Friday, December 11, 2015
Alan Redpath - Are you Jacob or Israel?
Subject Great sermon about the need of the Christian to wrestle with God.
Dangers in the Way: The Enemy You Don't See Coming - A.W. Tozer
A.W. Tozer speaks of the subtle captivity you have no idea you are a part of. A gem of invaluable truth in this deceptive world. The information in this video is not to be underestimated - you will gain a very clear and new understanding of the world around us.
This is one in a series called "Dangers in the Way." The others in the series can be found here, listed under Dangers in the Way: http://www.cmalliance.org/resources/t...
A.W. Tozer, a modern day prophet, was a key figure in The Christian and Missionary Alliance. His legacy reaches through time and has impacted countless millions. A prolific author and pastor, Tozer was known for his emphasis on the deeper life movement.
This is one in a series called "Dangers in the Way." The others in the series can be found here, listed under Dangers in the Way: http://www.cmalliance.org/resources/t...
A.W. Tozer, a modern day prophet, was a key figure in The Christian and Missionary Alliance. His legacy reaches through time and has impacted countless millions. A prolific author and pastor, Tozer was known for his emphasis on the deeper life movement.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
The Opposition to the Natural - Oswald Chambers
The Opposition of the Natural
My Utmost for His Highest
by Oswald Chambers
12-09-2014 devotional
Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. —Galatians 5:24
The natural life itself is not sinful. But we must abandon sin, having nothing to do with it in any way whatsoever. Sin belongs to hell and to the devil. I, as a child of God, belong to heaven and to God. It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence, and my self-will. This is where the battle has to be fought. The things that are right, noble, and good from the natural standpoint are the very things that keep us from being God’s best. Once we come to understand that natural moral excellence opposes or counteracts surrender to God, we bring our soul into the center of its greatest battle. Very few of us would debate over what is filthy, evil, and wrong, but we do debate over what is good. It is the good that opposes the best. The higher up the scale of moral excellence a person goes, the more intense the opposition to Jesus Christ. “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh….” The cost to your natural life is not just one or two things, but everything. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” (Matthew 16:24). That is, he must deny his right to himself, and he must realize who Jesus Christ is before he will bring himself to do it. Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.
The natural life is not spiritual, and it can be made spiritual only through sacrifice. If we do not purposely sacrifice the natural, the supernatural can never become natural to us. There is no high or easy road. Each of us has the means to accomplish it entirely in his own hands. It is not a question of praying, but of sacrificing, and thereby performing His will.
Oswald Chambers — My Utmost for His Highest
Oswald Chambers' devotional My Utmost for His Highest is foundational in the spiritual lives of millions around the world. However, few know the story behind the origin of this well-known classic and more than 30 other books that bear his name. How did his words of wisdom reach the world and offer practical insights into biblical truths?
In this compelling presentation, you'll discover Oswald's early spiritual struggles and the grand collaboration with his wife, Biddy. Explore their spiritual journey and the formation of an amazing legacy.
Follow their path from the Bible Training College in London to the Egyptian desert during World War I. Discover the story of a man who gave his utmost for God's highest, and of the woman who gave her husband's words to the world. Gain a deeper understanding of how living a life surrendered to God can result in a legacy of faith that inspires future generations.
Click here to watch the entire program:
http://dod.org/programs/my-utmost-for...
Friday, December 4, 2015
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Desiring God
(Thomas Watson, "The Lord's Prayer")
We may know the kingdom of grace is set up in
our hearts—by having true desires after God. By
the beating of this pulse—we conclude there is life.
A true desire after God is sincere. We desire God for
Himself, for His intrinsic excellencies. The savor of the
ointment of Christ's graces draws the virgins' desires after
Him. Canticles 1:3. A true saint desires Him not only for
what God has—but for what He is; not only for His rewards
—but for His holiness. No hypocrite can thus desire God.
He may desire Him for His jewels—but not for His beauty!
A true desire after God is insatiable. It cannot be satisfied
without God; let the world heap her honors and riches—they
will not satisfy. No flowers or music will content him who is
thirsty. Just so, nothing will quench the soul's thirst—but the
blood of Christ! He faints away, his heart breaks with longing
for God. Psalm 84:2; Psalm 119:20.
A true desire after God is active. It flourishes into endeavor.
"With my soul have I desired you in the night; yes, with my
spirit within me will I seek you early." Isaiah 26:9. A soul that
desires aright says, "I must have Christ! I must have grace!
I must have heaven, though I take it by storm!"
A true desire after God is supreme. We desire Christ, not
only more than the world—but more than heaven! "Whom
have I in heaven but You?" Psalm 73:25. Heaven itself would
not satisfy—without Christ. Christ is the diamond in the ring
of glory!
