Highly Exalted

As the weather warms and autumn’s bulbs project from the once frozen tundra, we find ourselves opening our windows to a refreshingly warm breeze.  An open window that sheds light on the winter darkness of home can be just the impetus for a change in mood and assertion.  The spring time brings light (and thanks to daylight savings time – more light in the evening) and a certain renewal or freshness to the home.  For this particular ministry, it is a time of renewal as we come together to break open God’s Word in an especially unique sense.

Cash Creek Baptist Church is pleased to host the Spring Renewal Conference on Discipleship March 29-April 1, 2012.  God’s Word can transform and renew our hearts in such a way as to draw us nearer to the light that does not extinguish.  Rev. Michael Wilhite and his family will be joining Cash Creek for this pre-Easter Sunday time of renewal.  What better way to be renewed than to draw sustenance from the very Word of God!  Rev. Wilhite will present a series of four expositional messages/teachings on what it means to be a follower of Jesus.  Each night at 6PM and Sunday at 11AM, Rev. Wilhite will lead Cash Creek into the well of Scripture for a thirst-quenching gulp of what Jesus intended for His disciples.  Come be prepared for active application when at the end of each teaching, we will gather in a panel discussion to elaborate on major points and answer questions.  To help prepare our hearts for God’s Word, Chuck Davis and schedule of others will lead us in song as we give praise to the King of Kings.  Come for a refreshing and come prepared for instruction as we open God’s Word and find in us that which needs not just a spring cleaning but a completely renewed life.

The Christian who tries to live out the Christian life in today’s western culture has a difficult task ahead.  Born again believers in Jesus Christ are immersed in a society and time that deny the notion of exclusivity.  For the Christian, this will present difficult waves when living out the life we are called to live.  As a Christian our exclusivity claim is found in the belief that there is no salvation or reconcilation with God outside of believing Jesus Christ to be the Son of God and repenting of sin.  However, our surroundings preach otherwise.  We are looked upon as audacious, arrogant and even ignorant.  For the culture at large, Jesus is one way among many and that a lasting state of spiritual contentment cannot be found in Christ alone.  I will argue that our reconciliation and salvation can only be achieved by God Himself through Jesus Christ just as He reveals to us in the Bible.  Those who are believers are complete in Christ.  Christians are not in need of any other savior than Christ.

  Last Sunday I began a new verse-by-verse series of Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae.  The situation described above is similar to what Paul was teaching to this church that he never visited.  The church was infected with some false teachers who taught against the exclusivity of Christ and that people needed a deeper philosophical insight in order to attain spiritual heights of glory.  Colossians is a letter that is highly Christological and points toward the sufficiency of Christ for the believer.  The language he uses to describe the person of Jesus is a stirring tribute to the magnificence of Christ’s work on the cross.  We are assured, as the Colossians were, that our identity and assurance is found in nothing more and nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

Come and be a part of this important study as we look to magnify the name of the One who saves.  This series will be recorded and posted at a future time.

As we have transitioned from history to poetry in the Old Testament, we have discovered how God uses various genres to communicate His Word.  We began our poetry section in the book of Job and covered Psalms (last week) and Proverbs (this week).  Next week we are skipping Ecclesiastes (we will study Ecclesiastes during our January Bible Study) and rounding out the poetry section with the Song of Songs.  What we have learned is that God communicates to us through the biblical authors and their various styles.  Poetry communicates a level of emotion that is often far deeper than a narrative or historical account.  God speaks in order that He might touch the human heart and leave a mark that is cross shaped. 

As we look forward to the sermon on Song of Songs (which is often called, Song of Solomon), we find a young, in love King Solomon who writes a picture of the love between a man and a wife.  The love between a man and a woman in a marital context is one of the most intimate relationships we could ever experiences; it is like a song – a song above all songs (hence the title).  Next week we will examine the implications of the marital relationship and the picture of the Gospel that it represents.  Join us Sunday at 11am.

In our study of the grand narrative of Scripture we come to the bookend of Esther.  Esther serves as the final historical book of the Old Testament and an unlikely one.  Esther, which never mentions God, reminds us that even though we do not see God working with our eyes, we can see Him work through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  The events that transpire in Esther are nothing short of God’s sovereign purposes being weighed out in a cosmic spiritual battle.  God is relentless in His pursuit of those whom He has chosen (the Jewish people) to bring about the Messiah.  Even though Haman worked to destroy God’s people, God worked to preserve them.  It should not surprise us that God’s hand outplays Satan’s in every deal-not because of chance, but because God is omnipotent and wise and holy. 

Even though circumstances can appear bleak in life do not forget that God is the one who is working all things out for His glory and for the good of those who are called according to His purpose (cf Romans 8:28).  For a book that does not talk about God directly, God sure seems to be a big part of what is going on-even when He seems to say nothing at all.  To hear the rest, come worship with us at Cash Creek this Sunday at 11AM.

Most great civilizations at one time or another face a certain tragedy from which their actions on particular matters can have a significant bearing on the future.  For our country one such moment took place ten years ago when we faced the most horrific act of war on our soil since the Civil War.  At times of tragedy, such as that, we have the opportunity to act in such a way to restore a way of life that seemed to be altered.  In a span of a decade, we have found little restoration even in the face of justice to our enemies.  Things will never be quite the same as they were on September 10, 20o1. 

When we think about national tragedies in this light, and when we draw our attention to the narrative of Scripture, we come to the end of the Kings-Chronicles era of history that ends in absolute tragedy and the overthrow and capture of Judah.  Life was not the same for the Jews who were dispersed in Assyria and Babylon.  Yet in the dawn of the Persian empire, we find a second chance by God’s grace for His people.  They return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and to return to a way of life that marked their very existence as God’s chosen people.  Life was not exactly rosy after the temple was rebuilt and the wall was erected.  Neither were as great as the original.  So how do the people act?  How do they reconcile a current reality with the national tragedy that befell them years before.  This is the subject of Ezra-Nehemiah.  Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah each play a role in the return of the Jews to Jerusalem.  They have a new opportunity of life, albeit in a very controlled, benevolent dictatorial way, but, nonetheless a new chance to rebuild the familiar.  God’s graciousness is at work here.  His relentless faithfulness to these people is astounding.  God worked it out so His people would return and the long awaited Messiah could fulfill the prophecies of old.  Even though life was different for the Jews, their independence was gone, God still brought about His wonderful purpose in Jesus Christ. 

God’s dedication to His people is wonderfully good and unmerited.  When reading Ezra-Nehemiah, we see a people who come back to rebuild, and like usual, they get off track.  It seems they are faithful for awhile, but sinfulness corrupts.  Even though we see faithlessness, apathy, sin and even hedonism, we see a God who nonetheless is determined to keep His covenant promise with David to bring about the Messiah in his lineage.  When we tie ourselves to the reality of what God is doing in His church, we find ourselves marked by similar characteristics.  However, as believers in Jesus Christ, we are a new creation living under grace that should afford us the desire to be like Christ.  Christ is everything to us including an example of personal sacrifice and devotion that is rarely mimicked in His followers.  Be Christ-like in Christ’s body (the church) for Christ’s sake.

This week we continue in our sermon series, Finding God’s Purposes in the Metanarrative of Scripture.  This week we encounter both books of Kings and both books of the Chronicler.  To be sure there is plenty to be said of each of these, however, I want to trace a common theme through these books that eventually leads to a progressively clearer understanding of God’s redemptive purpose.  We begin at the height of the Davidic kingdom in the early reign of Solomon.  Something happens in Solomon’s life that seems to set a precedent for all the descendants thereafter.  Solomon’s lust for life overtook his desire for Yahweh, and he passed the kingdom to Rehoboam in a shaky way.  After the mere 22 verses of Rehoboam’s reign, the united monarchy became divided into Israel (10 northern tribes) and Judah (2 southern tribes).  This sparked a line of kings and prophets who would call them back to Yahweh amidst rebellion and idol worship.  Both Kings and Chronicles give a history of the events during these several hundred years that serve as a reminder of God’s relentless dedication to those whom He has chosen.

The barage of kings and the accounts of their lusts for power and sex remind us of something very important.  Apostasy happens when someone who is within the accepted orthodox understanding goes away or is enticed in other areas to such an extent that he has gone away from the one, true, living God.  Mnay of the kings fell victim to this.  God’s covenant with Abraham and David is marked not only by man’s waywardness, but thankfully, it is also marked by God’s faithfulness.  Even though David and his descendants rebel and are justly punished during the time of the exile, He is still faithful to His promise.  When we find ourselves in the wilderness of apostasy and rebellion against God, and we will feel there is no way back, He makes a way back by leading us to a cross where the penalty of our sins is unjustly paid for by the perfectly, righteous Christ. 

Have you felt beleaguered when thinking about your Bible reading habits?  Is it hard for you to really understand or get excited about Leviticus?  Numbers?  Habakkuk?  Jude?  If you said, “yes” to any of these, this sermon series is for you.  God has a wonderful and graceful purpose that He has woven throughout Scripture that points toward His sovereign purpose.  Rest assured, Leviticus has a purpose.  Micah has a purpose.  Hebrews has a purpose.  At the end of the year-long study, it is my earnest prayer and hope that God will captivate your heart for His Word, draw you closer to Him, and as a result know Him better. 

 The Bible is a unique compilation of writings of various genres that God has used to give testimony to Christ and to reveal His will.  Our Bible study time is often “cherry-picked” from seemingly random spots in the Bible.  As a result, we often have a disjointed understanding of the Bible and the common themes that are traced throughout Scripture.  As Baptists who believe the Bible is God’s inerrant Word it behooves us to commit significant study to Scripture in order to know God better through His Son.

 This sermon series is designed to equip believers with a level of biblical literacy that will marry the understanding of God’s sovereign acts of grace with the Lord Jesus Christ’s command to make disciples.  From this simple equation of biblical command, we will gain a more comprehensive understanding of God’s sovereign purposes as revealed to us in His Word.  It is my prayer that the church will be blessed and will be fruitful as a result of this year-long endeavor. 

 Each sermon in this series will be accompanied by a family ministry guide/summary for in-home, family worship that will be made available to participants each week.  Collect all in order to have a complete outline of the Bible and a great discipleship tool for your family for years to come.

On Sunday nights starting this Sunday, we are beginning an extensive look at Paul’s first of two letters to the Corinthian church.  As a guide we are looking to Mark Dever’s, Twelve Challenges Churches Face.  In his book he brings to the ecclesiastical discussion twelve issues that plagued the early church that are still evident in the modern, evangelical church.  Dever guides the reader into a solid scriptural analysis of the problems that seem to arise in the church at Corinth.

 The twelve problems Dever identifies in 1 Corinthians include:  forgetfulness, division, imposters, sin, asceticism, disobedience, legalism, autonomy, thoughtfulness, selfishness, death and decline.  Each week throughout the summer, we will examine a problem from 1 Corinthians and search our hearts for where we need to repent.  Come and join us as we travel this road together and pray the Holy Spirit will be enlighten our minds and attention to the authority of Scripture.

In this passage of Scripture, we look to the common event of the crucifixion as portrayed by each of the Gospels.  However, only Matthew includes an important miracle that is worthy of our attention.  Several miraculous things are associated with the crucifixion of Christ, perhaps, none so strange as the resurrection of dead saints.  In Matthew’s account of the crucifixion, Christ’s surrendering of His life sets off a chain of events with subsequent enormity. 

When Jesus voluntarily gave up His spirit and said, “It is finished,” at once several things happened.  The temple veil was torn from top to bottom thereby exposing the holy of holies and sealing Christ’s role as the satisfaction of God’s wrath, the ultimate sacrifice, and the Great High Priest who makes intercession on our behalf.  Christ’s death was the long-awaited fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham even though most first century Jews did not recognize it.  At this time as well the earth shook.  As a consequence of this, tombs of the dead were either split or rolled away thereby exposing the graves of some saints and ruining a good cemetery.  Only Matthew records what comes next.  Dead saints began walking.  There is much debate on this particular topic.  Some scholars resign this part of the story to lore while others hold to the factual occurence.  It should be no surprise given the centrality of the doctrine of inerrancy that we must hold to this literal reading of Matthew.  So when we read of dead men walking a few things come to mind.  The first is, who are these who are resurrected?  Secondly, what does one do when resurrected?  Perhaps, thirdly, the poignant question, why?

Scripture is pretty clear that the ones who were raised were the redeemed.  Albeit, how can they be raised or redeemed on that side of Jesus’ empty tomb?  Perhaps they were saints who trusted in God’s provision that He would bring the Messiah or they could have been believers who died during Jesus’ earthly life and knew trusted Him as the coming Savior or they were Old Testaments saints who had faith in God and like Abraham it was reckoned to him as righteousness.  Whichever of the three scenarios, the point is bodily resurrection is real, and it will be our future should we die before Jesus returns.

What do the resurrected do?  This must be answered in light of the entire New Testament, namely 1 Corinthians 15:20.  It is clear in Paul’s writings that Christ must be the first fruits of those who are asleep.  However, Matthew’s account is pretty clear that the bodies of saints were raised and then after Jesus’ resurrection, they came out of the tomb and went to Jerusalem.  “The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many” (vv52-53).

But why?  The satisfaction of God’s holy wrath that sinners should have bore was a transaction that was so monumental that it could only have been done through the will of Christ.  The Bible says He gave up His spirit once the atoning work was done.  So significant was that work that the earth shook and exposed graves.  Jesus’ death was so enormous, it is as if an eternal rippling occured and some of the first rings of the ripple included dead saints’ graves.  This ought to cause us to pause at the glorious work of Christ and see how sinners separated from Christ are being reconciled to God by faith in Jesus even today.  Another ripple of this was the testimony of the centurion in verse 54.  After all these things happened He acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God.  The work of the cross began immediately after Jesus’ death.  Lives were being changed and they are still being changed today.  The cross was meant to be the instrument of death for Jesus, and it has ended up being the instrument of our second birth in Christ.  Soli Deo gloria!

In our understanding of discipleship, we come to one of the most difficult commands of Jesus’ most prevalent teaching on genuine discipleship.  In a modern world, with every imaginable convenience at our disposal, many western Christians have grown accustomed to perishable things.  Although there is certainly nothing wrong with owning things or having material wealth, we must come to know where the danger lies.  As followers of Christ, we must understand this passage (Matthew 6:19-24) in light of first century life.  When we think of the first century our minds do not immediately go to the idea of convenience or ease of life.  Yet Jesus addresses the idol of materialism in a first century context.  Fast forward to the 21^st century and think about what consumes our lives and churches.  The danger that Jesus teaches against is the danger of caring so much about our things that it disrupts our devotion to Jesus.  Our love of things so clouds our lives that we either do not trust God with our treasure or we choose our riches over trusting in God.  Could we “do” church without PowerPoint, sound systems, a nursery, pews, hymnals or offering envelopes?  How much of how we do church is wrapped up in the things of church and not the adoration of a Savior who loves us enough to die on a cross in our place. 

 Certainly, God has blessed us as a people, but are we really using our blessing in order to bless other people with the love of Jesus Christ?  Are we being good stewards of God’s blessing?  Is our total aim the exaltation of Christ in everything we do?  If this passage is about anything, it is about idolatry.  Jesus is very clear.  We have a choice to make.  When we try and serve both our wealth and God, we are being idolatrous.  Like Joshua, we must choose whom we will serve.