I Will Fear No Evil: For Thou Art With Me

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 23:4

Behold, how independent of outward circumstances the Holy Ghost can make the Christian! What a bright light may shine within us when it is all dark without! How firm, how happy, how calm, how peaceful we may be, when the world shakes to and fro, and the pillars of the earth are removed! Even death itself, with all its terrible influences, has no power to suspend the music of a Christian’s heart, but rather makes that music become more sweet, more clear, more heavenly, till the last kind act which death can do is to let the earthly strain melt into the heavenly chorus, the temporal joy into the eternal bliss!

Let us have confidence, then, in the blessed Spirit’s power to comfort us.

  • Dear reader, are you looking forward to poverty? Fear not; the divine Spirit can give you, in your want, a greater plenty than the rich have in their abundance. You know not what joys may be stored up for you in the cottage around which grace will plant the roses of content.
  • Are you conscious of a growing failure of your bodily powers? Do you expect to suffer long nights of languishing and days of pain? O be not sad! That bed may become a throne to you. You little know how every pang that shoots through your body may be a refining fire to consume your dross-a beam of glory to light up the secret parts of your soul.
  • Are the eyes growing dim? Jesus will be your light. Do the ears fail you? Jesus’ name will be your soul’s best music, and His person your dear delight.

Socrates used to say, ‘Philosophers can be happy without music;’ and Christians can be happier than philosophers when all outward causes of rejoicing are withdrawn. In Thee, my God, my heart shall triumph, come what may of ills without! By thy power, O blessed Spirit, my heart shall be exceeding glad, though all things should fail me here below.

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Weekly Links (6/6/2014)

“In speaking of the fear of religion, I don’t mean to refer to the entirely reasonable hostility toward certain established religions and religious institutions, in virtue of their objectionable moral doctrines, social policies, and political influence. Nor am I referring to the association of many religious beliefs with superstition and the acceptance of evident empirical falsehoods. I am talking about something much deeper–namely, the fear of religion itself. I speak from experience, being strongly subject to this fear myself: I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers.

I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that.” (Thomas Nagel, The Last Word)

by Stephen Rodgers

Sorry for the delay everyone; I had missions on the brain.

Pro Rege

An Encounter With The Natural Mind

by Pastor Patrick Cho

In our home, we have a typical bedtime routine with our kids before putting them down for the night. Especially with our older one, generally, we’ll read through a Bible account together, sing a worship song, and pray. We conclude with bedtime kisses (I usually get ten while Christine gets a hundred… I still don’t see how that’s fair). A couple years ago, I remember that instead of going to one of our usual books, I ended up talking to my daughter about Heaven and Hell. I know this is a weighty subject right before bedtime, but for some reason that I can’t recall, the topic came up.

I remember asking her, “Why do you think people go to Hell?” Her reply was, “Because they do bad things.” I was curious so I continued to question her, “And what kinds of people do you think get to go to Heaven?” Her response was expected. “People who do good things.” And she started going on and on listing examples of good behavior like listening to parents, telling the truth, picking up your toys, etc. She was convinced that if people were good enough and did enough good things, they would be allowed to go to Heaven.

Isn’t it interesting that this is the way we are naturally inclined to answer? Even to a three or four year old, it made perfect sense that bad behavior should be punished and good behavior should be rewarded. Why shouldn’t good people be allowed into Heaven if bad people are sent to Hell? I think I’ll always remember the confused look on her face when I told her this isn’t exactly the way things work.

The Lord provided a wonderful opportunity to explain to her that our sin is not just limited to the things that we do. It is a condition of the heart. We do the bad things we do because of the “badness” of our hearts. I suppose good people would be allowed into Heaven, but the problem is that there aren’t any good people. Because of our sin condition, ultimately no one is good before God. Even if we could bank on our goodness to get us into Heaven, every person would utterly fail. Our sin taints everything that we do so that we have nothing worthy to bring before the Lord. If not in our direct actions, our motives and goals are not God-glorifying. We seek to be better people by our behavior. We may even be noble enough to seek the good of others. But it is only by faith that we can be pleasing to God (Heb. 11:6). I explained to my daughter that it isn’t about trying to be good enough because she can’t be good enough. Her sin will always get in the way.

