Posted by Pastor Pat on February 6, 2011
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
(John 15:11)
The stability of the Christian life is built on the bedrock of God’s Word. We believe what He has said is true and will most certainly happen. Yet the certainty of His Word is built on the supremacy of His rule. His Word will happen because His will cannot be thwarted (Daniel 4:35).
Our ultimate joy rests in knowing God will never let His Word fail. The hope we have is not tentative or speculative as if to say there is the slightest chance that it will not happen. Our hope is a confident anticipation and our joy is real and firm despite our circumstances and surroundings.
Listen carefully to the following three verses (John 15:11; 6:24; 17:13).
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
John 16:24 “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on August 16, 2010
Do you ever find yourself succumbing to fleshly lusts? Have you ever wondered why you find it so easy to do evil when the good is equally present? No matter how hard you try to talk yourself out of it, failure seems so inevitable; your frustration level is climbing; stress becomes a part of your every day life. The gap between what you know to be true and how you experience life is glaring and the schism is heart breaking.
I am confident that all who read this can identify with Paul’s dilemma as lamented in Romans 7:19. Those who do not identify fall into one of two categories: those who are spiritually dead as an unbeliever, and those who are spiritually deceived as a believer.
Honesty and transparency are difficult, for they leave us vulnerable. The alternative, however, is mask wearing, and I have always found mask wearing to be uncomfortable as well as stifling and “plastic.”
So, let us be honest – both you and I struggle. While we do not struggle with the truth claims of faith, we do struggle with our progression forward. We want to see Him and have Him use us in an unprecedented way. We want to see Him with the eye of faith. We want to believe that which awaits us can swallow up the trials of this temporal world. We want to believe that somehow in the midst of all this “craziness” God is in control. And yet . . . we struggle. We struggle at work; we struggle with our kids; we struggle with our spouse; and we struggle financially, emotionally, physically, and, at times, spiritually. We just flat out struggle. Life is hard; nothing appears to be easy. We want the supernatural and miraculous. We want God to snap His fingers and fix all of our problems. Yet despite all of these desires, it is still incredibly difficult to do right when wrong is so easy.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on October 31, 2009
“ He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed.”
(Psalm 107:29)
Have you ever felt as if you have no control over your life? It is the kind of feeling you get that wakes you up in the middle of the night and refuses to let you sleep. The emotion you experience is probably the same as one whose parachute is not opening even though every possible chord is pulled. Regardless as to what you might think and what others might tell you, the ‘feeling’ you have is less than ideal and your emotional stability is shot. When we find ourselves sucked into the vortex of the storm, what are we to do?
Why is God allowing us to experience a life out of control? I believe there are at least four reasons why such times visit our lives.
- First, trials come to assure us that we are not in control (James 4:13, 14).
Because of depravity, we have this incredible capacity for unbridled arrogance. For whatever reason, we actually believe the humanistic reports concerning our development and future. Whenever we think we have “our act together,” God has a way of showing us just how fragile the best-laid plans are. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on October 25, 2009
2 Corinthians 9:6
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in every thing, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
While teaching the teens in the earlier part of the year I spoke on “The Seven Laws of the Jungle.” These “Laws” are dispensationally generic meaning regardless as to the dispensation they neither change nor become dated or irrelevant. One of the seven is called, “The Law of Sowing and Reaping.” In the providence of God this “Law” is no less true concerning giving.
At WBC we believe in what is called “Grace Giving.” This means we believe God is big enough to supply the needs for the advancement of His ministry in us and through us. We are equally convinced that God will use His people to meet the financial needs of the local church ministry. Thus at WBC you will not hear perpetual pleas for financial assistance nor will guilt be used to motivate the people of God to give. If somehow the corporate fellowship does not believe the ministries of WBC are worthy of continuation through financial giving, then they will come to an end. God’s will, in some ways, can be determined by the availability or lack therein of financial backing.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on October 19, 2009
“Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22)
Peter’s question in verse 21 is intriguing because it is either very sincere, innocent or it is deceptive and pharisaical. Perhaps Peter thought he was already reasonably forgiving or he was maybe thinking of a situation where he was being “victimized” and wanted to know when he could “pull-the-plug” on another individual relationally.
Why did Peter say, “Up to seven times?” Let us consider some historical insight.
“It was Rabbinic teaching that a man must forgive his brother three times.” (Barclay, Matthew, 193). The prophet Amos uses the formula, “For three transgressions and for four” which many have “deduced that God’s forgiveness extends to three offences and that he visits the sinner with punishment at the fourth.” When Peter suggested “seven times,” he thought he was going very far. He expected commendation by His Lord.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on September 23, 2009
“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
Perhaps one of the most painful experiences in life occurs when you are personally misrepresented or maliciously attacked through verbal assault. Such things are sourced in either, the world, the flesh or the devil. None of it is any good. It will come through one of two channels either the saved or the unsaved. Both are painful. However to have the attack come from a brother or sister in Christ is self-destructive and bitter cannibalism. Nowhere in the Scripture is such action justified. I would like to answer two questions concerning personal slander. First, what is slander? And second, how are we to respond to slander?
First, what is slander? The English word comes from two Greek words.
The first is our English word “blasphemy.”
And the second is katalalia and means, “To speak against.”
Katalalia is found only twice in the NT (2 Cor. 12:20; 1 Peter 2:1).
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Posted by Pastor Pat on August 20, 2009
“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, but the fruit of the Spirit is . . .”
(Galatians 5:19-23)
The contrast could not be more dramatic. Even the word used to describe the outworking of both is telling: “Deeds/Works” versus “Fruit.” In the context of Galatians the irony of the setting should not escape us. The deeds of the flesh are those activities produced by seeking to gain spirituality through a system of rules and regulations whereas the fruit of the Spirit are those activities produced by resting in His finished work. Let us consider for just a moment the two lists.
Posted by Pastor Pat on July 28, 2009
“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another,
because love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
I have already stated several times how one of my presuppositions in reading the Bible is, “I do not read the Bible to determine how to live, but rather to discovery what He is like.” Does your perspective matter? I believe so. When my life becomes disjointed and I am consumed by the mundane and distracted by the unimportant I have to step back and get my focus back on Christ (Heb. 12:1, 2). It is only when I see the centrality of Jesus Christ that life in all of its little pieces makes any sense (Col. 1:17). In Jesus Christ we have the perfect display and embodiment of grace. Jesus Christ is the proper name for grace.
It is for this reason I will often use the two words as synonyms.
Often as I read my Bible I put the words, “Jesus Christ” and/or “grace” in the place of “love.” For example in our text before us if we changed the words it would read as follows, “Above all, keep fervent in your grace for one another, because grace covers a multitude of sins.”
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Posted by Pastor Pat on March 5, 2009
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they *were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself *would not contain the books that *would be written.” (John 21:25)
Who is Jesus Christ? The Scriptures answer this question consistently and plainly. However, space and time prohibit us from sounding it out completely. Yet John provides for us a revealing look at our Lord Jesus Christ in what is commonly entitled, “The ‘I AM’ statements of our Lord.”
The first of the seven statements is found in John 6:35, 41, 48, and 51. Jesus Christ identifies Himself as, “The Bread of Life.” His promise to those who partake of Him is that they will never hunger nor thirst again. In 6:35 John uses a double negative. One Greek grammarian correctly notes how, “With the double negative and the subjunctive Paul is “ruling out even the idea as being a possibility: [the double negative] is the most decisive way of negativing something in the future.” (Wallace, Beyond Basics, 468).
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Posted by Pastor Pat on February 2, 2009
As we continue to work through the book of Galatians we have encountered the dichotomy between grace and law. To be in and under grace is to be free in Christ. To be in and under law is to be in bondage and slavery. We have used the term legalist to describe those who are in and under law, yet what do we mean by “legalism?” Warren Wiersbe gives us this clear definition of legalism.
We must keep in mind that legalism does not mean the setting of spiritual standards; it means worshiping these standards and thinking that we are spiritual because we obey them. It also means judging other believers on the basis of these standards. The old nature loves legalism, because it gives the old nature a chance to ‘look good.’ (Wiersbe, Galatians, 108-109).
Thus, legalism is not what you do it is why you do it that makes you a legalist. John Piper correctly notes that “legalism is present whenever a person is trying to be ethical in his own strength.” He equally argues that legalism is present whenever we try to make other people ethical through conformity to rules. In so doing we are lacking confidence in the sovereign power of God to complete that which He alone began and He alone can finish. (Piper, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, 153-155).
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Posted by Pastor Pat on
The word “clothed” in the text before us is used of putting on a garment such as John the Baptist being “clothed with camel’s hair” (Mark 1:6) or the father clothing the prodigal son with his “best robe” (Luke 15:22) or of Herod being “arrayed in royal apparel” (Acts 12:21). Throughout the Gospels and Acts it is used almost exclusively in this way of putting on a physical garment.
Paul, however, uses it to describe the Christian life. In fact apart from Revelation 1:13; 15:6 and 19:14 Paul is the only writer to use the word once we leave the Gospels and Acts. I have listed each of the occurrences by its grammatical description. Once you look at the grammatical description certain elements become evident.
Aorist Middle Imperative
Romans 13:14 “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”
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Posted by Pastor Pat on December 11, 2008
“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.” Romans 12:3-6
I have always found our text fascinating as it relates to grace, ministry and God. As recipients of grace several truths emerge from the text. First, grace is something given. Because it is a gift we have no right to think of ourselves better than anyone else. We did not deserve it. We could not merit it. In fact our depravity made it such that we did not seek it, understand it, or want it (Romans 3:10ff). The idea behind, “to think more highly of himself,” is “to be arrogant, haughty, egotistical, and bigheaded.” The synonyms show us the ugliness that our attitude can take toward others. The second truth emerging from the text is that each of us has a different measure of faith/grace. Whatever grace we have is through divine allotment. This really shows us the foolishness of comparison. Paul said, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). It is equally foolish for us to wish to be something we’re not. You and I are special by design (Psalm 139). Third, God has placed each of us in the body of Christ, His Church, intentionally, purposefully and thoughtfully. First Corinthians 7:17 says, “The Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk” speaks of this divine allotment. This same truth is brought out in 1 Corinthians 12:11 concerning our placement in His body, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” I cannot be what others are and that is not God’s intent. I can only be what I am by His grace. I find the imagery breath-taking. God has crafted me for His use within His body for His glory. Each of us has a role, a function, a ministry and God is working in us and through us to those around us.
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“A man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus.” Gal. 2:16
If Galatians is the first of Paul’s letters (which is the assumption we are making), then he is using the word “justified” for the first time in Galatians 2:16. What does it mean when the Scripture speaks of one being justified? “Justification is a legal term meaning to remove the guilt (liability to punishment) of the sinner. It does not involve making one inwardly holy, but merely declares that the demands of justice have been satisfied. Hence, there is no ground for condemnation (Rom. 8:1).” ”Justification is a judicial act of God by which He declares the sinner righteous and treats him as such.” Justification includes the forgiveness of sin as well as the imputation of righteousness. Justification is one of those theological words that many are familiar with but few actually understand and fewer still enjoy.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on December 10, 2008
“And Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’” Matt. 16:6
The Pharisees started well. Their intentions were noble, but somewhere along the way they lost sight of what truly mattered and in so doing their “traditions” took precedence over the very Word of God (Matt. 15 & Mark 7). What does it mean to live under the laws of legalism? It is tragic, but Paul’s battle with legalism in the Galatian church is not yet finished. If we learn anything from our Lord’s temptation in Matthew 4 and Peter’s statement in 1 Peter 5:8 it is that the devil is a relentless foe. Today’s victories are never sufficient for tomorrow’s battles. We would be foolish to think that legalism has not wormed its way into our own lives and into the life of the church. It is an obstinate antagonist that has absolutely no scruples.
A legalist believes his upbringing makes him a child of heaven (Matt. 2:9). He actually thinks where he was born, to whom he was born and to what he was born makes him better than others. He is more concerned about obedience to rules than about the salvation and deliverance of the hurting (Matt. 9:11, 14, 34; 12:2; Lk. 14:3; Jn. 9:16). Rather than break their “traditions” they would rather see the hurting, despair and the hungry, die (Lk. 7:39). A legalist loves money more than ministry (Lk. 16:14). They have convinced themselves that a price can be put on the human soul.
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“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” 2 Cor. 4:7
In today’s culture of glitz, glamour, and glory it is easy to forget that we are but “jars of clay” (NIV). We are clumps of clay waiting to be shaped under the Master’s touch. It is only as He moves in us and through us to those around us that we echo His voice to others. As I consider the infinity of God I am often staggered by our “puny” attempts to contain Him through our “monitoring” of other people’s spirituality. Spiritual fruit is as diversified as the Holy Spirit is immeasurable. Yet as I consider grace and its embodiment in “fleshly pots” I believe the following seven statements are the kinds of reflections we will see in us and through us by those around us.
1. We must never consider ourselves to be better than anyone else regardless as to where they were born, to whom they were born and to what they were born. In Christ’s Church, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).
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