Reformed Lawless

A Man There Is, a Real Man

2011-05-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

A Man There Is, a Real Man

A Man there is, a real Man,
With wounds still gaping wide,
From which rich streams of blood once ran,
In hands, and feet, and side.

‘Tis no wild fancy of our brains,
No metaphor we speak;
The same dear Man in heaven now reigns,
That suffered for our sake.

This wondrous Man of whom we tell,
Is true Almighty God;
He bought our souls from death and hell;
The price, His own heart’s blood.

That human heart He still retains,
Though throned in highest bliss;
And feels each tempted member’s pains;
For our affliction’s His.

Come, then, repenting sinner, come;
Approach with humble faith;
Owe what thou wilt, the total sum
Is canceled by His death!

His blood can cleanse the blackest soul,
And wash our guilt away;
He will present us sound and whole
In that tremendous day.

Blessings

2011-05-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Laura Story

A Believer's Last Day, His Best Day

2011-05-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

I spent part of the day with some very precious people in Arteisa, NM. Attended the funeral of a loving father, grandfather, great grandfather and great great grandfather and friend to many. More importantly he loved the Lord. Augustine said, "The glorious things of heaven are so many—that they exceed number; so precious—that they exceed estimation; so great—that they exceed measure!" Bernard said, "For Christ to be with Paul was the greatest security—but for Paul to be with Christ was the chief happiness!"

All I have is Christ

2011-05-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You

My King

2011-04-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Philippians 3:7-11

2011-04-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Because of His resurrection we have hope

2011-04-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

I am the sentimental type and the poem below brings a tear to my eye when I read it. I heard it read today by John Macarthur and as I was listening I thought that there would be no reason for a poem like this if there were no resurrection. Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of His resurrection we have hope that one day we who are in Christ will be raised also.

Go Down Death

Weep not, weep not,
She is not dead;
She's resting in the bosom of Jesus.
Heart-broken husband--weep no more;
Grief-stricken son--weep no more;
Left-lonesome daughter --weep no more;
She only just gone home.

Day before yesterday morning,
God was looking down from his great, high heaven,
Looking down on all his children,
And his eye fell on Sister Caroline,
Tossing on her bed of pain.
And God's big heart was touched with pity,
With the everlasting pity.

And God sat back on his throne,
And he commanded that tall, bright angel standing at his right hand:
Call me Death!
And that tall, bright angel cried in a voice
That broke like a clap of thunder:
Call Death!--Call Death!
And the echo sounded down the streets of heaven
Till it reached away back to that shadowy place,
Where Death waits with his pale, white horses.

And Death heard the summons,
And he leaped on his fastest horse,
Pale as a sheet in the moonlight.
Up the golden street Death galloped,
And the hooves of his horses struck fire from the gold,
But they didn't make no sound.
Up Death rode to the Great White Throne,
And waited for God's command.

And God said: Go down, Death, go down,
Go down to Savannah, Georgia,
Down in Yamacraw,
And find Sister Caroline.
She's borne the burden and heat of the day,
She's labored long in my vineyard,
And she's tired--
She's weary--
Go down, Death, and bring her to me.

And Death didn't say a word,
But he loosed the reins on his pale, white horse,
And he clamped the spurs to his bloodless sides,
And out and down he rode,
Through heaven's pearly gates,
Past suns and moons and stars;
on Death rode,Leaving the lightning's flash behind;
Straight down he came.

While we were watching round her bed,
She turned her eyes and looked away,
She saw what we couldn't see;
She saw Old Death. She saw Old Death
Coming like a falling star.
But Death didn't frighten Sister Caroline;
He looked to her like a welcome friend.
And she whispered to us: I'm going home,
And she smiled and closed her eyes.

And Death took her up like a baby,
And she lay in his icy arms,
But she didn't feel no chill.
And death began to ride again--Up beyond the evening star,
Into the glittering light of glory,
On to the Great White Throne.
And there he laid Sister Caroline
On the loving breast of Jesus.

And Jesus took his own hand and wiped away her tears,
And he smoothed the furrows from her face,
And the angels sang a little song,
And Jesus rocked her in his arms,
And kept a-saying: Take your rest,
Take your rest.

Weep not--weep not,
She is not dead;
She's resting in the bosom of Jesus.

By, Sharai Bravo

Behold The Lamb

2011-04-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

Behold The Lamb

Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away
Slain for us and we remember
The promise made that all who come in faith
Find forgiveness at the cross
So we share in this Bread of Life
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of peace
Around the table of the King

The body of our Saviour Jesus Christ
Torn for you eat and remember
The wounds that heal the death that brings us life
Paid the price to make us one
So we share in this Bread of Life
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of love
Around the table of the King

The blood that cleanses every stain of sin
Shed for you drink and remember
He drained death's cup that all may enter in
To receive the life of God
So we share in this Bread of Life
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of grace
Around the table of the King

And so with thankfulness and faith we rise
To respond and to remember
Our call to follow in the steps of Christ
As His body here on earth
As we share in His suffering
We proclaim Christ will come again
And we'll join in the feast of heaven
Around the table of the King

Keith Getty Kristyn Getty Stuart Townend

Paul to the Young Pastor Timothy

2011-04-20T19:47:00.001-07:00

2 Timothy 4:1-8

“Preach the Word”
1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Preaching the Word, not some book or philosophy, is what it is all about. We live in a time when man would prefer to have their ears tickled rather than be taught doctrine. When in fact the only chance people have to know how to be saved and how to follow Christ and live a life that is pleasing to God is by learning the great doctrines of God’s word. People need to know what God’s word means before they stand a chance of properly applying it to their lives. Preach the word my friend!

God Bless,

Bill Lawless

But false prophets also arose among the people

2011-04-20T19:45:00.001-07:00

2Peter 2:1-3

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Paul Washer in a sermon to a youth group said the following; “Do you know how hard it is for me to stand here and tell you that Christianity in America is all wrong” This was a sermon to a youth group that could easily apply to the seeker, purpose driven and market driven churches today.

Tim Brown of the Reformed Gadfly states, “I'm sick and tired of being associated with a "Christianity" that does not seem to care one whit about holiness or obedience to God's Word. Let me say this as perfectly clear as I can: I believe that "Christianity" in America is nearly totally apostate. Why? We have abandoned the vision of the Holiness and Fear of God.” Tim goes on to say, “We've built a false god that will cater to our flesh and meet our "felt needs". Our real need? Repentance. But we don't want to go there. We live in Laodicea. No apologies. Cut and dried. Stuff like this can only happen because contemporary Christianity is rotten to the core.”

I believe that Paul and Tim are correct. I have struggled to find a church that has not been touched by the false doctrine of many of the church fads of the day. Its hard to find a church with a solid biblical foundation. What you can find are churches that put on light shows, with guitar solos singing mind numbing repetitios praise songs followed by preaching that seeks to cure the ills of the community without a call to repentance.

There will be a time when the garbage that many call church will be revealed for what it really is. There will be a time when people wake up to the fact that the truth they need can be found only in the Bible. Dr. John Macarthur makes the point very well, "The Bible contains: the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved and practice it to be holy…

The program is God’s word, the Bible. The agenda is to magnify the glory and majisty of God.

Psalm 95

2011-04-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

Concerning Psalm 95: “It is a good thing to worship God, but acts and words of worship are acceptable only if they proceed from sincere and obedient hearts.” Worship is very important and our preparation for worship is very important.

Crucifixion and Ressurrection

2011-04-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

"O Lord,
I marvel that thou shouldst become incarnate,
be crucified, dead, and buried.
The sepulchre calls forth my adoring wonder,
for it is empty and thou art risen;
the four-fold gospel attests it,
the living witnesses prove it,
my heart's experience knows it.
Give me to die with thee that I may rise to new life,
for I wish to be as dead and buried
to sin, to selfishness, to the world;
that I might not hear the voice of the charmer,
and might be delivered from his lusts.
O Lord, there is much ill about me - crucify it,
much flesh within me - mortify it.
Purge me from selfishness,the fear of man, the love of approbation,
the shame of being thought old-fashioned,
the desire to be cultivated or modern.
Let me reckon my old life deadbecause of crucifixion,
and never feed it as a living thing.
Grant me to stand with my dying Saviour,
to be content to be rejected,
to be willing to take up unpopular truths,
and to hold fast despised teachings until death.
Help me to be resolute and Christ-contained.
Never let me wander from the path of obedienceto thy will.
Strengthen me for the battles ahead.
Give me courage for all the trials,
and grace for all the joys.
Help me to be a holy, happy person,
free from every wrong desire,
from everything contrary to thy mind.
Grant me more and more of the resurrection life:
may it rule me,may I walk in its power,
and be strengthened through its influence.

Love of God - Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

2010-10-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Love Of God

Verse 1
Love of God revealed in wonder
By the works of a maker's hand
Seas that roar with thunderous splendour
Fields that whisper at His command
All the joys of life we cherish
Are God's gracious sign
We are children of His promise
Heirs of mercy and grace divine

Chorus 1
Unfailing love from heaven's throne
That sought me out and brought me home
My song of praise shall ever be
The Father's love for me

Verse 2
Love of God revealed in frailty
Through the gift of a servant King
Joy of heaven robed in humility
Prince of Peace crowned with suffering
Oh what love that calls humanity
To kneel at the cross
And exchange our sin's futility
For the joy of a father's love

Verse 3
Love of God what priceless treasure
Over all this world affords
To be His and His forever
This my glory and my reward
May this love beyond all knowing
So capture my soul
That I'm filled to overflowing
With a passion for Him alone

Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

A Passion the Gospel of Jesus Christ - Johnathan Edwards

2010-09-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

“Our external delights, our earthly pleasures, our ambition and our reputation, our human relationships, for all of these things, our desires are eager, our appetites strong, our love, warm and affectionate. When it comes to these things our hearts are tender and sensitive, deeply impressed, easily moved, much concern and greatly engaged. We are depressed at our losses and we are excited and joyful about any worldly success or prosperity. But when it comes to spiritual matters, how dull we feel. How heavy and hard our hearts. We can sit and hear of the infinite length and height and breadth and love of God in Christ Jesus, of His giving of His infinitely dear Son, and yet sit there cold and unmoved. If we are going to be excited about anything, shouldn’t it be our spiritual lives? Is there anything more inspiring, more exciting, more lovable and desirable in heaven or on earth than the Gospel of Jesus Christ? We should be utterly humbled that we are not more emotionally affected than we are in the church.” Jonathan Edwards

O Great God - The Valley of Vision

2010-09-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

O Fountain of all good,
Destroy in me every lofty thought,
Break pride to pieces and scatter it
to the winds,
Annihilate each clinging shred of
self-righteousness,
Implant in me true lowliness of spirit,
Abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence,
Open in me a fount of penitential tears,
Break me, then bind me up;
Thus will my heart be a prepared dwelling
for my God;
Then can the Father take up his abode in me,
Then can the blessed Jesus come with healing
in his touch,
Then can the Holy Spirit descend in
sanctifying grace;
O Holy Trinity, three Persons and one God,
inhabit me, a temple consecrated to thy glory.
When thou art present, evil cannot abide;
In thy fellowship is fullness of joy,
Beneath thy smile is peace of conscience,
By thy side no fears disturb,
no apprehensions banish rest of mind,
With thee my heart shall bloom with fragrance;
Make me meet, through repentance,
for thine indwelling.
Nothing exceeds thy power,
Nothing is too great for thee to do,
Nothing too good for thee to give.
Infinite is thy might, boundless thy love,
limitless thy grace, glorious thy saving name.
Let angels sing for
sinners repenting,
prodigals restored,
backsliders reclaimed,
Satan’s captives released,
blind eyes opened,
broken hearts bound up,
the despondent cheered,
the self-righteous stripped,
the formalist driven from a refuge of lies,
the ignorant enlightened,
and saints built up in their holy faith.
I ask great things of a great God.

Really?

2010-09-02T15:00:00.001-07:00

What you just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone is this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points and my God have mercy on your soul.

Glenn Beck aka Wolf in sheep clothing

2010-08-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Glenn Beck, wolf in sheep clothing, has done a lot damage to biblical Christianity. Sadly, the majority of the 500,000 people in attendance Saturday would claim Christianity and not understand that the god of Glenn Beck, a Mormon, is not the God of the bible, his Jesus is not the Jesus of the bible and his way to salvation is not salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.

What is a Hymn?

2010-08-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

What is a Hymn?
by Edith Margaret Clarkson

A hymn is an expression of worship—our glad and grateful acknowledgement of the "worth-ship" of Almighty God, our confession of our own creatureliness before our Creator, our bowing before his transcendence. Hymns are a celebration of who and what God is and of what he has done— songs of praise, thanksgiving, and joy in God. Christians sing hymns because our God is worthy to be praised.

It follows, then, that the words of a hymn are of the utmost importance. Good music must accompany them, but its highest office is to strengthen and enhance the message of the words. The best tunes are those that best help worshipers experience the text of the hymn; for it is the words, not the music, that decide the worth of a hymn.
What, then, constitutes a good hymn text? Watts and Wesley set the norm long ago, and their standards have never been surpassed. Today's hymns must be in our own language, idiom, and metaphor, but our main thrust will not be substantially different from theirs. I suggest that good hymns have six general characteristics.

Good hymns are God-centered, not man-centered—-looking upwards, not inwards. They have loftiness of concept, and dignity and reverence of language. They adore the eternal Godhead for who and what he is, worshiping him for his holiness, wisdom, power, justice, goodness, mercy, and truth. They praise him for his mighty acts—for creation, preservation, redemption; for guidance, protection, provision; for the means of grace and the hope of glory. They offer petition suitable to their theme; they praise, worship, nourish, encourage, teach, exhort, inspire, and rejoice in Christian community. Good hymns are not subjective; they are free from introspection. When man enters the the picture, it is to acknowledge the darkness of his own sinful nature in the presence of such a God, to seek his mercy, and to grasp more closely his redeeming grace.

Good hymns are doctrinal in content and theologically sound, rooted solidly in the Word of God. Christian leaders should be more aware of the doctrinal content of the hymns they choose than many of them are, for many hymns in common use today contain theological errors or untruths. All too often attractive or well-known tunes are allowed to take precedence over truly biblical texts, and our congregations absorb false doctrines unwittingly. For as Erik Routley has written, "A congregation's disposition towards right belief or away from it is subtly influenced by the habitual use of hymns… The singing congregation is uncritical; but it matters very much what it sings, for it comes to believe its hymns. Wrong doctrine in preaching would be noticed; in hymns, it may come to be believed" (Erik Routley, Hymns Today and Tomorrow, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1964). The worshiping congregation with a good and wisely used hymnbook, however, is constantly instructed and blessed as the great doctrines of the faith are brought before it in review: so truth is kept vernal. The doctrine of good hymns is neither myopic nor overblown, but true to the Word of God and to the experience of the average believer. It is practical in nature, designed to help worshipers respond to God's truth and so to live better Christian lives.

Good hymns have words of beauty, dignity, reverence, and simplicity. Whether their theme is one of lofty exultation or a simple expression of trust, good hymns are chaste, precise, and lovely in their utterance. Their language is clear and concise. They are never glib, never pat, never extravagant, never trite; they are always true. Emotionally warm and fervent, they are never sentimental. They speak beautifully, feelingly, compellingly, and with restraint of the things of God. They do not transgress the limits of good taste in concept, word, or setting. They cannot give offense.

Good hymns are adult in word and tone. They do not insult intelligence by requiring us to sing immortal truths in childish or unsuitable modes of expression, or to sloppy, sentimental tunes. While remaining true to the Gospel, they contain nothing to embarrass or bewilder outsiders, but rather will speak to them of a deep, sincere, vital experience of God. Their figures of speech will be in keeping with the worth-ship of God and will have meaning for the contemporary Christian.

Good hymns display precision and finesse of poetic technique and expression. They will have a single theme and organic unity. They move from a bold and arresting attack in the opening line, through a definite progression of thought, to a clear and decisive climax. No extraneous throught may intrude for the sake of a rhyme or rhythmic pattern. Rhymes and rhythms are interesting, original, and correct. The declamation (union of words with music) is accurate. Meters may be varied but will be conservative enough that good tunes, capable of being well sung by average congregations, may be written for them. Good hymns should be short enough to be sung in their entirety, in order that the full impact of their sequence may be experienced. They should be free of irrelevant refrains which detract from the main thought.

Good hymns turn the heart heavenward. They rejoice in the unity of believers and the communion of saints. The best hymnists have recognized more clearly than most of us that the people of God are one. They take their place with the warring, suffering, and triumphing church universal, identifying with the saints of long ago as readily as with those of today. The hymns of such writers sing often, and with deep delight and longing, of the soul's true home.

What constitutes a good hymn? Good hymns are not the result of desire or ambition, but are an outgrowth of spiritual life. They are not based on feeling but on eternal verities, not centered on man but on God.

Writing a hymn is more than using certain techniques correctly. It is a matter of looking on the face of God, of worshiping in his presence, of embracing his will, of accepting his cross and living under its daily obedience; then, having learned the disciplines of good writing, of singing his grace. True hymnwriters have not sought primarily to write hymns, but to know God: knowing him, they could not help but sing. Theirs are the hymns that have lived through the ages and will live far into the future. It is this kind of hymnwriting we need today if our generation is to contribute anything of real worth to the church's treasury of worship and praise.

Lord's Day Eve - The Valley of Vision

2010-08-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Another week has gone and I have been preserved
in my going out,in my coming in.
Thine has been the vigilance that has turned
threatened evils aside;
thine the supplies that have nourished me;
Thine the comforts that have indulged me;
Thine the relations and friends that have delighted me;

Thine the means of grace which have edified me;
Thine the Book, which, amidst all my enjoyments,
has told me that this is not my rest,
that in all successes one thing alone is needful,
to love my Saviour.

Nothing can equal the number of they mercies
but my imperfections and sins.
These, O God, I will neither conceal nor palliate,
but confess with a broken heart.

In what condition would secret reviews
of my life leave me
were it not for the assurance that with thee
there is plenteous redemption,
that thou art a forgiving God,
that thou mayest be feared!

While I hope for pardon through the blood of the cross,
I pray to be clothed with humility,
to be quickened in thy way,
to be more devoted to thee,
to keep the end of my life in view,
to be cured of the folly of delay and indecision,
to know how frail I am,
to number my days and apply my heart unto wisdom.

Amen

Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness

2010-07-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf (1700 – 1760)

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
’Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.

Bold shall I stand in Thy great day;
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully absolved through these I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

The holy, meek, unspotted Lamb,
Who from the Father’s bosom came,
Who died for me, e’en me to atone,
Now for my Lord and God I own.

Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,
Which, at the mercy seat of God,
Forever doth for sinners plead,
For me, e’en for my soul, was shed.

Lord, I believe were sinners more
Than sands upon the ocean shore,
Thou hast for all a ransom paid,
For all a full atonement made.

When from the dust of death I rise
To claim my mansion in the skies,
Ev’n then this shall be all my plea,
Jesus hath lived, hath died, for me.

This spotless robe the same appears,
When ruined nature sinks in years;
No age can change its glorious hue,
The robe of Christ is ever new.

Jesus, the endless praise to Thee,
Whose boundless mercy hath for me—
For me a full atonement made,
An everlasting ransom paid.
O let the dead now hear Thy voice;
Now bid Thy banished ones rejoice;
Their beauty this, their glorious dress,
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness

What is thy only comfort in life and death? - Heidelberg Catechism

2010-06-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Answer: That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with his precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready henceforth to live unto him.

Jesus Shall Reign - Hymn - Isaac Watts

2010-06-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

1. Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
does its successive journeys run;
his kingdom spread from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.

2. To Jesus endless prayer be made,
and endless praises crown his head;
his name like sweet perfume shall rise
with every morning sacrifice.

3. People and realms of every tongue
dwell on his love with sweetest song;
and infant voices shall proclaim
their early blessings on his name.

4. Blessings abound where'er he reigns;
all prisoners leap and loose their chains;
the weary find eternal rest,
and all who suffer want are blest.

5. Let every creature rise and bring
honors peculiar to our King;
angels descend with songs again,
and earth repeat the loud amen!

The Prodigal - Sovereign Grace Ministries

2010-05-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

You held out Your arms, I walked away
Insolent, I spurned Your face
Squandering the gifts You gave to me
Holding close forbidden things
Destitute, a rebel still, a fool in all my pride
The world I once enjoyed is death to me
No joy, no hope, no life

Where now are the friends that I had bought
Gone with every penny lost
What hope could there be for such as I
Sold out to a world of lies
Oh, to see Your face again, it seems so distant now
Could it be that You would take me back
A servant in Your house

You held out Your arms, I see them still
You never left, You never will
Running to embrace me, now I know
Your cords of love will always hold
Mercy’s robe, a ring of grace
Such favor undeserved
You sing over me and celebrate
The rebel now Your child

Guitar Charts here
MP3 here

By Meghan Baird and Ryan BairdThis lyric sheet accompanies the song "The Prodigal" from the Sons & Daughters album.

The Preacher Said

2010-04-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

Concerning Jesus, the Preacher said, Jesus is the heir of all things. Jesus is through whom God created the world. Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God. Jesus is the exact imprint of God's nature. Jesus upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, Jesus sat down at the right h...and of the Majesty on high. Jesus is superior to angels and his name is more excellant than theirs.

The Grace of the Cross - The Valley of Vision

2010-03-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

O MY SAVIOR,
I thank Thee from the depths of my being for Thy wondrous grace and love in bearing my sin in Thine own body on the tree. May Thy cross be to me as the tree that sweetens my bitter Marahs, as the rod that blossoms with life and beauty, as the brazen serpent that calls forth the look of faith. By Thy cross crucify my every sin, use it to increase my intimacy with thyself, make it a ground of all my comfort, the liveliness of all my duties, the sum of all Thy gospel promises, the comfort of all my afflictions, the vigor of my love, thankfulness, graces, the very essence of my religion, and by it give me that rest without rest, the rest of ceaseless praise.

OH MY LORD AND SAVIOR,
Thou hast also appointed a cross for me to take up and carry, a cross before Thou givest me a crown. Thou hast appointed it to be my portion, but self-love hates it, carnal reason is unreconciled to it, without the grace of patience I cannot bear it, walk with it, profit by it. Oh blessed cross, what mercies dost thou bring with thee. Thou art only esteemed hateful by my rebel will, heavy because I shirk thy load. Teach me, gracious Lord and Savior, that with my cross Thou sends promised grace so that I may bear it patiently, that my cross is Thy yoke which is easy, and Thy burden which is light.

From Valley of Vision – A Collection of Puritan Prayers page 312

13 Evangelistic Phrases That Produce False Conversions

2010-03-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

From Weretched Notes on FaceBook.

A.W. Tozer said, “It is my opinion that tens of thousands of people, if not millions, have been brought into some kind of religious experience by accepting Christ, and they have not been saved.”

I would like to present thirteen ways that we have re-defined how a person becomes a true convert. Have we done this intentionally? Certainly not. We have simply created lingo that has a grain of truth in Scripture, but it is so open to interpretation that the un-converted understand it in ways that lead to false conversions.

Make Jesus your Lord and Savior. We cannot make Jesus our Lord and Savior, He is our Lord and Savior. We are living in rebellion to Him and He commands us to repent and trust Him.
Ask Jesus into your heart. Does Jesus come into our hearts? Yes He does. The question is, “How does He get in there?” It is not by simply asking Him in; it is by repentance and faith.
Just believe in Jesus. The demons believe and they tremble. We must repent and trust.
You have a God-shaped hole in your heart and only Jesus can fill it. We have far more than a hole that needs to be filled so we can feel complete; we have a wretched, deceitful, sinful heart that needs cleansing. Repentance and faith applies the blood of the lamb for that cleansing.
Accept Jesus. Whoa. We need to accept Jesus? This is entirely backward. We need Jesus to accept us–and He will, if we repent and trust.
Make a decision for Jesus. Decisional regeneration puts man in the driver’s seat of salvation. When we repent and trust, Jesus decides to save us. That puts Him in the driver’s seat…where He demands.
It is easy to believe. While the formula of repentance and faith sounds simple, a complete surrendering of self in repentance is anything but easy. It’s hard.
God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. The only promises for the convert are trials, temptation and persecution. If that is how you define a wonderful life, fine. Otherwise we must command all men everywhere to repent and trust.
Come to Jesus just as you are. We should come to Jesus just as the sinners we are, but He also expects a broken heart and contrite spirit demonstrated in repentance and faith.
Come to Jesus and you will receive forgiveness of sins and ________________ (fill in the blank with money, health, a healed marriage). Jesus didn’t promise healed marriages; in fact He promised broken homes because we would divide when one member repents and trusts.
Come to Jesus and experience love, joy, peace. Do we get the fruit of the Spirit upon conversion? Yes. But if we come seeking the gifts and not the giver, we will receive neither. Instead, we must repent and trust.
Jesus is the missing piece. Um, no, the God of the universe is not the missing piece, He demands that He is the center of our lives when we repent and trust.
Jesus is better than fame and fortune. That is an understatement, and frankly, it is insulting. Saying Jesus is better than money is like saying that a steak dinner is better than eating a dung hill. He defies comparison and we trivialize the Son of God. Instead, we should be pleading with all men everywhere to repent and trust.

Read the rest of the post here.

Go to the Wretched Radio Website here and have a listen.

2010 Shepherd's Conference

2010-03-06T18:52:00.001-08:00

I am back from a wonderful week at the Shepherds Conference. This year a couple of recordings were made of the congregation singing. Me and about 3500 of my closest friends singing God honoring hymns was very special. All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name at link http://tinyurl.com/ydjxwzg and When I Survey The Wondrous Cross at link http://tinyurl.com/ybqpssc.

Homesick For Heaven

2010-02-24T17:24:00.001-08:00

Homesick For Heaven

Posted using ShareThis

An inadequate gospel will contribute to apostasy.

2010-02-23T18:18:00.000-08:00

John MacArthur on Rick Warren's Book "The Purpose Driven Life" from "Wretched" with Todd Friel.

A New Kind of Christianity - Book Review by Tim Challies

2010-02-18T18:22:00.000-08:00

Please follow this link to a book review of Brian McLaren's new book, "A New Kind of Christianity". Unfortunately you will find this non-Christian book in you local Christian book store. Here is an excerpt from the review:

Here, in it’s as if McLaren is screaming “I hate God!” at the top of his lungs. And swarms of Christians are looking at him with admiration and saying, “See how that guy loves God?” I don’t know what McLaren could do to make the situation more clear. In fact, his book is nearly indistinguishable from many of the de-conversion narratives that are all the rage today. Compare it with Bart Ehrman’s God’s Problem and you’ll see many of the same arguments and the same misgivings; you’ll find, though, that Ehrman is at least more honest. He at least has the integrity to walk away from faith altogether rather than reinventing God in his own image.

"Your Grace Still Amazes Me" Phillips, Craig & Dean

2010-01-27T03:35:00.000-08:00

My faithful Father, enduring Friend Your tender mercy’s like a river with no end It overwhelms me, covers my sin Each time I come into Your presence I stand in wonder once again

Voice of the Martyrs - Algeria Update

2010-01-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

Algeria: Update: Church Burned

On Jan. 10, Muslim extremists set fire to Tafath church in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, damaging church property, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts.

The Tafath church has been threatened since December, when extremists disrupted a Christmas celebration. “As Christians continued to come for worship to this church despite the increasing intimidation, the Muslim extremists decided to burn the church,” VOM contacts said. “The next morning, the church members were able to retrieve some unburned stuff from the church and move it to a safe place.”

Read more here.

The Bible Isn't Boring, Avatar is! - John Piper

2010-01-15T04:24:00.001-08:00

Worship - The Valley of Vision

2010-01-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

Glorious God,

It is the flame of my life to worship thee,

the crown and glory of my soul to adore thee,

heavenly pleasure to approach thee.

Give me power by the Spirit to help me

worship now,

that I may forget the world,

be brought into the fullness of life,

be refreshed, comforted, blessed.

Give me knowledge of thy goodness

that I might not be over-awed by they greatness;

Give me Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God,

that I might not be terrified,

but drawn near with filial love,

with holy boldness;

He is my mediator, brother, interpreter,

branch, daysman, Lamb;

him I glorify,

in him I am set on high.

Crowns to give I have none,

but what thous hast given I return,

content to feel that everything is mine

when it is thine,

and the more fully mine when I have yielded it

to thee.

Let me live wholly to my Saviour,

free from distractions,

from carking care,

from hindrances to the pursuit

of the narrow way.

I am pardoned through the blood of Jesus-

give me a new sense of it,

continue to pardon me by it,

may I come every day to the fountain,

and every day to be washed anew,

that I may worship thee always

in spirit and truth.

Amen

From The Valley of Vision page 358

Preach the Gospel For the Perishing and the Saved - Matt Chandler

2010-01-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

The gospel of Christ is powerful enough to justify us, it is powerful enough to sanctify us and it is powerful enough to glorify us.

Cross Eyed - Life - Dr Arturo Azurdia III

2009-12-31T14:25:00.000-08:00

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,Look full in His wonderful face,And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,In the light of His glory and grace.

Art Azurdia Cross Eyed Life Sermon Jam from Josh Gunter on Vimeo.

Evangelist Slams Priest for 'Pulpit Betrayal'

2009-12-28T15:54:00.000-08:00

MEDIA ADVISORY, Dec. 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- An Anglican priest in the northern English city of York told his parishioners that poor people struggling to survive should steal food and other essentials from shops, rather than raise money through prostitution, burglary or mugging.

Best-selling author and evangelist, Ray Comfort, said, "What may sound like compassion is actually pulpit betrayal. Rather than a sermon telling his hearers to steal from businesses, he should be telling them to take what they need from his own church's collection plate. If he didn't do that because his church is feeling the economic pinch, that brings into question his motive. If his parishioners take his advice and his weekly collection increases, he is benefiting from the crime he instigated and therefore complicit to it. The question also arises as to whether or not the priest personally practices what he preaches. Does he himself shoplift? If he doesn't, he's a hypocrite. If he does, then he's a criminal. If he says that he doesn't need to shoplift because he is financially sound, then he should be giving to his poor folks, rather than making them into thieves."

Britain's Daily Mail reported, "He told parishioners it would not break the eighth commandment 'thou shalt not steal' because it 'is permissible for those who are in desperate situations to take food that they might not starve.' The Yorkshire Evening Post reported that he said, "'My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift,' he told his stunned congregation at St Lawrence and St Hilda in York."

Comfort said, "The twisted advice of the Reverend is nothing new. The religious leaders at the time of Christ also perverted the Ten Commandments. In Matthew 15 they changed the Fifth so that they didn't have to honor their father and mother, and they even tried to soften the Seventh. But in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warned that God considers lust to be adultery of the heart.

"This all comes from something called 'idolatry,' which is the sin of making a god in your own image. Once you do that, anything goes. The Bible says that if you steal, even in the case of dire need, you pay back seven-fold. Sex becomes okay "if you love someone." Lying becomes morally okay if they are lies that don't "hurt" anyone. Adultery becomes acceptable if the marriage is boring, and the murder of children in the womb is permitted if a pregnancy is an inconvenience. But the Bible is clear that all liars, adulterers, murderers and thieves will end up in Hell."

The Rev. Jones added, "I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither." He said that people shouldn't steal from small, family businesses, but from large national businesses.
Comfort, who spent a lot of his time feeding the homeless in Los Angeles' infamous McArthur Park, said, "This is what happens when unconverted men go into the ministry. Many of today's preachers should have been plumbers, motivational speakers or bankers, rather than what the Bible calls 'preachers of righteousness.' The moral Law is meant to show us that we are sinners and that we need a Savior. The Ten Commandments don't need changing. We do. We may change them to suit ourselves, but they will still be the standard of judgment on Judgment Day. God wrote them in stone for a reason."

He Calls You to Another way - John Piper

2009-12-28T10:24:00.000-08:00

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:16-17

Arabic Christmas Carol

2009-12-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

This is a great video of an Arabic Christmas Carol. It brings together things that don’t seem to fit and yet are true of our Savior. Certainly some of you will watch this and think that this could never happen, that God could never do this – you may even think it is blasphemy. I simply ask each of you to remember that God is God and he is in the heavens and does as he pleases. Who are we to tell him what he can and cannot do? Then consider how utterly unique Jesus Christ is in his birth (who else can claim to be born of a virgin?!).

From the blog "His Peace Upon Us"

Glory to God in the Hghest - Sovereign Grace Ministries

2009-12-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

Hear the angels sing of the King of kings
Who made Himself poor
See the mystery and the majesty
The Creator is born
Oh the Maker became a man
Let us sing what the angels sang

Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God in the highest
Our hope has appeared
God has drawn near
Glory to God alone

See the One who spans the heavens with His hand
With fingers so small
See this babe so poor all of heaven adores
He’s the ruler of all
Let us worship our humble King
Adoration we humbly bring

MP3 here
Find the guitar chords here.

Words and music by Stephen Altrogge
As recorded on Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God Become Man

The Real Christmas Story - John MacArthur

2009-12-24T08:28:00.000-08:00

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, And the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory as the only begotton from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1 and 14

Disturbing Christmas - CJ Mahaney - Sovereign Grace Ministries Blog

2009-12-22T17:07:00.000-08:00

William H. Smith said the following "Only those who have been profoundly disturbed to the point of deep repentance are able to receive the tidings of comfort, peace, and joy that Christmas proclaims."

Read the entire blog post here.

Christ is All - Valley of Vision

2009-12-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

May I read the meltings of thy heart to me

in the manger of thy birth,

in the garden of thy agony,

in the cross of thy suffering,

in the tomb of thy resurrection,

Bold in this thought I defy my adversary,

tread down his temptations,

resist his schemings,

renounce the world,

am valiant for truth.

Deepen in me a sense of my holy relationship

to thee,

as spiritual bridegroom,a

s Jehovah's fellow,as sinners' friend.

I think of thy glory and my vileness,

thy majesty and my meanness,

thy beauty and my deformity,

thy purity and my filth,

thy righteousness and my iniquity,

Thou hast loved me everlastingly, unchangeably,

may I love thee as I am loved;

Thou hast given thyself for me,

may I give myself to thee;

Thou hast died for me,

may I live to thee,

in every moment of my time,

in every movement of my mind,

in every pulse of my heart.

May I never dally with the world

and its allurements,

but walk by thy side,

listen to thy voice,

be clothed with thy graces,

and adorned with thy righteousness.

AMEN

A Conversation Overheard

2009-12-08T04:37:00.000-08:00

The following is portions of a conversation overheard.. What was the conversation about?

Man we really rock out there.
We have a free concert every Sunday.
We have smoke and lights and everything...it’s awesome!
I am so proud of my dad. He used to set in the back near the door but now he is up front setting in the middle so he can see the band.
The guy that talks is really cool. He tells us we should do good things but he never does them himself.

So if your guess was church, well that’s what they call it, you would be correct. The question is, is this church?

The church is not a building or a place. It’s a simply God’s people. When God’s people gather to worship, that is worship God, that is church. You see the people in the conversation above were not describing their church but their worship.

So what should church look like when God’s people gather to worship Him?

Reverence – Leviticus 19:30, Hebrews 12:28
Founded upon and completely focused on God and His Word. 1Chronicles 16:29, Psalms 96:9, Psalms 99:9, John 4:23, Revelation 15:4
Confession of faith with fellow believers. Nehemiah 9:3, Philippians 2:11
Singing of God’s holiness, His attributes and His greatness through the hymns of the faith that have been handed down through the ages. Why? Because God is truly “Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise, in light inaccessible, hid from our eyes”. Because God is “Holy, Holy Holy,” our Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. Because it is right and fitting that our souls should praise the King of Heaven. He is worthy of all our praise because He is “Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor”. Psalms, Ephesians 5:19,
The reading of scripture. Nehemiah 8,
God’s word preached from a man of God. Preached the way God wrote it, book by book, chapter by chapter and word by word. Why is this important? Because we are in a spiritual battle, and because Satan hates us and will do anything he can to try to take our faith from us. Acts 8:30-39, Galatians 1:11, 2 Timothy 4:2
Serious prayer, seeking God for His help and wisdom in these dark times, for the needs of the congregation and for the witness of the fellowship in the community. 1 Thessalonians 3:10, Luke 21:36, Matthew 26:41,
Evangelism and outreach. Romans 1:16-17

Okay, now take an honest look at both types of worship. The first is man centered and the second is God centered. Now, when it comes to church which one is real?

It Will Cost You Everything! You Must Surrender to Christ

2009-12-02T15:42:00.001-08:00

What does it cost you to follow Christ? Everything. Steve Lawson preaches on Luke 14 on the Cost of Discipleship.

To follow Christ as a disciple means:

1. You cleave to Him in believing trust.
2. You follow His leading and act according to His example.
3. You practice self denial.
4. You fellowship in faith, life, suffering, cross and share His entire moral life.

Have you come to saving faith?

Please visit the I'll Be Honest, Will You? website.

The Valley of Vision - Praise and Thanksgiving - read by Bill Lawless

2009-11-26T06:59:00.000-08:00

The Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan prayers and Devotions. You can listen here.

O My God, Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, my heart admires, adores, loves thee, for my little vessel is as full as it can be, and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow. When I think upon and converse with thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness. I bless thee for the soul thou hast created, for adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barrens soil; for the body thou has given me, for preserving its strength and vigour, for providing sense to enjoy delights, for the ease and freedom of my limbs, for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding; for thy royal bounty providing my daily support, for a full table and overflowing cup, for appetite, taste, sweetness, for social joys of relatives and friends, for ability to serve others, for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities, for a mind to care for my fellow-men, for opportunities of spreading happiness around, for loved ones in the joys of heaven, for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly. I love thee above the powers of language to express, for what thou art to thy creatures. Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity. Often I find the prayers of such a Puritan expressing my heart in a more suitable manner than I ever could. Meditating on such little prayers often cause one to find more "meat" for thought than most sermons today. O for ten thousand tongues to sing of the ten thousand pleasures He brings!!!

