God Became Flesh - A Christmas Sermon

Many wonderful passages in the Bible came about as a result of controversy. The Epistle to the Galatians, for example (quite possibly the first New Testament book that was written) came about as a result of controversy. Think of a wonderful passage like this one:

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.--Galatians 4:4-5

Were it not for controversy that verse would not have been written. The same is true for our text this morning. The First Epistle of John came about through controversy. Written toward the end of the first century, the writer (who does not name himself in the book at all, but whom tradition names John the Apostle) is writing because of error which has crept into the Church.

The error he addresses was an early form of Gnosticism known by the name of Docetism. It was the idea that Jesus had not really come in the flesh, but that he had been some sort of spirit-being. The reason for this divergence was because of the influence of Greek thinking in Christian circles. It was believed by many Greek thinkers that everything physical or material was inherently bad and that only that which was spiritual was good--because the 'spiritual', to them, was a higher mode of being than the 'physical.'

When this thinking infiltrated the Church it manifested itself in this way: people began to deny the humanity of Christ. He wasn't really human, you see, because that would have made him physical and material and that was bad. He must have been just a spirit-being who only appeared in human form, but wasn't actually human.

John saw this as an insidious error that, in effect, destroyed the heart of the gospel. God indeed became human, he affirmed. God took on flesh. God was manifest in the flesh. We apostles are witnesses of these things. Theologians call this concept--that God became flesh--the Incarnation of Christ.

The Incarnation is what Christmas is all about. John wrote in his gospel:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.--John 1:14

Below you will find a link to the sermon I preached on Christmas morning about the Incarnation. The text was 1 John 1:1-4. I hope you will listen and rejoice in the good news that God became flesh one dark night two millennia ago that he might save us from our sin.



Click here:  1 John 1:1-4 -- God Became Flesh



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Galatians 1:6-9 - A Warning of Apostasy

Something important is missing from this epistle. There is no prayer of thanksgiving after the salutation.

There is no description of their state of grace or who they are in Christ. There is no thanksgiving given for what Christ has done and is doing in them. For those who are familiar with Paul's letters the absence of this thanksgiving is remarkable. It is the only one of his epistles from which it is missing.

This is because the Galatian churches are descending into apostasy.

There is a mistaken notion in some of our modern American churches, evangelical and otherwise, that it is somehow wrong or ungraceful to ever question the salvation of individuals who profess to be believers in Christ. Yet, in the first century this was done all the time. Questioning the genuineness of the professions of faith of the Galatian churches is what Paul is doing right now.

Not only that, but because we preach a gospel which produces an eternal salvation, and because we believe rightly in the eternal security of the believer, we have de-emphasized the threat of apostasy as if apostasy is impossible. 

Understand that apostasy is impossible for those who are genuinely in Christ. Nevertheless there are genuine warnings throughout the New Testament of the dangers of falling away from Christ. Those warnings are important and deserve to be emphasized, not dismissed or downplayed. The warnings are given to all professing believers, or those who 'claim' to be Christians. It is clear that not all those who claim to be Christians genuinely are.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’--Matthew 7:21-23

The worry that these Galatian churches have abandoned the gospel is what has prompted this passionate epistle from Paul. He is making his plea to them to come back to the genuine gospel and thus to come back to Christ.

False professors are a fact. They have always been around and always will be until Christ returns. That is one reason why we emphasize the gospel so much in every worship service even when we have no visitors. It is also why we should strive to maintain the integrity of the church roll, looking for outward signs of apostasy from the faith and seeking to restore such ones. But those who will not be restored should be removed.

Moreover we should always be checking ourselves.

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.--1 Peter 1:10-11

Some do leave the faith. What are we to make of that, especially in light of what we believe about eternal security, or as it is more properly called, the perseverance of the saints? John writes:

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.--1 John 2:19

Special note should be taken that these specifically to whom John refers left the faith over theological matters. They departed from the faith theologically. In other words, they questioned, then doubted, then rejected essential Christian doctrine. In 1 John that doctrine concerned the nature of Christ, specifically his humanity. In Galatians, that apostasy is a departure from the gospel, or what has come to be termed as 'justification by faith alone,' as we shall see as we go further into the Epistle.

God has entrusted us with a sacred message. We dare not mishandle it. We dare not change it in any way. In this sense, maintaining the purity of the message becomes just as important as proclaiming it. The gospel is God's. We must be very careful to preach it in all its fullness and all its glory and all its simplicity, not 'paring down its rough edges' (as Spurgeon put it), not encumbering it with extra-biblical garbage, not changing it in the slightest.

The gospel is that God came down in Christ to save us. It includes all the truth about Christ and what he did. All who believe that message and embrace Christ are saved. Those who reject it are not.

Below you will find a recording of this informal Bible study which I taught at the Winnsboro Reformed Church three nights ago. I hope you will take the time to listen, investigate for yourself, and be confirmed in your faith. Just click the link below. God bless.



Click here:  Galatians 1:6-9 - A Warning of Apostasy



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Psalm 41 - Be Gracious To Me, O Lord!

Most people have never noticed, but the book of the Bible we know of as "Psalms" is divided into five parts, or books. The division goes like this:

Book 1:  psalms 1-41
Book 2:  psalms 42-72
Book 3:  psalms 73-89
Book 4:  psalms 90-106
Book 5:  psalms 107-150

Psalm 41 completes the first book of the Psalms. It begins, like Psalm 1, with a 'blessed.'

Blessed is the one who considers the poor!

In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;

Looking at the First Book of the Psalms as a whole we realize that it can be looked at, at least in part, as a tutorial on how to live the 'blessed' life.

Blessed are those whose lives are saturated by the word of God. --Psalm 1:1-2

Blessed are all those who take refuge in God.--Psalm 2:12

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.--Psalm 32:1

Blessed are the chosen people of God--Psalm 33:12

Blessed are those who trust in God--Psalm 34:8

Blessed is the one who makes the LORD his trust--Psalm 40:4

And now blessed is the one who considers the poor.

But what does it mean to 'consider' the poor? It means to help them in their time of need and not to take advantage of them. Those who use their abundance to help others in time of need will find that they, too, will be helped by the Lord in their time of need.

In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;

Notice that the promise is not that days of trouble will never come. Rather the promise is that when the day of trouble comes the Lord will deliver him. Christians ought not be misers. Christians ought to be generous.

The old proverb says:

"There was a man, and some did count him mad,

The more he gave away the more he had."

But Psalm 41 is more than just a sermon on generosity. It is a prayer for God's grace. David is going through a time of trial and he is calling upon God to forgive his sin and heal his condition. Then, after pleading with God for grace he begins to expound upon the un-grace of those who around him. This un-grace builds and builds with each verse until it culminates in verse 9:

(9) Even my close friend in whom I trusted,

who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

Although we cannot say for sure, it is likely that in these lines there is an allusion to Ahithophel, the close confidant of David who betrayed him in the rebellion of Absalom (2 Samuel 15-17). Ahithophel joined sides with Absalom and when the tide turned against Absalom, Ahithophel went out and hanged himself. What a picture that is of Judas and his betrayal of Jesus and how afterward he went out and hanged himself. Jesus himself pointed back to verse 9 in John 13 and called it a prophecy of that betrayal.

This was the last of my sermons from the book of Psalms for a good while. I will perhaps take up with Psalm 42 at a later date, but until then this is it. I hope you will take the time to click the link below and listen to the sermon found there. It was preached yesterday at the Winnsboro Reformed Church. I hope you will find it a blessing.


Click here:  Psalm 41 - Be Gracious To Me, O Lord!



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Galatians 1:1-5 - For What Did Christ Die?

There is controversy in the early church and it is controversy over matters of theological import. So important is this controversy that in Acts 15 the Apostles call together the first Church counsel to resolve the matter. The controversy is over the nature of the gospel and its relation to the Law of Moses. More specifically it is centered around these Gentile converts and what to require of them in order for them to be received into full fellowship with the Church. At the heart of the matter are the covenants, both Old and New (and Abrahamic) and how they relate to each other. Paul writes this letter to the churches of Galatia in order to correct some false teachers.

In our last look at this opening salvo/salutation we focused on what Paul had to say about his authority as an apostle and what that meant for us and to us today. In this next lesson we point out two other noteworthy items from this salutation, one that is stated explicitly, and one that is not.

The first point is the non-controversial way in which Paul refers to the deity of Christ. Paul clearly believes that Jesus is God. We point that out and then talk about the ramifications of that truth to some more modern controversies in the Church today as well as some recurring heresies brought to the fore through modern pseudo-scholarship.

The second point we spend more time on, and it stems from the language Paul uses to describe the death of Christ in verse four and what Christ intended to do through that death.

Clearly, to Paul, the very death of Christ and what he intended to accomplish through it should be enough to silence the arguments of his opponents who are trying to seduce the Galatian churches. Here he mentions it briefly, making a clear opening statement. Later he expounds on it in a greater way as we shall see when we get to passages like 2:20 and 3:13-14. But for now we point out the meaning of the words Paul uses to describe the death of Christ and what that tells us about what his death accomplished on behalf of those for whom he died.

Sometimes you will see people get hung up on arguing over the question of "for whom did Christ die." Did he die for every single person who ever lived or did he die for his elect people only? Instead of tackling that question we focus on the question of "what did Christ's death accomplish for those for whom he died." Answer that second question correctly and you will have the answer to the first.

