Dr. Bryan Chappell and The Gospel

I have to get these thoughts out of my head and onto my blog before I am too far removed form the event. As I have mentioned several times, our speakers over the weekend were excellent. On Saturday night Dr. Bryan Chappell shared with us from John 3:16. I can't remember the last time someone preached a sermon where this was their text. It was a fabulous gospel presentation. To you casual observers of Christianity, it may seem odd to tell a group of believers about the good news of Christ. You would assume that they already know. Most of us do, but we need to be reminded. We need to constantly be brought face to face with exactly what Christ did for us. This isn't because we forget our gift and need to pray the sinners prayer again. It is because we take it for granted. We grow in our faith as we are constantly challenged. We are challenged by continually remembering who we are (sinners) and who God is (savior) and what he did to reconcile us to himself. We need the Gospel everyday, lest we rely on our own works for our salvation. The sermon Dr. Chappell delivered Saturday night was concise and challenging to Christians as it would have been to a non-Christian. This time with his was a glorious declaration of God's love for the whole world and our role as his representatives and vehicle of common grace.

The follow-up on Sunday morning was quite possibly the best sermon I have ever heard in my life. Our text was Isaiah 6. In this chapter we see the prophet confronted with the Holiness of God and his realization of his unworthiness to be in God's presence. I have never heard a more descriptive discussion of the Holiness of our Lord. I was moved in a serious way. The pictures he was painting as he handled the Word caused me to again and again realize just how my sin has separated me from Christ. Then as he continued he described the hot coal used to cleanse Isaiah's lips. The majesty of the temple imagery and the provision that God made for the repentant Isaiah, were amazing. How can we respond in any other way but to worship Him and desire to be sent on His behalf as a servant of the Gospel. I can't wait to get copies of the audio and listen to them both again.