As Jesus finishes the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) he offers some practical advice concerning his teachings. He says that anyone who hears his words and does them is like a wise man that built his house on a rock. Do we all know what happens next? The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew, but the house did not move. To not heed the word of Jesus is to be the foolish man who build his house on the sand; great was the fall of it. Continue reading
Tag Archives: God
The Importance of the Resurrection
There was a time I wondered why so much emphasis was placed on the resurrection. Jesus died on the cross as the all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world. Even if there had been no resurrection, his sacrificial death would have brought salvation; what could be more important than that?
The blood of Jesus was a more excellent sacrifice than that of bulls, sheep and birds. His death on the cross brought an end to the temple sacrifice system. The entire Gospel pivots around the cross. It is the universal symbol of Christianity. But the implications of resurrection are equally powerful, a fact that I can now appreciate as well. Continue reading
On the Other Hand (Jesus is God)
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. -Romans 5: 12-17
In some ways, Jesus is like Adam. By one man’s transgression, sin entered the world. And by one man’s righteousness, victory over sin entered the world. Adam and Jesus are alike in that both are a type of “first man.” At the same time, they are total opposites if you think about it. Adam was the first man to sin; Jesus was the first man to live without sin. Continue reading
Equal Time
This post is very personal and way too long; but I feel it’s a story that must be told.
You don’t hear about it much anymore, but during the 70’s a concept known as equal time or equal opportunity was hotly debated. Television stations had to provide an equal amount of broadcasting time for both sides of a political issue. 1959 and 1971 are banner years regarding amendments and exemptions to the Congressional Act if you get really interested. I just wanted everyone to remember there was such a thing.
For a number of years, it didn’t look like my wife and I would be having any children. We were married in 1997; in 2002 she tested positive for the first time on a pregnancy test. We laughed, we cried, then we called everybody we knew. We started picking out names, and one person wanted to be the first to give the baby a gift. Then around 12 weeks or so we made a trip to the emergency room, and found out the she had already miscarried. The event was traumatic; much worse than never becoming pregnant at all. Continue reading
In Order to Understand Scripture
There is a lot of criticism of the Bible in our culture today, and of those who believe in it. Some of those criticisms may be valid, although many are certainly not. There are Christians who have trouble responding to these critics, partly because even those believers do not understand what they are dealing with. And of course a novice student of the Bible, even with the best of intentions, may have difficulty understanding the Bible due the nature of it’s age and form. In order to understand scripture, there are some things that one must realize first.
1) The Bible will not answer all our questions. When we look at the Constitution, it is important to try and understand the framers’ intent. The same holds for the Bible. No Biblical author was attempting to provide an exhaustive list of every answer to every possible question that would arise. Continue reading
Jesus Was Not Religious
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? Continue reading
Father Abraham (A Father’s Day Sermon)
There’s a lot of negative things to say about topical preaching, but I know two things: 1) Father’s Day will be one of the most searched terms today on the Internet, and 2) No matter what “topic” I begin with, before the sermon is over I will preach the Gospel.
“Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham.” So goes the old children’s song. While we recognize Abraham as the primogenitor of the Jewish nation, like any member our fallen race he was far from perfect. One danger of celebrating historic lives is that we elevate a person too high by never mentioning certain shortcomings or character flaws. Historians have to be careful in their presentation of certain figures, particularly the ones they like. Continue reading
Thoughts on Holy Week: Jesus Died
I know, perhaps you’re thinking “Well duh.” But give it just a little more thought than that. This is God’s only son we’re talking about here. As a matter of fact, Jesus is God.
On Easter we will celebrate the resurrection. Jesus wasn’t just resurrected, he IS the resurrection. So we’re not simply celebrating the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. He was not the first to rise again. That miracle had happened more than once already. But when Jesus hung on the cross, it was the first time that God had ever died. Two of the gospels recorded Jesus’ birth; all four record the crucifixion. In Matthew’s Gospel, he records the sky going dark until the 9th hour (3 p.m.). Only Matthew goes on to say that the veil was torn in the temple from top to bottom, and the graves of the saints opened up. The Old Testament saints went through the street of Jerusalem prophesying (Matt. 27:45, 51-53). The darkness, the earthquake, the veil, the saints, all highlight an extraordinary event taking place that day. I’m thinking of a few other scriptures beyond the gospels: Continue reading
Tithing Rap
There is no denying that these are tough economic times. Large corporations and banks are failing, so you can imagine what’s happening to charities and ministries that rely on the generosity of the giver to fund their operations. You do what you gotta’ do, right?
People can’t give what they don’t have. But what if we could make tithing cool? Maybe like with a rap or something? Thanks to Bob’s Occasional Musings, I give you Tithing Rap!
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The Gospel is Offensive
The Gospel is good news. It is the power of God unto salvation. It is the story of God with us. As Christians, we believe all these wonderful things, and more, about the Good News of Jesus Christ. But the vast majority of people will say “Thanks but no thanks,” and some will get defensive first and then angry. For better or worse, hearing the good news offends people.
Jesus has a long conversation with some Jews that “had believed him” in John 8:31-59. In verse 39, the Jews respond to Jesus that Abraham is their father. In 41, they say that God is their only father. Jesus’ final statement, “Before Abraham was I am,” is the Gospel. Jesus is using language that only God would use (i.e. the burning bush), and seems to make a play on words with God’s name. It was not only blasphemy to use God’s name this way, he is saying that in fact he is God; God with us. That’s good news. But on this occasion, it’s not good news for Jesus. They were picking up stones with which to kill him as he escaped from their midst. Continue reading
The Master's Table 