It's A Hard Knock Life

"All discipline in the present time does not seem joyous, but painful; but later it will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12.11).

One thing that books, sermons, classes, seminars, and other training will not substitute for is experience. I have read numerous books on how Christians are to respond faithfully to trials, but to read about anguish is something altogether different from experiencing anguish. We tend to look condescendingly on Israel and other persons in Scripture who have lapses in faith when troubles come. God includes these people in Scripture however to remind us of our own tendency to forget God's gracious gift of the gospel. It is simply amazing how quickly we can forget the eternal, heavenly things when temporal, earthly things are in upheaval. How quickly we can move from emotions of joy to emotions of despair.

From my own experience, I have learned the importance of two things. First and most important is the grace of God during trials. Trials truly show how frail our faith is and the only reason we do not come to naught during trials is his committment to us to make us more like Christ. It is during trials that we learn how to be dependent on God, indeed that we must be dependent upon God. It is during trials that we learn his sweetness, his care, and his love in powerful, experiential ways.

Second, I have learned the wisdom of God through how He has designed his church. I am exceedingly thankful that He has divinely appointed Christians to draw near to one another. Our nearness is especially helpful during times of trial. Trials have a tendency to almost paralyze the sufferer. Many pastors and theologians rightly advise that during trials we need to talk to ourselves more than listen to ourselves. The difficult thing is that talking to one's self seems like an impossibility during trials. Hence, God's wisdom in providing spouses, parents, children, and fellow Christians to speak comforting words during our times of forgetfulness.

He has not left us on our own during times of trial. Because of this truth, we can call him Good. We can also be more than conquerors through trials and even welcome them knowing that He is going to sustain us, equip us, and work through us to glorify himself by growing us in Christ-likeness.

Selection from Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

He who has God "is able to make up all his outward wants from worldly comforts from what he finds in himself." As Christians, we are able to do this because of what we have inside of us, namely the Kingdom of God (Luke 17.21). James 4.5 reminds us that God has placed inside of us his Spirit after whom we are to yearn jealously. Christ is the God who frees us from sin so that we may be completely, wholly, totally, and eternally satisfied with Him and through Him.

Two words of instruction come from this teaching. First, Christian, pursue the riches that we have in Christ. There is abundant satisfaction there. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Have you forgotten the great exchange of our sin for his righteousness? Have you forgotten your freedom from the eternal punishment awaiting your death? Have you forgotten the joy of obedience to Christ? Have you forgotten that in him is the treasure of all wisdom and knowledge? Christian, there is too much joy here in Christ!

Second and a gentle rebuke, all of our despair, depression, and sin is directly related to our undervaluing Christ. Do we really think we will have victory over sin, whether it be lust, anger, fear of the future, or discontentment with our present circumstances, if we are not making much of Christ?

O how forgetful we are of what Christ has done for us and who He is! But thanks be to God that he is gracious and will continue to mold our desires into the desires of Christ. Pray that God would give you stronger affections for Christ and then go to the Scriptures and behold the all-satisfying Lord.

Quote from Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

"The way of contentment to a carnal heart is only the removing of the affliction. O that it may be gone! 'No', says the gracious heart, 'God has taught me a way to be content though the affliction itself still continues.'"

Romans 8 teaches us that we, through the power of the Spirit, are more than conquerors even in the midst of affliction. Though God may never remove the affliction in this lifetime, He has graciously granted us rich spiritual blessings so that we do not merely survive during trials, but we thrive.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Psalm 100

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;[a]
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

If You Don't Feel Like Reading Your Bible, Praying or the like, Read this and be encouraged.

Yes, another post of someone else's post, but why not let those speak who say it best. This post is from http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/ and is written by John Piper.

How I Approach God When Feeling Rotten
November 17, 2008 | By: John Piper
Category: Commentary

A vague bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance.

This morning I began to pray, and felt unworthy to be talking to the Creator of the universe. It was a vague sense of unworthiness. So I told him so. Now what?

Nothing changed until I began to get specific about my sins. Crummy feelings can be useful if they lead to conviction for sins. Vague feelings of being a bad person are not very helpful. The fog of unworthiness needs to take shape into clear dark pillars of disobedience. Then you can point to them and repent and ask for forgiveness and take aim to blow them up.

So I began to call to mind the commands I frequently break. These are the ones that came to mind.

* Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Not 95%, 100%. (Matthew 22:37)
* Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (Matthew 22:39)
* Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling—inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14)
* Cast all your anxieties on him—so you are not being weighed down by it anymore. (1 Peter 5:7)
* Only say things that give grace to others—especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29)
* Redeem the time. Don’t fritter or dawdle. (Ephesians 5:16)
* Set your mind on things that are above. Connect all your thoughts to Christ. (Colossians 3:2)
* Do not return evil for evil—like when your wife or daughter says something you don’t like. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
* Rejoice always, and again I say rejoice. Always. If sorrowful, keep rejoicing. (Philippians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 6:10)
* Give thanks in all circumstances. All. All. All. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

So much for any pretensions to great holiness! I’m undone.

But now it is specific. I look it in the eye. I’m not whining about feeling crummy. I’m apologizing to Christ for not keeping all that he commanded. I’m broken and I’m angry at my sin. I want to kill it, not me. I’m not suicidal. I’m a sin hater and a sin murderer (“Put to death what is earthly in you” Colossians 3:5. “Put to death the deeds of the body” Romans 3:18.)

In this conflict, I hear the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9). Peace rises. Prayer feels possible and right and powerful again.

Growing In Your Affections For Christ

This post is taken directly from Matt Chandler's blog, Dwell Deeply. http://dwelldeep.net/

This blog reminded me of several conversations I've had with Marcus, as I'm sure many of you at JPBC can relate to, regarding growing in your affections for Christ. I recall that one of those conversations took place after Marcus had been reading Jonathan Edwards's Religious Affections.

Here's Chandler's post:

INSPIRATIONS

It has been my experience that inspirations are brief, sporadic and rare. By inspiration I mean those moments where our souls are stimulated to a high level of feeling, thinking and doing. I love those brief, sporadic and rare moments. I am addicted to the vitality I have, the love I feel, and the clarity of thought that occurs when I am inspired. I have tried for years to pay attention to these moments, to dig into them, excavate them, and figure them out. What is it that inspires me? Who is it? What stirs my affection…for my wife? For my children? For life in general? This to me is one of the major ideas that demand an answer. To solve this arduous riddle means more energy, richer life, deeper relationships and greater self-awareness.

Several years ago I started applying this line of thought to my relationship with Christ. Instead of asking myself what inspired me to be a good man (what’s that anyway?) I started asking what stirs my affections for Christ. What, when I’m doing it, when I’m around it or dwelling on it creates in me a greater hunger for, passion for and worship of Christ and His mission? The first list was a strange one. It looked something like this:

1. Early mornings and hot coffee
2. The writings of John Owen (at the time it was The Mortification of Sin)
3. Listening to Lauren sing
4. Walks through graveyards (I know this is weird but it reminded me of mortality)
5. The book of Hebrews
6. Robust dialogue on ecclesiology or missiology
7. Sermons by John Piper
8. Angst-filled music

I also wrestled with and paid attention to what robbed me of affection for Christ. What, when I was doing it or spending time around it created in me an unhealthy love for this world? The first list was a strange one because the majority of things that robbed me of zeal for Christ and His mission were morally neutral things. It looked something like this:

1. Watching too much TV and spending too much time online
2. Staying up late for no reason
3. Following sports too closely
4. Being physically lazy
5. Empty conversations (talking for hours about nothing)
6. Idleness

For the last few years I have updated this list often. In fact it has changed quite a bit. I want to pay attention to life. I want to be keyed in to what feeds my zeal for our great God and King and what kills that zeal. My hope is that I could flood my life with Christ-exalting, worship-creating things and avoid anything that would rob me of that.

What inspires you? Better yet, what stirs your affections for Christ, truth and holiness? If we can fill our lives with the things that stir our affections and avoid and flee those things that rob us of inspiration, we have a better shot at dwelling deeply. What and who inspires you? Stirs you? What presses you into holy places? What robs you of joy and vitality? What robs you of your affection for Christ and holiness?

[NOTE: The following is taken from www.desiringgod.org/Blog and is written by Abraham Piper, accessed 11/5/08.]


Be A Kinder Calvinist
November 26, 2007 | By: Abraham Piper
Category: Commentary

My wife and I were fighting—the kind where after 30 seconds you forget what you're fighting about and you just end up being mean. It doesn't take long in an argument like this to feel hopeless.

I wanted to call someone to come over and mediate. Actually, I didn't want to, but I knew I needed to do something. Our close friends who live near by and our small group leaders were all out of town, so I called a pastor who lives in the neighborhood and asked him to come over right then. I think he could tell by the tone of my voice and the unusual request that we really did need help immediately. He cancelled his Saturday plans and came over.

