Jeremiah Burroughs' book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment should be required reading for any American Christian. It addresses a host of evils that come from discontentment and how to deal with them. Burroughs' combines the warmth of a pastor with the skill of a heart surgeon as he shows why discontentment is so wicked and why contentment is such a blessing. Here is his definition of Christian contentment. I really like it because he uses the word "delights." A lot of us endure God's "disposal in every condition," but few of us delight in it.
"Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition." (p. 19)
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Take Up and Read: Tuesday Edition
Here is an account of a presbyterian church in Pittsburgh becoming friendly to sodomites. Please note a former pastor who was married for 29 years and then divorced his wife because he found he was gay. Also note that the church in the article has grown since it became more friendly to sodomites. Notice also that they talk like Christians, using words like "submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life." And they claim to be guided by the Scriptures. All in all it gives a sobering picture of where the American church is headed.
Several months ago the Bayly Brothers posted an article from a former sodomite. An amazing and eye opening article. Not for the faint of heart or for young children. But worth the read.
Several months ago the Bayly Brothers posted an article from a former sodomite. An amazing and eye opening article. Not for the faint of heart or for young children. But worth the read.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Responding to Critics
Over the last couple of years, my church has received various kinds of criticism. Here is a list of ways I have encouraged my flock to respond to that criticism.
1. Always be gracious. Treat the person with kindness and charity, assuming they have good motives. Throughout conversations, try to find things you agree on and emphasize those. Often those who criticize us are Christians who love Christ. Treating them with kindness is not optional!
2. Do not apologize for believing what the Bible teaches. Many of us when confronted tend to shrink back. This is a product of our modern relativistic age where everyone's opinion is supposed to be equal. Satan wants us to walk around doubting everything we believe. Do not back down from what you believe. Do not be mean, but be firm.
3. As you talk to people make them deal with the Bible. Often people have not actually looked at what the Bible says on an issue. Go to Scripture and discuss it. This means you need to know what the Bible teaches. If you have questions about the Biblical basis for what we do or believe then you can talk to the leadership.
4. Tell people about the work God is doing at Christ Church. Christ is clear that men shall know us by our fruit. (Luke 6:43-45) All of you spend hours each week with people from Christ Church. You see Christ being formed in your brothers and sisters around you. You see Christ presented every week in songs, prayers, confession of sin, preaching, at the Lord's Table, and as you are sent out. We are not a perfect church, but the fruit is there and growing. Bring these things up, not in a proud way, but simply to show that God is working.
5. Do not accept vague accusations from people about what they think we teach. Get specifics. Ask questions like, “So exactly what is it that you think we believe about…?” This is a fundamental requirement of Biblical justice. Biblical justice requires two or three witnesses. (I Timothy 5:19) This means if someone is going to accuse an elder of false teaching, it must be proven. Proving does not mean reading something somewhere about what someone thinks we teach. It means talking to the specific men involved and getting the facts. This is also the teaching of Matthew 18:15-20.
6. If someone brings up specific concerns about Christ Church, ask them if they have attended our worship service, talked to the leaders, or listened to several sermons which are available on our website. If they say, “No,” then tell them they need to do those things, especially the last two. If someone is not interested in doing some or all of the things mentioned above, then they are not really interested in the truth.
1. Always be gracious. Treat the person with kindness and charity, assuming they have good motives. Throughout conversations, try to find things you agree on and emphasize those. Often those who criticize us are Christians who love Christ. Treating them with kindness is not optional!
2. Do not apologize for believing what the Bible teaches. Many of us when confronted tend to shrink back. This is a product of our modern relativistic age where everyone's opinion is supposed to be equal. Satan wants us to walk around doubting everything we believe. Do not back down from what you believe. Do not be mean, but be firm.
3. As you talk to people make them deal with the Bible. Often people have not actually looked at what the Bible says on an issue. Go to Scripture and discuss it. This means you need to know what the Bible teaches. If you have questions about the Biblical basis for what we do or believe then you can talk to the leadership.
4. Tell people about the work God is doing at Christ Church. Christ is clear that men shall know us by our fruit. (Luke 6:43-45) All of you spend hours each week with people from Christ Church. You see Christ being formed in your brothers and sisters around you. You see Christ presented every week in songs, prayers, confession of sin, preaching, at the Lord's Table, and as you are sent out. We are not a perfect church, but the fruit is there and growing. Bring these things up, not in a proud way, but simply to show that God is working.
5. Do not accept vague accusations from people about what they think we teach. Get specifics. Ask questions like, “So exactly what is it that you think we believe about…?” This is a fundamental requirement of Biblical justice. Biblical justice requires two or three witnesses. (I Timothy 5:19) This means if someone is going to accuse an elder of false teaching, it must be proven. Proving does not mean reading something somewhere about what someone thinks we teach. It means talking to the specific men involved and getting the facts. This is also the teaching of Matthew 18:15-20.
6. If someone brings up specific concerns about Christ Church, ask them if they have attended our worship service, talked to the leaders, or listened to several sermons which are available on our website. If they say, “No,” then tell them they need to do those things, especially the last two. If someone is not interested in doing some or all of the things mentioned above, then they are not really interested in the truth.
Young Men = Bambi on Ice
"The problem with vain disuptations and quasi-heresies and quarrels over words is that they are tempting bait for young men. Nobody loves arguing over open-hand theological issues like young men. There is something about the intellectual and emotional dawn of masculine maturation that instinctively draws young guys to stupid arguments. And many times the issues and topics are good things-things we should have opinions on or enjoy discussing. But young men are like Bambi on the frozen pond-all awkward limbs and little coordination." (Mark Driscoll in Entrusted with the Gospel, p. 79)
Friday, August 12, 2011
Witnesses to Grace, Heralds of Damnation
"And indeed, does it lie within us [preachers] to promise men life everlasting or to denouce against them the vengeance of God? And yet we do it nevertheless, but we go no further than the Word of God, as it is put into our mouths. We have His testimony that we are his witness and heralds. By His "witnessess" I mean we assure the faithful of the grace and salvation promised to them and as His "heralds" we pronounce and publish His sentence against all the unbelieving and against all rebels." (John Calvin, Sermon on Deuteronomy 28:1-2)
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Take Up and Read: Thursday Edition
Peter Leithart reminds that the true icons are people, not images. He relates all of this to the reformation of the Mass and truly celebrating the Lord's Supper.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Not Just Us, But Our Works are Accepted
"It is true that we have not fulfilled all the law, but yet God records it in His accounts as if all had been performed because we are made clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. And just as we are cleansed, so are our works also, and when they come before God, He accepts them as though they were thoroughly good, righteous, and perfect. (John Calvin, Sermon on Deuteronomy 28:1-2)
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Take Up and Read: Tuesday Edition
What does it take to be a leader in the evangelical world? Ligonier prints an excerpt from Ian McMurray's biography on John MacArthur to answer that question.
John Piper speaks of five ways we can honor God in our vocation.
John Piper speaks of five ways we can honor God in our vocation.
Monday, August 8, 2011
The Law of God is a Friend
"Let us mark, therefore, that all the promises contained in the Holy Scripture are, as it were, so many testimonies of the fatherly love of our God, showing himself to have a care for our health and welfare, in that He vouchsafes [swears/promises] thus to apply and fashion Himself to us. By this means the law of God becomes more friendly to us, in that we see that in keeping it we shall not be disappointed of a good reward, one far greater than we should wish, for under this word of blessing is comphrehended all manner of propsperity." (John Calvin, Sermon on Deuternomy 28:1-2)
Friday, August 5, 2011
Calvin Had 21st Century America in Mind
"I told you at that place [a sermon on Deuteronomy 19:14] that if a man's lands are not kept secure, no man will be master of his own possessions, but all will go to spoil and chaos. And surely the maintenance of just weights and measures, of lawful money, and keeping boundaries unchanged, are things that are universally acknowledged. How can men buy and sell, or engage in any trade at all if the coin is not lawful? Again, if weights and measures are falsified, we shall be cheated. What purpose will justice serve any more? And we can say the same for boundaries and landmarks. So then, under this saying [Deuteronomy 27:17] God intended to show that it was necessary for us to observe equity and uprightness in dealing one with another." (John Calvin, Sermon on Deuteronomy)
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Take Up and Read: Thursday Edition
Robin Phillips tells us why praying to the saints is a problem. What I particularly like about this article is how he tells how praying to the saints works at the common man level. Often Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox will argue in the abstract, telling us that praying to the saints does not mean worshipping the saints and does not detract from Christ mediatorial work. While in theory this works, in reality praying to the saints often does lead to both of these things.
John Piper tells the difference between entertainment oriented preachers and bible oriented preachers.
An excerpt from J.C. Ryle on how someone knows if they love Christ or not.
John Piper tells the difference between entertainment oriented preachers and bible oriented preachers.
An excerpt from J.C. Ryle on how someone knows if they love Christ or not.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
No Addition or Subtraction
"We must also note that God will not be served or worshipped after our fancies, but He will have us to walk according to His Word, without adding anything thereto or taking away anything therefrom, so that all the inventions of men are equivalent to so many idols. (John Calvin, Sermons on Deuteronomy)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Sermon Outline: Matthew 6:12
Sometimes sermons take on a life of their own. My outline for this past week's sermon is below. However, if you hear the sermon you will find that at times I deviated from the outline.
Christ Church of Morgantown
7th Sunday of Trinity
July 31st, 2011
Sermon: The Lord’s Prayer: Forgive Us Our Trespasses
Matthew 6:12, 14-15
Exordium
When things are familiar to us we tend to take them for granted. When I was growing up my father loved to do things with us. He would play soccer with us in the yard. He would play football with us. He worked construction. One day a concrete truck got the wrong instructions. So here you have a concrete truck half full with no place to the put the concrete. So my dad bought the concrete cheap and poured us a concrete pad to play basketball on. I think it was twelve by twelve. Anyway, my dad loved to do things like that. Every time a friend would come over and spend the night or play with us they would always comment about how great my dad was. They would say how neat it was that he would play with us. They would tell me how great my dad was. Of course, I rarely thought this. I thought every father played football and basketball with his boys. I took it for granted what my dad did for us. We do this often with familiar things. We see them so frequently we become dull to how amazing they are.
So it is with the our subject his morning. The Kingdom we needed teaching on. The holiness of God we needed teaching on. Our daily bread we needed teaching on. But the forgiveness of sins, I have that one down pastor. I don’t need a sermon on that.
Exegesis
We sin daily.
Q82: Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
A82: No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God,[1] but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.
Note here the underlying assumption is that we sin and will continue to sin. It won’t be the same sins, but this portion of the prayer argues against the notion of perfection. We carry sin in our hearts until our death. Perfection is not an option.
What we tend to say is, “We don’t sin like those people.” We look at the sins of others and think we are pretty good people. But the standard is not other people. The standard is God. The standard is not my neighbor.
There are two different types of sin that our fathers talked about, sins of commission and sins of omission. Sins of commission are doing those things which we ought not to do. For example, lusting, stealing, getting angry at my children or spouse, and disobeying my parents. We usually think about sin in this category.
But when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he didn’t tell us what not to do, but rather what to do. Love the Lord your God… We sin when we do not love with all our heart. We sin when could have helped our wife, but chose not to. We sin when we could have honored our parents, but chose not to. We sin when we could have glorified God in the work place, but instead shrunk back.
There are two areas we sin, internally and externally. Again we tend to think externally only, that which people see. But sin begins in the heart. Why do we do what we do? Here is the great question. Jesus is teaching us in this large section (Matthew 6:1-18) that we can pray, fast, and give alms and be sinning. How? Our hearts are fixed upon the world.
Love the Word
God’s Word does many things for us. It can comfort when we are downcast. It can encourage us when we have done well. It can show God and his mercy. It tells us the story of God and his Messiah sent to redeem fallen man. But the Bible also shows us our sin. It exposes us to God and his character and his law. Do you read the Bible for information or for transformation? Do you read the Bible so you can see what others are doing or to shape your own life? How often does your Scripture reading
God Grants Forgiveness
Here is where we have to decide if we are going to bored with the same old story or rejoice in the same old story. It should amaze us every time we confess our sins that we are forgiven. Every time we come and plead the blood of Christ is should cause us to wonder. What good reason does he have? Why should he forgive us? What can we give him that he should take away our sins?
His forgiveness is continual. We get so tired of forgiving others, don’t we? Our children come back with the same sin and ask forgiveness again. But God doesn’t. His forgiveness is continual. Matthew 18:21-22
His forgiveness is complete. I John 1:8-9. He does not partially forgive. It may be worthwhile to ask here, what is forgiveness.
His forgiveness is unconditional. That means all we have to do is ask. I remember this movie “The Mission” where Robert DeNiro plays a soldier who is converted to Christianity and decided to join a monastery in South America. The head priest decides to make DeNiro show is allegiance by hauling a cross up a mountain. It is a thought provoking movie and worth your time. However, the point I want to make is that we don’t need to haul a cross up a mountain. God does not forgive because of what we do. We don’t get in because do this or do that. We get in because God draws us and we request forgiveness.
Love the Cross-Sometimes I get tired of people who talk about the cross and nothing else. Why? Because that is not what the Bible does. The Bible talks about a lot of things. It talks about sheep and goats, parenting, wisdom and chariot wheels with eyes. But if someone rarely talks about the cross, if Jesus’ death is an afterthought then their theology is warped. Something has gone awry in their thinking. The cross must be something we glory in. Why? Because at the cross our sins were forgiven.
We Should Forgive Others Daily
We should expect to be sinned against.
Does this mean we must forget the sins of others? Does God forgive and forget? If this is the criteria then we cannot forgive because it is hard to forget. But that is not the point. God does not forget. Forgiveness is not holding someone’s sins against them anymore.
Does this mean we earn forgiveness?
Why can this not be true? Jesus seems to be saying here that God will forgive us, if we forgive others.
Our debt is too large. Your sins are so numerous that you could spend thousands of years seeking to earn your way in and still not atone. Your sins are not just many they are against God.
If we do that undermines the entire Gospel. Why because the Gospel is the forgiveness of our sins?
Alas and Did My Savior Bleed- But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe
Forgiveness is free, not earned. Paul makes this explicit throughout his epistles, Romans and Galatians. Romans 6:23 is a great example. Ephesians 1:7 is another example. Titus 3 is another example.
We can never forgive exactly as God forgives. If what Jesus is saying is that you must forgive just like God does then we are hopeless.
So what does this mean? Christ is telling us here that one of the clearest proofs of our own salvation is our willingness to forgive others. He is telling us that if we want to know whether we are saved or not, whether we understand our salvation or not we must look at how we forgive others.
WLC Q105: What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
A105: In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we pray, That God, for Christ's sake, would freely pardon all our sins;[2] which we are able to be rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others.[3]
HC Q: 126. Which is the fifth petition?
A: "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"; that is, be pleased for the sake of Christ's blood, not to impute to us poor sinners, our transgressions, nor that depravity, which always cleaves to us; even as we feel this evidence of thy grace in us, that it is our firm resolution from the heart to forgive our neighbor.
Christ Church of Morgantown
7th Sunday of Trinity
July 31st, 2011
Sermon: The Lord’s Prayer: Forgive Us Our Trespasses
Matthew 6:12, 14-15
Exordium
When things are familiar to us we tend to take them for granted. When I was growing up my father loved to do things with us. He would play soccer with us in the yard. He would play football with us. He worked construction. One day a concrete truck got the wrong instructions. So here you have a concrete truck half full with no place to the put the concrete. So my dad bought the concrete cheap and poured us a concrete pad to play basketball on. I think it was twelve by twelve. Anyway, my dad loved to do things like that. Every time a friend would come over and spend the night or play with us they would always comment about how great my dad was. They would say how neat it was that he would play with us. They would tell me how great my dad was. Of course, I rarely thought this. I thought every father played football and basketball with his boys. I took it for granted what my dad did for us. We do this often with familiar things. We see them so frequently we become dull to how amazing they are.
So it is with the our subject his morning. The Kingdom we needed teaching on. The holiness of God we needed teaching on. Our daily bread we needed teaching on. But the forgiveness of sins, I have that one down pastor. I don’t need a sermon on that.
Exegesis
We sin daily.
Q82: Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
A82: No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God,[1] but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.
Note here the underlying assumption is that we sin and will continue to sin. It won’t be the same sins, but this portion of the prayer argues against the notion of perfection. We carry sin in our hearts until our death. Perfection is not an option.
What we tend to say is, “We don’t sin like those people.” We look at the sins of others and think we are pretty good people. But the standard is not other people. The standard is God. The standard is not my neighbor.
There are two different types of sin that our fathers talked about, sins of commission and sins of omission. Sins of commission are doing those things which we ought not to do. For example, lusting, stealing, getting angry at my children or spouse, and disobeying my parents. We usually think about sin in this category.
But when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he didn’t tell us what not to do, but rather what to do. Love the Lord your God… We sin when we do not love with all our heart. We sin when could have helped our wife, but chose not to. We sin when we could have honored our parents, but chose not to. We sin when we could have glorified God in the work place, but instead shrunk back.
There are two areas we sin, internally and externally. Again we tend to think externally only, that which people see. But sin begins in the heart. Why do we do what we do? Here is the great question. Jesus is teaching us in this large section (Matthew 6:1-18) that we can pray, fast, and give alms and be sinning. How? Our hearts are fixed upon the world.
Love the Word
God’s Word does many things for us. It can comfort when we are downcast. It can encourage us when we have done well. It can show God and his mercy. It tells us the story of God and his Messiah sent to redeem fallen man. But the Bible also shows us our sin. It exposes us to God and his character and his law. Do you read the Bible for information or for transformation? Do you read the Bible so you can see what others are doing or to shape your own life? How often does your Scripture reading
God Grants Forgiveness
Here is where we have to decide if we are going to bored with the same old story or rejoice in the same old story. It should amaze us every time we confess our sins that we are forgiven. Every time we come and plead the blood of Christ is should cause us to wonder. What good reason does he have? Why should he forgive us? What can we give him that he should take away our sins?
His forgiveness is continual. We get so tired of forgiving others, don’t we? Our children come back with the same sin and ask forgiveness again. But God doesn’t. His forgiveness is continual. Matthew 18:21-22
His forgiveness is complete. I John 1:8-9. He does not partially forgive. It may be worthwhile to ask here, what is forgiveness.
His forgiveness is unconditional. That means all we have to do is ask. I remember this movie “The Mission” where Robert DeNiro plays a soldier who is converted to Christianity and decided to join a monastery in South America. The head priest decides to make DeNiro show is allegiance by hauling a cross up a mountain. It is a thought provoking movie and worth your time. However, the point I want to make is that we don’t need to haul a cross up a mountain. God does not forgive because of what we do. We don’t get in because do this or do that. We get in because God draws us and we request forgiveness.
Love the Cross-Sometimes I get tired of people who talk about the cross and nothing else. Why? Because that is not what the Bible does. The Bible talks about a lot of things. It talks about sheep and goats, parenting, wisdom and chariot wheels with eyes. But if someone rarely talks about the cross, if Jesus’ death is an afterthought then their theology is warped. Something has gone awry in their thinking. The cross must be something we glory in. Why? Because at the cross our sins were forgiven.
We Should Forgive Others Daily
We should expect to be sinned against.
Does this mean we must forget the sins of others? Does God forgive and forget? If this is the criteria then we cannot forgive because it is hard to forget. But that is not the point. God does not forget. Forgiveness is not holding someone’s sins against them anymore.
Does this mean we earn forgiveness?
Why can this not be true? Jesus seems to be saying here that God will forgive us, if we forgive others.
Our debt is too large. Your sins are so numerous that you could spend thousands of years seeking to earn your way in and still not atone. Your sins are not just many they are against God.
If we do that undermines the entire Gospel. Why because the Gospel is the forgiveness of our sins?
Alas and Did My Savior Bleed- But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe
Forgiveness is free, not earned. Paul makes this explicit throughout his epistles, Romans and Galatians. Romans 6:23 is a great example. Ephesians 1:7 is another example. Titus 3 is another example.
We can never forgive exactly as God forgives. If what Jesus is saying is that you must forgive just like God does then we are hopeless.
So what does this mean? Christ is telling us here that one of the clearest proofs of our own salvation is our willingness to forgive others. He is telling us that if we want to know whether we are saved or not, whether we understand our salvation or not we must look at how we forgive others.
WLC Q105: What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
A105: In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we pray, That God, for Christ's sake, would freely pardon all our sins;[2] which we are able to be rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others.[3]
HC Q: 126. Which is the fifth petition?
A: "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"; that is, be pleased for the sake of Christ's blood, not to impute to us poor sinners, our transgressions, nor that depravity, which always cleaves to us; even as we feel this evidence of thy grace in us, that it is our firm resolution from the heart to forgive our neighbor.
Take Up and Read: Music Edition
For your reading pleasure, here are some blog posts about worship music.
Here are two by Kevin DeYoung where he lays out ten principles of church music. A lot of good thoughts and principles that can and should be applied in our churches.
Part 1
Part 2
Here is a four part series by Gregory Wilbur on why Bach still matters for church music.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Finally, several years ago Douglas Wilson did a series of exhortations to his congregation on church music. You can find them here. I have found many of them helpful.
Here are two by Kevin DeYoung where he lays out ten principles of church music. A lot of good thoughts and principles that can and should be applied in our churches.
Part 1
Part 2
Here is a four part series by Gregory Wilbur on why Bach still matters for church music.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Finally, several years ago Douglas Wilson did a series of exhortations to his congregation on church music. You can find them here. I have found many of them helpful.
Monday, August 1, 2011
The God Who Spares Us
"And above all let us be mindful of this general promise: that God calls us to Himself as His children; that He spares us and bears with us, and does not enter into an extremity of rigor wiht us; and that even though there are many faults in our works, He accepts them; that if we offend we always find pardon at His hand; that when we swerve aside He brings us back onto the way; and that none of our faults is imputed to us." (John Calvin, Sermon on Deuteronomy 27:11-15)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)