Was Luther a Lunatic?

Is there any truth in the lunacy of Luther? Martin Luther, the 16th century Augustinian monk and Protestant reformer, has been accused of being insane. Why? Luther was a brilliant scholar. When he entered the priesthood, he thoroughly examined the Scriptures and the Law of God with his brilliant mind, and felt completely overwhelmed and greatly convicted of his sin. He would spend 3-4 hours in confession each day. How much could he have sinned living in a secluded monastery! That’s why he was accused of being an insane psychotic lunatic. But was he?

What do we Christians do when (not if) we sin? When we look at pornography? When we are overcome by lust? Sexual fantasies? Greed? Bitterness? Jealousy and envy? When we retaliate in self-righteous anger? When we blame others? When we feel entitled? When we make excuses? When we take revenge by lashing out and losing our temper? When we cannot forgive one particular person? When we feel superior to someone else?

Do we think “I’m justified”? Or “we’re all human”? Or “God understands”? Or "Jesus forgives me"? Or do we examine ourselves before the 10 Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount?

God Became Weak (John's Christmas Message) (John 1:14)

"The Word became flesh" (John 1:14).

John 1:1-18, the introduction/prologue of John's gospel, may not be thought of as a Christmas message, unlike Matthew and Luke chapters 1 and 2. We think of Christmas as a baby in a manger (Lk 2:1-7), a baby visited by Magi (Mt 2:1-12). But there is no baby Jesus in John 1. So, is there a Christmas message in John 1?

Matthew and Luke report the facts of Christmas, about what happened: Mary's visit by the angel Gabriel, the angel of the Lord appearing to Joseph in a dream, Mary's conception by the Holy Spirit, Caesar's decree, Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem, no room in the inn, born in a manger, the shepherds in the field, the angel's chorus, the star of Bethlehem. But John does not mention any of this. However, John tells us not the facts of Christmas, but the meaning of Christmas. John doesn't tell us about how the baby Jesus came to be, but who the baby Jesus is.

Characteristics of a "Christian" (Psalm 15:1-5)

"Who shall dwell on your holy hill?" (Ps 15:1; ESV)

Who can come in the presence of God (Ps 15:1)? God's reply is not a list of rituals, but a searching of the conscience (Ps 15:2-5; 24:3-6; Isa 33:14-17). It reveals the pure in heart, a man after God's own heart, a "Christian" who loves and honors God.

God's "tent" (and holy mountain/hill) conjures 2 ideas: worship/sacrifice (Exo 29:42) and hospitality. Man comes to God to worship, but he also comes as an willing invited guest (Ps 27:4; 84:1-2). The encounter is both one of awe and friendship, transcendence and immanence, holy and personal. Notice the 12 ethical requirements (Ps 15:2-5), which focuses on life-and-lip qualities. The qualities described are those that God creates in a man, not those he finds in himself:

How David Expressed His Thanksgiving (2 Samuel 9:1-13)

"I will surely show you kindness" (2 Sam 9:7).

Being thankful is so darn hard. Why? It's so much easier to be angry and upset with others!

2 things that seem to deeply upset and anger us is when we think or feel that we were unappreciated or disrespected. We just can't get over feeling dissed or disregarded, regardless of whether or not others intended to do so. This bothers us so deeply and profoundly, because we so naturally default to self-centeredness and self-righteousness, which are common expressions of selfishness.

Being Thankful is a Response, not a Command (Luke 17:1-19)

Thursday, Nov 24, is Thanksgiving Day. But being thankful is so darn hard. One painful reason is that we expect rewards and commendation for our good works. So instead of being thankful, we expect reward for "good Christian behavior."

Truth be told, there is always SOMEONE we are upset with, or angry about, or hurt by, or disappointed with. What are the reasons? They disrespected me. They disregarded me. They gossiped about me. They slandered me. They lied about me. They did not support me. They cared only about themselves. They don't love me. They caricatured me. The reason could even be, "They are not thankful." It is almost comical to say or feel, "I am so unhappy and unthankful because that guy is so unthankful!"

According to the Bible, how can we be thankful?
Luke 17:1-19 seem to be isolated disconnected teachings of:

• Jesus teaching his disciples about sin (1-4), faith (5-6), and duty (7-10).
• Jesus' healing of 10 men with leprosy (11-19).
  

How are these seemingly separate teachings related? How do they connect together?

Thanksgiving Is Knowing That My Good Works Do Not Count (Luke 17:7-10)

"We are unworthy servants..." (Luke 17:10)


What is your posture before God? As Christians, do we have the posture of a trembling, undeserving, unworthy sinner before God, no matter how hard we have faithfully worked, served and sacrificed for our church and for others?



This is a very, very painful and bitter thought: God can never ever credit any of my good works to me.


Why is my good works not being credited to me so painful and bitter? Even if we mentally acknowledge that this is true (Eph 2:8-9), we often do not feel or act accordingly. We all get upset if we think that others do not appreciate our efforts or our faithfulness. Why is this biblical truth so hard to swallow? It is because all of life suggests otherwise: If we study hard we get good grades. If we do what our boss/leader expects, he is pleased. But it doesn't work like this with God. Why not?

How Can God Expect Me To Be Blameless? (Gen 17:1-27)

“I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless” (Gen 17:1).

Previous passages: How the Divine Deals with our Doubts (Gen 15:1-21); See The God Who Sees You (Gen 16:1-16)

What is Genesis about? Jesus says that Genesis is about Jesus, for Moses, who wrote Genesis, wrote about Jesus (Jn 5:46). We want to study Genesis and find how it points to Christ (Lk 24:27,44). Genesis tells the story of Creation, the Fall of Man resulting in God's judgment on man and the world, and God's plan to save man and restore the world. How would God do this? By calling 1 man Abraham, through whom God would send the Messiah to save us from our sins.

The Covenant: Gen 17:1-27 occurs 23 years after God called Abraham. God promised to make him into "a great nation" (Gen 12:2). In Gen 17:5, God promised to make him "a father of many nations." The key word in this passage is "covenant," which occurs 14 times (NIV, 2011). What is a covenant? A web definition is "an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return." Gen 17:1-27 shows us that God's covenant with Abraham required him and his household to be circumcised. Let's study about the covenant in 4 parts:

1. What the covenant is: God's grace (Gen 15:1-16:16).
   
2. What the covenant requires: Walk blamelessly before God (Gen 17:1-8, 15-22).
   
3. What the covenant commands: Circumcision (Gen 17:9-14, 23-27).
   
4. What the covenant means: God will be our God, and we will be his people (Gen 17:7-8).
   

1. What it is
2. What it requires
3. What it commands
4. What it means

Questions:

1. Why does God reveal himself as "God Almighty" (Gen 17:1)? What does this suggest about how we should live (1 Chron 28:9)? Explain coram deo (Gen 3:8). How can we not be cut off when we are not able to walk blamelessly (Isa 53:8; Lk 2:21; Gal 3:13)? What do the new names of Abram and Sarai signify (Gen 17:3-6, 15-16)? Why was this hard for Abram (Gen 17:17-22)? What did he do (Gen 17:23-27)?
   
2. How is the covenant of Gen 17:1-16 similar/different from the covenant in Gen 15:9-19? Why is it significant that God's oath came first before Abram's oath (Rom 4:9-11)? How is the gospel different from religion (Ex 12:13, 20:2-17)?
3. How is circumcision the sign of being God's covenant people (Gen 17:9-11; Dt 10:16, 30:6; Jer 4:4)? Why is community crucial (Gen 17:12-13,23,27; Heb 10:24; Gal 3:28)? How does Jesus' cross shed light on circumcision (Col 2:11-12; Rom 2:29)?

I. What the Covenant is: Grace

God's covenant is a covenant of grace (Gen 15:1-17:17). What is grace? Grace comes to us when we don't deserve it, when we are not seeking it, when we resist it again and again, and even after we have received it we do not appreciate it. In Gen 15:1-21, God "walked between the pieces" and promised to unilaterally bless Abraham at great cost to himself. In Gen 16:1-16, after receiving abundant grace, Abraham acted like a non-believer by conceiving an illegitimate child through a concubine. Abraham failed completely...for 13 years. But God comes to him again...in grace.

II. What the Covenant Requires: Be Blameless

There is a serious misunderstanding of grace. Some Christians think that because they are saved by grace, then what they do or fail to do is not so important. Though God's covenant with Abraham is based on grace, yet God said to him, "Be blameless." The Hebrew word translated "blameless" does not mean "sinless" but "whole." It signifies complete, unqualified surrender. Abram is to be wholly devoted to God. God's covenant of grace will benefit only those who walk before God and are blameless. Grace never makes obedience optional (Jn 14:15). When God removes good works as a condition for his acceptance, he does not remove righteousness as a requirement for life. We cannot undermine legitimate standards of the Bible without grave consequences. God does not love us because we obey him, but we cannot know the blessings of his love without obedience. Resting on God's grace does not relieve us of our holy obligations. Our holy obligation requires that we live coram deo: live before the gazing eyes of God. "Walk before God" is a call to 3 things:

1. Know God personally.
2. Obey God.
3. Grow continually.

When we live blamelessly and wholeheartedly before God in his grace, we will:

1. be fruitful (Gen 17:2,4,6; 1:18). We bear inner fruit (Gal 5:22-23) and outer fruit.
   
2. change (Gen 17:5,15-16). God changes us from selfish/self-centered to God/other centered.
   
3. experience everlasting and temporal blessings (Gen 17:7-8): Kingdom of God and peace on earth.
   

III. What the Covenant Commands: Circumcision

Circumcision brought God's people into a:

1. relationship with God. It is our personal, individual surrendering of our heart to God.
   
2. relationship with others. It is our communal commitment to community.
   

No Christian ever grows to maturity without giving his heart to God and to others in community. Abraham needed to "cut" his heart's attachment to Ishmael (Gen 17:18), and yield it to God. Abraham needed to believe God's almighty power to give him and his barren wife a son in their old age (Gen 17:19,21), through whom the Messiah would come.

IV. What the Covenant Means: God will be our God

The ultimate purpose of the covenant (of the Bible) is "to be your God and the God of your descendants" (Gen 17:7). God simply says, "I will be their God" (Gen 17:8). Why does God want to be our God? It is not because God needs us to complete himself (Acts 17:25). But God does love us. God wants to be our God not for any personal ego reasons, but because God knows that God being our God is the only way that we can ever be truly happy. When we live as though we are god who knows what is best for ourselves, we loose our peace and joy sooner or later.

No one is able to walk before God blamelessly, save One. Only Jesus ever did all that the Father wanted (Jn 8:29). Jesus is the only One who deserves all the covenant blessings. But instead, Jesus was "cut off" and cursed for living blamelessly (Isa 53:8; Gal 3:13). Why? So that we who fail to walk before God blamelessly and should be cut off, can be blessed. This is grace. This is how God kept his covenant.

Pray that because of the grace of Jesus, God may enable us to be children of obedience, and people of community.

The Lord Came Down To See (Genesis 11:1-9)

"But the LORD came down to see..." (Genesis 11:5).

From this week we resume our study of Genesis. I had given 8 sermons from Gen 3:1-24 (The Fall of Man) to Gen 28:10-22 (The Stairway to Heaven) before I left for the Philippines for 2 months in July 2011. However, we did not study every passage from Genesis chap. 3 to 28. My plan now is to fill in the gaps and continue to the end of Genesis by early 2012.

