Monthly Archives: March 2012

March 28, 2012

Secure in the Greatest Love of All

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes–Pastor Milton Vincent
March 25, 2012–Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  -Romans 8:35-37

In these verses we are listening to a man who is full of confidence and boldness in these Gospel Truths.

“Paul is borne by a thermal current of assurance that God is for us.” -James Edwards

Note 3 Questions as we look at these truths:
1. Do you know what the greatest love of all is? (John 15:13)
2. Have you found the greatest love of all?
3. Are you secure in the greatest love of all?

When Paul is pondering separation, he is asking:

Is there anyone or anything that can make God stop loving us?

and,

Is there anything or anyone that could move us from God’s reach?

3 CONFIDENT EXCLAMATIONS REGARDING OUR SECURITY AS CHRISTIANS IN CHRIST’S LOVE

1. No one and nothing can separate us from Christ’s love. (v. 35)
-In v. 35 Paul asks and gives examples of what can separate us from God’s love:
Tribulation: pressurized circumstances, loss of ease and comfort
Distress: focused on inward response, loss of calm, peace, freedom, options
Persecution: loss of acceptance, tolerance, affirmation
Famine: loss of food (Greek word for hunger)
Nakedness: loss of clothing
Peril: loss of security, safety
Sword: loss of life, for you or those you love
-Note: All these things carry the idea of being separated from something. They are separating circumstances.
-These things may separate us from things we value, but they can never separate us from God’s love.
-Who will separate…future tense. Paul is looking to the future and assessing whether God’s love will be with us tomorrow.

2. The separations we do experience are always for the sake of Christ who loves us. (v. 36)
-When painful circumstances do come, they come for Jesus’ sake.
-Paul quotes Psalm 44:22
-We may experience circumstances of real separation and the world looks at us as sheep to be slaughtered. Circumstances are allowed by God to serve His purpose; they are all under God’s providence.
-When tribulation, distress, persecution, etc (separating circumstances) do come, we can say that this is happening for Jesus’ sake.
-These kinds of separating circumstances are all governed and shaped by Jesus’ prayer life, and God intends to use them for our good.
-They work for God’s purposes. (Rom 8:28)
-In the midst of separating circumstances, we are richer in Christ than we could ever be.

Logo of Nike Brand

Logo of Nike Brand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3. We overwhelmingly triumph in all separating circumstances through Christ who loved us. (v.37)
-Overwhelmingly triumph = Greek, huper nikao = “Super Nike” (Nike means Victory)
-Present tense, we are continuously conquering.
-In all these things we have “Super Nike.” What things? The things listed in v. 35.
-”Super Nike” is experienced in suffering and loss.
-We all want to experience “Super Nike” but who wants to suffer?
-We often find overwhelming triumph in the middle of suffering and loss.
-In the context of this passage, “Super Nike” comes from Christ and in Him.
-Victory is not based on our performance.
-Victory is not dependant upon us.
-This “Super Nike” is ours, even in defeat.

God is always looking at us through the lens of justification. Even in times of personal defeat and sin, NOTHING can separate us from the love of Christ!

2 comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Sermon Notes

March 22, 2012

Bread

By Terrie van Baarsel

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”  John 6:35

Bread, beautiful bread! Golden brown and fragrant, the perfect food! Who doesn’t love the smell of baking bread? How our sense of taste delights in enjoying a thick slice of warm bread fresh from the oven! Eating bread fills us up, satisfies our hunger, and somehow makes a meal worth enjoying.

But man cannot live on this bread alone. This kind of bread has a shelf life. It gets stale. It goes bad and eventually becomes inedible. Bread like this must be worked for every day. It cannot truly satisfy. This bread is eaten and hunger soon returns. And, too much bread is not a good thing, either. How many diets have been ruined by falling to the temptation of consuming too much bread?

Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.”

How much better to partake of Jesus! He is the bread that always satisfies, the bread that never spoils. He is the bread that truly sustains and nourishes our souls. He who eats of this bread will live forever! He who consumes this bread will never hunger again! The fragrance of a sacrifice acceptable to God rises from this bread and whets our appetites to partake.

Feast on the Bread of Life! Jesus bedecks the banquet table and invites us to eat. Go ahead and gorge yourself. You cannot eat too much, only too little, and even the tiniest nibble does wonders. This is living bread, the flesh of the One who loved us unto death, the One who will raise us up on the last day if indeed we partake of Him. Give us this, our daily bread, the bread of the Gospel, the body of Christ broken for you.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Taste of the Bread of Life and live!

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

4 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Gospel

March 21, 2012

Boasting In Our Deliverance From Condemnation

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes – Pastor Milton Vincent
March 18, 2012 – Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died–more than that, who was raised–who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.  Romans 8:33-34

Paul has already affirmed that we are delivered from the reality of condemnation (Rom 8:1) to every charge- NOT GUILTY. This is the objective fact. Yet subjectively we may say we have not been delivered from condemnation because of the fears and forebodings, thoughts we often have regarding condemnation from God.

Courtroom in in . The Classical Revival courth...

Courtroom in in . The Classical Revival courthouse was built in 1890, and is listed in the . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We are objectively delivered from condemnation on the day of our salvation, but subjectively we often don’t feel that way. Why?

OUR ACCUSERS:
-Satan: Rev. 12:10
-Others: Others pile condemnation on us and we slip “into the septic infection of condemnation.” (Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say ‘I Do’)
-Our own hearts: 1 John 3:20

No one can ever step forward and bring a legitimate charge against us that has not already been covered by Christ’s blood.

FIVE RESPONSES TO ANYONE (INCLUDING OURSELVES) WHO WOULD ACCUSE OR CONDEMN US BEFORE GOD

1. It is God who justifies us. (v. 33)
-God decides to think of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us.
-He declares us righteous in His sight.
-God does this! We cannot justify ourselves.
-Paul would say he doesn’t look to others or even himself, it is God who justifies. (1 Cor. 4:3-5)
-A Christian knows that he cannot justify himself. We would agree with all charges against us.

2. It is Christ who died for us. (v. 34)
-When we have a true encounter with the cross of Christ we realize that we have already been accused of the worst sin.
-The cross is a blunt instrument that God uses to show us our sin.
-We are violators of the 6th commandment (“You shall not murder.”). We killed Jesus. We are murderers of the Son of God.
-The essence of all sin ever committed is the murder of God.

“We finally see the very thing we dreaded to discover. At last we find out who we are. The cross brings us out of hiding. It breaks our denial but only in the very instant that it shows us the possibility of forgiveness.” -Becky Pippert

3. It is Christ who was raised from the dead after dying for us. (v. 34)
-The death of Christ is the purchase of our justification. The resurrection is the receipt. (See Rom. 4:25)
-God looked at His Son’s death and then at all of your sin and said (in a manner of speaking), “This death atones for all that sin.” We know this because Jesus rose from the dead.
-The resurrection proves and validates that His death was sufficient.

4. It is Christ who is at the right hand of God for us. (v.34)
-This One who died for me, who was raised for me, is the One that God has elevated to His very right hand. An incredible reality!
-The One who loved me so much He was willing to die for me is right now at the right Hand of God.
-The right hand of God is a:
Position of highest reward
Position of absolute Lordship and power over all.
Position of highest access to and influence with the Father.
-Feel the weight and blessing that the One who loved us more than anyone else could, God has elevated to His right hand!

5. It is Christ who intercedes for us. (v. 34)
-We have an advocate (lit.) ”toward” the Father. (1 John 2:1)
-We need to appreciate that when we sin, our righteousness is in heaven-Jesus is at the right hand of the Father.

“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear ten-thousand enemies who come against me. Nevertheless, distance makes no difference. ‘He ever liveth to make intercession for us.’” -Robert Murray McCheyne

-Appreciate that Paul is imagining people coming forward to condemn him before God. He does not look at his accusers but at God, and Christ who died, was buried, and rose again.
-For every look at yourself, give ten looks at God.
-LOOK TO HIM!
-Directed toward accusers who would cause us to think that God has changed His mind about our justification.

Romans 8:31 asks, “What then shall we say to these things…?” Don’t just read this, speak these truths out loud. Say these things along with the Apostle Paul.

6 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Sermon Notes

March 16, 2012

Why Should We Fear?

By Terrie van Baarsel

I wanted to share this quote that I happened upon this week in my readings. I thought it kind of went hand in hand with this week’s post, “I Need An Intervention.”

“There is one who pleads his precious blood in our behalf in the temple above, and there is one upon the throne who is never deaf to the intercession of his Son. Why, then, should we fear?”

-C.H. Spurgeon

By His Grace and For the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

Comments Off   |  tags: , , , | posted in Gospel

March 14, 2012

I Need An Intervention

By Terrie van Baarsel

Confession: I worry about my kids. Three beautiful young adult kids. I fear for them, for their future, for their health, for their relationships, and for each one different things in different areas. Sometimes I am consumed with fear and worry.

There are times when I allow my thoughts to run their course, and they become a mighty, rolling river flowing away from the One who is trustworthy and true. My fretting betrays the One who is sovereign over all.  The temptation is to despair. I am prone to forget that there is a God in heaven who loves my children more than I could ever imagine.

I know that God is for me. I get that. But, in all honesty I sometimes question His goodness toward my own children. In truth, this is idol worship. It is projecting my version of what I want my kids’ lives to be like and elevating it above the means of God’s own choosing, His good plans to accomplish what He desires and what He deems necessary for their eternal benefit.

In my attempt to achieve the humanly impossible task of smoothing out life’s bumps and mitigating hurts and temptation before my kids even get to them, I trade a thin, sanitized shallowness for the profound lessons God wants to teach them about this life and who He is. Even worse, I compromise my witness for Christ. They see me worry and fret, and wonder why I don’t trust God for them. Could my weakness end up crippling their faith? God forbid!

Today, I need an intervention. I’m asking the Lord for a divine interruption into my thought life. I’m asking for a worry fest party-crasher, the Holy Spirit of God to burst upon the scene with both barrels blazing! A coup d’etat of sorts, overthrowing the fear that so often governs me and replacing it with restored faith in a good and faithful God who holds my children’s futures in the palm of His hand. Surely, God is able!

Fear is the enemy of faith, therefore:

…The weapons of [my] warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. [I] destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ… (2 Cor. 10:45)

and

…for God gave [me] a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Tim. 1:7)

and

…when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. (Ps. 61:2)

Holy Spirit, captivate my thoughts and replace worry and fear with hope and gratitude that all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus.

Let the Good News rule.

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

19 comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Gospel

March 8, 2012

If You Have Not Received What You Desire

By Terrie van Baarsel

This is an excerpt from a sermon given on March 4, 2012 by Pastor Milton Vincent at Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church:

“If you have not received something from God that you want very badly, realize that the decision to withhold that thing from you has been made by the One who loved you so much that He gave His Son for you.  Surely, such a God is most happy to freely give you all things truly needful for your eternal good. It must be, then, that God is withholding that thing from you because it is not ultimately in your best interest to have it right now.  He is seeking to do a richer work and thereby impart to you some greater good that can only come to you through the absence of the thing that you desire.  Hence, you must view the withholding itself as a gift from an all-wise God who knows how to love you better than you know how to love yourself, and you must open your heart to the greater good that He is seeking to impart to you.

Additionally, remember that God gave His Son for you and delivered over His Son to suffer to the fullest extent in order to save you and make you His child.  Therefore, if the Father were to withhold anything from you that is essential to your eternal good, such withholding would be an insult to His Son.  Hence, you can rest assured that God is giving you all things truly needful for your ultimate good, not simply because He loves you, but also because He loves His Son who suffered so much for you.

We are “for us” and so is God.  But God is more intelligent and wise in His actions “for us” than we would ever be toward ourselves.  If we had full sovereignty, we would destroy ourselves (& others) in the way we went about giving ourselves everything that we thought we needed.  So let us thank God for what He gives us, and let us thank Him for what He withholds from us, knowing that His choices toward us are always best and will always redound to His greatest glory and our greatest good.” -Milton Vincent

2 comments | posted in Gospel

March 6, 2012

What Shall We Say To These Things?

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes – Pastor Milton Vincent
Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church – March 4, 2012

A bible from 1859.

Image via Wikipedia

We will give an account of every word, every idea we communicate. Words are important.

Paul asks the question, “What shall we say?” (Rom 6:1; 7:7; 9:14; 9:30, 8:31)

Paul is expressing that these Gospel truths (Rom 8:31-39) should cause us to say something and that what we say should be informed by the Gospel. In today’s message we will cover v.31-32. Reasoning from Gospel truth is not just thinking about Gospel truths, but using them as a jumping off point, making inferences from them and applying them to all areas of our lives. Observe, draw conclusions from, and apply Gospel truth.

FIVE THINGS WE SHOULD SAY IN RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL TRUTHS PRESENTED IN ROMANS

1. God is for us.
-See Romans 5:8; 8:27, 28, 31, 32, 34. God is FOR us.
-”God is for us,” a summary of the Gospel in four words, the most concise definition of grace in the Bible.” -James Edwards

2. No one and nothing is against us.
-Who can bring charges? (Rom. 8:33)
-Who can condemn us? (Rom. 8:34)
-Who can separate us? Persecution, tribulation, distress? Principalities and powers? (Rom. 8:35)
-Obviously not saying that nothing is ever against us, BUT:
-No one of any account compared to God is against us. (Is.40:15-17)
-If this Mighty God is for us, everyone and everything else is nothing compared to Him.
-No one can successfully prevail against us in the ultimate sense. (Is. 54:17)
-Anything that is done against us will be turned into something good. We see this in Scripture:
Acts 4:25-28 (Crucifixion)
Phil. 1:12 (Paul’s imprisonment)
Gen. 50:20 (Joseph’s brothers)
Acts 8:1-4 (Persecution of the Church)

3. God did not spare His own Son when carrying out His plan to save us.
-Rom. 8:32, spare=spare from suffering.
-God did not just decide to save us, He gave up His Son.
-God did not diminish or mitigate the wrath poured out on Jesus.
-At no point did God intervene to lessen Christ’s suffering. He did that for you and for me.

“There was no mitigation, judgment was dispensed upon the Son in its unrelieved intensity.” -Murray

4. God delivered over His Son for us to be saved.
-”Delivered over” is a powerful statement.
-We deserved to be delivered over for judgment, but instead God delivered over His own Son. (Rom. 4:25)

5. God will graciously give us all things needful for our ultimate and eternal good. (Rom. 8:32)
-Freely given, “charizomai” is the verb form of grace.
-If God already gave His Son, what could we ever ask for that is too much for God?

We know these things because we have reasoned from the Gospel. We can bring this confidence to our prayer life and to bear upon our circumstances. In His infinite wisdom, God is always and at all times giving us what is good for our ultimate and eternal good.

Comments Off   |  tags: , , | posted in Sermon Notes

March 2, 2012

Rest Here

By Terrie van Baarsel
Sun Rays Through The Clouds

Image via Wikipedia

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!   Psalm 4:6

Surely, this prayer is answered for those of us who believe! The Lord’s turning toward His own is an eternal turning, a never rescinded invitation sealed in Christ’s own blood. We live our lives abundantly beneath His watchful eye, encompassed by His love, safeguarded by His protection,and encouraged daily by His help. The light of His face upon us offers forgiveness for sins, growth in our sanctification, and a promise of our future and final  glorification. His love is never divided between His children, but exponentially multiplied, grace upon grace.

His attention is a benefit unlike any other offered by mere mortals, even though they be men of power and renown, for His is an attention to the most minute detail our souls can require, with an eye towards our good end. And, He has not only our good in mind, but the absolute power to bring it to pass.

We may imagine that friendship with the rich and famous might afford us luxuries and opportunities that will give rest to our souls, but the truth is that relationships like these take a lot of work. One must be able to keep up, wear the right clothes, exhibit the appropriate level of intelligence and match resource for resource in an ever evolving appreciation for the finer things in life. And, should we be unable to reciprocate, our worldly alliances wither and die. Amity based on our ability to perform is absolutely exhausting.

How much better to be a friend of Christ!

Because of the Gospel blessings we have in Jesus, the relationship we have with God is not based on our performance, but upon the performance of His Son. He took on human flesh. He was tempted and yet did not sin. He humbled Himself unto death on the cross. He took the punishment we deserved. He paid the death penalty that we owed. He rose again and conquered even the grave on our behalf.

It is finished. We need not work. We need not fear. When we fail, our Father does not fold His arms in anger, nor sigh and turn away, but calls us back with open arms, accepting us in the beloved for Jesus’ sake. And so we pray along with the psalmist, “Look here, Lord! Shine the light of your face upon us!”

This is the saving reality of the Gospel. Rest here.

By His Grace and for the Gospel,

Terrie van Baarsel

Comments Off   |  tags: , , , | posted in Gospel, Morning Meds

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 99 other followers

%d bloggers like this: