vassal of the King

Today I embark on a multi-part series on the gospel. God Justifies the Ungodly… By Geoffrey R. Kirkland Greek Text: τῷ δὲ μὴ ἐργαζομένῳ πιστεύοντι δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἀσεβῆ λογίζεται ἡ πίστις αὐτοῦ εἰς δικαιοσύνην· Geoff’s Translation: But to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. Discourse: This verse encapsulates the core of the gospel in a succinct statement. There are numerous elements of the gospel that Paul combines in this verse that are essential to the saving message of Jesus Christ. The sinner must come to recognize one simple fact. It is a most-easy truth to comprehend yet an overwhelming difficult truth to swallow. The sinner must admit that he is ungodly. The sinner must come to the end of himself and confess that he is utterly despicable in the eyes of a holy God. More than that, sinners are God’s enemies (Rom 5:10), sinners are hated by God (Ps 5:5), sinners who are prideful, arrogant, wi

Here are a few random thoughts: 1. I preached on biblical integrity this week from Psalm 101 and preached to my own heart and soul . God convicted me greatly this week through the study of His Word. 2. I found an awesome online jazz station — jazz24/7.org . Live-stream here . 3. I get to work through Hebrews 3-4 today with my accountability/discipleship group. What an amazing exposition of Psalm 95 that auctor gives. ( = Auctor is the affectionate name I give to the anonymous author of Hebrews—thanks, Dr. V.) 4. My mind marvels at the reality of this verse: τῷ δὲ μὴ ἐργαζομένῳ πιστεύοντι δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἀσεβῆ λογίζεται ἡ πίστις αὐτοῦ εἰς δικαιοσύνην· ( Romans 4:5 — " But to the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness ). What a great reality! I get to preach this text this Sunday morning for our communion service. What better topic to preach with all boldness, authority, passion, and urgency than the gospel of Jesus Christ . 5. I shared the gospel with two

JC Ryle writes: " Whitefield, Wesley, and Rowlands taught constantly the inseparable connectionb etween true faith and personal holiness. They never allowed for a moment that any church membership or religious profession was teh proof of a man's being a true Christian if he lived an ungodly life. A true Christian, they maintained, must always be known by his fruits; and those fruits must be plainly manifest and unmistakable in all relations of life. 'No fruits, no grace,' was the unvarying tenor of their preaching " (JC Ryle, Christian Leaders of the Eighteenth Century , 28). Excellent and true!

Preaching on Psalm 101 has both convicted and consecrated my heart before the LORD. Psalm 101:2 — I will give heed to the blameless way. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart. (אַשְׂכִּ֤ילָה׀ בְּדֶ֬רֶךְ תָּמִ֗ים מָ֭תַי תָּב֣וֹא אֵלָ֑י אֶתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ בְּתָם ־לְ֜בָבִ֗י בְּקֶ֣רֶב בֵּיתִֽי׃) Chuck Swindoll gives 7 questions for you to take inventory of your spiritual integrity: 1. Have you been with a woman anywhere this past week that might be seen as compromising? 2. Have any of your financial dealings lacked integrity? 3. Have you exposed yourself to any sexually explicit material? 4. Have you spent adequate time in Bible study and prayer? 5. Have you given priority time to your family? 6. Have you fulfilled the mandates of your calling? 7. Have you just lied to me?

A few reasons why I am thankful today consist of the following: 1. I serve a Risen Savior who is alive and who has conquered death, hell, Satan, and sin— my sin. 2. God gave me the strength and boldness to go street-preaching in downtown Santa Monica last night with a friend. 3. I baptized two men in our college group today who testified boldly, clearly, and persuasively the power of the gospel that penetrates the hearts of sinners. God used the power of the preaching of His Word to save these two men. 4. I get to preach Amos 5 and Psalm 101 this upcoming week. My heart is fully of joy.

No, Paul didn't have Fed-Ex at his disposal. But here's a great quote from a commendable source: " The circulation of a document began either from the place (or church province) of its origin, whether the author wrote it, or from the place to which it was addressed (if it was a genuine letter — formal epistles would be like other New Testament writings). Copies of the original would be made for use in neighboring churches. The circulation of a book would be like the ripples of a stone cast into a pond, spreading out in all directions at once. When a book was shared by repeated copying throughout a whole diocese or metropolitan area, the close ties between dioceses would carry it from one district to another, where the process would be repeated. From the moment the Christian church required the use of sacred books in addition to the Septuagint [the Greek translation of the OT], i.e., from the time that the worship service incorporated the reading and exposition of lessons

He declared: "The Christian reader should make it his first task to seek out the literal sense, as they call it. For it alone is the whole substance of faith and Christian theology; it alone holds its ground in trouble and trial." Elsewhere Luther stated: "The literal sense does it -- in it there is life, comfort, power, instruction and skill. The other is tomfoolery ." Quoted from Thiselton, New Horizons in Hermeneutics , 184.

Rarely do I post a text-critical note on the biblical text but I think this is important. So here's my take on Psalm 100:3. ESV Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; NIV Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; NAU Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; Read the article here .

Why is it that so many of us are often quick to associate who is and who is not a Christian by whether they: (1) go to church and (2) read their Bible? Sadly, I'm even guilty of doing this myself. But, this amazes me. First of all let's establish the reality that going to church and reading the Bible does not make anyone a Christian. I firmly believe there are many people in the pews who are not saved and I believe there are people who read their Bibles who are still unsaved. So this does not make anyone a Christian. And these two things are not the only two traits that flow from someone who is truly a Christian. Certainly going to Church is good but for a true believer it's not out of absolute necessity that he/she goes to Church but rather it's because there is a longing to be with God's people, to hear from God's Word, to pray with the saints, and to corporately worship with the redeemed. This is a heart-longing of a true believer. Someone who is sav

From John Bunyan ... Lost sinner, I beg you to consider the state of those who die outside of Christ Jesus. Yes, I say, consider their miserable state, and think thus with yourself: "What, shall I lose an eternal Heaven--for short pleasure? Shall I buy the pleasures of this world at so dear a rate--as to lose my soul to obtain them? What advantage will these be to me--when the Lord shall separate soul and body asunder, and send one to the grave, and the other to Hell; and at the judgment-day, the final sentence of eternal ruin must be passed upon me?" Consider, that the profits, pleasures, and vanities of this world will not last forever--but the time is coming, yes, just at the door, when they will give you the slip, and leave you in such a dreadful condition. And therefore to prevent this, consider your dismal state, think thus with yourself: It is true--I do love my sins, my lusts and pleasures; but what good will they do me at the day of death and of judgment? Will my sin

Here is an excellent summary of the book of Revelation: "The book of Revelation emphasizes the sovereign control of God over all reality. Not only does G0d, through the person and work of Jesus Christ, govern all human history, but he also gathers up all the apparently loose threads of reality in the glorious consummation of his purposes. The focus of Revelation is the gospel of the Lamb of God. The key to reality is the 'Lamb standing, as though it had been slain' (Rev 5:6). He alone is able to open the scroll and reveal the truth of God's kingdom. Here indeed is the magisterial hermeneutic. The almost oppressive emphasis on judgment in this book reminds us of the accountability of the human race before God. Accountability means that truth is there to be understood and received. Accountability also means that the final reference point for understanding and interpretation is the one before whom all are accountable. The beatific vision of the new heaven and the new eart

And that's God's sovereignty simplified . Spurgeon put it this way: "Opposition to divine sovereignty is essentially atheism. Men have no objection to a god who is really no god, a god who shall be the subject of caprice, who shall be a servile follower of their will, who shall be under their control. But a God who speaks and it is done, who commands and it stands fast, a God who does as he will among the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of this lower world, such a God as this they cannot endure. And yet, it is not essential to the very being of God that he should be absolute and supreme? Certainly to the scriptural conception of God, sovereignty is an absolute necessity." I love Spurgeon and I want to join the band of men and women who proclaim with unequivocal and unashamed confidence that God is the sovereign King . Anyone who reads the Bible for very long cannot deny it. Praise God His dominion and His sovereignty.

my latest article: does God elect people to salvation because He knows beforehand who will believe in Him?

I love this quote by Edward Payson (1783-1827) that hangs over me in my office as I prepare sermons: "If you should this moment be called to the bar of God, what sentence have you reason to suppose He would pass on you? Pause and reflect, and let conscience answer ... Will you dare offer to your Judge those vain and frivolous excuses with which you now quiet your conscience and deceive yourself? Will you dare come to the bar of God and tell Him that He was a hard master? That His Law was too severe? That His Word was unintelligble? That you could not learn your duty? That you were unable to repent and believe? Consider, O consider well what answer you are prepared to give. See that it be such an one as you dare rest your hopes upon and defend at the bar of a heart-searching Judge. Consider all these things, none to deliver! Let this consideration rouse you from your lethargy to lay hold on the hope set before you. Do not stand lingering and delaying as did Lot in Sodom, but suffer

Read my latest article on one way that we can “improve” as we pray to God. I’ve called it: Are your prayers theologically accurate ? *note: I do not intend to criticize in any sense of the term ; rather, I simply intend for us to think about how we pray and contemplate if there is a way that we can pray more accurately and theologically-precise as we pray.*

Thank you, JP for your hard work!

God encouraged my heart with these quotes on preaching today. I am reminded that preachers must preach with fire, as men who have gone wild for God. Preaching is gospel-centered madness! “Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire. A true understanding and experience of the Truth must lead to this. I say again that a man who can speak about these things dispassionately has no right whatsoever to be in a pulpit; and should never be allowed to enter one.” (Martin Lloyd-Jones) “From the beginning of the sermon to its end, the all engrossing force of the text and the God who speaks through that text must dominate our whole being. With the burning power of that truth on our heart and lips, every thought, emotion, and act of the will must be so captured by that truth that it springs forth with excitement, joy, sincerity, and reality as an evident token that God’s Spirit is in that word. Away with all the mediocre, lifeless, boring, and lackluster orations offered as pitiful su

I love God's Word. It is so clear. Acts 13:48 Ἀκούοντα δὲ τὰ ἔθνη ἔχαιρον καὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν λόγον τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἐπίστευσαν ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον· Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard these things they rejoiced and glorified the Word of the LORD and as many who were appointed (τεταγμένοι) unto eternal life believed. God's Word is so clear. God had already appointed (τεταγμένοι) and marked out whom he would elect. Those whom he elected believe when they hear the Gospel—in God's sovereign timing. Some qualm at the idea of God's sovereignty and human responsibility and say that they are irreconcilable truths. The better way to see the issue is that they beautifully go together because Scripture puts them together—not as foes, but as friends. Those whom God has already appointed (sovereignty, unconditionally, determinatively) to eternal life will believe the Gospel at the moment God ordains. In other words: those who believe the Gospel show that the

I've never before had a man in our own church shake the dust off his feet as a sign of contempt at me. We were praying in a side room before the morning worship service. A man walks up and asks if we can give him a Bible so he can go perform a music concert. We eagerly offered him a Bible—but he demanded it be KJV (King James Version). I kindly responded by saying that that's a good translation but we use the NIV as our pew Bible at the Church. Then the rocket began to launch. Then he began to raise his voice and tell me how many errors we had because we didn't use the KJV. So about five minutes before the service is to begin, I began to walk the man over to our front doors of the Church where I proceeded to open the door for him to walk out (at this point he was very loud ). He continued to tell me that he pities me on the day of judgment because I, as a pastor, am leading my people down a heretical path. He then went on to say that Jesus didn't die on a cross (which

The Judge! (by James Smith, 1856) "God is the Judge!" Psalm 75:7 There is one supreme judge of what is right and wrong--and that judge is Jesus. He is qualified to judge, and He is appointed to sit in judgment on all the actions of men, and to reward every one according to his works. But it is not to God's final judgment we are about to refer--but to the present. Many professors talk, or seem to feel, as if great mistakes were made, and therefore they justify themselves in complaining. But Jesus is Judge of what is right, and what is best. His wisdom is infinite; His knowledge comprehends the past, the present, and the future; His power is omnipotent; His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting, and is over all His works; His love to His people surpasses knowledge. This being the case, there can be no question that Jesus is the best Judge of what is right, and of what should be. God is the Judge--as to our PERSONS. Some wish they had more strength, some that they had mor

Join us for RESOLVED. June 24-27, 2011 @ Palm Springs, CA. Watch the promo video here. Email me to receive more info.

What is your greatest sin? Could it be that you can echo the prayer of a Puritan: My sin is not so much this or that particular evil, But my continual separation, disunion, distance from thee, And having a loose spirit towards thee. Oh that we would be sensitive to our sin. Sin it not always the sheer act of committing sin but it can also include the omission of what we should be doing. When we are separated in heart, disunified with Christ, distanced from Him, or even if we possess a “loose spirit” towards Christ, we have sinned. I am reminded of Deuteronomy 6:5 (which Jesus quotes in Matt 22) that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength. When we fail to do this constantly and perfectly we have sinned. So let us get on our knees, repent, and beg for God’s strength—enabled by the Sovereign and Powerful Spirit—to change. Let us not be separated, disunified, or distant from Christ. Rather, let us rejoin our hearts to His, unify our mind with His,