Worship Is Spiritual Warfare

2 Chronicles 20:1-20
Originally given at First Southern Baptist Church, Floyds Knobs, Indiana, on July 19, 2009.

Christmas Worship

As the Christmas season rapidly approaches, we are reminded all around us of the spirit of the season, and we often hear the timeless proverb, “It is better to give than to receive.” I have a friend who, every year, feels it is her responsibility to remind the entire world not to forget about Thanksgiving. After the costumes and candy have left the store shelves (and sometimes even before!), the commercial world is immediately overtaken by the sights, sounds, colors, and products of Christmas. While we all enjoy the food and fellowship (and time off from school) that Thanksgiving brings, perhaps we don’t always recognize its significance in the full scope of the year.

In the tradition of Christian worship, we give our offerings as an act of worship in response to our thankfulness for Christ’s sacrifice for us. Author Grace Noll Crowell captures this sentiment wonderfully in the first line of her hymn, “Because I have been given much, I, too, must give.” The spirit of Thanksgiving should spur us on into the spirit of giving we associate with Christmas.

In Matthew 2, we read about the visit of wise men from the east that followed a star to come and worship the Christ child. The scripture says, “…they fell down and worshiped him.” These wise men were not Jewish—they had no stake in the historical religious tradition of Jesus and His coming; and, it is speculated they didn’t even really have a full understanding of His divinity. Jesus was only a child: not yet a teacher, not yet a prophet, not yet the once-for-all sacrifice for the sins of the world. Yet, they came—foreigners, perhaps even quasi-pagans—and brought gifts to offer in worship to the Lord. In a special Christmas text to his popular song, “Offering,” songwriter and worship leader Paul Baloche reminds us of the meaning of our worship:

Over the skies of Bethlehem appeared a star
While angels sang to lowly shepherds.
Three Wisemen seeking truth, they traveled from afar
Hoping to find the child from heaven.
Falling on their knees, they bow before the humble Prince of Peace.

We bring an offering of worship to our King;
No one on earth deserves the praises that we sing.
Jesus, may you receive the honor that you're due.
O Lord, I bring an offering to you.

The sun cannot compare to the glory of your love.
There is no shadow in your presence.
No mortal man would dare to stand before your throne,
Before the Holy One of heaven.
It's only by Your blood, It's only through Your mercy, Lord, I come.

Scripture Meditation - Psalm 37:23-25

Psalm 37:23-26
23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD upholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.

v.23 - When we, as believers, truly delight in obedience (that is, using our capacity for responsibility to live according to God's moral will that He has already revealed, not taking cues from Him like divine "Simon Says"), we can rest assured that our decisions are being established by God.

v.24 - Even when we stumble in sin, His grace convicts us to repentance (a gift that the unregenerate do not experience), and teaches us how to increasingly avoid temptation and discipline ourselves spiritually. His discipline is evidence in itself of our blessings (Hebrews 12)

v.25 - God desires for us to look to the past as evidence of His foreknowledge, not worry about the future. When we look back, we remember times that we made bad decisions or had no idea what was going on, but God was working and weaving it all together. His faithfulness is seen as we remember with thanksgiving.

Gospel-Centered Worship

In his book, Living the Cross Centered Life, C.J. Mahaney says, “Never let the cross slide into second or third place in your life. Never lay it aside. Never move on.” He says if you want to understand more about the Old Testament, never move on from the basic gospel message. If you want to understand more about the return of Christ, never move on from the gospel. If you want to grow in your prayer, personal holiness, or relationships, keep the gospel at the center of your life. Keeping the gospel central in your life means being committed in your response of repentance and love for Christ.

When the gospel becomes the focus of our worship, we keep the cross from becoming peripheral in our Christian life. When the cross becomes our theme each and every week in corporate worship, and each and every day in our lives, we never stop proclaiming the gospel to the lost and we never cease to take for granted the fact that each of us the vilest of sinners, completely devoid of good, and completely helpless to seek after or know God were it not for his matchless grace, mercy, and love that he called us each by name unto himself. This level of humility spurs us on in love for one another and for each and every individual we encounter, loving them with the love of Christ, desiring to see them come to know him and yearning for them to grow in discipleship. In this kind of living we bring glory and honor to God through Christ and we fulfill his Great Commission.

It is my prayer that we see a return to worship in the church in which we put on the blinders of the gospel in such a way that peripheral issues like furniture, service order, music preferences, or decorations take their rightful place as meaningless in the grand scope of eternity. God doesn’t care what color our walls are. There are people in Central America standing barefoot on dirt floors in a church building that they thank God for and praise His name for providing them. God doesn’t care what genre of music we use to sing praises to his name. If we become so careless in our worship as to take our eye off the target of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will have much more to answer for before the throne. As we leave a worship service, we should be asking ourselves, “Was the gospel proclaimed boldly, clearly, and passionately?” I contend that as long as the cross is held high and the gospel is proclaimed fervently, we can be united in our worship together with the assurance that we are bringing glory to God and being faithful to his calling to glory in the Redeemer.

The center of our worship should be the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should worship by praising God for his holiness, for his greatness, for his unattainable majesty and timeless reign over the universe, for his triune nature as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We should worship in such a way that glorifies God in the gospel of Christ. We should worship by confessing and repenting from sin because we have offended the righteousness of Christ. We should worship by thanking God for the gift of Christ and his gospel to save. We should worship in the power of the gospel to vanquish the powers of sin and strengthen us daily. We should worship by committing our lives to Christ because it is the only response to the gift of the cross.

Listen to the Lifeway Worship Project

Marriage is a Lifelong Covenant

Matthew 19:1-12; Malachi 2:14-16

Matthew 19 is an account of a question-answer exchange with Jesus. First, the Pharisees, as they often did, try to trap him in a theological debate with a loaded question. This time, they ask him about divorce.

In verse 3, the Pharisees ask, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" The heart of the question goes to a dispute among Jewish religious leaders of the day. The school of Shammai held that divorce was only permissible due to adultery or infidelity; in fact, it was required by Jewish law in those cases. The school of Hillel believed that men could divorce their wives indiscriminately.

Jesus' first answer is recorded in verses 4-6. His answer is, as is often the case, to not answer an entrapping question directly, but to raise the standard of the premise on which the issue rests.

He directs the Pharisees all they way back to Genesis! He quotes from Genesis 1:27, 5:2, and 2:24, where Scripture says plainly that God created people as male and female so that "a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." Then he makes a bold statement, "What therefore God has joined together let not man separate." His first response is to say, "Hey! You are missing the point. God intended marriage to be a lifelong covenant from the beginning."

So, of course, the Pharisees try again. This time they use sources, and quote Moses in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, and ask, "Why did Moses command divorce?" Jesus corrects them again, by saying no one ever commanded divorce, merely allowed it, because of "hardness of heart". Is this to say Jesus is condoning "irreconcilable difference" divorces? Not at all! The "hardness of heart" he is referring to is sin itself. Jesus says, "From the beginning it was not so." But, since man has fallen and is now prone to sin, there will arise tragic circumstances in which sin has irretrievably damaged marriages. Jesus says you should consider divorce in such cases (of sexual immorality) a provision of God's grace.

Malachi 2:14-16 may help us see why Jesus took such a staunch position when he was questioned about divorced. Malachi is the only book besides Proverbs that uses the word "covenant" to describe marriage. In the book of Malachi, it is made clear that covenants involve 4 conditions: a covenant is 1) a relationship with 2) a nonrelative that 3) involves obligations and 4) is established through an oath or vow. Malachi goes out of his way to refer to marriage as a covenant, in the same way he refers to the Levitical covenant, the covenant of "our fathers" with the Lord, and is the only prophet to use the phrase "messenger of the covenant" in reference to John the Baptist, who, of course, prepares the way for Christ.

Also, Malachi 2:15 refers to the work of the Spirit in fusing the bonds of marriage. The same idea of two becoming one is made clear here, and we see that God as given a portion of His Spirit in establishing the covenant between husband and wife upon their vows.

It has been stated that verse 16 is perhaps the most difficult to translate in all of the Bible. Whether it says "God hates divorce" or "the man who does not love his wife," the indication is that the marriage covenant is not something that is ended lightly. The phrase is translated "does not love" in the ESV is done so because it literally means "to cease to love" or to "love less." Interestingly, the most popular reason for divorce in Jesus' day, as well as in our day, is simply unhappiness or "loss of love."

I am inspired by Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 John 4:7-12 that tell us the true meaning of love, and that when we learn to love as Christ has demonstrated to us, we understand that it is unconditional and sacrificial. In our society it is easy to claim that the Bible's position on divorce is stiff or extreme. But I think this standard is greatly upheld in the same way Jesus answered the Pharisees: that we shouldn't lose sight of God's intention and His standard for our marriages, and that even though we live in a fallen world, we have the gifts of God's Word to guide us and the Christ's love to compel us. And that is the gospel. Praise be to God that we have forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and since we have been saved through Him we can seek to live in ways that please God and that are testimonies to the world of the gospel.

must listen

Every single adult should listen to this message from Joshua Harris:

http://www.covlife.org/resources/28923-Courtship_Shmourtship

If you've read the book, you will love this sermon.

If you haven't read the book, this will make you want to!

battling unbelief part 2

There are several songs we sing in worship services that are geared toward preparing our hearts to heard the Word of God. The song Ancient Words by Lynn DeShazo says, “We have come with open hearts, oh, let the ancient words impart.” Keith and Kristyn Getty’s hymn Speak, O Lord is a prayer in which we ask God to speak to us through the Word. “Take Your truth, plant it deep in us…test our thoughts and our attitudes...” Finally, Paul Baloche’s popular song Open the Eyes of My Heart says we want the Lord to open our hearts to see His glory and holiness.

Too often, I’m afraid, we sing words that we don’t mean. We bring our emotional and spiritual baggage with us to worship, and rather than sacrificing it at the altar, we sit with it in our laps wondering why a loving God would call us to such difficulty or suffering. On the other hand, I have been in worship services where I was so preoccupied with something good that I sat smugly without paying real attention to what the Lord might have me to hear. Whatever the case, we are clearly called to lay everything on the altar of sacrifice before the Lord and humbly live the entirety of our lives in His love, care, and grace. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” In 2 Chronicles 20, when Judah faced an unstoppable enemy, King Jehoshaphat prays, “We are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (v.12). Later, the Lord reminds them, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s” (v.15).

Jehoshaphat believed in God’s faithfulness and deliverance. How much better could we be equipped to deal with life’s struggles if we prayed like Jehoshaphat? What if rather than allowing our problems and struggles, or even our joys, to get in the way, we confessed our unbelief of not allowing Christ complete Lordship in our lives, and approached Him in humility. We do not know what to do, so let us focus our eyes on Him.

Psalm 55:23 goes on to say, “He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Righteousness comes through forgiveness, and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain. There is strength in His name and there is power in His Word. If there is any comfort to be found in times of sorrow or suffering, it is through the Word of God. Instead of keeping up our obstacles that distract us in worship, let us vanquish the power of unbelief in our lives and live fully under the grace of Christ, giving up all that we have to Him.

The second verse of Gettys’ hymn ends with the lines, “Words of power that can never fail, Let their truth prevail over unbelief.” May this be our constant prayer, so Satan will lose his foothold in our hearts, and we will experience the fullness and richness of God’s compassion, mercy, peace, comfort, and love.

preparing for marriage

Being single in our culture and society is an interesting and challenging experience. For many singles, finding a partner for life has become the very definition of happiness in life and therefore the driving purpose of living. In order to prepare myself for a future marriage that reflects what the Bible prescribes marriage to be in Ephesians 5, I propose the following redefinitions.

First, we need to redefine our attitudes as single adults. Our world has come up with so many ways to find a date: from pick-up lines to online dating to a friendly and well-intentioned "set-up," we are obsessed with dating and we have elevated it to a place that causes an unhealthy amount of anxiety, pressure, and distraction. We need to reflect the Christ-like attitude of contentment and hopefulness in God's sovereignty in all things, including our future spouse. As regenerate beings called to be transformed by the grace of God, we should heed the words of Psalm 37 and focus more on God's grace than our problems that need solving. The Psalm says to "delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Too often we try to turn this upside down, delighting ourselves in our own desires and hoping for the Lord's blessing. Even if our desires are totally pure and right, we have no way of dictating or predicting God's timing or purposes. Ephesians 5:15-17 likewise admonishes us to make the best use of our time to "understand what the will of the Lord is."

Secondly, we need to redefine what "love" means to us. We need to redefine love as selfLESS rather than self-centered. We need a radical transformation in our attitudes toward love. Rather than seeking after what we need to be happy, we should view love as the act of seeking after how to best serve others. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says, "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." In his book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Joshua Harris writes, "The Bible teaches us that if we truly trust in Jesus Christ, we die to our old way of living. And we can no longer live for ourselves—we now live for God and for the good of others. Because of that, relationship with the opposite sex can no longer be about 'having a good time” or “learning what I want in a relationship.' They’re not to be about getting, but giving. Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. To lay down our desires and do what’s in his or her best interest. To care for him or her even when there’s nothing in it for us. To want that person’s purity and holiness because it pleases God."

Finally, we need to redefine how we view the marriage relationship itself. Ephesians 5:22-33 is a wonderful passage about Christ's love for the Church that uses God's institution of marriage as a beautiful illustration. We need to radically change our understanding of marriage to realize that God did not ordain the institution of marriage primarily for our pleasure or happiness, but for His glory in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Marriage is a wonderful thing that brings great joy, but also equips both husband and wife to more faithfully live and proclaim the gospel. Gary and Betsy Ricucci, writers of Love That Lasts, answer the question "What is marriage?" Part of that answer deals with Ephesians 5: "One of the most beautiful analogies God uses to define His relationship with us is that of a marriage. To grasp this is both inspirational and sobering. People should be able to look at our marriages and say. 'So that’s what the church is like? That’s what it means to have a relationship with Jesus?' God intends to cultivate the same abundant, unconditional love between a husband and wife as He Himself has for us. Marriage is a profound and marvelous mystery established by God for His glory."

I encourage single adults in the church to make these redefinitions and begin practicing Christlike patience, hopefulness, love, and humility in order to prepare yourselves for an Ephesians 5 marriage. I also encourage married couples in the church to practice demonstrating what a true Ephesians 5 marriage looks like. Church, encourage singles to "make the best use of time" and live to serve Christ during the unique time of singleness rather than being driven to find a spouse. Singleness is not a problem that needs fixing. It is a blessing from God and an opportunity to serve Him in a unique way, preparing, praying, and practicing for a future life in marriage that will represent the gospel of Jesus Christ, His great love for us, and bring honor and glory to Him alone.

battling unbelief part 1

When trials come no longer fear
For in the pain our God draws near
To fire a faith worth more than gold
And there His faithfulness is told
And there His faithfulness is told

Within the night I know Your peace
The breath of God brings strength to me
And new each morning mercy flows
As treasures of the darkness grow
As treasures of the darkness grow

I turn to Wisdom not my own
For every battle You have known
My confidence will rest in You
Your love endures Your ways are good
Your love endures Your ways are good

When I am weary with the cost
I see the triumph of the cross
So in it's shadow I shall run
Till He completes the work begun
Till He completes the work begun

One day all things will be made new
I'll see the hope You called me to
And in your kingdom paved with gold
I'll praise your faithfulness of old
I'll praise your faithfulness of old

Keith & Kristyn Getty
Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

What a powerful song. I can recall several moments in my life when I have reached my emotional rock-bottom, praying to God in humility and confession and deprecation to grant me just the peace to sleep through the night and wake up to battle the emotional and spiritual storm I was facing at that time during my life. And he did. And my circumstances didn't magically change. The problems didn't go away. But there came a point when I realized that if I really believed the gospel, if I really placed my faith and hope in Christ, if I really believed all the songs I'd sung and sermons I'd heard -- if I really believed that Jesus Christ endured the shame, excruciating pain, torment, agony, suffering, bleeding, and death of the cross -- if I really believe in that God, then I would be a fool to think that his grace was not sufficient to see me through my problems--problems that are pitifully insignificant in light of the awesome weight of the sin of all mankind.

How often do we really consider the fact that our trials are God's hand completing his work begun in us? Do we count treasures from the darkness? Do we really believe that in the pain, God draws near? Do we make the cross central in our lives to such a degree that even in the most obscure or complicated problems, simple annoyances or life-altering tragedies, disappointments or failures we can be found remembering the gospel? I fear that all too often it is quite the opposite. Rather than celebrating our trials as evidence for the triumph of the cross and testimony of the faithfulness of God, we would rather question him, tell him he has forsaken us -- our spirits of thankfulness ceases and we forget the promise that every morning his mercy will be made new.

May we always seek the wisdom of God and his love in Christ during our times of trouble. May we carry on with the faith that he has called us to sacrifice, that he is making us holy, and that he will draw near to grant a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Essential Element of Worship: Commitment

In a sense, commitment is the epitome of worship. Despite the thorough treatment we have given the topic in the past months, without this last essential element, worship is incomplete—rather, it has not taken place at all.

That’s because true worship IS the gospel message. And the full gospel message ends with a complete and total response. It’s not about just understanding the message, but responding to it in sacrifice, service, and love toward God and other people. Not just proclaiming the power of the gospel to change lives, but demonstrating that transformation with your life by pursuing holiness. Not just marveling in the magnitude of God’s saving grace, but making it the center of your life.

In his book, Living the Cross Centered Life (highly recommended), C.J. Mahaney says, “Never let the cross slide into second or third place in your life. Never lay it aside. Never move on.” He says if you want to understand more about the Old Testament, never move on from the basic gospel message. If you want to understand more about the return of Christ, never move on from the gospel. If you want to grow in your prayer, personal holiness, or relationships, keep the gospel at the center of your life. Keeping the gospel central in your life means being committed in your response of repentance and love for Christ.

Isaiah 6:1-8 is a picture of worship, but most importantly it is a picture of the gospel. Along with Isaiah, as we live with the knowledge and transformation of the atoning grace of God, made possible only by the sacrifice of the Lamb on the altar, our response should be that of immediate and enthusiastic commitment: “Here am I! Send me.”

FSBC Worship Choir Fall Kickoff 2009!

FSBC Family Night in Bardstown

Essential Element: Celebration

‘For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:24

True worship is the celebration of being in covenant fellowship with the sovereign and holy triune God, by means of: the reverent adoration and spontaneous praise of God's nature and works; the expressed commitment of trust and obedience to the covenant responsibilities, and the memorial reenactment of entering into covenant through ritual acts, all with the confident anticipation of the fulfillment of the covenant promises in glory. – Allen Ross, Recalling the Hope of Glory

Celebration is an idea that many have a hard time associating with Christian worship, including myslef. I remember the first time I saw a church label its Sunday morning worship time a “worship celebration.” It made me very uncomfortable. “How superficial!” I thought, as I reasoned that this new title for a worship service was merely another casualty of the growing trend toward prosperity-gospel preaching, designed to make people feel better about themselves as they joined together for “happy time” on Sunday morning. I thought it trivialized worship.

As I wrestled with this idea, I began searching through Scripture for the way it uses the word “celebrate” as compared to our modern definition and connotations. The Merriam-Webster dictionary echoes two main ideas for what a “celebration” means. First it says that to celebrate is “to perform (a sacrament or solemn ceremony) publicly and with appropriate rites” or “to hold up or play up for public notice.” Second, the dictionary says, “to honor especially by solemn ceremonies or by refraining from ordinary business, to mark by festivities or other deviation from routine.”

Thinking of worship as a celebration should help us understand that worship is a public, corporate, visible endeavor. This aspect of worship highlights the collective nature of the church. We are not called to be many individual worshipers—we are called to be one church celebrating the glory of Christ and our commitment to Him together, openly. Thinking of worship as celebration should also help us remember that the church’s worship services represent a break from our routines, setting aside time to come together as a family in Christ.

This is much different than my first impression. Understood correctly, celebrative worship doesn’t mean “feel-good” worship. We are not to ignore the presence of sin in order for a church service to make us feel like we are “just alright.” On the other hand, neither are we to sit in silent confession continually lamenting our guilt before a Holy God. Professor Carl Stam writes, “There [are many] that [have] a hard time celebrating. (So serious about sin and our broken and wicked condition. All of which is true, but is only part of the story. ‘There is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.’) So much of the ‘celebration worship’ is designed to soften our human condition and cheer us into the kingdom. You can't have one without the other. The doctrines of grace, the biblical balance of Creation-Fall-Redemption-Glorious Culmination in Christ is the full story.”

