Monday, August 31, 2009

Gospel commandings are gracious enablings

John Berridge wrote:

Run, John., and work, the law commands,
Yet finds me neither feet nor hands;
But, sweeter news the gospel brings,
It bids me fly, and lends me wings.

(Source: The Salt-Cellars, Vol. 1, page 234, by C.H. Spurgeon)

Friday, August 28, 2009

A gospel-centered reader

Timmy Brister has a collection of gospel-centered resources at Provocations and Pantings. Below is his list. Let him know if you can think of more. Also, Michael Spencer at Internet Monk has a post titled "I’m a Little Confused About Being “Gospel-Centered” in which he asks nine questions with the aim to clarify what people mean by "gospel-centered."

1. Gospel Coalition Foundation Documents
2. The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration
3. Together for the Gospel Statement (PDF)
4. The Centrality of the Gospel by Tim Keller (PDF)
5. The Biblical Gospel by D.A. Carson (PDF)
6. Gospel-Driven Sanctification by Jerry Bridges (PDF)
7. The Transforming Power of the Gospel – Steve Childers (PDF)
8. The Gospel and the Poor by Tim Keller (PDF)
9. Fight Clubs: Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Jonathan Dodson (PDF)
10. The Gospel Centered Life by Bob Thune (study)
11. Gospel-Centered Ministry by Tim Keller (PDF)
12. How to Preach the Gospel to Yourself by David Fairchild (Sermon MSS)
13. The Gospel: Key to Change by Tim Keller (PDF)
14. God Strengthens Us by the Gospel by John Piper
15. Advancing the Gospel in the 21st Century Part 2 by Tim Keller
16. Gospel-Centered Preaching by Steve Childers (not online)
17. Gospel Christianity (1.0) (2.0) (3.0) by Tim Keller (studies)
18. The Gospel in Its Many Forms by Tim Keller
19. How Does the Gospel Save Believers? (Part 2) (Part 3) by John Piper
20. Gospel-Centered by Joe Thorn
21. Being the Church in Our Culture by Tim Keller (PDF)
22. Preach the Gospel to Yourself by Tim Challies
23. What Do I Mean by a Gospel-Driven Life? (Part 2 Part 3) by John Fonville
24. The Gospel-Driven Life by Harry Reeder III

Trinitarian heresy 101

Michael Patton gives basic principles of what the doctrine of the Trinity is (e.g., Christians believe in one God, i.e., one essence, who eternally exists in three separate persons, all of whom are equal.) and shoots down illustrations about what it is not at his post at Parchment and Pen titled “The Trinity is like 3-in-1 shampoo” ... and other stupid statements."

He made the “Trinitarianism Heresy Test Chart” below with the following notes:

  • If equality is denied, on the opposite side it points to subordinationalism.
  • If diversity is denied, the result is modalism.
  • If unity is denied, the result is tritheism (or polytheism —many gods).



He also provided the following chart -- called the “Shield of the Trinity” -- to help describe the Trinity, and said, "It is always best to remember that the Father is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and the Son is God, but they are not each other.



Read the entire post.

Making Bible reading simple

Stephen Altrogge:

Have you ever gotten lost while reading your Bible? You’re wandering through Judges, and as you’re reading about bloody sacrifices, bloodier battles, and a long-haired strong man killing hundred of Philistines with a jaw bone, you suddenly realize, I have no idea what this means for me today. What do ram sacrifices, the sun going backwards, and a long line of oddly named judges, have to do with budgets, disciplining your children, and spending eight hours in a cubicle? I’ve been there, and frankly, it can be pretty discouraging.

Let me give you two simple questions to ask when you’re reading Scripture and feeling lost. These questions came directly from a sermon by a man named Mike Bullmore. The questions are:

What Does This Passage Tell Me About God?

At times we forget the obvious: the Bible is all about God. Every passage points to God, revealing something about his character, his desires, or his actions. The OT sacrifices tell me that God is holy and that he takes sin seriously. The Psalms tell me that God is sovereign, and yet he’s also an intensely personal. In every book of the Bible, the glory of God bursts through and the story of salvation is unfolded. So when you feel lost, step back a moment and ask, Where is God in this picture? What work is he doing in this scene? How does this passage point to God’s saving work in Christ? Where’s the glory, and where’s the story?

What Does This Passage Tell Me About Myself?

For each revelation of God there is an appropriate response from us. His majesty calls us to humbly worship him, His goodness compels us to thank him. His commands require obedience, which in turn leads us to ask him for the grace to obey. The Bible isn’t simply information to be digested, it requires a heartfelt response. So as you read, ask yourself, How should I respond to what I just read? Is there a command I must obey, a sin I must repent of, or a blessing for which I should be grateful?

I find these questions to be tremendously helpful, and they have a simplifying effect on my devotional life. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t dive deep into Scripture, or read commentaries, or do word studies. Those are all wonderful tools. But ultimately Scripture is the story of God revealing himself to and redeeming sinners. When we keep that in mind, things get much simpler.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Theological studies toolbar

From Michael Patton at Parchment and Pen:

I have designed a theological toolbar to lead you to all the best and most trustworthy sites on the web.

Included:
  • Online Bibles Sites
  • Bible Study Software
  • Christian History
  • Theological Sites
  • Built in MP3 with the entire Theology Program fed into it.
  • Easy to access RSS feed to the must read Theological Blogs (P&P included of course)
  • Google search engine
  • and more…

It is very clean. Check it out.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

A life of thankful discontentment

“The Christian life should be a state of thankful discontentment or joyful dissatisfaction! We live every day thankful for the amazing grace that fundamentally changes our lives, but we should not be satisfied. Why not? Because, when we look at ourselves honestly, we have to admit that there is still need for personal growth and change. We are not yet all that we could be in Christ. We are thankful for the many things in our lives that would not be there without His grace, but we should not settle for partial inheritance. We should want nothing less than all that is ours in Christ! In this sense, God does not want us to be content with less than what He wants for us. He calls us to continue to wrestle, meditate, look, consider, resist, submit, follow, and pray until we have been completely transformed into His likeness.”

- Paul David Tripp & Timothy S. Lane, “How Christ Changes Us By His Grace” in The Journal of Biblical Counseling (Spring 2005), 20.

HT: Of First Importance

Building faith by preaching Christ

“Faith is not built by preaching introspectively (constantly challenging people to question whether they have faith); faith is not built by preaching moralistically (which has exactly the opposite effect of focusing attention on the self rather than on Christ, in whom our faith is placed); faith is not built by joining the culture wars and taking potshots at what is wrong with our culture. Faith is built by careful, thorough exposition of the person, character, and work of Christ….

We feed on Christ himself, and we do so not by some physical eating of his body, but through faith in the Christ proclaimed in Word and sacrament. These four alternatives [moralism, how-to, introspection, and social gospel] have left much of the evangelical and Reformed church malnourished. People know what they ought to do, but they are dispirited and lethargic, without the vision, drive, or impetus to live with and for Christ. And the reason for this dispirited condition is that the pulpit is largely silent about Christ. He is mentioned only as an afterthought or appendage to a sermon; in many churches, he is never proclaimed as the central point of a sermon, and surely not on a regular, weekly basis.”

—T. David Gordon, Why Johnny Can’t Preach: The Media Have Shaped the Messengers (P&R 2009) pp. 75—76, 88—89.

HT: Miscellanies

Justification by resurrection

From Tony Reinke at Miscellanies:

Paul writes in Romans 4:25 that Jesus was “delivered up for [διά] our trespasses and raised for [διά] our justification.” A stunning statement that locates our justification in the resurrection of Christ.

On this passage Geerhardus Vos (1862—1949) wrote:

“… it remains worth observing, that the Apostle has incorporated this idea of the resurrection in his forensic sceme. It seems a pity that in the more prominent associations of our Easter observance so little place has been left to it [the forensic]. The Pauline remembrance of the supreme fact, so significant for redemption from sin, and the modern-Christian celebration of the feast have gradually become two quite different things. Who at the present time thinks of Easter as intended and adapted to fill the soul with a new jubilant assurance of the forgiveness of sin as the guarantee of the inheritance of eternal life?” [The Pauline Eschatology (P&R 1930/1994) p. 153]

Monday, August 24, 2009

Your prayer is a beggar

A quote by Paul Miller from A Praying Life:

Imagine that your prayer is a poorly dressed beggar reeking of alcohol and body odor, stumbling toward the palace of the great king. You have become your prayer. As you shuffle toward the barred gate, the guards stiffen. Your smell has preceded you. You stammer out a message for the great king: “I want to see the king.” Your words are barely intelligible, but you whisper one final word, “Jesus. I come in the name of Jesus.”

