by Bret Capranica | Jul 15, 2015 | Christian Living, General Theology, The Gospel
Each Wednesday evening through the summer months, a group of adults are reading through and discussing the implications of John Piper’s book, Desiring God. If you have opportunity, come join us each Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. at Summit Woods Baptist Church. Here are a few highlights from chapter two. God’s pursuit of praise from us and our pursuit of pleasure in Him are one and the same pursuit. God’s quest to be glorified and our quest to be satisfied reach their goal in this one experience: our delight in God, which overflows in praise. …no one is a Christian who does not embrace Jesus gladly as his most valued treasure, and then pursue the fullness of that joy in Christ that honors Him. The best explanation of Romans 3:23 is Romans 1:23. It says that those who did not glorify or thank God became fools “and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images.” This is the way we “fall short” of the glory of God: We exchange it for something of lesser value. All sin comes from not putting supreme value on the glory of God—this is the very essence of sin. The wickedness of sin is owing to the implicit disdain for God. Quoting Jonathan Edwards: Our obligation to love, honor, and obey any being is in proportion to his loveliness, honorableness, and authority.… But God is a being infinitely lovely, because he hath infinite excellency and beauty.… So sin against God, being a violation of infinite obligations, must be a crime infinitely heinous, and so deserving infinite punishment.… The eternity of the punishment of...
by Bret Capranica | Apr 9, 2014 | Christian Living
A few more quotes from my reading through Thomas Schreiner’s book, The Race Set Before Us. …we have affirmed that although eternal life is God’s prize of salvation that we pursue with eager hope, eternal life is also the gift of grace that already invigorates us with resurrection life so that we run the race with perseverance. Eternal life is the reward that we trust God will give to us who faithfully endure to the end of the race. Yet eternal life is also the very breath of heaven that already fills our hearts by God’s Spirit and enlivens our “feeble arms and weak knees” (Heb 12:12) to “run the race set before us” (Heb 12:1). 88 We must exercise faith in Jesus Christ in order to receive the prize of eternal life….We make this crucial distinction between the objective basis and the subjective means of salvation to make it clear from the outset that what believers do in order to attain the prize of eternal life does not add to or nullify God’s grace in the saving work of Jesus Christ. The reward we receive by faith in Christ is based on grace alone; it is not grounded on our achievement. Only those who exercise faith in the one true God will receive this reward. 89 If we conceive of Christian faith as only a passive resting on God, we have an inadequate concept….God does not commend a person for a singular act of faith that fails to endure. God does not reward faith that does not go the distance. 95 Faithfulness is the proof of faith….All...
by Bret Capranica | Jul 28, 2011 | Biblical Studies, Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching
Carefully Think The biblical book of Numbers has several of the most memorable scenes from Israel”™s early days after the Exodus. Read through the following sections and see if you can summarize the main idea and list any principles that you think would apply to God”™s people in general: Numbers 11 Numbers 12 Numbers 13-14 Numbers 16 Numbers 20 Numbers 21-25 Prayerfully Meditate The New Testament mentions a number of sections found in the book of Numbers. Read each passage and see if you can find where in Numbers the New Testament author is referring to and what the corresponding lesson for Christians is. John 3:1-15 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Hebrews 3:7-4:16 Intentionally Act From what you have read in the passages above, what sin needs to be acknowledged before God? What elements of praise should you express to Him? For what can you be specifically grateful in light of what you have been meditating upon from Numbers? Pray for those who will attend this Sunday and do not personally know the saving work of Christ. Pray their hearts will be opened to His mercy and changed through the Spirit”™s conviction. Pray that God”™s people will be appropriately challenged and encouraged, equipped to serve Christ well. Pray for those leading the service on Sunday (Dawson Bryant, music; Mark Krystyniak, prayer and Scripture reading, Bret Capranica, teaching). Pray that they will assist the congregation in acceptable praise to Christ. Pray for the others who will also be assisting to ensure our worship honors Christ (instrumentalists, visual and audio techs, ushers, etc.). Meditate on the lyrics of the songs for Sunday and...
by Bret Capranica | Sep 9, 2009 | MiniPost
Saddleback church just hosted a lecture series on Science and faith this past weekend. Click to see/hear the various speakers. Pastor Rick’s News & Views...
