vassal of the King

This morning I woke up and had a great time in the Word on our front porch with my coffee and a beautiful scene of God's handiwork: Psalm 19:1-6 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. 6 Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

I'm convinced that Apologetics--though it is many-faceted--is pretty simple and straightforward. Here are six principles I'm giving in an upcoming Bible study that must be included when you want to share your faith with someone: 1. You must know Christ Yourself (2 Cor 13:5) Hear Richard Baxter (16th century puritan) speak to this issue [to pastors, but indirectly, this applies to all Christians]: “See that the work of saving grace be thoroughly wrought in your own souls. Take heed to yourselves, lest you be void of that saving grace of God which you offer to others, and be strangers to the effectual working of that Gospel which you preach; and lest, while you proclaim to the world the necessity of a Savior, your own hearts should neglect him, and you should miss of an interest in him and his saving benefits” (Reformed Pastor, 53). 2. You must believe in the Sovereignty of God (Isa 46:8-10) You cannot save anyone. Your words cannot save anyone. Your skillful presentation ca

Today was a great day--plain and simple. I arrived at school at 6:45 this morning and was able to read through 1 Peter 1-2 which was a tremendous way to begin the school semester of classes. Then I had my two classes for the semester--Advanced Hebrew Grammar and Seminar in History of Israel: Methodological Issues. They will be fabulous classes with awesome professors. Then at noon, I raced over to Pasadena to have lunch with an ' ol college buddy of mine. We actually went to Israel together and were roommates there! We went to this awesome Bar and Grill and got huge burgers (which now clues you in to my title of this blog). Over these juicy burgers, we talked authentic church ministry. I haven't had a conversation like this in a long time--heart to heart, man to man, brother to brother, honest heart before a honest heart--attempting to delve deep into the wonders of "practical ecclesiology ." It was a fabulous time of manly encouragement and manly meat! Then, I was g

My Bias of Biblical Accuracy I am reading for one of my courses this Fall about the history of Israel. I must confess, I have a bias for biblical accuracy. It is so clear to me that 1 Kings 6:1 says: Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. So, if we believe that Solomon came to be king in 970 B.C. (which isn’t disputed among conservative scholars). Therefore, the 4th year of Solomon’s reign would be 966 B.C. If you had 480 to 966 B.C. you come to a date of 1446 B.C. It is a very clear, simple, straight-forward verse which wasn’t intended to be speculative and certainly the author of Kings wasn’t “wrong” in his clear statement here. It is as Rasmussen says ("Conquest, Infiltration, Revolt, or Resettlement," in Giving the Sense , ed. by David M. Howard, Jr., an

A way to live and end up in hell “We must warn sinners to avoid those ways that lead to hell. If you would not come to those extreme torments, you must not walk in those paths that lead to them (cf. Ps 1). There is but one path that leads to haven (Matt 7:13–14), but there are many that lead down to the bottomless pit. Beware, therefore, of those paths. Multitudes are going on in paths that lead directly to the chambers of death. I shall particularly mention some of them. First, a way of drunkenness most certainly leads to hell. There are many that are in this way, and they are in the way to those great eternal torments that we have heard of. The Apostle tell us, 1 Cor 6:9–10, that drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God (cf. Gal 5:19, 21). A man that continues in this way, and ben’t [sic] changed from this court till he dies, he assuredly goes to hell … therefore beware of this as a way that leads to eternal torments. Second, another way that leads directly to hell torments i

Mohler has a blog today on the declining American belief in the existence of hell and the Bible's clear description and portrayal of it. The fact that I'm teaching through Revelation and we're studying the bowl judgments tomorrow night causes me to appreciate all the more these stalwarts in the faith who unswervingly uphold the doctrine of eternal damnation of the unsaved - like Mohler. Read his post here .

From one of my heroes : Today I'm requesting prayer for the couple pictured below. This past week they were arrested and put into prison for being followers of Jesus. This was the same couple whose 8-year old daughter was brutally murdered several years ago because she came from a family that loves Jesus. (Her headless body was discovered in a well.) Acts 4:1 says, "While they were speaking to the people...." That's all the apostles had to do to get into trouble. That's all they had to do to get arrested and imprisoned by the civil authorities. Just share the love of Jesus with others. But God sent an angel and released them! And why did God do this? So that they could go back again and "tell the people the message of the new life" (Acts 5:20)! Here's what I'm saying, friends. Please listen carefully. God is looking for disciples who will live for Him sacrificially. People who love their enemies. People who do good to those who persecute them. P

From Don Carson: “Granted that ‘preaching’ or ‘proclaiming’ in the Scriptures is not restricted to something done behind a wooden pulpit between 11:00 and 12:00 on Sunday mornings, it is nevertheless hard to avoid the strength of this emphasis on proclamation in the New Testament. The reason for the emphasis lies in the message itself. God has taken action, and the good news is announced, it is proclaimed. God is not negotiating; he is both announcing and confronting. Done properly, preaching is simply the re-presentation of God’s gospel, God’s good news, by which men and women come to know him. Thus preaching mediates God himself. Many preachers, afraid of being thought arrogant, avoid talking about preaching. They prefer to think of what they do as ’sharing.’ In some limited contexts, doubtless there is nothing wrong with ’sharing.’ But something important is lost if we never speak or think of preaching and proclamation. That is our job, our calling. It is not arrogant to re-present

I found this quote today and I like it: "From Eden to the final explosion of His eschatological wrath, a strange paradox exists: God is busily working to save sinners from His own wrath."

The “Small Sins” Displease God, Too Today I went to Carls Jr. (it is the West Coast’s version of Hardees) for lunch and after I ordered my food I waited patiently until they called my number so I could return to church for a meeting. As I was waiting for my number to be called, a homeless person walked in. It was very evident he was homeless. He was pushing a wheelchair with his goods contained in a basket underneath the chair. I saw him approach the self-serve soda machine and he pulled out a large McDonald’s soda cup (it had obviously been used before) and refilled his soda cup with their soda. Then he put that in a bag and put it under the wheelchair seat in his basket. Then, he proceeded to pull out a large plastic bag and fill it up with ice from the soda machine. Finally, he pulled out a water bottle and filled that up with water. After he finished filling his containers, he then pushed his wheelchair out the front door and went on his way. I stood there stunned for a moment. The

Forgive me if I seem to have this topic of eternity on my mind, but I have noticed that since I have been preaching through Revelation and, consequently, doing much reading on heaven and hell, my life has changed -- for the better. Currently, I'm reading through Jonathan Edwards on the Torments of Hell by William C. Nichols. It's (can I say) a good book. It is scary, humbling, terrifying, and provoking my evangelism desires all the more. At any rate, Nichols gives a great page on modern-day preaching and how preachers are so apt to refrain from saying hell but are quick to speak of it as "separation from God" or "that other place." Hear Nichols speak to this issue: [Pastors] make the misery of hell to consist principally in the punishment of loss. They shall be cast out of God's sight and shall not have God's favor as others shall. One of the most common phrases which can be heard when the subject of hell is addressed in today's church is the

I'm studying now for Sunday's sermon on Acts 6. I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey of study through the book of Acts thus far. Here is where my preliminary study consists... Blessings.

Continuing from yesterday's post, I conclude with part 2 of my Bible study on How to handle your money: VI. PROTECT YOUR FAMILY WITH LIFE INSURANCE a. Principle: Proverbs 27:12 12 A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty. b. Guys: 1 Timothy 5:8 8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. c. Women: Titus 2:4-5 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. (cf. 1 Tim 5:10.) VII. HAVE RETIREMENT PLAN IN PROGRESS WHEN YOU’RE 40 YEARS OLD a. Yes we know that: Proverbs 16:9 9 The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. i. But

More than a few people have asked me to publish a recent Bible study I gave on "Biblical Budgeting: How to handle your money." I trust this will be profitable for many who check this blog. Since I cannot assume that people know how to handle their money (even if you're a college student with not a lot of money!), I thought it wise to give some biblical principles to guide people in need of this important teaching: Introduction The importance of biblical stewardship Materialism is not having nice things. It is not driving a nice car, etc. Materialism IS your attitude towards it all It is not a possession issue, but an attitude issue. The desire to want more. Note these Credit Card Statistics (Source: Reader’s Digest, August, 2007) Over 200 million credit cards used every day (691 million dollars total) In 2001, over $670 billion charged on credit cards In 2007, 1.8 trillion charged on credit cards Presently, there is over $800 billion owed on credit cards. There is an av

Here is my sermon outline for today. I trust it'll be an encouraging (and convicting!) time for us all... Introduction Job 42:1-6 Then Job replied to the LORD: 2 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." Here are three encouraging truths to realize so that your joy in the Lord and your fervency to serve will increase all the more. I. God’s Power Cannot be Rivaled (17-21a) II. God’s Salvation Cannot be Hidden (21b-32) What was their message? 1. Obeying God is priority (29) 2. Jesus is alive! (30a) 3. He died on a c

Man naturally has no other principle to direct and govern him in his actions, but only self-love … this being the only principle he has to govern him, all that aman is prompted to pursue is his own private and separate interest. Then he will have no sincere regard at all to the glory of God or the good of others. All sinfulness can be traced to selfishness as its source. Men never act from any worse than selfish motives. Thomas Boston wrote: “Man was created, directly looking to God, and turned into himself; and, like a traitor usurping the throne, he gathers in the rents of the crown to himself … they seek not God, but themselves … the unregenerate, though most insensible of it, are under the power thereof, and whithersoever they turn themselves, they cannot move beyond the circle of self. The devil loves himself above all other beings in the universe, and seeks for men to imitate him and follow him by exalting themselves in the place of God, and living to please themselves ( The Tor