Grab bag

Some helpful articles from around the internet: Tim Challies offers “Seven Ways to Pray for Your Prayer Life.” This is helpful. A new book coming June 1 (ebook) and June 15 (paperback) from my dad: Everything Happens for a Reason?: God’s Purposes in a World Gone Bad. Paul Tautges offers “36 Purposes of God in […]

Pride and e-Boasting

Tim Challies writes this morning about pride: “…the key to pride is the desire to elevate myself so I can have God’s position and status for myself. It effectively lowers God as it elevates self. Humility, on the other hand, is simply a right assessment of myself that takes into account the infinitely vast gulf […]

Prophecy and the crucifixion

Jesus was not only resolute in His intention to go to the cross, but God intentionally planned the death of Christ. Consider, for example, the number of Old Testament prophecies that John alone says were fulfilled at the crucifixion of Christ (other Gospel writers offer even more prophetic fulfillments in their crucifixion accounts): Jesus’ tunic […]

They didn’t know what they were saying

At the trials and crucifixion of Christ, there were many accusations made against Him. Yet these accusations and declarations were far closer to the truth about Christ than those who uttered them realized. A few examples: Caiaphas — “Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to […]

Impatient?

Kevin DeYoung quotes John Calvin: If there is no more effective remedy for anger and impatience, he has surely benefited greatly who has so learned to meditate upon God’s providence that he can always recall his mind to this point: the Lord has willed it; therefore it must be borne, not only because one may […]

“They crucified Him”

The words of the crucifixion are simple: “And they crucified Him” (Mk. 15:24). Yet there is a horror behind this kind of death, as one doctor has told: Simon is ordered to place the patibulum on the ground and Jesus is quickly thrown backwards with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the […]

Paradoxes of the crucifixion

Whenever I read the account of the crucifixion of Christ, I am always amazed at the simplicity of the account of the actual crucifixion (for instance, Matthew almost regards it as an afterthought — “and when they had crucified Him…,” Mt. 27:35) and the ironic and paradoxical activities surrounding the events of the crucifixion. Consider […]

Sunday Leftovers — elder qualifications

The New Testament provides a clear picture of the kinds of men who are to lead the church as elders. Both Titus (1:5-9) and Timothy (3:1-7) are given numerous qualifications for these men, as the following chart summarizes (download the PDF): There is close overlap in topics between the two lists, though not many repeated […]

The cup that the Father gave Christ

We have been reading the Gospels for almost four months in our Bible reading program. For four months we have been consumed with Christ. For four months, each day we have had a new or increasing view of the nature of Christ. Perhaps the temptation has been to think, “there must be something more that […]

Meditate on sin…and forgiveness

Reading Psalm 51 this morning is a reminder of the power and pervasiveness of sin. And of the grace of forgiveness. We do well to meditate on both, as Thomas Watson exhorted in The Christian on the Mount: Meditate upon the FILTH of sin. Not only is the guilt of Adam’s sin imputed, but the […]

Together for the Gospel audio

All the audio, including main sessions, breakout session, and panel discussions from the recent Together for the Gospel conference now appear to now be available on the T4G website. Use the menu on the right side of the page to choose which sessions you’d like to watch or download.

Grab bag

Some helpful articles spotted recently: A lesson in truth-telling, and what makes Christians different: “Mike Daisey, Apple, and Our Culture’s Crisis in Truth-Telling.” “Temptation Is Not Sin,” writes Bill Mounce. He makes three points: 1. Temptation is not sin, 2. No one can make you sin, and 3. God is on your side. The question […]

Living Ready for Heaven

Though he is best-known for a sermon about hell, I have often said that some of my favorite writings from Jonathan Edwards are about heaven. Here is an example: We ought not to rest in the world and its enjoyments, but should desire heaven. We should “seek first the kingdom of God.” 236 We ought […]

The Lord’s prayer

In prayer (when we are genuine and truthful), our hearts are exposed and revealed as in no other way. That is true as well of the heart of Christ, which makes the Lord’s prayer in John 17 a particularly rich and stimulating passage of Scripture. Of this passage, Melanchthon wrote, “There is no voice which […]

Take courage

Jesus never promises His followers a pain and trouble-free life. In fact, He promises just the opposite. There will be troubles, and often those troubles are because we are followers of Him. As two examples, consider: “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted […]