The Key to Joy, Growth and Passion: Is Your Life Cross Centered?

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him Rev 1:7

In the embedded video clip from WorshipGod 2009 conference, CJ Mahaney’s explained why Sovereign Grace Ministry’s preaching focus and singing focus during corporate worship is always centered on and saturated with the Cross and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our corporate worship should be guided by the tone and focus of worship so clearly described in the Book of Revelation.  While a Holy God bid us to come boldly to Him at His Throne of Grace (Heb 4:16), all who are born of God  must always remember that we cannot approach God unacceptably except through a Mediator (1 Tim 2:5), through the Lord Jesus Christ  on the basis of what He has accomplished on the Cross

Read CJ Mahaney’s blog on this interview: Why So Many Cross-Centered Songs? by C.J. Mahaney

For the complete 70 minutes  video of C.J. Mahaney’s interview together with Bob Kauflin at the  WorshipGod09 conference, follow these links:

WG09 Interview Video

“Lessons Learned from Three Decades of Leading.”

In the book titled “The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney with Kevin Meath“, CJ Mahaney wrote following in “The Most Important Truth Is the Easiest to Forget”:

THE ONLY ESSENTIAL MESSAGE

I hope to teach my son many other things as well, but the gospel is the one essential thing for him to know.

“The gospel,” writes Jerry Bridges, “is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by it.”

Author John Stott agrees. “All around us we see Christians and churches relaxing their grasp on the gospel, fumbling it, and in danger of letting it drop from their hands altogether.”

Sometimes the most obvious truths are the ones we need to be reminded of the most.

George Orwell once noted that “sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious.” Perhaps the purpose of this book is to restate the obvious, yet oft-neglected, truth of the gospel, to bring it before you one more time.

On the other hand, maybe you’re thinking, “I already know this truth-I’ve known it for years.” That’s good, but let me ask you this:

Is your life cross centered?

The symptoms that arise from not being cross centered are easy to spot. Do any of these describe you?

• You often lack joy.

• You’re not consistently growing in spiritual maturity.

• Your love for God lacks passion.

• You’re always looking for some new technique, some “new truth” or new experience that will pull all the pieces of your faith together.

If you can relate to any of these symptoms, let me encourage you to keep reading. As you learn to live a cross centered life, you’ll learn:

• How to break free from joy-robbing, legalistic thinking and living

• How to leave behind the crippling effects of guilt and condemnation

• How to stop basing your faith on your emotions and circumstances

• How to grow in gratefulness, joy, and holiness

These aren’t the overhyped promises of an author wanting to convince you to read his book. These are God’s promises to all who respond to His wonderful plan of salvation.

Too many of us have moved on from that glorious plan. In our never-ending desire to move forward and make sure that everything we do, say, and think is relevant to modern living, too many of us have stopped concentrating on the wonders of Jesus crucified.

Too many of us have fumbled the most important truth of the Bible, and therefore we’ve suffered the consequences.

But it’s not too late to change. It’s not too late to restate and reestablish the obvious truth as the most important truth in your life.

The message that Paul had for Timothy is the same message God has for you. You need to rediscover the truth that first saved you. The key to joy, to growth, to passion isn’t hiding from you. It’s right before your eyes.

It’s the gospel.

The Perfect Law of God Must Stand Forever

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. Psalms 119:33-35

Charles H. Spurgeon, in a sermon preached on May 21,1882 , said:

But, secondly, the law of God must be perpetual from its very nature, for does it not strike you the moment you think of it that right must always be right, truth must always be true, and purity must always be purity? Before the ten commandments were published at Sinai there was still that same law of right and wrong laid upon men by the necessity of their being God’s creatures. Right was always right before a single

