The Gospel and The Kingdom

News:  I guess America is just not into reading.  Personally, I never watched the show, but I did read about it.  I am glad that this was pulled.

Efficiency/Organization:  Here is a blog I have been reading for the last few weeks.  It is rather interesting, especially for pastors who are having to really manage their time and resources.  Check it out, again, it is rather interesting.

Family News: Because I may not have the opportunity to blog tomorrow (I am leaving on vacation) I want to wish my brother a happy birthday a day early!

New SGM Album: Sovereign Grace has announced the mid-August release of a new album based on the Puritan devotional Valley of Vision. You can read details here and watch a trailer here.

New SBC Blog:  The new blog that Dr. Mohler announced at the Band of Bloggers meeting at the end of April made itself known yesterday.  It is called ConventionalThinking. 

Blogging Vacation:  Next week, the posts will be rather light.  I am will be on vacation starting this Friday and will intentionally not be doing a whole lot of blogging.  There will be a Baptist Catechism post on Monday, either from myself or my brother, if I can talk him into it.

Okay, Okay, so I am a day late. You can forgive me….today I turn 30. What does that have to do with missing my Baptist Catechism post yesterday? Nothing….just thought that if I am “old” now, I mind as well use its benefits!

Onto the real stuff…

Question: What is the Word of God?

Answer: The holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God, and the only certain rule of faith and obedience (2 Tim 3:16; Eph. 2:20).

I find it interesting, in the progression of the catechism, that the questions run from an assertion of who God is, a demand for belief in Him, and then a movement to His Word. I have quite often heard it said, and thought this way once before myself, that those who reject all truth or all truth claims would have to believe in God’s Word as inerrant and inspired before that person would come to saving faith in Christ alone.

This is not necessarily what this catechism would teach us in the progression of these questions. The One, True, Living God must be made known….belief must be demanded (an opportunity for response in common terms)…and then a teaching and subsequent belief in God’s inerrant Word.

You may choose to disagree, that is your right, but you cannot negate how this is both logically and pragmatically evident in our society today.

The answer of this question is careful to define what is Scripture and what is not. The two testaments known as the Old and the New Testaments are God’s Word. This description is both inclusive (defining what God’s Word contains, as I have stated before) and what God’s Word does not contain (apocryphal writings) and what God’s Word is not (the Book of Mormon, the Quran, etc.).  The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments in their original language are God’s inspired, inerrant Word.

The answer of this question also sets the foundation for use of God’s Word.  I say foundation because Question 5, next week, will answer it more fully.  It will provide the extent to which the Word of God is to be used.  Again, more on that next week.

For our question this week, however, we are told that the Word of God is the only certain rule for faith and obedience. To best explain this concept, I would direct you to my review of John MacArthur’s Why One Way? book.  There, he lays out that God’s Word is objectively true (outside of ourselves), it is rational (it makes sense), and it is authentic (there is nothing else like it).  Those are three characteristics that support why God’s Word is the only certain rule.

God and His Word are two things that are objectively true, independent of anything else for authentication.  Therefore, the life that He has given us, this life in which we live for Him, should be lived by His standard and His standard alone.  (See Amos chapter 7).

Again, more will be dealt with this topic later.  It has many implications that I will postpone until next week to avoid redundancy.   There is a possibility that next week’s post on the Baptist Catechism will be by a guest author (my brother, Matthew Ewers, whose theological classifications run a mile long - he is truly a difficult man to describe!).  He will include some of these implications for living a life “in manner worthy of the calling with which we have received.”

Family Worship: Joe Harrod, at the harrod family dot com, has read and reviewed Donald Whitney’s new book. He has also posted
an open thread about what you do in your family worship. Stop by and
check it out and offer your input….this could be a wonderful and
fruitful discussion.

Band of Bloggers: Timmy Brister has posted some updating information for those involved in the band of bloggers.

Blog Awards: Check out Doug McHone’s Christian Blogosphere Demerit Awards.

Just Plain Weird: See here.

Sad: Timmy Brister has pointed out a rather sad comment by outgoing SBC president, Bobby Welch. Others have made similar comments. I really don’t think blogging is going to go anywhere anytime soon. It might be wise if SBC leaders quit giving bloggers fuel for their fire. Bloggers also must concern themselves with the advancement of God’s Kingdom and His gospel and not SBC political strategy. Before condemnation is expensed, please know that I group myself in with the latter as well!

Technology: I have been playing around with the new beta release of the Flock web browser and I must admit that I like it.

Happy Birthday:  As I have said earlier in the month, June is the month for birthdays.  Today, even though it is almost over, is my sister-in-law’s birthday.  Happy Birthday Emily….I trust you had a wonderful day!

SBC News:  Be sure to check out Timmy Brister and Tom Ascol, I think they have a good take on things.  I enjoyed the live feed, not being able to be there.  I am going to try to make it to San Antonio next year, but there are a couple of days between now and then!

I am so privileged to review Sovereign Grace’s Worship God Live CD. I must say that my family and I have tremendously enjoyed this CD for the last several weeks. The church that I pastor is about an hour and half from where I live and we usually listen to either praise and worship music or Dr. Orrick’s The Baptist Catechism Set to Music. I have also noticed that Sovereign Grace has produced some Scripture Memory Cd’s that we may purchase in the future. So listening to Worship God Live has fit in perfectly with what we do anyway. To be honest, we have not listened to much else in the car on Sunday mornings not because I am reviewing the CD, but because it has been used of God to cause us to reflect on Him and His glorious majesty.

