Category Archives: Jesus

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June 14, 2013

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Jesus, Matthew

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Who Will You Deny?

The word deny (in Greek aparneomai) is only used 4xs in Matthew. It is used three times in Matthew 26 (verses 34, 35, and 75) where it refers to Peter’s denial. But the other time it is used is Matthew 16:24 where it says:

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 

The upshot is we either deny ourselves or we will find ourselves denying Jesus.

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May 1, 2013

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Jesus, Preaching

Are You Offended?

“The Jesus that offends no one is not the Jesus of the New Testament; and if the proclamation of him offends no one, it is not the Christ of the New Testament who is being proclaimed.” James Daane in Preaching with Confidence
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August 10, 2012

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church, Jesus, Preaching, Sodomy

The Faithful Church

What must the church do to combat the idea that homosexuality is fine for Christians? 
1.       She must faithfully and courageously preach the whole Bible. She must particularly preach those passages which the world finds offensive.
2.       She must faithfully preach Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This means two things: First, he, as our Savior, has defeated sin and can forgive all of our sins. Second, he, as our Lord, commands us to leave off sinful desires and actions.
3.       She must faithfully preach that Christ has given his Spirit that we might overcome our sins.  Those in Christ are freed from their sins.  Sodomy is not excluded.  This doesn’t just mean forgiveness, but it also means victory over those sins in our lives.
4.       She must faithfully show love to Christ, His Church, and to homosexuals by calling them to repent and turn from their sins.  This is to be done graciously, but without compromise.
5.       She must faithfully excommunicate all Christians who refuse to turn from their sins. This includes sodomites, adulterers, thieves, liars, pedophiles, pornography addicts, Pharisees, abusive husbands, etc. Here is one of the greatest failures of the modern church. Her refusal to discipline sinners has caused the inner life of the church to rot. It is hypocritical for a church to refuse to discipline the adulterer, but try to discipline the homosexual. Thus most don’t discipline either. 
6.       She must faithfully work to drive wolves out of the Church. Any man or woman who teaches that sodomy is an acceptable lifestyle for Christians is a wolf who is working with Satan to tear the lambs into pieces. Pastor, elders, seminary professors, etc. must be exposed and disciplined who teach that sodomy is not a sin. 
7.       She must expect the world to hate her and persecute her. To combat this hatred she must fight with faith in Christ, steadfastness in prayer, clinging to God’s Word, holy living, the communion of saints, faithful worship, and Biblical love for neighbor. 
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May 10, 2012

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Jesus

Maybe It Wouldn’t Have Been So Great

How many of us have thought, if only I had been able to walk with Jesus to see his risen body, then I wouldn’t have to trust in anything but my own eyes.  Dr. Leithart effectively counters this argument in his commentary on I John. 

“We often think fondly of how wonderful it would have been to be alive in Palestine when Jesus was around.  We would not have to believe on the testimony of anyone else. We could have seen all those miracles with our own eyes.  We would not have to hear about people handling Jesus; we could have touched him with our own hands.  We could have sat with him at a meal.  But being there was not a guarantee of being a disciple.  Many saw the miracles and either denied them, or found some alternative explanation for them, or hated Jesus for stirring the pot. Many people touched Jesus only to lay hands on him to arrest and kill him.  Had we been there,we might well have been in the crowd clamoring to lynch him.” (Peter Leithart, Behind the Veil, p. 42)

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May 9, 2012

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Jesus

Unity is Bloody

“We moderns think unity is easy. We only have to sit down and talk and everyone will rise from the conference table filled with the glow of love and peace.  The Bible knows this is a delusion.  Unity is costly, achieved only by the anguish of crucifixion.  Unity seems easy for us only because of the blood of Jesus, and the blood of many martyrs since.”  (Peter Leithart, Behind the Veil, p. 34-35)