What is the Gospel?

Cameron Buettel over at The Bottom Line has started a five-part series on what exactly the gospel is. Great videos for sharing with unbelieving friends and for a refresher on the essentials of our faith.

Here’s the first in the series.

Do You Know that He is the Lord?

I’m reading through Ezekiel just now, and it’s definitely tough sledding – prophecy of the coming destruction of God’s people. But reading through the prophets, you really get a deep appreciation for the holiness of God. I think God’s holiness is something we often take for granted. We cannot experience true holiness here on earth, and our minds cannot begin to comprehend what it’s like.

Holiness is being completely free of sin. Literally set apart. God’s people were set apart from the nations to be a holy people. They were not to whore after other idols but were commanded to keep the covenant God made with them. And in keeping with this covenant, God would prosper them.

But God’s people turned to wickedness. Wickedness that Ezekiel describes as “more turbulent than the nations around you” (Ez. 5:7). A people that was called to be free from sin was more sinful than the pagan nations around them.

And before we get on our high horse, let’s take a long, hard look at our own lives. We are often guilty of sinfulness that exceeds that of our unbelieving neighbor. And yet, does our confession and repentance reflect a heart that is completely gutted at our own sin? Does our rebellion toward God drive us to tears?

“Does our rebellion toward God drive us to tears?”

Think of King David, after his affair (quite a euphemism) and cover-up. Psalm 51 is truly a picture of a man who knows the weight of his own sin. He pleads with God in verse nine, “Hide your face from my sins….” as if to say, God, my sin is so disgusting in your sight, please just turn away from it! Do we have this same attitude?

In Ezekiel 6, the same phrase keeps repeating over and over:

• “…and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
• “And they shall know that I am the Lord.”
• “And you shall know that I am the Lord….”
• “Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Whether it was the portion of God’s people who were sentenced to famine, pestilence, and sword or the remnant who was spared, the events that took place would prove who the one, true God was. The holy God of Israel.

So in light of God’s holiness and the sinfulness of our sin, do you know that he is the Lord?

The Law is Meant to Devastate Us

Flickr - victordriggs

I was in track & field when I was in high school. I competed in the high jump, and I was actually pretty good. Not great, but good. And being in the high jump, you realize that your ability will only get you so far – or, so high. In other words, there was a time in every track meet where I was unable to jump over the bar. There were athletes much better than me who could jump much higher, but there would come a time in every meet where even they could not clear the bar.

And the feeling you get when you attempt a jump and think you’ve cleared the bar only to see it come crashing down after you is devastating. This is why we were given the law – so that we would know without a doubt that our ability could never match the standards that God has given us. The bar we are told to meet is impossible to clear. Perfection. Sinlessness. That’s our standard. Matthew 5:48 says, ‘Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.’ The law is meant to devastate us. We aren’t good enough. No matter how hard you try, no matter how good you think you are as a person, that bar is going to come crashing down every time.

“No matter how hard you try, no matter how good you think you are as a person, that bar is going to come crashing down every time.”

The law shows us our sin, and because of that, it also shows us our need for Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God, fulfilled the law for us. He lived a righteous life that we could never live. He was betrayed by a friend. Beaten, tortured, whipped, mocked. He died a sinner’s death upon the cross. He became our substitute. Because of Christ, we do not need to feel shame or guilt or ever experience the wrath of God for our sin. He took that upon himself. He paid that penalty for us. So stop trying to jump over that bar. You’re not good enough, and Jesus has already done that for you.

Taken from a recent sermon preached at Smithton-Culloden & Nairn Free Church. You can listen to the sermon entitled “The Greatest Sermon You’ll Ever Hear” in its entirety here or watch it here.

Parents: Love God by Loving Your Children

I love parents. My job at Smithton is youth worker, but working alongside the parents is part of that. And I’ve had the privilege of visiting with families and seeing them in their own homes – their own context. I was even able to participate in family worship with one family. I can’t say enough about the importance of family worship. Dads, we should not be relying on the minister of our church to teach our children; we are called to be pastors to our children. Whether we like it or not, we are the pastor in our home. It is our responsibility to teach, to guide, to direct, to rebuke. Our children are part of our flock. We must shepherd them.

I was speaking with someone not too long ago, and I said, “You know it seems like children don’t know their Bible anymore.” And this person said, “Well, it’s because it has been taken out of our schools.” My response was, “No, I really think it’s because it has been taken out of our homes.” It is wrong to think that our children should receive their primary instruction on the Bible from our public schools. Numerous studies have been done. Parents, you are the main influence on your child’s life. Not the youth worker. Not a teacher or a coach. You.

Another thing I’ve seen is the unreasonable expectations we place on our children regarding success in school. Our children’s education has become like a god to us. Instead of worrying about our children studying the Scriptures and being active in fellowship with other Christians, we are more worried about how much our son or daughter is studying their maths or their P.E. or their Gaelic. When your children graduate from school and leave your home, which is going to be more important – their knowledge of geometry or their knowledge of God? Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says we must impress the Lord’s instructions on our children. The word “impress” here literally means to whet or to sharpen – as in sharpening a sword or arrow. We wouldn’t go out to battle with a dull weapon, so why would we send our children out into the world without impressing these truths upon them?

“We wouldn’t go out to battle with a dull weapon, so why would we send our children out into the world without impressing these truths upon them?”

Do we worry about our children loving God and doing what he commands? We may even say we do, but where is the accountability in our households? Parents, we must preach the gospel to our children – with our words and with our lives. As parents, our teaching should reflect the character of the God we are teaching about. A God who requires love and obedience, but a God who gives us grace and forgiveness. Do we parent by grace or by shame?

Let me give you some encouragement, parents. There will be times when your children don’t want to listen to the Scriptures. There will be times when they don’t want to come to worship services. There may be times when they express complete boredom and lack of interest in the things of God. I know, because that was me. My father took the time to teach my brother and I every morning. And we couldn’t have cared less on most days. Parents, if you get frustrated with your children, because they aren’t listening or express boredom in family worship, please don’t stop! Please know that you are doing exactly what the Lord requires of you. It is not your job to change their hearts, it is your job to teach them. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

“It is not your job to change their hearts, it is your job to teach them.”

And children, youth, students … if your parents aren’t teaching you, demand it of them. They are responsible to God for you. If they won’t teach you, then find someone who will. But if they are teaching you, obey them! God himself gives them authority over you. Love them and love God by being obedient.

So parents should impress these things on their children. But this is also a command for the entire community of believers. We baptize our children into a community of faith. Yes, it is the parents’ primary responsibility to raise their children and teach them to love God. But we are a covenant family, and we should be helping parents and keeping them accountable to what God commands. You may not be a parent, but you must still care about the spiritual condition of those baptized in the covenant community. We can do this by simply asking parents, “How is parenting? What are your struggles? How can I help you? How can I pray for you?”

We must impress these things on our children. And our children’s children.