A disciple’s study


The Perfect Sacrifice — for me
January 3, 2009, 6:34 pm
Filed under: Discipleship

The Perfect Sacrifice

The various sacrifices are all connected with the altar. Even that which was “burnt without the camp” was connected with the altar. It was no doubt carried forth without the camp and burnt with fire (Lev. 6:30, 16:27); but “the blood was brought into the tabernacle of the congregation, to reconcile withal in the holy place.” “The blood of the bullock was brought in, to make atonement in the holy place.” Their connection with the altar is sufficient of itself to show the truth of substitution contained in them, for the altar was the place of transference. But in each of them we find something which expresses this more directly and fully.

In the burnt offering we see the perfection of the substitute presented in the place of our imperfection, in not loving God with all our heart.

In the meat offering we have the perfection of the substitute, as that on which, when laid upon the alter, God feeds, and on which he invites us to feed.

In the peace offering we find the perfection of the substitute laid on the same altar as an atonement, reconciling us to God; removing the distance and the enmity, and providing food for us out of that which had passed through death; for “he is our peace.”

In the sin offering we see the perfection of the substitute whose blood is sprinkled on the altar and whose body is burnt without, as securing pardon for unconscious sins–sins of ignorance.

In the trespass offering there is the same perfection of the substitute in his atoning character procuring forgiveness for conscious and wilful sin.

In the drink offering we have the perfection of the substitute poured out on the altar as that by which God is refreshed and by which we are also refreshed. “His blood is drink indeed.”

in the incense offering we have the “sweet savor” of the substitute going up to God in our behalf; the cloud of fragrance from his life and death with which God is well pleased, enveloping us and making us fragrant with a fragrance not our own; absorbing all in us that is displeasing or hateful and replacing it with sweetness altogether perfect and divine.

In the fire we see the holy wrath of the Judge consuming the victim slain in the place of the sinner. In the ashes we have the proof that the wrath had been spent itself, that the penalty was paid, that the work was done. “It is finished,” was the voice of the ashes on the altar.

In all this we see such things as the following: (1) God’s displeasure against sin; (2) that displeasure exhausted in a righteous way; (3) the substitute presented and accepted; (4) the substitute slain and consumed; (5) the transference of the wrath from the sinner to his representative; (6) God resting in his live over the sinner and viewing him in the perfection of his substitute; (7) the sinner reconciled, accepted, complete, enjoying God’s favor, and feeding at his table on that on which God had fed; on that which had come from the altar and had passed through the fire.

For that which satisfies the holiness of God cannot but satisfy the conscience of the sinner. God, pointing to the altar, says, “That is enough for me”; the sinner responds and says, “It is enough for me.”

~ Horatius Bonar’s, The Everlasting Righteousness, pp. 10-12.

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Prayer is more a focus than worship in the NT
November 12, 2008, 5:06 am
Filed under: Prayer, Worship

Good thoughts from Linguamish blog

The primary consideration when leading others in worship is that we are creatures of habit.  Singing doesn’t come easily for many people and mastering new melodies and lyrics is a complex task. This is very hard for me personally to keep in mind because I am a person that hates doing the same thing twice. For that reason I have a hard time singing a song over and over again.  As much as I like songs like Ancient of Days or Lord, I lift your name on high, I can hardly bring myself to sing them since they have been repeated so many thousands of times before. But I’m the weird one.  Most people love the same songs over and over again.  It is comforting to sing a pleasing melody with words you know.  That’s why I’m convinced that most people are imprinted by the songs that they heard when they originally were exposed to Christianity and nothing else ever quite matches up.

What is ironic and a bit sad is that as Christians the primary consideration I mentioned above is centered on us and not God.  And furthermore it is limited to singing. To worship is to focus on God and so we should not be focusing on what makes us comfortable but in what exalts God.

The New Testament Scriptures are primarily concerned with prayer and not worship.  Prayer is mentioned twice as often as worship in the Gospels and the New Testament as a whole.

According to the model given us by Jesus, prayer first acknowledges the proximity of God, that’s why he is called our Father. Second, God is identified as being in heaven. Third, we exalt him, hallowed be Thy name. Those three elements are essential to me in helping orient our worship of God.  In essence we are acknowledging his proximity and also his distance. Then, crucially, we don’t try to bring him down to our level, but rather we proclaim him as exalted.

Almost every error in our relation to God can be found within those three elements: 

Our Father: We can fail to recognize that God is personally involved in our lives. This is often called deism. 

Who art in heaven: Or we can fail to recognize the one true God who rules the universe. This is a form of idolatry, creating a god in the image of our choice and then worshipping that image.

Hallowed be Thy name: Finally, we can focus on ourselves rather than on proclaiming his glory.

Let me close with the Evening Collect for Wednesday taken from Celebrating Common Prayer. The prayers in the Book of Common Prayer often typify the three characteristics I’ve been talking about:

Evening Collect for Wednesday

Almighty God in Christ you make all things new.
Transform the poverty of our nature
by the riches of your grace
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

A prayer like that makes me want to sing! But more importantly it serves as an inspiration for my own praises.

I’m beginning to see that my challenge as a songwriter is not primarily about inventing melodies and lyrics but in exalting God through prayer. Flowing out of a deep relationship with our Father in heaven, lyrics will be directed toward him rather than trying to “lead” others in worship.

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Cute & thought-provoking sayings
September 22, 2008, 7:26 pm
Filed under: Discipleship

Cutsy sayings, but with some thought-provoking results:

 

25 Things Worth Thinking About

1) Give God what’s RIGHT — not what’s LEFT.

2) Man’s way leads to hopeless end; God’s way leads to endless hope.

3) A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

4) He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

5) In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma, but never let him be the period.

6) Don’t put a question mark where God puts a period.

7) Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a faith-lift.

8) When praying, don’t give God instructions — just report for duty.

9) Don’t wait for six strong men to take you to the church.

10) We don’t change God’s message; His message changes us.

11) All churches should be prayer-conditioned.

12) When God ordains, He sustains.

13) WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.

14) Plan ahead — it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.

15) Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.

16) Suffering from truth decay? Brush up with your Bible on a daily basis.

17) Exercise daily! Walk with the Lord.

18) Never give the devil a ride — he will always want to drive.

19) Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.

20) Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

21) He who angers you controls you.

22) Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.

23) Give Satan an inch, and he’ll be a ruler.

24) Be ye fishers of men — you catch them, and God will clean them.

25) God does not call the qualified; he qualifies the called.

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Who is a Christian?
September 17, 2008, 7:17 pm
Filed under: Discipleship

Who is a Christian? Romans 7.4

Lloyd-Jones

First, let us look at this verse as it gives us a general description and definition of the christian life. It is here for us on the surface. It tells us immediately that to be a Christian means that we have an entirely new life. The Apostle speaks in terms of being ‘dead’ and ‘alive.’ To be Christian is nothing less than that. It involves a death and a rising. The difference, therefore, between the Christian and the non-Christian is obviously a radical one, and not merely something superficial. To become a Christian does not mean that you just modify your former life a little, or adjust it slightly, or make it look a little better, or ‘brush it up’ as it were. There are many who conceive of Christianity in those terms. To become a Christian, they think, means in the main that you stop doing certain things, and begin to do others. There is a slight adjustment in your life, a slight modification, some things are dropped, others added; there is some improvement, you live a better life than you lived before. All of that, of course, is quite true, but that alone is not Christianity. Whatever our definition of Christianity is, it must include this idea of a death and a new life–nothing less than that. In other words, to be a Christian means to undergo the profoundest change that one can ever know. That is why the New Testament, in speaking of the way in which a person becomes a Christian, uses such terms as ‘Ye must be born again’, ‘a new creation’, a ‘new creature’. It is nothing less than regeneration. Naturally, generation is fundamental; it is the giving of life and bringing into being. Becoming a Christian involves regeneration, and the spiritual far surpasses the natural. So here at once, and on the very surface, we are made to realize that to be a Christian is no small matter, and that the difference between the Christian and the non-Christian is not a slight one. It is the greatest difference possible between two human beings. It is no other than the difference between life and death. That is why I say that the main trouble with most of us in the Church today is that our whole concept of the christian life is much too small. We seem to have lost this idea, though we may pay lip-service to it, that it involves as radical a process and as deep-seated a change as is conceivable. That is the first truth.

The second truth is that the man who has become a Christian is an entirely new relationship. That is what the Apostle is emphasizing here in particular. To be a Christian means that you are now in an entirely new relationship to God. Before, your relationship to God was one through the Law; it is now through the Lord Jesus Christ. What a change that is! My whole standing is different; my position, my status as I stand before God, is altogether different from what it was before. Here again is something which emphasizes the profound character of the Christian life. So as we talk about it we must always include this thought, that there has been an entire change in our relationship to God. We were ‘under law,’ we are now ‘under grace.’

The third truth is that as Christians we have an entirely new purpose in life, namely, ‘to bring forth fruit unto God’. The man who is not a Christian knows nothing of that purpose; he lives for himself, he brings forth fruit unto himself. He lives to satisfy himself; he is self-centered, entirely egocentric. It matters not how good a man he appears to be; if he is not a Christian, he is always egocentric. He is proud of his morality, he is proud that he is not like other people, he looks at them with disdain. All along he is pleasing himself, coming up to this own standard, trusting his own efforts and endeavours. He revolves around himself. But the man who has become a Christian has an entirely new purpose, to ‘bring forth fruit unto God’. These are basic definitions of what it means to be a Christian.

The foruth general truth which here lies on the surface is that the Christian is a man who has been provided with an entirely new ability, a new power and strength. Certain things have happened to him in order that he should ‘bring forth fruit unto God’. He could not do that before; he can do so now. A new ability, a new power has entered into the life of this man.

There, I say, are four things which lie here on the very surface of this verse, and which are always true of the Christian.

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A Life of Praise
September 3, 2008, 7:45 pm
Filed under: Worship

A Life of Praise

Stephen M. Newman

When we look at worship, many of us see it as something we are to do once a week. For others it has become a daily part of our lives. When we look at the element of praise, the Bible is very clear on when and how we are to praise God. It is a very simple directive for the believer: 
1. All the time
2. With everything you are
3. With a joyful heart
When we throw around the phrase “a sacrifice of praise,” do we really know what we are saying?. Hebrews 13:15 states that we are to, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name”.

First, continually means continually. That means all the time…non-stop. Second, continually means continually.

Psalm 34:1 says, “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.”

Again, this is all the time…24/7. Is that what God meant? Does He expect us to spend all our time praising Him?

Psalms 103:1 says, “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name”.

“All my inmost being”. God doesn’t want a flippant offering of praise as we are walking into the church or as it crosses our minds. He wants everything that is in us to praise His name. He desires wholehearted praise from deep with us that is not inhibited by others. Too often we offer up praise that is not from our hearts. We voice it as if we were talking to a friend on the phone. Praise is a serious thing to God. Heaven is filled with it. He says that He is enthroned in the midst of it. Psalm 22:3 He even named the tribe to which Jesus would come out of “Judah” which means “praise”.

And lastly, we are to do it with joy. Psalm 9:2 says, “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High”. Psalm 33:1 states, “Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him”.

How is this possible? You mean when I praise, I have to do it all the time, with all that I am, and joyfully as well? That’s a tall order to say the least. We have to remember, this is a God thing. When we accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior it was a serious decision. It can be compared to living in a place where Kings rule. We are to be totally loyal to the king. Our lives are to be submitted to his direction and will. We are subject to his authority. Those of us that live in the US have become soft in our understanding of what this means. We sit back and enjoy the good life when we are called to be servants…of God and man. We praise ourselves and others more than we do God.

I challenge you to take a look at your life as a child of God and as one who is called to be a worshiper of God. If we keep things in perspective, if we truly keep God first in our lives, the natural outflow will be a life filled with praise. Praise seems to be important to God. It should be important to us. Give Him praise merely for who He is and the rest will follow. He is worthy to receive our praise all the time, with a joyful heart, and with all we are.

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Sing What You Mean
July 30, 2008, 5:57 am
Filed under: Music, Worship

Sing What You Mean

by Terri Pettyjohn

When do we stop singing phrases and begin to offer praise? There is an old hymn that says, “I’ll go where you want me to go”. How many Christians would never think about stooping to lying, but by singing words without meaning them, have lied? Not only do we mean we won’t go to the mission field, but we sure won’t go anywhere that is not in our dayplanner. But, when we close our eyes and shut the world out something begins to happen to our hearts and minds and what we are singing becomes our praise to Him, it is no longer vague and impersonal, it is our conversation with God at this special moment. When we sing the words of adoration to our God, make them the prayer of your heart. Be careful not to sing what you wouldn’t speak with your mouth. The Bible says that someday we must give account for every word we’ve spoken, so make sure your mouth and your heart are in sync before you sing what you don’t mean.

Matthew 12:36 “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”

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Do You Take Church Membership Seriously?
July 18, 2008, 7:15 pm
Filed under: Discipleship

Do You Take Church Membership Seriously?

Thabiti Anyabwile

 

Earlier I linked to John Piper’s sermon on July 13, 2008 entitled “How Important Is Church Membership?” It’s an excellent articulation of the assumptions in Scripture that warrant a biblical belief in and practice of church membership.

Piper concluded with some excellent personal application questions and a brief appreciation of the church as the body of Christ. If you struggle with the idea or the necessity of membership, I pray you’d listen to the entire sermon and afterward ponder these questions”

Are you an accountable member of a local church? Not just: Is your name somewhere? But, are you committed to discipline and being disciplined according to biblical standards? Have you publicly declared your willingness to be shepherded and to be led by the leaders of a local church? Do you see yourself and your gifts as part of an organic ministering body? Do you show by your firm attachment to Christ’s body that you are attached to Christ?

Church membership is a blood-bought gift of God’s grace. More than most of us realize, it is a life-sustaining, faith-strengthening, joy-preserving means of God’s mercy to us. I urge you not to cut yourself off from this blessing.

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Tips for Self-Discipline
July 10, 2008, 5:29 pm
Filed under: Discipleship

Tips for Self-Discipline
By John MacArthur

Practically speaking, how can a person develop self-discipline in his or her life?

Developing Self-DisciplineHere are some things that have helped me through the years:

1. Start Small. Start with your room. Clean it, then keep it clean. When something is out of place, train yourself to put it where it belongs. Then extend the discipline of neatness to the rest of your home.

2. Be on time. That may not seem very spiritual, but it’s important. If you’re supposed to be somewhere at a specific time, be there on time. Develop the ability to discipline your desires, activities, and demands so that you can arrive on time.

3. Do the hardest job first. When you do that, you will find it easier to do the simpler tasks.

4. Organize your life. Plan the use of your time; don’t just react to circumstances. Use a calendar and make a daily list of things you need to accomplish. If you don’t control your time, everything else will.

5. Accept correction. Correction helps make you more disciplined because it shows you what you need to avoid. Don’t avoid criticism; accept it gladly.

6. Practice self-denial. Learn to say no to your feelings. Learn to do what you know to be right even if you don’t feel like doing it. Sometimes it’s even beneficial to deny yourself things that are acceptable to have, like a doughnut in the morning or dessert after dinner. Exercising such self-restraint helps you develop the habit of keeping other things under control. Cultivating discipline in the physical realm will help you become disciplined in your spiritual life.

7. Welcome responsibility. When you have an opportunity to do something that needs to be done, volunteer for it if you have talent in that area. Accepting responsibility can force you to organize yourself.

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Honoring God in Gray Areas
July 10, 2008, 5:19 pm
Filed under: Discipleship, Evangelism

Honoring God in Gray Areas

By John MacArthur

If the issue you are wondering about is not specifically addressed in the Bible, then it’s helpful to ask these questions from 1 Corinthians to help you in deciding what to do. Asking these questions (and others like them) will help you make a wise decision based on sound biblical principles.

1. Will it benefit me spiritually? First Corinthians 10:23 says, “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.”

2. Will it put me in bondage? First Corinthians 6:12 says, “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” Any questionable practice that can be habit‑forming is not wise to pursue.

3. Will it defile God’s temple? First Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” We should not do anything with our bodies that would dishonor the Lord.

4. Will it cause others to stumble? First Corinthians 8:8‑9 says, “Food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” One should refrain from using his freedom in an area which might cause others to sin. For “by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore,” Paul said, “if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble.”

5. Will it help the cause of evangelism? First Corinthians 10:32-33 says, “Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.” We must think of the effect any practice might have on our testimony to the lost.

6. Will it violate my conscience? First Corinthians 10:25‑29 contains three references to abstaining from a certain practice “for conscience’ sake.” And Romans 14:23 says, “He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.” If we are not sure whether an action is pleasing to God, we should not do it. That way our conscience will remain clear and our relationship to God will not be hindered.

7. Will it bring glory to God? First Corinthians 10:31 summarizes all these principles by saying, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

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Bible Interpretation
July 8, 2008, 4:31 pm
Filed under: Discipleship

10 Tips from Grudem on Bible Interpretation

Grudem’s chapter in Preach the Word offers some helpful reminders on correctly interpreting the Scripture.
1. Spend your earliest and best time reading the text of the Bible itself.
2. The interpretation of Scripture is not a magical or mysterious process, because Scripture was written in the ordinary language of the day.
3. Every interpreter has only four sources of information about the text: (a) The meanings of individual words and sentences; (b) the place of the statement in its context; (c) the overall teaching of Scripture; (d) some information about the historical and cultural background.
4. Look for reasons rather than mere opinions to give support to an interpretation, and use reasons rather than mere opinions to attempt to persuade others.
5. There is only one meaning for each text (though there are many applications).
6. Notice the kind of literature in which the verse is found.
7. Notice whether the text approves or disapproves or merely reports a person’s actions.
8. Be careful not to generalize specific statements and apply them to fundamentally different situations.
9. It is possible to do a short or long study of any passage. Do what you can with the time you have, and don’t be discouraged about all that you cannot do.
10. Pray regularly for the Holy Spirit’s help in the whole process of interpreting the Bible.
Grudem goes on to encourage his readers to keep the “big picture” in mind with 6 other reflections.
1. The Bible is a historical document. Therefore, always ask, “What did the author want the original readers to understand by this statement?”
2.. The original authors wanted the original readers to respond in some way. Therefore always ask, “What application did the original author want the readers to make to their lives?”
3. The whole Bible is about God! Therefore we should always ask, “What does the text tell us about God?”
4. The center of the whole Bible is Jesus Christ. The entire Old Testament leads up to him and points to him, and the entire New Testament flows from him. Therefore, we should always ask, “What does this text tell us about the greatness of Christ?”
5. All history can be divided into several major “ages” or “epochs” in salvation history. Therefore, we should read every passage of the Bible with a salvation history timeline in our minds and constantly remember where every passage fits on the timeline.
6. Themes: Because the Bible is a unity (it has one divine Author though many human authors), there are many themes that develop and grow from Genesis to Revelation. Therefore, for each significant element in any text, it is helpful to ask, (a) Where did this theme start in the Bible? (b) How did this theme develop through the Bible? and (c) Where is this theme going to end in the Bible?
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