I hope you will take the time to listen and think about the passage and what it means. This is not a sermon, this is an informal lesson in a small-group setting. I also invite questions so if you have them feel free to ask using the comments below. Most of all I pray that the Spirit of God will use the word of God to drive home the truth of God to your heart so that you will grow in grace and continue to experience all of the blessings we have in Christ Jesus--spiritual blessings purchased for us by Christ at the cross. Just click the link below to listen.


Click here: Galatians 1:1-5 - For What Did Christ Die?



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Galatians 1:1-3 - On Final Authority

These Wednesday night studies are not sermons, per se. They are informal, small-group studies where we take the time to dissect the text and try to explain it piece by piece while not losing sight of how it fits into the whole. This is the second lesson from the book of Galatians and there is much to absorb and apply. While we kind of sort of cover three or four verses in this study, we have by no means exhausted it and will be returning to it in the next lesson. But here we get a good start.

Paul is in the midst of a great controversy. In fact, it is the first controversy that the early church faced and it is happening within twenty years of the crucifixion of Christ. This letter that Paul writes to the churches of Galatia is addressing that controversy. There is a group of people whom Paul names enemies of the gospel who have come preaching "another" gospel which Paul says is no gospel at all. Knowing that their message contradicts Paul's message they have attacked Paul personally and made the claim that Paul is no real apostle. They attack his authority to speak on these matters and claim for themselves that authority. So Paul begins his letter by defending his apostleship and his authority and he does so from the opening verse. Paul has come out swinging.

But there is much more to be gleaned from this than just understanding the matter at hand. There are implications that we discuss in the lesson--implications about authority and truth and how God speaks and has spoken. There are also implications about who Christ is in relation to his nature and the nature of the Trinity. These are not tedious details but vitally important concepts that address our day to day lives as Christians and modern-day controversies within the Church. Here is an excerpt which will serve to illustrate that:

"There is another pernicious view circulating in some Christian circles today which we can and should address here as well. That is the view that what the apostles wrote was good for them, but not to be considered authoritative for us. God speaks to us also, only in different ways. This teaching robs the Bible of its authority and renders the office of apostle irrelevant."

There is nothing new under the sun and Satan's attacks on God's truth and the gospel are present in every age. Let us endeavor to be zealous for these truths and the gospel so that the same truths that Paul preached and defended will be preached in our day and in the generations to come.

Below is a link to this Bible study. I hope you will take the time to listen and to ponder these things and may God bless you as you seek his face.


Click here:  Galatians 1:1-3 - On Final Authority



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Psalm 40 - Glad News of Deliverance

Psalm 40 was a joy to prepare and preach because it is so full of Christ and the gospel. From beginning to end it is a song of deliverance. The psalm was fitting to be preached during this time of year--the Advent season--because that is what Christmas is all about. It is about our salvation. It is about our deliverance. And this psalm speaks of Christ's obedience to the Father and his taking on flesh to come give himself on the cross to deliver us. The psalm even points to the resurrection--and our resurrection in Christ, both spiritually and one day, physically.

Here is a short excerpt from the middle of the sermon:

"Have you ever thought about how patient God is? See him in his might and his majesty. I know that's not possible now, but try to imagine it. Here is this magnificent God, the all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful Creator and Sustainer of the universe. See him as he delivers small, insignicant David. Why does he do it? Well, because he loves David. Let that sink in. But then contemplate this. Why does he love David? Because that's who he is.

Here we have a whole world of people created in the image of God who care nothing about him, know nothing about him, care nothing about seeking him. Why should he stoop to deliver David? Why should he stoop to deliver any of us? Especially in light of the fact, as we shall see, he is rescuing David from some trouble that David has gotten himself into by his own sin. But he does. And he stooped to deliver you. And he stooped to deliver me. And that is his plan.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the LORD.

And here we are faced with the cross again. Why do we make much of the cross? Why are we always talking about sin and forgiveness and death and resurrection? Because the cross is the centerpiece of God's glory. It is the work of redemption and it is the place where our redemption took place. When God delivered Christ from the cross by raising him from the dead he delivered us as well."

Psalm 40 reminds us that we are to make much of Christ and the gospel. I hope that you will. I hope that it will become the focus of your life. And if you don't know Christ and you haven't experienced his grace, may he turn your heart today toward him. O taste and see that the Lord is good!

(Below is the link to the sermon.)


Click here to listen:  Psalm 40 - Glad News of Deliverance


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Introduction to Galatians

Galatians! What a fabulous book! What a fascinating read! Galatians is arguably the most important book in church history and quite possibly the first New Testament book that was written. If we give it the early date, assuming that Paul was writing to the churches he started on his first missionary journey in Acts 13 and 14, and that it was written before the council in Jerusalem which takes place in Acts 15 as seems likely, that puts the date of its writing around 48 AD, less than twenty years after the death and resurrection of Christ.

