by Phil Auxier
…we dealt with immaturity as well. The audio from 7/31/11 is now online: Spiritual Immaturity (1) from Hebrews 5:11-14. The sermon sought to unpack the writer’s intent in moving people out of immaturity into maturity by centering them on the proper foundation of the Gospel.
On top of the sermon, we enjoyed a report from a missionary, commissioning of our Arizona mission team and the Lord’s Supper. It was a glorious and full morning. I hope you had a rich day of worship, as well.
by Phil Auxier
On Monday, I posted a link to a video of the invocation at a NASCAR race. Here’s the pastor defending his prayer. Also, a former prof and seminary president of mine, Mark Coppenger, weighs in on this prayer.
We have a team leaving for a mission trip this coming Sunday. Having gone on many of these in the past, I thought these 10 Things To Remember AFTER the Trip were helpful.
Here’s some great encouragement for women from a woman commenting on that oft-quoted Titus 2 passage.
by Phil Auxier
…makes such a difference. I found this out just today as I was prepping for a sermon this weekend on Hebrews 5:11-14. This passage exposes spiritual immaturity specifically highlighting the sluggish hearing to which the readers have fallen prey. They ought to be living out the implications of the Gospel and sharing that with others (like Jesus commanded in the Great Commission). Instead, they are needing a steady diet of milk, getting nourished again on what the Gospel is and how it relates to life Then, in v.14, we read:
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
The phrase translated “constant practice” reflects how most translations understand the original word in the text, transliterated as hexis. It’s only used one time in the Bible and its meaning is hard to get at. What this verse means with the translation “constant practice” has the implication that mature and those who are working hard to hold onto their mature state must constantly practice to have discernment.
Researching this word today, I came across a journal article by John Lee from 1997 on what this word means and he proposes this translation:
But solid food is for adults, who because of their mature state have their senses trained to distinguish good and bad.
The implication of this is simply staggering. Instead of working hard to be mature, the state of being mature means having good senses to distinguish good and bad. This is more in keeping with the Gospel, it seems to me.
The translation and interpretation mentioned first above almost suggest a works oriented system. The latter seems to suggest that the Gospel does a work that leads to perseverance. This leads O’Brien to write (in his Pillar commentary on Hebrews):
So because of their mature condition, the faculties of adults, that is, their physical senses including their minds, have been trained to discern both good and evil.
The Christian world, in some pockets, is consumed with knowing the Word, eating the meat of the Word and moving onto maturity. The writer of Hebrews is saying that the work of the Gospel in our lives naturally leads to maturity. If we would continue to flesh out the implications of the Gospel in our lives, we would inevitably end up mature.
Just one word does, indeed, make all the difference.
by Phil Auxier
I love reading the prayers found in the Valley of Vision. Yesterday, in a prayer “Living For Jesus” I read this line and was struck:
Make me…to be not only a professor but an example of the Gospel…
displaying in every relation, office, and condition its excellency, loveliness, and advantages.
Now, many of us (who profess Christ) have no problem doing this on Sundays. We gather with other believers and come to church, putting on a rather good show as to how spiritually impressive we really are.
But, are we examples of the Gospel in our lives? Surely this is the true evidence of whether or not we have been gripped by the Gospel. For instance, in your marriage, are you an example of the Gospel? No matter what difficulty you face, no matter how hard things are with the kids, no matter what things pull at you, does the Gospel get a hearing in your life together? Or are you a mere professor? Think of this: is the Gospel on display in your life in every relation (spouse, children, coworkers, In-Laws!), in every office (every responsibility you have), every condition (this about covers the rest of it)? Do each of these places allow you to show the excellency, loveliness and advantage of the Gospel?
The convicting thought I had in reading this was that often I am a mere professor and not an example. Oh, for grace from God to be one who not only believes the Gospel, but lives it out.
by Phil Auxier
… at least that’s what the warning of Hebrews 5:11-14 sounds like. Here’s a great summary from George Guthrie’s excellent commentary:
In [these verses] the author offers a bald assessment of his hearer’s current condition. They exhibit a dullness as learners of God’s truth, even though they have been engaged in the Christian walk long enough now to be teachers of others. The preacher likens them to infants [still drinking milk], who cannot handle more substantive fare.”
I wonder where you struggle to be a learner? It might be that some of us don’t like the deep things, because they will require some effort, and, quite frankly, we don’t want to put it forward. It might be a matter of priorities for some of us. Others struggle to just get passed the milk. Regardless of where we’re at on the journey. The writer of Hebrews (read: God) wants us to wake up and realize that not choosing to deepen in the truth is a choice to stay immature. These things simply shouldn’t be. Oh, that God would give grace this coming Lord’s Day as we look into these things.
by Phil Auxier
I was chuckling most of the afternoon after watching this invocation at a NASCAR event. Enjoy.
by Phil Auxier
The sermon from 7/24/11 entitled Qualified from Hebrews 5:1-10 is now online. In this sermon, I sought to unfold what is an amazing text of Scripture, showing how amazingly qualified Jesus is to not only be our great high priest, but, deeper, to be our Savior for all of eternity. We need this truths as anchors for our souls. I hope you profited from this message.
In the evening, many of our church’s small groups gathered. It was an enriching Lord’s Day. I hope you were blessed.
by Phil Auxier
As a pastor in the Bible church context, it seems that what could be the favorite verse for people in our neck of evangelicalism is something like 3 John 4: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” It’s truth, truth, truth, always the truth. But, the problem is, often, that our definition of truth is a narrow bit of interpretive secondary issues and not the “truth” that John spoke of at all.
You see, John had personally encountered the “Truth” when He walked on earth. He even quotes Jesus in a verse we love: “Jesus said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one gets to the Father except through Me.'” We love this verse. But, when we think about walking in the truth, we often aren’t thinking of walking more precisely in the Gospel, we are thinking about moral or very specific doctrinal confines.
Therefore, today, let’s heed those words of that grandfatherly apostle in 3 John. There is no greater joy than to be walking in the truth, than to be walking in Jesus and all the implications that the Gospel has for us. The Gospel changes us. Let’s walk in that joy.
by Phil Auxier
Here are some helpful things I saw on the web this week:
The Resurgence had a good word for wives, as well as some moving reflections of a parent to a blind child.
Someone in church recommended I read Dr. Gangemi’s site and I’ve found the articles fairly helpful in terms of diet, health and that glorifying God in one’s body piece.
And, evidently owling is the new planking. As Jared Wilson said, this is proof that we are officially bored to death.
by Phil Auxier
Prepping for this coming Lord’s Day (7/24/11) and a sermon on Hebrews 5:1-10, I listened to a sermon by Piper entitled He Is the Source of Eternal Salvation for All Who Obey Him from Hebrews 5:4-10. In explaining why this passage is so important, he said at one point:
All hell will rage at you one day with this one message—especially when you are nearing death: your salvation is not sufficient; your guilt remains; condemnation hangs over your head; and the wrath of God is not removed. At that moment you will need truth about the foundation of your eternal salvation. And one truth that will strengthen your confidence in that hour is the truth that you have no ordinary High Priest, but one who has the infinite dignity of the Son of God, and he has therefore become the source of eternal salvation.
I was really excited when I heard Piper say this, because this was exactly why my heart was excited. There is quite simply no Savior like the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope as you think about His perfections, you see how qualified He is to be THE source of our salvation.
