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This gorgeous work is only $1000.00

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I am for real.

Born Again

Re-post from www.challies.com

Speaking of John Piper, he delivered a great message on the new birth. I just happened to have heard roughly this same message the week before at The Basics Conference in Ohio. I’ll share my notes for it again, but first with this observation. I think preaching this message here at Moody was a little bit different than preaching it at Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. I would not say the group listening last night was in any way hostile, but, well, preaching a distinctly Calvinistic doctrine of the new birth in Alistair Begg’s church is quite a bit easier than preaching it at Moody. Having said that, the audience seemed very engaged and Piper preached over many shouts of “Amen!” He delivered it with his trademark passion and I enjoyed it as much the second time as I had the first.

He answered four questions related to the doctrine of the new birth:

What happens? Why is it so necessary? How does it happen? How do we participate in the happening as preachers?

What Happens in the New Birth?
Life happens! God does not give new religion, but new life. Jesus knows that there are religious dead people and that Nicodemus is one of them; he knows that Nicodemus needs to be born, to be given life. When you are born of the flesh, all you are is flesh; you are humanity minus God. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit—which means you do not have a living spirit now (because you are dead). The Holy Spirit needs to come upon you and breathe this new life into you. We are now spiritually alive.

Why Is the New Birth So Necessary?
Piper offered ten biblical descriptions of man apart from the new birth, ten reasons we need to be born again. As bad as the news is, it’s glorious to get it right because there is a glorious remedy. When we properly understand our own badness, we see Christ more gloriously.

Apart from the new birth we are dead
Apart from the new birth we are by nature children of wrath
Apart from the new birth we love darkness and hate light
Apart from the new birth we have hearts that are hard like stone
Apart from the new birth we are unable to submit to God
Apart from the new birth we are unable to except the gospel
Apart from the new birth we are unable to come to Christ or embrace him as Lord
Apart from the new birth we are slaves to sin
Apart from the new birth we are slaves of Satan
Apart from the new birth no good thing dwells in me

How Does it Happen?
He offered four steps (though steps was really not quite the right word):

First, the Holy Spirit freely gives life. There is no how-to here at all; he must sovereignly do this.

Second, this happens through the living and abiding Word of God. We see here the human agency of the divine sovereign awakening of dead souls.

Third, the gospel brings about faith. Believing is the result, not the cause of the new birth.

Fourth, Christ is received and believed upon.

These four steps cannot be carved apart—they must happen simultaneously.

How Do Pastors Participate?
Jesus said to Paul in Acts 26 “I send you to open their eyes.” How can this be (after all that has just been said)? Is this an act of God or an act of the pastor? Piper answered this with an analogy. You can’t make God do anything, but neither can you make electricity but this doesn’t stop you from flipping a light switch. Don’t let the fact that you can’t cause the new birth keep you from preaching the gospel! The pastors’ task is an impossible one and thus one that must be empowered by God.

A couple of brief notes. First, I think Piper coined a word tonight: Crushedness. I don’t think I could successfully use it in a sentence. Second, he spoke of growing older and his increasing knowledge of his own sin. “The longer I live the less optimistic I am that I will end without sin and the more grateful I become for the blood of Christ imputed to me. As I grow older I do not feel myself becoming gloriously holy but I find myself feeling great love for the gospel.” I thought that was rather thought-provoking.

Citi Field

this was a while back...Citi Field is NICE. Too bad it has a terrible name.

Joy, Feet, Chains

There is Infinite Joy in God. Isaiah 51:11

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.


Bring the Message of Joy to the Nations. Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Pray for the Persecuted Messengers of the Gospel. Colossians 4:18

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.



Passages from May 13th Reading, ESV Study Bible Plan

Sermon Reflections

Are you seeing and worshiping Jesus in each sermon you hear? I know, it's not always easy. Some messages are better than others. Some preachers, frankly, are better than others at raising worshipful affections of his hearers. Anyway, here are some thoughts from yesterday's sermon.

Yesterday's sermon was about Hannah (1 Samuel 1). A few points were highlighted:

1. Hannah would walk for hours just to worship and sacrifice to the LORD at Shiloh. This would have been a journey over uneven terrain and steep hills (v3)
   
2. Hannah prayed earnestly for a son and vowed that if the God gave her a son she would give him up to God all the days of his life (v11)
   
3. Hannah prayed with such intensity that Eli thought she was drunk. She poured out her soul before God out of her great anxiety and vexation (v13-16)
   
4. Hannah gave birth to Samuel. Samuel was dedicated to God and served as a prophet, a mediator between God and His people, and as a judge (v20)
   
5. Hannah gave up Samuel; God gave her five more children. (2:21)

Corresponding points...that point to Jesus

1. Jesus not only journeyed from place to place, he traveled the infinite, cosmic distance from Heaven to Earth. He walked the Hill of Calvary to be the final sacrifice so that we could worship God
2. God the Father gave us His only Son, so that not only would all of Jesus' days be spent serving God, but by Christ's death he would fulfill the ultimate purpose for which he was born
3. Before being crucified on a cross, it was Jesus, the son of God pouring out his soul before God the father out of his great anguish and vexation...praying with such intensity that he sweated drops of blood
4. Jesus Christ became The Prophet - not only speaking the very words of God but being fully God himself. He became our Final Mediator, mediating between us and God - in Christ is our meeting place with God. He is our priest and our temple. And Jesus will be the Final Judge of all the universe
5. When we joyfully give up our lives to take up the cross and follow Christ we receive a hundredfold back (Mark 10:29-30)
   

Center

One of those songs that won't let me go. First heard this way back in 2006 during a pivotal time of my life. Pivotal, in finding the ultimate end of why God created the universe.

Oh Christ, be the center of our lives
Be the place we fix our eyes
Be the center of our lives

You're the center of the universe
Everything was made in You, Jesus
Breath of every living thing
Everyone was made for You
You hold everything together

We lift our eyes to heaven
And we wrap our lives around Your life
We lift our eyes to heaven, to You


[Charlie Hall & Chris Tomlin]