We got a healthy dose of Fellowship 101 yesterday from the Kenneth Maresco. Looking at 1 John 1:5-7, Kenneth helped us see that:

1. Knowing God is the beginning of fellowship (verse 5)
2. Fellowship with God affects the way we live (verse 6)
3. Fellowship with God shapes and defines our fellowship with other believers (verse 7)

Then he gave us some very helpful practical advice. Maybe the most helpful part was the addendum he didn’t get to. Some of the questions are especially helpful for teens to ask their parents:

• Do you think I humbly pursue your input?
• Am I easy to bring observations to?
• Am I consistently confessing sin that you would be unaware of?
• What steps can I take to cultivate change in this area?

Great news from this message: “the Christian who knows God and walks in his truth will experience fellowship.”

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Yesterday, I was reminded of how fast I forget stuff. Mark preached his message “Christ Our Access” from Hebrews 10:19-22. Though I heard this message just a few months ago on the five15 Retreat, I felt like I was hearing it all for the first time. In fact, I found it even more encouraging and provocative, perhaps because that was my second time through it! (May this be a lesson for all of us: never assume that hearing it equals mastering it!)

So Mark explained that you can’t be in Fairfax and at the beach at the same time, but you can be in two places at once: we can go to heaven today! Mark explained it like this: Every Christian can draw near to God now through Christ. Since we have Christ, let us go to heaven!

These verses explain that we have confidence to enter (holy places = heaven), and we have a great high priest (that would be Jesus!), so we can draw near to God in private, in the church, and in all of life. Given that today is the first of the year, it’s a good time for us to think about what it means to draw near in private. Mark explained that this happens primarily through our personal devotions: Bible reading and prayer.

If you haven’t created a plan for your Bible reading and prayer for the new year, it’s not too late to do so, but don’t wait any longer! Any plan will do, so long as you are reading Scripture and praying every day! We talk to God when we pray, He talks to us when we read His Word. This is how we abide in Him:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Personally, I am a huge fan of the M’Cheyne reading plan that can be found with commentary in D. A. Carson’s For the Love of God. Three chapters of the Bible a day (15 minutes if you take your time), and you’ll get through the entire Bible in a year. Add a fourth chapter each day, and you’ll get an extra lap through Psalms and the New Testament. You can start today by reading Genesis 1, Ezra 1, and Matthew 1.

The ESV website lists a number of different formats for reading through the Bible in a year, most of which are available via RSS. I also think this “visualization” of the various formats is interesting. Getting your chapters via email or RSS is kind of cool, but I like sitting in front of an actual Bible with–call me old-fashioned–paper.

Enjoy! And let’s get reading, since…

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

What is your Bible reading plan like this year?

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Normally in Monday Matters posts, I try to summarize the message from the day before. CJ’s message yesterday from Isaiah 53:1-6, 10-12 contained too much good stuff for me to even try. I’m going to provide a very short outline, and the quotes from the message below, but I recommend that you download this message and listen to it again and again.

OUTLINE

1. The Appearance (vv.1-3)
2. The Reality (vv.4-6)
3. The Signficance (vv. 10-12)

“[These verses] are the Bible in miniature and the gospel in brief.” Charles Spurgeon

“Here, then, is one of the peaks of the Old Testament’s revelation of God. From its summit, we can look across the intervening centuries and see the distant coming of Christ. From our vantage point, we obtain a clear view of his work on the far-off summit of Calvary and gain a definitive perspective on its meaning. This song takes us to the heart of the human problem and the heart of the divine mind.” Derek Tidball

“It looks as if it had been written beneath the cross itself, upon Golgotha.” Franz Delitzsch

“Jesus Christ our Lord, moved by a love that was determined to do everything necessary to save us, endured and exhausted the destructive divine judgment for which we were otherwise inescapably destined, and so won us forgiveness, adoption and glory. To affirm penal substitution is to say that believers are in debt to Christ specifically for this, and that this is the mainspring of all their joy, peace and praise both now and for eternity.” J.I. Packer

“When we think of Christ dying on the cross we are shown the lengths to which God’s love goes in order to win us back to himself. We would almost think that God loved us more than he loves his Son! We cannot measure such love by any other standard. He is saying to us: I love you this much. The cross is the heart of the gospel. It makes the gospel good news: Christ died for us. He has stood in our place before God’s judgment seat. He has borne our sins. God has done something on the cross which we could never do for ourselves. But God does something to us as well as for us through the cross. He persuades us that he loves us.” Sinclair Ferguson

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IN GOD WE TRUST

More than the official motto of the United States, it’s a useful summary of the book of Isaiah. That’s what Mark taught us yesterday in his message. Another way to put it: God delivers: trust Him.

That was amazing: 66 chapters of Isaiah in about 55 minutes. We learned that the book of Isaiah can be thought of as two islands and a bridge. The first island is chapters 1-35, prophecy given by God that will mostly come to pass during Isaiah’s lifetime. The second island is chapters 40-66, primarily prophecy about events to happen in the (sometimes distant) future, although Isaiah speaks of them as if he were there. The bridge is chapters 36-39, a section of prose about fearful, faithful, foolish Hezekiah.

Mark also introduced us to four places (Assyria, Jerusalem, Egypt, and Babylon), four dates (740 BC, 722 BC, 605 BC, and 539 BC), and four names (Ahaz, Sennacherib, Hezekiah, and Cyrus). If you can’t remember the significance of these places, dates, or names, go back and listen to the message again.

Three questions that the book of Isaiah answers:

A. Who is the Lord?

1. He is the holy one of Israel
2. He is the rule or history

B. What hinders trust in Him?

1. Trusting other nations
2. Trusting other gods
3. Trusting in themselves

C. What does He promise to those who trust in Him?

1. To deliver in the midst of severe trials
2. To deliver from coming judgment
3. To deliver through a servant king

I think the second question may be the most significant for our consideration. Ask yourself: What hinders me from trusting in Him? Is it trusting in nations, hoping that the systems that exist around me will keep me safe? Is it trusting in other gods, maybe confident that money or a relationship or something else will bring me happiness? Or is it trusting in myself, confident in my own abilities, wisdom, strength, and so on? Ask God to show you when it is that keeps you from trusting Him, and when He does, turn from it and trust Him instead.

“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Is. 26:4

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C.J. hit another one out of the park yesterday, if I can be so crass as to apply a baseball metaphor to a sermon. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that the Holy Spirit was speaking to us in profound ways! Preaching from Acts 4:32-5:18 and 5:40-6:7, CJ helped us see how high expectations sometimes encounter the harsh reality of sin and trial. He made this clear in three points:

1. DECEPTION

Explaining the story of Ananias and Sapphira, CJ helped us see the warning in this passage: that we must not presume upon God’s mercy by continuing in sin that has not been confessed or forsaken.

“He is indeed long-suffering, patient, and slow to anger. In fact He is so slow to anger that when His anger does erupt we are shocked and offended by it. We forget rather quickly that God’s patience is designed to lead us to repentance, to give us time to be redeemed. Instead of taking advantage of this patience by coming humbly to Him for forgiveness, we use this grace as an opportunity to become more bold in our sin. We delude ourselves into thinking that either God doesn’t care about it or that he is powerless to punish us. The supreme folly is that we think we will get away with our revolt.” R.C. Sproul

Ananias and Sapphira’s sin was not unusual, but typical: we do the same thing every time we are tempted to impress others, to leave them with a false impression of ourselves, to make them think we are more spiritual than we really are. It is deception for the purpose of self-exaltation.

“We share Ananias’ sin not when others think we are more spiritual than we are, but when we try to make others think we are more spiritual than we are.” Kent Hughes

We need to ask ourselves: “Where am I tempted to try to impress others, or leave them with the impression that I am more spiritual than I actually am?” The solution is to confess to God and to others, so that this might not spread through the church and weaken the church.

2. PERSECUTION

CJ didn’t have much to say here. Actually, he had a lot to say, he just chose not to say it.

3. DISSENSION

An expanding church is constantly changing. CJ helped us see how the early church–and how our church–will need to change as it expands. Growth and change require sacrifice: things that are comfortable and familiar now may need to give way to make room for people who will be added as the gospel goes forth. The message won’t change, but the methodology will.

Furthermore, the history contained here us our history. This isn’t “just dirt.” (If you don’t get that, go listen to the message.) In the mystery of providence, we are dependent on the faithfulness of those recorded in Acts. Let us be inspired by their example: who out there is awaiting your communication of the gospel?

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Vince gave us the second installment of the eachonereachone series yesterday. He helped us see how Matthew 28:18-20 can help “each one who has received grace reach one who needs grace.” He gave us four specific steps:

1. Develop Friendships With Unbelievers
2. Ask Them Good Questions
3. Share the Gospel Humbly
4. Stay Commited

I thought Vince’s explanation of the Two Ways To Live chart was very helpful. Simple enough to draw on a napkin, this little chart is a great tool for sharing the gospel with someone. It can really help to clarify the issues with someone by asking them which of these points they disagree with.

1. God is the loving ruler of the world. He made the world. He made us rulers of the world under him.

2. We all reject the ruler–God–by trying to run life our own way without him.

3. God won’t let us rebel forever. God’s punishment for rebellion is death and judgment.

4. Because of his love, God sent his Son into the world: the man Jesus Christ. Jesus always lived under God’s rule. Yet by dying in our place he took our punishment and brought forgiveness.

5. God raised Jesus to life again as the ruler of the world. Jesus has conquered death, now given life, and will return to judge.

6. So, there are two ways to live: our way (reject the ruler, God and try to run life our way) or God’s new way (submit to Jesus as our ruler and rely on Jesus’ death and resurrection).

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Look backward to grace in order to move forward in obedience.

Mark had been talking about the book of Deuteronomy for about 5 minutes on Sunday when it occurred to me that this is a book of the Bible that may be particularly useful for teenagers. I think it was this sentence that sealed it for me: “Deuteronomy is an act of war against forgetfulness.”

Granted, there are many teens who remember a lot and many adults who are forgetful. But the point is that a knowledge of history prepares us for the future. Most teenagers stand to benefit from learning about God’s gracious dealings with his people, with his church, even with their own parents. And a knowledge of God’s gracious dealings with his people throughout history positions us to move forward through life in obedience.

Mark explained the basic outline of Deuteronomy:

1. Moses’ first speech: 1:1-4:43. Time to take the land.
2. Moses’ second speech: 4:44-28:68. Learn God’s commands and do them.
3. Moses’ third speech: 29-30. Renew the covenant.
4. Moses’ last days: 31-34. Prepare for life without Moses.

Mark also explained that we are to look back to God’s gracious rescue, gracious covenant, and gracious forgiveness. This will motivate us to move forward and love God, worship God’s way, and keep God’s commands.

Now, the whole Bible is about Jesus in some way, right? Where do we find Jesus in this? Mark elaborated:

• Moses was a great leader and gave Israel the law, but a greater mediator was needed.
• Israel was God’s people, but their story is about how they kept breaking God’s laws. A better covenant was needed.
• Jesus comes onto the scene and perfectly fulfills these two needs: He keep the commandments perfectly. He is the better mediator, and He makes the better covenant.

Mark left us with this simple question: Where is God calling you to move forward in obedience? Ask God for wisdom and illumination, and talk to your parents about where he is calling you to change.

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What is the greatest, most crying need in the church today?

How you answer this question will determine much of how you live the Christian life. Yesterday, Mark sought to answer this question as he brought our ‘Connect’ series from 1 Corinthians to a close.

Mark shared with us Mike Bullmore’s answer to this all-important question:

“What is the greatest, most crying need in the church today? Not just a biblical/theological literacy but a functioning biblical/theological literacy, especially a functioning gospel.”

He had more to say than just that, but let’s keep it simple, right? The bottom line is that the gospel has to work for us in daily life. That means that the fact that Christ died for our sins must change the way we work, study, play, and relate to others. The implications of this truth are vast and far reaching.

Even though the Connect series is now over, don’t be too quick to let this truth leave you. Find ways to keep this in front of you. For instance, remember the concentric circles. As you read Scripture, try to determine: is any given verse a statement of the gospel itself, a truth that is true because of the gospel, or a behavior that flows from the gospel?

While you’re thinking about that, tell us: what was your favorite message from the Connect series? What lessons do you remember, and have you been trying to apply?

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Christ Died For Our Sins

Mark explained on Sunday morning that these five words are like the seeds of a giant redwood. A redwood seed measures a few millimeters long, but it yields some of the largest trees on the planet, towering hundreds of feet over California soil. In a similar fashion, the five words contain the seed of the whole Christian life. What do you need to know to be a Christian? More than this, for sure, but not less than this.

Two things that Mark wanted us to get:

1. Get The Gospel Right

In order to get the gospel right, we have to know that Christ died truly, intentionally, vicariously, temporarily, and publicly. Mark quoted R.C. Sproul to help us understand what it means that Christ died vicariously (in the place of someone else):

“The grand paradox or supreme irony of the Christian faith is that we are saved both by God and from God. The God of perfect holiness, who demands satisfaction for His justice and who will not wink at sin, has from all eternity decreed that He Himself should provide salvation to those very people who, by their sin, are exposed to His wrath and judgment.”

Once we have the gospel right, we have to:

2. Keep The Gospel First.

Remember Mike Bullmore’s message last October? Remember the flywheel? The functional centrality of the gospel? And of course, the three circles:

I love the concentric circles diagram.

• In the center is the gospel itself: “Christ died for our sins” 1 Cor 15:3.
• The second circle contains gospel truths: doctrines that are true because of the gospel, such as Rom 5:1, Rom 8:1, and Rom 8:32.
• The third circle represents gospel conduct: behavior that results when the gospel is understood and applied. We see examples in 1 Cor 6:18-20, Eph 4:32, Eph 5:25.

Mark encouraged us to consider how the gospel is making a difference in our lives. What we believe determines how we live. So what difference does the gospel make when you miss a day of devotions? In difficult relationships? How about with unforgiveness? If you find it difficult to forgive others, download and listen this message again today!

To apply: join us reading Sproul’s The Holiness of God.

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When Mark described his experience in the check out line, I thought he might as well be describing me. So many of the things he described, I’ve done. Counting people’s items in line. Paying attention to who is last in the next line to compare and see who gets through first. Wincing at those dreaded words: “Price check on aisle 3…”

What Mark was describing is impatience, so it was particularly helpful that he preached on these three words from 1 Corinthians 13:4, “Love is patient.” How is it patient? Simple: it waits peacefully and it suffers long. I don’t think I usually wait peacefully. I’ll wait if I have to. And I can be peaceful if I don’t have to wait. But waiting peacefully? That’s a tall order.

But that’s what love is all about. As Mark explained, “this quality is essential for any human in a relationship with other humans.” That’s us. This doesn’t come easily to any of us. Whether your siblings are borrowing your clothes, or you can’t wait to finish driver’s ed, or the monotony of daily chores is wearing you out–patience is still required. “If it isn’t patient, it isn’t love.”

How are you doing at being patient, at waiting peacefully and suffering long? Are you loving those around you with patience? Two simple questions you can ask your parents and siblings to help you get at this:

• Would you describe me as a patient person?
• What do I look and sound like when I am impatient?

Then ask your parents:

• What steps can I take to grow more loving and more patient?

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