vassal of the King

Just heard a heart-stirring sermon from Acts 8:25-40 (to my remembrance, this was one of the 'funnest' sermons I both prepared and preached at Church a number of months ago) where the preacher faithfully provided 3 points of being an effective servant of Christ as modeled by Philip in the text: 1. Be completely surrendered to the will of God. 2. Trust completely in the sovereignty of God. 3. Be totally consumed with preaching Jesus Christ . Then he concluded with this statement which I want to post for your meditation. Really, contemplate this: "Ninety-five percent of the preachers in the world are in America preaching to only five percent of the world's population." O may God raise up faithful men to preach Christ just as Philip did wherever Christ calls them.

This is definitely worth watching not only for the content but also for how Mark Dever patiently listens and then asks questions (contra MacDonald and Driscoll). Multiple Sites: Yea or Nay? Dever, Driscoll, and MacDonald Vote from Ben Peays on Vimeo .

Is it evident that you have been with Jesus? Acts 4:13 — ἐθαύμαζον ἐπεγίνωσκόν τε αὐτοὺς ὅτι σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἦσαν Translation: “They marveled because they recognized that they had been with Jesus” What an amazing phrase tucked within all the historical events that happened in Jerusalem in the weeks and months after the resurrection and ascension of Christ. The apostles were teaching and preaching in the Temple to the utter consternation of the Jewish leaders. Though they were “unlearned” men (lit. ἰδιῶται, idiotes), they still proclaimed the Gospel with much boldness and the Jews still recognized the men as having been with Jesus. They recognized them as having been with Jesus because: 1. They boldly proclaimed the Gospel—Do you and I boldly proclaim the gospel that reveals that we have recently been, as it were, “with Jesus”? 2. They faithfully and unequivocally obeyed their Lord—Is it evident in the way that you and I live our lives that we obey our Lord above everything else? Any human

2 Corinthians 4:17--Our "momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison." While suffering does make us stronger now--it makes us able to endure with patience, increases our faith, teaches us to trust God, and leads us to depend on Christ and His Word--it also affects how we will function later. That's why Paul went on to say our focus isn't on the now but the future: "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (v. 18). Great words by MacArthur .

When the hard times in life come, remember the character of God in your prayers. When the hard times strike in life, we can learn from Jehoshaphat how to pray. He focused his thoughts on the character of God when the confusion of life seized. Second Chronicles 20:6-12 reveals the magnificent prayer of the King of Judah when three armies were imminent in their judgment. The best thing to do when the worst times in life come is to remember the “bigness” of God. Jehoshaphat riveted his thoughts toward the following attributes: 1. The Sovereignty of God (6) 2 Chronicles 20:6 "O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. Amazingly, he remembered that God is the God of the heavens (cf. Ps 115:3; 103:19). God made the heavens, dwells in the heavens, and owns everything. Indeed, He is the ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations—includin

Pumped, prepared, and waiting to preach a most excellent passage today—2 Chronicles 20 on King Jehoshaphat.

HT: Expository Thoughts

Justin Taylor compiles a list of important sermons and articles that are worth reading. You may peruse them below. He wisely acknowledges that they are the sorts of pieces that can get lost in the shuffle in the midst of book recommendations, classic and contemporary. For example, a few that came to mind were: Thomas Chalmers, “ The Expulsive Power of a New Affection ” Jonathan Edwards, “ The Excellency of Christ ” B.B. Warfield, “ The Religious Life of Theological Students ” B.B. Warfield, “ The Emotional Life of Our Lord ” So I thought it might be helpful to ask some pastors and theologians what they would recommend as sermons or essays that have had a special impact on them, or that they would seriously urge students and pastors to consider reading. I’m thankful for all of the responses. I’ve tried to add as many links as possible to free versions online: Bryan Chapell J.I. Packer, “ What Did the Cross Achieve? The Logic of Penal Substitution ” Francis Schaeffer, “ A

I couldn't be more in agreement— Assurance of salvation cannot be reliably determined by what has happened in the past, no matter how dramatic or meaningful at the time. It can only be based with certainty on the evidence of present fruit being produced by a spiritual life (see 2 Pet. 1:5-11) (from MacArthur, Ephesians , MNTC, 210). This morning I read John 15 and came to the came conclusion as well.

I'm preaching on Eph 5:6-14 tomorrow and have discovered quite a recognizable structure to this pericope. I welcome anyone to peruse my diagram and outline here (both Greek and English included) and give me your thoughts. Essentially I see one major point: v.6 - don't be deceived into living a life as those who are darkness as the wrath of God will come upon them. There are two supporting statements: 1. Watch Your Company! (7-10) 2. Watch Your Conduct! (11-14) Each of the two major statements have two clauses giving the reason ( gar ).

I use this tool and this is a very simplified explanation of exploring a verse in its context -- to see how verses are interrelated with one another.

This video is well-worth your time. It records footage from a Samaritan sacrifice of a Lamb (excluding some of the most graphic parts) for the forgiveness of their sins. But the video shows how Jesus far surpasses any animal sacrifice that was ever offered and how he finally and fully offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice to atone for sins. The Sacrificial Lamb from SourceFlix on Vimeo . 1 Peter 2:24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

We are home from Manila. God led and guided us all the way by His sovereign hand. I will soon post some thoughts of my trip to the Philippines. Psalm 106:1 הַֽלְלוּיָ֨הּ׀ הֹוד֣וּ לַיהוָ֣ה כִּי־טֹ֑וב כִּ֖י לְעֹולָ֣ם חַסְדֹּֽו׃ Psalm 106:1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Greetings from the Philippines, Elizabeth, Kiah, and I praise the LORD for His faithfulness in sustaining us these last few days with a busy schedule while attempting to acclimate to a 15-hour time difference. God is good. We have traveled with Sean Ransom a number of times to different venues where he has taught different courses—NT survey and OT survey. Yesterday we had lunch (fried chicken—Filipino style!) with a number of pastors in the Manila area which was very encouraging. To hear the hearts of dear men who want to preach God's Word expositionally and who hunger for training on how to interpret and preach God's Word is so refreshing. These dear men are open to God's Word and what it has to say. They are moldable, shapeable, and willing to let God's Word guide them in their ministries. How amazing this is! Today (I'm writing at 7:00am Manila time on Sept 11th but my computer time says 4:01pm LA time on Sept 10th) we plan to travel to meet with a different gro

The Manila skyline from the missionaries' house Praise the LORD for bringing our family safe to Manila.

I believe that no man in and of himself would choose God—ever. I believe that God sovereignly calls those whom He wills to be saved and they are effectively and inevitably saved. "By the internal, effectual call we mean that act of divine power, mediated through the proclaimed Word, by which the Spirit illumines darkened minds, softens stubborn wills, and inclines contrary affections toward the living God, thus leading the unregenerate to trust Christ in a saving relation." The reason sinners cannot come to Christ on their own initiative is that apart from the working of the Spirit in grace depraved sinners are incapable and disinclined to respond to the general offer of the Gospel. Without a superior power from above, spiritual eyes remain sightless and spiritual ears deaf to divine truth. It is true that "the message of the Gospel is a noise, not a communication, until God tunes the set of man's heart." (from Demarest, The Cross and Salvation , 220).

“If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” (Psalm 130:3) If Jah, the all-seeing, should in strict justice call every man to account for every want of conformity to righteousness, where would any one of us be? Truly, he does record all our transgressions; but as yet he does not act upon the record, but lays it aside till another day. If men were to be judged upon no system but that of works, who among us could answer for himself at the Lord's bar, and hope to stand clear and accepted? This verse shows that the Psalmist was under a sense of sin, and felt it imperative upon him not only to cry as a suppliant but to confess as a sinner. Here he owns [ admits ] that he cannot stand before the great King in his own righteousness, and he is so struck with a sense of the holiness of God, and the rectitude of the law, that he is convinced that no man of mortal race can answer for himself before a Judge so perfect, concerning a law so divine. Well doe

Have you ever wondered how to do the "announcements" in the Church service? They seem so out-of-place and "unspiritual"? This article offers another way to view the "announcements". Read the new article: the ministry of announcements .

To hip-hop tunes... The Greek Alphabet The Hebrew Alphabet Ha! Enjoy.

This is how I feel today... Today and tomorrow consist of me buried in the bottom level of the TMS library working on a dissertation proposal. I think I've got it nailed down but I'm doing some research to hone my presentation (which will be in October @ BBS). I'm working on Revelation's Use of the prophet Jeremiah. Much of my research comes in Jer 50-51 in Rev 17-18 but I think that John utilizes Jeremiah for a host of reasons and in many various places in his apocalypse for some strategic reasons. Pray for me as I work on this dissertation proposal...