Why do we study Genesis? What is the point of Genesis? More fundamentally, what is the Bible about? Briefly, the Bible is NOT a book of morals or instructions (even though it has both). It is a STORY. The story of the whole Bible can be summarized in 4 words:

When I Am Weak (2 Corinthians 11:16-13:14)

"For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10). "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses..." (2 Cor 12:9). "I will boast of the things that show my weakness" (2 Cor 11:30).

Falsely accused: How would you truly feel when Christians falsely accuse you? That was what Paul encountered in the church he planted in Corinth. He was accused of being indecisive, deceptive, weak, corrupt, not being a true servant of God, unimpressive, a fool, lacking credentials (2 Cor 1:17; 4:2,16; 7:2; 10:7,1,10; 11:1,16; 12:11-12). What did Paul do? Did he retaliate? Defend his honor?

God is Sovereign in the Tragedy of Exile (Daniel 1:1-21)

"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine..." (Daniel 1:8)

Questions to ponder: Imagine being alone and scared, exiled from home to a foreign city, a long way from the familiar. How would you cope in a hostile setting? What truths do you cling to? Would you remain faithful to your former identity or be assimilated into your new surroundings?

Another question: Is Daniel about how we should deny ourselves like Daniel (Dan 1:8), or about One greater than Daniel who made the ultimate sacrifice and denied himself for us?

God’s Power Expressed Through Man’s Weakness (2 Corinthians)

"I will boast of the things that show my weakness" (2 Corinthians 11:30).

"I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses..." (2 Corinthians 12:9).
"...he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power" (2 Corinthians 13:4).

In his commentary, John MacArthur says, "A church should not ordain anyone who has not read (2 Corinthians) and commentaries on (it)."

The Theme: Power Through Weakness. The magnificent message of 2 Corinthians is that God’s power comes to people in their utter helplessness and weakness, not in their human strength. So...

What is the Purpose of West Loop UBF Church?

"I consider my life worth nothing to me ... my only aim is to ... testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24, NIV, ESV)


What's the point? When we began having Sunday Worship Services at West Loop on Jan 4th, 2008, I came up with 3 short catch phrases: "Love God. Understand People. Impact the World." Yet, over the last few years, not a few people have asked me, "What is the purpose of West Loop UBF?" After almost 4 years (probably a little late!), this might be my first written attempt to answer the question.

The Wind Blows Wherever It Pleases (Philippines UBF)

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

Like I had never left Chicago. After living in Manila for over 2 months (minus 1 week in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur), I returned to Chicago on Oct 3. When I got home, I said to my wife, "It feels as though I had not left at all." She echoed the exact same sentiment and added, "We are so close that we can even dance together in 2 different countries." Even an unromantic person like myself was quite touched by her spontaneous comment. I am so glad to be back, and I also look forward to going back to the Philippines again.

How Great is our (Incomparable) God (Micah 7:18-20)

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression…?” (Micah 7:18)

Micah’s name means “Who is like the Lord?” As the prophet completes/concludes his book he identifies himself with a question, which is also his name: “Who is a God like you…?” (Mic 7:18) It is a rhetorical question that is an assertion of God’s incomparable glory and greatness. Micah is really saying, “There is no one like the Lord, for our God is greater than all gods!” The book of Micah reveals our God in 3 ways:

How Does Salvation Happen? (Jonah 2:9)

“Salvation comes from the LORD.” (Jonah 2:9, NIV ‘84, '11) “Salvation belongs to the LORD!” (ESV) “Salvation is of the LORD.” (KJV)

Which is it? Did you first accept/believe Jesus and then God saved you? OR did God save you first and then you accepted/believed Jesus?

(Related post: Jonah: an Introduction. The Gospel According to Jonah.)

Not a new question. Throughout church history, Christians have explained salvation in 2 predominant ways. Those who emphasized God’s sovereign grace or divine election have been called Calvinists (after John Calvin), or Augustinians (after St. Augustine), while those who objected to this emphasis and contented for a rational doctrine of free will have been called Arminians (after James Arminias) or Wesleyans (after John Wesley). It is important to note that both perspectives are compatible with traditional orthodox Christianity. Thus, Calvinists and Arminians are friends in Christ, not angry argumentative combatants, just as George Whitfield a Calvinist was friends of John Wesley an Arminian. A “3^rd category,” which is non-Christian, is Pelagianism (after the heretical monk Pegagius who was excommunicated from the church), because they reject that man is a sinner and deny the need of grace for man’s salvation. Finneyism (after Charles Finney of the 2^nd Great Awakening) has also been regarded by some to be non-Christian because of his vagueness about salvation through justification, and his narrow and primary focus on man’s free will in determining his salvation.

Babel: Let's Do Away With God (Gen 11:1-9)

"Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves" (Gen 11:4).

The onslaught of atheism against God is not a modern invention, nor a recent 20th century occurrence. It already happened ions ago when man built the tower of Babel to do away with God, and to regard God as irrelevant, redundant or non-existent. Yet there is still a need to affirmatively declare their own independent autonomy and self-rule. They indeed lay claim to a heaven without God, while the world continues to pine away amidst the constant din of ongoing and escalating unrest.

A Woman's Beauty (1 Peter 3:1-6)

"Your beauty ... should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit..." (1 Peter 3:3-4).

"What a beautiful woman she is! She is the kind of woman any man would want to marry!" This was my immediate thought when I heard the story on the radio years ago of how James Dobson (of Focus on the Family) came to marry his wife Shirley.

(Related posts: Marriage as Unjust Suffering, The Search for One True Love, Abraham Lincoln's Very Unhappy Marriage.)

Before marriage, Dobson and Shirley, both Christians, were dating in college with the understanding that they would marry in the future. But when Dobson had to serve in the National Guard he proposed to Shirley that they keep their options open when he was away on duty, and that they could each date other Christians if they wanted to. Because Shirley was in love with him, this shocked her. But she did not express it or react to his "hurtful" proposal. On their last date before he left, he wanted to kiss her good night as he usually does at the door of her house. But she politely refused. Rather abruptly, she went home and closed the door. This surprised Dobson. What he did not know was that after she closed the door she cried all night. But she did not reveal any of this to Dobson. Then when Dobson was away on duty, he did not date others. Instead, he kept writing her over and over, while she was quite lukewarm in her response to him. As a result, Dobson kept pursuing her until they married. Isn't Shirley the kind of woman with the poise, mystery and beauty that any man would want to marry?

Jesus' Resume (Heb 1:1-3)

Karl Barth (Swiss Reformed theologian, 1886-1968) was asked if God had revealed himself in many religions besides Christianity. His answer: "No. God has not revealed himself in any religion, including Christianity. He has spoken in his Son, Jesus Christ." The beginning of Hebrews tells us Jesus' short resume.

Hebrews is about persevering in the faith (Heb 13:22). It was written to (Jewish) Christians (in Rome) who were struggling in the faith (Heb 10:38-39). It was for drift prevention--for they were tempted to wonder away. Since Rome detested all things Christian, they endured suffering, ridicule, imprisonment, the confiscation of their possessions, and, under Nero, the possibility of being fed to the lions in the Coliseum (Heb 2:14-18). Should they give up being Christians? To the author of Hebrews, rather than forsake Jesus, they should be willing to surrender everything to have him. Why? It is because of who Jesus is. He is:

The "Joy" of Death (Gen 25:1-11)

"...he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life" (Gen 25:8, NLT).

Previous passage: The Lord Will Provide (Gen 22:1-14).
Contrasting passage: Lot's End is God's Judgment (Gen 19:1-38)

Death is gut wrenching and crippling to countless billions, to put it mildly. One of my most vivid memories is that of a successful Chicago lawyer in his mid to late 30s. He was a brilliant confident self-made man. He built up his law firm from the ground up, has dozens of lawyers working for him, lives in a 5 million dollar house (25 years ago), has countless luxury cars, and a stunning wife. I met him as a trainee oncologist. He came to see my mentor oncologist with complaints of mild difficulty in swallowing for 3 weeks. He just had a biopsy taken from his throat and came to the oncology office to discuss the findings. He was jovial as he entered the office with his gorgeous wife. He said jokingly, "Doc, am I gonna live?" But the mood soon changed. After some elaborate explanation by the oncologist, it gradually dawned on him what his biopsy report meant when his diagnosis read "small cell carcinoma of the esophagus." The moment arrived when he suddenly realized that he had inoperable terminal cancer and had about 4 months to live.

Why Do We Need Elders (1 Tim 3:1-7)

"Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task" (1 Tim 3:1).

Related post: What Kind of Elders Do We Need? (1 Tim 3:1-7)

In 1 Timothy, Paul is laying down for Timothy--a young evangelist, minister, church planter--a permanent pattern for ministry in the church. 1 Tim 3:1-16 focuses on officers in the church. Why do we need elders (1 Tim 3:1-7)? 3 answers:

Moses Himself Needs a Humble Savior (Numbers 12:1-16)

Our Daily Bread passage on Mon, Sep 19, 2011 was "Moses' Humbleness" (Num 12:1-16). Later that day, someone asked me, "Teach us about Moses' humbleness." These are my reflections.

My Initial Thoughts: The humility of Christ is absolutely crucial to friendship and unity in Christian ministry. Without the gospel of grace, at best we Christians will act humanly humble, usually by being soft spoken or silent. Though Moses was "humble," 8 chapters later he was proud, impatient and filled with anger, when he struck a rock twice in defiance of God's instructions to him (Num 20:8-11). This caused him to forfeit his life dream of entering the promised land (Num 20:12). Moses the humble man, needed a humbler Man. Moses, the mediator of Israel, needed a Mediator himself. Moses who delivered his people needed a Deliverer himself. Moses who saved his people needed a Savior himself. Only the gospel of Christ being mercilessly butchered for me produces true sweet humility in me. This captivating narrative is ultimately not about Moses' humility, since Jesus said that Moses wrote about Jesus (John 5:39, 46).

My Questions. I asked myself a few questions: What is the main biblical teaching of Num 12:1-16? Is it to be humble like Moses, who allowed God to deal with his dissenters? Is it to never complain against God's appointed leader, or else face very harsh and severe consequences? Absolutely and surely without question, as God fearing and God honoring Christians, we should always seriously heed the obvious answer to both questions with fear and trembling in our own frail and proud hearts. But do such teachings help us to see Jesus and to understand the gospel? My above thoughts suggests, "No." Outside of the gospel, no one can be truly humble. Also, outside of the gospel no one can overcome his or her own pride and jealousy. These are my burning thoughts as I looked into Num 12:1-16.

Laziness is Incompatible with Being a Christian (Phil 2:12-13)

"I'm not lazy. I'm just tired." This was a catchphrase I used when I preached a sermon on Cain about the secrecy of sin, that sin always starts very, very, very small, since sin in its beginnings is "crouching" (Gen 4:7) almost out of even our own view or awareness.

Misunderstanding Grace: There is a prevalent idea today that if grace is taught and proclaimed in the church, Christians will think that since they are saved by grace (that has nothing to do with them), then they do not have to do anything. But there is no such suggestion or teaching through out the NT (Heb 13:20-21; 1 Pet 4:11). Paul in particular never had such an idea that "grace" = "I don't have to do anything" in his thought or in any of his writings. In fact, Paul communicates the very opposite thought--that grace ALWAYS results in work (Eph 2:8-10; Rom 6:17; 2 Thess 1:11-12; Gal 5:22-23). Also, because of grace, Paul himself was constantly compelled and motivated to work even harder (1 Cor 15:10), with far greater joy, hope and intensity.

Marriage as Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 3:1-7)

Related posts: The Search for One True Love

Abraham Lincoln's Very Unhappy Marriage

What kind of title is that? I suspect that many would not like this title. They might even be a little upset by the title. I was personally surprised to see such a title. So I was quite curious to see how John Frame (born 1939, renowned American philosopher, presuppositionalist, Calvinist theologian) would "justify" or explain such a title, since he is a godly married Christian man. (He married rather late in 1984 at age 45, which perhaps might explain why he came up with such a title in the days when he was still a bachelor!).

Christian marriage portrayed as too rosy? Before I read his sermon, I did think about several things regarding the way we older Christians portray Christian marriages which might actually be a disservice to our young Christian couples when they marry:

The 2 Preaching Key Verses of John Piper (1 Pet 4:11; 2 Cor 3:18)

Related post: Don't You Just Love the Way John Piper Writes!

Over the last few years, I began to read books and sermons and attend conferences where John Piper preached and taught. Over time I heard and read Piper share 2 Bible verses he regards as guides to his preaching and Bible teaching over the last 30+ years. They are 1 Peter 4:11 and 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Freedom (John 8:31-32)

This morning, Lyndon, a member of Philippines UBF, asked me to address the topic of "freedom." I quoted what I considered the most famous verse in the Bible about freedom--John 8:31-32--which says, "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” (This appealing popular verse has often been quoted out of context.) I also mentioned Gal 5:1 and 2 Cor 3:17. Then for an hour, these are the points regarding freedom that I shared in no particular order:

A Song of Danger (Psalm 91:1-16)

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty" (Ps 91:1).


Previous passage: A Song for the Afflicted (Psalm 90:1-17)

Theme: How to trust God in impossible and dangerous circumstances.

God intends for every Christian to experience a measure of safety and security in an unsafe and insecure world. If we do not know the security that comes from God and His gospel, it leads to all kinds of problems in the Christian life--relationship distance, an inability to forgive, an inability to repent, or the fear of man (Pro 29:25). Then we look to change our circumstances, which is never the ultimate cause of any of our problems. Not knowing where our safety comes from cripples our Christian life.

A Song for the Afflicted (Psalm 90:1-17)

The 4th Book of the Psalms is from Psalm 90-106 (chart of Psalms). In brief, the Psalms teach us about what the true believer ought to experience in his or her life with God in a fallen world, what it should feel like to be a Christian.
 
Psalm 90:1-17 addresses the afflicted and answers the question: How do we put perspective when afflicted or distressed (Ps 90:13,15)? When the days of our life (Ps 90:4,9,12,14,15) feels overwhelming, hectic and filled with stress and distraction? How do we wrestle with our own sin, and when others sin against us? This psalm of Moses points us to God (1-6), sin (7-12), and grace (13-17), and he bids us to meditate on it, believe it, and sing it.

I. God Himself is Our Home (Ps 90:1-6)

Security. God Himself is "our dwelling place" (Ps 90:1), our refuge, our place of belonging, our place of safety, which cannot be found in this transient world. Only God is "from everlasting to everlasting" (Ps 90:2b). Only God is eternal. "Before the mountains were brought forth," before there was the world (Ps 90:2a), He was already God. Only this will center us in our crazy world.

What Kind of Elders Do We Need? (1 Tim 3:1-7)

What kind of elders do we need? Paul tells us 6 things:

1. Elders who want the work, not just the status of being an elder.
2. Elders who are godly men, for holiness is God's qualification for an elder.
3. Elders who are able to teach--to be able to convey God's truth to disciples.
4. Elders with godly homes and families.
5. Elders who are spiritually mature.
6. Elders whose moral reputation is good with local non-Christians.

Am I Really That Bad? (Genesis 6:5)

"The LORD saw ... that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time" (Gen 6:5; NIV 2011).

Why so extreme? Gen 6:5 seems excessively extreme. It infuriates many a man. But Gen 6:5 always keeps me in check because it applies to me 100% of the time. It is not that I do evil or even think evil all the time, however you define evil. I would say that most of the time I do not do or think evil, at least not consciously, perhaps like most people, Christian or non-Christian. So how would Gen 6:5 apply to me 100% of the time? I previously addressed it here: Sin, Faith, Salvation (Gen 6:1-14).

What does Gen 6:5 mean? The Hebrew "yeser" from Gen 6:5 is translated as "inclination" (NIV), "intention" (ESV), or "imagination" (KJV). "Yeser" is derived from the potter's verb "to form" (cf. Gen 2:7), and it implies design or purpose. It is alluding to the direction of our heart, regardless of what we are thinking or doing. God's "severe" indictment and/or assessment is that our heart is going astray, even when we are doing good or doing our best.

How To Preach Christ (the Gospel) from Genesis

Related posts:

•  What is the Point of Genesis?
•  What Jesus Said the Old Testament Scriptures Are About
•  Counterfeit Gods
•  Rethinking Genesis: Man Equals Mission 
•  The Difference Between Religion (Imperatives) and the Gospel (Indicatives)
•  Imperatives - Indicatives = Impossibilities
  

D. A. Carson (NT scholar) quotes his pastor dad who says, “A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text.” Go figure out the meaning of this delightful sentence! OK, it means to teach the Bible out of context, thus distorting the intended meaning of the Bible passage.

