Great Christmas song, great video. Thanks Matthew.
Author: Josh King
The Incarnation of Christ and the Mortification of Sin
That even those very sins that Satan paints, and puts new names and colours upon, cost the best blood, the noblest blood, the life-blood, the heart-blood of the Lord Jesus. That Christ should come from the eternal bosom of his Father to a region of sorrow and death; that God should be manifested in the flesh, the Creator made a creature; that he that was clothed with glory should be wrapped with rags of flesh; he that filled heaven and earth with his glory should be cradled in a manger; that the power of God should fly from weak man, the God of Israel into Egypt; that the God of the law should be subject to the law, the God of the circumcision circumcised, the God that made the heavens working at Joseph’s homely trade; that he that binds the devils in chains should be tempted; that he, whose is the world, and the fullness thereof, should hunger and thirst; that the God of strength should be weary, the Judge of all flesh condemned, the God of life put to death; that he that is one with his Father should cry out of misery, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ Mat. xxvii. 46; that he that had the keys of hell and death at his girdle should lie imprisoned in the sepulchre of another, having in his lifetime nowhere to lay his head, nor after death to lay his body; that that head, before which the angels do cast down their crowns, should be crowned with thorns, and those eyes, purer than the sun, put out by the darkness of death; those ears, which hear nothing but hallelujahs of saints and angels, to hear the blasphemies of the multitude; that face, that was fairer than the sons of men, to be spit on by those beastly wretched Jews; that mouth and tongue, that spake as neverman spake, accused for blasphemy; those hands, that freely swayed the sceptre of heaven, nailed to the cross; those feet, ‘like unto fine brass,’ nailed to the cross for man’s sins; each sense annoyed: his feeling or touching, with a spear and nails; his smell, with stinking flavour, being crucified about Golgotha, the place of skulls; his taste, with vinegar and gall; his hearing, with reproaches, and sight of his mother and disciples bemoaning him; his soul, comfortless and forsaken; and all this for those very sins that Satan paints and puts fine colours upon! Oh! how should the consideration of this stir up the soul against it, and work the soul to fly from it, and to use all holy means whereby sin may be subdued and destroyed!
After Julius Caesar was murdered, Antonius brought forth his coat, all bloody and cut, and laid it before the people, saying, ‘Look, here you have the emperor’s coat thus bloody and torn:’ whereupon the people were presently in an uproar, and cried out to slay those murderers; and they took their tables and stools that were in the place, and set them on fire, and run to the houses of them that had slain Cassar, and burnt them. So that when we consider that sin hath slain our Lord Jesus, ah, how should it provoke our hearts to be revenged on sin, that hath murdered the Lord of glory, and hath done that mischief that all the devils in hell could never have done?
It was good counsel one gave, ‘Never let go out of your minds the thoughts of a crucified Christ.’ Let these be meat and drink unto you; let them be your sweetness and consolation, your honey and your desire, your reading and your meditation, your life, death, and resurrection. – Thomas Brooks in Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices
The Sweet Dropper: More Sure to Rise from the Grave than the Bed
But the greatest trial of trust is in our last encounter with death, wherein we shall find not only a deprivation of all comforts in this life, but a confluence of all ill at once; but we must know, God will be the God of his unto death, and not only unto death, but in death. We may trust God the Father with our bodies and souls which he hath created; and God the Son with the bodies and souls which he hath redeemed; and the Holy Spirit with those bodies and souls that he hath sanctified. We are not disquieted when we put off our clothes and go to bed, because we trust God’s ordinary providence to raise us up again. And why should we be disquieted when we put off our bodies and sleep our last sleep, considering we are more sure to rise out of our graves than out of our beds? Nay, we are raised up already in Christ our Head, ‘who is the resurrection and the life,’ John xi. 25, in whom we may triumph over death, that triumpheth over the greatest monarchs, as a disarmed and conquered enemy. Death is the death of itself, and not of us. – Richard Sibbes in The Soul’s Conflict with Itself
Matthew 1:18-25 & The Necessity of the Incarnation for Salvation
In order for Jesus to be Jesus (meaning “Yahweh is salvation”) He has to be Immanuel (meaning “God with us”).
