Heritage of Faith

2008-09-30T12:35:00.001-07:00

Please visit us at http://www.heritageonline.org

2008-09-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

Please visit us at http://www.heritageonline.org!

Sunday, August 10

2008-08-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

This morning's worship brought us to consider many wonderful things. Stan's text for the sermon was Matthew 6:5-7. Fitting in with the rest of the context, this passage calls us to consider prayer in light of the self-vindicating pattern of the Scribes and Pharisees.

It struck me in vivid manner that our Lord condemned the prayers of both the Scribes and Pharisees along side of the "babbling" Gentiles. Our prayer life can go astray in many different ways.

And yet, as I am sure we will see next week, godly prayer is not something that is a far reach for us. If our desires are right, then our prayers will probably be right as well. If we are seeking first the Kingdom of God and trusting that all the other things will be provided for us the way God clothes the flowers and feeds the birds, we will find our method and manner of prayer to be of necessity, quite appropriate.

David taught during our Bible study hour and introduced chapter 4 of Revelation. It seemed like he dangled the carrot before us without letting us get into the feast, by no fault of his own. We just ran out of time before we got into the good discussion that I trust will come over the next few weeks.

David mentioned G.K. Beale's commentary on Revelation again. It was wonderful for my preparations for his study and I really look forward to our discussion on these matters. Surely, the scene of the Lord upon the throne is meant to do something to us. It should not merely be a sight to see, but a truth to know, and a power to live as servants of the risen Lord!

Sunday, August 3 - To Toot Thine Own Horn

2008-08-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

As Stan was preaching from Matthew 6 this past Sunday, his words about the text brought many thoughts to my mind, but one in particular gripped me.

Our Lord was confronting something that was violently wrong.

As Jesus called the people to a righteousness that exceeded that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, he brings up the subject of alms giving. He states that people should not "sound the trumpet" to be seen as they give alms to the poor. If their motive is to be seen by men, then they have already received their reward. The Almighty Judge is not impressed, though men may be.

To me, this teaching shows that there is something at work beyond pride. It is a pride that thrives upon hatred of others. It is a hateful pride that was embraced by the religious community surrounding the Temple in the days of Christ.

Here is what I mean by "a hateful pride". Image driving to your church service on Sunday morning. There are people of your faith, or your neighborhood who are poverty-stricken and broken by disease. They sit outside the doors to your place of worship. When you walk up, they appeal to you "My friend, gain merit with God by giving me your pocket change." Instead of being broken in spirit at their condition. Instead of being overwhelmed in empathy with them. Instead of seeking to help them and minister to them...you see this as an opportunity to do two things. First, you can use them to bolster your place in the Kingdom of God. You believe that your gift to them helps you overcome your personal sins and that God is now obliged to show you favor. Second, this is not enough for you. You have decided to use this person for your own pride and arrogance. You will not only give to them, but you will make a show of it so that others may see it.

This is not just wrong, this is violent sin. It is sin that operates upon and thrives in the foundation of poverty and pain. And yet it was religiously acceptable and encouraged.

Our Lord shows forth love and mercy. He teaches to help without regard for self, but only with regard for those who need it.

Oh, what a contrast between the picture of the Scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 6 with the power of the Gospel in Acts 3! (See this entry for more info).

---

In our Bible Study hour, David was back and we returned to our Study in Revelation. We looked at the letter to the church at Laodicea and had a very important discussion of the meaning of this letter and its particular relationship to many of us in the churches in America who have much wealth and personal/national pride.

Let us be sure we follow the loving urging of our Lord to seek to buy refined gold from Him and to be clothed and healed of that which blinds us. May we be encouraged both individually and corporately to seek the Heavenly Guest and take our great pleasure and satisfaction in divine fellowship.

--

Finally, one of the hymns that we sang was written by Timothy Dwight. While our hymnal only has a few of the lines, here are the rest from CyberHymnal:

I love Thy kingdom, Lord,
The house of Thine abode,
The church our blessed Redeemer saved
With His own precious blood.

I love Thy church, O God.
Her walls before Thee stand,
Dear as the apple of Thine eye,
And written on Thy hand.

If e’er to bless Thy sons
My voice or hands deny,
These hands let useful skills forsake,
This voice in silence die.

Should I with scoffers join
Her altars to abuse?
No! Better far my tongue were dumb,
My hand its skill should lose.

For her my tears shall fall
For her my prayers ascend,
To her my cares and toils be given
Till toils and cares shall end.

Beyond my highest joy
I prize her heavenly ways,
Her sweet communion, solemn vows,
Her hymns of love and praise.

Jesus, Thou Friend divine,
Our Savior and our King,
Thy hand from every snare and foe
Shall great deliverance bring.

Sure as Thy truth shall last,
To Zion shall be given
The brightest glories earth can yield
And brighter bliss of Heaven.

To Him Who Is Able

2008-07-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

Jude 24-25 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

We are so very fragile. It is scary at times to see how little it takes to bring physical, emotional, and spiritual damage. It only takes a moment, a single sentence, a slight look. At times, we can wreck ourselves, our families, and our loved ones with a single thought.

Lately, I have struggled more and more with the dark thoughts of my most profoundly stupid moments in life. Even in pursuit of what is good and holy, I have said things with the best of intentions that have hurt others. If even the well-intended thoughts can go horribly wrong, consider the extent of damage that our pride and hatred can bring.

I cannot keep myself from falling. But the Lord Jesus, our great high priest, is able. The grammar of verse 24 in Jude stresses that fact - He is able. When we are cast down as we consider the breath-taking power that we have to destroy, let us be reminded that the Lord has greater power to protect. He is able to guard us. He is able to mitigate our damage.

Not only is He able to keep us from falling, but our glorious Savior continually washes us, and will do so until He presents us blameless before His throne!

He fosters us and protects us as He brings us into His presence with great joy. Is this not remarkable? We ought to be continually sorrowful and full of anguish for our sin. We deserve not to have our burden lifted. But His work in us is utterly joyful.

As a father to my children, I know what it is like to see them broken in tears and looking for comfort. As they wrap their arms around me and bury their heads in on my shoulder as they are sobbing, I have no other thought but to hold them, protect them, and comfort them. I am thankful that there is One who cares to protect and comfort me.

To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Sunday, July 20th - Love that Compels

2008-07-22T05:52:00.000-07:00

The Lord Jesus commands us to love our enemies and pray for those would persecute us. This text was the focus of Stan's sermon and gave us plenty to meditate on and to continue to consider as we seek to obey our Lord.

As I have continued to consider this, I cannot help but think of missions and the proclamation of the Gospel as the ultimate fulfillment of this command. As Stan mentioned during the sermon, in Psalm 139, King David states that he hates those who hate God; they are his enemies who he utterly despises. Under the Old Covenant, David could remain this way and be considered to be a man after God's own heart.

But the Gospel has brought a different command. The apostles could not agree with King David. Paul would not go into pagan lands if he hated those peoples with an utmost hatred. He did not view them as enemies that he wanted to see destroyed and crushed, but rather he desired to see them redeemed and brought near to God and to one another in the Body of Christ. He begged them, as though God were appealing through him that they would be reconciled to God. This is love. This is the commandment of the New Covenant.

May God grant to us the love which our Lord spoke about. May He empower us through the Holy Spirit to pursue others in love, and may His sovereign mercy go forth for the glory of Christ.

Bella

2008-07-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to recommend movies. But if you are looking for something to watch, Jaime and I just finished our second viewing of the film Bella and I would highly recommend it to you.

Let me give a few reasons why. This is not a movie review, nor critique. Just some things that I can't get out of my mind from this movie. Please note that there are some intense scenes and topics presented in the movie. Watch it before you decide to let your children watch.

1. Struggle. Very often, movies that are cleaned up enough for believers to watch them create a very shallow presentation of the struggle that highlights the movie. In Bella, the struggle is very real. It is intense and gripping. I have often noted before, the Scriptures do not candy-coat life. The words of the Holy Writ acknowledge pain, sorry, temptation, and the struggle to choose between one course or another. I think that a good movie should do the same. Bella communicates the struggle is a powerful way, but never overstates it.

2. Emotion. On my first viewing of the film, I was holding on to myself as I tried to figure out where the movie was taking me. The movie guided me through very real emotions. It was genuine. The second viewing let me relax. I could take in the movie without being scared that it was going to mess up at some point and pander tear-jerking moments or completely fall apart into cheesy nothingness. It cleaned me out emotionally. I simply felt moments that took my breath away in both joy and sorrow. Here, in the second viewing, I also realized that emotions I felt were matched by the actors on the screen. I sat back and saw incredible acting...the kind that makes you wonder how they do it. It was convincing.

3. Beauty. There is beauty in love. Beauty in honest struggle. Beauty in family. And beauty in life.

Before I go on, I must digress and speak of another movie that I watched. It was a "faith"-based movie that I will not name. Parts of it were good, but the rest was overstated, stereotypical, and poorly executed. In one scene, a homeless man is encountered. He is stereotyped as a quirky bum who is always trying to steal things when people aren't looking. The movie gives no empathy and makes me wonder if the directors of the movie have ever been involved in reaching out and loving the homeless people in our communities at all.

One of the shining beautiful moments in Bella revolves around a brief scene with a homeless man on the streets of New York. His character is beautiful in both reality and metaphor. I am thankful for the treatment of this scene in Bella.

4. Purity. The directors did not have resort to found language to communicate anger. They did not have to show flesh to make the actors attractive. It proves that most of Hollywood is either lazy or indulgent when they have to incorporate blood, lust and foul language in order to communicate.

5. I'll save this one. Watch the movie and you will know! Just remember, Bella means "Beautiful".

Expressions: Ephesians 5:25-27

2008-07-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless."

Ephesians 5:25-27 - The Cleansing of the Bride
Fiber Art by Christy Berry

Wednesday Study - The Severity of Jesus

2008-07-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday night, we continued studying in Piper's book, "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ". This chapter focused upon Christ's judgment of sin. As Piper points out, we must always remember the wealth of mercy that is in Jesus, but we must never separate that from the judgment that rightfully is pronounced upon sin.

This chapter is filled with great theology and some good Piper-isms. One of my favorites lines included the fact that we must understand "the severity" of the mercy of Christ. This made me consider my own testimony and conclude with many others at our study that we did not understand the depth of our own sin until we understood the greatness of the mercy of Jesus.

As I stated last evening, a criticism of the chapter is that in order to make universal points that are applicable to all people, Piper's usage of Scripture paints with broad brush-strokes a general theme over many passages that should be seen in specific contexts. In other words, Piper references and quotes many passages in which Jesus speaks with scathing words of judgment. However, in the context, these words of judgment are not merely because of sin in general, but specifically His words are in reference to the judgment of the Old Covenant people of God.

If we allow this sort of thing continue to cloud our interpretation of the Scriptures, we will miss the most important themes that are integral to understanding the Scriptures, the Church, and sound theology.

But with that criticism noted, as I mentioned early I think that the application of theology from this chapter is very good. The Lord Jesus is graceful and compassionate, but this does not mean that he does not bring judgment. As He brought judgment upon the Old Covenant people, so too He will one day bring the entire world to His judgment seat. He will bring everlasting punishment upon those who have not been cleansed by His merciful blood.

