COD: A Book Review and a donnybrook too

I don’t know if I’ve ever heard the word ‘donnybrook’ used outside the movie ‘Quiet Man’ but you’ll know if you’ve ever watched it. It’s sort of a long brambling brawl…kinda like some of the long rambling threads I’ve seen in blogs. Anyway, here’s a great book review by Tim Challies and as a bonus, a brawl in his meta about the proper way to reach people for Jesus. I shake out with the Baptists on a lot of issues but this probably isn’t one of them.

COD: Book Shopping

I looked around at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, AND Christian Book Distributors today for “In His Place Condemned He Stood” by J.I. Packer and Mark Dever. I found that Amazon had the best pre-order price at $11.55. Even with their e-mail 20% off coupon Barnes and Noble couldn’t beat that. CBD’s price wasn’t too bad at $12.99 but I sure like that free shipping at Amazon if I buy another book (and they had good prices on other stuff too.) I found out about this on C.J. Mahaney’s Sovereign Grace Blog. I am looking forward to reading it.

Golden Compass

I haven’t read these yet so my information is rather scarce, actually. This article by Dr. Mohler paints a fairly grim picture about what it represents but, I have to say, the armored polar bears in the commercials look really cool. I’m kind of a Sci Fi and Fantasy geek though and I always have been so the idea that a popular writer’s ‘magnum opus’ is all about destroying Christianity isn’t much of a shocker. Most of the popular Science Fiction authors write from a perspective that isn’t devoid of God–which you’d expect from atheist writers–but lean toward marginalizing or making the reader feel that religion in general is just a crutch. At least they usually slam all religions equally. The Golden Compass appears to be aimed specifically at the Church in general.

Here’s the part where I’ll likely get some criticism. Can we blame them? I mean really if we have spent the last couple of hundred years preaching about a God who begs and pleads and is now all squishy and nice and ‘omnibenevolent’ or whatever how could these intelligent people not be turned completely off? As far as I can tell the hard-core of athiests in general is made up of very smart folks who remind me a lot of the Bereans. They think and evaluate and consider before they just take something at face value. They are like Thomas who had believed once, came to the conclusion he was tricked, then, when faced with the living Christ recanted and fell at his face. Perhaps these people are like that. They’ve never been confronted with the Christ of the Bible or any of his people who are actively living out his Word. If thats the case then of course what we’re saying doesn’t make sense to them. The reality is that until our message matches up with the Word of God we can’t really be angry with these folks. And even when it does, the Bible says that there are some who are going to do all they can to not believe. I’m fine with that. It’s what the Bible says. It confirms what the Bible says in fact.

Read some of the comments here on this thread over at the Two Headed Blog. This is where I first saw comments about the movies.

I think I’m going to have to get these and read them to see what the hub bub is about. That may have been part of the plan but Phillip Pullman is supposed to be a really good writer. Maybe I can pick up some writing tips.

Dan Phillips has some good points about it here.

2007…Unbound

Brent is a pastor in Texas who also writes the blog colossiansthreesixteen . I get a lot from reading his blog. Go read it and you will too. Buy him a book, he’s got a great wish list on Amazon. At the end of every year—so far—he asks his readers what they think about it. The year I mean…so I thought I’d participate this year.

2007 had some good points. I discovered Stumble in 2007 and eMusic. I figured out that small things are important at home too. I was forced into using Windows Vista but discovered it’s not too bad. Too many more to remember or write down I am sure. I am also sure that I was probably too busy to notice most of them except for the periphery. I managed to grow my own sweet potatoes and I began to teach my son about working with his hands. Last week we split and stacked firewood and learned to dig and sort sweet potatoes. We both slept well those nights.

It seems like I came to value the church a great deal more than I have in the past as I have been without one for most of a year. Late in 2006 we walked out of our church and, essentially, never went back. It wasn’t without a lot of prayer and attempts to reconcile and things like that. We basically left because we were at a point where we were about to start causing trouble. I don’t like to cause trouble in the church so we left. But the church is a priceless gift and you should treasure it if you have one. Being a member of a church is a privilege and we should treat it as such. Yes we who are Christians are all members of the Body, but we should rejoice in the presence of our brothers. The day may come when we cannot.

