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Cut to the Heart

In Bloom’s taxonomy remembering and understanding are lower levels of critical thinking, yet that’s where most of our sermons, classes … and sadly studies on how to obey the gospel are centered.  It is at the level of applying the knowledge where a person sees how his own sin has eternally separated him from God and only the sacrifice of Jesus can restore the relationship.  Then, when they are “cut to the heart,” they will ask, “What shall I do?”

I. Acts 2:36-47.  The first gospel sermon that was delivered on the day of Pentecost used knowledge to convict the crowd that they were guilty of sin and putting an innocent man to death but that God had resurrected Jesus and made Him both Lord and Christ.  The people were cut to the heart and wanted to apply this knowledge, which required further knowledge about how to obey the gospel.  3000 applied it.

II. Romans 6:3-5.  In an era where many are convinced there’s no such thing as sin, what they’ve done is not that bad, or the preaching they’ve heard deemphasizes it, it’s hard to see the relevance of the gospel.  But even a knowledge-level passage of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 gives the application in the phrase, “for our sins.”  After they’re cut to the heart, we can explain how obeying the gospel unites us to Christ’s death and resurrection.

III.  Matthew 28:19-20.  We each have a job to do.  For we who are already living faithfully, ours is to use knowledge to convict the lost to action.  Then, when we have made disciples and the cut-to-the-heart are asking what they must do, we baptize–when it’s God’s job to add them to His church–and then teach them to obey everything that He’s commanded.  This is how is was for the gentile jailer in Acts 16.

When we push them to obedience before they’re cut to the heart, we risk making low-level disciples who struggle to see the relevance of church and live faithfully.  Never having been cut to the heart and applied the gospel, they never utilize the higher levels of critical thinking in their Christian walk.

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Go to Dark Gethsemane

Often we look for a sanitized version of the gospel.  Jesus is serenely praying in the garden, looking just tired or sad in Pilate’s hall, or calmly awaiting death on the cross.  The hymn, “Go to Dark Gethsemane,” challenges us to step into those scenes and learn from Jesus’ example in submission, suffering, and death for our lives as living sacrifices here (Matthew 26:36–27:50).

I.  Hebrews 5:7-9.  If you go to Gethsemane, you will experience the Savior’s sorrow unto death.  We must linger here to know too how to submit and obey.

Go to dark Gethsemane, Ye that feel the tempter’s pow’r; Your Redeemer’s conflict see; Watch with Him one bitter hour; Turn not from His griefs away; Learn of Jesus Christ to pray.

II.  Philippians 3:8-11.  If you spend time witnessing the sham trials our Lord endured and the terrible suffering that came to him before Calvary, you’ll learn the value of suffering as well.

Follow to the judgment hall; View the Lord of life arraigned; O the wormwood and the gall! O the pangs His soul sustained! Shun not suff’ring, shame, or loss; Learn of Him to bear the cross.

III. Colossians 3:1-4.  If you climb the hill of Golgotha, hear the crowds and the Christ cry out, see the darkness and the agony of the silent Lamb bearing your sin, you may learn to die.

Calv’ry’s mournful mountain climb; There, adoring at His feet, Mark that miracle of time, God’s own sacrifice complete: “It is finished!” hear the cry; Learn of Jesus Christ to die.

The sadness we see early on the first day of the week is that of the women going to the tomb after a somber Sabbath.  It is there that Jesus shows how to rise to walk in new life.

Early hasten to the tomb Where they laid His breathless clay; All is solitude and gloom; Who hath taken Him away? Christ is ris’n! He meets our eyes: Savior, teach us so to rise.

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In All Circumstances

Americans have a history of rebelling against what they perceive is wrong.  From the Boston tea party through Rosa Parks to stadiums erupting in “Let’s Go, Brandon!” they find ways to let the status quo know how they feel.  So, how does a Christian rebel?  Perhaps in ways like 1 Thessalonians 5:18 begins by telling us to “give thanks in all circumstances.”  We’re not just thankful when things are going our way–but even when there’s no earthly way the things we are going through can be good (Mark 8:34-35).  Take that, world!

I.  Matthew 5.  To rebel against the world, we must choose man’s weakness.  The Sermon on the Mount is a Christian’s Declaration of Independence!  In it, Jesus turns all of man’s wisdom and weapons upside down.  In it we are blessed if we are poor in spirit, meek, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted.  It’s only with God’s wisdom that we’re better off if we mourn or hunger and thirst for righteousness, and isn’t it weak to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and turn the other cheek?  Yet, Jesus showed us at the cross that this denying of ourselves works!

II.  1 Thessalonians 5:14-22.  We must also choose God’s strength.  In the closing of his letter, Paul outlines actions that the Christians in Thessalonica could do to rebel against the world like admonishing the idle, encouraging the fainthearted, helping the weak, being patient and our brother’s keeper, doing good, rejoicing always, praying unceasingly, and giving thanks in all circumstances ….  Just as Jesus chose the Father’s will over His own (Luke 22:41-43), so must we if we are a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2).  It is only by doing what is most difficult that we carry our crosses!

III.  Matthew 27:28-31.  Finally, we must choose Jesus’ path.  We lose many, especially boys, when we only portray a meek and mild Jesus.  Both the Jesus who loves and judges must be balanced.  As the Lamb of God, He is concealed; as the Lion of Judah, He is revealed.  The same Jesus who asked the little children to gather to Him is the Word of God on a white horse with a sword coming from His mouth to strike down the nations.  We must be willing to drink His cup (Matthew 20:21-23) while we walk as He did (1 John 2:5-6).  Only then can we live in true rebellion against the world!

If you only live a little different in degree but not character than the world, then you are in a very silent rebellion against it.  How will you win souls for Christ with your example or your teaching if you’re not denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Him?

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If the World Hates You

Why do many Christians choose to live their lives in Christ different than the world only in degree but not by nature?  A stranger meeting them for the first time would see them as another predator, not the man escaping uphill on the bike.  Cutting through all the excuses and justifications, the real reason is that the one who died with his Savior in baptism to live for his Savior in new life doesn’t want to be hated like Jesus was (John 15:18-21).

I.  Philippians 2:5-8.  Just before the cross, Jesus tells His followers that because He was hated they will be too.  Why?  Because their very nature will no longer be like the world’s but be like His.  Because we obeyed the gospel, we died with Christ to live our new lives for Christ (Romans 6:4, 2 Corinthians 5:17).  Set apart from the world, we will face persecution (Matthew 5:11-12) for living sanctified, just like the prophets (Hebrews 11:37-38).  The world is not worthy of us, yet we often live like we’re not worthy of it.

II.  John 13:12-15.  But, can we blend in with the world and still be Christians?  Jesus told the servants to serve as we saw the Master do.  When persecuted, early Christians rejoiced because they were considered worthy to suffer for Jesus’ name (Acts 5:40-42).  Yet, often we strive to avoid persecution at all costs that we might somehow be spared the world’s rejection and scorn.  We change the church to become more like the world rather than shining the light of the gospel to change the world (John 3:19-21).

III.  Matthew 5:43-48.  The apostle speaks of an upward spiral in John 14:15 and 1 John 2:3-5.  If we love, we’ll obey; if we obey, we’ll know God; if we know God, our love will be perfected.  But, while seeking to live the minimum to still be considered Christians (although God has spoken about those who are lukewarm in Revelation 3:16), these chameleons are really in a downward spiral: they don’t obey His words, so don’t love; they don’t love, so they don’t know God; they don’t know God, so they don’t obey Him.

One popular slogan today says, “Stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out.”  From a spiritual perspective, we should stop trying to blend in with the world to avoid being hated when we were born again at a terrible cost to our Savior to live sanctified.

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Have You Counted the Cost?

In the story of Dr. Faustus, a man exchanges his soul to the devil for all that the world has to offer, but eventually payment comes due!  How many believe themselves walking on the narrow path that leads to eternal life but because they have compromised with the world, find their feet on the broad road that leads to destruction?

I.  Matthew 7:13-14.  The first verse of the hymn, “Have You Counted the Cost?” challenges us to examine our walk with Christ:

There’s a line that is drawn by rejecting our Lord, Where the call of His Spirit is lost,

And you hurry along with the pleasure mad throng, Have you counted, have you counted the cost?

Our whole duty is to fear and obey God (Ecclesiastes 12:12-13).  Why?  Judgment is coming.  We will be judged by every word of the Word (John 12:48).  His Word is a living standard by which we must give an account (Hebrews 4:11-13).  Even if we’ve obeyed the gospel and on that narrow road, we must make every effort to obey (Mark 8:34) and not be compromised with the world (1 John 2:3-6).  Do you cross His line?

II. Matthew 6:19-21.  The second verse challenges us to examine where we are storing our treasure:

You may barter your hope of eternity’s morn, For a moment of joy at the most,

For the glitter of sin and the things it will win, Have you counted, have you counted the cost?

We are either storing up treasure for this temporary life or for eternal life (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).  Some justify disobedience because the trials of life are difficult, but we must persevere instead (1 Peter 1:3-7).  Sin does attract us (Mark 8:35), and Satan knows exactly which lure to use for each of us.  Obedience or disobedience in this temporary life has eternal consequences (Revelation 21:22-27).  Do you barter your hope?

III.  Matthew 4:5-7.  The third verse asks us if we test God when we’re put to the test:

While the door of His mercy is open to you, E’er the depth of His love you exhaust,

Won’t you come and be healed, won’t you whisper, I yield, Have you counted, have you counted the cost?

Time is the gift that God gives us to repent (2 Peter 3:9).  Unlike Jesus who recognized that His time of testing was not an excuse to test God, we often give in when struggles are hard.  God’s patience, kindness, and mercy are intended to return us to Him (Romans 2:3-8).  Our giving in is denying Him (Mark 8:38).  Rather we should submit our lives to Jesus (James 4:7-10) and live through the gospel.  Is the door open to you?

The chilling chorus compels us each to answer to questions:

Have you counted the cost, if your soul should be lost, Tho’ you gain the whole world for your own?

Even now it may be that the line you have crossed, Have you counted, have you counted the cost?

 

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Up from the Grave He Arose

Last July, six year-old Bridger Walker threw himself in front of a mean dog to shield his little sister from certain death.  After the dog tore open his face, he still got her to safety.  When asked why he did it, he said that as the big brother, “If someone had to die, I thought it should be me.”  Isn’t this what Jesus determined at Gethsemane and Calvary that He must do for us?  Just as the scars that Bridger carries are a reminder of the love he has for his sister, Jesus, being fully God, shields us from certain death by rising from the grave.

I.  Luke 24:1-7.  At the tomb, Jesus conquered our death problem.  Because we’ve all sinned (Romans 3:23), we’ve all earned death, but the gift of eternal life can now come to us because Jesus conquered death (Romans 6:23).  He was fully man to be our sacrifice, yes, but He was fully God to be our Savior.  We no longer need to be held in slavery to our fear of death because Jesus conquered (Hebrews 2:14-16).

II.  1 Corinthians 15:1-26.  At the tomb, Jesus had to be fully God to be our Savior.  The leaders of every other world religion died; only in Christianity do we serve a risen Savior.  Jesus reveals His divinity by promising to raise Himself from the dead (John 2:18-22).  On Pentecost, Peter confirms this by stating that God raised Him (Acts 2:22-24).  Because Jesus was fully God, the gospel can save us.

III.  1 Corinthians 15:42-57.  We can rise with Jesus who was fully God to be our Savior.  We, who die in Christ, will also live in Him.  Because death has been conquered, we can have victory in Jesus.  But we must obey.  Jesus’ work at the cross and at the tomb is ours to obey (Romans 6:3-5).  Because Jesus overcame death, He became our source of eternal salvation if we obey (Hebrews 5:7-9).

As noble as Bridger Walker’s saving of his sister was, Jesus’ conquering of death for all who obey the gospel is a better salvation story.  Have you obeyed it?