Il Divo - Amazing Grace

2009-10-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

A great song sung by the amazing operatic quartet Il Divo. Awesome setting, awesome bag pipes, awesome voices, AMAZING GRACE!

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come;

'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far

and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease,

I shall possess within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun.

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

From the album Il Divo Live at the Greek Theater

Strong Doctrine Guards Against Idolatry

2009-10-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

The cross has become a very common image nowadays. You see it in the home displayed on walls as art, on tee-shirts, the back pocket of tattered jeans. It’s become a sort of fashion statement. It’s been trivialized to the point that the true meaning of the cross has become meaningless. The people who wear it give no thought at all to what happened on the cross, or that the cross was not a thing of beauty but an instrument of death. It was where Jesus Christ the Savior, my Savior, was killed.

It was my very own sin that made the cross necessary. For my sake God made Jesus, who knew no sin, a sacrifice, so that through Jesus I can know forgiveness of sin. What happened on the cross was horrifying. It’s not art and it certainly is not a fashion statement.

Isaiah 53

Who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,

And like a root out of parched ground;

He has no stately form or majesty

That we should look upon Him,

Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

He was despised and forsaken of men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

And like one from whom men hide their face

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away;

And as for His generation, who considered

That He was cut off out of the land of the living

For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

His grave was assigned with wicked men,

Yet He was with a rich man in His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

But the LORD was pleased

To crush Him, putting Him to grief;

If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,

He will see His offspring,

He will prolong His days,

And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

As a result of the anguish of His soul,

He will see it and be satisfied;

By His knowledge the Righteous One,

My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,

And He will divide the booty with the strong;

Because He poured out Himself to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors.

I found the following on Tony Reinke’s blog Miscellanies:

For the first four centuries of the church as “religion was still flourishing, and a purer doctrine thriving, Christian churches were commonly empty of images”. As soon as images were installed in churches they led to idolatry, “For men’s folly cannot restrain itself from falling headlong into superstitious rites”. The doctrine of the Cross is our instruction. Sinners are driven towards images and idols only when the doctrines of the Gospel are not made clear. “But whence, I pray you, this stupidity if not because they are defrauded of that doctrine which alone was fit to instruct them?” Indeed it is a good reminder that when crowds gather around icons and symbols that they arrive only because the true gospel has been withheld. Calvin says it so well,
“What purpose did it serve for so many crosses – of wood, stone, silver, and gold – to be erected here and there in churches, if this fact had been duly and faithfully taught: that Christ died on the cross to bear our curse, to expiate our sins by the sacrifice of his body, to wash them by his blood, in short, to reconcile us to God the Father? From this one fact they could have learned more than from a thousand crosses of wood or stone”.

Remember Calvin in this part of the Institutes is telling us how we can know God. Time and time again Calvin points us back to Scripture as the only sure guide to know Him. When the message of the Cross is gone, the vacuum it creates fills in with images and superstitions. Resorting to visual images in worship is a sure sign that the message of the Cross is no longer central. This is the big danger.

In all of this, it’s clear that Calvin sees venerated religious images as the fruit of idolatrous minds and the adoration and veneration of the icons, statues, and special crosses as nothing other than “fornications with wood and stone”. Beware of the “image fighters” who think Christian devotion rests upon paintings, crucifixes, statues and special crosses. Seek the display of God’s glory in his Word alone. Life comes by the faith in the Cross not the sight of crosses.

Icons are most necessary when the preaching of the gospel has been made unnecessary. We will not bow and adore images if the preaching of the gospel is strong. When preachers move away from the content of Scripture in sermons they move towards their own mentally carved image of God.

Before the Throne of God Above

2009-10-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on his hands,
My name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I am,
The King of glory and of grace!
One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

Music by Vikki Cook
Lyrics by Charitie Bancroft
As recorded on Depth of Mercy

Guitar Chords
MP3 Purchase

The Sword of the Spirit - Ephesians 6:10-20

2009-10-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Today's program is a sermon, part 2, delivered by Bill Lawless at Grace Covenant Church of Midland, Texas. The focus of this message is ver 17b.

We live in a time when bible study has been reduced to the reading of a book written by someone other than God. Nowadays in times of crisis we run to the self help books, Oprah or Dr. Phil. We live in a time when people who call themselves Christian find themselves defeated at every turn. Why? Because we are not using the most powerful weapon there is, the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. We don’t use it because we do not know it.

Application:

Back to the beginning, where we started. We don’t use the sword because we don’t know our sword. Beloved, there are no excuses for not knowing how to use your bible. None! 5 Things:

1. Read your bible – This should be obvious and certainly the least that you should be doing. Do you read your bible? God speaks to us through His Word, we should regard every occasion of reading or studying that Word as an encounter with God Himself. This needs to land on us and impact us. We have the words of God right here. The creator of all that exist gave us a book so that we can know who He is. So we can know who we are and so we can know His Son Jesus Christ is. Knowing God’s word starts here.

2. Study your bible – Reading your bible is not enough. To know it requires study. Its important that we know what God’s word means. Don’t ask “What does it mean to me”. That’s point 4. Taking into consideration the 5 Ws. Who, What, Whan, Where and Why. Seek to understand what the bible means. Beloved we are so fortunate to have a pastor that wants us to understand what the bible means and takes us book by book and chapter by chapter and verse by verse.

3. Meditate on God’s word – This is not setting on the floor with your legs crossed contmplating you navel. Far from it.

J. I. Packer writes in his book Knowing God: “Meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. Its purpose is to clear one’s mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let His truth make its full and proper impact on one’s mind and heart. It is a matter of talking to oneself about God and oneself; it is, indeed, often a matter of arguing with oneself, reasoning oneself out of moods of doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God’s power and grace. Its effect is ever to humble us, as we contemplate God’s greatness and glory, and our own littleness and sinfulness, and to encourage and reassure us—‘comfort’ us in the old, strong Bible sense of the word—as we contemplate the unsearchable riches of divine mercy displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Psalms 1:2-4, Psalms 4:3-5, Psalms 63:5-7, Psalms 19:24

4. Apply God’s word – Now you can ask the question “What does it mean to me” Think about it, it makes sence. You have to know what it means before you can apply God’s word properly. If we don’t apply God’s word to our lives then we may as well be reading People Magizine instead.James 1:22-25 - 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

5. Give God’s word to someone else – This may be anything from sharing your faith to providing comfort to someone in need.

Its only when we read God’s word, study God;s word, meditate on God’s word, apply God’s word and give God’s word that we will be able to use “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God effectively and experience victory over tempation and comfort in times of trials.

Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “It is only as Christ’s words remain in us and we remain in Him that we will be delivered from the rootless Christianity so characteristic of our times. As His word influences us, we begin to bear fruit and prove to be His disciples. (John 15:5-8) Only as God’s Word makes its impact on the way we think, live, and feel will we develop hearts that are characterized by obedience to God and filled with love for Him.”

The Josiah Grauman Story (John MacArthur)

2009-09-09T17:04:00.002-07:00

If I can’t trust the Bible fully then I cant trust what the Bible says about God...God is absolutely sovereign, He does His will, everything fits into His purpose, it can never be thwarted, it can never be altered.

My Daughter's Baptism

2009-08-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

I don’t remember the moment that I was saved, I was unaware, at the time of my salvation, that God was working in me. It was something that I later realized had happened.

I grew up in a Christian home. My parents raised us to know the word of God and the gospel. I learned to read through scriptures my dad would have my brother and I read, write, and recite. The image of the easel with the large notebook in the living room will always resonate in my mind. Although, I knew and could remember scripture, I never GOT it. As a small child I did not understand the fact that I was not a good person, but in fact a sinner. I remember telling my parents as a 5 or 6 year old that I was ready to be baptized. Was I?

In junior high, I attended Disciple Now. I went mostly for the social aspect. At the end of the weekend they ask who wants to be baptized. I barely remember this, but know that because my friends were raising their hands, that I better. I went through the motions, but honestly barely remember it and know that I had no clue what was going on, it was not genuine.

Fast forward many years to age 24. I was a teacher in Odessa. That year, Brandon, a precious little boy in my class, whom I loved, was hit by a car. Brandon was in the hospital in a coma for one week before he passed away. That week, for the most part, was a blur. I was traveling every day, helping his parents to understand medically what was going on with him, loving his family, encouraging and being there for the other kids in my class, and thinking. The thinking is what I remember most.

I realized that I was responsible and held accountable for my choices, my decisions, my faith. I had lost faith in God. I was lost. I believe that God is all sovereign and that we are also held accountable for our actions. It was during this time of going through losing Brandon, that I was saved. I accepted Jesus as The Christ, the son of God. Jesus Christ walked this earth, sinless, and his life was sacrificed for me. I am thankful for his blood, his mercy, and his grace.

I now live my life striving to more like Christ, in my marriage, my mothering, my teaching, my friendships, and also would like to show Christ to other people, who don’t necessarily know me, but see Him through Me. Today I would like to publicly confess my faith in God and announce my salvation. I am a child of God! “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1

Minimal Morality? Just go back to the world! - Tim Conway

2009-08-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

Quit playing this idiotic game...you are in the world or you are in Christ Jesus. Stop playing the game, how close can I get to the edge and still be a Christian.

A Great Day - Pressing On Blog - Morris Brooks

2009-08-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

What a great day we had today, Sunday, August 16th, 2009. We had our first baptismal service today. We baptized three young ladies, young mothers, young wives; all of whom gave great testimonies to the grace of God in their lives. What a joy, both as their pastor and as a fellow believer, to share in their joy on this occasion. Read on

A Call to Wonder - Paul Washer

2009-08-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”
Revelation 4:11 ESV

Persecution: A price to pay for being a Christian?

2009-07-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

Two years ago at the Shepherd's Conference Dr. Daniel Wong gave his testimony of Dr Daniel Wong. Dr. Wong is a professor at The Master's College, who faced persecutions as a Christian first hand from Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution in China.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God - Ephesians 6:10-20

2009-07-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

New audio blog entry over at Impact Midland.

Today's program is a sermon delivered by Bill Lawless at Grace Covenant Church of Midland, Texas.

To be sure the Christian that lives chapters Ephesians 4 through 6, a faithful life, will encounter spiritual warfare. There will be battles. The reality presented in Paul’s letter is that as believers, we are in Christ and one with Him. His life is our life, His power is our power, His truth is our truth, His way is our way and here we will see that His strength is our strength.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,

And He must win the battle.

O thou giving God - The Valley of Vision

2009-06-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

O thou giving God

My heart is drawn out in thankfulness to thee,
for thy amazing grace and condescension to me
in influences and assistances of thy Spirit,
for special help in prayer,
for the sweetness of Christian service,
for the thoughts of arriving in heaven,
for always sending me needful supplies,
for raising me to new life when I am
like one dead.
I want not the favour of man to lean upon
for thy favour is infinitely better.
Thou art eternal wisdom in dispensations
towards me;
and it matters not when, nor where, nor how
I serve thee,
nor what trials I am exercised with,
if I might but be prepared for thy work and will.
No poor creature stands in need of divine grace
more than I do,
And yet none abuses it more than I have done,
and still do.
How heartless and dull I am!
Humble me in the dust for not loving thee more.
Every time I exercise any grace renewedly
I am renewedly indebted to thee,
the God of all grace, for special assistance.
I cannot boast when I think how dependent
I am upon thee for the being and every act
of grace;
I never do anything else but depart from thee,
and if ever I get to heaven it will be because
thou willest it, and for no reason beside.
I love, as a feeble, afflicted, despised creature,
to cast myself on thy infinite grace and goodness,
hoping for no happiness but from thee;
Give me special grace to fit me for special services,
and keep me calm and resigned at all times,
humble, solemn, mortified,
and conformed to thy will.

The Few - Piper/Washer/Ravenhill/Conway/Leiter

2009-06-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

Matthew 7:21-23

I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

The Few from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

What is being preached at your church?

http://illbehonest.com/
http://bloodtippedears.blogspot.com/
http://www.gccsatx.com/

Hell is Necessary - Tim Conway

2009-06-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

Jjohn 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Hell is Necessary - Tim Conway - Sermon Jam from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

Sustained by Sovereign Grace—Forever! by John Piper

2009-06-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Not grace to bar what is not bliss,

Nor flight from all distress, but this:

The grace that orders our trouble and pain,

And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain.

Jeremiah 32:36-41
Now therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, "It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence," 37 "Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety. 38 And they shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good, and for the good of their children after them. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. 41 And I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul." 42 For thus says the Lord, "Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them."

Four Promises of Sovereign, Sustaining Grace

1. God Will Be Our God
God promises to be our God. Verse 38: "They will be my people and I will be their God." All the promises to his people are summed up in this: "I will be your God." That is, I will use all that I am as God—all my wisdom, all my power, and all my love—to see to it that you remain my people. All that I am as God, I exert for your good.

2. God Promises to Change Our Hearts
God promises to change our hearts and cause us to love and fear him. Verse 39: "I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me always . . . (v. 40b) I will put the fear of me in their hearts." In other words, God will not simply stand by to see if we, by our own powers, will fear him; he will sovereignly, supremely, mercifully give us the heart that we need to have, and give us the faith and the fear of God that will lead us home to heaven. This is sovereign, sustaining grace. (See Deuteronomy 30:6; Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:27.)

3. God Promises We Will Not Turn Away from Him
God promises that he will not turn away from us and we will not turn away from him. Verse 40: "I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me." In other words, his heart work is so powerful that he guarantees we will not turn from him. This is what's new about the new covenant: God promises to fulfill by his power the conditions that we have to meet. We must fear him and love him and trust him. And he says, I will see to that. I will "put the fear of me in their hearts"—not to see what they will do with it, but in such a way that "they will not turn from me." This is sovereign, sustaining grace.

4. God Promises to Do This with Infinite Intensity
Finally, God promises to do this with the greatest intensity imaginable. He expresses this in two ways, one at the beginning and one at the end of verse 41: "And I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul." First he says that he will exert this sovereign, sustaining grace with joy: "I will rejoice over them to do them good." Then he says (at the end of verse 41) that he will exert this sovereign, sustaining grace "with all [his] heart and with all [his] soul."

Matt Chandler - Jesus Wants the Rose

2009-06-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

The gospel matters. Getting the gospel right matters. If you get the gospel wrong and you don’t distinguish between what the gospel is and what morality is, then what you’ve done at best is restrain the hearts of people, but you won’t see their hearts transformed. If you don’t get the gospel right, you will inoculate your people to Jesus.

Death is not dying - Rachael Barkey

2009-05-19T03:37:00.000-07:00

On March 4, 2009, Rachel had an opportunity to share about her hope in the midst of terminal cancer. What began as a small talk to her church women’s group became an event attended by over 600 women and was an experience that left many with a desire to discover more about Rachel’s journey and faith.Watch Rachel share her story of trusting God in the face of death. "Cancer does not define me," she says. "Neither does being a wife or a mother. All these things are part of who I am but they do not define me. What defines me is my relationship with Jesus."

Pursuit of God - A. W. Tozer

2009-05-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.

I am ashamed of my lack of desire.O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing,I thirst to be made more thirsty still.

Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away."

Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Lord, I would trust Thee completely; I would be altogether Thine;I would exalt Thee above all.
I desire that I may feel no sense of possessing anything outside of Thee.

I want constantly to be aware of Thy overshadowing presence and to hear Thy speaking voice.
I long to live in restful sincerity of heart.

I want to live so fully in the Spirit that all my thoughts may be as sweet incense ascending to Thee and every act of my life may be an act of worship.

Therefore, I pray in the words of Thy great servant of old, "I beseech Thee so for to cleanse the intent of mine heart with the unspeakable gift of Thy grace, that I may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee."

And all this I confidently believe Thou wilt grant me through the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son. Amen.

Picture from the Grace Community Church web site

My Daddy's Hands - Jim Lawless Nov 1928 / May 2003

2009-05-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

I want to share a poem my sister wrote shortly after my Daddy died. What was captured in words is a precious moment between a Son and his Daddy. The warmth of his hand gave a sense of security... eventhough he would soon draw his last breath. I was the one holding his hand as he slipped from the arms of his loving family into the arms of our Heavenly Father. My Daddy's hands were important...not just to me and my sisters and Mom but to those he spent tireless hours ministering to. Oh how I miss him ! My heart has such peace in knowing that I will one day see him again...What a sweet day that will be ! Gayle , thank you for writing this poem and capturing this precious time...I will cherish it forever !

My Daddy's Hands

Psalm 90:17 says, by God's mercy we can have value and meaning in life,
Our hands can produce work for God or bring forth worry and strife
Our hands, as it says in scripture, can raise to the heavens in adoration and praise
Or can take the life of another and condemn you for the rest of days
Our right hand can be a symbol of strength, of power and also one of a friend
Together they can clap with joy and hold a loved one in the end...

My Daddy's hands were used of God to work, praise, to sustain,
These same hands could defend us and protect us from the rain
His hands could build and clean a chimney and even play a game
These hands are now forever stilled and life will never be the same.

His hands were strong and helped us when we fell or needed a lift
His hands taught us of life and love of the Father..Oh.. what a wonderful gift !
Our Lord and Savior , Jesus Christ called Dad to preach and teach
To be an example of who Christ is ,in his action, life and speech...

Dad's hands could play the guitar and lead the church in praise
Music would be a part of his life every single day
Dad loved to praise his Father and lift his hands on high
I saw how music could give him joy as well as make him cry...

When Dad was young he used his hands to fight as a Golden Glove,
And yet could hold my Mother and show her of his love
When Dad grew older and matured in what he knew to be right
He used his hands to show more love and never again used them to fight

Dad preached in jail, and on the streets and used his hand to show
How much it meant to follow Christ, to know His word and grow
Dads hands would grip his Bible as he read of love and pain
That Jesus bore upon the cross so we could one day gain
And entrance to the Fathers house to praise his name and sing
Of God's grace throughout the ages and of peace only Christ can bring..

Dads hands held close his Grandchildren and played 'round, round" countless times
He would sing them silly songs and tell them silly rhymes
Though those were special to the kids, they were special as well to him
And forever the kids will remember thier times with PaPa Jm

Those strong and sure hands would baptize his children and lead them as they wed
And these were the hands I held as I crawled into his bed
To tell him, Thank you , Dad ,for all you've done, to hug and kiss his head
My Daddy's hands held my Mother's face as she wept at his feet
The time was so very hard but more than that...so very sweet !

My Daddy's hands lay very still as my brother held on tight
My sister and brother and I watched as Daddy died that night
Were so thankful to the Lord for a Dad who loved us so !
And a Dad who loved our Mother, more than we'll ever know ...

My Daddy's hands did many things from discipline to showing love
But most of all his hands were used to serve his Lord above
I'm thankful to the Lord for this Daddy HE gave to me
That he's with the Lord right now and from pain he's finally free
Now that he's in heaven, I miss that hand to hold
But I know someday I'll hold his hand and walk on streets of gold !

By Gayle Lang

James William Lawless, Jr
November 13, 1928 to May 13, 2003

Minister of the Gospel of Christ Jesus

False Teachers is God's Judgement - Paul Washer

2009-05-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

False teachers are God's judgment on people who don't want God but in the name of religion plan on getting everything their carnal hearts desire.

Greek New Testament Rebound

2009-05-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

My New Testament professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary began each class with a reading from his Greek New Testament. Listening to him interpret as he read from the Greek was an awesome experience. Two things resulted from that. One was the love of the koine Greek language the other was a desire to own a Greek text that was bound in leather like his. Like so many others mine had a red plastic cover. My search for a Greek text bound in leather began 25 years ago without success. A couple of years ago the idea came to me that I could have my red plastic text rebound in calfskin leather which is exactly what I did. My search began and ended with finding a bindery in Shawnee, Oklahoma named McSpadden Book Bindery. A short phone call and order was placed. The results are the in the following picture.
The following year I decided to have my New Testament with Psalms rebound. This was my jail bible I used in my jail ministry in Port Arthur, Texas.. I called McSpadden again, gave them the condition and they felt they could do the work. I sent them the bible and the result is below.

I seldom use the New Testament any more but the Greek New Testament is one I still use. Every time I pick it up I admire the handy work and take a whiff of the premium leather calfskin. It’s a wonderful piece of work.

If you have an interest in taking on a project like this I would recommend that you visit Mark Bertrand’s blog Bible Design and Binding. There is a lot you can learn from this site

Interview with Pastor Morris Brooks

2009-04-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Impact Midland. Today's interview with Pastor Morris Brooks is away from the studio at the food court at The Midland Mall. In this interview we get caught up with what has been going on with Grace Covenant Church, The Midland Men's Bible Study and Pastor Morris. Enjoy the program.

Ten Reasons To Not Ask Jesus Into Your Heart - Todd Friel

2009-04-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

1. It is not in the Bible. There is not a single verse that even hints we should say a prayer inviting Jesus into our hearts. Some use Rev. 3:20. To tell us that Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts begging to come in.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” There are two reasons that interpretation is wrong.
The context tells us that the door Jesus is knocking on is the door of the church, not the human heart. Jesus is not knocking to enter someone’s heart but to have fellowship with His church.Even if the context didn’t tell us this, we would be forcing a meaning into the text (eisegesis). How do we know it is our heart he is knocking at? Why not our car door? How do we know he isn’t knocking on our foot? To suggest that he is knocking on the door of our heart is superimposing a meaning on the text that simply does not exist.
The Bible does not instruct us to ask Jesus into our heart. This alone should resolve the issue, nevertheless, here are nine more reasons.

2. Asking Jesus into your heart is a saying that makes no sense. What does it mean to ask Jesus into your heart? If I say the right incantation will He somehow enter my heart? Is it literal? Does He reside in the upper or lower ventricle? Is this a metaphysical experience? Is it figurative? If it is, what exactly does it mean? While I am certain that most adults cannot articulate its meaning, I am certain that no child can explain it. Pastor Dennis Rokser remindsus that little children think literally and can easily be confused (or frightened) at the prospect of asking Jesus into their heart.

3. In order to be saved, a man must repent (Acts 2:38). Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of repentance.

4. In order to be saved, a man must trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of faith.

5. The person who wrongly believes they are saved will have a false sense of security. Millions of people who sincerely, but wrongly, asked Jesus into their hearts think they are saved but struggle to feel secure. They live in doubt and fear because they do not have the Holy Spirit giving them assurance of salvation.

6. The person who asks Jesus into his heart will likely end up inoculated, bitter and backslidden. Because he did not get saved by reciting a formulaic prayer, he will grow disillusioned with Jesus, the Bible, church and fellow believers. His latter end will be worse than the first.

7. It presents God as a beggar just hoping you will let Him into your busy life. This presentation of God robs Him of His sovereignty.

8. The cause of Christ is ridiculed. Visit an atheist web-site and read the pagans who scoff, “How dare those Christians tell us how to live when they get divorced more than we do? Who are they to say homosexuals shouldn’t adopt kids when tens of thousands of orphans don’t get adopted by Christians?” Born again believers adopt kids and don’t get divorced.
People who ask Jesus into their hearts do. Jesus gets mocked when false converts give Him a bad name.

9. The cause of evangelism is hindered. While it is certainly easier to get church members by telling them to ask Jesus into their hearts, try pleading with someone to make today the day of their salvation. Get ready for a painful response. “Why should I become a Christian when I have seen so called Christians act worse than a pagan?” People who ask Jesus into their hearts give pagans an excuse for not repenting.

10. Here is the scary one. People who ask Jesus into their hearts are not saved and they will perish on the Day of Judgment. How tragic that millions of people think they are right with God when they are not. How many people who will cry out, “Lord, Lord” on judgment day will be “Christians” who asked Jesus into their hearts?

"One Year Ago Today" by Kristi McKnight my Daughter

2009-04-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

One year ago today.....

One year ago today I was sitting in the MISD administration building staring at the clock. Time seemed as though it could go no slower! While Irene was in the front talking about how to teach other kids, all I could keep my mind on was wanting another kid of my own. At the time Chloe, our precious firstborn, was 3. We yearned for another sweet baby. Chloe is such an outgoing and happy child and we couldn’t imagine her ever being our only child.

For many months my dear husband held me and wiped my tears as I was crying because i was not pregnant. The pain was so hard to bear. It was such an empty feeling. My husband would feel the same pain I did; he just handled it better than me.

We decide after a year and a half that maybe there was something wrong. We met with the doctor and after a few months, the problem was diagnosed. We pursued treatment.

Several months went by with no baby news. Our doctor suggested we have an IUI (intrauterine insemination). This was a difficult decision for the both of us. We would ask, “is this playing God, is this His will?” After praying about it, we decided to follow through with the procedure.
We had our first IUI in January. It was unsuccessful. It was heartbreaking. The next two months brought us implications that would not allow us to have an IUI again. We decided that we would try again in April.

This brings me back to the MISD administration building. I sat in the meeting until 10:30, knowing that this could be the day I get pregnant! I promptly got up and excused myself from the meeting and drove to the doctor’s office. There were so many thoughts of hope running through my mind. As I walk into the office, my prince charming was sitting there waiting on me! We were excited and nervous.