This is the reason we need to rely upon God to save us from our sins. Our hope must come from outside ourselves. He sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the punishment for our sins. He died so that we could have life. If we have any hope of going to heaven, it will only be because we trusted in what Jesus did for us, and not in the things we tried to do on our own. We place our faith in Him – in who He is and in His death and resurrection – so that we can have the hope of eternal life (cf. Eph. 2:8-9).

This encounter was just one of many reminders that even in the sincerity of our hearts, we can be completely wrong. Things can make total sense to us about the way we are living and what we are striving for. We might have noble intentions and the best motives. But in the end, without Christ, we have no hope of being in good standing with God.

I praise God that He has revealed His will to us in His written Word and doesn’t communicate it to us in some subjective way through impressions and feelings. He doesn’t just tell us to go and do what we think is right. Instead, He tells us clearly what is right and what is wrong, what is truth and what is error, to guide us down the unmistakable road we ought to walk.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians that the natural mind cannot understand the things of God (1 Cor. 2:14). It is only by the grace of God that we can even think the way we ought according to the truth. We are blinded by our sins in our own understanding. We need God to illumine our darkened hearts to the truth. Instead of having us trust in our own intuition, He calls us to trust in His truth. Left to herself, my daughter cannot know the severity of her sin and the desperate condition of her soul. This is why I strive to point her continually back to the Word of God so that she can think rightly not only about the problem in her heart, but also the solution God provided in Jesus Christ. And as she grows I pray that the Lord will help her to see the amazing grace He offers to sinners who deserve judgment and that by grace her heart will respond in faith and thanksgiving.

If They Do These Things In A Green Tree, What Shall Be Done In The Dry?

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Luke 23:31

Among other interpretations of this suggestive question, the following is full of teaching: ‘If the innocent substitute for sinners, suffer thus, what will be done when the sinner himself-the dry tree-shall fall into the hands of an angry God?’ When God saw Jesus in the sinner’s place, He did not spare Him; and when He finds the unregenerate without Christ, He will not spare them.

O sinner, Jesus was led away by His enemies: so shall you be dragged away by fiends to the place appointed for you. Jesus was deserted of God; and if He, who was only imputedly a sinner, was deserted, how much more shall you be? ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ what an awful shriek! But what shall be your cry when you shall say, ‘O God! O God! why hast Thou forsaken me?’ and the answer shall come back, ‘Because ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.’ If God spared not His own Son, how much less will He spare you! What whips of burning wire will be yours when conscience shall smite you with all its terrors.

Ye richest, ye merriest, ye most self-righteous sinners-who would stand in your place when God shall say, ‘Awake, O sword, against the man that rejected Me; smite him, and let him feel the smart for ever’? Jesus was spit upon: sinner, what shame will be yours! We cannot sum up in one word all the mass of sorrows which met upon the head of Jesus who died for us, therefore it is impossible for us to tell you what streams, what oceans of grief must roll over your spirit if you die as you now are. You may die so, you may die now. By the agonies of Christ, by His wounds and by His blood, do not bring upon yourselves the wrath to come!

Trust in the Son of God, and you shall never die.

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Weekly Links (5/30/2014)

In popular misconception today, the choice of an apologetical method facing a Bible-believing Christian is between arguing presuppositionally OR appealing to evidences from history and nature in support of Christianity. But that is entirely wrong. Presuppositional apologetics endorses and indeed encourages the use of evidences – but not evidences offered in the “traditional” manner as an appeal to the authority of the unbeliever’s (allegedly) autonomous reasoning. Unbelievers who are self-conscious in their autonomy will usually fight against the force of the “facts” to which we can appeal in favor of the Bible’s veracity. (Greg Bahnsen)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Here’s this week’s links to get you pumped!

That’s all for this week! Mission Bowl is coming up this Saturday for the ladies, so make sure you cheer them on and show some support! See you there at church on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

 

Desiring the Milk of the Word

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2)

by Joseph Ho

The word “long for” (evpipoqe,w, epipothēo) basically means to “desire earnestly.” This word is used in the New Testament in the context of desiring or yearning to see someone (Romans 1:11; Philippians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:6). It is also used in the Septuagint (The Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) in Psalm 42:1 to express one’s desire for God, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.”

Here in the context of 1 Peter 2:2, Peter is exhorting us to long for the Word like newborns longing for the mother’s milk. We see in this metaphor that just like newborns, we have received our spiritual birth in Christ through the living Word (1 Peter 1:3, 1:23). Just like newborns, we are dependent on the Word for our spiritual nourishment and growth.
One of the characteristics of the newborn is the baby’s undistracted desire to eat. Newborns are never interested in the stimulations of the environment, but rather, they focus solely on feeding and growth! Similarly, we ought to cultivate the same intensity and focus to desire the Word of God.

We see this desire in the life of Apostle Paul. He says in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

We also see this desire in Mary. We read in Luke 10:38-42, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Even though Martha did a lot more for Christ, Jesus was more pleased with Mary because her sole desire was to sit at His feet and listen to His teaching. This year’s theme is “One Thing I Do.” In our relationship with the Word of God, the one thing we must do is to earnestly feed on it.

Interestingly, we learned through modern science that the mother’s milk has antibodies. It gives the baby defense against infection. The mother’s milk has the perfect balance of nutrients. It causes the newborn to grow very quickly. During breastfeeding, the hormone, oxytocin, is released which causes the baby and the mother to bond with each other. The feeding time nurtures the intimacy between the mother and the child.

Apostle Peter probably didn’t have this scientific knowledge when he wrote 1 Peter, but I believe he chose to use this metaphor because he saw the amazing growth of the newborns upon feeding on the mother’s milk. In the same way, when we feed on the pure milk of the Word, we grow in our intimacy with God; we have a deeper delight in spiritual things; we increase in spiritual understanding; we gain wisdom to deal with the issues of life; we have greater love and stronger faith in God; we desire less for the things of this world; and we are able to obey His Word more consistently, and as a result, we receive blessings from God.

Psalm 1:1-3, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

This is God’s true prosperity gospel. No, God is not going to necessarily give you wealth, fame, or comfort. But when you desire his Word, he will prosper you by drawing you closer to Him, drawing you closer to the blessings not of this earth but of heaven.

Jeremiah 15:16, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.”

(Editor’s Note: we encourage you to listen to Joseph’s sermon on this topic here.)

Tag Team – Podcasts (Wrap Up)

by Stephen Rodgers

So I guess it falls to me to wrap this all up. We hope that this has been helpful for some of you; if nothing else, you’ve gotten a little insight into the listening habits of Richard, Cesar, and myself.

What you might not have realized is that we did a little polling behind the scenes to make sure that we didn’t repeat ourselves and wind up recommending the same podcasts over and over again. And truth be told, there was very little overlap with a couple of exceptions:

  • Every single one of us recommended The Briefing with Al Mohler.
  • 2 out of 3 recommended The Dividing Line with James White.

So, if you’re unsure where to begin, those seem like crowd favorites. And there’s always the LBC Sermon Archive as well.

Other than that, here’s a handy table of the podcasts that we discussed. If you’d like to see more “Tag Team” articles, then let us know. (We’ve got a few ideas, but we’d like to hear how we could be of help to you as well).

Happy listening!

Podcast Host Frequency Overview
The Briefing Al Mohler Daily Current Events
The Dividing Line James White Tues / Thurs Varies
5 Minutes in Church History Stephen Nichols Weekly Church History
Christ the Center Reformed Forum Weekly Varies
Ask Pastor John John Piper Daily Q&A
White Horse Inn Michael Horton Weekly Varies
Stand to Reason Greg Koukl Weekly Apologetics
9Marks 9Marks Monthly Pastoral Issues
CCEF Various Not Updating Biblical Counseling

FOF #11: Evangelism and the Believer

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Growing up in church I remember whenever the pastor announced the morning’s sermon was going to be about evangelism, my heart would sink a little. The truth is that a message on evangelism is almost always convicting because of how much more faithful most believers could be in their witness. Sadly, there aren’t too many Christians who would say they have a problem with evangelizing too much. Most often it’s the other way around and the average Christian knows they should be telling others about the good news of Jesus more.

