a voice crying out

ht: Reformation Theology

What Did You Expect ?: What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage: What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage It won't take long for you to realize that your marriage hasn't escaped the reality of sin or the brokenness of the world. It's what you do next that will make all the difference in the world in the character and quality of your marriage. The key to marital unity and love is not romance, rather, it is worship. It is only when I worship God as Creator, Sovereign, and Savior that I will ever love as I should. Have you ever wondered why some couples reach a place of unity, love, and understanding in their marriages while other couples seem trapped in the same struggles year, after year, after year? The surrounding culture would lead us to believe that a marriage of unity, love, and understanding is rooted in romance. Scripture would rather say that a good marriage is the result of worship.

Paul Tripp’s Portrait of a Struggle—Fallen World: What to Think, When to Resist . Here’s a brief description: Why are the normal things of everyday life such a struggle? Why is communication so difficult? Why do relationships end up disappointing us? Why do all of us struggle with anger? God has chosen to keep his children in relationships with flawed people in situations in a broken world. But we do not need to be discouraged; God is using all of this to do wonderful things in us and through us. Don’t give way to ugly anger. Don’t be paralyzed by discouragement. Come and watch a portrait be painted of a much better way. And here’s a short video clip of Tripp talking about the content (not a clip from the DVD itself):   ht: Justin Taylor

It is very sad and it grieves to know that many professing church pastors and “evangelists” today are not faithful to their calling to make a full and accurate presentation of Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many present Jesus as simply a mean to an end. To suit their whims and fancies of their own humanistic theology and bellies, they present a false “christ” and a perverted “gospel” like “Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour will not only save you from sin and hell, but also give to you health, ….., favour, the power to get wealth, all good things you can think of and more.” This perversion of the Gospel invitation sadly robs Christ of His true accomplishments in the Cross and the Glory due to God alone. This type of false and perverted Gospel invitation directs sinners away from true faith and repentance found in Jesus Christ alone. Such perversion of the Gospel turns sinners to seek a “lesser god”, more like a “golden calf”, definitely not the Lord Jesus Christ and God of the Bible . For some faithful preaching, check this video out. This video on an open air sermon by a nameless preacher to the homeless community in Detroit that stay in a large underground plaza underneath the city of Detroit. Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to homeless of city of Detroit Under the City Evangelism: ht: God's Word is Truth

Rest of the sermon: “Twelve Baskets of Bread and the Walk on Water” Jesus walks on the water—an amazing story, of course. So it’s remarkable that John’s Gospel has nothing more to say about it in John 6 or the rest of the Gospel. John returns to the storyline about the bread and feeding 5,000 from earlier in the chapter. Why no long dialogue about Jesus’ water-walking ability? The reason is that water-walking, impressive as it is, isn’t the most important thing about Jesus. More important is that he is the Bread who satisfies the souls not only of those sitting on the grass who the disciples served, but the souls of the ones in the boat—the disciples—as well. Jesus is the one who comes to them in the storm, the one who they welcome with joy into the boat, and the one whose presence is the miraculous gift When Jesus climbs into the boat and stills the storm, he is showing the disciples (and us) the point that underlies his feeding of the 5,000: When we serve Jesus by giving of ourselves to others, he will always be enough for us. If we pour out our life to provide bread for others, he will be our bread. The more we satisfy others, the more he will satisfy us. Jesus’ presence, and the satisfaction that only he can give, brings the kind of fullness that produces generosity and risk-taking in his disciples and in his church. ht: Desiring God

Martin Downes points us to these brief video clips by Don Carson (produced for A Passion for Life in the UK) answering three common questions: How do I know God exists?How can God allow suffering and evil in the world?How can God be loving and yet send people to Hell?How do I know God exists? How do I know God exists? from A Passion for Life on Vimeo. How can God allow suffering and evil in the world? How can God allow suffering and evil in the world? from A Passion for Life on Vimeo. How can God be loving and yet send people to Hell?    How can God be loving yet send people to hell? from A Passion for Life on Vimeo. HT: Justin Taylor

Tim Challies has an excellent summary of RC Sproul’s session at Together for the Gospel last year, titled The Curse Motif of the Atonement. In the cross not only is the Father’s justice satisfied by the atoning work of the Son, but in carrying our sins the Son removes them as far as the east is from the west. He does this by being cursed. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law not just by being cursed for us, but by becoming a curse for us. He who is the incarnation of the glory of God now becomes the very incarnation of the divine curse. God is too holy to even look at sin. His eyes are averted from His Son. The light of His countenance is turned off; all blessedness is removed from His Son whom He loves. And in its place is the full measure of the divine curse. All the imagery that portrays the historical event of the cross is the imagery of the curse. Jesus needed to be delivered into the hands of the gentiles so He could be crucified outside the camp so the full measure of the curse and the darkness could be visited upon Him. God adds to these details others—God turns out the light of the sun so as God turns His face, even the sun won’t shine on Calvary. Bearing the full measure of the curse Christ screams “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus did not merely feel forsaken; He was forsaken. He was utterly, totally and completely forsaken by the Father. The audio can be found here. Dr. Sproul preached primarily from Galatians 3:10-14: Galatians 3:10-14  For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”  But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is ever

Please take time to listen.

I have posted this on my blog before but it is worth posting again.The background of the message is a new one though. It is worth your time. Background: The Shocking Youth Message:

You can read here The Cross Of Christ by Paul Washer.

Tim Keller’s new book Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters will be released this week. Collin Hansen has a short article on the book at the CT website. Here is a short video of Keller explaining the purpose of his book. Look at the post below for the book review by Tim Challies. ht:In Light of the Gospel

Perspectives from Peacemaker Ministries on Vimeo.

ht: Possessing the Treasure