2007 was a banner year for music but I also learned a caution as well. I discovered Miles Davis and Kind of Blue this year. It’s rarely out of my CD player. I discovered MP3’s and the delightful power of the eMusic DRM free download. Yea, I am not afraid of the iPod, neither do I wish to embrace it. I spent the summer revisiting some old musical haunts. Metal and Rock (classic and not so classic) and some other nostalgic avenues. Was it that shallow when I was there the first time or was I so small of stature that it seemed like an ocean? Probably. I also discovered the delightfully redone hymns of the Gadsby Project by Red Mountain Church and the worship tunes of Sovereign Grace music. Good stuff all.

Here’s my caution, and it comes in the form of rediscovering a band I used to love and a new one that’s pretty cool too. My wife and I both have medical backgrounds so we watch the CSI’s Miami and NY. We love catching their mistakes but we love watching because there aren’t many. Anyway, I heard a song on CSI:NY that caught my ear and looked it up. It was a Velvet Revolver tune and lo and behold their guitarist is Slash. Being a big fan of Guns and Roses I found it, bought it and a few others and, thus, started on the nostalgia thing I talked about above. I also exposed myself to some rather awful lyrical content. I’m not getting all fundy on you here but it wasn’t healthy…spiritually I mean.

Watch yourself. That’s all I’m saying.

I did some re-reading recently. I read a lot of fiction over the Summer because my brain was on overload after May/June. But one book that continues to affect me is Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul. I also like Luther’s Bondage of the Will and his biography. The non-Bible book that as most altered my thinking is J.L. Dagg’s Manual of Theology. (hurry, there’s only one left.) The theology is good, but the biography in the back is intense. I found one on Amazon and I’ve read and re-read the bio several times.

As for movies? I don’t get out to the movies very often. The nearest movie theater is thirty minutes away on a good day. I buy a lot of DVD’s and we watch a lot of kid’s movies. Transformers was spectacular from a geeky special effects standpoint but the message about the American Dream and buying a car so you can date and maybe have sex was typical. Wild Hogs was great, except for the homosexual humor—what did I expect? One surprise was High School Musical and I am still trying to think if there are any hidden evils in there but I haven’t found any. No sex, profanity, or even suggestive themes. It’s a sort of a ‘you can do it’ movie for kids. I guess you could figure a secular humanism angle in there but it’s just so surprising to see Disney produce a nearly completely family friendly film that I just can’t get worked up enough to do it.

Next year is an election year so pop-culture is popping. I’m always interested in seeing the Candidates pictures in whatever media where the Republican’s look like idiots and the Democrats are obviously posed and have taken a minute to primp before the click. I think it’s a vast left-wing conspiracy. I also enjoyed Joe Torre telling the Yankee’s to get stuffed. I hope he thumps them senseless sometime soon with his new team.

Six Days of War

I am currently in the middle of a history book: Six Days of War. I read about it on Dr. Mohler’s blog and thought it would be a good read. It is a history of the Six Day War…you know, in 1967 when all the surrounding Arab countries tried to annihilate Israel? Well, its a little more complicated that that but this book…it is absolutely riveting.

Sorry, I have to go read now.

That Disquieting Light…

In the first paragraph of the first chapter of J.L. Dagg’s Manual of Theology he writes: “In religion, men appear naturally fond of the difficult and the obscure; perhaps because they there find escape from the disquieting light of clearly revealed truth.” Here he sums up one of the major problems in the church and her members. What Jesus has done for us is complete. It is a simple thing: Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Why then do we have to add so much to it? Why do we make it so hard on ourselves and so difficult to “remain” in Christ?

I have struggled with this throughout my life. When I haven’t, I probably should have been, that is, devotion vs. study. Oh there is so much to know about the Bible! Greek, Latin and Hebrew, Theology, doctrine—so many great books to read, so many distractions from the Word of God. It is so easy to find, one day, that we are knowledgeable about many “biblical” things but ignorant about the Bible and, more specifically, the Author whom it reveals. In Mark DeVine’s excellent book Bonhoeffer Speaks Today: Following Jesus at All Costs, it appears that Bonhoeffer struggled with the same thing. According to DeVine, most of the academia of his day read the Bible as you would read any other book. Worse, it seems that they were adding it to their own knowledge and other information to come up with the real message of God’s Word. It was relegated to the position of valued resource; a long step down from the Inspired Word of God.

I hope I never reach the place in my life where the Bible becomes just another book on the shelf. And yet how many times, when preparing for a lesson, do I catch myself starting with commentary and quarterly rather than prayer and the Word? It’s like the pastor who sees or hears something that would make an excellent illustration and then proceeds to build a sermon around it. That could work, I suppose and in all honesty it probably happens fairly often. (I would respect that pastor far more than the one who bought his sermon on the Internet!) Invariably, though, the best lessons and sermons are the ones whose roots stretch deep into the Bible and our own reading and devotional study of it.

It is a difficult thing to reconcile these two positions. It is easy to reach the point where Morning and Evening or My Utmost for His Highest become the extent of our personal worship. Time is scarce these days and time for Bible study or devotion is even harder to come by. Time must be made, choices must be made as well and when a person dives into the Word on a regular basis it becomes the priority. And here is the trap: separating the two. Our study must be our devotion. Our knowledge of the Word of God must be by that disquieting light. Study yes, but never for its own sake. Are you weighted down with a load of books and treatises on this or that biblical subject? Are you one of those whose study is laden with information and knowledge? Are you puffed up with quotes and phrases from the popular author of the day? Have you become one who is “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7) Jesus calls out to you and to me in Matthew 11 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus says “learn from Me”, the one called “the Word made flesh” by John in his gospel. This is the Word of God and it must be the starting point for all of our endeavors for the Kingdom. When we reach the point where all we do is focused through the fine optics of the Gospel, then and only then shall we be effective in our ministry for Christ.

Amazing Grace Ch. 2–Providence (part 1)

Amazing Grace

Wednesday Night Small Group
Outline: 11/01/06
Notes can be found here, probably Thursday evening:

Unbound

8Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: 9Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. 10Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
–2 Timothy 2:8 – 13 (KJV)

Class schedule
6:45 – 7:15 Fellowship
7:15 – 7:50 Prayer/Bible Study
7:50 – 8:00 Wrap up/clean up

Outline: 11/01/06 Providence (Amazing Grace Ch. 2)

Introduction: The Doctrine of Providence

Terms used to describe Bible questions/hard Bible truths which we cannot reconcile:

Contradiction
· Refers to a condition in which at least two things are at variance, that is, truly contrary to each other.
· See Eve and the Serpent—The serpent contradicts what God said

Antinomy
· An antinomy is a combination of two thoughts or principles, each of which is true in its own right but which we cannot harmonize

Paradox
· A paradox seems to be a contradiction. It seems to be absurd but proves to be true.
· See, “When I am weak, then I am strong,” by Paul (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Mystery
· refers to a whole complex of ideas including antinomies and paradoxes that we know on good grounds to be true, but is inexplicable or inscrutable
· Means something which has been kept secret
· In theology, it is a truth which the human mind cannot comprehend but which we must accept by faith

1 Corinthians 13:12

Creation and Providence

· Creation is the calling into existence of something which did not exist before

· Providence means the continuation or the causing to continue of that which has been called into existence in fulfillment of Gods purposes.

o It is not just that God has a foreknowledge of what is going to happen but it is a description of His continuing activity of what He does in the world and what He has continued to do since he made the world at the very beginning
o The Bible teaches that God is in control of everything (Psalm 104)

“God from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and perpetually upholds, directs and governs all creatures and all events; yet so as not in any wise to be the author or approver of sin nor to destroy the free will and responsibility of intelligent creatures.”
– From the Abstract of Principles, Southern Baptist Convention, 1845

Providence is the ordering of things in this world, their maintenance, their sustenance, and the fact that everything keeps on going and continues in life (general revelation: everything that has been made is in itself a revelation of God)

1. Nothing exists except in some relationship to God
· God created everything and maintains it and preserves it to His own ends.

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
–Revelation 4:11 (NASB)

O may Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!
“You alone are the LORD.
You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.
–Nehemiah 9:5 – 6 (NASB)

2. Nothing happens apart from God’s purposeful activity
· It may seem to us that things happen by chance or accident there are no accidents, so far as God’s purpose is concerned

The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
–Psalms 103:19 (NASB)

11also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
–Ephesians 1:11 (NASB)

3. Nothing can thwart God’s gracious design in Christ
· We can not think of providence apart from Jesus Christ. Through Him, God made everything in heaven and on earth.

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
–John 1: 5 (NASB)

And ultimately the words, “Jesus Christ Is Lord” will be proclaimed by every human being lost or saved.

5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
–Philippians 2:5 – 11 (NASB)

Prophesy, Prayer, Providence, and Miracles

Prophesy
· It would not be possible for a man inspired by God to predict what is going to take place, perhaps in several hundred years unless God was in control of everything

· Prophesy is not merely foreknowledge, it is a guarantee. The thing prophesied will happen because God is in absolute control of every minute detail in all of creation.

Prayer
· If we did not believe that God controlled everything, there would be no point in praying
· Prayer would be a ridiculous exercise if we did not believe in the doctrine of providence
· Miracles could not take place either
Providence is that continued exercise of divine energy whereby the Creator upholds all his creatures, is operative in all that transpires in the world, and directs all things to their appointed end.

3 Elements of Providence
1. Preservation
o That continuous work of God by which He maintains the things which He has created, together with the properties and powers with which he has endowed them
§ The Bible teaches that God preserves everything that He has made. It is a continuous work.
§ It does not mean that he simply refrains from destroying what he has created (see Noah’s Ark)
§ It means that He sustains it (Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Hebrews 1:3)
2. Governmental
o He rules all things toward a definite end to accomplish His own divine purposes (Psalm 97:1; Daniel 4:34, 35)
3. Concurrence
o The cooperation of God and His divine power with all subordinate pwers according to the pre-established laws of their operation
o Or, God works through things he has already set in motion, I.e., the laws of nature, etc.
o There are powers and laws in nature, but none of them operate apart from God. He uses them, orders them, and manipulates them
o Called secondary causes
o Remember [Being, guidance, activity]

In general, God keeps the world spinning, the rain falling, and the corps growing for saints and sinners alike

He also takes special care of His own people, the Church

The Providence Top Ten
1. God’s providence is exercised over the universe at large—Ephesians 1:11
o God is controlling all things everywhere for His own purposes
2. God’s providence is exercised over the physical world—Matthew 5:45
3. God’s providence is exercised over the animals—Matthew 6:26; 10:29
4. God’s providence is exercised over the affairs of nations—Job 12:24; Acts 17:26
5. God providentially governs a mans birth and his lot in the world (Galatians 1:15-16; Samuel 16:1)
6. God’s providence determines the outward successes and failures in human life—Psalm 75:6-7
7. God governs things which appear to be accidental or insignificant—Esther 6, the king cannot sleep…
8. God’s providence protects the righteous—Psalm 4:8; Psalm 4,5
9. God supplies the needs of his people Philippians 4:19
10. God answers prayer

Miracles
· Most of the time God works through secondary causes
· Sometimes He works directly without them
· This is a miracle
· A miracle is God working not contrary to nature, but in a supernatural manner
o Some insist miracles are impossible because they break the laws of nature thereby putting God under the control of his own guidelines
o Some only believe in miracles they can explain (If you could explain them, they wouldn’t be miracles
· A miracle by nature is supernatural. It cannot be explained in terms of the ordinary operation of the laws of nature or secondary causes.

Next week: 11/08/06
Assignments
Read notes and look up scriptures
Pray through prayer list
Attend class next week

Scripture Reading
Psalm 104

Bibliography
Amazing Grace – Timothy George – Lifeway
Great Doctrines of the Bible – D. Martyn Lloyd Jones—Crossway Books (Lifeway)
Concise Theology – J.I. Packer—Tyndale House
The New American Standard Version of the Bible
Quick Verse 8—Findex.com
Matthew Henry’s Commentary (Unabridged in six volumes)—Hendrickson
J.L. Dagg—Manual of Theology

Title: MacArthur’s New Testament Commentary
Copyright: Copyright © 1986 by The Moody Bible Institute of
Author: MacArthur, John F., Jr.
Publisher: Moody Press
Publisher Location: Chicago, IL

Title: Holman Bible Dictionary
Edition: First
Copyright: Copyright © 1991 Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Publisher: Holman Bible Publishers
Publisher Location: Nashville, TN