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Quick quiz: Which of the following two statements is more awe-inspiring?
- A king dies in the place of one of his subjects
- The eternal God of the universe take on humanity and dies in the place of one of his creatures
Obviously, as great as the first is, the second is greater by several orders of magnitude.
I bring this up because in church today, we sang a praise song that is theologically accurate and edifying – and yet it annoyed me tremendously. Here’s the chorus of that song:
Amazing love, how can it be
That You my King would die for me
Amazing love, I know it’s true
It’s my joy to honor you
In all I do, I honor you
The first two lines probably sound familiar to those of you who were raised singing hymns. It’s a modification from Charles Wesley’s hymn “And Can It Be”. Here’s the first verse:
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me who caused His pain,
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love – how can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
So, although Christ is our King, and a king dying for his subject is an awesome thing, it is a much more massive, significant and praiseworthy truth that it was not just our King who died for us, but God himself. I don’t know what the author of the modern chorus was thinking when he wrote it, but to take Wesley’s words and water them down as he did – frankly, it ruins the song for me.
(By the way, this is not a criticism of the worship team at my church. In fact, it’s not a criticism of anyone, or at least it’s not meant to be.)
June 28 2010 | Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
As 2009 winds down, I’ve had these lyrics running through my head:
This work of God, no work of man
My only hope, my only life
Has given me a place to stand
Has made me love what I despised
- Jeremy Casella, “Cast Away Stones”
My “place to stand” is the righteousness of Jesus reckoned to my account, just as my many sins – and my constant sinfulness – were reckoned to His account and paid for on the Cross.
What’s your “place to stand” in 2010? If it’s not Jesus, your firm foothold will ultimately turn out to be quicksand.
January 01 2010 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Check out this video from D. A. Carson, courtesy of CBMW. I absolutely love how Carson uses an obvious bit of logic to dismantle an exegetical fallacy.
DA Carson on “permit” in 1 Timothy 2
September 24 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
If these lyrics don’t accurately reflect my life, I don’t know what does:
Oh, I’m into everything I hate
My spirit is not fooled
My members take the bait
Oh, I’m into everything I hate
Still not dead enough
To stifle this debate
Smalltown Poets, “Everything I Hate”
Or, as someone else put it: Who will deliver me from the body of this death?
February 11 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
Desiring God is giving away a Logos Scholar’s Library, 2 pairs of tickets to their Pastors Conference, and 100 copies of the John Piper Sermon Manuscript Library (in Logos/Libronix format).
As the proud owner of both Scholar’s Library and the Piper Sermon Library, I strongly encourage you to enter the contest! (Full Disclosure: I used to work for Logos, and I’m a rabid fan of their stuff.)
January 06 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
I’m sitting at my computer, trying to get some end-of-the-year work done. iTunes is playing the Together for the Gospel Live CD, and I heard these words again:
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
I can’t think of a better thought on which to end the year.
December 31 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
It seems to be trendy to post a summer reading list, so like a lemming, here I go with mine:
- The Cross of Christ (John Stott)
- The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (Leon Morris)
- Pierced for Our Transgressions (Jeffery/Ovey/Smith)
- In My Place Condemned He Stood (Packer/Dever)
- Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die (John Piper)
- The Cross He Bore (Frederick Leahy)
- A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War (Victor Davis Hanson)
- Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations (Alex and Brett Harris – audiobook)
- Hebrews: Reformed Expository Commentary (Richard Phillips)
Most of the above titles are on my list because I’m planning an adult Sunday school class for my church this fall on the subject of the cross. (To clarify: I don’t know if the class will actually be approved by the powers-that-be. I’ve proposed the class, and gotten a “maybe” as a response; I’m preparing the materials over the summer so that I’ll be ready to go if the class is green-lighted.) I plan to focus on the different ways the Bible talks about what was secured for believers (or on behalf of believers) on the cross – justification, propitiation, reconciliation, etc.
