daddy4ms

Review : We are continuing a 5 week study on the 5 Solas. Sola is Latin for alone, the solas were considered the foundational principles of Protestantism which was begun by Martin Luther in 1517 (Sola! Pg 3) Scripture Alone -One Story, God-Breathed, Useful Grace Alone from God for us, a gift available to all people for all of life and motivation. Christ Alone- what Christ did (life, death, resurrection, appeared to many ascension), what we do- The crowd words from John 6:28-29 “Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” What is faith? Video from “What’s in the Bible” (1:55) §   trust (faith) n. — strong confidence in, and reliance upon, someone or something; often with the object of trust understood. §   Faith is not about how much faith we have or intensity of our faith, but what our faith is in which is Jesus Christ. ·    ...

This Sunday, I continue a 5 week series on the solas of the Reformation.  What is a sola?  It is the Latin word for alone.  This week, we will focus on Faith alone.  Here are a few things to ponder prior to Sunday: Read the Bible passage : Romans 3:21-26 Questions to think about: How would you define faith? Is there a difference between faith and faithfulness? If so, what? How have you misunderstood faith in the past?   If it's not faith alone, what do we look to instead?  Helpful Resources Why the Reformation Still Matters by Michael Reeves and Tim Chester Sola! What Are We Fighting For? by Leann Luchinger and Heather Choate Davis Faith Alone by R.C. Sproul Faith and Sanctification by G.C. Berkouwer Song To Reinforce Message: Give Me Faith by Elevation Worship

Christmas has come and gone.  So, every year after Christmas I share new books that I received as gifts.  I love to read and appreciate the gift of books.  So, here is the first installment of New Book Friday for (almost) 2018.

Today marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing 95 theses in Wittenberg which began the Protestant Reformation.  Many key teachings came out of this event, but probably the most notable are the 5 Solas. In honor of this anniversary, I am sharing the 5 Solas with you today. 

The first session at Here We Still Stand was Steve Brown from Key Life. Here are some quotes: God never speaks to just one person. He began by sharing a story about Jerry Bridges. Romans 3:21-28 and Luke 18:9-14 Tell him that "Jesus loves him" I believe we are sitting on another great awakening. William Hendricks-"Most churches preach grace but live works." From Exit Interview Faith Alone might be the most controversial of all the solas.  How do you kill an awakening?  Add some requirements. Throw in some kickers (what to do). Limit God's love. Be too serious. There is only one "good and faithful servant" and it is not any of us. The tax collector was justified, but he was not fixed. There's something unreasonable about God's love toward us. If we never get better, he will love us the same.

I recently finished reading The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson.  Here are some great quotes from the book: There are no conditions that need to be met in order for the gospel offer to be made. everything we need for salvation is in him and not in us. Is it obvious to me, and of engrossing concern, that the chief focus, the dominant note in the sermons I preach (or hear), is "Jesus Christ and him crucified"? Or is the dominant emphasis (and perhaps the greatest energies of the preacher?) focused somewhere else, perhaps on how to overcome sin, or how to live the Christian life, or on the benefits to be received from the gospel?...Is the dominant theme, the lasting impression, the most natural word association, in relation to preaching I hear "Jesus Christ and him crucified"--or something else? Christ himself is the gospel...what we receive in the gospel is not benefits but Christ and that therefore the focus on public preaching and private pasto...

I finally finished Sacred Bond by Michael Brown and Zach Keele. It is a great introduction on covenant theology.  It was insightful and answered a lot of questions I had about the topic.  I would highly recommend it.  Here are several quotes from the book: Covenant theology is the Bible's prescribed method of helping us interpret the Scriptures properly. Covenant theology helps us to deepen our understanding of God's salvation of and communion with his people through the person and work of Christ. It is God's way of giving us the big picture of his plan of redemption and showing us that his Word, from beginning to end, is consistent and not contradictory. we are saved by his merit and not our own. We are acceptable to the Father not because of our obedience, but because of his obedience. In Christ, God's justice and mercy kiss. In other words, in both the Old Testament and New Testament the way in which God saves sinners is always the same: by his g...

Grace Alone. Faith Alone. Here are some quotes from The Pastor's Justification by Jared C. Wilson: People need to know what God's law says, but we need to remember that the law cannot produce obedience to itself. The pastoral imperative, then is to get the gospel indicative into every nook and cranny of church life as we can. We want to be seeding grace in every space.  We are not automatically set to gospel mode, so we all need help in constantly resetting to grace. Sola fide is not just for justification, but also for the working out of our justification in the ongoing work of sanctification. It is not as though what has begun by faith is now continued by works. We are not to find life in the Gospel and then nourish it by the Law. We are not to begin in the Spirit and then seek to be made perfect by the flesh, or by confidence in man--we must continue to walk by the simple faith which rests only upon God... Faith is convicted trust...Another simple way of ...