The Luscious Carrot of God's Promises

“Sin makes its attack by holding out promises to us for our happiness: if you lie on your income tax return, you will have more money and be happier; if you divorce your spouse, you will be happier… if you don’t upset your relationship with your neighbor by sharing Christ, you will be happier; etc… And sin will always win the battle unless we have the luscious carrot of God’s promises hanging clearly in front of our noses. Unless we enter our day armed with one or two precious and very great promises, we will be utterly vulnerable to temptation.”

(John Piper, from his sermon “Liberating Promises”)

The God of the Cross

We must allow Jesus and his cross to redefine our notions of God. God is not some impersonal, ultimate Absolute. He is not a deistic god who looks on the world he has made with indifference. He is not a god who must be placated through religious duties. Nor is he a lenient god who indulgently overlooks our rebellion and the suffering it causes. He is the God of the cross. He is the God who offered himself in love to reconcile himself to us.

Tim Chester
Also: The wisdom of God is hidden in the folly of the cross. The glory of God is hidden in the shame of the cross. The power of God is hidden in the weakness of the cross.

Folly, Shame, Weakness... Wisdom, Glory, Power

Jesus' Suffering & Ours... It MUST be this way

Jesus says these things (his suffering many things) "must" happen because the
redemption of humanity depended on it. God's fail-safe plan was to redeem a people for himself and Jesus' death was essential for the accomplishment of that
plan. It is sometimes said that if there had been another way for God to redeem us, he would have used it. If he could have spared His Son from judgment he
would have. Scripture confirms this to be true. In Hebrews 2:17 we read "For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that
he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people." It was necessary
for our forgiveness that Jesus be killed and resurrected. That Jesus says these things "must" happen reminds us that he came to deal with our central problem ---sin.    --Jeff White


RP: How interesting... Here I see Jesus saying to His disciples... it MUST be this way.  Just a few months later His Dad will say to him--"Son, there is no other way... it MUST be this way."--and how often is the role of the friend, the spouse, the parent to say to the ones we love and are called to encourage....
"It has to be this way.  The road of suffering, though repulsive and painful, is the road to life.  Jesus walked it and so must we.  Yes, His was the only sin-bearing walk on that road... but we walk that road nonetheless... and it hurts--Man! does it hurt! ... and it leads to glory."

Comments on Mark 8:31 and following

Comments on:

The Context as we now enter Part II of Mark's Gospel 

Jesus calling Himself the SON OF MAN

Jesus connects his friend, Peter, with Satan

Why these things MUST HAPPEN (Prophecy)

Last week we ended here:

Jesus asks disciples: "Who do y'all say that I am?”

Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”

And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. Why did Jesus do this? Many possible reasons but the one that I find most persuasive is that--although the disciples have now "gotten it" that their leader & friend is the Messiah... they have yet to "get it" as to what that means... will he overthrow Rome? Will he make them his powerful "cabinet" as he rules? They don't understand his MISSION. Freeze there. How often I forget Jesus' mission, in the world and in my life. We forget that He has redeemed us to make us holy and think his mission is our comfort. I think He's come to give me what I want... but He's come to wean me from finding life away from Him and His provision. I forget that the abundant life He's given me is often very painful. How about you?

So, this week Jesus begins to tell us WHY he came... what kind of Messiah be he?

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly.

Yearning for our Inheritance

Sunday I mentioned ROmans 8 and the role of yearning.... here is more on that:

“We know that all that is possible or conceivable of what is good and fair and blessed shall one day be real and visible.

Out of all evil there comes the good;
out of sin comes holiness; out of darkness, light; out of death, life eternal; out of weakness, strength; out of the fading, the blooming; out of rottenness and ruin, loveliness and majesty;

out of the curse come the blessing, the incorruptible, the immortal, the glorious, the undefiled!

Our present portion, however, is but the pledge, not the inheritance. The inheritance is reserved for the appearing of the Lord. Here we see but through a glass darkly. It does not yet appear what we shall be. We are now but as wayfaring men, wandering in the lonely night, who see dimly upon the distant mountain peak the reflection of a sun that never rises here, but which shall never set in the ‘new heavens’ hereafter.”

—Horatius Bonar, “Home”

Much Awe but Zero Fear

“A priest presents God to us; he also presents us to God. He brings together the divine and the human. Priests do not protect God’s holiness from human sinfulness by setting up barriers to access. Nor do priests protect human weakness from divine judgment by arranging ritual defense systems.

The priest opens up routes closed by fear or guilt or ignorance or superstition so that there is access. A priest mediates. He is just as much on God’s side as on our side. He is just as much on our side as on God’s side.

If we aspire after more than we are, a priest promises help. If we regret the mess we are in, a priest promises help. If the Son of Man does the work of priest, there is much to be in awe of but nothing to be afraid of: mediation results in loving union. If the Son of Man does the work of priest, there is much to be repented of but nothing of which to despair: mediation results in gracious forgiveness.”

—Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder (New York: HarperCollins, 1988), 33-34

12 sins we blame on others.... ouch!

The following is by Ben Reaoch, pastor of Three Rivers Grace Church in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

* * *

It started in the Garden. Adam said to God,

The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate. (Genesis 3:12)

The first man, caught in the first sin, turns to blame his wife. And he extends the blame to God as well! He implies that he would have remained innocent if God hadn't put Eve in the garden with him.

The blame-shifting in the Garden continues today. Our proud hearts send us desperately looking for someone else to point to every time we're confronted with our own sin. There must be someone else—our spouse, sibling, parent, boss, co-worker, pastor, friend, or God, himself.

We are so desperate to justify ourselves that we become irrational. Here are 12 examples.

1) Anger

I wouldn't lose my temper if my co-workers were easier to get along with, or if my kids behaved better, or if my spouse were more considerate.

2) Impatience

I would be a very patient person if it weren't for traffic jams and long lines in the grocery store. If I didn't have so many things to do, and if the people around me weren't so slow, I would never become impatient!

3) Lust

I would have a pure mind if there weren't so many sensual images in our culture.

4) Anxiety

I wouldn't worry about the future if my life were just a little more secure—if I had more money, and no health problems.

5) Spiritual Apathy

My spiritual life would be so much more vibrant and I would struggle with sin less if my small group were more encouraging, or if Sunday school were more engaging, or if the music in the worship service were more lively, or if the sermons were better.

6) Insubordination

If my parents/bosses/elders were godly leaders, then I would joyfully follow them.

7) A Critical Spirit

It's not my fault that the people around me are ignorant and inexperienced.

8) Bitterness

If you knew what that person did to me, you would understand my bitterness. How could I forgive something like that?

9) Gluttony

My wife/husband/roommate/friend is a wonderful cook! The things they make are impossible to resist.

10) Gossip

It's the people around me who start the conversations. There's no way to avoid hearing what others happen to say. And when others ask me questions, I can't avoid sharing what I know.

11) Self-Pity

I'll never be happy, because my marriage/family/job/ministry is so difficult.

12) Selfishness

I would be more generous if we had more money.

Making excuses like this is arrogant and foolish. It's a proud way of trying to justify our actions and pacify our guilty consciences. And it keeps us from humbling ourselves before God to repent of our sins and seek his forgiveness.

Consider James 1:13-15, which leaves us with no way of escaping our own sin and guilt. We cannot blame God, for he "cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one."

Instead, we have to accept the humbling truth that "each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." This will end the blame game, and it will send us pleading for Christ's mercy and grace. --end

NOW... having looked at your sin... TAKE 10 looks at your savior... get to the cross & find freedom!

a puritan prayer

I am always going into the far country,
and always returning home as a prodigal,
always saying, Father, forgive me,
and thou art always bringing forth
the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it,
every evening return in it,
go out to the day’s work in it,
be married in it,
be wound in death in it,
stand before the great white throne in it,
enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

New Kid in Church!!!!

http://hamersmaadoption.blogspot.com/2008/06/gotcha-day.html

don't forget VBS and Soccer at Kanapaha 5:30pm

"Clearly, it is this divine light, shining into our hearts, that enables us to see the beauty of the gospel and have a saving belief in Christ. This supernatural light shows us the superlative beauty and loveliness of Jesus, and convinces us of His sufficiency as our Savior. Only such a glorious, majestic Savior can be our Mediator, standing between guilty, hell-deserving sinners such as ourselves, and an infinitely holy God. This supernatural light gives us a sense of Christ that convinces us in a way nothing else ever could." J. Edwards

