Demons, Deliverance, and Discipleship

The sermon that I preached on Sunday is now available here. Here's a brief outline of the sermon:

I. The Crisis of the Demoniac

II. The Conquering of the Demons

III. The Concern of the Community

IV. The Commissioning of a Disciple

A Previous Post and Preaching

Last night, I found out that I'll have the opportunity to preach this Sunday at Redeemer Church. I always love having the opportunity to preach. Since I've had Mark 5 and the story of the demoniac on my mind (see my previous post), I'll be preaching from that text. If you live in Anderson, come by and worship with us this Sunday.

Why So Skeptical?

If I were to announce today that my church (or any other church for that matter) baptized 300 people yesterday, I'm sure that people would react in many different ways. Some would rejoice. They would praise the Lord that so many people had come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Yet, others would doubt. Some would doubt that the gospel had really been preached in its fullness. Others would assume that we must have toyed with peoples' emotions. Others would doubt that people had really come to faith in Jesus. I'll be the first to admit that there are times when pastors have preached false gospels, people's emotions have been twisted and faith was only temporary. These are sad realities.

But let me ask a question: why have we become such skeptics? Why do we act as though it is unbelievable or impossible that 300 people truly came to faith in Jesus? In Acts 2:41 Luke tells us that after Peter's sermon "those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls."

So, I ask you once again: Why so skeptical?

Humility and Hope

The sermon that I preached on Sunday ("Humility and Hope" in the series A Traveler's Guide for Christian Pilgrims) is now available here (and it is also archived here). The sermon is on 1 Peter 5:5-7. I've provided an outline of my sermon below:

I. The Position of the Humble
1. Under the elders
2. Under others
3. Under the mighty hand of God

II. The Practices of the Humble
1. Listen to godly counsel
2. Serve and sacrifice for others
3. Cast their cares and anxieties on God

III. The Promises to the Humble
1. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble
2. God exalts the humble at the proper time
3. God cares for the humble

A Living Hope

The sermon that I preached on Sunday (3/1/09) is now available online: A Traveler's Guide for Christian Pilgrims: A Living Hope

Hope and Inheritance

I'll be preaching in the morning from 1 Peter 1:3-5. Since the text is fresh on my mind, I'll put forth a few thoughts:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (ESV)

First, I think it's important to note that Peter isn't an unemotional, detached lecturer when it comes to talking about God. He doesn't give us a dry or dispassionate speech. Instead, he begins with worship: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!" Peter has encountered Jesus. He has been a witness to Jesus' life, death, and resurrection; therefore, he must praise Him.

Second, the hope that comes through the resurrection of Jesus is not a flimsy type of hope. This isn't the type of hope that is uncertain like "I hope my Saturn doesn't stop working this year" or "I hope I get an good grade on my test." No, the hope we have in Christ is a living hope. This is a hope actual worth hoping in because it a certain hope. Just as Christ showed that death could not hold Him, so also death will not be the final word for those who have faith in Him--to those who have experienced the new birth.

Third, Peter describes our living hope in terms of inheritance. I find it interesting that he only talks about it in the negative: "never perish, never spoil, never fade" (or "imperishable, undefiled, unfading as in the ESV). Peter likely does this because it is hard for us to imagine a world where sin, death, pain, decay, etc. are not a normal occurance. But our inheritance is kept from all such things. It is "kept in heaven for you." (There's much more to be said about inheritance, especially the OT background...but this post is already getting longer than I expected! Read Revelation 21.)

Fourth, Peter says that by God's power we are "being guarded through faith." In Greek, this is a present participle which gives the sense of a continual action. God is presently and continually guarding us. God is for us. Just as He is keeping our inheritance secure, so also He is keeping us for "a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Preaching This Sunday

I'm really looking forward to preaching tomorrow morning on Luke 2:8-20. I'll post the audio early next week.