February 2012
“I am the Lord who sanctifies you.”
“I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” (Leviticus 20:8)
“I am the Lord your God, who have separated you from the peoples…. You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.”
Beloved in God the Father.—“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”— Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit...
Of Providence
Westminster Confession of Faith
Chapter 5: Of Providence
2: Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first Cause, all things come to pass immutably, and infallibly; yet, by the same providence, He orders them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.
January 2012
"Two for the both of you" →
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Dr. RC Sproul on Retirement
Work is a blessing whereby we are able to mirror and reflect the character of God because God is a working God. God rests, but He never retires.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in...”
– Ephesians 1:3-6
“Christ did not offer his atonement in vain, but ‘he shall see of the...”
– C. H. Spurgeon on God’s love for His people when try are enslaved by and to the world
“His kingdom cannot fail; He rules o’er earth and heav’n;
The keys...”
– Rejoice, the Lord Is King (Trinity Hymnal 310)
“Let us learn a lesson from the two travelers to Emmaus. Let us speak of Jesus,...”
– (J.C. Ryle)
“Be diligent in action. Put all your irons into the fire. Use every faculty for...”
– C.H. Spurgeon (ht: Matt Perman of What’s Best Next)
False Teachers (2 Timothy 4)
Robert Bruce’s 16th Century preaching in Scotland allowed the people to note a contrast between one who preaches with authority and the others who preach for the smiles of the congregation. Robert Murray McCheyne cautioned people to follow the word of God rather than those professing to be God’s ministers: “A minister will make a poor saviour in the day of wrath…. You need to have your hand on the...
“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which...”
– Abraham Kuyper
“Victorious saints are whole-souled people possessing “a different...”
– Twitter.com/betransformed
“what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for...”
– ESV STUDY BIBLE NOTES: It is astonishing that the God who is great enough to have made the heavens can take notice of mere man; but he goes beyond taking notice: he is mindful of man, he cares for him. God’s greatness does not mean remoteness but rather an eye for detail, no matter how small.
Fear/Trust (Isaiah 12) →
“I will trust and not be afraid” (Isaiah 12:2).
Fear nurtures endangerment
Fears become mini-gods
Fear minimizes rather than magnifies God
Fear encourages isolation
Fear fertilizes rejection…
Watch
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December 2011
Trust Shepherds (Luke 2) →
“It came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened…
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the...”
– WOW! A serious exhortation.
I Peter 5:1-5
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls...”
– ESV Study Bible Notes
“Resolved to make sure that, no matter the audience, my speech is genuine,...”
– Matt Henslee, December 27, 2011 (via mhenslee)
“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way...”
– I Peter 4:1-2, 7, 11
The zeal of the LORD of hosts has done this
Isaiah 9:
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will...
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“Can you not see, that everything that man boasts in, his intellect, his...”
– Bringing Down the Mighty - Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“John the Baptist was the only child ever to use a womb for a pulpit. In the...”
– Phil Ryken (The Incarnation in the Gospels - R.E.C. series)
“Framed in light,
Mary sings through the doorway.
Elizabeth’s six month...”
– Luci Shaw (poet) of the old covenant (John) greeting the new (Jesus) within their mothers’ wombs.
6 foundational beliefs of the incarnation that...
1. Jesus, Lord and Christ, is the unique Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. He is truly and eternally God, of one substance with the Father.
2. Like the Father and the Spirit, Jesus the Son is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, truth, love, and grace.
3. Jesus is truly God and truly man, yet one person, the Christ, the only mediator...
What is choking the fruit of the Spirit out of your life?
The Entire Christmas Story in One Verse
Well 2 verses, 1 sentence:
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” Galatians 4:4-5
ht: The Poached Egg, http://www.thepoachedegg.net/the-poached-egg/2011/12/the-entire-christmas-story-in-one-verse.html
The largest volunteer army in the world is that one made up of those who proclaim the name of Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Rev. Kittredge of NLICC
“What would cause God’s glory to breakout from yourself? Live for something outside yourselves” - Scotty Anderson (WRPC)
“Vincimus fugiendo: We conquer by flight!
Avoiding the occasions is the best way...”
– Dr. Robert Rayburn, 2 messages on Proverbs
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IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO DO GOOD
You have to be mindful of God in the good that you do. “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19).
“For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly” (1 Peter 2:19).
“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father...
Desire Good Days?
For
“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
(I Peter 3:10-12)
King Jesus, David’s Line (Luke 1) →
“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom…
November 2011
A Gracious Act of Love
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we...