August 21, 2008 at 10:50 am · Filed under Blog Response
I can’t say that I care much for the intro part of the video … I’m not sure that the state of the pulpit is RIP, but I do think that Mark Driscoll here does a good job of explaining why the message of Joel Osteen is at odds with not only the message of Jesus, but also the life of Jesus.
Let me first say that in this clip that Mark Driscoll shows of Joel Osteen preaching is the first time that I seem to think that Joel Osteen is trying to point people to God. There is so much that is true about what Osteen preaches. If we are believers in Christ’s work on the cross we are genuinely “children of God”. “We have royal blood flowing through our veins.” But Osteen seems to be confused regarding both:
1) The Center of the Message – The glory of God in the faithful perseverance of His children in the midst of suffering as they are preserved by the power of the Spirit in the hope of the promise that they have received in the work of Jesus of an eternal inheritance.
and
2) His Sense of Timing – The blessing that we have received in the present age is surety of the promise of a future eternal inheritance of which the Holy Spirit is a deposit.
AND YET … Osteen describes “complete victory” as three things that simply are not the key items of the gospel.
1) Healthy Body
2) Good Relationships
3) No Anxiety (especially as it relates to finances)
I would like to mention a few core problems with these three components coming together to be what the gospel describes as complete victory.
1) What does sin have to do with any of this? If there is no discussion of sin when we talk about victory then there is no need for the cross. When Jesus cried out that “It is finished” it was a cry of victory over sin’s curse and a claim of reconciliation between the redeemed and God.
2) This description slanders the thousands of saints and martyrs throughout history that have cried out “How long, Oh Lord,” as they suffered in their body and in their relationships and in their livelihood even to the point of death. Christ’s vindication of their cause is yet to come at the end of time.
3) Where is the need to persevere under trial or to intentionally place ourselves in the way of persecution for the sake of the gospel? It sounds as though I should avoid situations of persecution because I’m royalty after all.
4) And how should I pray for those who face persecution in places like China? Should I pray as they have asked, that they would endure and that the Good News of Jesus’ cross would be held up before even the persecutors? Or should I pray that God would make their bodies healthy, help them to make better friends, and that God would send them money so they wouldn’t have anxiety?
Bottom-line … I pray that I would see in Christ my own joy so that I can wear a smile as genuine as the appearance of Osteen. And yet I pray that God would hold before Osteen and Osteen would begin to hold before his church and the world the only source of eternal hope and present joy; that is, the God’s reconciling with man in the person and work of Jesus Christ. May we all become more holy worshippers of the One True God.
This is the seventh post in a series summarizing the chapters of R. C. Sproul’s book, THE TRUTH OF THE CROSS.
Chapter 7 – The Suffering Servant
Isaiah 53:
Isaiah – “We esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”
“On the cross, God’s wrath was poured out on Christ. God did strike Him, smite Him, and afflict Him—but not for any evil in Christ. He was smitten in His role as the vicarious Substitute for the people of God.”
God is Satisfied;
Isaiah – “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.”
“God the Father would look on the travail of His Son, and seeing His work on the cross, He would be satisfied. By His work as the Surety, the Mediator, the Substitute, the Redeemer, Christ would most certainly satisfy the Father’s justice.”
This is the sixth post in a series summarizing the chapters of R. C. Sproul’s book, THE TRUTH OF THE CROSS.
Chapter 6 – Made Like His Brethren
Utter vs. Total Depravity:
“Utter depravity would mean that man is as bad, as corrupt, as he possibly could be.”
“Total depravity … meant that sin—its power, its influence, its inclination—affects the whole person.
Two perspectives of goodness and badness:
External performance and the “consideration of the heart”
The Just Man:
“We have one unjust party (man) and two just parties. We have a just God and a just Mediator, Who is altogether holy. The Mediator is the One Who came to satisfy the requirements of the just God on behalf of the unjust race of man. He is the One Who makes the unjust party just. He is the only One Who could do so.”
Is Jesus death enough?
“If Jesus took all the sins I’ve ever committed on His back and took the punishment for me, that would not get me into the kingdom of God. It would be good enough to keep me out of hell, but I still would not be just. I would be innocent, if you will, but still not just in a positive sense.
Forensic Justification and Imputation:
“Not only is the sin of man imputed to Christ, but the righteousness of Christ is transferred to us, to our account.”
“… the righteousness of Christ that is transferred to us is the righteousness He achieved by living under the Law for thirty-three years without once sinning.
o “… not only did Jesus die for us, He lived for us.”
Justification by Faith Alone:
“… the only means by which the righteousness and the merit of Christ can come into our accounts and be applied to us is by faith.”
This is the fifth post in a series summarizing the chapters of R. C. Sproul’s book, THE TRUTH OF THE CROSS.
