A Radical Disparity

One cannot long read the Scriptures sympathetically without noticing the radical disparity between the outlook of men of the Bible and that of modern men. We are today suffering from a secularized mentality. Where the sacred writers saw God, we see the laws of nature. There world was fully populated; ours is all but empty. Their world was alive and personal; ours is impersonal and dead. God ruled their world; ours is ruled by the laws of nature and we are always once removed from the presence of God. (By A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, page 108.)

Assuming this is true, what are we as Christians living in this age doing about this?

Carl Trueman on Mercy Killing

Trueman on mercy killing. It's certainly worth a read.

On Election...

Election guards us from falling off the horse on other side. It guards against the error of thinking that we can earn our way into God's favor through "works of the law," since God's favor toward us is rooted in the free act of love before the foundation of the world. We cannot earn what God has chosen to bestow freely "before we had done anything good or evil" (Romans 9:11). It also guards us from the error of thinking that, in order for us to be loved freely and to be eternally secure, obedience must be optional, not necessary. Thus the incentive for holiness retains its urgency, since holiness is necessary (Hebrews 12:14); but it does not become a legalistic burden, because we serve in the strength which God supplies (1 Peter 4:11; see also 1 Corinthians 15:10; Romans 15:18). (From The Pleasures of God by John Piper, page 151.)

How awesome it is to know we have been chosen before time began (Ephesians 1:4) and that we have not been chosen on anything within or without ourselves.

Pentateuch Study 8

Sproul's Connection to Payne Stewart

Here is another view of a well known theologian's library and his memorabilia. We also find out about his connection to Payne Stewart.

R.C. Sproul - Study Video from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Godly Ambition

Spurgeon on Acts 8:30

“Understandest thou what thou readest?”

Acts 8:30

We should be abler teachers of others, and less liable to be carried about by every wind of doctrine, if we sought to have a more intelligent understanding of the Word of God. As the Holy Ghost, the Author of the Scriptures is he who alone can enlighten us rightly to understand them, we should constantly ask his teaching, and his guidance into all truth. When the prophet Daniel would interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, what did he do? He set himself to earnest prayer that God would open up the vision. The apostle John, in his vision at Patmos, saw a book sealed with seven seals which none was found worthy to open, or so much as to look upon. The book was afterwards opened by the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who had prevailed to open it; but it is written first-”I wept much.” The tears of John, which were his liquid prayers, were, so far as he was concerned, the sacred keys by which the folded book was opened. Therefore, if, for your own and others’ profiting, you desire to be “filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,” remember that prayer is your best means of study: like Daniel, you shall understand the dream, and the interpretation thereof, when you have sought unto God; and like John you shall see the seven seals of precious truth unloosed, after you have wept much. Stones are not broken, except by an earnest use of the hammer; and the stone-breaker must go down on his knees. Use the hammer of diligence, and let the knee of prayer be exercised, and there is not a stony doctrine in revelation which is useful for you to understand, which will not fly into shivers under the exercise of prayer and faith. You may force your way through anything with the leverage of prayer. Thoughts and reasonings are like the steel wedges which give a hold upon truth; but prayer is the lever, the prise which forces open the iron chest of sacred mystery, that we may get the treasure hidden within. - C.H. Spurgeon

Not As We Deserve

Isn't a blessing that the Lord does not deal with us according to what we deserve (Ps. 103:10)?

Psalm 103

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,3who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,4who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,5who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.7He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.8The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.10He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;12as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.13As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.14For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

Pentateuch Study 7

Our study continues...

Twilight?

Are you reading this stuff? Why?

Doug Wilson on the popular series of books and movies:

Ask Doug - What is Wrong With Twilight? from Daniel Foucachon on Vimeo.

Retirement?

Keller on the Missional Church

Thoughts anyone?

Missional Church....Simple?

OK, whaddaya think?

A Look at Lig Duncan's Library

We had a look at Al Mohler's library, now let's take a look at Lig Duncan's library.
I love the idea of the standing desk and sitting desk.

Lig Duncan - Study Video from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Pleasing God

An uplifting sermon on 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8.



