Monday, November 1, 2010

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 God
  • This Sunday I preached on how to be a Godly husband to the glory of God
I pray that God uses them to strengthen marriages, prepare those not yet married for the marriage covenant, and for the widows to train up and encourage the younger generation on the biblical roles of being a biblical husband and wife.

Reformation — Martin Luther

I am thankful for Martin Luther and his bold stand for the unadulterated gospel of salvation:
by grace alone
through faith alone
in Christ alone

Romans 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 not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

Friday, October 29, 2010

Do you trifle with vain sins?

Christian, these words stirred my heart this morning—

"How long will you love vanity?" Psalm 4:2

The 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 precipice! He is in love with his sin--and therefore in love with his own destruction! But God does not abandon him to despair--but touchingly, tenderly, lovingly--He expostulates with him and asks, "How long will you love vanity?"

Man by nature sets his heart upon what is vain and worthless--that which is not suited to, or required by, his immortal nature. Vanity represents that which is light, changeable, and of brief duration. Man displays his love of vanity . . .
by preferring human friendship--to God's friendship,
by thinking much more of the creature--than the Creator;
by preferring earthly riches--to heavenly felicities;
by preferring carnal pleasures--to spiritual delights!

Nor only so--but he manifests his foolishness by indulging in sin--the worst of vanities!

Look at the profane swearer, the drunkard, the glutton, the proud, the lover of pleasure. They are in love with vanity! They imagine that they shall have pleasure and enjoy happiness--but they never ponder the questions, "What shall it profit a man--if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

God asks the lover of vanity, "How Long!" "How long will you love vanity?" You have been doing so for years. Some for twenty, some for forty, and some for sixty years! You have manifested love to vanity--though warned, though convinced you were doing wrong, though you have often promised to reform. You are still loving vanity . . .
though mortality is at work within you,
though death is very near to you,
though eternity is within a step of you,
though hell is ready to receive you!

You persevere in loving vanity . . .
while a pardon is presented to you,
while peace with God may be enjoyed by you,
while holiness may be obtained by you, and
while heaven is within your reach!

How long will you love vanity?
Until some affliction unfits you to seek the world?
Until God's Spirit no longer strives with you?
Until Satan fills your heart?
Until God laughs at your calamity?
Until some sudden stroke takes you away to hell?

How long?

Let your past foolishness suffice, and now, while the door of mercy is open, enter!

Now, while the way of escape is clear--flee for your life!

No one ever came too soon--thousands have delayed too long! No one ever regretted that he was saved too early--millions have cursed their folly that they were not saved at all! Myriads wish that they had never been born--because they persevered in such folly. Beware then, beware--lest you rue your folly too late! Love vanity no longer!

From Grace Gems.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

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 their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. 5 For He established a testimony in Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach them to their children, 6 That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children, 7 That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments, 8 And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Calvin comments:
"In the passage before us, however, a particular injunction is given to the fathers on this point — each of them is enjoined diligently to instruct his own children, and all without distinction are taught, that their exertions in transmitting the name of God to their posterity will be most acceptable to Him, and receive his highest approbation. By the words, That the children to be born should arise, is not denoted a small number of individuals; but it is intimated, that the preachers of divine truth, by whose efforts pure religion may flourish and prevail for ever, will be as numerous as those who are born into the world" (Psalms, Part III, 165).

Also peruse the great comments by my mentor and friend, Dr. Varner.

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 the limits of its new capabilities, setting the bar higher on mega-projects as it seeks to promote the image of a powerful, modern China. But many of these initiatives have come at great human and environmental cost, and some have questioned whether the country fosters a sufficiently innovative spirit to compete on the next level.

Still in the works: it is a $32.5 billion, 820-mile (1,300-kilometer) Beijing-to-Shanghai high-speed railway that is scheduled to open in 2012.

