Two Tables

He replaces the tables of the money changers, where worshipers had to pay for atonement, with the Lord’s table, where He announces that His free offering of His life provides forgiveness of sins. – David Garland

The Transfiguration of Jesus

While I was visiting California I had the honour of speaking at Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara. Here's the video from the Wednesday night study.

Do not pass me by

Son of David! hear my cry;
Saviour, do not pass me by;
Touch these eyelids veiled in night,
Turn their darkness into light.
Son of David, hear my cry!
Savior, do not pass me by.

Though the proud my voice would still,
They may chide me if they will,
Yet the more I’ll pray for grace,
Only here shall be my place.
Son of David, hear my cry!
Saviour, do not pass me by.

Though despised by all but Thee,
Thou a blessing hast for me;
Faith and prayer can never fail,
Lord, with Thee I must prevail,
Son of David, hear my cry!
Saviour, do not pass me by.

Glorious vision! heav’nly ray!
All my gloom has passed away;
Now my joyful eye doth see,
And my soul still clings to Thee,
Thine the glory evermore,
Mine to worship and adore.

-Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)

I came across this hymn last week as I was preparing for Sunday's message on the healing of blind Bartimeaus.

It is a really beautiful hymn, but it didn't really seem to flow with the direction that the sermon was headed so I had to leave it on the cutting room floor. I did want to post it here on this blog however, because it really does deserve to be read and appreciated.

What makes these words particularly poignant to me is knowing a bit of the background of the author. At six weeks old her parents took her to a doctor to treat an eye inflammation; a misdiagnosis and wrong prescription of mustard plasters caused her to go blind. She spent the whole of her life without sight. She surely prayed many times that the Lord would restore her sight, but He chose not to. Rather than grow embittered against Him, Fanny accepted this as from His hand, and grew in her love and trust of Him. She was one of the most prolific hymn writers of all time, giving the church over 8,000 songs!

I imagine her writing this song, about a man who cries out to Jesus asking for sight, and perhaps it would have been a challenge for her; to praise God for healing the blindness of some while not yet relieving her of her disability. But I believe Fanny understood that the eyes of her heart (Ephesians 1:18) have been opened by Christ, and that is a miracle worth praising Him forever for. I know that now, in Heaven, Fanny Crosby has perfect vision. Her sight on earth would have been so very dim, but now she sees Jesus face to face (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12)

Now my joyful eye doth see,
And my soul still clings to Thee

But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" - Mark 10:38“Jesus calls His death a baptism because of the ease with which He would rise again. For just as one who is baptized in water easily rises up because of the nature of the water poses no hindrance, so, too, Christ rose with greater ease because he had gone down into death. And this is why He calls His death a baptism.” – John Chrysostom

As a Little Child

Our Lord told us that the way of entering the kingdom is by receiving. Whosever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein (Luke 18:17). We do not enter into the kingdom of God by working out some deep problem and arriving at its solution, not by fetching something out of ourselves but only by receiving a secret something into us. We come into the kingdom by the kingdom’s coming into us: it receives us by our receiving it.

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

The Bible isn't about you

Using a clip from Tim Keller’s talk at the 2007 TGC conference, Heath McPherson created using the art of Gustave Doré (and others):

Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing wither he went to create a new people of God.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,” now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing Him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.”

Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends.

Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes His people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther who didn’t just risk leaving an earthly palace but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk His life, but gave His life to save His people.

Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.

Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us. He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.

The Bible’s really not about you—it’s about Him.

HT: Justin Taylor

The Tree

In God's mind (mens dei) there is an eternally preestablished relationship between the word (verbum) "tree" (lignum) in Exodus 15:25 and a real "tree" (res) that is understood to be a sign (signum) pointing to the cross (Vulgate: in ligno) in Acts 5:30. When, in Exodus 15:25, the Lord pointed (wayyorehu) Moses to the tree (lignum) that would make the water sweet, He was pointing to a real thing (res) that itself, as a thing (res), pointed to the cross (res). That cross (res), according to Augustine, points to the "sweetness" of salvation and eternal life.

