PCPrays

In much of Evangelicalism today, the emphasis falls on the question “What would Jesus do?” rather then “What has Jesus Done”

Christ’s penal substitution is not the whole of Christ’s work, but without it nothing else matters.

In Christ’s cross, the love and the righteousness of God are equally revealed in the triumph of grace.  After all, Satan and his demonic forces, including death, hold sway only as long as there is a legal basis for God’s own case against us.

Sin is not merely negative behaviors that need to be reformed; it is a condition from which we cannot extricate ourselves and it incurs a penalty that a just and righteous God must execute.

Thus, reconciliation is not first of all subjective but objective.  Because God can now legally forgive and justify the ungodly

Apart from the notion of appeasement of God’s wrath, the joyful announcement, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29) is inconceivable.  It is the sinless substitute for the sinful people that is of central importance in the biblical doctrine of atonement

Dr. Michael Horton
Professor @ Westminster Seminary California

The full article is here. You really should read it, it’s great.

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When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.  But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.”  He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”  And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.  So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

You know I can’t help but wonder what Isaac was thinking.  I’m sure that Abraham had told him of the promise that God made about him that “[Isaac] shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from [Isaac]“.

I wonder if Isaac understood the miracle of his birth?  I wonder if he ever got tired of hearing about it.  “Yeah, Dad, you and mom are old, I got it…  nations and kings, sure what ever”

I wonder if when his dad lifted up the knife if Issac thought his dad was crazy.  Maybe when the Angel stopped his dad was the first time that Isaac knew that it was all true.  That his dad did walk with God and that God had indeed made a promise to bless him.  That his children would become a great nation.

Do you think that Isaac could have had any pride after this?  He was helpless.  Just as he could not save himself here he would not be able to become a great nation by his own power.  He (and his children) needed God just as much as his father.

There is a lot to say about this.  But what I’m thinking right now is that God moves when families worship together.  Abraham and Isaac when to worship the Lord that day and they would never be the same.  I’m sure that this was not the first time that they worshiped the Lord together.  So we should not expect some life changing experience every time we worship.  But we should expect that when we are faithful in worshiping together as a family, God will show up.

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submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:21-32

A sermon by Dr. Jack Sharpe. Okay, Dr. Sharpe only said one thing in the sermon that I felt was weird so I’m going to focus on that. But please don’t take that as me saying this was a horrible sermon. It was not. Other then this one thing the rest of it was very good.

At one point in the sermon Dr. Sharpe had two examples. He talked about one wife who was very submissive but hated her husband and another wife who was not submissive but loved her husband. Dr. Jack said he would rather be loved by his wife then just have her submit without love.

Now the problem that I have with this is that if you show me a husband or wife that does not serve (= submit) to his/her wife/husband I will show you a husband/wive that does not love his/her spouse. What I am trying to say is that true Biblical love serves. True Biblical love submits. It serves and submits in a way that will point the loved one to Christ.

Because of Dr. Sharpe’s two examples I felt like he did not fully agree with this. I felt like he thought submissive was more like “Woman! Bring me a beer!” But that is not the type of submitting that Paul has in mind. I do not believe that Paul meant “wives fulfill your husbands every earthly desire” but in the examples that he gave, Dr. Sharpe equated that with submitting (the first imaginary wife knew what he wanted and got it for him before he even asked for it).

Husbands do you love your family? If so lead them to Jesus. Never lead them into sin. Wives do you love your husband and family? If so then follow him to Jesus (if he his a Christian. If not then point him to Jesus) and point your children to Jesus.

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So a group of us from church are going over to Everyday Blessing tomorrow.  I think it’s a group home for children.  I’m not 100% sure.  But Ken Roberts has set up a work day for us.  I’m not sure how many people are going to be there or what we are going to be doing.  But thats okay.

On a related note please keep Everyday Blessings and places like it in your prayers.  Ken has been talking to them and they are getting less support from the government.  Thats one of the reason why they need help.  They can no longer afford to have some one cut the grass or paint or do anything like that.

I hope that this is something that the EPC PC can get into.  We don’t do anything right now and thats just sad.

If you want to help let me know and I can get the address for you.  Also I’ll try to get some pictures.  The battery on my camera is almost dead and I need to find the charger for it.

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After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

Jehovah-Jireh.  The Lord will provide.  Abraham knew that God had provided.  God gave life to a dead womb and Isaac was born and that Abraham’s offspring would be counted (more then the stars) through Isaac.  So Abraham trusted that if Isaac was to die God would bring him back to life.

I wonder what his servants were thinking.  Did they also notice that Abraham did not have a lamb?  Did they wonder if he was going to kill the boy?  What did they think when they saw them coming back down the mountain?  Were they relieved, did they thank God that Isaac was still alive?

How much do we a Christians trust God to fulfill His promises? I have talked before about the importance of knowing what He has promised and what he has not.  Abraham knew what God had promised and so he could trust God.

Jehovah-Jireh.  The Lord will provide.

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