Let us fly to His mercy and forsake sin.

Sunday, July 13 - The Other Cheek

2008-07-14T05:58:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, Stan's text for the sermon was Matthew 5:38-42. Here we saw the challenging words of our Lord which compels us to die to our own desires for justice and for self-seeking. Though the Old Covenant with Israel was very clear in its commands of justice and vindication, striking the offender to bring justice to the victim, our Lord removes not only the commandments of justice, but also our desires to bring about personal retribution.

Stan brought our attention to the book of Acts, where we find the unjust suffering placed upon the Church, yet they lived by the new Law of Christ. Instead of seeking retribution, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer. While Stephen was being stoned, he was not filled with desires of justice, but prayers of mercy to those who were brutally murdering him.

Is this not the theme of the Scriptures concerning the Bride of Christ? Have not we seen this over and over. In our study of 1 Peter on Wednesday nights we found that we should not think it strange when terrible suffering is directed at us for our faith in the Gospel. But let us not return evil for evil, for then our suffering will be just. Instead, let us be empowered by the Spirit to fulfill the Law of Christ. Let us die to self and live for the glory of God!

As George Mueller put it...
"There was a day when I died, utterly died: died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends. And since then, I have studied only to show myself 'approved unto God.'"

United with the Gospel

2008-07-10T04:41:00.000-07:00

The Richardson's were thrilled to announce that on Friday, July 4th, 2008 Isaac was baptized by his father Shane on their property before their family and friends in Christ.

Isaac had grown under increasing conviction that his faith in Christ needed to be shown forth publicly through baptism and after several months of studying the Scriptures concerning baptism he approached his father and discussed his convictions and desires to be obedient to the Lord through this public testimony.

May God be praised for His goodness in the Gospel!

Sunday, July 6

2008-07-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Stan continued preaching in Matthew 5. In verses 33-37, we focused our attention on the teaching of Jesus as he continued to contrast his demands of righteousness to that of the Pharisees. Here, we see the Old Covenant practice described in the Law given to Israel as the taking of vows. Our Lord shows us that the people of his Kingdom should are expected to show forth truth in all their dealings, no matter how big or small they may seem.

Through this passage, we see how man will twist any regulations set before them to their own selfish ambition. In this case, the Jews had set up a system that they justified as coming from the Law of God, given through Moses, but had used the system to justify sin instead of pursue righteousness.

As followers of Christ, let us never abuse the Word of God to justify sin. Let us pursue the glory of God in truth and righteousness. May it never cross our minds to purposefully defraud one another for our own selfish ambition. Instead, let us rejoice in Jesus, the Righteous. Let us see His beauty and seek to reflect that through our lives.

This will only come about through the power of Christ's resurrection in us and the work of the Holy Spirit to enable us. May God bless us to do so for His glory!

--

During out Bible Study hour, we continued studying the flow and logical progress of Paul's argument in the epistle to the Romans. We spent most of the time discussing issues from the week before but we are poised to pick up in Romans 6 next week!

Romans - A Quick Study on the Logic of the Letter

2008-07-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we started a brief study during our Bible Study time of Paul's logic and argument presented throughout Romans. I wanted to post some thoughts from that study and also an outline for the weeks to come.

Please note that this is not designed to be a comprehensive outline of the book, but is merely a presentation of one way of looking at the flow of Paul's argument so that we see some of the unity and breadth of the letter. My purpose, as stated last Sunday was to show that many of the conclusions by scholars and Bible teachers or uses of Romans as proof texts are against the context and are contrary to the clear purpose of the letter.

First, let us consider the way Paul begins his argument.

Romans 1:16-17
In 1:16, he states that he is not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of both Jew and Greek. Now this is very important as it sets up the rest of the book. Paul, a Jew by birth, is making a statement that the Gospel of Jesus will bring salvation not only to the Jews, but also to those whom the Jew despised. It will come to those of both groups through faith in the Gospel, not through the works of the Law. This theme will run the entire length of the letter and is seen as Paul commands both Jew and Gentiles, slaves and slave owners, to greet one another in Christian love (16:1-24).

The statement (in 1:16-17) will cause a chain reaction of issues that the apostle foresees and raises in our minds as he responds to the issues throughout the letter. In other words, the entire letter revolves around the controversial proposition that God is now saving both Jew and Gentiles from the sins through one means, namely the Gospel of Jesus.

Romans 1:18-32 - The Guilt of the Gentiles
Paul then explains something that is less controversial. He states that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Notice that phrase "the Law" is never mentioned! Contrary to the systematic theology of many, Paul does not have to use the Decalogue (commonly referred to as the Ten Commandments today) to show the guilt of these people. God's wrath is said to come upon them because of their "ungodliness" and "unrighteousness". They were not thankful to God and did not glorify Him. They were filled with wickedness, covetousness, malice, envy, strife, deceit, hostility, etc.

The text in Romans 2:12 makes it clear that the Gentiles have sinned apart from having the Law! In 3:19, we see that the Law speaks to the Jews, not to the Gentiles.

Romans 2:1-3:8 - The Guilt of the Jews
Now Paul turns to the controversy of his beliefs. He now addresses the Jews who would agree with him of his assessment of the Gentiles. However, he states that they are just as guilty as the ungodly Gentiles. The Jews made their boast of themselves because they "rely upon the Law" and "receive instruction from the Law" (2.17-18). Notice that the phrase "the Law" is used 27 times in chapters 2 and 3! The Law did not make the Jews righteous. Paul's point is that the Law's purpose was to show the Jews that they were guilty, even though they were the chosen people of God!

Notice in 3.19-20 that Paul states the Law speaks to the Jews (the one group under the Law) and its purpose is so that (this is a purpose clause in the Greek language) "every mouth would be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God." He then says that through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. His emphasis is to bring the Jews under the guilt of sin just as the Gentiles are under the guilt of sin.

Romans 3:9-20 - Conclusion that all are guilty, both Jew and Gentile and in need of salvation through the Gospel.
Now Paul confirms that all are guilty, leaving no room for a Jew to boast over the Gentiles.

Romans 3:21-26 - The Gospel of Salvation through faith, to the Jew and to the Gentile
Paul now lays forth the Gospel message, emphasizing that justification come through faith. The Law does not protect a person from the wrath of God. The Law does not bring about righteousness.

With all of that being said, not Paul must defend himself against all of the accusations against faith in the Gospel verses the history of Jewish belief. Here, I will present the outline that I am planning to continue through the next few weeks of study. It mainly consists of Paul's statements following this pattern:

A) Statement
B) Question ("What then, shall we say...")
C) Emphatic Answer ("May it never be!")
D) Defense

However, there are a few things that I have included in the outline that do not follow this pattern but are important to continue following his argument.

Romans 3:1-4: Is God unfaithful since some of the Jews will die in unbelief and not be saved?
Romans 3:5-18: Is God unjust because Israel's unrighteousness shows His righteousness?
Romans 3:27-5.1: Is the Law given to Israel nullified by the Gospel of faith?
Romans 5.20 - 6:13: Shall the Jews continue to sin since the purpose of the Law was to make sin increase and thereby magnify grace?
Romans 6:14-7.3: Shall the Jews continue to sin because they are not under the slave master of the Law?
Romans 7:4-7: Is the Law given to Israel sin since it aroused sinful passions?
Romans 7:8-24: Since the Law kills by the results it brings, is it therefore sinful?

>Paul’s Excursus – The Glory of the Gospel (Romans 8)
>Paul’s Crux – Has the word of God failed? (Romans 9.1-8)

Romans 9:10-17: Is God unjust because He rejected Esau, who was a child of Isaac?

>Paul’s Conclusion (Romans 9:30-33)
>Paul’s Reaffirmation of the Gospel (Romans 10)

Romans 10.18-11:6: Did God reject his people since he foretold through the prophets that he would reject Israel and embrace another people?
Romans 11.7-32: Has Israel fallen beyond recovery?

Expressions: Hebrews 12:1-2

2008-06-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 - The Cloud of Witnesses
Fiber Art by Christy Berry

Click on image for larger view.

Are we drunk and foolish?

2008-06-24T05:51:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you are already answering the question in your mind..."Surely not Steve. Your asking us this question at 8:00 AM. It's not even "the third hour of the day" in Peter's words. Plus - we're Baptist; the strongest thing we drink is Chai Tea!"

But I am not speaking of drunkenness from wine or the foolishness from the immorality of the wicked world around us. I ask in the context of Ephesians - that great work that calls us to consider the New Covenant Temple, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we drunk with the wine of family and personal ambition and therefore become foolish architects/builders of the Temple that we are to be focused upon?

In our previous studies at Heritage, we have seen how the letter to the Ephesians is filled with construction language. Some of the language is clear in English translations, some is not. In Ephesians 5, we are faced with a question. Has the light of Christ shone upon us? If so, we must arise and if we are wise, we must redeem the time.

What is it to be "wise"? A builder/architect was demonstrated to be wise by the quality and durability of his work. An example of this is found in the parable of the two builders in Matthew 7:24-27. The builder of the strong, secure house was called "wise". The builder of the house destroyed by the rain and the floods was called "foolish".

So, are we wise?

How are we doing at building up the New Covenant Temple, composed of both Jew and Gentiles (Ephesians 2.14-21)?
How are we doing at understanding the glory and importance of the Church as this temple, which Paul prayed God would reveal that we see the magnificence of it in its splendor and glory (Ephesians 3.14-20)?
How are we doing at utilizing our spiritual gifts that we were equipped with through the resurrection of Jesus so that we each hold one another together and support one another and grow together in the Corporate Temple (Ephesians 4.10-15)?

If we are wise builders, and not fools, then we will redeem the time. The prophets rebuked Israel for not being concerned with (re)building the Temple. Zechariah was one of these prophets. As he encouraged Israel to give effort to build the physical temple, his words were prophetic of the true Temple to come. In Zechariah 4:6 the word of the Lord says, "Not by strength, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the sovereign Lord".

In Ephesians 5, we are commanded to be "filled" with the Spirit. "Filled" is a construction term that is used to speak of the materials of a building being incorporated into one another during construction. As Zechariah promised, God is building his temple by his Spirit.

So, are we redeeming the time? If we do not do so, weeks will fly by, months will disappear, and the Temple will be left degrading instead of being built up.

Let me suggest a few practical things:

Pray with the apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:18), that you and your family will understand the glory of the New Covenant Temple.
Pray that the Spirit of God will use you in the "filling" of the Temple, so that you and your family will help the whole Body to grow in love, being integral "fittings" and "supporting ligaments" (Ephesians 5.18 and 4.16).
Commit in every way possible to being involved with the meetings and studies in the church.
Find ways to use Christian conduct and the gifts of the Lord Jesus to build one another in the the Body.
Do not let other things take you away from this great work.

Let us be wise builders. May the Spirit provide this strength to us.

At Your Fingertips

2008-06-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

There is a tremendous resource that you should be aware of at http://books.google.com.

This resource allows anyone to search for book titles and other information, including "Limited Previews" of a large number of relevant books. Other sites have attempted this, most notably Amazon.com, but with these sites the preview function often limits your views to about 10 pages or so.

Google's site takes a different approach, posting almost the entire contents of the book online, and then omitting a couple of pages every now and then. Users with a free Google account can create their own "library" of books. The image above is a screenshot of some of the books in my library that I have started to create.

