Irony : a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. 1 Corinthians is a letter that exposes a lot of ironies, and I think all of these can be connected to their misunderstanding of the gospel and of what it means to be set apart by grace in the local church.  What are some of the glaring ironic things we see in the Corinthian church as they claim to be a faithful and strong local church? Christians in a church were a people formerly divided in the world but now united in Christ, ironically, the Corinthians had to be called out for the pursuing divisions (1 Cor 1 v 12-13). The gospel message that is foolish to the natural man because of the cross is ironically being delivered dressed up with eloquence that empties it of its effect (1 Cor 1 v 17-18). Believers owe all they are to God, yet some were ironically tempted to boast in themselves rather than the LORD (1 Cor 1 v 31).  God causes the church to grow in number

  What does the world look like from the perspective of Jesus’ triumphant death/resurrection/exaltation?  On the one hand the world appears all the more evil and loathsome; yet, on the other hand, this is the world the Father loved enough to send his Son, the world for which the Lamb of God died. On the one hand, this is the world that rejected the Savior and condemned him to death; yet, on the other hand, by that same death the Savior defeated the prince of this world.  On the one hand, this is the world which persecutes God’s people and inflicts both petty irritants and massive scourges upon them; yet, on the other hand, that is the way the Master went, and therefore it is the way his disciples must be prepared to go.  On the one hand, the world spells trouble; but, on the other hand, living by faith in Jesus enables us to partake of the age to come and thereby serve and grow as members of an eschatological community transported into time.  The crucial victory has been fought; Jesus

  John MacArthur commenting on 1 John 5 v 1. The tenses of the verbs in verse 1 reveal a significant theological truth. Believes translates a present tense form of the verb pisteuō, whereas gegennētai (is born) is in the perfect tense. The opening phrase of verse 1 literally reads, “Whoever is believing that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten of God.” The point is that, contrary to Arminian theology , continual faith is the result of the new birth, not its cause.  Christians do not keep themselves born again by believing, and lose their salvation if they stop believing. On the contrary, it is their perseverance in the faith that gives evidence that they have been born again. The faith that God grants in regeneration (Eph. 2:8) is permanent, and cannot be lost.  Nor, as some teach, can it die, for dead faith does not save (James 2:14–26). There is no such thing as an “unbelieving believer.” John MacArthur, 1, 2, 3 John, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publisher

  Teach that hope is found in Christ alone.  A pastor must teach very clearly that a person’s hope and trust must not be in who they are or what they have done, but in Jesus Christ and what he has done—that God became man in Christ, that he died on the cross as a substitute for everyone who repents and believes, that he rose again for our justification and as the first fruits of the final resurrection.   •      So any idea that people can be converted through our own works must be rejected. Romans 1–3 by itself clearly destroys any such idea.    •      We must confess that Jesus is the Christ and the incarnate Son of God (see 1 John 2:20–25; 3:23; 4:2–3, 9–10, 14–16; 5:5, 10–12).    •      We must be clear not only about his person but about his atoning work. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16; cf. 2:2).    •      We must also be clear, over against theological liberalism, that denying the bodily resurrection of Christ, according to

Brothers,  I read this today and it reminded me of my own fight against indwelling sin.  It was raging today! How are you doing? This little section from Paul Tripp's book reminded me again today that pastors need the church more than the folks in the pew. We are to watch our life and doctrine.  I'm so thankful for fellow elders here. I pray that you have brothers around you to encourage you.  Garrett  ----------- The Church Is Essential If you take God's change agenda seriously, making his sanctifying work your spiritual life work, then you will be thankful for the gift of the church.  There is no such thing as a vibrant, ever-maturing, and ministry-oriented Christian life without the ministry of the local church. For the believer, the church exists because the lifelong process of progressive sanctification exists. I am persuaded that, for many Christians, their lack of understanding of the centrality of the work of sanctification to their Christian life has led them to b

  Justifying grace frees you from the paralyzing burden of guilt. No longer do we have to live in regret, dragging the heavy load of our past sins into our present and future. No longer do we have to hide in fear of the hammer of God’s anger coming down on us. No longer do we have to do the burdensome work of denying, minimizing, and hiding our sin, working to make our sin feel in our hearts as less than sinful. No longer do we have to defend our righteousness when people near us lovingly confront us with wrong. Redeeming grace has freed us from these burdens. No longer do we have to carry the burden of shame. Jesus shamed shame on the cross , so that we would no longer live in bondage to it. In the eyes of the one with whom it eternally matters, we are no longer stained, no longer dirty, and no longer scarred by sin. Because of justifying grace our record is spotless and we are righteous in God’s eyes. We don’t have to go slump-backed through life, protecting ourselves from onlookers

  2 Tim 1 v 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love , and sound judgment. (CSB) There is only one way to get rid of self, and that is that you should become so absorbed in someone or something else that you have no time to think about yourself. Thank God, the Spirit of God makes that possible. He is not only ‘the spirit of power’, but He is also ‘the spirit of love’. What does it mean?  It means love to God, love to the great God who made us, love to the great God who has made the way of redemption for us miserable creatures—for us who deserve nothing but hell. He has ‘loved us with an everlasting love’. Think of that, says Paul to Timothy, and as you become absorbed in the love of God you will forget all about yourself. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cures (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016).

  We may summarize our conclusions as follows. The Bible asserts that God repents, but it also denies that he repents, because he is not a man. Therefore, the language of divine repentance is analogical and anthropomorphic.  We may not ignore it, for repentance reflects an important truth about God: he changes the course of his actions toward people when they sin or repent of sin. Sin and repentance change our relationship to God. On the other hand, we must not apply to God the human instability or passion suggested by repentance, for the eternal God does not change, and neither do his plans.  Edward Leigh said that God’s repentance is “not affective but effective,” not an inward change in his thoughts and feelings but an outward change in his acts. Charnock said, “ Repentance in God is only a change of his outward conduct, according to his infallible foresight and immutable will. ” Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology: Revelation and God, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL

  We call God’s infinite power his omnipotence (Latin omni, “all,” and potentia, “power”). Ames said, “The omnipotence of God is that by which he is able to effect all things which he wills or could will.”  The Scriptures confess, “Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all” (1 Chron. 29:12), and, “None is able to withstand thee” (2 Chron. 20:6).  Greg Nichols says, “The Creator alone has supreme power that is ideal (Gen. 18:14, 25), self-existent (Acts 17:25, 28), infinite (Eph. 1:19–23; 3:20), eternal (Rom. 1:20), and unchangeable (Isa. 40:28; Heb. 1:10–12).”  James Ussher offered the following summary of divine omnipotence :       •      First, he is able to perform whatsoever he will, or is not contrary to his nature.       •      Second, he can do all things without labor, and most easily.       •      Third, he can do them either with means, or without

  Mark 10:32-34 “Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them the things that would happen to him.” From the number of these sentences, it is clear that our Savior entered into a detailed account of his sufferings, dwelling on each particular that he plainly foresaw.  He does not describe them in general terms. He knew not only that he must die, but he knew all the circumstances of pain and shame with which that death should be attended. They would condemn him, hand him over to the Gentiles, mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him. I think, too, that as our Lord thus dwells on each point, he means for us also to dwell on the details of his redeeming griefs.  He would not himself thus have divided it out and laid it out piece by piece if he had not intended for us to do so with it.  We should not be strangers at the foot of the cross , nor in Gethsemane, but should hear each one of these notes ring out its sorrowful yet joyful music. But what a glad note that concluding o

Discipleship and Servant Leadership Three Cycles of Events in Mark See the NIV Study Bible