Witherington on Osteen

Ben Witherington has some thoughts on a recent NY Times article on Joel Osteen.

http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/

I am currently reading Craig Blomberg's Neither Poverty or Riches; it is obvious that the Bible is not a "prosperity gospel" book!

Bock vs. Ehrman

You can read an interesting exchange of articles by Bart Ehrman and Darrell Bock at:

http://www.beliefnet.com/

See particularly the discussion about 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.

No Adults?

Albert Mohler has a great blog today on adults still trying to be kids.

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=582

Remember Paul--when I became a man I put away childish things. What a society in which we live!

Reading the Greek Text

Several weeks ago I decided I would read the entire NT in canonical order in the Greek text for my devotional time each morning. I just finished Philemon, thus finishing the Pauline writings. This is for my Greek students who read the blog--you can do this too! You have just finished the grammar and can read the Greek NT. I would urge you to buy Kubo's Readers Lexicon and allow it to help you. I've told you many times that it is the only book other than the Bible I use every day.

Surviving the Whys--A Sermon Psalm 73

Here is a brief outline of a message I preached last Sunday at Riverside: "Surviving the Whys of Life." The text is Psalm 73.

Sometimes focusing on the unanswerable questions of life, most of which begin with 'Why,' can sink you into a spiritual abyss. How do you survive?

The writer of Psalm 73 envied the wicked. He asked why they prospered and he didn't. He survived the crises of belief and came to understand that God is good to Israel [v. 1]. The principles found in the passage will also enable you to survive the 'Why' questions.

1. Remember the church [v. 15]. You have a responsibility to the church to remain steadfast in the faith. Don't minimize your influence. If you turn your back on God, how many will you take with you?

2. Worship God [vv. 16-17]. Through worship, God keeps you focused on the big picture. There are three truths plainly taught in this section of the Psalm:

• Pain is temporary [vv. 18-19]. The writer of the Psalm became focused on eternity. The wicked will perish. For believers, I believe focusing on eternity will enable you to understand that all pain in this life is temporary [2 Corinthians 4:17].
• Confession is necessary [vv. 21-22]. The "why" questions cause you to fall into Satan trap of questioning God's goodness, justice, grace, love, etc. That is sin. Sin must be confessed. Remember, God is good to those who are pure in heart [v. 1].
• Focus on the blessings [vv. 23-24]. God holds you, guides you, and will receive you into glory. Focusing on the blessings of God instead of questioning God will utimately lead you to victory.

Practice these principles and you begin to ask the right question and get a quick answer [vv. 25-26].

Notice that a crises of belief can often make you stronger on the other side [vv. 27-28].

Note that the Psalmnist, like Job, doesn't find an answer to this question but insights that make the question irrelevant.

ETS Papers

Other than the plenary sessions of Grudem and Mohler, I listened to other papers presented over the weekend at the ETS regional meeting in Ft. Worth. Steve Smith, who teaches preaching at Southwestern, delivered a paper entitled: "A Christology of Preaching." Dr. Smith challenged me to allow the great christological passages of the New Testament to inform my preaching.

Dr. Daniel Wallace gave a detailed critique of Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus. I would agree that Ehrman "does not disappoint on the provocative scale. But it comes up short on genuine substance . . . " Another quote from the paper's conclusion is worth sharing: "Scholars bear a sacred duty not to alarm lay readers on issues that they have little understanding of . . . Unfortunately, the average layperson will leave Misquoting Jesus with far greater doubts about the wording and teachings of the NT than any textual critic would ever entertain."

I also enjoyed Dr. Rex Butler's paper: "Sacramentalism: The Baptismal Practice and Theology of Tertullian and Cyprian." I thought at the paper's conclusion that I certainly would not want to advocate the theology of either Church Father on baptism, but I do wish that we would take baptism more seriously in our churches. The elaborate process that resulted in a new believer's baptism shared in the paper made me wish that we would do more than just "tack on" a baptism during a worship service, hurrying to finish it up so we can get to something else. I don't have the copy of Rex's paper in front of me, but I think I'll blog more on this subject later on.

By the way, Rex showed me a copy of his book [a reworking of his excellent dissertation]. Congratulations!!