"We are now much faster," Railway Ministry spokesman Wang Yongping said at Tuesday's inauguration of the super-fast line from Shanghai's western suburb of Hongqiao to the resort city of Hangzhou. "Now other countries are hoping to cooperate with us."

The train will cruise at a top speed of 220 mph (350 kph), making the 125-mile (200-kilometer) trip in 45 minutes.

China already has the world's longest high-speed rail network and aims to more than double its length to 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) by 2020.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

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.

Monday, October 25, 2010

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. We shall then have enlightened understandings without a written law: for the Lord will perfect His law in our hearts, and we shall be all perfectly taught of God.

His own will shall be our Law, and His own face shall be our light forever. Then shall we have joy, which we drew not from the promises, nor was fetched us home by faith and hope. Beholding and possessing will exclude most of these. We shall then have communion without sacraments, when Christ shall drink with us of the fruit of the vine new; that is, refresh us with the comforting wine of immediate fruition, in the kingdom of His Father. When we shall live in our Father’s house and presence and God shall be all in all, then we are indeed at home in rest.”

Thursday, October 21, 2010

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 are the people who persevere to the end.”

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

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; Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness. 4 No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and speak lies; They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.

The Scripture states that the iniquities of Israel has separated them from their God. The result of one who is sin-infested is that God hides Himself from him. Indeed, the hands of sinners are defiled, unclean, and filthy. Even the very fingers on one's hands are full of iniquity and transgression. The lips find comfort in speaking falsehood and the tongue mutters wickedness. This is the utter depraved state that Israel found herself in back in Isaiah's time. Indeed, this is the same state that all human beings find themselves in. This is the human plight. The predicament is evident: God turns away from sinful man because of his impurity and defilement.

Note even verse 12:

Isaiah 59:12 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And we know our iniquities:

Man, utterly helpless and incapable of bringing any deliverance unto himself in any way whatsoever needs One to interceed on behalf of Him. Note, the response does not come from man and his ingenuity but from God and His abundant mercy:

Isaiah 59:15-16 Now the LORD saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. 16 And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him.

What an amazing concept. Man, covered in filth, sin, defiling wickedness and unrighteousness cannot save Himself. But the LORD saw. That's the greatest phrase that brings comfort to deadened sinners. The LORD saw us. The LORD looks upon us. The LORD regards us. NOTE, it is not because there is anything worthy in us. Rather, the opposite is true. It is because we are wholly unworthy to look at that Yahweh—in his sovereign and supernatural mercy—looks upon our helplessness and brings salvation to him. The text says that God's "own arm brought salvation."

This is OT gospel given by Yahweh through Isaiah to the people of Israel. But the same truth can be found in the NT as well. We are dead in sin and in need for God's sovereign intervention to "bring salvation" to sinners. May we be faithful to evangelize and wait for God's "own arm to bring salvation" to His elect.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I wholeheartedly agree with this quote on PREACHING.

I couldn't agree more with what my professor said today:
“The priority of the preacher is first to DISCOVER the author’s intended meaning and second to declare that meaning to his hearers in an effective way so that they can RESPOND to it correctly!”

Hack sin in your life from its root—violently.

A fabulous reminder from Mr. Spurgeon:

Sin has evermore a swelling tendency, and until the Holy Spirit has cut up the last root of sin, evil will grow up again in the heart, at the scent of water it will bud and put forth once again its shoots. Here is work for all time, enough to keep us busy till we land in eternity.

Monday, October 18, 2010

a sigh from hell...

From John Bunyan’s “A Few Sighs from Hell“:

How many souls have blind priests been the means of destroying by their ignorance? Preaching that was no better for their souls than ratsbane to the body. Many of them, it is to be feared, have whole towns to answer for. Ah! friend, I tell thee, thou has taken in hand to preach to the people, it may be thou has taken in hand what thou canst not tell what. Will it not grieve thee to see the whole parish come bellowing after thee into hell? crying out, “This we have to thank thee for, thou wast afraid to tell us of our sins, lest we should not put meat fast enough into thy mouth. O cursed wretch, thou wast not content, blind guide as thou wast, to fall into the ditch thyself, but hast also led us thither with thee.”

Charles Spurgeon quotes this section from Bunyan in his sermon, “The Minister’s Self-Watch.” His point: How disastrous is an unregenerate minister failing to preach the gospel to a people blindly and deafly led to hell. We rightly lament the demonic terror Hitler unleashed on the world. Who can count the number of souls condemned to hell because unfaithful and unregenerate preachers refused to proclaim the only news that saves? Brothers, let us search ourselves for evidence of God’s saving grace then preach the whole counsel of God!

HT: Thabiti

a few short and very disconnected thoughts.

Over at my other website I posted a writeup taking a shot at the structure of Hebrews. I divided the book into exhortational and expositional sections (with the warning passages thrown in as well at key junctures). Let me know what you think.

Also, I found a great "chill" song that I really enjoy accompanying me as I read.

As for an update, I finished my PhD module last week where I presented my dissertation topic: "The Book of Jeremiah in John's Revelation." There is much work that needs to be done here. My adviser gave me the "go-ahead" so I'm extremely excited about being in God's Word—both testaments and both languages (and, there's even one verse in Aramaic!)! Thank you for your prayers.

soli Deo gloria!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

My savior was stricken, smitted, and afflicted so i may be forgiven — amazing!

Here is a portion from my reading in the prophet Isaiah this morning:

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.

‏אָכֵ֤ן חֳלָיֵ֙נוּ֙ ה֣וּא נָשָׂ֔א וּמַכְאֹבֵ֖ינוּ סְבָלָ֑ם וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ חֲשַׁבְנֻ֔הוּ נָג֛וּעַ מֻכֵּ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים וּמְעֻנֶּֽה׃
‎‏ וְהוּא֙ מְחֹלָ֣ל מִפְּשָׁעֵ֔נוּ מְדֻכָּ֖א מֵעֲוֹנֹתֵ֑ינוּ מוּסַ֤ר שְׁלוֹמֵ֙נוּ֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבַחֲבֻרָת֖וֹ נִרְפָּא־לָֽנוּ׃
‎‏ כֻּלָּ֙נוּ֙ כַּצֹּ֣אן תָּעִ֔ינוּ אִ֥ישׁ לְדַרְכּ֖וֹ פָּנִ֑ינוּ וַֽיהוָה֙ הִפְגִּ֣יעַ בּ֔וֹ אֵ֖ת עֲוֹ֥ן כֻּלָּֽנוּ׃

And one of my favorite songs that closely relates to it:

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Who have Jewish people replaced sacrifices with good deeds?

An early passage from a minor Talmudic tractate entitled Abot de Rabbi Nathan places in the mouth of Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai the following declaration:

"Be not grieved; we have another atonement as effective as this [=the Temple sacrificial ritual], and what is it? It is acts of loving kindness, as it is said: 'For I desire mercy and not sacrifice'" (Hos.6:6)."

Elsewhere the Talmud writes:

"Not to mourn at all is not feasible, for the decree has already beeen decreed. But further, to mourn excessively (also) is not feasible. Rather, thus the sages have said, 'A man shall plaster his home with plaster and leave over a small bit as a remembrance of Jerusalem'" (t. Sotah 15:12).

Here's the issue: they replaced the offering of sacrifices with good deeds. This, they purport, is acceptable before the eyes of God.

Or, is it?

Friday, October 15, 2010

A few sad quotes from the Talmud

Like the Apostle Paul, my heart goes out to my kindred according to the flesh:

Jesus will be excluded from the World to Come (m. Sanh. 10:2),

Jesus will be boiled in filth in Gehenna (b. Git. 56b-57a),

There was a man, the son of a woman, who would rise up and seek to make himself God, and cause the entire world to err. . . . If he says that he is God, he lies; and in the future he will cause to err—that he departs and returns in the end. He says, but will not do. . . . Alas, who shall live of that people that listens to that man who makes himself God (Yal. Simeoni on Num 23:7)?


We do well to share with our Jewish friends the truth from the Hebrew Scriptures:

Psalm 2:6-12 6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain." 7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 9 'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'" 10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. 11 Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

Proverbs 30:4 4 Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son's name? Surely you know!

Isaiah 53:4-7 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

See also,

Hebrews 1:1-3 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Jesus died FOR me

I found tremendous encouragement this morning in these short but eternally-significant verses:

Romans 5:6-11 — 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Romans 5:6-11 — 6 ἔτι γὰρ Χριστὸς ὄντων ἡμῶν ἀσθενῶν ἔτι κατὰ καιρὸν ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν ἀπέθανεν. 7 μόλις γὰρ ὑπὲρ δικαίου τις ἀποθανεῖται· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τάχα τις καὶ τολμᾷ ἀποθανεῖν· 8 συνίστησιν δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπην εἰς ἡμᾶς ὁ θεός, ὅτι ἔτι ἁμαρτωλῶν ὄντων ἡμῶν Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθανεν. 9 πολλῷ οὖν μᾶλλον δικαιωθέντες νῦν ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ σωθησόμεθα δι᾽ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς. 10 εἰ γὰρ ἐχθροὶ ὄντες κατηλλάγημεν τῷ θεῷ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον καταλλαγέντες σωθησόμεθα ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ· 11 οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ καυχώμενοι ἐν τῷ θεῷ διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δι᾽ οὗ νῦν τὴν καταλλαγὴν ἐλάβομεν.

I still can't get over the simple truth in v.8a that while we were still sinners (ὅτι ἔτι ἁμαρτωλῶν ὄντων ἡμῶν) Christ died for us (ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν). My heart is stirred with joy this morning because of the truth in Romans 5! Praise God.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

are you suffering? if so, you're in good company.

From the marvelous note from grace gems today:

In each season of affliction, to whom can we more appropriately look--than to Jesus? He was preeminently the man of sorrows--and acquainted with grief.

If you would tell your grief to one who knew grief as none ever knew it;
if you would weep upon the bosom of one who wept as none ever wept;
if you would disclose your sorrow to one who sorrowed as none ever sorrowed;
if you would bare your wound to one who was wounded as none ever was wounded
--then, in your affliction, turn from all creature sympathy and succor, and look to Jesus! You could not take . . .
your trial,
your affliction,
and your sorrow . . .
to a kinder nature,
to a tenderer bosom,
to a deeper love,
to a more powerful arm,
to a more sympathizing friend!
Go and breathe your sorrows into His heart--and He will comfort you!

Blessed sorrow if, in the time of your bereavement, your grief, and your solitude--you are led to Jesus, making Him your Savior, your Friend, your Counselor and your Shield.

Blessed loss, if it is compensated by a knowledge of God, if you find in Him a Father now, to whom you will transfer your ardent affections, upon whom you will repose your bleeding heart, and in whom you will trust.

surprising stat — how many denominations are there?


Question: "How many denominations are there within Christianity at large?"

You may be surprised to find out that Wikipedia (the theological factbook — haha) states:

This is not a complete list, but aims to provide a comprehensible overview of the diversity among denominations of Christianity. As there are reported to be approximately 38,000 Christian denominations,
Let's remember what Paul says about the true and undeniable gospel:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

the sovereignty of our God.

Isaiah 46:3-4 3 "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; 4 Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you.

God is speaking to Israel (=the House of Jacob, v.3 and the house of Israel, v.4) and declares to them that God will guide them. Note all the "I" determinative indicatives from God in v.4—I will be the same, I will bear you, I have done it, I will carry you, I will bear you, and I will deliver you. To me this seems that God is unequivocally telling His covenant people that He Himself is the One who will take care of them, watch them, guard them, bear them up, and deliver them. None other can deliver them (as clearly seen in the immediate context of Isa 46). It is God and God alone.

Isaiah 46:9-10 9 "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';

For those who are tempted to make idols (46:6-7), God squashes every possible reason in a sarcastic manner by telling His people to recall the past—God has been God, none other. He is God and there is no one like Him. He asks (in context) for Israel to consider their idolatrous past and contemplate which of their gods could declare the END from the BEGINNING? Could any of their 'carved images' do this? Could any of their tree stumps that they hoisted upon their syncretistic holy places cause his pleasure to be established? Indeed, no! Only God—Yahweh, the covenant keeping and sovereign God of Israel can do this!

May we, this day, be reminded of these words and heed the call to shun all forms of idolatry (and think—subtle forms of idolatry creep in to all of our lives!) and fall and worship God, the true God who will accomplish all of His soveriegn purpose.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

God's creating for the magnification of His glory

I love how Isaiah writes the words of God in these verses:

Isaiah 43:20-21 20 "The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My chosen people. 21 "The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.

The people that God has formed and created for Himself will declare His praise. God has formed His covenant people for Himself—for the expansion, glorification, and magnification of His great Name.

Isaiah 43:25 25 "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.

How amazing is it that God–yes, God Himself—is the One who wipes out His people's transgressions for His own sake. For His glory, for the magnification of His sovereign Name, he wipes out the sins of His people.

Monday, October 11, 2010

safe in beautiful clarks summit, pa

Made it safe to Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit this morning after a red-eye flight from LA. I'm tired, but God sustained me through the day and especially through my presentation on global ministry principles gleaned from Paul's third journey. I think it went very well. I had a guest speaker (Dr. King) and the fellas were very interactive which provided great feedback on my thoughts.

God is good. Two more weeks to go!

Psalm 136:1
הֹוד֣וּ לַיהוָ֣ה כִּי־טֹ֑וב כִּ֖י לְעֹולָ֣ם חַסְדֹּֽו׃

Sunday, October 10, 2010

a great note on what 'repentance' is

The [OT] prophets repudiated perfunctory, ritual forms of repentance (Isa 1:11; 29:13; 58:5; Jer 14:12; Hos 7:14). True repentance consists of acknowledgment of personal guilt (Jer 3:13), remorse for sins (Jer 31:19; Ezek 36:31; Jon 3:8a), forsaing evil thoughts and deeds (Isa 55:7; Jer 18:11; Ezek 14:6; Jon 3:8b), turning to the Lord with one's entire being (Isa 55:6; Joel 2:12), and bringing forth fruits indicative of a changed heart (Hos 12:6; 14:2). In response to genuine repentance, the Lord would withhold punishment (Jer 26:3), forgive sins (Isa 55:7), and grant life (Ezek 33:15-16). Those who fail to repent genuinely can expect divine judgment and death (Ezek 33:8-11, 14).

—Demarest, The Cross and Salvation, 254.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Friday, October 8, 2010

My favorite hymn.

My favorite hymn always seem to change every month. So I guess it's accurate to say that this is my favorite hymn for this month! The words stir my heart to worship the sovereign King Jesus. I love verse 4.

morning prayer.

I love this excerpt from a Puritan prayer:

The death of Christ has redeemed me;
The Spirit of Christ fills me,
The love of Christ animates me,
The Word of Christ governs me.

May we pray the same prayer with this Puritan expressing our gratitude, submission, and love for the Savior.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

God Redirects Plans According to His Sovereign and Ordained Will.





God Redirects Plans According to His Sovereign and Ordained Will.

Proverbs 16:9 9 The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
לֵ֣ב אָ֭דָם יְחַשֵּׁ֣ב דַּרְכֹּ֑ו וַֽ֝יהוָ֗ה יָכִ֥ין צַעֲדֹֽו׃

This weekend I planned to surprise my bride by taking her to the beach for a two-day camping trip. I’m not much of a camper (massive understatement!) so I thought I’d gain significant “brownie points” in planning, strategizing, organizing, and following through with this trip. One thing, however, I forgot to reserve our campsite online. Believe it or not, I had the webpage on my browser for about a week and I kept forgetting to reserve that campsite (which is very unlike me—normally I do these things way in advance!). So I finally got around to it the night before the trip (Sun night) but they wouldn’t let me reserve the campsite 24 hours in advance. So I had to call them the next day. Monday morning I tried to call them in the early morning but they didn’t open till 9am and we’d be in the Master’s Chapel by that point. So, needless to say, I had not reserved the campsite (nor paid for it!) yet.

Eventually, I told Elizabeth our plans and we were both excited! So, Monday morning arrives and we drove up to the Master’s College for chapel. It was raining on our drive there and Elizabeth asked me if I really wanted to go beach camping and I said “Of course” (what else could I say?). Needless to say, during chapel Kiah was a bit rambunctious so he was running around outside with Elizabeth while I was in chapel listening to the sermon. A man who works at Master’s was heading to chapel (quite late!) and saw Elizabeth and they began to talk. He is a good friend of ours and asked what we were up to. Elizabeth told him that we were spending the morning at Master’s for chapel and then we were heading to the beach for a camping trip. He said: “in the rain?!” Elizabeth responded: “I think so.” To which he then replied: “No, you should stay in a beach house!” “Ha,” Elizabeth said, “We’d love that but we don’t have the funds for that.” The man kindly replied: “You can stay in our beach house—for free!” To which Elizabeth immediately replied: “sounds like a plan!”

Then after chapel they came up and told me of our new plans that God had sovereignly orchestrated (all because Kiah was a bit cranky and was running around outside during chapel). Then, after chapel we took some of our college students to lunch and then departed for the beach house.

It was an amazing two days of rest, relaxation, Monday night football, and food! I had some of the best fish & chips I’ve ever had at the Ventura Harbor. Then on Tuesday we ate at a hole in the wall Mexican joint in Ventura which was just excellent!

Looking back, here are some ways that God sovereignly changed our plans:

1. God prevented me from making the online camping reservations and paying the fees online because He had a better plan for us—staying in a beach home for free!

2. God allowed Kiah to be a bit cranky so he couldn’t sit still through chapel. So he was outside working off the energy by running around.

3. While Elizabeth and Kiah were outside, God allowed our friend to be late to chapel and ask what we were up to that week.

4. God worked it out that the beach house was available for those specific days (the day after we left another family was going to the home to use it for the weekend)!

5. God brought rain and heavy wind that would have made it quite difficult to have a bonfire—much less, erect a tent and stay warm!

Again, Proverbs 16:9 9 The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. And I’m thankful for it.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Hebrews 5 structure

Hebrews 5 consists of a remarkable structure that fits within the larger discourse of Jesus as the high priest (Heb 5-10) that itself fits within the entire discourse/sermon. Check out my structural analysis of Hebrews 5 here.

Friday, October 1, 2010

the importance of studying God's Word.

If, in fact, the Bible is what it claims to be, namely, wholly inspired, totally inerrant, supernaturally God-breathed, and powerfully able to accomplish change in the lives of regenerate believers, then it behooves us to study that Word and obey that Word. How foolish for the man of God to suppose the Bible is God's powerful Word and leave it to collect dust on the shelf. How could such a man think that he would inherit the kingdom of God when he has no delight in the King's Book? How could such a person think that he would enjoy the glories of heaven when he neglects the fellowship of God in this life? The man of God who loves the Son of God must be consumed with the Word of God resulting in obedience to God all for the glory of God. The believer must hold fast to God's Word.

The Bible mandates believers to study God's Word. But it's not a legalistic issue–nor should it ever become one. Rather, it should flow from the heart of the regenerate believer who is totally in love with his Savior, Jesus Christ. It is only natural for people to desire to spend time with other people whom they love. That is natural and to be expected. How could it be any different with our relationship with Jesus Christ who saved our souls from hell?

For the Christian, the study of God's Word must play an important part in his maturation as a child of God. Just as a young man desiring to enter the medical field and perform surgeries one day in the future studies all sorts of books and becomes, as it were, a "professional" in his field, so it is with the man of God. He must study the Book as he desires to grow in his maturity and progress in the discipline of the Christian life. Let it be said again: the believer must hold fast to God's Word.

Hebrews 10:23 — Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

what will we be like in heaven?

Preached last night on the topic: what will we be like in heaven? and had a marvelous time! God is so good to reveal so many details in His all-sufficient Word for us to learn.

The sermon is here.

I love this quote by Richard Baxter on what it will be like in heaven when we're perfected without any sinful temptation—ever!
All our temptations from the world and the flesh shall also cease. Here we are in continual danger. We can hardly open our eyes without danger of envying people above us, or despising those below us. If we see beauty, it is a bait to lust. If we see deformity, we are liable to feel repulsion. If we are beautiful, it is fuel for pride. If we are ugly, we are likely to complain. If we have a high intelligence and gifts of learning, how prone we are to be puffed up, to seek applause, and to look down on ordinary folks. On the other hand, if we are not well educated, how easy it is to ridicule what we don't have and despise the scholarly. Are we in a position of power? How strong is the temptation to abuse our authority and mold others to our benefit. Are we subordinates? Then we are prone to envy others, to be critical and rebellious. It is our own corruption that thus traps us. We are our own worst enemies. But our heavenly rest will free us from all this. As Satan has no entrance there, so he has nothing to aid his subversion; but all things there shall help us praise our great Deliverer.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

preach Christ everywhere.

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.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

is it evident that you have been with Jesus?

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 authority must be subservient to God’s sovereign authority. Do you obey Jesus Christ with this kind of commitment and intensity? The apostles did. And this is one reason why the Jews clearly recognized that they had been “with Jesus.”

3. The miracles they performed were clearly from the hand of God rather than the hand of men—Does the way we live life evidence God’s working in our lives? Today God does not work through miracles, signs, and wonders as He did in the apostolic era. Nevertheless, God still works miracles as He saves people from sin. Is it evident that God is working through us as His channels to funnel the pure and perfect water of the gospel to the hearts of spiritually thirsty people? Are we faithful conduits?

A fitting reminder for us this morning is to remember that the apostles were those who were seen by their enemies as “having been with Jesus.” Could this be said of you this morning, this day, this week? Is it evident to your spouse, your children, your coworkers, your friends, your Church, and even complete strangers that you have been with Jesus?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Right view of earthly suffering

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.

Monday, September 27, 2010

When the hard times in life come, remember the character of God in your prayers.

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—including the three nations coming against him for war (cf. 20:1-2).

That all power and might are in God’s hand unequivocally suggests that God has all ability to deliver His people from the hand of the enemies.

2. The Power of God (7a)

2 Chronicles 20:7 Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel

This hearkens back to the entire conquest when God defeated the enemies before His people, Israel. They entered the land by the hand of God. They defeated their enemies by the power of God. They struck down city after city, king after king, idolatrous people after idolatrous people by the strength of God. God supplied the power for them to inherit the Promised Land.

3. The Faithfulness of God (7b)

2 Chronicles 20:7 and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

God gave the land to His people Israel just as He promised to Abraham (cf. Gen 12, 15, 17). God is a faithful God because He led His people through the wilderness to the Promised Land proving His utter faithfulness. God cannot—and does not—break a promise. He is faithful. The Lord’s mercies are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness!

4. The Holiness of God (8)

2 Chronicles 20:8 They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name

They lived in the land and built a sanctuary for God’s Name. That sanctuary was the Temple. By the hands of Solomon, Israel constructed a dwelling place for Yahweh among His people. The Temple was a physical manifestation of the holiness of God—no one can approach God on his own terms. Rather, by the stipulations and decrees that God Himself has ordained, this is how man can approach God; and even that is from a distance.

5. The Nearness of God (9-11)

2 Chronicles 20:9-11 Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.' 10 "Now behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), 11 see how they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance.

Though evil, sword, or judgment come upon God’s people they resolved in their heart to “stand before this House and before God Himself and cry out to Him! Amazingly, they confidently asserted that God would hear and deliver. How different this was from the other ancient Near Eastern gods. Yahweh, the God of Israel hears prayer and He is able to answer prayer. He is near to His people when they call upon Him.

6. The Righteousness of God (12)

2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.

They recognize that God will judge them. The Sovereign Judge of all the earth must do what is right (Gen 18:25). Jehoshaphat says that God will judge them. The nation of Israel was unable to defeat the three invading nations by their own strength. Indeed, they are “powerless” before this great multitude. So, God and His righteousness will judge them and do what is right. This is a magnanimous prayer of faith and trust.

I love the concluding phrase in verse 12: “nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” May we never forget this phrase. During times in life when the ocean waves crash upon our heads and seem to thrust us to the sandy, rocky, and sharp ocean floor, let us remember to look to God. When you don’t know what to do, look up and find the Lord. The best thing to do when the worst times in life come is to remember the “bigness” of God.

A fitting conclusion is how the author of Hebrews exhorts his hearers in a similar fashion:

Hebrews 12:1-2 ...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus...

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Friday, September 24, 2010

Some excellent sermons

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:

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

Graham Cole

Mark Dever

Dever also mentioned three books:

Kevin DeYoung

Stephen J. Nichols

Ray Ortlund

John Piper

David Powlison

  • B. B. Warfield, “Imitating the Incarnation“ (“The last page and a half offers the most riveting description of the goal of Christian living that I’ve ever read.”)

Fred Sanders

R.C. Sproul

Carl R. Trueman

Bruce Ware

  • R.C. Sproul, Lecture on “The Locus of Astonishment” (A brief summary is available here. For a similar talk, listen to “When Towers Fall.”)

Donald Whitney

If I could even insert a few that have not been mentioned yet:

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Good quote on the assurance of salvation

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.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Eph 5.6-14 Diagram

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).

Excellent Video to Watch

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.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Give thanks to the LORD!

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.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Update from Manila

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 group of pastors who have been asking Sean to teach and train a group of pastors who want to be taught. They have begged Sean for quite some time to teach but Sean—the only current TMAI missionary on the field—can only teach so much in so many different venues. So we endeavor to hear from these men: what they want, what their plans are, how many pastors they can gather for the training on expository preaching, etc. I am quite excited to be a part of this meeting.

Tomorrow we have church at Greenhills Christian Fellowship and then we travel to Tanay which is about an hour east of Manila where I will be teaching a course next week on Hermeneutics—Bible interpretation.

God is good. We are sitting on the balcony of the missionary house right now in Antipolo overlooking a beautiful golf course and the Manila skyline. Quite beautiful!

I leave you with this final remark from Paul to young pastor Timothy that I've meditated on this week:

1 Timothy 4:12-16 12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Sunday, September 5, 2010

the sovereign irresistible call from God unto salvation

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 it were not for the precious blood...

“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 does he cry, “O Lord, who shall stand?” None can do so: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Iniquities are matters which are not according to equity, what a multitude we have of these! Jehovah, who sees all, and is also our Adonai, or Lord, will assuredly bring us into judgment concerning those thoughts, and words, and works which are not in exact conformity to his law. Were it not for the Lord Jesus, could we hope to stand?

From exposition of Psalm 130 by Charles Haddon Spurgeon in "The Treasury Of David."

Friday, September 3, 2010

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

2 exciting days for me...

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...
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