Preachers, Leaders, yes, ALL Christians—SHUN Laziness!

“Some pastors and preachers are lazy and no good. They do not pray; they do not read; they do not search the Scripture…The call is: watch, study, attend to reading. In truth you cannot read too much in Scripture; and what you read cannot be read too carefully, and what you read carefully you cannot...

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Calvin on the Glory of God.

I'm preaching on Ephesians 1:13-14 tomorrow night:Greek: Ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας ὑμῶν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ πιστεύσαντες ἐσφραγίσθητε τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῷ ἁγίῳ, ὅ ἐστιν ἀρραβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν, εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς περιποιήσεως, εἰς ἔπαινον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ.Translation: In whom [=Christ, 1:12] when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your...

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Carson on "The Trials of Biblical Studies"

Folks,I can't encourage all my readers enough to read this article. D.A. Carson writes on some of the trials that current theologians, scholars, and pastors face nowadays. I don't think I've read a more head-on, practical, and convicting, and scholarly article in quite some time.Click here to read the pdf article from the book: The Trials of Theology, edited by Cameron and Rosner (2010).Here's a quote:This...

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The Christian life is not about 'quick-decisions' but a 'lifetime' of godliness

God has laid it on my heart recently that the Christian life is not primarily consisting of quick, one-time, brief decisions. I'm utterly convinced that the Christian life requires a lifetime (ongoing habitual, persistent) pursuit of Christlikeness. Let me explain.Many can say, "I believed" and "I confessed...

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A cool tidbit from James 1:24 in Greek

I saw something this morning in James that I hadn't seen before in James 1:24. The text reads:Greek: κατενόησεν γὰρ ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀπελήλυθεν καὶ εὐθέως ἐπελάθετο ὁποῖος ἦν.(Literal) Translation: For he looks at himself and departs and immediately forgets what he was like.There are three verbs to discuss...

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The value of God's Word is unspeakably high.

This book [=the Bible] contains: the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you .It...

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Hardships in life. Do you love 'em or despise 'em?

Last night I preached on Psalm 57 and many commentators see it as a lament psalm. I agree with this in part because the end of the psalm ends in a psalm of praise. But the think that rocked me this week was how David wrote this psalm from the cave (see the superscription of Ps 57) while fleeing from...

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Expository preaching is absolutely necessary!

In my research for my expository preaching paper, I came across this quote that encouraged me:"Expository preaching is a most exacting discipline. Perhaps that is why it is so rare. Only those will undertake it who are prepared to follow the example of the apostles and say, ‘It is not right that we...

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Preaching and preachers and papers...

This week is especially exciting and busy for me. I am concluding one paper (Hebrews 1:5 and its usage of the OT) and beginning another paper (what is the role of dialoguing in preaching, if any?) for my PhD courses. I am super excited about these papers and have been learning a lot in my reading and...

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God poured out infinite hell on Jesus.

An amazing thought to mull over today..."God poured out the infinite hell of his wrath upon His Son—who by the power of His infinite life could bear it—and thus God's wrath is turned aside from true believers, or propitiated (=satisfied), by the blood of Christ."Source: Richard Philips, Chosen in Christ: The Glory of Grace in Ephesians 1, 1...

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PhD students just don't read about liberal skeptics, we also meet with them at In-n-Out

One of the challenges in a PhD program is that I have to read books—a lot of them! Some are wonderfully devotional, others are quite tedious, and still others are just flat out skeptical. Yesterday I spent an hour at an In-n-Out with one of these skeptics. He had not written a book denying the miracles...

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subjectivism vs. objectivism

Late last night I received a phone call from a guy in our college group who was hanging out with a good buddy of his when he was shocked to hear the news that his friend was disinterested in the Christian faith and was no longer going to walk the walk. Startled, he called me and asked me some questions....

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God sovereignly chose me NOT because of anything good in me.

Some have thought over the years and centuries that God elects some to salvation and its blessings but that He does so on the basis of a choice, a response of faith, or some other good that he foresees in them. Inasmuch as this is a quite recent view (that is to say, it is not the historic, New Testament, viewpoint) the major flaw with this thinking is that it credits way too much good to human depravity.When...

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gospel from isaiah 59.

If this isn't straight gospel from the OT, I'm not sure what is...Isaiah 59:1-20 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. 2 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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fear God.

Today on my bus I read a book on hell. It was very insightful, sobering, and motivational to share the gospel. I want to note some of the quotes that spoke to my heart:"The death that each of us has to die one day does not make an end of man. All is not over when the last breath is drawn and the doctor's...

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don't let sin go untouched.

"Sin left untouched reveals an indifference to sin, a disregard for God's holiness, a rejection of God's command to repent, and, hence, a soul that is unregenerated and without the living breath of spiritual lif...

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don't be an enemy of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:17-21 17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship...

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how to build yourself a god.

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reasons I'm excited this week.

That I get paid to study the Bible and preach the Word baffles me constantly, but I praise the LORD that He has sovereignly called me to such a vocation. I love what I do and I would never want to change it. This week is especially exciting for a few reasons:1) I'm starting the book of Ephesians in...

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