Archive for May, 2008
May 29, 2008 at 10:39 am · Filed under Guest Post
On Memorial Day at the beginning of this week I was asked to offer the invocation at the community Memorial Day service in Sheboygan Falls, WI. Below I have attached the speech given by Ed Michael.
— MEMORIAL DAY SPEECH by ED MICHAEL —
Memorial Day has traditionally been one of the most solemn and patriotic days for Americans. Memorial Day is a day when all Americans, regardless of ideologies, race, creed, or political persuasion, join together to remember the sacrifices of those who answered their nation’s call. Memorial Day is a time to take stock of the present, reflect on the past and renew our commitment to the future of America.
In America’s cities and towns today, flags will be placed on graves in cemeteries. Public officials will speak of the sacrifice and the valor of those whose memory we honor.
When he dedicated the battlefield at Gettysburg in 1863, Lincoln spoke of the inadequacy of words on occasions such as these. In his Gettysburg Address Lincoln said,
“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” And so it is with us today. The eloquence of words cannot match the power of the sacrifices made by so many.
We honor them.
We praise them.
We remember them.
Today, as in the past, there are problems that must be solved and challenges that must be met. We can tackle them with our full strength and creativity only because we are free to work them out in our own way. We owe this freedom of choice and action to those men and women in uniform who have served this nation and its interest in time of need.
In particular, we are forever indebted to those who have given their lives that we might be free. I don’t have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, every time we watch, or every time we read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world.
Those who risked their lives on our behalf are often very clear about what matters most in their own lives. They tell what matters to those they love. I vividly remember the situation at our house when I was activated for Desert Shield/Storm and preparing to leave. After putting my bags in the car I went back into the house to get my wife Shirley to drive me to the airport and she was crying, I ask Shirley “What’s wrong?” She said that she couldn’t take me to the airport because the people (general public) shouldn’t see her crying. I looked at her and responded: “Honey, the President dialed 911 and I answered, You married a soldier”. She said “I know that … take care of yourself.”
Another example, of what matters in one’s life, is the comment of Master Sergeant Kelly Hornbeck, a Special Forces Soldier, who was killed in action south of Samarra, Iraq.
In a letter to his parents he wrote, “I am not afraid and neither should either of you be; for I trust in my God and my training, and these are two powerful forces that cannot be fully measured.
Markers, of veterans, in cemeteries all over the World record the names. Each was once or still is the most important person in someone’s life. With each loss in war, the world changed forever for the family and friends left behind. Each loss left others to carry on. Each loss left others to count the years of separation. And each loss left the living to hope for a reunion in a far better place.
Our first obligation to them and ourselves is plain enough:
The United States and the freedom, for which it stands, the freedom for which they died, must endure and prosper. Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. Life has a cost; it imposes a burden. And just as they whom we commemorate were willing to sacrifice, so to must we – in a less final, less heroic way be willing to give of ourselves.
Although the burden of grief can become easier to bear, always there is the memory of another time and the feeling of sadness over an unfinished life. Yet, the completeness of a life is not measured in length only. Life is measured in the deeds and commitments that give a life its purpose.
The commitment of these lives was clear to all;
They defended our nation,
They liberated the oppressed,
They served the cause of peace.
As I was preparing my remarks for today I came across the lyrics by Julia Ward Howe to the, “Battle Hymn of the Republic”. In the fifth verse she wrote,
“As He died to make men Holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on.”
The second part of that stanza is often changed today to say, “Let us live to make men free.” The fifth verse of the Battle Hymn of the Republic reflects the meaning to a special e-mail that is circulating on the internet. It is a picture of Jesus on the Cross super imposed over a soldier kneeling in prayer with an M-16 rifle stuck in the ground by the bayonet, the helmet is set on top of the butt of the rifle stock, with a pair of empty boots and dog tags placed before the rifle. The caption of this picture reads;
“One died for your soul … the other died for your freedom.”
On this Memorial Day – pause to reflect on just what has been given and sacrificed so freely so that freedom could ring across this great land. And all Americans who have known the loss and sadness of war, whether recently or long ago, can know this: the person they love and miss is honored and remembered by the United States of America.
In closing: I can say, I have always considered it a Privilege and an Honor and to have been an American Soldier.
Thank You.
May 28, 2008 at 9:32 am · Filed under Movie
There are times when art moves the whole person not to the edge of his seat, but rather to the edge of his soul. Bella grows from beginning to end, even swelling to fill the viewer. But the emotion and thought is not beauty alone, it is pain. Bella uses pain to remind the viewer that he is really alive and has a soul and in the process shows the beauty of the possibility of life. Pain is real, and beauty is waiting.
(MP Rating: 5/5)
May 23, 2008 at 7:03 am · Filed under Reading Classics
Today I move on to Chapter 3 of A. W. Pink’s book, The Sayings of the Savior on the Cross. You can view all the posts in this series by clicking HERE.
— SUMMARY —
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother. … When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved he saith unto his mother, “Woman, behold they son!” Then saith he to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” (John 19:25-27)
Pink does a wonderful job in this chapter of helping us to understand this brief exchange within the larger narrative as well as within the scope of the whole of scripture.
He begins the chapter by first noting that Mary was a woman “not unacquainted with grief.” Even from the beginning of the announcement by the angel that she would bear the Son of God scripture notes that “she was troubled at his saying.” And here, in this scene, we have this crucified man’s mother standing beneath the cross.
