2016-11
2016-11
Sunday Nov 20, 2016
“Grateful for What God Has Done”
Sunday Nov 20, 2016
Sunday Nov 20, 2016
“Grateful for What God Has Done”Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, November 20, 2016
1. We should be thankful that our God made us in his image and provided humanity with incredible dignity and purpose.
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1-9, NIV 1984)
2. We should be thankful that our Creator God is longsuffering and did not destroy humanity and start over when we rebelled against him.
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring1 and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:14-15, NIV)
20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. 21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:20-21, NIV)
3. We should be thankful that our God does not treat us as our sins deserve.
Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. (Psalm 32:1, NIV)
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:8-12, NIV)
4. We should be thankful that God gave us his own Son, Jesus Christ, to be our redeemer.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NIV)
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Co. 5:21, NIV)
24 "He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." (1 Pet. 2:24, NIV)
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Co. 15:1-4, NIV)
5. We should be thankful that God did not let us go our own way, but pursued us with effectual grace.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isa. 53:6, NIV)
10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Romans 3:10-12, NIV)
37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. (John 6:37-39, NIV)
44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. (John 6:44, NIV)
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30, NIV)
9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Co. 1:9, NIV)
6. We should be thankful that God has given us his Spirit and will not abandon his people, but will fully and finally save them at the last day.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory. (Eph. 1:13-14, NIV)
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6, NIV)
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:30, NIV)
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39, NIV)
7. We should be thankful that one day Christ our Redeemer is returning, and we will live with him forevermore in a new and perfect world.
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope-- the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:11-14, NIV)
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thess. 4:16-17, NIV)
4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4, NIV)
Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Rev. 21:1-5, NIV)
Wednesday Nov 16, 2016
Chapter 5: The Challenge to Faith
Wednesday Nov 16, 2016
Wednesday Nov 16, 2016
Walking with God through Pain & Suffering
by Tim Keller
Chapter 5: The Challenge to Faith
Answers for the Heart
The visceral argument against God happens at the heart level.
We all have “reasons of the heart” or intuitions:
Explanations that give some light to the mind and…
Are comforting and satisfying to our souls
“Reasons of the heart” affect and change attitudes and actions.
Christianity offers three “reasons of the heart” that help us understand suffering.
The first Christian teaching that offers “reasons for the heart” is Creation and Fall.
Our intuition that death and suffering are wrong is correct – this was not the original created order. The original creation did not have death or suffering.
Because humanity rejected God’s authority, everything about our world stopped working as it should. The original design of the world is broken.
The original good pattern of the world God created is not completely eradicated, but it now falls far short of its original intent.
The doctrine of the Fall gives us a remarkably nuanced understanding of suffering.
Hard work should lead to prosperity, but it doesn’t always work out that way. There is frustration and injustice.
Pain and suffering should be equal to the sin committed, but this is frequently not the case.
The world is too deeply broken to divide into a neat pattern of good people having good lives and bad people having bad lives.
We can never say that a particular instance of death or suffering is the direct result of a specific sin; however, we can say that death and suffering in general are the result of humanity’s sinfulness in general.
So, given our record, we cannot protest that the human race deserves a better life than the one we have now.
Acknowledging the Christian doctrines of Creation and Fall provides a “reason for the heart” that brings humility.
The prevailing notion is that it is God’s job to provide a world for our happiness and enjoyment (practical Deism).
But the problem is that real life does not match up with this expectation.
The problem is not with God; the problem is with our starting assumption.
If there really is an infinitely glorious God, why should the universe revolve around us rather than around him?
When we consider how far we have fallen short of God’s commands and moral absolutes, we really should wonder why God allows as much happiness as he does.
The doctrines of Creation and the Fall remove the self-pity that afflicts people with a deistic view of life; instead, they point us to true humility before God.
These teachings strengthen the soul, preparing it to be unsurprised when life is hard.
The Renewal of the World
The second Christian doctrine that speaks so well to our hearts is that of the final judgment and the renewal of the world.
Most moderns hate the idea of God judging people, but if there is no Judgment Day, then there is no justice.
If there is no justice, all the wrongs ever committed are left untreated.
If there is no Judgment Day, then we either lose all hope and meaning, or we are forced to take justice into our own hands.
