"But thanks be to God that yet while we were sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:6
solus christus
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Importance of the Gospel in the Life of the believer
What's Up,
The glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ is just that - GLORIOUS!!!
A Holy Hip Hop artist put it like this... "He's Glorious, tell a friend He wins, He's victorious... Check the headlines... there's a deadline... when it come to the glory Jesus said I'ma get mine..."
And Jesus has done that throughout all eternity... get glory from needy sinners such as us. What God has done for us in the person of Jesus is of utmost importance in the life of the believer. We could spend the rest of our lives trying to unpack all that is for the believer in Christ and Christ alone... (hence Solus Christus) Just when you think you've gotten it, you only find out that you've just tipped the iceberg of the greatness of God.
During our last chop up session we ended with the question, "What are 3 ways in which the gospel is important in the life of the believer?"
We were all given a ton of scripture to help find the answers and they are:
Luke 7:50; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:14; Philippians 2:12-13; Romans 8:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 10:36; and 1 John 3:2.
Now, I understand that the gospel is important to the believer in more ways than 3 so let me hear your thoughts... supported by scripture
Post your comments throughout the week and we'll chop it up this thursday on the SC HOUR @ 9 pm....
SOLUS CHRISTUS...
The glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ is just that - GLORIOUS!!!
A Holy Hip Hop artist put it like this... "He's Glorious, tell a friend He wins, He's victorious... Check the headlines... there's a deadline... when it come to the glory Jesus said I'ma get mine..."
And Jesus has done that throughout all eternity... get glory from needy sinners such as us. What God has done for us in the person of Jesus is of utmost importance in the life of the believer. We could spend the rest of our lives trying to unpack all that is for the believer in Christ and Christ alone... (hence Solus Christus) Just when you think you've gotten it, you only find out that you've just tipped the iceberg of the greatness of God.
During our last chop up session we ended with the question, "What are 3 ways in which the gospel is important in the life of the believer?"
We were all given a ton of scripture to help find the answers and they are:
Luke 7:50; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:14; Philippians 2:12-13; Romans 8:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 10:36; and 1 John 3:2.
Now, I understand that the gospel is important to the believer in more ways than 3 so let me hear your thoughts... supported by scripture
Post your comments throughout the week and we'll chop it up this thursday on the SC HOUR @ 9 pm....
SOLUS CHRISTUS...
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Griff and Omar On Things Eternal....
Watch Griff and Omar of Team Sozo chop it up on things eternal...
Your thoughts...
SOLUS CHRISTUS!!!
Your thoughts...
SOLUS CHRISTUS!!!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Glory of Rescuing Sinners, Not Removing Satan
From John Piper's "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ."
This is Chapter 9 titled: "The Glory of Rescuing Sinners, not removing Satan - The Saving Sacrifice of Jesus Christ."
If this was ESPN I would call this "an instant classic!!" Read at your leisure.
Enjoy... SOLUS CHRISTUS!!
The glory of Christ is seen in his absolute right and power to annihilate or incapacitate Satan and all demons. But the reason he refrains from destroying and disabling them altogether is to manifest more clearly his superior beauty and worth. If Christ obliterated all devils and demons now (which he could do), his sheer power would be seen as glorious, but his superior beauty and worth would not shine as brightly as when humans renounce the promises of Satan and take pleasure in the greater glory of Christ.
The devil and his angels are irredeemable. Jesus implies this when he says “eternal fire [has been] prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). And Jude confirms it when he says that the fallen angels are being “kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day” (Verse 6). Therefore, the reason Christ withholds his judgment from them now is not to give them a chance to repent and be saved.
Then why not obliterate them altogether, or at least paralyze their harmful influence? Is it because they have free will (in the sense of ultimate self-determination) and Christ cannot stop them? No. Too many texts illustrate the right and power of Christ to restrain and remove Satan and his demons. For example, 1) “[Christ] commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him” (Mark 1:27). 2) When Satan does act in freedom, it is only by divine permission. “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31-31). 3) Even though Paul’s “thorn… in the flesh” is a “messenger of Satan,” nevertheless Christ makes it serve Paul’s humility and the display of Christ’s own power (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). 4) In the end, God will bind Satan for a thousand years, then finally, throw him into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:2, 10). Therefore, the decision to leave Satan in the world is not because Christ does not have the right and power to remove him. What, then, is the reason?
Christ must have a very high stake in the ongoing existence of Satan, because, even though he has the right and power to annihilate him now, he defeats him in stages at the cost of his own life. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). But how did he do this? Hebrews 2:14 gives one answer: “He himself likewise partook of the same things [human nature], that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, this is, the devil. In other words, Christ became human so that he could die, and by dying “destroy” the devil.
This means that Christ’s aim in defeating the devil must be something different from the mere removal of Satan’s deadly influence. He could have accomplished that with one command: “Go to hell!” And the devil would have obeyed- as one day he will! What then is the kind of defeat Christ achieved over Satan? And why is it superior to the simple removal of Satan out of history?
The key is that Satan is defeated by the death of Jesus. Paul puts it this way, referring to the death of Christ: “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:25). In what sense did he disarm Satan’s “rulers and authorities”? Satan still blinds (2 Corinthians 4:4) and tempts (1 Thessalonians 3:5) and deceives (Revelation 20:3) and casts into prison (Revelation 2:10) and takes captive (2 Timothy 2:26) and destroys flesh (1Corithians 5:5). He does not look disarmed or destroyed. How then is he disarmed by the death of Jesus?
One answer is that the death of Jesus nullified the damning effect of sin for all who trust in Christ. The weapon of soul-destroying sin and guilt is taken out of Satan’s hand. He is disarmed of the single weapon that can condemn us- unforgiven sin. We see this in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; “’O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Why is sin the sting of death? Because only unforgiven sin can condemn the soul and make death a door to hell, not heaven. Therefore, the way that Satan can destroy the soul is not by séances or apparitions or sickness or persecution, but only by securing the guilt of our sin. “But thanks be to God,” Paul says, “who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Christ also suffered once for sin, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). If our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, Satan has no damning weapon against us. He can hurt us, and even kill us, but he cannot condemn us. This is what Hebrews 2:14 meant when it said that by death Christ “destroy[ed] the one who has the power of death.” Satan had “the power of death” in the sense that he wielded the lethal sting of death. But now by the blood of Christ our sins are forgiven, and Satan’s soul-destroying power is nullified for all who are in Christ. There is no condemnation-from Satan or anyone.
You can see it again in the words “The sting of death is sin, and the power if sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56). If sin is the lethal sting of death; it is because the law fixes an eternal penalty for sin. “The wages of sin is [eternal] death” (Romans 6:23). But when Christ died as our perfect substitute, Paul says that God “cancel[ed] the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands… he set [it] aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). So the weapon of the law was taken out of Satan’s hand. He cannot use it to condemn the people of God.
Now without sin and law to condemn and accuse and oppress us, Satan is a defeated foe. He is disarmed. Christ has triumphed over him, not by putting him out of existence, but by letting him live and watch while millions of saints find forgiveness for their sins and turn their back on Satan because of the greater glory of the grace of Christ.
It was a costly triumph. But God’s values are not so easily reckoned. If God had simply terminated Satan, then it would not have been so clear that God is both stronger and infinitely more to be desired than Satan. God wills for his glory to shine forth not only though acts of physical power, but also through acts of moral and spiritual power that display the beauty of his grace with lavish colors. To take sinners out of Satan’s hands by virtue of Christ’s sin bearing sacrifice and his law-fulfilling obedience to the Father was a more glorious victory than mere annihilation of the enemy.
A Prayer
Heavenly Father, we are sobered that you would regard the glory of your Son so highly that it would be worth the ongoing existence of Satan to make it fully known. We are ashamed that we have murmured about the battles of life when we should have made every effort to magnify your Christ-exalting reason for giving the enemy so much leash. Forgive us for failing to see your holy purposes. And now, O God, by the blood of your Son, our Savior, give us victory over Satan. Grant us to see and savor the superior worth of Christ. Let us shame Satan by making much of Jesus. Grant us to glory in the work of the cross. Help us to cherish the finished work of Christ that disarmed Satan and took the sting out of death. Teach us how to fight by faith against the power of sin, in the confidence that Christ has purchased our forgiveness and secured the triumph of all who trust in him. Turn every evil design of the devil into sanctifying schemes of love. Deliver us from his deceptions. Keep the beauty of Christ clear in the eyes of our heart. Make us instruments of Satan’s defeat until you come and slay him by the breath of your mouth. Make us valiant in delivering other by the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, your great Gospel. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
This is Chapter 9 titled: "The Glory of Rescuing Sinners, not removing Satan - The Saving Sacrifice of Jesus Christ."
If this was ESPN I would call this "an instant classic!!" Read at your leisure.
Enjoy... SOLUS CHRISTUS!!
The glory of Christ is seen in his absolute right and power to annihilate or incapacitate Satan and all demons. But the reason he refrains from destroying and disabling them altogether is to manifest more clearly his superior beauty and worth. If Christ obliterated all devils and demons now (which he could do), his sheer power would be seen as glorious, but his superior beauty and worth would not shine as brightly as when humans renounce the promises of Satan and take pleasure in the greater glory of Christ.
The devil and his angels are irredeemable. Jesus implies this when he says “eternal fire [has been] prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). And Jude confirms it when he says that the fallen angels are being “kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day” (Verse 6). Therefore, the reason Christ withholds his judgment from them now is not to give them a chance to repent and be saved.
Then why not obliterate them altogether, or at least paralyze their harmful influence? Is it because they have free will (in the sense of ultimate self-determination) and Christ cannot stop them? No. Too many texts illustrate the right and power of Christ to restrain and remove Satan and his demons. For example, 1) “[Christ] commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him” (Mark 1:27). 2) When Satan does act in freedom, it is only by divine permission. “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31-31). 3) Even though Paul’s “thorn… in the flesh” is a “messenger of Satan,” nevertheless Christ makes it serve Paul’s humility and the display of Christ’s own power (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). 4) In the end, God will bind Satan for a thousand years, then finally, throw him into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:2, 10). Therefore, the decision to leave Satan in the world is not because Christ does not have the right and power to remove him. What, then, is the reason?
Christ must have a very high stake in the ongoing existence of Satan, because, even though he has the right and power to annihilate him now, he defeats him in stages at the cost of his own life. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). But how did he do this? Hebrews 2:14 gives one answer: “He himself likewise partook of the same things [human nature], that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, this is, the devil. In other words, Christ became human so that he could die, and by dying “destroy” the devil.
This means that Christ’s aim in defeating the devil must be something different from the mere removal of Satan’s deadly influence. He could have accomplished that with one command: “Go to hell!” And the devil would have obeyed- as one day he will! What then is the kind of defeat Christ achieved over Satan? And why is it superior to the simple removal of Satan out of history?
The key is that Satan is defeated by the death of Jesus. Paul puts it this way, referring to the death of Christ: “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:25). In what sense did he disarm Satan’s “rulers and authorities”? Satan still blinds (2 Corinthians 4:4) and tempts (1 Thessalonians 3:5) and deceives (Revelation 20:3) and casts into prison (Revelation 2:10) and takes captive (2 Timothy 2:26) and destroys flesh (1Corithians 5:5). He does not look disarmed or destroyed. How then is he disarmed by the death of Jesus?
One answer is that the death of Jesus nullified the damning effect of sin for all who trust in Christ. The weapon of soul-destroying sin and guilt is taken out of Satan’s hand. He is disarmed of the single weapon that can condemn us- unforgiven sin. We see this in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; “’O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Why is sin the sting of death? Because only unforgiven sin can condemn the soul and make death a door to hell, not heaven. Therefore, the way that Satan can destroy the soul is not by séances or apparitions or sickness or persecution, but only by securing the guilt of our sin. “But thanks be to God,” Paul says, “who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Christ also suffered once for sin, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). If our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, Satan has no damning weapon against us. He can hurt us, and even kill us, but he cannot condemn us. This is what Hebrews 2:14 meant when it said that by death Christ “destroy[ed] the one who has the power of death.” Satan had “the power of death” in the sense that he wielded the lethal sting of death. But now by the blood of Christ our sins are forgiven, and Satan’s soul-destroying power is nullified for all who are in Christ. There is no condemnation-from Satan or anyone.
You can see it again in the words “The sting of death is sin, and the power if sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56). If sin is the lethal sting of death; it is because the law fixes an eternal penalty for sin. “The wages of sin is [eternal] death” (Romans 6:23). But when Christ died as our perfect substitute, Paul says that God “cancel[ed] the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands… he set [it] aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). So the weapon of the law was taken out of Satan’s hand. He cannot use it to condemn the people of God.
Now without sin and law to condemn and accuse and oppress us, Satan is a defeated foe. He is disarmed. Christ has triumphed over him, not by putting him out of existence, but by letting him live and watch while millions of saints find forgiveness for their sins and turn their back on Satan because of the greater glory of the grace of Christ.
It was a costly triumph. But God’s values are not so easily reckoned. If God had simply terminated Satan, then it would not have been so clear that God is both stronger and infinitely more to be desired than Satan. God wills for his glory to shine forth not only though acts of physical power, but also through acts of moral and spiritual power that display the beauty of his grace with lavish colors. To take sinners out of Satan’s hands by virtue of Christ’s sin bearing sacrifice and his law-fulfilling obedience to the Father was a more glorious victory than mere annihilation of the enemy.
A Prayer
Heavenly Father, we are sobered that you would regard the glory of your Son so highly that it would be worth the ongoing existence of Satan to make it fully known. We are ashamed that we have murmured about the battles of life when we should have made every effort to magnify your Christ-exalting reason for giving the enemy so much leash. Forgive us for failing to see your holy purposes. And now, O God, by the blood of your Son, our Savior, give us victory over Satan. Grant us to see and savor the superior worth of Christ. Let us shame Satan by making much of Jesus. Grant us to glory in the work of the cross. Help us to cherish the finished work of Christ that disarmed Satan and took the sting out of death. Teach us how to fight by faith against the power of sin, in the confidence that Christ has purchased our forgiveness and secured the triumph of all who trust in him. Turn every evil design of the devil into sanctifying schemes of love. Deliver us from his deceptions. Keep the beauty of Christ clear in the eyes of our heart. Make us instruments of Satan’s defeat until you come and slay him by the breath of your mouth. Make us valiant in delivering other by the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, your great Gospel. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Solus Christus IV
What's Up Ya'll...
Attached is the sermon that we'll listen to as we work through 1 John. If you want to recommend any other sources of information that will help us understand 1 John please don't hesitate to post them.
The speaker's name is Paul Washer. He's a reformed believer so you won't necessarily hear the b flat from the organ in the background. It's an excellent sermon that will help you understand 1 John in addition to studying it during your devotional time.
Oh, thanks for keeping it real on the "SC Hour"... As Jolina said... "Lord keep a fence around me...."
SOLUS CHRISTUS!!!
REMEMBER, STARTING NEXT WEEK THE SOLUS CHRISTUS HOUR WILL BE ON THURSDAY'S AT 9 PM
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=32607155852
Attached is the sermon that we'll listen to as we work through 1 John. If you want to recommend any other sources of information that will help us understand 1 John please don't hesitate to post them.
The speaker's name is Paul Washer. He's a reformed believer so you won't necessarily hear the b flat from the organ in the background. It's an excellent sermon that will help you understand 1 John in addition to studying it during your devotional time.
Oh, thanks for keeping it real on the "SC Hour"... As Jolina said... "Lord keep a fence around me...."
SOLUS CHRISTUS!!!
REMEMBER, STARTING NEXT WEEK THE SOLUS CHRISTUS HOUR WILL BE ON THURSDAY'S AT 9 PM
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=32607155852
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