Proverbs 3:13-14:

Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, 14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.

Proverbs 9:1-6:

“Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. 2 She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. 3 She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, 4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, 5 “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

In these verses we see that wisdom is a very good and valuable thing. The reason it is good and valuable is be-cause wisdom will keep a person from immoral and de-structive ways of living. It will do this only if you listen to wisdom and obey it. Proverbs presents two kinds of peo-ple. The first one is the fool. This person is characterized by not listening to wisdom. The second one is the wise. This person is characterized by obeying wisdom and in-struction.

Look at Proverbs 1:1-7:

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, 3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteous-ness, justice, and equity; 4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth– 5 Let the wise hear and increase in learn-ing, and the one who understands obtain guid-ance, 6 to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Pro 1:1-7)

Notice the difference between the wise and the fool. The wise love wisdom and instruction but the fool despises wisdom and instruction. James tells us that God will give us wisdom if we ask. Proverbs tells us that it is up to us to listen to that wisdom and obey it.

—Michael Preciado

CCP bulletin- March 25, 2012

Note: Technical difficulties caused the first part of the sermon to be cut off.

CCP bulletin- March 18, 2012

20 Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse. 21 I am blameless; I regard not myself; I loathe my life. 22 It is all one; therefore I say, He destroys both the blameless and the wicked. 23 When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent. 24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the faces of its judges– if it is not he, who then is it? (Job 9:20-24)

Job does not advocate a view that God is not powerful enough to stop his suffering. Nor is he advocating a view that God cannot foresee the future. Nor does he advocate a view that God is not good. These are views some people accept in the face of the problem of evil. Instead, Job knows God is in control of the good and the bad and that is the issue for him!

Job cannot conceive of the possibility that God is not in control of his circumstances. He says in 9:24 “if it is not he, who then is it?” Though it may not sound like it, Job’s response is the response of a godly man. He does not lower his conception of God nor does he negate that God exists. Instead he focuses on God as the ultimate source of his suffering and he struggles to make his peace with that. At the end of the day we all have this struggle. We have to struggle to accept (1) that God is good and just, (2) that God is in control of everything that happens to us and (3) that God is ultimately working the events of our lives for our good and his glory. In order to do this, we need to strengthen our faith. We do this my partaking of the Word, the sacraments and prayer.

—Michael Preciado

CCP bulletin- March 11, 2012

Athanasius was born in Alexandria about the year 300. As a deacon, he served as a secretary at the Council of Nicea in 325. Three years later he succeeded Alexander as bishop of Alexandria. The church owes Athanasius a great deal of honor and respect because he single handedly stood up against the Arian heresy. It was Athanasius against the world! The Arian heresy denied the equality of the Father and the Son. They denied that Jesus was fully God. They denied the heart of the Christian religion, namely the doctrine of the Trinity. Athanasius would not let this heresy stand. As a result he suffered greatly. He was sent into exile 5 times because his fellow churchmen and parishioners refused to recognize their error.

• 335-37, he was deposed by the Council of Tyre. 
• March 9, 2012 339-46, he was banished by Constantius.
•  356-61, he was outlawed again by Constantius and went into hiding among the monks in the deserts of Egypt.        
•  363, he was exiled by Julian and was concealed again in Egypt.
• 365-66, he was forced to leave the city of Valens and once again found refuge in the Egyptian desert. 

What a depressing ministry! Or so it would seem. Athanasius did nothing wrong to deserve this suffering. It is one thing to be exiled because of your own sin. It is quite another to suffer innocently like this saint. Athanasius’ steadfastness and his writings blocked the Arians’ progress and prepared for the eventual victory of the Nicene cause. Today we all confess the Nicene Creed because of the suffering of Athanasius. His life is an illustration of how the church can err by abusing faithful ministers who are nonetheless committed to the welfare of the very people that are causing their suffering. This is a common occurrence in the history of the church. Yet we also see how God uses this for the ultimate good of the church.  

—Michael Preciado

“10For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” A curse or penalty lies upon anyone who breaks anything in God’s law. This is an impossible situation for fallen man because we have and continue to violate God’s law in thought, word and deed. This means that we cannot be acceptable to God based upon our own attempts to obey God. Instead we must have faith in Christ.

“11Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” In order to be justified or acceptable to God, you must have faith in Christ. Faith in Christ unites you to Christ so that everything Christ has or did, you have or did. Faith identifies us with Jesus Christ. This is important because it shows us how Christ takes away the
penalty for our sins. Paul continues, “12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.”

Christ redeemed us from the curse or just penalty of God’s law. He did this by “becoming a curse for us.” This phrase is the heart of penal substitution. The penal aspect of this tells us that our sins must be punished with the just penalty or curse that God’s Law demands. The substitution aspect tells us that Christ took the just penalty of God’s Law in our place. On the cross
or “the tree,” Christ bore the curse of the Law as our substitute. Because we are identified with Christ the guilt of our sins gets transferred to his account. That guilt is then paid for on the cross. The result of this is that all our sins are forgiven and we need not ever fear the judgment of God. Knowing that Christ is our penal substitution gives us peace of conscience and oldness in approaching God.

—Michael Preciado

“4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

By the standards of man, Paul had much to be confident about. In these five verses he lays out his credentials. He was superior to most men in the ancient world. People looked up to him. The Jews of his day would have been certain he was going to heaven. But Paul doesn’t trust in his own credentials and his own righteousness. He knows that it is not good enough. He knows that if he stands before God in his own righteousness he will be condemned because God requires absolute perfection. Knowing this humbles Paul and causes his to look away from his own perceived goodness to Jesus Christ.

“For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”

Paul has faith in Christ so that he would not have to stand before God in his own righteousness. Instead he is found in Christ and thus having the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to him. This idea of imputation is a banking term that means “to credit to one’s account.” Jesus Christ lived a perfect life of obedience to God’s law. He earned a perfect righteous status before God’s court. When you have faith in Christ, God imputes or credits Christ’s righteousness to your account. So that you are now seen as perfect before God. This teaching gives us great confidence because we know that in spite of all our flaws, the perfect righteousness of Christ covers us. This is the basis upon which God accepts us right now and on the Day of Judgment. Those clothed in the righteousness of Christ need not ever fear the final judgment. The righteousness of Christ renders them perfect.

—Michael Preciado

This should be no surprise. God has set the world up in this way and this shows the importance of being a good father. But of course we live in a fallen world and fathers are not perfect. This is one of the reasons God gave us his Word. He gave it to us to correct our false beliefs about Him that we may have inherited from our upbringing. Pastoral counseling so often consists of clearing up false beliefs about God that so frequently are rooted in the counselees experience with his or her father. One frequent area is in the assurance of God’s favor towards the counselee.

Since the Reformation, numerous book shave been written that deal with this issue of assurance. One such book I have been reading is called The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes. I recently came across a wonderful quote that I wanted to share with you. He writes, There are those who go on in all courses of life on this pretence, that it would be useless to go to Christ, because their lives have been so bad; whereas, as soon as we look to heaven, all encouragements are ready to meet us and draw us forward. Among others, this is one allurement, that Christ is ready to welcome us and lead us further. None are damned in the church but those that are determined to be, including those who persist in having hard thoughts of Christ, that they may have some show of reason to fetch contentment from other things, as that unprofitable servant (Matt. 25:30) who would needs take up the opinion that his master was a hard man, thereby to flatter himself in his unfruitful ways, in not improving the talent which he had.

— Michael Preciado

“Wisdom is the skill of godly living. It is the product of training in godliness. The Bible compares this to the training of a tradesman (Ex. 31:1-11; 1 Cor. 3:9-10), the master craftsman. The writer of Proverbs noted (22:29), “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.” Wisdom is about being able to do things at a high level of sophistication. Whereas knowledge lays the basis for wisdom, wisdom is happening when knowledge is applied without having to think about it. It is like the difference between merely knowing what to do to drive a car, and actually being able to drive through city traffic without being aware of the process of driving. It has become second nature.

Wisdom is knowledge plus practice across a range of experience. Jesus is presented to us in the New Testament as the personification of wisdom, not only in his innocence but particularly in his ability to handle his enemies. Presented with impossible choices, Jesus turns the tables on his opponents and hangs them on the horns of their own arguments (Matt.
22:15-33; Mark 12:1-12). Those who attempted to ambush Jesus found themselves ambushed and that publicly…

The speed and smoothness of Jesus’ repartee was not just for his amusement. Those who follow him are rightly called “disciples.” Today the word for “disciple” carries religious connotations. The word we translate as “disciple” was simply an ordinary term for “student” or an “apprentice.” Jesus’ disciples were there to learn his skills because he came to end our ignorance and foolishness and give us back the wisdom Adam lost.”

—Michael Preciado

Based on texts like this, theologians have distinguished between the “hidden will” of God and the “revealed will” of God. The “hidden will” of God includes His decree concerning whatsoever comes to pass. From creation, to the end of the world and on into eternity, God planned everything. That plan is so vast and complex that the human mind cannot comprehend it. The “revealed will” of God is what God has told us to do in the Bible. It includes everything God wants us to know concerning His will.

So what is God’s will for your life? If you are asking with regard to God’s “hidden will” the answer is “you won’t know until it happens.” If you are asking with regard to His “revealed will” the answer is “do what the Bible says.” In other words, you should not concern yourself with God’s “hidden will” but only with His “revealed will.” In fact, the text we just read commands us not to concern ourselves with His “hidden will.” That is for God.

His “revealed will” is for us. If you want to know God’s will for your life, you must look for it in the Bible. But you may object, “The Bible doesn’t answer every question in my life.” Who am I to marry? What job am I to take? Etc. Philip Cary in his book Good news for Anxious Christians answers this question, “there is only wisdom, the heart’s intelligent skill of discerning good decisions from bad one. This is a skill, not a method—not a formula you can apply to particular situations simply by following the rules, but a habit of the heart you have to develop through long experience of your own, which includes making mistakes from time to time. The concept of wisdom is what every method for “finding God’s will” leaves out of the decision making process. It’s left out precisely because the project of “finding God’s will” is an attempt to guarantee you won’t make a mistake. All such guarantees are falsehoods, attempts to short-circuit the hard work of acquiring wisdom.” Wisdom helps you answer the questions the bible does not directly address.

—-Michael Preciado

2
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:1-3). The word “count” in Greek means “to think, regard, consider.” This verb is in the imperative which means that it is a command. James is commanding us to think about our trials in a certain way. We are to “count” or “regard” them as joy. This means that James believes we can control our emotions and attitudes. How are we to do this? He gives us two reasons in these verses. First, by having an eternal perspective. In verse 1 he compares Christians to Israel in the dispersion. At the time of the dispersion, the Israelites were away from the Promised Land. The Promised Land was typological of heaven. Thus when James addresses Christians with the words “to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion,” he is saying that we, like Israel are sojourning in a foreign land.
We are not yet living in the land of heaven, but we are making our way there. Realizing this enables us to “count it all joy” because we know that this life is temporary and our eternal reward in heaven is far greater than the sufferings of this life. Yet we must discipline ourselves to interpret our trials through this perspective. Doing so enables us to “count it all joy.”
Another reason we can “count it all joy” is because God has a purpose in the trials of our lives. James says this in verse 3, “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” God has a reason for everything that happens in this world. He has a reason for why you are suffering and he has a reason for why you are not suffering. Having a view to God’s providence is another way in which we can “count it all joy” in the midst of adversity. God often times does not tell us the exact reason why we are suffering, but he does give us a
general reason right here. It is to produce steadfastness in us. The word translated “steadfastness” means “endurance” or “perseverance.” Realizing that God has a purpose to our trials enables us to “count it all joy.”

—Michael Precaido

There are four things to learn about contentment in this passage. First, contentment is attainable. It is not true that you have to walk around this world without a contented heart. Paul says that it is attainable, but not in a passive manner. You can’t just sit around and wait for it to happen to you. Instead, you must learn contentment. This is the second thing to learn from this passage. Notice that Paul says that he has learned in whatever situation he was in to be content (v.11). The fact that he learned it meant that he wasn’t passively waiting around
for it to happen to him. The third thing to learn from this passage is that contentment is not dependent upon circumstances. In verse 12, Paul says that he knows how to be content “in any and every circumstance.” Fourth, contentment is learned in dependence upon God in Jesus Christ. In verse 13 Paul says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” This verse is often quoted out of context as if it meant that you could win a sporting event or a business deal through God who strengthens you. However, the context is speaking about the art of learning contentment. It shows us that contentment is only learned through a relationship to God in Jesus Christ. It is through the communication of the life of Christ (through the Word and sacraments) that the human soul is vivified and strengthened to contentment.

—Michael Preciado

The word “deacon” in Greek actually means “servant.” Thus the BCO captures the essence of the office with the words “sympathy and service.” The word “sympathy” is important also. The deacon is not to serve in just any manner, but he is to serve with sympathy. In other words, the deacon is to manifest a generous and merciful spirit. They are to model the generosity of Christ and develop this in the congregation, “It is their duty to develop the grace of liberality in the members of the church” (BCO 9-2).

These points in the BCO are helpful for the congregation to guide them in determining who is qualified for this office and who is qualified to remain in this office. After all, the congregation is to freely elect these people (Act 6:5). Therefore the congregation is to hold the deacons accountable to the standard of generosity. What does it mean to be generous or sympathetic? It basically means to model the love of Christ. The love of Christ is clearly spelled out for us in God’s Law. Paul says, 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal 5:14)

Paul is saying that love or sympathy or generosity is defined for us by the commandments found in God’s law. This means that when a deacon (and by extension all Christians) makes a decision, it should always be based on the Scriptures. If a deacon finds himself without a sound Biblical argument in support of a decision, he is to refrain from that decision and seek Biblical counsel from the elders, particularly the pastor. This is why the BCO says that “the pastor shall be an advisory member” of the deacon board (BCO 9-4). All of this is to say that the
deacon is to model the humility of Christ, “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,” (Mat 20:26-28).

—-Michael Preciado

Consider the following scene “What possible reason could I have for cooperating with you?” asked Lecter. “Curiosity,” says Officer Starling. “About what?” “About why you’re here. About what happened to you.” “Nothing happened to me, Officer Starling. I happened. You can’t reduce me to a set of influences. You’ve given up good and evil for behaviorism, Officer Starling…Nothing is ever anybody’s fault. Look at me, officer starling. Can you say I’m evil? Am I evil, Officer Starling?” This fictitious exchange exposes our cultures problem. We have rejected the doctrine of original sin. When people engage in bad behavior the root cause is not the inherited guilt and corruption of fallen Adam, but some other reason. We do everything to avoid concluding that we are sinful. Yet the Bible teaches that we are not basically good.

The Apostle Paul writes, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 ”Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14″Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15″Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16in their paths are ruin and misery, 17and the way of peace they have not known.” 18″There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom 3:10-18) This is not a description limited to the murderous Hannibal Lecter types. It is a description of every human being. Man has a sinful nature and until this is understood, the Gospel will make no sense. If man is basically good, then what need do we have for a savior? If man has a sinful nature from which sinful thoughts, feelings and actions come forth, then we obviously do need a savior. We may not be as bad as a Hitler or some other villain. We will always come out looking good when we compare ourselves with others. But God doesn’t compare us with others. He compares us with His holy Law. Only in this light will we see our need for the Gospel. But of course our culture would never allow an honest comparison with God’s law. Hopefully you will.

—Michael Preciad

The first is that Christ, who became man, was from all eternity the Son of God. The Gospel of John teaches this in chapter 1:1,14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The second is that Christ, in the fullness of time, became man and was born as an infant. Paul writes in Galatians 4:4, “ 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law”

The third is that our savior was born of a woman of low estate, and with circumstances of more than ordinary abasement. We see this taught in Luke 2:1-7, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. This is what we celebrate on Christmas. Merry Christmas!

—Michael Preciad

Pastor Michael Preciado preaches on Luke 1:46-56.

And here is the secret most pastors don’t get: the best way to help this bride get prepared for her Beloved is precisely to tell her about the Beloved, not herself. If you take up her time telling her how to be a good bride, she’ll get bored and fidgety, or maybe anxious, wondering “Am I really good enough for him?” But if you tell her about her Beloved, his beauty and glory, the result is quite different. You raise her hopes and inflame her desires, and her love for him is renewed.

Love feeds on news of the Beloved. That’s how to reach people’s hearts. What really helps us live the Christian life is to learn about Jesus Christ, hear what he has done, and be reminded of his coming again. Above all, what we want is to know him, to understand who he is, to learn how he has come from the father and sends us his Spirit. This is love, after all: it’s about our Beloved, not about us. And that’s the first and most important thing our Bridegroom wants from us: that we love God with our whole heart and mind and soul and strength. That’s
why it’s the preaching of the gospel, telling the story of Christ the beloved Son of God, that really changes us in the depths of our hearts.”

—Michael Preciado

Eric Pilson preaches on Isaiah 42:1-9.

Outline:

1. God’s Prediction to bring justice to the nations (vs. 1-4)

2. God’s Promise of a light for the nations (vs. 5-9)

Audio File was lost.

Handout: WCF – Part IV

This is basic Chalcedonian and Reformed Christology. But the Chalcedonian Creed uses a word with regard to Mary that makes some Christians uncomfortable. It is the word ‘Theotokos’ or ‘Mother of God.’ Many Protestants consider Mary being called the Mother of God to be heresy, but the irony is that the word was used to defend orthodoxy. By the use of this word, the church sought to defend orthodoxy against the heresy of Nestorianism. Nestorianism was the idea that the two natures of Christ were in fact two persons. Nestorius objected to the title ‘Mother of God’ applied to Mary and wanted to use the title ‘Christ bearer’ instead. He wanted to communicate that Mary was only the bearer of the human nature of Christ.

The Church rightly rejected this as heresy because it separated the two natures of Christ. As a defense of orthodoxy, the Church called Mary the ‘Mother of God’ not because they believed that Mary created God the Son, or because they believed that Mary should be worshiped, but because they believed that in the incarnation, God the Son united himself to a human nature. In the incarnation, the human nature of Christ was not separated from the Divine person of the Son. To say that Mary only bore the human nature of Christ was to separate the Divine person from the human nature. So, by the title ‘Mother of God’ the church taught that there was no separation of the human nature from the Divine person. Mary, in fact carried the Divine person of the Son of God in her womb. And yet that Divine person of the Son was present everywhere. This is a great mystery, but to not acknowledge Mary as the Mother of God is to separate the Divine person from the human nature. Protestants should not be afraid to call Mary the Mother of God because it teaches us the fullness and wonder of the incarnation.

—Michael Preciado

Pastor Michael Preciado preaches on Isaiah 11:1-9.

Elder Don Bakke continues his lesson on Of the Holy Scripture by discussing the topics of the Sufficiency of Scripture, the Perspicuity of Scripture, and the Providential Protection of Scripture.

Handout: WCF – Part III

So how do we learn contentment in whatever state we are in? Well that’s what the 228 pages of the book explain. Obviously I can’t go into all the contents of the book here, but I do want to share a lesson I have learned (and struggle to implement) in my life. Often times, when we are discontent, it is because we are thinking about our particular situation in a certain way. We are dissatisfied with our situation in life and wish we could change it. In fact, if we were honest, we are really telling God he is doing something wrong! What we have done is interpret our situation in a negative light towards God. Now Burroughs has a great remedy for this. Here is what he says

I beseech you to observe this. . .Make a good interpretation of God’s ways towards you. If any good interpretation can be made of God’s ways towards you, make it. You think it much if you have a friend who always makes bad interpretations of your ways towards him; you would take that badly. . . Thus, when affliction befalls you, many good senses may be made of God’s works towards you. You should think thus. . .

Burroughs then goes on to give examples of good interpretations of God’s ways towards us. The point is, our discontent has a lot to do with how we interpret our circumstances. The life of faith, resting on the Word of God, will recognize that God is good and our interpretations of His actions towards us should be seen in that light. Part of our sanctification has to do with viewing our circumstances through the Word of God. Let me encourage you to view them in the way Burroughs would have us. Make a good interpretation!

—Michael Preciado

Pastor Michael Preciado preaches on Hebrews 2:14-18.

Elder Don Bakke continues the Sunday School study of the Westminster Confession of Faith, Part II.

Handout: WCF – Part II

The Apostle Paul speaks of this clearly in Philippians 2:6-8 “6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” The first advent of Jesus began when he united himself to human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. We often speak of the virgin birth (which is good), but we should also consider that it was a virgin conception. What we celebrate at Christmas is the birth of the eternal Son of God united to a fully human nature.

But it is important to remember that this is only the beginning of the first advent. As the Scriptures say, Jesus will grow from infancy to adulthood. Over the course of this time he will perfectly obey God’s law and earn a righteous status for those who have faith in him. He will end his first advent by dying on the cross and rising from the dead, thus paying the penalty for the sins of those that trust in him. After his resurrection he ascends into heaven in order to sit at the right hand of the Father on his heavenly throne. From here he has been gathering his elect across the globe throughout the centuries.

Once the full number of the elect are gathered, he will get off of his throne and begin his second advent. Yet this Second Advent will be in judgment. In his First Advent he began as a helpless baby in order to grow up and make his way to the cross as a victim. In his Second Advent he will return to judge the world as a victor.

—Michael Preciado

Pastor Michael Preciado preaches on Ephesians 1:19-23.

Elder Don Bakke presents Westminster Confession of Faith, Part I at Sunday School.

Handout: WCF – Part I

One important question that all Christians deal with concerns the relationship between faith and works. In the above passage, the Apostle Paul very clearly teaches us that we are saved or made right with God by grace through faith. Our works have nothing to do with being saved. This is why he emphatically says “this is not your own doing” and it is “not a result of works.” That is very clear. But notice what Paul goes on to say in verse 10 “we are created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Good works must be a part of the Christian’s life. How do we clearly state the relationship between faith and works?

The Protestant Reformation taught us that we are saved or justified by faith alone. But the faith that saves is never alone. Genuine saving faith is not a mere professed faith. Instead genuine saving faith is necessarily accompanied by good works. Now those good works are not perfect but they are present. When God saves us by grace, he also changes our hearts so that we have desires to serve Him and do his will. Those desires are also never perfect, but they are present.

The desires of the new heart want to please God by studying His Word, coming to church and worshiping Him, fellowshipping with other Christians and obeying the other commandments that God has given. What happens when a person professes faith but does not have any of these desires? James tells us that that person does not have genuine faith. 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (Jam 2:17). James is not saying that you are saved by any of your works, but he is saying that if you have genuine faith you will have desires to please God and actions (however imperfect) of obedience. So the relationship between faith and works is as follows: faith alone makes you and keeps you right with God, yet that faith is necessarily accompanied by new desires to obey God however flawed those desires are.

—Michael Preciado

Pastor Ben Muresan preaches on Mark 4:26-29.

Outline:

Point 1: The Kingdom of God Has Arrived

Point 2: It Is Sown Through Ordinary Means

Point 3: It produces Extraordinary Results

Paul also exhorts Christians to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil.4:4). Even in the darkness of adversity we are to rejoice in the Lord. Rejoicing does not mean wearing a smile always, or singing, upon awakening, “O what a beautiful morning!” Joy is a quiet gladness of heart as one contemplates the goodness of God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ. It is a joy that comes from faith (Phil.1:25) and it is given by the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17).

It follows from this that true joy is only had by believers. Only the Christian, who is familiar with Christ and his Word, can know how to interpret adversity correctly. Apart from a Biblical world view, adversity has no apparent purpose, no rational reason and leads to despair. The life of faith is the life that believes in Jesus Christ and struggles to interpret all of life through what Jesus has declared in the Bible.

—Michael Preciado

Russ Young presents his beginning thoughts on a series about the History of Church Government.

The deep, heartfelt love that Peter urges is in no way artificial. It is the brotherly love that unites the family of God. Paul says to the church of Thessalonica, “Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.” How can such love be commanded? Peter writes to people divided by the jealousies and hatreds of their past; some where Jews, some Gentiles. To blind them in family love Peter directs them to the one source. The love that binds the redeemed flows from the love of the Redeemer. Christian love is the love of grace, the love of compassion. For such love to appear, the pride and selfishness of our alienation from God must be swept away. They must be replaced by a heart made new with the motives of grace. Peter shows how both needs are to be met. It is the word of God, the good news of the gospel, that is the means both of our new birth and of our nurture in holiness. Because God’s love is the source of ours, the message of his love is what kindles ours.

Christian love may be demonstrated by a hug, a holy kiss, or a helping hand, but Christian love cannot be transmitted that way. Christian love is born as Christians are born: through the truth of the gospel. That which clears away the malice… deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of the old lifestyle is the cleansing of our souls through obedience to God’s truth. Peter addresses those who already know that cleansing; they experience true brotherly love because they have purified themselves by obeying the truth” (1:22) He exhorts them to deepen and strengthen a love they already have. In the same way, Paul urges the Thessalonians to love “more and more” as God has taught them.” –Eric Pilson

Pastor Michael Preciado’s message on Romans 4:1-8.

What do we mean by Sola Scriptura? This principle means that the Bible and the Bible alone is the only infallible authority in the church. This principle was a return to biblical and early church practice. Over the centuries unbiblical practices and dogmas were introduced into the church and defended by appealing to other infallible authorities besides the Bible. The Pope, the church councils and tradition were seen as equally infallible with the Scriptures. This allowed for corruption in the church. Sola Scriptura freed man’s consciences to be bound only by what the Bible says. This was not a disparaging of church tradition but a “critical revering” of it. Those things in church tradition that lined up with the Bible were kept and those that didn’t were not.

What do we mean by Sola Fide? This means that we are acceptable to God or justified, not by being good or producing good works, but through faith alone in Christ alone. This was a return to the Biblical teaching on salvation from the legalism of the Roman Catholic Church. They taught, and still teach, that you are justified by faith plus works. Sola Fide does not mean that Christians don’t have to be obedient to God, it means that we are not acceptable to God by our obedience. We are acceptable to God by faith alone and then out of gratitude, we seek to obey our Father in heaven. But that obedience is not the basis for our acceptance, it is the result of already being accepted.

The reformers return to these two Biblical principles is what we are to remember and continue to practice.

—Michael Preciado

How intolerant! Jesus is saying that faith in him is the only way to go to heaven. This means that every other religion or philosophy that does not agree with Jesus is wrong. Assuming the above definition of “tolerance,” Christianity must be judged intolerant! And those who make this accusation often do it with an air of intellectual and moral superiority. “You poor ignorant and morally underdeveloped Christians,” is the attitude communicated. But is this understanding of “tolerance” tolerant? Carson makes an interesting point concerning this. He says that this view of “tolerance” is in fact “intolerant”. This is subtle but devastating. He points out that the one thing that is not tolerated is the view that this view of tolerance is wrong. You see, to hold this view of tolerance is to be intolerant of those who disagree with this view of tolerance. To hold this view of tolerance is to hold that other views of tolerance are wrong. Well, isn’t this exactly what it means to be intolerant? It sure is, on their own definition. So those who hold this view are the ones that are intolerant. In apologetic discussion, it is important to point this out.

—Michael Preciado

Pastor Michael Preciado preaching on Ephesians 1:15-19a.

Last week we saw that God declares us righteous when we believe in Jesus. This declaration is called justification. The Bible tells us that those who are justified (declared righteous in God‟s court) can never lose that justification. After all we were not justified by being good so how can we lose it by doing something bad? “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Rom 4:5). Being justified by faith, God also adopts us into his family. “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Gal 3:26). God treats believers as family members. He is now our heavenly Father. Like a good earthly father, God does not throw us out of his family when we do something wrong. He still loves us and cares for us and we are still declared righteous because of Jesus. Yet we can accrue God’s fatherly displeasure. Like our earthly fathers, God disciplines us when we refuse to repent of our sins. Of course we commit sins every day and we should regularly pray for forgiveness.

The confession does not so much have those sins in mind as the ones committed in stubborn unrepentance. Much like when King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered (2 Samuel 11 & 12). David, for a time, refused to repent of this and ask God for forgiveness. The result of this was God‟s fatherly displeasure. This displeasure motivated God to discipline him. Yet God did not throw David out of the family and send him to hell. No, he disciplined him and eventually brought him to repentance through the prophet Nathan. Yet in the midst of his unrepentance, David had no right to be assured of his salvation. God took this away in order to discipline him. This is why David prayed that God would restore the joy of his salvation. “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalms 51:12).

—Michael Preciado

Eric Pilson delivers a message entitled “Holiness by Grace”

Pastor Michael Preciado delivers a message entitled “The Righteous Man”.

Pastor Michael Preciado delivers a message entitled “Boasting in the Cross”.