The biblical doctrine of Judgment Day, far from being a gloomy idea, enables us to live with both hope and grace.
We can work for justice now, knowing that whatever is left unjudged will be remedied at Judgment Day.
It also allows us to be gracious and forgiving. If we know that ultimately all wrongs will be judged, then we can live at peace and leave vengeance to God.
Belief in Judgment Day keeps us from being too passive or too violently aggressive in our pursuit of justice.
An even greater hope for us is what lies beyond Judgment Day.
The Christian doctrine of resurrection and the renewal of all things gives hope because we do not merely receive a consolation for the life we have lost but a restoration of it.
We get a glorious, perfect life in a renewed material world.
In God’s working all things together for our good, could it be that our suffering now will cause us to enjoy eternity more?
How can we know light without darkness? How can we know courage without danger? Or grace and mercy without sin?
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18, NIV)
Jonathan Edwards taught that because of our fall and redemption we will achieve a level of intimacy with God that could not have been received in any other way.
What if, in the future, we came to see that just as Jesus could not have displayed such glory and love any other way except through suffering, we would not have been able to experience such transcendent glory, joy, and love any other way except by going through a world of suffering?
The Wounds of God
The Christian doctrines of incarnation and atonement also serve as hopeful resources for our hearts.
In a general sense, we deserve suffering because of the Fall. But in specific cases of suffering we cannot understand the mind of God or question God.
There is more consolation, however, because in Christ, we have a God who is fully acquainted with our suffering, having endured it himself. We have a God who has suffered with us and for us.
The Sovereign God himself has come down into this world and has experienced its darkness. And he did it not to justify himself but to justify
He bore the suffering, death, and curse for sin that we have earned.
He takes the punishment upon himself so that someday he can return and end all evil without having to condemn and punish us.
The full incarnation of Christ means that his suffering was real. He is able to empathize with our weaknesses.
Not only did he endure the physical horrors of pain and suffering; he also went beyond the worst human suffering and experienced cosmic rejection and a pain that exceeds ours as infinitely as his knowledge and power exceeds ours.
Jesus experienced Godforsakenness on the cross when he assumed our guilt.
No other religion or philosophy even comes close to the Christian doctrines of incarnation and atonement. God voluntarily became weak and became a suffering servant to save unworthy sinners because he loved us.
We do not know the reason God allows evil and suffering to continue, or why it is so random, but now at least we know what the reason is not. It cannot be that he does not love us. It cannot be that he does not care. He gave us Christ.
If God actually gave us reasons for why he did everything he did, our finite minds would not even be able to handle it.
We may not fully understand God’s reasons, but we can understand his love.
The Light in the Darkness
Eventually, the lesser lights of our lives will go out (love, health, home, work). When that happens, we will need something more than what our own understanding, competence, and power can give us.
Why did Jesus not come as a conquering king and seek to eliminate injustice at his first coming?
It is because the evil and the darkness of this world comes to a great degree from within us.
Christ had to save us spiritually before he could renew the world and establish true peace.
If Christ had come to bring social, political, and economic renewal without dying as an atonement for our sins, then there would be no humans
In his purge of evil and injustice, he would have to purge us. Instead, he came to redeem us, so that one day he might renew us and all of creation.
Jesus did not come to earth the first time to bring justice but rather to bear it.
Jesus died on the cross in our place, taking the punishment our sins deserve, so that someday he can return to earth and end evil without destroying us.
Jesus’ death and resurrection created a people in the world who now have a unique ability to diminish the evil in their own hearts as well as a mandate to oppose the evil in their communities.
Jesus is the light of the world.
If you know you are in his love, and that nothing can snatch you out of his hand, and that he is taking you to God’s house and God’s future—then he can be a light for you in dark places when all other lights go out.
His love for you now—and this infallible hope for the future—are indeed a light in the darkness, by which we can find our way.
Sunday Nov 13, 2016
“Tested in Egypt”
Sunday Nov 13, 2016
Sunday Nov 13, 2016
“Tested in Egypt” (Genesis 43:1–34)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, November 13, 2016
Genesis 43:1–34 (NIV)
43 Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
3 But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ ”
6 Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?”
7 They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”
8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.”
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
15 So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.”
17 The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house. 18 Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”
19 So they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 “We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food. 21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. 22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”
23 “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 The steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. 25 They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.