The nurse calls us back. As we walk in the room with her she says “okay guys, we aren’t having an IUI today.” Out of confusion, we both questioned why. She let us know that the procedure would be pointless and that it was time to start looking at alternative ways to expanding our family. My fingers go numb as I type this. We leave the office and walk silently to our cars.
I felt as though i could not drive. I sat in my suburban and wept. My husband got in his truck. After a few minutes of sitting in our cars in complete shock, we drove to my parent’s home.
We sat in the living room and cried. We wondered what was wrong, was Curt okay, was I okay, what is next. We were in shock and scared. I will never forget the words i turned and said to my husband: “God is still good, God is still good, I love him and He loves me.” My husband agreed.

After a few days of getting used to this new reality, we started to discuss adoption. We discussed with family that adoption is biblical. We are adopted by God. I know that adoption is a good thing. I would feel proud to adopt a baby.

Several weeks went by. Life was feeling normal again. Life was different. On the morning of April 17th I realized that my period was late. I took a pregnancy test. THERE WERE TWO LINES. I took the test to my mom that morning and asked her to count the lines, I had my three year old count the lines, Curt counted the lines, and co-workers counted the lines. My husband and I would not let ourselves believe this. We were afraid to let our hearts hope again. I went in for a blood test that afternoon at 3:30.

We were headed out of town that night. We got in the car and my dad instantly knew that something was on my mind. Mom made me tell him. I explained that I had a positive pregnancy test and was afraid that it was wrong and afraid to get my hopes up. The trip seemed so long. I kept staring at my phone waiting for it to ring. Finally, at 6:30 my phone rang. It was them. My heart skipped a beat. My dad pulled over.

I remembered the conversation vividly:
“Hi Kristi, did you think I wasn’t going to call you?”...I replied that I wasn’t sure. “Sorry, the lab was closed and I called the owner. He went up to the lab and ran your test. We just got the results”...at this point, my heart is racing. “It was positive Kristi...you will have a very merry Christmas”...I was speechless. I thanked her, got off the phone, and began to cry. I was going to have another baby! God has given me a miracle...me!

I never lost sight in God. Even in the lowest of times, April 3rd, 2008, I still did not lose faith in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God can do all. God is miraculous.

On December 10, 2008 we welcomed Trinity Grace McKnight into the world. She was a 7 pound 6 ounce gift from God. We named her Trinity Grace because it was by God’s grace that she is here. God’s grace alone.

I will never forget April 3, 2008. A day that the devil tried to claim. A day that I did not lose sight in God. God prevails.

Against Compromise - John Macarthur

2009-03-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

It was Martin Luther who said:

"The world at the present time is sagaciously discussing how to quell the controversy and strife over doctrine and faith, and how to effect a compromise between the Church and the Papacy. Let the learned, the wise, it is said, bishops, emperor and princes, arbitrate. Each side can easily yield something, and it is better to concede some things which can be construed according to individual interpretation, than that so much persecution, bloodshed, war, and terrible, endless dissension and destruction be permitted.

"Here is lack of understanding, for understanding proves by the Word that such patchwork is not according to God's will, but that doctrine, faith and worship must be preserved pure and unadulterated; there must be no mingling with human nonsense, human opinions or wisdom.

"The Scriptures give us this rule: 'We must obey God rather than men' (Acts 5:29)."

It is interesting to speculate what the church would be like today if Martin Luther had been prone to compromise. The pressure was heavy on him to tone down his teaching, soften his message, stop poking his finger in the eye of the papacy. Even many of his friends and supporters urged Luther to come to terms with Rome for the sake of harmony in the church. Luther himself prayed earnestly that the effect of his teaching would not be divisive.

When he nailed his 95 Theses to the door, the last thing he wanted to do was split the church.

Yet sometimes division is fitting, even healthy, for the church. Especially in times like Luther's--and like ours--when the visible church seems full of counterfeit Christians, it is right for the true people of God to declare themselves. Compromise is sometimes a worse evil than division. Second Corinthians 6:14-17 isn't speaking only of marriage when it says,

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord.

O Great God - Sovereign Grace Praise

2009-03-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore

I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me

MP3 here
Guitar Tab/Chords here

Off the Valley of Vision CD
You can purchase here

For me He died, For me He lives

2009-03-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

I am unable to go to the Shepherd's Conference this year but have been able to listen a bit via the internet. The thing I miss the most is singing as loud as I can with 3000 other men doing the same. The Conference opened with the old classic hymn below. This hymn is the gospel put to music.

My hope is in the Lord Who gave Himself for me,
And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives
.…..
No merit of my own His anger to suppress.
My only hope is found in Jesus’ righteousness.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives
.…..
And now for me He stands Before the Father’s throne.
He shows His wounded hands and names me as His own.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives
.…..
His grace has planned it all, ‘Tis mine but to believe,
And recognize His work of love and Christ receive.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives.

Hymn by Norman Clayton (1945)

You can listen in to the conference via a live stream here.

I have a Shelter - Soveriegn Grace Ministries

2009-02-26T16:52:00.000-08:00

I have a shelter in the storm
When troubles pour upon me
Though fears are rising like a flood
My soul can rest securely
O Jesus, I will hide in You
My place of peace and solace
No trial is deeper than Your love
That comforts all my sorrows

I have a shelter in the storm
When all my sins accuse me
Though justice charges me with guilt
Your grace will not refuse me
O Jesus, I will hide in You
Who bore my condemnation
I find my refuge in Your wounds
For there I find salvation

I have a shelter in the storm
When constant winds would break me
For in my weakness, I have learned
Your strength will not forsake me
O Jesus, I will hide in You
The One who bears my burdens
With faithful hands that cannot fail
You’ll bring me home to heaven

Words and Music: Steve and Vickki Cook and Bob Kauflin
You can download it free at Sovereign Grace Ministries here.
Guitar Tab/Chords here.

Brandon - A Story From a Teacher Who Loves Her Job and Her Kids

2009-02-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

Four years ago, February 17th became a sad day for me. It has become a day that I will always step back and remind myself that teaching is not just teaching, it is so much more than just that. It is about loving the kids that sit in our classrooms, respecting them, smiling with them, making them feel special, and most importantly, realizing that they are not annoyances or a test score…they are people. People that will leave our classrooms and become someone…mothers, fathers, friends, and professionals. At least that is what we hope for them.

Four years ago, I taught at Murray Fly Elementary school in Odessa. That is where I met Brandon. Brandon did not get to leave my classroom to go on to be a father, or even a high school graduate. Brandon passed away.

He was hit by a car while riding a motor bike on February 9th. I found out the morning of the 10th. The kids were running to me and telling me that Brandon was hit by a car and had to be picked up by a helicopter. At first I didn’t know how much to believe so I waited for more information. My principal found me a few minutes later, telling me that he was air lifted to Lubbock from the middle of the street. I was scared.

Brandon was a tall, skinny cutie pie with glasses. He did not come from a wholesome family. He did not come from money. He was proud of everything he owned. In fact, the day he was hit by the car, he was showing off his shoes to me and refused to get them dirty. I will never forget that conversation as long as I live. I even remember that his mom bought them for him outside of Lowe’s grocery store. Brandon was a second year fifth grader. He did not pass his TAKS tests the year before. The day I got my class list that year, I remember a teacher coming to me saying “oh, you got Brandon…well, good luck with that”. I try to ignore those comments. Brandon did great that year. I loved having him in my room. I once told my team-teacher, “You know, I love that kid”. I really did love him.

On February 11th, I decided that I needed to go to Lubbock. I asked my mom to go with me because I knew that with her support, I could do anything. She drove me there. I walked in to the hospital that night, with absolutely no clue of what I was about to see. When I turned the corner of the room in children’s ICU, my jaw dropped. There lied Brandon, lifeless Brandon. He was attached to every machine you could imagine. There were tubes everywhere. The worst part…his glasses were gone. I walked up to him and was proud to announce the 87 that he got on his benchmark his last day of school. His parents beamed. I just wish Brandon could have known. He would have been so proud of himself and walked a little taller that day! Oh, and he would have told every teacher in that building about his 87! He had two nieces that he walked to class every morning. He spoke to every teacher along the way.

While I was there, the doctor walked in. I introduced myself as Brandon’s favorite teacher! The doctor got a surprised look on his face. He asked me if I would join him for a few minutes. I obliged. He begins to explain to me that Brandon’s parents did not understand the seriousness of the situation. He showed me the x-rays and explained that the left half of Brandon’s brain was dead. He explained that it was not coming back. Then, he asked me to explain to this to the parents. What!? How was I going to do this?
My mom put her arm on my shoulders as I sat with them in Brandon’s room. I explained to them the situation and expressed how sorry I was. This was the hardest thing I had done. I kept thinking, “They didn’t prepare me for this in college”.

I drove home that night. And back the next. I would go to school, check on my students there, and then my mom would pick me up and we would head to Lubbock. This became a routine for the next few days. Our school took up collections and the kids made Valentines for me to take him. His room was full of colorful Valentine’s from his classmates…and teacher!

On February 17th, his parents decided to turn off the ventilator. He died in minutes. He died. Even as I type that, my arms go numb, it hurts so badly.

The days after were a blur. On the morning of the 18th, counselors came into my room and told the kids that Brandon had passed away. Some cried, some doodled on paper the whole time, some didn’t understand. I did not cry…I just hugged. The counselors talked with them and let them grieve.

At the visitation at the funeral home, we walked into a room with a small casket. Brandon was wearing his favorite shirt and…his glasses! A slideshow played above him and hanging on the skirt of his casket was a card that had his name in very bright colors. It was the Valentine that I had made him. His parents told me that he loved me. I loved him too.

The next day at the funeral I saw all of my students. All dressed up and holding hands with their parents. I still felt the need to be strong. So I would turn around and wink at them or reach behind me and hold their hands. It was not easy. At the graveside, a very tall boy walked up to me and gave me a big bear hug. When I got a good look at his face, it was Gabe, a student in my first class of fifth graders. I realized how grown up he was. It was so great to see him and hear of how great he was doing. I was a proud teacher.

Since that day, it hit me that these kids we teach are people. I had always known this, but it never HIT me. We only get a snapshot of their lives. We should do all we can to make a mark. They are people. They are future wives and husbands, mommies and daddies. It always makes me think of my first year of teaching. I would hear all of the teachers discuss students with words that bothered me. I would hear “oh, you will love her, she made commended performance”, or “he’s sweet, but didn’t pass that math test”. Our students are not just a score.

Brandon reminds me of that. Brandon made a good mark on my heart. He was a sweet, sweet boy. He cared. He was proud of what he had. He loved his teacher. I am glad it was me.

A few days later his parents and sister came to get his stuff out of his desk. I asked if I could keep his paper clip holder. He loved that paper clip holder. I keep it on my desk now. I also kept his lunch-punch card with his picture on it. As his family was leaving, I looked down. His sister was wearing his favorite shoes that he and I shared a conversation about the day of his accident.

I am so thankful to get to be his teacher. I am thankful for this entire experience. I, at the time, was not living as a Christian. I know that Gods Grace is what got me through this experience. It was at this time that I began to pray again, to trust in Him again. I had so many questions. Was Brandon in Heaven? I knew that he was not a Christian; he had never been witnessed to. This experience drew me closer to God. It taught me that living my life as a Christian is so important. Walking in the Christian lifestyle with Christian values is a witness to people.

My relationship to Christ is strong now. I know that this is the time that it became evident to me that I need Christ in my life. That Christ died for me. He died for me to take away the burden of my sin. He carries that sin for me. He forgives. Please don’t let your relationship to Christ surface due to a terrible situation you are in. Let this story, my experience; open your eyes to Christ. Let me be a witness to you. Let me sing of his praises and teach you of His grace. God is good. None of us are good people, we are born sinners. But, he forgives. He SAVES.

God is sovereign. God created everything. He has plans for us. All happens for a reason, His reason. Sometimes we may never understand why things happen. I don’t know the reason for Brandon’s death. I do believe that it was supposed to happen. God’s timing is perfect. I trust in Him and thank Him for the opportunity he gave me four years ago. I thank him for Brandon’s smile, I thank Him for the opportunity to be Brandon’s teacher, and I thank Him for opening my eyes to what teaching really is.

Divine Support - The Valley of Vision

2009-02-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

“Thou art the blessed God, happy in Thyself,

source of happiness in Thy creatures,

my maker, benefactor, proprietor,

upholder.

Thou hast produced and sustained me,

supported and indulged me,

saved and kept me;

Thou art in every situation able to meet

my needs and miseries.
“May I live by Thee,

live for Thee,

never be satisfied with my Christian progress

but as I resemble Christ;

and may conformity to His principles, temper,

and conduct grow hourly in my life.

Let Thy unexampled love constrain me into

holy obedience,

and render my duty my delight.

If others deem my faith folly,

my meekness infirmity,

my zeal madness,

my hope delusion,

my actions hypocrisy,

may I rejoice to suffer for Thy name.
“Keep me walking steadfastly towards the country

of everlasting delights,

that paradise-land which is my true inheritance.

Support me by the strength of heaven

that I may never turn back,

or desire false pleasures

that will disappear into nothing.

As I pursue my heavenly journey by Thy grace

let me be known as a man with no aim

but that of a burning desire for Thee,

and the good and salvation

of my fellow men.”

Divine Support page 212 The Valley of Vision

2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - He will yet deliver us!

2009-02-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

God is sovereign over these things, he foresees them all, he causes or permits them all, and when he causes or permits something, he does so with purpose and design. This is not the first time to post these verses. These verses mean so much my family right now. They express our hope, our trust in God, and the promise that He will deliver.

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;
7and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. 8For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; 9indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, 11you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

Caring Love - The Valley of Vision

2009-02-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

All-sufficient King,

When I come into thy presence I see
the glory of thy perfections,
the throne of eternal and universal empire
the ten thousand times ten thousand
who minister to thee.
Impress my mind with the consciousness
of thy greatness,
not to drive me from thee
but to inspire me to approach thee;
not to diminish my confidence in thee,
but to lead me to admire thy great
condescension.
Thou hast been mindful of me and visited me,
taken charge of me from birth,
cared in all conditions for me,
fed me at thy table,
drawn the curtains of love around me,
given me new mercies every morning.
Suffer me not to forget that I look for yet
greater blessings -
a hope beyond the grave,
the earnest and foretastes of immortality,
holiness, wisdom, strength, peace, joy;
all these thou hast provided for me in Christ.
I grieve to think how insensible I have been
of the claims of thy authority,
and the endearments of thy love;
how little I have credited thy truth,
trusted thy promises,
feared thy threats,
obeyed thy commands,
improved my advantages,
welcomed thy warnings,
responded to thy grace;
but notwithstanding my desert I yet live.
May thy goodness always lead me to repentance,
and thy longsuffering prove my salvation.

From the Valley of Vision page 210

God of All Comfort - 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 ESV

2009-02-02T16:29:00.000-08:00

God of All Comfort

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Father,

Our trust is in You and not ourselves. Our trust is in the One and only God who raises the dead. Cause us to understand these trials and please do not allow us to waste them. Through this difficult time I pray that we will honor you and that others will see Christ through us. Father, glorify Christ through us. Amen

Repose - The Valley of Vision

2009-02-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Heavenly Father,

My faith is in thee,
My expectation is from thee,
My love goes out toward thee,
I believe thee,
accept thy Word,
acquiesce in thy will,
rely on thy promises,
trust thy providence.
I bless thee that the court of conscience
proves me to be thine.
I do not need signs and wonders to believe,
for thy Word is sure truth.
I have cast my anchor in the port of peace,
knowing that present and future
are in nail-pierced hands.
Thou art so good, wise, just holy,
that no mistake is possible to thee.
Thou art fountain and source of all law;
what thou commandest is mine to obey.
I yield to thy sovereignty all that I am and have;
do thou with me as thou wilt.
Thou hast given me silence in my heart
in place of murmurings and complaints.
Keep my wishes from growing into willings,
my willings from becoming fault-finding
with thy providences,
and have mercy on me.
If I sin and am rebellious, help me to repent;
then take away my mourning and give me music;
remove my sackcloth and adorn me with beauty;
take away my sighs and fill my mouth with songs;
and when I am restored and rest in thee
give me summer weather in my heart.

Page 296 The Valley of Vision

Where are God's men in this day of God's power

2009-02-01T06:09:00.000-08:00

"Where are the young men and women of this generation who will hold their lives cheap, and be faithful even unto death, who will lose their lives for Christ's, flinging them away for love of Him? Where are those who will live dangerously, and be reckless in this service? Where are the men of prayer? Where are the men who count God's Word of more importance to them than their daily food? Where are the men, who, like Moses of old, commune with God face to face as a man speaks with his friend? Where are God's men in this day of God's power?"

For Rita - Sleep - The Valley of Vision

2009-01-31T18:52:00.000-08:00

Blessed Creator,

Thou has promised thy beloved sleep;
Give me restoring rest needful for tomorrow’s toil.
If dreams be mine,
let them not be tinged with evil.
Let thy Spirit make my time of repose
a blessed temple of his holy presence.
May my frequent lying down make me familiar with death,
the bed I approach remind my of the grave,
the eyes I now close picture to me their final closing.
Keep me always ready, waiting for admittance
to they presence.
Weaken my attachment to earthly things.
May I hold life loosely in my hand,
knowing that I receive it on condition of its surrender.
As pain and suffering betoken transitory health,
may I not shrink from a death that introduces me
to the freshness of eternal youth.
I retire this night in full assurance of one day
awakening with thee.
All glory for this blessed hope,
for the gospel of grace,
for thine unspeakable gift of Jesus,
for the fellowship of the Trinity.
Withhold not thy mercies in the night season;
thy hand never wearies,
thy power needs no repose,
thine eye never sleeps.

Help me when I helpless lie,
when my conscience accuses me of sin,
when my mind is harassed by foreboding thoughts,
when my eyes are held awake by personal anxieties.

Show thyself to me as the God of all grace, love and power;
thou hast a balm for every wound,
a solace for all anguish,
a remedy for every pain,
a peace for all disquietude.
Permit me to commit myself to thee
awake or sleep.

Amen.

Page 298 The Valley of Vision

Deliverance - The Valley of Vision

2009-01-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

O GOD OF UNSEARCHABLE GREATNESS,

Before thee I am nothing but vanity, iniquity, perishing;
Sin has forfeited thy favour,
stripped me of thy image,
banished me from thy presence,
exposed me to the curse of thy law;

I cannot deliver myself, and am in despair.
But a resource is found in thee,
for without my desert or desire
thou didst devise an everlasting plan,
honourable to thy perfections,
and which angels desired to look into.
And the Word which announces all the glory of this goodness
is nigh me, invites me, beseeches, me.
May I, a convinced and self-despairing sinner,
find Jesus as the power unto salvation,
his death the center of all relief,
the source of all gospel-blessings.
Help me to repair to that cross,
be crucified to the world by it,
and in it find deepest humiliation,
motives to patience and self-denial,
grace for active benevolence,
faith to grasp eternal life,
hope to lift up my head,
love to bind me for ever
to him who died and rose for me.
May his shed blood make me
more thankful for thy merices,
more humble under thy correction,
more zealous in thy service,
more watchful against temptation,
more contented in my circumstances,
more useful to others.

Amen

Page 82 The Valley of Vision

Refuge - The Valley of Vision

2009-01-30T15:38:00.000-08:00

O Lord,

Whose power is infinite and wisdom infallible,

order things that they may neither hinder,

nor discourage me,

nor prove obstacles to the progress of Thy cause.

Stand between me and all strife, that no evil befall,

no sin corrupt my gifts, zeal, attainments.

May I follow duty and not any foolish device

of my own.

Permit me not to labour at work which Thou wilt

not bless,

that I may serve thee without disgrace or debt.

Let me dwell in Thy most secret place under thy

shadow,

where is safe impenetrable protection from

the arrow that flieth by day,

the pestilence that walketh in darkness,

the strife of tongues,

the malice of ill-will,

the hurt of unkind talk,

the snares of company,

the perils of youth,

the temptations of middle life,

the moumings of old age,

the fear of death.

I am entirely dependent upon Thee for support,

counsel, consolation.

Uphold me by Thy free Spirit,

and may I not think it enough to be preserved

from falling,

but may I always go forward, always abounding

in the work Thou givest me to do.

Strengthen me by Thy Spirit in my inner self

for every purpose of my Christian life.

All my jewels I give to the shadow of the safety

that is in Thee—

my name anew in Christ,

my body, soul, talents, character,

my success, wife, children, friends, work,

my present, my future, my end.

Take them, they are Thine, and I am thine,

now and for ever, Amen

Page 244 from the Valley of Vision

Video for Anniversary of Roe v. Wade: “I’m Holding a Miracle”

2009-01-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

Take the time today to watch this touching video. There’s no gruesome pictures of mutilation, just a celebration of the glories of life. I hope Christian pro-lifers would propel this video into the top ranks of YouTube videos. Only a few hundred have watched it as of right now.

A New President, Trapped and Blinded - Sermon Excerpt

2009-01-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

The following is an excerpt from a sermon titled "The Baby in My Womb Leaped for Joy preached by John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis, MN.

As everyone knows, our new President, over whom we have rejoiced, does not share this reverence for the beginning of human life. He is trapped and blinded by a culture of deceit. On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, he said, “We are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters.”
To which I say . . .

No, Mr. President, you are not protecting women’s health; you are authorizing the destruction of half a million tiny women every year.

No, Mr. President, you are not protecting reproductive freedom; you are authorizing the destruction of freedom for a million helpless people every year.

No, Mr. President, killing our children does not cease to be killing our children no matter how many times you call it a private family matter. Call it what you will, they are dead, and we have killed them. And you, Mr. President, would keep the killing legal.

Some of us wept with joy over the inauguration of the first African-American President. We will pray for you. And may God grant that there arises in your heart an amazed and happy reverence for the beginning of every human life.

Please take a few moments and listen or watch the entire sermon. Listen Watch Download Podcast

The Heart of the Gospel - John MacArthur

2009-01-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (ESV)
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

New Book - Get Outta My Face! - Rick Horne

2009-01-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

Book Release at Westminister Books:

Get Outta My Face!, written for Christian parents, teachers, and youth workers, is about reaching angry, unmotivated, disinterested teens with biblical counsel. Such teens confused and insecure - are selfish; they want what they want, right now. They are corrupted by sin and this corruption is the cause of their problem. Despite all their sin problems, they are still made in the image of God, and this is the key to helping them. This book will help with addressing the teen's sin and bringing them to their God-given desires and godly actions. Far from dismissing or sugarcoating sin, this approach opens wide the door to evangelizing the unsaved teen and to helping the Christian teen grow in holiness and wisdom.

Author Information: Rick Horne, D.Min., serves the Lord as head of the guidance department at Delaware County Christian School in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, and directs the school counseling concentration for the Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction at Columbia International University.

Visit the bookstore.

How would you answer these 4 questons?

2009-01-17T18:20:00.000-08:00

1. Are you a Christian?

2. What does it mean to be a Christian?

3. What does it mean to be born again?

4. What happens to a person when they die and they are not a Christian?

Please answer in a comment to this blog. If not then please answer the questions. After you have done this go to the web site Sheep or Goats and watch the short video.

The Evidence of the "In me" is the "I in you"

2009-01-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

What does it mean to be "In Him"

Read John 14:21 and you will see the following:

The one who is in Him-

Has His commandments
Keeps His commandments
Loves Him
Is loved by the Father
Is loved by Christ
He has disclosed Himself to him

Wimpy Theology Makes Wimpy Women - John Piper

2009-01-15T15:19:00.000-08:00

My father would say that in order to understand something, it is sometimes helpful to look at its opposite. With that in mind give attention ot the quotes below from John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN, concerning the results of wimpy theology. Men this also applies to you.

The opposite of a wimpy woman is a girl named Marie Durant. In the late Seventeenth Century in . . . southern France, she was brought before the authorities, charged with the Huguenot heresy. She was fourteen years old, bright, attractive, marriageable. She was asked to abjure the Huguenot faith. She was not asked to commit an immoral act, to become a criminal, or even change the day-to-day quality of her behavior. She was only asked to say, “J’abjure.” No more, no less. She did not comply. Together with thirty other Huguenot women she was put into a tower by the sea. . . . For thirty-eight years she continued. . . . And instead of the hated word J’abjure she, together with her fellow martyrs, scratched on the wall of the prison tower the single word Resistez, resist! The word is still seen and gaped at by tourists on the stone wall at Aigues-Mortes. . . . We do not understand the terrifying simplicity of a religious commitment which asks nothing of time and gets nothing from time. We can understand a religion that enhances time. . . . But we cannot understand a faith which is not nourished by the temporal hope that tomorrow things will be better. To sit in a prison room with thirty others and to see the day change into night and summer into autumn, to feel the slow systemic changes within one’s flesh; the drying and wrinkling of the skin, the loss of muscle tone, the stiffening of the joints, the slow stupefaction of the senses - to feel all this and still persevere seems almost idiotic to a generation which has no capacity to wait and to endure.

The opposite of a wimpy woman is Gladys Staines who in 1999, after serving with her husband Graham in India for three decades learned that he and their two sons, Phillip (10) and Timothy (6), had been set on fire and burned alive by the very people they had served for 34 years, said, “I have only one message for the people of India. I’m not bitter. Neither am I angry. Let us burn hatred and spread the flame of Christ’s love.”

The opposite of a wimpy woman is her 13-year-old daughter Esther (rightly named!) who said, when asked how she felt about her father’s murder, “I praise the Lord that He found my father worthy to die for Him.”

The opposite of a wimpy woman is Joni Eareckson Tada who has spent the last 41 years in a wheel chair, and prays, “Oh, thank you, thank you for this wheel chair! By tasting hell in this life, I’ve been driven to think seriously about what faces me in the next. This paralysis is my greatest mercy”
Now where does this take us in regard to the ultimate meaning of true womanhood? It does not take us to wimpy theology or wimpy women. It is not wimpy to say that God created the universe and governs all things to magnify his own grace in the death of his Son for the salvation of his bride. That’s not wimpy. And it doesn’t lead to wimpy womanhood.
But it does lead to womanhood. True womanhood. In fact, it leads to the mind-boggling truth that womanhood and manhood—masculinity and femininity—belong at the center of God’s ultimate purpose. Womanhood and manhood were not an afterthought or a peripheral thought in God’s plan. God designed them precisely so that they would serve to display the glory of his Son dying to have his happy, admiring bride.

In other words, the ultimate meaning of true womanhood is this: It is a distinctive calling of God to display the glory of his Son in ways that would not be displayed if there were no womanhood.

-Quotes taken from John Piper from the the message “The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood” and from his book “Battling Unbelief”, pp.72-73

What Should We Pray For? by John Piper

2008-12-31T05:32:00.000-08:00

One way to answer this question is to look at what the early church prayed for. Here is a list gathered from the New Testament. It can guide you in how you pray. I suggest that periodically you pray through this list just to test whether your prayers are leaving out anything the New Testament included. We don't have to pray all of these each time we pray. But over time it would be good if our prayers had the breadth and depth of the New Testament prayers.

They called on God to exalt his name in the world.
Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name (Matthew 6:9).

They called on God to extend his kingdom in the world.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10 ).

They called on God that the gospel would run and triumph.
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you (2 Thessalonians 3:1).

They called on God for the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13; cf. Ephesians 3:19).

They called on God to vindicate his people in their cause.
And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? (Luke 18:7).

They called on God to save unbelievers.
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved (Romans 10:1).

They called on God to direct the use of the sword.
"Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying through all prayer and supplication on every occasion . . ." (Ephesians 6:17-18)

They called on God for boldness in proclamation.
Pray at all times in the Spirit . . . and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel (Ephesians 6:18-19)

And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness (Acts 4:29).

They called on God for signs and wonders.
And now Lord . . . grant your servants to speak thy word with boldness . . . while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus (Acts 4:30).

Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit (James 5:17 -18).

They called on God for the healing of wounded comrades.
Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up (James 5:14-15).

They called on God for the healing of unbelievers.
It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery; and Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him (Acts 28:8).

They called on God for the casting out of demons.
And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer" (Mark 9:29)

They called on God for miraculous deliverances.
So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church . . . When he realized [he had been freed], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying (Acts 12:5,12).

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake (Acts 16:25-26).

They called on God for the raising of the dead.
But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, rise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up (Acts 9:40).

They called on God to supply his troops with necessities.
Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11).

They called on God for strategic wisdom.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him (James 1:5).

They called on God to establish leadership in the outposts.
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed (Acts 14:23).

They called on God to send out reinforcements.
Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest (Matthew 9:38).

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off (Acts 13:2-3).

They called on God for the success of other missionaries.
I appeal to you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, (Romans 15:30-31).

They called on God for unity and harmony in the ranks.
I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me (John 17:20-21).

They called on God for the encouragement of togetherness.
[We are] praying earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? (1 Thessalonians 3:10).

They called on God for a mind of discernment.
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more in with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ (Philippians 1:9-10).

They called on God for a knowledge of his will.
And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9).

They called on God to know him better.
[We have not ceased to pray for you to be] increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10 ; cf. Ephesians 1:17 ).

They called on God for power to comprehend the love of Christ.
I bow my knees before the Father . . . that you may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:14,18).

They called on God for a deeper sense of assured hope.
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers . . . that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:16,18).

They called on God for strength and endurance.
[We have not ceased to pray for you to be] strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy (Colossians 1:11 ; cf. Ephesians 3:16).

They called on God for deeper sense of his power within them.
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers . . . that you may know . . . what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe (Ephesians 1:16, 19).

They called on God that their faith not be destroyed.
I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren (Luke 22:32).

Watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36).

They called on God for greater faith.
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24 ; cf. Ephesians 3:17).

They called on God that they might not fall into temptation.
Lead us not into temptation (Matthew 6:13).

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).

They called on God that he would complete their resolves.
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power (2 Thessalonians 1:11).

They called on God that they would do good works.
[We have not ceased to pray for you that you] lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:10).

They called on God or forgiveness for their sins.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12).

They called on God for protection from the evil one.
Deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13).

Church Discipline and Fox News

2008-12-23T04:30:00.000-08:00

John Leadley Dagg, the author of a well-known and influential church manual of the nineteenth century, noted: “It has been remarked, that when discipline leaves a church, Christ goes with it.” If so, and I fear it is so, Christ has abandoned many churches who are blissfully unaware of His departure.

The Fox News story can be read here. Its odd that this lady has a problem with her sins being made public at the church but does not have a problem telling Fox News about it.

The great task of the church is to prove itself to be the genuine church revealed in the New Testament. We must regain the New Testament concern for fidelity of doctrine, purity of life, and unity of fellowship.

Matther 18:15-20

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries

Please Pardon the Intermission - A New Addition to the Family

2008-12-22T14:39:00.000-08:00

My posting has been pleasantly interrupted by the birth of my 3rd grand child.

Trinity Grace McKnight

7lbs 6oz

17 3/4"

I will resume posting after Christmas unless my Opa responsibilities slow down a bit.

Romans 1:18-32 - Why we Need the Gospel Part 2

2008-11-22T10:46:00.000-08:00

Last week I gave you a brief overview of Romans1:18-32. This week I will deal with verses 18-23. There will be another post that follows dealing with the remaining verses.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

The Wrath of God:

Wrath is God’s anger directed toward sin. It is determined holy indignation, not emotional or uncontrolled. God is perfect in His wrath just as He is perfect in His love. God’s wrath is an expression of His holy love. If God is not a God of wrath, His love is no more than frail, worthless sentimentality; the concept of mercy is meaningless; and the Cross was a cruel and unnecessary experience for His Son. Wrath is essential. When this is realized, we understand that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31), that He has the power to save and destroy (James 4:12), and He is to be feared, because He has the power to destroy both body and soul in hell (Luke 12:4 and Matthew10:28). He perfectly hates evil, and He perfectly loves righteousness. In evangelicalism today, this is forgotten. After all, what are we saved from? God’s love? No, we are saved from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9). The Puritan Thomas Watson said, “Is God so infinitely holy? Then how unlike to God sin is…No wonder, therefore, that God hates sin, being so unlike to Him, nay, so contrary to Him; it strikes at His holiness.” Wrath is the only logical response that a holy God could have toward sin and evil.

Hebrews 10:26-27 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

God’s wrath is being revealed because we do not honor Him as God, we do not give Him thanks, and we have exchanged the glory that belongs to Him and are giving it to idolatry. What Calvin observed long ago is still true today: the human heart, is an idol factory. Ken Sande wrote, “An idol is not simply a statue of wood, stone or metal; it is anything we love and pursue in place of God, and can be referred to as a ‘false god’ or a ‘functional god.’ In biblical terms, an idol is something other than God that we set our hearts on (Luke 12:29; 1 Cor 10:6), that motivates us (1Cor 4:5), that masters or rules us (Ps119:133), or that we serve (Matt. 6:24)”. A.W. Tozer said, “Idolatry begins in the mind when we pervert or exchange the idea of God for something other than what He really is” Have you replaced God with something or someone else? Is your idol health, wealth, pleasure, prestige, sports, education, success, power, YOU?

Hopefully you are giving consideration to how this works in your life. There is a lot of application that we could get into here. I trust the Holy Spirit will convict.

I want to briefly touch on how this applies to worship. Does your worship honor God, give Him thanks and give Him glory, or is your worship centered on you? The self esteem gospel made popular by Robert Schuller is going strong in many churches today. Worship has been reduced to whatever can be done in order for people to feel good about themselves. The result of this kind of worship can be found in the seeker sensitive, emergent, and liberal church movements today. Hymns have been replaced with music that has little or no theological substance. Preaching has been reduced to topical sermons about things that are important to the “Community”. Missions have been reduced to digging water wells in Guatemala and building restaurants in the Sudan. The gospel message is non-existent and replaced with old, new age philosophies. Glory, honor and thanks to God have been given over to glory, honor and thanks to self. We get what we want and we certainly will get what we deserve.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism states, “The chief end of man is to glorify God (Lev 10:3, 1 Chron 16:24-29; Psalms 148; Romans 15:5-6), and for him to fail to give God glory is the ultimate offence.

Is there any hope? The hope is found in verses 16-17. "The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." Our only hope is that the righteousness God demands from us would be freely given to us, namely, God's own righteousness, to be received by faith. You may have this now because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, who paid the debt so that everyone who believes in him might be saved.

References:
English Standard Version Study Bible
New American Standard Bible
Logos
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Kittle and Freidrich)
Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament (Rienecker and Rogers)
Calvin’s Commentaries Volume XIX
McArthur New Testament Commentary Romans 1-8

Romans 1:18-32 God's wrath on unrighteousness

2008-11-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

I plan for this to be a multi-part posting. This is the first installment and others will follow as I can get them written.

This past week I've heard a number people talk about how bad things are and how they are only going to get worse. People speculate that America as we know it will never be the same. Others talk about selling everything they own and moving to another country. These, like so many others, felt that the person elected to be president would make or break this country. One was called the messiah by some and the other a maverick, both promising changes. Who we elect for president will NOT fundamentally change the problems we experience in this country or this world. I point you to Romans 1:18-32.

Here we can read the indictment, the judgment, and the result of that judgment. Man has failed to give glory, honor and thanks to God, indictment. Therefore He has "given us up", judgment. The result of that judgment is man's wickedness to the extreme, a problem that cannot be fixed by a president. This is why politics and so many other things must be much less a priority and replaced with the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see, the problem we have is a sin problem which can only be solved by repentance of our sins and putting our trust in Jesus Christ. This is no longer a nation that trusts God. It’s a nation that has turned away from God and has put their trust in man. In effect, what we have done is create an idol, a god to suit ourselves, and turned away from the God of the bible. If you are putting your trust and faith in President elect Obama you will be sadly disappointed. The same is true to those who thought that Senator McCain would do any better. As long as our dependence is on someone other than God we will continue in the direction we are heading and things will only get worse. Our dependence needs to be on the One who gave us life and continues to do so.

Indictment
Judgment
Result of the judgment

God's Wrath on Unrighteousness – Romans 1:18-32 (ESV)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Lord willing, the next posts will expound further on the text above. Potential titles:

The wrath of God
The Indictment
God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity
God gave them up to dishonorable passions
God gave them up to a debased mind
Now for the good news

The Day After the Elections of 2008 - James White

2008-11-06T03:15:00.000-08:00

Psalm 2
1Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves,and the rulers take counsel together,against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apartand cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my Kingon Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree:The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of ironand dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;be warned, O rulers of the earth.11 Serve the Lord with fear,and rejoice with trembling.12 Kiss the Son,lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

From Alpha and Omega Ministries

John Piper's Heart in the 2008 Election

2008-11-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Psalm 93

The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;

The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength;

Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.

Your throne is established from of old;

You are from Everlasting.

Ten Indictments Against the Modern Church - Paul Washer

2008-10-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

Preached Wednesday, October 22nd at the Revival Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Paul Washer delivers a urgent appeal to the Christians and Churches in North America that many have been believing a false gospel and have false assurance of their salvation. He lists 10 indictments against the modern Church system in America. We need a reformation and revival of a biblical standard! It will not happen unless we stop what we are doing and turn towards God and God alone. The sermon is long but it will provide enough for you to meditate on for months to come.

1. A practical denial of the sufficiency of scripture.
2. An ignorance of God.
3. A failure to address man’s malady.
4. An ignorance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
5. An ignorance of the doctrine of regeneration.
6. An unbiblical gospel invitation.
7. Ignorance regarding the nature of the church.
8. A lack of loving and compassionate church discipline.
9. A silence on separation – A lack of teaching on holiness.
10. Sociology and psychology has replaced the scriptures.

You can listen to the sermon here.

Transcript part 1
Transcript part 2
Transcript part 3

Paul Washer at Deeper - The Idolatry of Decisional "Evangelism"

2008-10-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

"The greater part of America claim to be born again and they are not."

The Valley of Dry Bones - Ezekiel 37

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.