Go Read Psalm 90.
"The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away...So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."
"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes establish the work of our hands!"
"Pornographers promise healthy pleasure and relief from sexual tension, but what they often deliver is an addiction, tolerance, and an eventual decrease in pleasure. Paradoxically, the male patients I worked with often craved pornography but didn't like it."
I really don't know how to describe the impact of this sermon upon me. I think I could listen to this section daily and still be moved. At times it is difficult because the line of work I am in sells this very dream, and this dream is not the dream. In fact, if it is one's dream, it is the dream of a life wasted. Thank God for this sermon. May I and many others be shaped by this call to hundreds and hundreds of college students...
"The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." 1 Ti. 1:15
Carl Trueman is a witty and wise theologian who recently has posted thoughts on some of the uprising of the left regarding President-Elect Obama's choice of Rick Warren to take part in his inaguration and the whole issue of the media infatuation with homosexuality. I encourage you to read some of his posts over at Reformation 21 particularly Rick Warren and the Left and Goodbye Larry King, Hello Jerry Springer!.
"Even if I were not an evangelical Christian, I'd like to think I could see which is the more important matter: stopping the international child sex trade or getting Melissa Etheridge a marriage certificate."
"1. Both are a divine gift2. Both are entered by faith alone3. Both are an inheritance4. Both uniquely offer blessed rest and security5. Both offer God's unique presence6. Both demand persevering faith7. Both have an already-but-not-yet quality"
In the book of Ezekiel Yahweh calls Ezekiel to be a watchman for the house of Israel.
A watchman by nature watches for the enemy to come. Christopher Wright explains,
"Picture an Israelite village or city in time of invasion, or the army encampment during a military campaign Sentries would be posted by day and night on a tower or some elevated place, and charged with the crucial task of watching for any movements of the enemy. If they spotted any such danger, it was their responsibility to blow a trumpet or horn, or call out loudly, to awaken the rest of the inhabitants or army to the situation." The Message of Ezekiel, p. 65The watchman simply watches and waits for the movement of the enemy, and then if seen cries out to warn the people of the camp. However, in the book of Ezekiel, there is a twist. The enemy that the camp, the house of Israel, needs to be saved from is God and His judgment, and the one who places the watchman is God Himself. In Ezekiel 3 it is God who sends Ezekiel to warn the people to change lest judgment come. God sets up the sentry to warn the camp of God's own judgment to come.
"What governs the watchman's fate is simply whether or not he fulfills the duty of his posting. He is not judged by whether or not he is successful in persuading the wicked to repent or in dissuading the righteous from backsliding--that is their own responsibility before God. He is judged solely on whether or not he has been faithful in the attempt." The Message of Ezekiel, p. 68There is nothing worse than an unfaithful and sleeping sentry. No people want passive watchman. Yet, maybe there is something worse: a watchman not sleeping who is actively not fulfilling his task to cry out that the enemy is coming. A lying and deceptive watchman who does not sound the alarm when the alarm needs sounding is even worse. The people of the camp think the enemy is not even close when the enemy is at the door. A sleeping watchman would be severely rebuked by a commanding officer, but a deceitful watchman would be hung.
"The gospel is therefore not just the ABCs of the Christian life, but the A to Z of the Christian life. Our problems arise largely because we don't continually return to the gospel to work it in and live it out. That is why Martin Luther wrote, 'The truth of the Gospel is the principle article of all the Christian doctrine....Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually." The Prodigal God, p. 119
You can buy Scarlet Johansson's snot for thousands of dollars on Ebay.
As a Christian man in this culture with no mark for manhood, Dr. Poythress has a helpful article on how to transition boys to men. As a married man who is not a father, but is looking forward to being one, these kind of tools are wonderful.
"When our boy becomes a man, lots of changes take place in many areas, some big, some small. As a man, he no longer needs a baby-sitter. He can baby-sit younger children himself. He sets his own bedtime and rising time. He decides when he does his homework and how long he works on it. He decides what TV programs he watches and how long he watches. He can (at first with supervision) teach a children's Sunday school class. He participates in the "family council" when my wife and I discuss, plan, and make important decisions. He can buy and care for his own pet. He excuses himself from the table rather than being asked to be excused. He buys his own clothing, school supplies, and gifts. He pays rent once a month, based on an estimate of his share in the utilities, food, and other costs. And he has an allowance to match these new responsibilities! In addition, if I pay him to do an extra job, I pay him at a going rate-at least the minimum wage, and more than that for jobs that are demanding."
A really foolish line from a movie:
"Love means never having to say you're sorry."
NY Times columnist Charles Blow says dating is dead
"Under the old model, you dated a few times and, if you really liked the person, you might consider having sex. Under the new model, you hook up a few times and, if you really like the person, you might consider going on a date."
"Pharisees only repent of their sins, but Christians repent for the very roots of their righteousness too." The Prodigal God, 78.
My blog is back in business. There are a few things to clean up: like that long list of categories. I really need to compile those for each post, but that is a bit time-consuming. I will also get my blog links back up as well.
In view of this, here is a Goethe quote:
"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."
A good reminder of the relatively small importance of blogging in life.
The quote goes for theology as well!
The Blog is Under Construction.
Please bear with me the next couple days to get the blog in order.
"How sick is your heart..." declares God (Ez. 16:30).
"A temporary Wal-Mart worker died after a throng of unruly shoppers broke down the doors and trampled him moments after the Long Island store opened early Friday for day-after-Thanksgiving bargain hunting, police said."
The Preacher, King Solomon:
"This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment." Eccl. 2:24-25An Old Testament Scholar, Dr. Waltke:
"The hedonist says, 'Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.' But that is not Qoheleth's reason; for him, the ability to enjoy life is a gift of God...In other words, God is good. By associating enjoyment in the context of God's goodness, the preacher also rejects denial ('all is well') and false optimism ('I will be happy')." An Old Testament Theology, 962.
A wonderful story about a former Serbian abortionist who is now a pro-life activist says that during one abortion his mind was changed:
"...However, the baby's heart came out still beating. Adasevic realized then that he had killed a human being..."Like Adasevic, I pray that President Elect Obama's mind and heart would be changed and that his strong pro-choice position is changed to a vigilant pro-life position.
"...meaninglessness is the mother of meaning: enjoy life while you can." (Dr. Bruce Waltke, An Old Testament Theology, 961)
Finnish theologian and Fuller Theological Seminary professor, Veli-Matti Karkkainen, who interestingly was sent back to Finland (yet now has returned) after 9/11, mentions these remarkable statistics in regards to denominations in Christendom:
"If currently Roman Catholics are the largest Christian group, then classical Pentecostals are now the second largest and gaining fast. Catholics now number about one half of all Christians, while Pentecostals make up almost a quarter." (An Introduction to Ecclesiology, 69)
"Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few." Eccl. 5:2
Niall Ferguson, a Harvard History Professor, in a 2006 article for Vanity Fair, makes the following insightful and foreboding cultural comparison between America and Rome:
"Perhaps our most perplexing vulnerability, however, is cultural. Gibbon was acute in identifying literary decline as one symptom of a more profound Roman malaise. And if his barbed allusion to the “darkened … face of learning” does not immediately strike a chord, then some of the other symptoms may. While “the corrupt and opulent nobles of Rome gratified every vice that could be collected from the mighty conflux of nations and manners,” Gibbon wrote, “the most lively and splendid amusement of the idle multitude depended on the frequent exhibition of public games and spectacles.” Orgies and circuses are not precisely the favorite pastimes of Western society today. But if you substitute pornography and NASCAR, the parallel is not so far-fetched.
Outwardly, it is true, the institutions that exist to preserve and propagate our culture are in good shape. Never has the percentage of young people attending college been higher. Never have American universities dominated higher education and academic research as they do today. Our museums and concert halls offer more exhibitions and recitals than the enthusiast can possibly hope to attend. And to enter any branch of Barnes & Noble is to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of books being published.
Yet beneath this upper crust of high culture there simmers a less appetizing stew. Few children read for pleasure. Most boys would rather fritter away their time on brutalizing video games such as Grand Theft Auto. Girls no longer play with dolls; they are themselves the dolls, dressed according to the dictates of the fashion industry. Endlessly gaming, chatting, and chilling with their iPods, the next generation already has a more tenuous connection to “Western civilization” than most parents appreciate.
Gibbon’s argument against Roman “luxury” was in part that it sapped the empire’s martial strength. Here, too, there is a striking analogy. For our culture’s sedentary character—our strong preference for watching over doing, for virtual over real action—seems closely correlated to our changing physical shape. Gibbon’s Romans became metaphorical pygmies. We, by contrast, are being transformed into actual giants. We are certainly taller on average than past generations, a consequence of improvements in nutrition. But we are also wider, since we now consume significantly more fats and carbohydrates than we actually need. According to the standard measure of obesity, the body-mass index, the percentage of Americans classified as obese nearly doubled, from 12 percent to 21 percent, between 1991 and 2001. Nearly two-thirds of all American men are officially considered overweight, and nearly three-quarters of those between 45 and 64. Only Western Samoans and Kuwaitis are fatter."
I thought the words of Dr. Bruce Waltke, in regards to the book of Ecclesiastes, were in order for this Friday:
"The wise accept the present time as the proper time for what is at hand. What is proper for tomorrow is unknowable and hebel. The aims of wisdom are thus tempered; it shifts expectations from profit to portion, from storing up to enjoyment of God's gifts. The moment to enjoy life is the given time. Wisdom that seeks beyond today strives beyond its limits in an attempt to storm the gates of heaven...The striving for the future will never satisfy, for things fail, decay, and are forgotten; the only sure expectations under the sun are injustice and death. Instead of being involved in the futility of trying to master the future, one must find enjoyment in what is at hand. This does not point to a hedonistic or irresponsible existence, but to a life of simplicity and ironic commitment in the fear of God." (An Old Testament Theology, 964-965)
When I read that John MacArthur was releasing all his sermon audio for free nostalgia overwhelmed me. In my early 20's there is no doubt that the preaching of John MacArthur had a profound effect upon me.
Here is a list of some of the sermons he preached that I listened to over and over again on cassette tape (there are a few more I haven't been able to locate yet, but when I do I will post them):
Chosen by God, Part I
Chosen by God, Part II
Chosen by God, Part III
Jesus Prays for His Disciples, Part I
Thanks to Pastor John for releasing these to a public. Clicking through pieces of the audio of these sermons has reminded me of how indebted I am to him.
I was particularly affected and moved by the end of President-Elect Obama's speech. The progress he spoke of I am thankful for and the call to live for another generation is a call self-centered American's, like me, need to hear:
"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing -- Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call."
A historic night indeed...
May we honor and pray for our new President-Elect.
(Image Source: MSNBC)
'Twas the day before election day and I can't help but think about the implications of King Jesus...
"971 'All generations will call me blessed': 'The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.' The church rightly honors 'the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored wiht the title of 'Mother of God,' to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs....This very special devotion...differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.' The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an 'epitomy of the whole Gospel,' express this devotion to the Virgin Mary." Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part I, Section II, Chapter III, Article 9.
"969 This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation....Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix." Catechism of the Catholic Church, ibid.
