FAITH'S CHECKBOOK - CHARLES SPURGEON

If you want a daily dose of Spurgeon follow this link http://www.spurgeon.org/fcb/fcb.cgi

It is well worth it. The one below will encourage any Christian who doubts the Lord's love.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Faith's Check Book, Daily Entry

C. H. Spurgeon

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September 25

The Sacrifice Has Been Accepted

If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have showed us all these thing. (Judges 13:23)

This is a sort of promise deduced by logic. It is an inference fairly drawn from ascertained facts. It was not likely that the Lord had revealed to Manoah and his wife that a son would be born to them and yet had it in His heart to destroy them. The wife reasoned well, and we shall do well if we follow her line of argument.
The Father has accepted the great sacrifice of Calvary and has declared Himself well pleased therewith; how can He now be pleased to kill us! Why a substitute if the sinner must still perish? The accepted sacrifice of Jesus puts an end to fear.
The Lord has shown us our election, our adoption, our union to Christ, our marriage to the Well-beloved: how can He now destroy us? The promises are loaded with blessings, which necessitate our being preserved unto eternal life. It is not possible for the Lord to cast us away and yet fulfill His covenant. The past assures us, and the future reassures us. We shall not die but live, for we have seen Jesus, and in Him we have seen the Father by the illumination of the Holy Ghost. Because of this life-giving sight we must live forever.

FROM SPURGEON'S "FAITH'S CHECKBOOK"

September 13



The Dew of Heaven

"His heavens shall drop down dew" (Deuteronomy 33:28).

What the dew in the East is to the world of nature, that is the influence of the Spirit in the realm of grace. How greatly do I need it! Without the Spirit of God I am a dry and withered thing. I droop, I fade, I die. How sweetly does this dew refresh me! When once favored with it I feel happy, lively, vigorous, elevated. I want nothing more. The Holy Spirit brings me life and all that life requires. All else without the dew of the Spirit is less than nothing to me: I hear, I read, I pray, I sing, I go to the table of Communion, and I find no blessing there until the Holy Ghost visits me. But when He bedews me, every means of grace is sweet and profitable. What a promise is this for me! "His heavens shall drop down dew." I shall be visited with grace. I shall not be left to my natural drought, or to the world's burning heat, or to the sirocco of satanic temptation. Oh, that l may at this very hour feel the gentle, silent, saturating dew of the LORD! Why should I not! He who has made me to live as the grass lives in the meadow will treat me as He treats the grass; He will refresh me from above. Grass cannot call for dew as I do. Surely, the LORD who visits the unpraying plant will answer to His pleading child.

SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY WITH A SHEPHERD'S TOUCH - IS IT POSSIBLE?

If you have a hard time reading, even excellent, books presenting  the fundamental essential doctrines of the faith (and I could recommend some very good ones), then this book is for you.

Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe is an unabridged recording by Authors Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears. I found it to be very pastoral in its delivery. I do not know whose decision it was to use Sean Runnette to read, but it strongly added to the pastoral delivery of this book.

The pastoral expression of this came out in the tone in which it was read. In addition to this, the content is accessible (understandable) to all, helpful clarifications were given, and warnings (as needed) were given. I had the impression as I was listening to this that I was being shepherded.

This having been said, I am not taking everything at face value. There are some individual statements within the doctrines presented that I will be researching in more detail. These statements did not affect the fundamental truths being taught but, I would be a poor example of a Berean if I did not search for myself to see if even those things are to be found in Scripture. Overall, these various doctrines are "What Every Christian Should Believe".

I have no problem with recommending this book. If you are interested in it you can purchase it at http://christianaudio.com/.



I am a volunteer member of the christianaudio Reviewers Program. I am not required to give a positive review.

PRAY FOR THE PRESIDENT AND EVERYONE ELSE?

It has been a while since I last posted something, but this I thought was worth posting. May this be a used as a proding to:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,  for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,  who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
(1 Timothy 2:1-6)

Check out this,

MichaelYoussef.com

Blog Update

Islam's So-called Friends

I often find it amusing, enlightening and equally frustrating to read some of the Arabic/Islamic press. They have a knack for turning truth on its head. And when that happens, one gets a unique perspective. The brouhaha over some Islamists' take on Obama being Muslim or not Muslim is absolutely fascinating.

One writer who lives in the United States writes in an Islamic website explained to Arabs, in Arabic, her perspective on the questions over whether Obama is a Muslim or not.

She emphatically declared that he is not a Muslim in the truer sense of the word. Then she proceeded to explain to her Arabic readers about the Unitarian Church and many "other Christian denominations," referring mainly to mainline denominations, and why Muslims should be supportive of them.

She said they are not like those "traditional Christians" who believe in the divinity of Christ. They, like us "Muslims," believe that Jesus was just a good prophet: 'To be sure, they do not believe in Mohammad as the true prophet of Allah, but we can get along with them."

This concept reminds me of an Arabic saying, "Me and my brother against our cousins; but my brother and I and my cousins against our enemies."

Isn't it a true shame that Islamists feel affinity with the Unitarians and the liberal mainline denominations simply because they share one thing in common with Islam? Namely, they all reject Biblical truth.

When Jesus claimed that He is the only way, the only truth, and the only giver of eternal life (John 14:6), He drew a line in the sand. You either believe Me and my claims or reject Me. And wanting it or not, by rejecting Me, you would be joining forces with all My enemies.

One good thing about this entire buzz about religion, it is giving the true disciples of Jesus Christ an opportunity to take a stand. Lovingly, thoughtfully and wisely ... but the church is taking a stand none the less. The days of placing one foot in the boat and one foot on the pier are gone. The boat has left the pier! You are either for the full claims of Christ, or you are not. There is no smorgasbord in true Christianity.

Obama may not be a Muslim. But until he comes out and says, "Jesus is the only way to the Father and heaven," he is not a true Christian either.

So what is the response of all those who belong to Jesus Christ and live in obedience to His claim? Pray. Pray for our president daily. He is our president and the Bible commands us to pray for those in authority and leave the rest up to God.

Remember the prayers of a righteous man avails much. God is listening and He wants to hear our prayers. Remember Paul is just the means of the message. It is God who is urging us to offer  supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, including kings, or for us, presidents and others in authority.

This is an awesome responsibility. Are you carrying it. I confess I have failed miserably.
Lord, grant me and all of us grace to obediently step up to our responsibility.

"FOR THE LORD AND FOR GIDEON" - WAS GIDEON TAKING A SHARE OF GOD'S GLORY?

When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’” Judges 7:18

So who was Gideon? He was a key figure among the judges of Israel. He was not specifically called a judge but his biblical history is sandwiched between those who were called judges. More importantly than having a title of judge, he was specifically called by God to do the same things He had called the judges for -

Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. ....Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. Judges 2:16-18

Upon first reading this it didn't seem right that the command to shout "For the Lord and for Gideon" had been given. Alone it sounds like Gideon is trying to share some of the glory that God alone should be receiving. That was my thoughts upon my first reading.

Upon my second reading, the command for the shout made sense. It did not at all seem as if Gideon was trying to receive some of the glory from God. In fact, it seems to be God inspired.

In the context God recognized that Gideon was afraid to do what He was asking. So He said to Gideon,

“Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Judges 7:9-11

God knows our hearts and He knows how to calm our fears.

So Gideon went down, with his servant, near the outposts to the camp of the Midianites and the Amalekites. He was out of their sight but he could see,

The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. Judges 7:12

In other words they far outnumbered his army. This sight alone would be enough to put fear into Gideon's heart. The Scripture does not say. But it does say that after observing this Gideon overheard two guards speaking. This conversation that he overhears is the exact reason why God had sent him down to the camp.

When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” Judges 7:13-14

Upon hearing this, what was Gideon's response,

As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. Judges 7:15a

He also took immediate command and action,

And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”...When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.'" Judges 7:7:15b;17b-18

So why did he tell the men to shout, "For the Lord and for Gideon." Was he trying to share the glory with God? I believe that Gideon was capitalizing on what God had allowed him to overhear. If one man knew of Gideon and His God, then surely others had heard of him and His God too. So this shout in itself would put fear into the hearts of the Midianites. The context bears this out,

And they cried out, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" Every man (all of Gideon's men) stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. Judges 7:20b-21

So what application can we draw from this.

