tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12312481249136358452024-02-07T20:34:04.202-05:00Sons of the Baptizer". . .a voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the LORD"Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.comBlogger348125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-45044187704403528272018-03-28T13:27:00.000-04:002018-03-28T13:27:38.589-04:00A Portentous Old Parishioner<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NP83WC3e5cfj5NFkrTBl3-hq967toXVFJV3eL-vmw_Fq-eaCECRlA1jXZWJGInRkkyH6EYRDwN1Pdufol9zJcq6Efozh2TiYYBmx4Q_-dyASjKhtIW4KfYOp0GgS3SJvlp8PCKUfiQ/s1600/Dickens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NP83WC3e5cfj5NFkrTBl3-hq967toXVFJV3eL-vmw_Fq-eaCECRlA1jXZWJGInRkkyH6EYRDwN1Pdufol9zJcq6Efozh2TiYYBmx4Q_-dyASjKhtIW4KfYOp0GgS3SJvlp8PCKUfiQ/s1600/Dickens.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Dickens (1812-1870)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Charles Dickens, in his book "Our Mutual Friend," writes of a pastor and his wife traveling for a wedding. At the train station this happens:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">"That worthy couple were delayed by a portentous old parishioner of the female gender, who was one of the plagues of their lives, and with whom they bore with most exemplary sweetness and good-humor, notwithstanding her having all infection of absurdity about her, that communicated itself to everything with which, and everybody with whom, she came in contact. She was a member of the Reverend Frank's congregation, and made a point of distinguishing herself in that body by conspicuously weeping at everything, however cheering, said by the Reverend Frank in his public ministration; also by applying to herself the various lamentations of David, and complaining in a personally injured manner (much in arrear of the clerk and the rest of the respondents) that her enemies were digging pitfalls about her, and breaking her with rods of iron. . .This very exacting member of the fold appeared to be endowed with a sixth sense, in regard of knowing when the Reverend Frank Milvey least desired her company, and with promptitude appearing in his little hall. . .</span>"<br />
<br />
pp 707-708, Wordsworth Classics EditionBrent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-74149408588380886172018-02-25T05:35:00.000-05:002018-02-25T05:36:58.483-05:00Sunday Post for Shepherds - Be Certain<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Be certain all the hairs of your </span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">head are numbered. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Be certain your good Father </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">hath appointed bounds, </span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">over which the devil dare not look."</span></b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #444444;">John Bradford, <i>Bradford's Works,</i> Vol 2, page 79</span></b></div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-4544640797985839442018-02-25T05:30:00.002-05:002018-02-25T05:35:44.076-05:00Sunday Post for Shepherds - Remember<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJp6ytEFRrI4i_ROUc6Ab6KZK7a76XEc_CtXeZmwN9zJZJDoq7MYOgIbY9yHI0VsF6J6Bo8vKomyUW85ecwIqvr4ErFRIsZFtdBRCIP0uPewGank058Nfr35Gy9LKL7ezLIt3-k1VpVA/s1600/John+Bradford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJp6ytEFRrI4i_ROUc6Ab6KZK7a76XEc_CtXeZmwN9zJZJDoq7MYOgIbY9yHI0VsF6J6Bo8vKomyUW85ecwIqvr4ErFRIsZFtdBRCIP0uPewGank058Nfr35Gy9LKL7ezLIt3-k1VpVA/s1600/John+Bradford.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #0c343d;">"Remember that all you have is at Christ's commandment. Remember He lost more for you than you can lose for Him. Remember you lose not that which is lost for His sake, for you shall find much more here and elsewhere. . .Remember you shall die; and when and where and how you cannot tell."</span></b> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #444444;">John Bradford, quoted in <i>Five English Reformers</i> by JC Ryle, page 137</span></span></span>Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-40204589248535133122018-02-14T06:55:00.001-05:002018-02-14T06:55:07.214-05:00Latimeric Philosophy<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b>"If you will not die eternally, live not worldly." </b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Hugh Latimer, English Reformer (1487-1555)</b></span></div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-89288345623844130732018-02-11T08:20:00.000-05:002018-02-11T08:20:02.131-05:00Sunday Post for Shepherds - While You Are In This World. . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kMeSEUFsjDv7flEgW8NSMrie-7gu_c8q3ipkwTJ0c6yiTVINn219IiZpbtW7f14Vam9jVpH2b7LM0Nyqdy7GZxZwigS1hFPUWp7DP0JLVXnngnb2OclAeTXDEwiubGsRCEFW23iDTA/s1600/Hugh+Latimer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kMeSEUFsjDv7flEgW8NSMrie-7gu_c8q3ipkwTJ0c6yiTVINn219IiZpbtW7f14Vam9jVpH2b7LM0Nyqdy7GZxZwigS1hFPUWp7DP0JLVXnngnb2OclAeTXDEwiubGsRCEFW23iDTA/s1600/Hugh+Latimer.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><b>"Feed you tenderly, with all diligence, the flock of Christ. Preach truly the Word of God. Love the light, walk in the light, and so be you the children of light while you are in this world, that you may shine in the world to come, bright as the sun, with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost."</b></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">From <i>Works, Vol 1 pp 50-57, </i>by Hugh Latimer (1487-1555), </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444;">English Reformer, Bishop, Chaplain, and Martyr</span></div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-5984474420495866362018-01-27T07:13:00.001-05:002018-01-27T07:13:48.559-05:00Be Loving God"The love of God is required no less than our conversion and the keeping of all the commandments; for the love of God is our true conversion." - <span style="color: #444444;">Martin Luther, <i>The Bondage of the Will, </i>Revell edition, page 164</span>Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-77909627182073505942018-01-27T06:52:00.000-05:002018-01-27T06:52:22.902-05:00Take the Trouble"Pray tell me, what can a man do in the realm of theology and the sacred writings, if he has not even reached the point of knowing what the law and the gospel are, or, if he does know, scorns to observe the distinction? He is bound to mix up everything, heaven with hell and life with death, and will not take the slightest trouble to know about Christ." - <span style="color: #444444;">Martin Luther, <i>The Bondage of the Will, </i>Revell edition, pages 163-164</span>Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-42141337435756161142018-01-27T06:47:00.000-05:002018-01-27T06:47:10.447-05:00Get Ready for Grace"The Diatribe constantly imagines a man who either can do what he is commanded, or at any rate knows that he cannot. But such a man is nowhere to be found. If there were such, then, in truth, either the commanding of impossibilities would be absurd, or the Spirit of Christ would be in vain. But the Scripture sets before us a man who is not only bound, wretched, captive, sick and dead, but who, through the operation of Satan his lord, adds to his other miseries that of blindness, so that he believes himself to be free, happy, possessed of liberty and ability, whole and alive. Satan knows that if men knew their own misery he could keep no man in his kingdom; God could not fail at once to pity and succour wretchedness that knew itself and cried to Him, for God is proclaimed with mighty praise throughout the Scripture as being near the broken-hearted. Thus Isaiah 61 bears witness that Christ was sent 'to preach the gospel to the poor, and to heal the broken-hearted'. Hence, the work of Satan is to hold men so that they do not recognize their wretchedness, but presume that they can do everything that is stated. But the work of Moses the lawgiver is the opposite of this--namely, through the law to lay open to man his own wretchedness so that, by thus breaking him down, and confounding him in his self-knowledge, he may make him ready for grace, and send him to Christ to be saved. Therefore, the function performed by the law is nothing to laugh at, but is most emphatically serious and necessary." - <span style="color: #444444;">Martin Luther, <i>The Bondage of the Will, </i>the Revell editon, pages 161-162</span>Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-91266409718055289752018-01-27T06:25:00.001-05:002018-01-27T06:47:25.950-05:00The Blindness of Reason & Impotence of the Law"So the words of the law are spoken, not to assert the power of the will, but to illuminate the blindness of reason, so that it may see that its own light is nothing, and the power of the will is nothing. 'By the law is knowledge of sin,' says Paul (Rom 3:20). He does not say: abolition, or avoidance, of sin. The entire design and power of the law is just to give knowledge, and that of nothing but sin; not to display or confer any power. This knowledge is not power, nor does it bring power; but it teaches and displays that there is here no power, and great weakness. What can 'knowledge of sin' be, but knowledge of our weakness and badness? He does not say: 'by the law comes knowledge of power or goodness'! All that the law does, on Paul's testimony, is to make sin known. It is from this passage that I derive my answer to you: that by the words of the law man is admonished and taught, not what he can do, but what he ought to do; that is, that he may know his sin, not that he may believe that he has any strength." - <span style="color: #444444;">Martin Luther, <i>The Bondage of the Will, </i>the Revell editon, pages 158-159</span>Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-36400485174217682082018-01-24T08:59:00.001-05:002018-01-24T09:01:15.647-05:00On Fighting the Fight of Faith<span style="color: #20124d;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Let us not run away when it is most time to fight. Remember, none shall be crowned but such as fight manfully; and he that endures to the end shall be saved. You must now turn all your cogitations from the peril you see, and mark by faith what follows the peril, either victory in this world of your enemies, or else a surrender of this life to inherit the everlasting kingdom."</span> </b></span>- <span style="color: #444444;">John Hooper, in a letter from prison to his friends, three weeks before being burned to death in Gloucester.</span>Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-69936001499878290622018-01-09T10:15:00.002-05:002018-01-09T10:15:19.944-05:00To the Christian Rich - Your Wealth is Gift<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>"Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, <i>nor riches to the intelligent,</i> nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them." </b></span>- <span style="color: #444444;"><b>Ecclesiastes 9:11-12</b></span>Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-89974079682567387792017-12-23T09:41:00.001-05:002017-12-23T09:41:32.787-05:00The Issue of the Potsherds of the Earth<span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Pride of heart thinks nothing too high for the man, and so arraigns before its tribunal the divine proceedings, pretends to see through them, censures freely and condemns. But humiliation of spirit disposes a man to think awfully and honorably of those mysteries of Providence he is not able to see through. . .What else can possibly be the issue of the potsherds of the earth dashing against the Rock of ages, but that they are broken to pieces? All men must certainly bow or break under the mighty hand of God (Rom 11:33; Job 41:8)."</span> </b></span>- <span style="color: #444444;">Thomas Boston, from <i>The Crook in the Lot, </i>Christian Heritage edition pages 136 & 139</span>Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-52664826112963062032017-12-17T09:46:00.001-05:002017-12-17T09:54:45.948-05:00Do Not Seek Happiness. Seek God. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4wFf2xt7ZBV70vI3w6dlbtAKJnDkhWW3AbDK8c1LXbetM-WVJ6sLcx8IHRVusoYxsXlJPt1SmthKh8C0aPPI1o1I-t16zTBgdKYDaF2rHjp3D-H5RNqMgNQ0cVYepSSzyxUkTBBmyg/s1600/Keller.jpg" /></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>"If you seek righteousness more than happiness you'll get both. If you seek happiness more than righteousness you'll get neither . . . </b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>The person who is happy is always the one who has stopped trying to be happy . . .</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>The less you're concerned about happiness, and the more you're concerned about God, the happier you get . . . </b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Aim at heaven you get earth thrown in. Aim at earth you get neither . . .</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Happiness is brought about not by controlling your environment but by controlling your allegiances." </b> - <span style="color: #666666;">Tim Keller commenting on <i>Psalm 1</i> concerning the search for happiness. </span></div>
<br />
Keller makes the biblical point that happiness is always a byproduct of a pursuit of something else, something fundamental to the character of our Creator. This is why the Bible repeatedly promises blessing to those who strive for purity, holiness, contentment, etc; to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, not happiness. "Happiness is always and only a byproduct of seeking something else more than happiness." The Bible nowhere says that blessed is the one who seeks blessedness. Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-51370755660877438662017-12-16T15:16:00.000-05:002017-12-17T09:55:39.046-05:00More Mind, More Joy<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Christianity is always NOT the absence of thinking, </span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: large;">but the presence of more thinking."</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tim Keller, commenting on Romans 8, and the need for the mind in the pursuit of happiness</span> </span></div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-61362180955712119902017-12-05T09:03:00.003-05:002017-12-05T09:06:56.561-05:00The Final & Eternal Yes<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #20124d;">"For there are many prayers not to be answered till we come to the other world (Ro 7:24) and there all will be answered at once."</span></b></span><b><span style="color: #444444;"> </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #444444;">Thomas Boston, from <i>Crook in the Lot, </i>page 76 of the Christian Heritage edition</span></b></div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-59036712037735899852017-12-05T08:55:00.001-05:002017-12-05T08:55:39.638-05:00To the Christian Rich - Faith is Better than Gold<span style="color: #073763;"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="1PE.1.3"><span class="content">Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="1PE.1.4"><span class="content">to </span><span class="it"><span class="content">obtain</span></span><span class="content"> an inheritance </span><span class="it"><span class="content">which is</span></span><span class="content"> imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="1PE.1.5"><span class="content">who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="1PE.1.6"><span class="content">In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="1PE.1.7"><span class="content">so that the proof of your faith, </span><i><span class="it"><span class="content">being</span></span></i><span class="content"><i>
more precious than gold which is perishable,</i> even though tested by
fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the
revelation of Jesus Christ; </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="1PE.1.8"><span class="content">and
though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see
Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible
and full of glory, </span></span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="1PE.1.9"><span style="color: #073763;"><span class="content">obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of </span></span><span class="content"><span style="color: #073763;">your souls. </span>-- <span style="color: #444444;">1 Peter 1:3-9</span></span></span>Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-68933438225379699972017-11-28T08:25:00.000-05:002017-11-28T08:25:13.755-05:00The Pain of Love as a Means of Grace<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtOSUSYo0mXHzVno20YMYdkD8QDShP9rZX8MrAKbjxNVqY5yLRr2Uf76_ajIIbABWzdDRCUoERhTmlvOw_TCiKf83zkIDa5wTyTc0Yx3so2bIJJ51YDm3XRfmX-TjNpXlpwbMBdhr6A/s1600/Thomas+Boston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="173" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtOSUSYo0mXHzVno20YMYdkD8QDShP9rZX8MrAKbjxNVqY5yLRr2Uf76_ajIIbABWzdDRCUoERhTmlvOw_TCiKf83zkIDa5wTyTc0Yx3so2bIJJ51YDm3XRfmX-TjNpXlpwbMBdhr6A/s320/Thomas+Boston.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Boston (1676–1732)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;">"So do men oftentimes find their greatest cross, where they expected their greatest comfort. Sin hath unhinged the whole creation, and made every relation susceptible of the crook."</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444;">From <i>Crook in the Lot, </i>by Thomas Boston, page 37 in the Christian Heritage edition</span></div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-49193140897001973182017-11-20T09:21:00.002-05:002017-12-05T09:08:19.151-05:00I Trust Jesus; and Sometimes I Hate Him.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSi7lKDddL3kALACc483lXj70PHZ6FU7XRCUp6BjiA4J41qNgvYcMNeBrSSyyUwbRVFyYqOE3iOoOW8Y4egdnqDNQc1pLABYHuh8QABN7cqqD65ntZbkXr6xlT82Dio__VjFlLAousDQ/s1600/Circle+of+Christ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSi7lKDddL3kALACc483lXj70PHZ6FU7XRCUp6BjiA4J41qNgvYcMNeBrSSyyUwbRVFyYqOE3iOoOW8Y4egdnqDNQc1pLABYHuh8QABN7cqqD65ntZbkXr6xlT82Dio__VjFlLAousDQ/s1600/Circle+of+Christ.jpg" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-size: 18.0pt;">For
we maintain that a man is justified by faith</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-size: 18.0pt;">apart
from observing the law.</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">Romans 3:28</span><span style="color: #444444;"></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
Still pondering the meaning of the Protestant
Reformation, the above text comes to mind. It is <i>faith alone</i> that ties a
person to God savingly. No wonder this came to Martin Luther as exceedingly
good news, since he is known to have said that he sometimes hated God. You see,
it is not your love for God that ties you to Him, or brings you into His
family, or gets you a seat at the Father's table, or moves Him to welcome you
in. It is your faith in His Son.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
None of this is to belittle the great and first commandment
that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Dt 6; Mt 22), or
to minimize the sinfulness of hating the Lord. It is to distinguish correctly
the most significant biblical categories of <i>Law</i> and <i>Gospel.</i> That
we love God with all our being is a command, and command keeping does not bring
us to God. That is the point of the Bible verse above. God justifies a person
by faith alone <i>without regard to one's command keeping. </i> Astounding. Unbelievable
really, until He makes one believe. Salvation is gift, and that's why it is
gospel (good news). </div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-20961190893049345832017-11-19T09:12:00.001-05:002017-11-28T08:15:38.545-05:00Sunday Post for Shepherds - Your Title is Empty<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYJHjOxtamuxm3MdfWpnnLYSBjEze5Hdz3LJFTl-LMqV0H1rtIU63xyAciknoaTLwi_gCFfGo6vqWer1971bH8lQuzAfCVC5p6ZLI2banzp6Ub_3B-Kj1hWqBlvbjZ93wlqhCMczmOg/s1600/King+David+the+Shepherd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="272" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYJHjOxtamuxm3MdfWpnnLYSBjEze5Hdz3LJFTl-LMqV0H1rtIU63xyAciknoaTLwi_gCFfGo6vqWer1971bH8lQuzAfCVC5p6ZLI2banzp6Ub_3B-Kj1hWqBlvbjZ93wlqhCMczmOg/s400/King+David+the+Shepherd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">"Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse. All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, <i>even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.</i> And the LORD your God said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'"</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;"> 1 Chronicles 10:13-11:2</span></span></div>
<br />
It's not the man with the title that the people followed. It's the man with the courage. It's the man who actually, functionally, and biblically shepherded the flock <i>while claiming no title.</i> Saul was ever proud of being king. This contributed to his inability to lead God's people. He believed the kingdom was his and the people his servants. David believed the kingdom was God's and the people his responsibility. "Pastor" is just a word. "Pastoring" is a calling, and a labor. God hasn't selected you to be a pastor. He has selected you <i>to pastor, </i>meaning shepherding a people - <i>His people. </i>The Apostle Paul reminded pastor Timothy that he was to "fulfill his ministry" (2 Ti 4:5), not protect his delusions. Authority is given to magnify service.<br />
<br />
I have met so many of you set upon being respected because you are the pastor; because you have the title, regardless of whether you're actually bibically qualified for the task and are "spending and being expended for souls" (2 Co 12:15). Stop it. Humble yourself. Forget yourself. "Inquire of the LORD." Do the Bible. Serve the people, and so lead them as their shepherd. Kill the Saul within you. Be a David.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">"Some of the men of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Philistines </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">to fight against Saul. . .Day after day men came to help David, </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">until he had a great army, like the army of God."</span></b> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">1 Chronicles 12:19&22 </span></span></div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-24099370053381090952017-11-17T08:24:00.000-05:002017-11-20T09:22:30.922-05:00Merica<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #20124d;">The wicked freely strut about </span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #20124d;">when what is vile is honored among men.</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444;">Psalm 12:8</span></div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-70588327247106844702017-11-14T08:17:00.005-05:002017-11-14T08:17:38.238-05:00To the Christian Rich - Forget Yourself; Remember the Poor<i><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">"Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man's friend deserts him. . .A poor man is shunned by all his relatives--how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found." </span></b></i>- <span style="color: #444444;">Proverbs 19:4&7</span><br />
<br />
Do the poor not have enough trouble without you also forgetting them? Is their lot not a sufficient burden without being forsaken not only by their family and friends, but even by the strangers most able to give relief? Be a part of the solution, and the redemption. Be the difference-maker to the forgotten, avoided, and shunned.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"He who gives to the poor will never want. </b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses." </b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #444444;">Proverbs 28:27</span></b> </div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-4951109615175311512017-11-03T11:37:00.001-04:002017-11-04T11:52:18.563-04:00Reconsider the Signs; They are Also Seals<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1yN4O5osQQTRmHP2YoU3i9fhIvfEWs2TUGvjOHHXAgx33MOIG6iYc07q_-Hbz90D2SojE1m_zbo3jQtWCagxStra9qoehKxJsiQgbJejqUHef6816bF_Z8XiyisfqjUiMA1kHjFHqw/s1600/Lord%2527s+Table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="266" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1yN4O5osQQTRmHP2YoU3i9fhIvfEWs2TUGvjOHHXAgx33MOIG6iYc07q_-Hbz90D2SojE1m_zbo3jQtWCagxStra9qoehKxJsiQgbJejqUHef6816bF_Z8XiyisfqjUiMA1kHjFHqw/s320/Lord%2527s+Table.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"When God makes a promise </b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>and confirms that promise with a sign, </b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>there is nothing empty about the sign."</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #444444;">R. C. Sproul, <i>Tabletalk Magazine, </i>October 2017 Edition, page 39</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Three days back the 500th anniversary of what is commonly considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation was celebrated. Many Christians across denominational lines commemorate this day, October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther posted his 95 theses of debate to the church building door in Wittenberg. This cross-denominational party is somewhat strange, since I'm not sure Luther would consider many of these denominations to be made up of genuine Christians. I'm guessing the vast majority of these folks don't know that, because they don't read Luther. They don't know that the great point of contention that kept Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther from joining forces to create one great wave of Protestant reform was the meaning of the Lord's Table. They don't know that a case can be made that during those reformation years of battle more blood and more ink was spilled over this subject than any other. And they don't understand Luther to be the very sacramental man that he was. It's worth reading how it was that Luther understood the sacrament's relationship to authentic faith. Zwingli believed the sacraments to be memorials and reminders, but not necessarily attached to Christ's promise of His presence or His administration of grace. <br />
<br />
I don't agree with Luther on the Lord's Table; not altogether. Neither do I agree with Zwingli, much at all. What I agree on with both is that the Lord's Table matters in a way that is worthy of hearty debate and perhaps division. It is not my intention in this post to make a case for my Reformed understanding of the Lord's Table. It's more simple than that. It's to say that all of us should rethink this matter, and not walk idly through life ignorantly accepting what it is we grew up with on this topic. And what many of us grew up with (including me) is that this isn't a terribly important thing. The Reformers disagreed, because the Bible disagrees. There is quite a bit at stake here, the most significant being in what ways God Almighty has promised His presence.<br />
<br />
And, the Bible speaks of the signs (Baptism and the Lord's Table) as not only that, but also as seals. These practices seal to us the promises God is proclaiming by them. God is speaking in these things. It is not that man is testifying, or merely remembering, but that God is preaching to His assembled people. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-31073625122928982152017-10-27T08:34:00.001-04:002017-10-27T08:39:36.868-04:00To the Christian Rich - Financial Prosperity; At Least as Dangerous as Sexual ImmoralityJon Bloom gets it. As a part of his article <a href="https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/at-least-as-dangerous-as-porn" target="_blank">here</a>, he writes: <br />
<br />
In fact, if we take the Bible seriously, material prosperity should
frighten us, in some sense, because the Bible says frightening things
about it:<br />
<ul>
<li>Jesus: “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of
God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for
a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="Mark 10.24–25" data-version="esv" href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Mark%2010.24%E2%80%9325" target="_blank">Mark 10:24–25</a>)</li>
<li>Paul: “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is
through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and
pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee
these things.” (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="1 Tim 6.10–11" data-version="esv" href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Tim%206.10%E2%80%9311" target="_blank">1 Timothy 6:10–11</a>)</li>
<li>James: “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that
are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are
moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will
be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire.” (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="James 5.1–3" data-version="esv" href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/James%205.1%E2%80%933" target="_blank">James 5:1–3</a>)<br />
<br />
Not to diminish the dangers of sexual sin (<a class="rtBibleRef" data-purpose="bible-reference" data-reference="1 Cor 6.9–11" data-version="esv" href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Cor%206.9%E2%80%9311" target="_blank">1 Corinthians 6:9–11</a>),
but have you ever noticed that the New Testament issues more dire
warnings against the spiritual dangers of material prosperity than
sexual immorality? Jesus didn’t say it’s harder for a sexually immoral
person to get into heaven than a camel to squeeze through a needle’s
eye. He said it about rich people. And most people who read this live in
one of the richest nations in the history of the world. Do we tremble? Why is it that prosperous Christians aren’t forming
accountability groups like crazy to help us keep our lives free from the
love of money (Hebrews 13:5)? . . <br /><blockquote class="resource__pullquote js-pullquote-values" data-link="https://www.desiringgod.org/" data-title="“Prosperity is at least as spiritually dangerous as pornography.”">
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Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-16439426497538185172017-10-24T08:26:00.000-04:002017-10-24T08:27:05.878-04:00Outgrowing ChristianityWriting on what Jesus means when He blesses the <i>poor in spirit (Mt 5:3), </i>Blair Smith comments,<br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> "This stands in contrast to so much of what we see. The spirit of our age tells us to "express" ourselves and "believe" in ourselves. We are about self-reliance, self-sufficiency, self-confidence, and so on. The counter-cultural truths of the Beatitudes say, "Empty self so that God can come in." When we are full of self, we miss the blessing of God's presence. If we are always full of self, we are not even Christian.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"> We never outgrow this first beatitude. It is the basis upon which we ascend to the others. If we outgrow it, we outgrow our Christianity."</span><br />
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Taken from "Blessed are the Poor in Spirit,"<i> Tabletalk Magazine, </i>June 2017 Edition, pages 14-15.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><b>". . . For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted,"</b></span> - <b><span style="color: #444444;">Jesus the Lord, Luke 18:14.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></b>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1231248124913635845.post-24909642721599592052017-10-22T14:57:00.000-04:002017-10-22T14:57:48.831-04:00Sunday Post for Shepherds - Do Not Preach Man's Gospel<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSXPWxSa0W0xzawkygpq6nceznpb5sIxNGcGbkP2aIleJnYjP6b8SbYM-sOfFzLGKnqT1P6IjLHQdHGFabufsgjLsNgNc7gL_IBR3UCJrBaXwrtZdVMUObmoVbV-1B_Zre5kKDFPGZg/s1600/Apostle+Paul+Preaching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="124" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSXPWxSa0W0xzawkygpq6nceznpb5sIxNGcGbkP2aIleJnYjP6b8SbYM-sOfFzLGKnqT1P6IjLHQdHGFabufsgjLsNgNc7gL_IBR3UCJrBaXwrtZdVMUObmoVbV-1B_Zre5kKDFPGZg/s320/Apostle+Paul+Preaching.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel."</b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444;">Paul the Apostle, Galatians 1:6-11</span></b></div>
Brent http://www.blogger.com/profile/12839579206237713943noreply@blogger.com0