Samaritan

The Dallas Morning News recently reported about a deacon at FBC Dallas who was involved in a daring rescue during our recent "flood weekend." I heard his testimony yesterday while listening to the FBC radio broadcast on KCBI. You can probably still access the story at:

http://www.dallasnews.com

The story originally ran March 20. I accessed the story itself at www.bpnews.net

ETS Southwestern Region

I attended the Evangelical Theological Society's regional meeting over the weekend at Southwestern Seminary. I was reminded again what a beautiful facility the MacGorman Conference Center is. I was glad to hear the conference would be at SWBTS again in 2007.

I particularly appreciated a couple of papers I heard. I'll write more of those later. I also heard plenary papers by Dr. Wayne Grudem and Dr. Al Mohler. Southern Baptists are blessed to have a communicator such as Dr. Mohler "on our side!." His paper dealt primarily with the post-modern teachings on sexuality, particularly homosexuality. His strong advocacy of "sola scriptura" not just this weekend but always is encouraging.

Lea Sermon on Cancer

I've blogged recently on the Christian response to cancer. I remembered a chapel sermon at Southwestern by Dr. Thomas Lea, who died from cancer in 1999. The sermon transcript is found in the Southwestern Journal of Theology, Fall 2000 issue, pp. 4-9. In it, Dr. Lea shared some principles he had learned through his struggle. Those principles were:

• God is in charge of all the events in our lives, even our sickness, and he is moving it toward something that is good for us.
• God's grace is given to those who know and understand their weaknesses.
• We receive God's grace to be a person who rejoices in it and thanks God for the goodness that he makes available.
• Ultimately there will be a perfect healing on the other side in glory.

"Knowing these things," he said, "is a source of great encouragement to me."

I'm still working on my sermon on this topic to be given soon at Riverside. Dr. Lea's sermon has given me a great deal to think about. He was a man who truly lived out these princples.

NCAA

My bracket just doesn't look the same as it did when the March Madness began. White-out has been a frequent friend!

Misquoting Jesus

I finished Misquoting Jesus while on vacation last week. I intended to write a full review, but there is really no need. In a recent post, Ben Witherington has shared Daniel Wallace's review of "The Book of Bart" [a la Washington Post] and has added a few comments of his own. I just don't see how I could add any further comments--I essentially agree with Witherington and Wallace.

http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/

One of Witherington's final quotes is worth repeating here: "This author has a strong ax to grind, and the fact that he grinds it well in fluid prose makes it all the more beguiling." Well said.

Joshua 9 Sermon Outline

After a week away from the pulpit, I'm always ready to get back again. We had a smaller than usual attendance on Sunday due to the terrible weather. I wanted to share an outline of a message I preached Sunday night at Riverside from Joshua 9:3-27. Israel wrongly made a peace pact with Gibeon. You can read the passage yourself, of course, but there are two important lessons in the passage that must be considered.

• You better guard against deception-What one writer calls the "Gibeonite ethic of expediency," or what I call just plain ol' dishonesty is rampant in our nation today. But the Bible is clear. You should guard against becoming a deceiver. When you deceive, you are no better than the devil. Remember Jacob, David, as well as Ananias and Sapphira. Also, you must guard against being deceived. The key verse here is v. 14--Joshua did not consult God in this matter. God is close by and always ready to be consulted [see James 1:5]. He has given you His Word, His Spirit, and godly counselors to enable you to make right decisions. You must not make decisions alone.
• You better learn to live faithfully in your mistakes-When Joshua and the elders found out they had been duped, they didn't turn around and destroy Gibeon. They had made a vow in the name of God and could not recant. [Note how important God took that vow in 2 Samuel 21:1]. In spite of pressure from the people, their integrity was more important to them than expediency. Let your yes be yes and your no be no [Matthew 5:37]. A Christian's word should be his/her bond.

How can you learn to live faithfully in mistakes?

• Learn contentment in your circumstance.
• Accept responsability
• Trust God to work good [Romans 8:28]
• Learn the lessons

I think these lessons are good ones for 2006 America!

Blogger on Vacation

There won't be any posts for several days--blogger on vacation! Blessings and be in church on Sunday.

Apologetics

There is a great site offered by the North American Mission Board on apologetics. I've really just started looking at it, but it seems very complete and helpful to pastor and layman alike.

http://www.4truth.net/

Ehrman Article--Comments

I feel I must respond to a few comments made in The Washington Post article on Bart Ehrman [see the link below for the article]. Ehrman is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and was once a conservative evangelical. Text criticism, according to his own testimony, drove him to agnosticism.

