These Were Potters…

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

1 Chronicles 4:23

Potters were the very highest grade of workers, but ‘the king’ needed potters, and therefore they were in royal service, although the material upon which they worked was nothing but clay. We, too, may be engaged in the most menial part of the Lord’s work, but it is a great privilege to do anything for ‘the king’; and therefore we will abide in our calling, hoping that, ‘although we have lien among the pots, yet shall we be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.’

The text tells us of those who dwelt among plants and hedges, having rough, rustic, hedging and ditching work to do. They may have desired to live in the city, amid its life, society, and refinement, but they kept their appointed places, for they also were doing the king’s work. The place of our habitation is fixed, and we are not to remove from it out of whim and caprice, but seek to serve the Lord in it, by being a blessing to those among whom we reside. These potters and gardeners had royal company, for they dwelt ‘with the king’ and although among hedges and plants, they dwelt with the king there. No lawful place, or gracious occupation, however mean, can debar us from communion with our divine Lord. In visiting hovels, swarming lodging-houses, workhouses, or gaols, we may go with the king. In all works of faith we may count upon Jesu’s fellowship. It is when we are in His work that we may reckon upon His smile.

Ye unknown workers who are occupied for your Lord amid the dirt and wretchedness of the lowest of the low, be of good cheer, for jewels have been found upon dunghills ere now, earthen pots have been filled with heavenly treasure, and ill weeds have been transformed into precious flowers. Dwell ye with the King for His work, and when He writes His chronicles your name shall be recorded.

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Weekly Links (12/2/2016)

by Stephen Rodgers

You and Me Forever by Francis & Lisa Chan (free audio book)

“Marriage is great, but it’s not forever. It’s until death do us part. Then come eternal rewards or regrets depending on how we spent our lives. Francis Chan joins together with his wife Lisa to address the question many couples wonder at the altar: “How do I have a healthy marriage?” Setting aside typical topics on marriage, Francis and Lisa dive into Scripture to understand what it means to have a relationship that satisfies the deepest parts of our souls.”

How to Read Proverbs by Tremper Longman III (free Logos resource)

“In How to Read Proverbs Tremper Longman provides a welcome guide to reading and studying, as well as understanding and savoring the Proverbs for all their wisdom. While many proverbs speak to us directly, we can gain much greater insight by studying the book of Proverbs as a whole, understanding its relationship to ancient non-Israelite wisdom, and listening to its conversation with the other great voices of wisdom in Scripture—Job and Ecclesiastes.”

Remembering God (free Tabletalk magazine) 

“The December issue of Tabletalk considers the biblical-theological theme of remembering God. Throughout the Bible, we are told about the dangers of forgetting God and the importance of remembering Him. The greatest threat Israel faced, for example, was often not an external one (such as the lure of Canaan) but an internal one (the people’s forgetful, disobedient, self-indulgent hearts). In times of spiritual decline, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer observed, “Satan does not fill us with hatred of God, but with the forgetfulness of God.” To counter the decay of forgetfulness, we are called to remember the past, present, and future work of God. This issue will help readers fight unbelief and cultivate faith by exploring what it means to remember God.”

A Brief Overview of Covenant Theology

by Josh Liu

Editor’s Note: There’s been a fair amount of discussion at LBC regarding Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism lately. Josh has graciously reworked a paper from his time at seminary that provides a helpful introduction, and I heartily recommend it to you.

Seriously, I know it’s long. And a PDF. Read it anyways. It’s very, very good.

If you’ll permit me one additional editorial comment: while LBC unashamedly takes the Dispensational position, we also recognize that the Covenant Theology position falls well within the boundaries of historic orthodoxy. Folks who subscribe to alternative positions (including traditional Westminster Covenant Theology, New Covenant Theology, variations of Dispensationalism, etc.) but are unwavering on the gospel are brothers and sisters in Christ. To use an actual example: if John MacArthur and RC Sproul can be best friends and golfing buddies, then we would do well to emulate both their unwavering commitment to Biblical truth and their graciousness.

But really: read Josh’s paper. He worked hard, and I may quiz you on it.

Good Master

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Matthew 19:16

If the young man in the gospel used this title in speaking to our Lord, how much more fitly may I thus address Him! He is indeed my Master in both senses, a ruling Master and a teaching Master. I delight to run upon His errands, and to sit at His feet. I am both His servant and His disciple, and count it my highest honour to own the double character. If He should ask me why I call Him ‘good,’ I should have a ready answer. It is true that ‘there is none good but one, that is, God,’ but then He is God, and all the goodness of Deity shines forth in Him. In my experience, I have found Him good, so good, indeed, that all the good I have has come to me through Him.

