Tim Conway is hilarious. What better way to start a Monday than this classic dentist sketch from the Carol Burnett show. Watch how Harvey just loses it.
28 February 2010
Practical ways to Rest
Here are a bunch of ways you can put our previous discussions on rest into action. We need to be more active about pursuing rest, God's way. In no particular order...
Go for a walk
Enjoy an extended time of Bible reading
Build a fort with your kids
Plan time for a nap
Take up a new recreational sport (like disc golf or racquetball)
Play a board game with you wife/husband
Go to the library and find fun/unusual books
Visit local (inexpensive) historical sites
Call an old friend you haven't spoken to in awhile
Volunteer to serve a local community center, soup kitchen, or some other helpful non-profit
Read a book (or listen to an audiobook)
Host a meal and game night for people from church you don't know that well, but want to get to know better
Learn how to knit (my wife loves this!)
Ask your pastor if there is any way you can help lighten his load administratively, and do it!
Watch a movie
Go rock climbing
Write letters/prepare care package for missionaries your church supports
Color with your children (or even if you don't have kids!)
Listen to relaxing music
Visit a sick person from your church in the hospital or at their home
Plan a fun family meal, go together to buy the ingredients, and cook the meal together
Get a massage
Plan a star-gazing expedition
Watch a movie
Work on a puzzle
Go for a leisurely swim
Go to a local park a swing on the swings
Listen to a sermon on Mp3
Attend a local dramatic production (maybe at the local high school)
Schedule a time of extended and purposeful prayer
Make cookies and deliver them to widows/shut-ins from your church
Enjoy a cup of tea (coffee, hot chocolate, etc.)
Attend a sporting event
Serve as a big brother or big sister for a child in your town
There are tons more things we could add to this list. What ways do you best rest? Leave a comment and let us know.
Go for a walk
Enjoy an extended time of Bible reading
Build a fort with your kids
Plan time for a nap
Take up a new recreational sport (like disc golf or racquetball)
Play a board game with you wife/husband
Go to the library and find fun/unusual books
Visit local (inexpensive) historical sites
Call an old friend you haven't spoken to in awhile
Volunteer to serve a local community center, soup kitchen, or some other helpful non-profit
Read a book (or listen to an audiobook)
Host a meal and game night for people from church you don't know that well, but want to get to know better
Learn how to knit (my wife loves this!)
Ask your pastor if there is any way you can help lighten his load administratively, and do it!
Watch a movie
Go rock climbing
Write letters/prepare care package for missionaries your church supports
Color with your children (or even if you don't have kids!)
Listen to relaxing music
Visit a sick person from your church in the hospital or at their home
Plan a fun family meal, go together to buy the ingredients, and cook the meal together
Get a massage
Plan a star-gazing expedition
Watch a movie
Work on a puzzle
Go for a leisurely swim
Go to a local park a swing on the swings
Listen to a sermon on Mp3
Attend a local dramatic production (maybe at the local high school)
Schedule a time of extended and purposeful prayer
Make cookies and deliver them to widows/shut-ins from your church
Enjoy a cup of tea (coffee, hot chocolate, etc.)
Attend a sporting event
Serve as a big brother or big sister for a child in your town
There are tons more things we could add to this list. What ways do you best rest? Leave a comment and let us know.
27 February 2010
Barefoot Running
I am pondering becoming a barefoot runner...
This is a cool video, once you get past his theory of how the human foot evolved. Enjoy!
HT: Z
This is a cool video, once you get past his theory of how the human foot evolved. Enjoy!
HT: Z
25 February 2010
Lead us not into Temptation
Jesus provides for us the model prayer, but how often do I actually pray like this?
Matthew 6:13 - "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
Carson, in his Matthew Commentary, describes this portion of the petition this way, "Thus the Lord's model prayer ends with a petition that, while implicitly recognizing our own helplessness before the Devil whom Jesus alone could vanquish (4:1-11), delights to trust the heavenly Father for deliverance from the Devil's strengths and wiles" (pg. 174).
From this last portion of the model prayer then we learn of something intrinsic in the nature of prayer. Proper prayer involves a deep recognition of our helplessness in all of life, but especially in the face of the temptation. Prayer is a choice of delight and trust. By praying this way, we are declaring to God that it is good for us to seek His help in the face of temptation. We are declaring we need Him, if we are going to have any hope to standing up under temptation.
Do you recognize your own helplessness in the face of temptation? Before the moment of temptation arises, and you are tempted to speak harshly, delight in something impure, or indulge in that sinful habit yet again; do you acknowledge your utter helplessness to God in prayer?
Do you delight to cry out to God for help? Do you delight to trust in Him for deliverance? When faced with idol worship, do you recognize the "way out" God has given you (1 Cor 10:13)? Do recognize that, by His grace, God has equipped you to "stand up under" temptation? God is faithful and trustworthy, and we must flee from idolatry (1 Cor 10:14).
Matthew 6:13 - "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
Carson, in his Matthew Commentary, describes this portion of the petition this way, "Thus the Lord's model prayer ends with a petition that, while implicitly recognizing our own helplessness before the Devil whom Jesus alone could vanquish (4:1-11), delights to trust the heavenly Father for deliverance from the Devil's strengths and wiles" (pg. 174).
From this last portion of the model prayer then we learn of something intrinsic in the nature of prayer. Proper prayer involves a deep recognition of our helplessness in all of life, but especially in the face of the temptation. Prayer is a choice of delight and trust. By praying this way, we are declaring to God that it is good for us to seek His help in the face of temptation. We are declaring we need Him, if we are going to have any hope to standing up under temptation.
Do you recognize your own helplessness in the face of temptation? Before the moment of temptation arises, and you are tempted to speak harshly, delight in something impure, or indulge in that sinful habit yet again; do you acknowledge your utter helplessness to God in prayer?
Do you delight to cry out to God for help? Do you delight to trust in Him for deliverance? When faced with idol worship, do you recognize the "way out" God has given you (1 Cor 10:13)? Do recognize that, by His grace, God has equipped you to "stand up under" temptation? God is faithful and trustworthy, and we must flee from idolatry (1 Cor 10:14).
Repentance, Not Despair
I have to constantly guard my heart against this tendency.
“Those who are truly religious experience what sort of punishments are shame, confusion, groaning, displeasure with self, and other emotions that arise out of a lively recognition of sin.
Yet we must remember to exercise restraint, lest sorrow engulf us. For nothing more readily happens to fearful consciences than falling into despair. And whomever Satan sees overwhelmed by the fear of God he more and more submerges in that deeper whirlpool of sorrow that they may never rise again.
In this way we flee from God, who calls us to himself through repentance.”
—John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3.3.15
HT: Of First Importance
“Those who are truly religious experience what sort of punishments are shame, confusion, groaning, displeasure with self, and other emotions that arise out of a lively recognition of sin.
Yet we must remember to exercise restraint, lest sorrow engulf us. For nothing more readily happens to fearful consciences than falling into despair. And whomever Satan sees overwhelmed by the fear of God he more and more submerges in that deeper whirlpool of sorrow that they may never rise again.
In this way we flee from God, who calls us to himself through repentance.”
—John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3.3.15
HT: Of First Importance
24 February 2010
We really need the local church
Josh Harris gave this great reminder on his blog today.
Why We Really Need the Local Church
Is belonging to a church really just a formality? When asked what church she belonged to, one Sunday-morning visitor told a pastor, "The universal body of Christ."
Technically, she may be right. As we saw in the last chapter, every authentic Christian does belong to Christ--and that's wonderful! But is it either wise or right for a person to be linked spiritually to the universal Church yet have no connection to a local church? Is it even possible?
Wouldn't that be like telling your new bride that while your love is true, you have other priorities? Your heart of course is all hers, but as for the rest of you...well, you'll be in and out.