Galatians is an epistle, in other words an open letter that was intended for public reading. The Epistle to the Galatians is a polemic--an argument. It was written to combat an early false teaching that was being promulgated by certain Jewish converts to Christ and it contends earnestly for the gospel as delivered by Christ. It is a passionate letter written by a passionate hand. In fact, it may be the only of Paul's letters written by his own hand.

Less than twenty years after Christ and in the midst of its early expansion the Church experienced its first controversy. Knowing the history of events after Christ ascended to heaven and having an idea of the history and culture of the Jewish people from the intertestamental period into the first century helps give a clear understanding of how this controversy took place and what was at stake in it. In this Bible study I endeavor to set the table for us to get a deeper understanding of this book. We are about to go on a journey verse by verse through Galatians and I hope you will join us as we do. This opening lesson went a little longer than I expected, but we hope to take smaller bites as we proceed. I hope that you will take the time to click and listen. God bless you.


Click here:  Introduction to Galatians


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Psalm 39 - A Complaint to God

Have you ever been angry with God? David is and Psalm 39 is the written record of his complaint to God. It is one of the darker of the psalms and it reminds us that life is sometimes very dark as well. About what is David angry? It appears as if David is angry over some rough chastisement he has received at the hand of God because of some sin that he has committed. See his complaint?

Remove your stroke from me;

I am spent by the hostility of your hand.

When you discipline a man

with rebukes for sin,

you consume like a moth what is dear to him;

surely all mankind is a mere breath.

Psalm 39:10-11 ESV

What David says here about the span of our lives is profound. We need to be reminded of it. God is eternal and our lives are very short indeed. While God is taking the long view, ours is but a very short horizon. God does eternal things, who are we to question what we are not even capable of comprehending? Look at verse 5:

Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,

and my lifetime is as nothing before you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!

Charles Spurgeon wrote about this verse:

“Think of eternity, and an angel is as a newborn babe, the world a fresh blown bubble, the sun a spark just fallen from the fire, and man a nullity. Before the Eternal, all the age of frail man is less than one ticking of a clock. Verily, every man at his best state is altogether vanity. This is the surest truth, that nothing about man is either sure or true. Take man at his best, he is but a man, and a man is a mere breath, unsubstantial as the wind. Man is settled, as the margin has it, and by divine decree it is settled that he shall not be settled. He is constant only in inconstancy. His vanity is his only verity; his best, of which he is vain, is but vain; and this is verily true of every man, that everything about him is every way fleeting. This is sad news for those whose treasures are beneath the moon; those whose glorying is in themselves may well hang the flag half mast; but those whose best estate is settled upon them in Christ Jesus in the land of unfading flowers, may rejoice that it is no vain thing in which they trust.”

Think of the vanity and emptiness that sums up almost all human activity. We live our short, dramatic lives for what? At the end what is there to show for it? What is its purpose? Most lives are lived purposelessly.

Knowing this, knowing how weak and frail and insignificant we are apart from God, who are we to question him or become angry with him over anything? But David does. And oftentimes so do we.

Below is a link to an audio recording of the sermon I preached from Psalm 39. I hope you will take the time to click and listen. And I hope you will take inventory of your own life. What do you consider valuable? Are you okay with God being God?

Click here:
Psalm 39 - A Complaint to God



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Psalm 38 - Sin's Burden Lifted

Psalm 38 is a penitential psalm. These are psalms of repentance and were included in the liturgy of the Old Testament in order to teach God's people the importance of repentance in their lives and in their worship. As Christians we are a people who repent and believe habitually, as a matter of course, but also genuinely as God does his work of grace in us to rid us of sin.

In this psalm David describes what appears to be a physical illness from which he is suffering. There is disagreement about whether David is describing an actual physical malady or just using the metaphor of physical suffering to describe the distress he is enduring. Either way, David is miserable as his sin festers. Sin is like a cancer in the soul. It destroys. It brings us down. It ruins us. It makes us miserable.

And so we find it true of ourselves as Christians that we can never be happy in our sins, but that conscience and the word of God will make us miserable until such time as we turn to God for healing. Better to be made miserable by God who loves us and is using that misery to rid us of the cancer of sin than to just be made ruined and miserable by the sin itself, with no hope for a cure.

But repentance is not the only thing we find in this psalm. We also find Christ. When we read this psalm looking for him, placing it in his mouth, we see how wonderfully it fits there, pointing to the redemption, our redemption, which he purchased for us at Calvary.

1 Peter 3:18>>For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 

This is the sermon I preached from Psalm 38 at the Winnsboro Reformed Church. You will find the audio at the link below. Just click and it will open up a new browser in your window where you can stream the MP3 recording of the sermon. I hope you will listen and be blessed.

Click here: Psalm 38 - Sin's Burden Lifted

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