Posted by Pastor Pat on February 14, 2009
Read Mark 1:1
Mark’s Gospel account is a continuation of a story-line that began before the foundations of the world were poured. It is the fulfillment of promises made by God to Himself that would benefit all people in general and His people in particular. It is the story of Jesus Christ. Mark directly identifies the person and work of Jesus Christ as gospel. The word “gospel” gets lost to us modern readers. The word itself is from the Old English god-spell “good tidings or good news” as a translation of the Greek word euaggelion as used in the New Testament. It is not a word that is found in the Old Testament, but was clearly present in idea. What Mark and the entire New Testament endeavors to do is help us see that Jesus Christ is the gospel. He is the good news.
Although there is consent as to the statement, “Jesus Christ is the gospel,” there is always a present danger of putting our hope and confidence in something other than Jesus Christ. Perhaps it is education, or better employment, or a different spouse, or better behaved children. Even in the manner of how we present the “gospel” can become errant. We have made the gospel an A-B-C proposition, as if the gospel were a 3-step program. What we have learned in the past and what we will hear again in this text is simple: “Jesus Christ is the gospel.” But why is Jesus Christ good news?
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Posted by Pastor Pat on December 19, 2008
So…what does it mean to be freed from the presence of sin? First, it would assume we understand to even the smallest degree what impact sin has had on our lives and circumstances. Think of all the trauma and heartache that exists in the world. Think with me of every tear that has been shed from the complete and utter anguish of soul when it is visited by hopelessness and dashed dreams.
Even then our inability to comprehend fully the loss this entails calls me to be cautious in any attempt to describe what freedom from the presence of sin might be like. Nonetheless what says the Scripture?
Everything about our existence is marred by sin. Nothing has escaped the touch of sin’s denigrating influence. Everything is in decay. Nothing is sustained indefinitely. Our hearts cry out in pain. We cannot feel because sin has dulled our sense of touch. We cannot see because sin has clouded our vision. We cannot hear because sin has silenced the voice of God. We cannot taste because sin has made us calloused to the true things of God.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on December 17, 2008
Romans 6: 7 – “for he who has died is freed from sin.”
It is the freedom from the penalty of sin that now affords me freedom from the power of sin. Sin’s authority over a people marked by the cross has been completely removed. Our death to sin has freed us from sin. Sin is no longer to rule over us. Sin once reigned and its reign resulted in death (Rom. 5:21), but sin’s reign has come to an end (Rom. 6:12).
The reign of sin speaks of its authority or power over its subjects. Sin was once king but has since been dethroned. Our Lord Jesus Christ led an insurrection against it and won. Sin no longer has authority over the people of God. It is hard for us to process the idea that sin no longer has authority over us when it would appear that we sin so easily. Yet, sin has no power over us because of Jesus Christ.
Sin pulls relentlessly at the hem of our garments. It leans against us ever so slightly but persistently until we bow under its enduring weight. This is the power of sin. It makes us doubt the goodness of God. It wants us to believe that His love for us is conditional and His acceptance of us is performance based. It delights in keeping us in bondage to its residue. It wants us to believe that God’s forgiveness, although complete, is still qualified. This is the power of sin. And it is this that the power of the cross has destroyed. As His people we have freedom from the power of sin.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on December 16, 2008
“For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,” Romans 8:3
Let me begin with a sentence that I will break down into five short statements.
The work of Christ (1 Pet. 2:24)
as the outworking of the Trinitarian eternal purpose (Eph. 1:4)
in behalf of His people (Matt. 20:28)
against sin (Rom. 8:3)
is finished (John 19:30).
So what…what difference does this “doctrine” make in the daily grind and routines of life?
My attempt in this short meditation is to unpack this idea.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on December 11, 2008
“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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