ht Timothy
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Thawed out Thursday – The Way of the LORD
A re-post
From Genesis 1, the way of the LORD has always been forming, then filling.
The filled-out reality is there by anticipation even in the forming. The intention for filling is included in the forming. But still the order is ‘form, then fill.':
- In Gen 1:2 - a formless and empty creation is then formed (days 1-3) and filled (days 4-6) as the Word of God is revealed (Gen 1:3ff).
- (This is similar to both the tabernacle and the temple where first it is formed, then filled by the Glory of the LORD).
- Adam is formed (from dust) and then filled (by the breath of the LORD God).
- Humanity as male and female is first formed in Adam and then filled out in Eve's creation and their consummation.
- The first Adam is filled by the Last.
- The people of Israel as the seed of Abraham are filled by Christ, the Seed of Abraham.
- The law is the form of the covenant and is filled by the gospel events.
In all this we remember that the intention for filling is already anticipated in the forming. The very forming reveals a long-intended desire to fill. The forming sets everything on a trajectory towards something beyond itself.
Is it too much to suggest on this basis alone the supralapsarian tendencies of the Living God? I'll do it anyway!
Eden is not the point. Adam is not the point. Adamic humanity is not the point. Israel and its worship is not the point. All these things are forms, intended to be filled-out by realities to which the forms themselves point but which they do not themselves contain. The intention is always to move through Eden and beyond to the New Jerusalem; through Adam and beyond to the Heavenly Man; through Israel (and its worship) and beyond to the Church of Jesus Christ.
Tellingly, this movement goes through death and out the other side to resurrection. Thus...
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The day is not always bright (as it will be in the new creation). Instead it goes from darkness into light.
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The tree is not first, first comes the seed (John 12:24; 1 Cor 15:37)
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There are not blessings and curses for Israel as alternative present tense realities but rather the blessings come after the curse. (see Deut 4:23-31; Deut 28-29 culminating in 30:1ff).
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The cross comes first and then resurrection.
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The LORD makes the old covenant and then the covenant renewed. (though the new covenant reality is grasped by faith long before both old and new covenants purchased).
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The LORD makes the old earth and then the earth renewed.
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First comes my body of flesh and then my spiritual body. (1 Cor 15:44)
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The Christian therefore knows two incontrovertible facts:
1. All things are forward-looking. The best is yet to come (let's never yearn for Adam, for Eden, for Israel, for old covenant).
2. The path to better things is through suffering: the road to resurrection blessing always goes through the cross.
Psalm 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Psalm 126:6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
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Robbie Williams on the scope and effect of the atonement
If Jesus really died for me / Then Jesus really tried for me
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How do you say the first line with conviction without the second line sounding like a well-meaning but ineffectual gesture? That's at the heart of the debate between limited and universal atonement. Well put Robbie.
Pity the song's rubbish.
I like the way Peter put it:
4 to whom coming -- a living stone -- by men, indeed, having been disapproved of, but with God choice, precious, 5 and ye yourselves, as living stones, are built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore, also, it is contained in the Writing: 'Lo, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, choice, precious, and he who is believing on him may not be put to shame;' 7 to you, then, who are believing is the preciousness; and to the unbelieving, a stone that the builders disapproved of, this one did become for the head of a corner, 8 and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence -- who are stumbling at the word, being unbelieving, -- to which also they were set. (1 Peter 2:4-8, Young's Literal Translation)
Christ through His cross is really set forth as Cornerstone. And His proper office is to build up a spiritual house. But, get this. His effect (in an accidental rather than proper sense) is also to determine those in unbelief. Not even unbelievers can 'set themselves' against Jesus. Instead they are set in their unbelief. They do not avoid the Stone, but stumble over Him. They cannot escape His atonement. They cannot free themselves from the Stone. Either they fall on Him or He crushes them (Luke 20:18). One way or another they are determined by Him. In fact they find that even their rejection of Him makes Him to be the Capstone. The cross is precisely the point where rejection is made to further not thwart His saving agenda. Through His cross, Christ shows Himself to be so great His enemies serve His purpose. This is the universal effectiveness of the cross. What a crazy gospel! But wonderful. The Lord has done this and it is marvellous in our eyes.
