Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Truth in a Postmodern World

Voddie Baucham is not a name that too many are familiar with. He delivered a message at the 2006 Desiring God National Conference that I have recommended to many people. It's entitled, "The Supremacy of Christ and Truth in a Postmodern World," and it is well worth your time. You can download it and listen to it here.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Do People Possess Inalienable Rights?

I'm not entirely sure if everyone from Lighthouse is aware of this, but during the second service a group of people meet upstairs for an informal time of discussion about Pastor John's sermons. No, this isn't a time to analyze every little theological detail from the sermon and evaluate his delivery. It is more a time devoted to thinking through practical application of God's Word. This past Sunday, we had a particularly interesting discussion over John’s message on being a slave for Christ.

It's unfortunate if you missed out on this time because John preached a message that is very counterintuitive for our age and culture. One statement from the message that particular raised some eyebrows was that John mentioned that people do not have inalienable rights. I think this caused a little bit of confusion because John was not speaking about the rights we exercise in relation to one another. The point he was trying to convey was that no person has an absolute inalienable right that even God is subject to respect. Any rights and freedoms that people enjoy are always in every case limited by the sovereignty and will of God.

In no way was John saying that he is against the Declaration of Independence or Constitution. John is not an anarchist. John and I both understand that these founding documents were written with biblical principles in mind. For instance, when the Bible teaches that murder is wrong because all men have been created in the image of God (Gen. 9:6), we understand that God is essentially teaching that people have the “right to life.” However, when in the sovereignty of God He determines that a person’s time has come to die, no man can appeal to God that he has a right to life that even God is subject to respect.

That being said, there still is something to be said about freedoms that all believers should understand. We need to be careful about what we say we deserve. Kyle Grindley mentioned this during the discussion and it is related to the whole idea of personal rights and freedoms. Too often we face difficult people, circumstances, and challenges and think to ourselves, “Why is this happening? I deserve better. What about my rights?” Such is unbiblical thinking because the Bible is clear we deserve much worse. Any sinner before a holy God deserves immediate, eternal, divine punishment. To think we deserve anything better is entirely arrogant and cheapens the grace of God in salvation. This is the basis behind John’s statement that the only right that people truly have is the right to die.

Though God has granted certain inalienable rights for humans to enjoy (understanding that they are only inalienable insofar as God has granted them by his grace), we must constantly be reminded that we never receive these rights because we are deserving of them. These rights must be understood in light of who God is and what He requires of us. Perhaps this is the reason why through time the definition of our rights has changed so much. As this country has moved farther and farther away from God and His Word, the Constitution has become more and more ambiguous and open to interpretation. Certainly, the Constitution was written with biblical principles in mind, but it is no longer interpreted with those same biblical principles.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Life Is Not About You!!

In the past several years since I first presented the proverb of "Life is not about you!", it has been brought to my attention by a number of people how many companies are really unashamedly using the slogan of "It's all about you!" as a way to appeal to people's base desires and how to fulfill them. I appreciate the flyers and brochures that people have brought and the collection continues to grow.

Sadly, it is no different in the Christian world as churches and Christian organizations and schools peddle the same line in hopes of drawing attention to their cause. But the heart of this methodological approach for advertising is nothing different from the beginning. The appeal to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life has the inherent message of "Life is all about you" and has been the slogan of the world system since the fall.

For the month of September, I will be preaching on the doctrine of self-denial as the characterization of the Christian way life and I would like to challenge you all to really examine your hearts and see if you are truly following Jesus. Was it not Christ Himself who said in Matthew 16:24, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." As I have been searching the Scriptures, I can't help but notice that the Christian life is truly a repudiation of the "It's all about me" worldview and that we must really dedicate our lives in light of the grace and mercy of God to offer them as living and holy sacrifices to God that are acceptable to God first and foremost. If the whole of our lives is to be offered up to God as worship, there really can be no other gods before Him and that includes ourselves.

So prepare for the next four Sundays to really examine your life and see if the path that Christ calls us to follow is the one that you are walking. The way of the cross is not an easy path. It definitely is not the most comfortable path. But it is the path that has Jesus on it and don't you want to be with Him every step of the way?

Like my girls when they were little and would hold my hand as we would walk around, they would have easily been lost if they had not followed daddy. Even a moment's glance away led to them walking down another path and it really was the most frightening moment for me as a parent when I couldn't see my child. It was also frightening for them when they realized that they were totally lost and couldn't see their parents. But there was great comfort and relief when we would be reunited and there would be a clinging to one another as we would continue to walk forward.

To live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). We must keep our eyes fixed on Christ as we follow Him daily and while there is the suffering and pain of self-denial and the way of the cross, it is outweighed by the joy and the glory that comes in being in intimate and loving communion with our Lord and Savior as we walk with Him. Don't trade the glory of following Christ for the cheap junk of the world. While self-denial at first seems a negative thing, when we see where it places us on the path of following Christ, we actually receive more than we could ever hope for, that is, Christ Himself!!

See you Sunday!!