We cannot see ourselves aright

Since each of us still has sin remaining in us, we will have pockets of
spiritual blindness. Our most important vision system is not our physical
eyes. We can be physically blind and live quite well. But when we are
spiritually blind, we cannot live as God intended. Physically blind people
are always aware of their deficit and spend much of their lives learning to
live with its limitations. But the Bible says that we can be spiritually blind
and yet think that we see quite well. We even get offended when people act
as if they see us better than we see ourselves! The reality of spiritual
blindness has important implications for the Christian community. The
Hebrews passage [Heb. 3:13] clearly teaches that personal insight is the
product of community. I need you in order to really see and know myself.
Otherwise, I will listen to my own arguments, believe my own lies, and buy
into my own delusions. My self-perception is as accurate as a carnival
mirror. If I am going to see myself clearly, I need you to hold the mirror of
God’s Word in front of me. --Paul Tripp

Our Need

Our need for illumination...

Many men live in the dark to themselves all their days; whatever else they
know, they know not themselves. They know their outward estates, how
rich they are, and the condition of their bodies as to health and sickness
they are careful to examine; but as to their inward man, and their
principles as to God and eternity, they know little or nothing of
themselves. Indeed, few labor to grow wise in this matter, few study
themselves as they ought, are acquainted with the evil of their own hearts
as they ought; on which yet the whole course of their obedience, and
consequently of their eternal condition, doth depend. --John Owen

Gadsby 804

YE lambs of Christ's fold, ye weaklings in faith,
Who long to lay hold on life by his death;
Who fain would believe him, and in your best room
Would gladly receive him, but fear to presume;

2 Remember one thing, O may it sink deep;
Our Shepherd and King cares much for his sheep;
To trust him endeavour; the work is his own;
He makes the believer, and gives him his crown.

3 Those feeble desires, those wishes so weak,
'Tis Jesus inspires, and bids you still seek;
His Spirit will cherish the life he first gave;
You never shall perish if Jesus can save.

Have a go at it

Like Rush Limbaugh saying, "I'd rather listen... you talk."

Like Urban Meyer saying, "I'm not going to try to influence the recruits."

Like me saying, "Did I remember to pick up hair gel?"

These are examples of things you don't naturally hear... and that is how we should see Peter's confession of Christ.

When Peter said to Jesus:

"You are the Christ the Son of the Living God"

... he was going against everything he had known... "It was the last thing in the world Peter would have been 'programmed' to say by birth or environment." Sinclair Ferguson

* see also Matthew 16 and Luke 9

Why the command of silence in 8:30?

Jesus knew that Peter and the other disciples did not understand the significance of His message--yet. Certainly, Peter had seen that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. He had, at last, seen the answer to the question of Jesus' identity. What he did not yet understand was the nature of Jesus' ministry. In the coming days, Jesus would patiently unfold that to him (and the other disciples). But as yet, Peter's poor spiritual vision was only partly healed. Like the blind man of Bethsaida, Peter needed a 2nd touch from Jesus, in order to see properly. The first touch had enabled him to see Jesus' identity. The second would help Peter to see 'everything clearly' (Mark 8:25). This 'second touch' is described in the rest of Mark's gospel... from 8:31 to the end.

--Sinclair Ferguson, Let's Study Mark, page 130

Ever wondered about James & Paul?

“FOR WE MAINTAIN THAT A MAN is justified by faith apart from observing the law” (Rom. 3:28). So writes the apostle Paul.

“You foolish man,” argues James, “do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? . . . You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. . . . As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:14 - 26, especially vv. 20, 24, 26). The formal contradiction between Paul and James is so striking that it has called forth relentless discussion across the centuries. --Don Carson, answer is here

The Cross Uproots Sin

No gloomy uncertainty as to God’s favor can subdue one lust, or correct our crookedness of will. But the free pardon of the cross uproots sin, and withers all its branches. Only the certainty of love, forgiving love, can do this.” --Horatius Bonar
More of the quote here

What Think Ye of Christ?

