Blog

He Had No Rights

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:53:57 -0400

This week I am reading a book loaned to me by David Michelson. It is written by Mabel Williamson and is entitled "Have We No Right? - A Missionary Asks Some Questions?" It applies specifically Philippians 2:7-8:
He "made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Here a challenging excerpt from this little book:

Jesus had no rights:
No right to a soft bed, and a well-laid table;
No right to a home of His own, a place where His own pleasure might be sought;
No right to choose pleasant, congenial companions, those who could understand Him and sympathize with Him;
No right to shrink away from filth and sin, to pull His garments closer around Him and turn aside to walk in cleaner paths;
No right to be understood and appreciated; no, not by those upon whom He had poured out a double portion of His love;
No right even never to be forsaken by His Father, the one who meant more than all to Him.

His only right was silently to endure shame, spitting, blows; to take His place as a sinner at the dock; to bear my sins in anguish on the cross.

He had no rights. And I?

A right to the ‘comforts’ of life? No, but a right to the love of God for my pillow.

A right to physical safety? No, but a right to the security of being in His will.

A right to love and sympathy from those around me? No, but a right to the friendship of the One who understands me better than I do myself.

A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be led by the One to whom I have given my all, led as is a little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.

A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a right to dwell in the heart of God.

A right to myself? No, but, oh, I have a right to Christ.

All that He takes I will give;

All that He gives will I take;

He, my only right!

He, the one right before which all other rights fade into nothingness.

I have full right to Him;

Oh, may He have full right to me!

J.I. Packer on "Spiritual Darkness"

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:18:21 -0400

Today’s evangelicalism has little to say about spiritual darkness, but in the older tradition it was very different. It was recognized that God sovereignly brings upon us from time to time episodes of spiritual darkness, in which what is sensed is his absence and displeasure, rather than his presence and the assurance of his love and of one’s own future happiness with him. Sometimes these moments are wake-up calls regarding overdue behavioral changes, and sometimes they are simple tests of fidelity, imposed as a kind of workout through which the saints emerge stronger than before.

Detailed evidence as to what such desertion, or abandonment, feels like, why God inflicts it and how to handle it, is found in the Psalms (see 38, 42, 88, 119:67, etc.), in the book of Job and in one key verse from the pen of the evangelical prophet, Isaiah. Chapter 50, verse 10 says: “Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”

Matthew Henry describes how it is that Christians sometimes walk in darkness: “When their evidences for heaven are clouded, their joy in God is interrupted, the testimony of the Spirit is suspended, and the light of God's countenance is eclipsed. Pensive Christians are apt to be melancholy, and those who fear are always apt to fear too much.”

He prescribes the two-fold cure from Isaiah 50:

He that is thus in the dark,

(1.) Let him trust in the name of the Lord, in the goodness of his nature, and that which he has made known of himself, his wisdom, power, and goodness. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, let him run into that. Let him depend upon it that if he walked before God, which a man may do though he walk in the dark, he shall find God all-sufficient to him.

(2.) Let him stay himself upon his God, his in covenant; let him keep hold of his covenant-relation to God, and call God his God, as Christ on the cross, My God, My God. Let him stay himself upon the promises of the covenant, and build his hopes on them. When a child of God is ready to sink he will find enough in God to stay himself upon. Let him trust in Christ, for God's name is in him (Exodus 23:21), trust in that name of his: The Lord our righteousness, and stay himself upon God as his God, in and through a Mediator.

Augustus Toplady crystallized this cure for us in the below hymn text that he wrote during the days of the Evangelical Revival:

Blest is the man, O God,

That stays himself on Thee;

Who waits for thy salvation, Lord,

Shall thy salvation see

When we in darkness walk,

Nor feel the heavenly flame,

Then is the time to trust our God,

And rest upon his name.

Soon shall our doubts and fears

Subside at his control;

His lovingkindness shall break through

The midnight of the soul

His grace will to the end

Stronger and brighter shine;

Nor present things, nor things to come

Shall quench the life divine.

When God Rescues Those Who Hide From Him

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:22:21 -0400

Joy Davidson’s spiritual transformation was finally precipitated by the nervous breakdown of her first husband, William Lindsay Gresham. Left alone and afraid by his collapse, Joy had a personal encounter with the presence of God, which she described like this: “All my defenses – the walls of arrogance and cocksureness and self-love behind which I had hid from God – went down momentarily—and God came in.”

New Happiness...New Distress

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:17:48 -0400

"To be a true minister to men is always to accept new happiness and new distress. The man who gives himself to other men can never be a wholly sad man; but no more can he be a man of unclouded gladness. To him shall come with every deeper consecration a before untasted joy, but in the same cup shall be mixed a sorrow that was beyond his power to feel before."

- Phillips Brooks, 1835-1893

Reading Romans Will Change Your Life

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:43:38 -0400

As we begin our new sermon series on Paul's letter to the church at Rome, let me strongly urge you to take time to read this letter in its entirety. One thesis that is easily defensible is: Reading Romans changes lives. The impact of the book has been almost incalculable. Below are three historical examples of what happens when people read and seriously grapple with the truths of this book.

Take the case of Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354-430 ). Struggling in the chains of lust and sin, he suddenly heard a voice repeating over and over, "Take up and read. Take up and read." In response he picked up his Bible and read the first passage his eyes fell on: "Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts" (Augustine, Confessions, 8:29). Those words from Romans 13:13, 14 led to Augustine's conversion to Christ. In the book of Romans, Augustine met Jesus as Savior from sin. He went on to be the leading voice in the church for the next 1,000 years. Many think that his writings have done more than any other person to shape Western thought.

More than a millennium afterward, Martin Luther had a similar experience with the book of Romans. At one time he wrote that "if ever a man could be saved by monkery [being a monk] that man was I" (in Barclay, Galatians, p. 23). But religious practice just didn't do it. He was driven to despair until he discovered Christ's righteousness in Romans. Thereupon, he wrote, I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning" (Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, pp. 49-50). The result was Martin Luther's own salvation. In addition to this, Luther's reading and meditating upon Romans ignited what we now call the Great Reformation.

Two hundred years later John Wesley, who had struggled to be righteous for years, found himself in utter despair. In that condition on May 24, 1738, he went to a chapel on Aldergate Street in London where he heard someone reading Luther's Preface to Romans. "I felt, he penned, my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: And an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death" (Wesley, vol. 1, p. 103). The result was the rise of the Methodist movement with its forceful impact on the modern evangelical, holiness, and Pentecostal movements.

The Scandalous Gospel of God

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:43:30 -0400

All of us at times face the temptation to be ashamed of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Even those of us who have tasted the grace of God are prone to yield at times to pressure and compromise our loyalty to Christ and His gospel. So prevalent is this even among the most advanced Christians that Paul deemed it necessary to warn Timothy respecting it: “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord” (2 Timothy 1:8) As the Apostle Paul makes his plans to come to Rome, a place of great influence, he courageously states: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel” (Romans 1:16).

What is it about this Gospel of God that gives occasion for such a word?

Some of us today face the danger of intellectual shame. W.H. Griffith Thomas explains this as “the fear that the gospel has not that virility of thought and essential philosophy which will commend it to masculine minds.” For Paul was well aware of all the temptations in Rome to being ashamed of the gospel there. What was arrayed against him — the esteemed religions of the world and the great systematized philosophies of Aristotle and Plato.

Others of us face the danger of social shame. It is still true today that “not many wise, not many noble, not many mighty are called.” The facet that Christianity has always moved upwards from the lowest social strata is a stumbling block for those who are socially proud. Some of us do not want to be thought of as fanatical and want so desperately to be accepted by those whose opinions we esteem and we at times waffle in our commitment to Jesus and His Word.

Lastly, the gospel causes us to confront spiritual shame. The gospel is foolishness to some and a stumbling block to others because it undermines self-righteousness and challenges self-indulgence. So “whenever the gospel is faithfully preached, it arouses opposition, often contempt, and sometimes ridicule” (John Stott, Romans, p.60).

How does the Gospel offend our modern sensibilities?

1. The gospel insults and scandalizes us by telling us that our salvation is free and not earned. This offends moral and religious people who think their decency gives them an advantage over less moral people.

2. The gospel insults us by telling us that we were so sinful and wicked that only the death of the Son of God could save us. This really offends our culture’s popular belief in the innate goodness of man.

3. The gospel offends us by insisting that good and nice people will not be saved by their own goodness. This offends the modern notion that any nice person anywhere can find God “in his own way.” We don’t like losing our autonomy.

4. The gospel scandalizes us by reminding us that Jesus’ accomplished our salvation by suffering and serving (not conquering and destroying), and that following him means to suffer and serve with him. This offends people who want an easy life. This offends people who want their lives to be safe and comfortable.

May the fixed purpose of heart and attitude of mind of the Apostle Paul be ours today in fuller measure. Can you concur with Paul with firm and resolute confidence that: “I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)?

The Way Christians Should Face Affliction

Mon, 24 May 2010 10:59:42 -0400

The Way Christians Should Face Affliction.

The Erskines [Ebenezer (b.1680) and Ralph (b.1685) Erskine were great eighteenth-century Scottish preachers] endured much tribulation before they entered into glory. In addition to the religious controversies that dampened their joy in the ministry for twenty-five years, they endured much domestic grief. Ebenezer Erskine buried his first wife when she was thirty-nine; his second wife, three years before his own death. He also lost six of fifteen children. Ralph Erskine buried his first wife when she was thirty-two and nine of thirteen children.

The Erskines well understood that God has only one Son without sin but none without affliction. Their diaries are filled with Christ-centered submission in the midst of affliction. Here is what Ebenezer Erskine wrote when his first wife was on her deathbed and he had just buried several children: I have had the rod of God laying upon my family by the great distress of a dear wife, on whom the Lord hath laid his hand, and on whom his hand doth still lie heavy. But O that I could proclaim the praises of his free grace, which has paid me a new and undeserved visit this day. He has been with me both in secret and public. I found the sweet smells of the Rose of Sharon, and my soul was refreshed with a new sight of him in the excellency of his person as Immanuel, and in the sufficiency of his everlasting righteousness. My sinking hopes are revived by the sight of him. My bonds are loosed, and my burdens of affliction made light, when he appears . . . .”Here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him.” If he call me to go down to the swellings of Jordan, why not, if it be his holy will? Only be with me, Lord, and let thy rod and staff comfort me, and then I shall not fear to go through the valley of trouble, yea, through the valley of the shadow of death.

We have much to learn today about learning to live with affliction. We need affliction to humble us (Deut. 8:2), to teach us what sin is (Zeph. 1:12), and to bring us to God (Hosea 5:15). “Affliction is the diamond dust that heaven polishes its jewels with,” wrote Robert Leighton. Let us view God’s rod of affliction as writing Christ’s image more fully upon us so that we may be partakers of His righteousness and holiness (Heb. 12:10-11). Let our affliction move us to walk by faith and to wean us from the world. Thomas Watson wrote, “God would have the world hang as a loose tooth which, being twitched away, does not much trouble us.” May we, like the Erskines, allow affliction to elevate our souls to heaven and pave our way to glory (2 Cor. 4:7).

If you are a Christian presently undergoing profound trials, don’t overestimate those trials. Remember that life is short and eternity is forever. Your days on earth are nearly over. Think more of your coming crown and your eternal communion with the Triune God, saints, and angels. As John Trapp wrote, “He that rides to be crowned need not think much of a rainy day.”

You are merely renters here; a mansion awaits you in glory. Don’t despair. The Shepherd’s rod is held by a fatherly hand of love, not a punitive hand of judgment. Consider Christ in your afflictions – were they not much more than yours, and was not He wholly innocent? Consider how he perseveres for you, how He prays for you, how He helps you toward the goals He has for you. In the end, He will be glorified through your afflictions.

Puritan Reformed Spirituality by Joel R. Beeke

What Makes You Tick?

Tue, 18 May 2010 12:36:09 -0400

Listen to what made Samuel Rutherford tick. He was an extraordinary, spiritual giant and a Scottish Presbyterian pastor, professor, and scholar during the early 17th century, but, above all, he was a devotional writer par excellence! Powerful preacher! Passionate apologist! Skilled theologian! But if you ever desire to know what made Rutherford "tick," you need to see him through the lens of his dying words:

"Dear brethren, do all for Him. Pray for Christ. Preach for Christ. Do all for Christ; beware of men-pleasing. The Chief-shepherd will shortly appear." For Rutherford, Jesus Christ was everything!

In this, Rutherford exemplified the heart of true Puritanism: to live for the glory of God, to love and serve Jesus Christ, to do good to God's people. Rutherford's orthodoxy was not merely doctrinal; he epitomized "orthodox" Christ-centered living!

Rutherford has left us a rich legacy of consecrated scholarship and Christ-centered, Christ-fuelled devotion. His last recorded words, more than anything else, sum up the man he was: "Glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land."

-- Adapted from Ian Hamilton

Hiding God's Law Deeply in Our Hearts - John Calvin

Tue, 18 May 2010 08:07:33 -0400

There is nothing pure in our lives until we have made a complete surrender of ourselves to the word of the Lord. We are well fortified against the stratagems of Satan when God's law is deeply seated in our hearts. For unless it has a fast and firm hold there, we will readily fall into sin. Our true safeguard, then, lies not in a slender knowledge of his law, or in a careless perusal of it, but in hiding it deeply in our hearts. -- John Calvin

Using ANTHEM to Resist Temptation

Sun, 16 May 2010 18:36:45 -0400

John Piper defines the essence of Christian Hedonism in this saying: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." In resisting temptation, we tend to work at mustering up enough will power and self control to not yield and, honestly, this approach doesn't work very well especially in the long run. A better approach is to become so ravished by the beauty and person of our Lord that we find our satisfaction, delight, joy and treasure in Him. This approach is highlighted in the below set of strategies that help us in our war against temptation. John Owen soberly cautions us: Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.

The below acronym, A N T H E M, comes from the pen of John Piper. I have taken liberty to add some of my own comments from the life of Joseph in Genesis 39.

A – AVOID as much as is possible and reasonable the sights and situations that arouse inordinate desires. Look at Joseph: He refused the temptress’ advances (v.8). “He would not listen to her and he would not even be with her (v.10). “He fled and got out of the house (v.11) “Avoiding” is a Biblical strategy. “Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness” (2 Timothy 2:22).

N – Say NO to every lustful thought within five seconds. You must mount a violent counterattack with your mind. And say it with the authority of Jesus Christ. “In the name of Jesus, NO!” John Owen said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Recall to mind one of the questions that I ask myself based upon 2 Corinthians 10:5: "Lord, does this thought lead me to love, serve, honor, and treasure Jesus?“If not, get out of my mind! Then, here's a simple prayer to pray from Martin Luther: "O God, in the name of Jesus, help me! Save me now for I am yours.”

T – TURN your mind forcefully toward Christ as a superior satisfaction. Have you ever in the first five seconds of temptation demanded of your mind that it look steadfastly at our crucified Lord Jesus Christ? John Donne says it beautifully in one of his sonnets: “Batter my heart, three-person’d God; for you… Take me to you, imprison me, for I, Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.”

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.

E – ENJOY a superior satisfaction. One reason lust reigns in us is that Christ has so little appeal. John Piper ask a simple question: What steps have you taken to arouse your affection for Jesus? You were created to treasure Christ with all your heart. 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.”

M – MOVE into a useful activity, away from idleness and other vulnerable behaviors. Look at Joseph: He is faithfully doing his work (v.11). Lust grows fast in the garden of leisure. Find a good work to do, and do it with all your might.

You serve one who is greater than Joseph. In Him dwelt all the fullness of deity. He too had the palace, the power, and the glory and he lost it. Now our Savior, unlike Joseph, had no physical beauty that we should desire him, but, like Joseph, He was numbered with transgressors and thrown in with guilty prisoners. He was unjustly condemned and no deceit was in his mouth. He poured out his life and bore your sins and mine. We are the supreme passion of his life. When you come to realize that, he’ll become your supreme passion. It happened for Joseph. It can happen for you. Let's plead with the Lord to ravish us with His beauty so that He comes to have first place in the affections of our hearts.

Cause Me to Hear Your Lovingkindness

Sat, 15 May 2010 12:45:15 -0400

The Bible is full of literary masterpieces. Oftentimes, the Scripture writers use what is called a chiasm to communicate their message. Psalm 143 is an simple example of a chiastic structure. In this psalm, David appeals to the Lord for a quick answer to his prayer. He desires deliverance from his enemies.

We serve a great King... one greater than David who is committed to rule us by His Word and Spirit and who has promised to defend and deliver us from all of His and our enemies... most notably the world, the flesh, the devil, and death.

A1 (vv. 1-2) Relationship of servant to Master

B1 (vv. 3-4) Danger of enemies

C1 (vv. 5-6) Trust

D (v 7) Urgency

C2 (v 8) Trust

B2 (vv. 9-10) Danger of enemies

A2 (vv. 11-12) Relationship of servant to Master

I also enjoy singing a simple Scripture song from Psalm 143:5-11. Here are the lyrics that I meditate and think about frequently especially early in the morning as I begin my day. I hope today that you will hear and experience the Lord's loyal, persistent, and unfailing love for you...

Cause me to hear

thy lovingkindness

in the morning;

For in Thee do I trust:

Cause me to know

the way wherein I should walk;

For I lift up my soul unto Thee.

Deliver me, O LORD...

Teach me to do Thy will...

Quicken me, O LORD,

For I stretch out my hands unto Thee.

Shalom!

Pastor Cain

Only in God - Psalm 62

Thu, 13 May 2010 10:23:19 -0400

Real safety and security come from the LORD. Therefore, what does the Psalmist urge us to do? "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us" (62:8).

How are we specifically to trust in Him? What are the components he outlines?
1.    Waiting for the LORD (vv.1,5) Waiting for God in silence. How often do I keep a silent vigil before You, O Lord? This is the cure for not being shaken by the circumstances, afflictions and troubles of this life.
2.    Listening to the LORD. What are we to do while we wait? Listen.
3.    Meditating on the LORD - 62:5 - David speaks to his soul. He is driving the truths about God into his soul.
4.    Beseeching the LORD. Pouring out your heart to the Lord (v.8). The way to express faith in our Lord is to pour out our hearts before him in prayer.

Why should we do this? God is a God of immense power and steadfast love. He can do something about the burdens of our hearts because of His power. He wants to do something about the burdens of our hearts because of His love. The Lord possesses the "power" (v.11) to do us good. The LORD possesses the intention to do us good. It is called "hesed" (v.12) - the ESV translates it "steadfast love."

Enseñame - Teach Me

Wed, 05 May 2010 15:04:57 -0400

My favorite Spanish praise song is entitled: Enseñame. I hope that you will make its simple refrain one of your daily prayer requests of the Lord.

This short praise song reads like this in Spanish:

Enseñame tu camino Señor y andaré en tu luz.

Dame un corazon entregado a ti para honrarte oh Dios.

Purifícame, limpiame Señor y librame de lo que impida el fluir de tu amor.

Translated, it is a prayer that says this in English:

Teach me your way Lord and I will walk in your light.
Give me a yielded heart to honor you oh God.

Purify me, cleanse me Lord, and deliver me from all that hinders the flow of your love.

Here's a recording of this beautiful, simple prayer:

Enseñame

Psalm 121 and the One who Keeps Israel

Sun, 02 May 2010 16:49:45 -0400

¹ I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
         From whence comes my help?
² My help comes from the LORD,
         Who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not allow your foot to be moved;
         He who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, He who keeps Israel
         Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD is your keeper;
         The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
         Nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
         He shall preserve your soul.
⁸ The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
         From this time forth, and even forevermore.

If we are honest, most of us believe that our sin interrupts and cuts off the Lord’s watch care of us. There is a serious error in judgment that we all make at times. Hear the words of Eugene Peterson: “When illness comes, anxiety threatens, and conflict disturbs our relationships with others, the only serious mistake we can make is to conclude that God has gotten bored looking after us and has shifted his attention to a more exciting Christian, or that God has become disgusted with our meandering obedience and decided to let us fend for ourselves for a while, or that God has gotten too busy fulfilling prophecy in the Middle East to take time now to sort out the complicated mess we have gotten ourselves into. That is the only serious mistake we can make. It is the mistake that Psalm 121 prevents: the mistake of supposing that God’s interest in us waxes and wanes in response to our spiritual temperature.”

He who watches over Israel. What a marvelous concept. The unceasing vigilance of the Keeper of Israel.Who was Israel originally? His first name was Jacob… the liar, the supplanter and manipulator, the man who deceived and cheated his brother and wrote the book on parental bungling. God would say later on: “I have loved Jacob (the supplanter, the one who grasps the heel). “He transforms him into Israel… a prince of God. Jacob is turned from a deceiver into a prince. Friends, we can trust in that kind of Lord. Our God is not just the powerful God of creation, but a God of infinite, tender mercy who watches over you and pursues you even when you are running away.

“Once we get Psalm 121 in our hearts it will be impossible for us to gloomily suppose that being a Christian is an unending battle against ominous forces that at any moment may break through and overpower us. Faith is not a precarious affair of chance escape from satanic assaults. It is the solid, massive, secure experience of God who keeps all evil from getting inside us, who keeps our life, who keeps our going out and our coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

Tu Fidelidad es Grande

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:30:27 -0400

I'm fiddlin' with recording some of my favorite Spanish praise songs. I love their simplicity and their scriptural-rootedness. Here's the first little installment.

These two short songs remind us that the Lord's faithfulness is great. Not one of His promises has ever failed and all of His promises are fulfilled in Christ. And because of that it is reasonable and right to desire to fill His heavenly throne room with praises.

Tu fidelidad es grande... Quiero llenar tu trono de alabanzas

Large Petitions for a Rich and Generous Father

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 09:18:35 -0400

When it came to prayer, John Newton, the slave-trader-turned-pastor and hymn writer, believed in what he called "large asking." When explaining what he meant, Newton would often cite a legendary story of a man who asked Alexander the Great to give him a huge sum of money in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage. Alexander agreed, and told the man to request of Alexander's treasurer whatever he wanted. So, the father of the bride went and asked for an enormous amount. The treasurer was startled and said he could not give out that kind of money without a direct order. Going to Alexander, the treasurer argued that even a small fraction of the money requested would more than serve the purpose.

"No," replied Alexander, "let him have it all. I like that fellow. He does me honor. He treats me like a king and proves by what he asks that he believes me to be both rich and generous."

Newton concluded: "In the same way, we should go to the throne of God's grace and present petitions that express honorable views of the love, riches, and bounty of our King."

Newton’s summed it up best in this verse of his hymn “Come My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare:”

Thou art coming to a King,

Large petitions with thee bring;

For his grace and pow'r are such,

None can ever ask too much.

What large petitions are you bringing to our rich and generous Father?

-- Adapted from Lee Eclov's illustration on PreachingToday.com website

Unremoved Thorns and Unanswered Prayers

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:43:55 -0400

What is it that we are to learn from the Apostle Paul’s thorn that is not removed in spite of his focused prayers for its removal? Many would claim that Paul did not have sufficient enough faith or else it would have been removed. However, this is completely contrary to God's Word. Here are a few thoughts from others to help us with our own unremoved thorns and unanswered prayers. There is an important lesson here for all of us.

“The thing that troubles you right now, the thing that pains you, that frustrates you, the thing that burdens you the most and you wish you could get rid of… may be the very thing you want to keep… for it is the thing which will make God very dear to you and make you most useful for Him.” — Don Sunukjian

A lesson from Paul’s unanswered prayer for his thorn’s removal: Is the chief end of praying to get our prayers answered? Why pray at all? Is the basic purpose of prayer to get things from God? Certainly, the Bible assures us that God hears us and, in response, gives us what we need. But is that the basic reason Jesus taught us to pray? “What if God knows prayer to be the thing we need first and foremost? What if the main object in God’s idea of prayer is a supplying of our great and endless need -- our need of Himself?” God wants us for himself.— George MacDonald

“He brought me here. It’s by His will I am in this very place. In that fact I will rest. He will keep me here in His love and give me grace to behave as His child. Then He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends for me to learn in His good time. He will bring me out again how and when He knows. So let me say: I am: here by God's appointment; in His keeping; under his training; and for His time.” — Andrew Murray

The Resurrection Banishes the Enemies of Our Joy

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 19:17:40 -0400

The enemies of our joy are banished by our Savior’s resurrection. These enemies have been succinctly set forth by the author Max Lucado as:

The seeming finality of death. 1 Corinthians 6:14 - By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.

The pervasive fatality of sin. Romans 4:25 - He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

The meaningless and futility of life. The resurrection leads to mission. Matthew 28:10 - Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

The Cross Overcomes the Enemies of Our Joy

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 19:11:56 -0400

“Here in the cross is where every enemy of joy is overcome: divine wrath, as he becomes a curse for us; real guilt, as he becomes forgiveness for us; lawbreaking, as he becomes righteousness for us; estrangement from God, as he becomes reconciliation for us; slavery to Satan, as he becomes redemption for us; bondage to sin, as he becomes liberation for us; pangs of conscience, as he becomes cleansing for us; death, as he becomes the resurrection for us; hell, as he becomes eternal life for us.”

- C.H. Spurgeon

Answering the Tenebrae Question Biblically

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 07:24:02 -0400

During our Good Friday service, we always conclude with what is called the Tenebrae hymn: "Were You There." Tenebrae is a Latin word that means 'shadows' or 'darkness.' It refers to a distinctive worship service that involves the gradual extinguishing of candles while reading the psalms and gospel narratives that explicitly set forth Jesus’ sufferings and death.

John Stott in his insightful book The Cross of Christ, writes: "Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Yes, we were there. Not as spectators only but as participants, guilty participants, plotting, scheming, betraying, bargaining, and handing him over to be crucified…There is blood on our hands. Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance). Only the one who is prepared to own his share in the guilt of the cross may claim his share in its grace. (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, p.60).

The Only Essential Message

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:02:38 -0400

The gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by it. – Jerry Bridges

Putting on the Kindness of Christ in Marriage

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:10:07 -0500

I think the ultimate act of kindness from Christ in the gospel narrative is when he prays for those who are his executioners. "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

In marriage, kindness not only involves a willingness to forgive but also an overall readiness to enhance the life of your spouse because of your own deep inner security that comes from the Lord's favor and approval. I see so many couples today who are extremely competitive with one another. They are unable to rejoice in the successes of the other. Kindness also enables you to give space for the uniqueness of your spouse and not try to change them to be more like you.

This character quality involves a self-control based on a living faith in God’s over-ruling providence. It is above petty resentment and revenge. It has a positive task – doing good – and finds the task allows little time for the coddling of wounded feelings and the self-assertiveness of a sharp temper.

Without kindness in your relationship, your marriage won't last. Here are some ways to check up on yourself to see how kind you are in your marriage

· You say "yes" a lot more than "no" when your spouse asks for a favor or for help.

· You are willing to share that last piece of pie or cookie because being kind is being generous.

· You don't interrupt your spouse.

· You are polite and say "please" and "thank you" when speaking to your spouse.

· You don't think it is old fashioned to open a heavy door for your spouse or to share your jacket if your mate is shivering.

· You show respect for your mate.

· You let your spouse know how much he/she is appreciated.

· You don't roll your eyes when your spouse says something you disagree with or something you think is trivial or boring.

· You routinely look for the good in your spouse.

· You are helpful.

· You don't allow unkind comments to flow from your lips.

· You make sure that your teasing is fun and not hurtful.

O For More of a Thankful Heart

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:46:18 -0500

Colossians 3 is jammed full of thoughts about thankfulness.

We ought to be thankful that we have been called to be part of Christ's body - the church (v.15). We are to sing together in corporate worship "with thankfulness in [our] hearts to God (v.16). Whatever it is that God has ordained for us to do in our respective callings in life, we are to do it "giving thanks to God the Father through Him [our Lord Jesus Christ] (v.17).

Thankfulness is a soil in which the poisonous weed of pride does not easily grow. - John Stott

Thankfulness follows contentment. A discontented man is not thankful for anything; but a contented man is thankful for everything. - John Gill, A Body of Practical Divinity

God’s goodness without His greatness might fail us; His greatness without His goodness would terrify us. - Thomas Adam, The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

If we could only see our souls as the ten afflicted lepers saw their bodies, we would pray far better than we do…Let us mark what a rare thing is thankfulness. Only one of the ten lepers turned back and gave Him thanks. The best of us are far too like the nine lepers. We are more ready to pray than to praise, and more disposed to ask God for what we have not, than to thank Him for what we have. Murmurings, complainings, and discontent abound on every side of us…The widespread thanklessness of Christians is the disgrace of our day. It is a plain proof of our little humility… Thankfulness is the very atmosphere of heaven. It is also the spirit that is the source of happiness on earth. - J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts

Preparing a wedding for a woman named Corrie

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:16:01 -0500

She called herself a "Tramp for the Lord"No! Corrie ten Boom has gone to be eternally married to Jesus, but this morning I'm in the midst of preparing a wedding ceremony for a bride named Corrie. It prompted me to reflect on another Corrie who is now part of the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) who followed Jesus faithfully. Thinking about people like her prompt me to want to do the same! If she walked with God through the intense suffering and injustices of the Holocaust, I can walk with Him through whatever He brings in my future.

Below are a few facts about her life and some great quotes from her pen. I hope you'll receive a blessing like I did.

Corrie Ten Boom

Born: December 13, 1901

Died: April 15, 1983

Her place of birth: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Website: http://www.corrietenboom.com/

Corrie Ten Boom and her family were Christians who were active in social work in their hometown of Haarlem, the Netherlands. During the Nazi occupation,they chose to act out their faith through peaceful resistance to the Nazis by active participation in the Dutch underground. They were hiding, feeding and transporting Jews and underground members hunted by the Gestapo out of the country. It is estimated they were able to save the lives of 800 Jews, in addition to protecting underground workers.

Here are Some Thoughtful Quotes from Her Writings:

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength."

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."

"There is no pit too deep that God's love is not deeper still."

"Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open."

"Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart."

"If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest."

"It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability, that counts."

"Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden."

""Happiness isn't something that depends on our surroundings...It's something we make inside ourselves.""

"What wings are to a bird, and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul."

"There is no panic in Heaven! God has no problems, only plans."

"Some knowledge is too heavy...you cannot bear it...your Father will carry it until you are able."

"This is what the past is for! Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see."

"Even as the angry vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him....Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness....And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives along with the command, the love itself."

"Trying to do the Lord's work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you."

"Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength."

There are no 'if's' in God's world. And no placess that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety - let us pray that we may always know it!"

"Whenever we cannot love in the old, human way . . . God can give us the perfect way."

"Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future."

"Don't bother to give God instructions; just report for duty."

"Dear Jesus...how foolish of me to have called for human help when You are here."

"And so seated next to my father in the train compartment, I suddenly asked, "Father, what is sexsin?"
He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case off the floor and set it on the floor.
"Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?" he said.
I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning.
"It's too heavy," I said.
"Yes," he said, "and it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It's the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger, you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.""

"Child, you have to learn to see things in the right proportions. Learn to see great things great and small things small."

"Mama's love had always been the kind that acted itself out with soup pot and sewing basket. But now that these things were taken away, the love seemed as whole as before. She sat in her chair at the window and loved us. She loved the people she saw in the street-- and beyond: her love took in the city, the land of Holland, the world. And so I learned that love is larger than the walls which shut it in. "

"The tree on the mountain takes whatever the weather brings. If it has any choice at all, it is in putting down roots as deeply as possible."

"Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear."

"God's viewpoint is sometimes different from ours - so different that we could not even guess at it unless He had given us a Book which tells us such things....In the Bible I learn that God values us not for our strength or our brains but simply because He has made us."

"And our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things too. Don't run out ahead of Him."

"We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world and the spiritual agents are from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore, we must wear the "whole armor of God," that we may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when we have fought to a standstill, we may still stand our ground."

"If God has shown us bad times ahead, it's enough for me that He knows about them. That's why He sometimes shows us things, you know - to tell us that this too is in His hands."

".....joy runs deeper than despair."

"Perhaps only when human effort had done its best and failed, would God's power alone be free to work."

"When we are powerless to do a thing, it is a great joy that we can come and step inside the ability of Jesus"

"Happiness isn't something that depends on our surroundings. It's something we make inside ourselves."

"(on forgiveness) Didn't he and I stand together before an all seeing God convicted of the same murder? For I had murdered him with my heart and my tongue."

"Childhood scenes rushed back at me out of the night, strangely close and urgent. Today I know that such memories are the key not to the past, but to the future. I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do."

"And for all these people alike, the key to healing turned out to be the same. Each had a hurt he had to forgive."

"Today I know that such memories are the key not to the past, but to the future. I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do. "

"How often it is a small, almost unconscious event that makes a turning point."

"'No hatred'"

"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see."

"You saw we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family."

"You say we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family."

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."

Trinity Church - A Fellowship of Sinners

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:28:33 -0500

Confession is so difficult a discipline for us partly because we view the believing community as a fellowship of saints before we see it as a fellowship of sinners. We come to feel that everyone else has advanced so far into holiness that we are isolated and alone in our sin. We could not bear to reveal our failures and shortcomings to others. We imagine that we are the only ones who have not stepped onto the high road to heaven. . . . But if we know that the people of God are first a fellowship of sinners we are freed to hear the unconditional call of God’s love and to confess our need openly before our brothers and sisters. We know that we are not alone in our sin. The fear and pride which cling to us like barnacles cling to others also. In acts of mutual confession we release the power that heals. Our humanity is no longer denied but transformed.

— Richard Foster from The Celebration of Discipline

Pillars Upon Which to Build Your Life

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:19:52 -0500

The mercy and the sovereignty of God are the twin pillars of my life. They are the hope of my future, the energy of my service, the center of my theology, the bond of my marriage, the best medicine in all my sickness, and the remedy of all my discouragements.

- John Piper, A Godward Life, vol. 2, p. 291.

Praying for Our Children

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:27:06 -0500

Charles Spurgeon: “How can a man be a Christian, and not love his offspring? How can a man be a believer in Jesus Christ, and yet have a cold and hard heart in the things of the kingdom towards his children?… It is our business to train up our children in the fear of the Lord; and though we cannot give them grace, it is ours to pray to the God who can give it; and in answer to our many supplications, he will not turn us away, but will be pleased to regard our sighs.”

Let’s together keep seeking grace to pray as Alexander Whyte did for his children:
O Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, give us a seed right with You! Smite us and our house with everlasting barrenness rather than that our seed should not be right with You. O God, give us our children. Give us our children. A second time, and by a far better birth, give us our children to be beside us in Your holy covenant. For it had been better had we never been betrothed; it had been better had we sat all our days solitary unless our children are to be right with You…. But You, O God, are Yourself a Father, and thus have in Yourself a Father’s heart. Hear us, then, for our children, O our Father…. In season and out of season, we shall not go up into our bed, we shall not give sleep to our eyes nor slumber to our eyelids till we and all our seed are right with You.
- From Alexander Whyte's, Bunyan Characters (London: Pickering & Inglis, 1902), 3:289-90.

O God, I cannot endure to see the destruction of my kindred. Let those that are united to me in tender ties be precious in thy sight and devoted to thy glory. Sanctify and prosper my domestic devotion, instruction, discipline, example, that my house may be a nursery for heaven, my church... the garden of the Lord, enriched with the trees of righteousness of thy planting, for thy glory.
Let not those of my family who are amiable, moral, attractive, fall short of heaven at last. Grant that the promising appearances of tender conscience, soft heart, the alarms and delights of thy Word, be not finally blotted out, but bring forth judgment unto victory in all whom I love. AMEN.
- From Arthur Bennett's book entitled, The Valley of Vision (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1975), p. 113.

“Earnest, secret, believing prayer should never cease to be daily presented for our offspring…Daily we should wrestle with God for their eternal salvation….That parent has neglected a very important branch of his duty, who has suffered one single day to pass by without bearing his children upon his heart before God in private prayer.

-- John Angell James

“Parents are sometimes thrown off track by unsound thinking that warns, ‘don’t force your faith on your children, or they will resent it. Don’t make them go to church or participate in church activities.’ As long as our children’s feet were under our table, they were expected to participate in church life. Too often parents fear their children’s dislike more than they fear God’s displeasure…When children are resistant, we must pray for them, but we must not give in to them.” -- Susan Hunt

“Let me exhort all governors of families, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, often to reflect on the inestimable worth of their own souls and the infinite ransom, even the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which has been paid down for them…and you will no more neglect your family’s spiritual welfare than your own” -- George Whitefield

“My brethren, by all that is tender in the name of parents, by all that is sacred in the vows of the covenant, by all that is interesting in the riches of divine grace, by the value of our children as immortal beings, by the joys of heaven and by the woes of hell, let us be incited, seriously and earnestly, to attend to this subject, and bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” -- Samuel Worcester

Corrie ten Boom - On Forgiveness

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 08:19:55 -0500

It was at a church service in Munich where I was speaking that I saw him, the former SS man who had stood guard at the so-called shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. With the other guards, he had often run his hands over naked bodies as they went by and responded callously to requests for help. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen after the war. And suddenly it was all there again—the heaps of clothing, Betsie’s pain-blanched face. And then he came up to me as the church was emptying, ‘How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein,’ he said, ‘To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away.’ His hand was thrust out to shake mine.... But my hand stayed at my side.... Angry vengeful thoughts boiled through me—I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I silently prayed.... Jesus I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness. As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seem to pass...while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.

- Corrie Ten Boom

Henry Ward Beecher on Psalm 23

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:18:48 -0500

“It has charmed more griefs to rest than all the philosophy of the world. It has remanded to their dungeon more felon thoughts, more black doubts, more thieving sorrows than there are sands on the sea shore. It has comforted the noble host of the poor. It has sung courage to the army of the disappointed. It has poured balm and consolation into the heart of the sick, of captives in dungeons, of widows in their pinching griefs, of orphans in their loneliness. Dying soldiers have died easier as it was read to them; ghastly hospitals have been illuminated; it has visited the prisoner, and broken his chains. It has made the dying Christian slave freer than his master. It will go singing to your children and my children, and to their children, through all the generations of time; nor will it fold its wings till the last pilgrim is safe, and time ended; and then it shall fly back to the bosom of God, whence it issued, and sound on, mingled with all those sounds of celestial joy which make heaven musical for ever.” So proclaimed Henry Ward Beecher about Psalm 23.

Psalm 23

1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

No Pit Too Deep

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:57:22 -0500

There are many things that I admire about Corrie Ten Boom—her love for Jesus, her heart of humility, and the fact that she was a survivor. She was a Dutch Christian who, along with her family, saved the lives of over 800 Jews by hiding them from the Nazi occupiers in Holland during World War II. She was captured and endured imprisonment at the Ravensbruck death camp of the Nazis. Her father, brother, sister, and nephew all died during imprisonment. She went on to become a sought after Christian speaker. One of my favorite quotes of hers is this: “There is no pit too deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.”

Do you find yourself in a pit today? Your heart is gripped with a sense of desperation and hopelessness. At the breaking point. The grinding stress of a lingering illness of a loved one has gotten the best of you. You continue to struggle with an addiction.You are angry because the job opportunity you wanted hasn’t yet materialized. You wait on the fringes for someone to welcome you into your community of faith. You wait for the joy of having your own children. You reach the outer limits of exasperation as you wrestle to stay on top of your many academic demands. You wait for your own adult children to become gainfully employed and out on their own.

All of us have at times fallen into what Matthew Henry calls a "despondency of spirit under the sense of God’s withdrawings, and prevailing doubts and fears about one’s relationship with God. This is indeed a horrible pit and miry clay, and have been so to many a dear child of God."

Take courage like Corrie ten Boom did from Psalm 40:1-3. "I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD."

Praying the Lord's Prayer - A Weekly Guide

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 09:05:18 -0500

I want to invite you on a journey with me during 2010... to pray through the petitions of the Lord's prayer weekly. I hope to pray for many of you: My friends, family, and associates by using petition #1 on Monday, petition #2 on Tuesday, etc. This initially may sound boring and repetitious, but I guarantee that this tried and tested method of prayer will strengthen your own prayer life.

Each file uses the various statements from several catechisms to explain exactly what is meant by a particular petition. I have chosen to use the Children's First Catechism, the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms, the Heidelberg Catechism, and Luther's Small Catechism. What I plan to do is reflect on these specific catechism statements and turn them into specific things to praise God for, specific sins that I need to confess, and then particular things I want to ask the Lord to do for me and for others.

This will aid my prayers to be scripturally rooted and biblically sound. I want us to experience the truth of 1 John 5:14-15 - "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."

I don't expect to hit all seven every week, but the weekly rhythm will ensure that if I miss Wednesday one week, it will come around again in six short days. I would encourage you to download these files and see if this rhythm of prayer might help you in your spiritual journey and efforts to pursue a relationship with the Lord.

Weekly Guide - The Lord's Prayer - Entire Folder

Monday - Petition #1 - Thy Name
Tuesday - Petition #2 - Thy Kingdom
Wednesday - Petition #3 - Thy Will
Thursday - Petition #4 - Our Need for His Provision
Friday - Petition #5 - Our Need for His Pardon
Saturday - Petition #6 - Our Need for His Protection
Sunday - Petitions 1 & 7 - Our Passion for His Praise

Reawakening Wonder at Christmastime - Luke 2

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:18:03 -0500

In the Darkness of Uncertainty, There is the Light of Wonder

Luke 2:17-20.

¹⁷And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

¹⁸And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

The Darkness of Uncertainty -

All of us live in an uncertain world. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Some of us have friends who are uncertain whether they will live to see another Christmas. All of us have lived through a time of economic uncertainty.

Imagine all the uncertainties for Mary and Joseph. Imagine the political uncertainty they endured while living under real oppression. They lived through relational uncertainty. It appeared that Mary whom Joseph loved and trusted had betrayed him. How about the uncertainties of their future? Hear a few of their questions:

Are we really equipped to raise the long-awaited Messiah? How will we secure the needed finances to raise our son since this pregnancy was unplanned and unexpected? Will the people back home welcome us home in light of the rumor mill concerning my getting pregnant before being married? We didn’t know we were going to have to live as fugitives for a time… be uprooted from our families… in order to raise our family in an obscure, out of the way little town called Nazareth.

The Cure - Light of Wonder -All who heard the shepherds “wondered” at their message about who this child was (2:18). Joseph and Mary wondered and marveled at all the things spoken of their son (Luke 2:33) by Simeon and Anna.

What is wonder? To marvel, to admire, to be amazed beyond measure. A feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.

What about the Christmas story should cause us to marvel and wonder?

I marvel that the Lord sovereignly moves the greedy, godless rulers of the Roman empire to conduct a census for the purposes of taxation in order to fulfill the prophecy of the Messiah’s birthplace in Bethlehem.

I marvel at the humiliating and humble beginnings of the earthly life of our Lord… born in a cattle stall… laid in a feeding trough. I marvel at God’s willingness to humble His Son so in order to save proud people like me.

I marvel that the God of all there is; the God who is ringed with angels who declare His glory and move with strength and speed to do His will…this God comes to the nobodies of this world to lead them to their Savior.

I marvel that the Lord receives worship and praise from those who were considered despised and ceremonially unclean – the shepherds.

I marvel that God’s favor would rest upon completely undeserving sinners like me.

I marvel that I have a Savior to deliver me from my greatest enemies: the futility of life, the fatality of sin, and the finality of death.

I marvel that the Lord loved you and me enough to awaken us to the irresistible music of Good News of great joy that we have a Savior who is not only the Messiah. He is God incarnate. Hearing that song will cause your heart to swell with wonder and you will worship Him. For wonder always leads to worship…

Let the Christmas story reawaken in you the capacity to wonder and marvel at all the great things that God has done to save you.

A New-Born King: Irony, Agony, Ecstasy - Matthew 2:1-12

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:48:56 -0500

A New-Born King: Irony, Agony, Ecstasy

Have you ever lived in a city where it was difficult to become an insider? No matter how hard you tried, you always felt excluded and on the fringe. Our experience in church can be the same. Have you ever attended a church where you felt like you didn’t measure up and no matter what you did you could never break into the inner circle?

One of the results of sin is that we all tend to exclude others and to feel excluded ourselves because we all struggle with an inflated sense of self-importance and a sense of personal inadequacy. At times, we actually begin to believe that God is blessed to have good people like us on his team. Furthermore, we tend to view outsiders with suspicion. A question: How would you respond if a spiritually seeking Muslim with a turban on his head walked into our church facility this morning?