Sitting at our kitchen table, he helped us figure each other out. Soon we were getting to the heart of the matter. Molly turned to me and said, "You never treat me like you appreciate me."

I looked at her. I looked at our pastor. And then I listed three ways that I'd shown appreciation for her that morning. As far as I was concerned, things were taken care of. She thought I didn't act appreciatively, but I just showed her (definitively, I might add) that I did.

As you can imagine, things were not taken care of. As a matter of fact, my list, for all its accuracy, was completely irrelevant to Molly. This was when our pastor pointed something out to me that has forever changed the way I interact with my wife, and with everybody, for that matter.

He told me that, sure, it may be wrong to say that I never show appreciation, but clearly she feels that way, and right now that's what needs to be dealt with. And not just dealt with but acknowledged, understood, respected. Her words may have included a factual error, but what she was saying was completely true.

There is a letter on Scot McKnight's blog from a pastor who is very frustrated with certain Calvinists in his church. It would be easy enough to disregard it, pointing out that not all Calvinists are like that or that his use of the word "hyper-Calvinist" doesn't match correct theological jargon. But that would be missing the point. And, ironically, that reaction would only lend credence to the frustration that motivated the letter in the first place.

So how should we read this letter in a way that acknowledges, understands, and respects the discouragement of its author?

First, we should note that it is simply indisputable that some people are exactly the way he describes. When you see mean extremists in another circle, it reminds you why you don't run with that crowd. But when you see mean extremists in your own circle, it's just plain embarrassing. Unfortunately, until we are perfected there will always be mean people of every theological strain. But fortunately, we are a part of the church not merely for the company, but for Christ.

The second way to understand the letter is to see it (along with the numerous comments that follow) as abundant evidence that, to many, Calvinists come across as self-righteous, condescending, arrogant, unfriendly, argumentative, and even stingy. The fact that we're not all that way is irrelevant in the same way that it didn't matter to Molly that I had done three things to show I appreciate her—she still felt unappreciated. Her frustration was true because, whether or not I was grateful to my wife, I was perceived as an ingrate. Similarly, the frustration in the letter is true because, whether or not the Calvinists in the letter-writer's church are good folks, they come off as proud and divisive jerks. Those Calvinists, as church members, and I, as a husband, should change based on this information, regardless of how "inaccurately" the frustration may be worded.

In my marriage, it doesn't matter whether I'm thankful if I don't seem like it. And in the church, it doesn't matter whether we have the fruits of the Spirit if no one can tell.

It won't be easy to change the pejorative stereotype that clings to Calvinism, but we can start by admitting that it is accurate far too often. Then we can make sure we are manifestly not self-righteous, condescending, arrogant, unfriendly, or argumentative. Also, you can count on us to buy dinner or coffee sometimes.

Paying attention to those who disagree with us and taking them seriously, even if we're pretty sure we'll still disagree, is part of what it means to be in the body of Christ. It's humbling; it sanctifies. It will make us better husbands and wives. It will make us better Christians, and maybe even better Calvinists.

The Only Change We Can Believe In

I came across this verse in my reading this morning and I immediately thought of tomorrow's election:

"Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils;
For why should he be esteemed?"
Isaiah 2:22 (NASB)

Take a minute and ponder how much time, money, mental strain and effort have been put into this year's presidential election. Then take another minute and ponder how much time, money, mental strain and effort our nation puts into regarding God instead of man, and esteeming God highest instead of particular men. No matter who wins tomorrow's election, our nation is in desperate need of God. The only "change we can believe in" is that brought by the grace of God.

Spurgeon Quotes

“If any of you should ask me for an epitome of the Christian religion, I should say that it is in one word- Prayer. Live and die without prayer, and you will pray long enough when you get to hell.”

"Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength”

“Of two evils, choose neither”

“A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.”

“Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us."

“Every generation needs regeneration”

“Our misery is that we thirst so little for these sublime things, and so much for the mocking trifles of time and space.”

“The Lord gets His best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction.”

Fighting Lust

A N T H E M
Strategies for Fighting Lust
By John Piper November 5, 2001

I have in mind men and women. For men it's obvious. The need for warfare against the bombardment of visual temptation to fixate on sexual images is urgent. For women it is less obvious, but just as great if we broaden the scope of temptation to food or figure or relational fantasies. When I say "lust" I mean the realm of thought, imagination, and desire that leads to sexual misconduct. So here is one set of strategies in the war against wrong desires. I put it in the form of an acronym, A N T H E M.

A - AVOID as much as is possible and reasonable the sights and situations that arouse unfitting desire. I say "possible and reasonable" because some exposure to temptation is inevitable. And I say "unfitting desire" because not all desires for sex, food, and family are bad. We know when they are unfitting and unhelpful and on their way to becoming enslaving. We know our weaknesses and what triggers them. "Avoiding" is a Biblical strategy. "Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness" (2 Timothy 2:22). "Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:14).

N - Say NO to every lustful thought within five seconds. And say it with the authority of Jesus Christ. "In the name of Jesus, NO!" You don't have much more than five seconds. Give it more unopposed time than that, and it will lodge itself with such force as to be almost immovable. Say it out loud if you dare. Be tough and warlike. As John Owen said, "Be killing sin or it will be killing you." Strike fast and strike hard. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" ( James 4:7).

T - TURN the mind forcefully toward Christ as a superior satisfaction. Saying "no" will not suffice. You must move from defense to offense. Fight fire with fire. Attack the promises of sin with the promises of Christ. The Bible calls lusts "deceitful desires" (Ephesians 4:22). They lie. They promise more than they can deliver. The Bible calls them "passions of your former ignorance" (1 Peter 1:14). Only fools yield. "All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter" (Proverbs 7:22). Deceit is defeated by truth. Ignorance is defeated by knowledge. It must be glorious truth and beautiful knowledge. This is why I wrote Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ. We must stock our minds with the superior promises and pleasures of Jesus. Then we must turn to them immediately after saying, "NO!"

H - HOLD the promise and the pleasure of Christ firmly in your mind until it pushes the other images out. "Fix your eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 3:1). Here is where many fail. They give in too soon. They say, "I tried to push it out, and it didn't work." I ask, "How long did you try?" How hard did you exert your mind? The mind is a muscle. You can flex it with vehemence. Take the kingdom violently (Matthew 11:12). Be brutal. Hold the promise of Christ before your eyes. Hold it. Hold it! Don't let it go! Keep holding it! How long? As long as it takes. Fight! For Christ's sake, fight till you win! If an electric garage door were about to crush your child you would hold it up with all our might and holler for help, and hold it and hold it and hold it and hold it.

E - ENJOY a superior satisfaction. Cultivate the capacities for pleasure in Christ. One reason lust reigns in so many is that Christ has so little appeal. We default to deceit because we have little delight in Christ. Don't say, "That's just not me." What steps have you taken to waken affection for Jesus? Have you fought for joy? Don't be fatalistic. You were created to treasure Christ with all your heart - more than you treasure sex or sugar. If you have little taste for Jesus, competing pleasures will triumph. Plead with God for the satisfaction you don't have: "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Then look, look, look at the most magnificent Person in the universe until you see him the way he is.

M - MOVE into a useful activity away from idleness and other vulnerable behaviors. Lust grows fast in the garden of leisure. Find a good work to do, and do it with all your might. "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord" (Romans 12:11). "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Abound in work. Get up and do something. Sweep a room. Hammer a nail. Write a letter. Fix a faucet. And do it for Jesus' sake. You were made to manage and create. Christ died to make you "zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:14). Displace deceitful lusts with a passion for good deeds.

Beware the Name Dropper, Part 2

So equipping reads are those that actually equip one to grow in their knowledge of the Scriptures in such a way that they grow spiritually but also prepare one to be a resource to fellow Christians in a deep, meaningful way. Inspirational reads certainly include truth and may provide the reader with a word of encouragement for others, but inspirational reads do not equip in the same way equipping reads do. For example, I have recently read Lloyd-Jones: Messenger of Grace. I consider this book an inspirational read. The book highlighted the most important and lasting aspects of Lloyd-Jones' ministry. The book certainly challenged the way I view preaching and offered some insights to help my own preaching. I walked away from the book with some instruction but mostly cherishing the power of the gospel. As powerful as this motivation was it will still not produce a sermon based on hours of careful, precise exegesis of a passage. Herein lies the distiction b/t equipping reads and inspirational reads.
I will follow up this post with defining a name-dropper and how to guard against the temptation to become a name-dropper.

Philippians 4:8-9: How People Change

Philippians 4:8-9 (New King James Version)

Meditate on These Things

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Part of "pressing towards the goal" of knowing Christ and being like Him is that we have our minds set on the right things.

In this passage there are two components to growing in Christlikeness. The first is "meditating on these things." What are these things? Well, they have to be "true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report" and be "virtuous" and "praiseworthy." What, except for the Gospel and the Word of God, fits such a description? Nothing else does! Second, we are to convert this meditation into doing. Paul says that these things we are to meditate on, which are the Gospel and God's Word, were "learned and received and heard and seen" in Paul's preaching and behavior. He then says "these do"!

