhere else in the world. I’ve heard of missionaries in these areas who speak of experiences where they utter some saying that was interpreted by those around as the gospel in their native language. I’ve heard too many cases to discount them; however, I also know from personal experience that language study is difficult, demanding, and exasperating work. While I believe God can give the gift of languages to someone, I also believe He expects most of us to go about language study the old fashioned way: the daily grind of intense study.

I’ve also noticed that the part of the Church growing fastest, the Pentecostal movement, is also the part that most emphasizes the gift of tongues. I’m unprepared, however, to believe this vindicates their emphasis on tongues, especially since most Pentecostals tend to emphasize the ecstatic utterances definition over that of human languages. As St. Paul pointed out, “If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” (14:23)

I really believe St. Paul wanted the Corinthians to spend more time ministering to the outside world than demonstrating their experience with ecstatic utterances.

This brings me to my last point: should the Church give greater emphasis to the gift of tongues, and should we seek this gift today.

Recently, I read C.S. Lewis’ sermon “Transposition,” which he delivered on Pentecost, 28 May 1944. In this sermon, Lewis discussed the limitations of our physical bodies in responding to spiritual events. Ironically, Lewis started the sermon with a mention of glossalalia: speaking in tongues. I’d recommend you read the sermon, simply because Lewis has such an excellent point, which is: We respond physically to spiritual experiences, simply because we have no other means to respond.

This sermon caused me to think a bit about a discussion with a former student. I’m somewhat convinced, reading Lewis, that we seek the ecstatic because we desire a “repeat” of our conversion experience, especially if that experience was a joyful, emotional one. Some seek a repeat of conversion in music; my student mentioned a worship leader transposing between chords, sending the congregation into ecstasy simply from a higher chord in a song. Others seek to repeat the emotion through gossalalia.

Our spiritual experience at conversion caused a physical and emotional experience, and some part of us urgently — longingly — desperately, even — desires to repeat that experience.

Is this logical? Should we constantly seek to repeat the reaction to the greatest event in our lives, the event that signaled our spiritual birth?

St. Paul says, “No.” The Corinthians longed for a repeat experience, so much so that they elevated glossalalia above any other spiritual gift. Paul urged them to seek a higher gift: prophecy. Unfortunately, my personal experience tells me that prophecy doesn’t always bring an emotional “high” anywhere near my own conversion experience. Prophecy — the gift of proclaiming the truth of God’s word, not the foretelling of events — is difficult work. Prophecy requires immense preparation, and the proclamation of unpopular truths will certainly cause opposition. In my knowledge, no one was ever martyred for glossalalia. We can’t say the same for prophecy, Jesus reminds us. People have died in the prophetic service.

I see this error in the Church today: refusing to seek “higher ground” because we seek a repeat of an emotional experience instead. We plan our services to elicit emotional responses equivalent to our conversion. Then, worship leaders and congregations are sadly disappointed when the experience fails to repeat itself. “The Spirit just wasn’t here today.” Well, Our Lord tells us He is present when 2 or 3 are gathered in His name, regardless of whether the emotion appears or not. Still, disappointed worship leaders work harder on next week’s service: new songs, new chording, new arrangements of music, new slides in the Powerpoint presentation, new testimonies; anything to bring about an emotion approaching that of conversion.

I’m realizing that the desire to repeat an emotion, an experience, explains more than the problems afflicting the Church today. People seek to repeat the emotion of first love, the “high” that comes when you first meet someone, the infatuation. Then, when the infatuation fades — as it inevitably does — people panic, not realizing that infatuation transforms itself into true love that does not fade but lasts forever. Unfortunately, people so seek the infatuation they leave the one for whom they are no longer infatuated, failing to see the devastation in their wake as they leave relationships God never intended to be broken.

Yet, St. Paul calls us higher. “I would rather that you prophesy,” he says. There are events that cannot — should not — be repeated. We are called to seek higher gifts, regardless of their emotional value. Man cannot live by bread alone, but he also cannot live on emotion alone. Glossalalia is a gift. I will not join my SBC “brethren” in denying its existence or denigrating its value; however, glossalalia is a sign of the Spirit’s presence, not the sign. We have no leeway to think Cornelius and Company stopped growing and spoke in tongues the rest of their lives. I’d like to believe Cornelius and his household went on to proclaim the gospel throughout Caesarea and the Empire, wherever they went.

I believe we fear reaching higher, for the greater gifts. Lewis said in his sermon “The Weight of Glory” that “we are far too easily pleased.” Too many people are willing to settle for glossalalia when so much more is waiting on those willing to ask for it. “Ask and it shall be given,” Our Lord tells us. Paul told the Corinthians, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking (1 Corinthians 14:20).” As we grow, we must seek higher gifts. Perhaps we’ll keep the gifts we were given, perhaps not. I’ve found that God never takes anything from us without giving something far greater.

Higher gifts are difficult, and in spite of our desire for them, we have no guarantee God will give us the exact gift we crave. I didn’t ask for the gift of prophecy, of proclamation; it was given to me by grace. However, I propose a spiritual “Montrose’ Toast:” “He either fears his fate too much, or his desserts are small, who dares not put it to the touch, to risk or lose it all.” Ask high! Aim high! Montrose spoke of risk in a military sense, but Our Lord says He wants to give us good gifts. There is no risk in asking God for greater gifts. God promises great things to those who seek them.

Conversion is great. Spiritual growth is greater. Those who content themselves with the emotion of conversion, or with any pale substitute like glossalalia or musical stimulation, will find they rob themselves of great gifts from the Father of Lights. Let’s not settle for the former things when God has great things, greater blessings, waiting for us.

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Trinity Sunday: “Go”

The Trinity ranks as the greatest mystery of Christianity. Here’s another Trinity Sunday sermon, preached on 15 June 2014.

Scripture reading: Psalm 8.
Sermon text: Matthew 28:16-20.

We live in a nation of restless souls.

The children of immigrants founded America. Immigrants, either voluntary or involuntary, built our nation. People from around the globe still travel here to escape ancient prejudices, recent debts, and class restrictions, believing in the dream of creating new lives for themselves and their children.

Even native-born Americans wander. We live in the most mobile nation on the planet. Americans think nothing of moving across the continent for a better job. We travel worldwide on vacations. We constantly look for something to fill our hearts, clear our minds, or bring excitement to our lives.

I see an opportunity here. As I see it, we have everything necessary to fulfill one of Jesus’ greatest desires: The desire of His people to go and proclaim the gospel.