"Now observe, that Mary makes her happiness to consist in nothing else, but in what she acknoledges to have been bestowed upon her by God, and mentions as the gift of his grace. 'I shall be reckoned blessed,' she says, 'through all ages.' Was it becuase she sought this praise by her own power or exertion? On the contrary, she makes mention of nothing but of the work of God. Hence we see how widely the Papists differ from her, who idly adorn her with their empty devices, and reckon almost as nothing the benefits which she received from God. They heap up an abundance of magnificent and very presumptuous titles, such as, 'Queen of Heaven, Star of Salvation, Gate of Life, Sweetness, Hope and Salvation.' Nay more, to such a pitch of insolence and fury have they been hurried by Satan, that they give her authority over Christ...None of these modes of expression, it is evident, proceeded from the Lord...If it was her duty to praise the name of God alone, who had done to her wonderful things, no room is left for the pretended titles, which come from another quarter. Besides, nothing could be more disrespectful to her, than to rob the Son of God of what is his own, to clothe her with the sacrilegious plunder." Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 1.
Theodore Beza, a disciple of John Calvin, points out that the faith alone that saves, is not simply, faith as a vague energy, but faith in Jesus alone:
"Here is the explanation of our justification by faith alone: faith is the instrument which receives Jesus Christ and, consequently, which receives His righteousness, that is to say, all perfection...we do not say that faith is a virtue which makes us righteous, in ourselves, before God. For this would be to put faith in the place of Jesus Christ who is, alone, our perfect and entire righteousness...It is established that to be assured of one's salvation, through faith, is not only neither presumption nor arrogance, but, on the contrary, is the sole means of stripping oneself of all pride, to give all glory to God...Because faith alone teaches us to go out of ourselves, and compels us, to earnestly acknowledge that in ourselves there is nothing but cause for complete damnation. Thus it sends us away to Jesus Christ, and it teaches us and assures us that we shall find salvation before God through His righteousness alone. Truly, all that is in Jesus Christ, that is to say, all the righteousness and perfection (in Him there was no sin and moreover He has fulfilled all the righteousness of the Law), is placed to our account and gifted to us as if it were our own, provided that we embrace Him by faith." (Source).
Another great Protestant Reformer was John Calvin, and his Institutes of Christian Religion is known as one of the greatest written works in Christian history. One key major disagreement that Calvin and the other Reformers had against the Roman Catholic church was indulgences, and lest you think the Roman Catholic church has changed its tune in regards to indulgences, take a look at their Catechism straight off the Vatican's web-page:
"1471 What is an indulgence? 'An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.'" Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part II, Section II, Article IV, X.
"From the dogma of satisfaction that of indulgences takes its rise. For the pretence is, that what is wanting to our own ability is hereby supplied; and they go to the insane length of defining them to be a dispensation of the merrits of Christ, and the martyrs which the Pope makes by his bulls...They give the name of treasury of the Church to the merits of Christ, the holy Apostles and Martyrs. They pretend, as I have said, that the radical custody of the granary has been delivered to the Roman bishop, to whom the dispensation of these great blessings belongs in such a sense, that he can both exercise it by himself, and delegate the power of exercising it to others...These, to describe them truly, are a profanation of the blood of Christ, and a delusion of Satan, by which the Christian people are led away from the grace of God and the life which is in Christ, and turned aside from the true way of salvation. For how could the blood of Christ be more shamefully profaned than by denying its sufficiency for the remission of sins, for reconciliation and satisfaction, unless its defects, as if it were dried up and exhausted, are supplemented from some other quarter?...What is this but merley to leave the name of Christ, and at the same time make him a vulgar saintling, who can scarcely be distinguished in the crows? He alone ought to be preached, alone held forth, alone named, alone looked to, whenever the subject considered is the obtaining of the forgiveness of sins, expiation, and sanctification." Book III, chapter 5, 572-574
In honor of the ever-hastening Reformation Day I will be doing some posts from leaders of the Protestant Reformation.
"When the Law was instituted on Mount Sinai it was accompanied by lightning, by storms, by the sound of trumpets, to tear to pieces that monster called self-righteousness. As long as a person thinks he right he is going to be incomprehensibly proud and presumptuous. He is going to hate God, despise His grace and mercy, and ignore the promises in Christ. The Gospel of the free forgiveness of sins through Christ will never appeal to the self-righteous.This monster of self-righteousness, this stiff necked beast, needs a big axe. And that is what the Law is, a big axe...The business of the Gospel, on the other hand, is to quicken, to comfort, to raise the fallen. The Gospel carries the news that God for Christ's sake is merciful to the most unworthy sinners, if they will only believe that Christ by His death delivered them from sin and everlasting death unto grace, forgiveness, and everlasting life."
"We might hope to see the finances of the Union as clear and intelligible as a merchant's books, so that every member of Congress and every man of any mind in the Union should be able to comprehend them, to investigate abuses, and consequently to control them."
Trip was good.
I was in Broward County, and after talking to one person who will be at the polls it sounds like voting issues will be "terrible" in Florida again. Please no...
I got to listen to some of Tim Keller and Edmund Clowney's RTS class and recommend it. It is composed of lectures to pastor's on preaching Jesus in all of Scripture. I have much to learn here. However, I don't think it is just for pastors. It also would help the Christian believer to read the Bible in such a way that Jesus is applied to each and every verse and story.
Speaking of Tim Keller, his new book The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith should be a gold-mine full of the Gospel.
I did not expect the Phillies to beat the Rays. It is one-game away from happening. To the dismay of this man.
I am glad to see gas in Humbodt County has hit 2.99. It is hard to imagine getting excited about paying 3 dollars for gas, but in this County we are!
God is speaking to John Piper.
In Florida.
Being here makes me want to where an Obama T-shirt one day and a McCain T-shirt the next just for the sake of reaction. Or maybe an Obama on the front and a McCain on the back.
No I'm not at at the World Series, but I am watching it.
I'm looking forward to getting to see some of the state this week.
Read a great line from NT Wright's Suprised by Hope, via Tullian Tchividjian, Christians "are saved not as souls but as wholes."
Abraham Piper mentions one of my favorite practical verses.
Sam Storms has a wonderful sermon on spiritual gifts that he recently preached at the church he now pastors. Do you earnestly desire spiritual gifts? I stand convicted.
The ESV Study Bible has an online edition free to all purchasers of the Study Bible. Cheers to Crossway for that great feature. It's working great for travel, as you don't have to lug around your 25 pound Bible. Abraham Piper is giving one away, see his site for details.
I've been enjoying my new ESV Study Bible, and ran across this excellent paragraph last night regarding the mesage of the book of Ezekiel in the introduction:
"Ezekiel's message was unrelenting...Ezekiel's uncompromising message is matched by language that often seems hard and sometimes offensive. If there is no softening his language, at least it appears that the grandeur of Ezekiel's vision of God rendered much of the earthly reality he observed as sordid, and worse. The appropriate response, in Ezekiel's terms, is not simply revulsion but repentance and a longing for the restoration of God's glory." ESV Study Bible, 1496.Language that is offensive and hard must be eventually accompanied by language that is restorative. Hard word's for the sake of harshness and shock value should never be the attitude of the Christian, rather it should be for the sake of repentance and restoration. Having a purely positive and upbeat message is dishonoring to God because resurrection comes through a cross and repentance comes through understanding that sin is sickening to God.
"I encourage you to read really good books about God. You do realize that ignorance is absolutely antithetical to intimacy. You cannot be intimate with someone you don’t know.” Sam Storms, Quoted in a sermon 10/5/08
In reading and studying Ezekiel I came across this timely verse:
"They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity." Ez. 7:19Here we see that in the judgment of God upon Israel one of the many demonstrations of His judgment in this prophecy is that wealth, gold and silver lose their value. Rather then accumulating wealth the people of Israel cast it into the streets. This is unusual, for as commentator John Calvin puts it years ago:
"For we know that men are more anxious about those possessions than about life itself....men are so attached to their gold and silver that it grieves them to be torn from what they so much love: no less than if you tore away their entrails." Ezekiel, 262.I do not doubt Calvin's point that for many one would rather part with their innards then part with their money. For that person wealth has become more important then life because wealth is their life. However, when God's wrath came upon Israel men and women were under such judgment that even their wealth lost all value. There was no security. They flung their wealth into the streets, because wealth had lost its very definition.
"All nations are in the hands of YHWH, the living God. Their victories too are not to be attributed to their own gods but rather the sovereignty of YHWH. And sometimes God may use a nation, any nation, as the agent of historical justice in the arena of international affairs. That in itself does not make the nation so used any more righteous than another (as Israel were categorically told). All it means is that God remains sovereign." Christopher Wright, The Mission of God, 460
1. Lengthen the debate time to three hours with a ten minute intermission and commercial break. This would actually enable the candidates to demonstrate whether they really know what they are talking about, and it will not enable them to throw out such questionable facts and continual buzz words.
2. Have a total of six debates in pairs. For instance, there would be the debate that took place this evening and then the second would follow it tomorrow so factual errors could be questioned and statements and responses fresh in the memory of each candidate. Separate each debate by three weeks.
3. Have one moderated by a registered Democrat, one moderated by a registered Republican, and then one moderated by a registered non-partisan. I do not mean a Democratic and Republican strategist, but simply one who is registered with that party. This means Keith Olbermann and Sean Hannity can't be moderators.
4. The first two suggestions would make the following all seem more problematic and require extensive tweaking: Obama's soaring rhetoric, McCain's continual visible frustration, Palin's constant cutsie-ness, and Biden's well-known gaffes.
5. Obama appears controlled and thoughtful something that is important in a Presedential candidate, McCain at times seems erratic and annoyed. McCain has extensive experience and is a proven bipartisan, Obama has limited experience and has noted far-left liberal viewpoints. Palin is prettier then Biden. Joe Biden has very, big white smile, which would make the poster-boy of Crest White-Strips want a filling. Joe Biden is no Joe-Six-Pack and smells of political tomfoolery. Governor Palin, lets just say, she doesn't always unleash Presidential confidence in this American's heart.
Christopher Wright like Greg Beale affirm that:
"...the temple of God will encompass not only [God's] whole people redeemed from every tribe, nation, people and language but the whole cosmos, whithin which we will serve hims as kings and priests. That is to say, humanity redeemed through Christ and modeled on Christ's perfect humanity will be restored to our proper and intended relationship with creation." The Mission of God, 340.
Temple will no longer be a place to go worship, but every place, indeed, will be a place of worship and permeated with the presence of God. In the new heavens and the new earth, all of creation will be curseless and humankind will be sinless and the presence of God will be a constant uninhibited reality.
5:35 On my 200th post here at blogger, I'll be live blogging the VP debate this eve.
Human Need:
"Human need includes the facts that we are lost and need to be found; we are enslaved and need to be freed; we are condemned and need to be pardoned; we are alienated and need to be reconciled; we are in darkness and need light; we are oppressed and need justice; we are sick and need healing..." Christopher Wright, The Message of Ezekiel, 24.
Divine Emotion:
"Divine emotion includes the wonderful biblical affirmations that God loves us, pities us, has compassion and mercy on us, grieves over aour wilful waywardness, longs for our return, rejoices in our restoration, celebrates our homecoming." ibid, 24.
Himself:
"But for [Yahweh] almost the sole issue, and certainly the overwhelming motivation, was what the salvation of Israel would mean for Yahweh himself...But what ultimately mattered was that Yahweh's name and reputation should be vindicated and that Yahweh should be universally acknowedged as God...Needs and emotions are not excluded; but what matters most is the glory of God and the honour of his name." ibid, 25.
Ezekiel, the odd prophet, was called by God to warn the wicked and the righteous to turn away from sin. His task was twofold: warn the wicked man to turn from wickedness (Ez. 3:19) and warn the righteous man that he should not sin (Ez. 3:21).
I think this applies to the church as well: the preacher is not only to call unbelievers to repentance, but beleivers to a lifestyle of repentance and turning from sin.
The church is not a place for insulating the saints from warnings and simply railing against the wicked world. Men of God, preachers, like Ezekiel, are to continually seek to save sinners and call them to repentance and all men, wicked and righteous alike, are sinners. Saving the saints and saving the wicked is the prevailing task.
The prophetic call is always: "Turn from sin and wickedness and turn to God revealed in His Son Jesus." That Gospel sentence is the same for Christian and unbeliever alike.
The task of the prophet then and any prophet now is the same as Ezekiels. It is an unpopularly odd task, yet a necessary one.
May God give the world and the church more Ezekiels.
The astronomy picture of the day is great way to worship the Creator.
Thank God for NASA.
I don't know about you but I can't pray this Psalm, at least this verse, honestly:
"Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity,
And I have trusted in the Lord without wavering..." Ps. 26:1
Without wavering, C'mon!
However, when I look a few verses later I find that I can pray this:
"...Redeem me, and be gracious to me." 26:11b
"...the emphasis of the story as the suspense builds up is that YHWH is not merely intent on liberating slaves but on reclaiming worshippers." Christopher Wright, The Mission of God, 270
However, less we be purely reductionistic, Wright in typical well nuanced fashion keeps us from dangerous reductionism:
"The exodus, then, was indeed deliverance from slavery to sin--not Israel's own sin, but the sin of those who oppressed them. The exodus was a climactic victory for YHWH against the external powers of injustice, violence, and death. In the exodus God brought his people up and out from under the enslaving power to which they were in bondage..." ibid, 278
"...I do not reject or reduce the terribly serious spiritual realities of sin and evil that the New Testament exposes, or the glories of the spiritual dimension of God's redemptive accomplishment in the cross and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. I simply deny that these truths of the New Testament nullify all that the Old Testament has already revealed about God's comprehensive commitment to every dimension of human life, about his relentless opposition to all that oppresses, spoils and diminishes human well-being, and about his ultimate mission of blessing the nations and redeeming his whole creation." ibid, 280
A wonderful prayer to start one's day out with:
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer." Ps. 19:14
I love the comprehensiveness of the prayer: covering the "abundance of one's heart," and the mouth that displays it.
What a great thing to pray for. Can you imagine if for just an hour both your words and meditations were acceptable to God?
Maybe one of the reasons it is not so is because we do not ask for it to be so.
Grace, triumphant in the throne,
Scorns a rival, reigns alone;
Come and bow beneath her sway,
Cast your idol works away.
Works of man, when made his plea,
Never shall accepted be;
Fruits of pride (vain-glorious worm!)
Are the best he can perform.
Self, the god his soul adores,
Influences all his powers;
Jesus is a slighted name,
Self-advancement all his aim;
But when God the Judge shall come,
To pronounce the final doom,
Then for rocks and hills to hide
All his works and all his pride!
Still the boasting heart replies,
What! the worthy and the wise,
Friends to temperance and peace,
Have not these a righteousness?
Banish every vain pretence,
Built on human excellence;
Perish every thing in man,
But the grace that never can.
"False gods destroy and devour lives, health and resources; they distort and diminish our humanity; they preside over injustice, greed, perversion, cruelty, lust and violence. It is possibly the most satanic dimension of their deceptive power that, in spite of all this, they still persuade people that they are the beneficent protectors of their worshipers' identity, dignity and prosperity, and must therefore by defended at all costs. Only the gospel can unmask these claims. Only the gospel exposes the cancer of idolatry. Only the gospel is good for the people."
Christopher Wright, The Mission of God, 178-179
"God's jealousy for God's own self is a powerful dynamic throughout Scripture. But, on the other hand, God's battle against the gods of human hands (and all they represent) can be seen as a function of his loving benevolence toward us and indeed toward his whole creation. Divine jealousy is in fact an essential function of divine love. It is precisely because God wills our good that he hates the self-inflicted harm that our idolatry generates. God's conflict with the gods is ultimately for our own good as well as for God's glory. This further highlights why idolatry is such a primary sin in the Bible--identified as such by the primacy of the first two commandments of the Decalogue. It is not merely that idolatry steals God's glory but it also thwarts God's love--the love that seeks the hightest good of all God's creation. Idolatry therefore contradicts the very essence, the Godness, of God, for 'God is love.'" Christopher Wright
The Mission of God, 177
"Mission means inviting all the peoples of the earth to hear the music of God's future and dance to it today." Christopher Wright, The Mission of God, 134
Let's make this clear: I like politics and am a Christian, and one who finds the idea of a "Christian nation" without the person of Jesus Christ bodily present dangerous. I'm looking to Jesus coming and establishing new heavens and new earth as King. The value of this kingdom is not one nation under God but many nations made as one under the Triune God.
I find abortion horrendous and think it matters even when not politically expedient to talk about. The idea that the economy is the main issue displays that we've got issues. As long as "potential" human beings are being killed it matters. I believe that a fetus is a baby. When many, including myself, at times, says: "O, your pregnant. Is it a boy or a girl?" The "it" is a human being created in the image of God.
I don't think kids in public schools should be forced to pray in school. Taking "prayer" out of schools was not the downfall moment in American history. This is contrary to Carman.
The state as state is to "bear the sword" to enforce justice in the land. This does not mean Christians, as individuals, are to "bear the sword," but it may mean Christians as members of the state, in fact, must at times use the sword. This means militaristic decisions and actions can be made by Christians in office.
However, chiefly, Christians must remember that they represent Jesus who did not take the sword and did not come (at first) to establish an earthly kingdom but died for sinners. He called His people to follow a path of suffering and not a path of militancy.
Conservative arrogance is disgusting.
If image and magnetic personality is what wins political elections (probably mostly due to the medium of television) then Obama and Palin are in and McCain and Biden are out. And if image and personality determines election we have deep problems. Jesus the Messiah and Paul the Apostle would never have won an election, nor would they have ran for one.
Here are my favorite lines from the two conventions:
"America needs to be known for the power of example rather then an example of power." President Bill Clinton (quote paraphrased).
"...Martha opened the door of her classroom. In walked 27 veterans, some wearing uniforms from years gone by, but each one carrying a school desk. As they carefully and quietly arranged the desks in neat rows, Martha said, 'You don't have to earn your desks...these guys already did...No one charged you for your desk. But it wasn't really free. These guys bought it for you. And I hope you never forget it.' I wish we all would remember that being American is not just about the freedom we have. It's about those who gave it to us." Governor Mike Huckabee
"I was blessed by misfortune." Senator John McCain
5:15 Palin has been impaled by constant media coverage, some not too nice, so she has a lot to prove this evening. I am looking forward to this speech, dare I say, more than McCain's tomorrow. Some say that if she does well tonight all the backlash she has received the last few days will make her critics look really bad. If she doesn't perform well her critics look right and the McCain campaign face a downhill slope. We shall see...
Obama will be on the O'reilly Factor for the first time tomorrow.
Read Peggy Noonan's article in the WSJ today. It is good. (HT: JT)
This morning I heard on MSNBC some gentlemen basically mock the RNC for the large focus on abortion at the convention. It was treated as an old issue that was discussed in the 80's when now we've, in effect, moved onto more pressing issues like the fact that people are losing their houses. Gimme a break. Houses more important than whether what is in the womb is a human being or not? Now, I doubt the commenter wants to reduce issues of life on an equal playing field to that of housing but that he did.
Inserting Picture for effect regarding above sentence:
Housing
20 week-old baby
(Sources: Image 1 & Image 2)
5:30 "The biggest Vice Presidential speech ever", thus saith O'Reilly.
5:45 A good reminder from Paul the Apostle, in Romans 13:1, when thinking politically: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." Whether McCain or Obama their authority is derived and given, ultimately, from the sovereign authority of God over and above the authority of the voters. America only thinks the choice is theirs...
5:52 Romney, Huckabee, Guliani up to come this evening on the platform. There has to be a joke there somewhere with those three....
6:10 Romney is hammering liberals. Liberal vs. Conservative. "We need change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington."
6:45 Huckabee congratulating the "elite media for uniting the Republican party." Huckabee throws out a nice compliment to Obama and his historic nomination. Some things we don't want to change: "freedom, security, and the opportunity to prosper." A little play on Obama's change theme. Palin "got more votes running for Governor of Alaska then Joe Biden did running for President of the United States." Clever Huckabee. Olberman of MSNBC corrects Huckabee saying the vote statement is inaccurate and that Lincoln did not found the Republican party. Takes a little zing out of what was a strong ending to Huckabee's speech with an analogy of how kids get there school-desks. Answer: because the veterans earned it for them. Kids can't earn their desks. The veterans already paid the price for freedom to have them. The story was solid and sounded more like a sermon.
6:55 CNN seems to think, at least the current commentators, that the convention has gone too far right and compromises the idea of John McCain as reaching across party lines.
7:00 Another CNN commentator making a strong point about key women who have spoken at the convention like McCain's economic advisor and HP's CEO, which does reach across party lines and isn't classically "Republican."
CNN interviewer going after the sister of Palin on family issues and she is staying private and quiet. Good response.
7:11 Guliani up and rolling with the horizon of New York in the background. He thinks this election is the most important in a lifetime. Everything nowadays is the most important thing/event/person/idea in a lifetime. Guliani points out that everyone acknowledges McCain is an American hero and has "proved his commitment with his blood." Guliani snickering at Obama working as a "community organizer" immersing himself in Chicago politics. Hammering the indecisiveness of Obama voting "present" not "yes or no." An African American man is cheering at that line--shot by CNN. Obama has never run a city, state, military unit and has never had to lead people in crisis. Barack Obama "has never led anything...nada"....Cindy McCain says--me mouthreading--"thats good." Speech mainly showing the great difference in experience against Barack and John. He had some cute one-liners.
7:22 Much talk on the Surge and its success in Iraq. Intense speech by Guliani mainly labeling Obama as a flip-flopper toward the end. Some pretty clear and strong labels there in typical Guliani fashion. His advice to Obama when mulling over the next issue: "Next time call John McCain."
7:28 Endorsing strongly McCain's VP Palin and contrasting her executive experience w/ Obama's. A lot of cheers here toward the end. The strongest speech I've seen yet at the RNC and the most enthusiasm I've seen of course not in comparison to last Thursday at the football stadium. Guliani finishes...
