I have been reading through R.C. Sproul's classic work "The Holiness of God". In it, he underscores how understanding the nature of God, in particular His "set apartness", is necessary in understanding who God is, and how we should act towards Him.
At one point, Dr. Sproul talks about how every sin is an act of cosmic treason. Our sin is a crime against God Himself. This is true because when we sin, we are guilty of bearing false witness against God. Here are his thoughts:
The slightest sin....is an insult to His holiness. We become false witnesses to God. When we sin as the image bearers of God, we are saying to the whole of creation, to all of nature under our dominion, to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field: "This is how God is. This is how your Creator behaves. Look in the mirror; look at us, and you will see the character of the Almighty." We say to the world, "God is covetousness; God is ruthless; God is bitter; God is a murderer, a thief, a slanderer, an adulterer. God is all those things that we are doing.
Now, that is a sobering thought. Our lives reflect our God. Our sin is an affront to God's character. We are sending a message about God to all of creation through our lives.
I don't know about you, but the thought of this truth lays a tremendous burden on my soul. It is a burden because I know just how how much I have failed to properly reflect God in my life.
But this knowledge is not meant to emotionally cripple us and leave us wallowing in our sin, guilt, and shame. This knowledge should only drive us to the cross each day. It should drive us to revel in the matchless, incomprehensible grace that Jesus provides for us. It should cause us to rejoice that Jesus perfectly represented God in His purity and holiness on earth for us. Praise the Lord!
If you have never checked this classic out by Dr. Sproul, it is a great work.
I have really grown to enjoyed Twitter. I also really loved Jared Wilson's book "Gospel Wakefulness". I found myself constantly tweeting quotes from the book and figured instead of writing a formal review of it, I would just post the quotes that I tweeted.
I decided to make a list of my ten favorite books that I have read in the past year. This is simply a list of the books that I was most entertained, encouraged, and edified by. This list does not include the Bible, which of course goes beyond any man-made book, and is easily on top of any list. However, I will say that I am really enjoying my new ESV Journaling Bible that my wife got me for my birthday. It is a great resource that fosters meditation and encourages you to interact with the text.
10. Tempted & Tried -Russell Moore
Based
on Jesus’ time of temptation in the wilderness, Moore attempts to show the
enemy’s strategies and goals in tempting Christians. He does so with great insight, understanding, and vividness in writing. One of the best compliments I could give is to say that I will be reading this one again.
9. The Reformed Pastor -Richard Baxter
"
Study hard, for the well is deep, and our brains are shallow...".
You can find that little gem, and others like it, in this helpful book.
Baxter, a Puritan who wrote this centuries ago, writes to pastors about the high call of pastoral ministry and the need for pastors to work harder (particularly, at catechizing their congregations). This was a convicting read, that left me with a greater appreciation for the work of those who have gone before us.
8. Why we Love the Church -Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck
This was an enjoyable book to read. DeYoung and Kluck have very different styles and objectives, and so you can easily tell which one wrote the chapter you were reading. For their sharp differences, the book still felt cohesive. This is a necessary book in times like these, when it is popular to pile on and hate the church...Christ's Bride.
7. A Gospel Primer for Christians -Milton Vincent
A short, compact book that is filled with mountains of Gospel gold for Christians. The Gospel is not only for unbelievers, and Vincent gives believers great ground to rehearse the power of the Gospel daily. This reminds us of the Gospel's power, not only to save, but to sanctify.
6. Lit! -Tony Reinke
A book about reading. Isn't that great? That's like watching a TV show that is about watching TV. Well, not really. Reinke entices those who aren't readers to get reading. He also gives great practical advice to people who enjoy reading, and helps them to become better readers. This is a book to keep and review through the years.
5. King's Cross -Tim Keller
This is essentially a commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Keller goes through the major themes and events in Mark's Gospel and gives great insight into the life of Jesus and His Gospel. I'm convinced that Keller's glasses are magical and they help him to see Scripture more clearly than the rest of us. I started reading this book as I was 3/4 of the way preaching through Mark's Gospel in church. It was a great benefit in helping me to finish the series.
4. John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock -Iain Murray
Murray prefaces his work by acknowledging this is not a definitive biography of MacArthur. Yet, it is certainly a helpful one. For someone who has always looked up to MacArthur, I enjoyed learning more about the man, his family,and his ministry. I think I read this in under a week. I had a hard time putting it down.
3. The Prodigal God -Tim Keller
Keller takes aim at one of Jesus' most popular parables... the parable of "the prodigal son". This book is a great gospel reminder of God's grace and how God extends that grace to both the younger and the older brothers out there....the irreligious and the religious alike. He reminds us of how everybody is in need of God's grace. Some must repent of their obvious rebellion, while others must repent of their subtle obedient rebellion.
2. Note to Self -Joe Thorn
A short little book filled with Gospel meditations. This is Gospel-gold. Thorn does not just remind us of our need to preach the Gospel and the law to ourselves every day, but he also gives us a practical guide to help us do just that. Short, to the point, and very powerful. A lot to chew on in a small package.
1. George Whitefield (volume 1) -Arnold Dallimore
This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. I am currently working through volume 2. This biography of Whitefield sheds so much light on the life of the great 18th century evangelist. It is hard not to be humbled by reading about such a devout and godly man, who preached the Gospel like few ever have. Whitefield has become a hero of mine thanks to this work. By the way, volume 2 is proving to be just as good.
Honorable Mention: I am currently half way through "The Bookends of the Christian Life" by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington. This book would easily make my list if I finish it before year end (which I'm sure I will). This is also my next choice for our men's group to walk through together.
All these books are available at Westminster Bookstore for a good price.... check them out
I like the Puritans... there I said it. Whats more, I like their prayers too. I did not always know that I liked their prayers. But one day I was a given great little book called "The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions".
These prayers are great examples of true worship. Jesus has told us that God is seeking true worshipers, those who will worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:20-24). These prayers rehearse the greatness of God in all that He has done for us through His Son. And they do so with sincere heart and in deep truth.
One prayer in particular I have found especially powerful is called "The Deeps". It says:
Lord Jesus,
Give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin,
a dread of its approach;
Help me chastely to flee it,
and jealousy to resolve that my heart shall be thine alone.
Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,
the ground of my rest,
the spring of my being.
Give me deeper knowledge of thyself
as Saviour, Master, Lord, and King.
Give me deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.
Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from thee.
Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly Husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until thou alone art seen in me,
thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.
I have no Master by thee,
no law but thy will,
no delight but thyself
no wealth but that thou givest,
no good but that thou blessest,
no peace but that thouh bestowest.
I am nothing but that thou makest me,
I have nothing but that I receive from thee,
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.
Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing with living water.
If you like Puritan prayers....or think that you might. Check out "The Valley of Vision".
Family devotions are important. It is necessary that families spend some regular quality time talking about God, His Word, and the Gospel. While I confess that is very true, that does not mean it is always easy to accomplish this on a regular basis.
This is something that we have struggled with particularly dealing with small children (4 years, 2 years, and 7 months). Originally, I just tried to read straight from the Bible and discuss the reading. This was not an easy tact to take. Our kids struggled to follow along and I struggled to know what to read. The majority of children's Bibles that I have seen, I honestly have not cared for. Usually they were lacking in biblical accuracy, and just boiled all the Bible stories down to moralistic lessons. Morals are good, but the Bible is about Jesus.
And so, nothing seemed to be a good fit. That is until we picked up "The Jesus Storybook Bible" by Sally Lloyd-Jones. This is a storybook Bible written for young kids and yet, it gets it right. This is seen right away by reading the introductory story. I'll just quote a portion which sums up this work pretty well:
"Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done. Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.
No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back a lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne -everything- to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life! You see, the best thing about this Story is -it's true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big story. The story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them...Every Story in the Bible whispers his name."
This children's storybook gets it right. The Bible is about Jesus, and this is a great resource to helps kids see that great truth and help them follow the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation. And our kids love it, and its illustrations. If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, or spend anytime with children....check it out.
As a pastor it would be a given that I am very interested in the topic of preaching. Actually, that has not always been the case, but it is certainly now. Because of that interest, I enjoy reading books on preaching. I certainly have not read an exhaustive amount of books on the topic, but I did want to write about the three that have influenced me the most:
#3- "Preaching and Preachers" by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
This is a classic work done by "the Dr.". This book was fundamental in my own development as a pastor. I had often struggled with feelings of acceptance in what I knew pastors to be. I don't usually fit or feel comfortable at your typical pastor's conference. Llyod-Jones spoke to my soul. What he was writing about...I felt, and it helped cement my own calling to preach.
#2- "Preaching for God's Glory" by Alistair Begg
That whole not fitting in at most pastor's conference thing was quickly remedied when I first went to one of Alistair's Basics conferences. At his conference I felt like I was at home. Admittedly, Alistair is my favorite preacher to listen to, and I'm a little biased. This short little book is filled with preaching gold. He talks about the desperate need, and sad lack of expository preaching in pulpits today. He defines expository preaching as preaching that centers on a text of Scripture and not a topic. It is text driven, and as he quotes in the book from John Stott..."it is our conviction that all true Christian preaching is expository preaching."
#1- "Famine in the Land" by Steven J. Lawson'
This book was instrumental in helping to form my convictions on preaching early on in my ministry. Lawson, like Begg, goes to great lengths to show the desperate need for true expository preaching, and the great danger of forsaking it. Lawson cleverly extols the need for expository preaching by writing expositorily in the book. He shows from the Scriptures why the church needs the Word proclaimed to them faithfully.
Honorable mention: "Between Two Worlds" by John Stott and "The Supremacy of God in Preaching" by John Piperhttp://www.wtsbooks.com/product-exec/product_id/213/nm/Preaching+and+Preachers?utm_source=jbenack&utm_medium=blogpartners