What then is the implication? Well two things. First, there is a process. There is a mediation on the things of God, which causes, by the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, a growing in knowledge of the things of God. Then there is a doing that flows from this. When we meditate on God's marvelous truth we then live and and love the Gospel. James says, Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?" (James 2:22)

Second, these words teach us that what we meditate on, what we think about, has an effect on what we count as good and beautiful and worth treasuring. See Psalm 1. If we are to "guard are hearts above all else because they are the wellspring of life" (Prov. 4:23), then we must be examining our lives to see that we are meditating on "these things" so that we will treasure Christ more than sin.

Philippians 3:12-14: How People Change

Philippians 3:12-14 (New King James version)

Pressing Toward the Goal

12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul puts forward a goal for the Christian life, a goal that he set for himself: to know Christ and to be like Christ. Paul uses the imagery of an athlete with a single-minded focus that his training is moving towards a goal or a prize [see these other places in Scripture where Paul uses similar imagery of "training in righteousness" - I Cor. 9:24-27; I Timothy 4:7-10; II Timothy 4:7-8].

Notice that in this single-minded pursuit of Christ that Paul says "one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead..." For us to pursue Christ, we must preach the Gospel to ourselves and quit preaching the law to ourselves. We preach the law to ourselves when do not forget the sins of our past and continue to tell ourselves that our guilt is too great. If we are "reaching forward" to "lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold" of us, then we must be seeing that the Gospel is for us now (Read Romans 8).

If we are to "fight the good fight and finish the race" (II Tim. 4:7) then we must have our lives focused upon the "upward call of God in Christ Jesus." For this to be the goal at the center of our lives, we must let go of the guilt of the past because it has been forever forgiven in Christ!

Beware the Name Dropper: Equipping Reading and Inspirational Reading, Part 1

As I have read more and more throughout my years at college, seminary, and in the ministry, I have categorized my reading into two broad areas, equipping and inspirational. Equipping reads are those that require much time and mental effort. You must read pages slowly and often a second time. These books often require you to sit with Bible open. Examples of such books are systematic theologies and commentaries. I call these books equipping books because they actually equip you to grow in godliness but also to be a resource to other believers. Commentaries in particular will form the backbone of any solid Christian library. Commentaries are years of prayerful research and study poured into book form. Of course commentaries are not inerrant but they force the Christian to ask questions of the text he or she may never have thought to ask. They teach the Christian to dig deep and mine gold. My advice on commentary purchasing: Buy for the author, not the series. Rarely, if ever, purchase an entire series. Buy the best commentary for the book you are studying. Such a commentary will be exegetically rich, theologically satisfying, and will read somewhat devotionally. I will speak to how such books relate to name droppers later on in this series.

Men of God

In Revival and Revivalism, Iain Murray writes describing the type of men that God so often uses for revival. "They will be hard students of Scripture. They will prize a great spiritual heritage. They will see the danger of 'unsanctified learning'. While they will not be afraid of controversy, nor of being called hyper-orthodox, they will fear to spend their days in controversy...They will covet the wisdom which Scripture attributes to the one 'that wins souls' (Prov. 11.30). But their cheerfulness will have a higher source than their work. To know God himself will be their supreme concern and joy. They will therefore not be strangers to humility" (387).

Let us pray for God's Spirit to lead us and guide us to resemble such men. It is this sort of Spirit-produced character that makes men, as the author of Hebrews says, men that the world is not worthy of.

Reading Recs on Knowing God's Will

1. Capital Hill Baptist Church's Core Seminar on "Guidance" - 1. go to http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/ 2. then click on the link "We Equip," scroll down and click on "Adults" and then scroll down and click on "Core Seminars." 3. On the Core Seminars page look on the right hand side and click on the seminar entitled "Guidance." It's a wonderful 7 part series on Knowing God's Will. It reads very quickly! It is one of the best resources I have found so far on this topic!

2. J.I. Packer's book, Knowing God, IVP Press. Read chapters 9, 10 and 20. (All three chapters are excellent, but if you are in need of some pressing practical advice read chapter 20.)

3. Sinclair Ferguson's book Discovering God's Will, Banner of Truth Press. Great little book. I found it on the JPBC book stall, but you can order for cheap from a number of online resources.

4. A book titled, Decison Making and The Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View by Garry Friesen. This book is good. The biblical advice is solid and is in agreement with the other works listed here. My personal view is that it's a little too long. The first third of the book is a fictional account of the terribly misguided "traditional view" of Knowing God's Will. I also don't know how easy it is to get your hands on this book or how affordable it is. Marcus Deel lent me his copy.

5. As always, www.desiringgod.org to find Piper's sermons on this topic. And, unsurprisingly he has some beauts'. Here are the two I read that were greatly encouraging and wonderfully edifying (you can just search by title, since I am too technological inept to figure out how to make the link to them):

What Is the Will of God and How Do We Know It?; this is an exposition of Romans 12:1-2 and He Will Send His Angel Before You; this is an exposition of Genesis 24:1-9

6. This may sound strange, but any good systematic theology. Read the section on the Doctrine of God. Theology always matters and it is significant in many areas of doctrine for answering this question. I was helped in particular by Cornelius Van Til's The Defense of the Faith. He says on p. 67 (4th ed.), "But we believe that just for the reason that we cannot hope to obtain comprehensive knowledge of God we cannot hope to obtain comprehensive knowledge of anything in this world. Not as though anything in this world is infinite as God is infinite and for that reason not fully comprehensible , for it is not the infinity of things in themselves but once more the infinity of God that makes it impossible for us comprehensively to understand things in the created universe. The reason for this is not far to seek. The things of this universe must be interpreted in relation to God. The object of knowledge is not interpreted truly if, though brought into relation with the human mind, it is not also brought into relation with the divine mind. God is the ultimate category of interpretation..."

Knowing God's Will - Part 3

First, a disclaimer: these posts have been insufficient in evidence and breadth of discussion, but purposefully so. I know that you all have more important things to do than read my ramblings. The hope is that these brief excerpts will whet your appetite for the subject and lead you to do some serious reading on the topic (which prompted the list of recommended reads that are in the above post).

Last time I left off by arguing that one who wishes to know God's Will for his or her life is seeking to "think God's thoughts after Him" or seeking biblical wisdom. The psalmist says in Ps. 119:66 "Teach me good judgment and knowledge, For I believe Your commandments."

Here's two remarks from Chapter 10 of J.I. Packer's "Knowing God":
"Where can we find wisdom? What steps must a person take to lay hold of this gift? There are two prerequisites, according to Scripture. 1. We must learn to reverence God. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Ps. 111:10; Prov. 9:10, Prov. 1:7, Job 28:28, etc.) Not till we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God's holiness and sovereignty, acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts...It is to be feared that many Christians spend all their lives in too unhumbled and conceited a frame of mind ever to gain wisdom from God at all. Not for nothing does Scripture say, "with the lowly is wisdom" (Prov. 11:2). 2. We must learn to receive God's word. Wisdom is divinely wrought in those , and those only, who apply themselves to God's revelation. "Your commands make me wiser than my enemies," declares the psalmist; "I have more insight than all my teachers" - why? - "for I meditate on your statutes" (Ps. 119:98-99).

Consider these two passages from the NT: Eph. 5:15-17, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

Colossians 1:9, "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."

Notice in both passages that wisdom, spiritual discernment (the ability to make judgments about how to glorify God in your decision-making), requires knowledge of God's Word that is found broadly in wisdom.

As D.A. Carson puts it, "Spiritual wisdom and understanding constitute the means by which God fills us with the knowledge of His will. Guidance comes, in short, by God making us wise."

I will follow tomorrow with a look at a real life situation. For example, I have to choose between jobs a, b, and c, and neither of them violate God's moral law and all of them seem to be equally pleasing, what do I do?

Knowing God's Will - Part 2

In Part 1, I argued that knowing Christ is the beginning to knowing God's Will. In fact, the author of Hebrews tells us in the first few verses of that book that God now communicates His Will to us through His Son. But, how does Knowing Christ lead to Knowing God's Will?

First, Christians acknowledge that God is sovereign and thus possesses an infinitely perfect and eternal Sovereign Will. Read what Moses writes in Deut. 29:29, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." This verse tells us two important things: one, God has a secret will, meaning we cannot know it. Why can't we know it? Well, simple because it His will. The Creator-creature distinction makes this clear. God's will cannot be known my man because His will is the result of His Being and His Being is not equated in any way with our own. His will then is perfect and ours is imperfect. His will is omniscient our will is limited in knowledge, etc. But, this verse also tells us that God has a revealed will "which belongs to us." This is God's MORAL WILL for our lives. One good example for Christians is I Thess. 4:3, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality."

How then do we know God's Will for things like choosing a job, who to marry, etc. Well, I give a fuller response tomorrow, but for now think about the following:

We need wisdom or "to think God's thoughts after Him." Read the first line of Calvin's Institutes: "Knowledge [or wisdom] lies in knowing God and knowing oneself.” In fact, Part 1 of the Institutes has the heading, "Knowledge of God the Creator" and section 1 of part I is "the whole sum of Wisdom."

All of this discussion hinges on a right theology of the Doctrine of God. How absurd we can be when we ask "how can I know God's will for my life" and then do nothing to learn about the object of that will, about God Himself.

Tomorrow I will discuss how we get wisdom and then how do we apply it!

Knowing God's Will - Part 1

Hebrews 1:1-4 "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself[a] purged our[b] sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."

Scripture tells us that there was a fundamental shift in the way that God "speaks" to His people. God used to speak to His people in various way - burning bushes, fleeces, audible voices, dreams, etc. Now, he no longer speaks to us by such inferior methods, but through Jesus Christ.

Well, how does God speak to us and guide us by His Son? He speaks to us the Gospel. Knowing God's Will then is nothing more than treasuring and savoring Christ for eternity. We must be reminded, however, that the Gospel is not an impression or an experience that we "feel" as believers, but it is a Word, spoken to us in the Scriptures, and by God's grace accepted by us in faith; and it is there, in God's Word, that we find Christ and that through Him that God reveals His Will.

How does this translate into making decisions? I will answer that in the next post. So, be looking for additions to this brief series on "Knowing God's Will."

HOW do people change?

The question that ended our time yesterday really focused on the practical aspects of change in the Christian life. I would submit again that the answer is in a way both clear cut or straightforward, but also somewhat abstracted (in other words hard to see how it's practical) depending upon our level of Christian maturity.

I'll put forward one passage of Scripture as a guide and let you guys contribute your own comments or questions.

Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Go further and read the entire chapter of Romans 12. If you want to see change in your life as a believer then here is a command, "present your bodies as living sacrifices, HOLY, acceptable to God, WHICH IS your REASONABLE service." And then we ask "how?" By being "TRANSFORMED (changed) by the renewing of your mind..." Again, you may ask "how" do I transform my mind?

Concrete application: Read your Bible A LOT; "pray without ceasing" (I Thess. 5:17); attend all the meetings of the church; listen to Gospel preaching; seek counsel from mature believers; spend time with believers fellowshipping in the Spirit; observe the ordinances, etc. And remember, be patient; don't have the modern mindset that change must come on your terms or on your timetable. Trust that God works all things together for your God because you were called, you were justified, your are being sanctified and you will be glorified!!

Take hope and trust in the Lord!

Knowing Your Christian Identity

Peter says in II Peter 1:3 that God's "divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us..."

Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp emphasize that Peter's claim is for the present life of the believer. However, many Christians suffer from a "Gospel Gap." This "Gap" is a failure to understand God's provision in Christ for believers and leads to the believer replacing the Gospel with "pretensions" (II Cor. 10:4-5) that make themselves out to be Gospel rivals.

The antidote? We must define our personal identity biblically as men and women who are shot through with sin, but who are redeemed by God's grace and live by the gratitude in our hearts for the cross work of Christ. When we begin to realize (have knowledge of what God has done for us in Christ) that Christ "is for us," that He is "interceding" for us, that He must increase and we must decrease, that "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20)," then we will "walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh."

Remember, we must use the provisions God has spoken to us of in His Word: Bible reading and Scriture memorization; Christian fellowship; worshipping God regularly with His people at church; partaking of the Lord's Supper and witnessing the ordinance of Baptism; and Prayer. God has promised us in His Word that if He has called us WE WILL CHANGE, WE WILL BECOME MORE LIKE CHRIST!

As the authors put it, this is our hope: "The Christian hope is more than a redemptive system with practical principles that can change your life. The hope of every Christian is a person, the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. He is the wisdom behind every biblical principle and the power we need to live them out. Because Christ lives inside us today, because he rules all things for our sakes (Eph. 2:22-23), and because he is presently putting all his enemies under his feet (I Cor. 15:25-28), we can live with courage and hope!!!!"

Blessings,
Steve

How People Change - Open Discussion

Hey Guys,
I have not put up any particular questions or concepts to reconsider from Sunday morning. So, for now, this is an open discussion for any comments or questions you all wanted to pose from our discussion Sunday morning. I will try to get up an original post tonight.

Blessings,
Steve

The Prayer of Faith

I came across an encouraging discussion on prayer in In Christ Alone, by Sinclair Ferguson. He writes, "This, then, is the prayer of faith: to ask God to accomplish what He has promised in His Word."
Ferguson bases this definition on James' discussion of Elijah in James 5.17ff. Elijah prayed that the heavens would be shut up based upon God's promise to do just that if Israel rebelled. From this example, two principles are clear. First, know the promises of Scripture. Scripture and prayer go hand in hand. The most important element of my prayer life has been Scripture memorization. Memorizing leads to prayer. So, take up the Bible and memorize. Your prayer life will certainly grow as you slow down and begin to meditate on verses you had formerly read or just skimmed.
Second, pray scriptural promises back to God. I must call on James 1.5 every other day: "if any one of you is lacking is wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudingly and it will be given to you." When we pray Scripture back to God, we are praying the prayer of faith because our prayer is based on what God has already promised to us. This is why knowing the Word is so important. The more you pray what God has already promised, the more you pray according to his will.

Blessings, Marcus

The Prayer Problem

Having often struggled with consistency in my prayer life, I have occasionally thought of the hindrances to prayer. I am sure that the hindrances differ from person to person, but the two that I thought that were most destructive to my prayer life are an over attraction to visible results and a general struggle with unbelief.
First, we live in a fast-paced culture that is enamoured with tangible, visible, marks of success. I spent three hours mowing my lawn; look at all that work I did. I just read 50 pages; see them as I flip through the pages that I have just read. I communed with God this afternoon and look at...well, nothing. I have nothing to show for the time I just spent in prayer. I, for one, am so focused on producing a visible effort or product that I am tempted to think prayer a waste of time.
Second, as secularism rises, the temptation to think little of prayer will certainly increase. Prayer must seem so silly to unbelievers; "acting like you are talking to someone when no one is there at all," they scoff. Sadly, I think a spirit of unbelief impacts many unbelievers, myself included, to not esteem prayer.
As I continually wrestle with these hindrances, I see all the more need to have my mind renewed daily so that I would not be conformed to this present age; an age of instant gratification, an age obessesed with platitudes, an age that sees only the physical. My encouragement to myself and to others concerning prayer is to continually be refreshed and renewed in the pages of Scripture. Read great books on prayer; persuade the mind of its value.

I am curious as to other hindrances to prayer that some have faced; Do you resonate with my hindrances? Experience others?

Blessings, Marcus

Prayer Challenge

Now that the "Prayer Challenge" has come to an end, I thought I'd offer a few reflections. I hope that you too will respond with your comments.

1. I have become more mindful of the need to pray. This challenge often brought to my mind our complete dependence upon God. It brought fresh meaning to the distinction between Creator and creature. Prayer is perhaps the most important spiritual discipline for realizing our JOYFUL dependence upon God.

2. Paul's call to "pray without ceasing" (I Thess. 5:17) makes more sense now. I think this reflection flows from the first one listed. As I became more aware in my own life of my dependence upon God, and the joy that I had in knowing that my weakness is made strong in Christ, I began to pray at all times throughout the day. I had begun to find in every area of my life the need to submit to God's authority and to humble myself to him in prayer asking His help in every area of my life.

3. I have been encouraged by this challenge because it has been conducted among my brothers in Christ. I hope that we can continue at JPBC to challenge each other to live for Christ, to learn more about God and to be godly men.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV)
"24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

The Lord Is God! So, Follow Him!

I don't know about you, but I appreciate the Bible's presentation of the truth. I was reading through the book of I Kings and came across the passage below and I was given pause by the logical force of Elijah's statement. It is inspiring, encouraging, and good to hear the truth about who God is and that He alone is to be worshiped. This message, I believe, is the message we are to tell the world. We should not be afraid to tell people that there is one God, the God of the Bible, and He alone is worthy of worship.

I Kings 18:21: "And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word."

Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
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On a similar note, our church is going through the book of Numbers right now on Sunday evenings. And, this same idea about honoring the truth of God's Word and not being afraid to proclaim it as perfect and true struck me as we discusseded a difficult passage in Numbers 5:11-31. There, the Lord instructs Moses about what to do if a man doubts his wife's marital integrity. The Lord gives very specific and extraordinary instructions about how to test the woman's faithfulness (e.g. having her drink water mixed with dust from the floor of the tabernacle...). Does this sound strange? Yes (though I'd be very careful about qualifying that statement). Does it sound like something our culture would be disgusted at? Without a doubt. Is it God's Word and thus true and perfect and lovely? Yes! And, thus we should not shy away from such passages, or be anxious or afraid to speak about them with unbelievers and those who mock the Word of God. And, we should not try to adapt this passage or any other to our contemporary culture or to the standards of men so that this passage or any other will sound more attractive in some way to them. But, we should say, "this is God's Word and it is beautiful and a precious gift and I would not change it for my life!" (For purposes of space, I didn't take up all the other great points that could be made about this passage from Numbers, but we talked about much of it Sunday evening...)