26 When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. 27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?”
28 They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed down, prostrating themselves before him.
29 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.
31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.”
32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. 33 The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. 34 When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
Sunday Nov 13, 2016
“Wake Up and Fight for the Battle Is Won”
Sunday Nov 13, 2016
Sunday Nov 13, 2016
“Wake Up and Fight for the Battle Is Won” (Rom 13:11–14; 16:20)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, November 13, 2016
1. Our Call (Rom 13:11–12)
11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:11-12, NIV)
2. Our Struggle (Rom 13:13–14)
13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. (Romans 13:13-14, NIV)
3. Our Hope (Rom 16:20)
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (Romans 16:20, NIV)
Wednesday Nov 09, 2016
Chapter 4: The Problem of Evil (Part 2)
Wednesday Nov 09, 2016
Wednesday Nov 09, 2016
Walking with God through Pain & Suffering
by Tim Keller
Chapter 4: The Problem of Evil (Part 2)
Review
The Problem of Evil in Context
Secularism as a set of beliefs
The Argument(s) against God from Evil
Logical and Evidential Arguments
“Soul-Making” and Suffering
Theodicy of “soul-formation”
God, Freedom and Evil
Theodicy of “free will”
The Problem with all Theodicies
Too ambitious; a “defense” is better
The Logical Argument and the “Noseeums” Objection
The classic logical argument:
A truly good God would not want evil to exist; an all-powerful God would not allow evil to exist.
Evil exists.
Therefore, a God who is both good and powerful cannot exist.
This argument has a hidden premise:
God could not possibly have any good reasons for allowing evil and suffering to exist.
Is it possible that God could have reasons for allowing evil to exist that, in his mind, outweigh the desirability of the non-existence of evil?
Is it possible that in our finite, human, limited understanding, we cannot possibly know what God’s reasons might be for allowing evil?
If God has good reasons for allowing suffering and evil, then there is no contradiction between his existence and that of evil.
If God is infinitely knowledgeable—why couldn’t he have morally sufficient reasons for allowing evil that you can’t think of?
If you have a God infinite and powerful enough for you to be angry at for allowing evil, then you must at the same time have a God infinite enough to have sufficient reasons for allowing that evil.
The belief—that because we cannot think of something, God cannot think of it either—is a mark of great pride and faith in one’s own mind.
The Evidential Argument and the Butterfly Effect
The logical argument from the problem of evil says God cannot possibly exist. The evidential argument says that evil and suffering simply make God’s existence improbable.
The problem is that this evidential argument suffers from the same limitations and logical fallacies as the logical argument.
It rests on the same premises and has the same Achilles heel.
If we are unable to prove that God has no morally sufficient reasons for evil, we are certainly unable to assess the level of probability that he has such reasons.
To insist that we have a sufficient vantage point from which to evaluate percentages or likelihood is to again forget our knowledge limitations.
If there is an infinite God and we are finite, there would be no way for us to lay odds on such things.
The intricacies of the universe and the virtually infinite possibilities within it make it inconceivable that we as human beings could state with any confidence what the likelihood or probability of the existence of God would be.
The “butterfly effect” is the idea that even the most miniscule of events can have ripple effects throughout history that are unknowable and incalculable.
If we cannot accurately calculate the effects of a butterfly’s flight path or the roll of a ball down a hill, how do we think we can accurately assess the future effects of something more complex and sorrowful, such as the death of a young child?
If an all-powerful and all-wise God were directing all of history with its infinite number of interactive events toward good ends, it would be folly to think we could look at any particular occurrence and understand a millionth of what it will bring about.
Only an omniscient mind could grasp the complexities of directing a world of free creatures toward previsioned good goals.
Many evils and sorrows seem pointless and unnecessary to us—but we are simply not in a position to know or to judge.
The Visceral Argument from Evil
The logical and evidential argument arises from intellectual thought, but the visceral argument arises from meeting sorrow and hardship in real life.
Most people who, in the face of real evil, object to God’s existence do so not for philosophical reasons but for visceral ones.
This distinguishes between the global problem of evil and the local problem of evil. The local problem of evil is the one that involves my life and those close to me.
The experience of real evil and suffering can make the existence of God seem implausible, unreal to the heart.