When the angel commands Joseph to name the child “Jesus”, he also gives him the reason why, “for He will save His people from their sins.” This is an allusion to Psalm 130:8. In this Psalm the “He” who redeems Israel from his iniquities is Yahweh. Only God can forgive sins ultimately. It is His prerogative; He is the most offended party (Psalm 51:4). You do not have the right to forgive a debt against someone else. The scribes theology was sound when they questioned, “Who can forgive sins but God?” (Mark 2:1-11).
In the 11th century Anslem of Canterbury wrote an important book titled, Cur Deus Homo, loosely translated, Why the God-Man? Why did Jesus have to be Immanuel to deal with sins? Why must the second person of the Trinity take on human flesh? His answer, in short, is that in sin we incur a debt that only man ought to pay and only God can pay. Thus, in order to pay this debt, a God-Man is needed.
In creation, the law, and our conscience we know God above us and against us. Only in the gospel do we know God for us and with us—God incarnate, born of a virgin, truly man, truly God—with us.
Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
– Hark! the Herald Angels Sing by Charles Wesley
Tolle Lege: How People Change
Readability: 1
Length: 223 pp
Author: Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp
Can people really change? Can you? Do you desire to change? Are you tired of self-help books that fell like a hamster wheel? Here you will find no superficial solutions to your behavior. Lane and Tripp go to the heart of the problem – the problem of the human heart. They realize that for real change to occur a miracle must happen – the new birth. Behavior springs from the heart. If behavior is to be changed, the heart must be changed. How People Change is an excellent resource for pastors, counselors, leaders, and for those desiring to change.
But is Jesus my therapist or my Redeemer? If he is my therapist, then he meets my needs as I define them. If he is my Redeemer, he defines my true needs and addresses them in ways far more glorious than I could have anticipated.
It is always tempting to find fullness in something other than Christ. Often I opt for peace and comfort rather than Jesus. When I do, I can move in two opposite but equally sinful directions. If I am irritated with you because you get in the way of the things that comfort me, I may lash out at you and keep you from taking what I think I need. But I can also fake “godly” behavior to get the same result. I may choose to “be nice” in order to extract some kindness from you.
On several occasions I have had arguments with my wife, knowing that a good baseball game was about to air on TV. Watching a game is a time of peace and comfort for me. Because I want that experience, I may apologize to my wife and even ask her to forgive me for the way I sinned against her. From the outside, this may look godly, but on the inside, I was simply faking godliness to get what I wanted. If I consciously live in light of the fact that I am full in Christ, I will ask for forgiveness whether or not I get to watch the game. The most obvious way to determine if my actions were sincere is to look at my behavior when the game comes on and I am interrupted again. If I become agitated, my confession and request for forgiveness were most likely a subtle way of manipulating my wife to get what I wanted.
Paul says that we have been given fullness in Christ. If I act on this truth, nothing can empty me of what is already mine. Baseball game or no baseball game, I can live peaceably with my wife and family. This simple illustration may not be all too impressive, but if the blessings of Christ do not change us in little moments like these, the chances that they will change us in more difficult moments are slim. It is in the everyday details that the grace of Christ must be applied.
The Sweet Dropper: Your Corruption Least When You Feel It Most
Many out of a misconceit think that corruption is greatest when they feel it most, whereas indeed, the less we see it and lament it, the more it is. Sighs and groans of the soul are like the pores of the body, out of which in diseased persons sick humours break forth and so become less. The more we see and grieve for pride, which is an immediate issue of our corrupted nature, the less it is, because we see it by a contrary grace; the more sight the more hatred, the more hatred of sin, the more love of grace, and the more love the more life, which the more lively it is, the more it is sensible of the contrary. Upon every discovery and conflict corruption loses some ground, and grace gains upon it. – Richard Sibbes in The Soul’s Conflict with Itself
Matthew 1:1-17 & Glorious Genealogy
A sad effect of the fall is that we find man’s fiction more fascinating than God’s fact. Man’s fiction should awaken us to the bigger reality we live in. Man’s mind is smaller than God’s and God’s story is more glorious than any we could dream. “Avatar” is a children’s board book.
Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy. This is not a speed bump slowing your entry into the book, it is a majestic mountain to be stunned by. Unless you are a Tolkien nerd you have very little clue what it means when Strider says, “Elendil! I am Aragorn son of Arathorn and am called Elessar, the Elfstone, Dunadan, the heir of Isildur Elendil’s son of Gondor.”, but you know it means a great something! The one with the rightful claim has come, here is the one hoped for, the one with authority. A hidden hope has come to light and the darkness now trembles. Matthew is doing something like that with this genealogy.
Here is a line of kings, but the glory has faded; the regal glory and power that once flowed giving life, hope, protection, and salvation has run dry. But from this dry ground a Savior and salvation spring forth. His name is Jesus (meaning “Yahweh saves”, cf. Matthew 1:21). From the stump of Jesse a shoot comes forth (Isaiah 11:1-10). He is the son of David, the Christ, meaning the Anointed One, the Messiah.
The King has come. He will come again. And of His rule there will be no end.
Matthew’s genealogy does not get boring, but it does get dry. But from this dryness springs the one who is the Life.
Preach “Less” about Marriage
Most young people today do not bring to their courtship and marriage a great vision of God—who He is, what He is like, how He acts. In the world there is almost no vision of God. He is not even on the list to be invited. He is simply and breathtakingly omitted. And in the church the view of God that young couples bring to their relationship is so small instead of huge, and so marginal instead of central, and so vague instead of clear, and so impotent instead of all-determining, and so uninspiring instead of ravishing, that when they marry, the thought of living marriage to the glory of God is without meaning and without content.
[So] if we want marriage to glorify the truth and worth and beauty and greatness of God, we must teach and preach less about marriage and more about God. Not that we preach too much on marriage, but that we preach too little on God. God is simply not magnificently central in the lives of most of our people. He is not the sun around which all the planets of our daily lives are held in orbit and find their proper, God-appointed place. He is more like the moon, which waxes and wanes, and you can go for nights and never think about Him. – John Piper from Building Strong Families
Tolle Lege: Community
Readability: 1
Length: 228 pp
Author: Brad House
Community is a great book for ministers and community group leaders. Here you will find plenty of good practical answers to the “How?” of community groups, but the great value of this book is that House first solidly lays a foundation by answering the “Why?” of community groups. It doesn’t matter how “successful” your small groups are if you are not asking why they exist. If you are not asking “Why?” you won’t know what real success means. I don’t agree with all of House’s answers to the how and why questions (mainly I disagree with such language as “incarnational ministry”), but I agree with the main answer as to their existence – to magnify Christ. This solid theologizing concerning community groups makes the book worth reading alone. I plan on going through it will all of our life group leaders. So if you are a life group leader at FBCM you may as well go ahead and click a link below and order it.
[Commenting on 1 Corinthians 1:2-4] Paul is concerned with the legacy of the church in Corinth. He is not satisfied with them merely hearing or knowing the gospel. But it is not that Paul wants the church to do more. He wants them to be more. I am convinced that he is not disappointed with the church as much as he desires to see them live abundant lives that reflect what Jesus has already done.
I endeavor to affirm community as a gift of God’s grace for the purpose of exalting the Son and making him known. In other words, community is not about us; it is about God. Community is an instrument of worship, a weapon against sin, and a tool for evangelism—all for the exaltation of Jesus.
If you want to inspire people to the mission of God, you must lift up the Son. [When we don’t it is] like trying to inspire a painter with a tube of paint. It isn’t the paint that is inspiring – it is the sunset.
When we are afraid to share ownership of our vision with others, we make a statement about the sovereignty of God. We say that although God is trustworthy and faithful, I am pretty sure that if I stop running on this hamster wheel, then it will all fall apart. An unwillingness to share leadership is as much about doubt in God and others as it is about confidence in one’s own ability.
The Sweet Dropper: How to Frame your Complaints
We see likewise here, how to frame our complaints. David complains not of God, nor of his troubles, nor of others, but of his own soul; he complains of himself to himself, as if he should say, Though all things else be out of order, yet, O my soul, thou shouldst not trouble me too, thou shouldst not betray thyself unto troubles, but rule over them. A godly man complains to God, yet not of God, but of himself. A carnal man is ready to justify himself and complain of God, he complains not to God, but of God, at the least, in secret murmuring, he complains of others that are but God’s vials; he complains of the grievance that lies upon him, but never regards what is amiss in himself within; openly he cries out upon fortune, yet secretly he striketh at God, under that idol of fortune, by whose guidance all things come to pass; whilst he quarrels with that which is nothing, he wounds him that is the cause of all things; like a gouty man that complains of his shoe, and of his bed, or an aguish man of his drink, when the cause is from within. So men are disquieted with others, when they should rather be disquieted and angry with their own hearts. – Richard Sibbes in The Soul’s Conflict with Itself
No Other Boast 