Piper On The Centrality Of Scripture

We are a people of the Book. We know God through the Book. We meet Christ in the Book. We see the cross in the Book. Our faith and love are kindled by the glorious truths of the Book. We have tasted the divine majesty of the Word and are persuaded that the Book is God's inspired and infallible written revelation. Therefore, what the Book teaches matters…

There is no salvation from sin and guilt and condemnation and hell apart from faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; Romans 10:13-17; 1 John 5:12). And there is no other authority besides the Scriptures to show you who Christ is and to give you his Word. So don't leave the Bible, children. Don't leave the Bible, young people. Don't neglect the Bible, dads and moms. Don't ignore the Bible, single people. Under God, the "sacred writings," the Scriptures, are the greatest treasure in the world. They alone make us wise unto salvation through Christ. O don't neglect this Book!

John Piper on the centrality of scripture.

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/2525_essential_piper_the_centrality_of_scripture/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+DGBlog+(DG+Blog)

Riches

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”  Revelation 3:14-22

Observations:
1. Jesus knows our works. (Hebrews 4:13)
2. Anything less than full commitment to Jesus disgusts Him. (Luke 14:27)
3. Wealth* can blind us to our real position and circumstances. (Matthew 6:24)
4. The appropriate response from the Laodicean position is to be zealous for Christ and repent.
5. We are called to seek treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21), righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:12,13) and revelation from God (Ephesians 1:18). [Revelation 3:18]
6. We need to listen for Christ's voice and respond to commune with him.
7. There are unspeakable riches for those who overcome.

* I would define wealth as having few needs. Most people in the US are wealthy.

Excuses

Anytime you excuse/rationalize your sin, you commit an act of gospel irrationality - why work to excuse what Christ has already forgiven?  Paul Tripp (from Twitter)

Wealth and Reputation

Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. (1 Ch 29:12 ESV)

Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’  You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth... (Dt 8:17,18 ESV)

Observations:

1. Wealth, if one has it, is from God.  Let one never suppose that what one has monetarily and/or materially is deserved or of one's own doing. 

2. Power, if one has it, is from God.  Let one never suppose that the position one has is deserved or because of one's intrinsic greatness.

3. Reputation is from God. He is the provider and protector of what others think of us. Seek not to protect one's own reputation but entreat God as your protector to act when one is wrongly accused. (This does not mean to not act justly when it is in our power to do so).

4. One's wealth, power and reputation are not indicators of one's position with God.


See 1 Samuel 2:7 also.

Steadfast Love

I have been praying through the Psalms and have noticed with great joy the frequency with which God's love for his people is described as steadfast. Steadfast to me implies a love that remains in spite of the behavior of it's object. It is a love that is dependent upon the person doing the loving entirely. It is loyal, enduring, and persistent. In the Psalms God is described as loving his people with a steadfast love in 123 different verses! The Hebrew word for this is hesed. The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible describes hesed in this way:  


For this strong, unselfish love the OT usually employed another word, almost untranslatable, hesed, rendered sometimes “loyalty” (2 Sm 22:26 RSV), more often “steadfast love” (Gn 39:21) or “kindness.”
The connotation of this significant word is clear in Hosea 2:19, 20: “I will betroth you for ever … in righteousness … justice … steadfast love … faithfulness”; in Job 6:14, 15, where kindness is compared with treachery; and in 1 Samuel 20:8, which speaks of covenanted kindness. This unshakable, steadfast love of God is contrasted with the unpredictable, capricious moods of heathen deities. Hesed is not an emotional response to beauty, merit, or kindness, but a moral attitude dedicated to another’s good, whether or not that other is lovable, worthy, or responsive (see Dt 7:7–9).1


What an amazing thing to realize that God's love for me is steadfast!

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, 
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him
Ps 103:11 (ESV)

1 Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (1357). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House.

Where Do You Live?

"Some want to live within the sound
   Of church or chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop
   Within a yard of Hell."
--C.T. Studd

Theology And My Sin

One sin I consistently struggle with is pride over knowing a fair amount of scripture.  I love the Word of God and read it often. And sometimes in my flesh, I begin to believe there is something better about me than others, because I have read more. This obviously is pretty ridiculous. First of all, I don't really know much.  Second, anything I understand has been given to me by God and as such is no credit to me. Most importantly, the Word that I love teaches that I should not think of myself more highly than I ought. So there I am....a mess.  Unfortunately, it seems to me that there are a lot of people who are similar to me in this regard in the Christian world. I read many blogs online and books and it often occurs in my opinion that knowledge about God is elevated above knowledge of God. Theology is elevated above discipleship and love. The argument for this position is that truth is not negotiable. I agree with this argument, but often the application is not done in love and is over disputable matters (ie things in scripture which are unclear and peripheral to the gospel). In light of the above, this week I was thinking about the apostles. It struck me that Jesus did not pick one theologian to be among the twelve .....and there were plenty around.  You might argue that possibly the greatest apostle Paul was a theologian, and I think that argument would be correct.  But Paul had the wrong theology! He was transformed not by what he knew but by who he knew. So what does this mean?

My observations:

1) Christianity is about a relationship to the living God, knowing him, not just about him;
2)  The Word is the Spirit's revelation of who God is and who we are in relation to him. We are called to be disciplined in studying, reading and meditating on the Word. It is a means by which we can know God personally;
3)  Our position is based on who we know not what we know;
4)  There are indisputable matters (eg the gospel) and disputable matters within scripture for the Christian.  The former are not negotiable. The latter should be discussed in love and charity within the body of Christ.
5)  Comparison of myself with anyone but God is sin. Pride is therefore never righteous for the human.
6)  Jesus isn't impressed by what we know.

Grace

Our worst days are never so bad that we are out of reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that we are not in need of God's grace.   Jerry Bridges

The Inerrancy Of Scripture

Old Testament

The Israelites saw Scripture as historical information (Ps. 105,  Ps. 106)
God selects men as prophets to speak His Word (Deut. 18:18)
God instructed the prophets to preserve His Word (Isa. 30:8)
God instructed the prophets to record His Word (Isa. 8:1)

New Testament

The NT authors claim they wrote the words of God (1 Cor. 14:37)
God inspired all Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16)
The NT authors acknowledge the truthfulness of OT prophecy (Acts 1:16)
The NT authors accepted OT prophecy concerning Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:22–23)
The NT authors accepted OT people and events as factual (1 Tim. 2:13)

Jesus

Jesus uses the OT to resolve issues (Matt. 4:4)
Jesus says that all OT prophecy will come to pass (Matt. 5:17–18)
Jesus taught that the OT prophesied of Him (Luke 24:27)
Jesus says that Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35)
Jesus certifies the inerrancy of the soon-to-be-written NT (John 14:26; 16:13)
Jesus referred to OT events and people as factual history (Matt. 12:38–41; Luke 17:26–30)

Excerpt From...
Story, D. (1997). Defending your faith (61). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.

You Are Faithful My God

My heart aches for you my God.
My soul waits for you my God.
I've come far to find you here.
In this place will I draw near.

And your Spirit soars me.
To the highest heights.
From where I'll not look back.
I'll keep trusting you.

For I know you are faithful my God.
For I know you are faithful my God.

From the land of the barren.
We will cry out for rain.
Fill our hearts God.
I'll keep trusting you.

For I know you are faithful my God.
For I know you are faithful my God.

Your Spirit inside me holds me close.
In your wonderful presence, I let go.
I cleanse my hands.
You burn my heart.
I cry out for love.
You set me apart.

And your Spirit soars me.
To the highest heights.
From where I'll not look back.
I'll keep trusting you.

For I know you are faithful my God.
For I know you are faithful my God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ-Er29je74

Right Paths

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psalm 23:3b

I cannot on my own do any righteous act (Romans 3:10). I am totally depraved. My flesh constantly leans toward sin. But God will not leave me to my own devices. He wills my sanctification (Phillipians 1:6). He disciplines me because he loves me (Hebrews 13:6). There are two reasons for this:  first, he is my Father in heaven and wants good for me (Romans 8:28), but more importantly, as I am an ambassador for him, he wills my actions to be righteous so that he is glorified. So, it is guaranteed that I will be sanctified because of God's word and because of God's glory. I can rest in the fact that God will guide me in paths of righteousness. Yet if I purposefully stray, the hand of God is to be feared for he will not leave me there for long. His name is too glorious to allow that to happen.

Moody's Experience of the Holy Spirit

. . .Well, one day, in the city of New York, oh what a day, I cannot describe it, I seldom refer to it.  It is almost too sacred an experience to name.  Paul had an experience of which he never spoke (for) fourteen years.  I can only say, God revealed Himself to me and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand.  I went out preaching again, the sermons were no different and I did not present any new truths and yet hundreds were converted.  I would not be placed back where I was before that blessed experience.

Rebellion

"We cannot enter into the presence of God while we are rebelling against God." A W Tozer


Rebelling sounds purposeful, loud and obvious, but there is a rebellion which is a withholding of a part of oneself knowingly from God. This is where I struggle. This is usually not visible to the watching world. It may even seem insignificant if it were discussed with a spiritually astute friend. Yet I have found that anything withheld from God influences our experience of him. It doesn't influence our position from a salvation standpoint, but affects our communion with him. He who knows the good he ought to do, but doesn't.... sins.

Restore My Soul.

He restores my soul. Psalm 23:3a

O Lord my soul is empty. Fill it up again. Give me your Holy Spirit. The world sucks the life from me. The weight is too great. Yet your yoke is easy and your burden light. O Lord forgive my sin against you. Against you and you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Lord I pray that you would lift my head up. Give me assurance of your love. Show me your glory. My soul is restored as I see your majesty, power, holiness and love. Fill up my soul with the fullness of you.

Edward's Experience of The Holy Spirit

As I rode out into the woods for my health, in 1737, having alighted from my horse in a retired place, as my manner commonly has been to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I had a view, that was for me extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God as mediator between God and man and His wonderful, great, full, pure and sweet grace and love, and meek and gentle condescension.  The grace that appeared so calm and sweet appeared also great above the heavens, the person of Christ appeared ineffably excellent and an excellency great enough to swallow up all thoughts and conceptions, which continued, as near as I can judge, about an hour, which kept me a greater part of the time in a flood of tears and weeping aloud.  I felt an ardency of soul to be what I know not otherwise how to express, emptied and annihilated, to lie in the dust and to be full of Christ alone, to love Him with a holy and a pure love, to trust in Him, to live upon Him, to serve Him, and to be perfectly sanctified and made pure with a divine and heavenly purity.

Still Waters

He leads me beside still waters. Psalm 23:2

The Lord said to the storm, "Peace, be still." Then silence. This same Lord that quieted the storm in the boat with his disciples is my shepherd. He has control over the elements and all other things. There are many places he could lead me and does lead me. But, often it is to a place of rest. He provided the Sabbath for us because we are an anxious people. Peace be still he says to me. Be still and know that I am God. What can man do to me? Whom shall I fear? God is the giver of my peace.

Green Pastures

He Makes me lie down in green pastures.
Ps23:2a

My shepherd leads me into green, lush pastures. He provides for my needs, food in this case. Not only food but the "pastures" are green...ripe and good to eat. Nourishing. So, satisfied am I with his provision that I lie down because I am full. There is an excess. He provides his grace in torrents. We receive more than enough. I can lie down not only because I am satisfied with his provision but because I am safe in his presence. He protects me from all things and watches over me with a never tiring eye. The shepherd gives his flock peace.

I Shall Not Want

...I shall not want.
Ps. 23:1

I shall not want, because the Lord is my shepherd. It is the LORD's personal characteristics that secure the fact that I shall not want. To want in this case is to lack something necessary. We will never lack what we need because our shepherd is sufficient. He has infinite resources. He has sanctified himself completely for us (John 17:19). That is, his entire self has been set aside since eternity to make sure we are completely saved and sanctified to him. What will he withhold from his beloved? His affection is for ME! He is my shield, my fortress, my rock, my shepherd. Who will harm me? Who will bring accusation against me? The word "shall" points to the future. God has provided for me, is providing for me and shall provide for me. He will provide in five minutes and he shall provide forever, and ever, and ever. I shall not want. Amen

My Shepherd.

The LORD is my shepherd...
Ps. 23.1

The LORD is my shepherd, that is, the great I AM. Yahweh is the one who is my shepherd. The all knowing, eternally existent one. All powerful. He who is called "love" by John the disciple. He is the shepherd to me. A shepherd watches over his flock and cares for each individual sheep. He knows each sheep by name (John 10:3) and by the sheeps unique qualities. He has always known me. When I wander, he goes in search for me, bringing me back to the flock. When a "wolf" approaches, he protects me, sacrificing himself for my safety. He is my protector and provider. I listen to his voice and follow him. God is my shepherd. He is the good shepherd that lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11).
  

Seeing God's Glory

"Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being changed from one degree of glory to the next," Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18. And we see the glory of the Lord, as he says five verses later, in the knowledge of the gospel of the glory of God in the face of Christ.