Resolutions of the Righteous

Best estimates tell us that nearly 40% of the population engages in the annual practice of setting New Year’s Resolutions. Those same statistics tell us that fewer than 8% of people actually fulfill their resolutions and that the majority have failed by the time February rolls around. There a number of reasons people make – and fail – their personal goals. Despite the high rate of failure, many of us recognize the importance of setting goals because we understand that “if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” The setting of and striving towards certain goals is a critical part of personal development and professional achievement.

When applied to personal sanctification, however, this old maxim still rings true. Godliness doesn’t just happen—you must be proactive in pursuing it. That is why we are given commands throughout Scripture towards that end. At the end of the day, there is a single resolution that matters before the Lord and it has to do with selecting the pathway your life will follow. For those reading this article who know and fear God, we know that righteousness is required from all of God’s people. With that in mind, as we look towards setting our priorities for the new year, how do we, as people who desire godliness, plan for righteousness? To help us answer that question let’s take a look at Psalm 1.

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Words Matter Because Meaning Matters

"Many things are important in life, and when assessing the value of material and immaterial things—we must not forget the immense value of words. Consider how people fight over the meaning of terms found in the Constitution of the United States of America. At times, political leaders from polar opposite ideological backgrounds fight over words and the meaning of those words. This is not only true of the world of politics—it’s likewise true of the religious world. Political skirmishes will have an affect upon a society, but none is greater than religious skirmishes over the definition of words.

The very word theology comes from two Greek words (Theos meaning “God” and logos meaning “word”). Therefore, theology literally means words about God. That’s why words matter—especially in the study of God. Some have suggested that we “preach the gospel and use words if necessary,” but that statement is flawed from the start. For, God’s Word is made up of sixty-six books which are comprised of thousands of paragraphs, sentences, and individual words. It was John Gerstner who once said, “[We] may have knowledge of God and not be saved, but he can never be saved without knowledge of God.” [1] It was Theodore Beza who described the preaching of John Calvin by saying, “Every word weighed a pound.”

Words matter, but often words change. Read through the King James version of the Scriptures and you will likely run across many terms that are antiquarian—and in some cases nearly completely dead altogether. Consider the term, filthy lucre as an example. Who uses that phrase to describe greed for money in our present day? As it pertains to the morphology of specific terms, one can hope for the best as modernity consistently presses the limits on language and adds new vocabulary each year. However, when it comes to theology, words matter. Such words must be guarded. This is why a commitment to the single meaning of the text is essential when interpreting the Bible. The author’s original meaning matters. Unless carefully guarded—the words of Scripture will be redefined and such a process of change will lead to an assault on the theological foundation of the word which is an assault upon God himself. Take the definition of marriage and family as an example of this truth.

No Blog Articles: Where Have You Been?

It's been a while since I posted any new articles here at Post Tenebras Lux.  As much as I enjoy writing about things that truly matter blogging is (and should be) a low(er) priority for shepherd-preachers/husband/fathers.

The last few months have been physically challenging for my family.  Andrea has had several procedures related to agonizing kidney stones.  The family has shared several colds, the flu bug, and pink eye.  We even had a round of shingles to boot.  Seasons of sickness certainly make one thankful for seasons of health.

With extremely full schedules Andrea and I have been feverishly swimming to keep our head above water.  As such, I have not had time nor chosen to make time to blog.  As with all things everything we do must be kept in it's proper place.  My wife and family and church are my top priorities.  My Sunday School lessons, weekly sermon expositions, and a hundred different tasks are more important to God then what I (or so and so) think of Matt Chandler's pandering interview with HBO's Vice news.

I also enjoy stepping away sometimes just to be reminded that the world goes on whether or not I (or anyone else) blogs.  Tim Challies is no one's pastor (even though he is generally a very discerning author).

Having said that, Christian podcasts and blog articles certainly have a place in the internet heavy world we all live in.  Pastors can exhort, instruct, protect, and clarify many different things via books, podcasts, and blogs.  I hope to post more regularly in the weeks to come.  However, if you do not hear from me, know that I am likely at the doctors office or meeting with a key volunteer at church. :)

The Truth About Eternity (Revelation 21:1-4; pt 3)

 Revelation 21:1-4

The Truth About Eternity

(pt. 3)

INTRO: “How might I ascertain the church’s official view of heaven & hell?" To which one notable clergyman in the Church of England offered this pithy one word reply- "Die."  

Praise be to God that we do not have to wait until we "cross over the other side" to find out about heaven and hell.  Everything we need to know about the future has been preserved in the Word of God.  We do not need to read Charismatic books about alleged "out of body experiences" in order to shore up our understanding of the future.  In his grace, God has revealed everything we need to know about life and life after death  in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:15-17).  Any books, testimonies, or articles about heaven and hell need to be evaluated against the perfect backdrop of Scripture.

(Christian) how much do you know about your eternal home?  Is what you believe about heaven and hell truly biblical?  

Why does the apostle John include so many details about the eternal state when writing to the persecuted church in the first century (see Revelation 21:7)?  "Those who overcome (true believers) shall inherit all this!"  The sights and sounds of heaven should compel us to "keep on keeping on" in the strength of the Lord!

(Three) Heavenly Incentives for Christian Perseverance:

On 10/28, we saw:

1) In heaven, _______________________________________________________________.

(Revelation 21:1; 4)

Last Sunday, we saw and heard this:

    2) In heaven, _______________________________________________________________.

(Revelation 21:2-3; Psalm 16:8-11)

Richard Baxter- “Doubtless as God advances our senses and enlargens our capacity, so will He advance the happiness of those senses and fill up with Himself all that capacity…

We shall then have light without a candle, and perpetual day without the sun…”

Revelation 5:8-12, 22:14-17

How do the “sights and sounds of heaven” help us to lift our eyes off of our earthly struggles?

Next Sunday we will “see and hear” this:

3) In heaven, _______________________________________________________________.

(Revelation 21:4-5)

Holy Spirit help me to be a heavenly-minded Christian and help us to be a heavenly-minded congregation! Use these glorious truths about eternity to bolster our faith and to get each one of us across the “finish line! For the glory of Christ we ask these things. Amen!” 

The Role of The Holy Spirit in Biblical Interpretation

The role of the Holy Spirit in interpretation is something that is often mentioned in hermeneutics (biblical interpretation) and exegesis (deriving the meaning of the text) books, but little discussion is devoted to explaining what that role is, where the Bible teaches it, and how we know when it occurs. After much reading on the subject and a study of related passages of Scripture it is my contention that the Spirit has a multifaceted role in the life of the believer as he interprets Scripture.

The Spirit’s work in the interpreter is necessary because of the depravity of man. Due to the effects of sin a natural man, the unbeliever, “does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor 2:14). This means that the unbeliever does not see the word of God as wisdom, but rather foolishness. Therefore he rejects it. While he does have a level of cognitive awareness of the signification of the words, He cannot understand in the sense of experientially knowing it as truth in a relationship with God. This is due the fact that it is spiritually discerned. The unbeliever is spiritually dead (Eph 2:1) and consequently has a futile, darkened, ignorant mind, and a hard heart that makes him callous to spiritual things (Eph 4:17-19). He is hostile to God and cannot bring himself under the Scriptures as his authority (Rom 8:7-8).

5 Myths about Preaching

Five False Dichotomies about preaching.  Which is your kind of preaching—expository or relevant? That is an example of a false dichotomy—a logical fallacy. False dichotomies operate under the assumption that there is no alternative, including no way to combine the qualities entailed in the so-called opposites.

One of Satan’s methods to mislead by means of the false dichotomy. By setting two valid ideas against each other when they really belong together, the devil can use the appeal of one truth to attack another. If we swallow the bait, then the devil’s hook and line pull us away from faithful preaching and we lose both sides of the truth. Here are five myths—false dichotomies—that can catch preachers and hearers alike.

Myth #1: Preachers must be either exegetical lecturers or church motivators.

The exegetical lecturer is the pastoral version of a Bible commentary. The preacher is determined to avoid subjectivism; his sermon will be only the pure Word of God... As the saying goes all truth without the Spirit and the church drys up.  All Spirit and little truth and the church blows up.  Truth plus the Spirit and the church grows up.  Expository preaching is not merely a collection of word studies, historical background, and fifty minutes of textual commentary.  A sermon is not a lecture though both should involve teaching and passion.

Offended by the barrenness of lectures (sometimes called expository sermons), the church motivator seeks not to inform but to transform by convincing people to adopt certain courses of action or programs. However, though he may lace his messages with Bible quotations, he sounds more like a motivational speaker or even a cheerleader than a messenger of God.

The faithful preacher takes the best from both sides of this dichotomy, for he strives—with the Spirit’s blessing—to have his expositions of the Holy Scriptures burn as fuel inflaming the church to holy affection and action.  Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said that preaching is "theology on fire!"

Myth #2: Preachers must be either spiritual directors or doctrinal instructors.

The spiritual director—a fatherly figure—doles out specific advice to his children in the Lord. His mouth is full of wise counsel and practical directions, but he does not bother much with lofty doctrines of the faith such as the Trinity, the holiness of God, or Christ’s atoning work.

The doctrinal teacher—knowing how shallow Christians can be if they do not know what they believe—thoroughly explains the system of Christian faith revealed in the Holy Scriptures. However, he says little to nothing about application...

In reality, we must avoid both extremes, since “All Scripture . . . is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). The faithful preacher must have his eyes on Christ as revealed in the doctrines of the Bible and his feet on the ground to apply that doctrine to the needs and lives of his hearers.  Let God’s Word shape your sermons into preaching that is faithful to Scripture and relevant to your congregations sanctification.

The Sights and Sounds of Heaven (Revelation 21:1-4)

 Revelation 21:1-4

The Sights and Sounds of Heaven

(pt. 1)

In 1952 off Catalina Island, young Florence Chadwick stepped into the waters off the Pacific Ocean, determined to swim all the way to the mainland of California.   Florence Chadwick was no rookie. In fact, she was the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways.

On the day she attempted this amazing feat the weather was foggy and cold; so foggy that she could hardly see the rescue boats that were accompanying her.  Still she set out and she swam and she swam and she swam…for fifteen hours straight she swam!   When she begged to be taken out of the water, her mother, in a boat nearby, told her she was close and that she could do it.

Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted Florence stopped swimming and was pulled out of the water.  It was not until she was on the boat that she discovered the shore was less than half a mile away. At a news conference the next day she made this memorable statement, “All I could see was the fog….I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it!” 

The shoreline of heaven is set before us in Hi-Definition clarity in the final two chapters of Revelation.  May God grant us eyes to see and ears to hear the glories of heaven.

“And I Saw”   -Revelation 21:1-2

“And I Heard” -Revelation 21:3-4

The Sights and Sounds of Heaven- The first thing John sees is:

     1) A WHOLE NEW WORLD (TO COME) 

Revelation 21:1-  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

Revelation 21:7- He who overcomes shall inherit these things-  How do the sights and sounds of heaven encourage believers to persevere until the end? (Colossians 3:1-2; Philippians 3:12-14; Matthew 6:19-21).