Notice the wording of the interpretation of the dream,

“This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” Judges 7:14

The clear meaning is, God would be the one to defeat the Midianites and their allies. But He would do so through an instrument, "the sword of Gideon" We too, are instruments in God's hands. He is continually at work in this world against His enemies. But for some reason he is pleased to use us to do so. So remember the next time you are confronted with the enemy/enemies of God the shout of Gideon and his army,

"A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!"

You may want to personalize it as I myself will do, "A sword for the LORD and for Ernie!"

Brothers and Sisters, God is at work in you. You are His instruments for righteousness in this world. We are the means by which His enemies will be defeated. And we are the means, through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by which He will save the world.

All Glory to God who is pleased to work through such lowly creatures as ourselves!

Book Review - SEASONS OF GRACE #3: THE TELLING by Beverly Lewis

Despite the fact that this was the final part of a trilogy, I did not feel I was jumping into the middle of a story. It very easily stands on its own.

Aimee Lilly, wonderfully reads the story. Using various voices for the different characters added to the realness of the story. Her voice was easy to listen to and her diction was flawless.

I could not testify to the accuracy of the Amish community portrayed, but the depiction of the story seemed real. That is because, it is not just an Amish story, it is a human story, a story of sin, consequences, confession, redemption, and forgiveness (both God’s and man’s). This human story has been authentically portrayed. The everyday conversations had a ring of reality to them. Even the spiritual conversations were natural, not strained at all. Their conversations, questions and answers, were ones that I myself might have been involved in.

The title of the story, The Telling, refers to a time of public confession, a revealing of hidden sins. It was easy to enter into the anguish over the sin to be confessed. It was just as easy to enter into the humble private confessions and prayers that were uttered to God before family and friends ever knew.

How family, friends, and church community responded demonstrated the reality of the consequences of sin. But it was the ultimate response, from the Amish community, of redemption and forgiveness that shines as the main theme of the book. When life is lived like this,forgiving as God in Christ has forgiven us, we are shown Christianity as it should be. As a result God is glorified.

I wholeheartedly recommend this audio book. It is offered by http://www.christianaudio.com/. It was a pleasure to be able to review this book for the christianaudio Reviewers Program.

Book Review - INTERIOR CASTLE by Teresa of Avila

Interior Castle, which can be purchased from Christian Audio, http://christianaudio.com/, centers on prayer and the reflections of the soul. The author pictures the soul of a person as a castle with many rooms, which she calls mansions. The book conveys the journey of a person into the various mansions, seven in all. It could be seen as a journey of sanctification. There is a progressiveness of maturity pictured in each of the mansions, of which the last, the seventh, is seen as the central dwelling place of Jesus in the soul.

This book is read most excellently by Susan Deneker. I believe she captured the intent of the author through her skilled reading.

As a Protestant evangelical Christian, I had some theological differences (some of which were serious) with this book, which was written from a Roman Catholic perspective. However, having said that, I would not reject it and would even encourage people to read it. A Scripture came to mind as I was meditating on the things:

Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.

                                                                        1Thessalonians 5:20-21

While I had my differences, I found that the good was worth holding on to and very uplifting to my faith.                      

What was good that I could hold on to? This author had a very biblical view of man as concerns his state of sin and separation from God. It was this view that caused the author to offer a very biblical view of true humility. Both of these themes are heard throughout the book.

It was these two themes that naturally brought the reader to another theme, we are nothing and God is everything. This resulted in much praise and glory to be given to God. I was much moved by a name that she used often for God – “His Majesty”.

Much more could be said but my favorite moment in listening to this was her encouragement to contemplate, meditate on Jesus and his work on the cross.

I have reviewed this audio book for the christianaudio Reviewers Program, of which I am privileged to be a member.