Marked by Grace

Attending an Unbiblical Church? Jun 23, 2025

Navigating family relationships when you disagree with your family's church choice is one of the most challenging situations Christians face. Pastor Heath Lambert provides biblical wisdom for this delicate balance between family loyalty and theological convictions. Using the framework of theological triage, this episode helps believers understand when to compromise, when to stand firm, and how love should guide every decision in church conflicts.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Introduction: The Family Church Dilemma

0:39 - The Question: Attending Unbiblical Churches for Family Unity

1:49 - Why This Question Matters: Children and Family Dynamics

2:51 - Understanding Biblical vs Unbiblical: Not All Errors Are Equal

3:06 - Theological Triage: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Issues

4:05 - Primary Issues: Salvation-Essential Doctrines

4:55 - Secondary Issues: Important but Not Salvation-Critical

5:16 - Baptism Example: Baptist vs Presbyterian Practices

6:46 - Tertiary Issues: End Times and Christian Disagreements

8:17 - The Law of Love: 1 John 4:7 as the Ultimate Guide

8:53 - Pride vs Conviction: Testing Our Motivations

9:26 - When Love Means Compromise vs When Love Means Standing Firm

10:13 - Final Answer: It Depends on Error Type and Love's Direction

KEY POINTS

The Reality of Family Church Conflicts: Christians often find themselves where their theological convictions differ from their family's church choice, creating tension between honoring family and maintaining biblical faithfulness.

Theological Triage Framework: Not all biblical errors are equally serious. Churches can be "unbiblical" in different ways requiring different responses - understanding this hierarchy helps believers respond appropriately.

Primary Issues - Salvation Essential: Doctrines so central that denying them prevents salvation, like salvation by grace through faith alone. Churches with primary errors should generally be avoided regardless of family pressure.

Secondary Issues - Important but Not Salvation-Critical: Matters affecting church practice but not salvation, like baptism methods. Faithful Christians can disagree while remaining in fellowship.

Tertiary Issues - Ongoing Christian Disagreements: Matters where good Christians disagree until Christ returns, like millennium details. These shouldn't divide churches or families.

The Law of Love as the Ultimate Test: Love for both family and God must guide decisions. Love sometimes requires compromise on preferences, other times demands taking a stand for essential truth.

Submit your questions for future episodes to MarkedbyGrace@fbcjax.com

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

1 John 4:7 - "Beloved, let us love one another" - The law of love as the guiding principle for all theological and relational decisions

Acts 5:29 - "We must obey God rather than men" - Referenced principle for when obedience to God requires standing against family pressure

How Can God Be Good When He Allows Evil to Happen? Jun 16, 2025

One of humanity's most persistent theological questions is thoroughly examined in this episode of Marked by Grace. Pastor Heath Lambert tackles the challenging problem of evil and God's goodness, providing three classical Christian responses that have guided believers through centuries of doubt and difficulty.

Whether you're wrestling with personal suffering or trying to understand God's character in a broken world, this episode offers biblical clarity on why God can remain perfectly good while allowing evil to exist.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Introduction: The Persistent Question of Evil and God's Goodness

1:08 - The Specific Question: Why Doesn't God Intervene Like We Should?

2:08 - Granting the Premise: When Human Inaction Becomes Sin

3:21 - God's Perfect Nature: Light with No Darkness

4:08 - Response 1: Primary vs Secondary Causes Explained

5:24 - Genesis 50:20 - Joseph's Brothers and God's Sovereignty

7:27 - The Shakespeare and Hamlet Analogy

8:34 - Response 2: All Evil as Judgment Against Human Sinfulness

10:27 - Luke 13:5 - Jesus on the Tower of Siloam

11:04 - Response 3: The Greater Good - God's Ultimate Plan

12:10 - Romans 8:28 - All Things Work Together for Good

13:19 - The Cross: Ultimate Example of Good from Evil

14:16 - Eternal Perspective: Praising God for His Redemptive Power

KEY POINTS

- The Question Explored: If humans are morally obligated to intervene when witnessing evil acts like assault or abuse, how can God witness atrocities daily without intervening and still be considered good and just?

- Primary vs Secondary Causes: God operates as the sovereign primary cause behind all events, while humans act as secondary causes. Evil is always chargeable to secondary causes (human sin) never to the primary cause (God). This distinction explains how the same event can have both a sinful human motivation and a righteous divine purpose.

- Universal Human Sinfulness: All people live in a fallen world where we deserve judgment, not blessing. The real theological question isn't "Why do bad things happen?" but rather "Why do any good things happen to sinners like us?" Every person deserves divine judgment due to their rebellion against God.

- The Greater Good Principle: God's omnipotent righteousness enables Him to bring ultimate good out of every evil situation. This doesn't make evil good, but demonstrates God's power to redeem and transform even the worst circumstances for His glory and our benefit.

- The Cross as Ultimate Example: Jesus Christ's crucifixion represents the worst act of victimization in human history, yet God transformed this ultimate evil into the means of salvation for countless people. This demonstrates how God can use even the most horrific events to accomplish his perfect purposes.

- Eternal Perspective: In eternity, believers will praise God not despite the suffering that occurred, but because of how He used that suffering to accomplish His glorious redemptive plan. The eternal weight of glory will far exceed any temporary affliction.

Submit your questions for future episodes to MarkedByGrace@fbcjax.com

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

1 John 1:5 - "God is light and in him is no darkness at all" - Establishes God's perfect, sinless nature

Genesis 50:20 - "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" - Primary example of primary vs secondary causes

Luke 13:5 - Jesus' warning about the tower of Siloam - All people deserve judgment without repentance

Romans 8:28 - "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" - The greater good principle

2 Corinthians 4:17 - "This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" - Eternal perspective on suffering

The Sign of the Davidic Covenant Jun 09, 2025

Ever wondered about the visible signs of God's covenants? This episode explores one of the most profound questions in biblical theology: What is the visible representation of God's covenant with King David?

Pastor Heath Lambert dives deep into covenant theology, explaining how God uses visible signs to represent invisible relationships. Discover why Jesus sitting on His heavenly throne is the ultimate fulfillment and visible sign of the Davidic covenant, and what this means for believers today.

KEY TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Introduction: The visible sign of the Davidic Covenant

1:04 - What is a covenant? Biblical relationships explained

1:46 - Why covenants have visible signs

2:40 - Examples of covenant signs: Rainbow (Noah), Circumcision (Abraham)

3:46 - Sabbath as sign of the Old Covenant at Sinai

4:46 - New Covenant signs: Baptism and Lord's Supper

5:29 - The Davidic Covenant explained (2 Samuel 7:12-13)

6:41 - Jesus as fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant

7:52 - Two ways to fulfill an eternal covenant

8:24 - The visible sign revealed: Jesus on His throne

9:00 - Why you don't have to see it for it to be "visible"

10:03 - Eternal perspective: We will see Him reign

KEY POINTS

- Covenants Are Biblical Relationships: God uses covenants as the organizing structure for His relationship with humanity and the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

- Visible Signs Make Invisible Relationships Real: Since we can't see spiritual relationships, God provides tangible signs we can observe - rainbows, circumcision, Sabbath, baptism, and communion.

- The Davidic Covenant Promises an Eternal King: God promised David that someone from his family line would sit on the throne forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13).

- Jesus Fulfills the Covenant Perfectly: Rather than an endless succession of mortal kings, Jesus - as David's descendant - reigns eternally, never needing replacement.

- Christ's Heavenly Throne is the Visible Sign: Jesus currently sits at the right hand of God's majesty in heaven, fulfilling the Davidic covenant as the eternal King.

- "Visible" Doesn't Mean Everyone Sees It: Just as circumcision or baptism aren't seen by everyone but are still "visible signs," Christ's throne is visible to those in heaven, making it a legitimate covenant sign.

Submit your questions for future episodes to MarkedByGrace@fbcjax.com

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

2 Samuel 7:12-13 - "When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."

Luke 1:32-33 - "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Hebrews 1:3 - "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Is It Ever Too Late to Start Family Devotions? Jun 02, 2025

Wondering if you've missed your chance to start family devotions with older kids? This episode provides biblical wisdom and practical steps for beginning family worship at ANY age, even with teenagers!

Pastor Heath Lambert tackles one of the most common questions Christian parents face: starting family devotions when you never did them before. Discover why it's never too late, how to handle the awkwardness, and what family worship looks like as kids grow older.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Introduction: The importance of family devotions

1:10 - Biblical foundation: Ephesians 6:4 command to parents

2:18 - Heath's family approach: Read, Pray, Sing formula

3:01 - It's never too late to start (even with kids out of house)

3:44 - How to start: The honest conversation approach

4:42 - Embracing the awkwardness: Why it's normal and okay

6:00 - Starting with older kids: What to expect

6:52 - How family devotions evolve as children grow

8:00 - Deuteronomy 6:6-7: Teaching in everyday moments

9:17 - Final encouragement: Start today

MAIN TAKEAWAYS

- It's Never Too Late to Start: Whether your kids are toddlers, teenagers, or even adults living away from home, you can begin family worship today.

- Be Honest About the Gap: Acknowledge to your family that you should have been doing this and ask for grace as you start.

- Expect and Embrace Awkwardness: Family devotions will feel awkward at first - that's completely normal. Don't let discomfort stop you from establishing this crucial habit.

- Family Worship Evolves: With younger kids, aim for daily structured time (read, pray, sing). With older kids, focus on creating a culture of ongoing spiritual conversation.

- Simple Formula That Works: Read scripture + Pray together + Sing = effective family devotion time

Submit your questions for future episodes to MarkedByGrace@fbcjax.com

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Ephesians 6:4 - "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 - "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

How Did Jesus Grow in Favor with God? May 26, 2025

Jesus was fully divine, yet Luke 2:52 says He "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God." How is this possible? In today's episode, Pastor Heath Lambert breaks down this theological question, exploring Christ's active and passive obedience and what it means for believers today.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction to Marked by Grace podcast

00:20 How to submit your questions to markedbygrace@fbcjax.com

00:39 Today's question: How did Jesus grow in favor with God?

00:49 Scripture reference: Luke 2:52

01:38 Common questions about Jesus growing in wisdom

02:16 God's declaration: "This is my Son with whom I am well pleased"

02:40 Understanding Jesus' work on earth

02:47 Theological concept: Active and Passive Obedience

03:12 Active Obedience explained - Jesus fulfilling all the law

03:43 Scripture reference: 1 Peter 2:22 - "He committed no sin"

03:59 Passive Obedience explained - Jesus' sacrifice for sinners

04:26 Scripture reference: 1 Peter 3:18 - Christ's suffering for sins

05:19 How Jesus grew in favor with God - explanation and conclusion

KEY POINTS:

• Jesus was already pleasing to the Father as Son, but grew in favor through His obedience

• "Active obedience" refers to Jesus perfectly fulfilling all requirements of God's law

• "Passive obedience" refers to Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross for sinners

• While Jesus was fully divine and omniscient, Luke 2:52 shows His human development

• Jesus didn't need to grow in His status as Son, but in His earthly mission fulfillment

• Jesus grew in favor with God as He progressively accomplished His redemptive work

• The Father's pleasure in Christ included both His eternal Sonship and His obedient earthly life

• Jesus' complete obedience provides the foundation for our salvation

• This theological concept helps us understand both Christ's divinity and humanity