Month: November 2017

From Your Pastor: Some Excellent Advent and Christmas Books for this Festive Season

Behold the Lamb of God: An Advent Narrative by Russ Ramsey (combine this with Andrew Peterson’s excellent companion music CD)

Child in the Manger by Sinclair B. Ferguson

Songs of the Nativity by John Calvin

Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on the Incarnation by Joel R. Beeke

Christmas Playlist: Four Songs that bring you the heart of Christmas by Alistair Begg

The Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent by John Piper

Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ by Tim Keller

The Christ of Christmas by James Montgomery Boice

Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus, A Family Devotional by Marty Machowski

Come, Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp

 

In Christ,

Pastor Biggs

From Your Pastor: “We Confess One Holy Catholic and Apostlic Church”

Happy 500th Anniversary of the Reformation!

Regularly during our public worship services at KCPC, we confess together as a congregation the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed is the corporate confession of the church that was formulated from the Councils of Nicea and Constantinople in 325 and 381 A.D. respectively. The Nicene Creed is a Trinitarian Creed that confesses the one Christian faith revealed from the Father, through the Work of the Son, by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph. 2:11-22, esp. v. 18). In response to the elder-presbyter asking in the worship service: “Church, what do you believe?” We gladly respond confessionally as a part of our worship of the Triune God:

“We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
“And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.
“And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

The third part of the Nicene Creed is focused primarily on the work of the Holy Spirit, the “Lord and Giver of Life”. We confess together as a congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ that we believe in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church”. When we confess each of these four attributes as members of Christ’s Church, we confess that we are the recipients of the life-giving and powerful work of the Holy Spirit as He has established, is building, and is filling Christ’s Church to the glory of the Father. Because the Nicene Creed is a Trinitarian Creed, it should be emphasized that this necessarily means it is also a Christocentric (Christ-centered) and thus a Pneumatological Creed (having to with the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit) as well.

One: When we confess that the church is one, we confess that we are part of one church that is the body of Christ (Eph. 4:4, 12, 16), the beloved bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23, 29-32), purchased and redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:7; Rev. 1:5), to be children of the living God, one family in Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 2:11-18; 4:4-6; 5:8). Our oneness is what we possess in our union with Jesus Christ by the Spirit, and we ought to seek to realize that union and communion more fully in our day to day Christian lives. When Christ returns this unity will be fully realized and manifested before the world for the glory of the Triune God (Eph. 5:27; Col. 3:4; 2 Pet. 1:11; 2 Pet. 3:14; Rev. 14:12-13). As the Apostle Paul wrote: “Be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). For everyone who professes the name of Jesus Christ, and loves the Lord Jesus in sincerity with a faith incorruptible (Rom. 10:12; 1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 6:23-24; cf. Titus 1:16), we should consider them part of the one body of Christ, and the one family of God, and pursue and maintain unity with them through loving service, fellowship, and mercy (Rom. 12:11-18; Col. 3:11-15; 5:12-18; 2 Thess. 1:3).

Holy: When we confess that the church is holy, we confess that we are set apart as one body, one bride, one people, one family to be the purchased possession and delight of God our Father (Gen. 17:8; Exodus 19:5; Deut. 14:2; 30:9; Psa. 74:2; Zeph. 1:17; Mal. 3:17; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:13-18; 2:9-11). We are called by our God and Father to “be holy as He is holy” (Lev. 11:44; Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:15-16). In Christ, through the Holy Spirit’s bond of union (Eph. 4:1-6; Phil. 2:1-5), we are given perfect righteousness in Him that is received by faith (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 3:21-26; 4:1-11; 5:18; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9-11). This perfect righteousness that all sinners desperately need to stand before the holy presence of God is imputed as a gift from Christ alone (Psa. 32:2; Rom. 3:24-26; 4:6; 2 Cor. 5:19-21). In Christ, through the Holy Spirit’s bond of union, we also grow up and mature in real righteousness in Him as we walk in the light of His Holy Word, and in the unfathomable love of the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:17-19; 4:13-16). We are sanctified, or grow holy in God’s righteousness, as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling in Him (Phil. 2:12-13). Christ by His Spirit gives us imputed righteousness in our justification, and imparted, or real righteousness progressively in our sanctification (1 Thess. 4:1-8; 2 Pet. 1:3-11).