At the name of Jesus, as if by magic, the palace comes alive. The guards snap to attention, bowing low in front of you. Lights come on, and the door flies open. You are ushered into the palace and down a long hallway in to the throne room of the great king, who comes running to you and wraps you in his arms.

The name of Jesus gives my prayers royal access. They get through. Jesus isn’t just the Savior of my soul. He’s also the Savior of my prayers. My prayers come before the throne of God as the prayers of Jesus. “Asking in Jesus’ name” isn’t another thing I have to get right so my prayers are perfect. It is one more gift of God because my prayers are so imperfect.

HT: The Blazing Center

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The more you see Jesus

“The more I see of Jesus, the more He opens to me His loving heart, the deeper is my sorrow for sin. I lie down in the dust of His feet closer than ever I did before. I can truly say I abhor myself in dust and ashes before Him. My heart seems ready to melt into contrition in view of the ten thousand thousand sins, willful and aggravating, that I have committed against Him, who loved me with an everlasting love, and with loving kindness drew me to Himself.” - Mary Winslow

HT: Of First Importance

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Pre-publications at Logos.com worth considering

For those who have Logos Bible Software, the as-of-right-now pre-publications are worth considering. And if you don't have one of the Logos software base products, I recommend you consider getting one (e.g., Scholar's Library - regular, silver or gold).

Questions to ask when preparing for marriage

What are some good questions to ask when preparing for marriage? Check out John Piper's list at the Desiring God Blog: Questions to Ask When Preparing for Marriage. The questions are listed under the following 10 sections:

1. Theology
2. Worship and Devotion
3. Husband and Wife
4. Children
5. Lifestyle
6. Entertainment
7. Conflict
8. Work
9. Friends
10. Health and Sickness

Praise and Thanksgiving

Here's a prayer titled "Praise and Thanksgiving" from "Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions" edited by Arthur Bennett (pages 26-27):

O MY GOD,

Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee
in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it,
though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language
to express,
for what thou art to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time
and eternity.

Friday, August 7, 2009

What is the "missional" church?

Steve Camp gives "a brief look at how the NT church in our day might function" (Acts 2:42-47) by providing a short list as a "starting point for discussion and thought" with the aim to encourage Christians to pursue biblical ministry within the local church:

1. The Missional Church is not about developing programs, events, classes, etc. for the purpose of attracting nonbelievers to come to church. It is about the "equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry" so that they will go in the confidence of the gospel and the Lord Jesus Christ to the people in their community that the Lord has sovereignly placed them in.

2. The Missional Church is not about corporate strategery, but remaining organic within culture operating from a distinctive biblical worldview as salt and light.

3. The Missional Church is about respecting and understanding nonbelievers "in their unbelief"; and how they function within their homes, work places, and communities. It is also really listening to their views on the hypocrisy of the church, suffering, the problem with evil in the world, and faith experiences from their past.

4. The Missional Church is committed to biblical fidelity and cultural viability. It's the philosophical conviction that for genuine ministry to flourish, one must lead with theology/doctrine and not with pragmatics.

5. The Missional Church desires to fulfill the Great Commission AND the Two Great Commandments as an act of daily worship in culture, in church, in family.

6. The Missional Church is about remaining true to what the Scripture calls us to do as a church as a sign of our faithfulness to Jesus Christ: proclaiming the gospel; preaching the Word; presenting every man mature in Christ; making disciples; calling people to repentance in Christ; worshipping God; caring for the needs of others; loving our neighbor; etc. And then developing passageways for them to be engaged in service to God and others by using their gifts for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

7. The Missional Church is dedicated to preach repentance and not a feel-good tolerance of values.

8. The Missional Church is counter-cultural, but not culturally absent. In the world; not of the world.

9. The Missional Church is the city of God within the city of Man.

10. The Missional Church is wholly monergistic, not synergistic; complimentarian, not egalitarian.

11. The Missional Church is dedicated to the propagation of the gospel of Jesus lived vs. the gospel of capitalism. the gospel of self-esteem, the gospel of seeker-sensitivity, or the gospel of political-works-righteousness lauded.

12. The Missional Church is modeling the Pauline mandate to "become all things to all men" without compromising life, witness, doctrine, or gospel.

13. The Missional Church teaches that all saints are to use their Spirit given giftedness as stewards of the manifold grace of God, for the advancement of His Kingdom, in the power of the Holy Spirit, by His Word, for the service of others, culminating in the praise and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

14. The Missional Church embraces the dignity of all men as created in the image of God by caring for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and all hurting, sick and disadvantaged under this banner: His holiness not compromised; yet His mercy not restrained.

15. and The Missional Church is resolved to living daily in presence of the glory of God in all things.

Have you taken your three glances at Jesus today?

Hebrews 12:1-2: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Sovereign Grace Fellowship Pastor Rick Gamache, in a June 29, 2008 sermon on Hebrews 12:1-2, encourages us to take three glances at Jesus:

Every single day we must look back to Jesus on the cross. Every single day we must take a backwards glance to Jesus on the cross. Verse two says that he endured the cross despising the shame, so every day we must let faith's eye look on Jesus crucified, because when we do we will see the eternal Son of God suffering and bleeding and dying in order to pay for our sins and so satisfy the wrath of God against our sin. When we look on Christ crucified, we will see the most wonderful transaction that's ever taken place. We will see our substitute dying in our place, the just for the unjust, the sinless for the sinful. We will see him burying our sins, carrying our transgressions, becoming a curse for us in order to set us free from all guilt and declare us innocent before God. And when we know that we're forgiven, when we know that we're justified, when we know that we are reconciled and accepted by God, the weight of guilt and condemnation is cast off and we run the race with endurance knowing we have peace with God. So we must daily take a backwards glance at Jesus Christ.

Second glance at Jesus that we must take every single day. ... Look up to Him enthroned in heaven. Look back to Him on the cross; look up to him enthroned in heaven. Verse two also says he is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. When we look up to Jesus on the throne, we will see the same savior who died now risen and exalted to the highest place of honor. We will see him serving as our high priest, our intercessor, our advocate before the Father. We will see him presenting our name before the Father and pleading our case. We will see him obtain for us a never-ending supply of grace. We will see him watch over us with eyes that never sleep. He will hear our confession, strengthen us for service, comfort us in trial, make way of escape in temptation, and keep us safe no matter where our marathon takes us. And so when we look up to King Jesus on the throne, we will derive great strength for the race. And so every single day we must take an upward glance at Jesus on the throne.

Finally, in order to run our race with endurance, lay aside every weight and sin, we must look back to Jesus on the cross, look up to Jesus on the throne, and look forward in faith to Jesus coming again. We must do what Jesus did when he set an example for us according to verse two and endured what he endured for the joy to come. When we look ahead to Jesus coming again, we see the eternal Son of God return to Earth with power and glory and every angel of heaven. We see him raise dead saints and transform the living saints in the blink of an eye. We see him punish the wicked and reward the righteous. We see him bind Satan and his demons and cast them in the Lake of Fire forever. We see all evil and sin cast away forever. We see all disease and death and sorrow and racism and wars and poverty and injustice cast out. We see paradise once lost now regained. And so we lay aside the weight of anxiety and we run our race with hope.


So that's how we run together with endurance the race that God sets before us. We daily, daily, daily look back to Jesus on the cross, look up to Jesus on the throne, and look forward to Christ coming on the clouds.

The entire sermon may be listened to or downloaded at the following link: http://www.sovgracemn.org/sermons/sermon/2008-06-29/let-us-run

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

How George Whitefield studied the Bible

"There he is at five in the morning . . . . on his knees with his English Bible, his Greek New Testament and Henry's Commentary spread out before him. He reads a portion in the English, gains a fuller insight into it as he studies words and tenses in the Greek and then considers Matthew Henry's explanation of it all. Finally, there comes the unique practice that he has developed: that of 'praying over every line and word' of both the English and the Greek till the passage, in its essential message, has veritably become part of his own soul." (Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield, I:82-83.)

HT: Christ is deeper still