Sermons - September 2010

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Week Of: September 5, 2010

Title: Regeneration: Life Changing Power of God

Series: Doctrine of the Church – Part 11

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:3-11; Titus 3:3-11

1. As Baptists, we believe that church membership, and more importantly Kingdom membership, is being born again instead of being born a natural birth into the church or to the Kingdom. Baptist Preachers and theologians have called this being born again regenerate church membership. It stands opposed to infant baptism or just simply growing up in a church and being a part of that church.

2. Union with Christ is essential to salvation and salvation is essential to being a member of any Baptist church. Salvation is first, then baptism, then church membership.

3. For Baptists (and I’m not saying we are the only ones who believe like this) the church is composed of believers who have experienced grace through the regenerating power of God. We like to quote John 3:3 where Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

4. Being born again is receiving the regenerating power of God which causes and enables us to change. Therefore, I believe that unless there is significant change in our lives, there is no evidence of salvation and if there is no evidence of salvation then there might be no salvation. Notice, I said there might not be salvation because really only God knows for sure.

5. Some people say they can determine if someone else is saved by being fruit inspectors—but when it comes to who is lost or saved only God knows.

6. I am reminded of a revival the youth group from another church here in town went to. The speaker said he had the gift of knowing if someone was saved or not. With that, we walked through the aisles and asked the youth one by one, "are you saved?" When he came to one of the boys from this particular group, he asked if he was saved. The boy responded, "yes." The speaker then said "No you aren't." You can imagine how that boy must have felt thinking he was saved then having a figure of authority telling him he wasn't. Something of this nature goes against our belief that ultimately only God and the individual person can know for sure whether that person is saved or not. I personally believe no one can tell you that you are lost when you believe that you are saved. I think that that has to be between you and God.

7. But at the same time, I think that some noticeable change in that person’s life is important too. I think there should be noticeable differences between a lost person and a saved person. Look at Titus 3:3, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

8. Paul says “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” meaning that these things were something they should have left behind them.

9. So Paul writes to Titus and reminds him to remind his people “to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.” (Titus 3:1ff) He reminds them to live as Christian men and women should live. Live like folks that have received the regenerate power of God and have had their lives changed.

10. I like what he says in Titus 3:4, “but when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth (regeneration) and renewal by the Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

11. This is being born again! This is regenerative church membership.

12. But that is not all!!!! In fact you can say that being born again is just the beginning—it is just the start. Some of us are fast starters and some of us are slow starters, but the important thing is that we start. You cannot finish a race unless you make the start.

13. For Christians, for Baptists it is very important to make the start but also to finish well. So many people profess salvation, get baptized, join the church and we never see them again. They line up at the start line, the gun goes off, the race begins and then they seem to just drop out. There is something wrong with people who line up to begin a race and, once the race begins, they just quit.

14. I’ve never run an actual race before, but from watching my daughter Kara run I believe that running a race competitively is one of the hardest things you do. Getting in shape and learning to run is harder than most of us ever dream to believe. But actually having the stamina, guts, and determination to run hard and to finish in a long race is harder than I have the guts to do.

15. The Christian life is like starting a long, long race and being committed enough to finish a good race no matter how hard it is by the grace of God. I wish I could say that once you were born again things got really easy. But in truth, it may get even harder because now that you are a believer, among other things, you care about the quality of your life. And a believer who is struggling to do what is right always seems to draw Satan’s attention to their existence.

16. So many of the letters in the New Testament are about encouraging Christians not to give up but to live a sanctified and holy life now that they are saved. Much of the New Testament writings are about encouraging fellow Christians not to give up and drop out of the race. Much of the New Testament material is about encouraging you and me to try harder to live a committed and productive Christian life.

17. Look at 2 Peter 1:3-9.

18. Regeneration and sanctification are both and the same process that continues to the day we die…don’t forget that no matter how long you’ve been a Christian you are still a work in process.

Week Of: September 12, 2010

Title: Baptist Identity and Diversity

Series: Doctrine of the Church – Part 12

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:23 – 11:1; Galatians 1:6-9

1. We hear a lot about identity theft today. According to Wikipedia, identity theft is a form of fraud in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity in order to steal something in that person's name.