Charles Spurgeon

command had been committed to words. When Adam was in the garden it was always right that he should love his Maker, and it would always have been wrong that he should have been at cross-purposes with his God; and it does not matter what happens in this world, or what changes take place in the universe, it never can be right to lie, or to commit adultery, or murder, or theft, or to worship an idol God. I will not say that the principles of right and wrong are as absolutely self-existent as God, but I do say that I cannot grasp the idea of God himself as existing apart from his being always holy and always true; so that the very idea of right and wrong seems to me to be necessarily permanent, and cannot possibly be shifted. You cannot bring right down to a lower level; it must be where it always is: right is right eternally, and cannot be wrong. You cannot lift up wrong and make it somewhat right; it must be wrong while the world standeth. Heaven and earth may pass away, but not the smallest letter or accent of the moral law can possibly change. In spirit the law is eternal.

Suppose for a moment that it were possible to temper and tone down the law, wherein would it be? I confess I do not know and cannot imagine. If it be perfectly holy, how can it be altered except by being made imperfect. Would you wish for that? Could you worship the God of an imperfect law? Can it ever be true that God, by way of favoring us, has put us under an imperfect law? Would that be a blessing or a curse? It is said by some that man cannot keep a perfect law, and God does not demand that he should. Certain modern theologians have taught this, 1 hope, by inadvertence. Has God issued an imperfect law? It is the first imperfect thing I ever heard of his making. Does it come to this that, after all, the gospel is a proclamation that God is going to be satisfied with obedience to a mutilated law? God forbid. I say, better that we perish than that his perfect law perish. Terrible as it is, it lies at the foundation of the peace of the universe. and must be honored at all hazards. That gone, all goes. When the power of the Holy Ghost convinced me of sin I felt such a solemn awe of the law of God, that I remember well, when I lay crashed beneath it as a condemned sinner, I yet admired and glorified the law. I could not have wished that perfect law to be altered for me. Rather did I feel that, if my soul were sent to the lowest hell, yet God was to be extolled for his justice and his law held in honor for its perfectness. I would not have had it altered even to save my soul. Brethren, the law of the Lord must stand, for it is perfect, and therefore has in it no element of decay or change.

The law of God is no more than God might most righteously ask of us. If God were about to give us a more tolerant law, it would be an admission on his part that he asked too much at first. Can that be supposed? Was there, after all, some justification for the statement of the wicked and slothful servant when he said, “I feared thee, because thou art an austere man”? It cannot be. For God to alter his law would be an admission that he made a mistake at first, that he put poor imperfect man (we are often hearing that said) under too rigorous a regime, and therefore he is now prepared to abate his claims, and make them more reasonable. It has been said that man’s moral inability to keep the perfect law exempts him from the duty of doing so. This is very specious, but it is utterly false. Man’s inability is not of the kind which removes responsibility: it is moral, not physical. Never fall into the error that moral inability will be an excuse for sin. What, when a man becomes such a liar that he cannot speak the truth, is he thereby exempted from the duty of truthfulness? If your servant owes you a day’s labor, is he free from the duty because he has made himself so drunk that he cannot serve you? Is a man freed from a debt by the fact that he has squandered the money, and therefore cannot pay it? Is a lustful man free to indulge his passions because he cannot understand the beauty of chastity? This is dangerous doctrine. The law is a just one, and man is bound by it though his sin has rendered him incapable of doing so.

The law moreover demands no more than is good for us. There is not a single commandment of God’s law but what is meant to be a kind of danger signal such as we put up upon the ice when it is too thin to bear. Each commandment does as it were say to us, “Dangerous” It is never for a man’s good to do what God forbids him; it is never for man’s real and ultimate happiness to leave undone anything that God commands him. The wisest directions for spiritual health, and for the avoidance of evil, are those directions which are given us concerning right and wrong in the law of God. Therefore it is not possible that there should be any alteration thereof, for it would not be for our good.

