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08.30.2009 |
This week's quote on preaching comes from
Kevin DeYoung [ Why We're Not Emergent, 157]
and discusses the roots of preaching, and why
preaching should be seen as the central act of
worship throughout Christian history (not just in
the last few hundred years):
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Preaching has always played a central role,
if not the central role, in Christian
worship. This is because the importance of
careful discursive exposition and
instruction was not inherited from the
Enlightenment but from Judaism.
The Jews studied and memorized the Hebrew
Scriptures, not as an idle exercise in
gaining information, but as worship. The
rabbis were given the task of instructing
the people in the ways of the faith,
teaching them the laws, conforming,
admonishing, and encouraging their
listeners. They were preachers.
In the centuries before Christ, the Jews
gave their greatest devotion to cultivating
the art and science of reading and preaching
the Scriptures. They understood growing in
scriptural knowledge as not only essential
to true piety but as glorifying to God.
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 And
on a completely different note...
Bunnies! Yesterday, as I was cutting the
front yard, I stumbled upon a nest of baby
rabbits. One got so spooked that he hopped
out of the nest and across the yard. Tricia
put him back with the others (after a quick
photo op) and we counted at least five, but
they were burrowed down pretty deep in the
grass.
We were concerned about what to do
since we didn't see a momma bunny
around. Some online research revealed
that the baby bunnies are generally left alone except
for once or twice each night when their
mother feeds them.
Turns out that the best thing to do is
leave them in their nest, which is what we
did, although I think Tricia wanted to keep
them as pets. Can you blame her? |
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08.29.2009 |
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The top 20 hymns
countdown continues this week with #11.
You can read the entire list (so far) by
clicking on the
favorite hymns page. |
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When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
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Everything in the
universe – absolutely everything – exists
for the glory of Christ, who in turn
glorifies the Father. In one of the most
spectacular ironies, the cross, the object
of Christ’s humiliation becomes the very
means of His exaltation. That an instrument
of brutal death could be referred to as a
“wondrous cross”
is a testament to what Christ accomplished
by His sacrifice.
Seeing Jesus on the
cross is a powerful antidote for the
prideful attitudes we so often adopt. What
excuse can we make for sin, knowing that our
rebellion required His agony? He was, as the
prophet Isaiah told is, “wounded for our
transgressions; he was crushed for our
iniquities.“ [Isaiah 53:5] What sin is worth
clinging to in light of our Savior’s death?
Christ on the cross leads us to
“pour contempt on
my pride” and our sinful desires
and “sacrifice
them to His blood.”
What can this world
offer that compares to what we have in
Christ? My
“richest gain I count but loss.”
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, equal
to Jesus. So it goes beyond just sacrificing
sinful desires or “the fleeting pleasures of
sin” [Hebrews 11:25]; it’s a complete and
total divorce from this world. The system of
this world is at odds with God: it hates
Him, hates His authority, hates His Word,
and hates His Son. A person who is in Christ
cannot also be in the world.
The testimony of
Scripture bears this out: “Do you not know
that friendship with the world is enmity
with God?” [James 4:4] And again: “If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him.” [1 John 2:15] This is what the
cross of Christ does; it severs the
connection between us and the world. His
death breaks the dominion of sin so that
“I am dead to all
the globe, and all the globe is dead to me.”
Ultimately, the cross is
the expression of God’s
“love so amazing,
so divine.” It’s what led Paul
to say that “God demonstrates His love for
us in that while we were sinners Christ died
for us.” [Romans 5:8] As horrific as
Christ’s death was, it was not meaningless.
It had purpose. It was a unique blend of
“love and sorrow”
that met in order to accomplish God’s
designs. This showcase of love can never be
repaid, even if we could offer
“the whole realm
of nature” as payment.
This is why we must
continue to
“survey the wondrous cross.” As
our thoughts center more and more around the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified, we
will find that sin loses its luster, the
things of this world hold less attraction,
and the love of God is firmly established in
our souls. When trouble comes, survey the
wondrous cross. When temptation beckons,
survey the wondrous cross. When trials
surround on every side, survey the wondrous
cross – and be comforted in the love of God
expressed so powerfully and perfectly to
you.
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08.25.2009 |
Time Travel Tuesday
#4
Two-for-one special from the younger days! They were
taken sometime in the late 70s/early 80s, but I
can't be sure when. I'm also not sure why I'm crying
in the one on the left or -- more importantly --
what would possess me to wear a Broncos jacket. My
love of milkshakes, however, remains strong to this
day:
And I'd also like to thank all of my family and
friends for helping me have a great 33rd birthday
yesterday. Although it was an interesting day...in
the afternoon, I ripped the entire length of my
shirt sleeve while trying to reach Ethan's pacifier
in the car. Unfortunately, this was on the way to
the mall. My "fashion statement" got a few stares
before I was able to pick up a new polo for $10 at
JCPenney's.
Then, when I came home, I walked into the
kitchen...only to slip and fall in a puddle of
water. Turns out I hadn't quite shut the freezer
door all the way earlier that afternoon, and the ice
machine had leaked out. Ah, good times.
So, with that kind of stuff going on, it was nice to
hear from so many people -- whether by phone,
e-mail, online, or even spending some time together
over the weekend. I really appreciate everyone who
wished me well as I celebrated another year.
And I have to give special thanks to Tricia. She did
a lot of hard work in getting my birthday
dinner organized, cooked, and served on Sunday while
we had a non-sleeping boy in the house! Not only
that, but she took me out Friday night and even got
me a gift I'd wanted for a long time. But even if
she'd done none of that, she would still deserve
special thanks. Because she is an
amazing woman, a wonderful wife, and she means more
to me each day. I am truly
blessed to call her mine, for the best gift she's
ever given me is herself. I love you, sweetie!
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08.23.2009 |
This week's quote on preaching comes from
Albert Mohler [ Feed My Sheep, 10].
It makes us think about the sermon: is it just
something sandwiched between songs, just something
we have to endure as we stealthily check our
watches? Or is it something else entirely...
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Preaching is not a mechanism for
communication that was developed by
preachers who needed something to do on
Sunday.
It was not some kind of sociological or
technological adaptation by the church in
the first century in an effort to come up
with something to fill the time between the
invocation and benediction.
It was the central task of preaching
that framed not only their understanding of
worship, but also their understanding of the
church.
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08.18.2009 |
Time Travel Tuesday
#2 & #3
Two time travel pics this week! We start with a birthday
party: This was Tricia's birthday party at
Parkwood back in 2004. See if you can recognize any
of the other faces in this group shot (hint: one's about
to marry her sister!):
And now for something embarrassing: This one is of
me and Steele from late 2003. It was taken in the
last few days of the incident I now refer to as "the
summer of blonde." I'd like to tell you why I
dyed my hair blond that year, but I honestly have no
idea what I was thinking...
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08.17.2009 |
Long-time readers
of this site might remember a project I
started last spring where I counted down
my top 20 hymns. Things stalled out last
fall at #13, but I'm picking it back up
and plan to get all the way to #1 by the
end of the year. You can check out the
full list (so far) by clicking the link
to the
favorite hymns page, and you can
read about #12 below...
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Amazing grace! How sweet
the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my
heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils
and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good
to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and
heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon
dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
When we’ve been there ten
thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.
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It’s rare to find a hymn so popular that even those without a church
upbringing can recognize (and often sing) it, but
Amazing Grace is
just such a hymn. Perhaps one of the reasons for its nearly
universal familiarity is the simplicity with which it unfolds the
power and purpose of grace; it brings comfort from the only place it
can truly come, the promises of God.
The biblical concept of grace is a key component to the gospel, in
that it is God’s favor to us, completely undeserved and unmerited.
In other words, God sent Jesus Christ to die for us – not because He
was obligated to by something within us, or because we had earned
such a prize – but as an act of pure grace.
Remember grace is what “saved a wretch
like me,” one who
“once was
blind” to all the truths of God and provision made by
His Son. This is why Newton can attest that grace both
“taught my heart to fear”
(revealed the reality of his sinful condition) and
“grace my fears relieved”
(showed him God’s way of salvation through Christ). So grace is what
tells us that we are "dead in the trespasses and sins in which you
once walked" [Ephesians 2:1] but grace is also what tells us that
God "made us alive together with Christ" [Ephesians 2:5]. Both the
awareness of our need for a Savior and the provision of that same
Savior are acts of God's amazing grace.
But grace does more than simply make our salvation possible, it also
sustains us through the process of sanctification – the gradual,
steady transformation of a Christian into conformity with the image
and person of Christ. The Lord’s grace
“will lead me home” because He
“has promised good to me” and
“He will my Shield and Portion be.” It’s an echo of
Philippians 1:6, which reminds us that “he who began a good work in
you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Grace has provided salvation, and it also provides sanctification.
But that’s not all grace does: it also brings security. The phrase
“His Word my hope secures”
tells us that we can have a genuine confidence (not merely wishful
thinking) in the promises and decrees of God. A Christian’s eternal
future in heaven is fixed, not primarily because of something that
he or she has done, but because God has said it is so.
We know that this world is temporary; that is will
“soon dissolve like snow” and
be gone. Grace produces security in our hearts; hope in the promises
of Christ. Jesus promised that “I will come again and will take you
to myself, that where I am you may be also.” [John 14:3] And where
is Christ? He is "seated at the right hand
of God" [Colossians 3:1] in Heaven.
So, for believers, our hope is
heaven: a place where “ten thousand
years” will only be the beginning; a place where
"the dwelling place of God is with man. He
will dwell with them, and they will be his
people, and God himself will be with them as
their God." [Revelation 21:3]
Grace makes salvation possible, grace provides
sanctification, and grace produces secure hope based on the trustworthiness
of our gracious God. Praise Him for His truly amazing grace! |
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08.16.2009 |
This week's quote on worship comes from
Thomas Watson [ The
Godly Man's Picture, 35] and is a good reminder
about who determines what is involved in true
worship...
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Whatever is not of God's own appointment in
His worship He looks upon as 'strange fire'.
And no wonder He is so highly incensed at
it, for it is as if God were not wise enough
to appoint the manner in which He will be
served.
Men will try to direct Him, and as if the
rules for His worship were defective, they
will attempt to correct the copy, and
superadd their inventions. A godly man dare
not vary from the pattern which God has
shown him in the Scripture.
This is probably not the least reason why
David was called 'a man after God's own
heart', because he kept the springs of God's
worship pure, and in matters sacred did not
superinduce anything of his own devising.
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08.12.2009 |
I got on ESPN.com this morning to see if the Mets
won (which is an exercise in futility, since they
never win anymore) and saw this headline instead:
Pitino admits sex, abortion payment.
Based on the details from the
article in the Courier-Journal, University of
Louisville head basketball coach Rick Pitino
admitted to an extramarital affair in 2003. He
subsequently paid for an abortion to end the
resulting pregnancy. The woman involved has since
tried to extort up to $10 million from Pitino,
leading him to go to the FBI, which also involved
him coming clean about what happened six years ago.
It's a somber reminder of Numbers 32:23: "be
sure your sin will find you out." Most of the
media outlets will undoubtedly question how this
will affect Pitino's coaching and the upcoming
season for UofL. What they won't (can't?) realize is
that none of that matters. The affects on a
basketball program are -- quite literally --
insignificant compared to the affects on his family
and his person. Imagine what Pitino's wife has gone
through as her husband disclosed his infidelity and
blackmail scandal, knowing that it would have to be
made public knowledge. And what of his children? Or
his own sorrow and shame?
The "fleeting pleasures of sin" [Hebrews
11:25] may have seemed too good to pass up on that
night in 2003, but the pleasures truly were
fleeting. The regret, guilt, shame, exposure, and
damage to self and family far, far outweigh any
momentary enjoyment. (Not to mention issues
concerning abortion.) That's the trap of sin. The
temptation lures us in, only to spring a trap from
which we cannot easily (if ever) escape.
This isn't an indictment directed solely at Pitino,
although his actions are inexcusable and
defenseless. Instead it's seeing his story as a
sobering reminder of how quickly any of us can be
caught in the teeth of sin. We become all too
prideful, convinced we are self-reliant and above
the consequences of sin. But the eyes of the Lord
are everywhere; we are not as strong or clever or
immune as we deceive ourselves into believing.
How much better for Christians to cherish the joy we
have in Christ; to treasure Him above all else! What
we have in Christ is already better than
anything we can get from giving into temptation.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that sin can
offer us that exceeds (or even equals) what Christ
has given. When we truly grasp this, the pleasures
of sin won't look so enticing, for we will see them
as the fleeting snares they are.
If you have not dealt with these types of sin, don't
become overconfident. Instead, thank God for helping
you avoid the snares of sin, and humbly ask for
godly discernment and Christ-honoring wisdom to flee
from youthful lusts and escape the entanglement of
sin. Above all, look to Christ as the greatest
pleasure and treasure we can ever know!
"What fruit were you getting at that time from
the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of
those things is death...for the wages of sin is
death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:21-23
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08.11.2009 |
Time Travel Tuesday
#1
Here's one from way back in the summer of
2004 featuring the one-and-only Dr. Matthew J.
Rosencrans, along with Tricia and I. We were at
Xtreme Summer with the Parkwood youth and at the
time of this picture were perched on the end of
Newsong's tour bus (thankfully, we restrained
ourselves from any vandalism):
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08.09.2009 |
Here's a quote from John Owen [ The
Holy Spirit, 61] to get you thinking as you
(hopefully) are heading off to worship this
morning...
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The nature and being of God is the
foundation of all true religion and
religious worship in the world. The great
end for which we were made is to worship and
glorify God; and that which renders this
worship our indispensable duty is the nature
and being of God himself.
There are, indeed, some acts of religious
worship which chiefly respect what God is to
us, or has done for us; but the principal
and adequate reason of all divine worship,
and that which makes it such, is what God
is, in Himself.
Because He is; that is, because He is an
infinitely glorious, good, wise, holy,
powerful, righteous, self-subsisting,
self-sufficient, and all-sufficient being;
the fountain and author of all being and
good; the first cause, last end, and
sovereign Lord of all; therefore He is to be
worshipped: therefore we are to admire,
adore, and love him; to praise, to trust and
to fear Him.
This is to glorify Him as God; for as ‘all
things are of Him, and through Him, and to
Him’, to Him must be the glory for ever.
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08.08.2009 |
August is upon us! Anybody else catch that
Flash Flood earlier this week? One of the
worst storms in a long time, it stalled over
Louisville and dumped 6 inches of rain in an hour.
The ground was already saturated from earlier rains
so the water had nowhere to go...except in people's
basements and onto the streets and pretty much
everywhere else you would hate to find water. The
damage was swift and severe. Our house didn't have
too much trouble, except the sun room. I'm starting
to think that room would leak on a sunny
day.
 A few new book reviews are up as
well. Two of this month's reviews (so far) are from
the Pocket Puritans series. The writing style definitely takes a
bit of adjusting to: even with modern updating, it
still reads like older English. But it's worth the
effort, as Puritans tend to be both doctrinally clear and practically relevant.
Plus, since these books are about $5-$6 each and (as
you may have guessed) pocket-sized, they only
require a minimal investment. You can find out more
about this series
here.
 Tricia, Ethan and I took a quick
trip up to
Newport last weekend, figuring that Ethan
would be able to enjoy the Aquarium now that he's a
bit more...shall we say, interactive. Turns
out we were
right! He pointed at the fish and kept trying to
reach through the glass to touch them. He seemed to
like the jellyfish exhibit, and of course, he really
enjoyed watching the other people. The only bummer
was that the penguin exhibit was shut down for the
night before we got
to see it.
Later, as you can see in the pictures below, Ethan fed himself
a bit of ice cream. It was messy, but he thought it
was hilarious. We spent Saturday morning with some
friends who live up that way and visited a
playground, which Ethan also thoroughly enjoyed. It
was a short trip, but a lot of fun (except for the
semi truck that tried to run us off the road on the way
home).
Enjoy some pictures
from our weekend getaway!
(FYI: Tricia took the one of the shark...I
thought it turned out awesome!) |
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 One
last thing: I've just put my
commentary checklist
online. Since I write a lot of Bible studies and
sermons, I find biblical commentaries to be helpful in
clarifying and course-correcting (to make sure I
haven't gone off the deep end in an interpretation
or thought).
The list is mainly for my own use: to avoid duplication
since it will be easier to check an online list than
remember everything on the shelves, and to have all
the available volumes in one place as opposed to
multiple web sites. So if I need a commentary on,
say, Romans, I don't have to scour Amazon or other
sites to see which series even have a commentary on that
book; I can simply look on my checklist and go from
there. So, like I said, it's mainly for personal
use.
Of course, if anyone
ever felt inclined to purchase me a gift...
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A B O
U T M E
>
My name is Mark and I was born in 1976 (hence the title
of this site).
> I like
using the word 'hence'.
> I am married to my beautiful wife and best friend,
Tricia.
> We have a one-year old son named Ethan.
> Tricia
also has a
blog.
Hers
is better than mine.
>
I am the Associate Pastor of
Parkwood Baptist Church in
Louisville, KY.
> all content is (c) 2003-2009
se7enty6ix.com |
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AUG 2009 |
click each title below for review
click here for
review index |
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