Pink makes seven observations about Jesus’ pronouncement.
Here we see …
1) … the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy: Simeon had prophesied to Mary that “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also”. Pink puts the fulfillment perfectly. “Never such bliss at a human birth, never such sorrow at an inhuman death.”
2) … the perfect man setting an example for children to honor their parents: Pink observes that to the very end Jesus “fully discharged the obligations of every relationship that He sustained, either to God or to man.” Pink explains at length that the fifth commandment applies to children of all ages, even adults. Jesus demonstrates this reality in this saying from the cross.
3) … that John had returned to the Saviour’s side: Not long before Jesus had asked his disciples to keep watch with Him for only a brief time. They failed Him then and subsequently scattered. But here we see that John returns to Jesus’ side. It is only right that it is the disciple whom Jesus loved who would first return to Him.
4) … an illustration of Christ’s prudence: It is only right that Jesus would choose the first disciple to return to Him as well as the one who had shared the greatest affection with Him to become the caregiver of the one who had borne Him and loved Him all the years of His life.
5) … that spiritual relationships must not ignore the responsibilities of nature: In the midst of the eternally significant work of atonement Jesus sees to the obligation He had as a natural son. Pink also discusses here the responsibilities of those in various ministries to also care for their “obligations of nature”.
6) … a universal need exemplified: Pink rightly notes Mary’s position at the foot of the cross. Mary, while blessed among women stands with the rest of creation having to decide her position beneath the cross.
7) … the marvelous blending of Christ’s perfections: In the midst of the divine work of atonement Jesus displays the most perfect of human affections. Pink observes that the great wonders of Jesus were performed “on the highway, in the cottage, or among a little group of sufferers.”
— REFLECTION —
The setting for this saying is Mary standing by the cross. Notice that Mary is the center of attention, not John. It makes me ask, would John have even returned as early as the crucifixion if he did not first see Mary’s intention of going there. It seems that John is attending to Mary. John is there less on behalf of Jesus and more on behalf of Mary. What lesson might John have learned from the love and faithfulness of Mary on this day?
Pink rightly points out the wisdom of the Savior to knit John and Mary together in this way. They would forever share together this experience of standing at the foot of the cross on the day the Savior died. And on the day of the resurrection the gospel narrative points out that upon seeing the empty tomb John believes and quickly returns home. Pink notes that this is certainly to share the good news with Mary. Now they would share not only the anguish of the crucifixion, but the joy of the resurrection.
I have never seen Jesus. I don’t know what He looks like. I don’t know what His voice sounds like. I don’t know what it is like to look at Jesus and love Him. John loved Jesus. John saw Jesus in His ministry, in His resurrection, and in His throne room. And John loved Jesus. John teaches me to love Jesus: to have a genuine affection for the crucified, resurrected, reigning Lord. I will one day see His face. John prepares me for that day such that I have already begun to see that He is wonderful in both His person and His work.
Pink notes that the disciples were not accustomed to forsaking the Lord and they never would after the resurrection. Much attention has been given to Peter’s denial and restoration. Peter gives me courage for ministry. But I, as one who is accustomed to forsaking the Lord, find encouragement from John. John loved the Lord so much that even when he forsook Jesus he returned to Jesus and found Him offering affection and atonement.
— INVITING YOUR THOUGHTS —
I hope that as you read that you will also respond below and interact with me as well as visit challies.com and interact there. As we interact let us keep in the spirit of A. W. Pink in his worshipful study and encouraging meditations.
May 21, 2008 at 11:01 am · Filed under Asides
THE GOSPEL IN 6 MINUTES
Don’t ever think of the gospel as, “That’s the way you get saved, and then you get strong by leaving it and doing something else.” No! We are strengthened by God through the gospel every day, till the day we drop. You never outgrow the need to preach to yourself the gospel. (John Piper)
——————————
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND
Over at 21st Century Reformation Brad Hightower offers a great quote by Martin Lloyd-Jones and reflects upon the a gospel centered view of the “at handedness” of the kingdom.
——————————
POP GOES THE CHURCH VS. COURAGE TO BE PROTESTANT
Don’t miss the “Book Review Smackdown” coming up at PyroManiacs.
May 21, 2008 at 10:41 am · Filed under Reading Classics
Today I move on to Chapter 2 of A. W. Pink’s book, The Sayings of the Savior on the Cross. You can view all the posts in this series by clicking HERE.
— SUMMARY —
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:42-43)
This second saying of Jesus on the cross is part of a conversation between Jesus and one of the thieves between which he was crucified. Pink makes four general observations before he moves into his seven points regarding the interaction between Jesus and the thief.
First, “God was presiding over that scene. … All that God had decreed came to pass exactly as He had ordained, and nothing happened save as He had eternally purposed.”
Second, part of God’s purpose was that Jesus would be “numbered with the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12) Pink points out that this illustrates the depth to which Christ descended in humiliation on the cross. He was both “despised” and “rejected”.
Third, the sovereignty of God is on display in the salvation of the thief. Here we have two thieves with very similar circumstances and experiences. While both had been belligerent toward Jesus only one repents.
