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Early on Sunday Morning two millennia ago, the most terrifying sound the world will ever hear reverberated in the silence of a dark and sealed tomb. In the pierced pericardium of the Lord of Glory, just a whisper of truth, yet completely distinct, was the faint sound of a heartbeat. Undeniably this bruised, pierced, and suffering servant had defeated death; just as he said, he has risen (Matthew 28:6, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He was dead, but now he lives.

In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of holiness declared Jesus Christ to be the Son of God (Romans 1:4). This proved that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, the resurrection, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by him (John 11:25, 14:6). The hymn declares, "Shout it out, Jesus is alive, he's alive! O happy day!"

But beloved, the first thing we need to see is that for many, this is not a happy day, in the vindication of Jesus Christ in his resurrection (1 Timothy 3:16), he proved, just as Noah proved that the ark was a promise of impending doom (Hebrews 11:6), that God has far purer eyes than to look on sin (Habakkuk 1:13) and has provided just one way of salvation (Acts 4:12). The Holy Spirit came to convict people of sin because they do not believe on Jesus Christ (John 16:9) and to show them judgment because Satan was dealt a death-blow at the cross (John 16:11, cf John 12:31, Genesis 3:15, Romans 16:20). The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a very bad day for most of the world, who have sought to dethrone him since the beginning, and seek to do so even today, but in his resurrection he has become King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16), and he is set to tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty (Revelation 19:15).

Many will end up cowering, hiding, fleeing from the Eternal King, desperate not to see his face (Revelation 6:15-17). Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and he will destroy it from the surface of the earth (Amos 9:8).

And we may say, "Right! That is what unbelievers should be doing, fleeing from God for their sin!" And I say Amen, and Amen! But beloved, let me show you some believers who reacted similarly; without grace and mercy we would all flee from the face of God!

Look at Judges 13, I'd wouldn't be exaggerating to say this is one of my favorite passages of scripture. "A man of God came to me (Manoah's Wife), and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome." The messenger of God brought very good news, news of a coming, yet temporary and deficient, messiah (Samson) to judge Israel and redeem them from the grip of the Philistines. A brief conversation ensues in which the messenger calls for a burnt offering to be sacrificed. When the sacrifice is made, the messenger makes it clear to them that he is Christ. 'They fell on their faces to the ground...Manoah knew that the speaker was the angel of the Lord. And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God (Judges 13:20,21-22)!'"

Compare a moment when Isaiah sees God in a vision, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts (Isaiah 6:5)!"

And let's transfer to the New Testament, "Now as he (Saul, later the Apostle Paul) went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground... (Acts 9:3-4, cf Acts 22:6-7, 26:13-14)" Paul, zealous for his understanding of God, was put on his face, and not just him, but his companions who traveled with him.

The glory of Christ is powerful, on the night he was betrayed, a band of soldiers sought him, when he declared himself to be the I AM, "they drew back and fell to the ground (John 18:6)."

Balaam responded similarly (Numbers 22:31), as did the Magi (Matthew 2:11), demon possessed men (Mark 3:11), and a healed woman (Mark 5:33); simply seeing God has this distinct effect on people; he is of far purer eyes than to look on sin; in his endless burnings, who can stand (Isaiah 33:14)? Who can endure the heat of his anger (Nahum 1:6)?

Others fall farther and harder, Uzzah, perceiving his defiled hands as cleaner than the earth, touched the holy ark of God and fell dead (2 Samuel 6:6-7), as did Ananias and Sapphirah (Acts 5:5,10). God is holy and puts people on the ground willingly if possible, forcefully if necessary (Acts 5:11).

Apostles are not immune, Simon Peter saw the full glory of Jesus Christ and fell down at his knees, begging, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord (Luke 5:8)!"

This is not limited to earth; in Heaven the appointed authorities will bow willingly before the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:8).

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World (John 8:12), he has messengers whom he has declared to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), and when his glory shines through them, many fall down in their sinfulness (cf Revelation 19:10, 22:8, Acts 10:25, 16:29, 14:11-15). It is vitally important that we point them to the Righteous One who became sin for us, who bore our sins in his body, who fell down himself.

The night Jesus was crucified, under the weight of the condemnation that he was about to endure at the hands of his Father, he went to the Garden of Gethsemane, and "going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will' (Mark 14:35-36)." The second time he prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done (Matthew 26:42)." He prayed a third time (Matthew 26:44), knowing that to stand in the sight of God bearing the sin of the world would require an infinite payment, for each sin is costly, and unless the cup of the wine of the wrath of God were drained, the saints of God would be without hope. We cannot underestimate, nor even overestimate, the price which Jesus Christ paid for our souls.

Every fear which the previous mentioned prostrates had was well founded, God is of far purer eyes than that he can look on sin. Isaiah cried out in anguish, "Woe is me!" Manoah declared his sure ruin. Peter begged Christ to depart from his sinfulness. Ezekiel, a faithful prophet of God, though far from sinless, fell to the ground and wondered, "Ah, Lord God! Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel (Ezekiel 11:13)?!" These fears were realized on the cross.

Jesus Christ was put to death as the wages of sin were paid out (Romans 6:23). He became a curse for us, as it is written "cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree (Galatians 3:13)." The sins of those who reproached God fell on Jesus Christ (Psalm 69:9), and the Father turned his back on the Son, causing him to pray the most heart-rending prayer in history, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani (Mark 15:34)?" And the only righteous man to ever live in all of history was put to a full end, it pleased is Father to crush him (Isaiah 53:10), he drained the well mixed cup of God's foaming wrath all the way down to the dregs (Psalm 75:8, Isaiah 51:17).

Manoah's wife prophesied oh so sweetly (which is why this is my favorite verse), "If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burn offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these (Judges 13:23)."

Jesus prayed, showing us the fulfillment, "This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs (Psalm 69:31)." Peter exposited, "Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-this Jesus, delivered up according to the definitive plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men (Acts 2:22-23)."

Look at how this plays out in the Apostle John's life:

"I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet...I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw...one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength (Revelation 1:10,12-16)."

John did what I would do, what you would do, what everyone will do, "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead." But beloved, look at what happens next, "But he laid his right hand on me." He said, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:17-18)."

Beloved, if your view of Jesus does not put you on your face, does not cause you to weep for your ruin, for your sin against heaven, does not cause you to dive for cover in the deepest darkest hole you can find, then your jesus is probably made up, and idols cannot save you. But the Living Christ, who laid his hand on John, bore the scars of crucifixion (John 20:25,27-28), and is mighty to save (Zephaniah 3:17, Isaiah 63:1), able to save to the uttermost all those who draw near to him in faith, he always lives to make intercession for his saints (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus Christ was dead, crucified for lawless men, giving himself for his saints (Galatians 2:20), but he has been raised for our justification (Romans 4:25).

Therefore, beloved, this Easter, make sure your view of Jesus Christ terrifies you; he sees to the very center of your being and all of your thoughts, words, and deeds are laid bare (Hebrews 4:13, Ecclesiastes 12:24). Recognize that without his willful atonement, you would be without hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12), that your soul would be the cost, that Hell would gape wide to catch your fall; fall prostrate on your face in humility, confessing your sins against Heaven (2 Corinthians 7:10), and then look to the cross where the Lord of Glory died and where justice and love kissed; it is empty. Look to the tomb where hope was buried; it is empty. Christ is risen, he has condemned every false way: he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by him.

On the final day, every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). Some will do so willingly, but many will do so out of abject terror and/or violence done to them by ministering angels. Beloved, bow willingly, in sorrow for your sin against Heaven, and God promises that he will lift up the humble (Psalm 147:6), but dear reader, if you wait, if you bow out of compulsion, know that God promises that he will cast the wicked to the ground (Psalm 147:6).

I promise that every face will touch the ground in the presence of Jesus Christ, he puts people on the ground. God has accepted the sacrifice of his beloved Son, he delivered him up by lawless men, he has delivered this message to you. He has no delight in the death of the wicked, so turn from sin and turn to the Resurrection and the Life, and live; may he lay his hand on your shoulder before Judgment Day and declare to you with all authority, "Fear Not."

In conclusion, there are two responses on Judgment Day, those who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who will step forward willingly and in anticipation to meet Christ (1 John 2:28), and those who will flee in terror (Revelation 6:15-17); there is no middle option. May your sins have been to a cross two-thousand years ago, may you trust in Jesus Christ, and may the fact that his pierced heart is beating today prove to be your comfort and not your condemnation.

Absorbing Offense - Christian Forgiveness

The kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. One servant owed more than $6 BILLION, and he could not pay. Begging for patience he promised to pay all; out of pity for this servant, his king not only let the man go, but forgave him the debt. The servant went out and immediately found a fellow servant who owed him $12 THOUSAND. He seized him, and began to choke him, and demanded the man pay what was owed. When the debtor begged for patience, his pleas were ignored and he was thrown into prison until he paid the whole debt. (confer Matthew 18:23-35)

The above story is not the entire parable, but it contains important points I wish to make to you, dear saint, to stir you up towards good works and compassion towards the brethren (I will address the rest of the parable later in this article). The topic at hand is what happens to our sins against God, and what happens to others’ sins against us. Does this debt just vanish? Or does someone else pay it? Look at the above parable, the debt against the first servant is absorbed by the king (Matthew 18:27), the debt against the second servant is required to be paid by that servant (Matthew 18:30). Someone has to pay the debt, it cannot just go away; when a sin is just ignored, the Bible says, “He who justifies the wicked…is an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 17:15).” Sin must be paid for, and it will be paid for (Romans 2:4-5).

Did you notice the disparity between what a sin against God costs and what a sin against us costs? The debt owed to the king was several billion dollars, the debt owed to the servant was 0.000012 billion dollars. Clearly the king in this parable represents the Father (Matthew 18:35), and because God is infinitely more worthy than us, who are worthless (Romans 3:12), we must recognize that a sin against God is much more weighty and pressing than a transgression against ourselves. The Apostle Paul makes this point by writing to Corinth, “he caused [pain]…in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you (2 Corinthians 2:5).” Whichever sin is committed against us, no matter how big we think it is, it is nothing in comparison to our sin against God. This is why three Gospels tell us in three different ways to pray, “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us (Luke 11:4, Mark 11:25, Matthew 6:12).”

So what happens to our sins? In another parable Jesus tells that there were two debtors, one owed $60 thousand, and the other owed $6 thousand. When they could not pay, the moneylender cancelled the debt of both. (confer Luke 7:41-42) Their debts were just canceled? No, not just canceled, cancelled on account of the moneylender who absorbed that $66 thousand. Now, let me make a brief caveat, sin cannot be calculated as money can, each one of your sins has been worth you going to Hell for, the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), a single lie makes you a liar, and all liars will have their place in the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8), and we’ve all sinned much more than a single lie, and we can’t pay for any of our sins (Zephaniah 1:18, Psalm 49:7-9). Our debt was infinite, it required an incalculable payment. We were storing up wrath for ourselves on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment would be revealed (Romans 2:5). God has promised to repay perfectly in vengeance the sin debt against himself (Deuteronomy 32:35). Truly the danger to our souls for our infinite debt was only matched by the heinousness of our sin. The only one worthy to pay our debt was the infinite and eternal Creator God, and we had offended him and made him our enemy; we were without payment, without hope, and without God in the world. But while we were yet sinners he came to our rescue. As our Creator was fulfilling the law to learn the obedience which was required for our substitutionary payment, he forgave the sins of a crippled man and recreated his legs to walk, saying only, “Man, your sins are forgiven you. I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home”, to which the Creator’s enemies were quick to say, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus did these things, “that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Jesus Christ is God, and is able and willing to forgive sins. (confer Luke 5:17-26)

At the appointed time, the Creator, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, the Son of God, put on flesh, learned obedience, and went to a cross as the payment for sin. He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25). God has made us alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14). In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the satisfaction for our sins (1 John 4:10).

Therefore beloved, we ought to love one another as God loved us (1 John 4:11). No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us (1 John 4:12). You must put away sin, all of them; anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk; rather forgive one another, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive (Colossians 3:8,13).

How many times and to what extent must we forgive? Jesus said, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him (Luke 17:3-4).” Absorb the debt of others' sins against you just as Christ absorbed your debt; you are never so Christlike as when you forgive someone, “it is the glory of a man to overlook an offense (Proverbs 19:11).” The Apostle Paul exhorts you, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:31-32).” And beloved, have you noticed that most of these passages do not place the requirement of repentance for forgiveness? Sometimes it is necessary to absorb even the offense of lack of repentance when you are certain the person is a brother. (confer Philippians 4:2)

But what if you won’t forgive? Solomon exhorts and then insults you, “Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9).” The Apostle James implores you, “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:19-20).” Paul tests you for the genuineness of your conversion, “Turn to forgive and comfort him…I beg you to reaffirm your love for him, for this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything (2 Corinthians 2:7-9, compare Hebrews 5:9).”

Will you be Christlike in absorbing offense against yourself, paying it in your own soul, and forgiving sin? Christ whom you profess has done so completely, “I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me (Jeremiah 33:8).” He has in a single sacrifice perfected all those who were once his enemies, but are now being sanctified. Will you not forgive those who have a small debt against you when you have been forgiven such a larger debt? Can you not overlook their offense and forgive them as Christ has forgiven you?

Is your answer still no? Look back to the parable we began with, the servant who will not forgive his fellow servant after being forgiven so much by his king is found out. Are you this servant who holds others accountable to pay when your debt is supposedly canceled? Christ then says he never knew you, and this is your fate, “You wicked servant! Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ In anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart (Matthew 18:32-35).” The wages of sin is death, each sin is infinite. It will require an infinite and eternal retribution to pay for only one sin against the King, and dear reader, we both know that our debt is closer to the $6 BILLION mark than the lesser debt.

But dear reader, if you will repent of your sin, trust in the Resurrected Christ, you then have assurance in the sufficiency of his payment, the complete appeasement of your debt. This repentance will play out in forgiveness, in reconciliation, in love of the brothers. Fret yourself not with keeping tabs on those who are not Christians, for Psalm 37 tells their fate,

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
__Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
__but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
__though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.

- Psalm 37:8-10

But for you, forgive as you have been forgiven, and

Wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. - 1 Thessalonians 1:10

Crown of Boasting

God has blessed me in the ministry of reconciliation for the past six years; I look back at so many evangelists I’ve known in that time who started running strong but quickly fell aside; I hear stories of those who claim to have been zealous gospel preachers in their youth but who have settled down in their old age. This was one of my greatest fears for a long time, because I did not want to be a preacher only because it was an interesting hobby, I did not want to make evangelism my idol as I’ve seen so many do, and I most certainly did not want to shame Jesus Christ by falling aside and loving something else more than him, as he prayed for us so did I pray, “Let not those who trust in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel!” (Psalm 69:6)

I am writing this article to share my scriptural basis for evangelism and why I feel so blessed that Christ has given me a solid understanding of how to sustain evangelism. It begins four years ago, at an evangelistic meeting as many of us were introducing ourselves, I realized that I wasn’t just an evangelist, I was a pastor who evangelized. In other words, I loved people more than preaching. This seemed completely out of place at the time, but this has never changed. Boasting only in Christ, I’ve watched this group one by one fall from being zealous evangelists; there but for the grace of God go I.

As I’ve continued to read my Bible, I’ve found that my statement of being a pastor first, and an evangelist second, is not just biblical, but extremely biblical. I have in front of me a list of seventeen passages which say exactly what this article is going to say, and I’m sure my list is not exhaustive. The call is not hidden in the Bible, in fact it’s seen in one of the most popular evangelistic verses quoted, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...teaching them…” (Matthew 28:19-20) The call is not just to preach the gospel, it’s not just to make converts, but the call is to make disciples, to train them, to see them obedient to Jesus Christ. Paul rephrases the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20 this way, “Christ we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1:28-29)

The biblical model is not just to love making converts, for anyone can make a convert (Philippians 1:15-18), but to love those converts and rejoice in their faith. My favorite Bible verse says, “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20) This is not to imply that Paul’s converts here are perfect disciples, far from it, Paul quickly clarifies, “For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God? We pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith.” (1 Thessalonians 3:8-10) And to one of the worst churches in the Bible, Paul writes of his motives, “by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord…” (1 Corinthians 15:31) The joy and boasting that Paul has in his disciples is founded in the work that Christ has done in them and through them.

And are they Paul’s disciples? Paul takes a definite possession of his converts (Philemon 10, 1 Corinthians 4:14-15, Galatians 4:19, 2 Timothy 1:2, Titus 1:4, 2 Corinthians 11:28), he was the means by which the faith came to them, he taught them, he exhorts them, he corrects them, he worries about them, he prays for them; he forever recognizes that it is Christ working in him that brings this, but that does not diminish his joy one bit, in fact in another place, it increases his joy, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.” (1 Corinthians 3:5-8)

And by no means is this just the sentiment of the Apostle Paul, just in the 1 Thessalonians verse we see that this joy is shared by Paul, Silas, and Timothy. In another Epistle, John shares the sentiment, “I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 3-4)

Peter takes personal possession of Mark in 1 Peter 5:13, but he makes sure that we realize it's our responsibility and privilege to do the same for those under us, “I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1 Peter 5:1-4)

The winner of souls, the maker of disciples, is lauded throughout scripture. Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.” “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3) Elsewhere this passage is pointed at an individual, Levi the priest, “He walked with me in peace and righteousness, and he turned many from iniquity.” (Malachi 2:6) Beloved, may these be verses which God is pleased to apply to you.

I hope it is not I who have convinced you, but the scriptures themselves, that loving others through discipleship is the goal of evangelism rather than simply making a convert. Making converts is wonderful, but are they worth boasting over? Paul doesn’t boast in numbers, he boasts in Christian fruit, “we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.” (2 Thessalonians 1:4) It is God the Father who calls Ephesians 2:8-10), it is Christ who died (1 Corinthians 1:13), and it is the Spirit who works (Philippians 2:12-13), we do nothing (John 3:27, 6:63), our boasting is confined to the work we see God doing in our disciples, but boast we do, and exhort them to walk all the more in the truth revealed to them, “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” (Philippians 4:1)

My beloved, I pray you are working in such a way as to be able to boast in your disciples, that you have means to strive together with your brothers in the faith, that you see growth in them and are looking forward to giving an account of them on Judgment Day. (Hebrews 13:17) Beloved, far be it from me to tell you how to do this, my exhortation is only to do it. I could suggest youth ministry, college ministry, senior ministry, homeless ministry, Bible study, orphan ministry, widow ministry, hospital ministry, chaplaincy, street evangelism where you learn people's names and pray for them, etc etc, but beloved, do not let me stifle you, only find someone who needs Jesus and make them a disciple. And may they find such love in you that they cannot but boast in the work Christ has done through you in their lives, “that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.” (2 Corinthians 1:14)

Do the work of an evangelist, but love the church first and foremost. Do not boast in numbers, but in people. Charles Spurgeon, famous on earth and in Heaven, with much to boast over both on earth and in Heaven, said it this way, “A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.”

“And because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”(1 Corinthians 1:30-31)

St. Patrick's Day - Savannah - Update

Friday and Saturday Vernon, Evan, and I were blessed to preach in Savannah to an estimated one-million revelers. We had great conversations, sermons, and responses and the exhortation of the Apostle is more true than ever, "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

The following are the prayer requests I sent out to my beloved church, with pictures added. Most of these pictures are courtesy of Vernon. I must apologize for not being much of a photographer on this trip, I missed some great conversations Vernon had. Pray for the youth pastor of a local church there, he definitely knew the true gospel, and was striving for ways to arrest the descent he sees of so many youth into the animism and paganism that is overtaking Savannah; we encouraged him, Vernon with the message of Patrick the evangelist to Ireland, and myself with a copy of "The Way of the Master".

Friday, and Saturday Morning:

We've had a great first day here in Savannah. On Friday we set-up on River Street, and almost immediately had people stopping to ask questions. My best conversation was with Neil, a South Korean student who grew up Catholic and rejected God for the religion of evolution. After taking him through the law, he admitted to believing there was a god, but that it couldn't be the God of the Bible. We had a long discussion on evolution and creation, and I kept bring it back to the law. I concluded with, "'Till sin be bitter, Christ will never be sweet." He took my card and I'm hoping to hear from him again.

After this, the sky opened up and everyone ran for cover. We ended up in a massive impromptu party in a tunnel with our crosses, just standing there garnered us all sorts of glares. After about an hour the rain let up and we headed back out.

As I was preparing to preach, a Jewish Evolutionist came by and said, "One question: how old is the earth?" I responded with just a tad over 6000 years. He didn't like this answer, nor did several others walking by. This led to a great long conversation; the argumentative people kept changing with new people entering all the time, and we kept going over the gospel. At the end we got mired into a discussion with an Emergency Room Surgeon named Zackary who thought you couldn't be a scientist and a Christian. He didn't want to even consider his conscience, but I kept bringing him back to his conscience that he had sinned against the Creator God who holds the universe in the palm of his hand. Finally as we were going nowhere fast I left him with the same thought I left Neil, that until sin is bitter, Christ will never be sweet.

Finally I stood up and preached on the foolishness of the cross to the perishing. We had some very angry hecklers who started dancing and screaming, but they drew a massive crowd and I didn't finish preaching until the police came to shut the hecklers down because they were on the verge of violence. At that point it was almost 2am and so we called it a night. The only act of violence was minor, a drunk threw a beer at Evan but in his inebriation missed and only hit the very bottom of Evan's cross.

The parade this morning drew thousands of people, we quickly handed out our 1500 Patrick specific tracts then headed to lunch. On the way we passed a big park with many people in it, so stopped to share the message of Christ with them. Preached on the law which promised life, but brought death when transgressed, and now leads us to Christ.

Keep praying for us, there are lots of inquisitive lost people here, as well as angry hardened people, pray for our boldness and for the word to go out and call lost sheep home.

Saturday:

Thank you for your prayers this weekend, they most definitely were answered. One of my favorite proclamations of the gospel is, "He is Risen!" because in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ he has proven to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Saturday we proclaimed to Savannah that Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life, that there is eternal life for the one who turns from sin and trusts in the gospel. We received many different responses, but indifference was rarely one of them.

The parade started at 10:15am, we very quickly handed out 1500 St Patrick's Day specific tracts. We watched the parade from a restaurant, then headed out to engage people with the gospel. We brought two crosses, they say "Repent & Believe" and "Foolish to the Perishing" on the front and both say "He is Risen" on the back. Almost instantly we had crowds gathering around us asking questions. The most common question was, "Why are you holding a cross?" My answer is usually, "I'm hoping it will start conversations." Frequently the follow-up question is, "Has it started any?" To which I reply, "If you died tonight, do you think you'd go to Heaven?" Many great gospel presentations ensued.

Pray for David, a young soldier who may have some serious mental and/or demonic issues. We talked for about half an hour and during that time he claimed to be both an atheist and a born-again Christian. He was certain that he was not just a good person, but a great person. Pray that the seed planted will take root and call David out of the darkness into the light of Christ.

We talked to three young men, 20 years old or so, one was so convicted after the law that he walked off without saying anything. I tried to get him to stay for the gospel, but he wouldn't. The other two stayed and were intrigued by the gospel, but both had grown up in dead churches and told sad stories of hypocrites who showed no fruit of the Holy Spirit, and so both denied any power in Christianity to change lives. I implored them to trust Christ and that God is true even when every man is a liar.

Afterwards we set up with our crosses at Ellis Square, a mid-sized park that became a major hangout as the day progressed. It was far too loud anywhere to preach, but many stopped to hear the gospel. One man was so furious that he spent several minutes screaming at me, he kept saying things like, "You're a fool!" "You're an idiot!" I pointed to the cross which says the message of the cross is "Foolish to the Perishing" and explained that God has chosen the foolish things in the world to shame the wise. He was finally escorted off by a man who was easily seven feet tall; Vernon affectionately named this reveler the "Jolly Green Giant".

Evan spoke with a young lady who seems to be in a church that is preaching the truth, but she does not seem to have yet repented. Pray that their conversation will call her to repentance. I spoke to a similar girl who has been through "The Way of the Master" training course but has at least a toe still in the world. I exhorted her to tell someone about Jesus that night: history has several examples of evangelists saved under their own preaching.

The son of a pastor came next, he asked if I believed in predestination. I said, "the word is in the Bible." He said he believed he was predestinated to not be saved. I said that sounded like a wicked excuse to sin. We talked for a while longer and he seemed convicted and ran off. He left his girlfriend though, and we continued the gospel conversation. She said she wasn't a Christian, but that I was definitely sharing Christ in the wrong way. I asked her how she was sharing Christ and she said she wasn't. I replied that I liked the way I was doing it better than the way she wasn't. She went away thinking.

The last good conversation of the night was with a Catholic young man who asked to take a picture with the cross. He then asked, why are you doing this? I said, so I can ask you if you're going to Heaven. He said he hoped so, but after the good person test he showed visible contrition. Pray for him, because his girlfriend told me his motives in taking the picture with the cross were not good at all, but we know that what was meant for evil God can easily turn for good, that many are saved.

We've had a great evangelistic time here, and great fellowship. Thank you once again for the prayers, continue to pray for those who heard the message of the cross, that it would not be foolish to them, but the power of God to salvation. May the Lamb who was slain receive the reward of his suffering!

1 Samuel - The King Chosen by God

This entry is in the series of Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die, concerning the Book of First Samuel.

First Samuel records the prophetic ministry of Samuel, the transition from the time of judges to the time of kings, the calling and rejection of Saul as king, and the enmity which Saul has towards David. Within this book are many beautiful pictures of Christ; he is seen when David defeated Goliath with his own sword when Christ defeated death with death (1 Samuel 17:51). He is seen when Abigail (joy of the father) becomes the bride of David after her husband, a boorish, foolhardy, worldly man dies (1 Samuel 25:36-39); the church is seen in Abigail striving to see her family reconciled to the Messiah. Christ is evident when David goes out in order to rescue his bride and family who have been taken captive by the world (1 Samuel 30:18), and the grace of his victory is overflowing when all of David’s fellows partake in the spoils of the battle even if they weren’t involved in the battle (1 Samuel 30:24).

But the main point of First Samuel is that a king chosen by men will fall, but that a king chosen by God will stand, and that God is the true King of Israel (1 Samuel 12:12). Christ is that established and chosen king, of his kingdom there is no end.

Now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the LORD has set a king over you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king. – 1 Samuel 12:13,25

Grace to you and peace…from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. – Revelation 1:4-6

Ruth - A Nearer Kinsmen Redeemer

This entry is in the series of Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die, concerning the Book of Ruth.

Set in the middle of Judges, most likely around the beginning of Judges 10, the Book of Ruth contains amazing prophecies for Christ and that his church would be larger than just Israel. The most obvious link to Jesus in this book is that Ruth is Jesus' great-grandmother several generations removed, and also a Gentile (Matthew 1:5). Her assimilation into not just Israel, but the salvation of God, looks forward to a time when Jesus would say, "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." (John 10:16)

Other important themes are the rigidness to the law (Ruth 4:4), the caring for the poor (Ruth 2:7), and the price paid for a bride who was in servitude (Ruth 4:10, 1 Corinthians 7:23).

But the main prophecy of Jesus in the book of Ruth is that of Kinsmen Redeemer. This person was able and compelled to purchase a family member out of slavery (Leviticus 25:47-49), to purchase land sold (Leviticus 25:25), and to perpetuate a lineage of a dead brother (Deuteronomy 25:5-6, Ruth 2:20). Boaz is a kinsmen redeemer of Naomi (Ruth's mother-in-law), and also Naomi's dead husband and dead sons, but he is honest that there is a nearer redeemer. In the book, the nearer redeemer waves his right in order for Boaz to be able to be both redeemer and husband to Ruth.

Jesus Christ is our Nearer Kinsmen Redeemer, a brother by our adoption (Romans 8:14-15,29), the God who created us (Colossians 1:15-16), and the one who paid the price for our ransom from slavery (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God. – Psalm 31:5

For I know that my Redeemer lives and at the last he will stand upon the earth. – Job 19:25

Judges - To Turn us to God

This entry is in the series of Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die, concerning the Book of Judges.

The book of Judges is ripe with prophecy for Jesus; he is clearly seen in the humble origins of Gideon (Judges 6:15, John 7:41), questions about the legitimacy of birth like Japheth (Judges 11:2, John 9:29), and, for the first time in this study, in an anti-type, that of Samson.

Jesus is seen most beautifully in this book in his role of turning people back to God. The book of Judges has a running theme, that where there is no king or judge acting for the people, they quickly run off into idolatry. This is seen over and over and over, then a judge is appointed and routes the enemy and turns hearts back to Heaven, and then dies, and it all starts over again, until in the later chapters where no judge is rising, until Samuel comes (but that's another study for another day). The book of Judges is a narrative of straying people being led back to God.

Jesus Christ fulfills this role emphatically perfectly, and even moreso, because he lives forever, there is no occasion for his church to look for, or need, another Saviour.

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. – 1 Peter 2:25

God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. – Acts 5:31

Joshua - Our Leader into the Promised Land

This entry is in the series of Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die, concerning the Book of Joshua.

Joshua is an especially easy book to see Jesus in, since in Hebrew both are spelled, Jeshua. Joshua is an undeniable type for Jesus, leading his people into the promised land (John 14:6), Moses brought the people close, but the law does not lead to salvation, it only leads to Jesus (Galatians 3:24 KJV; The ESV terribly translates this verse). This is the primary prophecy for Christ in the book of Joshua, though it is certainly not the only prophecy. Jesus is seen in the scarlet cord which protected Rahab from wrath, in the leading of armies to accomplish God's purposes perfectly (Joshua 5:13-15), and once again in the new cities of refuge which provided salvation for lawbreakers.

Joshua as the leader of Israel to lead them into the promised land, both as military leader, and covenant maker (Joshua 24:25), is a beautiful look at Jesus who leads his church into Heaven, and the one who makes a perfect covenant with God for a rebellious people, so that they are saved in spite of their failure to keep the covenant.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. – Psalm 25:5

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:1-2

Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. – Hebrews 8:6-7,13

Deuteronomy - A Curse for Us

This entry is in the series of Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die, concerning the Book of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy is a collection of three of Moses' sermons, giving a summary of the history, laws, and covenant of Exodus through Numbers. Jesus is seen in this book as the fulfilment of the law, as the city of refuge which the lawbreaker may flee to for salvation, and in the festivals which point towards atonement with God.

Jesus is most prevalent in Deuteronomy in regards to the blessings derived from keeping the law and the curses which are wrought by breaking the law, whereby he kept the law perfectly and yet faced the curse of lawlessness. Deuteronomy is especially concerned with the consequences of sin and the justice of God. A cursory look at Deuteronomy will crush the sinner under his sin and the enmity that is put between him and God for his transgression, indeed every person who reads Deuteronomy should see that he is under great condemnation for his sins against Heaven.

Jesus Christ came to see that his people will be blessed by obedience, not their obedience, but by his obedience. "The law is not of faith, rather 'The one who does them shall live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." – Galatians 3:12-14 (Deuteronomy 21:23)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21

Numbers - God With Us

This entry is in the series of Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die, concerning the Book of Numbers.

Numbers tells of the wanderings of Israel in the desert for forty years; prophecy of Jesus is evident throughout, from Moses being a type of a mediator (Numbers 14:11-20), to salvation through faith (Numbers 21:9, John 3:14-15), to the promised Star and Scepter of Israel (Numbers 24:17).

Jesus Christ is most evident, however, in being an everpresent help to the people of Israel in their wanderings in the desert. He was their guide by day, their light by night, their protection in battle, and their daily provision.

"On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night." – Numbers 9:15-16

"Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." – Matthew 28:20

Leviticus - The Fulfillment of the Law

This entry is in the series of Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die, concerning the Book of Leviticus.

The book of Leviticus is exceedingly detailed in giving the laws of God; this is especially important for us because it shows us how holy and righteous God is, that he is intimately concerned with matters of morality and ceremony. He is not a God who can be worshipped in any way, and he is not a God whom can be in fellowship with sin.

For this reason the book of Leviticus is one of the most crushing books of the Bible, it shows mankind how unrighteous they are, and how righteous God is; mankind's sin has made a separation between him and God. This book, while containing viable and useful means for understanding man's role in the Mosaic Covenant, is much more relevant in pointing us to Jesus Christ.

The New Testament tells us that we "have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth" and that Jesus Christ is the "end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Romans 2:20, 10:4) He himself declared, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17)

The Bible tells us that sin is transgression against the law (1 John 3:4), this law is almost exclusively contained in the book of Leviticus, Jesus Christ was impeccable in keeping the law, as the Bible says that Jesus is, "one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) He was baptized for the reason that, "it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." (Matthew 3:15)

In the book of Leviticus we see our Saviour as the perfect fulfillment of the law, fulfilling the conditional parts of the Covenant so that we are found righteous in him, justified in our faith, for as it is written, "the righteous shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17)

Exodus - The Redeemer from Slavery

This entry is in the series of Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die, concerning the Book of Exodus.

Exodus picks up where Genesis ends, with Israel falling into slavery to the Egyptians for several hundred years. Their bondage is harsh and with no hope in sight. Exodus describes several events, the calling of Moses, Moses' glimpse of God, the Burning Bush, the Ten Plagues, the Passover Lamb, the Escape from Egypt, the Parting of the Red Sea, Manna from Heaven, Water from a Rock, the Giving of the Law, the Tabernacle details; all of these point at Jesus Christ, but none is the main point of the book.

Jesus Christ is the Redeemer who sets the captives free (Psalm 107:1-3, Luke 4:18-19), who says, "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" and "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:32,36)

In Exodus we see a people completely in bondage, without hope without God, but led out of slavery by their God. Jesus Christ is the one who leads the captives free, who calls us out of darkness into his glorious light (1 Peter 2:9).

Genesis - The Promised Offspring of Eve

This entry is in the series of Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die, concerning the Book of Genesis.

Genesis describes the Creation Event, the Fall, the Flood, and the Dispersion of mankind, and the calling of Israel. All of these are hugely important parts of the book, but Jesus is seen most clearly in fulfilling the following prophecy,

I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman (Eve),
__and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
__and you shall bruise his heel. – Genesis 3:15

Throughout Genesis we see this offspring anticipated. Cain is the first expected Messiah, "I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD", but hope in him is dashed when he murders his brother. Seth comes into the world with such a declaration, "God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him." Seth, in time, proved not to be the Messiah either (Genesis 5:8).

Throughout Genesis it continues:
Noah? No.
Abraham? No.
Isaac? No.
Esau, Jacob? No and no.
Joseph? Nearly, but no.

Luke shows this expectation in his gospel by taking us straight up the lineage of Jesus to Adam (Luke 3:23-38); Jesus is the promised offspring, the perfect Son of Man, who crushed the head of Satan by the power of his Resurrection.

"Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the Accuser of our brothers has been thrown down..." – Revelation 12:10

Thirty-Nine Reasons Jesus Came to Die

I was talking to a good friend recently about how to teach children the books of the Old Testament. I think it is fruitless to just teach them the names, or a song, because these books contain so much more than just the prophet who wrote them, everyone of them points to the Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Of himself, he gave this study, "he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:27)

An American POW during World-War II gave this testimony, "Chapter after chapter gripped my heart. In due time I came to the books of the prophets, and found that their every writing seemed focused on a divine Redeemer from sin, one who was to be sent from heaven to be born in the form of a human babe." - Jacob DeShazer

This series then will strive to give a brief summary of Christ from the 39 books of the Old Testament; my intention is not to find Jesus in every corner of every book, because in some books, like Zechariah, Jesus is priest, king, conqueror, shepherd, and temple; my intention will be to give the clearest and most definite prophecy for Jesus Christ from each book, in an easy and memorable way, that you, dear reader, will be able to see Christ in every book of the Old Testament.

This entry will be the table of context for these. I intend to post at least one a day, sometimes more. This table of contents will provide for a simple summary of each post:

1. Genesis - The Promised Offspring of Eve
2. Exodus - The Redeemer from Slavery
3. Leviticus - The Fulfillment of the Law
4. Numbers - God With Us
5. Deuteronomy - A Curse for Us
6. Joshua - Our Leader into the Promised Land
7. Judges - To Turn us to God
8. Ruth - A Nearer Kinsmen Redeemer
9. 1 Samuel - The King Chosen by God

Conscientious Christmas Objections

After my last post, A Defense of Christmas, I want to make sure that the conscientious objectionable parts are outlined so it does not seem that I defend all of Christmas. We must recognize that there are two ways to look at this, first is between Christian and non-Christian, and second between Christians; this article will focus exclusively between Christians. The reason that this distinction is so important is because for the unbeliever, all of Christmas is impure; they are NOT glorifying God in their observance of this holy-day (holy as in set-apart, not as a means of grace). See Titus 1:15 and Romans 8:7-8 for scriptural justification of this stance.

Between Christians it is possible to have two entirely different views on a matter of conscience, especially concerning things that one believer may have a past in. The prime example in scripture is food which was prepared as an offering to a false god. Some believers believe this food is a sin to consume, while others see no sin. The law says it is not sin, and therefore neither the one who abstains nor the one who partakes are sinning. Scripture is clear that someone MUST not go against their conscience and be careful not to go against the conscience of their brother (1 Corinthians 8:1-13).

Christmas is a prime target for this sort of matter of conscience discussion. Some see Christmas as sinful, while others see no sin. The scripture calls for the one who abstains and the one who partakes to be fully convinced as to their position. As my last post addressed, some (most) who abstain do so from utterly fallacious arguments, and these should be addressed, as God absolutely forbade Peter from calling any food unclean since God had made them clean (Acts 10:14-16).

This post will address several parts of Christmas which are lawful and logical reasons for abstaining from Christmas altogether. As my previous post attests, I love Christmas, but I willfully and completely abstain from the following parts of Christmas.

Consumerism

On the shopping-day following Thanksgiving, commonly called “Black Friday”, we were blessed to hand out over 2,000 gospel tracts to people who willingly stayed up all night, or arose very early in the morning, to patronize various businesses. Several times throughout the eight hours we were active in evangelism, I looked on the crowd and was overwhelmed by the insatiability of it all; that the crowds were longer than last year, and that the same people would be in the line again next year, and were buying and selling only because of the season.

I find no way in this exercise in greed to honor Christ; this holiday should not be about things or shopping or debt. The Bible says that the borrower becomes slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7), and that we ought not store up our treasures here on earth (Matthew 6:19-20, 32-33), since we can only serve materialism or Jesus, it is absolutely impossible to serve both (Matthew 6:24).

On Black-Friday a man asked what the card I gave him was, I said, “It’s a gospel tract.” He said, “I’d rather have a TV.” It provided the subject of my open air sermon for that store where I preached that our greatest need is not televisions, iPads, or money, it is salvation from sin; things of this world are transient, we must seek the one who is immutable.

Unbalanced Affection

But then one may say, “But the things I go into debt for are to make others happy.” The idea that you can justify one sin with its positive outcome is probably my least favorite part of the Christmas season. Many become Machiavellians (the ends justify the means, even if the means are deplorable) during the Christmas season; people were shot and pepper-sprayed this year during shopping, last year people were trampled to death; yet the long-lines and great deals justify the violence and greed in the minds of many.

But worse than the unlawful justification is the idea that the ends are good; is going into debt in order to shower someone with presents on one day the loving and good thing to do? Isn’t it more loving and affectionate to teach children the principles that will lead to a joyfilled, fulfilling, sustainable, responsible life?

If you love someone, show them that more than one day a year, and not because the traditions of that day expect you to. Christians ought to be celebrating the Advent of their King every day of the year, remembering and honoring his humility and lovingkindness daily by loving their neighbors daily as themselves. One day of gift-giving does not make up for a year of absent charity.

Exchanging of Gifts

Let me be absolutely clear, I am not against gift giving; it is a viable and often excellent means of telling someone that you care about them. Consider, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16), “Christ loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). We see in Matthew 2:11 that gifts were given to the Lord Christ as he entered human existence.

What I am against is the compulsive giving of ‘gifts’, which is why I am against the exchange of gifts.

Beloved, if you are only getting someone something because you know they are going to get you something, your tradition is one I despise. You’ve entered into a complicated and unrewarding system of barter, one that quenches love and cheapens the definition of love. Give out of your abundance, and do so for affection, not because you are paying someone back. Remember, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Santa Claus

Depending on which tradition of Santa Claus you follow, there may be something redeemable in this character, but as he is celebrated by most today, I reject him totally. Santa Claus has become an antichrist, a false idol, with many of the attributes of God. He is omniscient, all knowing (he knows when you’ve been bad or good), he is omnipresent, present everywhere (he sees you when you’re sleeping), and he is set up as the judge of goodness, rewarding niceness with presents and naughtiness with disappointment.

Even his name is blasphemous, Santa, directly derived from the German “Sinter” which means “Saint”, or Christian. But if that weren’t bad enough, he even shares a name with Jesus. When Martin Luther was trying to wrestle the focus of Christmas from Saint Nicolaus, he pointed at the “Christkindle”, or Christ-Child, as the purpose of Christmas. Today if you ask most people who Kris Kringle is, you will be told that he is Santa Claus.

The Santa myth is one with absolutely no redeeming traits. He steals children’s affections from their parents, he takes the credit for presents he didn't give, he provides a convenient lie which sounds suspiciously like the truth of Christ, and his overemphasis during the Christmas season drags the affections away from the one they should be on, which is the Christ who gives the ultimate and everlasting gift of life.

Heretical Music

Some of the all time best hymns were written for Christmas. The best hymns focus both on Christ’s humility in being born a baby, and his saving work on Calvary. Consider from “Joy Has Dawned”, which is an archetypal great Christmas song:

Gifts of men from distant lands
Prophesy the story:
Gold—a King is born today,
Incense—God is with us,
Myrrh—His death will make a way,
And by His blood He'll win us.

Son of Adam, Son of Heaven,
Given as a ransom;
Reconciling God and man,
Christ, our mighty champion!
O What a Savior! O What a Friend!
What a glorious mystery!
Once a babe in Bethlehem,
Now the Lord of history.

But the part of Christmas music that I loathe are the ones that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ’s nativity or purpose of his advent, but rather focus on consumerism, joy without purpose, fleeting pleasure, and/or Santa Claus. I am utterly torn on heathens singing Christmas songs, because as we looked at earlier, the unbeliever cannot be pleasing to God (compare Isaiah 64:6), but I rejoice that they hear the gospel in the songs they are singing.

Granted, there is a place for secular music that is just fun, but when it claims to celebrate the birth of Christ I take an offense. I’ll sing “Winter Wonderland” or “Jingle Bell Rock” with you, provided we’re not doing so in church or listening to a “Christian” radio station, but we must keep it distinctly separate from any semblance of Christ worship, except to recognize that we are free to love life and fun and even silliness on occasion.

Conclusion

There is a call for every believer to be fully convinced why they are doing something or abstaining from something. I am fully convinced that most of Christmas is God glorifying and a valid means of honoring the Christ who is celebrated; I abstain from the consumerism, gift-bartering, Santa Claus myth, and bad music. But, I fully understand how someone could abstain completely from Christmas due to the debacle that it has been turned into by these traditions.

However you celebrate your Saviour, honoring him in your life, I pray that he will give to each of us a more tender conscience, one that is fully convinced we are living for eternity, one that hates sin and loves righteousness, that loves people and recognizes that stuff is perishable. Beloved, if you are convinced that any of these can be used to honor Christ, then by all means tell me, or if all of Christmas offends you, let us bear together, and may the God of endurance and encouragement grant us to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together we may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:5-6).

I feel that we can do so through Christmas, and so I once again echo the sentiments of the hymn, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, that even though so many have defaced Christmas, it is still a viable and wonderful celebration of the Lord of History.

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.

O Tidings of Comfort and Joy,
Comfort and Joy,
O Tidings of Comfort and Joy.

A Defense of Christmas

I love Christmas. I am fully convinced that I love Christmas, and that it is a viable and wonderful means of showing honor to the Lord Christ (Romans 14). I had intended this season to refrain from pressing too hard on those Christians who are offended by Christmas, after all, if they are convinced in their mind, and it grieves their conscience, then it is neither right nor safe to press them. However, as the antiChristmas rhetoric has started this year, much worse than in previous years, it has become apparent that this misplaced zeal is only meant to tear down the love and joy of the brethren, and therefore must be rebuked. I am praying to convert you to "this holy tide of Christmas, all others doth deface" (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen), and encourage you to build up the church this advent season.

First of all, we must recognize that we are not living in sixth century BC Babylon, or seventh century AD Saxony, or first century Corinth, or any other place and age where paganism is indigenous. We live in "Post-Christian America", the verse that sums up this country the best is that they, "have the appearance of godliness, but deny its power." (2 Timothy 3:5) Raised under a Judeo/Christian system of law, no-one this Christmas season in America will be bowing down to trees or expecting that their yule log is anything more than a log, and definitely not a means of grace. I've asked thousands of people why they think they are going to Heaven, and I've gotten some outrageous answers, but not a single wrong answer has remotely dealt with observing Christmas or anything to do with Christmas.

Second of all, my friend Willem pointed out that the antiChristmas sentiments are taking on a definitive KJVO feel, chasing after every manner of myth that remotely supports their position. Everytime I've logged onto Facebook over the past week it's like I'm reading a Gail Riplinger novel...Strawmen seem to be the order of the day, ridiculous caricatures of facts are presented that are easily knocked down, the truth stands against the arguments. I'll leave the name out, because I really respect this pastor, but one pastor set up "Yule" as a Babylonian infant son, only to knock it down with ridiculousness; it sounds legitimate and of course you have to say, "I reject the Yule Log altogether!" But the problem is that it's utterly untrue; Yule means winter in German, I could go deeper into its awesome origins, but I just want to point out that KJVO superstitions are outside of the KJVO controversies, and we must forever be on the lookout for strawmen. Now, I've saved the best superstition for last; did you know that Christmas ends in MASS? It is clearly a celebration of the recrucifixion of Jesus and the Romanists are trying to get us to participate! Ok, let's apply your logic, it ends in Mass, true, which meant festival before it meant recrucifixion, and Christmas was around a lot longer than its name (earlier, Navity, Noel, Advent), but look at what it starts with, "Christ". It doesn't start with Winter, it doesn't start with Babylon, it doesn't start with Solstice, it starts with Christ. Every Papist recrucifixion ceremony is centered around their wrong interpretation of Christ, so ALL masses should be called Christmas, but they're not. The term, Christmas, means "Celebration of Christ", we're loving that God became a man, and dwelt among us.

So what of the date? I'm utterly convinced that my Saviour was born on the Winter Solstice (December 25th on the Roman Calendar, December 21st on the Gregorian Calendar); what better way for the King of Light to explode into the darkness rather than on the darkest day of the year? It's almost like he created it to be so. Were other pagan deities supposedly born on Christmas? Yes, but imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Jesus was born on Christmas. But if he wasn't, then you MUST be celebrating his birth somewhere else, because, beloved, you lose so much doctrine if you refuse to celebrate the Advent of your King. The coming of Christ is spoken of repeatedly in the scriptures, your assignment is to read: John 12:46, Luke 19:10, John 18:37-38, Galatians 4:4-5, Luke 5:32, John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 8:9, and especially Philippians 2:1-11; this list is not exhaustive, but it will give you a good start; your King is your example, he is King and Creator, yet he HUMBLED himself to pass into the world through his own creation, born in abject poverty in a stable.

The early church labeled Mary the "Theotokos", it's a word that really makes Protestants squirm, but it's not a term that venerates Mary, it's a term that defines Christ, it means, "God-Carrier", it's directly against the Eusebian heresy which said Jesus was born a man and only later became God at his baptism; the church invented the word Theotokos to say that Jesus is God now, was God in the womb, and forever will be God; it's a glorious term and I love it, even if it makes you squirm. This Christmas, you'd better remember that your Saviour is the Eternal God, even if you don't celebrate Christmas. Your God came not to be served, but to serve, and give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45; another Christmas verse).

Christmas really became popular when a terrible heresy was beginning, one we deal with today under the name, "Jehovah's Witnesses", they were originally called Aryans, and they denied the divinity of Christ; they were a major enemy of Christ in the 4th century. In Nicaea, in Turkey, in AD325, it was overwhelmingly agreed upon by the scriptures that Jesus is God the Son; so much so that Santa Claus (Nicolas of Myra, a great saint) punched Arius, the leader of the heretics, in the head. Christmas, or more accurately, the Feast of the Nativity, was a desperately needed festival to combat Aryanism, and another great saint, Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, wrote several great hymns to preach Christ in song. The KJVO people in his day were radically against his music, but it's beautiful.

O come, Redeemer of the earth,
and manifest thy virgin-birth.
Let every age in wonder fall:
such birth befits the God of all.

Begotten of no human will
but of the Spirit, Thou art still
the Word of God in flesh arrayed,
the promised fruit to man displayed.

All praise, eternal Son, to Thee,
whose advent sets Thy people free,
whom, with the Father, we adore,
and Holy Ghost, for evermore.

Speaking of music, it's this time of year that people remember that Calvin advocated the "Regulatory Principle", that if it's not in scripture, we're not doing it. They forget that for the rest of the year they follow Luther's "Normative Principle", if it's not prohibited in scripture and it's useful, we're doing it (do you drive a car or use a computer?).

Very few of us are, like Calvin, Psalm only singers. The greatest hymns of the Christian faith are Christmas hymns, and the only gospel that most unbelievers are going to get this year are in the hymns. I wish I could make every unbeliever sit down and seriously contemplate the lyrics of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and I rejoice that they are so thoroughly immersed in a gospel presence through song during this season.

Unbelievers undoubtedly associate this season as Christian; for a Christian to attack it is both confusing and destructive. We love that our Saviour put on flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14; another Christmas verse!), and we love that a whole nation is confronted with a God who so loved the world that he gave, as a gift, his only begotten Son (John 3:16, Romans 6:23), so I propose, neigh, demand, that we shine the light of Christ during this season, doing our best to ensure that people do not just honor Christ with their lips, but that they actually participate in his grace and are given a new heart which strives to obey his commands.

But is that what the regulatory principle calls for? Are you still holding to it? Then read John 1 and Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1 and Isaiah 9 and Genesis 3 and see that the birth narrative is a VERY real part of scripture, that Jesus having a birthday is hugely important. Like I said, if you reject the December 21st, 25th, or January 6th birthdates, then just make sure you're preaching that the Messiah came into the world in the most humblest way possible, that he held the universe together even as he was being held as a baby.

Do you celebrate birthdays? Did you know that in a PAGAN culture, they thought that birthdays were arrogant and that only kings were arrogant enough to celebrate their birthdays? Do you live in that culture? I don't. I celebrate the birthdays of the ones I love; a dear sweet lady I know and love is celebrating her birthday right now, and I have such affection in my heart towards her and her family that I am telling you that I love her; later this month, and over the whole of the year, I will do the same for my Bethlehem born Nazarene King. Something major happened 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, it was only important because of what happened thirty-three years later when the King of Glory gave his life as a ransom then defeated death; as John Calvin said, "If the gospel be not preached, Christ is, as it were, buried. Let us stand therefore as witnesses, and do him this honor." Let us celebrate and preach the great events of our Saviour, and their theological implications. There are some hugely important events in scripture which we ought celebrate, but they aren't commanded in scripture.

In the Old Testament there is a command to raise ebenezers, or commemoration stones, to great events. Truly, Christians are only commanded to keep Passover (in the month of Easter), but has the regulatory principle so damaged you that you refuse to raise ebenezers? Jesus went to Hanukkah (John 10), which is not in scripture, and therefore I love to stand by ebenezers and preach the great events that happened there: Christmas, Easter (Passover), Reformation Day, John Calvin's birthday (I love birthdays), Columbus Day, etc. etc. My King breached human history on December 25th, 6BC; I'm going to tell you about it, here I raise my ebenezer.

I love Christmas, I hope you will also.

Messiah born so small, asleep in cattle stall
Come to redeem our fall, nailed to a tree
This tiny, helpless child
Through death would reconcile
The holy God and vile, His grace so free
O come, let us adore. - Sovereign Grace Music

Thankful for Pro-Life - Abortion in America

This is the third of three articles on abortion in America.
Click for Article 1 and Article 2

There are a lot of people in this world who are not happy, who are not fulfilled, and who see very little reason to live or purpose for being here. There is one major reason that these things happen, because sin is an affection stealer, it breaks things, it breaks people, relationships, nations, worlds, universes. It is reprehensible and something we should all hate. But we don't; Andrew Fuller put it this way:

Though you be what is called a sinner, yet, if sin were your misfortune, rather than your fault, you might fly for refuge.

Our pride blinds our eyes to the effects of sin, because we feel we deserve the pleasure derived from sin, and that after all, when I'm doing it, it's really not that bad. We have no difficulty rationalizing sin, and unfortunately we pay the consequences afterwards.

As a pastor, I am always on the look-out for people who are feeling down and need a kind word, or an encouragement, or intervention. As I watch, I hear comments that really get me down, things like, "I hate drama," or, "I don't like people," or "I wish somebody loved me." It should be no secret to you, dear reader, that I love drama, I love people, and I am so thankful for so many people to love and be loved by, and in all of that, there is only one person to thank, the God and man Christ Jesus, who gives life, and an overabundance of it.

God is using all things for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). All things? Even drama? Even broken relationships? Even, as this article is about to transition into, abortion? All things. Not all things are good, but all things are used for good for the saint. Drama allows us to know each other better, to break our undue trust in mankind, and place it in God. Drama builds character and, thankfully, crushes pride.

Abortion is being used for good, because it is a constant reminder to the saint that the world is evil, and that life is precious, and that sin is abhorrent but the Saviour from sin is magnificent. This year I am thankful for people who love life, who love people, and who love Jesus. I am thankful that they will be ministers of reconciliation tonight to thousands who are crushed under the burden of materialism and the American Dream. I am thankful that God has called so many out of the darkness of hatred and indifference, quickening them in the love of Christ, and that he is using them to reconcile sinners to himself.

I pray that this Thanksgiving you will awake from slumber to hate sin and love life, to abhor the evil but hold fast to the good. 3300 babies lost their lives yesterday, those babies are held safe in the arms of God, for God saves little ones out of pagan places, "Blessed shall he be, [O Babylon], who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!" (Psalm 137:9) But, 3300 mommies and 3300 daddies, 6600 sinners from one sin yesterday, remain dead in their sins and trespasses, the wrath of God abides on them for their sin.

It is estimated that 1 in 4 women have had an abortion in this country, that's 1 out of every 8 people you meet. Abortion is not a victimless crime, it murders the baby and wounds the mother, it robs a nation of citizens, and it blasphemes the name of the one who gives life. But even while we were a nation of murders and accomplices, while sin was utterly our fault, and the wages of sin were ready to be paid out, Jesus Christ in his great love gave himself to save us from this present evil age; while we had an surplus of death, he gave life, and an overabundance of it. In his resurrection he has secured a place in Heaven for everyone who trusts in him, whose faith becomes like a little child.

So, beloved, this thanksgiving, give thanks to the one who gave the free gift of life, then take his saving message out into a dying world who refuse to give thanks for even the breath they steal from their Despot. Show them their danger, show them the anger they have kindled in the Lifegiver, and then show them the cross where love and mercy met, where sin was atoned for and death was crushed by death.

Those who hate God love death; it doesn't take much looking to find people to prove that fact, so take the message of love of life and righteousness to them. One method to do this is by first letting them condemn the actions of Nazi Germany, then showing them they are as guilty as those soldiers, for failing to stand up for the helpless and oppressed. Living Waters has a great movie describing this method, and I hope you'll take time this long weekend to watch it, and send it into the world, for the message of love, hope, and life that it contains is sure to change hearts and minds, and save lives both in this world and the world to come.


Visit their website, and the Pro-Life section of their website