Secured by Christ on the cross!

Thanks to FI for sharing this quote from Carson’s new book:

“Everything that we know and appreciate and praise God for in all Christian experience both in this life and in the life to come springs from this bloody cross.

Do we have the gift of the Spirit? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we enjoy the fellowship of saints? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Does he give us comfort in life and death? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Does he watch over us faithfully, providentially, graciously, and covenantally? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we have hope of a heaven to come? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we anticipate resurrection bodies on the last day? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Is there a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness? Secured by Christ on the cross.

Do we now enjoy new identities, so that we are no longer to see ourselves as nothing but failures, moral pariahs, disappointments to our parents—but deeply loved, blood-bought, human beings, redeemed by Christ, declared just by God himself, owing to the fact that God himself presented his Son Jesus as the propitiation for our sins? All this is secured by Christ on the cross and granted to those who have faith in him.”

—D.A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 70-71

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For weary parents

Jay Younts writes to weary parents (boy can I identify on certain days with this one):

Parenting is a challenging task–at times even overwhelming. Because of this reality, there are countless remedies offered from every corner to make parenting easier and less stressful. Even the makers of the modern family transport, aka mini-vans, have added optional DVD players to help keep children passive while traveling to the supermarket. Yet despite all the advice and devices, at the end of the day, concerned parents are frequently left in a state of weariness. Weary not only because of the trials of the day just finished, but also weary because tomorrow is just a few hours away. In this in-between time, weariness often reaches its peak. The free advice and stress-reducing gadgets offer little consolation in this time. Even Bible verses may seem disconnected from the pressures of getting ready for tomorrow. Perhaps the most discouraging realization is knowing that in the morning you will wake up weary.

While I don’t have a magic wand to solve this state of affairs, I believe that there are some things you can think about that will help strengthen a weary mind and body. Isaiah 55:8 reminds us that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and that his ways are not our ways. Weariness tends to overtake us when we see life’s responsibilities and burdens in abstraction from God’s purposes. A parent looks at his responsibilities as if they were all his own idea. . . .

I know you are probably one of those weary parents, but keep reading what Jay says here.

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LIFE–looks great!

I am anticipating the release of this DVD series:

From the award-winning BBC Natural History Unit, makers of Planet Earth and The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, this is the original UK broadcast version of Life, with narration by renowned naturalist David Attenborough and music by Oscar® and Emmy® winning composer George Fenton In Planet Earth, we brought you the world as you’ve never seen it before. Now, get closer with Life. Four years in the making, filmed over 3000 days, across every continent and in every habitat, with breathtaking new high definition filming techniques developed since Planet Earth, Life presents 130 incredible stories from the frontiers of the natural world, 54 of which have never been filmed before. Packed with excitement, revelation and entertainment, this remarkable 10-part blockbuster captures unprecedented, astonishingly beautiful sequences and demonstrates the spectacular and extraordinary tactics animals and plants have developed to survive and thrive.

Watch the trailer at the link above!

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What does it mean to follow Christ?

“Following Christ means saying “no” to many things and acknowledging Christ as everything.  He isn’t just one among many things.  He is the Lord of all things. The essence of everything at the cost of anything.”–Joe Waresak,  Seek First Ministries

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Preparing for Resurrection Sunday

I like what Tony has done and encourages us to do as we prepare for Resurrection Sunday:

In the days before Easter I’m setting aside some time to focus on one of the many implications of Christ’s resurrection: how the resurrection marks the dawning of the new creation.

The resurrection makes it possible for the believer to be a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). But the resurrection of Christ is also inaugurates something much broader—the re-creation of the universe. At least this is the conclusion of a number of theologians. As one author puts it, “with the resurrection itself a shock wave has gone through the entire cosmos: the new creation has been born.” Of course we await the return of Christ for the coming of the new heaven and the new earth. But the resurrection marks the beginning—the dawn—of this new creation.

As I prepare my heart for the Savior’s resurrection, I want to study this shock wave that reverberates through the cosmos. And to help I’ve compiled this PDF, a collection of quotes that I plan to study alongside my open Bible. My notes and quotes follow this rough outline:

1. Christ as the “Firstborn” and “Firstfruits” in Colossians 1 and 1 Corinthians 15
2. In 1 Corinthians 15:35–49
3. In the two Adams of 1 Corinthians 15:20–23 and 42–49
4. In Ephesians 1:15–23
5. In Colossians 1:15–20
6. In Revelation 3:14
7. In Revelation 21
8. In the practice of the Lord’s Day
9. Summary Quotes

With a pipe in my teeth and a pencil in my hand, this is the tough bit of theology that I will meditate on over the next two weeks. As I do, I pray that my heart will sing unbidden for the Savior, whose return will bring the new heaven and the new earth—a new creation that was inaugurated on Easter Sunday.

Download the document here (PDF).

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Need hope?

Are you discouraged? Some are discouraged about lack of employment or under-employment!  Others are discouraged about ongoing health issues?  Maybe you are discouraged about recent political developments (such as the passage of the Health Care Bill).  Or are you discouraged about some failures in your life?

If you have a tinge or a full dose of discouragement, then head over and read this article by Randy Alcorn that speaks about hope in discouraging times.  It’s worth your time!  Not convinced yet? Here’s an excerpt:

What difference does hope make? All the difference in the world. A study was done in which one group of Israeli soldiers was told they would go on a march, but were not told if or when the march would eventually stop. Another group was told the length of the march. They knew there was an end.

Both groups were tested for their stress response. Although they marched not one foot further than those in the other group, those who did not know whether or when the march would end registered a much higher level of stress. Why? Because they had no hope, no tangible assurance that the forced march would end. They felt helpless, hopeless, wondering if they would ever be allowed to rest.

We do not know exactly how long we will be here, but we do know there will be an end. We will not march forever. We will rest. That is cause for certain hope. Even in times of greatest grief Christ leaves us with his hopeful assurance. . .

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The gospel call!

John MacArthur on Luke 14:25-35,

“The gospel is a call to sinners to submit everything to Jesus Christ. Simply, it is a call to find your life in death. It is a call to find your life by losing it, to gain it by abandoning it, to live it to the fullest by emptying it. There is no Christianity light in the Bible. There is no Christianity lite in the teaching of Jesus. Our Lord’s words, frankly, weren’t very friendly; they were frightening. They weren’t even comforting; they were threatening. They certainly weren’t easy; they were hard.”

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Not another one. . .

Watch and weep as another OT scholar goes on record against biblical creationism from Genesis 1-2 and says that if  we reject the reality of the data regarding evolution, then the church will eventually become a marginalized cult.

Tony recommended  this video and he has a good response to it here.  Much more could be said against this scholar’s logic as well.

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The lesser known Hitchens

Peter Hitchens, brother to famed new atheist Christopher Hitchens, tells how his atheism led him to faith in Christ.  Here he is commenting on his journey and new book The Rage Against God.

(HT:  JT)

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Keep praying for Haiti

Here’s what it looks like 70 days after the earthquake in Haiti.

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