The Message of the Bible in 221 Words (DGM)

Borrowed from Desiring God Ministries. If you're looking for a concise description of the Gospel, you may appreciate this.

D. A. Carson:

God is the sovereign, transcendent and personal God who has made the universe, including us, his image-bearers. Our misery lies in our rebellion, our alienation from God, which, despite his forbearance, attracts his implacable wrath.

But God, precisely because love is of the very essence of his character, takes the initiative and prepared for the coming of his own Son by raising up a people who, by covenantal stipulations, temple worship, systems of sacrifice and of priesthood, by kings and by prophets, are taught something of what God is planning and what he expects.

In the fullness of time his Son comes and takes on human nature. He comes not, in the first instance, to judge but to save: he dies the death of his people, rises from the grave and, in returning to his heavenly Father, bequeaths the Holy Spirit as the down payment and guarantee of the ultimate gift he has secured for them—an eternity of bliss in the presence of God himself, in a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

The only alternative is to be shut out from the presence of this God forever, in the torments of hell. What men and women must do, before it is too late, is repent and trust Christ; the alternative is to disobey the gospel (Romans 10:16;2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17).

For Such a Time as This: Perspectives on Evangelicalism, Past, Present and Future, ed. Steve Brady and Harold Rowdon (London, UK: Evangelical Alliance, 1986), 80.

Posted originally on DGM by Josh Etter | Jun 23, 2012

Charles Spurgeon's Last Sermon & My Debt of Gratitude

Thanks to LOGOStalk, I re-post the following. But first let me ask your indulgence for doing so. I realize anyone can RE-post something. But I select the ones I do . . . obviously . . . for their import. I owe Spurgeon (i.e., Spurgeon's GOD) a debt of gratitude too heavy to pay. From my freshman year of college till now, I have read his sermons, his autobiography, and numerous other of his writings. I feel that I know the man. I've appreciated his humor, his candor and his boldness in the face of opposition. I even own an actual sheet of one of his sermons that he corrected before it went to the publisher! So, I send this forth with no small amount of thanksgiving. Please, if you haven't yet, find and read Spurgeon. Perhaps the best place to start is with his Morning and Evening Devotions. That will hopefully whet your appetite for more. God bless us as we hear CHS and fall more in love with his Christ.


On June 7, 1891, Charles Spurgeon stood before the congregation gathered at London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle and began his Sunday message with these words: “Those who associate themselves with a leader must share his fortunes . . .”

Spurgeon’s brilliant message equated the spoils shared by David’s men with the spoils we share through our affiliation with Christ. But to those associated with the Metropolitan Tabernacle, this message would go on to hold special significance. Unbeknownst to anyone one at the time, this would be Spurgeon’s last sermon.

Spurgeon preached his first sermon in December 1853 to London’s largest Baptist congregation at New Park Street. It wasn’t too long before his powerful messages caused the church to outgrow its 1,200-seat auditorium. The church moved a couple times before the 1861 dedication of the current Metropolitan Tabernacle at the intersection of Elephant & Castle. Spurgeon  spoke to 6,000 attendees every Sunday for 30 years, preaching to more than 10,000,000 in his lifetime.

It’s hard for modern readers to grasp how popular and controversial Spurgeon’s preaching was for nineteenth-century listeners, many of whom wrote Spurgeon off as overly dramatic and sacrilegious. Spurgeon never feared causing contention when he felt the topic deserved it. In a sermon titled “Baptismal Regeneration” (June 5, 1861), he challenged the validity of child baptism. This sermon sold more than 350,000 copies and created such a public uproar that Spurgeon withdrew from the ecumenical Evangelical Alliance.

The “Prince of Preachers” struggled with illness for most of 1891. Some time after preaching his last sermon, he went to the French Riviera to rest and recover, but he died the following January. More than 60,000 people attended his funeral on February 9, 1892.

Spurgeon’s last sermon, delivered 121 years ago today, ended with these words:

“Those who have no master are slaves to themselves. Depend upon it, you will either serve Satan or Christ, either self or the Saviour. You will find sin, self, Satan, and the world to be hard masters; but if you wear the livery of Christ, you will find him so meek and lowly of heart that you will find rest unto your souls. He is the most magnanimous of captains.

“There never was his like among the choicest of princes. He is always to be found in the thickest part of the battle. When the wind blows cold he always takes the bleak side of the hill. The heaviest end of the cross lies ever on his shoulders. If he bids us carry a burden, he carries it also. If there is anything that is gracious, generous, kind, and tender, yea lavish and superabundant in love, you always find it in him. These 40 years and more have I served him, blessed be his name! and I have had nothing but love from him. I would be glad to continue yet another 40 years in the same dear service here below if so it pleased him. His service is life, peace, joy. Oh, that you would enter on it at once! God help you to enlist under the banner of Jesus even this day! Amen.”

Star Trek's "Data" on Glorifying God . . .

Lt. Commander Data

I have always enjoyed Star Trek, especially Star Trek-The Next Generation made popular in the late 80's and early 90's.  One of the notable characters on this series is Lt Commander Data, an Android, an artificial mechanical, robot-like individual who is constantly studying the "human equation" hoping--Wizard of Oz like--to become more human himself. In one episode, Data encounters Dr. Graves, reputed to be the most intelligent scientist known. The two form a close relationship especially since one of Dr. Graves' specialties is cybernetics of which Data is a fine example. Graves was trying to explain to Data the term "delight." Data proceeded (per the norm) to give a dictionary definition. It was accurate . . . as definitions go. But Graves pointed out that giving a definition, knowing what it means is not the same as experiencing it. I thought, "Oh, how close you are in this dialogue to describing one of the greatest besetting problems that has ever faced mankind and which has not escaped the Church.

Too many within the boundaries of the Church who call themselves believers will have to admit to about as much understanding of God's glory as Data did of the term "delight." They may be able to give a paper definition, but they fail to testify to its experience. This is very sad indeed. I feel at times the pang of such a weakness in my own heart as well. I know that as a Pastor, it is easy for me to teach & preach regarding this issue, even with passion, and still not feel it myself. Let me cite a verse:

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

There is a great difference between desire and desire defined. There is also a world of difference between the dictionary meaning of "delight" and the act of delighting. Thanks to Star Trek Next Generation this lesson was reinforced to me. For a number of years both Jonathan Edwards and later John Piper have pressed this upon our consciences. Basically, they have taught that it is one thing to talk of glorifying God, quite another to DO it. Further, it is one thing to glorify God, but it is still much better if we delight in glorifying God!

To draw this home, perhaps our greatest need in the church is to get our idea of God right. In short, our God is too small, too weak. A. W. Tozer throughout his ministry gave much energy to this topic. Hear him write regarding the Christian's belief in a weakened God: 

The God of the modern evangelical rarely astonishes anybody. He manages to stay pretty much within the constitution. Never breaks over our bylaws. He’s a very well-behaved God and very denominational and very much one of us, and we ask Him to help us when we’re in trouble and look to Him to watch over us when we’re asleep. (Tozer on Christian leadership: A 366-day devotional).

Now, that's the weakness. Hear from Tozer again on developing a right relationship with God:

When we come into this sweet relationship, we are beginning to learn astonished reverence, breathless adoration, awesome fascination, lofty admiration of the attributes of God and something of the breathless silence that we know when God is near. 

You may never have realized it before, but all of those elements in our perception and consciousness of the divine Presence add up to what the Bible calls “the fear of God.”… 

There are very few unqualified things in our lives, but I believe that the reverential fear of God mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and admiration and devotion is the most enjoyable state and the most purifying emotion the human soul can know. (Christian Leadership)

Breathless adoration! Awesome fascination! Now we're getting somewhere. Star Trek was clearly a God-denying show, but Graves got this much right about Data, and by extension, about us as well. It's one thing to be told to delight in God, quite another to experience it. May God grant us a revival of interest in our intimate union with the God of glory and thus having this, we must, yes, we will delight in Him!

10 Dynamic Warren Wiersbe Quotations

I love a good quotation. When in college and seminary, my profs encouraged us to keep illustrations in files (the old fashioned paper ones). I did that. But now with my Logos Bible software, I can find all kinds of illustrations! The following, in fact, came from their own blog post (HERE). His was a household name growing up. I include Logos' brief bio of Wiersbe on the chance that you may not have heard of him.  Blessings . . .

 

Warren Wiersbe

Born May 16, 1929, beloved author, pastor, and preacher Dr. Warren Wiersbe is best known for the Old Testament “Be” Series and New Testament “Be” Series of expositional Bible studies, which have sold more than four million copies. But not many know that Wiersbe’s first foray into publishing had more to do with his love of magic tricks than with his spiritual pursuits.

As a teenager, Wiersbe wrote a book and sent his manuscript to the L. L. Ireland Magic Company. In 1944 they published his For Magicians Only: Action with Cards. This early success fed Wiersbe’s desire to write. 68 years later, he has written more than 150 books.

Here are 10 inspiring Wiersbe quotes:

1. “The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battleground, and we must be on our guard at all times.”—from The Bumps Are What You Climb On

2. “This modern emphasis only on personal salvation makes us lose sight of the grandeur and glory of God’s church. I am not minimizing our personal experience with Christ, but I am affirming that it is not the primary goal that God has in mind. He is building His church. He is building up the Body of Christ. The glory and greatness of our personal salvation is but a reflection of what God is doing corporately in and through His church.”—from Prayer: Basic Training

3. “You don’t have to read very far in your Bible to discover that God forgives His servants and restores them to ministry.”—from Be Amazed

4. “The immediate purpose of prayer is the accomplishing of God’s will on earth; the ultimate purpose of prayer is the eternal glory of God.”—from On Earth as It Is in Heaven: How the Lord’s Prayer Teaches Us to Pray More Effectively

5. “For the most part, the people we serve in our congregations don’t look like Josephs, Esthers, or Davids, nor do we; but the same God who glorified himself in the lives of ‘ordinary people’ in ancient days will glorify himself in our lives today if we will trust him.”—from 10 Power Principles for Christian Service

6. “God’s people don’t live on explanations; they live on promises.”—from Be Heroic

7. “We may be statistics and numbers as far as the world’s computers are concerned, but we are precious individuals as far as our Shepherd is concerned. He knows his sheep personally.”—from Be What You Are

8. “Satan wants us to think that our ‘disobedience detours’ must become the permanent road for the rest of our lives, but this is a lie.”—from Be Obedient

9. “The most important meeting we as leaders attend is that daily personal meeting with the Lord, before the day begins, when worship and meditation increase our faith as we receive the orders for the day.”—from On Being a Leader for God

10. “If you serve only to earn a salary, you will never do your best as long as you think you’re underpaid. If you minister to get recognition, you will start doing less when people don’t show their appreciation. The only motivation that will take you through the storms and keep you on the job is, ‘I’m serving Jesus Christ.’ “—from On Being a Servant of God

The Most Important Concern Ever!

DON'T SKIP THIS! . . . PLEASE. 

In a day when we talk all around a subject and can probe Google ad nauseum, we need someone to force us into the central, the most important, the sine qua non of the Christian life. There are times that I utter, "Stop the world I want to get off!!" Do you ever feel that way? Meditate instead on love to Jesus Christ? If you have this, you'll have all else. Without this, having all else, you will lack everything. No exaggeration!! Did I say, DON'T SKIP THIS? . . .

WHEN Jesus is near, all is well and nothing seems difficult. When He is absent, all is hard. When Jesus does not speak within, all other comfort is empty, but if He says only a word, it brings great consolation.

Did not Mary rise at once from her weeping when Martha said to her: “The Master is come, and calleth for thee”? [John 11:28]  Happy is the hour when Jesus calls one from tears to joy of spirit.

How dry and hard you are without Jesus! How foolish and vain if you desire anything but Him! Is it not a greater loss than losing the whole world? For what, without Jesus, can the world give you? Life without Him is a relentless hell, but living with Him is a sweet paradise. If Jesus be with you, no enemy can harm you.

He who finds Jesus finds a rare treasure, indeed, a good above every good, whereas he who loses Him loses more than the whole world. The man who lives without Jesus is the poorest of the poor, whereas no one is so rich as the man who lives in His grace.

It is a great art to know how to converse with Jesus, and great wisdom to know how to keep Him. Be humble and peaceful, and Jesus will be with you. Be devout and calm, and He will remain with you. You may quickly drive Him away and lose His grace, if you turn back to the outside world. And, if you drive Him away and lose Him, to whom will you go and whom will you then seek as a friend? You cannot live well without a friend, and if Jesus be not your friend above all else, you will be very sad and desolate. Thus, you are acting foolishly if you trust or rejoice in any other. Choose the opposition of the whole world rather than offend Jesus. Of all those who are dear to you, let Him be your special love. Let all things be loved for the sake of Jesus, but Jesus for His own sake.

Thomas à Kempis. (1996). The imitation of Christ (76). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems.

To this I would add Jesus' comment to the religious of his day . . .

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; [and one may find eternal life there, if . . .] and it is they that bear witness about me, [what you should be looking for] yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” [the crux of the matter, always!] (John 5:39–40). Really. How many who call themselves "Christian" today come to Jesus? Or are we expert (at best) in knowing things pertaining to him? I do not exclude myself from this questioning; not at all! In fact, I relish the reminder for therein lies the greatest joy, and I frankly don't want to miss it!

Winning Souls is Our Business--Yes, No?

Thomas Brooks (1608-1680)

I must make a confession . . .

I'm a graduate of Bob Jones University (1975). No, that's not the confession!! As a member of the "Preacher Boys" class--BJ senior's endearing moniker--if I were to distill their instruction down to one central driving issue, it would be this, we must go out there and "win souls!" We heard this a lot! And I sometimes felt guilty. I say this is my confession, not that they pushed this, but that after a while I wondered if that really is to be our driving passion. And I think that there is merit in denying that it is, on the basis of God's superior glory. What I mean is that one could go after souls and not do it for God's glory. So seeking God's glory in all we do must take precedence. (There's much more to this argument, but we'll save that for a later post). Now, having given this disclaimer (as it were), let me hasten to add that inculcating such a passion into future preachers is a most noble aim and one to be commended. Further, one would certainly be off-base to suggest that no BJ prof believed in the centrality of God's glory. We would not want to so "pigeon-hole" anyone. Nor do we wish to so mince words that the very import of a most worthwhile goal is lost in debate.

Why bring this up? Well, because of the following quotation culled from the writings of the revered Puritan, Thomas Brooks. Well before we were graduated from any biblical institution, Brooks published this (1662). Hear him out . . . It'll be worth your time.

Beloved! the salvation of souls is that which should be first and most in a minister’s eye, and that which should always lie closest and warmest upon a minister’s heart. O sirs! our dear Lord Jesus was infinitely tender of the souls of men. He left his Father’s bosom for souls; he trode the wine-press of his Father’s wrath for souls; he prayed for souls; he paid for souls; he sweated for souls; he bled out his heart’s blood for souls; and he made himself an offering for souls: and oh, what an encouragement should this be to all his faithful messengers to woo for souls, to mourn for souls, to pray for souls, to study for souls, and in preaching to spend and to be spent for the salvation of souls! Ah, friends, there is no work nor wisdom on earth to that of winning souls, Prov. 11:30, and ‘he that winneth souls is wise.’ There is no art, no industry to that of winning souls, of ‘taking’ souls, as fowlers take birds, as the Hebrew word ולקח imports. Now, though there is a great deal of art required to take birds, yet there is ten thousand times more art required to take souls. In a word, to convert a soul is a greater work than to sway a sceptre, or than it is to pour out ten thousand talents into the baskets of the poor.

Brooks, T. (1867). The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, Volume 4 (A. B. Grosart, Ed.) (35–36). Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert.

Do you see how Brooks makes his point? Still, I think we'd be reading too much into what he says to infer that winning souls is his greatest aim, even if it seems as though that is what he saying. After all, the above statement occurs in the introduction he made at the head of volume 4 of his works wherein is recorded 58 sermons on the Christian's pursuit of holiness based upon Hebrews 12:14, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” In short, Brooks was saying that he was aiming at "winning souls" by preaching on the pursuit of holiness in people's lives. The lost need it, and the saved need to keep living it. So, winning souls, at least in Brooks' mind meant far more than getting someone converted; it meant converting them to a changed life, a life lived godly.

True Christians CAN Give Up Their Rights

Please read this carefully! It is at once both one of the greatest lessons we Christians can live out and the most ignored. This comes right out of Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest for today's date. Emphasis is mine (bold print). Question: If you had the right to claim something, would you give up that right IF it meant you'd honor God in the process? Now read Chambers' comment on Abraham's (then, Abram) choice to let Lot choose first.

Oswald Chambers

If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. Genesis 13:9

As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and luxurious prospects will open up before you, and these things are yours by right; but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God choose for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the right and proper thing to consider if you were not living a life of faith; but if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and leave God to choose for you. This is the discipline by means of which the natural is transformed into the spiritual by obedience to the voice of God.

Whenever right is made the guidance in the life, it will blunt the spiritual insight. The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. It would seem the wisest thing in the world for Abraham to choose, it was his right, and the people around would consider him a fool for not choosing. Many of us do not go on spiritually because we prefer to choose what is right instead of relying on God to choose for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eye on God. “Walk before Me.”

Chambers, O. (1993). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year. Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

Did you see that? "Many of us do not go on spiritually because we prefer to choose . . ." In other words, we see the immediate benefit that we know belongs to us, but we fail to realize that a far greater benefit awaits those who do not insist upon their own rights. Again, this is most evidently one of the greatest lessons and most ignored in the church today. PLEASE, DO NOT BECOME A FAITHLESS STATISTIC ON THIS COUNT. Rise above the superficial claim it mentality and prefer the higher path to self-abnegation. 

I know, it's not popular in the world, but then again . . .