The Kingdom Perspective Christ Redeemer Church

Transcript:

Hello this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.
 
Do you worry about what others think of you? If yes, join the club. I saw an article recently on what one psychologist calls FOPO (fear of people’s opinions). We all suffer from this at least a bit, perhaps some more than others. We are incurably social creatures and so we’re all susceptible to this to a greater or lesser degree.
 
Peer pressure is not something that only teens and college students struggle with. Worrying about what others think does not magically dissipate once we graduate or become adults.
 
Now, this struggle is not good; living for the approval of others is a snare. It is what the book of Proverbs calls the “fear of man”. As Proverbs 29:25 puts it, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap…”.
 
Now, why is it a trap? Well, as writer and recording artist Shai Linne says:

“Craving human affirmation is a no-win proposition. Those who don’t receive it are miserable. Those who do receive it only want more.”
~Shai Linne, native Philadelphian, recording artist, and author
 
The only thing that can save us from the fear of man is the fear of God. It is not that we weren’t made for the approval of another. We were. But the approval we were made for is not that of our neighbor but of our Savior. We were made for God. This is why the Scriptures tell us: “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death” (Proverbs 14:27) and “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied…” (Proverbs 19:23).
 
Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.
 
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”

~ 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.
 
At the heart of Christianity is the notion we call “the Great Exchange”. What is the Great Exchange? It is the sweet and gracious reality that at the cross, Jesus Christ took our sins and gave us His righteousness. The sin was ours alone, but He took it. And the righteousness was His alone, but He freely gave it.
 
Now, sadly, I have heard some contemporary theologians claim this notion is a late invention in the history of the church, only coming to prominence in the Reformation period and beyond. However, this is not historically accurate. The Great Exchange has always been the very heart and power of the church.
 
One the greatest Christian writings of the mid 2nd century was The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus (c. 150 A.D.). Listen to this statement of Christ exchanging our sin for His righteousness:

“He Himself took on Him the burden of our iniquities, He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy One for the transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the righteous One for the unrighteous, the incorruptible One for the corruptible, the immortal One for them that are mortal. For what other thing was capable of covering our sins than His righteousness? By what other one was it possible that we, the wicked and ungodly, could be justified, than by the only Son of God? O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing all expectation! that the wickedness of many should be hid in a single righteous One, and that the righteousness of One should justify many transgressors!”
 
As the Apostle Peter summed it up:

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
 
Oh, sweet exchange!
 
Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.
 
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

~2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective!
 
Several years ago, Dr. Gregg Henriques of James Madison University wrote an article in Psychology Today that caught my attention. It was called “The Justification Hypothesis”. Dr. Henriques is known for his Unified Theory of Knowledge, which is an attempt to have a more interconnected vision of how science, psychology and philosophy are related. His theory consists of eight key ideas, the second of which he entitles Justification Systems Theory. Now, far be it from me to detail the intricacies of his theory. Nonetheless, a statement from the Psychology Today article is worth consideration. He writes:

“Look around and you will see systems and processes of justification everywhere in human affairs…. Other animals communicate, struggle for dominance, and form alliances. But they don't justify why they do what they do. We are the justifying animal.”

~“The Justification Hypothesis” by Gregg Henriques Ph.D. in Psychology Today; James Madison University
 
To me, this forces the question: Why are human beings unique among all creatures in our propensity to give justification—to give reasons for why we do what we do to provide defense for our motives and actions?
 
I think the Bible gives us the answer. It tells us that human beings are uniquely made in the image of God and given a unique moral duty before Him. Having this innate sense of moral duty to God’s Law, we intuitively know we are accountable to Him—that we will have to give an account of every thought, word, and deed. We will be required to justify our lives before the courtroom of heaven.
 
And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.
 
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”

~Genesis 2:15-17 (ESV)
 
“Once God has spoken;
 twice have I heard this:
 that power belongs to God,
 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
 For you will render to a man
 according to his work.”

~Psalm 62:11-12 (ESV)

Transcript:Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective!The Bible tells us that human government is established by God and therefore is accountable to God and His Word (Romans 13).This is why government power must be limited. It must not be used for the selfish gain of those in power but for the general freedom and flourishing of all. By God’s design the government exists to curtail the work of evil and encourage the work of good in our social interactions (1 Peter 2:14). In the words of the French thinker Montesquieu (1689-1755), “it is requisite that the government be so constituted as one man needs not be afraid of another.” (Charles, Baron De Montesquieu, the Spirit of the Laws (1748)).Thus, wherever possible, we have an obligation to hold the government accountable to this role, especially in a democratic republic, where the government is, after all, “we the people.”However, just as the will of the government is not unlimited, neither is that of the individual. We are all personally accountable to God, and are under obligation to obey His will. This is why the Bible also tells us that, though we are to “act as free men,” we must “not use [our] freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:16-17).Especially for us as Christians, our behavior should be so exemplary that it leaves no room for bringing charges of wrongdoing. As Peter puts it: “For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:15).How do you live? Do you live in a manner that points the way to a better society?Something to think about The Kingdom Perspective.“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”~ 1 Peter 2:9-12 (NASB95)

Transcript:

Hello this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.
 
One of my favorite ancient creeds, the Athanasian Creed (c. 6th century), though not written by its namesake (A.D. c. 296-373) is nonetheless appropriately attributed to him. Athanasius was the great 4th century church leader who defended the Trinity against false views that followed a general pattern of denying or twisting one biblical truth to make it more “rationally compatible” with another. So, for example, if the Bible says there is only one true God, then there cannot likewise be three divine persons. How is it “rational” for God to be both one and three at the same time? The problem of course is that this is precisely what the Bible does claim. 
 
And so, with precision and eloquence the Athanasian Creed* summarizes the divine mystery of the Triune God:
 
… we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the divine essence.
For there is one person of the Father,
another of the Son,
and another of the Holy Spirit. 
But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one,
the glory equal, the majesty coeternal….
 
The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. 
The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible. 
The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. 
 
And yet they are not three eternal beings but one eternal being
As also there are not three uncreated beings nor three incomprehensible beings, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible being.
 
Well put! Beautiful and true!
 
Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.
 
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

~ Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
 
*Athanasian Creed
1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith; 
2. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. 
3. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. 
6.  But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. 
7.  Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. 
8.  The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. 
9.  The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible. 
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. 
11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal. 
12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible. 
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty. 
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty. 
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; 
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. 
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord; 
18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord. 
19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; 
20. So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords. 
21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. 
22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten. 
23. T

Transcript:

Hello this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.
 
The Bible tells us two truths that may seem contradictory: 1) there is only one God, and 2) this God exists eternally in a relationship of three persons.
 
Our Jewish friends, rightly emphasize the “Shema” of Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (“Shema” is the Hebrew word for “Hear” or “Listen”). The God of the Bible was unique among the ancient deities, precisely because He claimed to be the only true God, and therefore demanded sole allegiance. Thus, the Shema continues: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” There is only one God, He rightful deserves our all!
 
Yet, the Bible clearly teaches there are three persons who lay claim to this deity. Jesus does: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30; see also, John 1:1-3). The Holy Spirit does: “Now the Lord is the Spirit…” (2 Corinthians 3:17; see also, Acts 5:3-4). And, of course, the Father does.
 
But how are we to understand this seeming contradiction? Well, as the church pondered the biblical data, it refused to truncate or twist either truth; both must be taken at full value. There is only one God (one divine essence or being), but that God exists as three persons. So, the Church held firmly to the existence of only one divine essence or being, while likewise holding that this one divine essence is shared equally and fully by three distinct persons. One God in three persons, and three Persons in one God. In other words, as Christians we take God’s self-revelation, at face value, by faith; the true Church believes God’s Word.
 
And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.
 
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

~ Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (ESV)