Category Archives: Theology

Holy Week Review

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Palm Sunday is on April 1 this year, Easter will be April 8.  That final week of Lent is referred to as Holy Week, and should be a special time in the lives of believers.  Here are some Holy Week posts from years past; they may not be new, but are still good.

The “Triumphal” Entry is about Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week.  The same Jews shouting Hosanna at the beginning of the week will be shouting Crucify him by the end of the week.

Who Framed Jesus? was a documentary shown by Discovery 2 years ago, but the same thing happens on t.v. and magazine covers every year.  This post generated a frenzy of comments that are also a blast to read.

The Last Supper is about Jesus’ final Passover and the beginning of communion.  And on the same night he washed the disciples’ feet.

Is Jesus the Sheep, or the Shepherd?  This rather short post is one of the most read ever on The Master’s Table.

The Resurrection is the most celebrated event in Christianity, but here’s a thought: Jesus Died.  Jesus is God; have you ever thought that all the way through?

He Cannot Save Himself, the original post and He Cannot Save Himself, a poem for Good Friday.

It’s Friday, Sunday’s Coming  Sermon by S.M. Lockridge, with scenes from The Passion

And finally The Importance of the Resurrection.

Is Baptism Required for Salvation?

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Ron Boatwright wrote this webpage, arguing that without baptism one is not saved, and then sent me an e-mail asking me to read it and tell him what I thought.

From the website:  Jesus says in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned“.  But just as 1+1=2, Jesus says belief + baptism = saved.  One needs help to misunderstand Jesus.  How much clearer could Jesus have said it?  Jesus placed both belief and baptism prior to being saved.

What Jesus said and what Boatwright claims he said are not the same.  Jesus lumps believing and baptism together as almost one single activity – he who believes and is baptized.  What Jesus says next is “He who does not believe will be condemned.”  Not believing equates with condemnation (hell).  In Mark 16:15 Jesus had told the disciples to preach the gospel to every living creature.  Those who believe that message, and are consequently baptized, will be saved.  Rejecting the gospel is what sends non-believers to hell, not refusing baptism.  If this were the case Jesus might have also said “He who believes but is not baptized will be condemned.”  He didn’t say that.  Jesus does not equate belief and baptism as being essential to salvation, but he is assuming belief and baptism are a package deal. Continue reading →

There’s More Than One Way to Not Share the Gospel

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What do Fred Phelps and Joel Osteen have in common?  There’s no punchline, I really am going somewhere with this.

Fred Phelps is the pastor of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church.  You’ve seen them in the news or online protesting military funerals and more recently posting statements of judgment on Twitter.  I’ve never heard him say “Hell is hot and sin ain’t right” but I imagine he would agree with that statement.  Phelps is completely occupied with God’s judgement.  God does hate sin, and the wages of sin is death.  That seems to be just about the only weapon in the Westboro arsenal.  The message is a call to repent.

At the polar opposite end of the spectrum is Joel Osteen.  He has never used the words wrath and God in the same sentence.  Sin, the cross, the blood of Jesus, he quit preaching on those things years ago.  He actually said in an interview that everybody has already heard those things.  Osteen has his, um, church members hold up their Bibles each week, repeat some little mantra, then put them back down while he tells funny stories for another half hour.  He is an excellent speaker – funny, polished, very encouraging – I just wouldn’t call him a preacher.  His message is to think positive thoughts, believe that God wants to bless you, will bless you, and that nothing would please God more than to bless you.  He has a million dollar smile, gorgeous wife, two books on the New York Times Bestseller List, and 50,000+ attendees every week at Lakewood “Church.”  He’s doing much better in that department than Phelps, whose congregation consists mainly of his own family members. Continue reading →

What is the Gospel?

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The goal of the Master’s Table is to be God honoring and Christ centered.  The importance of living Christ-centered Christian lives is stressed on the About page, explaining Christ should be at the center of everything Christians do.  Perhaps you’ve heard me say (and by heard I mean read) that the Bible is about Jesus.  The Bible tells one story, of how a holy God relates to a sinful, broken and fallen people.  At the center of the that story is Jesus.

I talk a lot about the Gospel.  I attempt to preach the Gospel in every single sermon, regardless of where in the Bible the sermon begins or what the “topic” is.  I have endeavored to not only share the Gospel but also explain what it is, what the word means, and why it is important for Christians to keep hearing it.  Of all the things the church has to offer, the Gospel is what the world needs to hear. Continue reading →

The New Testament Model of Training Leadership

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I was reading 10 Attributes of a Humble Leader at Catalyst Space (link here) when I came to this:

“Humble leaders know the vision is bigger and will last longer than they will, so they willingly invest in others, raising up and maturing new leaders.”

