In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul says to the Corinthian church, “Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove yourselves.” (emphasis added)  Periodic self-examination is biblical and good.  But there is a danger for some of us… it is the peril of moving from the biblical idea of self-examination to the point of becoming morbidly introspective.  Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his book Spiritual Depression: Its Cause and Its Cure, offers the following helpful insight:

I suggest that we cross the line from self-examination to introspection when, in a sense, we do nothing but examine ourselves, and when such self-examination becomes the main and cheif end of our life. We are meant to examine ourselves periodically, but if we are always doing it, always, as it were, putting our soul on a plate and dissecting it, that is introspection. And if we are always talking to people about ourselves and our problems and troubles, and if we are forever going to them with that kind of frown upon our face saying: I am in great difficulty-it probably means that we are all the time centered upon ourselves. That is introspection, and that in turn leads to the condition known as morbidity. (Spiritual Depression, 17)

When we become too focused on ourselves, even for what we consider a good reason, this can lead to morbid introspection, followed by spiritual and mental depression and loss of our Christian joy.  We must examine ourselves and strive for holiness (Hebrews 12:14).  But we must also remember to look to Christ, and focus on what our Lord has achieved on the Cross.

On October 15th, Crossway will release the ESV Study Bible.  Many believe it may be the best, most comprehensive, one-volume study Bible ever made.  In the video below, Dr. J.I. Packer, theological editor for the notes of the ESV Study Bible, comments on why he believes the ESV Study Bible will be the best of its kind:

You can view more detailed videos on the ESV Study Bible here.  I believe it is going to be an excellent tool for all Christians who want to study the Scriptures in a deeper way. 

Some powerful insights on the ’seeker-sensitive’ movement that has crippled the modern church in its effectiveness in reaching the lost.  R. C. Sproul says of the seeker-sensitive movement:

“…It’s a strategy of unbelief. The ‘minister’ wants to grow his church, the ‘minister’ wants to see success, and so he’s looking for all these programs and all these techniques to get people to come in… But he never goes over the bridge and gets to the Word. If you want power in your Church, be an expository preacher; preach the Word because that’s where the Spirit is. Isn’t that God’s strategy? If we believe God’s strategy, we’re going to preach the Word.”

- R.C. Sproul

Oh, may the Lord save us from our man-contrived ideas of how to win the lost, and let us get back to the Bible.  We will keep people with whatever we win them with, and we must seek to win them with the Word of God, which alone has power to transform lives to the glory of God!

Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm rules for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. — (Isaiah 40:10)

This verse brings to mind two others:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. — (2 Corinthians 5:10)

 and

Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with Me, to repay everyone for what he has done. — (Revelation 22:12)

Few other thoughts are as sobering as to contemplate these truths that we must stand before our Lord to give an account some day. I pray that I will be able to do so with joy, and not with sorrow. It will only be by His grace and His grace alone that I will be able to do it with joy.  May God grant that it may be so.  

We read from Isaiah 40:10 quoted above that, “Behold, the Lord GOD comes…[with] His recompense before Him.”  I am drawn to this verse & the (sobering) word, “recompense.”  Webster’s Dictionary defines this as follows:

recompense: to give something to by way of compensation (as for a service rendered or damage incurred).

This gives added meaning to the remaining part of 2 Corinthians 5:10, which says that each of us will recompensed “…according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”   What a very powerful, yet sobering thought.

May the Lord our God help us to live in light of that Day!

Existentialism* meets football.  A little Monday morning humor for the philosophically-minded.

Pre-Game Coin Toss Makes Jacksonville Jaguars Realize Randomness Of Life

* Existentialism is a philosophical movement which posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives, as opposed to it being created for them by deities or authorities or defined for them by philosophical or theological doctrines. (Source: Existentialism. (2008, September 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13:32, September 15, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Existentialism&oldid=238499563 )

Saw it first on Justin Taylor’s blog

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently posted an interesting article on his blog entitled, “When Conscience and Medical Practice Collide.”  It’s a fascinating read about an issue that has been heating up for some time, and may soon come to a full boil.  I encourage you to read Dr. Mohler’s article by clicking here.

PART 4:  Lot-What Can We Learn From His Example?

• We learn the dangers of leaving our “first love” (Rev. 2:5).
• We learn the dangers of being weak in our devotional life. We read that Abraham frequently called upon the Lord (e.g., Gen. 13:4), but we never read such about Lot.
• Moreover, had Lot taken time to wait on God and get His perspective, Lot might have realized that God had already purposed to destroy the city of Sodom, and might have decided to go elsewhere.
• We learn the dangers of separating ourselves from fellowship with men more godly than ourselves. See Hebrews 10:25 and Proverbs 27:17
• We learn the dangers of worldliness. God never blessed worldliness, and He never will. The life of Lot is a warning against it. His story is told in Genesis to warn others not to make the same mistake.
• We learn the dangers of following the Lord “from afar.” Like Peter after him, when the Lord Jesus was taken prisoner, he followed the Lord, but only “from afar.” And like Peter, he found the way unpleasant and hard.
• We learn the dangers of worldly compromise. As part of Abraham’s clan, Lot was called out of the world; not to go into the cities and mingle with other races, but to dwell in tents as a separate tribe, lest their character be polluted and their testimony silenced. Instead, Lot mingled with the world. As a result, his character was polluted and his testimony was silenced. Lot is an example of salt that has lost its savor (cf. Matt. 5:13).
• We learn the dangers of having a negative influence upon our family. Lot lost his influence with his family because his life did not measure up to his words. Hypocritical lives are seen through by their families; and, when seen through, they are despised. Our nearest relatives understand inconsistency, if they understand nothing else about Christianity. The eye of the child drinks in far more than the ear. Ultimately the angels were able to get Lot’s wife and daughters out of Sodom, but they could not get Sodom out of them.
• We learn that a worldly, compromising Christian cannot be a joyful Christian. Lot was daily “vexed” while he lived in Sodom (2 Peter 2:7-8). Lot wanted to have his cake and eat it too. He wanted Christ, but also the world. He spent his time trying to make heaven’s Gate wider and the Cross lighter, but he never succeeded. As a result, he lacked peace, he lacked assurance, and he lacked the joy of his salvation, he failed to progress in his walk with God, and he failed to impact others for Christ.
• We learn that there is no safety in unforsaken sin.  We must turn from known sin and come out from the world (2 Cor. 6:17).

PART 3-Lot’s Descent into Worldliness (Gen. 13:5-13; 19:1-38)

• Lot started out well. But he acquired riches and with his wealth came trouble.
• Lot made a selfish and worldly choice (Gen. 13:10-13).
• Lot was so greatly influenced by Abraham that his character weaknesses did not show up until they separated.
• Lot, who had lived a separated life unto God (Gen. 12:1-5; Heb. 11:8-10), appears to have lost sight of his noble calling.
• Lot began to leave the separated path, eventually moving into Sodom-lock, stock, and barrel. He returned to worldly associations and living (Gen. 13:12, 13; 19:1). His descent into worldliness is evident:
  • Worldliness creeps in by small degrees… so we must watch over our lives carefully.  Consider:
    • He looked toward Sodom (v.10
    • He pitched his tent toward Sodom (v.12
    • He dwelled in Sodom (v.12)
    • He sat at the gate of Sodom (19:1)

Note that after moving his tent as far as Sodom-Lot gave up the tent life altogether. He bought a house in the suburbs of Sodom, while his uncle Abraham was content living in a tent (see Heb. 11:8-10). Lot ceased to be a “stranger and exile on the earth” (Heb. 11:13).

• While Lot did not cease to be a good man, he did cease to be a faithful witness for his Lord and God. Lot moved into Sodom, and Sodom moved into him. The end result of his “living on the fence” was that Lot lost his influence:
  • The people of Sodom despised him (Gen. 19:9),
  • His relatives mocked him (Gen. 19:14),
  • His daughters shamed him (Gen. 19:30-38),
  • Having lost his place in the “Hall of Faith” (Heb. 11), Lot appears to have died in obscurity. There is a painful silence in the Scriptures about his latter end.

Lot’s compromise with the world ended up costing him, and his family, dearly. Lot lost everything-wife, family, possessions, and testimony (Gen. 19:24-38).  He barely escaped destruction because “he lingered” (Gen. 19:16; cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-15).  Author J.C. Ryle asks us to consider:

• When did Lot linger? The very morning Sodom was to be destroyed.
• Where did he linger? Within the very walls of Sodom itself.
• Before whom did he linger? Under the eyes of the very angels sent to bring him out of the city-even then, “he lingered”!

How about you?  Are you lingering when you should be moving forward in your Christian life?  Are you “hanging out” in a life of worldliness when you should be pursuing your Lord and Saviour?

In our next post we’ll be looking at some of the practical lessons we can take away from our study of Lot.  Please stay tuned!

Today we begin our discussion of the lessons to be learned from the Old Testament figure, Lot of Sodom.  As one writer puts it,

“Lot is like a lighthouse set upon the rocky shores of time to warn believers at all times and in all places against shipwreck.”

