Today many value "honesty" and "openness," and it is argued that we should ventilate our feelings or else risk damaging ourselves by bottling them up. We are also told that cynicism is wise, and we should not be gullible, but instead critical. The truth is, little thought is given to how giving full vent to the evil that is bottled up in our hearts might damage others. The Bible instead repeatedly tells us to control ourselves. The following series of proverbs challenged me, and I want to try and live my life by them more and more in the future.

Firstly, I do not want to be a scoffer. Rather, I want to be one who, instead of being provocative, turns away anger. Secondly, I do not want to become like a fool by engaging him in debate. No profit can come of that. Thirdly, I want to be one who genuinely rejoices when others do well, and root out any trace of jealousy. Finally, I want to be known as someone who does NOT give full vent to my innermost thoughts, but instead holds much in reserve.

Proverbs 29:8-11
Scoffers set a city aflame,
but the wise turn away wrath.
If a wise man has an argument with a fool,
the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.
Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless
and seek the life of the upright.
A fool gives full vent to his spirit,
but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Last Sunday, I preached a sermon at Jubilee Church in our series on the book of Nehemiah. A video of it is now available to download. You can also download the mp3, listen to it right here, or read my notes below:

“Let me tell you about a most wonderful experience I had early Monday morning, March 19, 2007, a little after six o’clock. God actually spoke to me. There is no doubt that it was God. I heard the words in my head just as clearly as when a memory of a conversation passes across your consciousness. The words were in English, but they had about them an absolutely self-authenticating ring of truth. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God still speaks today.

I couldn’t sleep for some reason. I was at Shalom House in northern Minnesota on a staff couples’ retreat. It was about five-thirty in the morning. I lay there wondering if I should get up or wait till I got sleepy again. In his mercy, God moved me out of bed. It was mostly dark, but I managed to find my clothing, got dressed, grabbed my briefcase, and slipped out of the room without waking up Noël. In the main room below, it was totally quiet. No one else seemed to be up. So I sat down on a couch in the corner to pray.

As I prayed and mused, suddenly it happened. God said, ‘Come and see what I have done.’ There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that these were the very words of God. In this very moment. At this very place in the twenty-first century, 2007, God was speaking to me with absolute authority and self-evidencing reality. I paused to let this sink in. There was a sweetness about it. Time seemed to matter little. God was near. He had me in his sights. He had something to say to me. When God draws near, hurry ceases. Time slows down . . .”

— John Piper

GOD DOES SPEAK TODAY! THROUGH HIS WORD!

Read Nehemiah 8:1-12

INTRODUCTION
Nehemiah has come, the wall has been built, and the opposition has been dealt with. It's now time to begin to build the people. God not only rebuilds walls, but restores lives. Fixing the people—that was the real plan. God is less interested in walls and more interested in people. Building the people of God.

How do we go about building the people of God? Nehemiah knew that when it came to fixing lives, he wasn’t the man to do it. Even though he was the leader, he had a sense of teamwork, so he called for Ezra to bring the book, to open the book. Nehemiah realized that it wasn’t only the trowels that were needed; now the people needed to hear from the book of the Law. He made room for the preacher. He knew everyone had a role. He gathered a big group—50,000 people. And they came and listened to the Word of God for six hours! Why would they do that?

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD OF GOD
   
   2 Timothy 3:15-17
   “. . . from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."
   
   What does that mean? First, this Book is holy. It also means it's possible for it to save us. And it means it can equip us for everything God has for us. In order to be saved, there are some things we need to understand.
   
   Romans 10:9-17
   “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. . .So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
   
   It’s not a man who will save us. Only Jesus can save us, and the way he saves us is through our understanding of what’s in this Book.
   
   Psalm 119:130
   “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.”
   
   Romans 15:4
   "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
   
   Matthew 4:4 and Deuteronomy 8:3
   “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
   
   It sustains spiritual life and shapes our everyday life. Without it we will starve, have no hope, no endurance, no instruction, no wisdom, not be equipped for what God wants us to do, have no faith, and ultimately be foolish and unsaved!
   
   
2. HOW DO WE TAKE HOLD OF THE WORD OF GOD?
   
   People died in order that we can have this Book in our hands. People were killed just for owning this Book. The Reformation restored the Bible to the common people from the priests, who had maintained an exclusive right to it. And now, in our times, a generation is again emerging that is IGNORANT of this Book!
   
   How then do we take the Word of God in?
   
   
   • TAKE IT IN CHUNKS
     It’s good to have a system. Use a Bible-reading plan. Maybe have it read to you. Use the CD player in your car. I use Every Day in the Word. It provides OT reading, NT reading, Psalms, Proverbs—a varied diet. Not all meat for a month and no vegetables! Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything! Or use an iPOD (you can subscribe to it as a podcast). Take fifteen minutes a day and you will be able to read or listen to the entire Bible in one year. Don’t feel condemned if you miss a day.
     
     
   • PRAY AND MEDITATE ON IT
     Take a phrase and chew on it and pray it back to God. Mull it over. Let it emotionally impact you. Believe it. Ask God for the promises, believe the truths. Change in response to it.
     
     Psalm 119:15
     “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”
     
     It’s not just academic; it’s experiential, faith arises. Nehemiah does this in chapter 1 by praying back to God a verse from Deuteronomy—“God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.” The advantages of meditation gets us up close and personal with the Bible. We can remind God of his promises. Mould ourselves to the Word.
     
     
   • STUDY IT
     Get a study Bible, such as the new ESV Study Bible. Use notes, commentaries, books, word study, Grudem's Biblical Doctrine, Bible software, etc. God wants us to be those who labor at his Word. We work hard at our jobs, why not work hard so you can do the job of life? Don’t be tossed to and fro. Ezra knew that it was his job as priest.
     
     2 Timothy 2:15
     “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
     
     Sometimes we don’t understand the Bible very well, and sometimes we have no shame in that fact. “Oh, I’m a “spirit person, I’m not a Word person.” But what did the Bereans do?
     
     Acts 17:11
     “They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
     
     
   • SEEK HELP FROM OTHERS
     We need to study this Book, understand it, meditate on it, such that we won’t be blown away. Do we always understand it all? Sometimes we need others to teach us—our church, small groups, someone to lead us individually. In addition, listening to sermons, some perhaps repeatedly, may help our understanding.
     
     The Bible is not like normal food in the sense that we can’t get too much of it! We won’t become obese eating too much spiritual food.
     
     BUT, there is one danger, and that is the danger that we only read it, maybe even study it, maybe even become an academic expert on it, but somehow the vibrancy and the life of God’s Word doesn’t touch us, doesn’t impact us. If we are left untouched by God’s Word, there will be two main consequences in the life of the believer—we will be hearers of the Word, but not doers of the Word. The Word is about action, in our lives and in sharing the gospel. It’s about living in response to it. The second is that we wil become proud of our knowledge and be academic and dry, devoid of the Spirit.
     
     1 Corinthians 8:1-2
     “Knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.”
     
     
   • SEEK HELP FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT
     The goal is to KNOW GOD—not just to “know about” the Bible.
     
     Hebrews 4:13
     “For the word of God is living and active.”
     
     The Word has a power of its own, breathed into it by the Spirit who inspired it! We must read it, meditate on it, pray, study it, marinate it with the Spirit That’s the key. If we do that, the Word of God will make sense to us. THERE IS NO CONFLICT BETWEEN THE WORD AND THE SPIRIT!
     
     1 Corinthians 2:14
     The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
     
     We need the help of the Spirit to make it clear to us. It’s tragic that some Christians emphasize the Word, but don’t want to know about the Spirit, and other Christians emphasize the Spirit, but don’t want to know about the Word. It’s time to bring the Word and the Spirit back together. There’s never been a battle between them!
     
     
   • MEMORIZE IT and VALUE IT APPROPRIATELY
     
     Psalm 119:11
     I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
   
   
   
3. WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF THE WORD OF GOD?
   
   
   • THAT WE MIGHT NOT SIN
     That we will repent. That we will turn our backs on sin and obey God.
     
     John 14:15
     “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
     
     The Word adjusts conduct, character, and the course of our lives. Because we are on our way to heaven, we live in a way that is worthy of that calling.
     
     
   • TO DEFEAT THE DEVIL
     It’s like a sword in our hands. Ephesians 6 says, “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When Nehemiah built the wall, the workers had a sword and trowel in their hands.
     
     
   • TO BE THE ANSWER FOR ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS
     The Bible says to ask God for wisdom and he will give it to you—in marriage, relationships, sex, parenting, work, success, money, suffering, etc. We live in a lost world and the world doesn’t know where to go for guidance. But this Book has all the answers.

BUT sadly many Christians read all this and feel “I can’t do it.” MANY CHRISTIANS REMAIN IN THE PLACE OF CONDEMNATION. Many of us came to the same place that the people did when they heard Ezra reading the Law. They come to the place of sorrow and guilt. There was weeping. The Word shows us our sin. Pricks our deadened conscience back to life. Convicts us.

2 Corinthians 7:10
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation.”

The Word exists to bring us to the one who is called “The Word.”

John 5:39
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”

Jesus is the hero of every passage in the Bible, even if you can’t see it at first. Every Scripture takes us to Jesus. Because of him, the Word can wash us clean. With the Word marinated by the Spirit we are converted. It’s the gospel that is the power of God to save us. Faith comes. We are born again.

It is so right when we listen to the words of this Book that sometimes we want to weep, we feel helpless, guilty, like we’ve messed up. May I suggest it’s because we have messed up? But God doesn’t want to leave us there. So many people go through life starting each day with “Oh God, I’m sorry for all the things I’ve done. Thank you for forgiving me, but I feel guilty.” And they go through all the sins they’ve committed. Not to say there is no place for confession, there is. But it’s interesting that the Lord’s prayer begins with “OUR FATHER . . .”

The Lord’s prayer doesn’t start with sin—it begins with the fatherhood of GOD. We need to relate to God as a father who has loved us, who has forgiven us, who sent his Son to take our place, to bear our punishment in order that we can be forgiven. He sees us as holy, as if we’ve obeyed every command in this Book. He sees us as if we never did anything wrong. When we understand that, a great joy should well up inside of us!

JOY TO KNOW WE ARE FORGIVEN!

JOY IN JESUS, NOT WORLDLY THINGS—He is the goal of the gospel.

JOY IN JESUS MAKES SIN LESS APPEALING.

SANDWICH MEAT versus SIZZLING STEAK!

JOY OF THE LORD.

Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

CONCLUSION
The Word of God brings us through conviction to repentance, and through repentace to joy. Joy is not that everything is perfect, but rather it is a joy the world cannot take away since we know that in the end we will be with Jesus.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has now stated the obvious by finally agreeing with bankers that the world seems to be heading into a recession. It is worthwhile spending a few moments reviewing the reason we seem to be heading for the financial rocks. The answer is quite simple — as nations we owe too much. We are even seeing whole nations in danger of bankruptcy, as individual bankruptcy is becoming big business.

Centuries ago, the Bible understood that debt is something that should be avoided wherever possible. Proverbs 22:7 says: "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." Thus the Christian approach to money management, many Christian leaders have argued, is to avoid debt like the plague.

The West as a whole has ignored that advice. The real problem seems to be that even our rich banks have not been able to avoid the temptation to borrow money in order to make more money. It is astonishing that no regulator seems to have seen the danger since even the banks have become slaves to some nebulous thing called "wholesale money markets." Robert Peston reported the staggering statistic that in the UK "net wholesale funding of our banks went from zero in 2001 to £625bn by the end of 2007." When a market is your master rather than an individual, if the market changes direction, you are doomed, unless another master bails you out. Now, of course, many banks are slaves of the state and one has to ask how many truly independent banks will be left by the end of this storm.

We might ask why debt is such a problem. The answer is really quite simple, and increasingly even secular commentators are beginning to grasp this. Debt is a form of theft from ourselves. As one commentator put it:

"The world stole prosperity from the future year after year, with the full collusion of governments, regulators, and central banks. Now the future has arrived."

— The Telegraph

I want to introduce you to a very unusual book by Mark Driscoll and his writing buddy and professor, Gerry Breshears. I would go so far to say that this is a unique book in that I have never seen anything quite like it.

If their first book together, Vintage Jesus, was a light cheerful book that offended some by its use of humor and at times edgy topics for illustrations, this new book by these two men is more of a grungy, almost dark book. The video over at the ReLit site leaves you in no doubt that this is a book that will wrestle with darkness, pain, and even demonization.

Certainly this book represents just a tiny sample of the ocean of pain that a pastor of a large church has to handle over the years. Some neoliberals argue that people who believe in penal substitutionary atonement do not engage with the real suffering found in the world. This book demonstrates emphatically that this is simply not true in Driscoll's case. Such critics also argue that the evangelical's gospel can become overly narrow, eventually focusing solely on the "felt need" of the feelings of guilt many still feel. Guilt, however, is far from the only reason people come to Christ. The New Testament is full of helpful ways we can understand what Jesus did on the cross.

Without in any way softening his commitment to the centrality of Jesus taking the punishment of sin in our understanding of the cross, Driscoll is far broader in his understanding of and application of the cross to hurting people's lives today. From convicted child molesters, to cheating husbands and raped women, Driscoll shares pen outlines of the destruction manifest in the lives of specific people to whom he has ministered. He then shows in a letter written to each individual how a specific aspect of what Jesus has done on the cross can bring wholeness and salvation to them.

This is a vital book that should be read by every Christian who is serious about reaching out with the gospel into this dark and damaged world. I will share a video of Mark speaking about the book, followed by an excerpt from one of those letters that particularly struck me. You will have to buy the book to see exactly how Driscoll and Breshears apply the gospel to Bill and his violent, abusive father.

"As a little boy you rightly felt angry at your dad, and that anger rightly compelled you to confront his injustice and protect the rest of the family. Therefore, anger can be a righteous virtue, which explains why God gets angry at sin too. The Bible is full of examples of God getting angry at sinners. A few examples will illustrate my point clearly, but a reading of Leviticus 26:27-30, Numbers 11:1, and Deuteronomy 29:24 for starters, speak of God's anger as being hostile, burning, and furious.

Flaccid church guys will often accept that in the Old Testament God did get angry, but they will say that Jesus was a nice, emotionless, flaccid church guy, just like them, who chose a hollow, fake smile over anger every day. But even Jesus got angry, furious, and enraged . . . [Here Driscoll cites Mark 3:5 and Revelation 19, but one could also add Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, and John 2:13-17.]

In speaking of God's anger, I want to be careful not to give permission for us to lose our temper and rage, because that is a sin—the very sin your father committed repeatedly. However, because God is perfect, his anger is perfect and, as such, is aroused slowly (Exodus 34:6-8), sometimes turned away (Deuteronomy 13:17), often delayed (Isaiah 48:9), and frequently held back (Psalm 78:38).

Furthermore, God feels angry because God hates sin (Proverbs 6:16-19, Zechariah 8:17). Sadly, it is commonly said among Christians that "God hates the sin but loves the sinner." This is as stupid as saying that God loves rapists and hates rape, as if rape and rapists were two entirely different entities that could be separated from one another. Furthermore, it was not a divinely inspired author of Scripture but the Hindu, Gandhi, who coined the phrase, "Love the sinner but hate the sin" . . .

Regarding God's anger and hatred, it is commonly protested that God cannot hate anyone because he is love. But the Bible speaks of God's anger, wrath, and fury more than of his love, grace, and mercy. Furthermore, it is precisely because God is love that he must hate evil and all who do evil—evil is an assault on whom and what he loves.

Therefore, Bill, your anger toward and hatred of your father are justifiable and are the healthy response to seeing your dad beat the mother and siblings you love. However, in a mysterious conflict of deep emotions, you continued to love your father just as God continues to love unrepentant sinners whom he simultaneously hates . . .

I know this will be difficult for you to comprehend, Bill, but Jesus has fully experienced what you have, and much more. Jesus was mocked and beaten, though he was without sin. He willingly substituted himself for those he loved and wanted to save . . . "

From Death By Love by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, copyright 2008, pages 127-129. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

The Doctor was given his nickname, I believe, not so much because of his medical degree, but rather because of the way in which he used his diagnostic skill to get to the root of the human predicament. This quote is a good example of that:

To fail to control ourselves means a loss of energy. These things can actually be measured. When I say ‘self-control’ I include controlling one’s temper, controlling one’s spirit. Have you ever seen a man trembling in a rage? What energy that man is wasting! He is emitting energy at a tremendous rate because he cannot control his temper, and his own spirit. And, of course, he is but as putty in the hands of the devil. When a man cannot control himself how can he possibly deal with the enemy? Discipline is an absolute essential in an army; it is one of the most important things of all. If an army is not disciplined it is already defeated, it becomes a rabble.

The Bible has much of this kind of teaching. It is a major theme in the Book of Proverbs. The wise man in dealing with this matter says: ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty’ (Proverbs 16:32). What he is saying is that a man who is slow to anger, a man who can control his temper, is a much stronger man in the end than a mighty man who loses his temper. The second man is much mightier by nature, but if he dissipates and wastes his energy by failing to control his own temper he will lose the battle. This first man has nothing like the vital force and capacity, nor the strength of the second, but he controls himself; and a man who can control himself will often beat a man who is very much better at the task, and who has much greater strength, simply because he is reliable and steady.

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Christian Soldier: An Exposition of Ephesians 6:10 to 20 (Edinburgh; Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1977), 101. Also available electronically from Logos Bible Software.

NOTE
This photo of "the Doctor" is quite rare, according to Philip Eveson, principal of the London Theological Seminary, where this portrait hangs inside the Lloyd-Jones library. Although pastor of the Westminster Chapel in London for many years, the Doctor was originally born and raised in Wales, and he also pastored his first church in South Wales.

For more information on Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, see this summary post or the MLJ Recording Trust.

Yesterday, at two different times during the day, I was confronted with the idea of God granting success to people. The first time occurred while I was reading the story of David and Jonathan where, in one chapter, the idea is repeated several times.

1 Samuel 18:5 — And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

1 Samuel 18:14 — And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him.

1 Samuel 18:15 — And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him.

1 Samuel 18:30 — Then the princes of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

Then, later in the day, someone reminded me of a verse in Nehemiah:

Nehemiah 1:11 — O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.

In fact there are also several other examples of God giving success to his people and/or them asking him for it.

Psalm 118:25 — Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!

Genesis 39:2 — The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.

Proverbs 3:3-6 — Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths.

It struck me that those of us who believe in the sovereignty of God have a common temptation to react so strongly against "faith" teaching that we feel fearful to ever follow this biblical example and ask for success. But it really does seem that a mark of the Lord being "with" someone is this surprising success that seems disproportionate to a person's natural ability. This is what the grace of God is all about. It means that God often chooses someone and plucks them from obscurity to be successful. It also means that we should not feel so shy about asking for God to grant us success.

God doesn't grant such favor in order for us to be proud. Quite the opposite, because it is his to give and he makes us look better than we are, the glory goes to him alone.

1 Corinthians 1: 26-29 — For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

The 26th most read post on this blog is a set of results from a survey I conducted on sex.

The 25th most read post is a set of sermon notes from an old sermon of mine on finding the will of God for your life.

I am thankful today. It may not be my holiday, we may not have anything even remotely like it here in the UK, but as I said last year, I am very glad of the reminder this American holiday represents.

I know that at times I still have a sinful tendency to focus on things that are not going the way I want them to rather than to be thankful for everything that has gone well. I know that even after all these years of growing as a Christian, there are times when self-pity, criticism of others, and ungratefulness rear their heads. I know that in the corner of my heart their lies an area as yet not cleaned by the grace that is washing me day-by-day and making me more like Jesus. That area stubbornly refuses to learn that I am not the center of the universe. Neither will it accept that minor inconveniences to me are not worth getting upset about. It must continually be reminded that if I just learned to actually be more sincerely thankful rather than merely mouthing the words "thank you" in a ritualistic manner, my world would actually be a better place. So apart from all the other reasons I have to give thanks, my own selfish interests would be better served!

The truth is, we all find it hard to say a simple "thank you."

My dear readers, I do want to thank you today so much for your patience and ongoing interest in these voluminous and persistent writings of mine which threaten to encroach upon your coffee breaks on a daily basis! I do value the time you invest. I appreciate your interest in the matters that interest me. I am grateful to God for his grace, which has meant that some of you find that investment of time to be at times helpful to you.

* * * * *

One of the interesting things about blogging is the way it seems to go around in cycles. I suppose it's partly because of the way blogging obviously reflects the rest of our lives. I know that, for me, my blog is just an extension of me. Many times my friends have to stop me when I'm talking to them and say, "Adrian, I've already read that on your blog!"

So it felt rather strange when I realized the odd coincidence that this Thanksgiving I'm again returning to a theme that was bubbling up in my thinking at the same time last year. This culminated in a post just days after Thanksgiving titled "Making a Minor Tweak to My Comments Policy."

Interestingly, I had the same internal conflict then I find I have right now. On the one hand I was upset about some of the comments I received on the blog, and on the other hand I was thankful for many of the comments—"especially from those who disagree with me." The real problem I face is that sometimes it's really hard to decide which comments I am happy to publish and which ones I am not. It's difficult to set any clear set of rules that can be understood by both me and you, my readers. Tone is in the eye of the beholder, as my recent debate with the Pyromaniacs clearly demonstrated.

Last December I realized that my earlier tweak had not been enough, so I made a major change in how I would deal with comments here. I now feel that the change I made last year is no longer adequate. It served me well this past year, but now it's time for another radical change. My big problem moving forward is that, with all my other responsibilities, I am so busy that something has to give. I have decided that the time I spend making the often agonizing decision about whether or not to publish a comment (and which I probably sometimes get wrong) is going to have to be freed up.

So, at least for now, beginning today, I will no longer publish comments made on my blog posts.

What does this mean? Firstly, for the vast majority of you, it will make little or no difference. I know that only a tiny proportion of my readers even read the comments, let alone add to them. For some of you, though, this will be disappointing. Does this mean I am no longer interested in your feedback? Absolutely not! Does this mean I will stop reading e-mails sent to me? No! In fact, by freeing some time, it may even make it more likely that I can respond to an e-mail privately, or if appropriate and with the permission of my correspondent, on my blog itself.

I will still, as time permits, try to interact with those who disagree with me. I am not retreating into some kind of bunker! From time to time, I will also probably post a link here to such a post and answer it. I may even frequent the comment sections on other people's blogs.

Why am I doing this? It's mainly for my own sanity. It's because I need to reclaim the time I currently devote to scratching my head in deciding whether or not to publish comments. I feel responsible for the words which appear here in the comments section. I obviously do not have any similar responsibility for what people might post elsewhere. I may well find myself quite happy to read even quite critical comments made elsewhere, whereas reading the very same words as a potential comment for publication here would make me anxious about whether or not I should accept it.

I am grateful for my interactions with you, my readers, which have helped me to understand so many things more clearly. It is therefore with some sadness that I now pull the plug on comments. Because of my current time pressures, it is better to stem the flow of comments now than to wait until I am engulfed in a major comment storm at some point in the future.

If you have made any comments you want to save for the future, please go in and copy/paste them, since at some point fairly soon I will be removing all the old comments also.

The following verse has influenced this decision, and I hope will continue to influence my blogging in these post-comment box days:

"The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out." (Proverbs 17:14)

UPDATE
Not everyone is happy with my decision, as this post over at Peter's blog demonstrates.

Today is remembrance day. It is the day which we hope ended war forever in the main countries of Europe. It is a day for silence, contemplation, and gratitude. The thought that strikes me is that what is true of nations is also true of individuals. We war and fight with one another, and just as a small event all those years ago erupted into a major war that engulfed the globe, so in our personal relationships small disagreements can spread and sour entire families. In personal relationships, as with war, we have to know when to confront, but also when to simply let a matter lie.

I was challenged again to think—how often do I simply overlook an imagined offence committed against me, and how often do I self-righteously believe I am helping another by pointing out their weaknesses? The Scriptures seem clear that we should overlook a whole lot more of these offences than it is our natural tendency to do. Let me share a few of them with you:

• The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. (Proverbs 17:14)
  
  
• Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offence (Proverbs 19:11).
  
  
• The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult (Proverbs 12:16).
  
  
• It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling (Proverbs 20:3).
  
  
• Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).

UPDATE
In January 2008, the following post was identified as the 20th all-time most popular post with readers of this blog. The 21st most popular post was my interview with Mark Dever.

This post introduced us to a remarkable new approach to a study Bible, brought to us by Crossway. In January 2008, I'm still working my way through this, reading it from cover-to-cover. I'm enjoying it very much.

***************

Crossway has made the preface of its new ESV Literary Study Bible available online. They have also made the text available for electronic purchase. I am very impressed with the introductions they offer to every passage in the Bible. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Too many Christians think that the literary study of the Bible necessarily implies that we do not believe it is inspired by God. This is, of course, not true. The Bible is, after all, a book. You will almost certainly find the comments in this new work totally different to those you have read in any other study Bible. As far as I know, this is the first truly literary study Bible.

Crossway has kindly given me permission to share the following extract here. It explains twelve literary features of the Bible which together make it unique:

1. A unifying story line.
   
   Although the overall genre of the Bible is the anthology of individual books and passages, the Bible possesses a unity far beyond that of other literary anthologies. The technical term for a unifying superstructure such as we find in the Bible is metanarrative (big or overarching story). In the Bible, the metanarrative is the story of salvation history—the events by which God worked out his plan to redeem humanity and the creation after they fell from original innocence. This story of salvation history is Christocentric in the sense that it focuses ultimately on the substitutionary sacrifice and atonement of Christ on the cross and his resurrection from death. The unifying story line of the Bible is a U-shaped story that moves from the creation of a perfect world, through the fall of that world into sin, then through fallen human history as it slowly and painfully makes its way toward consummation and arrives at the final destruction of evil and the eternal triumph of good.
   
   
   
2. The presence of a central character.
   
   All stories have a central character or protagonist, and in the overarching story of the Bible God is the protagonist. He is the unifying presence from the beginning of the Bible to the end. All creatures interact with this central and ultimate being. All events are related to him. The story of human history unfolds within the broader story of what God does. The result is a sense of ultimacy that comes through as we read the pages of the Bible.
   
   
   
3. Religious orientation.
   
   The subject of literature is human experience, and this is true of the Bible, too, but a distinctive feature of the Bible is that it overwhelmingly presents human experience in a religious and moral light. Events that other writers might treat in a purely human and natural light—a sunrise, a battle, a birth, a journey—are presented by the authors of the Bible within a moral or spiritual framework. Part of this moral and spiritual framework is the assumption of the biblical authors that a great conflict between good and evil is going on in our world and, further, that people are continually confronted with the need to choose between good and evil, between working for God's kingdom and going against God.
   
   
   
4. Variety of genres and styles.
   
   Every literary anthology of the Bible's magnitude displays a range of literary forms, but the Bible's range may well top them all. We need to be alert to this, because the religious uses to which we put the Bible can easily lull us into assuming that the Bible is all one type of writing. The list of individual forms, if we include such specific motifs as the homecoming story or trickster or love poem, keeps expanding. (A complete guide to these literary forms as we find them in the Bible is Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998].) The variety that we find in the Bible stems partly from the large categories that converge—history, theology, and literature, for example, or prose and poetry, realism and fantasy, past and future, God and people.
   
   
   
5. Preference of the concrete over the abstract.
   
   While the New Testament contains a great deal of theological writing, the general preference of biblical authors is for concrete vocabulary. This is especially true of the Hebrew language of the Old Testament. In the Bible, God is portrayed as light and rock and thunder. Slander is a sharp knife. Living the godly life is like putting on a garment or suit of armor. Heaven is a landscape of jewels. To read the Bible well, we need to read with the "right side" of the brain—the part that is activated by sensory data.
   
   
   
6. Realism.
   
   The prophetic and apocalyptic parts of the Bible give us a steady diet of fantasy (flying scrolls, for example, and red horses), but the general tendency of the Bible is toward everyday realism. The Bible displays the flaws of even its best characters (Oliver Cromwell famously said that the biblical writers paint their characters "warts and all"). Although the Bible does not delineate the sordid experiences of life in the extreme detail that modern literary realism does, it nonetheless covers the same real experiences, such as violence, murder, sexuality, death, suffering, and famine. Of course the Bible differs from modern realism by showing us that there is a realism of grace as well as a realism of carnality. In other words, the Bible is not content to portray the degradation of a world that has fallen into sin without also portraying the redemptive possibilities of a world that has been visited by the grace of God and is destined for glory.
   
   
   
7. Simplicity.
   
   Although the Bible is certainly not devoid of examples of the high style, especially in the poetic parts, its overall orientation is toward the simple. The prevailing narrative style is plain, unembellished, matter-of-fact prose. Shakespeare's vocabulary is approximately twenty thousand words, Milton's thirteen thousand, and English translations of the Bible six thousand. Biblical writers often work with such simplified dichotomies as good and evil, light and darkness, heroes and villains. Of course there is a simplicity that diminishes and a simplicity that enlarges. The simplicity of the Bible paradoxically produces an effect of majesty and authority.
   
   
   
8. Preference for the brief unit.
   
   Linked with this simplicity is a marked preference for the brief literary unit. Biblical poets tend to write brief lyrics, for example, not long narrative poems. Most long narratives in the Bible such as the story of Abraham or the Gospels are actually cycles of stories in which the individual episodes are briefer and more self-contained than what we find in a novel. The prophetic books are actually anthologies of self-contained oracles and snatches of narrative. Other familiar biblical genres reinforce this tendency toward simplicity—proverb or saying, parable, lists of individual commands or rules, summaries of what various kings did, occasional letters (epistles) in which the author responds to a list of questions that have been asked or a crisis that has arisen in a local church.
   
   
   
9. Elemental quality.
   
   The Bible is a book of universal human experience. It is filled with experiences and images that are the common human lot in all places and times. The Bible embraces the commonplace and repeatedly shows ordinary people engaged in the customary activities of life—planting, building, baking, fighting, worrying, celebrating, praying. The world that biblical characters inhabit is likewise stripped and elemental, consisting of such natural settings as day and night, field and desert, sky and earth. Even occupations have an elemental quality—king, priest, shepherd, homemaker, missionary.
   
   
   
10. Oral style.
    
    Even though the Bible that we read is a written book, in its original form much of it existed orally. This is true because ancient cultures were predominantly oral cultures in which information circulated chiefly by word of mouth. The literary forms of the Bible show this rootedness in an oral culture. The prevalence of dialogue (directly quoted speeches) in the Bible is without parallel in literature generally until we come to the novel. Everywhere we turn in the Bible, we hear voices speaking and replying. The spare, unembellished narrative style of the Bible arises from the situation of oral circulation of the stories. Additionally, many of the nonnarrative parts of the Bible show signs of oral speech—the prophetic discourses and oracles, the psalms (which were sung in temple worship), the epistles (which were read aloud in churches), and the Gospels (where the words of Jesus are a leading ingredient).
    
    
    
11. Aphoristic quality.
    
    An aphorism is a concise, memorable statement of truth—in the words of English poet Alexander Pope, “What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed.” The Bible is the most aphoristic book of the Western world. It is filled with sayings that are part of the common storehouse of proverbs and idioms: “pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18); seeing “eye to eye” (Isaiah 52:8); a “house divided against itself” (Matthew 12:25). This quality is present not only in the wisdom literature of the Bible, but in all parts of the Bible and most notably in the sayings of Jesus.
    
    
    
12. The literature of confrontation.
    
    When we read Shakespeare or Dickens, we find ourselves moved to agreement or disagreement, but we do not ordinarily feel that we have been confronted by someone or something that requires us to make a choice. By contrast, when we assimilate the Bible we feel as though we have been personally confronted with something that requires a response. While this choice is ultimately for or against God, the ideas of the Bible, too, require us to believe or disbelieve them. The Bible displays a vivid consciousness of values—of the difference between good and evil—with the result that it is virtually impossible to remain neutral about the ideas that confront us as we read the Bible.

Summary
Perhaps none of the twelve features noted above is unique in itself. But if we put them together, they produce a book that is unique. Reading the Bible is not just like reading another book. It has an affective power and aura of authority that cannot be duplicated. It possesses a quality of encounter that other books do not display, so that as we read we are confronted with the voice and presence of God and are virtually compelled to believe or disbelieve what we are reading. The Westminster Confession of Faith provides an apt summary of the things that make the Bible unique: “the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole [which is to give all glory to God], the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God.”

From The Literary Study Bible, copyright 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For more information see also my previous posts on the ESV Bible.

The British and the Americans are at war once again. This time it is a more localized conflict than the War for Independence which, for a nation who has a history of over 1000 years, is really just yesterday. Fortunately the weapons of this latest war are words, although these are, of course, more deadly than nuclear bombs. (Proverbs 18:21)

We have American visitors at the moment. My kids are confused. They can't understand why a room that has a toilet and no bed or bath gets called a restroom or bathroom. But that is nothing compared to what I have just discovered. I mean, an innocent conversation about a lorry overturning on a motorway/highway met with blank looks from my friends. So I tried calling it an articulated lorry, an HGV (heavy goods vehicle), even the odd-sounding word "motor truck" (on Google's recommendation), and, of course, my favorite description of this type of vehicle—the juggernaut. None of this helped AT ALL. The blank looks continued.

The only way we could communicate was for me to say—'OK, so you are at Walmart. A vehicle arrives to deliver goods for them to sell. What do you call it?'

The astonishing answer given by these two otherwise sane American girls (who are, incidentally, Christians of marriageable age and available—apply by e-mail to me for prescreening!) was "A TRACTOR-TRAILER!"

My wife and I are not just laughing out loud (LOL) or ROFL, we are CRYING! To me a tractor is a farm vehicle which tows plows, or yes, a farm trailer! Since when does an all-terrain farm vehicle have eighteen wheels?! Wikki is very clear in its definition of a tractor, and it sure isn't something you would see very often on the roads.

Please, please, please, somebody help us! Give us a sensible name for the vehicle we have agreed to call (in the meantime) a big vehicle that is liable to jack-knife at midnight when the Warnocks are on their way home from holiday!

Stephen van Rhyn
Stephen is the Lead Elder of Jubilee Community Church in Cape Town, South Africa. He is married to Anna and has two young boys, Josh and Ben, and one daughter, Bethany.

See also Andrew Fountain's notes from this talk, Leadership Lessons From Moses and Aaron.

Together On a Mission 2007 continues to have an impact as the talks are beginning to be made available on the Net. This talk from Stephen Van Rhyn (otherwise known as 'the other guy'!) is one of the first two made available online for which you can order a CD.

He took us to Exodus 32. Stephen began by explaining that this story teaches us that leadership matters. There was a direct correlation between the spiritual health of the leader and the spiritual health of the people. What we do matters. When Jesus said the crowds were harassed and helpless, they had experienced tremendous healing where ALL were being healed. This was because the people had no leader. There is no leadership responsibility, however small, that is insignificant. The kingdom of God advances on delegated leadership.

The church advances as it multiplies leadership. We are called to plant growing vibrant churches, and if we are to achieve this, great senior leadership is not enough. We need depth — great leadership at every level.

Aaron was seduced by his own success. We need to remember that we all need help. Aaron forgot that he was there because of Moses, and fell into pride and deception. Proverbs 16:18 warns against pride.

Aaron abdicated his leadership. He tried to give the people what they wanted rather than seeking God. The people are leading and he simply implements the desires of the people. This attitude pervades the Church today — give people what they want, take a survey, etc. We should be courageously leading the people to do what is right in the sight of God. We need to love people enough to give them God's best even if that is not popular. We cannot simply aim to entertain people and give them what they want!

Aaron called for God's people to sacrifice the wrong things. They weren't just sacrificing jewelery; they were sacrificing the Word of God and the presence of God. The ten commandments had already been given.

The Church is often reduced to an echo of the culture rather than a prophetic voice. We should be a thermostat, not a thermometer. Matthew Paris seems to understand the Bible more than many in the Church! We need to be those who have a submissive attitude to the Bible.

The presence of God was to be withdrawn. Moses wouldn't settle for an angel. Christian maturity is an increased desperation for the presence of God. The gifts can mess up our carefully constructed worship services.

Stephen contrasts Aaron's response to being found out in sin with David's response. God can deal with sin, but wants us to own up to it. We cannot fool God. When we are honest we find a God who is slow to anger and delights to forgive us. We need to admit what we have done wrong to the God of grace.

Moses' response indicated five things from which we can learn:

1. Moses sought God.
   
   
2. He wasn't content with personal success at the expense of corporate failure — he didn't take the option of destroying the people of God.
   
   
3. He didn't stay static in the face of evil. One man can radically change a nation.
   
   
4. Moses called Aaron to account. Senior leadership cannot have an “anything goes” attitude. This saved him from destruction.
   
   
5. Moses led and lived for the glory of God.

This Piper Friday, I would like to share an extract with you from an old sermon by John Piper. It rightly entwines three themes that were flowing through my head (and hence this blog!) earlier this year: The study of God’s Word, prayer, and the activity of the Holy Spirit. I am increasingly convinced that we need these three things more than anything else! Oh, God . . . make us preachers to be men like this!

“The minister of the Word must not choose between study and prayer. Study without prayer is the work of pride. Prayer without study is presumption. This is what the Proverbs teach: "If you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding (that's prayer), and if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures (that's study), then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:3–5).

Prayer humbles the heart and gives it the tone of Christ and makes it ready and open and sensitive to the truth of Scripture. But it is study that brings in the truth and fills the heart with joy and power.

Meeting the Almighty God
The ministry of the Word is a ministry of prayer because in prayer the minister meets God and has real living dealings with the Almighty so that his preaching and teaching have the aroma of God about them. The ministry of the Word must be a ministry of earnestness and intensity, and where are these to be found if not in our private meetings with God where you learn to know if you are real or just playing games?

One great Baptist pastor, Hezekiah Harvey, put it like this in 1879: "Moral earnestness can never be assumed; it is the attribute only of a soul profoundly feeling the power and reality of divine truth. The man, therefore, who would speak God's Word with the pungency and fervor of a Bunyan, a Baxter, a Flavel, or a Payson must, like them, be constant and fervent in prayer. The springs of spiritual life opened in the closet will pour forth never-failing streams of life in the pulpit."

Without much prayer all the study in the world will leave us shallow and lean. Without prayer there creeps in what Richard Cecil called the "low, managing, contriving, maneuvering temper of mind among us."

E.M. Bounds is right when he says, "What the Church needs today is not more machinery or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use — men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men — men of prayer."

Today we draw to a close our series on the attributes of God—which has been inspired by the T4G Statement—by publishing an article which, in an abridged form, has already been published in the online Comment magazine.

The article addresses the nature of God, but focuses on the fact that we need to learn to love this God—which is surely a good way for us to round off this series.

For more posts on the T4G Statement, Articles 1-4 see Ten Conclusions About Expository Preaching, and for more on Articles 5 and 6, see the following posts:

• Book Review on How Much Does God Foreknow?
  

• T4G Articles 5-6 — Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Trinity and Attributes of God
  

• International Federation of Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches Issue Warning — Do Not Jump in Church This Weekend
  

• T4G Articles 5-6 — The Attributes of God and the Trinity
  

In the light of eternity, we are all beginners in the task of learning to love God. It is the most significant challenge faced by the Christian. When asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” It is a measure of our spiritual weakness that we see this challenge as somehow less critical than the challenge to live morally.

How can I love someone I have never seen? We may experience a form of “love” for a character we read about in a book or see in a movie, but is that anything like the love we feel for someone we actually know? Is our love for God just a form of admiration that we might feel for a hero in a novel or the long-deceased subject of a biography. God is not the long-dead subject of a book. He is a living, breathing Person. How then can we learn to love Him as a real person?

I am convinced that the way we learn how to love God is to think of our relationship with Him in the same way we do with people we can physically see. God wants us to be His friends and to enjoy loving the One who is the most worthy of our love. We grow in our love for God in the same way we grow in our love for anyone else. In this article I will show you ways in which we build our relationships with other people and then apply them to how we can learn to love God Himself.


Love Goes Beyond Mere Feelings
The first thing to consider is, what does love actually mean? Many people think that love is simply an emotional feeling — like the way you feel when your knees go weak when you meet that someone of the opposite sex for the first time. Too often songs and sermons tell Christians to relate to God as if He were their heavenly boyfriend. Not surprisingly, that picture is frequently not very appealing to men. As Mark Driscoll says, “It's hard to worship someone you can beat up.” We must learn to love the real Jesus—not a weak imitation.

The contemporary concept of love is far from the biblical one. It is dangerous to think of love in merely emotional terms: Love is a “doing word,” a word full of action. It requires choices—hard choices sometimes. Love is about sacrifice, about faithfulness. It requires commitment. It doesn't always feel so good, and sometimes may even be very painful. As Daniel Bedingfield sings, “Nothing hurts like love, nothing causes your heart so much pain.” Loving God is no different. It, too, will at times be painful.

The first step toward learning to love God is to respond to His love for us. We do this because of what He has done for us: “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Like any other covenant relationship, we decide to love irrespective of how we feel or, indeed, how it appears to us another person is treating us. The extent of true love for someone else is not measured by how we feel about him when everything is going well. Satan's words could as easily have read, “Does Job love God for nothing?” (Job 1). Our challenge is to love even when we feel things are not going well — to love from the core of ourselves even when we feel despair attempting to take hold.

What is love? Love is a deep-seated orientation of your life towards someone else. It involves your whole being. It usually involves deciding to put the needs of another person before your own. Just ask any parent. Our relationship with God is no different, except that He doesn't have any needs—we are needy. We come to God determined to centre our lives around Him, and to put ourselves in the position of needy recipients of His grace. He calls us to serve Him and worship Him, but it is not because He is deficient in any way. We come to God as receivers, not givers. We love God as little children love their parents, and serve Him in the same way a good mother will ask her child to help her in the kitchen so the child will learn and so they can be together.


Love Requires Spending Time Together
There are no shortcuts to loving someone. Love demands interaction and communication, and these require an investment of time. Imagine a friend who comes to you complaining about his girlfriend. He explains that their relationship just doesn't seem to be going anywhere. You ask him how long they have been going out, and what their conversations are like. Your friend replies, “Oh, we don't actually go out and talk with each other!” Many Christians spend little or no time with God and then wonder why they are not growing in their relationship with Him.

What does spending time with God look like? Clearly one of the most important ways we spend time with God is in prayer. But how do we pray in such a way that we actually feel that we are in the presence of God — that we are in a real conversation with Him? Prayer must not be merely reciting a shopping list to God. Instead of rushing to ask Him to do things for us, we start by praising Him for who He is and thanking Him for what He has done for us. As we do this and experience clear answers to prayer, just as in any relationship, more of a sense of a shared history with God will emerge and love will deepen. The longer we know Him and the more we remember how He has helped us and answered our prayers, the more we will love Him. But prayer is not only about setting aside special periods of time to be with God. It's that sense of continually communing with Him in our daily routine. It is critical that we also spend time with God in repentance and receiving forgiveness. Jesus said that those who are forgiven much will love much (Luke 7:49).


Love Requires a Deep Knowledge and Understanding of the Other Person
There is no substitute for getting to know and understand God by reading the Bible. We must grow in the biblical knowledge of who God is and what He is like. Many Christians have only a vague idea of the character of God and are unable to identify where the Bible teaches what we assume about Him. To grow in our love for God, the Bible must shape our beliefs about God. I believe it is important that we know why we believe what we do, and that we do not merely parrot theories taught by others.

Do we merely “assume” certain truths about God? Unfortunately, not all of these can be assumed these days. Where C. S. Lewis was able to say, for example, “Everyone who believes in God at all believes that He knows what you and I are going to do tomorrow” (Mere Christianity), we can no longer assert it as something generally understood by our culture. If we compromise on these truths and we end up with a God who doesn't know everything or who isn't all-powerful, our ability to love such a weakened God is severely diminished.

As we learn more about God—His glory, His perfection, and His existence as the Trinity—I believe our love for Him will grow. We can trace throughout the Bible the unique characteristics of God, and see how Jesus shares every one of these. It is said of Jesus that "in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9). He is the revelation of God to us. The more we learn of Him, the more we love Him.

We must understand God in all his transcendence and immanence. As the book of Exodus describes God: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:6-7). Many Christians emphasize one or the other of these aspects. It is only as we understand that God is both loving and holy, near to us yet separate from us, that we will learn to love Him for who He is. The following table will help you to allow the Scriptures to shape your understanding of God and the way that Jesus shares all of His attributes:

GOD EXISTS ETERNALLY
God: Psalm 90:2; Revelation 1:8
Jesus: John 1:1-5; John 17:5; Revelation 22:13

GOD IS LOVE
God: 1 John 4:8
Jesus: John 17:24

GOD IS THE CREATOR
God: Romans 11:36; Psalm 104:24; Acts 17:24-25; Ephesians 3:10
Jesus: Colossians 1:15-17

GOD IS OMNISCIENT - HE KNOWS EVERYTHING
God: 1 John 3:20; Hebrews 4:13; Psalm 139
Jesus: John 2:24-25; John 16:30

GOD KNOWS THE FUTURE
God: Isaiah 46:9-11
Jesus: John 13:19

GOD IS NOT BOUND BY TIME
God: 2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 90:4; Exodus 3:14
Jesus: John 8:58-59

GOD IS UNCHANGEABLE
God: Malachi 3:6
Jesus: Hebrews 13:8

GOD IS WISE
God: Romans 16:27; Psalm 147:5
Jesus: 1 Corinthians 1:24

GOD IS TRUTH
God: Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2
Jesus: John 14:6

GOD IS OMNIPRESENT - HE IS EVERYWHERE
God: Psalms 139:7-10; Jeremiah 23:24
Jesus: Matthew 18:20

GOD IS OMNIPOTENT - HE IS ALL POWERFUL
God: Jeremiah 32:17; Ephesians 3:20
Jesus: Mark 4:41

GOD IS UNCONTAINABLE
God: 1 Kings 8:27
Jesus: Matthew 17:2-6

GOD IS LIGHT
God: 1 John 1:5
Jesus: John 8:12

GOD IS SPIRIT
God: John 4:24
Jesus: John 1:14

GOD IS HOLY
God: Psalm 99:9
Jesus: Luke 4:34

GOD IS RIGHTEOUS AND JUST
God: Luke 18:19; Matthew 5:48
Jesus: 2 Corinthians 5:21

GOD IS JEALOUS AND FULL OF WRATH
God: Nahum 1:2
Jesus: John 2:17

GOD'S WILL ALWAYS ULTIMATELY COMES TO PASS
God: Ephesians 1:11; Job 42:2; Proverbs 19:21; Psalm 115:3
Jesus: Matthew 28:18

The Spirit Helps Us to Love God
It is sad that the arguments over charismatic gifts of the last century have led so many of us to forget that for hundreds of years many Christians understood that our birthright is an experience of God mediated by the Holy Spirit.

Christian leaders of the past spoke of a pouring out of the Holy Spirit that would help us to experience God's love. That is rarely spoken about today—even charismatic Christians sometimes have a tendency to over-emphasize the gifts instead of the Holy Spirit’s work in promoting the intimate knowledge of God that we are intended to have. The Bible describes the Spirit as follows: “For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). Clearly it is not an option to ignore the Third Person of the Trinity if we want to grow in our love for God.

Jesus is very clear about how we demonstrate our love for Him, and what the results are. He links obedience with love, and then He promises that those who obey Him will know the presence of God by way of the Spirit’s presence in the world: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him . . . my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:21).

The Apostle Paul describes it this way: “God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5) He also writes, “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6). If we need help in loving God, we should ask His Spirit to aid us in our weakness and teach us how to love Him.

Jesus says an incredible thing: “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). I am increasingly provoked that few Christians would say that their experience of the Spirit was preferable to Jesus’ living in the world bodily. But Christians should seek a deeper experience of God's Spirit — not for experience's sake, but that we might love God more.


We Learn to Love Others by Spending Time With Their Friends
How often do Christians effectively say to Jesus,, "I love you, but I don’t really like your bride," by their indifference and their lack of commitment to a local expression of the Church? For all of us who are beginners at loving God, playing active roles in local congregations will help us learn to love God in all of the way I have mentioned so far. But more than that, by giving and receiving love from other members of the family of God, we will be exposed to the many facets reflecting the glory of God. The church is intended to demonstrate the multicolored wisdom and glory of God (Ephesians 3:10). We cannot love God properly without loving His Church. As we learn to give ourselves sacrificially in love to our spiritual family in the same way we love our natural family, our love for God increases. This is of such vital importance that Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

I believe God has put the Church on earth to love God, to love each other, and to love the world. I pray that God will give us the desire and ability to do each of these better.

Read more about loving God on Adrian's blog:

• What is Love?


• What is God Like?

The following is a full set of notes, including background information and quotes I used whilst preparing my sermon entitled, "The Reviving Power of God's Word," which was preached at Jubilee Church on the 11th of March 2006. This sermon was the third part of a series on Revival. The earlier messages, "Revival" and "Reviving Prayer" are also available.

Much of this material was never designed to form part of the sermon — instead it is, if you like, part of the "iceberg" that lies beneath the surface supporting what I actually said. You can download the audio (you may need to right click and save the file onto your PC) or listen right here using the following embedded player:

INTRODUCTION
There is a series of adverts on TV that arrests me every time I see them. You see someone crying, hugging a loved one. Your heart goes out to them, even before you begin to hear the words of the commentary. But then the commentary starts, and if you are a big softie like me, you feel like you are about to cry — even if you have seen it before. The person says "when I was diagnosed with cancer . . ." For the first few seconds you hear about the terrible impact those words had on the individual. You can picture them in the doctor's room. Then, the voice says, "Today I was told I have my life back." You suddenly realize that the person is crying for joy, not anguish, and in their tears a smile appears. You see the impact that a single sentence from a doctor can have.

We sometimes talk about “MERE words,” and yet SOME words mean everything — they can literally bring life and death. Words are powerful. They can steal away hope, and they can give it back again.

Words affect us all the time. I remember when I asked Andrée to marry me. I had shocked her by turning up earlier than she expected with a bunch of roses and a ring that I had designed. As I was kneeling there for what seemed like an eternity, first she laughed, then she cried, then she said, "No . . ." Fortunately, she meant this in disbelief rather than as a rejection! I just wanted to hear one word. That was all, one word. And if that word had been “no” and not “yes” I would have been a very different man!

If our words can feel like they take away life and give it back again, is it any wonder that God’s Words can do the same? It's no wonder that Ravi Zacharias made the astute observation: "In the beginning was the Word, not video."

I love the following quote: ". . . in OT times the word was regarded as being alive, and so was portrayed as being sent out of the heart (mind/brain/mouth) of a living person, to leap to the goal at which it was directed. Then, when it arrived, it did the work of the speaker who had sent it forth, for it conveyed the power of the speaker to change the heart or the mind of the hearer of the word." [1]

We as Christians are a people who value words, although we live in a world that values image. Last week,at our joint celebration,we heard about how the image of God is actually described as the Word of God. It is hard to think of a stronger way that God could express Hs high view of “words” than that. The Bible — so-called "mere words" written down on a page — is what God has left us by which to know Him. The Bible is not God — we don’t worship it. But, as we read it, as we listen to it, the God of the Bible leaps off the page at us. These words shape us. They can save us. They teach us how to live, but more than that, they give us life.

Today we are going to look at God’s reviving Word. In revivals, a hunger for God's Word returns. Sermons often become longer — sometimes lasting all day! (As an example of this, see Nehemiah 8 and 9). People cannot hear enough of God's Word. Amazing things happen to people as they hear and read God’s Word during revivals. I could tell you story after story — but I won’t.

If we have learnt anything as we have been studying how God revives us, it is this — what is true of the multitude in a revival can be true of you and I, even outside of a revival. I am convinced that God wants us as a people to become more and more aware of just how God's Word can revive us and help us become the people of faith we are convinced He wants us to be.

What does the Bible say about words, and God's Word in particular? Those of you who have been with us for awhile may remember that during the series we preached on Proverbs there was a message on Proverbs 18:21 which says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."

It is no wonder that the Apostles declared, "We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." (Acts 6:4)

If there is one place in the Bible that honours God’s Word more than anywhere else, it is Psalm 119. It is the longest chapter in the Bible and it comes just two psalms after the shortest chapter in the Bible — Psalm 117 — which just so happens to be the middle chapter of the Bible. You will find it somewhere in the middle of your Bible.

BACKGROUND ON PSALM 119

• “of David” — a man who loved God “after God's own heart.”

• He loved God's law because it was God's Word. He loved God's Word because it showed him his God.

• For him, the Word of God was almost exclusively the law, and presumably Judges, Ruth, and maybe Job.

• If he can love these bits of the Bible that are only beginning to reveal God, we should love it all, since progressive revelation means that more comes later.

• An acrostic poem — “It consists of twenty-two strophes of eight lines each. Each strophe has the same Hebrew letter at the beginning of every one of its eight lines, going in succession, by strophes, from alef, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as the first letter of each line in the first strophe, to taw, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as the first letter of each line in the last strophe.” [2]

• Eight different Hebrew words are used to speak of the Law . . . The following Hebrew words are used: (1) torah (see "law" and comments, 1.2); (2) ‘eduth (see “testimony” and comments, 19.7c); (3) mishpat (see “judgment,” 7.6); (4) mitswah, always in the plural, except in verses 96, 98 (see “commandment,” 19.8c); (5) choq, always in the plural (see “decree” and comments, 2.7; “statutes,” 18.22); (6) piqudim, a plural form (see “precepts,” 19.8a); (7) dabar; (8) ’imrah (see “promises,” 12.6; 18.30). Torah is always singular and means the whole law of God, the Mosaic Law; dabar and ’imrah mean “word, saying,” and sometimes have the specific meaning of “promise.” The other words refer to rules or commands or instructions . . . All of these eight words are synonyms; they all refer to God’s Law as contained in the Mosaic legislation recorded in the first five books of the Scriptures. The Law is not seen as having a human origin, but always a divine origin; Yahweh is the author of the Torah. It should be noticed that in every one of the 176 verses in this psalm, God is either addressed or referred to.” [3]

• The Psalm in some way reminds me of the Proverbs, because it does not flow well — it is almost a collection of random words or sayings about God’s Word.

• WESLEY — “. . . the word of God is here called by the names of law, statutes, precepts or commandments, judgments, ordinances, righteousness, testimonies, way and word. By which variety, he designed to express the nature and perfection of God's word. It is called his word, as revealed by him to us; his way, as prescribed by him for us to walk in; his law, as binding us to obedience; his statutes, as declaring his authority of giving us laws; his precepts as directing our duty; his ordinances, as ordained by him; his righteousness, as exactly agreeable to God's righteous nature and will; his judgments, as proceeding from the great judge of the world, and being his judicial sentence to which all men must submit; and his testimonies, as it contains the witness of God's will, and of man's duty.” [4]

• SPURGEON – “I have been bewildered in the expanse of the One Hundred and Nineteenth Psalm . . . Its dimensions and its depth alike overcame me. It spread itself out before me like a vast, rolling prairie, to which I could see no bound, and this alone created a feeling of dismay. Its expanse was unbroken by a bluff or headland, and hence it threatened a monotonous task, although the fear has not been realized. This marvellous poem seemed to me a great sea of holy teaching, moving, in its many verses, wave upon wave; altogether without an island of special and remarkable statement to break it up. I confess I hesitated to launch upon it. Other psalms have been mere lakes, but this is the main ocean. It is a continent of sacred thought, every inch of which is fertile as the garden of the Lord: it is an amazing level of abundance, a mighty stretch of harvest fields. I have now crossed the great plain for myself, but not without persevering, and, I will add, pleasurable, toil. Several great authors have traversed this region and left their tracks behind them, and so far the journey has been all the easier for me; but yet to me and to my helpers it has been no mean feat of patient authorship and research. This great Psalm is a book in itself: instead of being one among many psalms, it is worthy to be set forth by itself as a poem of surpassing excellence. Those who have never studied it may pronounce it commonplace, and complain of its repetitions; but to the thoughtful student it is like the great deep, full, so as never to be measured; and varied, so as never to weary the eye. Its depth is as great as its length; it is mystery, not set forth as mystery, but concealed beneath the simplest statements; may I say that it is experience allowed to prattle, to preach, to praise, and to pray like a child prophet in his own father's house? [5]

• EULOGIUM — “This Psalm is a prolonged meditation upon the excellence of the word of God, upon its effects, and the strength and happiness which it gives to a man in every position. These reflections are interspersed with petitions, in which the Psalmist, deeply feeling his natural infirmity, implores the help of God for assistance to walk in the way mapped out for him in the divine oracles. In order to be able to understand and to enjoy this remarkable Psalm, and that we may not be repelled by its length and by its repetitions, we must have had, in some measure at least, the same experiences as its author, and, like him, have learned to love and practise the sacred word. Moreover, this Psalm is in some sort a touchstone for the spiritual life of those who read it. [6]

• BARCLAY says of this word “Law”: “We must be clear, however, what the word law means in the original Hebrew. We have met it in earlier psalms where we found that it is the word Torah. We found that this word does not mean “law” in the classical Roman sense of lex which has formed the basis of our western legal system. Torah actually means “teaching”, so that it means teaching that has come out of the mouth of the Living God. When the disciple hears the words of his master’s teaching, he receives through it a revelation of what is in the mind of his teacher, and so here, of what is in the mind of God. Torah then means both teaching and revelation, in fact, both these at once—from God!” [7]

ON THE LAW
Although Psalm 119 is really about God’s Word in its widest sense, perhaps partly because so much of the Bible that David would have read would have been the law of Moses, he speaks many times about God’s law. David loves God’s law. This is a very different attitude to what we tend to have. So I cannot avoid giving a very brief introduction here to our view of the law. This is not a sermon about that — one day perhaps we will address this more fully — I did address some of this more in my talks on Galatians last year. But just to help us as we approach this psalm, let's look at how we should view the law.

1. Our Attitude Toward the Law

   • We tend to rebel whenever we hear rules — e.g. “Don’t walk on the grass.” Law teaches us what sin is, and unless empowered by the Spirit, actually provokes us to sin more whilst making us feel condemned.

   • According to Paul, the law exists to lead us to Christ — to make us feel helpless so that we will seek Him for the free gift of salvation which is not dependent on what we have done, but what Christ has done.

   • Those who are Christians tend to say, “We are not under law, but under grace.”

   • Sadly many go one step further and do not want to read the law, nor do they value it as part of God’s Word for us today.

2. Jesus' Attitude Toward the Law

• Is very different to the over-simplified view many of us have today. Listen to what He said:

• "Scripture cannot be broken." (John 10:35)

• "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished." (Matthew 5:18)
3. The Solution

• God does want us to live righteously, and so the law does have a role for us.

• We are to see the law as revealing God's character and making us fall in love with Him — actually much like David does in this psalm.

• As we fall in love with Jesus, our hearts change and we WANT to keep His commandments.

• Paul calls this the “obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5)

• Tim Keller puts it this way: "Religion is — I obey so I can be accepted. The gospel is — I am accepted so I can obey."

So, with that bit of introduction over, let’s get into our text — Psalm 119. I think that, on the basis of that introduction, for our purposes in our studies we can replace the word "law" for the word “word” whenever we want to. The psalmist speaks about the law and word interchangeably because that was all he knew of God's Word at that point. If the law was all David knew and he could say all these things about it, how much more should we be able to say the same things of the whole counsel of God, including the law that David knew? So let's turn to Psalm 119.

You will be pleased to know that I am not going to read the whole psalm today, but I would encourage you, in your own time, to read it over several times.

We are going to pick out a number of verses from this psalm today which speak of the effects of God’s reviving word. What exactly does God's Word do for us when we read and listen to it?

1. THE WORD OF GOD BRINGS REVELATION

   "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." (Psalm 119:18)

   The psalmist prays to God — and you will notice how much of this psalm is a prayer, if you like a prayer about God's Word — he asks God to reveal Himself to him in His Word. He says something similar in verse 105: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

   The last time I spoke, I mentioned that the Bible is clear that we are blind and cannot even see God without His help. We need God to shine into our hearts. Like the writer of that great hymn, "Amazing Grace," the Christian is aware that “I once was blind, but now I see.”

   "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)

   We don’t see the face of Jesus today — how do we see Him? It's in the Scriptures — that is the place for us to meet God! As we read and pray over the Words of this book, let the God of the Bible leap off the page at us!

   Notice that the revelation is about Jesus — Jesus makes this astonishing claim Himself.

   • "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me." (John 5:39)

   Through the Scriptures, we are meant to hear God’s voice. Jesus says this — "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27) He means both spiritual guidance and the Bible — we hear His voice in the Bible. As we read the law, even then we see Jesus. He is revealed. The whole book is about Him.

   This experience of looking to Jesus, of revelation, is not a once-for-all experience. I am sure we can all think of moments when either listening to a sermon or reading from the Bible, it is like a light gets switched on in our heads – “I see it now”
   

   But as we begin to see Jesus there is something else that happens. Remember that God is a reviving God, as we have been saying. So is it any wonder that as we read God's Word, it revives us? Let's see what our next verse has to say.

   QUOTES

   • Chicago Statement — “God who is himself truth and speaks only truth has inspired Holy Scripture (HS) in order thereby to reveal himself...”

   • “Insight into the meaning of God’s law depends not only on prolonged study and meditation; it depends also on God’s guidance. So the psalmist prays, Open my eyes; only in this way can he discover the wonderful truths, or teachings, in the Law. It is God who will enable him to appreciate and understand the Law.” [8]

   • “The word of God is central to the life of God’s people. Our God is a God who speaks and it is the possession of that verbal revelation which marks his people off from all others on earth”. [9]

   • Wesley — “Enlighten my mind by the light of thy Holy Spirit, and dispel all ignorance and error.” [10]

   • Boston:
     1. “That there can be no sufficient knowledge of the duty which we owe to God without the scriptures. Though the light of nature does in some measure show our duty to God, yet it is too dim to take up the will of God sufficiently in order to salvation.
     

     2. That there can be no right obedience yielded to God without them. Men that walk in the dark must needs stumble; and the works that are wrought in the dark will never abide the light; for there is no working rightly by guess in this matter. All proper obedience to God must be learned from the scriptures.

     3. That there is no point of duty that we are called to, but what the scripture teaches, Isaiah. 8:20; men must neither make duties to themselves, or others, but what God has made duty. The law of God is exceeding broad, and reaches the whole conversation of man, outward and inward, Psalms 19; and man is bound to conform himself to it alone as the rule of his duty.” [11]

   • Boston — “The scriptures teach but externally. It is the Spirit that teaches internally. The scriptures externally reveal what we are to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man; but the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the scriptures.”[12]

   • William Cowper — “If it be asked, seeing David was a regenerate man, and so illumined already, how is it that he prays for the opening of his eyes? The answer is easy: that our regeneration is wrought by degrees. The beginnings of light in his mind made him long for more; for no man can account of sense, but he who hath it. The light which he had caused him to see his own darkness; and therefore, feeling his wants, he sought to have them supplied by the Lord.” [13]

   • Spurgeon — “The light which they beg is not anything besides the word. When God is said to enlighten us, it is not that we should expect new revelations, but that we may see the wonders in his word, or get a clear sight of what is already revealed.” [14]

   • "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)

2. GOD'S WORD REVIVES US

   Verse 25 — "My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!"

   As we recognize our desperate state before a holy God, as we get to the end of ourselves, God in His grace comes to us by His Word and says “LIVE!” Again this is definitely referring to what happens when we become Christians — but it is also an ongoing experience of the Christian who immerses himself in the Word of God with prayer. There are a few other places in the Bible where this is also stated:

   • "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul." (Psalm 19:7).

   • "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3)

   • "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

   We who are privileged to have a complete Bible in front of us should, like David, be always able to find a verse that will sustain us and give us that feeling of a life renewed when we are feeling low. If you are low in energy and life this morning, what do I have to offer you? I can give you a pat on the shoulder and some well-meaning words of support, or I can give you a lifeline from this Book. I know which I prefer!

   This life-giving force of the Bible is also described in a slightly different way in verse 28.

   QUOTES
   "Now we reach the key-word of the whole long psalm. It is the word live. Our biological life is a gift from God. We do not create it ourselves. The Torah, however, uses this word quite differently from Plato and the Greeks. For the Torah, God is the Living God. This Living God offers his children his life, and that is not mere biological life. "It is life in the Spirit, to which physical death has nothing to say." [15]

   Spurgeon — "When there was so little Scripture written, yet David could find out a word for his support. Alas! in our troubles and afflictions, no promise comes to mind. As in outward things, many that have less live better than those that have abundance; so here, now Scripture is so large, we are less diligent, and therefore, though we have so many promises, we are apt to faint, we have not a word to bear us up." [16]

3. GOD'S WORD STRENGTHENS US

   Verse 28 — "My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word."

   God’s Word really is robust and strong enough for us to lean on it when we are feeling weak and depressed. I knew someone who suffered from depression who quite literally used to take God's Word as though it were medicine three times a day. Over time she was strengthened and eventually did not require medication any more. Now, of course, depression can sometimes be biological, and that is not to say that antidepressants do not sometimes have their place. But, there is no doubt that God's Word, if you let it shape you over years, will go a long way towards strengthening you and lifting you up.

   As I was preparing, I felt God drop into my heart that there were some here who have struggled with depression and feel that there is nothing you can do. You feel a failure. Well, I want to tell you that even great men of God like Elijah, and in modern history Spurgeon, suffered from depression, so you are not alone. But God would say to you today, there is something that you can do in addition to taking medication, if that is needed. You can feast yourself on God's reviving and strengthening Word. It may take years — don’t expect a quick fix — but consistent exposure to God's Word will help you — come and talk to us afterwards if this is you, and we would love to give you some ideas about which verses would be especially helpful for you to add to your daily medication list.

   There is another thought that came to me as I was studying these few words. For God's Word to strengthen us reliably it has to be trustworthy and reliable — imagine, if you will, someone who says, "I will cover you" to Jack Bauer and then doesn’t — some today who believe the Bible has errors in it — we addressed this in our Bible study — but I want you to know this is God's Word. If God doesn’t lie, then neither can His Word!

   • "The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever." (Psalm 119:160)

   • "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

   It is important that we fill our minds with God's truth and not lies. That we focus on righteousness and not sin. That we — as Paul puts it — fill our minds with what is pure. In fact, as we read the Word, it begins to do something to us so that our appetites and desires change. The Word changes us, as we shall see in verse 37.

   QUOTES
   Berkouwer —"There can be no doubt that for a long time during church history certainty of faith was specifically linked to the trustworthiness of Holy Scripture as the Word of God ... From its earliest days the church held that Scripture is not an imperfect, humanly untrustworthy book of various religious experiences, but one with a peculiar mystery" [17]

4. GOD'S WORD CHANGES US

   Verse 37 — "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways."

   It is interesting that it is mentioned here that God changes our eyes from looking on and valuing things we shouldn’t, and that it is “according to his ways” or words. But, we cannot ask God to do something like this for us and then do nothing about it ourselves! Job puts it this way: "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?" (Job 31:1)
   
   Paul says: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8).

   This amazing change that happens on the inside of us — from desiring to look at sinful things and then commit sin, to desiring to do good — is called repentance in the New Testament. But it comes from the Word of God – it is God's message that has the power to change us from sinners to saints.

   • "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)

   Repentance is a gift from God — you may remember that verse in Elijah’s prayer that said it is God that turns us around. There are many others who say the same thing. And yet one of the paradoxes is that God also commands us to repent and “choose life.” The book of Acts, for example, is clear in its instructions to anyone listening who is not a Christian — you are COMMANDED to repent. Our problem is that we are commanded to do the impossible. This is why becoming a Christian is about coming to the end of yourself and asking God to help you. For those of us who are Christians, as we seek the face of God in prayer and in His word, there is a glorious promise for us.

   • "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 3:18)

   Seeking the face of God is a familiar theme in the Scriptures. We become what we eat. We become what we gaze on. Are you feasting on Jesus? As we think about seeing God's very face, as we learn more about God's holy character in the Bible, there is something else that should happen to us. Something that perhaps we don’t like to talk about so much, but it is something that is very much a hallmark of every revival I have read about. Let's see what this is by reading verse 38:

   QUOTE
   Wolfgang Musculus — Notice that he does not say, I will turn away mine eyes; but, "Turn away mine eyes." This shows that it is not possible for us sufficiently to keep our by our own caution and diligence; but there must be divine keeping." [18]

5. GOD'S WORD PRODUCES A HEALTHY FEAR OF GOD
   Verse 38 — "Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared."

   We like the first half of this verse. We want God to fulfill His promises to us. There is great joy in seeing God's promises fulfilled — in seeing God act. But it also has what may seem to us to be a surprising result. Like Peter, who fell at Jesus' feet and said, "Away from me for I am a sinful man," the activity of God reintroduces us to the very biblical concept of the fear of God.

