God's Word Trumps Personal Experience

I preached this last Sunday morning on 2 Peter 1:12-21. Peter is assuring his readers that he will continually repeat and reinforce the message that has been entrusted to him. The truth of the gospel was not a fairytale to Peter. It was not just a collection of stories that encouraged mankind to live elevated lives. No, Peter claims that he was an eyewitness not only to the earthly ministry of Christ, but also to the transfiguration. This event was when God the Father spoke in affirmation of Jesus, and in doing so confirmed the deity of Christ (the Greek phrasing here speaks of a oneness of being). To Peter, the truth of the gospel was real; he had seen it and experienced it for himself. But, when you move past this section in the passage to verse 19 you see Peter reveal something incredible. Peter tells his readers that we have something more sure than personal experience; we have the word of the prophets. Now, Peter is referring not just to the major and minor prophets in the Old Testament; he intends to indicate the Old Testament Scriptures generally (it should not be overlooked that just two chapters over in 3:16 Peter refers to Paul’s New Testament writings as Scripture as well). In other words, the word of God trumps personal experience. If we are seeking truth in this life, Peter would argue, God’s word is more sure than anything else, personal experience or otherwise.

Below is a link to the full sermon video:  

Sermon video link 

Road to Emmaus

A link to a video sermon I recently preached can be accessed here. In it, I am delivering a sermon on the post-resurrection appearance of Christ to two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). Some of you may have a particular interest in the video starting around 19:00 into the sermon, where I discuss the importance of affirming a bodily resurrection of Christ. This doctrine is contrasted to a spiritual non-physical resurrection.

Reflecting Your Christian Confession: II Peter 1:1-11

Below is a video link of a sermon I preached recently, wherein the topic of salvific assurance is treated more completely than my previous post on the subject. Assurance is an important issue in the Christian life, and, for this reason, two posts in close proximity are, perhaps, warranted.

http://vimeo.com/39208215

Theological Studies Ministry

 

I have been reminded this week of how blessed I am to have been called to FBC Liberty City as minister of discipleship. I announced last Sunday that the church would be launching a theological studies ministry and offering a course on biblical interpretation (hermeneutics)—the first of several classes leading to a certificate in theological studies. I had no idea if anyone would be interested in such an endeavor. After all, we live in a post-modern time (so we are told), and people are much less interested in propositional truth—opting rather for subjective narratives. Well, the good people at Liberty City must not have received this memo, because we have had a great number of folks sign up for this formal course.

Now the discipline of hermeneutics is essentially the science of biblical interpretation. The class, then, will analyze the way in which the church has interpreted Scripture throughout history and consider what interpretive template is best employed by Christians today. What an exciting and important endeavor!

Our vision statement reads as follows:

The vision of FBC Liberty City Theological Studies Ministry is focused upon serving the Church by equipping God’s people with the necessary biblical and theological infrastructure needed to maximize their impact for Christ in their own communities and around the world.