Books

Just a few recommendations based upon what I've had the privilege of reading lately.

In October I read R.C. Sproul's The Truth of the Cross and was deeply filled with rich doctrine. He takes the centerpiece of our faith and exposes aspects of Christ's work in a deep yet practical way. A couple thoughts in particular stick out. One, he devotes a chapter to revealing three aspects of our relationship to Christ and to the Father in relation to Salvation. The table below demonstrates these three relationships.


Another highlight was his explanation of the limited atonement in the last chapter. Never before had I actually understood that teaching, and I realized that it squared with what the Spirit has illumined in my mind from my Scripture study.
This book was a springboard for me into further study and understand of the glories of Calvary.

Over the past couple of months I've been reading through T4G's Preaching the Cross, almost done. Each chapter is a sermon from the 2006 Together for the Gospel conference. What a blessing to read great preachers of our day passionately pleading with the next generation of Gospel-proclaimers to never lose sight of the Cross in expositional preaching. Ligon Duncan's chapter demonstrated the necessity of proclaiming Christ from the Old Testament, and I was impressed to dig deep to find Him there. So often the OT is misapplied - it was written to reveal Christ just as the New Testament was.

Also recently read within the last couple of months was Sproul's Chosen by God which was hard to put down. The truths of predestination and election are so comforting and inspiring. His exposition of passages in Ephesians and Romans in particular were helpful in cementing doctrine into my mind, and I highly recommend this read to all believers.

Lastly, I'm currently in a new work called The Great Exchange written by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington. These theologians took an older work by George Smeaton's 19th century book entitled The Apostles' Doctrine of the Atonement and condensed (while not abridging the work) the volume to be read by all audiences. John Piper is also acknowledged for help in the writing.

After an opening section on what atonement is, the book plunges into every reference to the Atonement of Christ in the New Testament - book by book. I'm currently in the middle of Romans...one of the lengthier chapters. Seeing Scripture interpreted and not mere opinions is so refreshing. This book is all about the Word and what it truly says and means.

We need to read and be refreshed and inspired by the work of other men who are wise. But let us never substitute ANYTHING for the refreshing and satisfying diet of God's eternal Word! Ezekiel was given a scroll to eat and he said that it was sweet as honey to his taste. May we all dive deep into the eternal ocean of doctrine found in the Bible. Psalm 138:2 says that God has magnified His Word above all things. Happy reading to you all.

My Thanksgiving Prayer for 2007

Thanksgiving has always been the season where I sit back and thank God for as many things as I possibly can. Every year the list increases. Hopefully, this is because I am more grateful and realize more and more all that God has done for me. When reading this Psalm earlier in the day, I realized that I hadn't thanked God for everything. The one thing I need and desperately desire is for the reviving of my heart. The desire for this reviving comes straight from an overwhelming want to know the Gospel in its purity.

I am in no way saying that this desire is natural or even common for me every day, but that small moment when God is actually unrivaled in our thinking is when we pray with all our might for Him to work. Today has been sort of like that. I crave so badly to see all of our hearts revived to promote our Maker and His Gospel rather than promoting ourselves.

My mind automatically is drawn to the picture of a fire. This last fall we had a visual picture of what I picture revival to be. The wildfires in California have shown me that it takes just a small spark to create a huge blaze. It was the strong winds that created the uncontrollable fire that we watched day after day on the news. We kept battling against it and still couldn't control it.

When God begins the work of reviving our hearts it will begin as a small spark. By the Spirit (mighty, rushing wind) of God we will see it spread to uncontrollable measure. He breaths and leads our hearts to be ablaze so that others can see it and stand in awe of our Maker. The whole revival must be focused on GOD and His Gospel. As the end of Psalm 85 says, there will be increase because of the righteousness of God leading us in all Truth. Since God is in control, a time of reviving is dependent on the wisdom and guidance of One who has an eternal view. It may go for one day or for 300 years. It will all be done to His honor and glory. I am praying for you. I am praying for myself too.

Psalm 85
Revive Us Again
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 LORD, you were favorable to your land;you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;you covered all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath;you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,and put away your indignation toward us!
5 Will you be angry with us forever?Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;but let them not turn back to folly.
9Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground,and righteousness looks down from the sky.
12 Yes, the LORD will give what is good,and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

Thanksgiving

As a believer, I have more to be thankful for that I can even comprehend. The Cross accomplished pardon, propitiation of Holy wrath, expiation of sin, perfect adherence to the law, crushing of the wicked one, removal of a handwriting of ordinances, and more that I fail to comprehend. May we be taken deeper into the Glories of Calvary this Thanksgiving season to see the incomprehensible greatness of the work of Christ. And may we marvel in the grace of the Father that chose us (as believers) to be in Christ before the world was made.

I've thought of late that I could have been born into so many other circumstances. What if I was born a Hindu, or a Muslim? I could have been born in the Middle Ages at the height of the bubonic plague of Europe. I could have been born an Ammalekite that was slain in battle with the Hebrews. I could have been born one who scorned the ark-building of Noah, and been destroyed in the Flood. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our tresspasses, made us alive together with Christ. (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Let us thank Him - feel free to comment on God's infinite goodness!

Messages to Download

Messages are now available for download. Click here to get there. I recommend using the iTunes podcast option, you can download them all right into the app. The Q&A with CJ and Rick Gamache's Christ: The Perfect Man are the highlights. Enjoy!

The Pursuit

I was able to attend The Pursuit this past weekend, a conference presented by Soveregin Grace Church in Gilbert, AZ. Among the many blessings I was encouraged by the preaching of rich doctrine in each session.

First was a tapestry for the whole of Scripture as found in Genesis 1-3. The 4 elements that are presented in those chapters are the main elements traced throughout the rest of the Bible, and they are Creator, Creation, Corruption and the Christ.

The next sermon dealt with 3 imputations from Romans 5. The given definition of imputation was so clarifying for me: to think of something as belonging to something else in such a way that it actually belongs to the other object. So, the first imputation noted is the imputation of Adam's original sin to the account of every person. It is that sin that gives me an infinite debt before the Father. The next 2 imputations are infinitely more wonderful to me. Second, is the imputation of the sin of those who would believe onto Christ (during the crucifiction). God looked at His Son as the most wicked person immaginable because He who knew no sin became sin for us. The last imputation is the one in which I am declared righteous before God, giving me eternal fellowship with Him. God imputes the perfect righteousness of Christ to me so that I stand before Him complete.

Later that day the message to us was the nature of genuine repentance. Repentance, as illustrated from selections from 1 Samuel, can be false and external or genuine lamentation leading to a return to the Lord. I was impressed with how often I attempt to fix my own problems with plans and more disciple instead of truly returning the Lord, allowing His grace to do the changing.

Then on Saturday morning I was able to hear CJ Mahaney speak from Phil 2 about how God works in me both to desire to and then to do Godliness. He performs a work of grace in my heart to casue me to even desire to live in a Godly way, and then the grace is sufficient to help me actually do that contrary to my sin nature.

I praise the Lord for the doctrine which will, Lord-willing, continue to lead to conviction and eventually habits of righteousness in my life.