God Wins

Here is a sermon from this past Sunday addressing the doctrine of Hell.

Hoping vs. Wishing for an Impermanent Hell

As I prepare this week to speak on the doctrine of Hell, I am struggling a bit with my feelings. I think Michael Wittmer summarizes well the tension I have:

Our hopes are only as strong as the reasons we have for holding them. Some hopes are nothing more than a wish—I hope that it doesn’t rain tomorrow or that my team will win the game. But Christian hope, the kind that makes the top cut with faith and love (1 Cor. 13:13), is grounded in the promises of God. Such hope is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb. 6:19), because it rests in what “God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2).

I wish that God would empty hell, that he would save everyone who has ever lived. But I can’t say I hope for that, because I don’t have a promise from God to hang my hope on. Christians may have lots of good wishes for deceased atheists, but we don’t have hope. Not because we are mean or stingy, but because we dare not offer more hope than God promises in Scripture. That would be false hope, the cruelest hope of all.


Michael Wittmer, Christ Alone: An Evangelical Response to Rob Bell's "Love Wins," (Edenridge Press: 2011), Kindle Edition.

Is God Celebrating Osama bin Laden's Death? Should We?

There is a palpable joy in the streets because a man is dead.

This isn't going to win me any elections, or friends, but it needs to be said. God is not happy that Osama bin Laden is dead; not if you understand happiness to be a feeling of pleasure. God certainly brought about this death, as he does with all deaths. And in my opinion I believe both human and divine justice were served by this death. But there is no pleasure in this for God, and something sick in the human heart is revealed when we find there a pleasure that God himself does not share.


Consider Ezekiel 18:21-24
21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 24 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.

The rhetorical question is answered explicitly in vs. 32, just in case you thought God was just asking questions and not communicating a proposition.

"For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live."

Osama bin Laden's death should be a somber, sobering occasion for anyone who knows the Lord, who understands the weight of sin because of the price paid for it. Justice glorifies God's holy character, his sinless perfection, and his utter rejection of all evil, but it brings him no joy at all.

So why are so many in the street celebrating justice like their team just won the Superbowl? There are probably lots of reasons. I'm not saying everyone standing in the street draped in a flag is sinning just like I'm not saying everyone who reacted calmly is righteous in their hearts. Instead, I think this occasion is a fine time to check our hearts to see how close to Christ we are on the issue of justice and joy, and I think Ezekiel can help us.

Meditate on this changed scenario and question:

Osama bin Laden is captured and imprisoned. He is tried and convicted of his crimes and receives capital punishment. During the trial, he has a change of heart. He hears a message of forgiveness in Jesus and understands the grave sin of his heart and life. He is transformed by the Holy Spirit. He puts his faith in Jesus and goes to the gallows with the peace of knowing he has been forgiven and will be with Jesus in a few short moments. He will never receive any punishment from God for the 9/11 attacks, because Jesus died for that sin.

Compared to reality, does this scenario bring you more or less joy?

Refreshing Your Bible Reading

In recent weeks God has brought me into a few conversations with friends who are struggling to read the Bible with interest and devotion. It is not uncommon for a Christian to experience "dry spells" in this vital spiritual discipline. My advice varies based on the person with whom I am speaking, but generally it falls along the line of reading smaller sections and using the Scripture itself to inform your prayer life.



There are generally two kinds of reader (or non-reader in this case.) Either the person knows a lot about the Bible and is burned out from reading it, or the person is not a reader (of any kind) and finds sitting down to read anything at all a challenge.



David Powlison is part of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation, which has ties to the school where I am currently studying, Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He offers some excellent advice in this video from their website: http://www.ccef.org/.

Dr. David Powlison - Making Scripture Personal from CCEF on Vimeo.

Re-Thinking Mission with Kevin DeYoung

At the 2010 Sovereign Grace Ministries conference, Kevin DeYoung, a pastor in East Lansing, MI, gave an address on the mission of the church. It is over an hour in length and worth listening to in full. DeYoung calls us to think about the mission of the church in terms of the Great Commission in response to popular notions today of expanding the mission to include humanitarian aid or social justice work.

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Kevin-DeYoung-Rethinking-the-Mission-of-the-Church.aspx

Some intial thoughts.

1. Changing the "oughts" to "cans" is brilliant. There are all sorts of ways the church can spread the Gospel in their communities. We don't need to argue that Jesus' ministry included equal emphasis on spiritual salvation and meeting physical needs in order to help people. Jesus did meet needs while he proclaimed the Gospel because of his compassion for the people. We can meet needs as we fulfill the mission of making disciples.

2. The church should purpose to do what only the church can do. DeYoung's survey of Acts clearly demonstrates the priority the early church placed on proclaiming the Gospel and establishing the local church. Acts does contain plenty of giving, sharing, and caring for the poor (e.g. Acts 2, 5, 6), but these examples demonstrate how the church functions internally, not how it reached the Gentile world.

3. As a missions pastor of a very large church, one of my tasks is to keep the many missions passions of my congregation tied to the anchor of the biblical mission of the church. So as my church considers a missions endeavor, it is a good idea to ask the question, "How is this endeavor going to create disciples who passionately follow Jesus in the context of the body of Christ?"

Meeting a Baseball Hero: One Year Later

For those who remember my brief but tragic saga from a year ago, this year is the year! For those of you who don't, last year I was given the gift of speaking after Tom Brookens, third baseman for the Detroit Tigers in the late 70s and 80s. He is the current first base coach for the Tigers. I grew up rooting for Tom Brookens. When I was six, they won the World Series. Tom was a household favorite, and I was asked to speak after him at the Wild Game feast last year.

And then it hit.

The great storm of 2010. Now, in Michigan this was just your average snowstorm. But here in PA, people lost their brains. Mothers were raiding Walmart for canned goods like the first horseman of the apocalypse had just been spotted. So the event was canceled, and along with it my shot at meeting a baseball hero from my childhood.

But the Lord has remembered his servant Kyle (He probably has way bigger plans than just me, but this is how I like to see it.) The 2011 Wild Game Feast is happening January 29th at King Street Church in the Baker Center. Exhibits are open at 5pm with dinner to begin at 6pm. Tickets are available at the KSC office, and if you come they are asking people to bring a hot and a cold dish to serve 8 people.

So if you're local, come on out and meet Tom Brookens and listen to him tell cool baseball stories. I'm hoping for some insider info on the 1984 World Series win over the Padres. And when he's finished regaling us with cool stuff, you'll get to hear from one really excited little boy.

Kick Off with Tim Keller

Hope you had a good holiday season. Rachel and I spent some time away and I took the month off from blogging. But now I'm back and hope to share some small insights with you in 2011.

Here's an intriguing speech from Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. Much of my thinking and research lately has been on the mission of the church, particularly as it relates to its local context. In this speech, Keller makes his case for the city and the grace that is found there. Since King Street Church is a large congregation in a downtown environment, I found a lot of food for thought here, particularly the discussion of Jeremiah 29 and the call to seek the peace (shalom) of the city as a part of the church's mission.

http://qideas.org/video/grace-and-the-city.aspx