Fall Back!!!

Here’s your half-yearly public service announcement – Don’t forget to adjust your clocks this coming Sunday (Nov. 4th) back one hour.

Sermon text for November 4th – Luke 9:57-62

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus [1] said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Click here for sermon audio.

Huckabee for Prez?

Joe Carter, Justin Taylor and Matthew Anderson make their case for Mike Huckabee at Justin’s blog.

Looking for a Church?

Every now and then I get asked whether I know of a good church in such-and-such a place, often enough that I reckoned that y’all might be better served if I just shared with you the main resources I usually consult:

• 9 Marks church search
• A29 church locator
  • for US
  • for international
• Sovereign Grace Ministries
• PCA church directory
• Redeemer Presbyterian Church – affiliated churches

Anyone else have some favorite spots to share?

Sermon text for October 28th – Luke 9:37-56

Back to Luke! I’m not sure if I’m going to tackle the whole passage yet or not (turns out we did!).

37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus [1] said to his disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.

49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” [2] 55 But he turned and rebuked them. [3] 56 And they went on to another village.

 

Click here for sermon audio.

“The Great Danger” in Preaching through a Biblical Book

I’m afraid that as we’ve made our way through Luke, I’ve gradually fallen into “the great danger” Gordon Fee describes in New Testament Exegesis. Perhaps this will rescue others from a similar fate:

The great danger in preaching through a biblical book, or in letting the text determine the sermon, is that the sermon itself may become an exercise in exegesis. Such a “sermon” is exposition without aim, information without focus. That may be all right in the Sunday school class setting, where one simply goes through a passage, expounding and applying as one sees fit, but it is not preaching. Preaching must be based on solid exegesis, but it is not a display of exegesis. Rather, it is applied exegesis, and it must have aim if it is to function properly [p. 147].

Have I Truly Been Converted?

Just finished up Richard Baxter’s excellent book The Reformed Pastor and in the final chapter – which concerns the shape of pastoral visitations – he lists a number of questions for those who seem on the fringe of true faith:

If he say, he hopes he hath [a soul renewed by the Spirit],  descend to some particulars thus: ‘I pray you then answer me these two or three questions. (1) Can you truly say, that all the known sins of your past life are the grief of your heart, and that you have felt that everlasting misery is due to you for them; and that, under a sense of this heavy burden, you have felt yourself a lost man, and have gladly entertained the news of a Saviour, and cast your soul upon Christ alone, for pardon by his blood?

(2) Can you truly say, that your heart is so far turned from sin, that you hate the sins which you once have loved, and love that holy life which you had no mind to before; and that you do not now live in the wilful practice of any known sin? Is there no sin which you are not heartily willing to forsake, whatever it cost you; and no duty which you are not willing to perform?

(3) Can you truly say, that you have so far taken the everlasting enjoyment of God for your happiness, that it hath the most of your heart, of your love, desire, and care; and that you are resolved, by the strength of Divine grace, to let go all that you have in the world, rather than hazard it; and that it is your daily, and your principal business to seek it? Can you truly say, that though you have your failings and sins, yet your main care, and the bent of your whole life, is to please God, and to enjoy him for ever; and that you give the world God’s leavings, as it were, and not God the world’s leavings; and that your worldly business is but as a traveller’s seeking for provision in his journey, and heaven is the place that you take for your home?’

If he answer in the affirmative to these questions, tell him how great a thing it is for a man’s heart to abhor his sin, and to lay up his happiness unfeignedly in another world; and to live in this world for another that is out of sight; and, therefore, desire him to see that it be so indeed. Then turn to some of the articles of the catechism, which treat of those duties which you most suspect him to omit, and ask him, whether he performs such or such a duty; as for instance, prayer in his family, or in private, and the holy spending of the Lord’s day. (pp. 247-248)

Online Resources for Halloween

Got a couple weeks to go before Halloween is upon us. Here are a couple resources you might want to check out and pass along.

• “Halloween” – article on Theopedia
• “Gimme Some Sugar, Baby” – by James Harleman

*UPDATE* – here are a couple more to check out (HT:Indeliblog):

• “Concerning Halloween” – by James B. Jordan
• “Halloween: the Christian’s Second Most Important Holiday” – by Jeff Gill

Ben Witherington – The Gospel According to Joel Osteen

BW3 weighs in on Osteen.

We need to stop listening to the siren song of our culture about the goodness of personal wealth and material prosperity. We need to advocate a theology of stewardship which puts other people’s necessities before our luxuries. We need to simplify our lifestyles and get a clear grasp on God’s prioirties including God’s especial concern for the poor and destitute of the world. We need to realize that what Jesus promised us if we seek the kingdom is not prosperity,but rather ‘just enough’ to take care of our basic needs. We need to remember that the Lord’s prayer teaches us to pray for daily bread, not for resources today that I could not possibly use in 10,000 lifetimes. We need to heed all the warnings about how wealth can destroy the soul of an inherently self centered and acquistive creature– namely any human being. We need to renounce the false gospel of wealth and health— it is a disease of our American culture, it is not a solution or answer to life’s problems.

Click here for the full article.

HT:MS

*UPDATE* – I also recommend the Internet Monk’s post on the recent 60 Minutes interview with Osteen and Michael Horton.

Reading the World

CT has posted an interview with Kevin Vanhoozer about his work (as editor) on the book Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends. Has anyone read this yet?

HT:KC