All
other sacrifices were consumed by the fire of God’s altar.
Here
is the Sacrifice that consumed the fire of God’s wrath.
-- Don Fortner. FROM HEBREWS 1 SERMON.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Thursday, October 22, 2015
CHRIST SHALL BE SATISFIED
"It is not possible that He should be robbed of the purchase of His blood. I tremble when I hear some people talk about the disappointed Christ—or about His having died at a chance to accomplish He knew not what—dying for something which the will of man might give Him if it would, but it might possibly be denied Him! I buy nothing on such terms as that! I expect to have what I purchase and Christ will have what He bought with His own blood—especially as He lives again to claim His purchase! He shall never be a defeated and disappointed Savior! “He loved the Church and gave Himself for it.” He has redeemed His loved ones from among men and He shall have all those whom He has purchased. “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.”
CH Spurgeon.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
IF GOD LEFT US
If God left us!
(Thomas Watson, "Four Sad Evils" 1663)
The sins of the ungodly are looking-glasses in which we
may see our own hearts. Do we see a heinous, impious
wretch? Behold a picture of our own hearts! Such would
we be--if God left us! What is in wicked men's practice
--is in our nature. Sin in the wicked--is like fire which
flames and blazes forth. Sin in the godly--is like fire hid
in the embers. Christian, though you do not break forth
into a flame of scandalous sin--yet you have no cause
to boast, for there is as much sin in the embers of your
nature! You have the root of all sin in you, and would
bear as hellish fruit as any ungodly wretch--if God did
not either curb you by His power, or change you by
His grace!
may see our own hearts. Do we see a heinous, impious
wretch? Behold a picture of our own hearts! Such would
we be--if God left us! What is in wicked men's practice
--is in our nature. Sin in the wicked--is like fire which
flames and blazes forth. Sin in the godly--is like fire hid
in the embers. Christian, though you do not break forth
into a flame of scandalous sin--yet you have no cause
to boast, for there is as much sin in the embers of your
nature! You have the root of all sin in you, and would
bear as hellish fruit as any ungodly wretch--if God did
not either curb you by His power, or change you by
His grace!
Why might not God have left you--to the same excess
of wickedness? Think with yourself, O Christian--why
should God be more merciful to you, than to another?
Why should He snatch you, as brand plucked out of
the fire--and not him? How should this make you to
adore free grace! What the Pharisee said boastingly,
we may say thankfully--"God, I thank you that I am
not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers, etc."
of wickedness? Think with yourself, O Christian--why
should God be more merciful to you, than to another?
Why should He snatch you, as brand plucked out of
the fire--and not him? How should this make you to
adore free grace! What the Pharisee said boastingly,
we may say thankfully--"God, I thank you that I am
not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers, etc."
If we are not as wicked as others--we should adore the
riches of free-grace! Every time we see men hastening
on in sin--we are to thank God that we are not such!
If we see a crazy person--we thank God that it is not
so with us. When we see another infected with the
plague--how thankful are we, that God has preserved
us from it! Much more when we see others under the
power of Satan--how thankful we should be, that this
is no longer our condition!
riches of free-grace! Every time we see men hastening
on in sin--we are to thank God that we are not such!
If we see a crazy person--we thank God that it is not
so with us. When we see another infected with the
plague--how thankful are we, that God has preserved
us from it! Much more when we see others under the
power of Satan--how thankful we should be, that this
is no longer our condition!
"For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived,
captives of various passions and pleasures, living in
malice and envy, hateful . . . ." Titus 3:3
captives of various passions and pleasures, living in
malice and envy, hateful . . . ." Titus 3:3
Monday, September 21, 2015
COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST
This a close quote and paraphrase of wise words from a distant friend,
=================
"THE GRAVE ERROR AND TRAGEDY IS THAT:
1. PEOPLE WANT COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST
2. PEOPLE COME FOR COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST
3. CHURCHES SERVE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST
4. CHURCHES PROVIDE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST" =======================
=================
"THE GRAVE ERROR AND TRAGEDY IS THAT:
1. PEOPLE WANT COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST
2. PEOPLE COME FOR COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST
3. CHURCHES SERVE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST
4. CHURCHES PROVIDE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF CHRIST" =======================
Sunday, September 20, 2015
THE BEST OF SAINTS
Even the best of saints, being left to themselves, will quickly appear to be less than men--to be nothing. All our own strength is weakness, and all our wisdom folly. John Owen, Of Temptation, ch. 1.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
DEAR TO US
"I say, who can hear Jesus Christ speaking thus, and his heart not fall in love and league with Christ, and his soul not unite to Christ and resign to Christ, and cleave to Christ, and for ever be one with Christ, except it be such that are for ever left by Christ? Well, remember this, the more vile Christ made himself for us, the more dear he ought to be unto us."
THOMAS BROOKS
ENJOY COMMUNION
"Believer, closet prayer will be found to be but a lifeless, comfortless thing, if you do not enjoy communion with God in it. That should be the very soul of all your closet duties, therefore press after it, as for life; when you go into your closet banish every thing that can hinder your enjoyment of Christ."
THOMAS BROOKS
JAMES WHITE ARTICLE
...and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
(2 Thessalonians 2:10–12)
So another "Planned Parenthood is Run by the Descendants of Himmler, Eicke, Göring, and Goebbels" video came out today. Didn't hear? Yeah, I know. Each one generates less and less interest, less and less outrage. We've all noticed it...well, maybe not. Some have just moved on. I mean, football season is back, school has started...September is a busy time you know! I too had hoped that maybe, just maybe, we could see some progress in light of the outrages these videos document. But it did not take too much reflection to realize that nothing was going to happen. The political parties in the United States represent the utter decay of the governmental system of that nation.
The Socialists (why bother with the term Democrat anymore? Let's just get honest, shall we?) are the party of abortion, the destruction of the family, and utter unfettered erotic license, so the last thing they are going to do is allow even the slightest examination of the abortion industry and its centrality to the culture of death. And the other party---well, the terms "gutless," "sold-out," and "compromised" come to my mind all too easily.
Did you catch the section of The Briefing this week where Albert Mohler discussed George Will's adoption of a position favoring euthanasia? He discussed a "secular conservatism," and how that worldview has no meaningful foundation within it to resist the pull toward the culture of death. The same thing is true here: when you show these videos to a culture that has exchanged the truth of God (life) for the lie (the culture of death, human autonomy, the uncreated nature of man as an accident rather than a responsible creature of God), they may well react negatively (even secularism cannot utterly destroy the imago Dei) in the short term, but the fact is, they do not change the worldview of the viewers. Only the gospel can do that, and even then, only when God blesses that gospel with the Spirit's gracious moving.
If God's wrath has yet to be seen in its full strength upon this nation, you can provide all the evidence you want that our leaders are utterly sold out to corruption, that Planned Parenthood makes Himmler look like a novice, and that it will not be long before our enemies will take from us all of our freedoms and possessions, and it will fall upon judicially closed ears, hardened hearts, and blinded eyes. Yes, yes, I know---how depressing of me. Well, try reading a bit in Jeremiah if you want some kind of precedent. It is not that the prophets of God were not clear enough---it was that God had set the times and seasons for His dealing with Israel, Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, etc., and remember, "Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps" (Psalm 135:6).
No, I am not saying "give up" or "go into hiding." But I am saying that faithfulness in this dark and evil time must be totally, completely focused upon fulfilling one desire: "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him." (2 Corinthians 5:9). εὐάρεστοι αὐτῷ εἶναι. In all our words and actions and thoughts. In functioning as salt and light. In being abused and decried and detested. One ambition, one goal, one all-ordering principle in our lives. To be pleasing to Him. No pragmatism. No, "Well, that didn't work! Looks, the pagans are still acting like pagans!" Yes, well, while the wrath of God falls, that is the world we will live in. Who will deny themselves and live for Christ? Who will seek to please Him? That's the question.
So another "Planned Parenthood is Run by the Descendants of Himmler, Eicke, Göring, and Goebbels" video came out today. Didn't hear? Yeah, I know. Each one generates less and less interest, less and less outrage. We've all noticed it...well, maybe not. Some have just moved on. I mean, football season is back, school has started...September is a busy time you know! I too had hoped that maybe, just maybe, we could see some progress in light of the outrages these videos document. But it did not take too much reflection to realize that nothing was going to happen. The political parties in the United States represent the utter decay of the governmental system of that nation.
The Socialists (why bother with the term Democrat anymore? Let's just get honest, shall we?) are the party of abortion, the destruction of the family, and utter unfettered erotic license, so the last thing they are going to do is allow even the slightest examination of the abortion industry and its centrality to the culture of death. And the other party---well, the terms "gutless," "sold-out," and "compromised" come to my mind all too easily.
