RefMT

Friday Sermon | Corporate Worship by Phil Johnson

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RefMT15Today’s sermon is more of a lecture that comes from this year’s Reformation Montana Conference in Billings, MT. Pastor Phil Johnson shares a lecture on Corporate Worship from the Psalms of Ascent of David.

Phil Johnson is Executive Director of Grace to You, the media ministry of John MacArthur. Phil is also an elder at Grace Community Church, where he pastors the Grace Life fellowship group. He is probably best known for his websites, which include The Spurgeon Archive and The Hall of Church History. Phil’s wife, Darlene, has been his partner in life and ministry since 1978. Together they raised three sons and now delight in being grandparents to five prodigiously cute children.

Lecture Audio

alternate link: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=72151532173

Lecture Text

Psalm 122 (ESV) | Let Us Go to the House of the Lord
A Song of Ascents. Of David.

122 I was glad when they said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2 Our feet have been standing
    within your gates, O Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem—built as a city
    that is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up,
    the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
    to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 There thrones for judgment were set,
    the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
    “May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls
    and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions’ sake
    I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your good.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Phil Johnson does a great job of exegeting this passage, comparing and contrasting several interpretations and providing insightful background, context, and application. I pray you find it both edifying and encouraging.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV)

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

Friday Sermon | The Office of Pastor by Chris Rosebrough

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RefMT15Today’s sermon is more of a lecture that comes from this year’s Reformation Montana Conference in Billings, MT. Chris Rosebrough, host of Fighting for the Faith, presents a lecture on the Office of the Pastor. If you are unfamiliar with Chris Rosebrough, I encourage you to read this older review of Chris found at the Pulpit and Pen Blog.

Does Christianity Need a Chris Rosebrough?

No. Christianity does not need Chris Rosebrough. God is self-sufficient, Gospel is complete, and Jesus needs nothing and no one. So, please forgive the question. Perhaps a better question would be, “Is there a need in the Christian church for Chris Rosebrough and the work of discernment ministries?”

Chris is best known for his program, Fighting for the Faith, on the radio network he created,Pirate Christian Radio. Chris also is the curator for the hilarious (and equally sad) Museum of Idolatry. On top of that, Chris was a speaker at the 2013 Reformation Montana Conference along with myself, James White and Phil Johnson. At RefMT2013, Chris conducted his first ‘live’ sermon review of a message ‘preached’ at Narrate Church in Helena – which if you’ve been reading the Pulpit and Pen for several years, you know I’ve addressed numerous times in the past, beginning with my assessment of their rather sacrilegious Christmas video from 2011 that they then edited, removed, re-posted unedited, and then edited again (and now it seems to have been removed from the internet altogether). You see, that’s what Chris does. He reviews sermons.

Chris begins his program each weekday by telling us his goal to “help people think biblically, think critically and help you compare what people are saying in the name of God to the Word of God.”…[Read More]

Lecture Audio

alternate link if audio won’t play: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=7115173521

Lecture Outline

Since the Church is an institution (not a movement) it has specific offices. So the question is are there folks calling themselves Pastors who are not qualified for the office of pastor?

  • Nadia Bolz-Weber. Is there any objective reason to believe she was called by God to be a pastor? She isn’t alone, there are many in the seeker-sensitive movement who have placed themselves forward as pastors, who aren’t called because they don’t meet the Biblical qualifications.
  • Articles IV and V of the Augsburg Confession (A Lutheran confession, Chris acknowledges that this isn’t a Baptist confession)
  • Ed Stetzer, Dodson, Rick Warren and Thom Rainer and the Church Growth Movement (the leader  or CEO-business model opposed to the Pastoral model)
  • Peter Drucker. He took 3 disciples, Rick Warren (Saddleback), Bill Hybels (Willow Creek), and Bob Buford (Leadership Network).
  • Plebiscite Model of church

There is a lot of historical information presented in this lecture. I suggest taking notes and/or pausing the audio and looking up what he is saying to see if it is true.

Jude 24-25 (ESV) | Doxology
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

Friday Sermon | Substitutionary Atonement by Mike Abendroth

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RefMT15Today’s sermon comes from this year’s Reformation Montana Conference in Billings, MT. My wife and I had discussed attending this year’s conference. Sadly, there were several competing events for that same weekend, so we’ll have to try to catch a later conference. Mike Abendroth, host of No Compromise Radio, presents the concept of Christ’s Substitutionary Atonement as central to the Scriptures.

Pastor Mike Abendroth

Mike’s passion is preaching the Bible in a verse-by-verse fashion and training other men to do the same. He graduated from The Master’s Seminary in 1996 (M. Div.), received his doctorate in Expository Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2006 (D. Min.), and is an adjunct professor of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Pastor Mike is also the author of Jesus Christ: The Prince of Preachers (DayOne, 2007), The Sovereignty and Supremacy of King Jesus (DayOne 2011), Things that Go Bump in the Church (Harvest House, 2014) and Discovering Romans (Zondervan, 2014). He is overwhelmed at God’s grace in his salvation and for his family (Kim, Hayley, Luke, Maddie and Grace). Mike has been the Senior Pastor at Bethlehem Bible Church (BBC) in West Boylston, MA since April 1997 (ref: No Compromise Radio Host Bio)

Sermon Audio

Sermon Text

Revelation 5:1-10 (ESV) | The Scroll and the Lamb

1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and withseven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”