A true desire after God is increasing. A little of God will not
satisfy—but the pious soul desires still more. A drop of water
is not enough for the thirsty traveler. Though a Christian is
thankful for the least degree of grace—yet he is not satisfied
with the greatest degree of grace. He still thirsts for more of
Christ, and His Spirit. A saint would have more knowledge,
more sanctity, more of Christ's presence. A glimpse of Christ
through the lattice of an ordinance is sweet; but the soul will
never stop longing—until it sees Him face to face! It desires to
have grace perfected in glory! It desires to be wholly plunged
into the sweetness of God. We would be swallowed up in God,
and be forever bathing ourselves in those perfumed waters of
pleasure, which run at His right hand!
Surely this sincere desire after God is a blessed sign that the
kingdom of grace has come into our hearts. The beating of
this pulse shows life! "Desires for God—are from God." If iron
moves upwards contrary to its nature—it is a sign some magnet
has been drawing it. Just so, if the soul moves towards God in
sincere desires—it is a sign the magnet of the Spirit has been
drawing it!
We may know the kingdom of grace is set up in
our hearts—by having true desires after God. By
the beating of this pulse—we conclude there is life.
A true desire after God is sincere. We desire God for
Himself, for His intrinsic excellencies. The savor of the
ointment of Christ's graces draws the virgins' desires after
Him. Canticles 1:3. A true saint desires Him not only for
what God has—but for what He is; not only for His rewards
—but for His holiness. No hypocrite can thus desire God.
He may desire Him for His jewels—but not for His beauty!
A true desire after God is insatiable. It cannot be satisfied
without God; let the world heap her honors and riches—they
will not satisfy. No flowers or music will content him who is
thirsty. Just so, nothing will quench the soul's thirst—but the
blood of Christ! He faints away, his heart breaks with longing
for God. Psalm 84:2; Psalm 119:20.
A true desire after God is active. It flourishes into endeavor.
"With my soul have I desired you in the night; yes, with my
spirit within me will I seek you early." Isaiah 26:9. A soul that
desires aright says, "I must have Christ! I must have grace!
I must have heaven, though I take it by storm!"
A true desire after God is supreme. We desire Christ, not
only more than the world—but more than heaven! "Whom
have I in heaven but You?" Psalm 73:25. Heaven itself would
not satisfy—without Christ. Christ is the diamond in the ring
of glory!
A true desire after God is increasing. A little of God will not
satisfy—but the pious soul desires still more. A drop of water
is not enough for the thirsty traveler. Though a Christian is
thankful for the least degree of grace—yet he is not satisfied
with the greatest degree of grace. He still thirsts for more of
Christ, and His Spirit. A saint would have more knowledge,
more sanctity, more of Christ's presence. A glimpse of Christ
through the lattice of an ordinance is sweet; but the soul will
never stop longing—until it sees Him face to face! It desires to
have grace perfected in glory! It desires to be wholly plunged
into the sweetness of God. We would be swallowed up in God,
and be forever bathing ourselves in those perfumed waters of
pleasure, which run at His right hand!
Surely this sincere desire after God is a blessed sign that the
kingdom of grace has come into our hearts. The beating of
this pulse shows life! "Desires for God—are from God." If iron
moves upwards contrary to its nature—it is a sign some magnet
has been drawing it. Just so, if the soul moves towards God in
sincere desires—it is a sign the magnet of the Spirit has been
drawing it!
Hiding Place
Performed by Mark Webb, pastor and Senior Elder at Grace Bible Church of Olive Branch, MS.
http://www.gracemessenger.com/index.p...
Hail, sovereign love which first began,
The scheme to rescue fallen man!
Hail, matchless, free, eternal grace,
Which gave my soul a hiding place!
Against the God who rules the sky,
I fought with hand uplifted high!
Despised the notion of His grace,
Too proud to seek a hiding place!
Enwrapt in thick Egyptian night,
And fond of darkness more than light!
Madly I ran the sinful race,
Secure without a hiding place!
But thus the eternal counsel ran:
"Almighty love--arrest that man!"
I felt the arrows of distress,
And found I had no hiding place!
Indignant Justice stood in view;
To Sinai's fiery mount I flew!
But Justice cried, with frowning face,
"This mountain is no hiding place!"
E'er long, a heavenly voice I heard,
And Mercy's angel soon appeared;
He led me on with gentle pace,
To Jesus as my hiding place!
Should sevenfold storms of thunder roll,
And shake the earth from pole to pole;
No thunder bolt could daunt my face,
For Jesus is my hiding place!
