Would Jesus Say You're a Christian?

Boy does Jesus know how to conclude a sermon! Hear His conclusion from His most well known (the most well known) sermon of all time, the Sermon on the Mount:

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." - Matthew 7:24-27

Let's be clear. This isn't the option between being a "super Christian" and a "backslidden Christian". This is the difference between a person who is a Christian - hearing and doing the words of Christ - and one who isn't - merely hearing the words of Christ but not actually doing them. 

So based on this text would Jesus say you're a Christian? Not what I think. Not your family. Not your friends. 

Would Jesus call you a Christian?

I know we get nervous about speaking on works sometimes. And I understand that. We must unapologetically and unequivocally hold the line on justification by faith alone. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone. Yes! Amen! And these are truths important enough to die for.  

But we can't ignore these plain words of Jesus. A faith that won't submit to Jesus' words is a faith that won't save from Jesus' wrath. We can hear Jesus' words, and even like Jesus' words, and talk about Jesus' words, and think about maybe trying out Jesus' words, but if there is never any actual acting on Jesus' words, we are building on sand, and on the Day of judgment our 'house' will fall and great will be the fall of it. 

Very truly "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 5:20)

A life that hears what Jesus says on the Sermon on the Mount, but doesn't abide by it is building on sand. 

I know I should read my bible but I don't. I know I should pray but I don't. I know I should love holiness but I don't. I know I should intentionally instruct my children in the ways of God but I don't. I know I should not love the world but I do. I know I should love my enemies but I only really love people like me. 

This is a life built on sand. 

No, no one is advocating perfectionism. Christians are meek and understanding of their need for constant grace, forgiveness (Mt. 6:12), and the power of Christ in their daily lives. But let us be clear: Believers do what Jesus says. They don't just hear it and admire it. They do it. 

We are either building in the rock or building on sand. We are either committed to Christ or not. We are either saved or lost. 

Would Jesus say you're a Christian?

See, the standard isn't the Bible Belt is it? It isn't your neighbors' view. Or even necessarily your Pastor's. What does Jesus say about you? Does your life exemplify one on the rock or one on the sand?

Jesus doesn't give an altar call after this message. He doesn't ask people to bow their heads and close their eyes. He doesn't ask them to repeat a prayer after Him. He simply states the unshakable truth that those who hear and do His words are building on the rock and those who don't are building on the sand. 

Of course, this demands a response from us doesn't it?

Would Jesus say you're a Christian?

If we answer 'no' to this question, what hope do we have!? Absolutely none unless we close with Christ. Jesus says whoever comes to Him, He will not cast out. That leaves us with no excuse. If we look at Jesus' standard and see that we aren't a Believer, we must go to Him. Go to Him now! Do not delay. 

Or the house will fall. And great will be the fall of it. 

Does Jesus Know You?

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" Matthew 7:21-23It appears to me that in our evangelibubble we often speak of getting people to make a commitment to Christ, whether that be in personal evangelism encounters, or an altar call, or a VBS meeting, or a Facebook meme. If we can get people to say 'yes' to Jesus then we've done our duty as faithful disciples of our King...Or so we think.Obviously, it is true that people must come to Christ. They most close with Him in faith and surrender their lives to His Lordship. I don't mean to downplay a 'commitment' to Christ in the least. However, if we think mere professions of faith make a person a Christian, we are sorely mistaken, and we haven't really been reading our New Testaments very well to be frank. In fact, I even heard a man who once said that if any person 'comes forward' and says they are a Christian we have 'no right' to think otherwise. Certainly we don't want to fall in to the trap of being unduly harsh! But as we see in the text above, we must face the sobering reality that not everyone who confesses Jesus as Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven...So, I want to offer Five observations about the above confession in an effort to help us think through our own walk with Christ and in helping others understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. 

It is a:

1. Proper Confession - 'Lord'

I think in the context of this passage the Greek word 'kurios' is being used as more than just a mere formality. They aren't just saying 'sir'. They are confessing Jesus as Lord. In fact, 'on that day' is when many will call Jesus 'Lord'. It appears they recognize Him not just as a good teacher, or a moral man but as Lord.This is a confession all Believers do make.  This is why it is so sobering. While all true Believers do confess Jesus as Lord, not everyone who confesses Jesus as Lord is a true Believer. 

