Singing Psalms When Miserable - Carl Trueman

Carl Trueman writes an excellent article in the new edition of Reformation21, entitled Where (or How) is Authenticity to Be Found. The basic question the article attempts to answer is "what does the miserable Christian sing?' Here is a portion of it:

Some years ago I wrote a short editorial for the journal Themelios entitled `What do miserable Christians sing?’ It took me about thirty minutes to write, edit and email to head office; yet of all the things I have ever written, I have received more – and more positive – correspondence on that short piece than on anything else I have ever done. What was my basic thesis? That the typical Christian church offered the broken-hearted nothing whatsoever to sing in praise to God on a Sunday; and in so doing, the church was failing in her duty to care for the hurting, the downtrodden, the depressed. The answer I proposed was a recovery of psalm singing, not on the grounds that psalm singing is the only pure form of worship but because it offers a truly deep and authentic idiom for expressing the full range of human emotion and experience to God in the very act of praising him. No hymn book or collection of choruses of which I am aware even comes close to offering what the psalms offer in this regard.

Bible Classes in the Public Schools

Time Magazine recently put out an article by David Van Biema entitled The Case for Teaching the Bible, that argues for teaching Bible classes, Old and New Testament, in public schools. His reasons are not religious, but academic. Van Biema says, "Its hard to call someone educated if they haven't at least given some thought to its key passages." Why? Basically, he argues, because the Bible has shaped much of the Western Culture, our Declaration of Independence was based on it, and democracy itself is based on it (or at least its founders based democracy upon it). Much of pop-culture and historical literature makes references to the Bible that makes absolutely no sense unless the audience is some-what Bible-literate (Van Biema refers to Shakespeare, The Old Man and the Sea, contemporary movies like Babel, and Pulp Fiction). Finally, he argues, that being Bible-literate is "essential to being a full-fledged, well rounded citizen." John Hagee and Chuck Colson were quoted. Hagee opposed public school education of the bible saying that the teachers would mis-represent Scripture and obscure the meaning. While Colson is in support of it hoping that they would introduce the impact the Bible has had on individuals and history and let God do the work of enlightenment.

Should there be public school education of the Bible? In trying to answer this, one thing that might be important in attempting to think through this is the effect our nation's "mass biblical illiteracy" has on how we do evangelism. We cannot start out with using biblical terms right out of the box like sin, judgment, abundant life, eternal life, or crucifixion. These terms have been either massively obscured by secular culture or has left their vocabulary entirely - in other words you are speaking in terms they don't even comprehend. We are talking to people who have long lost the Judea-Christian heritage. So we must go back as if we are talking to people who have absolutely no spiritual or biblical language, because we are, so that when we do end up using biblical terms (and we should), like sin, judgment, justification by faith, sanctification, they have actual meaning to them (a good model for evangelism prepared by Don Carson is called Two Ways to Live ). But, providing biblical classes for them may start to change things drastically in college ministries and personal evangelism, maybe for good or bad. One thing that may be helpful is try to think about or come up with a model for a society that is still largely post-modern (or post-post-modern - whatever that means) but now somewhat biblically literate from an academic setting rather than devotional, and then think about 'what does evangelism look like?' Hopefully greater minds than mine will think about this and articulate for us what this may or even may not look like.

Sam Storms and Revelation 20

Justin Taylor, on his blog Between Two Worlds has been posting sections of Sam Storms' new book since John Macarthur's comments at his Shepherding Conference. The chapters he is including is on the topic of Amillennialism and The Millennial Kingdom of Revelation 20. You can read part 1 and part 2 of Storms' work on this theme. If this is of any interest to you, they are helpful in understanding the amillenialist's position in the context of Revelation 20.

Christ Honored in Life and Death -or- Unashamably Shamed

If you happen to be reading the "M'cheyne Bible reading plan" than you read with me this morning in Philippians 1, the famous "to live in Christ and to die is gain" passage. I meditated on these verses this morning:

"Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance , as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death" (Phil. 1:18-21).

Paul rejoices not just in his soon-to-be-deliverance, for all through his letters he counts it a joy to be in chains for the gospel of Christ. While in most of his greetings he gives his title next to his name, 'Paul, an apostle' (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus 1:1) or 'Paul. a servant' (Philippians 1:1), yet, we see in Philemon 1, Paul greets Philemon by saying, "Paul, a prisoner of Christ." This is his title he gives himself - his boast, if you will. So the cause of his rejoicing is not just in his release but in the honor of Christ by his work through (1) the Philippians prayers for deliverance and (2) Paul, himself, unashamably and courageously honoring Christ in life and death.

Paul's lot on earth was shame - imprisoned, beatings, stonings, and false witnesses by false brothers, and much more. And in all this, in 2 Corinthians 11:23, Paul says his labors are greater than many because of his sufferings. His shame was his boast for it honored Christ.

T4G White Presumptive - Mark Dever

Great blog post by Mark Dever on appropriate language for racial unity in Evangelicalism. I encourage you to, please, read it.

New Sovereign Grace Website

I have often been blessed by the ministry of C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries. It is a website for resources, sermons, churches, great literature, and worship theology. Sovereign Grace Ministries have recently updated and redesigned their website. Here is part of their newsletter that explains their updates:
Sovereign Grace Ministries Launches New Website

This month Sovereign Grace launched a new website at www.SovereignGraceMinistries.org. It has a new look, revised and expanded content, and better organization so you can more easily find what you're looking for.

We're particularly excited about the new Resource Library. Now you can search books and audio messages by topic, title, author or speaker, and more. Or, you can search all our music by song title, theme, lyrics, songwriter, and more. Then get song lyrics with just one click, or sort your search results by title, media type, or price. Looking for teaching on the cross or on the Holy Spirit? Looking for books by C.J. Mahaney or songs by Mark Altrogge? You'll find them here. It's like a library catalog for Sovereign Grace.

We've added other features as well:

• Clickable maps to help you find Sovereign Grace churches: one for the United States and one international
  


• A growing library of Mission Presentation videos
  


• A Worship section, with recommended resources and an archive of Bob Kauflin's Worship Matters columns

There's more than we can describe here, so come and explore.

Great Site for Audio

This is a great resource site for audio by Carson, Piper, Dever, Grudem, and literally dozens more. Topics range from doctrine, church history, culture, and many social issues like abortion, love, and literature. The site is called Faith by Hearing.

I hope you benefit from this.

God's Dupes - Sam Harris

Sam Harris recently wrote a column for the LA Times entitled God's Dupes congratulating Californian Congressman Pete Stark for apparently being the first congressman in history to acknowledge that he does not believe in God and also challenging other politicians to follow his lead.

Harris is a vocal atheist, author of The End of True Religion and Letter to a Christian Nation, who blames much of the world's problems on religion, faith, and zealousness. He says this of Congressman Stark in his article:

Mythology is where all gods go to die, and it seems that Stark has secured a place in American history simply by admitting that a fresh grave should be dug for the God of Abraham — the jealous, genocidal, priggish and self-contradictory tyrant of the Bible and the Koran. Stark is the first of our leaders to display a level of intellectual honesty befitting a consul of ancient Rome. Bravo.

There is, of course, thankfulness of honesty in politics. I would rather have politicians say "I am an atheist" when he actually is, rather than seeking the moderate vote by claiming "faith as their source of strength." Yet, the vehement call for the "fresh grave" that should be dug for the "God of Abraham", calling him "the jealous, genocidal, priggish and self-contradictory tyrant of the Bible and the Koran" shows the spirit in which he writes, and that Congressman Stark is not his topic but only a springboard. The response given to Harris should not be an argument for the loving-kindness of God, his care and grace for all types of people of the world, and the need and duty for the praise of his glory. Reasonable arguments are not his tactics, nor will he accept them in return. In his book Letters to a Christian Nation he creates a straw-man argument for the Christian faith and then annihilates it. Douglas Wilson writes in response to Harris in Letter from a Christian Citizen: A Response to Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris , recognizing that it is simply nothing new and even questions the reason's behind some of the arguments.

I believe the final two paragraphs are the most interesting parts of his article. I will take them one at a time.