Experiencing Revival?

I have been reading Sinclair Ferguson's In Christ Alone to prepare for teaching the person and work of Christ. He includes Jonathan Edwards' five marks of true revival. I thought they would be worth mentioning as a standard for us to measure ourselves against.

1. A high esteem for Christ.
2. The overthrow of Satan's kingdom in our hearts.
3. A reverent view of, and close attention to, God's Word in Scripture.
4. The presence of the Spirit of truth convincing us of the reality of eternity and the depth of our sin and need.
5. A deep love for both God and man.

So, are you experiencing revival?

Christians are the richest men in the world!

From Thomas Brooks's Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices, p.73-74:

"Remedy (4). The fourth remedy against this device of Satan is, seriously to consider, That the wants of wicked men, under all their outward mercy and freedom from adversity, is far greater than all their outward enjoyments..."

Rich men have worldy riches, but this is not what they truly desire. Brooks tells us why:

"Yet all this is nothing to what they want. They want interest in God, Christ, the Spirit, the promises, the covenant of grace, and everlasting glory; they want acceptation and reconciliation with God; they want righteousness, justification, sanctification, adoption, and redemption; they want the pardon of sin, and power against sin, and freedom from the dominion of sin; they want that favour that is better than life, and that joy that is unspeakable and full of glory, and that peace that passes understanding, and that grace, the least spark of which is more worth than heaven and earth; they want a house that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God; they want those riches that perish not, the glory that fades not, that kingdom that shakes not. Wicked men are the most needy men in the world..."

Brothers, we have these riches in Christ! Praise, God we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places... (Read Eph. 1:3-14)

Blessings,
Steve

An Encouraging Word of Gratitude in Prayer

I read this passage from Scripture during my personal devotions several days ago. I spent some time then meditating on it. Take a moment and reflect on what David says about our God (v.22 "there is none like You...", v.26 "let your name be magnified forever," v.28 "You are God and Your words are true," etc.)

II Samuel 7:18 - 29: David’s Thanksgiving to God

18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? 20 Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord GOD, know Your servant. 21 For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. 22 Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD.[c] For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? 24 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God. 25 “Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. 26 So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27 For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You. 28 “And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

I also want to invite you to share a passage from your own personal devotions that has been encouraging to you in the past few days or so. I know it would be encouraging to me and I'm sure to others to hear how the Lord has spoken to us from His Word this week. So post a comment with the passage of Scripture that the Lord has used this week to edify your mind and encourage your heart!

Blessings,
Steve

Consider Your "Small" Sins

This is "Device 3" that "Satan uses to draw the soul to sin," described by Thomas Brooks in "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices." It is a very good word to consider! (I know it looks long, but its about a 10 mintue read, tops.)

DEVICE 3. BY EXTENUATING AND LESSENING OF SIN

Ah! says Satan, it is but a little pride, a little worldliness, a little uncleanness, a little drunkenness, etc. As Lot said of Zoar, "It is but a little one, and my soul shall live" (Gen. 19:20). Alas! says Satan, it is but a very little sin that you stick so at. You may commit it without any danger to your soul. It is but a little one; you may commit it, and yet your soul shall live.

Remedy (1). First, Solemnly consider, that those sins which we are apt to account small, have brought upon men the greatest wrath of God, as the eating of an apple, gathering a few sticks on the Sabbath day, and touching of the ark. Oh! the dreadful wrath that these sins brought down upon the heads and hearts of men! The least sin is contrary to the law of God, the nature of God, the being of God, and the glory of God; and therefore it is often punished severely by God; and do not we see daily the vengeance of the Almighty falling upon the bodies, names, states, families, and souls of men—for those sins that are but little ones in their eyes? Surely if we are not utterly forsaken by God, and blinded by Satan—we cannot but see it! Oh! therefore, when Satan says it is but a little one—you must say, Oh! but those sins which you call little, are such as will cause God to rain hell out of heaven upon sinners as he did upon the Sodomites!

Remedy (2). Seriously to consider, That the giving way to a less sin makes way for the committing of a greater sin. He who, to avoid a greater sin, will yield to a lesser, ten thousand to one but God in justice will leave that soul to fall into a greater. If we commit one sin to avoid another, it is just we should avoid neither, we having not law nor power in our own hands to keep off sin as we please; and we, by yielding to the lesser, do tempt the tempter to tempt us to the greater. Sin is of an encroaching nature; it creeps on the soul by degrees, step by step, until it has the soul to the very height of sin. David gives way to his wandering eye, and this led him to those foul sins that caused God to break his bones, and to turn his day into night, and to leave his soul in great darkness. Jacob and Peter, and other saints, have found this true by woeful experience, that the yielding to a lesser sin has been the ushering in of a greater. The little thief will open the door, and make way for the greater; and the little wedge knocked in, will make way for the greater.

Satan will first draw you to sit with the drunkard, and then to sip with the drunkard, and then at last to be drunk with the drunkard. He will first draw you to be unclean in your thoughts, and then to be unclean in your looks, and then to be unclean in your words, and at last to be unclean in your practices. He will first draw you to look upon the golden wedge, and then to desire the golden wedge, and then to handle the golden wedge, and then at last by wicked ways to take the golden wedge, though you run the hazard of losing God and your soul forever; as you may see in Gehazi, Achan, and Judas, and many in these our days. Sin is never at a stand-still (Psalm 1:1), first ungodly, then sinners, then scorners. Here they go on from sin to sin, until they come to the top of sin, that is, to sit in the seat of scorners.

By all this we see, that the yielding to lesser sins, draws the soul to the committing of greater. Ah! how many in these days have fallen, first to have low thoughts of Scripture and ordinances, and then to slight Scripture and ordinances, and then to make a nose of wax of Scripture and ordinances, and then to cast off Scripture and ordinances, and then at last to advance and lift up themselves, and their Christ-dishonoring and soul-damning opinions, above Scripture and ordinances.

Sin gains upon man's soul by insensible degrees. "The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talking is mischievous madness." (Eccles. 10:13) Corruption in the heart, when it breaks forth, is like a breach in the sea, which begins in a narrow passage, until it eats through, and cast down all before it. The debates of the soul are quick, and soon ended; and that may be done in a moment that may undo a man forever. When a man has begun to sin, he knows not where, or when, or how he shall make a stop of sin. Usually the soul goes on from evil to evil, from folly to folly, until it is ripe for eternal misery!

Remedy (3). The third remedy against this third device that Satan has to draw the soul to sin, is solemnly to consider, That it is sad to sin against God for a trifle. Dives would not give a crumb, therefore he should not receive a drop (Luke 16:21). It is the greatest folly in the world—to adventure the going to hell for a small matter. "I tasted but a little honey," said Jonathan, "and I must die" (1 Sam. 14:29). It is a most unkind and unfaithful thing to break with God, for a little. Little sins carry with them but little temptations to sin, and then a man shows most viciousness and unkindness, when he sins on a little temptation. It is devilish to sin without a temptation; it is little less than devilish to sin on a little occasion. The less the temptation is to sin—the greater is that sin. Saul's sin in not waiting for Samuel, was not so much in the matter—but it was much in the malice of it; for though Samuel had not come at all, yet Saul should not have offered sacrifice; but this cost him dear—his soul and kingdom.

It is the greatest unkindness that can be showed to a friend, to venture the complaining, bleeding, and grieving of his soul—upon a light and a slight occasion. So it is the greatest unkindness that can be showed to God, Christ, and the Spirit, for a soul to put God upon complaining, Christ upon bleeding, and the Spirit upon grieving—by yielding to little sins. Therefore, when Satan says it is but a little one, you must answer—that oftentimes there is the greatest unkindness showed to God's glorious majesty, in the acting of the least folly, and therefore you will not displease your best and greatest friend—by yielding to his greatest enemy.

Remedy (4). The fourth remedy against this device of Satan, is seriously to consider, That there is great danger, yes, many times most danger—in the smallest sins. "A little leaven leavens the whole lump" (1 Cor. 5:6). If the serpent sneaks in his head, he will draw in his whole body after him. Greater sins do sooner startle the soul, and awaken and rouse up the soul to repentance, than lesser sins do. Little sins often slide into the soul, and breed, and work secretly and indiscernibly in the soul, until they come to be so strong, as to trample upon the soul, and to cut the throat of the soul. There is oftentimes greatest danger to our bodies in the least diseases that hang upon us, because we are apt to make light of them, and to neglect the timely use of means for removing of them, until they are grown so strong that they prove mortal to us. So there is most danger often in the least sins.

