I was waiting anxiously the other day for a package to arrive in the mail. I'm not very good at waiting sometimes! I just get so excited! You should see me on Christmas eve, just like a little kid. I am always the first one up. Well, this particular package was important to me because it contained 2 ESV study bibles. One for me and the other for my son Tyler. Upon receiving the above mentioned treasures I realized that they were the largest study bibles I had ever encountered in all of my 34 years. Something akin to the family bible that has been passed down from generation to generation. Secretly, I was happy to see the mass of this bible! Now when I walk into church I can hold my head high because I know that a big bible means big spirituality! Admit it! You have thought it too!
Seriously though. I love this study bible! Admittedly I have very little experience reading ESV, but so far it is a joy to read. The commentary is outstanding, the layout is nice, plenty of room for notes, there are even blank pages in the back for additional notes! There is also a ton of other info spread out in the different sections of scripture and a large section in the rear that talks about systematic theology! Another feature that I am really enjoying is the online version. A very useful tool! The Reformed and Calvinist leaning is also very appreciated!
It has been a blessing working with this bible with my son. This is his first study bible and I am enjoying the process of teaching him how to use this powerful tool! I pray that we would both grow closer to our God as we spend time in His eternal Word together!
All this for under 45 bucks! I would highly recommend this bible to anyone in the market!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sinner to sinner
How terrible is my sin? How awful is your sin? How sinful was the sin of Adam? How wretched is original sin? What about a white lie? What about the "little" sins that we may commit every day? Any ONE of those sins put Christ, God's son, the creator of all, eternal, son of the Most High Sovereign God, on the cross.
How Great is God? How great is His Son?
Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven. Jesus Christ had to be sacrificed in order for our sin to be forgiven!
How terrible is my sin? So terrible that the Son of God HAD to be sacrificed in order that my sin can be forgiven. So awful that a Just God allowed his Son to be killed so that we can be justified.
How awful my sin!!!!
How great is the love of our God!
Praise be to God!!!!
How Great is God? How great is His Son?
Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven. Jesus Christ had to be sacrificed in order for our sin to be forgiven!
How terrible is my sin? So terrible that the Son of God HAD to be sacrificed in order that my sin can be forgiven. So awful that a Just God allowed his Son to be killed so that we can be justified.
How awful my sin!!!!
How great is the love of our God!
Praise be to God!!!!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thankful
I just recently finished reading a book called the Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent. It's a book that talks about how important it is for all Christians to live in the Gospel. We can never know it too well! It is awesome to think that our just God looks as us as Christians as righteous through the blood of His perfect Son. I rejoice in the fact that it is not by my works that I am saved but because of Him who came to save me. There is nothing I can do to better my position with God. When I sin, I know that I am being disobedient to my Heavenly Father but He continues to love me and look at me through His Son because I am washed in the blood.
This morning at church we looked at scripture from 1 John 2:1-2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Jesus is sufficient. God is sufficient. Gods word is sufficient.
Believe it of not I still sin! I am so thankful that my God does not hold that against me! Thank you for defending me Jesus Christ, the Righteous One!
This morning at church we looked at scripture from 1 John 2:1-2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Jesus is sufficient. God is sufficient. Gods word is sufficient.
Believe it of not I still sin! I am so thankful that my God does not hold that against me! Thank you for defending me Jesus Christ, the Righteous One!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sight seeing
This morning I was reading in The Gospel According to John chapter 9. It is the story of the man blind from birth who receives his sight from Christ of the Sabbath.
While reading this it still amazes me that the Pharisees are so stubborn and skeptical of Jesus. They are so prideful and arrogent, refusing to believe in Christ because of there own self righteousness. I need to be careful here because I know that were it not for God's grace in my life, for Jesus calling me to himself, for my election to be a son of God, if I were not adopted (we as Christians are adopted! What a great truth!) there is a very good chance that I would not be any different then the Pharisees. Praise God for His calling!
Simple faith and obedience is all it takes! Jesus spit in the sand, made mud, put it on the mans eyes, and told him to go wash. He did. He was healed.
Verse 25 says, He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
Thank you Father for my vision that you have given me! Thank you for my salvation. Please help me never to forget or soften your Gospel.
While reading this it still amazes me that the Pharisees are so stubborn and skeptical of Jesus. They are so prideful and arrogent, refusing to believe in Christ because of there own self righteousness. I need to be careful here because I know that were it not for God's grace in my life, for Jesus calling me to himself, for my election to be a son of God, if I were not adopted (we as Christians are adopted! What a great truth!) there is a very good chance that I would not be any different then the Pharisees. Praise God for His calling!
Simple faith and obedience is all it takes! Jesus spit in the sand, made mud, put it on the mans eyes, and told him to go wash. He did. He was healed.
Verse 25 says, He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
Thank you Father for my vision that you have given me! Thank you for my salvation. Please help me never to forget or soften your Gospel.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Soft Gospel
It is a sad thing today that we soften the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ just to get more people in the door! We don't want to offend anyone! Pastor Ed talked some about that this past Sunday. I came across another scripture this morning in John that lets us know what Christ thinks about a "soft gospel". It is when Jesus is talking about how He is the Bread of Life. John 6:25-66.
Jesus the Bread of Life
25When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
26Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
28Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
29Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
30So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
32Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
43"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." 59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
Jesus himself taught boldly, spoke hard words, and offended people! He was not afraid to turn people away because of truth. We need to speak that truth too. That truth is that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Don't soften it! Speak truth!
Jesus the Bread of Life
25When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
26Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
28Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
29Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
30So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
32Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
43"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." 59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
Jesus himself taught boldly, spoke hard words, and offended people! He was not afraid to turn people away because of truth. We need to speak that truth too. That truth is that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Don't soften it! Speak truth!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Lost Love
I have a problem. I have a hard time loving those who may benefit the most from my love. More importantly, the love that my God has supernaturally instilled in me. Without the love of my Heavenly Father, and the power of the Holy Spirit living within me I know that I would be much worse off. I would be bitter and angry. I am sure that I would (more) in my anger too. I have blogged about this frustration in my life before. I hate so much that I am a sinner. I hate that I am unable to live my life the way that my God wants me to. I hate that I am unable to glorify God in all of my life. I can not wait until He returns. I yearn for a sinless world. A world where I can live my life for my God 100 percent. Where sin will not impede and destroy. I world where Satan and sin do not reign. How awesome will that be!
Please pray for me as I struggle with this. Pray that I will be able to love as Christ loves. Pray that I will not keep track of wrongs. That I will look at the wrong in my own life and compare that to the perfect Jesus who is my Lord. I do want to bring Him glory with my life. Please, let that be my only desire.
Please pray for me as I struggle with this. Pray that I will be able to love as Christ loves. Pray that I will not keep track of wrongs. That I will look at the wrong in my own life and compare that to the perfect Jesus who is my Lord. I do want to bring Him glory with my life. Please, let that be my only desire.
Lordship Salvation
I just finished reading MacArthurs "The Gospel According to Jesus" I will say again that this is an incredible book that helped me out with my theology. Read it if you have not already! I want to share with you a quote from Tozer.
"To urge men and women to believe in a divided Christ is bad teaching for no one can receive half of Christ, or a third of Christ, or a quarter of the Person of Christ! We are not saved by believing in an office nor in a work."
His point is that when you genuinely receive Christ as your Savior, you are also accepting the fact that He is also Lord. You can't have one without the other! When you are indeed saved you are saved by the Whole Christ. Not just a part of Him. He is Lord and Savior. He demands obedience. Take up your cross. Die to this world. Live for Christ.
"To urge men and women to believe in a divided Christ is bad teaching for no one can receive half of Christ, or a third of Christ, or a quarter of the Person of Christ! We are not saved by believing in an office nor in a work."
His point is that when you genuinely receive Christ as your Savior, you are also accepting the fact that He is also Lord. You can't have one without the other! When you are indeed saved you are saved by the Whole Christ. Not just a part of Him. He is Lord and Savior. He demands obedience. Take up your cross. Die to this world. Live for Christ.
It was Jesus
John chapter 5 talks about Jesus healing an invalid at a pool called Bathesda. The man had been crippled for 38 years. Jesus heals this man instantly. The healing is perfect (as perfect as it could be in this fallen world). The man obeys Christ, gets up, takes his mat and leaves. At this point the man does not know who it was that healed him. A little later in the story he see Jesus again and Jesus warns him to stop sinning or something worse may happen. The man goes to the Jews and tells the that is was Jesus that made him well. I want to share that verse with you. It is verse 15. It is beautiful. "The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well." It was Jesus that made him well. How simple. Has Jesus made you well too? I praise God that He has made me well!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Follow Me
I have been spending some time in The Gospel of John. Have you ever noticed how easily Christ calls his disciples? In most instances he simply says "Follow Me". That short invitation is sometimes followed by a couple of other words like "and I will make you fishers of men", or "and you will see". There is no coercion, no lengthy conversation, just simple obedience! Christ lived his life in such a way that it was attractive to those who would follow Him. He didn't need special music in the background playing "I surrender all", or the convincing words of an evangelist, no stories of near death experiences or old men receiving Christ on their death bed. "Follow Me". So simple, not polluted by man. I believe with all of my heart that when Christ says "Follow Me" and we truly make that decision to follow Him, it is a life changing decision. It is a decision not to make Christ lord of your life, we can't make Christ anything! It is agreeing with Christ that He is Lord of our lives, Lord over everything! Lead me as you see fit. I do absolutely agree with Christ! He is Lord of all. Father, please help me to live my life in such a way that I am proof of that fact.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Isaiah
I was studying John 1:1 this morning and this is were I ended up. It's beautiful. This section of scripture is familiar to most of you, but it is still worth some meditation! I hope that it blesses you.
Isaiah 55:6-13
6 "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 "For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."
Isaiah 55:6-13
6 "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 "For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."
Thursday, October 2, 2008
A lesson from History
All this talk about easy believeism made me think this morning about "back then". Back in Lathers day. Back in the day when the faithful Luther nailed the 95 thesis to the door at Castle Church in 1517. Now you will have to remember here that I am no historian. I do enjoy church history but at this point I only know (or think I know) bits and pieces. So if this is incorrect let me know! I believe that back in those days folks could "buy" salvation for themselves, their loved ones, even for people already deceased, all they had to do was give money to the Roman Catholic Church. Once salvation was "paid for" not by the blood of Christ but with money you could go on living however you pleased! Does that sound familiar? The only difference is that today it is offered as a free gift! Walk the isle, sign on the line, say the prayer, kneel at the alter. There is no need to change the way you live. Just believe. You can continue as you are, no need to be a holy roller. Scripture says that there will be many on that day who say, "Lord, Lord did we not do all of these things in your name! "Depart from me for I never new you!" Those are words I never want to hear from my God! I want to be sure that He says to me "Well done my good and faithful servant!"
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
John MacArthur
I have been wading my way through MacArthurs "The Gospel According To Jesus" for quite a while now. It is indeed a book that I would recommend if you have not yet read it! There is a part in this book that talks about the "two gates", the "narrow road", the "wide road" that are spoken of in the Gospels. Jesus says in Matthew 22:14, that "Many are called, but few are chosen." That really caught my attention. With the easy believeism that is taught today it is easy to see the many who are called. It is easy to see those who call themselves "Christians" and then go on to live their lives however they want. All you have to do is say a prayer "accept Christ" and you are saved, go ahead, live however you want. It doesn't matter, you said your prayer. You are heaven bound no matter what you do. The Gospels talk about the narrow road that is hard to find and has few people on it. I believe that the "wide road" is full of folks who have paid their "fire insurance" with a prayer and really believe that they are going to heaven. That is, after all, what they have been taught. If they would only pick up their bibles and read for themselves! Look at the gospel that Jesus proclaimed! They would see that Jesus actually turned people away! He did not tolerate the self righteous! He was very critical of the Pharisees. If you were not willing to give Christ you all He did not want you. He wants complete denial of self! "Take up you cross and follow Me" no matter what is the devotion that Christ requires. I know that I examine my life often. I want you all to know that in my righting I am speaking to myself more then anyone else. I want to make sure that I am living my life the way my Savior and Lord would want me too. There are areas in my life that I am having a hard time giving up. I also know that with the assistance of the Holy Spirit I am able to concur those problem areas! I know that I am washed in the blood of the Lamb. I know that Jesus is Lord of my life and I know that He is working in my life to make me more like Him. I also know that I have a very long way to go!
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