Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried. GK Chesterton

Better a brief warfare and eternal rest, than false peace and everlasting torment. CHS

"The purest joy in the world is joy in Christ Jesus" Robert Murray M'Cheyne

"If you meet with a system of theology which magnifies man, flee from it as far as you can" Charles Spurgeon

Thank you, Lord for rearranging me from the inside out.

There is no one too weak to be used by God; but many are too strong (pride) - 2 Corinthians 12:9

"I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever!" Isaac Newton

Even as Jesus came at the 1st advent, even so, come Lord Jesus, come quickly.

Emmanuel - 'God with us' - I am overwhelmed by the wonder.

"Christ did not die for any upon condition, if they do believe; but He died for all God's elect, that they should believe." Owen

Whatever this day may hold, whether seemingly bad or good, may I praise my God who is good and who does all things well. EKG

"Works? Works? A man get to heaven by works? I would as soon think of climbing to the moon on a rope of sand!" GEORGE WHITEFIELD

"Give your Bible the best, and not the worst, part of your time." J.C. Ryle

"Unless men see a beauty and delight in the worship of God, they will not do it willingly" John Owen

"Christ is not valued at all, unless he is valued above all." Augustine

The great profundity; Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so!

No chorus is too loud, no orchestra too large, no Psalm too lofty for the lauding of the Lord of Hosts. - Spurgeon

What will some of you do when you get to heaven, if you go on grumbling all the way? - Spurgeon

Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories... be fresh upon thy mind - Spurgeon

Perverted notions about God soon rot the religion in which they appear. Tozer

Happy Thanksgiving and praise to the Lord!

No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me. - Spurgeon

The most likely man to go to hell is the man who has nothing to do on earth. Idle people tempt the devil to tempt them - Spurgeon

"It is better to wear out than to rust out." George Whitefield

No man has found how far he can go with God because there is in the mysterious depths of God neither limit nor end - AW Tozer

Depend upon it, where self begins sorrow begins. CHS

Praise should always follow answered prayer. Spurgeon

Christian, remember the goodness of God in the frost of adversity. - Spurgeon

If we did evil and good came of it, the evil would be just as evil. - Spurgeon

A Christian should be a striking likeness of Christ. CHS

No man can expect to make progress in holiness who is not often and long alone with God. ~ Unknown.

Be entrenched in the truth of the Gospel - let in permeate your heart and mind and drip like honey from your speech. EKG

I would rather train 1000 men to do the work than to do the work of a 1,000 men. (Moody)

"Works before conversion cannot engage God, and works after conversion can not satisfy God." - Thomas Manton

Your damnation is your own election, not God's. - Spurgeon

Are you setting your interests on the things of God or the things of man? Jesus commends one and condemns the other. Matt. 16:23

Will you wait? Then you will not come - no one comes to Jesus while waiting.

That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own. CHS

Praise is the most heavenly of Christian duties. Spurgeon

It it easier to complain about than to commit to change.

I wish not so much to do as to be, and I long to be like Jesus. - Valley of Vision

Does not all nature around me praise God? If I were silent, I should be an exception to the universe. - Spurgeon Psalm 19:14

If we add to our churches other than by the Spirit making men new creatures in Christ, the increase is of no worth. Spurgeon

"Let no day slip over without some comfort received of the word of God." John Knox

"If you really long to save men's souls, you must tell them a great deal of disagreeable truth" - Spurgeon

God forbid that we would ever declare the His Word in a lifeless, listless manner! Montoya

Godliness is a requirement for all leaders, but passionate preaching is an added requirement for all preachers. Montoya

Christian life should be a mosaic of minute obediences. Spurgeon

It is one of God's perfections that He has the best possible plan and that He conducts the course of history to its appointed end. Boettner

'A holy minister is an awesome weapon in the hand of God.' McCheyne

"It is not great talent which God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus." McCheyne

The study [of the Bible] is the discovery of the truth and the pulpit is the sharing of this truth. Montoya

Required for preaching; filled with knowledge; skilled at clarity; motivated by love for the truth; energized by the Holy Spirit. Montoya

Preaching is passionate because it deals with the very nature of God and the expression of His love for humanity. Montoya

There should be no one with whom we converse so much as with Jesus. Spurgeon

When the sweat stands upon your brow, and you are tempted to loiter, cry, "No, I cannot stop, for I am Christ's. - Spurgeon

Heaven and earth and all that is in them are the instruments through which [God] works His ends. Warfield

The present day tendency is to set aside the doctrines of Divine Sovereignty and Predestination in order to make room for the autocracy of human will. Boettner

I was hemmed in, and then he gave me the effectual blow of grace, and there was no resisting that irresistible effort of his grace- Spurgeon

Let us not see the face of man today till we have seen Jesus. Spurgeon

I must confess I never would have been saved, if I could have helped it. - Spurgeon

Needed Irresistible Grace

My heart and prayers have much been with friends who struggle with the doctrines of grace and statements like that of the total inability of man or of the irresistible grace of the Holy Spirit. 

With regard to "irresistible grace" - the argument goes along the lines of this; if the grace of God unto salvation cannot be resisted, then what happens to the free will of man?  Yet, rather than look at irresistible grace as an "intrusion" upon the will of man, isn't it better and more biblical to see it as an absolutely "needed" grace of God so that we might see our need of Jesus and turn to Him at all?

As I was pondering such things, I read last night's entry of Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" (September 8) and it spoke so eloquently of these things that I wanted to post it for your consideration.

"The exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead."
— Ephesians 1:19,20

In the resurrection of Christ, as in our salvation, there was put forth nothing short of a divine power. What shall we say of those who think that conversion is wrought by the free will of man, and is due to his own betterness of disposition? When we shall see the dead rise from the grave by their own power, then may we expect to see ungodly sinners of their own free will turning to Christ. 

It is not the word preached, nor the word read in itself; all quickening power proceeds from the Holy Ghost. This power was irresistible. All the soldiers and the high priests could not keep the body of Christ in the tomb; Death himself could not hold Jesus in his bonds: even thus irresistible is the power put forth in the believer when he is raised to newness of life. 

No sin, no corruption, no devils in hell nor sinners upon earth, can stay the hand of God's grace when it intends to convert a man. If God omnipotently says, "Thou shalt," man shall not say, "I will not." Observe that the power which raised Christ from the dead was glorious. It reflected honour upon God and wrought dismay in the hosts of evil. 

So there is great glory to God in the conversion of every sinner. It was everlasting power. "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him." So we, being raised from the dead, go not back to our dead works nor to our old corruptions, but we live unto God. "Because He lives we live also." "For we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God." "Like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." 

Lastly, in the text mark the union of the new life to Jesus. The same power which raised the Head works life in the members. What a blessing to be quickened together with Christ!

SDG

If the pefection of the divine plan be denied, no consistent stopping place will be found short of atheism. Boettner

John 14:6 - Three Questions

Three questions I asked of the youth group a couple weeks back as we looked at the words of Jesus as found in John 14:6.  Those three questions were:

1.  How can I be saved?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Way; has provided the only means by which we might be brought near to God by dying on the cross for our sins and reconciling us to God?  (Matthew 7:13-14; Acts 4:12)

2.  How can I be sure?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Truth; that all that He has said about God, Himself and man is true and that we can be sure that all He has said has either happened or is going to happen?  (Psalm 119:160).

3.  How can I be satisfied?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Life; that all other pursuit of life are only temporary and leave one dissatisfied.  Only by finding life in Jesus does one find true and lasting satisfaction (John 4:13-14; John 10:10).

May I ask you, are you saved? Are you sure? And are you satisfied?

If we cannot get sinners where Jesus is by ordinary methods we must use extraordinary ones. Spurgeon

A divided heart leads to the self-deception of divided worship. Stuart Scott

Our salvation must increasingly affect our preoccupation with Jesus.

Misplaced worship is idolatry. Let us worship God alone.

The angels of God serve him with songs, not with groans; a murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks - Spurgeon

Bob Kauflin wrote: How you approach the start and end of a Sunday meeting says volumes about your view of the church and your role in it.

As long as we are content to live without revival, we will. ~ Leonard Ravenhill.

If any man will preach as he should preach, his work will take more out of him than any other labor under heaven - Spurgeon

Faith is the spiritual ability to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

My goal is God Himself...At any cost, dear Lord, by any road." John Owen

I love my God, I love the fellowship of the redeemed, I love my family, I love the good hand of Providence.

If the foundation of the pulpit be not laid in private prayer, an open ministry will not be a success - Spurgeon

Assurance [of salvation] comes not through faith in our faith but through faith in the Redemmer Jesus Christ. R. Phillips

"Man contributes nothing to his salvation except the sin that makes it necessary." --Jonathan Edwards

Unless professed faith is working faith, it is not saving faith and therefore cannot be true faith. S. Ferguson

"Converse less with man, and more with God." -George Whitefield

Let us find assurance not by long meditations on our own souls...but through an ever-absorbing interest in the saving blood of Jesus Christ.

