Sermon notes:

Sola Fide

Scholars have summed up the Reformation in 5 Sola’s: Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus, and Soli Dio Gloria. These 5 solas represent core theological truths upon which we stand today. These were not new ideas that the Reformers thought up but rather they rediscovered them as they rediscovered Scripture and began to study it as the authoritative Word of God.

At the core of the 5 Solas is simply the Biblical gospel, the gospel by faith alone, by grace alone and in Christ alone!

When Martin Luther wrote his 95 theses and nailed them to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenburg on October 31st 1517 he took aim specifically at one hideous practice of the Catholic church which had so perverted the gospel message that faith became almost an afterthought, a good thing to have if you could.

The problem in Martin Luther’s day was the sale of indulgences, as a way to secure their own forgiveness or possibly the forgiveness of a loved one who was stuck in purgatory.

Luther saw the sale of indulgences as in conflict with the very nature of Gospel and especially in conflict with the Biblical understanding that Salvation comes by faith.

It wasn’t the only theological problem that came up against Sola Fide and the true gospel but perhaps more than any other issue it highlighted how far the Catholic Church had strayed in their doctrine and practice from true Gospel found in the pages of Scripture.

There is probably no greater attack on Sola Fide within protestant churches today than that which is commonly called “Word of Faith” teaching and “Prosperity Gospel.” for millions of people across the world, these teachings have infiltrated churches and destroyed real gospel faith by replacing it with a fake faith, and false promises in return for your generous donation!

Little has changed in the heart of man over the past 500 years! Unregenerate men have always been willing to sell out the eternal gospel of Jesus Christ for temporary gain. We who believe in this foundational gospel truth find ourselves being attacked on every side, and, yes, sometimes even from within the church, if that could be! Over the centuries Satan has devised dozens if not hundreds of ways to destroy the Sola Fide.

So let us be on our guard and not make the mistake in thinking everyone believes or practices Sola Fide or think that it is simply an elementary teaching and thus dismiss it.

Sola Fide is soil in which the disciple of Christ is planted and must grow.

This is what separates true regenerate followers of Christ from those who only claim his name but no nothing of his saving power.

Without Sola fide we can not know Christ, we can’t have the Holy Spirit, we can’t be forgiven our sins, we can’t enjoy the fellowship of the church, and we can’t have eternal life.

Be on your guard because everything in our sinful nature is set against Sola Fide.

The unregenerate heart abhors the idea of Sola fide

Every religion, philosophy, and institution known to man other than the One true Church denies Sola Fide

Luther on Galatians

Luther cut his gospel teeth on Galatians and Romans. However, I want to just focus in with you on the Book of Galatians today, so that we can see along with Luther on the basis of Sola Scriptura from where springs the beautiful doctrine of Sola Fide.

Thanks to the wise suggestion of his superior monk Johan Von Staupitz, who tired of listening to young Luther confess his sins for up to 6 hours at a time, Luther began to read the Bible and what he found in the Bible was in contradiction to what he had learned and seen in the Catholic Church.

Sermon notes:

What Is Sola Scriptura?

Introduction:

730 feet long, 500 feet wide and nearly as tall, this monument attracts millions every year, and no I’m not talking about the new Noah’s Ark creation museum. This enormous structure greets visitors with a facade of giant pillars. As you draw near your are forced to crane your neck back to see the 13 larger than life statues who are perched at the top looking down upon you. Behind them a colossal dome rises into the sky.

Maybe by now you can guess what I’m describing. This is St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, arguably the most important basilica in all of the world and certainly the most visited! St. P. was a feat of architectural genius. At the time it was built it was most likely the tallest and largest building in the world. The main dome was designed by Michael Angelo using new technology to make it the largest dome ever built and to this day the tallest dome.

It truly awes the visitor who seems to disappear as he approaches this immense edifice. Once inside it is overwhelming to take in the works of art that fill every corner and more impressively the colorful underside of the domes, each one detailing Biblical stories.

However, beyond doubt the most impressive of all is the main dome which rises at the end of an extended nave giving the worshipper a clear and unencumbered view of the focus point of the entire building and drawing him in. As he moves towards the dome it slowly comes into view revealing it’s massive beauty!

As you come closer towards the center of the main dome your eyes are at first raised to see the words “Hinc sacerdotii unitas exoritur” “From here the priesthood unified rises.” Then your gaze falls below the dome where stands the 66 foot tall bronze canopy directly over the claimed grave of the Apostle Peter.

And that’s really what it is all about! St. Peter’s Basilica is and was the Catholic Church’s effort to prove their authority, their power, their inspiration, their ordination as the sole keepers of God’s truth, the administrators of God’s grace, and the agents of his mercy.

St. Peter’s Basilica is really nothing more than a 500-year-old propaganda scheme that was meant to impress and overwhelm any who would dare questions the unquestionable authority of the Catholic Church!

And so they made a large pile of stones over Peter’s dead bones and said, “Look, can’t you see, this is where we get our authority!”

Here’s the way they put it in the 2nd Vatican council:

“It is clear, therefore, that Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with God's most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.”

But I say, No! The only thing Peter’s corpse can give you is a guilty conscience, oh and it can get you money too from the millions who believe your claims! But it can no more give you authority to forgive sin, or speak the oracles of God than can the bones of a dead dog can give anyone the right to bark out orders to the canine world!

The warning of John the Baptist still rings true today:

Luk 3:8  Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

The Bible clearly instructs us both in the Old and New Testament that divine authority comes not through

human institutions,

long-held traditions,

monumental buildings,

military might,

Political systems

our own intellectual prowess,

emotions and feelings,

 

 

Effects of Reformation on Evangelism and Missions

Reformation Remembrance Conference

Taylor Creek Church Oct 14, 2017

Intro:

For well over a generation in the US evangelism and missions have found a very favorable place in Protestant Churches. Just do a search online and you’ll end up with dozens if not hundreds of ministries and programs to help your church share the gospel. From the US came the “Jesus Film,” one of the most widely used evangelistic and missions tools ever! Most churches support missionaries, have missions conferences, and tell missions stories in Sunday School.

This is all good but it is also dangerous. Whenever any idea becomes so ubiquitous it also faces the danger of losing it’s Biblical foundation, becoming watered down, and running amuck with all kinds of fanciful modifications in an attempt to make it “contemporary,” “cutting edge,” or “culturally” relevant.

Fads in evangelism are never-ending and certainly the American church has seen every fad, trend, and style possible when it comes to evangelism. We’ve been taught to memorize salesy evangelistic type pitches, we’ve been shown how to “do life together,” we’ve been told that we can’t reach this generation until we look and smell, and talk like they do. And so some have let their beards grow out, put on a pair of suspenders, and developed a taste for microbrews all in hopes that they can “connect” with social trends.

On the other hand, others have held out, they’ve stalwartly stood by traditions of yesteryear, not moving an inch. They’d sooner have their ears cut off than listen to anything that’s not in their grandmothers hymnal. They are sure that their post WWII evangelism methods will work just the same in a Postmodern culture.

I hope you can see that both courses will eventually take us in the wrong direction. You may say, “Well, what we need is balance.” To some degree I agree, but I hesitate to call for balance as balance is generally a compromising position that is neither built on solid theology nor does it prove it usually it’s to be effective.

What is however, helpful to the church is a look at our methods and practices in light of Biblical truth and in reference to church history. It can be easier for us to see how these things play out as we look back several hundred years. Compressing those years often gives a clarity and that clarity can help us see where we are today and what possible changes might need to be taken

For many of the Reformers this is also how they came to their conclusions. First and most importantly they went to God’s Word, they went to the original languages and they studied! They exhumed truth from beneath hundreds of years of dust and dirt. But they were also students of church history, of the church fathers, and of current fads and traditions in the church.

I want to look with you at the Reformation time period. What was the culture of evangelism and missions like at the time of Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, and John Calvin? And how did the Reformation change the church’s approach to sharing the gospel?

Of course we will look at some of the key issues at stake such as the nature of saving faith and the way we view the Church it’s self.

Catholic Missions

If you may think that missions was something forgotten about during the 15th and 16th century but if you then you are much mistaken. Beginning in the 14 hundreds and for the following few centuries there was great missionary endeavour by the Catholic Church. Remember that Christopher Columbus’ was himself sent by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Ferdinand II and Isabella I. Columbus’ task was not only to establish trading routes and new territory for Spain but also to convert the peoples of those lands to Christians.

 

 

Sermon notes

What Is New Life?

Gospel Basics Sermon Series #6

Joh 3:1-15

Introduction:

The dangerous course of modern Christianity

I am deeply concerned about a breed of Christianity that knows much about how to help you improve your marriage, or succeed at work, or propel you to greater fulfillment in life but knows little or nothing of damning effects of our sin nature, the blackness of our fallen hearts, or our utter helplessness and inability to do anything truly good without Jesus!

I am distressed by a Christianity that will give you 7 secrets to a good love life, 10 keys to financial success, and 12 steps to freedom from addiction but fails to really give you the one and only person who alone has walked all the steps, has all the keys, and keeps no secrets!  

I am troubled by how many churches have quietly slipped into a mode of ministry that pursues the look and feel of Christianity without the heart change of Christianity, ministries that focus on doing the right thing, singing the right songs, keeping the right traditions, helping the right people, but fails to confront sinful people with a holy and righteousness God!

New life as a foundational gospel truth

And so today I want to remind you of a foundational truth of the Gospel that when understood correctly and kept in focus in our lives, in our ministries and in our church, will help us avoid the emptiness of “How to” Christianity, will ignite true life from within, and will fuel our passion for the gospel.

I want to talk to you today about the Biblical concept of “new life,” being “born again,” or “regeneration”. This foundational truth is found in both Old and New Testaments and it is vital for a proper understanding of the Gospel. Understood and believed correctly it changes the way we view the Christian life and it changes the way we share the Gospel.

To put it succinctly, The Bible teaches us that man’s heart and soul, his entire being is so tainted by the indwelling presence of evil, that there is nothing we can do to remedy or fix the situation. There is no meeting, no method, no modification of behavior, no meditation, no medication, no magic and, no mere flexing our will power, that can fix our broken lives.

Our lives must be discarded, put aside, left in the past and we must exchange them for new lives, we must have a new birth, we must be regenerated by Author of all life.

New life as seen in John 3

The concept of new life rings out from many pages of Scripture but nowhere is it more prevalent than in the Gospel of John and nowhere do we see such an explanation of it than in John chapter 3.

The Gospel of John in particular focuses on new life.

Jesus is said to be the author of all life! John 1:4

Jesus gives the water of life John 4:14

Jesus is the giver of life John 5:21

Jesus is the bread of life John 6:35

Jesus is the light of life John 8:12

Jesus is the resurrection and the life John 11:25

Jesus is simply “the life” John 14:6

This is a story that only occurs in the Gospel of John. It was of particular importance to John and his readers because:

John wanted his readers to understand that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was about far more than living according to some set standard, it began with new life and without that new life, no amount of religion, knowledge, or morality would do you any good.

It emphasized that this new life come through belief, not through heritage

John was writing to a second generation of Christians who may have thought that if there parents were Christian, then that meant they were automatically Christians.

I.

In this episode of Now Is the Time I sit down with author, speaker and tour leader Douglas Bond to talk about how the Reformation changed things in the Church.

Rise and Worship

Stick around to the end of the podcast episode to hear a song from the brand new album, "Rise and Worship." Doug Bond is also a hymn writer and recently worked together with songwriter Gregory Wilbur and to record this amazing album. You can purchase a CD here. 

A few of the topics we discuss:

How did the Reformation change the Church's view of marriage?

How do you respond to those who say the Reformation wasn't good because it divided the Church?

What about Martin Luther's views on the Jews, wasn't he an anti-Semite?

How did the Reformation change the Church's worship?

Reformation Remembrance Conference

Douglas and I will be speaking at the Reformation Remembrance conference on Oct 13-15 in Maple Valley, WA. Watch the video below to hear some of the topics that we will be talking about.

You can register for the conference on Taylor Creek Church's website here. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeVBY7x41UI

Sermon Notes:

Why we need to talk about sin

Our society has redefined, repackaged, an reintroduced as sin in some of the following ways.

On the negative side they might call it:

A mistake

A lack of education

A result of bad circumstances

A misunderstanding

Etc...

While there may be a degree of truth to each of these, the problem is that they sidestep and avoid the aspect of guilt and evil which are core to a Biblical understanding of sin.

On the positive side sin might be called:

Gambling - Entertainment

idolatrous worship of cars, a sports team, and many other things - A hobby

Sex outside of marriage - Romance and Love

Pride and arrogance - Confidence, independence

Disrespect for authority - Courage

Pursuit of your own comfort and pleasure - Living the good life

Greed - Pursuing your dreams

Mutilation of the body - Unique

Pornography - Art

Abuse of drugs and alcohol - Entertainment

Murder of a helpless and defenseless child - Personal choice

Redefined and repackaged sin no longer looks like sin and the unbeliever is left wondering what if anything he needs to be saved from. More than ever it is important that we get this right in our gospel communication. We must find effective ways to communicate and demonstrate the deadly destruction sin can and will do in our lives and in our hearts if we don’t find the Savior.

Gen 3:1-13

3:1  Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

2  And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,

3  but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

4  But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

5  For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

7  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9  But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

10  And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

11  He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

12  The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

13  Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.

Context

In just 3 short chapters Moses laid out for the people of Israel the basic facts about who their God is and who man is in relation to God. He also shows them how sin entered the world and the deadly effects it had on mankind.

This would be vital for Israel to understand if they were going to have a relationship with God. They needed to understand that their sins were a barrier to open fellowship with God.

Sin is deception

 

 

Sermon Notes

Why we should talk about holiness before we talk about sin

I’m convinced that the main reason we have such a hard time convincing people of the gravity and danger of their own sin is because we have a weak view of the holiness of God.

We can show how sin leads to greater sin

We can show how sin leaves us worse off than when we started

We can show how sin can lead to health problems

We can show how sin can lead to legal problems

We can show the general unhappiness in the life of a sinner

We can show and unbeliever many of the problems of sin but this will all mean very little if they don’t see their sin in light of a holy God.

We must return to a gospel that clearly, and passionately communicates to the world around us a God who is holy beyond our imagination, a God who shines with the brightness of 10,000 suns and whose light penetrates to the deepest and darkest secrets of man’s sinful heart.

The holiness of God is like a beacon of light shining in the dead of night, you will either run from it fearing the truth it reveals and the sin it uncovers, or you will draw near and allow its healing rays to wash and cleanse and give you new life.

On the loss of holiness

The problem is that we live in a world that it seems is doing it’s best in every corner of our culture to eliminate the faintest idea of holiness! To eradicate any vestige of holiness that might remain from traditions of an era passed by.

Long past are days when sexual intimacy was thought to be holy aspect reserved for marriage

Long past are the days when marriage was thought to be a holy institution reserved for one man and one woman.

Today most people have wrong ideas about what holiness really is:

They think it means shunning anything that is fun

And scowling and anyone who looks like they’re having fun

Wearing clothes that are stiff and uncomfortable

And in general not fashionable

Sitting for long periods of time reading theological tomes

And all around just being a boring and stuffy person!

Please let me tell you that they are wrong!

Let us look together at what the holiness of God really is and how it relates to the Gospel message.

In order to do that I want to start with the first place in Scripture where we really see God’s holiness being emphasized and for good reason.

Exo 3:1-8

3:1  Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

2  And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.

3  And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

4  When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

5  Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

6  And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7  Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,

8  and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey,

 

Sermon Notes:

We must return to a God centered gospel

Genesis begins with God and Revelation ends with God

Throughout Scripture God is seen as saving for his “namesake”

Psa 106:8 NIV - 8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake, to make his mighty power known.

From OT to NT we find that salvation is the story of God’s Power, God’s Grace, God’s plan, God’s Kingdom, God’s Son, God’s people, God’s holiness, God’s Greatness, God’s glory!

It is only recently in Western culture that much of the church’s theology has shifted its emphasis in regards to the gospel to make it primarily about man.

More specifically our individualistic, self-infatuated, me-motivated culture has permeated our thoughts about the gospel.

Instead of being in awe of the holiness of God - we are in awe of hipster pastors

Instead of seeking the glory of God - We’re more interested in the glamor of ministry

Instead of the preaching the cross of Christ - we’ve settled for the couch of convenience

Instead of trusting in the almighty power of God - we are told to believe in ourselves to find a power from within.

A.W. Tozer tells us: “The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us. A whole new philosophy of the Christian life has resulted from this one basic error in our religious thinking.”

Later speaking of the vital importance of understanding the burden of our sin he says: “But unless the weight of the burden is felt the gospel can mean nothing to the man; and until he sees a vision of God high and lifted up, there will be no woe and no burden. Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them.”

Before we can even think of communicating a gospel that is about our God, for our God, and in praise of our God. We must become fully God focused ourselves and give up the pop-culture’s Christianity.

John Piper explains it this way:

“Preachers can say dozens of true and wonderful things about the gospel and not lead people to where the gospel is leading. People can hear the gospel preached, or read it in their Bibles, and not see the final aim of the gospel that makes the good news good. What makes all the events of Good Friday and Easter and all the promises they secure, good news is that they lead us to God. “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). And when we get there, it is God himself who will satisfy our souls forever. Everything else in the gospel is meant to display God’s glory and remove every obstacle in him (such as his wrath) and in us (such as our rebellion) so that we can enjoy him forever. God is the gospel.”

If we are going to effectively bring the truth of the Gospel to our world we must return to a Gospel that is primarily about God and that leads others to God. with significant ramifications for man.

We must recognize the idols around us (Acts 17:16-17)

If the gospel is primarily about God and secondarily about man. Then the greatest barriers to the gospel are not:

Getting someone to come to church

Trying to make the gospel look exciting enough

Or even trying to meet felt needs.

The greatest barrier to the gospel is all which goes against God.

A false idea of who God is

A misdirection of worship

In other words, if the gospel is God’s gospel that which replaces God in man...

From God's Word we see that faith is the defining aspect in the lives of those who responded positively to God’s direct Words, believing what God said, even though they didn’t see it, trusting His word and acting in faith upon what he said, even though it was difficult and in some cases led to their death!

Unfortunately the  term “faith” is widely misunderstood and misused today.

A few misunderstandings of faith:

Will power to achieve your goals and dreams

A real force or energy that needs to be harnessed

Positive thinking “I’m just sure everything will be ok”

Belief in your own subjective set of truth propositions that might your religious tastes. (You believe what’s good for you and I’ll believe what’s good for me.)

In this sermon I talk about some of our culture's attacks upon the faith and I also show from God's Word what real faith looks like.

In this episode of Now Is the Time I talk about some of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen on the mission field.