Where are the fearless young high schoolers?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Eric

I pray for a generation of young zealous, fearless Christians. I know a fifteen minute speech isn’t much, but I’m praying that it would be used of God to light a flame in a heart or two. Here’s an excerpt of my speech I’m giving at the Jr. High graduation:

Where are the fearless young high schoolers who take life seriously and see the world as much bigger and grander than their immediate pleasures? Where are the young people who take education seriously, and treat school as an indispensable training ground for future ministry? Where are the young people who renounce the small pleasures of being “cool” for the staggering joys of being Christ-like?

Oh, as a youth pastor, how I dream and pray for a generation of young people to see Christianity for what it really is: a glorious call to come and die—and in dying to experience the height of Christian joy. For a generation of young people who say, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” To shake free of the world’s death-grip around your neck and run the Christian race with passion, fervor, and zeal. Teenagers who turn off the smutty TV and read a biography about the breathtaking courage of William Wilberforce, the all-night prayer vigils of George Muller, or the evangelistic zeal of George Whitefield. Young people who get off the internet and pray and plan about how they can help the gospel into the ears of Muslim terrorists, unreached African tribesmen, and the kids sitting next to them at lunch. High schoolers who relentlessly devote themselves to purity, faithfulness, diligence, and love.

Is this that class? Will you begin the upsurge of comfort-forsaking, risk-taking, Christ-exalting work? Will you defy the wisdom of this dying world and live as fools for Christ? Will you  give your life to that which will outlast it—namely, Christ, his glory, his kingdom, his praise, his name?

 

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged | Leave a comment

When Emma met John Macarthur

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Eric

A few weeks ago I was at The Master’s Seminary for an appointment to make sure I get my classes for next fall. I had Emma with me (and she was looking mighty cute, I should add) for some daddy-daughter time, and we were waiting up in the reception area. Suddenly an entourage of men busted open the doors and walked in.

I recognized a few of the men– they were pastors and elders from Grace Community Church. In the midst of the hustle, one man stopped and began to talk to Emma. He patted her on the shoulder, said she was cute, and made a joke about allowing women into the seminary. It was Dr. MacArthur.

Emma shied away and pretended to be interested in something else.

I am going to treasure that moment for a few reasons. Here they are:

1. The busiest man in the group stopped to greet a tiny child.

Jesus loved children. When disciples were concerned that too many children were coming to Jesus and tried to stop them Jesus rebuked them and called for more children to come: “Let the little children come to me.” Of course Jesus was busy, and, from a practical standpoint, one might think his time spent speaking with children could have been better used elsewhere, healing the sick perhaps. Jesus didn’t think so. The best possible use of his time at that moment was to set a child on his knee, speak tenderly to him, and extol the virtues of childlike faith.

Let us never take ourselves too seriously that we are no longer able to play games with children. And let us never be so busy that we cannot stop and coo at a small child.

2. It will be fun to tell Emma that she met one of the profoundest influences in my life.

I hope and pray that Emma will grow to love the preached Word of God and devote her life to knowing and obeying it. As she grows in her faith (Lord willing), it will be fun to tell her the exciting stories about daddy’s church history heroes. Macarthur will go down in history as one of the foremost expositors the church has seen, and as soon as Emma is able to know who he is, I will tease her about the time she gave John Macarthur the cold shoulder.

3. It gives a more human picture of the man.

It’s so easy to think of John Macarthur as a sort of well-oiled machine, pumping out expositions Sunday after Sunday.
But when he stops and chuckles with your little girl, he becomes a bit more human.

My wife always tells me she’s much not impressed with a pastor until she sees how he treats his wife and children. She’s on to something. A preacher doesn’t prove his value by his homiletics but by his home life.  There’s a vast gulf between the pulpit but and the dinner table. The way a man treats his and others’ children reveals something very important about the man and his ministry. I appreciate Macarthur’s love for the little ones, even when a dozen other responsibilities are demanding his attention.

Posted in Life & Family | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Last words, lasting words

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Eric

Last night was my final youth group meeting with First Baptist Church Canoga Park. Most of the time we celebrated– which, of course, means we got extra pizza, candy, and a ton of soda. Sandy brought in homemade cupcakes that we gorged ourselves in. I gave my final talk, which was short and periodically interrupted by Emma saying, “Hi daddy!” Then we all prayed together and thanked the Lord for the time he gave us.

I started my talk by telling them I had three goals for them. More than anything, I wanted them to love three things. Having heard me speak to them over the last year and a half, I hoped they would be able to identify these things. If they couldn’t, I knew I hadn’t done well in communicating them. But they did not disappoint. Here are the three things:

1. Love Scripture. They got this one right away. My conviction is that you love Jesus to the degree that you love his Word. The two cannot be separated; anyone who professes love for Christ must to desire to hear from Christ. That’s why Jesus said, “Whoever does not love me does not keep my words” (John 14:24). Isn’t, then, the opposite true– “whoever does love me will keep my words”? My goal was not to make them legalistic, thinking that reading the Bible every day would guarantee them a spot in heaven, but to remind them of the truths of salvation– that whoever has been converted has been regenerated, and whoever has been regenerated, has new tastes, loves, and affections. And there at the top of the list of new affections is love for Scripture. So I told them, over and over again, love Scripture.

2. Love the Gospel.  After we talked about loving Scripture one last time, I asked again: What’s the second thing I want you to love? It took them a little bit, because they kept saying “Love Jesus” or “Love the Lord” to which I would say, “Yes, but be more specific!” The reason why I wanted more specificity is because it’s popular to love Jesus, and nowadays it’s possible to “love Jesus” without actually being a Christian. When they finally got it, I said, “Yes!”

Once they got this one, I did what I do often: I asked them the ever simple, ever pressing question: what is the gospel? I never assumed they understood it. I’ve explained it countless times to the same students. I do this because you never know when it will hit them with Holy Spirit power. I remember being a senior in high school, sitting in Mr. Nandor’s Bible class, and finally understanding what Jesus’ death had to do with my salvation. I knew Jesus “died for my sins” by I didn’t understand what in the world that meant, and how the transaction occurred, or how it was effective.

So when I speak to these students, I address the great doctrines as much as I can (without using the hard-to-understand theological jargon). I’ll make sure they understand how the active obedience of Christ is imputed to us, how Christ’s death was a penal substitutionary death, and how God’s wrath was poured out on him instead of us, and how the resurrection guarantees our future hope. I’ll mention those terms briefly, so that they become familiar, but it’s the concept I’m most concerned about. And last night they did surprisingly well in explaining the gospel to me. Sin, judgment, Christ’s perfect life, Christ’s sin-bearing death, his resurrection, God’s justice and mercy were all mentioned. I’d say they were pretty thorough.

But I didn’t only want to them know the gospel. I wanted them to love it. So I constantly told them how practical it is. I (hopefully) taught them how to preach to themselves.

3. Love the Church. I don’t want to produce theological eggheads who are too sophisticated for the church. I also don’t want to breed individualistic spiritualists who see no purpose for the church in their walk. I want them to love the church as they love Christ, because the church is Christ’s manifest presence on earth. After speaking on this point for a bit, I read them Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” What a sweet way to end our time together– hoping in the risen Christ to build his church!

I hope these last words are lasting words– that they stick for a long, long time. May God use them, and every other word I’ve spoken to the students, as a means of grace. “The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed”– and I pray that mine have been driven deeply into their hearts.

I am thankful for each student in the youth group I’ve been able to serve. Many prayers have gone up for them. I trust the Lord has much good for them in the future, and I look forward to continuing our relationships, and seeing how the Lord grows and uses them in the future.

 

Posted in the Church | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Sullivan in Crisis

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Eric

A friend just sent me a magazine article written by Andrew Sullivan titled: “Christianity in Crisis: Forget the Church. Follow Jesus.” And here are four reasons the article is awful.

1. Dismissal of God’s Authoritative Word. The first clue that he’s way off base is when he starts citing Jefferson’s reduction of Scripture as heroic. Apparently, the writer’s modern sensibilities are more authoritative than the revealed Word of God.

2. Liberalism. It’s just liberalism– he’s trying to find a kernel of truth by peeling away the husks of “myth” and “legend.”  And like most liberals, he’s glaringly inconsistent. In one section he outright denies the validity of the New Testament writings. In another he says he believes in Jesus’ divinity and resurrection.  Why he picks and chooses certain doctrines and dismisses others is beyond me. In reality, Andrew Sullivan is the author of Andrew Sullivan’s religion. It’s made in America. Assuredly, divine revelation didn’t bring him to his conclusions. And whatever they are, they don’t represent authentic Christianity, no matter how loudly he says they do. Christianity stripped of its fundamental doctrine is not Christian. Which brings me to my next point:

3. Christianity without doctrine? He’s a walking contradiction. In his final paragraph he writes of Christianity, “when politics and doctrine and pride recede, it will rise again.” I’m all for politics and pride receding, but doctrine? He just spewed four pages of “doctrine.” False, damnable doctrine, but doctrine nonetheless. He’s rigidly dogmatic about denouncing dogma. He’s indoctrinating his audience with an anti-doctrine agenda. That’s one of the (many) big problems with post-modern Christianity– its own premises undercut its propositions. Sullivan takes on the unenviable task of staying Christian without believing any doctrine. A nutty thing, I know.

4. An Attack Against Christ. Satan’s grandest schemes are against the church, and this article leads a frontal assault on the bride of Christ. It is like Satan to use a man who calls himself “Christian” to attack Christ’s body. The church (per Ephesians) is at the center of God’s plan, and as far as Scripture is concerned, the church is the manifest presence of Christ on earth. An attack against the church is an attack against Christ. These “I like Jesus, but not the church” movements undermine authentic Christianity. Beware of them– many of them have jettisoned essential doctrines and embraced some that are vaguely identified with Jesus. But they’re not Christian– and the reason they’re so insidious is because they retain the label.

Conclusion:

Christianity is not in crisis. Andrew Sullivan is in crisis. The Jesus he has manufactured is a product of his own imagination. When the real Jesus returns to judge the world, Sullivan won’t be able to hide behind his high-brow essays. Unless he repents– and I hope he does– he will face God unforgiven. As for now, don’t buy his pick-and-choose “Christianity.” It has about as much saving power as Buddha.

 

Posted in the Church | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Coming home: Thoughts on returning to Grace Brethren

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Eric

In the last couple months our family has seen enormous change. This is always how we tend to do it– have a baby, start seminary, move, start a new ministry. We did that in the summer of 2010, with the birth of Emma, the start of my seminary training, and the move up to Woodland Hills for ministry at First Baptist Church Canoga Park. We did it again this winter. Baby Ella came in February, my third semester of seminary started in January, we moved to Simi Valley in October, and now, a new ministry at Grace Brethren Church starts May. Life just doesn’t stop.

It’s almost been moving too fast for me to slow down and think about it. Among many things that I’ve had to set aside during this time, my blog has taken a backseat. For me, that’s not good. I am among the Puritan ilk (in this one sense, at least), in that writing is a kind of therapy to me. Writing is thinking. Writing is reflecting. Writing is mediation. And when my writing stops, it’s a red flag reminding me that I need to slow down. For me, time is a wild, flitting butterfly that can only be captured with a net of paper and pen. I need to get these thoughts and memories in a jar. Otherwise, they get away before I have time to marvel at their surprising beauty.

So let me share a few thoughts of mine about coming home– coming back to Grace Brethren Church, that is. I am beyond excited about this. Here’s a few reasons why.

I have a stewardship that has been entrusted to me. Of course, primarily my stewardship is from God. He awakened my dead heart to faith in Christ, granted me repentance, and has sustained me since. He has gifted me and commissioned me. All that he has given me I consider a sacred trust, and I have the great responsibility to “fulfill my ministry” and “guard the good deposit.” My aim in life is simply to be faithful with that which God has given me.

Also, however, I feel, in a sense, indebted to Grace Brethren Church. Before we moved down to Fallbrook to serve as an associate pastor, I had never been a member of any other church. This was the church I was raised in, saved in, baptized in, mentored in, and trained in. In fact, were it not for a summer internship there in 2007, I maybe would never have entered the ministry. Who knows what Eric Durso would be like without this faithful church? How different would even my parents be if not for the faithful preaching of the Word by Pastor John McIntosh for all those years! I will never know all the ways this church has shaped me. And I say all that because now, in returning as a pastor, I rejoice that I get to give back all that’s been given to me. Proverbs 11:25 says “one who waters will himself be watered.” The seedling of my faith was watered by Grace Brethren Church, and I would be eminently blessed if I would be able to return the favor.

Furthermore, there are so many relationships that I’ve developed over the years with the people from Grace Brethren. Many of them I grew up with. It will be a new and refreshing experience to have all these close friends our age and in similar life-stages. “There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother,” and many of mine attend Grace Brethren. So for that, I’m grateful.

More than all these things I am excited to get on board with the gospel work that is being done there. How badly I want to be used of God to present the glories of His grace to our lost and dying world! Grace Brethren has a strong history of standing firm for the truth and moving forward with the gospel– and any movement that’s committed to those things is a movement I’m excited about.

My ultimate goal in coming back to Grace Brethren Church is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ by my service to his church. I hope to serve the brothers I’ll be laboring alongside, and do whatever I can to help them succeed in magnifying Christ and his gospel. My desire is to be a servant of the flock assigned to me, namely the students, and teach them the Word of God in a way that puts the breath-taking glory of God on display.

Please pray for me and my family as we make this move. As is normal for a pastor entering a new ministry, there will be some time of adjustment. Our prayer is that God would quickly knit our hearts together, and that in the next few months we’ll be able to lay the foundation for a long and fruitful ministry.

Soli Deo Gloria

Posted in Life & Family | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The power of God’s Word: A testimony

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Eric

Every spring semester at The Master’s Seminary seniors are given the opportunity to share 5-7 minutes testimonies about how they got saved, how they ended up at TMS, and what their future plans are. I am always blessed by these times; it’s amazing to hear the stories behind each graduating student. There are students from literally all over the world– last week’s chapel saw two graduates from South Korea, another from Argentina, one from Canada, and another from a land even more strange: Texas. These testimonies are Providence put to words. It’s fascinating.

One graduate’s testimony was particularly amazing. John Chester. I’ve never met him, but if the audio of his testimony shows up on the TMS website (which they sometimes do), I am going to download it and keep it. Anyway, I hope he doesn’t mind that I am going to try to relate his testimony here on my blog. I hope I don’t butcher it. At least he would be happy to know that it has already encouraged me to share the gospel and give out Bibles to the four skater-teens outside my building here. I hope it encourages you as well.

John was raised in a non-believing home. His father left his mom when he was young, and his mother, though unbelieving, thought it would be good to send young John to a Presbyterian church. John, now looking back on the church, said it was dead. He attended out of duty, and never heard the gospel.

But when John was 13, the pastor gave him a Bible– which he brought home and promptly put on the shelf. That Bible sat on his shelf for 16 years, untouched.

John became a writer. One particular night, as a 29 year old, when he was working on a piece for some worldly magazine (he mentioned the name but I don’t remember it), he got writer’s block. To break out of writer’s block, he began to do what he always did– he picked a random book off his shelf and begin to read, just to get the words flowing again. When he looked at his shelf to pick a book, it seemed (and this is his description) that all the books were out of focus– except one. The Bible that pastor had given him many years ago stood out from all the rest. So he picked it up– for the first time.

He didn’t know where to start reading, so, like any other book, he started in the beginning. Genesis 1:1. He became so enraptured that he kept on reading. And reading.

Two days later he arrived at Mark 12:17 “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” At that moment the sword of the Spirit pierced his heart. He was overwhelmed with his own sin, the holiness of God, and the grace offered in Jesus Christ. He knew that he himself was one of the “things that are God’s.” He crawled under his desk in shame over his sin, and eventually surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. The Hound of Heaven got another one.

…

Isn’t that amazing? No one to share the gospel, no one to explain the text, no one to lead him in prayer– just the simple reading of the Word of God. O how often we need to be reminded that the work of God is accomplished by the Word of God! Unleashed, the Word saves, seals, sanctifies, and secures. It is wonderfully powerful, and it does not need the accouterments of man to be effective. Let us, especially we who handle the Scriptures, never forget this.

 

Posted in the Church | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Does Calvinism stunt evangelistic zeal?

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Eric

Who did God use to pull the church out of the Satanic grip of the Roman Catholic Church?

Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli. All “Calvinists”.

Who went to Scotland and set the nation on fire with his zeal for preaching God’s truth?

John Knox, a man profoundly influenced by Calvin himself.

Who is known for their evangelism to the American natives, their compendium of lasting classic Christian literature, and their zeal to serve the Lord in all of life?

