New Song Students OKC

So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered stupid—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

22-25 While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so cheap, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.”…

You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s sheer genius, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.

3-5 I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.

1 Corinthians 1:20-25, 2:1-5 (MSG)

IS JESUS ENOUGH?

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men…

And I, when I came to you, brothers,[a] did not come proclaiming to you the testimony[b] of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

1 Corinthians 1:22-25, 2:1-2

If someone can be persuaded into the kingdom by human wisdom, they can also be persuaded out of the kingdom by human wisdom.

David Guzik

IF JESUS IS ENOUGH, THEN I HAVE TO LAY DOWN MY NEED FOR A SIGN (encounter, feeling, assurance)

22 For Jews demand signs…

1 Corinthians 1:22

 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son,[a] with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Matthew 17:5-8

IF JEUSUS IS ENOUGH, THEN I HAVE TO LAY DOWN MY NEED FOR UNDERSTANDING

22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 

1 Corinthians 1:22

The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits.

G.K. Chesterton

IF JESUS IS ENOUGH, THEN I HAVE TO LAY DOWN MY NEED FOR WORKS

27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

John 6:27-29

During Advent, we remember that when Jesus first came into the world some were ready, but most were not.

Who has believed what he has heard from us?[a]
     And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant,
     and like a root out of dry ground;
 he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
     and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected[b] by men,
     a man of sorrows[c] and acquainted with[d] grief;[e]
 and as one from whom men hide their faces[f]
     he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs
     and carried our sorrows;
 yet we esteemed him stricken,
     smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
     he was crushed for our iniquities;
 upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
     and with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;
     we have turned—every one—to his own way;
 and the Lord has laid on him
     the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:1-6

FINDING JESUS.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[g] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Romans 1:18-20

WE ARE ALL SUSCEPTIBLE TO A CALLUSED HEART.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9

A HARD HEART IS A BLIND HEART.

A hard heart is a heart that sees things as they are, not for what they truly are. 

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 

Romans 1:18 

“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.

Jeremiah 5:21

Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

Matthew 13:14

53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Matthew 13:53-58

Who has believed what he has heard from us?[a]
     And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant,
     and like a root out of dry ground;
 he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
     and no beauty that we should desire him.

Isaiah 53:1-2

This shows that men value physical beauty and charisma far more than God does, and when we don’t see it, we can reject the ones God accepts.

David Guzik

This means that when we try to attract people to Jesus through form or comeliness, or beauty, we are using methods that run counter to the nature of Jesus. “These days it appears that we must dress up the gospel to make it attractive. We have to use the methods of technique which must be smart, well-presented, streamlined. There must be something about the presentation of the gospel that will appeal to people…to what is called ‘the modern mind.’ I wonder if we stop to think that in our efforts to make the gospel message ‘attractive’ we are drawing a curtain across the face of Jesus in His humiliation? The only one who can make Him attractive is the Holy Spirit.”

Alan Redpath

JESUS IS THE DEEPER TRUTH HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him 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. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 

Colossians 1:15-17 

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Romans 1:22-23

And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,

Ezekiel 11:19

WHEN MY HEART IS SOFTENED

1. WONDER IS RESTORED

Wonder: a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.

9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 

Matthew 2:9-11

27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God 

Luke 2:27-28 

1.  SACRIFICIAL OBEDIENCE IS OUR JOY 

38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[f] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:38

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ[e] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed[f] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from t...

Advent is about taking the time to remember that we are all in waiting. 

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[b] but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Matthew 24:36-44

Prepared In The Waiting

Advent is cheerful waiting, hopeful preparing, and wondrous watching for Jesus to break into our lives in all moments.

“In a religious milieu that has fixated itself on using Jesus to provide seekers with their most convenient lives here and now, Advent is a particularly awkward intrusion. Advent links our hearts with those of ancient prophets who pined for a long-promised Messiah but passed long before his arrival.

In the process, Advent reminds us that we, too, are waiting.”

Timothy Paul Jones

38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew 24:38-39

When Jesus entered into the world some were ready, most were not.

“For believers no less than nonbelievers, our calendars are dominated not by the venerable [respectful] rhythms of redemption but by the swifter currents of consumerism and efficiency. The microwave saves us from waiting for soup to simmer on the stove, credit cards redeem us from waiting on a paycheck to make purchases, and this backward extension of the Christmas season liberates us from having to deal with the awkward lull of Advent. And so, before the last unpurchased Halloween costume has made it back to the warehouse, halls and malls are decked with plastic holly and crimson ribbon. Thanksgiving provides a pre-Christmas test run on basting turkeys and tolerating relatives—but the primary function of Thanksgiving increasingly seems to be to supply a convenient time to gather for that spectacle of consumption and consumer debt known as Black Friday.”

Timothy Paul Jones

Why is waiting important?

1. In God’s world, we wait

We don’t live in our world, we live in God’s world.

1. When we choose to not wait, we choose to be asleep

40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 

Matthew 24:40-42

“Advent is a proclamation of the sufficiency of Christ through the discipline of waiting…” 

3. When we choose to wait, we are prepared to receive

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel,  

Luke 2:25

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God

Luke 2:25-28

It was not rumors, but the Spirit who led him into the temple on that day. Simeon was a man who knew how to be led by the Holy Spirit, both in hearing God’s promise to him and being prompted to go to the temple at the right time.

David Guzik

Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,
     and arise from the dead,
 and Christ will shine on you.”

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 

Ephesians 5:14-18

Paul contrasts the effect of the Holy Spirit with the state of drunkenness. Alcohol is a depressant; it “loosens” people because it depresses their self-control, their wisdom, their balance and judgment. The Holy Spirit has an exactly opposite effect. He is a stimulant; He moves every aspect of our being to better and more perfect performance.

David Guzik

Theology is meant to be lived out; not just learned.

DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH 

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you…

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 6-8 

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25

WHEN YOU BECAME A CHRISTIAN, YOU SIGNED UP TO BE A DIE-HARD FAN OF THE CHURCH

Whether we like it or not, the moment we confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, that is, from the time we become a Christian, we are at the same time a member of the Christian church - even if we do not permit our name to be placed on a church roll, even if we refuse to identify ourselves with a particular congregation and share responsibilities with them, even if we absent ourselves from the worship of a congregation. Our membership in the church is a corollary of [connected to] our faith in Christ. We can no more be a Christian and have nothing to do with the church than we can be a person and not be in a family. Membership in the church is a basic spiritual fact for those who confess Christ as Lord. It is not an option for those Christians who happen by nature to be more gregarious than others. It is part of the fabric of redemption.

There are Christians, of course, who never put their names down on a membership list; there are Christians who refuse to respond to the call to worship each Sunday; there are Christians who say, “I love God but I hate the church.” But they are members all the same, whether they like it or not, whether they acknowledge it or not. For God never makes private, secret salvation deals with people. His relationships with us are personal, true; intimate, yes; but private, no. We are a family in Christ. When we become Christians, we are among brothers and sisters in faith. No Christian is an only child.

Eugene Peterson

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

1. GOD’S FAMILY

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,

Hebrews 10:9

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Acts 20:28

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Matthew 7:21-23

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.[c]

Matthew 7:21-23

48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12:48-50

But understanding that the Church is the FAMILY OF GOD who shares in the same BLOOD should changes the way we walk through the imperfections of our family.

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:11

“Ideals are often so unrealistic and unattainable, that if you demand them, you’ll bounce from one group to the next to the next, one church to the next to the next, one relationship to the next to the next.”

John Mark Comer

13  They are planted in the house of the Lord;

    they flourish in the courts of our God.

14  They still bear fruit in old age;

    they are ever full of sap and green,

15 to declare that the Lord is upright;

    he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Psalm 92:13-15

“By making a vow of stability the monk renounces the vain hope of wandering of to find a ‘perfect monastery [church]’ implies a deep act of faith: the recognition that it does not much matter where we are or whom we live with… All monasteries [churches] are more or less ordinary… its ordinariness is one of its great blessings.”

Thomas Merton

WHAT MAKES A “GOOD" CHURCH?

1. COMING IN JESUS’ NAME
2. TEACHING GOD’S WORD
3. ADMINISTERING SACRAMENTS (Communion and Baptism)
4. MAKING DISCIPLES

“Wherever you see the Word of God purely preached and heard, and the sacraments administered according to Christ’s institution, there, it is not to be doubted, a church of God exists.”

John Calvin

“Churches can be more pure in some areas and less pure in others - a church may have excellent doctrine and sound preaching, for example, yet be a dismal failure in witness to others or in meaningful worship. But the New Testament encourages us to work for the purity of the church in all of these areas.”

Wayne Grudem

WHAT IS CHURCH ABOUT?

1. Ministering to God 
2. Minister to Believers 
3. Minister to the World

Minister: to serve

25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[c] 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,[d] 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:25-28

DOCTRINE OF CHRIST

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him 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. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:15-20

Remember, theology is PRACTICAL. 

“A rule I have had for years is: to treat the Lord Jesus Christ as a personal friend. He is not a creed, a mere doctrine, but it is He Himself we have.” 

D.L. Moody

“The dearest friend on earth is a mere shadow compared to Jesus Christ.”

Oswald Chambers

1. THE PERSON OF CHRIST
2. THE WORK OF CHRIST 
3. THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

THE PERSON OF CHRIST. 

Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man in one person, and will be so forever. 

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him 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….19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…

Colossians 1:15-16, 19

It is by far the most amazing miracle of the entire Bible - far more amazing than the resurrection and more amazing even than the creation of the universe. The fact that the infinite, omnipotent, eternal son of God could become a man and join himself to a human nature forever, so that infinite God became one person with finite man, will remain for eternity the most profound miracle and the most profound mystery in all the universe.

Wayne Grudem

16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 

Hebrews 2:16-17 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 

For in him [Jesus] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

Colossians 2:9

Jesus did not (and could not) become “less God” in the incarnation. No deity was subtracted (though Jesus did renounce some of the privileges of deity); rather humanity was added to His nature.

David Guzik

Neither the Deity nor the Humanity of Jesus is negotiable. If we diminish either then He is unable to save us.

David Guzik

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

Since Jesus was FULLY HUMAN, Jesus understands what its like to deal with…

1. Suffering
2. Emotions
3. Temptation

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

2 Corinthians 10:5-6

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

Since Jesus was FULLY GOD, Jesus has the power to help us  in our…

1. Suffering
2. Emotions
3. Temptation

THE WORK OF CHRIST

“Jesus became the object of the intense hatred of sin and vengeance against sin that God had patiently stored up since the beginning of the world.” 

Wayne Grudem

Jesus died for our sin, and lived for our righteousness. 

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 

1 Corinthians 15:17 

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 

1 Corinthians 15:20