'I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.'
- Gal 2:20 ESV
'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…'
- 2Co 5:17-18 ESV
'We can only begin an upright course of life when God, of his good pleasure, adopts us into his family.'
- John Calvin, Psalm I:280, quoted in Calvin's Wisdom, p. 1
'You are in Christ. He is in you. Christ in us fills us up into the fulness of God. We in Christ are the fulness of him who fills all in all.'
- David Powlison, Seeing With New Eyes, p. 54
'The promise has dawned, and our identity is now found in him.'
- Russell Moore, Adopted for Life, p. 31
Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,
Identity is everything, just ask anyone whose name and identity have been sullied. Who we are by identity determines how we think and how we act and for some of us this is a slow dawning. The realization that our identity is now found in Christ is nothing short of revolutionary. The person who realizes who they belong to will order their life accordingly. Slaves act like the the chattel of their owner. Sons act like the heir of their Father. When we realize our identity it will change everything for us. Our identity is both positional and practical. We become who we are. This is the promise and purpose of being adopted in and through Christ. Where is your identity? To whom do you belong? Who are you?
I'm grateful for God's electing love and His new, conforming identity through His Son.
Pastor Dan
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
That Glorious Scandal
"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense."
-1Pe 2:7-8 ESV
'Paul’s theology of the cross involves his theology of the resurrection and is simply unintelligible apart from it.'
- Richard Gaffin, The Scandal of the Cross
“The Gospel is ‘the greatest drama ever staged … a terrifying drama of which God is the victim and the hero'"
- Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos, ch. 1
"It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do the Father's will - and, within that framework, it was his love for sinners like me. He really could not save himself."
- D.A. Carson, Scandalous- The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, p. 30
"There is no better news for sad men, for distressed, desponding and despairing men, than this - the Savior lives, able still to save and willing to receive you to his tender heart."
- Charles Spurgeon, The Lord is Risen Indeed, Twelve Sermons on the Resurrection, p. 102
Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,
The drama of the gospel is a story unlike no other. In this story the hero is not hailed, but mocked. He is not sustained by superhuman powers, he dies. The accolades originally directed toward him give way to rejection and disdain. After all, heroes are not supposed to become the victim. The Creator succumbs to the malevolence of the creation. And this death comes willingly, not with reluctance. He does not save himself. In fact, it is death that brings life. The gospel in all of its tragedy and offense brings glory. Death itself becomes a victim of itself. Through the mystery and glory of the crucifixion and the resurrection every enemy is finally overcome. This is the ultimate scandal and if it has no place of offense with us we've not understood it well. There is divine wisdom and human absurdity in the cross and resurrection. Surely, God could have done it another way…or not. In these singular events God has revealed the very heart of the gospel. The Son has revealed His heart for His Father. God has revealed His own heart for the world. By love God is inclined to His creation, by love God sends the emblem of His love to die, by love God raises His dear Son from the grave, and by love God vanquishes every enemy and removes every obstacle to His love for His creation. Our redemption has been accomplished by a glorious scandal.
Rejoicing with you in the scandal that is signified by gospel love.
Pastor Dan
-1Pe 2:7-8 ESV
'Paul’s theology of the cross involves his theology of the resurrection and is simply unintelligible apart from it.'
- Richard Gaffin, The Scandal of the Cross
“The Gospel is ‘the greatest drama ever staged … a terrifying drama of which God is the victim and the hero'"
- Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos, ch. 1
"It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do the Father's will - and, within that framework, it was his love for sinners like me. He really could not save himself."
- D.A. Carson, Scandalous- The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, p. 30
"There is no better news for sad men, for distressed, desponding and despairing men, than this - the Savior lives, able still to save and willing to receive you to his tender heart."
- Charles Spurgeon, The Lord is Risen Indeed, Twelve Sermons on the Resurrection, p. 102
Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,
The drama of the gospel is a story unlike no other. In this story the hero is not hailed, but mocked. He is not sustained by superhuman powers, he dies. The accolades originally directed toward him give way to rejection and disdain. After all, heroes are not supposed to become the victim. The Creator succumbs to the malevolence of the creation. And this death comes willingly, not with reluctance. He does not save himself. In fact, it is death that brings life. The gospel in all of its tragedy and offense brings glory. Death itself becomes a victim of itself. Through the mystery and glory of the crucifixion and the resurrection every enemy is finally overcome. This is the ultimate scandal and if it has no place of offense with us we've not understood it well. There is divine wisdom and human absurdity in the cross and resurrection. Surely, God could have done it another way…or not. In these singular events God has revealed the very heart of the gospel. The Son has revealed His heart for His Father. God has revealed His own heart for the world. By love God is inclined to His creation, by love God sends the emblem of His love to die, by love God raises His dear Son from the grave, and by love God vanquishes every enemy and removes every obstacle to His love for His creation. Our redemption has been accomplished by a glorious scandal.
Rejoicing with you in the scandal that is signified by gospel love.
Pastor Dan
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Light in Darkness
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
- Matthew 5:14-16
"Do not be conformed to this world...."
- Romans 12:2
"The problem is that contemporary culture is deaf to the things Christianity has to say, and deaf ears must be unstopped not with drum sets and drama, but with 'the glorious gospel of our blessed God'(1 Tim. 1:11)."
- Jason Stellman, Dual Citizens, p. 27
Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,
In a very real sense we are the demonstration of Christ to a perishing world. For better or for worse the world is looking at us to see what Chist-followers look like and if you are like me I find that prospect sobering. The voracity of our Christian testimony is not to be determined by externals, but rather by a radical and pervasive internal revolution that thereby effects the entirety of life. The reach and depth of regeneration are the impetus for a thorough and comprehensive difference in us. Sure, we still struggle with the remnants of sin, but we have been made new and as a result the effects are supposed to be noticeable to those that are around us. Something is profoundly different with the Christian. Our affections are to be no longer self-directed and self-absorbed and there now exists a gospel-fueled luminescence that sets us apart. Our lives are no longer our own. We've been bought with a price and the effect of new ownership is to be noticeable. We are light in darkness. The Christian has become the citizen of a kingdom that cannot be shaken and as a result every orientation has become new. Our thinking, behavior, and source of life has a new genesis. By grace the impossible has happened, and it is God's intention that it shows so that we bring Him much glory.
Thankful for new light and life that the gospel brings,
Pastor Dan
- Matthew 5:14-16
"Do not be conformed to this world...."
- Romans 12:2
"The problem is that contemporary culture is deaf to the things Christianity has to say, and deaf ears must be unstopped not with drum sets and drama, but with 'the glorious gospel of our blessed God'(1 Tim. 1:11)."
- Jason Stellman, Dual Citizens, p. 27
Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,
In a very real sense we are the demonstration of Christ to a perishing world. For better or for worse the world is looking at us to see what Chist-followers look like and if you are like me I find that prospect sobering. The voracity of our Christian testimony is not to be determined by externals, but rather by a radical and pervasive internal revolution that thereby effects the entirety of life. The reach and depth of regeneration are the impetus for a thorough and comprehensive difference in us. Sure, we still struggle with the remnants of sin, but we have been made new and as a result the effects are supposed to be noticeable to those that are around us. Something is profoundly different with the Christian. Our affections are to be no longer self-directed and self-absorbed and there now exists a gospel-fueled luminescence that sets us apart. Our lives are no longer our own. We've been bought with a price and the effect of new ownership is to be noticeable. We are light in darkness. The Christian has become the citizen of a kingdom that cannot be shaken and as a result every orientation has become new. Our thinking, behavior, and source of life has a new genesis. By grace the impossible has happened, and it is God's intention that it shows so that we bring Him much glory.
Thankful for new light and life that the gospel brings,
Pastor Dan
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