Isaiah 10 and the sovereignty of God

What kind of Biblical category do you have when it comes to the sovereignty of God? Wayne Grudem, the author of Systematic Theology, gives this definition of the sovereignty of God: "God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he 1. Keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which He created them; 2. Cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and 3. Directs them to fulfill his purposes."
Ultimately the purpose that God fulfills in all that He does is for the glory of His name.

In the first 3 months, yes 3 months, of our fall class we will cover the following about God:
1. His significance (the glory of His name)
2. His sovereignty
3. His self-sufficiency

I think you may be surprised how each of these important characteristics impact the way we live out our Christian lives. The reason for the email this morning is because of my time this morning in Isaiah Chapter 10. This section of Isaiah will be the focus of one class session as it regards the sovereignty of God. If you can grab your Bible, turn to Isaiah 10:5-15 and think about not only what God is doing, but how God is doing it.

Isaiah 10:5-7, 12, 15
5 "Woe to Assyria, (this starts out with a warning like, you are in big trouble Assyria, you who are what?) the rod of My anger, and the staff in whose hands is My indignation,
Do we get the point?
Assyria you who are carrying out My will, My rod in My hand doing exactly what I ordain you to do, now you might ask how can Assyria be in trouble with God for doing what He has ordained them to do? Folks these are the kinds of questions we must wrestle through when we turn to and read Scripture.
6 I send it against a godless nation (who is this? It is Israel), and commission it against the people of My fury, to capture booty and to seize plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets.
The next verse is critical in understanding what is going on here
7 Yet it does not so intend, nor does it plan so in its heart, what does that mean?, do you see the point of it?
They are being commissioned by God to do the very things of God but they do not see themselves as the instrument of God but rather it is its purpose to destroy, and to cut off many nations . . . (Assyria is selfish and arrogant and they are doing this entirely for their own benefit, they have no idea that as they do this they are carrying out the very will of God)
12 So it will be when the Lord has completed all his work on Mount Zion (this means the work that God ordained Assyria to do) and on
Jerusalem, He will say, 'I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of
Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness . . .
15 Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? (who is the ax? Answer – Assyria, who is the One who chops with it? Answer – God)
Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?'" (who is the saw? Answer – Assyria, who is the One who wields it? Answer – God)
Assyria is raised up by God and given the military prowess that they have, used and ordained by God to carry out this work to bring judgment against His own people then when they have finished it, God then holds them accountable for what they did. Not so much for the work they did but for the intent of the heart in which there was pride and arrogance and selfishness.
They are judged for what they did even though they did exactly what God ordained them to do.

As you meditate on these verses are questions arising in your mind about the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man? Well these are some of the critical issues we will cover this fall as we touch on this all important things of Scripture. I maintain that right living is manifested by right thinking.

Shannon McArthur jams!

Last night we had dinner at Wild Wings in Mount Pleasant. I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Shannon McArthur. This young man is 22 years old and has a passion for music. He plays the guitar and writes his own stuff. Therefore I have posted a short sample one of his songs. If you would like more information on Shannon and his music simply click on this LINK.

Baby Brown Eyes

When Christian jargon becomes confusing

As a former pastor I try to listen accurately especially when people talk things like salvation. It frustrates me when Christian leaders use phrases like "500 people gave their lives to Jesus" or "115 people asked to meet Jesus tonight." What in the world from a Biblical perspective does that really mean? These words and phrases have become typical Christian jargon. It sounds good but underneath the surface clarification is needed. Just think about these words and phrases mentioned above when it comes to the New Testament. Can you find any verse in the gospels where Jesus preaches and then says at the conclusion "how many are ready to come for a make a decision for Me?" Did Jesus say "are you ready to meet me tonight?"

Here is a video in which you will hear these kinds of expressions used by two different pastors from two different mega-churches. The problem is the fact that it may lead to false professions of faith which result in false assurance.

9 truths to know about God

From the Buzzard Blog:

From J.I. Packer's introductory essay in In My Place Condemned He Stood:

"Only where these nine truths have taken root and grow in the heart will anyone be fully alive to God."

(1) God..."condones nothing," but judges all sin as it deserves: which Scripture affirms, and my conscience confirms, to be right.

(2) My sins merit ultimate penal suffering and rejection from God's presence (conscience also confirms this), and nothing I do can blot them out.

(3) The penalty due to me for my sins, whatever it was, was paid for me by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in his death on the cross.

(4) Because this is so, I through faith in him am made "the righteousness of God in him," i.e. I am justified; pardon, acceptance and sonship become mine.

(5) Christ's death for me is my sole ground of hope before God. "If he fulfilled not justice, I must; if he underwent not wrath, I must to eternity." (John Owen)

(6) My faith in Christ is God's own gift to me, given in virtue of Christ's death for me: i.e. the cross procured it.

(7) Christ's death for me guarantees my preservation to glory.

(8) Christ's death for me is the measure and pledge of the love of the Father and the Son to me.

(9) Christ's death for me calls and constrains me to trust, to worship, to love and to serve.

The American Idol - "TV"

May this video rivet us to the very core of our souls!

The "prosperity" gospel exposed

The health, wealth and prosperity gospel is so dangerous and hurtful. In this video series Justin Peters explains why.

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Sincere but sincerely wrong!

Here is a video clip of a mega church pastor in Charlotte being passionate and sincere. Unfortunately he is sincerely wrong in pitting evangelism against discipleship. We must be so careful not to take what we like in the Bible at the exclusion of what we may not like as much. It seems that this pastor does not have a healthy Biblical tension between evangelism and discipleship. It is not Biblical to collapse one at the expense of the other. I have included the entire clip so you can see the full context of his message. However it is obvious that evangelism is the #1 priority and Bible teaching via discipleship is almost mocked from the pulpit. In the full video are sarcastic references to Kay Arthur and Beth Moore, who are both Bible teachers. How would this pastor interpret 2Tim. 2:15 - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. Is it possible to live the word without correctly learning the word? The Bible never pits evangelism against discipleship or a strong commitment to the word of God. It isn't either/or but rather it is both/and. I am still amazed at the Christian jargon that is used regarding evangelism. For example in this video the pastor says that 500 people have given their lives over to Jesus. What does that really mean? How is he sure they have been genuinely justified by faith? If we track these 500 people for 5 years and discover that 495 still think, act, sound and do what they were doing prior to given their lives over to Jesus, then what should we conclude? Here is what we are to conclude, they were in fact not genuinely converted. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that 500 made a profession of Christ. And now the church, through a small group, is going to come alongside of these people in order to confirm that the calling God placed on their lives is in fact real. This is where solid Bible teaching and discipleship can be so valuable. For more on genuine conversion check out what the Lord Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-29. This means if these 500 people now walk the narrow way instead of the broad way, they have lives in which they produce good fruit and not bad fruit, and there house is built on a rock and not sand then and only then are they truly saved. Watch this video for yourselves and decide based on Scripture if the pastor is sincere or sincerely wrong! Again here is the full video clip.

Devotional thoughts

Here is a recent note I wrote to a men's Bible study regarding "professing" Christians and the world.

This summer I have spent a good bit of time studying and thinking about the practical living out of the Christian life according to God's word. It continues to occur to me that American evangelism has equated, for the most part, spiritual success with the number of conversions in a particular month, quarter or year within the church. However if one takes an objective look at the "Christian" landscape in America the results should bring us much concern. It's almost as if in all categories whether it be divorce, pornography or you pick the subject, the statistics in the church look almost identical to the world. How can that be possible? Well according to everything said by the Lord Jesus Himself and the Bible, it isn't possible, so what is the answer to this modern day dilemma? The number one problem with American evangelism, in my opinion, is that it is producing "false converts." People are "making decisions" for Jesus and then still living like they did prior to their supposed conversion. They have simply acquired and agree to all the information about Jesus but there is no transformation of the heart and life by Jesus. Well, let's go to the Bible and see what the Lord Jesus had to say about this subject.

Read carefully John 8:43-47:
"Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.

44"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

45"But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.

46"Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?

47"He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God."

Now read carefully John 10:25-28:

Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me.

26"But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.

27"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

Compare John 8 and John 10:

A person does not believe in order to become a sheep, but rather a person is a sheep which enables that person to believe. In John 8, the reason a person does not hear is because they are not of God. Again look at these two sections of Scripture and see if the following conclusion would be correct: "Being of God" and "being a sheep" are the same thing according to Jesus. These two things are not the result of what we do when we believe but rather this is what God does to us, so that we are able to believe.

This is called the doctrine of regeneration. Regeneration is a secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us. This is sometimes called "being born again" (using language from John 3:3-8). This definition is from Wayne Grudem.

Guys, bottom line is that no program, event or strategy can produce a true convert to Jesus because only God can do this work. Unfortunately we in our evangelical zeal to get people "saved" we have come up with all kinds of man made tools. Do you see why this is so dangerous? It gives people a false assurance that they have been saved, when in fact if they have not been regenerated by the Spirit, they are still headed straight for hell. I draw these kind of hard conclusions based on what Jesus requires from those saved and what I see and observe in the professing Christians of our day. Again the statistics point to little if any difference between American Christians and the world and that is a spiritual impossibility according to the Scripture when someone is genuinely converted.

There is so much more to discuss in this area and so many more verses that confirm the conclusions drawn in John 8 and John 10. Hope this will challenge you and help you when talking with those in your ministry sphere of influence. It is a matter of heaven or hell.

Blessings,

Theology of prayer

Stormy Weather

This video gives you an idea of the weather systems that come through the Charleston area during the summer.