Powerpoint Slides (I refer to these quite a bit)
Text below......continue reading "Confidence in Suffering – Sermon on Romans 8"
Category: pastoral theology
The Bible and God [repost]
In spite of what this preacher says, the bible is not God. But then, what is the relationship between God and the written word?
Let me explore an analogy with the sacraments. We tend to veer between two mistakes: a Catholic and a Zwinglian view of the bible.
The Catholic view is to see my bible reading working ex opere operato (by doing it, it's done). I advance the book mark and it is has worked. The words go in (sort of), my reading plan gets ticked off - job done.
My response? Disengaged duty.
The Zwinglian view is to see my bible reading as memorialist. Christ is essentially absent from these words, but they're a jolly good reminder of Him. And if I employ my imagination and proper meditative techniques, if I think these words into moral, pastoral and theological categories then my thoughts will carry me to Christ.
My response? Pietistic duty.
On the first understanding, I don't need to do anything but go through the motions. The second understanding is a reaction to the first in which I take the spiritual task into my own hands.
But what if Christ is really and already present through the words of Scripture. The words aren't Christ Himself. But neither are they separate such that I must bridge the gap. Instead, the words are carrying me to Christ who they constantly proclaim (John 5:39).
It's not just reading comprehension. But neither is it my job to make an otherwise dead letter living and active. Instead the bible is already a living and lively word ever proceeding from the mouth of God and ever offering to me the Bread of life.
The bible works on me. Not apart from faith. But not by my works either. It is His work - His spiritual work - that is ever offered to me.
Here's what I say to people from the Book of Common Prayer as I give them communion:
The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for you preserve your body and soul to everlasting life. Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you and feed on Him in your heart by faith, with thanksgiving.
And you say - typical Anglicans, straddling all the positions! Well - Jesus does say 'This is my body.' And He does say 'Do this in remembrance of me.' It's just that this is not the centre of communion. Feeding on Him in our hearts by faith as we feed on the bread between our teeth - this is.
So as we read our bibles we acknowledge, this IS the word of God. And we acknowledge that this reading will cause us many subsequent thoughts that bring us to Jesus in manifold ways. But essentially as we read the Scriptures we are being fed spiritually there and then with the Bread of life.
My response? Believing expectancy.
Faith is not the condition of the gospel, it’s the fruit of the gospel
Preaching a free gospel does not negate faith. It creates it.
Faith is not the condition of the gospel, it's the fruit of the gospel
Preaching a free gospel does not negate faith. It creates it.
Three Ds for Preachers
When I preach I want to be:
Declarative
Doctrinal
Devotional
Declarative: Preachers don't share thoughts or give advice. They herald something that's happened. That must be the over-riding influence on a preacher's tone because it's the over-riding burden of the preacher - the telling of news.
Doctrinal: I don't mean preachers should work their way through systematic theologies. I mean that preachers must herald the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm not interested in a regurgitated commentary or a reading comprehension excercise. Don't preach the passage - preach Christ from the passage.
Devotional: What is meant to come by hearing? Faith. That's the aim of the preacher - loving, dependent trust in Jesus Christ. The preacher, using the Scriptures provided, paints Jesus in such colours that hearers - wracked as they are by sins and suffering - might have confidence in Him, and even love Him.
And if you can do all that without forcing it into 3 alliterative points, so much the better!
God Our Brother – by Mike Milmine
-- Based on the early chapters of Hebrews...
God our Brother, with us He sides;
Sanctifier one with sanctified
Assuming Flesh, His life to give;
That we in Him, His life may live
True God from God, true Man for men;
He sang His children's glad "Amen"
Bone of His Bones, Flesh of His Flesh;
The LORD Himself our Righteousness!
Our Great High Priest, Apostle true;
The Great I AM, is human too
Always to stand, for us to bring;
His sweet, eternal Offering
Though in myself is nothing pure;
Yet on His heart my name endures
Bone of His Bones, Flesh of His Flesh;
Christ is my Life, my Righteousness!
Coming soon…
Unforgiveness is an accusation of blasphemy
There is the strongest link between God's forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others. Therefore, what does it mean when we find another's sin "unforgiveable"?
Well, what does God find unforgiveable? Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-30) - for more thoughts from me on that, see here.
So what about sins we find unforgiveable? What's going on there? Well, in my limited experience of my own struggles and in talking to others, it's involved blasphemy against the offended person's true god. I've spoken to people who are well aware that:
1) Christ has forgiven them,
2) that Christ commands them to forgive, and that...
3) the offences against them are minor - not only relative to Christ's forgiveness but even when compared to other atrocities in the world.
Yet they say "I simply cannot forgive that." Essentially they consider the offender to have committed the unforgiveable sin. In these cases it's not that the offender has rejected Christ (the basic issue at the heart of the unforgiveable sin). But they have opposed the offended person's real god (their "functional saviour" to use a Tim Kellerism).
I might find countless offences to be "water off a ducks back" but if someone ruins my reputation, or if they harm my career or if they in any way hurt my children - that's unforgiveable. At those moments it's good to be aware that "unforgiveable" is synonymous with "sacrilegious." And it's good to identify the real god who we think is being blasphemed.
When the idol of "my reputation" or "my career" or "my family" is uncovered, it's actually a huge step forwards in forgiveness. Because now there's something very concrete for me to repent of. You see, she may have ruined my reputation. But I worshipped it. My eyes are taken off the horizontal for the moment and fixed on the vertical. I realize I'm not so much "offended party" as "offender". In the language of Matthew 18, I start to realize the vastness of the ten thousand talent debt. And the 100 denarii becomes instantly relativized - not just in theory, but hopefully as a felt reality.
Miserable comforters and impatience with patients
I wrote about about Job's miserable comforters today and I was reminded about Emma's excellent post on impatience with patients.
When we ask "How are you?" we want the answer "Better now, I applied your miracle cure and everything's fixed." But if there's long-term illness, we find it very difficult to handle because we don't have the Innocent Sufferer at the heart of our thinking and we naturally believe a 'gospel' of works.
Sinners, Slaves and Sons, again
Luke 15 bears a thousand ruminations...
Sinners run hard from a Heavenly Slave-Driver.
Slaves run hard for a Heavenly Slave-Driver.
Sons run happily towards a Heavenly Father.
Sinners are strangers to God in the far country.
Slaves are strangers to God in the field.
Sons are sinners in the Father’s arms.
Sinners seek freedom yet find deeper slavery.
Slaves seek righteousness yet find deeper sin.
Sons seek Christ and find both freedom and righteousness.
Sinners are wretched in their rebellion.
Slaves are wretched in their righteousness.
Sons are wretches, wrapped in His robes.
Two older sermons: