2018-02
2018-02
Sunday Feb 25, 2018
“Children of God” (Romans 8:14–17)
Sunday Feb 25, 2018
Sunday Feb 25, 2018
“Children of God” (Romans 8:14–17)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, February 25, 2018
Romans 8:14–17 (NIV)14For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
1. The Holy Spirit provides assurance that we are God’s children (14, 16).
a. By leading us to walk in the ways of the Spirit producing the fruit of the Spiritb. By testifying with our human spirit that we are God’s children
2. The Holy Spirit guarantees our adoption into the family of God along with all of the rights and privileges of full sonship (15).
a. From slaves to sonsb. From fear to love
3. The Holy Spirit guarantees our final inheritance as an heir of God and co-heirs with Christ (17).
a. Full inheritance as a full child of God through Christb. Suffering is the path to glory.
Wednesday Feb 21, 2018
"Why Believe in Miracles?" - Chapter 4 of Know Why You Believe
Wednesday Feb 21, 2018
Wednesday Feb 21, 2018
Know Why You BelieveBy K. Scott Oliphint
“Why Believe in Miracles?” – Chapter 4
Lesson Overview
ReasonsFrom Hume to Hitchens
Theism to the Rescue?
Christian Theism to the Rescue
Responses
Conclusion
Reasons
From Hume to Hitchens
Objections to the Idea of MiraclesDavid Hume (1711-1776)Empiricism – we can know only what we experience through the senses (“naturalism”). Everything else is illusion.“A wise man…proportions his belief to the evidence.”
If there is no evidence for a miracle, or if the “proportion” of evidence is only slight, the possibility of the miracle must be rejected.
Probability – the likelihood of something happening or taking place.Probability is in part determined and dependent on other things.
The probability that I will drive to work depends on what day it is.
Hume’s philosophy:Can it be measured or quantified?
Can it be sensed by experience?
Is it matter or physical?
No to all of these: “Commit it then to the flames: for it contains nothing but sophistry and illusion.”
Christianity is by definition ruled out of bounds in this philosophy.
No place for miracles or “supernatural.”
Hume’s definition of a miracle: “an act which is a violation of the laws of nature.” Since the laws of nature are unalterable and fixed, then there can be no such thing as miracles which violate these fixed laws.
Which is more probable? To think that a man was raised from the dead or to think that a person was deceived into thinking someone was raised from the dead?
So, Hume rejects miracles on the basis of empiricism (what is experienced through the senses) and probability (miracles are not as likely as other more likely explanations).
Hume’s argument against miracles is still followed today by many atheists. It is viewed as the preeminent argument against miracles and the supernatural.Christopher Hitchens is a modern example.
Theism to the Rescue?
There is a major flaw in Hume’s argument: his understanding of “nature”It assumes that no one has ever experienced a miracle.
Empiricism only works as an argument against miracles if miracles have never happened in anyone’s experience and perceived by the senses.
The only way to know with certainty that no one has ever experienced a miracle is if miracles are impossible.
Arguing in a circle: miracles are impossible because no one has ever experienced them; no one has ever experienced them because miracles are not “normal” and “natural” – thus not possible.
What if we suppose the existence of God—that there is more to what is “natural” than what can be seen or experienced empirically?
Would establishing God’s existence prove the possibility of miracles?
Benedict de Spinoza (1632-1677) didn’t think so.A Jewish theist who reasoned that the unchangeability of God required the unchangeability of nature – no miracles.
The miracles of the Old Testament were “natural” occurrences that only appeared new or supernatural because of man’s ignorance.
So, like Hume, Spinoza thought that “witnesses” of miracles were themselves deceived or confused.
Bare theism alone does not solve the debate over miracles.Deism would deny miracles based on the unchangeability of the nature God made. He wound it up and let it go.
Christian Theism to the Rescue
Some flaws in definitions that need correcting:The assumption that “nature” is all there is and that it moves on its own according to unchangeable laws/forces.
The assumption that God’s unchangeability prevents him from disrupting or momentarily changing the “laws of nature.”
Is “nature” moving on its own?The Scriptures know nothing of a “nature” or creation that moves on its own.Psalm 104:10-13: “He makes springs pour water into the ravines… He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.”
The workings of nature are the workings of the God who made it.
The “laws of nature” are actually the faithful activity of a faithful God.
Hume denied miracles because he defined nature as a predictable, closed system.
Spinoza denied miracles because he defined nature as invariably law-like.
Both of these conclusions misunderstand “nature.”Nature is what it is because God is working in and through it – actively and dynamically.
Why would God want to act differently in his world at special times?Miracles are not God’s magic tricks.
They are not arbitrary displays of God’s power.
They are given to point toward the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.
Miracles are testimonies; they communicate a message. That message is ultimately pointing to salvation through Christ.
Example:Jesus calms the sea (Mark 4; Matt 8; Luke 8).Given to increase the faith of his disciples in their Savior.
This miracle demonstrated the nature of the kingdom of God that Jesus had been teaching his disciples about.
Miracles are given to authenticate the message and the messenger.
The works affirm the words.
The calming of the sea was intended to point the disciples to Psalm 107:“He stilled the storm to a whisper… Let them gives thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.”
The disciples were meant to see that Jesus was himself the Lord of creation who calmed the sea in Psalm 107.
Miracles are intended to point to something higher. They accompany the proclamation of redemptive truth.When you come across a miracle in Scripture, ask “What redemptive truth is God communicating through this miracle?”
Responses
Are Christians arguing in a circle in the same way as David Hume?There is an important difference:When Hume assumed “nature” as a closed, law-like uniformity he was making an assumption that he could not prove because he had not experienced all of nature. He had not experienced the entire system that he speculated about.
When Christians begin with God, we are not beginning with our limited experiences. Our belief in God is grounded in what he has said and done.
We begin with God not because we “sense” him, but because he has spoken.
We do not believe that we can know only what we experience. We can know because of who God is and what he has done.
How can we believe in an unchangeable God who at times disrupts the normal pattern of nature/creation?The unchangeable God is not aloof, disconnected from his world.
We believe in the Triune God; we believe that God the Son became flesh and lived among us. This was the “Grand Miracle” and certainly a disruption of the normal order of things.
God is dynamically, actively involved.
God is at work in his world and in history to save a sinful people.
All the miracles in the Bible are meant to point to, explain, and testify to that great and glorious “Grand Miracle” of God coming to man by becoming a man.
All other miracles serve that one redemptive act of God.
Conclusion
We believe in miracles because we believe in Christ.
When we believe in Christ, we believe that he is the greatest miracle of all.
Once we believe in him, it is no step at all to believe in those great acts of God that show us his plan of redemption, in and through his Son.
Sunday Feb 18, 2018
“It’s Not All on You” (Exodus 18:13–27)
Sunday Feb 18, 2018
Sunday Feb 18, 2018
“It’s Not All on You” (Exodus 18:13–27)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, February 18, 2018
Exodus 18:13–27 (NIV)
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.
27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.
1. The Problem: Shouldering the Responsibility Alone (vv. 13–18).
a. Moses was rightly serving as judge and overseer over the people (13, 15–16).
i. The people did need God’s Word and His Will, and Moses was in the position to mediate that Word to the people (13, 15).ii. The people did need matters that were in dispute to be decided by someone who knew God’s Word and His Will (16).
b. Moses was wrongly thinking that he needed to do it all by himself (14, 17–18).
i. Just because the people needed God’s Word didn’t mean that Moses had to give it to them directly and personally himself.ii. Just because the people needed matters that were in dispute to be decided by a judge who knew God’s Word didn’t mean that Moses had to be the only judge deciding every matter.
c. Shouldering the Responsibility Alone leads to overworked servants of God and frustrated and under-served people (18).
2. The Plan: Share the Responsibility with Others (vv. 19–23).
a. The one suggesting the plan: Jethro, Moses’ father-in-lawb. The plan itself:
i. Moses should be the primary mediator between the people and God (19).
1. Bringing matters to be decided to God2. Bringing God’s Word/Judgments to the People
ii. Moses should be the primary teacher of God’s Word and God’s Ways to the people (20).
1. Teaching God’s people God’s Words2. Teaching God’s people God’s Ways
iii. Moses should select and appoint men of character and capability to help shoulder the load of judgment and leadership (21).
1. Capable men 2. God-fearing 3. Appoint them to various levels of leadership and responsibility commensurate with their level of experience and qualifications
iv. The ministry of judgment/leadership can be shared with these qualified men, and Moses can continue to handle the more difficult cases. He is still the ultimate mediator of God’s word and his judgments to the people (22).v. Shared Responsibility lessens the stress of fatigue on the minister/leader and provides more personal and consistent ministry to the people (23).
c. The approver of the plan: this plan comes from Jethro; it is his advice. But still God must give the approval for this plan.
i. The text seems to indicate that this plan is subject to approval by God:
1. May God be with you (v. 19).2. If you do this and God so commands (23).
3. The Process: Begin the Process of Training and Selecting Others to Share the Responsibility (vv. 24–27).
a. No matter how good a plan is, it still must be implemented (24) – Moses listened and implemented (assuming God’s approval).b. A plan such as this can’t be implemented overnight. It appears that the implementation of shared judgment and leadership was a process.
i. It takes a process to show the people the value of shared leadership.ii. It takes a process to train the leaders to know God’s Word and become capable of handling their sphere of responsibility.iii. It takes cooperation and humility for everyone to maintain their sphere of responsibility and not try to do more than what they’ve been given or slack in doing less.
Main Idea: Ministry is not intended to be responsibility of one person, not even one leader. Ministry is intended to be shared by godly, qualified leadership, and by willing, serving people.
Sunday Feb 18, 2018
“Killing Sin” (Romans 8:12–13)
Sunday Feb 18, 2018
Sunday Feb 18, 2018
“Killing Sin” (Romans 8:12–13)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, February 18, 2018Romans 8:12–13, NIV12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation-- but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.1. Believers in Christ do not have to live under the reign of the flesh anymore.2. Believers in Christ must not and will not live under the reign of the flesh anymore.3. Believers in Christ can live under the reign of the Spirit and mortify the sinful deeds of the body.4. Believers in Christ must and will live under the reign of the Spirit and mortify the sinful deeds of the body.Main Idea: Christ’s people do not live according to the flesh and eternally perish; Christ’s people live according to the Spirit and live forever.
Wednesday Feb 14, 2018
"Why Believe in Jesus?" - Chapter 3 of Know Why You Believe
Wednesday Feb 14, 2018
Wednesday Feb 14, 2018
Know Why You BelieveBy K. Scott Oliphint
Why Believe in Jesus? – Chapter 3
Introduction
⦁ What makes someone worthy of worship?
⦁ Teaching?⦁ Miracles?⦁ Creator of a movement?⦁ Sacrificing for others?
⦁ Many have done these things, so why worship Jesus? What makes Jesus worthy of worship?
Where Do We Begin?
⦁ Will we start with a search for a “historical” Jesus where only the natural is allowable?⦁ Beginning with this premise, the conclusion is already predetermined. Jesus can be nothing more than an influential teacher who started a movement. ⦁ If we start with our own assumed authority, rather than the Bible’s authority, we wind up with teachings and ideas that have no more authority than our own basic prejudices.⦁ We cannot begin with our own prejudices based on our own authority. ⦁ Why believe in Jesus?
⦁ The Bible gives us the answer. The Jesus we are to believe in must be the Christ of the Bible. The Jesus we create with our own ideas is not the real Jesus.
The Jesus of the New Testament
“In simple fact, Jesus’ career was not that of an ordinary man: and the dilemma is inevitable that He was either something more than a normal man or something less. We, like His contemporaries—and His contemporaries like us—have only the alternatives: either supernatural or subnormal, either Divine or else `out of His mind.’” Benjamin Warfield
⦁ The Bible’s claims are too extraordinary for Jesus to be just an ordinary man:
⦁ Jesus is both God and man.
⦁ John tells us that Jesus Christ is the one who was in the beginning, who created all things, who is, as fully God, with God and who took on human flesh in order to live among us. (John 1:1-3, 14)
⦁ From the very beginning, Jesus’ life was supernatural; nothing was ordinary.
⦁ From his virgin conception and birth to his death, resurrection, and ascension, nothing was ordinary.⦁ His birth marks the center of world history.
⦁ Jesus’ mission was to rescue sinners and end the reign of sin and its devastating effects.⦁ The eternal divine Word took on human nature and lived among us. He did not remain distant and aloof. He lived among the people and exposed himself to the hardships, ridicule, and persecution.⦁ Jesus engaged in a public ministry, healing the physically afflicted, liberating the demon possessed, and encouraging the downtrodden.⦁ The claims that Jesus made about himself do not allow us to think of him as a normal teacher:
⦁ Authority to forgive sin⦁ Existed before Abraham as the “I Am”⦁ Identified himself as the Son of Man (Messiah) and Son of God⦁ Predicted that he would rise from the dead on the third day after his death
The Jesus of the Old Testament
⦁ The revelation of who Jesus is does not start in the NT; the biblical picture of Jesus begins immediately after the entrance of sin in humanity.
⦁ He is the eternal Word and Creator.⦁ He is the “seed of the woman.”⦁ He is the Angel of the Lord.⦁ He is the “Man” who appeared to Abraham.⦁ He is the fire in the burning bush appearing to Moses.⦁ He is the Captain of the Lord’s army who appears to Joshua.⦁ He is the “fourth man” in the fire in Daniel 3.⦁ Ultimately, he is the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, born of the virgin Mary.⦁ The Son of God is the “revealer” of God from the beginning.⦁ The NT writers routinely apply to Jesus texts that speak of Yahweh.⦁ After his resurrection, Jesus taught his disciples how all of Scripture pointed to him.
⦁ All of Scripture reveals to us who Jesus, the Son of God, is—not just the New Testament.⦁ The same Son who permanently took on a human nature and came to earth was the one who had been coming to all of the saints ever since sin entered the hearts of people.
Jesus and the End of History
⦁ Jesus ascended to heaven to reign as King over the earth with all authority.⦁ One day he will return to judge the earth.⦁ John’s record of his vision in Revelation points to the reign of Christ over all the kingdoms of men.⦁ The lordship of Jesus is moving toward a specific goal: the return of Christ as judge over every human being and the consummation of history.⦁ This final judgment will seal the fate of every human being who has ever lived:
⦁ The unbelieving (the default condition of everyone) will be eternally condemned.⦁ The believing (by God’s grace) will live eternally in a new creation.
Why Believe in Jesus?
⦁ Son of God, Messiah, and Savior?
⦁ Hundreds of years of prophecy fulfilled⦁ A supernatural birth⦁ A ministry of authoritative, clear teaching⦁ Healing the ill and disabled, liberating the demon possessed, raising the dead to life, controlling nature⦁ Predicting his own death and resurrection⦁ Voluntarily laying his own innocent life down in sacrifice for the sins of others⦁ Rising from the dead the third day⦁ Ascending to heaven 40 days after his resurrection⦁ All of his ministry, death, and resurrection testified to by hundreds of eyewitnesses.⦁ The radical transformation of lives, including Saul of Tarsus.⦁ The endurance of his church and disciples for 2,000 years.⦁ The abundant written manuscript records of his life, ministry, and impact.⦁ Starting a movement that served as the foundation for all of western civilization.⦁ The current and ongoing transformation of lives, families, and societies.⦁ The powerful and divine testimony of Holy Scripture.⦁ The living and active testimony of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of people.
Sunday Feb 11, 2018
“A God Worthy of Praise” (Exodus 18:1–12)
Sunday Feb 11, 2018
Sunday Feb 11, 2018
“A God Worthy of Praise” (Exodus 18:1–12)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, February 11, 2018
Exodus 18:1–12 (NIV)
18 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; 4 and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.