What Kind of Church Would It Be?

What kind of church would the local church that I attend be if everyone was just like me?

How long would the church be able to pay its bills, support its ministries, and back its missionaries?

If everyone reacted as I do, how long would it survive?

If everyone won as many souls as I do, would the church be growing or declining?

Suppose that everyone supported the services the way I do, would there be any gatherings of God’s people?

If everyone studied their Bible and prayed as much as I do, what would the church be like?

Suppose everyone followed my example when it came to visitation, teaching Sunday school, caring for the nursery, or helping with the chores – what kind of a church would it be?

There is nothing little in God; His mercy is like Himself - it is infinite. CHS

Faith is simply a shorthand description for those who abandon themselves unreservedly to Christ... S. Ferguson

The new life is not ours that we should ascribe its excellence to our own merit: it is Christ's image...and is ordained for His glory. CHS

What blessings of the Spirit of God are you anticipating today?

A Summer of Hope

- but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 

(2 Peter 3:18)

The Goal of “A Summer of Hope”

To provide and promote a mid-week time of fellowship at the church for the adults, encouraging involvement and engagement in worship; in praise to the Lord, in the discussion of God’s Word, and in prayer with and for one another. It will be hosted at the Church on Thursday nights!

The Time Frame of “A Summer of Hope”

“A Summer of Hope” will begin the first Thursday of June, June 3 and run through September 23.  It will be hosted at the church.

The Structure of “A Summer of Hope”

Everyone is encouraged to arrive at the church about 6:45 pm.  The time of fellowship will begin promptly at 7:00 pm.  The general structure of the service will be as follows:

1.  Worship in song and testimony - 7:00-7:25 pm

(children will be involved in this time)

2.  Worship in the Word - 7:25-8:00 pm

(sermon discussion questions – the children will have a separate time of Bible and play time)

3.  Worship in Prayer - 8:00-8:25 pm

(encouraging prayer for the church and for one another)

The Children of “A Summer of Hope”

In order to provide the adults an opportunity for engaging Bible study and prayer, we will be expecting each of the parents with young children as well as asking any other adults to rotate through leading the children in a provided, short (15 minute) Bible lesson followed by some kind of play time.  Being summer, the kids could be supervised outside playing. 

The goal is to have several adults take a week so as to minister to the other adults, allowing them to enjoy the time of Bible study and prayer.  The more adults that participate, the more time each adult gets to spend in the fellowship (i.e. if there are eight pairs of adults then they would only need to serve with the children once every eight weeks.  Since there are only 14 weeks from June to September (not including Family Unity Nights), some would only need to serve once.  Please see the sign up sheet for “A Summer of Hope” Children’s Ministry schedule.

 

Walking in a Manner Worthy - Humility

Ephesians 4:1-3

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Yesterday I focused in on the phrase found at the end of verse 2 “showing tolerance for one another in love.”  Nothing like jumping right into the middle of a verse, but then, as I noted, that is what stood out to me – yesterday.

Upon continued reflection and study of these verses, I found several other things intriguing as well and thought I would comment on them one at a time.  Generally speaking, what we find in these three verses is the call “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which [we] have been called” followed by some expressions of what this “walk” – this behavior of consistent gospel living - looks like.  This picture of a worthy walk begins in verse 2 with the word “humility”.

What comes to your mind when you read the word “humility”?  A dictionary definition of “humility” is – “the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc…”   We consider “humility” a virtue and essentially as the opposite of arrogance or self-pride.  But what is interesting about this word as

Paul used it is that in Paul’s day, there was NO word for humility.  The idea of having a modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance was considered so odious to the Greek and Roman cultures that there was no word given to describe such a quality; as least as we know it. 

So how did Paul come up with the word translated humility in our text?  Most scholars believe that the early Christians coined this word and some even believe that Paul himself put two Greek words to communicate the Christian virtue of humility.  The two Greek words are tapeinos – which speaks of a state of being; being in low degree or without means.  We might say of a beggar that he is in a “humble estate”.  Paul combined this word with phren – which speaks of the mind or the understanding.  So the combination of these two words yielded – tapeinophrosune – which means to be of lowly mind, or lowly minded.

When left to ourselves and unchecked by self or by others, we will tend to have inflated views of ourselves and of our rights.  We will begin to expect and demand more from others than we are perhaps willing to give of ourselves.  To be humble is not to demand such “rights” so that you are ministered to; but rather to give up your own rights in order to minister to and meet the needs of others.  Jesus Himself was “humble in spirit” – not demanding His deserved rights as God in the flesh, as the royal and lofty Son of the Most High God, but rather coming to serve.  And He served well. 

I read a story that illustrated the idea of humility.  The story is of a very educated and respected pastor who had earned his doctorate in theology.  He had a lofty manner of expressing himself and expected others to honor his station of life.  As he was visiting the people in his parish, he called upon the cottage of an elderly woman, who, in disregard of the times and customs in which she lived, spoke to the pastor in the most familiar of terms saying, “Come in by and sit doun.”  The stately pastor, who had expected a more respectful greeting, spoke to her in firmness in order to quell any further familiar speech by the women saying, “Woman, I am a servant of the Lord God come to speak with you on the concerns of your soul.”  The woman looked at the pastor and admirably said, “Then, ye’ll be humble like ye Maister.”  Upon hear these words, the pastor felt the reproof deeply and never again sought to magnify himself at the expense of his office.

If we are to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which [we] have been called” then we must be humble, never seeking to magnify ourselves at the expense of our position.  When we put expectations on others because of our position, be it a businessman or a housewife, a CEO or a father or mother, a church leader or pastor, we are not being humble.  We are not thinking in terms of how to best minister to others, but rather how we think others should best minister to us.  Let us learn to be humble like our Master; considering the needs of others before we consider even our own needs, to the glory of God  and to the building up of the body of Christ.

I  close once again with the words of Paul in Titus 3:14 and prayerfully ask you to make this your ambition:

Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. 

SDG,

Pastor Ed

Walking in a Manner Worthy of Our Calling - Showing Tolerance for One Another in Love

The apostle Paul penned these words to the believers at Ephesus:

Ephesians 4:1-3

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

What stands out to me is the phrase "showing tolerance for one another in love." The meaning of this statement is that it takes work to be a part of a church family. There is to be a constant extension of mercy; a putting up with one another even when we feel we are being abused or neglected in the process. There are so many different backgrounds, different expectations; different abilities; and different interests. And yet we ALL have the same commonality - OUR UNION WITH CHRIST. He has brought all this diversity together, in unity here at Hope CBC, order to accomplish something far greater than we can readily imagine.

What breaks up unity of diversity is any combination of the world, the flesh and devil. We may not be able to control the world and the devil, but we can and are to exercise control over the flesh (our feelings, our wills, our emotions, our wants, etc. - Galatians 5:22-23). Sometimes in church life we have to exercise "tolerance" - forbearance; but not just neutrally, but to show it, reveal it, LIVE IT, for one another "in love." This statement, "showing tolerance for one another in love" is like a blanket that is thrown over the sins and irritants of others, not in order to justify or excuse them, but to keep such things from becoming bigger in our own eyes as we seek to minister to one another. Such a tolerance has the idea of even taking abuse from others while continuing to love them.

And what of this love? This is agape love - that is a seeking of the highest good of one another regardless of personal cost and all to the glory of God. This is what we are called to. This is a "walking in a manner worthy of the calling with which [we] have been called" (Ephesians 4:1). This is keeping Christ as central and primary in our lives. The world will know that Jesus Christ has been sent by God as we demonstrate love, tolerant love, to one another.

EACH ONE OF US has a role, a part, an important gift of grace to contribute to the well-being of the the Body of Christ (1 Peter 4:10), to the exaltation of Christ and all to the glory of God. Let us pray for and learn our roles here at Hope CBC. Our flesh will come up with excuses not to serve, not to participate, not to be engaged; because of circumstances or people or whatever. At these times we must show tolerance to one another in love. So, when considering your plans and activities will you keep the following in mind?

We can so easily fall into the trap of doing what is right in our own eyes, which is really another way of saying, "doing what seems best for me." The real questions are;

1) Is this best for the glory of Christ (Colossians 1:18);

2) Is this best for the body of Christ (the fellowship - Hebrews 10:24-25); and

3) Is this best for the witness of Christ (evangelism - Matthew 5:16). (taken from the Hope CBC discussion board on Facebook. To read the entire discussion, please click here).

ONLY after I have prayerfully answered those questions can I rightly consider myself.

My heart aches for all of you with all the affection of Christ. Let us press on together for the cause of Christ, encouraging one another in the faith and evangelizing the lost to the glory of God.

For the glory of the Father and the exaltation of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit,

Pastor Ed

Psalm 103:1 - One downcast believer makes twenty souls sad. CHS

Our Master does not think so lightly of our unbelief as we do. Read Joshua 1:7.

Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature (Grudem). Sin is an assualt on the glory of God.

Sinfulness is demonstrated by a lack of conformity to the moral law of God.

Sin is the contradiction of the excellence of God's moral and holy nature.

All sin is ultimately irrational...it doesn't make sense.

Victory (over sin) will not come if you do not wage war on the battlefield of your heart (Lawson).

Nonchalant repentance is no repentance! (Lawson)

I not only read my Bible for my relationship to Christ but also to be a benefit to the Church.

Happy is he who has one desire, if that one desire be set on Christ (CHS). Ps. 27:4

"Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be. (J. Edwards)

How could I ever be insensitive to that sin in me which grieves the heart of God? May I never be so callous to sin.

If I see sin in another person, may I take inventory on my own soul to search for the same inquity and repent.

Sunday Worship

The following is from the Letters of John Newton (pastor and author of the text "Amazing Grace"). It was written to his church in 1768. I found it interesting and provocative. Any thoughts? Is he "out to lunch" or does he make a valid point?

"If you are one of those who do not wholly neglect the public worship of God—but accustom yourself to attend only once on Sundays, give me leave to ask you, or rather to desire that you would ask your own conscience, whether you have sufficient excuse for not attending twice? I know the circumstances of many families, such as sickness, young children, etc. will necessarily confine some people at home. But a due allowance for these impediments, will by no means account for the great difference between our congregations in the morning and in the afternoon of the same day.

Now, if you have not a lawful hindrance to plead, consider whether the same reasons that require your presence at the public worship once, are not equally strong for your being there both parts of the day. Why do you go at all? Is it not to join with others in paying homage to the great God? But by doing this once only, where opportunity and the example of others invite you twice—you contradict yourself, and act as if you thought it was sometimes your duty to join in worship, and sometimes not worth your while. Or, do you go with a hope of receiving good for your souls? Why then should you at any time be willing to stay away? Perhaps the opportunity you miss might have been made peculiarly useful to you. At least the Lord may justly punish your frequent neglect, by withholding His blessing when you do attend. And this may be one reason why you have attended morning worship so long—yet to so little purpose."

Jesus is positively lovely, and superlatively the loveliest (CHS).

There are three effects of nearness to Jesus - humility, happiness, and holiness.

Pride cannot live beneath the cross (CHS).

Our Lord Jesus, by His death, did not purchase a right to a part of us only, but to the entire man (CHS). Take my life, my all!

If we empty our hearts of self God will fill them with His love (CHS).

Dwell much with Jesus and it is impossible for you to be at peace with sin (CHS).

Hate evil, O Christians, unless you desire trouble (CHS).

You can't want what you don't want while you don't want it. But you can ask to want. And if God wills, the want will happen - Piper

Lord help me to never lose focus of the priority of Christ in all things (Colossians 1:18).

Christ is All

Jesus, You have given Yourself for me, may I give myself to You; You have died for me; may I live to You in every moment of my time, in every movement of my mind; in every pulse of my heart. May I never dally with the world and its allurements, but walk by Your side, listen to Your voice, be clothed with Your graces, and adorned with Your righteousness.

 (a reworded Puritan Prayer)

May my pursuit be not to become merely good but rather godly - in the likeness of Christ.

I purpose to love and follow Jesus Christ to the utmost of my ability.

Many who confess Christ are pampering themselves to death rather than pushing themselves to holiness. (Lawson)

A transformed life is the inevitable consequence of genuine faith - JMAC So, what are your consequences?

If I am 'in Christ' then the primary purpose of my life is to become in practice what I am in position.

"Under no circumstances ought we to be content unless we reflect the grace which was in Him." Spurgeon (2 Peter 3:18)

Hallel - final preps for Seder

Hallel - final preps for Seder

Faith's way of walking is to cast all care upon the Lord, and then to anticipate good results from the worst calamities. CHS

A morning flower from CFA

A morning flower from CFA

Simple Regeneration - by Spurgeon

Regeneration is a subject which lies at the very basis of salvation, and we should be very diligent to take heed that we really are "born again," for there are many who fancy they are, who are not. Be assured that the name of a Christian is not the nature of a Christian; and that being born in a Christian land, and being recognized as professing the Christian religion is of no avail whatever, unless there be something more added to it—the being "born again," is a matter so mysterious, that human words cannot describe it.

"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

Nevertheless, it is a change which is known and felt: known by works of holiness, and felt by a gracious experience. This great work is supernatural. It is not an operation which a man performs for himself: a new principle is infused, which works in the heart, renews the soul, and affects the entire man. It is not a change of my name, but a renewal of my nature, so that I am not the man I used to be, but a new man in Christ Jesus.

To wash and dress a corpse is a far different thing from making it alive: man can do the one, God alone can do the other. If you have then, been "born again," your acknowledgment will be, "O Lord Jesus, the everlasting Father, Thou art my spiritual Parent; unless Thy Spirit had breathed into me the breath of a new, holy, and spiritual life, I had been to this day 'dead in trespasses and sins.' My heavenly life is wholly derived from Thee, to Thee I ascribe it. 'My life is hid with Christ in God.' It is no longer I who live, but Christ who liveth in me." May the Lord enable us to be well assured on this vital point, for to be unregenerate is to be unsaved, unpardoned, without God, and without hope.

John 3:7

We are resolved about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we will not dishonor our Bridegroom by mourning in His presence!

We may be certain that whatever God hs made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives. CHS

We are resolved about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we will not dishonor our Bridegroom by mourning in His presence!

O Great God

This is a great "new" hymn that we will be singing in church tomorrow. For those of you who would like to get familar with the words and theme, please read and consider the great truth of Ephesians 2:8-10.  If you would like to hear a sample of this hymn, please click here http://bit.ly/9jbPkH -

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

O Great God
Words and music by Bob Kauflin
As recorded on Valley of Vision

O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore

I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys

Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me

© 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI).

Understanding Revelation

Without tears the Revelation was not written and without tears can it be understood - J. Elliot.  Reading Revelation 2-3.

The avoidance of sin is not my righteousness!

The avoidance of sin, however increasing, however complete, is NOT my righteousness and therefore does NOT fit me for heaven.  It is the righteousness of Christ alone graciously imputed to me, granted to me by God that fits me for heaven. 

I will not be able to stand be the throne of Heaven and declare, "Because of my avoidance of sin, I may enter into God's heaven."  Rather, my confession will be, "Because of the righteousness of Christ freely bestowed upon me by the grace of God and upon which I alone trust to make this sinner a saint, I enter into God's heaven."

Galatians 6:15

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Philippians 3:8-9

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Titus 3:5-6

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior...

What is your righteousness?

-

What is sin?

The man who is disposed to think of his sin as a great calamity, rather than as a heinous crime, is not likely either to reverence God or to respect His law. 

- John Kennedy, 1873

Be Different!

Be different, stand out, let your light, your Christ-directed, Christ-exalting works, shine before men in such a way that your Father is glorified. 

"The tendency of these days is to break down the holy barrier, and make the distinction between the church and the world very nominal. ..be it your aim in heart in word, in dress, in action to maintain the broad wall, remembering that the friendship of this world is enmity against God." (Spurgeon).

Christian Employees

I was doing some reading online when I came across this very pointed paragraph.  Consider it carefully:

A secular writer recently pointed out that "work has increasingly come to be regarded as a distasteful means to the achievement of leisure, instead of leisure as a recuperative measure to refit us for work." That is a very mild way of saying that the present generation is pleasure mad and hates any kind of real work. Various explanations have been advanced to account for this: such as the ousting of craftsmanship by machinery, the fear of unemployment discouraging zeal, the doles, allowances and reliefs which are available for those who don’t and won’t work. Though each of those has been a contributing factor, yet there is a more fundamental and solemn cause of this social disease, namely, the loss of those moral convictions which formerly marked a large proportion of church-goers, who made conscience of serving the Lord while engaged in secular activities, and who were actuated by the principles of honesty and integrity, fidelity and loyalty.

What is amazing to me is that this all sounds very "present"; very much "now" - does it not?  Yet this was written prior to 1952 by A. W. Pink.  Things have not changed much in the past 60 years. All this reminds me of the "Preacher" who reminds us in Ecclesiastes 1:9:

That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. 

I cannot help but feel that if A.W. Pink were alive today, he would be even more dumbfounded by the reality of his statements.  Perhaps things have changed in the workplace, only not for the better.  I pray that we would not be found slack Christian Employees.  Consider Pink's further comments:

Nowhere has the hollowness of professing Christians been more apparent, during the last two or three generations, than at this point. Nowhere has more reproach been brought upon the cause of Christ than by the majority of those employees who bore His name. Whether it be in the factory, the mine, the office, or in the fields, one who claims to be a follower of the Lord Jesus should stand out unmistakably from his fellow employees who make no profession. His punctuality, his truthfulness, his conscientiousness, the quality of his work, his devotion to his employer’s interests, ought to be so apparent that there is no need for him to let others know by his lips that he is a disciple of Christ. There should be such a marked absence of that slackness, carelessness, selfishness, greed and insolence which mark the majority of the ungodly, that all may see he is motivated and regulated by higher principles than they are. But, if his conduct belies his profession, then his companions are confirmed in their opinion that "there is nothing in religion but talk."

Let us pray about our employment and seek to be bright testimonies of the reality of Jesus at work within us to the glory of God.

Faithful Friday!

May your faith, trust and assurance in the person and promises of God grow; may your love, kindness and mercy be evident to the saints and to all people; and may your hope in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ motivate you toward a life of purity and beauty in the things of the Lord and all toward the end of exalting God, edifying God's people, and evangelizing the lost! 

Make it a "Faithful Friday!"

God First

"Wherever there are competing concerns in your life, be sure you always put your relationship to God first" - Oswald Chambers.

Or as Jesus has taught - "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33).

I can't believe what a propensity I have to think that food, clothing, money, or other concerns should take precedence over my relationship to the Lord.  "Oh Lord, grant me a heart that longs for You first!"

Active Christians

But prove yourselves doers of the word, 
and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
James 1:22

Let us be wary of being merely "intellectual" Christians rather than pursing the course of also being "active" Christians.  The more we come to know about Christ, the more our lives should be lived in Christlikeness.

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, 
but in deed and truth.

1 John 3:18

Full of Christ

Those that are so full of Christ...are ready to think that others should be so too. (Matthew Henry)

Grace at Work

Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

These are familiar verses, sometimes too familiar as we can be prone to neglect their significance for everyday living.  There is no doubt we are taught here that salvation is "by grace"; by God's undeserved, unmerited and most benevolent favor.  But we might forget to see that verse 10, being "His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works," is also then by grace.  We need God's enabling grace, His divine power at work in us to change us, to conform us and to cause us to live according to His ways of good and righteousness rather than in our ways of selfishness and pride.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord describes how it is His grace, His doing that we are now enabled to live for Him, to be "His workmanship", that is, His masterpiece saying in Ezekiel 36:26-27;
 

26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and [I will] cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

[emphasis mine]

Let us never forget that God's grace working in us is a both a delight [for we do not deserve it] but also a duty [as we then become responsible to see this grace at work in us].  As the apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:12-13;

12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 

This is grace, God's working in us His will and good pleasure and our enabling by God to do those things that reveal His grace at work in us.  Bob Kauflin captures this idea in song;

Grace abounding, strong and true
That makes me long to be like You
That turns me from my selfish pride
To love the cross on which You died

Bob Kauflin / © 2005 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

Grace "makes me long to be like" Jesus.  Grace "turns me form my selfish pride".  And grace causes me "to love the cross on which" Jesus died. 

I asked the youth group last night how they can know if this grace of God is at work in them.  We noted in singing the words above that one means is by noting how we are turned from our own selfish pride, turned from wanting our own ways, from reacting according to our own desires (which often results in anger, frustration, impatience, lust and the like) and by grace carefully considering how Jesus would have us give of ourselves.  I asked them to carefully take pause when they thought about something they wanted, good or bad, and then to prayerfully asked the Lord how they might turn that moment into an opportunity to do something for someone else to the glory of God.

How about you, will you take pause today and in your moment of reacting to something according to your desire, prayerfully ask the Lord to turn you from any selfish pride to respond to the good or benefit of another to the glory of God.? This is grace abounding.  This is grace at work in you and this is working out your salvation with fear and trembling.  I believe it was John MacArthur who wrote, "Grace that does not affect one's behavior is not the grace of God."  

Oh, Lord, may Your grace affect both our affections and our actions to live our lives wholly to You.

SDG,

Ed

Right Measurements!

God's measure of what is right must surely not be brought down to the measure of man: man's measure should rather be brought up to the measure of God. (J.C. Ryle)

Beware
Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him. (OC)

Christianity is Discipleship

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, 

and take up his cross daily and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)

There can be no doubt from reading the New Testament that definition of Christianity is "discipleship" - a submitting to and following after Jesus Christ as Lord.  While we will all struggle with following Jesus perfectly due to our sin nature, the genuine desire and overall characteristic of the Christian life is a seeking and striving to be like Jesus.  Any profession of being a Christian without an ongoing practice of being a Christian is deficient mutation of genuine, biblical Christianity.

James M. Boice articulated this well when he wrote:

There is a fatal defect in the life of Christ’s church in the twentieth century: a lack of true discipleship. Discipleship means forsaking everything to follow Christ. But for many of today’s supposed Christians—perhaps the majority—it is the case that while there is much talk about Christ and even much furious activity, there is actually very little following of Christ Himself. And that means in some circles there is very little genuine Christianity. Many who fervently call Him ‘Lord, Lord’ are not Christians (Matthew 7:21)...There are several reasons that the situation I have described is common in today’s church. The first is a defective theology that has crept over us like a deadening fog. This theology separates faith from discipleship and grace from obedience. It teaches that Jesus can be received as one’s Savior without being received as one’s Lord...Discipleship in not a supposed second step in Christianity, as if one first became a believer in Jesus and then, if he chooses, a disciple. From the beginning, discipleship is involved in what it means to be a Christian....Is ‘faith’ minus commitment a true biblical faith?...If faith without works is dead—how much truer is it that faith without commitment is dead...True faith involves these elements: knowledge...heart response...and commitment, without which ‘faith’ is no different from the assent of the demons who ‘believe...and shudder’ (James 2:19) (James Montgomery Boice, Christ’s Call to Discipleship (Chicago: Moody, 1986), pp. 13, 14, 16, 21).

The Word of God teaches us that Christianity is discipleship, a learning and following the precepts and practices of our Lord Jesus Christ.  May we apply the great desire of the Psalmist who wrote in Psalm 119:34-38:

34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart. 35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. 36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies And not to dishonest gain. 37 Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways. 38 Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You.

Blessings!

Ed

Cold!

Notice the temp. One degree!

Ice

Ice

Surviving the Cold

Sorry for the lack of any posts the past couple of days.  We have enjoyed an incredible cold streak here in NW Arkansas along with snow and ice.  That coupled with several meetings and extra counseling have slowed some of my "extra" activities such as blogging.

As a family, we have begun our new Bible reading schedule for 2010 and I stand amazed that passages I have read so many times come to life with new insights and fresh thoughts of our great God.  I am grateful that the Lord sees fit to constantly reveal Himself to us in His Word.  I pray that I might be able to translate these insights in some meaningful ways to this blog.

In addition to this, our family is also reading together Pilgrim's Progress (John Buynan's great allegory of the Christian journey).  I praise the Lord for my children (now in their mid-teens) who provide great questions and insights as we read along.  I suspect that some Buynan-like or Buynan-inspired thoughts will make their way into the blog as well.

1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.


SDG
Ed

Let me not forget to tremble. Our God is an awesome God!

A Unique Definition for Man's Sinful Condtion

Here is a unique definition for man's radical depravity and therefore his need for the grace of God to mend him:

...and Heaven have mercy on us all - Presbyterians and Pagans alike - for we are all dreadfully cracked about the head and desperately in need of mending.

Herman Melville Moby Dick

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

Ezekiel 36:26-27
Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 

Thank You, Lord for saving my soul from my own "dreadfully cracked" condition!

SDG

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, And Nobody

This is a short quip that many of you may have read before.  May it be that this would NEVER be descriptive of our church!

- - - - - - -

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

 

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

SDG

God Knows!

I may often be at a loss as to what I am doing or am going to do, but I always know that God knows exactly what He is doing.

SDG

Give Preference To One Another (Romans 12:10)

...give preference to one another in honor...

This exhortation has been on my heart and mind quite a bit lately. It is a constant battle to regard others first and to put their cares and needs above our own - and yet it is the call of every believer not only to show preference to one another, but to do so with the intent to honor others.

How often do we desire to be recognized, to be applauded, to have some kind of acknowledgment? How easily do we find our feelings hurt because we think we should be noticed or served? And yet the truth is, we should be going out of our way to acknowledge, encourage and honor others. This is the very thrust behind the phrase “give preference” – it is a word that carries the idea of rushing forward to do something for another. Even the marginal reading of the NASB reads, “outdo one another in showing honor.” If you have ever rushed to a door in order to open it for someone you have exercised giving preference. When you allow someone to go before you in a line, you are exercising preference. And when you daily consider how to put the cares and needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ, you are giving preference. Of course this means you know of the cares and needs of those around you.

As you go about your week, who might you do something for? Consider giving preference to someone at work, at school, at home and even at church. You might begin with a simple phone call or email, asking someone about their own week and from this listen for opportunities to rush forward to do something special for that person. Let us not be slow in doing good to one another for the glory of God.

SDG –

Ed