Monday April 7, 2014

Coming Up Sonday April 13

I Can Lose My Salvation.

Read Psalm 25:10, 33:4, 57:10
Your friend sits quietly in the corner of church sobbing softly to herself. As you approach her to comfort her she reveals to you that after today’s sermon she thinks she has lost her salvation. She reveals to you that she thinks she has sinned once too often and the grace of God has been depleted. How do you respond? How do you treat her? How do you comfort her?

When it comes to the salvation issue there are two broad and opposing schools of thought. The Calvinists argue that you cannot lose your salvation. “Once saved always saved” could well be their catch cry. At the other extreme, the Arminians argue that you can lose your salvation. Interestingly, both quote Scripture as their source of authority.

The difference lies in the starting point of the answer. The Calvinists start with God. Scripturally speaking God is omniscient (all- knowing), omnipotent (all powerful) and omni-present (present everywhere throughout creation). Added to this, God is a faithful God who never breaks His Word and promise.

The Calvinists thus argue that if God chooses us (Ephesians 1:40) or elects us (Romans 9:1-29) and if God is all powerful and all knowing then He is able to secure us and protect us for our ultimate salvation. If we could lose our faith then God would cease to be an all powerful and faithful God. His promises in the Word would fall into the category of idle promises. 1 Peter 1:3-5, Ephesians 1:3-14, 2 Timothy 4:18, Romans 8:28-39 and a host of other passages are promises that God will protect us and lead us safely to our heavenly inheritance. To argue that I can lose my salvation, in a Calvinist world view, is a flat denial of God’s providence or sovereignty, a denial of His promises and a complete denial of His sovereign power.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (chapter XVII) sums up the Calvinist position exceedingly well:

I. They, whom God has accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.

II. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which arises also the certainty and infallibility thereof.

III. Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and, for a time, continue therein: whereby they incur God's displeasure, and grieve His Holy Spirit, come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded; hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.

If we adopt the Arminian world view then we can lose our salvation. While some use difference words or phrases (eg some say we don’t lose it we choose to give it away) the bottom line is that salvation is lost.

Assurance falls by the wayside. We are constantly at the mercy of our good works and our performance. Such a world view creates doubt, confusion and a complete lack of assurance.

Worship Moment
Since God is omnipotent and totally faithful to His Word and promises we would do well to learn to offer up praises to God throughout the day. Learn to sing and make music in your heart to the Lord as you go throughout the day.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What hope/encouragement can you give your friend who thinks she may have lost her salvation because she sinned once too often?
2. What is assurance of faith?
3. Do you have this assurance?
4. What is the outcome of having complete assurance of faith?

Prayer:
Having read today’s passages, jot down 2 points for each type of prayer.
Adoration:

Confess:

Thanks:

Supplication:

• Pray that God would grow each believer in your congregation in love, in faithfulness and in depth of knowledge of God.
• Pray that the teaching from yesterday’s Sermon will be fresh in the hearts and minds of each believer throughout this entire week.

Saturday April 5, 2014

Read Revelation 21
They say that a woman is most beautiful on her wedding day. This wedding picture is thus an apt description of the scene as the heavenly Jerusalem comes down from heaven. What beauty! What glory! What majesty! What a perfect picture to show that God is finally dwelling with his people. The adage ‘I will be their God and they will be my people’ is finally and completely fulfilled.

From the very beginning of creation God has sought to fill the world with His people—a people that are loved by Him, blessed by Him and intimately close to Him. As the Bible draws to a close this plan is complete fulfilled. Nothing is left undone. Creation has come to its ultimate goal - to be with God in perfect paradise.

Interestingly, amid the description of this wondrous city we are told who won’t be there. The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the magicians, those who have idols and liars are among the list of those excluded from this heavenly perfection.

This list should serve as a dire warning for all people in the church. We are commanded to bear fruit that befits our calling (Matt 3:8, Ephesians 4:1 etc). We should never ever ever think that just because we attend church or because we might use the name ‘Christian’ that we are saved and guaranteed of entering into this perfect heavenly city. Our fruit will show where we stand with Christ. If we use the name of Christ but continue unrepentantly to lie or steal or cower away from owning the name of Jesus (and so on) then that fruit will be produced on judgment day as evidence against us.

Those who are saved by the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ will bear fruit in accord with their calling. They will mature and develop and repent of sins and grow in holiness and godliness. You simply cannot be a genuine Christian and stand still in your holiness. While we may fall into sin on occasion, the overall pattern is going to be one of upward and outward growth. The Holy Spirit dwelling in each believer will ensure this. It is not an optional extra for Christians!

As the Bible draws to a close we are both encouraged and challenged. We are encouraged that all evil and suffering will be dealt with and done away with. But at the same time we are challenged to assess ourselves to make sure that we are genuinely and assuredly on the narrow road to the heavenly Jerusalem. Are you on the right road?

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Why should we self-evaluate to make sure we are on the right road to the heavenly Jerusalem?
2. If it’s ok to evaluate self, why is it not ok to evaluate others?
3. What should we do if we find out that we might not be on the right road of salvation?

Prayer:
Having read today’s passages, jot down 2 points for each type of prayer.
Adoration:

Confess:

Thanks

Supplication:

• Praise God that we can meet tomorrow in relative safety and peace. Pray that we would make the most of this opportunity and worship God acceptably in reverence and awe. Pray that we’d see God powerfully at work in us and through us as we gather together.
• Pray that the work of Creation Ministries will continue to challenge and encourage believers to take the entire Bible, cover to cover, as the infallible & inspired Word of God.

Friday April 4, 2014

Read Revelation 20
Have you ever wanted to give up? Have you ever felt so down and out that walking away and throwing in the towel seemed to be the best and only option? Have you ever felt such despair that you just didn’t care anymore? I think all of us have been there at some point. Most of us have felt the despair and anguish of knowing that we have nothing left to give.

It’s in these times that we need to remember and recall the end point to which we are headed. Revelation takes us to the end and shows us what is coming.

At the end of time the devil will be cast into the lake of fire and sulfur. He’ll be tormented day and night. The beast and false prophet who led the entire world astray will already have been thrown into this lake. Evil is almost completely done away with. Then books will be opened and all peoples will be judged according to what they have done. At this point in time all evil, all sin, all people who have worked for their own good or for negative purposes will be judged and condemned.

Good will prevail. God’s will shall be done. Truth shall reign and perfection will be ushered in.

At that time, all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be ushered into the new heaven/earth (pictured as a golden city coming from the heavens) and they will dwell with God for all eternity. That world is the perfect world you know exists. That is the perfect world you dream of. In this world there will be no crying or mourning. There will be no pain. There will be nothing that causes pain or heartache or mourning. Death will have been swallowed up in victory!

This future is no mere whimsical fantasy. It is not a “wish upon a star” mentality. This is the reality that this world is headed towards. God will prevail. He will win. He will usher in that perfect creation once judgment has been metered out.

For now, you and I need to keep our hearts and minds focused on that coming reality. We need to cast our hopes forward to that certain day when all will be set right. When we are down or anxious or feeling like throwing in the towel we need to rest secure and assured in God’s perfect future.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Why is it important to keep focused on the sure will of God bringing in the final judgment and paradise? 
2. How can you keep this focus daily in your life?
3. How can you encourage others to keep this focus?

Prayer:
Having read today’s passages, jot down 2 points for each type of prayer.
Adoration:

Confess: 

Thanks

Supplication:

• Pray for our youth group as it meets regularly during term on Friday nights. Ask God to grow the youth in their faith, knowledge of Him and in their willingness to shine the light of Jesus and to make disciples.
• Pray that our Sonday service would be glorifying to God and edifying to the saints. Pray that we would see growth both internally and numerically this Sonday.

Thursday April 3, 2014

Read Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 7:59-8:4
When I’m confronted with evil or injustice, a regular occurrence in this world, I often think back to Acts 7:59-8:4.

To understand why, we need to go back to Matthew 28:18-20. The Lord Jesus Christ has arisen from the tomb and has met the disciples at the Mountain in Galilee. He gave them the charge for the church, a charge we call the Great Commission. The key phrase in this charge is ‘all nations’. The church was established to bring the Lordship of Christ to all nations. God’s plan from Genesis 1 is to fill the world with His greatness, His Lordship and His rule.

Yet as we turn to Acts 7:59 we see that Stephen has been mercilessly martyred and persecution against the church violently erupts.

Why is all this important? Up to Acts 8 we see that the Apostles and disciples had no desire to move outward from Jerusalem. They had the Great Commission given to them but there appears to be no movement to include ‘all nations’. When the persecution comes the disciples are forcibly scattered abroad to Judea and Samaria. Compare this to Acts 1:8 and you’ll see that we are well on the way, finally, to getting out to the nations!

How does that relate to the providence of God and mankind’s free- will? Saul and his Sanhedrin friends choose freely to persecute the young church. They chose to attack and murder Stephen. They chose to attack and decimate the church. But God had other plans. It was through this persecution that the church spread out and began to the take the gospel to ‘all nations’.

God in his providence declared that the nations shall hear the good news. When the church failed to act He sent or allowed persecution against the church. Unimaginable good flowed out of this attack for from it the church began to grow and thrive.

Justin Martyr said, "The more we are persecuted, the more do others in ever increasing numbers embrace the faith and become worshippers of God through the name of Jesus" (Dialogue with Trypho 110). We can only stand in awe of God that He in His providence and sovereignty could ordain such wonderful things without being the cause or originator of the heinous sins committed against the church.

Witness Moment
Have bad or hard times come upon you? Has life fallen apart at the seams? Rejoice and praise God because it’s in these times that you can show the world the God you worship and adore. If you fall apart at the first sign of trouble and curse God when life gets tough, you will be presenting a pathetic god to the world, the kind of god that no one wants to worship. But if they see you standing strong through the storm and praising God, they’ll see a God deserving of our adoration and worship and praise.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What was good or positive about the persecution of the church in Acts 8?
2. What was negative or ‘bad’ about it?
3. Do you think God was just/right in allowing the church to be persecuted? Explain clearly your answer.
4. How could you answer the charge that we should not worship a God who allows his church to be persecuted?

Prayer:
Having read today’s passages, jot down 2 points for each type of prayer.
Adoration:

Confess:

Thanks:

Supplication:

• Praise God that he is sovereign and that he can and does use all things for His plan. Praise the Lord that His plan is in full swing and cannot be thwarted by anyone or anything.
• Pray for the work of Student Life across Australia. Pray that each campus would have students/staff who love Jesus and who are willing to make disciples of all nations. Pray that the staff at Student Life would have adequate support and provision for all their needs.

Wednesday April 2, 2014

Read Romans 9:15-19, Exodus 9:13-35.
Pharaoh, Ra on earth, was no lightweight. He was the most powerful man of his day. His word was law and he could do as he pleased. He was the superpower of the day in one single person.

Years earlier the Hebrew tribes had come to live in the Egyptian town of Goshen. They thrived there and grew in number. Pharaoh became concerned that this people group could one day turn and fight against the Egyptians. To ward off the threat he put them into slavery.

The Hebrews languished in slavery for the better part of 400 years. Towards the end of this time God came down to rescue His people. He confronted Pharaoh face to face and challenged him to a duel. God’s goal, apart from redeeming a people for Himself is stated clearly by God himself:

“For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague

that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Ex 9:15-16).

The 10-round battle raged and God smote Egypt time and time again. God knocked Egypt to the canvas over and over. In the 10th plague delivered the knockout punch.

It’s interesting that we read in verse 34 of Exodus 9 that Pharaoh and his officials hardened their hearts. We are clearly told that they hardened their hearts against God. Yet we read in Romans that God has mercy on whom He wants and He hardens whomever He wants. Both sides are presented as true with no hint of contradiction.

As Paul wrote Romans he would have known to the letter what Exodus said about Pharaoh’s heart because of his Pharisaical training and religious background. Even so, without the slightest hint of contradiction he can write that God hardens whom he wants to harden.

Again, as we saw earlier this week, turning God into a crystal ball gazing guru who makes decisions based on what he sees doesn’t fit the bill. Both sides of the coin are presented as true. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart but Pharaoh is charged with sin against God.

The implication is the same as Job declared - ‘No plan of yours can be thwarted.’ God’s providence is in full swing and God Himself will not tolerate being charged with evil or wrong doing. We can but bow down and praise Him.

Walk Moment
Do you know someone whose heart is hard towards God? Don’t let it turn you off or worry you. God’s providence is in full swing and He is Lord even over this other person. Keep praying and keep trusting that the will of the Lord will be done.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. After you have rebuked a believer for a sin in his/her life, she/he turns to you and says, ‘God is sovereign and He allowed me to sin so I don’t have to change.’ How do you respond?
2. A non Christian asks you to explain the difference between God’s sovereignty and human free will. How do you answer?
3. Can you find any other examples where human freewill and God’s providence work together as in Pharaoh’s life?

Prayer:
Having read today’s passages, jot down 2 points for each type of prayer.
Adoration:

Confess:

Thanks

Supplication:

• Pray that the Lord would allow each of us to share our faith with non believers this week. Pray that God would open doors for sharing and that we’d all be courageous enough to speak out the truth of the gospel. Ask God to grow your church through this sharing.
• Pray that God would bless the work of Creation Research as they continue to teach the truth of the Bible from cover to cover. Pray that God would bring in the needed resources and that this ministry will bear much fruit.

Tuesday April 1, 2014

Read Job 42:2, Acts 4:23-31.
Job was a righteous and God-loving man. His whole life was bent around loving and living out the will of God. Even so, satan came into the presence of God and asked that he be allowed to strike Job with various losses, death in the family and even in his health. Satan was allowed to strike Job and Job lost everything except his life and his wife who constantly urged him to curse God and to die. After some time and approximately 40 chapters Job is confronted by God. Out of the storm, Job is confronted by The Almighty:

"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!” (Job 40:2).

A few verses later God again confronts Job: 

“Would you discredit my justice?

Would you condemn me to justify yourself?"

