A King Like David
The tension in this story is palpable. David was a king of violence who was cursed, through his family, with that same violence. We are studying a handful of Israelite kings, contrasting with Jesus.
1. THE STORY: David’s fall—
a. David began well—
i. killed the lion and the bear,
PWPNT 1 Samuel 17:34–37
“But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
ii. David was willing to risk his life for the reputation of God.
“Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.””
iii. David was described by God as a “man after God’s own heart”
1. EBC, a man who truly has God’s interests at heart.
2. God knew the intentions of David’s heart and confirmed that David was in pursuit of God’s interests.
3. In contrast to King Saul.
b. Then David’s violence expanded beyond the attacking enemy.
i. Understand God’s hatred of violence:
1. Violence precipitated the Flood Gen 6:11-13
“Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.”
2. Violence includes more than spears and swords. Is 58:6-8
PWPNT “Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free,
And break every yoke?
“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry,
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
“Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
ii. David became a man given to violence.
1. All the restraint that David showed in his dealings with the threats of Saul disappeared when David became king himself.
2. He took Bathsheba because he saw her and wanted her—classified by God as an act of violence—forcing another to bend to one’s will.
3. By orders to his subordinates, David murdered her husband to cover his deed; working the hierarchy to get what he wanted was VIOLENCE.
PWPNT 2 Samuel 12:9–13 NASB
You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.
[You thought you could murder Uriah by the sword of your fighting enemy. Instead…]
‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ “Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your companion, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. ‘Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’” Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.”
Therefore…the JUDGMENT; Just as God intervened in the contagious violence of Noah’s day…
God sent Nathan to David, making public the “secret sin”—you are the man!
c. God intervened through Nathan the prophet.
Expositors Bible Commentary, Ronald F. Youngblood
i. …On the broader horizon it can be affirmed that “David, royal judge, is shown to be a rich oppressor” whose dynasty has “sprung from an adulterously begun union” (Roth, “You Are the Man!” p. 10).
ii. In the shorter term, however, Nathan’s abrupt application “draws a parallel between
1. the rich man’s exploitation of the poor on account of his superior status and
2. the king’s misuses of his own position of authority. Attention is thus focused not on the simple case of theft, but on
3. the exploitation of the weak by one enjoying a superior position” (Jones, p. 100).
It is only due to Yahweh’s direct pardon that David is to be spared (2 Sam. xii 13)“ (Phillips, “The Interpretation of 2 Samuel xii 5-6,” p. 244).
d. David repented of his violent sin, BUT became passive in the face of the violence of his sons!—“fourfold” David had said = four sons
1. David’s son Amnon raped his half-sister, David’s daughter; David did nothing.
2. David’s son Absalom had his servants kill Amnon, the violent brother, matching violence with violence; David did nothing.
3. David’s son Absalom then led a rebellion to overthrow his father, the king.
a. David counseled his general to go easy on Absalom.
b. When Absalom was killed, David deeply mourned the loss, but expressed little regret for the deaths of those who had fought Absalom to preserve David’s rule.
e. David’s violence disqualified him from Building the Temple, where God was to dwell among His people.
PWPNT 1 Chronicles 22:7-8
“And David said to Solomon, “My son, I had intended to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. “But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood, and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me.
It would be easy for us to enjoy the spectacular GOTCHA! story, BUT, Philpott Church, WE HAVE A PROBLEM…many of us just PASSIVELY tolerate our city. We do not love a place with so much poverty, so many children without a dad, extensive patterns of family violence that are hard to break, a place of insecurity and fear. So much brokenness, it’s hard to look at.
Does the city frustrate you?
2. Hamilton is a city full of Davids.
We are living with the consequences of a dozen generations of Davids. We show signs of our own similarity to David.
a. We believe that there is only so much to go around, that God only created wealth enough for a few. Yet, God’s blessing of the earth is POTENT, sufficient to provide for all if we will cultivate the earth…INSTEAD, WE BELIEVE THE LIE…
i. Only so much approval, acclaim.
ii. Only so much friendship, commitment.
iii. Only so much safety and security.
iv. Only so much peace and contentment.
v. We want to gain our own and to keep it.
b. We are reaping the consequences of people fighting over the scraps.
i. I AM DAVID; it’s my selfishness, the “violence” of keeping all I have for fear I might not have enough, rather than trusting God,
ii. I AM DAVID; it’s violence when I take what I want…
Violence is our anger response to perceived denial of our wants.
1. she’s hot, why shouldn’t I have her? Objectifying women.
2. To be with her, I will do whatever I need to do—that is violence; violence comes from desperation. If it’s important enough you will do what you need to do.
3. Violence is visible in our neglect of the poor.
4. Violence is tangible in our hoarding what we have.
iii. I AM DAVID—passivity in the face of violence of others.
We can change this and we can change our city.
WHAT’S TO BE DONE?
c. What would the Kingdom look like in Hamilton?
Can you imagine the lion and the lamb lying down together, swords into plowshares.
People using all their resources to bless others, rather than marginalizing the poor.
Jesus came to break the cycle of violence; he changed everything at the Cross.
3. Jesus has come as the new and Greater David, the son of David.
a. Jesus came and preached about a kingdom—without violence WHERE
i. you don’t have to take all you want,
ii. you are given all you need, it’s a banquet!
iii. You are SAFE and SECURE,
iv. all the weapons of war have been formed into tools for the harvest
b. Inasmuch as WE are bringers of peace, God is building his kingdom through us.
i. Jesus said, “the Kingdom of God is among you.”
ii. Paul said, “all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom,” Acts 20:25
iii. The arrival of the Spirit of King Jesus, who indwells every person of faith, confirms that THE KINGDOM HAS ARRIVED, is manifested every place we are.
iv. Jesus said, ““he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.” John 14:12 NASB
v. Inasmuch as we are bringers of SHALOM, God is building his kingdom through us.
1. WE ARE THE ANSWER TO THE PRAYER, THY KINGDOM COME
2. What is going to be happening for eternity, we are participating in now.
3. Feasting, BANQUETS, LONG LIVES, Direct-connect with God,
4. The nations will stream to Jerusalem, the New City, where God will dwell, to worship Him without inhibition.
CONCLUSION
David had his chance and blew it.
Though he was a man after God’s own heart—he lost his chance to build the Temple, to welcome God to His earthly dwelling place.
Hopefully, God won’t say that to PMC.
We have opportunity to, a chance to participate with God; THE MOMENT IS BEFORE US NOW.
BENEDICTION
Isaiah 2:1–4
Now it will come about that
In the last days,
The mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.
And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways,
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples;
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.”
Isaiah 25:6
And the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;
Isaiah 58:5–12 NASB
““Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed,
And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed?
Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?
“Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free,
And break every yoke?
“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry,
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
“Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
And if you give yourself to the hungry,
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness,
And your gloom will become like midday.
“And the Lord will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
“And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.”
Sunday, February 26, 2012
King Saul vs Kingdom of Grace
Thy Kingdom Come: 40 Days of Hope for Hamilton
PWPNT Desired Outcomes:
1. Building relationships with non-PMC folks whose commitments we share (e.g., artists, educators, doctors, etc.); building bridges between us and them
2. Creation of new ministries that mobilize us to meet the needs that surface during this series
3. A vision for PMC - articulating what it would look like to see our mission being achieved. (Broad understanding of who we are and what we are about and why, all in the shadow of the cross)
4. Discovering new ministry leaders
5. The end of some ministries that don’t effectively address needs
Sermon Series Big Idea: 3”
Christ taught us to pray with the words, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done - on earth as it is in heaven”. But what are we really asking when we pray this way? As we study the Scriptures, some of the answer comes as we consider the examples set by various human kings. Viewing these kings from God’s perspective will reveal how strikingly different God’s Kingdom will be.
In this series, our goal is that as we grow in our understanding of the Kingdom of God, we will more passionately engage with the ways God has already begun to establish that Kingdom all around us - even here in Hamilton. It can be hard to see, but make no mistake - His Kingdom is coming.
I. Introduction to the 40 Days Big Idea of this 40 Days Initiative: 5”
a. We're all aware that Hamilton is a city in great need. Fewer of us know the degree of need, our own share in the cause of it, or the many opportunities we have as God's people to bring restoration to our community and this city. When Jesus taught us to pray Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, he was inviting us to dream about what it would like if God’s Kingdom were to come fully to our city, to our world.
b. If we were to focus that prayer on Hamilton, what would we see? Well, God’s Kingdom is closer than we think. All of God’s people are called and have been equipped to participate in God’s Kingdom project in Hamilton.
c. That project is already well under way and we all have a part to play. Have you found yours?
II. Introduction to this study PWPNT A Kingdom of Grace 7”
Big Idea: King Saul ruled as though everything depended on his performance. God’s Kingdom is different. In it, our performance doesn’t make Him love us more or less. When that Kingdom comes fully, we’ll serve God and each other out of joy. Inasmuch as we help others experience that joy here and now through the Gospel, God builds His Kingdom - on earth as it is in heaven. That’s the Hope of Hamilton.
III. The Story 8”
a. Context: Israel, chosen of God as His voice of Hope to the nations, has endured hard times in the Land of Promise. After tough times responding to their aggressive neighbours, Israel began to cry out to God to provide them a king. God had a king in mind for them, but he was not yet ready. Nevertheless, God relented then pointed out the best, but seriously-flawed candidate.
b. Backstory is troubling—charged by the family with finding donkeys that were lost. He searched for them but was ready to give up when his servant insisted they not give up; they inquired of the prophet, Samuel who then anointed Saul. Saul showed early signs of a lack of courage and persistence; he was more fearful than vigilant.
1. Saul was “handsome” and taller than all around him; they followed him into war to defend the nation against its attacking enemies.
2. Pointed out as king by God through “lot”, though he was found “hiding” among the baggage. AS THE DONKEYS HID THEMSELVES FROM SAUL, SO SAUL HAS HIDDEN HIMSELF FROM THOSE WHOM HE WOULD SERVE. The narrator seems to be guiding us through his character PWRPNT
3. Competence questions with the family donkeys; Saul knew the truth about himself, he just didn’t want to face it.
4. Courage-failure in seeking out the lost donkeys and AGAIN in hiding among the baggage while the nation was seeking him to be king, and AGAIN when Goliath challenged the nation and its God, he sent David.
5. Lying to Samuel the prophet when he’d been caught making sacrifice in the face of a deserting army; “I forced myself” as if there were more than one person inside him!
