Author Archives: Stephen Rodgers

All That Believe Are Justified

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Acts 13:39

The believer in Christ receives a present justification. Faith does not produce this fruit by-and-by, but now. So far as justification is the result of faith, it is given to the soul in the moment when it closes with Christ, and accepts Him as its all in all. Are they who stand before the throne of God justified now?-so are we, as truly and as clearly justified as they who walk in white and sing melodious praises to celestial harps. The thief upon the cross was justified the moment that he turned the eye of faith to Jesus; and Paul, the aged, after years of service, was not more justified than was the thief with no service at all. We are to-day accepted in the Beloved, to-day absolved from sin, to-day acquitted at the bar of God.

Oh! soul-transporting thought! There are some clusters of Eshcol’s vine which we shall not be able to gather till we enter heaven; but this is a bough which runneth over the wall. This is not as the corn of the land, which we can never eat till we cross the Jordan; but this is part of the manna in the wilderness, a portion of our daily nutriment with which God supplies us in our journeying to and fro. We are now-even now pardoned; even now are our sins put away; even now we stand in the sight of God accepted, as though we had never been guilty. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.’ There is not a sin in the Book of God, even now, against one of His people. Who dareth to lay anything to their charge? There is neither speck, nor spot, nor wrinkle, nor any such thing remaining upon any one believer in the matter of justification in the sight of the Judge of all the earth. Let present privilege awaken us to present duty, and now, while life lasts, let us spend and be spent for our sweet Lord Jesus.

5.15a

LBC SPARK – February 5, 2016

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends!

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord! This week, I have been reading through Leviticus and examining the theme of holiness. Obviously, there are countless reminders of the holiness of God as you read through Leviticus. But because of the relationship established between God and His people made possible through the sacrifices of atonement, there is also an expectation of holiness for God’s people. Consider this passage:

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the LORD your God. 3 You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. 4 You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the LORD your God. 5 ‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD.'”

God has taken Israel and made them a people for His own possession. They are no longer part of Egypt where they have come from. They are also not part of Canaan where they are headed. They are His. As such, He calls them to live distinctly. They were not to blend into their surrounding culture but were instead to be living and walking illustrations of God’s holiness.

As Christians, we have likewise been called by God to be a people of His own possession (1 Pet. 2:9), and this applies to us in the same way as it did to the Israelites in the Old Testament. We are not called to blend into our surrounding culture, but are called to be holy as He is holy (1 Pet. 1:14-16). But the big difference on this side of the cross is that the gospel transforms us and frees us from our enslavement to sin and God’s Spirit now indwells us and empowers us to give us everything we need to walk in holiness in obedience to His commands. We have all that we need because Christ has made it possible through His death and resurrection.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are some ministry opportunities for you!

  1. Sunday Service. This Sunday, we’ll be introducing the theme for 2016! We’ll also be taking communion as a church body, so please come with hearts prepared. Perhaps take some time to read and think through 1 Corinthians 11:16-34.
  2. Midweek Bible Studies. Things are a little different this week for our midweek Bible studies because of Mission Bowl. The Friday night College and Youth Bible studies are cancelled this week due to our Mission Bowl Pep Rally.
  3. Mission Bowl. This Friday night (2/5), come cheer on our flag football teams at our Mission Bowl Pep Rally! The pep rally will be at 6:30 PM at the church building. Then on Saturday (2/6), the men will be having their football tournament at Hourglass Park by Miramar College. All the action begins at around noon. The gals will have their tournament on Saturday, February 20. Wear your blue and gold!
  4. Super Bowl. We’ll be playing the big game on Sunday at 3:30 PM. Stick around to watch the game, enjoy the commercials, or just be with other church people! Bring a snack to share! Drinks will be provided. Go Chargers! (Hehe.)
  5. Baptism Class. Our next baptism class is on Tuesday, February 9, at 7:00 PM, in Room 108. If you are a Christian and have not yet been obedient to the Lord by being baptized or if you simply would like to learn more about Christian baptism, please come out to the class!
  6. College Life Retreat. Please pray for our collegians as they go off on their retreat on February 12-14. The retreat speaker is Pastor Scott Ardavanis from Grace Church of the Valley. It should be an awesome time of worship together!
  7. Elders Q&A. On Sunday, February 14, we will be having a special Q&A with our elders during the Sunday School hour. This is a great way to get to know the leadership at Lighthouse a bit better. Mark your calendars!
  8. Parent/Child Dedication. We will be having a Parent/Child Dedication service on Sunday, February 21 during our morning worship service. If you would like to participate, please let Pastor Patrick know by Sunday, February 14.
  9. First Aid and CPR. If you would like to be trained up in Adult/Child/Infant CPR/First Aid/AED, Randy Sarmiento will be providing instruction on Saturday, February 27, at 1:30 PM. There is a cost to participate ($75/person) but the church will cover the costs for our children’s ministry coordinators.
  10. Single Life Retreat. Sign ups are now being taken for the upcoming Single Life retreat on March 4-6! Our speaker is Pastor Kurt Gebhards, who used to be on staff at Grace Community Church and is now in Chicago. This is a combined retreat together with some of the other Lighthouse churches so it should be a particularly special time of worship and fellowship. Sign up at Single Life Bible study!

Weekly Links (2/5/2015)

by Stephen Rodgers

Alright everyone…welcome to the first Friday of the month, which means welcome to free stuff!

  • First up, the free audio book of the month from christianaudio.com is Geisler & Turek’s I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist. I can tell you first hand that if you’re looking for a solid, evidentialist introduction to apologetics, this is a good one!
  • Next up, the free Logos resource of the month is The Journal of Theological Interpretation, Vol. 1 by Joel B. Green. I’m not as familiar with this one, but there it is if you want to check it out.
  • This month’s edition of Tabletalk magazine from Ligonier is on the topic of “Awakening.” Tabletalk is always good, so I’d expect this month is no exception.
  • There’s a new issue of Credo Magazine out, and the topic is The Prince of Puritans: John Owen. I’ve been impressed by the quality of CredoMag over the past several years, so if you haven’t checked them out yet, you might want to give them a shot.
  • And last but not least, here’s a quick little article where someone from TGC interviews John Frame…because John Frame is the best. And here is a whole bunch of free books, courses, and articles from both John Frame and Vern Poythress.

Alright, that’s it! See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Beware of Complaining

by Roger Alcaraz

There’s a lot in the world we can complain about. From the tragic to the trivial. From a broken heart to a broken pencil. And the truth is, we will always have an excuse to complain, even if we have to make one up.

I think even if we were to go to heaven in our unglorified state, we would still complain, much like the fallen angels did before us. Adam and Eve lived in a world without sin, and yet Eve was tempted to believe God was holding out on her, and so she complained in her heart about God. It goes to show you that mankind’s attempt to better the world so that we have less to complain about is futile. We will never stop complaining as long as we are able, even in a perfect world.

Complaining is so easy to do, and many of us probably do it without even noticing. But complaining will only bring you more heartache, and it goes directly against God’s commands. Furthermore, it could be what prevents others from coming to know Christ. Philippians 2:14-15 commands us to “do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

The application from this passage is pretty obvious: to do all things without grumbling or disputing. And I doubt this command is new to you. Even if you grew up in a non-Christian home, you were probably told to stop complaining. Yet chances are, even as a Christian, you still complain. But Paul understood that we need proper motivation when trying to obey God’s commands, so he spends less time giving this command and more time explaining why it’s so important for us as believers.

Being Blameless Before God

It may not seem like much to grumble. Maybe it’s something you think you should stop doing, but it’s not hurting anyone, so why the rush? If so, you need to look at what God says about complaining.

Jude wrote to encourage Christians to contend for the faith, especially against false teachers because “certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Jude goes on to reveal that a severe judgement awaits these false teachers “It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him’” (Jude 14-15). And so who are these ungodly sinners whom God will execute judgement on? “These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires” (Jude 16).

And so the grumblers and malcontents mentioned in verse 16 are actually the false teachers mentioned in verse 4. Now that might not make sense to you because when you think of false teacher, you think someone who spreads lies and heresies. How is this the same as someone who complains? But think about it–if you complain, you are actually teaching. And when you complain, you’re teaching that Christ is not enough. You might even be teaching that God himself is not good. When you complain, you teach this to yourself, and if you complain to others, you spread your teaching to them, as well.

It’s tempting to want to complain about our situation, but if we trust that God is sovereign and has placed us where we are for our good, there will be no room for complaints. Instead of complaining, we are to be content whether we have much or whether we have little, and whether we like our circumstances or not. And as a result of our refusal to complain, we will not only be happier, but more than that, the world can see Christ through our trust in God.

Shining Brightly Before Men

Going back to Philippians 2, we live in a crooked and twisted generation, and you as believers shine as light in the world. But you will ruin it all by complaining and disputing. Earlier I said that we teach people about God in the way we complain and this is most true with unbelievers.

Imagine witnessing to a friend one moment and complaining the next, perhaps over dirty dishes that your roommate left. On the one hand, you’re telling them that Christ is of the utmost importance. But on the other hand, you’re telling him Christ is only enough so long as there are clean dishes. I think they’d have trouble reconciling the difference in their mind.

It would be more consistent with the gospel message to, instead, just take your roommate’s dishes and wash them joyfully. What kind of message would that communicate to your unbelieving friend? One that says: “All I need to be happy and fulfilled in life is Jesus.” And this is over insignificant dishes; imagine how much more that message would be communicated as they see this type of attitude during a real tragedy.

Friends, the world notices how you complain and argue. Sometimes it’s done on social media where the whole world can see. But we cannot afford to persist in this sin any longer. For the sake of those who do not know Christ, we must stop complaining.

The Danger of Moral Preaching

by Pastor Jim Kang

Introduction

As a preacher, not only am I concerned about how I preach, but also how preaching is done in many churches. Also, as a pastor, not only am I concerned about what our congregants are eating spiritually (or not), but also what other churches are eating spiritually (or not).

One of the things I lament is how little the Old Testament (OT) is preached in many evangelical churches today. For example, out of the 27 churches in the Gospel Coalition Bay Area Regional Chapter (GCBARC), which our church is also part of, there is only a few churches that are preaching regularly from the OT. And the GCBARC is supposed to be the largest conservative evangelical organization that churches are part of in the Bay Area! We are only a small sample within much of the broader evangelicals, yet only a few churches are preaching the OT. That explains why so many professing Christians today have so little understanding about the OT, how the New Testament (NT) is connected to the Old, and how the gospel does not start with Jesus in the NT but actually in the OT.

Because there is so much disconnection with the OT, many simply perceive the OT as a collection of random stories. Hence, people fail to see the metanarrative of the entire Bible. As a result, many do not make Christological connections. So, people simply overlook in seeing Jesus Christ in the OT.

Also, not only I lament for little preaching that churches are hearing from the OT, but also, when they do hear from the OT, so often the preaching that is done from the OT is nothing short of mere moral sermons. They lack doctrinal substance. They lack the gospel indicatives. They lack Christological connections. For instance, when people hear the story of David and Goliath, so often Goliath is referred to some “giant problems” in life that can be slayed with little stones of faith. But is that the main point of the story? Like the story of David and Goliath, there are many stories in the OT that have been misinterpreted and misapplied. Genesis 22 is another example.

In typical sermons from Genesis 22, examples of moral preaching are common. The message is, for instance, just as Abraham obeyed, so should we, as if that is the primary point of the narrative. Another point may be that we should all be willing to make a great sacrifice just as Abraham did, as if that is the focal point of the story. Another point may be that we should also all trust our father just as Isaac did. While all those (moral) points are not necessarily wrong or immoral, they are not the primary point of the passage. Hence, let me explain why moral preaching is dangerous.

The Danger of Moral Preaching

First of all, moral preaching often has basic hermeneutical error. That is because they (sermon or preaching) often start from the text and go straight to the applications (i.e., the moral applications). Moral preaching fails to deal with the grammar, history, and theology of the narrative and the text.

Secondly, moral preaching is dangerous because it provides little or nothing about the gospel. It fails to show what ways the narrative points out the gospel indicatives. You can point out the moral lessons from any stories in the Bible, but that does not mean you have preached the gospel or pointed out the gospel indicatives. In fact, a preacher may preach from a Gospel book (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John), yet fails to preach the gospel.

Thirdly, moral preaching is dangerous because it is man-centered than God-centered. That is because moral preaching focuses on what man needs to do than what God has done. Generally, the moral sermons are imperatives with little or no indicatives of who God is and what he has done. Moral preaching truly promotes behavioral change without the gospel. Moral preaching is a great tool that promotes legalism.

Fourthly, moral preaching offers little or no connection to Christ. It fails to show what ways the narrative shows the glimpse or typology of Jesus Christ. In theology this refers to the progressive revelation of God. That is, in Scripture, especially, in the OT (doubly so in Genesis and other books in the Pentateuch), God reveals his redemptive truths (i.e., the plan of redemption through Christ) not all at once, but slowly in little glimpses until Christ finally comes to fulfill in the NT.

The moral preaching really does injustice to what Jesus commands what we should do with the OT. In fact, it was Jesus who commanded to search the Scriptures (i.e. the OT) because the OT testifies or bears witness about him (John 5:39). Did you hear that? Jesus commanded us to search the OT and see him there because the OT testifies about him!

Also, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus “beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, explained the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27). That pretty much summarizes the entire OT (the writings of Moses and all the prophets). This clearly implies that Jesus made Christological connections of himself to the OT. I wish I could have been to such Bible study when Jesus was making such connections!

Moreover, in Luke 24:44 Jesus said, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Again, that pretty much summarizes the entire OT. And Jesus clearly states that the entire OT are written about him. So, that is our duty when we read and study the OT. We ought to make connections to Christ. We ought to see the gospel indicatives and theological significance. All these things, moral preaching fails to do.

He Shall Gather The Lambs With His Arm…

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Isaiah 40:11

Who is He of whom such gracious words are spoken? He is THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Why doth He carry the lambs in His bosom? Because He hath a tender heart, and any weakness at once melts His heart. The sighs, the ignorance, the feebleness of the little ones of His flock draw forth His compassion. It is His office, as a faithful High Priest, to consider the weak. Besides, He purchased them with blood, they are His property: He must and will care for that which cost Him so dear. Then He is responsible for each lamb, bound by covenant engagements not to lose one. Moreover, they are all a part of His glory and reward.

But how may we understand the expression, ‘He will carry them’? Sometimes He carries them by not permitting them to endure much trial. Providence deals tenderly with them. Often they are ‘carried’ by being filled with an unusual degree of love, so that they bear up and stand fast. Though their knowledge may not be deep, they have great sweetness in what they do know. Frequently He ‘carries’ them by giving them a very simple faith, which takes the promise just as it stands, and believingly runs with every trouble straight to Jesus. The simplicity of their faith gives them an unusual degree of confidence, which carries them above the world.

‘He carries the lambs in His bosom.’ Here is boundless affection. Would He put them in His bosom if He did not love them much? Here is tender nearness: so near are they, that they could not possibly be nearer. Here is hallowed familiarity: there are precious love-passages between Christ and His weak ones. Here is perfect safety: in His bosom who can hurt them? They must hurt the Shepherd first. Here is perfect rest and sweetest comfort. Surely we are not sufficiently sensible of the infinite tenderness of Jesus!

5.14p

Be Killing Sin, Or It Will be Killing You

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12-13)

by Josh Liu

Are you living according to the flesh? Or, are you putting it to death? This is the difference between life and death.

The Apostle Paul uses the word “flesh” in a variety of ways. He has used it to mean the physical body (cf. 1 Cor. 15:39; Rom. 2:28); all of humanity (cf. 1 Cor. 1:29; Gal. 2:16); in reference to heritage (cf. Rom. 4:1); to contrast with the spiritual (Gal. 4:23; Rom. 9:8); and to encapsulate evil, corrupt, fallen nature of unregenerate man (cf. Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 2:3).

In the context of Romans 8:13, Paul is speaking of the sinful flesh as that which encompasses unregenerate man–all that opposes the Holy Spirit. He warns that those living according to the flesh must die. In other words, those who engage in habitual ongoing unrepented sin, characterized by a life consistent of an unregenerate person, a life without faith and submission to Christ as Lord and Savior, will die. Paul is not describing the loss of salvation or even threatening believers. He is simply stating that those who do not have (and, as a result, walk by) the Holy Spirit will die (the second death in hell; cf. Rev. 20:14)–the life of unconfessed and unrepented sin identifies an unregenerate person. This is not to say that salvation or eternal life can be earned by obedience; or, a genuinely saved person can never sin. Rather, disobedience–a life opposed to the Holy Spirit, a fleshly life–is characteristic of one who is spiritually dead, and one who will (certainly, in the future) experience eternal death. By contrast, a truly regenerate person will be characterized by obedience–a life opposed to the sinful flesh. So, Paul goes on and teaches that a life that puts to death all that is reminiscent of the life before regeneration is characteristic of one who is spiritually alive, and one who will experience eternal life (cf. John 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:50-57; Rev. 2:7, 11). In preaching on Romans 8:13, John Piper offers a helpful summary:

If you are living according to the flesh – if you are not making war on the flesh, and not making a practice out of killing sin in your life, then there is no compelling reason for thinking that you are united to Christ by faith or that you are therefore justified. In other words, putting to death the deeds of the body is not the way we get justified, it’s one of the ways God shows that we are justified. And so Paul commands us to do it – be killing sin – because if we don’t – if we don’t make war on the flesh and put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit – if growth in grace and holiness mean nothing to us – then we show that we are probably false in our profession of faith, and that our church membership is a sham and our baptism is a fraud, and we are probably not Christians after all and never were. (“How to Kill Sin, Part 1”)

When the Apostle Paul says “putting to death the deeds of the body,” he is saying kill, destroy, slaughter, put an end to any sign of life, mortify, totally obliterate any deed, thought, attitude, speech that stems from the remaining sin principle in believers. Do not nurture, engage in, or practice sin. Kill it. John Owen says, “…the choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business, all their days, to mortify the indwelling power of sin….Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin, or it will be killing you” (The Mortification of Sin, 25-26).

Fellow children of God, you cannot afford to be passive about sin. You have an enemy who opposes you, like a roaring lion seeking to devour his prey; you are surrounded by the world, whose tide is always seeking to sweep you away; you have the flesh within you, which is always seeking to deceive you with its sinful passions and lusts.

Yet take hope. Victory is won through Christ’s death and resurrection! The Holy Spirit has been given, empowering believers to overcome sin.

Sin is more evil than we realize, for we forget how holy God is. Our consciences are prone to excuse actions, attitudes, words, and thoughts that are abominations before God. The purpose of this article has been to exhort you to actively confront sin. Jerry Bridges’ book, Respectable Sins, helpful exposes sins that many believers are guilty of nurturing, of neglecting to mortify. Below is a list of sins that Bridges addresses, with my personal annotations. Look through the list and prayerfully examine yourself.

Ungodliness

  • Living one’s everyday life with little/no thought of God, God’s will, God’s glory, or dependence on God. God is essentially irrelevant to your life. Cf. Col. 2:33-34.
  • Check: How are you actively developing a more intimate relationship with God?

Anxiety & Frustration

  • Anxiety = distrust of God’s providence; usually involves fear and contributes to sinful actions, thoughts, attitudes. Frustration = attitude built upon sinful expectations that are not met; involves anger. Cf. Matt. 6:25-34; Phil. 4:6-8; 1 Peter 5:7.
  • Check: Do you tend to become anxious or frustrated when things don’t go as you planned? (My plans vs. God’s apparent plans).

Discontentment

  • Sinful discontentment is a response to unwanted circumstances (e.g. unfulfilling job, singleness, health, friends, appearance). Cf. Job 1:21.
  • Check: Can you genuinely say, “Lord, I am willing to: Receive what You give, Lack what You withhold, Relinquish what You take.” What is your attitude toward your circumstances? Do you submit, accept, and embrace it?

Thanklessness

  • A heart of thanklessness does not treasure God (Who is the greatest possession) and does not recognized all that He has abundantly provided. (Cf. Luke 17:11-19; Deut. 8:11-14; Rom. 1:21; Eph. 1:3ff). It is against God’s will (Cf. Eph. 5:20; 1 Thess. 5:18).
  • Check: What is the content or direction of your thanks in prayer? Is it centered on who God is and what He has done in salvation history?

Pride

  • Subtle areas of pride: – Moral self-righteousness (cf. Luke 18:11), Correct doctrine (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1), Pride of achievement (i.e. desire for recognition), Independent spirit (resistance to authority & unteachability).
  • Check: Are you easily offended? Are you quick to defend yourself? Do you humbly honor others’ interests before your own?

Selfishness

  • Common areas of selfishness: Interests, Time, Money. One can selfishly guard time, and selfishly impose on others’ time. Cf. Phil. 2:4; 1 John 3:17; James 2:14.
  • Check: Examine your conversations: how much time is spent talking about your interests vs. asking about the other person?

Anger

  • Anger = intense discontentment; hatred/murder from the heart. It is never right to be angry with God. Cf. Matt. 5:22; James 4:1-2; Eph. 4:26.
  • David Powlison: “I want my way and not God’s, and because I can’t have my way, I rage.”
  • Check: How often do you choose to respond with anger, rather than overlook or presume the best about another?

Weeds of Anger (Long term results of nurtured anger)

  • Resentment = anger held onto
  • Bitterness = ongoing animosity
  • Enmity/hostility = openly expressed bitterness
  • Grudge = hatred; taking revenge
  • Strife = open conflict/turmoil
  • Anger is never static; it will grow and feed the above sins
  • Check: Do you nurture anger, not allowing it to die out? Do you seek to love and honor others in your own thought life?

Worldliness

  • Worldliness = being attached to, engrossed in, pursuing for refuge, satisfaction, or ultimate value, or preoccupied with things of this temporal life. Cf. 1 John 2:15-16; Col 3:2; 1 Cor. 7:31b.
  • Check: Do you pursue looking like the surrounding culture?

Lack of Self-Control

  • Lack of self-control = indulging in desires, cravings, impulses, emotions, passions such that they control us, instead of controlling those desires. Common areas: Eating and drinking, Temper (cf. Prov. 14:17; 26:32), Personal finances. Cf. Prov. 25:28.
  • Check: Do you live as you please without any regard to God and others? Do you depend on the Holy Spirit for control?

Impatience & Irritability

  • Impatience = strong annoyance at (usually) unintentional faults/failures of others. Cf. 1 Cor. 13:4a. Irritability = frequency of impatience. When you are the object of impatience, respond like Christ (1 Pet. 2:23), or consider confronting (Matt. 7:5; 8:15)
  • Check: Does it seem like people are “walking on eggshells” around you?

Judgmentalism

  • Includes presumption on a person’s heart motives. Occurs when preference/opinion is elevated to absolute truth. Cf. Rom. 14:1ff.
  • Check: Are you known for a critical spirit? Do you respond with giving the benefit of the doubt? Do you seek to understand/ask questions first or jump to conclusions?

Envy, Jealousy, and Related Sins

  • Envy = resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another. Envy often leads to covetousness. We often envy those we are closely identified with (peers) and in areas we value most.
  • Jealousy = intolerance of rivalry. Results in unloving competitiveness and desires to control. Cf. Acts 5:17-18; 13:44-45.
  • Check: Do you tend to focus on self when others succeed?

Sins of the Tongue

  • Gossip, slander, critical speech, lie, critical speech. Cf. Eph. 4:29.
  • Check: Do you actively encourage others?

Let us confront sin as an act of worship and love for our Lord and Savior, who paid the penalty for our sin and liberated us from its dominion to be slaves of righteousness. The war is won, but there is a war nonetheless, and God has sounded forth the rallying cry. Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.

Short on Love?

by Pastor Mark Chin

One of the inevitabilities in life is to be in a place where we feel short on love – either we don’t have enough love for the difficult people in our lives or we ourselves feel we are not being loved enough.

Sooner or later we discover the truth that human love – our love and that of others – is inadequate to address our hurts and needs. This is just as true in marriage as it is in ministry or the work place.

The frequent human response is to withdraw and create distance between ourselves and others – or to be discontent, discouraged, or angry.

Luke 22:14-23 subtly points out the heart of the problem. Our hearts and lives, and the hearts and lives of those around us (that’s all of us), are sinful and selfish by nature – and the love that comes from our hearts is sinful and self-serving by nature. If this were not the case – we would not need a Passover lamb – a perfect substitute and savior to die for our sins.

Until we come to grips with this – we will always struggle with discouragement and discontent – for our love and the love of others will never be enough to cover our unloving attitudes and behavior or the unloving attitude and behavior of those around us – be it our husbands, wives, children, co-workers, or fellow church members.

What’s the remedy? Luke 22:14-23 points out that our cups must be filled with the contents of Christ’s cup – it must be filled with the new wine of the new covenant – His life and His love. We need a good and perfect love from above – and we cannot give what we don’t have.

The good news is that Christ has the love we need to cover – not just our sins but the sins of those in our lives. He deeply desires and is able to give His life and His love to us in abundance. However – our cups will not be filled by Christ if we are not with Him or if we do not empty our cups of the dirty old wine that presently fills it. By faith – we must be emptied and we must go to the Savior to be filled.

It is for this reason that Jesus exhorts us to abide in Him – to abide in His Word – to be in prayer and to actively obey His commands by faith (John 15). It is the reason we are called to build our lives around the ministry of His Word and prayer – why we are called to follow Him 24/7.

As we follow Him – we meet the cross of loving others – which leaves us with only 3 choices: we walk away, we destroy or remove the unlovable, or we die to ourselves – become empty and allow Christ to fill us with His love and his life.

Frequently there is shortage of love in many churches because American Christians are seldom willing to follow Christ by faith to the cross of loving difficult people in our lives. We are content with the old wine that fills our cups – and simply want more of it. I’m as guilty of this as anyone.

But when we are crucified with Christ – new life and new love abounds – providing an abundance of love not just for ourselves but for those around us.

So the real question when you and I are hurting or are short of love is: have we been to the cross lately?

Joint Heirs With Christ

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Romans 8:17

The boundless realms of His Father’s universe are Christ’s by prescriptive right. As ‘heir of all things,’ He is the sole proprietor of the vast creation of God, and He has admitted us to claim the whole as ours, by virtue of that deed of joint-heir-ship which the Lord hath ratified with His chosen people. The golden streets of paradise, the pearly gates, the river of life, the transcendent bliss, and the unutterable glory, are, by our blessed Lord, made over to us for our everlasting possession. All that He has He shares with His people. The crown royal He has placed upon the head of His Church, appointing her a kingdom, and calling her sons a royal priesthood, a generation of priests and kings. He uncrowned Himself that we might have a coronation of glory; He would not sit upon His own throne until He had procured a place upon it for all who overcome by His blood.

Crown the head and the whole body shares the honour. Behold here the reward of every Christian conqueror! Christ’s throne, crown, sceptre, palace, treasure, robes, heritage, are yours. Far superior to the jealousy, selfishness, and greed, which admit of no participation of their advantages, Christ deems His happiness completed by His people sharing it. ‘The glory which thou gavest me have I given them.’ ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ The smiles of His Father are all the sweeter to Him, because His people share them. The honours of His kingdom are more pleasing, because His people appear with Him in glory. More valuable to Him are His conquests, since they have taught His people to overcome. He delights in His throne, because on it there is a place for them. He rejoices in His royal robes, since over them His skirts are spread. He delights the more in His joy, because He calls them to enter into it.

5.14a

Growing Pains: Are We There Yet? (Part 1)

By Kristen Lim

This article is a continuation of the “Growing Pains” series, a look at various issues that new / young Christians encounter. Previous articles:

The microwave oven is one of the greatest inventions to date (slight hyperbole there). But in all seriousness, isn’t it a wonderful concept to have last night’s cold leftovers hot and ready to consume in a matter of minutes? Not to mention, people have creatively come up with ways to hack the microwave’s power, like mug cakes and quick scrambled eggs.

Why doesn’t the Christian life work like a microwave? Why can’t God make me perfect and without sin RIGHT NOW? Without even realizing it, we may have been accustomed to what I like to call “microwave-mentality:” expecting immediate results with little to no effort, and in this case in regards to spiritual maturity. We’ve lost a sense of patience, and there is a mounting panic and discomfort in waiting. In our need for speed, we want to expedite every part of our lives including sanctification, but we will soon find out that God’s plan for our growth is a gradual, life-long process.

What is biblical sanctification? Let’s look at Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi:

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;” (Ph. 2:12 emphasis added)

Paul does not say for you to work “for” your salvation; that would be salvation by works! Let’s pause and remember Scripture is clear that salvation is by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8-9). So what does it mean to work “out” your salvation? Paul is affirming the truth that God calls His people to holy living out of submission to our good Master and in accordance to our new identity as children of God. Our redeemed status is not conditional to whether you had a great day honoring God, or failed (again) to make time to read the Bible. Nothing can separate true Christians from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:35-39). Rest in that truth. Marinate in the extravagant grace of God. We will spend the rest of our lives discovering the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ (Eph. 3:19), and to truly comprehend that to know Christ is eternal life (John 17:3).

There is no room for dabbling in sin and cheapening the glorious grace of God to be just a free pass to “sin and repent.” Read Romans 6, my friend. Working out your salvation involves hard work of putting off the old self and putting on the new self (Eph. 4:22-24). But rest assured that it’s not in your hands to change your heart…

“For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Ph. 2:13 emphasis added)

God is the One who grows us! He gets the glory and praise for transforming us into the image of Christ. There is no room for boasting in ourselves or even in another person for causing us to grow (1 Cor. 3:6-7). You may wonder, how can God be the one doing all the work in me when it feels like I’m the one striving and laboring? We must remember that God is the giver of life and breath, and apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Your desire to even want to grow in faith is a product of God placing that desire in your heart! He gives us various “means of grace,” such as reading the Bible, prayer, fellowship, memorizing Scripture, sermons, etc. to accomplish this steady progression of maturity. Just because you don’t conquer a particular sin by memorizing a verse doesn’t mean that God has failed. He is growing you in other ways, perhaps patience and perseverance. In the mean time, God desires for you to continue to fight sin in humble obedience, trusting in His sovereign and perfect timing.

If you are a Christian longing for a pure heart, but still find yourself struggling in the fight against sin, you are in good company. Paul honestly admits the raging war in his soul against his old, sinful way of life versus God’s way (Rom. 7:14-25). Also, find encouragement that much of Paul’s letters are filled with exhortations to struggling Christians who needed instruction to fight hard against remaining sin. If Christians back then needed to war against sin, then I do too.

Maybe you experienced a drastic change in your life when God saved you. Praise the Lord for His abounding mercies! You have the rest of your life to keep on growing in the knowledge of God and becoming more like Christ. Know that God will be faithful to complete the work He has started in you.

Maybe you feel spiritually dry and stagnant in growth, and wonder why it doesn’t feel like God is working in you anymore. But God is still working in your heart. Though it may seem slow and the fruit may not be evident right away, be patient and persevere. Know that God will be faithful to complete the work He has started in you.

It is worth mentioning that many farming analogies are used to describe the Christian life. Psalm 1 describes the one who delights in God to be a “tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season…” Matthew 7:20 reveals that you will know the type of tree it is (Christian or non-Christian) by the fruit it bears. And in Galatians 5:22-23 we find the “fruit” of the Spirit. The growth of a tree may at times seem imperceptible, but it is still growing and will flourish with fruit in its season.

A microwave is useful for many things, but not a good object on which to build an understanding of sanctification. Hopefully it’s clear that waiting on the Lord for spiritual growth is not an idle task. Rather it is a fierce dependence on God that clings to His unchanging promises, and disciplines the self to walk in obedience, knowing full well that God is the one who changes hearts.