Jimmy Hinton

March 6, 2024

When payer goes unanswered

Imagine if we were given everything that we ever asked for in this life. What would happen if we were literally given everything that we wanted? It probably wouldn’t take long for there to be global chaos. Our theme this year is straining toward the goal. One of the reasons we have to strain is because we are often denied and we lose a lot. If we count the losses in our life we quickly realize that life if full of losses. We lose health, loved ones, wealth, and so on.

But what happens when our prayers go unanswered? David experienced unanswered prayer. When Bathsheba gave birth to her and David’s first child, the Lord afflicted the child. “David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground” (2 Samuel 12:16 ESV). For seven days David prayed and fasted but “on the seventh day the child died” (vs. 18). David’s servants were afraid to break the news to him. Imagine praying all day, every day for a solid week. Imagine praying that your child gets better and then he dies.

David suspected that the child died and he asked the servants. They confirmed that the boy died. “Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped” (vs. 20). It certainly wasn’t easy to worship. I doubt David was jumping for joy. But he loved God regardless and worshiped even when his prayer was not answered. Of course we know that David’s live was blessed but it was not an easy path. David would face many very difficult years after this.

March 1, 2024

Cut to the Heart

close up photo of man crying in pink shirt

When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, thousands of people were baptized and were added to the body of believers that day. What would lead to such a great revival? When we think revival, we think of motivational speakers who connect people to the heart of God, convincing them to believe and keep their life right with God. But what happened on Pentecost was less of a revival and more of a mess of brokenness.

Peter was blunt: “Men of Israel, hear these words: ‘Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know–this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men'” (Acts 2:22, 23 ESV). Peter again made his point clear: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (vs. 36).

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart” (vs 37). That word was used only here in the entire Bible. It literally means to pierce down, meaning that they were pierced all the way down to the bottom of their heart. This was not just a shrugged off sadness. Rather, it would have been a violent piercing of their emotions. It shook them to their core that they chose a prisoner to be released over Jesus. The irony is that, as they were celebrating the Passover, they were sending God’s Lamb to be slaughtered. It was a dark day for them, but their asking Peter and the other apostles what they should do shows us that they were genuinely repentant.

Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and they would receive God’s Spirit. The response was swift and encouraging. The crowd responded in the best possible way and so began the church.

February 20, 2024

Burial of your old self

Paul told the Ephesians that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). He told the Romans that where sin increases, so does God’s grace. But he was sure to tell them that we shouldn’t sin more so we receive more grace: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2 ESV).

When we are baptized, we are baptized into his death: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (vs. 4). Paul says that if we were united in death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his (vs 5). Paul tells us that our baptism brings our old self to death and we are raised a new person. This is a work of God. When our old self dies and our new self rises out of the water, “you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ Jesus” (vs. 11).

Peter agrees. He uses the death/life language and links it directly to the waters of baptism. Peter says that through Christ’s death and resurrection he was “being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). He immediately shifts to the flood waters where Noah and his family were brought safely through the water. “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Christ” (vs 21).

What Peter says makes perfect sense because, like Noah, there is death under the water. At the same time God saves us by carrying us through the water. Christ is the vessel who carries us safely through the water as we become united with him.

February 7, 2024

Three baptisms in the New Testament

In order to fully understand baptism in the New Testament, we have to begin with John’s baptism. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, calling people to repentance and baptizing them: “Then in Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins” (Matthew 3:5-6 ESV). We know that it was a baptism of repentance when Paul asked a group of new converts in Ephesus if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. They said they had not even heard there was a Holy Spirit. When Paul asked what they were baptized into, they replied, “John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus” (Acts 19:4). After hearing this, the new converts were re-baptized and then received the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, having no sin, was baptized by John. If John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, why was Jesus baptized? When John questioned why Jesus felt the need to be baptized by him, he replied, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Unlike John’s other baptisms, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus immediately after his baptism (vs. 16). John prepared the way for Jesus by baptizing for repentance but Jesus fulfilled all righteousness by being baptized.

But after Jesus died and was raised, the Christian baptism now took effect. Hebrews 9:17 gives us a clue into why John’s baptism shifted after Jesus died: “For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.” We see the change in language immediately after Jesus died and was raised when Peter explained, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). In order for Christ’s will to go into effect he had to both die and be raised: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22).

Hebrews tells us that under the old covenant blood had to be shed over and over again. But when Christ died his blood covers believers completely through Christian baptism.

January 31, 2024

To Follow Jesus Into the Water

The end of John’s gospel has a dialogue between Jesus and Peter where Jesus predicts Peter’s death. “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God). And after saying this he said to him, ‘Follow me.'” (John 21:18, 19 ESV).

As divine fate would have it, tradition says that Peter was fleeing Rome due to the severe persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero. Peter saw the risen Jesus and pater asked, “Where are you going?” To which Jesus replied, “I am going to Rome to be crucified again.” Peter courageously turned around and followed Jesus into the city where Peter was captured and crucified upside down. It’s a grim picture but also a very real call that Jesus gave his disciples. He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

Following Jesus is not supposed to be whenever it suits us. Jesus is clear about this when he said, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” Jesus calls us to follow him everywhere and all the way! This means we follow him into the waters of baptism. It means we follow him in the way we live our lives. And it means we follow him in his suffering and resurrection. Christians cannot write off baptism as no big deal any more than they can write off suffering as something that’s not necessary. Christ commands his disciples to follow him no matter what.

January 24, 2024

I Can Do All Things

man wearing black long sleeved shirt standing on mountain

Paul continued his encouragement to the Philippian church in his letter and mentioned God’s provision for them. He repeatedly thanked them for having concern for him. Paul said he was not in need (even though he was in prison) because “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11 ESV). Paul knows how to be brought low and how to abound (vs. 12).

He continues: “In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (vs. 12, 13). Paul is clear that, in light of his determination to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, he is willing to endure any kind of trial that comes his way.

This is a very mature way to look at life. Often we feel jaded or ripped off because life keeps giving us lemons. When things go wrong repeatedly, we not only feel caught in a cycle, but we feel that the world is against us. It feels like a personal attack from God himself. But Paul didn’t view it this way. Instead, he rejoiced in any scenario that came his way. If it was plenty, he was joyful. If it was suffering, he was content. Paul was willing to take whatever life threw his way because he learned that through Christ, all things are possible!

January 17, 2024

Be Reasonable

When Paul continued his letter to the Philippian church, he gave a final exhortation and encouragement. The previous conversation was about straining toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul was “hunting down” this goal and intentionally forgot everything else along the way in his life. Paul was laser focused on the goal of salvation and longed to join Christ in both his suffering and resurrection.

In his final exhortation, he urged Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Whatever spat they were having was clearly a distraction for their goal. He urged the saints in Philippi to “help these women” who labored beside Paul and “whose names are in the book of life” (Philippians 4:3 ESV). Then he says something profound: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone” (vs. 4, 5). Paul drives his point home to imitate his example, to fix their eyes on people those who walk according to the example they had in Paul and his companions, and now he urges them to let their reasonableness be known to everyone.

The word for reasonableness is important. It means to be gentle, fair, or reasonable by way of relaxing overly strict standards in order to keep the spirit of the law. It’s going “beyond justice” by keeping in step with the spirit of the law. Put another way, don’t be uptight. We want to be known for keeping the spirit of the law, and that means exercising mercy and not being legalistic. And Paul wants them to actually have a well known reputation for being reasonable people!