The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 is probably the most fundamental passage we could turn to in regards to Christ’s command to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. It could be said that there is a form of the Great Commission in all four of the gospels and the book of Acts (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8), but the Matthew passage gives the most detail. Jesus issues the command with His full authority (v. 18), so it is imperative that His followers understand and heed His words. The main command of the Great Commission is to “make disciples,” and this is supported by three participles: going, baptizing, and teaching.

Discipleship is a great word to describe the Christian life. It is about following Jesus. Being a Christian in the everyday, ordinary, normal sense means submitting to the Jesus Christ as Lord and following Him wherever He might lead. The command to make disciples essentially means that every believer should seek to reproduce themselves. As followers of Christ, our responsibility to help others know likewise how to follow Him.

“Going” is necessary if we are going to make disciples of all nations and we are going to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (cf. Acts 1:8). It doesn’t necessarily mean that every believer must pack up and go (though obviously some must go and surely all must be willing to go if the Lord so leads). It does necessitate, however, that no Christian is exempt from this command. The participle implies that wherever a believer goes or finds himself, he is to live in obedience to this Commission. In other words, there is no place where the Great Commission doesn’t apply. A Christian can never rightly say, “Well, I just can’t devote myself to evangelism and missions right now.” Whether you are a student or working, single or married, young or old, busy or free, you are called to make disciples of Christ.

“Baptizing” refers to the ordinance of immersing people as a picture of their new life in Christ. It is the first act of obedience that believers are called to upon being saved, but this part of the Great Commission involves more than putting people underwater. It includes everything that baptism signifies – dying to your old self and being raised in newness of life identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. In other words, being committed to baptizing is being committed to helping people understand what saving faith is all about. It involves helping them understand who God is, what sin is, why salvation is necessary, and how to attain it by faith in Christ. Importantly, it also involves helping people to understand that true saving faith calls for a changed life in obedience to Christ since we are baptized according to the command of Christ. True Christians are those who have been radically transformed by the power of the gospel and the Spirit in their lives so that they turn away from sin and walk according to the truth of Christ.

The participle “teaching” helps us to understand that Great Commission work is about more than just making converts. It is about helping people come to saving faith, but then committing to helping them grow in their understanding of God’s truth. If I traveled to South America to preach the gospel to a group of Argentines and some trusted in the gospel and were saved by God’s grace, how devastating would it be for me to abandon them and return home without ensuring that they have any means of growing with respect to their salvation? The Great Commission ensures that those who are saved are able to continue to grow as believers in Christ because they are being taught all that Christ has commanded. If I am going to fulfill the Great Commission, I need to be willing not only to share the gospel with others, but also either to remain with them to help them understand the whole counsel of God or ensure that they find a local church that will continue to nurture their infantile faith to maturity.

As believers, we are not to be ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16). Rather than fearing men and others’ opinion of us, we are called to boldly proclaim the truth of Christ in love. Didn’t Jesus teach that if we are ashamed of Him before men in this sinful generation, He would likewise be ashamed of us in the end at His return (Mark 8:38)? Yes, the message of the gospel will be rejected by most. People may mock or scorn you for your proclamation of what comes across as a narrow, exclusive, judgmental, and offensive message. But we must also remember and trust that God works through the message preached to transform hearts and lives and to reconcile sinners to Himself.

Faithful evangelism also involves living a holy life as a testimony to the life changing power of the gospel. Those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior should notice the difference in genuine believers, that they live for something different and hope in something different. John Piper once wisely said that if non-Christians don’t ask you about the hope in your life, perhaps it is because you are hoping in the same things they are. Unbelievers should see a marked difference in the way a Christian lives in desiring to be set apart from this world and to live ultimately for the glory of God.

