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On January 12, 2021 By In Church, Culture, Discipleship, Politics, Theology, Worship

Crossing the Rubicon

(Sermon preached at Providence Church in Caro, MI on January 10th, 2021, Feast of the Baptism of Christ Light modifications have been made.)

On this day, January 10, in 49BC, Julius Caesar set in motion the Roman Civil War. He had been governor over a region of Gaul and, when his term had ended, was to return to Rome. Instead, he lead his army across the shallow Rubicon River, a clear declaration of war on the Roman Senate. “Crossing the Rubicon” has, ever since, meant crossing a point of no return, taking a definitive and clear step of war, whether literal or metaphorical. 

In our text this morning (Mark 1:4-11,) we see Jesus, in His Baptism, at a river-crossing event. Jesus is at the Jordan River, not the Rubicon, but the symbolism is just as powerful. And in fact Jesus’ “Rubicon crossing” in the Jordan is no less  a declaration of war.a

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  1. Thanks for Chad Bird for pointing out, in a recent video, the historical and thematic connection of Jesus’ Baptism and the Rubicon Crossing.  (back)

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On January 7, 2021 By In Church, Culture, Worship

Beware of Revolutionaries in the Church

As events were erupting yesterday afternoon, I took a pen and followed a trajectory of rebellion that appears in Jude. I preached 11 sermons on Jude and so much of it is pertinent in times like these. In my series, I argued that Jewish Zealots defending the “cause” of Abraham slithered into churches looking for revolutionaries to take arms. They ate at our church tables and made the case for violence against the current authority structures. They tried to seduce the Church to take their eyes off of Jesus to political causes that were deemed more important than the Church’s cause.

They attempted to seduce/persuade new believers and others that the greater cause is not the cause that plants seeds and waits generations to see fruit–the covenant view of ordinary faithfulness in parenting, worshipping, Christian education–but the immediate cause of revolution where we see fruit now through whatever means; a kind of over-realized eschatology. The pursuit of these kinds of political revolutions is a childish escape from responsibility. Rushdoony was right when he argued that many people like to believe that somewhere invisible rulers pull the strings which govern all of us … [Actually], the strings that pull us come out of our heart and mind.

In Jude, instead of blessing the peace-makers, the Zealots condemn those who continue to live quiet and peaceful lives chastising them for not meeting at the local chapter of the Jewish Zealot society. They have more zeal for these political revolutionary causes than the Church itself; their eyes are more glued to news cycles about overturning the state than the kingdom of God overturning Herod’s kingdom.

Beware of these Zealots who come wearing all sorts of hats–of the Left and the Right–in the church, espousing all sorts of conspiratorial causes. If the Church cannot condemn and rebuke her members rightly and speedily, they will do what is most natural to them–they will follow the ways of Korah and would rather draw others to their earthly causes than nearer to our blessed Lord.

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On January 6, 2021 By In Theology, Worship

What does Epiphany mean for the Church?

Happy Epiphany!

It doesn’t have the same ring as “Merry Christmas” or “Christ is risen!” but it carries significant repercussions for Christmas and Easter theology. In some sense, Epiphany is the key that unlocks both classic Christian festivals. Epiphany secures the triumph of Jesus’ life and mission.

In Epiphany, we celebrate the “manifestation” of Jesus to the Gentiles. When Magi came to give him gifts, they gave him gifts as a foretelling of the great gift the Son will give the Father at the end of history (I Cor. 15:24-26). When Christ returns, he returns with the kingdom as a gift to the Father. Jesus receives gifts, but he is the great gift-giver of history.

Jesus introduces himself to the Gentile world as a fulfillment of Simeon’s song. He is a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Israel (Matt 2:1-12). Jesus’ entire ministry is a ministry of gift-giving, which culminates as his body is given for his people (Lk. 22:19). Indeed, gift-giving is a crucial component of the revelation of Jesus to the world.

The reason we can be sure of the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) is that Epiphany’s gifts to Jesus are gifts that will be dispersed among men. Jesus is the unfailing gift-giver to the nations. He has never failed to provide for his people. Even in Israel’s underserved position, he still offers them life and light.

For the Christian, Epiphany signals a season of discipleship through rituals of gift-giving. The entire biblical premise on sanctification entails a life of exchanges (my life for yours). Christians are called to think through their ordinary rituals and adjust them accordingly for the sake of revealing Christ’s work to the nations. Three questions arise for us to ensure the gift-giving environment:

First, how can my home be a gift of refreshment to my children and those who enter it?

Second, how/what are my daily habits? In what ways are those rituals bringing life to my own soul and those around me?

Third, how am I being apostolic in my endeavors? How is my private and public life sharing the mission of Messiah to the world?

Epiphany means to make known what was hidden. Christ’s presence was a mystery to the Gentiles, but now his life is made known to the nations as a babe and as the Creator of the cosmos. It speaks to our need to wrap our lives as gifts to those around us and to be constantly on the lookout to give of ourselves to others out of the abundance of gifts we have received from Christ(mas).

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On January 5, 2021 By In Church, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must submit to one another

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

The second obligation that assembly-members have toward each other is submission. We must submit to one another.

For many people, the word “submission” triggers unpleasant thoughts. Evil people have used the concept of submission to justify tyranny and oppression. That is a worldly, perverse form of submission.

In the Bible, however, submission is a good thing. It is not tyrannical, it is not oppressive, and most importantly – it is not one-sided. Biblical submission is mutual. This single caveat makes Christian submission entirely unique. As we’ll see, it mirrors the life of the Trinity and it is only possible given a trinitarian worldview.

Paul tells the entire assembly to “submit to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21). That is the general command given to all. Paul then applies that command to various relationships within the assembly: husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants.

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On December 30, 2020 By In Church, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must love one another

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

My previous article established that the church is an assembly, and that assembling is therefore the church’s most basic duty. We assemble primarily for worship, though many things flow out of worship.

What are some of those things? What are our duties toward our fellow assembly-members? The Bible’s instructions to the assembly can be outlined in five categories. Each of these categories connect to one another and overlap – you can’t have some without the others! – but it is important to consider them individually.

First up: Love one another.

This should be an obvious one. The scriptures frequently command Christians to love one another. This command forms the foundation for all subsequent commands. To be clear, I’m not speaking of love for God, though that is necessary as well. This series deals with how Christians relate to Christians. We are commanded to love the assembly. We are commanded to love our fellow-assembly members. Loving God comes easy for Christians; loving other Christians takes work.

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On December 26, 2020 By In Theology, Worship

Incarnation: The Glory of God

During the Christmas season, as we meditate on and celebrate the incarnation of the eternal Word, we rightly think of the condescension of God in taking on poverty and the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom 8.3). Our minds are overwhelmed at how God, who is so far above us, could do such a thing. We might even entertain thoughts of a reluctant God who, becoming flesh, is doing something out of character; as if he was happily existing as eternal Father, Son, and Spirit, not wanting to be entangled with the creation (especially creation corrupted by sin), but he loved us so much that he was willing to de-glorify himself for our sake. While it is true that he was rich and became poor for our sakes (2Cor 8.9), and it is also true that his taking on, not only flesh, but the likeness of sinful flesh, was a great act of humility, it is also true that in the act of incarnation we see the glory of the eternal Word. That’s what John says in John 1.14: “The Word was made flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

If we are not careful, all of the talk of God’s condescension in the incarnation easily turns into a wrong understanding of God, the creation, and the relationship between the two. We might develop dualistic undercurrents in our thinking that the material world is evil because it is material and the immaterial spirit world is good because it is immaterial. Consequently, the act of incarnation itself is an act of anti-glory for God because the creation is anything but glorious. However, the act of incarnation, the eternal Word clothing himself in flesh, is the glorification of God.

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On December 24, 2020 By In Church, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must assemble

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Ecclesiology is the study of the church. Various aspects of the church and church governance are covered in ecclesiology, usually in abstract terms. This is good and necessary, but I want to take a more practical approach. I want to talk about ecclesiology from a layperson’s perspective: What does it mean to be the church? How do we function together? What are our duties toward one another? In this series, I hope to lay forth an outline of how the church is to be the church. I will not be focusing on outward-facing ministries of the church (e.g. evangelism), but on inward-facing ministries.

Defining terms

First things first: What does it mean to be a part of the church? To answer this question, we must first determine what the word “church” means. Most Christians know that the church isn’t a building, though we sometimes speak that way. “The church is people!” we rightly proclaim (Matthew 18:17, Acts 11:26).

From there, we might say that the church consists of anyone saved by the atoning work of Jesus (Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 1:2). In this usage, any self-professed Christian – anyone who believes in Jesus – is a part of the church.

But more fundamentally, the church is an “assembly” or a “congregation.” The word translated as “church” in our Bibles is the Greek ekklesia, which literally means “to call together” or “to assemble.”

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On December 19, 2020 By In Discipleship, Theology, Worship

A Baptism Exhortation

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ~Galatians 3.27

Prayer: Almighty God, who formed the earth out of water and through water by your word, who saved Noah and his family through water while destroying the wicked, who delivered your people Israel through the Sea while defeating Pharaoh and his armies, all of which are types of baptism into Christ Jesus, we pray that you will look mercifully upon Leah, saving her with your people while destroying sin and death. May she, throughout her life, relying upon the grace you give to her this day, continue to mortify sin so that at the last day she may participate in the resurrection of the just and reign with Christ Jesus eternally. Amen

Clothing is important in Scripture, not merely to cover our infantile nakedness but to glorify us. God never intended the man and woman to remain in their primal condition of nudity. He always intended to clothe them as they grew into the exalted royal rule God destined for them. We see this in the fact that Jesus, when seen after his ascension in Revelation, is clothed in garments of glory and beauty. He did not return to the original condition of nakedness–that occurred on the cross–but is crowned and clothed with glory to rule.

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On December 13, 2020 By In Discipleship, History, Theology, Worship

The Temple. So What?

The Lord has come to his temple. He is going to destroy it. So what?

Large sections of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are taken up with Jesus teaching his disciples about the destruction of the Temple (Mt 24; Mk 13; Lk 21). Jesus not only speaks about it, he prophetically acts out the destruction of the Temple when he turns over the money changers’ tables, drives everyone out, and shuts down the Temple for a day. The Temple occupies a central place in the life of God’s people and becomes a focal point of Jesus’ ministry in the transition between the new age and the age to come. But why? Why take so much time in discussing and focusing on the Temple? Why should we care about what happens to an ancient building back in the first century? Well, if Jesus thought it important enough to talk about, and the writers of the Gospels under the inspiration of the Spirit believed it was important enough to record among the massive amounts of other information that could have been recorded (cf. Jn 21.25), then it must be important to the continuing life of the church.

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On December 6, 2020 By In Culture, Theology, Worship

Devouring Houses

Whenever we see a powerful person using his power to abuse the weak in any way, something goes off in us. There is a great sense of anger at the injustice of it. The big kid on the playground bullying the weakling, the husband abusing his wife, or the parent beating his child raises our righteous ire. We know innately that this isn’t right. Powerful people ought not to be using their power to pummel the weak.

But why? If we actually lived in a universe in which evolution was a reality, these sorts of actions would make sense. The strong survive. The weak do not. Sometimes the strong must eliminate the weak in order to survive because of the scarcity of resources, to eliminate threats, or to demonstrate to others what will happen if they are challenged.

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