The Essentials: Part II

The Essentials: Part II – Humanity: Our Original Righteousness and Fall Into Sin: Humans were created for fellowship with their Creator. We were also created in God’s likeness, “to know, love, and obey God and be righteous stewards of the creation.[1] One of Humanity’s first free acts was to rebel against this purpose, bringing judgment on all creation.

“There is now a radical brokenness and corruption in human nature that is the result of and results in sin. Sin is destructive. Human beings are sinners by nature, by choice, and by action.”

While the image of God still exists in humanity, it is clouded, twisted, and deformed by our sinfulness to the point of being difficult to perceive and understand. Even our noblest actions are tainted by our sinful nature which touches every part of our being – our personality, intellect, emotions, will, motives, virtues, and actions – all are corrupted by sin. As a result, human beings are in bondage to sin and subject to God’s holy judgment. Apart from the gracious work of Jesus Christ, humanity is without hope.

In all of this we affirm our own responsibility for our actions. We lay no blame at the feet of our Creator. We renounce any idea that claims human nature as basically good and self-redeemable through our own efforts or discipline.  

The book of Romans holds up the mirror to our face. There is no one who is righteous, not even one; there is no one who has understanding, there is no one who seeks God. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one. Their throats are open graves; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of vipers is under their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery are their paths, and the way of peace they have not known.[2]

No one living is righteous before you.[3]

Before such evidence, we have no hope apart from the work of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Craig

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[1] The Essential Tennets – An Explanation, Presbytery of Santa Barbara. Section 1: Humanity.

[2] Romans 3:10ff

[3] Psalm 143:2

The Essentials: Part 1 - The Triune God

Most of you have realized long ago that our adult Sunday school class is full of theologians. Now we have proof that they rank alongside some of our prestigious writers of some of our denominational documents.

In response to the question, “What are the essential tenets of the Christian Faith?” the class began, with little or no help, to delineate six essential Biblical doctrines that one our great Presbyteries had laid out in 2006.

It is my goal, over the next six weeks, to go through these tenets, unfortunately in a greatly abbreviated way, exploring why they are considered essential and offer some kind of defense for their place on the list.

As every good Presbyterian document, we must start off with God. We worship the one and only living and true God who is revealed in the Bible and who is the source of all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness.[1]

This God is Triune in nature. That is, God is one God, but in three distinct persons, each of these being worthy of our devotion and worship, yet remaining a single, almighty, omnipresent deity.  The persons of this Trinity are generally referred to as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God in the beginning created the universe and everything in it for the manifestation of His glory, eternal power, wisdom, and goodness. He is the sovereign ruler of creation, working all things according to the counsel of His omnipotent and righteous will, In gracious providence God continually upholds, directs, oversees, and governs creation – all creatures, actions and things.

I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. (Isaiah 45:5)

You are worthy, our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created (Revelation 4:11).

For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth (Psalm 47:2).

To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen (Jude 1:25).

They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles (Romans 1:23).

Pastor Craig

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[1] The Essential Tenets – An Explanation by the Presbytery of Santa Barbara

The Three Things

The three things you are never supposed to talk about with friends or guests in your home (sex, politics, and religion) have taken center stage as a group for the last several days. The Facebook page promoting tourism in North Carolina quickly became a battle ground for rudeness and lack of civility as people of differing opinions took verbal jabs at one another, each one claiming the moral high ground following the state’s passage of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

The page was full of people boasting about cancelling vacation plans or orders for furniture, one of the state’s primary industries. This was countered by people on the other side of the issue promising to move to the state at the earliest possible convenience. Each side had its own Bible verses, though the vast majority of folks seemed to have little use for, or interest in, the Scriptures at all. Therein, I believe, lies the problem.

We have, all of us collectively, just about destroyed marriage. We want it to mean what we want it to mean. We want to validate those relationships which agree with our particular point of view or lifestyle. We dismiss absolute standards of almost every kind, and replace them with something more in line with Paul’s writing to Timothy where he warns of those “who have a form of godliness, but deny its power” (2 Timothy 3:5).

The power of God involves recognizing the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ. Once we have marginalized Jesus Christ, once we have made him one of the possible options for salvation rather than our only hope, we allow anything and everything to displace the authority of the Spirit in our lives. We can defend any point of view, for all of them are equal. We can excuse and departure from The Way because, after all, there are other ways that are just as valid.

It is not a moral code that is hanging over humanity’s head. It is the love and mercy of Jesus Christ extended to humanity. Once we claim reliance on Christ for our salvation, it washes over us fresh and new every day, a never ending torrent of forgiveness, which alone can wash away our sins and restore us to health and peace with our Creator. Only then can we be free. We do not become clean by throwing off standards, we become clean by bowing to the one that can make us so.

Pastor Craig

Which God Is Yours?

Which God is yours? There are all kinds of attitudes and perceptions of God. We try to get a grip on who God is so we know how to approach him. It is one more way we attempt to remake God into something, or someone, we can control and predict.

So we have:

·         God the General – God sits “up there” in command headquarters, directing the troops down here on earth. General God is always totally on your side and against the “enemy,” whoever the enemy happens to be on that particular day.

·         God the Coach – If you pay attention to the signals from the bench, you will win for sure. But God the coach has scruples. If you don’t play by the rules, you may get kicked off the team.

·         God the Computer Hack – This God doesn’t care what happens to us. He set up the “program,” typed in the “run” command, and now is off doing something else when “bugs” are still in the system.

·         God the Cop – God watches your every move and will get you if you step out of line.

·         God the Rock Star – If you want to be a follower, you’ve got to be one of the groupies who follows the Star around, saying flattering things, giving the star credit for everything good that happens, and taking the blame for the bad upon yourself.

·         God the Kindergarten Teacher – As long as you are in school, Kindergarten Teach God will give you cookies wipe your runny nose and give you a hug when you cry. Once you leave kindergarten, you are on your own.

·         God the Social Worker – God gives you really good advice, but you still have to make your own decisions.

·         God the Parent – God is a very good, very caring parent. Parent God loves us but gets very upset when we fight with one another or don’t play fair.

·         God the Artist – God the Artist is extravagant. He makes a whole universe for us to enjoy. He fills the heavens with stars and wonders.

Which of these is correct? All of them and none of them. God can be parts of each of these things, but God is not contained by any one of them. God is bigger and grander than my awkward descriptions and labels I put upon my creator. That is a blessing, because much of the time, my problems and issues are beyond description as well. Having a God bigger than all that requires a tremendous amount of trust on my part, but he has proven himself infinitely faithful across the years!

Don’t settle for just a part of God. If you do, that may be exactly what you get.

Do You Understand What You Are Reading?

Do you understand what you are reading? Here begins one of the great stories about one-on-one evangelism. Philip just “happened” to be walking along a desert road when he comes upon a man in a chariot reading aloud from the book of Isaiah

 Philip was familiar with the passage: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.

 Christ gave himself up for us. He did not complain, fuss, or whine. He was obedient to his Heavenly Father to the very end, and we are the beneficiaries of his righteous living.

 The man replied to Philip, “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” the man inquired with a degree of frustration. Now, the man was not stupid. In fact, he was an important official in charge of all the treasury of Queen Candace of the Ethiopians. The man simply did not have the knowledge needed to understand the context of the Scripture passage. Philip, obviously, did.

 Philip’s greatest asset at this point was availability. He was in the right place, at the right time, and he had the knowledge the man needed to make a decision concerning a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

 Christ is not asking you to go on television before millions of people to expound upon the deep theological meanings of the book of Revelation. No, Jesus Christ is asking you to be available all day, every day to do what he asks of you. It could very possibly mean something as simple and ordinary as asking, “Hey, what are you reading?”

 Pastor Craig

CHURCH BULLETIN BLOOPERS

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.

Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge--Up Yours"

The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'

Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.