RCA Leadership Handbook 3 Forgiven Completely

Forgiven completely

To forgive is to pardon. It is to set free. A practical definition is to; “let go of my right to hurt you for hurting me.”

Key Scriptures

Ps113:12 as far as the east is from the west so has he removed our transgressions.

Heb10:14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

2cor5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Isa43:25 I am He who blots out your sins and remembers them no more.

Key questions

1.       Do I need to ask for forgiveness after each time I sin?

2.       How do I know if I am going to heaven for sure?

Our understanding of forgiveness

We have all broken Gods laws therefore we are under judgment of His wrath (1). Until we put our faith in what Jesus did on the cross we are like a guilty man in the county jail awaiting sentencing. It is currently, presently, either we are abiding under fear and condemnation or we have forgiveness and eternal life.

Jesus is our substitute. He took the full wrath of God for us on the cross. There is no double jeopardy. There is no wrath left for you. It is not Jesus and your penitence or good deeds or not bad deeds. How arrogant? To think you could supplement the cross, like you could take a drop from the cup of wrath.

God does keep records of every deed, word and thought but those who are forgiven have all their sins blotted out. They are paid in full by the blood of Jesus.  Not only did Jesus take your sinful place to forgive you. That is only half of the exchange; He shares His position in Heaven with you. We will sit on thrones. We will judge the nations and the angels. What a deal! He not only takes our bad but gives us His good.

Forgiveness is more than exoneration. That is the beginning but in that same moment God sends His Spirit into our heart. This is what it is to be born again. This is what it is to be “adopted” into His family. We become joint heirs with Jesus. We then have the Son and the life of the Son. These things are written that we might know that we have eternal life. “The Spirit bears witness with our spirit and we know that we are the sons of God.” If you don’t know, you better know. It is either because you did not understand or you have not experienced. You will have spiritual life if you are forgiven. Do you have an appetite for the things of God? Are you growing more like Him? Do you like His family (church)? His word?

Jesus only died once for all our sins. All your sins, past, present and future were dealt with at the same time, on the cross. When you prayed for forgiveness He heard you. He heard you once and forever. You can only be born again once. In that moment you changed categories. Not from bad to good but rather from outsider to insider, from stranger to family, from guilty to innocent, from spiritually dead to spiritually alive. You do not have to keep asking.

There are carnal minds and immature Christians that would seek to abuse God’s grace. “God forbid” we continue to sin because we are not under his wrath. We should not frustrate the good mercy of God. If we have this attitude I would question if we were ever born again. Living free from sin is far more enjoyable. Sin is but a cheap imitation to what God has freely blessed us with. God’s forgiveness is from His punitive wrath is not other people’s wrath or natural consequences. An STD or a burglary or your car breaking down is not God’s wrath. They are the natural happens. Your sins and other people’s sins make hardships happen. Whiling violating Gods laws after being forgiven will not send you to Hell (God’s wrath) it will have negative impacts on earth and you may incur Gods disciple.

If I saw someone trying to seriously hurt my kids I would do my best to destroy them. They would incur my wrath. It may be death or maiming. It would be bad. But much differently from that is when my kids misbehave, I disciple them. They are still my kids, even when act poorly. They have been born of me. They look more and more like me, they act more and more like me. Of course their bad behavior is forgiven, I love them no matter what because they are my family. Their life goes better when they follow my rules. When they don’t; their bottom gets hurt, toys get taken away, and life is less enjoyable.

Conclusion

Gods forgiveness is complete and in a moment. He stands outside of time. He sees the end from the beginning. Looking back on the cross that took all of your sins reminds us to value Jesus as our substitute.

Driving it home

Take a few minutes and see if you can give a reasonable answer to the questions we started with;

1.       Do I need to ask for forgiveness after each time I sin?

 

2.       How do I know if I am going to heaven for sure?

 

If you can’t answer these questions, what further information is needed?

RCA Leadership Handbook 2 Homiletics

Homiletics

Homiletics is the method of preaching. It is a systematic way of disseminating information in a public forum.

Key Scriptures                  

2tim4:2 Preach the word in season and out.

                                Mt13:34 Jesus did not teach without a parable.

                                1tim4:13 Give attention to the public reading of the word, preaching and teaching.

Key Questions answered

1.       What kind of sermons does your pastor preach?

2.       Should it be difficult to understand the minister’s sermons?

Our Homiletic

RCA uses a “Three point exegetical” method of preaching. This is the frame of the Sunday sermons. Three points meaning there is one main idea broken down into three major points. Generally these three points are further broken down into three minor points. This provides the skeleton for each message. Sermons should not be difficult to understand if the points are articulate and well thought out. Often they are written in a clever or similar sounding way as to be memorable. It should be like eating thanksgiving dinner, each dish is clear, separate, fits into the meal, and delicious.

Exegetical is most important. Exegetical means to “pull out of.” We originate each message is a text. This is the difference between us and most popular preaching which starts with a topic or story. Using proper “Hermeneutics” we dissect the history, grammar and context to gain proper understanding. We pull out of so that we are agreeing with what the Bible says.

A few rules

1.       Every sermon needs at least one good point.

2.       Always have a text. Start with the text. Then cross reference and lastly illustrate.

3.       Use lots of illustrations. It makes things relatable and simple. This is how Jesus taught.

Danger of bad

With bad homiletics the issue is weak sermons or convoluted messages. When people walk away from a service and don’t understand the preachers point or think it is not worth applying this is often a reflection of the homiletics of the minister.

 

Other Homiletics

1.       Topical- this is where the speaker starts with a topic. They will generally use a systematic method of study. This will seem to have many text or no text but not one main text in which the history and context is taken into account.

2.       Story- this is where the speaker starts with a story. Generally something that happened to them or something cleaver they heard. The entire message is then build with that as the frame rather than a Biblical text.

Conclusion

As evangelicals we believe the Bible is the word of God. As such, no other source or experience is on its level. Therefore all preaching must start with the Bible. We are to have Gods content as our content. Three points are used to help communicate the exegesis.

Driving it home

Take a few minutes and see if you can give a reasonable answer to the questions we started with;

1.       What kind of sermons does your pastor preach?

 

 

2.       Should it be difficult to understand the minister’s sermons?

 

 

If you can’t answer these questions, what further information is needed?

RCA Leadership Handbook 1 Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is a set of principles that is used to determine the meaning of the biblical text under investigation. Understanding hermeneutics is paramount in developing a consistency in the interpretation of Scripture. The text is the passage you are studying.

Key Verses-        2tim3:16 all scripture God breathed.

1pet1:20 no scripture came by private interpretation

1tim4:16 watch your life and doctrine closely.

Key Questions Answered

1.    If all Christians have the same Bible why is there so many differences?

2.       How do I know what each passage of the Bible means?

3.       Is the Bible a difficult book to understand?

Our Hermeneutic

Riverside Christian Assembly is committed to a historical, grammatical, and contextual hermeneutic. This means each text is seen through the history of who wrote it, why they wrote, who received it, what was happening in that part of the world at that time, and what their original purpose in writing it was. Secondly, the Bible was not originally written in English. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. Translators have done an excellent job in communicating the message. However, when anything goes from one langue to another, something of the original meaning gets lost. We study Greek and Hebrew to aid in finding the full meaning. Lastly, the context of the text is of the utmost importance. What is happening in the book as a whole? What is the author’s overarching purpose? What happened in the book leading up to your text? What happens immediately after?

A few Rules

1.       The Bible can never mean what it never meant.

2.       A text without a context is a pretext for proof texting.

3.       The Bible best explains itself. Let one text interpret another.

Danger in Bad Hermeneutics

The most common error people make is in not understanding the context. For example a NFL Quarterback throws 8 touchdown passes in one game. In the postgame interview he thanks God saying; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This is Philippians 4:13. However in Philippians 4:12 it says; “I know how to live poor and I know how to live rich.” The author, Paul, in the context of the book is thanking the Philippian church for their generous gifts to him. In the immediate context he is simply addressing his ability to live with or without wealth. So when the pop warner QB prays; “God I can throw 8 TD’s in an NFL game because “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He is not quoting God’s promise only his wishes. That is not what it meant. Therefor it is not what it can mean.

Other Hermeneutics

1.       Scholastic method- This is where the student looks back at what other people said about the text. If you hear a lot of quotes by Popes, Cardinals, Saints or commentators this is likely the approach they are taking. Martin Luther led the protestant reformation that declared “Sola Scripura” meaning “only the scripture.” This was opposed to the Catholics believing the Pope’s words were equal with the scripture and in opposition to many unbiblical church practices such as the selling of indulgences.

2.       “Grab and swing”- this is the lazy man’s method. They just open the Bible, point, read and interpret it according to their life. Often people say; “I just opened the Bible and it said exactly what I needed.” This may be true, but my experience is they often miss the context, history and grammar.

3.       Guided- This is where a leader re-interprets the scripture. Cults are guilty of this. Adherents are not encouraged to read translations of the Bible that their church leaders did not alter. They are characterized by monthly magazines or newsletters that replace or supplement simply reading the Bible.  Questions are discouraged and “new revelations” abound.

4.       Systematic- This is where verses in their individual context is often ignored but the Bible themes and topics are categorized together throughout the Bible. Someone who just reads verse after verse on a specific topic is often doing a systematic study. This can be good if the verses are used in context. It is dangerous when they aren’t.

Conclusion

We are the secondary recipients of God’s word. I am a 21^st century English speaking American. I have little in common with the original recipients. Whether we are thinking of the Israelites being led by Moses in the wilderness (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), or Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem during their captivity (Ezra, Nehemiah), or the church at Ephesus being led by young Timothy (Act, 1and 2 Timothy) I cannot naturally fully understand. I need to put myself in their shoes to get what was meant primarily for them. The Bible is meant for all mankind. However the meaning and the understanding the original audience had cannot be separated. Hermeneutics should be the guide, the system in getting us there.

Driving it home

Take a few minutes and see if you can give a reasonable answer to the questions we started with;

1.    If all Christians have the same Bible why are there so many differences?

2.       How do I know what each passage of the Bible means?

3.       Is the Bible a difficult book to understand?

If you can’t answer these questions, what further information is needed?

Living Long

Honor your father and mother and it will go well with you. Ex20:12

 

     The secrete to a long life is honor. This commandment is the first one to carry a promise attached. It is not only right to honor our parents, there is a specific blessing for doing so.
     To honor is to esteem, to fix a high price upon. It means it matters. If you held out both arms straight and I put a brick in your left hand and a feather in your right. Your left arm would soon understand honor. It is what you are mindful of. It is where you spend your time and effort.
     Think for a moment on how you can fulfill this great promise. How can you honor your parents today? Maybe it is a phone call or a chore, perhaps a letter or gift. People love getting cards not because of the art or the folded paper but because it shows honor. It shows you took time and effort for their happiness.
     Honor should be associated with obedience and excellence. If we honor others, we listen to them. IF we honor others we live so our commonalities are uplifted. When a basketball player gets into an on court altercation some will say; "he dishonored his school." All those that same logo, all those that have a lot of commonality shake their heads that he represents them. However, a winning team that shows class is said to; "honor their school." All those with that same logo, all those that have a lot of commonality clap their hands.
     Live an honorable life. Make your parents proud. God sees and God will reward.