Sunday Leftovers (4/15/07)

What you believe is reflected in what you do and how you do it.

Everything you do reveals something about your belief system.

Those two statements are important for individuals and churches as they make decisions about the future. To that end, we have identified a number of truths that are crucial to us as we think about ministry and the church. I was able to say much of what is essential in each of those areas yesterday, but a few random thoughts remain on my mind as I think about these topics —

1. We believe in the supremacy of God above all things.

If God is supreme, that means that He is also sufficient (as is His Word). And if God is sufficient, that has (at least) two implications for ministry: we don't need to resort to a pragmatic (dogs, whistles, and dancing bears) approach to ministry. A simple and articulate declaration of His truth is sufficient to sustain ministry without the application of secular principles and ideas. It also means that God is trustworthy. He is enough and He is able. That He is able to provide the greatest need of mankind (salvation), means that He is also able to provide all the lesser needs as well. As C. S. Lewis said, "He who has God and many other things has no more than he who has God alone."

And if God is supreme above all things, then He is also worthy of attentive worship:

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God.
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit 'round it and pluck blackberries. [Elizabeth Barrett Browning]

I don't want to be a blackberry plucker. Nor do I want our church to have the legacy of being busy but missing the chance to reveal and delight in God.


2. We believe in the transforming work of the Holy Spirit

Since God is both supreme and sufficient there is nothing beyond the bounds of His authority. He is capable of transforming any man into a God-glorifying man. There is no individual beyond His redeeming abilities. That may be self-evident, but it's the kind of thing that many people today need to hear.

And many also view the end of the transformation process, when men are in the presence of God and can see Him — they are then fully redeemed. And while that ultimate redemption and transformation is our goal, it does not preclude the ongoing work of the Spirit now. He will not only change us finally in eternity, but He is changing us even now.


3. We believe in the sufficiency of Scripture

J. I. Packer summarized well why it is that we are so passionate to defend the inerrancy of Scripture:

When evangelicals call the Bible "inerrant", part at least of their meaning is this: that in exegesis and exposition of Scripture and in building up our biblical theology from the fruits of our Bible study, we may not (1) deny, disregard, or arbitrarily relativize, anything that the biblical writers teach, nor (2) discount any of the practical implications for worship and service that their teaching carries, nor (3) cut the knot of any problem of Bible harmony, factual or theological, by allowing ourselves to assume that the inspired writers were not necessarily consistent either with themselves or with each other. It is because the word "inerrant" makes these methodological points about handling the Bible, ruling out in advance the use of mental procedures that can only lead to reduced and distorted versions of Christianity, that it is so valuable and, I think, so much valued by those who embrace it.

If the Bible is errant or its truth obscured and indiscernible, then it is worthless. But since it is inerrant and since its truth has not been obscured and its wisdom is discernible, it has authority and is sufficient to address our needs (beginning with the greatest need — to know God).


What we do as individuals and as a church is rooted in what we believe about God. It all starts with a clear understanding about Him. When He is the focus of the ministry, then He also is the power and sufficiency for the ministry, and then people are equipped to know and love Him. It's His church. It's all about Him.

Sunday Leftovers (4/8/07)

The life of Christ has been called "The greatest story ever told," and the resurrection has been called "The greatest event in history" and "The key to everything." All those statements are not only true, they are crucial.

Christianity hangs on the validity of the resurrection, as Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 15. It is of first importance. There is nothing more important in the faith of the believer than the truth of the resurrection. If Christ was not resurrected, then our faith is worthless. Why would it be worthless? Because the fundamental thing that Christ came to do — to give His life as a ransom for many — was left unaccomplished. All men would still be in sin — entrapped and ensnared by sin, unable to live for the glory of God for even the briefest of moments and unable to do anything but sin. And of course if Christ is not victorious, then something and someone else must be — death would still reign, and Satan would be powerful.

Yes, if Christ is not resurrected, then we really are to be pitied more than any other men on earth. Everything would be wasted.

But thanks be to God that Christ is risen indeed!

And that has left us as humble and grateful recipients of the greatest treasure. As Spurgeon has noted, because of the resurrection of Christ, we have new life —

• We are made alive in Christ (and no longer remain dead in sin!)
• We are made alive in sanctification
• We are made partakers of a new life (e.g., as a contrast, Lazarus had the same life restored to him)
• We have a pre-eminent security for future perfection
• We have a life that is new in its principles, motives, objects, and emotions
• We have with this new life new possessions — we are rich in faith.
  

How rich we are because Christ became poor!

There can be no salvation from sin unless there is a living Saviour: this explains the emphasis [of the Epistles] on the resurrection. But the living One can be a Saviour only because He has died: this explains the emphasis laid on the cross. The Christian believes in a living Lord, or he could not believe at all; but he believes in a living Lord who died an atoning death, for no other can hold the faith of a soul under the doom of sin. [James Denney; quoted by John Stott, in The Cross of Christ.]

The Mortification of Sin (John Owen)

John Owen's The Mortification of Sin is considered a classic, and 350 years after it was published, is still probably one of the best books on hamartiology (the doctrine of sin) and specifically, how to mortify sin. It has taken me far too long to read it; I purchased it three years ago, and it has remained in my "to read" stack. But no more. I finished it today, and it will undoubtedly be one that I return to again and again to digest all its contents.

There are many useful statements in it — as one friend told me, "it is very quotable." It is also very helpful and practical.

Roughly half the book focuses on nine "particular directions" for mortifying sin. They were helpful in his day and they are helpful in ours —

1. Consider what dangerous symptoms thy lust hat attending or accompanying it: whether it hath any deadly mark or no. If it hath, extraordinary remedies are to be used; an ordinary course of mortification will not do it.
2. Get a clear and abiding sense upon thy mind and conscience, first, of the guilt, secondly, of the danger, thirdly, of the evil, of that sin wherewith thou are perplexed.
3. Load thy conscience with the guilt of it. Not only consider that it hath a guilt, but load thy conscience with the guilt of its actual eruptions and disturbances.
4. Get a constant longing and breathing after deliverance from the power of it. Suffer not thy heart one moment to be contented with thy present frame and condition.
5. Consider whether the distemper with which thou are perplexed, be not rooted in thy nature, and cherished, fomented and heightened from thy constitution.
6. Consider what occasions, what advantages, thy distemper hath taken to exert and put forth itself, and watch against them all.
7. Rise mightily against the first actings of thy distemper, its first conceptions. Suffer it not to get the least ground: do not say, 'Thus far it shall go, and no farther.' If it have allowance for one step, it will take another. It is impossible to fix bounds to sin.
8. Use and exercise thyself to such meditations as may serve to fill thee at all times with self-abasement, and thoughts of thine own vileness. As, (1) Be much in thoughtfulness of the excellency of the majesty of God and thine infinite, inconceivable distance from him.…(2) Think much of thine unacquaintedness with him: though thou knowest enough to keep thee low and humble, yet how little a portion it is that thou knowest of him!
   
9. In case God disquiet the heart about the guilt of its distempers, either in respect of its root and indwelling, or in repect of any eruptions of it, take heed that thou speakest not peace to thyself before God speaks it; but hearken what he says to thy soul.
   

How is this mortification done? Is it merely an act of self-will and self-improvement? Never! The "[Holy Spirit] only is sufficient for this work.…Mortification of any sin must be by a supply of grace. Of ourselves we cannot do it." So, he concludes,

"Act faith particularly upon the death, blood and cross of Christ: that is, on Christ as crucified and slain. Mortification of sin is peculiarly from the death of Christ.…He died to destroy the works of the devil; whatever came upon our natures by his first temptation, whatever receives strength in our persons by his daily suggestions, Christ died to destroy it all.…(Titus 2:14). This was his aim and intention, wherein he will not fail, in his giving himself for us. That we might be freed from the power of our sins, and purified from all our defiling lusts was his design.…Then, act faith on the death of Christ, and that under these two notions: [i] In expectation of power; [ii] In endeavours for conformity (Phil. 3:10; Col. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:15-19)."

I highly commend this book to you. It will take some time and effort to make your way through the old English, but it is well worth the effort — to paraphrase Thomas Watson, digging for gold is difficult, but worth the reward. So is this. [Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor have recently produced a compilation of three of Owen's works, including this one; the language remains the same, but they have provided helpful outlines, definitions of archaic words in footnotes, and a glossary. The title of that volume is
Overcoming Sin and Temptation and is widely available.

They Said It Better Than Me: Temptation

In a recent men's study on Proverbs 6, we dealt with the issue of temptation. In preparation, I came across a number of statements about temptation that were particularly helpful:

"When a man is confronted with the alluring temptation, he sees only the attractiveness of the desired object; only when his will has sanctioned the performance of the sinful act do the tragic consequences come into operation. We are free to choose, but not free to choose the consequences of our choice, for those are determined by the eternal purpose and laws of God." [D. Edmond Hiebert, The Epistle of James]

"Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is." [C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity]

"There is no spiritual duty, nothing godly you can set yourself to, in which you won't feel the wind of sin's resistance in your face." [Kris Lundgaard, The Enemy Within]

"Avoid idleness, and fill up all the spaces of thy time with severe and useful employment: for lust easily creeps in at those emptinesses where the soul is unemployed and the body is at ease; no easy, healthful, idle person was ever chaste if he could be tempted; but of all employments, bodily labor is the most useful, and of the greatest benefit for driving the Devil." [Jeremy Taylor]

"We are only poor for this reason, that we do not know our riches in Christ. In time of temptation, believe Christ rather than the devil. Believe truth from truth itself. Hearken not to a liar, an enemy and a murderer." [Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed]

"Temptation stirs the blood and influences the imagination. If we were revolted by it, it would not be temptation at all. Usually, though, temptation doesn't seem very bad, so we play with it, flirt with it, and invite it into our lives. When we pray about sins, it's not temptation that bothers us. It's the consequences of our disobedience that we want removed.…Only God can make us see sin for what it is. If temptation brought chains to bind us, we would resist it on our own. Instead, it brings flowers and perfume and offers life and good cheer, good times and enlargement. It bribes us with wealth and popularity and entices us with promises of prosperity and unbounded freedom. Only God can keep us from its charms." [Haddon Robinson, What Jesus Said About Successful Living]

John Calvin's Expository Genius

I recently finished reading Steve Lawson's first book in his new series, "A Long Line of Godly Men:" The Expository Genius of John Calvin. It is more than a biography; it is an examination of his sermon style that has as its aim "to raise the bar for a new generation of expositors."

Several things impressed me about Calvin as I read the book:

• the singleness of his devotion to Christ and the ministry. After his wife died after nine years of marriage, Calvin never remarried, but instead devoted himself to the work of ministry.
• how quickly after conversion he entered the ministry and began to have a significant ministry. Within one year he was preaching and within three years he had assumed the pastorate in Geneva, and two years later was banished from there. He quickly immersed himself in Scripture and so worked to demonstrate his giftedness that he was able to carry out significant ministries.
• the commonness of sin. He battled in Geneva many of the same kinds of sins that are prevalent today: gossip, adultery, licentiousness. Because of his influence in the Reformation, there is a tendency to think that the church in those days was more sanctified today. Yet the church battled with sin in its midst in its infancy and in the same kinds of ways today.
  
• his resolute commitment to the authority of the Word of God. One member of his church had been excommunicated for sexual sin and come back with friends and supporters bearing swords and demanding to be given communion. Calvin descended from the pulpit with these words: "These hands you may crush, these arms you may lop off, my life you may take, my blood is yours, you may shed it; but you shall never force me to give holy things to the profaned and dishonor the table of my God."
  

One more quote about Calvin:

"Calvin believed that biblical preaching must occupy the chief place in the worship service. What God has to say to man is infinitely more important than what man has to say to God. If the congregation is to worship properly, if believers are to be edified, if the lost are to be converted, God's Word must be exosited. Nothing must crowd the Scriptures out of the chief place in the public gathering."

One more quote by Calvin:

"We owe to the Scripture the same reverence which we owe to God because it has proceeded from Him alone, and has nothing of man mixed with it."

Sunday Leftovers (4/1/07)

Every word in Scripture counts. Every word is used by God to reveal Himself and His purposes (which is why Jesus makes statements like "truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished," Mt. 5:18). Which is why even a simple statement like the one tucked at the end of John 7:44 is so important — "but no one laid hands on Him." It wasn't for lack of trying. They'd been trying at least for months, beginning in John 5:18, and they would continue to attempt to kill Him all the more in the six remaining months before Christ went to the cross.

First only the Pharisees wanted Jesus dead. Then the Sadducees and the Sanhedrin joined their ranks. And now in John 7:44, some in the crowds also seek His death. But no one could touch Him. Why? It wasn't His time. He was wholly sovereign over the events that would take Him to the cross. He came to give His life as a ransom for many, not to have it taken from Him by a group of rejecting enemies. (And the fact that no one can undo, subvert, or change the plan of God for Christ is a reminder that nothing can subvert His purposes for our lives either.)

That He came to work salvation for sinners and offer His life a ransom for many and that He continually offered to salvation to those who were rejecting it and that He wept over the people He came to save who despised Him anyway is a sober reminder about how we can and should respond to those who need the gospel.

He that saved our souls has taught us to weep over the unsaved. Lord, let that mind be in us that was in Thee! Give us thy tears to weep; for, Lord, our hearts are hard toward our fellows. We can see thousands perish around us, and our sleep never be disturbed; no vision of their awful doom ever scaring to us, no cry from their lost souls ever turning our peace into bitterness.

Our families, our schools, our congregations, not to speak of our cities at large, our land, our world, might as well send us daily to our knees; for the loss of even one soul is terrible beyond conception. Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered the heart of man, what a soul in hell must suffer forever. Lord give us bowels of mercies! "What a mystery! The soul and eternity of one man depends upon the voice of another! [Horatius Bonar, Words to the Winners of Souls]

It is worth reading and praying over that last sentence. [Aside: Bonar also had a clear understanding of why people, when presented with the truth, still do not believe. Read one helpful comment here.]

If that statement is true (and Scripture affirms that it is in multiple places, like Matt. 28:18-20 and Rom. 10:14-17), then it is also true that the gospel must be articulated accurately and clearly. An inaccurate gospel stated clearly and an accurate gospel stated unclearly are both damning — both will leave people confused about the truth and lead away from the cross and toward an eternity in hell. Which is why Al Mohler recently opined, "What could be worse than getting the Gospel wrong?" In a word, nothing.

Getting the message right, stating it clearly, sorrowing for those who do not know or believe the gospel, and gladly trusting the authoritative God to accomplish His purposes are paramount in the gospel cause.

Preparing for Passion Worship

A simple thing to do to prepare your mind and heart for worship during the Passion week is to read the gospel accounts of the story on a daily basis. Event by event, word by word, confrontation by confrontation, day by day, you will be presented with the essential character and purpose of Christ. The reality of His person is inescapable to those who read with open minds and hearts. And the greatness and gravity of what He did will likewise grow in impact on you as you read.

So several years ago, I compiled a daily harmony of the events of the week of Christ's death that I have found useful for doing that very thing. You may download a copy of it here. May it stimulate you into a deeper love and appreciation of our Lord.

The Gospel and the Good Value of Guilt

John Owen (called by John Piper "the greatest Puritan Theologian") writes the following concerning the good role of guilt in mortifying sin:

Bring thy lust to the gospel, not for relief, but for further conviction of its guilt: look on him whom thou has pierced, and be in bitterness. Say to thy soul, 'What have I done? What love, what mercy, what blood, what grace, have I despised and trampled on! Is this the return I make to the Father for his love, to the Son for his blood, to the Holy Ghost for his grace? Do I thus requite the Lord? Have I defiled the heart that Christ died to wash, which the blessed Spirit hath chosen to dwell in? And can I keep myself out of the dust? What can I say to the dear Lord Jesus? How shall I hold up my head with any boldness before him? Do I account my communion with him of so little value, that for this vile lust's sake I have scarce left him any room in my heart? How shall I escape, if I neglect so great salvation? In the mean time, what shall I say to the Lord? Love, mercy, grace, goodness, peace, joy, consolation; I have despised them all, and esteemed them as a thing of nought, that I might harbour a lust in my heart.

'Have I obtained a view of God's fatherly countenance that I might behold his face and provoke him to his face? Was my soul washed that room might be made for new defilements? Shall I endeavour to disappoint the end of the death of Christ? Shall I daily grieve that Spirit whereby I am sealed to the day of redemption?'

Entertain thy conscience daily with this entreaty. See if it can stand before this aggravation of its guilt. If this make it not sink in some measure, and melt, I fear thy case is dangerous.

As I read that this morning, I could not help but contrast it with something else I read this morning about another attack on the gospel. It is essential that we "get the gospel right," for only in understanding the gospel truly will we be able to live truly. This is the value of Owen's book — he understands the gospel and its power to change the lives of men. I've waited far too long to read this book, which is becoming a treasure to me in my daily battle against sin.

Additional Communion Thoughts

In preparation for communion, I often like to read a chapter out of a book on the cross, or an article that I have previously harvested from a magazine or journal. This week a friend gave me an article that I will undoubtedly read multiple times again. Russell Moore ("The Red Cross of Jesus" — unavailable online) makes a compelling argument that while our culture has become obsessed with blood (not just with violence in general or with crime show television, but in particular through a growing interest in vampires in mass-market romance novels), the church has become increasingly sanitized from blood:

American Christianity is far less bloody than it used to be. Songs like "Power in the Blood" or "There is a Fountain Filled with Blood," or "Are You Washed in the Blood?" are still sung in some places, but fewer and fewer, and there aren't many newer songs or praise choruses so focused on blood. The Cross, yes; redemption, yes; but blood, rarely.…

We're eager to speak of life, but hesitant to speak of blood. Some of this is the result of the lingering sting of liberal Christian hostility toward a 'slaughterhouse religion.' Some of it is the result of an age that fears blood, but doesn't know why. Some of it is the result of our ignorance, as we think that "blood" is just another metaphor, one we can easily replace.

And yet, bloodless Christianity leaves a void.…

There is power — wonder working power — in the blood. Our culture already sees that. They're simply looking in the wrong veins.

I also came across this week a very helpful article by Paul Tripp on confession, repentance and forgiveness ("Mercy Me: Psalm 51 and Everyday Life") that is not only helpful in preparation for communion, but is also valuable for rebuilding our earthly, horizontal relationships.

Sunday Leftovers (3/25/07)

All men thirst for God. They know they are thirsty — that they need something to satisfy their deepest desires — but they know not that their thirst is for God. This leads them to drink all manner of worthless and detrimental water. In Finding God in Unexpected Places, Philip Yancey recounts the following story that reinforces this truth:

John S. Dunne tells of early Spanish sailors who reached the continent of South America after an arduous voyage. The caravel sailed into the headwaters of the Amazon, an expanse of water so wide the sailors presumed it to be a continuation of the Atlantic Ocean. It never occurred to them to drink the water, since they expected it to be saline, and as a result some of these sailors died of thirst. That scene of men dying of thirst even as their shops floated on the world's largest source of fresh water has become for me a metaphor for our age. Some people starve to death while all around them manna rots.

So it was for the Israelites alive at the time of Christ. The leaders were indignant over His claims to deity and authority, and the people were alternately interested in Him for His miraculous works, and disinterested in Him because of His hard sayings.

It's not all that different in our own day. Anger by some, superficial curiosity from others, and disinterested boredom from still others. And the great (magnanimous) irony in all this is that He still offered (and offers) salvation to any who might come. "If anyone is thirsty, let him come and drink" (Jn. 7:37). In Christ there is sufficient, overflowing grace upon grace (Jn. 1:16) for all who might trust in Him.

What John Piper Thinks About Television

What John Piper thinks about television is what believers needs to think and believe about television.

The television itself (the plastic case and the electronics inside it) is amoral. Those who produce the products (both shows and commercials) that will be aired on that television are largely immoral. Which is why Piper says,

There are millions who are numb to hope because of the God-belittling things they have done and how ugly they have become. They don’t lift lofty arguments against God’s Truth; they shrug and feel irretrievably outside. They don’t defy God consciously; they default to cake and television.

You can (and should) read other insightful evaluations of television and what it does to our God-pursuing minds and hearts here.

Sunday Leftovers (3/18/07)

While Scripture has a high view of Scripture, the goal of acquiring knowledge of Scripture, meditating on Scripture and listening to sermons is not the mere accumulation of more knowledge. The goal of Biblical instruction is not just more knowledge. Rather, true Biblical instruction and knowledge will culminate in people and in a church that are increasingly being transformed into the likeness of Christ, unified in their love for Christ and each other, and giving evidence of that love through pure living, clear consciences and real (unhypocritical) faith (1 Tim. 1:5).

To that end, for example, 1 Timothy is replete with examples and admonitions and encouragements to embrace the truth of Scripture. Among the approximately 40 references to Scripture (using words like "doctrine," "teaching," "instruct," "truth," "Scripture," "preach," and "true faith") in the book are repeated exhortations to uphold sound doctrine. Consider 3:15 — one fundamental purpose of the church is to uphold the truth of the living God. And 3:16 — the doctrine and truth of Christ and the Godhead are foundational to godliness. And in contrast to the apostasy that comes from willfully ignoring the truth (4:1-5) and the malnourishment that comes from weak and empty teaching (4:7), sound doctrine will provide constant nourishment for the soul (4:6).

These are vital statements. The church in America today is substantively weak and ineffective because both she and her members have little dependence on and respect for and commitment to and transformation from the Word of God. If the church will be the church in coming days, it will come from a joyful reliance on the Word of God.


Two more thoughts about the kind of people God is using in building His church, from two other pastors:

"There is no mistake more terrible than to suppose that activity in Christian work can take the place of depth of Christian affections." [John MacArthur in The Master's Perspective on Pastoral Ministry.]

"…many ministers of God meet with hard things which might discourage them, and trouble and grieve their spirits; but this consideration, that God is pleased to employ them in such service near to himself, that though they cannot do good themselves, yet they may do good to others, this should disquiet them." [Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.]

Sunday Leftovers (3/4/07)

There is a simple reason why Jesus says, "Do not judge according to appearance..." (Jn. 7:24). Because we are prone to being impressed with the superficial.

For the same reason that foods that have much attraction and little substance and sustenance (read: candy bars, fast food burgers, chips and dip, and bubble gum), we are prone to being attracted to spiritual life that is glamorous, easy and superficial. Why dig deep into the heart of the matter if you can approach it superficially and give the appearance of being transformed?

Dig deep, because only spiritual depth will give you the satisfaction of a nourished soul.

Beware of the sermon that doesn't challenge you to something greater than you are or can accomplish in your own strength (every sermon should be God-exalting and expound the Scriptures so you are taught, reproved, corrected, and trained for righteousness). Beware of devotional times that leave you yawning — both literally and figuratively (you are meeting the holy God who invited fear when others saw Him). Beware of ministry and service that doesn't invigorate you or even make you fearful (you have been called to do something for which you are not adequate!). Beware of honoring those who have superficial successes (like money and position) and ignoring those who have no such trappings (its dishonoring to the name of Christ). Beware of being convicted of sin without being transformed.

All these dangers and more are marks of a superficial life that is perhaps "reputable" on the surface, but is weak and crumbling internally.

We do well to hear the words of Robert Murray McCheyne, which he wrote to a young missionary who was about to leave for his new ministry:

I trust you will have a pleasant and profitable time in Germany. I know you will apply hard to German; but do not forget the culture of the inner man — I mean the heart. How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his sabre clean and sharp; every stain he rubs off with the greatest care. Remember you are God's sword — His instrument — I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.

There is a measure to the superficial life which is easy and simple. But the life of ease is not always (rarely, in fact) the good life. The good life is the examined, "heart deep" life.

Preparing for Hearing a Sermon

I have been carrying in my Bible for several years a statement by J. I. Packer [Quest for Godliness] that is excellent preparation for Sunday worship:

We must never, therefore, let our Sundays become mere routine engagements; in that attitude of mind, we shall trifle them away by a humdrum formality. Every Sunday is meant to be a great day, and we should approach it expectantly, in full awareness of this. [my emphasis]

How might we prepare our hearts so that worship is a joyful expectation?

George Whitfield gave six practical guidelines in how to listen to a sermon:

1. Come to hear them, not out of curiosity, but from a sincere desire to know and do your duty. To enter His house merely to have our ears entertained, and not our hearts reformed, must certainly be highly displeasing to the Most High God, as well as unprofitable to ourselves.
2. Give diligent heed to the things that are spoken from the Word of God. If an earthly king were to issue a royal proclamation, and the life or death of his subjects entirely depended on performing or not performing its conditions, how eager would they be to hear what those conditions were! And shall we not pay the same respect to the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and lend an attentive ear to His ministers, when they are declaring, in His name, how our pardon, peace, and happiness may be secured?
3. Do not entertain even the least prejudice against the minister. That was the reason Jesus Christ Himself could not do many mighty works, nor preach to any great effect among those of His own country; for they were offended at Him. Take heed therefore, and beware of entertaining any dislike against those whom the Holy Ghost has made overseers over you.
4. Be careful not to depend too much on a preacher, or think more highly of him than you ought to think.
5. Make particular application to your own hearts of everything that is delivered.
6. Pray to the Lord, before, during, and after every sermon, to endue the minister with power to speak, and to grant you a will and ability to put into practice what he shall show from the Book of God to be your duty.

In a very practical way, preparation for worship begins not just in the morning on Sunday, but in the day and days preceding it. It begins with a humble recognition that my heart needs transformation, and so I pray that the Lord will use the message on Sunday to transform me. To that end ask that God would equip the preacher of the Word with wisdom to accurately interpret the Word and deliver the Word so that the Spirit of God can use that Word of God to turn you into a man of God.

This week may be the week in which you make dramatic progress in your life — or it may be a week in which you realize one small piece of truth that has been inhibiting you from growing. Go to worship with the expectation that in either case, both dramatic or small, you are going to worship God and to hear His Word as if your very life depended on it (for it does!)

Two More Resources

The appearance of new and helpful resources regarding "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" is happening probably by the minute on the internet. So I will attempt to refrain from offering daily updates. However, two additional resources came to my attention today that I think are helpful:

• "Tales From the Crypt: Do we have the bones of Jesus?" Written by Kerby Anderson, the analysis is helpful, concise and perceptive."
  
• "Eight Reasons Why I Believe That Jesus Rose from the Dead." Written by John Piper, this article addresses my fundamental concern: rather than merely addressing the week arguments set forth by Simcha Jacobovici and James Cameron, we also need to positively remind believers of the truth of the resurrection and why we believe and defend it so vigorously. Piper does that well.

.mp3 audio

I have a small .mp3 player (512 MB) that I keep loaded with sermons only (and one music album for when my daughters are in the car with me). And I listen to several of those sermons (usually 5-8) per week. Even with a short commute (12-15 minutes), with the commute and lunch and various other appointments and 4 exercise times per week, I can usually listen to that many full length sermons with ease. So I'm always on the lookout for sermons on the web.

Last week I was telling a friend what I do, and in doing so ended up talking him into purchasing a similar kind of .mp3 player. So then he emailed me, "Can you send me some links of where you go to get messages?" So I did. And thought it might be of interest to others. This is what I emailed him —

Glad you're enjoying your .mp3 player. I have used mine probably hundreds of hours; it has been well worth the time. Now for some links: I listen to Piper every week, and receive his messages as a podcast in itunes (and then I just drag the message to my player). I have a few other podcasts in itunes, though I pick and choose what I download. I also like to look for conferences (Shepherds Conference, Resolved Conference, various Desiring God conferences), etc... I also look for interviews and lectures that are sometimes easier to listen to than sermons while I'm exercising (it's sometimes difficult to follow an expositional argument when I'm gasping for breath!). So here are some places I find sermons:

• John Piper — something like 2500 Piper sermons and conference addresses, like the pastor's conference, which I'm just starting to listen to.
• Mark Dever — I don't often listen to the sermons here (though I am challenged and encouraged by Dever's preaching very much), but I love and listen to all the Nine Marks Interviews and Henry Forum lectures. I just finished Al Mohler's series "Naked and Not Ashamed" and it was excellent.
• Resolved Conference — the audio from this year's conference is free; other years are $2.
• Shepherd's Conference — these aren't free, but they are good!
  
• Master's Seminary Chapel
  
• Dallas Theological Seminary chapel — I have particularly appreciated the DTS Dialogue podcasts
• Southern Seminary Chapel and special addresses — they have lots of resources here; I generally just look at the chapel messages.
• Al Mohler audio — perhaps the most insightful and Biblical commentator on the cultural condition today
  
• Justin Taylor — this is not an audio site, but it is one of the few blogs I regularly read, and he often references audio resources on the web, so I will often find resources that way.
• Mars Hill Audition — you won't agree with everything on these, but they are thought provoking.
• Tommy Nelson — They have just added a podcast feature to this sight, making even more of his material available.
  
• Steve Lawson — I've heard him several times at the Shepherd's Conference, and he's excellent.
• I also update what I'm listening to every Sunday or Monday on my blog ("on my .mp3 player this week"), providing links that are usually directly downloadable from my site.

That ought to get you started....

May these messages glorify God in your heart by deepening your understanding of and affection for Him.

Thoughts on "The Lost Tomb of Jesus"

If it is close to Easter, it must be time for an attack on Christ, the cross, or the resurrection.

And so it is. This Sunday, Discovery Channel is airing "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" in which the claim is made that a tomb in Jerusalem has been discovered in which the bones of Jesus may have resided, along with His mother and father, his wife Mary Magdalene, and His children. (Where have we heard a similar story recently? That one was well-addressed too: audio, notes, power point.)

Numerous websites and articles have provided helpful insight into this issue as well. See, for instance:

• Darrell Bock ("Hollywood Hype" and "No Need to Yell")
• Nathan Busenitz
• Ben Witherington
• Al Mohler (Larry King Live and Al Mohler's radio program)

For a growing list of other helpful sites, please also see Justin Taylor or The Shepherd's Fellowship. All of these authors point to truth that makes our faith defendable. We have a reason for the hope within us, and we have a literal and credible object of faith — Jesus Christ.

Given that so many are saying so many right, good and true things in analysis of this television show, I do not feel compelled to add my voice to that part of the chorus.

There is something else that must be added to the song being sung, however. And it is a voice of encouragement to the church to be vigilant in defending the faith. Maybe this event will pass with only a small measure of impact on the culture and the church. And maybe not. The case has been made that The DaVinci Code came and went with little influence on the church. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

As I reflect on over 15 years of pastoral ministry and nearly 40 years in the faith, it appears to these eyes that the attacks on the credibility of Christ and the Christian faith are becoming more frequent and more brazen, yet with a lower inflammatory impact, both in the church and the culture. The general attitude is a shrug of the shoulder, and a "what's new?" as if Christ's resurrection is of little importance.

It is of great importance.

Paul says the resurrection is of first importance. Was this hyperbole? Hardly.

• The resurrection of Christ is of first importance because if there is no resurrection, there is no salvation.
  
• If there is no resurrection of Christ, ministry and preaching is a waste of time and effort.
  
• If there is no resurrection of Christ, there is still accountability for sin (there is no forgiveness!).
• If there is no resurrection of Christ, there is no life for anyone.
• If there is no resurrection of Christ, life is pitiful for those who say they are followers of Christ.
  

The resurrection of Christ is a central doctrine and tenet of the faith — it is an issue worth defending (cf. 1 Cor. 15:12ff and 2 Tim. 2:16-19 to see what Paul thought about those who distorted Christ's resurrection) and an issue for which we will die, if necessary.

Why would men be so compelled to vigorously attack the resurrection of Christ? What's in it for them? Lawlessness and sin. If Christ is denied, if the resurrection is desecrated, then the authority of Christ is removed and sin is allowed to reign. This is Christ's word: "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold" (Mt. 24:10-12). There you have it from the lips of Christ: if truth is removed, sin is allowed to reign, and people can "enjoy" hearts that are cold to Christ without the conviction of their consciences. The conscience is dead.

Further, a denial of the resurrection of Christ is a Satanic attack on the truth, designed to keep those who are blind to the gospel in that condition (2 Cor. 4:4). Wherever there is an assault on the truth, you can be sure that it is initiated by the one whose very name means "deceiver." His work is to deceive people, making his lies appear attractive and like the truth so that they will believe and follow him instead of the glorious Creator (2 Cor. 11:13-14). His destiny is eternal hell, and his desire is to keep as many as possible from being satisfied in Christ and joining him in his assured destiny.

And even more tragically, attacks on the truth are also designed to upset the faith of believers. During the week preceding His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus taught His disciples that at the end of time, there would be "false Christ's and false prophets [who] will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect" (Mt. 24:24; my emphasis). This attack on the resurrection of Christ is not merely to confirm the blind in their blindness. It is to confuse the seeing so that they too will be blinded.

Attacks like this distort the truth and upset the faith of believers (2 Tim. 2:16-19). And that is the greatest tragedy of all. People who earnestly seek the truth and the Savior are dissuaded from following Him because of a horrid lie perpetrated by the Deceiver.

Will this attack pass? Perhaps (though I am skeptical that it will pass). But the truth of the resurrection is worth defending; it must be defended. It is of first importance. If we will not defend Christ's resurrection, we will defend nothing. And that will be to the spiritual detriment of Christ's chosen and elected people — perhaps even ourselves. It's time to sing the song of truth in defense of the faith.

Sunday Leftovers (2/25/07)

I have been deeply encouraged as I have prepared for communion and the sermon this week. I have read and perused more books and articles than I normally do, and have found many Biblical encouragements.

For instance, I found myself thumbing through J. I. Packer's Knowing God (it's been far too long since I picked it up), and came across these words:

On the cross Jesus lost all the good that He had before: all sense of his Father's presence and love, all sense of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, all enjoyment of God and of created things, all ease and solace of friendship, were taken from Him, and in their place was nothing but loneliness, pain, a killing sense of human malice and callousness, and a horror of great spiritual darkness. The physical pain, though great (for crucifixion was the cruellest form of judicial execution the world has ever known), was yet only a small part of the story; Jesus's chief sufferings were mental and spiritual, and what was packed into less than four hundred minutes was an eternity of agony — agony such that each minute was an eternity in itself, as mental sufferers know that individual minutes can be.

I also appreciated J. Dwight Pentecost's concise summary of justification in Things Which Become Sound Doctrine:

1. God is the source of justification (Rom. 8:30)
2. Blood is the ground of justification (Rom. 3:24-26).
3. Faith is the instrument of justification (Rom. 3:28; 4:5).
4. Grace is the essence of justification (Rom. 3:24).
5. The Spirit is the instrument of justification (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
6. Works are the evidence of justification (James 2:21, 24-25).
7. Christ is the position of the justified one (2 Cor. 5:21).
   

As I read, I was reminded again of the value of reading good writers who love God and honor the Scriptures (1 Cor. 11:1). I am always on the lookout for books on the cross that will deepen my faith and enlarge my understanding of the work of Christ on the cross. One of the works mentioned on this morning's outline would be a great place to start if you would like to add to your own library.

One more thought: A simple concordance search of the words "justify," "justified," and "justification" will yield a rich treasure of the work of God on behalf of those who have faith in Christ. Do the search, look up and meditate on the verses. It will encourage and enrich your soul.

Amazing Grace, Newton and Wilberforce

My family and I rarely go to see movies in the theater; we may make an exception in the next week or two. Today "Amazing Grace," the story of William Wilberforce is opening in theaters nationwide. If you are interested in knowing about the philosophy of the filmmaker, read the speech given by Michael Flaherty, the President of Walden Media, producers of this movie (and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, among others).

In addition, John Piper has written a brief (80 pp.) biographical book about Wilberforce's life. Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce can be purchased or read online. He has also written about the life of John Newton (redeemed slave-trader, hymn-writer and pastor), who significantly influenced Wilberforce. The book (which also includes an account of Charles Simeon and a more condensed biography of Wilberforce) is based on a sermon he preached at the Bethlehem Pastor's Conference.

These Inward Trials

These Inward Trials

I asked the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.

I hoped that in some favoured hour
At once He'd answer my request,
And by His love's constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

'Lord, why is this?' I trembling cried,
'Wilt thou pursue Thy worm to death?'
' 'Tis in this way,' the Lord replied,
'I answer prayer for grace and faith.

'These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may'st seek thy all in me.'

— John Newton


(HT: J. I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 229)

Listening to the Giants

When I purchased my first good camera in college (35mm film and everything), I determined that if I could get one or two, or perhaps three excellent pictures from each roll of film that it would be money well spent.

I've taken a somewhat similar approach to books — if I can find two or three really excellent ideas, quotes, thought-provoking or life-changing exhortations, it is worth the hours I invested in reading the book.

So having concluded Warren Wiersbe's Listening to the Giants last night, I would call it a worthwhile book. The book contains brief biographical sketches of 15-18 pastors and Christian leaders from the past 3 centuries, along with a number of other pastoral encouragements. Probably the most compelling chapter was the last one, "Marks of Maturity in the Ministry" — a chapter that will make it to my filing cabinet.

Other compelling thoughts in the book:

• a helpful definition of worship: "to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open up the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God." [William Temple]
• the advice of W. H. Griffith Thomas to preachers: "Think yourself empty, read yourself full, write yourself clear, pray yourself keen — then enter the pulpit and let yourself go!"
• and an oft-paraphrased and seldom-sourced quotation: "Henry Varley would have been a famous man had he never met Dwight L. Moody. But for some reason people remember Varley most for telling the evangelist: 'The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.'"

Why Sing Hymns?

Over the past generation, many churches have left behind the singing of hymns. Some have asked whether hymns are still appropriate or relevant for today. Yet at the same time, there are new hymns being written that honor the tradition of the ancient, Biblical hymns of the faith. Among these hymn writers are Keith Getty and Stuart Townend (e.g., "In Christ Alone").

Getty gave a very helpful summary of why he writes hymns and a theology of music at a recent conference. You may listen to it here.

Abortion and Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Al Mohler's analysis of Time magazine's current cover story ("The Grassroots Abortion War") on Crisis Pregnancy Centers is helpful and illuminating. Read it here.

More Dying and Living

What does a man think and write as he faces imminent death?

Read the words of grace penned by Al Groves prior to his death, as he anticipated that death. The letter was read at his memorial service.

Sunday Leftovers (2/18/07)

People are clueless about Christ (if they are unbelievers) and the power of Christ in their daily activities (if they are believers) because they do not want Him to intrude on their lives. They want trivial happinesses and self-indulgent pleasures (and lack of pain) without the transforming work of Christ in their hearts.

Jesus said it so simply and penetratingly: "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching…" (Jn. 7:17). Stated positively, if anyone wants to want to obey Christ, he will have Christ. Stated negatively, if anyone has no desire to do God's desires, he will not have Christ. The reason people have a dynamic walk with Christ is that they have a desire for Him. And the reason that others have no genuine life with Christ is that they don't want Him.

There are numerous examples of this in the life and ministry of Christ. Consider the parable of Jesus in Mt. 22:1ff, and Jesus' lament over Jerusalem (Mt. 23:37). And the crowd in Jn. 6:66 which has no desire to heed Christ's words about belief, so it leaves (in contrast with the disciples, who want Christ, so they stay; Jn. 6:67). And the church of Thyatira also repudiated the word of Christ because it had no desire to repent of immorality (Rev. 2:21).

The "poster child" of those who do not want to want God's will is the "faithful" son of the waiting Father in Christ's parable in Luke 15. He didn't get what he wanted from his Father, so he was unwilling to go into the party celebrating the return of his repentant prodigal brother.

These examples are related to God's repeated refrain in the Old Testament, "For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hos. 6:6). God wants more than just outward conformity to His ordinances; He longs for people that follow Him joyfully — out of a desire for His fellowship (see also Acts 7:39 for another of many OT examples).

By contrast is the plea of the praying tax collector, who demonstrated his desire to know God and follow God by petitioning God with the simple prayer, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" This is the prayer of the one who wants to want to do the will of God — he prays for God's mercy and grace to provide it for him (cf. also Rom. 7:24-25; 9:16).

John Piper said it well in a sermon four years ago:

…to you who say, you have never tasted the glory of God, I say, you have tasted many of its appetizers. Have you ever looked up? Have you ever been hugged? Have you ever admired anything? Have you ever sat in front of a warm fire? Have you ever tasted sexual desire? Have you ever walked in the woods, sat by a lake, lain in a summer hammock? Have you ever drunk your favorite drink on a hot day or eaten anything good? Every desire is either a devout or a distorted enticement to the glory of heaven.

You say you haven’t tasted God’s glory. I say. You have tasted the appetizers. Go on to the meal. You have seen the shadows; look at the substance. You have walked in the warm rays of the day; turn and look at the sun itself. You have heard echoes of God’s glory everywhere; tune your heart to the original music.

And the best place to get your heart tuned is at the cross of Jesus Christ. "We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). If you want the most concentrated display of the glory of God, look at Jesus in the Gospels, and look especially at the cross. This will focus your eyes and tune your heart and waken your taste buds so that you will see and hear and taste the glory of the true God everywhere.

That is what you were made for. I plead with you: don’t throw your life away. God made you to know his glory. Pursue that with all your heart and above all else.

So this is a worthy prayer for us today: "Lord, kindle afresh our hearts not only to be obedient to you, but to take delight in obeying you. Give us a passion to want you and to want to do Your will. Intrude into our lives to change our passions into godly desires — so Christ might be glorified (revealed) in us."

Help for Marriages

I regularly read books and magazines and journals and websites and have conversations with people that remind me that many marriages are in desperate need of God's grace to intervene and save them from self-implosion.

I also listen to several audio sermons each week to stimulate my own heart to joyful obedience to Christ. And one pastor that has consistently stimulated my heart to joy in Christ is John Piper. I am drawn to his preaching because he makes me long to know and experience the glory of God like no one else apart from Scripture itself has ever done for me. The glory of God is not just a theological topic that is divorced (I use that word intentionally) from reality, as his current series on marriage is demonstrating.

In his most recent message, he articulated the theme of the series in one brief sentence: “You cannot say to often that marriage is a model of Christ and the church.”

His sermons are providing the reasons why he says that: 1) This lifts marriage out of the sordid sitcom images and gives it the magnificent meaning God meant it to have; 2) this gives marriage a solid basis in grace, since Christ obtained and sustains his bride by grace alone; and 3) this shows that the husband’s headship and the wife’s submission are crucial and crucified. That is, they are woven into the very meaning of marriage as a display of Christ and the church, but they are both defined by Christ’s self-denying work on the cross so that their pride and slavishness are cancelled.

Three messages have been preached already. More are on the way. Listen to them here (manuscripts for each message are also available on the DG website):

• Staying Married Is Not About Staying in Love, Part 1
  
• Staying Married Is Not About Staying in Love, Part 2
• Marriage: God's Showcase of Covenant-Keeping Grace
  

Sola Scriptura

The audio from the recent Sola Scriptura conference hosted by Countryside Bible Church has now been posted. There are six messages in all, two each by Steve Lawson, Bruce Ware, and Don Whitney. I could only attend one evening, but have downloaded the rest of the messages and am looking forward to listening to all of them over the coming weeks.

I Like Leftovers...

I like leftovers.

It hasn’t always been that way.

Mom always had a meal schedule. I don’t remember exactly how it went, but it was something like, Sunday is turkey legs, Monday is chicken, Tuesday is pork, Wednesday is ground beef, and so on. And periodically there would be a surprise “clean out the refrigerator of leftovers.” I did not care for those days (Mom taught me not to say “hate,” but my disdain for leftovers was pretty high).

Then I moved out and survived on my own cooking, which began with ramman noodles (10 for a dollar!) and five for a dollar frozen burritos (I usually remembered to thaw before eating). All of a sudden Mom’s leftovers looked really good. And now having eaten a fairly high number of sandwiches in my life, I much prefer taking leftovers when I take my lunch to the office. Just because I didn’t finish a piece of steak or a bowl of soup the night before doesn’t mean that it suddenly became tasteless after a night in the refrigerator. In fact, some things taste better the second time around as the flavors have time to meld together.

That is true spiritually as well. Even though we may eat a delightful spiritual meal on a particular passage, there may still be more food to feed our faith and stimulate our godly desires in that same passage the next day. In fact, it is often only as we ruminate (see Ps. 1:2) on a passage over an extended period of time that its deeper meanings are comprehended and applied.

This is one of the reasons that Scripture often says to remember the things that have already been spoken. Discipleship is often not the impartation of new truth, but a reminder of the things that are already known and believed (2 Pt. 3:1-2). An effective means of stimulating one another to love and good deeds is simply to remind each other of the truths we believe and exhort each other to hold on and keep on (1 Thess. 4:1). This is what a parent does, and this is what a parent in the faith does (1 Thess. 2:11).

And this is also what a pastor endeavors to do (in part) every Sunday morning. Yet some things (believe it or not) get left on the “editing room floor.” Perhaps there are tangents suggested by the passage that get left out as the message is written on Friday morning, simply because they would be too distracting to the overall flow of the message. Or perhaps they are left out as the message is preached because of time considerations or because of the dynamic of communicating the passage unfolds while preaching. Regardless, the pastor regularly leaves the pulpit having provided a sufficient meal, with leftovers in hand.

What is done with those leftovers? If there are enough, they become a sermon the next week or on another occasion. But usually they just end up tucked away in the recesses of his own mind for his own meditation, or buried in a file folder in a cabinet.

Or they end up on a website blog the next morning. Often after fielding questions following the worship service or after my own further reflection, I realize that a point was inadequately explained or that something may have been edited that needed amplification, or there was another quote that would have provided further insight. What to do with those things?

Just a few years ago, there was nothing to do with those thoughts. But now with the Internet there is. So as a means of redeeming technology and as stimulant to my own soul to remember the truth just preached and as a foundation for a “spiritual midnight snack,” you will regularly find posted on my blog “Sunday Leftovers” — short thoughts, quotes, applications and expansions of the message from that morning. Use them to deepen your understanding of the grace of Christ and as a stimulant to a greater delight in Christ.

Family Worship

It is a common occurrence that a man struggles with how to provide spiritual leadership to his wife and children. Why is that? Perhaps it is because —

Laying aside all flattering words, I may say plainly that I regard the neglect of family worship as springing from lukewarmness and worldliness in religion. [J. W. Alexander]

Is there anything that can be done to have a heart change? In a concise (28 pp.) booklet entitled Family Worship, Don Whitney offers gentle and wise counsel about providing that leadership, surveying the biblical teaching on family worship, how it has been done throughout church history, and briefly some simple how-to's of family worship. The booklet is based on a two-part sermon series he preached last summer (audio 1 | audio 2).

Sunday Leftovers (2/11/07)

Proximity to Christ does not guarantee faith in Christ.

This was the reality of the half-brothers of Jesus prior to His resurrection (though they later trusted in Him; cf. Gal. 1:19; Jude 1).

It makes you wonder, doesn't it, how they could be so close to Christ — seeing His lack of sin day after day for years, hearing His speech that was so different even as a young man (cf. Lk. 2:41-52), and then seeing His public ministry of preaching and teaching — and yet dismiss His claims and reject faith in Him.

Jesus tells them (and us) why they rejected Him (and why people continue to reject Him): because they loved the world and its enticements more than they loved Christ. The world hated Christ, wanted to kill Christ and rid itself of the ministry of Christ, but the world did not hate the brothers of Christ (Jn. 7:7). There is only one reason that the world will not hate someone — if that person is part of the world system and loves the world (Jn. 15:19). The brothers had succumbed to the attraction of temporal delights and pleasures called worldliness and rejected Christ.

We don't use that word "worldliness" too much anymore. It sounds quaint to our "modern" ears. Old-fashioned. Even legalistic. But it was destructive in the time of Christ and it is destructive today.

What is meant by this term worldliness? David Wells offered a helpful discussion of it in a recent interview:

Worldliness is that system of values in any given culture that makes sin look normal and which makes righteousness look strange or alien. It’s what gives public affirmation, public credence, public approval to fallen human life. It’s what comes out in poll when someone says, "Well, everyone is doing it." That is worldliness. That is where you get public sign-off on what is wrong, and it exerts enormous coercive power because people feel as if they’re odd or strange if they don’t go along with a certain way of looking at life or living life or having certain things or doing certain things or being certain people. That’s worldliness.

He also adds that there is a temptation in addressing worldliness to deal with trivialities. But worldliness is about competing loyalties — you cannot love the world and be a friend of God. (You might read the last part of the last sentence again.) This is John's message as well — worldliness is comprised of fleshly lusts (don't think that just means illicit sex; it's much more than that), hedonistic (self-indulgent) and lusty desires, and arrogant pride. In short it is anything which does not and cannot originate with the Father (1 Jn. 2:15-17). It is, as Iain Murray wrote, "departing from God. It is a man-centered way of thinking."

We (like the brothers of Jesus probably did), think that the influence on us is not so terribly dangerous. (How else will pastors be able to justify watching profane television shows and movies and listening to heretical music and be able to call it "relevance" instead of impurity and unholiness?) Yet in Scripture "world" refers to that which has been warped by sin and tormented by beliefs and desires that are uncontrollable. It is hostile to God (sometimes openly, often subtly) and is that from which believers have been delivered from, not that to which we have been delivered (1 Pt. 2:9).

Two final words are helpful — one old and one recent —

The world is too much with us; late and soon
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! [William Wordsworth]

Most of us recognize the danger of exposing ourselves to sinful content, so we tend to set arbitrary limits based on how much we think we can "handle." When a movie or TV show presents us with mild or infrequent profanity, and occasional adulterous affair, or a limited amount of gratuitous violence, we sort of weigh the danger level. We act as if we each have a "sin threshold" beyond which we dare not go. We might as well ask how much of a poison pill we can swallow before it kills us. [Josh Harris, "Christians and Media."]

Worldly desires will delude us into thinking two dangerous thoughts (as Jesus' own brothers did for a time) — our sin is inconsequential and Christ is insignificant. Beware of worldly desires. With them, you may be near in proximity to Christ, but in reality you will remain far, far away.

Sex and Marriage

I have a book in my library that always makes a friend of mine laugh when he sees it on my shelf. The book is Lauren Winner's recent release, Real Sex: the Naked Truth About Chastity. He laughs because the spine simply reads, "Real Sex Winner."

Yet (while I don't agree with everything in the book) it really is a winner because it forces us to think critically about sex and fidelity and the forces that attempt to distract us from thinking truly about our sexuality. Winner recently addressed Calvin College in it's January series on the topic: "The Truth About Married Sex." Her talk is an expansion of a topic in the aforementioned book, and well worth a listen. Below is a quotation from the book that will give you a flavor of the lecture:

Premarital Sex: It Teaches You that Sex Is Thrilling

The main story our society tells about non-marital sex is that it's exciting. Indeed, "exciting" and "thrilling" are among the adjectives our popular culture most frequently attaches to sex. And premarital sex can be exciting. Folks who are in the dating pool cannot assume they are going to have sex every night, or every week. Sex isn't regular. It isn't ordinary. To the contrary, it is dramatic. Sometimes it is dramatic because it is bound up with the thrill of the chase-this is the drama of the much-touted college "hook-up." You get all gussied up and go to a party and you have a goal: to attract that cute man with the long eyelashes. Flirting is exciting. Knowing someone finds you attractive feels good. Not knowing the outcome — Will he or won't he? Does she or doesn't she? — can be thrilling.

Sometimes premarital sex feels dramatic because, by definition, it is part of a relationship that is itself not wholly stable. Even when you've been dating someone for a year, the lack of" permanence that fundamentally characterizes your relationship can add a certain frisson to everything you do with that person, from going on a Saturday hike to smooching on the sofa. Everything in your relationship gets some of its charge from the uncertainty, the unknown: put negatively, it gets its charge from the instability; put more generously, it gets its charge from the possibility.

This may be the single most significant way that married sex differs from unmarried sex. Married sex does not derive its thrill from the possibility of the unknown. Married sex is a given. It is solemnized and marked in ritual. It is established. It is governed by vows. It becomes a ritual in itself; it becomes a routine.

The sex of blind dates and fraternity parties, even of relatively long-standing dating relationships, has, simply, no normal qualities. Based principally on mutual desire, it dispenses with the ordinary rhythms of marital sex, trading them for a seemingly thrilling but ultimately false story. This may be the way that the sin of premarital sex sticks with us most lastingly; it may be the twisted lesson it teaches us most convincingly: that sex is exciting. That sex derives its thrill from instability and drama. In fact, the opposite is true: the dramas of married sex are smaller and more intimate, and indeed it is the stability of marriage that allows sex to be what it is.…

[So] There's nothing inherently wrong with married couples fostering a little romance. There's nothing wrong with the husband who buys his wife some lingerie or lights a few candles in the bedroom. The problem comes before that-it comes in a set of premarital sexual experiences that foster the expectation that sex will be constantly exciting, that it will be thrilling the way instability is almost always thrilling, the way walking on a rope bridge across a gorge can be thrilling. The problem comes when we learn to define excitement by instability's terms, to connect sexuality and desire with that instability, instead of teaching us to find it in the stable, daily-and yes, occasionally dull-rhythms of marriage. [pp. 118-20.]

Thoughts on Dying and Living

Generally we say, "living and dying." Life comes first, then death. Yet for the believer, the order is reversed. There is death, and then there is life eternal in all its fullness.

I thought of that as I read the blog accounts of the passing of J. Alan Groves. I was unaware of the life or ministry of Professor Groves until I read of it online. His wife's account of the final hours of his life on earth and his passage to eternity was moving, even to one who did not know him. We do well to think often of the shortness of life on earth and the reality of our eternal destiny. This account will help you do that. It's well worth a read, as is the more extended account.


(HT: Justin Taylor)

Questions to Sanctify Your Life

In this morning's devotional, Oswald Sanders asks a number of helpful questions to stimulate sanctification in our lives:

When we pray to be sanctified, are we prepared to face the standard of these verses? We take the term sanctification much too lightly. Are we prepared for what sanctification will cost? It will cost an intense narrowing of all our interests on earth, and an immense broadening of all our interests in God. Sanctification means intense concentration on God's point of view. It means every power of body, soul and spirit chained and kept for God's purpose only. Are we prepared for God to do in us all that He separated us for? And then after His work is done in us, are we prepared to separate ourselves to God even as Jesus did? "For their sakes I sanctify Myself." The reason some of us have not entered into the experience of sanctification is that we have not realized the meaning of sanctification from God's standpoint. Sanctification means being made one with Jesus so that the disposition that ruled Him will rule us. Are we prepared for what that will cost? It will cost everything that is not of God in us.

Are we prepared to be caught up into the swing of this prayer of the apostle Paul's? Are we prepared to say - "Lord, make me as holy as You can make a sinner saved by grace"? Jesus has prayed that we might be one with Him as He is one with the Father. The one and only characteristic of the Holy Ghost in a man is a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, and freedom from everything that is unlike Him. Are we prepared to set ourselves apart for the Holy Spirit's ministrations in us?

Final Thoughts from Adophe Monod

I just finished reading Adolphe Monod's Living in the Hope of Glory this morning. Several statements stood out as I completed the book:

"We have no idea of what we would be able to do if we were completely lost in such total harmony with God; if we would seek no other will than his. We have no idea of what we would be able to do if every word in our mouth, every beat of our heart, every thought of our minds, every movement of our spirit and body were oriented toward him to wait for him in the spirit of Samuel: 'Speak, for your servant is listening' (1 Sam. 3:10)." [p. 135.]

"Oh, how can we surround [Scripture] with enough attention and respect?…Most read [the Scriptures] superficially and content themselves with a few great general truths when they could be probing ever deeper and becoming aware (as much as they can) of all that is there, as it is written, 'The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever' (Deut. 29:29)." [p. 141.]

"Without the Word, prayer is nothing, having no source of nourishment. Without prayer, the Word is powerless and does not penetrate into the heart." [p. 154.]

I had no knowledge of Monod prior to purchasing this book, and only bought it because I trusted the publisher. What a sweet treasure this book has been for the past month or so of devotional readings.

Sunday Leftovers (2/4/07)

A comment made by David Wells in his book God in the Wasteland resonates in my mind as I think about discipleship and the state of the church: "God rests too lightly — too inconsequentially on His church." That is, too many believers follow God too superficially. And too often, He is followed weakly because the cost of following Him is too high or the desires we have for Him are misplaced (we want what He gives rather than desiring Him).

Three brief comments from others address this topic in different and provocative ways:

"…there must be a hearty reliance upon God, and a childlike confidence in him. I would recommend you either believe in God up to the hilt, or not at all. Believe this Book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing-place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the deeps of divine revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is poor faith, and is not good for much. Oh, I pray you, do believe in God, and his omnipotence." [C. H. Spurgeon, "Is God in the Camp?"]

"You will become like those with whom you 'walk' or spend time. If you spend much of your discretionary hours with foolish or worldly people — including those on TV shows and commercials — you'll grow more foolish and worldly. But if you become one 'who walks with wise men [you'll] be wise.'" [Don Whitney, Simplify Your Spiritual Life.]

"If there are so many Christians in the U.S., why aren't we affecting our world? I believe it's because…we treat our faith like a section of the newspaper or an item on our 'Things to Do Today' list. We file religion in our schedules between relatives and running. It's just one of the many concerns competing for our attention.…if Christianity is true — then it cannot be simply a file drawer in our crowded lives. It must be the central truth from which all our behavior, relationships, and philosophy flow." [Charles Colson, Against the Night.]