Why Easter is the Super Bowl Sunday of Christianity

Would football Jesus be the coach, the quarterback, or the wide receiver?

Did you know that Easter is bigger than Christmas?  I know it may not seem like it.  For Christmas, we spend months decorating, planning, and shopping.  We dish out a thousand or more dollars to buy gifts and host huge parties.  We go on vacations and return home to visit family.  We tell elaborate stories about Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty and we might even set up a Nativity scene and go to midnight mass or service.

On Easter, we paint eggs, eat candy, have dinner, and call it a day.  But I'm telling you, Easter is bigger than Christmas.  Easter is the biggest day of the year for Christians.  It's our Super Bowl Sunday.  Why?

Training: Penal Substitutionary Atonement Part 4

This is the fifth video in this training series.  You can find the previous videos in the links below.

• Intro
• Part 1: Defining Penal
• Part 2: Defining Substitutionary
• Part 3: Defining Atonement

You made it!  We've gone through the theological concept of the penal substitutionary atonement and learned that Jesus' death on the cross was God's way a paying the penalty of sins in our place so that we could be forgiven and at peace with Him again.  Today's video is the last in this series and the goal is to see how we can use what we know as we have normal, every day conversations with people.  

Well, that's it!  I hope you've found this series helpful.  As always, feel free to comment with questions or feedback.  God bless you and may He give you fruitful opportunities to share the gospel soon!

The Ultimate Kobayashi Maru

Kirk taking the Kobayashi Maru test.

Christy and I were watching the episode Junior Salesman of the show The Office the other night.  On the show, Dwight is interviewing Clark and he presents him with this awful hypothetical where there seems to be no good option because he wants Clark to answer poorly.  Instead, Clark says, "Sounds like your classic no-win situation.  So I'd Kobayashi Maru it."

Training: Penal Substitutionary Atonement Part 3

This is the fourth video in this training series.  You can find the previous videos in the links below.

• Intro
• Part 1: Defining Penal
• Part 2: Defining Substitutionary

To recap, penal substitutionary atonement is a fancy theological term that answers the question, "What did Jesus do by dying on the cross?"  The word penal tells us that His death on the cross was the just penalty for the crime of sin.  The word substitutionary tells us that His death was actually paying the penalty for our crimes and sins. Jesus traded places with us sinners.  Today's video will focus on the word atonement.

Training: Penal Substitutionary Atonement Part 2

This is the third video I've put up to discuss the theological concept of Penal Substitutionary Atonement.  If you're just joining in, you can find the INTRO HERE and PART 1: DEFINING PENAL HERE.

As a recap, we have learned that phrases like "Jesus died for your sins" are often misunderstood by non-Christians and not necessarily fully understood by Christians either.  Penal Substitutionary Atonement is a theological term used to address the issue of what exactly Jesus' death did.  The word Penal is used to convey that His death on the cross was related to the crime of sin and the just penalty for sin which is death.  Today's video will hopefully explain the second word: Substitutionary.

Training: Penal Substitutionary Atonement Part 1

As I mentioned last week, I've created some training videos for people at my church.  You can find my quick intro HERE.

Before you hear what I have to say, take a look at the following Scriptures.

For the wages of sin is death... -- Romans 6:23a

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.--Daniel 12:2

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power--2 Thess 1:6-9

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.--Matthew 5:22

God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.-- Psalm 7:11

As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." -- Romans 3:10-12

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. -- Isaiah 64:6

The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. -- Psalm 5:5

Hopefully, this begins to unpack this theological concept of the penal substitutionary atonement for you.  Let me know what you think or if you have any questions!  Part 2 will be up next Thursday.

Trying Something New: Training Videos

I've created a series of videos to use as training for people at my church.  These videos cover the theological concept of Penal Substitutionary Atonement.  It's a long winded title that addresses the question "What did Jesus do on the cross?"  I've put the introduction to the training below.  Give it a watch and let me know what you think.

What Jesus Endured and Accomplished on the Cross

 
Today is Good Friday.  Its the day that we remember the death of our Savior as a sacrifice in our place.  But do we get it?  The only place I've ever seen any really violent deaths is through the television.  When I hear that Jesus was crucified, I don't have any experience to draw on to fully understand what he went through.  My guess is that most of you are in the same boat as well.  A crucifixion is so far from reality to us that its hard to comprehend.  So let's look briefly at what our Savior endured for us.  This will be detailed and may make some readers feel uncomfortable.  It should.  The goal here is not gore, but the truth of what our Savior went through for us.

Holy Thursday

Today is Holy Thursday.

Today is the day we remember the Last Supper, Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, His betrayal and arrest, and the beginning's of His false trials. 

One thing that tends to get missed is a message that Jesus shared with His disciples right after the Last Supper.  He shares with His disciples some of the most beloved and powerful pieces of the whole Bible.  I believe He wanted these ideas to guide them through His coming death and resurrection.

So as we prepare for Good Friday and Easter Sunday, lets take a look at what Jesus said to His disciples in preparation for the most significant weekend in all of history.

Feature Friday: John Carter and a Whole New World

 
*Warning: Minor spoilers below (Very minor)*

Chances are you haven't seen John Carter.  There was a lot of hype and many trailers building up the latest sci-fi movie.  But sadly, very few people were lured into the theaters to watch the man on Mars.  In fact, its been reported that Disney expects to lose $250 million dollars on the movie!!!  As a movie, I thought it was pretty good and entertaining.  However, a lot of the women are scantily clothed so depending on your maturity and weaknesses in that area, you may want just want to avoid seeing it.

Theology Tuesday: Proving God Exists - Part 6

Proving God: Jesus' Testimony

We've looked at a whole lot of different things to examine the evidence that God exists.  Rather than turning to science or philosophy, today we are going to examine the testimony of a single witness.  Imagine you are on a jury in a courtroom.  A crime was committed and there are various witnesses being called to the stand.  There are two conflicting stories that emerge as the witnesses are questioned.  Half of the witnesses tell one story and the other half tell another.  Both stories cannot be true as they say completely opposite things.

So what happened?  How would you, as a member of the jury, decide?  Would you take into account the character of the witnesses?  Would it change the way you felt if you found out that one half of the witnesses were gang bangers and the other half of the witnesses were police officers with clean records?  What if one of the witnesses was Martin Luther King Jr. or Mother Theresa?  Would that sway your thoughts?  What if one of the witnesses who stood up to testify was Jesus Christ Himself?

Theology Thursday: Is Hell Real?

*I apologize for typos, I have a packed day and don't have time to go over this with a fine comb yet!

As far as serious subjects go, its hard to get much more serious than when talking about Hell.  If Hell is real, then it should definitely be a scary and saddening thought.  Thinking of anyone suffering in a place of eternal torment is heart-wrenching.  Hell is not pleasant to think about.


Out of that discomfort with the thought of Hell, modern opinions are changing.  While 74% of Americans believe in Heaven, only 59% believe in Hell.  Rob Bell recently released a book called Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.  In his book, Rob proposes that Hell is nothing more than the evils we commit in this life and that no one will actually be separated from God in Hell forever.  Instead, Bell proposes that everyone will one day be reunited with God because God's love will win everyone over (Bell has claimed that's not what he necessarily believes, but that's hard to accept given the way his book lays this out).


So is Hell real?  Is it just some old myth that we have outgrown?  Is it foolish and silly for a modern and educated person to believe in such a childish thing?  Was Hell simply made up to scare people into religion?  Does the existence of Hell mean that God is evil and cruel?


Its Not Up to Us


Whether or not Hell exists is just not up to us.  I hope you don't have a hard time agreeing with me on this.  Its either real or not.  Its the same with the fabled water city of Atlantis.  If I really want it to be real but its fake, then my wanting it to be real doesn't make it real.  If I hate the idea of it and don't want it to be real but it actually is real, then my disgust of it won't make it stop existing.  We all have opinions of whether or not Hell is a good idea or a bad idea.  We all have opinions of whether it should exist or shouldn't.   We can imagine if we were God what we would do.  But at the end of the day, our opinions and guesses don't make Hell any more real or any less real.

Can I be honest?  As a Christian, I understand that God is just and that sin has a penalty.  I get that.  But if I'm totally honest, I don't want to believe in Hell!  To me, it seems like a terrible idea.  I have family members who don't believe in Jesus.  Should they suffer and suffer and suffer forever when they die just because they didn't accept Jesus?  What if they were more or less nice people?  I don't want Hell to be real.  There comes a point in my mind where even Hitler has suffered for enough centuries and should be let out.  How do you feel?  Do you want to believe in Hell?

But again, the bottom line is that we don't get to choose and our opinion just doesn't make it so or make it not so.  What we need is revelation from God about what is true regarding Hell.  As Christians, we look to the Bible for that.  If you have trouble believing that the Bible is God's Word, then please CLICK HERE for notes on this and HERE for a sermon I preached on this.  So, let's look to God to answer this question for us.

What's the Bible Say?


The Old Testament prophet Daniel says...


Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.  --  Daniel 12:2

The New Testament writer and apostle Paul says...

without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God. --  Philippians 1:28

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power  --  2 Thess 1:6-9

The New Testament writer and apostle Peter says...

if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.  --  2 Peter 2:9

The New Testament writer and brother of Jesus Jude says...