True celebration comes out of the recognition of what salvation really means. The full story of the gospel is our need for a Savior as well as our assurance of that Savior. We were dead, but now we live. Lost, but now we are found. Let us celebrate!

Old-Earth Creationism Reading

"Now, when it comes to the days of Genesis...I'm of the view on this that while we ought not allow science to dictate to us our exegesis of the Old Testament, nevertheless, if there is an interpretation of the Old Testament that is exegetically permissible-- that is, and old age interpretation; that is to say, if you can find conservative, inerrantist, evangelical Old Testament scholars that say that the interpretation of this text that treats the days of Genesis as unspecified periods of time, and that is a completely permissible thing to do on exegetical grounds alone, then my view is that that is a permissible option if it harmonizes the text with science because that option can be justified exegetically, independent of science.
Now...I'm not a Hebrew exegete. But I will tell you that two of the best-known exegetes of the Old Testament in the American evangelical community are Gleason Archer at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Walter Kaiser at Gordon Conwell. Walter Kaiser and Gleason Archer are respected in the entire United States as being faithful expositors of the Old Testament. Both of them know eight to ten Old Testament languages, and they both have spent their entire lives in Hebrew exegesis. Both of them believe the days of Genesis are...vast, unspecified periods of time, and are in no way required to be literal twenty-four hour days."
- Christian Apologist and Philosopher J.P. Moreland

Progressive Creationism Overview
Some Categorized Readings
A great overview of various positions

One of these things is not like the others...

Here is some reporting concerning the SBTS School of Church Music changes:
First, The official press release from SBTS (and the only story the SBC printed)
Now check out The Associated Baptist Press (CBF) article and The Courier-Journal article.

Could the seminary have made their spin any more obvious? It's like you use the restroom and the toliet water hits you in the face. Then, as you leave, on the back of the door there is a sign: "WARNING: Toliet water may hit you in the face."

Essential Element of Worship: Confession

"[Confession] used to be a necessary element in any genuinely Christian service. But it is not happening today because there is so little awareness of God. Instead of coming to church to admit our transgressions and seek forgiveness, we come to church to be told that we are really pretty nice people who do not need forgiveness. We are such busy people, in fact, that God should actually be pleased that we have taken time out of our busy schedules to come to church at all."

– James Montgomery Boice, theologian and pastor

How should we approach God? After we have given him the praise due his holy name, and acknowledged his true nature, in what way then should we continue into his presence. Isaiah chapter six and the Psalms give us insight.

Consider what attitudes are absent from the scriptural account of Isaiah’s encounter with the Lord: First, Isaiah was not simply unmoved or apathetic, sitting with his arms folded as the glory of God was proclaimed. On the contrary, he writes the experience, “…the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke” (Isaiah 6:4). A clear vision of the one, true God wasn’t a neatly packaged product for which Isaiah had false expectations and presumptions. The mere voice of the seraphim proclaiming God’s holiness shakes the heavens.

Second, Isaiah did not act as though being in the presence of God was a state of comfort and familiarity. The presence of God is disturbing to unholy creatures, because sin is not permitted in the presence of holiness, and indeed the very sight of God would be fatal to a sinner. Instead, Isaiah confessed his sin and the sin of his people. He was distressed at the truth of the presence before him and knew that he must confess this sin in order to even be there.

Scripture is abundantly clear on the necessity of acknowledging our sin before a holy God. Psalm 51 says, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” Again, Psalm 130 pleads with the Lord, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!...If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” 1 John 1 gives us a wonderful promise along with a grave warning. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:9-10).

Apart from confession of sin, we as individuals have no claim to the grace of God. We have no righteousness apart from grace, yet we are commanded to worship in righteousness. This is the gospel message, and our corporate worship as the gathered church should be a representation of the gospel in its fullness. If, then, we are to truly worship, we, as a church, must approach God in a spirit of humility and confession of sin. We should sing and pray our confession together, acknowledging our sin—for it is through confession that the fullness of the power of God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ is realized. Then, and only then, may we rise as co-heirs with Christ and approach the throne of God boldly, eager to receive his word and willingly respond in service and sacrifice.

Reflections on Choir Tour

What a wonderful week! The time of singing, sharing, laughing, and talking has been outstanding. It is truly a blessing to enjoy the fellowship and building up of the people in the choir, but also the many wonderful believers we meet along the way. So many people are so gracious and welcoming, letting us stay in their homes and visit with them briefly. It is very encouraging.

It has been such a tremendous blessing, and such a wonderful time of retreat, meditation, and growth over the past week. I'm so thankful for such talented musicians who realize we can believe the message we sing and at the same time perform to the utmost standard of excellence, through rigorous musical training, rehearsal, and education that brings great glory to a great God. I pray that this attitude endures at our seminary, so we do not put to waste the wonderful complexity, intracacy, wonder, magic, emotion, challenge, and effective, gospel-proclaiming gift that is music to its fullest realization that we as humans have discovered in God's magnificent Creation. May we seek to honor him through our discipline and devotion to the wonder of music that he has created for us to discover, to use, and with which to create praises to his name.

Lost Theories

Check out this site attempting to explain the coherence of Lost! Intriguing to say the least. (click the title of this post)

So many people are trying to explain what's going on in this crazy show. I would like to just sit back and let it all unfold, but the more you watch the less you know! There are many potential philosophical applications, as well, primarily involving theories of time and space.

You have to appreciate the brilliant writing, though.

Age of the Earth Controversy

I have recently gone "back on the fence" over the "age of the earth controversy" among evangelical creationists. I found several good skeptical articles that are worth reading on a topic that is primarily dominated by the young earth camp among evangelical circles.

http://www.ijfm.org/PDFs_IJFM/20_4_PDFs/121_Cabal.pdf

http://reclaimingthemind.org/papers/ets/2001/Cabal/Cabal.html

http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/85

Essential Element: Scripture

On Sunday, March 1, we read the following together during our worship service as an affirmation of faith in one of our most important doctrines:

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

This statement, taken directly from the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), is an important declaration of our confidence in Scripture as the definitive revelation of God to man. As Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. explains, “The Bible is not merely a record of revelation. It is revelation itself. The Bible is not a fallible witness to the revelation of God. It is God’s perfectly inspired Word.”
Scripture is a crucial element of Christian worship, and we make Scripture a central focus in three distinct ways. First, we must read aloud the words of Scripture. Sometimes one person reads a passage, sometimes we read a passage in unison, and other times we read responsively. All of these help us to ensure we are constantly focused on the Word as guide to our worship.

Further, Scripture is kept central through its exposition. Expository preaching is the intentional proclamation of the Word in a way that unpacks its truth for the people of God to clearly understand. David Platt, senior pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, says, “If preaching is not expository, then it’s not preaching.” He goes on to clarify that “the purpose of preaching is to glorify God, and we magnify the glory of God by magnifying His voice, by magnifying what He has said.”

Finally, everything else that happens in our worship must be tried by the standard of Scripture, and be done for the purpose of the propagation of its message. The words of the songs we sing should be vetted and scrutinized against the truth of Scripture, regardless of how catchy, fun, or emotionally moving the music may be. A beautiful-sounding song, performed with great musicality, but with a text that contradicts or misconstrues the message of Scripture, is nonetheless dishonoring to God.

If we desire to worship God “in spirit and in truth,” we are dependent on the truth of Scripture to direct us in what we teach, preach, and sing. If we desire to honor Jesus Christ, the “Word made flesh,” in our worship, we must honor the written Word, which Christ himself exalted even as high as his own name. If we desire to “draw near to God,” we must seek to experience Him through his revealed Word, over any spiritual experience, intuition, or emotion. Praise be to God for the gift of his eternal Word. In the words of the hymn writer:

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

Essential Element: Praise

The fist Essential Element of Worship is praise. Perhaps this causes some confusion: the terminology is very important here. The “Praise and Worship” movement of recent years is simply a musical style trend, using the familiar words to label the movement and add ecclesiastical credibility to its music. The biblical concepts of “praise” and “worship” should not become separated as mutually exclusive in our minds. Scripture is clear that this is not the case. Worship is a broad concept that still has theologians and scholars trying to develop a full, comprehensive definition of it. And indeed, many have in very different yet applicable ways. For example, look up the definitions of worship by Gary Furr, John Piper, William Temple, David Peterson, D.A. Carson, John Frame, or Donald Hustad (just to name a few!)

Praise, however, is much more clearly defined. Praise is our act of expressing the greatness, holiness, and worthiness (among other attributes) of God. First, we are to seek a true vision of who God is and what God is like. Our pastor made a very insightful observation in his sermon on February 8. He said that you can often differentiate young or immature believers from mature disciples by the nature of their prayers. Less mature believers, he said, will continually thank God for what he has done, but the more mature Christians seek to first acknowledge God for his unique attributes and thank him not only for what He has done but for who He is.

In Isaiah 6, we see that the presence of God is continually accompanied by praise. The angels proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” This description first acknowledges for us that indeed Isaiah had approached the throne of the one true and living God; but it also gives us, even in its brevity, several of His attributes. From this short ascription we can derive that God is holy, set apart, and righteous; we see he is omnipotent, omnipresent, and that he is the Creator; and, we see that he is worthy to receive honor, glory, and praise.

We cannot fully worship God without praising Him. May our lips and hearts be filled with the praises of God for who He is.

Essential Elements of Worship

What guides us as we determine what we do in our worship services? Is there a place in Scripture that gives us the ideal service outline, telling us where to put the announcements, how many songs to sing, or what instruments to use? Despite the inclusion of a 150-chapter hymnal in the center of the Bible (Psalms), any reference to corporate worship leaves us without specific details regarding the look, feel, order, structure, or sound of our worship gatherings.

However, the Bible does give us very clear principles that we can and should use as guidelines for corporate worship. These guidelines are what I would like to refer to as the “Essential Elements of Worship.” Through a careful examination of several key passages, and the context of these within the full counsel of Scripture, five distinct “non-negotiables” that we must prioritize in our acts of corporate worship emerge.

The primary reference for many of these concepts is Isaiah 6:1-8. In this passage, Isaiah describes his encounter with the Lord. Isaiah’s encounter with God tells us much about God himself and how he desires us to communicate with him. First, Isaiah sees the Lord, and his vision is accompanied by the praise of the angels (vv.1-3), which is itself quotation of Scripture. Then, Isaiah’s immediate reaction is to recognize his lowliness in comparison to God, and confess his sin and unworthiness (vv.4-5). The Lord’s response is grace, as the angel offers to Isaiah redemption through the sacrifice of the altar (vv.6-7), an image that is clearly reminiscent of our salvation through Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Psalms, expressions of praise are abundant, but also expressions of thanksgiving for God’s providence and redemption of His people. As New Testament believers, heirs in the new covenant, what greater act of providence can we attest to than the provision of a savior? Indeed, we celebrate the ultimate act of God’s redemption as we recall and proclaim the Gospel Story.

Finally, Isaiah hears God’s call to service, and in light of the grace he has received, unquestioningly responds in enthusiastic commitment (v. 8).The essential elements of Isaiah’s encounter with God, as well as other instances in Scripture, include praise, Scripture, confession, celebration, and commitment. In the coming months, we will explore each of these elements more closely, discovering what each of them means in terms of what and how in our corporate worship gatherings together.

Anything Genuine

Smalltown Poets
Anything Genuine

To test this gold for its worth is the same as testing me
And the fire burns easily today
The net is the good that's left after the metal is refined
As I melt, look at what I've got and
Separate it all from what I need

I'll take anything, anything genuine.
Looking up from where I went I could take whatever I get
I'll take anything, anything genuine


More interesting is my faith than the fear of what I'll miss
And those things are temporary anyway
Still on this side getting fit for a faith that's been tried
And I smile more believably while getting just enough to know I need

I'll take anything, anything genuine
Looking up from where I went, I could take whatever I get
Falling from Your hands or falling from Your lips
As long as it's from You, I know that I can take it, I can take it
And I'll rejoice.