Sunday, February 19, 2012
“We are justified by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone.” This statement was proclaimed by the Reformers, and it is so important that we affirm it in its entirety for it contains two important Biblical truths. First, our justification—being declared righteous in God’s sight by our Union with Christ—is wholly by faith. Our Lord Jesus has done everything for us by His obedient life, sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. The second truth is just as important. Saving faith is always adorned by evidences of faith. Good works are the inevitable result of genuine faith. James was emphatic about this in his letter, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” ( James 2:17). So far in our Study of 2 Peter 1, we have been reminded about our precious faith in Christ, and his divine power providing everything necessary for godly living. Now, for the next seven Sundays, we will be talking about the effort we must make to supplement our faith with the qualities that flow from a transformed life, and thus transform our desires (verses 5-7). Remember the promise and warning that Peter makes about these. “If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.”
Sunday, February 12, 2012
From time to time, dramatic stories of rescue capture the attention of the world. A year and a half ago, thirty-three miners were trapped nearly a mile underground at the Copiapo mine in the country of Chile. After seventeen days of test drilling, it was discovered that all thirty- three were alive. Tremendous resources were marshaled to free them. Sixty-nine days after the mine’s collapse, the rescue was successful, and all thirty-three men were pulled alive from what had originally been assumed to be their tomb. A great escape was accomplished. A year after this rescue, news reporters went to check on the status of these men, and found that some of them actually returned to mining. How can this be? Who would willingly return to such hazards after so much had been done for their escape? In out text for Sunday morning, Scripture reminds us that we have also been rescued. At great cost we have “escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Are we living in light of this great truth? Our passage encourages us because we learn that not only have we been rescued, we have been transformed. Going back is not an option for those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. Our text is 2 Peter 1:4.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
This is an election year. With elections come campaigns, and with campaigns come campaign promises. It’s hard for even the most gracious and optimistic person to not get just a little bit cynical about campaign promises. One well known website is tracking the performance of the president on over 500 promises he made in his last campaign for office. Campaign promises—regardless of who is the office seeker—suffer two problems. First, people have been conditioned to question the sincerity of the politician. So many promises have been made to attract votes, but without any serious intention of being fulfilled. The second problem that campaign promises face is one of limited power to deliver. Candidates tend to promise more than can be accomplished simply because the power of their office is insufficient to make the change, or solve the problem about which the promise is made. What a contrast this is to the promises that God makes. His promises do not suffer from these two problems. There is no question to the sincerity of God’s or intentions, and no limit to His power to fulfill His promises. This is why our passage describes God’s promises as great and precious. Out text is 2 Peter 1:4a.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Andrew Postema will bring the message on Sunday morning, and at 11:00, Andrew & Leah will present their report of their first term in Romania
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The year 2012 is now three weeks old. If you made any resolutions for this new year, how are you doing with the changes? Perhaps you are having tremendous success. Perhaps you are struggling. Perhaps you have already given up. Whatever your experience, you realize that change requires more than just good intentions. Intentions need to be supported if they are going to be realized.
The life of a Christian is a life of radical transformation. There is no more profound change than what happens in someone who was spiritually dead when they become spiritually alive. While we know this to be true, we also know that living according to this change has to be supported. If change is not supported, the natural tendency is to return to old patterns and habits.
The good news is that God does not only call us “by His own glory and goodness.” He has “given us everything we need for life and godliness…” He has provided not only the change, but everything we need to support that change. This should be a great encouragement to us as we realize we are not left to ourselves to figure this out. We continue our study in Second Peter chapter one.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
It has taken until mid-January, but winter has finally arrived in West Michigan. The icy roads and sidewalks are treacherous. Most of us have learned to take great care as we walk outdoors in these conditions. We don’t want to slip and fall. Falling is not just inconvenient; it can have devastating physical consequences. The metaphors of standing and falling are used in Scripture to speak of the status of our spiritual condition. In this domain, the dangers of falling are profound. While the hazards to our spiritual progress may seem many and perilous, there is good news in God’s Word. God has provided everything necessary for life and godliness, and he has promised that if we avail ourselves of his provision, we will never stumble or fall. This is so amazing and worthy of our careful attention. As important as these truths are, they are easy to forget, so we will be working hard to remember how not to fall.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Books are no longer required for reading, but I still like the feel of a book in my hands. Technology is changing things, and e-readers are becoming increasingly popular. I see it n my own family. Two of my children have Kindles. Now my mother has one. The day will probably come when I get one too, but for the moment I am holding out. I still like real books. As cool and convenient as e-readers are, they somehow seem to me to make the written word fleeting. Just like the e-reader, the words seem to become weightless. It’s similar to the shift to digital photography. With digital cameras, it seems like we all take a hundred times more pictures then we used to, yet, when was the last time you held a photo album in your hands? Images stay stored on hard drives, or perhaps shared on a facebook post. Printed books are not as accommodating. They ask us to take them seriously. At least this is how things feel to me. Did you know that God keeps books? One in particular is of great importance, and it is spoken of in both the Old and New Testament. It is called the Book of Life, and what is written inside is profoundly important. As we discuss this book this morning, I trust you will understand how you can have your name written there, and feel fully just how precious this is.