Spurgeon Quote for Today

"I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without
works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor."

Grace & Peace

A Spurgeon Quote for Today

"It has been said by some one that “the proper study of mankind is man.” I
will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper
study of God’s elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the
Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest
philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the
name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the
great God whom he calls his Father. There is something exceedingly
improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so
vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride
is drowned in its infinity."


Grace & Peace

Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell

Here is an excellent quote.

"We consider history because God does not give all of his wisdom to any one time or people. Slavish loyalty to traditions will keep us from ministering effectively to our generation, but trashing the past entirely denies God's purposes for the church on which we must build. If we do not learn from the past, we will lose insights God has granted others as they have interacted with his Word and people."

Grace and Peace

Sunday Discussion

I had a conversation in Sunday School about the following verses.

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 
 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 
treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 
having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 
For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 
always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. "

2 Timothy 3:1-7

The conversation centered around the fact that the Gospel and the Whole Counsel of God are rarely preached from the pulpit anymore. The following verses also apply.


"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 
and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." 

2 Timothy 4:1-4

I seem to be having this conversation more frequently with fellow "believers". Only the real believers are concerned.

Grace and Peace

Justification

The February 2010 issue of TableTalk had various articles in response to two books that N. T. Wright wrote on Justification.

The articles were short. John Piper has written a book in response to N. T. Wright's book "What Saint Paul Really Said". N. T. Wright then wrote a response to John Pipers book.

I have just started Bishop Wrights book. I must say he is very engaging. You really have to pay attention to what he says, how he says it and also what he sometimes does not say.

SDG

Verses about God

He are two really good verses about God from the book of Isaiah.

9 Remember the former things, those of long ago, I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times,
what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

Isaiah 46:9-10

SDG

A quote from The Vanishing Conscience by John MacArthur

“Christians are rapidly losing sight of sin as the root of all
human woes. And many Christians are explicitly denying
that their own sin can be the cause of their personal
anguish. More and more are attempting to explain the
human dilemma in wholly unbiblical terms: temperament,
addiction, dysfunctional families, the child within, codependency,
and a host of other irresponsible escape
mechanisms promoted by secular psychology.
The potential impact of such a drift is frightening.
Remove the reality of sin, and you take away the
possibility of repentance. Abolish the doctrine of human
depravity and you void the divine plan of salvation. Erase
the notion of personal guilt and you eliminate the need for
a Savior. Obliterate the human conscience, and you will
raise an amoral and unredeemable generation. The church
cannot join hands with the world in such a grossly satanic
enterprise. To do so is to overthrow the very gospel we
are called to proclaim.”

SDG

New Year - New Direction

Well it's now another new year!

I am now living in Texas so I can be here to help my mother!
Currently in the process of looking for a job.

I am also currently reading two excellent books:

Why I Am Not An Arminian by Robert A. Peterson and Michael D. Williams
Election and Free Will by Robert A. Peterson

The authors both teach at Covenant Theological Seminary (CTS for short) in St. Louis.
CTS is a seminary part of the PCA (Presbyterian Church in America).
I will review them when I'm finished reading them. I'm about half-way through both.

I really liked CTS it has a good location and the campus is very attractive. The book store is really good too.

I am hoping to post in the new year more like I used to.

Grace & Peace

Quote for Today

"The whole tragedy today is that the Christian Church is moving
ponderously, slowly, heavily, while the world is in the grip of the devil. She
is setting up committees to investigate the problems, and commissions to examine
various situations, and calling for reports, interim and final, to be produced
in a year, or perhaps several years, which will then be considered. And she is
doing this while the world is on fire, and people are going to hell, and the
devil is rampant everywhere!"

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This is even more true today!!

Verses for Today

I have been reading Timothy Keller's new book Counterfeit Gods and I am reminded of these verses.

"15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17"

In our current world this is something that we must fight on a daily basis. If we just buy that new car, or house or whatever then we will have made it and be happy. A lie right from the pit of hell.

As the song says "our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness". Our life is Jesus Christ. Everything we need is in Him. If we have put our hope or trust in anything else it is our idol.

May all of His children continue to fight the fight of faith daily. We are only Pilgrims passing through this world.

Grace & Peace

Reading 2 Peter 2 Today

I just had to post this. This is an excellent reminder of the World we live in today.

"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

¹⁷ These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸ For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. ¹⁹ They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. ²⁰ For if, after they have escaped the defilement's of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹ For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S. 2 Pe 2:1-3 and 17-22"

May the Lord help each of us to discern the wolves in sheep's clothing!!

SDG

Status

So sorry that it's been so long since I have posted.

I'm still alive and kicking.

I have started back to school so I have been a little busy. I am going online and I have a class every 5 weeks. I have a paper due in a couple of weeks along with the class work. It's not too bad but it keeps me really busy!

David

Current Reading

I have been reading The Enemy Within by Kris Lundgaard.

The sub-title is Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin.

This is a small book but it is really excellent. I am reading it very slow.

I would suggest that everyone read this book. It's very readable it's very applicable to every christian.

I'll post a more detailed review when I am finished.

Hatred of Sin

“Work in your hearts a hatred of sin… If a man had killed your friend, or father, or mother, how would you hate him! You would not endure the sight of him, but follow the law upon him. Send out the avenger of blood with a hue and cry after thy sin; bring it afore God’s judgment seat, arraign it, accuse it, spit on it, condemn it and thyself for it, have it to the cross, nail it there, if it cry I thirst, give it vinegar, stretch the body of sins upon his cross, stretch every vein of it, make the heart strings crack; and then when it hangs there, triumph over the dying of it, show it no pity, laugh at its destruction, say, Thou hast been a bloody sin to me and my husband, hang there and rot. And when thou art tempted to it [sin], and art very thirsty after the pleasure of it, say of that opportunity to enjoy it, It is the price of Christ’s blood, and pour it upon the ground. … Shall I live upon that which was Christ’s death? Shall I please myself in that which was his pain? Shall I be so dishonest, so unkind, as to enjoy the pleasure for which he endured the smart?”

Thomas Goodwin

Today's Gospel

The problem with the gospel that is presented today is not that God cannot save anyone unless it is presented correctly. That is not the case at all God does the saving and God can use whatever He pleases.

The Problem is the non-regenerate! They are told since they prayed a prayer or walked down an aisle they are saved. That is actually the lie right out of the pit of Hell. The devil wants folks to believe they are saved. That way they really won't think about it too much and just go on living their sinful life of sin and believe they are bound for Heaven. They are not concerned with their sin after all they are just as good as everyone else.

The true Christian is VERY concerned about their sin. They long for the day that they will sin no more and be able to totally live for Christ in sinlessness. We are only saved by the mercy and grace of God!!

Praise be to God and Glory to Him FOREVER!!!

SDG

Spiritual Warfare

Here is a quote from John MacArthur's - The Jesus You Can't Ignore.

"The core truths of Scripture are always under attack. Scripture itself clearly teaches that the main battleground where Satan wages his cosmic struggle against God is ideological. In other words, the spiritual warfare every Christian is engaged in is first of all a conflict between truth and error, not merely a competition between good and wicked deeds. The chief aim of Satan's strategy is to confuse, deny, and corrupt the truth with as much fallacy as possible, and that means the battle for truth is very serious. Being able to distinguish between sound doctrine and error should be one of the highest priorities for every Christian - as should defending the truth against false teaching."

I have really been enjoying our study in Sunday School on the Gospel. How is the Gospel presented in scripture? How does the Gospel presentation in scripture compare against most of the Gospel presentations today?

SDG

What is the Gospel?

As some of you know, my Sunday school class has been studying the question: What is the Gospel according to the New Testament?

The book "A Price For a People: The Meaning of Christ's Death" by Tom Wells is very excellent. I would recommend this book highly. It's short (100+ pages) but it is excellent!

I have also started reading "Learning Evangelism From Jesus" by Jerram Barrs. Professor Barrs teaches at Covenant Theological Seminary here in Saint Louis.

In the future I plan on reviewing both books here.

SDG

Mark Driscoll

I am just shocked and appalled at MD's sermon on the Song of Solomon!!
It's so fowl and pornographic that I can't even quote anything from it.

I am actually even more shocked that the paper for the Missouri Baptist Convention actually quoted parts of his sermon in their newspaper. Not to make light of this gross error of exposition but from now on I think I'll just refer to MD as the Larry Flint of the Pulpit (yes it's that bad).

How a pastor who claims to be Reformed can preach that kind of filth and give that kind of interpretation of the Song of Solomon is just beyond me.

I believe that MD needs to pay a little more attention to the last verses of Revelation. I am just wondering how long God will let him get away with it. It is hurting the cause of Christ.

Grace & Peace

The Gospel Message

Well we continue to study the Gospel presentations in the New Testament.
All of them vary. When Jesus presented the Gospel it depended on the individual as to how he dealt with the person. It is pretty much the same with Peter and Paul.

If we compare the Gospel messages with the Gospel message of today it would seem that Jesus, Peter and Paul made a glaring omission. Where is the "God loves you" in their messages?

It seems that in today's message that is the first thing an unbeliever is told.
This admission actually presents some problems. How will a person be fully convicted of their sin? People need to see their sinfulness and that they need a Savior because of God's wrath against sin. The problem is that a lot of folks have heard that "God loves them" a lot in their lives. They have heard very little if at all about God's hatred of their sin and that they will be judged for it.

It's oh we are all basically good people. How could God send anyone to hell, He loves us?

We must go back to the real Gospel message.

Grace & Peace

Truth or No Truth?

It is said today that there are no truth claims and no absolutes.

I'll pass over the fact that such statements are in themselves absolute statements.

My concern is that these statements are made but yet no one really considers the implications of such statements.

Without truth there is no faith. Which leaves us all with no hope. There is then no purpose in life.

In this state society as a whole essentially breaks down. There is no reason for anything if there is no truth. If there is no truth then how can math, science or anything else mean anything?

Many people are running around in life with no hope and no purpose. It's actually quite easy to see this in people. They put their hope in all kind of things. Money, Fame, Position, Possessions

and it's all still emptiness.

God did not create us to live life without Truth or Hope!

Hebrews 11:1 says:

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

The Truth is that man makes these statements so that mankind will not have to face it's own depravity. If the sinfulness and depravity is acknowledged then it becomes clear very quickly that mankind needs a remedy for it's sinfulness. Of course mankind only acknowledges it's sinfulness due to the working of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel then becomes something that is full of hope and purpose for each of our lives.

We must live our lives for God's Glory which is the real purpose of our lives as Christians.

SDG