Manifesting Humility Toward God

What does humility before God look like?

Wayne Mack gives us 10 ways humility is manifested:

1. by the free and sincere confession of one's insignificance.

2. by a complete lack of trust in one's own heart and complete dependence on God for all things.

3. by totally renouncing any glory coming from our own good and by giving all glory to God for all things.

4. by respecting, receiving, and responding to the Word of God.

5. by completely submitting to God's will even if His will is difficult.

6. by submitting oneself to the providences of God without complaint.

7. by delighting in the worship and praise of God.

8. by continually seeking God in prayer.

9. by considering it a privilege to serve Christ in any capacity (a privilege that we are not worthy of or deserving).

10. by being willing to acknowledge God's infinite wisdom and knowledge.

Wayne Mack, Humility: The Forgotten Virtue, chapter 2.

Dug Down Deep

Josh Harris' new book will be available soon: Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why it Matters.

One of the Best New Books I've Read: Counsel from the Cross

Counsel from the Cross: Connecting Broken People to the Love of Christ is one of the best new books I've read. This is a good and helpful book that should find a place on your reading list very soon. Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson team up to expose the power of the Cross in helping ourselves and others grow in grace.

They write, "When we lose the centrality of the cross, Christianity morphs into a religion of self-improvement and becomes about us, about our accomplishments, and about getting our act together."

In this book you will find solid Biblical exposition, helpful illustrations, gripping case studies, nitty gritty application, and rich gospel content. If the gospel of Jesus Christ has become stale and boring, you need this book. The authors remind us again and again how Christ's life, death, resurrection, and ascension relate to everything in our lives.

Get and read this book. You won't be disappointed.

Live to See Lust Dead at Your Feet

John Owen's counsel on how to mortify sin:

"Set faith at work on Christ for the killing of your sin. His blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls. Live in this, and you will die a conqueror; yea, you will, through the good providence of God, live to see your lust dead at your feet."

Overcoming Sin and Temptation, p. 131.

The errand boy of our desires

"In our idolatry we make gifts out to be supreme gods, and make the Giver into the errand boy of our desires."

-Powlison, Seeing with New Eyes, p. 135.

Make this your Business

Chapter 1 of John Owen's Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers contains a fantastic outline and meditation on Romans 8:13: "If you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body you shall live."

Here is Owen's outline:

-A duty prescribed: “Mortify the sins…”
-The persons to whom it is prescribed: “if YOU mortify."
-A promise annexed to the duty: “You shall live.”
-The cause or means of the performance of this duty: “if through the Spirit.”
-The conditionality of the whole proposition: “IF you…”

Thesis:
"The choicest believers,
who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin,
ought yet to make it their business all their days
to mortify the indwelling power of sin."

Owen says:
"The vigor, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life
depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh."

Seek Wisdom As If Your Life Depends on It

We all lack wisdom. How do we seek wisdom?

1. Ask God - "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God..." (James 1:5).
2. Get to know God - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10).
3. Seek Godly counsel - "Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom..." (Proverbs 19:20).
4. Saturate yourself in the Scriptures - "...the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise..." (2 Timothy 3:15).
5. Treasure Jesus Christ - "in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom..." (Colossians 2:3).

2 Kinds of Wisdom

In James 3:13-18, we are given a framework to evaluate our lives. James says we are either ruled by the wisdom of the world or the wisdom of God. So, which kind of wisdom controls you?

The World's Wisdom:
Origin: earthly, unspiritual, demonic (v. 15).
Characterisitcs: bitter jealousy and selfish ambition (v. 14, 16).
Results: disorder and every evil practice (v. 16).

God's Wisdom:
Origin: from above; from God (v. 17).
Characteristics: humble, pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere (v. 13, 17).
Results: a harvest of righteousness (v. 18).

The Best Single Chapter on Preaching

One of the best books on preaching is Christ-Centered Preaching by Bryan Chapell. However, the best single chapter on preaching is a chapter in Chapell's new book on worship: Christ-Centered Worship. Preachers, get this book for chapter 20 (it is worth the price of the book).

Here is a taste:
"Most preachers approach the text with only one question in mind: What does this text instruct me to tell my people to do? But if we only tell people what to do without leading them to understand their dependence on the Savior to obey, then they will either be led to despair (I cannot do this) or false pride (If I work hard enough, I can do this). No one can serve God apart from Christ. A message full of imperatives (e.g., Be like...a commendable Bible character; Be good...by adopting these moral behaviors; Be disciplined...by diligence in these practices) but devoid of grace is antithetical to the gospel. These "be messages" are not wrong in themselves, but by themselves they are spiritually deadly because they imply that our path to God is made by our works."

Counterfeit Gods Now Available

You can now order Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller and get it on its release date (next Tuesday).

Here is my short review of it.

Philippians Pillar Commentary

The newest edition to the Pillar Commentary Series is now available. You can get it for 35% off at WTS books.

Retreat Companions

Along with my Bible (particularly the book of Micah), these will be my companions for my Fall retreat next week:

1. Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen
2. Fearless Pilgrim (Bunyan Biography)
3. Seeing with New Eyes by David Powlison

It is sure nice of Owen, Bunyan, and Powlison to take time to instruct me given their busy schedules.

The Call to Worship

I'm not an expert on the history of worship services. I have not taken any surveys. I simply want to make a basic observation: It seems to me that one of the aspects of corporate worship that the modern church growth/seeker sensitive movement has pushed to the side is the Scriptural Call to Worship.

For centuries, worship services have started with a clear, hearty, and compelling call to worship God. Someone stood up, read God's Word, and said something like, "In light of who God is and what He has done, let us worship Him."

I don't get to attend a lot of different worship services (for obvious reasons). However, in the last 10 years, I have noticed that something very different begins most services. You almost expect something funny or loud to begin a corporate gathering. As a college student, I can remember countless gatherings where the Bible wasn't even opened until after the singing. Or, I've come to expect that whoever "starts" the service will begin with a joke to ease everyone into the atmosphere.

I'm not saying that every corporate gathering has to look the same or follow the same order of service. I am saying that there are good and Biblical reasons to normally begin with a Scriptural Call to Worship. Here are a few:

1. God is the initiator of worship. As in every aspect of life, God is the first-mover. God initiated the creation of the world. God initiated the nation of Israel. God initiated the plan of salvation. God initiated our personal salvation. God will initiate the end of this age through the coming of Christ. This is the pattern of everything: God initiates. So, we should reflect this pattern (as much as possible) in our corporate gatherings.

2. Worship is a response to God's nature and actions. God initiates; we respond. God reveals Himself; we worship Him. God speaks; we listen and obey. We need to position ourselves under God's Word as quickly as possible when we gather.

3. Worship is based on the character of God. If we try to worship God apart from His self-revelation, we will end up worshiping a false god. God is a specific God, with attributes and desires and plans. The only way to ensure that we actually worship God is to fill our minds with how He has revealed Himself.

4. We cannot worship God apart from the work of Christ. The main reason we need a Call to Worship is to be reminded that apart from Christ, our worship would be completely unacceptable to God. We must always approach God through the person and work of the Son.

Bryan Chapell's new book has a great chapter with examples and resources on the Call to Worship: Christ-Centered Worship.

For 3 years, my church read through the Psalms as a Call to Worship. You can read my post on that here.

The Power of the Tongue

Our ability to communicate with words is a wonderful gift of God. God designed human beings with the unique capability of speaking words that communicate what we think and feel and desire.

Think about it: words are one of the things that distinguish human beings from every other creature. Cows can moo, dogs bark, pigs oink, monkeys squeal, and lions roar.

Animals can make noises but only humans can talk with words. This is one of the most clear ways we were created in God’s image. God is a communicator. It is in God’s very nature to communicate Himself. So, He has made us to reflect His image by giving us tongues and vocal cords that have the ability to express ourselves.

Primarily, our tongues were created to praise and exalt God and to invite others to do the same. Words exist so that God’s glory might be seen and God’s purposes might be accomplished.

James 3:1-12 addresses the power of our words by giving us 4 aspects of the tongue that make controlling what we say so important:

1. The Tongue is Small but Powerful (v. 2-5).
2. The Tongue can be Incredibly Destructive (v. 6-8).
3. The Tongue is Humanly Untamable (v. 7-8).
4. The Tongue is Inconsistent (v. 9-12).

So, in response to this passage, ask yourself some penetrating questions:
-Do you use clean language?
-Do you speak the truth?
-Do you justify “little” “white” lies?
-Do you exaggerate the truth to make yourself look good?
-Do you speak well of people?
-Do you participate in gossip or the spreading of rumors?
-Do you complain and grumble about others?
-Does your speech glorify God?

A Few Clearance Books to Take Note Of

1. Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross (50% off).
2. Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching (50% off).
3. Charity and Its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards (50% off).
4. Letters of John Newton (50% off).

What is your heart set upon?

"...if riches increase, set not your heart on them." -Psalm 62:10

10 Reasons We Need to be Reminded of the Gospel Everyday (about the gospel)

The gospel message itself contains the most powerful reasons why we need to constantly remind ourselves of it.

1. The gospel reveals the Glory of God.
2. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
3. The gospel protects us from Satan.
4. The gospel sanctifies us.
5. The gospel enables us to obey God rightly.
6. The gospel enables us to love others.
7. The gospel cultivates humility.
8. The gospel frees me from condemnation.
9. The gospel liberates me from legalism.
10. The gospel smashes our idols.

10 Reasons We Need to be Reminded of the Gospel Everyday (about ourselves)

The gospel is the good news that Christ died for our sins and rose victoriously from the grave. Our sins have separated us from God and God has drawn us to Himself through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We need to remind ourselves of this message everyday. Here are 10 reasons about ourselves that make constantly reminding ourselves of the gospel a necessity.

1. We quickly forget the gospel.
2. We doubt the power of the gospel to transform us.
3. We think of ourselves more highly than we ought.
4. We are easily distracted.
5. We need the gospel just as much today as we did yesterday.
6. We hope in the wrong things.
7. We are hard-hearted and stiff-necked.
8. We are suspicious of God's intentions.
9. We are stingy.
10. We are full of idols.

Counterfeit Gods Only Make Empty Promises

Tim Keller's newest book is a winner. Counterfeit Gods is a helpful book that addresses an issue most helpful to our sanctification. This book is a great introduction to the subject of idolatry and a helpful resource for identifying the idols of our hearts.

The best aspect of this book is Keller's relentless focus on Christ as our only hope. This is a gospel-saturated book. And, Keller expounds the Scripture in order to expose our idols. Each chapter is a reflection on God's Word that ultimately leads to revealing the glory of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The only critique I have of the book is that many of the examples and illustrations will quickly become dated and less useful over time. Keller deals with the recent financial crisis and political scene quite a bit. My fear is that in a few years, these examples will not have the same impact. My personal preference would have been to have illustrations that would be just as relevant 100 years from now (in any culture) as they are to our current culture.

Here are a few random quotes to give you a flavor of what you will find in this book:

"Counterfeit gods always disappoint."

"What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living."

"Idols capture our imagination, and we can locate them by looking at our daydreams."

"We never imagine that getting our heart's deepest desires might be the worst thing that can ever happen to us."

"Idolatry is not only one sin among many, but what is fundamentally wrong with the human heart."

"Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart, than your idol."

Counterfeit Gods is set to come out on October 20 (you can read sample pages online now).

At WTS books, you can already preorder a pack of 5 copies at 45% off.

Faith Works

It was a joy to preach from James 2:14-26 Sunday. After dealing with the apparent contradiction between James and Paul, here was my outline:

1. True faith is more than a mere confession (v. 14-17).
2. True faith is more than mere agreement with truth (v. 18-19).
3. True faith produces an obedient life (v. 20-26).

This is a powerful passge that is super clear on the nature of saving faith. Luther: "faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone."

10 Years Ago Today...

10 years ago today, I married the most beautiful, godly, and amazing woman I know. These have been the best 10 years imaginable on this earth. Jeanna, marriage to you, life with you is a loud expression of God's kindness to me. Not once in 10 years have I desired anyone other than you. I can't wait to spend another 10 years as your husband and friend. Glorify the Lord with me, let us exalt His name together!

Watch What You Wish For

"We never imagine that getting our heart's deepest desires might be the worst thing that can ever happen to us."

-Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods, p. 1.