As we saw yesterday, the lives of men and women in the Old Testament were written down for our instruction, and today I invite you to remember Lot. In his book, All the Men of the Bible, Herbert Lockyer writes,

“Perhaps there is no Bible figure who represents so many men of today as Lot of Sodom.  Where you can find one Abraham, one Daniel or Joshua, you will find a thousand Lots.”

 LOT — WHO WAS HE?

• He was the nephew of the great and faithful patriarch, Abraham (Gen. 11:27).
• Like his uncle, he was a religious man.
• With Abraham, he left all to follow God (Gen. 12:1-5).
• He was a partaker of the blessings of God (Gen. 13:2-6).
• Lot was a true believer-a converted person-a real child of God-a justified soul-a righteous man. The Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures has put this beyond controversy in 2 Peter 2:6-8…

if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);

As the old writer John Charles Ryle points out, if we do not make this point clear, several of you would perhaps say after our discussion, “Ah! Lot was a bad man, a poor, wicked, dark creature, an unconverted man, a child of this world!-no wonder he did what he did.”  Let’s remember that a true Christian may have many a blemish, many a defect, many a fault, and yet be a true Christian nonetheless. We do not despise gold because it is mixed with much dross. We do not undervalue grace because it is accompanied by remnants of the sinful nature. We will see that Lot paid dearly for his sinful choices, but do not forget that Lot was a child of God.

In our next post, we’ll discuss Lot’s progressive descent into worldliness.  Stay tuned…

WARNINGS AS A FUNCTION OF OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY

In one of his letters to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul recounts several of the experiences of Israel in the wilderness following their exodus from Egypt.  Then Paul tells us the purpose for which these stories are recorded:

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” – 1 Corinthians 10:11, ESV

Paul specifically tells his readers that he does not want them to be “unaware” (NASB) of these things, because they have been recorded for our benefit, our learning, so that we might learn from them and take heed to our own lives that we don’t make the same mistakes.

There is much we can learn from studying the lives of Old Testament characters.  For example, Jesus Himself exhorts us to, “Remember Lot’s wife“ (Luke 17:32). 

With this in mind, over the next few posts I’d like to share with you some insights from the life of another Old Testament figure — Lot, the nephew of the great patriarch Abraham.  Please follow along with me over the next few days as I share some powerful practical insights – and warnings– which can help us in our Christian walk.

“A lazy Christian will always want for things–
     1)  comfort,
     2)  content,
     3)  confidence, and
     4)  assurance.
Assurance and joy are choice donatives that Christ gives to laborious Christians only.  The lazy Christian has his mouth full of complaints, when the active Christian has his heart full of comforts.”

–Thomas Brooks
Smooth Stones Taken From Ancient Brooks:
Collected Sayings of Thomas Brooks, compiled by C.H. Spurgeon

The folks at New Attitude asked their readers to list their top 5 Bible difficulties. One of them addressed the issue of Canaanite Genocide: “How could a good and just God command Israel to slaughter the Canaanites?”

Truly this is one of the most common questions I have gotten since coming to my current staff position. In his article, “How Could God Command Genocide?”  Justin Taylor shares what he thinks are a few important pieces in addressing the question.

Charles Spurgeon’s work ethic was legendary, in spite of the fact that he struggled with health issues for most of his life.  Today on this Labor Day we can benefit from Spurgeon’s wisdom on how to avoid regrets when our health fails us.  Spurgeon wrote in 1876:

If I have any message to give from my own bed of sickness it would be this—if you do not wish to be full of regrets when you are obliged to lie still, work while you can. If you desire to make a sick bed as soft as it can be, do not stuff it with the mournful reflection that you wasted time while you were in health and strength. People said to me years ago, “You will break your constitution down with preaching ten times a week,” and the like. Well, if I have done so, I am glad of it. I would do the same again. If I had fifty constitutions I would rejoice to break them down in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. You young men that are strong, overcome the wicked one and fight for the Lord while you can. You will never regret having done all that lies in you for our blessed Lord and Master. Crowd as much as you can into every day, and postpone no work till to-morrow. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” (Ecc 9:10).

Have an enjoyable - and productive - Labor Day.

I recently purchased Sam Storms’ new book, To the One Who Conquers: 50 Daily Meditations on the Seven Letters of Revelation 2-3.  It looks like its going to be a great read.  I have immense respect for Dr. Storms. 

Justin Taylor recently posted an interesting evaluation of Storms’ book along with an excerpt on his blog, “Between Two Worlds.”  Read his post by clicking on the title, ”Do You Care What Christ Thinks of the Church?“

“Evangelical Christianity is now tragically below the New Testament standard. Worldliness is an accepted part of our way of life. Our religious mood is social instead of spiritual. We have lost the art of worship. We are not producing saints. Our models are successful business men, celebrated athletes and theatrical personalities. We carry on our religious activities after the methods of the modern advertiser. Our literature is shallow and our hymnody borders on sacrilege. And scarcely anyone appears to care.”
-A.W. Tozer

“The Christian must trust in a withdrawing God.”
William Gurnall

And I dare not leave out the hard saying which I once heard from an experienced Christian: “I have seen many strik­ing answers to prayer and more than one that I thought miraculous. But they usually come at the beginning: before conversion, or soon after it. As the Christian life proceeds, they tend to be rarer. The refusals, too, are not only more frequent; they become more unmistak­able, more emphatic. (emphasis added)

While acknowledging this phenomenon as a mystery, Lewis then uses the example of our Lord Jesus to remind us that our dependence on spiritual ‘experiences’ may indeed be an indication of weakness, and not of strength. 

This very closely parallels my own experience.  Early in my Christian life, just after my conversion and for a few years afterward, God seemed to manifest His presence in powerful and unmistakable ways every few months.  As I began to grow in Him, it seems those ‘experiences’ have become much more rare.  However, I also have become aware of the fact that I am much less dependent on such experiences to sustain me.  I thank the Lord for His work in my life.  And I pray that He will continue to mold me and make me into a true man of God.

The older I get, the more I become aware of the brevity of life. Someone might say, “That’s morbid. Don’t think about such things!” But the Bible seems to see things differently. In fact, throughout the Scriptures we are frequently reminded of our mortality. James 4:14 tells us that our life is “just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” Yes, life on earth — even if you should live to be 100 — is brief indeed. We must live life to the fullest while we have breath. And we can only live life to the fullest if we know Jesus Christ and are living unto Him as our Lord and Savior day by day, every day. I ask you, do you know Jesus Christ? Won’t you trust Him as your Lord and Savior? If you will do this, all eternity lies before you, and you will worship Christ your King forever and ever!

I have often contemplated the biblical command in 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  In his short but excellent article, “How to Drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God”, Dr. John Piper tells us that everything we do-even drinking orange juice-can be done to the glory of God.  In fact, Piper draws this conclusion:

It is sin to eat or drink or do anything NOT for the glory of God. In other words, sin is not just a list of harmful things (killing, stealing, etc.). Sin is leaving God out of account in the ordinary affairs of your life. Sin is anything you do that you don’t do for the glory of God.

You can read the whole thing by clicking here…

Charles Spurgeon’s church was a praying church.  Spurgeon biographer Lewis Drummond writes,

How the people of New Park Street Baptist Church did pray!  They actually prayed down revival.  But prayer must be personal as well as corporate.  Could Spurgeon himself pray?  He could; he actually seemed to walk in a spirit of continuous prayer.  Though not given to long formal prayers, he prayed “without ceasing.” He stated, “You cannot measure fire by the bushel, nor prayers by their length.”  He believed that and practiced it.  Actually, he spent only one or two whole nights in prayer in his entire life, but he walked with God in such depth that he could move from conversation with a friend and then into prayer in a moment.

(Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers, p. 29)

Indeed.  According to Spurgeon, “Prayer meetings are the throbbing machinery of the Church.”  

I usually reserve comment on books until after their release, but I must say, this book appears very intriguing indeed!  Not only that, I have come to trust Crossway’s reputation for publishing good quality Christian books. Here’s the publisher’s description:

Real people. Real sin. Transformed lives. A compilation of heartfelt letters written from a pastor to his people that explains Jesus’ work on the cross.

Death by Love is a unique book on the cross of Jesus Christ. While many books debate the finer points of the doctrine of the atonement, what is often lost are the real-life implications of Jesus’ death on the cross for those who have sinned and have been sinned against. Written in the form of pastoral letters, Death by Love outlines the twelve primary effects of Jesus’ death on the cross and connects each to the life of a different individual.

Driscoll, one of America’s most influential pastors, and Breshears, a respected theologian, help readers understand, appreciate, and trust in Jesus’ work on the cross in a way that will transform their lives. Both deeply theological and intensely practical, this book shows how everyone can find hope through the death of Jesus Christ.

Check out the trailor below:

You can read a chapter, download the art, and purchase the book here.  In short, I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.  It should be a great read… Either way, I plan to find out!