Your Witness…

Posted on by kevinjandt

courtroom

“What is your name for the record?”

“Kevin Jandt”

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

“Yes.”

“Sir, today you are going to stand trial for your crimes against a Holy God, and this is going to determine your eternal fate, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve stated that you are a Christian and that My Son is your Lord, is this true?”

“Yes.”

“What can you say that will convince Me of this?”

“I have nothing of myself that I can say, but that my only hope is in the righteousness of Your Son, I have nothing to offer You but my filthy works, and I am not worthy to enter Your kingdom. I fall upon the mercy of Your Holy court and place my hope in Christ.”

“I will open My Book and see if your name is here.”

Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. – Hebrews 4:11-13

The question has gripped me for the last twenty-four hours. Maybe it wasn’t even a question directed toward me, but it certainly had an effect on me. The discussion ensued and the statement was made, what evidence do you have that you are a Christian?

How many people identify that they are Christians, but don’t live like it? In the United States, it’s something close to 80% of the population identifies with some form of Christianity. Will they all be saved?

Then there’s a subset of that number that actually practice a form of Christianity by going to church and doing religious things. How about them?

If you were asked to prove yourself a believer where would you start? You will stand before God and give an account of your life and whether you believe that or not is irrelevant. Or it might even, for some people, be a true truth. In other words, you’ve heard, you even “believe” it, but you don’t live like it.

Please hear what I just said. If you don’t live like it, it’s a contradiction and there is no assurance of salvation.

I want to look at the greatest sermon ever preached as a starting point to what it means to be a Christian.

Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Step 1: Poor in spirit. What does this mean? To be poor in the days of Christ was a lot different than being poor today. People were ashamed of their poverty, and if we don’t recognize our sin and are broken, wretched and poor over our offenses against a Holy God, we cannot be saved.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Step 2: Mourn. Over what? When you come to grips with the reality of your sin, and that you are under God’s wrath, you will mourn. You will beg for mercy, and plead with God to save you.

“Blessed are the meek. For they shall inherit the earth.”

Step 3: Meekness. Meek is not weak. A broken horse is still a very powerful animal, but he is useful for his master’s purposes. So must believers be useful for their master’s purposes.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

Step 4: Mercy and forgiveness are signs of a new creation in Christ. Those that have been given mercy will be merciful.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Step 5: How can a man be pure in heart? Only by the redeeming work of Christ on the cross, if we think we have any purity in ourselves we are grossly deceived. When God changes a heart, sinful man sees his wretchedness for what it is and God imputes His purity and righteousness upon the believer.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Step 6: Make peace with men. The only peace possible is that men understand they are at enmity with God and the believer calls them to repentance by preaching the gospel of peace. Christ did not come to bring peace, but a sword, and preaching the gospel of peace will bring conflict.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:2-10

Step 7: Get ready! For those that are now saved and realize their purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, this will mean preaching the gospel of peace to those that hate God. This will bring persecution. If you are not being persecuted for righteousness sake, you would do well to examine your witness. Are you a witness? If you’ve been saved, this is now what you are being commanded to do. Those derelict of duty have no assurance of salvation.

He didn’t save you for your benefit. He saved you for His glory!

How will you respond on that day?

The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. – Revelation 20:13-15

Saved for His glory, by the grace of God

Kevin

Are You a Jonah?

Posted on by kevinjandt

jonah

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittal, saying, “Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. – Jonah 1:1-2a

Jonah is not a book of the Bible that I spend a lot of time thinking about. We have a really cool puzzle that my daughter Lydia just loves putting together. It’s an oversized puzzle, so even I can do it, and it shows a cartoon character Jonah being spit out of the great fish’s mouth onto the sand. It’s a really great image. But I must confess I’ve not given a lot of thought to Jonah until recently.

This past Lord’s Day, during our prayer time, I was asked to pray corporately, praying from Jonah. As I read chapter 2 in preparation I was struck by how much like Jonah I am. How often I run from the presence of the Lord, or at least I think I run from His presence. Of course, where can we really go that He is not there right?

But it appears Jonah really thought he could just go the opposite way and that was going to be alright with God. Jonah thought that God’s arm wasn’t long enough to reach him. Doesn’t it appear that way? Was this the same God that did all those miracles? Is this the same God that by His spoken word created everything? What a foolish thing for Jonah to do…

Because I know I would never do that…I’m pretty sure you would never do that either…Say I sarcastically…

How many times have you blown opportunities to tell someone the good news?

Ouch…

Matthew 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Homologéō – to say the same thing as another; to agree with, assent. Many will say they “confess” Christ, but in their actions deny Him. It’s quite different to actually agree with Him than to open our mouths and say Jesus is Lord. The bottom line is do we live like it?

We must consider the words of our Lord, when He said “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not done all these things in Your name…” And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you: depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ – Matthew 7:21-23

This past weekend for the first time I went into the open air and preached the gospel. Like Jonah I was attempting to run from God and avoid the inevitable disagreement with Him that desired my own earthly comforts, pride, selfishness and personal desires. I mean, honestly, who wants to go out and take the abuse that you are sure is coming your way? Isn’t that why there are “professionals” that teach in churches, pastors that get paid for this? Shouldn’t they be the ones going out and doing this sort of thing, if this sort of thing should even be done today, which many will say?

Then I once again remember the words of Jesus and my pathetic heart melts…

Matthew 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

I desire to save my life…

Last Saturday, by the grace of God I began a journey to lose my life and it was humbling and even humiliating beyond words. Yet it was exhilarating and thrilling to stand up in front of a God-hating crowd and proclaim His name. To tell them He IS Lord, and they must submit to Him, or perish in their sins.

Do I think, or expect that everyone reading this will go to a public arena and preach? No, I don’t think that is wise for everyone. You should go under the protection and blessing of your church, but we should all be proclaiming His name in whatever opportunities He presents to you. It might be the grocery store, or the coffee shop, maybe sitting next to someone on a plane. Whatever, wherever, whenever you are presented with an opportunity to proclaim His name, be obedient to the call and lose your life.

Who knows what will happen.

Jonah 3:10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

Never forget that Salvation is of the LORD, but as for us, we must proclaim the good news and trust that God will grow His church. Amen!

Kevin

Don’t Stop Short…

Posted on by kevinjandt

stopshortAlmost anyone that claims any sort of knowledge of the Bible or Christianity knows the Great Commission. Jesus commissioned His followers to spread the good news of salvation to the world. It is the greatest responsibility of anyone that claims His name. In short it is why this blog exists and it is why you have been redeemed, assuming that is the case.

I would image that most professing Christians can even recite this verse from memory…almost!

Here is the problem, in my opinion. They stop short. (side note: if you are a Seinfeld fan you will get the reference, if not, never mind…)

Let’s look at what I mean by that.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

They stop short right here. By simply stopping right here the seriousness of the message our Lord is giving us and giving them has been undermined. The message is REALLY good up to this point. Look at what Jesus has said.

“Go” – poreuomai (to go, to travel, to take a journey, to go one’s way) We shouldn’t be sitting in our houses hoping someone like a Jehovah’s Witness will knock on our door so we can share the gospel. We are “commissioned” by Jesus to be travelers for His name.

What are we to go do? Make disciples. This is not to be confused with the twelve Disciples, minus Judas. The word means a pupil, or a learner, one who desires to learn, such as a scholar. If someone desires to learn someone needs to be instructing them.

In this post we won’t discuss baptism, but simply there is an order to follow once someone believes and that includes a public profession of faith by being baptized, but where I think is most often a “wiff” in Christianity, and this is where we stop short, is failing to recite verse 20.

…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Do we see the stark contrast between going, then teaching but not commanding them to observe Christ’s commands? Many a misguided mission trip forgets that there is a call to obedience. This often omitted part of the Great Commission is really the lynchpin on which it all hangs. If obedience is not mentioned then Jesus is only a “savior” and not Lord. The whole truth of salvation has been lost. If Jesus is not your Lord, then He’s NOT your savior, and a Lord demands obedience.

A social or cultural gospel that does not require obedience doesn’t save…

It’s why there are so many running around shouting their little Antinomian battle calls, and crying foul and legalist the moment you bring up sin. It’s the biggest mistake in most of modern day evangelicalism. It’s a gospel without any teeth, a “jesus” that requires nothing of anybody, is completely unoffensive and sits around drinking latte’s and telling jokes with the sinners. How many times have you heard that?

“Well Jesus condemned you Pharisee’s and hung out with the sinners!” Yes, correct but He called them to repentance and told the harlot to go and sin no more… He didn’t hate her enough to say, “why don’t you go finish your tryst and stop by later for coffee and we can chat.”

Not THE Jesus, not the Triune Jesus… He demands our obedience and says He will cast those into hell that practice lawlessness (Matthew 7:23).

So if you have an opportunity to Preach the Word today, don’t forget to tell them they must observe all He commanded. Jesus did not take on the wrath of God and drink it down to the dregs so we could “dabble” in sin, He hates sin and those that practice sin will not inherit God’s kingdom.

Luke 13:2-3 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

That’s the gospel Jesus preached, let’s see that we do likewise.

 

Kevin

Ordo Salutis and Other Big Sounding Words – Part 2

Posted on by kevinjandt

empty-church-2

I recently was asked to respond to some questions about certain biblical terms that many people will hear that attend church or engage in Christian conversations. Sometimes these seem like such big and overwhelming words, but they are important to understand, not to sound important, but to understand how God works in the lives of His people.

Today I’m continuing to look at some terms you will hear in the church world. It may be very basic for some readers of this blog, but some may hear these terms and wonder if they are biblical or not.

Faith in Jesus – in the Greek language the word faith is pistis.  It also means belief or to be persuaded.  There are many key verses in understanding “saving” faith.  Saving faith will produce fruits in the life of a believer (Matthew 3:8), as opposed to just a shallow or intellectual belief such as James describes in chapter 2 of his epistle.

James 2:19-21 You believe that there is one God.  You do well.  Even the demons believe and tremble!  But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

John 2:23-25 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

Here are two very clear examples of intellectual belief, without a heart change, and the kind of faith that leads to a new life is explicitly defined in Scripture as a gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. 

Faith also comes through the hearing of the word, so God’s word is the mechanism by which one receives faith.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

It is obviously quite important to understand in the proclamation of the gospel, that the law of God convicts the sinner of his need for forgiveness (second use of the law) and that forgiveness can only come through repentance and faith in Christ, but yet the great mystery is that God gives us the faith to believe.  The man of God must be properly equipped to give the correct message for someone to be truly converted.

Repentance – In Greek – metanoéō: to regret, repent, also to have a change of mind which produces a change of direction.  When God grants repentance, the hearer is able to turn from his wicked ways and embrace a new life which results in a dramatic transformation.  Matthew 3:8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance…

2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Paul describes a big difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow.  Many people will mourn over their sin, but they mourn because of how it affects them, not that it was sin against a Holy God.   We must also understand that God grants repentance, which is consistent with the entire message of scripture that salvation is from God, 2 Timothy 2:24-26 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Accepting Jesus into my Heart – this is an invention of man and not a biblical concept.  Although from our perspective it seems that we have a role in salvation (responsibility of man), we do not believe that bible supports decisional regeneration.  The verse most people will cite is Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”  However, this is not a call to salvation; it is Jesus speaking to the church and calling them to repent over their lukewarmness and their sin.  If we read all of Revelation 3 it becomes very clear.

The gospel message begins with a presentation of the law, showing a sinner their sin, their need for forgiveness, and Christ as the solution to their problem.  Then given this information a call to repent and turn from their sin and receive Christ in faith.  So the acceptance that is so often heard at large evangelistic campaigns and altar calls at church services, is not a biblical call. It most often involves appeal to emotion, through music and a slick presentation by a gifted speaker, but Paul tells us he did not come to them with persuasive words or excellent speech, but only Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-5) and listen to this in verse 5 …that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

It’s important to take this verse in context, as Peter had given a very convicting sermon and we can see in verse 37 that his message “cut them to the heart”.  This verse also ties in with Baptism, we would not believe that baptism saves, but that Believer Baptism is an external sign that one has been saved, and as Peter calls them to be saved and then be baptized.

See also Acts 8:38, the account of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.

Backsliding – is a modern concept of the church in the way it is now used.   While true believer’s may have times of spiritual drought in their life, if they are truly converted it is impossible for them to lose their salvation as we looked at with perseverance.  Most people use this term for a child that “received” or “accepted” Christ at a young age and then goes on to live a rebellious, sinful life.  If my parents knew the life I was living as a young man, they would have undoubtedly thought I was backsliding.  The truth is that I was never really converted.  This is why the doctrine of salvation is so important; most people do not understand salvation as the bible describes it.

Just a couple days ago I was having a discussion with my sister-in-law and she told me her daughter “believes” in God.  When I explained belief to her and asked her if her daughter has a new life, the light-bulb came on that her daughter is not really saved.  When we understand we are dealing with only two types of people in the world, either believer’s or non-believer’s we can then discern how to minister to people.    If people are believer’s and are sinning they need to understand the Third Use of the Law, if they are non-believer’s they need the Second Use of the Law, or in short they need the gospel to save their souls.

Soli Deo Gloria!

 

Kevin

 

Ordo Salutis and Other Big Sounding Words – Part 1

Posted on by kevinjandt

20140622_203352

I recently was asked to respond to some questions about certain biblical terms that many people will hear that attend church or engage in Christian conversations. Sometimes these seem like such big and overwhelming words, but they are important to understand, not to sound important, but to understand how God works in the lives of His people.

I thought it would be good to share these, as others might have some of the same questions. To some it might be review, or basic knowledge, but please don’t just excuse them because you understand them.

Ordo salutis, which is the Latin term for order of salvation.  When and how does salvation occur and what happens and in what order.  Some of these steps may occur simultaneously while others are progressive, such as sanctification.  Here is a link to a great infographic from Tim Challies that really shows a beautiful picture of how this looks; I often refer back to this in discussions that I have with people about salvation.

In short here is the order:

Election

Calling

Regeneration

Conversion

Justification

Adoption

Sanctification

Perseverance

Glorification

The definitions I’ve utilized are from “Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically” by Dr. John Snyder, unless marked by an * which come from the infographic and include my own personal comments.

*Election – Before creation, because of His sovereign good pleasure, God chooses some people to be saved.  (Ephesians 1:4-6)

*Calling – God summons people to himself through the human proclamation of the gospel so they respond in saving faith. (Romans 8:30, 2 Timothy 1:9)

Note: there is a difference between an effectual call and a general call.  The general call goes out to all who hear the gospel, but the effectual call has an effect on the elect (Matthew 22:14), also God has clearly revealed Himself to all of mankind, so man is without excuse for his lack of response, see Romans 1:19-20.

Regeneration – Regeneration is the work of God’s Spirit in which He changes the spiritual condition of a person, bringing him from death to life.  Regeneration is the beginning of all of the moral changes in the believer.  It results in a life of ongoing change (sanctification) and ends in the complete transformation of the believer into the image of Christ (glorification).  Another term for regeneration is being born again.  (John 3:3, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Titus 3:5-6)

*Conversion – We willingly respond to the gospel call, repenting of sin and placing faith in Christ for salvation.  (This of course, can only happen to those that effectually hear the call.  Examples: Acts 16:14, Acts 16:30-31, Matthew 18:3)

Justification – Justification is a legal action by which God declares the believer to be freed from his guilt and made right before God’s law.  Unlike regeneration, it does not change the soul of the believer.  Justification alters the believer’s legal position before God, changing it from guilty to innocent.  Justification is the outcome of atonement and the imputation of Jesus’ righteousness to the believer.  (Romans 3:19-26, Romans 8:30, Luke 18:14)

Adoption – Adoption describes the new relationship the believer has to God by using a family-related term.  God, by the new birth and justification, makes the believer His adopted child.  God becomes his father and Jesus his brother.  The believer enters into all the responsibilities and joys of being in God’s family.  (Romans 8:15, Ephesians 1:5)

I wanted to briefly highlight the word responsibilities, because this shows us the importance of the fact that we are not free to continue in sin that grace may abound.  We are now called to be holy and set-apart – see Ephesians 2:10, Romans 6:1.

Sanctification – Sanctification has two parts.  First, the believer is set apart to God by the purchasing work of Jesus and regeneration.  Thus, the believer belongs solely to God and no longer to the world.  Second, the believer is daily being set apart in heart and life by the work of the Spirit, making the believer holy in his practice.  (Acts 20:32, John 17:17-19, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:11)

This might sometimes by two steps forward, one step back, but as Dr. Snyder says, it’s a daily process.  This is a wonderful way to examine our lives, as to whether we are truly in the faith.  Do we have victory over sins that used to beset us?

Perseverance – Perseverance refers to the fact that the true believer will not fall away from his relationship to God, but rather by trusting God (faith), he will endure until the end.  (John 10:26-30, John 17:9-12, John 17:24-26, Ephesians 1:13-14)

The scripture speaks so boldly and plainly on this doctrine.  We can also understand that believer’s can fall into sin, but they will not remain there for an extended period of time, and will respond when confronted with their sin (Psalm 51).

I will address backsliding in the second article, but this gives us the truth that God’s elect can never truly fall away.  The modern church misunderstands backsliding as a state in which true converts just fall back into sin, but in reality they most likely have never been converted.

Glorification – Glorification refers to the completion of all aspects of the believer’s salvation.  It is the final step to his rescue that comes when in heaven he sees Christ face to face and is ultimately transformed spiritually and physically into an everlasting perfect person. (Romans 8:17, 8:30)

Philippians 3:20-21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it maybe conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. 

Praise God that we will finally be relieved from this body of death and sin will no longer be in our lives, this will of course only occur after death or the return of the Lord Jesus.

Next time we will look at some other terms used in Christendom.

Soli Deo Gloria!

 

Kevin