Helping others understand the gospel goes beyond lifestyle evangelism, though. The gospel is a message that must be proclaimed. Unless people hear the gospel, they cannot become followers of Christ (cf. Rom. 10:17). Too often believers are committed only to “lifestyle evangelism” without ever telling others about the salvation God offers in Christ and calling people to turn from their sins. We need to remember that unless they hear about what Christ accomplished on the cross and through His resurrection, they cannot be saved. They might be impressed with the way you live your life. They might tell you they respect you for the faith you possess as your own. But they need to be told that apart from Christ they have no true and lasting hope. All men will stand before God one day and give an account for their lives, and the only question that will matter on that day is, “What did you do with the gospel?” Those who turned away from the truth of God will suffer an eternal judgment, but by the grace of God, those who trust in Christ for salvation will enjoy eternal life. Since we possess the message of life and the remedy for sin, let’s strive to be faithful in our proclamation God’s truth in love.

Tag Team – Podcasts #3 (Cesar)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Since I’m the last to post my top three, it comes with the assumption that at least one of the previously mentioned podcasts would have been listed on mine (*cough*James White*cough*). In any case, here would be my choices:

  1. Stand to Reason – Greg Koukl is a stellar example of an ambassador of Christ, one who represents the King well in this world. If you’re familiar with his ministry, that is one of the focuses of Stand to Reason: a combination of knowledge, wisdom and character makes for an effective ambassador, and Greg displays all three aspects every week on this podcast. He is deeply insightful in giving answers to the current apologetic issues of our day, and interviews some of the leading Christian scholars on giving informed responses to specific attacks on the Christian faith. You’re bound to learn not only helpful responses, but also how to do so with grace. This would be the top podcast for every believer, especially the collegian who is often challenged or presented with different perspectives antithetical to the Christian faith.
  2. 9Marks – Though geared toward pastors, this podcast has more to do with church life that I think everyone can benefit from. Mark Dever, pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, usually leads a roundtable discussion with pastors along with a special guest to either discuss something they’ve written, or about ministry issues that they have considerable wisdom worth imparting. From missions, to expository preaching, to discipleship, there is much to learn from a group of wise and godly men. You don’t want to miss out on this one.
  3. CCEF – What better place can you get short but meaty discussions on various issues in biblical counseling than CCEF’s weekly podcast? It seems like nothing is really kept from being brought up in discussion, no matter how difficult the issue. Unfortunately, this podcast has not had an update in about a year, but they have nearly five years worth of podcasts dealing with a range of problems, such as how to counsel someone who has suffered abuse, to trusting God in our parenting, to counseling non-Christians. If you have any interest in gaining insight from some of the leading voices in the biblical counseling movement, this is a great place to start.

I know there’s more, and I’m not necessarily sure if we’re going to debate the merits of our list against the others’, but I hope this is helpful to all who have read through our posts. Looking forward to the next series!

Deliver Me From Bloodguiltiness, O God…

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 51:14

In this SOLEMN CONFESSION, it is pleasing to observe that David plainly names his sin. He does not call it manslaughter, nor speak of it as an imprudence by which an unfortunate accident occurred to a worthy man, but he calls it by its true name, bloodguiltiness. He did not actually kill the husband of Bathsheba; but still it was planned in David’s heart that Uriah should be slain, and he was before the Lord his murderer. Learn in confession to be honest with God. Do not give fair names to foul sins; call them what you will, they will smell no sweeter. What God sees them to be, that do you labour to feel them to be; and with all openness of heart acknowledge their real character. Observe, that David was evidently oppressed with the heinousness of his sin. It is easy to use words, but it is difficult to feel their meaning. The fifty-first Psalm is the photograph of a contrite spirit. Let us seek after the like brokenness of heart; for however excellent our words may be, if our heart is not conscious of the hell-deservingness of sin, we cannot expect to find forgiveness.

Our text has in it AN EARNEST PRAYER-it is addressed to the God of salvation. It is His prerogative to forgive; it is His very name and office to save those who seek His face. Better still, the text calls Him the God of my salvation. Yes, blessed be His name, while I am yet going to Him through Jesus’ blood, I can rejoice in the God of my salvation.

The psalmist ends with A COMMENDABLE VOW: if God will deliver him he will sing-nay, more, he will ‘sing aloud.’ Who can sing in any other style of such a mercy as this! But note the subject of the song-‘THY RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ We must sing of the finished work of a precious Saviour; and he who knows most of forgiving love will sing the loudest.

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