VERY HINGE

“[It is] essentially wholesome and necessary, for a Christian to know, whether or not the will does any thing in those things which pertain unto Salvation. Nay, let me tell you, this is the very hinge upon which our discussion turns. It is the very heart of the subject” - Martin Luther

YOU CAN'T

I can't open your heart, but you can't shut my mouth. Jesus is King, Praise Him.

DESPISE THE BODY

Reading a powerful sermon, here is good excerpt: That is why Paul says, “...that their bodies might be dishonored among them.” You see, people that indulge in these types of activities dishonor their body. It literally means to treat the body with contempt, to despise it. (!!!) I never caught this implication before, insightful.

The lie is, people think, "oh but we love pleasing the body", well that is a lie, in reality your actions show that you love despising the body.

WHO IS ARBITRARY NOW

Is Almighty God bound to the arbitrary human standard of fairness or does God have the right to issue Mercy as He deems appropriate?--B. Bradley

DRAW NEAR TO GOD

The other day I was thinking about Hebrews 4:16 by vague recollection not by direct reading of it or study.  I knew what it said roughly, and here is what it says exactly...."Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I was thinking with sorrow, "Yea, but my old nature is so vile, corrupt, and unclean, it seems extremely audacious for me to approach the throne in prayer, knowing how miserable my mind, heart, and actions are each day; and though I am a new creation, how even more appauling that I nonetheless fall so short of maturity in Christ...." and so I continued to mope.

Tonight, a thought hit me, and it was this, "Ok, yea, but which is more audacious to approach the throne of grace knowing your spiritual poverty...OR...viewing the life, work, perfection, purity, obedience, death, blood, resurrection of Jesus as unsufficient to bring you to the throne of grace?"  I then realized that my thoughts the first night were more foolish in overlooking the accomplishment of Jesus as the grounds for my access to the throne.  I could not think of the exact verse, but I was thinking about something in Romans 3, and now I know it was this:  Romans 3:26   It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

God is JUST towards Jesus, that it is proper and right to accept and honor His blood redemption of sinners.  Hence, it is also JUST for me to approach the throne on the basis of Jesus' work.  Not that I am in a position to judge Jesus, but that I surely must not....."trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing," 

Then as these thoughts blessed me, I decided to look at the original context of Hebrews 4, and this great introduction was made by the writer...the same point I needed to know concerning approaching the throne of grace.

Hebrews 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. [15] For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

1.  We have a high priest.
2.  We have a great high priest.
3.  The writer goes at length in this letter to explain the superiority of Jesus as our High Priest.
4.  This short kernel sums it up:  He was in all points tempted like as we are, YET WITHOUT SIN.

And this introduces verse 16, which I was rembering out of context.

Hebrews 4:16   Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We come boldly, but NEVER on the basis of our past, present, future--- performance, purity, ability.  The word "therefore" points us back to the Great High Priest who is WITHOUT SIN, and that is the basis for us approaching the throne.  We come boldy, and ALWAYS on the basis of our High Priest who is without sin.  He is the Priest, He is the Lamb, He is the Door, He is the Mediator of a Better Covenant.established on Better Promises;

Hebrews 7:19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

Did I catch that?-- a better hope is introduced, THROUGH WHICH we draw near to God.
Praise God for Grace,  Jesus is Grace.

EAGER PRAYER

How do we view prayer/praying?  How eager are we to pray?    Do we view it as:

-something we "have to do", just like paying taxes?  But we murmur that we hope we "grace" will lower the tax, and increase our "free time" for ourself.

-something we need to do, like changing the car's oil every 4 months?  That we want it done and over with on one day, knowing it disrupts our normal day and week? 

-something we need to do, like a house chore?  Let's get the laundry done, vacuum, and pray, and quicker we get it done, the shorter our murmuring will be.

-something we "ought" to do, but begrudgingly like spending a day with in-laws? But you give a plastic smile, and a cheerful remark, still wondering when you can leave this irksome obligation.

-something that is just unavoidable, like seeing commericals interrupt our TV show, or sports show, or movie?  But hopefully we can move on back to our normal programming of earthly attention.

-something that God requires, so we better do it?  But in the deepest level of our veiled conscience we are thinking....'It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?:  (Malachi 3:14)

-something that we will do if it has a drive through window?  There are days I am hungry but due to driving a long distance will not go sit for a steak, and since they do not have a drive through window, I'll go find a place which can get me a meal and get me moving on to my personal destination.
Is prayer, praying, prayer time....seen, pursued, with a sincere joyful eagerness as one who loves God? 

If Jesus rang your doorbell, would you talk to him for 5 minutes like he was proslyetizing with the local cult, but then be glad to shut the conversation down and send him on His way?

I've conciously turned my phone ringer off to ensure that I get a good nap with no interruptions, do I think about making preparations for a good prayer time?

May God grant us a new heart to have a eager desire to pray and fellowship with Him.  As Peter jumped from the boat and swam with joy to see the resurrected Christ, may we jump away from our temporal mindedness and pray with joy to rejoice in the greatness and goodness of God.

FAMILY WORSHIP

The commander of Columbia shuttle that disintegrated in mid-air was so devoted to family worship that he recorded eighteen videos for his family, one for each day that he was supposed to be gone. How valuable do you think those videos are to his family now? What a legacy he has left. - Joel Beeke

Richard and Subina Wurmbrand

FOCUS ON GOD

Focus on the God of the labor, not the fruit of the labor.

The Issue is not where we meet at, but Whom we meet with;  Focus on the glory of God, not the glory of the facilities.


When we say narrow is the way, our conception is still too broad of away; the way is narrow, even narrower than we presume.

TO KNOW GOD

To know God is to love God

To know God is to enjoy God

To know God is to trust God

To know God is to obey God

To know God is to pray to God..

To know God is to sing to God.

To know God is to rejoice.

To know God is to hope.

To know God is to persevere.

To know God is to endure.

To know God is to proclaim God

15 Minute Devotional on these phrases via Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/user/118min?feature=mhum#p/u/6/MiVUPf8ZSvY

CHRIST EVIDENT

Boast not of Christ's work "for you", unless you can show the Spirit's work "in you." Think not that Christ and the Spirit can ever be divided. I doubt not that many believers know these things, but I think it good for us to be put in remembrance of them. Let us prove that we know them by our lives. ~Ryle

CANNOT FAIL

What is God's remedy for dejection at apparent failure in our labours? This—the assurance that God's purpose cannot fail, that God's plans cannot miscarry, that God's will must be done. Our labours are not intended to bring about that which God has not decreed.  —Arthur W. Pink

WHATEVER GOD ORDAINS IS RIGHT

Nice Song, Nice Video.  Great Lyrics, Great Raw Guitar..

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1745360386611#!/video/video.php?v=1676219978144..

INWARD CONFLICT

This inward conflict


(Philpot, "The Knowledge of Good and Evil" 1845)

"I know that nothing good lives in me—that is, in

my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what

is good—but I cannot carry it out." Romans 7:18

Now it is this which makes the Lord's people such a

burdened people—that makes them so oppressed in

their souls as to cry out against themselves daily,

and sometimes hourly—that they are what they are

—that they would be spiritual, yet are carnal—that

they would be holy, yet are unholy—that they would

have sweet communion with Jesus, yet have such

sensual alliance with the things of time and sense—

that they would be Christians in word, thought, and

deed; yet, in spite of all, they feel their carnal mind,

their wretched depravity intertwining, interlacing,

gushing forth—contaminating with its polluted stream

everything without and within—so as to make them

sigh, groan, and cry being burdened, "What a wretched

man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

Romans 7:24

He would not be entangled in these snares for ten thousand

worlds—he hates the evils of his heart, and mourns over the

corruptions of his nature. They make the tear fall from his

eye, and the sob to heave from his bosom—they make him

a wretched man—and fill him day after day with sorrow,

bitterness, and anguish.

None but a saved soul, under divine teaching, can see

this evil—and mourn and sigh under the depravity, the

corruption, the unbelief, the carnality, the wickedness,

and the deceitfulness of his evil heart.

This inward conflict, this sore grief, this internal burden,

that all the family of God are afflicted with—is an evidence

that the life and grace of God are in their bosoms.

"Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord!

So you see how it is—in my mind I really want to obey

God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a

slave to sin." Rom. 7:25

A KING REJECTED

A KING REJECTED, FORESHADOWING A KING REJECTED.

‎2 Samuel 2:11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.


Matthew Henry:

Here is, I. A rivalship between two kings - David, whom God made king, and Ishbosheth, whom Abner made king. One would have thought, when Saul was slain, and all his sons that had sense and spirit enough to take the field with him, David would come to the throne without any opposition, since all Israel knew, not only how he had signalized himself, but how manifestly God had designated him to it; but such a spirit of contradiction is there, in the devices of men, to the counsels of God, that such a weak and silly thing as Ishbosheth, who was not thought fit to go with his father to the battle, shall yet be thought fit to succeed him in the government, rather than David shall come peaceably to it. Herein David's kingdom was typical of the Messiah's, against which the heathens rage and the rulers take counsel, Psa_2:1, Psa_2:2.

AND his concise commentary:

The nation in general refused David. By this the Lord trained up his servant for future honour and usefulness; and the tendency of true godliness was shown in his behaviour while passing through various difficulties. David was herein a type of Christ, whom Israel would not submit to, though anointed of the Father to be a Prince and a Saviour to them

HOW MANY WAYS CAN I SAY THIS

I've read both passages before, but this is the first time I've seem them as two bookends. It is like Paul is stuttering, and repeating himself as many as he can to help us snap out of it and wake up.

AS IF...."HOW MANY WAYS CAN I SAY THIS GUYS???"

‎1 Cor. 1:17-18 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. [18] For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.


1 Cor. 2:1-5 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. [2] For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. [3] And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, [4] and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, [5] that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.


Despite 1:18 being True, and in fact PRECISELY because it is true, does Paul insist on 1:17...which is repeated in chapter 2.

ARE YOU BUILDING SOMETHING

Are you building something that will condemn the world?


Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righ teousness that comes by faith.

Is your life building something that will condemn the world, who is condemned already. John 3. If Noah built something that condemned the world, which was already condemned being a son of Adam, how much more did the works and work of Jesus build something that will condemn the world.

Matthew 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Matthew 11:22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. Matthew 11:24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

Luke 10:12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. Luke 10:14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.

Are you building something that will condemn the world, which is condemned already? The message and life of the disciples did. Are you His disciple too?

Mark 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

I have a lot to learn from Hebrews 11 that Jesus might ask of me..... Mark 8:21, How is it that ye do not understand?

OBJECTIVE IN LEARNING

The objective in all learning, even to learn the alphabet as a 2 year old...is to aid in knowing Jesus, loving Jesus, trusting Jesus, serving Jesus, obeying Jesus, resting in Jesus, valuing Jesus, honoring Jesus, proclaiming Jesus, exalting Jesus, glorifying Jesus. If this is not the objective in your learning, then you have learned all, even your alphabet, in vain; and therefore, in the final analysis have learned nothing at all.

EFFECTS OF HIS GRACE

God ... as he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, actually worketh faith and repentance to us, gives them unto us, bestows them on us; so that they are mere effects of his grace in us. And his working in us infallibly produceth the effect intended, because it is actual faith that he works, and not only a power to believe."

- John Owen

THE MATERIAL CAUSE

The efficient cause of our eternal salvation the Scripture uniformly proclaims to be the mercy and free love of the Heavenly Father toward us; the material cause to be Christ...and what can be the formal or instrumental cause but faith?
 
(John Calvin:  Inst. 3.14.17)