2. You cannot steal from a person what they do not have. The trouble with many Christians today is that we do not have a strong understanding of who we are and what we believe. We don’t understand what is important to our faith and why it is important.

3. As Southern Baptists, our denomination doesn’t understand its biblical or its historical roots to know who we really are. I think that is one reason we have so many disputes and disagreements. We don’t have a clear understanding of our heritage, doctrine and policy as Baptists.

4. Let me ask you a question: “If someone asked you why you attended a Baptist church instead of a Methodist church or even a Holiness church what would you say?”

5. Would it be doctrine, church policy, worship, or just the fact that you were raised a Baptist that you are Baptist?

6. Let me try to separate and clarify these things and then talk about diversity as Baptists. As Christians I believe that we start with what are our core beliefs. They separate us from other religions and faiths that are not Christians. These are traditional Christian beliefs like the doctrine of the Trinity, a doctrine of God that states God is revealed in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Doctrine that states that Jesus was “conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, on the third day he rose again from the dead.”

7. Baptists doctrinally are Christians who affirm the classic teaching of the Bible and our faith. And we have these core beliefs in common with other Christian denominations. You start messing with these then you run the risk of not being Christian at all.

8. For example, a very liberal Episcopal Bishop by the name of John Spong wrote several books which basically deny the virgin birth, teaches that there is no Incarnation, and of course no resurrection. He also wants to abandon theism, the belief in one God that is outside space and time that is separate from His creation. He calls his doctrine the New Christianity, the Christianity of the Future, but in truth it is no Christianity at all. And some Christians believe him because they don’t have an understanding of what is important to their Christian beliefs.

9. In our Galatians passage, the Apostle Paul is very upset because he believes that some of the Galatians are abandoning the core belief of the self-sufficiency of the Gospel alone (Galatians 1:6-9).

10. What are your core Christian beliefs and why they are so important? Is there any doctrine that you would stake your life on?

11. As we move away from these core beliefs, there are doctrines that are still very important but if you don’t embrace them then you’re still Christian just not Baptist Christian. Many of our Baptist forefathers suffered and died for them (they are very important), but I at least can see how you can differ with them and still be saved. Doctrines like believers baptism…autonomy of the local church, primacy of scripture, separation of church and state, and religious freedom to mention a few.

12. There is in us a basic core identity which is Christian, and without it we are not Christian; but further out, still very important, there is our Baptist identity that favors and seasons everything we are. I could worship God and tolerate being a Methodist, but I am at home being a Baptist. Of all the denominations that I know of, being a Baptist becomes the closest to completing my spiritual identity in Christ.

13. But what about diversity? How much diversity do we allow and still call ourselves Baptists? You would not believe how much diversity God will allow in his people and still be Christian. You would not believe how much diversity there is in the 401 years of Baptist history and really in the history of the Christian faith in general. The New Testament is full of diversity…look at our scripture in 1 Corinthians.

14. As long as diversity does not threaten to dissolve our identity of who we are…it is allowed. In Paul’s world don’t mess with the Gospel, (you also don’t destroy church unity and become moral bankrupt) but you can eat meat sacrificed to an idol as long as a weaker brother is not offended.

Week Of: September 19, 2010

Scripture: James 3

Thanks go out to Tracy Stout, of Bluefield College, for bringing us the message from James at this morning's worship service.

Week Of: September 26, 2010

Title: Not a Silent People

Series: Doctrine of the Church – Part 13

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:14-18

1. If I were to ask you what word or words describe(s) Baptists the most, what would you say? Stubborn, and opinionated. Stubborn because when Baptists get in a rut or in certain way of doing things we don’t like to change.

2. There is poem that I got out of Walter Shurden’s book “Not a Silent People” (which you will recognize that I also got my title from) that goes like this:

Our fathers have been churchmen

1900 years or so

And to every new suggestion

They always answered no.

3. Baptists haven’t been around quite that long but the subject of change usually meets a very stubborn “no.” In fact, do you know what the 7 most famous words in the Baptist church are? “We’ve never done it that way before.”

4. But in case you haven’t noticed, Baptists are also very opinionated. Hopefully it is because we feel so deeply about what we believe. So much so if there are 10 Baptists in a room, there are at least 11 opinions on what needs to be said.

5. Makes you wonder on how we get anything done. I would say there are a least four things that guide the process on us getting what needs to be done. One is people of influence. Every church needs good leaders. Usually folks that are leaders in the church are respected for their opinions. Two, our constitution and by-laws which help guide what we do and how we do it. I would never want be a part of a church that does not have a constitution and by-laws.

6. Three, there is the Blessed and Holy Spirit of God which hopefully guides and keeps us on the road to sanity. Lest, we resist Him and loose our sanity.

7. And fourth, the Word of God. Baptists are people of the Word. We believe that scripture is our sole authority for faith, life, and practice, but the problem is we don’t really understand it nearly enough. It is this mysterious book that we hold dear and sacred, but that we cannot agree on what it says.

8. Partly, because we don’t have and frankly don’t want a Pope or a Bishop telling us what it means. I mean there are times we have a hard enough struggle to accept what our Pastor tells us it means, let alone someone we don’t know nor respect.

9. And then, while we don’t have a big Pope or a powerful bishop telling us what to do or believe there are a lot of little Popes on radio and television who would love to tell you what to do and what to believe. And there are many Baptists (excluding present company, of course) who love to stay home and listen to these want-to-be popes and want-to-be church bishops than to listen to their own Pastors in their own churches.

10. And then also, a lot of folks will more likely believe what their TV preachers say than what their own Pastor has to say. As if somehow you get TV or radio time you have more Bible sense and knowledge than if you don’t. Being on the TV or the radio doesn’t mean that you have any special knowledge or insight, it just means you’ve got more money to throw around. I say this because I believe in the local church and in most cases radio and TV preachers do not help our cause. They add to the confusion of what we should believe about our faith.

11. But then in all honesty, the Bible is not an easy book to understand. For example, I love what Peter writes in our scripture this morning. According to 2 Peter, by the time this little epistle was written, some of Paul’s writings and letters were thought to be scripture—that’s amazing. Then the writer writes this in verse 16 “…His letters (Paul’s letters) contain some things there are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do other scripture….” Did you notice that Peter also states Paul’s letters “contain some things that are hard to understand…?” I like that, Peter is saying that Paul is hard to understand. Amen! And if it is hard for Peter and his readers to understand Paul, how much harder is it going to be for us who live almost 2000 years afterwards?

12. The Bible is the most wonderful and exciting book ever written but it is not easy to understand and consequently when there is no big daddy authority to decide how we should believe then there is going to be a multitude of opinions.

13. And that’s what happened after the Reformation and in the life of Baptists ever since—a multitude of opinions. I am glad that we don’t have anyone but the Bible and the Holy Spirit (and maybe our local preacher J) to tell us what our faith and practice should be. This means I am free to teach and preach the way that God what’s me to teach and preach as long as you don’t fire me. And you in turn are free to believe what you think the Bible and the Holy Spirit wants you to believe. That’s the Baptist way….

14. But the Baptist way puts a lot of responsibility on you, because if ultimately you are the one responsible for what you believe then you must care enough to know what you believe and why you believe it. Consequently, you better study to show yourself approved because there are a lot of ignorant and unstable people out there who will lead not only themselves to spiritual destruction, but also you if you let them.

15. Of course what is the response of some of us to all of these “ignorant and unstable people” we hear about? We stick our heads in the sand and hope they go away.

16. But what happens is that because we don’t know the Bible well enough we cannot discern what is “ignorance” and what is not so we become Biblically illiterate and spiritually malnourished.

17. It is a vicious spiritual circle of neglect and malnourishment and the only cure is sound intentional Biblical studies on your part.

(Note: Next Sunday I want to look at some of the opinions that Baptists have been divided on.)

First Baptist Church of St. Paul, Virginia

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