[The Master] did not will in outward discipline and ceremonies to prescribe in detail what we ought to do (because he foresaw that this depended on the state of the times, and he did not deem one form suitable for all ages) . . . . Because he has taught nothing specifically, and because these things are not necessary to salvation, and for the upbuilding of the church ought to be variously accommodated to the customs of each nation and age, it will be fitting (as the advantage of the church will require) to change and abrogate traditional practices and to establish new ones. Indeed, I admit that we ought not to charge into innovation rashly, suddenly, for insufficient cause. But love will best judge what may hurt or edify; and if we let love be our guide, we will be safe.   – from Institutes of the Christian Religion

If you don’t have a place to worship in the Louisville area tomorrow, please join us!

We’re continuing through the book of Matthew, learning more of this gospel of the Kingdom.

Responsive Scripture: Psalm 96

“O Worship the King”

Confession of Sin (Adapted from C.S. Lewis’ Weight of Glory)

O, Lord, we confess that we struggle with our desires—but not because our desires are so strong, but because they are too weak.  We are half-hearted creatures, content with the pleasures of this world—food and drink, sex and ambition, entertainment and technology—while you offer us infinite joy in our relationship with you.  We are like ignorant children, happy to play around in a slum because we cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a vacation at the beach.  We are far too easily pleased.  We are pleased to follow false gods instead of passionately worshiping only you.  We are pleased to drink water from a broken cistern instead of panting for living water flowing from your stream.  We are pleased to live by bread alone instead of hungering for your every Word.

Have mercy on us. Cleanse us from all our sins.  Show us the way of life. Give us your peace that comes through the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. Restore the joy of your salvation and renew a right spirit within us. Help us to know and experience your peace, which goes beyond all human understanding.  We ask this for our good and for Jesus’ sake. Amen. (Silent confession)

Hymn of Assurance: “By Grace Alone”

Prayer of Thanksgiving: Andy Newton

Offering Hymn: “My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness”

Pastoral Prayer of Intercession: Daniel Mikesh

Sermon: Matthew 7:1-6, Steve Matteucci – “The Judgment of the Kingdom”

“When I Survey” / “The Gospel Song”

Lord’s Supper

Bread: “Man of Sorows”

Cup: “All I Have Is Christ”

Benevolence Offering: “The Saving One”

Benediction: Hebrews 13:20-21

This week, my devotional reading, seminary study, and worship planning have all providentially meshed together with the theme of God’s ultimate judgment in Christ over his enemies. The gospel is presented in the Scripture within an eschatalogical framework, and by necessity must always be preached in that way. With the advent of Christ a new dawn has arrived, yet we await a decisive consummation of his kingdom and ultimate triumph over all His enemies. This message of coming judgment for the nations is counter-cultural. It wasn’t popular when the prophets preached it. Christ didn’t make friends when he spoke of it and neither did the apostles. Yet, if we water down the message that Christ, the Judge of all, is coming to judge his enemies for their rebellion against God and exercise his rule in this world, we diminish his glory in the gospel of the kingdom. Christ’s death and resurrection stand as decisive proof that yes, his gospel of promise will find its climactic fulfillment in that Day! It also gives ample evidence that despite the fierceness of his wrath in that hour, all who have come to Christ for their Refuge will experience none of God’s just anger, as Christ absorbed it on the cross. Ultimate judgment of his enemies means ultimate salvation for his people! This eternal perspective should transform the way that I live. It should bolster solid hope in Jesus. It should alter the way I look at life’s circumstances. It should motivate me to proclaim the good news of the King.

Here’s a section from the Belgic Confession of Faith that we will be reading responsively at Clifton Heights Baptist on Sunday. May it give you sweet hope this day.

We believe that when the time appointed by the Lord is come and the number of the elect is complete, our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven with great glory and majesty to declare himself the judge of the living and the dead. He will burn this old world, in fire and flame, in order to cleanse it.

Then all human creatures will appear in person before the great judge– men, women, and children, who have lived from the beginning until the end of the world.

They will be summoned there by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the divine trumpet.

For all those who died before that time will be raised from the earth, their spirits being joined and united with their own bodies in which they lived. And as for those who are still alive, they will not die like the others but will be changed “in the twinkling of an eye” from “corruptible to incorruptible.”

Then “the books” will be opened, and the dead will be judged according to the things they did in the world, whether good or evil. Indeed, all people will give account of all the idle words they have spoken, which the world regards as only playing games. And then the secrets and hypocrisies of men will be publicly uncovered in the sight of all.

Therefore, with good reason the thought of this judgment is horrible and dreadful to wicked and evil people. But it is very pleasant and a great comfort to the righteous, since their total redemption will then be accomplished. They will then receive the fruits of their labor and of the trouble they have suffered; their innocence will be openly recognized by all; and they will see the terrible vengeance that God will bring on the evil ones who tyrannized, oppressed, and tormented them in this world.

The evil ones will be convicted by the witness of their own consciences, and shall be made immortal– but only to be tormented in the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

In contrast, the faithful and elect will be crowned with glory and honor. The Son of God will “confess their names” before God his Father and all tears will be “wiped from their eyes”; and their cause– at present condemned as heretical and evil by many judges and civil officers– will be acknowledged as the “cause of the Son of God.”

And as a gracious reward the Lord will make them possess a glory such as the heart of man could never imagine.

So we look forward to that great day with longing in order to enjoy fully the promises of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

For by him (Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.   Col 1:16

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”  Rev. 4:11

For thousands of years, God has delighted in the display of his glory that these species have brought him – silently, secretly. These unknown beings have screamed out the magnificent skill, creative joy, and sustaining power of their Creator…and now we get to join their song.

If marvels like these are evident within this fallen creation, I can’t help but anticipate the wonders of the New Creation. Christ’s death and resurrection have broken the curse! When he returns, he will set creation free from its bondage to decay to live in the freedom of his reign of life! All of creation will perfectly reflect the glories of the King!

Gratitude because God has quenched his own just wrath by crushing his Son for my sin’s atonement. Gratitude because I stand before him in the righteousness of my Savior’s spotless life. Gratitude because he regenerated my rebellious heart at a young age and granted me repentance and faith in Jesus. Gratitude because every year he continues to work in me his good purposes – through the Spirit’s revelation of the Word and through his gifts of blessing and affliction. Gratitude because he has faithfully guided my steps and confirmed my path according to his sovereign design.

Restlessness because I still wrestle with my straying, lusting heart. Restlessness because I often hold up my good works before God in self-righteous pride. Restlessness because even though I’ve been His child for 23 years, I love Jesus far too little and love this world far too much. Restlessness because I often idololize his sent blessings and scorn his sent affliction. Restlessness because my days are often wasted while countless people groups still need to hear the good news.

Hope because those whom he justified he will also glorify. Hope because the Righteous One will forever be my Advocate. Hope because one day the world will pass away with its lusts. Hope because his jealous, faithful love will chop down my idols and inspire my heart’s worship of him until the Day of Christ. Hope because the gospel is still the power of God unto salvation for all who believe. Hope because God doesn’t need me to build his church for it to ultimately get done. Hope because his kingdom is unstoppable. Hope because one day I will see Jesus and have eternity to praise the glory of his grace.

Lord, in this next year,

Let my cry come before you, O Lord: give me understanding according to your word! Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word. My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes. My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right. Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.  Psalm 119:169-176

For two weeks at the beginning of July, I took the Greek Review class at Southern. I took this class with the goal of skipping elementary Greek in seminary. I’m thankful that because of the excellent teaching of Dr. Robert Plummer and a bit of personal study, much of what I learned 5-6 years ago returned to my understanding, and I passed the standardized Greek test with flying colors. God is gracious!

On the last day of class, we took a trip to the local seminary where A.T. Robertson, a NT professor and renowned Greek scholar at Southern in the late 19th/early 20th century, is buried.

It just so happens that Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, is buried in the same cemetery. Of course, I could not pass up the opportunity to pay my homage to this American icon. When we approached the sacred site, it was apparent that some mourner/joker had placed a piece of half-eaten chicken and a biscuit on the grave! Nice work.

The other big news is that God has led me to join the body at Clifton Heights Baptist Church, a small church that is in the midst of a revitalization effort coordinated by Clifton Baptist. Clifton, which had planted Clifton Heights in the 1940′s, sent a pastor and a group of about 25 folks to Clifton Heights help make it a healthy, vital church again. Praise the Lord that this effort has borne fruit so far, and it is exciting to see a growing unity and a passion for the gospel among the people of the church.

The music director, also a seminary student, left today on a 6-month mission trip to Taiwan, so I will be serving heavily in the music/worship ministry for the foreseeable future. I’m excited to get back to “active” ministry! I’m leading the worship service this Sunday, and I pray that the Lord would motivate our congregation to worship passionately in the truth. Our pastor, Steve Matteucci, is preaching through Philippians, and this week he will cover Phil. 3:1-7. If you would like to see the order of worship for our service, click here.

The Lord has been kind to give me steady work at The Cheesecake Factory, and this weekend I’ll be umpiring a few games at a 13-year old state tournament. Praise the Lord for providing!

My grandparents are flying me down to Dallas for a little R&R on my birthday weekend, and then the weekend of August 9th I’ll be preaching at Trinity Baptist in Franklin, TN. I’m looking forward to seeing the body at Trinity! Seminary classes start on August 17…the summer is practically over!

I’ve been wearing out this song recently. It was written years ago by William Gadsby and set to a fresh tune by Sandra McCracken. I’m praising my Savior that nothing internal (my sin) and nothing external (extreme conditions, bodily harm, spiritual powers) can deter his eternal purpose to love me to the end…and beyond.

The Love of Christ is Rich and Free

1. The love of Christ is rich and free;
Fixed on His own eternally;
Nor earth, nor hell, can it remove;
Long as He lives, His own He’ll love.

2. His loving heart engaged to be
Their everlasting Surety;
’Twas love that took their cause in hand,
And love maintains it to the end.

Chorus: Love cannot from its post withdraw;
Nor death, nor hell, nor sin, nor law,
Can turn the Surety’s heart away;
He’ll love His own to endless day.

3. Love has redeemed His sheep with blood;
And love will bring them safe to God;
Love calls them all from death to life;
And love will finish all their strife.

4. He loves through every changing scene,
Nor aught from Him can Zion wean;
Not all the wanderings of her heart
Can make His love for her depart.
(Repeat chorus)

5. At death, beyond the grave, He’ll love;
In endless bliss, His own shall prove
The blazing glory of that love
Which never could from them remove.

©2001 Same Old Dress Music (ASCAP).

Here’s the text to their new hymn, “Still My Soul, Be Still,” a collaboration with Stuart Townend.

Still my soul be still
And do not fear
Though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread
The fires of unexpected sorrow

God You are my God
And I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace renew
A steadfast spirit within me
To rest in You alone

Still my soul be still
Do not be moved
By lesser lights and fleeting shadows
Hold onto His ways
With shield of faith
Against temptations flaming arrows

Still my soul be still
Do not forsake
The Truth you learned in the beginning
Wait upon the Lord
And hope will rise
As stars appear when day is dimming

Words and music by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend

Copyright 2009 Thankyou Music

The fact is that I am the worst sinner I know, as C.J. Mahaney often quips. My response to Christine was not entirely theologically correct. Yes, Jesus Christ has saved me from the penalty of sin, having forgiven it completely and having declared me righteous at the cross. Yet, he is in the process of saving me every day from the power of sin’s allure and grip on my soul through his Spirit’s work within me. One day, this work will be complete when I stand before Christ with the presence of sin forever vanquished from my life and from the universe!

Let me share one other incident from Cheesecake. The other night, a fellow server intentionally did something to irritate me. This particular server leads an openly sinful lifestyle and has developed a habit of antagonizing me. It’s probably because I’m a Christian. What he did made me mad. Now, when I get angry, I normally do not blow my lid and start screaming (although I have done that in years gone by, specifically on the basketball court). My anger usually expresses itself in a furrowed brow, an icy stare, and a one-liner aimed to wound. So, that’s the way I responded to this server. It shouldn’t surprise me that a few minutes later, he walked by and said, “Ooooh…Jon, I love seeing your dark side.” Similarly to Christine, his words hit me in the gut. Truth is, my words were a frustrated, fleshly response to his antagonism. I had taken the bait.

So, I’ve been thinking, “What is better, living a holy life before the world or responding with gospel humility when I do sin?” I believe the answer is “YES,” provided right theology is governing this perspective. For one, brokenness over our sin is a huge part of holiness. It is not as if we can isolate the two, for “good fruit” and a humble response to “bad fruit” are both the work of the Spirit in us. Yet, if the Spirit is not progressively transforming our hearts to produce attitudes and actions that reflect our Savior to this world, then we have a legitimate need to ask ourselves if Christ is our Lord to begin with. This is what it means to be “spiritual.” It has nothing to do with being involved in religious activities or giving ourselves to dutiful asceticism or leading a perfect life. Rather, it has everything to do with the Spirit changing our hearts from our natural bent in self-exaltation to finding our glory and satisfaction in all that God is for us in Jesus. Praise the Lord for the gospel! The good news for me today is that even though I am a “bad person” and do show my “dark side” on a seemingly hourly basis, Jesus took my penalty. He absorbed God’s just anger over my sin and forgave me completely. And when He died on a hillside outside Jerusalem, so did my flesh, my sinful desires and all that they produce. When he rose from the grave, I rose with him in new life and am exalted with him in his reign. Through this gospel, Jesus frees me to love him and love others as I embrace God’s gracious promises by faith. And when I do disobey God in my unbelief, my Lord calls me back to the grounds of his forgiveness and enabling. The gospel. Jesus.

If I ever give my coworkers the impression that my lifestyle impresses God, shame on me. If I ever treat them with self-righteous anger, shame on me. Does a Christian’s sin dim God’s glory before the world and bring shame upon him? Yes, just ask S.C. Governor Mark Sanford. Yet, I see a lot of myself in Gov. Sanford. And while I never want to give others the opportunity to scorn Christ by my actions or attitudes, I also want them to know that I am not the source of my righteousness, nor am I the one who is producing change in my life. When I do bring shame upon myself and my Lord, may the gospel so radically alter the way that I deal with the sin that the world might see that response and glorify God through this display of the gospel.

I hope that the next time I hear a similarly big “lie” like Christine’s, God might provide an opportunity to tell the truth and draw attention to where it should be in the first place. To Jesus.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.   Ephesians 2:1-10

Yes, yesterday was my first foray into Southern Baptist land, as I attended a couple of sessions of the Pastor’s Conference, which is a prelude to the 2009 SBC Annual Meeting. I have to say that much of my experience was encouraging, as there is a definite segment of the SBC that is evidently God-centered, theologically driven, and missional. On the other hand, there were the predictable and less desirable aspects of the conference as well – cheesy, performance-like musical production under the guise of “worship” (I can’t speak to the musicians’ motives, but it just appeared like a big production); equating right wing politics with the “cause of Christ”; etc.

However, I won’t dwell on the less desirable parts too much. Here are a few highlights (and a lowlight) of the day.

• Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA, spoke in the morning on the priority of love in the church. He spoke candidly of the Spirit’s work in the life of the body at Cornerstone, specifically as it relates to love among the members. Evidently, all of the church’s elders sold their life insurance policy and gave the money to the poor, pledging to be each other’s life insurance should something happen to one of them. They want to emulate the early church’s sharing of finances and material goods between church members.

• After this session, I raided the Lifeway sale table in the exhibit hall. I bought several books, including Millard Erickson’s Systematic Theology for $14…a steal.

• I wandered by the 9 Marks booth, where I was able to speak with Mark Dever for a little while, thanking him for the impact that he has had on my understanding of the local church’s priority in the life of believers. They were giving away copies of Mark’s book, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, which I have already read. But hey, a free book? I’ll take it!

• Olin Mills was seeking to lure churches into hiring them to produce their church directory by taking people’s pictures giving them a free 8×10 copy. Am I currently employed by a church? Nope. Did I get my picture taken? Absolutely…going to send it to my mom.

• 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee addressed the pastors in the afternoon. Somehow, he managed to extract education reform, family values, pro-life stance, anti-gay marriage, anti-Ahmadinejad sentiment, and getting involved in politics all from the story of Abimelech in Judges 9. Oh yes, and he got several standing ovations. Remarkable.

• In the evening session, David Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL, preached a message entitled “Will We Die in Our Religion or Will We Die in Our Devotion?” from Hebrews 13:12-14. It was one of the most powerful messages that I have ever heard concerning radical, risk-taking devotion for the sake of Christ. I hope to post a link to his message once I find one.

• To close out the evening, I attended “9 Marks at 9″ hosted by Mark Dever and 9 Marks Ministries. Mark addressed audience concerning “Why the 9 Marks are Central to the Future of the SBC.” It was  passionate plea for a return to expositional preaching, the corporate nature of the church, and difficult aspects of church life such as church discipline. After Mark spoke, he was joined by David Platt and others for a Q&A.

In Matthew 16, Jesus promises that he will build his church. It is an unstoppable purpose that will continue until he returns. The SBC is not perfect…far from it. Neither is any church, organization, or denomination. But like any group containing true churches and authentic followers of our Lord, the Spirit is actively working to bring about the Father’s purposes to exalt his Son and further his mission. And for this we can rejoice.