There is no question that many people do good things in the name of their faith — but there are better reasons to help the poor, feed the hungry and defend the weak than the belief that an Imaginary Friend wants you to do it. Compassion is deeper than religion. As is ecstasy. It is time that we acknowledge that human beings can be profoundly ethical — and even spiritual — without pretending to know things they do not know.

At first glance, this statement seems to be true, even to Christians. I mean, wouldn't it be more righteous to want to help someone, not just because God says to help them, but because we have enough compassion to work on their own accord? Christians, especially, need to know why this statement is false. It is important for Mr. Harris to know that Christians do not "do good things in the name of their faith, or just for the sake of Christianity", but with faith. There is a huge difference, and I hope this is clear. As Christians, we believe the highest good is to please God before all others. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:9, "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please [God]." Paul also made himself an example to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 2:4, "So we speak not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts." And then in 4:1 calls us to follow in his example, "That as you received from us how you ought to live and to please God, that you do so more and more." Finally, Paul calls us soldiers of Jesus Christ, yet as soldiers, we should not get "entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him" (2 Timothy 2:4). Scripture puts forth one more qualifier in actions for Christians: we should act in faith. "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Heb. 11:6). Therefore, when Christians act, they do so in faith in order to please God. If we act just in the name of faith (or because it is our Christian ethic), then yes, there are higher and better reasons to act with compassion. But to act in faith in order to please God and be vessels of mercy "so they may see your good works (and not honor you) and glorify the Father, who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16) is the highest good and there is no higher reason to act in such a way. Every act we do, whether in compassion or love, should be to bend other's affections and praise to God in heaven, ultimately to save their souls, or it is not completely compassionate nor loving.

Indeed, it is time we broke this spell en masse. Every one of the world's "great" religions utterly trivializes the immensity and beauty of the cosmos. Books like the Bible and the Koran get almost every significant fact about us and our world wrong.

This is an example where Harris' logic seems to break quite a bit. What he insinuates here is that the belief that God created the universe "trivializes" the bigness and grandeur of our universe and everything in it. However, the meaning of the word "trivial" denotes purposeless and insignificance, which is the very demeanor his world-view promotes. Atheism promotes "absurdity" in life and the mere arbitrary aspects of it. There is no need to even go into atheistic philosophies to show this to be true. The only end to atheism is triviality itself. Yet, when we know that all of creation was made to promote the glory of God, then triviality disappears immediately. We understand, then, that our existence is for revealing, praising, speaking of, treasuring, and loving the glory of God. This is anything but trivial. We were created for the highest good (God's glory) for the highest of being (God). May we never trivialize this great purpose.

Obviously, this post is not meant for the eyes of Sam Harris. These words will not be persuasive for him. I am not an apologists nor can I give Harris what he wants if he is to believe in God. There is nothing I can say, apart from the work of God through my words, that can persuade him that a perfectly loving God exists. He has probably read greater men with greater words on this matter. There is no logical argument that I can give him that this loving God gave his Son so that his blood can cover the sins of all who would believe in him. The covering of my sin through Christ is folly to the world and the fragrance of death. Oh, but to those who are being saved through that very blood, it is a sweet fragrance from life to life everlasting (1 Cor. 1:23; 2 Cor. 2:15, 16). May God be pleased to grant Mr. Harris that sweet fragrance of life. If Mr. Harris reads these words, may God bless them for the sake of mercy.

A Companion to "Knowing God"

J.I. Packer has recently released his book Growing in Christ. Packer says this in his introduction of his work:

This is a companion piece to my book, Knowing God, which has been used widely for group discussion.It offers a series of quick, brief outlines—“sprints” if you will—with questions and Bible passages for further study, covering the contents of the three formulae which have always been central in Christian teaching—the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, plus Christian baptism.

I have read the first three chapters of the book and the introduction. I do agree with Packer that it serves as a companion to Knowing God, but also it proves to be a really good reminder of important truths after you done your own devotions. It instructs us to stand firm on the essentials and gives us standards of hills on which we might die on if we are so called. I do strongly suggest the book and look forward to finishing it myself.

Questions with Bob Kauflin: The Bible and Media

Here is a link for an interview with Bob Kauflin, the worship leader for Sovereign Grace Ministries, on how Kauflin pursues righteousness in song writing, listening, and music research. I thought there was much wisdom found in his words. Bob Kauflin has a great blog-site himself, giving insights for worship leaders and worshipers. If you have never heard any of his worship songs or read any of his lyrics, I encourage you too.

We Shall See Him and be Like Him

Part II

By His Cross I Can Hate Sin and Taste the Sweetness of the Lord

⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Romans 6:4-6

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Psalm 34:8

Charles Spurgeon once said,

Recollect that there are two kinds of perfection which the Christian needs — the perfection of justification in the person of Jesus, and the perfection of sanctification wrought in him by the Holy Spirit. At present, corruption yet remains even in the breasts of the regenerate — experience soon teaches us this. Within us are still lusts and evil imaginations. But I rejoice to know that the day is coming when God shall finish the work which He has begun; and He shall present my soul, not only perfect in Christ, but perfect through the Spirit, without spot or blemish, or any such thing.

Spurgeon presents the accomplishment of justification and sanctification as grace, something that is accomplished on our behalf. Then we read in Romans 6:13 specific commands on how to act, “Do not present your members to sin… present your members to God.” You almost want to scream at the Apostle Paul, I’m trying! Yet amidst the passage on sanctification and battle to be found more and more in the image of Christ that Romans 6 speaks of, we read in verse 17, “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient to the heart.” And at the end of chapter 7, after reading of the struggle of what the author wants to do, but cannot help to do otherwise (or whomever you believe Paul is describing) in verse 24-25 Paul writes, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” You don’t thank someone unless they are personally responsible for what was accomplished.

Therefore, we can say we are saved and sanctified by grace through faith and we will be glorified also in the same manner. Yet, we must stay faithful to texts that compel us to fight for our holiness. Ephesians 6:10-20 displays for us the armor of God. There would be no need for armor if there was no battle. But as in Romans 8:37, “In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” We must preserve this paradox between battling and being battled for.

I believe this paradox should be realized in our daily fight with sin and our battle for holiness. We should be fighting daily to defeat sin and temptation with faith knowing that we are being empowered with a greater power, namely the Holy Spirit. So then, in my explanation of how one can hate sin, know that it is within the envelope of grace, meaning there is more to our fight than just our own efforts.

The Emancipation of the Believer

My whole assertion in this series of We Shall See Him and Be Like Him is that the primary weapon that the believer has in the defeat of sin is the meditation on the glories of Jesus Christ. The more we see Christ for who he is revealed in Scripture, the less sin will be compelling and desirable. If you have not read Part I Meditations on Jesus and the Defeat of Sin, and you would like to, you can read it here. The question worth looking into in all this is: By what factor do I exchange my sinful desires for Christ?

The answer that one might be quick to jump to is “the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.” This is absolutely true, but before the Holy Spirit can re-birth someone, that someone needs to be dead. The only death that leads to the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit is the cross of Christ with which we participate in. Romans 6:4-6 will help explain this further:

⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

I split the passage into two parts, (1) verses 4-5 and (2) verse 6. (1)Verses 4-5 say the same thing only in two different ways; therefore we need to take them as parallel statements. Verse 4 asserts that we were put to death with Christ so that we would be raised with him and have a new life. Verse 5, then, states it in a condition. If we have participated with Christ in his death, then we will participate with Christ in a resurrection. We should not interpret “a resurrection” as in the second coming of Christ and our bodily resurrection. Since verse 5 is parallel with 4, then when verse 4 asserts that we will have a “newness of life” we parallel that with “a resurrection”. Plainly put, our participation with Christ in his death gives us new life that is entirely different from before. The difference is so extreme that Paul compares it to a resurrection.

(2)Verse 6 has an interesting grammatical structure, rendering English translations slightly misleading. The result in the verse is clear: we are no longer slaves to sin. But what is not apparent is the cause of this result. It seems clear from the English translation that our crucifixion with Christ that renders our body of sin to nothing is the cause of freedom from sin. This is true, but it is not what the verse actually says. A clearer translation would be as follows:

“Since we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that our body of sin might be brought to nothing, we are to serve sin no longer.”

The verse is not saying what frees us from sin, but what keeps us from acting like we are slaves to sin. The reason we no longer act as slaves is because we have come to the knowledge of our actual freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln and put into effect on January 1, 1863. However, not all slaves stopped working for their masters on January 1. It was not until they were told and they finally attained the knowledge of their freedom did they have the liberty to not act as slaves any longer. So it is with believers. Paul places some importance on the knowing that we are free from sin in order that we may act as freed slaves. The knowing keeps us from acting differently. In verse 11, Paul says, “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin.” Paul uses the “consider”, meaning to think of yourself as dead. Other translations use the word “reckon”. ‘Reckon yourselves to be dead.’ The slave must learn of his emancipation before he acts as if he is free. If there is ever a Biblical charge to learn of your union with Christ, it is found in Romans 6:6-11.

Here, then, is the two parts of our passage: (1) We die with Christ in order that we may live a new life like his resurrection. (2) Since we have the knowledge of our freedom, we should act like we are free.

The Sweet Taste of the Lord

We are now freed from the mastery of sin by Christ, the Emancipator of sinners, to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8). From the captivation of sin to the participation in the death of Christ we now have obtained, if you will, new taste buds, new eyes, and a new sense of smell. 1 Corinthians 2:14, 16 explain the difference between the two stages, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned…. But we have the mind of Christ.” The Spirit of God stirs in us good and holy affections for God that the natural man cannot even comprehend. We have a whole new sensory system. We do not simply have a changed mind, but a whole new mind – the mind of Christ. We cannot “taste and see that the Lord is good” with natural eyes and natural taste buds, but only with entirely new sensations, nothing of which was there before.

In Matthew 13, Jesus’ explanation for speaking in parables was because “seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (13:13). But he said to those who believed, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.” The people heard Jesus’ words yet did not hear with the power of the Holy Spirit, enlightening their hearts. They heard without truly hearing. Jonathan Edwards used his illustration of tasting honey in a number of his writings. It goes like this: I may tell a person that honey is sweet and give him an excellent argument for the sweetness of honey, but if he tastes it and he does not think it is sweet there is nothing I can do further for him. Either he has a taste for the sweetness of honey or he doesn’t. Either someone has the Spirit given taste buds to taste the sweetness of Christ or they don’t. The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 2:14, describes himself as a means God uses to spread “the fragrance of the knowledge of [God] everywhere.” He describes it as an aroma “from life to life” to those who are saved (2:16b). But those who do not have the new supernatural sensory system it is a "fragrance of death to death (2:16a). By the resurrecting power of the Holy Spirit we may see, taste, hear, and know the knowledge of the Lord.

Yet, what is it of the Lord that we need a supernatural sensory system to see, hear, taste, and know? The answer is the goodness, holiness, and the moral perfection of the Person of Christ. Without this knowledge, we do not know him any different than the devils of this world know him. Without this knowledge, we do not know him as our Perfect Mediator. If we do not see and savor the perfection of Jesus and the holiness of the unique Son of God, then the precious blood of Christ has no significance in our lives. We must first love and treasure his holiness for the rest of the affections towards him to follow. We love his majesty because it is a holy majesty. We adore his glory because it is a holy glory. We take delight in his love because it is a holy love. All affections towards God are derived from his holiness. Taste and see, by the sensory giving power of the Spirit, that Christ is holy and relish it.

See Him and Taste Him and be like Him

Christ is set before us to feast on. He makes that clear to us in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” He describes himself in verse 55 as “true food” and “true drink.” Later in chapter 6, after many of Jesus’ disciples had left because his words were difficult to take and caused grumbling among the people, Jesus asked his twelve disciples, “Do you want to go away as well”(v. 67)? Simon Peter’s response shows that the disciples were starting to taste the satisfying goodness of Christ, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God” (v. 68). While this verse has much meaning, more than we can uncover here, we can see at face value that the disciples were not swayed to leave as the rest because they fed and were satisfied by the Holy One of God, Jesus Christ. And so it is with all believers. If we are fed and satisfied with Christ, specifically in the context of his holiness, things that are contrary in nature will have less and less sway on us. As it has been said, “for he who sees the beauty of holiness must necessarily see the hatefulness of sin, its contrary.” We have redeemed eyes, taste buds, ears, and minds to daily take in from his Word the holiness of Christ and know that there is nothing, no lust, no passion, no desire that is more satisfying than Christ. May the explicit, holy, good, and satisfying glory of Christ be ever before us. How do we fight? Always put God's Word that contains the holiness of Christ before our eyeballs and become more and more acquainted with the knowledge of it.

I'm not very happy at John MacArthur right now

Every year John MacArthur puts on a conference for pastors. This year he was the opening speaker and made some remarks on eschatology that saddened me. The title of his opening address was "Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is a Pre-Millennialist." You can listen to the audio here. Some of you may read this and have no idea what these terms mean. Pre-millennialism refers to the belief that Jesus will return before his 1,000 year reign. There are different pre-millennailists viewpoints and they are confusing and I have little space to talk on it now. I don't like to take time and refute something said or preached, but MacArthur is a powerful, influential preacher who some take all he says and banks on it. I don't want to refute pre-millennialism here, simply because a lot of my living heroes are pre-mill, and I don't think it is an awful theological stance to believe in. However, to make a sweeping statement like MacArthur did is of little value and I believe unwise.

"It's too late for Calvin," he said," but it's not too late for the rest of you. If Calvin were here he would join our movement." MacArthur references that it is too late for Calvin. What he is saying is that Calvin did not take a stand on any belief on the end times, only that Christ will come bodily and in glory. John Calvin did not even write a commentary on Revelation. Why? Because the Bible is not explicitly clear on this subject. Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, C. S. Lewis, and Martyn Lloyd Jones all were godly men and had great spiritual and theological influences on the Church, all were Calvinists, yet all had different views on end times. While I think there are theological and exegetical problems with MacArthur's view of the end times, I would not regard his view as un-Calvinistic. What is ironic of MacArthur's statement is that only a small amount of reformed Calvinistic churches or denominations hold to his view of dispensational pre-millennialism.

In a time when pastors need to be encouraged to preach the glory of God, truth amongst acceptivism, sin and hell, the cross and glory, and the importance of missions, separating yourself from the rest of the reformed community over one of three major evangelical eschatological viewpoints is not a very wise choice.

Peace Without False Peace

John Calvin says this, "The godly heart feels in itself a division because it is partly imbued with sweetness from its recognition of the divine goodness, partly grieves in bitterness from an awareness of its calamity; partly rests upon the promise of the gospel, partly trembles at the evidence of its own iniquity; partly rejoices in the expectation of life, partly shutters at death" (Institutes of the Christian Religion, vol. 1, p. 564).

This is an interesting perspective considering how we as Christians proclaim the message of personal peace and joy on earth. The message of personal peace and joy must be in the context of joy and peace with God. But this may not be as plain as it appears. Hopefully this will become more clear.

The more we find pleasure and joy in the Lord, the more we mourn the occurrence of sin. The more we crave the coming of Christ and our future heavenly hope, the more our body groans with expectation. And, finally, the more we see clearly life in Christ, the more the thought of the necessity of death to obtain it makes us shudder. The paradox of mourning and joy should be expectant. While we rejoice over the salvation and future glory of our bodies, we mourn our loved ones who neglect the salvation given freely through Christ.

The example of how we rejoice over the victory of Christ over our sin, yet still we mourn our sin that we fall in, I think, makes this paradox clear. John Owen wisely instructs that in times of repentance "Do not speak peace to yourself before God speaks it, but hearken to what God says to your soul." Why not speak peace to yourself if your sins are paid for and your debt is clear? Simply because of this paradox. While our sins are paid for, only God speaks with true abhorrence of sin and man speaks peace with a heart that is deceitful, giving himself peace without truly killing the sin.

So then, Christians should have peace without false peace and joy without false joy.

The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World

One of my favorite books is Here I Stand: A Biography of Martin Luther. The book is a wonderful recount of the bravest of the reformers (I might get some grief over that comment). Since Here I Stand, there has really not been a major work done on the life of Martin Luther, at least of its caliber. Recently, though, Stephen Nichols has just released a new major biography on the reformer that I have not stopped hearing about. It is called The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World.

Here is a review of the book on Challies Dot Com.

John Piper and His Daddy

John Piper's father has just recently passed away. On Desiring God's website, Piper has put up his journal entry for that day which narrates his father's death. I encourage you to read it. You can read it here.

Mega Church the game

I know this is more sad than funny, but I couldn't resist posting about this computer game. I have a hard time believing this is a real game, but this ad was posted on Amazon. The front of the box tries to sell the game by saying, "Create the church you want any way you want. Realistic. Hours of fun. Uplifting."

Here is the provided description of the game:

Be the next Joel Osteen as you play Mega Church.

Product Description

• Pastor a simulated church and create your own Christian empire
• Build a church from the ground up
• Hire and fire staff
• Deal with idiots, naive volunteers, and denominational egos
• Attract fickle unchurched people with Bingo, revival meetings or fasting--it is all up to you!
• Select a pre-loaded community
  • Xurban or suburban church plant (for those who want it easy or just starting out)
  • Or pastor an inner-city, multi-ethnic 80 year old church with 50 members and $1 million mortgage debt (for those who really want a challenge)
• Choose a denomination (Lutheran, Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal plus many more obscure factions)
• Or load a brand new emergent plug-in
• Take weekly offerings and go over budget
• Start your own radio or cable-access show
• Attend the latest conference to hone your skills
• Implement the latest ministry fad
• Review weekly attendance and giving records
• Earn points with God by winning souls for Christ
• With network play enabled, you can steal members from other churches and earn points just like you saved them yourself.

The possibilities are endless! To grow your church, work on all the strategic variables,

• Write a mission statement
• Choose a logo
• Get a billboard
• Hire a professional musician
• Buy plasma television for your PowerPoint presentations

Prayer, study and preparation get thrown in there too--and the mysterious (or fickle) will of God! Deal with real-life scenarios including,

• Troublesome board members
• Elderly donor who wants to buy a new organ
• A son starts using drugs
• Your trusted deacon sleeps with your secretary
• The city starts a construction in front of your building
• Offering stolen

Denominations and Bible colleges use it to prepare potential church planters or associate pastors. It is better than an internship!

The worst line in the whole thing is said at the end of the ad:

Do it all without a degree, license or even the Bible! Just like Joel Osteen!

Jesus in the Suburbs of Houston

I'm not sure if you have heard of Jose de Jesus, but he is an interesting figure in the Hispanic culture right now. He is claiming to be the second coming of Christ and apparently already has millions of followers with the promise of more. Read the ABC News Article. The video is disturbing, watching crowds of people sing and worship over this man. While it is hard to take this guy seriously, we should not ignore him.

Correction on Previous Posts

On the previous post - Repentance and Joy - I had serious typo that would make seem I was saying something I wasn't. The last section where I ask, "So how does repentance restore joy?" I said, accidentally, that it "certainly justifies us." What I meant to say was that is certainly does not justify us. Grace, faith and the righteousness of Christ are what justifies us, not repentance. Also, I was talking about repentance in a believer, who was already justified. If that seemed confusing, I apologize. I have made the correction on the post.

Repentance and Joy

One quick thing that I have been reflecting on in working on the second part of the four part We Shall See Him and be Like Him series is this: how does joy relate to repentance. If you did not read part I and you would like to, you can press on this link: Meditations on Jesus and the Defeat of Sin.

I probably will not write a whole section on this in the series that I am working on, so I thought I would share a few thoughts here. Psalm 32:3-5 says:

3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

David expresses emotion here that is because of his silence over his sin; or to put it plainly, he ignored it. It is almost an exhausting set of verses to read. It gives you a tired feeling when you relate to all the ways he expresses his state of mind. This is not an uplifting verse to read at all. David says again, in chapter 31, the previous chapter that,

10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and my bones waste away.

The weight of sin on the life of the believer is heavy, especially the believer who takes seriously the glory and honor of God. Joy, at least not real joy, cannot be present. Someone can certainly be happy in sin. Some may even enjoy their sin. Yet, this is not the joy that Paul speaks of when he says, "for we work with you for your joy" (1 Cor. 1:24b). This joy is not the joy of fellowship (though that may bring them joy), but it is in the foundation of what the Corinthians firm faith is found, namely Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:24c).

So how does repentance restore joy? It certainly does not justify us, giving us the assurance of eternal life, for if we are believers we already have that. But repentance restores communion with Christ. No one can meditate fully on the Jesus Christ that is revealed in Scripture without being compelled to repent of any lingering sin. Repentance, therefore, freely allows the believer to grow in the joy of the Lord. Maybe if I give my short (perhaps somewhat superficial) definition of joy in the Lord, then this will be more clear. I believe joy in the Lord is when Jesus Christ becomes our highest treasure, meaning that he is the object that brings us most joy. A litmus test to see if your joy is in the Lord is to think of losing all possessions in this life and still being joyful knowing that your greatest treasure is ahead of you. Or, do you look forward to the next life, where there is no other treasure besides Christ? If this is not entirely true in the life of any believer (which I don't know of many who has championed this completely), then the practice of consistently meditating on the person of Christ revealed in Scripture is the remedy. Joy in the Lord is a process of growing, as is sanctification.

Let us always be in humble, self-searching repentance in order that we may always be growing in the joy of the Lord.

"The Faithful Preacher" - Thabiti Anyabwile

If you have not heard of Thabiti Anyabwile's new book The Faithful Preacher or if you have never heard of Thabiti Anyabwile, let me introduce him to you and his new book. To be honest, I have just recently become acquainted with him through some audio online at conferences and his sermons from his church, and most recently the Desiring God Pastor's Conference in February. Thabiti is a pastor at First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman Islands, not really a location for direct publicity. You can listen here of his powerful testimony from Islam to Christianity on 9marks. I would strongly suggest you listen to it. His blog Pure Church is a great blog to keep up with and read. Thabiti writes regularly on the African American Church today and reforming it. It is really encouraging to know his influence and his heart for the purity of the African American church in America. His book, The Faithful Preacher is a biography of three African American preachers who were faithful with God's word and their congregations. There are several reviews online about this book. Challies.com writes a review of it here and Between Two Worlds reviews it here. Both reviews give a good overview of the book. I think if you read these reviews you will see the importance of the book.

Every Response At Once

For the past week or so the Internet has been pulsing with responses to the Tomb of Jesus documentary by James Cameron. So here is a link that has every response critical of it. The one by Craig Blomberg is excellent along with Andreas Köstenberger's.

Amazing Grace (2007)

William Vaughn, author of Statesman and Saint: The Principled Politics of William Wilberforce writes a review of the just released movie Amazing Grace, the cinematic biography of William Wilberforce, that can be read here. Honestly, my wife and I have not been able to see yet, but we plan to this week.

The Secret

Author and Professor of Applied Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Donald Whitney reviews the book, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne. This is a quote from the review:

"The Secret is nothing more than Name It-Claim It, Positive-Confession, Prosperity Theology (without God and the Bible), built on a foundation of New Age self-deification. In other words, the book is just another version of what some TV preachers have taught for decades, namely, if you will sustain the right thoughts, words, and feelings, you will receive whatever you want. But The Secret adds this important twist: your thoughts can bring anything into your life because you are god."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Ecce Homo

John Beeson is a pastor on staff at Westerly Road Church in Princeton, NJ. Westerly is a strong evangelical church is a difficult place to be such a church. John recently gave a sermon on Rev. 21:3, "Behold God's dwelling place is now with man." John puts forth some really insightful truths that gives us great hope and wonderful thoughts to reflect on. His sermon is entitled "Ecce Homo", the date was on Dec. 31 and you can find the sermon links here:
Down load Link
Streaming Link
Direct Link