Pastor Barry Clair’s Blog

Books On The Spiritual Disciplines

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 07:53:06 -0600

We have started a midweek series called The Spiritual Disciplines. This is admittedly not a sensational topic, but it is a pathway that every Christian must learn to follow. I have found the following books to be of great value in my study of the Disciplines. The first two are classics and I must admit a bit heady. They are Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster and The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard. The last two are for those who enjoy getting heavy in a lite way. They are The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg and Your God Is Too Safe by Mark Buchanan.

The Object of Gratitude

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:50:46 -0600

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It was a day filled with thankfulness. I have been challenged recently to to acquire a disposition of gratitude. Last Sunday, I preached a message in a series called Ordinary To Extraordinary called “The Top 10%” in which I talked about gratitude. Only one of the ten lepers Jesus cleansed returned thanks. I’ve been asking myself the question, am I in the top 10%?

But with all the recent talk about being thankful, something has occurred to me. As Christians, it is important that we are grateful, but more important that we remind ourselves of the object of our thankfulness. We love to talk about the subject of our gratitude (our job, our parents, our home), but we mustn't forget the object of our gratitude (God).

Chesterton said, “Rossetti makes the remark somewhere, bitterly but with great truth, that the worst moment for the atheist is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank” (St. Francis of Assisi, p. 88). The pluralistic voice of our culture would say, “It really doesn't matter to whom or what you offer your thankfulness. ...The important matter is that you express Gratitude for the things and emotions that come into your life” (http://www.thankyou-Universe.com/gratitude.html). Let me challenge every follower of Christ, it does make a difference who you thank. In writing, if you cite the wrong source, it falls into the category of plagiarism and is a sign of sloppy scholarship. Don’t make the mistake of our age, don’t thank the universe for what comes from God. Even the ancient Greek poets quoted by Paul understand that, “...in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 NIV).

How about you? What is the subject and object of your gratitude this Thanksgiving season?

Francis Chan Video On Hell

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 08:22:13 -0500

In this video, that is actually a promo for his new book Erasing Hell, Francis Chan gives a great ten minute apologetic for the reality of hell (if you can’t see the video click here). In the video he challenges what I consider to be the biggest objection to the doctrine of hell. That being, allowing human rationale to bring questions against what God has revealed about Himself. He says, “Do you ever even consider the possibility that maybe the creator’s sense of justice is actually more developed than yours’?...when we make statements like, ‘well, God wouldn’t do this, would he?’...at that moment you’re are actually putting God’s actions in submission to your reasoning.”

The video is well worth the ten minute investment. What do you think?

Trustworthy Books On Hell

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:46:45 -0500

One of the primary reasons I’m currently preaching the series HELL: so what’s the big deal? is that there has been a recent debate over the issue of the reality of hell, or what R.C. Sproul calls the, “modern reconstruction of the orthodox doctrine of hell.” My daughter, a graduate of a Christian university, called me concerned because several of her friends had read a book by a well-know pastor who is challenging long-held vintage beliefs about the final state of man. In short, there are all kinds of false teaching spreading across the landscape of Christian culture.
I have always been aware that one of my primary responsibilities as a spiritual shepherd is to protect those who have been entrusted to my care against the evil spirit of the age. Paul prophetically warns that, “...the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3 NIV). So, for those for whom God will hold me accountable, and those who are simply curious, here are some noteworthy quotes from a few sources that I believe are reliable and Biblically trustworthy on this subject of eternal consequences.
The first, is a book called One Minute After You Die by Erwin W. Lutzer. Here are some good quotes:
“Admittedly, hell is an unpleasant topic. Unbelievers disbelieve in it; most Christians ignore it. Even the staunchly biblical diehards are often silent out of embarrassment. Hell, more than any doctrine of the Bible, seems to be out of step with our times” (Page 101, Location 1550-53).
“In hades, an alcoholic will thirst for a drop of liquor, but none will be given to him. The drug addict will crave a shot of heroin, but will not receive it. The immoral man will burn with sexual desire, but never be satisfied” (Page 37, Location 514-16).
“We all agree that heaven is a comforting doctrine. What is often overlooked is that hell is comforting too. Our newspapers are filled with stories of rape, child abuse, and a myriad of injustices. Every court case ever tried on earth will be reopened; every action and motive will be meticulously inspected and just retribution meted out. In the presence of an all-knowing God there will be no unsolved murders, no unknown child abductor, and no hidden bribe” (Page 111, Location 1697-1700).
“Hell, then, is the raw soul joined to an indestructible body, exposed to its own sin for eternity. Hell is the place of unquenchable, raging guilt, without painkillers or sedation. Literal fire might be welcomed if only it would cleanse the tormented conscience” (Page 117, Location 1794-96).
The book Erasing Hell by Francis Chan & Preston Sprinkle is another good and new source. Some quotes include:
“If I say there is no hell, and it turns out that there is a hell, I may lead people into the very place I convinced them did not exist! If I say there is a hell, and I’m wrong, I may persuade people to spend their lives frantically warning loved ones about a terrifying place that isn’t real!” (Page 14, Location 139-41).
“The fact is, Scripture is filled with divine actions that don’t fit our human standards of logic or morality. But they don’t need to, because we are the clay and He is the Potter. We need to stop trying to domesticate God or confine Him to tidy categories and compartments that reflect our human sentiments rather than His inexplicable ways” (Page 135, Location 1666-69).
“No one wants to ditch God’s plan of redemption, even though it doesn’t make sense to us. Neither should we erase God’s revealed plan of punishment because it doesn’t sit well with us” (Page 136, Location 1678-80).

Hell: so what’s the big deal?

Tue, 9 Aug 2011 16:51:52 -0500

This last Sunday, I began a series of messages on a subject I have never preached. I have referred to it from time to time, but in 29 years of full-time ministry I’ve never taught on hell. With the recent controversy concerning this lively topic, I thought it was time to visit the subject at length. So for the last month or so, I have completely immersed myself in hell (sounds scary doesn’t it?). As in all my series, the challenge isn’t what to put in, it is what to leave out. So, I’m going to use my blog to supplement the Sunday and Wednesday teaching.
The series is called HELL: so what’s the big deal? (you can listen to the first sermon by clicking here). I’m going to begin by recommending some resources that were helpful to me in sermon research and preparation.
On Sunday, we (Pastor Jeff and myself) talked about the erroneous belief that eventually all will be saved (universalism). Here are some quotes from Introducing Christian Doctrine (2nd Edition) by Millard J. Erickson that refute this dangerous teaching.
“...we must note that Scripture nowhere gives indication of a second chance. Surely, if there is to be an opportunity for belief after the judgment, it would be clearly set forth in God’s Word. What we find instead are definite statements to the contrary” (p. 412).
“...the mercy which God has shown is his providing his Son as an atonement and extending the offer of salvation to all. God’s mercy is shown to all humans, but only those who accept it will experience and profit from it. Thus, although salvation is universally available, it is not universal” (p. 412).
When dealing with the subject of annihalationism, the belief that the unbeliever will simply cease to exist, the book Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem & Jeff Purswell was helpful.
“...it must be said that the passages which speak of destruction (such as Phil. 3:1; 1 Thess. 5:3; 2 Thess. 1:9; 2 Peter 3:7) do not necessarily imply the cessation of existence, for in these passages the terms used for “destruction” do not necessarily imply a ceasing to exist or some kind of annihilation, but can simply be ways of referring to the harmful and destructive effects of final judgment on unbelievers” (p. 460).
“Though annihilationism can be countered by theological arguments, it is ultimately the clarity and forcefulness of the [volume of Scripture] passages themselves that convince us that annihilationism is incorrect and that Scripture does indeed teach the eternal conscious punishment of the wicked” (p. 461).
When dealing with the topic of eternal punishment, it is important to remember that God is a just judge. Psalms 96:10 says that He will judge the people with equity. In Genesis 18:25, Abraham asserts that the judge of all the earth will do right. We cannot second guess God with our own faulty rationale. He is God, we are not! It’s just too big a job for us.