More from Toledo

OK, after looking over my notes, I decided to do three general overviews of each position as presented by the speakers rather than nine postings on their individual talks. They covered too much stuff and a lot would get lost in the translation. I want to focus on the general points, merits and weaknesses of each position based on the information given by these particular speakers. I know that there is a lot more to each position than what we got in three 50 minute talks each, but I want to look at the merits of each based on the material given at the conference specifically. Then a final wrap-up, and some rest and recovery, and then start to look forward to Together for the Gospel!

One week to Toledo

A week away from the Toledo Reformed Theological Conference. Looks like I am going to miss the whole preconference because my company decided to shut down part of my banking center. So instead of listening to sermons on hell and heaven, I get to interview in downstate Michigan. Yeehaw! Then about a month to Together for the Gospel. Good times all around.

Something is rotten in Denmark

In a couple of weeks we are headed to Toledo for the Toledo Reformed Theological Conference, and I have high hopes. Eschatology is something that I really don't have a good handle on, at least compared to other areas of doctrine where I am still an amateur but have an established position that I can articulate and defend. I sorely need this conference to help me with my position, which sets it apart from other conferences where I am the choir getting preached to on topics we all agree on. This is how it breaks down for me now, holding very gingerly to a fuzzy Amillennialism...

On the one hand, lots of people I respect theologically in Reformed circles hold to an Amillennial view (Al Mohler, John MacArthur and a few others being notable exceptions). Read through the eschatology section on Monergism and it is obvious where most Reformed people come down on the topic, i.e. squarely in the Amillennial camp. It is almost like being Amillennial is part of the membership requirements for being Reformed, along with using the ESV Bible and wearing Monergism T-shirts! Monergism is featuring a great series of lectures by Kim Riddlebarger titled: "Amillennialism 101." Don't hold your breath for a similar series called "Dispensationalism 101".

On the other hand, lots of people I view with a ton of suspicion hold to the dispensational premillennial view. People like Hal Lindsay, Tim LaHaye, etc. are kind of kooks and make me cringe and I hold that much of what they espouse is bordering on heretical so I naturally assume that where there is one aberrant teaching, there likely is another. In other words, I can't put my finger on specifics but something is rotten in Denmark and it makes me nervous. If those guys are fer premillennialism, I'm agin' it!

Now I get that basing a theological position on something other than the Scriptural evidence is bad news, and basing my position on what people I like think is even worse. But I haven't had the time or background to really work out my position, so this conference with three people who are experts presenting the three main positions for two solid days should go a long way towards cementing where I stand. I doubt I will come back from Toledo a pretrib, premil dispensationalist but hopefully I will be able to better declare and defend a millennial position based on something other than being opposed to guys wearing bad suits with bad haircuts.

The End of Time (in Toledo of all places!)

How Long O' Lord: Three Views on the end of days

March 14-15, 2008

The schedule of speakers is out for the Toledo Reformed Theological Conference and it looks pretty interesting with a focus on examining the three major schools of eschatological thought.

The TRTC rarely has the star power of other conferences. Especially in the last couple of years you are not going to see Sproul or MacArthur here. Steve Camp as always will be there, as will stalwart Don Kistler. The other speakers are not household names.

Dr. Thomas Ice, from Liberty, will be (no surprise since he is from Liberty University!) representing the pre-millennial camp. Dr. Kenneth Gentry will be the advocate for post-millennialism. Dr. Richard Gaffin of Westminster Theological Seminary will speak on behalf of amillennialism. All three are rock solid scholars with great credentials. They may not be as recognizable as the speakers at Together for the Gospel, and the talks likely will not be as rousing, but the teaching should be great. Eschatology is a weak area for me, so I am very much looking forward to the TRTC in March (cleverly scheduled to not coincide with T4G!) Too bad they didn't move the Philadelphia Conference in Grand Rapids so it didn't overlap T4G, a decision which might cost them a lot of attenders.

Louisville or Grand Rapids?

The Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology or Together for the Gospel?

In what is yet another horrible scheduling blunder, two of the better Reformed theology conferences are scheduled for the same week, in the middle of April 2008. That leaves me with a choice, go to Grand Rapids which is cheaper and way more convenient, or go to Louisville which is going to cost a whole lot more. We have free lodging in Grand Rapids, but frankly I will admit that I am a bit of a speaker snob, and the thought of Mohler, Dever, Sproul, Piper, MacArthur, Duncan, Mahaney etc in the same conference (T4G) is intoxicating (in a good Baptist way of course). I am leaning pretty strongly toward Louisville, if for no other reason than it only happens every other year and Grand Rapids is every year. Of course, I am well known as the king of rationalizing...

(With any luck, the Toledo Reformed Theological Conference will be scheduled a completely different time, or Steve Camp and company will be all alone!)

UPDATE:

Looks like I have an additional travel partner for Together for the Gospel, so it sounds like Louisville is the winner! Now I have to register so I save $50!

The Good Shepherd and His sheep

My favorite speaker at the 2007 Toledo Reformed Theological Conference was Dr. Steven Lawson from Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. He looks and sounds kind of like the first President Bush, so I was not sure what to expect but his three sermons of John 10 were absolutely dynamite. Those three sermons on John 1o are now available for free through the New Reformation Ministries. These are highly commended. I am using the basic outline of them when I get to John 10 later this year (just started preaching in John, preached on John 1:1 this morning). Listen, enjoy and be edified!

The Good Shepherd Part One

The Good Shepherd Part Two

The Good Shepherd Part Three

Back Home!

And happy to be here. A few thoughts.

• This year's Toledo Reformed Theological Conference seemed sparsely attended. I think that having it so close to the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology in Grand Rapids hurts, it is back to back weekends so many people had to choose one or the other, and frankly there were "bigger" names in Grand Rapids (but the conference was in no way better!)
• The difference between a conference with one Bapist and a bunch of Presbyterians versus one with mostly Baptists was clear. The music in Toledo was more contemporary, the talk more preaching than teaching, more evangelistic and less scholarly. It was a nice contrast if you got to go to both.
• Both churches are huge!
• I am horribly disillusioned that Steve Camp drives a white mini-van.

Toledo Reformed Theological Conference

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Tom Ascol
Christ Knocking

The reason people don’t love Jesus Christ is they don’t know Jesus Christ. The reason we don’t love Him more, is we don’t know Him better. The better we know Him, the more zealous we will be for Him. If we are going to be passionate about Christ we need to be mesmerized by who He is and what He has done in a fresh way.

How does Christ present Himself in Revelation chaper 3, the church at Laodicea
Rev 3: 14-22

Used and misused by those who doubt the sovereign grace of God in salvation. How do we respond to those who suggest impotence on the part of God in salvation? You must look at the rest of the Bible as it deals with effectual calling. The ability and desire to open that door must come from above.

The letter is addressed to a church, to a local church.

The Laodicean church is a wealthy church, but it was in a bad way. Nothing obvious perhaps. They have forgotten that all that they have comes from God, and that is a dangerous attitude.
They were self-dependent
They were also self-deluding. They were wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. (Study deceived, deception and see how often we are warned about being deceived)
They are neither warm nor cold, they are lukewarm.
Spurgeon: They did not opposed the Gospel, but they also didn’t defend it
(that was about the fiftieth Spurgeon quote this weekend!)
Their lack of zeal makes Jesus want to puke them out of His mouth.

That is the diagnosis, what is the cure?

The first step is to agree with Him about our condition
The second step is to depend upon Himself, not on ourselves. You figured our how to live without me, but you need to return to dependence on Me. Quit trusting yourself and your attainments.
- We must cultivate in ourselves and our churches, a sensitivity to Jesus. What would happen if Christ withdrew His presence? Would we notice or are we just too busy to miss Him if He were gone?
Don’t misunderstand His chastening. Jesus chastens those He loves.
Repent and believe, with zeal, red hot passion. The Laodiceans were passionless. Value what He values, change your direction.

He not only gives them a prescription, He encourages them (v. 20) to open the door and He will dine with them. The eternal Son of God will dine with them. He is both the eternal Son of God, and meek and humble at the same time.