Therefore Christ's atonement is for universal salvation - that is its proper effect. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it. There is though an accidental and incomprehensible effect - rejection. Yet even this rejection is taken up at the cross and through the cross to serve the saving purposes of God. It is universally effective.
Jesus really died for you. And Jesus more than tried for you. At the cross He has entirely determined your existence..
Is Jesus likeable?
Bobby McFerrin is my kinda cool
Doug Wilson's reminded me of my love for Bobby McFerrin. The man is just awesome. I even do the chest-slapping human drum thing too. People tell me it looks lame and sounds nothing like Bobby. I tell them 'Envy rots the bones' (Prov 14:30).
Anyway, here's three videos demonstrating the brilliance of McFerrin and the wonder of congregational singing. Pity the middle one is idolatry!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHcEFk1i3b4&feature=related
Grinning?
Thought so.
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O May Christ Glorify Him Incessantly
Sometimes I use the Valley of Vision prayers like a starter motor for my own prayer life. (Some of them are here).
This morning I was praying through Consecration and Worship. It reminded me of a lot of the issues I tried to raise with my 'Christ our Substitute' video. Here's the prayer. Note the ending especially:
My God, I feel it is heaven to please Thee, and to be what Thou wouldst have me be. O that I were holy as Thou art holy, pure as Christ is pure, perfect as Thy Spirit is perfect! These, I feel, are the best commands in Thy Book, and shall I break them? must I break them? am I under such a necessity as long as I live here?
Woe, woe is me that I am a sinner, that I grieve this blessed God, who is infinite in goodness and grace! O if He would punish me for my sins, it would not would my heart so deep to offend Him; But though I sin continually, He continually repeats His kindness to me.
At times I feel I could bear any suffering, but how can I dishonour this glorious God? What shall I do to glorify and worship this best of beings? O that I could consecrate my soul and body to His service, without restraint, for ever! O that I could give myself up to Him, so as never more to attempt to be my own! or have any will or affections that are not perfectly conformed to His will and His love! But, alas, I cannot live and not sin.
O may angels glorify Him incessantly, and, if possible, prostrate themselves lower before the blessed King of heaven! I long to bear a part with them in ceaseless praise; but when I have done all I can to eternity I shall not be able to offer more than a small fraction of the homage that the glorious God deserves. Give me a heart full of divine, heavenly love.
I can pray this prayer with heartfelt devotion. I empathise completely with the sense of inadequacy from which it springs. But I always feel a little odd about it. As though the Father will be forever short-changed. As though angels and men will do their best into eternity but it won't be enough. I mainly feel odd because Christ our High Priest - i.e. our Worshipper! - is not being credited with a job well done. So, I think I'd like to rework it:
I confess Father that I do not consecrate my soul and body to Thy service and I grieve over my dry and sullied devotion. Indeed Father, I cannot consecrate myself as I might, as I would, as I ought. Woe, Woe is me that I am a sinner. Therefore I look again to Thy Son - given up to Thee, without restraint and without ceasing; every will and affection perfectly conformed to Thy will and love. I look to Jesus, the heavenly Worshipper, the Director of music, the eternal High Priest.
O may Christ glorify Thee incessantly. He who stooped to depths far deeper than men or angels have trod; He who has paid homage at infinite cost; He whose blood speaks a better word than all creation ever could; He who is full beyond measure with Thy Spirit of truth and of glory and grace; He who was born and baptised, who was raised and appointed to be Thy Priest and mine - may He offer my praise. And will you accept mine from Him - my Amen a faint but hearty echo from below. I thank Thee and bless Thee for Thy perfect rest in Christ, confident of a full share in that homage that echoes into eternity with ceaseless praise.
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Christ our Substitute
My first effort at a video.