John H. Sailhamer
The Meaning of the Pentateuch
Revelation, Composition and Interpretation
pg 79

Forever my heart will sing of how great You are

Something worth preaching

“The motto of all true servants of God must be, ‘We preach Christ; and Him crucified.’ A sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it. No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
1876

Isaiah 54:10

An Excerpt From An Encouraging Email From An Encouraging Friend

....Your insight into IC and the feast at Cana warmed me greatly tonight. XC has truly revealed to us truth and grace. A splendid comparison with Moses, worthy of the Theologian himself. You are a Cappadocian at heart, but much more Christ-like, Greg of Nazianzus was a total Jerk.

Blessings of the Thrice Holy Trinity upon you my dear friend.

SA


(Shane has his own blog here. It's definitely worth subscribing to.)

Covenants Old and New

In the Old Covenant God dealt with His sinful and rebellious people through the zealous young priest Phinehas. During a time of apostasy and immorality Phinehas' judgment on rebels "turned back [God's] wrath from the people of Israel." Numbers 25:11
Phinehas punished sinners by driving a spear through them both. It's graphic. It's violent. It's propitiation. It's horrifying.
In the New Covenant God deals with His sinful and rebellious people by entering into their history as the great High Priest Jesus. During a time of apostasy and immorality Jesus came to bear the punishment for their rebellion. He allowed Himself to be led like a lamb to the slaughter and rather than driving a spear through the offending sinners, He let nails be driven into His hands and feet. Jesus had a spear thrust into His side, not because of any wrong that He had done, but because of the wrong that we have done. And because of all of this, God's wrath is turned back from His people.

It's graphic. It's violent. It's propitiation. It's horrifying.
And this is how God demonstrates His rescuing love for us.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10

Morning Prayer

O God the author of all good, I come to Thee for the grace another day will require for its duties and events. I step out into a wicked world; I carry about with me an evil heart. I know that without Thee I can do nothing, that everything with which I shall be concerned, however harmless in itself, may prove an occasion of sin or folly, unless I am kept by Thy power. Hold Thou me up and I shall be safe.

Preserve my understanding from subtlety of error, my affections from love of idols, my character from stain of vice, my profession from every form of evil. May I engage in nothing in which I cannot implore Thy blessing, and in which I cannot invite Thy inspection. Prosper me in all lawful undertakings, or prepare me for disappointments. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full and deny Thee and say, Who is the Lord? or be poor, and steal, and take Thy name in vain.

May every creature be made good to me by prayer and Thy will. Teach me how to use the world and not abuse it, to improve my talents, to redeem my time, to walk in wisdom toward those without, and in kindness to those within, to do good to all men, and especially to my fellow Christians. And to Thee be the glory.

Valley of Vision, 1884

Prayer requested

This year I've been asked to speak at a session at the UK Pastors and leaders conference. It's a tremendous privilege and honour. I had my sermon all worked out and printed Tuesday morning as I got onto my flight from Cork to London Stansted. Tuesday afternoon as I was taking the train in to central London I felt the Lord put an entirely different section of scripture on my heart. He has been giving me a great peace about what I will be sharing at the conference, even though I haven't had hardly any time to sit down and plot out my points and outline the message yet. Would you please join me in prayer for this message? Please ask God for brokenhearted boldness and contrite courage as I share from the Word with my brothers and fellow pastors this coming week.

Prayer in the midst of the storm

O God, make speed to save us.

We have sinned, O Lord, we have sinned, spare our sins,

And save us; Thou who guidedst Noah over the flood waves,

Hear us; Who with Thy word recalledst Jonah from the abyss;

Deliver us; Who stretchedst forth Thy hand to Peter as he sank, help us,

O Christ Son of God, Thou didst the marvelous things of the Lord with our fathers, be favourable in our days also;

Stretch forth Thy hand from on high.

Deliver us, O Christ.

Hear us, O Christ.

-Stowe Missal

9th Century A.D.