Gospel Maturity

1. The Gospel Is for Maturity

 Out of a good desire for growth and maturity, it’s tempting to focus our attention on our own lives. We assess our relationships. We evaluate our priorities. We may even zero in on our own heart issues like pride, lust, envy, or greed. And while it’s healthy to realize our own need for change, it’s possible to divert our eyes and hopes from what truly transforms.

Paul wanted the same thing we want in our own lives and churches—maturity. But to bring that about, he directed the gaze of his people toward Christ, not their own cares. He described his ministry like this: "[Christ] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ" (Col. 1:28).

We know Paul desired to preach nothing but "Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2), but do we subtly assume this kind of preaching is really for the unconverted? Paul had a different understanding. He was convinced the same gospel that saves the lost also sanctifies the found. Maturity is the goal, and the proclamation of Christ is the means. He insisted that the spiritual sight of Christ brings growth, vitality, and transformation to the soul.

Paul proclaimed the glories of the King so that believers would grow. We should do no less

The Gospel

John Piper offers ten theses to explain how all preaching should be gospel preaching, proclaiming Christ crucified:


1.    Whatever lasting good God ever does or ever did or ever will do for any individual person, he does and did and will do because of his free, utterly undeserved grace.

2.    This free grace, that gives every lasting good to people, can benefit us justly only because of Jesus’ wrath-absorbing, righteousness-providing, sin-atoning, guilt-removing, substitutionary death for us.

3.    Without this kind of atoning death of Christ, God’s grace would not save us, but only increase our condemnation because of the hardness of our hearts.

4.    But by the blood of Christ, God really purchased us for himself and secured not only every lasting good that we receive, but also the gift of repentance and faith through which we receive everything else.

5.    Therefore every sermon that holds out any lasting good to any person (as every Christian sermon must) should be based on, and interwoven with, the gospel of the living Christ’s substitutionary death.

6.    This gospel basis and gospel interweaving of our sermons should be clear enough so that gospel-deniers (like Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, legalists, libertines, etc) will not approve of our sermons. There should be enough of Christ and of his cross that those who deny the gospel don’t approve the sermon.

7.    This gospel basis and gospel interweaving of our sermons should be clear enough so that the living Jesus will be honored as the ground and goal of the message because of his grace-securing sacrifice for us.

8.     This gospel basis and gospel interweaving of our sermons should be clear enough so that the imperative that flows from the message is, first and foremost, faith in the blood-bought reality that God is 100% for us in Christ (that is, faith in the justifying work of Christ), and then, secondly, the obedience that comes from this faith (that is, the fruit of the sanctifying work of the Spirit).

9.    In this sense then every sermon proclaims Christ. His atoning work is the ground of all it offers. His glory is the ultimate goal of all it aims to achieve. And the written revelation of Christ’s unfolding ways in history (that is, Scripture) is the only authoritative source from which we bring this work and ground and this glory to light (expository exultation).

10.    Thus with Christ-crucified as the ground and goal and matter of every sermon (and all of life) the ultimate aim of God in creation is advanced: the praise of the glory of God’s grace, through the joy of his people in him.

Scripture is for the Purpose of Salvation and Godly Living

Scripture. The sixty-six books of the Protestant canon, in their original writings, comprise the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God.

The thirty-nine books known as the Hebrew Old Testament are God-breathed, products of the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, and thus free from error in all that they affirm (cf. Deuteronomy 18:18, 19; Psalms 19:7, 8; 119:89, 142, 151, 160; Matthew 5:17-19; John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

Similarly, the twenty-seven books known as the Greek New Testament are the eternally abiding words of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:35), and are thus the words of God (John 7:16; 12:49). The Holy Spirit enabled the writers both to recall what the Lord said (John 14:26), and to continue to receive His revelation (John 16: 12-15). As a result, the writings of the New Testament are the commandment of the Lord (1 Corinthians 14:37), are Scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16), and are God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16).

