Driscoll answers the question: Can you lose your salvation?

When you read the New Testament, you see Jesus in the Gospels who is more of a servant – healing and loving people – and the Jesus in Revelation who is much more of a warrior than a servant. In the Gospels, Jesus definitely isn’t a sissy. He says a lot of challenging things to very powerful people and even turns over tables in the Temple, but His overall attitude is a lot more calm.

Luke 6:27-36 – [Jesus said]“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

In Luke, Christ talks about forgiveness and being humble. He talks about loving your enemies and even giving to them without expecting anything in return.

Christ’s personality: humble, generous, kind, loving, merciful

Revelation 19:11-16 – I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

In Revelation, Christ is portrayed as a warrior who is coming to reign as King and to fight Satan and evildoers. He has gone from a servant to a powerful king.

Christ’s personality: judge, strong, warrior, tough, rules with the wrath and authority of God

Mark Driscoll once said, “Jesus will never take a beating again. That was a one shot deal for salvation; that is not an ongoing job.”

Christ came to Earth to show us how we are expected to live: humble, loving, generous, etc. and to provide a way to save us from our sins. Once He resurrected and went back to Heaven, He reassumed the the role of King and it is His job, not ours, to judge.

Sometimes Jesus is portrayed as kind of this passive, easy going guy; but we have a powerful Savior who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and we need to remember this.

While reading John Stott’s Your Mind Matters, I came across an interesting quote:

“Knowledge should not puff up with conceit but in falling on our faces before God in sheer wonder.”

I sometimes disappoint myself in the fact that I seek so much head-knowledge of God and His Word while not applying it to my heart. This is my biggest struggle as an aspiring theology professor. I fear so much that I will fill my head (and my student’s heads) with facts and impart to them (because of my lack of heart application) a faith built on knowledge without an all-out abandon for God’s own heart. This knowledge of God is a gift from God that we cannot, and do not, attain by ourselves. It is all given to us to glorify Him, yet we pervert it.

May our knowledge be a direct glorification of our Father, the author of all things.

I was riding in the car on the way home from Oklahoma some time ago, and I got to thinking about creation. Isn’t it just amazing how beautiful the earth really is? It always seems to me that this is God’s way of sayingn, “Hello.”  You see in Genesis how He creates all things “good,” and I saw the world for what it was supposed to be along that Texas highway.

I got a feeling of awe watching birds fly, trees waving in the wind, I even saw some camels and was amazed.

Then, I thought of all the destruction of Hurricane Ike in South Texas or the devastating tsunamis is Asia and the people affected by it and I had to ask, “God, why?”

I see all these beautiful things along the Texas countryside and all of God’s creations, and then turn on the television and see the exact opposite. A guy like me gets pretty frustrated at this.

There is a reason… right? Or is it just God letting the earth play itself out?  The Book of Genesis makes it clear that God allows the trees and all living things to produce by themselves. Even animals seem to have a sort of free will. So maybe weather is the same way. Maybe the entire universe, in a way that I cannot comprehend, is free to do as it pleases while still being completely in the hands of God’s will.

Here is the verse that I keep coming back to when I start to wrestle with this idea:

Isaiah 45:7 – I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.

It appears to me, according to this verse, that God directly does all these things. I hope this doesn’t surprise you.

I will never figure God out. No one will. I can only look at the Scripture and hope to understand it in a very small and humble way.

Look at this very well known verse:

Proverbs 19:21 – Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

My conclusion? It is in God’s hands. I have faith that God is just, true, righteous, and most of all: perfect. Would my plan be for no one to be hurt or affected by such disasters? Of course. However, it isn’t my choice; it is God’s.  So whether or not I can wrap my mind around why these things happen, I do know that even disaster is beautiful when it is part of God’s perfect plan.

I can have peace in knowing this.

Church is not your weekly good deed or a social event. Church is people on their faces submitting before God Almighty. Make sure your priorities are in line!

An interesting debate on adultery between Pastor Ed Young and AshleyMadison.com founder Noel Biderman.

click here.

Many people read the end of John 21 and wonder why Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him three times in a row. Many think it is Jesus equating it to the three times that Peter denied Jesus, thus making them even. Sadly, for Peter and for us, it is much deeper.

There are two distinct Greek words for ”love” used in this conversation.

AGAPE – Unconditional, perfect, pure, selfless

PHILEO – Brotherly or friendly affection

Phileo is a much lesser form of love and, with that in mind, read the passage with the Greek words inserted:

John 21:15-17 - When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly AGAPE me more than these?”
      ”Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I PHILEO you.”
      Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly AGAPE me?”
      He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I PHILEO you.”
      Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you PHILEO me?”
      Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you PHILEO me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I PHILEO you.”

Notice that Jesus essentially downgraded the form of love in the third question. It might be better to re-word the third question as, “do you even phileo me?” You can see why Peter was hurt. It wasn’t that Jesus badgered him over love; Jesus knows all things, and knew the right question to ask.

Peter couldn’t love Jesus in the way that Jesus called him to, and he wasn’t going to lie to His face by using the same word that Jesus did. You can only imagine how much it would hurt for Jesus to ask you face to face if you even loved him as much as you say you do.

Do you ever feel like Peter? Thank goodness for the cross because we are not worthy of His agape.

None of us loves Jesus in the way that He would call us to. Simply put, we will always fall short of what He expects of us. Regardless, Jesus will not lower His expectations of us.

In thinking about the power of your life’s impact on the world God placed you in, ask yourself this:

1. What about my life would someone want?
2. What about my life do I want others to have?
3. If the only things I taught others were the things I lived out in my own life, what would/could I teach?
4. Will my life count for eternity?

Thought this was pretty cool.