7:28.30 Palin enters to lots of cheers immediately following Rudy.
7:31 She's honored to accept the nomination.
7:47 Introducing--2 boys and 3 girls in-between. A perfectly beautiful baby boy named Trig, who as you know has Down Syndrome. "Our family has the same ups and downs as any other." She will be an "advocate" for special needs kids. "2 decades and 5 children later" her husband is still her "guy." "Every woman can walk through every door of opportunity...", as she introduces her parents who inspired that in her. "The difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull: lipstick."
She is not going to Washington to get the good opinion of the "media elite" but to serve this good country. "Politics isn't just a game of clashing parties...the right reason is to challenge the status quo..." "We put the government of our state back on the side of the people."
8:00 She got rid of the luxury jet that citizens were paying for and she put it on Ebay. She has vetoed nearly half a billion dollars and the state has a surplus. She brought about the largest private infrastructure process in American history and is helping lead America to energy independence. "We can't leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers."
"When the Styrofoam Greek columns are held back to some studio lot...When that happens what exactly is our opponents plan? Answer: Take more of our money." Obama will increase income taxes, payroll taxes, death taxes, business taxes, and increase the tax burden upon American people by hundreds of billions of dollars.
8:05 Senator McCain's records of reform are why lobbyists don't like him. McCain isn't looking for a fight but "isn't afraid of one either."
"My fellow citizens the American presidency is not suppose to be a journey of personal discovery. In this world of threats and dangers. It's not just a community and it doesn't just need an organizer...let us face the matter squarely. There is only one man in this election who has ever fought for you."
8:08 Blows a kiss to a POW who is obviously emotionally moved.
"For a season a gifted McCain can inspire with his words, but for a lifetime John McCain has inspired with his deeds."
Speech done.
Fox News' Brith Hume: Palin "wow's" the delegates when her knees could have been knocking.
8:10 The whole family is on-stage her young baby in her hands. John McCain comes out and greets the family in a special cameo.
8:11 "Don't you think we made the right choice..." John McCain
8:15 Olbermann: "She clearly gives a great speech." Then Olbermann basically slams her with a quote from another.
"This is cultural alternative to Obama...nothing to do with Hillary Clinton." Chris Matthews.
8:20 FoxNews Kristol thinks most Republicans "now feel pretty good" about the ticket. Hume finds her poise "remarkable."
Oh boy, country music singer. Good ole' Southern Republicanism. Singing: "Were 'all just raisin' McCain."
'What an amazing speech...whether you think she's right...or wrong...clearly a star has been born in the United States." CNN's Wolf Blitzer
8:23 Obama campaign response: basically that it was a George Bush type speech written by a George Bush speech-writer.
8:24 "She was superb. She was a professional." Rudy Guliani
"...She is a force to be reckoned with." CNN's Anderson Cooper
8:30 Abortion not even mentioned--a great comment by Campbell Brown. This surprised me and definitely shows that it was meant for someone not in the conservative camp.
That's it for me. No doubt the enthusiasm that she brings to the ticket, though doesn't rise to the enthusiasm of Obama's supporters, has no doubt more than doubled the enthusiasm for McCain pre-Palin.
Chawkat Moucarry, who holds a doctorate in Islamic Studies and serves as Inter-Faith Relations director for World Vision, summarizes the fundamental different between Islam and Christianity:
"Above all, the means by which fallen human beings may be reconciled to God are fundamentally at odds in the two traditions. In biblically-faithful Christianity, the grace of God crowns everything, as guilty human beings are reconciled to their Maker by the sacrifice that God himself has provided in Jesus’ death on the cross. Christians are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live repentant and obedient lives that they would not otherwise choose. In Islam, while appeal is made to the mercy of God, the hope of paradise rests fundamentally on personal obedience to God, repentance, scrupulous avoidance of major sins, and confidence that one’s good deeds will in some way atone for one’s bad deeds." A Christian Perspective on Islam, 40
(HT: JT)
5:55 Albert Gore is speaking. Let's just say Obama's personality and presentation in speeches far exceed Vice President Gore.
Gore is big on climate crisis. I think there are some serious issues here, but I don't think it should be the number one issue on American's minds...or the number two or three issue for that matter.
I just saw Jin from Lost listening to Gore's speech. I guess the explosion on the ship where Jin apparently died was a hyper-implosion into Mile High Stadium in the future for the Obama acceptance speech.
6:00 The Democrats are clearly selling the idea that a McCain win would be Bush re-deux. Crowd signs like "McCain more of the Same" and similar lines like that dominate the speeches by Democrats at this convention.
Breaking News Joe Biden just arrived at Invesco Stadium.
Gore is done. Keith Olberman of MSNBC confirms that Gore has endorsed Obama in the speech. Chris Matthews makes a reference to his lost election and the Supreme Court decision that "decided" the presidency of George W. Bush.
6:10 The wave has been started in the Denver stadium.
Senator and Basketball star Bill Bradley and Sean Hannity are duking it out on FoxNews. Hannity says the war has been won in Iraq. The Surge has worked. I think that may have been a shot at Bradley's statements of which I did not here as I just switched from MSNBC. A white guy with white hair and a white goatee that I do not recognize is singing a bit soulish America the Beautiful on stage.
6:20 A CNN commentator just said that people have been paying a thousand dollars to try to get tickets and that usually people want to get out of political speeches and not into them. I like Wolf Blitzer: His name and face and hair work together well.
Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, is on stage. I believe this is an endorsement of Senator Obama. Reference to Gettysburg here. Compared economic crisis and debt to a "moral failure not just a financial one." "Too many people in power have failed us." "Stubborness a substitute for leadership." Some pointed remarks to Mr. Bush. A back-handed slam on McCain's age. Restoring the hope and bringing the change of Lincoln will come with, apparently, the election of Mr. Obama. "Yes we can."
Another reference to the "potential catastrophe of global warming," this time by a CNN commentator. Catastrophe. Maybe I need to do some more research. Is this a potential serious problem or is it a potential catastrophe. Is terrorism more of a catastrophic possibility? The economy? Killing unborn children in the womb? War-mongering? What are the true crisises (how do you spell this plural version of crisis?) of our country? Our world? Just curious...
6:29 The speech has now been made public even though he is yet to speak for 30 minutes. There is the glory of media for you. MSNBC's Olberman is reading it now. Thank you for ruining the suspense of it for us all...j
6:31 That was cool. A break on FoxNews and John McCain comes on in commercial form congratulating Obama "on this historic day." That was refreshing.
6:41 Hannity has read the speech and is letting everyone know that there is nothing new but regular "liberal" rhetoric. Hannity wants a strong conservative not a moderate like a Lieberman. Why does this not surprise me? Hannity wants "the base" rallied.
Over 80,000 in the stadium, says Wolf of CNN. Conventions are big money for cities over $160 million dollars will be generated in Denver CNN reports.
Side-note: Benny Hinn is on TBN right now sporting his regular white outfit.
6:55 I love the distinction between MSNBC and FoxNews now. Some have said MSNBC=Liberal, FoxNews=Conservative, CNN=Non-Partisan. Slate had a funny edited piece of FoxNews and MSNBC earlier in the convention showing the distinctions.
MSNBC noted that Obama has written most of this speech complimenting both his writing ability and his inspirational oration. "Not God bless America but God damn America," echoes in my ears as FoxNews is reviewing the rise of Obama and popped in a clip of Rev. Wright--Obama's ex-pastor.
The Broncos are playing the Packers, CNN's Blitzer notes, thus this pillared stage erection must be torn down for the big game.
Secret Service must be really on their toes tonight. The security in that stadium somehow must be controlled.
Michele Obama is here: CNN shows me this.
7:00 Senator Dick Durbin is introducing Senator Obama. He did this 4 years ago at the DNC when Obama, according to him, "changed politics in America." He says Obama has spoken about the "better angels of our nature" as Americans. What does this mean?
7:02-7:12 The video tribute has begun. A baby picture. Cute. Young Obama swinging a baseball bat. He only met his father once for a month. Obama was, in his words, "..shaped more by his absence then his presence." Parents grew up in the great depression. Obama's mother saw in him "a promise" says the video commentator. Only time Obama saw his mother angry was when she saw cruelty, and was furious when Obama did this growing up. Some cute self-depreciation of his unusual name. Barack had a pile of student loans so did Michele. If they are looking to connect they have connected with me on that note. Flashes of the his family. He wants a family that "transmits" values to the next generation: kindness, faith, sense of empathy, etc. I believe the narrator is actor David Strathairn of Good Night and Good Luck.
7:12 Obama. Flashing camera's. U2's City of Blinding Lights in the background. He appears emotional.
7:14 Nomination accepted.
7:17-7:38 Thanks many including the "love of his life" and his daughters..."America we are better than these last 8 years"..."Tonight I say..to the people across this land--Enough!"..."John McCain has voted with George Bush 90% of the time"..."I'm not ready to take a 10% chance on change"...that was a clever line...
Does John McCain really think middle-class is below 5 million? Is it true that tax cuts are only for the rich?
Obama is keying in on the economy. Using normal Democrat rhetoric.
"Our government should work for us not against us." It is one of the "promises of America". Should the government do that?
Now he is spelling out "exactly" what he means by change.
Tax cuts for 95 percent of the middle class. Energy investments. He will not settle for kids without a chance for an eduction. He's going to pay teachers higher salaries. We will keep our promise to every young American we will make sure you can afford a college education. Now is the time to keep the promise of affordable healthcare for every American. Let's just say the promises are rolling more then I can type. Now is the time for change of bankruptcy laws and social security. Now is the time for equal pay for an equal days work so daughters have same opportunities as sons.
Many of these plans will cost money, but he will lay out how to pay for everything.
(I lost everything that I just typed by the failure of a laptop.)
7:54 Here is the big wammie tying in the MLK speech: "In America our destiny is inextricably linked...we cannot walk alone, the preacher cried...America we cannot turn back...at this moment we must pledge once more to march into the future..."
8:00 Here comes the commentary....MSNBC's Olberman: "Vote for him or do not. But take pride that America can produce men and speakers as that." MSNBC's Matthews: "I've been criticized for saying that he inspires me. To hell with my critics."
CNN's Anderson Cooper: "A speech of a lifetime...the most certainly dramatic speech he has ever given."
A woman has a tear-stained face.
FoxNews commentator: "It's history...the spectacle is what dominates me...emotion came from the history...i don't know that he did the closing sale tonight."
Bill Kristol FoxNews: Thinks Obama met and exceeded expectations and an "impressive" speech.
MSNBC's David Gregory: Thinks the Democrats are "motivated."
CNN's Campbell Brown: One concern, would the language be too soaring? "What you heard tonight was down there, plain spoken, no B.S."
8:17 I can't help be taken by the historical moment of the speech. No doubt it was staged brilliantly even if you think brilliant staging is sickening in politics. It is true too that it was not all soaring rhetoric, instead there was distinction on the issues from him and McCain and toughness and thoughtfulness regarding national security. Obama has a way of speaking that resonates in the hearts of people that McCain cannot compare to. But it is not oration ability that makes a president.
