Bring thy lust to the gospel - John Owen

"Bring thy lust to the gospel,—not for relief, but for farther conviction of its guilt; look on Him whom thou hast pierced, and be in bitterness. Say to thy soul, "What have I done? What love, what mercy, what blood, what grace have I despised and trampled on! Is this the return I make to the Father for his love, to the Son for his blood, to the Holy Ghost for his grace? Do I thus requite the Lord? Have I defiled the heart that Christ died to wash, that the blessed Spirit hath chosen to dwell in? And can I keep myself out of the dust? What can I say to the dear Lord Jesus? How shall I hold up my head with any boldness before him? Do I account communion with him of so little value, that for this vile lust's sake I have scarce left him any room in my heart? How shall I escape if I neglect so great salvation? In the meantime, what shall I say to the Lord? Love, mercy, grace, goodness, peace, joy, consolation,—I have despised them all, and esteemed them as a thing of nought, that I might harbour a lust in my heart. Have I obtained a view of God's fatherly countenance, that I might behold his face and provoke him to his face? Was my soul washed, that room might be made for new defilements? Shall I endeavour to disappoint the end of the death of Christ? Shall I daily grieve that Spirit whereby I am sealed to the day of redemption?" Entertain thy conscience daily with this treaty. See if it can stand before this aggravation of its guilt. If this make it not sink in some measure and melt, I fear thy case is dangerous."

~ John Owen, Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers

God make us ANGRY!

Happiness and anger are God-given emotions that must be God-ordered and God-ordained. Anger is not something that Christians should be ashamed of. In fact, many believers today would probably be surprised to find out that we are commanded, in Scripture, to be angry. The apostle Paul says, “Be angry and do not sin…” (Eph 4:26) Right before Paul tells us to be angry he is talking about those who are “darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!” (Eph 4:18-20) We need to be angry at sin when we see it but we shouldn’t sin in our anger.

There is so much corruption and sensuality in our culture that has been entertaining us Christians for so many years. There are scenes in movies that we, as Christian parents have seen, that would horrify us if our children were watching them. There are things I have seen on the silver screen, as entertainment, that I would be disgusted if my children had seen them. Rousas J. Rushdoony says “What disgusts God should disgust us.” Why would I be angry if my kids have watched something that I was entertained by? Where was my anger when I was laughing at something that should have made me furious? The response of parents should not be apathy but anger. We can’t cower under the fear of being labeled as hypocrites. Its one thing to stumble but it’s far worse to cause our little ones to stumble. Jesus said “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42)

The problem with America is that Christians are too nice. Christians have been so afraid of anger. Anger is a great and godly emotion as long as you do not sin. It is not a sin to be angry; it is a sin to sin out of anger. As a parent it’s always amazing to me how the same thoughts that would anger me coming from my kid’s mind would be ignored coming from my own. Words that easily slip out of my mouth with impunity are met with wrath if caught through the teeth of one of my kids. Am I saying that my kids should get a free pass? Not at all! I just need to be impartial with my judgment. I shouldn’t stop being angry; I should just be angry more consistently. What we need is an anger that moves us to solutions not to sin.

How do we laugh at the things that crushed our Saviour? How are we entertained by the things that caused our Lord to suffer? How can we joke about the things that nailed God’s Son to the cross? Why are we amused by the things that caused Jesus to be accursed? There are so many things in our culture that should anger us and move us to faithful Kingdom service. We need to be angry at sin and sin not. The very things that have been attractive to us are the things that are trying to steal, kill and destroy our children. There is a battle for the hearts and minds of our kids. The enemy in the battle has been masquerading around as our friend for years. We need the kind of anger the Psalmist had when he said “Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.” (Psalms 139:21-22)

The Anti-Narnia Narnia Knockoff

Christian's are enraged and atheists are enthused. "The Golden Compass" hits the silver screens December 7th. It is a fantasy film starring Nicole Kidman that is based on the first book in the fantasy trilogy entitled "His Dark Materials" by atheist Philip Pullman. Pullman, an "evangelistic" agnostic who belongs to secular humanist societies, has written his trilogy motivated by his hatred for C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia books.

The Golden Compass begins with a 12-year-old girl named Lyra [not Lucy] hiding in a wardrobe which unexpectedly transfers her into a universe-altering adventure. Hmmm... why does that sound familiar? There is also talking animals and witches (but the witches are on the so-called good side this time). In spite of the fact that imitation is the highest form of flattery, Pullman said, "I hate the Narnia books, and I hate them with a deep and bitter passion". Pullman has said explicitly, "My books are about killing God."

I told my kids that there is a new movie coming out that looks a lot like the Chronicles of Narnia. Then I showed them the trailer to the movie. After I got them all excited to see this new really cool movie I read to them all the stuff exposing the anti-Christ animosity behind the film that, a few seconds ago, looked so enticing to them. They went from anticipation to anger (at the movie) very quickly. My point was for them to see that the world makes poison look delicious. The serpent in the garden was the very first advertiser (come on you want this, you need this, you like this).

One more point I think I should make... Many Christians are going to be all up in arms about this movie and blowing the trumpet of boycott. The only problem I have with this is that 99 percent of the movies that come out of Holyweird are produced by the same type of atheists with the same type of motives. I would rather have movies like this that are openly atheistic because at least the antithesis is clear. I love reminders like this that remind us that we are in a battle for the hearts and minds of our young people. Praise God for these precious clear glimpses of the enemy.

Here's the trailer (I'm positive that J.R.R. Tolkien wouldn't like this story being tied to his like they do in this trailer):

Looking Back - Education

"Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil."

~ C. S. Lewis

John Piper - Youth and the Gospel

This is part of a message that John Piper gave to thousands of youth a few years ago and he is apologizing to them for how his generation has told them that the Gospel is about them. There is a gold mine in this short clip. Watch it!

John Piper - Making A Difference

The American Dream - Don't Buy It!

Artificial Shelter

I just started teaching the high school kids (Kaila, Karissa, David, Destiny and Alex) today. We are going to meet for 3 hours a day 5 days a week and go through an intense curriculum. It is going to be so awesome teaching and learning with them! The curriculum is called "Omnibus I."

Here's a good quote from the Preface written by Douglas Wilson:

• "It is not possible to live in this world faithfully without coming into conflict with those who have no desire to live faithfully. The task of the Christian parent bringing children up to maturity in such a world is to do it in a way that equips. False protection, precisely because it does not equip, leaves a child defenseless when the inevitable day comes when that artificial shelter is removed. True protection equips. We do not want to build a fortress for our students to hide in; we want to give them a shield to carry - along with a sword."

Flee youthful lusts (2 Tim 2:22) Pt. 5

The Skin - The skin is the largest organ in the human body and the sense of touch can be a huge temptation from which you must flee. Since, to me, the most obvious way in which youth are tempted by their sense of touch is with the opposite sex, I am going to focus on that. Christians today are all over the map as far as their standard for what is appropriate touching and what is not among unmarried young people (and old people for that matter). Is it OK to sit real close? Is it OK to hold hands? Is it OK to put your arms around each other? Is it OK to be wrapped up all around each other? Is it OK to kiss on the cheek? Is it OK to kiss passionately? Is it OK to... I better stop there (I think you can see where I'm going). Does the Bible say anything about touching? Most people have heard the phrase "you can look but don't touch" but most Christians now feel that you can touch but not have sex. Is touching as innocent as many believe? Or is it something youth should flee? The Apostle Paul warned, "Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband." (1 Corinthians 7:1-2 NKJV) The word "touch" in the original language can mean "to touch" or "to cling" or "to fasten one's self to" and even "carnal intercourse." I think any honest person would admit that no one ever got involved in sexual immorality without first touching the other person. Also, most honest Christians will admit that once "touching" lights the fire, usually something gets burned before the fire gets put out. That is why Paul also says in verse 9, of the same chapter, "For it is better to marry than to burn with passion." If you are not married, bound in covenant for life, then you are not completely sure (no matter how much you think you are "in love") that this man or woman is going to be your spouse. So you must ask yourself the question: "What would you want someone to do with your future spouse?" Remember, God transcends time and space. He is not bound by the restrictions of time. He sees you touching another person's spouse while they are married, as it were. So-called innocent and flirtatious touching should be something that young people run from as fast as they can. No one, not even strong Christian and mature men, should put themselves in that situation. Save it for the marriage. There is "a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing..." (Ecc 3:5)

Flee youthful lusts (2 Tim 2:22) Pt. 4

The Nose - We are told to flee or run away from youthful lusts. We have seen how we must flee with our eyes and with our ears and with our tongue. Remember, we are dealing with fleeing temptation directed at the five senses. Fleeing or running away from temptation directed toward your smelling may give new meaning to a running nose. How in the world could temptation attack your sense of smell? Well it could be as simple as a child smelling the cookies he was told not to eat or as complicated as adulterer smelling a secret perfume-scented letter. It could be an alcoholic smelling an empty bottle of booze or a glutton smelling a doughnut, or a smoker sneaking a whiff of second-hand smoke or a druggy smelling a friends crack pipe or an old boyfriend smelling an ex-girlfriend's bottle of perfume. Is it wrong to open up the cookie jar and take a big old whiff of the cookies? Only if your parents told you not to eat them. As silly as this sounds, many have followed their nose all the way into temptation and even death. The Adulteress, dressed as a prostitute, in Proverbs 7 uses the sense of smell in her seduction: "I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey" (Prov 7:17-19). Notice that she called it "love." It wasn't love; it was youthful lust from which he should have fled. Don't underestimate the power of smell when it comes to temptation. It is far better to have a runny nose than to not run away from your nose.

Paul Washer short video

This is a clip of the "shocking" youth message that Paul Washer gave that I posted on this blog a while back. If you haven't watched it maybe this clip will inspire you to do so. He has many great messages that are really changing the way I look at Christ, the cross and Christianity.

Flee youthful lusts (2 Tim 2:22) Pt. 3

The Tongue - One more thing for youth to flee from is the sweet temptation of taste. Many young people have been taken down by their taste buds. First let me remind you of what Hebrews 11 calls the "fleeting pleasures of sin". Something might taste good but taste is always temporary. Sin brings pleasure, feels good and tastes yummy but it never lasts. It always turns around and stabs you in the back. It is deceptive and temporary. The pleasures of sin quickly turns into the pains of sin. When it comes to taste this "fleeting pleasure" principle is easy to see. Just stuff yourself with donuts or ice cream (or, in my case, Taco Bell) and the pleasure quickly fades into moaning and groaning. When it comes to food - you can go very quickly from the “pleasures of sin” to the pain of sickness. The Apostle Paul wrote, "For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things" (Phil 3:18-19). Notice the phrase "their god is their belly." This is the temptation of taste. Food becomes a god, taste becomes a god, appetite becomes a god, the tongue becomes a god. People worship the things that they put in their body. They worship their cravings, they worship their desires, and they worship the things that give them pleasure. In about 5 minutes you can go from “Oh it’s soooo good” to “Ooooh I feel so bad” I might add here that many, in our culture, worship their belly in another way. They worship the "six-pack abs". There are two extremes to making your god your belly. They both focus too much on food… One on the way the food tastes and the other on how healthy it is. Some worship junk food and others worship health food. You can worship your belly in a way you want your belly to feel good or you can worship your belly in a way you want it to look good. You can worship your appetite or you can worship your appearance. When it comes to youthful lusts directed toward your tastes, sometimes its better to run! If you're a chocoholic, flee the See's Candy Store. If you're addicted to caffeine, don't go hang out at Starbucks. If you're a glutton, don't spend all your free time in the kitchen. Your taste buds are a gift and a blessing from God but they are also a target of temptation. So next time temptation attacks your tastes let temptation taste the dust behind you as you run away. Flee youthful lusts.

Flee youthful lusts (2 Tim 2:22) Pt. 2

The Ears - Oh be careful little ears what you hear... Fallen man has become the master of selective hearing. We listen when we shouldn't and we ignore what we need to hear. There's an old joke about a young boy who thought his grandpa must be upside down because his nose runs and his feet smell. When is it time for our ears to run away? When is it time for our ears to flee youthful lusts? When do your ears become portals of temptation? There are two ways our ears sin. First, when we need to listen but we don't and second, when we shouldn't listen but we do. Let's first consider when we need to listen but do not. "Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!" (Ps 81:8) God's people have always had a problem with not listening. The wise father will say to his sons... "...sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth" (Pro 7:24). Ignorance is not bliss, it is rebellion. We have a duty to be attentive. We are obligated to listen. We can't ignore the truth and then use ignorance as our defense. If we don't know it's because we don't want to know. If we don't hear it's because we don't want to hear. Covering your ears will never cover your guilt. As much as we love to ignore the truth, though, I think we love to hear what we shouldn't hear even more. We love to listen to gossip. Our ears tune in to every whisper. Will rogers said: “The only time people dislike gossip is when you gossip about them.” Pro 20:19 says, "Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler." Do not associate with a gossip. Get away from them; don't listen to their gossip. Flee youthful lusts aimed at your ears. Besides, if they are talking to you about someone they will talk to others about you. One popular way of lusting with your ears is to listen to music you shouldn't. Morally depraved and corrupt lyrics fill the airwaves. One way to flee youthful lusts is to turn off the radio or get out of that store playing the music. Another problem, in this area, is hanging around foul and filthy mouthed friends. Again, as Paul says, "Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Cor 15:33) If you have friends with filthy mouths you will have filthy ears. If you have filthy ears you have a filthy heart and will not be able to see God. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matt 5:8) In other words, if you want to listen to the world you will not be able to listen to God. Take your ears and run!

Flee youthful lusts (2 Tim 2:22) Pt. 1

Get out of there now! Run away as fast as you can! Run for your life! The temptation of youthful lusts is not a battle you are called to fight; it's a battle you are called to run away from. This may sound weird, weak and wimpy to our self-righteous, self-dependent and self-sufficient ears but sometimes we are commanded to run away. Was it weak and wimpy for Joseph to run away from Potiphar's wife? Would it have been better for him to stay in her room and watch her seduce, dance and wink her eyes at him just to prove how strong he was? In certain circumstances it takes more internal strength to flee than to fight. Paul says, "Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Cor 15:33) If you are hanging around bad people bad things will happen to your morality... run away! (Bad company can include television, movies, books and web sites) The book of Proverbs emphasizes this fact when it says "the companion of fools will be destroyed" (Pro 13:20). Sometimes spiritual living means leaving. You may think you can control yourself in a tempting situation but self-confidence is not synonymous with self-control. Youthful lusts is not a fire you want to play with. It's like playing with nuclear weapons. God is not mocked, whatever a man sows that is what he is going to reap. Running (in a youthful lust situation) is far better than regretting. Flee youthful lusts!

Lust aims its crosshairs at one or more of your five senses. Lust aims at your seeing or your hearing or your tasting or your smelling or your touching. So in regard to the five senses (see, hear, taste, smell or touch), what should youth flee from?

The Eyes - Oh be careful little eyes what you see... In our modern undressed culture, where its not so much what people are wearing as it is what they are not wearing, guarding your eyes is crucial. "It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful." (2 Sam 11:2) This was the beginning of David's troubles. Instead of turning his eyes away (fleeing) he kept looking. But looking doesn't last. Looking never satisfies. The downfall of creation began with looking. What does the Bible say about Eve in the garden? "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes..." (Gen 3:6) In our culture, today, there is temptation everywhere you look. From billboard signs to magazines racks to television commercials to the silver screen temptation is everywhere. Now, with the internet, you can lust after anything imaginable anonymously in just one point and click. Sex sells and they are selling it everywhere. There is a very short line between seeing and sinning. You can't always keep yourself from seeing something you shouldn't but you can keep a glance from becoming a gaze. As they say, you can't keep a bird from flying over your head but you can keep it from building a nest in your hair. Jesus especially emphasized the seriousness of seeing. "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell." (Matt 5:27-29) No one can say "I was just looking" as an excuse. Looking is the first step towards liscentiousness. When your eyes are being tempted turn away and flee youthful lusts.

To be continued...

Wizard of Oz Theology

"We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful wizard of..." We are surrounded in our culture with false advertising. We’re told that we can have it all – a heart, a brain and courage. We are even told that all of our culture’s yellow brick roads will lead us home. We must not be deceived by the wizards in our culture. Listen to the wise man instead. The Wiseman tells us that there is "a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." (Proverbs 14:12). He tells us that we are "to be careful how we walk, not as unwise but as wise men, making the most of our time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15).

In Mark 12:30 Jesus said, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Tinman - love God with all your heart. Many Christians go through the Christian motions but are not true believers. Their obedience doesn’t flow out of their heart. They might understand the gospel in their head but they don’t believe it in their heart. We need Christians that have a heart passion for the glory of God. Cowardly Lion - love God with all your strength. There are a lot of weak and wussy Christians. They are afraid to take a stand. They are afraid to speak the truth in love. They are less than conquerors and would rather survive the culture and escape into the clouds (rapture) than transform the culture and inherit the earth. We need courageous Christians who capture the culture. Scarecrow – love God with all your mind. Christians need to go to God in search of a brain. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We are transformed by the renewal (not removal) of our mind. Christianity is not just an experience involving emotions; it’s a duty involving intellect. Most Christians today have neglected their brain and developed a non-biblical worldview. We need less self-help books and more theology. Dorothy – click your heels together and love God with all your soul.

Daniel In The Kings Den Pt. 1

I want to give a short summary of the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel is extremely practical and applicable to us today Chapters 1-6 deal with Daniel the Saint - his life (practical). Chapters 7-12 deal with Daniel the Prophet - (similar to Revelation) There are so many similarities to Daniel's situation and ours in America. Daniel was part of a very small remnant in the middle of a pagan culture. From the time he was a teenager until he died around the age of 90, he served under pagan kings (he worked for the government). We always hear about "Daniel in the Lion's Den" but I want to quickly look at "Daniel in the Kings Den."

Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon in the summer of 605 BC. I want to look at 2 things: 1st – the way Babylon tactically tries to mentally enslave and pollute its captives. 2^nd, the way Daniel dealt with Babylon's tactics while remaining in Babylon.

The first thing Babylon does to seduce, corrupt and enslave God's People is attack the religion. “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.” (Dan 1:1-2) The first thing Nebuchadnezzar did to enslave a people was to attack their religion. Maybe he knew that where “the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty." (2 Cor 3:17) Where the Spirit of the Lord is NOT, there is slavery. As Horace Greeley said, "It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom."

The Babylonians understood… If you can take away their temple you can take their territory… If you can take away their religion you can take their rights… If you can take away their worship you can take their wealth… If you can take away their spirit you can take their strength… If you can take away their God you can take their government… (more to come)

Tempting Little Backstabber

When it comes to temptation, we think, in our flesh, that giving in to the temptation is how we will be rewarded. That is what makes it tempting. Sin, though, is a lying, deceitful backstabber. The Bible reveals that the true reward comes when we resist the temptation. Moses understood this: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” (Heb 11:24-26)

John Piper says… “Sin (lust for example) gets its power by persuading me to believe that I will be more happy if I follow it. The power of all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier.” But once again, sin is a lying, deceitful backstabber. It promises happiness and gives you regret. It promises happiness and gives you guilt. It promises happiness and gives you pain. It promises happiness and gives you disappointment. It promises happiness and gives you discontent. It offers you freedom and sells you into slavery. It shakes your hand and stabs you in the back.

James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.” There is a prize, a reward, for enduring temptation. Notice first it said "blessed" or happy is the man who endures temptation. Happiness comes from having your life under control, so that there is no bad habit that is controlling you. When you know how to say “no” to temptation or when you “flee” temptation it produces happiness in your life.

James also says there is a “crown of life” to those who, out of their love for God, resist and endure. In the Greek this literally means “life itself.” James is telling us: when you understand temptation, when you learn to say "no," when you overcome it, when you resist, then you begin to really live. It is a crown which is life -- abundant life -- itself. Benjamin Franklin said: “It is easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it.” Did I mention that sin is a lying, deceitful backstabber?

Paul Washer - Shocking Youth Message