I am a pretty big Martyn Lloyd-Jones fan. He was an expositor extraordinaire, able to speak prophetically, pastorally, and theologically with words that reached far beyond his own generation. This year's Gospel Coalition Conference will be hosting a MLJ movie that I think will definitely be worth a watch. Here is the trailer...
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Ironically, it seems the more information we obtain, the less we think. Our minds are full, but full of distraction. We jump from one idea to the next. We can be listening to someone speak at a dinner conversation WHILE texting someone else about tomorrow's business meeting. Most psychologists believe it is virtually impossible to listen to someone while texting someone else. We are simply too busy to think. This is also why reading God's Word and prayer is so difficult. We are conversing with God while texting someone else, so to speak. Distractions are everywhere and they do not get less over time, they actually increase with time. So is it any wonder that Christians do not know how to process God's Word and perhaps, do not even try to do so? One of our greatest problem as Christians is not that we think too much, but we think too little. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote: Faith, according to our Lord’s teaching in this paragraph, is primarily thinking, and the whole trouble with a man of little faith is that he doesn’t think. He allows circumstances to bludgeon him. We must spend more time in studying our Lord’s lessons in observation and deduction. The Bible is full of logic, and we must never think of faith as something purely mystical. We do not just sit down in an armchair and expect marvelous things to happen to us. This is not Christian faith. Christian faith is essentially thinking. Look at the birds. Think about them and draw your deductions. Look at the grass. Look at the lilies of the field, consider them. Faith, if you like, can be defined like this: It is a man insisting upon thinking when everything seems determined to bludgeon and knock him down in an intellectual sense. The trouble with the person of little faith is that instead of controlling his own thought, his thought is being controlled by something else, and as we put it, he goes round and round in circles. That is the essence of worry. That is not thought, that is the absence of thought. We do not have enough faith to deal with life's circumstances because we do not think enough about God, about the gospel, about the reality of life in view of God and the gospel.
I was reading Exodus 16, where the people of Israel are setting out into the wilderness of Zin. Moses records the event this way: And the whole congregation of the people of Israel lgrumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, m“Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, nwhen we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Talk about ungrateful. It wasn’t that long ago that these same people were crying out to God for delivery from their enslavement in Egypt (Ex 2:23). And then of course, there is the whole matter of watching the Red Sea part and the Egyptian army wiped out in a single blow. So how did they forget God’s incredible mercy and salvation? They had tunnel vision. Tunnel vision is the dreaded spiritual disease rooted in self-centeredness and blameshifting, a holdover from the days of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. Therefore, a person is caught up solely with the moment, caring about nothing other than himself. What matters to such a person is the here and now and all past grace is exactly that, the past. And so, the spouse that wants his way lists off all of the failures of the other spouse while forgetting the many ways that spouse is an encouragement. A parent can find fault with all sorts of wrongs in a child, but fails to see that she is filled with many more faults when seen through the lens of a holy God. An adolescent can bemoan the fact that he doesn’t have the latest gadget, all the while forgetting his parents’ continued provision of everything and more than he needs. This is the human heart. We are continually forgetful of God’s grace. But this is exactly why Paul tells us that we must never forget what the Lord has done for us: Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph 2:11-13) We must remember that at one time we were separated from Christ, apart from God’s promises. BUT NOW, because of Jesus, we have been welcomed into God’s family. And this reality is truly better than anything else in this world. Without this being actively remembered every day, the idea of preaching the gospel to oneself daily, we too will be crying out for our meat pots.
This is one question I receive quite often, "So what do you do on your day off?" The funny thing is, I don't ever think of Monday as my "day off," though officially, it is. I think some people think I spend the whole day doing what this guy is enjoying. But I thought I'd give you a list of what I am doing today, which though has some atypical parts to it, is typically atypical.
But as Jonathan Edwards stated in Resolution #1 Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad’s of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever. I am blessed to have breath and I don't want to waste a second of it. It's God's grace upon grace.