6. Jealous over David’s successes in contrast to his own.
a. Saul sent David out to fight for him; when David succeeded…
1Sam. 18:7-8 The women sang as they played, and said,
“Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.”
Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”
b. Attempted to kill David with a spear and failed. 18:10
c. Samuel’s role
i. Instructed Saul to prepare him before going into battle.
1. Saul grew fearful when Samuel was delayed and his own army began leaving in fear, so he offered sacrifice on his own.
ii. Samuel showed up immediately and reprimanded Saul for his impatience,
1. Samuel was apparently waiting nearby to see how Saul would react to looming enemy, scattering army, urgent need for prayer.
2. v.12—offering NOT required for prayer!
3. 1 Samuel 15:22—obedience better than sacrifice
4. JUDGMENT: You have FORFEITED YOUR KINGDOM.
IV. The Kingdom lessons 18”
a. Saul’s worldview was one of Performance rather than Grace.
1. Performance Worldview Rules—power and privilege are essential; everything is contingent upon Performance, Correct Clan membership, Wealth & Power, WHICH LEAD TO ACCEPTANCE AND RESPECT; superiority (let me prove I belong here)
a. Can’t be wrong.
b. Can’t be overshadowed; his rivals rejected him.
c. Can’t be rejected by anyone; unpreferred—people preferred David (Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands)
d. Relief may come, but never joy; fear may rise and fall, but paranoia is permanent.
[Always winter, never Christmas.]
2. Grace Rules—Joy, servanthood, truth-telling, humility
News what will transform Hamilton is not fear or performance but GRACE. As churches that understand and live out of GRACE, something that the city has never seen.
We are here to establish a KINGDOM OF GRACE, rather than a human kingdom of performance.
b. Saul’s priority was self-preservation & power.
c. Unlike Saul, Jesus will be a King who GIVES LIFE.
Big Idea: When God’s Kingdom comes fully, it will get rid of all INJUSTICE & DISCRIMINATION.
It’ll be a place of total JUSTICE.
1. Everything in our culture is conditional, just as Saul was religious, all rewards are conditional on our performance.
a. Jesus said the first shall be last;
Mark 9:35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
b. PWPNT Phil. 2--Jesus did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped-- set it aside to obey the Father and to purchase us as His own.
2. Saul’s quest for power and influence required squelching all rivals.
a. God’s kingdom will not include such preference and favouritism. As the kingdom is deepening now, discrimination’s ending is a sign of the arrival.
b. Kingdom work is not merely not being racist, but being opposed to racism.
As often as we, His people are involved in getting rid of all DISCRIMINATION and helping people experience JUSTICE, we participate with God in the building of His Kingdom.
V. Bringing it home to Hamilton 28”
a. God is doing it now all around us; it’s already begun—WHEN CITY STAFFERS AND POVERTRY ROUNDTABLE KNOW ABOUT THE TRUECITY MOVEMENT AND ASK US TO INTERVENE, THEN WE CAN BE SURE THAT GOD IS AT WORK IN RECOGNIZABLE WAYS IN OUR CITY.
b. Urban Ministries outreach through a craft class & a cooking class; these immigrant women expect us NOT to accept them; as we become friends and behave as friends, we show them acceptance.
5” Conclusion: 30”
1. We can learn much from King Saul’s glaring weaknesses. We need a King to serve who shows Himself to be COMPETENT, COURAGEOUS, FULL OF TRUTH, SACRIFICIAL.
2. Whom do we NOW serve as King? A king reflecting our own impulses and character, or One whose character calls us to something greater than we can imagine? Do I love my city strongly enough to have this hope for Hamilton?
3. Violence, fear, poverty, contrasting with wealth and apathy. God’s not happy with the way things are!
4. We cannot transform the city by hating it.
If I don’t love this city, should I move to a city I can love? What is there about a city that we could love? Buildings? Landscape? People?
5. BUT, IF I Love the King of the City—my love for Him will influence my care for the city He reigns over. His reign is not yet fully realized; he will come AND SHOW HIS COMPETENCE, COURAGE, TRUTHFULNESS AND HE HAS SHOWN US HIS SACRIFICE.
Meanwhile, he has called us here to love this city and to set the table for his return in love and justice, in mercy and power…
PRAYER 33”
Has this awakened something in you that you didn’t even know was there…
1. I don’t actually care about this city—they did this to themselves!
2. I don’t actually care about my neighbours—they made their choices.
3. I don’t want to be connected to a losing enterprise!
PWPNT Desired Outcomes:
1. Building relationships with non-PMC folks whose commitments we share (e.g., artists, educators, doctors, etc.); building bridges between us and them
2. Creation of new ministries that mobilize us to meet the needs that surface during this series
3. A vision for PMC - articulating what it would look like to see our mission being achieved. (Broad understanding of who we are and what we are about and why, all in the shadow of the cross)
4. Discovering new ministry leaders
5. The end of some ministries that don’t effectively address needs
Sermon Series Big Idea: 3”
Christ taught us to pray with the words, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done - on earth as it is in heaven”. But what are we really asking when we pray this way? As we study the Scriptures, some of the answer comes as we consider the examples set by various human kings. Viewing these kings from God’s perspective will reveal how strikingly different God’s Kingdom will be.
In this series, our goal is that as we grow in our understanding of the Kingdom of God, we will more passionately engage with the ways God has already begun to establish that Kingdom all around us - even here in Hamilton. It can be hard to see, but make no mistake - His Kingdom is coming.
I. Introduction to the 40 Days Big Idea of this 40 Days Initiative: 5”
a. We're all aware that Hamilton is a city in great need. Fewer of us know the degree of need, our own share in the cause of it, or the many opportunities we have as God's people to bring restoration to our community and this city. When Jesus taught us to pray Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, he was inviting us to dream about what it would like if God’s Kingdom were to come fully to our city, to our world.
b. If we were to focus that prayer on Hamilton, what would we see? Well, God’s Kingdom is closer than we think. All of God’s people are called and have been equipped to participate in God’s Kingdom project in Hamilton.
c. That project is already well under way and we all have a part to play. Have you found yours?
II. Introduction to this study PWPNT A Kingdom of Grace 7”
Big Idea: King Saul ruled as though everything depended on his performance. God’s Kingdom is different. In it, our performance doesn’t make Him love us more or less. When that Kingdom comes fully, we’ll serve God and each other out of joy. Inasmuch as we help others experience that joy here and now through the Gospel, God builds His Kingdom - on earth as it is in heaven. That’s the Hope of Hamilton.
III. The Story 8”
a. Context: Israel, chosen of God as His voice of Hope to the nations, has endured hard times in the Land of Promise. After tough times responding to their aggressive neighbours, Israel began to cry out to God to provide them a king. God had a king in mind for them, but he was not yet ready. Nevertheless, God relented then pointed out the best, but seriously-flawed candidate.
b. Backstory is troubling—charged by the family with finding donkeys that were lost. He searched for them but was ready to give up when his servant insisted they not give up; they inquired of the prophet, Samuel who then anointed Saul. Saul showed early signs of a lack of courage and persistence; he was more fearful than vigilant.
1. Saul was “handsome” and taller than all around him; they followed him into war to defend the nation against its attacking enemies.
2. Pointed out as king by God through “lot”, though he was found “hiding” among the baggage. AS THE DONKEYS HID THEMSELVES FROM SAUL, SO SAUL HAS HIDDEN HIMSELF FROM THOSE WHOM HE WOULD SERVE. The narrator seems to be guiding us through his character PWRPNT
3. Competence questions with the family donkeys; Saul knew the truth about himself, he just didn’t want to face it.
4. Courage-failure in seeking out the lost donkeys and AGAIN in hiding among the baggage while the nation was seeking him to be king, and AGAIN when Goliath challenged the nation and its God, he sent David.
5. Lying to Samuel the prophet when he’d been caught making sacrifice in the face of a deserting army; “I forced myself” as if there were more than one person inside him!
6. Jealous over David’s successes in contrast to his own.
a. Saul sent David out to fight for him; when David succeeded…
1Sam. 18:7-8 The women sang as they played, and said,
“Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.”
Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”
b. Attempted to kill David with a spear and failed. 18:10
c. Samuel’s role
i. Instructed Saul to prepare him before going into battle.
1. Saul grew fearful when Samuel was delayed and his own army began leaving in fear, so he offered sacrifice on his own.
ii. Samuel showed up immediately and reprimanded Saul for his impatience,
1. Samuel was apparently waiting nearby to see how Saul would react to looming enemy, scattering army, urgent need for prayer.
2. v.12—offering NOT required for prayer!
3. 1 Samuel 15:22—obedience better than sacrifice
4. JUDGMENT: You have FORFEITED YOUR KINGDOM.
IV. The Kingdom lessons 18”
a. Saul’s worldview was one of Performance rather than Grace.
1. Performance Worldview Rules—power and privilege are essential; everything is contingent upon Performance, Correct Clan membership, Wealth & Power, WHICH LEAD TO ACCEPTANCE AND RESPECT; superiority (let me prove I belong here)
a. Can’t be wrong.
b. Can’t be overshadowed; his rivals rejected him.
c. Can’t be rejected by anyone; unpreferred—people preferred David (Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands)
d. Relief may come, but never joy; fear may rise and fall, but paranoia is permanent.
[Always winter, never Christmas.]
2. Grace Rules—Joy, servanthood, truth-telling, humility
News what will transform Hamilton is not fear or performance but GRACE. As churches that understand and live out of GRACE, something that the city has never seen.
We are here to establish a KINGDOM OF GRACE, rather than a human kingdom of performance.
b. Saul’s priority was self-preservation & power.
c. Unlike Saul, Jesus will be a King who GIVES LIFE.
Big Idea: When God’s Kingdom comes fully, it will get rid of all INJUSTICE & DISCRIMINATION.
It’ll be a place of total JUSTICE.
1. Everything in our culture is conditional, just as Saul was religious, all rewards are conditional on our performance.
a. Jesus said the first shall be last;
Mark 9:35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
b. PWPNT Phil. 2--Jesus did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped-- set it aside to obey the Father and to purchase us as His own.
2. Saul’s quest for power and influence required squelching all rivals.
a. God’s kingdom will not include such preference and favouritism. As the kingdom is deepening now, discrimination’s ending is a sign of the arrival.
b. Kingdom work is not merely not being racist, but being opposed to racism.
