Knowing About Honey vs. Tasting Honey
The following quote comes from Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon, “A Divine and Supernatural Light.” I came across this in Redeemer Presbyterian’s Prayer Bible Study.My Biggest Sin
The following comes from McKay Caston’s Blog. I love this blog. Check it out.
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You couldn’t help it, could you? This is gonna be juicy, right? Could be. Okay, let’s get to it. What is my biggest sin? Of course, most of us probably think of the Top 10 list in Exodus. “Thou Shall Not…” But we’ve all broken every one of those. No surprise there. So what is my biggest sin? Here goes: Not believing that I have been fully forgiven, totally accepted, and am dearly loved by the Father. Sorry to disappoint you, but when I DON’T believe this, I get religious and become a Pharisee of sorts, who were the biggest sinners in Jesus’ day (because of their prideful, “I can do it if you just show me the rule” hearts). To look upon the work of Jesus on the cross as my judicial substitute and to NOT believe that I am fully forgiven, totally accepted, and am dearly loved is to cheapen the gospel. To think that I can add anything of my own merit is to severely diminish God’s glorious grace. It is an insult to the blood of Jesus. “So Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”
The Gospel Requires 100% Not Doing! The Gospel Requires Believing!
The following quote comes from Walter Marshall’s book, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification. Marshall was a 17th century pastor. This book was first published in 1692 and this edition arrived in 2005. Per the introduction, Dr. John Murray, late professor of systematic theology at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, said this was the most important book on sanctification that had ever been written. I recommend this book to anyone who is wrestling with how sanctification and justification work together.
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Remember the basic difference between the law and the gospel. It is not that the law requires perfect obedience, and the gospel just requires sincere obedience. Rather, the difference is this: the law requires doing, and the gospel requires not doing. The gospel requires believing for life and salvation. The “terms of the deal” are totally different. They are not just different in degree: ”The law requires 100% obedience for your salvation whereas the gospel only requires 51% obedience for your salvation.” No! The terms are different in their very nature! The law requires 100% doing. The gospel requires 100% not doing! The gospel requires believing!
Born In Her… The Most High Himself Will Establish Her
Psalm 87
On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God.
Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush – “This one was born there,” they say.
And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High himself will establish her.
The Lord records as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.”
Singers and dancers alike say,
“All my springs are in you.”
Inestimable Peace and Happiness
The following comes from Ray Ortlund’s Blog, Christ is Deeper Still:
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“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” Galatians 3:13
What is the curse of the law? It is the or-else-ness of the law: “Do this, or else.” Christ took the or-else-ness of the law onto himself at the cross, so that there is no more or-else for anyone in Christ, as God looks upon us now. Or-else is gone forever from your relationship with God.
“We, being delivered from these everlasting terrors and anguish through Christ, shall enjoy an everlasting and inestimable peace and happiness.”
Martin Luther, commentary on Galatians 3:13.
Pete Maravich Testimony 1987 (Billy Graham Crusade)
The following video is 9 minutes long, but definitely worth your time. In his closing thoughts, Pistol Pete says, “I wouldn’t trade 1000 NBA Championships, 1000 Hall of Fame Rings, or 100,000,000 dollars for the joy I have in Christ.”
If I ever coach basketball, I will show his teaching video (where he displays his skills) before every practice. I would then have the team practice what they saw and we would conclude by watching the video below. Hopefully the team would feel the joy that is expressed by Pistol Pete regarding the gospel in contrast to the enslaving life he lived to basketball.
Killing the Addiction
The following quote comes from Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters, by Tim Keller (p.93-4):
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The idol of success (or any other idol) cannot be just expelled (by will-power or determination), it must be replaced. The human heart’s desire for a particular valuable object may be conquered, but its need to have some such object is unconquerable. How can we break our heart’s fixation on doing “some great thing” in order to heal ourselves of our sense of inadequacy, in order to give our lives meaning? Only when we see what Jesus, our great Suffering Servant, has done for us will we finally understand why God’s salvation does not require us to do “some great thing.” We don’t have to do it, because Jesus has. That’s why we can “just wash.” Jesus did it all for us, and he loves us-that is how we know our existence is justified. When we believe in what he accomplished for us with our minds, and when we are moved by what he did for us in our hearts, it begins to kill off the addiction, the need for success at all costs.
Thou Art My Loveliness, My Life, My Light, Beauty Alone to Me
I’m currently reading (2nd time) Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters by Tim Keller and wanted to share some things that I’ve come across with you. If you haven’t read this book, please pick it up and if you don’t have the $, I’ll buy it for you (seriously). I think it’s one of the best books ever written.
Throughout, Keller identifies things that we rely on to feel okay in this very challenging world. As the title of the book indicates, he specifically looks at money, sex (or relationships) and power, examining why we are drawn to them and then articulates their insufficiency to satisfy our deepest longings and needs. He doesn’t stop there… He then brings us to Jesus and reminds us of the true love that we were made for, the only hope that doesn’t disappoint, and the true Savior that truly saves. My take on what Keller is trying to communicate is this: God delights in us in Christ. If you are in Christ, you are God’s treasure. You are his beloved and he is absolutely pleased with you.
To give you a taste from the book, the following quote comes from the section on human relationships (p. 40)
The failure of romantic love as a solution to human problems is so much a part of modern man’s frustration… No human relationship can bear the burden of godhood… However much we may idealize and idolize him or her (the love partner), he/she inevitably reflects earthly decay and imperfection… After all, what is it that we want when we elevate the love partner to this position? We want to be rid of our faults, of our feeling of nothingness. We want to be justified, to know our existence has not been in vain. We want redemption – nothing less. Needless to say, human partners cannot give this.
Keller goes on to discuss what will rid us of our faults, our feelings of nothingness, what will justifies us, what does enables us to know our existence has not been in vain and where our redemption does come from. (p.45, 47)
Jesus took upon himself our sins and died in our place. If we are deeply moved by the sight of his love for us, it detaches our hearts from other would-be saviors. We stop trying to redeem ourselves through our pursuits and relationships, because we are already redeemed. We stop trying to make others into saviors, because we have a Savior.
Who can I turn to who is so beautiful that he will enable me to escape all counterfeit gods? There is only one answer to this question. As the poet George Herbert wrote, looking at Jesus on the Cross: “Thou art my loveliness, my life, my light, Beauty alone to me.”