You will not find more prominent leaders in the New Testament than Jesus and the Apostle Paul, and this is exactly what they were doing. Continue reading →

From the Archives: Jesus Was Not Religious

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During his lifetime Jesus was an observant Jew.  But doing more and more religious things is not the same as living a life that is being transformed into the image of Christ.  The following was originally published June 22, 2009.

I’ve said before that the problem with religion is that it’s easier than following Jesus.  It is usually a given that something is wrong with us, wrong with the world, perhaps critically or else just a little off, but most people agree that something must be done because all is not right in the world as it is.  Religion, in most cases, offers us the chance to do something.  If we read the right book, say the right things, act right, talk right and treat each others the right way we can “fix” what is wrong.  Religion, as such, is worthless.  But what could I mean that Jesus was not religious?

The religious leaders of his day were the Pharisees, and a careful reading of the Gospels shows that Jesus never really had much good to say about them.  He was always willing to share with anyone seeking to understand the truth (i.e. Nicodemus), but as a group Jesus was most likely to call them hypocrites, false teachers, spiritually blind, and sometimes worse.  Continue reading →

Life Begins Before Conception

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When does life begin?  Consider Jeremiah 1:5

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
(Jeremiah 1:5 ESV)

What about in the cases of rape or incest?  What if the mother’s life is in danger? Does a woman not have the right to choose when it comes to her own body?

Abortion is used in this country as birth control.  If allowing abortion for exceptional cases such as rape or incest would allow all other abortions to be made illegal in this country I would support it.  The very vast majority of abortion procedures in this country are for birth control.  Pregnancy is seen as a nasty side effect of a pleasure seeking lifestyle.  A baby would “cramp our style” or “get in the way” so abortion is an easy answer for people that act like they don’t know where babies come from.  For some women, who have had 10 or more abortions, that is their only form a birth control.

Of course a woman has the right to choose.  How about choosing to honor God with your body?  Men have always had it a little easier when it comes to “moving on” after a relationship, but each father will give an account of how many fatherless children he created or how many abortions took place to clean up his mess.

Each human being is created in the image of God.  

God created life and it is precious to him.

Your life is a gift from God and someday each individual will give account with what they did with what was given.  To whom much is given, much shall be required.  The command in the Garden of Eden was to be fruitful and multiply.  Our ability to procreate is God-given to fulfill his purposes, not simply to enjoy ourselves while we here.

God had a plan for your life before you were born.  Before you were conceived he knew you; his plans are to prosper you, not to harm you.  He gave his only son, and the Son gave his life, so you and I might live.  And what some doctors would have you believe is tissue, nothing but a lump of cells much like a tumor?  That is God’s gift also.

Can We Be Christlike?

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We are commanded to be like Christ.  We must imitate him and be conformed to his image; we must “put on” Christ.  These are New Testament directives.  But we will never really become exactly like him.  So what is the goal?

I use artificial sweetener in my tea.  It’s not the same as sugar, but I have tried and failed to drink unsweetened tea.  Diet pop, Mrs. Dash and Smart Balance butter-flavored whatever that is are all examples of products made to imitate the real thing.  While we endeavor to become like Christ, we will never do so perfectly.  But it’s a progression; we’re on  a journey.  The real goal is to keep getting closer.  Paul said has not achieved it yet but he continued to press on toward the mark and the prize. Continue reading →

Christmas Card Theology

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I wrote a post two years ago with the same title.  It’s very short, here’s a link.  In that post I begged the question what if everything we know about Christmas we learned from reading Christmas cards?  You know, details such as exactly 3 wise men were at the manager with the shepherds on the night Christ was born, and that angels are beautiful women with blonde hair, hymn books and choir robes.  I worked that into a sermon last year and it’s a shame I don’t have all those pics online somewhere.

Well, here’s a Christmas card that I like.

Continue reading →

Truth Matters: The Gospel According to Paul

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The Truth Matters Bible Conference was held earlier this month at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church.  The focus of the conference was the Gospel According to Paul.  Grace to You has all 11 sermons available as free downloads!  Includes John MacArthur, Phil Johnson, Don Green and Col. Jeffrey N. Williams.  I feel very Michael Spencer linking these resources.