Very Greatest Blessing

"A good minister that has the presence of God with him in his work is the very greatest blessing that God bestows upon a people, next to himself."
-Jonatha Edwards

God is Our Good

"The redeemed have all their objective good in God. God himself is the great good which they are brought to the possession and enjoyment of by redemption. He is the highest good, and the sum of all that good which Christ purchased. God is the inheritance of the saints; he is the portion of their souls. God is their wealth and treasure, their food, their Life, their dwelling- place, their ornament and diadem, and their everlasting honour and glory. They have none in heaven but God; he is the great good which the redeemed are received to at death, and which they are to rise to at the end of the world. The Lord God is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem; and is the "river of the water of life " that runs, and "the tree of life that grows, in the midst of the paradise of God." The glorious excellencies and beauty of God will be what will for ever entertain the minds of the saints, and the love of God will be their everlasting feast. The redeemed will indeed enjoy other things; they will enjoy the angels, and will enjoy one another; but that which they shall enjoy in the angels, or each other, or in any thing else whatsoever that will yield them delight and happiness, will be what shall be seen of God in them."

-Jonathan Edwards, God Glorified in Man's Dependence

Living in Light of the Final Hour

Jonathan Edwards' 7th resolution:

"Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life."

From his diary:
"Let every thing have the value now which it will have upon a sick bed; and frequently, in my pursuits of whatever kind, let this question come into my mind. 'How much shall I value this upon my death-bed?'"
The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards, p. 97.

The "stuff" we long for really has no value in our final hours.

This is a Helpful Book!

Steve Lawson's The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards is a helpful little book. I highly recommend it for any Christian. It is especially helpful to read at the beginning of the year to refocus on what really matters.




Lawson organizes Edwards' 70 Resolutions around 6 main themes:

• Pursuing the Glory of God.
• Forsaking Sin.
• Making Proper Use of God-Allotted Time.
• Living with All His Being for the Lord.
• Pursuing Humility and Love.
• Making Frequent Self-Examination.

If I had read this book before I posted my top 15 books of 2008, I would have ranked it around 4th or 5th.

JE on FB?

Jonathan Edwards could have used e-mail and Facebook:

"Nov. 16...One thing wherein I have erred, as I would be complete in all social duties, is, in neglecting to write letters to friends."

The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards, p. 126.

Just in Time for New Year

I've been waiting for this book for over a year.

The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards is Steve Lawson's second book in his Long Line of Godly Men profiles.

His first book, The Expository Genius of John Calvin was life-changing.

This one looks at Jonathan Edwards through his famous resolutions.

The Sovereignty of Our God

I had the joy of teaching on the sovereignty of God on Wednesday evening. Here are some of the things we explored:

God’s sovereignty carries at least 2 ideas:
1. God is independent of any outside influences.
-God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, when He pleases, and always as He pleases.
2. God is in complete control of everything that takes place.
-Everything that happens is ordained and orchestrated by God.

CH Spurgeon: “I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes – that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens – that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence – the fall of leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche. He who believes in God must believe this truth. There is no standing point between this and Atheism. There is no halfway between an Almighty God, who works all things according to the good pleasure of his will, and no God at all!”

Jonathan Edwards: “Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God. God’s sovereignty has ever appeared to me, a great part of his glory. It has often been my delight to approach God, and adore him as a sovereign God.”

Seven Aspects of God’s Sovereignty:
God’s sovereignty over all.
· Isa. 46:9-11; Psalm 115:3; 135:5-6; Ephesians 1:11
God’s sovereignty over man.
· Prov. 16:9; 21:1; Gen. 20:6; Deut. 2:30; Gen. 50:20
God’s sovereignty over small details.
· Prov. 16:33; James 4:13-16; Jonah 1:4; 1:17; 2:10; 4:6-8
God’s sovereignty over Satan.
· Job 1:12; 2:4-6; Mark 1:23-27; Luke 22:31-32; Revelation 20:10
God’s sovereignty over nature and weather.
· Psalm 135:7; Jeremiah 10:12-13
God’s sovereignty over salvation.
· Rom. 9:18; John 5:21; 6:44
God’s sovereignty over the cross.
· Isaiah 53:10; Acts 4:27-28; John 10:18

How should God’s Sovereignty impact our lives?
1. God’s sovereignty should give us a sense of deep reverence and thankful joy in Him.
2. God’s sovereignty should help us obey certain commands.
3 commands that cannot be obeyed unless you believe in God’s absolute sovereignty:

• Be joyful always (having joy in all circumstances implies that you believe God is in control and has a purpose for whatever comes to pass).
• Do not fear (if God is in control there is nothing to fear; if God is not in control there is a lot to fear).
• Do not complain (not complaining will only happen when we believe that the things worth complaining about are ordered by God).

3. God’s sovereignty should give us radical boldness as we lean on His promises.

Signs of the Spirit

I love Sam Storms. Everything I have ever read by him is excellent. He is a fantastic communicator and a passionate lover of Christ.

One of his newer books, Signs of the Spirit, is very unique. It is an "interpretation" of Jonathan Edwards' Religious Affections. It is not an abridgment. It is not a critique. It is not a response. It is an interpretation. Basically, Storms communicates what Edwards wrote in his (Storms') own words.

If you have ever tried to read Jonathan Edwards and not been able to follow him, I would encourage you to begin with Signs of the Spirit and then maybe going back to Edwards.

Happy Birthday Jonathan Edwards!

Today is JE's 304th birthday. Why not celebrate by checking out some Edwards' books?

(This is a picture of me on the steps of the church where Jonathan Edwards' church stood on Main street in Northampton, MA. Edwards' actual church burned down but the half-circle step I'm standing on dates back to Edwards' church. As far as anyone knows this step is the only thing remaining from Edwards' actual church.)

Joy's Eternal Increase

One of my all-time favorite sermons is now available to watch on video. Dr. Sam Storms talks about Jonathan Edwards' view of Heaven. Breathtaking!

The Gratitude of Hypocrites

On page 137 of God is the Gospel, Piper introduces us to what Jonathan Edwards' calls, "the gratitude of hypocrites." You can read the entire Edwards quote in Piper's book; I will try to summarize what he is saying.
Could your thankfulness (gratitude) for the cross of Christ be idolatrous? Edwards and Piper answer "yes" if your gratitude for the cross is mainly from the faulty notion that the cross is about your worth. Edwards says, "They are pleased in the highest degree, in hearing how much God and Christ make of them. So that their joy is really a joy in themselves, and not in God." Ugh. Their joy is really a joy in themselves as opposed to a joy in God.

Let us check our gratitude for the cross to make sure it is not hypocritical!!