An Encouragement to All Who Struggle

John Newton, writing to his good friend, the Rev. William Bull, gives this description of his struggle with an unwelcome "lodger":

I have many pleasant and kind connections; but I have a troublesome inmate, a lodger, who assumes as if the house were his own, and is a perpetual incumbrance, and spoils all. He has long been noted for his evil ways; but though generally known, is not easily avoided. He lodged with one Saul of Tarsus long before I was born, and made him groan and cry out lustily. Time was when I thought I would shut the door, to keep him out of my house, but my precaution came too late; he was already within ; and to turn him out by head and shoulders is beyond my power; nay, I cannot interdict him from any one single apartment. If I think of retiring into the closest corner, he is there before me. We often meet and jostle and snarl at each other; but sometimes (would you believe it ?) I lose all my suspicion, and am disposed to treat him as an intimate friend. This inconsistency of mine I believe greatly encourages him, for I verily believe he would be ashamed and afraid to be seen by me, if I always kept him at a proper distance. However, we both lay such a strong claim to the same dwelling, that I believe the only way of settling the dispute will be (which the Landlord himself has spoken of) to pull down the house over our heads. There seems something disagreeable in this mode of proceeding ; but from what I have read in an old book, I form a hope that when things come to this crisis, I shall escape, and my enemy will be crushed in the ruins.

June 7, 1783

If the author of "Amazing Grace" experienced the constant struggle against the sin nature (as described in Romans 7), why would we think that we would be exempt? Oh for that day when the building is pulled down and we are lifted up!

I am not a prophet, or the son of a prophet, but...

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. - Revelation 8:8,9, ESV

The Birth of Jesus Christ

This paper by Daniel Wallace is from 1996, but it is still an important reminder of the details surrounding the birth of Christ.

Here is Wallace' conclusion:

We've been looking at several aspects of the birth of Jesus Christ in this short study. Now, we want to put it all together.

In the winter of 5 or 4 B.C., God invaded history by taking on the form of a man. He was born in a small town just south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem, which means 'the house of bread,' indeed became worthy of its name one lonely winter night. For there, in that town, was born the Bread of Life . . .

His mother placed the infant king in a manger--or feeding trough--because the guest room where they were to stay was occupied. The birth of this king was celebrated that night only by his mother, her husband, and a handful of shepherds. The shepherds had been in the fields around Bethlehem, guarding the lambs which would die at the next Passover. An angel appeared to them and gave them the birth announcement: "today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (). In their simple faith, they rushed to see their newborn king.

Shortly after the birth of the Messiah, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem and inquired of king Herod where the real king of the Jews was to be born. The theologians of Herod's court knew the Scriptures well--in 'Bethlehem' they recited. Ironically, though they knew the Scriptures, they did not believe them! They did not even bother to travel the five or six miles to Bethlehem to see their Messiah.

But Herod believed the Scriptures! That is why he sent a corps of butchers to Bethlehem to slaughter innocent children, in hopes of destroying this rival to his throne. But he was too late. The magi had come and gone and Jesus was by now safe in Egypt.

And the magi believed the Scriptures. They had traveled several hundred miles to worship this Babe. They were guided to Bethlehem by a supernatural celestial phenomenon--and by the Scriptures. Apparently, their ancestors had been instructed by Daniel the prophet about the coming Messiah. . . When they saw the child, they fell down and worshiped him. This was God in the flesh. They could do no other.

Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary

Zondervan has just released the five volume Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the Old Testament (ZIBBCOT), and I was able to get my hands on an advance copy of Volume 1, Genesis-Deuteronomy. When I received this book I immediately experienced a case of deja vu, remembering the day in 1991 when I first held a copy of the Holman Bible Dictionary in my hands.

Recognize that I am not equating the Holman Bible Dictionary with the new Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, since the differences are greater than the similarities, but both of these produced in me the same response when I first opened them: Wow! Both of these publications provide a view of the historical background of the Bible that would be helpful for all serious students.

Here is a brief comparison of the Holman Bible Dictionary (HBD) with the ZIBBCOT:

Content - The HBD is a Dictionary of Biblical words, people, events, and places presented alphabetically. The ZIBBCOT follows the biblical text, giving commentary on the people, events, and places along with a presentation of extra-biblical background material.

Format - The HBD is a single volume for the entire Bible, and always felt like it wasn't going to hold up to regular use due to a poor binding and questionable paper. The ZIBBCOT is a multi-volume work (there are also NT volumes, see my comment below), and feels like a quality binding with decent paper. It feels and handles like an expensive college textbook. Additionally, while both publications contain numerous photographs, those in the ZIBBCOT are of better quality, possibly as a result of advances in digital photography since 1991.

Philosophy - The HBD is published by Broadman & Holman, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. It is unapologetically conservative, and takes pains to avoid controversy. Zondervan caters to a "bigger tent" customer base, and is less afraid to present material that might be questionable to some readers, as seen by the first words of the introduction to Genesis:

Inferences drawn from the whole of the biblical text suggest that Moses was considered responsible for the shape and content of Genesis from early times. The Israelites in the wilderness, in roughly the third quarter of the second millennium B.C., are then the initial audience of the book. Many scholars unconvinced of the connection to Moses are more inclined to view the book against a mid-first millennium B.C. backdrop. The discussion is not without significance, but its impact on background issues will not often be felt. (ZIBBCOT, Volume 1, page 3)

Now, on to some of my Conclusionss concerning the ZIBBCOT:

I intend to get the remaining volumes of this set for my library. While it may not serve as a primary textual commentary in my studies it is going to be very useful for providing both background and context. Other background materials in my possession, such as the HBD and Lifeway's Biblical Illustrator, while sometimes useful, are not tied directly to the biblical text, causing one to spend additional time looking for relevant entries, or just choosing to ignore them altogether. I anticipate that the ZIBBCOT is going to provide a wealth of background information to support my preaching and preparation of Bible Studies. After discovering this work I learned that Zondervan also publishes similar volumes on the New Testament. Since I have just begun preaching through Matthew, I obtained the volume for that Gospel, and it has already proved helpful.

Here are two videos produced by Zondervan on the ZIBBCOT;

Comical:



More serious:

This Day in History, 1536

October 6, 1536, the date of the martyrdom of William Tyndale.

"I defy the Pope, and all his laws; and if God spares my life, I will cause the boy that drives the plow in England to know more of the Scriptures than the Pope himself!"

The plow boy, the merchant, and even the clergyman now know the Scriptures better as a result of the life and work of this brave hero of the faith. I have recently received a facsimile copy of Tyndale's 1526 New Testament, and it is quite remarkable in its beauty. While those who cherished Tyndale's original work did so at threat to their lives, my copy joins many other copies of the Bible on my bookshelves.

It's August...

...and Logos is still giving away great Bibles.


Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

Pray for our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters

This sad news story today from Fox News:

North Korea Publicly Executes Christian Woman for Distributing Bible.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:31-39 (ESV)

Ri Hyon Ok is now more than a conqueror. Pray for her family and fellow believers in North Korea as they face tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger and sword.

(You may also want to see my previous post about the dangers of attempting escape from North Korea.)

If it was the Qur'an...

...there would be wide-spread, world-wide rioting. Not to mention the outcry denunciation of this exhibit as a "hate crime".

Art Show Encourages People to Deface the Bible.

It appears that we are to now be tolerant of everything except the Truth.

(And, that sound coming from Scotland? That is John Knox spinning in his grave.)

Premium Bibles Giveaway

Logos Bible Software is giving away 72 premium Bibles from some of the best publishers over the next six months. They even give you five different ways to enter each and every month.

That is $11,500.00 worth of Bibles.

Win BibleWorks 8

Cal.vini.st has a first anniversary contest going on to win one of two copies of BibleWorks 8.

By letting you know about htis contest I earn another chance at winning myself, and there aren't enough of you (my faithful readers) to decrease my chances appreciably.

Update: It appears that there are problems with the domain name of the Cal.vini.st blog. My link is correct, but you cannot access the site right now. Maybe things will be fixed soon.

Additional update: The Cal.vini.st blog is once again available.

Paul's Prayers

D.A. Carson in A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities From Paul and His Prayers, lists the various prayers of the Apostle Paul as contained in his epistles (pages 67-74), and then challenges his readers to review them daily for 30 days. While Carson uses the NIV, I have given the text of the same passages from the ESV.

(All Scriptures below from the English Standard Version Bible, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

(Romans 1:8)

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

(Romans 10:1)

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

(Romans 12:12)

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Romans 15:5-6)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

(Romans 15:13)

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

(Romans 15:30-33)

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(1 Corinthians 1:4-9)

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

(1 Corinthians 16:23)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

(2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

(2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

(2 Corinthians 9:12-15)

So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

(2 Corinthians 12:7-9a)

But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for.

(2 Corinthians 13:7-9)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

(Galatians 6:18)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

(Ephesians 1:3-8)

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

(Ephesians 1:15-23)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

(Ephesians 3:14-21)

(Praying) and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

(Ephesians 6:19-20)

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ

(Philippians 1:3-6)

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

(Philippians 1:9-11)

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:6-7)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

(Philippians 4:23)

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

(Colossians 1:3-14)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

(Colossians 4:2-4)

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Thessalonians 1:2-3)

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God's wrath has come upon them at last!

(1 Thessalonians 2:13-16)

For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God,as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you,and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

(1 Thessalonians 3:9-13)

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

(1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

(1 Thessalonians 5:28)

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

(2 Thessalonians 1:3-4)

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

(2 Thessalonians 3:2-5)

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

(2 Thessalonians 3:16)

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,

(1 Timothy 1:12)

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

(1 Timothy 2:1-6)

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

(2 Timothy 1:3-7)

May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains,but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

(2 Timothy 1:16-18)

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

(2 Timothy 4:22)

I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints,and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

(Philemon 4-7)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

(Philemon 25)

Clarus Conference 2009

I had the great privilege of attending most of this year's Clarus Conference at Desert Springs Church in Albuquerque. This was my second year, having thoroughly enjoyed hearing Dr. D.A. Carson, and Dr. Micheal Horton at Clarus 2008.

In addition to the great preaching/teaching from Dr. Ray Ortlund, Jr. and Dr. Sam Storms, I have come to appreciate the worship ministry of Zach Nielsen at Desert Springs. Even though I am, at age 50+, firmly planted in the "traditional worship" camp, I am flexible enough to recognize that other worship forms are valid. This is especially seen in Zach's ministry, where traditional texts are reworked in contemporary clothing. We sang some of the great classics of the faith, from Watts, Wesley, and others, with fresh upbeat arrangements. Even those contemporary songs that are used at Desert Springs are fully "meaty" such as "In Christ Alone" that we sang Saturday morning, and which moved me to tears and thanksgiving for God's goodness. This is not performance ministry for the purpose of eliciting emotional "fuzzies", but rather full strength worship of the living God.

You will want, no, you need, to download the audio files from this conference once they are posted on the Desert Springs website.

Just a couple of highlight notes:

"Delight determines destiny." - Ray Ortlund speaking on Psalm 1

"Loving Jesus, Trusting Jesus, Enjoying Jesus; you can't have one, truly, without the others" - Sam Storms, 1 Peter 1:8

"If you need more than Jesus to make you happy, then your heart isn't right." - Ray Ortlund, 2 Corinthians 11:1-4

"We delight in election because God delights in it." - Sam Storms, John 17:1-2, Ephesians 1:3-18, 1 Peter 2:9-10

There was only one (small) black spot on the weekend. Following Dr. Ortlund's message Saturday morning, where he concluded by presenting a full and free offer of the Gospel, I bumped into one gentleman next to the bookstore and remarked how much I was enjoying the conference. His response was "it was OK until that guy turned into a flaming Arminian." (!?!) It appears that hyper-calvinism is still with us, and is something against which we need to always be vigilant. I spoke later with Dr. Ortlund, and related this conversation. In our short discussion he spoke about the importance of Iain Murray's "Spurgeon v. Hyper-Calvinism" a small book that I have read and have even given copies to others, and the need to guard against this pernicious belief. What I found ironic about this situation is the fact that the theme for the conference was "The Convergence of Doctrine and Delight". God delights in His children's obedience, which includes our participation in His Great Commission to make disciples of all the nations. Doctrine, even the matchless doctrines of grace, is worthless unless we make it real in obediently following Christ.

Because your Old Bible...

...wasn't Green enough, enter The Green Bible.

Why save your neighbors when you can save the world? (?!?)

Does Satan Exist?

Pastor Mark Driscoll does an excellent job in proclaiming the Gospel during this ABC Nightline Face-Off. Annie Lobert's testimony is extremely compelling. Deepak Chopra and "Bishop" Pearson demonstrate the lunacy of a world-view that is not based upon the truth of God's Word.

While you are at it, scroll down to the "Does God Exist?" Face-Off with Kirk Cameron.

Win a Calfskin ESV Study Bible

I really enjoy my hardcover ESV Study Bible, but would not turn my nose up at a calfskin version of the same. Boomer in the Pew is giving one away in honor of their first blog birthday. Check it out.

No, we can't

Just a reminder this morning that we cannot trust ourselves, or any other man, to be anything other than a wretched sinner in need of a Savior:

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:9-26, ESV)

Not Guilty Anymore

So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more. - Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. - Romans 8:1 (ESV)

HT: Ray Ortlund

Eschatology*

Here are a couple of items of interest.

First, a chart showing the various millennial views.

Second, a chart describing amillennialism.

(both of these links will result in .pdf downloads.)

*Eschatology - The study of the end times.

You can't make this stuff up

Virtual infidelity leads to reality divorce.

Just a reminder that infidelity is a thing of the spirit, not the body.

And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.” - Malachi 2:13-16 (ESV)

Looks like an interesting book.

Andy Naselli posts a brief review of what looks to be an interesting book, Three Views on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament.