Here's an interesting article that I came across regarding C.S. Lewis....
It can be found here.
Like to know your thoughts...
It can be found here.
Like to know your thoughts...
Here's an interesting article that I came across regarding C.S. Lewis....
It can be found here. Like to know your thoughts...
2 Comments
Perhaps another one of the most glorious yet often neglected doctrines in the church today pertaining to Soteriology is that of Adoption. Adoption is that doctrine of salvation that states that because we have been saved through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, we then, by virtue of our union with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, enter into his family and receive all the glorious privileges, benefits and blessings therein. Sadly, this glorious doctrine has not only been a neglected doctrine in the contemporary church, but also over the past century or so. Dr. Russell D. Moore, in his excellent book Adopted for Life, points out how much this doctrine has been ignored. Moore notes that even in the massive works of systematic theologies, there has been little, if any, discussion on the matter. One of these works, such as the renowned Reformed theologian Louis Berkhof's Systematic Theology, gives only a couple of pages to this glorious doctrine of salvation. Not only him, but the noted Baptist theologian Augustus H. Strong also in his massive Systematic Theology merely gives a third of a page of discussion on adoption (Strong, 1907, p. 857) Perhaps you may still be unconvinced. If you are skeptical of just how neglected the doctrine of adoption is, you can just look for yourself as to how much attention is given to the doctrine of adoption in any contemporary systematic theology today. Surely when one considers a contemporary work of systematic theology, one may be hard-pressed not to find anyone who would not consult the work done by Wayne Grudem. This epidemic is so widespread, that even in one of the most popularly and widely used systematic theologies today, (Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine), Grudem admits that “Note: Many systematic theologies do not treat adoption as a separate topic, but include a discussion of the privileges of adoption in a discussion of justification and its results.” (Grudem, 1994, p. 743) Even in those massive tomes, so much lack of attention is given to this doctrine that they don’t even create a section for discussing this glorious doctrine at length. Instead, most just gloss over it, make some peripheral points, and leave it at that. This is a true travesty indeed. The sad state of starving the body of Christ of such a wonderful doctrine can also be felt by asking anyone how much they know of it. Sadly, the response that I have received is a surface level response. The body of Christ needs to know just how glorious this doctrine is so that they may see the magnitude of their sin, and from that, by the power and illumination of the Holy Spirit, not only see the magnanimous grace of God displayed through adopting us as sons, but also have a more profound gratitude for what our Triune God has done for us. The body of Christ direly needs sound, biblical exposition from the Scriptures to just how glorious this doctrine really is... In 2 Samuel 9, here we find an unexpected account in the life of King David. After the demise of King Saul and his three sons (1 Sam. 31:6) towards the end of 1 Samuel, the focus then begins to zero in more on the life of David, God's chosen human king over His people. The book of 2 Samuel begins by David being told of what had transpired at the battle of Mount Gilboa. David learns of the manner of King Saul's death along with his sons and mourns, weeps, and fasts over them (2 Sam. 1:11-12). So grieved is David that he has not only the Amalekite who told him this account slaughtered (because he sought to gain recognition from David by claiming that he took out David's competition; King Saul and his sons), but also David then commands that a song be taught to the sons of Judah concerning Saul and his son Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:17-27). The agony of David and his respect towards Saul, the Lord's anointed (2 Sam. 1:14), is surely not to be overlooked. That is why when one arrives at 2 Samuel 9, after David prospers and is anointed King over Judah and all Israel, one begins to see the significance of David's reaction upon hearing such news that one from the household of Saul lives. David's heart is filled with excitement, joy, gratitude, and grace. Surely he did not expect to hear of the good news that a son from the household of Saul, from Jonathan his best friend, is still alive. He thought that all from the household of Saul had been taken out in that final battle on Mount Gilboa. But then after inquiring from Ziba, Saul's servant (2 Sam. 9:2), David then does something unexpected. He lavishes upon Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul (2 Sam. 9:6), grace upon grace. In such a time as King Davids, one would have come to expect that a newly appointed king would have cut-off the entire line of the previous king. He would do this because a new king would not have even entertained the notion of having the previous line of the king insinuate a rebellion against his throne by those who could rightfully claim their ascendancy to it. No, in order to avoid this altogether they would eliminate that possibility from ever coming true. Thus they would search out and slaughter those remaining in the line of the previous king. That way, when the new king would have ascended to the throne, it would be a clean slate with no competition. Thus, he could preserve his line ruling over the land for dynasties... ...But that is not what King David does. No, instead he restores all the land to Mephibosheth that