A dangerous book to all who hold power

A dangerous book to all who hold power

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Our falls and bruises

“After conversion we need bruising, that reeds may know themselves to be reeds and not oaks. Even reeds need bruising by reason of the remainder of pride in our nature, and to let us see that we live by mercy. . . . Thus Peter was bruised when he wept bitterly. This reed, till he met with this bruise, had more wind in him than pith. ‘Though all forsake thee, I will not.’ The people of God cannot be without these examples. The heroic deeds of those great worthies do not comfort the church so much as their falls and bruises do.”

Richard Sibbes, “The Bruised Reed,” in Works (Edinburgh, 1979), I:44. via Ray Ortlund's Blog.

Do not despair then, O faithful soul.

“Christ has been judged in order to free us from the judgment of God. He has been prosecuted as a criminal so that we criminals may be pardoned. He has been scourged by godless hands to take away from us the scourge of the devil. He called out in pain in order to save us from eternal wailing. He poured out tears so that he could wipe away our tears.

He has died for us to live. He felt the pains of hell through and through, so that we might never feel them. He was humiliated in order to bring forth the medicine for our pride; was crowned with thorns, in order to obtain for us the heavenly crown.

He has suffered at the hands of all so that he might furnish salvation for all. He was darkened in death so that we would live in the light of heavenly glory. He heard disgust and contempt so that we might hear the angelic jubilation in heaven.

Do not despair then, O faithful soul.”

—Johann Gerhard

More Than Conquerors

I love me some Romans 8. It is by far my favorite section of the Bible and it has brought me so much joy, peace and comfort through so many different situations. It is tattooed on my heart and runs through my brain all the time. One section that I have been meditating on lately is the verse 37. Let me give the verse in it's context:

Romans 8:31-37

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. How can one be MORE than a conqueror. A conqueror is one who is victorious, who defeats his or her enemy. But how is one more than that. In the verses preceding 37 Paul lists various trials, tribulations and hardships that Christians will face. The beauty here is that not only will these be defeated and conquered but there is more. In Christ we are more than conquerors because those trials and tribulations are not only defeated but they actually serve us. They strengthen our faith. They grow our love for Jesus. They increase our holiness. Those trials, though painful and often difficult, are actually working for us like captured prisoners or slaves of war! God uses those circumstances and trials to make us more like His Son. God bends even our own sin and foolish decisions in on themselves and uses them for our good, to teach us and to increase our love and appreciation of His grace and mercy. So as the trials and tribulations come let us remind ourselves that through Christ we are more than conquerors and these afflictions are actually serving us and conforming us to the image of our wonderful savior.

Christ's Heart

“Christ’s heart is a human heart, a sinless heart, a tender heart; a heart once the home of sorrow, once stricken with grief; once an aching, bleeding, mournful heart. Thus disciplined and trained, Jesus knows how to pity and to support those who are sorrowful and solitary. He loves to chase grief from the spirit, to bind up the broken heart, to staunch the bleeding wound, and to dry the weeping eye, to ‘comfort all that mourn.’ It is His delight to visit you in the dark night-season of your sorrow, and to come to you walking upon the tempestuous billows of your grief, breathing music and diffusing calmness over your scene of sadness and gloom.”

- Octavius Winslow

A Dependable Savior

We depend upon the Lord Jesus as God and as man. As God, he must be able to perform every promise, and to achieve every covenant engagement. We lean upon that divinity which bears up the pillars of the universe. Our dependence is upon the Almighty God, incarnate in human form, by whom all things were created, and by whom all things consist. We lean also upon Christ as man; we depend upon his generous human sympathies. Of a woman born, he is partaker of our flesh; he enters into our sicknesses and infirmities with a pitiful compassion, which he could not have felt if he had not been the Son of man. We depend upon the love of his humanity as well as upon the potency of his deity. We lean upon our beloved as God and man.

Ah! I have known times when I have felt that none but a God could bear me up; there are other seasons when, under a sense of sin, I have started back from God, and felt that none but the Man Christ Jesus could minister peace to my anguished heart. Taking Christ in the double nature as God and man, he becomes thus a suitable leaning place for our spirit, whatever may happen to be the state in which our mind is found

~Charles Spurgeon

All good things secured by Christ on the cross

“Everything that we know and appreciate and praise God for in all Christian experience both in this life and in the life to come springs from this bloody cross.

Do we have the gift of the Spirit? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we enjoy the fellowship of saints? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Does he give us comfort in life and death? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Does he watch over us faithfully, providentially, graciously, and covenantally? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we have hope of a heaven to come? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we anticipate resurrection bodies on the last day? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Is there a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we now enjoy new identities, so that we are no longer to see ourselves as nothing but failures, moral pariahs, disappointments to our parents—but deeply loved, blood-bought, human beings, redeemed by Christ, declared just by God himself, owing to the fact that God himself presented his Son Jesus as the propitiation for our sins? All this is secured by Christ on the cross and granted to those who have faith in him.”

—D.A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus

The true cause of self righteousness

"What is the true cause of self-righteousness? How is it that such a poor, weak, erring creature as man can ever dream of deserving anything at God’s hands? It all arises from ignorance. The eyes of our understandings are naturally blinded. We see neither ourselves, nor our lives, nor God, nor the law of God, as we ought. Once let the light of grace shine into a man’s heart, and the reign of self-righteousness is over.

The roots of pride may remain, and often put forth bitter shoots. But the reign of pride is broken when the Spirit comes into the heart, and shows the man himself and God. The true Christian will never trust in his own goodness. He will say with Paul, “I am the chief of sinners.” (1 Tim. 1:15) “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 6:14.)

~ J.C. Ryle

Without the gospel everything is useless and vain

“Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God.

But by the knowledge of the gospel we are made children of God, brothers of Jesus Christ, fellow townsmen with the saints, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, heirs of God with Jesus Christ, by whom the poor are made rich, the weak strong, the fools wise, the sinner justified, the desolate comforted, the doubting sure, and slaves free. It is the power of God for the salvation of all those who believe.”

~John Calvin

Because he was made a curse for us...

"All that God can demand of a believing sinner, Christ has already paid, and there is no voice in earth or heaven that can henceforth accuse a soul that believes in Jesus. You were in debt, but a friend paid your debt; no writ can be served on you. It matters nothing that you did not pay it, it is paid, and you have the receipt. That is sufficient in any court of equity. So with all the penalty that was due to us, Christ has borne it. It is true I have not borne it; I have not been to hell and suffered the full wrath of God, but Christ has suffered that wrath for me, and I am as clear as if I had myself paid the debt to God and had myself suffered his wrath. Here is a glorious bottom to rest upon! Here is a rock upon which to lay the foundation of eternal comfort!" ~Spurgeon

They Devoted Themselves

“And they devoted themselves . . . .” Acts 2:42

"When the early believers converted to Christ, it never occurred to them to fit him into the margins of their busy lives. They redefined themselves around a new, immovable center. He was not an optional weekend activity, along with the kids’ soccer practices. They put him and his church and his cause first in their hearts, first in their schedules, first in their budgets, first in their reputations, first in their very lives. They devoted themselves.

Unmistakable evidence that the Holy Spirit was being poured out."

-Ray Ortlund

The Garden of Eden vs The Garden of Gethsemene

"The first Adam began life in a garden. Christ the second Adam, came at the end of his life to a garden
In Eden Adam sinned. In Gethsemane the Savior overcame sin.
In Eden Adam fell. In Gethsemane Jesus conquered.
In Eden Adam hid himself. In Gethsemane our Lord boldly presented himself.
In Eden the sword was drawn. In Gethsemane it was sheathed."

-R. Kent Hughes

How to live like Christ

“It is no good giving me a play like Hamlet or King Lear, and telling me to write a play like that. Shakespeare could do it — I can’t. And it is no good showing me a life like the life of Jesus and telling me to live a life like that. Jesus could do it — I can’t. But if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, then I could write plays like this. And if the Spirit could come into me, then I could live a life like his.”

- William Temple

Sent from Heaven

Psalm 57:1-3
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame him who tramples on me.
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

Oh how we need mercy. When we look towards the cross we should be humbled to the dust, realizing that it was our sin, our selfishness, our rebellion that hung the most precious thing in the universe, God the Son himself on that heinous instrument of torture. But there is more, there is the beauty of the cross. As it humbles us, as we feel the crushing weight of our guilt and sin the cross also shows us something else, something so wonderful, so glorious it should lift our hearts to the ecstasy of heaven. It shows us the love, forgiveness and grace of our God! We may take refuge in our God, beneath the shadow of His wings, for He has sent from heaven to save us. He not only sent but came down from heaven to remove every barrier, everything that was standing in the way of a perfectly restored relationship with Him. God has sent His steadfast love and His faithfulness and He walked among us. Living the perfect life that we should have lived. Facing down and bearing the wrath of God and dying the death that we deserved to die. Look upon Jesus, God's sent one from heaven and proof of his love and faithfulness.

The Ladder of God’s Election

"The plain truth is, that God’s scheme of salvation is like a ladder let down from heaven to earth, to bring together the holy God, and the sinful creature, man. God is at the top of the ladder and man is at the bottom. The top of the ladder is far above, out of our sight, and we have no eyes to see it. There, at the top of that ladder, are God’s eternal purposes, – His everlasting covenant, His Election, His predestination of a people to be saved by Christ. From the top of that ladder comes down that full and rich provision of mercy for sinners which is revealed to us in the Gospel.

The bottom of that ladder is close to sinful man on earth, and consists of the simple steps of repentance and faith. By them he must begin to climb upwards. In the humble use of them he shall mount higher and higher every year, and get clearer glimpses of good things yet to come."

~ J.C. Ryle

Our sins sink as lead in the mighty waters of the Redeemer’s blood

“God the Father takes the pen, dips it in the blood of his Son, crosses off the sinner’s accounts, and blots them out of his debt-book.

The sinner outside of Christ is bound over to the wrath of God; he is under an obligation in law to go to the prison of hell, and there to lie until he has paid the utmost farthing. But now, being united to Christ, God says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom!’ (Job 33:24). The sentence of condemnation is reversed, the believer is absolved, and set beyond the reach of the condemning law. His sins, which were set before the Lord (Psalm 90:8), so that they could not be hidden—God now takes and casts them all behind his back (Isaiah 38:17).

Yes, he casts them into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). What falls into a brook may be retrieved—but what is cast into the sea cannot be recovered. But there are some shallow places in the sea; true—but their sins are not cast in there—but into the depths of the sea; and the depths of the sea are devouring depths, from whence they shall never come forth again. But what if they do not sink? He will cast them in with force, so that they shall go to the bottom, and sink as lead in the mighty waters of the Redeemer’s blood.”

—Thomas Boston

An Exhortation

Hebrews 3:12-14
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

I wanted to take a brief moment to encourage every reader of this blog, I am praying for you. I am struggling alongside of you, fighting the deceitfulness of sin and fighting that the sovereign joy of God would be my true strength. Oh for those of you who have truly come to share in Christ, who have been born again, who are new creations, take heart! For we have a faithful and gracious high priest in Christ Jesus who has been tempted and suffered in every way as we have. He has faced the pain of rejection and loss. He has faced nights of loneliness and longing as he tread the dark roads of the creation that He made. He knows our frame, He knows our weaknesses, and He is for us. Praise God that He has given us the glorious gift of His Son, that God looks upon our weak, sinful, fallen frames with delight because of the finished work of our high priest Jesus. Praise God that we can rest...rest from all our striving, our incessant desire to earn the acceptance and approval of others and of our God. It has all been done on our behalf. As our Savior cried from the cross "it is finished". We are move loved, more accepted, more approved than we ever thought possible and it is all because of Christ Jesus. Be encouraged my friends!

The World Is Too Respectable

“The world picks up its skirt and passes by. It leaves you alone, it does not want to associate with you, you have gone down, you belong to the refuse and the gutters, and the world is too respectable to have any interest in you. Here is One who is ready to receive you and to accept you. . . . ‘Just as you are, I am ready to receive you. In your rags, in your filth, in your vileness. Rest.’”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Cross (Westchester, 1986), page 170.

Via Ray Ortlund's Blog which is awesome!

Rejoicing In All Circumstances

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In his first epistle to the Thessalonians Paul makes what seems to be at best a very unrealistic request, to rejoice always and be thankful in ALL circumstances. Really Paul? In all circumstances? How can he say this? What about painful circumstances, trials, suffering, affliction? Are we to rejoice and be thankful in those circumstances as well? Yes! But how can this be, how can Paul say this and how can we live this way? I think the previous paragraph is enlightening, Paul writes:

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

Here is a cause for great rejoicing regardless of circumstance. Those who have trusted in Christ have obtained salvation. We are no longer destined for the wrath we so deserved for the wicked, selfish, and sinful lives we have lived. No, we who have trusted in Christ have a far more glorious destiny ahead of us, life eternal in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Christ. I will admit I think about heaven far less than I should, but meditating on the glory that awaits can give us joy and hope for today regardless of how difficult our circumstances may be. Elsewhere Paul writes:

2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

What an amazing statement. Here Paul goes so far as to call our afflictions light and momentary. How heavy, how massive, how overwhelming must the glory that awaits us to call all the pain, affliction, and suffering we go through in this life "light and momentary"!

Finally there is one last verse that has proven great comfort to me through many of the trials and tough times I have gone through in the past few years and it is the perhaps one of the most beloved verses in the Bible:

Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Here is yet another reason we can actually rejoice in difficult circumstances. Though it may not feel that way, and though the pain, the frustration, the difficulty may be very real, for those who love God there is the great comfort that this present circumstance is not without cause and will actually be for our good. God is not primarily concerned with our temporal happiness, He is more concerned with our holiness and our growing to be like His Son Jesus. It is often through the most difficult of circumstances that we learn and grow those deep roots of faith in God that our savior displayed all of His life.

So let us along with Paul rejoice in all circumstances, giving thanks and praise and prayers to the God who is for us, who has saved us, and who is working all things together for our good.

A Love Without Boundary

He loved you without beginning. Before years, and centuries, and millenniums began to be counted, your name was on his heart. Eternal thoughts of love have been in God’s bosom towards you. He has loved you without a pause; there never was a minute in which he did not love you. Your name once engraved upon his hands has never been erased, nor has he ever blotted it out of the Book of Life. Since you have been in this world he has loved you most patiently. You have often provoked him; you have rebelled against him times without number, yet he has never stayed the outflow of his heart towards you; and, blessed be his name, he never will. You are his, and you always shall be his. Jesus saith, “Because I live, ye shall live also.” God’s love to you is without boundary. He could not love you more, for he loves you like a God; and he never will love you less. All his heart belongs to you. “As the Father hath loved me,” saith Jesus, “even so have I loved you.” -Charles Spurgeon