(guest post by Bob Kauflin)

This is the second post in a three-part series. The last post was about Singing to Each Other.

Peter tells us that we have been saved “that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness and into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). We’re meant to fulfill this command both in our meetings and in our lives.

But why is proclamation important? Because we forget. We lose track of who God is and what he’s done. Proclamation helps set our minds and hearts right. It reminds us of the convictions and realities that should guide and govern our daily lives. It draws our hearts back to God’s greatness, what he has accomplished, and all that he has promised. We all need to be reminded, and proclamation helps us remember.

People come into our churches proclaiming all sorts of things with their words and actions. Through close-fisted giving, some are asserting how much their own personal wealth matters. Others, by their complaining, are declaring that personal comfort matters. Teens in the latest fashions may be proclaiming that being cool matters. Others confirm through their smiles or frowns that their musical preferences matter.

But we want each of them to leave proclaiming this: The gospel of Jesus Christ matters.

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Want to learn more about why we sing to proclaim the gospel? Register today for The Gathering Conference, January 28th in Huntington Beach, CA. Hosted by Sovereign Grace Church with Bob Kauflin, Enfield, and in partnership with Sovereign Grace Music.

This article was adapted by Dustin Smetona from pg. 129-130 of Bob Kauflin’s book, Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God.

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And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

(Mark 15:33-38)

Lord Jesus, Comfort Me

You have canceled my transgression,
Jesus, by Your precious blood
May I find therein salvation,
happiness, and peace with God
And since You for sinner’s suffering
On the cross was made an offering
From all sin deliver me,
That I wholly Yours may be

All the pain You have endured
All Your wounds, Your crown of thorn
Hands and feet with nails through bored
The reproach which You have borne
Your back, ploughed with deep furrows
Cross and grave and all Your sorrows
Your blood-sweat and agony
Oh Lord Jesus, comfort me

Your back, ploughed with deep furrows
Cross and grave and all Your sorrows
Your blood-sweat and agony
Oh Lord Jesus, comfort me

from the album WATCH THE RISING DAY
Written by Matthew S. Smith
©2010 Detuned Radio Music
Based in part on a German hymn text by Johann Rist

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Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” (Hebrews 1:1-4 ESV)

Who is this man?

What comes to mind… who do you imagine when you think about Jesus Christ?

A very good man? A great teacher maybe? How about a Jewish carpenter?

You’re correct in thinking of Him this way.

Jesus was a very good Man; in fact, He was the ONLY good man who ever lived. He was perfect, without spot or blemish, sinless. In Mark 10:18, Jesus says that no one is good except God alone.

Jesus was a great teacher; in fact, multitudes were greatly astonished at His teachings every day. See Matt 7:28-29, Matt 13:54, Mark 1:22, Mark 6:2, Mark 11:18, to name just a few.

Jesus was also the King of the Jews, and He was a carpenter by trade. (John 19:19)

Good man, great teacher, Jewish carpenter… Yes, to all of those. That’s Jesus.

But He’s also more than that

All of these unique characteristics point us to something more. They are a small reflection of His infinite glory and majesty… The beginning of the book of Hebrews plums the depths of the radiance and beauty of His splendor… His infinite holiness and majesty! O how rich and full of wonder are these 4 verses of scripture!

I see a Man… Jesus—who has been given all power and authority, has become heir of all things, and has created the world—He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of God’s nature! He upholds the entire universe by the power of His Word! This is a BIG God that is portrayed here in these verses.

The best part is that this HUGE God, who was not at all obligated to do so, came to make His dwelling among us with every intention of going to the cross in order to suffer and die for the sins of the world. He “made purification for OUR sins and he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”.

This is Power. Holiness. Supremacy. Glory. It is also Love. Humility. Grace. Mercy. This is our God and our King, let all the peoples stand in awe of His splendor, and worship Him!

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This post is the third in our series on adoring Christ this Christmas.  You can read the first post and the second post.

Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord

Why adore him?

Everything about Jesus is glorious!

Let’s remember what Jesus Christ is doing presently—right now—and give Him all the glory!

1.  He Sits Enthroned at the Right Hand of God

“Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God…” (Romans 8:34)

“Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:33)

2.  He Sustains All Things

“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17)

3.  He Mediates Between God and Man, Making Intercession for Us

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25)

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1)

I pray that the Spirit of God would lead us to worship He who is in the honorable position at God’s right hand.  I hope that we can be struck with awe and wonder that He is holding all things together—from the vast expanse of the galaxies to the complex workings of microorganisms.  I pray also that we would approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing we have a High Priest working night and day on our behalf(Hebrews 4:16)!

