He is Not Silent

He is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World by Al Mohler is now one of my top 3 favorite books on preaching. Honestly, I wasn't that thrilled about reading it but put it in my "to-read" pile anyway. So, I started reading it and couldn't put it down. This is a powerful call for expository preaching. Mohler does a fantastic job of laying out the importance of preaching.

Also, I would recommend non-preachers to read this book. It will encourage anyone to see to it that Biblical preacing is happening in our churches.

Jesus is Superior to Angels

From Hebrews 1:5-14, here are 4 reasons Jesus is superior to angels:

• Because of His unique relationship to the Father (v. 5).
• Because angels worship Him (v. 6).
• Because He is God (v. 7-12).
• Because of His unique position (v. 13-14).

You can hear my sermon from Sunday at the Christ Baptist website.

Church Planter

There is a new book for church planters that looks helpful. The endorsements alone make me want to read it. You can check it out here.

The Archer and the Arrow

The Archer and the Arrow looks like a good book on preaching. It is now available at WTS books.

The Bible is About Jesus, Not You

The Privilege of the Preacher

"What a high privilege it is to be a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Lord has given us the honor, the calling, the stewardship, and the commission of preaching a saving gospel to a world that is in desperate need of salvation -- and all to the end that Jesus would be worshiped as Savior in every tongue, from every tribe and people and nation."

-Al Mohler, He is not Silent, p. 143.

Grudem on Politics

I try my hardest to avoid all politics. Mainly, because I have found so few thinking Christians with good theology addressing it. Well, Wayne Grudem is coming out with a "Comprehensive Resource" for understanding all things politics in light of Scripture. That's a big promise. But, if anyone can do it well, its Grudem. Looking forward to Politics According to the Bible.

The Supremacy of the Savior

I started a series on Hebrews Sunday morning. Hebrews 1:1-4 is a majestic passage. Here are the 7 proofs of Jesus' supremacy I meditated on:

1. Jesus is God's Ultimate Word.
2. Jesus is the Heir of All Things.
3. Jesus is the Creator of the Universe.
4. Jesus Displays the Glory of God.
5. Jesus Sustains All Things.
6. Jesus Made Complete Purification for Sins.
7. Jesus is Better than Angels.

Hebrews

We're starting a series through Hebrews on Sunday morning at Christ Baptist Church. If you live in the area, come join us!

Don't Waste Your Life Wallpaper

I recently put the above wallpaper on the desktop of my laptop. Well, I flew to Texas on Monday and flew back on Wednesday. I got on a total of 4 airplanes and sat by a total of 8 people (not including those in the terminal). I had a lot of work to do so I powered up the laptop on each flight.

There's just something about a laptop that makes you want to look (like a bug attracted to the light). So, every time I turned on my laptop on a plane, I could see the person next to me glancing over to take a peek. Each time, I could see them do a double take to read what was on my desktop. Most of them just went on with their business, but 2 people asked me about it. I was grateful for the opportunity to talk about how Jesus saves from the American dream.

You can find this wallpaper along with several others at the Don't Waste Your Life website.

7th Edition of Operation World

One of the most helpful resources EVER. Updated. Details here.

Book Cake

Now that's a cake! Very creative.

From the Desiring God Blog

My Hebrews Introduction

If I were writing a commentary on Hebrews, here would be my introduction:

1. We don't know who wrote Hebrews.
2. We don't know who Hebrews was written to.
3. We don't know when Hebrews was written.

So, let's get into the text and find out what Hebrews is about.

FYI - This is meant to be something of a joke for those who have ever read the introductory material in Hebrews commentaries. They go on for pages and pages of speculation and then make the conclusions I've listed above.

God Commands Joyful Worship

Here is a Spurgeon quote from my sermon on Psalm 100:

“Those who serve God with a sad countenance, because they do what is unpleasant to them, are not serving him at all; they bring the form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God requires no slaves to grace his throne; he is the Lord of the empire of love, and would have his servants dressed in the uniform of joy. The angels of God serve him with songs, not with groans; a murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. That obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord looketh at the heart, and if he seeth that we serve him from force, and not because we love him, he will reject our offering.
Let us show to the people of the world, who think our religion to be slavery, that it is to us a delight and a joy! Let our gladness proclaim that we serve a good Master.”

Old Testament Commentary Sale

The NICOT is a good series of OT commentaries. The new Hosea volume is now available. WTS is offering it for 45% off and they are offering an additional 10% off their already low prices on the other volumes in the series. Check it out:

Here is the link to the Hosea volume.
Here is the link to the rest of the NICOT series.

Psalms Commentaries

Here are a few brief thoughts on Psalms commentaries based on my study this summer:

1. Nothing comes even close to Spurgeon's Treasury of David (this is really "must own" stuff).

2. Kindner's 2 Volume Tyndale Commentary is very good (Volume 1 and Volume 2).

3. Wilcock is weak (which is sad to me because I love all the other Bible Speaks Today commentaries that I've worked with).

4. Both Boice and Lawson have good homiletical Psalms commentaries.

5. The Messiah in the Psalms by Belcher is a good read with lots of helpful Christ-focused applications.

The Simplicity of the Preacher's Task

"In the end, our calling as preachers is really very simple. We study, we stand before our people, we read the text, and we explain it. We reprove, rebuke, exhort, encourage, and teach--and then we do it all again and again and again."

-Al Mohler, He is Not Silent, p. 64.

The God Who is There

I've never met a DA Carson resource I didn't like. His new one looks helpful and God-centered.

Preachers: Do You Expect Power?

"Seek Him always. But go beyond seeking Him; expect Him. Do you expect anything to happen when you get up to preach in a pulpit? Or do you just say to yourself, 'Well, I have prepared my address, I am going to give them this address; some of them will appreciate it and some will not'? Are you expecting it to be the turning point in someone's life...? That is what preaching is meant to do...Seek this power, expect this power, yearn for this power; and when the power comes, yield to Him."

-Lloyd-Jones, quoted in He is Not Silent, p. 47.

Caring for Your Pastor and His Wife

I've been enjoying Brian Croft's blog. Rich stuff. Here is a helpful post with a very simple way to love your pastor and his family.

The Best News for the Worst Sinners

I've been helped in confession of sin by Psalm 51. You can listen to my sermon at the Christ Baptist Church website.