The blood was for God to see

“The Israelites at the time of the exodus knew they had escaped the night of God’s judgement through trusting in the blood of the Passover lambs on their doorposts. Notice that the blood was to be placed on the outside of their houses. The blood was for God to see, not for their benefit. The blood was not to make them feel good or feel safe. The blood was not for their feelings at all. The blood was to satisfy God. It was for his eyes alone.God said, ‘When I see the blood I will pass over you’ (Exodus 12:13). We have peace, not because we feel good, but because God is satisfied with the blood. Only He can evaluate the worth of the lamb. Because He is satisfied, we have peace.”

— Terry Virgo
God's Lavish Grace
(Oxford, UK: Monarch Books, 2003), 45

HT: Of First Importance 

A noble hiding-place for lame legs

"So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet."
2 Samuel 9:13



Mephibosheth was no great ornament to a royal table, yet he had a continual place at David's board, because the king could see in his face the features of the beloved Jonathan.

Like Mephibosheth, we may cry unto the King of Glory, "What is Thy servant, that Thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I am?" but still the Lord indulges us with most familiar intercourse with Himself, because He sees in our countenances the remembrance of His dearly-beloved Jesus. The Lord's people are dear for another's sake. Such is the love which the Father bears to His only begotten, that for His sake He raises His lowly brethren from poverty and banishment, to courtly companionship, noble rank, and royal provision. Their deformity shall not rob them of their privileges. Lameness is no bar to sonship; the cripple is as much the heir as if he could run like Asahel. Our right does not limp, though our might may. A king's table is a noble hiding-place for lame legs, and at the gospel feast we learn to glory in infirmities, because the power of Christ resteth upon us.



Charles Spurgeon;

Morning and Evening, May 27th (Morning Reading)

What has the cross accomplished?

By nothing else except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ has death been brought low:
The sin of our first parents destroyed
Hell plundered,
Resurrection bestowed,
The power given us to despise the things of the world,
Even death itself,
The road back to the former blessedness made smooth,
The gates of paradise opened,
Our nature seated at the right hand of God,
And we made children and heirs of God.
By the cross all these things have been set aright…
It is a seal that the destroyer may not strike us,
A raising up of those who lie fallen,
A support for those who stand,
A staff for the infirm,
A crook for the shepherded,
A guide for the wandering,
A perfecting of the advanced,
Salvation for soul and body,
A deflector of all evils,
A cause for all goods,
A destruction of sin,
A plant of resurrection,
And a tree of eternal life.

- St. John of Damascus

What's the story really about?

Robert Stein includes in his book on interpreting the Bible a dialogue from a home bible study. The group read from the opening verses of Mark and then shared their thoughts on what it meant. The first offered, “What this passage means to me is that everyone needs to be baptised, and I believe that it should be by immersion.” A second responded, “I think it means that everyone needs to be baptized by the Holy Spirit.” A third reacted honestly, “I am not exactly sure what I should be doing.” A fourth suggested that the passage meant that if one is to meet God, one needs to get away and commune with nature in the desert. These bible students were sharing what the passage meant to them, but Mark is not talking about us-what can happen to us or what we should do.
His emphasis is on the One who comes who is more powerful than John, who will baptise with the Holy Spirit, who is announced from heaven, and who is tested by Satan in the desert. Jesus is the long-promised One, the Messiah, the son of God, the bearer of the Spirit, and the victor over Satan, the passage is not about John, the nature or mode of baptism, meeting God, or fighting off Satan. Mark introduces us here to Jesus, the central character in all that follows. Our interpretation must stay centered in Him and what His coming means.

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David E. Garland

NIV Application Commentary, Gospel of Mark pg 51

Depth and emphasis

The best example of someone who struck the right balance between depth and emphasis is the apostle Paul. When the jailer in Philippi asked him, "What must I do to be saved?" he did not hem or haw, mumble or ramble. He did not stop to search his memory, pondering which passage of Scripture or trajectories of argument might be relevant to this question. He did not correct the jailer by saying, "It would be better if you asked me, 'What has God done to save me?'" He did not take out a piece of chalk and diagram the history of salvation on the walls of the prison, or talk about predestination, or explore the spiritual dynamics of the jailers quest for meaning. He said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31). On the other hand, when writing to the Ephesian church, to whom he had declared "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27), he did not just keep repeating "Believe in the Lord Jesus" over and over, as if he had nothing more to say. For them, he described the eternal purpose of God the Father in choosing us to receive redemption through the blood of His beloved Son and to be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph 1:3-14). Paul was hardly a know-nothing, even when he resolved, for strategic reasons, to "know nothing" in Corinth "except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor 2:2). Paul knew how to be emphatic, but he also knew how to lead believers deeper into the mystery which had been made known to him by revelation (Eph 3:3). He could make the simple point about salvation in a few words, and he could describe the deep background of that emphatic message in all its features. When he turned the task of exploring the background, he turned to the doctrine of the Trinity: the Father's choosing, the Son's redeeming, and the Spirit's sealing.

The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything
Fred Sanders, Crossway Publishing pg 18

Two of my friends playing music in Stockholm

Aden wrote it.

I think it is beautiful.

Going Ahead

"But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going ahead of you to Galilee." - Mark 16:7

The announcement that “He is going ahead of you” is as important as the word that “He is not here.” The verb used here (proago) does not simply mean that Jesus gone on ahead of His disciples. Thucydides uses the verb for leading troops forward, and Pylorus uses it for a commander making an advance. Earlier, Jesus connected the promise that He would go before them to Galilee to the image of a shepherd (14:27-28). Jesus has fed His flock (6:34) and has laid down His life for them, which caused them to be scattered. As the risen Lord, He will regather them into the fold. Just as the earthly Jesus led His frightened disciples to Jerusalem by going before them (10:32), so the risen Jesus goes ahead of them still, leading the church.

-David E. Garland

Blessed Saviour, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.
-Joseph Scriven

Who is the true Son of Promise?

God’s final atonement for sin was not a ram caught in the thicket but the Son of the promise. Isaac could be spared, must be spared, for while he was the seed of the promise, he was so only in shadow, pointing to the true Seed, the beloved Son, not of Abraham but of the heavenly Father. God the Father spared the beloved son of Abraham but not His own Beloved.

-Edmund Clowney, Preaching Christ in All of Scripture

"the second time to reign"

The second coming of Christ will be utterly unlike the first. He came the first time in weakness, a tender infant born of a poor woman in the manger at Bethlehem, unnoticed, unhonoured and scarcely known. He will come the second time in royal dignity, with the armies of heaven around Him, to be known, recognized and feared by all the scribes of the earth. He came the first time to suffer - to bear our sins- to be reckoned a curse - to be despised, rejected, unjustly condemned and slain. He will come the second time to reign - to put down every enemy beneath His feet - to take the kingdoms of this world for His inheritance - to rule them with righteousness - to judge everybody, and to live forevermore.






J.C. Ryle's commentary on Mark 13
Crossway Classic Commentaries, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. Page 210

What makes Moses special?

[Exodus 32-34 (the golden calf incident followed by Moses' intercession for the people of Israel)]is not so much a story of rebellion as it is a story of God's forgiveness and Moses' role in making this happen. it is in these chapters that Moses' role as intercessor, as mediator of the covenant, reaches its zenith. If we wish to point out the episode that makes Moses truly special, that makes him deserving of all the honour, attention, and respect he has received through the ages, it is his shielding an ungrateful people from the end they most certainly deserve, even if it means taking their place and bearing the full weight, horror and ignomy of God's anger. The world will not see the likes of this again for many generations.

(Thank You, Jesus!) -Exodus (The NIV Application Commentary), Dr. Peter Enns

May we be foolish enough to believe that we can make a difference!

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
And turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen

-A Franciscan Benediction-

What makes a church beautiful?

(Photo from Gene Veith's blog. These are the remains of the oldest known church building in the world.)

Let us learn ...that the true glory of a church does not consist in its buildings for public worship, but in the faith and godliness of its members...Without these two things, the noblest ecclesiastical edifice is radically defective. It has no glory if God is not there. With these two things, the humblest brick cottage where the Gospel is preached is lovely and beautiful. It is consecrated by Christ's own presence and the Holy Spirit's own blessing.

J.C. Ryle's commentary on Mark 13:2
Crossway Classic Commentaries, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. Page 201

Triune Prayer from the Valley of Vision

THREE IN ONE, ONE IN THREE,
GOD OF MY SALVATION.

Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit,
I adore Thee as one Being, one Essence,
one God in three distinct Persons,
for bringing sinners to Thy knowledge and to Thy kingdom.
O Father, Thou hast loved me and sent Jesus to redeem me;
O Jesus, Thou hast loved me and assumed my nature,
shed Thine own blood to wash away my sins,
wrought righteousness to cover my unworthiness;
O Holy Spirit, Thou hast loved me and entered
my heart, implanted there eternal life,
revealed to me the glories of Jesus.
Three Persons and one God, I bless and praise Thee,
for love so unmerited, so unspeakable,
so wonderous, so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.
O Father, I thank Thee that in fullness of grace
Thou hast given me to Jesus, to be His sheep, jewel, portion;
O Jesus, I thank Thee that in fullness of grace
Thou hast accepted, espoused, bound me;
Oh Holy Spirit, I think Thee that in the fullness of grace Thou hast
Exhibted Jesus as my salvation,
Implanted faith within me,
subdued my stubborn heart,
made me one with Him forever.
O Father, Thou art enthroned to hear my prayers,
O Jesus, Thy hand is outstretched to take my petitions,
O Holy Spirit, Thou art willing to help my
infirmities, to show me my need,
to supply words, to pray within me,
to strengthen me that I faint not in supplication.
O Triune God, who commandeth the universe,
Thou hast commanded me to ask for those things that concern my kingdom and my soul.
Let me live and pray as one baptized into the threefold Name.

Listen

Throughout the history of the church the greatest preachers have been those who have recognized that they have no authority in themselves and have seen their tasks as being to explain the words of scripture and apply them clearly to the lives of their hearers. Their preaching has drawn its power not from the proclamation of their own Christian experiences or the experiences of others, nor from their own opinions, creative ideas, or rhetorical skills, but from God's powerful words. Essentially they stood in the pulpit, pointed to the biblical text, and said in effect to the congregation, "This is what this verse means. Do you see that meaning here as well? Then you must believe it and obey it with all your heart, for God Himself, your Creator and your Lord, is saying this to you today!" Only the written words of Scripture can give this kind of authority to preaching.

- Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pg 82