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Calvin on Free Will at 0630 hrs

Every other Monday at 6:30am I get together with a couple of other lunatics and discuss Calvin. All joking aside, it has been a blessing. We discuss some pretty meaty stuff over breakfast and coffee and then head off in our separate ways. We discussed free will and several other subjects today. Allow me to share some choice quotes from Calvin that I have highlighted in my copy of Book II, chapter 2 that I have found undeniably helpful on the subject of free will.

Wherefore, it is not without reason that Augustine so often repeats the well-known saying, that free will is more destroyed than established by its defenders (August. in Evang. Joann. Tract. 81). It was necessary to premise this much for the sake of some who, when they hear that human virtue is totally overthrown, in order that the power of God in man maybe exalted, conceive an utter dislike to the whole subject, as if it were perilous, not to say superfluous, whereas it is manifestly both most necessary and most useful. (II. 2.1)

Again, that no will is free which has not been made so by divine grace. Again, that the righteousness of God is not fulfilled when the law orders, and man acts, as it were, by his own strength, but when the Spirit assists, and the will (not the free will of man, but the will freed by God) obeys. He briefly states the ground of all these observations, when he says, that man at his creation received a great degree of free will, but lost it by sinning. In another place, after showing that free will is established by grace, he strongly inveighs against those who arrogate any thing to themselves without grace. His words are, “How much soever miserable men presume to plume themselves on free will before they are made free, or on their strength after they are made free, they do not consider that, in the very expression free will, liberty is implied. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,' (2 Cor. 3:17). (II.2.8)

What, then, is meant by Cyprian in the passage so often lauded by Augustine, “Let us glory in nothing, because nothing is ours,” unless it be, that man being utterly destitute, considered in himself, should entirely depend on God? (II.2.9)

All the weapons of impiety must be bruised, and broken, and burnt in the fire; you must remain unarmed, having no help in yourself. The more infirm you are, the more the Lord will sustain you. So, in expounding the seventieth Psalm, he forbids us to remember our own righteousness, in order that we may recognise the righteousness of God, and shows that God bestows his grace upon us, that we may know that we are nothing; that we stand only by the mercy of God, seeing that in ourselves eve are altogether wicked. Let us not contend with God for our right, as if anything attributed to him were lost to our salvation. As our insignificance is his exaltation, so the confession of our insignificance has its remedy provided in his mercy. (II.2.11)

Man, when he withdrew his allegiance to God, was deprived of the spiritual gifts by which he had been raised to the hope of eternal salvation. Hence it follows, that he is now an exile from the kingdom of God, so that all things which pertain to the blessed life of the soul are extinguished in him until he recover them by the grace of regeneration. Among these are faith, love to God, charity towards our neighbour, the study of righteousness and holiness. All these, when restored to us by Christ, are to be regarded as adventitious and above nature. (II.2.12)

The end of the natural law, therefore, is to render man inexcusable, and may be not improperly defined—the judgment of conscience distinguishing sufficiently between just and unjust, and by convicting men on their own testimony depriving them of all pretext for ignorance. So indulgent is man towards himself, that, while doing evil, he always endeavours as much as he can to suppress the idea of sin. (II.2.22)

We know too well from experience how often we fall, even when our intention is good. Our reason is exposed to so many forms of delusion, is liable to so many errors, stumbles on so many obstacles, is entangled by so many snares, that it is ever wandering from the right direction. Of how little value it is in the sight of God, in regard to all the parts of life, Paul shows, when he says, that we are not “sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves,” (2 Cor. 3:5). ...Augustine, in speaking of this inability of human reason to understand the things of God, says, that he deems the grace of illumination not less necessary to the mind than the light of the sun to the eye (August. de Peccat. Merit. et Remiss . lib. 2 cap. 5). And, not content with this, he modifies his expression, adding, that we open our eyes to behold the light, whereas the mental eye remains shut, until it is opened by the Lord. ...“With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments,” (Ps. 119:10). Though he had been regenerated, and so had made no ordinary progress in true piety, he confesses that he stood in need of direction every moment, in order that he might not decline from the knowledge with which he had been endued. Hence, he elsewhere prays for a renewal of a right spirit, which he had lost by his sin, (PS. 51:12). For that which God gave at first, while temporarily withdrawn, it is equally his province to restore. (II.2.25)

