Subscribe to feedNo Comments
2 Comments
Shared this one during my sermon this morning. The book of Ephesians summarized… in verse.
Ephesians chapter one, Paul’s only just begun.
He shows us what God’s done through Jesus Christ his Son.
Redemption! We’re set free! With God we’ve harmony!
Ephesians chapter two, by grace, through faith, it’s true!
Dead in your sins were you, but God, he brought us through;
Salvation full and free, Christ paid the price for me!
Ephesians chapter three, we’ve unity, you see!
The cross joined you to me, to show eternally,
The glory, the power, the love, of God Almighty above!
Ephesians chapter four, God’s opened up the door
Given workers to the chore of making something more
Of the people he has called till Christ is all in all!
Ephesians chapter five, to walk like Christ we’ll strive
To put aside all drive of the flesh in our lives.
With bride and groom we see that Christ has cherished me!
Ephesians chapter six, the devil’s evil tricks,
Cannot begin to nix our Lord’s mighty fix!
Put on his armor, saints! Your surety never faints!
Ephesians is God’s gift so we’re not left adrift
But Christ will us uplift and bridge the terrible rift
Thus, as you come and go, serve Christ and in him grow!
No Comments
Picked this up from Frank Turk. We used it with our Christmas reading last year and again this year. A good way to say more from Scripture about Christ. I’ve included the text from Frank Turk with Scripture references added in.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
(John 1:1-5)
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
(John 1:9-13)
For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”
But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
(Hebrews 1:5-9)
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
(Matthew 1:18)
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to her. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But Mary was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God. … For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
(Luke 1:26-38)
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son.
(Matthew 1:19-25)
A decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
And at the end of eight days, when [the child] was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
(Luke 2:1-21)
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
(Matthew 2:1-2)
(they said this because the prophet Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, and he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, and he took up his discourse and said,
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel)
(Numbers 24:1-3a, 17a)
After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
(Matthew 2:9-11)
16 Comments
Today is an exciting day for those who love Logos Bible study software as Logos releases version four of its popular software.
A few months ago Logos invited a number of users to participate in a private beta. In this post I will evaluate my experience with Logos 4, note many of the new and enhanced features, and discuss a few of the drawbacks. This is a lengthy post but feel free to jump around using the guide below.
No Comments
In his commentary on Ephesians, John Calvin has much to say about the believer’s necessary reliance upon the Word of God. Calvin did not hesitate to bring accusations against those who abused Scripture and often those abusers were found in the Catholic church. But while reading his comments the impression is left that his criticisms could easily apply to today’s abusers of the Word. Below are some of his comments on Ephesians 4:14:
There will always be impostors, who make insidious attacks upon our faith; but, if we are fortified by the truth of God, their efforts will be unavailing. Both parts of this statement deserve our careful attention. When new sects, or wicked tenets, spring up, many persons become alarmed. But the attempts of Satan to darken, by his falsehoods, the pure doctrine of Christ, are at no time interrupted; and it is the will of God that these struggles should be the trial of our faith. When we are informed, on the other hand, that the best and readiest defense against every kind of error is to bring forward that doctrine which we have learned from Christ and his apostles, this surely is no ordinary consolation.
With what awful wickedness, then, are Papists chargeable, who take away from the word of God everything like certainty, and maintain that there is no steadiness of faith, but what depends on the authority of men! If a man entertain any doubt, it is in vain to bid him consult the word of God: he must abide by their decrees. But we have embraced the law, the prophets, and the gospel. Let us therefore confidently expect that we shall reap the advantage which is here promised, — that all the impostures of men will do us no harm. They will attack us, indeed, but they will not prevail. We are entitled, I acknowledge, to look for the dispensation of sound doctrine from the church, for God has committed it to her charge; but when Papists avail themselves of the disguise of the church for burying doctrine, they give sufficient proof that they have a diabolical synagogue.
Note in the first paragraph that which is our defense against “new sects, or wicked tenets”. Calvin says that “the best and readiest defense against every kind of error is to bring forward that doctrine which we have learned from Christ and his apostles”. Where do we gain this insight into the mind of Christ and his apostles? Does it come from man’s authority and teaching? Hardly. In the second paragraph Calvin directs his criticism against those in the Catholic church who undermine people’s confidence in Scripture by claiming that right faith can only come through the authority of men – meaning the authority of bishops and popes.
This takes place today in slightly different manner. Many are they who “take away from the word of God everything like certainty”. A preacher will undermine the authority of Scripture by professing humility and claiming that he is not sufficient to the task of delivering the one true understanding of the text and it must be left to each individual’s subjective feeling to determine the meaning of the text. Rather than appealing to the authority of the Pope, such men appeal to the authority of every individual appetite. Such men are masters of telling you when your interpretation cannot possibly fit the Bible – very often criticizing the teachings that do, in fact, reflect God’s truth – but will shy away when pressed to deliver the universal meaning of the text.
So we must keep in mind the instruction and the warning given in the second paragraph: “We are entitled… to look for the dispensation of sound doctrine from the church, for God has committed it to her charge…” Calvin tells us that God has committed the church to dispensing sound doctrine and those who are part of the church are granted the freedom to look for sound doctrine in the preaching of the church. When a church fails to deliver sound doctrine, it says something awful about that church: “…but when Papists avail themselves of the disguise of the church for burying doctrine, they give sufficient proof that they have a diabolical synagogue.”
No Comments
Dr. Ronald Meeks of Blue Mountain College. See the great things you can get from a Christian college? Dr. Meeks was one of my undergrad professors and continues to influence my teaching and preaching. Currently, I am using material from his Old Testament class in my series of sermons Covenant: The Old Testament Story.
No Comments
Psalm 70:4-5
May all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”
But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!
No Comments
[esvbible format="block"]Matthew 14:22-27[/esvbible]
Can there be any more wonderful resolution to a situation than this? To see ghosts in the night and yet find out that it is none other than our Savior? How many ghosts have come our way at the hand of God and we never took the time to recognize the work he was doing through them? How many terrors have consumed us where God stood behind them?
To all of that Jesus says, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
No Comments
[esvbible format="block"]Matthew 12:46-50[/esvbible]
It is amazing that someone might be able to call Christ his brother. There are so many titles we can give to him: king, judge, savior, lord, anointed one, shepherd, friend, brother.
Brotherhood with Christ is not an automatic position. We can speak of the brotherhood of humanity which admits all people by virtue of their being human but there is no similar brotherhood with Christ. One does not become blood with Christ by any automatic virtue or characteristic. What Jesus tells us is that obedience makes brothers.
If you want to have Jesus for your brother he tells you how to do it: obey his Father. Don’t just listen to the will of God. Don’t just talk about how good God’s will is. Go out there and actively carry out the will of God – all of it. Live a righteous and holy life, repenting and turning from your sins. Help those who are in need – don’t just feel bad for the needy, find ways to help them! Show love and compassion to the people around you. Give a cup of water to a little child. Visit prisoners. Comfort widows in their distress.
There’s a hymn that says, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God…” but I wonder how many of us live more like black sheep of the family rather than obedient sons and daughters of God working with Jesus Christ to accomplish the will of his Father.
Lord forgive us our rebellion and Lord make us faithful!
No Comments
Psalm 18 is one of my favorite texts in the Bible. In it we find the Lord working mightily for his people:
[esvbible format="block"]Psalm 18:6-19[/esvbible]
What an image of God rousing himself to rescue his people, with the whole of Heaven trembling from the force of his might! What enemy can stand before the Lord our God?
But the Psalmist, David, makes an unusual claim:
[esvbible format="block"]Psalm 18:20-24[/esvbible]
How does this line up with what we find elsewhere that no one is righteous, that no one is blameless before the Lord? How can David claim that God acts because David is righteous? Are we finding here evidence that people are capable of living righteously before God and that God will reward them for that righteousness?
It looks that way – until we keep reading.
[esvbible format="block"]Psalm 18:31-33[/esvbible]
God responding to the righteousness in David is God responding to the righteousness he put in David. David did not make his way blameless, God made his way blameless. Anything in David that is praiseworthy, anything that might draw the eye of God, is only there because God has given it. God made his way blameless and made his feet secure.