The implication is clear. God, the Almighty God, will not tolerate being accused of sin or injustice. He will not endure accusation.

God is perfectly just, perfectly pure and totally void of any evil intent or motive. He simply cannot be accused of wrong doing.

The disciples came to this realization after the resurrection of Christ Jesus. They had been flogged and persecuted for preaching Christ risen from the dead. They gathered together and lifted up their praises to God Almighty. The Holy Spirit brought Psalm 2 to their hearts and minds and they adored God who planned and decided to send Jesus to the cross for the sins of the world. Yet it was Herod and Pilate and the Gentiles and the people of Israel who falsely tried Jesus and nailed Him to the cross. In the greatest miscarriage of justice and evil (the sentencing and crucifixion of the Holy One) God could not and would not be accused of evil, of sin or of sinful motives. His ways are pure and just, righteous and holy.

The disciples, along with Job came to a startling realization. We too need to come to that realization. Job spelt it out clearly for us when he declared, 

“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:4).

Perhaps we too need to grow into that realization.

Worship Moment
No matter how tough life gets, remember that no plan of God's can be thwarted. He is and will always be in total control. That means you can praise God and worship Him even when life is dark and miserable. When the going gets tough, the tough still worship God.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. How do you think God’s sovereignty and providence should affect our prayers?
2. How can Job 42:2 be used to encourage someone going through a tough time?
3. A non believer says to you, ‘God killed his own son. I can’t worship that kind of God!’ How do you respond?

Prayer:
Having read today’s passages, jot down 2 points for each type of prayer.
Adoration:

Confess:

Thanks

Supplication:

• Pray that our cell nights would be a great blessing and edification for all who attend. Pray that we’d see more and more people joining cell groups and being active in the church.
• Pray that God would bless our children’s ministry and leaders. Pray that the children would grow strong in the Lord and closer to Him day by day. Pray that the leaders would be prayerful, diligent in preparation and able to see the eternal value of their work.

Monday March 31, 2014

Coming Up Sonday April 6

I Am A Free Agent. I Am A Robot.

Read Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17. Acts 4:28, Ephesians 1:4. Psalm 139:16
In studying human free will and the providence of God we seem to run immediately into a barrier. The argument runs as follows. If I am a free agent then God’s providence or decree cannot be absolute. In deed, many people and many schools of theology hold to such a view. The semi-pelagians (mankind can move towards God for salvation) and Armenians ( I decide my own salvation fate) play down the providence of God to allow mankind complete and total free will.

But any study of free will and God’s providence must start with God and not mankind. All theology rightly begins with God and mankind must, by necessity, as the created being, come under the Lordship of God.

Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Upon eating of that tree, mankind would suffer death.
Beginning with God, we see that God created mankind (both male and female) and gave Adam a particular command. He was permitted to eat from any tree in the garden, except the

Obviously mankind had a choice and free will to choose obedience or disobedience. But, as we consider other passages, we see that the situation is not so clear. In Ephesians 1:4 we read that God chose us before the creation of the world to be saved by Christ. God knew from the first that we would need saving. He knew that Christ had to come into the world to save sinners. Tracking this back to the original creation, it means that God knew Adam and Eve would walk in disobedience.

In Acts 4:28 we see that God had already ordained for His only begotten Son to die upon the cross for the sins of the world. God was not caught off guard by sin and He certainly didn’t go to plan B when Adam and Eve chose to eat from the forbidden tree.

As we shall see throughout this study, this is more than God knowing the future. It is far greater than God simply reacting to what He sees in His heavenly crystal ball. To say, as it does in the Psalms, that God ordained ‘all the days ...for me’ makes no sense if God saw it in a crystal ball and just wrote it down. This is far from any allowable definition of the word “ordained”. Put simply it is a perversion of the wording of Scripture.

The biblical reality is that God has foreordained all things that come to pass yet is neither the author nor originator of sin. It’s heavy going but by the end of the week you’ll see the biblical position.

Word Moment
Scripture is not always easy to understand. It is not like any other book. We must avoid the temptation to believe/not believe the Bible when it is proven or disproven by other sources. This makes the other source our ultimate authority. Believe the Bible because it is God’s Word to us.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Can you think of an illustration to explain the idea of God’s sovereign will and our free will?
2. What is the result of expressing too heavily
1. God’s sovereign will 
2. Man’s free will

Prayer:
Having read today’s passages, jot down 2 points for each type of prayer.
Adoration:

Confess:

Thanks

Supplication:

• As our building renovations get set to start pray that God would superintend the whole process and allow it to go smoothly. Pray that our corporate times of worship will continue to glorify God and edify the saints even though building works will be in progress.
• Pray that your church’s giving would be adequate and generous so that your church can not only meet its bills and contractual obligations but also reach out generously to the local community.