The Puritans– who were all-out Calvinists.

Which American preacher was used of God to spark the first Great Awakening?

Jonathan Edwards– who perhaps was more Calvinistic than Calvin.

Which other English preacher ignited the Great Awakening?

George Whitefield, a devoted believer to the doctrines of grace.

Who did Jonathan Edwards influence to take to the fronteir and minister among the native Americans?

David Brainerd. Calvinist.

Which famous missionary read David Brainerd’s biography and was so impacted that he went to the mission field and ignited the modern missionary movement?

William Carey. Calvinist.

The list is endless– Spurgeon and Lloyd-Jones; not to mention our contemporaries John Piper, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul and many others.

History attests to the fact that Calvinism does not stunt evangelistic zeal, but rather it ignites it. As Steven Lawson has said, “Arminian evangelists are not playing with a full deck.” When Calvinism meets evangelism it’s like gas and fire– an explosion of power results.

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Forever tied together

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Eric

Do you know what the greatest profit of Scripture is? The Scripture is where you find Jesus Christ. Jesus has been revealed to us on these ink-spilt pages. Not anywhere else. We find our Savior here—and this is the greatest profit of Scripture.

After preaching some hard things many of the disciples—the fickle ones, that is—stopped following Jesus. And Jesus asked them, “Do you want to go away as well?” Peter’s response is dead on: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” You see, you can’t separate Jesus’ words from Jesus himself. They are forever tied together. Jesus said that if you’re ashamed of his words he will be ashamed of you. How you value God’s words reveals how much you value him. What’s the measuring rod of your love for Jesus Christ? Your love for Scripture. Feed the hungry, house the homeless, speak with the tongues of men and angels but have not love for Scripture and you have not love for Christ.

 

Posted in the Church | Tagged | Leave a comment

Korah’s Rebellion and church discipline

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Eric

I enjoy reading through the Pentateuch, especially the narratives that reveal the leadership of Moses. If there’s one congregation that you wouldn’t want to lead, it’s this one. It’s a huge nation (probably around two million men, women, and children), the desert is hot and dry, and food is scarce (even when there is plenty of food and water, imagine the logistics of getting everyone properly fed). It was a mess, and the biblical text doesn’t hide any of the gore. How Moses handled it is certainly a model for pastors and leaders.

I know that Numbers 16-17 is not a church discipline manual, but I think one can learn a lot from these passages about how those who have been placed in leadership need to understand these types of situations. Simple observations of Moses’ dealings with Korah’s rebellion teach us much about the nature of division, discontent, how leaders ought to respond, and how God intervenes.

1. The rebellion begins with the malcontents coming together. (16:3)

“They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron…”

2. They claim that their issue is a theological one. (16:3b)

“…and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?’”

Most of the malcontents who lead the charge in a church split disguise their issues with theological language. It makes the issue sound less petty, and usually garners support from those who lack discernment.

3. Moses calls them to deal with the issue, but they refuse to answer and reject his leadership. (16:12)

“And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, ‘We will not come up.’”

This is Moses’ first attempt to work the problem out– face to face dealings. They refuse and reject him.

4. God issues clear directions to Moses (16:20-21)

And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”

Of course, we don’t receive direct revelation from God like Moses did. But we do have the Word of God and the revealed will of God. Matthew 18 and Titus 3 give us some clear directions for dealing with these kinds of situations.

5. Moses pursues them, warning them and the people near them. (16:25-26)

Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.”

The first time Moses called Dathan and Abiram to come to him. They rejected the offer. This time, he goes to them. Moses shows how serious the warning is and how much he cares for his people. Even after he’s rejected, he pursues the wayward people to warn them.

This is a model for pastoral ministry– unwilling, unconcerned sheep need to be shepherded even as they dismiss the leadership. Overseers lead as those who will give an account to God (Heb. 13:17).

6. Moses acknowledges that he acts on behalf of God. (16:28)

And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord.

The authority of church leadership is not inherent authority. It derived authority. It comes from the Word of God. A leader only has permission to speak with authority the things that God has already spoken. In this case, Moses is affirming that his leadership and authority is from God, not himself.

7. Moses warns them that their rebellion is despising God. (16:30)

Moses speaking to the malcontents: But if the LORD creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the LORD.