They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.  --  Jude 13

The New Testament writer and close friend of Jesus says...

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.--  Revelation 20:14-15

To sum it up, the Bible teaches that there will  be a day of judgment.  On that day, some will be condemned to a place of darkness and fire.  This place is a place of punishment.  This place is everlasting.

What's Jesus Say?

Most people I know regard Jesus as the most loving person to ever live.  Did you know that Jesus spoke of Hell more than any other person in the Bible?  Let's just look at what Jesus has to say about this from the gospel of Matthew.


But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.  --  Matthew 5:22

"I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  --  Matthew 8:11-12


"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  --  Matthew 13:40-42


This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  --  Matthew 13:49-50 

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.  --  Matthew 18:8


"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  --  Matthew 22:13


"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?  --  Matthew 23:33


And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matthew 25:30


All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. . . Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  --  Matthew 25:32, 41

I would certainly agree that Jesus is the most loving man who ever lived.  Yet He believed that Hell was real.  He warned us of it often.  The God-Man Jesus said very clearly that there was an eternal place of fire, darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth where the wicked would be sent after judgment.

Is Hell Fair?

Now this is a tough question.  Let's be honest, we don't all agree on what exactly is fair and what is unfair.  A few weeks ago, I was talking to a group of friends about a couple that is dating.  Guy A and Girl A have been dating for over a year but they aren't engaged yet.  A different girl, Girl B,  is interested in Guy A and she has been trying to get his attention and holding out hope for a future relationship with him.  Is that fair game?  Is it fair for her to try to get his attention and text him or Facebook him while he is dating?  Well, none of us could agree.  Some said that it was fair game until they were engaged.  Others said it was fair all the way up to til they were married.  Others said it wasn't fair at all because they were dating and Girl B needs to back off.

My point is, we don't agree on what is fair.  So, is Hell fair?  Fair according to whom?  Ultimately, the only person who can say what is truly right and fair is God.


God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.  --  Psalm 7:11


The Bible tells us that God is a righteous judge meaning that His judgments are always correct and right (fair).  Yet in the same breath, the Psalmist writes that He expresses His wrath every day.  According to the Bible, God is the One who created Hell and He is the one who will send sinners there on judgment day.  Despite this, the Bible tells us that God is a righteous Judge.  Is Hell fair?  Well, it appears that God believes it is.

Does it feel or seem fair to me?  I'll be honest.  No, it doesn't.  It is truly hard for me to grasp how my loved ones who have not accepted Jesus, will suffer in Hell FOREVER.  How could their limited number of sins not be paid off over eternity?  There are loads of ways that theologians have tried to answer this.  Many of them make sense.  But instead, let me just say this.

Could it be, that if God says something is fair and I disagree and think it isn't fair, could it be that I am the one that is wrong?  Could it be that my sense of justice is off and His is right?  Could it be that my understanding of fairness is skewed while God's is perfect?  Could it be that I am failing to grasp just how infinitely holy God is and therefore I am failing to grasp how serious it is to commit one sin against Him?  Could it be that if I disagree with God on this, that I am the one that is wrong?  After all, the Bible does say...


"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  --  Isaiah 55:8-9

How Should We Respond?

First, don't argue with God.  The Bible is very clear.  Hell is real and God thinks that is fair.  So, don't rise up arrogantly and say that God is evil for sending people to Hell.  Don't stand as judge over God and declare Him unfair.  Don't claim that if you were God, you would do the right thing and get rid of Hell.  Instead, humble yourself and heed the Word of God.  Even if you don't like it, believe it.  Even if you don't agree with it, declare that God is just and right and you must be mistaken.

Second, get yourself out of the line of fire!  Hell is real and we all, as sinners, deserve to go there!  Grab on to the only way out God has made!


"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. --  John 3:16


God loves you and desires to rescue you from Hell so you can live eternally with Him in heaven.  But your sins have separated you.  So turn to faith in Jesus to be saved.  Jesus lived the sinless life you and I have failed to live, suffered the wrath you and I deserve, and rose to give eternal life you and I could never earn.  Put your faith in Him today.

Third, take up the call to share the good news of Jesus with the desperate world.  According to the Bible, our family, friends, coworkers, classmates, and all are heading to Hell without Jesus.  Let's share this great news of salvation with anyone with ears!


How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"  -- Romans 10:14-15

As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments.  Also, if you are interested in exploring this topic further, check out Erasing Hell by Francis Chan.  I apologize for typos, I have a packed day and don't have time to go over this with a fine comb yet!

