Like the clothing of the priests (Ex 40:14), which is already interpreted in terms of forgiveness and justification in the prophets (cf. Isa 59:6, 16; Eze 16:10; but especially Zec 3) and in the gospels (Lk 24:4; Mt 22:1–14), Christ is the garment that allows believers to appear in God’s presence (Eph 6:13–17). Horton, M. (2011). The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way (p. 707). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Timothy Keller  ‏ @ timkellernyc   When looking for a spouse you should be looking at the person they are growing into as much as the person they are today.

In your preaching, teaching, and counseling, display a deep reverence and love for the perfect Word of God (Isa 66:2) and show that the Word of God alone is able to make us continually wise, for "salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 3:15).  Give the people a sense that every time they hear you speak, it is as though you are speaking "the very words of God" (1 Pet 4:11 NIV).  Always establish the glory of God as the prime motive for everything they do in their lives (1 Cor 10:31).  Establish that the church has been bought with the blood of Christ shed on the cross (Acts 20:28) and that the resurrected Christ is moving with holy zeal tending the lampstands of each of His local churches (Rev 1:12–13).  Give the people a deep, abiding love for the holiness of God and a correspondingly deep hatred for sin.  Expose indwelling sin as the vicious, wicked, virulent tyrant that it is (Rom 7:13–25), and never fail to tell the truth abo

Exodus 34:6–7   6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” We could easily spend the rest of this book unpacking all the things that God says of himself. As the Bible’s storyline unfolds, God progressively reveals just who and what he is. God says he “punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation” (34:7). This is because sin is social. Sin is never merely individualistic. You cannot commit any sin, no matter how private, without it having repercussions not only in your own life but in the community where you live.   Maybe the addiction is as private as looking at porn in

Much of evangelicalism has been forged in a piety that pits a personal relationship with Jesus against the visible church and its public ministry. In part, that’s because evangelicals have wanted to avoid nominal commitment and formalism, which are good things to avoid. But in the process, we have tended—especially since the nineteenth century’s Second Great Awakening—to criticize formal church offices and the ordinary means of grace in favor of charismatic leaders and extraordinary movements. “Quick and easy” has beaten “tried and tested.” Rapid growth in numbers has counted more than slow growth in grace. Pragmatic results, not formal structures, have been viewed as keys to success. Along the way, many of us were raised with the evangelistic appeal, “I’m not asking you to join a church, but to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.” It’s not surprising that, after successive movements of this kind, “getting saved” would have little to do with joining a church. And now the

Sailhamer on Exodus 20 v22-26 In vv.22-23, virtually the entire nature of the religion of the covenant is summarized, beginning with the warning against idolatry. Moses was to remind the Israelites that God had spoken to them directly and thus to warn them not to stray from God through worship of idols. The simple description of true worship in vv.24-26 is intended to portray the essence of the Sinai covenant in terms that are virtually identical to that of the religion of the patriarchs earthen altars, burnt offerings, and simple devotion .   If more than a simple earthen altar is desired (e.g., a stone altar), then it should not be defiled with carved stones and elaborate steps.  The ultimate purpose of any such ritual is the covering of human nakedness that stems from the Fall (cf. Ge 3:7). The implication is that all ritual is only a reflection of that first gracious act of God in covering human nakedness with garments of skin (Ge 3:21). Later, in Ex 28:42, provision w

         “If thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.”          —Exodus 20:25 God’s altar was to be built of unhewn stones, that no trace of human skill or labour might be seen upon it. Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the doctrines of the cross into a system more artificial and more congenial with the depraved tastes of fallen nature; instead, however, of improving the gospel carnal wisdom pollutes it, until it becomes another gospel, and not the truth of God at all.   All alterations and amendments of the Lord’s own Word are defilements and pollutions.  The proud heart of man is very anxious to have a hand in the justification of the soul before God; preparations for Christ are dreamed of, humblings and repentings are trusted in, good works are cried up, natural ability is much vaunted, and by all means the attempt is made to lift up human tools upon the divine altar. It were well if sinners would remember that so far from perfecting the Saviour’s work, t

Any use of images leads to idolatry* Adoration promptly follows upon this sort of fancy: afor when men thought they gazed upon God in images, they also worshiped him in them. Finally, all men, having fixed their minds and eyes upon them, began to grow more brutish and to be overwhelmed with admiration for them, as if something of divinity inhered there. Now it appears that men do not rush forth into the cult of images before they have been imbued with some opinion too crass—not indeed that they regard them as gods, but because they imagine that some power of divinity dwells there. Therefore, when you prostrate yourself in veneration, representing to yourself in an image either a god or a creature, you are already ensnared in some superstition. For this reason, the Lord forbade not only the erection of statues constructed to represent himself but also the consecration of any inscriptions and stones that would invite adoration [Ex. 20:25]. For the same reason, also, in the precept o