Today, the Church celebrates “Trinity Sunday,” the Sunday on which we clearly teach one of the greatest the mysteries of the Christian faith: One God, Three Persons, each completely independent yet completely One with one another. Our belief in the Trinity separates Christianity from the other monotheistic religions. I believe it also gives us a fuller picture of God and helps us understand how God works in us to carry out His desire for the salvation of humanity and all creation.

After His resurrection, Jesus met the disciples in Galilee. St. Matthew recorded that Jesus had “directed” the disciples to go to a certain mountain in Galilee where He met them. We don’t know to which mountain St. Matthew referred, but we know the disciples obeyed Jesus and met Him there.

On this mountain, Jesus appeared to His disciples. St. Matthew wrote, “when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.” The disciples recognized Jesus as worthy of worship. Remember, all the original disciples believed in one God. As Jews, they had recited Moses’ teaching their entire lives: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). To the Jews, God and God alone deserved the worship of His people. St. Peter had already spoken for the disciples in his great confession of Jesus’ identity: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus’ resurrection further convinced the disciples of His deity.

Notice that although all the disciples worshiped, “some doubted.” I don’t think this should surprise us. Those of us who have lived inside the Church our entire lives often take for granted what we ask people to believe about Jesus. We ask people to believe in a man crucified by the Romans who then came back to life after lying dead in a grave for 3 days! Even the original disciples had trouble understanding what had happened, and they saw Jesus face to face after His resurrection. People sometimes need more tangible evidence of Jesus’ resurrection, of His life within His Church. More on that later.

As the disciples worshiped, Jesus told them,  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Who gave Jesus, the Son of God, this authority? Only the Creator, God the Father, could grant this authority. Jesus had actively participated in the creation of all things, but as St. Paul wrote to the Philippians, He had “emptied Himself” of His heavenly attributes to dwell among us (Philippians 2:7). At His resurrection, Jesus received the authority of all creation, an authority He had possessed since the foundation of the world.

Because all authority rests with Jesus, He can command His people to carry the gospel, the good news, of His death for humanity’s sins and of His resurrection, by which He defeated sin and death. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” Jesus sent His disciples throughout the world, empowering them through the Holy Spirit to teach all He had commanded them and to make disciples of all who believed their message.

Once people believed the message of the gospel, Jesus told the disciples to baptize them “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Everything proceeds from God the Father; salvation comes from the finished work of God the Son; conviction and belief comes from the work of God the Holy Spirit, who draws us to the cross of Christ for salvation and indwells us that we may know what God expects of us and how to live as Christ commands us.

Through God the Holy Spirit, Christ could truly say, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The omnipresent Holy Spirit constantly reminds us of Jesus’ presence in our lives.

One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; One Church, composed of all who believe the message of the Apostles; one great command, to go and make disciples.

How does this command apply to us today, at New Hope?

For one thing, I believe that we cannot go anywhere until we’ve arrived at the place where God can use us to carry the gospel. Too many Christians today have come to treat church as an option or an obligation. I don’t want you to see worship as an option; for a Christian, worship comes with the privilege of calling yourself a child of God. I want you to see worship as an opportunity to praise God for your salvation. I want you to see worship as an opportunity to pray for those around you, the hurting, hurtful, sorrowful, stubborn people who need Jesus.

You cannot worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:23) without genuine conversion and repentance. For too long, too many Christians have desired Jesus’ salvation without accepting His command to live holy lives. I see a serious problem here. How can we go and tell others of Jesus when we refuse to live godly lives ourselves?

“Why would you say this, John?” I’m glad you asked. Let’s go back to Jesus words. In the English translations, the word “Go” appears as a command. Greek has an imperative tense, but Jesus didn’t use it when He said to “go.” The tense Jesus used here better implies, “As you go.” You cannot make disciples unless you go out as a disciple yourself. “As you go” means you will always show the people around you, in your everyday life, what it means to live as a disciple of Jesus.

That poses a problem for many. The people around you may hear you say all kinds of good things about your God and your church, but they also see how you live as you go through your life. I said earlier that people need tangible evidence, clear evidence, of Jesus’ resurrection. Your lifestyle must provide that evidence. Christian, your life, your actions, your words, your desires, will prove Jesus’ resurrection more than anything else I can mention. Does your lifestyle assist the Church in making disciples? Do your actions bring people to Jesus, or do they drive them away?

Let’s take this to the congregational level. We’ve all enjoyed celebrating our big anniversary this year. I enjoyed the celebrations last week. However, we cannot rest on what we’ve done over the past 175 years without looking ahead and moving forward. Jesus has commanded us to make disciples in this community. Have we done everything necessary to reach our communities and our area for Christ? If not, what must we do?

First, I issue a call for repentance. We’ve treated church as an option, and then we wonder why our children decide not to worship at all in their adulthood. Church will rarely rank higher in their priorities than it does in ours. If you treat worship as merely an option (or even worse, an inconvenient obligation), you children will see it that way as well. Our children and our community see the lives we live outside the walls of our sanctuary. We must show them we believe in Jesus’ salvation through our own lives. If you’ve allowed something else to come between you and God, pray for genuine repentance and forgiveness. Only then can the Holy Spirit guide you to go and make disciples.

Secondly, I issue a call to our congregation to minister to our communities. The communities of our area have grown exponentially in the past decades. Had the churches in our areas grown as quickly, we would all have grown exponentially as well. Why haven’t we? What has hindered us from reaching those who have moved here? We, too, must repent for not reaching those God has placed around us. We must do whatever we find necessary to minister to the people around us and bring them to the cross of Christ, our Redeemer.

Lastly, I call on you to look ahead and decide what kind of congregation we will pass to our children. Will the people of New Hope one day celebrate our sacrifices or mourn our timidity? I’ve never met a timid person in this community. I believe God has given us a holy calling, a glorious calling, to build a congregation worthy of passing to succeeding generations.

I know we’ve had our fun celebrating our past. I know many in the Church today, especially in America, believe the world will eventually get too bad for anyone to do anything about it. Yes, I’ve read the Scriptures, and yes, I know that times will come in which it appears the saints have lost. Those times have come in the past, and the Church has triumphed. Jesus assures us He possesses all authority in heaven and on earth. Forget everything you’ve ever read about how bad it will get, because you’ll never read anywhere where Jesus gives us the option to surrender. Go, and live in victory! Jesus has won, and so will we!

We’ve sat and celebrated. Now, we must go to the cross in genuine repentance and receive the forgiveness of our sins as we confess them to Christ. Go, and make disciples by showing everyone that you have become a disciple yourself. Go, and in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, bring your community to the cross and empty tomb of our Lord for salvation and service in the name of God.

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Trinity Sunday: “Called for His Glory”

The Church celebrated Trinity Sunday this past Sunday. This sermon comes from a series on Romans from 2008.

Scripture reading: Isaiah 6:1-13.
Sermon text: Romans 1:1-7.

Each year, the Church dedicates the Sunday following Pentecost to one of the most crucial — but yet most misunderstood — doctrines of the Christian faith: The Doctrine of the Trinity. Our belief in 1 God in 3 Persons separates Christianity from both Judaism and Islam, the other monotheistic faiths of humanity.

Some scholars have tried to prove that the early Church didn’t truly understand the Trinity, even going so far as to claim that Jesus Himself did not understand His relationship with the Father. Given the teachings of Christ included in the Gospel of St. John, I find it difficult to believe that Jesus misunderstood His identity when He claimed to be the Son of God the Father. “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), “That they may be one even as we are one” (John 17:11, 22); these statements clearly depict Jesus as claiming perfect unity with the Father, the God of the Jews.

Today’s sermon text also contradicts any notion that the early Church failed to grasp the concept of the Trinity or the importance of the doctrine. St. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans in c. A.D. 57, or roughly 24-25 years after Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension and possibly before the composition of at least 3 of the Gospels (St. Matthew, St. Luke and St. John). The opening words of St. Paul’s letter provide clear evidence that he both perceived and understood the working of the Trinity in the salvation story that the Church proclaims to the world.

Few books can claim the impact of the book of Romans on Western Civilization. Romans was instrumental in St. Augustine’s conversion. After reading Romans 13:13-14, Augustine wrote, “I had no wish to read more and no need to do so. For in an instant, as I came to the end of the sentence, it was as though the light of confidence flooded into my heart and all the darkness of doubt was dispelled.” (Augustine’s Confessions (London: Penguin Books, 1961) p. 178). Martin Luther would read Romans and become convinced that salvation was accomplished solely by justification through faith. This insight would lead him to challenge the Roman Catholic Church and centuries of doctrines. John Calvin would read Romans and become convinced that God’s sovereign plan unfolded in time in spite of the worst attempts of evil to confound it.

St. Paul wrote Romans while he was in Corinth. St. Paul wrote Romans to prepare the Roman church for his visit on his way to Spain (15:28). St. Paul was writing to a church he did not found; therefore, he could not exert any authority over them without an introduction.

The letter to the Romans is Paul’s longest letter. The letter itself is a tightly written argument for the necessity of God’s righteousness in life, for the love of God demonstrated in Jesus’ sacrifice, for the inclusion of the Jews in God’s salvation plan, and for the continued presence of visible proof in Christians’ lives that a spiritual birth has occurred in their lives. Today, we also see that St. Paul clearly taught the doctrine of the Trinity through his masterpiece work.

Many people wonder why Christians so emphatically cling to the doctrine. When we begin reading the letter to the Romans, we find several reasons why the Trinity speaks so dearly to believers.

First, St Paul reminded the believers at Rome of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. St. Paul called himself a “servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” St. Paul recognized Jesus as his Lord and King. Saul the Pharisee had believed in God; he had often quoted the Shema, the declaration of Moses that Jesus called the first commandment: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). When the Christian movement began sweeping through Judea, Saul attacked the believers as heretics. However, on the road to Damascus, Saul encountered a living Jesus. Saul quickly realized that Jesus lived again, changing his perception of the God he had loved and served his entire life.

Saul — now known as Paul — realized that Jesus had set him apart for a special purpose. First, Jesus called him as an “apostle,” or “sent one.” An “apostle” in the Greek world served as a messenger with a special message to those entrusted to his mission. St. Paul knew his message: the “gospel of God.” At this point, God the Father entered the conversation with the Roman believers.

God the Father had revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s descendants as the God of the Covenant. He had first made a covenant with Abraham: “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:17-18). God had confirmed this covenant with Isaac and then with Isaac’s youngest son Jacob. On Mt. Sinai, God again confirmed His covenant with Jacob’s descendants through Moses, calling Israel — the tribes descended from Jacob — as a “ a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6).

Throughout Israel’s history, God had sent prophets proclaiming His coming. In time, the prophets began predicting a strange event in history: God would come to the earth as a human, more specifically as a descendant of David, Israel’s greatest king. Practically every major prophet from Moses forward prophesied regarding the coming of God in flesh.

Unfortunately, these prophecies also included those of Isaiah that God would suffer and die for the sins of His people and for the sins of all humanity. St. Paul reminded the Romans that Jesus’ resurrection following His sacrificial death firmly established His identity as the Son of God, just as He had claimed (John 10:36). Christians from the resurrection forward clearly proclaimed Jesus’ identity in this way, beginning with some before His death (cf. Martha, John 11:27) and emphatically afterward (John 20:31). After his own conversion and calling, St. Paul himself had “proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God’” (Acts 9:20).

St. Paul also reminded the Romans of the Holy Spirit’s work in salvation history. Jesus had promised to send another “Comforter” or “Advocate” to indwell believers after He ascended to the Father (John 14:16-17). On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came into the world and empowered believers to carry the gospel of God to all humanity (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit goes everywhere that believers go, giving us the courage and wisdom to proclaim Jesus as the “Son of God” through His resurrection.

Once we hear this proclamation — Jesus has died for our sins, risen from the dead, and now offers freedom from sin to all who believe in Him as Lord — we receive “grace.” Grace refers to the undeserved merit we receive from God, who forgives us of our sins against Himself and against others and declares us as “justified,” or having the standing to approach Him knowing He has forgiven our sins.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we, too, have received the “apostleship” to carry the news of Jesus’ resurrection to those in our lives. The Church has spread around the world to tell people of every nation and language about the freedom from sin we experience through the work of the Trinity in our lives. St. Paul carried this message throughout the Roman Empire, calling people to believe in Jesus and live in “the obedience of faith for the sake of his name.”

St. Paul then addressed the Roman believers directly, reminding them they were “called to belong to Jesus Christ;” the Holy Spirit had worked in their hearts to convict them of their sins and bring them to salvation through their confession of Jesus as Lord of their lives. One of the Church Fathers, a man known as Ambrosiaster, stated that the Roman Christians accepted Christianity without any notable miracles and without any apostolic proclamation of the faith. Most likely, Jews from Rome were present at the events of Pentecost and carried the new faith back to Rome itself.

St. Paul opened the main portion of the letter with a new form of the customary salutation in Greek letters: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Greek letters often opened by wishing “grace” to the recipient of the letter, but St. Paul added “peace” to his salutation. St. Paul reminded the Romans both of the grace they received through their salvation and the peace with God that their confession in Christ had brought.

I believe these verses remind us today of the Trinity’s work in our own salvation.

First, we must remember that when we confess Jesus as Lord, we must live according to His expectations and commandments. We cease our service to self and sin and begin serving our new Lord, who calls us to proclaim His resurrection to the world. The gospel consists of the good news that while all humanity suffers from our sins, Jesus has paid the penalty and conquered both sin and death through His crucifixion and resurrection.

We should also find encouragement in the prophecies regarding Jesus’ coming. These prophecies remind us that God the Father, in His omniscience, knows what we faced in life and what we will face in the future. He has already prepared for what we will face later today and for the rest of our lives. This fact should lead us to trust Him even more in our lives. If we can trust God for our salvation from sin, we can also trust Him to provide for us and guide us in life.

The Holy Spirit Himself (remember that the Holy Spirit is God, not an emotion!) also works in us. He helps us to live godly lives as a witness to His work in us. He also works in unbelievers to draw them to Jesus, pointing them to the only true source of salvation: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The God we serve — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — cares deeply about you. Everyone who confesses the Son as Lord finds peace with the Father and experiences the calming presence of the Spirit. The joy of our faith revolves around the love of God for us, a love that extends beyond the love of the Persons for one another to encompass us as well. You’ll find no stronger love than the love of the Trinity for one another and for all believers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

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Belief and Academia: “The God We Know”

I delivered this sermon on 29 May 2011 during the Easter season on the Church calendar. As an academic by nature, training, and career, I believe Christians bear a responsibility to interact with the knowledge of our culture.

This belief — a belief I believe constitutes a calling in my life as much as my calling to the pastorate — makes St. Paul’s appearance at the Areopagus one of my favorite passages in Scripture.

Scripture reading: Psalm 66:8-20.
Sermon text: Acts 17:16-34.

Whenever Christian missionaries go into new areas and encounter new tribes, they almost always find some clues they can use to tell the people there about the God we serve. The missionaries find something in the culture of the new tribes they can use to build a means of communicating the truths of Scriptures. This method has worked for centuries.

The philosophical traditions of Greece began over 700 years before the birth of Christ. The philosophers of Athens possessed the wisdom of the Greek civilization. Their teachings and beliefs continue to influence us today. However, the Greek philosophers needed to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their studies would not bring salvation; they would not bring them a relationship with God. God wanted the gospel in Athens, and He used a lifetime to prepare St. Paul for the task.

St. Paul the Apostle was born in Tarsus, schooled in Tarsus and Jerusalem, and converted on the road to Damascus. In the passage from Acts, St. Paul finally arrived in the intellectual center of the Roman Empire: Athens. Six hundred fifteen miles separates Tarsus from Athens. For St. Paul, this distance represented a lifetime of study and preparation for the task he carried onto the Areopagus.

St. Paul’s sermon on the Aeropagus, before a group of Greek intellectuals ignorant of the gospel, holds lessons for the Church today. As with St. Paul, we find ourselves in a culture ignorant of the words of Holy Scripture. We find ourselves in the position of teaching the basics of the faith to people eager to seek God but unable to overcome their pride and seek God’s forgiveness. Like the Greeks, many today want to find their own paths to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” St. Paul had to explain the way to the Greeks. We must do the same today in order to bring the gospel to our community and — through the Church — to the world.

Fortunately, we also live in a culture that retains at least a small semblance of cultural understanding of Christianity. Unfortunately, most people know more about the fringes of Christian culture than the real truths of our faith. As we tell people about our God, we must find a way of connecting with them and revealing the reasons we believe in Jesus and follow His commands to love God and love others as ourselves.

St. Paul began his preparation for Athens early in his life. Tarsus, his hometown, boasted great schools in its own right. According to Strabo, a Greek philosopher of the first century A.D., “The people at Tarsus have devoted themselves so eagerly, not only to philosophy, but also to the whole round of education in general, that they have surpassed Athens, Alexandria, or any other place that can be named where there have been schools and lectures of philosophers” (Geographica).  St. Paul would have received rigorous preparation for his later studies in Jerusalem. This training would have included an education in the Greek philosophical tradition. Then, in due time, St. Paul traveled to Jerusalem to study under Gamaliel, the greatest Jewish teacher of his time.

This training helped St. Paul throughout his service to the Church. His standing as a student of Gamaliel opened doors into the synagogues of the Roman Empire, where he proclaimed the fulfillment of the prophecies through Jesus Christ to both the Jews and the Gentile “God-fearers.” His extensive knowledge of the Old Testament guided his teachings to the congregations of the Empire. His encounters with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and through prayer guided his interpretations of the Old Testament in his writings.

St. Paul also knew his Greek philosophy. For centuries, scholars have remarked on the similarities between St. Paul’s writings in the Epistles and Stoicism, the most popular philosophy of the Roman Empire. The Romans especially appreciated Stoicism for its emphasis on emotional self-control.

Therefore, St. Paul was the ideal candidate to take the gospel to Athens, the academic and philosophical capital of the Roman Empire. God had carefully chosen His representative to the Greek philosophers. The question becomes, Why did God care so much for the conversion of the Areopagites?

Some people may not understand this, but God loved the Greeks as much as He loved the Jews. God didn’t send Jesus, His only Son, to die only for the Jews; Jesus told Nicodemus, one of Judaism’s leaders, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God had also worked for centuries to prepare Greek civilization for the gospel of Jesus. Their philosophical roots extended back before 600 B.C. to a man named Thales. The Greeks had pioneered the contemplation of the tough questions of life: Who are we? Why are we here? These questions led the Greeks to answers tantalizingly close to the teachings of the Old Testament.

When St. Paul first came to Athens, he found an intellectual city with a religious twist. In the intellectual centers of the Western world today, most scholars scoff at any religion, especially Christianity. However, the Athenians worshiped any god or goddess in the Empire. One of their philosophers, Epimenides, had sought to cleanse Athens of a plague over 600 years before by building an altar to “an unknown god.” This altar was meant to appease any god the Athenians hadn’t yet honored with a temple or an altar. As he walked through the city, St. Paul came across this altar. This altar, and its inscription, gave St. Paul the clues he needed to begin proclaiming the true God to the Athenians.

When St. Paul began teaching of God and Jesus Christ in the marketplace, some of the philosophers of the Areopagus heard his teachings and realized this was a “new thing.” The word the Epicureans and Stoics used to describe St. Paul aptly describes their chief reason for listening to him; they called him an “idea-picker.” They didn’t realize that St. Paul wasn’t picking for new ideas; he was proclaiming the way to a new life.

