How to Spend the Day with God - Richard Baxter

A holy life is inclined to be made easier when we know the usual sequence and method of our duties - with everything falling into its proper place. Therefore, I shall give some brief directions for spending the day in a holy manner.

Sleep

Measure the time of your sleep appropriately so that you do not waste your precious morning hours sluggishly in your bed. Let the time of your sleep be matched to your health and labour, and not to slothful pleasure.

First Thoughts

Let God have your first awaking thoughts; lift up your hearts to Him reverently and thankfully for the rest enjoyed the night before and cast yourself upon Him for the day which follows.

Familiarise yourself so consistently to this that your conscience may check you when common thoughts shall first intrude. Think of the mercy of a night's rest and of how many that have spent that night in Hell; how many in prison; how many in cold, hard lodgings; how many suffering from agonising pains and sickness, weary of their beds and of their lives.

Think of how many souls were that night called from their bodies terrifyingly to appear before God and think how quickly days and nights are rolling on! How speedily your last night and day will come! Observe that which is lacking in the preparedness of your soul for such a time and seek it without delay.

Prayer

Let prayer by yourself alone (or with your partner) take place before the collective prayer of the family. If possible let it be first, before any work of the day.

Family Worship

Let family worship be performed consistently and at a time when it is most likely for the family to be free of interruptions.

Ultimate Purpose

Remember your ultimate purpose, and when you set yourself to your day's work or approach any activity in the world, let HOLINESS TO THE LORD be written upon your hearts in all that you do. Do no activity which you cannot entitle God to, and truly say that he set you about it, and do nothing in the world for any other ultimate purpose than to please, glorify and enjoy Him. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Diligence in Your Calling.

Follow the tasks of your calling carefully and diligently. Thus:

(a) You will show that you are not sluggish and servants to your flesh (as those that cannot deny it ease), and you will further the putting to death of all the fleshly lusts and desires that are fed by ease and idleness.

(b) You will keep out idle thoughts from your mind, that swarm in the minds of idle persons.

(c) You will not lose precious time, something that idle persons are daily guilty of.

(d) You will be in a way of obedience to God when the slothful are in constant sins of omission.

(e) You may have more time to spend in holy duties if you follow your occupation diligently. Idle persons have no time for praying and reading because they lose time by loitering at their work.

(f) You may expect God's blessing and comfortable provision for both yourself and your families.

(g) it may also encourage the health of your body which will increase its competence for the service of your soul.

Temptations and Things That Corrupt

Be thoroughly acquainted with your temptations and the things that may corrupt you - and watch against them all day long. You should watch especially the most dangerous of the things that corrupt, and those temptations that either your company or business will unavoidably lay before you.

Watch against the master sins of unbelief: hypocrisy, selfishness, pride, flesh pleasing and the excessive love of earthly things. Take care against being drawn into earthly mindedness and excessive cares, or covetous designs for rising in the world, under the pretence of diligence in your calling.

If you are to trade or deal with others, be vigilant against selfishness and all that smacks of injustice or uncharitableness. In all your dealings with others, watch against the temptation of empty and idle talking. Watch also against those persons who would tempt you to anger. Maintain that modesty and cleanness of speech that the laws of purity require. If you converse with flatterers, be on your guard against swelling pride.

If you converse with those that despise and injure you, strengthen yourself against impatient, revengeful pride.

At first these things will be very difficult, while sin has any strength in you, but once you have grasped a continual awareness of the poisonous danger of any one of these sins, your heart will readily and easily avoid them.

Meditation

When alone in your occupations, improve the time in practical and beneficial meditations. Meditate upon the infinite goodness and perfections of God; Christ and redemption; Heaven and how unworthy you are of going there and how you deserve eternal misery in Hell.

The Only Motive

Whatever you are doing, in company or alone, do it all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Otherwise, it is unacceptable to God.

Redeeming The Time

Place a high value upon your time, be more careful of not losing it than you would of losing your money. Do not let worthless recreations, idle talk, unprofitable company, or sleep rob you of your precious time.

Be more careful to escape that person, action or course of life that would rob you of your time than you would be to escape thieves and robbers.

Make sure that you are not merely never idle, but rather that you are using your time in the most profitable way that you can and do not prefer a less profitable way before one of greater profit.

Eating and Drinking

Eat and drink with moderation and thankfulness for health, not for unprofitable pleasure. Never please your appetite in food or drink when it is prone to be detrimental to your health.

Remember the sin of Sodom: "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food and abundance of idleness" - Ezekiel 16:49.

The Apostle Paul wept when he mentioned those "whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame -- who set their minds on earthly things, being enemies to the cross of Christ" - Philippians 3:18-19. O then do not live according to the flesh lest you die (Romans 8:13).

Prevailing Sin

If any temptation prevails against you and you fall into any sins in addition to habitual failures, immediately lament it and confess it to God; repent quickly whatever the cost. It will certainly cost you more if you continue in sin and remain unrepentant.

Do not make light of your habitual failures, but confess them and daily strive against them, taking care not to aggravate them by unrepentance and contempt.

Relationships

Remember every day the special duties of various relationships: whether as husbands, wives, children, masters, servants, pastors, people, magistrates, subjects.

Remember every relationship has its special duty and its advantage for the doing of some good. God requires your faithfulness in this matter as well as in any other duty.

Closing the Day

Before returning to sleep, it is wise and necessary to review the actions and mercies of the day past, so that you may be thankful for all the special mercies and humbled for all your sins.

This is necessary in order that you might renew your repentance as well as your resolve for obedience, and in order that you may examine yourself to see whether your soul grew better or worse, whether sin goes down and grace goes up and whether you are better prepared for suffering, death and eternity.

May these directions be engraven upon your mind and be made the daily practice of your life

If sincerely adhered to, these will be conducive to the holiness, fruitfulness and quietness of your life and add to you a comfortable and peaceful death.

Real Christianity

Ever seen a group of people actually 'living' like Jesus?

Paul Blackham preaching every week, as long as he needs, & uncut:

http://www.farmfellowship.com/test/resources.html

Go visit them if you can! You will never ever regret it!

Christian Hospitality

Hebrews 13:1-2 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Romans 12:13-14 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Just been in Toronto, Canada for a wedding.
Stunned by the level of hospitality shown to us by the bride's family, though we've never met them before.

Flats were vacated for us, and they simply handed us the keys, even offering to drive us to and fro as we went around the city.
Random relatives opened their homes to us, and allowed us to stay and enjoy all their comforts.

I know we're not angels, but this was a lesson learnt - total hospitality as a demonstration of the God who loves those who are His enemies, those He does not know, in the hopes that they will know Him and be known by Him.

A big thank you, especially, to John & Marg!

Five Smooth Stones

Glen's doing another series via David & Goliath:

1. Preaching

2. Grace

3. Faith

4. Election

5. Reward

Acknowledge the Son of Man

You have to listen to this one by Prentice done at All Souls...

http://www.allsouls.org/ascm/allsouls/static/sermons/showsermon.flow?id=12122

12 days of Christmas

So I never knew the song "12 days of Christmas" had such theological depth...

Paul Blackham (taken from Mark Meynell's blog):

It has got to be the most theologically intense Christmas song. I know that might sound odd… but it is a song written as a memory aid to teach Christian doctrine. It is one of several songs called “catechism songs”. I’m sure some already know this, but here is a complete list of the 12 gifts and their meanings:

• 1 Partridge in a pear tree = Jesus on the Cross
• 2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
• 3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity (Some think this is The Trinity, but this is not the case)
• 4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
• 5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the books of Moses
• 6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
• 7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit OR the seven sacraments of the Catholic faith
• 8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes (from the start of the Sermon on the Mount)
• 9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Spirit
• 10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
• 11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
• 12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed

Yet More Venning

Ralph Venning is turning out to be one of my all-time favourite Puritans...
more from his book on sin:

Love the sinner, hate the sin??

God hates man for sin. It is not only sin but sinners that God hates, and that for sin. IT is said of God that He hates the workers of iniquity (Ps 5.5); not only the works of iniquity but the workers of it. Hatred is known not by judgements, nor by the evil of suffering, but by the evil of sin which is before us (Ecc 9:1-2). It is because of sin that the merciful God says, "He that made them will not have mercy on them, nor shew them any favour" (Is 27:11). This is the highest that can be spoken of the venom of sin, that in a sense, and to speak after the manner of men, it has put hatred into God Himself; it has made the Lord hate and destroy His own workmanship. God is love, and judgement is a strange work; yet sin makes Him out of love with men and in love with their destruction at last. Though He does not delight in the death of a sinner who repents, yet He does in the death of one who is impenitent...

Christ is the best and the greatest of Saviours, and His salvation is the best and greatest salvation. This proves sin to be the worst and greatest of evils...

Sin is so sinful, contrary and displeasing to God, and has made man so much God's enemy, that it is a mircale that He should find His enemies and let them go away safely. God who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity looks on the sin of men. His eyes so affect His heart as to grieve Him. It tempts and provokes Him to anger, wrath and hatred. And yet God keeps His anger, which is like burning coals in the bosom; He does not let out all His wrath and ease Himself of His burden by avenging Himself on His adversaries, but He woos and waits on sinners. Such is the power of His patience, the infiniteness of His mercy and compassion, and the riches of His unsearchable grace!


His concluding paragraph:

Lastly then, the poor despised profession of the power of godliness, a trembling at the Word of God, a scrupulous and conscientious forebearance not only of oaths but of idle words, a tenderness and aptness to bleed at the touch of any sin, a boldness to withstand the corruptions of the times, a conscience of but the appearance of evil, a walking humbly and mournfully before God, an heroic resolution to be strict and circumspect, to walk in an exact and geometrical holiness in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, which the world esteems and scorns as the peevishness of a few silly impolitic men, shall in good earnest from the mouth of God Himself be declared to have been the true and narrow way which leads to salvation; and the enemies thereof shall then, when it is too late, be driven to that desperate and shameful confession: 'We fools counted their life madness, and their end to have been without honour. And now they are reckoned among the saints and have their portion with the Almighty!'

A Quick Christology of Abraham

Genesis 15:6 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Ever wondered why Abraham was only counted righteous at Gen 15?
It's clear he had faith at Genesis 12!

Hebrews 11:8-9 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.

This is a very rapid attempt at seeing Christ through Abraham:

starting at Gen 12:
- so his name is Abram - exalted Father - who will become the Father of many nations
- he leaves his father's house and home for the promised land
- he is promised to have the greatest name above all names
- he is destined to go there with his wife - the princess - Sarai - the one who will be the Jerusalem that is above (cf: Gal 4)
- he will take over the land of Canaan - the city of merchants - making it the city of peace
- he places his tent between Bethel (house of God) & Ai (destruction) - both places that will only be named much later
- he starts of in Canaan - but then goes into Egypt
- in Egypt he shows that his wife is actually his sister - and Pharaoh who tries to steal her away is rebuked
- instead out of Egypt he is called, the prince who will own all the treasures of the serpent king
- He is the chosen one who seeks only the land of God, not the land of riches - which Lot seeks, going east - living in Sodom
- So Abram claims his title on Canaan - the entire promised land - in all directions - promised to all from the Seed
- meanwhile - the rulers and powers of the earth - note their names & their Nephilim heritage (e.g. Tidal king of Goiim means 'The reverent king of all the nations') their absolute audacity - they war with one another in the valley of destruction
- the renegade powers then possess that which belongs to the family of the chosen seed
- Abram and his band of mighty oak-faith-men then defeat the kings that rage in vain
- they pursue them till judgement (Dan - another place that has not been named yet)
- then the true King of Righteousness comes out and sets a table before the conquering Seed - offering bread and wine -anointing him
- Bera king of Sodom (meaning - son of evil, king of burning) - tries to bribe him for the people - offering the treasures of the world - but this exalted Father will not allow him to tempt him
- then again Abram is guaranteed of his reward - for his defeating of the enemies & the rescuing of his people - in fact he is vindicated in righteousness (Gen 15:6) - and promised the fruit of his hands
- then told that this is just a symbol of all things to come - the real time will be much later - the real sacrifice that the vultures of the air will try to interfere with but will not succed - the real deep sleep of the exalted father - the deliverance of the people from the fiery furnace - by the burning torch

well that's about enough for now - plenty more on Abram calling into existance things that don't exist (Gen 16/Rom 4), the covenant that is established by cutting off the flesh of the exalted one to make him the father of many nations, etc...

Come to Christ to make your election sure...

Glen's found another gem from Spurgeon that just has to be reposted:

Many persons want to know their election before they look to Christ, but they cannot learn it thus, it is only to be discovered by ‘looking unto Jesus.’ If you desire to ascertain your own election; after the following manner shall you assure your heart before God. Do you feel yourself to be a lost, guilty sinner? Go straightway to the cross of Christ and tell Jesus so, and tell Him that you have read in the Bible, ‘Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.’ Tell Him that He has said, ‘This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’ Look to Jesus and believe on Him, and you shall make proof of your election directly, for so surely as thou believest, thou art elect. If you will give yourself wholly up to Christ and trust Him, then you are one of God’s chosen ones; but if you stop and say, ‘I want to know first whether I am elect’, you ask what you do not know. Go to Jesus, be you never so guilty, just as you are. Leave all curious inquiry about election alone. Go straight to Christ and hide in His wounds, and you shall know your election. The assurance of the Holy Spirit shall be given to you, so that you shall be able to say, ‘I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him.’ Christ was at the everlasting council: He can tell you whether you were chosen or not; but you cannot find it out any other way. Go and put your trust in Him and His answer will be - ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.’ There will be no doubt about His having chosen you, when you have chosen Him.” (‘Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.’ Morning and Evening, July 17. 1 Thess 1:4.)

Only perhaps the 'everlasting council' bit may be a bit weird =)

GAFCON

There was a post-GAFCON briefing at All Souls

and it was great to see JI Packer give his testimony of his expulsion from the diocese of New Westminster, Canada

Also the archbishop of the southern cone giving testimony of the churches there and how the 'churches of the old west' need to take the Word of God seriously and not be content with the once a week 20 min sermon

As well as the archbishop of Uganda affirming we need to be ready to die for the faith to be passed from one generation to the next

I have no idea what on earth all these meetings will surmount to, but in the words of archbishop Jensen... even heresy can be a good thing - if it leads to godliness

On a side note..
the usual nonsense continues:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/anglican-rebels-punched-gay-rights-activists-858332.html

Quick response by the rector:
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/07/03/from-the-rector-of-all-souls-church-to-the-editor-of-the-independent-newspaper/

The latest from the Merrie Theologian...

Armed to the Teeth with Laughter

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

Tertullian, the great North African theologian writing around 200 AD, was like a cross between Bruce Banner and Oscar Wilde: scary enough that you didn’t want to get on the wrong side of him, and very, very funny.

Tertullian, ready either to explode or write a 'Knock! Knock!' joke.

Tertullian chuckled so much it disturbed people. First of all, he used to laugh at how simple – in fact, how absurdly simple – truth is, meaning it takes a humble mind to recognise it. Once, he put it like this:

‘The Son of God was crucified: I am not ashamed, because it is shameful.
The Son of God died: it is immediately credible, because it is silly.
He was buried, and rose again: it is certain, because it is impossible.’

Fighting talk for those who reasoned God couldn’t become man, nor three be one!