belonged to his grandfather Saul (2 Sam. 9:7). And even when one would have thought that this unthinkable act of kindness was enough, King David doesn't stop there. In addition, King David not only restores all the land to him, but also allows him to eat at his table regularly! (2 Sam. 9:7; 10; 13) Such grace was too much to handle for Mephibosheth. He couldn't imagine how he, a crippled man in such a poor, wretched and miserable condition (2 Sam. 9:3) could have such a privilege to be allowed to partake at the king's table. So astounded is he of his miserable condition that he calls himself a "dead dog" (2 Sam. 9:8). He is calling himself a Gentile, an enemy and foreigner to the consecrated people of God. And worse than that, he calls himself a "dead" Gentile! One who is good for nothing! Mephibosheth's heart is surely overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for such an unspeakable honor to be counted as one of the King's very own sons (2 Sam. 9:11). Such a marvelous display of grace surely led to ever increasing gratitude throughout his life, for every time that he partook of the King's table, day by day, meal after meal, he was reminded of what magnanimous grace the king had shown to him by treating him as one of his own...And that is precisely the attitude of all those who truly understand the glories of adoption... Personally, as I recall going over Russell Moore’s book Adopted for Life, I couldn't help but feel the weight of such magnificent graces that we have because of Christ Jesus our Lord. When such a wretch like me didn't even deserve to be saved, God took the initiative and saved me from my hopeless and miserable condition. When such a vile sinner as myself would have been content with such an unspeakable grace of justification, my Lord wouldn't let it stop there. No, He went as so far as to adopt me into His very own family. He now treats me as His own (John 1:12). I agree with Sinclair Ferguson in his book The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction in saying that adoption is higher than justification. It's because He now lavishes upon all His sons the blessings and privileges that rightfully only belong to His very own unique Son. Christ Jesus alone was supposed to be inheritor of everything and not us. He was the one in whom was given power, dominion, and majesty because of who He is and what He has done for us. He was the firstborn so to say, to inherit everything (Colossians 1:15). And He indeed will inherit that (Philippians 2:5-11). And it is because of His grace and because of our union with Him, that this inheritance bestowed upon us is ours to share with our Lord. And isn't this what Romans 8:14-17 is all about? Yet, for any true child of God, they do not seek Him for what He gives us, but rather they seek Him for who He is. We humbly bow the knee before Him. We can all like the living creatures cast our crowns before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and worship Him (Revelation 4:9-10). He alone rules above all. And it is still such an incomprehensible thought to know that He doesn't stop at justifying us, but lavishes upon us all the blessings and privileges that the true Son has. That we could not only be accepted “in the beloved”, but also be included into His family is glorious indeed!... ...And surely I am well aware that one can indeed twist and pervert these glorious truths of adoption. There are many in today's age that would have us believe that we must in this life prosper with the most impeccable health, wealth and happiness, apparently until the day we die. They abuse this glorious doctrine for their own carnal lusts and pursuits. I understand that there are those types of false teachers that promote this sort of twisting of Scripture (2 Peter 3:16-18). Surely they are not the ones in whom one looks towards for biblical exposition. They are wolves in sheep's clothing, always seeking the welfare of their own souls while devouring the sheep. They devise doctrines suitable for a god of their own making. And sadly, there will come a time, the Apostle Paul says, "when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Tim. 4:3-4) But herein is our comfort in proclaiming these glorious truths. "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Tim. 4:5) Although there will always be those who twist these glorious truths of adoption in Christ, we must still be faithful in proclaiming the true, sound, and biblical understanding of what it truly means to be adopted in Christ. That is why the importance of adoption cannot be overstated. The only way we can, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, help emphasize the magnitude of these glorious biblical truths, is to preach the whole counsel of God concerning this doctrine. Perhaps doing a series of bible studies over a period of time on passages such as Ephesians 1:5, Romans 8:15-17, 2 Samuel 9, etc, can one help the body of Christ see the glories of such a neglected doctrine. God deserves all the glory and praise due to His Holy Name because He gave us His very own Spirit to indwell in us so that we may walk in a manner that pleases Him and trust in Christ Alone for our salvation (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Philippians 1:6; John 14:17). My heart’s desire and my prayer to God is that we, by the Spirit, learn to appreciate the undeserved favor of this glorious doctrine, and may we ever cry out in humble, reverent, adoration and praise, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:4-6) For His Sovereign Glory Alone, -Joshua Pérez 2 Peter 3:18 ©Joshua Pérez God-Centered: Transformed and Reformed Ministries Our Lord has recently graciously granted me the opportunity to deliver His Word this past Lord's Day (12/15/13) at Mt. Zion Reformed Baptist Church in Boyle Heights, California.
I am so honored and privileged to have been called to deliver His Word to His flock in this most sacred of tasks. Truly this was a time of great joy and encouragement to be with all the saints of the Lord and to savor in the sweet, sweet fellowship and communion that we all have in our Lord Jesus Christ... I just want to thank Pastor Martin Lopez for being the human instrument in which I would be able to have this opportunity to preach the Word of God. Indeed it was a privilege brother and I am so humbled and grateful for you allowing me to partake in this most sacred of tasks for the Glory of His Name. Thank you brother... ...I also want to thank my friends: Jamie, Shea, Anthony, Christian and Jeudy for not only being there to support me but to also continue to Worship and partake in sweet, sweet fellowship afterwards as well. It was a true blessing to share with you guys (and ladies!), the laughs, the conversations, and the love of Christ throughout the day. Thank you for that. Truly this will be a day that I will, Lord willing, remember for years to come... ...And lastly, to all my other friends and family, thank you so much for your prayers. I truly felt them and I know that your care and concern for the Lord's Glory was at the forefront of your petitions. Thank you for your continued intercession... ...And most of all, I want to give praise and honor to our Lord because He is the reason why we sing, why we join together, and why we worship. He deserves it all. And one day, we will see face-to-face as He really is (1 Corinthians 13:12-13)... Finally, here is the sermon and outline for the message. I pray that this sermon and outline be faithful to the text, clear, biblical, understandable, Christ-centered, edifying to His sheep, and most of all, be pleasing and glorifying to our Glorious Triune God (2 Timothy 2:15)... ...There is still much for me to learn in, grow in, and improve upon by the grace of our Lord, but my heart's desire and prayer to God is that this all be used for His Sovereign Glory Alone. In the Matchless Name of King Jesus -Joshua Pérez 2 Peter 3:18 ©Joshua Pérez God-Centered: Transformed and Reformed Ministries Here are some penetrating words on Matthew 13:3-9 from Robert Murray McCheyne that he addressed to some members of a prayer meeting. These convicting words truly show what it means to preach the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is worth quoting at length…
“Oh, you that have had your eyes opened to see your lost condition by nature and by wicked works, you that have been drawn by the Father to believe in Jesus, to wash in the blood of the Lamb, and to put on the righteousness of God-Oh! Pray with all your heart that your dear friends may be brought to take the peace you feel, that your enemies may be brought to the same Saviour, and that all the world may be brought to know Him, whom to know is life eternal. If you look at Matthew 13:3-9, you will see how much of our preaching is in vain, and what need there is to pray that God would open the hearts we speak to. Many among you, I fear, are like the hard wayside, so that, when the seed falls, it cannot get into your hearts, and the devil plucks it all away (v. 3, 4). Is it not true that some of your hearts are like the footpath, trodden all the week by wicked thoughts? ‘Free passage this way’ is written over your hearts-common worldly thoughts-busy, covetous desires of money-malicious thoughts-impure, abominable thoughts. Oh, who can tell what a constant thoroughfare of wicked imaginations is passing night and day through every unconverted mind! Oh, look at Genesis 6:5, and weep over the Bible description of your own hard hearts. Now, when you come to the church on Sabbath, your heart is like a footpath; the seed cannot fall in, it lies upon the surface. You do not understand the minister. Perhaps he preaches of the desperate wickedness of the heart, and the danger you are in of going to hell if you be not born again. You feel it to be a dry subject, and turn your head away. Perhaps he is preaching of the love of Jesus, in tasting death for every man; and that He will in no wise cast the vilest sinner out. Still you feel no interest, and perhaps you fall asleep during the sermon. Oh, you are the wayside hearers, the devil plucks all the seed away. When you turn your back on the church, you turn your back on the church, you turn your back on divine things; and before you have got halfway home, the devil has carried off every word of the sermon. Yea, often, I fear, before you have got a sight of your own cottage, or the trees before the door, the devil has filled your hearts with abominable, worldly thoughts, and your tongue with evil talk, unworthy of the Sabbath. O Satan, Satan! What a cunning fiend thou art! Even when the hard hearts will not receive the Word, thou wilt not suffer it to remain; lest it should come back in a time of sickness or danger, thou carriest all away. Dear believers, pray that it be not so with you, nor with your friends; pray for a soft heart and a retentive memory; and often speak together of the sermons you hear, and get them harrowed into your hearts, that Satan may be cheated, and your soul saved. Many, I fear, among you, are receiving the seed into stony places (Matt. 13:6)-receiving the Word for a while, but soon withering away in time of persecution. I fear there will be some among you who are charmed with something about the gospel, instead of cleaving in heart to Christ. I can imagine that some of the wounded Israelites, that were bitten by the serpent, were much taken with Moses, as he held up the brazen serpent, instead of looking at the serpent itself. Many are fond of ministers, who are not fond of Christ. Read over Ezekiel 33:30-32, and pray that this be not your case. Now, I will give you two marks, by which you may know whether you are one of these unfruitful hearers. First, The rocky heart will remain the same. If you find that your liking to the gospel is from the surface, from curiosity, or fancy, or love to a minister-if you find that your rocky heart has never been broken by conviction of sin, has never melted to flow towards Jesus-then you are an empty professor; you have a name to live, while you are spiritually dead. Second, You will endure for a while. A really converted soul is like a branch. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches.’ It will cleave to it summer and winter. But if you have only a mock conversion, you will wither away when persecution comes. God knows how soon days of trial may come in Scotland. Be ye therefore ready. I fear, dear friends, that many of you receive the seed among thorns (Matt. 13:7). Look into your heart and see, when you read your Bible in the morning, how many cares and anxieties are dancing before your eyes, so that you can hardly see the page you are reading. How often you come to the house of God, and you see the minister preaching of eternal things with all his might; but your heart is stuffed full of cares, and plans, and pleasures. Alas, alas! The world has got the first hold of your heart, and so you can think of nothing else. What will it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul? One thing is plain, that thorns and wheat cannot grow on the same spot of ground; so that, if you will keep to your thorns, you must burn with them. Oh, dear souls, if you got but a glimpse of the beauty of Jesus, you would leave all and follow Him! If you got but a taste of the sweetness of forgiveness, you would count everything else but loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ. See how Matthew did (Matt. 9:9). He was once as worldly as yourselves, and as greedy of money as any one of you; and yet a word from the sweet mouth of Christ made him leave all. Read that sweet command of Christ (Matt. 10:37, 38). Oh! Pray to be made willing to leave all for Christ. He is kinder than father or mother-more precious than son or daughter. Take up your cross, then, and follow Him. Last of all, I trust there are some among you like the good ground (Matt. 13:8), who receive the Word into a heart broken up by the Spirit of God, watered by prayer, and who bear fruit unto life eternal. Have you had your hearts broken, dear friends? Has God ploughed up your hard, unbelieving hearts? Have you had real concern for your perishing soul? Have you been driven to your knees? Have you ever wept in secret for your sins? Have you been made to tremble under the load of guilt? Do you come thus to the house of God, your heart like an open furrow, waiting for the seed? Inquire earnestly whether the fallow ground of your heart has ever been broken up (Jer. 4:3). A broken heart alone can receive a crucified Christ. Have you understood the gospel? Have you believed the record that God has given concerning His Son? Do you feel that it is true that God is love? That Christ has died, the just for the unjust? That He is beckoning you to come to Him? Do you believe on the Son of God? He that believeth shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:16). Do you bear fruit? Without holy fruit all evidences are vain. How vain would it be to prove to a farmer that his fields were good and productive, if they produced no corn! You might say to him, ‘Neighbor, your land is good; the soil is dry and well trenched.’ ‘Oh! But,’ he would say, ‘where is the yellow grain-where are the full ears falling before the sickle of the reaper?’ Dear friends, you have awakenings, enlightening, experiences, a full heart in prayer, and many due signs; but if you want holiness, you will never see the Lord. If you are a drinker, a swearer, a liar, a lascivious talker, a wanton, a slanderer, you are in the broad way that leads to destruction. Read Matthew 7:21-23, and pray that you may not be deceiving your own souls. Dear believers, Pray that you may bear fruit an hundredfold. Do not be content with bearing thirtyfold or sixtyfold; pray to be sanctified wholly (1 Thess. 5:23). Pray that the whole lump may be leavened (Matt. 13:33). Pray that, day or night, in company or alone, Sabbath and weekday, you may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. I often pray for you all, and desire that in secret, and in your families, you will not forget me.” (Memoirs of McCheyne, edited by Andrew A. Bonar, pgs. 123-127, 1948, Chicago, IL: Moody Press) …May we ever herald the Glorious Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with truth, clarity, boldness, love, and conviction, to the glory of our Blessed Redeemer. Amen. For His Sovereign Glory Alone, -Joshua Pérez 2 Peter 3:18 In my judgment one of the most prominent doctrines that is neglected in today’s gospel proclamation is that of the Lord Jesus Christ’s ascension. This doctrine is crucial to Jesus’ life and ministry, for His entire Person and Work (1 Corinthians 2:2) culminates with His ascension. Sadly, in today’s age, this crucial doctrine isn't even mentioned in the doctrinal statements of some churches. It is scarcely even mentioned in the pulpit or the academy. I am even tempted to say, that if you were to ask the average individual about the ascension, you would probably not get a sound explanation of the doctrine. Perhaps all you would receive is simply an affirmation of its truthfulness, but no explanation. Hence, we see its neglect. The sad reality is that it is truly ignored... But before we could continue on, there needs to be something mentioned at the outset. Whenever I refer to the importance of ascension, it is crucial to note what I am not saying. What I am not saying is that if anyone preaches Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is a doing a disservice to the gospel. No, the proclamation of Christ’s death is essential and true (1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21). However, it must be noted that Jesus Christ’s entire ministry (which includes His death, burial and resurrection) culminates with His ascension to the right hand of the Father. In his his excellent treatise The Work of Christ, R.C. Sproul puts Christ’s ascension this way: “Jesus’ ministry culminated with His ascension to heaven for His coronation as Lord of all things.” (R.C. Sproul, The Work of Christ, 2012, p. 182) This sentiment echoes the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 2:5-11. When the Apostle Paul mentions the fact that because of Jesus Christ’s humility of mind by taking on the sins of the world, He now has been given the title of Adonai (Sovereign One) by virtue of not only His Person, but also because of His perfect Work. In R. C. Sproul's The Work of Christ, Sproul lists four noteworthy results of the ascension: 1) The ascension restored Jesus’ glory, 2) in the ascension Jesus went up in to His coronation, 3) The ascension set the stage for Pentecost, and 4) the ascension inaugurated Jesus’ ministry as our High Priest. (Sproul, 2012, p. 185-88) In the first result one sees the prayer mentioned by the Apostle John in chapter 17 verses 1-5 fulfilled because Jesus Christ did in fact return to His father in a shekinah glory cloud in His ascension. He was returning to His realm of glory. For the second result, Jesus did not enter rest; “he went up for His investiture service.” (Sproul, 2012, p. 186) This is where Jesus Christ now is at. He is at the right hand of the Father where He now reigns over the earth. He is truly Lord over all. For the third result, one recalls the words of our Lord in John chapters 14-16 where He mentioned that He would send us another comforter, the Paraclete (the one who comes alongside us with power; the Holy Spirit). After He ascended back to the Father, it was on Pentecost that the Holy Spirit came upon the believers. It is precisely because our Lord Jesus Christ ascended that we could not only have the Holy Spirit with us, but in us (John 14:17). He was promised so that we would receive power (Acts 1:8) to carry out the work to which He set us out to do. Because of Christ’s ascension, it set up the stage for the sending of the Holy Spirit at the Father’s appointed time. For the fourth result, because Christ completed His perfect work on earth, He now can intercede for us as our faithful High Priest (Hebrews 7:25). It was because of the ascension that this office of Christ was made possible. It was only made possible because the Father accepted the perfect Work done by our faithful High Priest on earth. Christ's Work no longer needed to be repeated on earth. His Work on earth was truly “finished” (John 19:30), and, because of that, we could have now have the Lord Jesus Christ as our intercessor to the Father to this day. Without Christ’s ascension after His perfect work done on earth, we could not have our Lord Jesus Christ interceding for us to this day. The importance of the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ cannot be overstated. It is precisely because of this, that these four glorious results can emerge. When someone focuses solely on one aspect of the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, (e.g. the death of Christ on the cross), to the neglect of others, not only is the beauty and truthfulness lost, but also its glorious implications for sinners and saints alike. The truths of the gospel are the most wonderful, glorious and weighty truths in all of Holy Scripture. When we run out of things to say concerning this, it is a true travesty indeed. It is precisely because of the fact that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is full of the most glorious truths in Scripture (Luke 24:27), that the entirety of the gospel message needs to be stressed when we preach. Although we will not be able to mine the depths of that Mount Everest in this lifetime, we must still, as Christians, however, nonetheless seek to always proclaim and study its glorious truths; for whenever we do this, we not only bring honor and glory to our great God and Savior, but also exalt the Person and Work of our Lord Jesus Christ. For His Sovereign Glory Alone, -Joshua Pérez 2 Peter 3:18 ©Joshua Pérez God-Centered: Transformed and Reformed Ministries |