Faith, Identity, and the Christian Life Explored
Summary
In our time together, we explored the complexities of faith, leadership, and the Christian life through a series of thought-provoking questions. We began by addressing the challenge of confronting false teachings within the church. It's crucial to approach such issues with grace and respect, ensuring that leadership is aware and engaged in meaningful dialogue. This may sometimes lead to difficult decisions, such as leaving a church, but the Bible guides us to address issues at their core.
We also delved into the topic of identity and sin, particularly concerning homosexuality. It's important to understand that behaviors, not identities, are what Scripture addresses. We must approach all individuals with love and truth, recognizing that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace.
The discussion then shifted to the role of Christians in politics. While individual believers can engage politically, the church's primary mission is to preach the gospel, not to become a political platform. Our influence should be a natural outflow of the gospel's transformative power, not a substitute for it.
We also examined the nature of repentance and sanctification. Repentance is not a one-time act but a continual turning from sin throughout the Christian life. Sanctification, while a cooperative effort between the believer and God, is ultimately empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Finally, we considered the importance of church membership and the observance of the Lord's Day. Church membership is vital for accountability and spiritual growth, while keeping the Lord's Day holy is a countercultural act that honors God and refreshes our souls.
Key Takeaways:
- Addressing false teachings requires a respectful and strategic approach. Engage church leadership with grace, ensuring they understand the concerns. This may lead to difficult decisions, but the Bible calls us to address issues at their core. [01:17]
- Our identity should not be defined by sin. Behaviors, not identities, are what Scripture addresses. Approach all individuals with love and truth, recognizing that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. [03:16]
- The church's mission is to preach the gospel, not to become a political platform. Our influence in culture should be a natural outflow of the gospel's transformative power, not a substitute for it. [07:13]
- Repentance is a continual turning from sin throughout the Christian life. Sanctification is a cooperative effort between the believer and God, empowered by the Holy Spirit. [15:57]
- Church membership is vital for accountability and spiritual growth. Observing the Lord's Day is a countercultural act that honors God and refreshes our souls. [29:14]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:20] - Addressing False Teachings
[02:08] - Identity and Sin
[04:19] - Christian Business Ethics
[06:06] - Christians and Politics
[08:26] - Jesus' Approach to Social Issues
[10:43] - Harsh Words in Scripture
[14:13] - Understanding Repentance
[16:58] - Salvation in the Old Testament
[20:59] - Assurance of Eternal Security
[24:25] - The Role of Effort in Sanctification
[26:50] - Importance of Church Membership
[32:51] - Observing the Lord's Day
[38:14] - Influential Books for Spiritual Growth
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. 2 Timothy 4:2-4 - "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
2. Romans 1:26-27 - "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error."
3. Matthew 28:19-20 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
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Observation Questions:
1. What approach does the sermon suggest for addressing false teachings within the church? How does this align with 2 Timothy 4:2-4? [01:17]
2. According to the sermon, how should Christians view the relationship between identity and sin, particularly in the context of homosexuality? [03:16]
3. How does the sermon describe the role of Christians in politics, and what is the primary mission of the church according to the sermon? [07:13]
4. What does the sermon say about the nature of repentance and sanctification in the Christian life? [15:57]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How might the approach to addressing false teachings in the church, as discussed in the sermon, impact the unity and health of a congregation? [01:17]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that behaviors, rather than identities, should be the focus of scriptural interpretation regarding sin? How does this perspective influence the way Christians interact with others? [03:16]
3. The sermon emphasizes that the church should not become a political platform. How can individual believers balance their political engagement with their primary mission to spread the gospel? [07:13]
4. How does the sermon’s view of repentance as a continual process affect a believer’s daily life and spiritual growth? [15:57]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you encountered false teachings. How did you address it, and what might you do differently now based on the sermon’s guidance? [01:17]
