To Spot a Pharisee – in 2 Parts
I imagine every Christian has heard the exhortation to watch out for the Pharisees. But how many of us know when we’ve spotted one? We can quickly provide the Sunday School answer to What is a Pharisee? All together now: A Pharisee is a person who loves rules. Of course, this is not a reliable way to spot a Pharisee. In a way, God loves rules. He not only dictated them in the Law, He also fulfilled every law in the Person of Christ. But Jesus certainly was not and is not a Pharisee. Again, how do we spot a Pharisee? In Luke 18, Jesus Himself paints a clear portrait of the average Pharisee and by extension we may learn how to spot one. By observing the Pharisee of Luke 18:9-14, we may divide our criteria into two parts.
And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Part 1: Look at me, so smart and good.
Jesus frames this parable in terms of two men. The first man is a self-righteous Pharisee and the other man is an unrighteous publican (tax collector). The difference between them is not that one is self-righteous and one is righteous. They are both sinners and have no righteousness of their own. The difference between the two men is their responses to their spiritual bankruptcy. The Pharisee trusts in himself and the other man bows before the righteousness of Another. The Holy Spirit tells us Jesus spoke this parable to people “who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and looked on others with contempt.” Here in the first verse of our passage we find helpful clues for spotting a Pharisee.
First, the Pharisee trusts in himself that he is righteous and this is seen in verse 12. The Pharisee says, Look at me, so smart and good. I do this and I give that. I am righteous! On the one hand, a Pharisee places hope and focus on himself—his works, his knowledge, his ways, his efforts. For this reason, we know a Pharisee to be self-righteous because he magnifies himself. In essence, his heart overflows with the language of self, boasting in himself. Perhaps this is where our own inner Pharisees are most obvious to others,but most hidden to us. We are blinded to our own self-righteous Pharisaism by our own self-righteous Pharisaism.
The Pharisee within each of us is the consummate self-promoter. Look at me, so smart and good. I fast not once, but twice-a-week. I give and give of all I get. If everyone would think what I think and do what I do, all would be right in the world. Look at me. Look at me. I’m so smart and good. We can spot a Pharisee—our inner Pharisee—when our own opinions, accomplishments, and improvements dominate our words. At the same time, let us not overlook the fact that the Pharisee never appears purely godless. In his boasting, the Pharisee of the parable thanks God for his “righteousness.” But his thankfulness is secondary to his self-promotion. It is a mask; a ruse. In essence, proudly proclaims in the secret of his heart, Thank God I’m so smart and good. His humility is false because the point of his boasting is not unto the exaltation of the Giver of righteousness, but unto himself. In this way, even a Christian can be Pharisaical. Look at me, so smart and good.
Part 2: Look at those losers over there.
In part 2, we learn to spot the Pharisee by his contempt of others. Again the parable was told to people who not only trusted in themselves, but also condescended on the failures of others. To look on with contempt is to despise. The Pharisee despises others. He not only says, Look at me, so smart and good. He also says, Look at those losers over there. Again with false humility, He gives the appearance of thanksgiving, but it proves only to be contempt in disguise. The Pharisee is thankful he is good because he could not bear to be like those miserable sinners. We might notice a second time that Pharisaism emerges from within the heart. When Jesus’ Pharisee parable prays, he does so with contempt in his heart, even making reference to the sorry tax-collector who stands next to him in prayer. Blinded to his own ways, he even feels sorry the tax-collector is not more like him. O Lord, how I wish this poor tax-collector was more like me. If he could only think like me and live like me and work like me…and pray like me, all would be right in his world. It is an empty wish. He does not mean it.
Turing back to the routine Sunday School answer—A Pharisee is a person who loves rules—we do find this answer basically true. A central problem for the Pharisee is that he is ruled by the Law and not by love. He uses God’s good Law as an opportunity to elevate himself. You may have heard it said, “People harshly criticize others in order to feel better about themselves.” Not so. The self-righteous are critical because they feel quite good about themselves already and cling to their own merits. Although the Pharisee rightly views the Law as a mirror, given for instruction, he seldom gazes upon himself. Instead he walks about, mirror extended. His intention is to give not a gift, but a curse—to condemn others, not to perfect them in love. His use of the Law is unlawful. He uses the Law for his own end, without any real love for the Lord or his neighbor.
The Pharisee within my own heart tells me it is love that drives my relentless critique of others, but I know this is not true. For when they turn from their ways and align with my “righteous ways,” my inner Pharisee does not rejoice. Like Jonah, he is angry that the light of grace has shined on these sinners. While at once he plants his hope firmly in his own success, he simultaneously plants his hope in the failures of others. When people change, He loses the objects of his disdain. He can no longer say, Look at me. And so he must pull out his unlawful mirror again and resume his contempt. The Pharisee is a slave to the Law, wielding his tiny gavel and thinking himself to be a righteous under-judge. And this Pharisee spirit is still in you and me. Yet…despite all this, there is hope to silence our inner Pharisees by hearing the Gospel again and again and again.
The Gospel
As Christians, each plagued by Pharisaical roots, we too need the Gospel. Thought of rightly as a covenant of promise (not works), the Gospel reminds us that we have been approved, accepted, and adopted on the righteousness of Another. Those who are gifted the Gospel are awakened to their new ability to speak to God sincerely and love others humbly. The more you and I learn of God’s unmerited and free grace to remedy our sin, the more our inner Pharisees will pass away. We will gladly have our tiny gavels of contempt fashioned into instruments of love and change. And like Christ we will become sincerely loving and wise as we set out to sanctify one another with the Gospel of promise.
Have you spotted your inner Pharisee? Here are some beginning steps to deal with him:
1. Preach the Gospel to yourself every day. Our natural tendency is to passively listen to the miserable ramblings of our hearts. The first thing we need to do to silence the inner Pharisee is to stop listening and start talking. To remind ourselves of all the good Christ has done for us through the counsel of the Gospel.
2. Gather with friends who will preach the Gospel to you as well. We were never meant to live alone, but in community with others. Regular time with other Christians who view the Gospel for what it is—the fulfillment of a promise—is invaluable. Without daily encouragement in the Gospel, we will struggle greatly.
3. In addition to hearing the Gospel, you should also look for ways you can comfort others with the Gospel. Every Christian is simultaneously a sinner and a sufferer. To God’s glory, the Gospel speaks all of our sin as well as all of our suffering. As an heir of the Gospel, you and I have immense hope to instill in others. Hope to change and grow by God’s enabling grace. Rather than looking on the failures of others with contempt, through the Gospel you can look on others with real compassion, hope, and help.
Recovering Our Fervor through the Gospel
Marriage, parenting, career, church, school, and on and on and on and on and on. Life is exhausting. On top of this, are the internal challenges of fear, worry, jealousy, ambition, and a host of other inner affections, temptations, and trials. Everyone identifies with the fatigue resulting from the marathon of life. Some have even experienced something akin to burnout—a loss of fervor. Every fallen person who runs some race of life in this fallen world eventually stumbles upon his finitude; tiring, slowing, and perhaps stopping altogether.
These experiences are common to a fallen world, inside and outside the Christian milieu, so much so that a multitude of secular solutions are promoted and tried every day. The mainstream secular approach involves variations on behavioral solutions such as starting the day with a relaxing ritual, healthy eating/exercising/sleeping habits, setting boundaries, taking a daily break from technology, nourishing your creative side, learning how to manage stress, etc. And while there is nothing inherently wrong with maintaining a mindfulness of these outward responsibilities, the problem of “burnout” begs an important question. What is a Christian to do about these struggles? In spite of the many external solutions, does the gospel have a place in this discussion, and if so, how does the gospel interact with the dynamics of our limited strength and endurance? I propose that the gospel not only holds a place, but the gospel holds the central place of hope and help.
If I am honest I will admit that in times of personal fatigue (loss of fervor) my natural response is to self-chastise, self-rile, and self-discipline in hopes of cultivated a renewed self-determination to get better. For me, this often involves a to-do list, a more rigid schedule, and a vow to never fall behind again. But this sounds eerily like the secular solutions. By way of disclaimer, it is certainly not my intention to discredit the role of personal discipline. God has much to say to us about diligence and discipline throughout the pages of Scripture. On the other hand, it is very much my intention to highlight the overwhelming work of the gospel and God’s enabling grace in all our trials—especially troubles of motivation, weariness, and even laziness in all their various forms.
Failing fervor in the Christian life is a problem that originates from within us. It is not imposed upon us from the outside. Although ministry pressures, difficult church members, and challenging responsibilities certainly contribute to our problems with loss of fervor, it is not caused by these external forces. It is rooted deep within our hearts, the seat and source of our affections, hopes, and dreams. To recover our fervor, we need Christ to work within us. Only He can work the changes we need.
While the importance of this topic is great, deserving far more space and time than available here, perhaps focusing on one central passage of Scripture may nudge us all in the direction of renewal. In Galatians 3, the Apostle Paul confronts a problem which is akin to the topic discussed here. Although the Galatians were converted by hearing with faith, they sought to move forward in life by performing with effort. Having begun by the Spirit, they hoped to be perfected by the flesh. In response, Paul’s directed them back to their beginnings, hearing with faith. The central point of the chapter is that Christian growth and sustenance is not achieved by human effort or a more diligent performance, but by the gospel message itself. By divine power and pronouncement, the gospel cheers, comforts, soothes, and motivates. Those of us who suffer a loss of fervor for ministry do not need more fervor. We need more good news. Our only hope for renewed vigor is very message that invigorated us to begin with: The Gospel. During dull seasons, we need—above all else—additional hearing with faith.
The “foolish Galatians” followed a bewitching influence to hope in their own efforts and plans, rather than to hope in God’s living promises. As foolish Galatians, ourselves, we face the same temptation to prop up our vigor for the Church through self-efforts such as following rules, applying pressures, renewing vows, and all sorts of other means that have no life to impart. When fervor fades, a common first response is work rather than to rest and to rejoice in the gospel. To work, when what we need is to hear the life-giving message of the gospel again and again and again and again.
The mass of unbelievers in this world are not the only people who need daily evangelism. Christians need evangelism too. The lost have no promises, no hopes, no advantages, no blessings, and no benefits. But Christians are quite the contrary. By hearing with faith, the Gospel has granted unto us a yes for every promise, hope for every hardship, everything pertaining to life and godliness, blessing upon blessing, and every benefit of grace. Christians need the gospel more than anyone. How can we enjoy the gifts of God’s glory without the daily encouragement of on-going good news? No measure of external work can order the affections, stir the spirit, or revitalize our fervor. But the gospel—oh, the gospel—the gospel can! And the Gospel does. Through Christ’s good news God frees, fills, furnishes, and forms us by His Spirit. As we, tired and troubled, remain stayed on the gospel of promise, the Spirit of God is faithful to renew our spiritual fervor. And it all happens by hearing with faith.
Have you grown weary in doing good? Here are some important ways to face your fatigue with hope and see your fervor renewed.
1. Entreat your Christian friends to pray for you and to faithfully remind you of just how good is the good news. Throughout Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches the importance of regular reminders of God’s covenant promises and the power of those reminders to stir up our affections. Furthermore, in the book of Hebrews we are exhorted to encourage one another day-by-day, lest we be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. See 2 Peter 1:13-15; Hebrews 12:3-15.
2. Fix your gaze on Christ who has promised to perfect us. It is by gazing upon the glory of Christ that God’s Spirit fits us with the endurance that belongs to Jesus, our Brother and Savior. We may only fix our gaze on Christ through daily meditation (hearing with faith) on His grace and truth. See Hebrews 2:1-3; John 1:17.
3. Recount the unending gospel promises which are yours in Christ. “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.” See 2 Corinthians 1:20-22.
4. Invite another pastor to help you examine your hopes. Often ministry fatigue settles upon us when our (h)opes become (H)opes. Good desires—for things such as a peaceful family, a vibrant marriage, a flourishing career—can easily become ruling desires. Could it be that some of your slowing is due to little hopes becoming your big Hope. See Colossians 3:1-5.
Gospel Community at Paramount
We marvel at gospel community! God created us to live life in community and to experience joy, sorrow, suffering, labor, fellowship, and excitement. When we experience excitement, our joy in the experience does not seem complete until we share it with another. There is a reason for this: God created us in His image. God is the foundation for our fellowship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, communing in perfect fellowship with Himself. The three Persons in the Godhead are always in perfect and unending fellowship. Therefore, when we are out of fellowship with one another, we are also fighting against God’s design.
Although some pockets of society thrive on community, it is increasingly acceptable to live in isolation from others. Yet the gospel provides for a life much richer and deeper than a solitary existence or even a friendship founded on our play, work, or other mutual interests. Christian fellowship is rooted in the Person of Christ, an unshakable foundation Who knits His people together in love. This is why we believe our fellowship at Paramount Church should be lived out together, through faith, by the Spirit, under the word of God.
God entrusted to the Church the all-sufficient counsel of His word so that we may love, encourage, restore, admonish, pray for, and sanctify one another in truth (John 17:17, Galatians 6:1-2). In fact, Jesus said the world would know His disciples by the fruit of their love for each other (John 13:34). This is the essence of a Gospel community. As Paramount Church, we are committed to grow as a community knit together by love through the mutual ministry of the word (Acts 6:4, Colossians 3:15-16). Through preaching, Community Groups, one-on-one ministry of the word, and even the mundane of life, we want every member to grow in wise and godly counsel together. It is our joy to walk together in weakness and dependence upon Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Our focus is to bring glory to Christ, to orient our lives around the gospel, to focus on change, and fulfill our mission as Christ’s ambassadors. To keep a proper balance and guard our Community Groups from revolving around something other than the gospel, we pursue at least four primary goals for life with one another:
1. Progressive sanctification (growing into the image of Christ)
2. Mutual care
3. Fellowship
4. Stewardship of spiritual gifts
With these goals in mind, let’s look at some group dynamics.
Where do Community Groups gather?
Community Groups will gather in homes or other convenient and warm locations. We believe a home-style environment is helpful to facilitate healthy transparency and to spur us toward a richer life together.
When do Community Groups meet?
We recognize all of our lives are busy and even hectic at times. Therefore, our Community Groups enjoy a measure of flexibility for meeting times while still maintaining a commitment to regular, weekly fellowship. Groups typically meet on weekday evenings or Saturday.
How many people attend each Community Group?
We gather in groups of 12-15 people. These smaller numbers can often contribute to added warmth for sharing life together, as well as to help those who are new to Community Groups.
Who leads Paramount’s Community Groups?
Since Paramount is a new church plant, our three pastors will lead the initial adult groups. As time progresses, it is the desire of the pastoral team to recognize men with the ability to lead, train them, and equip them to lead groups. These future leaders will be members of Paramount who are faithfully attending and serving within their respective Community Group. They will receive Community Group leadership training, to include training from “How People Change” and “Instruments in the Redeemers Hands” then become assistant leaders for a time, prior to starting a new group. As Paramount’s student ministry grows, student groups will form, led by an adult student ministry leader.
What should you expect if you attend a Community Group?
Everyone may expect a welcoming atmosphere of fellowship and hospitality. Community Groups regularly enjoy food, Scripture, fellowship, and prayer. As time progresses and Paramount begins to gather for Sunday worship, there is a plan for groups to transition into sermon-based discussions. Groups will discuss down-to-earth thoughts and questions from the current Sunday morning preaching series.
Will Community Groups gather outside of normal meeting days?
Yes, we highly encourage all groups to connect outside of normal meeting times. We see the fellowship of believers as much more than one-shot weekly gatherings, but rather an on-going effort to grow together. We want to celebrate the gospel together, for the pleasure of God and the good of our neighbors.
Gospel Meditations: Richard Sibbes (1577–1635), The Bruised Reed
As Christians with remaining sin, so many of us – all of us even – struggle to live in hope. Our struggles with temptation and sin and conflicts and failures often lead us down a road of doubt and despair. We fear that we may not actually be Christians. Or we fear that we may not win with Christ in the end. We struggle to keep our eyes on Christ, the Champion and Guarantor of our ultimate salvation and victory.
There is a powerful little book that I hope you, my Christian friends, will read. It’s called The Bruised Reed by a Puritan pastor named Richard Sibbes. He lived in the 1500s and 1600s and is remembered as a sweet, gracious, and heavenly man. He was not without his own struggles and he provides immense hope and insight into the Christian life. Here, I’d like to provide you with an abridged version of chapter 13. If you struggle to embrace the reality that grace will reign, I hope these words from Sibbes will encourage you. I know it looks long, but it’s well worth the read. Very rich in Gospel hope!
The Bruised Reed – Chapter 13, Grace Shall Reign
“Christ has conquered all in his own person first, and he is ‘over all, God blessed for ever’ (Rom. 9:5), and therefore over sin, death, hell, Satan and the world. And, as he has overcome them in himself, so he overcomes them in our hearts and consciences…It will undoubtedly prevail, either to make us hold up our heads with itself, by grace, to Christ’s truth, then it boldly faces death, hell, judgment and all spiritual enemies, because then Christ sets up his kingdom in the conscience and makes it a kind of paradise.
The sharpest conflict which the soul has is between the conscience and God’s justice. Now if the conscience, sprinkled with the blood of Christ, has prevailed over assaults fetched from the justice of God, now satisfied by Christ, it will prevail over all other opposition whatsoever…What is spiritual is eternal. Truth is a beam of Christ’s Spirit, both in itself and as it is engrafted into the soul. Therefore it, and the grace wrought by it, through little, will prevail. A little thing in the hand of a giant will do great things. A little faith strengthened by Christ will work wonders…Heaven is ours already, only we strive till we have full possession.
And so, as to the church in general, by Christ it will have its victory. Christ is that little ‘stone cut out without hands’ which broke in pieces the goodly image (Dan. 2:34), that is, all opposite government, until it became ‘a great mountain, and filled the whole earth’ (Dan. 2:35). So that the stone that was cut out of the mountain becomes a mountain itself at length. Who art thou, then, O mountain, that think to stand up against this mountain? All shall lie flat and level before it. He will bring down all mountainous, high, exalted, thoughts, and lay the pride of all flesh low. When chaff strives against the wind, or stubble against the fire, when the heel kicks against the pricks, when the potsherd strives with the potter, when man strives against God, it is easy to know on which side the victory will be. The winds may toss the ship wherein Christ is, but not overturn it. The waves may dash against the rock, but they only break themselves against it.
God often works by contraries: when he means to give victory, he will allow us to be foiled at first; when he means to comfort, he will terrify first; when he means to justify, he will condemn us first; when he means to make us glorious, he will abase us first. A Christian conquers, even when he is conquered. When he is conquered by some sins, he gets victory over others more dangerous, such as spiritual pride and security…Let us assure ourselves that God’s grace, even in this imperfect state, is stronger than man’s free will in the state of original perfection. It is founded now in Christ, who, as he is the author, so will he be the finisher, of our faith (Heb. 12:2). We are under a more gracious covenant.
Failings, with conflict, in sanctification should not weaken the peace of our justification and assurance of salvation. It matters not so much what ill is in us, as what good; not what corruptions, but how we regard them; not what our particular failings are so much as what the thread and tenor of our lives are, for Christ’s dislike of that which is amiss in us turns not to the hatred of our persons but to the victorious subduing of all our infirmities. The first use of this is for the great consolation of poor and weak Christians. Let them know that a spark from heaven, though kindled under greenwood that sobs and smokes, yet it will consume all at last…Grace conquers us first, and we, by it, conquer all else; whether corruptions within us, or temptations outside us.
To make this clearer, and help us in our trial, we must know that there are three degrees of victory: first, when we resist though we are foiled; second, when grace gets the better, though with conflict; and third, when all corruption is perfectly subdued. When we have strength only to resist, we may know Christ’s government in us will be victorious, because what is said of the devil is true of all our spiritual enemies, ‘resist the devil, and he will flee from you’ (James 4:7); because ‘Greater is he that is in you,’ who takes part of his own grace, ‘than he that is in the world’ (1 John 4:4). And if we may hope for victory from bare resistance, what may we not hope for when the Spirit has gained the upper hand? – Richard Sibbes (1577-1635), The Bruised Reed
Read MorePutting Your Past in Its Place
Everyone has a past and many people struggle to rightly deal with their pasts. Pastor Stephen Viars takes aim at this problem in his new book, Putting Your Past in Its Place: Moving Forward in Freedom and Forgiveness. After twenty years of pastoral ministry and countless cases of biblical counseling, Viars is well-qualified to write on the subject of handling the past through the gospel.
Viars’ Purpose
Viars’ main purpose is to develop a biblical theology of the past that is practical, helpful, and down-to-earth.1 With a deep concern for readers who are stuck in past suffering and sin, the author presents biblical hope and help. Yet, the book is not about a step by step process. It is about a Person-God Himself. Viars writes, “My greatest concern is not that you learn a series of biblical principles or even take a few steps of behavioral obedience. Ultimately, God offers us the possibility of experiencing a vibrant, joyful relationship with Him. Unfinished business in the past will rob us of the delight we can find in Christ.”2 He masterfully shepherds readers toward lasting change; putting the past to work for good.
For every person, the past has a tendency to work like a belt. The belt of the past may become too tight, painfully squeezing the life out of someone. The past may be fastened too loosely, rendering it virtually useless. Viars works to cultivate the past in a third way. By setting out a plan for dealing with the past biblically, readers are equipped to respond to past events in a godly and Christ-centered way. The result is a greater ability to understand the past and live in view of God’s pleasure.
Viars’ Approach
Viars approach to dealing with troubles from the past can be summed up in three phases. First, readers are encouraged to examine the events of their pasts and organize them into one of four biblical categories. These categories are analogized by four buckets.
Four Categories of the Past
Bucket 1: The innocent past when you responded well.
Bucket 2: The innocent past when you responded poorly.
Bucket 3: The guilty past when you responded well.
Bucket 4: The guilty past when you responded poorly.
