SS Lesson March 8, 2009

We are starting a new series about dealing with sins in our lives that are really easy to overlook. What Jerry Bridges calls “respectable sins.” (to order the book go to this link It is really easy to think of some of the major sins of our society – such as murder, adultery, stealing, etc. – and think that we do not do any of those things, so we must be ok. We can so easily get a false idea of our godliness, our walk with the Lord, by comparing ourselves with others, whether they be believers or unbelievers. It is so easy to overlook sins like anxiety, frustration, unthankfulness, impatience, judgmentalism, anger, etc. Therefore, the purpose of this series is to help us recognize sin in our own lives and to see how God helps us to overcome that sin so that we grow closer to him and are more effective servants for his kingdom.
We’re not going through this series to make everyone feel horrible about themselves, although it is hoped that we would all feel some conviction. We are going through this to give us hope. We are not supposed to ignore our sin or wallow hopelessly in it. Rather we are to look to the gospel and the Word to see how God has dealt with our guilt and helps to break sin’s domination over us. We cannot go over all of the subtle sins that we face, but we will try to go over all of the most common ones. This lesson served as an introduction, and we looked at what the Bible says about who we are in Christ and how sin works to destroy that. We need to realize that we are set apart to God and that we are sinners, and how the primary part of our Christian walk is dealing with this inherent tension.
First, we looked at what the Bible teaches us about being set apart to Christ. All Christians are saints, which means that they are set apart as God's chosen people. The church of Corinth was committing a multitude of sins. They were proud, they formed cliques, they tolerated gross immortality (a man sleeping with his father’s wife), they abused their freedom in Christ, they sued each other, they abused the Lord’s Supper, they misunderstood spiritual gifts, and they were really confused about the end times and their resurrection. Paul, however, calls them saints (1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:1), and he frequently addresses all Christians as saints (Rom 1:7; 16:15; Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; 4:21-22; Col 1:2). We are immediately set apart to God when we are saved so that we can be transformed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ and glorify him in our words, deeds, thoughts, etc. (Acts 26:18; Col 1:13; 2 Cor 5:17; Ezek 36:26).
Second, we also looked at what the Bible teaches us about our sin as Christians. Not only do we need to realize that we are saints before God, but we also need to be aware of our constant sinfulness before him so that we can forsake our sin and live for him. It is easy to let ourselves off the hook by comparing our sins with others' sins, but when we compare ourselves to God we realize that we constantly fall short of his standard. This is why we will be focusing on so-called “respectable sins” – we are saints who should be living holy lives set apart to God, yet we are beset with sin that we need to overcome. The Christian life is a life lived in this tension or paradox between being a saint and a sinner. God does not leave us on our own, however, but as our loving Father he is at work among us to constantly bring repentance and renewal – part of this involves recognizing the sins that we tolerate for what they are and experiencing the work of God in our lives to overcome them.

Question Of The Day

If the next 5 years of your life were written on a piece of paper, put in an envelope, and handed to you- would you open it and read it?

Why or why not?

SS: 2 Thessalonians Chapter 3

This week in SALT, we finished up the letters to the Thessalonians by covering 2 Thessalonians 3. One question we discussed to begin with was "Do the people in our lives see in us a true inner peace?" We went over John 14:27 and John 16:33, and talked about the fact that Jesus wants us to live with peace and contentedness, not anxiety and turmoil- no matter what circumstances we may be facing in our lives.

Another question we considered was "When we pray, do we truly praise God?" For God is the same, all the time, no matter how stressed we may be or how down we get- He is always worthy of our praise and adoration. This question is a good way to gauge the first question, for if we are truly praising God, our heart is in the right place and we really be reflecting the inner peace of Christ's love.

In 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, we find Paul giving some final instructions to the church- instructions that are both corporate and personal. He starts by mentioning his prayer for them, and in turn, their prayers for him and his ministry. One phrase we can latch onto in the first verse is how Paul describes how the Gospel needs to be "spread rapidly", which speaks of momentum concerning how the Word is spread. The Gospel is like fire- once it gets hold of someone, it is all-consuming. But, also like a fire, it needs an accelerant in order to spread- and that accelerant is the Spirit using us. The Christian faith is a proactive faith, not an inert one. Ephesians 4:12 doesn't say the purpose of preachers is to equip one another for witnessing- it says preachers are to "equip the saints"- which is to say, they are equipping US for ministry.

We went on to discuss how God is faithful to us in countless ways (vs. 3) and read some other Scriptures concerning the many ways He shows His faithfulness. We considered how God has directly shown His faithfulness to us this past week. Paul goes on to exhort the church by pointing out that he has confidence because of their past obedience to his instructions, and that gives him reason to believe they will heed his upcoming advice dealing with the problem of idleness in their midst.

One other question we considered was one we can each ask at the end of the day- we all recognize that we are Christians each & every day, but to ask ourselves "Was I an effective Christian today?" is a good practice. God isn't looking for people to ride the bench- He wants all of us in the game. As aforementioned, the church of Thessolanica was having issues with some among them being idle- not fulfilling their duties as believers. Paul gives some instructions in dealing with these situations and, though though not as detailed as the steps set forth in Matthew 18, encourages the church to deal with it. It's apparent that they either didn't know how to deal with these situations or simply ignored it- but in any case, it was fast becoming a problem and needed to be addressed. We went on to discuss the verse that perhaps gives us the greatest insight into what was really going on- vs. 12 when it states that some were "not busy at work, just busybodies." This tells us that they were expending their energy on meaningless pursuits, perhaps concerned with the business of others. A natural result of this will be gossip and, if taken a bit further, slander- both of which can be terribly devastating to a community.

The lesson concluded with Paul's instructions to the community as a whole- particularly vs. 13 when he exhorts them to "not grow weary in doing good". How simple, yet how difficult this command truly is. We all grow tired of pressing on, when the world is weighing down on us and we are completely spent- yet the Lord is always ready to refresh us through His perfect provision, with energy and perseverance. I am continually humbled by the strength and endurance He provides, and I know that it's only because of Him that anything good results from my actions.

SS: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17

Our lesson this week was on the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians, which deals mainly with the end times and how the anti-christ revealing himself will cause confusion and chaos. Paul encourages the church (and us) to not allow themselves to be troubled because of false teaching- which they had apparently heard and were somehow buying into. They were deceived by someone or something, and he recognizes this as a hindrance to their walk with God. He reminds them of the things he previously taught them concerning the return of Christ, and uses that as a platform for our ultimate hope- hope that not only is Christ returning for His followers, but that He also will defeat the anti-christ once and for all. This defeat is not the result of a titanic struggle- all it takes for Jesus to defeat him is "the breath of His mouth" - and He will destroy him "with the brightness of His coming". How amazing that is to ponder- simply the wonderous glory of Christ is too much for His ultimate enemy to withstand!

One interesting subject to consider is perhaps in each generation, things have aligned so that the coming of the Lord was possible, for we know two things- first, that we don't know when it will happen, and secondly, that it could happen at any time. This should truly keep us "on our toes", so to speak- preparing as if the Rapture might happen at any time, and living as if it won't happen for a long time. Our sense of urgency concerning the lost souls around us should spring from the knowledge that if they were killed today, they would be seperated from our Heavenly Father forever.

Main themes:
1. We need to stand firm in the gospel in the face of false teachings and the evil that surrounds us. As soon as we start to waver or get lax, the enemy has a foothold.
2. Verses 13-14 states the point of our salvation, and ultimately the point of our life: (13) "But we should give thanks to God for you always, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, (14) to which He called you by the gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." This should both strengthen us and encourage us- it should galvanize us to do God's work, for the circle of activity around us (our work life, our neighbors, our family) is our mission field. Each one of us is a preacher, and if we don't make an impact on the world, someone else will. All the while giving thanks always no matter the circumstances around us, for we were chosen by God Himself for salvation and sanctification when what we really deserve is death and Hell. How can we consider that and not feel compelled to do His work?

Random Song Lyric of the Day

"And this life sentence that I'm serving
I admit, I'm every bit deserving
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair"
-- Be My Escape, by Relient K


Your thoughts?

SS: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

The passage we studied this week in SALT was 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12. In these verses, we see Paul praising the church of Thessolanica for their faithfulness during difficult times, and wrapping those words with praise to God for granting them grace so that faithfulness is possible. One interesting phrase we see Paul use is "We ought to always give thanks for you" (vs. 3, ESV). This should tell us a couple things- in addition to prayer being a privilege, it is also an obligation on our part. For when we see God accomplishing His work in people, how can we have any other reaction than to give thanks for His grace? It should be a natural response.

Paul points out that the church is remaining both faithful and steadfast during trials and persecution. This should truly resonate with us- for in these trying times, contentment and steadfastfulness are two things that are rarely seen. Of course, it's only possible to achieve such traits through God's grace. His provision is the only platform for true change within.

Our discussion consisted of a closer look at verses 5 through 8, which is actually one long sentence. Paul is relating their faithfulness to their ultimate hope of Christ's judgmental return, how God's wrath is righteous and perfect, and how His vengeance will be inflicted upon those who have not been obedient to the truth. When we were considering living a faithful life and all that entails, one question I posed was "If the next 10 years of your life was written on a sheet of paper and placed in an envelope which you had access to, would you open it and read it?" The next logical step in this sequence was "If you did, would it change the way you live your life now?" And then, the heart of the matter: "SHOULD it change the way you live your life?" We had a good discussion concerning how faith should impact every aspect of our lives, every day.

Main lessons: 1. Through God's grace alone, we can remain faithful and steadfast during any situation we may face. In America, we don't truly face persecution of our faith like much of the world does; but we should ask ourselves when the last time we suffered for our faith was. If we never suffer for our faith in any way, something is amiss.
2. How we evaluate if our faith is growing. We discussed ways we can gauge our walk with the Lord- namely, how can we gauge progression in our faith? In other words, how can we measure our growth? We all took a couple minutes to write down some personal ways we can assess this (it will be somewhat subjective, depending on factors such as experience, personality, present maturity, commitment to Bible intake/ prayers, etc). But it's something we can also encourage and help one another in as well. It normally helps to be as specific as possible, and not deal in generalities.

That's What Christmas is All About, Charlie Brown

(Note: this post was originally published at The Lowe Show.)

The countdown is upon us. Only 6 days until Christmas. Many folks are busy wrapping up their Christmas shopping, wrapping up their Christmas gifts, and wrapping up bags of baked Christmas goodies. But, just as Linus needed to share the real "reason for the season" with Charlie Brown, Christians need to be reminded to share with others the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. We attempt to accomplish this task in our ever-increasing secularized culture by wishing others "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Holidays", participating in Christmas plays and programs, and conducting live nativity scenes.

However, it appears that many of us who celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior don't really understand or comprehend the true magnificance of this gift, if the results of a recent report from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life are even remotely accurate. In that report, a slight majority (52%) of American Christians think that at least some non-Christian faiths (such as Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, atheism, etc.) can lead to eternal life. If that is true, then what are these confessing Christians really celebrating at Christmas?

It certainly cannot be the birth of the one and only true Son of God, as He is revealed in the Bible. For the Bible clearly teaches that explicit faith in Jesus Christ is the only way that a person can be saved. Consider the following Scripture passages:

John 3:16-18: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in him is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

John 14:6: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

Acts 4:11-12: "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Romans 10:9-10: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

This is the clear teaching of Scripture that Jesus Christ is the only Savior. This is known as the exclusivity of the gospel, and it is not a popular message in our culture of tolerance and inclusivism. Increasingly, it is not even a popular message in our churches, as evidenced by the results of this Pew Forum study. The challenges of the exclusivity of the gospel are nothing new, as history has shown us 4 basic views.

1. Universalism - this view holds that there's really no need for a savior since everybody will be saved. Hence, Jesus Christ is not the only Savior. John 3:16-18 (quoted above) is only one of many passages that disprove this view.

2. Pluralism - this view holds that there are many paths to God. In other words, one can be saved through many types of religions. Hence, Jesus Christ is not the only Savior. John 14:6 and Acts 4:11-12 (both quoted above) disprove this view.

3. Inclusivism - this view holds that Jesus Christ is the only Savior, but explicit faith in Him is not necessary in order to be saved. Thus, the truly sincere Jew, Hindu, or Muslim is saved through Jesus, but they just don't realize it. A well-known proponent of this view includes C.S. Lewis. In his popular book Mere Christianity, Lewis states "We do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved through Him." (Mere Christianity, p. 64) However, Romans 10:9-10 (quoted above) disproves this view. Only 3 verses later, the Apostle Paul states, "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!' But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?' So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:13-17)

4. Exclusivism - this view holds that Jesus Christ is the only Savior, and explicit faith in Him is necessary in order to be saved. This is the true biblical teaching as shown above.

So, contrary to what half of American "Christians" believe, Jesus Christ is the only Savior, born of a virgin roughly 2000 years, who would later die on a cross in order to pay the debt for our sins so that we could be saved. The fact that God loved us so much that He would sacrifice His only Son for our benefit is magnificent, and it is truly something to celebrate.

And that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.