The Hanson title is my “beach reading” book – or it would be if any beach time were in the works for the summer. Instead of the beach, I’m getting a new baby girl. (I’ll take that trade!) I like ancient history, and I like Hanson’s work in general. (I’m one chapter in already, and am enjoying it very much.)
I picked up the audiobook version of Do Hard Things the other day while I was at a bookstore to pick up a computer book for a work project. It’s targeted at teenagers, but 1/3 of the way through the book, the Harris boys are doing a fine job of challenging this 36-year-old. When I’m finished with it, I’ll probably give the CD’s to my church’s youth group. (Drew – you want it?)
I’m also starting to study my way through Hebrews, and the Phillips commentary will be a good resource for that.
I’ll post reviews as I get through each of the above works. (I’ve read a few of them before, but I plan to tackle them again this summer.)
June 29 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
As usual, John Piper’s words are used by God as a 2×4, applied directly to my forehead:
I suspect that the reason the Ten Commandments begin with the commandment “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3) and ends with the commandment “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20:17) is that they are essentially the same commandment. They bracket the other eight and reveal their source.
Read the whole thing.
June 25 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
No, I’m not dead.
Just super busy, with offspring #4 on the way (and trying to make an early delivery, which is NOT good) and business going gangbusters.
June 23 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
When I left for the Together for the Gospel conference last week, I was planning to post to this blog frequently, and maybe even upload some video. In my backpack was a huge stack of newly-minted business cards, which I hoped to distribute to raise my company’s profile so I could (eventually) get some business from churches. However, while sitting in the airport getting ready to leave Seattle Monday night, I felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to change my plans. The laptop stayed in the bag, and I gave out less than 10 cards – and only then because my email address was on them. I didn’t go to T4G as a business owner or a citizen journalist, but as a Christian.
I also decided to wait until a week after my return had passed before posting my reflections on the conference. Had I posted during or immediately after the event, I would have gushed about Sproul’s or Piper’s message (which were excellent, as were the others), or about how much the worship moved me (apparently, hands were raised, which isn’t something I’m prone to do). In the week since I’ve been back, I’ve relistened to five of the eight messages (I’m going in reverse order, so I’ve reviewed the sermons by Mahaney, Piper, Mohler, Sproul and Dever, with Macarthur, Anyabwile and Duncan still to go) and spent a lot of time thinking and praying. The usual “conference glow” has largely subsided.
And one week later, I can say this with complete confidence: T4G 2008 changed my life.
By God’s providence, the Wednesday speakers – Macarthur, Dever, Sproul, and Mohler – together set forth a glorious picture of the Gospel. They together pointed out areas where the Gospel is under attack in our day, and held forth the glorious truth of Jesus dying in our place, bearing our just punishment and satisfying the wrath of His Father, becoming a curse for us. (As Sproul so powerfully put it, “the gospel is our only hope – and it is hope enough.”)
And then Thursday morning, John Piper spoke on how that same gospel spurs us on to radical sacrifice. One of the texts Piper used was Hebrews 13:12-14:
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
At T4G, God stirred my heart. I want to go outside the camp – no, I want to go to Jesus outside the camp. I want to bear his reproach.
I used to me a little angry with my church because it seemed that I rarely get opportunities to teach (and never to preach), even though the feedback has been uniformly positive whenever I’ve done so. I think I see now why God orchestrated my forced sabbatical – there was a lot of pride in me that needed to be dealt with. I’m not saying that I’m now pride-free (that likely won’t be the case until I’m with Jesus), but at least now I see it and I hate it for the destructive sin that it is.
If God wants me to teach the gospel to a few 5 year olds, I’ll do it. If God wants me to go back to school, I’ll do it. (Granted, He’ll have to supply the means to do so – I do have a family that relies on me!) I’m not putting any parameters or limits on this. I’ll suffer if I have to. I’ll do without if I have to. I’ll look like a fool if I have to. I’ll take any opportunity that God brings my way to proclaim His gospel, because it is the world’s only hope. And it is hope enough!
Here I am, Lord. Send me!
April 25 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
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