Teach Me Your Way, O Lord

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise,
that you may be feared.
Turn away the reproach that I dread,
for your rules are good.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life!
Psalm 119:33-40

Having been drawn to learn and drink more deeply of the Levitical law and sacrificial system - that which Christ came not to abolish, but to fulfill - that I may better know the heart of my Maker and Redeemer, I have likewise been drawn to Psalm 119 and its absolute beauty even as it speaks to my own heart. I think of Christ's words from the Mount, though the audience heard him speaking of physical food, yet there is more: Our dear Father always knows which crust of bread or piece of meat to nourish that which must grown and to starve that which must die - and He knows what we need before we ask for it. If we, being evil, wouldn't give a stone to a child who asks for a fish, how much more will our Father, who is perfect, give to us that which is good? Once again His word is proven true for this child, for these few verses, and Matthew Henry's beauty of a commentary on these few verses, goes directly to everything that I have lately struggled with and against:

Teach me thy statutes, not the mere words, but the way of applying them to myself. God, by his Spirit, gives a right understanding. But the Spirit of revelation in the word will not suffice, unless we have the Spirit of wisdom in the heart. God puts his Spirit within us, causing us to walk in his statutes. The sin here prayed against is covetousness. Those that would have the love of God rooted in them, must get the love of the world rooted out; for the friendship of the world is enmity with God. Quicken me in thy way; to redeem time, and to do every duty with liveliness of spirit. Beholding vanity deadens us, and slackens our pace; a traveller must not stand gazing upon every object that presents itself to his view. The promises of God's word greatly relate to the preservation of the true believer. When Satan has drawn a child of God into worldly compliances, he will reproach him with the falls into which he led him. Victory must come from the cross of Christ. When we enjoy the sweetness of God's precepts, it will make us long for more acquaintance with them. And where God has wrought to will, he will work to do.

And I will glory in my Redeemer, the Word made flesh. Praise be His name.

Behold, The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

**I do not know how to make this video NOT autoplay. It is a graphic depiction of just a shadow of the cost of our redemption, those with weak stomachs should beware.***







Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5)

A Few Things to be Thankful For -

Because of family obligations and distances and work schedules and the like, I am spending this Thanksgiving day in the joy of an unhurried day at home alone with our glorious Creator, Redeemer, and King, digging deeper into Christ as the promised Messiah; thought I'd share some of the day's jewels (this post may update through the day, who knows?):


1. Covenant Seminary's free study in Leviticus (see sidebar) has been an absolute joy to listen to and follow along with the study guide, bringing wonderful surprises from the Tabernacle, filling the soul with an awe for this great God.

2. Along that same line, Sourceflix Productions has a wonderful collection of videos from Jerusalem, including some Galileean Fishermen off the coast of ancient Capernaum, a celebration of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths), some archaeological digs and findings, and a striking video of a sacrifice of a lamb for Passover. The lamb video seems to be missing, but an eschatological focus group has a portion of it here. (warning: graphic, but helpful in visualizing the type and shadow of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, sacrificed for us at the same time that Jews around Jerusalem were slaughtering lambs in preparation for the feast). Worth spending some time digging around that site.

3. Kevin DeYoung gives us a solidly beautiful indictment of the "New Gospel" calling for a return to the old. I always appreciate folks who can articulate things so absolutely clearly.

Joy.

What is man, that You are mindful of him?

Hebrews 13:3

Interviewer: "I would like to know why they killed your husband?"
Widow: "The only reason they gave for killing my husband was because he preached the word."

Interviewer: Did your daughter see anything?
Widow: Yes, it was all done in front of her. She started crying and said, "Mom, what happened to my daddy?" We turned him around and the only thing she said was, "Thank you, Lord, for giving me such a good father."


On September 21, 2009, FARC guerillas shot to death Pastor Manuel, who had been shepherding a flock of believers in Colombia. His wife and children ran out and tended to him, pulling his body under a tree before his wife ran back inside the house to retrieve a Bible, and came out tearfully preaching to anyone who would come near.

Now, VOM graciously allows us to meet her and to hear their story in her own words.

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. - Hebrews 13:3

Strong Words, Strong Truth.

Mary would never throw the baby out with the bathwater,

but then again, her baby wasn't a theological position that perverted the Gospel.

(Sacred Sandwich)

This from William Gurnall, in The Christian in Complete Armour, written in the 1600s:



*********

The apostle joins the spirit of power and of a sound mind together (2 Tim. 1:7). We are exhorted to 'desire the sincere milk of the word, that [we] may grow...' (1 Pet. 2:2). Like milk diluted with water, the Word mixed with error is not very nutritious. All error, no matter how innocent it seems, is a parasite. And as ivy saps the strength of the tree it intertwines, so error saps the strength of truth. The soul that feeds on tainted truth cannot grow fat and healthy.



To use another analogy, Paul talks about believers being wedded to Christ. When you receive an error, you take a stranger into Christ's bed and commit spiritual adultery. One of the horrible things about adultery is that it turns the adulterer's heart from the true spouse. It turns his thoughts and attentions toward the illicit affair, and away from his first love. We see this happening in the church today, where a faction embraces some doctrinal error or flaming heresy, and contends for it with more zeal than for the simple gospel truths that led them to Christ in the first place. The loss in such instances is great, for Christ can never share true, conjugal love with a soul that is coupling with error.



By now I hope you realize that error is not so innocent a thing as many think. It not only disrupts the relationship of the individual saint with the Beloved, but it also disturbs the peace of the Bride - the church. 'I hear', Paul writes, 'that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must also be heresies among you' (1 Cor. 11:18,19). The implication here is that divisions are the bastard offspring of an adulterous affair with error. When Christians walk in truth, they also walk in unity and love; when they walk in error, the antithesis prevails.



Here is a word of exhortation for all who will hear - especially those who call themselves Christians. Are you so proud that you think all this talk about polluting God's truth with error does not apply to you? If so, what a dangerous position you are in! Doctrinal error is the disease of the times! What makes you so sure you have been inoculated against it? I must tell you, it is one of those afflictions for which there is no one-time cure.



The more knowledge we accumulate, and the more sophisticated we become in our study of the faith, the more careful we must be to guard against error! That great preacher Paul felt compelled to press the point home repeatedly. He hardly gave a sermon or wrote a letter without begging believers to beware those things which would adulterate the gospel. He thought his warning indispensable for the saints at Galatia, at Corinth, and Philippi. Have we come so far in our day that we no longer need his admonition? Satan has not grown tired of perpetrating his lies; we dare not grow complacent about seeking God's truth.



************

Gifts

Here's something worth spending online time doing:

Covenant Theological Seminary (PCA) has free coursework available (complete with class syllabi and textbook lists, study guides, and lectures both audible and in print form) for informal personal or group study. It is set up in a structured way, but can be adjusted to personal pace and preference. There are study plans available for focused or comprehensive study - choose the comprehensive track, and a curriculum is set up for you by term. Mine has four terms, and so my term 1 plan includes:

ST200: God and His Word
OT230: Old Testament History
CM099: Christ Centered Preaching: Preparation and Delivery of Sermons (not that I'll be preaching, but I am engaged in personal evangelism and it comes with the curriculum; Plus, as a nurse in a TBN - soaked culture, I am surrounded by hurting people who have been fed a view of Christ so distorted that they have no concept of the real thing.)

and two electives:

NT250: Hebrews to Revelation
and - Studies in Leviticus

This is fantastic. As I discovered this site and got a glimpse of the depth of its offerings and the love with which the courses I have looked at have been prepared and presented, I had to fight back the tears - what a glorious gift is available to help us to know and understand our God and His word better, and to assist us in the helpful and faithful articulation of that which our hearts understand.

But if a full course is a bit ambitious for you, there are all kinds of free downloadable resources also available.

God-Centered Anger - The Gospel Coalition

Tullian Tchividian, author and grandson of Billy Graham and current pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church writes,

******

Grieving anger is far different from the kind of anger commonly associated with Christians. Lots of people think of Christians as embittered, angry people. They view Christians as being frustrated by our culture because things just aren’t going our way—our conservative political agenda is being thwarted.

Years ago I was one of five thousand people listening to a panel discussion at a Christian conference. An editor of a conservative political-theological magazine was expressing his frustration with many of the political left-wingers, and doing so in an unnecessarily sarcastic and condescending way. When he finished, John Piper (another speaker on the panel) turned to him, and with utmost seriousness and precision, he said, “For a long time I have appreciated your ministry. You are an astute observer of our culture. I read your magazine every month. It’s always insightful. But there’s one thing missing from your ministry.”

The editor looked at Dr. Piper and asked what it was.

“Tears,” Piper replied.


******

Read the rest.

Reason for Thanksgiving

Meet one of my patients, about to become a former patient.

Bingo.

Carl Trueman of Reformation21 and The Gospel Coalition notes,

*********

This realization that the Lord has called me - and I am guessing, most of us - to serve first and foremost wherever we actually are - our families, our congregations, our denominations, and our workplaces -- is surely a sobering one. It lacks so much ambition, and shows such a limited vision, after all. Yet in this regard, I think the church is best served by those with such limited ambitions and myopia. I am not much of a web-wanderer but on the odd occasion I do a bit of websurfing, I am struck by how many Christians, pastors, professors, and laity, have blogs, Facebook pages, and Twitters going. How many millions of Christian hours are wasted writing this stuff, engaging in mindless blogthreads, and telling the world about personal trivia? And what does it tell us about the expansive visions and ambitions out there? Apparently the world is now everyone's birthright.

Now, I find myself very uncomfortable with this. I do believe that some professors, pastors, and laypeople are called to have regular ministries outside their immediate geographical locations; but I also believe that there are precious few thus called. Certainly, mere possession of hi-speed internet is not a divinely given sign of such a worldwide calling. When I see Christians blogging so much, I wonder how many sermons are being prepared on the fly because of lack of time, how many parishioners go unvisited, how many prayers remain unprayed, how many words of love and affection to spouses and children are never said, how many books - let alone the Bible - are left unread, and how many fellowships atrophy through lack of any real, meaningful social and spiritual intercourse. Indeed, to summarize: how many online `communities' (sic) prosper to the detriment of the real, physical communities into which the Lord has placed each and every one of us? How many complain of insufficient time to do the boring routines of the Christian life - worship services, Sunday School, visiting the sick and the aged, fellowship, Bible reading, prayer - and yet always somehow manage to fit in a quick twitter or blog or podcast or change to their Facebook status?

************

Anyone? Bueller?