Podcasts about Thomas Chalmers

Convencido de que la Iglesia debía regirse sin interferencia estatal, Thomas Chalmers encabezó una revuelta histórica que fracturó el presbiterianismo escocés. Su valentía redefinió el futuro del cristianismo en Escocia.SÍGUENOSSitio web: http://biteproject.com​​​x: https://twitter.com/biteproject​​​Podcast: https://anchor.fm/biteprojectTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@biteprojectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/biteproject/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biteproject/​​​Créditos:Producido por: Giovanny Gómez Pérez y Pilar PrietoMúsica: Envato Elements.Generación de voces: Daniel Ángel.Edición de sonido y música: Jhon Montaña.

The following sermon was chosen as a 'staff-pick' on SermonAudio: Title: The Expulsive Power of a New Affection Subtitle: The Power of a New Affection Speaker: Thomas Chalmers Broadcaster: Classic Audiobooks Event: Audiobook Date: 1/1/1800 Bible: 1 John 2:15 Length: 46 min.

Wisdom. Most of us would say we possess some measure of it. And yet, we would probably all sign up for more, if it didn't prove so, well… elusive? Unattainable? Reserved for the “truly spiritual”?  What if our desire for wisdom led us to look for the right answers in the wrong places? What if wisdom was accessible to anyone who asks? Most importantly, how do we get this wisdom that is not of the world? Gospel Spice Ministries invite you to ponder the wisdom of the book of Proverbs through a Christocentric perspective over the next few weeks. We promise spiritual flavor explosions steeped in the biblical concepts of hope, faith, and joy in the Lord. Make sure to check out the optional-but-oh-so-helpful mini e-book to go along with the series at gospelspice.com/wisdom Today, Stephanie takes us deep into the topics of fear, insecurities and anxiety in order to ponder the Christ-centered alternative: faith and trust. Many proverbs are centered on the concept of fear--both as something to avoid when it is the fear of man, and as something to nurture when it is the fear of God. What do these proverbs mean, and what can they teach us today? As has now become our habit, we start off by meeting a fictional character who embodies the traits we will be pondering today. Her name is Jessica, and she tries hard to please everyone! Stephanie takes us to a profound quote by Thomas Chalmers about the "expulsion power of a new affection" as the underlying secret to replace fear by faith. We examine fear to conclude that it is always a secondary motivation in the transformation process, and that growing in faith makes for a much more powerful vector of transformation. Faith predates the fall in the garden, but fear follows it. Therefore, in Christ we are given the opportunity to return to our deepest roots, restoring the harmony of our intimacy with the Father in the garden, and even more. Because of the transformative power of faith in Christ, we can become salt and light--this is actually the context of Jesus' famous teaching about our identity as salt of the earth and light of the world! We ponder that genuine faith and trust in God are only possible when we rejoice and delight in God first, and foremost, and, actually, all in all. Faith is grounded in who God is; fear is grounded in who we are in our own eyes, or in the eyes of the world. We examine this powerful thought by Saint Augustine, that challenges us to give up the "fruitless joys we are afraid to lose" in order to "embrace the joy-filled fruit we cannot lose." We do this, by looking at Peter's faith when he dared to step out of the boat. Will we dare to step out of our own boats in faith, keeping our eyes on the One who holds our hand? This event in Peter's life teaches us that, if we have faith in mankind, we will have the fear of man; but if we have faith in God, then we will cultivate the only healthy fear: the fear of God, which is the "beginning of wisdom" and the "beginning of knowledge" as Proverbs teach us. So, what is the fear of God? How can it be good, since we've expounded on fear being bad, so far? It requires a look at who God is. His preeminence in presence, power, goodness, justice, love, patience and kindness set Him so very much apart, that He is a category all His own. To be "set apart" literally is the root of the word "holy." The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge because God is a category all His own, and we cannot fear Him as we fear man. It's not the same fear because it's not the same category. The fear of God is wise because it is awe and reverence and worship and adoration--not cowering in fear of getting hurt by a vengeful tyrant. God's identity makes Him trustworthy and, therefore, make His guidance much sought after. We end with yet another favorite quote of Stephanie's, "complaint supposes ill-usage." If we complain that God has not come through for us (as we all are prone to do!) we basically state that God is out to get us, or that He does not have our best interest at heart; that He behaves towards us with ill-will. When we take time to think this through, we realize it is not consistent with who we know God to be. In other words, complaining against God is always rooted in a faulty understanding of His grace and heart on our behalf. It means we can correct our faulty view, and therefore grow in joy and contentment! What a delightful prospect. Such promises are NOT for the fearless, perfect version of you, some time in the future. They are for you TODAY, as you are, imperfections and all. And that is the best news we can hear all day! If it is true that we become what we behold, then behold Christ. Anything lower is beneath you as a royal priesthood, adopted child of God. MORE ABOUT TODAY'S EPISODE | MEET JESSICA! So, today, meet Jessica. It's been a long weekend for Jessica, and she's glad to be back home. She's dirty, sweaty, smelly, and exhausted. The family went camping—the kids had been begging for months, and her husband had gotten new gear, including a comfortable sleeping pad for her. He knew how much she values her comfort. What he doesn't know is how viscerally Jessica hates camping. He wouldn't know, of course, because she makes a point of not letting her preferences get in the way of theirs. That's what a good wife and mom does, right? Actually, the family loved it so much, they agreed to go again next month. She agreed to go, too. She is not looking forward to it, but it's vastly preferable to being home alone all weekend anyway. Jessica is extremely loyal to her loved ones. She asks their opinion about everything before making a decision, and then asks their feedback about everything she has done. She enjoys being with them 24/7. Actually, one of her greatest fears, causing sheer panic at the thought, is to be alone all weekend at home. She would hate that even more than camping. Her loyalty is one of her key defining traits, in her opinion. It's not just with family. Jessica prides herself on being a good friend and follower. She may not be gifted at taking initiative, but she thrives in following loyally. This means the occasional sacrifice, but isn't that what friends do for each other? And this applies to her church family, too. For example, she often gets called on to cook meals for her church body, when a new mom has a baby or when someone is sick. The truth is, she doesn't enjoy cooking at all. But Jesus said we are to bear our cross, right? Plus, they really need her. Jessica values looking young and good. She is always put together, with a smile on her face. Projecting such a confident image serves two purposes, in her mind: it makes Christ look good to outsiders, and it helps her avoid the anxiety she knows she would experience if she was seen at the grocery store with less than her best makeup and outfit on. With every passing year, she becomes more and more health conscious and seeks to ward off aging. She is always the first to get her flu shot. She eats well, knows all her vitamins, buys expensive anti-wrinkle cream, and exercises several times a week. Plus, it beats being home alone when the kids are at school and hubby is at work. She stay informed about what is happening in the world, and especially the tragedies of life. She spends a lot of time imagining how she would react if those calamities happened to her. Her mind always goes to the worst-case scenarios; she calls it wisdom in being well-prepared. She is not sure how that happens, but she always lands in the same hypothetical scene: what would happen if her husband died and she was left to fend for herself? She knows it does not sound very trusting in God, but she really doesn't know what to do about it. So, Jessica prays that the faith of her church friends will somehow rub off on her, because she does not seem to be able to muster much of it on her own. And in the meantime she seeks to forget her growing anxiety by numbing it with escapes to a world of make-believe: she spends a lot of her days watching innocuous shows on Netflix and reading copious amounts of romance fiction. And then there's always the escape of the ever-comforting deep house cleaning. She has more and more often found herself deep-cleaning at three in the morning when sleep would not come, despite the sleeping pills she's gotten accustomed to. House cleaning is soothing. As she is scrubbing the kitchen tile again, she wonders: is she living the best version of her life? What would you tell Jessica? Would you pick up a brush and join her on her kitchen floor? Would you make her a cup of tea and tell her to take a deep breath and chillax a little? Proverbs challenges us with two options when fear paralyses us: to numb it, or to expulse it. Proverbs 31:6-7 describes the numbing through wine and forgetfulness. Jessica would recognize herself there. The alternative to numbing is expulsing the fear. Thomas Chalmers writes in the 1750's about the “expulsion power of a new affection.” He means that removing fear is not enough; it needs to be replaced by something else: a deeper, more powerful affection. Jesus shared the story of the demon-possessed man who found himself in a worse situation when seven more demons came to invade the house that had been cleaned, but not filled (see Luke 11:24-26). In other words, fear is always a secondary motivation in the transformation process. It needs to be kicked out, but then the void left must be filled by something superior: faith and joy in God are the alternative proposed in Scripture. Joy is always a more powerful motivator than fear, because joy in God existed before the fall of man which ushered in fear. Joy in God predates fear in the garden of Eden. Joy in God will exist through all of eternity future when fear is but a dim memory. We will experience lasting change today when we choose to rejoice in God more than we choose to fear hypothetical scenarios, or even the consequences of our very real actions. Fear comes from a disordered life, which is the result of disordered loves. Jessica loves, but she loves disorderly. Her loyalty is sincere but misguiding. Fear and love cannot truly, deeply cohabitate in the same soul: perfect love drives out fear (1John 4:18, NIV). We see this most evidently in the relationship that God calls us to have with Him: we are called into the love of the Father, even more than we are called away from sin. Fear is self-centered, while faith is Christ-centered. Faith is grounded in who God is; fear is grounded in who I am on my own. The cure against anxiety and unbelief is not more information; it is joy in God. Faith and trust become more real when we choose to delight and rejoice in God, rather than fear our own inadequacies. This is what Jessica needs to discover. If you have faith in man, you will live in the fear of man; if you have faith in God, you will delight in the fear of God. Fearing God, in the Proverbial sense, is true wisdom (Proverbs 1:7, Psalm 110:10). Don't think of the “fear of God” as cowering before a powerful tyrant. The fear of God is a well-placed, reverent awe of His greatness and beauty and power. His great love does not preclude His majesty, but only enhances it. We must expulse fear, but we can only do so when we replace it with something more powerful and lasting: joyful faith in God. We are salt and light as result of experiencing the transformative glory of God through Christ. We invite you to discover Jessica's full story from fear to faith on the Gospel Spice Podcast this week, and to hear more about joyful faith in God as YOUR daily reality, starting today. Don't wait. God awaits you there. Make sure to check out the optional-but-oh-so-helpful mini e-book to go along with the series at gospelspice.com/wisdom   We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog Identity in the battle | Ephesians https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/ Shades of Red | Against human oppression https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/ God's glory, our delight  https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/   Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

In Proverbs 4, the focus shifts from warnings to encouragement, emphasizing actions that lead to flourishing in life. This chapter reflects the wisdom of a father passing down vital lessons to his sons, which he learned from his father. The passage highlights the importance of pursuing wisdom as the key to living a meaningful and abundant life, aligning with Jesus' promise in John 10:10. True abundance comes not from worldly pursuits but from a life lived in and for Christ. Scottish minister Thomas Chalmers insightfully noted that real change happens when we see Christ as the source of true life, outshining even the most enticing sins.   We will delve into the four stages of life: identity, growth, impact, and legacy, each posing unique challenges and opportunities to root oneself in Christ. Identity requires overcoming insecurities by embracing who God created us to be. Growth involves defining success through sanctification rather than worldly measures, while impact focuses on servant leadership amidst growing responsibilities. Legacy calls for finishing well, leaving a lasting testimony ofGod's faithfulness. Above all, our text urges the pursuit of wisdom, which requires humility and the abandonment of preconceived notions shaped by cultural pressures. A life guided by wisdom is likened to a bright, growing light, while rejecting wisdom leads to blindness and destruction.   To remain on the path of wisdom, we must protect the heart, the source of life. Practical steps include meditating on God's Word, being mindful of influences, speaking truth, fostering Godly relationships, controlling thoughts, praying for protection, and pursuing purity. The passage concludes with vivid metaphors contrasting the righteous path of light with the wicked path of darkness, underscoring the importance of vigilance in navigating life's journey.   We must never forget that life does not flow from the outside in, it flows from the inside out. Guard your heart!

Send us a textHow does a theory popularized in the 19th century still stir debate among theologians and scientists today? The gap theory, which suggests a hidden eon between the first two verses of Genesis, continues to be a contentious topic. We dissect this theory's attempt to bridge biblical narratives with geological timelines and reflect on how such reconciliations may challenge the Bible's fundamental teachings. With insights from figures like Thomas Chalmers and Henry Morris, this episode scrutinizes the theological dilemmas posed by the gap theory, particularly its implications for understanding sin, death, and the integrity of scriptural truths.As we ponder life's origins, we embark on a journey that questions the age of our planet. Does cosmic dust hold the secrets to Earth's true timeline? While modern science tells tales of an ancient Earth, alternative findings propose a universe younger than conventional theories suggest. Highlighting intriguing cases like lunar dust predictions before the moon landing, we confront mainstream scientific assertions with fresh perspectives. Methods such as measuring nickel in oceans are presented as we entertain the possibility of a youthful Earth amidst ongoing debates.Our narrative ventures into the profound dynamics of creation, focusing on Genesis 1:2 and the pivotal role of the Holy Spirit. What does the Hebrew "ruach" reveal about the Spirit's influence on the cosmos? We explore the Spirit's energizing presence, likened to a vibrational movement over the waters, setting the stage for life and light. The Spirit's inspiration extends beyond creation, breathing life into the sacred scriptures, and reshaping our understanding of the divine Word. As we prepare to advance to Genesis 1:3, we invite you to join us in this continuous exploration of faith and science.https://www.jacksonfamilyministry.comhttps://bobslone.com/home/podcast-production/

As we explore the temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness, we see that one thing the the devil is seeking to do is undermine Jesus' TRUST in God's Provision, Plan and Power. Followers of Jesus often find the same temptations, so what joy we see in Christ's victory over these temptations, and what hope we have in knowing that we TRUST in the same God of provision, who's plan is good and who's power is unmatchable. May we grow in our knowledge of God's Word, and in doing so, we grow in our love for God, which will enable the "exclusive power of a new affection" (Thomas Chalmers), when we're faced with the temptation to sin.You can watch this message via: https://youtu.be/ispHCzA-N5s Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION  “The heart wants what it wants.”~Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) in a letter written in 1862 “Ask yourself: if there is something you supremely want to do, do you count as self-sacrifice the difficulties encountered or the other possible activities cast aside? You do not. The time when you deliberately say, ‘I must sacrifice this, that, or the other' is when you do not supremely desire the end in view. At such times you are doing your duty, and that is admirable, but it is not love. But as soon as your duty becomes your love, the self-sacrifice is taken for granted, and, whatever the world calls it, you call it so no longer.”~Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957), novelist and playwright (emphasis added) “…the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies. The mind doesn't direct the will. The mind is actually captive to what the will wants, and the will itself, in turn, is captive to what the heart wants. “The trouble with human nature is that we are born with a heart that loves ourselves over and above everything else in this world, including God. In short, we are born slaves to the lust for self-gratification, i.e., concupiscence. That's why, if left to ourselves, we will always love those things that make us feel good about ourselves, even as we depart more and more from God and his ways. Therefore, God must intervene in our lives in order to bring salvation… “Now, in effect, [God's work of] justification gives us a heart transplant. For at the same time that we receive the gift of justifying faith by which we are credited with Christ's extrinsic righteousness, God also sheds abroad in our hearts a new love for him and one another. This new heart love for him, from him, naturally redirects our wills…. “[R]eason is not king in human beings, the heart is. Therefore, to change your actions, you must change your desires. But your desires will change, only if the Holy Spirit who wrote the Bible also writes his laws on your heart.”~Dr. John Ashley Null, Anglican scholar at the University of Berlin (Humboldt) “The heart's desire for an ultimate object may be conquered, but it's desire to have some object is unconquerable. The only way to dispossess the heart of an old affection is through the expulsive power of a new one.”~Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847), Scottish minister, professor, and reformerSERMON PASSAGEThe Heart of Wisdom: The Priority of the HeartSelected Passages from Proverbs (ESV)Proverbs 17 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 21 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 45 Get wisdom; get insight;  do not forget, and do not turn away  from the words of my mouth.6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;  love her, and she will guard you.7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,  and whatever you get, get insight.8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;  she will honor you if you embrace her…20 My son, be attentive to my words;  incline your ear to my sayings.21 Let them not escape from your sight;  keep them within your heart.22 For they are life to those who find them,  and healing to all their flesh.23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,  for from it flow the springs of life.24 Put away from you crooked speech,  and put devious talk far from you.25 Let your eyes look directly forward,  and your gaze be straight before you.26 Ponder the path of your feet;  then all your ways will be sure.27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;  turn your foot away from evil. Proverbs 71 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you;2 keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;3 bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend Proverb 1312 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,  but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 1722 A joyful heart is good medicine,  but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 212 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. Proverbs 2719 As in water face reflects face,  so the heart of man reflects the man.

AI-generated discussion on Thomas Chalmers's famous sermon, The Expulsive Power of a New Affection