We are apt to take no notice of them, and to neglect those heavenly helps whereby they should be weakened and destroyed, until they are grown to that strength, that we are ready to cry out, the medicine is too weak for the disease! I would pray, and I would hear—but I am afraid that sin is grown up by degrees to such a head, that I shall never be able to prevail over it; but as I have begun to fall, so I shall utterly fall before it, and at last perish in it, unless the power and free grace of Christ acts gloriously, beyond my present apprehension and expectation. The viper is killed by the little young ones that are nourished and cherished in her belly—so are many men eternally killed and betrayed by the little sins, as they call them, that are nourished in their own bosoms.

I know not, says one, whether the nurture of the least sin be not worse than the commission of the greatest—for this may be of frailty, that argues obstinacy. A little hole in the ship sinks it. A small breach in a dyke carries away all before it. A little stab at the heart kills a man. A little sin, without a great deal of mercy, will damn a man!

Remedy (5). The fifth remedy against this device of Satan, is solemnly to consider, That other saints have chosen to suffer the worst of torments, rather than commit the least sin, that is, such as the world accounts little sins. So as you may see in Daniel and his companions, that would rather choose to burn, and be cast to the lions—than they would bow to the idol which Nebuchadnezzar had set up. When this 'slight offense', in the world's account, and a hot fiery furnace stood in competition, that they must either fall into sin, or be cast into the fiery furnace—such was their tenderness of the honor and glory of God, and their hatred and indignation against sin, that they would rather burn than sin! They knew that it was far better to burn for their not sinning, than that God and conscience should raise a hell, a fire in their bosoms for sin.

I have read of that noble servant of God, Marcus Arethusius, minister of a church in the time of Constantine, who had been the cause of overthrowing an idol's temple; afterwards, when Julian came to be emperor, he would force the people of that place to build it up again. They were ready to do it—but Marcus refused; whereupon those who were his own people, to whom he preached, took him, and stripped him of all his clothes, and abused his naked body, and gave it up to the children, to lance it with their pen-knives, and then caused him to be put in a basket, and drenched his naked body with honey, and set him in the sun, to be stung with wasps. And all this cruelty they showed, because he would not do anything towards the building up of this idol temple! No, they came to this, that if he would do but the least towards it, if he would give but a half-penny to it, they would save him. But he refused all, though the giving of a half-penny might have saved his life; and in doing this, he did but live up to that principle that most Christians talk of, and all profess—but few come up to, that is—that we must choose rather to suffer the worst of torments that men and devils can invent and inflict, than to commit the least sin whereby God should be dishonored, our consciences wounded, religion reproached, and our own souls endangered.

Remedy (6). The sixth remedy against this device of Satan is, seriously to consider, That the soul is never able to stand under the guilt and weight of the least sin, when God shall set it home upon the soul. The least sin will press and sink the stoutest sinner as low as hell, when God shall open the eyes of a sinner, and make him see the horrid filthiness and abominable vileness that is in sin! What so little, base, and vile creatures—as lice or gnats—and yet by these little poor creatures, God so plagued stout-hearted Pharaoh, and all Egypt, that, fainting under it, they were forced to cry out, "This is the finger of God!" (Exod. 8:16; 10. 19). When little creatures, yes, the least creatures, shall be armed with a power from God, they shall press and sink down the greatest, proudest, and stoutest tyrants who breathe!

So when God shall cast a sword into the hand of a little sin, and arm it against the soul, the soul will faint and fall under it. Some, who have but contemplated adultery, without any actual acting it; and others, having found a trifle, and made no conscience to restore it, knowing, by the light of natural conscience, that they did not do as they would be done by; and others, that have had some unworthy thought of God, have been so frightened, amazed, and terrified for those sins, which are small in men's account, that they have wished they had never been born; that they could take no delight in any earthly comfort, that they have been put to their wits' end, ready to make away themselves, wishing themselves annihilated.

William Perkins mentions a good man—but very poor, who, being ready to starve, stole a lamb, and being about to eat it with his poor children, and as his manner was afore eating, to ask God's blessing, dare not do it—but fell into a great perplexity of conscience, and acknowledged his fault to the owner, promising payment if ever he should be able.

Remedy (7). The seventh remedy against this device is, solemnly to consider, That there is more evil in the least sin than in the greatest affliction; and this appears as clear as the sun, by the severe dealing of God the Father with his beloved Son, who let all the vials of his fiercest wrath upon him, and that for the least sin as well as for the greatest.

"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23); of ALL sin, whether great or small, Oh! how should this make us tremble—as much at the least spark of lust as at hell itself; considering that God the Father would not spare his bosom Son, no, not for the least sin—but would make him drink the dregs of his wrath!

And so much for the remedies that may fence and preserve our souls from being drawn to sin by this third device of Satan.

Original Sin - Some Ruminations

In reading the chapter on "Original Sin" in the Piper and Taylor volume, "A God Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards," I've learned many new things. One of those things that prompted a brief, and surely inept, "theological flurry" was the remark that Edwards and Calvin disagreed (though to keep this fact in right perspective, I should call it a "minor" disagreement) regarding Adam's condition before the fall.

I invite comments and questions with the hope that we could develop a robust theological discussion.

My thoughts: "It seems to me that Edwards argument for Adam's original state as "original righteousness" is right as opposed to Calvin's description of Adam as "weak, frail and liable to fall." The question, however, that gets at the heart of the debate regards the nature of man given to Adam and Adam's posterity. It would seem hard to admit that Adam was "weak and frail," admitting then some defect in his nature, since we can claim (and I assume it here without argument) that God is not the author of evil. In other words, Adam was not created with a "weak" or "sinful" disposition, but as Edwards puts it "a righteous disposition." But neither can we assume that Adam was perfect in his nature because we are clearly presented with his sin and "the fall of man" in Adam. I believe then that the point of clarification regarding Adam's original nature, and Adam's posterity or all subsequent humanity, is found in the distinction between Creator and creature. Being created by virtue of its plain sense meaning shows not neceassarily imperfection, but (and here is where Calvin convinces me that Adam was "liable to sin"), that the perfection of anything created requires that the creature partake in the only source of perfection, the Creator. This seems to be common-sensical logic that Christians can admit to, namely that something perfect in all respects has no dependence upon another. Hence, God is perfectly self-sufficient and self-satisfied and in need of no other for any reason. Adam and all men, however, being created are thus inherently dependent. They can't by the very reason given above be dependent upon other creatures for their satisfaction and thus must be dependent upon their Creator. Adam's sin then and thus the sin inherited by all men is a result of their nature, namely that they are utterly dependent. Adam then was created without sin, but to continue in such a state he had to remain perfectly and wholly dependent on God. Adam's sin in the garden then reveals his nature, reiterating, namely that he was created. He could never have remained completely dependent upon God because truly complete dependence admits of perfection in that very dependence and creatures by definition possess perfection in no respect. Thus, Adam was never able to save himself so to speak by willing his own perfect dependence upon God, but required as all men do a Savior. Thus, God tells Adams and all men in Genesis 3:15 that salvation will come through Christ. By reflecting on Adam's sin and our own sin nature, we also make sense of God's plan of redemption as revealed in Scripture. Jesus Christ, not being created, but eternally begotten of the Father, is the only man (literally the Word made flesh, God incarnate, being both God and man) to reveal in his life, death and resurrection, a perfect obedience to God and thus the right to the "name above every name" and to stand as the mediator between man and God."

I would appreciate others thoughts.

Prayer Challenge: Jonathan Edwards on Prayer

Thanks to Brian Overstreet for suggesting and also lending to me a copy of "A God Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards," edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. I told Brian that I'd try to read a couple chapters by this Sunday when I present a lesson on the life of Jonthan Edwards. He gave me the book yesterday evening and I have read half of it already! In short, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the life and theology of Edwards.

The following excerpt is from a chapter by Don Whitney, "Pursuing a Passion for God Through Spiritual Disciplines." It concerns the spiritual discipline of prayer and so I thought it would be good to post in light of our "Prayer Challenge."

"Edwards was so devoted to prayer that it is hard to find a daily routine for him that wasn't permeated with it. He prayed alone when he arose, then had family prayer before breakfast. Prayer was a part of each meal, and he prayed again with the family in the evening. He prayed over his studies, and he prayed as he walked in the evenings. Prayer was both a discipline and a part of his leisure...

"Prayer was so essential to Edwards's Christianity that the idea of a Christian who did not pray was preposterous. Some of the most sobering words he ever spoke were directed toward those who claimed to be followers of Jesus but who never prayed in private. In his sermon on "Hypocrites Deficient in the Duty of Prayer," Edwards solemnly declared: 'I would exhort those who have entertained a hope of their being true converts - and who since their supposed conversion have left off the duty of secret prayer, and ordinarily allow themselves in the omission of it - to throw away their hope. If you have left off calling upon God, it is time for you to leave off hoping and flattering yourselves with an imagination that you are children of God.'...

"It seemed contrary to Edwards's understanding of Scripture that anyone could be indwelled by the Holy Spirit, who causes God's children to 'cry out Abba Father!' (Romans 8:15) and yet not cry out to the Father in regular private prayer. Edwards testifies that when a person has a passion for God, he prays."

On Family Worship

These quotes come from http://www.4familyreformation.org/index.htm.

IF thou be called to the government of a family, thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thy own person, unless thou cause all under thy charge to do the same with thee. Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

All agree that masters of families who profess religion, and the fear of God themselves, should, according to the talents they are intrusted with, maintain and keep up religion and the fear of God in their families, 'as those that must give account…. Matthew Henry—A Church in the House

A godly man promotes religion in his family; he sets up piety in his house as well as in his heart…. A godly man's house is a little church…. A good man makes known the oracles of God to those who are under his roof. He reads the Word and perfumes his house with prayer. Thomas Watson—A Godly Man's Picture

This site has free downloads of some really good stuff like Puritan Paperbacks, some of JC Ryle's "Expository Thoughts on The Gospels" and other excellent reads.

Blessings,
Steve

"Never let go out of your minds the thoughts of a crucified Christ."

The title is taken from Remedy 4 below. Please read this excerpt from Thomas Brooks's "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices." It will take just a couple minutes, but it will profit your soul much!

DEVICE 2 By painting sin with virtue's colours. Satan knows that if he should present sin in its own nature and dress, the soul would rather fly from it than yield to it; and therefore he presents it unto us, not in its own proper colours, but painted and gilded over with the name and show of virtue, that we may the more easily be overcome by it, and take the more pleasure in committing of it. Pride, he presents to the soul under the name and notion of neatness and cleanliness, and covetousness (which the apostle condemns for idolatry) to be but good husbandry;12 and drunkenness to be good fellowship, and riotousness under the name and notion of liberality, and wantonness as a trick of youth.

Remedy (1). Consider, That sin is never a whit the less filthy, vile, and abominable, by its being coloured and painted with virtue's colours. A poisonous pill is never a whit the less poisonous because it is gilded over with gold; nor a wolf is never a whit the less a wolf because he hath put on a sheep's skin; nor the devil is never a whit the less a devil because he appears sometimes like an angel of light. So neither is sin any whit the less filthy and abominable by its being painted over with virtue's colours.

Remedy (4). Seriously to consider, That even those very sins that Satan paints, and puts new names and colours upon, cost the best blood, the noblest blood, the life-blood, the heart-blood of the Lord Jesus. That Christ should come from the eternal bosom of his Father to a region of sorrow and death; that God should be manifested in the flesh, the Creator made a creature; that he that was clothed with glory should be wrapped with rags of flesh; he that filled heaven and earth with his glory should be cradled in a manger; that the power of God should fly from weak man, the God of Israel into Egypt; that the God of the law should be subject to the law, the God of the circumcision circumcised, the God that made the heavens working at Joseph's homely trade; that he that binds the devils in chains should be tempted; that he, whose is the world, and the fullness thereof, should hunger and thirst; that the God of strength should be weary, the Judge of all flesh condemned, the God of life put to death; that he that is one with his Father should cry out of misery, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46); that he that had the keys of hell and death at his girdle should lie imprisoned in the sepulchre of another, having in his lifetime nowhere to lay his head, nor after death to lay his body; that that head, before which the angels do cast down their crowns, should be crowned with thorns, and those eyes, purer than the sun, put out by the darkness of death; those ears, which hear nothing but hallelujahs of saints and angels, to hear the blasphemies of the multitude; that face, that was fairer than the sons of men, to be spit on by those beastly wretched Jews; that mouth and tongue, that spake as never man spake, accused for blasphemy; those hands, that freely swayed the sceptre of heaven, nailed to the cross; those feet, "like unto fine brass," nailed to the cross for man's sins; each sense annoyed: his feeling or touching, with a spear and nails; his smell, with stinking flavour, being crucified about Golgotha, the place of skulls; his taste, with vinegar and gall; his hearing, with reproaches, and sight of his mother and disciples bemoaning him; his soul, comfortless and forsaken; and all this for those very sins that Satan paints and puts fine colours upon! Oh! how should the consideration of this stir up the soul against it, and work the soul to fly from it, and to use all holy means whereby sin may be subdued and destroyed!

After Julius Caesar was murdered, Antonius brought forth his coat, all bloody and cut, and laid it before the people, saying, "Look, here you have the emperor's coat thus bloody and torn": whereupon the people were presently in an uproar, and cried out to slay those murderers; and they took their tables and stools that were in the place, and set them on fire, and ran to the houses of them that had slain Caesar, and burnt them. So that when we consider that sin hath slain our Lord Jesus, ah, how should it provoke our hearts to be revenged on sin, that hath murdered the Lord of glory, and hath done that mischief that all the devils in hell could never have done?

It was good counsel one gave, "Never let go out of your minds the thoughts of a crucified Christ." Let these be meat and drink unto you; let them be your sweetness and consolation, your honey and your desire, your reading and your meditation, your life, death, and resurrection.

Precious remedies against Satan's devices, Part Deux

The following is from Chapter 2, entitled "Satan's Devices to Draw The Soul To Sin":

(Notice how Brooks proceeds from one point to another with great logical precision. Each chapter is comprised of first a listing of a "device" used by Satan to entice believers and is then followed by several "remedies" for fighting against the "wiles of the devil." The entire book is done in this fashion.)

Satan's devices for "drawing the soul to sin."

Device I "To Present the bait and hide the hook; to present the golden cup and hide the poison; to present the sweet, the pleasure, and the profit that may flow in upon the soul by yielding to sin, and by hiding from the soul the wrath and misery that will certainly follow the committing of sin. By this device he took our first parents: 'And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know, that in the day yet eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened; and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil' (Gen 3:4-5)...giving them an apple in exchange for a paradise."

Remedy (I) "First, Keep at the greatest distance from sin, and from playing with the golden bait that Satan holds forth to catch you; for this you have (Rom. 12.9), 'Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good.'...The Greek word that is there rendered 'abhor,' is very significant; it signifies to hate it as hell itself, to hate it with horror."

Remedy (IV) "Seriously to consider, That sin is of a very deceitful and betwitching nature. Sin is from the greatest deceiver, it is a child of hiw own begetting, it is the ground of all the deceit in the world, and it is in it own nature exceeding deceitful. 'But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.' Heb. 3:13 It will kiss the soul and pretend fair to the soul, and yet betray the soul forever. It will with Delilah smile upon us, that it may betray us into the hands of the devil, as she did Samson into the hands of the Philistines...

"When the physicians told Theotimus that except he did abstain from drunkeness and uncleanness he would lose his eyes, his heart was so bewitched to his sins, that he answered, 'Then farewell, sweet light'; he had rather lose his eyes than leave his sin. So a man bewitched with sin had rather lose God, Christ, heaven, and his own soul than part with his sin. Oh, therefore, forever take heed of playing with or nibbling at Satan's golden baits."

Look for more each day from Brooks's "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices."

"The Lord will not forsake His people..."

In my personal devotion I came across Samuel's exhortations to Israel in I Samuel 12:20-25:

20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22 For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

See verse 22, "For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people." The Israelites feared God for the sin of asking for a King. Samuel exhorts them, in much the same way that Thomas Brook exhorts believers in his "Precious remedies" not to run from the Lord because they fear Him, but to run to and cleave to Him. It was a great encouragement to me to meditate on the fact that though we often sin against God because of moments of unbelief, He never stops loving us (Romans 8:39), not even when we fail to love Him with all our "heart, soul, mind and strength."

Samuel says, in verse 21, "And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing." When we go after things other than God, we "go after empty things." (Matthew 6:19-21) Meditating upon truths like this is what emboldens us to "overcome the world." (I John 5:4)

Precious remedies against Satan's devices

I started reading this morning the Puritan Thomas Brooks's "Precious remedies against Satan's devices."

Here are a few select passages from Brooks's introduction:

"Christ, the Scripture, your own hearts, and Satan's devices, are the four prime things that should be first and most studied and searched. If any cast off the study of these, they cannot be safe here, nor happy hereafter."

"Beloved, Satan being fallen from light to darkness, from felicity to misery, from heaven to hell, from an angel to a devil, is so full of malice and envy that he will leave no means unattempted, whereby he may make all others eternally miserable with himself...whatever sin the heart of man is most prone to, that the devil will help forward. If David be proud of his people, Satan will provoke him to number them, that he may be yet prouder (II Sam. 24)."

