A Word More Sure

Prayer answered by Crosses by John Newton

2010-09-06T21:06:00.000-04:00

1 I ask'd the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and ev'ry grace,
Might more of his salvation know,
And seek more earnestly his face.

2 'Twas he who taught me thus to pray,
And he, I trust has answer'd pray'r;
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.

3 I hop'd that in some favour'd hour,
At once he'd answer my request:
And by his love's constraining pow'r,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

4 Instead of this. he made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry pow'rs of hell
Assault my soul in ev'ry part.

5 Yea more, with his own hand he seem'd
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Cross'd all the fair designs I schem'd,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

6 Lord, why is this, I trembling cry'd,
Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?
"'Tis in this way," the Lord reply'd,
"I answer pray'r for grace and faith.

7 "These inward trials I employ,
"From self and pride to set thee free;
"And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
"That thou mayst seek thy all in me."

Rock Star Pastors

2010-07-13T17:30:00.000-04:00

I think Ed Stetzer hit the nail on the head with this one.

Free Francis Chan Audio Book - Forgotten God

2010-06-03T21:56:00.000-04:00

Each month Christian Audio has a free book for download. This month is Francis Chan's "Forgotten God". I benefited from his previous book "Crazy Love" and expect this one will be good as well.

Here is the link

HT

Shepherding in Singleness

2010-05-17T21:15:00.000-04:00

I am growing weary of being treated like there is something wrong with me because I am single. It seems like married people struggle with my singleness far more than I do. Do I want to get married and have kids? Absolutely! But I am learning patience and contentment. I am not willing to sacrifice high standards (though not unreasonably high) for the sake of being married. I am just looking for a woman who will strengthen the ministry that the Lord has called me to. That’s it. I don’t think that is unrealistic or unbiblical.

The problem I encounter is that other people are not satisfied with me being single. They want to define my identity that way. Then they want to limit the ministry that I can have because I am single. I have been told that I cannot disciple someone who is engaged or married, I cannot pastor, I cannot counsel married people, that relationship problems stem from my singleness, I cannot conduct a marriage ceremony, that I am just jealous that someone is getting married, that you do not fully reflect the image of God until you are married, etc… But it is always a problem when you create qualifications for any kind of ministry for which Jesus could not fulfill. Nor could Paul, nor John the Baptizer, nor some of the prophets.

Yes, marriage is a wonderful gift from God. But…so is singleness. Paul’s writings would seem to indicate, if anything, that it is more so (1 Cor 7:6-8). They would also seem to indicate that those who are unmarried are more, not less, competent for ministry (1 Cor 7:32-35) because their interests are undivided.

Then there is the patronizing way married people sometimes treat single people. It is as if we are still children…as if you simply have not arrived into adulthood until you are married. I fully grant you that there are many, many single people who are living in perpetual adolescence. They have a job so that they can play video games, watch movies, and go on vacations. They have very little if any real responsibility and have only a superficial connection to the local church. Those people probably irritate me more than they irritate most married people. But we single people are not all that way. I know single people that are far more spiritually and socially mature than a lot of married people I know. Many of us are fully committed to ministry in the local church and being spent for the body of Christ. What also often goes unnoticed, is that there are tons of married people who also fit perfectly into my description of the immature single person. It would not be fair for me to characterize married people this way any more than it is fair for married people to see us this way.

Let’s get down to brass tacks. In general, single people simply are not as constrained by the things of the world as married people. I don’t have to worry about what will happen to my wife and kids if I take a stand for Jesus at my job. I can pack up at the spur of the moment and be a missionary if I wanted and I would not have to worry about the effects of dramatically relocating my family. I can be a radical for Christ. I can take risks for His sake. I can pour myself completely into ministry and not have to worry about neglecting my family.

I would think that you would want someone like that to shepherd you…

I have more to say about all of this, but that’s all for now.

Free Desiring God Audiobook

2009-11-01T23:23:00.000-05:00

Each month christianaudio.com gives away a free audio book. Sometimes they are really good ones. This month is no exception; they are giving away free copies of Desiring God by John Piper .

Some thoughts on self-righteousness and brokenness

2009-09-12T21:03:00.002-04:00

Self-righteousness always finds a way to think the worst of other people. It is rooted in a particularly sour flavor of pride. Self-righteous people re-mold reality so that the scales always tip in their favor.