I was very impressed to find that most - if not all - of the commentaries from the NICNT and NIGNT volumes were available with the limited preview. There is also a great collection of Lloyd-Jones' books. For example, try the following link to a chapter on the holiness of God:

Lloyd-Jones: Studies in 1 John

David has recommended Beale's commentary on Revelation as a good resource for study (not that we agree with everything in it, or even some of his basic conclusions) while we are studying through it. So, by clicking on the link below, you will find Beale's commentary on the passage we looked at yesterday!

Revelation 3:6 in the NIGTC

If you look in the frame on the right side of the screen, you will find an option to search for words or phrases inside the book you are viewing!

You will also find the full text of older books online as well, however these are often scanned from volumes of public libraries and the quality is not always the most desirable. However, I found full volumes such as the Complete Works of Richard Sibbes, Josephus, and the Olney Hymns.

You can view my library here. As you will find, right now it is mainly commentaries and also a bunch of Lloyd-Jones and D.A. Carson. Please note that although most of the books on my library are good and solid, they are not necessarily whole-hearted recommendations. From time to time I add books to my library for convenience as I am research topics or studies. However, these books may take a completely different stand than I believe or even find acceptable...so don't think I am encouraging the book just because it is there!

This is no substitute for buying a good book, but if you find your book fund money going to buy gasoline and you just want to get the main points of a good book, or if you are doing research give Google Books a shot!

Happy Googling!!!

PTTS: Ephesians 2:1-3

2008-06-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

Praying Through the Scriptures

Ephesians 2.1-3: And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

My Savior and my God,
Thank you for rescuing your people from the death of sin. We have sinned greatly against you. We were bound to sin and controlled by it, but this was in accordance with our depraved will. We have loved the things of darkness, served the ruler of sin and lived to satisfy sinful lusts. We cared nothing for you or your ways of righteousness, rejecting the Lord of Lords in pride and hatred.

Let us be reminded of this again. For now we have been rescued from sin by the grace of Jesus and by his atoning work, but we never ought to forget the depth of our despair. Let us never look to others who have not be redeemed and think that they are different than we once were, and still would be if not for your sovereign grace. Prevent us from looking upon others as if we care not to see them saved!

May you send forth the Gospel in the power of the Spirit! It grieves us to see those whom we love still in the grips of sin. We long to see them rescued by the Gospel and ask now that you would extend your saving hand of mercy to them.

Teach us Father how to communicate the reality of sin and enmity to others who reject your Son. Help us to speak words of truth in a sober, but loving and graceful manner. As Paul now understood his sinfulness though he once considered himself righteous, let us show others that they are in great peril - they are children of Your wrath - and let us plead with them, in a manner that shows that You yourself were appealing to them through us to trust in the righteousness of Jesus.

And Lord, please continue to sanctify us by the power of the risen Lord Jesus. Deliver us from sins and trespasses and from the temptations of our lust, our greed, and our pride. We have no strength alone, but we trust in the power of the resurrection through our union with Christ through faith.

Cleanse us we pray,

Amen.

There is no "i" in c-o-r-p-o-r-a-t-e.

2008-06-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Please note, this entry is simply to relay my own personal thoughts...it is not meant to be critical in any way.

Over the past several years, the Spirit has been gracious to us at Heritage and impressed upon us through the Holy Word that we must value one another in the Body of Christ. I am quite grateful for this and my eyes have been opened to see the great frequency in which the Scriptures deal with this issue.

Recently, I have developed a keen sense of hearing when it comes to congregational singing. (Don't worry Matt, I'm not talking about hearing those who sit behind me!) I am speaking of a sense of hearing the words of the hymns which we sing, and the focus, or lack thereof, in these words concerning the Body vs. the individual. This development has been the result of hymns that felt incredibly gripping compared with other hymns that seemed to be good and solid, but lacked something.

I have found that the difference to me in many cases was found in pronouns. There are hymns that we sing that speak of "me" and then there are hymns that speak of "we". The "we" hymns have seemed to resonate in my heart as we sing them much more than the "me" hymns.

Please don't take my words as a condemnation of hymns that focus upon self-reflection. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with them. I especially enjoy meditating upon these "personal" hymns and other such songs in private, and I am not against singing them in corporate settings. I also am not saying at all that we should not be self-focused in the proper manner and degree in corporate worship.

All I want to bring up is that, to me, it does take something away when we corporately sing about "Me" such as:

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!

and I have realized that there is something very special when we corporately sing of "Us" such as:

Jesus calls us! By Thy mercies,
Savior may we hear Thy call,
Give our hearts to Thine obedience,
Serve and love Thee best of all.

Both hymns quoted above are wonderful. I just really love the way Corporate Hymns are crafted for public worship, calling us to consider our faith in light of the great work of God in the Body of Christ.

Let us (no matter what we sing) be built up by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in our corporate heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ! (Ephesians 5:18-21)

Today, the Gospel will be proclaimed...

2008-06-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

Let us be faithful to ask the Lord to bless the work of Camp Del Haven, which begins the camp season today. May God's sovereign grace be displayed and may the Gospel be effectual to save for the glory of the Lord Jesus.

Sunday, June 15

2008-06-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

Hymns:
Come, Christians, Join to Sing.
I Stand Amazed at the Presence.
Heaven Came Down.
Jesus Calls Us O'er the Tumult

Sermon:
Stan's text was from Matthew 5:21-26

Bible Study:
David led us through Revelation 3:1-6

PTTS: Ephesians 1:20-23

2008-06-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

Praying Through the Scriptures

Ephesians 1:20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Our Great God,
Wake us from our slumber and remove from us the fascination with temporal and trivial things. There is immense power on display before us in Your strength. It has not only been displayed around us, but it has be accomplished for us. Cause us to rejoice in your power, to be in awe of your power.

As believers, Jesus has been raised as our Lord. Your power raised Him from the dead and now this power is active as He reigns over the Kingdom. His Kingdom is above every kingdom. His Name is exalted above every name! He - the Word of God - has not returned to You void, but He has accomplished what You have sent Him to do. He has redeemed us to be His inheritance.

Now, Father, grant to us power. Raise us up with Christ! Grant to us willing hearts. Grant to us wisdom, love, patience, perseverance. For we are the Church, and He is our Head. We are His Body, and He is crafting us perfectly - completely - according to Your will.

Oh Father, let us be faithful servants of the King. We long to see the Gospel proclaimed all around us. We long to see the world transformed by Christian love. We long to see righteousness and godliness abound.

Please send the power of Your Spirit to enable us fully and to compel us to only seek the Glory of Christ.

Oh No.

2008-06-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry for linking to this...

http://www.youvebeenleftbehind.com/index.html

In the beginning was the Word...

2008-06-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

Why is Jesus called the "Word"?

Perhaps a better question may be this: What is the significance of the fact that Jesus is called the Word?

By no means can I attempt to answer this question in full here in a little blog entry, nor do I claim to understand every facet of such significance, but I call us each to consider this today.

Matthew Henry writes:
"The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father's mind to the world."

I think this is a common thought in response to such questions as raised above. I agree with Henry's statement. However, consider two passages from Isaiah that I believe to be Messianic statements concerning our Lord:

Isaiah 45.23: I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.

Isaiah 55.11: So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

These two passages take my breath away in light of John 1.1 and Revelation 19.13. I believe we must be mindful of these passages as we refer to Jesus as the Word. Perhaps the significance of referring to Jesus as "the Word" is not only that in Him we see the Father's mind revealed, but also because in Him, the Father's plan is assured.

Jesus is the Word sent forth from God in righteousness and it is certain that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. (What a wonderful proof of the deity of Christ!) Jesus is the Word, which has gone forth from God and certainly did not return empty, but accomplished what He desired, and succeeded in purchasing a people with His blood!

Jesus is the Word...the promised One of God! Let us have full assurance and therefore let us gird ourselves up to serve the risen Lord. May God grant that we bring about His glory through the exaltation of His name as we proclaim the beautiful good news of the victory of Jesus!

Tolerated Sins

2008-06-09T12:59:00.001-07:00

Jerry Bridges has a book out that I am very interested in using for a study, perhaps on Wednesday night. It is titled Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate.

Here are some of the chapter headings which give us an idea of the sorts of things that Bridges believes are often tolerated instead of being viewed as sinful:

Ungodliness
Anxiety and Frustration
Discontentment
Unthankfulness
Pride
Selfishness
Lack of Self-Control
Impatience and Irritability
Anger
Judgmentalism
Envy
Sins of the Tongue
Wordliness

These headings should lead to very fruitful, important, and convicting discussions. I am especially glad to see the chapter dedicated to "ungodliness". I think that this is a very important concept to understand and that it gets to the heart of what sin is. Romans 1 makes it clear that God's wrath is being poured out because of the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

My question to you (I'm curious to hear your thoughts) is...what else do you think we can add to this list? Obviously, any sort of sin could be described as "ungodly", so let's try to be more specific. What are things that you see emphasized over and over throughout the Scriptures that tend to be ignored by churches today as if they are not really a big deal?

I'll throw a couple out for starters.

First, I think that one such "respectable sin" is a lack of intense love for our brethren. Second, I think that another is a lack of zeal for the proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus through the Gospel.

O.K., let me add one more. I think perhaps another of the most dangerous respectable sins is to assert that the Gospel is something that it is not. In other words, it is often heard throughout churches today to "Invite Jesus into your heart" but the actual Gospel is not proclaimed. Therefore, a person may believe that they have been saved by praying that Jesus will enter his or her heart but yet that person has not been instructed in essential matters of the Gospel such as the Resurrection, the sacrificial atonement, and justification by faith. Is this not a horrible sin that is tolerated throughout churches?

Photos from the Rockies

2008-06-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time on vacation last week.

Here are links to some of our favorite photos:

Drive over the Rockies via Trail Ridge Road...
http://picasaweb.google.com/wardmailbox/TrailRidgeRoadJune42008

Evening in the valley of Moraine Park...
http://picasaweb.google.com/wardmailbox/MoraineParkJune22008

Jaime and I hiked up to the frozen Emerald Lake...
http://picasaweb.google.com/wardmailbox/DreamAndEmeraldLakesJune32008

Hiked with the kids to Alberta Falls...
http://picasaweb.google.com/wardmailbox/GlacialGorgeTrailheadToAlbertaFallsJune22008

I hope to get back into updating the blog this week, so check back for more!

Acts 1-3: Impressions

2008-05-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I finished the third chapter in Acts. It is now time to pass the torch to Stan as he looks to pick up again in Matthew 5.

As I look back upon my studies, my sermons, and the wonderful dialog that has taken place in our midst as we have all focused upon the Word, there are a few thoughts that I wanted to share.

1. I have become convinced that we will never learn of the power of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Jesus as he is reigning from the right hand of God from studying systematic theologies and doctrinal statements with proof-texts. Our study in Acts shows a depth of sovereign power and the active nature of our Lord in his reign in this age. The Church must regain our focus upon the priority of the Gospel as it goes forth by the power of the Spirit by the will of the risen Lord. At Heritage, we must learn to long for this work and pray for this power.

2. A study in Acts shows condemns the self-centered focus of many influences in our churches today. Our best life now is not found in big houses, fancy cars, and sound financial investments. The Spirit did not bring these things when He came in power. The Spirit brings boldness to proclaim the Gospel, self-sacrificing love among the brethren, and redemption to those who will repent and return to the Lord.

3. My prayer is that we each will fall in love with the beauty displayed in these three chapters of Acts. May it consume us. May we see the Lordship of Christ in the Gospel and may we forsake all things that draw attention elsewhere. Let us not allow any other teaching take us away from the simple truth that the Church is to grow by proclaiming the Gospel in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Overdue

2008-05-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

For the last eight years, it has been our intention to get a photo of Stan and I together. Finally, at Tim and Christy's wedding, that moment happened...

Stan (Left) and Steve
Co-Pastors at Heritage

I am incredibly grateful for Stan as a friend, a brother, and as a partner in ministry.

I would also be remiss if I did not not post another rare photo moment.

The Lord brought Jaime and I together almost 14 years ago now and He has blessed us in every way imaginable...

Proclaiming the Doctrine of Sin

2008-05-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Mark Dever writes the following on page 148 of the book "Telling the Truth" edited by D.A. Carson...

"Sometimes we share the Gospel with people while secretly only half-believing it's true, wondering what they will concede to us, and not wanting to say much more than that lest we look ridiculous...Don't be put off by the current fad of the times. People need to grasp not only the theoretical concept of evil and wrong, but also the fact that they are evil and wrong. They need to experience their own consciences. This is difficult in postmodernism, because the self tends to dissolve away, to disappear. in many ways, that may be the biggest problem we have when we try to communicate the idea of sin today. Postmodernism encourages the evacuation of the responsible self.

But the real reason people don't acknowledge the legitimate moral claims of God is not because of any philosophy; it is simply because it is not in their self-interest to do so."

Sin and evil are two of the most difficult topics to discuss, especially when sin and evil become personal. But if there are certain things that we as Christians are absolutely convinced of, it is that sin is real and that the heart of sin is unrighteousness and ungodliness. Sin is opposition to God. This leads us to the reason for our evangelism; namely that as certain as we are that sin is real, we are certain that there is Good News and redemption from the power of the slavemaster of sin and reconciliation with God through Jesus, the Messiah.

So far in our study in Acts, we have seen Peter bring the charge of sin against Israel for crucifying the Prince of Life. Let us prayerfully consider how we may effectively communicate the depths of sin to those whom are around us today.

Acts 3: His Lips with Grace O’erflow

2008-05-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

Over the past two weeks we have looked at the third chapter of Acts. Here we have seen the continued work of the powerful Holy Spirit as the Kingdom continues to be proclaimed in Jerusalem.

At the gate of the Temple, known as "Beautiful", we see the graphic work of the Spirit and the power of the Gospel through the name of Jesus, as Peter heals the lame man. Here is proof of the impotence of the Old Covenant. This man sits here, wrecked by sin and he becomes the object of Israel's self-vindicating works. He would beg of alms. His cry would be to those passing by into the Temple something such as "Oh tenderhearted one, by me gain merit, to thine own benefit". The apocryphal book of Tobit (Tobit 4:8-10) expresses the Jewish belief "If thou hast abundance give alms accordingly: if thou have but a little, be not afraid to give according to that little: For thou layest up a good treasure for thyself against the day of necessity. Because that alms do deliver from death, and suffereth not to come into darkness. "

Oh how this picture is a stark contrast from the end of chapter 2. There, the New Covenant people of God are shown with great love and compassion for all in their midst, selling all of their possession if necessary, not for deliverance from judgment, but by the power of the Holy Spirit!

The healing of this lame man shows the efficacy of the New Covenant. The Gospel holds the power of deliverance and this leads to Peter's explanation in the rest of chapter 3. There we see Peter lay out the testimony of judgment against the nation of Israel for rejecting Jesus, the Messiah. Note the force of his words in 3:13-15. But even in this testimony of their guilt, what stands out is the grace that overflows from the Gospel. Consider the following:

The Lord used Peter to heal this lame man as an appeal to Israel that the Gospel is true. In spite of their continued rejection of the Gospel, the Lord continues to appeal to them to repent and come to Him for rest and deliverance.
Peter states that he knows that they have acted in ignorance, as their rulers did also (Acts 3.17). In light of the weight of being responsible for the death of the promised Messiah, the words of the Gospel still appeal with loving gentleness and mercy.
The Gospel calls them to repent and return so that their record of sins my be blotted out (Acts 3.19). In the ancient world, the ink would not bleed into the papyrus below, but it remained on the surface. The ink on top could be purposefully removed, leaving no trace that it had existed on the surface below. The Gospel indeed offers grace! By the righteousness of Jesus Christ, our sins may be washed away as if they never existed...for He has paid the price for them!

There is much more to this text that we will continue to explore, but the call now comes to us. Will we be faithful witnesses in our generation for the Lord Jesus? It will only be done if we seek it through the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us be quick to leave our worldly concerns, knowing that He has promised to provide all things if we first and primarily seek the Kingdom of God. My we be testimonies of His grace. And may we learn by this text that grace is persistent. May we never stop proclaiming the Gospel to those who have rejected it, just as Peter continued to preach it to these people of his day.

More love from Spurgeon

2008-05-16T12:44:00.001-07:00

This one just might make the ceremony tomorrow...

Let it really be so with us now! Let our love embrace the Well-Beloved! Let this be a time of love with us! Look up at His blessed face and then ask, “Was there ever any other so fair as He is?” Then look into His heart and enquire, “Was there ever another heart so tender, so true, so kind, as His?” Then count His royal and Divine honors and see whether any other lover ever wooed with such bejeweled hands and such a crown of Glory as He wears upon His blessed brow! Yes, look Him all over and see if there ever was such Incarnate Love in any other as you behold in Him. Did any other man ever love so intensely, or did any woman ever expend such a wealth of love as He has bestowed on us in stooping from the highest heavens to the lowest depths of misery and shame, and even to the grave, itself, that He might lift us up to sit forever with Him on His Throne?

O Heart! Heart! Heart! You ought to be smitten till you break into a thousand fragments if you do not love the Well-Beloved! What is wrong with you, cold Soul, lukewarm Soul, that you do not burn and glow with such good matter as this when you are speaking of the things which concern the King! Come, Beloved, let us love our Lord, or die! If we really are Christians, our hearts would sooner cease to beat than cease to love our blessed Savior!

Christ and His Bride

2008-05-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

As we draw near to Tim and Christy's wedding this Saturday, these words from Spurgeon ought to draw us near to Christ...

"What I am driving at, and what I want every Christian here to get at, is this thought. Whatever Jesus Christ is—and you do not know half of what He is, even you who know most of Him—whatever Christ is in any relationship, or from any point of view, He has given Himself to us! Not merely has He given His thoughts, His actions, His wisdom, His power and His wealth but He has given Himself to us. Oh, I like to think of this! All that I can imagine Christ to be must still fall far short of Himself! It is Himself that we love and I would sooner have Christ than have Heaven! It is Himself we love and I would sooner have Christ than His crown! It is Himself we love and I would sooner have Christ than all the golden streets! It is Himself that we love and it is Himself that belongs to us—not merely the sight of His eyes, but His eyes themselves! Not only the love of His heart, but His heart itself! Himself, His Godhead and His Manhood, the complex Person of the Christ of God is given to His Church!

I feel as if I do not know how to talk at all about this great Truth of God. Some Brother cried out this morning when I was speaking, and I noticed that somebody else immediately followed him. But oh, if ever there is a time for crying out—and yet, on the other hand, if ever there is a time for being struck with silence—it is when we get on this topic of Christ’s love to His people! I feel as if I need to run from this platform and go home—and shut the door and sit down—and weep to the praise of this mighty love! And then I should want to get up and run back, again, and say, “What a fool I was not to tell you all I could about it!” May God the Holy Spirit help you to realize it! That you are loved by anyone is a joy, for love is a precious thing, whoever gives it. But you, Believer, are loved by Christ! You are so loved by Christ as not merely to be espoused to Him, but united to Him in eternal wedlock! You are joined to Him in such a way that you must, by-and-by, be with Him in all the Glory of His royal estate, for the King will bring His queen home and He will bring you home to dwell with Him forever and ever!"

PTTS: Ephesians 1:15-19a

2008-05-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Praying Through the Scriptures: Ephesians 1:15-19a

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. (NASB)

My loving and gracious God,

I have heard of wonderful things! I have seen it with my own eyes! You have blessed many whom I know and love with faith in the Gospel and granted us sincere and genuine Christian love for one another. Who am I, that I should be blessed with the fellowship of the Body of Christ? Thank you for your mercy, and for blessing me richly with this knowledge and this fellowship.

Help me, my God, to never cease from enjoying the faith and the love of my brethren. May I always praise You and thank You for this, and be faithful to pray for their strength. It is a joy and it is beautiful.

May you now give us each wisdom. We need this wisdom so that we may shine as lights in the darkness. We need wisdom so that we do not fall into the snares of sin. We need this wisdom so that we honor You, and bring glory to your Son, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Open our eyes, and let us realize that we have been called to the highest of callings! We have been called to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Nothing can compare to this. Nothing should take our affections away from this calling. We are to building up one another in the Body of Christ, which is the inheritance of Christ. As such, we ought to be the most diligent of stewards, protecting one another, sheltering one another, and encouraging one another to be faithful witnesses, holy and sanctified vessels. Your Church is a treasure, filled with riches beyond all of the gold in this world. Let us value it as You do.

Please grant us the surpassing greatness of this power! We need it. We cry out to You to grant it. And we trust that You will pour out this power and transform us.

PTTS: Ephesians 1:11-14

2008-05-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Praying Through the Scriptures: Ephesians 1:11-14

1:11 In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will 1:12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, may be to the praise of his glory. 1:13 And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, 1:14 who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession to the praise of his glory. (NET Bible)

I ask You, my God, to remove my pessimism and the things that have happened in my life that have made me cynical towards your possession, the Body of Christ. Let me not forget that the King of Kings has promised that the gates of Hades will not overtake the Church. It will remain strong and it will persevere until the end of all time. You have set Your sovereign affections upon it and eternally purposed it to be Your choice possession, to the praise of Your glory!

Thank you for allotting the corporate Body of believers as Your inheritance. It doesn’t even seem right in our feeble minds that You should be pleased to possess us! We seem so frail and depraved. By the Word we know that we were not chosen because of our wisdom, our fame, or our beauty. Yet You have sovereignly treasured us and You take pleasure in us. Help me to grasp that truth!

Selah.

With this truth upon my mind, let me then also treasure the Body of Christ. Let me do nothing to harm my brethren. Let me never promote divisiveness or slander, but let me seek to build up one another in the Body. Grant me a relentless love towards my brothers and sisters in Christ that is according to Your love.

Thank you for predestining this to occur. Thank you for letting nothing stand in the way of Your love toward each of us as the faithful ones in the Gospel. You indeed work all things according to the counsel of your will. Forgive the terrible inventions of man’s theology that asserts the opposite; namely that your will is worked by the counsel of all things. You are sovereign. Nothing happens apart from Your decree. Let our minds trust that, as Your Word tells us clearly in this passage.

Thank you for the work of Your Spirit. It is His work that gives us assurance that we are the inheritance of God, for the Spirit has sealed us as the pledge that we will be redeemed forevermore. Teach us, as the Body of Christ, to treasure the riches of grace that we already possess, as we also long for the day that we are corporately redeemed as Your possession and we will spend eternity together praising Your mighty and holy name.

Wanton Wickedness

2008-05-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Spurgeon says...

"Further, among the chief of sinners we must of course reckon those who are guilty of the coarser and grosser sins. I will not occupy a moment in mentioning what they are, for it is a shame even to speak of them...I must, however, mention blasphemy and lewd speaking, because these are unhappily far too common. Does a man think that he can go on damning his own body and soul in so many words, and never provoke the Lord to anger? Does he dream that he can use foul and filthy words, and wicked oaths, without incurring sin? I believe that these things bring the blackest guilt on the conscience; for God has expressly said that he will by no means hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. It is true of every sin that God will not hold a man guiltless who does it; but it is especially said about this sin, because men are apt to fancy that words are of no great importance, or that God takes no notice thereof. Even the thoughtless or trifling repetition of the name of the Lord involves great sin, for thus a man taketh the sacred name in vain. Yet men trifle with that name in common conversation, and that with fearful frequency. There is no excuse for this wanton wickedness, because it brings neither profit nor pleasure to the person who so offends. "

May God cleanse us from profaning His name. May we be burdened when we hear ourselves or others around us use His name with no presentation or thought of His glory.

Acts 2: Community

2008-05-05T06:38:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday, our text in Acts 2:44-47 called us to consider the beauty of the Spirit's work in the Body of Christ. This earliest church demonstrated that the Spirit's power brings unity, love and provision. Darrel Bock indicates in his commentary that the early church's preaching (just as Peter had finished preaching earlier in Acts 2) was matched by its community.

By God's providence, we discussed this text on the first Sunday of the month, and at Heritage we enjoy partaking of the Lord's Table together and then we have a meal together after the services. So, we recognized that the Lord has blessed us, and thousands of years after Acts 2 was written, the Spirit still causes us to enjoy one another in Christian fellowship.

Let us always find ways to increase in this sort of fellowship. May we enjoy hospitality and provision. Acts 2 displays the splendor of love demonstrated in the selling of individual goods for the needs of one another and the good of the whole Christian community. May God grant us wisdom to be stewards of what we have been given so that we are quick to meet the needs of others. Let us always be empathetic, always be loving, and always be seeking the Spirit's power to display Christ-like love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

A New Light Shone In Their Eyes

2008-05-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

I found this excerpt on another blog (Andrew Osenga) from a book about the Underground Railroad called “Bound for Canaan” by Fergus M Bordewich:

Conductors who were in a hurry, or desperate, sometimes literally flung fugitives onto a passing ship, and hoped for the best. In one such instance, a steamboat captain named Chapman, en route from Cleveland to Buffalo, was hailed about three miles offshore by four men in a small boat, two of them merchants with whom he had done business the day before, and the others black strangers.

One of the whites threw on board a purse containing fifteen dollars in silver, and asked Chapman to land the black men in Canada, telling him to take his pay out of it, and to give the passengers what was left. The sight of the new passengers didn’t please the captain, who, imbued with the racial prejudices of his time and place, found them “very black, coarse in feature and build, stupid in expression, and apparently incapable of any mental excitement except fear.”

Fortunately, however, Chapman was a man with a heart, and he ran in near the Canadian shore, and landed the men on a beach, where they were met by the agents of the underground… …Chapman handed the men the entire fifteen dollars, and told them they were free.

What he then witnessed startled the captain.

“They seemed to be transformed; a new light shone in their eyes, their tongues were loosed, they laughed and cried, prayed and sang praises, fell upon the ground and kissed it over and over. I thought to myself...‘Is it possible that human beings are kept in such a condition that they are made perfectly happy by being landed and left alone in a strange land with no human beings or habitations in sight, with the prospect of never seeing a friend or relative?’ ”

“Before I stepped upon my deck I had determined to never again be identified with any party that sustained the system of slavery.”

I think we often read through the slavery language in the Scriptures and we have no idea of the depth of meaning. If you have been freed from the slave master of sin, do your eyes now have a new light in them? Do you laugh, do you cry, do you sing, do you pray?

PTTS: Ephesians 1:7-10

2008-04-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

Praying Through the Scriptures: Ephesians 1:7-10

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth."

Father, let me give praise to You for the work of Your Son, the Beloved.

My trespasses are numerous and severe against You. You would be just to condemn and punish me with the tortures of Hell. I cannot make any excuse for them. Your justice demands that these sins be punished.

By the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus has bore my sins through the riches of His grace. His blood was spilled to purchase the redemption of His people, the forgiveness of their sins. It not by the work of my hands that I claim such forgiveness, but simply by faith in His Gospel. Help me to cherish this fact…let me count this forgiveness as the greatest of all treasures.

Break my mind free from the bondage of looking at the temporal as if it is the eternal. Let me not treasure wealth or physical beauty. Do not let me find security in my bank account or my situations. Instead, let me see myself as rich, trusting Your Word and the promises it contains for those redeemed by the blood of Christ.

Help me to understand the depths of the grace lavished out upon the Church. Let me remember how the priests of the Old Covenant had to sacrifice blood again and again, yet it still could not atone for the sins of men. Let me remember the wrath of God that came to those who were not under the blood of the Passover. Let me appreciate my salvation, and the salvation that you have bestowed upon those believers whom I love in my family and in my church.

I give thanks to You for making known to me the mystery of Your will. I now understand that it is Your pleasure that all glory belongs to Jesus Christ. He is the purpose of all of history. He is the focus of all of the Scriptures. Whether on earth or in the heavens, it is His name that should be magnified and praised. As Your Word clearly states, Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and the glory of God is summed up in His person. May my thoughts and my words convey that wisdom.

Please restore the central focus of the glory of Christ to the churches to which we belong. Let our worship clearly center upon Jesus Christ instead of focusing on our worldly needs. Let our evangelism stress His righteousness instead of cheap grace. Let our Christian families and fellowship find satisfaction in discussing the majesty of our Savior instead of amusement and the tedious aspects of this world.

Men's Fellowship - Prayer

2008-04-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday evening, we met for our Men's fellowship and experienced a time of challenge, of encouragement, and of repentance. Our thoughts were drawn to the subject of corporate prayer and we expressed our struggles, frustrations, and hopes regarding this important subject.

I am personally convinced that we have many pressures upon us that mold us into patterns of corporate prayer that are far from biblical. Even the best of the books and studies that we have used to help our prayer lives fail at some of the most basic levels. At the core of this is the assumption that the only thing that we care to pray about is our health, our finances, and our relationships...oh, and lest we forget the staple of all modern corporate prayer, travel mercies (forgive the sarcasm). Many of these books and studies try to show us that we are to pray for all of these things with the focus of bringing glory to God. This is an important point, but as I look to the teachings on prayer in the Scriptures I am left to wonder if there is an issue that lies deeper, at the heart of the things that we desire and the things that we do not.

There were certainly plenty of needs in biblical times. There was poverty in many of the places were the churches existed. There were broken families and relationships. There were illnesses and death. The mortality rate was about the same as today! There were accidents, disasters, social injustices, etc. All of these things were just as rampant then as they are now. But what was the focus of the prayers of the Church? Time and time again we see corporate prayer focused upon the unity of the Church, the edification of the Church, the need for wisdom in the Church, for the advancement of the Gospel as the Church continues to proclaim the Word of Life as it expands the dominion of the Lord Jesus as salvation goes forth. The Scriptures show forth the need to ask for God's strength and provision for the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit and through faith in the risen Lord Jesus.

I am not saying that we should not be praying for material or physical needs. Pray for them all...spiritual, physical, relational. Any thing that urges you to depend upon God and ask of His good provision. We are commanded in the Scriptures to do so! But understand that as a believer, you are able to pray for these things without necessarily needing the help of others in prayer.

Now, if you have labored in prayer and the burden is heavy, if you need encouragement and you need to know that others are bearing the burden with you, by all means, bring it before another brother or sister in Christ. Ask your church to pray for you! But all too often, I think we have reached a point in which we ask others to pray for things that we ourselves are not truly burdened about. Or else, we ask thinking that the Lord will not answer our prayer alone, but that He is more apt to answer the prayers when others are asking Him.

My greatest concern is that there are so many of these requests that there is little emphasis placed upon praying for the earnest and dire needs of the Church. It is very indicting that we do not see sincere and dependent prayers of corporate repentance, corporate supplications, and biblical yearnings for the strength of the Church in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Perhaps another hindrance to biblical corporate prayer is that we do not want to speak as if there is something wrong in our churches. In other words, if we are going to seek biblical corporate prayer, we will have to admit that we don't have perfect unity, perfect desires, perfect people, and perfect ministries. It takes corporate humility and corporate repentance. We must not be afraid to admit that we need to grow in these areas. But let us take heart and see the things that the Scriptures call us to value and let us pray that those things take place in our midst!

I am thankful for the discussion that we had Sunday night, and I hope that it continues, no only as a discussion, but that it changes our corporate prayer life to be more biblical, more sincere, and more effectual for the glory of the Lord Jesus! May we pray that it is so.

Acts 2: Devotion

2008-04-29T06:07:00.001-07:00

The second chapter of Acts chronicles the incredible display of the power of the Holy Spirit as God poured it out upon these believers. We have looked at the salvation that was revealed, the judgment that was revealed, and the power that was revealed as promised by our Lord that these people would become His witnesses. In verse 42 we see that these believers were changed...they "continually devoted" themselves to the apostolic teaching of the Gospel, fellowship with one another including breaking bread together, and to prayer.

In verse 43, we see that the apostles continued to perform signs and wonders. This is the same phrase used earlier to describe the manner in which God attested that Jesus is the Messiah. I take from this parallel usage that God now was attesting that the apostolic teaching of the Gospel was the true message of the Messiah, the promised Good News of the New Covenant and therefore God was declaring the certainty of the hope that is, and that is to be revealed. In chapter 3, we will see a specific example of the apostolic signs and the validation that they bring upon the Gospel that they are heralding.

Such things are overwhelming. God demonstrated in power with wondrous events that Jesus is the Messiah, that His judgment is against those who oppose Him, even those who were once His people, but now are not His people if they continue in unbelief.

My friends, we need to be overwhelmed. We must be driven from our whimsical nature to lives of continual devotion. This passage calls us to consider the great events of those first days of the New Covenant and we ought to be amazed. Perhaps as we study these accounts we realize that reading about them may not bring the same amazement that we may have had if we were there, experiencing the rushing sound of the Spirit, seeing the manifestation described as the tongues of fire, experiencing the miracle of the tongues. But these signs testify of the reality that can overwhelm us with incredible power. These all attest that the Holy Spirit will empower the people of God to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Christ and that we will be driven to devotion when we are led by the Spirit.

Let us thirst for this power! Let us ask for this power! And let us seek this power in faith, knowing that it is the will of our God to display His glory through the Good News concerning the Lord and Messiah, Jesus Christ!

A second and worse death.

2008-04-24T11:31:00.001-07:00

Just a quotation worthy of consideration...

"If sin had only wronged man in this life, which is but for a moment, it would not have been so serious. But sin's miserable effects are everlasting: if mercy does not prevent, the wicked will die and rise to die again, the second and a worse death."

- Ralph Venning from The Sinfulness of Sin.

PTTS: Ephesians 1:3-6

2008-04-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

Praying Through the Scriptures: Ephesians 1:3-6

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."

May all praise be to You, the great and mighty God, who alone has the power to bless His children. Sin and the forces of darkness may offer temporal things that seem to benefit me, but they are illusions; they are designed to distract me from the hope of glory to come and also to make me dissatisfied with the provision of Your perfect gifts. Grant that I may seek pleasure in You alone.

Selah.

What splendor!!! Through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I have been blessed with every blessing. May that thought sink into my heart…'every' spiritual blessing! There is no good gift that I lack. Indeed, should I be discontent, should I think that God has forsaken me in any way, then I sin against His goodness and the promise of His Word.

Father, let me be a testimony to those around me of this great truth. Let my actions show that I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Let me not complain of my lot in life. Let me not show forth greed and lust for things that are contrary to the holiness of the Law of Christ. Forgive me for sinning in this manner and for giving the world another reason to think that the Christian faith is just another mere religious institution. Let me be convinced that nothing good will ever come from sin and that the perfect supply of blessing for every need in my life has been supplied by my Lord Jesus Christ.

Should I ever wonder how I am blessed in so great a measure, use Your Word to convince me. Let me know that as a believer in Christ, I have been chosen by You before the foundations of the world. As such, my assurance is secure. There is nothing I can fail to do to lose your love, for You have not chosen to bless me so richly based upon my own actions, but by Your sovereign grace. It is through this grace that I stand before you holy and blameless, for I have been united with Christ, the Holy One.

Let me know that I have been adopted as a son by You through the kindness of the will of Jesus Christ. Therefore, even with the Apostle Paul, I cry out with praise to You for Your glorious grace to me. Loose my tongue that I may sing and speak of Your glories. Glory to God for the every blessing bestowed upon all believers in the Gospel freely through the Beloved, Jesus our Lord!
Amen.

Introduction to the Praying Through the Scriptures Series

2008-04-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

I hope to begin and continue a series of posts titled "Praying Through the Scriptures". One of the greatest thrills that I have known through my studying and preaching the Word of God is the challenge to change my prayers from a trite, unthoughtful, and worldly manner towards the biblical model.

My purpose is to encourage you to model your prayers after the Scriptures. Not in a word-for-word manner, but in a manner that models prayers after the focus of the teachings in the Scriptures. These posts will focus on prayers that I have written that I believe reflect sound exegesis of the Scriptures. However, I will include some study notes upon the texts and also quotations of great works that I believe will stimulate you towards worship and godly meditation upon the Word of God.

I have penned these words to demonstrate how exciting our prayers should be, with the sad realization that my prayers are often dull and monotonous. So, to a great degree, I do this for myself.

May the Scriptures ignite our souls with the fire of divine fellowship with our Lord.

Acts 2: The Gospel

2008-04-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we enjoyed fellowship and worship. Our text for the sermon continued to be Peter's sermon in the second chapter of Acts. This time, my purpose in the message was to focus upon the Gospel message from this text. Perhaps the aspect that stood out most to me was the Gospel's presentation of the person of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is not merely about Jesus, it is intrinsically centered upon Him.

Peter says, "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene..." He does not skip to what Jesus did or what Jesus has now made possible without immediately and primarily presenting to his audience Jesus himself. You do not know the Gospel if you do not know Jesus. You may have an understanding of sin, and understanding of repentance. You may know that faith is essential and that salvation is of grace. But if you do not know Jesus and therefore know these wonderful things that are also part of the Gospel, than you know nothing of the Gospel presented in the Scriptures. In John's words:

1 John 1:1-3 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

We may not have seen Him with our eyes, heard Him with our ears, or touched Him with our hands, but through faith, we know Jesus. We have fellowship with Him. May He grant to us this knowledge through His great grace!

"Multifaceted" Wisdom

2008-04-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, there was quite a stir over Barack Obama and the church to which he belongs. Typically, I avoid involvement in politics and talk radio, and this would have not been an exception, except one thing stood out to me. Obama stated that Sunday is the most segregated day of the week in America. His point brings up a stark reality that there is in many cases a strong separation between churches of different racial backgrounds.

There was much reaction to this statement. I heard many discussions around me in person, on the radio, and elsewhere. And as I listened to the responses, my heart sank. I have harbored a very passionate reaction to this, but I have held it back to let the emotion pass and hopefully allow the very critical issues to be considered.

First of all, let me state that I am glad that the issue was brought up and I hope that it brings about something good, especially in the Body of Christ. But I do want to point out one exception to Obama's statement. I do not believe "segregated" is the right word. Instead, I believe that the word "separated" would be very appropriate. To me, "segregation" implies a purposeful and proactive attempt to keep one people group from being integrated with the other. I do not know of a single church or a single pastor that has ever purposefully and proactively sought to keep people away from their church on the basis of race.

However, I do think that it is an appropriate point of discussion to consider the "separation" of racial groups in churches today. I do not want to begin a discussion of why this separation exists, though it may be a useful exercise and good for harmony in the Body of Christ. But I just wanted to share a passage of Scripture that I think should come to our minds in light of this issue.

In Ephesians, Paul discusses the greatness of the Body of Christ. As we went through Ephesians as a church, we were all changed. The Word of God powerfully worked upon our hearts and by the Spirit we were challenged to a new understanding of the importance of the Body of Christ. We saw the need to love, to forgive, and to be involved in one another's lives. Throughout the epistle, we are reminded over and over that the Body of Christ - the living Temple - is great and glorious.

In the second chapter, Paul speaks of the wonderful work of Christ in making one Body, out of two groups: the Jews and the Gentiles. If ever there were groups that were racially divided and segregated, these two groups would have been the clearest example. In Ephesian 2:14-22 we see Paul state that the blood of Christ has abolished the dividing wall (the Old Covenant Law) established peace between the two groups. They have been brought into one household, the household of God (His dwelling place).

The language of Ephesians is filled with construction (specifically Temple) imagery. The Body of Christ is shown to be the Temple of the living God. Each member (whether Jew or Gentile) is a part of that structure, and each is instrumental for the good of the others. In chapter 3, Paul speaks further of integration of the Gentiles with the Jews and he makes this statement:

3:10 The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.

There is a construction term in this verse that we need to grasp. The word "multifaceted" is the word to describe the beautiful, multicolored decorations of the temples in the first-century world. (Temples were not a drab gray as we see in their ruins today...they were splendid in color.) In other words, the Body of Christ is composed of all sorts of races. They are all united together. This is the wisdom of God to bring reconciliation in the Body, and just as the temples were colored with beautiful and vibrant decorations and gems, so the Body of Christ is beautiful in the multicolored peoples (races) that compose it.

Let us in the Body of Christ be burdened that racial division still occurs. Let us seek to remove any racism within. Let us see that hatred towards others based upon their race is unloving and sinful. And let us repent when we find it in ourselves.

Now let me add one more thing. There will never be the glorious racial integration spoken of in the Scriptures when we leave the pure Scriptural purposes of the church and seek culture-centered needs instead of biblical truth.

For instance, consider preaching in the modern church. Exposition of the Scriptures in preaching will unite us under the banner of our Lord. It does not matter what our racial background is or our social status is when the Word is proclaimed. Being black, white, rich, poor does not affect our ability to seek the Kingdom of God through the Word. But, if the preachers in our churches abandon the Word, we quickly see the results of separation. The seeker-sensitive suburban churches that teach about the felt needs of 20-30 year old white Americans will not be attractive for those who are outside the demographic. The churches that preach sermons dominated by themes of social injustice and of frustration for specific groups without regards for others also increase the separation.

Let us return to the Word! Let us seek the glory of our Lord! And let us love one another and value one another, regardless of race or social status. May God grant us this power which will work within us far more abundantly beyond all that we think or ask, and to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus!

Acts 2: Judgment

2008-04-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Since I am late again posting, here is a quick summary of the sermon last Sunday.

This past Sunday, we looked at Acts 2 and focused on the judgment of God the was revealed at Pentecost.

I laid out my approach in three headings:

1. The Pouring out of the Holy Spirit is connected with the beginnings of the New Covenant Kingdom. We have seen this over the past few months as we have started Acts and as we looked previously at the significance of the Holy Spirit in regards to the New Covenant.

2. The Coming of the New Covenant Kingdom is associated with Judgment on the old kingdom. As we saw from our previous studies in Isaiah 5 and Luke 20, the Kingdom of God was about to be revealed and given to a people who were not previously God's people. Instead, the Old Covenant people were being judged for their unfaithfulness through this.

3. The Pouring out of the Holy Spirit is connection with the Judgment on the Old Covenant people of God. We see Isaiah 28 (and other passages) being fulfilled with the extraordinary tongues of God spoke in a way that some of the Old Covenant people did not understand, even though others were able to hear the great deeds of God.

As we finished our time together, I took us to Romans 9-11 to see that we ought to have humility as we consider our faith and salvation. For just as God brought an end to the Old Covenant and poured out His promised wrath upon the Old Covenant people, so too there is a judgment to come for all. This fear should always keep us clinging to the Gospel through faith and also keep us proclaiming the Good News to others!

Acts 2: The Spirit and Salvation

2008-04-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

"It will so happen that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

This past Sunday, we began looking at Acts 2. My plan is to continue in Acts 2 over the next several weeks and see the different themes that shine forth throughout this wonderful chapter. This week, we spent time looking at the salvation revealed as promised by the prophets.

The prophet Joel warned his people that though it seemed like things could not get any worse, they should take heed. God's judgment was near, "Who can endure it?" (Joel 2.11). Yet in the midst of God's judgment on the Old Covenant people, the prophet calls the people to repentance again and then states a glorious hope. One day, God has promised to pour out His Spirit (Joel 2.28) and it will come about that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2.32).

In Acts 2, we see the undeniable proof of the outpouring of the Spirit and Peter declares that Joel's words were now fulfilled. May God be praised! Selah.

Then the text shows us the power of the Spirit - the power of the Gospel - and 3,000 people called upon the name of the Lord Jesus by the mercy of God and were saved!

Truly our God is merciful and faithful! Truly the Spirit's power is real and effectual! Consider these disciples and the apostles. They had walked with the Lord for many years, experiencing his wisdom in teaching and seeing his glory. But now He has been put to death by those in political and religious power. The followers of our Lord had no power to respond. The risen Lord then appears to them and Jesus teaches them of the Kingdom and commands them to wait in Jerusalem until power comes upon them - the power of the promised Spirit.

Until this point, the followers of Jesus had no power, no ability, no wisdom to take the message of the crucified Lord, the atoning work of Jesus, nor even the news that He is risen and hold that message as a light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. But now, the moment the Spirit came in power, as Jesus promised, Peter stands and declares to those who opposed Jesus that they are guilty of His blood. They crucified the promised Messiah.

Now these believers have boldness. They have no fear of the religious and political leaders who just crucified Jesus and would want to do the same to them. Christ has now given power and authority to those in His kingdom. They will now go forth from here in Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and then onward to the remote parts of the world. The Gospel will not be stopped. And all of this is due to the power of the Holy Spirit, promised to be poured out on God's people.

The text also shows us that God had gathered a remnant of Israel that had been dispersed. During Pentecost, many Jews had returned to Jerusalem from the list of many far away places as found in Acts 2:5-11. As God had promised, he would gather a remnant and bring them redemption through the Gospel.

We often look upon Calvary and see the atoning work of Christ...and we should often do this! Though we have been redeemed and we are forever secured by His grace as believers, in our weakness and in our sins, we continue to ever look to the blood of Christ and seek its cleansing power by faith. So too, though the promised Spirit has been poured out upon the Church (to the Jews in Acts 2, later to be given to the Gentiles) and the Gospel will go forth by its power, let us look back to Pentecost and be reminded that without the Spirit, we would not see the Gospel go forth. Without the Spirit, we would not have the boldness or wisdom to proclaim the Gospel to our friends, or family, our neighbors. And therefore, if we find that we are not as bold and faithful to share the Gospel as we should, let us beseech the Lord to empower us with His promised Spirit and send us forth as His servants to proclaim the Good News and see His kingdom expand!

Study: 1 Peter 5:1-4

2008-04-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry for posting this so late!

Last Wednesday evening, we gathered for prayer and study. Our text was from 1 Peter 5 and we made it through the first four verses.

As a bi-vocational pastor, this passage stirs up many thoughts and emotions for me. Our discussion on Wednesday led us through many of these thoughts.

First, there is a beauty found in the sovereignly-gifted church. God has filled the Body with pastors and teachers and gifted each person in order that we can all build one another up towards the fullness of Christ himself (see Ephesians). Peter exhorts the pastors to shepherd the flock out of selflessness and humility. The pastoral ministry is one of love, compassion, and work.

I am thankful for God's grace and power in my life. Prior to my conversion, I was very much introverted, unless there was a self-seeking reason to be otherwise. I didn't have any sense of earnest compassion for others and I would avoid contact if at all possible. I definitely did not desire to have empathy for others in their needs and struggles.

Immediately after my conversion, my whole life changed. The Lord did not simply open my eyes to see my need of redemption, but He opened my eyes to see that others needed the Gospel, that others needed encouragement, and that others needed to be fed from the Word of God. It was a complete change in my life, in my desires and personality.

Eventually, I found that my desires were to shepherd as a pastor. Now, after being in the pastoral ministry for over ten years, this passage from 1 Peter 5 still resonates with passion and power.

I am very grateful to God for all of the men whom have crossed my path by the sovereign plan and purpose of God. For the past eight years, Stan has been my partner in the ministry and has challenged me, encouraged me, and loved me. All of this has been needed. I am grateful for each member at Heritage, showing forth grace and love towards me, a pastor not worthy of this calling, but strengthened by God and by His people.

Last Wednesday we talked a lot about the dangers that are before many churches and pastors in this day and culture. Especially in Baptist churches, the pastoral ministry is very fragile. Often, pastors are only with a church for a few years before leaving. The ministry is often treated in a very corporate fashion, and is sometimes sought for monetary gain and personal pride rather than for an abiding love for the congregation.

But I am thankful for those whom I see serving out of a pure heart, not for sordid gain and not pridefully lording their position over the people. It is truly a labor of love and the reflection of the work of the Great Shepherd.

Called to be an Ignoramus

2008-04-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Last evening, my wife returned from the ladies' study and we stayed up late talking about Lloyd-Jones' chapter on the Mortification of Sin. As a commentary on the passage "Make no provision for the flesh", Lloyd-Jones states:

"There is a fire within you; never bring any oil anywhere near it, because if you do there will be a flame, and there will be trouble."

He speaks of the media of the day, newspapers and books, and warns not to read those things that will contain things that are suggestive and draw our minds from holiness to vain things, to sinful things. The argument of some is that we need to keep up on the happenings of the day, we need to be educated or else we shall be considered as an ignoramus. Lloyd-Jones replies:

"Our Lord's reply is that, for the sake of your soul, you had better be an ignoramus, if you know it does harm to know these things. Even the most valued thing must be sacrificed."

In this day, we are faced with even more numerous avenues of graphic and intense exposure to sin. Let us each be a blissful ignoramus for the sake of holiness and for the glory of our Lord!

Camp Del Haven

2008-04-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

As spring has arrived, we at Heritage are reminded that Camp Del Haven's camping season will be here before we know it! I thought I would post a few things about this wonderful ministry so that we will each be able to pray more earnestly for the Lord to shower His blessings of mercy upon those in attendance.

Del Haven Memorial Chapel

For those of you who may not know, Camp Del Haven provides an opportunity for children to experience a week of camp for free. Currently, most of the children who are invited to the camp come from homes where one or both parents are incarcerated.

During a week of camp each child can expect to experience a memorable experience through various typical summer camp activities such as: swimming, campfires, and other outdoor games and sports. The children take part nature study, crafts, singing, Bible Studies, and opportunities for memorizing Scriptures.

While Camp Del Haven gives these children a week of fun and escape from the pressures and struggles of their life, the main focus is, and always has been, to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. It is an incredible opportunity!

As partners in ministry with Del Haven, let us be ambassadors for Christ by doing the following:

Let us pray earnestly even now for those children who will attend the camp this summer by God's providential hand. May God prepare their hearts and protect them from all things that would harden them from faith. May God's mercy begin directing them to understand the weight of sin, the need of redemption, and the perfect atoning work of Jesus the Lord!
Let us pray for the camp staff who have diligently worked for many years so that this ministry would continue the work of the Gospel. May God grant them peace and strength. May God provide all of their needs, personally and for the camp as well.
Let us pray for the counselors who will volunteer. As the Lord to provide many who love Him, who are obedient to the faith, and who are willing to show forth Christ-like love.

For our men's fellowship in April, we are planning to go out and do some work at Del Haven to help prepare for the coming camp season. Please contact me if you would like me information.

For more information on Camp Del Haven, and to find out ways you can volunteer to help, please visit their website.

Resurrection and Missions

2008-03-31T07:23:00.000-07:00

It was our joy and privilege on Sunday to have Dr. Ron and Faye Rogers join us for worship. The Rogers are missionaries to Brazil and we have known them since Stan and I met Dr. Rogers at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Dr. Rogers' sermon provided a glorious look at the relationship of the resurrection of Christ to the missionary work of the Gospel. The providence of God was clearly demonstrated as we have been studying in-depth on the subject of the resurrection and also through Isaiah, and in March, I started preaching through the first chapter of Acts. All of these studies came together in Dr. Rogers' sermon.

After our worship service, Ron and Faye shared with us of the specifics regarding their work in Brazil. We heard many encouraging testimonies of the work as a whole, and specific men who have given their lives to starting Bible studies, planting churches, and taking the Gospel throughout their region.

The passion of Ron and Faye for the Gospel's advancement is a testimony of the power of the Spirit of God. Ron's personality is not charismatic. His preaching is not loud nor excitable. Instead, he demonstrated yesterday that in the simple preaching of the simple Gospel there is power as the Spirit attends it. His passion shows the transforming power of union with Christ and love for the people whom Christ has redeemed throughout the world.

These thoughts led us in delightful conversation in our Men's fellowship in the evening. We all recognized that this day was special. The Lord had answered our prayers and been merciful to us. Our great and mighty God displayed for us true power as the Arm of the Lord continues to go forth, displaying the power of the Gospel for the salvation of all who believe. We were able to share the opportunities that God had presented to us over the past few weeks to share the Gospel. Then, we joined together in prayer, petitioning God to strengthen us for His service, to use us as leaders in our families, and to continue to provide for our needs by His great grace.

All of this is humbling and encouraging. We must not let this moment depart without changing us. Our prayers ought to be changed. Our desires ought to be changed. May God forgive us of our failures to pray for this work of the Gospel as we should have prayed. May God grant to us a renewed heart for missions and evangelism as we serve the risen and living Lord!

Science and Faith

2008-03-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

On the first day of my Historical Geology 300 class at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, my professor began stating "The first question on your first exam will be multiple choice. It will ask you how old the earth is. If anyone answers 6.000 years, I will flunk you. No questions asked."

I graduated from UMKC with a degree in Earth Science. It is the same thing as a Geology degree except I was able to take electives in environmental policy instead of taking several liberal arts classes, and I did not have to spend several weeks in Geology field camp my senior year. After graduation, and until this day, I have been employed by Terracon Consultants, a nationwide Environmental and Geotechnical Engineering firm. I have served multiple positions, beginning as an Environmental Scientist and now employed as the Manager of IT Solutions, which basically means I oversee the development of software packages for our clients to maintain environmental compliance with State and Federal Agencies.

Throughout my educational and employment history I have been in the midst of the scientific community. However, I am also a pastor. I have studied theology and biblical languages at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. My faith rests in the Gospel and in the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God.

I am unabashedly a Creationist. I believe in a young-earth view of history. So, where does this put me in the scientific community?

To quote from the famous Richard Dawkins:

“If you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane.”

Such people would have us believe every scientist feels this way. In most educational systems, this sentiment is echoed. In the media and PBS specials, it is taken for granted that all "scientists" know that Darwinistic thought and the naturalistic history of the origins of the comsos have been tried, tested, and shown to be irrefutable truth.

However, as a scientist, as one who has been trained by the naturalistic professors, I am keenly aware that these claims are terribly problematic for the scientific community. There is a reason Dawkins resorts to name-calling. There is a reason the recent debates to allow or prohibit the teaching or even mentioning of alternatives to Darwinism in Kansas public schools was another example of hatred, name-calling, and bullying by the Darwinistic scientific community. There is a reason why even some of the most highly respected scientists in the world are being shunned, fired, and persecuted when they begin to make known in public the devastating problems and scientific failures of Darwinism. (See this linked article for an example)

That reason is being explored in a movie that is to be released in April of this year.

** Public Disclaimer **
I, nor Heritage Baptist Church, do not necessarily endorse the views promoted through the film discussed in this article. I have not seen the film. I am not encouraging you to view it yourself.
** End Disclaimer**

The movie "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" is being led by Ben Stein (Yes, that Ben Stein). It by no means is a faith-based film. I do not know much about Ben Stein, nor the others involved in the production of the movie, but it's pretty safe to assume this isn't the Jerry Falwell crowd.

The basis of the movie/documentary is to investigate the fact that "educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired – for the 'crime' of merely believing that there might be evidence of 'design' in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance." The website goes on to say that it is a "heroic and, at times, shocking journey confronting the world’s top scientists, educators and philosophers, regarding the persecution of the many by an elite few."

I watched the extended trailer and I must say that I am intrigued. It was very well done, communicating effectively the issues that face the scientific community, the educational system, and those who are at all interested in the origins of the universe and of life.

I haven't seen the movie (it is being released on April 18th), so I cannot say whether or not there is any foul language or immoral content. Ben Stein's approach, as demonstrated on the web site, is to be a bit rebellious (at least for the sake of appearance), and the theme song appears to be "Bad to the Bone". But, if you are interested, I wanted to pass along the above information to you. The website is http://www.expelledthemovie.com.

Study: 1 Peter 4:12-19

2008-03-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

Peter's epistle reminds us continually that believers are resident aliens in this world. As such, we should not think it "to be a strange thing" when the residents of this world treat us as our Lord was treated. Resident aliens had no rights, they could not expect fair justice in the land of their sojourn. The were not treated in the same manner as citizens of the land.

Last evening, we had a wonderful time of fellowship around the Word as we discussed these things. This passage reminds us that there are many throughout history and throughout the world even today who undergo fiery trials. As we saw in our text last Sunday, we see here in 1 Peter 4:19 as well that this suffering is by the will of God. Therefore, there is comfort. The strange and sometimes fiery trials are not beyond the scope of God's power, but as the nations rage against the Lord, our God takes note and our vindication is sure. If this world persecutes us, if they judge us and bring persecutions upon us from a small degree to large persecutions, their judgment awaits. As Peter puts it, if judgment has now begun upon the house of God by the unbelieving people of this world, what will their fate be when the Judge condemns them for their disobedience to the Gospel?

Therefore, as believers, we are to conduct ourselves with confidence and know that we ought to glorify God in the midst of whatever suffering this world will bring to us for the name of Christ. As we discussed last night, let us entrust ourselves to our faithful God, with Christ ever-present in our minds as our example, who entrusted Himself to God as He bore our sins to heal us by His wounds.

How sweet and wonderful is the Great Shepherd and Guardian of our souls!

The Trophy of Christ's Victory

2008-03-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Last year, Kansas Citians had the privilege of hosting the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit. It was a wonderful opportunity and I am very thankful that I went to view them. However, the most impactful moment for me during the tour was not viewing the scrolls themselves. There were only about 10 scrolls shown, and while it was neat to see the authentic originals, the small display really was not as interesting as reading about the scrolls and viewing pictures in primary source journals.

However, there was one moment in the exhibit that took my breath away and brought me to tears. Prior to arriving at the rooms with the scrolls, several rooms were set up with other artifacts from the 1st century. As I was gazing at a pile of ancient coins, one of them caught my eye. It was a Roman coin issued in honor of the Roman victory over Jerusalem. It was very similar to the coin in this photo (click image to enlarge).

You will notice in the right image, there is a woman seated and weeping with "Judaea" written below her. She is representative of the Jews defeated after Rome sacked Jerusalem. However, notice the figure next to her. This form is called a "trophy" in the ancient world. It is formed from the weapons and military dress of a soldier who was killed. The victorious army would disarm their enemy and set up these trophies as displays of their victory.

Here is another example of a coin with a Roman trophy (click image to enlarge):

Seeing this coin in person brought about many emotions. First, there were the tears when I considered that this was a primary source example and testimony of the wrath of God against the Old Covenant people. The prophets spoke of this event, and our Lord told his disciples that Jerusalem would soon be leveled. As such, this coin brings fear to my mind. God is powerful and His wrath is certain towards those who are not covered by the atoning blood of Jesus through faith in the Gospel.

But also, this coin is a beautiful illustration of a passage of Scripture that is rarely seen in its proper context. Consider the following passage from Colossians 2:14-15:

Col 2:14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

This passage speaks of the work of Christ on the cross. In verse 15, our translations often struggle to convey the idea that is clear in the original text. The NASB, as shown above, states "He made a public display of them". The words "public display" lead English-speaking readers to think of some abstract idea instead of the very concrete and powerful meaning of the original text. The word used in this passage is the word for the "trophy" in the ancient world as described above. The vivid picture of the text is that Christ has conquered his enemies (and ours). He disarmed them, just as the Romans disarmed fallen Jewish soldiers, and He made a trophy of their remains. In verse 14, we see this was done through the work of Christ on the cross. The cross is Christ's trophy. It is there for all to see that He is victorious and that He has defeated the enemies of His people!

We ought to rejoice and know that He is Lord! Amen.

Worship 3/23

2008-03-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

Our worship service on Sunday provided a bounty of themes that gave each of us much to consider in devotion and thanksgiving. Our hymns included:

"Christ the Lord is Risen Today"
"Victory in Jesus"
"O Sacred, Head Now Wounded"
"I Know That My Redeemer Liveth"

We experienced a wonderful time of open testimonies displaying the Lord's provision in answering our prayers and also showing the joy that we have in Christ for being redeemed as God's choice possession, the Body of Christ.

Stan's Bible study continued his discussion on the extent and efficacy of the atoning work of Christ. This study led into many edifying comments and points of discussion. I must add that it has been one of the best studies upon the subject that I have been involved in. I am tremendously grateful that the Lord has blessed us with unity and with a desire to seek the truth of the Word. Such blessings are only by His good grace.

My sermon came from the text of Acts 1:12-26. In this passage we find many important points as the apostles chose a replacement for Judas after his betrayal of the Lord. First, we find that while these followers of the Messiah obeyed the Lord's command to wait for the power of the promised Holy Spirit they were immediately encouraged by the knowledge of God's sovereignty, even in the terrible betrayal by Judas. This trust in the sovereignty of God gave them a sure hope that God would indeed give them power to be his witnesses to the entire world. As such, they were bold in the midst of persecution and even facing certain death. In fact, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ.

Obviously, God's judgment is presented often throughout Acts, and is here displayed in graphic manner in the description of the tragic end of Judas after his betrayal of the now risen Lord. As believers, covered by God's mercy and free from condemnation, we must never think of God's judgment in a light manner. It is God's wrath towards sin that took our Lord to the cross on our behalf. And though our sins be atoned, we must never use mercy as a license for sin, but we must instead now live for His glory and for the good of His people.

Finally, on the day when the world considers the resurrection of Christ, we too found our passage calling our attention to the fact that Matthias was chosen to be a "witness of the resurrection". The resurrection is central to the Gospel. Without Christ's resurrection, our faith is in vain. Without it we would lack the power of the newness of life (Romans 6). In Acts we see verses that link the resurrection with our personal salvation. But we must not miss the critical focus of the resurrection - Jesus was raised in exaltation to the right hand of God the Father and is now Lord! He is ruling over his kingdom. He is active in the church. The resurrection of Jesus is presented as proof throughout Acts that Jesus is the promised Messiah, fulfilling the Law and the Prophets (Acts 28:23-31).

Therefore we left an appeal to all in attendance, as we do to you, repent and believe in the Gospel of Christ...who is the promised Messiah. As Spurgeon has beautifully said:

"Follow only one track: Jesus is the one and only way to life. In the old times of slavery in the States, when men escaped from their masters, they did so by knowing that the north star would lead them to freedom, and by following that heavenly guide. They had to travel by night, for fear of being captured and taken back; and therefore they learned little of the geography of the country: they cared for nothing but the star. As they hastened through the woods, they did not study botany; as they flitted through towns and villages along the road, they learned nothing of poetics or social reform: they knew one thing, and minded that one thing only: they kept on following the pole-star. Brother, there are hosts of things that you do not know at present, and many things that you will never know; but see that you know Jesus, who is the pole-star of salvation. Keep Christ in your eye. Follow the crucified and risen One. Trust him, rely upon him, follow him, receive the life of which he is the Prince, and it shall be well with your soul. May you live in Christ Jesus, and glorify him as “the Prince of life” for ever and ever! Amen."

Sell your shirt...buy a book!

2008-03-21T06:30:00.001-07:00

About two weeks ago I received my copy of the Commentary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, edited by D. A. Carson and G. K. Beale (great biblical scholars only use initials - no first or middle names). It is available at Amazon for about $35.

So far, I have been very impressed. Of course, I've only read about 30 pages of the 1,239 that are in this book, but those 30 pages have already proven to be more useful than any study Bible and almost any commentary in handling the context of the OT quotation and the intended meaning of its use in the New Testament text.

Each chapter is written by a different scholar, so some variety of quality and theological position may be expected, but the breadth of research in the volume appears to be second to none.

Sadly, as a scholarly reference, there is the token discussions of some issues that deal with higher criticism, so you may have to let your eyes glaze over as you flip past some of the introductory material to each New Testament book and get to the good stuff.

With that said, I would highly recommend this resource to you as a tool for biblical study. Hopefully, you will find it useful as well.

Your humble friend,
S. A. Ward

Study: 1 Peter 4:7-11

2008-03-20T06:32:00.001-07:00

Last night we met and looked at 1 Peter 4:7-11. It was good to be together again on a Wednesday night...we have missed the last two weeks do to illnesses.

The text led us into a very honest discussion of the seriousness of this life. As the passage says, we are to be sound in judgment and sober minded for the sake of prayer, especially in light of our duty towards one another as fellow resident aliens in this world.

Therefore, we must exercise fervent love for one another. We must view our lives as critically important and use our speech and our deeds to build one another up, knowing that we should reflect the power and the glory of Christ through our conduct towards one another. Hence, the passage ends the exhortation to this godly conduct saying that our lives must glorify Jesus Christ in this manner to show forth the glory of His power and His dominion.

Let love therefore cover our sins. Let us not give up on one another. Let us not turn from one another, feeling betrayed, feeling as if others have failed us. As we discussed last night, such love is beautiful and it ought to be the desire of our heart to seek this godly love which will carry us forth while we are still pilgrims in this land.

This text has led me to consider the blessings in my life through those in the Church that have shown me and my family hospitality; who have served and ministered to us in our times of need and throughout our lives. May God be praised for the power of His Spirit in the Church!

Free Resource of the Day!

2008-03-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

In case you were not aware, David has posted a great resource on his website that lists Old Testament quotations in the New Testament (compiled by Michael Marlowe at Bible-Researcher.com).

10 Years

2008-03-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

This month has given us at Heritage much to celebrate, namely our 10-year anniversary. We had a special time this past Sunday and met for lunch after the service with a spread of barbecue and lots of fun for the younger ones at Dave's Gymnastics Factory.

The fellowship was delightful and the kids provided great entertainment as they raced through an obstacle course and dove off the trampoline into the foam pit below. It was great to have John Carpenter from Camp Del Haven join us.

But much more important than an afternoon of food and fun, this month has given us time to reflect on the years of God's provision and grace toward us. We have been blessed with unity, love, and service together. None of this is possible as the result of our own efforts, but it is a demonstration of the power of the Spirit of God. May He continue to bless us with this fellowship!

Beginnings

2008-03-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

As a believer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I am immersed in a heritage that is as wide as the ends of the earth and as deep as the eternal decrees of God. The Holy Scriptures contain the the glorious promises and works of God; the testimony of the Law and the Prophets; and the glorious unfolding of the New Covenant. The history of the Church has provided my library with volumes of exposition and devotion. My life has been filled with my friends and mentors in Christ who have taught, encouraged, and challenged me with powerful and effectual testimonies. For what reason then could I even begin to think that I could have something to say that hasn't already been said?

I have offered to edit this blog not in order to present something more eloquent or wise than the thoughts of others, but I am convinced that there cannot be a reason to silence even the humblest of voices that speak of the greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ. That then, is the purpose of this blog...to be a testimony of the greatness of His kingdom. I hope to record that which has been impressed upon me and the thoughts of those here at Heritage Baptist Church. I am continually amazed at the beauty Christ's work in his Body, and the expansion of his kingdom as the light goes forth into darkness.

So, whether this blog is read often or rarely at all, by the grace of God, I pray that it is at least a small display of another facet of the grand splendor of God's redemptive work that is far beyond all that we could think or ask.