Yearly Archives: 2014

TOOTHPASTE (sex appeal), MOTORCYCLE PARTS (sexy parts), AIR CONDITIONER (your wife is hot, better get your a/c fixed)

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It’s all around us. No matter where you turn, where you go, what you do – sex is in your face because it sells. Even the title to this post will bring in more hits because of the subject. Is that why I used the word – to get more hits, to get your attention? What if God used sex to get your attention – would you be interested in what he wanted to say?

“That depends,” says the broken heart. The heart does not even want to hear about sex if sex is not object of sex. But sex is not ultimate – it’s penultimate. That is, sex serves to communicate, to sell you on something that is more satisfying than sex. Still interested?

I hope you are. In the image of God, “male and female he made them,” you were made a sexual being to know something of the one who made you. But our advertising industry is not stupid: they know how to market a product that will sell on the basis of temporary pleasure and beauty rather than eternal pleasure and beauty – which is what you need most! This is why they get it all wrong when it comes to sex. What mankind needs most is to know the one that created such pleasure. God created sex to point to a pleasurable relationship that he offers sinners, yes, sinners who would give anything to simply be cherished, held, comforted, forgiven, made alive, loved and taken care of forever. This is why God used sex to entice his people to see what he was offering them.

In, Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, John Piper and Justin Taylor taught me this truth:

God used marital love-making to describe his relationship to his people:

“On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born. And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, “Live!” I said to you in your blood, “Live!” I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. . .” (Ezekiel 16:4-10a) [note: clearly God likes his wife in leather!]

God also used sexual language to paint a picture of our love for lesser things than him:

“Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God. But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. . . .  Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings (Ezek. 16:13-16, 32, 33).

God uses sexual language to describe his response to our love affair with anything less than him:

“Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness” (Ezek. 16:35-37).

But Christ will pay the price for your sexual infidelity with his own blood.

“For thus says the Lord God: I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant, yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God. . . this is the cup of the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you” (Ezek. 16:59-63; Luke 22:20).

As Piper closes on this great truth:

“God created us in his image, male and female, with personhood and sexual passions so that when he comes to us in this world there would be these powerful words and images and feelings to describe the promises and the pleasures of our covenant relationship with him through Christ. God made us powerfully sexual so that he would be known deeply. We were given the power to know each other sexually so that we might have some hint of what it will be like to know Christ supremely. Therefore, all misuses of our sexuality distort the true knowledge of God. God means for human sexual life to be a pointer and foretaste of our relationship with him.”

This is why God created sex: in giving us this kind of intimacy in marriage, he would use this gift to lure us to himself. This is why the advertising industry doesn’t have a clue as to what great misuse they are doing with God’s gift. They are selling sex as ultimate. But God created sex to show us something greater.

How do you know Jesus loves you?

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“For the Bible tells me so” is for many, their child-like (not childish) response. And this is ok – for children. But let’s grow in our understanding. This question is not the same thing as asking, “Do you love Jesus?” Some people would answer no, they do not love Jesus, and yet believe that Jesus loves them. Why so? Because they say, “he died for me.”

Sticker-Shock: If you don’t love Jesus then you have no assurance that he loves you! That may hit you like a 7.0 on the Richter scale and rattle you a bit, but it’s true. I’ll show you from Jesus himself.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you” – John 15:12-14

Let’s state something that, for many, comes as a surprise: The Bible does not record Jesus saying to anyone, “I love you.” For Jesus, love is something far deeper and goes beyond mere sentimental expression, and cannot be taken for granted. So let’s break down Jesus’ words to his disciples as he gave them on the night that he would die for them.

1. Jesus predicates the command that his disciples “love one another” (that is, all other lovers of Jesus Christ) based upon his love for them – “as I have loved you.”

The disciples will come to know soon the meaning of this. But for now, they have no idea that a cross for Jesus is just a few hours away. Still, they can accept this because sacrificing one’s own life for another is, in anyone’s mind, an act of love. Jesus speaks in the past tense, “as I have loved you,” because Scripture often declares things in the present that are yet in the future – It’s a done deal! Though Jesus has not died for them he can catapult his statement into the future over their heads as if he has already died for them. His impending death for his disciples is so sure that he can speak of it in the past tense.

2. Jesus invokes “friends” as the recipients of his love. But you are not a friend of Jesus if you do not keep his commandments. And if you do not keep his commandments, then you have no assurance that he loves you by dying for you. Clearly then, Jesus does not love everyone – he does not, in a real sense of the scope of scripture, love everyone equally. You cannot be a lover of the world without making yourself an enemy of God (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15). You cannot suppose to love what money can do for you and yet think that Jesus still knows you with a covenantal love (Matt. 6:24, 7:21-23). You cannot minimize your level of commitment to him and still expect Jesus’ level of commitment to you to remain all lovey-dovey (John 2:24, 6:66, 67).

In John’s letter, he says that you know Jesus loves you IF you confess that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 4:15, 16). In fact, if you do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way of salvation with faith and repentance of sins, the wrath of God remains upon you (John 3:36). You cannot reject Christ and still say, “Jesus loves me.”

3. Jesus only loves those who will keep his commandments – Jesus will only “lay down his life” for those who prove their friendship to Jesus, for those who are his sheep (John 10:14-16). Notice then that Jesus is not saying, “I’ll be your friend if you keep my commandments.” It is not Jesus who needs to prove his love, his loyalty, his friendship, to his disciples. But rather it is they who need to prove their friendship to him. This is how they will know that Jesus loves them – “if” they keep his commandments. In other words, if you and I do not keep his commandments, proving our friendship to Jesus, then we have no assurance that Jesus loves us. Do you want assurance that Jesus loves you? Then love Jesus and all other lovers of Jesus as well (1 John 4:17-21).

The Word does teach that God loves sinners, in general (John 3:16), but with the same verse God will see to it that those who do not love his Son, whom he graciously sent, “will perish.” With a greater understanding, we sing, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me to love Jesus – and that I will do.” I love him because he first loved me (1 John 4:19). But my knowledge that he loves me is based upon whether or not I “obey his commandments,” “keep his commandments” and “overcome the world” – which means to turn away from the sin that the world loves (1 John 5:1-5). Only those who have been born of God, first, are then capable of loving Jesus. And only those who have been “born of God” can have assurance that Jesus loves them (1 John 5:1-5, 13).

Q. How do you know that Jesus loves you?

A. Do you love Jesus?

A Valentine Day!

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Looking out our room at the Embassy Suites in Peoria, IL. The Illinois River just got a fresh coat of snow. It’s a day of love – where is my true love??????

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“Oh my true love, Will you be my Valentine?”

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I’m beginning to feel at home!

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I feel so loved ’bout right now – look at all that ammo and guns.

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Ok. Here she is: my truest love. This was the best Valentines Day ever (see pics above:)

Evolution vs. God

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Nearly 40 minutes of some of the most fascinating questions and answers about what we all think about: Who Am I? How Did I Get Here? And if I am an Atheist, Why Do I Work So Hard to Believe that There is no God?

Ray Comfort is one the best public apologists and evangelists of our day. In this presentation of live interview on the UCLA campus, Ray questions both students and professors who believe that there is no God – based on “fact.” By the time he is finished questioning them, he shows them that not only is Evolution a false belief system that denies the existence of God, but that God does exist and sent his Son, Jesus. This presentation can be purchased at this website for $2 each if you buy 10 or more, to give away to friends who do not know Christ because they think that God does not exist and that Evolution is the Truth.

http://www.evolutionvsgod.com/

Enjoy!

Wisdom for another year: Rest in God’s Sovereignty, #10 of 10.

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Wisdom says,

“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.     All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit.      Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.                                The LORD has made everything for it’s purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble . .  The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.                            The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” Proverbs 16:1-4, 9b; 21:1

Notice a few things from God’s Word:

1. God’s control of all things does not nullify your plans and work. But his control does trump your plans and work in such a way that what you plan to do never takes place outside of his complete control of your life.

2. If that is true, your heart will either cynically say, “then it doesn’t matter what I do,” or it will joyfully say, “then I will work and plan, trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment of his will upon my life.”

3. All evil in the world is under God’s control to corral it to the day of judgement. He turns the heart of the most wicked dictator in whatever direction that serves the ultimate goal to magnify King Jesus as the true King of kings and Lord of lords. And if the most powerful dictator in the world can easily be man-handled by God, then all the power-brokers and suits and CEO’s in the world are no challenge; even mothers who sit on their influential thrones ruling over PTA meetings and community boards, demanding their “rights” while not loving Jesus and submitting their lives to his Lordship will also come face to face with his Majesty.

The Lord said through Joshua,

“Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. For it was the LORD’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the LORD commanded Moses” – Joshua 11:18-20.

In the full scope of Scripture and Salvation history, lovers of Jesus Christ can rest in God’s control of evil in the world. Evil will not win the day in the end. God is not creating fresh evil in innocent hearts, but he is seeing to it that opposition to his gospel will only serve to prove that you cannot oppose God, thinking that your rebellion will undermine his rule. All opposition to Jesus Christ will only serve the ultimate goal of exalting his Authority over all things, including evil.

This solid truth does not cause apathy, but rather peaceful consolation in the hearts of those who follow Christ. All fussiness and fretfulness of living in an evil world is put to rest.

Wisdom for another Year: “2014 Desiring God Pastor’s Conference,” #9 of 10.

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photo

This is a pic of our gang from Grace Community Church in the background on the steps, with John Piper in the foreground getting his picture taken with another attendee. We thought it best to just get a pic with pastor John like this.

Have you noticed that wisdom comes in short snippets of truth? (read Proverbs)

This year’s theme was focused on our Union with Christ, as John Piper, Sinclair Ferguson, Paul Tripp, Jared Wilson, and Michael Horton each taught and reminded us of what we have in Christ. As a forgiven sinner, I am “in Christ” as Paul says so many times in his letters, and Christ is “in me” (John 15). This is what it means to be a Christian: my identity is in Christ and not in my past sins, my failures, or even my achievements. My life is “hidden in Christ.”  I am in Christ and Christ is in me. We are inseparable for eternity. Christ will not, indeed, he cannot exist without me, being united to me in his baptism, death, burial, and resurrection, as he cannot exist without being who he is as the Bridegroom of his elect Church. Christ’s Church was wedded to him before the creation of the world. The Church, the elect of the Father for his Son, was a transaction that permanently united me to Christ: Faith did not save me – Christ saved me, by faith. All that I have is in Christ! What a peaceful, joyful – even loving place to dwell, safe in the arms of Christ.

John Piper is fond of saying, “sometimes a sentence, or a word in a sentence opens your eyes to see new things in Christ.” As these men opened God’s Word to us, here are some tidbits of wisdom from their bible teaching – Enjoy!

“The Fall [into sin] shows us how weak we are. It doesn’t take much to destroy us. Clearly, man is not very strong” – Jared Wilson

“Pastoring a church can be summarized with two goals: you are to persuade those who are under the dominion of sin that they are. And you are to persuade those who are no longer under the dominion of sin that they are not” – a paraphrase of John Owen by Sinclair Ferguson.

“Jesus was baptized [identified] into my sin in the Jordan, so that I may receive his baptism [identification] of righteousness by faith” – Sinclair Ferguson

“False religion is like a man who runs up an escalator that is coming down to him. God must come down to you – you cannot run up to God” – Michael Horton

“What do you think about when you have nothing to think about? For Paul, his mind drifted to “in Christ” as the most pleasurable place to rest” – Sinclair Ferguson

“The Church needs not new programs but new people who know what it means to be “in Christ'” – Sinclair Ferguson

“Satan is The Identity Theft. He steals who we are in Christ” – Sinclair Ferguson

“If Christ indwells them [your brothers and sisters in Christ], then do not be slow to embrace them” – Sinclair Ferguson

“There is no Union with Christ apart from the communion with the saints. The hand cannot be connected to the head apart from the arm” – Sinclair Ferguson

“Pray that you will always desire to know more of the fullness of Christ (Eph 3). We all live at levels of dissatisfaction with what we know about Christ – you know, and yet, you don’t know what more there is to know” – John Piper

“Like Hudson Taylor, sometimes you need to stop praying and start receiving that which you are praying for – Jesus is standing right in front of you with what you ask – RECEIVE IT – IT’s YOURS!!” – John Piper

“Don’t judge a person by their present place of sanctification, but by the distance they have traveled to get where they are” – Sinclair Ferguson quotes John Owen

Wisdom for another year: “The Safety of a Great Friendship,” #8 of 10.

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You know that you have found a great friend when you can share your deepest fears and happiest moments with. You also know that you have found a true friend when that person becomes a source of hope for you to live for Christ. For a Christian, your greatest friend will be someone who would love you enough to speak into your life if you were straying from Christ. For a Christian, your greatest friend will not be afraid of your rejection if they admonished you to repent of anger, or to turn away from selfish habits that are hurting others. Wisdom says,

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy” – (Proverbs 27:6).

A true friend will point you to the safety of Christ;

an enemy will point you to something else.

When I was 18 [Fall of 1982], single, and somewhat afraid and lonely, God used a song to comfort and remind me how close and near Christ is to me – that he would be my best friend all my life. I was a new student at a bible college, in another state – far away from home and familiar faces. In those days, I was venturing out of my southern gospel roots for Christian Music of a different sound. I didn’t know who James Taylor was and I didn’t know that “You’ve Got A Friend” was not a “Christian” song. I heard the song [written in 1971 by Carole King], can’t remember where I was  – but I thought that this was a Christian song because as much as I knew of scripture in those days, that’s what Jesus would say to me if I was lonely. Jesus would say,

“When you’re down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothin’, nothin’ is goin’ right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come runnin’ to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there
You’ve got a friend

Listen to this song, and imagine that you have never heard it before. You’re lonely and troubled, and you think that you have turned your radio dial to a Christian station and you hear this . . .

The reason why this song became such a smash hit is because everyone wants and needs a friend who will come running when you need them. This world can be a very lonely and dark place at times. There is something wrong and we all know it – but we all don’t know Jesus. This deep desire to have a friend is because we were made to have fellowship and communion with God. I know of no friend who can fully keep a promise like, “anytime you need me for any reason – I’ll be there,” other than Jesus. Wise king Solomon also said this,

“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” –  (Proverbs 18:24). 

In the scope of what Scripture was aiming at, Jesus Christ would become that friend who will and can do what no family member can: forgive your sins and love you forever, for it was King Jesus who said that he is here and is greater than Solomon (Matt. 12:42).

I have been blessed to have several great friendships in this life: my parents and extended family members, people along the way of life in education and my church family, and especially my wife – but no has been a friend like Jesus. You will only have a few great friendships in your entire life. Your best friendships in your life should be someone who loves Jesus more than you. That way, if you begin to lose your way, your friends will risk losing you to point you back to Christ – your best friend. The safety of a great friendship in this life is priceless!

Wisdom for another Year: “Protect yourself from becoming a Scoffer,” #7 of 10

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A scoffer is someone who will not listen to the wisdom of others. To the scoffer, all advice sounds silly. To the scoffer, he is wise in his own eyes. To the scoffer, anyone who disagrees with him is wrong. To the scoffer, if anyone does agree with him, it’s because you have seen the light. To the scoffer, all personal failures and slips are mere oversights of judgement that was due to a lack of information; scoffers always see themselves as doing right with whatever information is given them. To the scoffer, it’s always someone else’s fault. To the scoffer, special inside-knowledge is his privilege, not yours.

“Sadly, some people just don’t listen. They are too self-assured. Reasonable discourse leaves them unsatisfied, because they are unsatisfiable. They do not feel that you understand them until you agree with them. The only acceptable outcome is their outcome, which they will pursue relentlessly. The Bible calls this kind of person a scoffer (Proverbs 9:7-8; 13:1; 15:12; 21:24). He (or she) might be a highly impressive person outwardly. Very able. A strong personality. Convincing. But even in little ways (“. . . winks with his eyes”), this person sows discord in their church — small provocations with big impact.”

Here is godly wisdom,

“Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse . . . Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it” – Proverbs 9:7-12

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a real diagnosis in the Psychiatric world.

“Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by a long-standing  pattern of grandiosity (either in fantasy or actual behavior), an overwhelming need for admiration,  and usually a complete lack of empathy  toward others.  People with this disorder often believe they are of primary importance in everybody’s life or  to anyone they meet . . . People with narcissistic personality disorder often display snobbish, disdainful, or patronizing attitudes. For example, an individual with this disorder may complain about a clumsy waiter’s “rudeness” or “stupidity” or conclude a medical evaluation with a condescending evaluation of the physician.”

Symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

In order for a person to be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) they must meet five or more of the following  symptoms:

  • Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
  • Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
  • Believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
  • Requires excessive admiration
  • Has a very strong sense of entitlement, e.g., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
  • Is exploitative of others, e.g., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
  • Lacks empathy, e.g., is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
  • Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
  • Regularly shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

To date, there is no real diagnosis for what causes NPD, nor is there a real successful treatment, though professional counseling does help some. The only proven treatment to break the arrogance is for God to completely break down the person’s life to the point that he or she has nothing to boast about at all – like Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel, where God took everything away and made him live like a crazy bird in the forest (Daniel 4:28-37).

So let us heed this advice from the Lord:

“You guard your heart from becoming a scoffer by comparing yourself to me. In My Presence, what is there that you have done or possess or accomplished, that you can boast as if you have gained or achieved without me? What is it that you have that you did not get from me?”

This is where wisdom begins and scoffing ends – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

What The Abortion-minded Do Not Want

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The Abortion Industry is not shy about finding a way to discover genetic abnormalities before birth so that they can have a legal right to abort your baby against your will – it’s too costly upon the welfare system to take care of handicapped humans.

But watch and listen to this clip and ask yourself: What else in the world would generate such compassion, sacrifice, self-forgetfulness, devotion, admiration, perseverance, love, faith, hope, joy, peace, and self-control – in a young boy?

This is what the Abortion Industry is destroying: Not only a human, but our humanity!