It is interesting that when we consider the philosophies of Western civilization, the philosophers responsible for St. Paul’s appearance represented the extremes of Greek philosophy. The Epicureans’ philosophy emphasized indulging in the sensual pleasures of life. Their teaching is best exemplified by the saying, “Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” (If that sounds familiar, read 1 Corinthians 15:32).

The Stoics, on the other hand, taught reason, self-control, and discipline. Unlike the Epicureans, the Stoics sought to avoid any extremes in life. They believed in moderation of all pleasures.

This brings us to St. Paul’s lessons on the Areopagus, or “Mar’s Hill.” What did St. Paul say, and how does it help us today?

First, St. Paul recognized the Athenians’ desire for God. St. Paul had found an altar to an “unknown god;” he realized that the God of his fathers was unknown to these people. However, their philosophies sought to find a path to God; their religions had attempted to find Him. The philosophies and religions had failed. Now, the true faith had come.

Secondly, St. Paul started with what the Greeks understood. “What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” St. Paul didn’t attempt to declare something new when he had found a foundation on which he could build. He built on this foundation in proclaiming the nature of the Jewish God.

The Old Testament tells us much about this God. As C.S. Lewis wrote, “[God] selected one particular people and spent centuries hammering into their heads the sort of God He was — that there was only one of Him and that He cared about right conduct. These people were the Jews, and the Old Testament gives an account of the hammering process” (Mere Christianity, “The Shocking Alternative”). The Old Testament also tells us of God’s care for all humanity. In His call to Abraham, He told Abraham, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

St. Paul told the Greeks of this God; there was no room for Greek polytheism in the true religion. St. Paul told the Greeks that this God had created the universe and had created all humans from one man: “he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.” St. Paul also explained the Greeks’ desire for religion and worship: All people “ should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him.” The Greeks had been seeking for centuries; now, He had come in the teachings of St. Paul.

St. Paul’s use of Greek philosophy continued with a quote from the very philosopher who had build the altar to the unknown god: Epimenides, who had said, “In him we live and move and have our being.” This line comes from a hymn to Zeus, the king of the gods in the Greek pantheon. St. Paul established his credentials before the philosophers and used their own writings to bolster his case. The second line of verse 28 comes from Aratus, a philosopher and poet from St. Paul’s native province: “For we indeed are his offspring.”

We must also notice St. Paul’s clear boundaries in his presentation. While St. Paul used Greek teachings in his presentation, he refused to compromise the gospel. St. Paul declared God’s nature as a spirit (John 4:24); that He called all people to repentance; that He would judge all people who refused to repent; and that He had made a way for all people to repent in Jesus Christ: “of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Did everyone accept the gospel that day? Of course not. Nor should we be surprised when people refuse to accept the gospel today. “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, ‘We will hear you again about this.’” We find the same reactions to the gospel today. However, St. Luke records that “some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.” God’s preparation of their hearts through their culture gave them the faith to believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don’t you see a resemblance between the civilization in which St. Paul lived and ours today? We live in a society where religion seems prevalent; everyone wants to worship something. However, we also realize that most people want to find their own way to God. And, as in St. Paul’s time, many of our intellectual elite scoff at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, somehow ignoring its historical reality. St. Paul himself would later write to the Corinthians, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:22-25).

However, St. Paul’s sermon should also help us reach our society.

First, we must never forget that we have a God to proclaim to the world. We have a God who has revealed Himself through nature; David the Psalmist wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). We have a God who has revealed Himself through His deliverance of Israel; time and again, we find the words in the prophets that the fulfillment of their prophecies will demonstrate His identity (Isaiah 49:26; Ezekiel 5:13, among others).

Ultimately, we have a God who revealed Himself in His love and care for humanity through His Son, Jesus. Jesus said to St. Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). In Jesus, we see God as He truly is: “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). Because He loves them, God cares about their problems; He cares about their issues, and He cares about their joys in life. God cares enough about them to send Jesus to die for their salvation and rise again for their victory over death.

We must consistently but lovingly proclaim the necessity of salvation through Jesus alone. As St. Peter said, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We must, however, notice that St. Paul did not try to scare the Greeks to salvation. St. Paul didn’t preach about hell; he instead proclaimed the gospel to them. The gospel is simple: Jesus has come, Jesus died for our sins, and He rose again for our victory over death. Those who come to Jesus through fear will most likely not develop the spiritual endurance to grow in their faith. We cannot frighten people into the Church, but we must never compromise the gospel of Christ.

I see another lesson here in St. Paul’s experience at the Areopagus, one that lies close to my heart. This lesson means so much to me I can’t pass up an opportunity to repeat it. I’ve spent all but 11 years of my life in the academy, either as a student, staff member, or instructor. I know God has called me to scholarship just as I know He has called me to the pastorate. St. Paul would never have reached this point without serious intellectual preparation. Historically, the Church has always encouraged intellectual development. Modern science arose in the Church; the Church created the modern university system beginning in the eleventh century.

Unfortunately, many Baptists have often disparaged intellectual activities and actively discouraged our youth from academic studies in certain fields. We must train our youth intellectually as well as spiritually. In St. Paul’s case, Strabo had more to say about Tarsus than my earlier quote. Strabo also wrote, “But [Tarsus] is so different from other cities that there the men who are fond of learning, are all natives, and foreigners are not inclined to sojourn there; neither do these natives stay there, but they complete their education abroad; and when they have completed it they are pleased to live abroad, and but few go back home.” I think it’s a horrible fact that studies find over 60% of churched teens who go to college leave the Church.

We must prepare our youth for serious studies beyond home. We must begin by rigorously teaching them the Scriptures, both in church and in home. We must then encourage our youth to undertake serious studies, especially in the sciences. Our faith relies on an intellectual foundation even more than on emotionalism. St. Paul would later write to the Romans, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). The development of the minds of our youth matters even more now than in the time of St. Paul.

And, of course, in the wake of last week’s fiasco regarding (yet) another Rapture prophecy, we need to confront something within the Church itself. We need to realize that we live in a rational faith based on the historical reality of a Resurrection. The Church suffers badly whenever the “fruits and nuts” take center stage, and here in America, it seems far too few of us have taken seriously the responsibility of calling them down. The Spirit never causes dissension or confusion, and He never brings glory to an individual. The Spirit always glorifies the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Don’t mistake the emotion of a moment for the presence of the Holy Spirit, and don’t ever allow anyone to preface their latest zaniness with “The Spirit led me to.”

God has given us tremendous opportunities to reach our society for Christ. We honor Him by preparing ourselves through serious study on behalf of the Church. Only the Holy Spirit can draw people to Christ; however, He uses us to reach them with the gospel. Our preparation enables us to serve the gospel and see others born again into the life of our faith. We must proclaim the God we know to a world who needs to know Him.

For further reading:

Lecture on Cosmology and Religion at the University of Alabama by Stephen Barr, Ph.D., Professor of Particle Physics, University of Delaware.

Stephen Barr, “Much Ado about Nothing: Stephen Hawking and the Self-Creating Universe,” “First Things”

Stephen Barr, The Design of Evolution “First Things”

Stephen Barr, Modern Physics and Ancient Faith. 2003: University of Notre Dame Press.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain.

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Choice after Conversion: “O Wretched Man!”

I’ve often wondered why, after conversion, I still faced the desire to sin. I won’t claim to have arrived at a satisfactory conclusion, but I recalled this sermon I preached back in 2007. To this point, it remains the best explanation I’ve managed on the topic.

You can find the series on Romans here.

SERIES ON ROMANS:
O WRETCHED MAN!

Scripture reading: Romans 7:1-12.
Sermon text: Romans 7:13-25.

“Heaven is not the goal; it’s the destination…. The goal of Christianity is spiritual transformation into Christlikeness.” Todd Hunter, Bishop-elect for The Anglican Mission in the Americas, founding pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Costa Mesa, CA, quoted in “Christianity Today,” October 2009

I read the quote above this week and thought it fit exactly the words of St. Paul in Romans chapter 7. Transgression and rebellion; justification; grace. As we’ve read St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, we’ve read his explanation of human rebellion against God; how God used Abraham to bless the nations, first through the nation of Israel and then through Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God; and, that through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are justified before God and have peace with our Creator. For many people, the question after our justification becomes, “Now what?” When we receive grace from God instead of justice, should something happen in our lives? What happens next?

St. Paul had already explained to the Romans that the Law of Moses had guided Israel in its own covenant with God. Unfortunately, many Jews mistook the Law as a means of separating themselves from other nations rather than as guide to their calling as a holy nation. The Law that should have distinguished God’s people instead led to their condemnation when they broke it.

In chapter 7, St. Paul continued his discussion of the Law and its shortcomings. Many Jews in the early Church continued to adhere to the Law and tried to insist that Gentile believers do so as well. St. Paul gave his readers great news: When we died to sin through our faith and baptism in Christ, we also died to our obligation to the Law. Although believers may continue to struggle daily in a sinful world, we rest in the assurance of our new lives in Jesus Christ.

St. Paul opened this chapter by building on the argument of chapter 6 by reminding his readers of Christian freedom from the human bondage to sin: “The law is binding on a person only as long as he lives.” Since we have died to sin as signified in our baptism. St. Paul switched to another example of freedom by reminding his readers of the law regarding marriage. “A married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.”

St. Paul had to reach beyond both Jewish and Roman law to Jesus’ teachings regarding marriage. Both Jewish and Roman law made provisions for divorce, and in both cultures divorce was quite easy for husbands. However, women under Jewish law could not divorce at all, a restriction Jesus extended to both sexes (Matthew 5, 19). Under Jewish law, a woman was bound to her husband until one of them died.

The same applied to those under sin. As St. Paul had said in chapter 6, only death freed one from slavery; now, he reminded his readers that only death freed a woman from marriage. Once Christians have died to sin, we “belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.”

Using another example, St. Paul turned to the legal codes familiar to those in the Roman Empire. According to St. Paul, “While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.”

Every civilization recognized the necessity of rules to enforce human civility and established some sort of law code to reign in human passions. Law gives us boundaries to guide human relationships. Law gives us freedom as long as we remain inside those boundaries, but stepping outside those boundaries leads to consequences.

The Mosaic Law provided for more than mere guidelines for human relationships and obligations; it also established the rules of Israel’s obligations to God. The Law was not “sin;” instead, it served to define sin for a holy people. St. Paul used the example of covetousness — desiring what someone else possesses — as an example. “I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” St. Paul continued by saying, “So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

However, the Law could accomplish only so much. The Law could define sin, but it could not enforce the attitude behind the actions. The Law could define proper worship, but it could not enforce the faith of the worshipers. The Law, in other words, could not overcome the human tendency to sin. Every human ever born has fought this tendency; only one Person has successfully overcome it. “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.”

The next passage of verses remains a difficult passage for interpreters. Most of the early Church Fathers believed that, in verses 15-25, St. Paul used a common Greek technique to describe the unbeliever’s quandary with sin: A desire to do the right thing, but failing. The early Church Fathers held that Christians would never face a fight with sin such as described by St. Paul.

St. Augustine, however, finally recognized another possibility, one now accepted by most Western interpreters of this passage. His own experience, as well as the experience of every Christian in history, provides us with the justification to allow this passage to speak as St. Paul wrote it: Christians constantly face a fight with sin. This passage describes a common problem with the Christian life, one I believe Hunter elegantly addresses in the quote I used to start this sermon.

St. Paul admitted that at times, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” How many times have we faced this issue? We know what we should do in a situation, but we find ourselves doing the opposite and hating ourselves for it. St. Paul admitted, “ I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”

What’s the problem here? Hasn’t St. Paul said in the previous chapters that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ? Hasn’t he stated we are justified before God through our confession of faith in Jesus as Lord and our belief in His resurrection? Hasn’t he gloriously proclaimed us dead to sin?

Yes, to all these questions! However, we must realize that our spiritual lives still begin and exist in a physical context. “If I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” This is no excuse for our behavior, but it does recognize the fact that Christians are physical beings, with all the desires and passions that come with the physical body. A born-again believer still faces issues with hormones and body chemicals. We must learn to overcome these instinctual urges.

It bothers me to hear someone say, “Just repent of your sins, be born again, and everything in life will be all right. You’ll never have to worry about that bad habit again. You’ll have heaven to look forward to, where you’ll never fight sin again.”

Yes, it’s true that, in the new Creation, we’ll never face sin again. However, as Hunter said, heaven is a destination, not a goal; Christlikeness is the goal, and no one reaches that goal without a serious battle with the sins that beset us (Hebrews 12:1). We pray every week here at New Hope, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation.” We all continue to sin in this life even as we fight it.

I love the way C.S. Lewis describes the power of temptation and repentance:

“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is…. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later…. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist” (Mere Christianity, Book 3, ch. 11).

I don’t know about you, but I take great comfort that Christ knows the power of temptation. It helps assure me that He understands — and, because He knows I am not yet Christlike, He knows I will sin. He knows that I well understand St. Paul’s lament: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

So what do we do when we sin? “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Jesus, the One who understands the power of temptation and who died for our redemption from sin, promises forgiveness to all who confess their sins and turn to Him for help.

C.S. Lewis also beautifully describes the help Jesus gives when we fall:

You must ask for God’s help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us toward is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again…. It cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God. We learn, on the one hand, that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and, on the other, that we need not despair even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven. The only fatal thing is to sit down content with anything less than perfection (Mere Christianity, Book 3, ch. 5).

I love the way Father Hunter concluded his interview:

“In most of post-World War II evangelicalism, we asked people to cross a finish line. So it went: apologetics, apologetics, apologetics, then, okay, you get it now, you need to make a decision, and you get to go to heaven when you die. What I’d prefer to see is apologetics, enculturation, saying the prayers, and then you come to a line, but it’s a starting line: Are you ready to become a follower of Jesus? Can you now see the big intention of God for the earth and what He was doing through Christ and Pentecost and creating the people of God? Are you willing to join that family and take up that family’s cause through following Jesus?”

It’s not a question of if we’ll fall; we will. However, we’re already in the race, and Christ, through the Holy Spirit, promises to help us cross the finish line. When we fall, call on the One who knows the power of temptation and, through His resurrection, promises us eternal life in a Creation where sin and temptation will never haunt us again.

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Sermons on the Revelation

I preached through the Revelation of St. John in 2007. I’ve compiled those sermons in .pdf format and uploaded them here for anyone interested. As always, email me if you have questions or comments about the sermons.

You won’t find the standard prophecy-heavy line here. I focus more on other aspects of the Revelation. I hope this approach will increase your appreciation of the only apocalyptic book you’ll find in the New Testament.

Sermons on the Revelation

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Maundy Thursday: “Why?”

My Maundy Thursday sermon this year. The more I take Holy Communion, the more I understand the reality of my faith.

Scripture reading: Exodus 12:1-14.
Sermon text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

Our Christian identity does not consist solely of an intellectual assent to rationally explained doctrines based on logically induced and explainable precepts.

In other words, it’s not all in our heads.

That’s not to say that people haven’t tried to confine the faith to a mere intellectual construct. The entire New Testament includes reminders of the physical reality of Christianity. St. John wrote, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1); he later wrote in a letter, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life” (1 John 1:1). St. John’s words reminded the early Christians of Jesus’ physical reality. The Virgin Mary really did give birth to Him; St. Joseph really reared Him; the disciples really touched Him.

The Romans really killed Him.

And He really rose from the dead.

The Church will focus on Jesus’ death tomorrow on Good Friday and on His resurrection on Easter Sunday. For Maundy Thursday, we find ourselves asking why, before His death, did Jesus give physical bread and physical wine to His disciples and say to them, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

First, God knows we often forget His blessings.

Look at the Old Testament reading from Exodus. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast” (Exodus 12:14). God knew the Hebrews, like everyone else, would forget His blessings in times of trial and suffering, so He gave them a feast to remind them both of Egypt’s oppression and His deliverance.

How often do we forget God’s blessings when trials arise, when despair settles on us and blots the light from our lives? We forget that Jesus is the “light of the world” (John 8:12). At this Table, the Light of the World dispels the darkness, reminding us that He has conquered sin and darkness for us.

Secondly, God knows we forget His grace.

I told New Hope Sunday morning that I approach the Table of the Lord with mixed emotions. The Table reminds me I deserve nothing from God but judgment and condemnation. As a sinner, I have no right to approach this table, much less to preside at its feast. I come here because, by grace, God invites me. I stand and preside at Holy Communion because, by grace, God has called me to serve His people. I will never deserve to approach this Table, but I come here confidently because of God’s grace. Every time I take Communion, I remember God’s grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Lastly, God knows how often our heads get in the way of living.

We walk outside to a beautiful morning, and we immediately think of something we need to do in the afternoon. We’re in the room with the love of our life, and instead of cherishing the one we love, we’re thinking of somewhere we’ll go or something we’ll do tomorrow. We hear good news, and our heads immediately wonder, “How long will it last?”

I freely admit I would probably live more joyously if I could switch off my brain every once in a while, or at least the parts that constantly look into a nonexistent future and refuse to focus on the joyous, blessed present.

The Greek civilization exalted intellectual pursuits to a level unseen by human history. Many Greek philosophies began with the premise that the physical body represented evil and the intellect represented all the good in creation. The Greeks really took the “it’s all in your head” philosophy to a new level.

To the Corinthians — Greeks to the core — St. Paul wrote these words:

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. — 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

St. Paul reminded the Greeks in Corinth of physical bread and physical wine, given to physical men by a physical Christ.

I could give you a historical explanation of the practice of Holy Communion. I could write a paper (a dissertation, actually) on Holy Communion, including such facts as the early Church celebrated Holy Communion at every worship service and that someone, somewhere on earth has celebrated Holy Communion every single day since Passover in A.D. 33. I could tell you it would stun the early Christians to know we often meet and don’t celebrate Holy Communion.

Instead, I’ll tell you that this meal reminds us it’s not all in our heads. Humans didn’t contrive our faith as a story.

God created a physical world and called it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God gave us physical bodies to enjoy His creation and interact with it. We see the beauty of a sunrise, we smell the fragrance of the flowers, we hear the melody of the music around us, we touch the softness of skin and the texture of hair.

We worship with our bodies as well as our minds. We stand and sit throughout the service. We use our mouths to pray and sing. We close our eyes in prayer and open them to read music and words. We hear the word of God proclaimed so we can process it with our brains and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our souls.

When we celebrate Holy Communion, we take physical food and physical liquid into our mouths. We eat and drink, the very act that brought sin into the world in the first place, but the act by which we sustain our physical lives.

As we eat physical bread, we remember a Body broken by Roman whips and stretched out to die on a Roman cross.

As we drink the physical fruit of the vine, we remember Blood pouring from wounds inflicted for our sins and by which our sins are forgiven.

The first meal recorded in Scripture cost us immortality and life in the Garden of Eden.

The meal before us tonight reminds us that Christ promises eternal life to all who believe.

Tonight, I remind you that God has blessed you with eternal life through your faith in Christ.

Tonight, I remind you that, by grace, God invites you to this Table.

Tonight, I offer you bread and a cup, imploring you to remember we will live forever in a new heaven and a new earth, physical beings in a physical creation untouched by sin and death.

Tonight, I remind you.

Tonight, I invite you.

Christian, come and dine.

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Fifth Sunday of Lent: The Indwelling Spirit

A friend of mine once said that Southern Baptists are “one-third atheist.” We don’t know how to treat the Holy Spirit, so we tend to ignore Him. Scripture doesn’t.

 

Scripture reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14.
Sermon text: Romans 8:6-11.

I want to introduce you to someone.