He knocks to gain access to His own people, this is one of His churches. (these aren’t unbelievers, this is not new communion, this is renewed communion that He seeks). They are so lethargic that they don’t even hear Him.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is never preached without a call of the Gospel, repent and turn away from your sins.

Christ stands outside of His own church, excommunicated not by a vote but by neglect.
Yet He still pleads with them, if anyone, ANY ONE, opens the door I will come in and dine with Him. Any individual.

Toledo Reformed Theological Conference

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Don Kistler
1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5

Throughout Paul’s ministry to reminds us that the Gospel is what is important, the power is in the message, not the messenger.
Paul told Timothy the method and the message were fixed. The method is to preach, the message is the Word.
His calling was to preach, to declare the whole counsel of God. My job is to make my people prepared so that when they go out, they might fight their own battles.
Paul never sought to be balanced, he was pretty one tracked. Not big into signs, not really wise, just Christ crucified.
He didn’t want to know anything put Christ crucified.
Where are the pulpits where Christ crucified is the central theme (try Pellston, MI)
The Old Testament leads up to Christ, the New Testament ordinances are celebrations of Him.
The first thing people want to do when they get saved is study eschatology, and they don’t even understand Christology!
The Bible is not a self-help book primarily. There is much that is helpful, but it is primarily about Christ.
We cannot know God without knowing Christ.
If we take the time to slow down and look at the Bible, it will boggle the mind.
What does knowing Christ make us to be?
It makes us crucified to the world
Knowing Him as High Priest
It brings us humility

To know this requires knowing Christ as the second person of the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the work of Christ as a mediator, justification by faith alone, etc.
The person and work of Christ, that should be the focus of our ministry

What Christians around the country are woefully ignorant of: What is God like, and who is Christ and what has He done

What is wrong with being an educated, wise appearing preacher? People are sheep and we have as big a rock star mentality as the rest of the world. If one man can convince you by his gifts of his argument, then someone else can come around who is more persuasive can convince them of something just the opposite.

How ironic that the Living Gospel is the testimony of a dead Redeemer.

When we become passionate about Christ, we will become dispassionate about other things.

Toledo Reformed Theological Conference

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Tom Ascol
Jesus, our High Priest
Hebrews 4:14-16
There is one mediator between man and God, you can’t go to God without Jesus Christ. All this God talk is gibberish. If you don’t have Jesus Christ, all this talk about how religious you are, how spiritual you are.
What does a mediator do? Brings together parties that have been estranged, and seeks an acceptable resolution.
By our nature we come into the world as God’s enemy.
What does Jesus do for His people? He does the work of prophet, priest and king.
In the Old Testament we see men appointed to act in these roles, but they were but types and shadows of the Christ to come.
The truths about Jesus our High Priest

Hebrews written to Jews who had come to Christ. They knew the rituals and rites of Judaism that seem so foreign to us, ceremonies setting the stage over centuries to prepare the way of Christ.
Heb 5:1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
Heb 5:2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.
Heb 5:3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.
He ordained that there would be human priests to carry out his sacrificial system. But the Old Testament priestly system was inadequate, it could not do what only Christ could do. The one offering the sacrifices was a sinner himself and needed to atone for his own sin.

Jesus is an exalted High Priest (v. 14)
Jesus as the great High Priest has gained access not to a physical holy of holies, but of the heavenly holy of holies, the real presence of God, gaining entrance by His own blood. (Heb 6:19-20, 9:24)
Those who are in Christ have Him as High Priest, because it was not the blood of bulls and goats that He shed, it was His own perfect blood.
The temple veil was torn in two, from top to bottom.
He must be both God and man, He must be human (Heb 2:17). Someone from among us to represent us, but what He accomplished was more than what any mere man could accomplish, even a perfect man could not do it, only a man who was also deity, who was also God.
Something infinite became finite
Every high priest in the Old Testament era died, but our High Priest, having tasted death has conquered death once and for all.
Jesus is a sympathetic High Priest (v. 15)
We don’t have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with us
i. To suffer for us, but also to suffer with us.
ii. As a real man, He felt the full weight of human temptation
iii. He triumphed over every temptation of life, greater temptation that we could ever experience. How could He without a sinful nature truly understand temptation. Because He never gave in, only He understand how tempting sin is.
Because He resisted all, He is able to provide help in our times of need.

- Let therefore hold fast
- Let us come boldly
- Not irreverently, flippantly.
- Because He has experienced everything we have, His is not a throne of judgment, it is a throne of grace. We can cast ourselves on His mercy.

Toledo Reformed Theological Conference

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General Session

Friday Evening

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Steven Lawson had perhaps the best talk of the evening, quite a rousing sermon on the first 6 verses of John 10 (with the rest to follow) Pastor Lawson preached a rock solid, Gospel focused, no holds barred, unapologetically Calvinist sermon. Good stuff, and you can believe that when I finish the life of Abraham in Genesis and start preaching through the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John, when I hit chapter 10 I am going to borrow liberally from Pastor Lawson's materials! If you buy any CDs from the Toledo Reformed Theological Conference, this is the one to get!

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Steve Lawson
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep (part 1)

His golfing is like his preaching, it is long, to the right and usually gets him in trouble.
(He sounds kind of like President Bush the Senior)

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John 10:1-6
Jesus reveals Himself as the Good Shepherd of our souls. He guides and guards us. Feed us and leads us, even lays down His life for us. Examples of the shepherd image in the Old Testament...

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd
Psalm 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
Psa 100:3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Isa 40:11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Jer 31:10 "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.'
Mic 5:4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.
Mic 7:14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.
Eze 34:11-12 11 "For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness

Nine key features

1. Note the false shepherds (v. 1). He begins by identifying the Pharisees to themselves, God’s indictment. The do not come the lawful way, they come to steal and slaughter. All you corrupt the Gospel of Jesus Christ are thieves and robbers, the children and grandchildren of these robbers. It will be this way until the end of the age.

2. The sheepfold. There are two sheepfolds. The first one is the community sheepfold in town, with many different flocks of sheep. The second in verse 7 and on, it is out of town, the countryside sheepfold. The community sheepfold here is Judaism. (Thieves and robbers can’t break into heaven, and it isn’t the church because the shepherd lead them out of the sheepfold.) The sheepfold represents all dead religion. All true sheep must be and will not be left in this sheepfold.

3. The true shepherd (v. 2) Contrasted with the false shepherd. The true shepherd comes in a different fashion, he comes in the door, legally and in the right fashion. He is the true owner of the sheep, His sheep are His possession because the Father gave them to Him. He lays down His life for them.

4. Note the door. He, singular, who enters by the door is the true shepherd; those who do not are false, plural false shepherds. There are many false shepherds, but only one true shepherd. The others are breaking in, self-appointed saviors of the sheep.

5. The sheep. Verses 2-4, sheep mentioned four times. Who are these sheep? The ones within Israel who hear the shepherds voice, called by name, led out by the shepherd and follow the shepherd wherever He leads them, they are His own sheep. Those given to Him by the Father from all eternity, the elect sheep, the chosen sheep, chosen before time began. They, we, are His inheritance from the Father. But not everyone in Israel is one of His sheep. There are elect sheep among Israel but also from among the nations. See John 6:37. They were given long before the sheep heard His voice. It is not necessarily a compliment to us to be called sheep: wayward, easily led astray, defenseless. Isa 53:6. (Not everyone is a sheep and not every who claims to be a shepherd is a herald of the true Shepherd)

6. The doorkeeper. Verse 3. To Jesus, the doorkeeper opens the door. Who is the doorkeeper? Two possible answers. It could be God the Father or the Holy Spirit, who vouches for the genuineness of the Shepherd to the sheep. Or it could be John the Baptist, the one who was the voice crying in the wilderness. The latter is preferred by Steven Lawson.

7. The shepherds voice (v. 3). Why do the sheep follow Him? They hear His voice and know His voice. The sheepfold is full of sheep, from all manner of flocks, led by all sorts of shepherds. In the morning comes the one true Shepherd, presents Himself to the doorkeeper and the doorkeeper recognizes Him and gives Him access. He calls them by name, individually, one at a time. When He calls them, they hear Him and the others who aren’t called don’t hear Him and ignore Him and go about their business. But those who hear their name called, while the others keep grazing, oblivious, they hear His voice and lift their heads and follow. The effectual call of the Shepherd for His sheep, called by name by His voice. It is a vast flock, a huge number, but it is a finite number. 2 Peter 1:9 . Every use of the Word call in the epistles refers to the effectual call to the sheep to the Shepherd. He called us, what did we provide? We provided the sin.

8. The shepherds leading. Leads them besides still waters, in the green pasture, He leads them out. He doesn’t leave them in dead religion. He leads them out to a place where they may be fed and nurtured. He leads us by His Word, His voice.

9. The strangers voice. As they are led out of town by the shepherd, many other voices will call out to the sheep, trying to seduce them to go back to the other sheep (v. 5) A stranger they will not follow. They will flee from them, from every other perverting shepherd because they do not know their voices. The voice of Tillich, Bultmann, the voice of the Pope, the voice of Brigham Young, the voice of Muhammad are the voices of strangers and His sheep will not follow. Why does God allow false prophets? To pull the tares out of the sheep, to purify the church, to draw away those who are not His sheep away from those who are. Pink said that the man of the world can listen to preachers, one preaching truth and one falsehood, and he cannot tell. But the child of God can will immediately recognize the falsehood of vile teachers. Hearing the voice is not the same as making an emotional decision, joining a church, hearing an audible voice. You hear that you are a great sinner and Christ is a great savior. (Again, a Baptist preacher declaring the Gospel, not assuming we are saved!) Go to the Shepherd and there you will find life and life abundantly.

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Toledo Reformed Theological Conference

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General Conference
Friday Evening
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Philip DeCourcey
Our loss for His gain

(i wasn't sure what to expect from Pastor DeCourcey, I figured he was filling in because they couldn't line somebody else up, but he was pretty good. Kind of repetitive in places, and gesticulated a bit too much, plus he sounds like Groundskeeper Willie from the Simpsons so it was hard to understand him at times, but all and all pretty good! Ye moost have feeeth!)

"Treat your guns like you would an Irishman, always assume they are loaded!"

Philippians 3: 1-11

The church, and not only the world, need to grow in appreciation of Jesus Christ. Pray to know the One he knows. Rejoice, indeed boast in Christ Jesus.

If Christ is everything, then everything for Christ.

We will not purse Him passionately if we don’t prize Him passionately

I lost nothing, I gained everything.

- Paul’s evaluation
Salvation is an exchange, profit into loss and loss into profit

In developing a passion for Christ we will expose anything in our life that takes the shine off the glory of our Savior.
Christ is not comparative, Christ is superlative.

- Paul’s devaluation
Paul is appraising his life afresh
Paul liquidated any value he placed on himself
Anything that hinders progression must be discarded
Christ is the treasure and anything that hindered appreciating Him was trash to be tossed aside

He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep for that which he cannot lose

- Paul’s reevaluation
Paul knew what he wanted and was willing to pay any price for it
On that day of final judgment he wanted to be found cloaked in the righteousness of Christ. Paul revels in what he has in the Lord Jesus Christ. Being found in Him on that day.

Building a passion for Christ begins in justification, and everything else builds on that. I can be no more saved or no more loved at any point than I was at the time I was saved.

Christ is what counts tomorrow, but He is also what counts today.
To know Him, that is what really counts today. Do we really know the value of His imputed righteousness? We ought to develop that relationship? Paul knew Christ but he wanted to know Him better. He was not just a series of theological propositions. Studying the Bible is not an end to itself. We study the written Word so that we may have a conversation with the Living Word. Knowledge of the text does not replace knowledge of Him (but how are we to know Him without knowing His Word?) Multiple comments on how Christ was more that a series of theological propositions, not sure if that was a shot at the crowd or what...
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(man, during the last break Camp was putting a hurtin’ on the snack tables!)

Toledo Reformed Theological Conference

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General Session Friday

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Tom Ascol
The Cross Our Only Boast
Galatians 6:11-18

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Addressing the problem of false teachers. Trusting Jesus was not enough, they must also keep the Old Testament ceremonies.
Faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone+NOTHING
(Dr. Ascol starts off right away by addressing unbelievers in the audience, which is great. It is easy to assume that those at a conference like this would all be saved, but you can never assume that and never should stand in the pulpit without calling sinners to repentance)
We are all born legalists and have that tendency always within us.
Gal 3:2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
Is grace but the threshold into right relationship with God, faith gets you in but works get you on? That thought keeps us from treasuring Jesus Christ.
For a Christian the cross of Jesus Christ is everything.

There are some things that we love to talk about. There is something everyone glories in, that we can talk quickly and joyfully about. But what do we take the greatest joy in, boast the most about? For the Judaizers it was performance.
The Judaizers added to the Gospel by requiring new Gentile believers to be circumcised, so that “they may boast in your flesh.” (v. 13). Their boast was in their performance not in the cross of Christ.

But not even those who are circumcised keep the Law.

Their keeping of certain ceremonies meant nothing
Gal 6:15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
Keeping circumcision means nothing, not being circumcised means nothing.

It would be a mistake to assume that because we are here at a Reformed Christian conference, that we are freed from legalism or that we are freed from sin. (Tom is presenting the Gospel again. That is the sign of a true soul winner, a true evangelist!)

To any degree that we allow our performance to be part of the foundation that God finds us forgiven, we are not valuing Jesus Christ and His cross.
We you are having a good day, you will feel good about yourself, and the opposite when you don’t do devotions or witnessing. The basis cannot be in our performance.

Legalists boast in their performance, Christians boast in the cross of Christ.
Christ’s cross work saves us. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. If you sin, someone has to die.

Behold the Lam of God! Here He is, the perfect sacrifice!

How does the cross save a sinner?
By Christ dying in the place of sinners. He loved me and gave Himself for me, and His death has completely paid my sins.

Read Pilgrim’s Progress. You might be able to get into heaven without reading it by why take any chances?!

We should glory in, rejoice in, boast in the cross for what it has done for us but also for what it has done to us.
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Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Three crucifixions in verse 14
- The cross of the Jesus Christ
- The world’s cross
- The Christians cross

( I suddenly feel woefully inadequate in my preaching…thanks Tom)

The cross of Jesus Christ changes how you view yourself and what is important and valuable to you. The world is crucified to us. We are crucified to the world.

Not just the justification but the sanctification

Richard Baxter: When your flesh would have it’s pleasure, remember Him who’s flesh had no pleasure…

Everything good thing that has come to us was bought for us on the cross of Jesus Christ

Toledo Reformed Theological Conference

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Preconference Afternoon Session

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Steve Camp
A Passion for the Gospel

The Gospel is not an offer, the Gospel is a command.
Deny oneself and take up the cross of Jesus Christ
God is not an impotent spectator in the glory of salvation

The Heart of the Gospel
Romans 3:21-26

Reconciliation

Through the law comes the recognition of sin. It is an injustice to divorce the law from the Gospel. Under the law we stand condemned. But under the righteousness of Christ we receive forgiveness of sins in the redeeming of Christ on the cross.

The punishes and is the justifier
This passage contains all five solas of the Reformation

- Sola Scripture
The cross declares the Word of God (v. 21)
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—

The Old Testament is not an inferior revelation
He took the wrath of the law for us. That is the good news of the Gospel.

- Sola Fide
The cross defines salvation as the work of God (v. 22)
Rom 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:

Two types of religion, human achievement and divine achievement. Every other religion are based on a system of works righteousness. It is hard to give up boasting in the flesh.

The work of God in man, not the work of man before God.
Salvation defines faith, salvation is defined by faith

- Soli Deo Gloria
The cross demands the justice of God
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
No matter what we do, our righteousness is as filthy rags before God.
We love our sin, and hate to leave it behind. It is heart rending to part with our sins, like a divorce.

- Sola Gratia
The cross distinguishes the grace of God
Rom 3:24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Salvation is an unearned blessing, flying in the face of Roman merit. Justified= declared righteous. It is a matter of imputation, our sin imputed to Christ and His righteousness imputed to us. He was treated as if He lived our life and we are treated as if we lived His.
The good news is not a system it is a Savior.

Solus Christus
The cross displays the satisfaction of God
Rom 3:25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
The merits of the cross reach backward as well as forward.
Sins do not go unpunished.
Propitiation: To avert wrath, to avert anger.
God doesn’t love the sinner and hate the sin. God hates the sin and the sinner.
We can’t just say God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,
The Gospel doesn’t begin with the love of God, it begins with God Himself, a holy and just God.
God didn’t turn His back on Christ because He couldn’t look on sin. Christ was forsaken, but God didn’t turn His back because He couldn’t look on sin, on the cross Jesus was face to face on our behalf as a propitiatory sacrifice on our behalf.

The cross demonstrates the Righteousness of God
Christ as the spotless lamb was sacrificed for us. He went as High Priest on our behalf into the Holy of Holies on the cross. When the sun went dark, the wrath of God poured out on Christ for all the sins that would ever be committed by all who would ever believe.
“Vicarious penal substitutionary atonement”
My God, My God why have You forsaken Me
He didn’t turn away because He couldn’t face sin, He looked on Christ and saw every sin, and Christ drank the cup and God was satisfied.
When He declared “It is finished” He satisfied the Law.
The emphasis is not will a sinful man come to God, but will God come to a sinful man, and the answer is in the cross.
The Gospel is not an offer it is a sovereign command

The Cross delights the person of God
Rom 3:26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Why? Because He enjoys all the glory.
He is enough, complete in Christ

Toledo Reformed Theological Conference
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Preconference Afternoon Session
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Don Kistler
A Passion for Obedience
Titus 2: 11-15

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Christ came to do the will of the Father. Compliance removes the charge of force. He agreed to be crucified to make propitiation for the sins of His people. He knew full well what awaited Him, nothing in His earthly ministry was a surprise to Him, and still He said “yes”.

Infinite suffering in a finite amount of time.

You do not believe because you are not of My sheep.
We obey His voice in His Word, and if we are His sheep we obey Him. (John 10)
When our hard hearts are softened, we hear His voice and do what He says for no other reason other than He said so.

We gather together if we are His sheep because He says to. Anyone who regularly forsakes sitting under the ministry of His Word casts doubt on that persons claims to be a Christian. If they do not hear His voice with regularity, they will forget what His voice sounds like and follow other voices.

If we keep His commandments. If we are not keeping His commandments we cannot know that we are following Him, and then casts doubt on whether we are His sheep at all.

Titus 2:11
God gave Christ and Christ gave Himself. He is both the giver and the gift. Gave Himself to God and for us.

Justification
There are only two things we need to be saved from:
- Sin. His name is Jesus because He came to save His people from their sins.
- The wrath to come. If we deal with 1, we don’t have to deal with 2.

Sanctification (v. 14)
He is purifying us for Himself.
He didn’t purify us so He can redeem us, that is Roman Catholicism.
He redeemed us so that He could purify us.
He gave Himself for us so He could redeem us, so that He could purify us for Himself, so that we would be zealous for Him.

Three damnable heresies
1. We must add our faith to be saved. Faith is not a meritorious work. We are not saved by faith, we are saved by Him. Our sin is removed, His righteousness is added.
Hell without God would be heaven to a sinner.
2. Repentance is a work, and therefore repentance is not necessary for salvation. We must obey, but our obedience has no merit.
3. We don’t have to do good works. A faith without good works is dead.

We are saved from something to something else, from sin to good works. No one saved from this without that.

Toledo Reformed Theological Conference

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Preconference

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Another great talk, by the perennial Steve Camp. Steve has a unique passion that is infectious. Saw Tom Ascol from Founders this morning as well, he looks taller on the internet!

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Steven J. Camp
A Passion for Prayer

-.Colossians 1: 9-14

Six elements
1. The fervent in prayer (v. 9a)
a. Ephesians 1:16
b. Pray on no matter what, even when you think your prayers have gone unanswered.
c. We pray with contrition, with a broken and contrite heart. A broken heart before God is never unfruitful.
d. God still speaks today, though His Spirit, by His Word.
e. Does God hear the prayers of everyone? Job 27:8-10, Proverbs 15:20, John 9:31
2. Filled with His Word, filled with the knowledge of His Will (v. 9b)
a. Col 2:3, Col 3:10, Col 4:12
b. Prayer is one of the great pastoral callings and labors.
c. For the Christian, the Scripture provides absolutes
d. Satan doesn’t want to attack the church, he wants to join it. Filling it with error.
i. Knowing God’s will
1. Spirit filled Eph 5:17-18
2. Sanctification 1 Thess 4:3
3. Submissive 1 Pet 13, 15
4. Suffering 1 Pet 4:19
5. Sacrifices, Living Romans 12:1-2
6. Shepherd God’s People 1 Pet 5:2-3
7. Steadfast in faith Heb 10:35-36
8. Sovereignly Content 1 Thess 5:16-17
9. Supplication 1 Thess 5:17
10. Saying Thanks 1 Thess 5:18
3. Faithful to walk worthy (v. 10a)
a. NOT legalism
b. Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord
c. Not being judgmental on superficial issues, but holding ourselves to the standards of Christ.
d. Fruit-bearing in every good work (v10b), fruitlessness is not an option, not a works righteousness, but true fruit of regeneration
e. Fully increasing in the knowledge of God (v10b)
i. No one lives greater than his view of god
f. Fortified for joyous long-suffering (v. 11)
g. Forever thankful to God (v12a)
i. Psalm 34
4. Fit for the inheritance
a. Spurgeon, if you knew how depraved I am , you wouldn’t compliment me so.
b. We are great sinners, but He is a greater Savior! I love Him much because He has forgiven much.
c. An imperishable inheritance
5. Freedom from Sin (Camp is going overtime as usual!)
6. Forgiveness of sin

The office of pastor is open only to a few, but the prayer closet is open to everyone.

Toledo Reformed Theological Conference

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Preconference

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Excellent talk from Don Kistler, an excellent speaker, not flashy, with a dry sense of humor that I appreciate. Some thoughts from this morning below...

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You know you are at a Reformed Theology Conference….

When you see an attractive young woman with a T-shirt that says: “Calvinism. This T-shirt chooses me.”

Good times!

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What are you passionate about? Is our passion properly focused on the One who is worthy of our passion, our desire?

Passion is not feelings. Passion is stronger, less fleeting.
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Don Kistler
Pre-conference
A Passion for Christ

- 1 Peter 1:22-2:8

True Christian strives but do not succeed to have God’s esteem for Christ and Christ’s desire to honor the Father. The character, the goal of a Christian.

God is passionate about His Son Jesus Christ.

To you who believe He is precious (He is an honor)
If He is not precious to you, you are not a Christian.
1Pe 2:8 and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

The Bible never offers Christ to sinners as Savior and Lord. He must be Lord to be Savior. He is always referred to as Lord and Savior.

Christ is precious because He is precious to God.

Sanctification
Justification
Glorification

There are a lot of people that are passionate about a Christ that doesn’t exist!
He must be the revealed Son of God that we are passionate about.
You cannot have a Christ of your imagination, of your choosing. You cannot have half a Christ.
He saves His people from their sins, not in their sins.
False religions are passionate about the false gods, and are often more passionate about their false gods than many Christians are about the real God.
“if you have the true religion why have you never been to my door?”

We have to take all of Christ or we can have none of Christ.
If Christ is precious His Word is precious
If Chris is precious His church is precious
If Christ is precious His ordinances are precious.
His law is as precious as His grace (Amen!)

If He is precious, we want to know Him more so we may esteem Him more

We show that Christ is precious to us by hating anything that is displeasing to Him.

That is the question: Is Christ precious to you?