thirsting soul.

True saving faith is not simply a matter of believing bare truth. Even wicked men, and the demons themselves, can do that. In their case, they wish the gospel were not true! True saving faith is also not simply a matter of believing in Christ because you are afraid of going to hell: faith is is not simply a matter of avoiding punishment, where you do not have any desire to love and enjoy Christ. Rather, true saving faith means that you come to a deep, heartfelt conviction of how precious Christ is, and ‘account all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus out Lord, and count them but rubbish, that you may gain Christ and be found in him’ (Phil. 3:8-9, II Thess. 2:10). You come to see Christ as all your salvation and happiness (Col. 3:1), ‘in whom all fullness lives” (Col. 1:19)

True salvation also means that you love every part of Christ’s salvation- holiness as well as the forgiveness of sins. It means that you earnestly desire God to ‘create in you a clean heart and right spirit’ as well as ‘hide his face from your sins’ (Ps. 51:9-10). Do not be like those who care nothing about Christ at all, except to be delivered from hell. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6)  Walter Marshall, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification

Cross: God Dies from Doctrine by Mark Driscoll by Gerry Breshears pg. 260

“In the light, therefore, of our faith in the Trinity I must make this choice, regardless of danger I must make known the gift of God and everlasting consolation, without fear and frankly I must spread everywhere the name of God so that after my decease I may leave a bequest to my brethren and sons whom I have baptized in the Lord—so many thousands of people.” – Patrick

(via crossway)

We sing a song at NewBranch Community Church called Let Your Kingdom Come (Click to Listen) by Sovereign Grace Music. It’s from their album based on The Valley of Vision, a devotional book of Puritan Prayers. 

The song draws it’s lyrics from the following prayer, God’s Cause. I read it this morning and it blessed my soul. God, let this be the prayer of every Christian: 

Sovereign God,
Your cause, not my own, engages my heart,
and I appeal to you with greatest freedom
to set up your kingdom in every place where Satan reigns;

Glorify yourself and I shall rejoice,
for to bring honor to your name is my sole desire.
I adore you that you are God
and long that others should know it, feel it and rejoice in it.
O that all people might love and praise you;
that you might have all glory from the intelligent world!
Let sinners be brought to you for your dear name’s sake!
To the eye of reason everything concerning the conversion of others is as dark as midnight,
But you can accomplish great things;
the cause is yours and it is to your glory that people should be saved.

Lord, use me as you will, do with me what you will;
but, O, promote your cause,
let your kingdom come,
let your blessed interest be advanced in this world!

O do bring in great numbers to Jesus!
Let me see that glorious day and give me to grasp for multitudes of souls;
let me be willing to die to that end;
and while I live let me labor for you to the utmost of my strength,
spending time profitably in this work, both in health and in weakness.
It is your cause and kingdom I live for, not my own.

O, answer my request!

A few days ago I heard a worship leader say, “To a certain degree worship is about entertaining the people in the service.”

Wrong. Dead wrong. 

Read this and tell me what part of the presence of God is about your entertainment:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:       

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

  And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” 
(Isaiah 6:1-8 ESV)

If you say that worship is in any sense about entertainment your song is ‘me, me, me’ while the heavenly hosts say ‘Him, Him, Him… Holy, Holy, Holy.’

Ephesians 2:16-19 is progressive :

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  

Paul prays for…

1. …the power of the Holy Spirit to give strength… (v.16)

2. …so that Christ may dwell in you… (v.17)

3. …so that you will know His love… (v.17b-19)

4. …and be filled with the fullness of God. (v.19)

As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in You.” -Psalm 87:7

John Calvin, Commentary on Ephesians

Came across this while studying the Trinity…

To glorify something or someone is to praise, enjoy, and delight in them. When something is useful you are attracted to it for what it can bring you or do for you. But if it is beautiful, then you enjoy it simply for what it is. Just being in its presence is its own reward. To glorify someone is also to serve or defer to him or her. Instead of sacrificing their interests to make yourself happy, you sacrifice your interests to make them happy. Why? Your ultimate joy is to see them in joy.

Tim Keller, Reason for God p.214

Mark Driscoll comments on this:

What Keller is rightly saying is that the Trinity is the place of the greatest joy that has ever been or ever will be; each member delights in the others and pours himself out continuously for the good of the others in unparalleled delight. Indeed, another synonym for Trinity is Happy.

Mark Driscoll, Doctrine p.35

 

You may read your Bible, and pray over it till you die; you may wait on the preached Word every Sabbath-day, … [But] if you are not brought to cleave to him, to look to him, to believe in him, to cry out with inward adoration: “My Lord, and my God”—”How great is his goodness! How great is his beauty!”—then the outward observance of the ordinances is all in vain to you.

-Robert Murray McCheyne 

While in Bible college I heard a number of discussions/arguments over an over. One that I heard on several occasions goes something like this: ‘Too many people focus too much on theology and doctrine and not enough on love’ and of course the vice versa: ‘Too many people focus too much on love and not enough on theology and doctrine.’ 

so which is it? Love or doctrine? the answer is simple: Yes. 

Philippians 1:9- And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment… 

Do you seek to love God more? You will grow in knowledge of Him. You will be a student of His word and prayer. You should even venture to read good books.

Do you study His word and read good books? If so, you should be growing more in your love for God Himself. 

If these things aren’t true of the Christian there is a disconnect between your mind and heart.