"God knows all that is done in the most secret caverns of the heart. No place is deprived of his presence." —Stephen Charnock
Church leaders are tasked with maintaining the purity of the church in this new covenant age (1 Cor.5). This is accomplished by the careful practice of church discipline, which must lead finally to excommunication for those who remain impenitent. The ancient Israelites and Judahites did not maintain discipline and cast idolaters out of their midst, so God judged them. Our Creator will likewise hold churches accountable that fail to discipline their members appropriately.
"God's Word is permanent, unlike humanity. We are like grass, like the flower of the field. Though we try to persuade ourselves that our lives are permanent, we know that they are not. That's why we must rest our hopes and our hearts on the permanent realities found in God's Word." —Sean Michael Lucas from his weekend devotional "God's Comforting Voice" in this month's Tabletalk magazine
"A Christian's assurance of salvation is guaranteed not by a profession of faith or some momentary zeal for Jesus. . . our hope is not in who we are or what we did. Jesus is the guarantee of our salvation (Phil. 1:6)." —Chris Larson from his weekend Bible study "Federally Backed Security" in Tabletalk magazine
Jesus’ dialogue with the Samaritan woman in John 4 has inspired Christians’ willingness to meet wherever we can find space. Our Saviour's statement that His followers will not worship exclusively in Samaria or Jerusalem but “in spirit and truth” indicate that God’s presence is not limited to any place or time (vv. 21–24). That is not to say that sacred space has no place in the new covenant. Our sanctuaries’ design and architecture always influence our worship for good or for ill. However, the Lord is not limited to one place, nor does He require a specific kind of church building for us to worship Him rightly.
"I may not 'feel' the presence of God when I grieve, but because I know that He is sovereign, that He cares for me, and that He is close to the brokenhearted, I can endure whatever situation He has ordained for me." —Janet Mefferd from "The Anchor of Theology" in this month's Tabletalk magazine
Sometimes we become discouraged that so many wolves are working among the sheep. False teachers have always been a problem for God’s people, however, so we should expect to see theological error raise its ugly head time and again. The focus of our discouragement should be upon those church leaders who refuse to purge false teachers from our midst, and we should channel it in a positive direction by calling church leaders to maintain the gospel’s purity in our local congregations.
"If your Lord calls you to suffering, do not be dismayed, for he will provide you a deeper portion of Christ in your suffering. The softest pillow will be placed under your head though you must set your bare feet among thorns." —Samuel Rutherford
Dr. R.C. Sproul has said that the biblical doctrine of salvation can be summed up effectively in three words: regeneration precedes faith. Without regeneration, we cannot trust Christ and be united to Him, and if we are not united to Christ, we cannot be justified, sanctified, and glorified. We cannot deserve regeneration, which is why we must finally attribute our salvation to God alone. Let us be grateful that the Lord has not left us to ourselves but has transformed us to believe in Him.
"A genuinely integrated Christian view regarding life and work must be cognizant of both perspectives regarding the world. It must somehow correlate spiritual concerns with temporal concerns. It must coalesce heavenly hope and landed life. It must coordinate heartfelt faith and down-to-earth practice." —George Grant
Matthew Henry comments, "Those who are not fruitful to the glory of God's grace will be fuel to the fire of his wrath." We are not counted as righteous before the Lord because of our service to Him. Nevertheless, if we are not fruitful in serving Him, then we do not abide in His choice vine—the Lord Jesus Christ—whose work alone can save us. By the Spirit, we must continue to abide in Christ and bear fruit unto the Lord's glory in the form of love for God and neighbour.
"Self-centeredness, like all sin, is ultimately a matter of the heart. And the only remedy that gets to the heart of the fall and all its bitter fruit is the Saviour, Jesus Christ." —Richard Phillips from "Self-Centeredness in the Family" in the March 2012 issue of Tabletalk magazine
For those of us who know Christ, meditating on what the Lord has done for us is a good way to strengthen our love for the Father and His Son. We, too, were like an exposed infant left to die in our blood, but the Lord had pity on us and took us for His own. Thus, the entire Christian life should be motivated by gratitude. Even when we experience the greatest periods of want, we have more than enough to be thankful for. God in His grace has saved us, a wholly undeserving people.
"The trouble with too many of us today is that we have lots of acquaintances but very few real friends. There is for us no 'band of brothers.'" —David Robertson
"It is said of Atlas that 'he held up the world on his shoulders.' That may have been a famous saying in Greek mythology, but in the real world it is love that carries the world on its shoulders." —Conrad Mbewe from his weekend devotional "Love Is Worth a Thousand Words" in this month's issue of Tabletalk magazine
Many people think that God’s answer to sin is to keep people from committing it. On the contrary, His answer is often to give people over to it. When Israel wanted to commit spiritual adultery with other gods, God gave them over to those gods. His purpose, however, was restorative. He handed them over to their sin that they might learn the error of their ways. The Lord may do the same for us, but would it not be better to avoid such pain by obeying Him?
"Even if we don’t worry about what we will eat, or what we will wear, as those to whom Jesus spoke did, we do worry about what people will think, or worse—that they won’t think of us at all." —R.C. Sproul, Jr. from "When Pigs Fly" in this month's Tabletalk magazine
God does not visit the sins of our parents upon us if we repent and turn from them. That is, we only bear the wages of our parents’ sins if we make these sins our own. The Lord is pleased to show mercy to His people when they forsake their wickedness and turn to Him, so we must never think that something we or our parents have done in the past can prevent our Father from forgiving us today—if we seek Him with all of our hearts.
"When God redeems His people, He also begins to bring us back into harmony with how He originally designed us to live. The creator God is also the Re-creator." —Kelly Kapic from "The Egocentric Predicament" in the March 2012 issue of Tabletalk magazine
God in Christ met not only Jews in the wilderness but also Gentiles (Mark 5:1–20), and as the Last Adam, He identified with Gentiles as well, bearing the Father’s wrath for Gentiles who believe. Whether we are Jews or Gentiles by birth, we can take part in the blessing of the final exodus by faith in Christ alone. The new exodus has come; now we are only waiting for God to lead us into the Promised Land—the new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells. He will be faithful to that promise.
"Christ remains the measure of men, and His life of perfect integrity, as He lived before God for men and before men for God, remains our pattern and example." —Iain Campbell from "Hypocrisy in High Places" in the October 2009 issue of Tabletalk magazine
Of the titles that are used for Jesus in the New Testament, Son of Man is our Lord’s favourite designation for Himself. It appears on His lips more often than any other title, including Lord and Christ. Biblical scholars have long considered the significance of this in light of the Old Testament. The main reason Jesus used this title was to identify Himself as the one to whom the Father would deliver an everlasting kingdom, namely, the cosmic ruler revealed in Daniel 7:13–14.
"O, how much time is spent in other studies and worldly employments; but how little in the search and study of Jesus Christ? O then, separate, devote, and wholly give yourself, your time, and your strength to this most sweet, transcendent study." —John Flavel
"In a world where nothing seems to be solid or secure, when everything is constantly on the move, or dissolving, or breaking down, or morphing into something else, or even changing into its opposite, the very notion of stability ceases to have meaning or significance, and, one might add, the very concept of meaning itself ceases to have meaning." —Carl Trueman from his article in the April 2010 issue of Tabletalk magazine "A Brave New World"
Bible critics read Scripture superficially and find “errors” that do not reflect a fair reading of all the evidence. History confirms biblical prophecy, and good apologetic resources demonstrate this. Therefore, it is a good idea for us all to own solid apologetic helps so that we may be prepared when others ask about the faith.
"The greatest pleasures human beings can experience are found in knowing and obeying God. That’s the message of Psalm 16: 'You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore' (v. 11). In God’s presence, there is fullness of joy; eternal pleasures—pleasures that will never go flat or stale—that are found in God." —Tedd Tripp from his weekend devotional "Pleasures Forevermore" in this month's issue of Tabletalk magazine
The glory that surrounds God is seen as beautiful colors, a wash of amazing sounds, a perfume of wonderful smells. That God adorns Himself with beauty is a sign to us. Do not settle for paltry architecture, advertising-jingle music, or weak pop culture in your life. Christians should be at the forefront of artistic development.
No comments:
Post a Comment