What think you of Christ? is the test

To try both your state and your scheme;

You cannot be right in the rest,

Unless you think rightly of him.

As Jesus appears in your view,

As he is beloved or not;

So God is disposed to you,

And mercy or wrath are your lot.

If asked what of JESUS I think?

Though still my best thoughts are but poor;

I say, he's my meat and my drink,

My life, and my strength, and my store,

My Shepherd, my Husband, my Friend,

My Savior from sin and from thrall;

My hope from beginning to end,

My Portion, my LORD, and my All. --John Newton, whole hymn here

Jesus on Fallen Human Nature

It is difficult to understand those who cling to the doctrine of the fundamental goodness of human nature, and do so in a generation which has witnessed two devastating world wars and especially the horrors which occasioned and accompanied the second. It is even harder to understand those who attribute this belief to Jesus Christ. For he taught nothing of the kind. Jesus taught that within the soil of every man's heart there lie buried the ugly seeds of every conceivable sin -'evil thoughts, acts of fornication, of theft, murder, adultery, ruthless greed, and malice; fraud, indecency, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.' All thirteen are 'evil things', and they come out of the heart of every man. This is Jesus Christ's estimate of fallen human nature.
--John Stott in 1970, From "Christ the Controversialist"

Our story in the larger STORY

“Only as we see our story enfolded in the larger story of redemption will we begin to live God-honoring lives. Lasting change begins when our identity, purpose, and sense of direction are defined by God’s story. When we bring this perspective to our relationships, we will have a dramatically different agenda. It will take the principles and commands of Scripture and use them as God intended. We will see how each principle, promise, and command finds its meaning and fulfillment in Christ. Separate them from Christ and they lose their God-intended meaning and get hijacked by other agendas.”

- Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2002), 28.

“Peter answered, `You are the Christ.’”
In uttering these remarkable words, Peter is confessing that Jesus is the Christ (the
Messiah). The Messiah is the anointed one, who has been chosen and called by God to deliver God’s
people from sin and the oppression of God’s enemies (sin and wages, death). The Messiah was someone
in whom the kingly, prophetic and priestly offices in the Old Testament would converge. This person
was expected to come from David’s line and throughout the Old Testament, key figures in the prophetic,
priestly and royal lines were anointed with oil to indicate their devotion to God and their consecration to
his service. This, of course, pointed to Christ’s anointing when he received the blessed Holy Spirit at his
baptism. The Messiah would enjoy God’s blessing and protection, and would be the one through whom
God delivered his people. -- Kim Riddlebarger

What we learn from Jesus' Healing of this Man in "Stages"

In his book, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes & Cures, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has a sermon on Mark 8:22-26 entitled "Men As Trees, Walking".

MLJ details (you can read it online at google.print) what Jesus is trying to teach here by this strange method of healing the man in stages. Other places Jesus simply says, "Receive your sight!" and there's immediate healing. Not so in Mark 8. Why? MLJ gives much good into... then concludes by bringing an application to our dealings with Jesus.

What then is the cure? It is to be honest and to answer our Lord's question truthfully and honestly. That is the whole secret of the matter. Jesus turned to this man and asked: "Do you see ought (ESV: Do you see anything?)". And the man said, absolutely honestly:

"I do see, but I am seeing men as if they were trees walking". What saved this man was his absolute honesty." (In other words, we should say to Jesus: "I see some things but not clearly. I know you are better than life itself, but my sight is blurry. I don't see enough.")

The last step is to submit to Jesus, utterly. The man did not object to further treatment, he rejoiced in it... How about you? Are you sadly tempted to stop at the little bit of healing Jesus has done in your life? Or do you have the humility and the desire for wholeness... that submits utterly to Him. Do not object to further treatment from Jesus!

Mark's Gospel, Context... a turning point

At Mark 8:22-28 we come to the turning point of the whole gospel, and the recognition on the disciples’
part that Jesus is the Messiah.
When you step back and look at the gospel as a whole, it is truly amazing that from Mark 1:1 through
Mark 8:29, there has not been a word about Jesus being the Messiah (although there was some messianic
speculation at the feeding of the five thousand, although this was reported by John, not by Mark).
Everything seems to come to a head during this journey through the region along the eastern side of the
Sea of Galilee. People have seen Jesus’ miracles, and have been asking all kinds of questions about him.
In fact, speculation was running rampant. After all that the disciples had seen Jesus do, and after all that
he had taught them, the question Jesus asks them in Mark 8:21, “do you not understand?” is finally
answered in Mark 8:29. “You are the Messiah.”5 From this point on, everything changes.
That the confession of Jesus as the Messiah comes from Peter is quite significant. He is clearly the
leader of the twelve, he serves as their spokesman, and Mark’s Gospel reflects again and again a
perspective that could have only come from Peter, who recounted these events to Mark. His confession
that Jesus is the Christ serves as a wonderful moment, which marks the end of the first half of the Gospel
and begins a dramatic change in emphasis. Jesus will now direct his teaching primarily to his disciples,
rather than to the crowds. -- Kim Riddlebarger

Random Book Rec'd

The Baker Pocket Guide to World Religions comes rec'd by people I respect... if you are in the market for such.

Starts Tuesday !!

Beginning Tuesday, June 17, Christ Community will host a VBS and fellowship time
at Kanapaha Park Tuesdays from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. All are encouraged to come
and bring friends!

• 5:30 pm - 6 pm: Dinner for everyone
• 6 pm - 7:30 pm: Bible school for children
  Fellowship and gametime for adults

“The Lord willingly and freely reveals himself in his Christ. For in Christ, he offers all happiness in place of our misery, all wealth in place of our neediness; in him he opens to us the heavenly treasures that our whole faith may contemplate his beloved Son, our whole expectation depend upon him, and our whole hope cleave to and rest in him.”

—John Calvin

Affliction, God's Word, and Our Growth

John Piper points out from Psalm 119: 67 and 71 that God sends affliction to help us learn his word.

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. . . . It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

I didn't ask how affliction helps us understand God's word and keep it. There are innumerable answers, as there are innumerable experiences. But here are five:

1. Affliction takes the glibness of life away and makes us more serious so that our mindset is more in tune with the seriousness of God's word.

2. Affliction knocks worldly props from under us and forces us to rely more on God which brings us more in tune with the aim of the word.

3. Affliction makes us search the scriptures with greater desperation for help rather than treating it as marginal to life.

4. Affliction brings us into the fellowship of Christ's sufferings so that we fellowship more closely with him and see the world more readily through his eyes.

5. Affliction mortifies deceitful and distracting fleshly desires, and so brings us into a more spiritual frame which fits God's word more.

I pray that we will not begrudge the pedagogy of God.

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

Hamersmas are parents!!!!

May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory.

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me,
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.

Brokenhearted Joy

All gracious affections [feelings, emotions] that are a sweet [aroma] to Christ . . . are brokenhearted affections. A truly Christian love, either to God or men, is a humble brokenhearted love. The desires of the saints, however earnest, are humble desires: their hope is a humble hope; and their joy, even when it is unspeakable, and full of glory, is a humble brokenhearted joy. . . .

J. Edwards, Religious Affections

The Psalms, Our Struggles, AND CHRIST

What makes a person a Christian is not that he doesn’t get discouraged, and it’s not that he doesn’t sin and feel miserable about it. What makes a person a Christian is the connection that he has with Jesus Christ that shapes how he thinks and feels about his discouragement and his sin and guilt.
--John Piper, reflecting on the Psalms (particularly 42 and 51)

Insert Necessary Qualifications Here

The last scene of Devil's Advocate is amazing... on my mind today because I'm planning to dwell a little more on those imperatives Jesus gave us yesterday: Beware! Watch out!

In the movie Al Pacino is the devil and he tempts Keanu Rieves with power and bunch of other stuff...

Keanu resists him... in the final scene a reporter is telling Keanu that he's a hero for resisting... that his story must be told...

Watch the clip. The point is... sometimes we exhaust all our strength resisting sin in one area... only to leave ourselves wide open in another area.

Owen on Watch! Beware!

Within the last couple of years a great service was done by Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor. They simplified the sentence structure and provided detailed outlines for 3 of John Owen's classic works. (Owen is awesome, but he lived in the 1600's... so he wrote sentences that are a page long! So only Stephen and Anna Addcox are literate enough to read him unfiltered!)

Here is an outlined section of his book on Overcoming Temptation, particularly the place where he discusses WATCHING.

III. Watch (p. 197)
A. Watch the seasons wherein men usually do “enter into temptations” (p. 197)
1. A season of unusual outward prosperity (p. 197)
2. A time of the slumber of grace, of neglect in communion with God, of formality in
duty (p. 198)
3. A season of great spiritual enjoyments (p. 199)
4. A season of self-confidence (p. 200)
(Chapter 7)
B. Watch the heart itself (p. 201)
1. Labor to know your own heart (p. 201)
2. Watch against all that is apt to entangle your natural temper or provoke your
corruption (p. 203)
3. Lay in provision in store against the approaching of any temptation (p. 203)
4. In the first approach of any temptation, as we are all tempted, these directions
following are also suited to carry on the work of watching, which we are in the
pursuit of: (p. 205)
a) Be always awake, that you may have an early discovery of your temptation
(p. 205)
b) Consider the aim and tendency of the temptation (p. 205)
c) Meet your temptation in its entrance with thoughts of faith concerning Christ
on the cross (p. 206)
d) If you have been surprised by temptation and entangled unawares, what
should you do? (p. 206)
(1) Beseech God again and again that it may “depart from you” (p. 206)
(2) Fly to Christ, in a peculiar manner, as he was tempted, and beg of him to
give you succor in this “needful time of trouble” (p. 207)
(3) Look to him who has promised deliverance (p. 207)
(4) Consider where the temptation has made its entrance, and by what means,
and with all speed make up the breach (p. 208)

Knowing our Adoption is a Source of Strength

“Christians often find it difficult to believe that God’s unfailing love is real. This is where the knowledge and increasing assurance that we are children of God is a refuge and shield against the attacks of Satan. Just as part of his plan of action in his temptation of Jesus included the issue of whether he was really the Son of God (compare Matt. 4:3, 6), so a parallel issue arises with us. Satan will cast up to us the sins of both the past and the present; he will allure us with temptations to sin to which we may fall in the future, and then lead us to question the reality of our relationship to God. Can we be God’s children after all, when such thoughts lurk in our minds, and such deeds lie in our past?

“What is the answer to this kind of temptation? It is, at least in part, the recollection that we are not children of God by worth and merit, but by free, gracious adoption. God has chosen us. Our status is not a matter of our worthiness, but of his love.”

(Sinclair Ferguson, Children of the Living God, 30).

Only Christ!

“Only love for Christ has the power to incapacitate the sturdy love for self that is the bane of every sinner, and only the grace of Christ has the power to produce that love.”

- Paul David Tripp, A Quest for More (Greensboro, NC; New Growth Press, 2007), 105.

Jesus says, "Watch! Beware!"

speaking of your unique temptation times, areas, and situations.... Owen writes:
Unless he know it, unless his eyes be always on it,
unless he observes its actings, motions, advantages, it will continually be
entangling and ensnaring of him.

Labor to know your own frame and temper;
what spirit you are of;
what associates in your heart Satan has;
where corruption is strong,
where grace is weak;
what stronghold lust has in your natural constitution,
and the like.

much more here

Deacon Training Update

<> 9 men, who were nominated by the congregation, have been training for the last 6 weeks
<> In coming weeks these men are scheduled to:
~ comple the training
~ meet with elders for guidance & examination
~ discuss & pray towards God's present leading in their lives

Your role, as a congregation?
1. Pray
2. June 29 You will be instructed on how, and when, the voting will take place... this will be done during the Sunday service, then archived at www.christcommunitychurch.com
3. Vote in July (probably 13 or 20)
4. Participate in the ordination (late August)

Jesus in Mark 8, "Don't you get it?"

We only "get it" as the Holy Spirit "gives it" to us.