As often as we, His people are involved in getting rid of all DISCRIMINATION and helping people experience JUSTICE, we participate with God in the building of His Kingdom.
V. Bringing it home to Hamilton 28”
a. God is doing it now all around us; it’s already begun—WHEN CITY STAFFERS AND POVERTRY ROUNDTABLE KNOW ABOUT THE TRUECITY MOVEMENT AND ASK US TO INTERVENE, THEN WE CAN BE SURE THAT GOD IS AT WORK IN RECOGNIZABLE WAYS IN OUR CITY.
b. Urban Ministries outreach through a craft class & a cooking class; these immigrant women expect us NOT to accept them; as we become friends and behave as friends, we show them acceptance.
5” Conclusion: 30”
1. We can learn much from King Saul’s glaring weaknesses. We need a King to serve who shows Himself to be COMPETENT, COURAGEOUS, FULL OF TRUTH, SACRIFICIAL.
2. Whom do we NOW serve as King? A king reflecting our own impulses and character, or One whose character calls us to something greater than we can imagine? Do I love my city strongly enough to have this hope for Hamilton?
3. Violence, fear, poverty, contrasting with wealth and apathy. God’s not happy with the way things are!
4. We cannot transform the city by hating it.
If I don’t love this city, should I move to a city I can love? What is there about a city that we could love? Buildings? Landscape? People?
5. BUT, IF I Love the King of the City—my love for Him will influence my care for the city He reigns over. His reign is not yet fully realized; he will come AND SHOW HIS COMPETENCE, COURAGE, TRUTHFULNESS AND HE HAS SHOWN US HIS SACRIFICE.
Meanwhile, he has called us here to love this city and to set the table for his return in love and justice, in mercy and power…
PRAYER 33”
Has this awakened something in you that you didn’t even know was there…
1. I don’t actually care about this city—they did this to themselves!
2. I don’t actually care about my neighbours—they made their choices.
3. I don’t want to be connected to a losing enterprise!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Introduction to 40 Days of Hope for Hamilton
Thy Kingdom Come On Earth
Big Idea: When Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, it was an invitation to dream about what the Kingdom of God could look like here and now. We need that. We tend to think of the Gospel merely in terms of its benefit to us. But once we see how Jesus’ death and resurrection fit into the larger story of God’s Kingdom mission, it changes everything: not just what we believe, but why.
Purpose: showing the connection between the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross, his resurrection, and God’s Kingdom project.
1. Wouldn’t you want to know some of the ways that He’s building His kingdom here in Hamilton?
2. Wouldn’t you want to know your role in God’s Kingdom-Building project?
3. Wouldn’t you want to know this King?
Why do we have a problem with this? Problem of dualism:
Many have adopted a view that we should just hang on to our faith now, waiting for death and heaven to follow. We either focus on our spiritual life to ensure that we do get to heaven, or we enjoy life as much as we can, believing that all we need is to hang on to that faith till the end.
This makes us DUALISTS: our spiritual person is GOOD, our physical world is BAD.
Scripture, however, gives us a very balanced view of the world.
A. We live in a world created ideally for us; we will live in a renewed world.
1. God created the world and called it GOOD-- Gen. 1:31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.
2. God created humans in His own image-- Gen. 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
3. God placed humans in this ideal environment and told them to take charge of it-- Gen. 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
4. God declares that He will come back and set things in order again, as King!
And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:14 NASB
5. We demonstrate that we are His children as we do what the Father does. We are the Father’s children, His mark upon us is audible in our words, is visible in our work
Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. John 5:19 NASB
B. We will enter that new world by faith.
1. We are SAVED by the Cross, but not merely saved.
a. We are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 NASB
…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18–19 NASB
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:18–21 NASB
b. Our sin is paid for.
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB
c. Our life is transferred for His life.
For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Rom 5:10
Without experiencing this salvation, we CANNOT participate in the good things that follow…
2. We are enabled by that Cross-work…
i. I will send my Spirit.
1. Spirit-led means empowered and directed.
2. Spirit-led means drawing OTHERS to Jesus through the Gospel.
ii. You will be my witnesses-speaking to the world.
iii. You will live in love and unity, that the world may believe that…
1. You are my disciples
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34–35 NASB
2. I came from My Father
…that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. John 17:21 NASB
3. We are challenged by that Cross-work to extend that work to the world.
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:18–21 NASB
Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
‘Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9–13 NASB
4. We have been gathered here by the Spirit to implement the Kingdom of God in Hamilton.
a. What means are given to us?
i. Unity
ii. Love
iii. Transformation by Reconciliation
b. What will that look like?
i. That is our series upcoming!
ii. We will tease out a Vision for fulfilling our Mission here in Hamilton and beyond.
PURPOSE Our Purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who:
Exalt God
Edify one another
Extend God’s love to all people
MISSION--Philpott Church is a community of grace, rooted together in the gospel, that exists to glorify God by making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ, who are committed to the celebration of God, the cultivation of deeper faith, and the restoration of our community, our city and the nations.
VISION—what would we see if we were to fulfill/complete this mission?
iii. You will help us decide, because our
1. “together with the congregation…” Acts 15
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas — Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, Acts 15:22 NASB
Structure of the Series:
Cross and Kingdom; they fit together…
Stories:
* Six Old Testament kings—what they show us through their bios and the prophets who confronted them, what they lack, and how that will be filled in by…
* Jesus, our King, and the Lord of the Kingdom being established on earth
LET US PRAY!!!
Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
‘Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9–13 NASB
Big Idea: When Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, it was an invitation to dream about what the Kingdom of God could look like here and now. We need that. We tend to think of the Gospel merely in terms of its benefit to us. But once we see how Jesus’ death and resurrection fit into the larger story of God’s Kingdom mission, it changes everything: not just what we believe, but why.
Purpose: showing the connection between the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross, his resurrection, and God’s Kingdom project.
1. Wouldn’t you want to know some of the ways that He’s building His kingdom here in Hamilton?
2. Wouldn’t you want to know your role in God’s Kingdom-Building project?
3. Wouldn’t you want to know this King?
Why do we have a problem with this? Problem of dualism:
Many have adopted a view that we should just hang on to our faith now, waiting for death and heaven to follow. We either focus on our spiritual life to ensure that we do get to heaven, or we enjoy life as much as we can, believing that all we need is to hang on to that faith till the end.
This makes us DUALISTS: our spiritual person is GOOD, our physical world is BAD.
Scripture, however, gives us a very balanced view of the world.
A. We live in a world created ideally for us; we will live in a renewed world.
1. God created the world and called it GOOD-- Gen. 1:31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.
2. God created humans in His own image-- Gen. 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
3. God placed humans in this ideal environment and told them to take charge of it-- Gen. 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
4. God declares that He will come back and set things in order again, as King!
And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:14 NASB
5. We demonstrate that we are His children as we do what the Father does. We are the Father’s children, His mark upon us is audible in our words, is visible in our work
Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. John 5:19 NASB
B. We will enter that new world by faith.
1. We are SAVED by the Cross, but not merely saved.
a. We are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 NASB
…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18–19 NASB
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:18–21 NASB
b. Our sin is paid for.
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB
c. Our life is transferred for His life.
For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Rom 5:10
Without experiencing this salvation, we CANNOT participate in the good things that follow…
2. We are enabled by that Cross-work…
i. I will send my Spirit.
1. Spirit-led means empowered and directed.
2. Spirit-led means drawing OTHERS to Jesus through the Gospel.
ii. You will be my witnesses-speaking to the world.
iii. You will live in love and unity, that the world may believe that…
1. You are my disciples
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34–35 NASB
2. I came from My Father
…that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. John 17:21 NASB
3. We are challenged by that Cross-work to extend that work to the world.
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:18–21 NASB
Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
‘Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9–13 NASB
4. We have been gathered here by the Spirit to implement the Kingdom of God in Hamilton.
a. What means are given to us?
i. Unity
ii. Love
iii. Transformation by Reconciliation
b. What will that look like?
i. That is our series upcoming!
ii. We will tease out a Vision for fulfilling our Mission here in Hamilton and beyond.
PURPOSE Our Purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who:
Exalt God
Edify one another
Extend God’s love to all people
MISSION--Philpott Church is a community of grace, rooted together in the gospel, that exists to glorify God by making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ, who are committed to the celebration of God, the cultivation of deeper faith, and the restoration of our community, our city and the nations.
VISION—what would we see if we were to fulfill/complete this mission?
iii. You will help us decide, because our
1. “together with the congregation…” Acts 15
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas — Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, Acts 15:22 NASB
Structure of the Series:
Cross and Kingdom; they fit together…
Stories:
* Six Old Testament kings—what they show us through their bios and the prophets who confronted them, what they lack, and how that will be filled in by…
* Jesus, our King, and the Lord of the Kingdom being established on earth
LET US PRAY!!!
Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
‘Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9–13 NASB
Q&A for Original Sin
Here are the responses to the questions asked January 29th and 22nd.
1. Is the work of God (HS) that begins the in us for salvation universal to all persons or to select persons?
Certainly, the work of God in the Creation makes every person accountable for knowing about God and His nature. It is not as clear whether the HS individually prepares every person for salvation. The Scripture does not directly address that question. However, Paul in Romans 8:29-30 does seem to say that all those who are “called” will be “glorified” or saved finally.
Romans 8:29-30 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
This seems to imply that not all are “called,” which most of us would label as the Holy Spirit’s offer.
However, there is a passage at the end of Revelation…
“And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
Revelation 22:17
2. How do you reconcile verses like Romans 7:15 with the evidence of the fruits of the spirit we are supposed to see--is it reasonable to expect the inner conflict expressed in Romans 7 to lessen over time, with increased faith?
“For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.” Romans 7:15
I do believe that this sort of struggle over doing the right thing is real and lifelong. However, as the Holy Spirit grows in influence within us, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are visible and the control of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:17-18) enables us to choose to obey Christ. Paul, however, strongly emphasizes that the impulse to sin does not leave us in this life.
3. If we are born into sin, how can an infant or young child be saved if they can't respond with faith? Does God initiate salvation for them?
Several different approaches were developed in the history of the Church to deal with this dilemma. More than now, infant and childhood mortality caused parents deep worry and grief. Some believed that the act of baptism removed the guilt of sin, so it would be effective in an infant. Others believed that children were not morally responsible for their sin until they “understood” the concept of sin, and so developed the concept of “the age of accountability.”
Bottom line: there is no clear teaching in the Scripture in answer to this question. It’s an area where we are left to trust in the justice and mercy of God.
4. We believe that Christ is one hundred percent God and one hundred percent man. Is it heresy to say that we are saved one hundred percent by God and hundred percent choice?
“Choice” is an awkward word, perhaps it would be better to use “man.” Or, you might mean that “faith” saves us one hundred percent, as God saves us one hundred percent.
The resolution of that “percent” is part of the struggle between the “semi-Pelagians” and the “semi-Augustinians.”
Rather, the issue of debate is the “agent” of salvation. Does God alone save us? Or, do we contribute to our salvation?
The point I was trying to make in stating that I am “Augustinian” was that I understand the Scripture to teach (Ephesians 2:2-9) that God alone saves. Simultaneously, no one can be saved unless they respond with faith to the work of God in salvation. That’s why I also said that even faith is a gift, as Paul suggests in Ephesians 2:8-9.
5. How is it fair that we are held accountable for the sins of our ancestors?
“Fairness” is not the same as “justice,” which is the biblical emphasis. God is just, which means that He both defines what is good and right, and upholds that good.
This is the statement Paul makes about the universality of sin; he mentions both the spread of sin to all and the imputation of sin where there is law. There seems to be some wriggle room here.
Romans 5:12–15
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned — for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.”
However, when the question of “fairness” over God’s choice is raised, Paul says that we don’t have the right to ask the question, being created beings!
Romans 9:19–21
“You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?”
These are hard questions, to be answered by obscure passages!
6. Are the four categories you describe similar to the distinctions within Calvinism and Arminianism? i.e., Augustinian = 5points, etc.?
Yes, there is a correspondence between these. Calvin was “Augustinian, ” as was Luther. However, the issue is broader than the Calvin/Arminius debate.
7. Augustine said "anything not to the glory of God is sin," I prefer the definition in Rom 14:23 "whatever is not from Faith is sin"
Certainly, Paul is superior to Augustine! I quoted Augustine because I was using Augustine as an example. Also, Augustine was clear in declaring that “faith” is anything that seeks the glory of God, a very helpful definition.
8. If dead people don't make choices, how does the prodigal son (whose father said he was 'dead') still make the choice to return?
Two different statements, both using the same metaphor. The prodigal son was “dead” to his father in that he had left and implied he would not return. Paul talks about being “dead” in our sins because we have no spiritual life.
9. In Romans 7:9, Paul talks about being alive before sin sprang to life. How do you reconcile that with saying we are born sinful?
This, too, is difficult. I understand that Paul is using “Law” here for the Mosaic Law. The good Law of God, given through Moses, tells us what God is like and what He requires. However, knowing that Law confirms that we cannot keep/obey that Law. Paul, when taught the Law, found himself unable to keep it; before he knew the Law, he was unaware of his spiritual state.
10. How does this coincide with the verse saying we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear?
1 Corinthians 10:13
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”
The thought here is that we will find God faithful to us, such that He will see that each circumstance will be no more than we can handle (we can make right choices, without sinning). In Romans 7, Paul was emphasizing how weak we are in our inner person to stand against our own impulses. In 1 Cor 13, he was emphasizing that no circumstance will be too much for us; we will find His own strength to endure.
1. Circular reasoning—Bible is often declared self-authenticating; need not go there—simply ask ‘what EVIDENCE outside the Bible might authenticate its claims? Resurrection.
2. Irreducible minimums?
a. Inspiration of Scripture
b. Deity of Christ, Virgin Birth, etc.
c. Resurrection of Jesus Christ
d. Personal conversion
e. Personal evangelism
1. Is the work of God (HS) that begins the in us for salvation universal to all persons or to select persons?
Certainly, the work of God in the Creation makes every person accountable for knowing about God and His nature. It is not as clear whether the HS individually prepares every person for salvation. The Scripture does not directly address that question. However, Paul in Romans 8:29-30 does seem to say that all those who are “called” will be “glorified” or saved finally.
Romans 8:29-30 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
This seems to imply that not all are “called,” which most of us would label as the Holy Spirit’s offer.
However, there is a passage at the end of Revelation…
“And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
Revelation 22:17
2. How do you reconcile verses like Romans 7:15 with the evidence of the fruits of the spirit we are supposed to see--is it reasonable to expect the inner conflict expressed in Romans 7 to lessen over time, with increased faith?
“For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.” Romans 7:15
I do believe that this sort of struggle over doing the right thing is real and lifelong. However, as the Holy Spirit grows in influence within us, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are visible and the control of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:17-18) enables us to choose to obey Christ. Paul, however, strongly emphasizes that the impulse to sin does not leave us in this life.
3. If we are born into sin, how can an infant or young child be saved if they can't respond with faith? Does God initiate salvation for them?
Several different approaches were developed in the history of the Church to deal with this dilemma. More than now, infant and childhood mortality caused parents deep worry and grief. Some believed that the act of baptism removed the guilt of sin, so it would be effective in an infant. Others believed that children were not morally responsible for their sin until they “understood” the concept of sin, and so developed the concept of “the age of accountability.”
Bottom line: there is no clear teaching in the Scripture in answer to this question. It’s an area where we are left to trust in the justice and mercy of God.
4. We believe that Christ is one hundred percent God and one hundred percent man. Is it heresy to say that we are saved one hundred percent by God and hundred percent choice?
“Choice” is an awkward word, perhaps it would be better to use “man.” Or, you might mean that “faith” saves us one hundred percent, as God saves us one hundred percent.
The resolution of that “percent” is part of the struggle between the “semi-Pelagians” and the “semi-Augustinians.”
Rather, the issue of debate is the “agent” of salvation. Does God alone save us? Or, do we contribute to our salvation?
The point I was trying to make in stating that I am “Augustinian” was that I understand the Scripture to teach (Ephesians 2:2-9) that God alone saves. Simultaneously, no one can be saved unless they respond with faith to the work of God in salvation. That’s why I also said that even faith is a gift, as Paul suggests in Ephesians 2:8-9.
5. How is it fair that we are held accountable for the sins of our ancestors?
“Fairness” is not the same as “justice,” which is the biblical emphasis. God is just, which means that He both defines what is good and right, and upholds that good.
This is the statement Paul makes about the universality of sin; he mentions both the spread of sin to all and the imputation of sin where there is law. There seems to be some wriggle room here.
Romans 5:12–15
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned — for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.”
However, when the question of “fairness” over God’s choice is raised, Paul says that we don’t have the right to ask the question, being created beings!
Romans 9:19–21
“You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?”
These are hard questions, to be answered by obscure passages!
6. Are the four categories you describe similar to the distinctions within Calvinism and Arminianism? i.e., Augustinian = 5points, etc.?
Yes, there is a correspondence between these. Calvin was “Augustinian, ” as was Luther. However, the issue is broader than the Calvin/Arminius debate.
7. Augustine said "anything not to the glory of God is sin," I prefer the definition in Rom 14:23 "whatever is not from Faith is sin"
Certainly, Paul is superior to Augustine! I quoted Augustine because I was using Augustine as an example. Also, Augustine was clear in declaring that “faith” is anything that seeks the glory of God, a very helpful definition.
8. If dead people don't make choices, how does the prodigal son (whose father said he was 'dead') still make the choice to return?
Two different statements, both using the same metaphor. The prodigal son was “dead” to his father in that he had left and implied he would not return. Paul talks about being “dead” in our sins because we have no spiritual life.
9. In Romans 7:9, Paul talks about being alive before sin sprang to life. How do you reconcile that with saying we are born sinful?
This, too, is difficult. I understand that Paul is using “Law” here for the Mosaic Law. The good Law of God, given through Moses, tells us what God is like and what He requires. However, knowing that Law confirms that we cannot keep/obey that Law. Paul, when taught the Law, found himself unable to keep it; before he knew the Law, he was unaware of his spiritual state.
10. How does this coincide with the verse saying we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear?
1 Corinthians 10:13
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”
The thought here is that we will find God faithful to us, such that He will see that each circumstance will be no more than we can handle (we can make right choices, without sinning). In Romans 7, Paul was emphasizing how weak we are in our inner person to stand against our own impulses. In 1 Cor 13, he was emphasizing that no circumstance will be too much for us; we will find His own strength to endure.
1. Circular reasoning—Bible is often declared self-authenticating; need not go there—simply ask ‘what EVIDENCE outside the Bible might authenticate its claims? Resurrection.
2. Irreducible minimums?
a. Inspiration of Scripture
b. Deity of Christ, Virgin Birth, etc.
c. Resurrection of Jesus Christ
d. Personal conversion
e. Personal evangelism
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Origin Sin and Free Will
Original Sin or Free Will?
REVIEW: What we’ve learned from the heretics.
• Jesus is the unique Son of God—the battle between Athanasius and Arius.
• The Father considers us to be righteous by faith through the death of Jesus the Son—the battle between Martin Luther and Eck.
• Science & Faith: The Bible communicates the authority of God over our lives--
Big Idea: The controversy between Pelagius and Augustine in the Early Church over original sin illustrates what can happen when philosophy wins arguments about truth. Thanks to Augustine, the biblical view of sin survived.
Definition…What is ‘original sin?’
Alan Jacobs: "Original Sin: A cultural History"
‘original sin’ is NOT, Adam & Eve’s first sin.
1. Similar to Greek tragedy—“fatal choice”, a choice that sets in motion vast irresistible forces of retribution, what the Greeks named Nemesis. …”Oedipus’s sin was murdering his father.” Since Oedipus doesn’t know that it’s his father he kills, he can’t imagine the full consequences of the act; there’s no way to undo his deed, to get back to the life he was living before that moment at the crossroads; and the retribution he has called down upon himself is inevitable.
2. …it’s certainly possible to read the story of Adam and eve in this way: the First Couple ate the fruit not knowing how profound the consequences would be, not understanding that the price of their meal would be forced and permanent exile from the garden and then, eventually, death. …HOWEVER, the doctrine of original sin, as it eventually developed, strikes deeper and challenges or even overturns our usual notions of moral responsibility. Original sin is not merely fatality, the God who oversees it is not the faceless Nemesis, and Adam and Eve do not buy death for themselves only.
3. Original sin is more than that: Romans 5:12—Adam’s sin brought death not just to him, but to “all men”—to all of his descendants: all of us.
PWPT“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned —”
When we all forfeit our lives because of what one man did at the beginning of human history, “what goes around, comes around” doesn’t quite cover it. …Earlier in his letter…he says that those who sin are “without excuse”…
a. Augustine takes up this argument in Genesis 17:9-14, “…any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised…shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” …in no way the fault of the infant whose soul is said to be about to perish. It is not he who has broken God’s covenant, but his elders, who have not taken care to circumcise him.” And yet the passage clearly says that the uncircumcised infant is the one who has broken God’s covenant.
b. Augustine: this passage meant that “even infants are born sinners, not by their own act but because of their origin”—their origin being the primal fatherhood of Adam.
c. Augustine: sin that’s already inside us, already dwelling in us at our origin, at our very conception.
4. …sin afflicts like disease and that, like disease, it is easy to acquire and hard to get rid of.
ARGUMENT today
1. The problem of evil and the impact on our lives.
a. Created in the IMAGE of GOD.
b. How the mighty have fallen!
PWPT Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…
2. This problem is not merely philosophical: The root of evil runs through each heart.
a. PWPT Jeremiah 17:9—the heart is desperately wicked, who can know it?
b. Romans 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
c. James: the tongue is an evil; James 3:5-8
PWPT So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
d. Jesus: out of the mouth comes the evil of the heart; Matt 15:17–18 NASB
Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.”
e. We speak to our own condemnation. Hard to accept because we live in a “nice” culture, where we don’t dare say all the things we think!
3. The problem with evil and the road to faith came to a head in the fifth century:
a. Augustine of Hippo (354-430). After a lustful pursuit of peace, he turned to religion (Manicheanism in 373, Neoplatonism in 382), but found frustration. …rhetoric teacher…to Milan where he met Ambrose. After rejecting the gospel initially and struggling with a continued illness, he came to Christ in 387. …In 391…a priest and, in 395, the Bishop of Hippo. He remained in his office, writing voluminously, until 430 as the Vandals stood at the gates of his city [when he died; city burned, Possidius saved his library]
b. Pelagius (ca. 354-424 A.D.) …British origins. …a monk (not a monastic or hermit) with enormous learning (Antiochene). He was fluent in both Latin and Greek and linguistically superior to Augustine, his most formidable opponent.
a. Augustine declared that only God could intervene within us and open our hearts to grace.
i. Early on, Augustine believed that humans learned to sin; later…
ii. Not able NOT to sin.
iii. Augustine argued that God enables us to do what he commands;
b. Pelagius disagreed—we are able to do whatever God asks us to do.
i. Humans have free volition, free will.
ii. Adam’s sin has a bad influence upon others but no impact.
iii. Since all have free will, God’s grace is universal; adults may gain forgiveness through baptism.
iv. Since humans are not born in sin, it is possible to be preserved in the state of birth and to never need salvation.
c. PWPT Over the next centuries, four variations developed.
i. Augustine: Salvation is totally, causatively of God.
ii. Semi-Augustinianism—Salvation originates in God, proceeds in God and man.
iii. Semi-Pelagianism: Salvation originates in man, proceeds by man and God.
Berkof: took an intermediate position, denying the total inability of man to do spiritual good, but admitting his inability to perform really saving works without the assistance of divine grace. The grace of God illuminates the mind and supports the will, but always in such a manner that the free will of man is in no way compromised. …While the grace of God is universal and intended for all, it becomes effective in the lives of those who make a proper use of their free will. Strictly speaking, it is really the will of man that determines the result.
iv. Pelagianism: Salvation is totally, causatively of man.
McGrath [I, 74] The definitive pronouncement of the early western church on the Pelagian and Massilian controversies… to teach that the ‘freedom of the soul’ remained unaffected by the Fall was Pelagian. The Faustian doctrine of the initium fidei —i.e., that man can take the initiative in his own salvation—was explicitly rejected: not only the beginning, but also the increase of faith, are alike gifts of grace. While the Council declared that man’s liberum arbitrium is injured, weakened and diminished, its existence was not questioned.
Today, semi-Pelagianism’s variety is evident in Arminianism (Mennonites, etc.)
1. We receive from Adam a corrupted nature but not Adam’s guilt.
2. Our human nature is corrupted physically and intellectually but not volitionally.
3. Prevenient [preceding] grace enables us to believe.
4. We are not totally depraved, but still maintain the will/volition to seek God.
Today, Augustinian thought remains in Reformed views
1. Either each individual receives the physical nature from parents, God then creates the soul, such that Adam was our representative. [Federal Headship]
2. Or, We inherit our physical nature and soul from our parents, so that were all present in Adam in germinal form, such that we all participate in the sin of Adam, and inherit Adam’s sin. [Augustinian]
What do we learn from the heretics?
4. The solution to our problem with evil and free will.
a. God must initiate our salvation, we will not.
i. This reminds us of how INTENSE is God’s love for us.
b. God must accomplish our salvation, we cannot.
i. This teaches us how PERSONAL is God’s love for us.
c. We must respond to God’s grace with faith in order to experience
i. As He did with Lydia in Acts 16:14 NASB
And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.
ii. We need not react as our culture programs us to react.
1. Our culture’s assumption: For it to really be love, it has to be freely chosen; totally unconstrained, and uninfluenced.
2. The Bible’s answer: You’re free to do whatever you want; you’re just not free to want whatever you want.
3. We ARE TORN!!
Carole King wrote both lyrics: It’s Too Late, Baby, Now It’s Too Late [I’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’]
AND, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, ON THE SAME ALBUM!
REVIEW: What we’ve learned from the heretics.
• Jesus is the unique Son of God—the battle between Athanasius and Arius.
• The Father considers us to be righteous by faith through the death of Jesus the Son—the battle between Martin Luther and Eck.
• Science & Faith: The Bible communicates the authority of God over our lives--
Big Idea: The controversy between Pelagius and Augustine in the Early Church over original sin illustrates what can happen when philosophy wins arguments about truth. Thanks to Augustine, the biblical view of sin survived.
Definition…What is ‘original sin?’
Alan Jacobs: "Original Sin: A cultural History"
‘original sin’ is NOT, Adam & Eve’s first sin.
1. Similar to Greek tragedy—“fatal choice”, a choice that sets in motion vast irresistible forces of retribution, what the Greeks named Nemesis. …”Oedipus’s sin was murdering his father.” Since Oedipus doesn’t know that it’s his father he kills, he can’t imagine the full consequences of the act; there’s no way to undo his deed, to get back to the life he was living before that moment at the crossroads; and the retribution he has called down upon himself is inevitable.
2. …it’s certainly possible to read the story of Adam and eve in this way: the First Couple ate the fruit not knowing how profound the consequences would be, not understanding that the price of their meal would be forced and permanent exile from the garden and then, eventually, death. …HOWEVER, the doctrine of original sin, as it eventually developed, strikes deeper and challenges or even overturns our usual notions of moral responsibility. Original sin is not merely fatality, the God who oversees it is not the faceless Nemesis, and Adam and Eve do not buy death for themselves only.
3. Original sin is more than that: Romans 5:12—Adam’s sin brought death not just to him, but to “all men”—to all of his descendants: all of us.
PWPT“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned —”
When we all forfeit our lives because of what one man did at the beginning of human history, “what goes around, comes around” doesn’t quite cover it. …Earlier in his letter…he says that those who sin are “without excuse”…
a. Augustine takes up this argument in Genesis 17:9-14, “…any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised…shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” …in no way the fault of the infant whose soul is said to be about to perish. It is not he who has broken God’s covenant, but his elders, who have not taken care to circumcise him.” And yet the passage clearly says that the uncircumcised infant is the one who has broken God’s covenant.
b. Augustine: this passage meant that “even infants are born sinners, not by their own act but because of their origin”—their origin being the primal fatherhood of Adam.
c. Augustine: sin that’s already inside us, already dwelling in us at our origin, at our very conception.
4. …sin afflicts like disease and that, like disease, it is easy to acquire and hard to get rid of.
ARGUMENT today
1. The problem of evil and the impact on our lives.
a. Created in the IMAGE of GOD.
b. How the mighty have fallen!
PWPT Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…
2. This problem is not merely philosophical: The root of evil runs through each heart.
a. PWPT Jeremiah 17:9—the heart is desperately wicked, who can know it?
b. Romans 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
c. James: the tongue is an evil; James 3:5-8
PWPT So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
d. Jesus: out of the mouth comes the evil of the heart; Matt 15:17–18 NASB
Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.”
e. We speak to our own condemnation. Hard to accept because we live in a “nice” culture, where we don’t dare say all the things we think!
3. The problem with evil and the road to faith came to a head in the fifth century:
a. Augustine of Hippo (354-430). After a lustful pursuit of peace, he turned to religion (Manicheanism in 373, Neoplatonism in 382), but found frustration. …rhetoric teacher…to Milan where he met Ambrose. After rejecting the gospel initially and struggling with a continued illness, he came to Christ in 387. …In 391…a priest and, in 395, the Bishop of Hippo. He remained in his office, writing voluminously, until 430 as the Vandals stood at the gates of his city [when he died; city burned, Possidius saved his library]
b. Pelagius (ca. 354-424 A.D.) …British origins. …a monk (not a monastic or hermit) with enormous learning (Antiochene). He was fluent in both Latin and Greek and linguistically superior to Augustine, his most formidable opponent.
a. Augustine declared that only God could intervene within us and open our hearts to grace.
i. Early on, Augustine believed that humans learned to sin; later…
ii. Not able NOT to sin.
iii. Augustine argued that God enables us to do what he commands;
b. Pelagius disagreed—we are able to do whatever God asks us to do.
i. Humans have free volition, free will.
ii. Adam’s sin has a bad influence upon others but no impact.
iii. Since all have free will, God’s grace is universal; adults may gain forgiveness through baptism.
iv. Since humans are not born in sin, it is possible to be preserved in the state of birth and to never need salvation.
c. PWPT Over the next centuries, four variations developed.
i. Augustine: Salvation is totally, causatively of God.
ii. Semi-Augustinianism—Salvation originates in God, proceeds in God and man.
iii. Semi-Pelagianism: Salvation originates in man, proceeds by man and God.
Berkof: took an intermediate position, denying the total inability of man to do spiritual good, but admitting his inability to perform really saving works without the assistance of divine grace. The grace of God illuminates the mind and supports the will, but always in such a manner that the free will of man is in no way compromised. …While the grace of God is universal and intended for all, it becomes effective in the lives of those who make a proper use of their free will. Strictly speaking, it is really the will of man that determines the result.
iv. Pelagianism: Salvation is totally, causatively of man.
McGrath [I, 74] The definitive pronouncement of the early western church on the Pelagian and Massilian controversies… to teach that the ‘freedom of the soul’ remained unaffected by the Fall was Pelagian. The Faustian doctrine of the initium fidei —i.e., that man can take the initiative in his own salvation—was explicitly rejected: not only the beginning, but also the increase of faith, are alike gifts of grace. While the Council declared that man’s liberum arbitrium is injured, weakened and diminished, its existence was not questioned.
Today, semi-Pelagianism’s variety is evident in Arminianism (Mennonites, etc.)
1. We receive from Adam a corrupted nature but not Adam’s guilt.
2. Our human nature is corrupted physically and intellectually but not volitionally.
3. Prevenient [preceding] grace enables us to believe.
4. We are not totally depraved, but still maintain the will/volition to seek God.
Today, Augustinian thought remains in Reformed views
1. Either each individual receives the physical nature from parents, God then creates the soul, such that Adam was our representative. [Federal Headship]
2. Or, We inherit our physical nature and soul from our parents, so that were all present in Adam in germinal form, such that we all participate in the sin of Adam, and inherit Adam’s sin. [Augustinian]
What do we learn from the heretics?
4. The solution to our problem with evil and free will.
a. God must initiate our salvation, we will not.
i. This reminds us of how INTENSE is God’s love for us.
b. God must accomplish our salvation, we cannot.
i. This teaches us how PERSONAL is God’s love for us.
c. We must respond to God’s grace with faith in order to experience
i. As He did with Lydia in Acts 16:14 NASB
And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.
ii. We need not react as our culture programs us to react.
1. Our culture’s assumption: For it to really be love, it has to be freely chosen; totally unconstrained, and uninfluenced.
2. The Bible’s answer: You’re free to do whatever you want; you’re just not free to want whatever you want.
3. We ARE TORN!!
Carole King wrote both lyrics: It’s Too Late, Baby, Now It’s Too Late [I’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’]
AND, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, ON THE SAME ALBUM!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Humble Orthodoxy & Authority
Humble Orthodoxy & Authority
Questions & Answers today and/or next week
Big Idea: In the last two centuries, questions of faith and science - as in the age of the earth, the origin of man, and miracles - has tended to polarize the Church. The divisions among Southern Baptists illustrate what can happen when Christians make idols of orthodoxy, reason, and novelty. From these we learn the critical importance of biblical authority, but also our need to approach conflict with humility.
Two things we are seeing:
1. How much has been learned in conflict, rather than avoidance.
2. How we can respond to conflict ourselves.
Being a disciple of Jesus is challenging on several levels.
1. Disciples learn and obey.
a. How can we be certain that God has spoken, that the Bible is a faithful record of His intentions, and that we rightly understand what has been written?
b. How do we live out the truth-claims of Jesus and the Bible?
2. We can learn from those who have gone before us and from those who challenge our faith.
ORTHODOXY…a Sure and Certain Word…
I. The Word of God, it's claims, it’s claims upon us, and compelling trust
a. Hebrews 4:12—active, sharper
PWPTHebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
PWPTHebrews 1:1–2 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”
b. Psalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God
PWPTPsalms 19:1
“The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”
II. We can have full confidence in the Authority of Scripture.
a. Authority—DECLARED
General & Special Revelation (Ps 19:1-6; Rom 1:18-20; 2:14-16; Acts 17:24-34; John 1:14-18)
b. COMMUNICATED
i. INSPIRED: Theopneustos¬—God-breathed
i. Metaphorical—God has no lungs, therefore no physical breath, BUT
ii. Intent—from God Himself, therefore…
1. To be taken seriously, “life or death”
Deuteronomy 30:11ff.
““For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.…
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.””
ii. ILLUMINATED: PWPT To be understood, mediated by the Holy Spirit, 1Cor2:14-16
“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For Who Has Known The Mind Of The Lord, That He Should Instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
iii. RELIABLE— PWPT Matthew 5:18
““For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.”
iv. EFFECTIVE—
1. Hebrews 4:12 NASB—
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
2. PWPT 1 Thessalonians 2:13 NASB
“And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”
HUMBLE ORTHODOXY
III. Humility on our part, with an ear to those who disagree, and a mind open to reading the Word with fresh eyes.
A. I am aware of my limitations in correctly perceiving the meaning of God’s Son and God’s Word.
i. That confusion is no slam on God’s Word nor on its
ii. Clarity.
B. Those limitations were apparent in…
a. Galileo vs The Church? Actually, Galileo vs the Aristotelian philosophers who insisted that the heavens were fixed, that the moon was a smooth, perfect sphere, etc.
i. Galileo didn’t attack the Church, he offered verifiable evidence that the philosophers were wrong.
ii. The Church was too tight with the philosophers, not the Word.
iii. Science vs Christian faith only became an issue in the twentieth century—Christian thought has provided the foundation for reasoned investigation.
b. Innerrancy battles of the late twentieth century?
i. Southern Baptists:
1. Liberalizing views of Scripture by those in power moved the SBC into conflict.
2. Conservative push-back put them into power; they used largely the same power techniques. The SBC remains divided into two camps, 30 years later.
ii. Similar tensions and divisions occurred among Canadian Baptists in the past century; division remains.
c. Creation vs. Evolution among evangelicals today.
i. Some Creationists question the faith of any who support theistic evolution.
ii. Some Theistic Evolutionists question the mental capacity of those who deny evolution.
C. Those limitations are common to all humans.
Lessons to be learned:
a. God doesn’t ask us to believe anything that’s not true, contra Richard Dawkins (faith means believing something you know NOT to be true.)
b. Also, he doesn’t call us to reject anything that is true. We’re not to ignore what we see,
c. but we are to believe what we can’ t see as well. (i.e., what we can and can’t see can’t be the main arbiter of truth; that’s why we need His revelation).
In our culture, we’ve made an idol out of not knowing. We assume it’s arrogant to have an answer to any question. This borders on anti-intellectualism, denying the rational minds that God gave us to use.
d. In traditional church cultures though, we’ve made an idol out of uniformity: offering one interpretation and making it the test of orthodoxy—Genesis 1, 2 vs. Evolution
Fundamentalism is an expression of modernity: we can figure all this out; the Fall did not impact our minds, such that we can rightly parse all data, we can come to our faith through reason alone.
Orthodoxy: faith involves all of us--mind, will, emotion; faith comes as a gift through the Spirit of Christ.
CONCLUSION
a humble orthodoxy sees that faith is not blind but informed and humbly hungry to understand more profoundly
Humble Orthodoxy means... holding conclusions, and holding them loosely.
Questions & Answers today and/or next week
Big Idea: In the last two centuries, questions of faith and science - as in the age of the earth, the origin of man, and miracles - has tended to polarize the Church. The divisions among Southern Baptists illustrate what can happen when Christians make idols of orthodoxy, reason, and novelty. From these we learn the critical importance of biblical authority, but also our need to approach conflict with humility.
Two things we are seeing:
1. How much has been learned in conflict, rather than avoidance.
2. How we can respond to conflict ourselves.
Being a disciple of Jesus is challenging on several levels.
1. Disciples learn and obey.
a. How can we be certain that God has spoken, that the Bible is a faithful record of His intentions, and that we rightly understand what has been written?
b. How do we live out the truth-claims of Jesus and the Bible?
2. We can learn from those who have gone before us and from those who challenge our faith.
ORTHODOXY…a Sure and Certain Word…
I. The Word of God, it's claims, it’s claims upon us, and compelling trust
a. Hebrews 4:12—active, sharper
PWPTHebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
PWPTHebrews 1:1–2 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”
b. Psalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God
PWPTPsalms 19:1
“The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”
II. We can have full confidence in the Authority of Scripture.
a. Authority—DECLARED
General & Special Revelation (Ps 19:1-6; Rom 1:18-20; 2:14-16; Acts 17:24-34; John 1:14-18)
b. COMMUNICATED
i. INSPIRED: Theopneustos¬—God-breathed
i. Metaphorical—God has no lungs, therefore no physical breath, BUT
ii. Intent—from God Himself, therefore…
1. To be taken seriously, “life or death”
Deuteronomy 30:11ff.
““For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.…
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.””
ii. ILLUMINATED: PWPT To be understood, mediated by the Holy Spirit, 1Cor2:14-16
“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For Who Has Known The Mind Of The Lord, That He Should Instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
iii. RELIABLE— PWPT Matthew 5:18
““For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.”
iv. EFFECTIVE—
1. Hebrews 4:12 NASB—
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
2. PWPT 1 Thessalonians 2:13 NASB
“And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”
HUMBLE ORTHODOXY
III. Humility on our part, with an ear to those who disagree, and a mind open to reading the Word with fresh eyes.
A. I am aware of my limitations in correctly perceiving the meaning of God’s Son and God’s Word.
i. That confusion is no slam on God’s Word nor on its
ii. Clarity.
B. Those limitations were apparent in…
a. Galileo vs The Church? Actually, Galileo vs the Aristotelian philosophers who insisted that the heavens were fixed, that the moon was a smooth, perfect sphere, etc.
i. Galileo didn’t attack the Church, he offered verifiable evidence that the philosophers were wrong.
ii. The Church was too tight with the philosophers, not the Word.
iii. Science vs Christian faith only became an issue in the twentieth century—Christian thought has provided the foundation for reasoned investigation.
b. Innerrancy battles of the late twentieth century?
i. Southern Baptists:
1. Liberalizing views of Scripture by those in power moved the SBC into conflict.
2. Conservative push-back put them into power; they used largely the same power techniques. The SBC remains divided into two camps, 30 years later.
ii. Similar tensions and divisions occurred among Canadian Baptists in the past century; division remains.
c. Creation vs. Evolution among evangelicals today.
i. Some Creationists question the faith of any who support theistic evolution.
ii. Some Theistic Evolutionists question the mental capacity of those who deny evolution.
C. Those limitations are common to all humans.
Lessons to be learned:
a. God doesn’t ask us to believe anything that’s not true, contra Richard Dawkins (faith means believing something you know NOT to be true.)
b. Also, he doesn’t call us to reject anything that is true. We’re not to ignore what we see,
c. but we are to believe what we can’ t see as well. (i.e., what we can and can’t see can’t be the main arbiter of truth; that’s why we need His revelation).
In our culture, we’ve made an idol out of not knowing. We assume it’s arrogant to have an answer to any question. This borders on anti-intellectualism, denying the rational minds that God gave us to use.
d. In traditional church cultures though, we’ve made an idol out of uniformity: offering one interpretation and making it the test of orthodoxy—Genesis 1, 2 vs. Evolution
Fundamentalism is an expression of modernity: we can figure all this out; the Fall did not impact our minds, such that we can rightly parse all data, we can come to our faith through reason alone.
Orthodoxy: faith involves all of us--mind, will, emotion; faith comes as a gift through the Spirit of Christ.
CONCLUSION
a humble orthodoxy sees that faith is not blind but informed and humbly hungry to understand more profoundly
Humble Orthodoxy means... holding conclusions, and holding them loosely.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Our New Mission at Philpott
2011 Annual Ministry Meeting Sermon
Ascension Day: Jesus is with the Father, interceding for us at the Father’s right hand.
Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us, direct us, empower us, and keep us as His own.
Jesus through His Spirit ensures that we will do His work here.
Jesus will return in the same manner as He left.
Matthew 28:18–20 NASB
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””
Ephesians 4:11–16
“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
1. Purpose:
As a local expression of the Body of Christ, our God-given purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who exalt God, edify one another, and extend God’s love to all people.
The Mission of our congregation is the way we fulfill that Purpose…
2. Our Unique Mission:
Philpott Church is a community of grace, rooted together in the gospel, that exists to glorify God by making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ who are committed to the celebration of God, the cultivation of deeper faith, and the restoration of our community, our city, and the nations.
Philpott Church is
A. a community of grace,
a. Just as God embraces us just as He finds us, so we accept all those whose paths cross ours.
i. Why does God love us so powerfully?
ii. “God is love” John’s letter tells us. It’s what He is.
1 John 4:16
“And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
iii. God loves us because He made us in His likeness, He sees parts of Himself in us, so His delight is in us.
iv. We see this in the Father’s delight in His unique Son, Jesus:
Matthew 3:17
“…a voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
b. As God loves us too much to leave us as He finds us, so we love one another too much to leave us as we are found.
c. We are embraced and embrace others as infinitely valuable, made in the image of God.
d. We are loved by God into depth and maturity in Christ, just as we long to love one another so powerfully that the Spirit of God is free to work through us to heal, to deepen, to restore each one.
B. rooted together in the gospel, that exists
a. Rooted:
i. Ephesians 3:17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
ii. Col. 2:7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
b. in the Gospel
i. In love
ii. In Him
iii.
C. to glorify God
a. God’s glory = God’s beauty, aura, etc.
i. Ex. 29:43 “I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory.
ii. Ex. 33:22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
iii. Is. 66:18 “For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.
b. God’s glory = Our attribution of majesty, honour, to God
i. Is. 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images.
ii. Is. 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
iii. Is. 48:11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And My glory I will not give to another.
D. by making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ
a. make disciples of all the nations
b. Disciples—those who learn from and follow Jesus
c. Disciples—those who obey all that Jesus taught
d. Disciples—those who reproduce themselves by making new disciples
E. who are committed to
a. the celebration of God, as in…
Colossians 3:23–24 NASB
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Sara:
“Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together!” (Psalm 34:3)
We have made great efforts to celebrate God this past year corporately and in our own lives, desiring to express our worship of God authentically in spirit and in truth, wanting to resist all pretence in both our corporate and private worship.
We’ve celebrated together through exalting God and fixing our vision and our hearts on Him during our Sunday morning services and special events this past year. Our hope has been to make God’s glory the ultimate purpose of all we’ve done here, whenever we’ve gathered together on either Sunday mornings, during the week in growth groups, special services during the Christmas and Easter seasons, and through prayer retreats focused on just being with God and letting Him speak to us (setting aside time to make Him our true heart’s affection).
Our week of prayer this past year focused on celebrating God for being the Creator, the God who speaks and is actively involved in our lives, the God who sustains through suffering, and the God who passionately pursues us.
Through this year’s sermon series’, our celebration of God took the form of repenting of the idols that compete for our hearts’ attention and exalting Him as the One True God, greater than anything else the world has to offer. Our celebration of God also focused on acknowledging and celebrating the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word and in our lives.
The 40-Days o worship series highlighted how we celebrate by responding to God with our lives, saying “Here I Am”, and authentically through our various ‘sacred pathways’ or ways we worship. Our study on the book of Mark prepared us to celebrate Christ’s journey to the cross, His death for the sins of the world, and the victory of His resurrection.
We have realized that “Celebration” is a major part of our DNA as a church and community of grace, and also personally as believers in the One True God. We continue trying to incorporate various worship elements into our corporate times of celebration together. We have also tried to emphasize making celebration of God more integrated in our lives apart from Sunday mornings through private worship, in prayer, music, art, our work, our interactions and relationships in our families and communities, and in the attitude and motivation of our hearts.
b. the cultivation of deeper faith, and
i. for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
ii. MIKE MILESKI & JOE BOYACHEK
c. the restoration of all things
Jeremiah 29:7 NASB
And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.
Ephesians 2:17–18 NASB
And He Came And Preached Peace To You Who Were Far Away, And Peace To Those Who Were Near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
John 14:12 NASB
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.
i. our city, and
1. Urban Ministries
a. Backporch
b. ESL—
A couple of years ago I started to mentor a MBA International Student from China and also invited her to ESL class - she attended our Philpott class but my involvement with her was much more than that. We spent at least a couple days of week together just working on her English - especially from a business perspective because that was ultimately her goal - was to get a good job in Canada. This person had a great job in China but left it to study in Canada.
As a result of our friendship, she got a couple of co-op jobs and also landed a full time job in CIBC - and is in a senior position in Corporate Finance. In fact, she won an award at CIBC for being a top performer. These award winners were invited to the annual Christmas banquet and she was chosen to sit at the CFO's table. She was allowed to invite a guest and she invited me. When I said no - she should invite her husband, she said she wanted to share her success with me because I was a part of it. So I humbly accepted and she was introducing me as her English tutor. That was funny because at this point I never thought of being her "english tutor". At this point I felt we were colleagues and just very good friends.
Yes, her life was impacted but mine more so. God has allowed me to be a part of someone's life in a way that my friend needed it the most. She knows exactly why I believe and the faith that drives me to do what I do and always listens and respects what I say. She has since moved to Oakville to be closer to TO, but always calls to just talk.
c. Cooking Class & Crafts Class
A young woman from Belgium with limited English was introduced to the cooking and craft classes almost two years ago. Her partner was here doing research at Mac. She made it known the first night that she hadn't been in a church since she was 13 and did not believe in God. She must have felt the acceptance though as she continued to come and shared the loneliness she felt and the difficulties with language and trying to find work. Last summer
she had a baby and we were able to hook her up with a few motherly Dutch women at Philpott who could guide her through the anxieties a first time mother have. When our classes resumed in September, the baby was there.
Before the baby came, volunteers from our New2Canada class held a baby shower for her, something that is not done back home. She was overwhelmed that she was supported in this way and when she went home that evening, her partner had to play all the "baby games" from earlier in the evening and got to enjoy some great food while watching all the gifts being opened again. We asked a new mum from the church to attend our classes so she could connect with someone her own age and share baby concerns. She has faithfully attended all the classes, trundling the baby out in all this winters weather to spend a few hours with our group. In a few months they will be returning to Belgium, but this last week, she brought the baby’s memory book with her to class, as she wanted her Canadian family to write their thoughts in it. A most tender moment was watching her sitting on the floor in Missionary Hall while one of the ladies wrote her thoughts in Urdu into the book and explained what she was writing. That evening the pages of the baby’s book were covered in blessings written in Mandarin, French, English and Urdu from the friends God brought into her life in a place she was hesitant to enter almost two years ago. Her heart has definitely been softened, the ground tilled, for someone to harvest.
A— is a young Muslim woman who came from Pakistan with her husband and two children almost four years ago. They live in a small, sparsely furnished apartment and her husband drives a cab. He was a judge and she a midwife back home. She has been faithfully coming to our cooking and craft classes for three years and she was one who received a Christmas Hamper from Philpott this past winter when her husband lost his job. When we delivered the gift, an invitation was given for them to attend Christmas dinner at Sonya's home. Her husband jumped at the invitation. In all the time they had been in Canada, they had never been invited to a Canadian home and had no Canadian friends. Oh, it meant adding a few "halal" items to the Christmas menu, but as people shared Christmas traditions in their own families (from several different backgrounds) around the table, they participated with what it was like in Pakistan at Christmas. God has woven others from Philpott into their lives since this time, helping with medical concerns, giving violin lessons, supporting them with ESL as they prepare for citizenship exams and having "play dates" with the children. They have even reciprocated by inviting their Canadian friends for meals. It was not the mosque but the Christian community that reached out to this family, especially as He put her on our hearts, and He has gently revealed Himself to the hearts of this family who were struggling with discouragement, loneliness and isolation in their new country.
d. TrueCity: nurturing vision; collaborating with sister congregations; planting churches in the city
2. Arts Bridge—
a couple who love the arts attended one of our Arts Events while making it clear that they had little and no interest in our faith. Event after event, year after year, their perspectives changed, the faith interest she had had she began to express; the hostility that he had expressed was transformed: on one of our Arts Outings, he asked me whether we had missionaries at work in a particular part of the world he was concerned about; I said YES! He later made a missions-sponsored trip to that continent, making investments in local health issues there.
3. Children’s ministry in the city—Arts Camp this July
ii. the nations.
1. Prim and Bir, two brothers in Nepal, whom we have supported in prayer and financially for almost twenty years: they continue to be effective evangelists among their own people.
2. Save The Mothers in Yemen, now Africa, led by Jean Chamberlain Froese with her husband and children.
3. Stephen & Peggy Foster, who have built a hospital as their ministry base in Angola, enduring the civil war and other mayhem for the healing of the people and the proclamation of Christ.
4. Rick and Sandy Polson, training Latin American believers to support themselves as they make disciples and plant churches.
