my burg

Bible reading for December 13 -- 14  Dec 13 -- Haggai 2 and John 3 Dec 14 -- Zechariah 1 and John 4 ================ "Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts..." (Haggai 2:4) THE LATTER GLORY (Haggai 2). The Jews, having returned from Babylonian exile, must get to work and finish rebuilding the temple. For this reason, the post-exilic period is called the "second temple" period. King Herod would later enlarge and add many embellishments to the site. But the beginnings in Haggai are so modest compared to the temple originally built by Solomon, and the people were discouraged. The Lord asks, "Is it not as nothing in your eyes?" (v 3) He tells them that they are to be strong and to keep working, for he is with them, no matter how humble the project may seem. This principle applies to us, as well (Matt 28:20; Eph 6:10). We should not become disheartened at the smallness of the return on our...

Bible reading for May 24 -- 25 May 24 -- Isaiah 25 and 1 John 3 May 25 -- Isaiah 26 and 1 John 4 ================    "He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces..." (Isaiah 25:8) THE DEATH OF DEATH (ch 25). Jerusalem would survive the Assyrian onslaught. And though in King Hezekiah's day food would be scarce, yet a banquet is coming, the Lord says. Isaiah is seeing over 700 years into the future to an event in Jerusalem which will destroy death itself. And the Apostle John sees a glorious future, as well: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev 21:4). Through the succession of nations and empires, through all the vicissitudes of time and history, there is one certain, unchanging plan of God. We can say with Isaiah, "O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise you...

Bible reading for May 13.  Numbers 22. "So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab." (Numbers 22:21)  THE ENIGMA OF BALAAM. By the enigma I do not mean Balaam's donkey that spoke. That's plainly a miracle, and I can't explain the dynamics of how an animal with donkey vocal chords can communicate by talking.  After all, we do have the case of the serpent in Gen 3 communicating with the woman.  I believe that it happened in the way it is recorded in the inspired account, and is historical, and I take it by faith. After all, I do believe that God spoke the universe into existence and that his Son rose from the dead on the third day , so I don't have a problem with the report of miracles. No problem with the donkey.   THE PROBLEM I have is the same one that we face in the Bible not only with Balaam, but also with King Saul (1 Sam 11:6; 16:14), Judas (John 6:70; 13:2), and Simon the Magician (Acts 8:9-24)...

OT reading for Mar 24 -- Exodus 35.  "Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD's contribution..." (Ex 35:5) Generosity.   A " generous heart " (35:5; cf 21, 22, 29) is literally, "willing [ or inclined ] in heart", which denotes a free-spirited, inner desire to give. Another translation is, "everyone whose heart so moves him" (TNK/JPS) . The generosity that follows reveals a true volunteer spirit among the Israelites, a free giving of their resources. This is certainly a beautiful high point in Israel's history , especially following their previous failures.  As the OT story progresses we see again and again that the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.  But here was God's promise: "Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power..." (Ps 110:3a; cf Jer 32:39; Ezek 36:26). It is Christ's power that makes hi...

“It is seldom that any of our bad habits or flaws disappear by a mere nature process of natural  extinction. At least it is very seldom it is done by the instrumentality of reasoning or by the force  of mental determination. What can not be destroyed however may be dispossessed. One case  may be made to give away to another and to lose its power entirely has the reigning affect of the mind. Here’s an example: A youth may cease to idolize sensual pleasure but it is because of the  idol of wealth. The desire to make money has gotten ascendancy, so he becomes disciplined.   But the love of money might have ceased to be in his heart if he was draw to ideology and politics.   Now he is lorded over by the love of power and moral superiority instead of wealth. But there is  not one of these transformations in which the heart is left without an object. The human heart’s  desire for one particular object is conquered. But its desire to have some objec...

“There is always a fundamental seriousness about the men and women who are born again. I mean something like this: they are never flippant, never light, never superficial... they are fundamentally serious people.  "Let me hasten to add that I am not saying that they are solemn or pompous people. God forbid that anyone would think I am saying that! No, no, they are happy, they can even be humorous. But their humor never runs away with them. It is a manifestation of life; it is the showing of one of the attributes that they have received by nature...   "We have suggested that when someone is born again, that is the most obvious thing about him; it must be, for it is the life of God in him. He is also conscious of being dealt with, of having been humbled; he is also aware of a true repentance, and he is characterized by a fundamental seriousness.” -- Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Experiencing the New Birth (Crossway, 2015)

You read the Bible, but are you letting the Bible read you?   What I mean by that is, we may search the Scriptures, but we must also take time for the Scriptures to search us. We need to look intently at the word and not merely glance and then forget... "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.   For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the  law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." (James  1:23-25 ESV) We come to the Bible not to gain content only, but for growth in our relationship with Christ.  We come for his life, the life we need...     "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,  yet you refuse to come to me that you may have...

I am always interested in any new publication of the works of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, with the hope that his sermons might be introduced to new  readers and new generations.   I was first introduced to Lloyd-Jones -- the physician-turned-evangelist -- in 1996 through a collection of messages called  Knowing the Times .  I soon moved on to reading many more sermons by Lloyd-Jones, as well as his biography.  I was amazed at  his grasp of the gospel, his depth of wisdom in applying biblical truth, the breadth of his understanding of history, and his  prescient understanding of where our western world is heading. He was able to communicate all this in a plain and straight- forward manner from the pulpit. Experiencing the New Birth is a collection of sermons on John 3, preached in 1966 at Westminster Chapel. This is a most timely book, and quite needed today among professing Christians, many of whom take the new birth for granted.   Evangelical offering...

I am continuing to receive much benefit from Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermons on the Christian's new life, as published in Experiencing the New Birth (Crossway, 2015).  The following highlights are from the sermons about knowing the Triune God, and about the joy that comes from the assurance of salvation... What is Christianity? Christianity is that which brings a man or woman to a knowledge of God. Take our Lord’s own definition  of eternal life: “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”  That is Christianity—knowing God, not just believing a few things about God and living a nice little life. That is not  Christianity. That is often nothing but morality or mere religion. The essence of this is entering into this realm into which  you begin to know and have communion with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The best way to thank him for what he did and what he suffered on your behalf is t...

Here's the Doctor on "Heavenly Things" (John 3:8) in chapter 12 of Experiencing the New Birth :   "What is your view and mine of the Christian life? Far too often it is just this: 'Oh yes, I believed in Jesus Christ at conversion. I made a decision and accepted him.' You have relied upon that. You have stopped doing certain things, and you begin to do others, and you have it all nice and complete. You do your duties, and you may be active in work, and there you are. You are self-content, and you think that is Christianity. But, my dear friends, is it? Have we received his fullness and grace, ever expanding until we know something of the fullness of God himself? I feel this has been one of the great troubles perhaps in the present century—and I am talking to evangelical people in particular. I feel we have made the gospel something small, sometimes even something glib, something that we can handle, so that we are afraid of yielding ourselves to the possibili...

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5 ESV) I am working my way through Martyn Lloyd-Jones', Experiencing the New Birth , a new release (2015) from Crossway Books.  I am so enriched by Lloyd-Jones' sermons (these were preached in London in 1966) that it is a delight to read them.  In many ways this is a modern version of the Religious Affections , whereby the Doctor gives us signs and evidences of the new birth.   The new Christian will have a new view of "the world".  Here are some highlights... "This new life differentiates us, and everybody is aware of it, not only us but others also. "Worldliness means thinking of yourself and your life in this world, and the whole of life in the world, without God.  "The Devil will make people good if he c...

I have begun reading Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Experiencing the New Birth   (Crossway Books, 2015),  based upon a series of sermons on John chapter 3 that he preached at  Westminster Chapel (London) almost fifty years ago (in 1966). I'm so very thankful to see Lloyd-Jones' sermons are still being published, and that Crossway is offering these previously-unpublished messages in book form .   The subject -- experiencing the new birth -- is also a very timely and needed topic for study today.  Much has been written in recent years (it seems to me) on the nature of justification and sanctification, but not as much on regeneration, or the new birth.  Lloyd-Jones is always biblical, thoughtful, insightful, and practical. His pastoral heart is evident in these messages. MLJ was a Spirit-anointed preacher and has been for decades a kind of historical mentor to many ministers. I was first  introduced to his writings in 1997, when I read Knowing The Times , a se...