All The Links of The Golden Chain of Salvaton by Thomas Brooks

"It is by grace you have been saved!" Ephesians 2:5

All the links of the golden chain of salvation are
made up of free grace! The people of God are . . .
  freely loved, Deuteronomy 7:6-8;
  freely chosen, John 15:16-19, Ephesians 1:4;
  freely accepted, Ephesians 1:6;
  freely adopted, Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 4:5-6;
  freely reconciled, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20;
  freely justified, Romans 3:24;
  freely saved, Ephesians 2:5, 8.

Free grace is the foundation of all spiritual and eternal
mercies. Free grace is the solid bottom and foundation
of all a Christian's comfort in this world. Were we to
measure the love of God to us by . . .
  our fruitfulness,
  our holiness,
  our humbleness,
  our spiritualness,
  our heavenly-mindedness, or
  our gracious behavior towards Him
--how would our hope and our confidence be
every moment staggered--if not vanquished!

But all is of grace--of free grace! O sirs! it is free grace . . .
  which will strengthen you in all your duties,
  which will sweeten all your mercies,
  which will support you under all your changes,
  which will arm you against all temptations!

"For it is by grace you have been saved!" Ephesians 2:8

Merry Christmas!

While visiting with family and opening presents tomorrow, do not lose sight of what we are celebrating. Christmas is not just about presents or getting together with family.If it were, then we might as well just call it xmas. But Christmas is not about those two things. Christmas is all about the birth of our Savior!

Christ didn't come just to be an example for how to live rightly. Even though Christ did lead a life that we should strive to follow. He came for a far more important reason. That reason is found in this passage in Isaiah.

Isaiah 53

"1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors."

That is why Christ came to earth. He came to be a substitute for us. He died so that we might have everlasting life.

1 Corinthians 5:21

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"

Tomorrow do not forget what we are celebrating and why.


Have a Merry Christmas!

"We shall see Him but in heaven"

Merry Christmas!

Once in Royal David's City



Hark the Herald Angels Sing



O Holy Night



O Little Town of Bethlehem

Genuine heart-driven Evangelism

The Great Commission commands believers to spread the gospel to all the nations. Believers have a duty to tell others the good news of the gospel. God has saved you and given you the responsibility to represent Him by participating in the Great Commission. The Word tells us the gospel is offensive yet we are commanded not to be offensive.

Over the years I have seen and pondered many approaches to evangelism especially how to tell someone the gospel without being offensive, or coming across as a "bible thumper". Approaches that are done by appealing to someone's conscious or intellect come across as shallow and most people see through them. People know when you are being real, people know when you are genuine and are concerned with them as a person. They can see through techniques and processes and find anything less than a straight forward approach to be insulting.

Listen to Penn Jillette of the famous Penn and Teller team tell you in his own words.





What can we learn from this:

People are smart and can tell when your are genuine.

Be believable, this Gideon was believable enough that Penn believed the man was credible in faith and practice.

Find a way to connect with the person you are talking to and be sincere about it. The Gideon complimented Penn on his show, use of language, honesty and stuff.

Tell them your purpose straight up. Don't spend time trying to develop a friendship or hey have you ever taken a test to see what kind of person you are.

Tell them who you are and that you are saved.

Look them in the eye.

Be yourself.

Be real.

Be honest.

Be kind.

Be sane.

Don't be defensive.

Treat them with respect by being straight forward and upfront.

Give them a sound gospel tract to read.

Provide them a next step to get together and discuss, you know, a phone number, an email, or a cell phone number.

By the way, say a prayer for Penn Jillette.

Go tell someone how much you love them by telling them the gospel.

Christmas Book Giveaway

I was going through my normal routine of blogs I read, when I saw on Challies.com that someone was giving away 10 books and an ESV Study Bible.
The link took me to TrevinWax.com where the site owner is giving away his top ten favorite books from this past year. I wanted to let you all know that you can sign up for a chance to win these books:

1. THE REASON FOR GOD by Tim Keller
2. CULTURE MAKING by Andy Crouch
3. SURPRISED BY HOPE by N.T. Wright
4. WHY WE’RE NOT EMERGENT by Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck
5. HOW PEOPLE CHANGE by Timothy Lane & Paul David Tripp
6. THE BIG PICTURE STORY BIBLE by David Helm & Gail Schoonmaker
7. JESUS MADE IN AMERICA by Stephen Nichols
8 RESIDENT ALIENS by Stanley Hauerwas & Will Willimon
9. WORSHIP MATTERS by Bob Kauflin
10. The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries by Jeffrey Greenman, Timothy Larsen, and Stephen Spencer

11. ESV Study Bible

The contest started December 15th and goes through the 25th. You can sign up for the contest here.

Don't Forget To Celebrate...

 TOSSMAS!!!

My Favorite Christmas Hymn

Just a brief history of this hymn:
The words to this hymn were penned by Johann Rist during the middle part of the 1600s. Around the same time that the words were written, Johann Schop composed the music. In 1734, J.S. Bach included it in his Christmas Oratorio and added the harmonization to it.In 1885 a man named John Troutbeck translated this hymn from German into English.

I searched all over youtube for a good recording of this hymn. But I could not find one that did justice to it. So instead, I'm posting the music with the words beneath it. Enjoy!


Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light

1.Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light,
And usher in the morning;

Ye shepherds shrink not with afright,

But hear the angels warning.

This Child now weak in infancy,

Our confidence and joy shall be.

The power of Satan breaking,

Our peace eternal making

2.Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light,

To herald our salvation;

He stoops to earth the God of might,

Our hope and expectation.

He comes in human flesh to dwell,

Our God with us, Immanuel,

The night of darkness ending,

Our fallen race befriending

Beglückt darf nun

Every time you pull up "The reformed thoughts of Doug", if your speakers are on, you are greeted by the music of Richard Wagner's Pilgrim's Chorus "Beglückt darf nun" from Tannhäuser . The music and the text were both written by Wagner.

The story centers on the struggle between sacred and profane love and redemption through love. It is not descriptive of Godly love or based on biblical text; Richard Wagner, a brilliant composer and librettist, was not a believing man yet he had enough depth of understanding of salvation to fairly accuretly pen a true meaning in the text of the Pilgrim's Chorus.

In Act III the scene takes place in the valley of the Wartburg castle. An autumn scene. Orchestral music describes the pilgrimage of Tannhäuser. Elizabeth, accompanied by Wolfram, falls on her knees in prayer. She asks the returning pilgrims for news of Tannhäuser, and the pilgrims answer her with the following text:

Once more with joy O my home I may meet
Once more ye fair, flowr'y meadows I greet
My Pilgrim's staff henceforth may rest
Since Heaven's sweet peace is within my breast.

The sinner's cry on high was heard
On high was heard and answered by the Lord
The tears I laid before His shrine
Are turned to hope and joy divine.

O Lord eternal praise be Thine!

The blessed source of Thy mercy overflowing
On souls repentant seek Ye, all-knowing
Of hell and death, I have no fear
O my Lord is ever near

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Forevermore

Wagner actually got it right. He understood that we are all sinners and are seeking the grace that only comes from forgiveness of our sins towards God. We have to repent in faith and ask for forgiveness. Even that will not save you, Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

May all pilgrim's rest in the divine source of overflowing mercy, and all those still caught in their sin, cry unto the Lord of hosts for forgiveness and seek repentance towards God and may God truly save you unto His eternal peace.

A Christian's Way and Words by Theodore Cuyler

Lately, I have noticed a fair amount of people coming to my blog in search of either information or quotes from Theodore Cuyler. As the title implies I will be posting another quote from him. But I'm also going to post some information on him.

"Theodore Cuyler graduated from Princeton Seminary in 1846, and after entering his first pastorate in Burlingham, New Jersey witnessed a remarkable revival. In 1853 Mr. Cuyler moved to New York City into the Market Street Dutch Reformed Church, where he was instrumental in another revival. Eventually, in 1860, Cuyler went to Brooklyn where he pastored and built what was then the largest Presbyterian Church in America. Mr. Cuyler was also well acquainted with many successful preachers, such as Horatius Bonar, C. H. Spurgeon, D. L. Moody and Charles G. Finney."
 (Information borrowed from http://www.evanwiggs.com/revival/prepare/pastor.html)

That is all that I know about Theodore Cuyler. If anyone has more information on him, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd share it with me. Or if anyone has a picture of him, I'd be grateful if you can send that to me as well.

________________________________________________________________
"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers

 and pilgrims--to abstain from fleshly lusts,
 which war against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11

Here on earth, I am but a pilgrim--a transient
lodger, for this world is not my rest. I am seeking
for and pressing towards, the magnificent city with
eternal foundations--a city designed and built by
Almighty God!

"Do not be conformed to this world; but
 be transformed by the renewing of your
 mind." Romans 12:2

The world around us has its unwritten code of
morals and of manners. It sets up its standards
and fixes its fashions to suit itself. But they are
no rule for the Christian. Jesus has "chosen us
out of the world," and given His own life to be
our standard and our pattern. "If you love Me,"
said our loving Redeemer, "keep My
commandments."

The first question of a Christian should be,
"What does my Master command? Would He
approve my style of living, my amusements,
my temper, my whole daily conduct? If so,
that is enough! I am not to copy the behavior
of this world--when sinful customs make their
claims, or worldly seductions offer their bribes.
I am Christ's servant!"

As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so much higher should a Christian's ways
and words and whole conduct--be above
the ways of the world!

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test
 me and know my thoughts. Point out anything
 in me that offends You, and lead me along the
 path of everlasting life." Psalm 139:23-24

Truth War Overview

The conference was held at Springs of Life Bible Church. Everyone at the church was very kind and welcoming. If you were wondering where The Infamous Turkey Pineapple came from, the mystery is now solved! It came from The Truth War Conference. They had a turkey pineapple set up at each table. And I most certainly cannot forget to mention that they provided meals for each attender of the conference. It was the best food I have ever had at a conference! 

Phil Johnson started off the conference. He was then followed by James White. And Andy Davis went third.
Phil Johnson's three sessions were:

• Can Truth Survive in a Postmodern Society?
• Truth and The Emerging Church
• Constrained into Conflict: Why We Must Fight For the Faith

James White's three sessions were:

• The Devastating Consequences of Contemporary Preaching
• The Cross and Islam
• Can We Trust the New Testament Documents?

I was not able to get Andy Davis' picture. (He was very busy.) And I failed once again, because I did not get to here the last session that he did. (Dad and I had to leave right after James White's last session in order to make it home before 10PM.) But here are Andy Davis' first two sessions:

• The Infinite Journey of Christian Growth
• The Old Perspective on Paul: The Doctrine of Imputation  

The Truth War Conference was a very humbling experience for me. Never before in my life have I been around so many men who knew so much about theology. I would occasionally eavesdrop on a conversation between pastors and had no idea what they were talking about! All the men there were very brilliant. They could all read Greek as if they were reading English! In one of James White's sessions, he put up a passage of Scripture in Greek and just started translating it into English!! I was amazed.


Even though it was very humbling and discouraging. At the same time I realized that these men had been trained and dedicated their lives to something they believed in. I realized that the level of knowledge and spiritual maturity that they had attained is actually possible for anyone who puts forth the effort. So in another sense it was also an encouraging experience as well.


Andy Davis' second session was my favorite session at the conference. His second session was about the doctrine of imputation. It also dealt with how the New Perspective on Paul movement essentially says that Paul didn't mean what he clearly says in Scripture. They also say that faith is a badge of our righteousness. The whole session was very good, but just the thought of these three things had to be my favorite part of his session:

1. The imputation of Adam's sin on us.
2. The imputation of our sins onto the Savior.
3. The imputation of Christ's righteousness into our account.

Like I said in the title, this is just an overview of the conference. I'm wanting to put together my notes and my Dad's notes and post them onto the blog. I would probably do a post for each session so that its not some uber post.But, I still have other things I'm working on. So that might not be for a while. Just to round off the post, I'm going to add some photos from our trip down to North Carolina. ENJOY!

A Really Lame Sermon Illustration

Two weeks ago, my Dad and I went to The Truth War Conference in Durham, NC. (I have been meaning to do an overview of the conference. But I haven't gotten around to it yet.) In order to get to the conference, we had to travel through West Virginia and Virginia in order to make it there.
While on our way home, I was enjoying the views of the mountains through West Virginia when struck by this thought.

"Why in the world would you put a billboard in the way of viewing these amazing mountains?!"


Now here is the lame illustration part.
The mountains are so beautiful and amazing to look at, but when I saw the billboards advertising for a restaurant or jewelry store. I didn't care about food or jewelry, I just wanted to see the mountains! And that should be our attitude toward God and sin. We should look towards Christ and the Gospel and be in awe of it. And when the temptation of sin comes knocking at the door, we should just reject it like the waste of time it is. We should have an attitude toward sin wanting that repulsive thing out of our view of Christ. We should want nothing to do with it.


Isaiah 45:22

"{22} Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."

Who's afraid of "In the beginning"?

Answer in Genesis's Creation Museum was shamelessly attacked this week along with the Cincinnati Zoo, when a package deal for both events was released to the public. Unwittingly, the controversy generated international publicity better than anything planned by the companies marketing departments, let's pray that God continues to support the work of Ken Ham and all of the dedicated employees and volunteers at the Museum.

You can read the article here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081202/NEWS01/812020317/1168/NEWS

The chief complaint is that a "scientific" institution is siding with a religious institution. No, it is because it is a Christian institution claiming the bible as it's source of authority, specifically Genesis 1:1-10.

Since most people count creation as fable and myth, why the uproar? What harm is there to those that don't believe in the biblical account of the beginning of mankind? Those that don't want to attend can simply purchase discounted tickets via another avenue. Tickets to the Cincinnati Zoo's festival of lights are available at most companies in town for a discounted rate. Certainly the promotion does not force anyone to attend or support something they don't believe in.

The problem is that society is tolerant except to those that they believe "arrogantly" claim as truth: that the biblical account of creation is true. The backlash started from the atheist group, Panda's Thumb, and specifically PZ Myers.

If you as a Christian do not believe in the truth of six day creation, you might rethink your position. Unbelievers and atheists have expanded a great deal of energy to fight a simple promotion. They claim the museum is laughable. What they really fear is that this promotion makes the creation account credible and the general public might rethink their postion of creation vs evolution. If creation was really a fable and unbelievers truly believed it was a laughable fable, than they would not care about this promotion. Deep down they fear the creation story. Defend the truth Christian, the atheists are on the defensive. There is more to this story and more to their nervous denials of "in the beginning".

Check out Ken Ham's Blog for more details:

http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/aroundtheworld/2008/12/02/intolerant-evolutionists-launch-another-attack-against-aig/

Heart filled with Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy your day of thankfulness to God!

The Picture Says It All!!!

Just A Note...

Last night, I set up two new blog members. The two new blog members that I have added are my Dad and my Mom. If you carefully scan the last post, you will notice that it was thunk by DLW. That was Dad's first post to the blog. You can expect some more off and on posts from the two of them, depending on when they want to post something. Just wanted to let everyone know the news.

Why I am thankful for my Pastor in 22 words, getting to the point!

Pastor Bruce told me about Jesus.

His life is dedicated to glorifying God.

Select this faithful servant; I'll pay his travel expenses.

Thankful for your pastor? Say so and win him a pair of tickets to DG’s pastors conference.

In Case You Were Wondering...

If you have been wondering why I haven't posted anything for 4 or 5 days now, I have some reasons. And if you weren't wondering, you will find out anyway. These past two weeks have been fairly busy for me. Last week I was working on a book review that I will be posting soon. But that still isn't ready and doesn't seem like it ever will be. Secondly, My Dad and I are going to The Truth War conference in Durham, NC on the 21st and 22nd. So I have been doubling up on my schoolwork so I won't get behind. This Thursday we will be leaving for North Carolina. The conference is on Friday and Saturday, and Saturday afternoon we will make our way back to Ohio and should get home around 1 A.M. Sunday morning.

God's Mowing Machine by Theodore Cuyler

I don't particularly like to post two Grace Gems right after each other.
But I have been busy working on a book review and haven't had time to work on another post. So here is another Grace Gem by Theodore Cuyler.
______________________________________________________

Isaiah 48:10

"I have refined you in the furnace of affliction."

Some afflictions are sent by God--to purify character. God sits as a Refiner beside His furnace. He heats it until the metal melts--and the dross surfaces and is taken away. He keeps His silver in the furnace--until He can see His own face reflected in the clear metal of the heart. Then the affliction has done its work. There is such a wretched amount of self-will and pride and covetousness and unbelief even in the best of Christians--that they require the refining-furnace very often.

It is a wholesome process--to be "mowed down" occasionally. The grass in every lawn requires to be cut down by a mower. The oftener it is mowed--the richer and the thicker is the growth. The lawn never looks so beautiful, as after the sharp-edged mower has gone over it. I have observed that some Christians have never appeared so attractive in their humility and heavenly-mindedness, as when God's mowing-machine has been passed over them!

A Heathenish Habit by Theodore Cuyler

"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty,
reigns!" Revelation 19:6

In nothing are we all apt to make more terrible blunders,
than in looking at God's providential dealings. Even
some Christians have a heathenish habit of talking
about "good luck" and "windfalls" and "bad fortune,"
and other expressions which convey the idea that this
life is a mere game of chance!

Blind unbelief may be expected to err, and to scan God's
work as either a riddle or a muddle. But a Christian ought
to know better!

"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the
Almighty, reigns!" Revelation 19:6

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Why is it, that we only pray for the persecuted church once a year? Or just pray for them one week out of a year? Our brothers and sisters in Christ aren't persecuted only one Sunday out of the year. They are being persecuted on a regular basis and need our prayers.

1 Peter 5:8-9
"{8} Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. {9} Resist him steadfast in faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."

Yet instead of praying for our brotherhood, we selfishly focus on our own lives. We focus on ourselves and pray for ourselves and our immediate family. While our brothers and sisters are being persecuted for Christ's sake.

I openly admit that I forget regularly to pray for them. I'll have things come up and forget. But life is no excuse for lack of prayer. We should be praying to our heavenly Father constantly for Him to strengthen His children. We should plead with Him that He would give them strength to endure. That He would give them the grace they need. And to grow in them in holiness. We should be like Paul in his letter to the church at Colosse.


Colossians 1:3
" We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
praying always for you."


Instead of praying for the persecuted church just today. We should use this day as a stepping stone in order to start praying for our family in Christ always.

Just To Let You Know...

Click here to get the book  
Chosen By God for free.
Ligonier Ministries are giving 
away copies of the book,
if you sign their guestbook.

I'm Confused...

 

Can anyone explain what this is supposed to mean?

Great Article by Albert Mohler

Albert Mohler wrote a very interesting article about the election over at his blog. Here is what he had to say:

" The election of Sen. Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States came as a bang, not a whimper. The tremors had been perceptible for days, maybe even weeks. On Tuesday, America experienced nothing less than a political and cultural earthquake.

The margin of victory for the Democratic ticket was clear. Americans voted in record numbers and with tangible enthusiasm. By the end of the day, it was clear that Barack Obama would be elected with a majority of the popular vote and a near landslide in the Electoral College. When President-Elect Obama greeted the throngs of his supporters in Chicago's Grant Park, he basked in the glory of electoral energy.

For many of us, the end of the night brought disappointment. In this case, the disappointment is compounded by the sense that the issues that did not allow us to support Sen. Obama are matters of life and death -- not just political issues of heated debate. Furthermore, the margin of victory and sense of a shift in the political landscape point to greater disappointments ahead. We all knew that so much was at stake."

Read the rest here

How Trite...

My first thought in seeing this sign is how lightly and frivolously God is treated. How He is put to such a low level. It is blasphemous in the way it presents Him!


Psalm 103:19
" The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all"

God puts governments in authority over men in order to protect them. We should not fear governments. We have nothing to fear of them unless we are breaking the law.

Romans 13:1-7
"{1}Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. {2} Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. {3} For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. {4} For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. {5} Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. {6} For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. {7} Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor."

Made Me Laugh...

WATCH OUT!!
If you're not careful, you might just lose it...


From the Publisher:
"On the trail, in the tent, or under the stars . . . God's Word goes everywhere in camo-style!"


More info here.

Happy Reformation Day!!

Today is a day normally celebrated as halloween.
I have alot of memories going out "trick or treating" and getting lots of free candy. But, there is a more important holiday that should be recognized.

That holiday is Reformation Day. It was a day that awakened people to the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone. And started the split between protestants and roman catholics. We should be very grateful for what God did through the life of Martin Luther. Thanks to his work, we can now go to church and hear the Gospel preached without fear that roman catholic armies would throw us into prison or burn us at the stake. Thanks be to God for the reformers!!!

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenburg church. His theses were propositions against the power and efficacy of indulgences. Martin Luther's desire was not to stir up strife. But to bring the truth to light in LOVE. Number 36 of his 95 theses sums up the entire list very well.

#36

"Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon."

