Blog - LIVING STONES FELLOWSHIP

Leaving the Holy Spirit Out of It

7/15/2015

In a recent blog post, Julie Rodgers indicates her predictable movement from believing that Christians can call themselves gay and still be Christians to plainly approving of same-sex romantic relationships. She writes, "I've become increasingly troubled by the unintended consequences of messages that insist all LGBT people commit to lifelong celibacy."

In Rodgers's mind, there appear to be only two possible ways of proceeding for the "gay Christian": either you commit to lifelong celibacy (the option insisted on by gay-harming Conservatives) or you give yourself to a same-sex "marriage." But are these really the only two options?

Sermon Notes: Know Your Circumstances

5/22/2015

NOTE: This sermon manuscript (edited and polished) is part 6 in this semester's Killing Sin preaching series. Listen to the sermon here. Check out part 1 [read|listen], part 2 [read|listen], part 3 [read|listen], part 4 [read|listen], part 5 [read|listen], part 7 [read|listen], part 8 [read|listen], and part 9 [read|listen].

In 1942, three years into World War II, an experimental airborne regiment was formed. It would be one of the first times any military would deploy soldiers out of planes in enemy territory so they could descend into battle with the aid of a parachute.

The soldiers in this regiment—all volunteers—went through rigorous battle drills and ruthless physical training. They suffered under the command of an officer who was extremely strict and unrelenting in pushing their bodies and minds…

Sermon Notes: What Does Killing Sin Mean?

5/13/2015

NOTE: This sermon manuscript (edited and polished) is part 5 in this semester's Killing Sin preaching series. Listen to the sermon here. Check out part 1 [read|listen], part 2 [read|listen], part 3 [read|listen], part 4 [read|listen], part 6 [read|listen], part 7 [read|listen], part 8 [read|listen], and part 9 [read|listen].

We've talked about death, which is God's curse on disobedience. And we've talked about the cure for death, which is faith in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we've addressed the necessity of believers putting sin to death and our need of the Holy Spirit to do it. Now we're finally getting to what it actually means to put to death the deeds of the body, to mortify the flesh—to kill sin.

And to get a grasp of what it means to kill sin, let's talk about—you guessed it—what killing sin doesn't mean…

What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

4/27/2015

In closing his great work on the mortification of sin in believers, John Owen outlines the sin-destroying work that the Holy Spirit effects in the life of a Christian:

The Holy Spirit…

clearly and fully convinces the heart of the evil and guilt and danger of the corruption, lust, or sin to be mortified (put to death).

reveals unto us the fullness of Christ for our relief; which is the consideration that stays the heart from false ways and from despairing despondency (Col. 2:8).

establishes the heart in expectation of relief from Christ; which is the great sovereign means of mortification (2 Cor. 1:21).

brings the cross of Christ into our hearts with its sin-killing power; for by the Spirit are we baptized into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 12:13).

is the author and finisher of our sanctification; gives new supplies and influences of grace for holiness and sanctification (Eph. 3:16–18).

—John Owen, The Mortification of Sin in Believers

Should you Follow Your Heart?

3/10/2015

This blog post over on Desiring God does a good job diagnosing and rebuking the worship of the idol of our own hearts.

If you're between the ages of 4 and 28, you probably grew up with a healthy dose of Disney propaganda. Our beloved princes and princesses, brave heroes and cuddly animal friends, steadfastly preach one of our dearest false gospels: "Follow your heart; believe in yourself."

Even my high school guidance counselor, when I was trying to figure out where to go to college and what to do with my life, told me in all sincerity, "Just follow your heart." She had faith that if I had faith in me that all my hopes and dreams would come true. And who knows, maybe they would have. But "what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36)

Serve the LORD your God and seek the help of the Holy Spirit in aligning your heart's desires with His perfect will. And yes, that means your desires will have to change. But God can change them. Isn't that wonderful?

Sermon Notes: The Everyday Work of a Christian

3/2/2015

NOTE: This sermon manuscript (edited and polished) is part 4 in this semester's Killing Sin preaching series. Listen to the sermon here. Check out part 1 [read|listen], part 2 [read|listen], part 3 [read|listen], part 5 [read|listen], part 6 [read|listen], part 7 [read|listen], part 8 [read|listen], and part 9 [read|listen].

The Holy Spirit never stops making distinctions. It's been that way from the Creation of the world, right down through history: Light and dark. Male and female. Life and death. Wisdom and foolishness. Righteousness and wickedness. When we come to a Bible passage where God again makes a distinction, drawing a stark line between two opposing sides, we're forced to examine ourselves and judge which side of the line we're on. Romans 8:13 is one of those passages:

Sermon Notes: By the Spirit

2/16/2015

NOTE: This sermon manuscript (edited and polished) is part 3 in this semester's Killing Sin preaching series. Listen to the sermon here. Check out part 1 [read|listen], part 2 [read|listen], part 4 [read|listen], part 5 [read|listen], part 6 [read|listen], part 7 [read|listen], part 8 [read|listen], and part 9 [read|listen].

Sermon Notes: Christ the Cure

1/30/2015

NOTE: This sermon manuscript (edited and polished) is part 2 in this semester's Killing Sin preaching series. Listen to the sermon here. Check out part 1 [read|listen], part 3 [read|listen], part 4 [read|listen], part 5 [read|listen], part 6 [read|listen], part 7 [read|listen], part 8 [read|listen], and part 9 [read|listen].

In John 3, we have the historical account of a man named Nicodemus coming to ask Jesus some questions in the middle of the night. Nicodemus was a leader of the Jews, a Pharisee, who knew the law and the prophecies of the Old Testament backwards and forwards. But he didn't understand the things Jesus was teaching. To help Nicodemus understand how someone can see the true kingdom of God, He talks about something that happened to the Jews in the Old Testament:

Sermon Notes: You Are Going to Die

1/26/2015

Killing Sin

NOTE: This sermon manuscript (edited and polished) is part 1 in this semester's Killing Sin preaching series. Listen to the sermon here. Check out part 2 [read|listen], part 3 [read|listen], part 4 [read|listen], part 5 [read|listen], part 6 [read|listen], part 7 [read|listen], part 8 [read|listen], and part 9 [read|listen].

You are going to die…

For Brave Souls

1/19/2015

In another post I recommend a book called Licensed to Kill by Brian Hedges. One reason I recommended it is because it's easy to read. It was released in 2011 and it's an inviting 104 pages. For brave souls who wish to venture into the waters of books that are quite difficult but commensurately rich and helpful, I strongly recommend John Owen's Overcoming Sin & Temptation. It's actually an edited volume of 3 of Owen's works: Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers, Of Temptation: The Nature and Power of It, and Indwelling Sin.

I've based the entire outline of our Killing Sin preaching series on Owen's Motification. It's that good. But Owen's writing is dense and requires focused attention. I came across this description of his writing by J. I. Packer, a brilliant Christian theologian in his own right, from his introduction to Owen's Death of Death in the Death of Christ: