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2011-11-05

Secret Church

Secret Church

Secret Church 11 Live-Blog: Session 4

Posted: 04 Nov 2011 10:41 PM PDT

11:21 pm – David is getting started this last session with the issue of homosexuality. He talks about certain ways the world thinks about this issue (innate, fixed, loving, Christian, and biblical).

Now, he is showing how that is counter what Scripture says. Remember that sin disorders our worship and belief.

Those who argue for the legitimacy of homosexuality have to conclude that the Bible is either irrelevant or inaccurate.

Americans advocate tolerance but are intolerant when others respectfully disagree. We exchange truth for tolerance.

We have exchanged sexual responsibility for supposed rights. Likewise, we’ve exchanged what Scriptures says about our desires with what science says. Improper sexual desire is immoral, not inevitable. Causation does not imply justification. We don’t always choose our temptation, but we do choose our reactions.

How does the gospel speak to this issue? It reorders our worship. It renews our belief. It refreshes our desire and redeems our behavior.

Homosexuality and the church: Look in (avoid “selective moral outrage”). Look out (express humble compassion and conviction). Look up: It’s not about winning arguments but winning souls. Exalt God’s glory and proclaim His gospel.

Abortion

11:40pm – What does abortion say about God? It’s an attack on His authority as Creator and an assault on His work in creation. He is going through several reasons typically offered in justification of abortion and he is showing their flaws in light of Scripture.

A modern day holocaust is abortion as it happens almost every second of everyday. Abortion is primarily a God issue. Abortion is an assault on the beauty that God is forming. The womb destroys what God is creating in His image.

Government has the right to establish morality. It is cultural suicide to allow people to do whatever they want to do. It is a good thing for us to oppose evil. To be neutral about killing innocent children is to be guilty of sin.

Abortion and the Gospel: God is the Judge of sin, but He is the Savior of sinners! He is encouraging the church to step up and speak out. He forgives entirely and heals deeply. God redeems fully and redeems evil for good.

The Gospel and Polygamy

12:01am (The timeline is just a guide) – What does polygamy have to do with God? Remember the divine pattern for marriage is one man and one woman. There is also the divine prohibition of polygamy. Why? It breeds idolatry (Solomon), brings disharmony (Jacob). But there is a divine provision for polygamy in the Old Testament that is not an endorsement.

What about polygamy in the church? It disqualifies from church leadership, but a polygamist can be a church member (1 Cor. 6:9-11). The gospel calls us to avoid polygamy but to encourage polygamists regarding salvation in Christ.

Now we’re on to the issue of pornography. Here are his gospel exhortations grounded in the truth of Scripture.

First, the character of God. (Be zealous for God’s name. Acknowledge your sexual drive is a good gift from God.)

Second, the sinfulness of man. (Run from temptation. Even one sin merits infinite damnation. Guard yourself with gospel friendships and accountability.)

Third, the character of Christ. (Fight tempting images with the image of Christ dying for your sin. Consider Christ’s compassion for people. Don’t exploit or abuse them.

Fourth, the necessity of faith. (Believe that God is for you. Memorize Scripture.)

Fifth, the urgency of eternity. (Ponder the destruction of sexual sin. Ponder the eternal delight of future joy.)

The Gospel & Pornography

12:08am (Moving a little faster) – The goal is to abstain from the passions of the flesh 1 Peter 2:11

10 Gospel Exhortations

1 – Cultivate zeal for God. – 1 Cor. 10:31

2 – Acknowledge your sexual drive as good. – Gen 2:24-25

3- Run from every temptation – Romans 5:12-21

4 – Guard yourself with godly friendships – Heb 3:12-13

5 – Contemplate the price Christ paid for your purity – 1 Peter 1:13-19

6 – Consider the compassion Christ has for souls of men and women. Pray for them and don’t exploit them. – Mat 9:36

7 – Believe that God is for you. – Psalm 84:11-12

8 – Memorize and meditate on Scripture – Pslam 119:9-11

9 – Ponder the eternal danger and destruction – Matthew 5:27-30

10- Ponder the eternal delight and joy associated with future salvation. – Psalm 16:11

Special Issues

Sexual Distinction &  Sexual Sin in the Church to be covered later online. Skipping straight to Satisfaction in Marriage.

12:15am - What does sexual satisfaction in marriage look like? It’s relational, exclusive, and intimate. He’s quoting from Song of Solomon. It’s not just a union of bodies, but of souls. It’s selfless, complex, and complementary.

Sex is about serving the other not about self service. The goal is to be complementary of your spouse.

We should pursue a Biblical modesty. No touching allowed in any situation and circumstance outside God’s design in sex. We should guard our mouth as well. Anything otherwise is a pursuit of selfish gratification.

There are gospel prohibitions on sex. No sex outside of marriage. Worshipping sex is prohibited. (It’s good, but not God.) Other prohibitions: no homosexuality, no sex with animals, relatives or children. No sexual violence. In matters of the heart, sexual lust is forbidden, as well as immodesty.

What about self-stimulated sex? The reasons it’s wrong parallel and contrast with the picture of sexual satisfaction in marriage: individual, lustful, superficial, fruitless, self-centered, not complex and not complementary.

12:28am – Song of Solomon provides a picture of gospel celebration. It’s a demonstration of the goodness and beauty of sexual love. It also shows the cautions of sexual love.

David is showing the parallel of the King and His Bride in Ephesians. Humble devotion (He has sought us) and historic expectation. Sacrificial consummation (He gave Himself for us) leads to total satisfaction. Now, we live in continuous expectation.

Now, he’s wrapping up with the vision of the Bride and King in Revelation. There, we see continual devotion, hopeful expectation, and glorious consummation. We live in consuming anticipation for Christ’s coming.

 

Secret Church 11 Live-Blog: Session 3

Posted: 04 Nov 2011 07:46 PM PDT

9:43 p.m. – After a time of prayer for the persecuted church, David is back up and we’re digging into how the gospel influences our parenting. I’ll be updating this post every few minutes during the next session.

The goal of biblical parenting is to help your children love a great God and accomplish a great commission.

2 instructions for parents:

  1. Instruct your children so they know the Word.
  2. Train your children so they obey the Word.

Our children will not be what they cannot see. We need to make sure we discipline your kids with love that leads them toward God, not with anger that leads them away from God.

Children are made by God, are responsible to God. They are to honor their parents with their attitude and obey them with their actions.

9:55 p.m. – David is offering some personal reflections on the gospel, parents, and children from Psalm 128, which was preached at his dad’s funeral. “My father taught me to have a healthy fear of my Father.”

10:11 p.m. – David has just gone through a section that shows the heart of God for orphans. He shows how orphan care is rooted in the gospel of God’s grace. We have been adopted as children of God. He is now moving into what the gospel says about singleness.

Gospel foundations: Both singleness and marriage are good. (Biblically speaking, marriage is expected and singleness is exceptional.) Both singleness and marriage portray the gospel. Just as marriage portrays Christ’s sacrificial love for the church, singleness portrays a Christian’s ultimate identity in Christ and eternal identification with the church.

Both singleness and marriage are God’s gifts and are for His glory. Singleness has a purpose we ought not to waste.

4 Reasons to delight in singleness:

  1. because of the times we’re in (looking forward to eternal hope)
  2. because of the mission we’re on
  3. because we want to be undistracted in our affections
  4. undivided in our devotion

10:32 – David has wrapped up a great talk on singleness. He is now moving on to how we think about the widow, showing the gospel foundations and then the instructions for our compassion. He is flying through this section.

10:38 – He’s on to divorce. He’s moving quickly through a number of Old Testament texts on the issue. Now, he’s talking about divorce and the church.

In too many cases, we have insulated ourselves, isolated each other and ignored the problem. Christians have been running to the courts instead of running to the church.

What’s the church’s responsibility? Comfort one another (love). Confront one another (truth).

God hates divorce. He hates the causes (always the result of sin), the consequences (on children, in the church). Therefore, he regulates it. Only one ground for divorce among believers: adultery. It’s possible then, but not desirable or inevitable. Only one ground for divorce between a believer and unbeliever: abandonment.

God redeems divorce. If you are divorced for a biblical reason, rest in the gospel in your singleness or in your future marriage. If you are divorced for an unbiblical reason, repent and rely on the gospel to glorify God as you stay single. If you are divorced for an unbiblical reason and remarried, repent and reflect the gospel in your current marriage.

10:54 – David is finishing this session by holding out the balm of the gospel.

10:55 – Back to prayer for the persecuted church and an offering for persecuted Christians.

Secret Church 11 Live-Blog: Session 2

Posted: 04 Nov 2011 05:55 PM PDT

7:52 p.m. – Session 2 has begun. David Platt is beginning by focusing on God’s design. I’ll be updating every few minutes. You can follow the Twitter feed as well by searching the hashtag #SC11. You can send photos of your Secret Church group to secretchurchpics.simulcast@picasaweb.com.

3 Initial Foundations:

  1. God created men and women with equal dignity. (We represent God, have the capacity to relate to God, and have personality responsibility before God.)
  2. God created men and women with different roles. (Man was created to be the head. Woman was created to be the helper.) Man and woman complement one another beautifully. Platt is showing how all the Scripture (beginning in Genesis) is unified in showing the distinct roles that men and women have.
  3. God created men and women as a reflection of the Trinity. (The persons of the Trinity are equally divine and positionally different.) Loving authority and glad submission in the context of beautiful relationship!

Update – 8:11 p.m.

3 Initial Conclusions

  1. All of this is good for us. (Unity in diversity and equality amidst intimacy)
  2. All of this is glorifying to God. (We reflect His character and trust His Word.)
  3. All of this is the essence of the gospel. (Christ is sacrificial groom. We are His submissive bride. We live to serve Him.

God has designed the headship of men and the help of women to display the glory of Christ in the salvation of the church.

Update 8:17 p.m. - David is now showing how sin has affected sexuality.

For men, sin’s effect causes Adam to be passive (spineless abdication of his responsibility) and aggressive (selfish abuse of his authority. Breadwinning will be painful.

For women, sin’s effect causes Eve to be passive (spineless dismissal of any responsibility) and aggressive (selfish defiance against authority.) Childbearing is painful.

Update 8:23 p.m. – Platt has transitioned into how God’s grace in salvation through Christ transforms our understanding of manhood and womanhood.

God’s grace is fundamental. He seeks the guilty, covers the shameful, and promises the Savior.

Man’s response: Primary responsibility is to lead. He is accountable to God for protecting his wife and providing for his family.

Woman’s response: Primary responsibility is to support (humble disposition that yields to man’s leadership, ultimate devotion to Christ’s leadership). She is accountable to God for affirming her husband and nurturing in the home.

Update 8:30 p.m.  - Jason Hayes here.  Stepping in briefly for Trevin.  David continues to unpack how we apply the Gospel to our sexuality.

Men must initiate humble, hard working leadership.  We must be training our boys to be men.   Men – by the grace of God, lay down your life to honor women.  GROW UP!  Brothers, man up!  Raise up and be men!  The crowd just applauded.   We cannot do this on our own.  We do this by the grace of God and through the power of God.

Women incline yourselves to toward willing, wise submission.  This is not a position of inferiority, but rather a picture of order.  Live in way that shows girls how to be godly women.  Teach them to guard their heart.  David recognizes that none of us are perfect, but we can look forward to the day that our relationships will be made right!

Update 8:40 p.m. – David tells the story of how he met Heather.  Recently celebrated his anniversary.  He’s sharing the original letters that he shared with her years ago.  ”Dude, I am glad you called tonight!”  Lots of other hysterical expressions in this letter.  Hilarious.  The crowd is loving it.  He says, “you are clapping because this makes you feel better about yourself!”

Update 8:49 p.m. – We’re diving into Gospel foundations.  The glory of God is the ultimate aim of marriage.  The major solution of any marriage? – A Savior.  And the grace of God is the major solution for any marriage.  The greatest thing we can offer to our spouses is a likeness to Christ.  We’re taking a good luck into Isaiah 54 and 62.  Wives give a picture of the church to the world.  Husbands give a picture of Christ to the world.  This is an incredibly challenging and yet encouraging truth.

Now looking at roles:  The husband is the head of his wife.   The wife is the helper of the husband.  The last thing any husband should be doing is joking about this.  She needs respect and love, self sacrificing and selfless love.  Men, if your wife is not growing – this is your responsibility.  We must lead them to be lovely!  Treasure her!

David is encouraging the men to be a leader.  We must not simply be people of theory, but rather of honor.  Wives, observe your leadership.  Men, provide a life worth observing.

Update 8:59 p.m – Wrapping up this session with David pointing us toward a video highlighting the persecuted church in Egypt.  Now, Jonathan from The Church at Brook Hills is interviewing a missionary serving in Egypt.  He is encouraging continued prayer for these people.  Powerful highlight of this nation.  Leading into the break with a challenge as we seek to resource, pray, and partner with the persecuted church around the world.

 

Secret Church 11 Live-Blog: Session 1

Posted: 04 Nov 2011 04:21 PM PDT

Trevin Wax here, live-blogging the first session of Secret Church 11 from The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL. I’ll be updating this post every few minutes as the session gets underway.

Right now, there are 48,000 people joining us via simulcast from six continents and 13 countries and 42 states.

6:09 p.m. – Aaron Keyes leading in worship – “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”

6:28 p.m. Update – David Platt has begun by letting us know of believers joining us who are in countries where it is illegal to proclaim the gospel.

Topic Tonight: Family, Marriage, Sex, and the Gospel

The goal of Secret Church is not entertainment or a neat experience, but equipping believers to go to the nations and make disciples.

6:39 p.m. Update – David is going through a litany of challenges we face in the culture: Rampant sexual immorality, divorce, degradation of marriage, gender confusion, sex industries (pornography, prostitution), abortion

In the church, we face other challenges, such as indifference to the culture. Quoting Francis Schaeffer: “we can expect the future to be a further disaster if the evangelical world does not take a stand for biblical truth and morality in the full spectrum of life.”

6:50 p.m. update – David is listing other challenges we face: Church leaders engaged in immoral conduct, theological battles among denominations, liberal approaches to Scripture. Platt warns us to take heed lest we fall, to see our sin and run to our Savior.

David quotes from Cyprian, who warned early Christians about dangers from inside the church instead of outside the church. “There is more need to fear and beware of the Enemy when he creeps up secretly…”

The big question is about trusting God. We dive into the Word to see what the Lord says. We can twist the Word to fit our culture and our views, or we can take it and submit to God. We are running to sex to satisfy our souls when only God can satisfy our souls.

Update: 6:58 p.m.

Why Are We Here?

We want the gospel to captivate our families. We want the gospel to be evident in our marriages. We want the gospel to be celebrated in our sexuality. We want the gospel to spread to all families. (One of the reasons we need to talk about marriage is missions. The purpose of marriage is to display Christ’s love to the world! Your marriage is intricately connected to God’s mission and glory in the world.)

Important to note the relationship between the family and the church. David says we have a tendency to go to extremes. Churches go so far to program discipleship that parents abdicate their responsibility to disciple their children. Result is severe lack of parental involvement. Other churches say we don’t need any church programs. The church can do it on their own.

What’s the solution? We must be careful not to exalt the family and ignore the church. We must be careful not to exalt the church and ignore the family. Remember the key distinctions:

  • The family includes non-Christians, but the church includes professing Christians.
  • The family is a temporary institution, but the church is an eternal institution.
  • The family has a unique responsibility for members in the home, but the church has a shared responsibility for members in the body.
  • The family has a role in the Great Commission, but the church is responsible for Great Commission.

Update – 7:11 p.m. So What Shall We Do?

We need to listen to God’s Word. It’s our only source of authority and ultimate source of accountability (to hear, teach, and obey).

We need to lean on God’s grace. In the face of sin, fight back with the gospel of grace that covers our past, empowers our present, and guarantees our future. Run to the cross, rest at the cross, and rejoice in the cross!

We need to live for God’s glory. Our families demonstrate His fame, our marriages His glory, our sexuality His supremacy. We have a great God and a great gospel!

Update – 7:18 p.m. Next section: Gospel foundations for thinking about the family, marriage, and sexuality

“The gospel is the good news that the just and gracious God of the universe has looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against sin on the cross and to show His power over sin in the resurrection so that all who have faith in Him will be reconciled to God forever.”

5 elements here that David is unpacking: the character of God, the sinfulness of man, the sufficiency of Christ, the necessity of faith, the urgency of eternity. (Love how he is grounding in the gospel everything he will say about marriage!)

Faith creates works. Works complete faith. God glorifies Himself in salvation that is free. Even our work is based on His work! All grace. Even our working is all of grace.

Update 7:33 p.m. – Wrapping up session 1 by stressing the urgency of eternity. Heaven is a glorious reality for those who trust in Christ. Hell is a dreadful reality for those who die without Christ. The gospel demands a decision. Will you turn from Jesus or turn to Jesus? Platt is finishing this session with a gospel call to salvation. First things first.

7:38 – Break
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