Dangers Facing the Young and Reformed - Paul Washer

Dangers Facing the Young and Reformed - Paul Washer from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

Why Me? - R.C. Sproul

"The deepest theological question that I can think of, the one for which I have no adequate answer, is the question, 'Why Me?' My students come to me with all kind of conundrums from theology, but they rarely ask, "Why did God save me?" It sometimes seems as if we're thinking: "Why wouldn't He save me?" Yes, we have little aphorisms such as, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." Do we really believe that? Are we really amazed by the measure of grace God has poured out on us? Can we say with John, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God!"(1 John 3:1). I cannot give a single reason under heaven why God would save me other than, as the prophet Isaiah said, that the Suffering Servant of Israel should see the travail of His soul and be satisfied - that God has determined to honor His Son by giving Him adopted brothers and sisters (Isa.53:11).

In the final analysis, the only reason I am a Christian is that the Father wants to honor the Son. From all eternity, He determined that the Son's work would not be in vain and that He would be the firstborn of many brethren. Therefore, He determined not just to make salvation possible and then step back and cross His fingers, hoping that somebody would take advantage of the ministry of Jesus. No, God the Father, from all eternity, determined to make salvation certain for those whom He had determined to give to His Son.

- R.C. Sproul on John 6:37, from his commentary on the Gospel of John "John:St. Andrew's Expositional Commentary"

Matthew Henry on 1 Cor. 4:20

1 Corinthians 4:20 "For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power."


For, adds he, the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. It is not set up, nor propagated, nor established, in the hearts of men, by plausible reasonings nor florid discourses, but by the external power of the Holy Spirit in miraculous operations at first, and the powerful influence of divine truth on the minds and manners of men. Note, It is a good way in the general to judge of a preacher’s doctrine, to see whether the effects of it upon men’s hearts to be truly divine. That is most likely to come from God which in its own nature is most fit, and in event is found to produce most likeness to God, to spread piety and virtue, to change men’s hearts and mend their manners.

Did Jesus Preach Paul's Gospel?

T4G 2010 -- Session 6 -- John Piper from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Matt Chandler @ Together For the Gospel

T4G 2010 -- Special Session -- Matt Chandler from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

If you cannot see the video, you can view the original post @ AdjustMyThoughts

Grace Active - A Puritan Prayer

Grace Active
O God, may Thy Spirit speak in me that I may speak to Thee. I Lord Jesus, great
high priest, Thou hast opened a new and living way by which a fallen creature can
approach Thee with acceptance.
Help me to contemplate the dignity of Thy Person, the perfectness of Thy
sacrifice, the effectiveness of Thy intercession.
O what blessedness accompanies devotion, when under all the trials that weary
me, the cares that corrode me, the fears that disturb me, the infirmities that oppress me,
I can come to Thee in my need and feel peace beyond understanding!
The grace that restores is necessary to preserve, lead, guard, supply, help me.
And here Thy saints encourage my hope; they were once poor and are now rich, bound
and are now free, tried and now are victorious.
Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess, but not more than is
found in Thee, the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells. To Thee I repair for grace
upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all Thy
fullness.
May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened, that I may honour Thee
by my entire dependency and the greatness of my expectation.
Do Thou be with me, and prepare me for all the smiles of prosperity, the frowns
of adversity, the losses of substance, the death of friends, the days of darkness, the
changes of life, and the last great change of all. May I find thy grace sufficient for all my
needs.

Thoughts on Death...

Recently I've been gathering some thoughts on death. It seems like around the funerals of our loved ones that we are faced to think about death, in our lives and in the lives of others, and I believe that this meditation upon death and what happens after it is a gift from God. I believe this because death is not something that any of us wants to think about, yet it is something that we will all face. Many men in this world are the best of planners, organizers, and strategists in many fields of work , yet all men are procrastinators when it comes to death. Who can prepare for it?Who can gird up for the unknown? What man can give assurance or write a book on "Ive been through death and let me show you how you can be ready?" None. Its almost as though people will accept Chist just on the terms of "death security"...and this I believe is partially wrong. Why? Because its selfish. Christ only becomes the juke move that gets you past the last defender and into the end zone....thats the mentality of the one who uses salvation to prepare for death. Convictions of death and the judgment are good, convictions of unpreparedness for death and the afterlife are even better, but it is only selfish ambition that takes these convictions and will do ANYTHING to soothe his soul and give him assurance. He would rather have Jesus than lose his soul, as one song says, and this is off because the real question is "If death wasnt an issue, would you still rather have Jesus?" If hell never existed, would you just as enthusiastically and just as joyfully treasure Christ and run into his arms? I believe that separates the wheat from the tares in this world because although we all have a fear of death, the one who recieves grace treasures Christ infinitely and death is no longer an issue. On the other hand the professor of faith fears death, sees Christ as a Savior from it, runs to Him, yet never treasures Him and continues treasuring the things of this life, and Christ is just a ticket to heaven. This is not to say that a person with such motives is not saved at all, but if he is saved...it will be only by fire. He will become a legalist, doing only what he thinks will keep him saved, and will keep his "ticket" from expiring. The one who has recieved grace is no longer afraid of death but realizes that death is only another weapon that shall not prosper against him.He realizes that death is just another pawn that serves the King of Kings in conforming His children into the infinitely worthy image of Christ. Death has no victory; Death CANNOT separate us from the love of Christ, and Death cannot take prisoner the one who believes on Christ. To think about death losing its sting against the one who Christ has purchased is to think about being struck by a sword with no edge....or a gun with silk bullets. The thought of being struck or shot is wearisome and grievious as is the thought of lesving this world and our loved ones; but the outcome of the action is painless and actually a pleasure because to live is Christ and to die is gain. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. God is glorified in our deaths when we show that even death is just a tool to make Christ look more glorious. Knowing these things is far more comforting that any comfort that the world can give. To know that a Sovereign God is in control of all and especially works for the good of His glory and the good of His people is a blessing that we can rest in . To know that our appointed time of death is in His complete control and that nothing in this universe can take us out without his loving and gracious permission is simply amazing. And to know that all things, even death only work to strengthen the golden chain of salvation so that those whom he forknew, He predestines, and those who He predestines He calls, those whom He calls He justifies, and those whom He justifies, He glorifies. Life, death, sickness, pain, pleasure, tribulations, blessings, powers, and principalities only serve to strengthen these effectual promises of God to those who believe. The world finds comfort in death with memories, pictures, stories, and writings...and these things are truly to be cherished, but the Christian can find comfort in knowing that the next time we see our loved ones they will appear with Christ, to never die again and they will be sinless, shining, not in earthly apparrel but in a white robe. They will be perfect, with no flaws or imperfections, totally Christlike and of one heart and mind with Christ.

Lemuel Haynes on The Providence of God...

"Some are unwilling to acknowledge the absolute and unlimited providence and agency of God in the production of all things, especially with the respect to the existence of moral evil, that it implies wickedness in Jehovah; as though there must be the same in the cause as in the effect: should this be admitted, we must deny God in the greater parts of creation and providence. Would men learn to distinguish between events in their own nature, and the good to which they are made subservient, it would relieve them of many difficulties. However wicked Pharaoh was in devoting the Hebrew children to death, yet good was effected thereby, and the hand of God shone conspicuous....

All will allow that God permitted or suffered sin to take place; But if, on the whole, it is not promotive or made subservient to the highest possible good, then He cannot be vindicated in permitting it to be; but if it is best that sin should have existence, why cannot the divine Character be cleared in causing it to take place? Some, to relieve themselves of difficulties, suppose sin to be merely negative, consisting in the want of holiness; But can this be criminal only as implying positive exercises of hatred to God? Should I tell my neighbor who stands by me, that the pen with which I now write is crooked - should he reprove me for my impertinence and deficiency of language, and say I had not declared the thing as it is; for it wants straitness, should I gain much philosophical instruction by the remark? "

from "Divine Decrees" by Lemuel Haynes

an excerpt from Thabiti Anyabwile's "The Decline of African American Theology"

The Deceitfulness of Sin.... by John Owen

In this we see the deceitfulness of sin. It gradually prevails to harden man's heart to his ruin (Heb. 3:13). Sin's expression is modest in the beginning but, once it has gained a foothold, it continues to take further ground and presses on to greater heights. This advance of sin keeps the soul from seeing that it is drifting from God. The soul becomes indifferent to the seed of sin as it continues to grow. This growth has no boundaries but utter denial of God and opposition to Him. Sin precedes higher by degrees; it hardens the heart as it advances. This enables the deceitfulness of sin to drive the soul deeper and deeper into sin. Nothing can prevent this but mortification. Mortification withers the root and strikes at the head of sin every hour. The best saints in the world are in danger of a fall if found negligent in this important duty!

John Owen - "The Mortification of Sin"

Thoughts on God's Daily Benefits to His People....Charles Spurgeon

Psalm 68:19-20

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. He that is our God is the God of salvation, and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death."

This is an excerpt from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon from Psalm 68. To view the whole sermon click here. This is an awesome sermon focusing upon God's gracious benefits to us...both in life and in death. Consider all of what God has done for you in life and in Christ....

"Leave that word then, and note the next. It is said in the text concerning God's benefits, that he loads us with them—loads us with benefits. He does not put a little upon us of his goodness, but much; very much, until it becomes a load. Have you never known what it is to be bowed right down with such goodness? I have, I freely confess it—I have desired to praise him, but a sense of love so bowed me down that I could only adopt the language of the psalmist and say, "Praise is silent for thee, O God, in Zion." It seemed as if "words were but air, and tongues but clay, and his compassion's so divine," that it was impossible to speak of them. His mercies, as our hymn said just now, come as think and as fast as the moments do. In fact, it is literally so. Every moment needs heavings of the lungs, pulsings of the blood. The slightest circumstance might prevent one or the other. God's continued benefits come to us even in the simple form of preserved life. We are constantly exposed to peril. "Plagues and death around us fly."God preserves us from perils to the body. Our thoughts—whither might they go? They might in a moment lead us into heresies and foul blasphemies. It is no little thing to be preserved from that spiritual pestilence that walketh both in darkness and the noonday. Glory be to God, who sends us temporal and spiritual benefits so numerous, and each one so weighty, that eye cannot say less than this, "That he daily loadeth us with his benefits, until we seem bowed down to the earth under a joyful sense of obligation to his mercy." "He loadeth us with benefits."

Oh! are any of you inclined to murmur? Do you think God deals hard with you? Well, you are what you are by his grace. Though you are not what you wish to be, yet remember you are not what, if strict justice were carried out, you would be. In the poor-house you might be—few admire that residence. In the prison you might be—God preserves you from the sin that would bring you there. In the lunatic asylum you might be—better men and women than you are have come to that. At the grave's mouth you might be—on the sick bed, on the verge of eternity. God's holiest saints have not been spared from the grave. In hell you might be—amongst the lost, wailing, but hopelessly wailing, gnashing your teeth in utter despair. O God, when we think of what we are not, because thy grace has kept us from it, we cannot but say, "Thou hast loaded us with benefits."

But then think of what you are, you Christians. You are God's children; you are joint-heirs with Christ. "All things are yours"; ay, and "things to come," you have guaranteed too—preservation to the end, and you have, after the end of this life, glory without end. The "many mansions" are for you; the palms and harps of the glorified are for you. You have a share in all that Christ has, and is, and shall be. In all the gifts of his ascension you have a part; in the gifts that come to us through his session at the right hand of God, you have your share; and in, the glories of the Second Advent, the grand hope of the Church of God, you shall partake. See how, in the present, and in the past, and in the future, he loadeth you with benefits. There are two great words already.

Some Thoughts on Total Depravity....

This is a quote I came across in doing some historical research. This is just to focus on Total Depravity and some thoughts concerning it...Should the fact that all men are under sin prevent all men from doing "good", namely loving our neighbors and helping those in need?And how does total depravity play a part in human benevolence? Heres the quote, my response follows...


..."The Renaissance was too optimistic, and the Reformation too pessimistic. The former so concentrated on the goodness of man that it overlooked his capacity for evil; the latter so concentrated on the wickedness of man that it overlooked his capacity for goodness. While rightfully affirming the sinfulness of human nature and man's incapacity to save himself, the Reformation wrongly affirmed that the image of God had been completely erased from man. This led to the Calvinistic concept of the total depravity of man and to a resurrection of the terrible idea of infant damnation. So depraved is human nature, said the doctrinaire Calvinist, that if a baby dies without baptism he will burn forever in hell. Certainly this carries the idea of man's sinfulness to far. This lopsided Reformation theology has often emphasized a purely otherworldly religion, which stresses the utter hopelessness of this world and calls upon the individual to concentrate on preparing his soul for the world to come."

My response: I will firstly say that I do believe in the reformed doctrine of total depravity. I do not believe that infants are condemned to hell AT ALL, simply for accountability's sake.I believe that if God in His Sovereignty sees fit to allow the death of an infant, He has a Infinitely Glorious purpose in it, and that purpose should not be questioned and that life remains with Him because of the grace that He gives to it. He is not unjust for this.
I see where this quote is coming from, and to a certain degree,its right. To observe a mans sinfulness and say " He can't do anything good anyway, so he might as well just sit there and let God do it all - save the world and save his soul" is lazy, its totally ignorant of what Scripture teaches. Yes, man was created in the image of God - yes, everyman knows enough about God through His creation and through the light of his conscience that he has morality. He can help an old lady across the street; He can show mercy to his neighbor who owes him money, and He can be unjust and yet still be kind to the one who consistently asks for help. This is us. People build hospitals, start orphanages, shelter the homeless, end hunger in underprivileged countries, make protests against segregation, the abortion of babies, and cruelty to animals. These things are good and no one can deny that. As a matter of fact, it would be beneficial to you as a person created in the image of God to be involved in some of these things, because they are good....but good with a little g...and this is where I believe this quote missed it somewhat... The doctrine of total depravity is not to be taken as, "Man is as evil as he could be"...No, for we could ALL be murderers, drunks, slanderers, and the worst of humans...and then we could sit around and rely on God to save us,while we continue deliberately murdering, stealing and pushing our sinfulness to the limit. This is warped. The doctrine of total depravity tells me that sin effects every part of my nature: mind, soul and body, so that when I do good - help a friend in need - evil is always present with me (ten seconds later I lie to that friend about what time I must leave from helping him).And yet when I walk away from helping that friend, I reckon myself justified in the eyes of myself and in the eyes of God. "Hey God, look at me! I just helped a friend!" And I totally blew it in reality because right after I helped...I sinned. In the eyes of God I'm as wicked as Hitler, not because I helped a friend, but because I lied. My "righteousness" has been soiled and now has another filthy spot on it. I have committed a sin in the sight of a Purely Holy and Just God...whether it was killing 10 million people or telling a white lie...and I am worthy of an infinite hell because I committed a crime against an infinite ruler.
Total depravity is not debunking man's capacity for good works. It's debunking man's wicked and sinful heart that thinks that he is justified in doing those good works. Whatever is not of faith in Christ, relying on Him as the most worthy and Infinite Good, is sin. So, I applaud Oprah, Clooney ,and Brad Pitt when they give millions to help thousands of helpless people. But it was only the grace of God that enabled them to give and not say "No, we wont!"...because they are just as capable of saying that because they are sinful. But I will not applaud these people when they stand before the world or stand before God in judgment throwing their list of good works in God's face saying "This is why I should get in!!" They're lost....and for that reason we should pray for God to give grace....not so that they can do more horizontal good....but so that they will be part of the Vertical Good. This is total depravity: Although fallen persons are capable of externally good acts (acts that are good for society), they cannot do anything really good, i.e., pleasing to God (Rom. 8:8). God, however, looks on the heart. And from his ultimate standpoint, fallen man has no goodness, in thought, word, or deed. He is therefore incapable of contributing anything to his salvation. (John Frame)

Second: This is why many charities and Christian organizations miss it - because they give men an earthly good (rights, freedom, protection of life, protection of marriage, feeding of the hungry, clothing of the naked, shelter of the homeless) and they deny them the Greatest Good - Christ. We feed millions with bread from earth, and starve them with bread from heaven. We give thousands water from earthly wells, and dehydrate them of Living Water from the Well of Life. A watered-down gospel, or no gospel at all is going to leave millions of people standing on the left at judgment day fully clothed, educated, filled with food and drink, and lost...subject to damnation because they were never given the Gospel.