Moses points out that their problem is not with Moses, it’s with God. They claim that it’s a theological issue and that they’re trying to do what is right (see # 2) but it’s actually not that at all. They simply don’t like God.

8. Moses obeys, and God does the judging. (16:31-32)

And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods.

It’s never Moses’ job to mete out the judgment. He simply is called to obey. Moses spoke the warning he was supposed to speak, and God did the judgment. Church leaders must do what they are told, and let God work out the details.

9. When God’s judgment falls, the congregation blames the leadership. (16:41)

But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.”

Notice what the congregation says: “You have killed the people.” The earth opens up and consumes the rebels, in an event clearly an act of God, and Moses gets blamed. Having heard that Moses could turn his staff into a snake, how Moses, by the raising of his staff, parted the Red Sea, how he, with his words, commanded plagues to come and go in Egypt– it’s not hard to understand how the Israelites felt about Moses. They must have thought his power caused the earth to open and eat the rebels.

Humans have a tendency to do this. Attribute things that are clearly acts of God to mere men. Here, after God judges the people, Moses is blamed for the judgment, even though all he did was obey God and warn the people. A pastor must be ready to take the brunt of the anger from the congregation– they will never admit that their problem is with God; it’s much easier to blame the leader.

10. Yet, the leaders must be ready to protect their wayward people. (16:46-48)

After the congregation blames the leadership and continues complaining, God causes a plague to break out. Note Moses’ response:

And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the LORD; the plague has begun.” So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.

After the first judgment, when the earth swallowed the leaders of the rebellion, people weren’t changed. Instead of fearing the Lord, they placed the blame on Moses. When God caused the plague to destroy them, Moses acted quickly to save them. Aaron “stood between the dead and the living” to make atonement for their sin and stop the plague. It would have been easy for the leadership to allow their haters to be eliminated. But God’s call for leadership is to stand between the dead and the living, even as they reject you, and hold out that which can atone for sin– the gospel of Jesus Christ.

11. The Lord vindicates the leadership. (17:5, 8 )

“And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.”…On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds.

To lead God’s people one must resolve to aim for God’s approval. They must be content doing what is right when the whole congregation rebels. In the end, God will vindicate the upright, and prove himself to be the true authority. By causing Aaron’s staff to blossom, he showed that he was the one behind all the events. Moses didn’t cause the ground to open up and devour the people, God did. Moses didn’t call down the plague, God did.

12. The congregation understands the holiness of God. (17:12-13)

And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the LORD, shall die. Are we all to perish?”

This response indicates that the people finally began to understand the holiness of God– how much he hates sin and rebellion. And once people understand the holiness of God, they all do the same thing. The response is universal: “Are we all to perish?”

It’s a legitimate question. And it’s this question that leads people to despise themselves, repent in dust and ashes, and cast themselves at the mercy of God. No one who receives grace has not first asked: “Are we all to perish?”

As preachers, we want people to ask that question. We want them to be desperate and to feel that their sins are damning. And then we want to hold out the gospel of Jesus Christ, who perished in our place, taking upon himself our sin and rebellion, paying for it on the cross, resurrecting victorious over it, and granting total and complete forgiveness to anyone who would ever repent and make him Lord.

Church discipline will keep the church God-centered, gospel-rich, and vigilant. It reminds everyone of the holiness of God, it convicts sinners, it chastens believers, and it readies hearts to hear the saving message of Jesus Christ.

Posted in the Church | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Take hope, sin is the root of your marriage problem

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Eric

The gospel story makes it very clear that the main human problem is sin. We are sinners who sin against each other. We are sinners who respond sinfully to being sinned against. We are sinners who often respond to blessing sinfully. That’s why Jesus came—to save us from our bondage to sin.

If it’s true that sin is the core issue of failing marriages, then we have reason to hope. Why? Because Jesus came to rescue us from the destruction of sin. And he can rescue a marriage from the sin that’s destroying it.

If marriage problems were genetic, there would be trouble because Jesus didn’t come to change genes. If marriage problems are purely circumstantial, we’re in trouble because Jesus never promised to make our lives nice and neat. Since every marriage problem grows in the arid desert of indwelling sin, we are hopeful because God has given Living Water in Jesus Christ. He is a Rescuer. He rescues sinners from their sin. He is our Living Hope.

Posted in Life & Family | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment