my burg

"I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them.  I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.   I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul."  (Jeremiah 32:39-41 ESV) Throughout his ministry Jeremiah reveals how people tend to "heal wounds lightly" (See chapters 6--8).  To say that "mistakes were made" is a useless band-aid.  Idolatry, for example, is a serious breach of a covenant relationship with the Lord.  It's like adultery to marriage.   To confess sins superficially in order to feel better is not the same thing as true repentance, which is forsaking sins -- often painful -- in order to actually live better.  The Lord, through Jeremia...

The 66th chapter of Isaiah, a summary... God is in heaven. We are on earth .  He doesn't need anything from us. (66:1)  What he delights in is humility, that is, that we know who we are in light of who he is.  To humbly, contritely, and reverentially heed what God has revealed in his Word .  (v 2) Motions of worship and sacrifices in themselves not only do not impress God, but they are positively an abomination to him.  Just because people may act worshipful, or pray, or sacrifice, or give money is no sign of true affection for God.  (v 3)  Self-righteous people who mock and belittle the Lord's people will themselves be put to shame.  (vs 4-6)  God will restore his people, his holy city, and his creation just as he promised, and it will come about suddenly, and at an unexpected time.  For God's people there will be glory and "peace like a river."  (vs 7-14) All flesh will be judged --  all nations, all peoples, a...

In our reading we have completed the first section of Isaiah's writing, along with the historical interlude of chapters 36 to 39.  Chapter 40 begins what is called " the Book of Comfort " with the words, "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (40:1)  See also Isa. 49:13; 51:3, 12; 54:11; 57:18; 61:2; 66:13.    The days of Jerusalem's judgment and exile will come to an end, and God's people shall return and be gathered once more to worship and enjoy him.    Again and again, Isaiah speaks against the folly and vanity of idols and the false gods which cannot save, and that certain and lasting judgment will come upon all idolaters and those who trust false gods.  Only the Lord is God:  "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me" (46:9).  Some of the most powerful statements of biblical monotheism are found in these chapters.  He alone guides history.  He alone is Savior.    This section als...

In our Bible reading challenge we have begun the prophetic books , beginning with Isaiah. Like most of the prophets in the Bible, Isaiah calls out the many sins of God’s people. Most of these sins can be grouped under the category of idolatry (forsaking their covenant relationship with God) or injustice (forsaking justice to their neighbors). The bad news. A big lesson from the prophets is that, like Israel, all people (as in, all of us) have failed to love God wholeheartedly (commandments #1 through #4 in the Decalogue) and have failed to love their neighbors as themselves (commandments #5-10). See Romans 3 for the New Testament affirmation of this truth. The good news. As well, Isaiah in particular records some of the most beautiful prophecies about the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus. Next week, we will be reading the Songs of the Servant (Isa 42–53), which portrays Jesus as the faithful Servant of the Lord who accomplishes what the people of Israel could never achieve. H...

Why is the preaching and teaching of the Bible so central to the life of BCF?  This is the question asked in Sunday's sermon .  Here is the outline of those notes and a few quotations... Key passage :  “...the church of the living God [is] a pillar and buttress of the truth. ...devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.”  (1 Timothy 3:15; 4:13 ESV) Here's a walk-through  of the ministry of the Word in biblical history... • In creation.   (Gen. 1:3, 5; Ps. 147:15-18; Rev. 21:5)   • To Israel. (Deut. 4:10-12, 33-36; Josh. 1:8; Ezra 7:10)  • In OT worship. (Ps 1; 19; 119) • In the prophets.   (Isa. 8:16-20; 40:8; 55:10-11; 66:2; Jer. 23:28-29) • By the Lord Jesus ( The Word in flesh! ) (Matt. 5:17-19; 26:13; 28:19; Mark 13:31; Jn. 8:31-32; 17:14-17) • In the early church .  (Acts 2:42; 6:4; 20:20, 27, 32) • By the Apostle Paul .  (Rom. 15:4; 1 Tim. 3:15; 4:13; 2 Ti...

Below are a few quotes from C. H. Spurgeon on the sufficiency of Scripture, taken from The Greatest Fight in the World , among his last public addresses and considered his final manifesto.   We need nothing more than God has seen fit to reveal. If the revelation of God were not enough for our faith, what could we add to it? Anything more than the Word of God sets before us, for us to believe and to preach as the life of men, seems utterly absurd to us; yet we confront a generation of men who are always wanting to discover a new motive power, and a new gospel for their churches. The Scriptures in their own sphere are like God in the universe — All-sufficient. We are resolved, then, since we have this arsenal supplied for us of the Lord, and since we want no other, to use the Word of God only, and to use it with greater energy. We are resolved to know our Bibles better. By God’s grace we purpose to believe the Word of God more intensely. We should re...