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#Qualities#NewCovenant

Sunday, January 12th, 2020

I’m thinking that sometimes we who are Christ-followers really do miss out on the importance of the New Covenant over the Old. Now…before I say even more I want to make one thing very clear: I am in no way discounting the importance of the Old. The TRUTH is that we miss out on a lot of the meaning of the New by discounting the Old and we miss out on the observances of the Old by relegating it to “non-person” status. The power of the New Covenant is enhanced by our understanding of the Old.

In my sermon Sunday I brought to light 8 distinctive qualities of the New Covenant as found in 2 Cor. 3:6-18. I’d like to share them with you but also ask you to go to your Bible and see them for yourself. Underline and highlight them and use them to earn a greater appreciation for what we have. Here they are:

  1. It gives life. (v.6) Check out this verse on your own. “The letter kills but the Spirit gives life.” What a powerful statement against legalism. I’d almost say it was this one verse that solved the mystery for me years ago.
  2. It produces righteousness. (7a,8-9) The phrase “now if” can be translated as “since.” Since the law was a ministry of condemnation it could not offer righteousness. That could only come through Christ.
  3. It is permanent. (7b,10-11) Just as Moses’ covered reflection faded, so does the Old Covenant. The glory of God never fades away.
  4. It brings hope. (12) Those under the law had no hope, which also meant (are you ready for this?) no forgiveness of sins. Hope is the confident belief that God will fulfill all the promises of His New Covenant. It is a hope the Law could not offer.
  5. It is clear. (13-14a) Moses had to put a veil over his face after being in God’s presence.  He did that for two reasons: to hide the blazing glory of God, and to hide that it was fading. In contrast, the New Covenant reveals the mysteries of God that were obscure in the Old. All those sacrifices. All those rules. All those rituals.
  6. It is Christ-centered. (14b-16,18a) The veil which obscured the Old Covenant was removed in Christ, and was made plain in Him.
  7. It is energized by the Spirit. (17) The same God who gave the Old gave the New. The same God who gave the Law is the same God who gave salvation to all. The same God who gave the rules and regulations of the Old is the same God who set us free through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
  8. It is transforming. (18b) We are daily being transformed in the image of Jesus.

There is no doubt the New Covenant is superior to the Old. Let’s not denigrate the Old; let’s just remember its place and purpose. Galatians tells us it was a “schoolmaster to lead us to Christ.”  Paul was upset with the Galatians that they were going back to the “old ways of the Law.” Let’s not go backwards. Let’s move forward in faith.

Posted in Bible, Christian living, Doctrine, Grace, hope, Jesus, Legalism, Opinion, Scripture look, Sermon Series/Topic, Truth | 10 Responses »

#SecondBest#WhySettle?#New/Old

Friday, January 10th, 2020

It is common among children, either on a playground, a class or a field to say something along the lines of “My dad is stronger than your dad” or “My dad can beat up your dad.” Since I am not a fighter, I sure am glad my girls never made those kinds of boasts about me! Talk about being in hot water. My Man Card would definitely have been called into question. 🙂

The whole purpose behind those statements is the idea of superiority: my dad is superior to your dad. Many who call themselves Christ-followers are content to settle for second best. We have a group around here-and perhaps you do as well-that want to be known as Torah observant. My question to that is why? Paul’s book to the Galatians effectively-least I think so- negates the life of the one who chooses the OT over the NT. Please understand that I am not taking the stand of one well-known pastor that we need to cast aside the OT (old covenant) and solely follow the New, but I am saying the New Testament should be our “go-to” not the Old. Paul himself said the Old covenant was not evil or wicked, but  it was and is certainly limited in its ability to save us.

My sermon for this Sunday is entitled Why Settle for Second Best? and as you have probably gathered it will on the Old versus the New Testament. I’ll be doing a comparison of both and will obviously come out on the side of the New Testament as being superior.  The Scripture is 2 Corinthians 3: 6-18. I’d love it if you would read it and then listen to the podcast if you are unable to attend. But above all I covet your prayers.

I’m sorry you are unable to listen to last week’s sermon via podcast. We had a guest leading our worship and a person on the soundboard for the first time on a Sunday morning. He pushed a pause button but when he turned it back on it had disappeared. He felt bad. Ryan just doesn’t have a job anymore as the Youth Pastor.  🙂  I wouldn’t trade him for anyone or anything (unless an exchange of significant money was made).  I jest about it all (except for the high praise for him).

Thanks for your prayers. They are much appreciated.

Posted in Bible, Doctrine, Grace, Opinion, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic, Truth | 11 Responses »

#Truth’sTruth#Can’tForget

Wednesday, January 8th, 2020

In my last post I talked about PostModernism and the importance of feelings to our culture’s way of thinking.  I can’t think what I want to think because it is “all about me anyway.” I don’t like God’s rules or standards so I’ll make up my own. Talk about a world of hurt for a world in hurt!!

For this post I’d like to take you a bit further. Back in April of 2018 I purchased a book by Steve Lawson entitled The Moment of Truth. Steve is a pastor, a professor and has a ministry dedicated to biblical preaching. I bought it because I was appalled by what some were calling preaching these days. You know…the kind of nonsensical garbage from the “Your Best Life Now” author and others who want to preach their own ideas as Gospel-even though those ideas violate Scripture. Even though they leave out vital truths like sin, salvation by the blood of Christ, etc. Anyway, I digress. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t falling into that hole myself so I bought this book.  The first chapter was titled “What is Truth?” and he gave 8 distinguishing marks of truth. I chose 4 that I shared this past Sunday. The main thoughts are his; the commentary is mine.

#1- Truth comes from God. Truth is divine. All truth originates with God.  I’m certainly glad it doesn’t originate with man. We can’t even make up our minds what we are going to wear in the morning! Salvation is what God says it is. A lifestyle is wrong or right by what God says, not what I think.

#2- Truth reigns supreme. Truth is absolute.  Our culture may say truth is relative but it isn’t. Just like water conforms to its container, so does our version of “truth” today. Not God’s version.  Let me give you an illustration; I am 6’5″ tall. You can disagree with me but it doesn’t change the truth. You can say I’m only 5′ or I am a giant and must be 7’6.” But your thoughts don’t change the truth.

#3- Truth is a fact. Truth is objective. Truth never blurs the line of distinction. We can’t say something is truth one minute and then “fudge” the next. That is why we can’t base truth on our feelings. They change and waver too much.

#4- Truth stands as truth. Truth never contradicts itself. What is says once; it says again and again. If it changes then it is not the truth. God doesn’t say to you, “I love you with grace” but turn to me and say, “I can’t stand you. You aren’t good enough for me.” God’s truth is always the same.

Four marks that make truth stand out. I hope you will grasp onto truth and not let go. What do you think?

Posted in Bible, Doctrine, Leadership, Opinion, Preaching, Truth | 9 Responses »

#Temptation#RequirementstoDefeat

Monday, August 12th, 2019

Sunday I preached on Joseph’s battle against the temptation Potiphar’s wife presented. Two phrases I used several times were these:

With greater success comes greater measure of trust.  We can read how Potiphar trusted Joseph.

With greater measure of success comes a greater measure of vulnerability.  We can also see how his success made him vulnerable to attacks. The enemy came at him with laser-like accuracy.

What  would Joseph do? Well, with the benefit of hindsight we know Joseph said no, fled, but then was falsely accused by a woman who was scorned.

How can we do the same? Temptation is common to all of us. How can we defeat it? I hesitate giving an easy “Four Step Plan” because most of those don’t work, but Chuck Swindoll gave some great advice in his book on Joseph. As promised here, I’d like to give you his words.  The main thoughts are his; the commentary is mine.

1. Don’t be weakened by the situation. The Scripture says, “Day after day” Potiphar’s wife went after Joseph. Not one and done. Day after day. Fatigue often sets in during the battle. Don’t be weakened.

2. Don’t be deceived by the persuasion. I have heard my share of excuses, as I’m sure you have, when people fall. “No one will know.” “My husband or wife doesn’t meet my needs.” “I’m lonely.” “Just this once. Never again.”  Be careful of justification.

3. Don’t be gentle with your emotions.  Many soft-hearted people are drawn in by their compassion. I think that is one reason for not having mixed sex “gripe” sessions. Too often what started as innocent becomes the downfall for many. “But I don’t want to hurt their feelings.”  You are not being rude or insensitive by saying no.

4. Don’t be confused by the immediate results. Joseph was falsely accused and ended up in prison. We often cannot see the forest for the trees. Immediate results can be deceptive.

There you have it. Four simple ideas about defeating temptation. They aren’t steps to take; they are advice to heed.

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Notice: Due to some error from WordPress notification, they have been sending my blog address with an https not just http.  It tells people my site is unstable and may be dangerous (or something like that). May I ask you to please subscribe again to receive this via email? Thanks and I apologize for any inconvenience.

Posted in Bible, Christian living, Opinion, Pick me Up, Scripture look, Story | 5 Responses »

Grounded

Friday, February 1st, 2019

One of the worst fears of any ship or boat is being grounded. Hitting a sandbar. Hitting a reef. Being tossed on shore. (Think Gilligan’s Island! 🙂 )  But I’ve got another kind of grounding in mind.

G. Campbell Morgan, a British preacher who lived from 1863-1945 (that means he “saw” both the Civil War and both World Wars) once wrote:

If our Rock were not our Redeemer, we would be without hope. If our Redeemer were not our Rock, we might be afraid.  Let us never forget that our redemption has in it the strength of the Mighty One.

Since the first of the year (except the Sunday we had to cancel due to the weather), I’ve been looking at Psalm 27 and its truth as an anchor. For an anchor to hold there must be solid ground, something it can sink into. This Sunday’s Scripture show us there is something we can sink our teeth into, the solid ground of the Word of God. My sermon this week will be on Psalm 19: 7-11. There is so much richness there in those few verses! First, I’m going to look at 5 myths surrounding the Bible, then look at the solid foundation the Scripture offers us.

I’m excited about preaching this message. I love talking about the Bible’s strong foundation. I’d appreciate your prayers for this Sunday.

Posted in Bible, Christian living, Church, Doctrine, Preaching, Scripture look, Sermon Series/Topic | 4 Responses »

Shameless

Tuesday, January 8th, 2019

Shameless plug here. I make no bones about it. I’m not going to call it something else. I’ll call it what it is. 🙂 I wrote the following at my other blog, LivingintheShadow:

Ever since I read Wisdom Hunter by Randall Arthur in 1993-1995 for the first and second time, I have always been stopped by Psalm 13. There was a scene in the book where Yoma (a wise old man) led Jason (the main character) through this psalm. No matter how many times I read Psalms, I ponder this chapter because it made things so clear to me years ago and still does. Here is how it breaks down:

For the rest of the post and my thoughts please go here:

I would be honored if you would check out my other blog and consider subscribing. See the side bar for a direct link to LivingintheShadow. Thanks.

Posted in Bible, Just Wondering, Miscellaneous, Pick me Up, Scripture look | Comments Off on Shameless

Fear

Saturday, January 5th, 2019

I’m a little late to the party this weekend.  It has been a crazy, busy weekend with Tami’s surgery as well as some others having cancer treatment. But I guess better late than never!

My theme for 2019 is Unsinkable. My thanks to Ryan (techgeek) for the banner. I am a typical Sanguine. I have great ideas but my ability to follow through on some things is limited. Ryan, on the other hand, is fantastic!  Okay…that’s enough of that. I’ll blow his head up so big even his wife won’t recognize him. But then again, Amanda will bring him back to earth. 🙂

It was March 4, 1933 while the country was in the terrifying clutches of the Great Depression that newly elected president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, made his famous one liner that is often quoted by others. Believing the greatest problem was not the absence of finances but the presence of fear, he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

There is no question we live in a fallen world. Look around if you doubt my words. At the same time we live in the fallen world, we also have a God of grace who meets his children in moments of darkness and difficulty.  I’m going to be in Psalm 27 for 3 of the 4 Sundays this month. Psalm 27 is a rock in an unsure world. It is a lifesaver thrown out to a drowning man. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” 

I’ll also be showing this video of CityAlight before I preach.

Prayers would be appreciated as I lay the groundwork for the rest of 2019 with this beginning message. Thanks.

Posted in Bible, Christian living, God, Grace, Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic | 9 Responses »

Request

Thursday, January 3rd, 2019

This is a double request today.

First, at 11:00 EST our daughter, Tami, is having surgery. If you get this before that time, we would appreciate your prayers.  If after, then prayers for recovery would be appreciated. To put you at ease, it is not a cancer surgery. She is having a hysterectomy which we are praying will alleviate a lot of issues.

Second, for all of last year I wrote another blog called Be Transformed. It was my daily thoughts on New Morning Mercies. I’ve continued another blog but have gone with a new name and a new approach. I’m calling it Living in the Shadow. It is still my random thoughts and meditations on Scripture, or different devotions I may be using. You can access that by going here. I would appreciate it if you would give it a look and consider subscribing and ultimately join in the conversation. This past year Martha Orlando was a daily visitor and commentor, as well as Ryan, my resident techgeek. I’d love to engage your thoughts on the various topics. Here is an excerpt from today’s entry:

As I’ve been reading at the start of the year, one of the themes, one of the truths God has been drumming into me has been the Word. He wants me to see the Word in different ways. What I mean is this: go to the Word; study the Word; trust the Word; rely on the Word; handle the Word carefully. Now…that is not the book I physically hold in my hands, but the words contained in that book. Instead of blindly believing and accepting what is there, test it. Trust it. Investigate it. But, above all, don’t turn away from it. You can finish reading this entry here.

Thanks for your prayers for Tami. And thanks for visiting Living in the Shadow.

Posted in Bible, Family, Prayer | 3 Responses »

Contrast

Monday, August 27th, 2018

My last post was to mention my sermon for this past Sunday was on the Wise vs the Otherwise (Foolish). I thought I would pass along to you the contrast I showed between the two.

The Wise

  1. Wise people listen to wise instruction. Pr.1:3
  2. Wise people fear the Lord. Pr.1:7; 3:7
  3. Wise people choose good company. 13:20; 12:26
  4. Wise people are not “edgy.” (They don’t see how close to sin they can get without giving in).
  5. Wise people watch their words. 16:23; 10:19
  6. Wise people seek to influence others to trust God. 11:30  “The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends.” (NLT)

The Otherwise (Foolish)

  1. Fools won’t learn from God’s Word.
  2. Fools can’t control their speech. 15:2
  3. Fools can’t control their temper. 12:16; 29:11
  4. Fools are proud and self-confident. 28:26; Jer.17:9
  5. Fools create problems not solve them.

The choice is easy is theory. In theory. But in reality? A bit harder. But worth it.

 

Posted in Bible, Preaching, Scripture look, Sermon Series/Topic | 3 Responses »

Fools?

Friday, August 24th, 2018

Years ago there used to be a “comic book” TV series that had a character that was fond of saying, “You fool!” (Can you guess what it is? Virtual high five if you do).

Charles Schulz and his cartoon strip “Peanuts” was a staple as I was growing up. Charlie Brown was the “fall guy” for so many pranks. Linus was his faithful blanket-carrying sidekick. One of Linus’ most famous lines was “I love mankind. It’s people I can’t stand.” Playwright George Bernard Shaw once said, “If the other planets are inhabited, they’re using the earth for their insane asylum.”  Now that is funny!

Proverbs talks about a lot of different kinds of individuals but the most common are those who pursue wisdom (the wise) and those who pursue foolish things (the fool).  I’m calling this week’s sermon The Wise and the Otherwise because I intend on showing the difference between the two types of people. I am taking a little bit different of an approach as well. Rather than hunt all over Proverbs from passage to passage, the Scripture will be printed out for them in the expanded outline and will also be on Power Point. This sermon is saturated with Scripture and the limited time we have on a Sunday morning needs to be used wisely. My plan is to share those with you in a series of posts next week.

I’d appreciate your prayers for me/us this week. Thanks.

Posted in Bible, Christian living, Preaching, Scripture look, Sermon Series/Topic | 4 Responses »

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