The context surrounding this quote is civil rights. I understand that this was a time filled with hatred, violence and many people just sat back and did nothing about it, or reacted the wrong way. But standing on the greener grass of liberation in 2010, I see that as a people, we were set free from racism and then handcuffed to culturalism, materialism, and post-modernism. We got an earthly good in being truly liberated from segregation and racism...but we missed the Greatest Good, Christ, because our theology and Christ-centeredness is at its worst. Many of our churches do GREAT things for the communities and for the nations, but on the flip-side, our pulpits are filled with false doctrines, prosperity gospels, and "bless me now" sermons. Millions of dollars are brought into our churches and ministers are sleeping around on their wives; homosexuality and lesbianism is tolerated as the new "civil rights" and leaders say nothing. I do not say this to judge; I say this as one who looks to partake of some fruit from their trees, yet when I approach, I see that its bad. My prayer is that God would draw us back to a knowledge of Him...not just a proper theology, but a riveting regenerating worship that will break the chains of post-modernism off.

Third: In conclusion,in addition to the civil rights movement, as for preparing for the world to come, many blacks were ridiculed pre and post civil rights because they tolerated injustice in the name of "this momentary affliction". Preparation for the world to come is never a pastime that should be used to avoid the problems in this world. Our hope in heaven should never be an excuse to sit tight and not do good, or not share the gospel. Rather, our hope in heaven should be the steel cable that pulls us up from the darkness in this world, and all the while we are being pulled, we are reaching out to help others so they might partake in this hope. A hope in heaven should propel the Christian to stand up for the widow and the orphan; a hope in heaven should motivate the believer to stand for justice in this world and fight for the law of God to be upheld and esteemed over all. For the people of God, a hope for heaven is a remedy for a hopeless world - it provides a solution to suffering, pain, tribulation, and death. The problem with most people is that their hope is in this world - and therefore they seek to make it better. The Christians position is that his hope is in heaven, and therefore he seeks to glorify God by walking in the good works ordained for them from before the foundation of the world. It is only a selfish Christian who sits by waiting for heaven like the 5 o'clock bus...and does nothing in this world to glorify God. In fact that selfishness may just prove that he is no Christian at all, namely, because God is glorified in the producing of fruit (John 15). The point is that you produce fruit BECAUSE you're a branch, not because you're trying to be a branch.

In conclusion, I do not believe that man's sinfulness has been mis-interpreted or exhausted because of the doctrine of total depravity. I think that by receiving this doctrine as true, it might produce a bitter taste to our mouths,but it will produce a humility and brokenness in our hearts. If we can see that all men actively suffer from the disease of sin, then those who have been cured can spread the good news and provide the greatest good for those affected by sin.

Tozer on The Tongues Movement of 1904...

Following D.Martyn Lloyd-Jones quote the other day on the Gifts of the Spirit, here is a quote by A.W. Tozer on the Azusa St. Revival of 1904. Dr. Tozer's insight on this is well rounded and filled with compassion and grace. I like the line where he states "I do not want to hurt anybody's feelings; and if you think this is not true, then you can call me up, come to see me, bring your proof....we've all got to smile and say thank God for the truth no matter whether it hurts or not." Tozer is right, we must always adhere to the Truth in Scripture, and consistently check ourselves and the movements that we see all around us, whether they be evidenced in God's word or not, and once the truth of scripture has been revealed, we must hold to it and esteem it above opinions or anything else.....


"Why is it that we do not cast our lot in with the tongues movement because they believe this? Well now, I have known and studied these dear brethren. I've preached to them for a long, long time and I've studied them; and I know them pretty well, and I'm very sympathetic with them, and I love them in all love and charity,I'd like to say there are some good sweet Christians among them. And I happen to know some dear, beloved, sweet Christians that are in this movement. Also, there are some churches that are very sane, beautiful, godly and good, but a number of things that I want to name have characterized the movement itself.
I do not want to hurt anybody's feelings; and if you think this is not true, then you can call me up, come to see me, bring your proof. If it's true, and as Christians and members of the body of Christ, we've all got to smile and say thank God for the truth no matter whether it hurts or not. The movement itself has done this. It has magnified one single gift above all others and that one gift, as Paul said, was the least. Now, that does not cause me to have great confidence in the movement that would do that. Then there is an unscriptural exhibition of that gift, which incidentally began in the United States about 1904."

From A.W. Tozer's "Mystery of The Holy Spirit"