Definite Calling

Helpful Resource for ESV Study Bible Owners

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:41:00 +0000

Those of you who recieved a brand new ESV Study Bible for Christmas and are in the initial stages of reading through the Bible in a year, might find this resource Eric Schumacher created very helpful.

Eric has created a One year reading plan for all of the Articles and Resources within the ESVSB. It works in conjunction with the ESVSB Daily Bible Reading Plan.

Download the chart here.

Job and John Murray on Sanctification

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:26:00 +0000

"There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil." - Job 1:1

At the beginning of the book of Job, Job's character is highly esteemed. He is a man of God, "...blameless and upright..." he truly abhorred evil. However, at the end of the book, Job comes into the presence of God and the only thing left for him to say is, "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes" ( Job 42:5-6).

I have learned the more we progress as Christians in sanctification, the less holy we perceive ourselves to be. As time continues we become increasingly aware of our indwelling sin. John Murray wrote on Sanctification in his classic "Redemption Accomplished and Applied." He concludes:

Indeed, the more sanctified the person is, the more conformed he is to the image of his Saviour, the more he must recoil against every lack of conformity to the holiness of God. The deeper his apprehension of the majesty of God, the greater the intensity of his love to God, the more persistent his yearning for the attainment of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the more conscious will he be of the gravity of the sin which remains and the more poignant will be his detestation of it. The more closely he comes to the holiest of all, the more he apprehends the sinfulness that is his and he must cry out, "O wretched man that I am" (Rom. 7:24). Was this not the effect in all the people of God as they came into closer proximity to the revelation of God's holiness?

Top Productivity Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:23:00 +0000

Matt Perman has some real good advice for all of us.

Top Productivity Tips

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Theology is not Boring

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:30:00 +0000

"Dry"..."Boring"..."Confusing"..."Waste of Time." These words are often heard, or usually thought of when the topic of theology is brought up. However, for the Christian, theology is an inescapable journey into the mind and heart of God.

What is Theology?

There are two important Greek words that form our modern day word "theology." Theos (God) and logos (word.) In short, theology is the study of God. All Christians are called to study and learn about God from His own Self-revelations, primarily, from the Bible. In order for people to fulfill their ultimate purpose in life, that is, glorifying God; they must be equipped with true doctrine. If we want to grow more in our knowledge of God in Jesus Christ and have an intense meaningful relationship with Him we must have the correct view of Him and this only comes through careful study of the Scriptures.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. -1 Tim. 2:15

- Jake Sherron

Christian Discipline

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 22:26:00 +0000

I have always maintained a high respect for people who are disciplined. I don’t mean that discipline should be confused with punishment; discipline is rather the act of a person training themselves to do things that are unpleasant and uncomfortable, but in the end… rewarding and extremely beneficial. I also see the importance of discipline in our own pursuit of holiness. If we are to grow in holiness we must become disciplined.

Obviously, we live in a culture that lacks discipline; I would say that my own generation severely lacks any form of it. In fact, my Marketing professor a couple weeks ago stated that he felt “the current college generation is the most lazy and apathetic of all time!” Honestly, I am not the exception to the rule. As I look at my life and daily activities, and especially my habits, I am lacking in the area of godly discipline. Discipline is, after all, unpleasant…isn’t it?

I want discipline in my life. I desire to be the man who is resolved to:

Wake up early and study the Bible everyday
Manage his time well
Regularly pray
Keep everything clean and organized
Excel in schoolwork
Regularly exercise
Etc...

These are a few disciplines I have a desire to master (even though not all of them are specifically commanded in scripture) but when it comes time to do them… I don’t, they are unpleasant, and sometimes painful. Waking up early and studying the Bible requires that I sacrifice some social time at night in order to get to sleep earlier. Managing my time requires that I sit down at the beginning of each week and systematically assign the times for certain tasks and goals to be accomplished, and then to follow my own directions. Regularly slipping away to pray means, at times removing all distractions and leaving to go to a place where no one can follow or distract me. Prayer is a very pleasant experience but actually going through with it is hard sometimes. Keeping everything clean and organized was never a focus for me while growing up (just ask my mom,) but I now see its importance more and more.

All these are unpleasant at first, but over time, with “training” they can become an integral part of our lives and serve to benefit us in many ways.

Discipline is a form of education; it is a form of character enhancement. For example, waking up early in the morning to read the Bible everyday actually provides us more time for our study of the Scriptures. Proper time management skills help us to eliminate those awful “all-nighters.” This discipline also helps us set aside more time for the things we love; like prayer, Bible study, exercise, friends and family. Procrastination is a very unhealthy habit; it is something I’m personally tired of. Time is a gift from God, it is limited, and therefore must be used wisely.

How must we develop discipline in our lives?

Perhaps the best book on discipline I have read to date is The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges. He makes it clear that the key to discipline in the Christian life is dependence upon the Holy Spirit. This is one of his comments about the spiritual disciplines

I believe in spiritual disciplines. I seek to practice them …But those disciplines are not the source of our spiritual strength. The Lord Jesus Christ is, and it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to apply His strength in our lives. To paraphrase Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 3:7, we can plant and we can water, but we cannot make things grow. Only the Holy Spirit can do that.

Unless the LORD builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the LORD watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

Psalm 127

In the Christian life we have the responsibility to actively “build” discipline into our lives. At the same time, we must be absolutely dependent upon the LORD who is the real builder and sustainer of all our discipline. Without dependence upon God, everything we do is in vain.

Two Kinds of Weaknesses

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:27:00 +0000

“Out of weakness were made strong.” -Hebrews 11:34

SOME kinds of weakness are of God’s appointment and necessarily incident to manhood. They are not sinful, and therefore we may continue to be subject to them without regret. In reference to such weaknesses it may be that after beseeching the Lord even thrice to remove them it may be for our good that they should remain. Then will our gracious God give us, in place of removing the weakness, this reply, “My grace shall be sufficient for you.” This is a case of in weakness being made strong, and there are many of God’s saints who daily experience so blessed a privilege. They are weak, and continue weak. They have infirmities which they once wished to have removed but which now they are content to bear, for now they are of the same mind with the Apostle—they glory in their infirmity because when they are weak they are strong.

But, dear Friends, there is another kind of weakness which is sinful—a weakness which springs not from nature but from fallen nature—not from God’s appointment, but from our sinfulness. And out of this we should desire to be delivered. We cannot pray for strength in sinful weakness, but must earnestly plead for strength to come out of it and to be made strong. This seems to me to be the particular blessing which faith is said to have obtained in the text, “out of weakness were made strong.” It is the inestimable privilege of many a Christian to be strong in weakness when the weakness is only one of infirmity, but it is an equally precious gift to be made strong out of weakness when that weakness is of a sinful kind.

GOD’S CURE FOR MAN’S WEAKNESS
NO. 697
DELIVERED ON SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 24, 1866,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

What Characterizes Our Thankfulness?

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:43:00 +0000

" ...with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in
the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of
darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:11-14

What characterizes our gratitude? This is the question my pastor asked the congregation this morning. Its importance is substantial. The text answers the question simply yet powerfully. The main characteristic of true thankfulness is found at the tail-end of verse 11; "...with joy." Joy is to be the major characteristic of our thankfulness.

We all know what it is like to receive a gift from a loved one that is not very exciting. For example, the socks and underwear you received from your Aunt. Or in my case, the coloring book I received from my Aunt when I was 16. When this happens, if your like me, naturally we return thanks without much energy or heart-felt gratitude. However, The Bible makes it very clear that energetic joyous thankfulness is very important to God. Take for instance these passages:

"For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence." Psalm 21:6

"And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." Luke 2:10

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Rom. 15:13

Everything we do is to be coated with joyous thankfulness, every day of our lives.

C.S Lewis made it clear in his book "Surprised by Joy" that it is not joy that we seek, but it is the object we seek, which brings us joy. To the Christian, God is the object of all joy, He is the "Supremely Desirable." Thanksgiving is a spiritual discipline; a lack of thankfulness is something that we all struggle with, therefore thankfulness is something we must labor for.

How must we labor for thankfulness?

We labor for thankfulness by constantly reminding ourselves of the work of God in Christ. Paul answered the question for us in verse 12; "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you..." This truth is the very center of our lives, and our constant meditation upon it will produce the proper response of true spiritual thankfulness that is required.

Remember that without God intervening we were utterly disqualified, we were excluded from the "kingdom of his beloved son..." and we were in love with the "...domain of darkness..." The Father has qualified the disqualified. This is the foundation of our joyous lifelong intoxicating thankfulness. We must constantly remind ourselves of how we know the Supremely Desirable One.

God has given us Himself and that is something to be thankful for.

Jake Sherron

We are Living in Exponential Times...

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:11:00 +0000

It is an absolute fact that technology is here to stay. New Technologies will undoubtedly continue to sprout up out of nowhere and it will be very important for growing churches to take advantage and stay on top of newer innovations. George Barna recently conducted a study on the use of technology in Protestant Churches. Barna commented that

"The Internet has become one of the pivotal communications and
community-building tools of our lifetime. Churches are well-advised to have an
intelligent and foresighted Internet strategy in order to facilitate meaningful ministry."

Recently, I visited a smaller church which consisted of mainly an older congregation. I attended with a large group of younger men. As a result, many members expressed that they were very excited to have a group of young men at church. After talking with some of the members it seemed that the church was having trouble attracting the "younger crowd." This is just speculation, but perhaps they feel like many other shrinking country churches; maybe they feel that many of the innovative tools available for ministry are outside of their budget, maybe they feel that all of this technology just doesn't fit a church like theirs. Don't get me wrong, these churches are full of genuine Christians who love Jesus Christ, and our brothers and sisters need prayer. However, time will only tell, but I think I agree with Barna when he says "... that such thinking contributes to the continued small size of some of those churches."

