Election Night Prayer

Father in heaven, as the USA votes tomorrow, I pray

that all of your people would vote,

that You would move your people to participate in choosing the authorities you have established (Rom. 13:1),

that You would open our eyes to the blessings we so easily overlook in a democratic system which approves good and punishes evil, albeit imperfectly, for You have established all authorities in perfect wisdom;

that evil acts which are now approved and legal may be rejected and punished,

that you would give your people further courage to lead in government positions and be lights in dark places,

that all peoples and rulers may bow the knee and kiss the Son in loving worship (Ps. 2),

and that your people would serve, honor, and treasure the King of kings, Jesus Christ, far above any temporary, much less than dust, easily forgettable government administration.

Grow in your people's hearts an ever-increasing affection and passion for the gospel of Christ even as the love of many grows cold and send us out with loud heralding as Jesus builds His Kingdom, which is forever and ever, amen.

How Can We Endure?

John Piper on how Romans 1:16,17 tells us how faith carries us to the end amidst our struggle with sin:

"In Romans 8:13 Paul says, "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." But the problem is, we all know that in our war with sin we do not win often enough to have peace in our consciences. So if our life hangs on perfect winning in the war with sin, we are going to despair and not persevere to the end. We will simply give up, because there is no use trying.

What then will keep us going and fighting so that we will live? Romans 1:16,17 answers: the gospel is the power of God to save believers because in the gospel we can see revealed every day that our standing with God is not based on our own righteousness but on God's, freely given to us by faith. And when we see that over and over in the gospel, day after day, as long as we live, our faith is renewed and sustained, and we press on in the fight. Our confidence that God will help us in life and save us from the wrath to come is based on our ever-renewed assurance that our acceptance with him is based on the gift of his own righteousness, not ours."

Via Desiring God - http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/how-does-the-gospel-save-believers-part-3

True Delight

Thou lovely Source of true delight,
Whom I unseen adore;
Unveil Thy beauties to my sight,
That I may love Thee more. 

Thy glory o’er creation shines;
But in Thy sacred Word,
I read in fairer, brighter lines,
My bleeding, dying Lord. 

’Tis here, whene’er my comforts droop,
And sins and sorrows rise,
Thy love with cheerful beams of hope,
My fainting heart supplies. 

Jesus, my Lord, my Life, my Light,
O come with blissful ray;
Break radiant through the shades of night,
And chase my fears away. 

Then shall my soul with rapture trace
The wonders of Thy love;
But the full glories of Thy face
Are only known above.

—Anne Steele

A few things:

1. If you aren't naturally a happy-go-lucky person in most of life, reading Anne Steele's hymns and poems will probably help you see Jesus and bring your pains to Him. They helped me.

2. Love of Jesus should be the only motive for the Christian's obedience. All other motives are faulty and miss the mark. The Christian life is wrapped up in Divine Love for a reason.

3. Reread the second stanza. We rightly ascertain God's glory in the realm of creation (Psalm 19:1-2), but there is a higher realm where we comprehend and see God - his Word - i.e. the Living Word, Jesus, and the written word, the Bible, of which we receive Spirit-wrought revelation. The "sacred Word" alone contains the "fairer brighter lines" that speak of the Word of God, who was with God and who is God.

4. It is ok to pray and sing to God in the midst of pain. I would think that if we are not bringing our pains in our personal and corporate communion with God, we are betraying the reality of sin and suffering in the normal Christian life. Sing your sorrows and live in reality. An overhyped spirituality of dominant victory in Christian living betrays reality. As Matt Chandler wisely said once, "It's ok to not be ok, but it's not ok to stay that way."

5. One day, soon, we will see the "full glories of Thy face". Let that fuel hope.

6. Go listen to a great version of this hymn by Indelible Grace here and buy the album. You can thank me later.

The Intimate Sacrifice

Ed Welch, on how Jesus expresses the physical symbols of the OT sacrificial system in spiritual realities:

If this sounds technical and ritualistic, you are missing the story. It is all very intimate. 

We are brought into the temple, the place of God's presence. 

We lay hands on the Lamb of God. Our sin and shame are transferred to him as he identifies with us. 

When the sacrifice is completed, the Priest sprinkles cleansing blood on us, and the temple curtain that separated us from the most holy areas of God's presence is torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). The final barrier between God and us is gone. 

We are invited to a fellowship meal, which we now call the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). 

Once you lay hands on the Lamb, everything changes. 

— Ed Welch, "Shame Interrupted", p. 191

A New Property of Great Price

Thomas Chalmers tells us how hard it is for man to give up the things in the world he loves:

To estimate the magnitude and the difficulty of such a surrender, let us only think that it were just as arduous to prevail on him not to love wealth, which is but one of the things in the world, as to prevail on him to set wilful fire to his own property. This he might do with sore and painful reluctance, if he saw that the salvation of his life hung upon it. But this he would do willingly, if he saw that a new property of tenfold value was instantly to emerge from the wreck of  the old one. 

 – Thomas Chalmers, "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection"

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Matthew 13:44 

 

Remember Your Baptism

This is another engagement of the truth, and faithfulness, and holiness of God, so that we cannot be deceived in this matter. "There is," says God, "forgiveness with me." The soul says, "How, Lord, will I know, how will I come to be assured of it? For, by reason of the perpetual accusations of conscience, and the curse of the law upon the guilt of my sin, I find it a very hard matter for me to believe. Like Gideon, I want to have a token of forgiveness." Why, look, says God, "I will give you a pledge and token of it, which cannot deceive you. When the world of old was overwhelmed with a flood of waters because of their sins, and those who remained, though they had just cause to expect the same judgment would again befall them or their children, because they saw the same cause of it still remained, the thoughts and imaginations of the hearts of men being still evil, and that continually. To secure them against these fears, I told them that I would destroy the earth no more with water; and I gave them a token of my faithfulness therein, by placing my bow in the cloud. And have I failed them? Though the sin and wickedness of the world has been, since that day, unspeakably great, yet mankind are not drowned again, nor ever will be: I will not deceive their expectation from the token I have given them. Wherever, then, there is a word of promise confirmed with a token, never fear a disappointment. But so is this matter. I have declared that there is forgiveness with me; and to give you assurance thereof, I have ordained this ordinance [baptism] to confirm my word, and take away all suspicion of your being deceived. As the world shall be drowned no more, so neither shall they who believe come short of forgiveness. 

 – John Owen, "The Forgiveness of Sin", pp. 169-170, language updated 

The pledge and token of God's forgiveness for the Christian is baptism. Do not forget your baptism. Remember your baptism and union with Christ. If guilt and shame attack, remember your union with the once dying and now forever living Lord. And if you have been born-again and have not been baptized, what are you waiting for?

Gospel Hammer To A Thick Skull

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits..." (Psalm 103:2)

"Bless" - Psalm 103 is characterized by David preaching to himself. He is basically trying to knock all the benefits and goodness of God into his thick skull by means of repetitious and expansive reminder. But David does not only want to remember God's benefits, he reminds himself to "bless the LORD". God's benefits should move us to bless Him.

"the LORD" - The giver of the goodness and the recipient of our blessing is the eternal Jehovah. This is the God who revealed Himself to Moses on the mountain. This is the uncreated Creator, the great I AM. 

"forget not" - Every day, preferably sooner than later, we should be recalling all of God's goodness and benefits toward us. When we forget God and what he has done for us, bad things happen. Those who forget God will eventually forsake God. Don't forget Him!

"all his benefits" - Go on to read the rest of Psalm 103 and consider all the benefits of God given to you. They are astounding and worthy of much meditation. Bring these things to memory daily and you will surely grow in the knowledge of God's grace and in your own faith. 

Why Should I Give Money To My Church?

I recently wrote this post at the request of my friend Adam Miller. You can find it originally posted here along with many other articles worthy of your time.

If you’re a young adult, you may find yourself asking the question, “Why should I give to my church?” You may have answered that question (or heard it answered) in several different ways. I don’t need to give that much. I need the little money I have. I can’t afford to give. I don’t have to give to my church since I give elsewhere. I’ll give later when I have more money.

Notwithstanding the evasive answers that are dribble from the mouths of young adults like you and I, there are some very good reasons why you should give to your church.

Giving follows receiving

You should give because God gives to you so that you would generously give to others. Paul testifies in 2 Cor. 9:11 that “you will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.” Have you received anything? Then you should give generously. God doesn’t want you to hoard anything. He structured his provision to not only be received, but also spread.

Giving meets needs

Local churches don’t have money trees growing in the prayer garden; they need financial support. It is appropriate to fund those who tirelessly minister the gospel to our souls (1 Cor. 9:9-14). It’s heartbreaking to see a church struggle when its people don’t provide financial support. Those who labor full time in the ministry will almost always need the financial support of those who aren’t in full time ministry, i.e. the vast majority of the church – you and I.

Giving glorifies God

Think through this exchange of hands: God gives, you receive, you give, another receives, and then what does the recipient do? What is your natural reaction when someone gives you something you need? You thank them. When we give what God has given us, we are putting a match to the fuel of praise that will burn up in thanksgivings that glorify God (2 Cor. 9:12).

Giving benefits us

God has wonderfully orchestrated giving to benefit the recipient and the giver. The extremely poor people in Macedonia begged to take part in an offering to meet the needs of other Christians. They saw giving as something that benefitted them. When we give, we become like the character personified in Ps. 112:9 – “He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever” (emphasis mine). There is a soul-strengthening, vivifying, gladdening stream that is reserved for givers.

Giving imitates Jesus

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). Jesus gave more than we can imagine so that we would become rich beyond our wildest dreams. If Jesus gave and we call ourselves his people, his Church, we should imitate our Lord and become loving, living examples of our heavenly Benefactor.

I’ve heard it said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Lk. 12:34). So follow your treasure map to that X placed over your heart, cut open that steeled vault, and find a new home for your treasure.

Warlocks and Mark Driscoll

Mark Driscoll is a man, preacher, and pastor who I appreciate. I am thankful for his preaching which I have benefitted from via podcast on occasion and I am thankful for his work in creating a growing church planting network (Acts 29).

But oftentimes, Driscoll makes my brow furrow and one eyebrow raise. The tweet/Facebook post above is a recent example. A few thoughts cane to mind when I first read it.

1) Warlocks? Yowza. I hope they have robes and/or a sweet cloak. Are they modern-day Jedis? Ok, on a serious note, I was a little surprised to hear about a man identifying himself as a male who practices magic arts. I was only a little surprised because I have been in a bookstore with books that focus on the etymology of angelic languages and so the weird and wacky (and likely dark and demonic) things people involve themselves in don't really surprise me. Nevertheless, you don't meet someone who dabbles in the "magic" and demonic every day.

2) Amen and hallelujah for God's powerful, saving grace that transforms dead men and frees captives from sin and death! New life and repentance is most definitely something to rejoice in. I don't want the glorious miracle of new birth and indelible love of God to be overshadowed in any way by my words here.

3) Here's my point of contention: Driscoll claims that God said to him, "This one is mine and I love him." Regardless of the mode of supposed communication from God, be it an audible voice or a "mental TV", I have an extremely hard time accepting this type of spirituality according to my understanding of Scripture. If God were to tell me who he loves and/or who he conversely does not love, this could create some real problems within the body of Christ. If we were able to hear God's voice in such a unique manner as Driscoll has described God communicating to himself in the past, then why aren't we all flocking to Seattle to find out who God loves? Wouldn't Christians who have a strong burden for a lost person they care for want to hear such words?

When a church leader makes these kind of statements, he is implicitly expressing a level of authority granted to him that may not be available to other Christians. I mean, I have never experienced God  communicating to me in such a way, so I should logically go and receive a word from God from those who God speaks to in such a unique manner.

The issue boils down to authority. If God is speaking to Christians in the manner that Driscoll describes, this elevates the recipient of this direct revelation to a greater level authority than the normal Christian who does not hear from God in this special way and effectually erodes the authority of Scripture and the normal, everyday means of grace that God has given to us in the precious gift of the complete, inspired Bible.

That said, it is very important for Christians to be careful what they say, especially those given responsibility and influence in the Church. The tiniest phrase can ignite a firestorm (James 3). We must carefully evaluate our words at all times and guard against irresponsible statements.

I guess that's all I have to say about that.

UPDATE: There was some clarification Driscoll put out on his original tweet. You can find it here. It seems I was wrong in interpreting what Driscoll was saying, but nevertheless I still have a big bone to pick about God directly speaking to people in this manner.

A Prayer Adapted from Psalm 102

Hear my prayer, O Lord, let my cry come to you!

Don’t hide from me when I am in distress!

Listen to me and answer me quickly when I call!

My days pass away like smoke – the time flies away from me.

I am heartsick and struck down; so very weak.

I lie awake at night; I am like one alone in the desert.

My tears mix with my food and drink,

Because you picked me up and threw me down.

O God, I am ruined if you are angry with me!

And my days fade away like an evening shadow.

My life is short, but you, O Yahweh, are enthroned forever.

Every generation remembers you.

You will rise up and take action – the time has come,

You will have pity on your people.

You will show us favor.

We are clinging to you, O God, our rock.

You build us up; you appear in the glory of Jesus.

You regard the prayer of the destitute and do not despise their prayer.

Let this be recorded for a generation to come,

So that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:

You looked down from your holy throne in heaven,

To hear the groans of the prisoners,

To set free those who were doomed to die,

So that they may declare the name of Jesus,

And worship the Lord.

But God has broken my strength and shortened my life.

O my God, don’t cut my life even shorter,

You who live through all generations!

Long ago, you built the earth,

You made the skies and the galaxies with your hands.

The earth and the stars will die,

But you will remain.

You will change them like a change of clothes,

This creation will pass away.

But you are the same; your years have no end.

Our future dwells secure in you, Eternal God.

You hold together every generation.