08
May '20
What is the price?
08
May '20
In a recent Fireside Chat Dennis Prager asks an important question: “What is the price?” According to Prager, asking that question all the time about everything is an adult characteristic, and one of the most important questions regularly asked.
I think Prager is right, but my reasoning is a little different from his. I believe the question “What does it cost?” is so important because of Luke 14:25-35. Follow the link to read that entire (and routinely misunderstood) passage. Here are verses 27-28:
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Counting the cost is fundamental to being a follower of Jesus Christ.
How do we count the cost?
How do we count the cost if we don’t know the price? The only right answer is that to follow Christ is to be all in for Christ. To be Christ’s disciple is to be unconditionally surrendered to Him. Jesus said in Mark 8:34-38:
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
In counting the cost I don’t need a specific price to figure. The upfront agreement is that I am Christ’s at any cost to me because He has already paid the highest price for me (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Galatians 3:13; Colossians 1:14; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 9:12; 1 Peter 1:17-19).
There is no negotiating with the Lord Christ Jesus. He expects and deserves my everything. John Piper has correctly stated that “Authentic discipleship may exact from you the highest price relationally and the highest price physically.” The lives of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Daniel 1-6) certainly bear that out, as well as the lives of the apostles.
All to Jesus I surrender.
Believers don’t bargain with their Lord. They simply believe Him. My resources may stay under my control, but now I’m just a steward, not the King. Now I’m only the manager, not the Owner. I must be ready at any time to let go of everything for sake of Christ and His gospel. Believers answer the question “What is the price?” by assuming the cost is TOTAL. That is the only calculation to be made.
Mark 8:27-38 is the first time Jesus openly taught His disciples about the cost that He would pay on the cross, and the cost of our discipleship. That block of instruction is immediately followed with a glimpse of eternity on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:1-7). To quote Piper again, “There is no cost you can pay in following Jesus that won’t be made up a thousand fold in the resurrection.”
Jesus’ words from John 12:25-26 are even better: “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”
Amen!
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23
Apr '20
When Broken is Better
23
Apr '20
Psalm 34:17-18, “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
Today’s devotional passage calls to mind Mark 2:17 where Jesus taught that those who are well have no need of a physician, only those who are sick. He was not teaching that there are some who are independently righteous and have no need of Him. He taught that only those who recognize their condition will seek the cure. Jesus promises that when a humble heart cries out to God, He will hear and deliver. Which is why I love to sing Rock of Ages:
“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.”
Broken before Jesus is better, because only He can – and will – make you whole.
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17
Apr '20
Eager to Preach
17
Apr '20
Romans 1:15 says, “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.”
That sentence burns with a passionate fire for the gospel, for the God of the Gospel, and for the lost to hear the Gospel. Paul was eager. He was ready and willing to preach. Not his preferences, not his pet peeves, Paul was eager to preach the gospel. Should we be any different?
Life had but one value for Paul. To do the Lord’s work. Paul was consumed by an eager desire to glorify God. He served his Lord with a cheerful and joyful readiness, and in so doing he served others also. This zeal of service was evident in the “faithful men” that Paul mentored. Men like Epaphroditus who, Paul said in Philippians 2:30, “For the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.” Of course, Paul penned those words while in prison for unapologetically proclaiming the gospel!
With All Our Might!
Paul said, “as much as in me is…” that’s passion. Paul had given himself completely to the mission that Christ had given him. Every church has the same mission: going, winning, baptizing, and teaching! Have we given all? Are you willing to give as much as is in you? Our Lord has not asked for little pieces and parts of our lives. Serving Jesus is not about convenience and comfort. We are to serve our Lord and Savior with all our might, offering Him our time…our talent…our treasure…our totality of being so that we might see others rescued from the wages of sin. As J.I. Packer said in Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, the driving force of this evangelistic zeal is a love of God and concern for His glory, and a love of man and concern for his welfare.
Love for the Lost
Having compassion on those in need is Christ-like. Such compassion should mark us and motivate our evangelism. This certainly marked Paul’s evangelism. He loved Jews and Gentiles alike, and he was motivated to become “weak” if necessary in order to “save some.”
We all know what it is like to share good news with someone (having a baby, been promoted, found a job, got a raise, bought a car, the Reds’ won!). We are excited to share good news with others because we know they’ll benefit from hearing it. We know they’ll like it. So we want to be the one who shares the good news.
Can you imagine being less excited about telling someone the infinitely better news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Yet too often I am. How about you?
Love for the Lord
The greatest motivating force for our whole life, including evangelism, must be our love for Christ. Only our love for Him, and more importantly, His love for us, will keep us on track. Ultimately, our motive in evangelism must be a desire to make God’s glory known. When we tell the truth about God to His creation, they benefit and He is glorified!
The call to evangelism is a call to turn our lives outward from focusing on ourselves and our needs to focusing on God and on others made in His image who are still at enmity with Him and in need of salvation from sin and its penalty.
Paul said, “As much as in me is.” Let’s give ourselves, with all our might, to this purpose, with this passion.
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16
Apr '20
Do You Know Jesus?
16
Apr '20
Do you know who Jesus is? The only way to truly answer that question is to search for answers in the scriptures. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Jesus is a DIVINE Person
- “In the beginning” – That’s eternity
- “with God” – That’s equality
- “was God” – That’s divinity
Jesus is God spelling Himself out in a language we can understand.
Jesus is a HUMAN Person
In John 1:14 we learn that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” and John was an eyewitness to this so he parenthetically adds “(and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
God the Son become the God-Man with His birth in Bethlehem. That was so because man has a problem. That problem is sin, and sin pays wages. Sin earns death. Men are spiritually dead by nature, and to physically die in that condition leads to eternal death and eternal punishment for our sin. Only man is able to pay for man’s sins, and only Christ’s death could purchase our pardon. The divine Christ became human in order to free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death (see Hebrews 2:14-18).
Jesus is the God-Man
Jesus understands us. He knows and cares. During His brief ministry on this earth He caused the blind to see, the crippled to walk, the deaf to hear, the mute to speak. All of that was to authenticate and demonstrate who He was, and how He alone is able to make you whole. Jesus never ceased being divine, and He will forever be a man. He was not and is not half-and-half. Jesus does not wear His divinity hat sometimes and His humanity hat other times. He is the only and the perfect God-Man.
- So human He got tired. So divine He said, “come unto Me, and I will give you rest.”
- So human He got hungry. So divine He fed thousands from a boxed lunch.
- So human He got thirsty. So divine He said, “drink of the water that I give, and you’ll never thirst again.”
- So human He cried at a funeral. So divine He raised the dead to life!
- So human He died on the cross. So divine that He rose again three days later and offers eternal life to all.
Ask yourself two questions.
Do I know this Jesus? Does Jesus know me?
Jesus addressed a large group of religious people when He said…
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” John 10:27-30
Do you know this Jesus? More importantly, does He know you?
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15
Apr '20
Now is the Time
15
Apr '20
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. Ecclesiastes 1:1-5
Not an encouraging outlook on life, but one that does echo in many hearts. Ecclesiastes is a textbook on the true philosophy of existence. The Preacher speaks like a philosopher. He uses the observable facts of this life “under the sun” to reveal the truth that lasting happiness and genuine satisfaction cannot be found in what this world has to offer alone. Pursue happiness and satisfaction under the sun only and you will find what Mick Jagger discovered. “I can’t get no satisfaction.”
The Preacher had tried. He thoroughly explored three different avenues of life. He tried the streets of…
Intellectualism
He sought to expand his mind and learn all that was humanly possible. He succeeded. There has not been one wiser than Solomon, but he learned that information alone cannot fill the needs of the heart or satisfy the soul. Our minds matter, but our own intellect and scientific rationalism cannot provide the ultimate answers to life. Education is a good thing but turn it into your god and it will leave you in despair.
Hedonism
Since knowledge and information were unable to satisfy the soul, the Preacher indulged himself in every pleasure. He didn’t hold back. No one drank more, had more sex, enjoyed more art, or laughed at more comedians than the Preacher, but all of that just proved to be another dead-end street. Pleasure is a good thing, but because of the Fall, it is not a trustworthy life guide. Turned into a god, pleasure becomes slavery.
Workaholism
The Preacher was a master builder. His projects were magnificent and to be envied. While hard work is a virtue, workaholism is as ultimately satisfying as plowing water. Industriousness is a great characteristic, but a miserable god.
The Preacher explored all these avenues of living and found each of them to unhappy dead-end streets. He ultimately discovered that all his intelligence, indulgences, and industriousness were meaningless under the sun.
That’s the first eleven chapters, and in chapter twelve, the last of the book, he brings his talk to a conclusion by driving home four foundational truths. That will be out focus tonight for the livestream. Here are your viewing options:
- Follow this link to view the livestream directly from our Vimeo page. If you search for our feed on Vimeo use “bbc church.”
- Click the “Watch Video” button on the church’s Facebook page.
- Watch us on Facebook Live
- Watch us on YouTube If you search for us on YouTube use “Bible Baptist Church, Mt. Vernon.”
All of these options are available because we want to make it easy for you to follow along. Please set aside the time to tune in at 7 pm. Have your Bibles open.
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12
Apr '20
The Day Death Died
12
Apr '20
Fear is powerful. Scripture teaches that the fear of God is the way of knowledge, wisdom, fruitfulness and joy. There is such a thing as healthy fear, but often our fear is unhealthy. You may discern the difference when your fear leads you to sinful practices. Fearing poverty, some put their career before anything and anyone else. Fearing loneliness, many behave against their better judgment thirsting for acceptance. Fearing failure, many will lie, cheat, steal, or worse. This means that the problem isn’t fear but what we do with our fears.
The greatest of all fears is the fear of death. That fears is universal, because death comes to us all. The rich cannot buy their way out of it. The intellectual can’t outsmart it. The physically gifted cannot outrun or outlast it. Death is the great leveler of humanity. No event is so sobering because no event is so final or so mysterious. The prospect of going through the veil by ourselves is enough to overwhelm any of us with fear.
Fear is what has humanity by the throat right now. We’re afraid to touch or be touched. We’re afraid of the air we breathe because we’re afraid of COVID-19. Our fear what we don’t understand, and we don’t know much about this new coronavirus other than out fears that it is a death sentence, either for ourselves or our loved ones.
Good news for the fearful!
Here is some good news. Christ Jesus came into this world to free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. John 11 recounts the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and provides a preview of Christ’s own resurrection. That chapter teaches us some comforting truths as we think about our own mortality. That will be our text this Easter morning.
One of my favorite passages of all scripture is John 11:25-6, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
View this morning’s livestream by following this link or by clicking the “Watch Video” button on our church’s Facebook page. A Facebook account is not required to visit that page.
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09
Apr '20
All One in Christ Jesus
09
Apr '20
Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Regardless of ethnicity, language, gender, education level, or socio-economic standing we all are made in the image of God. We also are all equally guilty as sinners by nature, and are all equally and righteously condemned to death. But God in His great love, while we were yet sinners, provided salvation for us all through the death of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. All who repent of their sins and turn in faith to the risen Christ are equally saved and equal before God. A converted woman remains a woman. A poor person does not become materially wealthy at conversion, but all who come to Christ are received by Him, and the identity and inheritance of all believers is found in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
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08
Apr '20
This Church and This Crisis
08
Apr '20
The Church as an Institution
The Lord Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [Petros – a rock or stone], and upon this rock [petra – a massive rock; a foundation; Jesus was referring to Himself] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The Apostle Paul wrote to his protégé Timothy, who was pastoring the church at Ephesus, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15)
In chapter 3:14-21 of his letter to that Ephesian church, Paul recorded a prayer he often offered to God for them. He ended that prayer with these words, “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
The Church as an Assembly
The writer of Hebrews said this about the weekly church gathering in 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
In 1 Corinthians 11:18-31 Paul instructed the church at Corinth on the Lord’s Supper. Five times in those fifteen verses Paul references “coming together.” That makes sense, because the Greek word translated “church” in the New Testament is ekklēsia and it means “a called out assembly.” By definition, an assembly must come together.
But BBC isn’t Assembling
Bible Baptist Church is an assembly that hasn’t been assembling. What gives? Bible Baptist Church also observes the Lord’s Supper each year before Easter, but we won’t be “coming together” this year. What gives?
That’s what we will be discussing with our Bibles open tonight at 7pm during our livestream Bible study. You have viewing options:
- Follow this link to view the livestream directly from our Vimeo page. If you search for our feed on Vimeo use “bbc church.”
- Click the “Watch Video” button on the church’s Facebook page.
- Watch us on Facebook Live
- Watch us on YouTube If you search for us on YouTube use “Bible Baptist Church, Mt. Vernon.”
All of these options are available because we want to make it easy for you to follow along. Please set aside the time to tune in at 7 pm. Have your Bibles open.
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29
Mar '20
This Sunday’s Sermon
29
Mar '20
We are making our way through Mark on Sunday mornings. Today we will walk in 9:38-50. As we work through this text we should learn about…
- the folly of misplaced zeal,
- the seriousness of discipleship,
- the necessity to deal drastically with your own sin, and
- the fact that we are called to be salty rather than sinful Christians.
As Sinclair Ferguson writes in Let’s Study Mark:
“Our Lord’s point is that unless we maintain the purity of our own lives and are purified by the flames of testing, and remain faithful to Christ, our lives will have no preserving influence on this corrupt world. If we begin to fall into the same patterns of life as those which are characteristic of the world, we will never be able to point men and women to another world.”
Sin is serious. Discipleship is, too, and both must be treated as such. Dealing seriously with sin will enable continued spiritual growth. That will produce increased joy, no matter the circumstances. This is serious and for our joy.
We will not gather for worship today, but the sermon will be live-streamed. Follow this link to watch the video feed.
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