Chapter 5 – The Saving Substitute
Jesus, the Righteous Substitute
“Jesus had to submit Himself to every detail of every law God had given to the nation.”
Expiation:
“… taking away the guilt through the payment of a penalty or the offering of an atonment.”
Propitiation:
“… brings about a change in God’s attitude, so that He moves from being at enmity with us to being for us. Through the process of propitiation, we are restored into fellowship and favor with Him.
Salvation:
Generally speaking “any experience of deliverance from a clear and present danger can be spoken of as a form of salvation.”
Biblically speaking “Jesus ‘delivers us form the wrath to come.’”
“Therefore, Christ’s supreme achievement on the cross is that He placated the wrath of God, which would burn against us were we not covered by the sacrifice of Christ.”
Substitutionary Atonement:
A Substitute has appeared in space and time, appointed by God Himself, to bear the weight and the burden of our transgressions, to make expiation for our guild, and to propitiate the wrath of God on our behalf. This is the gospel. Therefore, if you take away the substitutionary atonement, you empty the cross of its meaning and drain all the significance out of the passion of our Lord Himself. If you do that, you take away Chrsitianity itself.”
This is the first post in a series summarizing the chapters of R. C. Sproul’s book, THE TRUTH OF THE CROSS.
Chapter 1 – The Necessity of an Atonement
1Cor 2:2
“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
Holy God and Sin as Offense: (p9)
“If people understood that there is a holy God and that sin is an offense against that holy God, they would break down the doors of our churches and ask, “What must I do to be saved?”
Justification by Death: (p10)
“The prevailing notion of justification in Western culture today is justification by death. It’s assumed that all one has to do to be received into the everlasting arms of God is to die.”
Primitive and Obscene: (p11)
“It is primitive for a blood sacrifice to be made to satisfy the justice of a transcendent and holy God …. And the cross is an obscenity …. The cross was the ugliest, most obscene thing in the history of the world.”
Augustinianism, Semi-Pelagianism, and Pelagianism: (p12)
Augustinianism – “salvation rests on God’s grace alone”
Semi-Pelagianism – “salvation rests on human cooperation with God’s grace”
Pelagianism – “salvation can be achieved without God’s grace”
Necessity?
Absolutely Unnecessary – “Jesus died as a moral example for men”
Hypothetically Necessary – “God could have redeemed us by a host of ways”
Absolutely Necessary – “If any person was ever going to be reconciled to God and redeemed”
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40)
I have read and wrestled with this passage for years as have many believers. I hope to reflected a good deal more here in the near future, but I have recently asked a new question of this passage that I would like to share here. I want to be clear that I am yet unsure of the answer to this question and would invite others to interact with me here.
The King speaks of the least of these, but who are these people? Are they anyone who is hungry or thirsty or in prison? The King adds one qualifier that until recently had gone unnoticed by me. The “least of these” the He is referring to are His brothers?
I put this question together with a reflection I have made in the past regarding Father’s Day and it seems that the parable changes a bit. I have heard pastors and believers celebrate on Father’s Day saying, “We honor our fathers, but we also honor the Father of all living things.” But this is not entirely accurate. God is creator of all things, but His use of the Fatherhood image He uses specifically to refer to His redeemed. Not all humans are the children of God. And the redeemed are the children of God only by virtue of being the brothers and sisters of the Father’s Son.
In the parable in Matthew 25 the King is Jesus and “the least of these” are His brothers. Believers are fellow heirs with Christ. Any reading of the Old Testament prophets must include a basic instruction to care for the poor and the oppressed within any God pleasing society. But it appears that this parable is not making a general appeal for social justice. This parable appears to be speaking of the King’s unwillingness to identify Himself with those who did not first identify with His own sons and daughters.
In the end, the sheep are being known by the King only as they were willing to identify with each other and specifically with the “least” among themselves. The goats are rejected because they were unwilling to identify themselves with the very members of the future kingdom.
Interestingly this is exactly what we see took place with the Apostle Paul. He was an enemy of Christ and a goat of goats as he was on the road to persecute the believers in Tarsus. It is on this road that He had an encounter with the King and is called to become one of “the least of these” in order to bring the gospel to those He would redeem. Read the letters of Paul and you will see one who became poor for the sake, not of a general social justice, but of the gospel, that is, the redeemed among the Gentiles.
If you have the opportunity I encourage you to read the Expositor’s Bible Commentary on this passage as it seems to indicate this sort of reading of Matthew 25. Please, I invite you to interact with me as I seek to understand this all important teaching of our Lord.
Today I move on to Chapter 3 of A. W. Pink’s book, The Sayings of the Savior on the Cross. You can view all the posts in this series by clicking HERE.
— SUMMARY —
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother. … When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved he saith unto his mother, “Woman, behold they son!” Then saith he to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” (John 19:25-27)
Pink does a wonderful job in this chapter of helping us to understand this brief exchange within the larger narrative as well as within the scope of the whole of scripture.
He begins the chapter by first noting that Mary was a woman “not unacquainted with grief.” Even from the beginning of the announcement by the angel that she would bear the Son of God scripture notes that “she was troubled at his saying.” And here, in this scene, we have this crucified man’s mother standing beneath the cross.
Pink makes seven observations about Jesus’ pronouncement.
Here we see …
1) … the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy: Simeon had prophesied to Mary that “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also”. Pink puts the fulfillment perfectly. “Never such bliss at a human birth, never such sorrow at an inhuman death.”
2) … the perfect man setting an example for children to honor their parents: Pink observes that to the very end Jesus “fully discharged the obligations of every relationship that He sustained, either to God or to man.” Pink explains at length that the fifth commandment applies to children of all ages, even adults. Jesus demonstrates this reality in this saying from the cross.
3) … that John had returned to the Saviour’s side: Not long before Jesus had asked his disciples to keep watch with Him for only a brief time. They failed Him then and subsequently scattered. But here we see that John returns to Jesus’ side. It is only right that it is the disciple whom Jesus loved who would first return to Him.
4) … an illustration of Christ’s prudence: It is only right that Jesus would choose the first disciple to return to Him as well as the one who had shared the greatest affection with Him to become the caregiver of the one who had borne Him and loved Him all the years of His life.
5) … that spiritual relationships must not ignore the responsibilities of nature: In the midst of the eternally significant work of atonement Jesus sees to the obligation He had as a natural son. Pink also discusses here the responsibilities of those in various ministries to also care for their “obligations of nature”.
6) … a universal need exemplified: Pink rightly notes Mary’s position at the foot of the cross. Mary, while blessed among women stands with the rest of creation having to decide her position beneath the cross.
7) … the marvelous blending of Christ’s perfections: In the midst of the divine work of atonement Jesus displays the most perfect of human affections. Pink observes that the great wonders of Jesus were performed “on the highway, in the cottage, or among a little group of sufferers.”
— REFLECTION —
The setting for this saying is Mary standing by the cross. Notice that Mary is the center of attention, not John. It makes me ask, would John have even returned as early as the crucifixion if he did not first see Mary’s intention of going there. It seems that John is attending to Mary. John is there less on behalf of Jesus and more on behalf of Mary. What lesson might John have learned from the love and faithfulness of Mary on this day?
Pink rightly points out the wisdom of the Savior to knit John and Mary together in this way. They would forever share together this experience of standing at the foot of the cross on the day the Savior died. And on the day of the resurrection the gospel narrative points out that upon seeing the empty tomb John believes and quickly returns home. Pink notes that this is certainly to share the good news with Mary. Now they would share not only the anguish of the crucifixion, but the joy of the resurrection.
I have never seen Jesus. I don’t know what He looks like. I don’t know what His voice sounds like. I don’t know what it is like to look at Jesus and love Him. John loved Jesus. John saw Jesus in His ministry, in His resurrection, and in His throne room. And John loved Jesus. John teaches me to love Jesus: to have a genuine affection for the crucified, resurrected, reigning Lord. I will one day see His face. John prepares me for that day such that I have already begun to see that He is wonderful in both His person and His work.
Pink notes that the disciples were not accustomed to forsaking the Lord and they never would after the resurrection. Much attention has been given to Peter’s denial and restoration. Peter gives me courage for ministry. But I, as one who is accustomed to forsaking the Lord, find encouragement from John. John loved the Lord so much that even when he forsook Jesus he returned to Jesus and found Him offering affection and atonement.
— INVITING YOUR THOUGHTS —
I hope that as you read that you will also respond below and interact with me as well as visit challies.com and interact there. As we interact let us keep in the spirit of A. W. Pink in his worshipful study and encouraging meditations.
WHERE IS THAT RESET BUTTON AGAIN?
Reformissionary has a great article about what he does when he gets into the spiritual doldrums. Wouldn't it be nice if there was just a reset button somewhere on my spiritual forehead?
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DAVID POWLISON ON PERSONAL APPLICATION Internet Monk has an interview with Dr. David Powlison where he speaks about “Reading the Bible For Personal Application”. Dr. Powlison wrote an article on this subject that will be included in the upcoming release of the ESV Study Bible.
DRISCOLL ON THE EMERGENT CHURCH
Look for the audio of "A Pastoral Perspective on the Emergent Church" on this page where Mark Driscoll explains what he sees as the four streams of movement in the church today: Emergent Church (Village), Emerging Evangelicals, House Church Evangelicals, and Emerging Reformers.