Ephesians 1:4 Chosen Long Ago

Some time ago, I began a study through Ephesians on my day off (Monday) and I put up my notes and commentary on Mondays.  But, being my day off, I quickly got tired of typing it out and tossing it on the internet.  But I have decided to make those notes available to you again.  Here are my notes on Ephesians 1:1-2 and here are my notes on Ephesians 1:3.  Without further ado...


even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  -- Ephesians 1:4a

Feature Friday: Pastor Faces Execution

This is Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.  He is a Christian pastor in Iran.  Schools in Iran are required to educate students on the religion of Islam.  Pastor Youcef protested this forced religious education and was arrested in 2009.  Since then, the charges against him have been ramped up to apostasy and evangelizing Muslims.

He was brought before a judge and ordered to repent of his actions and of Christianity.  His response?

"Repent means to return. What should I return to?  To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?"


The judge answered him, "To the religion of your ancestors, Islam." 

Pastor Youcef simply but bravely replied, "I cannot."

He has been sentenced to death for refusing to recant Christianity.  According to the American Center for Law and Justice, he recently received his final execution order.  What this means is that he will likely be executed very soon.

Theology Thursday: Why do bad things happen to good people? Part 3

The votes are in and we are returning to our third installment of this question.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  This is a very difficult question and if you are going through a hard time right now, this may not be very helpful.  I think we need to address this question for ourselves before the hard times come so that we have a foundation to stand on in the midst of the storms of life.  During the storm, its difficult to focus on anything other than the lightning and flooding.  So, lets ingrain these lessons now and be ready when life gets tough.

In our first look at this question, we saw that really none of us are good people.  We are all sinners who have rebelled against God and deserve Hell.  Because of that, we should be shocked by all of the good things that God blesses us with that we don't deserve.  In our second look at the question, we saw that hard and difficult times are often the only ways for us to grow in character and learn valuable lessons.  Just like we press through the pain of exercise to gain physical strength, it is vital to press through the pain of loss, conflict, and more to gain strength of character.  That brings us to our third look at the question today.  Why do bad things happen to good people?

Theology Thursday: Is Abortion a Sin?

Before we start, lets take a moment to recognize that for many this is a deeply emotional issue.  Pregnancy is a life changing event and many women wind up pregnant before they are ready to have a baby.  Most women who have an abortion wrestle with the decision and don't make it lightly.  Many of these women go on to struggle with the decisions they have made wondering what could have been.  This is a sensitive issue.  My heart truly goes out to women who find themselves in a situation where they face this decision.  And shame on the boys who claim to be men in their lives who have left them with so few options that abortion seems to be best.

With that said, let's address the question.  As Christians, our view of right and wrong must come from the Bible.  On issues not directly addressed by the Bible, we must allow the Bible and its principles to guide us.  So let's ask the question and look to the Bible for answers.  Is abortion a sin?

Represent Jesus in ALL You Do

I was at a Denny's last Friday with a friend and we got to talking about the tip.  That's when I shared something I had heard before.  If you go out to eat at a restaurant and you aren't going to tip well, then don't you dare pray before you eat your food!  One of my favorite pastors, Mark Driscoll, said that.  Do you know why?  He says that Jesus is generous and loving and the church should be too.  And when the waiter sees you bow your head to pray before you eat, he will connect the dots and realize you are a Christian.  Then when he gets no tip or a lousy single dollar tip from you, he will connect the dots (consciously or subconsciously) that Christians are selfish jerks.

Who's Who in the Bible? Adam & Eve

I've been taking the children at my church through a new series called, "Who's Who in the Bible?"  We started a few weeks ago way in the beginning with Adam and Eve.  I thought I'd share a little bit of that with you.

Perfect Life

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day. -- Genesis 1:31

We've heard the story before right?  In the beginning, God spoke everything into being.  And it was good.  The world was perfect.  There was no sin.  No pain.  Better yet, there was perfect relationship with God.  Adam had it made and the future was looking bright!

Feature Friday: Buying Dinner for a Mugger

If you read the news or listen to the radio, you've probably heard this story.  Julio Diaz (above) was approached after getting off the train by a teen with a knife.  After he handed over his wallet, the teen turned around to leave.  If I were Julio, at that point I probably would have taken out my cell phone and called the police while walking away.  I would be upset that my day had been ruined by such a scary thing and I would want that no good teen caught and punished and I would want my wallet returned.  I think that is how most of us would feel.

Theology Thursday: Can Demons Hurt Us?

The votes are in and today's question is: Can demons hurt us?  Whether you're a Christian or not, you've probably been scared of demons at one point or another.  Have you seen the Exorcist?  Have you heard strange, scary, and unexplainable stories around a campfire?  The devil and demons can be a scary thing to talk about, but what is true and what is Hollywood?  What is real and what is hype?