from The Sons of God (169)

Can you say that your life, taken as a whole -- your thought life, your feelings, your actions, your will, your everything is under the direction of the Spirit of God? I am not asking whether you are perfect. I know you are not perfect, any more than I am perfect. But can you say this: 'With all my faults and failures, and all that is true of me, I can say that the directing force and principle in my life is the Spirit of God'? The Apostle Paul states that if you can say that, you are a son of God. That, then, is the question for you to face. Can you say this, are you sure of this? Is the main direction of your life being determined by the Holy Spirit of God? Is it your greatest desire that it should be? If it is, whatever else may be true about you, whatever your faults or failures, I say to you, on the authority of God Himself, you are a 'son of God'.

Praying By The Book (18) 01.25.12w  |  MP3  |  20:58 Answered Prayer Acts 4:31

You Have a New Friend Request

It’s usually easier to see the point of our trials in hindsight. The trick is learning how to see our trials as blessings when we are in the midst of them. Best I can tell the only way to do that is to be prepared for them: to understand what they are and what purpose they serve in our lives. They are not easy, they are not pleasant, and they are not often desired. But they are not pointless either. The J.B. Phillips paraphrase of James 1:2 says: “When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends!”

An amazing thought, isn’t it? To welcome trials as friends. (As actual friends, not the ubiquitous Facebook type.) This is clearly the instruction of God’s Word, yet we so rarely extend a welcome to trials. When we see them coming up the sidewalk, we turn off the lights and duck behind the couch, hoping they didn’t see us and will soon move on to someone else’s house.

The point is not that we go out looking for trials. We don’t have to do that; they will find each of us soon enough. The point is that when they do come, we must welcome them, seeing them as what they are: God-ordained testing for the purpose of producing steadfastness and joy within us.

	The Power of Words and the Wonder of God John Piper & Justin Taylor (editors) THEOLOGY
	Portraits of Faith Joel Beeke THEOLOGY

Pillow Talk

Fighting off sleep long enough to ask God’s forgiveness for “all the sins I’ve committed today” is not what the Bible means by confession. Sincere confession requires a specific, intentional declaration of each area of sin in our lives. Doing so makes us acknowledge our sin for what it is, admit that God is right to call it sin, and agree that it has no place in the our lives. This kind of work is seldom done well on a pillow. And ignoring sin only allows it to take deeper root in our lives. Confession is not just good for the soul, it is necessary.

[24] For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. [25] Nor was it to offer Himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, [26] for then He would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. [Hebrews 9:24-26]

from How Long, O Lord? by D. A. Carson (171)

Some people see in the cross nothing more than a fine example of sacrificial love. They cannot find there anything of atonement, of triumph over the powers of darkness, of the satisfaction of God’s justice, of bearing away the sins of others. They see only an example of self-sacrificing love, an example to be emulated. John Denney gave one of the most trenchant responses to that emphasis almost a century ago. What would we think, he asks, or someone who ran down the Brighton pier at full tilt, loudly proclaiming his love for the world, and who jumped off the end of the pier and drowned? Surely we would not praise his love; surely we would pity his dementia. For one cannot meaningfully speak of self-sacrificing love unless there is a purpose to the self-sacrifice. This pathetic person’s “self-sacrifice” is a tragic waste to be pitied, not a noble example to be emulated. In exactly the same way, to speak grandly of the example of Jesus’ love, or even of His identification with human suffering, is entirely meaningless unless there is some end in view. We must never lose sight of the fact that that end is our salvation—our pardon, our reconciliation to God, our restoration to a proper relationship with both God and other human beings, and ultimately our transformation when Jesus comes again. That is what gives meaning to Jesus’ self-sacrifice. His was not the death of the demented, the deluded, or the disillusioned; His was the death of the ransom, a sacrifice voluntarily laid down at His Father’s command in order that we might be forgiven.