Holiness means consecration, seeking always to do right and avoid sinning. So steel yourself against slothfulness, carelessness, apathy, drifting, halfheartedness, double-mindedness, and spineless conformity to the world.  Turn your back on the world’s slack standards—all forms, for instance, of irresponsible sexual self-indulgence and promiscuity. With that, turn your eyes away from all forms of pornography and secret sexual stimulation, which are the stepping-stones into that indulgence. And turn your heart away from all forms of dishonesty and evading proper responsibility in all personal relationships and all business transactions, and from all forms of behavior that cheapen life itself. Say good-bye to your complacency about your present condition.  Humbly practice self-examination, with willingness to have the Spirit through the Word and Christians in the fellowship show you where you are off track and falling short. ... Packer, J. I. (2013). Taking God Seriously: Vital

Why is Jethro, at best on the fringes of the covenant people, allowed to play such an extraordinary role as counselor and confidant of Moses? The questions answer themselves. God may use the means of “common grace” to instruct and enrich his people. The sovereign goodness and provision of God are displayed as much in bringing Jethro on the scene at this propitious moment as in the parting of the waters of the Red Sea. Are there not contemporary analogies? Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God: a daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. (Vol. 1). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

The sovereignty of God is strongly emphasized in Scripture. He is represented as the Creator, and His will as the cause of all things. In virtue of His creative work heaven and earth and all that they contain belong to Him. He is clothed with absolute authority over the hosts of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. He upholds all things with His almighty power, and determines the ends which they are destined to serve. He rules as King in the most absolute sense of the word, and all things are dependent on Him and subservient to Him.  There is a wealth of Scripture evidence for the sovereignty of God, but we limit our references here to a few of the most significant passages: Gen. 14:19; Ex. 18:11; Deut. 10:14, 17; 1 Chron. 29:11, 12; 2 Chron. 20:6; Neh. 9:6; Ps. 22:28; 47:2, 3, 7, 8; Ps. 50:10–12; 95:3–5; 115:3; 135:5, 6; 145:11–13; Jer. 27:5; Luke 1:53; Acts 17:24–26; Rev. 19:6. Two attributes call for discussion under this head, namely (1) the sovereign will of God, and (2)

This post comes from  the website of Sam Storms. 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ELECTION April 25, 2016 |   by: Sam Storms | 0 Comments Today I continue the weekly series on 10 things we should know about specific Christian doctrines. Our focus today is divine election. [This was originally written for Crossway and posted on their blog on Tuesday, April 19, 2016.] 1. Election is a pre-temporal decision by God, a choice he made before any of us ever existed. God chose us in Christ “before the foundation of the world” ( Eph. 1:4 ). God “saved us,” said Paul, “and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” ( 2 Tim. 1:9 ). 2. Divine election is not merely corporate, but also of individuals. Whereas it is true that Christ is himself the Elect One, and whereas it is true that the Church is the chosen or elect people of God, individuals are themselves chosen b

Jethro, Moses' Father-in-law (18:1-27) The father-in-law of Moses goes by several names: Reuel in 2:16-22; Jether in 4:18; Jethro in 3:1; and Hobab in Nu 10:29. Moses had lived with his father-in-law as a shepherd (3:1). In Ex 3 he is called by God to return to Egypt. Although 4:19-20 makes it appear that Moses took his wife and two sons with him when he returned to Egypt, we learn from this passage that Moses had returned them to his father-in-law before going back to Egypt. Perhaps the purpose of the mysterious narrative in 4:24-26 is intended to give some motivation for the return of Moses' wife and family to Jethro. The present narrative has many parallels with the account of Abraham's meeting with Melchizedek in Ge 14. Just as Melchizedek, the priest of Salem, met Abraham bearing gifts as he returned from battle (Ge 14:18ff.), so Jethro, the Midianite priest, came out with Moses's wife and sons to offer peace as Moses returned from the battle with the Amal

Whether or not we like it, whether or not we understand it, it is kind of the Lord to demolish our confidence in our own strength, abilities, and cherished methods. True, it doesn’t feel kind at the time. It’s terribly painful to watch your beloved son turn from the faith or to hear that your daughter has been disruptive in Sunday school again. It crushes our hearts when we try and try to explain the gospel to our little ones and they stare back at us in boredom and resentment. Yet, it is a kindness when he strips us of self-reliance, because it is there, in our emptiness and brokenness, that we experience the privilege of his sustaining grace.  It is only when we arrive at that dreaded place of weakness that we discover the surpassing power of Christ. It is only when we are finally freed from those oh-so-constricting straightjackets of self-righteousness that we are able to experience the true comfort and warmth of the robes of his righteousness.  Fitzpatrick, E., Thompson, J

Were you raised in church with certain understandings that were not well rooted in Scripture?  I can think of a few teachings on eschatology that were pretty rough. I'm sure you can as well.                                    What about Easter????  Well, Christianity Today posted this helpful post this week. Titlted:  Five Errors to Drop from Your Easter Sermon I've put a short form version here. Be sure to check out that post linked above because it was written by Kostenbeger and Taylor.  Andreas Köstenberger is senior research professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Justin Taylor is senior vice president and publisher for books at Crossway. They co-authored  The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived  (Crossway). 1. Don't say Jesus died when he was 33 years old. 2. Don't explain the apparent absence of a lamb at th

Gossip is not common only among those who sow discord in the church. No, we all can fall into this sin. Why? Because pride must always be put to death. While it is painfully true that some are more bent this way than others, especially when they do not get what they want, we all have to see the subtle danger of gossip. Regardless our frustrations, we must not participate in gossip. Chuck Lawless has 9 observations here to remind about why we must turn from this and confront it when it comes into our lives.  It is prideful for us to gossip and to listen to gossip too. Let's not do that. Let's do what would please Jesus.  9 REASONS GOSSIP IS DESTRUCTIVE TO A CHURCH  via  Chuck Lawless It's both a verb and a noun. We've certainly all heard it, and perhaps we've all done it. Maybe we've even been the butt of it. "It" is gossip – and it's destructive to a church. Here's why: 1.       It's evil.  How e

Baptism symbolizes our spiritual unity in Christ. If you want to publicly identify with Jesus, baptism is the way. https://t.co/rXUpNIxal9 — 9Marks (@9Marks) March 18, 2016

Often criticized, neglected; and at the same time, often abused is the practice of church discipline.  It is the most difficult of tasks set before the church. It takes love and courage to do this work.  Here is a summarized post what was written by Jonathan Leeman on the Crossway blog. Here is the link where you will find all the points explained.  10 Things You Should Know about Church Discipline   I highly recommend you read it on the link above.  10 Things You Should Know about Church Discipline. March 07, 2016  by:  Crossway 1. Jesus and Paul both command churches to practice church discipline. 2. “Church discipline” goes by different names. 3. Nearly every organization practices discipline. 4. Churches should practice discipline for the sake of love. 5. Church discipline was a common practice among churches until the 20th century. 6. A failure to practice church discipline undermines the preaching, discipling, and evangelism ministry of a chu

Exodus 15 v 25 25 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.  Could these be pointers to Christ? He himself was hurled into the death we deserve so that we could have life.  Could it be that  this one piece of wood here in Exodus 15 was an instrument of curse reversal? Is it a foreshadow of the ultimate pieces of wood, namely the cross of Christ, the instrument that God used to reverse our curse into blessing?  ---------------------------------------------- There are several miracle stories in the OT that involve someone’s throwing something into something (see Culley 1976: 72–96).  Second Kings 2:19–22 records the story of Elisha throwing salt (2:21) into the bad water, which then becomes good to drink.  Second, 2 Kings 4:38–41 records Elisha making the poison stew edible by throwing (NIV has “put” in 4:41) meal/flour into the pot.  Third, 2 Kings 6:1–7 is the

A three-day trek through an arid wilderness has turned up no water (also see Num. 33:8). As Talmon (1992: 188) has shown, “three days” or “the third day” is a common literary convention in the OT. As here, it suggests a survivable period of deprivation (1 Sam. 30:12; Jon. 1:17 [2:1]; 3:3; Acts 9:9). A journey of three days is common (Gen. 22:4; 30:36; 31:22; Exod. 3:18; 5:3; 8:27 [23]; Num. 10:33; 33:8). Three days, or the third day, may represent a period of purification (Exod. 19:10–11, 15–16), or the time of preparation for some important event (Josh. 1:11; Judg. 20:30; Esther 5:1; Ezra 8:15, 32). It also designates the time for recuperation after illness (Gen. 34:25; 1 Kings 3:18; 2 Kings 20:5, 8; Hosea 6:2), or the time to abandon a fruitless search (Josh. 2:16; 1 Sam. 9:20; 2 Kings 2:17). Hamilton, V. P. (2011). Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (p. 240). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.