How do we ensure that we do not succumb to this insider mentality of the holy huddle syndrome? This morning we observe from Matthew’s Christmas story, from the very beginning, the gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to make us a people for others. Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes that: “The church is the church only when it exists for others.” As we move through the text, watchfor the interplay between outsiders and insiders.

I. The Irony – Outsiders inform insiders of astonishing and breathtaking news: Your King is born (Matthew 2:1-2). Spiritual-seeking pagans tell religious people who Jesus is. If insiders will not welcome, honor, and worship Jesus, outsiders will. How ironic that outsiders are the ones most galvanized and determined to find and worship the Messiah.

“We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar, field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star.” It’s a popular carol sung during the holiday season depicting the scene we so often see on Christmas cards, ornaments and manger scenes. It’s a wonderful carol apart from the fact that they were not kings, there were not three, and they didn’t go to the manger. They were astrologers, they brought three gifts, but there is no mention that there was three of them, and Scripture seems to indicate that they arrived months after Jesus was born at the house where Mary and Joseph and now baby Jesus lived. The Magi were astrologers, the epitome of non-Jewish believers. We could designate them the “outsiders” or “people on the margins of society”. Herod, the chief priests and scribes were what we might call “insiders” or “people at the center of society -- the establishment”.

Insiders refuse to search for and receive Him gladly. Thus, the almighty God of creation leads outsiders to find and worship His appointed King.

What do you think these wealthy strangers expected to find in Jerusalem? I think they probably expected the entire city to be beaming with anticipation and excitement over the birth of its newborn King. They probably expected everyone to be talking about the time, place, and circumstances of His birth.

They would have been shocked to realize that they would be the first ones to announce His birth. They would have been startled by the stir that they created with their announcement.

What are the practical implications of this?

1. There’s hope for you if you didn’t grow up in church… if you don’t consider yourself an insider. It does not matter where you come from or what your spiritual heritage is. If you accept Jesus as the Messiah, you become a member of His heavenly kingdom.

2. Another practical implication here: Matthew challenges insiders’ prejudice against outsiders. To whom is Matthew writing? In his gospel written primarily to Jewish believers, Matthew highlights that Gentiles are the first ones to worship Jesus. The gospel makes us a people for others. The gospel must be taken to the nations.

3. Those who seem to us to be outsiders may be more spiritually attuned than we are. All throughout Jesus' ministry, prostitutes and tax collectors enter the kingdom ahead of the religious insiders. Here, God is guiding outsiders to the Messiah to worship him. And he is doing it by exerting cosmic influence and power to get it done. This irony of outsiders getting the real identity of Jesus is repeated often in the life of our Lord (Compare Matthew 27:41-43, 54).

II. The Agony – How do insiders respond to this news? The birth of this King troubles and agitates insiders… the power brokers of the establishment (both political and ecclesiastical). Rather than rejoicing at this news, they are troubled by it. Now, if we are honest, most of us find repulsive the idea of someone ruling over us.

A. One word in verse 3 summarizes the insiders' response: Troubled. This word means "to cause one inward commotion and take away calmness of mind." This sense of agitation and trouble is reflected in two types of opposition. Indifference and hostility.

A. Indifference – Spiritual apathy and complacency. The first kind is a group of people who simply do nothing about this news of a newborn King. The chief priests and scribes represent this group. Verse 4: “Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, [Herod] inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.” The sheer passivity and inactivity of the leaders is overwhelming in view of the magnitude of what was happening. This is not only their failure, but ours at times.

Matthew challenges what he regards as spiritual complacency. The insiders knew precisely where their Messiah would be born, but they refused to join the Magi on their quest. Their sin of taking Jesus for granted is a sin that can especially characterize the leaders of God’s people.

B. Indignant/hostile – A new ruler meant one thing for King Herod: political instability. He would interfere with Herod’s power, position, and control.

Herod the Great reigned from 37-4 b.c. The Roman Senate appointed him king. He was ruthless: murdering his wife, three sons, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle, and many others. It is no surprise he had no problem killing babies in the surrounding district of Bethlehem.

C. Practical Implications:

1. People concerned with their own status, position and stability refuse to acknowledge and bow before King Jesus as the only rightful ruler of His people.

2. People of the establishment in positions of power and control typically resist God's purposes, while the lowly and marginal (the Gentile magi) embrace them.

3. I, like Herod, am a pretender-king, and Jesus, is the real King. How often I have been more interested in saving my good name, my kingdom, and my throne rather than saving my soul.

III. The Ecstasy – How do outsiders respond to finding the King? When they find the newborn King, what do they do?When I mention the word ecstasy, I am not talking about a pill you take. I am talking about a state of overwhelming, overpowering emotion. In this case… rapturous delight. See Matthew 2, verse 10. The most arresting verse of the entire passage. The Greek emphasizes the quality of the magi’s joy with four consecutive words (literally “and they rejoiced with a joy, a great one, indeed an exceedingly great one”).

A. What do they do? They worship Him. When they entered the house, they prostrated themselves before them. The magi were wealthy, warm-hearted, and worshipful. The word for 'worship' in the original carries the idea of “prostrating oneself, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence.”All that find Christ bow down before him; adore him, and submit themselves to him. The wise men found this newborn King on the lap of a poor, peasant, teenage woman, and worshipped Him and confessed that he was Christ.

B. How do they do it?

1. Their worship is marked by intense joy. Worship Jesus for who He is. Here are scientists who still possess the ability to be amazed and astonished. Does this type of joy mark your corporate worship of our Lord Jesus Christ? How about your personal worship? If not, why not?

2. Their worship is marked by willing sacrifice. Give to Jesus what’s valuable to you. Worship always is. It costs them their precious resources: time and treasure. They gave gifts and offered their treasures to Him.

a) Their gifts. They presented him with lavish and appropriate gifts that mark His royal status as God's Messiah. Isaiah spoke of gifts of worship coming from outsiders bringing their gifts of gold and frankincense to “proclaim the praises of our Lord” (Isa 60:6), Gold – for he was and is indeed a king, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Frankincense for he is indeed God, the fullness of the godhead dwells in him. Myrrh for he is also man, destined for death.

b) Our gifts. Edward Hopkins wrote a hymn in 1800s that challenges us to consider what our gifts to the King should be:

The wise may bring their learning, The rich may bring their wealth,
And some may bring their brilliance, And some bring strength and health;

We too would bring our treasures to offer to the King;
We have no gifts deserving—What shall we children bring?

We’ll bring Him hearts that love Him; We’ll bring Him thankful praise,
And young souls humbly striving, to walk in holy ways.

And these shall be our treasures, we offer to the King,
And these are gifts that even, the youngest child may bring.

Lastly, remember King David who said: "I will not give to the Lord that which costs me nothing!" (2 Samuel 24:24)

Conclusion: Why do they worship Jesus? He is the ruler of God’s people. He’s the King of all kings who defends, saves and preserves his people. Jesus, the King for others, saved us rather than Himself at the Cross. “Every time we reflect on that cross, Christ seems to say to us, ‘I am here for you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.’” -- John Stott

Thus, what are we to do this Christmas?

“Gaze on that helpless object of endless adoration!

Those infant hands shall burst our bands and work out our salvation;

Strangle the crooked serpent; destroy his works forever,

And open set the heavenly gate to every true believer.” - Charles Wesley

Would you give yourself in this upcoming year to a more intentional, passionate pursuit of your King?

Higher Up and Deeper In

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:48:49 -0500

C.S. Lewis in his children’s book, The Last Battle, leaves me thirsting for something beyond my pale experience. He lays out the prospect for all of us “to go higher up and deeper in.”

This is what I want for myself and my family in 2010. “To go higher up and deeper in” in our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that there are two neglected yet powerful tools for making this prospect of ‘higher up and deeper in’ a reality in our lives.

One way we go higher up and deeper in is to proclaim the gospel daily to our own hearts. The good news is simple yet extremely profound. Romans 1:16 declares that “the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Believing the gospel is not only a one time encounter that sets us free from the penalty of our sin, but also it is a daily enterprise for all believers in setting us free from the indwelling power and attraction of sin in our lives. Martin Luther’s first thesis on the door at Wittenberg reminds us that when Jesus came preaching “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” He meant that every single day in the life of a believer was to be one of repentance. Another noted pastor helps us learn how to preach the gospel to our own hearts in this memorable way. “Cheer up! You are more sinful that you ever dared to imagine, but at the same time, you are more loved that you ever dared to dream. Why? Because Jesus Christ lived the perfect life that you could never live and He died a sacrificial death on the cross to pay your debt of sin.”

When this good news begins to steep in your soul like a bag of Earl Grey tea in a cup of hot water, many things begin to change in your life. For our discussion, I only want to address two.

As Augustine wrote, every human city is a political community united by a common passion--'to make a name for ourselves' (Gen 11:4). People come to the city needing to prove themselves and get an identity based on accruing and collecting achievement, beauty, status, wealth, and power. But within every human city is the "City of God", an alternate political community based on love and sacrificial service to others whose visible behavior shines out to show the world the beauty of God's grace (Matthew 5:14-17). Christians have already found their real identity, apart from their present or past or future performance, in Christ. Therefore in the city they make money mainly in order to give it away (2 Cor.8:7-9). In the city they seek influence mainly to "please [their] neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself." And notice that Paul is talking about 'neighbors' not simply 'brothers and sisters'. Jesus did not live and die for people who were living wisely and following him, but for people who were rejecting and abandoning him. Since we have the cross at the heart of our faith, we should be the most respectful and loving toward people who don't believe as we do.

So many people come to Tuscaloosa to 'use' it. They come to pad their resumes and make their money and enjoy all the resources and privileges of living in a college town on the way to achieving the designer lifestyle that they have planned. But for followers of Jesus in the city, now more than ever--

"It shall not be so with you. Instead whoever wants to become great among you...must be the servant of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43-45)

First of all, you have nothing to prove because you are completely accepted by the One whose opinion ultimately matters and therefore you begin to experience freedom from the enslaving opinions of others and from your own compulsive ways of seizing power and control over others as well as approval from others. Secondly, you have nothing to lose and are progressively set free from the enslaving emotions of fear and anxiety. You have Him, the one who laid down His life for you. Increasingly you find that He is enough for you. Therefore, you can take bold risks for Him since absolutely nothing can separate you from His love (Romans 8:39).

In the words of the Jack Miller, proclaiming the gospel to your own heart happens when you are "profoundly aware of your own sinfulness while remaining strong in the continued, fresh discovery of the pardoning grace of God revealed in cross."

How do we discover in fresh and new ways the pardoning grace of God? Through meditation on God’s Word. This is the second and final way I propose that we “go higher up and deeper in.” In meditation, we move into deeper self-surrender, then into higher, clear faith-vistas of God’s beauty, and finally into powerful dynamic prayer for the world.

For most of us, our personal devotional life consists of two parts: Bible study and prayer. However, meditation is distinguished from the study of the word in that our principal aim in study is to learn the truth. Our principal aim in prayer is to grasp hold of God himself and His promises. But meditation is the affecting of our own hearts and minds with love, delight, and humility towards the things revealed in the Word. Meditation without reading is wrong and bound to err; reading without meditation is barren and fruitless.

An example of meditation is found in Psalm 103:1-2: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Notice that this is not the same thing as prayer. He is not speaking directly to God. The object of the meditation is his own heart. David is "talking to himself"…to his soul. David is taking Biblical truths and driving them into his own heart until it is affected, delighted, and changed by them.

A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation is found in the Bible by reading Psalms 1,42,77,103, and 119. After reading a portion of one of these Psalms slowly, I would recommend that you choose one or two things or insights that especially helped you. Then, take each insight and ask the following questions. This is what is called a garland method of prayer. It comes from Tim Keller who adapted it from Martin Luther's article "A Simple Way to Pray."

1. Adoration-How can I love and praise God on the basis of this? What do I see in this passage for which I can praise the Lord?

2. Repentance -How do I fail to realize this in my life? What wrong behavior, harmful emotions or attitudes result when I forget this?

3. Gospel Thanks-How can I thank Jesus as the ultimate revelation of this attribute of God (#1) and the ultimate answer to this sin or need of mine (#2)?

4. Aspiration-How does this show me what I should or can be and do? How would I be different if this truth were powerfully real to me?

The process of asking these four questions has revolutionized my relationship with Christ, my devotional life as well as my ministry. Most people’s devotional study begins and ends with question 4. This inadvertently leads to a lifeless form of legalism and a loveless Christianity.

In 2010, may we all see God transform us more and more into His likeness as we proclaim the gospel daily to our own hearts and practice the discipline of meditation.

First Things First!

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:56:40 -0500

When George Mueller was seventy-six he wrote the same thing he did when he was sixty, “I saw more clearly than ever, that the first, great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.”

I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the word of God, and to meditation on it. . . . What is the food of the inner man? Not prayer, but the word of God; and . . . not the simple reading of the word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts Gaze and glory and to give yourself again to God.

J.I. Packer concurs: "Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. Its purpose is to clear one’s mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let his truth make its full and proper impact on one’s mind and heart. It is a matter of talking to oneself about God and oneself; it is, indeed, often a matter of arguing with oneself, reasoning oneself out of moods of doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God’s power and grace. Its effect is ever to humble us, as we contemplate God’s greatness and glory and our own littleness and sinfulness, and to encourage and reassure us — “comfort” us, in the old, strong, Bible sense of the word — as we contemplate the unsearchable riches of divine mercy displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ."

Packer - Three Main Avenues of Spiritual Warfare

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:28:40 -0500

J.I. Packer alerts us to three main avenues of spiritual attack against leaders of Christ’s church. He warns: "We are all engaged in a constant, inescapable battle against spiritual degeneracy in three forms: Our unbelief of God’s word, our lack of forgiveness of other people, and our unhumbled pride in what we are and have done."

He continues… “in these days of liberal Christianity in our churches and post-Christianity in the culture outside, unbelief of God’s affirmations in the Bible and the gospel is rife. Justification by faith (being accepted by God while yet a sinner) is not understood and divine promises are not received and trusted… Unforgiveness, which is a form of unlove, is regularly an expression of hurt pride and resentment, disguised as self-respect. As Jesus often warned (Matthew 6:14-15, 18:21-35; Mk. 11:25; Lk. 6:37), unforgiveness is a total block to the blessing of God. Unhumbled pride, as is often said, takes four forms: Pride of face, when you think you are most handsome; pride of race, when you think your skin is the best color; pride of place, when you think you are better positioned than others; and pride of grace, when you think you are one of God’s top people – and pride of grace is the worst of the lot. All these forms of spiritual degeneration banish true spiritual joy, which for healthy believers is constant, and create pitfalls for pastors in abundance.” (Crux, December 2003/Vol. 34, No. 4, pp.2-13)

The Whole Point of Christmas

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:40:07 -0500

There is a story that one day C.S. Lewis was sitting in his office in the English department when a friend, who was an unbeliever, wandered in. There were carolers below in the courtyard singing Christmas carols and as the two were speaking, they could hear them singing a Christmas carol that contained words about Jesus’ virgin birth. His unbelieving friend said to C. S. Lewis, "Isn’t it good that we now know better than they did?" C. S. Lewis said, "What do you mean?" "Well, isn’t it good that we now know more than they did?" "I am afraid that you will have to explain," Lewis said. "Well, isn’t it good that we now know that virgins don’t have babies?" C.S. Lewis looked at him incredulously and said, "Don’t you think that they knew that? That is the whole point." Virgins don’t have babies.

Remembering the Poor

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:04:59 -0500

Dear Trinity Church,
Attached is a letter we received this week from Henry Green, the pastor of First Community Church on the westside of Tuscaloosa. Many of you had a part in serving with the leaders of this church is preaching the gospel in deed to their community via their Thanksgiving meal outreach. I, for one, want to thank you for doing the very thing that the Apostle Paul urged the church in Galatia to do: Remember the poor! (Galatians 2:10). Thank you for your willingness to do this in a tangible way this holiday season.

Let us too be mindful of our own spiritual poverty apart from Jesus. For from His riches, we have all received grace upon grace.

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Pastor Green's Thank You Letter

Grateful for you,

Pastor Cain

The Importance of Remembering

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:26:33 -0500

"See that you do not forget what you were before, lest you take for granted the grace and mercy you received from God and forget to express your gratitude each day." Martin Luther (1483-1546)

John Newton and Thanksgiving

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:25:12 -0500

I received the below email from a friend of mine who leads a men's discipleship ministry out of Atlanta called the Jackson Institute. I was blessed reading and digesting it this Thanksgiving and thought I might pass it along to you.

John Musselmann of the Jackson Institute writes:

Dear Dick,

Twenty years ago, I was introduced to the writings of Frank W. Boreham by Ravi Zacharias. We had been sharing our appreciation for the works of G.K. Chesterton, C.S Lewis, and other eminent writers at a pastors' luncheon in Marietta, Georgia, when he asked me if I had ever read any of Boreham's books. "No," I said. "I have never heard of him."

As I left that conversation and the building that day, my curiosity had been peaked. I moved quickly to locate and purchase my first Boreham. Nancy Brown from The Book Mart (sadly, no longer in existence) in the Biltmore Plaza in Asheville, N.C. located my first four: A Bunch of Everlastings, A Casket of Cameos, Rubble and Roseleaves, and I Forgot to Say. My Boreham journey had begun and I have become the richer for reading some of his 47 books, especially his five books on the theme "Texts That Made History."

As we pause this Thanksgiving holiday to offer special thanks and praise to "our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens" (Abraham Lincoln), perhaps a reminder of God's grace from one of Boreham's gems on the life of John Newton would prompt each one of us to remember that we were enslaved to sin until He "made us alive together with Christ" (Eph. 2:5).

On the Wall Over Newton's Study Mantelpiece - Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee.

A Bondman - Newton had been a slave trader and, for some time, had been a slave himself. Having lost his mother at the age of seven, he went to sea when he was eleven. During the next few years, his soul was seared "by the most revolting and barbarous of all human experiences." He became involved "in the unspeakable atrocities of the African slave trade. A bondman! A slave of slaves!"

Newton's Conversion - Newton's conversion "took place on the tenth of March, 1748, on board a ship that was threatening to founder in the grip of a storm. 'That tenth of March,' says Newton, 'is a day much to be remembered by me; and I have never suffered it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748. For on that day - March 10, 1748 - the Lord came from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.' The storm was terrific: when the ship went plunging down into the trough of the seas few on board expected her to come up again. The hold was rapidly filling with water. As Newton hurried to his place at the pumps he said to the captain, 'If this will not do, the Lord have mercy upon us!' His own words startled him. 'Mercy!' he said to himself, in astonishment, 'mercy! mercy! What mercy can there be for me?'" He was 23 years old.

Newton's Impact - "Years afterward, when he entered the Christian ministry, John Newton began making history. He made it well. His hand is on the nation still. He changed the face of England. He began with the church...There is scarcely a land beneath the sun that has been unaffected by Newton's influence." "And, all the time, the text hung over the fireplace: Thou shalt remember! Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman! Thou shalt remember that the Lord thy God redeemed thee! "He never again forgot. He never could."

Newton's Own Epitaph - "He could not forget. And he was determined that nobody else should! In order that future generations might know that he was a bondman and had been redeemed, he wrote his own epitaph and expressly directed that this - this and no other - should be erected for him: JOHN NEWTON Clerk, Once an Infidel and Libertine, A Servant of Slaves in Africa, was by the Mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Preserved, Restored, Pardoned, And Appointed to Preach the Faith he had so long laboured to destroy."

His Final Years - "'My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Saviour!' - that was John Newton's testimony." Amazing grace! how sweet the sound - that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see. - John Newton

Eternally grateful to God for His mercy and for your faithful partnership in the gospel, 770-518-7994

To what is your life an exhibit?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:21:25 -0500

I was challenged in my devotional readings this morning by this simple prayer of a 20 year-old college student by the name of Jim Eliot from Wheaton College:

"Lord, make my way prosperous, not that I achieve high station, but that my life may be an exhibit to the value of knowing God."

May our lives be an exhibit to the same end!

Henri Nouwen - Spiritual Friendship

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:08:43 -0500

“It is sad to see how sometimes people suffering from loneliness, often deepened by the lack of affection in their intimate family circle, search for a final solution for their pains and look at a new friend, a new lover or a new community with messianic expectations. Although their mind knows about their self-deceit, their hearts keep saying: “Maybe this time I have found what I have knowingly or unknowingly been searching for.” It is indeed amazing at first sight that men and women who have had such distressing relationships with their parents, brothers or sisters can throw themselves blindly into relationships with far-reaching consequences in the hope that from now on things will be totally different.”

Jesus alone is the friend who sticks closer than a brother. He is the only friend who will always let us in and never let us down!

Our darkest hours - God's finest moment

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:24:25 -0500

Alister McGrath in his book The Mystery of the Cross says: "Experience cannot be allowed to have the final word--it must be judged and shown up as deceptive and misleading. The theology of the Cross draws our attention to the sheer unreliability of experience as a guide to the presence and activity of God. God is active and present in His world, quite independently of whether we experience Him as being so. Experience declared that God was absent from Calvary, only to have its verdict humiliatingly overturned on the third day."

Is Your Life Marked by Chrestos?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:35:26 -0500

Is your life, home, and relationships marked by kindness? Kindness means more than mild-mannered and having a pleasant disposition. A person is kind who is willing to be profoundly vulnerable with others because of his growing and deepening security in the Lord.

Here are several verses on kindness that I have read and digested this week. I would urge you to meditate and think deeply upon them yourself and ask the Lord to make you a person whose life is marked by kindness.

Ephesians 4:31-32 – Let all bitterness (bitter resentment) and wrath (fierce indignation that boils up and soon subsides again) and anger (agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but especially anger) and clamor (verbal brawling) and slander (speech injurious to another’s good name) be put away from you, along with all malice (a vicious disposition of hate, ill-will, desire to injure, wickedness that is not ashamed to break laws). 32 Be kind (chrestos – profound vulnerability out of a deep security) to one another, tender-hearted (literally, having strong bowels), forgiving each other (give grace, cancel a debt), just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Colossians 3:12-13 - So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on (cloth yourself with) a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Proverbs 3:3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. Rebellion against the Lord occurs when we forget the Lord’s kindness.

Psalm 106:6-7 - We have sinned like our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 8 Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, that He might make His power known.

Proverbs 31:26 - She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. The kindness of God has led her to repentance (Rom. 2:4). Therefore, she uses kindness to shape the hearts and lives of her children. The children of the Proverbs 31 woman do not have an unpredictable mother. They call her “happy.” She cares for and works to establish a good relationship with her children.

Micah 6:8 - He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you. But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? What does the LORD require of us? John Owen reminds us: "To suppose that whatever God requires of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect." The good which God requires of us is not the paying of a price for the pardon of sin and acceptance with God, but doing our duty in gratitude to God for having purchased our pardon. -- Adapted from Matthew Henry

The entire chapter 9 of 2 Samuel is very illustrative regarding what kindness looks like. In chapter 9 verse 3, King David ask: "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?" Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet."

Ultimately, you and I are spiritual Mephibosheths and King Jesus is the one greater than David who sacrificed himself for us to come to his palace and feast at his table. Think and mediate upon this OT story and how it points forward to Jesus.

Zechariah 7:8-10 - Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah saying, "Thus has the LORD of hosts said, 'Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.'

Romans 2:4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Ephesians 2:7 - so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Titus 3:4-5 - But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit

1 Peter 2:2 - like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

What is the Bible really about?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:13:55 -0500

For much of my life and ministry I thought the purpose of preaching and teaching was to draw out from the Scriptures basic biblical principles for living a life pleasing to the Lord. The Bible was sort of like a book of Aesop's Fables. Each particular story and text had a moral that you should endeavor to keep. You used the Old Testament strictly as illustrative material for New Testament teaching and preaching. You were urged to imitate King David when he confronts the Giant... don't imitate King David when he commits adultery with Bathsheba. Over time, this approach erodes all joy and delight in the Christian life because it focuses almost exclusively upon what we must do. Furthermore, it robs Jesus of the worship and honor that is his due.

God has used Tim Keller in my life to set me on a different trajectory when I come to read, study, and teach God's Word. The below is en excerpt from one of his lectures delivered at a Gospel Coalition Conference. Not only does it have radical implications for how we read, teach, and preach our Bibles, but also how we live, worship and serve Christ.

What is the Bible really about? Is the Bible basically about me and what I must do or is it about Jesus and what He has done? ... Do you believe the Bible is basically about you or basically about Him? Is David and Goliath basically about you and how you can be like David or about Him, the One that took on the only giants in life who can ultimately harm us? And His victory is imputed on us. Who is this all about? That’s the fundamental question. And when that happens, you start to read the bible anew.

Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden. His garden is a much tougher garden and his obedience is imputed on us.
Jesus is the true and better Abel, who though innocently slain has blood that cries out: not for our condemnation but for our acquittal.
Jesus is the true and better Abraham, who answers the call of God, who leaves all the familiar comforts of the world and goes into the void, not knowing where He went.
Jesus is the true and better Isaac who is not only offered by his father on the mount but who was truly sacrificed for us all. While God said to Abraham: “Now I know you truly love me, because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.” Now we, at the foot of the cross, can say to God: “Now we know you love us because you did not withhold your Son, your only Son, whom you love, from us.”
Jesus is the true and better Jacob, who wrestled and took the blows of justice that we deserved so we like Jacob only receive the wounds of grace that wake us up and disciple us [to give up our own manipulative, conniving ways}
Jesus is the true and better Joseph, who is at the right hand of the king, and forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his power to save them.
Jesus is the true and better Moses, who stands in the gap between the people and the LORD and mediates the new covenant.
Jesus is the true and better rock of Moses who was struck with the rod of God’s justice and who now gives us water in the desert.
Jesus is the true and better Job, He is the truly innocent sufferer who then intercedes for and saves His stupid friends.
Jesus is the true and better David, whose victory becomes the people’s victory even though they didn’t lift a stone to accomplish it themselves.
Jesus is the true and better Esther, who didn’t just risk losing an earthly palace but lost ultimately the heavenly one, who didn’t just risk His life but gave His life, who didn’t just say if I perish I perish but when I perish, I perish for them . . . to save my people.
Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so we can be brought aboard to safety.

He’s the real Passover Lamb; He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true life, the true bread.

Why don't you pause now and thank Jesus for who He is and what He's done for us using the above "true and better" statements?

Jimmy the Greek and My Wagging Tongue

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:55:39 -0500

Last night I watched a documentary on the life of Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder on ESPN. He along with Brent Musburger and Irv Cross used to do the NFL Today program on CBS. It was the first of its type. Jimmy the Greek became a household name among football fans. It was sad to recall how Jimmy the Greek's tongue got him in trouble and basically ended his sportscasting career. It made me think and pray through the below quotes and Scripture.

It is hardly an exaggeration to say that half of the miseries of human life spring from the reckless and malignant use of the tongue. And these wicked tongues generally wag fastest behind a person’s back, and amid the excitement of social interaction. We judge these sins of the tongue all too lightly, until we ourselves are injured by them. - Samuel Cox, The Pilgrim Psalms, (1885 AD)

Do any of you struggle with criticizing others? From where does this tendency come? John Calvin declares that criticizing others issues forth from the root of bitterness and jealousy within ourselves, which we have not allowed Christ to extract. He calls it “a vice under which hypocrites commonly labor, that is the impiety of the tongue in detraction... They who have put off the grosser vices are especially subject to this disease. He who seems brilliant in some outward show of sanctity, will set himself off by defaming others, and this under a pretense of zeal, but really through the lust of slandering... They seek praise from the defects of others” (Commentary on James, pp.298-299). Ouch! Let us all pray Psalm 141:3 for ourselves today:

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips."

Student Power in World Missions

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:18:40 -0500

One of my favorite subjects to study is the history of missions. How fascinating to see how God has used young people (18-30) to help fulfill the Great Commission. Here's a brief overview of some of the key persons and events in the greatest enterprise of all time - taking a people for His name from all the earth.

Student Power in World Missions

The Measure of True Greatness I

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:30:13 -0500

“Knowing God—The Measure of True Greatness”

Jeremiah 9:23-24 23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

I. How do we tend to measure true greatness? v.23

Boasting in wisdom
Boasting in strength
Boasting in riches

II. What do the Scriptures say is the real measure of true greatness? v.24 True greatness consists in knowing God.

The LORD who exercises lovingkindness on earth.
The LORD who exercises justice on earth.
The LORD who establishes righteousness on earth.

III.From the prophet Jeremiah, why does true greatness consists in knowing God? He is...

A bridegroom worthy of the intimate devotion of his bride (Jeremiah 2:2,5).
A king worthy of the loyal devotion of his subjects (46:18; 48:15).
A father worthy of the obedient devotion of his children (3:3-5).
A shepherdwho pursues and lays down his life for wayward sheep (17:16).

The Measure of True Greatness II

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:07:04 -0500

The greatest is the one who is willing to be the servant of all. — Jesus

Usefulness in the world and Church--a humble readiness to do anything, and put our hands to any good work--a cheerful willingness to fill any post, however lowly, and discharge any office, however unpleasant, if we can only promote happiness and holiness on earth--these are the true tests of Christian greatness. It is the man who spends and is spent to make the vice and misery of the world less, to bind up the broken-hearted, to befriend the friendless, to cheer the sorrowful, to enlighten the ignorant, and to raise the poor. This is the truly great man in the eyes of God. The world may ridicule his labors and deny the sincerity of his motives. But while the world is sneering, God is pleased. This is the man who is walking most closely in the steps of Christ. — Matthew Henry

Soul Care in the Reformed Tradition

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:22:34 -0500

Bill Brewbaker, Dave Michelson, and I are teaching a Sunday School Class on Soul Care. Here's the last installment on exactly what soul care entails from a Reformed perspective. When I hear the word 'reformed,' three words come to my mind. They come from one of the five trustworthy statements of the Pastoral Epistles: "God saves sinners." This statement summarizes in a nutshell the essence of what it means to be reformed. This truth not only energizes us for ministry and service in Christ's church but also for a lifetime of walking with Jesus.

Much of this is not original with me, but comes from a friend by the name of Hughes Oliphant Old whose magnum opus is a six volume treatise on The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the History of the Christian Church.

Here's the link for the PDF file. Soul Care in the Reformed Tradition

John Calvin: On Soul Care

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:59:38 -0400

This past summer we celebrated the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. Attached is a presentation I gave to one of our Sunday School classes to honor his legacy and also to help people care for their souls by learning to identify and dismantle the idols of their hearts. There is quite a bit of music included in this presentation that the PDF version doesn't allow me to share.

John Calvin: On Soul Care

When You Suffer

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:04:48 -0500

Psalm 129 – When You Suffer

Psalm 129 sets forth one notable feature of our journey of faith that we’d rather not talk about - suffering. In fact, many religions say that it’s an illusion. Even for many who profess faith in Christ, it causes them to abandon their journey of faith entirely. Where do we find hope when we suffer?

The Psalm reads: 1"Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth" - let Israel now say— 2"Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. 3 The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows." 4The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. 5May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! 6Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, 7with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms, 8nor do those who pass by say, "The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!"

How do you tend to respond when you suffer? Have you ever said or thought something like the words of Teresa of Avila: “Lord, if this is the way you treat your friends, it’s no wonder you have so few!” Some of us are prone to get angry with God at his apparent indifference to our plight. We tend to charge Him with wrongdoing. We doubt His goodness and question His love and power. Some of us sulk and wallow in self-pity. Others of us take vengeance on our pain with the unrelenting pursuit of illicit pleasure. Others of us blame and shame others. From Psalm 129, where do we find hope in the midst of our suffering?
I. Recall God’s Pattern – cross and crown … tragedy and triumph… sufferings and glories to follow.
Israel – Israel suffered at the hands of the Egyptians, the Babylonians, The Syrians, the Greeks, and the Romans, the Muslim crusaders, and the Nazis. Why such persistent anti-Semitism? Satan absolutely hates Israel as the people through whom God promised to send the Messiah to destroy both the devil and his works.

How? They "plowed upon my back." This is a powerful metaphor combining the idea of a vicious, painful scourging with the painstaking and thorough effort a farmer would make to plow a field.
But they have "not prevailed against me" (v. 2). They did not gain the victory. Persecutors do not prevail over God’s people. The Lord cuts the cords of the wicked.

Have you ever wondered why God persist in using this pattern of suffering before the glories that follow? This pattern can easily be traced in the life of Israel, in the life of Christ, and in the lives of Christ’s followers - So that the world might know that the power is not from ourselves but from God.

But what would life be like in our fallen world if God eliminated suffering? Malcolm Muggeridge, a noted British author and journalist answers: "Supposing you eliminated suffering, what a dreadful place the world would be. The world would be the most ghastly place because everything that corrects the tendency of this unspeakable little creature, man, to feel over-important and over-pleased with himself would disappear. He’s bad enough now, but he would be absolutely intolerable if he never suffered” (Jesus Rediscovered, 1969. pp. 199-200).

II. Recall Good Friday. Indeed, the Psalmist laments the repeated and frequent afflictions of his people, but this Psalm has its ultimate fulfillment in the Messiah on the day that we call Good Friday. For Jesus is the ultimate sufferer whose back is plowed to bring healing to us... His sin-sick people. Recall our suffering Messiah. Recall His cross, relive the anguish, and renew your vows to live as His followers. Jesus suffered to ultimately end all suffering. One of the things we remember on Good Friday is that the Messiah had to suffer. Our salvation was contingent upon Jesus’ suffering. The way of humiliation leads us and prepares us for great glory.

Prayer: Merciful Father, we meet each other today at the foot of the cross. We wait with each other as those who inflict wounds on one another: Have mercy on us. As those who spurn Your love for other loves: be merciful to us. As those who put our trust in power and prestige: be merciful to us. As those who pursue only our own personal interests: be merciful to us. As those who put others on trial: be merciful to us. As those who refuse to forgive: be merciful to us. As those who are afraid of the world’s frown and displeasure: be merciful to us. Amen.

The Significance of God's Sovereignty

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:31:09 -0500

God’s sovereignty over men’s affairs is not compromised even by the reality of sin and evil in the world. It is not limited to the good acts of men or the pleasant events of nature. The wind belongs to God whether it comforts or whether it kills.

For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. (Psalm 135:5-7) In the end, one must finally come to see that if there is a God in heaven, there is no such thing as mere coincidence, not even in the smallest affairs of life.

Simple Counsel on Prayer

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:24:41 -0500

Below is sound and simple counsel from a great pastor on prayer:

"The Bible plainly teaches that the goal of all we do should be to glorify God. But it also teaches that in all we do we should pursue the fullness of our joy. Some theologians have tried to force these two pursuits apart. But the Bible does not force us to choose between God’s glory and our joy. In fact, it forbids us to choose...Prayer, perhaps more clearly than anything else, preserves the unity of these two pursuits. Therefore, my simple exhortation is this: Let us take time this very day to rethink our priorities and how prayer fits in. Make some new resolve. Try some new venture with God. Set a time. Set a place. Choose a portion of Scripture to guide you. Don’t be tyrannized by the press of busy days...Make this a day of turning to prayer-- for the glory of God and for the fullness of your joy."
-- John Piper, Desiring God

By the way, I would greatly appreciate prayer for my wife and daughter and two other friends who left this morning going to a gospel-destitute country far away to minister for the sake of the Name!

A Good Word from a North African Pastor - Fulgentius

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:40:52 -0500

This past Sunday we commissioned four short-term missionaries from our church who are going to East Asia to work with a missionary couple that we support. I thought this counsel and insight from Fulgentius was not only appropriate for them to hear but also for all of us to embrace:

Fulgentius, a sixth century North African pastor, eloquently states that "we must realize that we may do our work better by the piety of our prayers than by the fluency of our speech."

John Donne - Those Whom God Loves

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:45:37 -0500

John Donne enjoyed such a confident assurance in the eternal constancy of God's love.

I would urge you to do what I have been doing today: Reflect and meditate upon this wonderful devotional thought from Donne.

“Whom God loves, he loves to the end and not to their end and their death, but to His end, and His end is that He might love them more”.

The P Word

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:50:20 -0400

Over the past four days I have had two friends quiz me about the P word. Yes, that's right... Predestination. Many find belief in this incredibly comforting biblical teaching puzzling and alarming. I was reading through J.I. Packer's helpful book entitled Concise Theology today and came across this excellent summary of predestination. I hope you find it helpful.

PREDESTINATION: GOD HAS A PURPOSE

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, `How have you loved us?’ “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” the Lord says. “Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated. . . .” MALACHI 1:2-3

The forty and more writers who produced the sixty-six books of Scripture over something like fifteen hundred years saw themselves and their readers as caught up in the outworking of God’s sovereign purpose for his world, the purpose that led him to create, that sin then disrupted, and that his work of redemption is currently restoring. That purpose in essence was, and is, the endless expression and enjoyment of love between God and his rational creatures—love shown in their worship, praise, thanks, honor, glory, and service given to him, and in the fellowship, privileges, joys, and gifts that he gives to them.

The writers look back at what has already been done to advance God’s redemptive plan for sin-damaged planet earth, and they look ahead to the day of its completion, when planet earth will be re-created in unimaginable glory (Isa. 65:17-25; 2 Pet. 3:10-13; Rev. 21:1–22:5). They proclaim God as the almighty Creator-Redeemer and dwell constantly on the multifaceted works of grace that God performs in history to secure for himself a people, a great company of individuals together, with whom his original purpose of giving and receiving love can be fulfilled. And the writers insist that as God has shown himself absolutely in control in bringing his plan to the point it has reached as they write, so he will continue in total control, working out everything according to his own will and so completing his redemptive project. It is within this frame of reference (Eph. 1:9-14; 2:4-10; 3:8-11; 4:11-16) that questions about predestination belong.

Predestination is a word often used to signify God’s foreordaining of all the events of world history, past, present, and future, and this usage is quite appropriate. In Scripture and mainstream theology, however, predestination means specifically God’s decision, made in eternity before the world and its inhabitants existed, regarding the final destiny of individual sinners. In fact, the New Testament uses the words predestination and election (the two are one), only of God’s choice of particular sinners for salvation and eternal life (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4-5, 11). Many have pointed out, however, that Scripture also ascribes to God an advance decision about those who finally are not saved (Rom. 9:6-29; 1 Pet. 2:8; Jude 4), and so it has become usual in Protestant theology to define God’s predestination as including both his decision to save some from sin (election) and his decision to condemn the rest for their sin (reprobation), side by side.

To the question, “On what basis did God choose individuals for salvation?” it is sometimes replied: on the basis of his foreknowledge that when faced with the gospel they would choose Christ as their Savior. In that reply, foreknowledge means passive foresight on God’s part of what individuals are going to do, without his predetermining their action. But (a) Foreknow in Romans 8:29; 11:2 (cf. 1 Pet. 1:2 and 1:20, where the NIV renders the Greek foreknown as “chosen” ) means “fore-love” and “fore-appoint”: it does not express the idea of a spectator’s anticipation of what will spontaneously happen. (b) Since all are naturally dead in sin (i.e., cut off from the life of God and unresponsive to him), no one who hears the gospel will ever come to repentance and faith without an inner quickening that only God can impart (Eph. 2:4-10).

Jesus said: “No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him” (John 6:65, cf. 44; 10:25-28). Sinners choose Christ only because God chose them for this choice and moved them to it by renewing their hearts. Though all human acts are free in the sense of being self-determined, none are free from God’s control according to his eternal purpose and foreordination. Christians should therefore thank God for their conversion, look to him to keep them in the grace into which he has brought them, and confidently await his final triumph, according to his plan.

J.I. Packer, Concise Theology : A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House (1995).

What does the Lord's Prayer teach us?

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:54:05 -0400

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us that prayer must be grounded in the Word of God.

"Prayer escapes the danger of disorder and confusion only when it is enkindled by the words of Scripture. From the Word proceeds its inner justification, as well as its life-giving power and the clearness of its petitions. A prayer that does not stick to Scripture will soon become poor in ideas, poor in faith, poor in love and will finally die" (Adolf Koeberle).
Prayer is the voice of faith. Calvin: the chief exercise of faith. That is to say, that prayer grows out of the Word of God.
"The richness of the Word of God ought to determine our prayer, not the poverty of our heart" (Bonhoeffer, Psalms, 15).
Prayer is "responding speech" (Peterson, Answering God, 5).

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us that we live and pray together in community.Me, my, or mine. OUR father. The focus here is not on what I need, but on what we share together. Prayer is a means for uniting us as a community of faith. It is “our Father” to whom we pray, not my personal sugar daddy. It is “our daily bread” that we ask God to give us, not just my piece of the pie. It is “our trespasses” that we ask to have forgiven.

In a day when we are increasingly alienated from one another, from family, from community, from God himself, in an age marked by increasing financial instability and worry; in an era of hunger for knowledge and of spiritual poverty, this prayer makes rich soil for growing in the gospel.

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us the attitude with which we are to approach God in prayer:

To whom do we pray?The name “Father” appears on the lips of Jesus forty two times in Matthew’s gospel. To say “our Father” is “a mark of grace, one of the first signs of faith” (NT Wright, The Lord and His Prayer, p. 12).

Helmut Thielicke - On The Lord's Prayer

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:22:10 -0400

“The Lord Prayer is truly the prayer that spans the world; the world of everyday trifles and universal history, the world with its hours of joy and bottomless anguish, the world of citizens and soldiers, the world of monotonous routine, sudden terrible catastrophe, the world of carefree children and at the same time of problems that can shatter grown men… The truth is we cannot pray the Lord’s prayer to the glory of God unless at the same time we pray against ourselves. And he who has not learned to pray this prayer de profundis — out of the depth of his repentance — has not really prayed at all.” — Helmut Thielicke

“Prayer is an interruption of personal ambition” — Rowland Hogben

Praying "Our Father"

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:38:15 -0400

This morning I am studying the Lord's Prayer and came across this wonderful piece from John Calvin on what we ought to reflect upon when we pray "our Father."

The exuberance of his paternal kindness he sets before us in the parable, (Luke 15:20) when the father with open arms receives the son who had gone away from him, wasted his substance in riotous living, and in all ways grievously sinned against him. He waits not till pardon is asked in words, but, anticipating the request, recognizes him afar off, runs to meet him, consoles him, and restores him to favor. By setting before us this admirable example of mildness in a man, he designed to show in how much greater abundance we may expect it from him who is not only a Father, but the best and most merciful of all fathers, however ungrateful, rebellious, and wicked sons we may be, provided only we throw ourselves upon his mercy. And the better to assure us that he is such a Father if we are Christians, he has been pleased to be called not only a Father, but our Father, as if we were pleading with him after this manner:

O Father, who art possessed of so much affection for Your children, and are so ready to forgive, we Your children approach you and present our requests, fully persuaded that You have no other feelings towards us than those of a father, though we are unworthy of such a parent.

An Encouraging Word from a Tender-hearted Pastor

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:11:17 -0400

“I hope what you find in yourself by daily experience will humble you—but not discourage you. For if our Physician is almighty—our disease cannot be desperate. Our sins are many—but His mercies are more. Our sins are great—but His righteousness is greater. When our sins prevail, remember that we have an Advocate with the Father, who is able to pity, to pardon, and to save to the uttermost!
It is better to be admiring the compassion and fullness of grace which is in our Savior—than to dwell and pore too much upon our own poverty and vileness.”
—John Newton, Letters of John Newton (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth: 2007)

Helpful Insights from Jerry Bridges

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:48:41 -0400

On September 27, we had the privilege of hearing Jerry Bridges.Here are several helpful quotes gleaned from several of his books.

Knowing that indwelling sin occupies a heart that is deceitful and unsearchable should make us extremely wary. We need to ask God daily to search our hearts for sin that we cannot or will not see. That was David’s prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if thre be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:23-24). God’s primary means of searching our hearts this way is through His Word, as we read it under the power of the Holy Spirit (The Pursuit of Holiness, pp. 64-65).

The gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of it. We tend to give a seeker just enough of the gospel to get him or her to pray a prayer to receive Christ. Then we immediately put the gospel on the shelf, so to speak, and go on to the duties of discipleship. As a result, Christians are not instructed in the gospel. And because they do not fully understand the riches and glory of the gospel, they cannot preach it to themselves or live by it in their daily lives.