Second, once the reader’s past events are categorized into this paradigm, key Scriptures are applied for the purpose of self-examination and obtaining a thoroughly biblical understanding of what went wrong. For each category, Viars provides just the right amount of instruction so as to help readers embrace and practice God’s way of change without overwhelming them with information. The third phase uses the previous biblical categories and Scriptural insight to determine the appropriate response to the past; authentic suffering, humble analysis, joyful remembrance, and humble self-confrontation. Throughout this process, the author keeps the Person of God central, preventing a mechanical approach to the past. Viars writes,
“My prayer is that you will use what you’ve learned in this book to address any unresolved issues from the past. I hope you’ve discovered that you can sort out your past and take care of specific aspect of it with the help of truths from Scripture. Along the way, make sure you focus not simply on the principles of the Bible, but also on the Person of our God.”3
Viars’ Strengths
First and foremost, Putting Your Past in Its Place is uniquely biblical. From cover to cover, a high premium is placed on the Scriptures. With compassion, insight, and a pastoral hand, Viars draws his insights exclusively from God’s sufficient word. Subsequently, readers gain a clear picture of how biblical counsel profoundly impacts every human problem, experience, and need. Today, secular insights and man-made wisdom is pervasive among books that attempt to fix the past. Not so with here. At the same time, Viars carefully avoids the read your Bible and call me in the morning approach to life change. Instead, Putting Your Past in Its Place majors on mining the deep and lasting truths of God necessary for authentic Christian growth.
Second, Viars is highly relevant. The author’s storyteller style and interpersonal approach draws readers to identify with the case study characters used to illustrate the points. Most notably, the story of a struggling Christian named Jill plays out across each chapter. Jill’s story of change provides the reader a mirror in which he can see his life intersecting with the hopeful help of the gospel by the grace of God.
Third, the four-bucket paradigm of understanding past events is immensely helpful as it provides readers with a simple and workable structure from which they can examine their lives, apply the Scriptures, and pursue Christ in a careful and honest way. This structure provides an useful guide for knowing what questions to ask, what biblical answers to apply, and how to respond to the gospel today; even as believers. Above all, the four-bucket approach is in no way a simple four-step mechanism for change. Instead, it is a guide to pursuing and pleasing Christ by learning to deal with the past on Christ’s terms and living today in submission to His sovereign and loving plan.
Putting Your Past in Its Place is an excellent resource for every person with a past. Everyone can deeply benefit from reading this book. Highly recommended. 
Author: Stephen Viars
Publisher: Harvest House, 2011
Paperback: 244 pages
ISBN: 0736927395
Five Reasons Jesus Christ Died on the Cross
The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the pivotal point in human history and God’s revelation in the Scriptures. From Genesis to Revelation, Jesus Christ is the central figure. The purpose of His coming was foretold in the Old Testament and then announced and celebrated in the New Testament. For this reason, understanding why Christ died (and rose from the dead) is of paramount importance. Although from a careful study of Scripture, we may conclude many more reasons, here we will recall five of the reasons that quickly rise to the surface; moving from the general to the particular.
1. Jesus Christ died as an act of worship to God the Father.
The highest, and often overlooked, reason for the death of Jesus Christ is the pleasure of God. While it is true that Jesus Christ died to save sinners, this is not the pre-eminent reason for the atonement. Above this, Jesus died as an act of obedient worship to God the Father. Philippians 2:8-10 teaches us, “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name…” There is a direct connection between the crucifixion death of Christ and His relationship and service to God the Father. In fact, every aspect of Jesus’ earthly life involved an intentionally worshipful submission to the Father. In the most intense moments of His agony, Jesus pursued sacrifice of Himself to achieve the Father’s will. “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will’.”1
2. Jesus Christ died to please God.
Not only did Jesus die to worship God, but also to please God. In Isaiah’s prophecy we read, “The Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.”2 Twice in the passage, we read of God’s pleasure in both the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God the Father was pleased to crush Jesus and, subsequently, the pleasure of God the Father prospered in Christ’s living hand. God was pleased to put Christ to death as a remedy for sin in His world.
3. Jesus Christ died to illuminate the goodness of God.
Inextricably linked to the worship and pleasure of God in Christ’s death is the glorification of God’s goodness through the atonement. To glorify something or someone is to magnify or shine a light. Jesus died to shine a light on the goodness of God. Just as the entire earthly life of Jesus Christ was profitable to glorify God, His death was equally magnificent. After foretelling of His death and resurrection, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.3 Through His death, Jesus shined an infinitely brilliant spotlight on the goodness of God the Father who freely gave His Son as a sufficient sacrifice for sin.
4. Jesus Christ died to destroy the works of the devil.
The central theme of the Gospel is the theme of God’s sovereignty. God is sovereign over all affairs of the world. As a part of this, we must agree that God is also sovereign over the spirit world and the devil. Within this theme, a key accomplishment of the Gospel is the utter defeat dealt to Satan through the death and resurrection of Christ. In fact, the defeat of Satan is so important to the Gospel that John wrote, “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”4 While the tempter is not to blame for the trials, trouble, suffering, and sin of the world, he is blamed with influence and is credited as the ruler of the world order.
Logically, then, the defeat and destruction of the devil is a means to both the glory of God and the following reason for Christ’s death, the redemption of a people for God’s possession. Through the cross, Christ not only removed the certificate of debts against sinners, but also disarmed and triumphed over the rules and authorities of the spiritual realm.5
5. Jesus Christ died to redeem a people for God’s possession.
At this point, one may be tempted to think but I thought Jesus died for sinners. These answers don’t seem to have anything to do with us. In one sense, this is correct. Christ’s death on the cross is far more about God than it is about people. At the same time, it is about us, but not in the way we naturally think. Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself as a propitiation for sinful humanity, but this aspect of His death provided the redemption of mankind as a means to an end, not an end in itself. The popular view today is that Jesus’ death is first and foremost about saving people from their sins. Instead, Christ died for sinners to provide a means to the end of God’s glory, pleasure, and worship. At the same time, we must not forget the fact that God loves us. What a revelation! The perfect and righteous God, who holds all things together, holds us with His loving hand. Through Christ’s death on the cross, God the Father demonstrated His profound love for us. He love us. He really loves us!
The apostle Paul explains, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”6 Christ’s death has accomplished just that: a growing family of people who are possessed, purified, and zealous for God’s pleasure. Two central works of the gospel, then, are salvation and sanctification. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, God is calling people to Himself and, subsequently, conforming them to the likeness of Christ to make them useful and able to glorify Him forever.
There is perhaps nothing more beneficial than to explore the bottomless riches of the Gospel by studying Christ’s work on the cross. May these five reasons Christ died nudge us further into the wonder of the cross.
- Matthew 26:39 [↩]
- Isaiah 53:10 [↩]
- John 17:1-4 [↩]
- 1 John 3:8-9 [↩]
- Colossians 2:15 [↩]
- Titus 2:11-14 [↩]
How Do Churches Grow
God can grow churches however He pleases. But it does seem that He has set forth ordained means in the Scriptures through which He will typically build and grow His churches. If we are to discover the means God typically uses to grow healthy churches, there is perhaps nowhere better to turn than to the Acts of the Apostles. Here we find the apostles planting and watering, yet God giving the growth.1 Let’s consider six passages from Acts in which we see the church growing. In the process, we may note the kind of spiritual gardening that accompanied God’s sovereignly orchestrated church growth.
Acts 2:40-42 – And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Note: Peter solemnly testified and exhorted people [from the Scriptures] to be saved. He preached the Gospel to the people. By God’s grace, some received his word and on that day the Church grew by three thousand souls. Likewise, the followers were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching [the Scriptures], living in Christian fellowship, observing the Lord’s Supper, and praying together.
Acts 2:44-47 – And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Note: The Church grew day by day as the believers lived in community around the Gospel, cared for those in need, corporately set their minds on Christ, enjoyed glad and sincere Christian fellowship, praised God, and served others.
Acts 4:1-4 – As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
Note: After faithfully proclaiming the hope of resurrection through Christ, the believers were persecuted. Through suffering, God grew the Church.
Acts 5:12-15 – At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico. But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.
Note: As the Lord displayed His supremacy through His disciples, throngs of men and women were being added to the Church. I believe God performed such miracles through these early apostles to affect a profound and explosive inauguration to the Church. By a careful reading of the New Testament, I think God is continuing Kingdom expansion by the testimony of Gospel-changed lives, though no longer through such miraculous signs. We should note carefully, though, that beyond the miracles the early disciples lived in such a way that those around them saw their good works and praised their heavenly Father.2
Acts 6:7 – The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
Note: God grew the Church through the spread of His word, the Gospel. In fact, the clear (perhaps not eloquent) teaching of Scripture led to great increase in obedience to Christ, including many falsely religious leaders.
Acts 9:28-31 – And he [Paul] was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
Note: Through Paul’s God-centered preaching [about Christ from the Scriptures], God grew the Church. Though he faced persecution, Paul built up [sanctified] the church, emphasizing the fear of the Lord and the sustaining work of God’s Spirit. The church continued to increase.
WHAT MAY WE LEARN FROM THIS? WHAT WAS THE FOCUS? The Apostles:
*Testified of the Gospel and Exhorted People to be Saved by Grace
*Led the Early Church Members to Value
-the Scriptures
-Intimate Fellowship with Other Christians
-Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
-Corporate Prayer
-Generous Hospitality
-God-exalting Praise
*Cultivated in the Church a Deep-seated Appreciation for Christ’s Cross and Resurrection
*Courageously Embraced the Consequences for Treasuring Christ in Public
*Displayed lives of Faith and Grace inspired by the Gospel
*Scattered Broadly and Planted Deeply Gospel Seeds among Civilians and Leaders
*Pressed the Christians toward Sanctification, Fear of the Lord, and Comfort in the Holy Spirit
Of all that we see in these six passages, there is little entrepreneurial emphasis. The emphasis is upon the simple work of diligently cultivating the garden, planting the Gospel, and eagerly anticipating the blooming harvest of God’s perfect will. In Acts, we find the early believers fearfully cowering in houses. What caused them to come out of hiding, boldly proclaim the Gospel, and shepherd the flock among them? Was it an entrepreneurial skill or spirit?
The kind of growth we have in mind for Paramount Church is a gospel-centered, grace-enabled, biblically-informed multiplication of local churches in which God uses ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. Join us!
Read MorePreaching Sermons that Transform Your Hearers
Good preaching/teaching is increasingly difficult to find today. It is difficult not only because it is rare, but also because so few Christians know how to spot it. Ask the average Christian to describe a good sermon and he will likely give some of these characteristics:
* An engaging intro
* Good stories about life
* Occasional shouting, but not too much
* Variations on rate and volume of speech
* All the points start with the same letter
* Greek or Hebrew definitions
* An emotional conclusion
No doubt, these characteristics describe engaging communication, but it’s important to remember that good preaching is far more than good communication. Churches and Christians need a better brand of pulpit. Specifically here, we’ll think about two kinds of preaching; both are important, but one is far superior. We will call them propositional preaching and transformational preaching.
Propositional preaching focuses primarily on the communication of facts, ideas, and truths. Transformational preaching also focuses on facts, ideas, and truths, but it goes much farther by working hard to do more than communicate. Rather than aiming and dispensing Scripture, transformational preaching aims to change the hearers by applying those facts, ideas, and truths to their hearts and lives. There is a stark contrast between dispensing the word and ministering the word. Dispensing truth merely places a meal on the table. Ministering the truth involves carefully preparing, plating, and even feeding the guests one nutritious bite at a time. Consider a simplified example from Philippians 2:14-16 to illustration this difference.
Philippians 2:14-16 – Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.
Merely propositional preaching on this passage might sound something like this: “God uses Paul to give people an unmistakable command. Don’t grumble or argue. No one likes a complainer. It seems like Christians are some of the worst complainers. According to the text, the worst part is that grumbling and complaining gives the world a bad impression of Christianity. So, stop complaining. Stop it! Paul says we live in a crooked and perverse generation. Unbelievers need to be able to see a difference between us and our culture. If you constantly complain, you will just look like the world. And Paul says that we need to prove we are Christians. If you grumble and complain, maybe you’re not a Christian. So stop grumbling.”
In this highly simplified example, I have highlighted two of the propositional priorities. Among others, propositional preaching emphasizes facts and commands. And while facts and commands are certainly important aspects to rightly dividing the word of God, they are not enough. Facts and commands can inform and direct listeners, but they cannot transform. The Apostle Paul taught that knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. In a similar way, preaching sermons that are merely propositional may communicate information about God and the gospel, but it does not provide the necessary instruction for lasting biblical change. In fact, the change it is most likely to accomplish is Pharisaical change, leading people to become rule-followers rather than Christ-lovers. At the same time, propositional preaching typically includes a high measure of emotion. And while emotions are an important part of the Christian life, our natural tendency is to be ruled by our emotions. The common emotionalism of fact/command-oriented preaching often leads to very little change because the listeners tend to get caught up in the emotions of the messenger. Preaching that leads to life transformation is invariably deeper, richer, and more helpful.
On the other hand, transformational preaching would approach the passage this way: “God uses Paul to give people an unmistakable command. Don’t grumble and argue. However, notice the context of this command. Paul’s purpose in addressing the habit of complaining is to spur his hearers toward greater Christ-likeness. Christ is the great object of Paul’s teaching. He does not merely have contentment in mind, but contentment that springs from the nature of Christ and is expressed for the pleasure of Christ. So how does God replace our natural tendency to grumble with Christ-like humility? Paul’s answer is by holding fast to the word of life. As we dive deeper and deeper into the sovereign and good character of God, His Spirit convicts, humbles, and changes us. As a result, we are able to replace the sinful habit of grumbling with the righteous habit of contentment.”
The major and important difference between propositional and transformational preaching is the objective. Simply stated above, transformational preaching strives to bring the living word of God to bear on not just the behavior of the listeners, but on their hearts. By unpacking the Scriptures in a way that teaches, reproves, corrects, and trains Christians in righteousness.
Preachers and teachers who desire to help Christians grow in Christ must intentionally pursue their own growth in applying the Scriptures to life. This may be more difficult for those who preach more for evangelism than sanctification. Since unbelievers have no ability to change without first coming to Christ, preaching for conversion does not lend to as many opportunities to apply the Scriptures. Therefore, predominately evangelistic preachers may require additional study and practice to grow in preaching for maturity and genuine soul care. Whatever kind of preaching we are accustomed to, learning to preach transformational, change-oriented sermons is essential to rightly shepherding the flock among us. I am thankful there is an modern and swelling tide of pastors committed to progressive sanctification and transformational preaching and I pray our momentum builds.
A few thoughts on how to grow in transformational preaching/teaching.
1) Grow in your understanding of the New Testament authors’ purpose of writing. For instance, in the passage above, Paul repeatedly states his purpose as maturity, sanctification, and shepherding people toward completeness in Christ.
2) Study theologians who were/are noted for wisdom in transformational preaching/teaching (the Puritans, the protestant reformers, modern biblical counselors.)
3) Rather than viewing the gospel merely as a means to conversion, cultivate for yourself a sharper grasp on the transformative power of God’s grand redemptive story. Remind yourself that the gospel that saves is the gospel that sanctifies.
4) Practice applying the gospel and biblical principles of change to your own troubles, trials, and temptations.
5) Study and practice biblical counseling as a priority in ministry. There is no better preacher than one who is also a counselor. He inevitably has a better grip on his Bible and a keener insight into the lives of his hearers.
Read MoreHelp My Family Worship
Spending devotional time in the home is one of the most important and beneficial activities for families. However, many families struggle knowing how to begin the spiritual habit of family worship. Whether your family is young or old, small or large, this brief guide will give you a head start in the right direction.
A productive family worship gathering in the home involves three fundamental parts: Bible study, prayer, and fellowship. As we consider how to begin, let’s consider these three parts.
Bible Study:
When preparing for family worship there is nothing more important than the way you handle your Bible. The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself, the bread of life, the sword of the Spirit, and the only sacred writing able to make sinners wise unto salvation. Without the Bible, family worship would be impossible. How else would your family know what to believe about God, faith, and life? Hopefully you already sense the weight of handling the Bible well before your family. The importance of Scripture to your family’s growth should give you pause, but you need not be anxious. Even if you are a new Christian who is beginning to learn your way around the Bible, don’t worry. Here are a few simple directions to get you well on your way toward leading your family with the Scriptures.
Always begin with your Bible. Instead of trying to think of a topic to talk about with your family, start by finding a passage of Scripture which strikes you as encouraging, helpful, inspiring, or hopeful. This will help your family worship time move in the right direction by allowing you to focus on what God has said in His word. Never underestimate the temptation to use the Bible to speak your mind rather than using the Bible to speak God’s mind.
After you have determined what passage or book of the Bible will be the foundation of your family worship session, begin planning how you will work through the Scripture from beginning to end. You will find the following plan helpful as you work to explain, illustrate, and apply the Scriptures.
1. Explain: It is important that you explain to your family the simple and straightforward meaning of the Scripture passage used in family worship. You do not have to go into extensive detail. Instead work to give as much explanation as necessary to communicate what the author of the passage intended to tell the hearers of his day. Picking up a good commentary will usually give you more than enough information to helpfully explain the Bible passage to your family.
2. Illustrate: A second aspect of teaching your family the Bible is illustrating the principle or command of the passage. A striking and helpful illustration is one that helps your family understand the Bible by imagining what the Scriptures mean in real life. Helpful kinds of illustrations may include true stories from the life of your family, analogies, historical events, or even similar events recorded in Scripture. Be sure to always use illustrations that are interesting not because they are clever, but because they accurately depict the meaning of the Bible text.
3. Apply: No Bible study is complete without applying the Scriptural principle or command to the everyday lives of your family. An excellent approach to applying the Scriptures is found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 which says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Notice in this passage that God’s word is profitable in four foundational ways; teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.
Four questions which coincide with these four profits of the Bible are:
i. Teaching: “What are the principles or commands of the passage?”
ii. Reproof: “How have we failed to live by these principles or commands?”
iii. Correction: “What must we do to repent/change by God’s grace?”
iv. Training in Righteousness: “What is our specific plan for repentance/change?”
Together you will find these four questions to be a very helpful guide for your family’s application of the Scripture. As you work together as a family to answer questions like these, make sure you are specific in your answers because God intends for His word to affect specific change in His children.
Now, let’s consider the second important part of family worship; prayer.
Prayer
Along with Bible study, prayer is an important part of family worship. It has been said, “The family that prays together, stays together.” Though family prayer will not guarantee that your family will stay together, there is no doubting that God has given prayer an essential role in the Christian life and in Christian families. Throughout the Bible God’s people are found consistently praying together and leading each other in prayer.
If you’re family is just beginning to practice family worship, leading them in prayer may seem a bit awkward. Prayer is spiritual discipline that grows by practice. The faithful puritan preacher Richard Sibbes wrote, “By prayer we learn to pray.” The kids may be fidgeting. The baby may be crying. Your words may be jumbled. Don’t give up. As with every aspect of the Christian life, simply bring to God your family’s sacrifice of prayer and praise. No matter how interrupted or awkward your prayer time may be, know that the God who is gracious hears you and delights in the prayers of your family. Devotional time in the home offers a prime opportunity to hear the insights, concerns, and requests of other family members. Likewise, family prayer time is a great time for you not only to set an example of prayer, but for your children to take an active role in praying too.
Finally, let’s consider together the content of our prayers. For most families, there is a tendency to fill what little prayer time they have with requests that concern circumstances, illness, pets, and minor concerns. While God encourages us to make every aspect of life a matter of prayer, you may find it necessary to focus the prayer requests during family worship. As you do, keep in mind that God is up to much more in our lives than changing our circumstances, healing our illnesses, helping our pets, and making life convenient. God’s ultimate purpose is that His children grow in spiritual maturity. This means that a rich family worship will include a time of prayer that addresses the God’s deeper concerns. Strive to focus the prayers of your family toward spiritual growth, resisting temptation, loving Christ, and serving people. Such prayers are not only powerful and effective to please God, but also powerful and effective to influence and shepherd your family as they learn to pray deeply.
Fellowship
Last, but certainly not least, is fellowship. Family fellowship is important to family worship. Throughout the Scriptures, fellowship occurs when Christians spend time together encouraging, challenging, and enjoying each other’s company. Today the concept of fellowship has been redefined in many circles to mean merely hanging out, chatting leisurely, and playing games. While these are certainly enjoyable and important in the course of family fellowship, it is important to remember that biblical family fellowship is much more. The deep and lasting fellowship of Christians always centers on the gospel. The redemptive story of the gospel, which celebrates the life changing work and power of Jesus Christ, is always at the heart of Christlike fellowship. Your home devotions should include a specific time to talk together as a family about Christ, daily struggles, hopes, concerns, fear, and victories. One helpful way to begin this kind of sharing is to take turns sharing the highlights and lowlights of the day or week. This will not only help family members grow closer together in prayer, but will also provide some additional insight into other ways you can bring the Scriptures to bear upon the daily life of your family.
Some other fellowship starters you might consider to accompany family fellowship and fun are:
• Weekly game and movie night
• A scavenger hunt around the house
• An evening bike ride through the neighborhood
• A family trip to the park
• A cookie bake
Activities such as these can be helpful in drawing your family together in preparation for family worship.
I hope you will help you cultivate a culture of family worship in your home.
Read MoreAll-Aboard: The Phillips Family Joins the Core Team
It was not so much the oft-asked question, “What is the will of God for my life?” Instead, it was an affirmation of what God has disclosed of Himself and His will upon this earth, that those who follow after Christ will love Him preeminently and make His name known in all corners of the earth. The question for Meagan and me was, “Given that we know that God desires for us to love Him and spread His fame everywhere, do we actually love Him more than everything else, and if so, how and where can we plug in to what He has already called us to?” The Lord used a handful of Christians in our lives to help us discern this.
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we much be saved” (Acts 4:12). As I write this on the second birthday of our son, Riley, I cannot help but to think of the families by which Meagan and I both were blessed. We grew up with parents who not only had us in churches that preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, but also rightly understood from the Bible that it was their responsibility to teach us God’s Word and model a Christian life before all people, including their children.
Looking at the city of Columbus as well as the surrounding areas, I am deeply heartbroken for the children growing up without this knowledge of Jesus being our only salvation. There are thousands of students who are learning worldviews that stand in stark contrast to a biblical worldview with little knowledge of the God who created the world they are studying. These are the same students that are then going to college without realizing that there is a loving and gracious God who has already sacrificed His own Son so that they may have real life, everlasting life.
What a task ahead of us! But what a great blessing it is to have the opportunity to offer real, life-changing hope to people who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ! In what is now a city needful of the gospel, God has blessed our family (Ryan, Meagan, Riley – 2 years, Abby Ruth – 3 months) with the opportunity to serve Him and this city in the confident hope that Bexley, OH will be a light for the fame and majesty of our great God.
Read MoreYou Found Us
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Columbus, Ohio 43209
Phone – 904.304.9897
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