"Chosen For Life" by Sam Storms

Oftentimes I am asked, "What are you reading?" Well, I wanted to start a new "category" of blog entries on that.

Right now, one of the books I am presently reading is Dr. Sam Storms' book, "Chosen For Life." Friends, this is an outstanding introductory book on the controversial topic of election and predestination. If this topic is new to you, you need to read this book! If you feel like you know a lot about this topic and are firm in your convictions about it...you still need to read this book! There are many things that are impressive about it, but here are just a few:

1. Dr. Storms, does not set up "straw men" of Arminianism and then knock them down. He deals honestly and respectfully with the many nuanences that Arminian thinkers believe.

2. His demeanor is not only commendable and an example to follow, but necessary when dealing with this subject. He deals with those who hold an Arminian postion respectfully and pastorally, while unapologetically cherishing God's sovereign grace in election. As a pastor, I have looked for several years to find a book on election that would respectfully and humbly explain this topic for someone who is new to it...this is that book!

3. It is sound biblically and it will drive you back into the text of Holy Scripture, causing one to love God's word more deeply.

Listen to some of these endorsements:

"This extraordianarily clear and courteous book makes its case without stooping to caricature...It is a fine model of exactly how theological disagreements should be resolved: with respectful listening, careful distinctions, historical awareness, deep reverence for Scripture, and patient exegesis." - D.A. Carson

"This new edition of Chosen for Life has everything one could want on the topic of election. Those who agree will be heartily encouraged; those who disagree will be respectfully challenged; the hearts of all will marvel at the glorious grace of God in the gospel." - C. J. Mahaney

Highly recommend it! It will be on our resource table soon!

C.J. Mahaney & John MacArthur on the Basketball Court

Well folks...I thought you might enjoy this. Many folks thought they would never see C.J. and MacArthur on the same platform speaking...but now we have proof of them playing basketball together. How refreshing to see these men not only in their humble pursuit of Gospel purity and rallying other men around it, but also their genuine friendship and affection they have for one another. Start here at Joshua Harris' blog and then follow the links... http://www.joshharris.com/ And likewise...me being the great athelete that I am I also appreciated this as well...

Living Out Matthew 18

Having Conflict? I can't recommend more highly to you the material from our friends at Peacemaker Ministries! Ken Sande's book, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide To Resolving Conflict, is outstanding. We have gone through this book a couple of times in our Care Groups, and I was just reviewing it again this last week and found myself freshly reminded of God's grace in the midst of conflict. Below is a "clip" from the Peacemaker book. As you read this blog, I would encourage you to have your Bible open to Matthew 18 to follow along.

For more information about Peacemaker Ministries log on to: www.peacemaker.net

****
((Taken from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflictby Ken Sande, Updated Edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2003) pp. 144.))

Living out Matthew 18

When Christians think about talking to someone else about a conflict, one of the first verses that comes to mind is Matthew 18:15: "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you." If this verse is read in isolation, it seems to teach that we must always use direct confrontation to force others to admit they have sinned. If the verse is read in context, however, we see that Jesus had something much more flexible and beneficial in mind than simply standing toe to toe with others and describing their sins.

Just before this passage, we find Jesus' wonderful metaphor of a loving shepherd who goes to look for a wandering sheep and then rejoices when it is found (Matt. 18:12-14). Thus, Matthew 18:15 is introduced with a theme of restoration, not condemnation. Jesus repeats this theme just after telling us to "go and show him his fault" by adding, "If he listens to you, you have won your brother over." And then he hits the restoration theme a third time in verses 21-35, where he uses the parable of the unmerciful servant to remind us to be as merciful and forgiving to others as God is to us (Matt. 18:21-35).

Food for Thought
Jesus is clearly calling for something much more loving and redemptive than simply confronting others with a list of their wrongs. He wants us to remember and imitate his shepherd love for us--seeking after others, helping them turn from sin, and helping them be restored to God and those they have offended. Have you ever heard others in a conflict say, "We followed the Matthew 18 process"? Have you said it yourself? Read all of Matthew 18 and ask the Lord to give you the heart of a shepherd who seeks and gently restores the lost sheep.

"The Secret" and The Glory Of God

Because of much of the hype concerning the New York Times Bestseller "The Secret," I wanted to forward on to you this excellent blog entry by Dr. Mohler as he diagnoses this particular book, along with Dr. Donald Whitney. It is a very thorough and thoughtful book review, that takes the claims of this book and sheds the light of the Cross upon it. I wanted to forward this review on to you 1) because of the book's great popularity and 2) because of how Dr. Mohler speaks of these very popular cultural ideas so that you might be able to engage others with The Truth, that is no secret! Enjoy.

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=907

The Father Of A Flourishing Family - Psalm 128:1-4

Below is a an excerpt from a journal that I receive from time to time that is for pastors, called the "Kairos Journal." I found this both greatly convicting and helpful as I myself as a father and a husband am seeking to grow in these precious roles and responsibilities that the Lord has given to me. I trust you will not only be provoked, but served as you read this passage of Scripture, meditate on it, and then read the commentary that follows it. Take care. -MH

****

The Secret of a Flourishing Family

Psalm 128:1-4: "Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD."

Psalm 128:1-4 (ESV)

In Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge, Michael Henchard committed one of the most despicable deeds possible: while drunk, he sold his wife and daughter for a few pounds. In one merciless act, he cut off the very people the Lord intended to be a man’s blessing, his family. Not surprisingly, Henchard reaped a reward of loneliness and sorrow. Obviously, this was not God’s plan.

Psalm 128 presents God’s intention for the family. It is a song of ascents sung as the Israelites made their way to worship and offer sacrifices at the temple. It would not have been uncommon for entire families to journey together and for the women and children to stand behind the father, the representative of the home, as the priest made atonement for their sin. Such a trip was the perfect time for a husband and father to be reminded that God delights in blessing the man whose heart belongs to the Lord.

The blessed man of verse one is a holy man, intent on submitting to God by following His Law. Verse two indicates that he is a man who works and whose labor is not in vain. Indeed, he is productive (an important reminder that hard work and blessings go hand in hand). In verse three, the Hebrew man is told that holiness makes family life wonderful.

A wife and children are part of God’s plan for the righteous man’s life. Unlike the adulteress of Proverbs 7:11, who “is loud and wayward,” whose “feet do not stay at home,” his wife is “a fruitful vine within your house.” She is both productive and faithful. As “a fruitful vine,” she brings forth children who are “like olive shoots at [the] table.” Husband and wife fill a home; they build a community.

Of course, there is no perfect family. The Hebrew men knew this. After all, they were going to the temple to offer sacrifices for their sin—singing these words reminded them that they missed God’s mark and needed His forgiveness. The same is true today. No man always walks in the ways of the Lord. Marriage is not constantly a celebration. Sometimes, children seem more like thorns than olive shoots.

Nonetheless, the Church needs thoughtful men willing to contemplate Psalm 128 and recognize their own faults. If their wives are wayward or if their children are unruly, husbands and fathers should first look at their own hearts and ask themselves the questions: “Am I fearing the Lord, am I walking in His ways?” Personal holiness is never merely personal—like a pebble thrown into a pond, a man’s character ripples into the lives of others—especially those closest to him. The well-being of a man’s family is yet one more reason for him to fear the Lord.

Sickness Sanctified To The Saint, part 4

Ok, for those of you who might be "sick" of these blogs about sickness...this one is for you. Though there is much more that can be said on this topic (and I might say more at a later date), I wanted to share with you the words of the Puritan pastor, Mr. Lewis Bayly again, but this time on what do when you are well. I, personally found this to be very helpful, because all too often, when I am sick, I will find myself crying out to God, but then when I am fully recovered, I find my heart once again directed back at myself again.

"Meditations For One That Is Recovered From Sickness" - Lewis Bayly

"If God has of his mercy heard thy prayers, and restored thee to thy health again, consider with thyself:

1. That thou hast now received from God, as it were, another life. Spend it therefore to the honor of God, in newness of life. Let thy sin die with thy sickness; but live thou by grace to holiness.

2. Be not more secure, that thou art restored to health, neither exult in thyself, that thou escaped death; but rather think, that God seeing how unprepared thou wast, hath of his mercy heard thy prayer, spared thee, and given thee some little longer time of respite; that thou mayest both amend thy life, and put thyself in a better readiness against the time that he shall call for thee, without further delay, out of this world. For though thou hast escaped this, it may be, thou shalt not escape the next sickness.

3. [Hold fast to Christ because] thou knowest not how near [the end] is at hand [for you]. [Use this sickness and] be so fairly warned, be wiser.

4. [If sin was the cause of your sickness...] Return not now, with the dog, to thine own vomit, nor like the washed sow, to wallow again in the mire of they former sins and uncleanness; lest being entangled and overcome again with the filthiness of sin, which thou has escape, [and] thy latter end prove worse than the first beginning. Twice, does our Lord give the same cautionary warning to healed sinners, First, to the man cured of thirty-eight years' disease - "Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing fall upon thee." Secondly, to the woman taken in adultery - "Neither do I condemn thee; go thy way and sin no more." Teaching us, how dangerous a thing it is to relapse and fall again into the former excess of roit. Take heed, therefore, unto thy ways, and pray for grace, that thou mayest appy thy heart unto wisdom, during that small number of days which yet remain behind; and for thy present mercy and health recieved, imitate the thankful leper, and return to God in thanksgiving."

Now, with Mr. Bayly's words, I would like to add another meditation for when you recover:

5. Let your former fervor and crying out to God be your present fervor and desire. I would encourage you to think about your desparation in times of sickness and pain and how you were crying out to God then...use that, as a living parable for how desparately we always need His active saving presence in our lives. Let this preach to yourself of how greatly we need Christ in doing battle against the "cancer" of our souls - sin. As you laid down in your sickness hating the illness that came over you, let that preach to you of the distain we are to have, and need to have for our present levels of tempting sins.

6. Give yourself sometime of thanking God for your healing. Make this an active aspect of your worship and meditation to God, thinking upon His goodness.

7. Testify to others what God has done! This takes humility on our parts as well, which is good for our souls, to stop and engage with others concerning what God Himself in His undeserving kindness and mercies has done for you!

I am sure there are many more, but *cough* *cough* until next time.

Sickness Sanctified To The Saint, part 3

Through this series of blog entries I came across a particular puritian writer of the 17th century, Lewis Bayly. As I read the puritians I am forever humbled by how they sought to use every situation as an opportunity to pursue, long for and love Christ. They, like Mr. Bayly were spiritual giants. I trust that this entry will provoke you in the midst of trial, sickness or affliction to pursue Christ and to grow in your savoring of our Glorious Savior as we grow in the school of affliction.

Below is an excerpt from his book, "The Practice of Piety." In some places, I have changed some of the wording to make it more readable. For a full original copy of this you can contact, "Soli Deo Gloria Publications."

Meditations for the Sick - By Lewis Bayly

Whilst thy sickness remain, use often, for thy comfort, these few meditations:

1. (If your afflictions are due to your sin) By afflictions God may not only correct our sins past, but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruptions, and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit. Like a good father, who suffers his children to allow them to be scorched by the smallest of candles, that the child may rather learn to beware of falling into a greater fire: so that the child of God may say with David, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn thy statues; for before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep thy word." ...For God, like a skillful physician, seeing the soul to be poisoned with the settling of sin, and knowing that the reigning of the flesh will prove the ruin of the spirit, ministereth the bitter pill of affliction, whereby the relics of sin are purged, and the soul more soundly cured; the flesh is subdued, and the spirit is sanctified. O' the odiousness of sin, which causeth God to chasen so severly his children, whom otherwise he loveth so dearly!

2. God sends afflictions to wean our hearts from too much loving this world and worldly vanities; and to cause us the more earnestly to desire and long for eternal life [with Him.] As the children of Israel, had they not been ill-entreated in Egypt, would never have been so willing to go towards Canaan; so, were it not for the crosses and afflictions of this life, God's children would not so heartily long for and willingly desire the kingdom of heaven. For we see many [people] that would be content to forego heaven, on condition that they might still enjoy their earthly pleasures; and having never tasted the joys of a better, how loath are they to depart this life? Whereas the Apostle that saw heaven's glory tells us, that there is no more comparison between the joys of eternal life, and the pleasures of this world, then there is between the filthiest dung and the pleasantest meat...so God mixes sometimes affliction with the pleasures and prosperity of this life, lest, like the children of this generation, they should forget God, and fall in too much love of this present evil world; and so by riches grow proud; by fame insolent; by liberty, wanton; and spurn with their heel against the Lord.

3. Affliction works in us pity and compassion toward our fellow-brethern that be in distress and misery; whereby we learn to have a fellow-feeling of their calamities, and to walk with them. And for this cause Christ himself would suffer and be tempted in all things like unto us, yet without sin that we might not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness.

4. By afflictions God makes us conformable to the image of Christ his Son, who being the captain of our salvation, was made perfect through sufferings. Therefore he first bare the cross in shame, before he was crowned with glory; he did first take gall; before he did eat the honeycomb; and was the derided King of the Jews, by the soldiers in the High Priest's hall, before he was saluted King of glory, by the angels in his Father's court. [We press on having this hope] that when we have for a time borne his likeness in his sufferings, and fought and overcome, we shall be crowned by Christ; and with Christ, sit on his throne...and shall make us shine like Christ forever in his glory."