Oh, how glorious Jesus is! Do you adore Him?

(Next post: The Glorious Future of Christ)

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FACT #1: In my own personal Christian life, I have a tendency to think about and meditate on only the general teachings in scripture—you know, the basics like: Jesus is God, the Trinity, Salvation is in Christ alone, and so on… (This does not mean that I never dive deep into a rich theology of Christ or God’s attributes, yet truth be told: more often than not, I only consider the broader truths).

FACT #2: I am not alone in this. I am not the only one out there that naturally skirts over the deeper theological waters only to wade in the comfortable shallow end.

You might be someone like this.

In spite of these facts, when we actually seize the chance to sit down, remove ourselves from the busyness of the world and think about the underlying blessings of those deeper truths found within God’s Word, it opens up a world of joy. I am not saying this is essential; however, I am saying it is important.

Digging deep is important because it can drastically change our lives by bringing us into closer communion with Christ. When we dive down into the Word, it allows the Holy Spirit to change our hearts, conforming us more and more into His image. Our hearts become fertile soil.

Knowing Him better also allows us to love Him better.

The tiers of truth, when searched out and revealed to us in His Word, will absolutely cause us to love Him more. It will bring out praise that pours from our hearts. It will gives us a desire to please Him—to live for His glory. The more we actually delight in true and majestic things about Him, the more this world and its corresponding pop culture will grow strangely dim. The world and its things are but a vapor in the wind; Christ, however, remains the solid rock of the ages.

I want that. I want Christ. I want to dive into the deep with God and enjoy Him, don’t you?

Thankfully, Jesus Christ takes us there and bestows His truth. He makes the deep things of God plain to the believer. He does this by His Spirit and through His Word. One of these truths—and one of the most spoken of—is the particular work of redemption. We see it so clearly both in the old and new testaments:

• through acts of undeserved grace, God worked through the nation Israel to continually bring them out of bondage…
• furthermore, through Christ—the Perfect Sacrifice—He completes His plan of redemption for mankind. Our God is a great Redeemer.

What does redemption really do?

But what does redemption really do in our lives, and what comes from it? To know that we have been bought with the blood of Christ is an awesome truth, isn’t it? If you are a believer today, knowing you have the security of the cross, which fully satisfied the wrath of God on your behalf, is beyond normal human comprehension. It blows us away; it makes us stand in complete and utter awe.

Consequently, we find that studying beyond and into the work of redemption on the Cross is like swimming in an endless ocean that quenches the broken soul and never dries up… ever.

Redemption is everything to the Christian.

Through it, Christ changes your heart into a new one that seeks after His will and glory. It brings joy to the believer. It brings delight. It is moving from death to life—and so much more.

Over the next several weeks, we will unpack the fruits of redemption.

There is so much to cover, and we will only scratch the surface.

My prayer for you is this: that you will enjoy each of eight snapshots throughout the next several weeks on the fruits of redemption, and that it will fill your heart with joy and confirm your assurance in Jesus Christ, our Great Redeemer.

Stay tuned.

(to be continued…)

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The topic of Creation has been an evangelical hot topic in recent years.

Usually, when the subject comes up, we automatically think about the Creation vs. Evolution debate, or we consider whether there was a literal six-day creation vs. a “day age” theory. There is an abundance of literature on these subjects and for good reason. The questions and discussion about things like the origin of man are very important and Christians should enter into that dialogue. However, the Biblical Theological theme of Creation goes beyond these common quarrels about chronology and duration, so please understand that my aim is not to resolve any of these disputes on the subject. Remember our goal throughout the Central Themes in Biblical Theology series: to see what the Bible says, with a particular focus on how it says it and what it is emphasizing.

As a further disclaimer, this is not my attempt to articulate the entire Biblical Theological theme of Creation. Instead, I want to introduce you to it and, perhaps, spark your interest to study it more.

In the beginning, God…

Have you ever heard someone say something along the lines of: “That’s the kind of God I could believe in,” or “I couldn’t believe in a God like that?” This assumption that we could actually choose what kind of God we want to believe in is blown out of the water in the first verse of the Bible, “In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1). The question for you and I is not what kind of God we can believe in, it is what kind of God is already there. His existence is assumed, and consequently what he is like follows.

The first thing that God actually does—the first thing that is predicated of God—is speak (Genesis 1:3). This is an expression of power. It introduces something that runs right through the entire Bible, God is a talking God—a God who speaks. Think about that. The fact that God speaks means that he is a God who reveals. Not only does the fact that he spoke light into existence express power, but this transcendence makes himself known to finite humans.