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Sons of God Through Faith

A man drowning at sea is suddenly thrown a life ring that splashes into the water next to him.  Taking hold of it, he is pulled into the boat by his rescuer and lives the rest of his life eternally grateful to the one who saved his life.  Like this man, we are each dying in sin.  Because of His work at the cross and the tomb, Jesus is the only one able to save us through the gospel that he casts out to us.  We must take hold of the gospel to be saved, but no one rescued would argue that we worked for our salvation because we believed, repented, or confessed ‘Jesus as Lord.’  No, we would adamantly claim that Jesus saved us through His gospel.

But what about the boat?

Why do so many in the denominational world ignore the boat?  Why is baptism not part of obeying that gospel as well?  After all, it is Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection that make the gospel possible, and it is in baptism that we die with Christ, are buried with Him, and are resurrected with Him to walk in new life (Romans 6).  Baptism is the platform from which the life ring can be thrown.  It is the vessel from which Jesus stands to cast the gospel out to sinners.  Why is being hauled into the boat by Jesus not considered essential by some to bring us from death to life?

I.  Galatians 3:23-29.  Often verse 26 is taken alone to prove by those against baptism that we are all sons of God through faith, and therefore, it by ‘faith alone’ that we are saved.  But the context of the passage shows that this is a contrast between the old system or covenant based on law versus the new system or covenant of faith.  What had been largely ritual in the Old Testament is superseded by the New Testament of relationship made possible Jesus’ work at the cross and tomb.  The passage then explains the process to come into this relationship with Christ, “As many of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”  We needed to get into the boat.

II.  Titus 3:4-5.  In reaction to the “Church” at the time being very works-based, the Reformation of the 1500s and 1600s swung the pendulum to the opposite extreme and declared salvation to be on “faith alone.”  Baptism was seen as a work because it was something tangible, unlike belief, repentance, and confessing ‘Jesus as Lord,’ that we had to do.  Romans 10:9-13 is a passage often cited by the ‘faith alone’ crowd as it excludes baptism but tells us we are saved by belief, confession, and calling upon the name of the Lord.  But pressed, these same folks will insist that repentance, although not listed there, is also necessary.  Obviously, this passage was not intended then to be a complete list.  And, where we call upon the name of the Lord, Acts 22:16 tells us, is in baptism.  What drowning man would insist that he had worked for his salvation because he submitted to his rescuer pulling him into the boat?  Rather, Jesus has done the only work for salvation.

III.  2 Peter 1:3-7.  Rescuing sinners is not enough for Jesus; He also gives us the chance to partake in the divine nature.  After dying with Jesus, being buried with Him, and rising with Him to new life in baptism, we are “heirs according to the promise.”  We must continue to walk as Jesus did to truly abide in Him (1 John 2:6).  We must continue to add all of these listed qualities, one to another, in increasing measure to never fall and receive a rich welcome into the Kingdom of God.

Could Jesus save without baptism?  If He wanted to … He is God in the flesh after all.  But the method He chose that was to continue down through the ages from Pentecost was for us to believe, confess Him as Lord (cut to the heart), repent, and be baptized into Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:36-41) and then to continue living by faith (Romans 1:16-17) as sons of God through faith.

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Between You and Your God

The impact of the gospel becomes real at the moment Jesus cries out with “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” while on the cross.  This is the whole reason for the “good news” in the first place.  Man, who is separated from God because of sin, can not pay back the debt he owes, so God becomes a man, who does not sin, to pay back man’s debt to God.

I.  1 Corinthians 15:1-4.  From incarnation to intercession, Jesus’ redemptive work at the cross and the tomb is called a matter of first importance and works together to save us (Hebrews 7:23-25).  We each choose to obey or not obey the gospel (Romans 6:1-18) as Jesus overcomes our sin problem (Isaiah 59:1-4) by having our sins punished in Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21) and then solving our grave problem by resurrecting from the dead.

II.  Romans 7:18-20.  Sins are either those we commit (when we do what we shouldn’t) or omit (don’t do what we should).  Even the smallest hint of either will separate us from a holy God (Ephesians 4:17–5:7).  If we just look at the seven deadly sins (although every sin is deadly!), we can see how they all overlap in and work to destroy individuals’ spiritual, physical, and emotional/mental realms.  We need Jesus’ redemptive work of the gospel to remove the separation that sin has made between us and God.

III.  Romans 14:10-12.  We must own our sins before Jesus can take them away.  This means letting their devastating impact to our souls and the awaiting judgment for them truly strike us.  Then, we can appreciate what Jesus has done for us and can obey the gospel by believing (John 8:24), repenting of our sins (Luke 13:3), confessing Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9), and being baptized into His Name for the forgiveness of sins (1 Peter 3:21).

But the gospel doesn’t stop there … as those who have come into Christ must continue to live obediently (Philippians 2:12-13).  Jesus has died for you.  Are you living in Him?

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Is It Better For You …?

In the Calvin & Hobbes cartoon strip, Calvin often played calvinball, a game in which the rules were always changing to benefit him.  That’s how “Christian chameleons” often treat the truth, changing it to appeal to a wider audience, blend in better with the culture, or benefit themselves in some way.

The question we need to ask is: are we seeking to please self or God?

I.  Judges 18:3-20.  When Joshua divided the promised land among the tribes of Israel, God scattered the Levites throughout the tribes to remind them of His covenant and Law.  In the previous chapter, the Levite was so glad to be employed by Micah that he never says anything against his master’s carved image, household gods, or the location of worship.  When 600 armed Danites ask him if it was better to serve one man or a whole tribe, the Levite goes with them, never mentioning God, the tabernacle, proper worship, what God desired, or the need to be holy as God is holy.

II.  1 Timothy 4:16.  When we don’t watch our life and doctrine closely, we fall into selfishness and sin or compromise truth because of cultural pressures.  In both cases we stray from being a true worshiper in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), become a friend to the world (James 4:1-4), and seek to please self rather than God (2 Corinthians 5:9).  Rather, we must seek first His Kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33) and do everything in word and deed in His Name (Colossians 3:17).

III.  Ezekiel 22:23-30.  During the Babylonian captivity, Ezekiel tells us how those who should have been standing firm on truth had strayed in their duties.  He lays God’s charges against the priests, princes, prophets, and people and ends with the lament that there was no one to stand in the breach.  This was true in the time of judges, captivity … but not today.  Jesus stood in the breach for us by the cross and then turned His work over to His followers to be the light of the world (John 9:1-5).

Are you?  Will you stand in the breach to tell a sinful world the saving message of the gospel?  Or will you compromise with the culture?  Will you do what is pleasing to you or God?  You cannot live your live by “Is it better for you …?”  Rather, it should be “Is it better for God …?”

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For As the Man Is

In an age where our secular culture attacks any show of masculinity as ‘toxic,’ should the church settle for the feminized version of what it means to be a man?

I.  Judges 8:18-21.  Having overcome his fear and fully trusting in God, Gideon routs the armies attacking Israel and captures two of their leaders, who basically tell him to kill them himself if he were to be a man.  Gideon does, but is it toxic masculinity or doing what has to be done–even if it’s hard?  Fear almost always is the cause for most men to shrink back from being ‘men.’  Describing David as a man after God’s heart, God explains that he would do all of His will (Acts 13:22).  So, to be a godly men, we must be a living sacrifice to know what God’s will is (Romans 12:1-2), choosing to do His will–even if it’s difficult.

II.  Hebrews 5:7-9.  Jesus was such a man, who suffered greatly in His obedience to His Father’s will, but became the source of salvation to all who obey Him.  We are told to fix our eyes on Him as our example and for perseverance to obey because the way He endured the cross was “for the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:1-4).  Jesus fulfilled what it means to be a godly man in the fullest sense and then left us an example to follow (1 Peter 2:21-23), even forgiving from the cross (Luke 23:34).

III.  Psalm 18:29-40.  So, only in Jesus and walking as He did (1 John 2:6) are we able to be ‘men’ by God’s definition.  “For as the man is, so is his strength,” Gideon was told.  Since “the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25), how better to truly be a ‘man’ than through Him?

God made both men and women in His likeness.  There’s no reason why the church must accept that there’s no difference or that gender is somehow fluid or subject to choice.  Rather, both men and women must live out how they were intended to be in Him as outlined in His Word.