Around the Web

Anthony Bradley on "why men leave the church?" (Quotes Driscoll a lot.)
Tim Keller on "Prayer and the Gospel"
Jerram Barrs, of Covenant Theological Seminary, is coming to Grove City in March

This movie looks good...

A student at Grove City, Nate Mucha, will have his art on display now till November 10th. He is the author of Four Seasons and the Seven Deadly Sins (of which I am a fan). If you are unfamiliar with his work, you can check out his website here.

He studied under Dr. Joshua Drake, who is married to a native of Scotland. Has a sweet dog named Hector, and loves theology over a cup of tea. He is my kind of guy.

Hope you enjoy the show

Principles on battling sin

1. Not aimed at the external improvement of a personal; if this is done there can yet remain abominable sin

2.) Crucify the Flesh - You must starve the sin at it's roots as Crucifixion suffocates your breath

3.) Consider the enemy general's tactics (this is the one that I liked the best, and take it a different direction that Mr. Matthess did.)

Sin is an enemy, and Satan wants your head on a platter with your soul as seasoning on top. How often do you and I forget this? Every time we purposefully sin and grow lax in our walk with God, is my reply.

If you attacked your enemy tonight what strategy would you use? It is a no-brainer that surprise is useful, that you would exploit the known weaknesses of your opponent. You attack where he does not expect it (mis application of your time; where your guard is down, etc). This could happen in a number of ways. We need the Spirit's discernment to enlighten us in our defenses against Satan's wiles.

4.) Persevere in the Battle

Sometimes God allows us to be effected by the consequences of our sin to keep us humble

5.) fight sin from Scripture, define according to the Word of God

Hating Sin and Loving God are not the same thing. You could be a great giant for political activism for the eradication of abortion or sex trafficking but that does not equate to loving God.

6.) look for Scripture that helps you deal with Struggles

a tightened noose

Romans 8:11-14.
Do you live the Christian life? That God's ways are your ways? IN the words of the Psalmist, "your testimony I will declare." Do you and I live by and in the Spirit? The vigor of our spiritual vitality depends on our mortification of the deeds of the flesh. (Owen) Mortification is this: keeping your sin nature under the tightened noose.

Evangelicals today sacrifice the gospel with new and innovative techniques to mortify the flesh. I am thinking of one such approach as advocated in "Every Man's Battle." The method that the authors propose is that if you would "bounce your eyes" or look away from a woman or man then you defeat sin. Other Christians have proposed asceticism, trusting in yourself, and legalism (trusting in yourself and not Christ.)

When we pick up the sword and shield we must be sure not to use them in a wrong way. It is important to rely on Christ in the way that He said. God has not appointed other means to combat the flesh. (again indulgences and asceticism.)

Mortification is not:
--Conviction without a Solution - the Gospel is sufficient for the Believer's battle vs. sin. Christ freed, Christ defeated, Christ abides within us. It is all about Christ.
--Conviction without Action - Mortification of the sin brings conviction and repentance.
-- Conviction but selective in mortifying. As Augustine prayed, "Make me pure but not yet." True Mortification is total.
-- measured by temperment
-- diverted (think of Simon trying to buy the Holy Spirit)

Principles of Mortification:
-- Continually at way with sin
-- Entirely the work of the Holy Spirit
-- Habitual weakening of sin

do you want to be filled with Grace? Do you want to feast upon the given means? Prayer, Preaching, Singing, the sacraments? Do you realize that the Fruit of the Spirit are killers of Sin? love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control?

As Christ proclaimed, "Come all who are tired and heavy laden, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Is your spiritual health declining?

"cough cough."
"Sir, You have the common cold."
It is not so easy to diagnose our spiritual life. Instead it is almost impossible. Actually it is impossible without the guidance and discernment from the Holy Spirit.

Here are seven symptoms of a declining spiritual livelihood.
1.) Spiritual Declension - Declining Spirituality and the interest thereof (God). Octavius Winslow points out that "The path of spiritual declension is a 'sloped plane', each step accelerating the rapidity of the soul's descent. It commences at the closet. The restraining of prayer; especially private devotion; is the first stage in the decay and declension of the believer in the divine life. Soon will follow the fascination and power of the world; and when the world enters like a flood, Christ and prayer and eternal realities are swept before its impetuous torrent, then the gracious soul is stranded upon the bleak, rock bound coast of bitter remorse and dark despair."

2.) Formalized religion - legalism, which is more concerned with our outward actions instead of our heart. This is expressed in the corporate sense through preaching and Pharisaical pastoral care. Also there is no desire to see God's word applied

3.) Distracted Desires - a misplaced desire in anything other than Christ. (this list is endless, including, ideals, politics, sports, romance, etc.) As a godly man once said, "Our minds are Idol Factories."

4.) Habitual sin - Cherished sins that are a habit for your life. A true spiritual life will say that, "I am dead" Look at the great church father, St. Augustine. "Father, give me purity but not yet." Later, one of his promiscuous girlfriends walked down the street and said, "I miss you Augustine." To this Augustine replied, "Augustine is dead."

5.) Ignorance of knowledge of the Truth - pride, no humility except a false coat. (1 Cor. 8:1)

6.) Self reliance - instead of the Cross (you can see easily how this would lead to death)

7.) Spiritual Apathy or Death- the result of our sin. When God does not make sense to you (Matthew 11:20-24.)

These cautions warn you and I to hold on to our first love - DO NOT LET GO! There is no greater trial, test or question set before you and I.

Mortification of Sin: Conviction- God's great mercy

If you really knew me, you would not like me. If I wrote my thoughts and actions in a book, full of sins would it be. Is there any hope for a person like me? Read on....

Q:(Isaiah 6:1-5; Job 42: 5-6) What do we learn about ourselves from these verses?
A: The prophet Isaiah accounts for us the glorious vision of the one true king- Yahweh. Upon this glance Isaiah fell undone; as he fell he cried out, "Woe is Me!" God's holiness caused Isaiah to fall upon his face and worship. This informs us readers that we cannot see God without recognizing our unworthy state. Also we do not recognize who and what we truly are until we encounter God. Job's reaction is one of repentance when he faces the true Creator.

Q: Same Verses: What do we see of the manner of the Love of the Father from These verses?
A: Negatively show His love, because any revelation is mercy. God revealing our sins to us is a great mercy. The love that the Old Testament refers to is God's Covenant and Faithful Love (hesed). We do not deserve conviction, we deserve judgment, for God to do otherwise is nothing short of relentless grace because we do not listen the first time. He comes after us with great loving kindness.

Q: (Habakkuk 3:16; Judges 13:20; Revelation 1:17) What was the effect upon those who witnessed these events?
A: "Rottenness entered my bones and fell on their faces, fell as if I were dead"
Not only was there a sense of Spiritual unworth but also a physical reaction. God does reveal Himself through senses. Have you ever had this encounter? When you realize how big the universe might be, that the universe does not revolve around you (me)? Or upon meditation of a sin, did you (I) collapse on the thought that you (I) offended God? With that petty lie, lust, covet? If so- God is being merciful to you. He loves you.

Think of Conviction in this way. And look to Christ for there is your salvation from your sins.

Practical Application
Q: When you think of God's love to you: what Scripture comes to mind?
Q: We Are called Sons of God what does this mean?
(Hint: Adoption - look at Duguid's article in Tabletalk, have you ever considered yourself to be a true orphan? In the eyes of Scripture you and I once were.)
Q: 1 John 3:3 - Any ideas on what this verse means?
A: Martin Lloyd-Jones once said, "Holiness is not something we might become, instead it has something to do because what we are." We are purified by the hope that we have in Christ, the starting point is God.
A: Mortification is an outworking of Justification (it is sanctification)
Q: What is the motivation given in Scripture for living a pure life?
Q: What are some of the ways in which we mortify indwelling sin?
A: Knowledge of God by faith is what we need to kill sin.
Hebrews 6:11-12; Assurance of Hope... faith and patience
Hebrews 12; with this patience we are to look to Christ who endured the cross (He is the author and perfecter of our faith)

Note that You begin with Christ and His work on the Cross. That is our motivation, that is our salvation and that is our sanctification. The ends, the means and the author is Jesus Christ.

Back to Bible Study: Temptation

Life is a blessing, a great gift from God, it is by His grace that we breathe. And yet there is this thing called temptation... what is temptation? Mr. Matthess opened this question up to us students, one of whom defined it as, "faced with a choice with the possibility of sin." Good choice of words here, note that temptation is not sin, for proof of this all one needs to do is realize that Jesus Christ faced temptation and was without sin.

God does not tempt us... instead it is part of our own lust, of our fallen natures, or the presence of sin within you.

The Apostle James tells us in James 1:12-15 of the steps of temptation:
- drawn
- enticement
- desire
- conception
- accomplishment

For a practical example, Genesis 3 records for us the fall of Adam and Eve.
The Serpent's deception in the garden of Eden is a pattern used by the flesh in our lives. (1) How did the Serpent persuade Eve to eat? Satan warped God's command through lies and deception
(2) What did he hide or disguise? the consequence of the action (3) How did he make sin attractive? You will be like God he said, which is idolatry, and you will know Good and Evil he said.

Simple lies that had drastic consequences. Why did Adam and Eve fail? Ultimately they listened to their own desires instead of looking to God. Remember the place of the mind in resisting temptation - temptation first addresses the mind. The mind makes the choice and is the watchman of the soul.

Personal Application:
1.) How is it that you yield to something that you know is sinful?
2.) What is the most bizarre excuse you have ever given to justify something you did wrong? Did it work? (Do you really need sin? Do you really think that pleasure will help you and satisfy you?)
3.) What are some of the physical results seen in people's lives as a result of sin?
4.) What are some of the ways we can guard against yielding to temptation? (Think of Joseph and Christ in the desert)
5.) what is it about the relationship between the imaginations and the affections that makes the imagination so important to guard?

a new semester, a new Bible study

Last night, the college students of Rose Point RPCNA met for our first night of worship, prayer and Bible study. This year our study is on The Mortification of Sin, led by Mr. Matthess who is a member of our congregation.
I gave Mr. Matthess a few books of mine that he may look over and read and see what he would be the most comfortable with. A few of the books were Ferguson's commentary on Mark by the Trust, another was Piper's new book on the demands of Christ on believers, and then the last one was The Enemy Within by Kris Lundguardd. Lundguardd was a campus minister at a PCA church when he realized that College students needed solid principles to guide them as they fight sin. So he read Owen and condensed him into a short book that is easily accessible by anybody [really]. And he did a great job.
Mr. Matthess did not stop there... he went directly to the source of this wisdom... He turned first to Scripture then to Owen's works himself, and from there read his commentary on Scripture. Let me say it is fantastic, it is a great reminder as I once again learn about the mortification of sin. Along with it, I am reading Owen's works for devotions...I trust we will know God's blessing this semester.

--- here are my notes from the study - i trust they will be edifying to you ---
GREAT is the mystery of Godliness - how can we comprehend it!? We need to understand how to grow in holiness, for that is our calling in the Christian life.

reading from Romans 3:10-20
- we cannot please God; sin is everything contrary to God - he hates it
- sin and fault is with us. The purpose of the Law is to reveal sin to us. Think of this, this is true, don't the 10 commandments teach you about your radical depravity??

Q: How does Conversion/regeneration affect sin's presence and power? [Romans 7:21]
A: It is a power in us, not to us. At conversion God takes the law used to reveal sin to us and infuses that law in our hearts. And we are now inclined to serve and please God. This enjoining of the law is different than the divine sense that all mankind has. (divinitas sensus) As we are united in Christ.

It is true that Sin is cut back, it is not dead and it can flare up at any moment. We have discovered this, Paul discovered this and describes it as a law... Sin brings forth fruit unto death - do you find this sin?

Why dont people recognize that they are sinners?
- ignorance (they do not know the law, they are so steeped in sin they suppressed their sense of God)
- do not want to - they are blind to the Gospel
- they are at one with sin... in Darkness you cannot sin

Christians have an obligation to share the gospel, and they must live the gospel in their daily life. As believers, we have the inclination to do good. We are free to please God, good thigns come from a good heart.
If we feel guilty over sin and we know that we have dishonored God - this is a blessing! because God is at work within us, softening our hearts to respond to Him.

**At this time we were kicked out of our room - we had it over our time limit... my bad :-/

Creeking John Mahtani

There was excitement at the Grove last Thursday besides studying for finals. My good friend Jon Mahtani has been engaged for quite some time and he has escaped the Grover tradition of being creeked.... the video explains it all.... enjoy

(Jon and his fiancee are getting married next weekend! That is going to be a fun road trip.)