In the previous sermon, we find that the people of God are the Temple of God. Since Paul makes it clear that there is only one temple, which is the church, what about the temple in Jerusalem? This is part 1 dealing with that issue.
I preached this sermon at Waco Reformed Church on June 26, 2022.
Paul has been preaching against those who use worldly wisdom in an attempt to advance the gospel, and more often than not, to advance their own careers. He says those who do such, make the gospel of no effect.
In Paul’s day, it was the wisdom of the Greek orator that was being foisted on the church.
In our day, false shepherd strives to be winsome, and is part of what is called a the Winsomeness Project. It’s been named this by Owen Strachan, and the Winsomeness Project has been in effect for some 20 years. (Go here to listen to his podcast).
The goal of those who are trying to be winsome is to preach in such a way, that unbelievers would give them applause. The winsome preacher is trying to find favor with the world and unbelievers. He achieves great success if he ever gets any kudos from an unbeliever. That is Utopia for the winsome preacher.
On the other hand, the winsome preacher’s enemy is the man who actually preaches what the Bible says about hell, sin, and eternal damnation. The winsome preacher is trying to distance himself from such Christians. His goal is to make sure the world knows that he is not one of those Christians. He completely disapproves of such men.
I stand before you as one who has been blessed by such disapproval, because I’m about to continue preaching a book that condemns the winsome preacher.
As we look at our text this afternoon, I want us to see three things: first, God’s ownership, second The Master Builder, and third, the Only Foundation.
Listen to the full sermon below.
Preached May 15, 2022.
Heidi and I were sitting, listening to Doug Wilson one evening when he made the comment that we are now living in the new heavens and the new earth.
I couldn’t believe my ears. How could he say such a thing? How could he not see that God was going to completely melt away this earth like it says in 2 Peter and start completely over again. I was angry with Doug. He was wrong!
What I didn’t realize is that it was already too late. This particular battle was already over. The seed had been planted, and like many of the deeper truths of theology, it began to grow in my mind and before long, I understood the position, embraced it, and now I putting it forth for you.
Once I had come to accept post-millennialism, the ground work had already taken place, and my understanding of Scripture not only changed, but blossomed. Things that had no answer, as an amillennial, now made sense in God’s redemptive plan.
My understanding of the gospel changed. God isn’t just saving us. He is re-creating us, and re-creating the heavens and the earth. He is making them new again, under the New Covenant.
Remember what took place in Genesis. God created the heavens and the earth, along with everything else, including Adam and Eve, and declared it very good.
If God, the Almighty of creation, spoke light and everything into existence, and then declared it all good, should we not believe Him?
It is true that sin entered to the world and God immediately set about to redeem fallen mankind. But is that all He is going to redeem. Wasn’t it all declared good?
To think that Jesus came just to save people, is once again, man-centered and fails to see the greater plan of God. He came to redeem all of creation, to redeem all that He declared good.
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:7-8).
Think through that for a moment. The devil didn’t just come to destroy that crowning glory of God’s creation, but all of creation, for he desired to be God. He wanted to sit on God’s throne, not share it with God. That meant he wants to wreck everything.
But Christ came to destroy what the devil set out to do. Christ came to redeem not only us, but the world as well.
Listen to the rest of the sermon below…
This is my sermon from Sunday.
I don’t post many videos here. Here is the audio, with pictures from my archives, featuring the sermon I preached on Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022.