Did you catch the section of The Briefing this week where Albert Mohler discussed George Will's adoption of a position favoring euthanasia? He discussed a "secular conservatism," and how that worldview has no meaningful foundation within it to resist the pull toward the culture of death. The same thing is true here: when you show these videos to a culture that has exchanged the truth of God (life) for the lie (the culture of death, human autonomy, the uncreated nature of man as an accident rather than a responsible creature of God), they may well react negatively (even secularism cannot utterly destroy the imago Dei) in the short term, but the fact is, they do not change the worldview of the viewers. Only the gospel can do that, and even then, only when God blesses that gospel with the Spirit's gracious moving.
If God's wrath has yet to be seen in its full strength upon this nation, you can provide all the evidence you want that our leaders are utterly sold out to corruption, that Planned Parenthood makes Himmler look like a novice, and that it will not be long before our enemies will take from us all of our freedoms and possessions, and it will fall upon judicially closed ears, hardened hearts, and blinded eyes. Yes, yes, I know---how depressing of me. Well, try reading a bit in Jeremiah if you want some kind of precedent. It is not that the prophets of God were not clear enough---it was that God had set the times and seasons for His dealing with Israel, Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, etc., and remember, "Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps" (Psalm 135:6).
No, I am not saying "give up" or "go into hiding." But I am saying that faithfulness in this dark and evil time must be totally, completely focused upon fulfilling one desire: "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him." (2 Corinthians 5:9). εὐάρεστοι αὐτῷ εἶναι. In all our words and actions and thoughts. In functioning as salt and light. In being abused and decried and detested. One ambition, one goal, one all-ordering principle in our lives. To be pleasing to Him. No pragmatism. No, "Well, that didn't work! Looks, the pagans are still acting like pagans!" Yes, well, while the wrath of God falls, that is the world we will live in. Who will deny themselves and live for Christ? Who will seek to please Him? That's the question.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
GRACE FROM BEGINNING TO END
"The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace, wondrous grace." ~ Lloyd-Jones
Friday, August 28, 2015
Two things always go together
(Arthur Pink, "The Doctrine of Sanctification" 1937)
Two things always go together in the experience of a genuine believer:
a growing discovery of the vileness of self, and
a deepening appreciation of the preciousness of Christ.
"Behold, I am vile!" Job 40:4
"O wretched man that I am!" Romans 7:24
"Yes, He is altogether lovely!" Song of Songs 5:16
"To you who believe, He is precious!" 1 Peter 2:7
MERCIFUL GOD
"There is no such thing as a great man of God, only weak, pitiful, faithless men of a great and merciful God." (Paul Washer)
Saturday, August 22, 2015
PREACHING CHRIST ALONE
"I do believe we slander Christ when we think we are to draw the people by something else but the preaching of Christ crucified." ~ Charles H. Spurgeon
CONGREGATIONS THAT SLANDER CHRIST
CONGREGATIONS THAT SLANDER CHRIST
"I do believe we slander Christ when we think we are to draw the people by something else but the preaching of Christ...
Posted by Preach the Gospel on Wednesday, February 25, 2015
THE MORE HE MOURNS
“I believe the holier a man becomes, the more he mourns over the unholiness which remains in him” -C. H. Spurgeon
The more a man looks to Christ, the more he rejoices that his sins are forgiven; Christ turns our mourning into joy; We do mourn, being convicted by the Holy Spirit, but we are not condemned. Todd Lambert
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
FEELINGS GO
“Feelings come and feelings go,
And feelings are deceiving;
My warrant is the Word of God--
Naught else is worth believing.
And feelings are deceiving;
My warrant is the Word of God--
Naught else is worth believing.
Though all my heart should feel condemned
For want of some sweet token,
There is One greater than my heart
Whose Word cannot be broken.
For want of some sweet token,
There is One greater than my heart
Whose Word cannot be broken.
I'll trust in God's unchanging Word
Till soul and body sever,
For, though all things shall pass away,
HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!”
Till soul and body sever,
For, though all things shall pass away,
HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!”
Martin Luther~
Monday, August 17, 2015
EVEN MY TEARS
"Even my tears of repentance have to be washed by the blood of the Lamb" -- John Owen.
LET NO ONE FLATTER HIMSELF
'Let no one flatter himself. Each person is a devil, and the only good he has is what comes from God. For what do you have which is yours, except sin? If you would take what is yours, take sin, for righteousness is from God.' -Augustine
Sunday, August 16, 2015
NOT PERMITTED
"I am not permitted to let my love be so merciful as to tolerate and endure false doctrine. When faith and doctrine are concerned and endangered, neither love nor patience are in order...when these are concerned, neither toleration nor mercy are in order, but only anger, dispute, and destruction - to be sure, only with the Word of God as our weapon."
- Martin Luther.
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