Time Travel Tuesday #130
The countdown through the annual Xtreme Summer group pictures continues with the summer of 2002. I can't help but noticing how the picture quality decreases each year we go back. This was taken on a disposable film camera...remember those? FROM L to R: Matt Rosencrans, Justin Chappell, Lesley Baize, Justen Atwell, Chad Nanna, Jenna Montgomery, Nick McCullum, Mark Powell, Sean Cape, Meghan Atwell, Amanda (Doss) Atwell, Shannon Daley, Alyssa (Van Hook) Stanfield, Matt Ray, Chad McCullum, Audrey Baize, Kris Horn, Chris Shaw, Amanda (Nanna) Alvey, Kaycee Horn, Jeremy Chappell, and Stacy Wilder 

	God's Indwelling Presence James M. Hamilton, Jr. THEOLOGY
	Locked On Tom Clancy (with Mark Greaney) FICTION
	A Heart for God Sinclair B. Ferguson THEOLOGY

Me, Myself, and Lie

We like ourselves too much. Contrary to what the esteem-driven culture we live in would have us believe, life is not mainly about us or our immediate satisfaction. The Bible’s testimony about us is that we are all sinners, guilty of treason against the only true King of the universe. What compounds our problem is a double error: the pitiful belief that we can hide our sin from an all-seeing God and the prideful assumption that our sin isn’t worthy of His judgment.

Not One Word Has Failed (21) 01.22.12p  |  MP3  |  31:49 Part and Parcel (1) Joshua 12:1 - 14:5

Fashionable Faith (15) 01.22.12a  |  MP3  |  35:07 The Nature of Elders (2): Leading at Home Titus 1:6

This weekend, Aaron will celebrate turning 2! He has become quite the reader (which means he brings us books and makes us read them to him over and over again) and has picked up the habit of climbing onto everything he can reach--and trying for things he can't. I am very thankful for Aaron and am blessed to be his father.

Since I'm not planning to post anything else on this site until next week, I've decided to be three days early instead of one day late and go ahead and post this collage wishing Aaron a happy second birthday!

[17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [Galatians 5:17]

from Morning & Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon (June 2 AM)

In every believer’s heart there is a constant struggle between the old nature and the new. The old nature is very active and loses no opportunity of employing all the weapons in its deadly arsenal against newborn grace; while on the other hand, the new nature is always on the lookout to resist and destroy its enemy. Grace within us will employ prayer and faith and hope and love to cast out the evil; it takes to itself “the whole armor of God” and wrestles vigorously. These two opposing natures will never stop struggling as long as we are in this world… The enemy is so securely entrenched within us that he can never be driven out while we are in this body: But although we are closely followed, and often in fierce conflict, we have an Almighty helper, Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, who is always with us and who assures us that we shall eventually be more than conquerors through Him. With such assistance the newborn nature is more than a match for its enemies. Are you fighting with the adversary today? Are Satan, the world, and the flesh all against you? Do not be discouraged nor dismayed. Fight on! For God Himself is with you. Jehovah Nissi is your banner, and Jehovah Rophi is the healer of your wounds. Do not fear, you will overcome, for who can defeat Omnipotence? Fight on, “looking to Jesus”, and although the conflict is long and tough, the victory will be sweet, and the promised reward will be glorious. From strength to strength go on; Wrestle, and fight, and pray, Tread all the powers of darkness down, And win the well-fought day.

from The Cross (159)

God said: ‘Let there be light: and there was light.’ God brought light into being by the mere word of His power, His mere fiat. And God created everything in the same way—a word was enough, such is the power of God. He speaks and it is done. But when God comes to deal with the problem of man, and man in sin and rebellion, a word is not enough…God cannot forgive sin just by saying: ‘I forgive.’ If He could, He would have done so. Do you imagine that God would ever have sent His only begotten Son to the cross if He could have forgiven the sin of men in any other way?...But there was not. A word is enough to create but a word is not enough to forgive. Before God can forgive any sin to any man, His only begotten Son had to leave the courts of heaven, and come down on earth and take on human nature, and live as a man and be ‘stricken, smitten of God,’ upon that cross. And the cross thus proclaims the holiness of God, the heinousness of sin, the terrible problem of sin, the terrible seriousness of man’s rebellion against God.

Fire in the Holy

When the Bible says that God is holy, it means He is absolutely pure from a moral sense, but it also means that He is separate from the rest of creation. He is inimitable and matchless. God’s holiness serves at least two main functions: to exalt Himself and reveal His identity as the One true God and, secondly, to expose and condemn sin when viewed in contrast to His holiness. The holiness of God isn’t some quaint sentiment; it is a “consuming fire.” 

[7] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. [9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. [10] In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [12] No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. [1 John 4:7-12]

from Works (Vol. 2) by John Owen (26-27)

The mutual love of God and the saints agrees in this -- that the way of communicating the issues and fruits of these loves is only in Christ. The Father communicates no issue of His love unto us but through Christ; and we make no return of love unto Him but through Christ. He is the treasury wherein the Father disposes all the riches of His grace, taken from the bottomless mine of His eternal love; and He is the priest into whose hand we put all the offerings that we return to the Father. Thence He is first, and by way of eminency, said to love the Son; not only as His eternal Son -- as He was the delight of His soul before the foundation of the world (Prov. 8:30) -- but also as our mediator, and the means of conveying His love to us (Matt 3:17, John 3:35, 5:20, 10:17, 15:9, 17:24). And we are said through Him to believe in and to have access to God.

Time Travel Tuesday #129
The countdown through the annual Xtreme Summer group pictures continues with the summer of 2003. FROM L to R: Nick McCullum, Chris Shaw, Sean Cape, Matt Rosencrans, Shannon Daley, Chasity Lanham, Steele Logsdon, Tricia (Allen) Powell, Meghan Atwell, Justin Chappell, Eric Deaton, Ashley (Allen) McCullum, Amanda (Nanna) Alvey, Mark Powell, Chad McCullum,  Alyssa (Van Hook) Stanfield, Jeremy Chappell, and Stacy Wilder 

Ark My Words

[5] The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart. [7] So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” [Genesis 6:5-7]  

Noah and the ark is one of the most well-known of all Bible stories. Ironically, the point of the story is often lost amidst the boatload of animals. Our focus isn’t to be on Noah (who actually doesn’t say anything at all during the flood story), nor is it to get sidetracked with discussions about where elephants slept or who cleaned up after the elk. No, the Flood serves as a reminder of God’s judgment.  

To bring this point home, we must consider how the rest of Scripture views the Flood. Jesus says that His return and judgment will be similar to the judgment that came from God in the days of Noah. “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” [Matthew 24:37-39]  

Peter also expresses a connection between the previous judgment of God through water and the coming judgment of God through fire: “For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” [2 Peter 3:5-7]  

What are we to do in the face of such certain judgment? We cannot hope to avoid judgment, but we can survive it—if we trust in God’s way of salvation. Noah didn't survive the flood because he was innocent; he survived because God provided a means of salvation. Just as Noah was saved only because of his position in the ark, only those who are in Christ by faith will be saved through Him. It was just the eight people found in the ark that were kept from drowning in flood waters, and only those found in Christ will enter into eternal life. For us, Christ is the ark. 

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 01.15.12p  |  MP3  |  35:51 Life Psalm 82:3-4

Fashionable Faith (14) 01.15.12a  |  MP3  |  37:37 The Nature of Elders (1): Being Above Reproach Titus 1:5-8

We're wrapping up the week with two more book reviews, both of which I liked (but for different reasons). Enjoy the weekend!

 

	Wordsmithy Douglas Wilson NON-FICTION
	Reclaiming Adoption Dan Cruver (editor) THEOLOGY

from Courageous Christianity (170-171)

The next thing proved by the Resurrection is that Christ is able to save us from all our enemies. I proclaim to you that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Savior? What does He save us from? He saves us from the world, the flesh, the devil, and the law of God. Yes, the law of God is against us, and the law in that sense is our enemy. "By the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20), and the law condemns us; "By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2:16). The law of God accuses us, and we cannot escape it. It stands over and against us. World, flesh, devil, law. At the back of them all is the most terrifying of them all -- death, the last enemy, the enemy that the modern world is trying to fight with all its ingenuity and cleverness and science. We are all struggling to keep ourselves young and to fight off old age and death. You can postpone it for a year or two, but you cannot evade it. There he is with his scythe, advancing nearer and nearer and nearer, and the day -- we all know it -- must inevitably come when he will hammer at your door and say to you, "Move on." You will have to go. The last enemy. And he is not only the last enemy chronologically, but he is the last enemy in the sense that he is the one who faces us with the judgment, the law, the holiness of God, and possibly an eternal destiny of misery and wretchedness and unhappiness -- the last enemy. Now our Lord claims to be the Savior, but if He cannot save us from all our enemies, He does not merit the designation of Savior. Thank God, He can meet the challenge. He dealt with the devil many times when He was here in the flesh and conquered him with ease. He lived untouched by the world, separate from it. The sins of the flesh He never knew. He was tempted externally in all points like as we are, yet was without sin; and He was never tempted from sin within. As for the law of God, we have already seen how He met its every demand. He never broke His Father's law, and there on the cross He gave a complete and perfect satisfaction for all its demands. Yes, but that obedience involved His death. Has the last enemy got Him? It is one thing to beat the world, the flesh, the devil, and the law of God, but what about the last enemy? Has it not conquered Him; has it not succeeded? The world said, "Yes, it has!" They were beginning to triumph, but their triumph was short-lived, shattered by the Resurrection. Christ conquered our last enemy, enabling His people to look in the face of death and say, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor. 15:55). Paul continued, "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (vv. 56-57). He has conquered the last enemy. He is a complete, a perfect, Savior. I would not be able to say that if He had not risen literally in the body from the tomb. But I can say it because the Resurrection is a fact. "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 4:33). This is what a man or woman does who is filled with the Spirit as these people were. The Resurrection is the fact on which everything is based, and this is what the world needs to know.

Praying By The Book (17) 01.11.12w  |  MP3  |  17:31 Through the Name of Jesus Acts 4:30

God is good. At least so the Bible claims. But isn't that just God telling us about Himself? What if He just decides that 'good' is whatever He wants it to be on any given day? To help address that idea, here is a quote from John Frame's excellent book, The Doctrine of God: 

from The Doctrine of God by John M. Frame (408-409)

The biblical writers never say that God is good because He says He is good, and that He says He is good because He is good. That would be narrow circularity. Rather, they describe and praise God’s mighty acts of deliverance, His kindness in providence, and His grace in salvation. These are big, bold, obvious evidences of goodness. They overwhelm believing readers and call from us almost involuntarily the confession that God is good. At this stage of our thinking, there may seem to be no circularity at all. But as we think more deeply, we realize that, of course, we learn of these evidences from God Himself. We learn them from God’s Word, and the biblical writers themselves learn them from God’s inspiration. There is also general revelation: God reveals His goodness through His actions in the course of nature and history, both in the experience of the biblical writers and in our own. So everything we know about God’s goodness comes from Him. God’s revelation is both our ultimate criterion of truth and our sole source of knowledge about God’s goodness. We believe that God is good, then, because God tells us that He is good. So the circularity is present. But it is a broad circularity, not a narrow one. It is a circularity loaded with content, full of evidence, and richly persuasive. We are literally surrounded by evidence of God’s goodness. So when someone says that for God to be His own standard allows Him to be an arbitrary despot, declaring what is good today to be evil tomorrow, the critic is not dealing with the reality of God’s revelation. The God who reveals Himself in all creation is simply not that kind of person. We do not know Him as an arbitrary despot. We have heard of arbitrary despots, but our God is not like them. God has made us to hear His voice, as obedient children listen to a loving father. We know Him because He knows us and addresses us. He declares His goodness, and He demonstrates it richly. We don’t merely know the bare fact that God is good; we know Him. We learn to trust someone by observing his or her behavior. With God, there is far more evidence than that, for all creation presents to us His actions and His love.

Sight Beyond Sight (Part 2 of 2)

[19] For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. [20] For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. [Romans 1:19-20]

Although God reveals things about Himself in nature, we need to understand something beyond what has already been made plain. This is why we have a Bible, and this is why God took on flesh in the person of Christ. Christ Himself showed how the Scriptures were used to foretell and explain His messianic mission (cf. Matthew 26:54, Mark 8:31, and Luke 24:13-47). While Christ certainly made use of the created order in His parables and teachings, when it came to revealing His nature and passion, He appealed to Scripture.

The book of Hebrews gives us more insight in this matter when the author says “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment…” [Hebrews 10:26] There is a knowledge of truth that must be received which, as the previous nine chapters of Hebrews detailed, can only be known through the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

What is of particular importance to us here is that the author of Hebrews does not appeal to creation to reveal these truths, but to Christ Himself, who is superior to anyone or anything else. Notice also from this verse that the truth necessary for salvation from God’s judgment requires a sacrifice for sins. Even granting that a person might somehow receive knowledge of God’s salvation plan through general revelation, this passage indicates that it is not merely the knowledge of this truth that saves a person, but faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ on their behalf. 

In his letter to Rome, Paul states: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…for in it the righteousness of God is revealed…” [Romans 1:16-17] The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. Lest we think that ‘gospel’ can refer to the general revelation, Paul makes it plain that we are “justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.” [Romans 3:24-25] It is faith in Christ and in the propitiation His blood brings that leads to salvific faith, not tacit awareness (or even full acknowledgement of) God’s power and nature.

Sight Beyond Sight (Part 1 of 2)

[19] For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. [20] For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. [Romans 1:19-20]

God has given a sense of Himself—His “eternal power and divine nature” [Romans 1:20]—to all people. The created order does speak clearly about the God of the Bible. To subdue that truth requires active suppression on the part of those who wish to reject it. This is evident, even in those who rail against it. As Lloyd-Jones once noted, even the man who does not believe it God has got a sense of Him; that’s why he has to argue against it. Ignoring God is hard work.

And yet He is, indeed, the God of the Bible. His Word has been given with a specific function and purpose: to interpret the revelation of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prophets came speaking a message from the Lord, a message that by its very existence implied the communication of something that God’s people could not have ascertained merely from creation. Although they had already been given a great deal about God, there is more to discover than what they can infer from the world around them.

When Isaiah says: “Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?” [Isaiah 40:21] he seems to be implying that people should know all they need to from the general revelation of God through what He has done. But these words are being written precisely because the people do not understand and have turned to idols. Though there is no one we can liken to God, the prophet says, people keep trying to do so. They are suppressing the truth.

Jesus makes a similar statement to the Pharisees: “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.” [John 8:43] It wasn’t because the Pharisees were ignorant of general truths about God but because they renounced God’s revelation through Christ that they could not understand. They needed to understand something beyond what was already made plain to them; but they could not understand it apart from Christ. 

We're going to play a game! Ready? Look at the titles of the three books reviewed today and try to guess what I just finished writing the next Men's Discipleship study on. Got it?

As far as the books themselves, I really enjoyed Lawson's take though it might be daunting at 500+ pages. Getz's effort was passable, but smacked too much of introspection throughout. A great compromise was Meyer's work: accessible and admirably centered on Christ.

	Joseph: Exalted Through Trials F. B. Meyer THEOLOGY
	The History of Joseph George Lawson THEOLOGY

Joseph: Overcoming Obstacles Through Faithfulness Gene A. Getz THEOLOGY

Time Travel Tuesday #128
The countdown through the annual Xtreme Summer group pictures continues with the summer of 2004. FROM L to R: Shannon Daley, Mark Powell, Stacy Wilder, Chris Shaw, Ashleigh Puckett, Justin Chappell, Alyssa (Van Hook) Stanfield, Eric Deaton, Sara Florence, Sean Cape, Nick McCullum, Chad Nanna, Ashley (Allen) McCullum, Matt Rosencrans, Carrie Williams, Tricia (Allen) Powell, and Chad McCullum 

Not One Word Has Failed (20) 01.08.12p  |  MP3  |  35:08 Hard of Heart Joshua 11:1-23

Fashionable Faith (13) 01.08.12a  |  MP3  |  31:23 Put What Remained Into Order Titus 1:5

If you follow me on Twitter (@se7enty6ix) or just keep up with the Twitter feed on this page, then you've probably noticed that I've been tweeting through the Gospel of Luke. Clearly I am not covering every verse, or even every idea within a verse, but it's good practice for me to try and distill the essence of a passage to 140 characters or less. (I mean, the introduction to this post is already five lines long!) Here are all the tweets for Luke chapter 3:

John the Baptist went proclaiming “repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Lk 3:3) He went and he told; neither is sufficient alone.

“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Lk 3:8) Genuine faith in Christ shows itself. Always. Without exception.

“He is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Lk 3:8) Be humbled that God chose defiant sinners over guiltless rocks.

A warning made sober by its truthfulness: “Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Lk 3:9)

“Be content with your wages.” (Lk 3:14) Lord, empower us to live this command. Help us to fear extravagance as much as we fear poverty.

“He who is mightier than I is coming.” (Lk 3:16) John the Baptist knew that it was all about Christ. Every breath, every act, all for Him.

Like John, we are not worthy even to untie the sandals of Christ (Lk 3:16); yet the One who deserves our service instead came to serve us.

Jesus divides us into wheat and chaff; wheat goes in His barn, chaff is burned. (Lk 3:17) It’s one or the other; there is no middle ground.

“With many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.” (Lk 3:18) Do you speak gospel? Can your words be called good news?

God’s testimony about Jesus: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Lk 3:22) May our lives also speak only truth of Christ.

Jesus is “the son of…David…Judah…Jacob…Isaac…Abraham…Adam…God.” (Lk 3:23-28) Since we are adopted by God, these are our fathers, and Father.

"When we set out to read important books, we can expect opposition from our hearts. Reading is a discipline, and all disciplines require self-discipline, and self-discipline is the one thing our sinful flesh will resist." [Tony Reinke, Lit!, 131]

	I struggled with reviewing this one. Swindoll has moments of strength but he often overemphasizes things like 'leadership principles' and 'positive thinking.' Those are fine but they are not the main ideas we're supposed to take from the Joseph story. Joseph: A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness Charles R. Swindoll THEOLOGY
	Parrish may have found his niche in the wide-open young adult genre, which allows for a creative merging of fantasy, sci-fi, angst, romance, and just about every other imaginable style. I wish this had been a bit longer and more fleshed out, but the length might be about right for a younger audience. Corridor Robin Parrish FICTION

For what they intend to be--brief introductions to key components of the gospel--this series of booklets (now up to 14 total) from The Gospel Coalition, at about $4 each, is about as good a bang-for-your-buck investment as there is. Even though this entry isn't one of their stronger efforts, the series is solid. The Kingdom of God Stephen Um THEOLOGY

Although last year was the 30th anniversary of Lloyd-Jones' death (and thus the reason for weekly quotes from his works), I have decided to continue a weekly dose from the doctor in 2012. I hope it will be encouraging to you, and if last year was any indication, I know it will be encouraging to me. Without further ado, here's our first (rather apropos) quote of the year:

There is a possibility of a new start, a new beginning, and for all, even for the most desperate. No case can be worse than that of the prodigal son. Yet even he can start again. He has touched bottom, he has sunk to the very dregs, he has gone down so low that he could not possibly descend any further. Never has a more hopeless picture been drawn than that of this boy in the far country amidst the husks and the swine, penniless and friendless, utterly hopeless and forlorn, utterly desolate and dejected. But even he gets a fresh start, even he is called to make a new beginning. There is a turning-point which leads on to fortune and to happiness even for him. What a blessed gospel, and especially in a world like this! What a difference the coming of Jesus Christ has made! What new hope for mankind appeared in Him! [Evangelistic Sermons, 228]

Praying By The Book (16) 01.04.12w  |  MP3  |  15:55 Grant Boldness to Your Servants Acts 4:29

Fleshing It Out

[3] He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. [Acts 1:3]

Since Christ has risen and His words are true, those who trust in Him will one day be risen also. What is true for Him is true for His people. In that resurrection day, those who are His will receive a body that will be free from disease, free from death, free from heartache and misery. Then we will enjoy an eternal life free from suffering and pain and tragedy and confusion and despair.

This matters—deeply—because in this life we do have disease, death, heartache, misery, suffering, pain, tragedy, confusion, and despair. These things surround us. They are either chipping away small pieces or striking with a furious onslaught but they are always there. Our lives often seem to be defined by the effects of sin and the curse of death. What Jesus’ resurrection tells us is that, while this pain is real, it is also temporary. Things are bad, and will perhaps get worse, but they won’t last one moment past our final breaths.

Bluntly put: if my life gets worse every day, if every new morning is darker and more tragic than the one before, and if I live for another 60 years with daily increasing pain and suffering, what is that compared to eternity? My troubles will always be with me in this life, but then they will be with me no longer. One day they will end, and when they do, they will end forever. My suffering may be intense and long and difficult here—just as Christ’s was—but when it ends, it ends.

If we neglect the bodily resurrection of Christ we will be tempted to let our circumstances influence us too greatly. Don’t misunderstand: trusting in the resurrection doesn’t mean ignoring your pain or pretending like you don’t suffer. False optimism helps no one. What trusting Christ’s resurrection means is that although your pain is real and your suffering hurts—sometimes very profoundly—it won’t have the final word. Pain won’t win. Suffering won’t destroy those who belong to Christ.

The things that are seen and felt in this life can be painful. They can afflict us and perplex us, and strike us down. But they are temporary, because Christ is alive. There is eternal glory waiting for us. I can endure whatever this day brings, not because of my strength, but because of what Christ has done. He is risen and, if I share in His death, I will certainly share in His life. Troubles may come now, but they will end, and when they do, they will end forever.

Christ is alive! Let that sink deep into your hearts this day, and let it take root. The truth of the bodily resurrection of Christ is the only thing that will be able to sustain you when troubles come, so don’t be quick to get away from it. Think on it, dwell on it, pray on it, and ask God to use it to strengthen your heart for the trials ahead.

Time Travel Tuesday #127
The countdown through the annual Xtreme Summer group pictures continues with the summer of 2005. FROM L to R: (Back Row) Chad McCullum, Justin Chappell, Shannon Daley, Mark Powell, Chris Shaw; (Front Row) Ashleigh Puckett, Breanna Albright, and Sara Florence 

Most of you know that my wife, Tricia, is running a photography business called Amazing Grace Photography. What you may not know is that she has just unveiled a new logo and a new website!

One of the best features of the new website is that you can see galleries of her photos and order prints directly from those galleries with just a few clicks. That makes it really easy for friends and families to get copies of pictures they like.

Tricia has plenty more info and features on the site, so make sure you swing by and spend some time checking it out today!  

Happy new year! You can get caught up on sermons from the past few weeks in the post below, and here are the first three book reviews for 2012!

This has the distinction of being the first "official" Sherlock Holmes novel authorized by the Arthur Conan Doyle estate in 125 years. It doesn't match Doyle's originals (what could?) and expectations were probably set too high, but it's enjoyable--though honestly more for the familiar characters than the mystery. Although I will concede that those who are devoted Holmes purists will find much to criticize. I enjoy Holmes in various incarnations (even the Downey, Jr. version), but I am not hardcore about it. For me, Basil Rathbone will always be Holmes. He was the first I saw as a child (on WGN on many Sunday afternoons while eating lunch after church) and even when I read this book, it was his voice I heard speaking the dialogue. Bottom line: if you can enjoy Holmes without overanalyzing how he compares to Doyle's ideal, then you'll find this enjoyable. If, on the other hand, you think Holmes died when Doyle did, then why even bother reading what you have already decided to hate? The House of Silk Anthony Horowitz FICTION

Phillips not only explains what the Lord's Supper is, he also explains why faithful participation in it is even more necessary than some might think. The Basics of the Reformed Faith series continues to be a solid introduction to key Christian beliefs.  What is the Lord's Supper? Richard D. Phillips THEOLOGY

If you like stories wrapped up nicely with all questions answered clearly, then stay away from this one. But if you're open for some uncertainty and thought-provoking scenarios, Mullen has quickly proven to be a good place to start. His latest is no exception. The Revisionists Thomas Mullen FICTION

Not One Word Has Failed (19) 01.01.12p  |  MP3  |  32:52 Go South Young Man Joshua 10:29-43

01.01.12a  |  MP3  |  35:30 ...and a Happy New Year! Romans 6:1-14

Praying By The Book (15) 12.28.11w  |  MP3  |  19:59 To Do Whatever Your Hand and Your Plan Had Predestined Acts 4:25-28

12.25.11a  |  MP3  |  31:55 Merry Christmas... Hebrews 2:1-18