Spurgeon Gems

I really appreciate Charles Spurgeon. Not only is the man an example to follow, but his insight and ability from the Lord to convey scriptural truth in his sermons feeds my soul. Not only that, but the man had such a unique way of saying what he was saying. Whenever I teach or read him I am never remiss to find that Spurgeon has said what I am trying to say or understand in sometimes one (very long) sentence. What a blessing to be able to look back into his sermons and writings and see how the Lord used him. Tim Challies posted some of his quotes the other day. I thoroughly enjoyed them and think you will, too.

thank you Lord for men like Charles Spurgeon,

Mark

Sunday, June 26, 2011 10:41 AMSpurgeon GemsChallies Dot Com - Informing the ReformingTim

Ten Principles for Church Song (Part 1)

After Resolved I've been doing some thinking about worship and especially about the contents of the songs we sing. I was very grateful for the well-composed yet theologically rich hymns put together and sung by the Enfield band. While the lights were a bit much for me (hello almost rock concert?), being able to worship to biblically-sound and powerful songs with thousands of fellow Christians was a blessed experience for my soul. Kevin DeYoung has a few thoughts here on principles that ought to guide churches in their selection of worship music. I heartily agree with what he had to say and hope you'll consider what he brought up and put to test the music you sing in your church. I'll post the second half once he does :)

sing joyfully unto the Lord,

Mark

Never Compromise On the Cross

I'm reading through Kevin DeYoung's The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism as my daily devotional, and found this quote to be worth sharing. I echo his sentiments and couldn't stress the importance of the Cross more.

live a Cross-centered life,

Mark

"There is nothing more important in Christian theology than our theology of the cross. We must speak clearly that the heart of the gospel is the good news of divine self-satisfaction through divine self-substitution. Never compromise on the cross. Never dilute the message of the cross. And never stop glorying in the cross where Christ accepted the penalties that should belong to us so that we can claim the blessings that would otherwise belong only to Him."

from:The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism

Correct Thinking About Jesus' Commands is Not Obedience

This one takes a bit slower and more careful reading to get through, but it's worth it. Listen to the wisdom of a man who has devoted his life to understanding and thinking properly about the Holy things and ways. Despite this, he still realizes that proper thinking isn't right action necessarily, although it is important. Do you often think through but not act out? Think about it...but do it.

Nike slogan is pretty spot on,

Mark

In the Introduction to Pastor John's 1979 monograph, Love Your Enemies, he confesses his concern about the hard work of academic reading. He writes:

Every scholarly work on the New Testament is preponderantly an intellectual exercise. The work of thinking which the production of a book like this demands from the author is demanded also from its reader. But because of the nature of the reality with which this work has to do, the necessary preponderance of intellectual work can nevertheless frustrate the goal for which the work is done.

Francis Chan walks a thin line...

...but I think he's going to be solid on this one.  This is a trailer for his new book coming July 5th,  Erasing Hell.  This'll be interesting...

Fron the front lines of Resolved

(sorry for the low-quality pic; will post better ones eventually)

Well...it's really hot here in Palm Springs. Really. Blazingly. Hot. But I really can't complain, I get to spend an extended weekend enjoying fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ as well as enjoy spiritual Cordon Bleu served up by some of the finest theological minds/pastors around. It's been such a blessing to be sharpened by those I came with and to be presented with the Word of God in such an expository and honest way. And really, I realized how nice it is to be around a ton of like-minded people. I feel so at home, so much more at ease and relaxed. This isn't to say that I think being around differently-minded people is inherently bad or difficult, just that it is much nicer to be able to relate then have to constantly explain or defend. Perhaps the best part is getting to worship passionately with 3,500 other people to the music of Enfield. Their songs are sources of such comfort and truth during and after the conference. I encourage you to find and purchase them on iTunes if you're interested. Also, they offer a live video stream of the conferences when they're happening. You can find that and the schedule of events here.

Found this heartfelt post from Tim Challies. I struggle through many of the same things, and echo his sentiments. How do you your quiet times go? What are they like? Might be a good time for a check up. I know it is for me.

be still and know the Lord,

Mark

The Quiet Time Performance

Like all Christians, I love my quiet time. I am always thrilled at the prospect of sitting down for a few quiet moments before a busy day to spend some time alone with God—a few moments one-on-one with my Creator. I love to open the Bible and to carefully and systematically read the Word of God, allowing it to penetrate my heart. I love to sit and think deeply and meditatively about the Scriptures and to seek ways that I can apply God’s word to my heart. I love to pray to God, pouring out my heart in confession, praise, thanksgiving and petition. It is always the best and greatest part of my day. I couldn’t live without my quiet time.

But that’s not reality, is it?

I sometimes love my quiet time. I am sometimes thrilled at the prospect of sitting down to spend some time with God; too often, though, I dread it. I’d rather catch up on the news or spend some time writing or reading a good book or find out how badly the Blue Jays beat the A’s the day before. My quiet time is often invaded by little children, demanding my time and attention. Too often I hate to make my way through a difficult book of the Bible and dread spending another day reading through the prophecies of Isaiah. Thinking requires more time and effort than I am willing to give and it usually seems that a quick, cursory prayer is enough to make me feel that I’ve done my duty and asked God to bless my day and to forgive me for being a jerk with my kids the night before. I skim Scripture, breathe a prayer, and settle down to my breakfast.

That’s a little closer to reality, right?

The (In?)Equality of Sin

This post from the Stand to Reason Blog (and RC Sproul's quote within) did a very good job of explaining the inequality of sin I think. Have you ever considered or pondered whether all sins are equal? Do you have unconscious biases that cause you to 'downgrade' or consider some of your sins to be of lesser importance than others? The answer is probably yes, and the reality is that while some sins will merit a lesser punishment, they are still all sins and by their very nature wholly abhorred and hated by God. It is easier for our consciences to remember first that all sins merit different punishments and second that they are still all hated by God and need to be punished by Him. Let us not forget the true nature of our sin by choosing to dwell on (and thus sometimes rationalize) the unequal nature of sin.

Mark

All Sins Are Not Equal

In the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus reveals to the Pharisees the depth of how they continually violate the spirit of the law (and so, fall short of righteousness on their own), He says, "[B]ut I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28).

Sharing the Gospel in 100 Words or less (Sort of)

Found this on Thirsty Theologian. 9Marks recently asked several pastors and theologians to share the Gospel in 100 words or less. I really liked Michael Horton's answer:

What is your greatest fear? If I were asking that question in many parts of the world, answers would probably cluster around basic needs such as running water, food, vaccines, and shelter. For most of us in the United States, though, our greatest fears are more likely to be things like the fear of loneliness, some cataclysmic event that throws me off the ladder of upward mobility, divorce, or the inability to find any ultimate meaning in life. None of these fears is illegitimate, yet none is ultimate. These fears haunt us only because we have the luxury of having them haunt us. Until we are confronted with the reality of God—in all of his blinding majesty, weightiness, and frightful claim on our lives—we are overwhelmed by secondary troubles. But when for some reason there is the slightest glimpse of God in his holiness, we either do our best to domesticate him, turn him into a pet by suppressing the truth, or run for the hills to escape the confrontation.

God should be your greatest fear. Yet there is no salvation from God's just judgment from anywhere else than God himself. Only the same God who fills us with fear is able also to give us peace. If we are to escape this judgment, it will only be the result of the greatness in God's heart and not something in our own. That God has moved toward us—even lunged toward us—not in judgment, as we should have expected, but in loving embrace and reconciliation, clothing us in Christ's righteousness so that we can be acceptable in his holy presence, is the good news that you are called here and now to embrace. Christ lived a perfect life in the place of sinners, bore their sins on the cross, and was raised again for our justification. This means that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Not because of anything that you have done, experienced, attempted, or decided, but because of what he has accomplished for you, can you be assured of God's favor. It is good news, not good advice. It is not a call to self-improvement, but to die to self altogether and be raised a new person, in Christ. It is the free gift of forgiveness of sins, right standing with God, adoption as his heirs, and liberation from the tyranny of sin. As his ambassador, I am calling you in his name to be reconciled to God by turning away from all other saviors and lords and embracing Jesus Christ as your righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Come to him now. His love is greater than your enmity toward him; his grace is greater than your sin; his peace is greater than your fears.

Although it exceeded the word limit, I think he was right in spending more than 100 words. I get the concept of trying to convey as much with as little as possible, but when the greatest truth ever is being discussed, why hold back? Use as many words as are necessary to convey what is truly necessary.

share the gospel,


Mark

Ayn Rand vs. Jesus Christ: Your Thoughts?

How many of you have ever read Ayn Rand? What do you think of her philosophy? I think this article from World had a few good points about the ability to accept parts but not the entirety or piecemeal philosophy from others. What do you think?


reply (or else...nothing),


Mark

Ayn Rand vs. Jesus Christ

Written by TONY WOODLIEF

June 17, 3:02 P
M

How can Christians admire the philosophy of Ayn Rand?

This is the question being asked by a group of left-wing theologians and religious activists under the banner of theAmerican Values Network. They claim that both Rand and conservative Christian stalwart Chuck Colson demand that people choose between her teachings and the teachings of Jesus. Politicians popular with conservatives and Christians—perhaps most notably House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis.—are the group’s targets.

Anyone who has a passing familiarity with Rand’s moral philosophy, known asObjectivism, sees the conflict with Christianity. Whereas the Christian is called to an other-orientation—toward God and his neighbor—the Objectivist extols a self-orientation. The Christian is called to embrace the love of God; the Objectivist embraces love of self.

Food For Thought: Consumerism

Tim Challies shared this and I thought it was thought provoking.

peace,

Mark

Here’s a thought-provoking quote from Todd Gitlin, author of Media Unlimited. In just a few words he shows the emptiness of the pursuit of more and the emptiness of the promise of consumerism. But mostly this quote revolves around the amazing phrase, “broken promises ever renewed.”

---

[T]he Great Depression was a turning point, frightening workers with the burden of an impoverished free time. After World War II, pent-up consumer demand for a high-consumption way of life was boosted by government subsidies (via the low-interest mortgages and expensive highways that helped suburbanize the country). The die was cast: the public would choose money over time, preferring to seek its pleasures and comforts in the purchase of goods guaranteed to grow ever more swiftly obsolescent rather than in the search for collective leisure—or civic virtue…

Of course, the curious thing about consumer pleasures is that they don’t last. The essence of consumerism is broken promises ever renewed. The modern consumer is a hedonist doomed to economically productive disappointment, experiencing, as sociologist Colin Campbell writes, “a state of enjoyable discomfort.” You propel your daydreams forward, each time attaching them to some longed-for object, a sofa, CD player, kitchen, sports car, only to unhook the desires from the objects once they are in hand. Even high-end durable goods quickly outwear the thrill of their early arrival, leaving consumers bored—and available. After each conquest comes a sense of only limited satisfaction—and the question, what next?

Is Sanctification By Faith Alone?

Well....is it? Kevin DeYoung weighs in. What do you think?

think,

Mark

Is Sanctification By Faith Alone?

The short answer is no. Though it sounds very Protestant, it is not correct to say “sanctification is by faith alone.”

That requires some explanation.

In saying sanctification is not by faith alone, I’m not saying the work we do is somehow owing to us and not to God. He works in and we work out. But if we say sanctification is by faith alone, aren’t we severely reducing what we mean by saying justification is by faith alone? It was the mistake of Catholics to inadequately distinguish between justification and sanctification. If in trying to honor justification by faith alone we provide the same formula for sanctification, we are destroying the former as much as the latter.

Why Pragmatic Prayer Isn't Proper Prayer

The following is an excerpt from R.C. Sproul's book, The Prayer of the Lord. I think he brings up some great points about a pragmatic approach to prayer. Really, when you think about it a pragmatic approach is self-defeating in a sense because it lacks proper faith. Furthermore, what will really bring about the best eventual end to any circumstance (whether or not the events actually turn out to be 'good') is complete faith and dependence upon God. Pray not to get things done, but because God commands us to and because He is faithful and loving.


Pray in faith,


Mark




Excerpted from The Prayer of the Lord by R.C. Sproul

We have to guard against taking a fatalistic view of prayer. We cannot allow ourselves to dismiss prayer from our lives simply because it might not seem to have pragmatic value. Whether or not prayer works, we must engage in it, simply because God Himself commands us to do it. Even a cursory reading of the Bible, particularly the New Testament, reveals a deep emphasis on prayer, supplication, and intercession. It is inescapable that prayer is an expected activity for the people of God. Furthermore, our Lord Himself is the supreme model for us in all things, and He clearly made prayer a huge priority in His life. We can do no less.

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WHETHER OR NOT PRAYER WORKS, WE MUST ENGAGE IN IT, SIMPLY BECAUSE GOD HIMSELF COMMANDS US TO DO IT.

Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions, Grouped

Many of you have probably at least heard of it not read many of Edwards' famous resolutions. I have found them inspiring to read, time and time again. Matt Perman of WhatsBestNext has grouped them into various categories for our reading pleasure.

resolved,

Mark

THE RESOLUTIONS OF JONATHAN EDWARDS IN CATEGORIES

As I’ve been working on my book on gospel-centered productivity, Jonathan Edward’s resolutions have been very relevant and significant. Edwards is an example to us of true productivity — he shows us that true productivity is about a life well lived and that, even more, a life well lived is a God-centeredlife.

Edwards also shows us that a well lived life doesn’t just happen; it requires intentionality. And intentionality manifests itself in certain “mechanisms” that help us maintain our intentionality. Edwards’ resolutions are one example of such a “mechanism.”

So Edwards is a good example not just of a life that is lived well, but also of the “practical side” of how to actually build that intentionality into our lives, rather than just letting it remain a vague wish that never takes deep root and makes a real difference.

Toward that end, it’s worth reflecting on and giving some thought to his resolutions. Many of you are familiar with them, I’m sure. What I’ve tried to do here is put them into a few categories that can perhaps help shed some additional light on the resolutions and how Edwards lived his life.

Obviously these categories are somewhat subjective. In one sense,everything could fit under the “spiritual life” category, for example. And things could be divided into more categories than I have here. But I hope that these categories help cast some additional light on Edward’s resolutions for you — and how you think about these areas of your own life. For example, we might not typically put something like resolution 7 (“Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life”) under “time management.” But I think it is extremely relevant to time management, and seeing it in that light helps us re-orient the way we think about time management for ourselves generally.

You’ll notice also that I’ve categorized this post under “managing yourself.” That is to underscore the point — which I think is often overlooked — that when we are talking about the spirituality of someone like Jonathan Edwards, we aren’t talking about anything different than the basic reality of how to manage our own lives. Managing yourself is actually a very spiritual thing, and ought to be understood in that light, rather than as simply a mix of secular disciplines (though there are many “secular”-seeming disciplines involved, especially as life gets more technological and complex).

Thriving At College

Here's the Connected Kingdom interview with Alex Chediak. Really excited to read this book, looks to be a great insight and aid for those who are in college. I strongly urge you to look into reading this book!

thrive,

Mark

This week’s guest on The Connected Kingdom podcast is Alex Chediak who is the author of the brand new book Thriving at College, a book that about how college students can launch into responsible, fruitful adulthood for the glory of God against the backdrop of a young adult culture that often values perpetual adolescence and the avoidance of responsibility. In this interview Alex talks about who he wrote the book for, he discusses who should and should not go to college and offers up some sound advice for the parents of young people. 

If you want to give us feedback or join in the discussion, go ahead and look up our Facebook Group or leave a comment right here. You will always be able to find the most recent episode here on the blog. If you would like to subscribe via iTunes, you can do that here or if you want to subscribe with another audio player, you can try this RSS link.

Being In (But not of) the World

I think these six principles that Piper outlines are good reminders and guidelines for looking at how we ought to interact with the world. As those saved, it is easy to fall into the trap of "I'm redeemed and therefore holier than thou...based on my own merit." Such arrogance is not only a poor testimony to the sacrifice of Christ, but a false one at that. We must not forget that apart from the blood of Christ, in terms of eternal destiny there is nothing that separates us at all from any other human being on the face of the earth. That in itself should be humbling. It is my prayer that we keep ourselves unstained from the world without forgetting what it took to remove the very stains we seek to avoid from our own selves. It took nothing less than the holy and perfect blood of a perfect Savior, Jesus Christ.

Stay clean, but don't forget who died to do your laundry,

Mark

In a 2000 sermon, John Piper draws out six truths from 1 Peter 2:9-17 about how Christians should be involved in society and culture.

________

1. We were once all in darkness, along with the whole world.

Notice the phrase near the end of verse 9: "Him who has called you out of darkness." We were once in darkness. The darkness of sin and unbelief and ignorance about God and his ways. It was the darkness of deadness in sin, as Paul says in Ephesians 2:5. This is the condition of our culture and our society. And we were once a part of it by nature. Why are we no longer?

2. God called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This truth comes from the same phrase in verse 9: "Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." We are not by nature smarter or wiser or more courageous than those who remain in darkness. The difference is that God exerted toward us an absolutely undeserved and compelling kindness: he called us. Paul put it like this in1 Corinthians 1:23-24, "We preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." It was the omnipotent call of God that wakened us from the spiritual sleep of death and opened our eyes to the power and wisdom of God in Christ. Let us never forget: Free and powerful grace alone is the decisive reason that we are able to see the darkness of our culture and be free in some measure from it.

3. God's aim in calling us out of darkness is to send us back to (but not in) that darkness to "proclaim his excellencies."

Now all of verse 9: "But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." That is why you have been called out. That is why you are God's people, a chosen race. We exist to display with word and deed the excellencies of God. This is the way God's call came to us. Freely we received, now let us freely give. Our witness is not the same as the call of God. But God's call happens through our display of God's excellencies. When we speak and show God's excellencies to others, we provide the truth that God may grant the blind to see. If we say nothing, they will see nothing. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). And new birth is "through the living and abiding word," the gospel (1 Peter 1:23-25).

Quote(s) of the Day: Heidelberg and Calvin

I'm reading through Kevin DeYoung's The Good News We Almost Forgot: Recovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism and wanted to share a few things with you. Firstly, the first question and answer of the catechism:

1. Lord's Day

Heidelberg Catechism A.D. 1563

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?  

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death,  am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heav- enly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely will- ing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him. 

What truth! Now if that's not enough to provoke you to thankful prayer to Christ, then here's some Calvin to finish:

"We are not our own: let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us there not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own: in so far as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours. Conversely, we are God's: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God's: ;et his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God's: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only goal." -John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, III, vii. 1, ed. John T. McNeil, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960),

Masterpiece Mondays: The Cell

When the microscope was first discovered it forever revolutionize the world of science but also gives Christians a chance to see in minute detail the incredible complexity of life. The world is really hardly what we see it for with the naked it. It is so much more. As a biology student it just happens that I love this stuff (science, that is), but you don't need to be a scientist to recognize the glorious world that exists all around us and yet without our knowledge. While it is not possible to 'add' glory to God, we can certainly discover more of what is already there in learning about and observing the molecular world that exists in and all around us. The attached video is a very well done rendition by students at Harvard of what happens at the microscopic level within a cell.

amazed,
Mark

"So nat'ralists observe, a flea

Hath smaller fleas that on him prey,

And these have smaller fleas that bite 'em,

And so proceed ad infinitum."

-Jonathan Swift

Spurgeon to Fathers

Happy Father's Day! May we remember that as great as our earthly fathers may seem (or as terrible, depending on what situation the Lord has placed you in), they pale in comparison to and are even the creation of the Lord most high. Pray for your fathers, and always and only to your Father. Here are some words from Spurgeon that the DG blog was kind enough to share with us all.

bring honor to your father and your Father,

Mark

Charles Spurgeon writes:

May our own dear ones be among the better generation who shall continue in the Lord's ways, obedient to the end. And their seed shall be established before thee. God does not neglect the children of his servants. It is the rule that Abraham's Isaac should be the Lord's, that Isaac's Jacob should be beloved of the Most High, and that Jacob's Joseph should find favour in the sight of God. Grace is not hereditary, yet God loves to be served by the same family time out of mind, even as many great landowners feel a pleasure in having the same families as tenants upon their estates from generation to generation. Here is Zion's hope, her sons will build her up, her offspring will restore her former glories. We may, therefore, not only for our own sakes, but also out of love to the church of God, daily pray that our sons and daughters may be saved, and kept by divine grace even unto the end—established before the Lord.

Excerpted from The Treasury of David (Psalm 102:28).

Heard Mohler talk with Christian Smith about the 'new religion' of American youth and found this blog post to be worth reading. What do you think? Does your life match up with this?

think about it,

Mark

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism–the New American Religion

When Christian Smith and his fellow researchers with the National Study of Youth and Religion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill took a close look at the religious beliefs held by American teenagers, they found that the faith held and described by most adolescents came down to something the researchers identified as “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.”

Monday, April 11, 2005

When Christian Smith and his fellow researchers with the National Study of Youth and Religion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill took a close look at the religious beliefs held by American teenagers, they found that the faith held and described by most adolescents came down to something the researchers identified as “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.”

As described by Smith and his team, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism consists of beliefs like these: 1. “A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.” 2. “God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.” 3. “The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about ones self.” 4. “God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.” 5. “Good people go to heaven when they die.”

That, in sum, is the creed to which much adolescent faith can be reduced. After conducting more than 3,000 interviews with American adolescents, the researchers reported that, when it came to the most crucial questions of faith and beliefs, many adolescents responded with a shrug and “whatever.”As a matter of fact, the researchers, whose report is summarized in Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Eyes of American Teenagers by Christian Smith with Melinda Lundquist Denton, found that American teenagers are incredibly inarticulate about their religious beliefs, and most are virtually unable to offer any serious theological understanding. As Smith reports, “To the extent that the teens we interviewed did manage to articulate what they understood and believed religiously, it became clear that most religious teenagers either do not really comprehend what their own religious traditions say they are supposed to believe, or they do understand it and simply do not care to believe it. Either way, it is apparent that most religiously affiliated U.S. teens are not particularly interested in espousing and upholding the beliefs of their faith traditions, or that their communities of faith are failing in attempts to educate their youth, or both.”