• He tells a packed auditorium at the university of North Carolina that while many would say Jesus was either a liar, lunatic, or Lord, there is a fourth option--legend. His religion class is one of the most popular on campus. Isn't it sad that he is propagating an "agnostic" gospel to college students who usually revere the college professor and take what he says to be "gospel."
• He is quoted in the article as telling the class: "In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, you find no trace of Jesus being divine." Is that so? What about His own testimony that He is the Son of Man? What about His miracles? What about His own statements that He came to fulfill the Law? What about the voice of God at His baptism? What about His statements about His authority? What about demons' testimony? It may be true that He never said, "I am God," in the Synoptics, but there is strong testimony in them of His divinity.
• "In Mark," Ehrman is quoted as saying, "Jesus is terrified on the cross." Is that so? I get no sense of that by reading Mark 15. He firmly answers in the affirmative when asked by the religious leaders if he is the King of the Jews [v. 2]. His calm is remarkable before Pilate [v. 5]. There is no hint of his being terrified as Ehrman is reported to claim. His only statement from the cross in Mark is the cry: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" This is believed to be the cry of the terrible separation between the Father and Son as Jesus took our sins upon Himself. The centurion is also amazed at Jesus' demeanor upon the cross as he says, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!" Ehrman's overstatement is remarkable.
• As in his book, Misquoting Jesus, there is emphasis upon the ending of Mark, the "woman caught in adultery" passage in John 8, and the Trinitarian passage of 1 John 5. If Mark's Gospel ended at v. 8 [which I believe it did], there is still testimony of Christ's resurrection, and the other Synoptic Gospels [Matthew and Luke] report resurrection appearances. The "woman caught in adultery" passage may not belong in John 8, but even if the passage is inauthentic [which is highly debatable], does the lack of that passage make Jesus less compassionate? There is no question that the so-called Johannine Comma is not part of the original text of 1 John, but there is more than adequate evidence for the Trinity in the rest of Scripture.

It seems that Ehrman's crises of belief really came to a head when he began to doubt God in the midst of the Ethiopian famines of the 1980s. The problem of a good God and the reality of suffering has been one that has been debated for centuries. Simply put, because of sin there is suffering, but the good God is with His children in the midst of their suffering. His own Son suffered; we will suffer.

Ehrman no longer attends church and doubts whether God pays attention. He calls himself a "happy agnostic;" he drives a BMW, is a poplular teacher, lecturer, author, etc. etc. etc. He believes when you die, there is nothing. It is unfortunate; it is sad. He is wrong. What bothers me most is that his students, late teens and early 20s in age, hear him and probably often believe him. I wonder how many of his students have embraced Ehrman's agnostic views. That's why I encouarge high school seniors to NEVER take a religion course on a secular university campus. There are many teaching just like Ehrman. Parents take note!

I appreciate the fact the story quotes Darrell Bock of Dallas Theological. "Even if I don't have a high-definition photograph of the empty tomb to prove Christ's resurrection, there's the reaction to something after Christ died that is very hard to explain away . . . How did these illiterate, improverished fishermen create such a powerful religion? I can appreciate people feel differently. But sometimes I wonder if we are not all guilty of asking the Bible to do too much."

Bock is also quoted as saying that the same evidence that brought Ehrman to doubt God strengthened his belief in God. Amen! Well said.

Ehrman Article

The Washington Post has an article about Bart Ehrman, dealing primarily with his best-seller Misquoting Jesus.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/04/AR2006030401369.html?sub=AR

Isn't there something highly ironic about an agnostic teaching religion? It is, however, indicative of the religion departments at many if not most universities across America. It's a shame. I'm looking forward to the ETS Southwest Region meeting at Southwestern later this month as Daniel Wallace is presenting a paper dealing with Ehrman's book. I'm reading it now myself and plan a review on the blog when finished.

Alamo

Remember the Alamo! Today is the 170th anniversary of the battle so important to Texans. Each time I've visited the Alamo I've been amazed at how small the actual mission is, although the grounds of the Alamo was much larger then than it is now. By the way, I recorded the John Wayne movie over the weekend and plan to watch it today or tomorrow. It is still great!

Charlie Hodge

Charlie Hodge, most famous for being the guy who always gave Elvis his scarves and his water during concerts, died over the weekend at age 71. Charlie met Elvis in the army and was part of the Memphis Mafia until Elvis' death in 1977.

Conservative Jews and Homosexuality

This is troubling.

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=537

Review

Al Fasol, Roy Fish, Steve Gaines, and Ralph Douglas West, Preaching Evangelistically: Proclaiming the Saving Message of Jesus (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006).

The above authors have done preachers a great favor by writing Preaching Evangelistically. The books fills a void in preaching literature.

The book is comprised of seven chapters. Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, writes two of them. "The Setting of the Evangelistic Sermon" deals with the characteristics of an effective evangelistic service and suggests an order of worship for such a service. Gaines also writes a chapter entitled, "Preparing the Evangelistic Sermon," which is a basic sermon prep primer. There are several suggested texts given in the chapter. Ralph Douglas West, pastor of Brookhollow Baptist Church in Houston, deals with how to select a text for an evangelistic sermon. After establishing the need for evangelistic preaching, West briefly deals with the theology of selecting a text, how to properly search for a text, and also warns against misapplying texts such as Rev 3:20. Al Fasol, Distinguished Professor of Preaching at Southwestern, writes two chapters as well. His first one deal with authority. The authority of the preacher is found in the authority of God's call, the scriptures, and his own character. Fasol's second chapter primarily summarizes his book on sermon delivery. Roy Fish, Distinguished Professor of Evangelism at Southwestern, writes a chapter on giving the evangelistic invitation. After establishing the biblical mandate for the invitation, Fish advocates close planning of the invitation and encourages the preacher to use a variety of methods. The final chapter consists of three evangelistic sermons--one from Fasol, Gaines, and L.R. Scarborough [second president of Southwestern]. The three are different examples of how effective evangelistic preaching can be done.

The strengths of the book are many. First, it is brief; it can be read quickly by the busy pastor/preacher. Second, the subject matter is of utmost importance. Every preacher should plan into his schedule a number of evangelistic sermons; this book will give him many ideas on how to do that more effectively. Third, the book is also a refresher on preaching principles in general and many of the ideas could be used for other types of sermons. '

Gaines' chapter 1, "The Setting of the Evangelistic Sermon," bothered me just a bit. Screens are fine for the words of songs in the service but not necessary, and the offering is more than just something we "tack" on at the end of a service. It is worship too. Also, using screens to project the scriptures being used in the sermons, in my opinion, de-emphasizes bringing one's Bible to church. It seems Gaines is giving us an outline of worship at Bellevue, and while that is o.k., evangelistic sermons can be preached in other contexts just as effectively.

West's chapter was a bit confusing. While the title was "Selecting the Text for an Evangelistic Sermon," he did not deal with the topic in reality until several pages into the chapter. I kept saying as I read, "Where is the discussion of the title?"

My favorite chapters dealt with authority and the invitation. Fasol's insistence that biblical authority is directly tied to how tightly the text is tied to the sermon is absolutely correct. Direct biblical authority, which means that the text is allowed to speak in the sermon loudly and clearly, is the standard for which we should strive. Fish's chapter on the invitation gave me serveral ideas on how to vary how I handle it Sunday to Sunday. I was reminded again how important the invitation is and how it should be as well planned as any part of the sermon.

The sermon examples in the last chapter show how evangelistic preaching can be done in different ways yet still have direct biblical authority.

I recommend that preachers read this book. For those who have not been in preaching class in a long time, it will remind them of important, basic homiletical principles. For all of us who preach the Word, the book serves to promote one of the vital purposes of preaching--to see men, women, boys and girls come to Jesus!

Anthony Burger

I was sad to hear of the sudden passing of Anthony Burger, the super-gifted Southern Gospel pianist. I remember seeing him the first time years ago as he played piano for The Kingsmen quartet. For many years now he has both had a solo career and a featured place in "The Homecoming" concerts and videos of Bill Gaither. I believe he also played piano behind the Gaither Vocal Band. He was only 44 years old. Burger died while playing a "Homecoming" concert during a Gaither cruise last week. Services to honor his life will be held today and later this week in Tennessee.

For more: http://www.baptistcourier.com/277.article