   • " … this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word …" (Isaiah 66:1)

   The thing that marks out historical revivals more than almost anything else is an outbreak of the fear of God. Even in my own experience of a mini-revival, there was something of a sense of the holiness of God which I have rarely experienced before or since.
   
   We see this in the Bible — last time I preached, I mentioned the case of Ananias and Sapphira. We pray “God, send us the experience of the book of Acts," but do we include that experience? Not surprisingly, when they died it is said that great fear fell on the Church. There is a seriousness of God that is felt at those times. C.J. Mahaney once preached a whole series on everyone God killed in the Bible. Not surprisingly, perhaps it led to more salvation than they had seen up until that point, as well as Christians putting their lives straight.
   
   There is much joy in revivals experienced by the newly-saved and the long-time Christian, but there is also many tears experienced by those coming under conviction of sin who have not yet received salvation.
   
   Isaiah 6 is a good illustration of this. Isaiah comes face-to-face with God and says, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"
   
   God is still the same God today and is definitely not to be messed with!
   
   God touches Isaiah’s lips to take away his guilt — only God can deal with guilt — and commissions him. Sadly for Isaiah, incidentally, he is commissioned into a period of time that was precisely the opposite of a generalized revival. He gets personally revived and is sent out to tell others who, he has been warned, will not listen. He must have really struggled with that. Somehow, though, even for Isaiah, God intended him to be full of hope.
   
   We see in verse 49 that hope is one of the outcomes of allowing God’s Word to come to us and joining it with our faith.

   QUOTES
   “The fear of God is distinct from the terror of him that is also a biblical motif (see FEAR). Encompassing and building on attitudes of awe and reverence, it is the proper and elemental response of a person to God. This religious fear of God is a major biblical image for the believer’s faith. In fact, there are well over a hundred references to the fear of God in the positive sense of faith and obedience. To "fear" God or be "God-fearing" is a stock biblical image for being a follower of God, sometimes in implied contrast to those who do not fear him. The very frequency of the references signals that the fear of God is central to biblical faith, and the relative absence of this ancient way of thinking in our culture should give us pause. It is important to note, however, that the preponderance of references occur in the OT, perhaps implying that a permanent change (though not an abrogation) occurred with the incarnation of Christ, who calls his disciples friends rather than servants (John 15:15).
   
   What images should we associate with this mysterious "fear of God?" The actions most frequently associated with fear of God are serving God (Deuteronomy 6:13, 10:20; 1 Samuel 12:24) and obedience to his commandments (Deuteronomy 31:13; 1 Samuel 12:14). The fear of God is linked to wisdom (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10, 15:33) and is part of the covenant between God and his people (Psalm 25:14, 103:17–18). To fear God is to be in awe and reverence of him (Ps 33:8; Malachi 2:5 RSV) and to trust him (Psalm 40:3, 115:11). Fearing God means hating and avoiding evil (Proverbs 8:13, 16:6). It is not too much to say that fearing God is virtually synonymous with having saving faith in him. Deuteronomy 10:12–13 is an apt summary of what is encompassed in the fear of God: "And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees" (NIV).

   The fear of God is a fundamental quality of those who have an experiential knowledge of who he is.” [19]

6. GOD'S WORD GIVES US HOPE

   Verse 49 — "Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope."

   • See also verse 74 — "Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word."

   • And verse 81 — "My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word."

   • So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17)

   Hope is infectious . . . as is despair. We should surround ourselves with those who will instill hope into us! But our hope must come from the Scriptures and not a false whipped-up hope.
   
   I can speak personally about how this works. As I was a bit tired out before Christmas, I asked Tope for a break from preaching for awhile. This was a good thing as everyone needs a break from time to time. But I lifted my foot off the accelerator a bit regarding my study of God's Word, and was also not praying as much — obviously when you are preparing to preach you study more and pray more. But what I found was that as my break from the hard work of preaching lengthened, my level of hope was slowly being reduced. I found myself feeling even quite fearful. I remember even having the thought come into my mind, "Perhaps I've forgotten how to preach." But there were also a couple of personal situations where I was beginning to allow fear to have a foothold.
   
   So, how did I deal with this? Well, two things seem to have lifted me. The first was that I received prayer on Saturday morning. The second was that as I went back to a more rigorous Bible study program and begun to pray more, I found that hope began to return and fear subsided.
   
   It is God's Word, soaked in prayer, that gives us hope, that lifts us, that gives us life!
   
   God wants us increasingly to be almost aggressive in how much we place our hope in His Word. Many prayers in the Bible remind God of His promises and almost “sue” him to act. I believe God responds to that kind of prayer — prayer that is mixed with God's own Word.
   
   So far we have seen that God's Word brings revelation, it revives us, it strengthens us, it changes us, as the great hymn says "it teaches our heart to fear," but it also relieves that fear. Is it any wonder that this Word is so precious to the psalmist? What else is there that can do all this to us when we are troubled? What else can comfort us in all our troubles as we see in verse 50?

   QUOTES
   Spurgeon — "The argument is that God, having given grace to hope in the promise, would surely never disappoint that hope. He cannot have caused us to hope without cause. If we hope upon his word we have a sure basis: our gracious Lord would never mock us by exciting false hopes. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, hence the petition for immediate remembrance of the cheering word." [20]

   

   Richard Sibbes — "When we hear any promise in the word of God, let us turn it into a prayer. God's promises are his bonds. Sue him on his bond. He loves that we should wrestle with him by his promises. Why, Lord, thou hast made this and that promise, thou canst not deny thyself, thou canst not deny thine own truth; thou canst not cease to be God, and thou canst as well cease to be God, as deny thy promise, that is thyself. 'Lord, remember thy word' 'I put thee in mind of thy promise, whereon thou hast caused me to hope.' If I be deceived, thou hast deceived me. Thou hast made these promises, and caused me to trust in thee, and 'thou never fullest those that trust in thee, therefore keep thy word to me.'" [21]

7. GOD'S WORD COMFORTS US

   Verse 50 — "This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life."

   What a wonderful verse that is! God comforts us when we are struggling because of His promises. When Mark Dever was trying to summarise the entire message of the Bible, he just said this — the Old Testament is "promises made" and the New Testament is "promises kept," although, of course, we have plenty of promises kept in the Old Testament and made in the New Testament! We should get a hold of God's promises and let them comfort us, revive us, strengthen us, and give us hope.
   
   God's Word really is a comfort — not the latest gadget, nor the bottle, but His faithful Word. The more we see Him being faithful to His Word, the more we will find our faith rising within us. There are now only two more things that I want to address that the Word of God does for us. The first is, in a sense, a summary of all we have said so far. What does God’s Word do? It gives us grace. Verse 58.

   QUOTES
   Spurgeon — "The worldly man clutches his money bag and says, "this is my comfort"; the spendthrift points to his gaiety, and shouts, "this is my comfort"; the drunkard lifts his glass, and sings, "this is my comfort"; but the man whose hope comes from God feels the giving power of the Word of the Lord, and he testifies, "this is my comfort." Paul said, "I know whom I have believed." Comfort is desirable at all times; but comfort in affliction is like a lamp in a dark place. Some are unable to find comfort at such times; but it is not so with believers, their Savior has said to them, "I will not leave you comfortless." [22]

   “What the Word has already done is to faith a pledge of what it shall yet do.” [23]

8. GOD'S WORD GIVES GRACE TO US

   Verse 58 — "I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise."

   GRACE is what we need to save us — so it is no wonder that Paul said to Timothy that the Scriptures are "… able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15)
   
   It is interesting to see the way that Paul links wisdom and salvation there, for the last thing that I want us to address today from Psalm 119 is, in fact, wisdom. Or as the psalmist says, "good judgment" or discernment (verse 66).

9. GOD'S WORD GIVES US WISDOM

   Verse 66 — "Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments."

   Is it any wonder that the Jubilee membership course says the following:

   The BIBLE is the WORD OF GOD
   • The sole basis of our belief is the BIBLE. We believe that all Scripture is inspired by God and that it was given through men chosen by God.

   • We believe that the Bible, all sixty-six books, contain God's revelation to man, and that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant.

   • We therefore take all our teaching and insight for living from the Bible."

     — Jubilee Church Membership Course

   "We don’t stand above the Bible, we stand under it."

   — Tope Koleoso

---

Next time I speak to you, God willing, I intend to speak about how practically we stand under the Bible. I will leave you today with one verse that summarises what our response to all this should be:

• "They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." (Acts 17:11)

Let's receive this reviving Word with all eagerness, and in every way, allow ourselves to be moulded by this wonderful Book God has given us. It’s the only Book that can give life, can save us, can show us how to live. It really is God’s reviving Word. AMEN.
________________

END NOTES
OT=Old Testament
[1] George Angus Fulton Knight, Psalms: Volume 2 (The Daily Study Bible Series, Louisville: Westminster, John Knox Press, 2001, c1982), p.223.
[2] Robert G. Bratcher and William David Reyburn, A Translator's Handbook on the Book of Psalms (Helps for Translators,New York: United Bible Societies, 1991), p.996.
[3] Ibid.
[4] John Wesley, John Wesley's Notes One the Bible, Ps 119.
[5] C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Ps 119:1.
[6] Cited in C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Ps 119:1.
[7] George Angus Fulton Knight, Psalms: Volume 2 (The Daily Study Bible Series,Louisville: Westminster, John Knox Press, 2001, c1982), p.215.
[8] Robert G. Bratcher and William David Reyburn, A Translator's Handbook on the Book of Psalms (Helps for Translators, New York: United Bible Societies, 1991), p.1002.
[9] D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (Revised edition of: The New Bible Commentary, 3rd ed. / edited by D. Guthrie, J. A. Motyer. 1970; 4th ed.; Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Illinois, USA: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), Ps 118:24.
[10] John Wesley, John Wesley's Notes On the Bible, Ps 119:18.
[11] Thomas Boston, Thomas Boston Sermons (Joseph Kreifels).
[12] Ibid.
[13] Cited in C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Ps 119:18.
[14] C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Ps 119:18.
[15] George Angus Fulton Knight, Psalms: Volume 2 (The Daily Study Bible Series, Louisville: Westminster, John Knox Press, 2001, c1982), p.226.
[16] C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David (Joseph Kreifels), Ps 119:25.
[17] G. C. Berkouwer, Holy Scripture (Translation of De Heilige Schrift; ed. Jack Bartlett Rogers; Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Co., 1975), p.11.
[18] Cited in C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Ps 119:37.
OT=Old Testament
RSV=Revised Standard Version
NIV=New International Version
[19] Leland Ryken et al., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Electronic edition; Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2000, c1998), p.277.
[20] C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Ps 119:49.
[21] Cited in C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Ps 119:49.
[22] C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, (Joseph Kreifels), Ps 119:50
[23] Robert Jamieson et al., A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (On spine: Critical and Explanatory Commentary; Oak Harbor, Washington: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), Ps 119:50.

I just had my third e-mail in as many days about Pierced For Our Transgressions — a forthcoming book on penal substitution. Regular readers will know that I have frequently posted on the atonement in the past. This book is aimed at addressing the debate over Steve Chalke's allegation of "cosmic child abuse."

You may remember that before Christmas Wayne Grudem, in my blog interview, first added his voice to that of John Piper's in accusing Chalke of blasphemy, then modified his statement to really quite a similar position to mine back in 2004 when I said Chalke was "close" to blasphemy.

If the website is anything to go on, this new book should be good. The following quote from an article, focused in part on the historic pedigree of penal substitution, published on the site gives a great foretaste:

"Some claim that penal substitution makes God guilty of injustice, inflicting punishment on an innocent man. Such a doctrine, they say, plainly contradicts the Scriptural teaching that guilty people, and only guilty people, should be punished: ‘Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent — the LORD detests them both’ (Proverbs 17:15).

Some who believe in penal substitution have replied by pointing out that Christ suffered willingly, or by noting that God gave himself in Christ to suffer in our place. But while these things are gloriously true, neither actually answers the objection. If guilty sinners are acquitted and an innocent third party is punished, then irrespective of his willingness an injustice has been committed, and it is unthinkable that God would do such a thing.

How are we to respond? The flaw in the argument is the unstated premise that Christ is unrelated to the believer, an unconnected third party. This is not true, for believers are in union with Christ — he is in us, and we are in him, indwelt by his Spirit (e.g. John 17:21; Romans 6:5; 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:27; Philippians 1:1). It is for this reason that the imputation of our guilt to Christ and his righteousness to us, his punishment and our acquittal, are just in the sight of God. The apostle Paul captures both sides of the exchange in a single verse: ‘God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God’ (2 Corinthians 5:21). "

As I return to blogging, I cannot help but think of a verse in Proverbs which haunts a chatterbox and prolific blogger like me. What implications does it have for us?  Does it mean we should write less and think more?  I suspect so!

"When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent." (Proverbs 10:19)

At Jubilee we have been doing a series of talks this autumn, each one lasting about an hour, during which we attempt to instruct the hearer to a greater extent than is possible in our Sunday morning sermons. One of the ones I did - which was on the subject of "What is God Like?" - has just been made available online at the Jubilee Audio Sermons site. You can visit there to download the sermon or listen to it here:



These talks have been inspired by the following verse:

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

I do want to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. Wayne Grudem, whose Systematic Theology was used as a major resource for this talk. When preparing to speak as a Christian, I believe that it is important to lean on the wisdom found in the work of others, and I certainly did that here.

I definitely did make this my own, however, so don't blame Dr. Grudem for any errors! I will now share the full notes here. You can also download the PowerPoint file. As with all my material on this blog, you are welcome to use it in any way that does not involve making a profit, and you should, of course, attribute it if you copy the entire article.


THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD - WHAT IS GOD LIKE?

Do NOT expect to understand everything about God - He is infinite; we are finite and cannot understand Him fully. Almost all language used about God is a metaphor, and therefore it has the whisper “God is, but is not the same” as the concept used to describe Him.

This is not a mere intellectual exercise, but has two goals:

1. To know, worship, and follow God more.

2. For our beliefs about God to be clearly grounded in the Bible.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Arguments for God’s Existence

• Intelligent design of the universe (teleological).
• God as the ultimate cause - that which came first (cosmological).
• The greatest being we can conceive (ontological).
• The presence of a universal basic set of ethics (moral argument).
• The spiritual nature of mankind – the mind/body problem.
• The God-shaped hole in all cultures.
• Christianity does people good (pragmatic argument).
• But . . . we cannot use our reason to prove God’s existence, for that would make our reason above God.

The Bible Assumes God Exists and People Know

• “In the beginning, God created ...” (Genesis 1:1)
• “…his invisible attributes...have been clearly perceived...” (Romans 1:18-22)
• “The fool says in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)
• God is unknowable and invisible, but chooses to reveal Himself.
• “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways…” (Romans 11:33-34)
• “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

God Has Both Transcendence and Immanence

• Christians often emphasise one or the other.
• Jesus – the revelation of God.
• “…the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power...” (Hebrews 1:1-4)
• “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” (John 1:18)
• “Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.” (John 12:41)
• “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him … Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” (John 14:7-10)

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

• “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)
• “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23)
• “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9-11)
• “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (Galatians 4:6)

The Trinity Reflects a Chain of Authority

• “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” (John 15:26)
• “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3)
• “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” (John 14:10)
• “God has put all things in subjection under his feet...when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:27-28)

We Believe in One God in Three Persons

• “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26)
  “...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
• “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” (Matthew 4:10)
  “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:5)
• Jesus accepts worship: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
• “Let all God's angels worship him.” (Hebrews 1:6)
• Jesus shares seventeen attributes unique to God - “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Colossians 2:9)

1. God is an Independent Community - Because of His Self-Sufficiency and Trinity, He Doesn’t Need Us!

• “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:24-25)
• He didn’t make the world because he was lonely.
• “God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
• Jesus: “Father . . . you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24)

2. God is the Creator of Everything.

• God: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)
• Jesus: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17)
• The Spirit: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2)

God created diversity

• “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (Psalm 104:24)
• “...so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 3:10)

3. God is Eternal – He Always Existed

• God: “Before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2)
  “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Revelation 1:8)
• Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)
• “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13)
• “Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:5)
• Spirit: "...through the eternal Spirit..." (Heb 9:14)

4. God is Omniscient – He Knows Everything

• God: “For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” (1 John 3:20)
• “No creature is hidden from his sight...” (Hebrews 4:13)
• “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:17)
• Jesus: “...needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:24-25)
• “Now we know that you know all things.” (John 16:30)
• Spirit: “For the Spirit searches everything...” (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
• Psalm 139:1-6

God knows the future

• God: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose . . . I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.’” (Isaiah 46:9-11)
• Jesus: “I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am.” (John 13:9)
• "God knows everything that ever was, everything that now is, and everything that is to be; all that is actual and all that is possible. Therefore God knows in advance all the free acts of all free creatures." (John Edgren)
• “Everyone who believes in God at all believes that He knows what you and I are going to do tomorrow.” (C. S. Lewis)
• Openess Theology denies this.

5. God is Not Bound by Time

• God: “. . . with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)
• “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4)
• “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3:14) or I am what I am, or I will be what I will be – God’s name Yahweh.
• Jesus: “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him.” (John 8:58-59)
• Wayne Grudem: “God views the whole span of history as vividly as He would if it were a brief event that had just happened. But He also views a brief event as if it were going on forever. God sees and knows all events – past, present, and future – with equal vividness. Though He has no succession of moments, He still sees the progression of events at different points in time.”

6. God is Unchangeable

• God: “For I the Lord do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)
• Jesus: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
• God both does and doesn’t have regrets!
• “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me.” (1 Samuel 15:11)
• "The Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” (1 Samuel 15:29)
• But God does truly relate to us.
• “If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.” (Jeremiah 18:7-10)
• John Piper: “So the repentance over Saul means not that he did not know what Saul would be like, but that he disapproves of what Saul has become and that he feels sorrow at this evil in his anointed king, and that he looks back on his making him king with the same sorrow that he experienced at that moment when he made him king, foreknowing all the sorrow that would come. For God to say, "I feel sorrow that I made Saul king," is not the same as saying, "I would not make him king if I had it to do over, knowing what I know now." God is able to feel sorrow for an act that He does in view of foreknown evil and pain, and yet go ahead and will to do it for wise reasons.”

7. God is Wise

• God: “. . . the only wise God.” (Romans 16:27, see Psalm 147:5)
• Jesus: “Christ...the wisdom of God.” (1 Cointhians 1:24)
• Holy Spirit: “. . . the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and under-standing, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:2)

8. God is Truth

• God: “God is not man, that he should lie...” (Numbers 23:19)
• “God, who never lies.” (Titus 1:2)
• Jesus “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6)

9. God is Omnipresent – He is Everywhere

• God: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence...” (Psalm 139:7-10)
• "Do I not fill heaven and earth, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:24)
• Jesus: “ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20)
• But, it is not wrong to speak of God “coming.”
• “...we will come to him and make our home.” (John 14:21)
• “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send...” (John 15:26)

10. God is Omnipotent – He is All-Powerful

• “... Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)
• “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think…” (Ephesians 3:20)
• Jesus: “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41)

11. God is Uncontainable

• God: “…heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you...” (1 Kings 8:27)
• Jesus: “...he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light...” (Matthew 17:2-6) (Building a tent to contain him was foolish!)

12. “God is Light.” (1 John 1:5)

• Jesus - “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)

13. “God is Spirit.” (John 4:24)

• Jesus “And the Word became flesh...” (John 1:14)

14. “God is Holy.” (Psalm 99:9)

• Jesus “I know who you are the Holy One of God.” (Luke 4:34)

15. God is Righteous and Just

• God: “No one is good except God alone.” (Luke 18:19)
• “. . . your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
• Jesus: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

16. God is Jealous and Full of Wrath Against Sin

• God: “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful…” (Nahum 1:2)
• Jesus: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:17)

17. God is Sovereign - His Will Always Comes to Pass

• God: “. . . according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” (Ephesians 1:11)
• “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)
• “… it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:21)
• “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” (Psalm 115:3)
• Jesus: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)

But he is not responsible for sin.

• “God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one...” (James 1:13-14)

WHO IS JESUS?

Jesus Shares All the Attributes of God

• He was eternally one of the three persons in the Trinity. He is frequently described with the word “lord” which is used 6,814 times in the Septuagent for Jehovah/Yahweh. Jesus is also fully man and a real man’s man.
• “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him . . . the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1) “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.” (John 2:15)

Jesus Was Truly a Man

• He was born of a normal human mother.
• He “grew and became strong” (Luke 2:40) and “increased in wisdom and in stature
  and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:52)
• He was hungry.” (Matthew 4:2) and he said, “I thirst.” (John 19:28)
• He got “wearied” from a journey (John 4:6) and he slept. (Luke 8:23)
• He was not a “Clark Kent” figure only pretending to be vulnerable.
• There were things that Jesus, the man, did not know. "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Mark 13:32)

Jesus Felt All Our Emotions

• He “marvelled.” (Matthew 8:10)
• “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The sceptre of your kingdom is a sceptre of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” (Psalm 45:6-7)
• “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
• “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.” (Matthew 26:38)
• John Piper: “Jesus was fully human and fully God – he was not God with a human veneer – like a costume. He was a real flesh and blood man, a carpenter's son.”
• Mark Driscoll: “It's hard to worship someone you can beat up.”
• Wayne Grudem: “An infinite God came to live in a finite world. In Jesus, God and man became one person . . . For Jesus Christ was and always will be, fully God and fully man in one person.”

Jesus Remains a Man Forever

• “…a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have...” (Luke 24:38-43)
• “This Jesus…will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

How Can Jesus be Both Man and God?

• Error 1 - A human body, but not a human mind or spirit – Mickey Mouse suit.
• Error 2 – Two persons in one body – circus “horse” suit.
• Error 3 – One new nature – neither God nor man! -Drop of ink in water.
• The Solution: Two natures, but one person (see Power Point for graphical images of these - thanks to Wayne Grudem for the illustrations!)

Some Things are True of Only One of Jesus' Natures

• Jesus’ human nature ascended to heaven and is no longer in the world - John 16:28 “I am leaving the world.”
• But . . . his divine nature is everywhere present. -Matthew 28:20 “I am with you always.”
• Jesus felt weak and tired. (Matthew 4:2; 8:24; Mark 15:21; John 4:6), but in His divine nature He was omnipotent. (Matthew 8:26-27; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3).
• Jesus was 30 years old and existed from eternity!
• A false objection: “Omniscience and ignorance, omnipotence and impotence cannot coexist. The former swamps the latter.” (A.N.S. Lane)

The Two Natures and Jesus’ Death

• “. . . it is not correct to say that Jesus’ divine nature died, or could die, if “die” means a cessation of activity, a cessation of consciousness, or a diminution of power. Nevertheless, by virtue of union with Jesus’ human nature, his divine nature somehow tasted something of what it was like to go through death. The person of Christ experienced death. Moreover, it seems difficult to understand how Jesus’ human nature alone could have borne the wrath of God against the sins of millions of people. It seems that Jesus’ divine nature had somehow to participate in the bearing of wrath against sin that was due to us (although Scripture nowhere explicitly affirms this). Therefore, even though Jesus’ divine nature did not actually die, Jesus went through the experience of death as a whole person, and both human and divine natures somehow shared in that experience.” (Wayne Grudem)

A BIBLICAL SUMMARY – KEY VERSES

• “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty . . .” (Exodus 34:6-7)
  
• "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose . . .I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” (Isaiah 46:9-11)
  
• “...who, though he was in the form of God ...” (Philippians 2:6-11)

WHAT WE SHOULD SAY ABOUT GOD

• Together for The Gospel 2006
  -We affirm that the Bible reveals God to be infinite in all his perfections, and thus truly omniscient, omnipotent, timeless, and self-existent. We further affirm that God possesses perfect knowledge of all things, past, present, and future, including all human thoughts, acts, and decisions.
  -We deny that the God of the Bible is in any way limited in terms of knowledge or power or any other perfection or attribute, or that God has in any way limited his own perfections

• What does Jubilee Believe About God?
  -“Life in Jubilee Church can be summarised as: loving God, loving each other, and loving the world.” (Membership Course)
• Jubilee is a member of the Evangelical Alliance and holds to its Statement of Faith:
  “We Believe in . . .
  -The one true God who lives eternally in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
  -The love, grace, and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming, and judging the world.”

This God Chooses to Take Delight in Us!

• God: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
• Jesus: “. . . who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.” (Hebrews 12:2)

He Wants Us to Delight in Him!

• “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4).
• “Delight yourself in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4).
• “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1)

CONCLUSIONS

• If we believe in a good, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, all-wise, all-loving God who is in control of every detail of the universe and works it all out for our good, how can we not worship Him and trust Him with our future?
• When we know God better, we become more like Him.
• “And we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
• “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4)
• “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25)
  

I preached the next sermon in our series on proverbs this morning. The message can be downloaded on the Jubilee Church London website or listened to right here in this embedded player thanks to odeo


Prov 23, Jer 2:13, Prov 14:27, 1 Cor 6:9-20, Eph 5:15-18, John 7:37
This chapter is about discipline – children mentioned in there but we can only discipline our kids to the extent that we are disciplined ourselves.

We see here that far from the modern advice to let it all hang out and pursue our rights for pleasure the writer is telling us to be careful of our appetites – and to tame them – to discipline them. He uses drink as an illustration of this –

The Evils of drink

The writer of proverbs asks us to consider what one must pay for excessive drinking -
Woes, pain, confusion, bruises, desperation – “give me one more drink”!

22% of UK men and 9% of women drink over the recommended amounts and are at risk of alcoholism and alcohol related sickness
Deaths due to Alcohol in the UK doubled in the last few years –
4,144 in 1991 to 8,380 in 2004 plus road deaths

What are you drinking?
Its not just drink….

• -88,800 deaths due to smoking in 2004


• In Great Britain in 2005, 72 per cent of current smokers aged 16 and over reported that they wanted to give up smoking, with health reasons being the most common reason given for wanting to stop.


• Almost 1 in 5 teens have taken drugs in the last year – significantly more than smoke, and just a little less than drink


• Drugs


• Porn


• Spending money

BUT ALSO seeking after anything other than God for ultimate fulfilment and pleasure:-

“for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Je 2:13).

• What is it that I believe I cannot be happy without?


• What is it that I crave?


• What is it that I believe I must have?


• What is it that I spend most of my spare time thinking about?


• What is it that I most worry about losing?


• What is it that I seek my happiness in the most? (or to use older language delight in?)


• What do I love more than God?

(Taken from John Piper) I added one more

• What is the one thing I am thinking of right now that he cant possibly mean

What keeps us drinking?
-Sense of need – the wine/cigarette/whatever is my friend- HAS A CONVERSATION WITH US – some friend! Give it a chance and it will steal all your money, take all your time, break up your marriage, cause others to look at you with contempt, make you stink, give you diseases, kill you and condemn your soul to hell!
"Be killing sin or it will be killing you." John Owen
-Pleasure
-denial
-helplessness

How to STOP drinking
-recognise the extent of the problem
-Turn to Jesus - AA "higher power … helpless..."
Prov 14:27 “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death”
1 Cor 6:9-20
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. … Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

CAN YOU GLORIFY GOD WHILST WATCHING PORN WHILST DRINKING TO EXCESS WHILST SMOKING?

WRATH IS COMING – TURN TO GOD TO HIDE FROM HIS WRATH IN HIS SON

Then, having believed in Jesus, then what?
-just DO IT or rather DON’T DO IT!
- practical steps - flee, etc.. you CAN stop as you aren’t doing it right now!
God COMMANDS US to repent!

Legalism vs fleeing from sin – the decision needs wisdom for the alcoholic it is obvious….even for some who have not been alcoholics…

2 christian approaches to drink that are acceptable depending on the individual, their personal beliefs and situation – abstinence and moderation. Asked Tope and Stuart, both happy as our elders for people to hold either position – just NOT to be drunk or addicted!

Personally at different points of my own life I have lived by both approaches and I hold my current position on this issue very lightly – I would change in an instant if I felt it appropriate.

Someones story I found “I haven't touched alcohol since January 1st, 1996. I don't plan on touching it ever again. Several different reasons affect this decision. First, with Christ in my life, I have no need to fill the emptiness with drinking like I used to. Second, I do not want to give in to temptation and have that demon control my life again. Even though I have faith in Christ, I am aware that the flesh can be weak. I also am concerned that taking up drinking again could fall into the category of testing God. Third, I have friends who drink, many times to excess. I want to show them that life with Christ is the only dependency I need. I know and am the first to address that the Bible does not tell us to have a zero-tolerance for alcohol. Everything in moderation. That's why I don't tell anyone that they can't drink. For some people who I recognize as having a problem I will suggest they explore why they drink so much. This is my question: Can someone who is an alcoholic but has not had a drink since before baptism ever reach a point in life where he or she can have a glass of wine with dinner and treat it as if drinking a soda, glass of tea or water?”

MY REPLY TO THAT QUESTION - "I am sure that there are some recovered alcoholics who learn to be able to drink in moderation, I just haven’t met any yet. Every successful dry ex-drinker I have met abstains totally."

Same principle for all addictions. If you are not addicted but know you are seeking your joy in something good, a temporary fast can be of help….

NT puts it this way….

Eph 5:15-18 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

1, Be wise/careful
2. Do not get drunk – instead be disciplined (opposite of debauchery)
3. BE FILLED (or be being filled!)
4. IT’S A COMMUNITY THING – NOT AN INDIVIDUAL THING….

BUT more then that need to FILL self with something else….-DRINK from another fountain - fear of the lord is a fountain of life….

All sins are attempts to fill a void – if you are full of Jesus far from a void you will have a fountain inside welling up to bless others!
don’t get drunk get filled

“..when the soul is exercised to communion with Christ, and to walking with him, he drinks new wine, and cannot desire the old things of the world, for he says "The new is better." He tastes every day how gracious the Lord is; and therefore longs not after the sweetness of forbidden things, — which indeed have none. He that makes it his business to eat daily of the tree of life will have no appetite unto other fruit” John Owen. Temptation (144).

"Would you want to watch a football game where all the players were no better than you? Or watch a movie where the actors could act no better than you and were no better looking than you? Or go to a museum to see pictures by painters who could paint no better than you?" Why are we willing to be exposed in all these places as utterly inferior? How can we get so much joy out of watching people magnify their superiority over us? The biblical answer is that we were made by God to get our deepest joys not from being superior ourselves but from enjoying God's superiority. All these other experiences are parables. God's superiority is absolute in every way, which means our joy in it may be greater than we could ever imagine.” PIPER

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,  'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' " (Jn 7:37).

When you have a river flowing from inside of you, self control becomes easy!

Hi, my name is Adrian Warnock and I am a blogaholic...it's been three days since I last posted on my blog ...

Yes, I know posts have been appearing in this time, but I cheated by writing them earlier and having my editorial assistant publish them and post a couple of links whilst I was away!

Anway, despite my addiction to the written word, I am a great believer in the power of the SPOKEN word. I believe that there is a reason why the Bible says that faith comes by HEARING the word of God.

As such, I want to give you today two great clips from John Piper - one audio and one video. They are both fairly short excerpts, and it will take just a few minutes of your time to listen to them both. Between them, they could change your life forever. They have the power to impact you emotionally and spiritually in a way that merely reading the words would most likely entirely fail to do. It really won't take long to listen/watch. Please, take up my challenge and do so!

But just before I share these with you, I would also like to open the opportunity to you, my faithful readers, to comment on this post over the weekend in one of the following ways:

• To link to a quote or excerpt from a Piper sermon that you have loved.
  
  
• To share a quote or thought that these Piper quotes spark in you.
  
  
• To talk about or quote from any source that discusses how we can make Christ our source of pleasure and how to wean ourselves from the pathetic idols that this world offers us - drink, drugs, sex, food, money, power, and the rest.

OK, so the main reason for this request is that I plan to speak on Proverbs 23 and Ephesians 5:15-18 at the weekend, and I am wondering if there is anyone out there who wants to suggest any thoughts that might be helpful! There's no shame in asking, is there? Some prayers would also be greatly appreciated!!

Just so you know (if you don't already) it is quite okay to add a link to a related site here in my comments section - just type something that looks like the following <a href="http://www.yourlink.com/text.htm">Here is my link</a> into your comment.

Anyway, back to these two clips which could change your life. I pray the Holy Spirit will grip you as you listen to them. The first comes from the recent DGM conference and may be of some interest to you as during it Piper refers to Driscoll in a very positive way. Listen to this one first (just right click on the word listen and click save if a normal left click doesn't work.

Enjoy that? Well, here comes the video. When you have watched this, I will give you the links for the transcript, and better yet, the full audio and/or video of both sermons!

Well, again, I hope you liked that! The transcripts and further media files for both talks are available at Desiring God. I do hope you now want to go and read/listen/watch the first as well as the second. Then, when you have done so, please don't forget to come back and contribute to my open blog mic - perhaps you might just share a snippet that will help me prepare!

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of listening to my favourite preacher preach on anger from the book of Proverbs. I would urge you to listen to it, but I thought I would share a few thoughts I had and quotes I found on anger.

The first place I want to start is actually the American Psychology Association who asked, "Is It Good To Let it All Hang Out?" — this is in light of the old notion that it is important to "lance the boil" of anger and let it all out. You might be surprised to read what this secular organisation had to say:

"Psychologists now say that this is a dangerous myth. Some people use this theory as a license to hurt others. Research has found that "letting it rip" with anger actually escalates anger and aggression, and does nothing to help you (or the person you're angry with) resolve the situation.

It's best to find out what it is that triggers your anger, and then to develop strategies to keep those triggers from tipping you over the edge.

Over on the Desiring God website, there is a great article, "Is It Ever Right to Be Angry at God?, which says:

" . . . when we get angry at a person, we are displeased with a choice they made and an act they performed. Anger at a person always implies strong disapproval. If you are angry at me, you think I have done something I should not have done."

This is why being angry at God is never right. It is wrong — always wrong — to disapprove of God for what He does and permits. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" (Genesis 18:25). It is arrogant for finite, sinful creatures to disapprove of God for what He does and permits. We may weep over the pain. We may be angry at sin and Satan. But God does only what is right. "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments" (Revelation 16:7)."

Because of this definition of anger from Piper above, it becomes immediately clear why even our anger with other people is rarely anything other than sinful. Who are WE to say that we strongly disapprove of what someone has done? Are we God? Are we their Judge? If they have said something we found hurtful, how can we be so sure that they meant it the way we thought they did? What if they had said it innocently? How can we read their hearts? If they sinned, who are we to judge the severity of that sin given the upbringing they may have had? And most of all, what about the log in our own eyes? What gave sinners the right to suddenly be the judge and determine the guilt of another and so to disapprove of them strongly and angrily?

It is only to the extent that our anger is inspired and in line with the revealed anger of God towards sin rather than our own indignation at being slighted or let down that we can hope to be angry and not sin. We actually have NO RIGHT to be angry on our own account with another because the other person is answerable to God and not us!

Piper also says: "harbored anger is the one thing the Bible explicitly says opens a door and invites the devil in." We must make sure that even if our anger really is justified, we do not nurse it, as that will destroy us. Elsewhere in the same article Piper says:

"In marriage, anger rivals lust as a killer. My guess is that anger is a worse enemy than lust. It also destroys other kinds of camaraderie. Some people have more anger than they think, because it has disguises.

When willpower hinders rage, anger smolders beneath the surface, and the teeth of the soul grind with frustration. It can come out in tears that look more like hurt. But the heart has learned that this may be the only way to hurt back. It may come out as silence because we have resolved not to fight. It may show up in picky criticism and relentless correction. It may strike out at persons that have nothing to do with its origin. It will often feel warranted by the wrongness of the cause. After all, Jesus got angry (Mark 3:5), and Paul says, "Be angry and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26).

However, good anger among fallen people is rare. That's why James says, "Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20). And Paul says, "Men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling" (1 Timothy 2:8). "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you" (Ephesians 4:31).

Therefore, one of the greatest battles of life is the battle to "put away anger," not just control its expressions. To help you fight this battle, here are nine biblical weapons . . ."

I will let you read the rest of the article for his biblical weapons. But I do want to leave you with one more thought of my own. Are we angry because God's honor has been slighted? Even then that righteous anger should be tempered by the realisation that we, too, have angered God by our own sin.

Let's call our anger what it is — sin. Remember, sin destroys relationships by the recriminations it prompts. Sin destroys people by the guilt they feel. Sin kills, steals, hurts, and divides. To Christian theology sin is something to be battled against in our own personal minds, and indeed this war never stops. John Owen said, "Be killing sin, or it will be killing you."

It is possible to be angry and not sin, but hard. Our own sense of our violated rights drives much anger. How often do we meditate on the wrongs we have done to others rather than the wrongs they have done to us? How much does anger contribute to sadness in the world? Recriminations and a tit-for-tat mentality lead to conflict in the home and on the world stage. Sooner or later someone needs to stop the cycle and forgive.

The sad truth is that sin produces wrath, partly because it should do. We are, in one sense, right to be angry at the damage sin has done. So is God. It is just for sin to be punished. So, a consideration of sin should leave us slightly despairing of ourselves. It should leave us aware that we deserve nothing but punishment from the hands of God.

God disapproves of what we have done wrong ourselves with the same righteous fury that He disapproves of the other party. Even if we feel the other one has got God's anger coming to them first, we better realise we are not far off — unless we have truly hidden in the God who is a refuge from His own wrath.

Psalm 2:12
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Over the last month or so I have been publishing collections of proverbs. Today, I would like to share with you a collection of proverbs which speak of the fool. I encourage you to read these slowly and ask yourself the following questions:

• In what ways am I like the fool?

• How can I learn not to be a fool but instead to be wise?

---

THE FOOL IN PROVERBS

Prov 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Prov 1:22
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?

Prov 1:32
For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them.

Prov 3:35
The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.

Prov 8:5
O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.

Prov 10:8
The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Prov 10:10
Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Prov 10:14
The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

Prov 10:18
The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.

Prov 10:21
The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.

Prov 10:23
Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

Prov 11:29
Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

Prov 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Prov 12:16
The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.

Prov 12:23
A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.

Prov 13:16
In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.

Prov 13:19
A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

Prov 13:20
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Prov 14:3
By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Prov 14:7
Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

Prov 14:8
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.

Prov 14:9
Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance.

Prov 14:16
One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

Prov 14:24
The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly.

Prov 14:33
Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.

Prov 15:2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

Prov 15:5
A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.

Prov 15:7
The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.

Prov 15:14
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

Prov 16:22
Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly.

Prov 17:7
Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince.

Prov 17:10
A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.

Prov 17:12
Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.

Prov 17:16
Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense?

Prov 17:21
He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.

Prov 17:24
The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

Prov 17:28
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Prov 18:2
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Prov 18:6
A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.

Prov 18:7
A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Prov 19:1
Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.

Prov 19:10
It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes.

Prov 19:29
Condemnation is ready for scoffers, and beating for the backs of fools.

Prov 20:3
It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarrelling.

Prov 23:9
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.

Prov 24:7
Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.

Prov 26:1
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.

Prov 26:3
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.

Prov 26:4
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

Prov 26:5
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Prov 26:6
Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

Prov 26:7
Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

Prov 26:8
Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool.

Prov 26:9
Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

Prov 26:10
Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

Prov 26:11
Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

Prov 26:12
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Prov 27:3
A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

Prov 27:22
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him.

Prov 28:26
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Prov 29:9
If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

Prov 29:11
A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Prov 29:20
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Prov 30:22
. . . a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food.

Today's Piper Friday comes from a sermon The Lips of Knowledge Are a Precious Jewel:

"First of all, "the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel" to me when I find them in another person, and so I seek to listen as much as I can. C.S. Lewis had the "lips of knowledge" and still speaks through his books. I have read almost all of his theological and fiction works, I think. And if you offered me ten million dollars right now in exchange for what I learned from C.S. Lewis, I wouldn't consider the offer ten seconds. I would reject the gold and keep what I have learned. Jonathan Edwards had the "lips of knowledge" and still speaks through his books and sermons. I can remember many Sunday evenings in Germany, sitting in our black rocker and savoring several pages of wisdom in his book on the Religious Affections. They taught me and they moved me. I came to feel ever more deeply that no possessions could compare to sitting at the feet of people who have the "lips of knowledge."

Someone may say, "The only teacher I need is God, the Holy Spirit. The words of man are vain. God's words are a precious jewel, but man's words are a rusty nail." People who talk like that, to use the words of Paul, have a zeal for God, but it is not according to knowledge. According to Ephesians 4:11, when Christ ascended into heaven, he gave teachers to his church. As offensive as it may be to people who measure their devotion to God by how private it is, nevertheless God intends for his people to grow in knowledge by listening to human teachers who have the "lips of knowledge." The original example for all church life is given in Nehemiah 8:8, "And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly; and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading." Human teachers are commissioned to take God's revelation and give the sense so others can understand it. It is a plain fact that we all have different skills in reading. One person reads and sees nothing very exciting. Another person reads and sees relationships and implications and insights. God intends for us to help each other see what we've seen.

I would let you cut off my hands and feet before I would let you take from me what I learned under the teaching of Daniel Fuller at Fuller Seminary. Not because I value the words of men, but because his words opened the Word for me like no one ever had. So the "lips of knowledge" are a precious jewel to us when we can listen to them or read what they spoke. So seek for them more than for silver or gold and search for them more than for hidden treasure (Proverbs 2:4). And when you find the "lips of knowledge," listen long and listen deep.

Last Sunday, I preached on controlling the tongue. At the time I shared a number of proverbs with the congregation. I thought that today I would share the entire collection of proverbs on the subject that I worked through as I prepared the sermon. This list was easy to produce — I just thought of a few key words and put them into my Logos Bible Software and let it go searching for me!

Once again it would be good to see some blog posts on some of these verses!

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WORDS AND ANGER IN PROVERBS

Prov 1:2
To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight …

Prov 1:6
… to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.

Prov 1:23
If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

Prov 2:1
My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you …

Prov 2:12
… delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech …

Prov 2:16
So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words …

Prov 4:4
He taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live."

Prov 4:5
Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Prov 4:10
Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many.

Prov 4:20
My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.

Prov 4:24
Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.

Prov 5:3
For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil …

Prov 5:7
And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.

Prov 6:2
… if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth …

Prov 6:12
A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech …

Prov 6:17
… haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood …

Prov 6:24
… to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.

Prov 7:1
My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you …

Prov 7:5
… to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.

Prov 7:21
With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him.

Prov 7:24
And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.

Prov 8:8
All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

Prov 8:13
The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Prov 10:19
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Prov 10:20
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

Prov 10:31
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

Prov 12:6
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers them.

Prov 12:18
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Prov 12:19
Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

Prov 12:25
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Prov 13:13
Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.

Prov 14:7
Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

Prov 14:29
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Prov 15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Prov 15:2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

Prov 15:4
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Prov 15:18
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Prov 15:23
To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!

Prov 15:26
The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but gracious words are pure.

Prov 16:1
The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

Prov 16:20
Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

Prov 16:21
The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

Prov 16:23
The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

Prov 16:24
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Prov 16:27
A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

Prov 16:32
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

Prov 17:4
An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

Prov 17:7
Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince.

Prov 17:20
A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

Prov 17:27
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

Prov 18:4
The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Prov 18:8
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Prov 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Prov 19:1
Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.

Prov 19:7
All a poor man’s brothers hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him! He pursues them with words, but does not have them.

Prov 19:11
Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Prov 19:27
Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

Prov 20:2
The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.

Prov 21:6
The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.

Prov 21:14
A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.

Prov 21:23
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Prov 21:28
A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears will endure.

Prov 22:11
He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.

Prov 22:12
The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor.

Prov 22:17
Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge …

Prov 22:24
Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man …

Prov 23:8
You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.

Prov 23:9
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.

Prov 23:12
Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.

Prov 24:18
… lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.

Prov 25:11
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

Prov 25:15
With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.

Prov 25:23
The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

Prov 26:22
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Prov 26:28
A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Prov 27:4
Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?

Prov 28:23
Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.

Prov 29:19
By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond.

Prov 29:20
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Prov 29:22
A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Prov 30:1
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out.

Prov 30:5
Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Prov 30:6
Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

Prov 30:33
For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.

Prov 31:1
The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him …

Prov 31:26
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

SUMMARY

A friendly debate continues in this post with me first explaining why I hope I'm not your typical charismatic. I then explain why I believe Ephesians 4 demonstrates that these kinds of conversations are vitally important before engaging with a meandering list of issues. You can blame me for the disorganisation in this post since, although I am following Dan, he was following a staccato post I rattled off quickly one evening! The whole series demonstrates it really is possible to disagree violently and still have a warm friendship with a Christian brother. This post addresses tongues and other charismatic phenomena, and puts them in a context of a genuine experiential Christianity where the Bible is our only source of authority and we do not hang up our brains on the way into church!

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This will be the final post in my series responding to a set of four Dan Phillips articles, which were themselves penned in response to my response to one of his articles! Blogging sure can get convoluted, but if you haven’t read these posts, it is probably worth your while if you'd like to see how two people committed to the Bible can disagree so fundamentally on these issues whilst growing in respect for one another in the process.

In my first post I dealt with Dan's final one, and challenged us all — charismatic and cessationist alike — to pursue knowing God experientially. My second post addressed points raised in Dan Phillips' first, and this final one will address the second and third. After this, the ball will be firmly back in Dan's court — I look forward to reading his response!

Dan begins his second post with some bluster, followed by a light-hearted introduction to me. One thing on a personal front which has given me some cause for reflection is my own internal reaction to a comment Dan made about my preaching. Dan said, "Warning: he kinda preaches like a charismatic." What interested me was the way I immediately felt about that comment. Whilst I understood the humorous tone, my pride sinfully responded. It suddenly struck me how thoroughly I wanted to dissociate myself from certain charismatics — possibly even the majority of them! The last thing I wanted myself to be described as when it came to preaching was a "typical charismatic!" Since I am unashamedly charismatic, why should this be?

The answer to that question is fairly straightforward. Many, or perhaps even the majority of charismatics — and this is especially true of those who get on to TV or radio — seem to teach all kinds of doctrines that I would want to be dissociated with totally. I am much more likely to listen to preaching from any of the speakers at the recent Together for the Gospel conference and say "amen" than I am to a randomly selected charismatic.

I am not, however, going to list all the charismatic ministries with whom I have theological differences and repudiate them in detail because to do so would take weeks worth of blog posts! Suffice it to say, if as a reformed cessationist you listen to a charismatic preacher and disagree with them (and it is not on the one issue of continuationism) the chances are quite high that I, too, will disagree with them in just the same way.

Thus, I guess my desire to, in some senses, dissociate myself from some charismatics is firstly because I am a reformed charismatic, but it is also because of some of the excesses in whipping up an emotional frenzy by some. I certainly do not aim to do that, either.

Dan then goes on to make the point that both he and I are happy for you to disagree with us publicly. I, for one, have never been of the opinion that Matthew 18 applies to theological discourse carried out respectfully. In fact, blogging as a format is well-suited to this. I can read a book by a theological opponent and disagree with it in my head violently. The chances are I will win that argument as the book cannot answer back. With the debate Dan and I have started, if I misunderstand his position and respond with my own straw-man version of it, he can defend himself and say, "But, I never meant that!"

So, in short, take this post as your invitation to dissect my arguments and put me, and for that matter, Dan, straight. I genuinely believe that one thing he and I have in common is a desire to follow the Bible in all our doctrine.

I am perhaps naïve enough to believe that continued examination of the Bible's teaching will eventually lead to agreement among humble-thinking Christians about this and other vital issues for the church. The early church had church councils. We have blogging. Perhaps as greater minds than mine begin to engage in this medium, we will see some real progress in mutual understanding, and even some progress in the work of constructing a systematic theology on which we can all agree. I do believe in the restoration of the church, and that there really will come a time when

". . . we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." (Ephesians 4:13-15)

It is in this hope that I continue to engage in spirited discussion with those like Dan who I recognise as a Christian brother who shares the same view of the Bible I do. I hope that people who read both sides of these debates will see the increasing esteem with which we hold each other. Dan says in his post:

I'd be very saddened, however, if anyone misinterpreted my, erm, spirited disagreement with Adrian's words on this one topic, and this one specific position he has adopted, to translate to general overall disagreement, or specific animosity for him as a brother in Christ. I honestly have no doubt that, in personal conversation, we'd hit it off well, and that we'd find a host of shared truths we'd gladly proclaim and defend shoulder to shoulder.

Well, I don’t think I am breaking any confidences by saying that since this post Dan and I have connected via GoogleTalk and have "met" each other via PC microphones and speakers. Dan was right; we did get along, and what is more, we found a whole lot to agree on! You can see an example of this in my recent post on proverbs in which I quote Dan extensively.

After his introduction, Dan launches straight in with the crux of his original post which sparked all this. I think there is actually little more for me to say about tongues. I think that the lines are well drawn. Dan feels that tongues in the Bible were always human languages. I have shown that there are at least hints that this may not be the case. Dan feels that there are absolutely no reliable cases of modern tongues being recognised to be a specific human language. I have linked to one documented example, but acknowledge that this is rare.

Funnily enough, in common with most people sitting on this side of the charismatic divide, I am not overly concerned with discovering precisely what tongues are. Tongues themselves seem to flow out of a certain kind of experience of the love of God being poured out into our hearts and an experiential connection with God. For many of us, the real issue is not precisely what is happening to our mouths, but rather what is happening in our hearts and how that then affects our lives.

I don’t tend to worry too much about defining and pigeon-holing spiritual experiences. When I wrote on the Toronto Blessing, I surveyed the history of some of the more bizarre apparent manifestations of the Spirit. Like Jonathan Edwards in Religious Affections, I am convinced that the appropriate way to judge spiritual experiences is by their fruits in terms of changes in doctrine believed and life style.

If speaking in tongues makes me more inclined to read my Bible, helps me to feel closer to God, brings life into our prayer meetings, gives me passion to preach, inspires me to love God and my neighbour more, and leads to an increase in the fruit and gifts of the Spirit being seen in my life, isn’t that enough for me to judge that, at least in my case, it is harmless and, on the surface of things, quite likely to be of God?

If there was one verse that directly forbade tongues speaking I would think differently, of course, but there isn’t. In fact, as we have seen, quite the opposite is said. Paul tells us to desire the gifts and not to forbid speaking in tongues. I believe in the doctrine of the clarity of Scripture, and I simply cannot believe that someone reading the Bible without preconceived notions would come to a cessationist position.

So, to summarise, tongues to me are not the most important thing. They are for many the natural outflow of what is happening in our hearts experientially when we receive the Spirit. It is that experience of God that I do believe we should seek passionately. Tongues are something of a by-product, and I do think it is very possible to over-emphasise them.

Dan then accuses us charismatics of wanting to "give up control" of mind and body to a spiritual power. Well, for me, I have to say it doesn’t work like that! I am constantly alert to the possibility that my mind could deceive me, and I test every impression by the infallible Scriptures. I do not empty my mind, but fill it. I do not "give up control," but, in fact, make a decision with my mind to seek God for gifts, and am at all times able to stop or start what I am doing. I know that for many this invalidates our experiences automatically — they are expecting more of a sense of being overpowered. I do not believe that Paul could make the regulatory commands concerning gifts that he does if it was the case that people are carried along outside of their control. The Corinthians could have answered, "How can we stop ourselves . . . if the spirit moves me, I have to speak in tongues or prophesy." Paul clearly assumed that they could stop and start at will, or else why would he have told them how he wanted them to use the gifts? In the context of the rest of 1 Corinthians 14, I am sure that verse 32, which says "the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets," means that Christians are by no means meant to relinquish control and be passive.

So to be clear, I do NOT advocate some kind of mystical style of meditation where we empty our minds and try to achieve an altered state of consciousness or be out of control. We should instead fill our minds. I know, for me, whenever I am experiencing the Spirit, my mind is always full of thoughts like, "Wow! How much God loves us!" or other biblical doctrinal content.

I certainly do agree that we should test the spirits. Dan quotes 1 John 4:1 and rightly asks us to ask the spirit we are experiencing what he makes of Jesus. I am not quite clear why he makes the jump to claim that, for charismatics, the answer our spirit has given us has been "maybe." I have yet to meet a single charismatic who has received revelation that undermines the claims of Christ - which is not, of course, to say that doesn't ever happen. But for most of us the reality is quite the opposite. Certainly for me, I find that the Spirit reminds me of the words of Christ and leads me to value Him and recognise Him as my Lord more and more. Let me be clear — it simply is not true that everyone who has received modern gifts of the Spirit is, as a result, unclear about their Christology. To imply such a thing is nothing short of slander!

Dan then explains that he, too, has experienced tongues in the past. He concluded that it wasn’t biblical and stopped. I commend him for that as I like it when people act true to their biblical convictions. As well, I want to commend him for his frank admission that it "felt good" and "came out of love for the Lord." I would urge him to ask himself, however, "What, if any, has been the effect of his no longer stirring up the gift of tongues on his love for God?" For me, if I don’t speak in tongues for awhile, God feels more distant and my love for Him is less ardent. If I was convinced by Dan's biblical arguments against the use of this gift, that would, of course, put me in a difficult position. But I have not been so convinced. So, I hope that Dan and others can respect the fact that I am a card-carrying charismatic quite simply because I do believe that to be the biblical position.

Dan goes on to explain his explanation of our experiences and focuses on tongues. In my previous post in this series, I again urged him for a diagnosis, not just of our tongues, but of those experiences in our hearts which are so much more precious to us.

Dan then begins to address some of the specific passages I asked about.

Mark 16 — my point here was simply this: tongues is clearly something that was important enough to somebody to mention here. It is important to remember that for the cessationist position to be true, tongues and prophecy would have only lasted for a few decades. The continued interest in them during the early periods of church history, as evidenced by the writings of the early church fathers, denies this.

Acts 2 — Here the battle lines are again clearly drawn. I maintain that the disciples must have had something about them (possibly just excessive happiness?) that meant the scoffers could claim they were drunk. Dan seems to disagree with that. In his third post, Dan continues to address Acts 2 and loses me somewhat. My clear reading of this passage is that the promise of the Spirit from Joel is for the whole church age right up to the point where the last bit about signs in the heavens will be fulfilled, and it is this promise which Peter speaks about in his sermon. Dan seems (at least to my reading) to have a different view. But I am not clear why he feels there are two promises spoken about in this passage. I have addressed Acts 2 more in my previous post — in which I also explain my reasons for believing that receiving the Spirit is a clear dynamic experience.

1 Corinthians 13 - I am not going to comment extensively on Dan's cessationist interpretation of this passage. I must congratulate him, however, as he has answered my question with an explanation of why he feels this passage supports his perspective. I wonder how many other cessationists take that interpretation, however. Is Dan alone? I certainly am not convinced that Dan has the natural interpretation here and would love to know if anyone else agrees with him - which of the commentators or great preachers take this view?

1 Corinthians 12-14 - We now move to the issue of Paul's desire for everyone to speak in tongues. I do think that much confusion comes of not realising that when Paul speaks of the spiritual gifts in chapter 12, he is talking of their being outpoured in the context of the church meeting. It does not, to me, seem inconsistent (given his own expressed preference to speak in tongues outside of the main corporate church gathering context) for him to desire for everyone to be able to enjoy their own private prayer language, whilst not expecting everyone to have a message in tongues to share with the whole church. Incidentally, I do feel that when, as in Acts 4, there is a gathering of the church to pray, and all are praying at the same time, it is entirely appropriate for the gift of tongues to be used.

Dan then gets onto the thorny issue for him of Paul's commands to us concerning spiritual gifts. Clearly he must feel that they no longer apply. It really isn’t good enough to say that we must all acknowledge that at some point in the future these commands will no longer apply. There are lots of Bible commands that won't apply to us in heaven. I simply want to know, if these are commands that no longer apply to us today, how can I know which other commands also do not apply? What principles of hermeneutics allow me to reject these commands as not relevant whilst accepting others? If I can pick and choose which of Paul's commands were intended just for his initial readers and which were intended for now also, then there are a long list of commands I could drop to make the church more culturally acceptable today. What possible criteria can I use to ignore Paul's commands about gifts, but follow his commands about homosexuality, the role of women, and sex outside of marriage?

In his post, Dan returns to the issue of what tongues are. He is firmly sticking to his postion that tongues are ALWAYS known human languages. All I can say here is that he doesn’t address the issue I raised. In 1 Corinthians, tongues are often referred to as prayer towards God. In Acts 2, they are, of course, preaching directed towards people. Thus, it seems to me that there are some differences in mind here, even if both types of tongues come under the same heading. Paul even speaks in 1 Corinthians 12:10 of "various kinds of tongues." There does seem to be variety in this gift - why should it not include both human and non-human languages and even, dare I say, fragmentary language?

Romans 8:26 - Dan dispatches my interpretation of this verse speedily, and I will acknowledge here that - like his interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13 - I am not sure that many people (even on my side) would agree with my position on this verse.

We then move back to 1 Corinthians 14 - in the natural reading of this whole passage I remain convinced that Paul is describing tongues as unintelligible. Dan doesn’t address the context of what Paul says - which is that the tongue would be unintelligible to the hearer unless they have a gift of interpretation. Interestingly, Paul doesn’t seem to even entertain the notion of someone being present who naturally understands the utterance of tongues. Thus, he does not seem to be expecting recognisable human languages to be used. I am still not sure why Dan feels Paul clearly says tongues are always known human languages. Perhaps he can enlighten me!

So, there we have it. I would urge people to approach this subject in the order I have taken it, and to focus on the experience of God rather than the gifts — which in some ways are by-products of what we are really looking for — but I am increasingly convinced that the hermeneutical arguments are consistently stacking up on the side of the charismatics.

There seem to be few serious attempts, either in blogland or in the books of which I'm aware, to defend a cessationist position these days. I want to thank Dan for plugging that gap. My plan for the next little while is to review some resources you will, no doubt, find useful on this subject, most written from a perspective similar to mine. It would be great if Dan or someone else could point us to resources produced from the other side. I am sure Dan will now return the volley; I wonder how many more rounds it will take before we both feel that we have said all we can on this subject.

This morning I preached on the need for us to control our tongues. Jubilee Church has made the audio available to download. I thought I would share with you the outline I preached from:

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KEY VERSE

Prov 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

See also James 3:1-12: “…the tongue is a fire …”

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1. DON'T SAY TOO MUCH

Prov 10:19
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Prov 29:20
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Prov 18:13
If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

Prov 18:6
A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.

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2. DON'T SAY TOO LITTLE

Prov 25:11
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

Prov 12:18
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Prov 12:25
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Prov 15:23
To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!

Prov 22:11
He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.

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3. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING

Prov 2:12

. . . delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech . . .

Prov 4:24
Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.

Prov 26:28
A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Prov 12:19
Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

Prov 15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Prov 16:32
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

Prov 19:11
Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

See also 1 Samuel 25: David, Nabal, and Abigail.

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4. THINK ABOUT WHO YOU ARE SPEAKING TO

Prov 17:4
An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

Prov 18:8
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Prov 23:9
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.

Prov 26:4
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

Prov 26:5
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Prov 9:8
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

See also Luke 8:31-2: And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Not unsurprisingly, I am somewhat preoccupied by Proverbs at the moment. Today I want to share with you an extended quote from one of John Piper's sermons on Proverbs. I will share the quote and allow Piper to speak. I cannot encourage you enough to go read the whole sermon, or even listen to it online.

This extract shows how Piper laboured with a single proverb to put it in context and truly understand it. It is a great illustration of what we were learning about proverbs from Dan Phillips yesterday.

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“THE MOUTH OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A FOUNTAIN OF LIFE”
Proverbs 10:11

So our first question has to be: What is this righteousness that makes mouths into fountains of life? How do you become the kind of person whose mouth freely brings forth life?

The way I tried to answer this question was to look at other places in Proverbs where it says something is a fountain of life. I thought this would show me just how this righteousness is thought of that turns mouths into fountains of life. Here's what I found.

Proverbs 13:14 says, "The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life" (cf. 16:22). So if the "teaching of the wise" is a fountain of life, and "the mouth of the righteous" is a fountain of life, then one element in this righteousness is true wisdom. Righteous people are people who live by true wisdom.

Then I remembered that the most crucial thing Proverbs says about wisdom is that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (9:10). So I assumed that "the fear of the Lord" is right at the heart of the wisdom which is the basis of the way righteous people live (fear of the Lord — wisdom — righteousness). The surprising thing was the way this was confirmed in 14:27, "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life."

So I conclude that the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life (10:11) because righteousness is a life based on true wisdom which is a fountain of life (13:14), and true wisdom is a fountain of life because it begins with the fear of the Lord, which is a fountain of life (14:27).

But we're not quite at the bottom of things yet. If we change the image from a fountain to a tree, the "fear of the Lord" is the root of "wisdom" which grows up like a trunk and then sprouts branches of "righteousness" where people can pick the fruit of life (cf. 11:30). So life seems to flow through the root of the fear of God into the trunk of wisdom out through the branches of righteousness into the fruit of the lips which people eat and live. But where does it come from?

The answer comes when you think about the fear of the Lord or when you look up Psalm 36:9. The fear of the Lord means at least two things: (1) it means we stand in awe of the majesty and power and justice and holiness and grace of God. We tremble at His Word (Isaiah 66:2); and (2) it means that we shudder with dread at the thought of leaving our God and how terrible it would be to forsake this great God.

And so one reason the fear of the Lord in us is fountain of life for others is that it keeps us with the Lord. Forsaking the Lord is a terrifying prospect to those who fear the Lord. He's everything. He is Life. Leaving God and going away to look for some other spring of water is so shocking and so frightening that we can't do it (cf. Jeremiah. 2:13).

So those who fear the Lord stay with the Lord. They love the fellowship of God more than anything. And because they stay with the Lord and don't forsake Him for broken cisterns in the world, their roots are in the eternal fountain of life, God Himself. This is what Psalm 36:9 says: "You [God] give them to drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life."

Now we are at the very bottom of things. Now we know why righteousness makes the mouth into a fountain of life. The reason is that righteousness is a life based on true wisdom, and true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, and the fear of the Lord roots people in God Himself and keeps us close to Him in personal fellowship, and God — and God alone — is the ultimate, self-replenishing, inexhaustible fountain of life

"The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life" because GOD is a fountain of life and the righteous live on God . . . .

That's the answer to our second question: The mouth of the righteous is a fountain and not a factory because righteousness means living on the abundance of God — moment by moment drinking at the fountain of living water which is nothing less than God Himself, manifest in Jesus Christ and welling up in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (John 4:14; 7:38-39).

So the heart of this sermon is a call to trust God as your abundance and treasure. To live in God, to feed on God, and drink from God, and fellowship with God, learn all your wisdom from God and fear to forsake God (Ezra 8:22). He invites you this morning very earnestly and sincerely: "Let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price" (Rev. 22:17). The fountain of life is free. And it reproduces fountains not factories.

In our introduction to the book of Proverbs at Jubilee the preacher mentioned the fact that proverbs are not promises, they are principles. I have been thinking a lot about that since. My new friend, Dan Phillips, has some great posts about proverbs that, among other things, help to unpack that. I am sure he won't mind if I extract some quotes and interact with them here. The first post is where we find the reason why proverbs are not general cast-iron promises.

Dan reminds us of some definitions to begin with:

“A simile is the comparison of A to B, and a metaphor says that A is B. Virkler describes the former as an expressed comparison and the latter as an unexpressed comparison (p. 158)

Proverbs 15:19 gives one example of each:

The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns [simile], but the path of the upright is a level highway [metaphor].

That's hardly original. But then Virkler observes that a simile, if extended, becomes a parable; and a metaphor, if extended, becomes an allegory. I'd never thought of it that way, and it's worth a thought.

Then Virkler goes on to observe that if the parable or the allegory is compressed, it becomes — you guessed it — a proverb . . .

This compression factor highlights both the genius and the peril of the proverb.

Genius, in that it simply won't do to read the book of Proverbs in a hurry. It isn't fast-food. Proverbs are meant to be chewed over, savored, relished slowly and thoroughly. We have to see through its brief statement, and unpack the larger story — the parable or the allegory — that lies behind it in the writer's thinking . . .

But this compression factor is perilous to the interpreter, too. If we try to force the compressed form to say everything, we miss its point. It isn't always supposed to be a guarantee or an exhaustive statement on any given subject. Rather, it is a pithy pointer, usually designed to drive one truth into the mind. Ryken says it well: "The aim of a proverb is to make an insight permanent" (Leland Ryken, How to Read the Bible as Literature, Zondervan: 1984, p. 122).

An insight; not all insight

This is nothing less than brilliant. It expresses perfectly what I have instinctively known, but probably not known how to clearly express before — the fact that proverbs are not always true in my experience does not mean that they are somehow flawed.

This is why, for example, we are foolish to take a proverb like 18:21 which says — “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” — remove the second clause, and turn it into a magical statement that means we must be careful about what we say or we may curse ourselves to death.

I remember a man who, when I asked what the doctor at the hospital had said about his sick son said, “Well, I will not use my tongue to name what the doctor said was wrong with him.” This is not what this proverb means at all!!

It is well worth reading the rest of Dan’s series. In the second one he gives a fantastic illustration of how you can start with a story or two — even a true story — that seems to make a point and then condense it down into a pithy proverb that almost sounds like it belongs in the Bible (no cessationist cracks about the canon being reopened for Dan at this point, OK?!)

In his final post of the series, Dan uses his own proverb to explain some principles we can use when interpreting proverbs. He has a number of steps we can use.

1. ASK THE AUTHOR

I knew I couldn’t talk about Dan for a whole post without mentioning the issue of modern impressions. Amazingly, right in the context of this post on proverbs, he argues my case for me. Thanks Dan, I couldn’t have said this better myself! After explaining that, of course, we cannot ask Solomon what he meant by a proverb, he goes on as follows:

However, behind Solomon is the Spirit of God, who does still live. It would insult the truth of the sufficiency of Scripture to ask for further direct revelation, but it honors that same sufficiency to ask God to open our understanding. It is as we think hard and analytically about Scripture that the Lord gives us understanding (2 Timothy 2:7). We won't ask for new law, but we will pray that God opens our eyes to behold wonders out of the revelation already given.

What Dan is telling us to ask for is essentially what I call a prophecy or a revelation with a small "r," or perhaps more acceptably to Dan, an “illumination”. Anyway, back on track . . . His second step is as follows

2. HONOR THE GENRE

I love the way Dan says the following here:

“A proverb communicates a truth. It does not characteristically communicate all truth. It is a sage insight; it isn't a legal contract.”

We cannot interpret proverbs the same way we would a letter, or the books of the Law! Dan explains that proverbs often simply compare to things with the aim of making it clear that one of them is better than the other. This does not always mean that the better one is best or even at all times better! Some proverbs seem to contradict each other — if we understand the purpose of proverbs, this should not surprise us!

3. ESTABLISH THE AUTHOR'S CONTEXT

Allowing the rest of the book to effect our interpretation of individual proverbs protects us from obvious errors!

4. FIND THE LARGER CONTEXT

For those of us who believe the Bible to be God's Word in its entirety, it is not wrong for us to interpret Proverbs against the backdrop of what the rest of the Bible says — a proverb cannot be intended to contradict the clear teaching of Scripture elsewhere!

5. PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

When we synthesise our efforts, we should find (since we believe in the clarity of Scripture) that the meaning pops out at us and hits us between the eyes the way only a proverb can!

This past Sunday I was privileged to listen to the second part of our series on Proverbs. This time we focused on the topic of work and, of course, the sluggard featured heavily in the sermon. It is a sermon that is well worth a listen, and I commend it to you. What better time than for me to share with you a collection of proverbs related to the sluggard.

I would love for some of my readers who have blogs to take one of these proverbs and use it as a springboard for a post. In a sense, the book of Proverbs is a book of sound bites. To me these sound bites just cry out to be blogged. My favourite blog posts always are those which take a sound bite from somewhere and react to it in some way — either ask it a question, challenge it, applaud it, explain it, expand it, apply it, or whatever. Play with these words a bit and may God use them to bless others!

Please pray for me as I prepare to preach the next sermon in this series on Sunday.


Proverbs 6:6
Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

Proverbs 6:9
How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

Proverbs 10:26
Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.

Proverbs 13:4
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

Proverbs 15:19
The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.

Proverbs 19:24
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

Proverbs 20:4
The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.

Proverbs 21:25
The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.

Proverbs 22:13
The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!”

Proverbs 24:30
I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense . . .

Proverbs 26:13
The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!”

Proverbs 26:14
As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.

Proverbs 26:15
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.

Proverbs 26:16
The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.

Last Sunday I posted the first in a series of posts I am planning which will be a collection of Proverbs by subject. Today I thought I would share with you proverbs about the scoffer. As Tope pointed out in his sermon (linked to in last week's post), the scoffer is one of two types of “fool” mentioned in Proverbs. A quick search of the Bible will reveal that there are few mentions of the scoffer outside of the book of Proverbs, and that, not surprisingly, all mentions are negative. That might not seem surprising, but in our culture I suspect that the scoffer would, in fact, be honoured. He might be called the cynic, the self-assured, the realist or the independent thinker.

One of our society's favourite songs is “I Did it My Way . . . .” How many of us seek out correction and welcome it? Do we not instead inwardly smart and find ourselves secretly hating the person who dared to correct us? “It's my life,” we say, “I didn’t ask you for your advice!” Sadly, we are often only too willing to criticise others, often in an angry dismissive way — we who ourselves hate the notion of others correcting us!

When you read of the scoffer, don't think about other people. Instead, ask yourself: “Am I like this — even just a little bit?” For the character of the scoffer is not set in stone. God intends for us to change, and provides us with all that we need for godliness. This is both through the Spirit in us and through our Christian brothers and sisters. How does this work? Quite simply by the scoffer understanding he cannot go on living this way and seeking out someone he trusts enough to whom he can open his life — someone to whom he can say, "Please be honest. What do you see in me that I ought to think about changing?"

As I was reading these proverbs through again today, I fear that we could easily switch the word “scoffer” for the word “blogger.” These proverbs have so much in them to challenge the Christian blogging community. How easily could we write — “Bloggers set a city aflame,” or “. . . a blogger doesn’t listen to a rebuke,” or “whoever corrects a blogger gets himself abuse,” or dare I say it — “Blogger is the name of the arrogant haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.” I do not say this merely to rebuke other bloggers — I am only too well aware of these tendencies in myself.

I would love to issue a challenge to any blogger willing to take it up to mention one of these proverbs on their own blog and discuss how we can avoid falling into this kind of behaviour — both online and in our off-blog lives.

The Scoffer in Proverbs

Prov 1:22
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?

Prov 9:7
Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

Prov 9:8
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

Prov 13:1
A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

Prov 14:6
A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

Prov 15:12
A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.

Prov 19:25
Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge.

Prov 19:29
Condemnation is ready for scoffers, and beating for the backs of fools.

Prov 21:11
When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

Prov 21:24
“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.

Prov 22:10
Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarrelling and abuse will cease.

Prov 24:9
The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

Prov 29:8
Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.

People often say that common sense is not common. Last Sunday Tope began a sermon series at my church. His sermon is available online and forms a fantastic introduction to this amazing book of the Bible. The audio of this sermon is available online.

To me, it seems that as well as simply reading the book through, this book lends itself well to collecting verses together by subject. I have had some fun using my Logos Bible Software to do just this with the book of Proverbs, and thought I would share some of the results of my searches here. So to begin with, here is what Proverbs says about wisdom . . .

Wisdom in Proverbs

Prov 1:2
To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,

Prov 1:3
to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

Prov 1:5
Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,

Prov 1:6
to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.

Prov 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Prov 1:20
Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;

Prov 2:2
making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;

Prov 2:6
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Prov 2:7
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

Prov 2:10
for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Prov 3:7
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

Prov 3:13
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,

Prov 3:19
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens;

Prov 3:21
My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion,

Prov 3:35
The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.

Prov 4:5
Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Prov 4:7
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.

Prov 4:11
I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

Prov 5:1
My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding,

Prov 6:6
Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

Prov 7:4
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend,

Prov 8:1
Does not wisdom call ? Does not understanding raise her voice?

Prov 8:11
for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Prov 8:12
“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.

Prov 8:14
I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength.

Prov 8:33
Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.

Prov 9:1
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.

Prov 9:8
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

Prov 9:9
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

Prov 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Prov 9:12
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

Prov 10:1
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

Prov 10:8
The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Prov 10:13
On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

Prov 10:14
The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

Prov 10:23
Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

Prov 10:31
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

Prov 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

Prov 11:29
Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

Prov 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.

Prov 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Prov 12:18
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Prov 13:1
A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

Prov 13:10
By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.

Prov 13:14
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

Prov 13:20
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Prov 14:3
By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Prov 14:6
A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

Prov 14:8
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.

Prov 14:16
One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

Prov 14:24
The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly.

Prov 14:33
Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.

Prov 14:35
A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor, but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

Prov 15:2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

Prov 15:7
The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.

Prov 15:12
A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.

Prov 15:20
A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

Prov 15:31
The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.

Prov 15:33
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Prov 16:14
A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it.

Prov 16:16
How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Prov 16:21
The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

Prov 16:23
The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

Prov 17:2
A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

Prov 17:16
Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense?

Prov 17:24
The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

Prov 17:28
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Prov 18:4
The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Prov 18:15
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Prov 19:20
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Prov 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

Prov 20:18
Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.

Prov 20:26
A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.

Prov 21:11
When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

Prov 21:20
Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.

Prov 21:22
A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

Prov 21:30
No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord.

Prov 22:17
Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

Prov 23:15
My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad.

Prov 23:19
Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.

Prov 23:23
Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

Prov 23:24
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.

Prov 24:3
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;

Prov 24:5
A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might,

Prov 24:6
for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Prov 24:7
Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.

Prov 24:14
Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

Prov 24:23
These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good.

Prov 25:12
Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

Prov 26:5
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Prov 26:12
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Prov 27:11
Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me.

Prov 28:11
A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.

Prov 28:26
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Prov 29:3
He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Prov 29:8
Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.

Prov 29:9
If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

Prov 29:11
A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Prov 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

Prov 30:3
I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.

Prov 30:24
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise:

Prov 31:26
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

Hi, Andree here again! Being in a household of six, with lots of work to do, I recently found myself in the throes of self-pity. All I ever seem to be doing, I thought, is cleaning up, cooking, tidying, rushing about, laundry, etc etc. In short, I was feeling a bit like a slave. So imagine how I felt when I read the following . . .

'"You want to be great?" Jesus is saying. "Well, here's what has to happen. What's required is that you become a servant to others; it means nothing less than becoming a slave of everyone."' (Humility, True Greatness, C.J. Mahaney).

This quote was made in connection with a request by James and John to Jesus that they be allowed to sit on either side of Him in glory. (Mark 10:35-45)

Does this mean, then, that I need to literally become a slave to my family while they (particularly the children) sit and do nothing? 'Surely not!' I thought. Then I remembered. We are told to 'train a child up in the way that he should go . . .' (Proverbs 22:6). This must mean to train them in humility and servanthood, too! So in reality I should not end up having to do 'everything!' When everyone is serving, there is less work for one person to do.

I thank God for this fresh encouragement, both to apply this to myself and to model it to my children. I pray that with God's help I will be better able to serve my family with servanthood and humility, and teach my children to do likewise. And for those of us who feel that we just cannot stretch to 'slavery', cultivating this quality also comes with a huge bonus:

'God gives grace to the humble!' (James 4:6)

I don't suppose too many people from Jubilee Church will read this post before I actually preach it, so I thought I'd share it with you this morning. Do please pray for me as I deliver the following sermon on hope. True hope is a uniquely Christian thing - like faith and love - I need the help of God's Spirit as I seek to explain this to the people.

The audio of this message is now available to download from my church's website or by subscribing to our podcast. If you are interested in a glimpse of the preparation that lies behind a sermon like this, please see my post from earlier in the week.

ABOUND IN HOPE!

• Romans 15:13. “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.”

WHERE DOES HOPE COME FROM?

• Psalm 39:7. “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”
  
  
• Ephesians 2:12. “. . . remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

WHAT IS HOPE? JOY AND PEACE, NOT SORROW AND STRESS!

• Proverbs 13:12. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”
  
  
• Romans 8:23-25. “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
  
  
• Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
  
  
• 1 Peter 3:15-16. ". . . but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
  
  
• 1 Corinthians 15:19. “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

HOW DO WE GET HOPE?

1. By Believing Patiently.

• Hebrews 6:11-20. “And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

2. By the Word.

• Romans 15:4. “. . . through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

3. By the Holy Spirit. (5:13 itself)


HOW MUCH HOPE IS ENOUGH?

• Ephesians 3:20. “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 ...”

WHAT DOES HOPE LOOK LIKE?

• 2 Corinthians 3:12. “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.”

• Wise Counsel About Friends from Proverbs
  
  (tags: prov counselling)
• 
  "Full membership that is only possible by encouraging the ability to respond to the gifts and call of God into leadership and ordination."
  
  Dave Warnock feels that only by being leaders can we feel like full members. But being a leader is NOT the only way to feel like we belong!
  
  (tags: feminism leadership church)
  
• 
  "Quantum Theology"
  
  Duck continues his outsider's view of our theological squabbles.
  
  (tags: theology evangelism)

The Authority and Inerrancy of the Bible�T4G Statement, Articles I and II

---

Article I
We affirm that the sole authority for the Church is the Bible, verbally inspired, inerrant, infallible, and totally sufficient and trustworthy.

We deny that the Bible is a mere witness to the divine revelation, or that any portion of Scripture is marked by error or the effects of human sinfulness.

Article II
We affirm that the authority and sufficiency of Scripture extends to the entire Bible, and therefore that the Bible is our final authority for all doctrine and practice.

We deny that any portion of the Bible is to be used in an effort to deny the truthfulness or trustworthiness of any other portion. We further deny any effort to identify a canon within the canon or, for example, to set the words of Jesus against the writings of Paul.

---

Well, today we finally get into the meat of the Together for the Gospel statement which, if you haven�t already done so, I would encourage you to read in full�it is available as a pdf or Google�s HTML version.

This post is part of an ongoing bloggers challenge I have set to encourage us all to work through this statement systematically � thanks to Crossway for donating five copies of God is the Gospel to encourage your participation!

There is no more important matter to consider than the one before us today�that of the authority, reliability, and sufficiency of Scripture. I believe that these concepts cannot be separated�for you cannot have one without the other. That is why I have chosen to take both articles together.

If the Bible is not reliable, then we are the ones with authority, for inevitably we must sit in judgment over it, deciding which bits are without error and can therefore teach us doctrine, and which are human and fallible and can therefore be rejected and ignored.

In my church life, when I meet new people, I don�t tend to examine their doctrines very carefully initially. What I am eager to find in the early stages of a growing friendship is evidence of a certain humble attitude towards the Bible. For if someone humbly accepts the Bible, but has come to different conclusions than I have, I can live with that. Sadly, all too many of the people I interact with online and offline quite simply do not see the Bible the way I do.

On issue after issue, people twist or ignore basic Bible verses which categorically teach the opposite to what they believe. I am determined to avoid the issues of feminism and complementarianism for now, but suffice it to say, I do think that Lig is right when he says:

"The gymnastics required to get from �I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man� in the Bible to �I do allow a woman to teach and to exercise authority over a man� . . . are devastating to the functional authority of the Scripture."

I have not yet met anyone who holds to and proclaims an egalitarian position that also believes in an inerrant view of the Bible.

In this week�s MLJ Monday the Doctor explained that God needs to take the initiative in revealing himself to us, but that unless we want to create our own �gods,� we need a standard that is external to ourselves of which we can be sure. That standard is the Bible. As Lloyd-Jones said:

This is the beginning of the matter, the foundation, the base minimum, the absolute. We either take everything from this, or we have no authority at all. You either submit completely to it, or else one man�s opinion is as good as another�s � and that means that you have no authority at all. Before you can ever succeed in girding your loins about with truth, you have to come to God�s Word as a little child, or, to use the stronger word that Paul uses, you have got to come to it as a �fool�.

A common criticism of the view of Scripture which insists that in order for it to be authoritative it must be inerrant is that this is a relatively recent view. Matthew Sims expertly demolishes this view with one quote from Augustine:

For I confess to your Charity that I have learned to yield this respect and honour only to the canonical books of Scripture: of these alone do I most firmly believe that the authors were completely free from error. And if in these writings I am perplexed by anything which appears to me opposed to truth, I do not hesitate to suppose that either the manuscript is faulty, or the translator has not caught the meaning of what was said, or I myself have failed to understand it. As to all other writings, in reading them, however, great the superiority of the authors to myself in sanctity and learning, I do not accept their teaching as true on the mere ground of the opinion being held by them; but only because they have succeeded in convincing my judgment of in truth either by means of these canonical writings themselves, or by arguments addressed to my reason. I believe, my brother, that this is your own opinion as well as mine. I do not need to say that I do not suppose you to wish your books to be read like those of prophets or of apostles, concerning which it would be wrong to doubt that they are free from error. Far be such arrogance from that humble piety and just estimate of yourself which I know you to have, and without which assuredly you would not have said, 'Would that I could receive your embrace, and that by converse we might aid each other in learning!

As Sims puts it, �Augustine appears to say that he and Jerome believe the original autographs of Scripture were inspired, but scribal errors have crept into the MSS they now possess.�

What about those things the Bible itself has to say about its own reliability?

Jesus himself had some interesting things to say about the Bible:

�Scripture cannot be broken� (John 10:35)

For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:18)

It is hard to see how anything short of an inspired, inerrant, and infallible view of Scripture is consistent with these words of Christ. Indeed the problem with these words is they seem to claim more than even the most ardent evangelical contends is the case�Jesus seems to say that the texts themselves will be perfectly preserved.

Perhaps we will discover more and more manuscripts in the coming years and get to the point where we are 100 per cent sure that we have the intact text down to the last dot and iota. The truth is, we are not so very far from such a position today in all honesty�the areas where we are uncertain of the original Bible text are miniscule in the extreme. Certainly we can be more confident that we have the very words of the Bible today than for any other piece of ancient literature.

Does the Bible see itself as authoritative and inerrant?

Let�s just look at a few verses that demonstrate clearly that it does:

. . . knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. (2 Peter 1:20)

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5)

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

What is to be considered as �Scripture�?

But what of the extent of Scripture, and the notion in the second article that some might seek to divide the Bible into competing bits? The Bible itself is clear that �Scripture� extends beyond the Old Testament to the New�Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:18:

For the Scripture says, �You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,� and, �The laborer deserves his wages.�

Now, the first phrase is a reference to an Old Testament Scripture, but the second is only found in one of the New Testament Gospels�Luke 10:7. Thus, by the time Paul wrote 1 Timothy it is abundantly clear that the Gospel of Luke was already considered as Scripture.

By the time Peter wrote his second epistle, he casually assumes that his readers understand that Paul�s letters, although hard to understand, are as much as �the other Scriptures� to be considered a part of the Christian�s Bible:

. . . our beloved brother, Paul, also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (2 Peter 3:16)

The Bible itself is also clear about how it should be used.

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

It is interesting that the Jews are commended for this search of the Old Testament Scriptures to confirm what the Apostles are saying to them�the Apostles certainly do not claim an ability to contradict the Old, and argue instead that their words are consistent with the Scriptures already given. This consistency with previous revelation led the Thessalonians to a remarkable conclusion�that what the Apostles were saying to them was itself the Word of God.

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. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Thus, if even apostolic teaching must be compared to and weighed by Scripture, how much more our own today?

The Bible is intended to instruct us and encourage us. Let�s not rob ourselves of the confidence we need to have in it in order for it to do its job!

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

This is vital for a Christian, for the Bible is clear that it is the Word of God itself that leads to our salvation:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

. . . you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God (1 Peter 1:23-25 )

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

What of those who abuse the Bible?

Paul is very clear about the unity of the Bible, and its consistent message, from which we must not deviate:

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:1-4)

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)

Today we are far too tolerant of differing perspectives and viewpoints of the Bible. If these words are to be considered true and reliable, we should expect a clear theology to emerge from them. I believe that on all important points of Christian doctrine, it does.

Again I say, I am looking for those who have such a humble attitude towards the Bible that they are willing for it to shape them, rather than the other way round, and who say, �Show me where I am wrong from this Book and I will change my position.�

Personally, I am so anxious to respect the very words of the Bible in light of all we have said that I will always stand by the need to use more literal translations of the Bible such as the ESV. It is not surprising that a high view of Scripture seems to have a direct relationship to the version of the Bible we use.

The Bible is not merely the rough impression of what God was trying to say�it is the exact and precise WORD of God to us today! Without confidence in its infallibility we will never build our doctrine on it. Once we believe it is 100 per cent true and reliable, how can we do anything else but submit ourselves to its teaching, even if it does not seem culturally relevant in places?

Perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible about the function of the Scriptures is found in Paul�s second letter to Timothy. I will end this post with those words:

. . . from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

links for 2006-04-01

• Testing Darwin's Teachers - Los Angeles Times
  Sometimes disruptive, but often sophisticated, questioning of evolution by students has educators increasingly on the defensive
  (tags: creationism)
• What is a Fool?
  Paul shares the Proverbs definition of a fool.
• How Important is it to Prepare for the Da Vinci Code?
  Are we woefully poorly taught to give an answer to those who ask? Will we be left "grasping and stuttering" when challenged by friends? Do we have confidence in our understanding of Scripture?
  (tags: challies faith)
• How to Avoid the Sin of BLOGSLANDER.
  "There have always been a group of people who are spiritual bloodhounds for the church -- sniffing out error and looking for all new heresies."
  (tags: blogging)

links for 2006-03-30

• Anthony Bradley on the Forgotten Side of Sin
  "Many traditions have reduced sin to rebellion and have skipped over the fact that people have been sinned against in ways that have left them living as the walking wounded, often acting out sinfully as a way to self-medicate pain."
  (tags: sin pastoral)
• Blind Man Pulls Woman From Fire
  Neighbor used a fence � and his ears � as guides.
  (tags: family)
• Church 3.0 Engaging the 21st Century Culture
  Driscoll explains his concept of missional churches.
  (tags: driscoll emerging church mission evangelism)
• Hinderances to Preaching
  CHS: "We must not talk to our congregations as if we were half asleep. Our preaching must not be articulate snoring."
  (tags: spurgeon preaching)
• Gambling: Some Definitions and Distinctions
  Phil Johnson, via "Pulpit Live," continues his series on gambling.
  (tags: sin pyromaniacs)
• Al Mohler Has Questions About Osteen
  "Does anyone watching his television program or sitting in his vast church facility hear in Mr. Osteen's message a clear and undiluted message of Gospel proclamation?" HT Justin Taylor.
  (tags: gospel)
• Solomon's Wisdom for Blogdom
  Fourteen "gems" from Proverbs to help improve the blogosphere.
  (tags: bible blogging challies)

One of the best things about blogging is when several things come together on one day. My pastor Tope and I were talking face to face earlier today (yes I know thats so pre-blog!) about what kind of preaching impacts hearts and lives and not just minds. We had a great time, so imagine my joy to come home and bump into the following "by chance":

3:17 lists his favorite books on preaching, and summarises this story on the vital place of imagination in preaching:

"Grandma Thatcher hobbles into church one morning. As usual, her unsaved husband had sent her off to church with curses ringing in her ears. She was in constant pain, and had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. She dreaded the arrival of winter and was praying that fuel prices wouldn't go up again. If it weren't for her Lord, her large-print Bible, and her Christian friends, Grandma Thatcher would have given up a long time ago.

When Pastor Bowers stepped into the pulpit to preach, Grandma Thatcher silently prayed, 'Father, give him something special for me. I need it!' The text was Genesis 9, and the message was the twenty-second in a series on Genesis that Pastor Bowers called 'Beginning at the Beginnings.'

The sermon was titled, 'God Talks to Noah.' Pastor Bowers read the chapter and then gave the congregation his main points:

I. Creation Presented - 9:1-3
II. Capital Punishment - 9:4-7
III. Covenant Promised - 9:8-17
IV. Carnality Practiced - 9:18-23
V. Consequences Prophesied - 9:24-29

As some of the saints dutifully wrote the outline in the space provided on the back page of their worship folders, Grandma Thatcher breathed a disappointed sigh. 'Last week it was all S's. Today it's all CP's.' She settled back in the pew, turned the preacher off and began meditating on the psalm she'd read early that morning before George had gotten up to menace her day.

It struck me that that outline was like a lot of the preaching I heard around me (except from my own pastor). It wasn't really a sermon, just a verbal commentary on the passage. Wiersbe's book seeks to bring life and imagination into such stale sermons. He does so not by being innovative, but by being biblical. A significant chunk of the book is devoted to looking at the use of imagery throughout scripture. He then shows how we can use the Bible to guide our imagination in our sermon preparation so that what we say makes it into the lives of our hearers."

Jollyblogger has a great post on the kind of preaching that reaches only minds and the kind that reaches hearts

People often miss the emphasis that Rick Warren places on preaching. He apparently has over 300 books on the subject and takes it very seriously. In his ministry email that I also got today he quotes the following scripture which he claims is the only passage which instructs us how to prepare sermons.

Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. (Eccl 12:9-13) ESV

Compare the NASB which Warren quotes:
In addition to being a wise man, the preacher also taught the people knowledge, and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. The preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails. They are given by one shepherd.

I included the last verse there because it seems to me that it is relevant to some tendancies we may have towards overly theologising the simple plane words of scripture. But I will give Rick the last word as he outlines what he feels this verse can teach us about preaching preparation in a post he entitles "On being a wise preacher":

Notice all the preparation involved:

He ponders - In other words, he carefully thinks about what he will say.

He searches out - He researches and he studies before he speaks.

He arranges - As he searches out truths, he categorizes them. He sets things in a logical order.

He looks for just the right words - He doesn't cut any corners by just arbitrarily picking his words.

This preacher is worth listening to because he does his homework.

As a result, Solomon says his words are like goads. A goad is a sharp stick that you use to guide animals. Think of it as an ancient, electric cattle prod. In the same way, your messages need to motivate people to do something.

Then the Bible also says his words are like well-driven nails. The best-crafted messages make a truth memorable. Like a nail, the truth is driven in and you can�t pull it out. People remember what is said.

There are few subjects that are both as critical to the church and as poorly understood and practiced as humility. There are few men more qualified to teach us on the subject than C.J.Mahaney. When I had the priviledge of an interview with CJ by email a few weeks back I was again reminded of his amazing humility and have not been disappointed in the content of his new book.

As I discovered a couple of years ago when it fell to my lot to preach on meekness there is little in print on such subjects. I understand and sympathise with the pain that CJ had to bear but am glad that he went through it and produced this fantastic book.

I guess when you are plucked from obscurity as he was and end up leading a whole group of churches without any formal training it is going to send you one of two ways. You will either think "now I finally arrived....." or you will be forever in awe of the amazing grace of God that can take you to places you never imagined possible. Despite his attempts to claim to be a man who has struggled more than most with pride I am convinced that C.J. has taken the latter view.
Why is humility so critical? C.J. launches straight in to tell us in the opening of his book- because "humility draws the gaze of our sovereign God"

...this is the one to whom I will look:he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (Is 66:2)

C.J is most helpful in his definition of humilty which he says is "honestly assessing ourselves in the light of God's holiness and our sinfulness".

C J quotes Jerry Bridges definition of pride as "contending for supremacy with God" and elaborates that pride seeks "to rob God of legitamate glory and to pursue self-glorification"

Seen this way, and given the fact that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble it is little wonder that C.J. aggrees with Stott's assessment that "pride is our greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend"

Mahaney wisely points us towards a sermon Spurgeon preached on the subject of pride and humility and thanks to my friend Phil Johnson we can read it online. Spurgeon's sermon is based on a revealing scripture:

"Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility."�Proverbs 18:12.

C.J. urges us to learn to simply "serve others for the glory of God" urging us to realise that pride is quite out of place for the Christian - C.J. quoted Carl Henry as saying "how can anyone be arrogant when he stands beside the cross"

C.J. masterfully outlines some practical ways for us to cultivate humility and holds before us another reason to do so "the humble are genuinely care free"

One of the things my pastor Tope Koleoso has taught me to do is to look for the gaps- ie to look for the throw away comments which may not be on the subject at hand but which reveal much that has not been fully said. Sometimes these throw away comments tell us something which comes so naturally to the person that made the comment that they almost do not think it needs explanation. For the rest of us, though that hidden wisdom is sometimes the pearl worth seeking in the whole book. One such pearl that C.J. writes in this book is "I guess I never do anything passively. Im never just observing". I pray God will help us to be so purposeful in our approach to life.

C.J.s deliberate pursuit of the God of the humble has achived much in his lifetime. We can all do well to learn from the wisdom distilled in this, his finest book so far.

I have no hesitation at all in adding this book to my list of books I feel every Christian should read at some point in their Christian lives.


This book review was organised by the diet of bookworms where you can read more reviews by bloggers.

Other Books every Christian should read

Up the Creek Seafood Cakes:

An 'Anointed' Delicacy for

Worship and Evangelism

There are a few delicacies in this world that I have created a special category for in my mind called 'anointed.' These menu items, found at various restaurants across this fruited plain, have captured my tastebuds and held them captive momentarily in a vortex of worship. Somehow, the combination of certain foods together creates a melody on my palate, my tastebuds immediately singing praises to God that He has given man the ability to fashion something that tastes so good.

This is surely what God intends for us to do, isn't it? When we are commanded to give glory to God in everything we do, right down to our eating and drinking (1 Cor. 10:31), giving glory means reflecting on the nature and power and character and attributes of God that surround that thing and give it meaning and bring such joy.

That's pretty much what happened to me last night while my wife and I were on our first date in over eight weeks. We dropped the kids off at the movie theatre with Grandma and Grandpa, and we headed next door to a restuarant called Up the Creek Fishcamp and Grill, at their Conyers, GA franchise. I'm a seafood guy. I could probably eat it every night (but as I found out a couple of weeks ago, doing so contributes to that darned gout!). I spied the Seacakes on the Dinner menu, a combination of crab, shrimp, and lobster, mixed together in a creamy sauce and fried to a golden brown, topped with a hollandaise sauce slightly seasoned with cayanne pepper. With the garlic mashed potatoes the combination of tastes is beyond description. But when I took just the first bite of the seacakes, there was something in my heart that leaped in praise for joy in God!

My wife astutely picked up on the worship experience. Perhaps it was the closed eyes and look of ecstacy on my face as I chewed slowly and grinned widely that gave away my experience. We've talked every now and then about my theology of 'anointed' foods, joking here and there with friends about it. But there is something very real behind it...and we got a little deeper into it this theology last night at our quaint little table for two.

My attempt at explaining what I meant went something like this. I asked her what it was about me eating seacakes and the an unsaved guy eating them that would make me worship God while eating them and make him wipe the corner of his mouth and walk out the door. Her eyebrows were raised in sarcastic disbelief at what was going across my mind...we've been married long enough now that such telepathic powers have become pretty normal. "Are you saying you're tastebuds are redeemed?" "YES!" I said..."that's pretty much it!" Then the eyebrows sank, the eyelids closing halfway, and a slight grin forming across her mouth as if to indicate, "That's ridiculous!"

So I asked her another question. What is it about me, a saved person, that causes my tastebuds to tell my brain to praise God for how awesome this tastes? What happens in that short distance between my tongue and my cerebral cortex that triggers an emotional response of joy and thanksgiving to God? She knew the answer well. It is the heart. I described it for her in terms of a cyclical symbiosis.

My redeemed heart has renewed my mind. And my renewed mind correctly informs my tastebuds, though not necessarily about what tastes good and what does not (because the side of cooked broccoli with the meal last night defiled the very plate on which it was served!). Those tastebuds, being informed by a renewed mind, combined with my renewed olfactory senses, somehow trigger a chemical reaction in my brain of elation and joy, along with the verbal response, "Man, this is awesome! Praise God!" And it is precisely at that moment, when I'm elated and overjoyed at how good those seacakes taste, that my mind and heart instantaneously lift up praise and thanksgiving to God. It is all rolled together in a very emotional response that is extremely difficult to describe without a loved recommending I get professional help.

So there's a symbiotic relationship between the tastebuds, the olfactory senses, the cerebral cortex, and the renewed heart and mind. And that symbiosis becomes cyclical after every bite. That is, every bite starts the process all over again, the last bite tasting just as good as the first, and the worship experience the same all the way through.

I know such a description makes the eating experience seem so sterile. But so does some of what Jonathan Edwards writes about such things...that is, until you experience it for yourself. There's nothing quite like the experience of elation and joy, redeemed by the cross, to make me delight in God for each bite of those two small seacakes (half of which my wife ate, as she graciously traded me for her not-nearly-as-anointed shrimp-kabobs), wishing there was just one more cake to consume.

All of this conversation took place as a sub-conversation about what I intended to tell the manager about this menu item. She asked me what I would say, perhaps so she could snicker at me a moment. Here's what I would tell him: "Sir, I'm a Christian. But I'm the kind who believes that everything God makes serves the sole purpose to bring glory to Him. And when I sit back and enjoy the glory of God in what He makes, I find the greatest happiness and joy. That is what is meant when we use the word 'worship.' And Sir, your seacakes are a worship experience for me. When I eat them, I my tastebuds leap for joy and tell my heart to thank God for creating your cooks, and giving them such an incredible ability to think up and then fashion something that tastes so good."

Sound kooky? I'm sure it did to him when I said those very words last night. He looked at me with raised eyebrows, slightly nodding his head, as if he were listening to my report of an Elvis-sighting in the men's room. But be that as it may, that is how God intends for us to enjoy Him and His wonderful creation, and that is how God intends for us to bring glory to Him, and that is partyly how God intends for us to worship Him, and this is partly how God intends for us to to bring other worshipers to Himself. You see, when the world around us wonders how we can gain so much God-centered pleasure from eating seacakes, after they get over how kooky we are, and after they get over our seeming fanaticism about Christ, they themselves will want to know how they too can derive so much joy and pleasure out of life. This is Christian hedonism at its best here, folks.

In case you cared...other menu items in my 'anointed' category include but are not limited to the following selections. This blogger makes no guarantees on your worship experiences with any of these selections. However, when you do find an 'anointed' selection of your own, please make sure to practice gospel-centered tipping and use it as an opportunity to evangelize the manager and waitress.

• Chic-Fil-A Chicken Biscuit, or Chic-Fil-A Chicken breakfast platter.
• Chic-Fil-A Chicken Strips with Polynesian Sauce for lunch.
• Krystal Chili with Oyster crackers, coupled with two plain Krystal cheeseburgers.
• In-n-Out Burger's Double-Double with cheese and lettuce only, buns toasted, fries and a chocolate shake.
• Cracker Barrell's Country Fried Breakfast with Chicken Fried Chicken; or their Grilled Bacon and Cheese on sourdough sandwich.
• Texas Roadhouse's Country Fried Sirloin with white gravy and loaded sweet potato.
• Domino's Pizza all meat pizza on thincrust with a stinging 2 liter of Coca-Cola.
• My wife's crock-pot cooked pork roast, with sweet potato souffle, blackeyed peas, and two slices of Martha White cornbread (usually reserved for either Christmas Eve dinner or birthday dinner)...sorry, currently no website available for this menu item.

For more on a biblical theology of food read 1 Timothy 4:4-5 (in context of Paul's argument here), as well as Proverbs 15:15 and Ecclesiastes 9:9. See also John Piper's fitting piece entitled, How to Drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight [some translations: make straight] your paths.

Thought I would repost an old set of sermon notes here:

Intro
How can I know God's will? What if I make a mistake? if my life is in such a mess at the moment can I really be in God's will? Shall I give up and go somewhere else where it will all be alright?

The bible says without vision the people perish or alternatively cast off all restraint. SO it is critical for us as Christians to be convinced that we are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing in the right way, with the right people under the right leadership and for the right motives.

Only that certainty will keep us going when things seem hard or people question why we are doing something.

So the key question of our life and of this talk is 'How can I know that I am doing the right and best thing' or alternatively 'how can I know God's will'? The too are of course identical- a fact which many miss.

The aim of this message is nothing less than that you will go out of this room understanding the steps needed to receive God's guidance and be enabled to practice them with complete confidence of being in the centre of God's will and the very best place that you could be.

In these verses, are a promise. God says if we fulfil certain conditions, he will direct us. Direct v straighten or make pleasant- examples in the bible of each. Refer to Job 37:3 'sends it forth'.

God is more ready to guide you than you are to be guided. Jn 7: 17 If anyone desires to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God, or I speak from Myself. Ps 25:12 What man is he who fears the LORD? He shall teach him in the way that he shall choose.

The starting point is not our ability to hear God. Many Christians go wrong at this point. We only know in part, and our hearts are deceptive so if it was to depend solely or even mainly on our ability to hear God we would be in trouble.

A famous American preacher tells us that very regularly men will come to him and say something like this 'God has told me that I have made a mistake and married the wrong woman for me. To get back into his will I must divorce my wife and marry this other lady in the church'. To us that seems obviously wrong, but it rests nonetheless as a strong warning against relying too much on 'hearing God' only for our guidance. In fact, hearing God and learning how to do that, as important as that is  the wrong place to start.
So: How can we hear God?

There are only three conditions outlined here, and if we meet these, we can have an absolute confidence that God wont let us make a mistake. We may start off down the wrong path, but if we follow these conditions, we will be brought back on track- to use the NIV word he will straighten our path.

1 Trust in God with all your heart

heart does not equal emotions, but the centre of our being- the decision making, and constant part of us that doesn't change. We may not feel like trusting God but must preach at ourselves that we are to trust him and have every reason to.

Trust him in the bible

v1-4 outlines this. We must come to the conclusion that his word is truth.

Jn17:17- Jesus said it- can we believe it. Here we have absolute guidance which never fails. Do not go to God to speak to you if the answer is found in the word. Immediately you fall down at the first hurdle and give the devil a field day and permission to speak to you.

A command in the bible does not need to come to you specifically in revelation for it to be binding on you ! Do not wait for God to speak to you about baptism- if you want to follow him, obey what he already has said.

A leading Christian gynecologist, made the mistake of seeking God for a sign regarding abortion. He was given a sign alright that it was fine what he was doing- but I am sure it wasn't from the same God who said 'In the womb I knew you' Jer 1:5. A deceptive vision is a key reason why we face the abortion problem in the UK to the degree we do.

Trust his ways

Mercy and truth are always the best way of handling a situation- maybe simply asking yourself what is the most truthful and merciful way of dealing with this will answer the question.

Trust him with your money lets not get complacent about this! v9

Trust him in difficulties v 11- Gods chastening isn't about punishment however- rather correction and training, also as with Paul, a problem can be granted us to prevent us getting proud or whatever. Will you believe he really has your best at heart and is working for good (ro 8)

Believe that he is the strong all powerful God who's decisions are infinitely better than ours

Trust him in others-

    * Your husband
    * Your leaders
    * Even that he will change the hearts of unbelievers where necessary

This is one way he guides us separate from us hearing God


2. Trust not in your own understanding
Do NOT trust

    * The worlds ideas foolishness
    * Man- even Christians ultimately- we put no trust in flesh- we are to trust God in people though!
    * Ourselves = 2nd point ie We are not the clever ones!

What seems reasonable is not necessarily right!

Solomon the worlds wisest man wrote this. But Solomon, God gave you your common sense. Surely you should follow it. This way makes sense, so God must be in it. If you do that you will get more money to give to the kingdom of God, so God must be in it. Solomon replies 'No- I will not depend on my great wisdom and understanding- don't you realize how puny that is- I know in part, God knows fully- God may seem foolish at times to me- but even that foolishness is far wiser than the wisest I could be- God gave me my brains yes, but I will trust in him first. I do know what I am talking about- after all I didn;t always do that- Kings have lots of wives and it seemed reasonable to me that I should marry to extend treaties with my neighbours. When the wives wanted me to join them in worshipping their gods it seemed sensible to me to do so- after all if I went with them, perhaps they would come with me to God's temple and would be converted- how wrong I was!'

This is not to say that reason is always worthless. Principles are important, but just sometimes God will act outside our principles. It is a good principle to be very wary of giving prophetic words that speak of God promising children to people. I stand by that. But one day recently God spoke to me with such clarity to tell the couple we were praying with who were struggling to conceive that soon he would give them a child and it was to be a picture of the fruitfulness of their ministry. My reason said- don't be silly, what if you are wrong. But I knew God had spoken. So I said it. A few months later we found out that the woman was pregnant and had become pregnant immediately on us praying. Now don't go out and do this unless you are absolutely sure God has spoken, and even then as I did you must show there is room for weighing and it being wrong- but this is an example where good reasoning in a certain situation was wrong.

This is so vital. We must truly believe that God's way is best.  But what about.....If God speaks trust him with the what abouts!
Finally

Acknowledge him every step you take.

Even if you are absolutely sure you are in God's will, as you go down a path we must say. 'Not my will but yours'. If I am wrong Lord, show me. Speak to me. Tell my husband/ leader. Shut a door. Do whatever you need to to keep me on track.

We will often have a prayer time like that about an important decision, and then ask each other has God said anything. If he hasn't, or if he has, then I will make the decision and say. 'Right, this is what we will do'. At that point it is easy to panic and not do anything. But it is easier to guide a moving ship. DO something. Make a step. Don't commit yourself though emotionally or in any other way initially. Instead hold it lightly. Better to look a fool by withdrawing an offer on a house, or fouling up at an interview or whatever than end up bludgeoning your way into something that is not of God.

Maybe you feel that you've already blown it. You've made your path crooked already. God spoke about something and you ran away. You went into something without having these attitudes. Perhaps up to this point you feel God hasn't been absolutely free to take you where he wants and do with you as he wishes. Well theres a promise here for you too.

Fulfil these criteria today. From today on resolve to surrender to God's ways. Perhaps talk to one of us, and God will restraigten you path. The inheritance can be redeemed. You can get back into the centre of God's will. And amazingly when you do so (and not before!) God can even change your mistakes and sins around to be part of his purpose for you and his world. We spoke of Solomon. Not many of us may realise that his mother was Bathsheba the same woman David committed adultery with and murdered her husband. A product of this very wrong relationship became an ancestor of Christ.

So fulfil these criteria and know with all certainty that whether by prophetic revelation or by common sense or by circumstances or by whatever means God will keep you on the right path.    

Many Christians struggle with finding God's will for their lives. I though I would share with you an old sermon I preached on this matter......

Proverbs 3:5-6

by Adrian Warnock

Introduction

A changing, uncertain world. Cast off tradition and Christian ways of doing things now what do we base decisions on?

Illustrate from politics. Tony champions even a britain where the elite is finnished. Family values, but a foreign minister can be trusted to keep his promises to his country when he cant to his wife.

Confusion in workplace- different options our fathers never had. Which is right for me?

Confusion in leisure- too much choice.

For Christians- how can I know God's will what if I make a mistake. if my life is in such a mess at the moment can I really be in God's will Shall I give up and go somewhere else where it will all be alright Some of my friends have apparently heard God and now moved on- how can I know I havent missed him speaking to me

As a church- should we buy a building- if so which one How far along the cell route should we go How should we prepare for revival How will we see more leaders raised up?

The bible says without vision the people perish or alternatively cast off all restraint. SO it is critical for us as Christians to be convinced that we are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing in the right way, with the right people under the right leadership and for the right motives.

Only that certaintly will keep us going when things seem hard or people question why we are doing something.

So the key question of our life and of this talk is 'How can I know that I am doing the right and best thing' or altenatively 'how can I know God's will'? The too are of course identical- a fact which many miss.

The aim of this message is nothing less than that you will go out of this room understanding the steps needed to receive God's guidance and be enabled to practice them with complete confidence of being in the centre of God's will and the very best place that you could be.

In these verses, are a promise. God says if we fulfill certain conditions, he will direct us. Direct v straigten or make pleasant- examples in the bible of each. Refer to Job 37:3 'sends it forth'.

God is more ready to guide you than you are to be guided. Jn 7: 17 If anyone desires to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God, or I speak from Myself. Ps 25:12 What man is he who fears the LORD? He shall teach him in the way that he shall choose.

The starting point is not our abilty to hear God. Many Christians go wrong at this point. We only know in part, and our hearts are deceptive so if it was to depend soley or even mainly on our ability to hear God we would be in trouble.

A famous American preacher tells us that very regularly men will come to him and say something like this 'God has told me that I have made a mistake and married the wrong woman for me. To get back into his will I must divorce my wife and marry this other lady in the church'. To us that seems obviously wrong, but it rests nonetheless as a strong warning against relying too much on 'hearing God' only for our guidance. In fact, hearing God and learning how to do that, as important as that is is the wrong place to start.

So: How can we hear God?

There are only three conditions outlined here, and if we meet these, we can have an absolute confidence that God wont let us make a mistake. We may start off down the wrong path, but if we follow these conditions, we will be brought back on track- to use the NIV word he will straighten our path.

1 Trust in God with all your heart

heart does not equal emotions, but the centre of our being- the decion making, and constant part of us that doesnt change. we may not feel like trusting God but must preach at oursleves that we are to trust him and have every reason to.

Trust him in the bible

v1-4 outlines this. We must come to the conclusion that his word is truth.

Jn17:17- Jesus said it- can we believe it. Here we have absolute guidance which never fails. Do not go to God to speak to you if the answer is found in the word. Immediately you fall down at the first hurdle and give the devil a field day and permission to speak to you.

The heresy of the concept of the rhema word of God, where a word has to come to you specifically in revelation for it to be binding on you is wrong. Do not wait for God to speak to you about baptism- if you want to follow him, obey what he already has said.

A leading Christian gynaecoligist, made the mistake of seaking God for a sign regarding abortion. He was given a sign alright that it was fine what he was doing- but I am sure it wasnt from the same God who said 'In the womb I knew you' Jer 1:5. A deceptive vision is a key reason why we face the abortion problem in the UK to the degree we do.

Trust his ways

Mercy and truth are always the best way of handling a situation- maybe simply asking yourself what is the most truthful and merciful way of dealing with this will answer the question.

Trust him with your money lets not get complacent about this! v9

Trust him in difficulties v 11- Gods chastening isnt about punishment however- rather correction and training, also as with Paul, a problem can be granted us to prevent us getting proud or whatever. Will you believe he really has your best at heart and is working for good (ro 8)

Believe that he is the strong all powerful GOd who's decisions are infinitely better than ours

Trust him in others-

• Your husband
• Your leaders
• Even that he will change the hearts of unbelievers where necessary

This is one way he guides us separate from us hearing God

We thought we had the right house and God made the vendor refuse our offer and decide they wanted more money than they had asked for at first. When we heard this we said to the agent we are fed up of all this, and to be honest at that moment we almost felt like giving up. The next minute the agent said- well there is something just coming onto the market....and we got the cheapest and nicest place we had seen all year! Do NOT trust

• The worlds ideas foolishness
• Man- even christians ultimately- we put no trust in flesh- we are to trust God in people though!
• Ourselves = 2nd point ie We are not the clever ones!

What seems reasonable is not necessarily right!

Solomon the worlds wisest man wrote this. But Solomon, God gave you your common sense. Surely you should follow it. This way makes sense, so God must be in it. If you do that you will get more money to give to the kingdom of God, so God must be in it. Solomon replies 'No- I will not depend on my great wisdom and understanding- don't you realise how puny that is- I know in part, God knows fully- God may seem foolish at times to me- but even that foolishness is far wiser than the wisest I could be- God gave me my brains yes, but I will trust in him first. I do know what I am talking about- after all I didn;t allways do that- Kings have lots of wives and it seemed reasonable to me that I should marry to extend treaties with my neighbours. When the wives wanted me to join them in worshipping their gods it seemed sensible to me to do so- after all if I went with them, perhaps they would come with me to God's temple and would be converted- how wrong I was!'

This is not to say that reason is always worthless. Principles are important, but just sometimes God will act outside our principles. It is a good principle to be very wary of giving prophetic words that speak of God promising children to people. I stand by that. But one day recently God spoke to me with such clarity to tell the couple we were praying with who were struggling to conceive that soon he would give them a child and it was to be a picture of the fruitfulness of their ministry. My reason said- dont be silly, what if you are wrong. But I knew God had spoken. So I said it. A few months later we found out that the woman was pregnant and had become pregnant immediately on us praying- in fact the scan even seemed to suggest she had become pregnant a couple of weeks before. Now don't go out and do this unless you are absoulutely sure God has spoken, and even then as I did you must show there is room for wieghing and it being wrong- but this is an example where good reasoning in a certain situation was wrong.

This is so vital. We must truly beleive that God's way is best. But what about schooling for my children- well if God calls you he will sort that out. But what about.....If GOd speaks trust him with the what abouts!

Finally

Acknowledge him every step you take.

Even if you are absoulutely sure you are in God's will, as you go down a path we must say. 'Not my will but yours'. If I am wrong Lord, show me. Speak to me. Tell my husband/ leader. Shut a door. Do whatever you need to to keep me on track.

We will often have a prayer time like that about an important decision, and then ask each other has God said anything. If he hasnt, or if he has, then I will make the decision and say. 'Right, this is what we will do'. At that point it is easy to panic and not do anything. But it is easier to guide a moving ship. DO something. Make a step. Don't commit yourself though emotionally or in any other way initially. Instead hold it lightly. Better to look a fool by withdrawing an offer on a house, or fouling up at an interview or whatever than end up bludgeoning your way into something that is not of God.

Maybe you feel that you've already blown it. You've made your path crooked already. God spoke about something and you ran away. You went into something without having these attitudes. Perhaps up to this point you feel God hasnt been absolutely free to take you where he wants and do with you as he wishes. Well theres a promise here for you too.

Fulfill these criterea today. From today on resolve to surrender to God's ways. Perhaps talk to one of us, and God will restraigten you path. AS Ian said yesterday- the inheritance can be redeemed. You can get back into the centre of God's will. And amazingly when you do so (and not before!) God can even change your mistakes and sins around to be part of his purpose for you and his world. We spoke of Solomon. Not many of us may realise that his mother was Bathsheba the same woman David committed adultery with and murdered her husband. A product of this very wrong relationship became an anscestor of Christ.

So fulfill these cirterea and know with all certainty that wether by prophetic revelation or by common sense or by circumstances or by whatever means God will keep you on the right path.