Archives: February 2007

Thirsty Thursday: Fueling Your Passion to Treasure Christ by Providing Grace-saturated Audio Sermons

Alistair Begg:

“The Nature and Necessity of Repentance” Part One and Part Two

Tilting on her yearly track
Advent beauty circles back,
Flying faster with the years,
Hardly giving time for tears
First to dry upon the cheek—
Has it been more than a week
In the ground now winter cold?
Has there really been a spring
When the birds began to sing?
Has there been both summer, fall
Since the Baby in the stall
Called us with a Christmas bell
to sing, O Come, Immanuel?
Tilting on her yearly track
Advent beauty circles back,
Flying faster with the years—
Ah, but overtaking fears.
Let the Lord of advent lift
Every care (an early gift!);
See the Savior and the Son
Shine in advent candle one.

All of Pastor John’s poetry can be found here.

Part Two: His Conversion

Some Are Like Peter, Some Are Like Andrew, Jn. 1.35-42.

Have you ever known someone from afar? Perhaps you’ve read a book, or watched a movie, or heard by ear, or corresponded my mail and in doing any one of these things, you’ve formed an impression of that person. Sometimes the person may live up to the hype that you’ve surrounded them in your mind. Sometimes the person disappoints. Can you imagine the anticipation with which Jesus anticipated meeting the men who would be His disciples and believers?

He had foreknown them before the foundation of time. The Father had chosen them and given them to the Son to be His. He had placed their ancestors in towns and nations, molded the hearts of men and women to love one another, all in preparation for these men’s lives. Perhaps Jesus had already become incarnated before His disciples were born. Or perhaps He, Himself, knit them in their mother’s wombs before going into the womb Himself. Nevertheless, can you imagine the excitement of Jesus upon laying His eyes on Peter?

“Jesus looked at him and said, ‘So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas’ (which means Peter). Notice the way in which Peter was introduced to Jesus. It was through his brother Andrew. There is something we should not miss here. The Lord will always have his men like Peter. He was a mighty man of God. He is a pillar of the Church. And many a would-be theologian has longed for the day that the Lord might use him as a Peter in this generation.

Just think of what is coming in Peter’s ministry: walking on water, confession of Jesus as Christ, transfiguration, preaching that God uses to save thousands of people. So we long to be used as Simon was used. As it were, we ought to long to be more like Andrew. Sure, the Lord used Peter to bring in thousands. But He used Andrew to bring in Peter. Although an apostle, Andrew doesn’t stand out in church history. We don’t know what he did. We don’t know where he went. We don’t know how he died. But, in heaven, we shall be there because God used Andrew to bring his brother Peter to the Lord. I pray that the Lord would cause me to be more enthralled with His plan for my life rather than my plan.

Sunday With the Saint Series: Getting to Know David Brainerd

“In the beginning of September I went to college, and entered there; but with some degree of reluctancy, fearing lest I should not be able to lead a life of strict religion, inthe midst of so many temptations. After this, in the vacancy, before I went to tarry at college, it pleased God to visit my soul with clearer manifestations of himself and his grace. I was spending some time in prayer, and self-examination, when the Lord by his grace so shined into my heart, that I enjoyed full assurance of his favour, for that time; and my soul was unspeakably refreshed with divine and heavenly enjoyments. At this time especially, as well as some others, sundry passages of God’s word opened to my soul with divine clearness, power, and sweetness, so as to appear exceeding precious, and with clear and certain evidence of its being the word of God. I enjoyed considerable sweetness in religion all the winter following.

“In Jan. 1740, the measles spread much in college; and I having taken the distemper, went home to Haddam. But some days before I was taken sick, I seemed to be greatly deserted, and my soul mourned the absence of the Comforter exceedingly. It seemed to me all comfort was for ever gone; I prayed and cried to God for help, yet found no present comfort or relief. But through divine goodness, a night or two before I was taken ill, while I was walking alone in a very retired place, and engaged in meditation and prayer, I enjoyed a sweet refreshing visit, as I trust, from above; so that my soul was raised far above the fears of death. Indeed I rather longed for death, than feared it. O how much more refreshing this one season was, than all the pleasures and delights that earth can afford! After a day or two I was taken with the measles, and was very ill indeed, so that I almost despaired of life; but had no distressing fears of death at all. However, through divine goodness I soon recovered; yet, by reason of hard and close studies, and being much exposed on account of my freshmanship, I had but little time for spiritual duties: my soul often mourned for want of more time and opportunity to be alone with God. In the spring and summer following, I had better advantages for retirement, and enjoyed more comfort in religion. Though indeed my ambition in my studies greatly wronged the activity and vigour of my spiritual life; yet this was usually the case with me, that “in the multitude of my thoughts within me, God’s comforts principally delighted my soul;” these were my greatest consolations day by day.”

Taken from The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, by Jonathan Edwards (in the Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 2, Banner of Truth), 319-320.

“Every Christian is a theologian. We are always engaged in the activity of learning about the things of God. We are not all theologians in the professional or academic sense, but theologians we are, for better or for worse. The ‘for worse” is no small matter. Second Peter warns that heresies are destructive to the people of God and are blasphemies committed against God. They are destructive because theology touches every dimension of our lives.

The Bible declares that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. This declaration sounds strange. It is almost as if the biblical writer blunders. He seems to confuse the mind and the heart. We normally associate thought with the brain and feelings with the heart. So what does it meant to say a man thinks in his heart? The phrase to think in the heart refers to thoughtful reflection. Many ideas are briefly entertained by the mind without ever penetrating the heart. Those ideas that do grasp us in our innermost parts, however, are the ideas that shape our lives. We are what we think. When our thoughts are corrupted, our lives follow suit.

We all know that people can recite the creeds flawlessly and makes A‘s in theology courses while living godless lives. We can affirm a sound theology and live an unsound life. Sound theology is not enough to live a godly life. But it is still a requisite for godly living. How can we do the truth without first understanding what the truth is?

No Christian can avoid theology. Every Christian has a theology. The issue, then, is not, do we want to have a theology? That’s a given. The real issue is, do we have a sound theology? Do we embrace true or false doctrine?”

The previous was taken from the preface in Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, by R.C. Sproul.

Here’s a reminder to you that Christmas truth is always truth no matter the season.

no one reads the blog anyway. And without any further ado, a new feature…

Communing with the Saints on Sunday:

From the Life and Diary of David Brainerd, the account of his conversion,

“I continued, as I remember, in this state of mind, from Friday morning till the sabbath evening following, (July 12, 1739,) when I was walking again in the same solitary place, where I was brought to see myself lost and helpless, as before mentioned. Here, in a mournful melancholy state, I was attempting to pray; but found no heart to engage in that or any other duty; my former concern, exercise, and religious affections were now gone. I thought the Spirit of God had quite left me; but still was not distressed: yet disconsolate, as if there was nothing in heaven or earth could make me happy. Having been thus endeavouring to pray though, as I thought, very stupid and senseless for near half an hour, then, as I was walking in a dark thick grove, unspeakable glory seemed to open to the view and apprehension of my soul. I do not mean any external brightness, for I saw no such thing; nor do I intend any imagination of a body of light, somewhere in the third heavens, or any thing of that nature; but it was a new inward apprehension or view that I had of God, such as I never had before, nor any thing which had the least resemblance of it. I stood still, wondered, and admired! I knew that I never had seen before any thing comparable to it for excellency and beauty; it was widely different from all the conceptions that ever I had of God, or things divine. I had no particular apprehension of any one person in the Trinity, either the Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghost; but it appeared to be divine glory. My soul rejoiced with joy unspeakable, to see such a God, such a glorious Divine Being; and I was inwardly pleased and satisfied that he should be God over all for ever and ever. My soul was so captivated and delighted with the excellency, loveliness, greatness, and other perfections of God, that I was even swallowed up in him; at least to that degree, that I had no thought (as I remember) at first about my own salvation, and scarce reflected there was such a creature as myself.”