The text is being talked about is Romans 1:24-28The root of all our disorders - sexual and social and physical and emotional - is the exchange of the glory of God for other things. The solar system of our soul and our society was made to orbit around the glory of God as its all-controlling sun. And the entire human race has exchanged the glory of God for weightless, substitute satellites that have no gravity and can hold nothing in its proper orbit.
John Piper; The Other Dark Exchange: Homosexuality, Part 2
18.2.08
I was reading this and thought that I would share it. Here's the link to the whole article; Part 1 & Part 2
13.2.08
Praise the Lord for answered prayer!
"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
and the light dwells with him.
To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the kings matter."
Daniel 2:20-23
I'm trying to memorize this amazing praise to God for answered prayer. When I stand before God and give thanks, I want these words to roll off my lips as if they were my own.
My heart is full today of all the prayers that he has answered for me and the answered prayers for those that I have prayed for. His miracles, mercies, and glory are more than I can fathom.
He is able to do abundantly more than I can imagine. Ephesians 3:20-21
"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
and the light dwells with him.
To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the kings matter."
Daniel 2:20-23
I'm trying to memorize this amazing praise to God for answered prayer. When I stand before God and give thanks, I want these words to roll off my lips as if they were my own.
My heart is full today of all the prayers that he has answered for me and the answered prayers for those that I have prayed for. His miracles, mercies, and glory are more than I can fathom.
He is able to do abundantly more than I can imagine. Ephesians 3:20-21
1.2.08
Thoughts on the Sermon on the Mount.
I will be adding to this post as I continue to read and listen.
Ted Klassen sermon series on the Christian Manifesto click here.
Desiring God; articles and sermons by John Piper click here.
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson.
"The Sermon on the Mount establishes the Christian culture. The Church is not multicultural. It is monocultural; it has one culture. It is multi-racial, people from different countries and that speak different languages; it is multi-ethnic, people from different backgrounds, but it is not multi-culture. Multicultural is different values and religions co-existing and applies to secular institutions. No matter what denomination, the culture of the church is the same. Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead; people accept him as their savior and realize that he died for them; and then they live for him and want to follow Jesus. That's one culture; that's monoculture. It's about a person and not just about values. That makes it completely different."
Pastor Ted Klassen, Fasting for Jesus, (2008-01-06)
Fasting
"Fasting is personal; between you and God. Just as giving and prayer are between you and God. Fasting should increase our joy and our awareness of what God is doing in our lives and our dependance on him. It should remind us of the life we have in Jesus Christ. Romans 5:10"
"We need to put things aside, to fast from good things, to make us aware of the best thing; to make us more conscience of what the life of Jesus means to us."
"We put everything aside to be good in business, to practice music, to win and train in athletics; but how much time, what do we put aside, to maintain a passion for Jesus Christ? In order to maintain your passion for Jesus there are times when you have to put everything aside. Then you will be rewarded with strength from your Father."
"In Matthew 4, Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, before he was tempted in the dessert. He preapred for this test by experiencing closeness with God through fasting. Jesus was at the height of his strength because he was at the height of his awareness of the love of God. We fast to become aware of God's love, not of our sin."
Pastor Ted Klassen, Fasting for Jesus, (2008-01-06)
"Jesus wants to point out to his disciples that there are dangers in the spiritual life when sinners undertake it. Conversion does not remove the presence of sin from our hearts, even though it is dethroned in our lives. Sin still works deceitfully in our minds."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson p. 112.
"Jesus has already made it clear in Matthew 6 that the single most important influence on the way we live the Christian life is how we think of God. For Jesus, theology (how we think about God) determines practice (how we live our lives)." The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp 118-119.
"You sum up the whole of the New Testament teaching in a single phrase, if you speak of it as a revelation of the Fatherhood of the holy Creator. In the same way you sum up the whole of New Testament religion if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one's holy Father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all."
J.I. Packer, Knowing God, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1973, p.182
"By our actions, we are really conveying an unspoken message... Christ and the gospel are always contemporary. We need to see to it that we live, speak, act, and witness in ways that are appropriate to him and to our times."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson p. 156.
Jesus and the Law
"Jesus came to fulfil the law, not to destroy it. In fact, as we have seen, Jesus teaches that the law of God is an essential diagnostic tool. Whether we break it or keep it, and whether we encourage others to break it or keep it, is an indication of our true spritiual condition. It is the standard for evaluation in the kingdom of God (Matt. 5:19), but not the standard for entrance into the kingdom."
"Were he to overthrow the teaching of the law in the verses that follow, he would do more than that; he would overthrow his own teaching."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson p. 79, 80
The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World, by Sinclair B. Ferguson p. 93
"You are the salt of the earth..." Matthew 5:13
"Jesus is not urging his disciples to become something they are not; he is telling them what they are as kingdom people.
"... in Jesus' day salt was a vital preservative. Christians whose lives exhibit the qualities of the 'blessed' will have a preserving impact upon a society that, if left to itself, will rot and deteriorate... that in itself will not regenerate his society, but it will make it more difficult for sinful attitudes and habits and words to become the norm among his friends and colleagues."
The Sermon on The Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World. by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp. 56, 57, 58
"Christians should have zest! ... Everything about us should express the attractiveness as well as the holiness of our Lord."
"Like salt, our lives and our speech are to bring out the 'flavour' of Jesus Christ. Too much of ourselves - too much of our talk - will like wise leave an unpleasant taste." The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp. 59, 60
"... But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13
"The same is true for those of us who profess to be Christians. Cease to be different, and we cease to be Christians."
"If we have no moral 'bite' in the different quality of our lifestyle, then we are no longer salt in the world."
"What is it that helps Christians retain their 'saltiness'?... As we open our lives to the impact of the whole of Scripture, with its message of a whole Christ, then the whole of our lives will begin to radiate his saving power and grace."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp. 61, 62
"You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14
"The implication is clear. Already in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is underlining the challenge which is stated so clearly in his Great Commission(Matthew 28:18-20): the whole world is to be our sphere of influence."
"Fulfilling this plan will demand that the whole of our lives be whole-heartedly devoted to him and to his service. That devotion will cost us everything. But surely those who are 'the light of the world' will give nothing less for him who is the light that the darkness can never overcome (John 1:5)."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdon Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp. 65, 66
"Lead us not into temptation... " Matthew 6:13
"This comes from Psalm 141. In this Psalm, you can hear that David desperately needed God to hear him, to answer him and to protect him. True prayer begins with a recognition that we can't handle things on our own. To pray 'Lead me not into temptation' is to place a vote of no confidence in the flesh. It is to acknowledge that apart from God hearing us and protecting us, we will fall into sin every time."
"The greatest threat to your spiritual life, is yourself. We look for external factors that pull us towards sin; when in reality we should be looking in the mirror. In Psalm 141:4, David knows the reality of his heart. So for us, instead of pretending that everything is fine, acknowledge your deserate need for God because your heart continually leads you away from him"
"We need to pray; 'God, would you protect me from relationships that seem so attractive, but will only lead me away from you.' And pray the flip side of that as well; 'Surround me with people who will tell me the truth, even when it hurts." (Psalm 141:4, 5)
"Critism is not easy to take and that's why David prayed this way, 'Let my head not refuse it.' We also need to pray; 'God, would you help me not to be so stubborn that I fail to hear your words spoken to me from someone else.' It can be difficult to take, but we all need this; we need to know the truth about ourselves; we need people in our lives to perform this function."
"Lead us not into Temptation" Pastor Lee Francois (2007-11-11) at Culloden Church
I will be adding to this post as I continue to read and listen.
Ted Klassen sermon series on the Christian Manifesto click here.
Desiring God; articles and sermons by John Piper click here.
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson.
"The Sermon on the Mount establishes the Christian culture. The Church is not multicultural. It is monocultural; it has one culture. It is multi-racial, people from different countries and that speak different languages; it is multi-ethnic, people from different backgrounds, but it is not multi-culture. Multicultural is different values and religions co-existing and applies to secular institutions. No matter what denomination, the culture of the church is the same. Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead; people accept him as their savior and realize that he died for them; and then they live for him and want to follow Jesus. That's one culture; that's monoculture. It's about a person and not just about values. That makes it completely different."
Pastor Ted Klassen, Fasting for Jesus, (2008-01-06)
Fasting
"Fasting is personal; between you and God. Just as giving and prayer are between you and God. Fasting should increase our joy and our awareness of what God is doing in our lives and our dependance on him. It should remind us of the life we have in Jesus Christ. Romans 5:10"
"We need to put things aside, to fast from good things, to make us aware of the best thing; to make us more conscience of what the life of Jesus means to us."
"We put everything aside to be good in business, to practice music, to win and train in athletics; but how much time, what do we put aside, to maintain a passion for Jesus Christ? In order to maintain your passion for Jesus there are times when you have to put everything aside. Then you will be rewarded with strength from your Father."
"In Matthew 4, Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, before he was tempted in the dessert. He preapred for this test by experiencing closeness with God through fasting. Jesus was at the height of his strength because he was at the height of his awareness of the love of God. We fast to become aware of God's love, not of our sin."
Pastor Ted Klassen, Fasting for Jesus, (2008-01-06)
"Jesus wants to point out to his disciples that there are dangers in the spiritual life when sinners undertake it. Conversion does not remove the presence of sin from our hearts, even though it is dethroned in our lives. Sin still works deceitfully in our minds."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson p. 112.
"Jesus has already made it clear in Matthew 6 that the single most important influence on the way we live the Christian life is how we think of God. For Jesus, theology (how we think about God) determines practice (how we live our lives)." The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp 118-119.
"You sum up the whole of the New Testament teaching in a single phrase, if you speak of it as a revelation of the Fatherhood of the holy Creator. In the same way you sum up the whole of New Testament religion if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one's holy Father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all."
J.I. Packer, Knowing God, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1973, p.182
"By our actions, we are really conveying an unspoken message... Christ and the gospel are always contemporary. We need to see to it that we live, speak, act, and witness in ways that are appropriate to him and to our times."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson p. 156.
Jesus and the Law
"Jesus came to fulfil the law, not to destroy it. In fact, as we have seen, Jesus teaches that the law of God is an essential diagnostic tool. Whether we break it or keep it, and whether we encourage others to break it or keep it, is an indication of our true spritiual condition. It is the standard for evaluation in the kingdom of God (Matt. 5:19), but not the standard for entrance into the kingdom."
"Were he to overthrow the teaching of the law in the verses that follow, he would do more than that; he would overthrow his own teaching."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson p. 79, 80
"How, then, can we keep our way pure? Jesus' vivid illustrations suggest a number of important general principles.
1. Realise where yeilding to sinful lusts will lead you. Jesus says that hell is the direction in which all sin leads (Matt. 5:29-30). Fix that in your mind.
2. Deal with the real cause of your sin. ... failure to 'gouge it out' cannot be remedied by substitute offerings of obedience or sacrifice.
3. Act decisively, immediately, even if it must be painful. ... There will be 'withdrawal symptoms' after the amputation. ... Obedience cannot be negotiated, nor can heaven and hell.
4. Realise especially that your lust is not the whole of your life, and weigh against its influence all that will be yours by abandoning it. ... What happens when we are caught up in some specific sin? We become the objects of blackmail. We think, or Satan says, 'If you deal with this sin as Jesus says, what will be left for you? Think of the long road back to spiritual recovery. Think of what you will lose if you say no.' Such is the attraction and bondage of sin that it becomes all-consuming. It demands all we can give.
But Jesus gives us the hope of a new perspective. Gouge out the offending eye, but save your life. Yes, you may have committed sin the memory of which you will never be able to erase, even though it be forgiven. But you will have taken steps on the way to life and turned away from the doorway to death. Do not be deceived into a hopeless abandonment to sin."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp 89, 90
"It is better, says Jesus, to lose a moment, a day, a week, a month, a year, of stolen pleasure than to lose all - self, wife, family, grace - and finally be cast into hell for despising the word of the Lord.
Who can read such teaching without trembling? May God help us to be faithful - to our spouse (if we are married), for our spouse (if we are to be married in the future) - or simply to God himself (if remain single)."The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World, by Sinclair B. Ferguson p. 93
"You are the salt of the earth..." Matthew 5:13
"Jesus is not urging his disciples to become something they are not; he is telling them what they are as kingdom people.
"... in Jesus' day salt was a vital preservative. Christians whose lives exhibit the qualities of the 'blessed' will have a preserving impact upon a society that, if left to itself, will rot and deteriorate... that in itself will not regenerate his society, but it will make it more difficult for sinful attitudes and habits and words to become the norm among his friends and colleagues."
The Sermon on The Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World. by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp. 56, 57, 58
"Christians should have zest! ... Everything about us should express the attractiveness as well as the holiness of our Lord."
"Like salt, our lives and our speech are to bring out the 'flavour' of Jesus Christ. Too much of ourselves - too much of our talk - will like wise leave an unpleasant taste." The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp. 59, 60
"... But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13
"The same is true for those of us who profess to be Christians. Cease to be different, and we cease to be Christians."
"If we have no moral 'bite' in the different quality of our lifestyle, then we are no longer salt in the world."
"What is it that helps Christians retain their 'saltiness'?... As we open our lives to the impact of the whole of Scripture, with its message of a whole Christ, then the whole of our lives will begin to radiate his saving power and grace."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp. 61, 62
"You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14
"The implication is clear. Already in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is underlining the challenge which is stated so clearly in his Great Commission(Matthew 28:18-20): the whole world is to be our sphere of influence."
"Fulfilling this plan will demand that the whole of our lives be whole-heartedly devoted to him and to his service. That devotion will cost us everything. But surely those who are 'the light of the world' will give nothing less for him who is the light that the darkness can never overcome (John 1:5)."
The Sermon on the Mount; Kingdon Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair B. Ferguson pp. 65, 66
"Lead us not into temptation... " Matthew 6:13
"This comes from Psalm 141. In this Psalm, you can hear that David desperately needed God to hear him, to answer him and to protect him. True prayer begins with a recognition that we can't handle things on our own. To pray 'Lead me not into temptation' is to place a vote of no confidence in the flesh. It is to acknowledge that apart from God hearing us and protecting us, we will fall into sin every time."
"The greatest threat to your spiritual life, is yourself. We look for external factors that pull us towards sin; when in reality we should be looking in the mirror. In Psalm 141:4, David knows the reality of his heart. So for us, instead of pretending that everything is fine, acknowledge your deserate need for God because your heart continually leads you away from him"
"We need to pray; 'God, would you protect me from relationships that seem so attractive, but will only lead me away from you.' And pray the flip side of that as well; 'Surround me with people who will tell me the truth, even when it hurts." (Psalm 141:4, 5)
"Critism is not easy to take and that's why David prayed this way, 'Let my head not refuse it.' We also need to pray; 'God, would you help me not to be so stubborn that I fail to hear your words spoken to me from someone else.' It can be difficult to take, but we all need this; we need to know the truth about ourselves; we need people in our lives to perform this function."
"Lead us not into Temptation" Pastor Lee Francois (2007-11-11) at Culloden Church
Listen to this sermon! click here!
"It's one Jesus; the Lord who teaches and the Lord who works miracles. Nitty gritty and practical, medling in your lives; and He is supernatural and powerful, alienating himself from modern secular world views. And He presents himself as one Christ to be believed as He is or not."
John Piper: The Beatitudes and the Gospel of the Kingdom, Jan. 26, 1986
"The Sermon on the Mount is counter intuitive. It doesn't work the way we naturally think. In fact, the whole gospel of Jesus Christ is that way. The gospel says you can't earn your salvation it's given to you. God says you're a sinner, that you're condemned; but at the same time he loves you so much that he gives you salvation through his death and resurrection. And when He comes into our lives we don't just adopt a set of rules according to the way we live; we receive the Holy Spirit and we receive power to be different; to live counter intuitively."
"Being a Christian is supposed to change you; not just get you into heaven."
"In every Christian's life there comes a crisis when you have to decide that Jesus will be enough. And then He will give you everything you need. Jesus is enough; that's what it means to be meek."
Ted Klassen sermon: Blessed are the Meek (sermon archives July 2007)
"The sermon is Jesus' manifesto. It describes a regal lifestyle, the new behaviour pattern for the new kingdom we have entered."
"... Jesus himself is the King of God's kingdom. Where he reigns, there the kingdom of heaven is already present."
"... the day of the reign of God, was no longer confined to the furture - it was now." Sinclair B. Ferguson from The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World pp 7, 3.
"Every person's final destiny will be settled by whether Jesus 'knew' him or not (Matt. 7:23)"
"... there is no sadder commentary on our lack of this spiritual poverty than the readiness so many of us have to let others know what we think. But the man who is poor in spirit is the man who has been silenced by God, and seeks only to speak what he has learned in humility from him."
Sinclair B. Ferguson from The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World pp 5, 17.
"...forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:12, 14, 15
"If I can forgive those that do me harm, I'm like Jesus! This is how you can know God is your Father because you can forgive like God."
"The evidence that you're repenting is that you're willing to forgive others. We need to question our salvation if we are unforgiving. If you can't forgive someone, you are proving God is not your Father but your judge."
Ted Klassen sermon: How to know God is our Father (2007-11-04)
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