Vintage Jesus: 8 & 9

Chapter 8- Where is Jesus today?

Mark here in chapter eight starts by describing how Jesus is everywhere in today’s culture. Here Marks shows on how all of the Scriptures are on and about and show as well how they were about Jesus. Mark gives this chapter in brief sections that many people might not know about Christ. Although they are simple it is great to read and remember our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They are broken in to answering how Jesus ascended into heaven, how Christ is departed from his believer’s here on earth, Jesus sitting at the right hand of God, Jesus sitting on his thrown as Lord over all things, How Christ rules over all things. From there he shows the glory of Christ in how he pleads for his believer’s, how Christ is gives his spirituality to his believer’s, what Christ is doing now in the heavens, how Christ is enjoying the glory in the heavens and how Christ is spreading the Gospel throughout this world.

Chapter 9- why should we worship Jesus?

Mark begins this chapter in describing how he loves football and how he enjoyed attending a Seahawks game. From there he brings up the issue of how many people enjoy things often more than Jesus. Mark does a great job in showing what exactly worship is and how we are to do it, for Christ. From giving examples of how many may worship Christ but not doing it in a great manner. The later part of this chapter Mark gives a great section on how we today in the postmodern era can delight in worshiping the Lord, Jesus Christ. He ends in a wonder thought saying, “Through the worship of Jesus Christ alone there is joy, freedom, holiness, and life. Only by worshiping God our Creator are we free to enjoy creation by rightly eating, drinking, sleeping, playing, working, laughing, loving, weeping, marrying, parenting, living, and dying to the glory of God.” It should be said of Christ followers that they enjoy Christ their creator, in all things for the sake of His name, and nothing else!

Vintage Jesus: did Jesus rise from the dead?

Mark here begins this chapter with a story of someone that he had known that knew they were going to die. He then takes the story of a young man named Dustin who face death and faced it knowing that he had a better life to come to then taking a look at the facts of Christ dying on the cross. Mark quickly talks about his Christ death was foretold, that Christ himself even foretold about how his own death was to happen, Christ death its’ self, Christ being buried, Christ appearance after his death, the actual events that took place in showing Christ after his death, the creeds that professed that Christ did raise from the dead, showing how then that the believer is to worship the living Christ and Paul taught this in the truths that are in the Gospel. From there Mark shows that the disciples themselves saw this being the center of what they believed and how the church was to love and worship this out in life. Mark ends this chapter with a charge for those who believe in Christ to as well not only believe but live for Christ saying, “nonetheless, many people believe in the historical fact of Jesus’ resurrection but have not become Christians by placing their personal faith in him.”

Vintage Jesus: Chapter’s 4, 5 & 6

I had been writing reviews of Mark Driscroll’s Vintage Jesus. Being that I have been busy getting things around for going to the Alliance conference in Atlanta, I have been unable to keep up with my blogging like I would like to. But now in my hotel I am going to catch up a few chapters of the review, going over chapters 4, 5 and 6.

Chapter 4- why did Jesus come to earth

Here Mark goes over in dealing with why exactly do people celebrate Christmas for. In doing so he goes over the areas of Christ being Prophet, Priest and king. He touches on areas of today’s culture in how fundamentalist, evangelicals and liberals see these offices of Christ and how they have affected people’s view of Christ. One of the most important areas of this chapter I saw was how some often see things in a prideful way. Mark says this, “The result of a double life of hypocrisy in which we call Jesus Lord, call his Word true, and then do whatever we want in some areas of our life…” How often we as believer’s need to look at ourselves and know and see in our very own lives that everything we have and everything we do as believer’s and follower’s of the Gospel, we do in and through and for Christ!

Chapter 5- Why did Jesus mom need to be a virgin?

Here Mark deals with how many people do not see the necessity of the virgin birth. One area that struck me right away was the quote of Larry King when asked if he could interview anyone in history he said, “Jesus Christ,” and what would he ask him? King said, “I would like to ask him, if he was indeed virgin born.” It is funny how some actually have a small and sad view of the inerrancy of Scripture. But Mark addresses that when he deals with Rob Bell’s statements on if we could believe if Christ was born of a virgin birth, if we knew he had a biological father form DNA. Mark answer’s that no matter what man my find in DNA the Scriptures are infallible and for that, Christ was born a virgin. Mark does this in explaining that virgin birth was a normal birth like any other. From there he address questions that may be asked in today’s 21^st century like, was Mary always a virgin? Was the virgin birth a myth? Does virgin birth mean deity of Christ? How is sin nature passed? Did Mary sleep with God? Is this an important issue? And lastly going over an important issue with how we as believers must see Mary.

Chapter 6- What did Jesus Accomplish on the cross?

What did Jesus do? Mark explains the importance of the center of the gospel in this chapter. Now that I have read the entire book, I would say this is the heart of this book, as well as the gospel. Here Mark lays out the propitiation of Christ and what it is exactly in it twofoldness. 1. Christ pleasing the wrath of God, and 2. Christ reckoning man to God. In a culture that often overlooks and dismisses the wrath pleasing Jesus that pleased his father taking on all the wrath of God for mankind, this here is what must be stood on. As John Knox said, “remembering Jesus is to first remember the cross.” This is not only important for the new convert but for the believer to preach to him every day. This here in pages 114-20 is the center piece of not only Mark’s book but, the center of Christianity in what the believer, believes! And I would say it is the must read section of this book.

Vintage Jesus: How did people know Jesus was coming?

This chapter (#3) does not at all seem as if Mark is writing it. Just didn’t seem like the normality of his style. The chapter was great in material. It is clear from the beginning that Mark is not a dispy in any means; I am referring to his view of the Old Testament. One paragraph that stood out to me a great deal was said as the following,

“Jesus also models for us a proper use of the Old Testament, by which he alone is the hero and theme. Following his resurrection from death, Jesus showed how all that was written by Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms was ultimately fulfilled by him alone. Therefore, in this chapter we will follow both the instruction and example of Jesus by examining twenty-five Old Testament prophetic promises given to hundreds and thousands of years before the fulfillment of Jesus.”

Mark then from that stop of his writing, goes into these wonderful fulfillments by Christ giving a PROMISE section for each one, then giving the FULFILLMENT section for the understanding in how the Old Testament was fully about Jesus Christ.

Vintage Jesus: Is Jesus the Only God?

I stopped in a store today with a gift card to a parable books in Grand Rapids, MI. Now I often when buying books, try to buy from my own publisher that I work for at Reformation Heritage Books. However, you are not going to fine Mark Driscoll’s book there. So I said, “I wanna read the new book on Christ” and walked out with my student discount and still $1.80 on my gift card holding a book with about 250 pictures of Jesus Christ on the front cover. Now to the traditional reformist, THEY HATE THAT! But none the less I can get over it, and enjoy the book. So I figured since I have not too much to blog about lately until my series this coming summer on the Gospel 6 volume set of Jeremiah Burroughs, why not do a review of Mark Driscoll’s book. So, if you actually enjoy reading my blog, or just happen to see what article I place up here, maybe you’ll enjoy my comments on Vintage Jesus.

So, I pick up the book in the afternoon and set down in 30 min and read the 1^st 30 pages. The cover is enough to create an issue of matter that many could and would fight about, but I honestly see no issues, nor do I make issue about the images of Christ, (Now is Mark worshipped them, we’d have a different story.) But I enjoy a laugh at looking at the number of individuals that burbled the book! Man alive, from the always and most blurb guy J.I. Packer to 200 Olympic silver medalist in wrestling, Matt Lindland, (who I have never heard of.)

Reading the preface I got the feeling that this is just a normal book. Then asking myself normal? Can it be? But yes, seeing that Mark is addressing normal questions, explaining normal doctrines of matter that are crucial to the gospel should be normal! For chapter one (Is Jesus the Only God?) the books starts off much like that of his sermons on Christ. If you have ever listened to a message of Mark, then you have maybe or most likely heard this exact chapter. “Dumpy, rural, hick town…etc” are the words he always uses. To some it’s hip and cool, but to myself, sounds normal. The chapter then goes into giving a few pages over who exactly Jesus as man, was, where he came from, why he came, and about what he came to do, and places it in 10 ways this Jesus claimed to be God. They are;

1. Jesus said he came down from heaven

2. Jesus said he was more than just a good man.

3. Jesus said that he is the son of man

4. Jesus performed miracles

5. Jesus said he was God

6. Jesus confirmed to others he is God

7. Jesus said he was sinless

8. Jesus forgave sin

9. Jesus taught people to pray to him as God

10. Jesus said that he is the only way to heaven

These all seemed to be covered extremely simplistic and easy for the average believer. This is why for someone as I enjoy reading or listening to Mark preach. Mark does an amazing job like he had done in Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches, by placing scripture reference after scripture reference. Although I hate endnotes in a book, it is great to see them supported in truth and not misused or taken out of context. However why people even do endnotes, or sometimes chapter notes makes no sense to me. That is why we have FOOTNOTES! I want to be able to look down and see what the writer is talking about and not skim through the back pages to find it.

One thing I would like to point out is that many reformed individuals often bash people such as Billy Graham. I am not saying that Billy is right in all things. I am simply saying that because one may often not agree in all areas of doctrine doesn’t mean the believer or the reformed or the dispy cannot learn from them. One of the most beautiful few sentences I read in Mark’s first chapter, was written first by Bill Graham saying, “Jesus was not just another great religious teacher, nor was he only another in a long line of individuals seeking after spiritual truth. He was, instead, truth itself. He was God incarnate.”