I do not know of any better way to end this post than to list a few of Luther's 95 theses. So here we go:


#30
" No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere; much less that he has attained full remission"


#32
" They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have letters of pardon"

#37
" Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon"

#43
" Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God."

#62
" The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory anf the grace of God"

#63
" But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last."



If you would like to read the rest of Luther's theses, click here

Just To Let You Know...

Over at Ligonier Ministries, they are celebrating Reformation Week by giving away Reformation Study Bibles for a donation of any amount. The Bibles are ESV leather bound retailing at $69.99. This offer is only available between October 27th and November 2nd.
 
You can get your Reformation Study Bible here.

When He discovers repulsive things in us by J.R. Miller

 

"Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end!" John 13:1

 Jesus takes us as we are, and does not get weary of us--whatever faults and sins He discovers in us. There is infinite comfort in this for us. We are conscious of our faults, blemishes and infirmities; and the unworthiness and the unloveliness which is in our souls. Many of us have pages in our biography, which we would not dare to spread out before the eyes of anyone!

There are in our inner heart--feelings, desires, longings, cravings, jealousies, motives--which we would not feel secure in laying bare to our dearest, truest, and most patient and gentle friend. Yet Christ knows them all. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. To Him there is perfect revealing of the innermost springs of our being. Yet we need not be afraid that His friendship for us will change, or grow less, or withdraw itself--when He discovers repulsive things in us. Yet He loves us--loves unto the uttermost! Christ loves us not according to our worthiness--but according to the richness of His own gracious heart!

 "May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should--how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it!" Ephesians 3:18-19

Exercises of Sin and Grace by John Newton

Alas, how vain is man! What a contradiction is a believer to himself!

If I were to describe him from the Scriptural portrait--I would say that he is one whose heart is athirst for God, for His glory, and for His presence; that his affections are fixed upon an unseen Savior; that his treasures, and consequently his thoughts, are on eternal realities, far beyond the bounds of sense. Having experienced much God's forgiveness, he is full of mercy and forgiveness to all around. Having been often deceived by his own heart, he dares trust it no more--but lives by faith in the Son of God--for wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification, and derives from Him grace upon grace; sensible that without Him--he has not sufficiency even to think a good thought! In short--he is dead to the world, to sin, to self; but alive to God, and lively in His service. Prayer is his breath, the Word of God is his food, and Christ is more precious to him than the light of the sun. Such is a believer--in his judgment and prevailing desires.

But was I to describe him from his actual experience, especially at some times--how different would the picture be!

Though he knows that communion with God is his highest privilege, he too seldom finds it so; on the contrary, if duty, conscience, and necessity did not compel him--he would leave the throne of grace unvisited from day to day!

He takes up the Bible, conscious that it is the fountain of life and true comfort; yet perhaps, while he is making the reflection, he feels a secret distaste, which prompts him to lay it down, and give his preference to a newspaper!

He needs not to be told of the vanity and uncertainty of the world, and all beneath the sun; and yet he is almost as much elated or cast down by a trifle--as those who have their only portion in this world!

He believes that all things shall work together for his good, and that the most high God appoints, adjusts, and overrules all of his concerns; yet he feels the risings of fear, anxiety, and displeasure, as though the contrary was true!

He owns himself to be ignorant, and liable to be deceived by a thousand fallacies; yet he is easily betrayed into flattering views of himself, and self-conceit! He feels himself to be an unprofitable, unfaithful, unthankful servant--and therefore blushes to harbor a thought of desiring the esteem and commendations of men--yet he cannot suppress it!

By these exercises of sin and grace--the Lord teaches us more truly to know and feel the utter depravity and corruption of our whole nature--that we are indeed defiled in every part! His method of salvation is hereby exceedingly endeared to us! We see that it is and must be of grace, wholly of grace; and that the Lord Jesus Christ, and His perfect righteousness, is and must be--our all in all.

God's power likewise, in maintaining His own work, notwithstanding our infirmities, temptations, and enemies--is hereby displayed in the clearest light; His strength is manifested in our weakness!

Satan likewise, is more remarkably disappointed and put to shame--when he finds bounds set to his rage and wiles, beyond which he cannot pass; and that those in whom he finds so much evil to work upon, and over whom he so often prevails for a season--escape at last out of his hands!
He casts them down--but they are raised again!
He wounds them--but they are healed!
He obtains his desire to sift them as wheat--but the prayer of their great Advocate prevails for the maintenance of their faith!

Further, by what believers feel in themselves--they learn by degrees how to warn, pity, and bear with others. A soft, patient, and compassionate spirit, and a readiness and skill in comforting those who are cast down--is not perhaps attainable in any other way!

I believe that nothing more habitually reconciles a child of God to the thought of death, than the wearisomeness of this warfare with sin and temptation. Death is unwelcome to human nature. But the Christian knows that not until death--will the conflict cease! Then we shall sin no more! The flesh, with all its attendant evils, will be laid in the grave. Then the soul, which has been partaker of a new and heavenly birth, shall be freed from every encumbrance, and stand perfect in the Redeemer's righteousness before God in eternal glory! When we see Jesus, we shall be transformed into His image--and be done with sin and sorrow forever!

The Impossiblity of the Law

The law is impossible for us to obey. There is absolutely no way that we, by ourselves could follow it. It would be like trying to climb to Heaven on a rope of sand. It is impossible because of our nature. Our nature is sin FULL. We're not sinners because we sin, we sin because we're sinners. We cannot do anything aside from it. The law was designed to crush our pride so that we would humble ourselves and look unto Christ.



Galatians 3:24

" Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith."

Imagine this, you're holding a little baby in your arms. The baby sees your shining watch and grabs for it. You pull his hand away and tell him no. He reaches again and you say no, the baby starts crying. He reaches again and you grab his hand once again and say no. The baby starts to cry and flail his arms even in the direction of your face. Now imagine this, if that 18 month old baby had the strength of an 18 year old man he would slaughter you right there and take that watch. All mankind is born EVIL!!

Psalm 51:5
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me"

Genesis 6:5
"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually"

If our nature was not a sinful one, then there was no purpose for Christ being sacrificed on the cross. His death would've been in vain. But, His death was not in vain. He died so we might live. He gave His life so that whoever repents (That is to apologize and turn from our sins.) and trusts in Christ alone will have everlasting life.

Be Even More Grateful!

Psalm 2:12
"Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way,
when His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him."

2 Corinthians 5:21
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Be grateful for Christ dying and interceding on our behalf.
For without Him, we would be punished now or later for our sins.

Romans 8:34
"Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who dies, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."

Transcendence vs. Imminence

Transcendence-is being above and independent of the material universe. It can also be defined as lying beyond the ordinary range of perception. More simply, being preeminent or supreme.

Imminence-is being close to occurring. Synonyms of this word are nearness, coming, and convergence.

God has both of these two attributes. The transcendence of God is His "highness" and holiness.
When you go and see old cathedrals, you see how massive they are. The cathedrals were designed to make us feel small and to elevate our understanding of God's transcendent attributes. The same thing applies to old hymns and music. Hymns that are very complex and have multiple parts to it were there to represent God's transcendent attribute. J.S. Bach would compose his music for the glory of God. When you listen to the music he composed, you get the sense of mystery and reverence from the complexities in his music . The mystery in some of his music was to represent the things of God that we cannot perceive. The old hymns and cathedrals were both designed to represent God's transcendence.

While God is transcendent, He is also imminent. He is imminent in that we can relate to Him as Father. Contemporary christian music shows us the imminence of God. This style of music is not high and separate. It is close and common to us and easy to be accepted. That is what this style of music conveys. It conveys God as close and relevant to us.

While God has both of these qualities, we should not take Him lightly. We should not think of Him as one of us. Even though Christ came as a man, He was still God. When we approach God in prayer, we are coming before His throne of grace. Even though we have this privilege, we should still approach Him with reverence and awe because it is still a throne that we bow before.

(The following illustration I borrowed from Way of the Master Radio.)
Imagine that you were invited to visit the president of the United States. You go into the white house and meet him. When you would greet him you wouldn't say
"Hey dude, what's up?". You would most likely say "Hello Mr. President sir."
Even though he is still a normal person, his position makes us respect him.
Now this illustration breaks down on many levels, but the point is even though God is imminent. He is supreme and preeminent and not to be trifled with. Just as with the president, we should approach God boldly but also with reverence.


2 Corinthians 3:12
"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold."

Be Grateful!

God commands the planets to orbit the sun and they obey!
He commands the earth to spin and it willfully follows His instructions!
He orders the plants to grow and be fruitful and they obey Him!
God then turns to us,
His greatest creation and says "Obey My commands."
And what do we do? We shake our little fists at Him in rebellion!
We refuse His commands and blaspheme His name!

Be grateful that God is long suffering!
Be grateful that His wrath tarries!
Be grateful that He has mercy on your soul in not punishing you today!

Next time something bad happens in this world, do not ask yourself:
Why does God allow bad things to happen?
Instead consider this:
Why does God not destroy us this very second for the sins we have committed against Him!?

Book Review: Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul

Earlier this year, a group of young people from our church went to the New Attitude Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
While there I purchased a couple of books. This will be the first that I'm going to review.

As the title implies, this book is about knowing Scripture. About how to read the Bible rightly. It discusses different safeguards from falling into false teachings and discusses hermeneutics. In fact, it has an entire chapter devoted to hermeneutics. (Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation.)

This is an excellent book! At 125 pages it is a fairly small book, but packs a lot of information into those 125 pages. This is a great introduction on how to read and understand the Bible. For instance, one of the safeguards given is how to distinguish between a proverb and a law. In another chapter, Dr. Sproul discusses different translations of the Bible and gives different resources that he finds helpful in how to study the Scriptures.

My favorite chapter in the book was chapter 4 which is titled "Practical Rules for Biblical Interpretation". In this chapter, Dr. Sproul sets forth 10 practical rules that safeguard us from misinterpreting the Scriptures. Rule number eight seemed to strike me the most. Rule eight is to "Observe the difference between the Spirit and Letter of the Law". Sproul explains that to keep the letter of the law yet break the spirit of it is legalistic. What is meant by the letter of the law is for example do not murder. To keep the letter of that commandment would be to not murder anyone. While keeping the spirit of that law would be to not hate someone.

J.I. Packer wrote the foreword to this book. While I was reading the book a part of J.I. Packer's foreword resonated in my head. "The Bible excites him and his excitement is infectious!"
Dr. Sproul has a vast knowledge of studying the Scriptures and is very willing to guide you to learn how to study them for yourself. I would whole heartily recommend this book to any Christian, whether they are new in Christ or a seasoned believer.

In Loving Memory of Ricky

Ricky was born March 12, 2002 and died September 19th 2008.
Two weeks ago, we took Ricky to see the Vet because he wasn't feeling well. We had blood work done because the Vet wasn't sure what was wrong with him.
The blood work showed that Ricky's kidneys were failing. Only 25% of his kidneys were functioning. Basically, Ricky was starving to death. He couldn't eat food because his stomach would constantly be getting upset by the material that his kidneys weren't filtering out.
So we had to make the hard decision to put Ricky to sleep. The following day we buried Ricky in a garden on the side of the house. He was a very good friend. And I miss him very much.

Just A Note

I have not posted anything on my blog lately because of 2 things.
The first reason being that we were without power from September 14th until September 23rd.
For those ten days I did not work on any blog posts because we had alot of work to do each day we were without power. The second reason why I have not posted anything is because I have just started my senior year. I haven't got my school routine down yet so I have not been able to figure out when or what I'm going to write. Although tomorrow I have a very special post planned, but aside from that I most likely won't be posting anything until either Sunday or sometime next week.

The purpose of God for our life on earth by J.R. Miller

We should get it settled in our minds, that the purpose of God for our life on earth, is to have us grow into Christ's image. We are not in this world merely to accomplish a certain amount of work--but to be fashioned into strength and beauty of character. If we would always remember this, we would not be perplexed so often by the mysteries of our lives.

If joy is ours--it is to make us better and a greater blessing to others.

If sorrow is ours--it is to purify us and bring out some line of Christ's image in us more clearly.

If our hopes are disappointed--it is because God has some better things for us, than that which we so earnestly desired.

If we are called to endure pain--it is because the best in us can be called out only by pain.

If bereavement comes and we are left without the strong human arm we have leaned upon heretofore--it is because there are elements of strength in our life, which never could be developed unless the human supports were taken away.

If our burdens are heavy--it is because we grow best under burdens.

If we are wronged by others--it is to teach us better, the great lessons of patience and sweet temper.

If our circumstances are uncongenial and our condition hard--it is that we may be disciplined into self-control, and may learn to be content in whatever state we are in.

The Master is always teaching us new lessons, making us into the beauty of the pattern He has set for us, and preparing us for greater usefulness and better service.