I should like to say to any brother who thinks that God has put us under an altered rule: “Which particular part of the law is it that God has relaxed?” Which precept do you feel free to break? Are you delivered from the command which forbids stealing? My dear sir, you may be a capital theologian, but I should lock up my spoons when you call at my house. Is it the command about adultery which you think is removed? Then I could not recommend your being admitted into any decent society. Is the law as to killing softened down? Then I had rather have your room than your company. Which law is it that God has exempted you from? That law of worshipping him only? Do you propose to have another God? Do you intend to make graven images? The fact is that when we come to detail we cannot afford to lose a single link of this wonderful golden chain, which is perfect in every part as well as perfect as a whole. The law is absolutely complete, and you can neither add to it nor take from it. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.” If, then, no part of it can be taken down, it must stand, and stand for ever.

“The Perpetuity of the Law of God”

---

A Message Delivered on May 21, 1882 by C. H. Spurgeon

Related Posts:

The Law of God Must Be Perpetual: No Abrogation, No Amendment.

The Heart of Every Real Christian is Most Reverent Towards the Law of the Lord

Misunderstanding Grace : “outside the law” is not the same as having no law

Misunderstanding Grace: Easy to miss the path and go far astray from the truth

Misunderstanding Grace – Antinomianism’s primary error is confusing Justification with Sanctification

Misunderstanding on the teaching of Grace

Bow the Knee: Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17

Bow the Knee

There are moments on our journey following the Lord
Where God illumines ev’ry step we take.
There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,
As we try to understand each move He makes.
When the path grows dim and our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Bow the knee;
Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee;
Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.
And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of the King, bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,
The cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow.
And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;
We are tempted to believe God does not know.
When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight.

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit. Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.” Isaiah 48:16-19

Before the Throne of God Above

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

Words: Charitie L. Bancroft, 1863.

Updated Music arranged by Vikki Cook and Sovereign Grace Ministries

Speak O Lord

Speak, O Lord

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory.

Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility;
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of pow’r that can never fail—
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us—
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises,
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.

Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

Related Posts: Speak, O Lord

How Firm a Foundation

Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! Psalm 31:19

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

Words: From A Se­lect­ion of Hymns from the Best Au­thors, by // John Rip­pon, 1787; at­trib­ut­ed var­i­ous­ly to John Keene, Kirk­ham, and John Keith. Music: Protection, from A Com­pil­a­tion of Gen­u­ine Church Mu­sic, by // Jo­seph Funk (Win­ches­ter, Vir­gin­ia: J. W. Holl­is, 1832) Source: www.cyberhymnal.org

The Truth of the Cross: Jesus Christ taking God’s curse and wrath in the place of sinners

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us' Galatians 3:13

‘If it is true that the cross is of central importance to biblical Christianity, it seems that it is essential for Christians to have some understanding of its meaning in biblical terms. That

R C Sproul

would be true in any generation, but it’s particularly necessary in this one. I doubt there has been a period in the two thousand years of Christian history when the significance, the centrality, and even the necessity of the cross have been more controversial than now. There have been other periods in church history when theologies emerged that regarded the cross of Christ as an unnecessary event, but never before in Christian history has the need for an atonement been as widely challenged as it is today.’ R. C. Sproul, The Truth of the Cross

“I’ve heard sermons about the nails and the thorns.  Granted, the physical agony of crucifixion is a ghastly thing.  But thousands of people have died on crosses, and others have had even more painful, excruciating deaths than that.  But only One received the full measure of the curse of God while on a cross. Because of that, I wonder if Jesus was even aware of the nails and the thorns.  He was overwhelmed by the outer darkness.  On the cross, He was in hell, totally bereft of the grace and the presence of God, utterly separated from all blessedness of the Father.  He became a curse for us so that we one day will be able to see the face of God. God turned His back on His Son so that the light of His countenance will fall on us.  It’s no wonder Jesus screamed from the depths of His soul.” R. C. Sproul, The Truth of the Cross