For this reason, the sinner finds the way of salvation through Scripture (Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 2:1-3). The believer is made fruitful (Psalm 1:2, 3) and successful in the will of God (Joshua 1:8), warned and kept from sin (Psalms 19:11; 119:9,11), made holy (John 17:17), given wisdom (Psalm 9:7) and freeing knowledge of the truth (John 8: 31, 32), taught the fear of God (Psalm 119:38), counseled (Psalm 119:24), taught, reproved, corrected, and disciplined in the way righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16) by Scripture. Scripture is, in short, the fully adequate revelation of the person, ways, and will of God.

Just What Is The Gospel

 This comes from John Sampson: I really am not a real Reformed preacher. I accept the salvation aspect of the Reformers.  

But so much of what we have learned over the years, in seminary, in college, in preaching, in my opinion has been not fully correct.

While I have not followed Dr Horton very close, (since I didn't know who he was) but in the brief video he explains the GOSPEL.

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…” – 1 Cor 15:1-3

As Dr. Michael Horton explains in the video below, the Greek word for Gospel “εὐαγγέλιον” transliterated into English as “euangelion” means “good news.” Specifically, it is an announcement of an event that has good ramifications, a victory, a settled triumph, good news, glad tidings. The Gospel centers in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ; who He is and what He has accomplished by His life, death, burial and resurrection. It also includes the announcement that based on the Scriptures alone, justification is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.

HOW WE PREACH OR TEACH THE GOSPEL AND LAW

It is the Word implanted (James) that creates faith and nurtures the Fruit of the Spirit.

·       So it is all so simple. We do not preach as the apostles did, commanding all men to repent and believe and knowing that only by the ministry of the Spirit will they do so, because (unlike Peter and Paul) we are afraid of creating a false impression that human effort saves.

"The theology of homiletics is far less simplistic and requires a genuine comprehension of biblical soteriology.". But then, it’s easier to paint a straw-man of applicatory preaching:

• A good preacher will reference the Word as to soteriolgy, as what true faith looks like and does, but 10 steps to this or that, or barn burning harangues (address somebody loudly and forcefully) about Christian morality won't change anything.

Because, you know, the whole history of applicatory (suitable for applying) preaching may be summed up with reference to a few miserable trends in the last few decades: application can only take the form of raving : i.e.

 

• (Irrational, used to emphasize the sense of admiration and excitement felt for something, or wildly irrational speech, anger, or insulting utterances))  fundamentalistic diatribes (a bitter verbal or written attack on somebody or something) or silly self-help seminars. No one has ever done it any other way.

So How Should We Present The Gospel Part three

SO THEN HOW SHALL WE PRESENT THE WORD OF GOD UNTO SALVATION

 

Stephen J. LaWSon says in his book “Made in His Image.”  What Shall We do With a User-Friendly God?

• “Step into the average church theses days and you will likely see that the services are designed more to remove the fear of God than to promote it.”

R.C. Sprol says.

• ·       The heart of the 16^th century Luther warned his contemporys . He said “Any time the Gospel is preached clearly and boldly it will produce conflict. And people don’t like conflict. And as a result of that they will change the gospel ,water down the gospel, or try to take away its offense., When the evangelist meeting is all design to get people down the aisles to produce the effect of large people coming down the aisles you tend to do things very differently then when you are pressing Gospel upon the hearts of men and urging   them to respond in prayer to God.

Arthur W. Pink

 

• “The nature of Christ’s salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist.  He announces a Savior from hell rather than a Savior from sin.”

·        

·       “And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldiness.”

Saving Faith Part 1  Signs of the Time 1930

Instead of preaching law of God to convict men of sin and expose their guilt before a holy and just God. Many churches opt for a non confirmative preaching and evangelism.

Ray Comfort

• ·       “The modern gospel says: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. He gives you love, joy, peace, fulfillment, and lasting happiness.”

·       “The sinners responds, and in an experimental fashion puts on the Savior to see if the claims are true. And what does he get? The promised temptation, tribulation, and persecution.”

Peace and Joy are fruit of the gospel, they are not the tree or the roots. If we really love people we really need to tell them the truth. And what is the truth? If they are outside of Christ if they have not submitted themselves to the Lord and Savior they are sinners in the hand of an angry God.

 to continue:

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Gospel By Jonathan Edwards

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

The gospel announces that God is not what we think. God has no swagger, no pride, no bluff, no defensive face-saving, no pushing to the head of the line — what this whole world is made of. God is humble. He does nothing from rivalry, though we picked a fight with him, nor conceit, though we puffed ourselves up against him. God made himself nothing, took the form of a servant, humbled himself in obedience all the way to death on the cross. For us. That gospel doctrine in the Bible creates a gospel culture in a church.

Gospel doctrine – gospel culture = hypocrisy.

Gospel culture – gospel doctrine = fragility.

Gospel doctrine + gospel culture = power.

In one of the most beautiful passages I know of outside the Bible, Jonathan Edwards distinguishes gospel culture from non-gospel culture:

“Spiritual pride is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christianity. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit, to darken the mind and mislead the judgment. It is the main source of all the mischief the devil introduces, to clog and hinder a work of God.

Spiritual pride tends to speak of other persons’ sins with bitterness or with laughter and levity and an air of contempt. But pure Christian humility rather tends either to be silent about these problems or to speak of them with grief and pity. Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others, but a humble Christian is most guarded about himself. He is as suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart. The proud person is apt to find fault with other believers, that they are low in grace, and to be much in observing how cold and dead they are and to be quick to note their deficiencies. But the humble Christian has so much to do at home and sees so much evil in his own heart and is so concerned about it that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts. He is apt to esteem others better than himself.”

Jonathan Edwards, Works (Edinburgh, 1979), I:398-400. Style updated.

Called To Preach The Gospel Ministry

The Call To Be A Servant of Jesus Christ, 1 from charles e. whisnan t on Vimeo.

Charles E. Whisnant, Pastor/Teacher Rivers of Joy Baptist Church, part one from September 06 2009 from Romans One.

Do you know if God has "called" you into the ministry to preach/teach the Word of God? Well Romans 1:1-5 give us Paul's understanding on the subject. Here is the first part of the message I taught Sunday.

IS THE GOSPEL THE END OF THE SEARCH FOR PERSONAL HAPPINESS?

IS THE GOSPEL A STORY OF HAPPINESS TO BE ACHIEVED BY SELFISH SEARCH?

I have preached from I Thessalonians since becoming the pastor/teacher of Rivers of Joy

Bapstist Church in July. The subject of the Gospel has taken up a lot of the sermons I have preached. I don't think a lot of folks today know what the gospel is biblically.

What is the gospel?

Folks in the most interesting places are asking that question these days. When I was growing up, in the 50's and 60's no one had to ask what the gospel was. We knew. It was the answer to the question: "If you were to die tonight, how do you know for sure you'd go to heaven?" The gospel was what got you saved. We knew what getting saved was, too. Getting saved was being placed in the heaven-bound category. And we knew what heaven was. Heaven was the pleasure place where everybody wanted to go after death. Hell was not our place to want to go.

But now folks like N.T. Wright (from a New Testament historical perspective), and Dallas Willard (from a spiritual formation and discipleship perspective), and Shane Claiborne (from a community perspective), and Brian McLaren (from a general gadfly perspective), are calling us to rethink what the gospel really means. So what do I think about these new ideas about the Gospel. I have spent a few weeks at Rivers of Joy Baptist Church on this subject.

A journal called Journal of Happiness Studies. "Positive psychology" is the big new trend in social science over the last decade, so all kinds of researchers have decided to explore the northern rather than southern hemisphere of human emotions. "Aspirations, along with attainments, play an important role in shaping well-being." I checked out a few of their articles on their website.

One theme that keeps popping up is the happiness paradox: "the more directly one aims to maximize pleasure and avoid pain, the more likely one is to produce a life lacking of depth, meaning, and community." One article listed facets of the happiness paradox. Another explained the principle of indirection: happiness, by its nature, cannot be obtained by direct pursuit. You have to sneak up on it. Or rather, you have to let it sneak up on you while you're pursuing something more important. "You know how to sneak up on a rabbit?"

It struck me that the traditional expression of the gospel I heard growing up fell into a similar trap. There was not much serious thought about the true nature of heaven. (If you've been avoiding God all your life, would you want to be in heaven? It appears that God will be very hard to avoid there.)

Maybe the "if you were to die tonight" version of the gospel falls victim to the happiness paradox. If "heaven" is understood as "ultimate happiness," then I can seek to obtain it while remaining trapped in my self-centeredness. If "heaven" is understood as the eternal pleasure place, then obtaining it has no intrinsic relationship to transformation, therefore no intrinsic relationship to discipleship. And if you note, most people's opinion of their heaven, is beautful and full of happeness and fun things to do, with no regard to any personal change in our life-style on earth, waiting to get to heaven. Maybe a few prayers a few times a day, and maybe wearing a set of black clothes and covering my face, etc.

But if the gospel really is the announcement of the availability, through Jesus, of the "with-God life," then things begin to fall into place. Grace is not just the forgiveness of sin, it is the power to live the with-God life from one moment to the next. Heaven is not a pleasure place that an angry God chooses to shut some people out of because they don't pass a theology test; it is a community of servanthood that can only be enjoyed by a certain kind of character.

Discipleship or obedience is not something we have to sweet-talk people into by obligation or gratitude ("after all, Jesus died for you; the least you can do is deny yourself happiness for a while on earth"), it is simply the process of learning to enter into the good, with-God life. The gospel becomes social as well as personal—not because individuals don't matter, but because to be "saved" means (among other things) to be delivered from the chronic selfishness that contributes to the world's hurt and to my misery.

We do have a ways to go on one great task regarding the gospel. And that is how to articulate a biblically sound, spiritually powerful gospel in a way that calls for great clarity of decision.

• The reason the old "if you were to die tonight" gospel was so popular (and, I think, has been used by God to a large degree), is that at least it helps people be very clear that they've made a decision about something. ("I'm not going to earn my way anymore; I'm on the grace plan.") And that decision itself is often enough to start people on the road toward God.

In our day, I think, we are seeing more accurate ways of understanding the gospel. But we need clarion calls of directness to help people respond today.

When Jesus walked the earth, the call "Follow me" was easily understood. People would actually, physically, bodily, walk with Jesus. People knew if they were following.

When the church formed, the call to follow Jesus was easily understood. There was an alternative community that met daily, that radically transformed people's financial lives, social lives, time, learning, allegiances, and hope. People knew if they were following.

In our day, that experience has become so diluted and enculturated that people have a hard time knowing.

• The availability of life, with God, in his favor and power, as a gift of grace we receive by repentance and trust, through the death and resurrection of Jesus—that's the gospel with power.

What needs still to be done is to find ways to express this with great clarity and simplicity, ways to help ordinary people know for sure they have made the great decision, the great commitment of their lives.

Adopted from an article by John Ortberg, with my thoughts inserted therein and researched personally and experienced personally.

GOD AND PRAISE

WHY DO WE ASK SUCH QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD?

• "Why did He desire to and create a plan of salvation that would frustrate his desire for all to be saved? Why did he create a world that would become sinful and frustrate his desire for perfection? Why was it God’s predetermined plan and foreknowledge to crucify Christ (Acts 2:23) which was accomplished through many acts of sin (which is against God’s will by definition)? God’s plan to crucify Christ can be seen in Isaiah 53:10, ”Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief.” Why does God send Moses to tell Pharaoh to “Let my people go.” Yet Exodus 4:21 God says, “I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.” Was God commanding someone to do something that He was ensuring they wouldn’t do? Did God not frustrate His own desire to have Pharaoh release Israel? (Romans 9 explains more) One of the biggest questions is why did God create a world capable of evil? The mere existence of an evil world works in contrast to God’s will. There are many more examples." A quote from a reader this week.


• The gospel has been described as a pool in which a toddler can wade and yet an elephant can swim. It is both simple enough to tell to a child and profound enough for the greatest minds to explore. Indeed, even angels never tire of looking into it (1 Peter 1:12). Humans are by no means angels, however, so rather than contemplating it, we argue about it.


• A generation ago evangelicals agreed on "the simple gospel": (1) God made you and wants to have a relationship with you, (2) but your sin separates you from God. (3) Jesus took the punishment your sins deserved, (4) so if you repent from sins and trust in him for your salvation, you will be forgiven, justified, and accepted freely by grace, and indwelt with his Spirit until you die and go to heaven.


• One gospel, many forms. So yes, there must be one gospel, yet there are clearly different forms in which that one gospel can be expressed. I am teaching First Thessalonians and Paul said, "For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance." The Gospel is the plan of salvation, but the gospel has a far reaching effect upon those who by God's grace receive it.

• There are other forms of the gospel. You will noticed that the kingdom language of the Synoptic Gospels is virtually missing in the Gospel of John, which usually talks instead about receiving eternal life. However, when we compare Mark 10:17, 23-34 , Matthew 25:34, 46, and John 3:5, 6 and 17, we see that "entering the kingdom of God" and "receiving eternal life" are virtually the same thing. Reading Matthew 18:3, Mark 10:15 and John 3:3, 5 together reveal that conversion, the new birth, and receiving the kingdom of God "as a child" are the same move. The terms eternal life and salvation and the kingdom are speaking of the same gospel.

PRAISE TO GOD IS A LIFESTYLE

• *
  *
  *

*
*
*
*
*
*

*
*
*
*

RIVERS OF JOY BAPTIST PRAISE CHOIR, SOUTHERN STYLE

*

All too often, praise to God is something that many people leave at church, an event that happens only when they come together with other Christians. However, praise should be a part of a believers lifestyle, inter-mingled as a part of their daily prayer-life. At work, in the car, at home in bed, or anywhere; praise to the Lord brings the refreshing of the Lord’s presence, along with His power and anointing. “...I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalms 34:1).

Praise is an expression of faith, and a declaration of victory! It declares that we believe God is with us and is in control of the outcome of all our circumstances (Romans 8:28). Praise is a “sacrifice,” something that we offer to God sacrificially, not just because we feel like it, but because we believe in Him and wish to please Him. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

GOSPEL, SPEECH, HOLLYWOOD

ARE WE JUST TO KEEP OUR TONGUE SPEECH SHUT?



BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY LIFESTYLE IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN HOLLYWOOD LIFESTYLE

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL? WHAT ARE WE SAVED FROM?

LET ME SAY AGAIN........

The real problem is sin and guilt. That's the issue. God sent Jesus Christ to rescue us from the consequence of our sin, and everybody falls into the category of sinner. It doesn't matter whether you're among the haves or the have-nots, whether you have great expectations or none at all, whether you're consumed by your passions or exhibit a degree of self-control and discipline-you are still a sinner. You have broken the law of God and He's angry about it. Unless something happens to change your condition, you're on your way to eternal hell. You need to be rescued from the consequences of your sin. Those are the principal issues the gospel solves.

The truth is, even when you are delivered from the ultimate danger of God's wrath against sin, you might never realize your dreams. When you come to Christ, the Lord realigns your thinking so that all you ever wanted, all you used to strive for, you count as loss, waste, garbage (cf. Paul in Phil. 3:4-8). Coming to Christ means the end of you. Also, though you'll experience the power of the Holy Spirit to gain victory over sin, you may never attain total dominance over your drives and passions this side of heaven. Like Paul, you will strive with sin to your dying day (cf. Rom. 7:13-25). Issues of fulfillment and sinful passions will be dealt with, in the Lord's time and in the Lord's way. So if you've come to Christ primarily to find fulfillment or to escape from bad habits, Jesus may not be what you're looking for.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SO WE READ THIS MORNING ON THE INTERNET

LINDSAY & SAM ARE 'REAL THING'

Headlines today and Sam is not a boy

DO PEOPLE NEED TO COME OUT "WHICH WAY TO GO"?

IS IT MY EYES GOING BAD, OR

IS HOLLYWOOD, MUSIC PEOPLE GOING

BAD?

FOR CHRISTIANS, THE WORD OF GOD IS THE RESOURCE FOR US NOT HOLLYWOOD OR MY SPACE.