Loving God by Knowing God

 There are four points in this material I am trying to emphasize. Great quote!!

1) Now, remember, we never make ourselves love Christ more by flogging ourselves for not loving Him more.

2) We come to love those better whom we love by knowing them better,

3) not by talking to ourselves about the duty of loving them,

4) for love and duty, somehow or other, do not work well together.

Charles H. Spurgeon (1834 – 1892)

Trials are Appointments

 Your trials, Christian,

are not accidents stemming

from an uncontrolled cosmos.

Your trials are appointments

from a holy God who loves you

and is purifying you.

OWEN STRACHAN

@MISSIONALWEAR

Postmill Notes

Someone's Notes on Postmill 

The Kingdom Of God

When?

Mark 1:15 (At hand in 1st century)

Matthew 12:28-29 (28 shows kingdom is now, 29 shows Satan is bound)

Hebrews 12:28- We are receiving (present active participle-now and not yet-) a kingdom that cannot be shaken

Acts 2:29-35 (Davidic Covenant fulfilled via resurrection)

Acts 28:31 (Paul preaches the Kingdom of God)

Matthew 28:18 (Christ has all authority)

Acts 1:9- Daniel 7:13-14 (Christ inherits the Kingdom *See also Psalm 2:6-8*)

Daniel 2:44 (The eternal Kingdom is set up during the Roman Empire)

Hebrews 12:22 (Have come to Mt. Zion which is Heavenly Jerusalem *Isaiah 2, Psalm 2:6*

Psalm 110:1 (1 Corinthians 15:25 Christ is reigning now and will reign until all enemies are places under His feet, 5000 other verses speak of Christ being at the Father's right hand.)

Psalm 2 (Begins fulfillment at resurrection *see Acts 13:32-33 and Romans 1:4)

What's it like?

Daniel 2:35 (Starts small covers the Earth)

Isaiah 9:7 (increase of his government knows no end)

Matthew 13:31-33 (starts small but covers Earth)

Isaiah 2:1-4 (Begins with nations flowing to God bc they are drawn *John 12:32* and results in a time of peace on the Earth)

Psalm 22:27-28 (After the crucifixion, all the ends of the Earth worship God because He is King *Matthew 28:18-19*)

Psalm 72 (Christ's glory shall cover the Earth)

Psalm 110:1- 1 Corinthians 15:22-27 *Acts 1:9, Hebrews 1:13, Daniel 7:13-14, Colossians 3:1, Ephesians 1:20, and tons more* (Christ died for His people, *ascends* reigns UNTIL he places everything under His feet, lastly destroys death and delivers the Kingdom to the Father)

Genesis 22:17-18 (Descendants numerous as stars and sand on seashore. Abrahamic Covenant fulfilled in Christ. All who believe are Abraham's children *Galatians 3:7, 28-29*)

Isaiah 42:1-7 quoted in Matthew 12:15-21 (Christ, the better Israel, is a light for the nations and brings justice to the nation's in a gradual peaceful almost imperceptible way *v.3*)

Isaiah 61 quoted in Luke 4:18-19 (The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to the poor, bind up broken hearts and proclaim liberty to the captives. Verse 6 we are made priests of God *1 Peter 2:9*. Verse 11 God causes righteousness and praise to sprout up among the nations like a garden produces its fruit *slowly*)

Isaiah 52:10 (Verse 7 says how beautiful are them that bring the good news *Romans 10:15* results in Jerusalem being redeemed and all the ends of the Earth seeing the salvation of God.)

Isaiah 52:15 (Connects to Isaiah 53. After the crucifixion *verse 13 and 14* He sprinkles many nations)

Ezekiel 47 parallels Revelation 22 (The new temple, Christ, causes water or the Spirit to go forth and it cleanses the sea and only a few marshes are left unclean. Sea represents Gentiles in a lot of prophetic literature)

Isaiah 11:1-10 (Christ comes and brings justice, equity and peace) Isaiah 11:11-16 commentators see V. 11-16 as picturing God saving all of His elect and picturing a royal conquest through the spread of the Gospel. This txt is quoted in Romans 15:12

Revelation 5:10-11 ( Christ receives the scroll which is His deed of rulership or inheritance *Psalm 2:6* and He makes us a kingdom of priests *1 Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:5-6* and the saints reign ON THE EARTH)

Genesis 49:8-10 Christ is the lion of the tribes of Judah who is the ultimate king. He shall rule and to him will be the obedience of the people (Greek septuagint says ethnon which is the same Greek word found in Matthew 28:19). So, the Kingdom shall result in nations being obedient to Christ.

CONCLUSION:

REV 20 EXEGESIS

V.1 angel descends with key to abyss *Revelation 1:18*

V.2 and 3 Satan is bound for 1000 years

*Mark 3:27, Matthew 12:28-29*

1000 years is a symbolic number *2 Peter 3:8, Psalm 50:10, Psalm 84:10, Psalm 90:4, Psalm 105:8* (Daniel 7:10 makes it clear that 1000 is a symbolic number meaning a lot unless only 100,000,000 were a part of the judgment referenced there.)

V. 4 Saints die and go to Heaven as a result of Christ's resurrection they reign in Heaven with Christ.

V.5 The reprobate do not experience the blessedness of life with Christ in Heaven. This may also mean the rest of the dead spiritually do not take part in the first resurrection via regeneration.

V.6 Taking part in the first resurrection refers to regeneration. Some have died and went to Heaven because of Christ's resurrection. Others are "alive" through taking part in Christ's resurrection *Romans 6:4, Ephesians 2:5-6, Colossians 2:12*. This passage shows the contrast between spiritual and physical resurrection in a parallel way to John 5:25 and John 5:29. It is clear that the saints reign from Heaven and Earth *Revelation 5:10*.

V.6 because the saints have taken part in the first resurrection we are a kingdom of priests *1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 5:10* and reign with Christ on Earth. Furthermore, we have no fear of the Lake of Fire which is the second death.

V.7-10 refers to the great rebellion after Christ's reign reaches its peak. After the fulness of the Gentiles have come in and the Jews return to Christ, Satan is given authority to deceive the nations. This may occur through the power of the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2. Admittedly, most Postmills believe the man of lawlessness to be in the past but I see no reason for that to be a necessity. The result is Christ returns to crush His enemies *2 Thessalonians 1:8* and cast them in the lake of fire.

The Premillennial position is impossible because:

1. Matthew 13 and 25 state that upon Christ's return we will immediately go into the eternal state. Christ's people to eternal.life the unregenerate into eternal damnation.

2. Romans 8 connects the glorification of believers to the renewal of the Earth. Therefore, Christ can't return and reign for 1000 years on earth over glorified believers and unglorfied unbelievers.

3. In Revelation 19 the unbelievers are all slaughtered. The premills take Revelation to be chronological. So where do the unbelievers come from in Revelation 20?

4. Acts 2 connects Christ's resurrection to the fulfillment of Davidic Covenant.

5. Matthew 12 and Mark both teach that the strong man is bound, Christ is reigning now and the Kingdom of God is here.

6. 1 Corinthians 15 says that the last enemy to be destroyed is death which occurs at Christ's return. However, the Premills still have people dying in the millennium which occurs after Christ's return.

7. John 5:29 speaks of 1 physical resurrection whereas the premills have 2.

8. Christ tells us that His Kingdom isn't a literal earthly kingdom in John 18:36.

9. The imminent return of Christ is not taught in Scripture (Matt. 25 bring a lot of oil, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 *the man of lawlessness must be unleashed at the end of the millennium first*)

Efficient Cause of Our Justification

 What is the efficient cause of our justification?

The whole Trinity. All the persons in the blessed Trinity have a hand in the justification of a sinner: opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa. God the Father is said to justify. 'It is God that justifieth.' Rom viii 33. God the Son is said to justify. 'By him all that believe are justified.' Acts xiii 39. God the Holy Ghost is said to justify. 'But ye are justified by the Spirit of our God.' I Cor vi ii. God the Father justifies, as he pronounces us righteous; God the Son justifies, as he imputes his righteousness to us; and God the Holy Ghost justifies, as he clears up our justification, and seals us up to the day of redemption.