“Nowhere in Scripture is the reality of God’s wrath more sharply manifested than in the forsaking of His Messiah. To be cursed of God is to be cut off from His presence and all of His benefits. The Incarnate Christ who enjoyed intimate personal fellowship with the Father, such as no man had ever enjoyed, was suddenly and completely cut off. Once the sin of man was imputed to Him, He became the virtual incarnation of evil. The load He carried was repugnant to the Father. God is too holy to even look at iniquity. God the Father turned His back upon the Son, cursing Him to the pit of hell while on the cross. Here was the Son’s ‘descent into hell.’ Here the fury of God raged against Him. His scream was the scream of the damned. For us.” R.C. Sproul, Tabletalk magazine, “My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?” (April 1990), p. 6.

‘The figure of a cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. The concept of atonement reaches back to the Old Testament where God set up a system by which the people of Israel could make atonement for their sins. To atone is to make amends, to set things right. Both the Old and New Testaments make it clear that all human beings are sinners. As our sins are against an infinite, holy God who cannot even look upon sin, atonement must be made in order for us to have fellowship with God. Because sin touches even our best acts, we are incapable of making a sufficient sacrifice. Even our sacrifices are tainted and would require a further sacrifice to cover that blemish, ad infinitum. We have no gift valuable enough, no work righteous enough to atone for our own sins. We are debtors who cannot pay their debts. In receiving the wrath of the Father on the cross, Christ was able to make atonement for His people. Christ carried, or bore, the punishment for the sins of human beings. He atoned for them by accepting the just punishment due for those sins. The Old Testament covenant pronounced a curse upon any person who broke the law of God. On the cross, Jesus not only took that curse upon Himself, but He became “a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). He was forsaken by the Father and experienced the full measure of hell on the cross.’ R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths  of The Christian Faith, 1992, 137-138

“On the cross, God’s wrath was poured out on Christ. God did strike Him, smite Him, and afflict Him – but not for any evil in Christ.” R. C. Sproul, The Truth of the Cross

‘Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all……By oppression and judgment he was taken away; … he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? …….although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. ‘ Isaiah  53:4-6,8,9

“If all that happened was the single transfer of our sins to Jesus, we would not be justified…..We must see that the righteousness of Christ that is transferred to us is the righteousness He achieved by living under the Law for thirty-three years without sinning.”  R. C. Sproul, The Truth of the Cross

‘Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. ‘Isaiah  53:10-12

‘Atonement involves substitution and satisfaction. In taking God’s curse upon Himself, Jesus satisfied the demands of God’s holy justice. He received God’s wrath for us, saving us from the wrath that is to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10). A key phrase in the Bible regarding the Atonement is the phrase, “in behalf of.” Jesus did not die for Himself, but for us. His suffering was vicarious; He was our substitute. He took our place in fulfilling the role of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. While the Father’s wrath is real, it should be noted that the atonement Christ made was not a case of the Son working against the Father’s will. It is not as if Christ were snatching His people out of the Father’s hand. The Son did not persuade the Father to save those whom the Father was loathe to save. On the contrary, both Father and Son willed the salvation of the elect and worked together to bring it to pass. As the apostle Paul wrote, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).’ R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths  of The Christian Faith, 1992, 137-138

To Download FREE MP3 Sermon “The Curse Motif of the Atonement” by Dr R C Sproul delivered  at the T4G08:

The Curse Motif of the Atonement (from Ligonier Ministries)

The Curse Motif of the Atonement (from T4G’s site)

To view or listen to a short video extract from the sermon “The Curse Motif of the Atonement” by Dr R C Sproul delivered  at the T4G08 Session V:

Related Post: The Essence of Gospel Evangelism Is To Proclaim the True Doctrine of the Cross by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Yearning for God | Ligonier Ministries

Yearning for God | Ligonier Ministries

Posted using ShareThis

‘Coram Deo: Do you yearn to see God? Reflect on His promise: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

1 John 3:1-3: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”"

The Essence of Gospel Evangelism Is To Proclaim the True Doctrine of the Cross

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote:

