Does the God of Christianity exist, and what difference does it make? A Debate

Debating: William Lane Craig, Christopher Hitchens, Douglas Wilson, Lee Strobel & James Denison.

Slain Pastor's Wife Testifies to Jesus

Interviewed at CBS News.

Preaching through Bible Books

Preaching through Bible Books - This is from a conference in 2003 called, “Katoomba Christian Conference Centenary (Sydney, Australia).” D.A. Carson

1. (1:38 ) - Read and re-read and re-read and re-read and re-read the book. - It’s a mistake to read the book once and then start reading commentaries (Read it in English and the original language).
2. (3:11) - Ideally start the process early. Give time to re-reading, meditation, and saturation.
3. (4:58 ) – Eschew the division of head and heart.
4. (6:14) - Early on attain sufficient grasp of the book that you can succinctly state (a) what the book is about, (b) what this book contributes to the canon that overlaps with what other books bring to the canon, and (c) what distinctive things this book brings to the canon. (All these things need to be thought about simultaneously. This is what brings clarity and precision). Scan biblical theologies on the book to get a large scale picture of the book.
5. (11:10) - At roughly the same time determine (a) the number of sermons you’ll devote to the book and (b) the large scale outline of the book insofar as it impinges on your text boundaries for each sermon (11:10).
6. (19:27) - Start working on individual sermon preparation (either in advance or week by week). Ideally work on the text first. A. (23:26) – Ideally develop note taking techniques. This keeps your tools sharp and keeps your files for resources for future ministry (writing, preaching, evangelism, etc.); B. (29:32) – from these detailed exegetical n@
   � (Note for young preachers: you must determine and discipline yourself to leave stuff out). You need to know what to leave out. The sermon is the best of the material and the highlights of what you learned. The aim is to think through what contributes to the burden of that text; C. Work on the text’s structure. Work on it so that it is fresh and appealing and helpful.
7. (32:27) - Each sermon must simultaneously stand alone and constitute a part of the series.
8. (33:34) – Remember the different contributions of a Paul House (corpus/book) biblical theology and a Charles Scobie (thematic) biblical theology.
9. (38:11) – Recognize that there may be special study and focus necessary for certain books (historical, cultural, literary genre, etc).
10. (42:32) – Ideally try to make your sermon material reflect in some way the genre of the book you are treating.
11. (44:24) - Remember constantly that this is not an exercise in artistic creation. The sermon is not an end in itself, but it is a re-revelation of God to his people. This means that as you prepare you ought to be thinking about the people to whom you are ministering.
12. (50:28 ) – ideally keep revising, praying, preparing so that it is not so much that you have mastered the material as that it has mastered you. There is a way of preaching that projects an image of being an expert and an image of being captured by the text.

From http://pjtibayan.wordpress.com/2006/10/17/d-a-carson-audio-sermonslectures/

This news is unprecedented, humbling, & mind boggling....

Follow the link.

See also this from Christianity Today.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/may/19.22.html

The Gospel... (just the Gospel of Jesus Christ)

Below are excerpts from D.A. Carson's message of Paul's clear presentation of the Gospel. Read on.

"The gospel is Christological; it is Christ-centered. The gospel is not a bland theism, still less an impersonal pantheism. The gospel is irrevocably Christ-centered. The point is powerfully articulated in every major New Testament book and corpus. In Matthew‘s Gospel, for instance, Christ himself is Emmanuel, God with us; he is the long-promised Davidic king who will bring in the kingdom of God. By his death and resurrection he becomes the mediatorial monarch who insists that all authority in heaven and earth is his alone. In John, Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father except through him, for it is the Father‘s solemn intent that all should honor the Son even as they honor the Father. In the sermons reported in Acts, there is no name but Jesus given under heaven by which we must be saved. In Romans and Galatians and Ephesians, Jesus is the last Adam, the one to whom the law and the prophets bear witness, the one who by God‘s own design propitiates God‘s wrath and reconciles Jews and Gentiles to his heavenly Father and thus also to each other. In the great vision of Revelation 4–5, the Son alone, emerging from the very throne of God Almighty, is simultaneously the lion and the lamb, and he alone is qualified to open the seals of the scroll in the right hand of God, and thus bring about all of God‘s matchless purposes for judgment and blessing. So also here: the gospel is Christological. John Stott is right: ―The gospel is not preached if Christ is not preached."‖

I suffer fruitless anguish day by day

by William Cowper

I suffer fruitless anguish day by day,
Each moment, as it passes, marks my pain;
Scarce knowing whither, doubtfully I stray,
And see no end of all that I sustain.

The more I strive the more I am withstood;
Anxiety increasing every hour
My spirit finds no rest, performs no good,
And nought remains of all my former power.

My peace of heart is fled, I know not where;
My happy hours, like shadows, passed away;
Their sweet remembrance doubles all my care;
Night darker seems, succeeding such a day.

Dear faded joys and impotent regret,
What profit is there in incessant tears?
Oh thou, whom, once beheld, we ne'er forget,
Reveal thy love, and banish all my fears!

Alas! he flies me—treats me as his foe,
Views not my sorrows, hears not when I plead;
Woe such as mine, despised, neglected woe,
Unless it shortens life, is vain indeed.

Pierced with a thousand wounds, I yet survive;
My pangs are keen, but no complaint transpires
And, while in terrors of thy wrath I live,
Hell seems to loose it less tremendous fires.

Has hell a pain I would not gladly bear,
So thy severe displeasure might subside?
Hopeless of ease, I seem already there,
My life extinguished, and yet death denied.

Is this the joy so promised—this the love,
The unchanging love, so sworn in better days?
Ah! dangerous glories! shewn me, but to prove
How lovely thou, and I how rash to gaze.

Why did I see them? had I still remained
Untaught, still ignorant how fair thou art,
My humbler wishes I had soon obtained,
Nor known the torments of a doubting heart.

Deprived of all, yet feeling no desires,
Whence then, I cry, the pangs that I sustain
Dubious and uninformed, my soul inquires,
Ought she to cherish or shake off her pain?

Suffering, I suffer not—sincerely love,
Yet feel no touch of that enlivening flame;
As chance inclines me, unconcerned I move,
All times, and all events, to me the same.

I search my heart, and not a wish is there
But burns with zeal that hated self may fall;
Such is the sad disquietude I share,
A sea of doubts, and self the source of all.

I ask not life, nor do I wish to die;
And, if thine hand accomplish not my cure,
I would not purchase with a single sigh
A free discharge from all that I endure.

I groan in chains, yet want not a release;
Am sick, and know not the distempered part;
Am just as void of purpose as of peace;
Have neither plan, nor fear, nor hope, nor heart.

My claim to life, though sought with earnest care,
No light within me, or without me, shews;
Once I had faith, but now in self–despair
Find my chief cordial and my best repose.

My soul is a forgotten thing; she sinks,
Sinks and is lost, without a wish to rise;
Feels an indifference she abhors, and thinks
Her name erased for ever from the skies.

Language affords not my distress a name,—
Yet it is real and no sickly dream;
'Tis love inflicts it; though to feel that flame
Is all I know of happiness supreme.

When love departs, a chaos wide and vast,
And dark as hell, is opened in the soul;
When love returns, the gloomy scene is past,
No tempests shake her, and no fears control.

Then tell me why these ages of delay?
Oh love, all–excellent, once more appear;
Disperse the shades, and snatch me into day,
From this abyss of night, these floods of fear!

No—love is angry, will not now endure
A sigh of mine, or suffer a complaint;
He smites me, wounds me, and withholds the cure;

Exhausts my powers, and leaves me sick and faint.
He wounds, and hides the hand that gave the blow;
He flies, he re–appears, and wounds again—
Was ever heart that loved thee treated so?

Yet I adore thee, though it seem in vain.
And wilt thou leave me, whom, when lost and blind,
Thou didst distinguish and vouchsafe to choose,
Before thy laws were written in my mind,

While yet the world had all my thoughts and views?
Now leave me, when, enamoured of thy laws,
I make thy glory my supreme delight?
Now blot me from thy register, and cause

A faithful soul to perish from thy sight?
What can have caused the change which I deplore?
Is it to prove me, if my heart be true?
Permit me then, while prostrate I adore,

To draw, and place its picture in thy view.
'Tis thine without reserve, most simply thine;
So given to thee, that it is not my own;
A willing captive of thy grace divine;

And loves, and seeks thee, for thyself alone.
Pain cannot move it, danger cannot scare;
Pleasure and wealth, in its esteem, are dust;
It loves thee, e'en when least inclined to spare

Its tenderest feelings, and avows thee just.
'Tis all thine own; my spirit is so too,
An undivided offering at thy shrine;
It seeks thy glory with no double view,

Thy glory, with no secret bent to mine.
Love, holy love! and art thou not severe,
To slight me, thus devoted, and thus fixed?
Mine is an everlasting ardour, clear

From all self–bias, generous and unmixed.
But I am silent, seeing what I see—
And fear, with cause, that I am self–deceived,
Not e'en my faith is from suspicion free,

And that I love seems not to be believed.
Live thou, and reign for ever, glorious Lord!
My last, least offering I present thee now—
Renounce me, leave me, and be still adored!

Slay me, my God, and I applaud the blow.

The POWER of WORDS

Read: James 3:1-12

Introduction

The church has no economic, political & military power; but it can unleash words that are sanctified by God for the profit of all.

Bridle your tongue

The apostle James wrote to Jewish Christians who were facing poverty & oppression away from their home country, learning an experience the hard way. Their situation was loaded with various trials & temptations & the weight of worldliness was pressed upon them. Given the background & the spiritual issue at hand, this letter tells them that it is easier to sin in the tongue in the time of their outward deeds & religious duties. The third chapter, then, is not only for those who might want to teach, but for all Christians as well. We are inexcusable if we speak in an unguarded & hasty speech. We know that all personality-types shall be tainted with this sin. In our mundane, day-to-day dealings in our home, work & leisure, Sunday is not exempted from tongue’s sin; the Lord’s Day is not off the hook from the tongues’ destructive power. Therefore, we fight for true religion & pure service 24/7 of the time.

The impact of words

Let us remember then, that for a thousand tongues there was a force that was words, that words are still mightier than the sword. For consider God, voicing-out His speech in the beginning, Let there be light, and there was light (Gen.1:3). Let us rejoice with John Calvin who for him this creation is the theatre of God’s glory. Let us soberly exalt God’s providence, which is his almighty and everywhere present power… whereby… He upholds & governs heaven, earth, & all creatures; so that herbs & grass, rain & drought, fruitful & barren years, meat & drink, health & sickness, riches & poverty, yea and all things come, not by chance, but by His fatherly hand (Heidelberg Catechism, Q27). The reason if whenever we confess the grandeur of God with awe is because He made us for himself and our hearts find no peace until it rest in Him (Augustine). To the youth, are you Young, Restless & Reformed (Collin Hansen)? To the aged & to the widows, the words The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (John Owen) are a sure comfort – most especially in times of remorse & sadness. When guilt-feelings beat you with more strokes, Christ’s Sacrifice is All-Comprehensive (RBM). And in the lowly language that is the Gospel, we are graciously seized by words – for the foolishness of God is wiser than men & the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1Cor.1:25)

James’ vivid portraits

Our Tongue is inflammatory, inconsistent, irreversible, inconsiderate, incredible, untamable, unruly & unkind. (Explanations: the tongue is like a spark in fire & is a fire, v.5-6; with it we bless God & curse men, v.9; we can not just delete the sword-like thrust of our tongue, Prov.12:18; no ministries, no persons & no days shall be exempted from its influence; ‘words have a way of escaping our mouths before they are carefully considered’ (Douglas Moo); every animals is tamable except it, v.7; the tongue will have its own way if without bridles, v.3; it is full of deadly poison, v.8. But, however destructive the power of the tongue is, there is still two, edifying, God-given & Christ-handed gifts to the church – Teaching & Worship.

Teaching & Worship

The author deliberately identifies teaching & worship as the ordinary ministries or activities in the church. The tongue directly affects these two because they’re ministered through words & speech, vs. 1-2, 9-10 – teaching in its teaching ministry & worship in its church gathering (synagogue, 2:2). But let us first be warned (a) avoid the error of Muntzer & the Anabaptists in the 16^th century where they ignorantly & quietly waited for the influence of the H.S. to come upon them (b) avoid the status of being an evangelical church where all members assume, & appoint themselves as teachers in the church.

What does teaching & worship gives? The Reformation excels in promoting a teachable attitude. This is also one of the first signs when a person comes to faith. Teaching constructs the church & builds-up Christians as God’s temple & dwelling place. It encourages us to count it all joy when we meet various tests; to hope before our unchanging Father; to be doers of the Word & not hearers only; to visit the orphans & widows; to show no partiality with the poor; to renounce selfish ambitions, quarrellings & love of money; to pray for those who are sick; to bring back those who wanders from the Lord & cover a multitude of sins. On the other hand, worship is not about us, it’s about God. Knowing God & worshipping Him with all the saints, His perfections & promises shall be enough to satisfy our deepest longings & desires. It’s because Jesus overcame all obstacles that we may worship God with joy & trembling. The Lord gave these ministries to create & define spiritual hunger that we may not wallow in what the world has to offer, but to feast together on the Bread of Life, which came down from Heaven to feed our eager souls. Aspire to have a worship gathering that will approach the Lord humbly & hungry.

Teaching & the Tongue: A call to Prudence

C.J. Mahaney rightly categorize that we are first Christians, then Husband/Wife/Single/Father/Mother, then Employees/Entrepreneurs/Ministers. Considering the varieties of sins attached to speaking, we who regularly listens to the Holy Book have no less lenience from God in terms of doing & practicing the Word. We regularly failed on our tongue just as a teacher who prepares his/her material. Like flattery – telling people what they want to hear, Prov.29:5/A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet. And cruel jokes – which falls under lies, Prov.26:18/Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows & death is the man who deceives his neighbor & says, ‘I am only joking!’. Gossip – indirect passing of stories that are not fitting to repeat, Prov.17:9/Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. Slander – direct attack on the person, Prov.11:13/Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets. Grouchy – frictional attitude is their habitual aura, Prov.26:21/As charcoal to hot embers & wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. And pride – Prov.27:2/Let another praise you, and not your own mouth. In view of this, let us be prudent quick to hear & slow to speech, Prov.18:13/If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly & shame. Rebuke in love, Prov.27:5/Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Be gentle in speech, Prov.15:1/A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Timing is gold, Prov.25:11/A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. To the wives & newly-weds, Prov. 31:26/She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

Worship & the Tongue: A call to Worship

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God, 3:9. The sinful tongue is a representation of the sinful world, James 3:8, it is a restless evil. It corrupts true & unspotted religion, James 1:26. To bless, simply, is to pronounce pleasant & exalting words to a person. We praise God regularly in worship, Ps.34:1/I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth; Ps.103:1/Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name; Ps.145:2/Everyday I will bless you and praise your name forever & ever. In the OT, God righteously cursed men according to their sins. To curse is to pronounce unpleasant words to a person. It is to wish or to present him/her to the most awful state, Prov. 30:11, There are those who curse their fathers & do not bless their mothers. Worship & cursing are connected in an unlikely way. Look into this kind of family worship & bickering, Prov.17:1/Better is dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. And these things ought not to be so. Be reminded & motivated that our fellow-men are made in the likeness of God so that whatever destructive words we say to them is ultimately an affront to God – He takes the most offense in sin, Ps.51:4. How about to those sitting beside you – cold words? Prov.12:25/Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. In all the troubles that we have faced last 2008, like passing through the river of Jordan, let us be more thankful to our Lord than be critical in our various, present situations (1Thess.1:2; 2:13; 5:18).

‘To those who have unclean lips, behold your God!’

Out of the abundance of Jesus’ heart, His mouth spoke sinless words: Jn.18:19-24 = The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in the synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said. When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, Is that how you answer the high priest? Jesus answered him, If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?; hear what Peter might have to say, 1Pet.2:22-23 = He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; cling to the cross of Jesus all the time, not just as a model, but as Savior, Isa.53:7,9 = He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; Lk. 23:34 = Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

'NATAGPUAN KA NA BA NI HESUS' -- The tract given to the attenders of the Joint-Bible-Study held last Dec.13

‘Sa ating panahon ngayon, mas maraming naniniwala na si Hesus ang naliligaw… kaysa tayong mga makasalanan.’

ISANG MENSAHE PARA SA MGA TAGA-CUBAO:

Si Ermin Garcia, na kilala nating isang kalye dito sa Cubao, ay isang manunulat noong dekada ’60 na pinaslang sa kanyang opisina sa Dagupan ng dalawang armadong lalaki. Siya’y binalaan ng huwag magsulat patungkol sa isang korapsyon na kaugnay sa isang pulitiko, bago pa tumama ang tatlong bala sa kanyang katawan. Sa isang gawain upang parangalan ang kanyang pagkamatay, binasa ang kanyang mensahe: ‘Maikli ang buhay. Huwag sayangin sa isang makasariling kababawan.’ (‘Life is short. Don’t waste it in selfish mediocrity.’)

Ito rin, kaibigan, ang mensahe sa atin ngayon lalo na kung ang isyu ay patungkol sa maka-Diyos na bagay. Maaring ikaw ay hindi naniniwalang walang Diyos, tulad ng pagkakamali ng iba. Maaring hindi ka naniniwala na ang kasaysayan ni Hesus ay isang alamat lamang, tulad ng ibang mga nagpaparatang sa Kanya. Sa madaling-salita, ikaw ang taong naniniwalang may Diyos, naniniwalang si Hesus ay totoong ipinanganak sa isang sabsaban, ngunit may usapin kang hindi pa rin maipagkasundo sa iyong isip.

Kung hinahanap mo ang akin ring hinahanap, at sinasaliksik mo ang akin ring sinasaliksik, at ‘di mo alam kung saan ka pupunta at lalapit, magkasundo tayo sa isang realidad: kailangan natin ng isang gabay na mapag-kakatiwalaan.

Mayaman sa kasaysayan ang ating sinilangang bayan. Dumating sa atin ang iba’t-ibang bansa at relihiyon, kasabay ang pagpasok ng modernong buhay sa isang makabagong panahon. Ngunit sa kabila nito, dapat nating malaman na mayroon pa ring aklat na laging bago sa kanyang mensaheng hatid sa bawat isa. Ito ay ang Biblia – ang salita ng Diyos na walang pagkakamali. Mula rito ay nagkaroon ng tunay na Cristiyanismo at tunay na gabay sa paksa natin. Kung pareho tayong magpapakababa, narito ang sagot sa pinaka-importante nating tanong at solusyon sa pinakamalaki nating problema:

Paano tayo mapapatawad ng Diyos sa ating kasalanan gayong Siya ay isang Hukom na matuwid at may mataas na pamantayan sa tao?

‘Problema ba yan,’ sabi ng iba. ‘Hindi yan ang isyu sa akin.’ Isipin mo ito sandali. Kung mayroong isang babae na may 10 pilak at lalaking may 100 tupa at ama na may 2 anak at isa sa mga iyon ay nawala, anong gagawin nila? Kung may 3 kang anak at dalawang araw ng hindi pa umuuwi sa bahay ang isa, maghahanap ka ba? Parang ganyan ang problema natin sa harapan ng Diyos. Tayo ay naliligaw. Sa halimbawa ng Biblia sa paksang ito, ipinakita na ang isang pilak, ang isang tupa at ang isang nawawalang anak ay importante, na siyang naglalarawan ng tunay nating kalagayan. Kaya’t bilang salamin ng ating pagkaligaw, hindi anghel o taong nilalang ang kailangan natin. Kundi si Hesus. Tayo’y nagkanya-kanya ng daan sa ating paglayo sa Diyos (Isaias 53:6). Ito ang ‘kasalanan’: isang kondisyon, isang kalagayan, o puede rin nating sabihin, isang situasyon. Naliligaw at tumalikod.

Bakit pa nga ba sinabi ni Hesus na ‘sapagkat ang Anak ng Tao ay dumating upang hanapin at iligtas ang nawala’ (Lukas 19:10), kung wala namang makitang problema sa atin? At bakit pa sinabi ni Hesus, ‘gayundin, sinasabi ko sa inyo, may kagalakan sa harapan ng mga anghel ng Diyos dahil sa isang makasalanang nagsisisi’ (Lukas 15:10), kung mabuti naman ang ating espiritual na kalagayan? Hindi natin nakikita na malayo tayo sa Panginoon sa simpleng kadahilanan na tayo ay makasalanan. Mabuti ang pagkalikha sa atin ngunit dahil sa kasalanan, tayo ay naligaw. Hindi na natin namamalayang may kapahamakang naghihintay.

Kaya’t ang sagot ay si Hesus, kaibigan. Si Hesus lamang! Ang pag-ibig ng Diyos sa pamamagitan Niya ang dahilan ng pagpapatawad sa mga hindi karapat-dapat, sa mga makasalanan. Hindi para sa mga matutuwid na, hindi para sa mga walang kailangan ng Kanyang buong tulong! Nakakatakot, kung nakasandal ka sa iyong mga mabubuting gawa para mapatawad ng Diyos! Nakakatakot, kung nilabag mo ang Kanyang Sampung Utos at inaakala mong ayos lang ang buhay, tuloy-tuloy hanggang langit! Sa pananampalataya lamang sa alok ni Hesus, mapapanumbalik ka sa Diyos ng may pagsisisi. Ano ang manampalataya? Ito ay ang pagbibigay ng buong pagtitiwala kay Hesus at sa Kanyang ginawang sakripisyo sa Krus.

‘Hindi lamang basta naawa sa atin ang Diyos mula sa langit. Bagkus, bumaba siya sa mundo, naging tao, namatay, at nabuhay muli. Ngunit ang tanong, kaibigan, kailangan mo ba Siya?’

Sabi ng marami, ‘hindi ba’t maraming daan patungo sa Diyos?’ Alalahanin mong Siya lang, ‘sapagkat ang Anak ng Tao ay dumating upang hanapin at iligtas ang nawala’ (Lukas 19:10). ‘Hindi ba’t sapat na ang isa o ilang Cristiyanong seremonya para mahugasan sa aking kasalanan?’ Hindi kaibigan, sapagkat ‘sinasabi ko sa inyo, may kagalakan sa harapan ng mga anghel ng Diyos dahil sa isang makasalanang nagsisisi’ (Lukas 15:10). ‘Ngunit hindi ako kasing-sama ng iba!’, pero bakit ‘noon, ang mga maniningil ng buwis at mga makasalanan ay lumalapit sa kanya (Hesus) upang makinig’ (Lukas 15:1). ‘Ngunit mas ginaganap ko naman ang aking mga tungkulin sa simbahan kaysa sa iba’ pero nagsalaysay rin si Hesus ‘sa ilan na nagtitiwala sa kanilang sarili, na sila’y matuwid at hinahamak ang iba’ (Lukas 18:9).

Lahat tayo ay naliligaw sa ating mga pagmamatuwid. Tayong lahat ay nawawala dahil sa ating mga kalikuan. Kaya bumalik tayo sa tunay na ugat ng Cristiyanismo – si HesusCristo. Ang paggawa ng mabuti, ang pag-iwas sa masama ay bunga ng isang tunay na pananampalataya kay Hesus. Tulad ng Kanyang sinabi, magiging tulad tayo ng isang ‘mabuting lupa na pagkatapos marinig ang salita, ay iningatan ito sa isang tapat at mabuting puso at nagbubunga na may pagtitiyaga’ (Lukas 8:15).

Naliligaw ka rin ba?

Tandaan na wala tayong kontribusyon upang mapawalang-sala. Wala tayong maidadagdag sa kabayaran ng ating mga utang. Maraming mabubuting tao sa mundo at hindi yan ikinakaila. Ngunit sila man ay hindi papasa sa pamantayan ng Diyos sapagkat napakataas nito. ‘Ni hindi tayo parte ng solusyon, kabilang tayo sa problema.

‘Hindi hinahanap ni Hesus ang mga naghahanap sa Kanya, kung paanong hindi Niya tinutulungan ang makasalanang nakikipag-tulungan sa Kanya! Sapagkat, ‘Wala ni isang humahanap sa Diyos,’ wala ni isa (Roma 4:11).

Biyaya ang mapatawad, kaibigan. Hindi sa ating kaparaanan o kasipagan bagkus ang matagpuan ni Hesus ay isang gawa ng Diyos. ’Nagsasaliksik ka ba? May pag-asa pa ba? Sabi ng marami, ‘Marami akong oras para diyan.’ Tama sila. Maraming nakalaang oras para isang taong naliligaw, ngunit hindi sapat para matagpuan at makilala si Hesus. ‘Maikli ang buhay. Huwag sayangin sa isang makasariling kababawan.’ Kailangan natin ng isang mensahe na magsasabi sa atin ‘wala ng akong oras’, ngunit salamat sa Diyos ‘ang Anak ng Tao ay dumating upang hanapin at iligtas ang nawala’ (Lukas 19:10).

CUBAO

REFORMED

BAPTIST

CHURCH

CUBAO REFORMED BAPTIST CHURCH

21, 23 Harvard St.,

Cubao, Quezon City,

438-4681; 911-0626

Sunday School – 9:00-10:00

Morning Service – 10:30-12:00

Afternoon Service – 4:00-5:30

Prayer Meeting – 6:30-8:00

Website: www.cubaorbc.org

Words that we can't & should not forget... (1)

"What was the propitiatory sacrifice? It was neither an animal, nor a vegetable, nor a mineral. It was not a thing at all, but a person. And the person God offered was not somebody else, whether a human person or an angel or even his Son considered as somebody distinct from or external to himself. No, he offered himself. In giving his Son, he was giving himself."

-- John Stott, The Cross of Christ, p.174

Job’s Redeemer is My Redeemer -- the message given at a worship service on CRBC

Job 19:25 – “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.”

James 5:10-11 – “You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”

Read 1:1-2. He is blessed not only materially but also of knowing the Lord. Job is a man who has been faithful in ordering his life according to the book of Proverbs, v.8, ‘a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil’. But in one-day, Job’s property & children have been taken away from him, v.13-19. This is to test if Job only fear God because of his possessions and blessings, v.9-10. But why?

You have heard of the perseverance of Job

Job did no sin. Not that he’s perfect, but that he has been a faithful servant worthy of Satan’s consideration. Listen to what he did after the things that he cherished have been taken away, 1:20-22. The issue for Job is why? Why am I being punished unjustly before a just God?

While Job is suffering, his friend, Bildad, counts him among the ‘unrighteous’ and the ‘wicked’; that he ‘have sinned’, that he ‘forget God’; that ‘God will not reject a blameless man, nor take the hand of evildoers.’ That Job’s suffering lies in a particular sin. (chapt..8, 18).

But for Job, this suffering is a learning experience from the Lord.

1. I know that my Redeemer lives

The redeemer is a kinsman, the closest relative in a household. He is to redeem the blood of the murdered victim (for justice); to redeem from bondage (Abram/Lot); to buy back family possessions & to take a kinsman’s widow (Boaz).

For Job it is the Lord who shall be his Redeemer. His kinsman-Redeemer! Wait a minute. Is he saying that the Lord is one of his relative? Not yet. But that the Lord shall answer for his debts, his slavery, his suffering and misery.

No more is this kinsman-picture of God perfectly presented than when the Son of God became man. In spite of the ugly side of Christian suffering, the gospel shines. For consider the suffering of Jesus: Psalm 22 says that ‘you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel’ in the context of ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?’ And ‘he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows… like a lamb that is lead to the slaughter… although there was no deceit in his mouth’ (Isaiah 53:4,7,9). ‘He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God (Heb.2:14-18). ‘I am the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore (Rev.1:18).’ There is a gospel according to Job!

2. I know that my Redeemer stands

Job is illustrating a courtroom set-up. For God to stand is for Him to rise up in righteous judgment after many witnesses have lined up against the accused. And Job maybe inferring to Bildad in chapter eighteen. But the Redeemer shall be His vindicator in clearing his name before men, and expecting to see God in this life and in the resurrection. Bildad was wrong to say that Job was totally at fault and needed to repent before he could be restored.’

Forte is Italian which refers to loud volume in music (also fortissimo), while fort is used in military building for defense in warfare. Both came from the Latin word fortis that means strong. However strong our present life is, we should never think that we are invincible. Did Job ever expect Satan would take his property and children? And when Bildad accused him of wickedness, to whom did he get fortress? He only appeal to his Redeemer who shall clear him ‘on the earth.’ He didn’t doubt that the Lord is righteous and merciful, what he struggled with is: why a just God punishing me unjustly.

3. I know my Redeemer He is

Sixty years ago, after the victory of the Allied powers in the Battle of Berlin, the Soviet army occupied Eastern Germany with fierce vengeance & payback. They have raped & ravaged women of every age & status, that no more than two million victims had undergone abortion. One of those who suffer published a diary, but in fear that it might bring dishonor to her own nation, went to print her book as nameless or as anonymous. Only in 2003 was her name disclosed: Marta Hillers, who died in 2001 at the age of 90.

In comparison to Job, he requested that his suffering be written with the person who suffers. (Job 19:23-24). Because he has a holy, intimate attachment to his Lord, he could to us ‘I know that he is my Redeemer. I really don’t understand much, but one thing I know – that I am his and He is mine. It doesn’t matter much to me if my skin is destroyed. For I shall see my God.’ Job is exalting the grandeur of the Redeemer!

Suffering is a reality. It will bring a person to feel isolated & cut-off from the normal way of life. But under this difficult testing of faith, you are not alone; that behind trials, you are not alone; that before hard-times, you are not alone. That in whatever afflictions you go through, day-in & day-out, you have someone with you, someone answering. Who is that someone? It is the Lord. The Lord is your Redeemer. You have a Redeemer. Now, there are many who may fill the emptiness of your condition. The world has many things to say about suffering. Our friends and families have been with us from the start. But they will surely fail us someday. Just as Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar and Elihu failed Job, those around us may not lessen the pain. Job confessed that though the mournful days of his misery were far from over, the Lord will not fail him. God’s loving affection will not back-out.

So is the world in a wrong direction?

It is learning experience that the world in which we live – filled with misery & poverty, crime & cancer, homelessness & broken-homes – is in the sovereign hand of the Lord (Ps.25:4). Yet it is important that we know Him; that we have this conviction that the Lord is on our side. While many people have faith in faith, we are taught in the Scriptures to know the Lord. We have ‘redemption that is in Christ Jesus’ and ‘His Spirit helps us in our infirmities.’ While we must distinguish between faith & assurance, let us continue resting in His promises. So, the cry of faith, the groans of faith, the confidence of faith is that Oh, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful! My Redeemer lives and at the last he will stand upon the earth!

If Preaching is theology on fire, & Missions is theology on the move, Suffering is theology put to test.