Tag Archive for 'bible'

Grace is the Gospel - Grace Before Time

Published
by
Eric Wallace
on October 18, 2008
in Uncategorized
. Comments
Grace Is Gospel Grace Before Time
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Creation

Grace is the Gospel - Part 1

  • Eternal Triune God
  • Author of Creation
  • Creation is Good
  • Created in God’s Image (Male and Female)
  • Created with Purpose
    • Glorify God
    • Enjoy Him Forever

The Fall

Grace is the Gospel - Part 2

  • We Betrayed God
  • A Declaration of Independence
    • Shame and Guilt
    • Death
    • All of Creation Cursed

God’s Plan All Along

  • All of Mankind
  • Sinners from Birth
  • We are Depraved
  • Slaves to Sin
  • Unable to Submit
  • Subject to Justice
  • and Wrath of God
  • Dead in our Sins

Back to God’s Plan…

Rejoice! By grace you have been saved

even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved

Ephesians 2:5 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:8 ESV

Grace is…

  • Power to raise the dead
  • Power directed by love
  • Love to the ill-deserving

Salvation belongs to the Lord — Jonah 2:9 ESV

Election

  • First step of God’s love
  • God’s purpose to save us

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:3-6 ESV

What?

He chose us in Him

When?

Before Creation

Why?

So we could be holy and blameless…He predestined us to adoption through Christ

Saved FOR Good Works, not FROM them

not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:9-10 ESV

For What Purpose?

God’s will, to the praise of glory of His grace

When we were dead

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will

Ephesians 1:11 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:4-9 ESV

He chose individuals

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

1 Corinthians 1:26-30 ESV

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

James 2:5 ESV

Is Election the Effect or the Cause of Obtaining Salvation?

It is not just that God knew we would believe…

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written,

God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.

Romans 11:1-8 ESV

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Acts 13:48 ESV

Do we belong to God because we come to Jesus, or do we come to Jesus because we belong to God?

I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

John 17:6-9 ESV

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

John 6:37-39 ESV

Are we Jesus’ sheep because we believe, or do we believe because we are His sheep?

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:24-27 ESV

Is evangelism making or gathering sheep?

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

John 10:16 ESV

Are missions making or gathering children of God?

Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.

John 11:50-52 ESV

And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

Acts 18:9-10 ESV

Did God choose us because he knows we will come or, do we come because he chose to give us the will to come?

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

John 6:44, 65 ESV

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

Acts 16:14 ESV

Is election based on foreknown faith or is faith the effect of election?

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

Romans 8:28-33 ESV

Is election individual and unconditional?

Romans 9:1-23

Election is nothing but the preparation of Grace

According to B.B. Warfield…

Holiness, because it is the necessary product, is therefore the sure sign of election. All holy people are the elect of God and are sure of eternal life.

We need not, we must not, seek elsewhere for proof of our election: if we believe in Christ and obey him, we are his elect children.

Why not choose…

Again from B.B. Warfield…

The marvel of marvels is not that God, in his infinite love, has not elected all of this guilty race to be saved, but that he has elected any. What really needs accounting for — though to account for it passes the powers of our extremest flights of imagination — is how the holy God could get the consent of his nature to save a single sinner. If we know what sin is, and what holiness is, and what salvation from sin to holiness is, that is what we shall feel.

Resources

Audio

Grace is the Gospel - Rebellion

Published
by
Eric Wallace
on October 3, 2008
in Uncategorized
. Comments

Think about these questions:

  • Why do we sin?
  • How can man overcome his sins?
  • What does Adam’s sin have to do with me?
  • Does man have the free will to choose God?
  • Does the Bible teach “God helps those who help themselves”?
Grace Is The Gospel Rebellion
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Previously

Grace is the Gospel - Part 1:

  • Man is the crowning glory of creation
  • Made in the image of God
  • Created with purpose — “To glorify God and enjoy him forever”
  • Has an intimate relationship with God

So What Happened?

Genesis 3 - The Fall

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Genesis 3:1-7 ESV

Satan’s plan of attack

Fatal Thinking

  • Rebelling against God’s Word. Satan declared “You will not die” in Genesis 3:4. Adam and Even thought little of the gravity or the consequences of ignoring God’s command in Genesis 2:17.
  • Elevating the status of man. “You will be like God,” Satan issued in Genesis 3:5. The poem Invictus comes to mind.
  • Adding to God’s Word. Satan is the author of legalism. “Did God really say your couldn’t eat from any tree?” (Genesis 3:1) Eve rejected this, but then added her own “must not touch it” (Genesis 3:3)

A Declaration of Independence

With their bold rebellion against God Adam signed for all of mankind (Romans 5:12-19).
However, just because they declared independence, does not mean they became independent. (Acts 17:28)

Consequences

God’s Plan all Along

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

Romans 8:20-22

Adam’s Heirs Inherit

  • His Nature
  • His Condition
  • His Guilt
  • His Debts

We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners. It is our nature.

Affects Everyone

Our Rebellion is total

  • Romans 3:9-18
  • John 3:19-21
  • For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. Romans 1:18
  • For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. James 2:10
  • For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person. Mark 7:21-23
  • Even in religion (Luke 18:9-14, Colossians 2:20-23)

Everything is Sin

  • Romans 14:23
  • And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6
  • For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. Romans 7:18

Unable to Submit

  • Romans 8:5-9
  • John 3:5-7
  • “Slaves of sin” Romans 6:17-18
  • Ephesians 2:1-5
  • Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. Ephesians 4:17-18
  • No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44
  • The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
  • The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?     Jeremiah 17:9
  • And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26
  • 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

Deserving Eternal Punishment

You can’t fix it!

  • There is nothing you can do.
  • “Salvation belongs to the Lord” — Jonah 2:9 ESV
  • “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” — Romans 9:16 ESV
  • We are totally deprived and Crooked Deep Down

God Provides

  • God points to One who will crush Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15)
  • “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” — Genesis 3:21 ESV
  • “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” — John 1:29 ESV

Resources

Grace is the Gospel - Part 1

Published
by
Eric Wallace
on September 20, 2008
in Uncategorized
. Comments
Grace Is The Gospel Creation
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: bible god)

Introduction

Acts 2:42

Acts 2:42 says “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”(ESV)

What is the apostles’ teaching? Is it the “practical application” of the Word to our lives? Is the message that man can save himself? Or is it something else? The Bible and history, I would argue, show that the apostles’ teaching is so much more than the “pop psychology” that passes for much of Christianity today. No, the apostles’ teaching is the “meat” of the Bible. It has been summarized in creeds, such as the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.

My goal is to let the words of scripture speak for themselves as we focus on grace and really look at what the Bible (God) says.

The Bible

  • 66 Books
  • 1,500 + years
  • 40 + authors
  • 1 Story

Story Ark of the Bible

  1. Creation
  2. Fall
  3. Redemption
  4. Restoration

What is the Gospel?

Central to the apostles’ teaching and central to the Gospel is salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Supremacy of Christ

Salvation is of the Lord. Jonah 2:9

  • Christ is Supreme over EVERYTHING
  • CENTRALITY of the CROSS in the Christian Life. Keeping the Main Thing, the main thing.
  • I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (ESV) in light of the Pew Survey…

    A major survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that most Americans have a non-dogmatic approach to faith. A strong majority of those who are affiliated with a religion, including majorities of nearly every religious tradition, do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation.

  • Our evangelism must focus on the GOSPEL. The Western World is now a Mission Field. All theology must be an exposition of the Gospel.

We will also listen to songs and videos that relate to the subject at hand. Derek Webb’s song Awake My Soul will be our theme song throughout this study.

Suggested Resources:
Putting Amazing Back into Grace by Michael Horton
The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel The Main Thing/a>
The Hope online video
The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel The Main Thing by CJ Mahaney
The Supremacy of Christ and the Gospel in a Postmodern World by Tim Keller
Using Chronological Teaching - EffectiveEvangelism.com
Music:
She Must and Shall Go Free by Derek Webb
Redemption Songs by Jars of Clay
Awake My Soul by Derek Webb (iTunes)
Creed by Rich Mullins (iTunes)

Creation

Why start with Creation? Luke 24:26-27, Hebrews 1:1-2

Our Triune God is author of Creation.

  • John 1:1-5
  • Colossians 1:15-16
  • Genesis 1

Creation is Good

  • Genesis 1:31
  • 1 Chronicles 16:31-34

He shows his people in Genesis 1 how everything from the smallest to the greatest was created by the God who had redeemed them out of the Exodus. You could summarize Genesis 1 this way: “Out of the darkened chaos God sovereignly and majestically created the entire universe in six days, bringing perfect order and abundant fullness for people to enjoy and to rule, and then blessed and sanctified the seventh day, which marked the completion of creation.” [Creation and Blessing, Ross].

Man created in God’s image

  • Genesis 1:26-27
  1. Moral Perfection (Gen 1:31, Ecclesiastes 7:29)
  2. Creative Perfection (Hebrews 11:3)
  3. Religious Perfection (Acts 17:28)

We lost perfection in the fall, but not capacity!

Creation is universal

  • God created everything and even non-believers are created in the image of God (Genesis 1, Matthew 5:44-45, James 3:9).
  • No one can say “I never heard” - Romans 1:14-20,
  • Always dependent upon Creator - Romans 2:14-15

Meaning of Life

  • Psalm 8:3-9
  • Psalm 16:11
  • Psalm 104:24-31

What is the chief end of man? “To glorify God and enjoy him forever” — Westminster Shorter Catechism

Sermons:
God Created Us for His Glory by John Piper
The Pleasure of God in His Creation by John Piper

Benefits of Creation

We are not accidents.

  • Common ground with non-Christians as a natural part of human existence. Morality. Social Justice. (Genesis 9:6)
  • Work is a holy, God-honoring activity. (Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:15)
  • Shared world with non-Christians (what we eat, drink, watch, play, work at, create, share). God didn’t create Christian music, Christian yellow pages, etc. (Matthew 5:45)
  • God is in control. (Pslam 147:4)
  • Creation leaves us without excuse (Psalm 19:1).
Resources:
Do You See the Joy of God in the Sun? by John Piper
The Great Work of God: Rain by John Piper
Creation Resources at Monergism.com
What Is Man? by John Piper
Music:
Indescribable by Chris Tomlin (iTunes)
God of Wonders by Caedmon’s Call and Third Day (iTunes)

Update:I want to make one point that I don’t think I stressed. Regardless of what any person, preacher, book, author, speaker, song, video, church has said/will say on these subjects, I am held captive to God’s Word and that is what I will be leading us through.

Joshua 3 - Summit Devotional

Published
by
Eric Wallace
on May 28, 2008
in Uncategorized
. Comments

Chase Oaks Church is reading the Word of God together again this year, we call it Summit. Here is my contribution and thoughts on Joshua 3:

Christians often talk about serving God as if they themselves know the plans of the Lord. Serving God sounds great; unfortunately God does not need our help! Jesus said it best “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” How do we apply this to our lives? Do we attempt to take God down our paths or do we follow His leading?

The 3rd chapter of Joshua provides a clear illustration of God’s ideal pattern; God is to lead and we are to follow. “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God…move…follow.” The Levitical priests would carry the ark and the Israelites were to follow, but not too closely. They must stay behind the Lord because they had not gone this way before. If only we could apply this truth our own lives day in and day out.

In verse 5, Joshua commands that all the people (not just the priests) should consecrate or set themselves apart for the Lord because He is about to do amazing things among them. Thus, if we submit our lives to the Lord, we will able to see Him move in and around our lives.

The Israelites were about to see God move in ways they could never have imagined. First, God shows Israel that He is with Joshua as he was with Moses. Second, God shows Israel that the living God of the universe is among them and leading them into the Promise Land. He does this by stopping a flood swollen Jordan River and allowing the Israelites to pass on dry ground just as He had done with the Red Sea as Moses led them out of Egypt.

Oh living Lord of the universe, how we need to follow you today. It is so easy for us to get out ahead of you thinking that we know the path before us. Humble us and set us apart so that we can see your amazing works.

Here is permalink for my Joshua 3 devotional on the Summit site.

Hey Christians, want to win $50,000?

Published
by
Eric Wallace
on December 18, 2006
in Uncategorized
. Comments

I ran across this over at Kottke’s site today. David Sklansky thinks we Bible-believing Christians are 1) lying about our faith and 2) just not that intelligent. What’s that you say? Here is David’s proposal to us all:

This is an open challenge to any American citizen who passes a lie detector test that I will specify in a moment.

We will both take the math SAT or GRE (aptidude [sic] test). Your choice. We will both have only half the normally allotted time to lessen the chances of a perfect score. Lower score pays higher score $50,000.

To qualify you must take a reputable polygraph that proclaims you are truthful when you state that:

1. You are at least 95% sure that Jesus Christ came back from the dead.

AND

2. You are at least 95% sure that adults who die with the specific belief that Jesus probably wasn’t ressurected [sic] will not go to heaven.

If you pass the polygraph you can bet me on the SAT or GRE. Again this is open to ANY one of the 300 million Americans.

Also, for those who think I am being disengenuous [sic] because I would make the offer to anyone at all, you are wrong. I am now so rusty that at least one in 5000 Americans are favored over me and I would pass on a bet with them. That’s 60,000 people. If the number of people who would pass that polygraph is between 10 and 30 million, which I think it is, that means that at least 2000 of these types of Christians are smart enough to be favored over me. Given such Christian’s intelligence is distributed like other American’s are.

But I’m betting fifty grand they are not. Their beliefs make them relatively stupid (or uninterested in learning). Or only relatively stupid people can come to such beliefs. One or the other. That is my contention. And this challenge might help demonstrate that.

PS Since this challenge is open to any American, anyone who reads this should feel free to bring it to the attention to any smart Christian they know. Any math whiz, any professor, etc. But I need to warn you that they will almost certainly turn you down. And the reason will NOT usually be because they think they will fail the math test. University professors will probably not fear this college dropout. But given they are expert mathmeticians [sic], their real fear, though they won’t tell you, is that you will find out how badly they fail the polygraph.

He should have used spell check before posting. What a dope. It reminds me of Elijah on Mount Carmel. I really wish that a number of Christians would take him up on this.

One has to wonder why Sklansky thinks we Christians are so dumb? What about other religions? What about Jews? Buddhists? Muslims? Hindus?

As some have suggested in the forum, Mormon, Ken Jennings certainly could challenge him. I appreciate Ken’s straight forward answer that Mormons do not believe Jesus is the only way to heaven.