Sermonettes, Volume 3

By Vincent Cheung

Chapters include: "The Stronger Man," "Jesus Christ, or Nothing At All," "Jesus, Remember Me," "The Mind of Christ," "Logic and Resurrection," "Triumphalism and Defeatism," "Touch No Unclean Thing," and "The Most Heartwarming Doctrine."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Nov 25, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312707603

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Sermonettes, Volume 3

SERMONETTES, VOLUME 3

Copyright © 2011 by Vincent Cheung

http://www.vincentcheung.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted without the prior permission of the author or publisher.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

1. Save This, Lose That

2. The Most Important Question

3. The Stronger Man

4. Jesus Christ, or Nothing At All

5. On Self-Righteousness

6. Christ's World, Christ's Rules

7. Jesus, Remember Me

8. The Wisdom and Power of God

9. The Mind of Christ

10. Are You Not Worldly?

11. Kick Him Out and Cut Him Off

12. Concerning Spiritual Gifts

13. The Body and Its Members

14. The Way of Love

15. The Resurrection of Christ

16. Logic and Resurrection

17. Christ the Firstfruits

18. Anchored in Heavenly Things

19. Triumphalism and Defeatism

20. The Aroma of Christ

21. The God of All Comfort

22. Competence in Ministry

23. Plain and Honest Preaching

24. We Preach Not Ourselves

25. The Blindness of Unbelievers

26. God's All-Surpassing Power

27. We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight

28. The Ministry of Reconciliation

29. Touch No Unclean Thing

30. Godly Sorrow

31. False Humility and The Denial of the Gospel

32. The Most Heartwarming Doctrine

1. Save This, Lose That

Then he said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:23-26)

You can tell a lot about a person by his theology or philosophy. We would naturally wonder about the man whose theology permits adultery. Or, a relativist wants you to admire his accepting attitude, but he is really nothing more than an intellectual midget and a moral coward. He is so stupid that he cannot arrive at the truth, although he insists that relativism is correct, and would debate you over it, and he is so spineless that he can take no absolute ethical stand, unless he arbitrarily does so, which again shows that he is stupid.

To the world the typical Christian is a curious thing. He declares that his God is wise and holy, and that he speaks through the Bible, but at the same time he insists that God speaks in riddles and paradoxes, and that man's mind cannot understand the Bible. That is, Kenneth is the smartest man I know, except that when I hear him he always contradicts himself. The fact that I perceive him as completely insane proves that his intelligence is far beyond mine. To the non-Christian's delight and amusement, this is a standard Christian position, and of course, utterly unbiblical and ridiculous.

The Christian who sees a contradiction in Scripture is either untaught, so that guidance from someone who perceives the plain sense of the text can remove his error at once, or he blasphemes God and is not a Christian at all. To tout one's own finitude, or what is really an inferiority in intelligence and character, as a sign of humility and as a substitute for true understanding is unworthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although our institutions are populated with these scoundrels, I say that none of them should be in positions of authority, but should be removed and tried before the church. Alas, there is no one to try them, for it seems most people are like this.

My theology is that God is most intelligent and rational, and he has made me in his image. He speaks to me through the Bible, which is clear, simple, and completely consistent and non-paradoxical both in actuality and in appearance. Any apparent contradiction is not found in the Bible itself, but only in the mind of the person to which this contradiction is apparent. In other words, it is an intellectual hallucination. Any person who sees an apparent contradiction in the Bible is spiritually, intellectually, and psychologically unwell. It is not a sign of reverence, but a sign of sickness. But Christ is our Healer.

Here is an easy one: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. Ah, Christ teaches in paradox, or does he? Find a sermon and see how a preacher deals with this. I cannot tell you how a person who perceives a paradox here would preach on it, because I do not see a paradox myself. There is the distinction between a logical paradox and a literary paradox. A literary paradox occurs where no logical paradox necessarily exists, but it is used for effect, or to make the point more memorable. I am not as glib as many to concede even the use of literary devices. For example, elsewhere I have refuted the notion that the Lord employs hyperbole in Mark 11:23, but people perceive a hyperbole because of unbelief. But even if the Bible uses certain literary devices, the Christian's paradox fetish is usually disappointed just by reading the words of the text, and in the case of Mark 11:23, by reading Mark 11:21.

In this case, we only need to continue on to the next verse: What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? Christ clearly uses life in two different senses, and he even specifies them. To paraphrase, Whoever wants to save his worldly life will lose his spiritual life, but whoever loses his worldly life for me will save his spiritual life. There is less finesse, but this is what he means. James makes a similar point when he writes, You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4, ESV).

The inferior breed of Christians refuse to hear it. It all makes sense! It is so clear! It is all consistent! It must be heresy! You are a rationalist. Thank you. It is better to be called a rationalist than an irrationalist, and it is better to profess God's intelligence, and his willingness and ability to communicate in a way that man would perceive as sensible and consistent, than to blaspheme and burn in hell. I say that I can understand God not because I deny human finitude, but because I affirm God's kindness and wisdom.

With all this talk about paradox, we almost forgot to talk about the teaching in the passage. And this is why people insist on paradox, so that they may see and not perceive, hear and not heed, and make a mockery of God's doctrines and commands, lest they be converted and be healed. People hide behind ambiguities, and since God leaves them none, they will make some up.

Jesus says that if a person is bent on saving his worldly life, he will lose his spiritual life. If he persists in satisfying his lusts, in pursuing wealth, in securing fame and position, in enjoying pleasures and amusements, in continuing ungodly vices and relationships – if he wishes to save these things – then he will lose his soul. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? He is like the rich man who continues to build barns and storehouses, but God says to him, Today I will take your life! How then will your riches profit you? But a man who is willing to lose these things for Christ will save his soul, and he will have God's help to do it. Temptation is a powerful force, but the Spirit of God is stronger. We have removed the paradox excuse, and now we see the plain meaning of the text. What are we going to do about it? May God work in us so that we will love him only, and not the world, so that we may cling to Christ and inherit everlasting life in him.

2. The Most Important Question

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, Who do people say the Son of Man is? They replied, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

But what about you? he asked. Who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 16:13-17)

At this point the people identified Jesus with one of the prophets. John the Baptist preached repentance and righteousness, and he was beheaded for his stance against Herod's unlawful marriage. Elijah confronted hundreds of false prophets and mocked their god. He lived a life of faith and miracles, and bore witness against the people's idolatry. Jeremiah spoke against superficial religion, and stood alone when he called his people to repentance and to surrender to God's will. These were great and holy men, courageous men, a noble breed, who declared truth and suffered for righteousness.

Anybody else should have been flattered, but Jesus was not satisfied. Perhaps his disciples had a different opinion? Who do you say I am? Does it really matter? No one understands the Christian faith until he realizes that this is the most important question. It is the question that divides humanity into two groups – the saved and the damned, the children of God and the children of Satan. This is everything. It is insufficient to offer a generally positive opinion on the person. A false answer, an answer that is not exactly right, means sure damnation. But the right answer accompanied by sincere faith means total forgiveness and abundant life.

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. This Jesus of Nazareth who walked the earth was the Messiah, the king and savior promised to God's people. A person must acknowledge that he was all the things that the Scripture said about the Messiah; otherwise, he does not in fact acknowledge that he was the Messiah at all. The Messiah is not an empty title, or just a sound, but a term pregnant with the attributes and promises that the Scripture assigned to it. And it says that the Messiah would be killed, not because of himself, but for the sake of his people. However, God would not leave him in the grave, nor would he allow his body to undergo corruption. The Messiah would be raised from the dead.

Therefore, the idea of the Messiah includes the atonement and the resurrection. He is alive today, and he remains the focal point of faith and salvation, and his identity remains the most important question. Who do you say that Jesus was? Just one of the prophets, a moral reformer, or the incarnation of the divine Son of God? And who do you say that he still is? The Bible declares that he ascended to heaven and was seated at the right hand of God, with all power and authority over the nations.

Peter gave the right answer, and Jesus said that he knew it not because he was taught it by flesh and blood, or by men, but because the Father himself revealed it to him. It is a Christian's duty and pleasure to tell a man, Jesus is the Son of God. Trust him and be saved. But in himself the non-Christian cannot hear even such a straightforward statement, and would construe it and respond to it in the strangest ways. Jesus explained, This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him (John 6:65). He said that the Father opens up the secrets of the kingdom of heaven to some people. As for others, he makes their eyes blind and their ears dull. We thank God that he has taught us the truth about Christ. It is the very gift of life.

3. The Stronger Man

"But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.

"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. When an evil spirit comes out