Josh Benner

Author: the Josh Benner Blog

  • The positive, encouraging message isn’t always the message we need

    The positive, encouraging message isn’t always the message we need

    It’s interesting to me to consider the popular Christian music. It’s almost always easy listening.

    I was looking at some of the slogans for popular Christian radio stations.

    Perhaps the biggest in America, K-Love, which plays on 440 stations “positive – encouraging.”

    The River, which was the Christian radio station in Columbus, “uplifting and encouraging.”

    Smile FM, which is a popular station in Michigan says “positive hits.”

    Air1 which plays on 123 stations in 43 states: “positive hits.”

    Joy FM which is in Florida “helping you find joy.”

    Way FM “uplifting, upbeat, real.”
    There’s no Christian radio stations that advertise as being “convicting and sanctifying.” None advertise as being “sackcloth and ashes.”

    Now there’s nothing wrong with being positive, there’s nothing wrong with being encouraged.

    But is that the way Christians are always supposed to feel? Our society likes the easy listening message. The American church likes the positive and encouraging message.
    But we come to the second of the Beatitudes, in the Sermon on the Mount, and it’s: “blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

    Life verses

    I think of popular life verses people pick. Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

    Or Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.”

    Proverbs 3:5-6 says:
    Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
        and do not lean on your own understanding.
    6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
        and he will make straight your paths.

    Positive, encouraging verses.

    There are churches where there’s almost this pressure on people to always be smiling, happy, positive.

    Because we like a positive, encouraging culture. But what about when you’re not doing well?

    Is a church to be another place where a person has to put up a front? Or is it a place where people can be honest?

    Now I’m not saying we should be unkind or rude to one another. But sometimes people are hurting. And there’s no virtue in white-knuckling it when you’re struggling.

    Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
    Church is not a place that’s primary mission is positivity and encouragement.
    It’s preaching Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).

    And in studying God’s word, the primary goal should not always be the easy listening, K-love, positive and encouraging message.

    Because blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

    The first of the Beatitudes is “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

    And that is for the person who realizes that they are nothing and have nothing to offer God, to warrant favor, to merit grace, to earn heaven. And the blessedness is realizing that the grace of God is your only hope.

    The second of the beatitudes flows from the idea of the first. For a person who realizes how small they are before God and their utter need and dependence on God, that in seeing sin, there is blessedness in that.

    In the first case, you realize that God is your only hope.

    In the second, it’s having a greater sense of the state from which God redeemed you.

    Blessed are those who mourn.

    That word. “Blessed.” It’s one of those theologized and churchy words. Another way to translate it would be fortunate are those who mourn” or “happy are those who mourn.”

    And abundant, supernatural heavenly blessing for those who mourn.

    Part of what the beatitudes are doing is showing us that the values of heaven are not the same as the values of this world. In fact, it’s a set of values that are utterly incoherent to our world.

    Perhaps none of them more starkly displays the difference in the values of heaven and earth than the second of the beatitudes. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

    That’s not the K-love message. That’s not the positive and encouraging message.

    And that’s ok.

    In fact, I hope you don’t always leave encouraged.

    That’s not saying I want you to be discouraged. That’s not to say I want you feeling hopeless. That even when a text hits us hard, that we might rejoice all the more because of the hope that we do have in Christ.

    But in studying the Bible, I hope there are times when the weight of God’s word eviscerates you.

    There should be times where you’re convicted because of it. Times where you reexamine your life, your heart, your decisions, your motivations because of it.

    There should be messages that ring in your heart long after the benediction.

    But again, not to be left in total despair, but to be worshipful and rejoicing in the tremendous grace that Jesus gives.

    And that might not always be cheery and positive. Because we’re sinful people. And for a thoughtful Christian, sometimes we get hit by stark realities about ourselves and our hearts as we study his word.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Originally published March 6, 2019

  • Sermon: Christ and the Kingdom of God, Part 1

    Sermon: Christ and the Kingdom of God, Part 1

    Throughout the Bible, there is a developing theme of kingship. We see God as the sovereign over all creation in Genesis 1. We see Adam and Eve as his vice-regents who lose the kingdom with which God has entrusted them in Genesis 3. And throughout the Bible, there is a return to the kingdom and the promise for a coming king who will one day establish a throne with justice and righteousness.

    Sermon transcript

    kingdom-theme-1Download

  • New life in Jesus – Studying John 3:4-6

    New life in Jesus – Studying John 3:4-6

    In John 3, Jesus is approached under the cover of night by a leader among the Jews, a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Just as a reminder, the Pharisees were people who were highly respected within the Jewish community.  Nicodemus would have been a man of stature in his community.

    The Pharisees were devout in their lifestyle, their love for the word of God, their study of God’s word. For a man like Nicodemus, he would have had the first five books of the Bible memorized. He was an expert in the law of God.

    He would have always been at church, always at Sunday school, always at the Sunday night study, always at the potluck. A stand up guy. 

    And he comes to Jesus and says to him “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God” (John 3:1) and as Nicodemus talks to Jesus, he talks about the signs Jesus has done. Nicodemus says in verse 2: “no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 

    With a guy like Nicodemus, it would be easy to never question his salvation. Clearly he was walking with God. 

    Nicodemus receives Jesus command to be born again with confusion. Again, Nicodemus is a teacher. He knows God’s word. He’s very moral. And Jesus stops him dead in his tracks: Unless one is born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

    John 3:4:

    Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

    Nicodemus is either totally dumbfounded by what Jesus says or he’s giving a bit of a sarcastic response, but he responds to Jesus referring only to the physical process of birth. 

    Verse 5-6:

    5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

    Again, we’ll talk about this more next week, but regeneration, being born again is a work of the Holy Spirit and Jesus touches upon that in these verses. 

    It is a Spiritual rebirth. And it’s because regeneration is spiritual that it necessitates a life that is changed and transformed by the gospel. Because it’s not us who change ourselves. It’s the Spirit in us. 

    The gospel is meant to change your life. 

    We just assume that a person who goes to church is a Chrisitan. You’re not if you haven’t been born again. Not if you haven’t truly turned from sin and turned to Jesus. 

    So I ask again: what do you actually believe? Have you trusted in Jesus as your Lord and savior? Have you confessed him to be the Lord? Have you turned away from sin? He didn’t die to keep us the same. Not when we’re given the Holy Spirit. We’re born again. We are a new creation. And that means a changed life. Has your life changed because of Jesus? 

    Be honest. 

    Has it really? 

    Or are you going through the motions? Saying the right things because you need to toe the company line but without really believing what you’re saying? 

    He makes us new. 

    The Bible says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

    It’s not just about saying “well I don’t want to go to hell. Sure I’m a Christian.” It’s having an actual faith that Jesus is the way. That Jesus is your savior. It’s not about believing that you’re basically the key to your own salvation but Jesus is some formality. 

    It’s that there is no other way apart from Christ and falling at his feet in thankfulness for his mercy. 

    Have you surrendered your life to Christ? If he’s not your Lord is he really your savior? Is Jesus the Lord of your life? 

    Philippians 2:12 says to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. And that puts our focus on the cross, and what Jesus has done for us. Do you believe that you’re a sinner? It’s hard to accept Christ as your savior if you don’t believe you’re a sinner. It’s hard to trust in Jesus as your savior if you don’t believe you have anything to be saved from. 

    Too often in our culture, we like to emphasize the love of God without wanting to ever even talk about the justice of God. God is love. But he is also just. And there is a price to be paid for our sins. Do you believe that? Or do you find yourself thinking that you’re actually not that bad, that your sins really aren’t such a big deal, but you believe that there is a God and say you’re a Christian but you don’t belong to Christ? 

    Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

    For a person who is walking in faith, let us thank God for the work of regeneration that he has done in your life. But for the person who knows in your heart of hearts that you don’t really believe. Stop trusting yourself and your own goodness for your salvation. 

    Have you been born again? 

    You don’t have to be a master of theology. You don’t have to figure it all out. You don’t have to have all of the answers before coming to Jesus. It’s about trusting in him. You can come to Jesus this moment. And trust in him. To say, “Lord, not my will but your will be done.”  

    The Bible says salvation is in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). 

    And it also says all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). Coming to Jesus in faith. And when we do that, the grace and forgiveness that Jesus extends is sufficient. 

    Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, please. share and subscribe!

  • You must be born again. Studying John 3:1-3

    You must be born again. Studying John 3:1-3

    Look at the picture at the top of the post. What do you see? Look at the design of this lobby. Just think to yourself for a moment if it reminds you of anything? 

    This picture is of the Liberty Hotel, a luxury hotel in the heart of Boston. 

    The cheapest rooms at this hotel can go for several hundred dollars a night. It features amenities such as concierge services, overnight shoe shines, in room safes, and free valet parking. 

    What do you see? Is there anything this reminds you of? 

    Before becoming a luxury hotel, once upon a time, the Liberty Hotel was a prison. Boston’s Charles Street Jail was built in 1851 and was an operational jail until 1990. It served as the county jail for Boston’s Suffolk County. In the nearly 140 years of operation, the jail housed civil rights leader Malcolm X, the notorious 1920s anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti as well as Frank Abagnale, whose life inspired the movie Catch Me If You Can.

    The place that once housed criminals is now a place of luxury. It’s the same structure, but internally a totally new creation. Jail cells became bedrooms. Guards replaced with bellhops. Cots replaced with comfortable beds. Prison food has been replaced with gourmet cuisine. 

    In the Gospel of John, one of the themes that we see is new creation. 

    We see creation themes in the opening prologue. I’ve written before about Jesus’ first miracle in John 2 when he turns water into wine. Also in chapter 2, we see Jesus compare himself to a temple who would be torn and raised up in three days. Jesus is the new temple.

    In John 3, Jesus talks of the new life and new birth that he offers and how a person must be born again.

    Regeneration = born again

    Good theological term to know for today’s message. Regeneration. 

    It’s the theological term used to refer to being born again. In other words: born again and regeneration are synonymous. 

    Being born again is new Spiritual life which causes a person who is dead in sin to be alive to the gospel of Jesus Christ through faith. 

    It’s a supernatural work of God. All Christians are born again because all Christians have experienced regeneration. There’s no such thing as an unregenerate Christian. That’s not a Christian! 

    An unregenerate Christian is a vegan who eats meat. In other words, it doesn’t exist. 

    John 3, verse 1 into 2:

    Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night

    So at the beginning of our passage, Jesus is approached under the cover of night by a leader among the Jews, a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Just as a reminder, the Pharisees were people who were highly respected within the Jewish community.  Nicodemus would have been a man of stature in his community.

    The Pharisees were devout in their lifestyle, their love for the word of God, their study of God’s word. For a man like Nicodemus, he would have had the first five books of the Bible memorized. He was an expert in the law of God.

    He would have always been at church, always at Sunday school, always at the Sunday night study, always at the potluck. A stand up guy. 

    And he comes to Jesus and says to him “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God” and as Nicodemus talks to Jesus, he talks about the signs Jesus has done. Nicodemus says in verse 2: “no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 

    With a guy like Nicodemus, it would be easy to never question his salvation. Clearly he was walking with God. 

    Unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God. 

    What is Christianity to you? What is the gospel to you?

    Is it that you believe in God? That isn’t being born again. Nicodemus believed in God. Is found in liking Jesus? That doesn’t make you born again either. Nicodemus saw the signs Jesus was doing. Is it in being a good person? Nicodeus was a very moral person. That isn’t being born again. 

    Jesus says: “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). 

    It’s not up for debate. Jesus said you must be born again. He doesn’t say “it’s good to be born again,” or “I really think you should be born again,” or “the best way to live life is to be born again.” 

    You must be born again. 

    And Jesus is the one who died so you could have a hope of redemption so his words on the subject are authoritative. 

    To not be born again is to be dead in sin and not raised to life in Christ. 

    In the process of being born again, you trust in Jesus as your Lord and savior and you turn from sin to Jesus. When we come to him, there is grace. There is forgiveness for our sins. 

    But here’s a point that people too often miss. It needs to be a genuine faith in what Jesus has done. And the validation of that sincerity will manifest itself in a life that is transformed by the gospel. And if there is no change in your life, if there is no fruit, if there is no greater love for God, if there’s no appreciation for the work of Christ, if there’s no recognition of the cost of sins for which Jesus went to the cross, then for the sake of your own soul, you need to question if you really believe in Jesus and if you’ve really been born again. 

    There are so many things that we like to tie to regeneration. For some, they want to look at baptism. Baptism doesn’t confer regeneration to you. Baptism doesn’t make you born again if you don’t have faith. Baptism doesn’t mean anything if you don’t ultimately believe in the triune God in whose name you were baptized. 

    Some people like to tie faith to their family. Mom and dad are Christians, or were Christians. Grandpa was a Christian. That’s how you were raised. That’s a wonderful blessing. But that doesn’t mean you’ve been born again. The faith has to be your own. 

    For others, it might be the Sinner’s Prayer. “I asked Jesus into my heart.”

    But did you believe it? Did you place your trust in him? If there’s never been any evidence in your life that Jesus is in your heart, is he really? Don’t go through life thinking “I said this prayer one time,” or “I got baptized one time,” and that that’s all that matters if you’re living a faithless life. 

    A person who’s never had faith still isn’t saved. And empty words don’t change that. And water doesn’t change that. The only thing that can change that is recognizing your inability to live up to a God who is absolutely perfect and holy. And that while you could not live up to it, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for you (Romans 5:8). 

    It’s not some inconsequential change. It is a monumental miraculous work of almighty God. 

    Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, please share and subscribe!

  • Destroy this temple, and in 3 days, I will raise it up. John 2:18-25

    Destroy this temple, and in 3 days, I will raise it up. John 2:18-25

    Summary John 2:13-25: As Jesus begins his ministry, he cleanses the temple in Jerusalem. In the first century, the temple had become a commerce center during Jewish holy days and so Jesus will drive the merchants out from the temple in verses 13-17. In verses 18-22, we see the response to Jesus

    John 2:18: So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”

    That is not an inherently absurd question. Jesus is driving people out of the temple, and so they want to know how his actions are justified. It seems like they expected some grand miracle. 

    Instead, Jesus tells them of a future sign which he will perform. 

    Verse 19:  Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 

    Jesus says that’s the sign he can do. 

    20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”

    The religious authorities look to how long it’s taken to build the temple and it therefore seems absurd that Jesus could possibly raise it in three days.

    They miss the point. 

    Rebuilding the temple

    At the time of Jesus, the temple in Jerusalem was actually still under construction. I always thought it was complete and when they talk about 46 years,  they’re referring to how long it took to complete the work. 

    Incorrect. 

    Little bit of history. 

    The Jewish people built a temple during the reign of Solomon. That’s the first temple. It was destroyed in 586 B.C. when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians. 

    About a century later, reconstruction began of the second temple. That temple was pretty modest, and it saw a major renovation which began around the year 19 B.C.

    In other words, the major renovation BEGAN about 46 years before Jesus cleanses the temple here in John 2. 

    By the time of Jesus, they’re saying that construction had been under way for 46 years. 

    Construction would not be complete until 63 A.D. which was some 35 years after the time of Jesus. 

    I point that out because 46 years is a long time. But the actual temple renovation took more like 80 years. 

    And if it sounded absurd that someone could rebuild in just three days what had taken 46 years, imagine it from their perspective in the first century as they looked at a temple that was still being renovated. And someone saying he could build that in three days. 

    The authorities don’t challenge Jesus’ claim. But Jesus isn’t referring to the building anyway. 

    John makes that explicitly clear in the next verses. 

    Verses 21-22:

    21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. 

    Jesus is the temple and he’s referring to his death and resurrection. 

    Jesus died and rose on the third day.

    Jesus is the true temple

    The significance of the temple in the Bible is that the temple is the place where God is with his people. 

    That’s why the temple was so important in the Old Testament. 

    When Jesus says “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19, yes, it’s referring to his death and resurrection. But it is also pointing to Jesus as the greater temple. 

    The temple was just a building. Merchants could encroach upon the holiness of the temple. But in Jesus, we have an incorruptible temple, an incorruptible savior through whom we are brought into the presence of the Lord. 

    And we are again reminded of that death that Jesus would die for sin. 

    In chapter 1, we see Jesus called the Lamb of God (John 1:29), referring to his sacrificial death. In John 2:4, Jesus pointed forward to his crucifixion. 

    This book is constantly pointing to his death. 

    Eight full chapters of John are dedicated to the final week of Jesus’ life. 

    Why so much about his death?

    Abraham Lincoln’s two secretaries John Hay and John Nicolay wrote an expansive biography about our 16th president. It’s 5,000 pages and they talk about his death on just 20 of those pages. 

    Between the four gospels, roughly one third to one half of the books are devoted to Jesus’ death. 

    Why? Why is there this constant focus on his death? Because it is the only way to redemption. It is the only way to God. It is the only way to forgiveness. It is the only way to heaven. 

    There’s no other way than through the presence of God on earth who was torn down and raised back up three days later. 

    Jesus cleanses the temple but in cleansing the temple, it points to himself as the temple who does not need cleansed. 

    The temple was always meant to point to Jesus. 

    In the Old Testament, you have all of these exact specifications for the temple, and its precursor, the tabernacle. You have dramatic Old Testament texts which talk of the presence of God filling the temple. You have Israel who continues to fall into sin and idolatry, in spite of warnings from God’s prophets. Eventually they’re conquered, they’re exiled, they lose the land, the temple is destroyed.

    They would later be freed from exile and given the command to rebuild the temple. 

    But all of that is pointing forward to the true temple. 

    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. It was the unmitigated presence of God. And humanity sinned. Paradise was lost. 

    God gave the law through Moses. Humanity continued to sin and God continued to be faithful. 

    The temple was built and sin continued. The temple was lost. 

    And on the grounds of a new temple, we again see sin. We see people dishonoring a holy place. 

    Left to our own devices, we’ll continue to lose the temple, to squander God’s grace because we’re sinful. 

    But instead of having a building which represents the presence of God, we’re given a person. 

    Jesus Christ, the eternal God of creation himself becomes the temple. We are welcomed back into the garden because Jesus left heaven. We are welcomed into the presence of God because Jesus was forsaken. We are invited into the presence of God because Jesus is the true temple.

    We are given grace which cannot be lost because it was bought by a savior who does not sin. 

    The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). 

    Jesus came to be with us so that we could be with him. 

    Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, please share and subscribe.