June 28, 2009
Pastor Sean Harris
Colossians 1:19-22
For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Please notice verse 19, for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. Once again we are reminded of the significance of the Deity of Christ. Paul wants to bring this to our attention one more time. The church of Colosse needs to be reminded that Christ, the body of Christ, the Man Christ Jesus has every ounce of Deity within Him. He is the walking, talking, breathing, living God. Why is this so important? Why must we put such emphasis on this? Salvation is in Him and Him alone, and you can’t make up your own “Him.” You cannot decide what attributes you would like Him to have. The Word of God has already made that clear. You can’t pick and choose your Jesus. Your Jesus has every ounce of Godhead in Him.
Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Every ounce of the Godhead, everything that God the Father had, God the Son had—all of it. Paul is communicating that Jesus is completely God. Everything that God is, Jesus is. God is more than Jesus. God includes the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Jesus is only one aspect of God, but He is every bit God. You might be called upon to give an answer at any time, and when you are supposed to give an answer, you want to know how to give the right answer. How pitiful it is for you to say “let me get my preacher”. Every single Christian is called to be able to explain the Person and Work of Christ. Everyone should be able to do that. What a pitiful thing it is if the preaching ministry of the church doesn’t develop God’s people to be able to defend their faith. This is not a social gathering. This is a time of instruction. This is a time of development. This is a time of discipleship. Again and again, I am going to say this: You shouldn’t have to come out to a private class on a Monday night to grow in Christ. You ought to be able to grow in Christ through the preaching and teaching of His Word in Sunday school, Adult Bible Fellowship, Men’s Ministry, and other ministries. Everything that we do ought to be teaching you and encouraging you to grow in Christ. You say that the Father is God, but the Father is not the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is not the Son. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father. But they are all God. You say I don’t understand that. Me neither. That is our premise. We just take the Word of God at face value. We just believe that all sixty-six books are divinely inspired and have been preserved by God for our edification. And we are not here to do anything other than present the truth.
1Timothy 2:5. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
There is only one mediator. The Godhead determined that the man Jesus, who would reconcile the world to God, would be God, sharing all the properties, characteristics, and prerogatives of God Himself. Of course, the movement of incarnation was that God took flesh, not a human became divine (New American Commentary). This is so important for you to understand. A church member sent me an email this week about how she was confronted by a Jehovah Witness and how she needed to be able to articulate her faith. I am telling you right now it is pitiful when a Jehovah Witness comes and knocks on your door, and you find yourself nervous and shaking in your boots and wishing you didn’t have to defend your faith. Something is wrong there. When a Mormon or a cultist knocks on your door, you ought to be able to say “Let me tell you something right now. I believe that Jesus is God and that He is the Son of God.” Just get to the heart of the matter right away. Cut them right off! It is pitiful that they are more articulate than we are. Those who have the truth are less articulate than those who are deceived. Something is significantly wrong there.
Colossians 1:20 And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Peace. That means we were at war. You don’t go to having peace without having war. Everyone understands that. There was a war. God hates sin. There is a war against sin. There is a war against the unbeliever. There is a war against children of disobedience. We are going to talk about the wrath of God. He made peace through the blood that was shed on the cross. The consequence of disobedience is enmity or hostility between God and man. Last week, we had the privilege of dedicating a baby. There are many cute babies, but the reality is outside of Christ Jesus there is an enmity between that little innocent baby, from our perception, and a holy and righteous God. And that is why the ministry of reconciliation, the goal of the Gospel is to get that baby reconciled to God. If we are not committed to that, we might as well just be a club. You know we do some good deeds, we hang out a little bit, we fellowship a little bit, play softball, and have a cute little club. That is not why we are here.
Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Let me tell you something, if you start a Gospel presentation out by letting that sinner know that they are an enemy of God, they might feel more of a need to repent. That is too confrontational, Pastor. Which is more confrontational—tell them the truth or let them die and go to Hell? Which is more loving? You see, if I understand that I am an enemy of God, there is a necessity to figure out that problem. I have got to figure out if I’m an enemy of God. I don’t like that idea; how do I fix that? That is when the soul winner can tell them about the Gospel. But if they don’t understand that their sin separates them from God, God hates that sin, and His wrath abides on that sin, then you are in no position to tell them about the awesome love of God. Verse 20 says that by him to reconcile… Reconcile is this incredible, awesome word that describes the restoration of a friendship. We love the idea of being reconciled. Husbands and wives, when you get into a little tiff, isn’t it awesome to be reconciled? When someone takes the spiritual leadership (and it should be the father, it should be the husband, but sometimes we are too weak to do that, so the wife steps up) and begins to iron through the difficulty and you get honest and transparent one with another, there is a little bit of repentance that goes on inside of that marriage. Then all of a sudden, the joy and love that was there prior to this alienation is now brought back together. That is reconciliation. And reconciliation is awesome in a marriage. Now, you think about two sinners being reconciled, how much more awesome is it to be reconciled to the God of the Universe, the Holy, Sovereign, Perfect God of the Universe. This message of reconciliation is awesome.
So what are the reasons unbelievers don’t think very much of Christ’s work of reconciliation? Why is it that the co-workers, neighbors, students at your college, and people that you associate with that are lost, don’t get excited about the reconciliation of God? Why isn’t that important to them? There are three reasons. Let’s look at them.
Number One: They honestly do not believe that there is a God. They have been duped into believing that evolution is a fact; they were once a blob or they came from a monkey, and there is nothing after death. So they live life with all they can for a few years, and they believe a lie that they are going to decompose in a pine box and that is it. And they love that lie because they love their immorality, and if you love your immorality, you don’t want any accountability. That is the fact.
Number Two: They don’t know that sin has alienated man from God. They believe that they are morally good people, and that as a general rule, God loves me. How in the world wouldn’t God love me? I help my neighbor, and I am a good person. And really, please don’t tell me that God doesn’t love me. You really don’t know me. Don’t judge. That is the world we are living in right now. That is the culture in which you are called to minister. We cannot go back to “Leave it to Beaver.” Those days are over with; we are not going back. We live in a post-modern world in which absolute truths are completely denied, and if we want to get outside of our bubble and start reaching people with the Gospel, we have got to know the people that we are going to encounter. When you engage these people, recognize that they don’t see themselves as alienated from God. They think only Hitler and a few other men like that are alienated from God. For the most part, they can justify their sin. That is exactly what South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford thought when he brought to our attention what happened with David. That was all justification. That is exactly what it was. If it was good enough for David, it was good enough for me. Don’t throw me out of office. God didn’t throw David out of office, so don’t throw me out. That is exactly what he was saying. By the way, he was a Republican so I am an equal opportunity preacher when it comes to that. It doesn’t matter whether you are Republican or a Democrat; you are both going to get it.
Number Three: Misperception. They can’t imagine that God sees them as an enemy; they underestimate God’s wrath. The entire world is in love with the love of God, and we should be in love with the love of God. But what makes the love of God so awesome? It’s the understanding that God is a vengeful, wrathful God Who sets that aside in His mercy and grace. That is what makes it so awesome. If there is no concern for punishment, mercy isn’t that big of a deal. There is no concern. But when all of a sudden, life is on the line and the consequences are over the top and you get mercy, then mercy is a big deal. All you have to do is think about your own life, either as a child or as a parent. When you see Dad explode over something and He sends you to your room, you know the consequences are going to be over the top. You know that you are going to get it. And then when Mom and Dad say I love you. That love is awesome, and that love is magnified. Because you understood that you deserved the punishment. You understood that you were dead to rights. You should have gotten the ticket. You know what I mean. There isn’t anyone that hasn’t sped. You’re driving down the road going way too fast; you know you are guilty there is no way around it. The speed limit is clearly posted. You looked at your speedometer a few minutes earlier. You know you were taking a chance. And you get pulled over. When you know that you are caught dead to rights, and you deserve the ticket but get some mercy, isn’t that mercy awesome?
In the Gospel presentation, you must first address the wrath of God against sinners. You are dead to rights. You deserve the wrath of God. You have to look at the wrath of God (John 3:36, Romans 1:18, Eph. 5:6, Col. 3:6).
Colossians 3:6 for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.
If they don’t see themselves as a child of disobedience, the Gospel is meaningless to them. If they do not see themselves as alienated and an enemy of God, you don’t have good news for them. And so we have got to establish that first and foremost. Secondly, we need to show that outside of God, there are some irreconcilable differences. We have got to show them that there isn’t a Plan B or Plan C. There’s no way they can be morally pure enough. All have fallen short of the glory of God. All are sinners. I am a sinner. I am the chief of sinners. I lead the way in sinning. And then the mercy of God is magnified. Let me give you a word of caution, please. Do not attempt to defend the love of God by denying the wrath of God. Do not do that. When someone says to you, I do not understand how God can be a loving God and a wrathful God, don’t deny the wrath of God. Don’t try to minimize the wrath of God to magnify the love of God because you are doing just the opposite. When you communicate how holy God is, how just God is, how perfect God is, then that helps you to better understand His mercy and grace. Recognize that God’s wrath toward sinners magnifies His love, mercy, and grace when He extends reconciliation to sinners. Recognize that according to verse 21, before being born again, we were in fact alienated from Christ. Yes, even you. You were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works.
I want to pause for just a minute. I want you to think about the parable of the two sons. One son stays home. He is the good son; he doesn’t go out and spend all of the inheritance. The other guy goes out and lives it up. He gets way down in the pig pen of life and asks to be brought back. Now which son more clearly understood the love of the Father? It was the one who thought he wasn’t going to be reconciled, the one who thought that he was going to have to live in the pigpen. He couldn’t get over the fact that his father still loved him. Now don’t misunderstand. I am not encouraging you to run out there and sin. That is not what I am saying. I am saying let’s make sure that we clearly understand how much our sins offend the Holy and Righteous God. Let’s not bring God down to our level. Let’s not try to get God to understand us so He can justify us and wink at our sin. Let’s recognize that ungratefulness is a sin. Let’s recognize that a failure to be content is a sin. Let’s recognize that a failure to recognize God’s goodness is a sin. Let’s recognize that we still have a problem with sin. Self-righteousness kills the church. That is why Christ went after self-righteousness. Look at your Gospels and you see Him going after self-righteousness with a passion. Who gets called vipers? Who gets called snakes? The self-righteous do; the hypocrites do. It is those that recognize that they have a need for a Savior that embrace Christ. So that is our first step. The issue is with man, and most importantly the issue is in the mind. So let’s talk about this—enemies in your mind.
1. It all begins in the mind. You need to be concerned about your thought life. You need to be concerned about your attitude. It starts in your mind.
2. Sinners engage in evil deeds because they are hostile in their minds. That is why I need a new mind. I need a new heart. I need the stony heart removed, and I need fresh flesh put in. I need God to do an work on my whole body. That is exactly what Paul was talking about when he said he couldn’t wait to be delivered of this flesh.
3. Faulty thinking leads to faulty behavior. It starts in the mind. Counselors, this is so important for you to remember when you are dealing with someone. You have to address thinking in the campers. Get into their minds. It is easy to get them to conform to a known set of works. We have to get deeper than that. We have to get into their minds. What were you thinking? It is easy to tell Christians to dress this way, look this way, and walk this way; that is easy. Everyone can conform to a known set of standards. You have to peel that back and get inside the thinking process.
4. Every single thought needs to be taken captive to obey Christ. So let’s be really pointed one more time. Eight years ago: that is when the thought needed to be taken captive for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. That is when he should have grabbed that very first immoral thought and said, “This thought will be taken captive right now. This thought is not okay. This thought is immoral. This thought is sinful. This thought must not go on.” Husbands, do you want to protect your marriages? I want to protect my marriage. I want to go the distance. Then keep a hold of your thought life. Do not allow your thought life to get out of control. When your thought life gets out of control, your behavior gets out of control. Everyone believes somehow that they are strong enough to have a thought life which is immoral but behavior which is moral. It never works that way. This governor attributes the entire affair to the first email. That is one of the problems of the 21st century. We are texting things and typing things that we would never ever say in person. Young people, do not allow yourself to type something or text something that you would not say in person. Do not allow yourself to go down that road because there is no end to it. Your morality is at stake. Eight years ago the affair began in a simple little email. And it started in his mind. Men, our relationship with ladies should be above reproach. Ladies, I know from a pastoral perspective sometimes you think that I am exceptionally short with my emails to you. I am going to tell you right now. That is an intentional decision on my behalf. I don’t ask you how your day went. I don’t ask you how you are doing because I am not to have that kind of relationship with you. Your husband is to have that kind of relationship with you. If I am responding to a lady in an email, they are going to get “just the facts, Ma’am”. I am not going to go any deeper, because I don’t want an email relationship with you. It is the reality. Who does Satan go after? He goes after leaders. He goes after Senior Pastors. Sure, you can email me and I will answer your question, but I should never type something that I am not more than willing to cc my wife on. Here, Sweetheart, read this email. There is something seriously wrong in your marriage if you have a private email account to which your wife does not have access. I know there are some guys that have to have some separate things like that because of the military. I’m not talking about National Security; I am talking about personal accounts. You have your work email and you have your little personal hotmail that no one knows about. There is something wrong that. Take that into captivity right now, Men.
Matthew 12:34-35 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
So the question is “How did the God-man Christ Jesus reconcile man to God? What did Christ do to reconcile you to God?” The Scripture is very clear on that. Look at Colossians 1:20 and 22. He tells us two key elements. Number 1, He shed His blood. The Bible makes it very clear that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Every single lamb, goat, pigeon, and every single thing in the Old Testament that was shed blood was all picturing the Perfect Lamb of God Who would shed innocent blood. And Number 2, He died on that cross. Paul delivers a parallel dissertation on reconciliation to us. We will move through these Scriptures, and then we will wrap it up.
2 Corinthians 5:11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
That is the issue right now. There is no fear of God in our country. The fear of God is gone. We are not concerned with our immorality. How in the world do you carry on an affair for eight long years and call yourself a Christian? Something is wrong there. Where is the fear of God? Where is the fear of God’s judgment on my life, on my ministry, on my office, and on my state? Where is the fear of God? It is gone in America. That is why there is such a need for pulpits that preach the Word of God, the Truth. I am not mad. I know sometimes it looks like I am mad, but I am honestly not angry. I am passionate about this Truth. I don’t know how to tell you with a million dollar smile on my face to guard your marriage. I can’t do that. Because when we are talking about adultery, when we are talking about destroying families, I feel like that needs a wake up message! I don’t know how to do it any other way. When Paul says, “We have fear of God” he is concerned that some day he is going to stand before a holy and righteous God and account for his life. Yes, his sins are forgiven. That is a true statement. But he still knows that he is going to account for his life, the choices he made, the priorities he had, and the sacrifices he made. He is going to account for that and so he says, we persuade men.
So let me just talk to the Anchorage counselors for a minute. When Monday afternoon comes and those campers come piling off the bus, that is your objective. You are there to persuade men and women. That is it. You are not there to entertain them. You are there to persuade them of the Truth. You want to passionately persuade them of the Truth. That is the goal. If I didn’t think that you were committed to that, I wouldn’t support your ministry. I wouldn’t love you guys the way I do. I am crazy about the Anchorage. I am crazy about the entire ministry because I believe that for 12 weeks during the summer, you are committed to persuading men and women, boys and girls of the Truth that Jesus Christ is Lord. And Berean Baptist Church is not going to partner with any one that isn’t committed to that.
2 Corinthians 5:14. For the love of Christ constraineth [controls] us; because we thus judge [conclude], that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
So you don’t live for yourself any more. You don’t live for your children. You don’t live for your wife. You live for Him and Him alone. You don’t live for the United States Army. You don’t live for the corporate dollar. You don’t live for the state. You live for Him and Him alone. He alone constrains you. He controls you. Every decision you make is based on what would the Lord have me do? You are not concerned with what you want to do in life. You are concerned with what He has for you to do. Not what college do I want to go to, but where does the Lord want me to go to college? Not what occupation do I want, but what occupation does He want me to have? Not what wife do I want to marry, but what wife does He want me to marry? Not who I want to date, but who does the Lord want me to date? God, please get a hold of every aspect of my life. Will that change you? Yes, it radically changed Paul. The Gospel is supposed to impact my current life so that I no longer live for myself. I live for Him Who died and reconciled me.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given unto us the ministry of reconciliation.
Us: not the preacher, not the deacons, not the Sunday school teachers. Us, all of us, the entire body of Christ; we all have a ministry of reconciliation. The entire church has a ministry of reconciliation. Not only those who have the spiritual gift of evangelism. No, that is not what Paul said. Paul said every one has a ministry of reconciliation. In verse 19, notice that not only do we have a ministry of reconciliation, we have a word of reconciliation. Our message is one of reconciliation. Verse 20 says, we go forward with the message of be ye reconciled to God. Be restored. Our message is not to pray this prayer to avoid Hell. Our message is not an intellectual ascent to the existence of Christ. Our message is not bring your sins up to this bar and exchange it for a suit of asbestos. Our message is not a “health and wealth” Gospel. Maybe you don’t understand what I mean, so let me give you a similar illustration. What would you do about a guy who said, “Do you know what? I don’t want to be by myself when I’m old and gray, so I am going to go find me a wife? I’m tired of doing my own laundry and I would really like for someone to cook for me so I am going to go find me a wife.” What would you think about that? You would say that is ridiculous. That is not why you get married. You get married because you love someone and you adore them and you want to spend the rest of your life with them. Well, that is the Gospel message. The Gospel message is “it’s time to stop adoring yourself and start adoring the Creator God of the Universe.” The Gospel message is “now it’s time to start serving God and God alone.” We don’t come from a message to get out of Hell and go back to your own life living it any way you want. That is not our message. Our message is that it’s time to be reconciled to God. You have been living for yourself long enough. It is time to restore your relationship with God. And so our message of reconciliation comes from Acts 20 and 21: It is a message of repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every single counselor has to talk about repentance. That is the true Gospel. That is the only Gospel. You cannot waver from that. That is the message that the Apostles gave, and we must continue to preach that message. God is not reconciling people unto Himself so that they don’t go to Hell. He is restoring them to a place of harmony and friendship with Himself so that they might glorify Him. He is restoring a people who are righteous and who are being made righteous by a sanctifying grace of God. That is why we are saved—to glorify His holy name. We do that through holy living. Let’s compare 2 Corinthians 2:21 to Colossians 1:22.
2 Corinthians 2:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Colossians 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Why is reconciliation so important? Why isn’t justification enough? Why does He redeem us? Why does He do all that for us? So that He can present us holy, unblameable and unreproveable in His sight: The message is that He delivered you to the light. The message is you were a sinner, and He took the righteousness of the Son and put it on your account. The message is that you were enslaved, and He bought you off the block. The message is you were way out there, and He set you apart. The message is you were alienated from God, and He took that enmity. He got it out of the way and said “Let’s get the friendship back in place”. He is literally moving us back to a pre-Fall day. He wants to walk and talk with you in the cool of the Garden. He wants to have an intimate, personal, close relationship with you. He wants you to get up in the morning and start your devotion time saying “God, I just want to be close to You.” And He says, Not only have I justified you, not only have I redeemed you, not only have I delivered you out of darkness, but I have reconciled the harmony that is supposed to be there so that we can have a friendship. This is what you have going on. You have the judge of the county forgiving your debt and inviting you over to his house for a barbeque. And you say, Man, you are the judge that just forgave my sins. He says “yeah, not only am I going to forgive them, but come on over. Let’s grill some burgers together. Let’s sit by the patio and enjoy some fellowship together.” And God says “let’s get close and personal. I want you to know me. I don’t want you to be way out there in the distance. No, I am going to come in with you, sup with you, and be with you. I am going to fill you with my Spirit so that you can have a close and intimate relationship with the God of the Universe.” Now do you understand why it’s important to preach a ministry of reconciliation? Can you see how awesome that is?
So let’s wrap it up with what the application to God’s people in the 21st century is. We go with the message of reconciliation. No one has a message of reconciliation like we do. No one talks about the intimacy that the Word of God communicates. No one talks about being filled with the Spirit of God and having a close and personal relationship with the Creator God of the Universe. No one talks about that. Christianity is alone in that teaching. Christianity is alone in communicating that you can have a personal relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe. Let’s take it really personal. How in the world could any of us not be reconciled one to another? How can it be that I enjoy reconciliation with God the Father, and you enjoy reconciliation with God the Father, but you and I can’t? How can that be? You are a new creature in Christ. I am a new creature in Christ. I have been reconciled. You have been reconciled. How in the world can you and I hold any animosity toward each other insomuch as we love the reconciliation that God the Father has done for us through Christ? Counselors, are you getting it? The children and the teenagers that you engage with need to be reconciled to someone. I promise you. If they are hurting, if they are distraught, if they are in rebellion, if they are having difficulties, there is someone to whom they need to be reconciled. Often it is going to be a mother or a father or the authority figure in their life. So once you get this reconciliation done, you have to start working that lateral reconciliation. Who do you need to forgive? Let’s make it really personal. How could a husband who loves Jesus and a wife who loves Jesus have irreconcilable differences between them? It should never happen. How in the world would a marriage end up in divorce if the father has been reconciled and the mother has been reconciled? How can that happen when they enjoy the reconciliation that the Father has provided? That should never ever happen in the body of Christ. And when two Christians are refusing to be reconciled, when two counselors are refusing to be reconciled, when two students are refusing to be reconciled, that is sin. Sin which must be confronted and dealt with through what: the power of the Gospel. The same Gospel that saves a soul from Hell is the same Gospel that has the power to reconcile two individuals who believe they have irreconcilable differences.
AN EXAMINATION OF CURRICULAR SOURCES
THESIS
In Dr. Michael R. Mitchell’s short article entitled “Sources and Forms of a Message,” he presents four sources a person could draw from to create a track for discipleship. First, Mitchell speaks of “tradition” which would equate to the Word of God for a community of Christians. Second, the teacher must draw from observing the person’s life. Third, he or she must draw from their own personal experience with the Lord; and, fourth, they must seek direct help from the Holy Spirit. The purpose of this paper is to provide instruction on how a disciple-maker must carefully draw from these four sources as they lay out a curriculum for discipleship and to justify a church’s careful use of published curricular resources.
THE WORD OF GOD
The primary source for all discipleship material must be the Word of God with specific emphasis upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Bible is a very large book; it is not practical to direct the convert just to the Bible. He or she needs to study, above all else, the life and teaching ministry of Christ as revealed in the gospels, Acts, and the apostolic epistles to the early church. Acts 2:42 provides the standard—the apostle’s teaching. The disciple-maker must follow Paul’s example and begin with a commitment to initially impart nothing above or beyond “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2: 2). Without an understanding of the person of Christ as both God and Man, the believer cannot fully appreciate the power of God available to him through the gospel. Without an understanding of the three messianic offices—prophet (teacher), priest (Savior), and King (Lord)— which Christ came to fulfill, the new convert will not know the depth to which his relationship with Christ can grow through the knowledge of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:17; 2 Pet. 1:8, 3:18). If one does not understand that Christ came as the final revelation of God—one may continue to chase after other prophets, visions, or additional revelations. If the new covert does not understand Christ’s high priestly work of mediation and advocating, he may be overcome with depression or despair at his inability to gain the victory over sin. Or if he does not understand Christ is Lord, he may be too quick to ignore Christ’s prophetic work in his life.
OBSERVATION
Second, the more the disciple-maker knows of his convert’s past and current struggles, the more he will be able to customize the discipleship program to meet the present day needs of the convert. Paul modeled this idea by writing thirteen different letters to speak to the needs of his converts and the churches he was overseeing in a unique and special way. The manner in which one would disciple a convert from Catholicism and Mormonism should not be identical. Each of these converts would bring with them a variety of “raw ‘stuff’ that [needs] to be refined and cultured.” The more the disciple-maker is able to observe of the new convert, the greater the potential effectiveness of the discipleship process.
PARTICIPATION
Third, the disciple-maker brings with himself some amount of life experience to share with the pupil. These life experiences are unique to the teacher and provide illustrations and supplementary information to enhance the learning experience. The teacher will be able to recall previous ways truth was opened up to them and replicate that for others. In 2 Peter 1:18, Peter’s eyewitness account of God revealing the power of His Son in a unique way led him to powerfully communicate that they had not followed “cunningly devised stories” (2 Peter 1:20-21). An example of how God answered the prayers of the disciple-maker may boost the recipient’s confidence and understanding of prayer. Or, an example of the struggle a disciple-maker went through in following the Lord in believer’s baptism may serve as an encouragement to get baptized.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Finally, the fourth source of direction for discipleship materials and curriculum must be the Holy Spirit (in a guarded way). In so much as the canon is closed, the disciple-maker does not look to the Spirit’s role in discipleship in the same way Peter, Paul, or holy men of old were “moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Instead of inspiration, the disciple-maker needs illumination and wisdom. Illumination “is not a giving of new revelation, but a work within us that enables us to grasp and to love the revelation that is there before us in the biblical text as heard and read.” Every convert is different one from another. Therefore, illumination and wisdom are needed to make the most of a curriculum or passage of Scripture in the life of the convert.
PUBLISHED CURRICULAR RESOURCES
For nearly all believers, the idea of discipling another convert is such an overwhelmingly daunting undertaking that the vast majority of Christians never attempt such a task. Questions like: where to begin, what to cover, which Scriptures to use and other good questions can all be answered through a published curriculum. However, extreme caution must be exercised when using published curricular resources for several reasons: First, the curriculum cannot be a replacement for the Word of God. The young convert must be reading his or her own Bible—the goal of all discipleship is to get the student able to hear from God through His Word (that is Prophet, Jesus). Second, the curriculum cannot be a replacement for the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Again, the objective of discipleship is to get the convert to hear from God-the Holy Spirit through His Word. He or she must grow in their faith, and the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to create faith in the life of the believer (Ro. 10). Moreover, it is impossible to create enough different resources to account for all the different types of converts coming to Christianity; therefore, the curriculum cannot be a substitute for the teacher who individually intercedes for wisdom to disciple this unique convert into the local body of Christ and the Word of God with all the life experience he brings with him Finally, the curriculum must be centered on Christ, His gospel and His Word as the absolute truth for mankind. Anything less is unacceptable.
In Dr. Michael R. Mitchell’s short article entitled “Sources and Forms of a Message,” he presents four sources a person could draw from to create a track for discipleship. First, Mitchell speaks of “tradition” which would equate to the Word of God for a community of Christians. Second, the teacher must draw from observing the person’s life. Third, he or she must draw from their own personal experience with the Lord; and, fourth, they must seek direct help from the Holy Spirit. The purpose of this paper is to provide instruction on how a disciple-maker must carefully draw from these four sources as they lay out a curriculum for discipleship and to justify a church’s careful use of published curricular resources.
THE WORD OF GOD
The primary source for all discipleship material must be the Word of God with specific emphasis upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Bible is a very large book; it is not practical to direct the convert just to the Bible. He or she needs to study, above all else, the life and teaching ministry of Christ as revealed in the gospels, Acts, and the apostolic epistles to the early church. Acts 2:42 provides the standard—the apostle’s teaching. The disciple-maker must follow Paul’s example and begin with a commitment to initially impart nothing above or beyond “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2: 2). Without an understanding of the person of Christ as both God and Man, the believer cannot fully appreciate the power of God available to him through the gospel. Without an understanding of the three messianic offices—prophet (teacher), priest (Savior), and King (Lord)— which Christ came to fulfill, the new convert will not know the depth to which his relationship with Christ can grow through the knowledge of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:17; 2 Pet. 1:8, 3:18). If one does not understand that Christ came as the final revelation of God—one may continue to chase after other prophets, visions, or additional revelations. If the new covert does not understand Christ’s high priestly work of mediation and advocating, he may be overcome with depression or despair at his inability to gain the victory over sin. Or if he does not understand Christ is Lord, he may be too quick to ignore Christ’s prophetic work in his life.
OBSERVATION
Second, the more the disciple-maker knows of his convert’s past and current struggles, the more he will be able to customize the discipleship program to meet the present day needs of the convert. Paul modeled this idea by writing thirteen different letters to speak to the needs of his converts and the churches he was overseeing in a unique and special way. The manner in which one would disciple a convert from Catholicism and Mormonism should not be identical. Each of these converts would bring with them a variety of “raw ‘stuff’ that [needs] to be refined and cultured.” The more the disciple-maker is able to observe of the new convert, the greater the potential effectiveness of the discipleship process.
PARTICIPATION
Third, the disciple-maker brings with himself some amount of life experience to share with the pupil. These life experiences are unique to the teacher and provide illustrations and supplementary information to enhance the learning experience. The teacher will be able to recall previous ways truth was opened up to them and replicate that for others. In 2 Peter 1:18, Peter’s eyewitness account of God revealing the power of His Son in a unique way led him to powerfully communicate that they had not followed “cunningly devised stories” (2 Peter 1:20-21). An example of how God answered the prayers of the disciple-maker may boost the recipient’s confidence and understanding of prayer. Or, an example of the struggle a disciple-maker went through in following the Lord in believer’s baptism may serve as an encouragement to get baptized.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Finally, the fourth source of direction for discipleship materials and curriculum must be the Holy Spirit (in a guarded way). In so much as the canon is closed, the disciple-maker does not look to the Spirit’s role in discipleship in the same way Peter, Paul, or holy men of old were “moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Instead of inspiration, the disciple-maker needs illumination and wisdom. Illumination “is not a giving of new revelation, but a work within us that enables us to grasp and to love the revelation that is there before us in the biblical text as heard and read.” Every convert is different one from another. Therefore, illumination and wisdom are needed to make the most of a curriculum or passage of Scripture in the life of the convert.
PUBLISHED CURRICULAR RESOURCES
For nearly all believers, the idea of discipling another convert is such an overwhelmingly daunting undertaking that the vast majority of Christians never attempt such a task. Questions like: where to begin, what to cover, which Scriptures to use and other good questions can all be answered through a published curriculum. However, extreme caution must be exercised when using published curricular resources for several reasons: First, the curriculum cannot be a replacement for the Word of God. The young convert must be reading his or her own Bible—the goal of all discipleship is to get the student able to hear from God through His Word (that is Prophet, Jesus). Second, the curriculum cannot be a replacement for the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Again, the objective of discipleship is to get the convert to hear from God-the Holy Spirit through His Word. He or she must grow in their faith, and the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to create faith in the life of the believer (Ro. 10). Moreover, it is impossible to create enough different resources to account for all the different types of converts coming to Christianity; therefore, the curriculum cannot be a substitute for the teacher who individually intercedes for wisdom to disciple this unique convert into the local body of Christ and the Word of God with all the life experience he brings with him Finally, the curriculum must be centered on Christ, His gospel and His Word as the absolute truth for mankind. Anything less is unacceptable.
DEFINING DISCIPLESHIP
The absolute essence of the great commission given to the church by the Lord Jesus Christ just prior to His departure to be with the Father, is a charge to make disciples (Matthew 28.19). However, this great commission has been misunderstood my some as a dualistic responsibility. First, get lost people converted and baptized; second, get converts to become followers of Christ. Perhaps, part of this confusion between getting someone ‘saved’ and getting someone to follow Jesus is because of the confusion over what it means to be a disciple of Christ and the definition of discipleship. The purpose of this paper is to define what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Christ—a disciple—based on what is recorded in the New Testament.
SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
Discipleship begins with a male or female who has been born-again (John 3). One cannot be a follower of Christ if they have not acknowledged the person and work of Christ as the anointed One—the Messiah—sent from God the Father as the Son of God. One of the first disciples of Christ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, describes Jesus as the Messiah (John 1:41). Then Nathanael, another follower of Christ, describes Jesus as “the Teacher, who is the Son of God, who is the King of Israel” (John 1:49). Finally, in Matthew 16, Peter also describes Jesus as “the Christ the Son of the living God” once again reinforcing that discipleship begins with the proper perspective on the person and work of Christ. A disciple of Christ is one who believes that Jesus is both the Son of God and God incarnate and has placed his faith in the work of Christ as his only Prophet (teacher), Priest (savior) and King (Lord).
In Growing True Disciples, George Barna makes the point that discipleship begins with an understanding that one is saved “by grace alone.” Jesus told Peter that his understanding and belief that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the Living God was a gift from the Father (Matthew 16:17). Unlike the vast majority of surveyed Christians in The Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna, most followers of Christ do not articulate a saved by grace theology when asked about achieving a right standing with God. According to Barna, “less than two out of every five Casual [Christians] (38 percent) believe they will have eternal life because of their own confession of sins and acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Savior, their only hope of receiving God’s Grace.”
THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP
By God’s grace, repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the apostolic message that, when preached, creates faith unto conversion in the hearts and minds of sinner’s who become followers of Jesus (Acts 20:21, Eph 2:8-9). Jesus continually challenges His followers to take up the cross of Jesus and follow Him (Matthew 10:38, 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, 14.27). Faith in Him was not the end; it was the beginning of a journey. He did not establish a separate class of people known only as believers. Luke 14:27, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” is strong—if one is not presently following Jesus, he or she cannot be considered a disciple. Discipleship is the lifelong process of following Jesus as one’s only Prophet, Savior and King. Followers of Christ are those who are willing to suffer and face “persecution and death for Jesus’ sake;” this is what was meant by every reference to taking up a cross and following Jesus.
A disciple of Christ is one who puts a higher premium on his relationship with his Lord and Savior than his relationship with his father; mother, brother, sister, spouse or any other human being. Matthew 10:37 makes this point absolutely clear: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” With regard to this entire passage on discipleship (Matthew 10:32-39), John MacArthur writes in The Gospel According to Jesus, “our Lord gave no more definitive statement on discipleship than that. There He spells out in the clearest possible language the cost of discipleship.” One cannot separate the cost of following Jesus from the belief in Jesus if that belief is authentic faith. Again, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). The ESV Study Bible notes are exceptionally helpful in summarizing the requirements of discipleship. Thomas Schreiner writes, “Those who would be Christ's disciples must (1) love their family less than they love Christ (14:26); (2) bear the cross and follow Christ (v. 27); and (3) relinquish everything (v. 33).” These are complementary ways of describing complete commitment [to Jesus as Lord]. According to John MacArthur, Jesus often used “slavery as a symbol of discipleship.” For example, Jesus said in Matthew 10:24, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.” This is slavery in an atypical sense: A slave of Jesus is also a friend of Jesus when he or she obeys their master (John 15:14-15). It is a unique relationship created before the foundation of the world to honor and magnify the glory of God (Eph 1:4).
DEFINING DISCIPLESHIP
At the core of discipleship is a complete commitment to a combination of recognizing Jesus as the Christ in a personal way, and striving to live in a way that reflects a commitment to the truth that Jesus is Lord (1 John 5:1, Romans 10:9). Thus George Barna is absolutely right: disciples of Christ must “learn and understand the principles of the Christian life” and “obey God’s laws and Commands.” Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me” (John 10.27). They must represent Christ on this planet; they are salt and light (Mt. 5:13-14). Disciples of Christ “serve other people” and obey the great commission by reproducing “themselves in Christ.” Disciples of Christ have been and are being radically changed by the power of the gospel into the image of their Master by God’s sanctifying and enabling grace. Their repentant faith is exclusively in the finished work of Jesus as their only Prophet, Priest and King. They are not a separate class of believers but are, instead, true believers different from those who name the name of Jesus but will hear the fateful words “I never knew you” (Mt. 7:23). True believers are followers of Christ—they are those whom Jesus said “will enter the kingdom of Heaven” and whom He characterizes as one those did “the will of the Father” (Mt. 7:21).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barna, George. Growing True Disciples. Colorado Spring, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2001.
Barna, George. The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What they Believe and Why They Matter. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009.
Kaiser, W. C. Kaiser, Hard Sayings of the Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997.
MacArthur, John. The Gospel According to Jesus: What is Authentic Faith? Anniversary Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
Discipleship begins with a male or female who has been born-again (John 3). One cannot be a follower of Christ if they have not acknowledged the person and work of Christ as the anointed One—the Messiah—sent from God the Father as the Son of God. One of the first disciples of Christ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, describes Jesus as the Messiah (John 1:41). Then Nathanael, another follower of Christ, describes Jesus as “the Teacher, who is the Son of God, who is the King of Israel” (John 1:49). Finally, in Matthew 16, Peter also describes Jesus as “the Christ the Son of the living God” once again reinforcing that discipleship begins with the proper perspective on the person and work of Christ. A disciple of Christ is one who believes that Jesus is both the Son of God and God incarnate and has placed his faith in the work of Christ as his only Prophet (teacher), Priest (savior) and King (Lord).
In Growing True Disciples, George Barna makes the point that discipleship begins with an understanding that one is saved “by grace alone.” Jesus told Peter that his understanding and belief that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the Living God was a gift from the Father (Matthew 16:17). Unlike the vast majority of surveyed Christians in The Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna, most followers of Christ do not articulate a saved by grace theology when asked about achieving a right standing with God. According to Barna, “less than two out of every five Casual [Christians] (38 percent) believe they will have eternal life because of their own confession of sins and acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Savior, their only hope of receiving God’s Grace.”
THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP
By God’s grace, repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the apostolic message that, when preached, creates faith unto conversion in the hearts and minds of sinner’s who become followers of Jesus (Acts 20:21, Eph 2:8-9). Jesus continually challenges His followers to take up the cross of Jesus and follow Him (Matthew 10:38, 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, 14.27). Faith in Him was not the end; it was the beginning of a journey. He did not establish a separate class of people known only as believers. Luke 14:27, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” is strong—if one is not presently following Jesus, he or she cannot be considered a disciple. Discipleship is the lifelong process of following Jesus as one’s only Prophet, Savior and King. Followers of Christ are those who are willing to suffer and face “persecution and death for Jesus’ sake;” this is what was meant by every reference to taking up a cross and following Jesus.
A disciple of Christ is one who puts a higher premium on his relationship with his Lord and Savior than his relationship with his father; mother, brother, sister, spouse or any other human being. Matthew 10:37 makes this point absolutely clear: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” With regard to this entire passage on discipleship (Matthew 10:32-39), John MacArthur writes in The Gospel According to Jesus, “our Lord gave no more definitive statement on discipleship than that. There He spells out in the clearest possible language the cost of discipleship.” One cannot separate the cost of following Jesus from the belief in Jesus if that belief is authentic faith. Again, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). The ESV Study Bible notes are exceptionally helpful in summarizing the requirements of discipleship. Thomas Schreiner writes, “Those who would be Christ's disciples must (1) love their family less than they love Christ (14:26); (2) bear the cross and follow Christ (v. 27); and (3) relinquish everything (v. 33).” These are complementary ways of describing complete commitment [to Jesus as Lord]. According to John MacArthur, Jesus often used “slavery as a symbol of discipleship.” For example, Jesus said in Matthew 10:24, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.” This is slavery in an atypical sense: A slave of Jesus is also a friend of Jesus when he or she obeys their master (John 15:14-15). It is a unique relationship created before the foundation of the world to honor and magnify the glory of God (Eph 1:4).
DEFINING DISCIPLESHIP
At the core of discipleship is a complete commitment to a combination of recognizing Jesus as the Christ in a personal way, and striving to live in a way that reflects a commitment to the truth that Jesus is Lord (1 John 5:1, Romans 10:9). Thus George Barna is absolutely right: disciples of Christ must “learn and understand the principles of the Christian life” and “obey God’s laws and Commands.” Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me” (John 10.27). They must represent Christ on this planet; they are salt and light (Mt. 5:13-14). Disciples of Christ “serve other people” and obey the great commission by reproducing “themselves in Christ.” Disciples of Christ have been and are being radically changed by the power of the gospel into the image of their Master by God’s sanctifying and enabling grace. Their repentant faith is exclusively in the finished work of Jesus as their only Prophet, Priest and King. They are not a separate class of believers but are, instead, true believers different from those who name the name of Jesus but will hear the fateful words “I never knew you” (Mt. 7:23). True believers are followers of Christ—they are those whom Jesus said “will enter the kingdom of Heaven” and whom He characterizes as one those did “the will of the Father” (Mt. 7:21).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barna, George. Growing True Disciples. Colorado Spring, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2001.
Barna, George. The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What they Believe and Why They Matter. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009.
Kaiser, W. C. Kaiser, Hard Sayings of the Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997.
MacArthur, John. The Gospel According to Jesus: What is Authentic Faith? Anniversary Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.
Schreiner, Thomas. ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
The Preeminence of Christ
Col 1:15-18: This Scripture is considered by many scholars to be a hymn with either two or three stanzas. This may have been something that the early church would sing during their worship services. It is in fact possible that Paul was in a spirit of prayer and that he kind of moves to praise and worship of God as he recites this hymn. I would submit to you that there has not been a preacher or author alive that could do this passage its full justice. It is that awesome of a text.
Colossians 1:15-18
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Who? Jesus. Jesus is the image. He is in fact the icon, the Greek word for “image” there. Jesus is the visible representation of the invisible God. He is in fact God. II Corinthians 4:4 powerfully communicates that the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God.
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him.
Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;
And so we need to stop thinking about Jesus Christ as this kind of semi-hippy-feminine-kind-of-dude who walked around with flip flops and wore kind of a dress, and we need to start thinking at all times that Christ was and is God. That He is in fact the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and when we see Jesus, we see God. When we hear from Jesus, we hear from God. Three key doctrinal points need to be emphatically jumped on, insisted on, and declared upon.
Number One: The truth that Paul is presenting here is what divides Christianity from cults and false religions. This is the single dividing line; this is the line in the sand. And you say, Pastor, we’ve heard this before and you are right; you have heard it before and we will continue to declare it over and over again any time the text supports it. Why is it so important to do that? Because we are living in this post-modern world that tells us over and over that the Father doesn’t mind the Mormons and the Jehovah Witnesses. The Father is okay with the Muslims, and the Father is okay with the Buddhists, and the Father is okay with the Hindus. But that is not okay at all. In fact, the Word of God teaches just the opposite. The Father is not okay with His Son being ignored as the preeminent one. He is not okay with that! The reason that I need to emphasize this to you is that many of you have co-workers that are Mormon or Jehovah Witnesses, and what you find is that they are morally good people. They are the kind of people who will mow your grass when you are gone. They are the kind of people that will pick up your newspaper in the driveway for you. They are the kind of people that will watch over your house, and if you had a water break they would come running over and help you fix the problem. So in our minds, we think they are morally good people, and they must be fine with God. This is not what Paul teaches at all. This entire passage is dedicated to helping us understand this. We don’t stand in judgment, and we don’t declare ourselves better than them because we are most exceptionally thankful that the light of the Gospel has shined in our hearts and minds, and our prayer is that that same light will shine in their hearts. Our prayer is not that they die and go to Hell. Our prayer is that the god of this world will not have the victory, and that the light will come crashing through like a heat seeking missile and explode in their heart, and show them that Jesus is Lord.
Number Two: The central truth of the New Testament is that Jesus is Lord, that He is the express image of God. He is the walking, talking, breathing, living God. The God of man, born of a Virgin, living a sinless life, is in fact God.
Number Three: Jesus is the Son of God and provides the ultimate, perfect, and final revelation of who God is as God the Son. The commentary here is clear and pointed:
[Jesus] was the unique manifestation of both God and man, always embodying the best of both wherever he was. In choosing the word “image,” Paul stressed that God was present wherever Jesus was. He was the personal manifestation of deity
The New American Commentary, p. 215
So let’s look at the next part of verse 15 in your Bibles: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: I want you to underline this in your Bibles. I want you to note this so that you will not be surprised by it. I want to make sure that God’s people who come to Berean Baptist Church are well equipped to combat heresy. The heresy that was being taught 1,700-1,800 years ago is the same heresy that is being taught today. And that heretical doctrine is that Jesus is the first and ultimate in created beings. It was heresy 1800 years ago, and it is heresy today. The Scripture does not teach that Jesus was born. The Scripture does not teach that there was ever a time that the Father created the Son, and now the Son is the ultimate in created beings. That is not what is meant by this idea of “firstborn.” It’s exactly the opposite. It is this idea: In Psalm 89:27, David is referred to as firstborn. Although he was not the firstborn in any way, and yet from God’s perspective David was the firstborn king of all the kings of Israel. And what the Father is communicating and declaring about the Son as the firstborn is that He is the preeminent One. He is the One Who is going to get the Kingdom. He is going to get the Dynasty. He is the One Who is exalting Him into a position of preeminence here in this idea of firstborn. It is a term that describes how God sees David among all the kings of the earth and specifically within Israel’s history. The context of the Scripture does not allow Jesus to be a created being. So if someone says to you, the Bible says that Jesus is the firstborn, you need to be able to retort that. You need to be able to explain that it is a way of communicating His position as the preeminent One in the family.
Colossians 1:15-18
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Who? Jesus. Jesus is the image. He is in fact the icon, the Greek word for “image” there. Jesus is the visible representation of the invisible God. He is in fact God. II Corinthians 4:4 powerfully communicates that the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God.
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him.
Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;
And so we need to stop thinking about Jesus Christ as this kind of semi-hippy-feminine-kind-of-dude who walked around with flip flops and wore kind of a dress, and we need to start thinking at all times that Christ was and is God. That He is in fact the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and when we see Jesus, we see God. When we hear from Jesus, we hear from God. Three key doctrinal points need to be emphatically jumped on, insisted on, and declared upon.
Number One: The truth that Paul is presenting here is what divides Christianity from cults and false religions. This is the single dividing line; this is the line in the sand. And you say, Pastor, we’ve heard this before and you are right; you have heard it before and we will continue to declare it over and over again any time the text supports it. Why is it so important to do that? Because we are living in this post-modern world that tells us over and over that the Father doesn’t mind the Mormons and the Jehovah Witnesses. The Father is okay with the Muslims, and the Father is okay with the Buddhists, and the Father is okay with the Hindus. But that is not okay at all. In fact, the Word of God teaches just the opposite. The Father is not okay with His Son being ignored as the preeminent one. He is not okay with that! The reason that I need to emphasize this to you is that many of you have co-workers that are Mormon or Jehovah Witnesses, and what you find is that they are morally good people. They are the kind of people who will mow your grass when you are gone. They are the kind of people that will pick up your newspaper in the driveway for you. They are the kind of people that will watch over your house, and if you had a water break they would come running over and help you fix the problem. So in our minds, we think they are morally good people, and they must be fine with God. This is not what Paul teaches at all. This entire passage is dedicated to helping us understand this. We don’t stand in judgment, and we don’t declare ourselves better than them because we are most exceptionally thankful that the light of the Gospel has shined in our hearts and minds, and our prayer is that that same light will shine in their hearts. Our prayer is not that they die and go to Hell. Our prayer is that the god of this world will not have the victory, and that the light will come crashing through like a heat seeking missile and explode in their heart, and show them that Jesus is Lord.
Number Two: The central truth of the New Testament is that Jesus is Lord, that He is the express image of God. He is the walking, talking, breathing, living God. The God of man, born of a Virgin, living a sinless life, is in fact God.
Number Three: Jesus is the Son of God and provides the ultimate, perfect, and final revelation of who God is as God the Son. The commentary here is clear and pointed:
[Jesus] was the unique manifestation of both God and man, always embodying the best of both wherever he was. In choosing the word “image,” Paul stressed that God was present wherever Jesus was. He was the personal manifestation of deity
The New American Commentary, p. 215
So let’s look at the next part of verse 15 in your Bibles: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: I want you to underline this in your Bibles. I want you to note this so that you will not be surprised by it. I want to make sure that God’s people who come to Berean Baptist Church are well equipped to combat heresy. The heresy that was being taught 1,700-1,800 years ago is the same heresy that is being taught today. And that heretical doctrine is that Jesus is the first and ultimate in created beings. It was heresy 1800 years ago, and it is heresy today. The Scripture does not teach that Jesus was born. The Scripture does not teach that there was ever a time that the Father created the Son, and now the Son is the ultimate in created beings. That is not what is meant by this idea of “firstborn.” It’s exactly the opposite. It is this idea: In Psalm 89:27, David is referred to as firstborn. Although he was not the firstborn in any way, and yet from God’s perspective David was the firstborn king of all the kings of Israel. And what the Father is communicating and declaring about the Son as the firstborn is that He is the preeminent One. He is the One Who is going to get the Kingdom. He is going to get the Dynasty. He is the One Who is exalting Him into a position of preeminence here in this idea of firstborn. It is a term that describes how God sees David among all the kings of the earth and specifically within Israel’s history. The context of the Scripture does not allow Jesus to be a created being. So if someone says to you, the Bible says that Jesus is the firstborn, you need to be able to retort that. You need to be able to explain that it is a way of communicating His position as the preeminent One in the family.
Prophecy Conference Dr. Jimmy DeYoung
Dr. Jimmy DeYoung Prophecy Conference
Saturday, September 5th 2009
10am to 5pm
Where: Chapel
Berean Baptist Church
517 Glensford Drive
Fayetteville NC 28314
Lunch $5 per person
No childcare is provided
Live on the air radio Q & A broadcast 1pm to 2.30pm
Then Dr. DeYoung will preach/teach all day on Sunday @ Berean.
Google Jimmy DeYoung for more information about this man's ministry.
Saturday, September 5th 2009
10am to 5pm
Where: Chapel
Berean Baptist Church
517 Glensford Drive
Fayetteville NC 28314
Lunch $5 per person
No childcare is provided
Live on the air radio Q & A broadcast 1pm to 2.30pm
Then Dr. DeYoung will preach/teach all day on Sunday @ Berean.
Google Jimmy DeYoung for more information about this man's ministry.
2009-2010 Get Acquainted Days (GAD)
To everyone who prayed that God would do a work at Camp Anchorage during our Get Acquainted Days (GAD) THANK YOU.
May God the Holy Spirit be praised for His incredible work in the hearts of the students.I was overwhelmed and encouraged by the faith I saw.
I was thrilled to near tears as I saw future church leaders confess sin and ask for forgiveness in a public forum. They did what every few adults are willing to do or ever do. The details are not important but God set the conditions for a much better year through our GAD through the obedience of some very mature teenagers.
I was more assured than ever that there is a remnant of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in our school and church youth group.
It was amazing to see the bonding and relationship building and growing stronger. Join me in praying that God will continue to work in the school.
I now have a much better appreciation of how God can work in our mature young people.
May God the Holy Spirit be praised for His incredible work in the hearts of the students.I was overwhelmed and encouraged by the faith I saw.
I was thrilled to near tears as I saw future church leaders confess sin and ask for forgiveness in a public forum. They did what every few adults are willing to do or ever do. The details are not important but God set the conditions for a much better year through our GAD through the obedience of some very mature teenagers.
I was more assured than ever that there is a remnant of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in our school and church youth group.
It was amazing to see the bonding and relationship building and growing stronger. Join me in praying that God will continue to work in the school.
I now have a much better appreciation of how God can work in our mature young people.
People in Hell who had a Personal Relationship with Jesus
I have a question:
Have you ever considered the number of people who may NOT be in heaven who believe they have a “personal relationship with Jesus?”
The other day I heard an evangelist use that phrase over and over again. He repeatedly asked a room full of people if they knew that they had a “personal relationship with Jesus.”
And I thought that maybe that’s not the right phrase or question to use—there are a lot of people who believe they have a personal relationship with Jesus who are not born again. It may be we need to go back to using biblical phrases, explanations and invitations.
“Personal relationship” is not a phrase or expression that the apostles used in any of their gospel presentations. It is not in the New Testament.
And there were people who had a personal relationship with Jesus who were not born again.
The first person that comes to my mind is Judas the traitor. For three years Judas had a personal relationship with Jesus. For three years he walked, talked, ate and hung out with Jesus as a disciple; yet there is no doubt that Judas was an unsaved man.
He did not believe that Jesus was the Lord (Romans 10:9); he did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah—the Anointed One—sent from God the Father to be the Christ.
What about the people described in Matthew 7:22 who call Jesus Lord? Surely if we asked them if they had a personal relationship with Jesus—they would answer in the affirmative.
Yet we know they did not believe that Jesus was the Christ in the sense of Christ as their priest. When we analyze their salvation testimony, they talk about good works- not salvation by grace.
Any person with an authentic faith understands that Jesus is their mediator; he is their savior and priest with God the Father. Someone who has believed the truth of the gospel understands that it is not their good works that saves the soul but the grace of God. Yet as we listen to the unregenerate in Matthew 7:22, they say that what they have done makes them worthy of salvation--not what Jesus has done.
READ: Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”
Where is a true understanding of the gospel in this testimony? Where is the mention of grace?
People who are saved know Jesus as teacher (prophet), savior (priest), and master (king).
People who are converted will grow in their understanding of Jesus as their teacher, who can also forgive their sins, and as their Lord, who speaks to them through His Word and Spirit and expects them to obey Him.
It is time to stop emphasizing an exceptionally subjective “personal relationship with Jesus” and start asking questions that revolve around Jesus as the Christ (1 John 5:1) that can be answered with a greater degree of certainty.
1. Do you believe in the death, burial and bodily resurrection of Jesus, as the Son of God and God-Man, and His current existence at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for those who believe?
2. How do you know you are saved (born again or going to heaven)? At the heart of this question is the “Christian’s” understanding of the purpose of Christ’s death and the manifestation of grace in the gospel. People who are saved do not articulate a salvation by works testimony.
3. Can you remember a time when the Spirit of Christ living inside you convicted you of sin or opened biblical truth to your heart and mind?
Think about everything you know about Old Testament prophets—they were the men (and women) who dealt with sin and judgment (Acts 7:34).
4. Do you believe that Jesus was the “Anointed One,” sent from the one true and living God as God’s only begotten Son?
5. Do you believe that Jesus is Lord? (Romans 10:9). Do you actively love Jesus as Lord? (John 10:27). Is there any evidence or indication in your life that he is your King? Can you articulate a particular time when you voluntarily submitted to His authority in your life? In other words, whose kingdom are you most interested in building—yours or His?
6. Do you believe that Jesus came in the flesh as the Son of God and Son of man? (1 John 4.2)
7. Is there a time when you can remember being chastened by King Jesus for your disobedience as one of his servants?
8. Why were you baptized?
9. Why are you a member of a church? Are you active? Why or why not?
10. Have you ever made a public profession of your faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior? If you study the New Testament Jesus is often referred to as “our Lord” as a means of communicating love and relationship to Him as Master or King.
I certainly am not trying to suggest that these questions sum up everything that needs to be asked, but I think they are much more objective. Yet, anyone can lie to any number of questions.
There are many Roman Catholics, Baptists, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, etc, who all would very quickly affirm that they have a “personal relationship with Jesus.” But there is not a shred of evidence that they are new creatures in Christ.
According to the Barna Research Group, four out of five adult Americans describe themselves as Christians. Yet we know that the lifestyle of the majority of Americans clearly calls into question whether they are being radically changed by the power of the gospel into fully-devoted followers of Christ.
If we are going to reach these lost who think they are saved with the gospel, the same old questions, phrases and explanations are not going to work.
Asking them if there has every been a time when they asked Jesus into their heart isn’t going to cut to the core of their being and convict them of their need of the truth. Faith comes by hearing and hearing very specifically by the Word of God. In Acts 2 Peter did not ask the men if there had ever been a time when they asked Jesus into their heart, NOR did he lead them in a sinner’s prayer. Instead, he told them to REPENT. They knew he was calling for them to turn from Judaism to the Lord Jesus Christ. He wasn’t asking them to have a personal relationship. Peter was insisting that they had to start FOLLOWING the Risen Lord whom they had just crucified.
Leading multitudes in a generic, semi-heartfelt prayer hasn’t produced a nation of Christians, so I want to know when are we, the body of Christ, going to wake up and commit to a standard that insists our theology must drive our methodology.
When it comes to what we preach, teach and share as Ambassadors of Christ, there is no need to add to or to take away from what the apostles did in the 1st century.
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t change.
There is still a need to preach, teach and share repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is time to start unpacking why Jesus came as the Christ, what it meant to come as the Christ, and what it will mean to come-again as the Christ.
Then our invitation needs to be a challenge to FOLLOW Him.
Now a person doesn’t follow someone they don’t BELIEVE in, so the first step is FAITH that Jesus is Lord. Once a person believes that Jesus is LORD, this salvific or authentic faith will drive them to follow Him. God who began a good work in them will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1.6).
And that precisely is how YOU know if your FAITH is authentic or NOT. Therefore, every man must examine himself to see whether He is in the faith once delivered.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
I don’t examine you and you don’t examine me—each man is challenged to examine himself according to the Word of God—not against non-biblical questions like: “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus” or “Can you remember a time and place when you prayed to ask Jesus into your heart?”
Have you ever considered the number of people who may NOT be in heaven who believe they have a “personal relationship with Jesus?”
The other day I heard an evangelist use that phrase over and over again. He repeatedly asked a room full of people if they knew that they had a “personal relationship with Jesus.”
And I thought that maybe that’s not the right phrase or question to use—there are a lot of people who believe they have a personal relationship with Jesus who are not born again. It may be we need to go back to using biblical phrases, explanations and invitations.
“Personal relationship” is not a phrase or expression that the apostles used in any of their gospel presentations. It is not in the New Testament.
And there were people who had a personal relationship with Jesus who were not born again.
The first person that comes to my mind is Judas the traitor. For three years Judas had a personal relationship with Jesus. For three years he walked, talked, ate and hung out with Jesus as a disciple; yet there is no doubt that Judas was an unsaved man.
He did not believe that Jesus was the Lord (Romans 10:9); he did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah—the Anointed One—sent from God the Father to be the Christ.
What about the people described in Matthew 7:22 who call Jesus Lord? Surely if we asked them if they had a personal relationship with Jesus—they would answer in the affirmative.
Yet we know they did not believe that Jesus was the Christ in the sense of Christ as their priest. When we analyze their salvation testimony, they talk about good works- not salvation by grace.
Any person with an authentic faith understands that Jesus is their mediator; he is their savior and priest with God the Father. Someone who has believed the truth of the gospel understands that it is not their good works that saves the soul but the grace of God. Yet as we listen to the unregenerate in Matthew 7:22, they say that what they have done makes them worthy of salvation--not what Jesus has done.
READ: Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”
Where is a true understanding of the gospel in this testimony? Where is the mention of grace?
People who are saved know Jesus as teacher (prophet), savior (priest), and master (king).
People who are converted will grow in their understanding of Jesus as their teacher, who can also forgive their sins, and as their Lord, who speaks to them through His Word and Spirit and expects them to obey Him.
It is time to stop emphasizing an exceptionally subjective “personal relationship with Jesus” and start asking questions that revolve around Jesus as the Christ (1 John 5:1) that can be answered with a greater degree of certainty.
1. Do you believe in the death, burial and bodily resurrection of Jesus, as the Son of God and God-Man, and His current existence at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for those who believe?
2. How do you know you are saved (born again or going to heaven)? At the heart of this question is the “Christian’s” understanding of the purpose of Christ’s death and the manifestation of grace in the gospel. People who are saved do not articulate a salvation by works testimony.
3. Can you remember a time when the Spirit of Christ living inside you convicted you of sin or opened biblical truth to your heart and mind?
Think about everything you know about Old Testament prophets—they were the men (and women) who dealt with sin and judgment (Acts 7:34).
4. Do you believe that Jesus was the “Anointed One,” sent from the one true and living God as God’s only begotten Son?
5. Do you believe that Jesus is Lord? (Romans 10:9). Do you actively love Jesus as Lord? (John 10:27). Is there any evidence or indication in your life that he is your King? Can you articulate a particular time when you voluntarily submitted to His authority in your life? In other words, whose kingdom are you most interested in building—yours or His?
6. Do you believe that Jesus came in the flesh as the Son of God and Son of man? (1 John 4.2)
7. Is there a time when you can remember being chastened by King Jesus for your disobedience as one of his servants?
8. Why were you baptized?
9. Why are you a member of a church? Are you active? Why or why not?
10. Have you ever made a public profession of your faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior? If you study the New Testament Jesus is often referred to as “our Lord” as a means of communicating love and relationship to Him as Master or King.
I certainly am not trying to suggest that these questions sum up everything that needs to be asked, but I think they are much more objective. Yet, anyone can lie to any number of questions.
There are many Roman Catholics, Baptists, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, etc, who all would very quickly affirm that they have a “personal relationship with Jesus.” But there is not a shred of evidence that they are new creatures in Christ.
According to the Barna Research Group, four out of five adult Americans describe themselves as Christians. Yet we know that the lifestyle of the majority of Americans clearly calls into question whether they are being radically changed by the power of the gospel into fully-devoted followers of Christ.
If we are going to reach these lost who think they are saved with the gospel, the same old questions, phrases and explanations are not going to work.
Asking them if there has every been a time when they asked Jesus into their heart isn’t going to cut to the core of their being and convict them of their need of the truth. Faith comes by hearing and hearing very specifically by the Word of God. In Acts 2 Peter did not ask the men if there had ever been a time when they asked Jesus into their heart, NOR did he lead them in a sinner’s prayer. Instead, he told them to REPENT. They knew he was calling for them to turn from Judaism to the Lord Jesus Christ. He wasn’t asking them to have a personal relationship. Peter was insisting that they had to start FOLLOWING the Risen Lord whom they had just crucified.
Leading multitudes in a generic, semi-heartfelt prayer hasn’t produced a nation of Christians, so I want to know when are we, the body of Christ, going to wake up and commit to a standard that insists our theology must drive our methodology.
When it comes to what we preach, teach and share as Ambassadors of Christ, there is no need to add to or to take away from what the apostles did in the 1st century.
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t change.
There is still a need to preach, teach and share repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is time to start unpacking why Jesus came as the Christ, what it meant to come as the Christ, and what it will mean to come-again as the Christ.
Then our invitation needs to be a challenge to FOLLOW Him.
Now a person doesn’t follow someone they don’t BELIEVE in, so the first step is FAITH that Jesus is Lord. Once a person believes that Jesus is LORD, this salvific or authentic faith will drive them to follow Him. God who began a good work in them will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1.6).
And that precisely is how YOU know if your FAITH is authentic or NOT. Therefore, every man must examine himself to see whether He is in the faith once delivered.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
I don’t examine you and you don’t examine me—each man is challenged to examine himself according to the Word of God—not against non-biblical questions like: “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus” or “Can you remember a time and place when you prayed to ask Jesus into your heart?”
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