There is an emotional side to it, but there is also an inherent moral logic to the visceral reaction to evil.
The visceral reaction causes moral outrage to arise without our hearts and our thoughts.
The failure of the visceral argument against God is that not all react the same way to great evil. Some turn from God in the face of great evil, but others come out with their faith intact and even strengthened.
In Nazi death camps, many lost hope and their faith, but many also found faith in such circumstances.
The Christian hope of the resurrection and the renewal of the world enables us to view the present power of death in terms of its empty future and therefore in the knowledge of its sure defeat.
The Boomerang Effect
Not everyone who experiences radical evil automatically loses faith in God.
The visceral reaction to suffering has within it some arguments, some assumptions, that may not be conscious at first.
The visceral response to suffering is not just a response. We are telling ourselves something about it; we are interpreting it in a particular way.
There is a moral assumption in the minds and hearts of those who find suffering weakening their faith rather than strengthening it.
The assumption is that God, if he exists, has failed to do the right thing, that he has violated some moral standard.
It is an argument against God from the standpoint of a moral judgment.
But this moral outrage against God creates a conundrum for the skeptic who disbelieves in God.
A moral feeling means I feel some behavior is right and some behavior wrong and even repulsive.
But, if there is no God, where do such strong moral instincts and feelings come from?
Evolution cannot explain the feeling that all humans have of moral obligation and “rightness.”
If there is no God, on what basis do you say to someone, “What you have done is evil,” if their sense of morality differs from yours? Why should your moral feelings take precedence over theirs?
This is a conundrum because the very basis for disbelief in God—a certainty about evil and the moral obligation not to commit it—dissolves if there truly is no God. The ground on which you make your objection vanishes under your feet.
The visceral argument against evil, the moral outrage we feel, has a boomerang effect. Our feeling of moral outrage assumes something (objective morality) that cannot exist if there is no God.
In being upset with God about evil, you are relying on God (and his morality) to make an argument against God.
The awareness of moral evil in the world is actually an argument for the existence of God, not against it.
Unless we allow ultimate reality to be moral, we cannot morally condemn it.
We cannot assume a morality on which to judge God unless God and his morality exist.
If you think there really is such a thing as horrifying wickedness, then you have a powerful argument for the reality of God.
You can’t even talk about “justice” without standing inside a theistic framework, that is, an implicit acknowledgement of God’s reality.
To talk about justice, you have to talk about objective morality, and to talk about objective morality, you have to talk about God.
The problem of senseless suffering does not go away if you abandon belief in God. Instead, abandoning the faith removes many resources for facing suffering.
Sunday Nov 06, 2016
“Down to Egypt”
Sunday Nov 06, 2016
Sunday Nov 06, 2016
“Down to Egypt” (Genesis 42:1–38)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, November 6, 2016
Genesis 42:1–38 (NIV)
42 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” 2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. 5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.
6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”
8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9 Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”
10 “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”
13 But they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 And he put them all in custody for three days.
18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”
22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” 23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.
24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.
25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.
27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”
Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, 30 “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’
33 “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”
35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”
37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.”
38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”
1. Jacob’s favoritism of Benjamin revealed a continued idolatry in his heart. God may use suffering to strip us of our dependence on our idols.
2. Joseph did not respond with revenge when his brothers appeared before him. Instead, he tested them to see if they were penitent, and he showed kindness to the family. God may use suffering to teach us how to forgive those who have wronged us.
3. Joseph’s brothers had changed. Their concern for the family, their admission of guilt with respect to Joseph, and their concern for Benjamin (the new favored one) showed that their hearts had changed. God may use suffering to transform our character and/or to reveal our true character.
Main Idea: In the accomplishment of his plan, God may use suffering to strip us of our idols, teach us forgiveness and reconciliation, and/or to transform our character.
Sunday Nov 06, 2016
“Biblical Perspectives for Election Day”
Sunday Nov 06, 2016
Sunday Nov 06, 2016
“Biblical Perspectives for Election Day”
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, November 6, 2016
1. God knows the outcome of the election for every office and issue on the ballot on Tuesday.
If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. (1 John 3:20, NIV)
From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; 14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-- 15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. (Psalm 33:13-15, NIV)
You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. (Psalm 139:1-4, NIV)
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matt. 10:30, NIV)
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. (Psalm 147:4, NIV)
The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. (Prov. 15:3, NIV)
Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge? (Job 37:16, NIV)
2. Not only does God know the outcome of the election, the outcome of the election has been ordained by God.
11 In him we were also chosen,1 having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (Eph. 1:11-12, NIV)
Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counselor? 14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? (Isa. 40:13-14, NIV)
8 "Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. 9 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.' 11 From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. (Isa. 46:8-11, NIV)
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. (Jas. 4:13-16, NIV)
3. No one in this world holds a position of power or influence apart from the sovereign permission of God.
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1, NIV)
Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." (John 19:11, NIV)
He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. (Dan. 2:21, NIV)
"'The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.' (Dan. 4:17, NIV)
4. Jesus Christ is the ultimate ruler of the universe, and all authorities are ultimately subject to him.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28:18-20, NIV)
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11, NIV)
5. God’s eternal plan and purpose will not be derailed by the outcome of this week’s election.
6. In God’s eternal decree, Christ will return at the appointed time to judge all of humanity and bring his eternal kingdom to earth.
7. Let us remember where our ultimate loyalty lies, and live as citizens of the kingdom of heaven.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:20-21, NIV)
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country-- a heavenly one. (Heb. 11:13-16, NIV)
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."1 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person's work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. (1 Pet. 1:13-17, NIV)
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. (1 Pet. 2:11-17, NIV)
8. Biblically, how should you vote?
a. Vote for those who will uphold what is right and just.
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:1-7, NIV)
b. Vote for people who will allow us as Christians to peacefully live out our faith and lovingly tell the good news of salvation through Christ.
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people-- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle-- I am telling the truth, I am not lying -- and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. (1 Timothy 2:1-7, NIV)
Wednesday Nov 02, 2016
Chapter 4: The Problem of Evil (Part 1)
Wednesday Nov 02, 2016
Wednesday Nov 02, 2016
Walking with God through Pain & Suffering
By Tim Keller
Chapter 4: The Problem of Evil (Part 1)
The Problem of Evil in Context
• The Problem of Evil:
o If you believe in a God who is:
All powerful and sovereign
Perfectly good and just
o Then, the existence of evil and suffering poses a problem.
• Some view this problem of evil as the single strongest objection to the existence of God and the plausibility of Christianity.
• The problem of evil is usually used in arguments against the existence of God and Christianity, but all religions and philosophies must wrestle with the problem of evil, not just Christians.
• Secularism is also a set of beliefs, and it is possibly the weakest of all worldviews at helping its adherents understand and endure the “terror of life.”
• Christian theology is much better equipped to prepare its adherents for suffering than secularism.
• The problem of evil and the existence of God has been a philosophical question going all the way back to the Greek philosopher Epicurus.
• But it was not widely discussed or have popular appeal until after the Enlightenment.
• After the Enlightenment, human beings became far more confident in their own powers of reason and perception.
• When people inside the “immanent frame” consider evil and God, the skeptical conclusion is already largely inherent in the premises.
• Modern discussions of the problem of suffering start with an abstract God:
o Imagined as all-powerful and all-good
o But not all-glorious, majestic, infinitely wise, and the creator and sustainer of all things.
• “If evil does not make sense to us, well, then evil simply does not make sense.”
• The premises of secular culture “stack the deck” in their favor.
• Our beliefs are formed not only through reason and argument but also through social conditioning.
• God is already questionable since secular culture’s highest value is the freedom and autonomy of the self, and the existence of a being like God is the ultimate barrier to that.
• We are quick to complain about evil and suffering in the world because it aligns with our cultural biases.
The Argument(s) against God from Evil
• The logical argument: seeks to prove that there certainly is no God because of the existence of evil.
• The evidential argument: reasons there probably is no God because of the existence of evil.
• Through much of the 20th century the dominant view of philosophers was that the argument against God from the problem of evil was conclusive.
• It claimed that Christianity was not just less plausible but logically impossible.
• However, Alvin Plantinga argued convincingly that “the existence of evil is not logically incompatible with the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good God.”
• His argument was so successful that it was widely conceded by all sides that the logical argument against God didn’t work.
• So, skeptics turned their attention to the evidential argument, namely, that suffering is not proof but evidence that makes the existence of God less probable, although not impossible.
• The evidential argument suffers from some of the same logical problems as the logical argument.
• Yet, the confident assertion so common “on the street,” that suffering and evil simply disproves the existence of God, has been almost entirely abandoned in professional and academic circles.
• The key to understanding the weakness of both the logical argument and the evidential argument against God is to distinguish theodicy from a defense of God.
“Soul-Making” and Suffering
• Theodicy is a justification of God’s ways to human beings.
• A theodicy seeks to give an answer to the big “Why?” question. Its goal is to explain why a just God allows evil to come into existence and to continue.
• It attempts to reveal the reasons and purposes of God for suffering so listeners will be satisfied that his actions regarding evil and suffering are justified.
• The theodicy of “soul-making”
o The evils of life can be justified if we recognize that the world was primarily created to be a place where people find God and grow spiritually into all they were designed to be.
o Suffering is about the process of growth which results in a positive and responsible character that comes from the investment of costly personal effort.
o Is the highest good that we become comfortable and trouble-free or that we become spiritually and morally mature?
o Our indignation against God for suffering is greatly magnified by an unexamined premise that God, if he exists, exists to make us happy, as we define happiness.
o Weaknesses:
Pain and evil do not appear to be distributed according to soul-making need
This theodicy does not speak to or account for the suffering of little children or infants who have no opportunity to mature or grow in character.
God, Freedom, and Evil
• The “free will” theodicy
o God created us not to be robots or animals of instinct but free, rational agents with the ability to choose and therefore to love.
o But if God was to make us able to choose the good freely, then he had to make us capable of also choosing evil.
o So, our free will can be abused by us and that is the reason for evil.
o The argument is that God made us free so that we would love him freely.
o This theodicy also argues that evil is not an object or “thing” like other created objects, and so was not created by God.
o Evil is the condition that results when some good thing that God made is twisted or corrupted from its original design or purpose.
o The “free will” theodicy has become very popular in Western culture because we have been taught to think of freedom and choice as something almost sacred.
o Two problems with “free will” theodicy:
It fails to distinguish between moral evil and natural evil. The “free will” theodicy addresses moral evil—but how can it explain natural evil?
It maintains a libertarian view of free will that is contrary to the Scriptures.
Is it really true that God could not create free agents capable of love without making them also capable of evil?
The Bible presents God himself as sovereign and free, and not just capable of love but the very fountain and source of all love. Nevertheless, God himself cannot be evil.
If God has a free will yet is not capable of doing wrong—why could not other beings also be likewise constituted?
One day God will make a world that is completely free of suffering and also a world not capable of choosing evil. Yet we will obviously still be capable of love.
The Bible’s teaching on freedom differs from modern secular views of freedom: all sin is slavery, not freedom.
The Bible also teaches that God can sovereignly direct our choices in history without violating our freedom and responsibility for our actions.
Is having libertarian freedom of will worth the horrendous evils of history?
The “free will” theodicy does not sufficiently explain why God allows evil and suffering.
God’s reasons must extend beyond the mere provision of freedom of choice.
The Problem with All Theodicies
• All theodicies are insufficient and have inherent problems, because they are asking the wrong questions and approaching the “problem of evil” from the wrong perspective.
• It is both futile and inappropriate to assume that any human mind could comprehend all the reasons God might have for any instance of pain and sorrow, let alone for all evil.
• It may be that the Bible itself warns us not to try to construct these theories.
• A better approach than theodicy is to formulate a “defense” for the “problem of evil.”
• A defense does not attempt to tell a full story that reveals God’s purposes in decreeing or allowing evil.
• A defense simply seeks to prove that the argument against God from evil fails, that the skeptics have failed to make their case.
• A defense shows that the existence of evil does not mean God can’t or is unlikely to exist.
• In making a theodicy, the burden of proof is upon the believer in God.
o An account must be made so convincing that the listener says to the believer, “Now I seek why all the suffering is worth it.”
• In a defense, the burden of proof is upon the skeptic.
• The statements “There is a good, omnipotent God” and “There is evil in the world” are not a logical contradiction.
• It is up to the skeptic to make a compelling case that they actually contradict each other.
o He or she must provide an argument so convincing that the listener says to the skeptic: “Now I see why, if evil exists, God cannot or at least is not likely to exist.”