On of the works of the Spirit... is called “illumination,” or enlightening. It is not a giving of new revelation, but a work within us that enables us to grasp and to love the revelation that is there before us in the biblical text as heard and read, and as explained by teachers and writers. Sin in our mental and moral system clouds our minds and wills so that we miss and resist the force of Scripture. God seems to us remote to the point of unreality, and in the face of God’s truth we are dull and apathetic. The Spirit, however, opens and unveils our minds and attunes our hearts so that we understand (Eph. 1:17-18; 3:18-19; 2 Cor. 3:14-16; 4:6). As by inspiration he provided Scripture truth for us, so now by illumination he interprets it to us. Illumination is thus the applying of God’s revealed truth to our hearts, so that we grasp as reality for ourselves what the sacred text sets forth. -- J.I. Packer

Read the whole (short) thing HERE

Denial and Admission

Nothing keeps people away from Christ* more than their inability to see their need of him or their unwillingness to admit it. As Jesus put it: ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ (Mk. 2:17). He was defending against the criticism of the Pharisees his policy of fraternizing with ‘tax collectors and “sinners”’. He did not mean by his epigram about the doctor that some people are righteous, so that they do not need salvation, but that some people think they are. In that condition of self-righteousness they will never come to Christ. For just as we go to the doctor only when we admit that we are ill and cannot cure ourselves, so we will go to Christ only when we admit that we are guilty sinners and cannot save ourselves. The same principle applies to all our difficulties. Deny the problem, and nothing can be done about it; admit the problem, and at once there is the possibility of a solution. It is significant that the first of the ‘twelve steps’ of Alcoholics Anonymous is ‘We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.’ -- John Stott, in commentary on Romans 1

* RP: I think this is true of original forgiveness of the guilt of sin AND of ongoing power over indwelling sin

The dignity of accountability

Scripture recognizes both our ignorance ('they do not know what they are doing') and our weakness ('he remembers that we are dust'), but it dignifies us by holding us accountable for our thoughts and actions. --John Stott

Questions from Donald Whitney

These questions are good to ask yourself and your spouse anytime, even though they are written addressing birthdays and new years eve...

A Gift Both Rich & Free

Faith ‘tis a grace divine,
A gift both rich and free,
‘Twas grace that made this blessing mine
From guilt to set me free. --Gadsby 603

Words That Bring Life

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and power.

Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

Jews & Leaven

The Jews used leaven to make ordinary bread, but at Passover time they were forbidden it, to remind them of when they were in such a hurry to leave their slavery in Egypt that they only had time to make unleavened bread. --Tom Wright

Your Father Loves You

“Be always comforting of your selves with the thoughts of your Adoption: Draw your comforts at this tap, fetch your consolations from this relation; be therefore often chewing upon the precious priviledges of it, and make them your rejoicing. Let this joy out-strip the verdure of every other joy.
Let this joy dispel the mists of every sorrow, and clear up your souls in the midst of all troubles and difficulties” as you await heavenly glory, where you will live out your perfect adoption by forever communing with the Triune God. There you will dwell at the fountain, and swim for ever in those bankless, and bottomless Oceans of Glory.” --Samuel Willard

Being Fed By Jesus... AND Then Being Used by Jesus to Feed Others

In the feeding Jesus uses his disciples to help him feed the 4000 people ...

"The Christian Life, as a disciplined rhythm of following Jesus, involves not only being fed (by Jesus) but becoming in turn one through whom Jesus' love can be extended to the world." -- Tom Wright

How to Have God-glorifying, Grace-filled, Relationship-building, Memory-making Vacations

C.J. Mahaney on family vacations:Here’s what I’ve learned. The difference between forgettable vacations and unforgettable vacations is not the location or attractions. Nope. The difference between forgettable and unforgettable vacations is the father’s attitude and leadership. This makes all the difference.

Family vacations provide a unique opportunity each year for fathers to create memories their children will never forget. Memories that will last a lifetime. Memories that will be recreated by your children with your grandchildren. Memories that will outlive a father. But in order to create these memories, a father must be diligent to serve and lead during a vacation. How a father views his role on a vacation will make all the difference in the vacation.

Link is here

I am the toxin

Today I take my son to camp. Later in the month I will take my other 2 children. It has been a tremendous challenge for me to come to grips with:

One source of challenge in their life will be removed while they are on the mountain and we are out of contact. Me.

I haven't gotten on the gospel-side of this yet... that many of the wounds they bear come from my sharp tongue, my ridiculous demands, my desire for life to be the way I think it should be.

O God, heal. Them, and me.

Constrained By Grace

"And never does the sinner find within himself so mighty a moral transformation, as when under the belief that he is saved by grace, he feels constrained thereby to offer his heart a devoted thing, and to deny ungodliness." --Thomas Chalmers

Move, I beg You, upon my disordered heart

What a tremendous Puritan Prayer... so helpful to meditate and pray slowly. Below is an excerpt, link to full prayer is here.

O Holy Spirit,
Move, I beg You, upon my disordered heart.
Take away my unruly desires and hateful lusts.
Lift the mists and darkness of unbelief. Brighten
my soul with the pure light of truth. Make it . . .
fragrant as the garden of paradise,
rich with every goodly fruit,
beautiful with heavenly grace,
radiant with rays of divine light.

O Holy Spirit, deepen in me these saving lessons.
Write them upon my heart, that my walk be . . .
sin-loathing,
sin-fleeing,
Christ-loving.

Want to pray the complete prayer?

Let Us Look To Jesus

stanzas 4-6 of Gadsby #306 Lord, Thou canst make me clean

4 Brethren, in a state so sad,
When temptations seize us,
When our hearts we feel thus bad,
Let us look to Jesus.
He that hung upon the cross,
For his people bleeding,
now in heaven sits, for us
Always interceding.

5 Vengeance, when the Saviour died,
Quitted the believer;
Justice cried, "I'm satisfied,
Now, henceforth, for ever."
"It is finished", said the Lord,
In his dying minute;
Holy Ghost, repeat the word,
Full salvation's in it.

6 Leprous soul, press through the crowd
In thy foul condition,
Struggle hard, and call aloud
On the great Physician.
Wait till thy disease he cleanse,
Begging ,trusting, cleaving;
When, and where, and by what means,
To his wisdom leaving. --J.Hart

Fellow Word Nerds Gather Round

I've been drinking deeply from Gadsby's Hymnal. During Saturday's workday I mentioned a confusing section of the preface to a couple of fellas. Any of my fellow word nerds who understand the bolded section, holler at me the next time I see you.

from the preface:
Suffice it to say, that the church and people over which the Holy Ghost has made me overseer, and has been in the constant habit, ever since I came among them, of using Dr. Watts's Psalms and Hymns, Rippon's Selection, and Hart's Composition. But though some of these hymns are big with the important truths of God, there are others, especially among Dr. Watts's and Rippon's, which give as legal a sound as if they had been forged at a certain foundry. This was one reason which induced me to publish a selection. Whole thing is here:

Christ is the only hope against our manipulating & controlling

“When Christ is my hope, he becomes the one thing in which I have confidence. I act on his wisdom and bank on his grace. I trust his promises and I rely on his presence. And I pursue all the good things that he has promised me simply because I trust him. So, I am not manipulating, controlling, or threatening my way through life to get what I want, because I have found what I want in Christ. He is my hope.”

- Paul David Tripp, A Quest for More (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2007), 107.

God the Heavenly Banker

God's promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; he intended that they should be used. God's gold is not miser's money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see his promises put in circulation; he loves to see his children bring them up to him, and say, "Lord, do as thou hast said." We glorify God when we plead his promises. Do you think that God will be any the poorer for giving you the riches he has promised? Do you dream that he will be any the less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you imagine he will be any the less pure for washing you from your sins? He has said "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Faith lays hold upon the promise of pardon, and it does not delay, saying, "This is a precious promise, I wonder if it be true?" but it goes straight to the throne with it, and pleads, "Lord, here is the promise, 'Do as thou hast said.'" Our Lord replies, "Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." When a Christian grasps a promise, if he does not take it to God, he dishonours him; but when he hastens to the throne of grace, and cries, "Lord, I have nothing to recommend me but this, 'Thou hast said it;'" then his desire shall be granted. Our heavenly Banker delights to cash his own notes. Never let the promise rust. Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your importunately reminding him of his promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is his delight to bestow favours. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God's nature to keep his promises; therefore go at once to the throne with "Do as thou hast said." --Spurgeon