God Creates

Notice, in this opening passage, that God is the starting point. He made everything, and he himself is unmade. In this truth, there is an absolute difference between the Creator and the created. It shows God’s self-sufficiency. He needs nothing (Acts 17:24-25). We do need something, based on the simple nature of our origination. We need God in order to exist, thus we are utterly dependent and insufficient in, and of, ourselves. This truth of God’s independence and our dependence is the foundation stone of grace! There is nothing we have (or are) that could sway God to act on our favor. So, even our very life and breath is evidence of God’s grace, of his showing us unearned favor. God is also personally involved with his creation. He does so by exercising his perfect love and his just wrath.

Personally involved in his wrath… how does that work? Think about it: this idea of a righteous wrath. It implies that God be personally involved in his creation. He is wrathful against sin because all sin is ultimately committed against him, the Creator. He responds because he cares to. The best example of this personal involvement in scripture is the cross of Christ. We see the wrath of God—meant for us who believe, in every right way possible—being absorbed and satisfied by God’s own Son (Romans 3:23-25). It doesn’t get any more personal than that. Moreover, the cross wonderfully demonstrates God’s personal involvement in blessing his creation, since it is the single, greatest act of love that has ever occurred.

Creator God means a God that is involved.

God’s Purpose for, and Relationship with, Man

This Biblical doctrine of Creation is what establishes our accountability to God. The truth is that God created man with intention. We rebel against this intention—against his intention—when we sin. Because of this, we are put in a place of infinite dept to an eternal God. While sitting in a class lecture, I once heard Don Carson declare with passion, “No, I can’t back off entirely… the truth of the matter is that God made you, you owe him, and you will have to give an account to him.” The Creator is repeatedly described as seeing all that he makes as good. He is making moral decisions of good versus bad, inevitably saying that evil did not come out of the world the way that he intrinsically made it!

With the creation of Man we are introduced to the concept of the image of God. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Does it have to do with speech, beauty, relationships, or the ability to know? Looking at how the phrase is used in scripture, it never gives a concise definition of the term. But, if we put the pieces together as the story progresses we could articulate it by saying, “God is the creator, we are created. We are from the dust and to the dust we will return. There are still these and other distinctions, but apart from these distinctions, human beings are created to image God.” And what happens to this image of God during the Fall in chapter three? Is it lost completely? At the risk oversimplifying, the answer is no. Man still carries the ability and responsibility to exercise authority; however, the abuse of this authority by humans is a result of sin, not of the authority itself. It is not demolished, but tainted by sin.

And even still, by his grace, us humans continue to have relationships with God.

When I look at the book of Job and the Psalms and consider the peculiar place of God’s favor that human beings have over all creation, I stand in awe and wonder (Job. 7:17, 15:14; Psalm 8:4, 144:3). We must learn, as Job does in chapters 38-41, that the healthiest way to respond to creation is to put our hands over our mouths and acknowledge how much we don’t know.

A New Creation

As we trace the thread of creation through Scripture, the Creation theme grows even grander, and we meet the idea of a New Creation in the New Testament. Paul says that when salvation occurs, we become a “new creation.” We are created anew. We are given the ultimate promise is of a new heaven and a new earth. Romans 8: this fallen and cursed order is in “travail” waiting for the restoration of all things. As a part of the glorification of the saints he creates this new world order.

In sum, as we contemplate the role of creation in the great divine narrative, there should be a sense of awe in all of us at the grace that God has shown us through it. Consider how we literally have no place in determining what God should and shouldn’t be like according to our preferences. Consider how this God has revealed himself to us through words. And, we are infinitely accountable to this God in every way, as we are his creatures. We belong to him. The only way that his intention can be fulfilled in us is through our becoming a New Creation by faith in Jesus Christ.

Praise God, our Creator, for such a sweet, sweet gift.

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17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

“What must I do?” This is the question of the rich young man, and certainly it has been the question of countless others after him. The answer:both nothing and everything.

How does the rich man get to heaven? He must pass a camel through the eye of a needle. Jesus says that it is harder for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Why does he say this? Well, according to Jesus in order to be saved, we must do the very thing that we cannot do: we must die and raise from the dead.

If I must do what cannot be done, I can only conclude that this work must be done on my behalf. It must be done by someone else—on my account—in me and through me. To the Christian who asks “what must I do?” I exclaim, “It has already been done!” And this I must say to myself daily as I find myself attempting to earn the love of a God who has already bought me at a high and precious price.

Here is what must be understood: the problem with this question, “What must I do?” is not a Christian’s desire to do good works, it is the reason for the desire.

