The Goodness of the Lord

In my daily reading of Scripture, some verses popped out to me. After I was encouraged by them, I thought others might be encouraged as well.

1 Peter 2:2-3 “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (ESV)

The Lord is good! In every circumstance we face, He is good! He is always good! We have tasted of His goodness. As we long to taste more of His goodness, and as we act on that longing by feeding upon the pure spiritual milk of Scripture, we will indeed taste more of His goodness, for the Scriptures teach of His abounding salvation, salvation into which we are growing up.

1 Peter 2:25 “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (ESV)

We experience the Lord’s goodness as we live under the shepherding care of the Lord, as our soul is under the oversight of the Lord. We strayed because we thought goodness was found outside His authority. But everything outside the shepherding care of the Lord turns out to be vain, empty. True goodness is only found in Christ as we live under His grace and Lordship.

Living on the Foundation of Grace

Here are nine practical suggestions for cultivating a life built on the foundation of the grace of Christ:

1. Start your day by thanking God for Christ's sacrifice and your salvation
2. Set aside a regular time each day for the Word and prayer
3. Spend this time alone with the Lord
4. Start by asking the Lord to show you your sins, and confessing them
5. Read Scripture for the purpose of finding one verse or idea to apply to your life
6. Look for truths not just to obey, but also to trust in and praise God for
7. Write out a prayer of meditation and response
8. Every time you are convicted of sin, thank God for this evidence of His grace
9. Every time you face a trial, thank God for this evidence of His grace

The Riddle of the Old Testament

In Exodus 34:6-7, the Lord reveals Himself to Moses, saying, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty...” (ESV).

Here is the great riddle of the Old Testament. The Lord forgives sin; yet He by no means clears the guilty. How can this be? The answer is seen in the cross of Christ. Christ took our sin and guilt upon Himself, and suffered there for our sins. In this way God has forgiven us who believe in Christ. We are no longer guilty, for Christ took our guilt and suffered its penalty! The Lord says He is “abounding” in steadfast love and faithfulness. Because Christ died for us and
has been raised for us, God is abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness to you who believe! Satan doesn’t want the Christian to see this or believe this. He wants us to look at the trials we are going through and conclude that God doesn't love us. We must fight against Satan’s lies every day! We must fight to treasure God’s abounding love toward us. Nothing can separate us from it!

Love Doesn't Seek to Please People

1 John 3:16 says, "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us" (ESV). 1 John 4:10 says, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (ESV). When Christ laid down His life a propitiation for our sins, people opposed Him. The most direct opposition to the cross came from the apostle Peter, to whom Jesus rightfully responded, "Get behind me, Satan!" Peter was among the three disciples who were closest to Jesus, and even he opposed Christ in going to the cross. Jesus' own hometowan opposed His Messianic ministry, trying to stone Him. The religious leaders opposed His Messianic ministry and also tried to stone Him. Satan tempted Jesus to avoid the cross. What was it that kept Jesus on course to do what no one on earth wanted Him to do? Among other things, it was love for the world, and an even deeper love for His people. Love moved Jesus to do for people what they didn't want Him to do for them. And we are instructed, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." This is to be with the same sort of love we have received--a love that doesn't seek to please people but seeks their true good, unto the glory of God.

Dave Harvey on marriage and parenting

I would like to recommend some sermons by Pastor Dave Harvey on marriage and parenting.

I believe Dave Harvey really addresses the fundamental problems in our marriages head-on. If we apply what he is saying, we would really grow in Christ. The first one on marriage is foundational for the others and is titled, "When Sinners Say 'I Do': Sin." Pastor Harvey applies to marriage 1 Tim 1:12-17, where Paul calls himself "the chief of sinners." The second one is titled, "When Sinners Say 'I Do': Mercy." Here Luke 6:27-36, in which Jesus commands us to be merciful to our enemies, is applied to marriage. The last one on marriage is titled, "When Sinners Say 'I Do': Grace." Here Titus 2:11-15, about God's grace in Christ, is applied to marriage. These messages really are applicable to all our relationships with people.

There is also one message on parenting titled, "Parenting in Weakness," that applies to parenting 2 Cor 11:30-12:10 in which Paul boasts in his weaknesses so that the power of Christ might rest on him. I am in the middle of this one right now. What I have listened to so far is excellent.

You can download recordings of these sermons at http://www.metrolife.org/marriage/. There you can also download the sermon notes.

The Significance of the Local Church

I came across an article on the significance of the local church. I encourage all Christians to read it! Being a part of a local church is not optional for Christians. It is as vital as having a family when you are born. How can a child thrive without a family? More importantly, how can a child of God thrive without being in God's household? We as Christians need to better understand the significance of the local church. The Enemy seeks to persuade us that it is OK to stay home on Sunday every once in a while, or that it is OK to limit our church involvement to 90 minutes a week. God's Word turns this thinking upside down, not so much by commanding us to be an active part of our church (though it does), but more so by telling us the significance of the local church. We should LOVE the local church. We should lay down our lives for the local church. We should "eat and breathe" the local church, so to speak. This article makes a good attempt at explaining some of the signifiance of the local church. Read it. Look up the Scripture references. Pray about it. Apply it! The article is, "Pastoral Pensees: The Church-A Hidden Glory (1 Timothy 3:14-16)

Perfect Peace

I just ran across a great prayer by Pastor Scotty Smith, posted by Tim Challies. The prayer is based on Isaiah 26:3-4 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal." Here is a link to the prayer.

Enjoy!

Evidence for Christ's resurrection

I ran across a couple blog entries by Michael Patton that give evidence for the resurrection of Christ. You may find them helpful:

Internal evidence for the Resurrection

External evidence for the Resurrection

The Glory that Will Be Revealed

This morning the Lord blessed me with Romans 8:18-21:

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.... the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (NIV)

Paul says something that is vital for us to believe, that the weight of our present sufferings is nothing compared to the weight of the glory that will be revealed in us! Just as creation will be liberated from the curse upon it, so we, as adopted sons of God, have been liberated from the curse contained in the Law, a curse upon anyone who does not do everything written in the Law. Yet it is not obvious to the world that we are the adopted sons of God. However, there is a coming a glorious time when it will be revealed, a time when we will be finally and completely transformed into the image of Christ, both spiritually and bodily! We will be transformed into an existence perfectly suited for face-to-face enjoyment of God Himself! Pray that God opens your eyes to understand more of the great weight of this future glory, and how the weight of our present sufferings is nothing in comparison.

Who shall separate us from Christ's love?

Again this morning I was really blessed by Romans 8, this time by verses 35-39:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be abled to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NIV)

These verses acknowledge that we may very very well face trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakendess, danger, or sword. In fact, the Old Testament speaks of facing the threat of being killed for the Lord's sake all day long. The question is, will such things separate us from the love of Christ? The answer is, absolutely not! Instead, in the midst of all these things, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. As was mentioned back in verses 28-30, God has determined a day in the future when He will glorify us, finally and completely conforming us to the likeness of Christ! On that day, all the hardship will come to an end. And as verse 28 indicates, right now God is using the hardship to bring about His plan of conforming us to the likeness of Christ. This is the greatest love, to be freed from sin to stand face-to-face with Christ in holiness and purity, to be freed from sin to truly gaze upon Christ without shame! He is the greatest treasure!

Who will bring any charge against God's elect?

In my devotions yesterday, I was memorizing and meditating upon Rom 8:32-34. I was really blessed by them. Here they are:

"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemnds? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." (NIV)

Paul raises the same question twice: Who will bring any charge against us? Who condemns us? Notice how he answers. The only person who has the right to condemn us is God the Father and His Son. Yet God, far from condemning us, has justified us, has declared us righteous! And His Son, far from condemning us from the throne of God, is interceding for us from the throne of God! So the implied answer is, no one condems us! Just the opposite is the case! Our judge has justified us and is praying for our well-being as we speak!

Often my flesh and the Evil One condemn me. My thoughts can go wild with self-condemning thoughts. These verses are so useful for combatting such thought patterns.

Leadership in the Home

I just finished a series of blog entries by Tim Challies on leadership in the home. They were excellent! I highly recommend them to any Christian man who is interested in getting married, or who is already married, no matter how long he has been married. Here are the links:

1. Introduction

2. A Defense

3. A Godly Man Leads

4. A Godly Man Protects

5. A Godly Man Provides

Casting our anxiety on the Lord, and Listening to preaching

In the last couple weeks, I have read a couple excellent blog entries that I want to point you to for your edification.

First, Thabiti Anyabwile wrote a brief but excellent exposition of 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." You can read it here.

Second, Tim Challies wrote some helpful exhortations for how we listen to preaching in our church on the Lord's Day. He goes into preparation beforehand, what we do during the preaching, and what we do after the sermon. You can read it here.

What the Bible says about Worship

A few months ago, I thoroughly enjoyed studying what the Bible says about worship. Here is what I learned:

What It Means to Worship the True God

The Hebrew and Greek words for “worship” teach us that worshipping God involves (1) bowing down before God, (2) serving God, and (3) fearing God.

In the Bible, true worship is always a response to revelation from God, or to an act of God.

Definition of worship: To worship God is to respond to His revelations of his great glory, goodness, and sovereignty, and to His sovereign acts of glory and goodness. It is to respond with a reverential attitude and actions that acknowledge God’s great glory, goodness, and sovereignty.

The Ability to Worship the True God

How is one able to worship the true God in an acceptable way? In what condition must a person be to worship God?

1. You must be righteous (Gen 4:2-7; Ps 24:3-4; Isa 1:10-17; Mic 6:6-8)

2. As a sinner, you can only worship God through Christ (Heb 9:13-14; 10:19-25; 13:15-16; 1 Pet 2:4-5)

The Means of Worshiping the True God

Nine means (or types) of worship required by God:

1. Grow in the knowledge of God through His Word (Hos 6:3, 6)
2. Surrender yourself to God (Rom 12:1-2)
3. Give praise and thanks to God (Psa 96:2-10; Heb 13:15; Rev 4:8-11)
4. Rejoice in God (Psa 2:11-12; Psa 47:1-4; Psa 95:1-6)
5. Sing to and of God (Jas 5:13; 2 Chron 29:27-30; Psa 96:1-2)
6. Pray to God (Lk 2:36-37)
7. Give financially to God’s work (Phil 4:15-18)
8. Love people (Heb 13:15-16)
9. Evangelize the lost (Rom 15:15-16)

The Manner of Worshiping the True God

1. By the Holy Spirit (Phil 3:2-3; cf. Rom 8:12-13)

This means that we are to worship as a result of being regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:9-10), worship with our mind set on the Holy Spirit rather than the flesh (Rom 8:5-6), worship following the lead of the Holy Spirit rather than the lead of the flesh (Rom 8:14), and worship trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit rather than the power of the flesh.

2. With a broken and contrite spirit (Ps 51:14-17)

3. In your spirit (Mt 15:7-9; John 4; Rom 1:9)

4. In truth (John 4:23-24)

5. In righteousness of life (Lk 1:74-75; 1 Tim 2:8; 1 Pet 3:7)

6. In unity with the body of Christ (Mt 5:23-24; Rom 15:5-6; 1 Tim 2:8)


I thoroughly enjoyed preaching these Scriptural truths. You can download audio recordings of the sermons at www.cfcnb.org . Look for sermons between 4/26/09 and 5/24/09.

God's Purposes in the Recession

John Piper preached a helpful message recently titled, "What is the Recession For?" He gives 5 of God's purposes in the recession: (1) To expose sin and bring repentance, (2) To awaken us to world poverty, (3) To relocate the roots of our joy in His grace, rather than in our goods, (4) To guard His glory by advancing His saving mission in the world precisely when human resources are low, and (5) To bring His church to care for her hurting members and grow in love. To read, listen, or watch the sermon, follow the above link.

Homeschooling Workshop by Gregg Harris

This is my first blog entry since we moved in the Fall. The Lord provided a larger house for our growing family, which is a real blessing! I have been super busy since then. We have decided to homeschool our kids, starting this next Fall. So in December, I started researching the various homeschooling philosophies. I found a series of lectures by Gregg Harris to be very helpful, both for parenting and homeschooling. It is called, "Basic Homeschooling Workshop." It is in MP3 format, and can be downloaded for $15.95. I considered it to be very worth my money.

There are 8 lectures, all relating to Christian homeschooling: (1) Why Home School?, (2) The Battle for Your Child, (3) Child Training God's Way, (4) How to Do a Great Job, (5) Delight-Directed Studies, (6) The Battle for Your Rights, (7) Teaching History in the Home, and (8) Home School Hazards: Passive Dads, Active Toddlers, and Teacher Burnout.

Here are some of the ideas that stood out to me. First, a benefit of homeschool is that your children receive much more personal instruction, like what a tutor gives, which is more effective. Second, your children will be more challenged to grow and mature than they would be in a classroom of 25 other kids at the same maturity level. Kids emulate those around them. In homeschool, they get a lot of interaction with their parent and are learning alongside their older siblings. Third, the teaching can be customized according to the interests and needs of the children, which helps keep it interesting. Fourth, the way for families to evangelize isn't sending their children into a public school, but using their home for hospitality, bringing unbelievers into their home. Fifth, in homeschool, older children can be taught how to start and run a family business. Sixth, children don't need traditional school for socialization, but can have adequate socialization time with children their own age at church. Seventh, it is vitally important for fathers to be involved in homeschooling. Eigth, teaching history biblically will highlight God's providential control, teach children how God is actively involved in history, and spur children on to trust in God.

The lecture, "How to Do a Great Job," is somewhat out-dated. It largely surveys various homeschooling books, many of which are now out-of-print. However, I found the section on teaching Bible to very helpful.

If you are only able to listen to a few, I would suggest the following lectures: "Why Home School?" "The Battle for Your Child," "Child Training God's Way," "Delight-Directed Studies," and "Teaching History in the Home."

The Necessity of Believing in Jesus Christ

As a pastor, I am sometimes asked about the Jewish people today who believe the Old Testament, but not the New Testament. Are they saved? The Bible is clear on this. When Jesus Christ came, God revealed Himself as a triune God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are hints of this in the Old Testament. But it was not revealed until Christ came. Now that God has revealed Himself as a triune God, He holds man accountable to believe in His triunity. In fact, the New Testament speaks many times of the necessity of believing in Jesus as the Christ and the unique Son of God. This morning I came across one such verse. 2 John 9 says, "Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son" (ESV). In other words, now that Christ has come, if a person does not believe and follow the teaching of Jesus, they neither truly know God nor are in relationship with God nor can receive His greatest blessings. This reminds me of 1 John 5:11-12, which says, "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life" (ESV). Now that Christ has come, eternal life is found only in relationship with Jesus. The reason for this is that it is Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins. There is no salvation apart from Jesus and the blood He shed for those who will believe in Him. The good news is that He graciously invites all to believe in Him for salvation!

Being a Doer of the Word of God

The last two Sundays I preached Luke 8:1-21, in which Jesus teaches about being a doer of the Word of God. Such a person is one who believes the Word, holds fast to it, and bears fruit with perseverance. I spoke about the importance of applying to our life every passage we read or hear preached, which is what Jesus is getting at. To be someone who is responsive to the Word, we need to understand the various ways in which God wants His Word to affect our lives. There is much more to the Word of God than commands to be obeyed. So there is much more to being responsive to the Word than obeying the commands. Below is a list of 8 questions that are helpful for discerning the way that God intends for us to respond to any passage of Scripture:

1. Is there a truth about God for which to worship Him?

In Exodus 34:6-8, the Lord revealed Himself to Moses, saying He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” Moses’ response was to worship the Lord. We also should worship Him for any truth about Him revealed in a passage we are meditating upon.


2. Is there a truth to believe?

For example, Romans 6:1-11 teaches that we who believe in Christ have died with Christ to sin and are alive in Christ to God. It teaches us this truth so that we will believe it, and so that believing this truth we will not live in sin. Actively believing this truth is an essential way to apply the passage to our life.


3. Is there a theological error to avoid?

Galatians 5:1-4 warns against seeking to be justified by obeying God’s law. Avoiding this error, and any other error Scripture warns against, is an essential type of application.


4. Is there an example for me to follow or avoid?

1 Corinthians 10:1-11 says God’s punishments of the Israelites for their sins that are recorded in the Old Testament, happened as an example so that we would not repeat the same sins. God intends that we will avoid the negative examples and follow the good examples in Scripture.


5. Is there a command to obey?

Some of the commands in Scripture are not for us, such as circumcision, which was only for the Israelites. But many of the commands in Scripture are there so that we will obey them, especially the commands of Jesus and the commands in the epistles. After Jesus gave such commands He asked, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).


6. Is there a promise to claim?

For example, in John 14:2-3 Jesus promised believers, “I go to prepare a place for you,” and “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” If you are a believer, an essential application of this passage is to believe this promise.


7. Is there a condition to meet?

For example, 1 John 5:14-15 teaches that if we ask anything according to God’s will, He hears us and we will have the requests which we have asked from Him. The condition given for answered prayer is asking according to God’s will. So an essential application of this passage is to seek to pray according to God’s will.


8. Is there a prayer to repeat?

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 is a prayer of Paul for the believers in Thessalonica. This and many of the other prayers in the Bible are examples for us of how God wants us to pray. Following these examples is one way in which God intends for us to apply them to our life.


The next time you read the Bible devotionally, ask these eight questions of the passage you are reading. Then respond to the passage appropriately, in the power of the Spirit, for the glory of God. Remember Jesus' promise of blessing upon those who are doers of the Word of God: "So take care how you listen; for whoever has [whoever is faithful to respond appropriately to the Word], to him more shall be given."

Christian Books for Children and Youth

I recently found a Christian book recommended reading list for children and youth, organized by grade-level. At the bottom is a set of links to other recommended reading lists for Christians that are not geared toward children. The list looks very good to me.

Is Christ an Authentic Example?

In my last post, I said that Jesus is an example for us to follow of befriending unbelievers for the purpose of leading them to salvation (Lk 7:34). An interesting question was raised in response to this. Is Jesus truly an example for us in this? Jesus couldn't be sinfully influenced by the unbelievers He befriended because he was 100% God. Just because Jesus could do it doesn't mean we are strong enough to do it. Then if Jesus could resist temptations that we can't, how do we use Christ as an example?

Here is my response. First, we need to be absolutely clear that Jesus lived His life as an example for us to follow. This is taught in the following verses:

1 John 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him [Jesus Christ] ought
himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1 Peter 2:21-23 For you have been called for this purpose, since
Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His
steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

Second, we need to realize that, even though Christ was unable to sin due to His divine nature, He truly experienced temptation. The temptation He faced was real, authentic temptation. The only difference between His experience and ours is that He never gave in to the temptation.

Hebrews 2:17-18 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all
things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For
since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come
to the aid of those who are tempted.

Hebrews 4:15-16 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we
are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the
throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of
need.

As our example, who was "made like His brethren in all things" and was "tempted in all things as we are," Christ resisted temptation in the same way we are to resist temptation, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not use His own power to resist temptation, but relied on the Holy Spirit in the same we are to do, for after Jesus resisted the devil's temptations in the wilderness, the Bible says that "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit" (Luke 4:14 NASB). This is how Jesus lived His life. He lived in dependence upon the Spirit, which is part of what it means that Christ humbled Himself in becoming a man (Phil 2:6-8). If He had not depended on the Spirit, He would not be the authentic example for us that Scripture says He is.

The very same power Jesus used to resist temptation is available to all believers, the power of the Holy Spirit. We should never seek to resist temptation in our own limited power, always in the Spirit's infinite power. This requires faith exercised through serious prayer, which Jesus also models for us in His habits of serious prayer.

So Jesus' example of befriending unbelievers is an example that we can follow in the power of the Spirit and one that we should follow. This does not mean we should do something foolish like going with unbelievers to a bar if we have a tendency to get drunk. But it does mean we should seek to befriend unbelievers while exercising wisdom.

Of course there will be times when we give in to temptation. But the good news is that when we do sin, there is a sympathetic High Priest who is merciful and faithful, who has made propitiation for our sins!