Fourth, this is the most clear instance of “victorious grace”. The thief most clearly had absolutely no claim to his own salvation. “Grace begins, grace continues, and grace consummates our salvation.”
Pink now moves on to make seven observations about the thief himself and his salvation.
Here we see …
1) … a representative sinner: Everyone who repents must first see himself as no different than this vile thief on the cross, who even mocked Jesus, with nothing to offer in order to obtain salvation.
2) … that man has to come to the end of himself before he can be saved: The thief represents for us the person who has come to the end of his ability to work for his salvation. The thief could not offer any practical righteousness. The only activity yet available to the thief was to die.
3) … the meaning of repentance and faith: Pink notes that repentance is more than a turning from sin, but is also a “judging of ourselves” as completely undone.
4) … a marvelous case of spiritual illumination: Pink observes that the thief is taught seven things by the Spirit in these brief moments.
(a) “His belief in a future life where retribution would be meted out by a righteous and sin-avenging God.”
(b) “He had a sight of his own sinfulness.”
(c) “He bore testimony to Christ’s sinlessness.”
(d) “He … confessed [Christ’s] Godhead.”
(e) “He believed in the Saviourhood of the Lord Jesus.”
(f) “He evidenced his faith in Christ’s Kingship.”
(g) “He looked forward to the second coming of Christ.”
5) … the Saviourhood of Christ: Repeatedly Jesus gives “no response” to those who accuse Him, but the repentant thief receives His full attention.
6) … the destination of the saved: The form of Jesus’ response to the thief matches the form of the thief’s question. From this matching it is clear that Jesus intimates to the thief and that that “today” is the day that He enters into His kingdom and “today” is the day that the thief will be with Him in that kingdom; that is, paradise.
7) … the longing of the Saviour for fellowship: Pink notes that while it is true that we are “saved to serve” Christ’s intent in salvation is to bring a lost people into fellowship with Himself. Thus we are not in the main saved for service, but for fellowship.
— REFLECTION —
Again, Pink packs much of the power of the chapter into the paragraphs before he even launches into his main points.
When Pink discusses the Savior’s being “numbered with transgressors” it struck me that the lawmaker was numbered among the lawbreakers. The one who authored and embodies the command not to covet now both stands with and, by virtue of becoming sin for the sake of the redeemed, embodies every covetous deed of the redeemed. He stands between two sinners but would bear the sin of only one. He is identified with the lawbreakers of both the damned and the redeemed, but he comes into His kingdom granting victory only to the repentant.
In Pink’s discussion of victorious grace it struck me that while many of the redeemed throughout history have desired to die on account of obedience to the Lord, here we have one who dies on account of disobedience and yet with the Lord! It is true that the Lord was crucified alongside transgressors, but it is equally true that He was crucified alongside one of the elect. Jesus was crucified between two thieves. And Jesus was crucified between one of the damned and one of the redeemed. How clearly the point is made that there are none on the crosses next to Jesus, at the foot of the cross, or reading the record of the crucifixion today that are not counted a thief, a lawbreaker, a transgressor. That is a matter of sobering reality. But among these transgressors there are members of the redeemed; that is, those who will enter into the kingdom of paradise.
I often reflect on the meaning and location of the kingdom. This has become a great matter of importance in our present day with the justification of many actions based upon kingdom work or doing work to extend the kingdom. I find Pink’s paralleling the thief’s question with the Lord’s answer very helpful. Jesus and John both taught that the kingdom was at hand. And it is true that the kingdom is the reach of the power of the King, and Jesus was displaying that power “at hand” or nearby or at present. But in Jesus’ response He seems to be saying that on that day, the day of His crucifixion, He was entering into His kingdom and the location of that kingdom is paradise. I readily admit that my study and reflection upon the doctrines of the kingdom are immature, but it seems to me that a likely explanation is that the geographical location of the kingdom, or the center of the kingship, is the already present locale of paradise. The power of this center of the kingdom reaches into even the evil and tainted locale of the world in order to bring to Himself all the number of the redeemed. The consumation of the kingdom is a future event in which he will bring the center of His kingship, heaven, to a new earth in order to establish His eternal reign with His bride, the redeemed, throughout all of creation. (I greatly encourage readers to interact patiently with me and others regarding the kingdom. It seems to me that the kingdom is a matter of great importance in our present day and thus a matter worth understanding and clarifying that we would place ourselves rightly within God’s view of His own kingdom. I appreciate any comments.)
Finally, Pink offers a wonderfully concise and revealing definition of repentance. I believe that I will have to commit this definition to memory.
Repentance is not so much an intellectual process as it is the conscience active in the presence of God.
God manifests His presence to the sinner and the sinner’s conscience is pricked with the reality of his own “lost estate”. This is just as true for the one first realizing His need for a Savior and conversion as it is for the converted whom God convicts of a present and persistent sin. How many believers can confess that they have experienced this reality. We know that our actions and thoughts are sin. Our mind and even our emotions may be engaged in our hated of our sin even to the degree that we attempt to set our wills upon repentance. But is it not true that it is only when God encounters us with His holiness (whether it be in prayer or in worship or in reading) that genuine repentance truly begins. Effective turning has begun.
This chapter has been overwhelmingly helpful to me. It has been especially helpful as I have gone back to reflect upon the practical implications of the things to which Pink has drawn my attention.
— INVITING YOUR THOUGHTS —
I hope that as you read that you will also respond below and interact with me as well as visit challies.com and interact there. As we interact let us keep in the spirit of A. W. Pink in his worshipful study and encouraging meditations.
May 20, 2008 at 9:25 am · Filed under Jeremiah Fyffe
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
This passage is the instruction that stands behind our text, Psalm 78. Deuteronomy uses the language of the home, the lying down and the rising up. Before we move into Psalm 78 it will be helpful first to ask two questions.
What are children?
We read in 2 Timothy that Lois and Eunice were the grandmother and mother of Timothy. It is from them that he learned the faith. But in the same chapter we see Paul calling Timothy “my beloved child”. And in 1 Timothy Paul calls him “my true child in the faith”.
Our text, Psalm 78, uses both the language of passing on from parents to children as well as from generation to generation. It would be wise to pray that God would give you a true son or beloved daughter in the faith.
Can the home be reproduced elsewhere?
Is the home just a metaphor? Is the place of “rising” and “walking” and “lying” down re-definable? The home is not just a metaphor. Only the home is the home. The home under the care of Father and Mother is the design of God for the instruction of the child?
But God has also designed assistants to the home. In these things we see a hint of God’s care for the fatherless and the widow. These assistants are necessary in both homes with a whole, God-designed Christian witness as well as in homes where the witness is broken or deficient in any way. Think of the impact of Christian friends, a youth leader, or a mentor for a child from a Christian home. The home is assisted in coffee shops, and basketball courts, and Bible studies. And then think of Timothy’s home. Where was the witness of Timothy’s father? I am from one of these broken homes myself. My parents divorced when I was around the age of twelve. Dan Sigler, my brother’s old youth pastor, called about a year after the divorce. During the course of the next three years we spent a great deal of time together as I was discipled under his care. Dan was not my home nor was he my father, but I was am his true spiritual son in the faith.
Homes and parents are specifically defined and designed by God, but God has called many of you to become someone’s spiritual guardian.
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! (2) I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, (3) things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. (4) We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. (5) He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, (6) that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, (7) so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; (8) and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. (Psalm 78:1-8)
We must not hide the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, but tell them to the next generation that they would put their trust in God and not forget. We get at the the heart of the purpose of this wise psalmist as we ask four questions of Psalm 78.
Is God worthy talking about?
Psalm 78 is one of the longer psalms. It walks through many wonders that the Lord has done. It recounts the plagues with which God displays His power before Pharaoh: the blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death of livestock, boils, and the death of the firstborn. He tells of God’s great parting of the Red Sea. Not only do the waters pile up, but the people of God walk upon dry ground. And when the armies of Egypt attempt to cross they are crushed under the weight of the crashing waters. And God leads them in the wilderness with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. In the wilderness the Israelites begin to become afraid and complain and God silences their complaint by sending manna and quail by which they were fed. At the end of the Psalm God puts down the rebellious kingship of Saul and sets up a king of His own choosing. King David becomes the dynasty out of which would come the Messiah.
Elsewhere in scripture God uses the faithful obedience of Daniel to display His own power and glory. While the kings of Judah and Israel had shown themselves to be unfaithful, God shows Himself to their conqueror, the pagan, foreign King Nebuchadnezzar. God reveals His wonders such that Nebuchadnezzar confesses that God is the One True God.
And greatest of all the wonders of our God is the incarnation, life and death of Jesus according to God’s prophecy, humility, and provision. And He is vindicated and triumphant in His resurrection in which all the redeemed find their only hope.
Are the deeds of God praiseworthy deeds? Is God worthy talking about?
And what has the Lord done for you? Where have you seen the surety of the promises of the Word? Where have you seen the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
God has taught me that in both His power and His compassion He will always provide for me and my family. One of the first Christmases after my parents divorced my mother found it very difficult to provide much in the way of presents. The gifts around the Christmas tree were very important to my mother and they had become important to my brother and I. Just days before Christmas I heard a knock at the door. I looked through the peep-hole and saw red, white, and green colors on our porch. Opening the door I saw gifts on the ground marked To: each member of my family. But it was the From: column that reminds me of God’s provision as every gift was marked From: Jesus. I looked up and about a quarter mile down Edson Ave. running as fast as he could was Dan Sigler. God used His faithful instrument to teach me a lesson about His praiseworthy deeds that I have already had to go back to in my own ten years of marriage. Jeremiah cannot provide for his family, but his God can!
God shows His power and wonders. You can give assent that He is powerful. And make no mistake, He is powerful. Even the demons know well His power. But you only show He is praiseworthy if you regularly declare His praise to the next generation.
How do we hide?
Psalm 78 suggests that it is quite possible to hide the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord from the next generation. How is it that we hide His deeds?
We do not remember:
They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them. (Psalm 78:11)
They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, (Psalm 78:42)
Could you tell the story that the Psalmist tells? Do you know these deeds by heart? Stephen was stoned by the mob as he recounted the history of the deeds of God. Peter in the first sermon at Pentecost recounted the story of redemption leading to Christ and thousands were added to the number of believers. Can you recount the story or have you forgotten?
Do you know what the Lord has done for you? I receive great joy when I am in a restaurant and one of my children reminds me that we need to pray. And one of my boys begins to pray, “Jesus, I am thankful for my brothers, and for Granny and Bubba, and for Mommy and Daddy, and for this food.” Do you think it is by accident that they count their blessings? Did this come naturally or do you think that they have seen the previous generation counting their blessings before the Lord.
We do not live:
They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?” (Psalm 78:18-19)
Are you content? Does your lack of a contented life show the next generation that God has not done enough for you? Do you live like you have forgotten what the Lord has done?
In spite of all this, they still sinned;despite his wonders, they did not believe. (Psalm 78:32)
Every time we sin we show the next generation that we treasure sinful pleasure more than we treasure Christ. We delight in the momentary pleasure of sin more than we do in the law of the Lord.
Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, (Psalm 78:56)
Do we live by arbitrary rules or rules our parents taught us? Is our aim to live up to the norms of civil society? Or do we show the next generation that the norms by which we live our life are in keeping with the testimonies of the Lord? What rules have you handed your children that you have you set above the law of the Lord. Have you told your children the source of the commands by which you live and you call them to live? Do you show the next generation that we obey out of reverence for the Lord?
We do not believe:
because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power. (Psalm 78:22)
What do you hope in? Do you hope in a new job? If only you could get that pay raise then you would be able to make things work for your family. Do you hope in a bigger house, or a return to health? If only you could get control of your health then you could be happy. Maybe your church hopes in a balanced budget. If you could get the budget under control then you could go about the ministry to which you have been called. Does the next generation see you hoping in these things or does it see you bent on Christ, your King, as your only deliverer? Is Christ’s deliverance from sin enough? Is Christ enough?
In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe. (Psalm 78:32)
Does the next generation see you watching carefully the wonders of God found in His Word? My five-year-old son came down stairs during rest time a few weeks ago and said that that he needed to make a bookmark for his Bible. Now, he is just learning how to read so I wasn’t sure what he needed a bookmark for, but we made one nonetheless. Out of curiosity I asked him what book he was reading. He said Genesis. And what chapter? He replied that he was on six. A bit shocked I pressed him on the issue and discovered that by six he meant the “little six”, as in verse six. I’m not sure that he needed a bookmark to mark verse six, but at least he is reading. Where do you think that he got this idea of reading during rest time? He sees his mother take a brief (well deserved) nap after lunch after which she opens the Word and begins to study. The next generation will believe as they see us go to the Word to meditate and read that the wonders of God would produce faith and belief.
Your Bible may be on the shelf, far from hidden. It may even be on your coffee table. But are the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord in your mind, in your life, and in your heart.
How do we tell?
We tell what we have heard and known:
things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. (Psalm 78:3)
We must first find him wonderful. Do you find the Lord wonderful? If you do not find Him wonderful than any sharing of the stories of redemption are simply deeds of a deity and not praiseworthy deeds of the Lord. If you find that the Lord is simply not wonderful to you this is a matter to be committed immediately to prayer. All your testimony will be to no effect if you do not first find him wonderful.
They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. 36 But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. (Psalm 78:35-36)
The next generation will see our hypocrisy and it will be abhorrent to them.
I remember in High School sitting with you youth group in church and looking over at the congregation as we sang these awesome hymns of the faith: Holy, Holy, Holy and How Great Though Art and A Might Fortress. And the people of the congregation looked little more than alive. Many had sung these songs with no expression for so long that they could sing them in their sleep. You wonder why the next generation does not like your hymns? They have seen you sing them for so long without even cracking a smile or shedding a tear at the wonder therein.
But what about praise music? You wonder why contemporary Christian music just doesn’t seem contemporary anymore? They have seen you singing and clapping your hands for generation now, but they don’t see a difference in your lives.
Hypocrisy will always be a part of every generation. We are sinners saved by grace. There will be times that you go to church on a Sunday morning and the only truthful statement on your lips is the prayer of confession. But in this is the remedy for the testimony of hypocrisy. We must join our striving with confession. The next generation must see us declaring His glory and living His commands while confessing our own rebellion.
We tell more than stories:
I remember as a young child going to my father after hearing the story of Noah and the Ark again in Sunday School and telling him that I thought I could tell the stories of Noah and of Joseph better than my Sunday School teacher could. I had heard them told so many times by people who taught them as little more than stories. But if we are just telling stories to the next generation we might as well let them watch a Pixar cartoon for Sunday School. Hollywood will always tell stories better.
We must remember that what we utter are oracles. This the is story of God’s creation from God’s perspective. We must remember that what we utter are parables. The history of redemption is revelatory. In the story of the the Word God has chosen to reveal Himself!
We are bearers of the greatest story ever, the gospel story! We must open our mouths. We must open our lives.
What will our children look like?
so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, (Psalm 78:7a)
We don’t tell the story just because our parents told us. Our purpose is to use the story to point them to the Savior. We found the Lord in the revelation of these stories and so must they.
but keep his commandments; (Psalm 78:7b)
Some parents use God, the church, and the Bible just to “get their kids to behave.” This is one of the most damning things a parent can do to a child. Is that what you want? Good kids with no knowledge of eternity or a Savior? We share the story not to get good kids but that they would become God’s kids, God’s worshippers. Our desire is that they would become a testimony to the children not yet born and to their children.
Abiding Significance
We are a “stubborn and rebellious generation” who are members of a stubborn and rebellious race. Every generation must remember again. Every generation must be told.
We must not hide the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, but tell them to the next generation that they would put their trust in God and not forget.
Con you with honesty say that God is wonderful to you? Maybe He is not wonderful to you because He has not become your Savior? Maybe you need to believe in faith in the wonderful deed of forgiveness by Jesus’ gracious work on the cross? Or maybe you need to remember by making some commitments for study and even meeting with others to get to know the story.
Does your life look like you are content in God, like He is powerful to warrant your faithfulness? Maybe you need to stop hiding God by the way that you live?
Do you know that the Lord is praiseworthy, powerful, and wonderful? Do you know what the Lord has done to save you? You need to open your mouth and begin to speak! You need to open your life and begin to live.
May 15, 2008 at 5:02 pm · Filed under Reading Classics
Today I move on to Chapter 1 of A. W. Pink’s book, The Sayings of the Savior on the Cross. You can view all the posts in this series by clicking HERE.
— SUMMARY —
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:24)
From the first sentence, “Man had done his worst,” each sentence in Pink’s first paragraph indicts me and my fellow man. Every sentence down to the quote, “Crucify Him,” convicts of our arrogant mutiny.
And then Pink, on a dime, turns to the power of the glory of Our God the second paragraph.
The fell deed had been done. No ordinary death would suffice His implacable foes. A death of intense suffering and shame was decided upon. A cross had been secured; the Saviour had been nailed to it. And there He hangs–silent. But presently His pallid lips are seen to move–Is He crying for pity? No. What then? Is He pronouncing malediction upon His crucifiers? No. He is praying, praying for His enemies–”Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
Prayer. The first saying of Our Lord on the cross is a word of prayer. Pink then reflects upon what the believer sees in the Lord and in himself as he sees the Lord praying on His cross.
Here we see …
1) … the fulfillment of the prophetic word: “And he was numbered with transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12).” We see Christ on the cross in the role of intercessor that He continues to this day in the ear of the Father from the throne room of Heaven.
2) … Christ identified with His people: Pink notes that forgiveness is “a Divine prerogative.” Jesus is identifying Himself with the people for whom He dies by requesting of the Father forgiveness on their behalf.
3) … the divine estimate of sin and its consequent guilt: The ignorance of the crowds and crucifiers did not negate the need of divine forgiveness. In the next point Pink explains the nature of the ignorance.
4) … the blindness of the human heart: The people were not ignorant that a crucifixion was taking place. The people were blindly ignorant of the “enormity of their crime.” Then Pink nails reality on the head. “And yet they ought to have known.”
5) … a lovely exemplification of His own teaching: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which dispitefully use you, and persecute you (Matthew 5:44).” Here we have Jesus in prayer for His persecutors. I will comment below in the reflection section about how Pink here in this section masterfully explains the nature of human forgiveness and the extent of a person’s responsibility to forgive.
6) … man’s great and primary need: “As a general rule, human forgiveness is a matter of leniency, often of laxity. We mean forgiveness is shown at the expense of justice and righteousness.” Here on the cross we see the cost of divine forgiveness in the perfect righteousness of the Son’s obedience, even to death on a cross. “A righteous ground has been provided on which God can be just and yet the justifier of all who believe.”
7) … the triumph of redeeming love: Pink masterfully compares Samson’s final request to bring about the destruction of his foes with Jesus’ final prayer that the Father not place the sin of deicide upon the account of the people. “In all things He has the preeminence.”
— REFLECTION —
Isn’t it good to chew on the meat of a God honoring book. And from the first word of this first chapter this book is like jerky and I have delighted to savor the chewing as the seasoning continues to amaze. (Isn’t it amazing how much flavor is packed into those few ounces of meat from the gas station beef jerky aisle?)
Recently I was reflecting upon how an abandoned wife ought to speak of her ex-husband before her children. Should she tell them, “I forgive your Father and so should you?” Or should she tell them, “Your father has sinned against you and I and against his God. What he has done is wrong and without repentance he stands condemned. I cannot simply go to him and say, ‘Don’t worry about it, I forgive you,’ because it ought to be his main concern to worry greatly over unrepented sin. Therefore, children, I choose to love your Father, not to harbor bitterness against him, to pray that he will see his need for repentance, and obey my Lord by praying that most importantly He would forgive.” Pink settles this struggle for me in this section by clearly explaining Christ’s example on the cross and His instruction in Matthew 5:44.
Notice that Christ did not personally forgive His enemies. So in Matthew 5:44, He did not exhort His disciples to forgive their enemies, but He does exhort them to “pray” for them. But are we not to forgive those who wrong us? … Does Scripture teach that under all circumstances we must always forgive? I answer emphatically, it does not. The Word of God says, “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4) … Even though the one who has wronged me does not repent, nevertheless, I must not harbor ill feelings against him. There must be no hatred or malice cherished in the heart. Yet, on the other hand, I must not treat the offender as if he had done no wrong. That would be to condone the offense, and therefore I should fail to uphold the requirements of righteousness, and this the believer is ever to do.
We as fellow sinners have no right to bear any wrath or malice toward even an unrepentant sinner. But we in bearing witness to the righteousness of God must not ignore an offense and thus bear false witness to the wrath of God upon every sin. Therefore, we are left with the righteous recourse of prayer. “Lord, I cannot condemn and neither can I forgive. Lord, grant me, first, love. And, Lord, grant this sinner faith that leads to repentance. Lord, have mercy, Lord, forgive.”
There is so much in this chapter that simply lifts up my crucified Savior as far above all others. Our Savior is good and right. When I had done my worst, my Savior was lifted up and with a prayer for forgiveness drew all people to Himself.
— INVITING YOUR THOUGHTS —
I hope that as you read that you will also respond below and interact with me as well as visit challies.com and interact there. As we interact let us keep in the spirit of A. W. Pink in his worshipful study and encouraging meditations.
May 14, 2008 at 10:09 am · Filed under Personal Reflection
The second half of Ephesians 5 gives direct instructions to husbands ands wives as to their respective responsibilities to each other. It also offers the setting and purpose of these responsibilities as the great living metaphor of the relationship between Christ and the church. And yet this passage while giving instructions to husbands and wives is not about either of them.
This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:32)
Ephesians 5 is about Christ and the church. It is about husbands and wives living forth the image of Christ and the church.
I have grown to love and appreciate verse 28, “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” As John Piper has illustrated in his chapter on marriage in Desiring God this means that the happiness of the husband is wrapped up in, even wedded to, his pursuit of the happiness of his wife. I love this truth and have long let it speak to me about my relationship with my wife.
And then comes verse 29, “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.” This is the kicker. This is the rising glory to be found in this passage. Here we see Christ forever wedding His own joy in the joy of His bride. And He pursues this joy with all the passion of Song of Songs’ Lover for His Beloved.
Charles Spurgeon in is Morning by Morning (May 14) reflects on this reality this way:
He deems His happiness completed by His people sharing it. “The glory that you have given me I have given to them (John 17:22).” “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:11).” The smiles of His Father are all the sweeter to Him because His people share them. The honors of His kingdom are more pleasing because His people appear with Him in glory. More valuable to Him are His conquests since they have taught His people to overcome. He delights in His throne because on it there is a place for them. He rejoices in His royal robes since they cover His people. He delights all the more in His joy because He calls them to enter into it.
Just look at what our God has done! How sure is my joy! My happiness is forever resting on the surety of the eternal bliss of my redeemer.
May 13, 2008 at 3:31 pm · Filed under Personal Reflection
Yesterday I was reading a review of The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne at challies.com. I have not yet read the book, but after reading the review one quote from the book struck me given an experience that I had just hours after reading the reivew.
I could see God in their eyes. … I began to understand what it meant when the curtain of the temple was torn open as Jesus died on the cross. Not only was God redeeming that which was profane but God was settling all that was sacred free. Now God dwelled not behind the veil in the temple but in the eyes of the dying and the poor, in the ordinary and mundane, in things like bread and wine, or chai and samosas. … As I looked into the eyes of the dying, I felt like I was meeting God. It was as if I were entering the Holy of Holies of the temple—sacred, mystical.
About two hours after reading this quote about looking into the eyes of the dying I received a call from the nursing home that shares my church’s parking lot. There was a lady in the home that needed a pastor because she was in the midst of kidney failure and in a great deal of pain. When I arrived she was repeatedly crying in her pain, “Please, help me. It hurts. Please, help me.” I held her hand, rubbed her shoulder, and prayed.
Did I “see God in her eyes”? This is the first time that I had met this woman. As I saw her failing flesh and her pain I saw one who was formed by the hands of God, who had the breath of life breathed into her by God, and bears the marred image of God. But did I see God in the dying?
I had been told that part of the reason she was so frantic was that she has always been afraid to die. I saw one who needed to hear Psalm 145, “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” But at the front of my mind was the truth that these words are reserved for the Lord’s redeemed. With the intensity of her pain and her sense of fear she could not hear these words.
What did I see when I looked into her eyes as she pleaded with me for relief? I saw intensified and condensed into that moment what I see in the eyes of every stranger I meet. I saw the wrath of a holy God upon the failing flesh of His creation. I saw the crying of one desperate and unable to heal herself. I saw one whose need goes beyond the kindness and love that I can offer. This is the case every time I have held the hand of the dying: from the oldest saint, to the youngest child, to the stranger. And my care is the same … I pour out tenderness and compassion, the comfort of the gospel, and prayer for God’s mercy upon “the least of these”.
What do we see in the eyes of the dying? If we have no confidence of their salvation and no evidence of their redemption we must see what they also see. We must see what we all deserve. Yes, it is God; and it is wrath. Joseph Conrad in the Heart of Darkness describes death without sentimentality.
He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision — he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath — “The horror! The horror!”
Do I feel like I am entering the “Holy of Holies” when I look in to the eyes of the dying? Only if I am the priest who is not covered and cleansed by the blood of the lamb.
Lord, have mercy. Lamb who was slain cover me that I may enter the Holy of Holies. Humble me to look at a Holy God, slain that at my death I might not cry, “The horror! The horror!”, but cry, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” As I see the Lord I am undone. I am unclean. And the Lord has made me clean. I dwell among sinners and the Lord has called us redeemed. Lord, have mercy. Give me eyes to see the universe as the Holy God has ordered it. Give me holy eyes to see your wrath upon sin and your redemption of sinners. Lord, have mercy upon the dying, even upon me.
May 7, 2008 at 4:06 pm · Filed under Reading Classics
I have begun reading my third classic along with and the readers at Challies.com. Tim began his “Reading the Classics Together” Series with J. C. Ryle’s Holiness and followed that up with the excellent new edition of John Owen’s Sin and Temptation. Tim posts his thoughts regarding the current chapter every Thursday and invites comments to be made on the current reading.
We began reading Arthur W. Pink’s The Seven Sayings of the Saviour two weeks ago. In terms of schedule we are to have read through chapter two by Thursday, May 8. I have actually read most of the book but am running a bit behind in posting my reflections and so I will begin today with a post on the Introduction and hopefully catch up over the next few weeks. I will be following Tim’s example of posting a summary of the chapter and follow that with some reflections (and thus will be duplicating some of the same work, though without plagarism).
— SUMMARY —
Pink opens with four observations regarding the nature of the death of Jesus. It seems right that we remember as Christ says these seven sayings that he says them from the vantage point of a peculiar tree.
The Death of Christ was …
1) Natural: “By this we mean that it was real death.” That is, this was a real body suffering real execution that ends in the real cessation of the function of real human organs.
2) Unnatural: “By this we mean that it was abnormal.” Pink makes that point that though Jesus possessed a natural body by virtue of the incarnation, he was not subject to death as those who suffer the “wages of sin”. That is to say, that death did not have a claim upon Him.
3) Preter-natural: “By this we mean that it was marked out and determined for Him beforehand. Jesus was “reckoned” by God as the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world. It is upon the basis of this doctrine that the saints of the Old Testament have the hope of salvation.
4) Super-natural: “By this we mean that it was different from every other death. I appreciate Pink’s emphasis here that, “In all things He has preeminence.” Pink goes on to remind the reader of John 10:17-18, that Jesus lays down His own life and that it is not taken from Him by anyone.
Pink goes on to illustrate this point with seven scriptures.
1) John 18 – The record of the arrest shows that Jesus was prepared for and in control of the situation.
2) Matthew 27:46 – When Jesus cries out scripture notes that He does so with a “loud voice”. Pink takes this to mean that He was not exhausted and that His strength had not left Him.
3) John 19:28 – In his request for a drink scripture specifically notes that Jesus was intentionally fulfilling scripture. Pink notes that this illustrates Jesus’ clarity of thought.
4) John 19:30 – The fact that when Jesus died scripture says that He bowed His head, Pink takes to mean that prior to his death Jesus head was erect.
5) Luke 23:46 – Scripture is clear that Jesus “commended His Spirit” and “gave up His ghost”.
6) John 19:31-33 – Jesus death took less than six hours. Pink draws that connection that Jesus was in control of the timing of His death such that His bones would not be broken in fulfillment of scripture.
7) Matthew 27:51-52 – The temple veil was torn, the earthquake, and the graves were opened.
— REFLECTION —
Probably what has struck me most as I am reading Pink is the incredibly close attention that he pays to the words of scripture. He draws connection that only an obsession with the details of scripture could produce. He clearly has a wonderful appreciation that it was not a man who wrote this book, but the Holy Spirit.
I have also been struck by the reverence that Pink gives to the cross, the death, and to Jesus. It is clear that this is no abstract study, but a study marked by worship. Truly, is there any other legitimate way to study such precious reality.
And yet, it is the combination of these two passions of Pink that I believe cause him to overstate his point. It is abundantly clear that Jesus death was super-natural. And yet I believe that he is stretching his case with three of His seven proofs (proofs 2, 3, and 4).
Proof #2 – That Jesus cried “with a loud voice” does not automatically indicate that He was in full possession of His strength. It seems more likely to me that it was the pain of the cross (the natural and super-natural – the wrath of God) suffering there that causes Jesus to cry out with a loud voice.
Would it denigrate the cross in any way to admit that Jesus was exhausted? It seems that Jesus waning strength is more congruent with the reality that Jesus actually did suffer. Even His muscles, His joints, and His voice suffered on the cross. As He grasps for air on the cross of curse He takes one deep breath with which to cry out to His God. It does not take anything away from the super-natural nature of the cross that Christ was exhausted in His suffering.
Proof #3 – Much like proof #2 I think that Pink is simply pushing this a little too hard. Though it is clear that the Father’s will and the fulfillment of scripture was at the forefront of our Savior’s mind even in this torturous hour.
Proof #4 – In this case it seems that Pink is doing more than just pressing the point a little too hard, he goes further to read something into the text that is not there in the plain reading. Scripture does not indicate the Lord’s posture during His crucifixion. It would seem most natural that in enduring the pain He would both wax and wane in his strength. Pink seems to assume that by scripture saying that he “bowed his head” that it is easily assumed that He was erect at every moment before. It seems to me equally possible that this was simply the final and most complete time among many possible times that the Lord, in His human body, bowed under the pain of the cross.
As I mentioned above, I have read a number of chapters of this book and find that Pink applies his probing mind wonderfully throughout. It is only in the introduction that I observe that he makes unnecessary assumptions. I am excited to continue to ready and exult with Pink in the ever intentional glories of our Savior’s seven sayings on the cross.
— INVITING YOUR THOUGHTS —
I hope that as you read that you will also respond below and interact with me as well as visit challies.com and interact there. As we interact let us keep in the spirit of A. W. Pink in his worshipful study and encouraging meditations.