Martyn Lloyd Jones

The essence of evangelism is not merely to talk about the cross but to proclaim the true doctrine of the cross. There are people who talk about it, but they do so in a purely sentimental manner. They are like the daughters of Jerusalem, whom the Lord Himself rebuked, weeping as they thought of what they called the tragedy of the cross. That is not the right way to view it. There are those who regard the cross as something which exercises a kind of moral influence upon us. they say that its whole purpose is to break down our hard hearts. But that is not the biblical teaching as to its meaning. The purpose of the cross is not to arouse pity in us, neither is it merely some general display of the love of God. Not at all! It is finally understood only in terms of the law. What was happening upon the cross was that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was enduring in His own holy body the penalty prescribed by the holy law of God for the sin of man. The law condemns sin, and the condemnation that it pronounces is death. “The wages of sin is death.” The law pronounces that death must pass upon all who have sinned against God and broken His holy law. Christ says, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” One of the ways in which the law has to be fulfilled is that its punishment of sin must be carried out. This punishment is death, and that was why He died. The law must be fulfilled. God cannot put it to one side in any respect, and the punishment cannot be put on one side. God in forgiving us — let us say so clearly — does not do so by deciding not to exact the punishment that He has decreed. That would imply a contradiction of His holy nature. Whatever God says must be brought to pass. He does not go back upon Himself and upon what He says. He has said that sin has to be punished by death, and you and I can be forgiven only because the punishment has been thus exacted. In respect to its punishment of sin God’s law has been fulfilled absolutely, because He has punished sin in the holy, spotless, blameless body of His own Son there upon the cross on Calvary’s hill.  Christ is fulfilling the law on the cross, and unless you interpret the cross, and Christ’s death upon it, in strict terms of the fulfilling of the law you have not the scriptural view of the death upon the cross.

From: Martyn Lloyd-Jones -“The Sermon on the Mount” (Eerdmans, second edition in one volume, 1971, 1976), 167-168.

For a related post:  The Truth of the Cross: Jesus Christ taking God’s curse and wrath in the place of sinners

Vastness of The Universe: Showcasing The Majesty of God The Creator

Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (Isa 66:1-2).

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place (1 Kings 8:27-29).

God is immensely bigger than anything existing or what you can even imagine. The God of the Bible is a BIG God. He is not contained by space, that even “the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain” Him (1Kings 8:27). God fills His entire creation, they cannot contain Him (Jer 23:23 – 24). Lets ponder and meditate on  this truth about the infinite vastness and immenseness attribute of God. Consciously, lets put the brake on our busy lives, take the time to  meditate constantly  on this wonderful truth about God. When we grasp the true vastness of heavens, the truth about God’s infinite vastness and immenseness humbles us as we truly behold His greatness and glory and power and dominion. It is important to keep this truth in mind, for John Calvin said “men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.”. When we seek to see and understand the vastness of the universe, we will be awe by this truth about God. We will be blessed when we catch a glimpse of His awesome power and glory! Then and only then, true worship can come forth from frail and insignificant creatures. God, THE Creator, He created the earth and the entire universe. He understands the stars  and the black holes, for He made them. God is the source of infinite wisdom, we need to search no where else. When we need true wisdom, we look to Him for “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him”.

As created beings, we ought to be humble when God revealed Himself within the scriptures and when we believe Him, we will be blessed by Him. God, though infinitely vast and immense, is near to those “who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word”, it brings great peace, rejoicing and wonder into the core of our being. We shall then respond like David in that “such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.”  (Psalms 139:6).  It will always be great joy to hear  and believe the good news in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel that God, by His grace and mercy, has appointed  one and only one way, one truth and one life that sinners, like you and me,  may be reconciled to Him. He is forever a Holy and Just God.  As only those who are pure in heart will get to see God. Sinners on our own effort and strength have no hope, we can’t have the purity in our hearts because our sins and unrighteousness condemned us.  However, God has made it possible for sinners to come to Him, it is only through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  Through Jesus Christ’s great accomplishment at Calvary, God has made a Way.  It is through God the Son’s  finished work on the cross bearing their sins and atonement, God can  redeem sinners to be His children that they might know Jehovah and behold His glory, the infinitely, immensely big God, the great “I AM”  Who  is near His children and Who  hears the prayer and pleading  of those who cry out to Him (1Kings 8:28-30).

See a related post: We are not the centre of the Universe, God is.

Who is God and how are we saved? – Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Muslims

Thabiti Anyabwile has a unique perspective of explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Muslims

In these video clips from the Muslim – Christian dialogue held in Dubai 2009, Thabiti Anyabwile explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ and specifically “Who is God and how are we saved?”. This is third dialogue/debate in a series organised by the Muslim Student Association and Christian Fellowship Club from the University of Wollongong in Dubai.

Thabiti Anyabwile, currently senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman, has a remarkable testimony of being converted to Islam while being a nominal Christian, and then God called him to a true saving faith in Jesus Christ. Being a former Muslim and is now a Christian pastor, Thabiti Anyabwile has a unique perspective of explaining to Muslims the Gospel of Jesus Christ and specifically “Who is God and how are we saved?” with some very useful insights.

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Who is Jesus Christ ? – A former Muslim explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Who is Jesus Christ ? – A former Muslim explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Thabiti Anyabwile, a former muslim, explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Thabiti Anyabwile, currently senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman, is a native of Lexington, North Carolina. Thabiti Anyabwile has a remarkable testimony of being converted to Islam while being a nominal Christian, and then God called him to a true saving faith in Jesus Christ. Being a former Muslim and is now a Christian pastor, Thabiti Anyabwile has a unique perspective of explaining to Muslims the Gospel and specifically “Who is Jesus Christ ?” with some very useful insights from Islam which he once held to.

Thabiti Anyabwile began serving as elder/senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman since August 2006. He served previously as an elder/assistant pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and as an elder at Church on the Rock in Raleigh, NC.  Thabiti Anyabwile has a strong professional and academic background in community psychology, with special interest in the history and development of the African American church. Thabiti holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in psychology from North Carolina State University.

In these video clips, Thabiti Anyabwile explained “Who is Jesus Christ” at a dialogue/debate was organised by the Muslim Student Association and Christian Fellowship Club from the University of Wollongong in Dubai.

Related Post:

Who is God and how are we saved? – Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Muslims

We are not the centre of the Universe, God is.

From time to time, it is helpful  for us to take a good look at  who we we are relative to the size of God’s universe, His creation. We will be humbled as we grasp God’s immense and infinite size, God’s immense and infinite power, God’s  immense and infinite creativity and God’s  immense and infinite beauty. It helps us to  remember, we are mere creatures: dust and we are finite.

This video gives a great perspective: who we we are relative to the size of God’s universe, His creation.

The God of the Bible is a big God. He is THE Creator.  God is  not contained by space, scripture is clear even “the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain” Him (1Ki 8:27). God fills His entire creation, they cannot contain Him (Jer 23:23 – 24).

We are not the centre of the Universe, God is. Let us worship Him !

Misunderstanding Grace Without a Proper Grasp of Holiness of God

For saved believers, children of an absolutely Holy God, our call to holiness is inextricably linked to the Holiness of the God we worship. We must have a grasp of God’s holiness based on biblical truth so that we know and believe who He truly is. Without a  proper grasp of God’s holiness, we won’t know who we really are and any understanding we may have of His  grace would be meaningless. For we are wretched  and hell-deserving sinners saved by His grace.  Once we grasp the truth of God’s holiness, it will truly and must  impact our walk and our worship.

”As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1Peter 1:14 -16.

‘Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.’ Hebrews 12:28 – 29

In the book of Isaiah, it is recorded that Prophet Isaiah saw the LORD high and lifted up. “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple…..… Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:1,5). Isaiah saw the Seraphim around the throne of God and they cried out “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3.

Prophet Isaiah, viewed as righteous man of virtues in Israel, was given a view of an absolutely Holy God. Why did the Prophet Isaiah  cried out like that? In his classic book “The Holiness of God”, Dr R.C. Sproul described it vividly, “In that single moment, all his self-esteem was shattered. In a brief second he was exposed, made naked beneath the gaze of the absolute standard of holiness. As long as Isaiah could compare himself to other mortals, he was able to sustain a lofty opinion of himself to other mortals, he was able to sustain a lofty opinion of his own character. The instant he measured himself by the ultimate standard, he was destroyed – morally and spiritually annihilated. He was undone. He came apart, His sense of integrity collapsed.”

“Hence that dread and amazement with which as Scripture uniformly relates, holy men were struck and overwhelmed whenever they beheld the presence of God. When we see those who previously stood firm and secure so quaking with terror, that the fear of death takes hold of them, nay, they are, in a manner, swallowed up and annihilated, the inference to be drawn is that men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.” John Calvin, Institutes on the Christian Religion 1, part 5 Book First: Of the Knowledge of God the Creator

The grasping of the truth of God’s holiness must certainly  impact our walk as His disciple and our worship of the God. As we look to the Lord  Jesus Christ, we grasp the truth of God’s holiness as revealed in His Word.  The Holiness of God will put the God’s grace bestowed on us in its proper place.  Jesus Christ, our truth and grace, will be our greatest Joy and Treasure.

What Kind of Worship God Desires From His People ?

'to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect' Romans 12:1-2

‘Worship is not an addendum to life, it is at life’s core. You see, the people who worship God acceptably enter into eternal life, but the people who do not worship God acceptably enter into eternal death. Worship, then, becomes the core. Time and eternity are determined by the nature of a person’s worship.

Now, there are only two kinds of worship that can be offered-acceptable or unacceptable worship. The majority of the world offers unacceptable worship, and God will not accept it. The Bible is explicit on this. There are people today who say that ultimately everybody is going to be saved, but that is not true. The Bible does not say that. But it does say that there are only two kinds of worship – acceptable or unacceptable worship.‘ True Worship by John MacArthur, Jr.

In this embedded sermon, Pastor John Macarthur explained what is unacceptable worship:

1. The worship of false gods of any kind
2. The worship of the true God in a wrong form
3. The worship of the true God in a self-styled way
4. The worship of the true God in a wrong attitude or heart

True worship that is acceptable to God must not be conformed to this world. It is a form of worship from a worshiper that is reflective of the heart of a believer that has been transformed by God’s power and from a  mind that has been renewed.

‘I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.’ Rom 12:1-12

There is a right way to worship God, it is the only kind of acceptable worship that God desires.

‘Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.’  Psalms  24:3-4

There is a place for corporate worship in the lives of believers. Believers to be found gathering to worship by honoring and praising God through Jesus Christ.

‘Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.’  Hebrews 13:15-16

Reflections on the Doctrine of the Trinity

the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." Mark 1:10-11

The Trinity being of the One and only living God is something a finite creature, which man is, cannot fully grasped or explained. It is the very being of the One everlasting and ever existing God, who is The Creator. How can we fully grasp or explain it ? However, the scriptures are abundantly clear that God has revealed Himself as such. To worship God in spirit and truth, in exercising our biblical faith, we need to know God as fully as He has chosen to reveal Himself, our reliance must be based on His written Word.

What do we mean when we say the Bible declare that God is incomprehensible? When the Bible states that God is incomprehensible, we mean God through scripture is saying that there is much about Him that is still mysterious. God is simply beyond our understanding and comprehension. Augustine of Hippo was trying and struggling hard to understand the Trinity nature of God without success until he recognized the humbling fact that as a finite creature he was merely trying “to cram the ocean of God’s truth about Himself into his little box of brains”.

“There is nothing that the Father is that the Son is not, except that the Son is not the Father.” * Quote from Notes on Hebrews 1:1-4 by David Linden

There is nothing that the Father is and the Son is that the Holy Spirit is not, except that the Holy Spirit is not the Father and the Holy Spirit is not the Son.

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  Mat 3:16-17

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Cor 13:14

In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.
(Of God, and of the Holy Trinity. Chapter 2 – III. THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH -1646)

Here is a sermon by Pastor Alistair Begg expounding the Trinity truth based on the teachings as revealed in the bible.

Finding Joy in Worship – Psalm 100 by Dr. Arturo G. Azurdia

True and Joyful Worship - Psalm 100

The heart of  joyful worship is what God want from His people. Worship is what believers will do and perform before a Holy God throughout eternity. God, the LORD, is good. God alone is worthy of worship. True and joyful worship can only come about from knowing God and what He delights in (Jeremiah 9:23-34). When the Gospel blessings and grace, from our Lord Jesus Christ,  are poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, we love to come to worship the God of the Bible.  In Dr Art (Arturo)  Azurdia ’s sermon, he recounted a wisdom learned from someone he spoke with within an African American church:

We sing when we are happy.
We sing when we are not happy.
And when we are not happy, we sing until we get happy.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalms 100:1-5

Here is link to the sermon by Dr Art Azurdia:

Session 6: Finding Joy in Worship from Front Range Alliance Church on Vimeo.

This is Session 6 -”Finding Joy in Worship” based on Psalms 100 from Front Range Alliance Church’s 2009 Fall Conference with Dr. Art Azurdia.

Here is another video reminder on Worship…………it is all about the one true God, the LORD.

The Breath of the Almighty: The Holy Spirit

The Breath of the Almighty: The Holy Spirit

By Pastor Dr. Alistair Begg

at the Ligonier Ministries 2009 National Conference: “The Holiness of God”

Alistair Begg - “The Breath of the Almighty: The Holy Spirit”

Update: Embedded Video “Alistair Begg – “The Breath of the Almighty: The Holy Spirit” is no longer available on YouTube as at 24 June 2009

Please visit Ligonier Ministry’s site to download the MP3 or get the full its DVD on the 2009 National Conference: “The Holiness of God”

For a good blog post on notes taken from this sermon.

For another sermon by Alistair Begg on “Reflections on the Doctrine of Trinity”.

My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe - Hebrews 12:28

“My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness“

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who bore my pain;
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
And gave me life again;
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness
And clothed me in His light
And wrote His law of righteousness
With pow’r upon my heart.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside;
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly;
Whose ev’ry promise is enough
For ev’ry step I take,
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To him who reigns above,
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace,
Whose ev’ry thought is love.
For ev’ry day I have on earth
Is given by the King;
So I will give my life, my all,
To love and follow him.

“My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness“
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music

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My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness

Job: When the Righteous Suffer, Part 2 by John Piper

In life, all Christians will go through suffering and pain in varying degrees. As Christians we are urged to be steadfast under trials, tribulations and sufferings and to consider those examples in scriptures like Job, who remained steadfast in faith and triumphed.

In this second sermon from the Book of Job, John Piper urged us to study the Word of God carefully, discover and acknowledge God’s Sovereignty over our lives. Our lives are totally in His hands: “man proposes and God disposes”. The God of the Bible is good, He is not capricious. God can be trusted, we must put our faith in Him.

As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. James 5:10-11

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Jas 1:12

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. Job 19:25-27

Then Job answered the LORD and said:”I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.  ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;  therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes. Job 42:1-6

For a transcript of this message by John Piper, follow this link  Job: When the Righteous Suffer, Part 2

For the first sermon (1 of 2), visit this earlier post : Job: When the Righteous Suffer, Part 1 by John Piper