But he also used to laugh at the absurdity of false belief. This was quite appropriate, he reckoned:

‘There are many things which deserve refutation in such a way as to have no gravity expended on them. Vain and silly topics are met with especial fitness by laughter. Even the truth may indulge in ridicule, because it is jubilant; it may play with its enemies, because it is fearless. Only we must take care that its laughter be not unseemly, and so itself be laughed at; but wherever its mirth is decent, there it is a duty to indulge it.’

Marcion was a heretic to be given exactly such treatment. Marcion, reasoning that Jesus was God, felt he had to deny that Jesus was fully human. Tertullian reckoned this merely proved that Marcion himself was not fully human, because he must be lacking a brain. Tertullian thought he probably had a pumpkin instead, meaning Marcion was half-man, half-fruit.

He dished out such lines because he believed they were just the sort of jolt the pompous heretics, puffed up with all their pretentious ‘profundity’, needed. And, especially for dealing with those who denied Jesus’ humanity (and so were a bit inhuman themselves), it was a very human way of arguing.

Perhaps PC means we can’t be like Tertullian any more (or like Paul in Galatians 5:12). Or is it that PC, bone-dry theology is itself a bit half-man, half-fruit?

Next Gen Church

Adam Rushton made a few great points at the Prayer Gathering on Tuesday evening, of which two are as follows:

1: We need to pray hard and be concerned about the next generation, because if we do not do so, then more Churches will fall into dilapidation and will be converted into houses, flats, restaurants and night clubs.

2: We need to pray hard that the next generation are more Holy and Christ-like than we will ever be.

Amen!!

Sexual Tension

The UK Anglican church is probably heading towards a similar split as their American and Canadian counterparts on the issue of homosexuality

The 'liberal' church has done a well-timed event of marrying gay priests just a few weeks before the big global Anglican conference of Lambeth

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7459269.stm

So many of the evangelical church will be willing to part from the church if they are made to preside over gay weddings - and things like Gafcon will be more prevalent.

But sometimes I wonder... if the Biblical church wants to take a stand over such an issue.. shouldn't we first look at ourselves?
Wouldn't it be much more beneficial and godly if we first implemented sexual purity in all the churches?
Implementing marriage discipleship, dating discipleship, family discipleship, sexual addiction pastoral programmes - then we could advertise we have stable marriages, dramatically lower rates of divorce, single people who are living pure lives, no sex before marriage, dating for the purpose of marriage, strong family units inter-supporting one another - wouldn't this be a much better show of the great gospel of deliverance, of the great gospel of the family of God, of the great gospel of Christ crucified!!

Anything else almost seems like self-righteousness.... and hypocrisy... which Jesus hates the most!

Let us all be unified in Christ, strive for holiness, then all the world will know we are the body of Christ, we are His true born-again disciples, if we have love one for another, like He first loved us.

______________

more on this stuff here:

http://christthetruth.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/gafcons-final-statement/

http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/media/video/?bcpid=1321273398&bclid=1318915958&bctid=1630381595

http://covenant-communion.com/?p=786

The Dos and Don'ts of a Christian Life

In gearing up his readers to think of their lives in a war-time mindset for the Kingdom, John Piper writes, "In wartime we ask different questions about what to do with our lives than we do in peacetime. We ask: What can I do to advance the cause? What can I do to bring the victory? What sacrifice can I make or what risk can I take to insure the joy of triumph? In the peacetime we tend to ask, What can I do to be more comfortable? To have more fun? To avoid trouble and, possibly, avoid sin?"

The problem with drifting into a peacetime mindset is that we stop living a life that desires to win as many as we can for Christ when we start to think of ourselves as citizens of this earth. Our sinful hearts defaults to satisfy our fleshly needs of what we want for ourselves, as opposed to what God wants for His kingdom. The temptation of this world lures with lies of the non-existence of the spiritual warfare, so comfortable and peaceful that we reduce the Christian life into a list of dos and don'ts, ie, avoid sin. In the past I have participated in legalistic discussions with other Chrisitans about how to live our lives. "Don't date a non-Christian." "Don't have sex before marriage." "Tithe regularly." This is legalism, that the human heart will try to push the boundaries as far as the bottom line of the rule to justify our own sinful actions. "I won't date a non-Christian but I can date a church-goer even though his fruit of the Spirit is not apparent." "I won't have sex before marriage, technically." "This money belongs to me and I am giving 10% to God." Whereas the more fruitful and life-changing discussion would've been, "Pursue Christ-likeness, love purity, set your hopes in heaven, put your treasures and wealth in heaven."

And I'm grieved by the Pharisaic nature of my sinful heart that distorts God's law and reduces it to a list of Bare-Minimum-I-Have-to-do-to-Be-a-Christian. It is not a surprise that I can't even keep to my self-constructed list of "dos and don'ts" because the real Motive behind these rules is far out of sight and out of mind.

Hence, I'm scrapping those things on my list, and replacing it with this one, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

Noah

Just had to cut & paste Jacky's explanation of the rainbow & eating meat

This two fold witness is akin to communion and baptism today. What we have is the ark, a symbol of the baptism; the rainbow being an everlasting covenant while the seasons last and while this earth remains; and the eating is the communion whereupon the flesh can only be eaten AFTER the blood has been shed. So here, the work of Christ is symbolically complete after the flood; blood symbolically has been shed (both literally of all flesh, and symbolically of Christ’s mediatorial offering through the ark). And now, we eat flesh in remembrance of the animals which have died innocently for man’s sake - through meat offering.

(full post here)

God's war-bow indeed has been hung up, a reminder of the washing in Christ, the gospel colour sequence reminding us of the baptism through the Light of the world. However rain still falls, the war-bow of judgement will come soon in a storm.

The institution of the eating of flesh and the waiting for the true blood to come...

great stuff Mr Lam!

Assurance

How does one know that one is saved?

1. The promises of the Word - which are external and need to become flesh

2. The testimony of the Spirit - where you cry out "Abba, Father" - true adoption

3. The fruit of the Spirit - the Word of God dwelling and working in you

Now I've always wondered about the 2nd one, and every now and then you meet people with very real 'spiritual' experiences, usually drug-addicts, murderers, etc... where the Spirit of God has made a very real revelation of being born-again in their lives, and their bondage to those specific sins has broken almost instantaneously and these people are changed forever

But normally I think the testimony of the Spirit is through the Word of God
so by one examining one's own heart again and again, we claim assurance

Hebrews 3:12-13 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

So it's no wonder that John writing his epistle, writes harshly FOR assurance, to test and re-test the heart again and again, cutting and wounding it with the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, that the end product may indeed be sure!

1 John 1:6 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1 John 2:6 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
(and the rest of the letter)

So then...

Hebrews 10:23-27 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. 26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Perseverance of faith is then a definite sign of salvation, since the persevering heart is the one that has been tested, time and time again, and now will never 'fall away' from the Living God...

and it is no wonder that Hebrews 10 says to give up meeting is equivalent to murder!

So let us keep on meeting up, more so as the day draws near, preaching the harsh gospel, cutting ourselves to the heart, testing and retesting.. that all of us may be sure! Let us not be content with confusion between children and slaves, and leave it for the day of judgement for the sorting of the sheep and goats!

2 Corinthians 13:5 5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Lord have mercy on us!

Curious imagery....

The church is God's underwear??

Jeremiah 13:11 11 For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.

Paul Washer

Heard him?



more available at:
http://www.heartcrymissionary.com/resources/sermons/paul_washer

The Law

A very quick understanding of the law of Moses

(for an extended discourse refer to my essay here)

- Adam was created in a dustly flesh
- The flesh has passions and desires, can be tempted and is perishable
- The law is holy and good, it reveals what is unseen
- Thus Adam was revealed to be sinful, and shown the extent of his sinfulness
- The law then imprisoned Adam to sin, and Satan, and death, and exile and impending judgement
- The law then pointed Adam to Christ, and Christ saved
- Christ then is not of the law, but is the end of the law for anyone who believes
- Christ is greater than the law, and the law testifies about Him
- Christ fulfils the law, i.e. accomplishes what the law testifies
- The law did not make Christ righteous, but showed the righteousness that is Christ
- The law also testified that on the cross, Christ was cursed - rejected by God
- Thus the law is merely a tool
- it reveals
- it imprisons
- it condemns
- it points to Christ
- The law cannot sanctify - only Christ can sanctify - through the Spirit
- Thus we are not under the written code, the law - but under the 'law' of Christ (which is equivalent to saying the law of your husband or wife in a marriage), and under grace

Galatians 4:9 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Introductions

Back from a 2-week long trip to Singapore!

So a quick post -

I know most of you must have read or memorised the Westminster Confession of faith,
but have you read the 'intro' to it?

Here is:

The Letter to the Heads of Families

and

Thomas Mantle's Letter

Intelligent Design

While I am all for a 6-day, young earth theology of creation I do question the use of 'creation science' as an apologetic for the gospel. Still more do I question 'Intelligent Design' as a stepping stone towards either creationism or biblical faith.

This post lays out the dangers of buying into such natural theology.

The earthly-focused church

When I read things like this...
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(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7430684.stm)

Climate deniers 'are like Fritzl'

People who fail to tackle climate change are acting like an Austrian man who locked his daughter in a cellar for 24 years, an Anglican bishop has said.

The Bishop of Stafford, Gordon Mursell, wrote in a parish letter that not confronting global warming meant people were "as guilty as" Josef Fritzl.

It meant future generations would be left in a futureless world, he said.

Mr Mursell added he was not accusing people of being child abusers but shocking analogies were needed.

In a letter featured in parish magazines in the Diocese of Lichfield, the bishop wrote: "Josef Fritzl represents merely the most extreme form of a very common philosophy of life: I will do what makes me happy, and if that causes others to suffer, hard luck.

"In fact you could argue that, by our refusal to face the truth about climate change, we are as guilty as he is - we are in effect locking our children and grandchildren into a world with no future and throwing away the key."

He said people were "right to be disgusted at these crimes" but that "mere disgust is too convenient".

"There are lessons for all of us to learn," he added.

'Monstrous crime'

But on Monday, Mr Mursell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he did not wish to shock people unnecessarily and was not "trying to imply that people who ignore climate change are child abusers".

"I am simply trying to use an analogy to get people to wake up to the consequences of what we are failing to do, because if we don't there won't be a future for our children either."

He said it was hard to imagine a more "monstrous crime" than Fritzl's and that was why he chose to use it as an analogy.

He added: "Could you not argue that if there is no future for our children and grandchildren, we will have been guilty of committing the most appalling crimes as well?

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... verses like this come to mind:
(ever so slightly out of context of course) =)

Matthew 18:6 Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

(referring to the author I mean!)

Genesis 38

I have honestly never seen a sermon series on Genesis that has ever included Gen 38

By itself it has been preached on as:
1. A demonstration of the unbelief of the family of Israel
2. A interlude to show us that the line of Christ would come via Judah
3. Comparisons with the story of Ruth (here's an interesting one - http://the48files.blogspot.com/2008/04/judah-and-tamar-retold.html)
4. Moses makes an error (!?)
5. Chronological necessity

Yet no one seems to want to explain why Judah & Tamar are interposed into the story of Joseph's life - my guess is because they don't see everything being about Jesus

So here's my attempt at it... (feel free to criticise)

Gen 37
- We start of with Joseph - the picture or type of Christ - Son of His Father
- His first coat - the coat of many colours - the splendour/glory He had with His Father - even before the world began
- We see him dream of exaltation - the Lamb that would be exalted on high
- Yet his brothers - the first shepherds - would hate him for that dream, he knows they would kill him, and through him into the pit, they would claim a lion has devoured him - Christ knows that the Lamb has to be slain before the foundation of the world

- Then so it begins - he is sold into slavery into Egypt - and indeed out of Egypt He would be called
- Now we take a look at Judah - the rejected shepherd - dwelling in the land of Canaan, loving the Canaanites - allied with such despicable angels
- There is no fruit for this Adam - his alliance with the wicked will only lead to death - and so his seed produced only bad fruit, and the tree is cut down and thrown into the fire
- Yet the promised one will come out from this Adam - not through a normal conception - but a through a strange intercourse!
- So the one who is a prostitute, spurned by the her lovers, comes into a secret birth - she is given seed from one who is higher than her husband, her father even
- Her child is unrecognisable, veiled for who He is, with only a scarlet thread to mark his line, although the wood, the seal and the cord would identify her prodigy
- her husband wants to reject her, but cannot, for her line is that of the Messiah
- it is He who is called the breach - the one who will tear down the dividing wall, and bring those who dwell in Canaan to God

- Then Joseph, born in Canaan, sent to Egypt, grows in favour and in stature with God and men
- an innocent man then accused - delivered up for the transgressions of others - rejecting the temptations of the whore of Babylon
- after a little while He is risen again - condemning the flesh, and offering wine again to His master on high - Joseph's vision is beginning to come into reality
- He is exalted back to the one who is the true King - and sends out others in a time of famine to show them where they all may find bread

So that's my sketchy understanding of the story of Christ in Gen 37-40

More of the rest of the story can be found on Prentice's sermon on Gen 40-41

There's also an excellent book by Octavius Winslow (late 19th Century) (but I have yet to read it)

Judged according to what they had done

What's this about?

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and
sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the
dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.
Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged
according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the
dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them,
and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and
Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown
into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:11-15)

Gotta preach on it on Sunday evening. So I've gotta explain the millenium, the second death and judgement 'accordging to what they had done.' Hmm...

Any help??

Praise God for the Furnace

Excerpt from A. W. Tozer

It was the enraptured Rutherford who could shout in the midst of serious and painful trials, "Praise God for the hammer, the file and the furnace."
The hammer is a useful tool, but the nail, if it had feeling and intelligence, could present another side of the story. For the nail knows the hammer only as an opponent, a brutal, merciless enemy who lives to pound it into submission, to beat it down out of sight and clinch it into place. That is the nail's view of the hammer, and it is accurate except for one thing: The nail forgets that both it and the hammer are servants of the same workman. Let the nail but remember that the hammer is held by the workman and all resentment toward it will disappear. The carpenter decides whose head will be beaten next and what hammer shall be used in the beating. That is his sovereign right. When the nail has surrendered to the will of the workman and has gotten a little glimpse of his benign plans for its future it will yield to the hammer without complaint.

The file is more painful still, for its business is to bite into the soft metal, scraping and eating away the edges till it has shaped the metal to its will. Yet the file has, in truth, no real will in the matter, but serves another master as the metal also does. It is the master and not the file that decides how much shall be eaten away, what shape the metal shall take, and how long the painful filing shall continue. Let the metal accept the will of the master and it will not try to dictate when or how it shall be filed.

As for the furnace, it is the worst of all. Ruthless and savage, it leaps at every combustible thing that enters it and never relaxes its fury till it has reduced it all to shapeless ashes. All that refuses to burn is melted to a mass of helpless matter, without will or purpose of its own. When everything is melted that will melt and all is burned that will burn, then and not till then the furnace calms down and rests from its destructive fury.

With all this known to him, how could Rutherford find it in his heart to praise God for the hammer, the file and the furnace? The answer is simply that he loved the Master of the hammer, he adored the Workman who wielded the file, he worshiped the Lord who heated the furnace for the everlasting blessing of His children. He had felt the hammer till its rough beatings no longer hurt; he had endured the file till he had come actually to enjoy its bitings; he had walked with God in the furnace so long that it had become as his natural habitat. That does not overstate the facts. His letters reveal as much.

Such doctrine as this does not find much sympathy among Christians in these soft and carnal days. We tend to think of Christianity as a painless system by which we can escape the penalty of past sins and attain to heaven at last. The flaming desire to be rid of every unholy thing and to put on the likeness of Christ at any cost is not often found among us. We expect to enter the everlasting kingdom of our Father and to sit down around the table with sages, saints and martyrs; and through the grace of God, maybe we shall; yes, maybe we shall. But for the most of us it could prove at first an embarrassing experience. Ours might be the silence of the untried soldier in the presence of the battle-hardened heroes who have fought the fight and won the victory and who have scars to prove that they were present when the battle was joined.

The devil, things and people being what they are, it is necessary for God to use the hammer, the file and the furnace in His holy work of preparing a saint for true sainthood. It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.

Without doubt we of this generation have become too soft to scale great spiritual heights. Salvation has come to mean deliverance from unpleasant things. Our hymns and sermons create for us a religion of consolation and pleasantness. We overlook the pace of the thorns, the cross and the blood. We ignore the function of the hammer and the file.

Strange as it may sound, it is yet true that much of the suffering we are called upon to endure on the highway of holiness is an inward suffering for which scarcely an external cause can be found. For our journey is an inward journey, and our real foes are invisible to the eyes of men. Attacks of darkness, of despondency, of acute self-depreciation may be endured without any change in our outward circumstances. Only the enemy and God and the hard-pressed Christian know what has taken place. The inward suffering has been great and a mighty work of purification has been accomplished, but the heart [knows] its own sorrow and no one else can share it. God has cleansed His child in the only way He can, circumstance being what they are. Thank God for the furnace.

Sinfulness of Sin - 2

More from Venning:

The difference between the saints & the wicked in dealing with sin:

The saints:
1. They bear witnesss against sin
2. They give adivce and cousel to men against sin
3. They reprove sin
4. They withdraw from the company of sinners
5. They mourn over other men's sins
6. They pray and endeavour to get pardon for the sins of those who harldy seek for it themselves
7. They witness against their own sin
8. They will not sin even when they have opportunity
9. They would rather suffer than sin
10. They will not sin though grace abound
11. They take care and use means to prevent sin
12. They are always praying that they may not sin
13. They hide the Word of God in their heart
14. They abstain from the appearances and occcasions of evil
15. The main thing that keeps them from committing sin, or for which they repent when they have committed it, is that it is against God
16. They abhor all sin- all kinds, and all degrees of sin - they hate sin as sin
17. They abhor all their secret sins - even those unknown to them
18. They are against all inclinations to sin
19. They cannot content themselves not to do evil - they must also do good
20. They abhor sins committed and themselves for committing it
21. They are restless until sin is purged as well as pardoned
22. They justify God when He chastises and afflicts them for having sinned
23. They take a holy revent on themselves and become more zealous for God
24. They desire to die only to be rid of sin

The wicked:
1. They may consider some things to be sinful
2. They may be ashamed of committing it
3. They give sins new names (e.g. Drunkenness is good fellowship)
4. They do as much as possible in the dark
5. They may be tormented while sinning (e.g. Amnon)
6. They may sin under a form of godliness
7. They may be ashamed of sin after they commit it
8. They dare not own their sin
9. They cannot endure to be called by the name of the sin they practise
10. They palliate, excuse and disavow sin
11. They deny that they have sinned
12. They dare not look into their actions or call themselves to account
13. They will decry and punish sin in others what they themselve are guilty of to better conceal their own or to compensate for it
14. Yet they desire to die the death of the righteous

Revival

Here's the full Duncan Campbell Sermon!

http://www.mediafire.com/?uxyo3xvsdnc

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Ever seen this? No?

Then you really should!

Mr Eddy

(from news.bbc.co.uk)

Church to debate convert motion

A traditionalist Anglican has said he will continue with a campaign for the Church of England to work explicitly to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Paul Eddy, a lay member of the General Synod, has come under intense pressure from bishops to withdraw his plan.

But he has secured enough support for his motion to be debated at the next meeting of the Church's ruling body.

The motion calls on the Church to proclaim Christianity as the only route to ultimate salvation.

Mr Eddy, who is training to become a priest, has been denounced by some Muslims, but says the Church can no longer avoid hard questions about its beliefs.

He said he had received angry e-mails and telephone calls from senior figures in the Church denouncing his motion.

No-go areas

Mr Eddy claims to have the backing of at least 124 members of the synod, including the Bishops of Rochester, Carlisle and Chester.

Speaking to the Sunday programme on BBC Radio Four, he said that in an effort to be inclusive and inoffensive, the church had "lost its nerve" and was "not doing what the Bible says".

"Both Christianity and Islam are missionary faiths," he said. "For years, we have sent missionaries throughout the whole world, but when we have the privilege of people of all nations on our doorstep, we have a responsibility as the state church to share the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Mr Eddy claimed that 20% of parishes contained populations in which 60% of people were not Christian.

And he said that without a concerted effort, the church was in danger of creating "no-go areas for the gospel".

"Most Muslims that I've talked to say, 'I really wish that Christians would stop watering down their faith and expecting us to do the same.'

"Until we start really saying what we really believe in our faith, there will be no respect.

"Actually, to present to a Muslim that we believe Jesus is the only way to God, they'll say, 'We know that'.

"They will expect us - if we're true Christians - to try to evangelise them, in the same way they will expect us, if they're true Muslims, to adopt their faith."

Risk of alienation

Mr Eddy called for a code of good practice to be drawn up by bishops to give church members advice on how to evangelise.

It should also give advice, he said, on how to support Muslims who choose to convert and are then ostracised by their communities.

BBC News religious affairs correspondent Robert Piggott says Mr Eddy's stance is likely to alienate many Muslims at a highly-sensitive time in the relationship between Islam and Christianity in the UK.

Our correspondent added that the motion is a sign of the conservative evangelical wing of the Church flexing its muscles to oppose what it warns is a watering down of Christian values in deference especially to Muslims.

The summer meeting of the synod is from 4 July to 8 July in York.

Wise Sayings

100 Truths in 30 Years with Christ

Christ in the Old Testament

Glen Scrivener's doing a great series proving Christ in the OT...

Personally I just assume everything is about Christ unless proven otherwise =)

Summary page
Introduction
The Angel of the Lord - 1
The Angel of the Lord - 2
The Angel of the Lord - 3
Trinitarian Passages in the OT -1
Trinitarian Passages in the OT - 2
Christ in the Psalms
10+1 reasons why this is important
Quotes from the Church Fathers - 1
Quotes from the Church Fathers - 2
Quotes from the Church Fathers - 3
Another reason of importance
NT handling of the OT
Conclusion

The Great Gospel in Marriage

Jacky's written a full essay on marriage in Scripture from Eph 5

read it here:

The Great Gospel

Mysteries Revealed in Christ's Fullness

The term 'mystery' used in the NT has been very mysteriously used in commentaries, always implying that there was something unknown in times past...

But if we look at the context of mystery - it is always something hidden, yet know-able, so then all these concepts like the gospel, the church, the Gentiles coming in, the marriage of Christ in the bride (verses below), are know-able things, yet the fullness is seen in Christ Himself

Thus the word mystery is also the origin of the term 'sacrament'
Something that is hidden from the world, yet known, revealed, to those who receive it in faith by the Word of God

All the things that happen in the fullness of Christ are true in the 'age of mystery'

- the church is there (ecclesia) (cf. Acts 7)
- the Spirit is given
- OT saints die and their spirits go to heaven
- OT saints can trust and know the methods and promises of the cross through the Word of God
- OT saints can be baptised (washed)
- etc...

indeed as Augustine says: "The sacraments (mysteries) of the Jews were different in their signs, but equal in the thing signified; different in visible appearance, but equal in spiritual power"

yet the fullness of these things happens at the appointed time, revealed in Christ - the Word Himself - plain for all to see - even the world!
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Romans 11:25 25 Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Romans 16:25-26 25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith -

1 Corinthians 15:51 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Ephesians 1:7-10 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Ephesians 3:3-6 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Ephesians 3:8-10 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 5:32 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Ephesians 6:19 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,

Colossians 1:25-27 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 2:2-3 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:9 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

Colossians 4:3 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison -

1 Timothy 3:9 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

1 Timothy 3:16 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Exact time of the creation of angels

From Berkhof (chapter IV on "Creation of the Spiritual World" in his systematics):

"In distinction from God they are created beings. The creation of the angels has sometimes been denied, but is clearly taught in Scripture...The time of their creation cannot be fixed definitely. The opinion of some, based on Job 38:7, that they were created before all other things, really finds no support in Scripture. As far as we know, no creative work preceded the creation of heaven and earth. The passage in book of Job (38:7) teaches, indeed, in a poetic vein that they were present at the founding of the world just as the stars were, but not that they existed before the primary creation of heaven and earth. The idea that the creation of the heavens was completed on the first day, and that the creation of the angels was simply a part of the day's work, is also an unproved assumption, though the fact that the statement in Gen. 1:2 applies to the earth only would seem to favour it. Possibly the creation of the heavens was not completed in a single moment any more than that of earth. The only safe statement seems to be that they were created before the seventh day. This at least follows from such passages as Gen 2:1; Ex 20:11; Job 38:7; Neh 9:6"

Discuss? I always thought angels were created during day one or day four... and not before. Your views?

Ignatius

Some quotes from Ignatius, 110AD:

The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians, IX

The priests indeed are good, but the High Priest is better; to whom the holy of holies has been
committed, and who alone has been trusted with the secrets of God. He is the door of the Father,
by which enter in Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the prophets, and the apostles, and the Church. All these have for their object the attaining to the unity of God. But the Gospel possesses something transcendent [above the former dispensation], viz., the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, His passion and resurrection. For the beloved prophets announced Him, but the Gospel is the perfection of immortality.All these things are good together, if ye believe in love. The priests indeed, and the ministers of the word, are good; but the High Priest is better, to whom the holy of holies has been committed, and who alone has been entrusted with the secrets of God. The ministering powers of God are good. The Comforter is holy, and the Word is holy, the Son of the Father, by whom He made all things, and exercises a providence over them all. This is the Way which leads to the Father, the Rock, the Defence, the Key, the Shepherd, the Sacrifice, the Door of knowledge, through which have entered Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, Moses and all the company of the prophets, and these pillars of the world, the apostles, and the spouse of Christ, on whose account He poured out His own blood, as her marriage portion, that He might redeem her. All these things tend towards the unity of the one and only true God. But the Gospel possesses something transcendent [above the former dispensation], viz. the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, His passion, and the resurrection itself. For those things which the prophets announced, saying, “Until He come for whom it is reserved, and He shall be the expectation of the Gentiles,” have been fulfilled in the Gospel, [our Lord saying,] “Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” All then are good together, the law, the prophets, the apostles, the whole company [of others] that have believed through them: only if we love one another

Historical Theology

Reeves is starting his teaching series on theology through the ages...

Here are the first in the series:

Apostolic Church Fathers


More to come soon!

Come now, you rich...

Hey,

Read this bit of James in prep for SWOT. It's so hard hitting, I'd encourage you to read it a few times and dwell on each word, and then read the commentary below that really brings it home. The sword is sharp indeed...

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. James 5:1-3


The first half of the paragraph is a description of the awful misery that will come upon the rich. In the first place, they will lose their wealth. But that by itself is far too tame an exposition of James's words. The rich will find their hoarded wealth rotted, their fine clothes moth-eaten and their treasured gold and silver corroded (images that recall Jesus' words in Mt 6:20). James gives vivid and terrible images of the destruction of their wealth, indicating that the rich will experience horror and despair over their loss. They will weep and wail in misery. The verb wail is onomatopoeic--ololyzo--adding to the vividness of the imagery by sounding like the wailing it describes. It conveys the sounds of "weeping accompanied by recurring shouts of pain" (Kistemaker 1986:156), bringing to mind the experience of excruciating grief or anguish. The rich will lose everything they have devoted themselves to and everything they have relied upon. Theirs will be the despair of people who discover their dreams and treasures destroyed forever.

If the rich were only misguided in devoting themselves to their wealth, this first misery would be enough. But there is a second level to their misery: the destruction of the wealth will consume the rich people themselves. The imagery expresses forcefully that their sin has been a deliberate pursuit of evil. Literally, James says, the rust or corrosion on the gold and silver will be the active agent against the rich. The corrosive action will take two forms: first to testify against the rich (acting as evidence of their guilt) and then to eat their flesh like fire (acting as punishment for their sin).

There are, then, three miseries specified for the rich: despair from losing their wealth, guilt from the evidence against them and horrible pain from being devoured in the judgment upon them. (IVP Commentary)

Reductionism

It occurred to me today that Two Ways to Live, if it describes a philosophy of ministry, provides a solid basis for partnership in the gospel. If our brothers and sisters are convinced of "the choice we all face", the seriousness of sin, the need for conversion, the work of Christ as the only hope for humanity and the urgency of getting this gospel out to the nations in a clear and biblical presentation... well great!

But if Two Ways to Live describes a person's theology then there may be problems. Not least of these is the entrance of Jesus half way through the presentation, entering a situation He's apparently had nothing to do with.

Tim Keller also points out that the whole "now submit to *God*" thing could easily present a legalistic gospel. There are, he says, three ways to live not two for there are two different ways you can be your own lord and saviour. License or legalism are both rebellions but 2WTL only hits the former.

Now in a simplified presentation, problems are inevitable. It's just unfortunate that what was always meant to be a quick tract for unbelievers has turned into a foundational theology for a generation. And for all those people trinity and christology are very clearly extra to the basic gospel message. Because the basic gospel message is about God, us, sin, redemption (through this Jesus thing - btw isn't box 4 always really hard to explain!!), choice.

But what I really struggle with is when Two Ways to Live describes a person's spirituality! Every sermon is "sin is bad, thank God for Jesus, now choose to follow Him." All issues in the Christian life become matters of 'bending the knee', learning humility, suffering now - glory later, not long till heaven now. And that becomes very wearying...

So thank God for such a philosophy of ministry, beware it if it becomes your basic theology, and run from anyone who's embraced it as their spirituality!

Have you met such people? They walk among us you know...

The Sinfulness of Sin

To understand grace one must understand sin...

Romans 5:20-21 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The depths of it, the wickedness of it, the sinfulness of it...

Romans 7:12-13 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

A few quotes on the reality of sin from Ralph Venning, 17th Century:

"Carnal men. or sinners are called by the name of enemies to God... sin and its acts are expressed by names of enmity and acts of hostility, such as, walking contrary to God, rebelling against God, rising up against Him as an enemy, striving and contending with God, and despising God. It makes men haters of God, resisters of God, fighters against God, even blasphemers of God, in short - atheists, who say there is no God. It goes about to ungod God, and is by some of the ancients called Deicidium, God-murder or God-killing."

"In short, sin is the dare of God's justice, the rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, the contempt of His love..."

"The body is a body of sin, the members are servants to uncleanness and iniquity. Take him from head to foot, from the crown of the one to the sole of the other, there is no whole part of him; but all is filthy and full of putrefactions and sores... their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, with their tongues they use deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips, their throat is an open sepulchre, the eye-lids haughty, ears dull of hearing, deaf as the adder, the forehead is as impudent as a brow of brass, both hands are employed to work iniquity, the belly is an idol-god, the feet are swift to shed blood, the inward part is very wickedness, the gall is a gall of bitterness, the spleen is infected with envy and malice..."

"Poor soul! Can you find it in your heart to embrace such a monster as this? Will you love that which hates God and which God hates? God forbid! Will you join yourself to that which is nothing but contrary to God and all that is good? Oh say to this idol, this devil, get hence, what have I to do with you, you sorcerer, you full of malignity and mischief, you child, yea father of the devil, you who are the founder of Hell, an enemy to all righteousness, who ceases not to pervert the right ways of the Lord, and to reproach the Living God! Away! Away! Shall I be seduced by you to grieve the God of all my joy, to displease the God of all my comfort, to vex the God of all my contentment, to do evil against a good God, by whom I live, move and have my very being, Oh no!"

Pentecost

A few thoughts on Pentecost and the reason for the Spirit being sent in this new way, from my 8am sermon this morning on Acts 2:1-21.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=d8tdhbb_0d28bc3g2

few curious questions

1. the back-to-jerusalem movements? (FYI, the whole focus on getting the gospel back to jerusalem)

2. leaving church because of 'poor' teaching? (all-round disagreeable teachings which do not edify jesus 'sufficiently')

3. the nature of our new bodies post-new creation of heavens and earth? (as dev says... we will not be androgynous)

these were just a few on the top of my head... please discuss.

Justin Martyr

Since we're on the subject of preaching Christ from the OT,
thought we could do a few Justin Martyr quotes,
Justin's my favourite author - he's from 100+ AD,
so taught by the people the apostles taught,
and is incredible to see how he uses the old testament,
since it seems the only NT book he's quoting from is Matthew

All these are from his dialogue with Trypho the Jew

Even you, who are the circumcised according to the flesh, have need of our circumcision; but we, having the latter, do not require the former. For if it were necessary, as you suppose, God would not have made Adam uncircumcised would not have had respect to the gifts of Abel when, being uncircumcised, he offered sacrifice and would not have been pleased with the uncircumcision of Enoch, who was not found, because God had translated him. Lot, being uncircumcised, was saved from Sodom, the angels themselves and the Lord sending him out. Noah was the beginning of our race; yet, uncircumcised, along with his children he went into the ark. Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High, was uncircumcised; to whom also Abraham the first who received circumcision after the flesh, gave tithes, and he blessed him: after whose order God declared, by the mouth of David, that He would establish the everlasting priest. Therefore to you alone this circumcision was necessary, in order that the people may be no people, and the nation no nation; as also Hosea, one of the twelve prophets, declares. Moreover, all those righteous men already mentioned, though they kept no Sabbaths, were pleasing to God; and after them Abraham with all his descendants until Moses, under whom your nation appeared unrighteous and ungrateful to God, making a calf in the wilderness: wherefore God, accommodating Himself to that nation, enjoined them also to offer sacrifices, as if to His name, in order that you might not serve idols. (XIX)

"I do not say so; but those who have persecuted and do persecute Christ, if they do not repent, shall not inherit anything on the holy mountain. But the Gentiles, who have believed on Him, and have repented of the sins which they have committed, they shall receive the inheritance along with the patriarchs and the prophets, and the just men who are descended from Jacob, even although they neither keep the Sabbath, nor are circumcised, nor observe the feasts. Assuredly they shall receive the holy inheritance of God. (XXVI)

What need, then, have I of circumcision, who have been witnessed to by God? What need have I of that other baptism, who have been baptized with the Holy Ghost? I think that while I mention this, I would persuade even those who are possessed of scanty intelligence. For these words have neither been prepared by me, nor embellished by the art of man; but David sung them, Isaiah preached them, Zechariah proclaimed them, and Moses wrote them. Are you acquainted with them, Trypho? They are contained in your Scriptures, or rather not yours, but ours. For we believe them; but you, though you read them, do not catch the spirit that is in them. (XXIX)

And where it has been said, 'O God, give Thy judgment to the king,' since Solomon was king, you say that the Psalm refers to him, although the words of the Psalm expressly proclaim that reference is made to the everlasting King, i.e., to Christ. For Christ is King, and Priest, and God, and Lord, and angel, and man, and captain, and stone, and a Son born, and first made subject to suffering, then returning to heaven, and again coming with glory, and He is preached as having the everlasting kingdom: so I prove from all the Scriptures. (XXXIV)

"And the offering of fine flour, sirs," I said, "which was prescribed to be presented on behalf of those purified from leprosy, was a type of the bread of the Eucharist, the celebration of which our Lord Jesus Christ prescribed, in remembrance of the suffering which He endured on behalf of those who are purified in soul from all iniquity, in order that we may at the same time thank God for having created the world, with all things therein, for the sake of man, and for delivering us from the evil in which we were, and for utterly overthrowing principalities and powers by Him who suffered according to His will. (XLI)

Now assuredly, Trypho, I shall show that, in the vision of Moses, this same One alone who is called an Angel, and who is God, appeared to and communed with Moses. For the Scripture says thus:'The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the bush; and he sees that the bush bums with fire, but the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside and see this great sight, for the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he is turning aside to behold, the Lord called to him out of the bush.' In the same manner, therefore, in which the Scripture calls Him who appeared to Jacob in the dream an Angel, then[says] that the same Angel who appeared in the dream spoke to him, saying,'I am the God that appeared to thee when thou didst flee from the face of Esau thy brother;'and[again] says that, in the judgment which befell Sodom in the days of Abraham, the Lord had inflicted the punishment of the Lord who[dwells] in the heavens;--even so here, the Scripture, in announcing that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses, and in afterwards declaring him to be Lord and God, speaks of the same One, whom it declares by the many testimonies already quoted to be minister to God, who is above the world, above whom there is no other[God]. (LX)

Thus it is written: 'And the Lord spake to Moses, Say to this people, Behold, I send My angel before thy face, to keep thee in the way, to bring thee into the land which I have prepared for thee. Give heed to Him, and obey Him; do not disobey Him. For He will not draw back from you; for My name is in Him.' Now understand that He who led your fathers into the land is called by this name Jesus, and first called Auses(Oshea). For if you shall understand this, you shall likewise perceive that the name of Him who said to Moses, 'for My name is in Him,' was Jesus. For, indeed, He was also called Israel, and Jacob's name was changed to this also. (LXXV)

"Moreover, the prophecy, 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,' was uttered respecting Him. For if He to whom Isaiah referred was not to be begotten of a virgin, of whom did the Holy Spirit declare, 'Behold, the Lord Himself shall give us a sign: behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son?' For if He also were to be begotten of sexual intercourse, like all other first-born sons, why did God say that He would give a sign which is not common to all the first-born sons? But that which is truly a sign, and which was to be made trustworthy to mankind,--namely, that the first-begotten of all creation should become incarnate by the Virgin's womb, and be a child,--this he anticipated by the Spirit of prophecy, and predicted it, as I have repeated to you, in various ways; in order that, when the event should take place, it might be known as the operation of the power and will of the Maker of all things; just as Eve was made from one of Adam's ribs, and as all living beings were created in the beginning by the word of God. But you in these matters venture to pervert the expositions which your elders that were with Ptolemy king of Egypt gave forth, since you assert that the Scripture is not so as they have expounded it, but says, 'Behold, the young woman shall conceive,' as if great events were to be inferred if a woman should beget from sexual intercourse: which indeed all young women, with the exception of the barren, do; but even these, God, if He wills, is able to cause[to bear]. For Samuel's mother, who was barren, brought forth by l the will of God; and so also the wife of the holy patriarch Abraham; and Elisabeth, who bore John the Baptist, and other such. So that you must not suppose that it is impossible for God to do anything He wills. And especially when it was predicted that this would take place, do not venture to pervert or misinterpret the prophecies, since you will injure yourselves alone, and will not harm God. (LXXXIV)

Hear, then, how this Man, of whom the Scriptures declare that He will come again in glory after His crucifixion, was symbolized both by the tree of life, which was said to have been planted in paradise, and by those events which should happen to all the just. Moses was sent with a rod to effect the redemption of the people; and with this in his hands at the head of the people, he divided the sea. By this he saw the water gushing out of the rock; and when he cast a tree into the waters of Marah, which were bitter, he made them sweet. Jacob, by putting rods into the water-troughs, caused the sheep of his uncle to conceive, so that he should obtain their young. With his rod the same Jacob boasts that he had crossed the river. He said he had seen a ladder, and the Scripture has declared that God stood above it. But that this was not the Father, we have proved from the Scriptures. And Jacob, having poured oil on a stone in the same place, is testified to by the very God who appeared to him, that he had anointed a pillar to the God who appeared to him. And that the stone symbolically proclaimed Christ, we have also proved by many Scriptures; and that the unguent, whether it was of oil, or of stacte, or of any other compounded sweet balsams, had reference to Him, we have also proved, inasmuch as the word says: 'Therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.' For indeed all kings and anointed persons obtained from Him their share in the names of kings and anointed: just as He Himself received from the Father the titles of King, and Christ, and Priest, and Angel, and such like other titles which He bears or did bear. Aaron's rod, which blossomed, declared him to be the high priest. Isaiah prophesied that a rod would come forth from the root of Jesse,[and this was] Christ. And David says that the righteous man is 'like the tree that is planted by the channels of waters, which should yield its fruit in its season, and whose leaf should not fade.' Again, the righteous is said to flourish like the palm-tree. God appeared from a tree to Abraham, as it is written, near the oak in Mature. The people found seventy willows and twelve springs after crossing the Jordan. David affirms that God comforted him with a rod and staff. Elisha, by casting a stick into the river Jordan, recovered the iron part of the axe with which the sons of the prophets had gone to cut down trees to build the house in which they wished to read and study the law and commandments of God; even as our Christ, by being crucified on the tree, and by purifying with water, has redeemed us, though plunged in the direst offences which we have committed, and has made a house of prayer and adoration. Moreover, it was a rod that pointed out Judah to be the father of Tamar's sons by a great mystery." (LXXXVI)

and so many more...

The Director of Music...

This is a cut out from: The Bible Student's Compendium And Dictionary
I'm sure it could be massively more Christ-focused,
but I think it's a great attempt nevertheless...

To err is to not see Jesus in everything
The problem with every exegesis is it's never enough about Him

____________________________________________________________

The 5 books of the Psalms:

BOOK 1 IS THE GENESIS BOOK. It shows us God's plan for MAN. God is Jehovah (the Lord) in this book. He has covenant-plans toward mankind. True, sin has broken things up and man is in rebellion against God. But the plans were made in CHRIST, and God still has His one Man in mind: Ps. 2; THE LAST ADAM: Ps. 8 (cf. Gen. 1). The middle Psalm of the book (21) describes Him as crowned for rule and set to be a blessing for ever (v. 6; cf. Gen. 12 and 22:18); though, indeed, He shall only reach His Crown through a Cross (22-24). Yet the MAN Christ Jesus is set before us, waiting in faith for the glory the Lord will give Him (16, 17, 18); "bowed down heavily" in the days of His flesh (35:14), yet "the Lord hath pleasure in the prosperity of His Servant" (v. 27), and when He has "waited patiently" as "a poor and needy" Man, cast upon the Lord, He receives the promised reward (40, 41). It is a "blessed" thing to consider this poor MAN (41).

BOOK 2 IS THE EXODUS BOOK. It begins with the true Israel in tears and suffering (42) yet appealing to God against "an ungodly nation" (43) and though "counted as sheep for the slaughter" (44), calling upon God to redeem them (44:26). Then comes THE DIVINE REDEEMER. Finally a redeemed Israel sings sings praises for deliverance (61-68). And the book that began with suffering conducts us, Psalm by Psalm, through a varied experience on pilgrimage towards God, towards the glorious kingdom of Christ, which will leave nothing for the loyal soul to desire (72: see esp. v. 19 and 20).

THEN BOOK 3 IS THE LEVITICUS BOOK. This is the book of the Sanctuary. Search and see how that in nearly every Psalm some reference is made to the sanctuary. Israel's house is indeed now left unto her "desolate" and given over to her enemies. But HE WHO DWELLS BETWEEN THE CHERUBIM (80:1) will yet "shine forth" again and the deserted altars shall again be laden with worship (84). For Jehovah is faithful and has sworn (89).

BOOK 4 IS THE NUMBERS BOOK: the book of the wilderness. Angels watch over God's true Israel there (91), and when Israel has profited by the past wilderness lesson (95), the wilderness shall blossom as the rose (96, etc. cf. Is. 35). For Christ will return as LORD OF THE WHOLE EARTH (98:5-7; cf. Heb. 1:6) and the earth will no longer be a wilderness but will enjoy the promised blessings (101-106). This is a very striking book indeed and may well end, as it does, with "Hallelujah."

BOOK 5 IS, LIKE DEUTERONOMY, THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT WORD. Its chief Psalm is 119, which is all in praise of that Word. (Remember Deuteronomy begins "These be the words" and tells, as we saw, how God bare witness of a New Covenant through Moses). This Word tells of "good things to come." Christ is the High Priest of these good things (Ps. 110; cf. Heb.). It will be a wonderful day when "the greater Hallel" (Pss. 117-118) is sung in Mount Zion - "the day which the Lord hath made," when the Rejected Stone is made "THE HEADSTONE OF THE CORNER." No wonder the words are treasured by believing hearts (119) and their eyes "lifted up" (121) for their redemption which draws nigh. From distress (120) they will ascend - as the songs of "degrees", songs of "the steps" (the steps of ascent to the Divine Temple) describe - to the sanctuary of blessing, where the Lord of heaven and earth will bless men out of Zion (135).

The Book closes with a grand universal anthem in five "Hallelujah" Psalms.

Preaching to the Elderly

Anyone from Asia will know how tricky it can be to preach to an older generation rooted in cultural religion...

One Singapore pastor gives his suggestions...

Winning over the elderly

The Ascension

Ever wondered what the ascension is about? Why Christ had to leave the earth after His resurrection? Didn't have a huge party on the 1st of May to celebrate Ascension Day?

Here's my attempt at explaining a bit of this glorious event at the Clubhouse service...

The Ascension of Christ

MP3 File
(apologies for preaching so fast - figured we get taught so little on it, so didn't want to wait a whole year to get on the subject again)

In the Image of God we were made long ago...

The "image of God" has been a subject of much debate over the last 2000 years in theology,
with viewpoints ranging from - 'we look like Him' to 'we can think and can be creative'

A talk a few weeks ago at the clubhouse brought this to mind -

Very many Christians argue that we should love someone because they are special,
i.e. they are walking image-bearers, thus they deserve respect and honour and love
He then continued to say this is a whole bunch of nonsense,
since at the fall, the image of God was utterly destroyed

The illustration he used was this:
Like an old Victorian house which they've kept the front or façade of it
but they have demolished everything within it for renovation,
so once you look past the shell, it is only dust and destruction

That seems to be a good analogy of what remains of the 'Imago Dei'
All was lost at the fall, with only a shell remaining,
That image, that likeness corrupted, ruined, devastated by sin

Thus only in Christ is that image remade new, rebuilt,
that Victorian house is renovated with a stunning new interior,
and in fact we wait for the exterior to be destroyed and rebuilt as well
An unbeliever is like a thing that does not exist
broken pots waiting to be smashed
A shadow, destroyed by the sun
A nightmare, vanishing with like a dream
Whereas those in Christ are clay jars that hold burning torches within,
also waiting, except we long, groan for the day of revelation

Why then do we love our neighbour?
Not for anything that they are,
but rather for Who Christ is,
and what Christ has done for us on the cross,
We love because God loved us first...
We forgive others because our debts are forgiven
We honour others, because all authority is given to us by Christ
We are patient with others, because of the Father's patience
We are generous with others, because He will supply all our needs
We are kind with others, because He showed pity on us
We suffer and bear others, because He suffered so that by the grace of God, none of us need taste death

UCCF recommended books

(copied from Dan Hames blog)

This is hilarious.....