A post I actually wrote. Ha!

How can I know God’s will concerning my situation? It’s a question I’ve asked in the past and a question I hear often. Here’s my take on it.

We can only know the revealed will of God as it is given to us in the Scriptures. I think it is dangerous to go beyond that and presume that God is leading me to x or y. I think I can look in the review mirror and say that God has led me.

But, looking forward, I think it is my responsibility:

1. to stay within the spirit and the letter of the laws of God,

2. to pray for guidance,

3. to inquire of wise godly counselors,

4. and to research and apply my wisdom and knowledge.

5. And, be willing to change course as circumstances warrant.

We do not have a crystal ball. The Old Testament warns us against trying to foresee the future.

Obey God… live and learn. Relax about having precise certainty. Instead of certainty, God’s will is that we be dependent on Him as we go. God gives us much freedom of will.

Even an article in the Times discusses how some people have presumed on God, thinking they have God’s will to over extend themselves into debt because they believe they have a sign or a special word from God.

You can read that article here: Maybe We Should Blame God for the Subprime Mess – TIME.

Trust in God’s word as revealed in Scripture. That is God’s will for your life.

clipped from www.time.com

Maybe We Should Blame God for the Subprime Mess

By David Van Biema Friday, Oct. 03, 2008

In a post last week, I listed a link to Steven Newell’s post, Christian Worship: Christ centered preaching. I don’t want you to miss out on reading his post. I took similar notes from Todd Wilken and listed my notes in my post, Christless Christianity. Steven Newell’s notes are more detailed than mine, so below, I have excerpted the last half of his post for you. His whole post is exceptionally good and I strongly encourage you to click the link above to read his whole article.

Many sermons that preached today are not Christ centered messages. Many pastors have replaced the message of the cross with a focus on the Christian life, society or other issues that are not the Gospel. Rev. Todd Wilkins, host of Issues, Etc. radio program has developed a good test to determine if the sermon that the pastor preaches is a Christ centered sermon. Here we are focusing on what the pastor says, not the delivery style or their ability to effectively communicate or entertain an audience, but the content of what is being said. This set of questions is a tool that you can use when listen to a sermon. Content is everything in a sermon!

1. How often is Jesus mention?
2. If Jesus is mentioned, is He the subject of the verbs?
3. What are those verbs?

First, if Jesus is not mentioned, then you know that this is not a Christ centered sermon and not a Christian sermon. Jesus can be mentioned in his various names and titles. Just because Christ is mentioned, doesn’t make the sermon a Christian sermon, especially if the Gospel is not present nor proclaimed.

Second, when Jesus is mentioned, is he the subject of the verbs? In every sentence, there is a subject and a verb. If Jesus isn’t the subject, then who is? If Jesus isn’t the subject of the verbs, then this cannot be a Christ centered sermon. When someone other than Christ is the subject of the sentence, then Christ cannot be the focus of the sermon.

Next, look at the verbs associated with Jesus in the sermon. Are the verbs associated with Jesus passive or active? Is Jesus doing the action or is he being acted upon? If Jesus isn’t the active player in the verbs, then who is? If the pastor is placing the individual as the active player, then this sermon is not a Gospel sermon. For example, “Jesus is waiting for you to give your life to him” places Jesus as the passive player and the individual as the active player. If the pastor says “Jesus has saved you and gives you life” he is placing Jesus as the active player and you as the passive player. This is very important since the Gospel is not about what we do for Christ, but what Christ has already done for us.

At the end of the sermon, ask yourself these to questions: “What is our problem that the pastor has identified in their sermon?” and “What is the solution for our problem?” Is the problem that we are sinful by nature or that we make mistakes? How the pastor defines our problem is critical to how Christ is part of the solution. His definition of the problem also impacts the roll of Christ in the solution. If the problem is anything less than man’s sinful nature and being dead to God, then the problem the pastor defines isn’t the same problem that the bible defines are our problem.

What is the solution that the pastor provides? If the solution is to “Give your heart to Jesus” or “Change your attitude” places the focus on the individual as the source of the solution. This is not a Christ centered sermon but a human centered sermon. The Biblical solution is always what Christ has done for you on the cross.

In a post last week, I listed a link to Chris Anderson’s post, What is Christ-Centered Preaching? This.
I don’t want you to miss out on reading his post. Below, I excerpt parts of his post for you. So, enjoy and click the link above to read his whole article.

By the way, my Twitter friend, Jason Sutton (Jason, I can’t say that I’m a fan of the UT wallpaper on your Twitter page… GO BAMA!… ahem… where was I?) Jason reminded me to tell you that I am not advocating gospel sermons as a means of evangelism. I and the authors of the posts that I’m recommending, are advocating that Christ-centered, cross-focused weekly sermons are for Christians gathering to worship Jesus Christ for Who He is and for the great work He accomplished on the cross. All of Scripture somehow points to the redemptive story-line of Scripture. Whichever portion of the Bible that is preached, the preacher should clearly tie it to the grand theme of the Bible, which is Christ and Him crucified. And, another twitter friend, Matt Delves (who could double as young Francis Schaeffer, though Matt often uses the older Francis Schaeffer image as a Twitter avatar), reminded me to not forget the resurrection. He’s so right… the resurrection is God’s sign that He has accepted the Ultimate Sacrifice and so the resurrection is an integral part of the gospel.

Okay, again I will say… below, I excerpt parts of Chris Anderson’s post for you. So, enjoy and click the link above to read his whole article.

By the way, this focus on Christ-centered things is no fad, nor is it merely a matter of semantics. The cross work of Christ is the heart of Christianity, and it must be the heart of our preaching. Think about it: How many sermons have you preached (on virtues, parenting, responsibilities, sins, etc.) that would have been well-received in a Jewish synagogue, Muslim mosque, JW Kingdom Hall, or Mormon…whatever? “Many” is my honest answer. It’s easy to preach “biblical” messages that aren’t distinctly Christian. However, to do so is to offer morality rather than Christianity and to set people up for legalism and failure. We must preach a distinctly Christian message about virtues, home, responsibilities, sins, and other issues. To do so means that we’re preaching “Christ crucified” and showing how that applies to everyday life.

and then,

…we forget that “context” is more than the words, sentences and paragraphs that surround a particular text. The larger context for every passage and message is Christianity. And frankly, it’s much easier to preach outo’sto’s than to’sto’s. I’m not suggesting that we neglect the former, but we must tie it inseparably to the latter. Only Gospel-centered preaching is distinctly Christian preaching. We must preach Christ more intentionally, week in and week out.

In a post a couple of days ago, I listed a link to C. J. Mahaney’s post, Preaching and Sightings of Calvary. I don’t want you to miss out on reading his post. Below, I excerpt parts of his post for you. So, enjoy and click the link above to read his whole article.

I’m reminded of the correction given to a young preacher named Martyn Lloyd-Jones (then in his 20s). After Lloyd-Jones preached as a visitor in a certain church, one of the town’s local pastors approached him to correct him on his neglect of the cross. Later in life, Lloyd-Jones reflected on this correction and wrote,

I was like Whitefield in my early preaching. First I preached regeneration, that all man’s own efforts in morality and education are useless, and that we need power from outside ourselves. I assumed the atonement but did not distinctly preach it or justification by faith. This man set me thinking and I began to read more fully in theology.

If a preacher like Lloyd-Jones needed this correction, if Mark Dever needed this correction, how much more do all pastors need this correction!

Later in the post C. J. says regarding himself,

Everything I taught in those sermons was clearly rooted in Scripture. Yet I failed to draw attention to the story line of Scripture. I had not drawn attention to the One greater than David. I failed to preach the gospel.

And then, C. J. states,

The message of the cross is central to the commission of the preacher, is to be on display in every sermon, is cultivated from every text of Scripture, and is embedded within every topic and doctrine intended to nourish the church.

Read the whole article at the link above… it is a very good read.