Our Joy

Our Joy is Jesus; not sinful men.

Our Joy is Jesus; not the reactions or responses of sinners to our message.

Our Joy is Jesus; not the attention of sinful men to our message.

Our motivation is Jesus; not sinful men.

Our motivation is Jesus; not the reactions or responses of sinners to our message.

Our movitation is Jesus; not the attention of sinful men to our message.

Our joy and motivation is Jesus completing the work, not us adding to it either through sanctification or evangelism, these are only displays of our complete joy in Him, not causes of it.

LEARNING TO LEARN

Learn, but also learn to not make an idol of learning, learning is to point us to a person: Jesus, not to us: our recall and wit.

VERY TIMELY

His name, ah, I am sick of the way in which they use His name today! Shame on some that are called Christian ministers! They believe in Christ, but it is a Christ without His crown, His atonement, His judgment seat, or even His Godhead. They mock us with orthodox phrases, from which the essential truth is gone. They pretend that they believe in the atonement, and when we listen to their atonement we find that it does not effectually atone for anyone. It is a mere fiction, and not a fact. It saves nobody, but is a mere sham. They have eviscerated the gospel, and then they hold up the empty carcass, and claim that they are Christians still.

Christians who have murdered Christianity! Believers who doubt whether there is anything to be believed! Yet we are entreated in our charity to hug such traitors to our bosom. We shall do nothing of the kind. We would sooner believe in infidels outright than in those who pretend to be Christians and are infidels at heart. “Modern thought” is a more evil thing than downright atheism; even as a wolf in a sheep’s skin is worse than a wolf in his natural form.

There are pretty things said of our Lord Jesus by those who deny the faith which are sickening to me. I loathe to hear our true Lord praised by false lips. They deny the doctrines which He taught, and yet prate about believing Him. It is a shallow trick, but yet it deceives shallow souls. Poor, weak minds say, “The man speaks so beautifully of Jesus, surely he cannot be in error.” I tell you it is the old Judas trick--the Son of man is betrayed with a kiss. How nauseating their praises must be to Him whom they are betraying.

Think not that they are honest; their designs are far other than appear upon the surface. They laud Him as man that they may dishonor Him as God: they cry up His life, and His example, that they may cast His atoning sacrifice into the ditch. They lift up one part of the divine revelation with no other intention than that they may dash down the other: they crouch at His feet that they may stab at His heart."

C.H. Spurgeon

Laboring

Strive for the Highest Quality of Labor for the Glory of God, but not for the glory of the Labor or the laborer.// The opposite of "not laboring for self" is not "sloth", but rather is-- "laboring for God"// and again this laboring is always a fruit of grace, never a cause of grace.

GREATER GLORY

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former. Hag 2:9

Hebrews 3:1-6 (ESV)
Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, [2] who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. [3] For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. [4] (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) [5] Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, [6] but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

PERSONAL MATURING

Personal maturing; God has not gifted Sproul like SCC, nor gifted SCC like Sproul; I do not have to compete and strive to be someone I am not. Albeit, I more identify with the blessings of Methibosheth. Develop your gifts for God, but do not covet the gifts of others.

WHY US

Fallen men strive for prominence through musical abilities, athletics abilities, intellectual abilities, entertainment abilities, or overall wealth; Angels covered their eyes day and night, never imgaining ever drawing attention for themselves, and certainly bewildered that God would be mindful of us--- the worms, vapors, lepers, and ungodly.

JOHN 6

from www.reformationtheology.com or www.monergism.com

John 6:66, “From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked with Him no more”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, preaching on this passage (on 2/5/1882) said:

"The defection in this case was on account of doctrine... The truth was too hard for them, it was not to be borne with. “It is a hard saying. Who can hear it?” A true disciple sits at the feet of his Master, and believes what he is told even when he cannot quite comprehend the meaning, or see the reasons for what his Master utters; but these men had not the essential spirit of a disciple, and consequently when their Instructor began to unfold the innermost parts of the roll of truth, they would not listen to His reading of it. They would believe as far as they could understand, but when they could not comprehend they turned on their heel and left the school of the Great Teacher.

Besides, the Lord Jesus Christ had taught the doctrine of the sovereignty of God, and of the need of the Spirit of God, that men should be led to Him, “for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” Here our Lord uttered a bit of old-fashioned free-grace doctrine, such as people nowadays do not like.

They call it “Calvinism”, and put it aside among the old exploded tenets which this enlightened age knows nothing of. What right they have to ascribe to the Genevan reformer a doctrine as old as the hills I do not know. But our Lord Jesus never hesitated to fling that truth into the face of His enemies. He told them, “Ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.” “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” Here he tells them plainly that they could not come unto Him unless the Father gave them the grace to come. This humbling doctrine they could not receive, and so they went aside." (Sermons, 28, 111-2)

CHIEF END OF GOD

"The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy Himself forever."

-- John Piper.

Not What My Hands Have Done

Not What My Hands Have Done

FOREVER GRATEFUL TO YOU LORD

Christian DEATH Persecution: The world was not worthy of them

FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM

If you believe in friendship Evangelism, go to North Korea, and work your charm. Yes we are friendly, yes we evangelize, but never think that draws goats. We are a savor of death unto death...(and to others a savor of life to life).

All the unregenerate are God haters, enemies of God, and would crucify Him if given the opportunity; There is no middle ground.

Jesus was the friendliest evangelist ever in the infinity of time, life, and existence. And He was hated without a cause, crucified, mocked, spat upon, called a Demon, and they shouted all the louder, "We have no King but Ceasar, Crucify Him!! Crucify Him!!" Crucify this friendly evangelist, and release Barabbas who has never cured a leper, raised the dead, or forgiven sins.

The car was travelling 87 mph in a 55 mph zone, after a 30 minute chase, the car was finally boxed in and brought to a halt. The Cop asked, "Why were you speeding, and why didn't you pull over when I turned on the siren??" The speeder: Honestly, neither you nor the goverment are friendly ENOUGH so I am not interested in what your government, your laws, or even you have to say."

The solution was not "Friendship Evangelism":

2 Cor. 4:8-11 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; [10] always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. [11] For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

2 Cor. 1:8-10 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. [9] Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. [10] He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

2 Cor. 11:23-33 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. [24] Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; [26] on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; [27] in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. [28] And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. [29] Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

[30] If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. [31] The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. [32] At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, [33] but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

NOT OUR FEELINGS

If we try to get up warm feelings and good dispositions in order to remove some fancied remainder of distance, we shall fail; not simply because these actings of ours cannot do what we are trying to do, but because there is no need of any such effort. The thing is done already. God has brought his righteousness nigh to the sinner.

Horatius Bonar

EVIL IDOLATERS

But the most abominable form of idolatry in the world is that which Paul calls “will worship,” the worship of yourself (Colossians 2:23).

Those who attribute salvation in whole or in part to the will, work, or worth of man are the most abominably evil idolaters in the world, for they worship themselves. Freewillism is the worship of self. Legalism is the worship self. Free-will works religion makes man his own savior, for it makes the will, work, or worth of man the determining factor in salvation. Now hear me well. — If your salvation, in whole or in part, is looked upon by you as something that is dependent upon or determined by your will or your works, you are a lost, Christless soul, an idolater. You may talk about God and grace, Christ and redemption, the Holy Spirit and regeneration; but you really worship yourself. You trust in your own decision. Your confidence is in your personal goodness. Your peace is derived not from what Christ has done, but from what you have done.

Don Fortner

MOTIVATION NOTE #1

I have 11 pages of thick notes that I have compiled on the core of Christian motivation, among many fundamental concepts, here is a primary one:

God. God is my motivation. God's Glory, God's Grace, His "Person", God's Attributes, God's Presence.

Angels cry day and night, "Holy, Holy, Holy", there motivation is NOT based on the reactions of other angels, or mankind, nor of even a reaction from God Himself. Merely the Holiness of God and the Presence of God's "Person and Being" ... See Moremotivates them, yea utterly compels them to bear their testimony aloud. May we do the same, by beholding the person of Jesus by faith alone, by grace alone, by the Power of the Holy Spirit alone.

Php 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

NOT US AT ALL

The power of preaching is the Holy Spirit using the public reading of the Holy Scripture with nothing added. Yes pastors talk thereafter, but their talking is likened to the movement of the priests. The priests had to move inorder to sprinkle the blood on the altar, but the power was not in their movement, but in the blood.

God is so Sovereign, that like Philip, God could cause me to appear in another place, like North Korea, and with one sermon like Peter, God could regenerate the entire political and military membership, though I have never studied a syllable of the Korean language, nor have access to a translator.--and all with the same ease as the centurion admitted:

Mat 8:8 But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

ONLY TO DIVINE MAJESTY

More by Luther on free will...

""free-will" is obviously a term applicable only to Divine Majesty; for only He can do, and does (as the Psalmist sings) "whatever he wills in heaven and earth" [Psalms135:6]. If "free-will" is ascribed to men, it is ascribed with no more propriety than divinity itself would be - and no blasphemy... See More could exceed that! So it befits theologians to refrain from using the term when they want to speak of human ability, and to leave it to be applied to God only."

--Martin Luther

WHY MOPE

Maybe lack of motivation stems from an absence of humility and thankfulness. If you gave me a million dollars I'd jump, shout, hollar, "wow this is great, this is too much." But if God gets me out of bed, I merely whine, "ho-hum, nothing to do" Do I deserve the health to walk and live? Life is more important than a million dollars, and God sustains that each day. So why mope???

Morgan State Univ. Choir - Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing

Morgan State Choir "The Lord Be Praised"

ONLY IF

Apart from Christ, we are dead in sin (Eph. 2:1) and wholly disposed to hate God. We only want darkness, and so we freely choose to reject Him. We freely choose to love and to serve Jesus only if the Spirit changes our hearts (John 3:1-8). Otherwise we remain lost.

- Tabletalk, Feb 23, 2007

EARLY CHURCH

"The early church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions. Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity."

- Leonard Ravenhill

I am not sure that Ravenhill held to Reformed theology, but this particular quote is true nonetheless.

DRIVEN MAD

"If any man could see his own heart as it is by nature, he would be driven mad: the sight of our disease is not to be born unless we also see the remedy."

~CH Spurgeon.

The remedy is not man himself but Christ Alone. from Shawn Waugh

QUICKENS

"Christ quickens none but the dead. Why do not the papists attain to this grace of justification? They never see themselves wholly dead, but join some life to the natural estate of man. Therefore Christ quickens them not."

- Richard Sibbes

ALL THINGS

"Has God decreed all things that come to pass? Then there is nothing that falls out by chance, nor are we to ascribe what we meet with either to good or ill luck and fortune. There are many events in the world which men look upon as mere accidents, yet all these come by the counsel and appointment of Heaven."

-Thomas Boston

GIVES YOU

"I frequently hear persons exhorted to give their hearts to Christ...But that is not the Gospel. Salvation comes from something that Christ gives you, not something that you give to Christ."

~Charles Spurgeon

I DID.

Puzzling. How were you born again?

God told me to repent. I did.
God told me to believe. I did.
God told me to be baptized. I did.
God told me to trust Jesus. I did.
God told me to confess my sins. I did.
God told me to accept his offer. I did.

How were you born again? Because of what I did.

Pieces all fit together: Works Salvation.

Does 2 Peter 3:9 Make God Schizophrenic?

WHOSOEVER

Whosever is sinless needs not a redeemer, says nothing to man's ability to be sinless. Whosoever is in hell is hurting, it says nothing more than describe the results; Believers do not perish, that is the point, jew or gentile. Can dead men believe on their own?

Some hide behind this word, "Whosoever"; and I fully agree, "whosover" bears X, gains Z. However, the term says nothing about who ever can bear X. Whosoever gets pregnant gains weight, this does not indicate that men can get pregnant. So the usage in the Bible does not entail man's ability.

For Arminians, I would assume, that Noah's Message in and Peter's Message at Pentecost, are fundamentally the same in the fact that the Holy Spirit is making offers to both generations, it just so turns out more men say yes during Peter's message.

LIGHT AND HEAT

We are light to the world, but yet to a blind world. So we shine for Him, not for them. They may be warmed by the light, and benefit in that regard, yet clueless on whom we are shining towards. Truly light (a candle) can dispel the darkness of a room, but never has darkness dispelled the light of the candle. Our light cannot be put out by the scoffing of the dark.

EYE UPWARD AND INWARD

"He who would walk aright must have one eye upward to Jesus Christ, and another inward to the corruption of his own nature. It is not enough that we look about us, we must also look within us."

-Thomas Boston-

LITTLE ENOUGH

When God wants to do His great works He trains someone to be quiet enough and little enough, then He uses that person."

--J. Hudson Taylor