Giving is Worship6/27/2024 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV
This past Sunday while I was preaching, I skipped over one of my subpoints that was actually really important. As we were talking about false teachers and about our motivations for giving offerings in church, I talked about bad motivations for giving offerings to the Lord. One of those bad motivations is that we might receive financial gain or good favor from God in exchange for our offerings. What I failed to mention is what our motivation should be. Giving offerings to the Lord is an act of Worship! During a church service there is typically a time where the offering plates or baskets are passed from pew to pew. Some people don’t like passing plates. They typically think it is pushy or that it makes the church look like it is money hungry. I have heard people say that passing the plates distracts or takes away from worship. But that is lack of an understanding about giving. Giving offerings to the Lord at church is worship! It is part of the worship service not a distraction from the worship service. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Hebrews 11:3 ESV Everything we have is the Lord’s. This is His world. He has made it all by His word. Therefore, He owns it all! As Abraham Kuyper said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign overall, does not cry, Mine!” This means that the things we have are God’s and that the only reason we have them is because God has given them to us. So, when you give offerings in church to God, you are giving back what He has given you. Remember what the Apostle Paul told the Athenians: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25 ESV). God doesn’t NEED your money because everything already belongs to Him, and He is not served by human hands as though he needed anything. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give to the Lord. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47 ESV (Emphasis added) The church was born in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost and from the very beginning Christians were giving back to God. Acts 2 shows that the Church was giving as an act of worship as they were responding to the Gospel. Christ had given His life so that their sin could be paid for, so they could have peace with God and everlasting life. In response they began to give back to the Lord, by giving their offerings to serve others. They wanted to show the Love of Christ in the Gospel and to give because they had been given much. Today should be no different. We give not to receive salvation but because we have received Salvation. This is how we can be the “cheerful givers” that God loves (2 Corinthians 9:7). So next time you’re in a church service and the offering plates are passed, remember that giving is a part of worship. It’s not about getting something but about giving back to the God who gave you everything you have, who sent His Son to die on a cross to pay your sin debt.
0 Comments
Providence4/24/2024 Photo by Pedro Miranda on Unsplash Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Psalm 115:3 ESV The day that I believed that the Lord was calling me to ministry was a day set up by the providence of God as well as a day I realized God’s providence in my whole life! Let me explain. I was at church camp the summer before I started high school. Sometime during the middle of the day there was a bible study time that was not taught by the main camp preacher. The guy who was speaking that day was talking about our “testimonies” of how we became Christians. He started to talk about how he had always believed himself to have a boring testimony. He was born to believing parents who brought him to church, he was saved at a young age, he didn’t have to hit rock bottom to come to Christ. This caught my attention because he was pretty much describing my testimony as well. Then he said that his testimony wasn’t boring, it was a great story of God’s grace and mercy. He didn’t have to endure a rock bottom to come to Christ! He said he later realized that his upbringing by Christian parents and his lifelong discipleship in the church was God preparing him for ministry. When he said this, I knew the Lord was speaking right at me. God in His providence placed me at that camp, that day, with that speaker, so that I would realize that God in His providence had been shaping me my whole life to prepare me to serve Him and His church. John Piper defines providence as God’s purposeful sovereignty. God’s sovereignty means He can do whatever He wants whenever He wants, providence points to how God uses His sovereignty with divine purpose and design. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” … And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. Acts 9:3-4,20-22 ESV Paul (Saul in the above verse) was on his way to persecute Christians when the Lord Jesus Christ intercepted him on the road to Damascus. By God’s providence a man who was wreaking havoc on the church became one of the Lord’s Apostles. A man who once put Christians in chains became someone who by the power of the Holy Spirit led people out of the bondage of sin. But like my testimony above, God’s providence can be seen in Paul’s whole life. Paul was a Pharisee and a son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6, Philippians 3:5), this means he was well educated in the Scriptures and zealous in his pursuit of Judaism (Galatians 1:13-14). If the gospel of Jesus Christ were a puzzle, Paul was a guy who had all the pieces set before him, he even had sections half-way put together, and on the road to Damascus he finally could see what picture the puzzle was making. In a similar way by God’s providence someone was put before you to share the gospel with you! By God’s providence your unique life experience has been preparing you for the work of every Christian, to glorify God by making disciples! And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Acts 8:27-28 ESV In Acts 8, Philip walks up on this Ethiopian reading from the prophet Isaiah. What a lucky coincidence for Philip! Except it’s not luck and it’s no coincidence but the providence of God. This is a divine appointment. In verse twenty-six an angel of the Lord tells Philip to go that direction but doesn’t say why. Philip doesn’t need the why. The why was given by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Great Commission to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). The Great Commission is for us today as well. We are to “Go” and while we are going “make disciples.” Knowing who to share the gospel with is easy because we know that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23ESV). ALL! ALL is who we share the gospel with because ALL people need the gospel! Just as God placed people in your life to share the gospel with you, He will place you in others’ lives so that they will hear the gospel from you! You might never walk up on someone who is reading a messianic prophecy from the book of Isaiah but that doesn’t mean you’ll never walk up on someone that the Lord in His providence is drawing to Himself. So go and make disciples! Take courage! Be Bold! The Lord is with us! There is a lot more to be said about God’s providence. A couple years ago I bought a new book from John Piper entitled Providence. Piper is one of my favorite authors, so I knew I had to get this book. When the book came in, I was shocked. I was shocked because it is huge with over 700 pages! I thought I had a good understanding of God’s providence, but I can assure you I do not know enough to write 700 pages! The book has remained intimidating on my shelf, but I have decided to start reading it. I should be finished reading it in a couple…months! Check back later this year for a review! Never Blue4/2/2024 Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20 ESV My favorite color is blue, always has been. When I was kid growing up in the 90’s I always wanted to be the blue Power Ranger. When I was at the doctor’s office, I always chose a blue lollipop. At the dentist I always took the blue toothbrush. When reading a book, I always reach for my blue highlighter first. There is a blue pad of sticky notes on my desk right now. I really do like the color blue, but I will never vote for blue. I’ve always tried to be independent when it comes to elections. My loyalty is to the Lord not to a political party. In the past, for different offices, I’ve voted for both Republicans and Democrats, but I can say today I will NEVER vote for a Democrat again. That’s not to say that I’ll always vote for Republicans, although in our mostly binary election system, that for now will probably be the case more times than not. I don’t care if a candidate is running for County Clerk or President of the United States if there is a “D” next to their name I will NOT vote for them. I will not vote for anyone who identifies themselves with the political party who champions the murder of babies and the mutilation of the image of God. I want to be clear this is not me endorsing the Republican Party or any of its candidates. This is not an attempt to get you to vote for President Trump in November. To be transparent I didn’t vote for President Trump in the Primary last month and I’m still praying and considering whether I’ll vote for him or write-in a candidate, but what I can guarantee is I won’t be voting for President Biden. The Democratic Party hates God, hates humanity, and hates Christians. If you didn’t know that you are simply not paying attention. Most recently the Democratic Party has shown this by actions taken by President Biden on Easter weekend. On Good Friday President Biden signed a declaration making Easter Sunday the “Transgender Day of Visibility.” Easter Sunday is the most important holiday for Christians, the celebration of resurrection of the Son of God. To declare Easter Sunday to be the “Transgender Day of Visibility” is nothing short of blasphemy. As you would expect this caused quite a bit of backlash from Christians across the country. On Easter Sunday the President doubled down and posted across social media a message to “trans Americans” by twisting Scripture. In it he said, “You are made in the image of God, and you’re worthy of respect and dignity.” That’s true! They are made in the image of God, and they are worthy of respect and dignity, but respect and dignity demands that we do not affirm their delusions. Respect and dignity demands that we care for them by pointing them to truth. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27 emphasis added). God decides our gender not us. God makes no mistakes. There is no such thing as a transgendered person because you cannot change your gender. There is no such thing as a non-binary person because God only makes male and female. This very declaration by President Biden, the leader of the democratic party, is a hundred percent in line with the Democratic Party’s platform. It proves that the Democratic party hates God, humanity, and Christians. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said, “The White House action was an affront to Christianity and to morality, to be sure.” “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:13-16 ESV
There is also the issue of abortion. As Christians we believe that life begins at conception. As Southern Baptists, our doctrinal statement the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 says “We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.” Some try to say that the Christian argument against abortion is new but that could not be further from the truth. The Didache, an early piece of Christian literature dating somewhere between 70AD to 100AD, states, “You shall not murder a child by abortion, nor kill a child at birth.” The Democratic Party platform states “We believe unequivocally, like the majority of Americans, that every woman should be able to access high-quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion.” The platform also calls for the repealing of the Hyde Amendment which would allow your tax dollars to be spent on the murder of babies. Andrew T. Walker, an associate professor of Christian ethics at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said this yesterday in his article for WORLD Opinions, “If the modern Democratic Party has not crossed your moral line at this point, well, you have no moral line for it to cross. The events of this past weekend should prove just how incompatible the Democratic Party is with anything resembling Biblical Christianity.” Christian, the Democratic Party is sick and the fact that a large group of people in this country still support the Democratic Party is proof that our country is lost and in need of a savior. That savior is NOT Donald Trump. That savior is NOT a politician at all. The savior this country needs is not a President but a King, the King of Kings! These sad realities about our country will not be changed at the ballot box. These things will only be changed by a move of God. Do you want to be part of God’s working in this country? Then start sharing the gospel today! Good Friday: Why is it Good?3/29/2024 Photo by Alicia Quan on Unsplash He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24 ESV When I was a kid, I was very confused on why it was called Good Friday. God the Son was murdered in the most awful way possible. So why is it called good? Although I understand now what makes Good Friday “good,” I’m sure there are some still confused. It almost doesn’t feel right to call it Good Friday. I don’t think it is a bad thing to feel this way, in fact I think it is exactly how we should feel. Good Friday should be a day filled with joyful grief. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV Good Friday is good because God the Son died as a sacrifice for our sin so that whoever believes in him will gain eternal life. “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22b ESV). Without Christ’s sacrifice we have no hope. If Christ is not nailed to the cross, if his blood was not poured out, our sins would not be forgiven. We would be left to pay sin’s eternal price. Thanks be to the Eternal Son of God who paid that price for us on the cross! “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV). Not only did God the Son take our sin but He also gives us His own righteousness. Jesus didn’t just wipe our sin debt to zero, he also added to our account His infinite righteousness. Considering this, we can see how just how GOOD, Good Friday is! There is overwhelming joy for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ! Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:26-28 ESV Like I said above Good Friday should be a day filled with joyful grief. There is joy in knowing that we have peace with God, however, the price that had to be paid was great. Before Christ was betrayed, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. Good Friday and the Lord’s Supper should bring us joyful grief. The grief is in understanding that Christ suffered in such an awful way because of OUR sin. “But he was pierced for OUR transgressions; he was crushed for OUR iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5 ESV emphasis added). The sinless Holy Holy Holy Eternal Son of God, the one who created all things and holds all things together, was viciously mocked, beaten, and murdered because of OUR sin. His flesh being broken, and blood poured out, is the price that had to be paid to reverse the curse of OUR sin. We are so undeserving of His sacrifice. This makes me feel like the Psalmist who said “what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:4 ESV). The grief is in remembering what my depravity cost Christ, the joy is in His great love for me that He would die for me! “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 ESV). Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Revelation 5:11-13 ESV What ultimately makes Good Friday good is that God gets the glory! Good Friday was not an accident. Jesus’ death was not a mistake or miscalculation. Jesus’ death was an act of God’s sovereign providence. “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief” (Isaiah 53:10a ESV). This was God’s plan from the beginning! The Lamb who was slain is the object of heaven’s worship! God is glorified in the redemption of man through the sacrifice of the Son of God. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Matthew 27:51a ESV The curtain in the temple represents the separation between God and man because of sin. On Good Friday when Christ died that curtain was torn, showing that through Christ, the Mediator between God and man, we have access to God. Today take time to confess your sins to the Lord and repent. Thank Him for dying for your sins, paying the price you could not. Then take time to join with the angels in heaven and sing “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!” Grieve your sin with joy, knowing that Christ has paid the price! With joy remember Sunday is coming!
The Humility of Christ3/28/2024 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:5 ESV
The day before Christ would go to the cross and die, He did something far beneath Him. When Jesus and His twelve disciples gathered in the upper room to celebrate the Passover meal, it was just them present. There was no servant there to wash their feet. None of the disciples volunteered to take that role and were satisfied to just have stinky, dirty feet. This was not just a servant’s job; it was usually reserved for the lowest servant. No one wanted this job. However, Jesus gets up to do this job. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones of dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17 ESV Jesus is the Eternal Son of God. He is the creator of heaven and earth. He establishes thrones and dominions. He holds all things together. Yet He gets up, kneels, and does the work of a servant. In Luke’s gospel he tells us that during the Passover supper the disciples get in an argument over which one was the greatest. No wonder not even one of them thinks they should do the job of washing feet. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” John 13:6-9 ESV Was Peter confused? Absolutely! Jesus’ response to Peter that “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me” shows us that Jesus washing their feet had a greater meaning. By Jesus doing the job of a servant and washing the disciple’s feet He was humbling himself. The next day Jesus will humble Himself even more so. The Son of God will be mocked, spat upon, beaten, and killed. With His own blood He will wash not feet but souls. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:3-11 ESV As Christians we are called to humility. The Eternal Son of God took on flesh. He humbled Himself as to become human. The Creator of the Universe came down to our level for what reason? To be beaten, mocked, and brutally killed and by doing be a sacrifice for our sin. God served man. As Christians we are to see Christ’s humble act of servanthood as an example to how we are to live our lives. The best way we can be humble and serve others is by sacrificing our time, energy, money, and effort to share the gospel with the world around us. As we enter the Easter weekend pray now and prepare now to share the gospel this weekend! To share the gospel, it will take time it may inconvenience your plans even. But count others more important than yourself. Count other’s eternal souls as more important than your plans. Count the glory of God through the spreading of the gospel more important than yourself! Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents |