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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:30:43 GMT

Welcome Summer!

“Always winter but never Christmas” is how C.S. Lewis depicts sin’s grip on fallen Narnia. I’m convinced that heaven is “always summer and always Christmas”. Summer’s the favorite season in our house by a landslide, no runners up! Liz and I love the house with kids home and activity buzzing all around us.

Here’s a few things I need to remind myself about the opportunity summer brings:

1. Embrace leisure.

God made you for patterns of labor and leisure, work and rest. When you have the right balance, productive work is immensely satisfying. But you need a time of leisure to enjoy the work. We take vacation seriously, budget money for it, and plan it a year in advance. Someone once told me of a church member who rebuked their pastor for taking a vacation by saying “the devil doesn’t take a vacation, how can you take one?” The pastor responded, “I never considered the devil to be my role model.”

Before there was sin there was rest. How much more do you need wholesome and replenishing rest now? Jesus tells me to take a vacation not because I deserve it, but because I’ll be an even worse mess as a pastor, father, and general image-bearer of God if I don’t.

2. Play Hard. There’s a silly argument that pits quality time vs. quantity time. You can’t really have one without the other.

David Livingstone, the trailblazing missionary to Africa reflected on his entire missionary career in his journal, “I often ponder my missionary career and in the consideration of my many imperfections not a single pang of regret arises in view of my conduct except I did not devote a special portion of time to play with my children. Generally, I was so exhausted by evening there was no energy for fun left. My children soon sprang up and left me conscious I had none to play with.” The average parent spends less than 20 minutes on Christmas Day playing with their children. I’m convinced that much of this is due to self-absorption. Get over your pre-occupation with self through the far superior privilege of becoming pre-occupied with having fun with others.

I would add that children are not the only ones to play with . I enjoy playing with my wife, in fact that's my favorite for all sorts of reasons. I won't go into here... but also friends, neighbors, older children. What are hobbies but play dressed up in acceptable ways? Who fishes for food except commercial fishermen? We call it sport or hobby, but it's play...

3. Fast from Media. You’ve heard of food fasts? Try a media fast. The world will continue on without your following it. For the summer I’m going to focus my news reading on the sports and comics. Like H.L. Mencken said, that’s the only part of the newspaper that’s true anyway. Actually, what Mencken said was that every part of the newspaper is true, except those parts that deal with something that you have firsthand knowledge about....

Remember those boom boxes of the 80’s that youth would carry on their shoulders? They’ve been replaced with Ipods and earphones isolating people into their own little worlds. While earphones are sometimes a provision straight from heaven, don’t let them lock you or other family members into a solitary pseudo-world. I’ve found it useful to tune out the news radio and play Bible tapes that expose me to large swaths of scripture. Listening to the Bible read aloud purifies my mind like nothing else. Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

4. Seize Summertime Worship. The rhythm of rest is incomplete without worship. Sunday comes 52 times a year, and so should you unless providentially hindered. If you’re in another town, find the church most likely to edify you and bring me back one of their programs!

Summer affords many other opportunities for worship. My grandfather was a very hard working farmer. One time he told me how he would sometimes quiet his Allis-Chalmers tractor in the midst of a field and spend time with God in prayer. Seize some of those moments and turn them into prayer and worship.

You can make it Christmas every day of summer. Embrace leisure, play hard, fast from media, and seize opportunities to worship.

Getting Serious About Baptism

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:52:53 GMT

In our Presbyterian Church, baptism is received in one of two ways. Unbaptized converts to Christ are baptized upon their profession of faith. This is called "Believer's Baptism". Children of believers are baptized dependent upon their parents faith, and this is called "Covenant or Infant Baptism".

Both practices have Biblical warrant, but it may be surprise you to know that infant baptism is dependent on believer's baptism, even as infant baptism is obviously dependent upon the parent's faith. In fact, when the church is advancing, the most common baptisms are "Believer's Baptisms", because the Gospel is triumphing lives that were completely unchurched, with no godly parental influences. Parents who present their children for baptism are required to make public vows to God that they will teach their children the scriptures, pray with and for them, and model authentic Christian living through a life marked by faith and ongoing repentance.

A common problem regarding the practice of infant baptism is parents who do it out of sentimentality with no real engagement about the seriousness of the vows. (Believer's baptism can be practiced in a perfunctory way also.) Baptism does not make an infant Christian, but rather places the child in the context of the church to be nurtured. If a child is going to come to a clear and prevailing faith it will take a miracle. This miracle is called the second birth, or regeneration. The normal or unmiraculous course of events would be for the temptations of the flesh and the prevalence of unbelief all around to completely neutralize and wipe out the influence of being raised in the faith. The child must be purposefully taught and every means of spiritual nurture given by God must be utilized or the baptism will be in vain.

An infant baptized without the constant nurture of their Christian life, nourished by the Word, and bathed in prayer will almost certainly lose the battle, and lose the faith, and incur the guilt of despising God’s promise given in his or her baptism. To present a child for baptism is to embrace a calling as a Christian parent that prioritizes that child's spiritual nurture beyond ever other area of development.

We want to build a culture at Covenant of parents (and even non-parents) who seek the overthrow of unbelief in young children by a self-conscious devotion, and even passionate priority of seeing children profess faith and cherish the privilege of belonging to God.

I'm praying about how to better prepare parents before baptizing infants as I think I need to improve to better serve our parents, and the infants I baptize. Perhaps this will take the form of a prerequisite course in parenting as we develop new ministries. The faith of the upcoming generation is one of Covenant's most important legacies and opportunities. A strong youth group may be launched in these baptismal commitments. Pray that the Lord will turn our hearts towards our children, and unite our children's hearts with living faith in Christ ( see Malachi 4:6). Perhaps no greater evidence of the Holy Spirit working in our midst could be sought than this. We want our children to say "from my mother's womb you have been my God" ( see Psalm 22:9-10).

9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
You have been my God from the moment I was born.

COMMENTS OPEN

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 01:13:03 GMT

Comments are OPEN. All posts. I'm part of a blog that has to shut off comments because they come in such torrents. What's wrong with you people?.....

Anyway, feel free. Any article, any sermon I've posted, any question you want to pose. It's your opportunity to edify, examine, show your brilliance, grab the spotlight, etc. Over 100 people come here every week, sometimes up to 500, so don't miss your opportunity.

I know you're out there cause I can hear you breathing...(I see your footprints from France/ Germany/ Texas/ and other countries like Louisiana, Kentucky and Minnesota)...

So go ahead, make my day when you have something to say... say it, post it... I'll even respond... I promise

The Ten Commandments

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:44:05 GMT

What's Special about the Ten Commandments?

I’m preaching on the Ten Commandments this summer. Here's some principles and suggestions for you to review to maximize your profiting from the Word. Why are the Ten Commandments special?

1. They comprehensively communicate everything God morally requires. Think of morality as existing in categories of duty. There are only ten categories. Every single duty fits under one of the headings within the Ten Commandments. The rest of the book of Exodus, and even the entire Bible's moral code is simply an application of the Ten Commandments.

2. They existed as duties even before God wrote them on stone and delivered them to Moses. For example, the Sabbath rest principle was a creation mandate, which existed even before the fall of man into sin. Israel obeyed the Sabbath rest principle before Sinai when they gathered the manna in six days, resting on the 7th.

3. They are spiritual. They govern attitudes. You don't have to "do" anything to covet your neighbor's ocean front home. The Lord Jesus Christ explained that adultery can be committed in the heart through lusting (Mt. 5), that murder can be committed through the heart through ill-will toward others Mt. 5) , that idolatry can be committed through greed (Colossians 3:5).

4. They tell us about God. Cain was guilty of violating the command against murder because man was made in God's image (Genesis 9). What kind of God protects life? A God who is the author of life, who makes us in His image.

5. They tell us about reality. What kind of God is concerned about "little white lies"? A God who controls reality and knows that whenever we fail to tell the truth we are tearing apart the fabric of our own lives. Moral laws, like the law of gravity are not so much broken as they break the law-breaker. If you throw yourself off a cliff of the Grand Canyon you won't break the law of gravity, but you will break yourself.

6. They show us how to love. Ever wonder what the loving thing is to do? Romans 13:10 tells us love is the "fulfillment of the law".

7. They drive us to the gospel. A wise theologian once said, "A low view of law makes man a legalist. A high view of law makes man a seeker after grace. Pray the high view prevails." It's true in your own life. A low or vague view of the law will allow room for you to develop the conceit of self-righteousness. A high view of law will always humble you, reveal your sin and drive you to rest in God's grace found at the foot of the Cross. This is how the Ten Commandments change us. They melt our heart towards God so that we are driven to the Cross for forgiveness. They root our obedience in our deliverance from slavery. Then the Law becomes our freedom, our way of showing gratitude, and our joy and privilege.

8. All the great creeds focus on them. I suggest reading the Westminster Larger Catechism, questions 99-149 for the very best commentary on the Ten Commandments. If you do not own a copy of it, you can find it online at

I suggest you read Westminster Larger Catechism 99 to get you started.

One of the best ways to grow as a Christian is to use the Ten Commandments. I encourage you to read the Westminster Larger Catechism to delve deeply into what God requires of us. If you allow the full understanding of the Ten Commandments into your sober consciousness, it will drive you to the Cross. You can find the Larger Catechism on this web page:

http://www.reformed.org/documents/index.html?mainframe=http://www.reformed.org/documents/larger1.html

THE OCEAN AND MY RELATIONSHIP with GOD

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:17:39 GMT

THE OCEAN AND GOD

In a few weeks we head for the Ocean, the OBX, Carolina's glorious Outer Banks.

I love the OCEAN! Our family budgets big time money (at least for our budget) to spend time at the ocean. Our favorite spot is the Outerbanks in North Carolina, but we'll take the Jersey shore as a second best stop.

I recommend a lecture (now a book) by philosophy professor Peter Kreeft about our fascination with the sea. This article is simply an interaction with his insights. If you have an attraction to the ocean, I think you’ll find Kreeft’s insights thought provoking. I hail from the Midwest, the land locked state of Indiana. Yet I find that I have a deep fascination with the Ocean. Where did this come from and how can I understand it better?

Good theologians know that God has revealed Himself in two books, Nature and the Bible. We need to read both of them. If we read nature without Bible we will likely miss the point. Kreeft points out that we have brains like dogs in this. If you point to a dog’s food they sniff your hand. We often fail to trace nature back to nature’s Designer.

There is something refreshing in nature that speaks to an inborn preference for the raw materials of nature rather than what man makes with nature. We prefer trees to telephone poles, and rocks to buildings. This is kind of strange given our propensity to change the raw materials into things we make with them. I once read a definition of art as man’s ordering of nature. There is an order within the apparent disorder of nature that is more universally appealing than any human art. God is the ultimate Artist. Many artists retreat to the ocean for inspiration to create paintings, poems, or stories. The Creator’s fingerprints are all over the Ocean, and this inspires His image bearers to imitate His creative impulses.

Philosophers and theologians have pondered the fact that the Sea returns us to the origin of time. The sea’s tides are linked to the moon’s monthly cycles, and human reproduction is tied to a women’s monthly cycle. In all languages where nouns have gender, the sea is always feminine. Is this coordination between the sea and the moon and the womb mere coincidence? How we organize our time into months is a response to the way the Creator has organized time in His creation. This innate rhythm is undeniably present in the ocean’s waves and tides, music composed by God Himself.

The best parts of experiencing the sea are free to all who can travel to it: Our family’s favorite experiences were: sitting in the lifeguard chair at dusk, walking beaches near dawn, observing ghost crabs near midnight on a windy beach, trudging up mountainous sand dunes at sunset, catching the waves, embarking in an inflatable boat out past the waves and then surrendering to the sovereign sea to be carried in by the waves. The ocean reduces all of us to our proper place before God. At the ocean we know we are all really just little children, made to play in the waves and create sand castles. At the ocean, the brain surgeon and the bartender, the billionaire tycoon and the fisherman-boater are all on the same level, equally dwarfed by infinity. .

God has written two books, Nature and the Bible. We need to read them in stereo to get the intended impact. I hope your life is full of this kind of stereophonic interaction, letting God’s two books speak to you! Psalm 19 teaches that “The heavens declare the glory of God”.

I found myself reminded of these words from a great hymn:

“This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.”

A Pep Talk for Parents about the Importance of Children learning to Worship

Wed, 30 May 2007 16:05:36 GMT

Baptisms are a high point of worship. They remind us of Christ's atoning blood, and they speak of God's Covenant and promises. They also call parents to make promises to God. To Baptize a child is to recognize that each child is not the property of the parents, but each child belongs to God (1 Corinthians 7:14).

One wise parent wrote this: "My children have never struggled with whether to sit through worship or attend an event designed to nurture their souls. We never thought that struggle was theirs so we took it away from them. We took vows at their baptisms to teach and nurture them. We promised God for them! And God provided us as a means of grace to them. Parents are a lovingly designed dictatorship to fulfill Genesis 18:19 which is the only place God tells anyone why He chose them. (and you guessed it, God tells Abraham that he was chosen to teach his children the ways of the LORD). If you are a Christian and you are a parent, one of the reasons God chose you was so that you could teach your children."

The default button on your spiritual compass and your child's is not heaven bound. We need intervention. We need Holy Spirit generated change. We need Christ's desire implanted and fleshly desires subverted. We need instruction, community, new habits, new heroes, new mentors, and new memories. Parents are responsible to make sure that their children have lots of memories of God, worship, sacraments, Bibles, songs of praise, etc. During the summer our younger children up to third grade will be present for the first half of worship before being dismissed to their classes. We hope this smoothes out their transition as worshippers.

Here's another great quote: "Parents are sometimes thrown off track by unsound thinking that warns, "Don't force your faith on your children, or they will resent it. Dont' make them go to church or participate in church activities." We never felt that our children had enough experience to make that decision. As long as their feet were under our table, they were expected to participate in church life. Too often parents fear their children's dislike more than they fear God's displeasure. We are covenant-bound to obey God's "stipulations, decrees and laws," and we are responsible to see that children under our care do the same. When children are resistant, we must pray for them, but we must not give in to them." (Your Home A Place of Grace-Jane Patete )

Pains must be taken to teach children to worship. And there are no real short cuts around it. We want development without difficulty and expect it in the spiritual arena in ways that would be laughable in every other worthwhile pursuit. Who masters an instrument without pounding out the scales and exercises? Who becomes skilled at a sport without training, drills, and discipline? Who learns a language without memorization and effort?

In my experience the real object for spiritual growth whenever I want to teach anything to my children is ME. God is just using my children to grow me into focusing on Him. The real test is my own willingness to grow, to encounter the unfamiliar, to endure discomfort, to displace lesser priorities with Christ. Countless generations of Christians never doubted unchangeable priorities, and now we’re all the wiser? Unfortunately, there are no short cuts.

If you go down the path of development without difficulty, I can tell you what will develop spiritually and it won’t be pretty. If you continually cater to the least godly, most carnal impulses of your child, their Christianity will not be strong enough to prevent them from sleeping around, doing drugs (it’s not the bad kids doing drugs in Central Bucks) or in telling you they have no interest in attending church and no longer intend to. So, if I were heartless pastor, I would say, fine do it your way, exempt your children from weekly worship, but when their faith is so feeble and their ability to integrate their faith as an adult is non-existent, don’t come crying to me…. But I'm not a heartless pastor. I'm a sinner like you. I want the path of least resistance today and tend to forget about what that path will look like tomorrow. So, because I'm such a flawed parent myself, no matter what you've messed up or how badly you've done, you won't hear self righteous words from me. No I won’t say "don't come crying to me". In fact, I say the opposite, do come, it’s never too late, but it will be a whole lot more difficult. A wise counselor once reportedly said, "How do you get to California by walking. Just go West. Just start with a few steps. You can stop for a month at a time, but just keep walking West and eventually you’ll get there.. "

Grace calls us to a long obedience in the direction of Christ. He's ready to help us each step of the way. He's actually longing for things to go well for our lives. That's why he longs for us to obey. He has blessings that can only be received along the way of obedience.

A BIT OF A MORALISTIC RIFF ON EXCELLENCE AND DOING YOUR BEST

Tue, 15 May 2007 18:01:24 GMT

Reasons to Do Your Very Best
by Bob Myers

Recently I've been thinking about the character trait of conscientious attention to detail, ambition to strive for your best, having a drive and initiative in what we do. Here are some thoughts I've compiled about why Christians should strive to do their best in whatever their hand finds to do (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Slacking may not seem like a serious sin, but I hope this list opens our eyes to what we lose when we stop seeking to give our best.

Pursue excellence and strive to give your very best effort....

1. Because without attempting this you will never know what you are capable of. Can't find joy in what you do? It's hiding behind the door you've never opened. The door that is labeled "for those who would give their all."

2. You'll deprive yourself of receiving coaching and evaluations that tell you more than what you already know. Do you want a teacher to correct an effort that you yourself could correct, or do you want a teacher to provide input to an effort that you have no idea how to improve? The first is worthless. The second is priceless. The most devoted athletes, musicians, artists, students, etc. all know this to be true. Push yourself to improve or you never will.

3. You won't retain near as much if you cram and do the barest minimum. You'll short circuit your efforts.

4. You'll be uninspiring to others. You'll lose the impact you were meant to have on others. . Like all sins, not giving your best impacts the community, not just you. Proverbs 18:9 "He also who is slack in his work Is brother to him who destroys."

5. You'll be rendered unfaithful in small things and will not be entrusted with much (Luke 16:10, Matthew 25:23, Luke 19:23).

6. You'll become good at slovenly work. What you practice you get good at, and many of these habits become character traits that will define your level of accomplishment in all areas. Do you want to become good at shoddy work? Cursed is the one who does the work of the Lord negligently (Jeremiah 48:10).

7. You'll always feel like your schedule is out of control. It's ironic, but people who give their best have a structure, define clear boundaries to their work, and don't have the panicky feeling of working on an airplane's engine while trying to fly it.

8. The muscles of your mind will atrophy. Use it or lose it.

9. God will seem distant. That's not only because your sin of slothful work impedes your relationship with Him, but because of something that is counter-intuitive but true. When you are living a sloppy life, you don't even sense your sin because you think you could quickly straighten things up if you just got "organized". You may have a vague sense of unworthiness, but it won't really humble you, it will only discourage you. When you are striving for your best, you experience real and sweet conviction that the battle is not to the strong or the race to the swift (Ecclesiastes 9:11). When you strive for your personal best you'll know more of your own real limitations, which means you will be more aware of how much you need God's grace, which will deepen your relationship with God.

The choice is yours to make. A class assignment, a new venture, a new job, all call for rededication to this aim. Excellence honors the God who always gives His best for He can give no other.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Sat, 12 May 2007 20:14:53 GMT

APOSTLES CREED: Why do we confess our faith using the Apostles Creed? Unsubstantiated legend says that it was composed by the Apostles right after the Ascension of Christ with each apostle composing one of the twelve articles we confess. What can be substantiated is that the content of the Apostles' Creed is a tremendous summary of Apostolic preaching in the book of Acts. It is cited as early as the 2nd century by Christian writers. Our Small groups have been studying Acts. Have you ever realized that a full twelve of the twenty-eight chapters record the preaching of the Apostles and their focus on Jesus being the anointed, virgin born Messiah, who was crucified, ascended, and is now seated as Judge? The Creed masterfully covers all this material. While we don't confess the Apostles' Creed every Sunday, I deeply value the Creed as it unites Christians from every denominational distinctive and background into the historic Christian faith.

Cults cannot confess this Creed, and do not. Sects, which are divisive and aberrant forms of Christianity do not confess this Creed. Liberals have to cross their fingers and lie to God when they confess this Creed. So when you confess that Creed honestly you are saying I'm not part of a cult, I'm not part of a sectarian group, and I'm not lying about being a Biblically defined Christian. At Covenant, I want you to confess it with joy and enthusiasm and with the sense that you are standing with the Faith that the martyrs shed their blood for, and the Jesus who has been confessed by the Church since it was born on Pentecost. I encourage you to say it with conviction, and with a sense of awe that you join the most blessed and privileged company of people in the world, the Redeemed family of Jesus Christ! While we won't necessarily use the Creed every Sunday, we will make use of it often enough to unite us with the universal church. And sometimes we will confess our faith using other historic, Biblically accurate and helpful statements of what we believe that unites us with all Christians down through the ages.

Which brings to light one question about the Creed. What does holy "Catholic" church mean? Catholic simply means UNIVERSAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH as found in all places, times and cultures. While this word certainly would not exclude Roman Catholics, it does not exclusively belong to them. The word "Catholic" belongs to no one. It asks if YOU belong to it? To be Catholic means to be a universal, Biblically ecumenical Christian who takes their stand on the central truths that unite all believers. Are you "Catholic" in this fullest snse of the word? I certainly am and hope you are Catholic too. This is something to celebrate together. That is why we confess the Apostolic faith and use the Creed in worship together. By confessing the Creed we are actually enjoying something the Creed confesses. We are enjoying the "communion of the saints"!

Thoughts on the Apostles' Creed, He Descended Into Hell by the Hawk

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 23:06:30 GMT

What does it means when we confess that Jesus Christ “descended into hell?” Years ago I refrained from saying this little phrase of the Apostles’ Creed. I feared that it would encourage the completely unbiblical and false idea that Christ made or continues to make incursions into hell to evangelize the damned souls there. I feared it would mislead people into thinking that when Christ cried out “It is finished” (John 19:30) some part of bearing the penalty of sin was incomplete.

At this point the Apostles Creed is not stating the chronology of events when it puts “descended into Hell” after “crucified, dead, and buried.” Rather, it is separating the visible and invisible parts of Christ’s sufferings.

A clearer way to say it would be ‘He suffered the punishment of Hell’, or “He discharged the debt of Hell”. The Word “descended” refers not to where His Body went, but to what His righteous soul suffered. At different times during Christ’s earthly life He was aware of direct conflict with the evil one. Scripture teaches that the peak of this conflict happened on the Cross. Hebrews 2:14 “So that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death- that is the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

Another key scripture theme for this is found in Colossians 2:15 “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the Cross.” Note that the battle with satanic powers took place with Christ’s body on the earth, nailed to the Cross.

This statement reminds us that if Christ had only died a physically painful death, it would have been ineffectual. He had to appease the righteous wrath of God and satisfy His just judgment. John Calvin said that this phrase reminds us that on the Cross, Jesus had to “grapple hand to hand with the armies of hell and the dread of everlasting death”. This is the “invisible” part of Christ’s suffering, which was by far the most excruciating part. Christ bore death in the place of sinners like us who owe God a death, and then face judgment.

You should prize this phrase “He descended into Hell” because it preserves a unique aspect of Christ’s sufferings. We’re such wimps these days (of whom I am the worst of wimps!). We equate our most trivial, short-lived sufferings with hell. People say, “I went through hell today trying to balance the check book, repair the damage the puppy did, discipline unruly kids, etc. etc. etc.” I remember in college the popular phrase was “I’m devastated”. We could be devastated by any and everything. Get a bad grade? “Devastated!” Endure a break up? Devastating! Guess what? The Bible teaches that your worst nightmare kind of trials on this earth multiplied by sixty million to the hundredth power is one inconsequential flea bite compared to what Jesus suffered on the Cross. While that truth won’t completely cure you and me of the tendency to self-pity, it is helpful. Get a little perspective on suffering from meditating on Christ’s sufferings.

When you confess that Christ “descended into Hell” you confess the uniqueness of what Christ has done for you. This was why Christ cried out "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" [Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46]. Christ is the only person who suffered the judgment of Hell thirsting for communion with God out of a heart overflowing with righteous love and trust in His God.

Recently I was commending our church's music director for the discerning choices he makes in the lyrics we sing. Our songs of praise are full of God’s wrath. That is an important point to emphasize and it is being lost in many churches who shrink back from declaring this truth. Without wrath being atoned for the atonement loses its power.

In “Man of La Mancha” the song lyrics for “To Dream the Impossible Dream” include these words:

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

That’s what your Redeemer did for you. And He did it for you while pinned to the Cross, breathing out prayers of forgiveness for the evil doers while disarming the powers of darkness and removing the validity of their claim over you. It’s enough to make the most glorified Superhero blush for shame. No other religious founder claimed to do anything like this. Worship Jesus, and prize Him for suffering your Hell!

Additional Quote by Rev. Richard Phillips "At this point, many people complain of archaic language and formulations that require lengthy explanations. Shouldn’t we have a new, modern, contemporary version of the Apostles’ Creed that changes the language to make it easier? My answer to that is, “No!” It is far better for us to get into the habit of asking questions and becoming educated about the history of our faith and the formulations of earlier generations, than it is for us to arrogantly package everything in bite-size meals that fit our appetites. I for one, would rather have an ancient creed that makes me think about my faith, than a contemporary McCreed that makes everything a happy meal for our child-like minds."

April 15 Sermon Walking on Water

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 19:45:25 GMT

I preached on Matthew 14 and Peter walking on water.

Peter's experience in this passage is his faith life's story, and it is your story too.

1. First You FIND THE COURAGE OF FAITH

2. SECOND you EXPERIENCE THE HUMBLING OF A FAILURE OF YOUR FAITH

3. THIRD YOU EXPERIENCE CHRIST TAKING YOUR HAND AND RECOVERING YOUR FAITH.

This third point is under-rated, misunderstood. Peter did not fall on his face. He began to fall and cried out at the same instant to Christ who took his hand and then walked him back to the boat. Anyway, here are some helpful quotes I used in preaching Sunday.

"We can only conquer our doubts by looking steadily at Him and by not looking at them. The way to answer them is to look at Him. The more you know Him and His glory the more ridiculous they will become." Martyn Lloyd- Jones Spiritual Depression p. 158

God's people fail a hundred times
Before each day is done.
But Grace, in whispers, lifts them up ˜
One hundred times and one.
William D. Blake

Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.--Jerry Bridges

SPURGEON: Peter was soon made to doubt, but with what ease did he begin to pray! I like to think of the spontaneous character of Peter's prayer. He begins to sink, and he prays in a minute. He no sooner finds himself going down, than he says, "Lord, save." This shows what a living thing his faith was. It might not walk the water always, but it could always pray, and that is the better thing of the two. Your faith may not always make you rejoice, but if your faith can always make you trust the precious blood, that is all you need. Your faith may not always take you to the top of the mountain, and bathe your forehead in the sunlight of God's countenance, but if your faith enables you to keep in the straight road that leads to eternal life, you may bless God for that. To walk the water is not an essential characteristic of faith, but to pray when you begin to sink is. To do great wonders for Christ is not indispensable to your soul's being saved, but to have the faculty of always turning the heart to him in time of distress is one of the sure marks of divine grace in the soul