Excerpts from an article by Todd Wilken entitled A Listener’s Guide to the Pulpit:

“The central message of the Bible is Jesus Christ crucified and risen for sinners. If a sermon is really Bible-based, it will preach that Gospel.”

“Often, the difference between good preaching and bad preaching is not in what is said, but in what is left unsaid. More often, what is left unsaid is the Gospel itself.”

“Sometimes, a ‘Life-Application’ sermon does talk about Jesus. But since the goal of this kind of sermon is to teach people how to live, Jesus is presented as your teacher, your example, and your helper. The death and resurrection of Jesus might also be mentioned—as an example for you to follow of selfless love and self-sacrifice. Dr. David Wells says, ‘The Cross becomes exactly what it was in liberalism, that Jesus is reduced simply to a good example and we try to follow in His footsteps in the sense that we try to look out on life the way He did.’ In the ‘Life-Application’ sermon, Jesus becomes just another paradigm for you to live by.”

“If Jesus is mentioned, is He the subject of the verbs? This is simple grammar. Every sentence has a subject and a verb. So, listen to the sermon and do the grammar. Dr. Norman Nagel is famous for asking, ‘Who is driving the verbs?’ Is Jesus active or passive? Is Jesus doing the action or is He being acted upon? There is a difference between a sermon that says ‘I love Jesus,’ and a sermon that says ‘Jesus love me.’ One is talking about you, the other is talking about Jesus. There is a difference between, ‘Give your life to Jesus,’ and ‘Jesus gave His life for you.’”

(Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four)

*Also, check out this blogger’s posts on Gospel-Centered Preaching, here and here.

the mot juste: the exact place you have been looking for – This is the new blog of Joshua Jantz whom I had the pleasure of shepherding as his youth pastor. If you are looking for another blog with gospel-centered content, you’ll want to visit the mot juste often.

paradoxum: a gentle tongue can break bones ~ king Solomon – I really like Frank Hamrick’s blog. He’s a youth pastor who reads not only a wide variety of stuff but challenging stuff. There is much profitable material to be found at paradoxum. Check it out.

Living Worship – by Rick Pidcock. Rick is a gospel-centered worship leader at Northfield Church, Denver. Concerning his blog he writes, “My passion is to share the redeeming hope of Christ through the gospel in every facet of life. The gospel is more than just the minimum theological facts that are necessary to believe in order to receive salvation. Rather, it is the transforming motive and power that calls and compels us to become worshipers of God with all that we are.”

This is part three in a series of posts on Christian identity (Part One; Part Two). In the comment section of part one a pastor of youth (who, BTW, has a great blog) remarked:

I find, more and more, in my youth and in numerous counseling situations w/ adults that we DO have an “identity crisis”…and we have this “crisis” precisely because we go to the wrong places to find the answers to our identity crisis. I know I need the Gospel EVERY DAY…or I quickly buy into what the marketers are selling me.

I have lived long enough to learn from experience that if I am not actively finding my identity in the gospel, I will find it somewhere else. There is never a moment where I am not locating my identity in something. If I’m not locating it in God’s gospel, I will seek to be defined by something that was never meant to define me. We were not created in the image of vocational success, sexual fulfillment, money, or any other good yet created thing. No, we were created in the image of God and God alone; and although the image of God in man was profoundly defaced by sin, it is renewed in us by the power of the gospel. Only in the gospel is our God-given identity renewed and restored. Without the gospel we leave ourselves no other alternative but to live as if we were created in the image of some finite thing—something that ultimately has no life-stabilizing weight (Romans 1:23-25). This is idolatry. Paul Tripp writes:

Our deepest problem is that we seek to find our identity outside the story of redemption…Only as we see our story enfolded in the larger story of redemption will we begin to live God-honoring lives. Lasting change begins when our identity, purpose, and sense of direction are defined by God’s story (Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, 28-29).

It is my intention in this series entitled “An Identity with Weight” to bring the gospel—the transforming story of God’s redemptive activity in the Messiah—to bear upon this identity crisis.

If you recall from part one, Paul informs us in 2 Corinthians 1:8 that the affliction he experienced in Asia was so great, burdening him beyond his strength, that he despaired of life itself. Paul writes, “We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.” Things were so bad that he, according to verse 9, felt as though he “had received the sentence of death.” In other words, his afflictions were of such weight and severity that he actually lost all hope of living. Yet three chapters later we read these apparently contradictory words of Paul, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8). He despaired but does not despair. How are we to understand these two passages together?

Let me suggest that at the time when Paul “despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8), he was, in some measure, locating his identity in the wrong place. This is what I think accounts for these apparently contradictory texts.