2. Personal Confession - 'Lord, Lord'

It appears that not only are they calling Jesus Lord, but by repeating His name they are perhaps appealing to Jesus as 'my Lord.' Often times in the Bible a name repeated twice is evidence of intimacy. For example, God called to Samuel 'Samuel, Samuel' and Jesus Himself said of Jerusalem 'O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem.'These false confessors weren't just saying Jesus is Lord in the abstract but they were saying Jesus was their Lord. Their 'personal Lord and Savior.'It is not enough for one to simply 'believe' they have a personal relationship with Jesus. In fact, Jesus speaks on a relational level when He says in verse 23 "I never knew you." It's obvious that the Lord of the Universe knows everybody on an intellectual level. But regarding a relational level (in the sense of a saving relationship) it is clear that Jesus does not know everyone. If you believe you have a personal relationship with Jesus, but He says He doesn't have one with you, that's very problematic.

3. Pleading Confession - "Lord, Lord, did we not...?"

These false confessors are appealing to Jesus. It's as though they do clearly recognize Jesus as the Judge of all the Earth and they plead with Him to make an exception on their behalf. This reminds me of the passage at the end of John 2. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.We've come to think in evangelistic encounters that if a person just says a certain set of words and 'really means it', then Jesus is obligated to 'accept them' into the fold. As if Jesus is required to bring His salvation on our terms instead of His. Or even worse, as if He 'owes' us something, which completely turns grace on its head. Pleading with Jesus doesn't necessitate His allowing you entrance into the Kingdom.

4. 'Productive' Confession - "Did we not do...many mighty works in your name?"

It's not as though these confessors merely gave lip service to Jesus and did nothing to back up their claim from the human perspective. They lived a life filled with many mighty works. Many mighty works. Many mighty works.

They are essentially arguing with Jesus. "But wait! We are giving you the proper confession and what's more look at all we've done!" It's actually quite alarming to me at how many 'righteous deeds' a person is able to do without being born again. The list in Matthew 7:22 is impressive. These people weren't just saying Jesus is Lord but they actually worked hard not to go to hell.

Perhaps we might draw the line directly to Southern Baptists (my own denomination). They were good pastors (Yes, it is possible for even pastors to be deceived). Good deacons. Good Sunday School teachers. Good laypersons. They preached in Jesus' name. Prayed in Jesus' name. Taught in Jesus' name. Gathered regularly in Jesus name. Volunteered with the youth in Jesus' name. 

And it was all for naught. Leading me to my last observation...

5. Pointless Confession - "Depart from Me you workers of lawlessness."

Ouch. 

I don't mean to say this tritely either. This is sobering. Their works have been weighed in Christ's holy balance and found wanting.You can say "Jesus is Lord!" (or even "God is good, all the time!"), you can sing "O How I Love Jesus", you can tell Jesus you're sorry, you can 'go to church' (a lot), and it can all be for nothing. In fact, it can be for worse than nothing. Like, all of your pretending is only heaping up more condemnation! It's that you did a lot of good things but Jesus doesn't count it. No, those 'good things' are described by Jesus as lawlessness. And it's a travesty that their whole lives were lived under the deception that they were truly in right standing with Christ (see the argument 'did we not').
So what do we do?Actually, Matthew 7:21 could not get any clearer on who gets into the Kingdom of heaven: the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. I know. We immediately want to offer 1,000 qualifications here about how we don't 'work' to get to heaven. And while I emphatically don't deny that, I do want us to see here that Jesus doesn't offer these qualifications. He simply states the truth: Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven...But what exactly is the will of the Father? Two things I will say:1. Repentance. In Matthew 4:17 Jesus says "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." I think this helps us frame the Sermon on the Mount in context.  Also, in Matthew 21:28-31a Jesus says: A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.”This is essentially what repentance is. To think differently. To 'turn'. To have a change of mind. In fact, God commands all men everywhere to do this: Acts 17:30.I don't mean to suggest that repentance is 'merely' changing one's mind, but that it's a change of mind so radical that it actually results in a changed life. And what will this changed life look like?2. The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is intense. It is radical. It is counter-cultural and counter-Pharisaical. But it is not pie in the sky idealism. The Sermon on the Mount is how Jesus' followers really live because they are aided by the very power of Christ within them. They recognize their spiritual bankruptcy (5:3) and hunger and thirst for the righteousness that only those in Christ can obtain (5:6). Their righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees (5:20) as they have entered the narrow gate (7:13) and built their house on the rock of Christ's teachings (7:24). Of course we know this change of mind is only produced by the power of the Holy Spirit. Suppose I asked you to 'change your mind' from not hating spinach to now loving spinach. Could you do that? Obviously not! (If you really hated spinach). You would need your very nature changed. And this is what is necessary for the human condition. We don't need to just say 'Lord, Lord' and then try to be more moral than we are now, or even more religious. We need a heart change, and this is only possible through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.So what must you do? You must heed this gospel: Jesus' righteous life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection alone can merit us right standing before God. No, you can't manipulate the Holy Spirit to do His work any more than you can ride a tornado. But you are commanded to repent and Believe the gospel! And this is a repentance and belief that isn't merely a 'one time decision' but one that results in a life (and lifestyle) of repentance and belief.Notice by the way that's not a 'perfect' lifestyle. It's a lifestyle of repentance and belief. Constantly running to the mercy and grace of Jesus for our sin and trusting that His Sacrifice is enough. That when He said 'It is finished', He meant it. That you aren't accepted based on your worthiness but His. This is the motivation and power for living holy lives. So what will you do with this message?Will you rely on a confession that may be proper, personal, pleading, productive, and yet pointless? Or will you be one who does the will of the Father? There is a wide chasm between the two. 

It is the difference between 'depart from me' and 'well done'. It is the difference between a lake of fire and an eternity with Christ and His people.  It is the difference between you claiming to know Jesus, and Jesus knowing you...

You can listen to the sermon (which follows a different outline) by clicking here.

Who doesn't go to heaven?

It is certainly not my goal to take a passage of Scripture out of context. Or to confuse anyone or cause any unnecessary despair. I encourage you to read the surrounding contexts of the passages listed below.

But what I am doing is simply listing a passage penned by Paul, one by John, and another by Matthew that give evidence as to the nature of a Believer's life. 

Actually the passage from Paul and John may help shed light on how the passage in Matthew is true from a practical perspective. So many lay their head on their pillow at night and feel comforted that they are going to heaven, while they live in and love and enjoy their sin with no real love for Christ or true living for His glory. 

What does the bible say about who doesn't go to heaven?

I think so often people look for assurance of salvation by thinking back to what they call their moment of conversion and trying to discern if they "really meant it."  "Well, I'm not living for the Lord right now. I'm not going to church. I don't ever read my bible. And I'm living in sin. But I KNOW I'm a Christian and going to heaven because I remember walking an aisle and praying and asking Jesus in my heart and I just know that was real."

What does the bible say about who doesn't go to heaven?

Read these passages in succession. Then go back and consider them in their contexts. It is so important that we bow to the Bible's definition of Christianity, not what we 'feel' or 'think we know'. Scripture bears highest authority. What does it say about a true Believer?

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. - Galatians 5:19-21

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." - Revelation 21:8

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. - Matthew 7:21

Walking Christ's Road

We have been journeying through the Sermon on the Mount as a church for a little over a year now. Last Sunday we found ourselves in Matthew 7:13-14.  At this point in Jesus’ Sermon we must seriously consider our response. Not to just a verse here or there but His entire message. As you read this blog today, my hope is that you will ask yourself which way you are traveling.

Are you Walking Christ’s Road?

Everyone is traveling one of two ways. The way of death or the way of life. Let’s consider each of these in turn:

I.                    The Way of Death – v.13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.”

A.      Access onto this Road is By Default –

How do you get on this way of death? You don’t have to do anything Every person is born on this way. From conception we are guilty in Adam, and we have a sinful nature that loves sin.

3 Big picture types of people on this road:

     1.     Rank Pagans – people who follow other religions or even deny existence of God

       2.      “Righteous” Pharisees – (See Matthew 5:20)

People with only an external religion. They may read their bibles, come to church, and tithe. But it’s not out of a love for Christ.

     3.     Rash Professors –

Those who think they’ve made some decision for Christ but never considered the cost. They may give lip service to Christ but their hearts and even their actions are far from Him.

B.      Adventuring on this Road is Deceptive – For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many

I think we see the word ‘easy’ and it might throw people off. “Well, my life hasn’t been ‘easy’ so I must not be on this broad way. This way of death.” But let’s consider that word ‘easy’. I’ll sum it up with the Outback Steakhouse slogan: No Rules. Just Right.

The ‘easy’ way is a way of human autonomy. In other words, you call the shots, and there’s really no accountability to any higher authority. The highest authority for what you want to do is you. Sure, you may be kept in check by social mores, but really, you do you. You do what you want, and frankly, no one’s really going to tell you differently. You may say you love the bible but it’s only in the capacity in which you can twist its words to make it fit your agenda.

And I say adventuring on this road is deceptive because no one really thinks their headed for hell do they? I mean most people think in their minds ‘You know, I’m an ok person. Am I perfect? No. But I’m as good as most.’

And that’s the issue. Not just most, but NONE are good. None are righteous, no not one. Here’s some characteristics of those adventuring on this wide way. Do one or more of these happen to describe you? If so, you are on the wide and easy way:

1. Unbelief – Don’t believe the truths of the Gospel or Scripture

2. Hypocrisy – claim to love God but live a life contrary

3. Presumption – Assume God must meet you on your terms

4. Apathy – no real or tangible concern for holiness or the ways of God

5. Worldliness – in love with the stuff and systems of this world

6. Self-Righteous – you’ve got what you need in you

Lost people go through hardships all the time. We live in a Genesis 3 world. It’s fallen. Jesus isn’t saying a life of no hard things. He’s saying those on the way of Death just give in to sin, don’t care about holiness, and don’t submit to a higher authority.

The deception of this way is that so many are going traveling this road. You can look around at the world and you can fit right in on going this way. It’s not our natural way to reject the way so many are going, is it?

C. The Achievement of this Road is Destruction –…that leads to destruction

What is the achievement of this way of life? Destruction

Live your way, even if you give occasional lip service to God, and you are headed toward destruction. This is Hell. Not annihilation, but eternal, conscious torment under the holy righteous wrath of God.

II.                  The Way of Life: Enter by the narrow gate…For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Jesus commands us to ‘enter the narrow gate’ because this is the way of life. This is Walking Christ’s Road

A.      Passage into this Road is Exclusive: v.14 - For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

It is exclusive because there is only:

1.       One Person: Christ.

Acts 4:12 there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved

Christ is the Gate. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is God in the flesh. He bore our burden to Calvary. We’re in need of His righteousness

2.       One Way: Christ is the way. But let me be clear: This requires a decision of faith

You can’t be an onlooker of Jesus and hope to have eternal life. What does Jesus say? Enter!

You must receive Christ! You must come to Him in faith! But do you know why so few find it? No one is really looking. Romans 3:11 says ‘no one seeks after God.’ So, we’ve bought into this concept of the need to create ‘seeker sensitive’ churches. Like, create churches were we can attract lost people by looking more like the world. But, the Bible teaches us there is only one seeker: It is God. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Will you repent and believe the gospel?

Just prior to the Sermon on the Mount, in Mathew 4:17, we see the heart of Jesus’ message: From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Now, we know that the work of the Holy Spirit under the hearing of the gospel is absolutely required for a person to repent and believe. No one will call upon Christ unless God acts first. The Holy Spirt must raise the dead to life before anyone will come to Christ. But let us be clear that the gospel call to all man is: TURN and be saved!

If you are reading this your call isn’t to discern the actions of the Spirit. Your call is to flee to Jesus. Plead with God by the mercies of Christ to save your soul. Go to Christ in faith!

3.       One at a time:  Do you know what a turnstile is? Those gate things at amusement parks where u walk through and they turn and count you? It’s one at a time.

It’s one at a time with the narrow gate. I can’t enter for you. I can’t enter with you.  The faith of your pastor or parents can’t save you.

B.      Pilgrimage on this Road Requires Endurance – the way is hard

Whether they admit it or not, many begin this journey and turn back. No, I’m not saying people lose their salvation, but I am saying many think they’ve gone through the narrow gate, only to fail to endure when the way gets hard, and thus show they were never regenerated.

So many hear the call of Christ in churches today and they say “Ah, I’ve done did that.” When the truth is, they are living for themselves and not for Christ. They are on the wide way not Walking Christ’s Road

The way is hard because it is not just a one-time decision to follow Christ but a daily renouncing of ourselves and taking up our cross and following Jesus

It is the way of holiness. I am surprised at the number of people who say they are Believers but there is no conscious decision in their daily life to pursue holiness.

In fact, Christ gives us a picture of what those Walking Christ’s Road look like doesn’t He (Matthew 5:3-10)

1.       Helpless: acknowledge spiritual bankruptcy and need for Christ

2.       Haters of Sin: Mourn their sin, fight it, repent of it, hate it

3.       Humble: surrendered to Christ

4.       Hungry: Hunger and thirst for righteousness

5.       Hearts of compassion: Merciful

6.       Holy: Pure in heart, not just outwardly righteous, but also inwardly desire Christ, love Christ, follow Christ

7.       Hopeful: Peacemakers, gospel sharers

8.       Hated by others: Despised by those going that broad way

And those Walking Christ’s Road are few in comparison to the broad way. J.C. Ryle said:  "Repentance, faith in Christ, &holiness of life have never been fashionable. The true flock of Christ has always been small."

Are you walking Christ’s Road?

I wonder, if it really cost you to gather at your local church, would you still go?:

Ø  If your family was in danger by your presence here, would you still go?

Ø  If your life was in danger because you gathered here today, would you still gather?

Ø  If your bank account was in danger because the IRS was going to fine you for gathering today, would you still gather?

Are you walking Christ’s Road?

C.      The Prize of this Road is Eternal Life – For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few

Eternal life! Ah, the way is hard, but it leads to life. The idea is not that we have to work our way to heaven. The idea is that true Believers will be on this narrow way and seek to live for the glory of God.

We have the power of Christ in us and it is by Him that we persevere. By grace are we saved and by grace are we sanctified and by grace will we endure to the end.

To the true Believer let me encourage you: keep running

This is the straight and narrow way.  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:1-2)

Oh Believer! KEEP RUNNING! Keep fighting sin! Keep striving toward the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Do not turn to the right or the left! Stay on the narrow way! Keep killing sin! Run harder! Stay disciplined! Keep reading! Keep praying! Keep Hoping! Keep seeking God!

And let’s run together…

And when we see our blessed Lord and Savior He will say to us: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

I asked you at the beginning to consider which way you are traveling. Remember, there are only two ways. You are either walking Christ’s road, or you are deceived and walking the way toward destruction.

Which road are you on?

Does my life fit Jesus’ definition of a Christian? And if not, will I repent this day and bow to Him as King, trusting Him as my only suitable and all sufficient Savior?

You can listen to the audio of this sermon by clicking here

Baptist Liturgy

I heard a story once about a man who went to preach at a small, country Baptist church.  This church had been without a pastor for some time and had called this man to come fill in for them on one particular Sunday.

As the man walked into the church he noticed that it was typical of what you might expect a rural Baptist church to look like. Let me interject here for a moment to say that I do think there is still a need for rural churches.  If you've ever lived in a state like Arkansas, then you'll understand exactly what I mean.  There are still places here that are a long way from any sort of real town, let alone what we would call a city. So, let's not forget the need for rural churches and faithful pastors to shepherd them.

Anyway, this particular rural church only had two people at church that day, and they were siblings.  One led music and the other played the piano. Both were considerably older. But, here is the most interesting part of the story in my opinion: the man said that if he would have closed his eyes, the service was ran just like there were 100 people there. In other words, they stuck to the liturgy!

• A Welcome was given
• Announcements were read from the Bulletin (Yes, a bulletin for 2 people)
• The Offering was taken up during the middle of the song service
• Prayers were prayed at the appropriate places
• The preaching was after the song service
• An invitation was given after the preaching
• And then Dismissal 

I'm sure there are a few things you could add to the above list for your Baptist church, like 'Special Music right before the Preaching' or 'A Meet and Greet song to start the service.' Now, it is not my intention to say that any of those things listed above are bad per se. But it is my desire to press us just a little bit on our liturgical hypocrisy. As Baptists, we scoff at other denominations for their 'formulaic' worship and the liturgy which we say feels forced, too Roman Catholic, and not genuine.

And yet, so often, Southern Baptists are as liturgical as they come!

It is true that there is much danger in bad liturgy.  Liturgy that becomes formulaic, or that is all truth (which is good!), but no Spirit (which is not good - John 4:24). I think it's possible that bad Baptist liturgy (see the bullet points above) has stifled church health. When we have these set things that we do in our church gatherings we begin to think that we've 'had church' as long as we've checked off all of those boxes above. I think that's why so many churches are so averse to change in the worship service.  I've seen deacons get upset before simply because you move the announcements from the beginning of the service, to the end.  The reason? I think one is because when we begin to mess with 'Baptist Liturgy' people really begin to get uncomfortable because that's not 'church' to them.

So, week in and week out, year after year, we have churches that will continue to gather each Sunday to practice their liturgical obligations, but never meet with God.  Younger generations begin to leave because what they see the church saying, singing, and praying, they don't see the church living. All the way to the point where you get down to just two people left.  The people are gone, the pews are empty, the harvest is still plentiful, and the liturgy remains. 

Like King Hezekiah, Baptist Liturgy has kept many saying for years “There will be peace and security in my days" (Isaiah 39:8), while Babylon sweeps away the next generation. Prayer meetings are poorly attended, gospel outreach is poorly done, many Bibles are left unread...But the liturgy remains!

Now, if you are reading this and think that I am against liturgy, you are mistaken. Paul tells us But all things should be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40). I am not against liturgy.  I'm not against Baptist Liturgy! I'm against bad liturgy.  Liturgy is inevitable.  Every church has a 'way' that they do Sunday services week in and week out.  Therefore, this is not "Will we or won't we have liturgy?" as much as it is "Will we practice good liturgy or bad liturgy?"

I challenge all pastors, music leaders, deacons, and laypersons reading this to consider the why of each element of your Sunday service.  Why are we doing the things we are doing? Are there any elements that need to be excluded from our services? Are there any elements of worship that need to be added in our services?*

Also, let's not forget that the gospel must have the right place in our liturgy. If we understand our services only as things we are doing 'for' God so that He might bless us, we've confused Law and Gospel. The New Testament Church met on Sundays because Jesus rose from the dead on that day! And His resurrection changes everything. The foundation of our meetings then must be the gospel and what God had done for us! What we do is a result of what God had done for us in Christ and our union with Him. If ever we walk away from a church gathering and think 'we had church today!' only because of things we've done, sung, recited, preached, or heard, with no connection to what God has done for us in Christ, we've miss the entire point of the why we need to meet together in the first place.

So, do our people own the liturgy, or does the liturgy own them? In other words, is our Baptist Liturgy a means by which we help people meet with God on Sundays and to be reminded and rejoice in what He has done, and to consider our appropriate response, or is it a slavish order that we feel subconsciously obligated to abide by so that when we leave we can 'feel' like we 'had church' that day? It's ironic isn't it? That we scoff at what we might call 'liturgical' denominations because there's no 'feeling' in their services, while as Baptists we have to have our liturgy so that we can 'feel' like we have had church!

Is everything we do grounded in Scripture? Are we conscious that it is sin to not only be worshiping the wrong god, but also to be worshiping the right God in the wrong way? 

It matters the way we 'do church.' While it is true there are no parameters on when we might think it's best to give the announcements (or if we even have them at all!), Scripture is more specific than you might think on what elements we must include in our time of gathering together. Our worship services are not to be 'anything goes' or 'let's do whatever feels right.' We must get back to the sufficiency of Scripture for our regular worship gatherings.

I'm not picking on Baptists. I am one! But I want to encourage our churches, especially in the SBC (of which I am a part), to not be liturgical hypocrites.  Don't scoff at other denominations for too much formula, while we are guilty of some of the same things, just clothed in a different hat.

So, how's your church's liturgy? No, I'm not advocating mindless chants or a particular way to kneel, stand, kneel, stand, kneel every week.  But I am advocating that as Southern Baptist churches, we must be intentional and biblical in the way we lead our people to worship. Every church is going to follow some sort of order (and rightly so!). The question is, is your approach biblical, grounded in the gospel, and being used to serve the chief end of leading people in glorifying God, and enjoying Him forever?

*two immediate suggestions would be more Scripture reading, and more prayer

Amazing Justice?

Consider the following four passages:

While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. And the LORD said to Moses, "The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp." And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the LORD commanded Moses. - Numbers 15:32-36

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. - Leviticus 10:1-2

And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, "Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today." And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor. - Joshua 7:24-26

And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. - 2 Samuel 6:5-7

One thing in common with all of these passages is sin. We might even get more specific and say that there is a common theme among these passages regarding God's holiness:

1. The Sabbath was to be kept Holy.

2.  Nadab and Abihu dishonored God's holiness by offering strange fire 

3. Achan disobeyed God's command to stay away from the things devoted to destruction (thus profaning Israel's command to be holy and unlike the surrounding peoples)

4. Uzzah disregarded his own sinful hands by touching God's holy ark.

Truly, the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). The point of today's post is that we are not amazed enough at grace. When we read passages like the ones above we are a little shocked. You mean God kills people people!?

Absolutely. God's holy justice demands the punishment of sin. The above accounts shouldn't be amazing to us. What should be amazing to us is that we are breathing right now able to read this blog post! 

Is there anyone reading this who would be so bold as to say that you have never profaned God's holy name? Either by sins of commission (actively profaning his name in something you've said or done) or by sins of omission (failing to give God the glory due His holiness). If you're honest, you know you're guilty of both. 

And yet, here you are. Not stoned to death. Not consumed by fire. Not struck down. 

Why? 

One word: mercy. 

Mercy is not getting what you deserve. In what way can you say that you deserve God's sustaining your very existence today and withholding His justice from you for your crimes against Him? Again, if you're honest, there is nothing you have to offer a defense for your sin. It is by God's sheer mercy that you live this day. 

But beyond this, not only has God shown us mercy (not getting what we deserve), He also shows us grace in giving us what we don't deserve. 

If you're a Believer, not only has God shown you abundant mercy in not wiping you off the face of the earth, He has shown you grace in clothing you in the righteousness of His Son! 

Justice shouldn't amaze us. Justice should be expected. Justice is deserved. 

Ah, but grace! Grace ought to sweep us off our feet. Grace ought to overwhelm our souls so that we pour forth endless praises to God for His rescuing of undeserving blasphemers. 

I am the man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. I am Nadab and Abihu. I am Achan. I am Uzzah. Actually, I feel I am far worse. And yet, God has not struck me down! Instead, He struck down His own Son. God treated Jesus like all of the above, and more, so that I could be treated like Jesus. 

Has the grace of God overwhelmed you?

Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me!

God is free and sovereign in His dispensing of grace. He is not obligated to show grace to anyone. While He shows His mercy to all mankind in currently withholding final judgment, not all experience His saving grace. God could save every person, but He has chosen to show justice on many. 

Again, this should not amaze us. 

It should not amaze us that so many go to hell. It should amaze us that any go to heaven. 

Don't treat grace lightly today. Be amazed by it!

If you're not a Believer: Don't presume upon mercy today. Don't think God owes you life. Cry out to Jesus in faith. Seeing yourself as an undeserving sinner and in need God's amazing grace. 

Oh where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more! There is more grace in God than sin in you! Be overwhelmed by it! Be amazed! Run to Jesus.  

How to Prepare for the Lord’s Day

(another old post. From 2013 when I was an associate pastor in charge of discipleship and worship at FBC Oppelo)

Because of the glorious resurrection of Jesus on the “first day of the week”, early Christians began gathering corporately on Sundays (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2).  In the New Testament Sunday is referred to as the “Lord’s Day” and I’d like to take a few moments and explore how we can better prepare ourselves for the weekly corporate gathering of the local church.This post assumes a few things.  It assumes that you agree with the New Testament example and mandate to gather regularly with the local church to worship God.  It assumes that you understand the Christian “Lord’s Day” is not the exact same thing as the Old Testament Sabbath. Finally, it assumes that you understand that the Lord’s Day is something that is a priority for the Christian.

How can we better prepare our hearts for gathering together with God’s people to worship? I’d like to explain that by going over specifically how the folks at First Baptist Oppelo can prepare to worship together this Sunday, February 17th, 2013.  Hopefully you’ll find these suggestions practical for your own life.

First, it will helpful to look at this Sunday’s Bulletin: February 17th, 2013 Bulletin

Know the Songs:

You’ll notice we have listed the songs we are singing Sunday.  Have you considred looking up those songs, reading over them, reflecting on their meaning and purpose?  Perhaps you could even sing them together as a family sometime before Sunday.  The lyrics to each of these songs can be found here:

• Are You Washed in the Blood?
• Fairest Lord Jesus
• The Gospel Song

Knowing the songs before Sunday will help you to sing well and worship well understanding what the song is about and knowing what the words are conveying.  Perhaps you can’t access your church’s bulletin online.  You could try talking to your church’s worship leader and see if you could get a copy of the songs for Sunday early.  Make this easy on him! Maybe you could meet him somewhere every Thursday afternoon, etc.

Pray for your music and worship leader:

Maybe you can’t get access to the songs that will be sang Sunday. Maybe the worship leader doesn’t even know what the songs are going to be until Sunday morning!  Well, you can still pray for your church’s singing.  Spend some time meditating over Colossians 3:16 to see the important role singing plays in your church.  Take some time during the week to pray for the congregational singing. Pray that the people would sing to worship the One True God and not worship a particular style of music.  Pray also for your worship leader. Pray that he would lead the people to worship together in spirit and truth.  Pray that he would pick out songs that are God and Gospel-Centered (see here for more).

Meditate on the sermon text:

This may be harder for some depending on your pastor’s preaching habits. Our pastor does not necessarily publish what his next text will be but going through the book of Colossians our people know he finished with Col. 1:29 last Sunday and that he will pick up with Colossians 2:1-? this week.  If you attend Oppelo, then you know that you can begin digging into Colossians 2.  You can begin meditating on God’s truth revealed in this chapter.  This will prepare your heart to get the most out of Sunday’s message. If you don’t know what your Pastor’s text will be for the coming Sunday, you could ask him.  Pray through the text and pray that the people’s hearts will be saturated with the Word of God. Pray that the Holy Spirit would do His work in His people’s lives, breaking them, encouraging them, sustaining them, pointing them to Christ, etc.  Pray for the lost that may be attending your church and that through this week’s passage God will reveal to them their great need for Christ and lead them to repent and believe the Gospel.

Pray for your pastor:

Your pastor needs your prayers! Not long ago Kevin Deyoung wrote a great post about this here. Pray that your pastor would have ample time to spend in prayer and preparation for the sermon.  Pray that your pastor would medidate on the passage he is prepearing to preach and that God would reveal the truth of the passage and your pastor’s need for it first before he thinks about preaching it to the people.  Pray that your pastor would be clear on the Gospel and point to Christ, no matter what section of Scripture he is preaching from.  Pray that your pastor would feel his great inadequacy for the task at hand but also that he would feel encouragment from the Holy Spirit that he is empowered by God Himslef to fulfill this task.

Your pastor may need encouragment from you to keep preaching the Gospel faithfully no matter the response from the people.  There may also be some tangible things you could do to help ensure your pastor has enough time to pray and prepare for Sunday’s sermon. Maybe you could print the bulletins this week? Make a visit for him? Take up some of the other duties that distract from preparation for Sunday?

Pray for yourself and your church family:

Make it a regular habit to be praying for your brothers and sisters. Pray they would be attentive to the word. Pray for your own heart that you would have ears to hear. Repent of any known sin. Perhaps there are things you need to reconcile with someone else so you're not attending service with that awkward tension of trying to avoid someone. Pray that you would be an encourager to others at your Sunday gathering. Pray for the presence of God's Spirit among you. 

Guard Saturday Night:

Don’t stay out late on Saturday night.  Inevitably this may happen from time to time but don’t make it a habit.  Being well rested to gather with God’s people is important.  How many times have you woke up late on a Sunday morning only to fight with your spouse, or kids, rushed hurridly off to church, only to feel tired and irritable the whole morning.  God is not honored in that.  We should desire gathering with God’s people (more here)! So, plan late outings for Friday, or a different night of the week.

Wake up early Sunday:

I’m not saying you have to wake up at 5am or anything.  I’m just saying wake up early enough that you have time to pray, read the Word, and prepare yourself for Sunday morning. This may just mean setting the alarm an extra 30 minutes early.  If we wake up on Sunday at the last possible second and then rush around to get ready, are we really ready once we enter the place of worship to meet with God?

Schedule your week around the Lord’s Day not the Lord’s Day around your week:

Don’t leave stuff undone for Sunday.  Clean, mow, wash the car, etc. on other days of the week instead of putting them off until Sunday.  Your mind won’t be so anxious to rush out the door Sunday morning if you’ve prepared well throughout the week, setting aside Sunday for the priority of corporate worship.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:24-25