Enjoying God Blog

In the previous article we looked at Hebrews 9:27-28 and took note of the first two of four truths concerning the Second Coming of Christ. We now turn to the remaining two. Continue reading . . .

In the previous article we looked at Hebrews 9:27-28 and took note of the first two of four truths concerning the Second Coming of Christ. We now turn to the remaining two. Here again is the text under consideration.

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb. 9:27-28).

(1) The Second Coming of Christ ends all opportunity to be saved.

This is an extremely sobering and serious assertion, but we can’t afford to overlook it. Several things in this passage confirm it. I’ll return to this in a moment but clearly the purpose of Christ’s return is to consummate the salvation of those who already know him and are anxiously awaiting his coming (v. 28). There is nothing to indicate he is coming to save those who up until that time have lived in defiant disbelief and rebellion against his claim to be God incarnate.

We also know that there is no second chance to be saved after physical death because our author says that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (v. 27). He doesn’t say that after death comes yet another opportunity to be saved.

Whereas it is true that physical death is not the end of our existence, it is most assuredly the end of all opportunity to be reconciled to God. Contrary to those who argue for naturalism or that the only reality is physical or material in nature, when we die we do not simp

In the previous article we looked at Hebrews 9:27-28 and I asked what the Second Coming means to you; what do you expect to happen when Christ returns? We saw that the author of this letter declares that Jesus is coming back to “save” those who eagerly await his return. In this article I want to continue our investigation of Christ’s coming by noting the first two of four important truths about our Lord’s return. Continue reading . . .

In the previous article we looked at Hebrews 9:27-28 and I asked what the Second Coming means to you; what do you expect to happen when Christ returns? We saw that the author of this letter declares that Jesus is coming back to “save” those who eagerly await his return. In this article I want to continue our investigation of Christ’s coming by noting the first two of four important truths about our Lord’s return.

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb. 9:27-28).

(1) The Second Coming of Christ is the unmistakable proof that what Christ accomplished at his First Coming was final, sufficient, perfect, and singular.

Now, where do I find that in this passage? It’s in our author’s statement in v. 28 that Christ offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins “once” and that when he returns it won’t be to “bear the sins” of anyone. He has already done it. It is accomplished. It is finished! It is done! If at his Second Coming Jesus was to offer yet again a sacrifice for sins it would tell us that his death on Calvary and the shedding of his blood at the tim

How seriously and sincerely do you look forward to the Second Coming of Christ? Does it occupy your thinking on a regular basis? Continue reading . . .

How seriously and sincerely do you look forward to the Second Coming of Christ? Does it occupy your thinking on a regular basis? I’m not asking whether or not you enjoy engaging in speculative debates with friends about the identity of the Antichrist or whether or not Russia will conspire with other nations to invade Israel. I’m not asking you about your opinion on whether or not there will be a so-called Great Tribulation and where you stand on the timing of the Rapture in relation to it.

I’m asking you: Is your heart oriented in anxious expectation of seeing your savior, Jesus Christ, face to face? Do you awaken each day with the hope that this day might be THE day of his return? And if your answer to that question is anywhere from “Sort of” to “Absolutely” to “Well, every so often I do,” what is it that you expect him to do? What do you envision the purpose of his Second Coming to be? What is it about the return of Jesus Christ that makes the thought of it so exciting and fascinating?

Do you think about the coming of Jesus primarily as a remedy to the global war with Islamic terrorism? Do you think about the coming of Jesus as the solution to our planet’s problems, whether it be sexual immorality or economic chaos or the on-going reality of abortion or some such other problem? Why do you want Jesus to come back? What is the predominant motive in your heart? What is it that you not only expect him to do when he comes but want him to do when he comes?

And what practical benefit do you experience in reflecting on Christ’s return to earth? Does it serve only to fuel eschatological argumentation with those who

The people at Credo Magazine recently asked me to write a short answer to the question: Should a Christian Pray in Tongues? What follows isn’t substantially different from what I’ve written before on this subject, but I thought this summary statement might be helpful. You can read the entire issue of Credo Mag on the topic of prayer at www.credomag.com. Continue reading . . .

The people at Credo Magazine recently asked me to write a short answer to the question: Should a Christian Pray in Tongues? What follows isn’t substantially different from what I’ve written before on this subject, but I thought this summary statement might be helpful. You can read the entire issue of Credo Mag on the topic of prayer at www.credomag.com.

My short answer is: If you believe the gift of speaking in tongues is still available to the church today and that the Spirit has granted it to you (1 Cor. 12:11), Yes. This does not mean that all Christians should or will pray in tongues, for Paul is clear that no particular spiritual gift is given to every believer (1 Cor. 12:28-31).

That Paul clearly understood tongues to be a form of prayer is seen from his description of it in 1 Corinthians 14:2 (“for one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God”), 14:14a (“for if I pray in a tongue”), and 14:28 (in the absence of interpretation the Christian is to speak in tongues “to God”). And according to 14:16, prayer in tongues is a perfectly legitimate way in which to express heartfelt gratitude to the Lord.

Furthermore, we know that praying in tongues was a staple experience in Paul's private devotional life. This is clear from at least three texts.

First, in describing his own gift of speaking in tongues, Paul says “

Do you have any idea what it means when Christians are said to possess an eternal inheritance? Continue reading . . .

Do you have any idea what it means when Christians are said to possess an eternal inheritance? Look with me at how this is expressed in Hebrews 9:15-17.

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

Let me explain what I think he is saying to us.

Securely locked away in a safe-deposit box at one of the banks here in Oklahoma City is the last will and testament of Sam and Ann Storms. It was carefully written up by a competent lawyer and bears all the marks of a fully legal and binding document. It describes in typical lawyer’s language what is to be done with our meager possessions once we are dead. As you would expect, our two daughters are the legal heirs to whatever may remain in our estate when we are gone. But this document draws no special attention as long as Ann and I are alive. It is of no benefit to our children so long as breath remains in our lungs. Until such time as we die, it is only ink on paper.

But when our time to depart this life has arrived, that document instantly comes into play. It speaks definitively to the disposition of all our earthly possessions. The right of ownership to our estate passes to our heirs. There is no such thing as an “inheritance” in any meaningful sense of that term until we die. Then, and only then, may our children lay rightful claim to what then will be legally theirs.

All of us

Our local newspaper recently ran an article on the increase in gambling addiction in the state of Oklahoma. Continue reading . . .

Our local newspaper recently ran an article on the increase in gambling addiction in the state of Oklahoma. In the article it was stated that there are currently 116 casinos and/or gaming centers in the state. The days when one had to travel to Las Vegas or Atlantic City to indulge one’s fantasies of instant wealth are long gone.

This article reminded me of something I read by Michael Gerson, former speech-writer for President George W. Bush (and a graduate of Wheaton College). It was first published in The Washington Post and later appeared in abbreviated form in The Week, October 4, 2013. Although over a year old, it still rings true:

“We have entered the era of the ‘casino-government complex,’ said Michael Gerson. Facing $6 trillion in debts accrued over decades of fiscal mismanagement, 23 states have partnered with gaming companies to set up networks of small local casinos to suck more money out of the working class and the poor. These new casinos offer no Las Vegas showgirls or glitz, and are mostly located in sagging communities desperate for development. Once the locals show up with their money, the goal is to ‘encourage addiction.’ So slot machines are programmed to feed players a diet of small wins, rewarding them just enough so they keep playing until their money is all gone. In casinos, addiction ‘is the intended result.’ Studies show that up to 60 percent of slot-machine revenues come from problem gamblers, who consistently bet money they can’t afford to lose. ‘Perhaps we have given up on government as a source of moral improvement,’ but should it actively promote addiction and the illusion of sudden wealth without work? If

Hear Charles Spurgeon on the blood of Christ Continue reading . . .

Hear Charles Spurgeon on the blood of Christ:

“Beloved, it is a thought which ought to make our hearts leap within us, that through Jesus’ blood there is not a spot left upon any believer, not a wrinkle nor any such thing. Oh precious blood, removing the hell-stains of abundant iniquity, and permitting me to stand accepted in the beloved, notwithstanding all the many ways in which I have rebelled against my God” (“The Precious Blood of Christ,” 37).

One of the more unsettling passages in Scripture is found in Exodus 11:4-6 where we read of the plague of death that befell “every firstborn in the land of Egypt.” Continue reading . . .

One of the more unsettling passages in Scripture is found in Exodus 11:4-6 where we read of the plague of death that befell “every firstborn in the land of Egypt.”

So Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again (Exodus 11:4-6).

That, dear friends, was a “cry” I thank God never reached my ears. I cannot conceive of any more dreadful and horrifying experience than to have been present that night as the angel of death sped with noiseless wing through the streets of the many cities of Egypt. The judgment of God was about to fall on this unbelieving nation. It must have been an especially bitter cry that echoed from Pharaoh’s chamber as his first born fell to the earth, dead. And as if to accentuate the pervasiveness of the wrath of God against those who rejected him, even the first born of the cattle were smitten.

And yet there were some houses into which the angel of death had no access. Why? What was it that preserved one house from the destruction that another endured? Was it the elegance of the building? Was death averted because one house was made of marble and another of mud and straw? No. The modest huts of Israelite slaves were spared while Pharaoh’s majestic palace was the first to the smell the odor of death, notwithstandi

A lot of people struggle to make sense of the first ten verses of Hebrews 9. But there is much for us to learn here. Continue reading . . .

A lot of people struggle to make sense of the first ten verses of Hebrews 9. But there is much for us to learn here. Read the text closely.

1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and man earthly place of holiness. 2 For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, 4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. 5 Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation (Heb. 9.1-10).

The Tabernacle was, for lack of a better way of putting it, a portable temple with a movable courtyard. The courtyard itself was approximately 150 feet long and 75 feet wide. I provided the people at Bridgeway a meas

As I’ve been preaching through the book of Hebrews I’ve often wondered to myself: What does this book have to do with life in 2014? Its language seems so foreign and its images so distant and its symbolism so strange. Continue reading . . .

As I’ve been preaching through the book of Hebrews I’ve often wondered to myself: What does this book have to do with life in 2014? Its language seems so foreign and its images so distant and its symbolism so strange. We live in a world where a man has walked on the moon. We wake up each day to a life dominated by computer technology and threats of nuclear terrorism. And when we get sick we have antibiotics within arm’s reach. All this talk of high priests and blood sacrifices and ceremonial defilement and some guy named Melchizedek makes me wonder whether it’s really of practical benefit to study this book.

My guess is that some of you have asked yourselves the same question and, sadly, have responded by closing your Bible, setting it to the side, believing it to be irrelevant to life in this fast-paced, highly-mechanized, sin-saturated and secular world of ours. But others of you, and I hope it’s most, know that God controls and directs history and in doing so providentially orchestrates earlier events in order to reveal himself and the truth about how we might be reconciled to him. You have come to know that these odd-sounding ancient rituals and symbols and religious activities were designed by God to prepare us for the coming of Jesus Christ and the eternal life that is to be found in him alone.

In order to make this point crystal clear, I want you to look with me at Hebrews 9:13-14.

“For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much mor