Why do I think this? One reason is due to Paul informing us of the divine-purpose behind the severe afflictions he endured. Paul tells us that he was brought to the point of despairing of life itself in order “to make [him] rely not on [himself] but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9). What might this purpose statement imply? Paul was like all of us in this way, namely, that in times of trial and temptation his default mode was to rely, in some measure, upon himself and not upon the God of the gospel. So what did God do with Paul? He ordained that while he was in Asia Paul would be “burdened beyond his strength” (2 Corinthians 1:8) in order to further refine the reliance activity of his heart .

So, what is happening in chapter 4 when Paul says that he was “perplexed, but not driven to despair” (v. 9)? The text seems to indicate that at some point in those moments when he despaired of life itself, he experienced afresh the resurrecting power of the God of the gospel. Paul was burdened beyond his strength so that he might learn to rely on the “God who raises the dead,” so that his functional identity might continue to be transformed as he received a deeper experience of the resurrection power of God in the Messiah (2 Corinthians 1:9). It seems to me that when we look at 2 Corinthians 1 and 4 together we learn that it was through the fresh application of the gospel that Paul was delivered from that particular identity crises in Asia, that is, that he was delivered from relying upon himself more than he relied upon God. Paul experienced what he experienced so that his sense of “identity, purpose, and sense of direction” would increasingly be defined by God’s story of redemption.

If we are to resist our culture’s marketed identities, we need our minds to be renewed by the identity-transforming power of the gospel.

How can Christians thrive (not just survive) as a counter-cultural community—as a culture that models what a true God-centered human community looks like (1 Peter 2:9)—within a society that has mastered the skill of marketing lightweight identities as heavyweight identities? Our society daily pressures us to locate our identity (and, therefore, our significance and meaning) in anything from our status within the culture’s current power structures to our physical appearance as it compares to the young and beautiful people that fill our culture’s magazines. When Christians buy into these marketed identities we cease to be a counter-cultural presence within our society. In other words, Christians who value good things (e.g. being a successful businessman) as ultimate things (e.g. “I’m a nobody unless I’m a successful businessman”) (see Romans 1:23-25) are not functioning as “a royal priesthood” or “a holy (i.e. distinct) nation” within secular culture (1 Peter 1:9-10). So I ask again, how can Christians thrive as a counter-cultural community that values good things as good things and ultimate things as ultimate things within a secular society that finds its significance and meaning in life in lightweight identities that are marketed as heavyweight identities?

The culture of Paul’s day, the culture of the Roman Empire, valued many of the same things our culture values. Rome was all about power. If you think about it, power was what was behind the Roman cross. Crucifixions were the way Rome graphically demonstrated power in the protection of its power and status as a world-dominating empire. Power and status were huge in the authority structure of Roman society from top to bottom. They represented everything that made Rome great. And at the very top of Rome’s authority structure was the man with all the power, Caesar. Therefore, it’s not difficult to imagine the trickle down effect that this had upon the various cultures spread out over the entire Empire. If you were to be considered a “somebody” within the Roman world, you had to possess a certain level of power and status or at least be meaningfully connected with those who did. If you wanted a life with meaning and significance, so the Roman culture said, you had to pursue what the culture pursued, namely, power and status.

I believe this brief historical snapshot of life in the Roman world helps us see more of the impact Paul’s words in Romans 1:15-16 had on the Roman believers who found themselves at the very bottom of the power and status food chain.

“I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”

Paul is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of the God who has marked out his Son as the true Lord of the earth by raising him from the dead (Romans 1:4). Caesar is not the center of power. He is not the world’s true Lord. No, God’s gospel, which Paul is eager to proclaim in Rome, announces that Israel’s despised Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, whom God raised from the realm of the dead, is the world’s rightful Lord. He is the locus of world-renewing, significance-providing, identity-creating power. What I find beautiful here is that it is clear that Paul finds his identity not in what Roman society markets but in God and his powerful Gospel. The only way we as Christians can thrive as a counter-cultural community within a society that, with great skill, markets lightweight identities as heavyweight identities is if we are firmly grounded in God and his gospel. Only the gospel provides an identity with weight, an identity that can withstand the stresses of being a Christian within a secular culture that values good things as ultimate things.

It is the gospel of Romans 1:15-16 that filled Paul with “good courage” and prevented him from losing heart (2 Corinthians 4:16). So what was it about the gospel in particular that infused Paul with hope when he was despairing of life itself? 2 Corinthians 4-5 answers this question for us. Stay tuned for post three.

(Part One)

We live in an identity-fixated society. Just ask our country’s marketing agencies. Their campaigns focus not upon what kind of people we ought to be—people of integrity who are committed to serving others rather than to being served—but upon a particular image that they want us to believe we must have in order to experience fulfilling lives. What, according to these agencies, do we need to get this “life-fulfilling” image for ourselves? Money, the more the better. Does our society buy into these marketing strategies? Why don’t we ask the credit card companies? VISA, MasterCard, and Discover will tell us that people are more than willing to spend money they don’t have in order to get an image that promises to provide for them what they most desperately want, namely, an identity with weight, an identity that will give them a sense of being somebody, that will infuse them with good courage enabling them to successfully endure the rollercoaster ride that we call life.

If our society cares about marketing a weighty identity that would sustain people in the ups and downs of life, it would do well to make people aware of 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:5. If we want an identity that will keep us from losing heart and will enable us to endure all the difficulties of life with courage (2 Corinthians 5:6), Paul tells us where to look in 2 Corinthians 4-5.

Earlier in this letter to the Corinthians Paul informs us that while he was in Asia he was “so utterly burdened beyond [his] strength that [he] despaired of life itself. Indeed, [he] felt that [he] had received the sentence of death” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Paul may be describing what our society would call a nervous breakdown of sorts. His affliction was so intense, so unmitigated, that he admits to despairing of life itself (1:8). Yet, just a couple chapters later Paul says, “We do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Something held Paul’s life in place even though he was despairing of it. What was it? The light weight promise of a shiny new vehicle? When you are despairing of life itself, hearing that all you need to keep your life from blowing away is a brand new “image-securing” Hummer would be like hearing that all you need to save your home from a hurricane like Katrina is an umbrella.

So, what is it the infused Paul’s despairing heart with weighty hope and needed courage? It was not the light weight identity that our society markets. It was the weighty identity announced in the gospel. This is what we will begin to consider in part two of “An Identity with Weight.”

If you are interested in seeing how long you can avoid fast moving objects, you’ll enjoy this simple game. The object of the game is to move the red block around without getting hit by the blue blocks or touching the black walls.

If you can go longer than 18 seconds you are phenomenal. A friend of mine was told that the US Air Force uses this for fighter pilots. They are expected to go for at least 2 minutes. Give it a try!! Click Below. That graphic on. the right is my highest score.

Fighter Pilot Training Game (who knows for sure? But it’s still fun!)

Lord willing, I will be going to some great conferences and places the next several months. As some of my students would say, “I’m really stoked about my travels this spring and summer!” Take a look to understand why I am like a child on Christmas Eve as I approach April-July.

Trip One: Louisville, Kentucky—Together for the Gospel Conference, April 26-28
Trip Two: Seattle, Washington—Reform & Resurge Conference 2006, May 9-11
Trip Three: Fuzhou, China—June 19-28
Trip Four: St. Andrews, Scotland—St. Andrews’ conference on The Epistle to the Hebrews and Christian Theology, July 18-22

What is the difference between Christianity and religion? While religion is primarily instruction about what man must do to approach God, Christianity is news about what God has done Himself in order to usher us into His presence. Religion says, “Live a moral life in order to gain God’s acceptance.” Christianity says, “None of us is moral enough. In fact, we are far worse off than we even know, but through Jesus God has already done everything that needs to be done in order for you to be accepted by Him.” Religion says, “Do!” Christianity says, “Done!”

Religion will either make you confident, if you think you are measuring up to its standards of moral behavior, or it will dishearten you (humble you), if you realize you are not measuring up. Christianity, on the other hand, will make you both confident and humble at the same time. It will make you confident because it tells you that your acceptance before God is entirely dependent upon the work of Jesus on your behalf. It will make you humble because it tells you that you were so bad off that you desperately needed the work of Jesus in order to be accepted by God.

Why this brief comparison between religion and Christianity? Because it seems to me that far too much preaching in evangelical circles stresses “do!” more than it stresses “done!” Or, if it does not stress “do!” over “done!”, it fails to show how the “do!” flows out of and is empowered by the “done!” Here is the question I ask myself when preparing to preach a text: Will people leave thinking “do!” more than “done!” or will they leave thinking I want to “do!” because of what has been “done!”? If they leave thinking “do!” more than “done!”, have we really preached a Christian message or just a religious one? Tim Keller writes:

The Bible’s purpose is not so much to show you how to live a good life. The Bible’s purpose is to show you how God’s grace breaks into your life against your will and saves you from the sin and brokenness otherwise you would never be able to overcome…religion is ‘if you obey, then you will be accepted’. But the Gospel is, ‘if you are absolutely accepted, and sure you’re accepted, only then will you ever begin to obey’. Those are two utterly different things. Every page of the Bible shows the difference.

Read the rest of this entry »

Visiting Orphans has given me the opportunity to go to China again—this time as a team leader. Our destination: Fuzhou, Jiangxi. Right now our team has 20 members—my wife, Melissa, and me and eighteen BBC students. If you are interested in visiting orphans (James 1:27) with our team this summer (June 19-28th) you can apply here. Let them know that you heard about it from me.