This Sunday marks the 493rd anniversary of the courageous and visionary act that ignited a sweeping set of reforms across Christendom. Up to that point, the church (what is now referred to as the Roman Catholic church) grew beyond its biblical sanction and became an institution that purported something other than the biblical Gospel. For centuries, the Catholic church, or at least the gospel the church proclaimed, was an anathema. The church sold indulgences, ignored Scripture, taught justification by works and was profoundly corrupt. The church and the nation-state became bedfellows that wrought great damage to Christendom.
What we celebrate this week is a recovery. God has promised that He would always preserve for Himself His church (Matthew 16:18), and I believe we see God using the reformers to steer His church back to historic orthodox Christianity. Out of the reformation came a recovery of five important doctrines that we now refer to as the “solas” of the reformation: Sola fide (faith alone), Solo Christo (Christ alone), Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), Sola Gratia (grace alone) and Soli Deo Gloria (God’s glory alone). These important doctrines about faith, grace, the Bible, Christ and His glory are critical for the understanding of the Gospel that seeks to reconcile man to God.
So what does this matter to the New Testament Church today? Well, from the apostolic church in the first century up to the time of the reformation, represents a continual degradation of the Gospel. What caused this? I believe it is a result of the church failing to guard the historic principles of Scripture and of justification by faith. If no one stands up for the Gospel and its implications, then we see a church that is relativized by a secular culture. The church failed to be the salt and light that Jesus called it to be. Thus, the need for a biblical recovery. Today, our culture and American society as a whole represent a worldview that is the antithesis of the Christian life. As the church, we need to vigorously guard the Gospel that has been entrusted to us. This message must be pure and not compromised. The church must hold Scripture higher than the traditions that invade our church. Albeit, some traditions are good and even biblical (i.e. ordinances) but we must evaluate what we do and set that against God’s Word as the judge on matters of church practice. As a church seeking Christ’s vision, we must constantly put on the spirit of reformers. We must guard what God says in His Word and hold it sufficient for all matters of faith and practice. When we lose this or replace the Bible with “time-honored traditions,” we are denying Christ His rightful place in His church, and that can be damning.
Soli Deo Gloria!
In our quest to cast a biblical vision for CCBC, we come to a critical juncture that will require our devoted study and attention. In an effort to be a Great Commission church, we must heed the mission of Jesus’ final words: “go and make disciples.” Why does discipleship matter? Because Jesus said to make disciples. What does this involve? What does a disciple look like? These are all questions we will be exploring in the next few months as we cover some of Jesus’ teachings. We are beginning in Matthew 10 as we look toward Christ’s words. Throughout Matthew 10 we see Jesus describing His disciples. This week at CCBC we are focusing on the disciple and his relationships with family, friends and himself. We see from the Scriptures that Christ must be paramount amongst all our human relationships. Christ has seemingly harsh words for His disciples in this passage, but we will see how He uses the illustration of these relatiionships to show the priority of Christ in a disciple’s life.
We also see the priority of Christ within a disciple’s life. Jesus uses the phrase, “take up your cross,” to describe the life of a disciple. It is a life that had died to self will and a total embrace of God’s will. When Christ becomes a priority in our life, He will allow us to be a part of a Great Commission ministry. A missional lifestyle will ensue. However, a missional lifestyle is not one that is lived out publicly as a show for our fellow believers or a means to “impress” God. On the other hand, it is what disciples of Jesus righteously do in secret that reveal much about God’s glory and providence. The obedient disciple is easily discouraged, but Christ comforts the disciples in the latter part of Matthew 10 who serve quietly and providing the needs of those around him ensuring their reward.
The life of a disciple is never complete but continually being formed by the spirit of Christ in His Word to more accurately portray the One who saved us.
In last week’s sermon we transitioned into a new mini-series on the Bible and why that matters to a church seeking out Christ’s vision. We discussed 2 Timothy 3 and why the Bible should matter to believers who are trying to live authentically for Christ. This week we move to 2 Peter 1 where we talk more about the authority of God’s Word and the role that plays in each of our lives. In this particular passage, Peter reminds us of the good news of the Gospel and makes the argument for why we should take the Bible as God’s Word. Peter reminds us that he and the other disciples were eyewitnesses to the “majestic glory” that was revealed to them, and as Peter recalls what is revealed, he tells us that it is not his own interpretation of the events, rather it was given to him by the Holy Spirit. This Sunday we will be studying the authority of God’s Word and the light God’s Word shines in a dark world and why that matters to us as we pray for discernment in determining Christ’s vision for Cash Creek.