-Thomas Watson

Appropriation, or applying Christ to ourselves. A medicine, though it be ever so sovereign, if not applied, will do no good. Though the plaster is made of Christ's own blood, it will not heal, unless applied by faith; the blood of God, without faith in God, will not save. This applying of Christ is called receiving him. John 1:12. The hand receiving gold, enriches. Just so, the hand of faith, receiving Christ's golden merits with salvation, enriches us.

-Thomas Watson

We draw Near through Christ, because in Christ He drew near to us.

 "From where do we derive the confidence to walk with God, particularly our God, who is "a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29)? Was there not such fear among His people of old that seeing God was believed to be unbearable, leading to certain death? Can anyone, without extreme horror, contemplate the dreadful appearance God made to them on Mount Sinai? Even Moses, their mediator, said, "I tremble with fear" (Hebrews 12:21), and all the people said, "Do not let God speak to us, or we will die" (Exodus 20:19). Even though individuals may have notions of God's goodness and kindness, when faced with the revelation of His glory, they tremble with fear and astonishment. Has this not been the case even with His choicest saints (Habakkuk 3:16; Isaiah 6:5; Job 42:5-6)? Where, then, do we find the audacity to walk with God? The apostle will answer this for us in Hebrews 10:19: "We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus." Similarly, Ephesians 3:12 states, "In him we have boldness and access with confidence." Rather than standing at a distance like the people during the giving of the law, we draw near to God with boldness, and this is possible because of one reason: The fear and terror of God are a result of sin. Adam did not consider hiding himself until he had sinned. The guilt of sin on our conscience and the common notion ingrained in our hearts that God is a righteous avenger cause us to dread His presence, fearing that He has come to bring our sins to remembrance. However, by His sacrifice and atonement, the Lord Jesus has removed this conscience of sin, along with the dread of God's revenge on its account. He has taken away the sword of the law that condemns us, granting us great boldness before God. He now reveals Himself not as a vengeful Judge but as a tender, merciful, and reconciled Father. Moreover, while we naturally possess a spirit of bondage that torments us with numerous fears, Jesus takes it away and grants us the Spirit of adoption. Through this Spirit, we cry out, "Abba, Father," and confidently and graciously behave as children. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17), specifically freedom from all the dread and terror associated with the administration of the law. Since there is no sin that God will more severely avenge than any audacity displayed by individuals outside of Christ, there is no grace more pleasing to Him than the boldness He grants us through the blood of Jesus."

-John Owen

REPENTANCE RENOUNCES; FAITH GOES OUT

 THOMAS WATSON Self-renunciation. Faith is going out of one's self, being taken off from our own merits, and seeing we have no righteousness of our own. "Not having my own righteousness." Self-righteousness is a broken reed, which the soul dares not lean on. Repentance and faith are both humbling graces; by repentance a man abhors himself; by faith he goes out of himself. As Israel in their wilderness march, behind them saw Pharaoh and his chariots pursuing, before them the Red Sea ready to devour; so the sinner behind sees God's justice pursuing him for sin, before, hell ready to devour him; and in this forlorn condition, he sees nothing in himself to help—but he must perish unless he can find help in another.

Quotes from Luther

 Luther: We, on the other hand, teach and comfort an afflicted sinner this way: “Brother, it is impossible for you to become so righteous in this life that your body is as clear and spotless as the sun. You still have spots and wrinkles (Eph. 5:27), and yet you are holy.” But you say: “How can I be holy when I have sin and am aware of it?” “That you feel and acknowledge sin—this is good. Thank God, and do not despair. It is one step toward health when a sick man admits and confesses his disease.” “But how will I be liberated from sin?” “Run to Christ, the Physician, who heals the contrite of heart and saves sinners. Believe in Him. If you believe, you are righteous, because you attribute to God the glory of being almighty, merciful, truthful, etc. You justify and praise God. In short, you attribute divinity and everything to Him. And the sin that still remains in you is not imputed but is forgiven for the sake of Christ, in whom you believe and who is perfectly righteous in a formal sense. His righteousness is yours; your sin is His.”

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 26: Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 26 (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 233.