Borrowed Light

There is a type of growth—and passion for it—that is dangerous. But it is also dangerous to not have a passion for growth. I love the wisdom and balance in this piece.

7 Myths about a Pastor’s Work Week

Yep.

The Deep Magic of Christmas

I intended to link to this before Christmas Day, but didn’t get around to it. Nonetheless, Barnabas’ words here are helpful.

Grace and sin

I appreciate Jeremy Walker’s timely word on grace.

This looks incredibly fun. If I only had an awesome narrator voice I’d give this a shot:

Born That Man No more May Die (YWS Week 51)

December 26, 2014Nick Horton

Welcome to a year of reading Richard Sibbes together! The reading plan for the entire year can be accessed here. I encourage you to stick with us, allow yourself time to read, and soak in the riches of this gifted and prolific Puritan preacher. You will be edified and encouraged.

If you have trouble with how Sibbes used words, check out the Lexicons of Early Modern English for definitions from the period.

Summary/Engagement

In keeping with Christmas, lets begin with a few lines from the familiar hymn, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Christmas day is the holiday where many Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. No matter whether it was a pagan holiday, or if he was born in the spring, it is the day we traditionally mark the birth of our Savior. The point is not being perfect with respect to the day, but in marking that our Savior, very God of very God, was born in human flesh. Jesus has a birthday. Not a day he was created, no, but the day he incarnated.

“The mystery of religion is Christ ‘manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit,” etc., all is but Christ.”

Application / Further Discussion

The fountain of the Scriptures are opened in Jesus Christ. Without him all the lines don’t come to their end. The stories don’t have an eternal point. The prophecies don’t reach final fulfilment. Without God physically taking on flesh there is no point to Christianity. There is no other way given what we know of right and wrong for man to be reconciled to God.

In the Garden our communion with God was severed. As fully as if you had your arm amputated. You cannot run out and attach another arm as we are not characters in a cheesy horror flick. In like manner our sin has completely severed us from our God. We need a miracle to re-attach us. Sin against a holy and infinite God requires a worthy sacrifice by something of like worth. Man is simply not worthy enough to pay for his own sin much less someone else’s. Hence, God taking on flesh and dying in our place.

“And none but the image of God could restore us to that image. He was the Son of God, and none but the natural Son could make us sons. He is the ‘wisdom’ of the Father, to make us wise, and he is the ‘first beloved’ to make us beloved.”

The mystery of godliness in the incarnation of Christ is the unfathomable grace of God toward undeserving sinners. God sent God to die on a cross in order to satisfy the wrath of God and atone for the sin of all who would believe, to the glory of God. Jesus came for the glory of God, not the glory of man. God loves us yes, but that is to His glory and credit and not to our misplaced and inflated sense of worth.

This Christmas, pause and reflect that the God who created all things was born in the darkness of a manger. He was born in a stable full of animals with their excrement on the floor. The Lord of all Creation, took on flesh in a stable, the ultimate act of humility. “And he took our nature upon him when it was at the worst; not in innocency, but with all the infirmities that are natural infirmities, not personal. Therefore he came to be so that he might be pitiful.”

Mild indeed he laid such glory by. There has never been a greater disparity between who he is and what he suffered and I don’t mean merely the last week of his life. Laying aside the glory and praise He was due to suffer the normal course of human life. It is indeed a mystery of godliness.

What a marvelous, lovely, gracious, kind, merciful, holy, just, and beautiful God He is!

“Therefore there was no suffering like that of Christ’s. And shall we think so great a matter was for small purpose, for little sins or for few sins only? Oh no. It was to give a foundation to our faith in all extremity of temptations; to stay our conscience in the guilt of great and crying sins. Oh despair not, despair not!

God’s purpose in this was to triumph, as it were, over all the clamours of conscience whatsoever, over all things that Satan and the power of hell can object. Let Satan object what he will, here is a shield put into the hand of faith to beat back all his fiery darts.”

–

Last week, we read Part 2 of A Fountain Sealed.

Next week, I’ll write some reflections on spending a year with Richard Sibbes.

A Year With Newton Reading Plan

December 24, 2014Mike Leake 5 Comments

At the beginning of December I challenged folks to spend 2015 with a John Newton. Last year we spent a year with Richard Sibbes, and this year we will do the same with John Newton. Every Friday, starting on January 2nd, I will post a reflection on the assigned reading for that week. Things will be just a bit different with our Year with Newton than they were with our Year with Sibbes. For one, each month will have a particular theme. One change is that we will have different reading options. If you want to do the bare minimum then you’ll take the Prince Adam track. Each week we will read one or two letters or sermons from Newton and a one of his Olney Hymns. If you want to beef up a bit you’ll do the He-Man track. This reading option will include a few additional letters on the relevant topic for that week. If you want to be truly awesome you’ll take the Skeletor track. This will mean that you read everything from the He-Man and Prince Adam track and you’ll also read one book per month. Another change is that we will not have catch up weeks. But I don’t think we will need to because the readings will be pretty short each week. I will try to make as many things available for free as possible. Here you go:

January: Introduction to Newton

Skeletor option: Read Newton’s Authentic Narrative

Jan 2 John Piper biography of Newton (here or here)
He-Man option: Remarks made by Newton

Jan 9 On Controversy & Olney Hymn VIII
He-Man option: Wise Counsel p11-18, Letters of Newton p39-41 (Free as Letter 2 here)

Jan 16 To a Student of Divinity & Olney Hymn XXVIII
He-Man option: Wise Counsel p19-24, & p349-352

Jan 23 Sermon on the Constraining Influence of the Love of Christ & Olney Hymn XLI
He-Man option: Wise Counsel 303-307, Letters p168-171 (Free as Letter 1 to Joshua Symonds here)

Jan 30 On Trust in God & Olney Hymn VII
He-Man option: Letters p381-383 (Free here), Wise Counsel 235-240.

February: Newton the Pastor (Thoughts on the Ministry)

Skeletor option: Read Chapter 3 in Hindmarsh and if you can find it, Ministry on My Mind (available for a limited time here for free)

Feb 6 On Gospel Ministry & Olney Hymn XVI
He-Man option: Letters p17-21 (Free here), Letters p119-123 (Free as Letter 2 here)

Feb 13 Letter to Young Minister & Olney Hymn XII
He-Man option: Letters to the Rev Mr. S (Read Letter 3 and 5 here), Wise Counsel p33-42

Feb 20 Those That Get Away (read Letter 2-3, also see Wise Counsel 43-46, 55-60) & On Young Professors
He-Man option: Letters p63-64 (Free here as Letter IV) and On the Inward Witness

Feb 27 The Subject & Temper of Gospel Ministry & Olney Hymn LI
He-Man option: Wise Counsel p143-147, Letters p60-61 (Free here as Letter II)

March: Newton the Pastor (Mentor to John Ryland Jr.)

Skeletor option: Read One Heart and One Soul by Michael Haykin

Mar 6 Letter 18 to Ryland p88-97 in Wise Counsel (free here as Letter 7) & Olney Hymn XXXII
He-Man option: On the Divine Guidance & Letters p41-44 (free here as Letter 3)

Mar 13 Letter 24 to Ryland p119-122 in Wise Counsel & Olney Hymn XLIV
He-Man option: Letters p131-134 (free here as Letter 13) & Letters 386-389 (free here as Letter 4)

Mar 20 Letter 46 to Ryland p220-226 in Wise Counsel & Olney Hymn LXVII
He-Man option: Letters p273-277 (free here as Letter 1) & On Candour

Mar 27 Letter 52 and Letter 53 to Ryland p247-260 in Wise Counsel & Olney Hymn CXII
He-Man option: The Gospel Message, Glad Tidings

April: Newton the Pastor (The Sermons of Newton)

Skeletor option: Read Baptist Preaching in the Early 18th Century, Sermons from 18th Century Anglicans and Dissenters, and Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I want us to be able to compare the sermons of Newton with his contemporaries.

Apr 3 The Shaking of the Heavens and the Earth
He-Man option: The Lord coming to his Temple

Apr 10 Rest for the Weary
He-Man option: The Great Shepherd

Apr 17 Voluntary Suffering
He-Man option: No Sorrow like Messiah’s Sorrow

Apr 24 Accusers Challenged
He-Man option: The Extent of Messiah’s Spiritual Kingdom

May: Newton the Theologian (The Humble Calvinist)

Skeletor option: Read Chapter 2 and 4 in Hindmarsh. You may also want to read The Atonement Controversy to get a feel for the debates that raged in Newton’s day.

May 1 On Man in his Fallen Estate (Read letter 33 and 34) & Olney Hymn LXII
He-Man option: Letter 4 to a Nobleman (free here) & Letter 4 to the Rev. Mr. S (free here as letter 4)

May 8 On Election and Perseverance
He-Man option: Letters p372-374 (free here as Letter 12) & On the Inefficacy of our Knowledge

May 15 On a Ministerial Address to the Unconverted
He-Man option: The Lamb of God, The Great Atonemen t & Wise Counsel p216-220

May 22 Questions on Salvation
He-Man option: Letters p115-118 & The Publication of the Gospel

May 29 Thoughts on Faith and the Assurance of Faith and On Christian Experience
He-Man option: Letter 11 to the Rev. Dr. *** (free here as Letter 11) Most of these letters are relevant for this months topic

June: Newton the Theologian (Interaction with Thomas Scott)

Skeletor option: Read the biography of Thomas Scott (free here)

June 5 Letter 1 & Letter 2 to Thomas Scott (Letters p243-253)
He-Man option: Read the Force of Truth by Thomas Scott p1-25 (Free here)

June 12 Letter 3 to Thomas Scott (Letters p253-259) and Letter 4 in Cardiphonia (free here)
He-Man option: Read the Force of Truth by Thomas Scott p26-80 (Free here)

June 19 Letter 5 and Letter 6 in Cardiphonia (free here p584-590)
He-Man option: Read the Force of Truth by Thomas Scott p81-124 (Free here)

June 26 Letter 4 and Letter 5 to Thomas Scott (Letters p260-271)
He-Man option: Read the Force of Truth by Thomas Scott p125-183 (Free here)

July: Newton the Theologian (On the Christian Life)

Skeletor option: Read Newton on the Christian Life by Tony Reinke

July 3 On Grace in the Blade, in the Ear, in the Full Corn
He-Man option: Extravagant Grace p21-74

July 10 On Temptation, Letter to Nobleman Letter 1
He-Man option: Extravagant Grace p75-108

July 17 On Simplicity and Sincerity
He-Man option: Extravagant Grace 109-138

July 24 On Communion, On Faith
He-Man option: Extravagant Grace 193-176

July 31 On Reading the Bible
He-Man option: Extravagant Grace 177-229

August: Newton the Soul-Care Physician (William Cowper)

Skeletor option: Read Piper’s biography of Cowper (free here), Read chapters 30-32 in Aitken, and this article on Cowper’s madness.

August 7 No Reading

August 14 Letter 1 and Letter 2 to Cowper (Letters 150-155, Letter 1 & 2 free)
He-Man option: Compare these two Olney Hymns (This by Cowper, This by Newton)

August 21 Letter 3 and Letter 4 to Cowper (Letters 155-160, Free here as Letter 6 & 7)
He-Man option: Letter 3 to Hannah More, Letter 2 & 3 here

August 28 Letter 5 and Letter 6 to Cowper (Letters 161-166, Free here and here)
He-Man option: Decline in the Spiritual Life, Any letter you haven’t read from here

I’ll post September and the other months as soon as I am able. In September we’ll continue looking at Newton the soul-care physician.