"Reason 1" for Brooks's writing of this treatise: "Because Satan hath a greater influence upon men, and higher advantage over them than they think he hath, and the knowledge of his high advantage is the highway to disappoint him, and to render the soul strong in resisting, and happy in conquering."

"Remember, it is not hasty reading, but serious meditating upon holy and heavenly truths, that make them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the bee's touching of the flower that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time upon the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates most, that will prove the choisest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian. Know that it is not the knowing, nor the talking, nor the reading man, but the doing man, that at last will be found the happiest man. 'If you know these things, blessed and happy are you if you do them.'"(John 13:17)

Blessings,
Steve

A Lesson on Discipline

While on vacation I learned an important lesson about discipline. Well, "learned" is not the right word since I already knew the lesson. "Experienced afresh" is more accurate. I experienced this lesson through two disciplines, Scripture memorization and running. I started a consistent routine of running back in April. I would run four times a week and I missed only a couple of runs. The plan was to slowly work up to running for 3o minutes straight. I accomplished the goal and was running for 35 minutes or so until my discipline became lax. After 3-4 weeks of inconsistent running, during my runs on vacation, I struggled to run for 25 minutes.
The need for consistency and perseverance in discipline also hit me hard with Scripture memorization. A couple of years ago at one point, I had James, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Romans memorized and was reciting each book once per week. Now, after an extended hiatus, I am trying to return to a more disciplined approach of review. However, getting everything back is a struggle. Was the memorization of these books helpful even if I don't have every verse in the tank now, one may ask? Yes, of course it was. I am much more familiar with the books and the memorization process allowed the Holy Spirit to influence me through hours of meditation.
My point of relating this experience is to say that discipline needs to be consistent and persistent. "Binge discipline," as I have heard it called leads to little fruit. Alternating between lengthy dry spells and short bursts of extreme discipline leaves one feeling frustrated. Discipline is best taken in daily smaller doses over a longer period of time. This tactic is certainly contrary to our instant gratification bent, but over the course of months and years, it will certainly pay off. So, let us have short term goals for our disciplines; but more importantly, let us have long term goals. Where will you be spiritually in 5 years? In ten years? In twenty years? Brothers, be consistent and be persistent.

How Goes the Battle?

Guys,
now that we are a few days into the "Prayer Challenge," I wanted to ask how is it going? Please share encouraging experiences you are having and any tips or advice you think might be of help to each other.

I want to make another general call to read Piper's sermon on Prayer. His theology of prayer is very biblical and thus very encouraging. He has some very good pratical points. One practical point that I took away was to break up my scheduled times of prayer throughout the day. In other words, 30 minutes of prayer each day can be broken into three ten minute sessions.

Blessings,
Steve

Reflections on Judges 1-10

Hey guys,
I look forward to seeing everyone at worship tonight. If you haven't had a chance, read the sermon on prayer by John Piper that I posted. It has some good suggestions on making prayer a daily part of your walk with the Lord.

Here are a few reflections from the first half of the Book of Judges:

As Paul tells us in Romans 1, even pagans acknowledge God and His justice. Judges 1:7 "And Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table; as I have done, SO GOD HAS REPAID ME.” Then they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. "

One can say without controversy, among believers, that the primary reason for Israel's defeats and sorrows in the days of the Judges is their disobedience to God's Word. Judges 2:10 "When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them WHO DID NOT KNOW THE LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel." How could this be? I think it would be safe to assume their fathers had failed to keep the Word of God in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

One theme from the words of Judges 2:10 which I want to impress on your heart and which I encourage you to comment on is the importance of knowing God. This pursuit should be the love of our life and the one thing above all else that we should be doing to God's glory.

Observe in Judges 6:1-2 the lack of freedom in the lives of God's people when they turn from Him. Remember that in Christ we have the Truth (John 14:6) and that Truth will set us free! (John 8:31-32) If the children of Israel would have been renewing their mind by the Word of God they would not have need to flee from their enemies and to build strongholds out of fear! (Look for a separate post on this idea...)

Lastly, I was struck by Gideon's use of the gold plundered from the Midianites. Judges 8:27 says, "Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house." I don't know about you, but this passage to me smacked of something like an ancient church "program." I see church programs as the idea that men must be "creative" in worship in order to motivate men to worship the Creator. Here Gideon takes to an idea of his own imagination rather than worshipping God as he had spoken plainly of in His Word.

Devote Yourselves to Prayer, by John Piper

Guys,
read this word by John Piper.

I think it will help you succeed in our "Prayer Challenge."

Blessings,
Steve

More Encouragement from Joshua

Brothers,
let God's Word be the inspiration and content of your prayers! When I go to God's Word I am consistently convinced of its limitless wisdom and encouragement to believers. I took yesterday and today to read through the book of Joshua, and just like when I was going through the "NT Challenge," I could stop at almost every verse and meditate and write down things that bring praise to my lips of God and His greatness.

Here are a few reflections from the rest of the book of Joshua:

Joshua 21:43-45:
43 So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. 44 The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

Brothers, the Gospel is there! The Lord has promised us a place in His Kingdom, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." (Phil. 3:20-21) And, he has given us our rest in Christ, through whom we are delivered from the things of this world (read Romans 8). And, praise God for the words of Joshua 21:45, what a mighty and merciful God we serve! He says there in His Word, "NOT A WORD FAILED OF ANY GOOD THING WHICH THE LORD HAD SPOKEN TO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. ALL CAME TO PASS." I have to tell you brothers, promises like that from God's Word energize me and excite me about serving Him. "If God is for us, who can be against us!!"

I think one reason the Old Testament is an encouragement to believers is its reminder of God's sovereignity in history, telling us of how our Lord preserves His people. Look at what Joshua says to the Israelites in Joshua 23:3b, "...for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you." Brothers, don't let your minds become slack in remembering that it is the Lord your God that fights for you. It is He who wills your sanctification. These promises are so sweet!

I was also very encouraged to hear the boldness of a godly man like Joshua. I know you brothers can echo this sense of being emboldened and built up in the faith when godly men strongly proclaim the promises and assurances of God's Word. Joshua tells the people of Israel in Joshua 23:6, "Therefore be very courageous to keep and do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses. lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left." I wrote in the margin of my bible, "Manliness!" Brothers, we are engaged in a fight and we are to be COURAGEOUS! I love the images the Apostle Paul provide in II Timothy (that Marcus recently preached on), but especially that of the soldier. How encouraged are you by standing together as men to serve the Lord? What a privilige brothers it is to strive for holiness together with you!

Again, remarking on boldness, Joshua says in Joshua 24:14, "Serve the Lord!" and in the following verse, "But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord."

Take heart brothers!
Steve

"...but they did not ask counsel of the Lord."

Joshua 9:14b "...but they did not ask counsel of the Lord."

I was reading the book of Joshua yesterday and the Lord gave me pause at this verse. I thought to myself, "it would have been very easy to pass over this word unnoticed."

At this point in the narrative, God has made a great conquest through the leadership of Joshua and the Israelites of the pagan peoples on the other side of the Jordan. And so, the people feared greatly the Israelites because of what God was doing through them. The "inhabitants of Gibeon" because they were also afraid "worked craftily and went and pretended to be ambassadors." (Joshua 9:4) When confronted by the Gibeonites, men seeking a deceitful allliance with Israel, Joshua and the leaders of Israel failed to "ask counsel of the Lord." Because of this failure to seek God's counsel, they had to spare the Gibeonites because of their own words.

Matthew Henry says of this passage, "We make more haste than good speed, when we stay not to take God with us, and do not consult him by the word and prayer." Brothers, let this be an encouragement to you to seek God in prayer. We have God's Word before us every day. Read over it and pray over it!

As another note, the book of Joshua was a great encouragement! It was awesome to read the Lord's words of assurance and deliverance to Joshua. Pause and hear this word from God to Joshua, "And the Lord said to Joshua, 'Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you."

Brothers, we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord!

The Men's Prayer Challenge

Guys,
as many of you know, part of the reason for this blog is the mutual encouragement of each other in the faith. To that end, we have had a "NT Challenge" and we have posted many good articles and sermons, and "amateur" commentaries, on Scripture.

I have spoken with a good many of you regarding our next challenge, and many of you have said that you anxiously await its inception, so here it is: The Men's Prayer Challenge!!

The challenge: you are challenged to set aside 30 mintues each day from your personal schedule to devote to God in prayer. Let me remind you that we do not proceed upon this challenge with a legal frame of mind, but with a heart of thanksgiving and gratitude towards God for what he has done for us by His grace in Christ. We commit to each other to pray for at least 30 minutes each day this month in the understanding that God calls us to pray "without ceasing" and that we desire to humble ourselves before Him calling upon him for all our needs.

I would also call upon each of you to post your comments as regularly as possible speaking to your experience during this challenge. Please also post short (3 paragraphs or less) comments from good theologians on prayer. And, feel free to post things that you think will be encouraging to each other while we progress together through this challenge.

Blessings,
Steve