You can’t see Him. You can’t touch Him, even though He has touched countless lives in history. You can’t hear Him unless He speaks directly to you.

Yet, He will change you for eternity.

I want you to meet God, the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit remains the least understood Person in the Trinity. Millions crave His presence. Millions misunderstand His work in the Church. Some fear Him. Yet, we cannot call ourselves believers if He does not dwell with us.

In last week’s sermon, we saw where the Holy Spirit “rushed upon David” at his anointing as king over Israel (1 Samuel 16:13). In the Old Testament, you’ll rarely see the Holy Spirit work in more than one person at a time. Usually, the Holy Spirit would indwell a specific person for the duration of that person’s assignment from God. We have no evidence that the Holy Spirit remained with every believer in Israel. We have evidence to the contrary in the case of Saul, the king David succeeded. In fact, the passage that tells us of David’s anointing tells us, “Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul” (1 Samuel 16:14).

It seems that the Holy Spirit revealed Himself to almost no one for a period of over 450 years from the time of Malachi to the time of John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit next appears in the Scriptural record when He revealed to Simeon that “he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26). St. Luke also recorded the presence of Anna, a “prophetess,” who served in the Temple at the time of Jesus’  presentation (Luke 2:36-38).

Jesus changed everything about the Holy Spirit’s work in the world. When Jesus gave His last words to His disciples, He told them, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Helper.” After Jesus’ ascension, He sent the Holy Spirit into the world on the day of Pentecost in A.D. 33. The Holy Spirit “filled” the believers and empowered them to share the gospel of Jesus with the people of Jerusalem.

By the time St. Paul wrote to believers in Rome in c. A.D. 55, Christians had taken the gospel throughout the Roman Empire, including to Rome itself. In the sermon text, St. Paul told the Roman believers about the greatest mystery of the Holy Spirit: HIs ability to live within everyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and believes in Jesus’ resurrection. The sermon text today tells us about the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives and also reminds us of the benefits of His presence within us.

First, we need to eliminate a major misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit. Repeat after me:

The Holy Spirit is not an emotion.

The Holy Spirit is God Himself.

Thank you! The sooner you understand the identity of the Holy Spirit, the sooner you can avoid some of the worst misconceptions about His work in our lives and in the life of the Church.

St. Paul opened the sermon text with a key lesson in the Spirit’s work. “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Did you notice a key word in the sentence? “Mind.” Again, the Holy Spirit is not an emotion. Many believers crave an emotional experience in worship, believing mistakenly that the Holy Spirit works only through our emotions. The Holy Spirit works primarily in our minds. St. Paul would later write in this letter, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). The Holy Spirit will begin working in our minds immediately after our conversion.

The Holy Spirit will help us to avoid some of the major conflicts that beset humanity. Again, “to set the mind on the flesh is death.” Most people spend their lives pursuing fleshly desires that will lead them into serious trouble. Note that the Scriptures never say we cannot care for our fleshly bodies; nor do the Scriptures deny the human desire for pleasure. However, the Holy Spirit works in our minds to help us moderate those desires and channel them into their proper functions. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our minds, He brings “life and peace” to us. The Holy Spirit will guide us into eternal life. The “peace” brought by the Holy Spirit reminds us of the Hebrew “shalom,” that sense of wholeness and well-being we receive when we live in a relationship with God.

Unfortunately, most people will spend their lives alienated from God because they instead choose to keep their minds “set on the flesh.” Those with this mindset cannot “submit to God’s law” of love for God and love for others. Those in the fleshly mindset will choose their own desires over the love of God. When we cannot show godly love to people, we live in separation from God. “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

The Holy Spirit “dwells in you” from the moment of your confession in Jesus as Lord and helps you life in peace with God. This describes one of the great mysteries of Christianity. We fully believe that Christianity does not rely on a set ritual of initiation, nor does it rely on a formal creed for admission. Instead, we believe that, by faith, God Himself indwells every person who believes in Jesus, confessing Him as Lord and believing in His resurrection (Romans 10:9-10).

What does this mean practically? It means that God dwells within you and brings “life” to us. “The Spirit is life because of righteousness.” St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sinsvin which you once walked, following the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:1-2). The Holy Spirit brings us alive spiritually. St. Paul also wrote to the Ephesians, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5).  The Holy Spirit gives us a sense of “life” and helps us to live in “righteousness,” or in right standing before God. We do the right things because the Holy Spirit empowers us. We love others because of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives.

The Holy Spirit’s presence assures us of our eternal salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14). As St. Paul wrote in the sermon text, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Humanity has feared death since the first death recorded in history. I’ve seen people die. I’ve seen the fear in their eyes as death approached. I’ve also seen the peace of those who die with faith in Jesus. The presence of the Holy Spirit has brought peace to them in the worst event they will face in eternity.

The Holy Spirit’s coming into our lives may bring an emotional response. Most Christians I’ve known experienced an intense emotional experience at the coming of the Holy Spirit. However, the Holy Spirit remains with us regardless of our emotional state. His presence does not rely on our emotions; it relies on the faithfulness of God and His promise never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

What do we know then about the Holy Spirit from today’s text?

First, we must receive the Holy Spirit to have assurance of our standing before God. No one can please God without the Holy Spirit because that person remains spiritually dead until His coming. The Holy Spirit will come to everyone who confesses Jesus as Lord, believing in His resurrection (Romans 10:9-10). If you’ve never confessed Jesus as your Lord and believed in His resurrection, you must do so to receive the Holy Spirit.

Once the Holy Spirit comes into your life, you can live confidently knowing that He will help you please God. You can freely love other people in spite of their desirability, or even more importantly, because of your attitude or opinion of those people. You know, through the Holy Spirit, that God loves them, too, and desires for them to receive the Holy Spirit as well.

The Holy Spirit will help you live rightly before God by joining you with other believers. If I could summarize the Holy Spirit’s work in two characteristics, I would say this:

  1. The Holy Spirit always draws people to Jesus and magnifies Jesus, not Himself.
  2. The Holy Spirit always draws believers to other believers for worship, fellowship, and encouragement.

Have you believed in Jesus? If not, believe in Him today and receive the Holy Spirit in your life. If so, then live boldly and confidently before God, loving everyone He has placed in your life. Live boldly and confidently before the world, knowing every person you encounter brings an opportunity to share God’s love and the joy of Jesus’ redemption from sin. Live boldly and confidently with other believers, joining in worship, fellowship, and encouragement.

The Holy Spirit who indwells us will guide us in this life. He will also bring us through death itself, through our own resurrection, and into a glorious eternity promised to everyone who believes in Jesus, Our Lord.