Listening to the Word

If you like to LISTEN to the Bible, you can now listen to the English Standard Version online for free.

You can follow this link to go to the ESV search page to look up a portion of Scripture.
You need to set up your computer to play the audio by clicking on the options link at the top right and then choosing either "flash" or "MP3" as your audio format. (Flash worked better for me.) Once you save your preference you can search a passage and a "listen" link will appear next to the chapter title. Click that and wait a few seconds and the reading will commence.

This is helpful to me as I have returned to trying to regularly and purposefully memorize Scripture. Hearing Max McLean read the passage seems to help me -- but not as much as me reading it myself out loud over and over :-)

Also, I received my Scripture memory "Fighter Verses" from Desiring God today and I am looking forward to trying something fresh. During college I started writing verses on index cards -- and since then I have changed the version of the Bible that I read and NOT been faithful to review and add verses regularly over the years. I am excited about spending time each day purposefully memorizing Scripture -- I hope you are joining me!

If you are intereseted in the plan I am using, stop by the office sometime (call first, in case I'm "out") and I'll show you my Fighter Verses pack so you'll know what you are getting into before you fork out $12.00 for the verse pack. You may decide that you just want to get the list of verses (which you can find here) and write them on your own index cards (which is not a bad idea).

Memorizing Scripture to Fight Temptation

On Sunday the sermon is from Matthew 4 on the temptation of Jesus. We are going to see that Christ's tool in fighting off temptation was Scripture. We are going to see that for us to fight temptation successfully we need to find ourselves treasuring Christ and loving the Word of God.
In light of that, I want to encourage you to start memorizing the Word of God.
Here are some tools that are available for you:

• The Navigator's Topical Memory System may be the most widely used plan.
  
• John Piper has a great sermon on why Scripture memory is important.
• Piper's Fighter Verse Memorization Plan is a great tool that you can buy for you or your children.
• Sovereign Grace Ministries has a plan that is useful for kids from age 2 through adults.
• Bible.org has a list of verses on different topics that would be great to memorize.

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Psalm 119:9-16 (ESV)

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

The Unchanging Gospel

This morning in our 6:15 men's study we discussed the fact that God never changes. At the 11:00 study we are studying Paul's Letter to the Galatians. As Paul writes in this letter about the one true gospel, I started thinking about how the unchanging nature of God is revealed in the unchanging message of the gospel! The gospel is good news, but it is not new news. God has been faithful to preserve the good news that He provides salvation throughout the earth's history -- and it remains good news today. The previous post contains a quote from Martin Luther from his Commentary on Galatians. This commentary was first published almost 500 years ago in 1535, yet it still has an impact on Christians around the world today. Why? Because Luther faithfully and clearly explains the gospel of Jesus Christ -- and that never becomes irrelevant. I highly recommend that you read old books. They remind us of the fact that the truth never changes.

Good News from Martin Luther

Martin Luther from his Commentary on Galatians:

Although I am a sinner by the law and under condemnation of the law, yet I despair not, yet I die not, because Christ lives, who is both my righteousness and my everlasting life. In that righteousness and life I have no sin, no fear, no sting of conscience, no care of death. I am indeed a sinner as touching this present life, and the righteousness thereof, as a child of Adam. But I have another righteousness and life, above this life, which is Christ the Son of God, who knows no sin, no death, but is righteousness and life eternal; by whom this my body, being dead and brought to dust, shall be raised up again, and delivered from the bondage of the law and sin, and shall be sanctified together with my spirit.

THAT gets to the heart of the gospel! Only in grasping the Gospel with all our being do we find true freedom to be what God has made us to be. Only in treasuring Christ above all things do we find true freedom from the fear of death and hope for our broken lives. The gospel is good news!

Meditating on Psalm 2

John Piper's "Fresh Words" this week is a meditation on one of my favorite passages. Psalm 2:11-12 says:

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Piper says:

Outside of God’s care there is only wrath. But there is a refuge from the wrath of God, namely, God. The safest place from the wrath of God—the only safe place—is God. Come to God. Take refuge in God. Hide in the shadow of his wings. This is where we live and serve with joyful trembling.

You can read the entire meditation HERE. You can also click a link on the top right corner of that page to have his weekly article e-mailed to you!

Also, pray for John Piper. He found out this week that he has prostate cancer. He wrote a very enlightening letter to his church that gives great insight on how to deal with personal tragedy. You can read the letter HERE.

We Should Pray For Them Too

I first saw this photo on The Officer's Club through conservative columnist Michelle Malkin. Yes, it is a picture of Airmen and Soldiers taking a moment to pray for each other's safety before heading out for another day of convoy duty in Iraq.
Note: Links provided on this page does not mean that I or WPC endorse all of the content of those pages.

A Great Answer To What Is, Sadly, A Common Question...

Philip Ryken, the pastor of Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia, writing over at Reformation 21, answers the question, "What, in hell, has God ever done for us?":

Like many Americans, I have been watching with keen interest as the tragic events have unfolded at the Sago mine in West Virginia. Miner family member John Casto has been widely reported as saying that after the first report (12 miners were alive), people at Sago Baptist Church "were praising God," but after the second report (12 miners were dead), "they were cursing." As I heard these words, I couldn't help but think of Job, who had praise to give both when God gave and when God took away (Job 1:21).

One television report was more explicit about the cursing. Apparently, when the worst of all news had come, the pastor of the church told people to keep looking to God. But one man shouted, "What in hell has God ever done for us?"

The question is well worth pondering: What, in hell, has God ever done for us?

The answer, of course, is that in Christ, God himself has suffered the hellish agonies of the cross. We believe that Jesus descended into hell. That is to say, we believe that on the cross Jesus suffered the full fury of divine wrath and the utter despair of being separated from his Father's love -- the very essence of hell.

What, in hell, has God ever done for us? He has suffered the full penalty that our sins deserve. And now, having been to hell and back for us, Jesus has the empathy of grace to give every grieving, anguished, and enraged person who has lost what they love in life. There are some people in West Virginia who know this, and some who don't, and we should keep them all in our prayers.

An Old Scottish Preacher Says...

As I was working on the sermon for this week, I came across the following quote from Horatius Bonar:
"If we would be holy, we must get to the cross, and dwell there."
This is our only hope! We must run to the cross if we are to have any hope of personal holiness. I am studying the book of Galatians with some guys on Wednesday morning and we talked about this truth today. There is no hope to be found in trying to please God apart from the work of Christ on the cross! May we all make our dwelling at the cross!
The quote above is from chapter 3 of God's Way of Holiness.

Read Through The Bible This Year

I hope that everyone is having a great and happy New Year!
I am hoping to read through the entire Bible this year and thought some of you might want to join me. I know that you are already 2 days behind, but 7 chapters is not too much to catch up – and Genesis is pretty easy reading!
There are a few different plans available to help you read through the Bible in a year. I am following this plan. I get an email every morning letting me know what passage to read for the day and a link to a webpage where I can read the passage on-line. (You can sign up for the daily email at the bottom of that page.)
If you want a plan that you can print out and carry with you -- there are three different plans available from NavPress -- you can find them here.
FYI: Please note that the plan I am using this year follows a chronological path rather than a chapter-by-chapter sequence.

St. Augustine on Christmas

Dr. Albert Mohler posted this quote from one of St. Augustine's Christmas sermons. It encouraged me, so I thought I would share it with you! Merry Christmas!

He, through whom time was made, was made in time; and He, older by eternity than the world itself, was younger in age than many of His servants in the world; He, who made man, was made man; He was given existence by a mother whom He brought into existence; He was carried in hands which He formed; He nursed at breasts which He filled; He cried like a babe in the manger in speechless infancy -- this Word without which human eloquence is speechless!

Understanding Bible Translation

A few people have asked questions about why some Bible traslations are better than others. Here is a short and easy to read article on understanding Bible translations -- Moving through the Maze: Understanding Bible Translation. Let me know what you think.

Andrew loves his little brother!

Some of you have asked for more pictures!
You can check out The McGinnis Message for more!

Christmas Weekend News

I wanted to remind you that we are having two worship services this weekend to celebrate the birth of our Savior. I hope you can join us at both of these services!

On Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. we are having a joint Christmas Eve service with St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. We will be meeting in their sanctuary at 4980 Hancock Rd. (Click here if you need a map.)

On Sunday morning we will worship in our sanctuary at 2303 Double Churches Road. (Map is here.) We will begin our worship service at 10:30 a.m.

Christmas Thoughts

Today in the comic strip B.C., Johnny Hart defines "Yuletide" as "the tsunami of the Christ." In many ways he is right. As we celebrate Christmas, may these passages encourage us to allow Christ to flood our hearts with His glory and grace:

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. -- Isaiah 40:11

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." -- Matthew 1:21

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. -- John 1:14

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. -- John 3:16-17

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. -- John 12:46

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. -- I John 4:9

Merry Christmas!
All Scripture on this site is from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

Luke's First Pic

Wednesday, December 14th

6:50 pm

8 lbs. 6 oz.

20-3/4 inches

Making Sense of Narnia

Polly Toynbee, in the UK Guardian, reviews "The Chronicles of Narnia." See her complete review here. Ms. Toynbee thinks the movie is OK, but thinks that "unbelievers should keep a sickbag handy" because the Christianity of C.S. Lewis represented therein will make one sick.

Here are two quotes from Ms. Toynbee regarding Christianity:

Of all the elements of Christianity, the most repugnant is the notion of the Christ who took our sins upon himself and sacrificed his body in agony to save our souls. Did we ask him to?

Without an Aslan, there is no one here but ourselves to suffer for our sins, no one to redeem us but ourselves: we are obliged to settle our own disputes and do what we can. We need no holy guide books, only a very human moral compass. Everyone needs ghosts, spirits, marvels and poetic imaginings, but we can do well without an Aslan.

(If you are not familiar with the world of Narnia -- Aslan, a lion who represents Christ, lays down his life so that sins might be forgiven and then miraculously rises from the dead to defeat the White Witch, representing Satan. )

Ms. Toynbee cannot image a world where she might NEED a savior. I do know a world where I need a savior -- and so does Ms. Toynbee and everyone who has walked on this earth, other than Christ. Ms. Toynbee is offended that Christ did not ask her permission to die for her sins. One of the beauties of the Gospel is that Christ did not wait for our permission, but "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

In the second quote above, Ms. Toynbee is right that without Aslan ("Christ") "there is no one here but ourselves to suffer for our sins, no one to redeem us but ourselves." That is a burden that we cannot carry -- thankfully, Christ has paid the price for our sins as we are told in Romans 8:1-4:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (ESV)

Ms. Toynbee, none of us have any hope without "Aslan." Christ is the only hope for sinners who need a Savior. My prayer is that we all might see our own sinfulness and our need of a Savior! May God open our eyes so that we hunger and thirst for His mercy and love and might treasure Christ above all things.

I Was Wrong

Sunday, during my sermon, I mentioned that Mary is to be "adored" by us, yet not worshipped by us. I got the first half of that one wrong. To adore is to worship -- those two things are the same. I think it is appropriate that we respect and admire Mary and see her as a role model because of her faith. Remember, though, that when we look to the actions and life of Mary we should be moved to worship and adore God, who chose her and gave her the faith to trust Him in the most unusual of circumstances.

Wanting to Help A Soldier?

Looking to send support to a soldier in harm's way but not sure of what to send, who to send it to, or how to send it? Check out this website.

Praying In A Time Of War

As I was thinking about the worship service yesterday, I decided that I should seek advice on how to pray for the military more effectively, especially in a time of war. John Piper offers the following thoughts:

Paul teaches us to pray for peace among nations for the sake of the gospel...It is not our business to decide the sovereign purpose of God in ordaining that some wars happen. Our business is to pray that justice, peace, and the proclamation of the gospel prevail.

As we pray for the military I think it is also appropriate that we pray for the safety of the soldiers, the stability of their families and that God would use world events and even wars for the advancement of the gospel and His own glory throughout all the world.

I know that many of you are in the military, have served, or have family that serve or did serve. I would love to hear your thoughts on how we should offer Gospel-saturated, God-honoring prayers to God for the military in times such as these.

Are we countercultural?

On Tim Keller's new blog he is reflecting on Jeremiah Chapter 32. He quotes Phil Ryken:

“Do you have the faith to act on God’s promises, even if some of them will not be fulfilled until the end of history? Jeremiah…made a major life decision based on what God promised to do seven decades later….Some Christians move into the city. On purpose. Some Christians feed the homeless or tutor…Some Christians reach across ethnic and economic barriers to form friendships….Some Christians give away 10 percent of their income—or more….All these behaviors seem strange to the pagan mind. The strongest countercultural movement in twenty-first century America will be the church of Jesus Christ.” (Courage to Stand, p.159-160)

I hope and trust that God will give us the faith and courage to be countercultural!
Tim Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC.