the doctrines of grace explained and defended...

I encourage you to read and check out my latest article: the doctrines of grace.I believe the Church (broad evangelicalism) is in a war — attempting to define the gospel. I believe the doctrines of grace get at the absolute center of the gospel of our Lo...

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marvelous meditation

Though Blessed Spirit, Author of all grace and comfort, Come, work repentance in my soul; Represent sin to me in its odious colours that I may hate it; Melt my heart by the majesty and mercy of God; Show me my ruined self and the help there is in Him; Teach me to behold my creator, His ability to save,...

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preach the OT—rightly!

Great reminder from Bob Chisholm—"When one makes an Old Testament story the base text for a message, the theme of the message should derive from that text, not somewhere else. Though purporting to explain what an Old Testament story means, a preacher will sometimes ignore the point of the story in its...

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things going on this week...

This is my last week of "break" before I start classes again but it's not really much of a break. I intend to accomplish the following tasks by the end of the week:1. study and take my theological german exam,2. write some articles on the missing feature in the church today, namely, the gospel,3. preach...

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preaching today.

"Preach as a dying man to dying men ... and preach as though it were your first and your last sermon."These words from Richard Baxter are at the forefront of my heart and mind today as I proclaim God's Word from Revelation 2:12-...

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archaeology and the bible.

Here is an excellent post by Dr. Charlie Dyer on Archaeology and the Bible. Here is part of his conclusion:And in conclusion . . . The Bible does not depend on archaeology for its authority. It is authoritative because God is the author. But archaeology can help interpret, illuminate, and validate God’s Word. It’s encouraging to know archaeological discoveries support biblical fac...

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share the gospel.

A few weeks ago at our mid-week service at Church, I prayed that the LORD would grant to each believer an opportunity this Christmas season to share the gospel with someone.The Lord answered that a few days ago when I talked on the phone with a man who was just released from prison. He grew up in the...

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God's divine plan for a nation

Check out Elizabeth's 3-part series that she entitled: God's divine plan for a nation:part 1part 2part...

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is the bible really about YOU?

Tim Keller says it this way...Now, I would adjust his wording a bit to say that the Bible is not about you it's about God and His Glory. (Yes I believe Jesus is God but my hermeneutical bones feel better about wording it this wa...

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good words on your REAL human condition...

Consorting with Whoresby RC Sproul Jr.That there is a deep and profound chasm that separates believing in the total depravity of man and our own understanding of the depth and scope of our own sin is a potent sign of the depth and scope of our own sin. “Total depravity” is a true and sound biblical doctrine about how the fall has impacted mankind. We are sinful in every part of our being and utterly...

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preaching marathon...

It seems like it never ends — and for that I am grateful. I am appointed to preach three times this week. I could greatly use your prayers.Tuesday — Ephesians 6:10-20 - the armor of God, part 2Wednesday — Psalm 86 - praying through the hard and suffering seasons of lifeSunday — Revelation 2:12-17 -...

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Ah this is great — Right Guard!

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stand with the breastplate of righteousness — a holy life.

I appreciate this quote that has aided me in my study of the believer's armor:Note this essential piece of the armor:Eph 6:13 ἐνδυσάμενοι τὸν θώρακα τῆς δικαιοσύνης.Eph 6:13 ...by putting on the breastplate of righteousness.The church today is often guilty of supplying believers with the paper armor...

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the glory of God is the highest good.

From B.B. Warfield—A profound apprehension of God in His majesty, with the poignant realization which inevitably accompanies this apprehension, of the relation sustained to God by the creature as such, and particularly by the sinful creature. The Calvinist is the man who has seen God, and who, having seen God in His glory, is filled on the one hand with a sense of his own unworthiness to stand in...

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Coach wooden's pyramid of success: building blocks for a better life...

Should this be used in the local church in teaching on "success"? Someone in our church posed this question to me recently. I perused the book and responded with my review here and why we will not use this book in teaching on success in the local Church.Read it he...

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now--does being baptized in snowy, cold Alaska keep you from obeying this important command?

Ha, I like this post from Thabiti:Alaksa:Or,the Caribbe...

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when God brings revival.

I am reminded of three necessities to be in place for a revival:1. the preaching of the Word of God2. the regeneration by the Spirit of God3. the evangelization by the regenerate of GodIf one studies Church history he finds that God has often brought revivals at certain points of history when His Word...

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your prayer life...

Good and convicting words from the Prince of Preachers:Public prayer is no evidence of piety: it is practiced by an abundance of hypocrites; but private prayer is a thing for which the hypocrite has no heart — and if he gives himself to it for a little time he soon finds it too hot and heavy a business...

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the severity of God's judgment and the abundance of his mercy.

Here is my next article: do you think you can endure the day of God's judgment over at vassal of the King. Read it he...

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biblical mysticism.

Read my recent article: I believe in biblical mysticism over at the vassaloftheKing website.Be sure to read the qualification lest you think I've fallen off the deep e...

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wise words from dr. d.a. carson.

This is so insightful! D.A. Carson writes:If I have learned anything in 35 or 40 years of teaching, it is that students don’t learn everything I teach them. What they learn is what I am excited about, the kinds of things I emphasize again and again and again and again. That had better be the gospel....

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questions to ask to find a biblical and gospel-centered church.

Good words from Lawson:1. Is God's Word being proclaimed there?2. Is God's worship being pursued there?3. Is God's will being practiced there?4. Is God's work being performed there?Healthy reminders for those who are in need of finding a church-ho...

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i love the wording of this.

the context: "once the union [of believers] with Christ is formed, it is irrevocable."now the statement entailing magnanimous glory: "the Father and the Son relentlessly guard that relationship."I love ...

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reminder from Luther on our "union with Christ"

This is excellent."Through faith you are so closely united with Christ . . . that you can say with confidence: . . . Christ's righteousness, victory, life, etc., are mind; and Christ, in turn, says: I am this sinner, that is, his sins, death, etc., are Mine because he clings to Me and I to him; for...

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pray for the Spirit to be your teacher.

Oh where are those who pray like this—O God the Holy Spirit,That which I know not, teach thou me,Keep me a humble disciple in the school of Christ,Learning daily there what I am in myself,a fallen sinful creature, justly deserving everlasting destruction.O let me never lose sight of my need of a Saviour,or forget that apart from him I can do nothing, and can do nothing.Open my understanding to know...

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date night.

From last night—a great date night with my amazing wi...

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why does God seem 'silent'?

Preaching tonight a most magnificent Psalm — Psalm 83. The first verse reads as follows:Psalm 83:1 O God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still. Psalm 83:1אֱלֹהִ֥ים אַל־דֳּמִי־לָ֑ךְ אַל־תֶּחֱרַ֖שׁ וְאַל־תִּשְׁקֹ֣ט אֵֽל׃Believers often struggle with the idea of God seeming...

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good words on 'conversion'

From Spurgeon:"Do not tell me that a sinner who believes in Jesus is to make an advance before he can say he is saved, that a man who trusts Christ is only on the way to salvation, and must wait until he has used the ordinances, and has grown in grace, before he may know that he is saved. No, the moment...

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a painfully long word.

Believe it or not, this is a real word I found in my German book:HinterladungvetterligewehrpatronenhülsenfabrikarbeitervereinTranslated: "society of workers in the factory of bullet cartridges for backloading of Vetterli rifles.See, German isn't really that hard (*wink wink...

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a sermon that impacted the preacher.

Last night I preached on Revelation 2:8-11 — The Church of Smyrna: the Suffering, yet Faithful, Church. As I preached it affected me as much as, I trust, it affected my hearers. The Word is so clear, so powerful, so convicting, and so contrary to many prosperity preachers nowadays that are so prevalent.I...

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Thursday's Thanksgiving and Friday's Frenzy

Thanksgiving 2010 at the Kirkland'sFriday's Man-Date with My Accountability G...

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Josephus on parenting

From Josephus—"Our ground is good, and we work it to the utmost, but our chief ambition is for the education of our children. . . . We take most pains of all with the instruction of children, and esteem the observation of the laws, and the piety corresponding with them, the most important affair of our whole life" (Ap. 1.12.§60).Not bad for a secular historian! Perhaps we as parents nowadays have...

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what i am most thankful for.

What I am thankful for this thanksgiving can be summed up by the author of Hebrews in 7:25—25 ὅθεν καὶ σῴζειν εἰς τὸ παντελὲς δύναται τοὺς προσερχομένους δι᾽ αὐτοῦ τῷ θεῷ, πάντοτε ζῶν εἰς τὸ ἐντυγχάνειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν.25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.In this brief verse the author of Hebrews reveals...

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a profile of a Godly husband.

Last night I rejoiced to preach again on Ephesians 5:25-33 (& 1 Pet 3:7). I showed the young men in our church what the biblical profile is of a godly husband and what kind of men they ought to strive to be now while they prepare for marriage then. I also exhorted the young women to look for these...

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the Spirit's work in our sanctification

I exhort you to look at my wife's blog as she clearly works through Galatians 3 and the believer's sanctification. You'll be encourag...

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what i have learned from Paul Washer.

Here are some lessons I learned from Paul as he spoke at the seminary and at our church last week.1. the radical depravity of man.You will never appreciate the love of God and the gospel of God until you recognize your utter wickedness and that you are absolutely heinous in God's sight.2. the supernatural...

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i believe no one seeks God before regeneration.

I believe in the doctrines of grace and I wholeheartedly embrace the doctrine of radical corruption of the entire human race. I don't believe that people "seek God." The Scriptures declare:Romans 3:11 THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GODI agree with RC Sproul: "We do not 'find' God as a result of our search...

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Jonah in a few minutes — well-worth your time.

I'm not one who advocates women preachers, but this is probably one of the best concise summaries of Jonah I've heard in awhile. Quite passionate too!The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vim...

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great words for the true meaning of MARRIAGE

From James Boice:Commenting on Ephesians 5:31-32 which reads: Ephesians 5:31-32 31 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church, Boice...

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book review on Stearns - The Hole in Our Gospel

Over at vassal of the King I posted my review of Richard Stearns' new book The Hole in Our Gospel. I believe that Christians should be aware of this popular book and warn our people from the false gospel purported within its pag...

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disturbing stat on the similarity between the so-called 'church' and non-Christians

From the book UnChristian (47):"One study we conducted examined Americans' engagement in some type of sexually inappropriate behavior, including looking at on-line pornography, viewing sexually explicit magazines or movies, or having an intimate sexual encounter outside of marriage. In all, we found that 30 percent of born-again Christians admitted to at least one of these activities in the past thirty...

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Paul Washer sermon online

Christ Community Church now has Paul Washer's sermon online. He preached from Romans 3:23-26 where he asked and answered the question: how could a good God forgive you? It was powerful and penetrating.I encourage you to listen & downlo...

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announcement — Paul Washer preaching @ CCC

Hey folks, Anyone living in LA (or the surrounding area) is most welcome to join us at Christ Community Church for a special mid-week service with Paul Washer, founder and director of HeartCry Missionary Society from 7-8:30pm. Directions here and the pdf flyer is here.Come join ...

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the loveliness of Christ

I exhort you to check out my wife's blog as she is currently in the middle of a series on the loveliness of Christ. You'll be encourag...

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divine sovereignty + human responsibility

John 10:11 11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.John 3:14-16 14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.Michael...

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theological hip-hop

And it's good theology also! Lecrae is hitting our culture hard with good music and theologically rich lyrics. May God continue to use this servant for His glory.**I really like this on...

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Some reflections on Heb 10 — "my righteous one will live by faith"

Phew. I finished my Hebrews 10:37-38 use of the Isaiah 26:20 and Habakkuk 2:3-4 paper. God is good. I thoroughly enjoyed my research and found it to be incredibly applicable to the current world in which we live.In the book of Hebrews, the author shifts back and forth constantly between expositional...

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The Maverick — flying car for real.

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faith as a divine gift from God.

I don't advocate everything Karl Barth believes, but here is one statement of his with which I couldn't agree more:"In himself and from his own resources man has not an atom either of willingness or even of capacity for faith. Faith is not the human condition for receiving new life; it is the divinely given instrument by which God saves lost souls." Am...

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the central point in ecclesiology

Sometimes we preachers get so fired up about preaching the gospel (as we should) but let us dare not forget that preaching is not the central focal point of the church. The gospel is. Now, for the gospel to comprise that central point in the church preaching is necessary. Preaching is the means to...

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fight for sanctification. hate your sin.

I am reminded yet again that we cannot overestimate sanctification. Yes, there is progressive sanctification but this must not lower our standards for holiness. Remember that God hates sin and he tolerates no sin at all. In our day and age, we must have a high view of sanctification. Thus, fight for...

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heaven summary

Paul stated:"For our citizenship is in heaven. . . ." Because this is the case, CS Lewis noted that we should make it our main object of focus in this life. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country." He was also right as he understood the glory of heaven and the need for living now...

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heaven bible study notes

As we complete our seven-part series on heaven I pray that the study encourages your heart. You can listen to the messages under the sermons page and you can download the entire set of notes and songs in pdf here. Soli Deo Glor...

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Last bible study on HEAVEN tonight

Tonight concludes our seven-part series on heaven. I have thoroughly enjoyed the study and I have learned much as my heart is energized to heed the words of Paul:Colossians 3:1-4 — Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right...

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do you want to know the love of God?

DA Carson quotes J. Gresham Machen who said:"It is a strange thing that when men talk about the love of GOd, they show by every word that they utter that they have no conception at all of the depths of God's love. If you want to find an instance of true gratitude for the infinite grace of God, do not go to those who think of God's love as something that cost nothing, but go rather to those who in...

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Stephen Charnock on WORSHIP

Wonderful words:"When we believe that we should be satisfied rather than God glorified in our worship, then we put God below ourselves as though He had been made fo rus rather than that we had been made for Hi...

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Ooops . . .

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The roles of the husband and the wife in the marriage bond

I had the wonderful privilege of preaching a two-part series on the roles of the husband and the wife in the marriage covenant.Last Sunday I preached on how to be a Godly wife to the glory of GodThis Sunday I preached on how to be a Godly husband to the glory of GodI pray that God uses them to strengthen...

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Reformation — Martin Luther

I am thankful for Martin Luther and his bold stand for the unadulterated gospel of salvation:by grace alonethrough faith alonein Christ aloneRomans 4:3-5 3 For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." 4 Now to the one who works, his wage is...

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Do you trifle with vain sins?

Christian, these words stirred my heart this morning—"How long will you love vanity?" Psalm 4:2The Lord is often represented in His word as expostulating with us. He manifests the deepest interest, shows intense pity, and uses many means to draw us back from the vortex of ruin.But man, thoughtless man, silly man--rushes on his way, trifles with his soul, and plays on the brink of the most dreadful...

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Ps 78 — raise up the next generation.

I love how Asaph puts it into words:Psalm 78:1-8 Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. 4 We will not conceal them from...

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China's new fast railway — this is cool!

FoxNews resported the following clip: China rolled out its fastest train yet on Tuesday, one of the engineering triumphs that signal the nation's growing ambitions as its economy booms. The successes demonstrate how, after decades of acquiring technology from the west, Beijing has begun to push...

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Beware of fake & deceptive repentance.

Psalm 78:35-37 35 And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. 36 But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. 37 For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant....

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Christian — hope in heaven.

Stirring words from Richard Baxter:“There is joy in receiving things in this life, but the fullness is in God’s own presence. Oh, Christians! You will then know the difference between the creature and the Creator, and the content that each of them affords. We shall then have light without a candle, and a perpetual day without the sun. We shall then have rest without sleep, for God will be our rest....

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Good words from Piper on fighting sin in the Christian life.

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perseverance obedience and preservation of the saints in Hebrews.

I agree with my brother FF Bruce (Epistle to the Hebrews, NICNT, 94):“The conditional sentences of this epistle are worthy of special attention. Nowhere in the NT more than here do we find such repeated insistence on the fact that continuance in the Christian life is the test of reality. The doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints has as its corollary the salutary teaching that the saints...

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The new calvinism discussed.

I find myself gladly and wholeheartedly in this "next generation" of New Calvinists:DeYoung, Duncan, Mohler: What's New About the New Calvinism from The Gospel Coalition on Vim...

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Gospel in Isaiah.

Note some deliverance passages and how it is God who solves the problem:Isaiah 59:2-4 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity;...

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