To preach the gospel to yourself, then, means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that He is your propitiation, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed towards you (The Discipline of Grace, p. 58).

The realization that my daily relationship with God is based on the infinite merit of Christ instead of on my own performance is a very freeing and joyous experience (Transforming Grace, p. 12).

God is never surprised; never caught off guard; never frustrated by unexpected developments. God does as He pleases and that which pleases Him is always for His glory and our good. Our lives are cluttered with a lot of “if onlys.” “If only I had done this,” or “if only that had not happened.” But God has no “if onlys.” God never makes a mistake; God has no regrets. “As for God, his way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). We can trust God. He is trustworthy.

I readily admit it is difficult to believe God is in control when we are in the midst of anxiety, heartache, or grief. I have struggled with this many times myself. Just as we must learn to obey God one choice at a time, we must also learn to trust God one circumstance at a time. Trusting God is not a matter of my feelings but of my will. I never feel like trusting God when adversity strikes, but I can choose to do so even when I don’t feel like it. That act of the will, though, must be based on belief, and belief must be based on truth.

The truth we must believe is that God is sovereign. He carries out His own good purposes without ever being thwarted, and He so directs and controls all events and all actions of His creatures that they never act outside of His sovereign will. We must believe this and cling to this in the face of adversity and tragedy, if we are to glorify God by trusting Him.

I will make this next statement as gently and compassionately as I know how: Our first priority in times of adversity is to honor and glorify God by trusting Him. We tend to make our first priority the gaining of relief from our feelings of heartache or disappointment or frustration. This is a natural desire, and God has promised to give us grace sufficient for our trials and peace for our anxieties (2 Corinthians 12:9; Philippians 4:6-7). But just as God’s will is to take precedence over our will (Jesus Himself said, “Yet not as I will, but as you will” — Matthew 26:39), so God’s honor is to take precedence over our feelings.

We honor God by choosing to trust Him when we don’t understand what He is doing or why He has allowed some adverse circumstance to occur. As we seek God’s glory, we may be sure that He has purposed our good and that He will not be frustrated in fulfilling that purpose. Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts

Amazing Grace

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:45:59 -0400

Amazing grace how sweet the sound...
"If I care to listen, I hear a loud whisper from the gospel that I did not get what I deserved. I deserved punishment and got forgiveness. I deserved wrath and got love. I deserved debtor's prison and go instead to a clean credit history. I deserved stern lectures and crawl-on-your-knees repentance. I got a banquet spread for me." -- Philip Yancey

Weep Not for Me!

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:27:09 -0400

When we experience a loss, we are called in Scripture to grieve, but we grieve as those who have hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The below piece offers us such hope. It is ascribed to Matthew Henry who was a Presbyterian minister in the late 1600s and early 1700s in England.

If we have a believing friend or relative who has recently passed away, this is what they might say to us if they could speak. It is entitled: WEEP NOT FOR ME.

Would you like to know where I am?
I am at home in my Father’s house, in the mansion prepared for me there.
I am where I would be --
No longer on the stormy sea, but in the safe and quiet harbor.
My working time is done and I am resting;
My sowing time is done and I am reaping;
My joy is as the joy of harvest.

Would you know how it is with me?
I am made perfect in holiness.
Grace is swallowed up in glory,
Faith no longer hopes, but sees.
Mortality has given way to life as it was meant to be.

Would you know what I am doing?
I see God.
I see Him as He is, not as through a glass darkly, but face to face,
And the sight is transforming, it makes me like him.
I am in the sweet enjoyment of my blessed Redeemer.
I am here singing hallelujahs incessantly to Him who sits upon the throne,
And I rest not day or night from praising Him.

Would you know what company I keep?
Blessed Company —
Better that the best on earth.
Here are holy angels and the spirits of just men made perfect.
I am set down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the saints.
And here I meet with many of my old acquaintances with whom I worked,
And the dearest of the world whom I loved and with whom I prayed
Who came here before me.

Would you know how long this is to continue?
It is the dawn that never withers,
The crown of glory that fades not away.
After millions and millions of ages it will be as fresh as it is now,
And therefore, weep not for me.

A Grief Sanctified

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:08:34 -0400

J.I. Packer wrote a book entitled A Grief Sanctified. It serves as his summary of Richard Baxter’s Memoirs of his wife’s life and death. I came across a few thoughts that helped me greatly in processing my own grief over the death of my friends.

I pass them along to you in hopes that God will fulfill the promise of Isaiah 61:1-3 in your life: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified."

Packer defines grief as "the inward desolation that follows the losing of something or someone we loved – a child, a relative, an actual or anticipated life partner, a pet, a job, one’s home, one’s hopes, or one’s health. It is the experiential, emotional fruit of a bereavement event where you experience a state of desolation and isolation, of alternating apathy and agony, of inner emptiness and exhaustion."

He then explains what it means to sanctify our grief. He says that "all life must be managed in such a way that it is sanctified; that is, all activities must be performed, and all experiences received and responded to, in a way that honors God, benefits others as far as possible, and helps us forward in our knowledge and enjoyment of God here as we travel home to the glory of heaven hereafter” (p. 188). Whether those experiences are pleasant or painful.

“When through the deep waters I call you to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with you, your troubles to bless,
and sanctify to you your deepest distress.”
-- Hymn “How Firm a Foundation”

How may an experience be sanctified?
1.   By relating it to the truth of the gospel, so that we understand it in biblical and evangelical terms; by letting it remind us of truths we might otherwise forget or not take seriously; and by disciplining our hearts to accept it in an appropriate way—with gratitude or self-humbling or whatever.
2.   Of what truths should a grieving a loss remind us? That God is sovereign (nothing occurs apart from his overruling will), we are mortal, and that heaven and hell are real. No one says it better than Max Lucado in his book, Six Hours One Friday: "Our lives are not futile, our sins are not fatal, and our deaths are not final."

How can such a condition be sanctified?
1.   Start where you are, do what you can to move toward the thanksgiving, submission, and patience that is mentioned below.
2.   Do not let your grief loosen your grip on the goodness and grace of your loving Lord.
3.   Cry (for there is nothing biblical or Christian or indeed human, about the stiff upper lip).
4.   Tell God your sadness (several of the Psalms will supply words for this purpose).
5.   Pray as you can and don’t try to pray as you can’t.
6.   Avoid well-wishers who think they can cheer you up, but thank God for any who are content to be with you and do things for you without talking at you.
7.   Talk to yourself about the loved one you lost.
8.   Do not try to hurry your way out of the inner weakness you feel; grieving takes time.
9.   Look to God as thankfully, submissively, and patiently as you can.
10.   Grieving properly leads us back to thinking properly, living properly, and praising properly. God sees to that! “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

To what exercises of mind and heart (attitudes and actions) should grieving lead us?
1.   The exercise of thanksgiving for all that we valued and enjoyed in the person we have lost and, in the case of a believer, for the happiness to which we know that he or she has now been promoted.
2.   The exercise of submission to God, as we resign to him the loved one he has taken from us, confess to him that we had no claim on the continuance of that loved one’s earthly life, and consciously put ourselves in his hands for whatever future experiences he has in mind for us.
3.   The exercise of patience, which is a compound of endurance and hope, as we live through our grief on a daily basis.

Earl Witmer: A Pearl of a Man

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:34:56 -0400

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” – Psalm 116:15
Earl with his great grandson
This evening the news comes again that another close friend of mine and a fellow soldier of the cross has crossed over the river and is now resting under the shade of the trees… gazing not by faith but by sight on our risen, exalted, reigning Lord Jesus Christ. This was a day that my friend Earl Witmer had been preparing for all of his life. He was 81 years old and served as a ruling elder at Intown Community Church (PCA), a church I used to serve in Atlanta. Can I tell you why Earl was a pearl of man to me? Some of us called him this, especially those of us who grew up watching Earl “the Pearl” Munroe the famed point guard of the New York Knicks.

Earl was a pearl of a man because he possessed a special gift for public prayer that inspired, convicted, and comforted me on many occasions. In fact, I have never met another man who had Earl’s ability in public prayer. I personally witnessed the comforting and powerful ministry of Earl’s prayers for those going through intense grief, personal pain and joys (such as wedding ceremonies). There is no doubt that Earl developed this gift by spending much time in the secret place with His Lord in personal prayer.

Earl was a pearl of a man because of his unrivaled capacity to shepherd the Lord’s flock. Once he actually hastily pursued a woman who was leaving the church because she had been deeply hurt and wounded by a fellow-believer. She was leaving never to return until she met the kind eyes and heard the tender voice of a man who loved her like Christ did. Earl was unlike the ancient shepherds of Israel that we read about in Ezekiel 34:4. He did what they refused to do. He “strengthened the weak, healed the sick and bound up the injured. He brought back the strays or searched for the lost.” He ruled them gently and kindly. Who knows how many people didn’t give up on the church of the Lord Jesus Christ because of the counsel and ministry of Earl? Eternity will tell. I, for sure, am one.

Earl was a pearl of a man because of his willingness to serve as an elder statesman in a church full of young people half his age. He was not cynical nor stuck in his ways and preferences. He believed that the functions of Christ’s church should remain the same (Acts 2:42-47) but that the form must change. Earl was adaptable and flexible on form while remaining unflinching and strong on the essentials of the faith and unchanging functions of Christ’s church. He was burdened to see the Lord’s church built and His kingdom expand.

Earl was a pearl of a man because he possessed a world vision. There is no telling how many people greeted Earl in heaven today for whom he was the human agent for their own entrance into heaven. He was a cheerful promoter of world missions. He gave, prayed, and went to spread the gospel to every tribe, tongue, people and nation.

Earl was a pearl of a man because he didn’t live for himself. Romans 14:7-9 described Earl’s life: “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.”

Earl was a pearl of a man because he loved one woman, Marguerite, as his bride for sixty-one years until death parted them. They made a great ministry team. How great it was for me to see an older couple who genuinely, warmly, tenderly and truly loved each other. What a rare and privileged sight it was to behold!

Earl was a pearl of a man because his children deeply loved him and he was very proud of them, his grandchildren and even his great grandchildren. It was a marvel and joy to watch the outpouring of his daughters’ love for him when he was sick a number of years ago. Oh to hear the sweet singing voices of your own daughters when you are lying deathly sick and in pain.

Earl was a pearl of a man because he was always ready to depart and be with Christ (Philippians 1). I remember being with Earl and Marguerite at the emergency room of Dekalb Medical Center in Decatur, GA. It was around 2:30 in the morning about eleven years ago. Earl was having a heart attack. He removed his oxygen mask and said, “Dick, if this is my time, I am ready to go meet my Lord.” Obviously, it wasn’t God’s time for Earl. But, today was.

Most of all, Earl pointed us by his actions and his words beyond himself to the pearl of great price – the kingdom that our Lord Jesus purchased for us and has been preparing for us from the foundation of the world. It was purchased for us on the old rugged cross long ago. The hymn text reads:"So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown.” And so He has. And so He has! Well done my good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord!

Lord, grant too that I might become such a man as Earl Witmer!

Pray the Beatitudes: A Weekly Guide

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:02:45 -0400

PRAYING THE BEATITUDES AS A DAILY OFFICE
MONDAY: Matt. 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Lord God, my Father, help me to accept my brokenness, emptiness, and utter need for You. Enable me to reject the values and pride of the world and, by Your grace, to make wise choices today that I may climb up the ladder of humility towards You. “God have mercy on me, a sinner” (Lk. 18:13).

TUESDAY: Matt. 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Lord, help me to find safety in You as I embrace my vulnerability, humanity, and limits. Provide grace for me to not pretend or lie or deny the pain of life, thus avoiding both reality and You. May I pay attention this day to the loss and grief around me, and be willing to wait for You in what often appears to be a “confusing in-between.” I place my hope in You, O Lord, and in Your unfailing love.

Matt. 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Lord, grant me grace today to wait on You. You know my tendency to get angry, frustrated, and impatient with others, myself and my circumstances. Almighty God, help me to drop my defenses this day and be approachable, kind, merciful, non-defensive and appropriately assertive for what is right and true. “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope” (Ps. 130:5)

WEDNESDAY: Matt. 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Lord, may I seek You above all else this day, for “Your love is better than life” (Ps. 63:3). Help me to actively make wise choices today that will satisfy my deep hunger for You. Enable me to persevere in faithfulness through any “dark night of the soul” you may choose for me. Purge my soul of all polluted affections, habits and rebellions. May your Spirit saturate my spirit, and may your deepest desires, longings and dreams become mine, O Lord. Fulfill Your will through my earthly life this day.

Matt. 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Lord, enable me this day to slow down and eliminate hurry, that I might remember You and the richness of Your mercy towards me. Today I offer you my hurts, anger, bitterness and disappointments. Enable me to forgive as generously and consistently as You forgive me. Teach me how to appropriately process any anger toward You, others and myself. I wait on You and trust in You, Lord. Show me the way of Your wisdom and love this day.

THURSDAY: Matt. 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Lord, I ask you today for a pure “clean, uncluttered” heart. I long to see Your face, that there would be nothing between You and me. Lord, show me what to say “no” to, so I will have time and energy to reflect on my heart before You. Cleanse my heart from gluttony, lust, greed, uncontrolled anger and impatience, self-pity, laziness, competitiveness with others, and pride. May I surrender to Your will this day, remembering Your loyal love. May it soften my will and transform me to follow Your leading and presence in every decision I make this day.

Matt. 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Lord, help me to follow Jesus in bringing true peace to the world around me. Deliver me today from living a “false peace” by avoiding conflict and appeasing others out of fear. Give me courage to disrupt false peace around me when needed. Fill me with the love and humility of Jesus as I step out in faith to do this. Give me wisdom and prudence to discern how to proceed. Finally, grant me the boldness, the clarity, and the grace to persevere as I follow You in being a true peacemaker today.

FRIDAY: Matt. 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Lord, You say true peacemaking will lead, at times, to rejection by the world. Fill me with courage to speak and live the truth – even when it is not popular or convenient. Today I choose the narrow road of: poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, hunger and thirst for You, mercy, purity of heart, and true peacemaking. Help me, Lord, not to love theworld or anything in it (1 Jn.2:15), that I may love You alone with all my heart, mind, soul and strength.

Matt. 5:13-16. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world.
Lord, You have richly blessed me and given to me a purpose and calling. Your desire is that I be salt and light. Free me from the contamination of pride, defensiveness, impatience, bitterness, busyness, and fear of people. Show me how to integrate spiritual disciplines into my life according to my unique life situation, temperament and calling. Help me to live out the Beatitudes so that my life can preserve and bring life to those around me. And may people, as a result, praise You, my Father in heaven. AMEN.

Pete Scazzero© 2005
Center For Emotional Health & Spirituality
New Life Fellowship, Elmhurst, NY 11373

Praying through Jesus' Beatitudes

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:47:00 -0400

We are in the midst of a series on the Sermon on the Mount entitled "The Beautiful Life." Here is a simple prayer of confession that walks through each beatitude. Proverbs 28:13 reminds us of why we regularly confess our sins: "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

Blessed Jesus, you offered us all your blessings when you announced...

"Blessed are the poor in spirit" — but we have been rich in pride.

"Blessed are those who mourn" — but we have not known much sorrow for our sin.

"Blessed are the meek" — but we are a stiff-necked people.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" — but we are filled to the full with other things.

"Blessed are the merciful" — but we are harsh and impatient.

"Blessed are the pure in heart" — but we struggle with impure thoughts and motives.

"Blessed are the peacemakers" — but we have not sought reconciliation.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness" — but our lives do not challenge the world.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me" — but we have hardly made it known that we are yours.

Your Law is holy and your benedictions are perfect, but they are both too great for us.

You alone are the perfectly blessed One.

We plead with you to forgive our sins and give us the blessing of your righteousness. AMEN.

Redemptive Relationships

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:43:39 -0400

One of the things that we are asking all of our members and regular attenders at Trinity to do this coming ministry year (September 2009 - August 2010) is to actively pursue and build one new redemptive relationship this year. You might ask: What is a redemptive relationship? To build a “redemptive relationship” means to invest yourself in the life of another person in such a way that he or she is drawn more closely to Jesus Christ.This person may be a fellow believer or someone who is spiritually seeking.

The Apostle Paul cultivated this ability with the Lord's people at Thessalonica in present day Greece. He said: "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us" (I Thessalonians 2:8).

There are many ways to do this in our ministry context. This past year one family developed a friendship with homeless man in our community. Other adopted college students and offered hospitality to them. Others went on mission projects to other countries in the world. Some started evangelistic Bible Studies in their homes. Some just reached out to a neighbor in need. Others had block parties for their neighborhood. Several befriended international students here at Alabama.

What about you? Take a minute and ask the Lord to show you one person with whom you could build this type of relationship.

Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will Provide - William Cowper

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:30:26 -0400

Jehovah Jireh (Genesis 22:14)

The saints should never be dismay'd,
Nor sink in hopeless fear;
For when they least expect His aid,
The Savior will appear.

This Abraham found: he raised the knife;
God saw, and said, "Forbear!
Yon ram shall yield his meaner life;
Behold the victim there."

Once David seem'd Saul's certain prey;
But hark! the foe's at hand;
Saul turns his arms another way,
To save the invaded land.

When Jonah sunk beneath the wave
He thought to rise no more;
But God prepared a fish to save,
And bear him to the shore.

Blest proofs of power and grace divine,
That meet us in His word!
May every deep-felt care of mine
Be trusted with the Lord.

Wait for His seasonable aid,
And though it tarry, wait:
The promise may be long delay'd,
But cannot come too late

John Calvin: On Singing in Corporate Worship

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:27:46 -0400

If singing is tempered to a gravity befitting the presence of God and angels, it both gives dignity and grace to sacred actions, and has a very powerful tendency to stir up the mind to true zeal and ardor in prayer. We must, however, carefully beware, lest our ears be more intent on the music than our minds on the spiritual meaning of the words. Augustine confesses (Confession, Book 10, chapter 33) that the fear of this danger sometimes made him wish for the introduction of a practice observed by Athanasius, who ordered the reader to use only a gentle inflection of the voice, more akin to recitation than singing. But on again considering how many advantages were derived from singing, he inclined to the other side.If this moderation is used, there cannot be a doubt that the practice is most sacred and salutary. On the other hand, songs composed merely to tickle and delight the ear are unbecoming the majesty of the Church, and cannot but be most displeasing to God.
- From The Institutues of the Christian Religion, p.551.

Celebrating the Life of John Calvin

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:24:35 -0400

Today is the 500th anniversary of the birth of the great pastor, scholar, and theologian called John Calvin. Would you take a moment today and read the following sent to me by one of the deacons of our church and would you take a minute and thank the Lord that we stand upon the broad shoulders of such godly, faithful, and humble such as Calvin.

John Calvin was born on July 10, 1509, in Noyon, France and died May 27, 1564, at Geneva, Switzerland. A letter written in 1570 by the minister of the French congregation in London, speaks highly of Calvin: ‘When I look back upon his frankness and integrity, his affectionate benevolence towards me and the familiar intimacy which I enjoyed for sixteen years, I cannot but grieve for my separation for such a friend, or, I would say, such a father. What labors, watchings and anxieties did he endure! With what wisdom and discernment did he foresee all dangers and how skillfully did he go out to meet them! No words of mine can declare the fidelity and prudence with which he gave counsel, the kindness with which he received all who came to him, the cleverness and promptness with which he replied to those who asked for his opinion on the most important questions, and the ability with which he disentangled the difficulties and problems which were laid before him. Nor can I express the gentleness with which he would console the afflicted and raise the fallen and distressed, or his courage in adversity and moderation in prosperity.’
- From The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century by Leonard Cowie

Finally, in his testament [April 25, 1564], setting before God the balance sheet of his life, John Calvin confessed: "He has had mercy on me, his poor creature, . . . to draw me to the brightness of his gospel and to make me a sharer in the doctrine of salvation, of which I was so unworthy, . . . he has put up with me even in the midst of faults and weaknesses which really deserved rejection a thousand times by him. But what is more, he extended his mercy to me until then I served him and labored for him in order to set forth and proclaim the truth of his gospel. . . . Alas! The desire and zeal which I had, if one can call it that, has been so cold and so lax that I feel indebted in all things and all places, and, if it not for his great and infinite kindness, all the affection that I have had would only be smoke. To see the good things that he has done for me only makes me more guilty, so that my only recourse is to the One who, being the Father of all mercy, may be and show himself to be the Father of one who is such a wretched sinner."
- From The Humanness of John Calvin by Richard Stauffer, Translated by George Shriver

Putting Yourself At God's Disposal Daily

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:04:51 -0400

Presently, I am leading a men's discipleship group through a study that I have entitled "Finishing Well." How easy it is to grow weary, lose heart, and give up. The life of Demas, one of the Apostle Paul's coworkers, stands as a stark reminder of how easy it is to not finish well in life and ministry due to loving and treasuring other things more than Jesus (2 Timothy 4:10).

Jerry Bridges has written an article on what he considers to be four essentials to finish well our race. These four essentials are: Learning how to cultivate daily, receptive, absorbing communion with the living God, learning how to daily appropriate the gospel, learning how to daily commit yourself to the Lord as a living sacrifice, and resting in a firm, resolute brief in the sovereignty and love of God.

The Biblical basis for the third essential for finishing well is found in Romans 12:1. Here the Apostle Paul urges the church at Rome: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

The word “present” means to give over to or to put at another’s disposal. To be “at God’s disposal” at least means the following two things:
a) actively, to be willing to obey God in anything he says in any area of life (The reason that Paul was commissioned as a minister of the gospel was "to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations" (Romans 1:5) and
b) passively, to be willing to thank God for anything he sends in any area of life. Remember the pastoral counsel of John Newton: "Everything is necessary that God sends. Nothing is needful that He withholds."

John Chrysostom offers us practical help in how our bodies are to become a living sacrifice. "Let the eye look upon no evil thing, and it hath become a sacrifice; let thy tongue speak nothing filthy, and it hath become an offering; let thine hand do no lawless deed, and it hath become a whole burnt offering. Or rather this is not enough, but we must have good works also: let the hand do alms, the mouth bless them that cross one, and the hearing find leisure evermore for lections (readings) of Scripture.”

