The Fine Point of Faith

Unbelief sees rules, a series of steps, a path, and a set of neat proverbial sayings to live by and understand the world.  All of this can be attempted without faith and that is the damning work of a false gospel (Gal 1:8-9).  Faith looks to Jesus.  Faith grasps no ethic abstracted from the Bible; faith grasps Jesus and is filled by His Spirit.  And that filling causes a Christian to live according to the Spirit and not the flesh (Rom 8:4-6).  To be “filled by the Spirit” is to be under the sanctifying influence of God.  It is the ongoing life of walking according to the gracious glory of Christ personally revealed in His people.  

Gospel on Pro-Life Sunday - 2014

This is the Lord’s Day and central to our worship must of course be the declaration of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the worship of God the Father and all in the power of the Holy Spirit.  But as we come to worship this Sunday, it is also the noted anniversary week of the murderous Roe-v-Wade decision of 1973 in our nation – a decision which marks the horrible so-called right to choose.  And so, our focus this morning will be on the need for our nation to repent, for mercy to be granted for the murder of 50 plus million little lives and for healing and restoration, for women and men convicted of their sin of murdering their children to find grace and forgiveness in Jesus, and for us all as a nation in order that we might be a people, a nation, who do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with their God – the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The songs we sing this morning are carefully chosen by our Chief Musician and so I want to highlight them briefly as we are called to worship - The opening Psalm 122 already called us to join the throngs in worship.

Once More My Soul reminds us of the "thousand wretched souls that have fled since the last setting sun.” Let us not forget these that have passed.

The decalogue reminds us “you shall not kill or hate your neighbor.”

Psalm 137 reminds us of the judgment that God brings against the children of the nation who hates Him. May we not be that nation.

Psalm 103 reminds us that “God’s grace alone endureth and children’s children yet shall prove how He with strength assureth the hearts of all that seek His love.”

O God of Earth and Altar we will sing “our earthly rulers falter, our people drift and die.”

And lest we become discouraged in all this… “whate’re my God ordains is right” bookends our service.

The way we treat our children reflects the idolatrous religion of our nation.  But Jesus Christ is King and this atrocity will not go unnoticed.  It has not gone unnoticed – His wrath upon us has been visited and His judgment has begun.  We must turn and repent and we must do so swiftly.

Delivering the World from Evil

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” – Eph 5:15f.

There are two directions to take these verses.  One is to emphasize that we need to be really, really careful, because the days are evil.  The other is to emphasize that we are to take advantage of every opportunity because the days are evil.  I think Paul has the latter, more optimistic view in mind.  We are not to disregard the days because they are evil; we are to take advantage of them with the wisdom that is ours in Christ.  We pray that God would “deliver us from evil,” and we ought to believe that He is regularly answering that prayer through His church in opportunity after opportunity.

Receiving Christ Like Simeon

Just as Simeon received the Christ Child in His arms and then left in peace – so we have the opportunity to sup with the Risen Christ by faith in a real relationship of peace and assurance.  Jesus is just as much our Consolation – He is so even more – for He has accomplished all that He said He would – even our salvation – and the glory of Israel.

As we gather around this Table and partake, we are the evidence that God has and is accomplishing all He promised to Abraham, to Moses, to David, to the prophets – through Jesus His Son.  For here we are, at the ends of the earth, Gentiles like Theophilus, partaking of what all the Jewish sacrificial system pointed towards – the gift of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for the redemption of His people.

Therefore, all who are baptized in Christ are called to come and partake of the Consolation of Israel – to partake of the Peace Meal with their heavenly Father – of the body and blood of the One Who has made them the glory of Israel – the salvation of the world.

Worship with Fear and Joy

This is a service of worship instituted by God for His people.  In this service, the Lord renews His covenant with us.  What is a covenant?  A covenant is a solemn bond, sovereignly administered, with attendant blessings and curses.  In this covenant, we are the servants, the bond-servants, and God is the Master, the LORD, the King over all.  He alone and unilaterally dictates the stipulations of the covenant.

This should all sound rather formal to you as you enter into worship – and it is.  You should prepare yourself in a formal way, because you are coming before the King of kings, your King and Your God.  This is why we are instructed to approach this throne of grace with reverence and fear.  In other words, sit up, pay attention, show respect to the One Who has called you.  This isn’t a production for you, a religious entertainment show.  It isn’t about you.

And yet, it is for you.  For this sovereign Lord Who calls you His servant, His slave in fact, also calls you His child – His adopted child, redeemed and purchased by the blood of His only begotten Son.  He says He did this out of His own free will and desire, and delights to call His children to Himself and to enter into this covenant renewal with joy, fellowship, singing, and peace.  This is why you are instructed to approach this throne of grace with great boldness – for you have been accepted fully and completely in the Beloved, the One who died for all of your sins.

Reverence – deep and holy respect, mixed with godly fear.  Boldness – conscious knowledge that you are accepted, loved, delighted over, and blessed beyond comprehension.  This is what you have been summoned to come and renew.  Come and rejoice with trembling, worship Your God with holy fear and joy unspeakable.  Let Him again have His way with you – for He will.

Proper Reverence in Worship

This is a public declaration of the gospel, of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The gospel is declared when an evangelist goes out and preaches the Good News to those who have not heard it, or who have yet to accept it as theirs by faith.  But this is not the only way the Gospel is proclaimed.  Each Lord’s Day we celebrate the Lord’s Supper and Paul tells us that every time we eat the bread and drink the cup we proclaim the Lord’s death (a nickname for the gospel).  The gospel is declared in this service of worship.

Everything leading up to that communion service is gospel as well.  You are summoned by God because He initiates gospel.  You hear Him call you to worship Him.  He then declares our sinfulness and inability to come before Him except with blood-washed hands – washed by the blood of Jesus Christ through our confession of sin and profession of faith.  Our songs and prayers are lifted to Him in Jesus name through the Holy Spirit and God receives us in that name and power.  The Father instructs us through His Word, rearranging us, remaking us, renewing us, and then sits us down for a meal of fellowship and life with Him at His Table – providing us with His food.

This is a great and wonderful and joyful event – leading up to a great feast.  But it is not to be entered into irreverently – in some kind of breezy, informal and casual way.  Hebrews warns us that we must worship God with reverence and godly fear – and this teaches us what our demeanor in our church worship services must be like.  Psalm 2 instructs us to worship the LORD with fear, to rejoice with trembling.  And so our worship is to be full and robust, it is to engage our minds, our mouths, our bodies.  While it is celebration, it is not a tailgate party, a circus, a comedy show or a rock concert.  We have come to worship the Ancient of Days.  We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.  Come and worship, but come with the proper balance, well thought through and prepared, of great rejoicing and proper reverence.

Mother's Day and Ascension Sunday - 2013

The church, Paul instructs us in Galatians, is the New Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, and she is the Mother of us all.  Life comes to the world through Jesus Christ and He is proclaimed by means of the life and words of the church.  United to Christ, His bride is fruitful, and the world is being dominated, grace-dominated by her offspring.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you then.  To mothers who are the life-givers and nurturers of us all, we give you special honor today in our nation – and you all should – it is a good holiday.  In a culture that treats your calling as something less than glorious, God says that your role, and your work, often mundane and behind the scene, is what is shaping the world to come in far more profound ways than any legislation, any military force, any state welfare system ever could.  But we also honor mothers for what they symbolize and declare in their roles – the life-giving and nurturing nature of the church.  And so all of us gather to honor our Mother each Lord’s Day as well.

This day is also Ascension Sunday – the Sunday after Ascension Day which was this last Thursday, 40 days following the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  His ascension guarantees that mothers who are in Christ are ruling the world with Him and are discipling future rulers for Him.  Ascension Day declares that a Man, the Man, the God-Man, has been installed and is ruling heaven and earth with His rod and staff.  All nations and all mothers are placed on notice:  in all that you do, whether in word or deed, do it all to the glory of God – for at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow – both yours, and your little ones, and the nation in which you live – and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God.  This is what mothers are called to live and proclaim to their children and in doing so they will bestow the greatest gift of wisdom ever – God is your Father through Jesus Christ.  Believe – and live.