I propose that for sincere followers of Christ, the Bible allows no such disconnect. If you and I identify with and love the idea of church, we must consider how we can identify with and love an actual church.
A local church is a visible, tangible, real-world expression of the body of Christ. "Of course every believer is part of the universal church," writes Chuck Colson. "But for any Christian who has a choice in the matter, failure to cleave to a particular church is failure to obey Christ."
Charles Spurgeon agreed that for a Christian failure to join a church is disobedience. He combined piercing truth and humor when he compared such disconnected Christians to "good-for-nothing" bricks:
I know there are some who say, "Well, I have given myself to the Lord, but I do not intend to give myself to the church."
Now why not?
"Because I can be a Christian without it."
Are you quite clear about that? You can be as good a Christian by disobedience to your Lord's commands as be being obedient?
What is a brick made for? To help build a house. It is of no use for that brick to tell you that it is just as good a brick while it is kicking about on the ground as it would be in the house. It is a good-for-nothing brick.
So you rolling-stone Christians, I do not believe that you are answering your purpose. You are living contrary to the life which Christ would have you live, and you are much to blame for the injury you do.
Only by joining a local church can Christians avoid "kicking about on the ground" like a brick. It's in the local church that we are attached to God's work around the world.
Authors Brian Habig and Les Newsom, in The Enduring Community, make a helpful recommendation. Borrowing from the bumper sticker, they recommend that Christians should "Think globally, love locally." "All of us should concern ourselves with the challenges that face all people everywhere," they write. "But that concern cannot be expressed everywhere. We demonstrate our concern by acting and living where we are."
We see this combination of a global mindset with a local focus throughout the New Testament. The apostles weren't just caught up with the universal Church--they were busy planting and caring for individual local churches. Most of their epistles were written to specific churches in cities like Galatia, Ephesus, Corinth, and Philippi. Almost every time the word church appears in the New Testament it means a particular gathering of Christians.
They saw the big picture, but they understood that you could never separate God's big-picture plan from everyday service and involvement with people.
Excerpted from Stop Dating the Church.
Why We Really Need the Local Church
Is belonging to a church really just a formality? When asked what church she belonged to, one Sunday-morning visitor told a pastor, "The universal body of Christ."
Technically, she may be right. As we saw in the last chapter, every authentic Christian does belong to Christ--and that's wonderful! But is it either wise or right for a person to be linked spiritually to the universal Church yet have no connection to a local church? Is it even possible?
Wouldn't that be like telling your new bride that while your love is true, you have other priorities? Your heart of course is all hers, but as for the rest of you...well, you'll be in and out.
I propose that for sincere followers of Christ, the Bible allows no such disconnect. If you and I identify with and love the idea of church, we must consider how we can identify with and love an actual church.
A local church is a visible, tangible, real-world expression of the body of Christ. "Of course every believer is part of the universal church," writes Chuck Colson. "But for any Christian who has a choice in the matter, failure to cleave to a particular church is failure to obey Christ."
Charles Spurgeon agreed that for a Christian failure to join a church is disobedience. He combined piercing truth and humor when he compared such disconnected Christians to "good-for-nothing" bricks:
I know there are some who say, "Well, I have given myself to the Lord, but I do not intend to give myself to the church."
Now why not?
"Because I can be a Christian without it."
Are you quite clear about that? You can be as good a Christian by disobedience to your Lord's commands as be being obedient?
What is a brick made for? To help build a house. It is of no use for that brick to tell you that it is just as good a brick while it is kicking about on the ground as it would be in the house. It is a good-for-nothing brick.
So you rolling-stone Christians, I do not believe that you are answering your purpose. You are living contrary to the life which Christ would have you live, and you are much to blame for the injury you do.
Only by joining a local church can Christians avoid "kicking about on the ground" like a brick. It's in the local church that we are attached to God's work around the world.
Authors Brian Habig and Les Newsom, in The Enduring Community, make a helpful recommendation. Borrowing from the bumper sticker, they recommend that Christians should "Think globally, love locally." "All of us should concern ourselves with the challenges that face all people everywhere," they write. "But that concern cannot be expressed everywhere. We demonstrate our concern by acting and living where we are."
We see this combination of a global mindset with a local focus throughout the New Testament. The apostles weren't just caught up with the universal Church--they were busy planting and caring for individual local churches. Most of their epistles were written to specific churches in cities like Galatia, Ephesus, Corinth, and Philippi. Almost every time the word church appears in the New Testament it means a particular gathering of Christians.
They saw the big picture, but they understood that you could never separate God's big-picture plan from everyday service and involvement with people.
Excerpted from Stop Dating the Church.
23 February 2010
Rest according to Revelation - Rest #6
This is the second to last of our brief looks at rest in the Bible. Our last post on rest will discuss some practical tips for rest in today's culture. Be on the lookout for it.
Revelation 14:13 says, "Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.'
Do you think about this rest very often? This is the full and final rest to which we ought to always have a keen eye. One day we will rest from all of our earthly labors. The trials we experience here for the sake of Christ will be no more. The battles we engage in to put to death sin in our lives will be over. The sufferings of living life in a sin-cursed world will be done away with. Our race towards purity and holiness will be complete. Faith (believing and acting upon what God says) will be unnecessary, because we will see God. Those who patiently endure this life, obey the commandments of God, and remain faithful to Jesus (now and in the time of tribulation to come) as verse 12 indicates, will rest from "their labor." What a day to look forward to!
Two themes emerge here:
1) We must do battle to remain devoted to Christ. We must continually guard our hearts against lesser lovers or "gods." We cannot allow other things, people, or desires to serve as our functional gods. What other "gods" might we have? Take a few minutes to examine things like: where you spend your money, where your thoughts drift in your free time, or what you have to have or you stress out. Also ask yourself: "Is my love for Christ, His Word, His Church, and my unsaved friends growing?" Asking these questions regularly (and having others around us ask these questions of us regularly), can help us to remain devoted to Christ.
2) We should look forward to rewards after death. Remain devoted to Christ because He promises great rewards for those who do. True rest is an unparalleled reward. Pleasures in this life are great, but they are just a hint of the pleasures to be experienced in heaven. To remain devoted to Christ is not a vain pursuit. 1 Cor 15:58 says, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Let's re-evaluate where we devote our time in this life, and prioritize our efforts around a quest that is not vain but in fact leads to the sweet reward of rest with God. One commentator said, "Death is not the end, but a transition from the temporal to what is final."
Do you look forward to this rest? Does this coming rest affect your everyday life?
- Does this rest affect the effort you put in at work or school? Work hard now, rest is the reward!
- Does this coming rest affect the energy you put into fighting you battle with pornography? True blessedness comes to those who devote themselves to Christ - the pleasures of pornography don't even begin to compare to this coming blessedness! By the grace of God, go to war with your desires that seem uncontrollable. Wage war now and rest later.
- Does this coming rest impact your efforts to parent your young children? It should! You're tired now (understandably so!), but true rest is promised to those who are devoted to Christ. Look for that rest, labor hard in this life, look for the reward to come! Bring up your children and teach them (by example and word) that true rest is not found in this life. True rest comes to those who, trusting in Christ's finished work on the cross, treasure Christ above all else. Don't just look for a nap in the afternoon, look for the true rest that can only come through Christ!
Revelation 14:13 says, "Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.'
Do you think about this rest very often? This is the full and final rest to which we ought to always have a keen eye. One day we will rest from all of our earthly labors. The trials we experience here for the sake of Christ will be no more. The battles we engage in to put to death sin in our lives will be over. The sufferings of living life in a sin-cursed world will be done away with. Our race towards purity and holiness will be complete. Faith (believing and acting upon what God says) will be unnecessary, because we will see God. Those who patiently endure this life, obey the commandments of God, and remain faithful to Jesus (now and in the time of tribulation to come) as verse 12 indicates, will rest from "their labor." What a day to look forward to!
Two themes emerge here:
1) We must do battle to remain devoted to Christ. We must continually guard our hearts against lesser lovers or "gods." We cannot allow other things, people, or desires to serve as our functional gods. What other "gods" might we have? Take a few minutes to examine things like: where you spend your money, where your thoughts drift in your free time, or what you have to have or you stress out. Also ask yourself: "Is my love for Christ, His Word, His Church, and my unsaved friends growing?" Asking these questions regularly (and having others around us ask these questions of us regularly), can help us to remain devoted to Christ.
2) We should look forward to rewards after death. Remain devoted to Christ because He promises great rewards for those who do. True rest is an unparalleled reward. Pleasures in this life are great, but they are just a hint of the pleasures to be experienced in heaven. To remain devoted to Christ is not a vain pursuit. 1 Cor 15:58 says, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Let's re-evaluate where we devote our time in this life, and prioritize our efforts around a quest that is not vain but in fact leads to the sweet reward of rest with God. One commentator said, "Death is not the end, but a transition from the temporal to what is final."
Do you look forward to this rest? Does this coming rest affect your everyday life?
- Does this rest affect the effort you put in at work or school? Work hard now, rest is the reward!
- Does this coming rest affect the energy you put into fighting you battle with pornography? True blessedness comes to those who devote themselves to Christ - the pleasures of pornography don't even begin to compare to this coming blessedness! By the grace of God, go to war with your desires that seem uncontrollable. Wage war now and rest later.
- Does this coming rest impact your efforts to parent your young children? It should! You're tired now (understandably so!), but true rest is promised to those who are devoted to Christ. Look for that rest, labor hard in this life, look for the reward to come! Bring up your children and teach them (by example and word) that true rest is not found in this life. True rest comes to those who, trusting in Christ's finished work on the cross, treasure Christ above all else. Don't just look for a nap in the afternoon, look for the true rest that can only come through Christ!
22 February 2010
Infinite God, Infinite Punishment
I've had the privilege the last few weeks of helping lead a small group through a study course called Two ways to Live: Know and Share the Gospel. Yesterday, we had a lively (and fun!) discussion on what Jesus' death accomplished and why the resurrection is important.
This quote from Owen summarizes well our discussion yesterday!
"The uniting of the nature of God and the nature of man in one person made Christ fit to be a Saviour to the utmost. He lays his hand upon God by partaking of his nature (Zech 13:7). And he lays his hand upon us, partaking of our nature (Heb 2:14, 16). And he becomes an umpire or referee between God and man, making sure each side fulfils its promises and obligations to the other. By this means, Christ brings God and man together who were driven apart by sin. We who were afar off are brought near to God by Christ. For this very reason, he had room enough in his spirit to bear all the wrath that was prepared for us. Sin brought infinite punishment because it was committed against an infinite God. Christ, being the infinite God in human nature, could suffer the infinite punishment that the sinner deserved. And so, by this personal union in Christ we are saved."
John Owen, Communion with God, pp. 49-50
This quote from Owen summarizes well our discussion yesterday!
"The uniting of the nature of God and the nature of man in one person made Christ fit to be a Saviour to the utmost. He lays his hand upon God by partaking of his nature (Zech 13:7). And he lays his hand upon us, partaking of our nature (Heb 2:14, 16). And he becomes an umpire or referee between God and man, making sure each side fulfils its promises and obligations to the other. By this means, Christ brings God and man together who were driven apart by sin. We who were afar off are brought near to God by Christ. For this very reason, he had room enough in his spirit to bear all the wrath that was prepared for us. Sin brought infinite punishment because it was committed against an infinite God. Christ, being the infinite God in human nature, could suffer the infinite punishment that the sinner deserved. And so, by this personal union in Christ we are saved."
John Owen, Communion with God, pp. 49-50
What more can he say...
One of our family's favorite hymns is How Firm a Foundation. Justin Taylor had this great post about this hymn on his blog the other day.
---------------------------------------
Remember the fourth line of the first stanza of the great hymn, How Firm a Foundation?
What more can He say than to you He hath said?
David Powlison, in his chapter in Suffering and the Sovereignty of God (pp. 150-151), meditates upon this line of the hymn:
I don’t know how you read Scripture. But there is a way to read Scripture that leaves you wishing God had said a whole lot more. How did Satan become evil? Why does Chronicles add zeros to the numbers in Samuel and Kings? How did Jonah avoid asphyxia-tion? Who wrote the book of Hebrews? And those aren’t even the questions that most often divide and perplex the church. Wouldn’t it have been great if the Lord had slipped in one killer verse that pinned down the eschatological timetable; that resolved once and for all every question about baptism; that specifically told us how to organize church leadership and government; that told us exactly what sort of music to use in worship; that explained how God’s absolute sovereignty neatly dovetails with full human responsibility? Only one more verse! And think what he could have told us with an extra paragraph or chapter! If only the Lord had shortened the genealogies, omitted mention of a few villages in the land distribution, and condensed the spec sheet for the temple’s dimensions, dishware, décor, and duties. Our Bible would be exactly the same length—even shorter—but a hundred of our questions could have been anticipated and definitively answered. Somehow, God in his providence didn’t choose to do that.
It comes down to what you are looking for as you read and listen. When you get to what most matters, to life-and-death issues, what more can he say than to you he has said? Betrayal by someone you trusted? Aggressive, incurable cancer? Your most persistent sin? A disfiguring disability? The meaning and purpose of your life? Good and evil? Love and hate? Truth and lie? Hope in the face of death? Mercy in the face of sin? Justice in the face of unfairness? The character of God? The dynamics of the human heart?
What more can he say than to you he has said? Listen well. There is nothing more that he needed to say.
[You can read the whole book online for free.]
---------------------------------------
Remember the fourth line of the first stanza of the great hymn, How Firm a Foundation?
What more can He say than to you He hath said?
David Powlison, in his chapter in Suffering and the Sovereignty of God (pp. 150-151), meditates upon this line of the hymn:
I don’t know how you read Scripture. But there is a way to read Scripture that leaves you wishing God had said a whole lot more. How did Satan become evil? Why does Chronicles add zeros to the numbers in Samuel and Kings? How did Jonah avoid asphyxia-tion? Who wrote the book of Hebrews? And those aren’t even the questions that most often divide and perplex the church. Wouldn’t it have been great if the Lord had slipped in one killer verse that pinned down the eschatological timetable; that resolved once and for all every question about baptism; that specifically told us how to organize church leadership and government; that told us exactly what sort of music to use in worship; that explained how God’s absolute sovereignty neatly dovetails with full human responsibility? Only one more verse! And think what he could have told us with an extra paragraph or chapter! If only the Lord had shortened the genealogies, omitted mention of a few villages in the land distribution, and condensed the spec sheet for the temple’s dimensions, dishware, décor, and duties. Our Bible would be exactly the same length—even shorter—but a hundred of our questions could have been anticipated and definitively answered. Somehow, God in his providence didn’t choose to do that.
It comes down to what you are looking for as you read and listen. When you get to what most matters, to life-and-death issues, what more can he say than to you he has said? Betrayal by someone you trusted? Aggressive, incurable cancer? Your most persistent sin? A disfiguring disability? The meaning and purpose of your life? Good and evil? Love and hate? Truth and lie? Hope in the face of death? Mercy in the face of sin? Justice in the face of unfairness? The character of God? The dynamics of the human heart?
What more can he say than to you he has said? Listen well. There is nothing more that he needed to say.
[You can read the whole book online for free.]
19 February 2010
The Marcions have landed!
This will be the last of our brief looks at articles in Carl Trueman's The Wages of Spin. If you missed our introduction to the book, click here. If you want to see our discussion of another article previously, click here.
Trueman's basic argument in the article entitled "The Marcions have landed!" is that much of the evangelical church today seems to have followed in the way of the not-so-famous (maybe infamous) figure in church history Marcion. We don't know a lot about Marcion, except that he grew up around the Black Sea, had heated communication from famous church history figure Tertullian, and was eventually excommunicated from the church in his day for heresy. According to Trueman, Marcion's "distinctive was his insistence that the Christian gospel was one of love to the extent that he came to a complete rejection of the Old Testament and only a qualified acceptance of those parts of the New Testament which he considered to be consistent with his central thesis" (pg. 165). So how has this figure who died in 160 AD, influenced the church today?
Trueman argues his influence had been on the level of the practical Christian life. First, the evangelical church today has largely emphasized God's love to the exclusion of most everything else. We see this in theological conversations... I've heard this recently, "God is not a wrathful God. He's a loving God. Surely he can't or won't punish people who don't meet His standard. That wouldn't be loving!" Have you heard something like that? Is that really the view of the Bible? Or does the fact that God is loving and angry at sin truly explain the Christian life? That's precisely the idea of Romans 3:21-26. God hates rebellion against God, and He must punish it. God is wrathful. If He wasn't wrathful, He wouldn't be good, just, or loving (to leave wrongdoing unpunished, I would argue is truly unloving). BUT God is not only wrathful, He is also supremely loving. God presented His son as a propitiatory sacrifice in the place of all those who would ever trust in Him. That is the epitome of wrath AND love! Praise God! That is the gospel! We must guard ourselves against this wrong emphasis/false doctrine of Marcion.
Secondly, Trueman argues that the evangelical church today has a tendency to (like Marcion) neglect the Old Testament in our theological reflections and our devotional lives. Trueman's first observation tethers nicely to his second. We have a wrong view of God's love, in large part because we have often avoided or maybe even in some cases thrown out the Old Testament altogether. I would argue that you really don't see the fully glory of Jesus Christ or the gospel without the Old Testament. The whole Old Testament prepares the way and points towards the culmination of God's just and loving work in the person of Jesus Christ. So what does that mean for us Christians who really don't spend much time in the Old Testament (outside of maybe the Psalms or Proverbs)? Think about your own life... how much time in the last few weeks have you spent reading the Old Testament? How many sermons have you listened to preached from the Old Testament? How many Bible studies have you done in an Old Testament book? Why is that? Is it because it's "harder?"
Let us study our Old Testament well. Let us glean all we can about the true nature of our wrathful yet exceedingly gracious God. Let us learn about ourselves and the horrific condition in which our rebellion against our creator has put us. Let us look for all of the ways that the Old Testament paves the way and points the reader towards the person and work of Jesus Christ. Let us delight ourselves in our savior who by His grace and for His glory has saved us. Let us not be Marcions!
Trueman's basic argument in the article entitled "The Marcions have landed!" is that much of the evangelical church today seems to have followed in the way of the not-so-famous (maybe infamous) figure in church history Marcion. We don't know a lot about Marcion, except that he grew up around the Black Sea, had heated communication from famous church history figure Tertullian, and was eventually excommunicated from the church in his day for heresy. According to Trueman, Marcion's "distinctive was his insistence that the Christian gospel was one of love to the extent that he came to a complete rejection of the Old Testament and only a qualified acceptance of those parts of the New Testament which he considered to be consistent with his central thesis" (pg. 165). So how has this figure who died in 160 AD, influenced the church today?
Trueman argues his influence had been on the level of the practical Christian life. First, the evangelical church today has largely emphasized God's love to the exclusion of most everything else. We see this in theological conversations... I've heard this recently, "God is not a wrathful God. He's a loving God. Surely he can't or won't punish people who don't meet His standard. That wouldn't be loving!" Have you heard something like that? Is that really the view of the Bible? Or does the fact that God is loving and angry at sin truly explain the Christian life? That's precisely the idea of Romans 3:21-26. God hates rebellion against God, and He must punish it. God is wrathful. If He wasn't wrathful, He wouldn't be good, just, or loving (to leave wrongdoing unpunished, I would argue is truly unloving). BUT God is not only wrathful, He is also supremely loving. God presented His son as a propitiatory sacrifice in the place of all those who would ever trust in Him. That is the epitome of wrath AND love! Praise God! That is the gospel! We must guard ourselves against this wrong emphasis/false doctrine of Marcion.
Secondly, Trueman argues that the evangelical church today has a tendency to (like Marcion) neglect the Old Testament in our theological reflections and our devotional lives. Trueman's first observation tethers nicely to his second. We have a wrong view of God's love, in large part because we have often avoided or maybe even in some cases thrown out the Old Testament altogether. I would argue that you really don't see the fully glory of Jesus Christ or the gospel without the Old Testament. The whole Old Testament prepares the way and points towards the culmination of God's just and loving work in the person of Jesus Christ. So what does that mean for us Christians who really don't spend much time in the Old Testament (outside of maybe the Psalms or Proverbs)? Think about your own life... how much time in the last few weeks have you spent reading the Old Testament? How many sermons have you listened to preached from the Old Testament? How many Bible studies have you done in an Old Testament book? Why is that? Is it because it's "harder?"
Let us study our Old Testament well. Let us glean all we can about the true nature of our wrathful yet exceedingly gracious God. Let us learn about ourselves and the horrific condition in which our rebellion against our creator has put us. Let us look for all of the ways that the Old Testament paves the way and points the reader towards the person and work of Jesus Christ. Let us delight ourselves in our savior who by His grace and for His glory has saved us. Let us not be Marcions!
17 February 2010
What can miserable Christians Sing?
Last week we took an introductory look at Carl Trueman's The Wages of Spin. If you missed that introductory summary, click here. Over the next few days, we'll look at two of Trueman's articles from the book. The first is entitled "What can miserable Christians Sing?" The title may strike you as surprising or even shocking. Can Christians really be "miserable?"
Trueman opens the article this way, "In the last year, I have asked three very different evangelical audiences what miserable Christians can sing in church. On each occasion my question has elicited uproarious laughter, as if the idea of a broken-hearted, lonely, or despairing Christian was so absurd as to be comical - and yet I posed the question in all seriousness" (pg. 160). Is the thought of a miserable Christian comical to you? I ask the question again, can Christians be "miserable?" Have you been broken-hearted, lonely, or despairing at any point, say, in the last year or last week? I know I have.
So what can we who struggle with loneliness, fear, broken-heartedness, uncertainty, and even despair (we who are often "miserable") sing? This is a penetrating question from Trueman. He asks it because he is concerned about the church. He is concerned that, "a diet of unremittingly jolly choruses and hymns inevitably creates an unrealistic horizon of expectation which sees the normative Christian life as one long triumphalistic street party - a theologically incorrect and a pastorally disastrous scenario in a world of broken individuals" (pg. 161). In other words, he is concerned that all of our songs are happy songs. All of the songs we sing in church give an impression that the Christian life is always or should always be happy go lucky. When in reality this is not the case. Trueman makes a great point. One that we would be wise to heed. So, what do miserable Christians sing? The answer may surprise you...
Miserable Christians sing...the Psalms. If you haven't recently, take some time to read the Psalms. They express in Biblical language the whole gamut of Christian life experience. The good (Psalm 32, 47, 100), the bad (Psalm 58-60), and the ugly (Psalm 69,73). The Psalms may not speak to the exact situation you're in (i.e. my roommate won't clean up after himself, called me a jerk, and is now giving me the silent treatment), but the Psalms speak in general enough terms that they have application to a whole array of human experiences (including the relationship challenges with your roommate). AND importantly, they are intended to be used in corporate worship. It is natural to come to worship "miserable," and allow the Psalms to guide your thinking and words amidst your "miserableness." Trueman says, "In the Psalms, God has given the church a language which allows it to express even the deepest agonies of the human soul in the context of worship. Does our contemporary language of worship reflect the horizon of expectation regarding the believer's experience which the Psalter proposes as normative (pg. 159)?" In other words, we ought to be discerning about the music we listen to and especially the music we use in corporate worship. "By excluding the cries of loneliness, dispossession, and desolation from its worship, the church has effectively silenced and excluded the voices of those who are themselves lonely, dispossessed, and desolate both inside and outside the church" (pg. 160).
So what are the implications for you? First, if you are struggling right now, go to the Psalms. Time and again, for me, Psalms 62, 73, 130, 131 have been so incredibly helpful, encouraging, and re-focusing. The Psalms have a way of speaking directly into and giving language to our experience. The Psalms help me time and again to re-calibrate my thinking with God's thinking. Second, we must remember that faithfulness not happiness or worldly reputation is the criterion of Christian success. We want to remember that in our own lives and encourage that kind of thinking in our churches (whether we are an elder, a lay person, a worship leader, etc.) Miserable Christians can and should sing... the Psalms.
Trueman opens the article this way, "In the last year, I have asked three very different evangelical audiences what miserable Christians can sing in church. On each occasion my question has elicited uproarious laughter, as if the idea of a broken-hearted, lonely, or despairing Christian was so absurd as to be comical - and yet I posed the question in all seriousness" (pg. 160). Is the thought of a miserable Christian comical to you? I ask the question again, can Christians be "miserable?" Have you been broken-hearted, lonely, or despairing at any point, say, in the last year or last week? I know I have.
So what can we who struggle with loneliness, fear, broken-heartedness, uncertainty, and even despair (we who are often "miserable") sing? This is a penetrating question from Trueman. He asks it because he is concerned about the church. He is concerned that, "a diet of unremittingly jolly choruses and hymns inevitably creates an unrealistic horizon of expectation which sees the normative Christian life as one long triumphalistic street party - a theologically incorrect and a pastorally disastrous scenario in a world of broken individuals" (pg. 161). In other words, he is concerned that all of our songs are happy songs. All of the songs we sing in church give an impression that the Christian life is always or should always be happy go lucky. When in reality this is not the case. Trueman makes a great point. One that we would be wise to heed. So, what do miserable Christians sing? The answer may surprise you...
Miserable Christians sing...the Psalms. If you haven't recently, take some time to read the Psalms. They express in Biblical language the whole gamut of Christian life experience. The good (Psalm 32, 47, 100), the bad (Psalm 58-60), and the ugly (Psalm 69,73). The Psalms may not speak to the exact situation you're in (i.e. my roommate won't clean up after himself, called me a jerk, and is now giving me the silent treatment), but the Psalms speak in general enough terms that they have application to a whole array of human experiences (including the relationship challenges with your roommate). AND importantly, they are intended to be used in corporate worship. It is natural to come to worship "miserable," and allow the Psalms to guide your thinking and words amidst your "miserableness." Trueman says, "In the Psalms, God has given the church a language which allows it to express even the deepest agonies of the human soul in the context of worship. Does our contemporary language of worship reflect the horizon of expectation regarding the believer's experience which the Psalter proposes as normative (pg. 159)?" In other words, we ought to be discerning about the music we listen to and especially the music we use in corporate worship. "By excluding the cries of loneliness, dispossession, and desolation from its worship, the church has effectively silenced and excluded the voices of those who are themselves lonely, dispossessed, and desolate both inside and outside the church" (pg. 160).
So what are the implications for you? First, if you are struggling right now, go to the Psalms. Time and again, for me, Psalms 62, 73, 130, 131 have been so incredibly helpful, encouraging, and re-focusing. The Psalms have a way of speaking directly into and giving language to our experience. The Psalms help me time and again to re-calibrate my thinking with God's thinking. Second, we must remember that faithfulness not happiness or worldly reputation is the criterion of Christian success. We want to remember that in our own lives and encourage that kind of thinking in our churches (whether we are an elder, a lay person, a worship leader, etc.) Miserable Christians can and should sing... the Psalms.
16 February 2010
Dug Down Deep
Josh Harris' new book Dug Down Deep sounds really helpful. Here's a promo video for it:
You can purchase Dug Down Deep here.
DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.
You can purchase Dug Down Deep here.
Rest according to Hebrews - Rest #5
Over the last few weeks, we've been thinking together about the nature of Biblical rest. Hebrews chapter 4 provides another perspective on rest that is both challenging and helpful for us. In Hebrews 4:9-11 we read:
"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."
Understanding this passage really requires us to grapple with the context of Hebrews chapters 3-4, and when we do that we note that the writer is aiming to exhort his Christian readers to greater love for Christ, greater faithfulness to Christ, and greater obedience to Christ. We see this summary teaching in Hebrews 3:1-6. In 3:7-4:13, the writer continues his exhortation, but this time he does so by way of warning. He exhorts them that rest is available, but they must be careful that none of them fall short of it (4:1), like (by analogy) the rebellious Israelites did before them in missing out of the promised land. The good news: it is still possible to enter this rest. But what does this rest look like?
Commentator George Guthrie provides 4 descriptors of this promised rest:
1) It is a rest that the readers must fear missing (4:1)
2) It is a rest that some in the community are in danger of rejecting because they have not combined faith with obedience to God's Word.
3) It is a rest that consists of ceasing from one's own works (4:10)
4) The rest may be entered now and will be consummated at the end of the age.
All this is pointing to the fact that the reader of Hebrews must beware. There is a "rest" that is available, and this rest "is a position of being righted related to God and partaking of His blessings," (Guthrie, pg. 166) but the reader can miss out on it.
So, what does this possibly have to do with us? Follow the logic of the passage above. First off, we should fear God. We need ask ourselves this question: "Am I in a right relationship with God?" If not, we have no hope of entering into the rest Hebrews describes, instead I deserve to be kept out of God's rest like the Israelites before me. Secondly, this rest cannot be entered apart from faith in Christ, and this faith is not a stagnant faith. Faith demonstrates itself in obedience to God's Word. Are our lives marked by increased obedience to the Word of God? Is your faith firmly planted in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and are you demonstrating this faith by a life that is ever-conforming to the image of Christ?
Christ is our rest. He frees us from spiritual death, and leads us into spiritual life in the here and now and in the world to come. He is our hope. In Him, and through His atoning work on the cross we can experience true Sabbath rest now and in the age to come. The readers of Hebrews needed to hear this and be exhorted to greater obedience to Christ. We also need to hear the same. Press on to that promised rest.
"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."
Understanding this passage really requires us to grapple with the context of Hebrews chapters 3-4, and when we do that we note that the writer is aiming to exhort his Christian readers to greater love for Christ, greater faithfulness to Christ, and greater obedience to Christ. We see this summary teaching in Hebrews 3:1-6. In 3:7-4:13, the writer continues his exhortation, but this time he does so by way of warning. He exhorts them that rest is available, but they must be careful that none of them fall short of it (4:1), like (by analogy) the rebellious Israelites did before them in missing out of the promised land. The good news: it is still possible to enter this rest. But what does this rest look like?
Commentator George Guthrie provides 4 descriptors of this promised rest:
1) It is a rest that the readers must fear missing (4:1)
2) It is a rest that some in the community are in danger of rejecting because they have not combined faith with obedience to God's Word.
3) It is a rest that consists of ceasing from one's own works (4:10)
4) The rest may be entered now and will be consummated at the end of the age.
All this is pointing to the fact that the reader of Hebrews must beware. There is a "rest" that is available, and this rest "is a position of being righted related to God and partaking of His blessings," (Guthrie, pg. 166) but the reader can miss out on it.
So, what does this possibly have to do with us? Follow the logic of the passage above. First off, we should fear God. We need ask ourselves this question: "Am I in a right relationship with God?" If not, we have no hope of entering into the rest Hebrews describes, instead I deserve to be kept out of God's rest like the Israelites before me. Secondly, this rest cannot be entered apart from faith in Christ, and this faith is not a stagnant faith. Faith demonstrates itself in obedience to God's Word. Are our lives marked by increased obedience to the Word of God? Is your faith firmly planted in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and are you demonstrating this faith by a life that is ever-conforming to the image of Christ?
Christ is our rest. He frees us from spiritual death, and leads us into spiritual life in the here and now and in the world to come. He is our hope. In Him, and through His atoning work on the cross we can experience true Sabbath rest now and in the age to come. The readers of Hebrews needed to hear this and be exhorted to greater obedience to Christ. We also need to hear the same. Press on to that promised rest.
Mohler on The Shack
In the last few weeks, the blogosphere has been ablaze with new comment on The Shack. It's amazing that a book that was released a few years ago is still generating buzz. President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Al Mohler explains why below...
"In evaluating the book, it must be kept in mind that The Shack is a work of fiction. But it is also a sustained theological argument, and this simply cannot be denied. Any number of notable novels and works of literature have contained aberrant theology, and even heresy. The crucial question is whether the aberrant doctrines are features of the story or the message of the work. When it comes to The Shack, the really troubling fact is that so many readers are drawn to the theological message of the book, and fail to see how it conflicts with the Bible at so many crucial points.
All this reveals a disastrous failure of evangelical discernment. It is hard not to conclude that theological discernment is now a lost art among American evangelicals -- and this loss can only lead to theological catastrophe.
The answer is not to ban The Shack or yank it out of the hands of readers. We need not fear books -- we must be ready to answer them. We desperately need a theological recovery that can only come from practicing biblical discernment. This will require us to identify the doctrinal dangers of The Shack, to be sure. But our real task is to reacquaint evangelicals with the Bible's teachings on these very questions and to foster a doctrinal rearmament of Christian believers."
Read the rest of Mohler's thoughts here.
And read another good review of the book here.
14 February 2010
One of the greatest...
This was quite possibly my favorite movie as a kid.
Listen for the "body bag" line at the end... it's classic!
Listen for the "body bag" line at the end... it's classic!
11 February 2010
The Wages of Spin
I recently finished reading Carl Trueman's The Wages of Spin. It's a collection of short essays which cover a wide array of topics. In this work, Trueman provides a witty and penetrating analysis of the early 21st century church. This is not just some academic hyper-critical work aimed at solely criticism though as Trueman (a church historian) clearly has a love for the church and the Lord of the church. One gets the sense that he desires to see Christ's church built up (Eph 4:12) as a display of God's glory (Eph 3:10). On the surface the articles don't appear to have much in common, but a close reading gives away the fact that they have a certain unity. Trueman describes the over-arching unity in the first few pages. He says, "If they [the essays in this book] have a unity it is perhaps that provided either by my concern to avoid selling out our evangelical birthright to every wind of cultural criticism or trendy new idea that comes our way - I am convinced that Christianity, as an historical religion, needs to listen very carefully to its history in order to build on past strengths and avoid repetition of past mistakes" (pg. 9). If all of these essays have a thesis, that's it!
Now, before your eyes gloss over and scroll down to the football highlight below, think with me (and vicariously Trueman) for a minute. Is what Trueman is arguing (no pun intended) true? Do we (the church) have a tendency to always be looking for what is new, different, or "relevant?" We say things like, "If our church just did _______________, then we'd be a cool church, more people would want to come, I'd grow more in my spiritual walk, and more people would trust in Christ as their savior." The new thing (_____________) solves all of our problems! Now don't hear me wrong, I'm not against new things and neither is Carl Trueman, but his point is we've got to be mindful that we don't just except things because they are new, different, or someone somewhere supposedly found it to be 100% effective. Trueman's argument is, that churches and individual Christians have alot to learn from the past. The past isn't infallible, but that's exactly the point. We need to learn from the history of the church, from those who have gone before us - they have strengths we can build on and past mistakes we should avoid.
Then, that's where Trueman takes us. Stay tuned in the coming days for a few of the lessons Trueman offers from the past and their implications for us today. In the meantime, why don't you find a good Christian biography to read. As you do, you'll start to get a feel for what Trueman is saying. Below are some of my favorite Christian biographies. Read, learn, grow, enjoy!
Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography by Iain Murray
To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson
Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners by John Bunyan
Here I Stand by Harold Bainton
Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper
Biblical Counseling & Rest
It's been a tough week to keep up with the blog... the Biblical Counseling Training Conference has kept me quite busy!
In the meantime, C.J. Mahaney had a terrific post on his blog about rest/sleep yesterday. I hope it's helpful for you!
--------------------------------------------
The topic of sleep is rarely far from the newsstands. Studies link sleep to everything from academic scores to obesity. A new line of sleep drinks features a shot of melatonin to help you fall asleep (think anti-energy drink). And of course the news is filled with reports of a major pop musician’s sleep problems and of his doctor, who is accused of inducing permanent and irreversible slumber.
Sleep is rarely far from conversation. Probably because sleep is never far removed from our lives.
Roughly speaking, most of us spend about 1/3 of our lives asleep (whereas mothers of small children spend about 1/8 of their lives asleep). The Bible says quite a bit on this topic, probably because sleep is both a good teacher and a revealer of the heart. The Bible says:
1. Sleep is a daily gift from God (Psalm 127:1–2).
2.Sleep reminds us daily of our need for God (Psalms 3:5, 4:8).
3.Excessive sleep exposes sin and leads to poverty (Proverbs 6:9–11, 20:13).
4.Sleep is sweet when we are walking in wisdom (Proverbs 3:19–24).
5.Falling asleep provides an opportunity to examine our hearts before God (Psalm 4:4).
For more on these points, see C.J.'s sermon "Sanctifying the Ordinary: A Biblical Understanding of Sleep."
In the meantime, C.J. Mahaney had a terrific post on his blog about rest/sleep yesterday. I hope it's helpful for you!
--------------------------------------------
The topic of sleep is rarely far from the newsstands. Studies link sleep to everything from academic scores to obesity. A new line of sleep drinks features a shot of melatonin to help you fall asleep (think anti-energy drink). And of course the news is filled with reports of a major pop musician’s sleep problems and of his doctor, who is accused of inducing permanent and irreversible slumber.
Sleep is rarely far from conversation. Probably because sleep is never far removed from our lives.
Roughly speaking, most of us spend about 1/3 of our lives asleep (whereas mothers of small children spend about 1/8 of their lives asleep). The Bible says quite a bit on this topic, probably because sleep is both a good teacher and a revealer of the heart. The Bible says:
1. Sleep is a daily gift from God (Psalm 127:1–2).
2.Sleep reminds us daily of our need for God (Psalms 3:5, 4:8).
3.Excessive sleep exposes sin and leads to poverty (Proverbs 6:9–11, 20:13).
4.Sleep is sweet when we are walking in wisdom (Proverbs 3:19–24).
5.Falling asleep provides an opportunity to examine our hearts before God (Psalm 4:4).
For more on these points, see C.J.'s sermon "Sanctifying the Ordinary: A Biblical Understanding of Sleep."
08 February 2010
Rest according to Jesus - Rest #4
Today we continue with the 4th installment in the "rest" series. I hope it has been as helpful for you as it has been for me. Today we'll look at Jesus' words on rest in Matthew 11. There he says,
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
We'll just make a few observations for reflection:
1) The implication from this passage is that all people are "rest deprived." While we are physically busy people (always running here and there), that isn't exactly what Jesus is saying. We are a people without spiritual rest. Our rebellion against God's rule (sin) has led to spiritual weariness. We were created to live under God's rule, and we've all told him to shove off. We seek satisfaction in places other than the God of the universe, we want to run our own lives, and we've subsequently made a mess of things. The result of our rebellion is spiritual weariness and misery. Our consciences condemn us. Do you sense this tiredness in yourself? Would you describe yourself as spiritually rest-deprived?
2) Praise God that Jesus offers rest for the spiritually weary (all of us)! Our rebellion can be forgiven, and we can have peace with God. That is the rest that Jesus offers to those who come to him. Better than rest from a hectic schedule, better than easier circumstances, better than inaction; Jesus offers true joy as a result of forgiven sin. He offers spiritual rest as a result of reconciliation with God. We'll see the full implications of this at Jesus' second coming, but it can be experienced presently. If you are spiritual exhausted, it's time to seek true rest in Christ.
3) Those who desire this rest, must take his yoke upon them. Like an ox submits to its master, so those weary rest-seekers must submit to the rule of Christ. They must trust in their master and His sacrifice on their behalf, and obediently submit to His commands. Living as a disciple of Christ brings true happiness, joy, and rest. Living life under His rule brings rest even amidst life's most challenging circumstances. His commands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). His way is truly "easy."
4) I love this picture of Jesus that Matthew offers. Jesus is gentle. He is "humble in heart." He deals tenderly with His children. In a world of harsh and imperfect bosses, in a world of broken relationships, and mistreatment by authorities; Jesus is a sweet and tender shepherd. This reminds us of Isaiah 42:3, where Isaiah looks ahead to the coming of Christ and says this of Him,"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice..." That is our savior. He doesn't break spiritually-exhausted bruised reeds, he brings forth justice. He brings forth true and lasting rest.
Puritan Richard Sibbes talks further about this rest that Christ brings. You can read it here. His short book A Bruised Reed is a gem.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
We'll just make a few observations for reflection:
1) The implication from this passage is that all people are "rest deprived." While we are physically busy people (always running here and there), that isn't exactly what Jesus is saying. We are a people without spiritual rest. Our rebellion against God's rule (sin) has led to spiritual weariness. We were created to live under God's rule, and we've all told him to shove off. We seek satisfaction in places other than the God of the universe, we want to run our own lives, and we've subsequently made a mess of things. The result of our rebellion is spiritual weariness and misery. Our consciences condemn us. Do you sense this tiredness in yourself? Would you describe yourself as spiritually rest-deprived?
2) Praise God that Jesus offers rest for the spiritually weary (all of us)! Our rebellion can be forgiven, and we can have peace with God. That is the rest that Jesus offers to those who come to him. Better than rest from a hectic schedule, better than easier circumstances, better than inaction; Jesus offers true joy as a result of forgiven sin. He offers spiritual rest as a result of reconciliation with God. We'll see the full implications of this at Jesus' second coming, but it can be experienced presently. If you are spiritual exhausted, it's time to seek true rest in Christ.
3) Those who desire this rest, must take his yoke upon them. Like an ox submits to its master, so those weary rest-seekers must submit to the rule of Christ. They must trust in their master and His sacrifice on their behalf, and obediently submit to His commands. Living as a disciple of Christ brings true happiness, joy, and rest. Living life under His rule brings rest even amidst life's most challenging circumstances. His commands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). His way is truly "easy."
4) I love this picture of Jesus that Matthew offers. Jesus is gentle. He is "humble in heart." He deals tenderly with His children. In a world of harsh and imperfect bosses, in a world of broken relationships, and mistreatment by authorities; Jesus is a sweet and tender shepherd. This reminds us of Isaiah 42:3, where Isaiah looks ahead to the coming of Christ and says this of Him,"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice..." That is our savior. He doesn't break spiritually-exhausted bruised reeds, he brings forth justice. He brings forth true and lasting rest.
Puritan Richard Sibbes talks further about this rest that Christ brings. You can read it here. His short book A Bruised Reed is a gem.
04 February 2010
South Africa 2010
If the Spurs highlight wasn't enough football for you today, have no fear. South Africa 2010 is just around the corner...
Before you know it, England will be playing the US (on the day of our seminary graduation!)
Before you know it, England will be playing the US (on the day of our seminary graduation!)
FA Cup 5th Round
Spurs secured their place in the 5th round last night.
Apparently, Harry Redknapp thought Jermain Defoe could have scored 6.
Apparently, Harry Redknapp thought Jermain Defoe could have scored 6.
03 February 2010
Communion with the Father
"The light of the sun comes to us by its beams. By its beams we see the sun, and by its beams the sun touches us. Jesus Christ is the beam of his Father's love and through him the Father's love reaches down and touches us. By Jesus Christ also we see and experience and are led up to the Father's love. If we, as believers, would meditate on this truth more and live in the light of it, there would be great spiritual growth in our walk with God... Believers learn that it was God's will and purpose to love them from everlasting to everlasting in Christ, and that all reason for God to be angry with us and treat us as his enemies has been taken away. The believer, being brought by Christ into the bosom of the Father, rests in the full assurance of God's love and of never being separated from that love. This is the first act of communion which the believer has with the Father." (Communion with God, pg. 16-17).
A few observations:
1) What a delightful thought expressed in delightful imagery. Jesus is the means by which we experience the love of the Father. It comes to us through him as a beam from the sun. The Puritans sure know how to use imagery... I have much to learn here!
2) Think about how meditating on and living in light of the Father's love would impact our spiritual walks. If I meditated on the Father's love shown to me in Christ more, I think I would grumble/complain less and grow in thankfulness for all of God's gracious gifts. I think I would want to read my Bible more, fellowship with God's people more, share the gospel with my friends more, etc... Can you think of other ways meditating on God's love can/should impact us?
3) Meditating on God's love is our first act of communion with the Father. I believe Owen to be right. We can love the Father (commune with the Father), because "He first loved us." (1 John 4:19).
Conclusion: Spending time meditating on God's gracious love for us (as brought to us through Christ), as outlined in Scripture, would be a tremendous benefit to our spiritual growth and the first step towards increased communion with the Father.
Spurgeon on Reading
Great advice for a seminarian who loves to read...
"Master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you. Read and reread them, masticate and digest them. Let them go into your very self. Peruse a good book several times and make notes and analyses of it. A student will find that his mental constitution is more affected by one book thoroughly mastered than by twenty books he has merely skimmed. Little learning and much pride comes from hasty reading. Some men are disabled from thinking by their putting meditation away for the sake of much reading. In reading let your motto be 'much not many.'"
C.H. Spurgeon
Lectures to My Students
02 February 2010
Rest according to Exodus - Rest #3
Now we get to one of the Bible’s key chapters on rest. It’s Exodus 20 where Israel gets their constitution as God’s special nation. They get the law (which is outlined so succinctly in the 10 commandments). For us today, there is much to learn about a Biblical theology of rest from this chapter. See it in Exodus 20:8. There we read:
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
As a nation Israel was to keep 1 day in 7 special. The 7th day of the week (Saturday) was to be viewed uniquely. On that day, Israel was not to go about their usual routines of commerce and agriculture. On the “Sabbath” day they were to rest (v. 9). Nobody (not even your servants, animals, or foreign visitors) were supposed to do any of their regular work (v. 10). The 11th verse is a fascinating one. This Sabbath day law for the nation of Israel is rooted in creation. God created in 6 days, and rested for 1. Israel is to follow His created pattern.
Zero in on the first part of verse 10 for just a second. This is not just a day of “chillin” for Israel. It wasn’t a day to gather around the bar-b-que with your buds and a 6-pack watching the game. It wasn’t to be a day spent rock-climbing, shopping, or [insert your favorite activity here] (although recreation wasn’t expressly forbidden). The point is: this was a day set apart for worship. Rest was mandated for Israel by law for the purpose of worship. It was a day to rest and get your spiritual matters in order. It was a day to be spent relating to God on His terms and by His grace drawing near to Him in obedience with His people. It was a day for worship. This is incredibly significant for us as we think about rest today.
Think for a minute, why do you take times of rest? Think of your last day off or maybe your last vacation... what was the purpose of it? Was it a special time set aside to get your spiritual matters in order? While God’s people may not be required to uphold Jewish Sabbath laws today, the regular pattern of rest rooted in creation is still in play. When you rest (which for many Christians is on Sundays) do you focus your attention on worship? Do you look for chances to gather with God’s people, enjoy fellowship in the gospel, and serve/build up the body? Do you focus your energies on reaching out to your neighbors with the gospel? Do you dedicate your time(s) or rest to these ends? Sadly, for many of us, our times of rest are all about ourselves. Let us think soberly about these things and repent where necessary. Let us press on together to rest God’s way for God's glory.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
As a nation Israel was to keep 1 day in 7 special. The 7th day of the week (Saturday) was to be viewed uniquely. On that day, Israel was not to go about their usual routines of commerce and agriculture. On the “Sabbath” day they were to rest (v. 9). Nobody (not even your servants, animals, or foreign visitors) were supposed to do any of their regular work (v. 10). The 11th verse is a fascinating one. This Sabbath day law for the nation of Israel is rooted in creation. God created in 6 days, and rested for 1. Israel is to follow His created pattern.
Zero in on the first part of verse 10 for just a second. This is not just a day of “chillin” for Israel. It wasn’t a day to gather around the bar-b-que with your buds and a 6-pack watching the game. It wasn’t to be a day spent rock-climbing, shopping, or [insert your favorite activity here] (although recreation wasn’t expressly forbidden). The point is: this was a day set apart for worship. Rest was mandated for Israel by law for the purpose of worship. It was a day to rest and get your spiritual matters in order. It was a day to be spent relating to God on His terms and by His grace drawing near to Him in obedience with His people. It was a day for worship. This is incredibly significant for us as we think about rest today.
Think for a minute, why do you take times of rest? Think of your last day off or maybe your last vacation... what was the purpose of it? Was it a special time set aside to get your spiritual matters in order? While God’s people may not be required to uphold Jewish Sabbath laws today, the regular pattern of rest rooted in creation is still in play. When you rest (which for many Christians is on Sundays) do you focus your attention on worship? Do you look for chances to gather with God’s people, enjoy fellowship in the gospel, and serve/build up the body? Do you focus your energies on reaching out to your neighbors with the gospel? Do you dedicate your time(s) or rest to these ends? Sadly, for many of us, our times of rest are all about ourselves. Let us think soberly about these things and repent where necessary. Let us press on together to rest God’s way for God's glory.
iPad shenanigans
The blog world and news media have been running wild talking all about the iPad. Some love it. Some hate it. Some really hate it. The guys below love it... alot.
01 February 2010
Thankful for Faith Bible Seminary
Seeing this post below made me so thankful for the visionary leadership of Faith Bible Seminary. My family has had the privilege of being involved in a shift in the seminary paradigm. It has been a challenging but tremendously profitable three years!
Owen Strachan: “Working Fools – The Strange Lives of Seminarians”
"In general, seminary life as it is currently practiced is quite difficult and it exacts a heavy toll from seminary families. At the very time in their life at which they really need to focus on their studies and their vocational training, many students are worrying more about their schedules, their bills, and their suffering families. This is an unfortunate and needless situation. If churches could commit to financial provision for seminarians, if pastors would commit to mentoring their charges, and if seminarians would commit to a mere (but rich, spiritually speaking) lifestyle, it’s my guess that you’d have alot less dozing seminarians–and alot more healthy churches."
If you want to read more about Faith Bible Seminary's unique seminary model - Go here.
How to wreck your church...
I am so thankful for the unity we have, by God's grace, here at Faith Baptist Church - as evidenced by Church Family Night last night. We are a group of sinners whom God has powerfully saved by His grace.
I saw this note making its way around the blogsphere last week. It is a powerful reminder for all of us from Christ Is Deeper Still. Read, pray, repent if necessary.
How to Wreck Your Church in Three Weeks
Week One: Walk into church today and think about how long you’ve been a member, how much you’ve sacrificed, how under-appreciated you are. Take note of every way you’re dissatisfied with your church now. Take note of every person who displeases you.
Meet for coffee this week with another member and “share your heart.” Discuss how your church is changing, how you are being left out. Ask your friend who else in the church has “concerns.” Agree together that you must “pray about it.”
Week Two: Send an email to a few other “concerned” members. Inform them that a groundswell of grievance is surfacing in your church. Problems have gone unaddressed for too long. Ask them to keep the matter to themselves “for the sake of the body.”
As complaints come in, form them into a petition to demand an accounting from the leaders of the church. Circulate the petition quietly. Gathering support will be easy. Even happy members can be used if you appeal to their sense of fairness – that your side deserves a hearing. Be sure to proceed in a way that conforms to your church constitution, so that your petition is procedurally correct.
Week Three: When the growing moral fervor, ill-defined but powerful, reaches critical mass, confront the elders with your demands. Inform them of all the woundedness in the church, which leaves you with no choice but to put your petition forward. Inform them that, for the sake of reconciliation, the concerns of the body must be satisfied.
Whatever happens from this point on, you have won. You have changed the subject in your church from gospel advance to your own grievances. To some degree, you will get your way. Your church will need three or four years for recovery. But at any future time, you can do it all again. It only takes three weeks.
Just one question. Even if you are being wronged, “Why not rather suffer wrong?” (1 Corinthians 6:7)
I saw this note making its way around the blogsphere last week. It is a powerful reminder for all of us from Christ Is Deeper Still. Read, pray, repent if necessary.
How to Wreck Your Church in Three Weeks
Week One: Walk into church today and think about how long you’ve been a member, how much you’ve sacrificed, how under-appreciated you are. Take note of every way you’re dissatisfied with your church now. Take note of every person who displeases you.
Meet for coffee this week with another member and “share your heart.” Discuss how your church is changing, how you are being left out. Ask your friend who else in the church has “concerns.” Agree together that you must “pray about it.”
Week Two: Send an email to a few other “concerned” members. Inform them that a groundswell of grievance is surfacing in your church. Problems have gone unaddressed for too long. Ask them to keep the matter to themselves “for the sake of the body.”
As complaints come in, form them into a petition to demand an accounting from the leaders of the church. Circulate the petition quietly. Gathering support will be easy. Even happy members can be used if you appeal to their sense of fairness – that your side deserves a hearing. Be sure to proceed in a way that conforms to your church constitution, so that your petition is procedurally correct.
Week Three: When the growing moral fervor, ill-defined but powerful, reaches critical mass, confront the elders with your demands. Inform them of all the woundedness in the church, which leaves you with no choice but to put your petition forward. Inform them that, for the sake of reconciliation, the concerns of the body must be satisfied.
Whatever happens from this point on, you have won. You have changed the subject in your church from gospel advance to your own grievances. To some degree, you will get your way. Your church will need three or four years for recovery. But at any future time, you can do it all again. It only takes three weeks.
Just one question. Even if you are being wronged, “Why not rather suffer wrong?” (1 Corinthians 6:7)
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