CONCLUSION:
We have as our base the very Word of God, which narrates for us the beginnings of the story of redemption and restoration. By that story, we are called into life and into participation in God’s work of salvation and restoration of all things. First we are called to LIFE, a personal experience of the power of the resurrection applied by the Spirit of Christ. Second, we are called to LIVE with Christ, taking up the work of Christ in Restoring the world, one heart, one family, one congregation, one city at a time.
Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Jesus: Mark 8:34–35
“And He summoned the multitude with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save it.”
Close: you will hear this more precisely described and a little more personally in the months to come; in an expanded form in the month of August.
Paintings: CELEBRATE, CULTIVATE, RESTORE
Ascension Day: Jesus is with the Father, interceding for us at the Father’s right hand.
Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us, direct us, empower us, and keep us as His own.
Jesus through His Spirit ensures that we will do His work here.
Jesus will return in the same manner as He left.
Matthew 28:18–20 NASB
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””
Ephesians 4:11–16
“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
1. Purpose:
As a local expression of the Body of Christ, our God-given purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who exalt God, edify one another, and extend God’s love to all people.
The Mission of our congregation is the way we fulfill that Purpose…
2. Our Unique Mission:
Philpott Church is a community of grace, rooted together in the gospel, that exists to glorify God by making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ who are committed to the celebration of God, the cultivation of deeper faith, and the restoration of our community, our city, and the nations.
Philpott Church is
A. a community of grace,
a. Just as God embraces us just as He finds us, so we accept all those whose paths cross ours.
i. Why does God love us so powerfully?
ii. “God is love” John’s letter tells us. It’s what He is.
1 John 4:16
“And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
iii. God loves us because He made us in His likeness, He sees parts of Himself in us, so His delight is in us.
iv. We see this in the Father’s delight in His unique Son, Jesus:
Matthew 3:17
“…a voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
b. As God loves us too much to leave us as He finds us, so we love one another too much to leave us as we are found.
c. We are embraced and embrace others as infinitely valuable, made in the image of God.
d. We are loved by God into depth and maturity in Christ, just as we long to love one another so powerfully that the Spirit of God is free to work through us to heal, to deepen, to restore each one.
B. rooted together in the gospel, that exists
a. Rooted:
i. Ephesians 3:17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
ii. Col. 2:7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
b. in the Gospel
i. In love
ii. In Him
iii.
C. to glorify God
a. God’s glory = God’s beauty, aura, etc.
i. Ex. 29:43 “I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory.
ii. Ex. 33:22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
iii. Is. 66:18 “For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.
b. God’s glory = Our attribution of majesty, honour, to God
i. Is. 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images.
ii. Is. 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
iii. Is. 48:11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And My glory I will not give to another.
D. by making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ
a. make disciples of all the nations
b. Disciples—those who learn from and follow Jesus
c. Disciples—those who obey all that Jesus taught
d. Disciples—those who reproduce themselves by making new disciples
E. who are committed to
a. the celebration of God, as in…
Colossians 3:23–24 NASB
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Sara:
“Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together!” (Psalm 34:3)
We have made great efforts to celebrate God this past year corporately and in our own lives, desiring to express our worship of God authentically in spirit and in truth, wanting to resist all pretence in both our corporate and private worship.
We’ve celebrated together through exalting God and fixing our vision and our hearts on Him during our Sunday morning services and special events this past year. Our hope has been to make God’s glory the ultimate purpose of all we’ve done here, whenever we’ve gathered together on either Sunday mornings, during the week in growth groups, special services during the Christmas and Easter seasons, and through prayer retreats focused on just being with God and letting Him speak to us (setting aside time to make Him our true heart’s affection).
Our week of prayer this past year focused on celebrating God for being the Creator, the God who speaks and is actively involved in our lives, the God who sustains through suffering, and the God who passionately pursues us.
Through this year’s sermon series’, our celebration of God took the form of repenting of the idols that compete for our hearts’ attention and exalting Him as the One True God, greater than anything else the world has to offer. Our celebration of God also focused on acknowledging and celebrating the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word and in our lives.
The 40-Days o worship series highlighted how we celebrate by responding to God with our lives, saying “Here I Am”, and authentically through our various ‘sacred pathways’ or ways we worship. Our study on the book of Mark prepared us to celebrate Christ’s journey to the cross, His death for the sins of the world, and the victory of His resurrection.
We have realized that “Celebration” is a major part of our DNA as a church and community of grace, and also personally as believers in the One True God. We continue trying to incorporate various worship elements into our corporate times of celebration together. We have also tried to emphasize making celebration of God more integrated in our lives apart from Sunday mornings through private worship, in prayer, music, art, our work, our interactions and relationships in our families and communities, and in the attitude and motivation of our hearts.
b. the cultivation of deeper faith, and
i. for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
ii. MIKE MILESKI & JOE BOYACHEK
c. the restoration of all things
Jeremiah 29:7 NASB
And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.
Ephesians 2:17–18 NASB
And He Came And Preached Peace To You Who Were Far Away, And Peace To Those Who Were Near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
John 14:12 NASB
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.
i. our city, and
1. Urban Ministries
a. Backporch
b. ESL—
A couple of years ago I started to mentor a MBA International Student from China and also invited her to ESL class - she attended our Philpott class but my involvement with her was much more than that. We spent at least a couple days of week together just working on her English - especially from a business perspective because that was ultimately her goal - was to get a good job in Canada. This person had a great job in China but left it to study in Canada.
As a result of our friendship, she got a couple of co-op jobs and also landed a full time job in CIBC - and is in a senior position in Corporate Finance. In fact, she won an award at CIBC for being a top performer. These award winners were invited to the annual Christmas banquet and she was chosen to sit at the CFO's table. She was allowed to invite a guest and she invited me. When I said no - she should invite her husband, she said she wanted to share her success with me because I was a part of it. So I humbly accepted and she was introducing me as her English tutor. That was funny because at this point I never thought of being her "english tutor". At this point I felt we were colleagues and just very good friends.
Yes, her life was impacted but mine more so. God has allowed me to be a part of someone's life in a way that my friend needed it the most. She knows exactly why I believe and the faith that drives me to do what I do and always listens and respects what I say. She has since moved to Oakville to be closer to TO, but always calls to just talk.
c. Cooking Class & Crafts Class
A young woman from Belgium with limited English was introduced to the cooking and craft classes almost two years ago. Her partner was here doing research at Mac. She made it known the first night that she hadn't been in a church since she was 13 and did not believe in God. She must have felt the acceptance though as she continued to come and shared the loneliness she felt and the difficulties with language and trying to find work. Last summer
she had a baby and we were able to hook her up with a few motherly Dutch women at Philpott who could guide her through the anxieties a first time mother have. When our classes resumed in September, the baby was there.
Before the baby came, volunteers from our New2Canada class held a baby shower for her, something that is not done back home. She was overwhelmed that she was supported in this way and when she went home that evening, her partner had to play all the "baby games" from earlier in the evening and got to enjoy some great food while watching all the gifts being opened again. We asked a new mum from the church to attend our classes so she could connect with someone her own age and share baby concerns. She has faithfully attended all the classes, trundling the baby out in all this winters weather to spend a few hours with our group. In a few months they will be returning to Belgium, but this last week, she brought the baby’s memory book with her to class, as she wanted her Canadian family to write their thoughts in it. A most tender moment was watching her sitting on the floor in Missionary Hall while one of the ladies wrote her thoughts in Urdu into the book and explained what she was writing. That evening the pages of the baby’s book were covered in blessings written in Mandarin, French, English and Urdu from the friends God brought into her life in a place she was hesitant to enter almost two years ago. Her heart has definitely been softened, the ground tilled, for someone to harvest.
A— is a young Muslim woman who came from Pakistan with her husband and two children almost four years ago. They live in a small, sparsely furnished apartment and her husband drives a cab. He was a judge and she a midwife back home. She has been faithfully coming to our cooking and craft classes for three years and she was one who received a Christmas Hamper from Philpott this past winter when her husband lost his job. When we delivered the gift, an invitation was given for them to attend Christmas dinner at Sonya's home. Her husband jumped at the invitation. In all the time they had been in Canada, they had never been invited to a Canadian home and had no Canadian friends. Oh, it meant adding a few "halal" items to the Christmas menu, but as people shared Christmas traditions in their own families (from several different backgrounds) around the table, they participated with what it was like in Pakistan at Christmas. God has woven others from Philpott into their lives since this time, helping with medical concerns, giving violin lessons, supporting them with ESL as they prepare for citizenship exams and having "play dates" with the children. They have even reciprocated by inviting their Canadian friends for meals. It was not the mosque but the Christian community that reached out to this family, especially as He put her on our hearts, and He has gently revealed Himself to the hearts of this family who were struggling with discouragement, loneliness and isolation in their new country.
d. TrueCity: nurturing vision; collaborating with sister congregations; planting churches in the city
2. Arts Bridge—
a couple who love the arts attended one of our Arts Events while making it clear that they had little and no interest in our faith. Event after event, year after year, their perspectives changed, the faith interest she had had she began to express; the hostility that he had expressed was transformed: on one of our Arts Outings, he asked me whether we had missionaries at work in a particular part of the world he was concerned about; I said YES! He later made a missions-sponsored trip to that continent, making investments in local health issues there.
3. Children’s ministry in the city—Arts Camp this July
ii. the nations.
1. Prim and Bir, two brothers in Nepal, whom we have supported in prayer and financially for almost twenty years: they continue to be effective evangelists among their own people.
2. Save The Mothers in Yemen, now Africa, led by Jean Chamberlain Froese with her husband and children.
3. Stephen & Peggy Foster, who have built a hospital as their ministry base in Angola, enduring the civil war and other mayhem for the healing of the people and the proclamation of Christ.
4. Rick and Sandy Polson, training Latin American believers to support themselves as they make disciples and plant churches.
CONCLUSION:
We have as our base the very Word of God, which narrates for us the beginnings of the story of redemption and restoration. By that story, we are called into life and into participation in God’s work of salvation and restoration of all things. First we are called to LIFE, a personal experience of the power of the resurrection applied by the Spirit of Christ. Second, we are called to LIVE with Christ, taking up the work of Christ in Restoring the world, one heart, one family, one congregation, one city at a time.
Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Jesus: Mark 8:34–35
“And He summoned the multitude with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save it.”
Close: you will hear this more precisely described and a little more personally in the months to come; in an expanded form in the month of August.
Paintings: CELEBRATE, CULTIVATE, RESTORE
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