Review of Jesus On Every Page by David Murray

Mike Leake 1 Comment

“Pastor Mike, do people in the Old Testament go to heaven?”

I receive that question a few times every year from teenagers. It is quickly followed up by another question. “Why do they go to heaven since they lived before Jesus?”

This question stumps more than children and teens. Next time you get a chance ask a group of adults that same question. You will likely be surprised that even seasoned believers stumble over that answer. Some will say that they are saved by the Law, others will say that they are saved by grace through faith—but explaining how the sacrifice of Jesus is applied is a little sketchy.

Let’s be honest, many Christians are leery of the Old Testament. Which sermon series would you rather attend—one on Ezekiel or one on Revelation? Many would choose Revelation. We like the New Testament. It feels safe. Familiar. Comfortable. But not the Old Testament. The Old Testament is scary. The average reader can run through books at a time and wonder where in the world Jesus is to be found.

Thanks to David Murray’s new book, Jesus On Every Page, weary Old Testament travelers will have a helpful guide. Murray, an apt guide, gives ten ways for seeing Christ in the OT. The book feels as if the author is taking the reader on a guided tour through the Old Testament. At key points he stops and tells the audience, “To your left you will see Jesus”. Some travelers will rub their eyes and say in response, “I don’t see him quite yet”. To which Murray will continue pointing and explaining and uncovering the Christ that was always there. Other travelers will immediately see what Murray sees.

As a pastor I am grateful for this book. I have many books in my office that explain how to find Christ in the Old Testament. Most are solid books, but unfortunately they are written for academia and not for the layperson. I am thankful that I now I have a book to hand to people when they ask how to read the Old Testament as a Christian. Murray writes so that the everyday reader will see Jesus. I deeply appreciate this.

Furthermore, as a seminary student I found myself seeing Jesus in places that I’ve never seen. I would consider myself an experience traveler along the Old Testament highway. I even teach students to see Jesus as the hero of every page. You might say that I am “all in” as it concerns Christ-centered hermeneutics. And yet, I grew as I read through this book.

I believe, Jesus On Every Page, will benefit readers no matter their Old Testament background. I am certain to keep a few copies of this book handy in my office. I’ll use it in the future and be handing it out to others to use as well.

You can purchase the book here. Also, there are over $100 worth of OT resources available if you buy the book in the next couple days.

Today in Blogworld 08.29.13

Mike Leake

You Just Wait

This one is good.

Sexy Pics and Secrecy

Interesting. “When it comes to facing Internet temptations, knowing others are watching us can change the way we behave—and there are good biblical reasons why.”

Why Disciple in Groups

Here are 5 reasons why.

Science’s Leap of Faith

I’m happy that Trevin Wax has an article published by the NY Times. Trevin’s a solid guy and represents Christ well.

Catchy tune, sound advice: Keep yo business off Facebook:

Pray For Your Wife: 31 Day Challenge—Day Twenty-Eight

Mike Leake 2 Comments

Day Twenty-Eight: That she would not lean on her own understanding

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. –Proverbs 3:5

The fool in Proverbs is self-directed. The wise person will subordinate his/her thoughts, desires, decisions, etc. to the Lord. Our wives must lean somewhere. Either she will lean on her own understanding—her gut feelings, her emotions, her experience, her history, her husband. Or she will lean on the Lord and trust Him with all of her heart. At times the Lord calls us to do and to feel things that are contrary to our human wisdom. May our wives trust the Lord in those times.

Father, I thank you for a renewed mind. I am grateful that you are not only redeeming our souls but also our minds as well. Because of you we do not have to build our lives on the sand of our own thoughts. Thank you for being a guide for my wife. Thank you for leading her. Lord, I pray that you would cause her to lean not on her own understanding but upon you. Help her to “not be wise in her own eyes” but to fear you and turn away from evil (Prov. 3:7). 

Is Your Heart An Idol Factory?

Mike Leake 6 Comments

“From this we may gather that man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols…Man’s mind, full as it is of pride and boldness, dares to imagine a god according to its own capacity; as it sluggishly plods, indeed is overwhelmed with the crassest ignorance, it conceives an unreality and an empty appearance as God.” –John Calvin, Institutes, 1.11.8

I’ve read this quote a few times in books that deal with idolatry. It is no secret that the human heart has a propensity towards idol worship. Calvin is really saying no more than what the apostle Paul said in Romans 1:18-25—because of the fall, humanity worships and services creation instead of the Creator.

We are idolaters. With that statement I agree totally. Furthermore, I believe with Keller, that “idolatry is always the reason we ever do anything wrong”. It’s the root of all our problems.

Yet, I still have to wonder if we aren’t misreading and wrongly applying that Calvin quote. I don’t think “perpetual idol factory” is an accurate description of the heart of one transformed by Jesus Christ. Nor do I think that is what Calvin, or more importantly the apostle Paul, is saying. The reference for Paul—and Calvin after him is one that has not yet been redeemed.

To say that we are still churning out idols at a perpetual rate is, in my mind, to deny the transforming work of the Spirit within us.

The Image I Prefer

I believe the Scriptures teach that we were idolaters, but we have been washed, we were sanctified, we were justified (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). In other words, our idol factory was bought out by Someone else. We have a new owner. The factory that is your heart has a sign on the door that says, “Under New Ownership”.

Yes, you still churn out some of that old product. The new boss hasn’t gutted out the entire place. He hasn’t fired every one. He even uses some of the same machines that used to produce idols. The transition is a slow process. As such the factory sometimes goes back to its old way of working. That’s why you still produce idols.

But it’s still different. When you produce an idol it is now considered a defect. What once was celebrated is now met with disappointment. The Manager calls the workers to the side and disciplines them. He reminds the crew that this factory doesn’t produce idols anymore, and slowly points to the sign that reads, “Under New Ownership”.

Some day all those old machines will be replaced. The workers will no longer even know how to produce idols. The factory will be totally and completely His. And on that day we’ll all rejoice because our new Boss is marvelous. He’s given everything to ensure that this takeover will not result in business as usual. We love our new Boss and want this factory to look exactly as He designed it.

One day it will…

How about you?

Is your heart under new ownership? If you are still churning out idols without rebuke, without battle, then that tells you something. You haven’t been bought yet. You’re still an idol factory. You need a new owner.

You need Jesus.

If your management has changed, let’s stop paying homage to our old boss. Let’s stop pretending that our heart is still an idol factory. It’s not. It’s a former idol factory that is being slowly transformed into a factory that serves it’s new owner. May we not forget that.