Sunday, August 31, 2008

Tips for Mortifying Sin

The Puritans and other used to speak of mortifying sin, that is putting to death our sin nature. John MacArthur points to eight scriptural principles in The Vanishing Conscience.

1) Abstain from fleshly lusts. (1Pet 2:11; 1Cor 6:8; Eph 4:28) The best way to kill sin is to stop sinning. As Yoda told Luke, "Do. Or do not. There is not try."

2) Make no provision for the flesh. (Rom 13:4) This may include avoiding the junk food isle at the store, setting the alarm for earlier in the day, going for a walk, reading Scripture daily. Where ever we struggle with sin we have to stop making excuses and start making plans to overcome.

3) Fix your heart on Christ. (1John 3:23) We must realize that Jesus is our great reward.

4) Meditate on God's Word. (Ps. 119:5, 11; 1:2; Josh 1:8; John 17:17; Col 3:16; Eph 6:17) Many people today think that meditation is the clearing the mind of all thoughts. However, biblical meditation is the filling of the mind with God's Word. Chewing the words over and over in order to better understand and apply them to our lives.

5) Pray without ceasing. (Luke 22:40; Matt 26:41) We need to be in a continual prayerful attitude.

6) Watch and Pray. (Ps. 19:12; 1 John 1:9; Heb 4:16) We are called to be vigilant.

7) Exercise self-Control. (Gal 5:23; 1 Cor 9:25-27; Luke 21:34; 2 Pet 1:3-11) By God's grace and with His help, we must strive to overcome our passions, desires, and self.

8) Be filled with the Spirit. (Eph 5:18;Rom 8:13; Phil 2:13-13; Gal 5:16) The Spirit dwells inside every believer, but we often grieve him and quench his work. To be filled with the Spirit is to walk in obedience to his leadership.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Something to Ponder

In the sermon preview post yesterday I asked: "How do we balance the biblical call to practice self-discipline with the biblical teaching that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit?". I came across a helpful quote from pastor and theologian John MacArthur. He said, "We cannot abandon our own responsibility and passively wait for God to mortify sin on our behalf. The Spirit-filled life is an active, vigorous, working endeavor, where we work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12). When we obey, we discover it is actually God who is at work in us "both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (v. 13). In other words, God molds our wills to obey and then gives us the energy to work according to whatever pleases Him. That is the Spirit-filled life" (MacArthur, The Vanishing Conscience, 162).

Friday, August 29, 2008

Sermon Preview

In the weeks (and hopefully months) ahead I want to give you the Scripture reference and topic of upcoming sermons and lessons to enable you to prepare for the messages.

August 31, 2008
Sunday Morning: Lord willing I am going to preach from Prov. 25:28. We will be looking at self-control. What areas do you find it the easiest to control yourself? What are the hardest areas for you? How do we balance the biblical call to practice self-control with the biblical view that self-control is the work of the Spirit in our life?

Sunday Evening (6:00):
We will be looking at questions 31 and 32 from the Baptist Catechism.
Question 31 asks, "What do we mean by Christ's humiliation? (Luke 2;7, 22:44; Gal 4:4; Isa 53:3; Matt 12:40, 27:46, Phil 2:8, Mark 15:45-46).
Question 32 asks, "What do we mean by Christ's exaltation? (1 Cor 15:4; Acts 1:11, 17:31; Mark 16:19) We will also spend sometime reflecting on Phil 2:5-11

Sept. 3, 2008
Wed. Night (7:00): This week we will continue our discussion of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints (eternal security). Continue to Read through Romans 6:1-8:39, 1 John, 2 Peter 1:3-11, and Gal 5:22-23.
Things to consider: How should a professing believer relate to sin? Where does our confidence rest? Can we be eternally secure? Please pray for me: 1) that I would manage my time well; 2) that I would study with diligence; 3) that I would have a clear direction as I study.

Who is a Theologian?

I would like to ask you two questions: 1) Have you ever thought of yourself as a theologian? and 2) Do you consider yourself a disciple of Jesus?

Let me give you two simple definitions. I say simple because more elaborate and precise definitions can and do exist, but these are sufficient for our purposes. First, theology is the study of God. Second, a disciple is a student. Everyone, Christian or non-Christian, does theology. Only those who, through faith, obey the commands of Jesus are his disciples.

Everyone is a theologian; not everyone is a disciples. Disciples don't have a choice about being a theologian. They only have the choice of being a "good" theologian or a "bad' theologian. By the term "good" I mean that their beliefs are based on the Bible. They seek to understand the Word accurately and to faithfully live by it. They not only mentally accept it, they practice in their lives. By the term "bad" I mean that their theology lacks clarity and faithfulness to God's revealed Word. Often their beliefs are not biblical, but conflict with the truth. Even when they are aware of the biblical truth they don't live by it. They acknowledge the truth with their lips, but their heart is far from it.

So the real question is not, "Are you a theologian?," but "What kind of theologian are you?" If you are Jesus' disciple seek to be a good theologian.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Confessions

I have a confession to make. Actually, I have several confessions. First, I have wanted to start a blog for a couple of years now, but I have been reluctant to do so.  Second, I wanted to come up with a name that was witty, clever, or mysterious--a title that caught people's attention and made them want to see what it was about. I discovered I'm not as witty, mysterious, clever, or cool as I had hoped.

I must also confess that I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember. Of all my childhood dreams and ambitions, being a writer is the only one that has aged with me. It clings to the recesses of my mind and heart unwilling to let go or to be shaken loose.  When it comes to  my desire to be a writer, the "want-to" has never died.

In thinking about this project, I was reminded of Jeremiah. The Lord gave Jeremiah something to say, but Jeremiah hated the ridicule he faced and vowed not to speak.  However, he found the Word burned within him. He said, "But if I say, 'I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in, indeed, I cannot" (Jer. 20:9-10, NIV). I do not mean to imply that I am a prophet sent to blog by the Lord. The only revelation I have is the Bible. I simply mean that much like the message in Jeremiah's heart, I have also felt the fire of a word unspoken (or in this case unwritten).

The task of writing in intensely personal. It reveals the inward thoughts and feelings. Not only does it bring them to the forefront of the mind, but it brings them public for others to view and dissect. This format allows others to interact with the writer's thoughts, which can be good or bad. That interaction has the potential to correct errors, to motivate a shift to a different point of view, or to encourage farther discussion and study. There is also a potential for rejection. No matter how people respond to this blog, I have to write because of the burning word in my heart.