...[W]hat answer shall we give to the apostles who declares that “we are incapable of thinking a good thought?” (2 Cor. 3:5). What answer shall we give to the Lord, who declares, by Moses, that “every imagination of man's heart is only evil continually?” (Gen. 8:21). Since the blunder has thus arisen from an erroneous view of a single passage, it seems unnecessary to dwell upon it. Let us rather give due weight to our Saviour's words, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin,” (John 8:34). We are all sinners by nature, therefore we are held under the yoke of sin. But if the whole man is subject to the dominion of sin, surely the will, which is its principal seat, must be bound with the closest chains. And, indeed, if divine grace were preceded by any will of ours, Paul could not have said that “it is God which worketh in us both to will and to do” (Php 2:13). Away, then, with all the absurd trifling which many have indulged in with regard to preparation. Although believers sometimes ask to have their heart trained to the obedience of the divine law, as David does in several passages (Ps.51:12), it is to be observed, that even this longing in prayer is from God. This is apparent from the language used. When he prays, “Create in me a clean heart,” he certainly does not attribute the beginning of the creation to himself. Let us therefore rather adopt the sentiment of Augustine, “God will prevent you in all things, but do you sometimes prevent his anger. How? Confess that you have all these things from God, that all the good you have is from him, all the evil from yourself,” (August. De Verbis Apost. Serm. 10). Shortly after he says “Of our own we have nothing but sin.” (II.2.27)

Pentateuch Study 6

Our study continues...



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The Masculine Challenge

In another insightful article, Al Mohler focuses on the issues of young men and boys in society in general and in our churches specifically. From a lack of masculinity to an attempt to over compensate for it in our churches the crisis continues in some churches with Fight Clubs. From his conclusion he states,

Of course, Christianity honors the man who fights "the good fight of faith," and the most important fight to which a Christian man is called is the fight to grow up into godly manhood, to be true to wife and provide for his children, to make a real contribution in the home, in the church, and in the society, and to show the glory of God in faithfully living out all that God calls a man to be and to do. This means a fight for truth, for the Gospel, and for the virtues of the Christian life. The New Testament is filled with masculine -- and even martial -- images of Christian faithfulness. We must be unashamed of these, and help a rising generation of men and boys to understand what it means to be a man in Christ. The Christian man does not embrace brutality for the sake of proving his manhood.

We need to embrace Biblical manhood and all that that encompasses. Let's guide our sons and not let pop culture and consumerism draw them away.

Read the entire article here.

Justification and the New Perspectives on Paul

The doctrine of justification and the “New Perspective on Paul" is a critical issue for Christians today. The good folks at Ligonier have put together a fantastic list of resources on the subject. As they state, These accusations cannot be easily brushed aside, for they strike at the heart of our entire understanding of salvation. Head over to Ligonier, then read and listen, study, understand and share your knowledge with others.

Pentateuch Study 5

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For a outline pdf of this lesson click here.

Psalm 112

Psalm 112
1Praise ye the Lord. The man is bless'd
that fears the Lord aright,
He who in his commandements
doth greatly take delight.
2His seed and offspring powerful
shall be the earth upon:
Of upright men blessed shall be
the generation.

3Riches and wealth shall ever be
within his house in store;
And his unspotted righteousness
endures for evermore.
4Unto the upright light doth rise,
though he in darkness be:
Compassionate, and merciful,
and righteous, is he.

5A good man doth his favour shew,
and doth to others lend:
He with discretion his affairs
will guide unto the end.
6Surely there is not any thing
that ever shall him move:
The righteous man's memorial
shall everlasting prove.

7When he shall evil tidings hear,
he shall not be afraid:
His heart is fix'd, his confidence
upon the Lord is stay'd.
8His heart is firmly stablished,
afraid he shall not be,
Until upon his enemies
he his desire shall see.

9He hath dispers'd, giv'n to the poor;
his righteousness shall be
To ages all; with honour shall
his horn be raised high.
10The wicked shall it see, and fret,
his teeth gnash, melt away:
What wicked men do most desire
shall utterly decay.

(From the Scottish Psalter)

Pastor's Conference

Watch the Desiring God pastor's conference live here and here is the link for the schedule. It has all the makings of a great learning experience. Be blessed.

Paul's Prayer from 1 Thessalonians 3

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