Cataclysmic and Gradual Judgment (Gen 19:1-38)

"So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out..." (Gen 19:29).

Previous passages: Friendship and Intimacy (Gen 18:1-16); The Wonder of Laughter (Gen 18:9-15; 21:1-7); Why God Choose Abraham (Gen 18:19); The Prayer of a True Friend (Gen 18:17-33).
Next passage: Abraham Offers Isaac (Gen 22:1-14).
Contrasting passage: A Full and Satisfying Life (Gen 25:1-11)

God's judgment on Sodom is the 3rd major judgment in Genesis after God's judgment on Adam and Eve (Gen 3:1-24) and the flood (Gen 6:1ff). God's judgment infuriates man and rubs them in reverse. Though they are convinced that God's judgment does not exist, yet their resentment, hostility and anger toward God's judgment often seems out of proportion to its "non-existence." Is Santa Claus sending people to hell upsetting? We laugh. But replace Santa with God and the response is intensified.

Don't you just love the way John Piper writes!

In his book "Spectacular Sins" (2008), Piper warns that personal catastrophes, global cataclysms, and horrific times are coming for Christians (Acts 14:22; John 15:20; Lk 21:16,18; Mt 24:9,12; 1 Thess 3:3; 2 Tim 3:1,12; Rom 8:17,23; 1 Pet 4:12; Rev 1:9,2:10,6:10-11,12:11,13:7,15,17:6). Read this short review or watch Piper's short interview or download the book. (I just finished reading it and it is well worth the time.) He encourages Christians to rejoice in the glory of Christ through the most spectacular (God ordained) sin ever, which is the murder of Christ.

He is sorry that Christians in the West are pampered and coddled with little suffering in the name of Christ, and are mainly seeking to improve their own lives. He repeatedly says that wimpy worldviews and wimpy theology produces wimpy Christianity. Perhaps to spur us on, he writes this in the introduction to the book:

I know that God is tender, and that personal fellowship with him is sweet, and that touching the heart happens through the brokenness of the still, small voice. I know this, and I love it. Jesus Christ is a precious friend to me.

But I also know something else. If, while I am having a tender conversation with my wife, a man breaks in and kills her and all my children and leaves me wounded on the living room floor, I will need a way of seeing the world that involves more than the tenderness of God. If pestilence takes out tens of thousands of my fellows citizens and half my church, my mental and spiritual survival will depend on more than the precious gifts of God's intimacy.

The Prayer of a True Friend (Gen 18:17-33)

Previous text: Friendship and Intimacy (Gen 18:1-16); Why God Choose Abraham (Gen 18:19).

Abraham is known in the Bible as God's friend (2 Chron 20:7; Isa 41:8; James 2:23). What is a friend? Tim Keller says, "A true friend always lets you in, but never lets you down." True friends share their hearts with you, hiding nothing, as God did with Abraham (Gen 18:17,20-21), and as Jesus did with his disciples (Jn 15:15). True friends are also faithfully committed to their friends, regardless. Prov 18:24 says, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (ESV).

We often think that Christians should be totally submissive to God. Of course this is true. But in this breathtaking passage (Gen 18:17-33), Abraham comes before God in prayer not as a "Yes man." Rather, as God's friend, he "bargains" and "pushes" God boldly, almost unashamedly, and yet with the utmost of humility, respect and awe (Gen 18:27,31).

What 7 things can we learn from Gen 18:17-33 about the prayer of a friend of God (often known as intercessory prayer)?

Friendship and Intimacy (Gen 18:1-33)

"Then the LORD said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?'" (Gen 18:17)

Previous passage: "Walk Before God Blamelessly" (Gen 17:1-27)
Related passages: "The Wonder of Laughter" (Gen 18:9-15; 21:1-7)
Why Did God Chose Abraham? (Gen 18:19)
The Prayer of a True Friend (Gen 18:17-33)

What do we really want in life? What do we need? We need money. We need a career. We need to have fun. On a more basic and foundational level we need some meaning and purpose to our own existence. (Theology or Me-ology.) Perhaps more than anything else, we need a good friend. If one is married, their best and most intimate friend should be their spouse. As the saying goes, "A happy wife is a happy life." Also, the more true friends one has, the better their "quality of life." Sadly and tragically, when one has no friends, their lives become a living hell. On Christmas and Thanksgiving day, the suicide rate spikes each year without fail, likely because of the absence of a loving and caring friend. Why might friendship be so foundational to a happy life?

Why did God Call/Chose Abraham? (Gen 18:19)

Previous passage: "Walk Before God Blamelessly" (Gen 17:1-27)
Next passage: "The Wonder of Laughter" (Gen 18:9-15; 21:1-7)

Christians often inadvertently think that they choose God, because they accepted the invitation to study the Bible, or to attend church, or to repent and accept Christ as Savior and Lord, or to go overseas as a missionary. But Jesus said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide..." (Jn 15:16, ESV). This is the doctrine of election. Likewise, Gen 18:19 says, "For I have chosen him (Abraham)..." It is confounding and humbling. Why would a holy God humble himself to chose a proud sinner who thinks he knows better than God?

The God who chose Abraham gives us a clue as to why God chooses and calls proud sinners to be his humble servants. Consider these questions: How does God summarize Abraham's call (Gen 18:18-19)? How does Grace and Law, Calling and Obedience, relate to each other (Gen 18:19)?

Walk Before God Blamelessly (Gen 17:1-27)

“I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless” (Gen 17:1).

"Walk before (God) faithfully and blamelessly." Bible verses like this scare the living daylights out of people. They think that the Bible demands too much of them, that the Christian life is a straight-jacket, and too restrictive, and that there is no freedom and no fun at all in the Christian life. I once trembled at the thought of being a full time Christian minister, thinking that I can't watch any more movies for the rest of my life. So I completely gave up the thought of ever being a full time pastor! My own guilt caused my own ascetic thinking. Let's look at this verse in the context of Abram's life.

