Book Review: Washed and Waiting

wwThis discussion needs to be had. I have corresponded with homosexuals, atheists and those who are marginalized in numerous ways– people in the UBF community. Do you know “they” are among you? Today I share the first of what will be several book reviews on topics pertaining to the margins of society. My first book review is of “Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality” by Wesley Hill.

Continue reading →

Sin Is Having An Identity Other Than In God

mask-on-blackThe sin beneath the sin. A Christian lies and says, “I did not slander you or gossip about you behind your back.” We conclude that the person sinned by lying. But lying is just the surface sin. There is a deeper sin beneath the sin of lying. It may be to desire an identity as a noble and honest Christian, rather than to have an identity in Christ alone.

My identity was as a UBF man for 27 years (1980-2007). I am a Christian. I tasted the love of God through the marvelous grace of Jesus. But my identity was in my faithfulness to never miss a UBF Sun worship service, never miss any meetings, never miss writing a testimony every week, never missing any UBF conferences, having 10 1:1 Bible studies a week, etc. Continue reading →

Critique My 6th Deuteronomy Sermon: One

Dt6.4-5Thanks so much Joe, Brian, Sharon, David, Chris, others for your liminal inducing comments on my sermons on Deuteronomy: Sin (chap. 1), Leadership (Dt 1:9-18), Faith (chap. 2-3), Obedience (chap. 4) and Law (chap. 5). This sixth sermon is on the Shema (meaning “Hear”). It is from the most famous chap. in Deuteronomy since Jesus chose the great command from Dt 6:5. My theme and thesis is that true spirituality is loving God, which arises from the heart and extends to all of life. I will likely begin my sermon as follows:

Continue reading →

Critique My Fifth Deuteronomy Sermon on Law

10commandmentsYour feedback on my first four sermons of Deuteronomy–Sin (Dt 4:1-46), Leadership (Dt 1:9-18), Faith (Dt 2:1-3:29), and Obedience (Dt 4:1-49)–compelled me into a state of liminality. It did not feel comfortable. But it was enriching and thought provoking. I believe it helped my extemporaneous preaching, following which I received interesting responses, which were unusual. With Sin, several people surprised me by voluntarily confessing their sins to me. With Leadership, I was told that my sermon did not connect with the text. With Faith, I was told that I was “intense” (I’m not sure if that’s good or bad). With Obedience, several people said that they felt free to come to God as they were from where they are (Dt 4:29), which was a most satisfying response. I thank God for your critique and for such feedback from my West Loop congregation.

My fifth Deuteronomy sermon is Law (Dt 5:1-33), which is the Ten Commandments (literally “ten words”) or the Decalogue. Continue reading →

Critique My Sermon on Wrath

crossbackGOD’S WRATH FLOWS FROM HIS LOVE

(a sermon based loosely on Romans 1:18-32, delivered at Hyde Park on 9/22/13)

The topic for today is wrath. More specifically, the role of God’s punishment in understanding the gospel. This is a topical message, and I hope that you will bear with my ramblings, listen critically, and judge for yourselves whether or not I am being faithful to the witness of Scripture.

The gospel is summarized by John 3:16: “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” (Jn 3:16) The gospel is good news of love and life. But there’s a flipside to that in certain gospel presentations, that if you reject the good news, there will be “hell to pay.” Sometimes that flipside becomes the main story. As in that famous sermon by Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” which depicts the non-believer dangling over a pit of hellfire, held up by only a spider’s web which can break at God’s whim. The message is that, unless and until we believe in Jesus, we are the objects of God’s wrath. ”For God was so ticked off at the world that he gave his one and only Son…” Now some people will say that the Church has gotten too soft, that we have become morally lax and ineffective in our witness because we’ve stopped confronting people with their sin and no longer warn them about God’s wrath. And others will say that we should stop up talking about wrath altogether, because it gives an ineffective and misleading picture of what the gospel is about.

Continue reading →

Critique My Fourth Deuteronomy Sermon on…

obedience1OBEDIENCE, a dreaded cringe-worthy word! In the 2011 NIV, the word “obey” occurs 206 times, and “obedience” 38 times. Daniel Block (OT scholar who spent 12 years studying Deuteronomy) explains the place and importance of the Law (Torah):

The ancients never had the Law. Without the Law they felt the following:

  1. The gods are angry with me.
  2. My sin has caused the anger of the gods.
  3. I must do something to placate the gods’ wrath.

Continue reading →

Critique My Matthew Sermon

m[It’s only fair that I submit my own sermon for critique. This is the silent sermon that introduces my personal study on the Sermon on the Mount.] Matthew 5:1-12 The Sermon on the Mount. The Magna Carta of Christianity. Matthew 5, 6 and 7. I call it the Sermon of Sermons, for a sermon is a declaration of the gospel pointing to Jesus. And Jesus’ words in these three chapters are, in my observation, the greatest sermon pointing to Himself: the Sermon of Sermons.

Continue reading →

Critique My Ephesians Sermon

HE HIMSELF IS OUR PEACE

Based on Ephesians 2:11-22

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians makes me feel like an ant. Here I am, walking around on the earth, dealing with the countless pressures of my everyday life. Projects at work that are running late. Debts that need to be paid. Things around the house that need to be fixed. Paying attention to how my wife and children are doing. Worries about our aging parents. Worries about this church, managing the building and wanting this congregation to prosper. I’m like an ant in  rainstorm, getting pelted with huge raindrops. My little ant-world is flooding; I’m up to my neck in water, and I’m about to get swept away. When I try to pray, the only words that come to mind are:

God, what am I supposed to do?

Continue reading →

Aren’t We Christians All Jonahs?

dMy Jonah moment. I am reviewing Prophet on the Run for Cross Focused Reviews. It is a short, thorough and excellent practical commentary on Jonah by Baruch Maoz. I am enamored by it and highly recommend it. I am reminded of my first Jonah moment which occurred in the 1980s when I felt upset about two young men I was mentoring for several years. They were getting married with the blessing of our senior pastor. I thought, “These two young Christians need to prove themselves first, before enjoying matrimonial bliss!” Though I felt it was wrong to feel this way, I could not shake how I felt. I knew I was a Christian like Jonah who was unhappy when “certain people” were given grace, mercy, forgiveness and a godly wife (when I thought they needed to squirm a little more)! Continue reading →

Critique My Third Deuteronomy Sermon on Faith

FaithObedienceGetting insightful and irenic feedback for my first two sermons in Deuternonmy (on Sin and Leadership) has been so much fun for me. Thanks! I learned a lot and I think your comments helped improve my sermon. Please feel free to critique my third sermon entitled Faith (Dt 2:1-3:29). My theme is that as sin brings consequences (chap. 1), faith pleases God (chap. 2-3). As disobedience brings discipline and God’s severity, faith expressed by obedience brings blessing. I am still in the process of formulating a conclusion, which often does not happen until Sun morning!