The making of it was very fiddly - Powerpoint slides then Windows Movie Maker. There's things I'd like to change but alterations are a bit too time consuming I'm afraid.
Hope it's an encouragement to some...
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He rescued me because He delighted in me
I preached that verse about a month ago (Ps 18:19). And you know my first reaction as I was preparing?
Hmmm, tricky, how on earth should we understand this...?
I hope you're all saying: But why Glen - it seems perfectly straightforward.
Well, there's the slightly tricky part about how we take the verse on our own lips. Clearly it's Christ speaking of His Father. But once we're all happy to sing the Psalm in Christ then I hope you're all saying to yourselves: Glen, it's perfectly obvious. The Lord saves us because He loves us. What could be difficult about that?
Ah, but you see I regularly fall into a foolish and horrible error - perhaps you're the same. I start thinking that Jesus died so that God could love me. I imagine that God saves in order to love. He cleans me up a bit and then gives me His grace. His atonement leads to love, (rather than love leading to the atonement). Do you see my error?
And so when Psalm 18 spoke of the Lord delighting in me and therefore rescuing me? Well it seemed backwards. And so I really had to let the word confront me again.
Because in the bible God loves the world and so sends the Son to save (John 3:16-17). In the bible it's 'because of His great love for us that God makes us alive', even when we were dead in sins (Eph 2:4). In the bible God demonstrates His own love for us in that Christ died for powerless, ungodly, sinful enemies (Rom 5:6-11).
Do you see what these verses are saying? God loves and so He saves. It does not say - God saves and so He loves.
Why's that important? Well for one thing it means that Christ loves me - SINNER THAT I AM. It's not a case of Christ loving the saved me (though of course He does). But it's the radical gospel truth that Christ has loved me at my putrid worst. He doesn't clean me up in order to love me. He loves me and so cleanses me through His atoning death.
Which means when I ask myself, 'Does God love me?' - I can look to the cross alone. I don't have to check my own saved status. I don't have to worry whether the cleansing has taken sufficient effect to allow me entrance into His affections. I can simply look at Christ crucified and say - God loves me. There is His demonstration - a love for sinners at war with Him. He has not fixed His love on me at my best. He has fixed His love on me at my worst.
My salvation - won through His blood alone - proves His love for me. His love is not a bonus for the godly but is specifically aimed at enemies. Such love is the very ground of all He does. If I'm looking at the Son lifted up on the cross then I'm seeing God's love for me because there I'm seeing my salvation. This salvation in Christ is infallible proof of God's immovable, inexhaustible and unfathomable love for me.
He rescued me because He delighted in me. (Ps 18:19)
Christian, God speaks that word to you right now. Believe it.
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Christ our Fountain of Blessing
“We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ (Acts 4:12). We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else. If we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is of him (1 Corinthians 1:30). If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in his anointing. If we seek strength, it lies in his dominion; if purity, in his conception; if gentleness, it appears in his birth. For by his birth he was made like us in all respects (Hebrews 2:17) that he might learn to feel our pain (Hebrews 5:2). If we seek redemption, it lies in his passion; if acquittal, in his condemnation; if remission of the curse, in his cross (Galatians 3:13); if satisfaction, in his sacrifice; if purification, in his blood; if reconciliation, in his descent into hell; if mortification of the flesh, in his tomb; if newness of life, in his resurrection; if immortality, in the same; if inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom, in his entrance into heaven; if protection, if security, if abundant supply of all blessings, in his Kingdom; if untroubled expectation of judgment, in the power given to him to judge. In short, since rich store of every kind of good abounds in him, let us drink our fill from this fountain, and from no other”.
Calvin's Institutes, II.xvi.19
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Words cannot describe…
Mesmerising. Like a car crash.
You'll have probably seen enough after about 4 minutes.
From here, via The Old Adam.
Even in the psychadelic imaginings of HR Puffenstuff, never did they conceive of something as bizzare as this.
I can't even think of the correct interrogative to attach to those puppets.
Who?
What?
Why?
How?
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