But why are we to put everything that we are and have at God's disposal? John Calvin wisely summarizes our motivation: “Men will never worship God with a sincere heart, or be roused to fear and obey Him with sufficient zeal, until they properly understand how much they are indebted to His mercy.” Do you see yourself as an object of God’s mercy? It took the Apostle Paul the first eleven chapters in Romans to set forth the Lord's mercies in the salvation of His people.

Want you take a few minutes and pray through the following hymn of Frances Ridley Havergal and put yourself more fully at God's disposal today in light of His incredible mercies?

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

He Prays Unceasingly for You

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:36:48 -0400

The writer to the Hebrews tells us about the present ministry of Jesus in heaven as our Great High Priest. Hebrews 7:25 reminds us: "Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."

As a pastor, my physical and mental weakness dictates intermittent intercession for God's people. I grow weary in prayer and my mind wanders. I sometimes fall asleep during some of my most important times of prayer. But not our ascended Lord. His intercession is unending. Day by day, hour by hour, year by year, generation by generation, millennium by millennium… Christ prays for His people. He prays for us.

Louis Berkhof reminds what a comfort Christ's unending intercession should be for us who claim allegiance to Jesus: “It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life… that He is presenting to the Father those spiritual needs which were not present to our minds and which we often neglect to include in our prayers; and that He prays for our protection against the dangers of which we are not even conscious, and against the enemies which threaten us, though we do not notice it. He is praying that our faith may not cease, and that we may come victoriously to our end.”

John Owen concurs and offers this brief summary: “The intercession of Christ is the great evidence of the continual love and care of our Savior and of his pity and compassion towards his church."

When All Hell Endeavors to Shake

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:27:54 -0400

I loved playing and watching basketball during high school. One Saturday I went to the gym early to watch some friends playing in a church league. This day, the referee forgot to show up. I was asked to referee the game between two teams. But after the game, a father of one of the guys came up to me and began to tell me what a terrible referee I was. He said that the game was the worst refereed game he had ever seen in his life. Obviously, he was very angry with me and was accusing me … pointing his finger in my face and threatening me. To be honest. I was scared and fearful.

But there was another man in the gym that day. My dad. He saw what was happening from across the gym and began to pick up pace towards me. You see my daddy cares very much for his son. My dad is a big, strong man. Nobody messes with his son without having to deal with him. He has zero tolerance for anyone who wrongly and unjustly accuses his son without a discussion with him. Even today, I recall the words of my father on that unforgettable occasion: “If you’re going to accuse and treat my son like this, you’re going to have to deal to me.”

Before my father intervened and came between me and my accuser, I was extremely fearful and anxious. Afterwards, I was full of confidence and boldness since my father had come to my defense. This story illustrates what the Lord Jesus does for us when all hell endeavors to shake us. He is our great high priest who comes to our aid. Our ascended King is the eternal priest who continually intercedes for us and answers all the accusations of our adversary (Hebrews 7:20-28; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).

Robert Murray McCheyne was a young minister in Scotland who lived in the early 1800s. He says, "If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet the distance makes no difference. He is praying for me!"

John Chrysostom, the golden-mouthed preacher who lived in the 4th century, certainly lived out the reality of this bold confidence in Christ our constant companion and intercessor. Chrysostom was brought before the Roman emperor who threatened him with banishment if he continued to profess that Jesus is Lord. Chrysostom replied: “You cannot banish me, for this world is my father’s house.” “But I will slay you,” said the emperor. “No, you cannot,” said the noble champion of the faith, “for my life is hid with Christ in God.” “I will take away your treasures.” “No, but you cannot, for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there.” “But I will drive you away from man and you shall have no friend left.” “No, you cannot, for I have a friend in heaven from whom you cannot separate me. I defy you, for there is nothing you can do to hurt me.”

Peru Mission Report

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:59:53 -0400

Dear Trinity Folks, I wanted to write and give you a brief update on our mission to Trujillo, Peru. I could not be more proud today of our team. Our medical personnel saw around 70 - 80 persons today. Some who were members of a church here called Larco where Allen and Sandi Smith attend. Others came from the community... a number of which were either unchurched or Roman Catholic in background... very nominal. We were able to share the gospel openly with the people who came to the clinic. We had just the right number of folks to pull off this clinic. Tomorrow is exspected to be even more busy with mostly people from the community coming. It is truly amazing how little medical care and attention people get here. The VBS team worked today in a very poor squatter community called Los Pinos. They did an exceptional job and were very well received. The Wichensau (not spelled correctly) church that we worshiped in this past Sunday is attempting to plant a daughter church in the community. It is an extremely poor community. We do not have poverty like this. It is good to have the opportunity to remember in a tangible way the poor. The kids on our team have done an outstanding job so far. Last night in the English service the Larco church which is held once a month, we worshipped with our missionary friends and others who are attempting to learn English. Craig Buettner did an outstanding job testifying to God's amazing grace in saving Kennedy. It was truly anointed of the Lord and very impactful. We have two wonderful missionaries that we support in Allen and Sandi Smith and their three beautiful girls.. Our team has already in a short time had a significant ministry of encouraging the missionary staff that are here. We have a woman who left her law practice in Mississippi about six months ago to become a missionary here. Her name is Aileen. She has made this trip so enjoyable. Thank the Lord for Aileen. We are eating tonight at the home of the Smiths. I wish you could be here to see our team in operation. It would make you extremely proud to be connected with Trinity and to call these folks your friends. Thank you for your support and prayers without which none of this would be possible or fruitful. Anytime you feel led of the Lord to pray for us please do so. So far, the Lord has been gracious to allow all of us to have good health. Today Robert Glover, Dale's son, is grieving the death of a fraternity mate from his days at Auburn who fell asleep driving a tractor cutting grass on a golf course in Columbus, GA. He fell off and was run over by the tractor. Please pray for Robert. We are conducting a women's conference for one of the churches tomorrow afternoon. Pray for Scottie as she speaks about 'Never Beyond Hope.' I will speak briefly on the life of Esther as an example of never being beyond hope. We have a panel of our women that will then answer questions from the women who are planning to attend. I would ask you to pray for me as I translate for the doctors in the clinic as well for the women tomorrow in the conference. It is thoroughly rewarding but totally exhausting. I remember this feeling of mental exhaustion from my days of learning Spanish in Costa Rica. Pray for the Lord to anoint me with the ability to recall vocab and have fluidity of expression. Enough for now. Grace and peace to you all! Dick

Cherishing the Cross

Sun, 24 May 2009 07:18:23 -0400

We must never think that we who so gladly profess faith in Jesus as our crucified, risen, and exalted Lord are ever beyond becoming an enemy of the cross (Philippians 3:18-19). How tempting to add to the finished work of Christ on the cross... to look to our own works to gain acceptance with God. How easy it is to detract from the cross by professing faith in Jesus while refusing the lifestyle it promotes of sacrificial love and intentional service (Philippians 2:3-8)..

How is it that we can cherish and delight in the cross? One thing I have done is to meditate on the words of Abbot Rupert of Deutz who lived in the 12th century that set forth succinctly and beautifully all that was accomplished at the cross.

“The cross of Christ is the door to heaven,
    the key to paradise, the downfall of the devil,
    the uplifting of mankind, the release from our imprisonment.
The cross of Christ is the safeguard of our faith,
    the assurance of our hope, and the throne of love,
    the sign of God's mercy and the proof of forgiveness.
By his cross,
    Jesus has redeemed us from our sin
    and atoned for our punishment.
The way to peace, joy, and righteousness in the kingdom of God
    and the way to victory over sin, despair, and death
    is through the cross of Jesus Christ.”

Tolstoy's Question re. life and death

Fri, 01 May 2009 12:07:42 -0400

Leo Tolstoy published his "Confession" in Russia in 1882. He writes: "My question - that which at the age of fifty brought me to the verge of suicide - was the simplest of questions, lying in the soul of every man from the foolish child to the wisest elder. It was a question without an answer to which one cannot live, as I had found by experience. It was: "What will come of what I am doing today or shall do tomorrow? What will come of my whole life?" Differently expressed, the question is: "Why should I live, why wish for anything, or do anything?" It can also be expressed thus: "Is there any meaning in my life that the inevitable death awaiting me does not destroy?"

Elizabeth Elliot informed us students at KC '83 that "there was nothing worth living for, unless it's worth dying for." The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi reminds us of the only thing worth living for: Jesus Christ. He writes: "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). How about you? How would you complete the sentence: For me to live is...

Jesus emphasizes the life-giving purpose of His coming: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). Who is they in this sentence? Jesus' sheep who are threatened by the thief who comes to kill, steal and destroy. What is the eternal, abundant life that the good shepherd gives to His sheep? That we "may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [He] has sent" (John 17:3).

When Tigers Tear Your Dreams Apart

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:49:32 -0400

If you’ve been on the internet the past couple of weeks, you’ve probably heard the name Susan Boyle. She became an overnight international star after her unexpected performance on Britain’s Got Talent. She sang ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Miserables. Her voice was phenomenal. Her performance was stunning. Click here to watch: Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream

Listen to some of the lyrics of this song that are originally sung in the Broadway musical by Fontaine: “I dreamed a dream in time gone by; When hope was high, and life worth living. I dreamed that love would never die. I dreamed that God would be forgiving. Then I was young and unafraid, And dreams were made and used and wasted. There was no ransom to be paid; No song unsung, no wine untasted. But the tigers come at night, With their voices soft as thunder, As they tear your hope apart, And they turn your dream to shame!”

In Victor Hugo's novel, Fontaine was a woman who had been profoundly violated and whose life was filled with pain. What are we to do if we find ourselves in a similar position? We can become violators or perpetrators ourselves. We can wallow in our self-pity to the point of depression and despair... OR

When the tigers come at night and tear you and your dreams apart and you find yourself in the depths of despair and sin, remember there was one who placed Himself in a position of weakness and was crushed. There was One who into earth’s bitter waters of sin, injustice, and revenge poured a crimson flood of His own blood to make them sweet. Never was any man more unjustly sinned against. The world He loved drove nails into His hands and feet. Yet He prayed, “Father, forgive them.” Forgiveness is not just a pipe dream. For most of us, the people we have the hardest time forgiving is ourselves. You can receive forgiveness this day and you can forgive but only as you look away from yourself and your pain to your wonderful Redeemer our Lord Jesus Christ.

Swim in the Scriptures

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:35:33 -0400

The 4th Century Church Father and preacher, John Chrysostom writes:

"Listen carefully to me, I entreat you. Procure books that will be medicines for the soul. At least get a copy of the New Testament, the Apostle's epistles, the Acts, the Gospels, for your constant teachers. If you encounter grief, dive into them as into a chest of medicines; take from them comfort for your trouble, whether it be loss, or death, or bereavement over the loss of relations. Don't simply dive into them. Swim in them. Keep them constantly in your mind. The cause of all evils is the failure to know the Scriptures well."
-- Cited in Hall, Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, 96.

Our darkest hours ...God's finest moments.

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:52:14 -0400

Alister McGrath writes in Mystery of the Cross:

"Experience cannot be allowed to have the final word - it must be judged and shown up as deceptive and misleading. The theology of the Cross draws our attention to the sheer unreliability of experience as a guide to the presence and activity of God. God is active and present in His world, quite independently of whether we experience Him as being so. Experience declared that God was absent from Calvary, only to have its verdict humiliatingly overturned on the third day."

Sinclair Ferguson concurs: "He is most on the field when He is invisible!"

What if God eliminated suffering?

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:21:26 -0400

One question that skeptics and believers both ask frequently is: "if God is so loving, why does He allow suffering and evil?"

We are in a series on the Psalms of Ascent called the Journey: Psalms for Pilgrim People. One notable feature of the journey of faith is oppression and suffering. In our Good Friday service this evening, we will examine briefly Psalm 129. In it, the Psalmist laments the repeated and frequent afflictions of his people. This Psalm is most applicable to Jesus on this day that we call Good Friday for He is the ultimate sufferer whose back is plowed to bring healing to us His sin-sick people.

But what would life be like in our fallen world if God eliminated suffering? Malcolm Muggeridge, a noted British author and journalist answers:

"Supposing you eliminated suffering, what a dreadful place the world would be. The world would be the most ghastly place because everything that corrects the tendency of this unspeakable little creature, man, to feel over-important and over-pleased with himself would disappear. He’s bad enough now, but he would be absolutely intolerable if he never suffered” (Jesus Rediscovered, 1969. pp. 199-200).

Devotions for Holy Week

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:39:55 -0400

Dear Friends of Trinity,

This week ranks supreme in our church calendar. Thus, I would encourage you not to let this week go by without intentionally pursuing a fresh encounter with our living Christ. In our day, the church has lost much of its observance of Holy Week and we are spiritually impoverished because of it. These below prayers and Scriptures are designed to walk you through the events surrounding the passion and sufferings of our Lord. You don't have to implement the whole guide, but the Lord has a blessing for you in some part of the devotional guide below. I commend it to you as a simple resource to spiritually engage at this important time of year!

Also, I want to encourage you if you are in town this Friday to join us at 6 PM for our Good Friday Tenebrae Service. Tenebrae means darkness and shadows. This service is designed to cause us to reflect deeply on the sufferings and the death of our Lord. It culminates at the Lord's Table as we recall the anguish of the cross.

Devotions for Holy Week

Lord Jesus Christ, in this solemn week when we see again the depth and mystery of your redeeming love, help us to follow where you go, to stop where you stumble, to listen when you cry, to hurt as you suffer, to bow our heads in sorrow when you die, so that when you are raised to life again we may truly share in your endless joy. Amen.
- Prayer for Holy Week, Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland, 1994

Notes on Using this Guide
These lessons and prayers are provided for you to deepen and enrich your observance of Holy Week. I would encourage you to use them as part of your daily worship, perhaps in an order along these lines:
Hymn or Praise Song
Prayer of Praise and Confession of Sin
A Psalm may be read.
The readings (with meditation or discussion)
Prayer for the day (followed by prayers of petition, concluding with the Lord’s Prayer)

Some may prefer a simpler order, e.g. families with young children may want to simply read the gospel lesson, dis¬cuss it and conclude with prayer. When reflecting on the gospels, be mindful of certain questions: What is this passage telling us about Jesus - what mattered to him? What does it tell us about his love for us, his death, his resurrection? Why is this important? If you get stuck with a difficult question, feel free to discuss it with one of our pastors or elders.

We hope that you can find time each day to remember and be thankful for what Jesus did for us all. At the end of the daily prayers and readings there is a further listing of daily Psalms to pray, as well as a chronology of Holy Week.

The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday

O Everliving God, let this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; that as he from his loftiness stooped to the death of the cross, so we in our lowliness may humble ourselves, believing, obeying, living, and dying to the glory of the Father; for the same Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.                   - Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 -1894)

I Timothy 6:12-16   Fight the good fight
Matthew 21:12-17   The Temple cleansed

Monday in Holy Week

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross may find it none other than the way of life: Grant us so to boast in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
- Book of Common Prayer, 1979

Philippians 3:1-14   The surpassing greatness of knowing Christ
John 12:9-19   The Triumphal Entry

Tuesday in Holy Week

Almighty Father, Everlasting God, you permitted your son to suffer the anguish of the cross for us, so that you might drive the power of the enemy from us: Grant us that we may so commemorate and give thanks for His suffering that we may thereby know forgiveness of sin and redemption from eternal death; through the same, your Son. Amen.
- Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Philippians 3:15-21    Our citizenship is in heaven
John 12:20-26   The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified

Wednesday in Holy Week

Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
- Book of Common Prayer (1979)

Philippians 4:1-13   Rejoice in the Lord always
John 12:27-36   Now my heart is troubled

Maundy Thursday

Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment, to love one another as he loved them. Write this commandment in our hearts; give ‘us the will to serve others as he was the servant of all, who gave his life and died for us, yet is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
- Lutheran Book of Worship (1978)

I Corinthians 11:23-34       The Lord’s Supper
John 13:1-17       Jesus washes his disciples’

Good Friday

My Father, enlarge my heart, warm my affections, and open my lips to proclaim the love of Calvary. There Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy, cast off that I might be brought in, trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend, surrendered to hell’s worst that I might attain heaven’s best, stripped that I might be clothed, wounded that I might be healed, athirst that I might drink, tormented that I might be comforted, made a shame that I might inherit glory. My savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes, groaned that I might have endless song, endured all pain that I might have unfading health, bore a thorned crown that I might have a glory-diadem, bowed his head that I might uplift mine, experi¬enced reproach that I might receive welcome, closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness, expired that I might ever live. 0 Father, help me to adore you by lips and life. 0 that my every breath might be ecstatic praise, my every step buoyant with delight, as I see my enemies crushed, Satan baffled, defeated, and destroyed, sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood, hell’s gates closed, heaven’s portal open. God forth, 0 conquering God, and show me the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort and save. Amen.
- adapted from The Valley of Vision. A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions (1975).

Hebrews 10:4-17   The true sacrifice
John 19:1-42   The crucifixion

Easter Saturday

O God, whose loving kindness is infinite, mercifully hear our prayers; and grant that as in this life we are united in the mystical body of your Church, and in death are laid in the ground with the sure hope of resurrection; so at the last day we may rise to the life immortal, and be numbered with your saints in glory everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.                   - Anonymous

Hebrews 4:1-16   A sabbath rest
Matthew 28:1-10   The resurrection

Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord

God our Father, creator of all, today is the day of Easter joy. This is the morning on which the Lord appeared to men who had begun to lose hope and opened their eyes to what the scriptures foretold that first he must die, and then he would rise and ascend before his Father’s glorious presence. May the risen Lord breathe on our minds and open our eyes that we may know him in the breaking of bread, and follow him in his risen life. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.               - Lutheran Book of Worship (1978)

Exodus 12:1-14   The Passover
Luke 24:13-35   The Emmaus Road

Psalms for Daily Worship During Holy Week

Palm Sunday - Morning 84, 150; Evening 42, 32
Monday in Holy Week - Morning 119:73-80, 45; Evening 121, 6
Tuesday in Holy Week - Morning 34, 146; Evening 25, 91
Wednesday in Holy Week - Morning 5, 147:13-21; Evening 27, 51
Maundy Thursday - Morning 27, 147:13-21; Evening 126, 102
Good Friday - Morning 22, 148; Evening 105, 130
Easter Saturday - Morning 23, 114; Evening 92, 149
Easter Sunday - Morning 93, 150; Evening 136, 117

A Chronology of Holy Week

Palm Sunday
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem Mt.21:1-11; Mk. 11:1-10; Lk. 19:29-44; Jn.12:12-19

Monday in Holy Week

Jesus curses the fig tree   Mt.21:18-19; Mk.11:12-14
Jesus cleanses the temple   Mt. 21:12-13; Mk.11:15-18

Tuesday in Holy Week

Jesus teaches in the temple   Mt. 21:18-23:39; Mk. 12:1-44; Lk. 20:9-21:4
Jesus anointed in Bethany   Mt. 26: 6-13; Mk.14:3-9; Jn.12: 2-11

Wednesday in Holy Week

The plot against Jesus       Mt. 26:14-16; Mk.14:10-11; Lk. 22:3-6

Maundy Thursday

The Last Supper       Mt. 26:17-29; Mk.14:12-25; Lk. 22:7-20; Jn. 13 :1-38
Jesus Comforts disciples   John 14:1-16:33
Gethsemane           Mt. 26:36-46; Mk. 14:32-42; Lk. 22:40-46

Late Thursday/Early Friday

Jesus’ Arrest and trial   Mt. 26:47-27:26; Mk. 14:43-15:15; Lk. 22:47-23:25; Jn. 18:2-19:16

Good Friday

Jesus’ crucifixion/death   Mt. 27:27-56; Mk. 15:16-41; Lk. 23:26-49; Jn. 19:17-30
Jesus’ burial           Mt. 27:57-66; Mk. 15:42-47; Lk. 23:50-56; Jn. 19:31-42

Sunday
The empty tomb       Mt. 28:1-10; Mk.16:1-8; Lk. 24:1-12; Jn. 20:11-48
Mary Magdalene sees Jesus   Mk. 16:9-11; Jn. 20:11-18
The Road to Emmaus       Mk. 16:12-13; Lk.24:13-35
Jesus appears to 10 disciples    Mk. 16:14; Lk.24:36-43; Jn. 20:19-25

St. Patrick & True Security

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:17:51 -0400

I am preaching through the Palms of Ascent and just finished Psalm 125 which reminds us of where true security lies. "Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion which cannot be moved, but abides forever." It seems that the burning question of the Psalmist is does it really pay to trust the LORD.

The life that stands as a living testimony that it really does pay to trust the LORD is the life of St. Patrick. Today is his day - March 17, 2009. The below piece from James Montgomery Boice on Patrick's life has spurred me on to take greater risks in serving my LORD given how incredibly secure we are!

Boice writes: "Patrick brought the gospel to the pagan land of what is now known as Ireland. Irish pirates kidnapped him in England when he was only sixteen years old. He worked as a slave for six years. He escaped and returned to his family. But the Lord did something very unexpected with Patrick. God led him to return to Ireland as a missionary.

What a task Patrick faced! Behind him lay the collapsed wreck of the Roman empire. Before him were the fierce, wild natives of Ireland. He had no outward security, but he persevered in his calling. He died at the age of seventy-six. In thirty years of ministry, He was used of the Lord to single-handedly change Ireland. Thomas Cahill reports, “As the Roman lands went from peace to chaos, the land of Ireland was rushing even more rapidly from chaos to peace. Instead of viewing the collapse of his own culture as an unmitigated tragedy, Patrick seized it as an unprecedented opportunity to declare the gospel.

Where did Patrick find such strength for such a daunting task? He gives his answer in a surviving prayer known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate.

I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me: God’s might to uphold me; God’s wisdom to guide me; God eye to look before me; God’s way to lie before me. God’s shield to protect me, God’s host to save me from snares of devils, from temptations of vices, from everyone who shall wish me ill…

Christ to shield me today against poison, against burning, against drowning, against wounding. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me. Christ in me, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise… I arise today through a mighty strength…"

That is true security – the security we need in 2009. It is the same security given to the people of God throughout the ages so that we can be like Mount Zion which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

By Gracious Powers - Bonhoeffer

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:13:36 -0400

This morning I came across a text written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer who wrote this from a Nazi prison. He was eventually hung on the gallows for His allegiance to One greater than Hitler. His words encouraged me and I hope that they will encourage you, especially if you find yourself sipping a bitter cup these days!

By Gracious Powers

    By gracious pow'rs so wonderfully sheltered
    And confidently waiting come what may,
    We know that God is with us night and morning
    And never fails to greet us each new day.

    Yet is this heart by its old foe tormented,
    Still evil days bring burdens hard to bear;
    O give our frightened souls the sure salvation
    For which, O Lord, you taught us to prepare.

    And when this cup you give is filled to brimming
    With bitter suffering, hard to understand,
    We take it thankfully and without trembling
    Out of so good, and so beloved a hand.

    Yet when again, in this same world you give us
    The joy we had, the brightness of your sun,
    We shall remember all the days we lived through
    And our whole life shall then be yours alone.

Looking Back... Looking Forward

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:05:23 -0400

Dick Cain:

What have I been most thankful for about Trinity Church? I am grateful to God for His persistent blessing on a mobile church like ours. Many come and many leave in a college community like our own, but God has continued to add to our number in spite of not having a permanent facility. I am grateful for all the new people who have plugged into life and relationships at Trinity. I rejoice over those who have returned to Trinity and are serving Christ joyfully in our midst. I am also incredibly grateful for all those who pull ministry oars at our church. Many of you have sacrificed time and treasure. Others of you have made intentional investments of your talents and gifts so that the gospel might make progress in our community and world. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
What are you most looking forward to about the new building?
My burden is that our new facility doesn't become a landing pad where we become spiritual complacent and comfortable. I look forward to watching irreligious and religious people connect with Christ in our new facility...couples united in marriage... babies and new professing believers baptized... marriages restored.. collegians challenged to attempt great things for God. I look forward to meeting all the people who will be impacted by the loving people and the liberating gospel that are the hallmarks of our church.

Steve Johnson:

What have I been most thankful about Trinity Church in the past year? I have been the most thankful for the ways I have seen many of our members step up and take part in some of our ministry teams. It has been encouraging to see parents and youth working along side each other to help make the student ministry at Trinity much stronger. I am also encouraged and thankful for those who help to teach and lead in our Sunday Schools and small groups.
What are you most looking forward to about the new building? Other than the basics of a nice, clean place to meet, I look forward to seeing how the Lord is going to use our church building--just as he has used those who make up the church--for the extension of His kingdom.

Mark Brown:

What have I been most thankful for about Trinity Church in the past year? I have been most thankful for the way God's people at Trinity have loved one another sacrificially through acts of service and love when friends and church family have gone through trials and conflict. This has been a great source of encouragement to me in my walk with Christ to see our body of believers building stronger relationships with one another.
What are you most looking forward to about the new building? I am looking forward to having a place of our own to worship and meet. Also, I will indeed weep for joy immeasurably when there will no longer be any extra set-up at 7:15 in the mornings on Sundays!!!!

Lisa Snead:

What have I been most thankful about Trinity Church in the past year? I have been most thankful for such a gracious work environment. Our Trinity staff members are all very kind and patient. As I have adjusted to my new role as Administrative Assistant this past year, everyone has been so encouraging. They have a love for the Lord, a sense of humor and are full of grace. Some might think that when you work closely with people, you see their "not so good" side. Working at Trinity has made me respect our staff even more!

What are you most looking forward to about the new building? I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do when we move into our new building. I really don't know! I'm hoping for growth and opportunities for outreach that did not exist when we were without a building.

Bethany and Alex Vaughn:

What have you been most thankful for about Trinity Church in the past year? We have been very thankful to Trinity for giving us a place to serve the Lord and helping us to further discern the Lord's call to ministry in our lives.

What are you most looking forward to about the new building? Not having to constantly cart around a trunk full of stuff! One week the bag boy at Publix asked if I was moving. I responded, "No, I just work for a church with no building."

Lifelines for Spiritual Depression

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:43:32 -0500

Lifelines for those journeying through spiritual depression from Psalm 120:

Martin Lloyd Jones in his book entitled Spiritual Depression sets forth a radical notion that has proven most helpful to me personally. He writes that "most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself."

He counsels us to "take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: 'Why are you in despair? What business have you to be depressed? You exhort yourself, and say to yourself: 'Hope in God' - instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must remind yourself of God, who He is, what He has done, and what He has pledged Himself to do (pp. 20-21)."

A.    Recall God’s past faithfulness in your life. “I called to the LORD, and he answered me” (120:1) Such personal evidences such as answered prayers and God's deliverance and provision in the past serve as powerful antidotes to spiritual depression. Actively call to mind one way that you have personally seen the Lord's faithfulness in the past!

B.    Recognize that your only source of hope is in the name of the LORD (120:2). The great tragedy of spiritual depression is that, those who suffer from it tend to think that they must overcome it before they can come to God, but the reality is that we are powerless in and of ourselves to overcome it. We must acknowledge that there is only one source of help. This source is set forth in our Psalm - the LORD – Yahweh. This most important name for God is used twice in Psalm 120.   Dr. Bruce Waltke, an Old Testament scholar, reminds us that two words capture the significance of this name for our God - loving loyalty. It is the Lord's personal and covenantal name. It reminds us that He has pledged to be our God and take us to be His people and that He refuses to give up on us. Let us heed the counsel of John Stott, the pastor emeritus of All Souls Church in London, England: “The cure for spiritual depression is neither to look in at our grief, nor back to the past, nor round at our problems, but upwards to the living God. He is our help and our God, and if we trust in him now, we shall soon have cause to praise him again.”

C.    Pursue peace with God by declaring war on our sin (120:3). We tend to treat our sins of speech (lying lips and deceitful tongues) lightly until we are the ones lied to or slandered. The Psalmist prayer for deliverance from a “deceitful tongue” in Psalm 120:3 might not be somebody’s else, but his own. Here are a couple of applicational questions to declare war on your sin: Are there any ways that you have spoken unadvisedly, bitterly, or untruly this past week? Confess it to the Lord. Is your gloomy state of mind and sense of despair caused by your unwilling to really trust God to be faithful to His promises. One of my biggest sins in this area of spiritual depression is simply unbelief and allowing myself to be dictated to by my feelings and emotions rather than actively trusting God's promises. For us to trust God's promises we must be familiar with them. Today, why don't you select a promise of God from Scripture and memorize it so that you can have it as a ready weapon for your next bout for spiritual sanity and health? Psalm 42:11 would be a good place to start: "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God."

D.    Rejoice that divine judgment fell upon another - the Prince of peace (120:4). Jesus himself took all the sharp arrows that were due us when He suffered on our behalf and died in our place. He bore in his body all of our sins of speech, despair and unbelief. In our moments of desperation, we cast ourselves on Jesus and thank Him for absorbing the judgment that was due us. What joy it brings to know that I am no longer condemned but forgiven. I am no longer rejected, but accepted by the one who matters ultimately. May the wonderful truths of the gospel bring you out again into the sunshine of the Father's love for you!

E.    Remember that your deep longing for peace will one day be fully satisfied (120:5-7).The key word here is SHALOM. According to the Scriptures, our journey’s destination is not the earthly Jerusalem, but the heavenly Mount Zion – the new Jerusalem (city of peace). In it, there will not be even one day of doom and gloom. There will be full shalom – complete mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being, wholeness, health, prosperity, safety, tranquility, rest, harmony, and the absence of all agitation and discord.

"All of us have a deep longing for peace… to be released and set free from the babble of voices both within ourselves and outside ourselves. Jesus was a man of peace; he came into our world, and was worshipped at his nativity as the Prince of peace. He lived and died to make peace “by the blood of his cross.” When he was going out of the world, he said to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” When he was risen from the dead, and made his first appearance to his disciples, he said to them. “Peace be to you.” He is the ultimate peace-maker. His gospel is the gospel of peace. It contains the peace of God which passes all understanding."
                  - Samuel Pierce, quoted in The Treasury of David

William Cowper was a man who struggled mightily with spiritual depression. He wrote on wonderful hymn entitled "God Moves in a Mysterious Way." The second verse serves asa lifeline for others struggling with depression: "Ye fearful saints fresh courage take, the clouds you so much dread. Are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head!"

A Daily Resolve for 2009

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:30:15 -0500

At Trinity, we speak often about cultivating the art of preaching the gospel to yourself. It is the pathway to deep joy, spiritual health and vitality. Here's one man's summary of what it looks like and the benefits it brings.

“Preaching the gospel to myself each day nourishes within me a holy brazenness to believe what God says, enjoy what He offers, and do what He commands. Admittedly, I don’t deserve to be a child of God and I don’t deserve to be free of sin’s guilt and power. I don’t deserve the staggering privilege of intimacy with God, nor any other blessing that Christ has purchased for me with His blood. I don’t deserve to be useful to God. But by the grace of God I am what I am and I have what I have, and I hereby resolve not to let any portion of God’s grace prove vain in me! And to the degree that I fail to live up to this resolve, I will boldly take for myself the forgiveness that God says is mine and continue walking in His grace. This is my manifesto, my daily resolve; and may God be glorified by this confidence that I place in Him.”

- Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians (Focus Publishing, 2008), 52.

Hope for Our Ordinary Lives

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:43:11 -0500

“Jesus, unlike the founder of any other major faith, holds out hope for ordinary human life. Our future is not an ethereal, impersonal form of consciousness. We will not float through the air, but rather will eat, embrace, sing, laugh, and dance in the kingdom of God, in degrees of power, glory, and joy that we can’t at present imagine.

Jesus will make the world our perfect home again. We will no longer be living ‘east of Eden,’ always wandering and never arriving. We will come, and the father will meet us and embrace us, and we will be bought into the feast.”

- Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God (New York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 104.

The Glory of Christ - John 1:14

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:51:23 -0500

This upcoming Christmas season I would encourage to read and meditate upon John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Hear the sage counsel of the Puritan John Owen in his book The Glory of Christ:

“It is by beholding the glory of Christ by faith that we are spiritually edified and built up in this world, for as we behold his glory, the life and power of faith grow stronger and stronger. It is by faith that we grow to love Christ. So if we desire strong faith and powerful love, which give us rest, peace and satisfaction, we must seek them diligently beholding the glory of Christ by faith. In this duty I desire to live and to die. On Christ’s glory I will fix all my thoughts and desires, and the more I see of the glory of Christ, the more the painted beauties of this world will wither in my eyes and I will be more and more crucified to this world.”

If our future blessedness shall consist in living where He is, and beholding His glory; what better preparation can there be for it, than in a constant previous contemplation of that glory, in the revelation that is made in the Gospel unto this very end, that by a view of it we may be gradually transformed into the same glory.”

The Invasion of Divine Generosity

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:37:43 -0500

2 Corinthians 8:9 - For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

The degree that we personally experience God’s divine generosity and amazing grace will be the degree that we are generous with others – open-hearted and open-handed with all of His resources – time, talents, and treasures. Grasping Christ’s own unspeakable richness and generosity moves us to a life of generosity. A miserly, Scrooge-like spirit is certain evidence that we do not yet know grace. -- Excerpt from sermon on "From Riches to Rags #1"

John Owen - Devotion to Jesus Christ

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:31:39 -0500

2 Corinthians 11:3 - But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

The Apostle Paul challenges his spiritual daughters at Corinth to remain faithfully devoted to her engaged fiancé - the perfect bridegroom... the Lord Jesus Christ. He cautions that our adversary deceitfully works with one objective in mind: To lead believers astray from a sincere, single-minded, pure, and undiluted devotion to Jesus. Not only in ancient Corinth, but also in our day, the tragedy of Eden is always ominously close to reenactment.

One question that I have wrestled with a bit lately is: Why should we pursue a single-minded, pure devotion to Jesus Christ? Let’s listen in on a sermon delivered by John Owen to the House of Commons in England: Christ is the ‘Way’--men without Him are Cains, wanderers, vagabonds. His is the ‘Truth’--men without Him are completely deceived by the Father of lies, the devil of old. He is the ‘Life’--men without Him are dead in trespasses and sins. He is the ‘Light’--men without Him are in darkness, and do not know where they go. He is the ‘Vine’--men that are not in Him are like withered branches. He is the ‘Rock’--men not built on Him are carried away with a flood. He is the ‘Alpha and Omega,’ the first and the last, the author and the One that ends, the founder and finisher of our salvation--he that does not have Him has neither the beginning of good nor shall he have the end of misery. Oh, blessed Jesus, how much better it would be not to exist than to exist without You! Never to be born than not to die in You! A thousand hells is nothing compared to eternally wanting Jesus Christ. - John Owen, ‘Greatness of Christ’

No wonder Charles Wesley prayed: "Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind. Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness; False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace."

I would ask you to pray about two things: First of all,would you pray for the Lord to ignite in our hearts the same kind of devotion that the Apostle Paul, John Owen, and Charles Wesley had for our Lord? Secondly, would you ask the Lord to give you a burning zeal to make whatever sacrifices necessary to see this portion of His bride deeply loving Him? 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 sets forth all the ways that Paul put himself in great peril and suffered immensely to present the pure betrothed bride of the church to her beloved bridegroom. What type of sacrifices are you willing to make to ensure that Jesus’ bride remains faithfully devoted to Him alone?

Praying God's Promises

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:31:16 -0400

Praying God’s Promise (2 Corinthians 6:16)

1.   In 2 Corinthians 6:16, the Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians believers to remember who they are based upon God’s promise: “For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.’”
2.   Here, Paul quotes God’s promise in Leviticus 26:12 which states: “I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”
3.   John Murray offers us a very specific challenge: “Meditate for at least fifteen minutes every day on some word of God connected with His promises to His church and then plead with Him for its fulfillment.”
4.   Here’s one pastor’s meditation on this promise of God to walk among us and to be our God.

Lord, you are the God who walks on the vault of heaven (Job 22:14). You walk on the wings of the wind (Ps. 104:3), but you are also the God who promises to walk among your people… to be our God and take us to be your people. You walked in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day pursuing man who had fallen into sin due to his rebellion and the tempting lies of the enemy. Enoch of old walked with you and he was not for you took him (Gen. 5:24). Noah walked with you – a righteous man, blameless in his time (6:9). You admonish Abraham and us: “I am the God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless” (17:1).

You tested your people and continue to test us on whether we will walk in Your instruction. You used manna long ago to test your people in Exodus 16. Thank you for being a God who breaks the bars of our ‘other’ yokes so that we may walk erect (Leviticus 26:13). You walked in the midst of the camp of your journeying people to deliver them and defeat their enemies for them (Deut. 23:14). Would you do the same again for us?

Your walking among your people is always an impetus for us to live holy lives. You warned your people of old that if you saw anything indecent among them that you would turn away from them (Deut. 23:14). May this never be true for us your people!

When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we don’t fear any evil for You are a shepherd who walks before us (Psalm 23:4). We are those who naturally left to ourselves walk and conduct our lives in spiritual darkness (Isaiah 9:2). This is due to our sin and its attendant consequences. Grant us Lord the grace to heed the invitation to “Come, house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5). Thank you Father for not leaving us to ourselves in this journey. Thank you for giving us your Spirit to speak to us and show us how and where to walk. Isaiah reminds us: “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21) The redeemed of the Lord are those who are said to walk on “the highway of holiness (Is. 35:8). This passage points to the joyful return of the exiled captives to their homeland. It ultimately points to the time when we are no longer exiled from our eternal, heavenly home. Isaiah reminds us Lord that there will be “joyful shouting…everlasting joy… with sorrow and sighing fleeing away!

Lord, show me how to wait and hope for you… Give me that new strength you promise in Isaiah 40. I want to mount up like an eagle. Grant renewed strength so that I can run the race that you’ve marked out and not get exhausted. You say that you renew your people in such a way that they will walk and not become weary (Is. 40:31). Thank you Lord for being a God who promises to be with us when we pass through the waters and flooding rivers. When we walk through the fire, we will not be scorched nor will the flame burn us (Is. 43:2).

During those times that we walk in darkness and do not have the light of your guidance and do not sense the light of your presence, you call us to trust in the your name and to rely upon You (Is. 50:10). How often I have walked in the way that is not good – following my own thoughts. Thank you Father for persisting in spreading out your hands to welcome a rebellious person like me (Is. 65:2). How easy it is to walk after and pursue things that do not profit spiritually and eternally (Jer. 2:8). We have walked after emptiness and have become empty (Jer. 2:5). Like your people of old, there is something in my heart that resists walking in the ancient paths… paths that Jeremiah says will lead to finding rest for my soul (Jer. 6:16). Your Word declares that when I persist in walking after other gods (idols), it leads to personal ruin. Thus, the number one problem that keeps me from walking with You is that I walk after the stubbornness of my own heart (Jer. 9:14; 13:10; 16:12; 23:17).

Lord, you continue to remind us what is good and what you require of us: to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you our God (Micah 6:8). According to the promise of Jesus: If we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness because we will have the light of life (John 8:12). Lord, give me the grace to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4)…to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7)… to walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16)… to walk in the good works that you have prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10)… to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel (4:1)…to walk in love (5:2)… to walk as children of light (5:8)… to walk wisely (5:15)… to walk as Jesus walked (Col. 2:6; 1 John 2:6)… and to walk in the light (1 John 1:7). Lord, grant us the exceedingly great joy of seeing our own children walking in the truth (3 John 4).

Lord, you are the one who walks among your lampstands… your churches (Rev. 2:7). May we be found faithful to the end… walking in your ways and your truth. At the end, all nations shall walk by the light of your glory that will illumine our new, heavenly city (Rev. 21:24). Maranatha! In the mean time, come Lord Jesus and walk among us, be our God and take us to be your people not just for your glory but also for our eternal and temporal good, AMEN.

One Way the Gospel Changes Us - John Calvin

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:07:21 -0400

John Calvin sets forth his pastoral advice on one of the primary ways the gospel changes us: He says that the unpleasant fault of criticizing others issues forth from the root of bitterness and jealousy within ourselves that we have not allowed Christ to extract. He calls it "a vice under which hypocrites commonly labor, that is the impiety of the tongue in detraction... They who have put off the grosser vices are especially subject to this disease. He who is neither an adulterer nor a thief nor a drunkard, but, on the contrary, seems brilliant in some outward show of sanctity, will set himself off by defaming others, and this under a pretense of zeal, but really through the lust of slandering... They seek praise from the defects of others." - Calvin's Commentary on James, pp.298-299.

Musings from Unexpected Places on the Lord's Prayer

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:41:18 -0400

In the closing months of WWII, Helmut Thielicke preached on the Lord’s Prayer. He spoke words that ring true for us today:

“In these fearful, fateful weeks many people appear to have become alienated from their faith in God: they begin to ask how He can ‘permit’ such things to happen. It would be better, however, if they were alienated from their faith in men. It would be better if they were disabused of their fanciful faith in progress and stopped talking so emotionally and sentimentally about the nobility of man.”
-- Helmut Thielicke, Our Heavenly Father, (New York, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1960), 58, quoted in “A Word in Season: Preaching the Lord’s Prayer” Word & World, (22:1, Winter 2002), 89.

Karl Barth: “To fold one’s hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”
-- Quoted in Jan Milic Lochman, “The Lord’s Prayer for Our Time: Praying and Drumming,” in The Lord’s Prayer: Perspectives for Reclaiming Christian Prayer, ed. Daniel L. Migliore (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1993), 18-19.

For as the early Christian father and martyr Cyprian suggests: the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer are “seven reminders of our wretchedness and poverty without Christ by means of which we are led to a knowledge of self and can see what a miserable and perilous life we lead here on earth. Such a life is nothing but blasphemy of God’s name, disobedience to his will, rejection of his kingdom, a hungry land without bread, an existence full of sin, a precarious sojourn, and an abounding in every evil.”
-- Martin Luther, Luther's Works, vol. 42 : Devotional Writings I, J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, eds. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Fortress Press, 1969), 42:23. Cyprian, a pagan rhetorician, was converted to Christianity in 246. As bishop of Carthage he suffered a martyr’s death in 258. The writing of Cyprian which Luther has in mind is probably On the Lord’s Prayer.

Becoming a Man for Others - Philippians 2

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:39:22 -0400

    We are all engaged in a constant, inescapable battle against spiritual degeneracy in four forms: Our unhumbled pride, our unbelief of God’s word, our lack of forgiveness of others, and our aversion to taking risks. All these forms of spiritual degeneration banish true spiritual joy … and create pitfalls for gospel ministers like us in abundance.”   (J.I. Packer, “Self-Care for Pastors,” Crux, December 2003/Vol. 34, No. 4, pp.2-13)
    How are we to counter this spiritual degeneracy in our lives? Simply put: Become a man for others. The Apostle Paul sets forth this charge in his letter to the church at Phillipi in Philippians chapter 2. What does it look like to become a man for others? This passage sets for both the motivation and the marks of becoming a man for others.
    I want to highlight one important mark of becoming a man for others - A life of radical humility. There are three other marks set forth in this passage: Loving forgiveness, vibrant faith, and bold risk-taking.
    What is the driving motivation for becoming a man for others? Look at the cross. Jesus Christ, THE Man for others. He saved us rather than Himself on the Cross. Reflect on that cross. Hear Christ speaking to you… “‘I am here for you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.’”

He died for you, now, how does He want you to live for Him? – FOUR MARKS

I.   A man for others looks for practical ways to mortify pride and cultivate humility (2:3-4 - Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.)

John Stott would remind us that at every stage of our Christian development, pride is our greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend.” Pride is spiritual cancer…humility – blessed self-forgetfulness.

Unhumbled pride… takes four forms: Pride of face, when you think you are most handsome; pride of race, when you think your skin is the best color; pride of place, when you think you are better positioned than others; and pride of grace, when you think you are one of God’s top people – and pride of grace is the worst of the lot.

Key Skill: Actively look for ways that God is at work in the lives of other people around you.
Make a practice of observing how the Spirit is evidencing His fruit and His gifts in the lives of others around you. How about your wife? What is she more aware of – evidences of grace that you’ve noticed or the need for change and your displeasure? How about your children? When was the last time you specifically and sincerely informed your child of an evidence of God’s grace that you’ve noticed in his or her life? The leader who is always finding fault is full of pride.

Prides leads to an unforgiving spirit. Thus…
II.   A man for others embodies the gospel by forgiving others the same way that God in Christ has forgiven you. (2:2 - make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.) Remember Euodia and Syntyche! (4:2)

III.   A man for others actively looks for ways to trust the promises of God (2:12-13 - work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose).

IV.   A man for others takes bold risks to expand Christ’s kingdom and build His church (2:25-30).

My prayer for you is that you will become more and more a man for others.
…a man who is marked by humility, free from the cancer of pride
…a man who gladly forgives others the way that Christ has forgiven you,
.…a man who has a growing capacity to trust God and His promises,
…a man who takes bold risks to expand Christ’s kingdom and build His church.

Fighting For Joy

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:35:32 -0400

We are in a series on the book of 2 Corinthians and have been digesting what it means to fight for joy. One key strategy in fighting for joy centers on fighting against all known sin in our lives. J.I. Packer, in a challenging article entitled “Self-Care for Pastors: Riches from the Anglican Devotional Tradition,” emphasizes that there are three main avenues of attack against leaders of Christ’s church. We are all engaged in a constant, inescapable battle against spiritual degeneracy in three forms: Our unbelief of God’s word, our lack of forgiveness of others, and our unhumbled pride in what we are and have done.

He asserts…
“in these days of liberal Christianity in our churches and post-Christianity in the culture outside, unbelief of God’s affirmations in the Bible and the gospel is rife. Justification by faith (being accepted by God while yet a sinner) is not understood and divine promises are not received and trusted… Unforgiveness, which is a form of unlove, is regularly an expression of hurt pride and resentment, disguised as self-respect. As Jesus often warned (Matthew 6:14-15, 18:21-35; Mk. 11:25; Lk. 6:37), unforgiveness is a total block to the blessing of God. Unhumbled pride, as is often said, takes four forms: Pride of face, when you think you are most handsome; pride of race, when you think your skin is the best color; pride of place, when you think you are better positioned than others; and pride of grace, when you think you are one of God’s top people – and pride of grace is the worst of the lot. All these forms of spiritual degeneration banish true spiritual joy, which for healthy believers is constant, and create pitfalls for pastors in abundance.”   (Crux, December 2003/Vol. 34, No. 4, pp.2-13)

May the Holy Spirit empower you to become:
    ...a person who has a greater capacity to trust God and His promises,
    ...a person who forgives others the way that you have been forgiven,
    ...a person who is marked by humility, with progressive freedom from the cancer of pride.

Great Prayer of Thomas Cranmer

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:18:09 -0400

Thomas Cranmer: "Blessed Lord, who has caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of your holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. AMEN."

Fathers with Daughters

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:33:55 -0400

My daughters frequently remind me that they believe that their daddy has control issues when it comes to their relationships with young men. It is probably true due to remembering well my own gorilla-like heart as a young man. You've heard the analogy that Chuck Swindoll uses when giving away his own daughters in marriage. He compares it to entrusting an exquisitely beautiful and expensive Stradivarius violin to a gorilla. Thus...

Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking about this question: What should parents of a young woman expect of a young man who is dating their daughter? Here's my attempt to speak to any young man who has interest in seriously dating one of my daughters.

1.    I expect and hope that you will truly and fervently love Jesus more than you love my daughter. An important question to continue to ask yourself is: Do I love Jesus more than I love her? My prayer for you both is that you will maintain a simple, pure, and undistracted devotion to Christ (1 Corinthians 7:35). I desire more than anything for my daughter to find a man who fervently loves Jesus more than he does her. I do hope and pray that the gospel will be the fixed center of your relationship. Continuing to learn how to proclaim the gospel to your own hearts and model the gospel with each another will make for a beautiful relationship. Loving Jesus more than her will enable you to lead her well.

2.    I expect and hope that you will delight in and cherish her and never try to change her, but leave that task to the change-agent of the Holy Spirit. I see many couples - young and old -working hard to change one another in fundamental ways. However, I do want you to think about how you will you make her a better person and servant of Christ. I will challenge her to consider the same for you.

3.    I expect and hope that you will serve as her loving leader… and that you will avoid the two extremes of passivity and heavy-handed authoritarianism…. This means that you will protect her from her emotions and your passions. She will need a strong leader who also knows when and how to be tender. I believe all of us men struggle with balancing tough love with tender love.

4.    I expect and hope that you will initiate guarding the physical purity of your relationship. This is what I mean by "protecting her from your passions." Many godly young couples for whom we do premarital counseling typically come to their wedding day pure only because of the moral standards and vigilance of the bride. As men, we must take the initiative to lead in the pursuit of purity and holiness.

5.    I expect and hope that you will not tell her that you love her until you are emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, and financially ready to ask for her hand in marriage. I realize this is a stretch. However, it is very tempting to woo a girl with words that you know she wants to hear. The Song of Solomon reminds us not to awaken love before it's time. If I would have heard all this as a young man, I am sure that I would have thought my girlfriend's dad was crazy. However, biblical agape love is a sacrificial commitment of the will to serve the interests and needs of another. I don't really believe that you can know that you love someone until you have sacrificed yourself, your resources, and your time for them. Honestly, you can't truly love someone until you have studied them long enough to know their interests, passions, gifts, weaknesses, and needs. This will take you both a significant amount of time together. I would encourage you to enjoy the journey and adventure. These are exciting days to savor.

One important discipline in serving as a loving leader is praying for her. Here's a guide that I have developed from Proverbs 31 that I use in praying specifically for my wife and daughters. I offer it to you as a helpful tool.

Make her a woman of noble character (31:10 – “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.”) Make her virtuous, morally excellent. May she hate sin and love Jesus more each day.
Develop her into a diligent worker (v.17 - She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.) Give her strength for her tasks and the ability to discern the best from the good (Philippians 1:9 - making the excellent choice).
Sensitize her to meet the needs of those around her (v.20 – “She extends her hand to the poor, and she stretches out her hands to the needy.”)
Give her a proper perspective of the future (laugh and smile at it) (v.25 – “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.”) Free her from undue anxiety and fear.
Develop her into a faithful, wise and kind teacher (v.26 – “She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”) The word “kindness” is the Hebrew word ‘hesed.’ It means covenantal, steadfast, unfailing, persistent love. The Apostle Paul would say that the goal of all Christian instruction is “love” (1 Timothy 1:5).
Make her such a godly wife and mother that her children rise up and bless her; that I bless and praise her, saying: "Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all." (vv.28-29).
Cause her to grow in her knowledge and fear of the Lord (v.30b - But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”) Show me how I can encourage her spiritual growth.
Help her to have a proper perspective on her outward appearance (v.30a – “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain.”) Free her from the tendency to compare herself with other women. Free her from an undue focus on externals for God does not look on the outward appearance but on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
May she become a woman who loves others well. (truthing in love - Ephesians 4:15)

A Cure for Your Unhappiness

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:55:50 -0400

“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man's (Psalm 42:5,11) treatment was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. 'Why are you cast down, O my soul?' he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: 'Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you.' ... You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: 'Why are you cast down' - what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn yourself on, upbraid yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: 'Hope in God' - instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: 'I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God.'”

-- From the book, Spiritual Depression, by Martin Lloyd Jones, pp. 20-21

No Exemplary Families

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:09:44 -0400

It is easy to despair when we realize how far we fall short as husbands, wives, fathers and mothers. The below excerpt from Eugene H. Peterson’s book Like Dew Your Youth: Growing Up with Your Teenager (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998) serves as a healing balm to the heart of any honest parent. It has been a source of tremendous encouragement for me and I hope it will be also for you. Every family in our church family desperately needs this refreshing word. Thank you for taking time to read and digest it.

Eugene Peterson writes:

The search of Scripture turns up one rather surprising truth: There are no exemplary families. Not a single family is portrayed in Scripture in such a way so as to evoke admiration in us. There are many family stories, there is considerable ref¬erence to family life, and there is sound counsel to guide the growth of families, but not a single model family for anyone to look up to in either awe or envy.

Adam and Eve are no sooner out of the garden than their children get in a fight. Shem, Ham, and Japheth are forced to devise a strategy to hide their father's drunken shame. Jacob and Esau are bitter rivals and sow seeds of discord that bear centuries of bitter harvest. Joseph and his brothers ring changes on the themes of sibling rivalry and parental bungling. Jesse's sons, brave and loyal in service of their country, are capricious and cruel to their youngest brother. David is unfortunate in both wives and children - he is a man after God's own heart and Israel's greatest king, but he cannot manage his own household.

Even in the family of Jesus, where we might expect something different, there is exposition of the same theme. The picture in Mark, chapter three, strikes us as typical rather than exceptional: Jesus is active, healing the sick, comforting the distressed, and fulfilling His calling as Messiah, while His mother and brothers are outside trying to get Him to come home, quite sure that He is crazy. Jesus’ family criticizes and does not appreciate. It misunderstands and does not comprehend.

The biblical material consistently portrays the family not as a Norman Rockwell group, beaming in gratitude around a Thanksgiving turkey, but as a series of broken relationships in need of redemption, after the manner of William Faulkner’s plots in Yoknapatawpha County.

At the very least, this means that no one needs to carry a burden of guilt because his or her family is deficient in the sweetness and light that Christian families are supposed to exhibit. Since models for harmonious families are missing in Scripture (and for that omission I am repeatedly grateful to the Holy Spirit), we are free to pay attention to what is there -- a promise of new community which experiences life as the household of faith, a family in Christ. Life together consists of relationships that are created not by blood (at least not by our blood) but by grace. We get along not because we are good but because we are forgiven.

In this new community, created by the Holy Spirit and called the church, much of the vocabulary used to describe relationships comes from the family as we already know it: brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers. The message seems to be something along these lines. What you never managed in your own families naturally, you may now have in the new community supernaturally. All that was lost at Eden is regained at Gethsemane. Relationships learned at the cross of Christ, the ways of love and the techniques of forgiveness, will give you the brother and sister you longed for, the son and daughter you desired. What you learn in the community of faith you will then be able to take back into your natural families of sons and daughters, of fathers and mothers.

We are faced daily with the reality that something has gone wrong with our families. Our children fight and quarrel; our parenting misfires. We are involved in failure, and we are guilty. Something has, of course, gone wrong with the family, but it went wrong long before we came on the scene. It is futile to complain or feel guilty; we can, though, go to work and nurture family life on the new grounds provided by the Holy Spirit. Blood relationships are transformed into relationships of grace. Our natural families are informed and redeemed by the same principles that are foundational in the community of the Holy Spirit, the church.

But it is not easy to acquire these biblical perspectives. It is especially difficult when we are isolated from others and confined within the structures of our natural family. That is why it has seemed to me so important to encourage "parent coalitions," gatherings of Christians engaged to discover and appropriate the promises and gifts of God as they are learned through the forms of family life.

Charles Williams, I think more than any other Christian in our time, has shown the centrality of what he calls “substituted love” (and what theologians in the Reformation traditions have named “the priesthood of all believers”). Williams's ex-position of the doctrine in his novels and his poetry showed both how necessary and how attractive it is to “bear one another's burdens . . .” (Gal. 6:2). He invited Christians who were faced with difficulties, whether slight or heavy, to enter into “compacts.” “Compacts,” he wrote in his essay “The Way of Exchange,” “can be made for the taking over of the suffering of troubles, and worries, and distresses, as simply and as effec¬tually as an assent is given to the carrying of a parcel . . . . To begin the way in small things conveniently is better than to dream of the remote splendors of the vicarious life; not that they are likely in any case to seem very splendid when they come. To begin by practicing faith where it is easiest is better than to try and practice it where it is hardest. There is always somewhere where it can be done.” (Charles Williams, Selected Writings (London: Oxford University Press, 1961), p. 128.)

Since the burden of parenthood is particularly onerous to many during the time their children move through the years of adolescence, I have hoped, by describing some of the motions of that process and by inviting parents to meet together, to initiate acts of burden-sharing, “compacts” of substituted love. Where two or three - and eight or ten - gathered together in our Lord’s name we learned through honest discussion, se¬rious Scripture reading, and faithful prayer, the inner dynamics of the family of God which is the church. Sometimes we found that we also became more skilled in love and practiced in pardon, and so were able to live with one another and with our sons and daughters in happier ways, and that was so much the better.

It is this second community with its origins at Pentecost that releases energies of redemption, not the first whose roots are in Eden. And so it is with the presuppositions of faith that I have approached the entire matter of the parent and the adolescent. It is more important, I think, that families be used as places to develop faith than that the faith be used as a resource to develop families. For it does no good to improve the family if we only make a household god out of our success. Our Lord, who wills our love for one another, also gave us solemn warning, “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).

How God Comforts the Afflicted

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:57:30 -0400

Afflliction: “Those who commit themselves to the servant’s way will have the servant’s experience, normative for them because it was true of him. It is not an indication that we have missed the will of God. Affliction is part and parcel to a life of gospel obedience.”                                                                   -- Adapted from Alec Motyer’s commentary, Isaiah, p.401

It is extremely important to anchor our hearts to the wonderfully assuring promise of 2 Corinthians 1:4 when we are afflicted: "God comforts us in all our affliction." How does God comfort us? What is the process?

1.    He moves us by His Spirit to look to Christ (2 Cor. 1:5). Remember the cautionary and comforting declaration of Jesus in John 16:33: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." … Ultimate comfort and courage is ours through the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Jesus suffered the ultimate affliction so that all afflictions would cease. He suffers to end all sufferings. Affliction springs from sin; not necessarily a man’s personal sin, but from the presence of moral evil in the world. The climax of insidious evil was reached in “the sufferings of Christ,” but the result of this mighty work of God in Christ is the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). Thus, a frequent question that must arrest our hearts and minds is: Where is your focus? The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 that all affliction is momentary and light compared to the glory to be revealed in us. That glory is eternal and weighty. Have you found yourself lately focusing on what is seen rather than unseen? The unseen God of heaven is “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). Will you not bless him and praise for who He is today?

2.    He moves us by His Spirit to learn and reflect upon the Scriptures. Romans 15:4 reminds us of one of the foundational purposes for reading the OT Scriptures: "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement (the word for comfort) of the Scriptures we might have hope."

3.    He moves us by His Spirit to lean upon others. The old song says: “Lean on me when you’re not strong…I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on.” Frequently, God uses other believers to give us the encouragement we need. This experience happened in the life of the Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 7:5-7) He also encouraged the Corinthians to forgive and comfort a brother who had repented of his sin (2 Cor. 2:7–8). John Calvin reminds us that, “whenever we fail to comfort those who are moved to a sincere confession of their sin, we play into Satan’s hands.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in his book Life Together: “Even when sin and misunderstanding burden the communal life, is not the sinning brother still a brother, with whom I, too, stand under the word of Christ? Will not his sin be a constant occasion that both us may live in the forgiving love of God in Christ Jesus? Thus the very hour of disillusionment with my brother becomes incomparably salutary, because it so thoroughly teaches me that neither of us can ever live by our own words and deed, but only that one Word and Deed which binds us together – the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.”

Let me admonish us all to aspire to become a modern-day “Barnabas— a son of encouragement”! (Acts 4:36). O how the church needs the gift of encouragement and comfort!

An Inspiring Logo

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:40:15 -0400

Our logo speaks volumes about what we believe at Trinity Church and why we exist.

First of all, notice the circle and the three pointed ends of each beam of the cross. These symbols represent the Trinity. It reminds us that Trinity exist by and for our eternal, triune God who is absolute in His power, infinite in His wisdom, and perfect in His love. A circle has no beginning or ending. It reminds us that the source of life behind our mission to worship and serve God together is nothing less than the new and unending life of our Lord. We ultimately exist for Him so that He comes to have first place in our lives, families, and community (Colossians 1:16).

Now look at the cross. The cross, an instrument of shame, cruelty, and torture, is our glory! It is the symbol of the gospel: That God’s love and life are ours to enjoy because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. It reminds us that we exist to invite others to share in the intimacy, acceptance, and forgiveness found in Jesus Christ alone.

This isn’t just an ordinary cross. It is a Celtic cross. This is a reminder of the historical roots of our church in the British Isles which date back to the Great Reformation. It reminds us of our calling to be faithful to our great heritage of making followers of Jesus Christ in all nations. We are committed to being a disciple-making church with an outward face and compassionate heart for a needy world.

Celtic crosses were originally carved on Runes, stones that dated back to Druid times. It is interesting that we serve in Tuscaloosa, Alabama which is called the Druid City. Crosses were carved on runes as a conscious testimony to the gospel’s power to change people and places that were originally deeply hostile to the gospel. The Celtic cross is an important reminder for us that the gospel is still the most powerful force working amidst all the principalities and powers of the world.

Finally look at the links. This is probably the most recognizable element of Celtic artwork. It reminds us that the life of Christ is received and lived out in the midst of a new community called the church. When we are joined to Christ, we are necessarily joined to one another. The links remind us that we are part of the body of Christ, and are called to love one another deeply from the heart. My prayer is that God would use this simple symbol to deepen our commitment to Christ, to one another, and to our mission to resolutely believe, winsomely model, and boldly communicate the liberating gospel of grace.

This explanation is adapted from staff friends and colleagues at Intown Community Church, Atlanta, Georgia .

Cherishing Your Bride

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:57:47 -0400

Men at Trinity,

The Lord has been challenging me lately to become more intentional in cherishing my wife. It is easy for our wives to feel undervalued because we can so easily take them for granted.

Our wives are like beautiful orchids that demand tender care and wise attention. Therefore, we must proactively work to ensure that they flourish and blossom spiritually, emotionally and physically. Here are a few thoughts I have worked on over the past several weeks on what it looks like to cherish your bride. You may not have time right now to read all of this, but please print it off and put it in your Bible and commit yourself to read and think through this article some time over the next week. Don’t be overwhelmed by this pastoral letter. Ask the Lord to show you one way that you can cherish your wife better.

Ephesians 5:29 calls us who are husbands to cherish our brides. In Greek, the word ‘cherish’ literally means “to keep warm, to cherish with tender love, to foster with tender care, to give your wife reason to hope.” This notion of the tenderest care is a metaphor the Apostle Paul uses for pastoral ministry in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8: “But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”

Your wives will be cherished when:

1. You actively cultivate her spiritual well-being and health by...

a. Praying with and for her. Prayer is the most intimate bond of your spiritual union. Do you daily and specifically pray for your wife? What about using the Lord’s Prayer as a grid for your prayers for her? When you do, you cherish her as the Lord does His bride, the church. Hebrews 7:25 says that he ever lives to make intercession for us. You are to bring her to the throne of grace. Do you regularly pray with and for her?

b. Setting an example by consistently walking with God. Whatever virtue that you want to see in your wife and in your children must first be seen in your own life. Do you, with some regularity, talk with her about what you are learning from your own study and reading of God's Word? Do you ever read the Scriptures together? Are you growing in your ability to converse with her of the deepest, most intimate concerns and anxieties of your soul?

c. Encouraging her to discover and use her spiritual gifts and unique strengths. Do you know what she enjoys and does well? Are you encouraging her to develop and use the strengths she possesses to serve Christ and his church? Or do you honestly feel threatened by her abilities and successes?

2. You actively cultivate her emotional well-being and health by…

a. Taking the initiative to know, understand and communicate with your bride (1 Peter 3:7). We must take the initiatie to ask thoughtful questions and listen. Honestly, I have been convicted lately that I live more by monologue than dialogue (Proverbs 18:13). This work of communication is messy and takes time and effort, but we will be wonderfully rewarded. Can you answer the following questions: What is your wife’s greatest concern right now? What is her greatest need? What is her greatest dream for the future? What causes her pain?

b. Guarding and protecting her from your passions and from her emotions. Do you exercise the greatest of care in guarding the purity of your relationship by making her to sole object of your stimulation and sexual excitement? Do you seek to shield your wife from unnecessary emotional pressure? Do you seek to guard her from those things to which she is especially vulnerable? The Apostle Peter reminds us husbands that we are to live with our wives in a understanding/considerate way and grant her honor…so that our prayers will not be hindered (1 Peter 3:7).

c. Resolving conflict and discord biblically. Do you take the initiative to resolve conflict and heal discord in your marriage relationship and in your family? Or do you sulk off into a corner with your self-pity? You seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.

d. Making decisions. You make sound and timely decisions after hearing her point of view and only after coming to a mutual agreement. Only on rare occasions should husbands use the trump card in the decision-making process. Some of us men need to pray that God will instill in us a greater boldness in making decisions and not be immobilized by our fear of making a mistake. Others of us need to slow down and not be so impulsive and quick in our decision-making.

3. You actively cultivate her physical well-being and health by...

a. Non-sexual touching with words of tenderness and affection. If you haven’t already, let me encourage all of you husbands to develop some terms of endearment for your wife. If you read the Song of Solomon, you will note that one of his terms of endearment was: “O most beautiful among women.” The book of Proverbs supplies us with another: “The wife of my youth in whom I delight.” Better yet, come up with your own… words that are strictly between you and her that immediately let her know how much you love her.

b. Working diligently to provide financially for her and your family’s needs (1 Timothy 5:8).

John Piper sums up cherishing under the broad category of servant leadership:

“When a man senses a primary God-given responsibility for…

the spiritual life of the family

gathering the family for devotions,

taking them to church,

calling for prayer at meals,

for the discipline and education of the children,

the stewardship of money,

the provision of food,

the safety of the home,

the healing of discord,

he is not being authoritarian or autocratic or domineering or bossy or oppressive or abusive. It is simply servant leadership. And I have never met a wife who is sorry she is married to a man like that. Because when God designs a thing he designs it for his glory and our good.”

Wives, please make sure that your expectations for your husbands are realistic and grounded in God's Word. You must continually look to Jesus to meet the deepest needs and longings of your heart. Your husband has feet of clay and will disappoint you. At those moments, look to your perfect bridegroom as ask Him for grace to love well your imperfect husband. Also, pray that the Lord will sensitize and empower your husband to love you well.

Husbands, please use this email to ask the Lord how He wants you to intentionally cultivate your relationship with your wife. We think about ways to prosper our businesses and careers. Our marriages are not any different. A good marriage take time and lots of effort.

Chuck Swindoll concludes: “A good marriage takes longer than you planned… costs more than you figured… is messier than you anticipated… and requires greater determination than you expected.”

Your friend and pastor,

Dick C.