Year's End

O Love beyond Compare
thou art good when thou givest,
when thou takest away,
when the sun shines upon me,
when night gathers over me

Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world,
and in love didst redeem my soul;

Thou dost love me still,
in spite of my hard heart, ingratitude, distrust.

Thy goodness has been with me during another year
leading me through a twisting wilderness,
in retreat helping me to advance.
when beaten back making sure headway

Thy goodness will be with me in the year ahead;

I hoist sail and draw up anchor,
With thee as the blessed Pilot of my future
as of my past.

I bless thee that thou hast veiled my eyes
to the waters ahead.

If thou hast appointed storms of tribulation,
thou wilt be with me in them;

If I have to pass through tempests of persecution and temptation,
I shall not drown;

If I am to die,
I shall see thy face the sooner;

If a painful end is to be my lot,
grant me grace that my faith fail not;

If I am to be cast aside from the service I love,
I can make no stipulation;

Only glorify thyself in me whether in comfort or trial,
as a chosen vessel meet always for thy use.

(Valley of Vission. page 204-205)

The God Man

“Jesus is God and man in one person: man that he may feel our woes, God that he may help us out of them.”- Charles H. Spurgeon, “Immanuel - The Light of Life” (sermon on Isaiah 9:1,2)

That was today's gospel quote from the blog Of First Importance. I really liked it and wanted to past it on.

Why we Celebrate this Holiday

This Christmas let us not forget the reason that we celebrate this holiday. The transcendent God of the universe stepped down into our world. This world full of it’s wickedness and rebellion against His ruler ship. Yet, He came to destroy the darkness and redeem for Himself a people. All of this according to His eternal plan to glorify His name by the salvation of sinners.

How did he choose to enter into this world? He should have came in judgment! Parting the skies, raining down His fury and wrath against such traitors! Punishing them for the infinite transgression that have waged against His perfect, pure, name!

Oh, but He did not come like this! 2,000 years ago a defenseless, dependent baby was born to a peasant girl in the mist of a nation under oppression. This baby, however, was no ordinary baby. That God, who should have flooded the world with His wrath. That baby born to that girl was Him! The God of the universe in the flesh of man! lying in a manger, in the heart of this wicked, broken world. Amongst those who constantly raise their fists in His face. Proudly walking against His ways! This God, chose to be born in this world.

From this child would come salvation to the world. people from every tribe, nation, and tongue would have their lives changed by the life of this child. For this God man came to seek and save the lost. His light broke through our darkness, giving hope and joy to all those that he calls and believes in His work. He came into this world through such a humble entrance to fulfill the requirements of the law by His life, to die upon a cross to satisfy the wrath of God, and be resurrected from the dead! How amazing is that! He did not come bringing wrath, He came to appease His wrath! He did not come with the law, condemning us for not doing it. He came to fulfill His law by His life! He did not come bring the sentence against us. He came bring complete pardon for all our sins!

God stepped into our world to give us what we could not have possible given or achieve by ourselves. What was impossible to us was possible to God! What love, greatness, majesty, grace, and mercy was shown to us that day 2,000 years ago when Christ took on the flesh of man to accomplish the eternal plan of salvation! That is why we celebrate this holiday!


Emmanuel
By Mark Altrogge

We have come today to worship
We have come to praise the One
Who came down into our darkness
Born a lowly virgin’s son
You who did not come with splendor
Pomp and strength and majesty
You who came to us in weakness
Born to us in poverty

Chorus:
Emmanuel, Emmanuel, Emmanuel
In You alone we hope and trust
Jesus, Savior, God with us
Emmanuel

We were blind and lost and godless
Wandering a trackless waste
Then hope arose, a glorious beacon
Like the star the wise men chased
Down from heaven came a Savior
Born a child, so small and frail
Taking up our pain and troubles
Conquering where we had failed

You who with a word created
Sun and moon and seas and sand
Lay there sleeping in a manger
Cradled by Your mother’s hand
You who made the mighty forests
Would lie down upon a tree
Fastened there with nails for sinners
Would bleed and die to set us free

Internship at Captital Hill Baptist Church

A funny video about the life of a intern at CHBC

Worshipping with the Community

As Christians living in 21st Century America, individualism is something that has been ingrained into the mind of the believer. Because of this, we tend to only think of our worship of Christ as a individual pursuit. The aspect of worshipping as a community of believers is either minimized or forgotten. "Worship is something that I am to engage in on my own." Yet this goes against the Biblical teaching of teaching and admonishing the brethren with songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. We do not come together on Sunday mornings to just get by ourselves to worship.

I say all that to just direct your attention to a post Bob Kauflin did on how we are to address each other in worship and what practices hinder the communal aspects of worship. I encourage you to read it. The individualness of worship in America churches gets to me now and them. So, Bob Kauflin is just speaking right up my alley.

True Manliness

I read this sermon by Dr. Van Neste on what true manliness is. What he had to say was very convicting ,very need in today's culture and I was rebuked by what he had to say many times. I know that God's grace has brought me far, yet I have so far left to go!



HT: Justin Taylor

The Media...Again

I find it interesting that right after I posted on the twistful ways of the media this story has came up.

Come to find out, the Gospel of Judas is not what people said it was.


HT: Albert Mohler