For many of us, the desire to do good works springs out of a feeling of dissatisfaction. Many Christians come to belief, only to find themselves months later muttering to themselves, “Now what?” We begin to forget the total satisfaction, the new life that came to us through the work of Jesus Christ. We forget that his grace is totally sufficient, and that it is the only thing that can satisfy. Rather than remind ourselves of the truth that when Christ said “it is finished,” that is exactly what he meant, we look for the “next step.” What can I say? What can I know? What can I do to bring myself satisfaction? These are the questions we ask ourselves, and the answer we always end up finding is a resounding “Nothing!” Good works were never meant to save. Good works were never meant to bring us satisfaction. If we are to truly serve God and others, we must first be satisfied.

When I serve someone because I need to feel satisfaction, I am doing no greater deed than the man who eats a sandwich because he is hungry. I cannot truly be a servant if my only reason for serving is my own gain. We are to serve selflessly and sacrificially. In short, the good works of a Christian are not in order to improve upon, or earn God’s love, or our satisfaction. The good works of a Christian are, instead, a response to the fact that we already have both.

The work of Jesus on the cross has given us satisfaction, and freed us to worship him in spirit and in truth! The only response possible for someone who is fully satisfied by a God that he loves is this:adoration of that God, and love for all that God loves.

That is the only proper response to his resounding gospel claim, “It is finished.”

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In the busy-ness of Orange County culture, while beginning a new work year (or starting a new semester), striving to do well on our resolutions, feeding our souls with the Word, building up the Church, serving our families and communities, and healthy balancing between these and all other areas of our lives, it would profit our souls indefinitely if we regularly stop to consider one thing:

It’s all about Jesus—all the time.

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A question that bothers me: What Would Jesus Do?

Remember all the “WWJD?” paraphernalia from the 90′s? Yeah, you do. The key chains… bracelets… necklaces… bumper stickers… license plates… Who hasn’t seen the popular acronym before? I couldn’t help but laugh when a few days ago I stumbled upon the old “WWJD?” key chain that faithfully held my first car key during my sophomore year in high school. What made this especially funny to me is that I wasn’t even a Christian then. I thought I was a Christian (but only by default, since I went to a Christian church); however, it would be another few years til I truly knew the gospel and came to that radical saving faith in Christ.

So, with key chain in hand, I asked myself: what was it that inclined an unbelieving Chris Poblete to dig the “WWJD?” phrase at the time? Perhaps it was an attractive ideology to live by?

That’s when I realized that, though totally well-intentioned, “WWJD?” was the wrong question to be asking myself.

I don’t think it’s a bad question… not at all. However, it does miss the point. Hugely. “What would Jesus do?” sells Jesus Christ as an ideology… and idea for how to make good decisions for living a proper life. It sells us short of knowing the Gospel. He becomes our friendship model, our self-help mantra, our ’5 steps to a better marriage’ and our ’10 steps to worry-free living.’

But Jesus came to bring the Gospel.

And the Gospel is good news… not good advice.

Now that I’m saved, I understand that God did not send his Son to teach me the right things to do in this life…

Jesus didn’t come to make me more religious and spiritual. He didn’t come so that I would be overcome by emotional religious piety and experiences. He didn’t come so that I would vote for family values and lowered taxes. He didn’t come so that I would passionately serve in the latest cause, raising awareness for health pandemics and social injustices. He didn’t come so that I might be encouraged to drive a bag of collected plastic bottles to the recycling center in my Toyota Prius because God cares about his Earth. He didn’t come to teach me to be accepting and open-minded to everyone else, everywhere and no matter what (unless they are not as “open-minded” as I am). He didn’t come to make me a better people person with a charming smile, a good handshake and polite manners.

Definitely not saying that these are all bad (though some are), but he didn’t come because I needed the perfect example on how to do good “Jesus-things”.

He came because I needed a Savior.

You see, the Jesus Christ we need is the Great Reedemer–the Savior King. This King of Kings showed God’s own love for us by leaving his great throne in heaven to live a life that we were supposed to have lived, die a death that we are otherwise condemned to die, and rise victoriously from the grave in triumphant victory over sin, satan and death. He came to free us! He absorbed the wrath of God and ushers us not into a life of reconditioned morals, but rather, into a life marked by God’s irresistible grace, the forgiveness of sins, and the free gift of salvation.

That’s what Jesus did.

“… he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed” -Isaiah 53:5

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” -1 Peter 3:18

This is a message worth sharing. It’s a life that he provides–a NEW life–not a lifestyle. It’s a Gospel that saves. And thus the new question we should be asking:

What DID Jesus Do?

… let us ask and remind ourselves daily.

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