My first experience of public speaking in front of more than 50 people was in front of my college Christian fellowship. I was to give the announcements. I will never forget the moment because I was so nervous, I could literally hear my knees knock together. My voice creaked and croaked, my palms sweat, my mouth was dry and I can't recall how the night went. I just remember that I was a nervous wreck and thankful that I would never have to do it again. Now after 20 years of preaching, I laugh at how God moves and works. Truly He uses the weak things of the world for His glory. For those of you who dread public speaking, take heart, you have much company, including me. But don't give up. Keep trying and despite your fear, trust in God's grace, and He will empower you by His Spirit. There are some things you can do to enhance your speaking skills. Ed Welch provides a list of hints for potential public speakers: 1. I do not naturally enjoy being in front of people, but I do enjoy talking about things that have helped me and could be helpful to others. The key: I must be edified by what I am saying. If I don’t enjoy and profit from it, I might as well apologize right up front, go home, do some repenting, and ask for prayer that Scripture would be fresh and powerful in my life. I have a few more...
So I posed this question to everyone on Sunday, "Have you ever seen a man or woman with a six-pack stomach with flabby arms and legs?" It just isn't possible. It takes a person much hard work and discipline to get those defined belly muscles, that to do so would have the net benefit of toning all of the muscles of the body. The converse is also true. If you were to have a belly of this size (excluding pregnancy), one would probably be out of shape all around. The belly is the body's indicator light for toneness and definition. One look at the belly and you can assess one's appetite, discipline, and pleasures. And this was Paul's point in Philippians 3:17-21, for the person who lives for this world, their god is their belly. Sensuality defines such a person. He eats, sleeps, and sleeps with anyone and everyone to satisfy his cravings. I read an article on a group of men in India who move from "pleasure house" to pleasure house, sleeping with as many women as possible. The more women they slept with, the more they were unfulfilled and the more they needed to have sex with another. It was a never-ending cycle. Their god was their bellies. The road to this cycle does not merely pass through India. This is a human frailty. One need only turn to the Internet to get a quick fix of porn. Our delight in craft beers and Cuban cigars and fine wines and delectable dining knows no bounds. Every night, people are constantly looking to amuse themselves. As Neil Postman so articulately writes in his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death: What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us. More than ever before, George Orwell speaks to our day. The problem with our appetites is that we are never truly satisfied. Every sexual encounter needs another one to reach at least the same experience. Every drug needs another does. Every taste of wine needs more wine. Every vacation needs another vacation. But to further complicate the matter, we need more and better and stronger and more powerful. Climax in our experience is not satisfied with the feelings of yesterday. The normal progresses to the perverse. Is it any wonder then that some chaste Roman Catholic priests dive into the debauchery of pedophilia or so-called socially ultra-conservative ISIS soldiers can engage in the most heinous sorts of rape and sexual abuse of women?
Why are people who make their god their bellies so radical in their pursuits? The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:24-25: "Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator." God turns His back on people and allows them to gorge themselves to the fullest on their lusts which is the worst punishment of all. God is not in the business of making people miserable. On the contrary, He wants great joy for us. But the only means to that end is to honor Him above all else. By refraining from sexual perversion and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, we have the freedom and pleasure and joy in finding our spouse the most attractive person on the earth. By disciplining ourselves from over-stuffing bellies at buffets, we are able to taste and enjoy our foods. By limiting ourselves to drinking without drunkenness and addiction, we can experience the pleasure of the gift of wine. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. But a God-honoring amount of God's created things for God's glory (1 Cor 10:31) is the pathway to full joy. Their God is their Savior! [If you have any questions from this past Sunday's message, please feel free to post comments here.] Ok, maybe I'm the Valentine's Grinch. I think Valentine's is a greeting card/restaurant/candy company conspiracy to make as much money as possible now that Christmas is over. I remember being a single man and doing all that I could to woo my now wife, and Valentine's was that one day that I had to make very special. It's not to say there isn't a place to woo your wife. But why does Valentine's Day have to stick out above all the other days? Also, lines like this from Wikipedia do not help me to be less cynical: "Due to a concentrated marketing effort, Valentine's Day is celebrated in some East Asian countries with Chinese and South Koreans spending the most money on Valentine's gifts." So what is Valentine's Day really about? There is not much historically verifiable about the story, but legend has it that a Roman Catholic priest named Valentinus was martyred for officiating the weddings of Christian couples. The Roman Emperor at the time had issued an edict banning marriages, believing unwed soldiers would fight more ferociously without the encumbrances of a wife. Valentinus refused to comply and was imprisoned and eventually executed. Father O'Gara of Whitefriars Street Church in Dublin, Ireland recounts this part of the story: One of the men who was to judge him in line with the Roman law at the time was a man called Asterius, whose daughter was blind. He was supposed to have prayed with and healed the young girl with such astonishing effect that Asterius himself became Christian as a result." Now how this went from being a story of martyrdom to a holiday that benefits Hallmark and See's Candies and the restaurant industry is again, a marvelous marketing scheme that continues to mesmerize the world. Not to take away from the festivities and the honor that women should receive from men, let's simply remember Valentine's Day is a day for marketing love, not love itself.
This is a public service message from the mean old Mr. Grinch. Happy Valentine's Day! Bah Humbug! (Shhh...don't tell my wife about this post. I'm busy working on my Valentine's card for her, picking up the See's candies, and getting ready to take her out to dinner.) Worry is a terrible sin. I know, worry doesn't seem all that terrible. You might say, "I haven't killed anyone." True. But according to Jesus, worry is a fruit of idolatry. Worry is bowing down to the idol of self. Instead of a big Buddha smiling with coins in his lap, we just throw our hearts into the smiling lap of the big idol of worry. Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 6:24-34: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Most Bible translations break verses 24 from verses 25 to 34. But you can see that the word "therefore" signifies conclusion. We must not worry because similar to serving God or money, worry is the result of serving something other than money. The more we lose control over our lives, the more we worry. Worry is no different than bowing down to an idol. It is a manifestation of unbelief.
I can recall reading about Martin Luther in the monastery constantly pleading to the Lord for forgiveness of his sins before his gospel revelation. I always wondered what he what he was sorry for since he was stuck in this monastery. But in reading the Sermon on the Mount, you begin to see that all it takes is our own hearts to turn from Jesus. Worry happens to be one of those common, respectable sins that we push aside as no big deal (an issue that Jerry Bridges articulately explains in his book Respectable Sins). For those who struggle with worry, which is probably anyone who calls himself or herself a human being, I wanted to direct you to this great resource by CCEF. They held an anxiety conference and I know the audio will be worth listening to. If you do order this and listen to it, please comment and let me know what you thought. That's a picture of the Tibetan mountain range by Chris Hadfield from the International Space Station. These are definitely worth a look. It keeps reminding me of just how great God and how small we really are.
Thinking is hard. It can be painful. But it is oh so rewarding. Philosopher and thinker Eric Havelock said this about thinking: Thinking [is] a very special type of psychic activity, very uncomfortable, but also very exciting… Would you ever have thought of thinking as exciting? Study Hacks blog comments on this quote: These two adjectives sum up well the sometimes complicated experience of deep work. This activity is not fun in the sense that it can cause mental strain and discomfort, but at the same time, the rewards it produces are richer than anything that the addictive digital bazaars of the attention economy can offer. Maybe this is why this idea of "thinking as exciting" is such a foreign concept: In our world of instantaneous information and gratification, we simply do not want to spend the time to think, evaluate, contemplate, analyze, and yes, work. But in foregoing the hard work of thinking, we delve so skimpily into the subject, we rarely get to see the beauty of the idea. A treasure of gold might be underneath our feet, we might know its there, but if we decide its too much trouble to dig for that treasure, we will never experience the pleasure of opening the chest. The thrill is never ours to own.
I find this to be true with the things of God. We are far too easily satisfied with the surface of Scripture, rather than the treasure that needs to be dug up. Reading books about parenting are easier and more pressing than reading books by John Owen or John Calvin or Herman Bavinck. It's not that parenting books are unimportant, but when we limit ourselves to what we deem to be pragmatic, we limit our thinking. Therefore, we never get to the place where our hearts are inspired and transformed, which is probably the most pragmatic fruit any book could have upon us. If you have never been to the place where you have read the same passage of Scripture 100 times and you stop and ponder and weigh and think and pray, you suddenly see something so marvelous so beautiful, it is probably because you are too busy to think and pray. Oh, but when you see it, you understand why the psalmist says, "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good." May you take up the uncomfortable, but exciting task of thinking today. You'll never be the same. |