It has been said that all of us are theologians. We all have a picture of God in our heads. But is your picture of God correct? Keep listening to find out. Hi, my name is Terence and I'm your host for Reading and Readers, a podcast where I review Christian books for you. Today I review “Portrait of God: Rediscovering the Attributes of God through the Stories of His People” by Jack Mooring. 224 pages, published by David C. Cook Publishing in August 2024. Available in Amazon Kindle for USD9.99 and in Logos for USD10.79. I received a free review copy but the publisher has no input to my review. ## Systematic Theology Through BiographyToday's book promises to explain the Attributes of God through the lives of Christians. But wait, someone says, “If you really want to know the Attributes of God, you should get a good book on Systematic Theology. The bigger the better.” So grunts the theological egghead. Nope. If the size doesn't scare people off, the title “Systematic Theology” would. Then someone says, “Just get J.I. Packer's ‘Knowing God'.” That's a great book. A classic. But today's book gives us a different way to know God's attributes and that is through stories. Bible stories have helped children know God. Much of the Bible consists of stories of God and His People. So we could say that today's book is not inventing a new approach but rather adapts the biblical way of knowing God: through the stories of him interacting with his people. ## Art Class with a Divine SubjectIn this book, Jack Mooring wants us to paint a portrait of God. If this sounds a bit artsy-fartsy to you, maybe it's because Mooring was an artist. More, accurately, a musician. If his name sounds familiar, it's because he is the former band member with the Grammy Award-nominated group Leeland. Mooring is also the founding pastor of a church, Celebration of Life Church in Nashville. So he is not the typical professional theologian who writes a book on the attributes of God. He is just a passionate Christian who wants everyone to know God. And he takes hold of artistic license to separate himself from the professional theologians. We will do a portrait of God. Using the lives of God's people as the brushstrokes. ## A Brushstroke of JoyConsider this: Whose life do you think best reveals God's joy? Think of all the great men and women who have served God through the ages. Who would best demonstrate the joy of the Lord? Mooring chooses C.S. Lewis. The chapter starts with Lewis as a young man arriving at Oxford University. But then, the Great War happened. I quote:> The war was a brief but horrific interlude in his life. He saw unbearable things. His closest friend in his company was killed. While raised in a Christian home in Ireland, he'd been brought up on the teachings of the church, but early on he had decided God couldn't be real. His mother had died when he was only nine years old. He remembered praying that God would save her life, but his desperate request seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.>> His childhood angst at God had turned into full-blown atheism as a young man. And if his journey away from God needed any more help, his traumatic experiences in the war had seared his mind. Later, Mooring writes:> There were cracks in Lewis's armor. For all his resistance against God, he had a weak spot for joy. Deep joy. The joy that aches in your belly when you see something truly beautiful. You reach for it but can't grasp it. You try to recreate the same feeling the next day, only to find it missing. This haunted Lewis.>> He began to do what he always did to find answers: He read books and talked deeply with his friends. Famously, one of his friends was J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien and others encouraged Lewis in his search for answers. I quote:> Lewis raised a challenge to his friends: “What separates Christianity from any other myth? After all, there are other stories about a god ‘saving' his people.”>> His friends responded with an idea that changed his life. “Yes, Christianity is a myth,” they said. “But it is the only true myth.”>> Suddenly, he realized that the Norse mythology he loved was never the real source of the joy he felt. It was God. Every good and beautiful myth was simply pointing to the one true “myth”. The chapter interleaves episodes of Lewis' life with Mooring's own comments and reflections. A YouTube video about a ten-million-dollar mountain chalet sends Mooring through a whirlwind of emotions from curiosity, awe, desire and lust, to disappointment, jealousy, embarrassment and resignation. Everybody who has watched an influencer boasting of cars, food or travel knows what Mooring felt. Mooring shows us YouTube-addicts that our desire is a reminder that God is our true desire. Just like C.S. Lewis, we are searching for the real source of joy: God. And that's how every chapter goes. He shares a story then a reflection to bridge the story to you, the reader today. On top of that, every chapter in the book ends with “Final Brushstrokes”. Let me quote: > C.S. Lewis's life teaches us that the greatest joys in life are simply signposts pointing us to the ultimate joy that is God. And that when we find Him, we find peace even in deep pain and suffering.>  > So our portrait of God gets another color: the vibrant hues of joy! We learn that God is not on a mission to stop people from having fun. Actually, the fun begins with Him. We think that worldly pleasures will fulfill us, but they let us down every time. God Himself is the author of everything good, true, and beautiful! And when we find Him, we can truly enjoy the world He made and find an unfading joy that comes from His nature. I repeat, “the story of C.S. Lewis gives our portrait of God another colour, the vibrant hues of joy.” And so every story in this book gives another brushstroke, giving us a better, more complete look of God each time. Or does it? The thing about brushstrokes is that it can either reveal or distort the subject it portrays. ## God Still Heals TodayChapter 5 is titled, “The Healer” -- God of Power. It is the story of Kathryn Kuhlman. I quote:> I chose the story of Kathryn Kuhlman because her life is an irrefutable example that God heals today. He can even work through people who, like her, were imperfect and in need of God's grace. Because those are, in fact, the only people He can use. And Mooring needs an irrefutable example because some people do refute it. Those pesky cessationist who believe the spiritual gifts have ceased. Mooring writes:> I believe this [cessationism] is one of the most damaging ideas the church has ever adopted. It has caused so many to miss out on one of the things Jesus died to give them.> I don't have the space in this chapter to make a complete argument refuting cessationism. I point to you to Jack Deere's superb book Surprised by the Power of the Spirit. He is right. He doesn't have the space to make that argument but he goes for it anyways. Let me summarise the three problems I see with this chapter. ### Healing and Gift of Healing Are DifferentFirst, Mooring assumes that cessationists do not believe God heals today. In the conclusion to the chapter, he writes:> People like Kathryn Kuhlman showed the world that God is still active in healing the sick. There is a problem here because cessationists also believe God is still active in healing the sick. John MacArthur, the poster child for cessationists, writes in his book Strange Fire:> While the Lord still answers prayer and works in providential ways to heal people according to his will, there is no evidence that miraculous healings are occurring today as they did during the apostolic age. Mooring should have written, “People like Kathryn Kuhlman showed the world that God is still active in *giving individuals healing power today*.” When Mooring conflates “God heals today” with “God gives individuals healing power today”, as if one means the same as the other, it causes misunderstandings. Readers walk away thinking, "Those Reformed fellows don't believe God heals! And they call themselves Bible believing Christians?" Now that I have clarified the cessationist position, does Mooring's point on healing still stand? The purpose of the chapter is to highlight the Power of God. I ask: "Is the Power of God only demonstrated through healing rallies?" No. Would the Power of God also be demonstrated if I prayed for someone, and that someone got healed? Yes. Should the church teach Christians that God heals today? Yes.That is what Mooring is getting at. But he could have made that point more powerfully, getting more agreement if he told the readers about God's power through healing instead of God's power in giving some individuals the power of healing. ### Character of the Healer and the Healed.My second criticism: Mooring makes a big push for healing but over-promises the impact. He writes:> Praying for the sick is an act of divine love, and love never fails! So no matter what happens, the compassionate act of believing for someone's healing is itself a success.> What if we lived this way? Thought this way? A dying world would be shocked back to a God reality that has been gone for decades. We would see millions saved! Millions coming into direct contact with the God who loves them and sent His only Son for them! Would we really see millions saved? Jesus healed ten lepers, only one came back to give thanks to Jesus. In Matthew 11:21, Jesus says, "“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." In Matthew 12:39, Jesus answered those seeking a sign from him, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." So if Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had a 'bad' conversion rate from healing, I'm not confident that all those who were healed by Kathryn Kuhlman and her fellow healers came to saving faith. You say, "Even if it's 10%, that's still a good reason to promote healing rallies." But Jesus rejected those who called for signs. Isn't that a clear sign for us on the place of miracles today? Consider this: when Paul wrote his final letter to Timothy, he charged Timothy to do many miracles, teach other faithful men how to receive the gifts and how to promote these gifts so that people will come to Jesus through healing and miracles. No, Paul did not. This is what Paul wrote. 2 Timothy 2:2.> and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. Keeping the main thing the main thing is to keep the Gospel central. In the climax of the letter. 2 Timothy 4:1-2.> I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: Preach the Word... From my criticisms on this chapter, you would think that I am a cessationist. Actually I am not. From my own study, I don't see a biblical reason to conclude that the gifts have ceased. I have no problems with the spiritual gifts being in operation today. So I am sympathetic to his position. I just disagree with how he frames it, which brings me to my last point on this chapter. ### Bill Johnson and Not Sam StormsMy third criticism: Mooring lost me at Bill Johnson. He would have had me if he said Sam Storm. I have read Bill Johnson's “When Heaven Invades Earth” and am familiar with the practices of his church, Bethel Redding. I compared Johnson's own words and his church's practice against Scripture, and I conclude that  Bill Johnson distorts Scripture to fit his theology and practice. So when I read a quote from Bill Johnson, all the alarm bells in my head just rang out. Mooring might protest and say that in the whole book, he just makes one mention of Bill Johnson. It's just a side remark, a throwaway quote, and it shouldn't put the whole chapter into doubt. Well, if he is frustrated so am I. I share many of his positions and outlook on healing and gifts of healing. He could have elevated his argument by quoting Sam Storm. Or Craig Keener. But not Bill Johnson. I don't like it when someone twists Scripture for their own ends. ## Other BrushstrokesLet's step out of this healing chapter and consider the rest of the book. So far, we have a story of C.S. Lewis and Kathryn Kuhlman. Their lives are brushstrokes that describe God's joy and power. There are others: Augustine, William and Catherine Booth, Thomas Chalmers, Fanny Crosby and Athanasius that in their lives describe God's holiness, compassion, good news, faithfulness and truth. The last two chapters of the book bring out the story of you. Who are you? How do you relate to God? In his conclusion, Mooring writes that we are:> to use our gifts to ‘paint God' for a world that is desperate to know what He is really like. ## Overall ThoughtsAnd yes, the world is desperate to know what God is really like. Does this book tell us? The book aims to tell us the attributes of God through the stories of his people. In that sense, it is a success. Mooring has picked, for the most part, individuals that Christians would agree are exemplary. And in whose lives we can see a portrait of God. But after finishing this book, it has also made me realise the big flaw in using other believers' stories to know God. Let's imagine an evil version of Jack Mooring, who also wants to tell the attributes of God through God's people. But instead of choosing a blind hymnwriter, he picks a pastor convicted for sexual assault. He picks murderous crusaders, child molesters, embezzlers, a villains gallery of self-professing Christians. Then this evil version of Jack Mooring concludes the book to say, “These are Christians, and so God.” Christians will rightly argue that those crooks pervert the true portrait of God. As God himself has put it, “My name is blasphemed among the nations because of evil doers.” When we pick individuals that best fits our idea of God, our choice reveals more about what we think God is like and not necessarily how God is really like. We could have a situation where we are supposed to have a painting of the Mona Lisa but instead get a Lisa Simpson. “Does that mean reading biographies of Christian men and women is a useless enterprise?” No! The reading principle behind that is Paul's call, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” We follow Paul knowing that he is the imperfect following the perfect. So we read the biographies to know imperfect creatures. But when it comes to knowing the Perfect Creator, the attributes of God, we risk adopting the principle behind Philip's request, “Jesus, show us the Father,” which Jesus replied, “When you see me, you see the Father.” This is something that only Jesus can say. When you see me, Terence, you don't see the Father. You think that's obvious? It should be. But if it was then why do so many people lose faith in God when the people they admire fall from grace. I don't want you to misunderstand me. I am not knocking on Jack Mooring's book. I just want to point out how reading Mooring's book reminded me again how wonderful is our Bible. We can actually know God because the Perfect has revealed himself to us. To know the attributes of God, to know God, absent the Bible is a speculative and confusing mess. But with the Bible, we can know God and know how well his people reflect who he is. ## Would I recommend it?Would I recommend this book? For Christians who like Bill Johnson and the type of Christianity he represents, they would not give someone like me a chance to question their beliefs. For them I would definitely recommend this book. Mooring's chapter on Kathryn Kuhlman will affirm everything they believe in. They will consider Mooring as  "one of us.” Then two chapters later, they will read Fanny Crosby, the blind hymnwriter, and read:> It is far easier to say that God doesn't heal anymore. It is also easy to say the opposite, that God always heals and that something is wrong with you if you are still sick. The truth is that both statements are wrong.>> God does still heal, and we should actively pursue His healing. But God also sits with us in our suffering and promises to be our reward, even when it seems like our prayers are not being answered. If you are a Christian who does not know Bill Johnson and the type of Christianity he represents, I would still be happy to recommend you this book. It is a light and easy way to learn about the attributes of God and introduce you to good books down the road. But I would warn you. I would tell you the three points I have against chapter 5. ## ConclusionSo in conclusion, does the book give us a portrait of God through the stories of his people? Yes. It is a portrait of God from a selected palette of colours that reveals Jack Mooring's concept of God, which would be recognisable as the God Christians worship. I think that when it comes to the details, for certain brushstrokes, some correction is needed. But that's art. And we all have an imperfect portrait of God in our heads. The important thing is as we study the Bible, we trust that God will reveal more of who he is. And just as looking at beautiful portraits inspire artists to paint better, so pondering at the portrait of God Mooring has given us inspires us to know God better and to live better for him. This is a Reading and Readers review of “Portrait of God” by Jack Mooring. 224 pages, published by David C. Cook Publishing in August 2024. Available in Amazon Kindle for USD9.99 and in Logos for USD10.79. I received a free review copy but the publisher has no input to my review. Thank you and bye bye. ## Book List* Portrait of God by Jack Mooring. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Portrait-God-Rediscovering-Attributes-through/dp/0830786031). [Logos](https://www.logos.com/product/300988/portrait-of-god-rediscovering-the-attributes-of-god-through-the-stories-of-his-people).

Stephanie here! I have often found that, when I'm discouraged, or when I struggle to see things from the perspective that God might have on a situation, a relationship, maybe my own heart, I find it so useful to dig into Scripture and look at the stories of people in Scripture who may have experienced something similar. I also find that, beyond Scripture, it is useful to look at the lives of faithful men and women in history, saints who have really clung to God, and who have experienced so much of his goodness, his holiness, his beauty, his faithfulness, his kindness, his generosity. I love to spend time through biographies of these people of faith. I'm looking forward to meeting them in heaven and learning from them even more. Which means,  I love when a new book comes out that invites me to do just that. And the book Portrait of God by Jack Mooring does just that. I'm welcoming Jack today. And he experienced the same thing that I'm describing to you. His book is a bit of a guidebook. It uses the stories of influential Christian figures like C.S. Lewis, Saint Augustine, Fanny Crosby, and so many more, to help us, believers, find stability in our faith amidst the chaos of this world. He and I chat about the fact that this world is pretty chaotic right now. This book and this conversation hope to be one of the tools that equips us in this ever-changing turbulent world we live in. Now, to recognize God's goodness in the midst of chaos, well, I know it can be challenging. Our faith can so often seem like a roller coaster as a result of that. Jack says, “I've learned that the Christian life is less about learning and more about remembering. I wrote this book to remind myself and the rest of us, forgetful people, that this is God whom we love and he really is who he says he is.” MORE ABOUT THE BOOK “PORTRAIT OF GOD In an ever-changing, often turbulent world, recognizing God's goodness can be challenging. Many Christians describe their faith as a rollercoaster, with seasons of feeling close to God and having a clear sense of His presence, and others where He seems distant. Author Jack Mooring experienced this personally, and by reflecting on and learning from the lives of the faithful men and women in history, he uncovered powerful reminders of God's unchanging truths. Mooring's new book, Portrait of God: Rediscovering the Attributes of God through the Stories of His People (David C Cook, August 6, 2024) serves as a guidebook, using the stories of influential Christian figures like C.S. Lewis and St. Augustine to help modern-day believers find stability in their faith amidst the chaos of the world. In Portrait of God, Mooring provides thought-provoking questions and a list of further readings about each faith leader, allowing readers to dig even deeper into the truths about the unchanging character of God. “I've learned that the Christian life is less about learning and more about remembering,” writes Mooring. “I grew up in a rich tradition of truth, but life's lies have often buried those true ideas about God. So I wrote this book to remind myself and the rest of us forgetful people that this God we love is really who He says He is. This book is an attempt to rediscover our wonder about who He is. For each attribute of God, I chose a person in church history who actually experienced that part of God's nature. The goal is that, as we hear the stories of these people, we can get a glimpse of God through their eyes.” Each chapter explores an attribute of God through a person in church history who radically experienced His nature, applying it as a brushstroke to our portrait. Readers will uncover: ●           Faith: How an all-powerful God worked miracles in the life of Kathryn Kuhlman. ●           Holiness: What Augustine of Hippo's life in a secular world teaches us about God. ●           Compassion: How William and Catherine Booth's service to others radiated God's love. MORE ABOUT JACK MOORING Jack Mooring is a pastor, speaker, songwriter, and author. Beginning in ministry from an early age with his family, he and his brother went on to start the band LEELAND. Signing to Provident Music Group (A division of SONY BMG), the band released seven records, four of which received Grammy Nominations for “Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.” After touring full time and ministering around the world from 2005-2014, Jack left the band in order to pastor full time. For several years he served on the pastoral staff of two different churches before planting Celebration of Life Church: Nashville. Jack continues to make music as a songwriter signed with Integrity Music. As both a pastor and creative, Jack is passionate about communicating the gospel in a post-Christian culture. He resides in Franklin, TN with his wife Whitney and four children: Smith, Kate, Anthony, and Gabriel. We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog Identity in the battle | Ephesians https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/ Shades of Red | Against human oppression https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/ God's glory, our delight  https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/   Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

An introduction and summary of Thomas Chalmers' classic sermon, The Expository Power of a New Affection

An introduction and summary of Thomas Chalmers' classic sermon, The Expository Power of a New Affection

A new MP3 sermon from Firth Bible Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Thomas Chalmers - The Expulsive Power of a New Affection Subtitle: Classic Sermons Speaker: Timothy Schmidt Broadcaster: Firth Bible Church Event: Sunday Service Date: 7/7/2024 Bible: 1 John 2:15 Length: 45 min.

An introduction and summary of Thomas Chalmers' classic sermon, The Expository Power of a New Affection

6/30/2024 | This day's featured sermon on SermonAudio: Title: The Expulsive Power of a New Affection Subtitle: The Power of a New Affection Speaker: Thomas Chalmers Broadcaster: Classic Audiobooks Event: Audiobook Date: 1/1/1800 Bible: 1 John 2:15 Length: 46 min.

George Grant, Pastor Emeritus of Parish Presbyterian Church, joins American Reformer's Ben Dunson to discuss the legacy of Thomas Chalmers, a 19th-century Scottish theologian and church leader, and its relevance to the church's role in cultural renewal. Grant emphasizes the importance of understanding Chalmers' legacy in the context of contemporary cultural engagement and leadership, and the need for the church to reform its own house before addressing cultural issues and proclaiming the gospel.   #GeorgeGrant #Pastor #ParishPresbyterian #PCA #GeneralAssembly #Christian #Faith #Culture #Renewal   Dr. George Grant is the Pastor Emeritus of Parish Presbyterian Church, Founder of New College Franklin, President of the King's Meadow Study Center and Founder of Franklin Classical School. He is the author of dozens of books in the areas of history, biography, politics, literature and social criticism and he has written hundreds of essays, articles, and columns. His work on behalf of the homeless, for international relief and development, for racial reconciliation and for the sanctity of life has been profiled in such varied media outlets as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Focus on the Family, The 700 Club, the Coral Ridge Hour, Point of View, Crossfire, World Magazine and Christianity Today.   Learn more about George Grant's work: https://www.parishpres.org/team/george-grant/ https://georgegrant.net/   ––––––   Follow American Reformer across Social Media: X / Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/amreformer Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmericanReformer/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanReformer Website – https://americanreformer.org/   Promote a vigorous Christian approach to the cultural challenges of our day, by donating to The American Reformer: https://americanreformer.org/donate/   Follow Us on Twitter: Josh Abbotoy – https://twitter.com/Byzness Timon Cline – https://twitter.com/tlloydcline   The American Reformer Podcast is  hosted by Josh Abbotoy and Timon Cline, recorded remotely in the United States, and edited by Jared Cummings.   Subscribe to our Podcast, "The American Reformer" Get our RSS Feed – https://americanreformerpodcast.podbean.com/ Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-american-reformer-podcast/id1677193347 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1V2dH5vhfogPIv0X8ux9Gm?si=a19db9dc271c4ce5

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “You are happy when God blesses you, but not as happy as God is.”~C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), famed London pastor “Wash the plate, not because it is dirty nor because you are told to wash it, but because you love the one who will use it next.”~Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (1910-1997), a.k.a. “Mother Teresa” “Christ did not die to redeem us in part. …[W]e must understand that God is after…any and all sin that would hinder the whole person from serving God fully and freely.”~Jackie Hill Perry, writer and hip-hop artist “Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size.”~John Stott (1921-2011), London pastor and theologian “…the freer [the] gospel, the more sanctifying is the gospel; and the more it is received as a doctrine of grace, the more will it be felt as a doctrine according to godliness.  …[I]n the gospel…our desire after Him is not chilled into apathy by that barrier of human guilt….” “Retain a single shred or fragment of legality with the gospel, and you raise a topic of distrust between man and God. You take away from the power of the gospel to melt and to conciliate. For this purpose, the freer it is the better it is. That very peculiarity which so many dread as the germ of Antinomianism [i.e. lawlessness], is, in fact, the germ of a new spirit and a new inclination against it.”~Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) in “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection” “Unless this freedom be comprehended, neither Christ nor gospel truth, nor inner peace of soul, can be rightly known.”~John Calvin (1509-1964), French-born reformer and theologianSERMON PASSAGEGalatians 5:1-15 (ESV)Galatians 5 1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. 7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.Romans 138 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Deuteronomy 30 6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. Jeremiah 31 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Ezekiel 3626 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Nineteenth-century Scottish pastor, Thomas Chalmers, once told the story of riding in a horse-drawn carriage in the Highlands region as it hugged a narrow mountain ledge, along a harrowing precipice. One of the horses startled, and the driver, fearing they would plummet to their death, repeatedly flicked his whip. After they made it past the danger, Chalmers asked the driver why he used the whip with such force. “I needed to give the horses something else to think about,” he said. “I needed to get their attention.” In a world overflowing with threats and dangers all around us, we all need something else to arrest our attention. However, we need more than merely mental distraction—a kind of psychological trick. What we most need is to fasten our minds upon a reality more powerful than all our fears. As Isaiah told God’s people in Judah, what we truly need is to fix our minds on God. “You will keep in perfect peace,” Isaiah promises, “all who trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3). And we can “trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock” (v. 4). Peace—this is the gift for all who fix their gaze on God. And His peace provides far more than only a technique for holding our worst thoughts at bay. For those who will surrender their future, their hopes, and their worries, the Spirit makes an entirely new way of life possible.

Today on Back Porch Theology, Ally and I are continuing the conversation about sanctification – the ongoing process of becoming less like who we were before we fell in love with Jesus and more like Him. One of my pretend theological boyfriends, ancient theologian and church father Thomas Chalmers, uses the phraseology of the expulsive power of the new affection to describe spiritual maturity. He reasoned that the further we fall in love with Jesus, the less room there is for ungodly affections and entanglements in our hearts. He wrote, “We know of no other way by which to keep the love of the world out of our hearts than to keep in our hearts the love of God.” Much like the theme last week, Chalmers emphasized how sanctification is less about remediating our behavior and more about recognizing our belovedness. Checking off every item on some spiritual to-do list doesn't have the power to transform our hearts and minds into the shape of Jesus, y'all! However, leaning into His unconditionally loving embrace will absolutely fertilize personal holiness and fuel our desire to obey the imperatives of God's Word. Speaking of the symbiotic relationship between love and sanctification, in John's Gospel account Jesus declared that people will recognize we're His disciples by how well we love each other, which means we're going to connect the dots between sanctification and community today too, baby! So please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible – unless you're rinsing your bougie yet clogged espresso machine out with stinky vinegar, of course – and come hang out on the porch with us! Save 25% on Dwell National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child is November 13-20. Click HERE to learn more.

Our friends who are new to Jesus need to see the good news changing us. They need to see the good news shaping us & forming us & reordering our loves. So what we need, as Thomas Chalmers put it, is 'the expulsive power of a new affection'. Like Zacchaeus, we need to be evangelized! When this happens in us then we are sharing with our friends something real and true that is taking place in us.

We are pleased to have special guest Dr. George Grant on the show this episode! Dr. Grant has spent a lot of time working on the life and ministry of Scottish Pastor and Theologian Thomas Chalmers. We hope you are inspired and encouraged by this conversation. Check out the links below to many of Dr. Grant's wonderful works! Please subscribe to the channel, like the video, leave a comment, or subscribe in your podcast app and leave a review. It will help our content reach new people. To become a Patron and submit Questions for our Q and A episodes, visit the link below to sign up. Patreon: www.patreon.com/takeholdstudios Visit our Take Hold Studios Merch Store: https://take-hold-studios.creator-spring.com/ Connect with us: Website: www.takeholdstudios.com Email: takeholdstudios@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/takeholdstudios Twitter: @takehold1646 Instagram: the_reformed_reset_podcast Resources mentioned in the episode: Pastor Grant's website: georgegrant.net Books: An Experiment in Liberty: https://amzn.to/3JYTrKN Killer Angels: https://amzn.to/3rqwmdD In the Shadow of Plenty: https://amzn.to/44Mb1d3 Keystones Vol 1: https://amzn.to/3pS6U0j An Expulsive Power of a New Affection: https://amzn.to/3rz0eo8 Affiliate links above. We receive proceeds for any qualifying purchase made through the the links. Intro & Outro: Scholar & Theologian James B. Jordan: "The Garden of God" www.wordmp3.com Music: In a Dubstep by FASSounds Affiliate links below. We receive proceeds if you purchase anything through the links below. Equipment: Microphone: AT2020 | https://amzn.to/41LXQrc Audio Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen | https://amzn.to/3oyRr4g Video Editor: Movavi Video Editor | https://amzn.to/43VQ9Ao Laptop: Microsoft Surface | https://amzn.to/3Akb2rq Camera: Samsung S10 | https://amzn.to/3oxqcqG or Logitech 1080p webcam: https://amzn.to/3Odt9qU #christianworldview #parenting #biblicaltheology #reformedtheology #takeholdstudios #thereformedreset #worldandlifeview #parenting #modesty #sex #girls #boys #new #men #women #egalitarian #complementarian #patriarchal #patriarchy #feminism #sexism #itsgoodtobeaman #lordship #lord #sovereignty #johncalvin #church #mattchandler #dougwilson #christ #thegospelcoalition #MGTOW #mattchandler #sbc #naparc #pca #opc #crec #bigeva #evangelical #viral #jordanpeterson #dougwilson #theopolis #jamesjordan #peterleithart #federalvision #fv #church #scotus #presbyterian #crc #reformed #dutchreformed #paedobaptism #paedocommunion #covenanttheology #covenant #works #goodworks #covenantofworks #halloween #horror #fall #fallseason #alliens #cryptids #cryptozoology #ufo #christiannationalism #politics #christianpolitics #youtube #trad #tradvirtue #virtue #truecrime #calvarychapel #acts29

On today's show the gang is recording in Memphis again, and this time they're joined by George Grant. George has many writing projects, but one of his recent ones addresses the life and ministry of Thomas Chalmers. George Grant is a remarkable pastor and scholar, and if he's impressed with Thomas Chalmers, that's saying something. Listen in as George waxes grandio-eloquent about this important 19th century Scots churchman, encourages us to read deeply, and reminds us of the hope a joyful church gives to our broken world. Enjoy! Keep up with George at https://georgegrant.net/ Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Check out the Got a Minute? Podcast with Rich Lusk and Larson Hicks: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fswVZmNEfSXA1JLZzgPhj

On today's show the gang is recording in Memphis again, and this time they're joined by George Grant. George has many writing projects, but one of his recent ones addresses the life and ministry of Thomas Chalmers. George Grant is a remarkable pastor and scholar, and if he's impressed with Thomas Chalmers, that's saying something. Listen in as George waxes grandio-eloquent about this important 19th century Scots churchman, encourages us to read deeply, and reminds us of the hope a joyful church gives to our broken world. Enjoy! Keep up with George at https://georgegrant.net/ Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Check out the Got a Minute? Podcast with Rich Lusk and Larson Hicks: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fswVZmNEfSXA1JLZzgPhj

On today's show the gang is recording in Memphis again, and this time they're joined by George Grant. George has many writing projects, but one of his recent ones addresses the life and ministry of Thomas Chalmers. George Grant is a remarkable pastor and scholar, and if he's impressed with Thomas Chalmers, that's saying something. Listen in as George waxes grandio-eloquent about this important 19th century Scots churchman, encourages us to read deeply, and reminds us of the hope a joyful church gives to our broken world. Enjoy! Keep up with George at https://georgegrant.net/ Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Check out the Got a Minute? Podcast with Rich Lusk and Larson Hicks: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fswVZmNEfSXA1JLZzgPhj

On today's show the gang is recording in Memphis again, and this time they're joined by George Grant. George has many writing projects, but one of his recent ones addresses the life and ministry of Thomas Chalmers. George Grant is a remarkable pastor and scholar, and if he's impressed with Thomas Chalmers, that's saying something. Listen in as George waxes grandio-eloquent about this important 19th century Scots churchman, encourages us to read deeply, and reminds us of the hope a joyful church gives to our broken world. Enjoy! Keep up with George at https://georgegrant.net/ Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Check out the Got a Minute? Podcast with Rich Lusk and Larson Hicks: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fswVZmNEfSXA1JLZzgPhj

In the kickoff of a new series, Cole and Terry discuss books that have been influential in their thinking and faith. This week, they discuss The Expulsive Power of a New Affection by Thomas Chalmers and Desiring God by John Piper. 

Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29

Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29

Josh Monday Christian and Conspiracy Podcast Episode 88 To all of our current and future listeners we love you and appreciate you. Thank you for every minute you give us of your time. Please do us a favor and share the podcast. Also please subscribe to our You tube @JoshmondayMusic and Podcast. Like, share, subscribe and comment. Please leave us a 5-star review on Apple and Spotify. This week we have an awesome show for you featuring returning guest Pastor Jim Brouillette. He is the author of the book Angels or Aliens. We get into the Three Earth Ages theory. We go over Genesis and discuss the Gap Theory. We get into 2 Peter and how he talks about the First Earth Perishing by Water. We get into how God tells the First Man and Women to Replenish the earth in Genesis 1:28. We get into some verses that back up the Gap theory and why churches don't teach it. We also get into Thomas Chalmers the original person that came up with the Gap Theory and his involvement in secret societies. We get into Day 6 when God created Man and Women and how it seems they were different then Adam and Eve. We get into the Land of Nod. We get into if Cain and Able were Twins. We get into The Serpent Seed theory and Pastor Jim's interpretation of the Eve and Satan account in Genesis 3. We get into a whole lot more tune in to find out. Pastor Jims website: Online Bible Study - Christ's Church of the Holy Word (christschurchoftheholyword.com) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/josh-monday/support

A new MP3 sermon from Presbyterian Reformed Church of RI is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: On the Great Christian Law of Reciprocity Between Man and Man Subtitle: Chalmers Audio Library Speaker: Thomas Chalmers Broadcaster: Presbyterian Reformed Church of RI Event: Audio Book Date: 8/29/2022 Bible: Matthew 7:12 Length: 44 min.

Shelf Life - 7-19 - The Pastor of Kilsyth When we talk about Scotland's Reformation and journey into freedom, names like John Knox, Richard Cameron and Thomas Chalmers easily come to mind. No doubt, they were mighty men of God called and chosen to serve as men who ushered the nation into a greater place of blessing. A reality that changed the world. But have you ever wondered about the pastors who filled the pulpits of the land? The army of men whose “common place” ministries were the meat and drink of parishes of Caledonia? Join Dr. Grant as he introduces you to The Pastor of Kilsyth by Islay Burns, a behind the scenes look into the ordinary ministry of a typical servant of God in Scotland - the spiritual boots on the ground. This look into the ministry of a “common pastor” is nothing short of extraordinary.

You may want to make some room on your bookshelf after hearing today's episode of The Morning Cruise. At the very least, you'll feel a little more book smart!  Carmen shared a bit from Pastor Aaron Burke's message this weekend. That conversation led to Bill discussing Thomas Chalmers and Expulsive Power. Carmen then told us how she has started reading The Prayer Life by Andrew Murray, which prompted Bill to shared the story of George Muller.  And with Mother's Day coming up, Carmen's...

Join the conversation as Matt and John talk about our march madness bracket, Affections, and Joe Frazier  0:00- intro 12:40-affections 37:40- this day in sports history 40:30- one thing Bracket Challenge- https://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/group/5378/invitation?key=ab82b4a8dcfb4f29 Resources →  Jonathan Edwards, “The Excellency of Christ” → https://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/je-excellency.htm Thomas Chalmers, The Expulsive Power of a New Affection → chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/viewer.html?pdfurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monergism.com%2Fthethreshold%2Fsdg%2FChalmers%2C%2520Thomas%2520-%2520The%2520Exlpulsive%2520Power%2520of%2520a%2520New%2520Af.pdf&clen=99921&chunk=true John Piper, When I Don't Desire God → https://www.amazon.com/When-Dont-Desire-God-Redesign/dp/1433543176

Day 22 Today's Reading: Matthew 22 The Bible never says you have to believe with all your heart, even though it says you must believe in your heart. But when it comes to loving God—that must be done with all your heart. I think God leaves room for the growing faith and doubts that come with belief. But when it comes to love, we can make a choice immediately. Love is our greatest weapon against sin. Nineteenth-century Scottish theologian Thomas Chalmers wrote, “The only way to dispossess the heart of an old affection is through the expulsive power of a new one—the expulsive power of a new affection.” How do you get rid of an old boyfriend? Get a bigger boyfriend. Jesus is the bigger boyfriend. So when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He did not start with, “Thou shall not . . .” or “Thou shall . . .” Jesus started with love. “Jesus declared, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). If you get loving God right, loving your neighbor is easy—because it all starts with God and loving Him. So many people want to change today. Change must have a starting point. To change a life without first addressing the core becomes futile. To educate and to try to reprogram without dealing with the love issue is a dead end. Why? What you love you will do. What you love you will sacrifice for. What you love you will make time for. If you love your boyfriend, you will sacrifice all to be with him. If you love baseball, you will find a way to play year-round or watch year-round. If you love your spouse, you will sacrifice to please him or her. Change starts with love. Change starts with asking the question, “What do I love most?” And the answer could startle us. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Everything self-corrects from there. To pursue Christianity without love does not last long. So, pray each day that you will love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Because when you love, the other stuff naturally follows. Start with love today. To try to change stuff without loving God is not change, it is conformity, and it won't last long. A friend of C. S. Lewis asked him, “Is it easy to love God?” Lewis answered, “It is easy to those who do it.” Christianity is not easy for those who don't love God but love church, love being moral, love the atmosphere. When you fall deeply in love, you want to please the Beloved. And that's when real change will occur.

Thomas Chalmers most famous sermon has been recommended by everyone from John Piper to Douglas Wilson. It has also been used at a Sex Rehab clinic to help people learn to love God more than this world. Listen to this powerful sermon from a man who "made his era." Special thanks to John Brand of Grace Community Church for reading this sermon for us. Also, go to Revived Thoughts website and check out our new merch store: Click here!We are partnered with ServeNow! If you would like to give to their ministry that gives bikes to pastors in rural areas around the world so that they can spread the Gospel, please check out their website and their new book: Hope Rising.If you'd like to join the premium team go to our Patreon.If you'd like to narrate a sermon, send us an email at revivedthoughts@gmail.comAnd if you enjoy the show, sharing with friends and a 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts!FacebookMeWeTwitterYoutubeRevived ThoughtsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Audio Transcript: This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston in our neighborhood churches, or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.Good morning, welcome to Mosaic Church. My name is Jan, I'm one of the pastors here at Mosaic along with Pastor Shane, and Pastor Andy, and if you're new, or visiting, we'd love to connect with you. We do that either through a connection card in the worship guide that you received on the way in, or the virtual connection card in the app, or on our website. If you fill it out, we'll get in touch with you over the course of the week.Would you please pray with me over the preaching of God's Word. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are a good God, and a good Father. And we thank you, Lord that you, before the foundation of the world, you imagined us into existence. That we are a product of your imagination, that in your heart, you foresaw who we would be and you made us so.And we thank you that you created us in your image with an imagination, and you have given us this imagination so that we use it for good to imagine realities of how we can serve people, and do good, and further the common good instead, Lord we've sinned. And so often our imaginations are used as a weapon for evil and sin.And Lord, we thank you that you did not leave us in our sin, but you sent Jesus Christ, the perfect image of the invisible God. We thank you Jesus, that you lived the perfect life, that you never sinned against anyone, and not God, not people. You love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and your imagination. And you love neighbor as self. You never treated anyone as an object, and you never dehumanized anyone with sin.And you went to the cross and Lord, you bore the weight that we deserve, the punishment that we deserve. You experienced hell being forsaken by God, so that we would not have to be. And we thank you. Holy Spirit, that you give us access to the gospel by grace, through faith. And I pray today Lord, give us a deep faith for your Word, that when you say something is sin and that something leads to pain and depravity, and shame, let us believe it.And when you say that we can be free of sin because where the Spirit is, here freedom is. Let us believe it and act upon that faith. Bless our time in the Holy Scriptures, we love you, and we pray all this in Christ's name, amen. Happy Valentine's Day, everybody. Perfect, perfect day for a nice sermon on lust. And that's what we're talking about today. The title of the sermon is Lust and Imagination.As we're going through a Sermon on the Mount, the context is that Jesus Christ is King, and he says, "The kingdom of God is at hand. The way that you enter into the kingdom of God is by repentance through faith." And once he gathers his disciples who have repented of sin, he explains to them this new order of life. It's a manifesto he's given us of the christian life of how we as Christians are to live. And he's given us the same standard that God gave in the very beginning.And just a word here on theology to set a meta narrative of what we're talking about, the theology of creations that God created everything by the power of his word. And he created us humans in his image, and he created us to enjoy him primarily, him first and foremost, secondarily creation. He gives us good gifts in creation to be used according to his guidelines, according to his laws.And he created us in such a way that the more we live according to his will, the more we glorify him, the more satisfaction we experience. Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless until they find the rest in you." It's like there's a missing piece in our hearts, and that missing pieces is Jesus, it's worshiping God, is being in trance with him. It's adoring him, loving him, being captivated by him with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind.It's like those security websites. When you get on some of these financial websites, and they show you the puzzle, and there's a puzzle piece that you need to move into the empty spot. And on a daily basis, God is saying, "Jesus is that piece that we need to be filled with satisfaction." So God created us with a need for him. And the other thing I want to connect that with as he created us in his image and were a product of his imagination.So he imagined us, and created us in his image. So the fact that we're in his image is we have an imagination. It's an incredible gift from God to have an imagination, and that imagination... And if you just think about how much of life you live in your imagination, two thirds, more? As you're sitting, especially if you get good at your job, you could be all day without even thinking about your job. You're just doing your job, and you were imagining realities. Every time you think about the past, and memories, that's imagination at work. Anytime you think about a better reality here, anytime you think about future realities, it's imagination at work.And one of the things that scripture teaches is that every single part of our person has been marred. The image of God in us has been marred by sin, and therefore imagination has been marred by sin. So that imagination which was created to do good and think of better reality, that imagination is sinful. So this is what Jesus Christ is talking about today, and he talks about lust, and he talks about this deep desire, he's talking about the capacity to imagine good things and act upon them, or imagine bad things and act upon.And this is a very relevant sermon for everybody. The latest statistics say that 95% of people struggle with lust. The other 5% struggle with lying. It's everybody, every single one of us. As my wife says, "Everybody have dirty mind, everybody." We all need Jesus. We all need cleansing. We're all on level playing field there. So that's the context with it. And we'll look at this text from the perspective of, is your imagination captivated by God? And that's the only place you'll find satisfaction. If not, there's things we have to do by grace through faith, with repentance, fighting those areas in order to be faithful to the Lord.With that said, would you look at the text with me? We're in Matthew 5:27-32, "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 then that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away for it's better that you lose one of your members then that your whole body go into hell. It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife except on the ground of sexual morality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."This is the reading of God's Holy and fallible authoritative Word. May he write these eternal truths upon our hearts. Four points to frame up our time. First, what's the big deal with lust? Second, lust is never satisfied just physically. Third, fighting lust with faith, and forth, we'll talk about marriage and divorce. So first of all, what's the big deal with lust? And I asked this because from our cultural perspective where you, and this is a secular humanist worldview, where humanity, humans, people are at the center of the universe and there is nothing above them. So, whatever you do, as long as you're not harming anybody that's good.So, why the radical language that Jesus is using. First in verse 27, I'll point out that Jesus emphasizes the heart. Verse 28. "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in heart." It's the heart. We see in the 10th commandment "Thou shall not envy. Thou shall not desire your neighbor's spouse." We see the desire there in commandment number 10.Jesus here goes into commandment number seven and says, that's the same thing. "Thou shall not commit adultery." It begins in the heart. The other thing I want to point out here is that from the perspective of Jesus. Jesus, primarily talking to his disciples, primarily talking to men. Men, you need to listen. You need to heed this commandment. And obviously it doesn't apply just to men, but he's talking to his disciples, so it applies to everybody.The assumption here is behind this commandment, behind this call to purity command to purity of the heart is the assumption is that sex is a lot more powerful than you know. It's mysterious, it's an untamable power. That's the assumption here from God's perspective. That's why Jesus uses such strong language and giving a prescription of how to deal with it. How to deal with it. This is verse 29. "If your right eye causes you sin, tear it out, throw it away for it's better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell."And he uses the same language with the hand. "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, throw it away for it's better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell." Jesus, why are you bringing hell into this? We're talking about lust, we're talking about adultery and Jesus says the consequence for this is hell. It's being forsaken by God forever. Why such strong language? Why this importance, this gravitas of lust. And partially other times I've preached this sermon and I'm like, look at the wisdom behind God's commandment. God cares about the individual. And God also cares about other individuals. And God cares about the family and God cares about society. So there is divine wisdom and fighting lust then leads to more blessing.That's not how I'm dealing with it today. Basically what Jesus is saying is, "I'm God, and I'm telling you how to live. And if you do not obey my Word, there are consequences, you are liable to judgment." That's how Jesus talks about. Back when I started my ministry, when people come to me, and say, "I'm struggling with lust and Pastor Jan, can you help me?" And I would give them like practical things to do. "Hey, put some filter on your computer. And if it's your phone, that's causing you to sin, get a flip phone, and get an accountability partner, and all that." Now, whenever anyone comes to me and says, "I'm struggling with sin." I say, "Pluck out your eye. Cut off your hand," because it is that serious. Obviously Jesus isn't talking about doing this physically literally, it's a hyperbole.But it's hyperbole, in a very arresting language, in a very extreme language. Hyperbole to say this radical measure is an index of how radical, and dangerous this sin is. In order for you to overcome this sin, you need to first understand that God hates it, and that there are dire consequences over it. And God is a God not just over your actions, but over your desires. God is a God over your imagination. That God has jurisdiction over the realities that you imagine, over your fantasies. And here he brings in the word hell, and it's Gehenna.And Gehenna was the garbage dump outside of Jerusalem where the fire would just keep burning. And he says, "That's a metaphor for what hell is." He's not saying that's exactly what hell, it's a metaphor. And whenever God uses a metaphor to describe hell, sometimes it's darkness, sometimes it's this fire that can't be quenched. The reality is always worse than the metaphor.So what are you saying is the reality is of this lust. If it keeps burning, and if you don't deal with this now, and then you die, and we are eternal beings. Well, if you have been forsaken by God in this world, then you will be forsaken in the next world and this fire just keeps on growing. And the assumption is that sex isn't just an appetite, that it is powerful, it's like a fire. And the right context in marriage to one man, one woman in covenant for a lifetime. It can lead to goodness, and a blessing from God. In the wrong context, can lead to devastation, just like a fire in a fireplace leads to light an ambiance, warmth, wrong contest, devastation.And that's the problem with our culture. We have mishandled this. We have absolutely mishandled this because we assume it's just an appetite, and we don't take God at his Word because we think it's just an appetite. Well God says, "No, it's not just physical, it has all kinds of spiritual manifestations, and consequences." And Satan's temptation here is the same temptation that he brought in the very beginning. The temptation is even as you're listening right now, even as I read the text the temptation is, is it really that bad? Is this sin really that bad? Did God really say? Did God really say that if you eat of it, you will die. Did God really say that?And what Satan did with Eve the very beginning, by tempting her to eat the forbidden fruit, he does today in terms of lust, and sex. Did God really say, and does God really have jurisdiction of this area of your life? And basically what Satan is doing is it's a power play. You don't have to submit to God. You can be your own god, and you decide what's good, and evil. You decide what's blessing, and what's cursing.He comes in and he attacks the imagination. Just imagine a world without God. Imagine a reality without God, with no consequences for your actions. This is John Lennon's signature song. Imagine a world without God. Imagine a world without God, without religion. Imagine that above is only sky. If we imagine such a world, one lacking country's, possessions, when we imagine all the people living in peace, unity, happiness. I think what John Lennon did was trying to create this flower power paradise that has no basis in reality.Nietzsche was more right. "If there is no God, and people do whatever they want, it leads to absolute chaos, and nihilism, and just abyss." But this is what seeing does is imagine. Imagine a world without God. Well, okay. Let's imagine that world without God. Most people live as if there is no God, and how's that going? Look at the consequences of sexual sin in our culture. I want to flip that around, and say, imagine a world where people obey this. Imagine a world where people will obey the sexual ethic of Christianity, of the gospel, of Scripture.Imagine a world where people understood the power of sexuality. Imagine a world of people would fight lust, and not have sex unless it's in a committed relationship of a husband and a wife. The greatest pandemic in the world today is not COVID. The greatest pandemic is fatherlessness where men do not submit to God, do whatever they want, and now everyone bears the consequences of that. You know this cliche, when a man has a daughter, and he's like, "Oh, now I understand. Now I understand that I've been objectifying women my whole life. Now I'm going to protect my daughter. And I will protect my daughters. I got four of them. If anyone ever tries to objectify my daughters, I've got guns my left, and my right. And I have a permit to carry those. I will absolutely obliterate everyone in Jesus name."No, but imagine viewing every single person, the way God intended you to view each other, as image bearers of God, not just an object of gratification. And that's what Satan comes in and he perverts our eyes where now we view people as objects instead of image bearers of God. The other objection is to the sexual ethic and lust is, if I don't express myself sexually, then I'm not being true to myself, and understand that if self is all there is, that's a fair objection, but self is not all there is. There is a God and you are not central, he is. And if there is a God and his Word is true, then being true to yourself is actually a terrible idea because what does it mean to be true to yourself, to act on every single impulse from the inside that's false.Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately seek who can understand it." Their sin inside, and we can't act upon single inclination that we have. Genesis 6:5. This is the text right before the flood. God says this, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of the heart was only evil continually." Intention of the thoughts is an imagination of the thoughts. That sin starts in the heart, and it captivates the imagination. And if it's not dealt with here, it leads to all kinds of brokenness.The other objection I hear from young people when it comes to lust and sexuality is, "I just need to get this out of my system. While I'm young, I need to get this out of my system." That's false, that's like pouring gasoline on fire. You're just jacking up your system, and that you're creating memories that can never be removed and heartache that you're going to deal with for years to come. The other objection is, "I'm not harming anyone." Well, that's false, there is a God. And when you break his commandments, you're not just harming yourself, you're harming others, and you're breaking the heart of God.Lust adulterates you, it adulterates the people around us. So that's what's the big deal because God says it's a big deal. So second, lust is never satisfied just physically. Let's define our terms. What is lust? It's the Greek word, (speaking in foreign language). It's used 62 times in the New Testament, only twice it's used for sex. What does it mean? It means not just desire, but inordinate desire. It's desire out of control. It's when you take a physical thing and try to get from it, transcendence or spiritual satisfaction. You take a good thing, and you try to get from it only what you can get from God.So in this sense lust is more than just in the context of sexuality. If sex is your ultimate desire, you'll never have sex enough. If money is the ultimate desire or fame, or acceptance, or things, or attention, or food, or cars, or drink, or success, security, beauty, you will never have enough if this is the ultimate thing. And how do you know you're making something the ultimate thing? It's when you look at the commandments of God, and say. "No, getting this is more important than obedience to God."Now it becomes an idol, and it begins to control us. The more you try to satisfy lust, the more this desire grows. And if you try to quench lust with sex only, it'll just continue being unsatisfied, and grow. And this is why there's rehab centers for sexual addiction. And you go to these rehab centers, and ask people, how did this start? You don't wake up addicted to illicit sex. It starts little, by little, by little, and the fire keeps growing, and growing, and growing and all.The other thing I want to point out is, on the one hand our culture says, "Sex is no big deal, have a good time." On the other hand, we know that the consequences are grave. We know that there's shame and a regret. We know that people do things that should not be done. We know this. We know when people get caught on Zoom for doing things that they should not be doing. Our culture condemns that. Why do we do that? Because we understand it's written on our heart that this is wrong. There's a lot wrong with it.Lust is a black hole that's never filled with just sex, or things. And this is why we need the gospel of Jesus Christ. What we're desperately longing for isn't just a physical experience. We're longing for intimacy, we're longing for a true love, we're longing to be filled deep inside, and only God can do that. That's why the gospel of Jesus Christ is so powerful. When you look at Jesus Christ who never committed a sin with his eye, or his hand, and never lusted in his heart. And then he goes to the cross, and on the cross, he dies for our sin.He bears the penalty as if he had lusted. As if he had committed adultery, and he's dying on the cross. And he says, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" What's he talking about? He's going through hell. He's experiencing God forsakingness. And which is hell, why does he do that if he was perfect, he's not dying for his sin. He's dying for our sin, and when you realize that this is how much you're loved, that despite all of your sin, despite lust, despite everything, you are still loved, and God died on the cross for your sins, you accept forgiveness. Now you have access to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit fills us, and now we have the power to overcome the sin. And now we have the power to take every single one of our imaginations and take them captive.Okay, real quick imagination audit. We're going to do a little imagination audit. How's your imagination? How are you doing with... And am looking at less from the perspective of imagination to show you that it's a lot wider. The scope is a lot wider than just looking at porn. Porn's included, but it's a lot wider. It's when we fantasize realities, and create these realities that are forbidden by God.So imagination audit, what are you feeding your imagination on a daily basis? And are those things leading to satisfaction of the soul, or are they creating a dissatisfaction, and a fire that's pulling you away from God? What are you looking at? What are you listening to? What are you reading? And the visual input is really important. Jesus connects lust here, it starts with the heart. And then he says that it leads to adultery in the heart. Lust in the heart, adultery in the heart. And then you look.The looking is a third part. What he is connecting is less than the imagination with images. And there is this deep connection. So as Christian, we need to be very careful at what are you looking at? What do you spend your time looking at in TV shows? This is movies. This is social media accounts, and content. What are you feeding? And I will tell you, the smarter you are, the more careful you got to be with that stuff. The better memory you have, the more you gotta be careful with that. So what are you listening to in terms of podcasts, in terms of music, how much of pop culture and pop music is built around inflaming people's lust?And then it goes deeper than that. It goes deeper than the stuff we consume on a daily basis. What about memories? What memories, dreams, or mental pictures have been particularly vivid in your mind that you keep going back to, and you know you shouldn't be. How have they been impacting you? How did they make you feel? And which of these mental pictures have been encouraging, and life-giving, and how do these mental pictures stack up against God's Word?When you're daydreaming about the future, are you daydreaming in a way where your God is in those daydreams? God is in those fantasies. Is God in those realities? Or are you doing this in order to escape God, escape obedience, escape God's Word. And it has to do with people, not just realities. It has to be dreaming about doing things with other people. Do you find yourself daydreaming about a person, or interactions you wish to have with that person that you shouldn't? Do you reach out with hopes of getting specific response? Would you be embarrassed if that person knew about your fantasies, or imaginations about them? Would you be embarrassed if the people closest to you knew the things that you were imagining?Are you building up expectations about how things are going to turn out? Are you spending a lot of time analyzing past interactions, and to the point where it's idolatrous. And the big idea here is that once you become a Christian, you come to the cross of Christ, you repent of sin, you got to make it a practice of putting off old imaginations, and putting on the new. We need to practice fighting back against evil imaginations. And just real quick, the easiest way to do that is the very second you have a fantasy, or imagination that you know you shouldn't, an image pops up, you need to repent of that, and ask for the Lord's forgiveness, and ask for the Lord to purify the heart.And Scripture says that those who are pure in heart, they see God. How do we see God? With our minds eye, with our imagination. Third point is, how do we do this practically fighting lust with faith? When you believe in Jesus Christ, you believe in way that captivates your whole being, that's true faith. It's not cerebral in the mind. We are called to believe with all of our being. And when we come to the Lord, we repent of all of our sin. The Lord justifies us and the Lord justifies us and says, "You're acquitted and you're not guilty, you are forgiven of all sin." And if you are a true Christian, you have a desire to fight sin.So justifying faith is lust fighting faith, where you want God above all else. And this is how the gospel redeems our imagination. Romans 6:14, "For sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law, but under grace." So when you come to God, you realize that he loves you so much, that he gave his son. He fills your heart with a great love. Once you experience the Holy Spirit, once you experience the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, once you experience all of that, you want to do everything you can to stay as close to him as possible.This why lust is so dangerous because it pulls us away from God. But once you've experienced that, he's re-calibrated the taste buds of your soul, and you want to do everything you can to be as close to him as possible. It's like when you know real food, when you know delicious food and you know exactly where I'm going with this, when you have a steak, a delicious ribeye with asparagus, if you'd like. When you have like this is real food you have that, it's not that easy to go back to junk. Yesterday we took our girl, Tanya, took our girls to just walk around Beacon Hill, and we walk them by Upper Crust. And my daughter Milan, my youngest one, she stops and she goes.She's got my nose, which I'm really sorry about. And the flaps go and it's just so cute. And then we're like, "No, we're not having pizza. We're going to be good." My wife made Borscht at home, because that's what we do she's Ukrainian. So my daughter's like, "Oh, no." So then we keep walking, and we go to the Boston Common, and then we're walking by the McDonald's. And then my third daughter stops, and she goes, and I knew at that moment we're going to McDonald's.And when you go to McDonald's, you know what you're doing. You know like you are sinning, you are breaking all kinds of commandments. And as you eat, it is so good. Then you're like, "Ah, yeah." And then you know you're going to hate yourself as you doing it. You're going to hate yourself five minutes later. And then five minutes later goes by, and you're like, "I just consume like 4,000 calories. I still feel a little hungry, and I hate myself." That, that right there.So something like that happens on the spiritual level. When you taste God, taste, and see that he is good. That's love for God, that fills your heart, and that gives you power to fight lust. You know where this is going to lead, plus it's going to pull you away from God. You know it's not going to satisfy. So your heart is filled with love for God. And that gives you power to fight lust, and not love that lust. That's why Jesus in verse 28, he emphasis on the heart. "But I say that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Then progression is heart then adultery. Then the look, then the action.You're loving something more than God. So how do you fight that? You fight that desire with a greater desire, you fight that fire with a greater fire. You fight the lust with the love. One of my favorite quotes on this topic is, Thomas Chalmers, the 1840s, and the famous sermon called the Expulsive Power of a New Affection. He says, "The only way to break the hold of a beautiful object on the soul is to show an object even more beautiful."So true change for lust doesn't come from the outside. That's not where it starts. It doesn't start with self-discipline. It starts from the inside, repentance, and faith and God fills your heart with love, and then on the outside. So, it's a clean heart that leads to clean eyes, and clean hands. The other thing that you got to believe God's Word, you got to believe that his Word is true about the importance of fighting it.The other thing you have to believe is that you can be free. I mean, so many Christians, when I counsel them on this topic, they're like, "It's impossible to be free of lust. It's possible to have victory over the sin." And that right there, that faithlessness always leads to defeat. Do you even believe that you can be victorious over this lust? Do you have this vision for your life? In the imagination, can you right now imagine being free of lust today? Let's string the wings together. Can you imagine having freedom from lust tomorrow? Do you have that? Can you imagine that? And as you imagine that, ask for the Lord's help, and fight the good fight, and be free of lust tomorrow. Can you imagine being free for a week?Can you imagine being free for 21 days? And that's what they say. It takes 21 days to break any addiction in 30 days, whatever it is. Can you imagine this new reality for yourself? Do we do it perfectly? Of course not. But it's got to be like we look at the charts of the stock market, stocks always keep going up. You go up, up, up, up, down, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, and you keep going. A year goes by five years, ten. It just keeps going up. That's what growth, and righteousness must look like for every true Christian.One of my favorite illustrations of this topic is Augustine of Hippo, struggled with one of the greatest minds that ever existed, struggled with lust as a young man. And then one time after his conversion walks by, he's walking through town, walks by a former sexual partner, and he doesn't acknowledge her. And then she turns, and calls out, "Augustine it is I." And he turns and responds. "Yes, I know, but it is no longer I. The transformation at the core, that changes your identity. Once you're baptized into the faith, by the Holy Spirit, and baptized with water, there is a baptism of the imagination that needs to happen.Scripture says, "Be transformed by the renewal of your mind." And Augustine writes about his conversion so poetically, he says this, "Late have I loved you, O Beauty..." He's talking about God. "so ancient, and so new, late have I loved you! You were within me and I was outside and I sought you outside and in my loneliness fell upon those things that you have made. But you called to me, and cried to me and broke my deafness. And you sent forth your beams and shone upon me and chased away my blindness, you breathe your fragrance upon me, and I drew in my breath and now I pant for you. I tasted you. And now I hunger, and thirst for you."Like that true relationship with God. That true spiritual connection with God through prayer, through meditation, upon Scripture, through silence, through solitude, through fasting, that's where the victory begins. Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." So that's where you start love for God. I believe in you, I love you. He fills your heart with that love. And you want to honor him and delight him as you delight in him. But you can't, that's not just where it stops.There are things you got to do in terms of mortifying the flesh. Love for God, and mortification of flesh are the one-two combination of knocking out lust in your life. And the mortification of the flesh means, you have to take physical actions. As Jesus says, like it was a hyperbolic, "Pluck out your eye and cut off your..."But you have to take radical actions where you know that the things are causing you to sin, and stoking up lust in your life, igniting that. You need to cut that out of your life. And you see the one-two combination, Colossians 3:1-5, verse five, "Put to death therefore, what is earthly in you." But it starts with filling your imagination with God, Colossians 3:1, "If then you've been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds."And this is what he's saying, imagine, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." That's the imagination. That's your heart filled with, you're in trance with God, and then "Put to death therefore." So you will stop there. "Therefore." Based on all of that, "put to death therefore, what is earthly in you, sexual morality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Put it to death.He's not saying incrementally choke the life out of it. He's using this language of crucify the sin in your life. Galatians 5:16, "But I say walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." To feed the Spirit weakens the flesh. The other really just practical point is make no provision for the flesh. Make no provision. Don't put yourself in places that stoke the flesh, and lust and put yourself in places that draw you near to God, and give you a desire for purity. This is Romans 13:13-14.And by the way, I've said it before, oh 2020, 2021, our present day. This is the hardest time to ever be sexually pure, and fighting lust and et cetera, et cetera. I don't think that's true in the Roman Empire, Saint Paul is writing things like this, "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness." It's not talking about 2020, he's talking about the year like '70. So this has always been an issue, "Not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual morality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires."So simply he's saying, don't put yourself in a place where you will be tempted, simply stay away. The father in Proverbs 5 tells the son to not go near the door of temptress, because she can't tempt you, if you can't see her. She can't tempt you if you're not in a place where you can be tempted. You know yourself, and you know the situations that cause you to lust, stay away from those situations, and pursue righteousness. Job says in 31:1, he says, "I've made a covenant." Meaning I made a decision. Ironclad decision. "I made a covenant with my eyes. How could I gaze at a Virgin?" Another translation says, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl." And later in the same chapter, Job admits that God would judge him if he had given in to the temptation, Job 31:7-9."If my step has turned aside from the way, and my heart has gone after my eyes." So sometimes your eyes go after your heart, and sometimes your heart goes after your eyes "If any spot has stuck to my hands then let me sow, and another eat and let what grows for me be rooted out. If my heart has been enticed toward a woman and I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door." So he's saying the sexual sin has to be cut out, stamped out before the temptation can take a foothold in the mind.The other way that Scripture talks about dealing with lust is this language of putting it to sleep, and awakening it. Meaning we have control over this, Song of Solomon. "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases." That you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. So there things that we do with our imagination that awakens things that should not be awakened. Speaking of imagination, Satan attacks our imagination by showing us the worm of whatever the action is. And the way that we can fight that is by imagining the consequences. So Satan definitely wraps the stain of sin, with a tasty worm. The wiser prudent Christian can see through the worm. And this takes a little practice. You can see through the worm to see the hook where you know...Think about the consequences, think about how this is going to hurt you. Think about how this is going to potentially become a new rhythm. Think about how it might impact the people in your life. Either people who are close around you now, or people who will be in your life in the future. James 1:13-15, "Let no one say when he's tempted, 'I'm being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it's conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown, brings forth death."The emphasis there of responsibility is not on someone else. O someone else caused me to sin, or someone else tempted me. No, it's from the heart. Therefore, we bear responsibility, and when God tells us to not sin, and put to death, he's telling us we have power to do it by the power of the Spirit. The famous illustration in Holy Scripture of this is King David. King David doesn't go to war with... When he was supposed to go to war, he's on his roof of his palace. And he sees Bathsheba bathing. And the issue there wasn't that he saw that. Scripture says that he gazed on her. "She was beautiful to behold." He saw and he continued to see, and that led to all kinds of brokenness.So, the question isn't like, "Are we going to see content that's going to create lust in us?" The question is, are you going to gaze? Or are you going to fight it? We have control of our eyes. We have control of our ears, what we hear, what are you going to focus on? And finally here in this just practically, Christians are good at repenting of sin. We run to Jesus after we sin. We also got to learn to run to Jesus before we sin.When you're tempted, as soon as you're tempted run to God, and ask for forgiveness, and ask for cleansing of the Spirit, and the power of the Spirit. Finally, marriage and divorce. The reason why Jesus talks about lust and adultery in this text, and then he connects to the marriage is because it's all intertwined. That's important to note. And then Matthew 5:31-32, "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual morality, makes her commit adultery. Whoever marries a divorced woman, commits adultery."What's Jesus talking about? He said that you have heard it that it was said, he's not talking about Scripture, which is what he would have said. "You have read what is written." And he's talking about the interpretation of the rabbis, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the lacks interpretation of the law when it comes to faithfulness, and loyalty in marriage. According to the rabbis, a man could divorce his wife for basically anything. If you look at the Mishnah, if you liked another woman better, if his wife spoiled the dinner or if she was barren, and if he consider her lazy, if he didn't like her looks, basically at any point, he just divorced her if he choose to. Now, that was the interpretation of the rabbis.And what happened was... And basically that's how marriage, and divorce works in our day. We fell out of love, and that's it. And the rabbis took the biblical understanding of marriage and flipped it on its head. The Bible understanding of marriage is a covenant. It is a covenant between one man and one woman for life. And they turned into a contract and in a contract, here's your terms, you're going to meet your terms. Here's my terms, if you don't meet your side of the bargain, where out, there's no more contract. And within covenant, you do what God does with us. God made a new covenant with us, and he says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." And that's the intention of marriage to be a picture of God's love for us.And this is exactly what the rabbis did. They flipped it into a contract. Whenever I officiate a wedding, I say the same thing every time, "Dearly beloved we're gathered here today in the sight of God on this face of this company, et cetera, et cetera." And then I say, "What we are witnessing here today is a miracle. We're gathered to witness a miracle. And the miracle isn't a confession of past love, and it's not a profession of current love. It's a promise of future love, no matter what, until death do us part." That's the miracle of marriage and that's God's intention for marriage.And the rabbis came in and they realized that that's impossible. God's standard of marriage is impossible. So we need to lessen the law. And the clarification of this text happens in Matthew 19:3-9. "The Pharisees came to him and tested him by asking, 'Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?' And he answered, 'Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning, made them male and female and said, 'Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife. And the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.'And they said to him, 'Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce to send her away?' And he said, 'Because of your hardness of heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning, it was not so, and I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual morality and marries another commits adultery.'" So it was the rabbis looked at the law and like to become one for life? Ah, we can't do that. They lessen the law, and Jesus comes in and says, "No, this is the standard. Divorce isn't allowed." And the reason why people divorced because of hardness of heart, and this is as real as it gets. And if you're married, you know exactly this hardness that comes. You got to deal with it.And the way that we deal with it is through the gospel. You audit your heart. Is there bitterness or hardness of heart toward my spouse? Go to the gospel, receive grace and mercy and that softens the heart. In terms of divorce, the reasons for divorce that are permissible in Scriptures, death, then you're separated from the spouse and so you can remarry. Adultery or sexual morality and desertion, that's 1 Corinthians 7. So in these cases, divorce from a biblical perspective is permitted though it's not desired. Reconciliation is to be saw instead, but it's permitted.Why such a high standard of marriage? Because it's sacred from God's perspective. If anyone remarries for any reason, other than sexual morality or desertion or death, that sin, however, our God is gracious and forgiving and whoever repents and confess his sin is forgiven immediately. So if someone remarries, or divorces and remarries for any other reason other than these three, the new marriage is initially adulterous, but not perpetually if there is repentance and if people seek repentance. And then if someone does remarry and seeks repentance, and you're like, "Oh, I shouldn't have remarried. I'm going to go back to my former spouse." No, once you're married, that's God's will for you.Finally, I'll close with this. In terms of imagination, in terms of what we're imagining about our past and present and future, one of my favorite texts is Philippians 4:8-9. It says this, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there's any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you."Don't just think about and imagine whatever, instead think and imagine about whatever's good and true and beautiful so that we can live lives that are good and true and beautiful and image forth the glory of God, amen. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for this Word that you've given us. Lord and Jesus, we thank you for you are King and that you are King over every single square inch of our lives that you call us to faithfulness and fidelity in the same way that you are faithful to us. Lord, we pause right now to ask for forgiveness, if there's any hardness of heart in us, and if there's any place in our life where our imaginations have been captivated by things that they should not be captivated by, and we pray, forgive us and cleanse us. And by the power of the Spirit, ignite our imagination to think about you and love you and think about how we can do good work and how we can further the common good for your glory and our joy. And we pray this in Christ's Holy name, amen.

In episode #121 of the Out of the Question Podcast, George Grant talks about his inspiration as a writer and specifically about why the “forgotten” Thomas Chalmers is a good model for Christians today.

This week we have a recording of a lecture delivered at the 2020 ASSA meetings in San Diego. At that conference, the association of Christian economists sponsored two sessions, and the one I will highlight here was a series of talks on Adam Smith and religion. The session was co-sponsored by the History of Economics Society. In this episode, I will share the lecture by Paul Oslington about Adam Smith's writing about the economics of religion. Oslington argues that while Smith did not formulate a comprehensive theory of the economics of religion, that if you gather his writing about the state church, religious competition, clergy pay, and related topics, a surprisingly sophisticated account emerges. For those of you who are interested in Adam Smith's thinking, or in the economics of religion, this short talk will be intriguing. Paul Oslington is a longtime member of the Association of Christian Economics, is a member of the editorial board for Faith & Economics, and is an important name for those working at the intersection of economics and theology. He is currently Dean of Business and professor of economics at Alphacrucis College in Sydney Australia. This lecture comes out of a chapter that was written for the Routledge Handbook of Economic Theology. (https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Economic-Theology/Schwarzkopf/p/book/9781138288850) An early draft of this chapter can be found here. (http://christianeconomists.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Oslington-Smith-Economics-of-the-Church-ASSA-2020.pdf) Abstract: Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations provides an economic analysis of the provision of religious education and aspects of the church, picking up on his friend David Hume's discussion of church establishment in his History of England. Smith and Hume of course are not alone, for economic arguments about church establishment, toleration of other religious groups, financial support of clergy, and related issues, were deployed by Richard Hooker, William Warburton, William Paley, Josiah Tucker, Jeremy Bentham, Edmund Burke, Richard Whately, Thomas Chalmers, and others. Their philosophical framework and arguments, however are quite different to those employed in the contemporary rational choice economics of religion. Smith argues, against Hume, for the virtues of religious competition, for voluntary contributions alongside state support of religion, and limited democracy in relation to church appointments. A properly constituted religious market Smith suggests will generate benefits for society. Smith's arguments about religious competition are connected to his larger philosophical framework, in particular his understanding of the fall and divine providence. Also, check out the sessions that ACE is organizing for this coming ASSA meetings, which will be online, and so will cost participants only the conference registration fee. (http://christianeconomists.org/2020/08/29/ace-sessions-at-the-assa-meetings-online/) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/faithfuleconomy/support

REFLECTION QUOTES “Those in whom anger or desire or any other passion, or again any insidious vice holds sway, are entirely enslaved, while all those whose life is regulated by law are free.” ~Philo (c. 20 BC- c. AD 50) Jewish philosopher of ancient Alexandria “The teaching of the law, let it no longer lead you to bondage, but, on the contrary, bring you to liberty; let it no longer be only a schoolmaster, but bring you to perfection: it ought to be received by you with sincere affection, so that you may lead a godly and holy life.” ~John Calvin (1509-1564), French-born theologian “We need to emphasize more strongly the connection that exists between freedom and truth. On the one hand, freedom exists for the sake of truth; on the other hand, without truth, freedom cannot achieve its own perfection.” ~Karol Wojtyla, future Pope John Paul II, at the Second Vatican Council “It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.” ~Voltaire (1694-1778), French Enlightenment philosopher “Craving human affirmation is a no-win proposition. Those who don't receive it are miserable. Those who do receive it only want more.” ~Shai Linne, pastor and rap artist “Such is the grasping tendency of the human heart, that it must have a something to lay hold of and which, if wrested away without the substitution of another something in its place, would leave a void and a vacancy as painful to the mind, as hunger is to the natural system.” ~Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847), The Expulsive Power of a New Affection “To see the Law by Christ fulfilled, And hear his pard'ning voice; Changes a slave into a child, And duty into choice.” ~William Cowper (1731-1800), English poet, one of the most popular poets of his time SERMON PASSAGE James 2 and selected passages (ESV) James 2 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Galatians 5 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” James 1 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures…. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. Jeremiah 31 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Romans 8 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and [as an offering] for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

REFLECTION QUOTES “Despite the frequent claim that we are living in a secular age defined by the death of God, many citizens in rich Western democracies have merely switched one notion of God for another —abandoning their singular, omnipotent (Christian or Judaic or whatever) deity reigning over all humankind and replacing it with a weak but all-pervasive idea of spirituality tied to a personal ethic of authenticity and a liturgy of inwardness…. At the heart of the ethic of authenticity is a profound selfishness and callous disregard of others.” ~Simon Critchley and Jamieson Webster in The New York Times “It is not a question of whether we worship, but what we worship.” ~James K.A. Smith, Canadian-American philosopher “You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.” ~Eric Hoffer (1902-1983), social philosopher “It is well said, then, that it is by doing just acts that the just man is produced, and by doing temperate acts the temperate man…But most people do not do these, but take refuge in [mere] theory…, behaving somewhat like patients who listen attentively to their doctors, but do none of the things they are ordered to do.As the latter will not be made well in body by such a course of treatment, the former will not be made well in soul by such a course of philosophy.” ~Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC), ancient Greek philosopher “Such is the grasping power of the human heart, that it must have something to lay hold of—and which, if wrested away without the substitution of another something in its place, would leave a vacancy as painful to the mind as hunger is to the natural system.” “…in the gospel do we so behold God as that we may love God. It is there, and there only, where God stands revealed as an object of confidence to sinners—and where our desire after Him is not chilled into apathy by that barrier of human guilt…” ~Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847), Scottish minister and professor SERMON PASSAGE Titus 2:11-3:8 (NASB) Titus 2 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. 15 These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. Titus 3 1 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, 2 to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. 3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.

Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29

REFLECTION QUOTES “The world will ask you who you are, and if you don't know, the world will tell you.” ~Carl Jung (1875-1961), Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst “It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.” ~Voltaire (1694-1778), French Enlightenment philosopher “…the heart [cannot be] left without an object. Its desire for one particular object may be conquered; but…its desire for having some one object or other, this is unconquerable…. Such is the grasping tendency of the human heart, that it must have a something to lay hold of and which, if wrested away without the substitution of another something in its place, would leave a void and a vacancy as painful to the mind, as hunger is to the natural system.” ~Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847), Scottish minister, professor and social reformer “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you.” ~St. Augustine (354-430), North African bishop “Look around and you will see systems and processes of justification everywhere in human affairs…. Other animals communicate, struggle for dominance, and form alliances. But they don't justify why they do what they do. We are the justifying animal.” ~Dr. Gregg Henriques, professor of psychology at James Madison University “Religion says earn your life. Secular society says create your life. Jesus says, ‘My life for your life.'” ~Dr. Tim Keller, pastor in Manhattan (NYC) “To see the law by Christ fulfilled And hear His pard'ning voice, Transforms a slave into a child, And duty into choice.” ~John Newton (1725-1807), writer of “Amazing Grace” SERMON PASSAGE Mark 7 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'” 17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Mark 8 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?”

1. Read Psalm 20:7. Take a moment to consider what “horses and chariots” would have meant to people in that day. Take some time to identify what things you are tempted to trust in other than God.2. Read through Mark 6:14-29. Make a list of the ways you see Herod's idolatry affecting his life as well as the people around him.3. Take some time to consider how your own idolatry has affected you and those around you.4. Thomas Chalmers argued that the only way to deal with our idols is to replace them with the glory of God. What would this practically look like in your own life?

“Pessimism about the real, palpable, and demonstrable transforming power of the Gospel in history ultimately engenders doubt in the whole of the culture.  It is a doubt that has its naissance in over-spiritualizing the church but that has its renaissance in under-spiritualizing the society.” Thomas Chalmers   “The way of the world tends to be a harried frenzy while the…

REFLECTION QUOTES “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.” ~Frank A. Clark, American writer and cartoonist “Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God's grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it. This kind of trust in and knowledge of God's grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures. This is what the Holy Spirit does by faith. Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; he will serve everyone, suffer everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace. It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire.” ~Martin Luther (1483-1546) in his Preface to his Roman's Commentary “True rest to the mind of the child of God is rest on the wing, rest in motion, rest in service, not rest with the yoke off, but with the yoke on.” ~Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), famed London Preacher “Salvation by grace, salvation by free grace, salvation not by works but according to the mercy of God is indispensible…to…godliness. Retain a single shred or fragment of legality with the Gospel…and you take away the power of the Gospel to melt and conciliate. For this purpose, the freer it is, the better it is.” ~Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) in “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection” “Therefore it is so far from being true, that this justifying faith makes men remiss in a pious and holy life, that on the contrary without it they would never do anything out of love to God, but only out of self-love or fear of damnation. Therefore it is impossible that this holy faith can be unfruitful in man….” ~Belgic Confession (1561), Article 24 SERMON PASSAGE Titus 2 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. 15 These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. Ephesians 2 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Titus 3 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable… Romans 8 1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Authors & "Canadian cultural icons" Linda & Sandy Finlayson, join the round table to talk Shania Twain, maple syrup, books, and their estranged friendship with the Spin's own Carl Trueman. They discuss Sandy's biography on Thomas Chalmers and Linda's book Wielding the Sword. The dynamic duo share their reasons for taking up the pen to publish these books centered around church history as it is both a passion and mission of theirs.This week, the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is giving away free copies of Wielding the Sword by Linda Finlayson OR Thomas Chalmers by Sandy Finlayson. Enter here for a chance to win. You can also purchse these books on Reformed Resources.