On Him almighty vengeance fell,
That would have sunk a world to hell!
He bore it for the chosen race,
And thus became their hiding place!
A few more rolling suns at most,
Shall land me on fair Canaan's coast;
Where I shall sing the song of grace,
And see my glorious Hiding Place!
http://www.gracemessenger.com/index.p...
Hail, sovereign love which first began,
The scheme to rescue fallen man!
Hail, matchless, free, eternal grace,
Which gave my soul a hiding place!
Against the God who rules the sky,
I fought with hand uplifted high!
Despised the notion of His grace,
Too proud to seek a hiding place!
Enwrapt in thick Egyptian night,
And fond of darkness more than light!
Madly I ran the sinful race,
Secure without a hiding place!
But thus the eternal counsel ran:
"Almighty love--arrest that man!"
I felt the arrows of distress,
And found I had no hiding place!
Indignant Justice stood in view;
To Sinai's fiery mount I flew!
But Justice cried, with frowning face,
"This mountain is no hiding place!"
E'er long, a heavenly voice I heard,
And Mercy's angel soon appeared;
He led me on with gentle pace,
To Jesus as my hiding place!
Should sevenfold storms of thunder roll,
And shake the earth from pole to pole;
No thunder bolt could daunt my face,
For Jesus is my hiding place!
On Him almighty vengeance fell,
That would have sunk a world to hell!
He bore it for the chosen race,
And thus became their hiding place!
A few more rolling suns at most,
Shall land me on fair Canaan's coast;
Where I shall sing the song of grace,
And see my glorious Hiding Place!
The Great Heart Changer
The great heart changer!
From Spurgeon's, "The Stony Heart Removed"
The heart of the natural man, like marble,
is stone-cold towards spiritual things.
No arguments have power to move a soul so steeled,
so thoroughly stony, hard, and impenetrable.
O rocks of iron and hills of brass,
you are softer than the proud heart of man!
Fallen man is like the deaf adder which will not be charmed,
charm we never so wisely.
Tears are lost on him.
Threatenings are but as the whistlings of the wind.
The preachings of the law, and even of Christ crucified--
all these are null and void and fall hopelessly to the ground,
so long as the man's heart continues what it is by nature--
dead, and hard, and cold.
The heart of man grows harder whether it be the soft sunshine
of love, or the harsh tempest of judgment that falls upon it.
Mercy and love alike make it more solid,
and knit its particles closer together;
and surely until the Omnipotent himself speak the word,
the heart of man grows harder, and harder, and harder,
and refuses to be softened or broken.
Granite may be ground and be broken into pieces,
but unless God gets the hammer in his hand,
and even he must put both hands to it,
the great 'granite heart' of man will not yield in any way.
You may smite a man's heart right and left with death,
with judgment, with mercy, with tears, with entreaties,
with threatenings, and it will not break!
No, even the fires of hell do not melt man's heart,
for the damned in hell grow more hard by their agonies,
and they hate God, and blaspheme him all the more
because of the suffering they endure.
Only Omnipotence itself, I say,
can ever soften this hard heart of man.
Christ is the Great Heart Changer!
"Lord, melt my heart.
None but a bath of blood divine can take the flint away;
but do it Lord, and you shall have the praise."
=============
This Puritan Devotional has been brought to you by Grace Gems, a treasury of ageless sovereign grace writings.
Please visit us at www.gracegems.org, where you can browse and freely download thousands of choice books, sermons, and quotes, along with select audio messages.
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The Secret of True Happiness
The secret of true happiness
(Harvey Newcomb, "The Young Lady's Guide to the
Harmonious Development of Christian Character" 1843)
The secret of true happiness lies in a cordial acquiescence in the will of God. It is sweet to lie passive in His hand—and know no will but His!
The doctrine of a 'particular providence' is precious to the Christian's heart. It enables him to see the hand of God in every event. Hence the sinfulness of a repining, discontented, unsubmissive temper. It is difficult to reconcile the habitual indulgence of such a sinful disposition—with the existence of grace in the heart. The first emotion of the new-born soul is submission to the will of God.
We are prone to lose sight of the 'hand of God' in the little difficulties and perplexities which are of every-day occurrence, and to look only at 'second causes'. We often do the same, in more important matters. When we are injured or insulted by others, we are disposed to murmur and complain, and give vent to our indignation against the immediate causes of our distress; forgetting that these are only the 'instruments which God employs' for the trial of our faith, or the punishment of our sins.
In this doctrine of the secret agency of divine Providence, we have the strongest motive for a hearty and cheerful resignation to all the troubles and difficulties, trials and afflictions, which come upon us in this life—whatever may be their immediate cause. We know that they are directed by our heavenly Father, whose "tender mercies are over all His works," and who "does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men."
Whatever may be our afflictions, so long as we are out of hell, we are monuments of His mercy. "Why does a living man complain—a man for the punishment of his sins?"
We are assured "that all things work together for good, to those who love God." The afflictions of this life, are the faithful corrections of a kind and tender Father. "For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives." How consoling the reflection—that all our sufferings are designed to mortify and subdue our corruptions, to wean us from the world, and lead us to a more humble and constant sense of dependence upon God! How ungrateful for a child of God to repine at the dealings of such a tender and faithful Father!
God will give us all that He sees is best for us. And surely we ought to be satisfied with this; for He who sees the end from the beginning, must know much better than we—what is for our good. It is our duty to maintain a contented and cheerful spirit in every situation of life. If God directs all our ways, and has promised to give us just what He sees we need, we surely ought to rest satisfied with what we have; for we know it is just what the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and unbounded goodness—sees fit to give us.
==============
This Puritan Devotional has been brought to you by Grace Gems, a treasury of ageless sovereign grace writings.
Please visit us at www.gracegems.org
Friday, June 19, 2015
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Living with the Loss of a Loved One
For Lyle Dorsett, it was the sudden loss of his ten-year-old daughter Erica. She came down sick one night, and she died the next morning...
Years later, Dorsett and his wife Mary still are healing. Losing a child is a long, painful journey. There have been times, Dorsett says, when he's thought, God, if I were in charge, I wouldn't have done it this way. But his ways are higher than ours — and he doesn't leave his children without a wealth of resources for comfort, even and especially when the path of pain is long and dark...
Continue reading: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts...
http://www.desiringGod.org
Fight Addiction By Enjoying Jesus More
Jimmy Needham | Find more resources on fighting pornography athttp://www.desiringgod.org/blog/topic...
http://www.desiringgod.org
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
John Piper Interviews Rick Warren on Doctrine
Published on May 14, 2014
3:29 The glory of God.
7:16 David Wells and the weight of God's reality.
9:00 Would you write the book the same today?
12:00 The sovereignty of God.
18:47 How do you speak of God's sovereignty in the presence of tragedy?
22:01 How do all things work for bad for those who reject Christ?
24:14 Do you hedge on Larry King?
27:00 Unconditional election.
30:18 The importance of eternity.
34:42 How do you conceive of eternity: in heaven, on earth?
38:53 What is the Gospel?
42:00 What did Jesus achieve on the cross?
43:40 Repentance.
50:50 Why don't you call yourself a Calvinist?
53:09 Propitiation.
54:39 Prevenient grace.
1:00:01 Total depravity.
1:03:00 Hell.
1:09:10 Eternal destiny of those who never heard.
1:12:40 The extent of the atonement.
1:17:00 Do unbelievers always do the devil's bidding?
1:18:40 Your view of the Bible.
1:22:40 Expository preaching and doctrinal depth.
1:28:10 Rick Warren's sacred trust.
John Piper read Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life with great care and brought 20 pages of quotes and questions to the interview. You will hear John quote the book dozens of times. With these quotes as a starting point John digs into Rick's mind and heart on all the issues listed below... Read more athttp://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts...
http://www.desiringGod.org
7:16 David Wells and the weight of God's reality.
9:00 Would you write the book the same today?
12:00 The sovereignty of God.
18:47 How do you speak of God's sovereignty in the presence of tragedy?
22:01 How do all things work for bad for those who reject Christ?
24:14 Do you hedge on Larry King?
27:00 Unconditional election.
30:18 The importance of eternity.
34:42 How do you conceive of eternity: in heaven, on earth?
38:53 What is the Gospel?
42:00 What did Jesus achieve on the cross?
43:40 Repentance.
50:50 Why don't you call yourself a Calvinist?
53:09 Propitiation.
54:39 Prevenient grace.
1:00:01 Total depravity.
1:03:00 Hell.
1:09:10 Eternal destiny of those who never heard.
1:12:40 The extent of the atonement.
1:17:00 Do unbelievers always do the devil's bidding?
1:18:40 Your view of the Bible.
1:22:40 Expository preaching and doctrinal depth.
1:28:10 Rick Warren's sacred trust.
John Piper read Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life with great care and brought 20 pages of quotes and questions to the interview. You will hear John quote the book dozens of times. With these quotes as a starting point John digs into Rick's mind and heart on all the issues listed below... Read more athttp://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts...
http://www.desiringGod.org
Monday, June 15, 2015
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