He was good to me when I was dead in sin, for He raised me by His Spirit’s power; He has been good to me in all my needs, trials, struggles, and sorrows. Never could there be a better Master, for His service is freedom, His rule is love: I wish I were one thousandth part as good a servant. When He teaches me as my Rabbi, He is unspeakably good, His doctrine is divine, His manner is condescending, His spirit is gentleness itself. No error mingles with His instruction-pure is the golden truth which He brings forth, and all His teachings lead to goodness, sanctifying as well as edifying the disciple. Angels find Him a good Master and delight to pay their homage at His footstool. The ancient saints proved Him to be a good Master, and each of them rejoiced to sing, ‘I am Thy servant, O Lord!’ My own humble testimony must certainly be to the same effect.

I will bear this witness before my friends and neighbours, for possibly they may be led by my testimony to seek my Lord Jesus as their Master. O that they would do so! They would never repent so wise a deed. If they would but take His easy yoke, they would find themselves in so royal a service that they would enlist in it for ever.

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Weekly Links (11/25/2016)

“God is in his Word. He is in it not only when the Bible is read, but also when it is truly preached, or witnessed to, or reflected on in the mind; we meet him in it, and so his Word brings both knowledge and fellowship.” (Broughton Knox, The Everlasting God)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Thanksgiving has come and gone, but giving thanks to God is a daily joy and responsibility! I pray these links will continue to point you to thank God for all He has done. With that said, here are this week’s links!

  • Earlier this week was the anniversary of the death of C.S. Lewis. If you don’t know much about him, here’s at least nine things you should know. David Mathis at Desiring God writes some reflections on the influence he had on him, which is a good place to get a taste of Lewis’ writing.
  • With Thanksgiving Day having come and gone, there’s still some articles worth spending time on. First, Pastor Eric Davis shares memories with his grandfather, including an opportunity to share the gospel with him. Second, Kevin DeYoung gives a short meditation on thankfulness that extends past Thanksgiving.   Third, R.C. Sproul offers a two-part message on Thanksgiving for all to enjoy. Lastly, here is a great article to share with believer and non-believer alike: give thanks!
  • Professor and Christian philosopher James Anderson recently gave a talk on how to address the issue of transgender biblically, giving eight theses to build his case. This is definitely worth giving time and attention, for the sake of loving people.
  • Pastor and biblical counselor Paul Tautges offers us his notes on how to have a quiet time with God. If you have no idea how to start, or need a refresher, this will point you in the right direction!
  • Philosopher and homeschool mom Lydia McGrew writes of some of the current issues taking place within evangelicalism: IVCF vs. SBL, and the recent ETS meeting concerning four resolutions passed last year in response to the Obergefell ruling.
  • Justin Taylor seeks to think through the logic of abortion rights, which turns out to be quite informative. Whether pro-life or pro-choice, this will be a great push forward in dialoging with one another. Lives truly are at stake.
  • Why do kids who profess to be Christians later abandon the faith? Tim Challies discusses four reasons and possible solutions for parents and youth workers to consider. May we all seek to be faithful to faithfully point the next generation to Christ by teaching and example.
  • New Testament professor Thomas Schreiner explains commonly misunderstood phrases in Scripture: faith as a mustard seed, and faith that moves mountains. What do they mean, and can we actually move mountains by our faith? Schreiner is very helpful here in dealing with this.
  • How can we encourage one another, in season and out of season? Dane Ortlund provides some much-needed encouragement for us (see what I did there?).

That’s all for this week! Don’t forget that this Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, so make sure you prepare to anticipate our celebration of Christ coming to earth! See you all then!

Soli Deo Gloria

The Worth of Our Words

by Elder Johnny Kim

One of the things that happens when you become a parent is you quickly become accustomed to bodily fluids that emanate from all manner of places out of your children. At least it’s been my experience that the things that might have repulsed you before having kids no longer seem to have the same crippling effect. You don’t think twice about changing dirty diapers, picking noses, and swapping out wet bed sheets all with your bare hands. But every once in a while, even the most invincible super-parent is tested to their limits. I had one such occasion several months ago when my oldest son became sick enough that I had to drive him to urgent care. After I had parked our car just outside the clinic, I opened the passenger door to take him out and was no more than two seconds away from removing him from his car seat when he vomited all over himself, his car seat, and my arms. The worst of it was that since he had been sick for several days, it was the type of vomit that smelled as if it had been festering and rotting in his stomach for just as long. I was equally disturbed by both the rotten smell of it and the fact that it had just gushed forth from his mouth!

