Jesus and Mark’s Gospel Prologue

Three new posts up at our pastor’s blog concerning the person and work of Jesus in Mark’s prologue and the first two sermon outlines (Mk 1.1-8, 1.9-15). Go here.

Jesus’ Doctrine of Scripture, by Kevin DeYoung

After working through four main texts (John 10:35, Matthew 5:17-19; 12:38-42; 19:4-5) I provided a summary of Jesus’ doctrine of Scripture.

Jesus held Scripture in the highest possible esteem. He knew his Bible intimately and loved it deeply. He often spoke with language of Scripture. He easily alluded to Scripture. And in his moments of greatest trial and weakness—like being tempted by the devil or being killed on a cross—he quoted Scripture.

His mission was to fulfill Scripture, and his teaching always upheld Scripture.

He never disrespected, never disregarded, never disagreed with a single text of Scripture.

He affirmed every bit of law, prophecy, narrative, and poetry. He shuddered to think of anyone anywhere violating, ignoring, or rejecting Scripture.

Jesus believed in the inspiration of Scripture, down  to the sentences, to the phrases, to the words, to the smallest letter, to the tiniest mark.

He accepted the chronology, the miracles, and the authorial ascriptions as giving the straightforward facts of history.

He believed in keeping the spirit of the law without ever minimizing the letter of the law. He affirmed the human authorship of Scripture while at the same time bearing witness to the ultimate divine authorship of the Scriptures.

He treated the Bible as a necessary word, a sufficient word, a clear word, and the final word.

It was never acceptable in his mind to contradict Scripture or stand above Scripture.

He believed the Bible was all true, all edifying, all important, and all about him. He believed absolutely that the Bible was from God and was absolutely free from error. What Scripture says God says, and what God said was recorded infallibly in Scripture.

Jesus submitted his will to the Scriptures, committed his brain to study the Scriptures, and humbled his heart to obey the Scriptures.

In summary, it is impossible to revere the Scriptures more deeply or affirm them more completely than Jesus did. The Lord Jesus, God’s Son and our Savior, believed his Bible was the word of God down to the tiniest speck and that nothing in all those specks and in all those books in his Bible could ever be broken.

Go here for his exegetical, theological, and logical work that leads to these conclusions, and for all eight sermons recently preached on the doctrine of Scripture.

5 Resolutions For A Christian Communicator, by Daniel Darling

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the calling of a Christian communicator. This could be your duties as a writer, whither blogs or books or articles. Or it could be your task as a preacher or teacher, whither in small group, pulpit ministry, or classroom.

To communicate the truth of the good news of the gospel, in any form, is a high privilege and a sober calling. I’m always mindful of James 3, which outlines the seriousness of the calling and the negative and positive effect of the words we craft.

Go here for the list.

Let Marriage Be Held In Honor: Thinking Biblically About So-Called Same-Sex Marriage

A June 16 sermon by John Piper.  Go here.

The Problem with Plagiarism in the Pulpit, by D. A. Carson, compiled by Justin Taylor

Taking over another sermon and preaching it as if it were yours is always and unequivocally wrong, and if you do it you should resign or be fired immediately.

The wickedness is along at least three axes:

(1) You are stealing.

(2) You are deceiving the people to whom you are preaching.

(3) Perhaps worst, you are not devoting yourself to the study of the Bible to the end that God’s truth captures you, molds you, makes you a man of God and equips you to speak for him.

For the rest, go here.

Joy’s Eternal Increase: Edwards on the Beauty of Heaven, by Sam Storms

This message was given at the 2003 Desiring God National Conference.  I listened to it again today, and it is still one of the most encouraging, heart-warming, affection-raising messages I’ve heard.  I think the truths expressed in it, although mind-stretching and, though very high, still admittedly low in comparison to the reality of heaven, are transformative if grasped and taken to heart.  Indeed, I think this message of heaven is fundamental to the Christian life.  It is the great goal for which we have been saved, seeing God (cf. Psa 42.2).

Go here to listen.

The Church and Homosexuality: Ten Commitments, by Kevin DeYoung

Of the many complexities involving the church and homosexuality, one of the most difficult is how the former should speak of the latter. Even for those Christians who agree that homosexuality is contrary to the will of God there is little agreement on how we ought to speak about homosexuality being contrary to the will of God. Much of this disagreement is owing to the fact that there are many different constituencies we have in mind when broaching the subject. There are various groups that may be listening when we speak about homosexuality, and the group we think we are addressing usually dictates how we speak.

For the entire article, including pastoral wisdom on understanding who you are speaking with and the ten commitments, go here.

What the Bible Really STILL Says About Homosexuality, by Kevin DeYoung

This article is truly profound and, I wager, as definitive a piece in this debate and defense of biblical truth, mixed with true gospel love, as I have read.  And for all that is said, it is relatively short.  Thus, it is jam-packed.  DeYoung shows the flimsiness of the revisionist argument for homosexuality and, in the process, pulls us all back into the unchangeable truth and power of the Bible, God’s Word, and the gospel of Christ.  Great read!  Go here to receive another tool for equipping.

On Sermon Preparation, by Stephen Um

The gospel you preach must define you. You need to taste it to know that it is good. What else will sustain you through your first 100 sermons, which are not likely to be very good?

You must keep preaching the gospel to your own heart so that you do not get your identity from preaching. You cannot rise or fall on evaluations of your performance. If you feel good when people complement your sermons but feel terrible when you think you’ve dropped the ball, preaching itself may be functioning as an idol.

Ultimately, we need to work towards the goal that Paul speaks about in 1 Timothy 4:10: “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God”—not on our preaching, sermons, or ministry.

Go here for the full article.

My Sermon on Exodus 33.12-34.9: God is the Vision for Christian Mission

Debated on whether to put this up because I do not want to seem contrary to what I preached throughout, namely the glory and, as a consequence, the priority of God’s Name and not our own.  So if you do listen, please, please, please, remember His Name and Person, and be mobilized by His missional glory to global missions.  I am more than hopeful that my name will be forgotten in all things in order that His might be magnified before your hearts.  The main theme was this: The biblical vision of God and His glory is the unfailing vision for Christian mission.

Preached on 4.15.2012 at Huber Heights FBC.  Go here, then to the date just detailed.