9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
Setting: A Family Reunion
1. The one true and living God is worthy of proclamation (1–8).
2. The one true and living God is worthy of praise (by all peoples) (9–12).
Sunday Feb 11, 2018
“The Spirit Who Gives Life” (Romans 8:9–11)
Sunday Feb 11, 2018
Sunday Feb 11, 2018
“The Spirit Who Gives Life” (Romans 8:9–11)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, February 11, 2018
Romans 8:9–11 (NIV) 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
1. Every true believer in Jesus Christ is in union with Christ.
a. Belong to Christ (v. 9)b. Christ in you (v. 10) and you in Christ (5:12–21)
2. Everyone who is in union with Christ has the indwelling Holy Spirit.
a. If you belong to Christ (v. 9), you have the Spirit of Christ.b. The Spirit of Christ = The Spirit of God = The Holy Spirit.c. Every believer/every true Christian has the indwelling Holy Spirit.
i. From conversionii. In totalityiii. Permanently (lives, dwells v. 9)
3. Everyone who has the indwelling Holy Spirit of Christ is no longer “in the flesh” but is “in the Spirit.”
a. If the Spirit of God lives in you, then you are not in the realm of the flesh but in the realm of the Spirit (v. 9).b. Positional – transfer from one realm to the other. – True of all believers. A Christian cannot rightly be said to be “in the flesh” in this sense.
4. Everyone who has the indwelling Holy Spirit has been granted new spiritual life because of the righteousness of Christ (v. 10).
a. Your physical body is still subject to decay and death, but you have been made spiritually alive through the life-giving Spirit based on the work of Christ (his righteousness imputed to you).
5. Everyone who has been made spiritually alive by the Spirit will also one day be made physically alive at the resurrection (v. 11).
a. God raised Jesus from the dead.b. If his Spirit (the Holy Spirit) is in you then you too will be raised from the dead physically and transformed into and immortal existence at the resurrection.
Main Idea: Every true believer in Christ has the indwelling Holy Spirit, who has transferred us from the realm of spiritual death in the flesh to the realm of spiritual life in the Spirit, and one day he will also grant new resurrection life to our physical bodies that grow old and die.
Wednesday Feb 07, 2018
"Why Believe in God?" - Chapter 2 of Know Why You Believe
Wednesday Feb 07, 2018
Wednesday Feb 07, 2018
Know Why You BelieveBy K. Scott Oliphant
“Why Believe in God?” – Chapter 2
The New Atheism
Recent ResurgenceRichard Dawkins
Christopher Hitchens
Sam Harris
Daniel Dennett
Hostile and “Evangelistic”
Religion is “Destructive.”
Reasons
Reasons to Not BelieveReligious Abuses and EvilsWorst possible caricatures
Argument is not about religion per se but about the adherents of that religion.
Must distinguish between what Christianity is and what Christians do.
A skewed view of God based on a distorted reading of Scripture.Reflects more the bias of the reader than a legitimate, fair reading of the Bible.
All the things that are wrong and all the suffering in the world.If all the wrong in the world proves that everything is random and meaningless, then why is it so evil to believe in God?
Reasons to Believe“Agreement of the People” argument75% of people believe in a god.
Has been the dominant belief of people through the centuries
Not a sufficient proof, but does point to something deeper.
“Internal” ReasonsThere is a reason why most people throughout time have believed in deity.
There is in every person a “sense of deity.”
“since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.” Rom 1:19
We know God through general revelation.
Our sin is direct rebellion against our Creator, because we know him.
Because of this knowledge, we are without excuse.
This knowledge is continually suppressed by sinful humanity.
These truths help to explain why there is a general agreement of the people
regarding the existence of deity.
The false deities that people have worshiped are evidence of the suppression and distortion of the basic knowledge of God available to us in conscience and nature.
“External” ReasonsGod’s revelation in and through creation is always and everywhere both “internal” and “external.”“Internal” revelation is that which God “implants” in us that speaks to our consciences.
“External” revelation is that which God is showing us through the world that we experience every day.
God’s revelation is in all creation, inside of us and outside of us.
This general revelation gives strength to so-called “proofs” for God’s existence.Cosmological argument – argument from cause and effect.The world is the “effect,” and God is the eternal “first cause.”
An atheist will not make the connection between this argument and the general revelation of God, because they have suppressed that knowledge.
It is easier and “more free” to believe in an uncaused universe than to believe in an uncaused God to whom we are accountable.
Ontological Argument – argument of necessary beingOur existence is limited and dependent, so there must be a being who is infinite and independent.
Teleological Argument – argument of design and purposeThe intricate design of the universe points to a master designer.
All of these “external” reasons for God testify of his existence. They ought to be obvious to everyone.
But sin clouds, distorts, and hides the obvious. Sinners distort and suppress the knowledge of God and reasonable arguments for his being.
How can the blind see?
Digging Deeper
What is the root cause of the denial of God and a rejection of reasonable arguments for his existence?
The atheist opts for a blind faith in an uncaused universe rather than a reasonable faith in a personal Creator God because the atheist does not want there to be a God.
The “internal” and “external” reasons for God will not alone change the mind of an atheist because deep down they don’t want there to be a God.
They have libertarian reasons for rejecting the existence of God that are stronger than any compelling arguments.
Responses
So what do we do if the problem is in what people want rather than what they think?
Atheistic arguments are inherently contradictory. They argue that religion poisons everything because it tries to influence everyone. But aren’t atheists trying to influence others?
If everything that exists is by chance and meaningless, how do we determine good and bad?
Why is it a bad thing for Christians to seek to evangelize others? By what standard?
Why is opposition to evolution bad? Their strong defense of evolution proves that things do have meaning, which undercuts their belief in a meaningless universe.
What makes evolution “better” than religion and creationism if everything is morally indifferent and neutral?
Conclusion
No matter how articulate and educated the denial of God is, the diagnosis is always the same.
The unbeliever lives as if there is no God, and deep down they don’t want there to be a God.
Unbelief is not due to a lack of evidence but to an inward rebellion.
The only thing powerful enough to change the rebellion of the human heart, which itself is enslaved to sin, is the truth of God in the gospel.
The sinful chains that bind the heart must be broken. Only the gospel can do that.
We make our appeal to unbelievers based on the shared truth that all humanity has access to in conscience and in nature.
We show how Christianity helps us to see everything else more clearly. It illumines the world and provides it meaning and purpose.
Sunday Feb 04, 2018
“The Lord Is My Banner” (Exodus 17:8–16)
Sunday Feb 04, 2018
Sunday Feb 04, 2018
“The Lord Is My Banner” (Exodus 17:8–16)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday PM, February 4, 2018
Exodus 17:8–16 (NIV)
8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”
15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”
The journey for God’s people will be difficult and dangerous (v. 8).
20 Remember what I told you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. (John 15:20-21, NIV)
"All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. (John 16:1-4, NIV)
God’s people have a moral right to use legitimate means to defend themselves against unjust attack (vv. 9–10).
35 Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered. 36 He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. (Luke 22:35-36, NIV)
Every challenge and difficulty that God’s people go through provides an opportunity for God to display his glory.
God will defend his people, and he has a long memory and will seek justice for their oppression.
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven." 15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. 16 He said, "Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the LORD, the LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation." (Exodus 17:14-16, NIV)
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and spoke his message: "Amalek was first among the nations, but their end will be utter destruction." (Numbers 24:20, NIV)
17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. 18 When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. 19 When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget! (Deuteronomy 25:17-19, NIV)
2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'" (1 Samuel 15:2-3, NIV)
Main Idea: The faithful Lord is among his people to defend them.
Sunday Feb 04, 2018
“Life in the Flesh vs. Life in the Spirit” (Romans 8:4b–8)
Sunday Feb 04, 2018
Sunday Feb 04, 2018
“Life in the Flesh vs. Life in the Spirit” (Romans 8:4b–8)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, February 4, 2018
Romans 8:1–8, NIV 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
1. A different sphere of existence/domain
a. In the fleshb. In the Spirit
2. A different mind-set
a. Minds set on what the flesh desiresb. Minds set on what the Spirit desires
3. A different way of life
a. Living according to the flesh
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21, NIV)
b. Living according to the Spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24, NIV)
4. A different orientation toward God
a. Hostile toward Godb. At peace and reconciled with God
5. A different moral capability
a. Does not submit to God’s law, and can’t submit to God’s law, cannot please God.b. Freedom from slavery to sin and become slaves of righteousness.
6. A different destiny
a. Death
I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:21, NIV)
b. Life and Peace
Main Idea: Believers in Christ are now in the Spirit, not in the flesh. This means that they have a fundamentally different way of thinking and living—one that is oriented toward God and not toward the self. This new way of life leads ultimately to eternal life.
Wednesday Jan 31, 2018
"Why Believe in the Bible?" - Chapter 1 of Know Why You Believe
Wednesday Jan 31, 2018
Wednesday Jan 31, 2018
Know Why You BelieveBy K. Scott Oliphint
Why Believe in the Bible? – Chapter 1
Introduction
Especially in our current cultural climate, people generally approach the Bible with a skeptical mindset.How credible are the Bible’s claims?
Are there really people who believe it?
Can it be proved?
What about its contradictions?
Reasons
There are two kinds of reasons or types of evidences for believing the Bible:External Reasons – evidence or reasons that come from outside of the Bible.
Internal Reasons – evidence or reasons that come from inside the Bible.
External Reasons
There are several types of external reasons:Historical Reliability Historical Records
Archaeological Evidence
Transmission ReliabilityHow can we be sure the manuscripts are accurate?
Abundant manuscript testimony in agreement.
Canon ReliabilityHow can we be sure the books we have are the right books?
No councils met to decide on which books to include or exclude because it was never a matter of serious disagreement in the early church.
On the whole, the churches were in harmony on recognizing the authoritative books.
Internal Reasons
External evidence is inconclusive. It can never produce certainty, only probability or plausibility.
The Bible’s truthfulness runs deeper than just external historical testimony. It begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Belief in the Bible is personal and relational.
Belief in the Bible is like a marriage. You cannot experience what marriage is really like without the commitment of marriage.
Only a personal commitment to Jesus Christ brings to light what Christianity really is.
The best reasons for believing the Bible come from the Bible itself:Its unity in diversityThe Bible was written by dozens of writers over a period of 1500 years.
This diversity results in a collection of books that is amazingly unified in its message.
“the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is, to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof.”--Westminster Confession of Faith—
In order to discover the internal reasons, one must sit down and read what the Bible says. It requires a familiarity with the content of Scripture.
But even more than external and internal reasons are needed to bring us to a point of believing the Scriptures.
Divine Reasons
“Yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.”--Westminster Confession of Faith
The only way that one can be fully persuaded and assured of the “infallible truth and divine authority” of Holy Scripture is when the Holy Spirit himself testifies of the truth of Scripture in our hearts.
The Holy Spirit does not do the internal work by himself. He works “by and with the Word in our hearts.”
We must expose ourselves to what Scripture says. Only then can we hope to see its heavenliness.
Without that exposure, the best answer to the why question is little more than a historical probability, and the power of what the Scripture says can never be known.
Responses
Isn’t this reasoning in a circle? Beginning with the Bible to prove the Bible?This is a misperception of the Christian understanding of the Bible.
Can you prove that your senses are a reliable guide to experiencing the world without using your senses?
There are no external sources that establish the reliability of the use of your senses.
So it is with the Bible, no outside authority can ultimately prove the reliability of the Bible. It’s authority and reliability are axiomatic.
Because the Bible is the ultimate authority for Christians, then there can be no other authority that can establish its authority.
If another authority were to establish the Bible’s authority, then the Bible would get its authority from something else and, by definition, would not be the final authority.
What about all the contradictions in the Bible?It all depends on your starting presupposition.
Does a doctor detect a problem in the body and assume that the Bible is a collection of parts that don’t work together? No, he begins with the assumption that body is mean to harmoniously work together.
The only way to diagnose perceived problems in Scripture is to study Scripture.
When Scripture is studied with the commitment that the parts will be coherent because God is the primary author from beginning to end, contradictions disappear.
But when Scripture is studied apart from that commitment, one encounters contradictions and problems because one begins with the premise that the Bible is full of contradictions.
So, the starting presupposition matters.
Conclusion
The only way someone can acquire a “full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority” of Scripture is, as in marriage, by first making a commitment to Christ himself.
This commitment/belief can only come through reading the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit opening our hearts to believe it as God’s Word.
By believing Christ, we are able properly to see everything else.
Unless we recognize the truths about the Bible, we will not be able to understand why we believe anything else about Christianity.
In trusting Christ and believing his Word, we begin to see the world and everything else in its proper light.