Monday, January 02, 2012

The view of Christ’s death presented here has frequently been called the theory of “penal substitution.” Christ’s death was “penal” in that he bore a penalty when he died. His death was also a “substitution” in that the was a substitute for us when he died. This has been the orthodox understanding of the atonement held by evangelical theologians, in contrast to other views that attempt to explain the atonement part from the idea of the wrath of God or payment of the penalty for sin. This view of the atonement is sometimes called the theory of vicarious atonement. A “vicar” is someone who stands in the place of another or who represents another. Christ’s death was therefore “vicarious” because he stood in our place and represented us. As our representative, he took the penalty that we deserve. Wayne Grudem from Systematic Theology

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Today is a good time to carefully and prayerfully plan for 2012. God is for us carefully and prayerfully planning. Proverbs 6:6–7, "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her food in summer, and gathers her sustenance in harvest." This points out that saving for future times of need is prudent and godly. One way we fail is by not carefully and prayerfully planning for the future. Proverbs 14:15, "The simple believes everything, but the prudent looks where he is going." We should look where our current pattern of life is taking us and make the corrections we need to keep ourselves safe from temptation and unnecessary loss. Those who fail to think about the future impact of their actions lack maturity. Proverbs 15:22, "Without counsel plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed." It is not a bad idea to share our plans with wise and trusted friends. We need to get their feedback. They may see things we have missed. Part of our humility is learning and listening from others. Proverbs 16:3, "Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established." Our efforts must be for God's glory. If they truly are then the real goal of our efforts will be reached. We should commit every plan we have to God in prayer. Proverbs 24:27, "Prepare your work outside, get everything ready for you in the field; and after that build your house." Focusing on that which produces profit is more important than focusing on that which produces comfort. There is a place for both. But priority has to be given to what helps us survive and thrive. Proverbs 31:15–16, "She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and tasks for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard." Here is an example of a godly women and part of her spirituality is that she lives an organized life, set priorities, and is thinking ahead. God assumes that we will plan. It is not a wise thing to go on a trip without a map or a destination. He is against planning that is filled with pride that assumes that setting plans and goals gives us control over the future. This is insanity. We never have control of tomorrow. But prayerful and careful plans made in a true attitude of "if the Lord wills" are a delight when their aim is to be good managers of God's physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual gifts. Having priorities is a good thing. Knowing what is more important to do and what is less important to do is a key to being a good manager of God's gifts to us. Now all of our plans should have as their aim to "seek first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness." Since we are to glorify God in even the simple things of eating and drinking then every aspect of our lives need to be organized to maximize their benefit for Christ and HIS kingdom. We are to be kingdom centered planners. Now most New Year resolutions don't occur. The reasons for this are many. But one of them is that we did not connect the resolution to a committed plan of action which was "S.M.A.R.T". To be "SMART" a plan must be: Specific - What exactly are we wanting to accomplish. Be as concrete as you can in defining the change you what to see occur. Measurable - How will you know when you have reached this goal? What is the difference between success and failure? Action Focused - Thinking about things does not change our lives most of the time. We have to "do" something different. What exactly will we "do" different to attain this change in our lives? What needs to be done? How can we do it? Realistic - We have to do a careful and prayerful process of first determining if God wants us to do this new thing and second can we do it? Can the large goal be broken up into smaller goals that we could do? How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Sometimes our vision of what we want to do is bigger than our ability to do it. Our goals should be challenging but not totally beyond us. Time defined - Only what we put into our calendars ever gets done. What we will not commit time to we are not committed to do. So what does the Lord Jesus the Messiah want you to plan to do in 2012? How would HE like this new year to be different than 2011? These are questions worth praying about and defining. Today is the day to begin a new year with a new kingdom direction. Amen http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/a-new-years-plea-plan