2. Consider your own understanding of identity and sin. How can you ensure that your interactions with others are characterized by both love and truth, as the sermon suggests? [03:16]
3. How do you currently engage with politics as a Christian? What steps can you take to ensure that your political actions are an outflow of the gospel’s transformative power rather than a substitute for it? [07:13]
4. In what ways can you incorporate the practice of continual repentance into your daily routine? What specific actions can you take to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in your sanctification process? [15:57]
5. How do you currently observe the Lord’s Day? What changes can you make to ensure that this day is set apart for worship and spiritual refreshment, as suggested in the sermon? [29:14]
6. Reflect on your current church membership. How does being part of a church community contribute to your spiritual growth and accountability? What steps can you take to become more actively involved? [29:14]
7. Identify one area in your life where you feel called to influence culture. How can you ensure that your actions in this area are guided by the gospel and not merely by personal or political agendas? [07:13]
Devotional
Day 1: Addressing False Teachings with Grace and Strategy
Addressing false teachings within the church requires a respectful and strategic approach. It is essential to engage church leadership with grace, ensuring they understand the concerns. This process may lead to difficult decisions, such as leaving a church, but the Bible calls us to address issues at their core. By approaching these situations with humility and a desire for truth, believers can foster an environment where sound doctrine thrives and the church remains a beacon of light in the world. [01:17]
"But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, ESV)
Reflection: Is there a situation in your church where you feel called to address a false teaching? How can you approach this with grace and respect, ensuring that your actions align with biblical principles?
Day 2: Identity Beyond Sin
Our identity should not be defined by sin. Scripture addresses behaviors, not identities, and it is crucial to approach all individuals with love and truth. Recognizing that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace allows believers to extend compassion and understanding to others, regardless of their struggles. By focusing on the transformative power of God's love, Christians can help others see their true identity as beloved children of God, rather than being defined by their sins. [03:16]
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
Reflection: Consider someone in your life who may feel defined by their sin. How can you demonstrate God's love and truth to them, helping them see their identity in Christ?
Day 3: The Church's Mission and Political Engagement
The church's mission is to preach the gospel, not to become a political platform. While individual believers can engage politically, the church's influence in culture should be a natural outflow of the gospel's transformative power, not a substitute for it. By focusing on the core mission of spreading the good news, the church can maintain its integrity and avoid being swayed by political agendas. This approach ensures that the church remains a place of hope and healing for all people. [07:13]
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Colossians 4:6, ESV)
Reflection: How can you ensure that your political engagement as a believer reflects the gospel's transformative power rather than overshadowing it?
Day 4: Continual Repentance and Sanctification
Repentance is a continual turning from sin throughout the Christian life. Sanctification is a cooperative effort between the believer and God, empowered by the Holy Spirit. This ongoing process requires humility and a willingness to be transformed by God's grace. As believers grow in their faith, they become more attuned to the Holy Spirit's guidance, allowing them to live lives that reflect Christ's love and righteousness. [15:57]
"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13, ESV)
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to continually turn from sin and seek the Holy Spirit's guidance for sanctification?
Day 5: The Importance of Church Membership and Observing the Lord's Day
Church membership is vital for accountability and spiritual growth. Observing the Lord's Day is a countercultural act that honors God and refreshes our souls. By committing to a local church community, believers can experience the support and encouragement needed to grow in their faith. Keeping the Lord's Day holy allows Christians to rest and refocus on God's presence, providing a necessary rhythm of work and worship that sustains spiritual vitality. [29:14]
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)
Reflection: How can you prioritize church membership and the observance of the Lord's Day in your life to foster spiritual growth and refreshment?
Quotes
"I think it needs to be addressed, and if I were in that position, I think I would send a letter to the pastor, a very amiable letter, a respectful letter, and I would lay out specifically the concerns. And then I would send a copy of that letter to anybody in leadership, board people, any level of leadership in the church if it is an elder-led church or whatever it is. I think they would need to know that." [00:00:49]
"Are there certain kinds of impulses that lead people in that direction? Yes, but I think one of the really deadly aspects of this is to let people define themselves as gay. They are not gay any more than an adulterer is hardwired to be forced by his own nature to commit adultery. Those are all behavioral sins that are condemned in Scripture. God didn't hardwire anybody in such a way that they are not responsible for certain behaviors." [00:02:57]
"I think Christians as citizens have every right to have political points of view and seek to influence the culture from that political point of view. The problem, of course, becomes that certain political issues are not clearly defined and worked out in the Bible. So, Christians may find themselves disagreeing on certain political issues, and we have to be willing to be understanding about that difference." [00:06:29]
"I think what the question implies is that the church has to remain the church and has to preach the gospel, not become a political platform for one opinion over against another. I think a minister ought to really discipline himself not to say anything from the pulpit that he cannot with confidence say, 'Thus says the Lord.' I have strong political points of view, but they have no place in the pulpit as far as I am concerned, because my job in the pulpit is not to embrace a political agenda, but to proclaim the Scriptures." [00:06:57]
"Repentance is something that is with us for our entire Christian life. It's not just as we come into conversion that we have this act of repentance, but that we who are at once sinners and justified need the daily discipline of repentance and to seek repentance. I think it's also important that repentance is not penance. A lot of people think that repentance is something you just do with your will, but from Scripture it's clear that faith and repentance involves the whole man." [00:14:44]
"There has only been one way of salvation in all of God's redemptive history and that is faith alone. People in the Old Testament were not saved by works. They were not saved by offering sacrifices. They were not saved by feeling badly about their sins. They were saved ... and maybe the best illustration of this is the publican in Luke 18 by pounding on their chest, looking at the ground, realizing they had nothing in themselves but judgment coming and saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner.'" [00:17:40]
"Church membership is, I believe, a requirement for various passages of Scripture that describe the nature of the believer and his relationship, for example, to the leaders of the church, how the leaders hold people accountable, how they discipline them in various ways. And if you're not a member, that type of activity wouldn't be occurring. So, I think, the New Testament authors presuppose that members of the church or that if you become a Christian you're going to become a member of Christ's body, which is the church, the only institution that Christ gave to humans to be a part of." [00:27:17]
"Absolutely, because, one, that's where the Word of God is primarily preached, that's where the sacraments are given; the two primary ways in which God gives grace to His people. The Reformers will, for example, call it means of grace or instruments of grace. And so, the primary way, it's not the only way, but the ordinary ways in which Christians grow in their faith is through grace, the means of grace, which is the faithful preaching of God's Word and the administration of the sacraments, and then, included with that is then discipline." [00:29:24]
"The great issue, I think, before every Christian is, was the Sabbath and the fourth commandment a Mosaic institution, that then one might argue passes away with the economy of Israel for the church or is the Sabbath day a creation institution established by God from the beginning for all of mankind? And the traditional Reformed point of view has been, it was a creation institution, not a Mosaic institution and therefore it continues, even though with the resurrection of Christ it has changed in certain ways." [00:33:40]
"We’re not robots or machines, and there is a sense in which we can push back to some of these cultural errors by keeping this day by recognizing that we're not 24/7, at least say 24/6. But there is that apologetic just by honoring and recognizing the Lord's Day in the moment in which we live." [00:34:54]
"What we've always tried to do at Grace is take that day and make Sunday morning and Sunday evening equally compelling opportunities for worship and fellowship and the proclamation of the truth. And the Sunday night service at Grace Church has been the defining thing that makes a day, a full day of worship to the Lord possible." [00:36:20]
"You can't keep the day holy if you don't have morning and evening worship. But even if you're not interested in keeping the day holy, you're going to be learning half as much as you would have learned, you're going to be worshipping half as much as you would have learned, you're going to be praying half as much as you would have. It can't help but reduce the church in its maturity by half or more." [00:37:47]
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