Eating Bread Like Cooper

I have got bread on the brain because of the passage I am getting ready to exposit on Sunday. As I have been digging into the text I came to the realization that I want to dive into scripture like my daughter eats bread at a restaurant. Cooper will get me to butter up her bread then she will put the whole piece up to her face and literally gnaw away at the inner portion of the bread because that is the best part.

I am currently preaching through the miracles of Jesus from John's gospel account. This Sunday I am preaching from John 6:1-15...the feeding of the 5000. Something that God has shown me, through guys like Tim Keller, is that all of scripture is ultimately about Christ. Well my text this week couldn't be more true.

At face value the text we like to make this text more about Jesus doing a lot with a little or about the Short-sighted Disciples; like Philip and Andrew. However, a deeper look into the text shows us this is about Jesus; its about the Gospel. The bread of lowly beginnings is blessed by God, broken, then passed out to the masses for their filling, then there is enough left over to pick up 12 baskets (represents sustenance). This whole passage screams of what Jesus did. He came from lowly or humble beginnings; was broken then distributed to the masses; and there is enough of Him to sustain.

Tired of Religion

This if for the pastor that got in my face about not preaching from the King James and for the guy that told me Voddie Bauchaum is a heretic because his church doesn't do Sunday School and because he is a calvinist. I will let Mark Driscoll speak for me. Hope you enjoy.

I love Jesus!!

Jesus is amazing!! A Savior who didn't simply take our sin but became our sin; who suffered a vile and horrific death, the death of a criminal; A Jesus whose precious blood washes away sin; who suffered the wrath of God and provided atonement for sin. A Christ that gave me His righteousness and took my shame; and a Messiah that causes men to become a new creation.

Who cares that its not Christmas anymore. Everyday is a day to praise God and magnify the name of Jesus Christ!!!!!!!

Doxology IS Theology

As I have been preparing to preach my Christmas sermon series God has been revealing some truth to me that I feel compelled to share with the two of you that read this blog. My sermon series will come from the various songs that people sang in and around the time of Christ's birth; the song of Mary, Simeon, Angels, etc.

The conviction I have come to is this.....worship today is much too man centered! In our culture we like to start at the bottom and work upward. We start with self; our wants, our feelings, our emotions, our agendas, our opinions. Once that box has been constructed we then try to put God in it. The result of this doxology or worship is theology that is as far away from biblical precepts that its pathetic. Worship today teaches that man is the apex and that he is worthy of God's time and attention. This theology produces selfishness, greed and pride.

In scripture we see worship begins with God and everything else stems from Him. His holiness, goodness, judgement, omniscience, etc are the things that fuel the wonderful worship of scripture. This biblical method of worship produces sound theology where God is the top of the food chain. It is a theology where man is so unlike God, sinful, poor, blind and naked that the reality that God would even look upon us is overwhelming.

My challenge for you in this is simple. Worship out of the overflow of who God is and what God has done; not out of how you feel and what you think. Worship in a way that produces and teaches sound theology and not this modern-day garbage that is being produced!!

Our Joy

No poem today like yesterday. But I do have some thoughts. As it turns out I am not a popular guy in my community. Apparently I am a male chauvinist and archaic in my views. I must admit that my flesh is infuriated and vengeful by the rumor-mill that is circulating about me; a small town Baptist Preacher that is trying really hard to preach sound doctrine and win souls to Christ. But in my heart and the deepest crevasses of my being I am hurt no I am crushed. I am grieved that tempers are flaring and pride is springing up in some who think they are doing good but in reality they are hurting the body of Christ. It is nothing more than gossip and slander.

What does this have to do with joy? The truth of scripture is clear that we are blessed when we face trial and tribulation of many kinds. Weeks like the ones I've had are working out God's will for my life. These weeks are trying to teach me submission to God and they are developing character. So as weird as this sounds I find myself filled with joy in Christ in the middle of my circumstances. I am joyful in Christ and the Bible teaches that the joy of the Lord is my strength.

So today I make this declaration for Satan and his demons and for any who read this blog. My joy is Jesus Christ!!!! Not this world...not popularity....nor your opinion of me. My joy comes from the inescapable beauty and grace of God Almighty. My obsession will from this day forth be with what God thinks and what His opinion is of me. I wish to live this way in order to please God and make the world look the way it really is to the Christian; like a fleeting, trivial, worthless thing that has no power and produce zero joy.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!!

The Nature of Beauty

Sunrise, sunset, symphonies and sonnets are pale by comparison.
To compare Thee to these is worthless and weak expressions.
How could we seek to compare Your awesomeness to ashes?
We attribute beauty to things that will be trampled where You’ve trod
This makes us guilty of sin; we belittle a gigantic God.

Our God is the superlative of every good thing we choose to call Him by.
You are far more lovely than earth or moon or sky.
The amazing beauty of God is prototypical, inherent and intrinsic.
All other beauty is derived, contingent and dependent.
They are but streams flowing from your radiance.

The hope of the believer is to forever gaze upon this beauty. (Psalm 27:4)
A gaze that should be our tremendous joy not just duty.
Astounding is the reality that You are the God we cannot see.
Invisible yet more beautiful than any word our mind could birth.
You are the nature of beauty!!

Mind Dump

I can remember when I figured out that Santa Clause was not real. I believe I was about 8 years old. Christmas had come and gone and my brother and I had really racked up!! One day we were playing in the house and we found our way into my mom's closet; a place that we were never to go. Now I know why. This was the place our toys were kept. It was also the place that my mom kept a few of the boxes of the toys that "Santa" had just left a few nights before. I have never been a smart guy but I could always put two and two together.

I remember feeling horrible. The reason I didn't get certain toys wasn't because Santa was watching but it was due the fact that my mom and dad didn't get them for me!!!

After being in ministry for a number of years I am starting relive some of those same emotions. You see I have always thought of myself and a good judge of character. I spend time with people and listen to them and watch them; sometimes without their knowledge and I can just figure them out. But what I am finding is just how wrong I can be. People who I thought had discernment faithfully watch TV preachers that teach false doctrine. I have people in my area that love a man who doesn't believe in The Trinity!!!! There are people who will nod and smile to your face and vote in ways that support your agenda...then on Monday they will spread gossip and miss-information throughout the community.

The past 10 days have been humbling to say the very least. I have been reminded of just how flawed and imperfect I am. It has also been a week of mind battles and spiritual warfare.

It is weeks like this one that make the return of Christ all the more sweet. Hurry Lord Jesus!!!!!