After all the talk of cutting off hands and feet, and really fighting sin... someone might wonder, "Why doesn't God just deliver us immediately?" "What is the purpose of our struggle with sin?" No one recently has helped me more than John Newton, who writes:

First,-How can these things be, or why are they permitted? Since the Lord hates sin, teaches his people to hate it and cry against it, and has promised to hear their prayers, how is it that they go thus burdened? Surely if he could not, or would not, over-rule evil for good, he would not permit it to continue.

1.) Teach us depth of our sin
By these exercises he teaches us more truly to know and feel the utter depravity and corruption of our whole nature, that we are indeed defiled in every part.

2.) Teach us to love Christ's gracious dealings with us
His method of salvation is likewise hereby exceedingly endeared to us; we see that it is and must be of grace, wholly of grace; and that the Lord Jesus Christ, and his perfect righteousness, is and must be our all in all.

3.) Display that He can accomplish His glorious will despite our sin

His power likewise in maintaining his own work, notwithstanding our infirmities, temptations, and enemies, is hereby displayed in the clearest light, his strength is manifested in our weakness.

4.) To taunt Satan by showing his limits

Satan likewise is more remarkably disappointed and put to shame, when he finds bounds set to his rage and policy, beyond which he cannot pass; and that those in whom he finds so much to work upon, and over whom he so often prevails for a season, escape at last out of his hands. He casts them down, but they are raised again; he wounds them, but they are healed: he obtains his desire to sift them as wheat, but the prayer of their great Advocate prevails for the maintenance of their faith.

5.) So that we might help others who struggle

Further, by what believers feel in themselves they learn by degrees how to warn, pity, and bear with others. A soft, patient, and compassionate spirit, and a readiness and skill in comforting those who are cast down, is not perhaps attainable in any other way.

6.) To increase our longing for the next world

And lastly, I believe nothing more habitually reconciles a child of God to the thought of death, than the wearisomeness of this warfare.

Death is unwelcome to nature; but then, and not till then, the conflict will cease. Then we shall sin no more. The flesh, with all its attendant evils, will be laid in the grave, then the soul, which has been partaker of a new and heavenly birth, shall be freed from every encumbrance, and stand perfect in the Redeemer's righteousness before God in glory. --John Newton, read the whole letter

Accountability Questions

Saw this today.... looks pretty good... I've added couple o' thoughts.

all too often, 'accountability' resides only in the surface realms of "Did you look at pornography" or "Did you drink too much?" instead of addressing the heart behind why we sin. The "sin beneath the sin" if you will.

Here is the link to Stephen Altrogge's 7 Tough Questions To Ask Your Friends, where he outlines the kinds of heart exposing questions he asks his friends as well as offers a bit of commentary on each. I've listed his questions below.

Have you been consistently pursuing the Lord through scripture reading and prayer?

Have you diligently pursued your wife/husband this week?

Have you seen any persistent patterns of sin in your life recently?

Last week you confessed struggling with [insert sin]. Have you taken steps to fight it this week?

When you gave into [insert sin], what were you believing about God in that moment? What were you believing about yourself?

What is the truth that you need to believe in this situation?

When you had the conflict with [insert person], what were you craving at that moment? (source)

RP tries to add:
Do you know God loves you?
Are you seeing Jesus in any ways that excite/secure/compel you?
and finally...
Can I tell you about Jesus?

I have found again and again that my legal & insecure heart will remind me of duty 10 times before it reminds me that Christ has purchased my acceptance with God.

I think this is a both and situation. We need BOTH the tough questions listed AND tender questions i've inserted.

His Love for You Never Changes

“Though we change every day, he changeth not. Could any kind of provocation turn His love away, it would have it had long since ceased.”

- John Owen, Communion with God

Praise God for New Life

Kristin & JT Burns welcome their new son who was born at 5:40 am Sunday morning, August 17th.

Robert Harris. 7lbs 4 oz and 20.5 inches long.

because you asked

several of you asked about the reading i did towards the end of 2nd service yesterday

it is by Paul Tripp and comes from his fabulous new little book
WHITER THAN SNOW which is a collection of brief meditations on Psalm 51

How good is it? Get it, read it and memorize it! here it is:

I am a mass of contradictions, I don’t want to be but I am.
I preach a Gospel of peace, but my life isn’t always driven by peace.
I talk about a Jesus who alone can fully satisfy the soul, but I am often not satisfied.
I celebrate a theology of amazing grace, but I often react in ungrace.
And if I rest in God’s control, why do I seek it for myself?
Even in moments when I think I am prepared, I end up doing what I didn’t want to do.
Irritation
Impatience
Envy
Discontent
Wrong talk
Anger
Self-focus
Are not the fruit of the new life, are not the way of grace.
So there is this law operating inside of me.
When I step out with a desire to do good, evil follows me wherever I go.
There is this war that rages inside of me, between a desire for good and sin that is anything but good.
There are times when I feel like a prisoner, held against my will.
I didn’t plan to be mad at the grocery store, but that guy made me mad.
I didn’t plan to be discontent, but it just enveloped me in the quietness of the car.
That discussion wasn’t supposed to degenerate into an argument, but it did.
I am thankful for God’s grace, but there is daily evidence that I'm still in need of help.
That battle inside me cannot be solved by
Theology
Strategies
Principles
Techniques
Plans
Preparation
Helpful hints
Outlines
I have been humbled by the war I cannot win.
I have been grieved by desires I cannot conquer.
I have been confronted by actions I cannot excuse.
And I have come to confess that what I really need is rescue.
So, have mercy on me, O God,
According to your unfailing love
According to your great compassion
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions
And my sin is always before me.
I embrace the rescue that could only be found in you.
Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!

When WANT TO doesn't match the OUGHT TO

I am quoting from this menana

Only a fraction of the present body of professing Christians are solidly
appropriating the justifying work of Christ in their lives… Many… have a
theoretical commitment to this doctrine, but in their day-to-day existence they
rely on their sanctification for their justification… drawing their assurance of
acceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience of conversion,
their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious,
willful disobedience. Few know enough to start each day with a thoroughgoing
stand upon Luther’s platform: you are accepted, looking outward in faith and
claiming the wholly alien righteousness of Christ as the only ground for
acceptance, relaxing in that quality of trust which will produce increasing
sanctification as faith is active in love and gratitude… Much that we have
interpreted as a defect of sanctification in church people is really an outgrowth
of their loss of bearing with respect to justification. Christians who are no
longer sure that God loves and accepts them in Jesus, apart from their present
spiritual achievements, are subconsciously radically insecure persons… Their
insecurity shows itself in pride, a fierce, defensive assertion of their own
righteousness, and defensive criticism of others. They come naturally to hate
other cultural styles and other races in order to bolster their own security and
discharge their suppressed anger.
– Richard Lovelace

Hell? Yes

Because Mark 9 has the most graphic language about hell in it... but I'm just touching on it while preaching:
Yes, Jesus believes in Hell and so do His followers. Eternal punishment, not annihilation. Etc.

I do not want to be flippant. I too, have neighbors and friends who think this idea is outdated and mean. Therefore, I've put several resources on hell on this blog this week, just scroll down to find them.

One more is Tim Keller's little article:
Brimstone for the Broad-Minded, Preaching Hell in an Age of Tolerance
excerpt:
Moderns reject the idea of final judgment and hell.

Thus, it's tempting to avoid such topics in our preaching. But neglecting the unpleasant doctrines of the historic faith will bring about counter-intuitive consequences. There is an ecological balance to scriptural truth that must not be disturbed.

If an area is rid of its predatory or undesirable animals, the balance of that environment may be so upset that the desirable plants and animals are lost—through overbreeding with a limited food supply. The nasty predator that was eliminated actually kept in balance the number of other animals and plants necessary to that particular ecosystem. In the same way, if we play down "bad" or harsh doctrines within the historic Christian faith, we will find, to our shock, that we have gutted all our pleasant and comfortable beliefs, too.

The loss of the doctrine of hell and judgment and the holiness of God does irreparable damage to our deepest comforts—our understanding of God's grace and love and of our human dignity and value to him. To preach the good news, we must preach the bad. --TK

The quote below was about divine election, but works for the doctrine of Hell as well:

".... is to all other doctrines what the granite formation is to the other strata of the earth. It underlies and sustains them, but it crops up only here and there." --Charlese Hodge

Shrinking the Room

When the elders decided to move to two services in January 2008, the decision was made to "shrink the room" by blocking off the back two rows, which comprise 74 seats.


Reasons why we block off back two rows

1.) Creates tangible sense that we are gathering of people coming to worship God together. We are not individuals coming to consume religious services. (Coming to worship is different than coming to movies.)

2.) Helps with congregational singing… which is a means of grace.

3.) Makes preaching more personal as speaker can actually see faces of souls to whom he’s preaching.

4.) Diminishes distraction that is caused when large gaps of empty seats are between people. Passing anything (sign in sheets, communion trays, offering) is unusually distracting.

5.) Allows latecomers to see available seats. In the past we have created challenge for latecomers. If the congregation is standing—and the back two rows are occupied-- when they arrive, all the latecomer sees is shoulders and is unaware that the room is not totally full. (They can’t see the empty areas in the middle of aisles and towards the front.)

6.) Decreases workload for ushers and allows them to focus their hospitality on a smaller space.

7.) Decreases workload for our office staff when they go through the sign in sheets.

Objection
But I get claustrophobic. But I’ve got a physical/psychological condition that makes me need/prefer lots of space.

We understand and want to support you in your pursuit to worship God without distraction. There are chairs against the back wall and there is usually plenty of space in the front rows.

On 2nd Thought....

The Fallout good & bad of not preaching from a manuscript/getting carried away

#1. (This is how I plan to launch sermon this week, August 17)

Before I read the scripture passage I would like to say a brief word about last Sunday’s sermon. On two occasions I used a word that I'm not proud of using. In my zeal to get across a point I used vocabulary that is not appropriate for this setting, especially given the variety of ages in our midst. To those who were offended, please accept my apology. To parents, if this is an opportunity to explain that sin has infiltrated all of life (including Sunday morning), please use it. For those of you who weren’t here—or didn’t catch it—CD’s of the message are available in the foyer for $29.95… or you can pick it up on itunes or at the church website for free.

Now, if you are able, would you please stand for this reading of God's Word...

#2. Being offended at the wrong things
One person said to me on August 10, "Great sermon, Rob." I replied, "Thank you. But I shouldn't have said _____ twice." To which they said, "Rob, I've been in churches all my life where the minister never used the word ______. I've also never been challenged to repent of the arrogance with which I often hold my Reformed & Presbyterian theology."

May God give me the grace in the future to drop the former and keep the latter.

attempting

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

So hesitant to say, "I'm beginning to work through the WSC here." But I am. Just don't hold my ADD self to it.

Fortunately, this one doesn't need much commentary.

Repentance is our topic Sunday

...and Heaven have mercy on us all - Presbyterians and Pagans alike - for we are all dreadfully cracked about the head and desperately in need of mending. --Herman Melville Moby Dick

We must not suppose that if we succeeded in making everyone nice we should have saved their souls. A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world. --C.S. Lewis

"God is God; He sees and hears
All our troubles, all our tears.
Soul, forget not, 'mid thy pains,
God o'er all for ever reigns."

It seems to me that teaching on the free grace of God in Christ makes it possible for sinners like us to hear the hardest things said about our sin patterns, and that can lead into a healthy sorrow which then leads back to sanity, i.e., repentance. –Jack Miller

Hell

Some of you may have noticed Jesus' language last week at the end of Mark 9


Always helpful to have resources on any Bible teaching that is--like hell--so foreign to many of our friends and loved ones.

Sproul, brief article

Tim Keller, sermon
Hell: Isn't the God of Christianity an Angry Judge?
Tim Keller (mp3) - The Trouble with Christianity: Why It's So Hard to Believe It


JI Packer, brief article

Hell Teaches Christ's Love

The doctrine of hell is important because it is the only way to know how much Jesus loved us and how much he did for us. In Matthew 10:28 Jesus says that no physical destruction can be compared with the spiritual destruction of hell, of losing the presence of God. But this is exactly what happened to Jesus on the cross-he was forsaken by the Father (Matthew 27:46.) In Luke 16:24 the rich man in hell is desperately thirsty (v.24) and on the cross Jesus said "I thirst" (John 19:28.) The water of life, the presence of God, was taken from him. The point is this. Unless we come to grips with this "terrible" doctrine, we will never even begin to understand the depths of what Jesus did for us on the cross. His body was being destroyed in the worst possible way, but that was a flea bite compared to what was happening to his soul. When he cried out that his God had forsaken him he was experiencing hell itself. But consider--if our debt for sin is so great that it is never paid off there, but our hell stretches on for eternity, then what are we to conclude from the fact that Jesus said the payment was "finished" (John 19:30) after only three hours? We learn that what he felt on the cross was far worse and deeper than all of our deserved hells put together. --Tim Keller, The Importance of Hell

Key Dates upcoming:

--THIS SUNDAY: WE move back to TWO services, and 2 sunday school offerings
9:00am
10:45am

--Manland, Thursday August 28

--Election of Deacons, Sunday August 24th at 12:15pm
--Ordination of Deacons, Sunday September 7 at 6:00pm

Mexico team returns today

heard from the team as they were at the first airport.... "great trip", they said via text

they plan to arrive in Houston 1:40pm and

arrive in Tampa Intl 6:25 pm

UPDATE: Spoke to them in Houston.... doing great!!!

ANOTHER UPDATE: They have arrived in Tampa!!!

6am Departure of Mexico Team

Praise for the past, trust for the future

I trust you find the name and grace of Jesus more and more precious to you; His promises more sweet, and your hope in them more abiding; your sense of your own weakness and unworthiness daily increasing; your persuasion of his all-sufficiency, to guide, support, and comfort you, more confirmed. You owe your growth in these respects in a great measure to His blessing upon those afflictions which He has prepared for you, and sanctified to you. May you praise Him for all that is past, and trust Him for all that is to come!

--from a letter John Newton wrote that has been titled "The School of Suffering" whole thing here

many other newton letters here

Pleasures in Life.... and waiting

P Yancey says:
CS Lewis saw the world as a place worth saving. Unlike the monastics of the Middle Ages and the legalists of modern times, he saw no need to withdraw and deny all pleasures. He loved a stiff drink, a puff on the pipe, a gathering of friends, a Wagnerian opera, a hike in the fields of Oxford. The pleasures in life are indeed good, just not good enough; they are:

"only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited."

RP: So true. And sometimes the struggle of faith is to wait and hope for the Day when God shall bring us to that place where we find the flower, hear the tune, and arrive in that country

It is the especial wretchedness of man not to be with Him,
without whom he cannot be.

--St. Augustine

Hold People Lightly

As people move away from Gainesville.... 'tis the season to ask how we will respond. Options abound:
-- Get cynical
-- Refuse to befriend new people
-- Trust God and believe this life is fleeting.... and one way to do that is described below:

The phrase "hold people lightly" is an old one, born of the truth that God brings certain individuals into your life for a season. No one stays permanently. Friends move away or find other friends. Children grow up and leave home. Even a spouse eventually dies. In the familiar words of Ecclesiastes, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven." (3:1)

But if my life is rooted in the love of Christ, then friendships and relationships are what they are-gifts for a season to be received and enjoyed. If I cling or hold on for dear life, the relationship will crumble in my hand. If I hold people lightly, my friend is not required to take my advice or accept my help. I can love someone without pulling from her more than she wants to give. Holding people lightly is a huge part of loving well.

--from Paula Rinehart's Better Than My Dreams...Finding what you long for where you might not think to look....

7 aspects of the Lord's Prayer

As analysis of light requires reference to the seven colors of the spectrum that make it up, so analysis of the Lord’s Prayer requires reference to a spectrum of seven distinct activities:

• approaching God in adoration and trust;
• acknowledging his work and his worth, in praise and worship;
• admitting sin, and seeking pardon;
• asking that needs be met, for ourselves and others;
• arguing with God for blessing, as wrestling Jacob did in Genesis 32 (God loves to be argued with);
• accepting from God one’s own situation as he has shaped it;
• and adhering to God in faithfulness through thick and thin.

These seven activities together constitute biblical prayer, and the Lord’s Prayer embodies them all.

-- J. I. Packer

Jesus, teach us to Pray

We need to see that the Lord’s Prayer is offering us model answers to the series of questions God puts to us to shape our conversation with him. Thus:

“Who do you take me for, and what am I to you?”
(Our Father in heaven.)

“That being so, what is it that you really want most?”
(The hallowing of your name; the coming of your kingdom; to see your will known and done.)

“So what are you asking for right now, as a means to that end?”
(Provision, pardon, protection.)

Then the “praise ending” answers the question, “How can you be so bold and confident in asking for these things?”
(Because we know you can do it, and when you do it, it will bring you glory!)

Spiritually, this set of questions sorts us out in a most salutary way. -- J.I. Packer

He's building a palace

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right, and stopping the leaks in the roof, and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably, and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

- C.S. Lewis

Christ Alone

“Our nature struggles fiercely against being saved without our works and tries to deceive us with a grand illusion of our own righteousness. So we may find ourselves attracted to a life that merely appears to be righteous. Or because we know we aren’t righteous, we may be frightened by death or sin. Therefore, we must learn that we should have nothing to do with any other way of becoming righteous, except through Christ alone.” --Martin Luther

His Love is Utterly Realistic

“What matters supremely is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it–the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palms of his hands. I am never out of his mind.

All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me. I know him because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is not a moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when his care falters.

This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort–the sort of comfort that energizes, be it said, not enervates–in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love and watching over me for my good. There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me.”

- J.I. Packer, Knowing God, 41-42

Deacon Candidates

Matt Kubo
Member since: September 2006
Family: Becca
Vocation: Product Design Engineer at ExacTech

Ronnie Neder
Member since: November 2002
Family: Arlene
Vocation: Sales Representative at Construction Sales

Christian Smith
Member since: December 2004
Family: Harmony
Vocation: Pharmacy Procurement Specialist at VA and Independent I.T. Consultant

Frank Stankunas
Member since:1997
Family: Sharon, Trace, Tyler, Hayden, Callie Beth
Vocation: President of Stankunas Concrete

CCC will elect men to the office of deacon in a Congregational Mtg at 12:15pm on August 24. The men are NOT running "against each other". Every man receiving a vote from the majority of members present is elected to the office. (Conceivably our voting could result in the election of 0,1,2,3, or 4 deacons.)

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Deacon Candidates

The slate of candidates for the office of deacon is as follows:

Matt Kubo
Ronnie Neder
Christian Smith
Frank Stankunas

There will be a congregational meeting to elect deacons on Sunday August 24.

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 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.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

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.

Pray for Matthews Family today...

.... as 7 year old Joshua has out-patient surgery on his broken arm

Random Post 1

“Run, John run. The Law commands
But gives neither feet nor hands.
Better news the gospel brings;
It bids me fly and gives me wings.”

-quoted in The Dicipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges

Romans 7... do you know this experience?

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

and in "The Message":
I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

God Reserves for Himself

Some aspects of distance between people (friends, husband/wife, parent/child) are not wrong. For example, in Proverbs 14:10, the writer speaks of bitterness, pain, sorrow and loss. There is a fundamental distance between people because of these difficult emotions and experiences. The living God reserves for Himself certain intimacies as a person goes through hardship and suffering.

--David Powlison

The heart knows its own bitterness,
and no stranger shares its joy. --Proverbs 14:10

Cleanse Me

Be of sin the double cure
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.

i know tobey mac is no Handel or Watts... but ....

.... riding in the van with my family these lyrics struck me powerfully:

I keep trying to find a life
On my own, apart from you
I am the king of excuses
Ive got one for every selfish thing I do

Whats going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That Im still a man in need of a savior

(chorus)I wanna be in the lightAs you are in the lightI wanna shine like the stars in the heavensOh, lord be my light and be my salvationCause all I want is to be in the lightAll I want is to be in the light

The disease of self runs through my blood
Its a cancer fatal to my soul
Every attempt on my behalf has failed
To bring this sickness under control

Tell me, whats going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That Im still a man in need of a savior

Resources on Forgiveness in Personal Relationships

The Four Promises of Forgiveness
Ken Sande - A great way to remember what you are really saying (and committing to) when you say "I forgive you."

Forgiving Others - Part 1
Bryan Chapell (mp3) - Matthew 18:21-31

Forgiving Others - Part 2
Bryan Chapell (mp3) - Matthew 18:21-31

Bundle of Paradoxes

“When I get honest, I admit I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and get discouraged, I love and I hate, I feel bad about feeling good, I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. I am trusting and suspicious. I am honest and I still play games. Aristotle said I am a rational animal; I say I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer.”     -- Brennan Manning

When I Receive Jesus... I receive HIS view of things

John Stott first exposed me to this path to receiving the Scriptures as the Word of God... it is described well here:

I am not here trying to argue for the complete trustworthiness of the Bible, only that its portrayal of the life and teaching of Jesus is historically accurate. If it is, then we can draw conclusions about who Jesus is from the information we read there. If eventually we put our faith in Jesus, then His view of the Bible will become ours. Speaking personally, I take the whole Bible to be reliable not because I can somehow prove it all to be factual. I accept it because I believe in Jesus and that was His view of the Bible. --Tim Keller, page 263 endnote 4... in The Reason For God

What we take in by the Word we digest by meditation and let out by prayer.        
                                                        — Thomas Manton

"You have given so much to me.  Give me one thing more--a grateful heart."
    
                    --a prayer in a poem by George Herbert, a seventeenth-century Anglican--

The Lure of the Village of Morality

Many are turning aside from the Christian pathway; they are turning to the village of Morality, and to the house of Mr. Legality, who is reported to be very skillful in relieving men of their burdens... 'Making Christ Master' in the life, putting into practice 'the principles of Christ' by one's own efforts – these are merely new ways of earning salvation by one's obedience to God's commands.  
------------
J. Gresham Machen in What Is Faith?

Sweeter than all pleasure

How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose!... You drove them from me, You who are the true, the sovereign joy.  You drove them from me and took their place, You who are sweeter than all pleasure...O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation.
                                                               --Augustine, Confessions, IX, I

Tonite tonite tonite 5:30pm

Vacation Bible School (VBS) along with nights in the park


Good times.... at kanapaha park

Why God Wants Us To Sing

We do it every Sunday.  When was the last time you thought about WHY we do it?  Good thoughts to prep you for tomorrow:

Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm!     --from Psalm 47

Why Does God Want Us to Sing?

1. Because singing helps us remember.  When Moses was getting ready to lead the people into the promised land... God told Moses to teach the people a song... so they would remember.

2. Helps us combine doctrine & devotion.

Music has the capacity to stir us emotionally... in a way that stating the very same truths does not often have.

3. Aligns us with Heaven, now and  future

God is being praised by creatures above

We shall sing Him sin-free one day with people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

-- Bob Kauflin

Go to the Cross!

There is no victory over the indwelling power of sin, and there is no pardon for the guilt of sin, but as the soul deals with the blood of Christ. All true sanctification comes through the cross.



Seek it there. Go to the cross—oh, go to the cross of Jesus. In simplicity of faith, go. With the strong corruption, go. With the burden of guilt, go, go to the cross.


You will find nothing but love there—nothing but welcome there—nothing but purity there. The precious blood of Jesus ‘cleanses us from all sin.’ And while you are kept low beneath the cross, your enemy dares not approach you, sin shall not have dominion over you, nor shall Satan, your accuser, condemn you.”        —Octavius Winslow

Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech you that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion us into one united people. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

This my friends, is what idolatry can feel like

Every night you are trying to prove your self-worth…you want to be the absolute best, wittiest, smartest, most charming, best-smelling version of yourself. If I can make people enjoy the experience and have a higher regard for me when I’m finished, it makes me feel like an entire person. If I come short of that, I’m not happy. How things go for me every night is how I feel about myself for the next 24 hours.

— David Letterman

I am NOT throwing stones at Letterman... he is one of us!  The addicted & insecure.  The ones who are looking for acceptance and longing to be righteous.  The question is NOT, in my opinion, whether or not you struggle with Letterman is talking about... you do.  The question is: "Are you aware of those wells from which you seek to slake your thirst?  Are your friends aware of them?  Are you repenting from them or thinking that one more drink will satisfy.  Rescue us from ourselves, Jesus."

Ways people try to define themselves:
-- How goes my late-nite TV show?
-- How goes my preaching, teaching, leading?
-- What do people think of my kids/marriage/reputation?
-- How is the portfolio?
-- Am I on the team?  In the starting line-up?
-- Have I been published?  How many times?

-- etc

Gospel-Happiness

John Bunyan, in meditating on the phrase "I will in no wise cast out" in John 6:37, wrote this:

"He that cometh to Christ shall not want anything that may make him gospelly-happy in this world, or that which is to come."

A Communion Prayer

May the grace of Christ our Saviour,
                    And the Father's boundless love,
                    With the Holy Spirit's favor,
                    Rest upon us from above.

 
                    Thus may we abide in union
                    With each other and the Lord,
                    And possess, in sweet communion,
                    Joys which earth cannot afford.
                                Amen.
                                     by Rev. John Newton, 1779

Lie & Blush at Jesus' feet as your safe retreat

What a motley wretch am I!
Full of inconsistency!
Sure the plague is in my heart,
Else I could not act this part.

Let me come unto my Lord,
Self-condemnèd and abhorred;
Take the sinner's safe retreat,
Lie and blush at Jesus' feet.

If my heart is broken well,
God will surely with me dwell;
Yet amazèd I would be,
How the Lord should dwell with me.   --John Berridge

Gadsby's Hymns, #301, 7s
Inconstancy. Ps. 39. 5-7, 11; Job 25. 6

Gadsby 194 by Newton

Preserve the power of faith alive
In those who love thy name;
For sin and Satan daily strive
To quench the sacred flame.
 

Thy power and mercy first prevailed
From death to set us free;
And often since our life had failed,
Had it not been in thee.

  To thee we look, to thee we bow,
To thee for help we call;
Our Life and Resurrection thou,
Our Hope, our Joy, our All.                      --John Newton

Dwelling in the Same Heart

... What has puzzled and amazed many a good Christian, that there should be

that which is so divine and precious, as the saving grace of God, and the

new and divine nature dwelling in the same heart, with so much corruption,

hypocrisy, and iniquity, in a particular saint.    -- J. Edwards

The Father Loves by GIVING

The Father loved us by giving His Son for us

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

..... God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(John 3:16, Romans 5:8)

And, He loved us by giving us to His Son

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

(John 6:37, 39, John 10:28, John 17:6, 9, 24)

A Huge Shift Comes When We Begin.....

To recognize and believe that the many unexpected events are not just disturbing interruptions of our projects, but the way in which God molds our hearts and prepares us for His return.

--Henri Nouwen

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.