The Differences Between Law and Gospel

“The law requires works of human achievement; the gospel requires faith in Christ’s achievement. The law makes demands and bids us obey; the gospel brings promises and bids us believe.”

--John Stott, The Message of Galatians

HT: Of First Importance

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Justin Taylor has a great post this morning that points you to a number of resources on the late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who departed this life 29 years ago today. Check it out here.

True Wisdom and True Understanding

Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding. --Job 28:28

The next time you pray for wisdom and for understanding, keep this verse in mind!

Surely Christ Thy Griefs Has Borne

Surely Christ Thy Griefs Has Borne
Augustus Toplady, 1740-1778

Surely Christ thy griefs has borne;
Weeping soul, no longer mourn:
View Him bleeding on the tree,
Pouring out His life for thee;
There thy every sin He bore;
Weeping soul, lament no more.

All thy crimes on Him were laid:
See, upon His blameless head
Wrath its utmost vengeance pours,
Due to my offence and yours;
Wounded in our stead He is,
Bruised for our iniquities.

Weary sinner, keep thine eyes
On th' atoning sacrifice;
There th' incarnate Deity,
Numbered with transgressors, see;
There, His Father's absence mourns,
Nailed and bruised, and crowned with thorns.

See thy God His head bow down,
Hear the Man of Sorrows groan!
For thy ransom there condemned,
Stripped, derided, and blasphemed;
Bleed the guiltless for the' unclean,
Made an offering for thy sin.

Cast thy guilty soul on Him,
Find Him mighty to redeem;
At His feet thy burden lay,
Look thy doubts and cares away;
Now by faith the Son embrace,
Plead His promise, trust His grace.

Lord, Thine arm must be revealed,
Ere I can by faith be healed;
Since I scarce can look to Thee,
Cast a gracious eye on me:
At Thy feet myself I lay;
Shine, O shine, my fears away!

Thank God for Feeling Your Sinfulness

Ponder the glorious truth of this quote from J.C. Ryle:

He that has any feeling of his own sinfulness, ought to thank God for it. That very sense of weakness, wickedness, and corruption, which perhaps makes you uncomfortable, is in reality a token for good, and a cause for praise. The first step towards being really good is to feel bad. The preparation for heaven is to know that we deserve hell. Before we can be counted righteous we must know ourselves to be miserable sinners. Before we can have inward happiness and peace with God, we must learn to be ashamed and confounded because of our manifold transgressions. Before we can rejoice in a well-grounded hope, we must be taught to say, “Unclean, unclean! God, be merciful to me a sinner!”

HT: Eric Kowalker

Ligon Duncan on the Non-Negotiables of the Gospel

A Debtor, an Enemy, a Criminal

Tim Challies posted an excellent reflection on the early part of R.C. Sproul's book, The Truth of the Cross, where Sproul describes the human condition with three biblical concepts: debtors, enemies, and criminals. It is well worth your own reflection as you ponder how Christ saves you from each of these conditions.

Read it here.

Two Things Every Preacher Must Have in His Proverbial Toolbox

Every preacher ought to utilize these two items:

• A microscope - to analyze the details of the biblical passage being studied (i.e., for zooming in)

• A telescope - to see how the biblical passage being studied fits into the larger context of the entire redemptive story of the Bible (i.e., for zooming out)

Falling on Deaf Ears

Al Mohler's recent article explores why so many churches hear so little of the Bible. Here is an excerpt:

Indeed, in many churches there is very little reading of the Bible in worship, and sermons are marked by attention to the congregation's concerns - not by an adequate attention to the biblical text. The exposition of the Bible has given way to the concerns, real or perceived, of the listeners. The authority of the Bible is swallowed up in the imposed authority of congregational concerns.

...In many churches, there is almost no public reading of the Word of God. Worship is filled with music, but congregations seem disinterested in listening to the reading of the Bible. We are called to sing in worship, but the congregation cannot live only on the portions of Scripture that are woven into songs and hymns. Christians need the ministry of the Word as the Bible is read before the congregation and God's people -- young and old, rich and poor, married and unmarried, sick and well -- hear it together. The sermon is to consist of the exposition of the Word of God, powerfully and faithfully read, explained, and applied. It is not enough that the sermon take a biblical text as its starting point.

How can so many of today's churches demonstrate what can only be described as an impatience with the Word of God? The biblical formula is clear -- the neglect of the Word can only lead to disaster, disobedience, and death. God rescues his church from error, preserves his church in truth, and propels his church in witness only by his Word -- not by congregational self-study.

Read the whole article here.

The Hope of Spring and the Hope of the Gospel

Death Brings Resurrection
© M. Justin Wainscott, 2010

The fallen leaves
From autumn trees,
Descend to their earthly tomb;
Yet limbs which shed
Their leaves all dead
Trust new life again will bloom.

‘Cause little mounds
Of lifeless browns
Are only half the story;
For, lively green
Will soon be seen
With Spring and all its glory.

‘Tis all a sign
Of truth divine
Revealed for our reflection;
As one life ends,
A new begins –
Yes, death brings resurrection.

Bunyan's Picture of a True Gospel Pastor

From John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (Christian has just arrived at the house of the Interpreter):

So [the Interpreter] commanded His servant to light the candle and then asked Christian to follow Him to a private room that, when the manservant opened the door, revealed a picture of a very grave person hanging on the wall. This is what the man in the picture looked like: he had eyes lifted up to Heaven, the best of books in his hand, the law of truth written upon his lips, the world behind his back. He stood as if pleading with men, and a crown of gold hung over his head.

Then said Christian, "What does this mean?"

"The man in this picture represents one of a thousand: he can conceive children, travail in birth with children, and nurse them himself when they are born. You see him with his eyes lifted up to Heaven, the best of books in his hand and the law of truth written on his lips. All this is to show you that his work is to know and unfold dark things to sinners. You see him pleading with men, the world cast behind him, and a crown hanging over his head to show you that by rejecting and despising the things of this present world for the love that he has for his Master's service, he is sure to have glory as his reward in the world to come. I have shown you this picture first because the man whom it represents is the only man authorized by the Lord of the place where you are going to be your guide in all the difficult places you will encounter on the way. So pay attention to what I have shown you, and keep this picture foremost in your mind, so that if you meet with someone who doesn't resemble this picture's likeness but who pretends to lead you in the right way, you will not follow him down to destruction."

Ash Wednesday

From the Ash Wednesday liturgy:

Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

Why Spurgeon Believed in the Doctrine of Election (and I Do Too)

"I believe in the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love."

--Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Noteworthy Quotes on Preaching

• I never want to preach a sermon that would still be true if Jesus had not died on the cross. (Ed Stetzer)

• Let a good expositional ministry be established and watch what happens. Forget what the experts say. Watch hungry people have their lives transformed as the living God speaks to them through the power of His Word. (Mark Dever)

• Much of what emanates from modern pulpits would not be recognized by history’s great preachers as being Bible-based and glorifying to God. Rather than the spiritual meat the Body of Christ needs – marked by doctrinal clarity, a sense of gravity, convincing argument, and a proper focus on Christ–entire churches are being administered a sweet but substanceless snack by their pastors. Consequently, congregations leave the sanctuary malnourished and ill-prepared to stand firm when their faith is challenged. (Alistair Begg)

• Throughout the history of the church the greatest preachers have been those who have recognized that they have no authority in themselves, and have seen their task as being to explain the words of Scripture and apply them clearly to the lives of their hearers. Their preaching has drawn its power not from the proclamation of their own Christian experiences or the experiences of others, nor from their own opinions, creative ideas, or rhetorical skills, but from God's powerful words. Essentially, they stood in the pulpit, pointed to the biblical text, and said in effect to the congregation, "This is what this verse means. Do you see that meaning here as well? Then you must believe it and obey it with all your heart, for God himself, your Creator and your Lord, is saying this to you today!" Only the written words of Scripture can give this kind of authority to preaching. (Wayne Grudem)

• The gospel is preached in the ears of all men; it only comes with power to some. The power that is in the gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher; otherwise men would be converters of souls. Nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning; otherwise it would consist of the wisdom of men. We might preach till our tongues rotted, till we should exhaust our lungs and die, but never a soul would be converted unless there were mysterious power going with it – the Holy Ghost changing the will of man. O Sirs! We might as well preach to stone walls as preach to humanity unless the Holy Ghost be with the Word, to give it power to convert the soul. (Charles Spurgeon)

HT: Ray Ortlund, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Colin Adams

'Tis a Strange Mysterious Life

Kindle, Savior, in My Heart
John Newton, 1725-1807

Kindle, Savior, in my heart,
A flame of love divine;
Hear, for mine I trust Thou art,
And sure I would be Thine.
If my soul has felt Thy grace,
If to me Thy name is known,
Why should trifles fill the place
Due to Thyself alone?

'Tis a strange mysterious life
I live from day to day;
Light and darkness, peace and strife,
Bear an alternate sway.
When I think the battle won,
I have to fight it o'er again;
When I say I'm overthrown,
Relief I soon obtain.

Often at the mercy seat,
While calling on Thy name,
Swarms of evil thoughts I meet,
Which fill my soul with shame;
Agitated in my mind,
Like a feather in the air,
Can I thus a blessing find?
My soul, can this be prayer?

But when Christ, my Lord and Friend,
Is pleased to show His power;
All at once my troubles end,
And I've a golden hour.
Then I see His smiling face,
Feel the pledge of joys to come;
Often, Lord, repeat this grace,
Till Thou shalt call me home.