Catholic: When we confess that the church is catholic, we confess that we are part of one body, one bride, one family that has been called out of darkness and the corruption of sin to be God’s True Israel made up of both Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, and of everyone the Lord by His Spirit calls to Himself from Father Adam to the last person to be saved before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8; Gal. 3:26-29; Eph. 1:3-6, 13-23; Rom. 5:12, 15, 17; 12:5; 16:25-27; Col. 1:11-12; 3:9-11; 1 Pet. 2:9). We use the term “catholic” as referring to the church as “universal”, not in one place or time, but from all people, and all places, and all times who have called upon the name of Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as Lord alone. We confess that we are part of one family that is made up of every tribe, people, language and nation of believers (Rev. 5:9; 7:4; 13:7). As our early church father Ignatius of Antioch confessed, “Where Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic church.” This means that where Jesus as Head of His Church is present by His Spirit and His Word, there is the one catholic or universal church (as we see in Revelation with the seven churches, they are all part of one whole, though they are from Ephesus, Smyrna, Philadelphia, etc., cf. Revelation 2-3). We are not Roman Catholic, but we are Reformed, and reforming catholics, not sectarians, but the True Israel of God in Christ by His Spirit (Gal. 6:14-16), who though part of a local, faithful congregation of the church is part of the larger whole in Christ Jesus.

Apostolic: When we confess that the church is apostolic, we confess that we are part of Christ’s kingly and priestly architectural work of building His holy temple, founded on the apostolic and prophetic word, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, filled with the glorious Spirit of God, to the glory of God alone (Acts 2:1-5; Eph. 2:19-22). We are also part of Christ’s authoritative prophetic work of building up His holy temple by His Blessed Vicar on earth, the powerful Spirit of Truth, who leads His people in all truth through the inspired, infallible, final, and completed Word of God (John 7:38-39; 14:17; 15:26; 16:12-15; 20:21-22; Acts 1:8; 2:38; Gal. 3:14; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; Heb. 1:1-2; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 John 4:1-5). To be apostolic means to confess that Scripture alone is God’s final authority for our doctrine and life. Tradition is good when it is scriptural (Acts 17:11; 1 Cor. 11:2; 2 Th. 2:15; 3:6; but cf. Mark 7:4-8), but “To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn” (Isa. 8:20), and “Thus says the LORD” and “It is written…” should be the ultimate word and final guide to our doctrine, life and godliness! To be apostolic means to confess that a true apostolic church is not found through apostolic succession of fallible men, but through faithfulness to apostolic truth found in the Holy Scriptures in preaching, teaching, and living. One of the important marks of the true church is the faithful preaching of the Word of God, and where this is found, there you will find the apostolic church of Jesus Christ.

How can we practically live out this confession we make? We can seek to realize our union and communion with Jesus and other Christians by pursuing peace, and being merciful and patient and compassionate with other confessing Christians as Christ has been so graciously kind with us (Col. 3:12-16). We can realize our union and communion with Jesus by the Spirit and know that we have indeed been set apart and justified through faith by His grace, and seek to glorify Christ in increasingly being more holy as He is holy. We can realize our union and communion with Jesus by His Spirit and know that we are privileged to be part of the one true Israel and family of God, and to know that this one family is made up of all kinds of people, at all times, and in all places. We can realize our union and communion with Jesus by the Spirit, by knowing more fully that we are the temple of the Spirit that Christ is building as Architect, and that King Jesus is ruling, reigning, subduing, guarding and defending this glorious temple by the authority of the apostolic word, the very Sword of the Spirit.

Our Lord Jesus promised that He would build His church, His Holy Spiritual temple, and the gates of hell would never prevail against her! This is precisely what we have observed because of His good providence throughout history. We have also experienced this as part of Christ’s power and grace by His Spirit to our congregation and denomination to this day! What a privilege at the 500th anniversary of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century to continue to confess our union with Christ and His Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father as “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church” throughout the ages, called to be the children of God, and to shine like the firmament as God’s holy ones in this present age (Dan. 12:3; Phil. 2:14-16). Here we still stand as the one holy catholic and apostolic church. May the LORD direct our hearts to His love and the steadfastness of Christ! (2 Thess. 3:5).

Let us this day rejoice and delight in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit this day because of His faithfulness, and because He rejoices and delights in us!

Let us remember that all grace and goodness and mercy and love is from Him, and through Him, and to Him, to Him alone be the glory, forever and ever! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Amen!

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Biggs

From Your Pastor: The Grace of Giving and Generosity

Dear Family in Jesus,

Let us seek to flourish and thrive in the grace of being magnanimously generous in our giving. Because of God’s grace to us, let us more eagerly desire to honor and glorify God in Christ by “crowning” our King in the extension and advancement of His Kingdom, to the ends of the earth!

A TALE OF TWO STEWARDS

Once upon a time there was a young man named Mr. Consumer and he was known to all as a taker who wanted instant gratification. He desired everything now. He was constantly tempted to buy, and buy, and buy, and buy. His kinder neighbors knew that this, too, was their temptation, but Mr. Consumer would not resist this terrible desire for more buying. When Mr. Consumer was asked by others why he would often buy, buy, buy, he would say that he had come to believe that peace and joy and satisfaction could be purchased through these means (but this was a lie).

In the same town, there also lived a young man named Mr. Producer. He was always seeking to give and to be a steward-manager of all his resources. Though Mr. Producer was often greatly tempted to buy, buy, buy, he was not taken by the temptation to instant gratification, but rather enjoyed the peace and trust of delayed gratification. Mr. Producer ultimately sought to live for Jesus Christ who had loved him and given Himself for him, to produce more gospel resources for the extension of Christ’s Kingdom. He desired Christ to be crowned as King through His giving and generosity. Mr. Producer desired to give and bless others because he believed there were greater eternal rewards awaiting those who might show magnanimous generosity (and this was the truth).

One day, Mr. Consumer met Mr. Producer, and was convinced by God’s grace, that the life Mr. Producer lived was the true life of joy, peace and satisfaction. Mr. Consumer realized that while he lived for self, Mr. Producer lived for Christ and others, and gave glory to God! Mr. Consumer repented of his terrible sin against God, found mercy and grace in Christ, and both he and Mr. Producer from that day forth walked hand in hand in the fear of the LORD, helping one another, exhorting one another, encouraging one another, to live for the glory of God.

The truth is, Beloved of Jesus, most of our lives we can see a bit of both Mr. Consumer and Mr. Producer in ourselves, but we are called by God’s grace to be Mr. Producers. Wisdom has shown us that oftentimes the Christian who is more of a consumer in the marketplace, is also more of a consumer in the church than a producer-giver. In other words, this sin can make us grace-takers rather than grace-givers. Only Christ through His grace can redeem Mr. Consumer and transform him into Mr. Producer, a recipient of Christ’s rich benefits, full of thanksgiving! Let us cry out with the Psalmist:

Psalm 103: Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Forget not all His benefits!

…Yet how easily we forget God’s mercies to us in Jesus—so make a point of remembering!

In this year alone, God has blessed KCPC in many ways! How many benefits? Think of five specific benefits to you, our congregation, and your family. Stop. Do it right now. Think about it. I encourage you to make a list of what God has done in your life and is doing presently! Be thankful; be grateful!! The point in this exercise is to stir you up to love and good works! (Heb. 10:24-25).

Behold the riches of God in Christ Jesus—all that Christ has is yours!

You are a recipient of every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus!

ESV Ephesians 1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…

     Beloved in Jesus: Remember that because of God’s love to you in Christ, to give faithfully in your tithes and offerings. Give yourself back to Jesus who has given Himself for you (Rom. 12:1). Your tithes and offerings are tangible and concrete displays of the giving of yourself back to God in response to His Gospel promises to you in Christ. You are God’s precious treasure and possession; give yourself fully back to Him (Romans 5:6-11). If you have been redeemed you are not your own. Say it: “I am not my own; I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:5-7).

In your giving, always REMEMBER THE GOSPEL, and to meditate on God’s goodness to you and your family in the Gospel- -DAILY.

CHRIST HAS MADE US RICH!

ESV 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

We were impoverished, poor and naked before God (Rev. 3:17), without any righteousness to offer him, and nothing but a weight of guilt, sin and debt to God. Christ put aside all of his glorious riches to make us abundantly rich and gloriously clothed in Him.

CHRIST HAS GIVEN US HIS MIND

Remember our ONE-ness in the Gospel (Others’ interests should be more important than our interests)! We are united to one another in one body by Christ’s Spirit:

ESV Philippians 2:2-4: …Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Let us give to each other because we are one body in Jesus at KCPC. May there never be needs in our congregation that we are aware of, that we do not seek as a congregation to provide together. There should never be anyone in our midst with known needs that are not met. If we cannot be generous to our brothers who we are united with and serve with together, how can we ever serve our enemies and the world as we are called to do?!

“Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

CHRIST HAS GIVEN US FAITH AND WORKS IN OUR UNION WITH HIM

Remember Your Faith and Your Love being demonstrated in your works

ESV James 2:14-18: What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Remember to prove your love to Christ and one another; this is biblical. You say you love God, show it! Jesus said: “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

ESV 2 Corinthians 8:8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine….ESV 2 Corinthians 8:24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men.

EXCEL in the grace of giving generously!

ESV 2 Corinthians 8:7 But as you excel in everything– in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you- see that you excel in this act of grace also.

Let us show our love for God, our love for one another, and the abundant grace of joy and thanksgiving we have by giving tangibly to needs.  Continue to be faithful to tithing, giving and generosity in general.

ESV 2 Corinthians 9:6-8: The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all contentment in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

 

Do you believe that you can be MAGNANIMOUSLY GENEROUS and that Jesus can be your ultimate portion and possession and treasure- -and that you can be a greater giver? In Christ, we have all we need. He is full of the grace of generosity and giving—this, too, is our inheritance in union with Him!

Do you believe this? Jesus asks us:

“Didn’t I say that you would see the **GLORY** of God if you just believed?”- John 11:40

Yet we have our pet excuses why we cannot give and be generous in our own estimation. Here are some:

“Objections” as to why you cannot or do not (will not!?) give!

You say: “But I’m really already stretched financially!”

If you’re “stretched”, God knows it and will provide for you (Psalm 37:23-26); you can never out-give God! He is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides! Your giving is an act of faith, and this same grace will be returned to you. In fact, it is through sacrificial giving that you learn more about how to be content in whatever situation and to have Christ strengthen you (look at the larger context of Philippians 4:10-23). The Apostle Paul teaches that we can do “all things” in Christ who strengthens us, and that means all things whether we living in abundance or need. God promises this:

ESV Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

ESV 2 Corinthians 8:14-15: …Your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

You say: “But I tithe, isn’t that enough?!”

Thanks be to God for your tithing; that is a great start! But let us learn that the tithe was to show our utter dependence upon God for all things; that all that we have or will ever possess comes from God (1 Cor. 4:7), and that we are to learn not merely to give a tithe (10%) but learn to be willing to give all of ourselves and our possessions and belongings (nothing we should hold on too tightly! Luke 14:26ff). In other words, giving is for us to avoid idolatry and weighing ourselves down on our pilgrimage by prosperity. Giving is to give back to God as steward-managers of God, recognizing the danger of having too much stored away that might tempt us to lean on our savings plan rather on the God who has saved us!

You say: “But, I am in so much debt.”

Most of our lives we have some sort of debt.  God knows this. We can prayerfully and wisely seek to be debt free, but often the cause of our debt is because we are more consumers by nature than producers.

Remember Proverbs 11:24-25: One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

Let us pray and seek to pay our debts faithfully to the glory of God (Psalm 37:21-22), but let us put God first in our priorities, and seek to produce more for His kingdom, and trust Him to pay off the debt. If you have tremendous debts, ask God to search your heart, Psalm 139:23-24-style, and if there is anything greed, consumerism, selfishness to be repented of, then by all means, get to it now and find mercy and grace in Christ (Heb. 4:16). Ask God to be your Help in whatever sinful place you find yourself. No one who cries out to Jesus Christ in true repentance and faith will be without a Faithful Helper!

You say: “But, I can give so little.”

Give your “widow’s mite”; give your few fish and single loaf of bread; give what you can and watch and pray that Jesus in His grace might multiply what you give. Perhaps your small gift will be received, seen, etc. and someone with much more would give because they saw you give little of what you have!? If there is readiness to give, it is from God and acceptable:

ESV 2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

Let us show our love for God in our giving and generosity. Remember, He will do above and beyond what we can ever ask or imagine by the power of His Spirit (Eph. 3:20-21). Bless the LORD, Mr. Producer redeemed by the blood of Christ, recipient of His benefits! Bless His Holy Name! Let me encourage you to excel in the grace of giving and generosity today, especially as we prayerfully consider the OPC THANK OFFERING to be received in the next couple of weeks, and as you think about how you would like to increase your giving and seek to be more generous toward God in the new year!

 In Christ’s love,

Pastor Charles