A self righteous person needs to perceive others as bad in order to make their own sins seem not so bad. It seems to be one of Satan’s favorite ways of getting Christians to avoid the gospel in their own lives and artificially deal with guilt. The self-righteous man is not able to look down his nose at someone who is clearly more righteous. Therefore, he sees everyone else in the worst possible light. Despite any evidence to the contrary, he assumes the worst possible motives for the actions of others. It is hard, if not impossible to convince him otherwise. Others are guilty and can only be proven innocent if there are no other possibilities. Even then, he will probably not admit to being wrong, instead he will quickly shift to criticizing another sin or another person.

On the other hand, a broken, humble person seeks to extend hope and grace at every possible chance. He knows that all the evidence may point to the contrary and that he may appear to be a fool but he is willing to take one more chance that someone’s motives are good. He is not a doormat for con-men because he is wise as a serpent (Matt 10:16). Therefore, he makes decisions that are protective of himself and those he loves. But when there is a chance that someone may be innocent of the thing which they are accused of, he will make every effort to hear them out. He trusts God to punish sin even if he misses it and is not afraid that others will see them as naive or gullible.

Bark Collar Guy

2009-08-31T20:40:00.003-04:00

I think it is the expressions on this guy's face that make it priceless.

Preaching and Prayer

2009-08-10T21:13:00.003-04:00

Over the years since I have become a Christian, I have been keeping a collection of quotes like this one that I read over from time to time. I will share some of them on this blog...

"A certain preacher, whose sermons converted men by the scores, received a revelation from heaven that not one of the conversions was owing to his talents or eloquence, but all to the prayers of an illiterate lay-brother, who sat on the pulpit steps, pleading all the time for the success of the sermon. It may in the all-revealing day be so with us. We may discover, after having laboured long and wearily in preaching, that all the honour belongs to another builder, whose prayers were gold, silver, and precious stones, while our sermonisings being apart from prayer, were but hay and stubble"

- C.H. Spurgeon in "Lectures to my students" pg. 46

You don't have to be a pastor for this to be a good reminder. This may be true of any ministry that we have.

Legalism and Scripture

2009-07-16T20:00:00.002-04:00

John Piper is often well thought through on difficult issues. I really appreciate what he has to say about legalism here. It is worth the read. You might be more of a legalist than you realize.

Does it Cost anything?

2009-05-23T16:18:00.002-04:00

I have been thinking about Luke 9 over the last few weeks. In particular Jesus’ statement that his disciples must take up their crosses and follow Him. This implies that there is a real cost to following Jesus. It is not something that a person can merely add to their lives like taking up a hobby or joining a club.

I wonder how many of us who profess to follow Christ have actually lost something significant as a result. It scares me to think that we could have students who go through our youth ministry whom we lift up as examples of doing what is right and yet being a Christian never really cost them anything significant. I think it is quite possible that someone could grow up in a so-called Christian home, go to Bible College and Seminary always seeming to make the right moral choices and yet never have to make a decision that cost them anything. Would we not hold up such a moral man as an example for all? Is it not likely that he could become a pastor or an elder?

Should we then, be so surprised when we see men disqualifying themselves from pastoral ministry because of financial or sexual greed? It seems that so many of us have grown up in a life of relative ease. It would appear that pastoral ministry is more of a career track than a calling for many men. If someone has never, for the sake of Jesus Christ, had to make a decision that cost him something, there is no reason to think that they will upon entering pastoral ministry.

I fear we do our students a great disservice when we try to shield and shelter them from taking the hard road, the road that involves great cost and sacrifice. I think this is the same road that has a narrow gate (Mat. 7:13-14).

Perhaps we fear that they will abandon the faith if pushed too hard to make difficult decisions. But it would seem that Scripture would take the perspective that such people never were God’s children at all. Maybe they are just deceived. Maybe you are too.

Who is my Enemy?

2009-03-06T20:08:00.003-05:00

I came across this recently and thought I might share it:

I was walking across a bridge recently. I spied this fellow who looked like he was ready to jump off. So, I thought I'd try to stall him until the authorities showed up. "Don't jump!" I said. "Why not?" he said. "Nobody loves me."

"God loves you," I said. "You believe in God, don't you?"

"Yes, I believe in God," he said.

"Good," I said. "Are you Christian or Jewish?"

"Christian," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Protestant or Catholic?"

"Neither," he said.

"What then?" I said.

"Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Independent Baptist or Southern Baptist?"

"Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "New Evangelical/Moderate Independent Baptist or Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Lose-Your-Salvation Arminian Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Historical Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or For Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Strict Separation of Church and State Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Anti-Disney Boycott Pro-Choice Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "KJV Only Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Modern Versions Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"MODERN VERSIONS Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist" he said.

"Auugghh!!! You heretic! What is this world coming to?" I said.

And then I pushed him over.

I think theological divisions are important. Sometimes it divides the wheat from the chaff. Those who know me know my passion for making sure we believe rightly. At the same time, we really must analyze if it honors Jesus to lose friendships over some things like eschatological systems or differing practices of Christian liberty.

Good Audiobook Download

2009-03-02T20:52:00.006-05:00

Hey,

You can download Donald Whitney's book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian life free of charge this month from christianaudio.com. They will sometimes put up excellent books for free. This is one of those times. Might be good to download for your iPod!

HT: Challies

Some suggestions for students

2008-11-12T21:29:00.003-05:00

I have been thinking about this post for quite a while now (i.e. years). Most of these suggestions have Bible college or Seminary students in mind, but a great deal of it really applies to students in general or perhaps even Christians in general. I decided to wait a few months until after I graduated to post it on the blog. These thoughts are the fruit of my experience, and I hope that they will be helpful to you. I do not see this as being anywhere near complete, just a start. They are not in any particular order.

1.Cultivate Humility – this is actually 1-10. You are going to learn a lot of things that most other Christians do not know. Remember knowledge puffs up. This is not something that could happen, but something that does happen. It is a side effect of gaining knowledge. You must apply what you have learned to your own life. Learn to be a better repenter. Know that any sin makes you deserving of Hell, so sins that you do not struggle with are not any more damning than the ones that you struggle with. Yes, you do struggle with a whole lot of sin. Whenever you find yourself having a hard time finding sin to repent of, you can be pretty sure that the venom of pride has already blinded you and made you forget that you could ever see. (Humility is not the smarmy “I am nothing” comments or trying to verbally put yourself down all the time when you. I have found that it is usually the most arrogant people of all who do this. True humility is: “not thinking more highly of yourselves than you ought.” This simply means you are a sinner and so is everyone else. You don’t have everything figured out and you never will. The only hope any of us have is by desperately praying for and clinging to God’s grace.)

11.Prayer and Bible study – This is really inseparable from cultivating humility. You cannot really rank them above or below one another. They go hand in hand. You cannot have authentic humility without these things, but you cannot do these things well without authentic humility.

12. Do not be beholden to any one man – This is rampant in seminaries and Bible colleges. A student becomes convinced that a certain pastor, professor, or theologian really “does it right” and they stop critically evaluating the things they do or say. This will be a challenge because you will have favorite professors who you really appreciate. They, however, are just like the rest of us. They are just men and are just as prone to mistakes as you or I. Being a follower of anyone but Jesus is like following a compass that is only a few degrees off. The first few miles will be indistinguishable from the right direction, but over time you will not only mimic the things they do right, but you will also mimic their mistakes as well.

13.Do not be a follower of a theological system – systems are nice because they package things neatly for us to understand and to apply. However, they have a tendency to cause us to read our systems back into the Bible. So instead of reading our Bibles, we read our systems. This is often results in self-righteousness and poor interpretation of passages because we feel that we have to make them fit our systems. Examples include Arminianism, Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Covenentalism, The Westminster Confesssion, the Canons of Dort, etc… Study your BIBLE not the system.

14.Do not put off ministry until you graduate – James says you do not know what tomorrow will bring. Remember, you are not guaranteed tomorrow. You have not been promised that you will finish school. Make it a point to be a vital part of the local church you join.

15.Hard work is more important than grades – if you did your best and used your time wisely then you do not have anything to worry about. The goal is not to make all A’s but to learn the material the best that you are able. If that means that you are not able to get into the Ph.D. program, so be it. Maybe it is not God’s will that you be in the Ph.D. program anyway. It is certainly not God’s will that you sinfully cut corners to get good grades.

16.People are more important than grades – Sometimes it may be sinful for you to make an A in a class because it means that you had to sacrifice something more important to do it. An A is no assurance of an eternal reward. If someone comes to you for help and you unnecessarily cut them short because you have to study for a test, you may be committing a serious offense against God.

17.Studying is very important – this is obvious; otherwise you are wasting your time going to school. You are accountable to God for what you have been given, use it wisely.
18. Take the hard classes – Hopefully you are not going to school just to get a degree, hopefully you are going because you want to get the tools you need to be best equipped during ministry. Take the hard classes because they will teach you the most about the subject matter and about yourself. God will hold us accountable for how we used the opportunities he gave us. Who wants a pastor or counselor or missionary who took the easiest classes just so that they could have an easy semester? I want a pastor who worked hard so that he could be well prepared to serve the flock!

19.Cultivate love – Paul says that you can have all the knowledge in the world, and if you do not have love, then it is all for nothing. Guard against becoming like the church in Revelation that lost its first love. You will probably find that the less you interact with people who can do nothing for you, the less you will love.

20.Discipleship, Discipleship, Discipleship – Be a disciple and a discipler. Teach and be taught. Teach younger believers, and be taught by more mature ones. This is Christ’s model of how the church should function.

21.Don’t play politics - Build relationships with people because of what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. Unfortunately there are a lot of egos out there who respond quickly to idol worship and flattery. Jude has some strong words for those who show favoritism to gain advantage.

22.Resist the tendency to want to speak in absolute terms when not appropriate - If you are going to say something like, “The Bible never says…” or “The Bible always uses this word to mean…” you had better make very sure that you are right. A quote from your favorite preacher is insufficient.

23.Use primary sources - Trace the information to its source, don’t just go based off of what someone else told you. You will be amazed at how often people get their facts wrong even in published material.

Christians and Politics

2008-10-24T19:05:00.009-04:00

I have been thinking about this post for quite some time. Over the last few months I have noticed the significant number of Christians who are planning on voting for Obama. As a Christian, I do not think Republicans or Democrats represent my (hopefully biblical) values particularly well. As I watch the process leading up to Election Day I am regularly reminded of human depravity. Lies, slander, flattery, hate, sinful anger, selfishness, greed, and pride among others are all put on display for the American people and the world. One thing I have not seen is love. I have not seen any candidate express love for his opponent as Christ said we should love our enemies. Sound a bit too "pie in the sky"? Could someone do that and really win the election? You bet. Why? Because this is God's world and not man's. Because God puts every king, president, prime minister, and dictator in place.
So, from that angle, I am not particularly concerned about who will win the election. God will be glorified. What does concern me, however, is that I have brothers and sisters in Christ who are voting to support the most radically pro-abortion democratic candidate in history. What I cannot get through my mind is "Why?" Their arguments generally take a few different directions:

1. There are other issues besides abortion.
- Yep, you are right on this one; at least to a point. There are issues like the war in Iraq, the economy, the environment, poverty, our position in the world, oil, the war on terror, and others. But a sheer variety does not mean equality. Some issues are more important than others. Yes, we can say that as Christians! We are not moral relativists. You chopping down a tree in the back yard does not equate to stabbing someone in a dark alley. Having to pay higher taxes is not the same as drowning your spouse. Do you shudder at such comparisons? Then why try to argue that environmental issues are just as important as abortion? Or that the economy needs some strong leader so that it can be stimulated more than we need a leader who is opposed to infanticide (yep, infanticide. Not only abortions within the womb, but children who survive failed abortions who are left to die. )

2. We are not going to win the abortion debate
- I think you are wrong; but even if we know we cannot win, does that mean that we should not fight? It seems that Jesus calls us to fight for those who are broken and beaten down by society, and who more than aborted babies fit this description? Sometimes you fight for what is right knowing that you are going to get beat up for it. If you see a gang beating up on an old man, do you say, "never mind...he is probably dead anyway, so why bother?" Perhaps you do... perhaps that is the problem.
Do you not believe there was a time in American history when it seemed that fighting ethnic slavery was a lost cause? It was not.
Some of our modern heroes of the faith have been Christians who stood up to the Nazis and protect the Jews and lost their lives in the process. I expect there was a time when they looked all around them and said, "We will never win against such insurmountable odds" But they fought for righteousness anyway and rejected cowardice. We must do the same.

3. I don't want to be a Pat Robertson kind of Republican
- Me neither. But what does that have to do with anything? I mean, really? Yes, much of the secular world does see Christians as always voting in lock step with the Republican Party and unfortunately in many ways that is true. The Republican Party has often had more effect on evangelicals than evangelicals on the Republican Party. Too many of us reflect more of Rush Limbaugh than Jesus Christ. We have compromised our ethics so that we can get Republicans in office.
But, 'o physician, are you not doing the same by supporting the Democrats? And, I might add, to a much greater degree.
We should be known as issue voters instead of party voters. And I would say unabashedly that the elimination of abortion should be at the top of those issues. It is a bigger issue than Iraq (want to compare death toll anyone?) or the environment or the economy. Examine yourself to see if there is not some pride behind your support of this party platform.

Some other concerns about Obama:

- Rhetoric - This man is a master. But we must remember that rhetoric is really just a veneer. It doesn't tell us much about content or character.

- Religious language - Perhaps this is one of the reasons evangelicals have felt comfortable supporting him when they probably would not support someone like Hillary. Obama freely sprinkles his speeches with references to his faith his god and Scripture verses. This is probably more of a condemnation of evangelicals than Obama. It shows how quickly we will buy into a veneer of spirituality that lacks content. This is possibly because so many of our churches and relationships with other Christians function exactly the same way. They have a veneer of spirituality but lack substance. Most of the times that I have heard Obama speak of Scripture, he used the passages completely out of context. But instead of outrage, we respond with "Hey, he quoted Scripture!"

I urge you to vote, but I also urge you to vote for someone who does not support killing children.

Backpacking at Looking Glass Rock

2008-05-25T22:00:00.005-04:00

I was able to go backpacking at Looking Glass Rock on Friday and Saturday. We hiked up on Friday night. The next morning we fixed eggs and bacon on the cliff face. The view was really beautiful. We had about a 180 degree panorama overlooking the Blue Ridge mountains. Temperatures were ideal, and although we had a few brief showers early in the morning on Saturday, they really did not hinder us.
We did some hiking around on Saturday along some of the side trails through the dense rhododendron growth. Really is a neat place to go.

Here is a panorama that I stitched together. It really does not do justice to the view though! It is actually a lot wider. What an awesome, creative God we serve!

Jesus, I my Cross

2008-05-09T22:44:00.004-04:00

This song has had a profound influence on me. I first heard it at Grace Community Church in the Crossroads college ministry there while I was at The Master's Seminary. For whatever reason (I could offer a few...) it does not seem to have caught on in the broader CCM scene. I found the words to it here. You can download an MP3 of someone singing the first and last stanzas. Also, the Resolved Conference is selling a CD with it on there. It reminds me a bit of Bonhoffer.
Here you go. Hope it is as edifying to you as it has been to me. Virtually every line is powerful:

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

1. Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

2. Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
Show Thy face and all is bright.

3. Man may trouble and distress me,
’Twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

4. Go, then, earthly fame and treasure,
Come disaster, scorn and pain
In Thy service, pain is pleasure,
With Thy favor, loss is gain
I have called Thee Abba Father,
I have stayed my heart on Thee
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather;
All must work for good to me.

5. Soul, then know thy full salvation
Rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
Think what Father’s smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee,
Child of heaven, canst thou repine.

6. Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.
Heaven’s eternal days before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide us there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Abortion and the Nazis

2008-04-29T21:51:00.000-04:00

Lets face it. The pro-life movement has pretty much won the argument that an unborn fetus is indeed a live human child (Notice that I did not say that we have won the abortion argument yet. I will discuss the important distinction in a moment). A fetus looks like a child, it acts like a child, if the mother has a C-section and delivers the fetus it is a child. Nothing abnormally spectacular happens biologically to the fetus by lifting it 8 inches out of the mother's womb that suddenly transforms it into a real human from a nonliving glob of cells.
Even the laws of our land recognize that it is a child. If a pregnant mother is murdered, her attacker is charged with double murder (that of the mother and the child). It seems that you would have to suspend all reason to believe that an unborn fetus is not a child.
So why haven't we won? The argument has shifted to far more dangerous ground. Today, many of those who are in favor of allowing abortion are saying the central issue is one of choice; that a pregnant woman should be able to decide if she wants to become a mother. Some evenly openly recognize that the fetus is alive.
So the discussion has shifted from "what is life?" to "what is life worth?" A very subtle change. Why is this dangerous? Because we are talking about dramatically different philosophical systems. When people start asking questions about the cost of killing children being worth the price of freedom they have changed their very foundations. I do not intend to sound reactionary, but these are the same foundations that Nazi eugenics were built upon. The Nazis wanted to eliminate the "undesirable" elements of their society to create a master race. According to them, there were some lives that were worth eliminating so that others could have a better life. Sound familiar? So goes the abortion argument many times today.
Now, of course, we are not quite to the point of full blown Nazi eugenics. But, our society has bought into the very same philosophical foundations that the Nazis held concerning life. We must be aware of these things and fight tooth and nail against them.

Doctrinal purity and love

2007-05-21T19:34:00.000-04:00

David Alan Black posted this profound statement on his blog:

"There is, I fear, a kind of Christianity that delights in being harsh and almost brutal. Strength is present, and so is doctrinal purity, but there is no tact or compassion. No one ever lived a holier life than Jesus, yet our Great High Priest is full of sympathy, mercy, and grace. He bears with us without getting irritated or annoyed. His very patience and understanding woo us back to the right path. With Christ we are always safe."

How true! I would even go a step further and say that those who lack love but have "doctrinal purity" in fact have no true doctrinal purity at all. They love God, but they do not love their neighbor. Perhaps purity only to the extent that the Pharisees' doctrines were pure.

God help us that our faith would be like Jesus!

God is the Gospel - John Piper

2007-04-08T19:19:00.000-04:00

"Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God"
"The highest, best decisive good benefit in the Gospel is the glory of God for our everlasting enjoyment"

1. What is the relationship between God is the Gospel and the glory of God?

God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him (Phil 1:20-21)
Can I lose everything and count it gain?

2. What is the relationship between God is the Gospel and the love of God?

John 11:1

This passage is about love - Jesus loved Lazarus and the sisters
He let Lazarus die because he loved him

How?

v. 4 - for the glory of God so that the Son may be glorified

It is not His making much of us, but to enable us to enjoy Him forever.

3. How does God is the Gospel related to your conversion?

2 Cor. 4:4-6

v. 6 referring back to Creation

This is conversion

To be saved is to see/desire God's glory

4. What does God is the Gospel have to do with the Gospel when it is preached rightly?

5 Elements of the Gospel

1. Event - 1 Cor. 15:3

The Historical event of Jesus Death and Ressurection

2. Achievement of His death outside of you

The wrath of God absorbed for all elect
Sins covered (Col 2:13)
Righteousness provided or consummated
Purchase of Eternal life

3. Free offer
4. Application of this in your experience

If it only happens to others and not to you, then no forgiveness for you
Who cares about being forgiven?

So many care for the wrong reason
The best reason is "Because I want God"

this is far more than no more Hell
Reconciliation - Romans 5:11
Forgiveness
Justification - Romans 5:1-2
Eternal life - John 17:3

5. How does God is the Gospel relate to Salt and Light?

Matthew 5

You don't have to be born again to want to be wealthy - This is not the Gospel, it is evil
The salt of the earth are people who are so satisfied with their joy in heaven that they willingly endure pain

6. How does God is the Gospel relate to Evangelism

The Holy Spirit can work in you to quicken and awake
Natural revelation can be used by God to acknowledge some aspect of the Gospel overlap

Illustrations

Nobody goes to the Grand Canyon to increase their self esteem so that they can fee small.

This is because deeply written on the human soul is that we were made to make much of God and not ourselves

Cartoon- Arlo and Janis

"Ever notice that the best moments make you feel insignificant?

Nature Valley Granola bars - Fruit and Nut Ad

Two people at the top of a mountain looking out over the view

says, "You've never felt more alive, you've never felt so insignificant"

Jonathan Edwards - "The redeemed have all their objective good in God..."

It will cost you everything - Steve Lawson - Luke 14:25-35

2007-04-08T19:06:00.000-04:00

02/18/07

- Example of Scholarship for football that cost him everything. He got everything for free, but worked himself to the bone.

v. 25 - Large crowds were following Him

Easy to fit anonymously into the crowd
He turned around to those who followed him

Calls for total commitment of their souls

Disciple - true believer in Jesus Christ

Matt 28:19

v. 26 - A Supreme Devotion

Must love him more than anyone else in life
"if anyone" - no exceptions
"comes to me"
setting the terms

hating those whom have loved you the most

Hebrew figure of speech that is a hyperbole
You must love Christ so much more than the things of the world that it looks like hate
The issue is who you love the most

v. 27 - A Self Denial

Emphasis on "his own"
"and come after me"
It would have been very clear what he was talking about to those in Palestine
Carrying the crossbar was an indication of submission
We must stand before a Holy God and agree that we are all sinners
To carry one's cross is to make an open statement to the world that you are under submission to God
We cannot follow Christ and love anything else more than Christ

v. 28-32 - A sober calculation

2 parables

v. 28-30 - Building a tower - "count the cost"

count the cost before you build
otherwise you will be mocked

v. 31 - A king going to war

2 competing kingdoms

The greater king is Jesus
You need to settle terms of peace

v. 33 - Total Commitment is the Bottom line

You must give up all your possessions
You must transfer all that you have to all that is His. Your stuff is now His stuff

v. 34-35 - A Searching Examination

Fake salt is useless

Isaiah 53 - The Suffering Servant - C.J. Mahaney

2007-04-08T18:14:00.000-04:00

02/18/07

Clearly the servant is Jesus Christ with numerous attestations from the New Testament

1. Appearance

v. 1-3 - "Suffering observed and misunderstood"

v. 1 - who has believed?

none of us; we are like v. 3 - we esteemed him not

v. 2 - an unpromising person

Background is unimpressive
Physical appearance is unimpressive - plain

v. 3 - Rejected

2. v. 4-6 - Reality

Transition from human expectation to Divine Revelation
Suffered for us because of our sin, and as our substitute
Numerous references to "He", "our", and "us"

10x "our," "we," or "us" is used

this emphasizes our role

He suffered on our behalf

He suffered because of us

Isaiah recognizes our tendency to say, "I didn't do it" so he makes numerous references to our wickedness and sinfulness

Suffered as our substitute

"borne," "carried," "wounded," "crushed," "chastisement," "stripes."

General feeling on the street was that he was smitten by God

This is true, but it was not because of his sin, but for theirs and ours

3. v. 10 - Significance

uniquely reveals the father's love for sinners like us

"we all walk around with his nails in our pockets"

Ultimately God the Father killed Jesus
This passage reveals the plan before time
It demonstrates the love of God the Father
He crushed Him in order to convince you of his love
"The Cross is the measure of God's love"

What more could he have done?

Luke 18:9-14 - John MacArthur - 02/17/07

2007-04-08T18:01:00.000-04:00

Old Testament Justification

Job 2 - How can a man be righteous before God?
Job 25:4
Psalm 143:2 - No man living is righteous
Isaiah 53:11 - Righteous one will make many righteous

The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)

Pharisee asks for nothing because he did not see that he needed anything
Tax collector was justified because he saw that he was not worthy
Either you trust in yourself or you don't
Pharisee's prayer was to himself

it would have been out loud so that others could hear
unabashed confession of his own achievement
lacks praise to God, he wants nothing from God, he just wants everyone to hear how holy he is, especially compared to the others

Tax Collector

knows that he has no right to be in that area
unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven

because he knows his sinfulness

Beating his chest

this never appears in the Old Testament
Only appears 2x in the New Testament

Here and at the crucifixion

Rarely do men do this

gesture of extreme sorrow and anguish
"It takes something of the magnitude of Golgotha for men to do this"
Calls attention to the wretchedness of his own heart

Faith is implied here

He knew God's holiness
He knew that God was merciful to those who ask

Pleading that God would accept the sacrifice given that day

In one moment Jesus pronounces a wicked sinner as justified without any works, time lapse, etc... It comes as a result of genuine repentance

imputed righteousness

More Resolved...1 Cor 1:20-31 John MacArthur

2007-04-08T17:53:00.000-04:00

Why are we ashamed of the Gospel? (02/17/07)

v. 18 - perishing
v. 21 - saved
Shameful sentence of the Cross
Shameful message of the Cross

Jews seeking wonders in the sky
Gentiles seeking someone who is not executed (to follow an executed man was unthinkable

Shameful simplicity of the Cross
Shameful society of the Cross

not many of noble birth or highly educated or highly esteemed by society in the Church

Shameful sovereignty of the Cross

v. 21 God was well pleased to save those who would beleive

Killing the Homeless for Sport

2007-04-08T17:43:00.000-04:00

Apparently there has been a significant increase in the number of homeless people who have been killed...for fun. Kids as young as 10 who take delight in murdering those who have no place to lay their head. Utterly disgusting!
I don't think our society is as far removed from the Colosseum-style entertainment as we might like to think.

Benny Hinn Music Video

2007-02-25T16:53:00.000-05:00

I thought this was pretty funny. Perhaps they should play this song at one of Benny Hinn's crusades instead of Christian ones, it might be more accurate.