The Man Who Was Crucified Beside Him

The Friday of Passion Week is known as Good Friday. The origin of the term is uncertain. Most of us have heard at least one sermon about what makes Good Friday good, the answer being that on that day the greatest good since the creation of the world was accomplished. But there is another tradition that suggests the origin lies in the Old English: God’s Friday. This day commemorates the work of God for our salvation. But did anyone who participated in the events that day think of it as a good Friday? It certainly didn’t seem good for any of the people we’ve been looking at this week—Judas Iscariot, Simon Peter, Pontius Pilate, Simon of Cyrene, and others. Mary was losing her Son. John was watching his best friend die. The Roman centurion might have looked back on it as a turning point in his life, but we can’t be sure. 

Even the religious leaders who engineered our Lord’s crucifixion had all kinds of anxieties about the day. After all, they’d been trying to avoid Jesus being executed at the time of the Feast of the Passover. But there was one man for whom the day started as the worst day of his life but ended as the best (as well as the last) day of his life. In the morning, he had been dragged with two others from his prison cell and forced to carry the instrument of his own crucifixion. From around midday, he began to experience the agony of crucifixion, a torturous form of execution that led the great Roman orator Cicero to say that the very word should be absent from the lips of a Roman citizen. Sometimes it could take days for a man to die, ultimately by asphyxiation. 

Perhaps all this man could hope for was that since Passover was about to begin, the execution squad would show mercy and do something to hasten his end. At first, he had the strength to curse anything and everything. He noticed that the crowd that had gathered seemed focused on the man hanging on the cross beside him. They were mocking Him. What must have struck him was that the chief priests were there, too. That was strange. Wasn’t one of the most sacred days in the year about to begin? What were they doing there, and why were they mocking Him? He could surely hear what they were shouting: “So You saved others, did You? Let’s see You save Yourself” and: “If He is the King of Israel, let Him come down now from the cross. Then we’ll believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let’s see if God really cares about Him. He said He was the Son of God. Look at the Son of God now” (see Matt. 27:40–43). At first, he joined in the shouts. He was in agony, and he was angry. But then he heard an echo of his own words from the other criminal being executed along with him: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39). The words were bitter. They were words of anger and hatred. But the man hanging on the center cross beside him was without anger or bitterness. He had prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (v. 34). And something happened in the man’s heart. He shouted over to the criminal on the other side: “We deserve this, but He doesn’t. He has done nothing wrong” (see vv. 40–41). 

It felt as though he’d been struggling in his pain to solve a puzzle, and now the pieces were beginning to come together. This man who had somehow saved others must be Jesus of Nazareth. Most people in Jerusalem seemed to know what He had done. Could that notice on His cross be true: “This is the King of the Jews” (v. 38)? And that prayer for the forgiveness of those who were crucifying Him—that was amazing. I don’t suppose he could put it all completely together, but this much was clear: this was the King, the Messiah who had been promised, who could open the gate to the kingdom of God. What should he do? What could he say? He turned his head to Jesus and said these never-to-be-forgotten words: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v. 42). 

That Friday began as the worst day of his life. It was the last day of his life. But it was the best day of his life because the Lord Jesus said to him, “Today, you will be with me in paradise” (v. 43). It wasn’t an easy road that brought him to Jesus. It was strewn with his own sin and failure. But at last, he was brought near to Jesus to recognize Him as Savior and King, to turn to Him, to cast himself on His mercy, and to find forgiveness and eternal life. And now he is with Jesus in paradise. That is what made this Friday “Good Friday” for him, and it’s the only thing that can make it good for us, too.

Adapted from Things Unseen: One Year of Reflections on the Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson

Taking God’s Name in Vain

The third commandment instructs us not to take the name of the Lord in vain. I suppose for most people, that means only one thing: don’t use swear words and especially don’t use God’s name as a swear word. Of course, that is right. But it’s more than that. What God is forbidding here is using His name lightly or thoughtlessly, as though neither God nor His name were of any importance to us. What marks out the true believer is that he or she loves the Lord’s name and exults in Him (see Ps. 5:11). We can think about this in terms of the two Testaments of the Bible, Old and New. In the days of the Old Testament, the high priest was to bless the people. 

The specific blessing, sometimes called the Aaronic benediction, is recorded in Numbers 6:24–26: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. These are beautiful words, and they describe the wonderful privilege of God shining on His people. Think about it: the face of God turning toward His people in love and smiling at them. But do you remember the words that follow? God says this about the priests: “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (Num. 6:27). When the people of God received this blessing, God was putting His name on them. Therefore, to take the name of the Lord in vain was to accept the Lord’s benediction and then go off and live as if one had never received it. It seems almost impossible that someone would feel the smile of God in His benediction and then live as though it really didn’t mean anything to him or to her. But before we look down our noses at Old Testament believers, let’s remember the other occasion when God’s name is said to be put on people—and this time, it’s referring to people like you and me, New Testament believers. It happened when you were baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I hope we all understand that this is a bigger blessing than the Aaronic blessing. But here’s the challenge: Am I living as though that never happened? 

Am I living as though my baptism was just an empty sign, or merely a sign of something I did in the past that doesn’t really matter today? If so, I couldn’t be further from the truth or more deluded. I’m no longer on safe ground. In fact, Exodus 20 tells me that I’m on dangerous ground. I’ve emptied the name of God that was put upon me of all its significance. He has pronounced a benediction, but I’ve forfeited the blessing by the way I live. Paul wrote about this in Romans 6 to counteract the idea that because God has been gracious to us, it doesn’t really matter how we live, or even if we dishonor God’s name. He says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Rom. 6:3). In other words, don’t you know the meaning of your baptism? Don’t you know that the name of Christ was placed upon you? 

If the name of the Lord has been put on you in baptism, then the rest of your life should be one in which you give yourself entirely to the Lord, whose name has been placed upon you. Perhaps today you are tempted to take the Lord’s name in vain, to empty your baptism of all its significance. Don’t do that. Remember the family name that has been placed on you and live as a member of the family of God.

Adapted from Things Unseen: One Year of Reflections on the Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson

A Discussion on the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is often confused with as a thing or impersonable force. Christians tend to think when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they are supposed to speak in tongues or start doing sporadic things they would normally not do such as jumping off pews.  

In this video, Burk Parsons and Sinclair Ferguson discuss who is the Holy Spirit and addressing the issue on why certain gifts of the Spirit have ceased:

A Discussion with Sinclair Ferguson and James Dolezal on the Doctrine of God

Sinclair Ferguson on the Importance of Christology

“We all unanimously teach that our Lord Jesus Christ is to us one and the same Son, the self-same perfect in Godhead, the self-same perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man … acknowledged in two natures, unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably … the properties of each nature being preserved.”

So wrote the church fathers in the Definition of Chalcedon in AD 451. But even if they spoke “unanimously,” their doctrine of Christ sounds so complex. Does it really matter?

Given the sacrifices they made to describe Christ rightly, one can imagine that if these Christians were present at a group Bible study on Philippians 2:5-11, they might well say to us, “From what we have heard, it never mattered more.”

Imagine the discussion on “Though he was in the form of God … emptied himself” (Phil. 2:6-7, RSV). Says one: “It means Jesus became a man for a time and then went back to being God afterwards.” “No,” says another, “He only emptied himself of His divine attributes and then He took them up again.” “Surely,” says another (not pausing to reflect on the miracles of Moses, Elijah, or the Apostles), “He mixed humanity with His deity—isn’t that how He was able to do miracles?”

Does it really matter if those views are wrong, indeed heretical, so long as we know that Jesus saves and we witness to others about Him? After all, the important thing is that we preach the gospel.

Read the entire post here

Sinclair Ferguson: Here We Stand in Christ Alone

Should Christians Not Celebrate Christmas?

Christmas is the time where Christians reflect on the birth of the Savior. Christmas is a time where we also stand with most of the world declaring this is the time of the year we sing about the Savior. However, there are some that look down upon Christmas. There are some Christians who think Christmas should not be celebrated because it is based on a pagan ritual.

Some retail stores refuse to say "Merry Christmas" to their customers. Some would even say "Christmas" because it can be offensive. Should Christians just throw in the towel on Christmas?

Sinclair Ferguson wrote:

I think there is a biblical response to the objection, and also an answer to the question “What would be lost?”

First, the biblical response. We are responsible to obey all God commands in his word. But that isn’t the same as saying that unless Scripture specifically commands it we should not do it.

Think of marriage. The Bible doesn’t command you to get married. Nor does it tell you whom to marry. It gives you principles and encourages you to work them out in your life, and promises you the help of the Spirit to do that. You seek to apply these principles wisely.

The same is true of church life. We know there are certain basic principles that direct us how to live and worship together as church families. But we’re not given an order of service, told how many services there should be on Sunday, and a thousand other details. God expects us to use wisdom in regulating both our personal lives and our worship, fellowship, and service together.

How does this apply to the church celebrating Advent and Christmas? Fairly simply, really. A church can decide to hold a conference in the spring over a weekend. It isn’t commanded. But it isn’t disobedience. They do it because they think it’s wise and helpful. A preacher can decide that he’s going to spend a whole month preaching on John 3 v 16. He’s not commanded to—but he thinks it would be spiritually beneficial for the congregation. It is completely within the power of the elders in a church to decide, for example, that every Autumn there will be a thanksgiving service for the harvest, or that every time the Day of Pentecost comes round the preacher will expound Acts 2 or a related passage and they will sing appropriate hymns.

The same would be true of Easter. It is true that every Sunday marks the truth of the resurrection; Christ is risen and present with his people. But it isn’t true that every sermon, and every hymn, every Sunday is about the resurrection. So there is wisdom in the church deciding to have a Sunday on which they specifically focus on the resurrection of Christ. The same is true of Advent and Christmas.

I think there’s another consideration. Many Old Testament passages look forward to the coming of our Lord, conceived in a virgin’s womb, born in Bethlehem. Matthew devotes almost two chapters to describing and explaining the event; Luke does the same. John takes us right back into eternity when he invites us to reflect on its significance. There are other passages in the New Testament that help us to understand it. In other words, the Bible pays a great deal of attention to the birth of the Saviour and the theology of the incarnation. Why shouldn’t we...When churches “ignore” Christmas, how much preaching and teaching are they likely to receive on the incarnation? Somewhere between four and twelve messages? I doubt it. Such non-scientific investigation of preachers I have done indicates that, in fact, by and large, the incarnation will be ignored. Is that a more biblical approach? I doubt it—which is why I agree with what Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “I would lay it down as a rule that there are special occasions which should always be observed … I believe in preaching special sermons on Christmas Day and during the Advent season.”

Yes, Christmas has become a secularised and commercialized season. But there’s an old Latin tag, abusus non tolit usus—the abuse of something shouldn’t be allowed to destroy its proper use. The best cure is for Christians to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. Speaking for myself, the more I have been able to hear or preach about Christ’s coming the more help I have received to focus on what really matters during December. Otherwise, I’m swimming against the tide with a Scrooge-like spirit (“Bah! Humbug!”). And if so I not only have no joy in celebrating the incarnation—I lose all sense of joy completely! No, what I need is what the great Scottish theologian Thomas Chalmers called “the expulsive power of a new affection”. Knowing more about Jesus and his coming brings a joy that is both deeper and more lasting than all the tinsel and glitter celebrations around us...It’s true that the Roman festival of Saturnalia took place in December. But Christmas celebrations didn’t so much grow out of it as grow against it, and in contrast to it. Saturnalia was an excuse for excess, for what the world still calls “having a good time” (often meaning “getting stoned”—headache and all!). Christians in antiquity wanted to live a counter-cultural life, not to let Saturnalia squeeze them into its mold. And they knew they had something worth celebrating—or rather, Someone worth celebrating. And so they met together to celebrate the birth of their Saviour.

The first to do that were Shepherds—and they glorified God for what they had experienced. And then came Wise Men—and they worshipped Christ when they saw him. What a blessing it will be if Christmas is like that for us too!

Sproul and Ferguson on What is the Gospel

During the Ligonier 2015 National Conference, R.C. Sproul and Sinclair Ferguson defined the gospel

Book Review: In The Year of Our Lord by Sinclair Fergusion

Church history has been a subject that crossed my path time and time again whether it was through books, article, or podcasts. Many think church history is more for the theologians just like in depth knowledge of the Bible. Nothing could be further from the truth. Church history is a subject for all Christians to study in every stage of life.

Granted there are a few church history books that would scare someone new to the study because of their size and, at times, complexity. Sinclair Ferguson has written a book on church history that is straightforward, clear, and easy to read especially for one who is just starting their study on church history. The book is titled, In the Year of Our Lord: Reflections on Twenty Centuries of Church History.

This book dives into the 2000 year history of the church beginning with the first century all the way up the 20th century. There is no chapter on the 21st century because, well, it has not been completed yet. Perhaps in a thousand years, there will be an additional chapter to book very similar to this one if the Lord has not returned by then.

Each chapter highlights the best and worst times of each century. This is not a detailed history book, but more like the cliff note version of church history, which there is nothing wrong with that. Ferguson simply teaches the history of the church through the pages of this book and makes it to the point.

If you are looking for a church history book to give to a new believe or just anyone that wants to know more about it, I am delighted to recommend Ferguson's new book.

Thanks Reformation Trust for letting me review this book.

Sinclair Ferguson's Teaching on The Whole Christ

Recently Renewing Your Mind had a five day broadcast from Sinclair Ferguson which he taught from his 12-part new series from Ligonier, The Whole Christ which is based on his book of the same title:

How A Marrow Grew

Grace in the Gospel

Preparation, Distortion, Poison

Danger! Legalism

The Order of Grace

Sinclair Ferguson: The Whole Christ

This sermon was from the 2017 Ligonier National Conference:



Recommended Reading:

The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance by Sinclair Ferguson

Antinomianism: Reformed Theology's Unwelcome Guest? by Mark Jones

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Tim Challies has a test on the Trinity

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Check out Servants of Grace's first podcast on Abortion

What Does It Mean To Abide In Christ? by Sinclair Ferguson

Don't forget about Westminster Bookstore's special going on for the Meaning of Marriage Bible Study

J.I. Packer on Repentance.



Kent Hughes shares 3 pitfalls for pastors.

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Josh Duggar Exposed as Ashley Madison Client

J.A. Medders on why he is going to protest Planned Parenthood

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J.D. Greear on winning a church to mission.



John Piper describes the type of person Jesus went on the cross for.

Can The Elect Be Deceived By Satan?

This is a question that many Christians have wondered for many years? Satan has been called the accuser of the brethern and he has deceived many since the beginning of creation. He deceived Adam and Eve. He even tried to deceive Jesus through temptation.

Jesus prayed for His Father to keep us from the evil one (John 17:15) and gave us the model to protect us from evil (Matthew 6:13). We are also told in Scripture that "the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one" (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and "everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him" (1 John 5:18).

The Bible also says the world in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19) so the question is can Satan deceive someone who has been redeemed by Christ and no longer under any condemnation. Sinclair Ferguson answers this question:

In Matthew 24:24, Jesus warns His disciples, “False Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

These words appear to refer to the events surrounding Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70. But the deception Jesus has in view is part of an ongoing pattern. From the beginning, Satan has been deceiving God’s people (Gen. 3:13). He will continue to do so until the lawless one is revealed “with all power, signs, and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9–10). John’s vision of the millennium ends with a worldwide rampage of deception on Satan’s part (Rev. 20:8). Jesus’ warning is therefore relevant to us.

Missing the Point

“Fortunately,” we may say to ourselves, “the elect are in no danger. For Jesus’ words imply that we are incapable of falling prey to Satanic deception.” But to read the text in this way is to miss the point, for two reasons:

It fails to take account of the evidence of history. Christians have been, and are, capable of being deceived. Have none of the elect been deceived in recent years into supporting “ministries” that have proved so tragically different in reality from what they professed to be? Sadly, we are more easily addicted to the spectacular (“signs and wonders”) than to the substantial, to novelty (“false prophets”) than to a wholesome orthodoxy. If we think Christians cannot be deceived, the deception has already begun.

It misunderstands the nature of the impossibility. Jesus did not say the elect were incapable of being deceived. We are all only too capable of it. Nevertheless, we are given this assurance: God will protect and preserve His people. Like Simon Peter, they will be shielded by the prayers of Christ and the power of God (Luke 22:31–32). This is accomplished through the activity of faith (1 Peter 1:5).

Guarded

But how can we guard ourselves against spiritual deception?

By developing sensitivity, we become aware of Satan’s strategies in our lives (2 Cor. 2:11).

Have you learned what they are?

By developing self-knowledge, we recognize how weak we are. Since nothing good dwells in our flesh (Rom. 7:18), we need constantly to depend on the Lord.

Do you?

By developing an appetite for God’s Word, we are “trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:14, ESV), and we grow in discernment.

Is that true of you today?

Around The Web-November 14, 2014

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Denny Burk shares his thoughts on the movie Interstellar

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