Suffering to Worship

Again, Mark Driscoll serves up a thoughtful sermon on suffering. Suffering to Worship offers many insights on 1 Peter 4:12-19 that we should not miss. The video and notes are found here. Take advantage and learn now what you can about suffering. Develop a "theology of suffering," as Don Carson so aptly refers to it, before suffering in what ever form strikes. Learn what the Lord could and is doing for you. Suffering is never wasted. Learn from it.

How To Profit From Sickness Direct. IV

Direct IV. When affliction calleth you to the use and exercise of your graces, you have a great help to be better acquainted with the strength or weakness of them. When you are called so loudly to the use of faith, and love, and patience, and heavenly-mindedness, you may better know what measure of every one of these you have, than you could when you had no such help. Mark therefore what your hearts prove in the trial, and what each grace doth show itself to be in the exercise. (Taken from A Christian Directory by Richard Baxter.)

What I Sometimes Get From Drinking Coffee

I have this coffee mug you see, that has Scripture verses all over it. It was gift from my Mom several years ago. Not long ago I suddenly realized that I ought to read it and not just drink from it. After all, that's why the verses are there - to remind me of what I should be doing, praying. Well, praying and ruminating on the verses. Here they are in no special order as they are all equally a blessing.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24-26

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. James 4:8

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

How to Profit From Sickness III

Direct. III There is many a deep corruption in the heart, which affliction openeth and discovereth, which deceitfulness hid, in the time of prosperity; and the detecting of these is no small benefit to the soul. When you come to part with wealth and honor, you shall better know how much you loved them, than you could before. Mark therefore what corruptions appear in you affliction, and how the heart discloseth its deceits, that you may know what to repent of and reform. (Taken from A Christian Directory by Richard Baxter.)

Suffering to Serve

Link to the Mars Hill blog here for Pastor Mark Driscoll's sermon on Suffering to Serve from 1 Peter 4:1-11. You'll also find the notes for the sermon and other good info as well. Be blessed.

S.D.G.

Calvin on Prayer

No one could have said it any better than John Calvin:

To prayer, then, are we indebted for penetrating to those riches which are treasured up for us with our heavenly Father. For there is a kind of intercourse between God and men, by which, having entered the upper sanctuary, they appear before Him and appeal to his promises, that when necessity requires they may learn by experiences that what they believed merely on the authority of his word was not in vain. Accordingly, we see that nothing is set before us as an object of expectation from the Lord which we are not enjoined to ask of Him in prayer, so true it is that prayer digs up those treasures which the Gospel of our Lord discovers to the eye of faith. The necessity and utility of this exercise of prayer no words can sufficiently express. Assuredly it is not without cause our heavenly Father declares that our only safety is in calling upon his name, since by it we invoke the presence of his providence to watch over our interests, of his power to sustain us when weak and almost fainting, of his goodness to receive us into favour, though miserably loaded with sin; in fine, call upon him to manifest himself to us in all his perfections. Hence, admirable peace and tranquillity are given to our consciences; for the straits by which we were pressed being laid before the Lord, we rest fully satisfied with the assurance that none of our evils are unknown to him, and that he is both able and willing to make the best provision for us. (Taken from Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith. The Daily Benefits Derived from It.)

How to Profit from Sickness Direct. II

Let's look at Richard Baxter's next direction on how to profit from sickness. Keep in mind that we can replace the word sickness with trial, suffering, loss, pain, affliction. It all works here and God uses each situation in our lives to bring about his purposes.

Direct. II. If in the review of your lives, you find out those sins which before you overlooked, or perceive the greatness of those sins which before you accounted small, the benefit may be very great; for it helps to a more deep and sound repentance, and to a stronger resolution against all sins, if you recover. And affliction is a very great help to us in this: many a man hath been ashamed and deeply humbled for that same sin, when sickness did awake him, which he could make his play-fellow before, as it there had been neither hurt nor danger in it.

More Thoughts on Meditation from Spurgeon

Remember that souls grow more by meditation than by anything else.

and....

Meditation is the soul of religion.

Faith Upholds our Lives in Affliction

The Banner of Truth Trust has published these great little, Pocket Puritans books. They're certainly small but brimming with theological meat. One of the small books is Samuel Ward's Living Faith and its no different - its just packed with spiritual assistance and comfort. Take the following as an example, Faith tackles great obstacles. Small boats do well in calm conditions, ordinary men can stand up to a light breeze, but when a heavy tempest blows, and wave after wave crashes in, nature yields, spirits faint, hearts fail. To stand up against such storms and to live and reign is the work of faith, which has the Word as its compass, and Christ at the helm. The greatest adversities are but the exercise and lustre of faith. Men glory when they can tame tigers and lions, make the elephant bow to them, and bear to follow them. But what a small conquest is that compared with faith when it makes shame, poverty, sickness, persecution, banishment, yea, death itself, to be not only not dreadful, but manageable and bearable. A Christian has great advantage because of his faith. His only defect is lack of skill or a failure to use the shield of faith when a dart comes suddenly at him. Therefore when a storm rises, immediately run and awaken your sleeping faith. (Pgs. 43-44)

What exceptional observations and advice. Let us engage our faith when trials hit and take comfort that our Lord is watching over us.

How to Profit from Sickness

It seems so unlikely that we can profit from sickness and yet we see in Scripture that our Lord often works in the exact opposite way from the manner in which we think and reason. And so Richard Baxter enlightens us in his Christian Directory about this in the section, Directions how to Profit by our Sickness:

Direct. 1. If you hear God's call to a closer trial of your your hearts, concerning the sincerity of your conversion, and thereby are brought to a more exact examination, and come to a truer acquaintance with your state, (be it good or bad,) the benefit may be exceeding great. For if it be good you may be much comforted, and confirmed, and fitted to give thanks and praise to God; and if it be bad you may be awakened speedily to look to about you, and seek for recovery.

Accepting Forgiveness

Do you ever find yourself trying to do more to win God's forgiveness? To win his favor? We tell ourselves we believe in justification by faith alone on Sunday and by Monday morning we revert to doing things that will make God accept us. Let's face it, we function in the realm of works righteousness more often that we'd like to admit. Getting at the root of this problem I think involves learning to accept God's forgiveness. For whatever reason, we just don't believe God forgives us or can forgive us. I'm too sinful. I'm too far gone. I can't change my ways. God is too holy to ever want me. Any of those sound familiar? They all ring true true to me.

One of the best books I've come across that addresses this problem is Experiencing God's Forgiveness by John Ensor. Let me share a few lines I have highlighted in my copy: If God is punishing us through the hardships of life, then the cross cannot be our complete atonement, and the Apostle Paul overstated the case when he said, "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Some lingering judgment must be causing bad things to happen. But the truth us, "since we have forgiveness of sins and God is no longer our enemy but our Father, we can allow His peace to rule in our hearts experientially, despite life's sufferings" (Romans 5:1). If we admit that God forgives us but we don't forgive ourselves, are we not insulting His judgment and exulting our own, as if we have a higher standard of justice than He does? The very question of self-forgiveness may reflect a resistance to glory in God's mercy and a preference to grind our teeth for failing to be as good as our pride always assured us that we were. (Pgs 132-133).

That first sentence hit me like a truck - "If God is punishing us through the hardships of life, then the cross cannot be our complete atonement." That means the atonement truly was lacking or I'm making God out to be a liar. Which is it? We know all know the answer. Ensor goes on to remind us that we must silence this thinking and replace it with the truth of Scripture.
Specifically, Romans 8:31-35 which states, 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 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? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 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. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

May we spend some time meditating on the truth of this doctrine and rejoice in our forgiveness.

The Monday After Easter

Stephen Nichols shares some excellent thoughts on The Day After Easter. Here's a brief quote: Easter is over. The new clothes are hung up, the candy has been eaten, and choir directors and pastors everywhere--not to mention ushers--are enjoying the quiet routines of a Monday. For the diehard Reformed, you know who you are, this Monday is like every other Monday because Easter Sunday is like every other Sunday: Resurrection Sunday comes every seven days for you, not once a year.

For the rest of us, I have some thoughts. It was after Christ rose from the dead that the work of the church, of beginning and building the church, began in earnest. The euphoria of the Resurrection moment would abate and the grind of routine would set in. The hard work, the daily commitment to love and care for people, the challenge of a hostile world crushing in, all this and more was what the early church, the New Testament church, had to look forward to. ...Being faithful in the routines, on the Mondays after the Sundays, is important. It is as inversely important as it seems unglamorous. (Emphasis mine.)

How very true. We continue on faithfully in our day to day work of bringing in the Kingdom. Focusing not on ourselves and the post-holiday let down we feel but rather on the glory of Christ and what He has done in our lives. Dig into Scripture today as you always do and get working while remembering to pray, meditate and thank the Lord for the trials you encounter (Psalm 119:71).

Thoughts on Prayer from Luther's Table Talk

O how great a thing, how marvelous, a godly Christian's prayer is! How powerful prayer is with God! A poor human being can speak with God's high Majesty in heaven and not be affrighted, but, on the contrary, he knows that God smiles upon him for the sake of Christ, his dearly beloved Son. In this act of praying, the heart and conscience must not fly and recoil backwards because of our sins and unworthiness. Nor should the heart stand in doubt, or be frightened away...[W]e must must certainly hold and believe that our prayers, offered with faith in Christ, have already been heard. The ancients quite rightly defined prayer as the ascent of the heart of God. (Taken from Luther's Table Talk, The World Publishing Company, 1969.)

Luther Sermon on Easter from Mark 16:1-8

In the Gospel of John Christ tells Mary Magdalene of the benefit and use of his death and resurrection still more plainly, when he says: "But go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God." Jn 20,17. This is one of the great and comforting passages upon which we can venture, and of which we dare boast. As if Christ had said: Go hence, Mary, and say to my disciples who have deserted me on the field of battle, and who have well merited punishment and eternal condemnation, that my resurrection has taken place for their benefit; that is, by my resurrection I have brought it to pass that my Father is their Father, and my God is their God. These are few words and very short; but they contain a great thought, namely, that we have as great a confidence and refuge in God as Christ his Son himself has. Who can grasp such exceeding joy, unless one speaks of himself when he says a poor, corrupt sinner can and may call God his Father and his God, just like Christ himself does? A portion of a sermon by Martin Luther in 1525 ON THE FRUIT AND POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION.

Spurgeon on Meditation

A man who wants to see a country, must not hurry through it by express train, but he must stop in the towns and villages, and see what is to be seen. He will know more about the land and its people if he walks the highways, climbs the mountains, stays in the homes, and visits the workshops; than if he does so many miles in the day, and hurries through picture galleries as if death were pursuing him. Don’t hurry through Scripture, but pause for the Lord to speak to you. Oh, for more meditation!

Luther on Oratio, Meditatio, Tentatio

As we begin I want to share a quote by Martin Luther which is the basis for this blog. I want you to know how to study theology in the right way. I have practiced this method myself ... Here you will find three rules. They are frequently proposed throughout Psalm [119] and run thus: Oratio, meditatio, tentatio (Prayer, meditation, trial). (Taken from What Luther Says: An Anthology, Vol. 3, p. 1359 and 1360.) Much of our lives are caught up with these three things, or should be, prayer, meditation, trial. Let us hold fast to the truth of Scripture and to what our spritual forefathers have revealed to us in written word about these three critical areas of life. As this blog progresses we'll look at what they have to say about prayer, meditation and trials.