Sermon text for May 4th – Luke 14:7-14

Luke would like us to get back to his gospel now:

7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers [2] or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Click here for the sermon audio.

Sermon text for April 27th – Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Click here for the sermon audio.

T4G 2008 Recap

Returned this morning from a great trip to Louisville where I attended this year’s T4G conference. Over 5000 were there to hear the likes of Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, CJ Mahaney, Al Mohler, John Piper, John MacArthur and Thabiti Anyabwile. The singing was led by Bob Kauflin and was phenomenal. The book tables were an overabundance of great titles (to supplement the 15 or so books we were given for free). The weather was incredible and the earthquakes held off until we left. To top things off, I got to hang tight at Dallas-Fort Worth while some “extreme weather” blew through, including (reportedly) golf ball-sized hail and twisters…didn’t say any of those though. I will say it was a bit of an experience to be told over the airport PA to please stay clear of all windows.

Personal highlights were terrorizing the city with Kevin Cawley, Kris McGee (who’s planting with Kevin in KC), and Dave Furman (who’s getting ready to move to the Middle East to plant a church)…all of them really terrific guys; getting 45 minutes alone with David Powlison; briefly getting caught up with my good friend Josh Harris; knocking a few back with my A29 brothers from the Journey, Sojourn, Charis and LifePoint; finally getting to meet the inestimable Joe Thorn; and hanging out with TBI folks in a Q&A session with Piper.

The audio from the conference is now up. Here are the sessions:

• Session I - Ligon Duncan – Sound Doctrine: Essential to Faithful Pastoral Ministry
• Session II – Thabiti Anyabwile – Bearing the Image: Identity, the Work of Christ, and the Church
• Session III - John MacArthur – The Sinner Neither Able Nor Willing: The Doctrine of Absolute Inability
• Session IV – Mark Dever – Improving the Gospel: Exercises in Unbiblical Theology
• Session V - RC Sproul – The Curse Motif of the Atonement
• Session VI - Albert Mohler – Why Do They Hate It So? The Doctrine of Substitution
• Session VII - John Piper – How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice
• Session VIII – CJ Mahaney – Sustaining a Pastor’s Soul

Sermon text for April 20th – Psalm 46

We are once again privileged to have Mike Anderson take the pulpit this weekend. Here’s his text:

46:1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present [2] help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Click here for the sermon audio.

Quote of the Day – John Calvin

Found this in Sinclair Ferguson’s book The Christian Life: A Doctrine Introduction:

All the things which make for the enriching of this present life are sacred gifts of God, but we spoil them by our misuse of them. If we want to know the reason why, it is because we are always entertaining the delusion that we will go on for ever in this world. The result is that the very things which ought to be of assistance to us in our pilgrimmage through life, become chains which bind us. In order to shake us out of our stupor the apostle quite rightly calls us back to think about the shortness of this life. From this he infers that the way in which we ought to make use of…all the things of this world, as if we do not possess…them. For the man who thinks of himself as an alien sojourner in the world, uses the things of the world as if they belonged to someone else; in other words, as things which are lent for the day only. The point is that the mind of a Christian ought not to be filled with thoughts of earthly things, or find satisfaction with them, for we ought to be living as if we might have to leave this world at any moment…the apostle is not advising Christians, here, to get rid of their possessions. All that he asks for is that they do not find them completely engrossing (p. 148).

10 Ways to Help Kids Develop a Love for Missions

From the Desiring God blog (HT:JT):

• Pray for missionaries as a family. We keep a stack of prayer cards on the dinner table and rotate through them during mealtime prayers.

• Read missionary biographies to your children. The stories of Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, Gladys Aylward, and other missionary pioneers are captivating ways to orient a child’s heart on the most important things in life.

• Draw the whole family into supporting missionaries financially. Teach your kids from a young age that being a good steward of their money involves channeling resources toward the the cause of Christ in missions. Older kids can donate some of their lawn mowing and babysitting money. Younger children can earn money doing chores around the house which can be set aside for missionaries.

• Find your child a missionary kid pen pal. Many children of missionaries around the world would be delighted to get mail from a child their age in their parent’s culture. Your child (and the whole family) will learn valuable insights about living abroad through the eyes of a child. Additionally, when the missionaries visit your church, your child will already have a relationship with the MK and will be able to include them more easily.

• Entertain missionaries in your home. Inviting missionaries over will be as much of a blessing to your family as to the missionaries. Host them for dinner or for a whole furlough. Build or buy your house with this in mind.

• Take risks as a family. There are ways to live life which help children grasp the reality that discomfort and suffering are normal and rewarding parts of the Christian experience. Volunteer at a rescue mission; house a single mother; move to the inner-city.

• Affirm and nurture qualities in your children which could serve them on the mission field. As your children grow in knowledge and skill, encourage them to think about how they could use their gifts in missions work. Then, if God says, “go,” release them to go!

• Teach your children to be world Christians. Don’t expose them to only the American perspective on news and realities around the world. Go out of your way to make them more aware than the average American Christian about geography, world history, and the plights and perspectives of people across the globe.

• Read missionary prayer letters to your children. Ask them questions about the content and look up facts about the missionaries’ location on the Internet.

• Use missions fact books and resources such as Operation World, the Global Prayer Digest, the Joshua Project, and Voice of the Martyrs (VOM). Kids of Courage is the youth-oriented arm of VOM and offers activity books, spotlights on the persecuted world, and more

What would you add to the list?

Porn in the US of A

Here’s something you’re not going to want to miss. The boys over at The Plow are doing an multi-part interview with Luke Gilkerson, who is the internet community manager at Covenant Eyes.

• Part One – Is porn a problem in America?
• Part Two – Porn statistics
• Part Three – Porn in the church

Sermon text for April 13th – Psalm 56

To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam [1] of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

56:1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?

5 All day long they injure my cause; [2]
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

8 You have kept count of my tossings; [3]
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that [4] God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

12 I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.

Click here for sermon audio.

An Experiment in Loving the City – Faces of Bellingham blog

I really love stuff like this. Lea Kelley is a local photographer who has embarked on a project to compile a collection of snapshots of people’s faces in and around town and post them on a blog (HT:WP).

Here’s how she describes it:

EVERYONE IS A SOMEBODY!

This artistic community project reflects a culture in which we are obsessed with celebrities.

We live our own lives through celebrities.

We watch them, love them, and give them the responsibility to reflect our desires and aspirations.

We all want what celebrities have.

We want recognition for who we are and acknowledgment for the things we do.

We each have within our power the ability to contribute to our society by way of our talents, personalities, skills, and participation.

Whether we are carpenters, artists, baristas, bartenders, farmers, loiterers, or business owners, our community would not be what it is without each individual.

Face it!

We are all worthy of celebration status!

And we are one small town in a country of thousands.

WE THE PEOPLE are quite a “site” when we are all together.

I’m energized by people who show a love for this place…would that more of us took such an interest in the everyday faces of our communities. Anyhow, go have yourself a look through the shots…maybe you’ve been shot.

Abraham Piper – 6 Reasons Pastors Should Blog

Some helpful reflections here from the Desiring God blog. There are some helpful links at the bottom in the event that you’re convinced to start.

HT:JB.