Dream a Little Dream

Posted on December 29, 2023 by RC

It is a great thing to dream great dreams. A small vision of God and His kingdom will birth a small vision of the future. Jesus, who has already overcome the world, promised His followers that they would do greater things even than He (John 14:12). John Knox was not content merely to minister to those stray sheep who might wander into his fold. Instead his heart cried out, “Give me Scotland, or I die!” That is a big dream indeed.

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, warned us against worrying about the petty things of this world, the very things that tend to hold our attention— what we will eat, what we will wear. We are inveterate worriers and insatiable spenders, which together mean that we tend to fret over funds. Jesus calls us, however, not to worry over such things. Our Father in heaven knows what we need, and He provides for us. What we ought to be focused on is the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.

Scotland is, of course, a commonwealth in the kingdom of God. Knox’s desire that her citizens would be brought into that kingdom, that they would be dressed in the righteousness of the King is good and proper, even exemplary. “Give me Scotland or I die!” was not a cry Knox should have been ashamed of. As we dream big, however, we would do well to understand the nature of the kingdom and how it is brought forth. We would be wise to learn to discern the difference between the brightness of our King’s glory and the brightness of the spotlight. There is a very thin line, one I suspect we all are tempted to dance along, between wanting to do great things for the kingdom and wanting to be great in the kingdom.

When we read of the legacy of men like Knox, the influence first of the Reformation on Scotland and from there the influence of Scotland on the rest of the world, it is all too easy to get stars in our eyes. What if, we wonder, God would be pleased to use me the way He used Knox? What if I were able to do great things for the kingdom, the kind of great things that will have believers in five hundred years commemorating my life, cataloging my accomplishments, carving my bust in marble? We may not be worrying about what we will eat and what we will drink, but we end up worrying as the disciples did, wondering what will be my place, my stature, my rank in His kingdom?

In the kingdom we are called to seek, however, the great things are the small things. Grand national reformations and great sweeping revivals are astonishing gifts from our heavenly Father. But the Son told us the kingdom is like unto a mustard seed. He told us that if we would be first, we must needs be last. Are we not susceptible to the temptation to miss on the little things while pursuing the big? How many missionary kids’ souls have been neglected on the altar of a grand vision? How many pastors’ children have come in second to their father’s ambition, masked as “kingdom seeking”? How many sheep have been left lost while their pastors sought a dance with Big Eva?

When Knox set about establishing the Kirk in Scotland, the first man that he ordained to gospel ministry was Robert Campbell Sproul, my direct ancestor. Scotland and Knox are to me not distant tributaries in the stream of church history. The history of the Scottish Reformation is my family’s history. As such, I resonate with the heart cry of Knox—”Give me Scotland or I die!” I like to believe that had I been there, I would have stood ready to march with Knox into the fray, ready later to join the Scottish Worthies who refused to bend the knee to prelacy (episcopal governance) from the Church of England, and were rewarded with martyrdom. But as I look at my own life and God’s call on it, I find myself with a very different heart cry. No one will study my legacy as they do Knox. But if they did, my prayer is that it will be said of me not that I said, “Give me America, or I die!” but that I prayed, “Give me mercy or I die!”
My calling is not to be a hero, to rescue my nation, but to point others to the Hero as He conquers the world.

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Reading Their Mail

Posted on December 28, 2023 by RC

One of the great boons God has given us in dealing with unbelievers is our ability to read their mail. That is, while unbelievers may be saying x, y or z, we know, based on Romans 1, that they are thinking a, b and c. They know there is a God. They know they stand guilty before Him. They know they don’t like it. Because we know these truths they seek to conceal from us, in our interactions we can speak to them of a, b and c rather than the x, y and z they speak to us. While there is certainly a place for answering their arguments, their arguments are not what is standing in their way.

They may say, “The God of the Bible is immoral because He ordered the utter destruction of every man, woman and child in Canaan.” What they are thinking is, “I am immoral, and God will one day bring on me utter destruction.” The answer to the first question is, “Every man, woman and child in Canaan was born under God’s death sentence because of their sin.” The answer to the second question, however, is “If you repent and turn to Christ, your moral failures will not be held against you. The God you fear will not only forgive you but adopt you and love you always.”

This also is how we ought to pray for these wretched souls. They, in their asserting x, y, or z may be attacking us, speaking ill of us, mocking and trolling us. We, however, were once such as they. We are now, by His grace, beloved of the Father. Compassion for those still in that place from which we have been rescued should be easy. That it is not is one more reason for us to repent and believe the gospel. The Apostle Paul mourned the unbelief of his kinsmen in the flesh. Should we not mourn for our kinsman in sin?

In the coming year I pray that in this space, and on social media, I will have the courage to speak boldly against falsehood. I pray also, however, that I would have the grace to speak gracefully to those caught up in falsehood. Politically, things will get heated. The folly flowing from fools will get more fallacious. Everyone else’s rhetoric is unlikely to dial down. We, however, being defended from the fear of our enemies, should be as bold as the Lion of Judah and as gentle as the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

For this reason Christ came into the world, to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10.) We, the chief of sinners, know what that means. When we speak in grace of His grace we are what we are called to be, a city on a hill.

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Giving Gifts; Giving; and God in a Manger

Posted on December 27, 2023 by RC

This week’s Jesus Changes Everything Podcast

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Ex-vangelical Pharisees, or, Judging We Are Judged

Posted on December 26, 2023 by RC

There is, purportedly, a movement out there, a movement out of the church. A bevy of young, feckless and deformed men and women have weighed the evangelical church in the balance and found us wanting. They self-identify as ex-vangelicals. And boy do they love to tell their stories. As they grew up inside the church they noticed that it was full of sinners, based on the church’s own standard, the Word of God. We evangelicals are forever doing what we’re not supposed to, sinning in both ordinary and grievous ways. Shocking, I know. Because evangelicals are always droning on and on about how good and perfect we are.

As they make their way in the world they discover yet another failure on our part- we fail to measure up to the world’s standard. We’re accused of being bigoted, narrow, lacking in compassion for others because we believe boys are boys and girls girls, because we believe the sexual union is for married couples, and that marriage is one man and one woman. We’re so embarrassing that they simply have to treat us like tax collectors, lest they be sullied by us. Our calling is to be ashamed and put away our judgments and join them in their world of love and compassion. If we don’t, they’ll continue to treat us as pariahs. Because we’re not broadminded and loving like they are. We deserve their hatred and opprobrium because we’re so hateful and opprobrious.

I believe it was Tim Keller who once explained that on more than one occasion he was talking with a young man who had been a part of the church, but grew up and wanted to walk away. He would ask this simple question, “What’s her name?” The motive, Keller understood, whatever intellectual ribbons and bows the young man might have adorned it with, was moral, specifically, sexual. The move out of the church was necessary to starve the conscience so the “fun” could continue unabated.

It’s not always that that leads them out. Sometimes it’s this- they can’t stay in the church because they can’t stand the thought of people’s sins being forgiven, especially anyone who has sinned against them. You know, just like the Pharisees. The idea of grace is repugnant to the lawless, for it means there is a law, and they don’t measure up.

My hope and prayer is that ex-vangelicals will all become evangelicals once again, that they will repent and believe the gospel, the evangel, that saves sinners like evangelicals. I also pray, however, that those who haven’t left won’t be drawn away by the Siren call of the ex-vangelicals as they seek to drive us away from rather than to Jesus because of our all too real guilt. Are we a judgmental bunch? For certain. Do we have so many skeletons in our closets that they can’t follow social distancing guidelines? We do. Everyone of their accusations against the evangelical church rings true, not because we’re evangelicals, but because we’re people. The accusations ring true about everyone. The difference between those inside and those outside the church, however, is that those inside acknowledge our sin, and cry out for God’s mercy in Christ, while those outside stand on the public corner and thank themselves that they are not like other men. Which is why, by His grace, we go home justified.

Posted in Biblical Doctrines, Big Eva, church, grace, kingdom, Kingdom Notes, post-modernism, RC Sproul JR, repentance, sexual confusion, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What is the true meaning of Christmas?

Posted on December 25, 2023 by RC

A guest answers today’s Ask RC. Please give your attention to the great Dutch theologian, Linus Van Pelt:

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What Are You Worried About?

Posted on December 22, 2023 by RC

We are inveterate plea-bargainers. We are adept at the art of the deal. Romans 1 tells us that in our fallen condition, we all deny the God we know exists. We know we stand guilty before Him, but we suppress that truth in unrighteousness. But, we do not want to be utterly and completely selfish, absolutely unrestrained. So we submit to sundry creatures, gods of our own making. We are willing to have, for instance, “god-to-me” in our lives, if it will keep the living God at bay. We are willing to admit some level of guilt—”nobody’s perfect”—in order to avoid entering into the fullness of our wretchedness. And we are willing to fear some minor inconveniences, if it will keep terror away.

When Jesus delivered His Sermon on the Mount, He treated His audience as though they were believers. He told those who had gathered that they were the light of the world and the salt that preserves the world. Unbelievers, however, do not go unaddressed. In calling on believers to set aside their petty fears and to embrace a single-minded passion for the kingdom of God, in chastening those assembled for worrying about what they will eat and what they will wear, He says, “For the Gentiles seek after all these things” (Matt. 6:32).

This worrying, too, is plea-bargaining. It is an attempt to squelch one dreadful fear by replacing it with a merely annoying fear. It is a great win to be able to sigh in relief after honestly assessing, “What’s the worst that could happen?” If I don’t have enough to eat, that could be bad, from a certain perspective. If I have nothing to wear, that too could be bad, from a certain perspective. Either of these deprivations could, at worst, lead to my death, through starvation or exposure. That, it seems in our day, is at the root of our fears. We live in a culture where death is looked upon as an option to be delayed. Exercise, diets, surgeries, cosmetics, and Photoshop are the tools of our trade by which we avert our eyes from the truth that we are dying.

We have not, however, reached the end of our bargaining. We prefer worrying about what we will eat or wear to worrying about dying. But we prefer to worry about dying rather than worry about hell. Dying, after all, happens only once, and then it is over. Hell, on the other hand, is forever. I would argue that far more terrifying than the pain of hell is its duration. A great deal of pain for even a relatively brief time is less than a less severe pain that lasts forever. What unbelievers ought to be worrying about is not he who can kill the body, but He who can kill both body and soul (Matt. 10:28).

This, in turn, ought to tell us for what we should be most grateful. This great fear is no longer on the table for those who trust in the finished work of Christ alone. What are we doing spending our time worrying about the plea-bargained fears of the Gentiles when we are free of their ultimate fear? Why should we worry about what we will eat when we feast on the body and blood of our Lord? Why should we worry about what we will wear when we are clothed in His righteousness?

Hell should not, however, fall off our radar even though we need no longer fear it. First, we are called to constant thanks and gratitude that we will never experience hell. We are called to remember that on the cross Christ descended into hell for us, that He received the full wrath and fury of the Father due to us for our sins. But second, hell did not disappear. Why are we worrying about what we will eat or what we will wear while there are people out there who will end up in hell unless they repent, but are instead worrying only about what they will eat or what they will wear? It is bad enough that they who want to deny that hell exists worry about petty things. How much worse is it that we who affirm the reality of hell worry about petty things?

When we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, we are not merely seeking to get in before the gates close. It is not merely our own entrance that we seek as we seek the kingdom. Rather, we are about the business of seeing the glory of the reign of Christ over all things made known all across the globe. Which means we seek the kingdom as we seek to be used of the King to bring in the elect from the four corners of the world. We seek the kingdom when we proclaim the good news to a lost and dying world. We seek the kingdom when the Spirit uses us to snatch brands not just from the fire, but from the fire that never dies.

We are none of us conscious enough of hell. Were we so, we would be marked by both gratitude and urgency, gratitude for our own rescue, urgently laboring for the rescue of others. Hell is real, and hell is forever.

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God Bless Us Every One

Posted on December 21, 2023 by RC

There is a reason that churches are full on Christmas. It is that time of year that even the heathen crash we believers’ party over the incarnation of Christ. It’s rather like Americans in 1943 celebrating Pearl Harbor. I suspect that they can’t help themselves because the truth is that the coming of Jesus is a boon to each and every human. The angels said as much when their song rang out, “Peace on earth, good will to men.” Of course there’s dispute there. Is it peace on earth, good will to men, or is it peace on earth among those with whom He is pleased?” It’s an interesting debate, but even the second, more restrictive understanding must account for the prior verse, “I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all people” (Luke 2:10).

The answer is found in God’s common grace. It is true enough that God’s saving grace, which He pours out on all those who are His, is vastly more significant than common grace. Such doesn’t however, undo the graciousness of grace. While all men who do not rest in Christ will spend eternity in everlasting torment, God’s common grace rains on us all. God has always been patient with the wicked, which never forget, once were we, calling them to repent. He provides for their needs. He reveals His message of salvation. These manifestations of His grace began in the Garden and will continue to the end of days.

Which doesn’t change the truth that His coming brought radical change even in the lives of unbelievers. From the fall of Adam to the resurrection of the Last Adam the world was in the grip of moral entropy. Which means not only that each of us was getting worse and worse but that each of us suffered more and more hardship through the sins of others. There was more restraint and therefore more warfare among men before His coming. As He receives all authority in heaven and on earth, that all begins to change. There is now more restraint, more peace among men through the mustard seed growing, through the rock uncut by human hands expanding, through the power, glory and beauty of His reign becoming more manifest.

The world, while still in rebellion, while still filled with folly and temptation and injustice and evil, is better than it was. Because He came, lived a perfect life, died a vicarious death, was raised incorruptible and ascended to His throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the world is closer to what it is supposed to be. His kingdom is most certainly not consummated, but it has just as certainly been inaugurated. All of which redounds to His glory, the believer’s comfort and the temporal well-being of unbelievers.

Let them join our celebration as they too have something to celebrate. Let us never forget, however, why we celebrate, that His Gift for us isn’t just for the here and now but for there and forever.

Posted in Advent, beauty, Biblical Doctrines, Biblical theology, creation, eschatology, grace, kingdom, Kingdom Notes, RC Sproul JR, resurrection, sovereignty, special edition, theology, wonder, worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Celebrating the Incarnation and His Grace

Posted on December 20, 2023 by RC

This week’s Jesus Changes Everything Podcast

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Devils in the Church

Posted on December 19, 2023 by RC

The devil is introduced to us first as being more crafty than any of the beasts of the field (Genesis 3:1). We are reminded in II Corinthians 11:14 that he transforms himself into an angel of light. It is however, because of his craftiness that we forget to look for him as an angel of light. Do we not tend to think the devil shows up when we are overcome with some kind of illicit desire? We think when he begins to influence us we begin to grow fangs, our eyes turn to fire, our muscles go all Hulk-like, and then we pursue our madness like a bull in a china shop. When we fear the devil’s influence on us, this is what we watch for, what we guard against. If we can, by grace keep our more base desires in check, well, we must be fighting the good fight.

The devil usually shows up, however, not with illicit desires but with a “better” plan than God’s plan. Adam and Eve did rightly want to mature, to become more like God. God’s plan to get there was to trust Him, to not eat of the tree. The devil explained they could get there faster if they would just eat. Adam and Eve didn’t begin slobbering and lusting. Instead they simply thought they knew better than God. They thought they could find a better strategy than His.

This pattern is even more clearly revealed at Caesarea Philippi. There, you will remember, Peter wisely confessed the glorious truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus praises Peter for that Spirit wrought insight, and then proceeded to talk about His future, and His deliverance to be put to death. Now while Jesus is explaining what must needs come to pass Peter did not run to his secret lab and chug down a pint of Dr. Jekyll’s special recipe. Instead, out of his love for Jesus, he sincerely, gingerly expressed his conviction that Jesus’ plan wasn’t the wisest course. And Jesus replies, “Get thee behind me Satan.”

Wow. Many a sermon has been built on how this reveals the critical importance of Jesus’ mission to atone for our sins. And rightly so. But I’m afraid too often we miss what this account tells us about our sins. When Jesus tells us what needs to happen, and we contradict Him, no matter how good our intentions, we become Satan, and a hindrance to the kingdom. In like manner when we sweetly, gently encourage the pastor to lay off preaching those sins that make visitors uncomfortable, we are being the devil. When we insist that the session be “reasonable,” “realistic” in dealing with the deep-pocketed man’s unbiblical divorce, because of all the good that can be done as long as he continues to tithe, we are being the devil. When we, with all due concern and compassion, pass along, in the guise of seeking prayer, our brother’s struggle, we are being the devil. When the Word of God commands anything, and we reply in all innocence, “Well, yes, but…” we are the devil.

Our calling, always and everywhere is to affirm our Amen to all that God has spoken. We don’t nuance it, shift it, redirect it, squelch it; we affirm it. We confess that His plan is not only better than ours, but the only plan. Or else we are being the devil, disguised as a well-meaning believer. Which is why when He calls all men everywhere to repent, we say, “Amen.”

Posted in abortion, Big Eva, church, Devil's Arsenal, ethics, kingdom, Kingdom Notes, politics, RC Sproul JR | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bible Study Tonight- Romans 9, Potter and Clay

Posted on December 18, 2023 by RC

Tonight we continue our look at the monumental, towering book of Romans. All are welcome to our home at 7 est, or you may join us for dinner at 6:15. We will also stream the study at Facebook, RC-Lisa Sproul. We hope you’ll join us.

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