As weird as it sounds, that experience is what pops into my head when I read Ephesians 4:29, a verse that we learned about a couple weeks ago for our Youth Ministry Friday Night Bible Study. In the passage, the Apostle Paul writes, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” The word Paul uses, “unwholesome” or “corrupt,” literally means that which is rotten or worthless. It invokes the idea of rotten food coming out of someone’s mouth. Food that, because of its rottenness, is not only utterly worthless and useless, but also offensive and disgusting. The imagery in the verse not only serves to command us to abstain from such speech, but it also serves to vividly paint the picture of what it looks like when we disobey and speak such unwholesome or corrupt words.

It seems clear from Ephesians 4:29 that Christians are to abstain from rotten speech including profanity and vulgar language, but other passages can also help us to understand that Christians ought to avoid more than just blatant profanities and vulgarities. Later on in the same epistle, we read in Ephesians 5:4 that “there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting” coming from our lips as well. Colossians 3:8 says to put aside “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.” If Ephesians 4:29 conversely describes “unrotten” speech as that which is edifying and gracious, it seems to me that we ought to understand that rotten speech then also includes dirty jokes, inappropriate comments, insults, put-downs, and the like. Things that are anything but edifying and gracious. All these things should have no place in the Christian vocabulary and no utterance from the Christian mouth.

Plenty of time and effort can be spent on trying to specify and categorize these rotten words, phrases, and slang terminology for any given societal and cultural context. However, to think that we only need to simply curate a list of rotten speech to have in our minds to avoid misses the truth about how God has created us. The Bible tells us that our mouths and what we say are merely an expression of what is in our hearts. Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 reveal that at the bottom of it all, a speech issue is ultimately just a heart issue. Because it is a heart issue, speech can serve as window into a heart that is kind, loving, and one that desires to glorify God with every utterance. Because it is a heart issue, speech can also be a barometer for a heart that is sick, dying, and rotten. For those who are saved who still struggle with unwholesome speech, our ultimate hope also lies in this very truth that it is a heart issue, for because it is a heart issue, it means the hope of changing our speech rests in the one who is able and willing to change our hearts.

I concede that certain speech, like with many other things, can be argued to be a gray-area issue. But in the end, also like with many other things, Christians should be occupied with striving for the heights of godliness and righteousness rather than trying to plumb the depths of permissiveness and acceptableness. In any matter of Christian living, we ought to seek to be more like Christ and less like the world. If unwholesome speech could be pictured as foul and rotting food coming out of our mouths, then edifying and gracious speech is sweet, fragrant, beautiful, and refreshing to those who hear it. Which of those two pictures describes the taste and smell of the words you use and the things you say? I would hope that we would all be striving for our speech to be like the latter.

Distractions and Priorities

by Pastor Mark Chin

As long as I can remember, I’ve always struggled with distractions and losing sight of key priorities. It’s an issue that would come up repeatedly at parent teacher sessions – especially at the Christian school I attended for elementary and middle school. Had I grown up in the 90’s, I probably would have been diagnosed with ADHD and I would have been a prime candidate for Ritalin or Adderall. I recall one concerned Christian teacher inquiring about the sugar content of my breakfasts (drugs and stimulants aren’t the only substances that we look to for answers). Looking back, I can say it worked in my favor that there were fewer choices, whether it be entertainment, diagnoses, or medication, for an easily distracted and hyperactive child growing up in the late 60’s and early 70’s (I was born in ’67 – which means by Lighthouse standards, I am prehistoric for most of your experiences).

Time, however, never stands still. And now, as a husband, father, and pastor living in 2016, I have no shortage of choices and distractions to battle, not just for me but for my family and the church as well. Keeping first things first and not losing sight of key priorities are mighty and exhausting battles that must be fought each day – battles where small losses have huge consequences not just for me, but for those I love dearly. One of the most insidious challenges in these battles is the distraction brought by an abundance of good choices and good things that press hard for a prime place of real estate in our hearts and minds. As a pastor, there is no shortage of good things or needs demanding my time and attention. Frequently, the discouragement is not having the time or capacity to address them all well. If Satan can keep me away from the best by keeping me distracted by the good, he’s winning. Not losing sight of key priorities is no easy task. It is something for which we finite and frail humans need an abundance of mercy and grace from the Lord. The good news, however, is that we have a God who is more than able and willing to give the mercy and grace we need and He does so through Christ and through His Word. His priorities are clear, even if ours frequently seem all mixed up.

Two portions of Scripture that I need to go back to repeatedly, especially when many good things are beginning to distract me from the most important things, are the Sermon on the Mount and 1 Timothy. I can never hear enough of Christ’s command to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, as well as His command to not worry about things God has already taken care of for me. And as I consider the challenges of Timothy’s ministry, I see that the Lord makes clear through the Apostle Paul many of the Trojan horse distractions that wage war on our feeble pastoral attempts to honor Christ’s commands. They include distractions we are to avoid like the endless discussions or debates about secondary or speculative concerns, the demands of those without genuine needs, or worldly criticism of a spiritual ministry.

It is so helpful to hear Paul’s exhortations to Timothy, who probably felt like he was breaking under the pressure of a besieged ministry and was likely suffering from stress-induced stomach ailments. For Paul, like his Lord and Savior, the priorities of life and ministry are clear. The Gospel of our Lord and Savior – the Gospel that saved us – is to be the first priority of God’s servant even as it is God’s primary provision for every aspect of our lives. Clearly, the primary threat to believers and the body of Christ is anything that distracts from the Gospel, especially those within the church who teach and live a different doctrine from the Gospel of our Lord and Savior. In the face of such opposition and distraction, Paul, in 1 Timothy 2, exhorts Timothy and the men of the church to make the practice of prayer a top priority. “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, … I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling …” (1 Tim 2:1-8).

The need for prayer to be a first priority and practice in our lives should come as no surprise. If prayer is a humble dependency upon the will and Word of God, it is the natural expression and beat of a heart that has been transformed by the Good News of Christ. If sin is our primary problem and God’s desire is that all people, including our leaders, might be saved from sin and come to the knowledge of the truth, it should be obvious to us that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made for all people as a primary and prevailing practice among the people of God. If there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, then to Him we must go first in the pursuit of all our needs, most especially the need to be bold for the proclamation of the Gospel and the need for salvation from sin. If men were created and redeemed to glorify God through leading their families, their churches, and their world to Christ, then it should be no surprise that men have been created and redeemed to lead the way in prayer. What is God’s remedy for a distracted life? It’s the sound doctrine of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that drives us to our knees in prayer, to receive as first importance the mercy and grace we, and the world, so desperately need. May His priorities be our primary provision to live for Him.

A Psalm of Thanks

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Many passages of Scripture address the theme of thanksgiving. Since all that we have is ultimately from the Lord, it is appropriate to give Him thanks and praise His name. Psalm 100, though brief, contains significant truth about the reasons believers should give thanks. As the Thanksgiving holiday is once again upon us, I thought this was a helpful theme to meditate on.

The psalm begins with a general call to worship in vv. 1-2. The three commands in these verses walk us through the believer’s expression of thanks. First, there is the call to “shout joyfully.” This is a term that is repeated throughout the Psalms and Isaiah (Ps. 66:1; 81:1; 95:1-2; 98:4, 6; 145:7; Isa. 44:23; 52:8-9; 65:14). It can refer to giving a shout for joy or blowing a loud sound through a horn.

Second, the psalmist commands God’s people to “serve the Lord with gladness.” Service to the Lord is a form of worship unto Him. Here, the psalmist’s thought is that any service offered to the Lord should be done in gladness. In Deuteronomy 28, God warns Israel against disobedience and tells her that if judgment comes upon her, it is because she did not serve Him with a glad heart (Deut. 28:47).

Third, the psalmist says that the people should come before God “with joyful singing.” This is a term that refers to a ringing cry, rather than a shout of triumph. Along with the other two terms, this also conveys a theme of joyfulness and gladness. The idea is that the one who trusts in God has every reason to rejoice, and that joy should be expressed to the Lord in worship of Him and in giving thanks.

The psalmist moves in v. 3 to speak of three reasons the believer has to be thankful. First, the believer can give thanks because of who God is. He writes, “Know that the Lord Himself is God.” As followers of Christ, we do not only praise Him for what He has done for us (though that is appropriate). We ought to give thanks also for who He is. The very fact that He is God and we are not warrants praise to Him. He is infinitely greater and better than we are. We praise Him and give thanks to Him because He alone is worthy of our praise.

A second reason is given in the phrase, “It is He who made us, and not we ourselves.” One of the proofs that He alone is God is that He is the giver of life. For all of eternity, God is set apart as Creator. Even though man is created in the image of God, we will never attain equality with God. There will always be a Creator/creature distinction. But we have reason to give thanks because He made us and gave us life. The fact that we live and move and have our being is because He created us and sustains us (cf. Acts 17:28).

The final reason the psalmist gives is that “we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” In other words, just as a shepherd cares for his flock, so our God cares for us. This is because He brings us into relationship with Him by His grace. Though in our sin we were enemies of God, Jesus Christ reconciled us to the Father by His atoning work on the cross. Though we were once enemies, now we are the people of God, brought into right relationship with Him. We celebrate this relationship when we give thanks to God. He not only brings us into relationship with Him, but He also sustains and cares for us as a demonstration of His deep love for us. For these reasons, the psalmist says we should express thanks to God.

He concludes once again with a call to worship, that as we come into the presence of God, we should do so first and foremost with a voice and attitude of thankfulness (v. 4). We have no place to come with a complaint or accusation. Because of God’s rich love for His people, we ought to bless His name. We do this because He is good, His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations (v. 5).