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Showing posts from September, 2019

Chosen By God (Review)

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On Saturday I will teach, with a team, on Salvation. Specifically about the doctrine of Election. I found R.C.'s book Chosen by God to be very helpful. This book is worth a second read. Sometimes his arguments are complex enough that I need to re-read the material. This short book is thoughtful, biblical, self-deprecating, and humorous. A few times, I found myself thinking there is more to this issue than you are making it; however, that was not frequent.

Here is what Amazon says,

With nearly 200,000 copies sold in its 25 years, Chosen by God by Dr. R. C. Sproul is a contemporary classic on predestination, a doctrine that isn't just for Calvinists, says Sproul. It is a doctrine for all biblical Christians. In this updated and expanded edition of Chosen by God, Sproul shows that the doctrine of predestination doesn't create a whimsical or spiteful picture of God, but paints a portrait of a loving God who provides redemption for radically corrupt humans. We choose God becaus…
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Meet the Puritans by Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson

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Meet the Puritans: With a Guide to Modern Reprints by Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson. This book is 820 pages long. I took away several things. The Puritans suffered. They did not have it easy. Many came from large families. In those families, many people did not make it to adulthood. Persecution was normal. These were men of principle and integrity and learning.

My favorite takeaway is a handful of books that I would like to read in the coming years. The top two are:

Memoirs of Thomas Halyburton is one of those books. CharlesHodge said it was "worthy of a place in every family" p. 344.William Gutherie's book The Christians Great Interest. Thomas Chalmers claimed the best book I ever read p. 207. 
Mark Dever offered two years ago advice that I have put into practice. On longer theological books if I read ten pages a day, I can get through it in a short time. Eighty-two days and I should have finished. It didn't get done that quickly, yet I am glad I started and stuck …
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne (Review)

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I just finished Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Penguin Clothbound Classics)
by Jules Verne. It was a fabulous book written in 1869-1870 in French. I have seen the page length vary. The translation from Penguin Classics is 504 pages. I found that was about 250 pages. The chapters are short and filled with nautical words. Once you get used to fathoms and leagues, the story is captivating and mysterious. I could not put it down.
Amazon describes the book this way, "'Immediately a long tentacle reached in through the opening like a snake, and a score of others waved about above it'

At first they think it is a giant sea monster - a vast black object, menacing the oceans and causing panic over the world. Yet when Professor Aronnax joins an expedition to hunt down the creature, he and his two companions discover it is a giant submarine, the Nautilus. Captured and held prisoner on board by its captain, Nemo - unpredictable, enigmatic, exiled from humanity - they have no …
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Enter to Win: Don't Loose Heart by Jason Meyer

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You have 11 days left to enter to win one of 15 copies of Don't Lose Heart: Gospel Hope for the Discouraged Soul by Jason Meyer. The book is published by Baker Books. It is 160 pages and is out for pre-order on Amazon. Here is a description of the book.


"A fallen world is full of reasons to lose heart. From the large-scale tragedies of war, famine, and natural disasters, to the more personal tragedies of broken relationships and broken dreams, it can be difficult to avoid discouragement--even for the believer. And yet, Scripture calls us to a life of hope, based not on wishful thinking or avoiding our problems but based on who God is, what he has done, and what he is still doing.

In this short, giftable book, pastor Jason Meyer shows you that though the reasons for discouragement seem strong, the reasons we have to take heart and hold on to hope are stronger yet. Through biblical truth and personal stories, Meyer encourages the weary and anxious believer by shining light on the…
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The Attributes of God by Steven Lawson (Free)

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You have 12 days left to get this free video resource from Steven Lawson. You can get your copy here!

Who Does God Say That He Is?Misconceptions about God abound. But they don’t have to. God has revealed His character in Scripture, illuminating the attributes that define Him. While we, being finite creatures, can never truly comprehend everything that God is, we should study what He Himself has said.
In this new 16-part teaching series, The Attributes of God, Ligonier Teaching Fellow Dr. Steven Lawson articulates a biblical understanding of divine attributes and explores how a right understanding of God can affect every aspect of our lives.
Sixteen, 23-Minute Messages: Introduction to the Attributes of GodIntroduction to the Attributes of GodThe Aseity of GodThe Spirituality of GodThe Sovereignty of GodThe Holiness of GodThe Omnipresence of GodThe Omniscience of GodThe Omnipotence of GodThe Immutability of GodThe Truthfulness of GodThe Wisdom of GodThe Goodness of GodThe Grace of GodTh…
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Win a 42-Vol Spurgeon Metropolitan Tabernacle Set

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Accelerate has a contest to win a 42-Vol Spurgeon Metropolitan Tabernacle Set! HERE. Pretty cool.

If you want a biography of Spurgeon, I read this one by Dallimore earlier this year.

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Logos Free Book of the Month: Treatise on the Passover and Dialogue of Origen

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Treatise on the Passover and Dialogue of Origen With Heraclides and His Fellow Bishops on the Father, the Son, and the Soul (Ancient Christian Writer Vol. 54) You can get your copy free HERE!

The Treatise on the Passover was written around AD 245. Its central insight is that the Passover is not a figure or type of the passion of Christ, but a figure of Christ himself. The Dialogue with Heraclides was written between AD 244 and 249. It is the record of an unknown meeting—probably a synod—of bishops called to discuss matters of belief and worship. Both pieces come from the last decade of Origen’s ministry, when he was at the height of his powers.

 If you didn't enter the drawing to win a 6 volume reference set you can do so HERE!

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A Christian's Pocket Guide to Loving the Old Testament by Alec Motyer (Review)

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A Christian's Pocket Guide to Loving The Old Testament: One Book, One God, One Story by Alec Motyer  (1924-2016) is a great book to see the unity between the Old and New Testament in the Bible. Obviously, the author knows what he is writing about. His commentary on Isaiah is one of the best. In these 130 pages, you will fly through some great material on how Jesus is predicted in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New.

Here is the review from Amazon:

Motyer is that rare scholar who can write plainly, say something quotable in a few words, and write sympathetically to ordinary folk. Who might benefit from this little book? My ninth-grade Bible students last year would have been much helped. This year's kids will thank me. It would make a nice study for a Sunday school class. Even the minister who has preached and taught through the Old Testament will enjoy the read and learn something, too. (New Horizons)

A Christian's Pocket Guide to Loving the Old Testament, and Alec Mo…
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Traitor by Martha Snell Nicholson

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Traitor by Martha Snell Nicholson from Threshold of heaven,
No roof but the starry sky,
No bed but the earth's brown breast.
A gypsy maid am I,
And the winding road is best.

What need have I for walls
When I can touch the breeze?
Ah, soft the night dew falls
Among the friendly trees!

My only light a star
Agleam in the sky for me,
And ever glows the far
Still beauty of the sea.

No hampering bonds for me,
No house to hold me fast.
I would be ever free!
And yet today I passed

A house in a quiet street:
I looked in at the door
And watched two babies sweet
Tumble about the floor.

I've a yearning and vague unrest,
A fear that I am not free,
A troubled pain at my breast—
My heart is betraying me!

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Evening Reveries by Martha Snell Nicholson

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Evening Reveries by Martha Snell Nicholson from Threshold of heaven,
Tonight I heard a mother call another child
Who bore my darling's name.
And my heart trembled.

Evenings like this we used to sit before the fire,
Her curly head within the circle of my arm,
A cold rain beating on the window panes.
It beats again tonight, And I am all alone.

She was so warm and sweet,
All pink and blue and gold.
Strange that I could produce such loveliness,
Such exquisite fruition of my girlhood dreams!

She was so young that she had never learned to dream.
There are no dreams in heaven —
Only dreams' fulfillment.
She seemed so small to go so far alone —
She was only seven,
And her whole world was still
Her mother and her playmates,
And a foolish little dog.
She took such pride in her new shoes,
And now she wears winged sandals on her feet!

How has she changed who has been five years in heaven?
Her beauty has begun to blossom,
Her eyes grown deep
From looking on the wonder of His face.
She knows no tears, nor loneliness…
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To Mother In Heaven by Martha Snell Nicholson

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To Mother In Heaven by Martha Snell Nicholson from Threshold of heaven,
It seems strange to think that I
Am older now
Then you were when you went away,
And yet I know,

By some sweet miracle of grace,
(So patient He,
So understanding of my need)
That I shall be

Your little girl again, and that
My head will rest
For one exquisite moment on
Your gentle breast;

Your dear, remembered hands will wipe
My tears away,
Each last dark bitter drop, and then
Your voice will say,

"Come, Daughter, let us go to God
And worship." Then,
As once on earth, you'll lead your child
To God again!
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Logos Giveaway

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Win a free 6 volume Logos Desk reference set Here!

Logos describes the set this way,

What was life like socially, politically, and religiously in Bible times? When studying Scripture, it’s very important to understand the context that surrounds each text. Whether you are preparing a sermon, leading a small group, or seeking to expand your personal knowledge of the Bible, the Zondervan Reference Collection (6 vols.) is the perfect collection to assist you. This collection includes two dictionaries, an atlas, and a Bible reference companion, as well as two volumes that focus specifically on life in Bible times and the Book of Psalms. Providing numerous maps, photographs, illustrations, descriptions, and charts, it allows you to grow in your understanding of the people, places, and events found in Scripture.

Discover the practical applications found in Psalms. Find out what gender roles, social life, and government were like. Unwrap the significance and meaning of biblical imagery used in t…
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The Voice of One Who Wept by Martha Snell Nicholson

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The Voice of One Who Wept by Martha Snell Nicholson from Threshold of heaven,
Today I heard the voice of one who wept In far off lands Because of sin and misery, And begged with outstretched hands For one small lamp to light his dark. Now fain I would have slept, So - stopped my ears, but in my heart That sobbing voice still wept.
And then I heard the voice of one who Counted not the cost, But left His ivory palaces to seek and Save the lost. He said, "The sound of one who weeps Is coming up to Me. Dost thou forget that last command Which I gave unto Thee,
To preach my Word to all the world?" O, bitter be our shame! Still hopeless millions walk the earth Who never heard His Name, And still the world spends lavishly In every crowded mart, And still the voice of Him who wept Is sobbing in my heart!
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Free Audiobook: Fire Road by Kim Phuc Phan Thi

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This month Christian Audio is putting out a free book Fire Road: The Napalm Girl’s Journey through the Horrors of War to Faith, Forgiveness, and Peace by Kim Phuc Phan Thi. You can get your copy here!

Here is the description of this true story:

Get out! Run! We must leave this place! They are going to destroy this whole place! Go, children, run first! Go now! These were the final shouts nine year-old Kim Phuc heard before her world dissolved into flames―before napalm bombs fell from the sky, burning away her clothing and searing deep into her skin. It’s a moment forever captured, an iconic image that has come to define the horror and violence of the Vietnam War. Kim was left for dead in a morgue; no one expected her to survive the attack. Napalm meant fire, and fire meant death. Against all odds, Kim lived―but her journey toward healing was only beginning. When the napalm bombs dropped, everything Kim knew and relied on exploded along with them: her home, her country’s freedom, her ch…
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A Mountain To Die On (Sermon)

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A Mountain to Die On Acts 15 Introduction
Hi, I am pastor Rob, and it is a pleasure to be with you today!



Consider the breathtaking view from Mount Everest. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be on top of the world? Have you ever climbed to the top of a mountain and looked out and been astounded by creation? Do you ever feel the pull to get that kind of view? How much would you give for that 29,000-foot perspective?

Over 300 people have died trying to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Was it worth it? Would you risk it?

What is worth the risk? I can’t think of a greater hill to die on than the one we will talk about today. It has infinite significance. Let’s get our belay’s on and get ready to climb. Climb on.

I have asked _______  to read the scripture for us. We will be continuing our series in Acts. If you have your Bibles, you can follow along in chapter 15. We will read the first 35 verses. If you are able, please stand in honor of God’s Word.
Text
15 1 But some men came down from Jude…
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