Intro: (Genesis 17 is arguably the hinge pin of all ministry, for it is quoted 10 times in Hebrews, 8 times in Galatians, and 8 times in Romans.) God comes to Abram to renew his covenant 13 years after Abram committed an illegitimate act built upon illegitimate thinking because of the acceptance of illegitimate cultural norms that have given rise to an illegitimate relationship that produces an illegitimate son (Gen 16:1-16). All of this is to actually attempt to "do" God's will in accord with God's covenant. One might expect Gen 17:1 to begin with "You're fired. You messed up too royally." Instead, the calling of God on Abraham is freshly declared in Gen 17:1ff.

In Gen 17:1, God reveals himself in a new way as "God Almighty" (Hebrew El-Shaddai)--the 5th name for God so far in Genesis. God's names so far are:

What was the First Church Like? (Acts 2:42-47)

When construction began on the Bible house in Manila a few years ago, a worker was hired to do the job. During breaks, a member of the church studied the Bible with him. After work he wound drink, go home and ignore his wife and 6 kids. But after some months of Bible study, he stopped drinking. One Valentine's day, he stunned his wife by buying her flowers (which he never did before). Totally surprised at her husband's change, she began coming to church. Now all of their 6 children are members of the church, from Children's Bible Fellowship, to High School Bible Fellowship, to College Fellowship. The lives of this entire family was completely transformed by the influence of the church.

What is the church? Christians have called their churches a missional church, worshiping church, gospel church, Bible church, Reformed church, Methodist church, emergent church, evangelical church, non-denominational church, house church, etc. What was the first church in Acts 2:42-47 like? It was:

The God Who Becomes a Human Being (John 1:1-18)

"The Word became flesh" (John 1:14).

J.C. Ryle says about John's Gospel: “The things which are peculiar to John’s Gospel are among the most precious possessions of the church of Christ. No one of the four Gospel writers has given us such full statements about the divinity of Christ as we read in these pages.”

Indeed, John's Gospel is one of the world's treasures. John is so simple that children memorize their first verses from its pages and so profound that dying adults ask to hear it as they pass from this world. It is said that John is a pool safe enough for a child to wade in and deep enough for an elephant to drown.  Martin Luther wrote, “This is the unique, tender, genuine, chief Gospel… Should a tyrant succeed in destroying the Holy Scriptures and only a single copy of the Epistle to the Romans and the Gospel according to John escape him, Christianity would be saved.”

How can a Holy God "Credit" Sinners with Righteousness? (Gen 15:1-6)

"Abram believed the LORD, and he (God) credited it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6). "Credited" has also been translated "counted" or "reckoned." 

How can a holy God "credit" a sinner with righteousness? This seems to contradict the Bible, which says that God "does not leave the guilty unpunished" (Exo 34:7), and that God's "eyes are too pure to look on evil" (Hab 1:13). 

Yet, through out the OT, God rescues his people and establishes personal relationships with those who continually fail to meet his standard of righteousness (Gen 15:1-6). Also, God refuses to credit sin to sinners (Ps 32:1-2; Rom 4:7-8). On what basis can a just and holy God do such things?

What is the Gospel? (Rom 1:1-6, 14-17)

After a very brief introduction of himself (Rom 1:1), Paul begins his magnum opus by launching off into what the gospel is (Rom 1:2-6,14-17). What is the gospel (to which Paul has been set apart)?

3 "Different" Terms in the NT Describing Salvation

Interesting, the New Testament (NT) presents salvation by using quite different terms/words. The theme/key phrase of:

Sin, Faith and Salvation (Gen 6:1-14)

"...it grieved him to his heart" (Gen 6:6; ESV).

Yesterday, I visited Fort Santiago in Manila, which housed the museum of Jose Rizal (1861-1896), the national hero of the Philippines. During the Spanish colonial era, he was tried and executed by a firing squad at age 35 for advocating reform and rebellion. But his martyrdom strengthened and united his people and eventually led to the Philippines revolution (1896-98) and secession and liberation from the Spanish Empire. His short life of great personal sacrifice because of his love for his country is moving and gripping, echoing shades of Christ's sacrifice to set men free from bondage to sin. His story shows that for true "salvation" there must be both justice and love. The "justice" of Spain cost him his dear life. But his love set his people free.

In Gen 4:1-16, we examined the story of Cain and Abel with the title, Sin, Grace and Salvation. In Gen 6:1-14, I want to think about the story of Noah and the Flood with the title, "Sin, Faith and Salvation." (Previously, I shared this passage with the title, Divine Judgment.) The Deluge reveals in rudimentary seed form that God's salvation always includes his judgment.

1. Sin (The devastation of sin)
   
2. Faith (The practicality of faith)
   
3. Salvation (The way of salvation through judgment)

Why did Noah find Favor with God? (Gen 6:8)

Gen 6:8 says, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord."

Which came 1st, the chicken or the egg?

Did God's favor come 1st, followed by good works? Or did some goodness exist, followed by God's favor? If we think it is the former we live in freedom. If the latter, we live with some constant inner uncertainty and nervousness, always wondering where we may by falling short or not measuring up.

In the OT, the Hebrew word translated "favor" (NIV, ESV) is "chen," which is defined as "favor" or "grace." Favor/grace always suggests something that is always undeserved and unmerited -- or it would not be grace. So, why did Noah find grace/favor with God?

The Search for One True Love (Gen 29:15-35)

"...the Lord saw that Leah was not loved..." (Gen 29:31).

Each of us has a desire that seemingly cannot be quenched. It is the desire for one true love.

Theme: Those who have an inner vacuum and emptiness give themselves to a hope---a hope for one true love.

Many movies portray dramatically the desire for one true love (Forest Gump, The English Patient, etc). Famous one-liners are "You had me at 'hello.'" (Jerry Maguire, 1996), or "Here's looking at you, kid." (Casablanca, 1942.), "Titanic" was a mega hit in 1997 partly because every girl in the world wishes to have "her very own" Leonardo DiCaprio, who sacrificed himself to the freezing ocean out of his undying love for his 1 true love. She wishes that her "heart will go on" forever because of a true love that never dies. As a result, Titanic made $1.8 billion with James Cameron, the director earning $100 million. We agree with the Beatles that "All you need is love."

God's Heart of Love (Zeph 1:1-3:20)

“He will take great delight in you;  in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing” (Zeph 3:17b).

We love romantic photos/stories because we love to be adored by one we adore. This longing never diminishes throughout life. Why? It is because we were made to love God and to be loved by him. But because of sin, we look for love in all the wrong places, only to be unfulfilled and unsatisfied. God loved his people Israel. But they spurned his love for idols and suffered the consequences of their idolatry. Despite this, God still longs to delight in his people.

Filthy Yet Clean (Zechariah 3:1-10)

“See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” (Zech 3:4b)

According to the Scriptures, all human beings have an upcoming courtroom date with God (Heb 9:27). As a young monk searching for salvation, Martin Luther was overwhelmed by the fear of standing before a righteous God as his judge. In his youth, Charles Wesley dreaded coming into the presence of a holy God. Only after they understood the doctrine of justification by faith through the righteousness of Christ alone were they permanently freed from that fear. Then they could declare with boldness, "No condemnation now I dread."

Unlike Luther and Wesley not many today fear God's condemnation. People's God today is far too much of a gentleman to condemn anyone to hell. They think, "Do your best. God will do the rest. What is there to fear?"

This was not the attitude of Zechariah's hearers. They knew they served a high and holy God, a God who is of purer eyes than to look upon sin/evil (Hab 1:13). They were clear about the nonnegotiable holiness of God. In 586 BC, the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, Jerusalem was burned, and their king was captured and taken to Babylon (2 Ki 25:1-21). Everything that was sacred was desecrated because of the sins of God's people. Now 70 years later, a small remnant returned to the Promised Land. Having experienced God's judgment for sin, would they ever hear the declaration of "no condemnation"? They knew that when you come before a holy God, the correct slogan is not "no fear," but "be afraid, be very afraid." How will they fare?

What Jesus said the Scriptures are about

What is the Bible primarily about?

Previously I posted and attempted to answer the question: What is the point of Genesis? This related question is what our Lord himself said the Bible of their day--the Old Testament Scriptures (OT)--is about.

Surprising ("Hesed" or "Chesed") Love (2 Samuel 9:1-13)

David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Sam 9:1)

Benjamin Warfield (1851-1921) was professor of theology at Princeton Seminary from 1887-1921. Before that he was pursuing studies in Leipzing, Germany, in 1876-77. This time also doubled as his honeymoon with his wife Annie. They were on a walking tour in the Harz Mountains when they were caught in a terrific thunderstorm. The experience was such a shock to Annie that she never fully recovered, becoming more or less an invalid for life. Warfield only left her for seminary duties, but never for more than 2 hours at a time. His world was almost entirely limited to Princeton and to the care of his wife. For 39 years. One of his students noted that when he saw the Warfields out walking together "the gentleness of his manner was striking proof of the loving care with which he surrounded her." For 39 years.

Love that truly loves is willing to bind itself, is willing to promise, willing and gladly obligates itself, so that the other may stand securely in that love.

2 Sam 9:1-13 is all about love. It is about David's love for Mephibosheth. The Hebrew word, which appears 3 times in 2 Sam 9:1,3,7, is hesed (or chesed). Its meaning is rooted in the character of God. It is so rich that so single English word can fully do it justice: stedfast love, loving kindness, covenant friendship, loyal love, and justice are a few of the ways we translate hesed. Notice 3 things about hesed in David's example:

The Purity of Christ and Our Fallenness (James 3:17)

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." (James 3:17)

Only Jesus fulfills these heavenly attributes of wisdom perfectly. Only by the grace of God that transforms us might we reflect these attributes that do not originate from our fallen selves.

Pure. Purity (blamelessness) is the primary virtue with the rest providing aspects from this purity. Jesus is the pure perfect soul. Even our purity as Christians fall short because of our spontaneous default to impure motivations. Even our best and purest of Christian acts are like filthy rags (Isa 64:6).

The Stairway to Heaven (Gen 28:10-22)

"This is the gate of heaven" (Gen 28:17).

"Most people think of religion as man's quest for God. The God of the Bible, however, is the God who seeks us." Edmond Clowney, Preaching Christ in all of Scripture, 80.

"Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is Himself the way." Karl Barth

One of my favorite songs of all time is "The Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin (1971). I could listen to it every day without ever getting tired of it. It is the perfect rock song. Why? The progressive crescendo and the spell binding ambiance makes the song mesmerizing. A google search says, "this song is about a woman who accumulates money, but finds out the hard way that her life had no meaning and will not get her into heaven."

Perhaps, this song has captivated countless millions of people of all ages through out the world for 40 years, because we human beings are all, without exception, seeking a "stairway to heaven," however we chose, on our own terms, to define heaven or God. In today's text, Jacob discovers, through his dream given to him by God, something radical about the stairway to heaven. It is the polar opposite of what most people and most religions think. Even Christians who misunderstand this "stairway to heaven" live a religious life that is not Christian, and which is no different from all other religions in the world.