Now, for a little bit of background of how I came to hear of the music of Sovereign Grace. Up until the Together for the Gospel Conference, I had not listened to any of their music. Not because I deliberately chose not to. I had wanted to purchase Songs for the Cross-Centered Life for some time. I just had not done so. Then, at T4G, the CD was on sale for about $11 or $12, I cannot remember now. I purchased it and immediately fell in love with it. Then, the opportunity came up through Bob Kauflin’s blog, Worship Matters, to review this CD, of which, as I have already stated, I was all too eager.

I should also mention that I have no musical ability whatsoever. I can barely play the drums, but I play the radio in my car better! Therefore, I am thankful for people God has called out, such as these musicians on this album and others, to help me worship God.

Now for some of my initial impressions of each track, and then I will offer a summation at the end.

How Majestic: A wonderfully upbeat song based on the words of Psalm 8, a truly wonderfully Psalm that evokes awe inspiring worship of our Creator anyway!

Endless Praises: This is a good follow up and call to worship. Endless praises. This is what our life as a blood-bought believer in Jesus Christ is to be about.

Count it All Joy: The music is appropriate for the lyrics. As Christians, we are called to worship our God in the midst of joy and in the midst of trial and suffering. This song is a wonderful praise in the midst of the latter. I especially enjoy the last verse: “Lord I’ll count it all joy when then the weight of sorrow drives me to my knees. Every heartache and pain in Your mighty hands is forming Christ in me and I know that Your Word is true.” Powerful. May we be conformed to the image of our glorious Savior, Jesus Christ.

You are the Way: I love to sing about salvation. I don’t know why, exactly….but I do….with all my heart. I love to worship God for what He has done for me through His Son on the cross….which was intended for me. I love to sing about how Christ and His atoning work has brought us into right-standing with God and has removed God’s wrath from us. Therefore, I love this song. “The Father stood up from His throne, opened His arms, as He called out my name. Grace irresistible drew me, opened my eyes to see.”

His Forever: I like the progression of songs thus far. Well, for the last two. We have been saved only by God’s grace and because of His unchanging and never ending grace, we are His forever. This song has a high content of good theology….which I love. “The wrath of God that I deserved was poured out on the innocent. He took my place, my soul to save. Now I am His forever.”

Always Forgiven: “Anger and wrath, sure condemnation should be my portion, my just reward. Never have seen it, never will know it. Your lovingkindness enfolds my life.” I have noticed that my son loves the chorus as well. “All you have shone me is grace, love, and mercy. Now and forever I am Your child. Freely You pour out Your lovingkindness. Father of grace, You welcome me in.” This is what I want to instill in my five year old’s mind. God shows us grace through His Son and through Jesus, God pours out His mercy and grace and love. Again, a wonderful song with high theological content.

Jesus, Thank You: I refer to previous comments….I love to sing about salvation. “One Your enemy….now seated at Your table…..Jesus, thank You.” Enough said.

O God, Our Help in Ages Past: Another solid song.

Isn’t He Good: Now, before you get mad at me, let me say that there is a different between dislike and least favorite. The difference between is the two is not liking at all and liking the least. I like this one the least. I think it goes a bit long. As well, this is a song in which there seems to be an ecstatic end. Something that I am not condemning, theologically…..just not in agreement with pragmatically. It does not evoke in my any “extra” or “less” worship. Nonetheless…it is a good song.

Perfect Lamb of God: This is a song about the say of our Lord’s crucifixion. High theological content and if I could write a song about that day, I would want it to be like this one. I cannot quote the entirety of the lyrics here, so I won’t….but they are good.

Grace Unmeasured: I love the chorus of this song. It is a complete picture of our salvation, our sanctification (through a call to holy living), and our glorification in the end. The chorus states: “Grace paid for my sins, and brought me to life. Grace clothes me with power, to do what is right. Grace will lead me to heaven where I’ll see Your face and never cease to thank You for Your grace.” Amen! Even the verses of the song tend to move in progression of these three themes….I am not sure if that was intentional or not, but probably. That is how and why we praise our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

God Moves: This is an adaptation of William Cowper’s God Moves in a Mysterious Way. John Piper has stated that this is his favorite hymn and I have read (although I cannot pinpoint it at this moment so If you know where this is located let me know) that the words of this hymn hang above the mantle in his home. Since reading that, I have been interested in this hymn and what it communicates. The sheer awe of God’s sovereignty moves us to worship Him….so does this song. It is wonderful to cry out to our sovereign Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer that we trust in Him and His sovereignty.

Surrender All: The lyrics of this song are fitting to bring this album to a close (although there is one more track!). “Take all my hunger for all that’s forbidden, every desire and sin I keep hidden. Search me and know me. I want to bring to You a life that is holy and sanctified through You.” I have found this phrase from one of the verses in this song entering my prayer life more consistently. This is my desire, that my life be a holy and acceptable offering unto the God Who has redeemed me. It is both encouraging and convicting.

Receive the Glory: It is my understanding the Bob Kauflin wrote this song for the service in which C.J> Mahaney, former pastor of Covenant Life Church installed Joshua Harris as Senior Pastor. I want to be careful, as would Bob, that this song is not written about C.J., but about our God. May He receive the glory that is due His name. May He be glorified through our service unto Him. A wonderful and fitting close to worship….a commitment to live out what we sing. There is another least favorite part in this song in the ecstatic ending. (I am not sure why I use that phrase, that is the only way I know to describe it.)

As I said in the beginning….I love this CD. It causes me to worship my God and appreciate that. I encourage every Christian who loves to sing good theology to by this CD. You may get to the Sovereign Grace Store by clicking on the album cover above.

……Frank Page is our new President of the Southern Baptist Convention! Lift him up as there will be much to accomplish in the weeks and months to come. Official statistics will be published later, but he took 50.4% of the vote with Ronnie Floyd and Jerry Sutton taking about 24% each.