| — | A nobody |
love is not lost
Posts tagged with "Sovereignty"
I want to begin by stating that it is very rare that I ever share a sermon on my blog, twitter account, or Facebook. But I found it pertinent that I share this sermon with you. As most of the things I post are strictly focused on challenging Christians to think, point the believer back to the cross, Jesus, and the Bible itself, or simply stupid things from my life.
I find it sad that our postmodern, American christianity has more people excited for conferences and events, than for intimacy with God himself. Now I don’t know the hearts of man, but when social media is trending #CodeOrangeRevival and #ElephantRoom but never #Jesus or #Gospel we should begin to wonder. I am not against events, I am challenging us leaders who host events to be utterly clear to our followers to not base their faith around great events but around Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
I have seen many believers who simply have a ‘church’ focused relationship with God. Where hearing sermons, serving, and tithing are their means of relationship with God. All of those things are good, but God himself is meant to be our center of relationship with him.
Whenever someone preaches a message that puts God in the center and man functioning as responders to his great work and glory, than it is a gospel message. Beware of teachers that preach messages that demand the work be placed on your shoulders, and the building of the church in your hands.
Matthew 16:13–18 (ESV) | Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Psalm 127:1–2 (ESV)
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
See it was GOD that gave the revelation of Jesus to Peter, and upon the revelation of Jesus, Christ will build his church. Not a building, religion, or organization, but a people, the people of God. God gives us rest, because the work is on him, his yoke is easy and his burden is light. God does the heavy lifting for us.
The teaching Chandler gives in this message is central to Christian doctrine. That God is the center of the universe, not us. That Jesus is the hero of the Bible, not us. That redemption, sanctification, and salvation happen by the work of Christ and his Spirit, not us.
Understand this, let it shape your theology, scripture reading and worship of our great God…
Acts 17:24–28 (ESV)
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’…
It is in him we find life, not in us.
Matt Chandler - God is for God
I am currently doing a flyover study of Romans. You may have noticed since I blogged yesterday on loveisnotlost.org about Romans 12 and “renewing the mind”. I simply have felt impressed to share my inner commentary today as I went a little further on in Romans…
Romans 9:17–24 (NLT) 17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”* 18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.
19 Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”
20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? 22 In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. 23 He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. 24 And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.
Now we can see Paul speaking of Jews in Chapter 10…
Romans 10:2–4 (NLT) 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.
These phrases and literary structure in Romans have me thinking, “God has appointed, God chooses, Whom he selected, God’s way of making people right…” As I continue my now third year of reading through the scriptures, the evidence is inconclusive, God is a sovereign being. He is Emmanuel, God with us, not far from us, but intimately detailing this life he’s given us. He is running this show, telling us his story, and inviting us, choosing us to be with him.