As Christians, if we want to effectively reach our communities with the gospel of Christ lets stay in tune with the "shift."

Quiet Time Guilt

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Good article discussing "Quiet Times" and guilty consciences.

http://gregscouch.homestead.com/files/Quiet_Time_Guilt.htm

Studying Ephesians

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:49:00 +0000

I’ve decided to focus this next month studying the book of Ephesians. Perhaps, writing about this Epistle will bless you and help me better understand its truths, and help all of us grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Please pray for me as I study this book. This is my first time writing on an Epistle and any advice is much appreciated.

Thomas Watson on Self Denial

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:12:00 +0000

Thomas Watson on self denial,

For the attaining of self-denial, let these rules be observed:

1. Be convinced of the incomparable excellency of Christ. He is the quintessence of goodness. He is compared to a head of gold—for riches, Song of Solomon 5:10; to the Rose of Sharon—for perfume, Song of Solomon 2:1; to a bright morning star—for beauty, Revelation 22:16. Jesus Christ is all that is good and lovely. He is all we can require for satisfaction, or that we can desire for salvation. He is fully commensurate to our needs. He has eye salve to anoint us, white raiment to cover us, and His blood to heal us. We shall never deny ourselves for Christ—until we see glory and a beauty in Him. Christ is all marrow and sweetness. He is better than life, estate, or heaven!

2. Endeavor after a vital principle of grace. Grace will do that which flesh and blood cannot do. A man may do that by skill—which he cannot do by strength. A burden of great weight may be lifted up by pulleys, which cannot be lifted up by strength of arm. Grace will teach one the art of self-denial, which cannot be done by strength of nature. In particular, labor for three graces.

Humility. A proud man admires himself; therefore he cannot deny himself. A humble man lays his mouth in the dust. He has lower thoughts of himself, than others can have of him. He renounces himself. He opens to God as the flower opens to the sun. He will have—what God will have for him. He will be—what God will have him be. He is like melting wax. God may set whatever stamp and impression He will, upon him. The humble man is the self-denier.

Love. Who will not deny himself for a friend whom he loves? He will part with anything he has. He will gratify him who he loves, though it is to his own loss. He whose heart is fired with love for Christ—will stop at nothing for His sake. Gregory Nazianzen said of his Athenian learning, that he was glad he had anything of worth, to esteem as nothing, for Christ. Love for God will devour self-love.

Faith. Abraham was a great self-denier. He left his kindred and country and was willing to travel to any place where God would have him. Whence was this? It was from his faith. Hebrews 11:8, "By faith Abraham obeyed and went out, not knowing where he went." He who believes that Christ and heaven are his—what will he not relinquish for Christ's sake? The stronger a Christian's faith is, the more eminent will his self-denial be.

3. Pray much for self-denial. Prayer sets God to work, Psalm 10:17. Let this be your grand request—a self-denying frame of heart. Self-denial does not grow in nature's soil. It is a fruit of the Spirit. Beg God that He will plant this heavenly flower in your soul. Say, "Lord, whatever You deny me, do not deny me self-denial. Let me rather lack great abilities, nay, let me lack the comforts of the Spirit—rather than self-denial."

There may be going to heaven without comfort—but there is no going there without self-denial.

Thank you Leonard Ravenhill

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:42:00 +0000

I found this poem today written by David Ravenhill in honor of his father, the late Leonard Ravenhill.

I knew a man who gave his life

To see revival fire

He prayed by day, he prayed by night

to birth this one desire.

He had but one obsession

To see a glorious bride

Arrayed in spotless purity

Brought to her bridegroom's side.

His power while in the pulpit

Was matched by very few

And yet he loved the closet

There with the God he knew.

While others strove for man's applause

For fortune and for fame

He had but one ambition

To exalt his Master's name.

For eighty-seven years

He lived just for eternity

A man of faith and wisdom

And true humility.

He knew one day he'd have to stand

Before God's judgement seat

And so he ran to win the prize

His mission to complete.

The fortune that he left behind

Was not in stocks or gold

But lives transformed and challenged--

Their stories yet untold.

There is no greater privilege

Than this that I have had

Of knowing this great man of God

And having him as Dad.

--David Ravenhill

Author and Itinerant Teacher

Lindale, Texas

About Me

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Sherron) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:32:00 +0000

I am a Christian... Jesus is my Lord and Saviour.

I am Protestant... I hold to the five "solas" of the Reformation. Sola Scriptura (by scripture alone), Sola Fide (by faith alone), Sola Gratia (by grace alone), Sola Christus (Christ alone), Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone)

I am Reformed... I believe in the doctrines of grace - mostly known as Calvinism
I am Evangelical... I believe in the Biblical gospel.
I am a work in progress - I am the worst sinner I know. In desperate need of God's grace, this can only be found in Christ Jesus.

I am a college student with a Construction major

I am not a Seminary Student…

I have no theological degrees…

I am not a pastor…

I am learning… I think this blog will help. I hope it helps you.