Sin, like a venomous disease

Image: Isaac Watts (1674-1748).

I have lately taken to searching the scriptural allusions page at cyberhymnal.org as I preach through Mark's Gospel. This Sunday I'll be preaching about Jesus' healing of the Gadarene demoniac in Mark 5:1-20. I ran across this hymn "Sin, like a venomous disease" written in 1707 by the prolific Isaac Watts based on the text. The lyrics seem especially striking after teaching last night at JPBC on "Irresistible Grace." You can listen to the hymn set to the tune St. Andrews (Tans'ur). But it would also go well with St. Anne ("O God Our Help in Ages Past"). Sadly, I do not think we will take time to sing it this Sunday, but it might end up being quoted. Read or sing and enjoy:

Sin, like a venomous disease,

Infects our vital blood;

The only balm is sovereign grace,

And the physician, God.

Our beauty and our strength are fled,

And we draw near to death;

But Christ the Lord recalls the dead

With His almighty breath.

Madness by nature reigns within,

The passions burn and rage,

Till God’s own Son, with skill divine,

The inward fire assuage.

We lick the dust, we grasp the wind,

And solid good despise;

Such is the folly of the mind,

Till Jesus makes us wise.

We give our souls the wounds they feel,

We drink the poisonous gall,

And rush with fury down to hell;

But Heav’n prevents the fall.

The man possessed among the tombs

Cuts his own flesh, and cries;

He foams and raves, till Jesus comes,

And the foul spirit flies.

JTR

New Baptist Covenant Hypocrisy: Part Two

A picture is worth a thousand words. Baptist statesman (and author) John Grisham chats with Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a fundraising event for Clinton at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, Virginia on September 23, 2007.

A high ranking moderate source reports: "Grisham's visit to the New Baptist Covenenant meeting in Atlanta this week has nothing to do with his continuing support for Clinton's election but is merely an attempt to promote his new legal thriller, The Appeal, which goes on sale January 29, 2008. Everyone knows that Baptists are the primary consumers of pulp crime fiction."

JTR

p.s.: Want to supply a quote caption for the above picture?

Here's one:

Grisham: "Hillary, how can you and your Methodist sisters (and brothers) continue to support your paedobaptist practices in light of the overwhelming New Testament evidence in favor of believer's baptism by immersion?"

New Baptist Covenant Hypocrisy

The New York Times had an article yesterday about the upcoming "New Baptist Covenant" gathering this week in Atlanta (Wednesday-Friday, January 30-February 1).

This is supposed to be a non-partisan gathering of moderate Baptists to present a more favorable picture of Baptists to the world as opposed to that put forward by the mean old, narrow-minded, poor-people-hating Southern Baptist Convention (aka the Evil Empire).

When the gathering was announced last year, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were on stage, front and center (see the photo above and note Baptist General Association of Virginia's Executive Director, John Upton, just over Clinton's shoulder). Both will be keynote speakers at the gathering, and Al Gore will host a luncheon during the meeting. Moderates have long criticized the SBC for being in the back pocket of the Republican Party (and they were often not far off mark!), but they somehow fail to see the hypocrisy in their own actions, hosting such a meeting in a Presidential election year (just days before the super-Tuesday primaries no less!) and allowing former President Clinton (and husband of Hillary) to be the keynote speaker on Friday. What exactly qualifies Clinton to speak at a supposed religious gathering anyhow?

Tender to this criticism, the organizers feature token Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham on the front page of their website. But everyone knows this conference is far from being bi-partisan. How about the mere fact that this so-called Baptist gathering was called together by and most prominently features politicians and not preachers! This meeting has nothing to do with the gospel and everything to do with trying to get soft-evangelicals and other muddle-minded "Baptists" to support Hillary in November. Of course, I don't think the organizers and participants (which include the mainline African-American Baptist denominations) anticipated the challenge Obama has given her, especially among African-American voters. At least one moderate blogger (Bruce Prescott) is worried about what Clinton might say. Where are the moderate separation of church and state prophets!

By the way, another of the keynote speakers is author John Grisham from C-ville. His presence too is more than a little odd. Grisham is apparently a member of a local moderate Baptist church in C-ville, but what exactly are his qualifications as a Baptist statesman? The fact that he hosted a high profile fund-raiser for Hillary at the Paramount Theater when she visited C-ville last year is perhaps a more key clue as to why he was invited. That and the star-power. What kind of Baptist gathering is it when high-profile entertainers and politicians fills the podium and preachers the pews? I thought we were supposed to speak to the culture from God's Word rather than invite the cultural elites to dictate to us how we ought to read the Bible, practice the faith, and vote in the election booth.

Baptist were stronger when we preached election rather than worried about elections.

JTR

Warning about Homeschooling

My friend Steve Hills just alerted me to this "breaking news" from Tominthebox news network about the Episcopal church's denunciation of homeschooling (read the whole article here):

We are concerned, however, about the education of a very small sub-segment of our Episcopal body. This small group is our home-schooled children. We have discovered that our children who are ‘educated’ in their homes are not receiving the same curriculum as other children their age in public or private school.

For example, children taught at home are not learning enough about evolution (the process by which God brought about creation; all smart people know this). They are not being instructed in how to ‘say no to drugs.’ They are not being exposed to the various sexual options available to them in society.

Of great concern also is what these home-schooled kids are being taught. We have learned that they simply know too much of the bible. They understand not only the content of the bible, but also how to properly interpret it. Furthermore, they believe that the scriptures actually mean what they say, and do not change in meaning over time. An alarming number hold to Reformed Theology.

JTR

Verbum sap: Some have read these Tominthebox articles before and not realized they are satire. Please note the label "humor."

A Pastor's Prayer

A Pastor's Prayer:

I would be true, for there are those who trust me;

I would be pure, for there are those who care;

I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;

I would be brave, for there is much to dare.

As quoted in J. Beeke, Overcoming the World, p. 170. This quote would well fit for all Christian husband and fathers as well.

JTR

Book Recommendation: Beeke's "Overcoming the World"

I read quite a few books over the course of a year, but I just finished one that is particularly outstanding. It is Joel Beeke's Overcoming the World: Grace to Win the Daily Battle (P&R, 2005). The book is aimed at Pastors and Elders in church ministry. It is a serious call to cultivate godliness and holiness. The chapters on the twin sins of pride (chapter 17, "Your fight against pride") and pessimism (chapter 18 "Your coping with criticism") will make any preacher cringe in repentance as he sees himself in Beeke's descriptions of where we often run aground. I want to buy a case of these books and hand them out to friends in ministry. This book will definitely be read by future Pastoral interns at JPBC.

Can you tell by now that I really liked this book? Read it for yourself.

JTR

J. C. Ryle: Victory in Christ

Here is another gem from J. C. Ryle’s classic work Holiness. In a chapter titled "Visible Churches Warned," Ryle examines the letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2-3 and he spurs the faithful onto victory in Christ:

The one point I want to impress upon your soul just now is this, that the true believer is not only a soldier, but a victorious soldier. He not only professes to fight on Christ’s side against sin, the world and the devil, but he does actually fight and overcome.

Now this is one grand distinguishing mark of true Christians. Other men, perhaps, like to be numbered in the ranks of Christ’s army. Other men may have lazy wishes and languid desires after the crown of glory. But it is the true Christian alone who does the work of a soldier. He alone fairly meets the enemies of his soul, really fights with them and in that fight overcomes them.

One great lesson I want men to learn from these seven epistles is this, that if you would prove you are born again and going to heaven, you must be a victorious soldier of Christ. If you would make it clear that you have any title to Christ’s precious promises, you must fight the good fight in Christ’s cause, and in that fight you must conquer.

Victory is the only satisfactory evidence that you have a saving religion. You like good sermons perhaps. You respect the Bible, and read it occasionally. You say your prayers night and morning. You have family prayers, and give to religious societies. I thank God for this. It is all very good. But how goes the battle? How does the great conflict go on all this time? Are you overcoming the love of the world and the fear of man? Are you overcoming the passions, tempers and lusts of your own heart? Are you resisting the devil and making him flee from you? How is it in this matter? You must either rule or serve sin and the devil and the world. There is no middle course. You must either conquer or be lost.

I know well it is a hard battle that you have to fight, and I want you to know it, too. You must fight the good fight of faith and endure hardships if you would lay hold of eternal life. You must make up your mind to a daily struggle if you would reach heaven. There may be short roads to heaven invented by man, but ancient Christianity, the good old way, is the way of the cross, the way of conflict. Sin, the world and the devil must be actually mortified, resisted and overcome.

This is the road that saints of old have trodden in, and left their record on high.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Evangel article January 17, 2008

Audio for Emerging Church Lectures Posted

Ovid Need recorded and sent me the audio sessions from the talks I did down in Roanoke last Monday at the Pastors' fraternal. They are now posted at sermon audio:

1. Theological Critique of Multi-Site Ministry (The Latest Church Growth Fad).

2. Mark Driscoll and the Emerging Church.

JTR

On Baptism

I am preaching a series on Baptism on Sunday evenings at JPBC. Last Sunday (1/13) I preached on "What does the Bible teach about Baptism?" Next Sunday (1/20), the topic will be "Who should be baptized?" and the next (1/27) "How should we baptize?"

Two good audio files I listened to in preparation:

1. A debate between James White (Reformed Baptist) and Gregg Strawbridge (Doug Wilson style Presbyterian) on baptism (listen here).

2. An interview with Tom Schreiner of SBTS on the book he edited, Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant (listen here).

JTR

Book Review: Wayne Grudem, "Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism?"

My review of Wayne Grudem's Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism? (Crossway 2006) is in the January 2008 issue of The Baptist Banner (read it here).

JTR

Report from "The Society for the Preservation...."

Yes, dear blog readers, I am alive. Yes, it has taken more than two weeks for me to post the first entry of 2008, but here it is.

Yesterday, I got to drive down to Roanoke with my friend Howard to attend and speak at the first meeting of the year of "The Society for the Preservation of Baptist Principles and Heritage" at Plantation Road Baptist Church. I did two talks. The first was "A Biblical-Theological Critique of Multi-Site Church Ministry" (the same paper I did at ETS in November 2006). The second was "Trends in the Emerging Church Movement: A Review and Reflection on the Ministry of Mark Driscoll."

For the second paper I had read Driscoll's Radical Reformission (Zondervan, 2004), Confessions of a Reformission Rev. (Zondervan, 2006), the September 2007 Christianity Today article on Driscoll ("Pastor Provacateur"), listened to Driscoll's message at the "Convergent Conference" at SEBTS, and read critiques of Driscoll from Phil Johnson and John MacArthur. Hopefully, I'll post audio soon.

Enjoyed seeing friends at the meeting. It is always both enjoyable and interesting just to sit and listen to Lloyd Sprinkel and Ron Young, Sr. discuss theology, Baptists, Calvinism, etc.

JTR (aka Lazarus)

Fall 2007 "Evangelical Forum Newsletter" Posted

Photo: The hard copy edition of the Fall 2007 EFN is prepared a few weeks ago by Bonnie Beach and volunteers (Evelyn Jones, Judi LaGrange, Dalton States, Hannah Riddle, Lydia Riddle, and Samuel Riddle).

The last (fourth) issue of the EFN for 2007 was put in the mail about two weeks ago. I got a phone call this morning from at least one Pastor friend across the mountain who enjoyed reading his copy.

Brian Davis has also posted a copy to read here.

JTR

A Christmas Question

From the sermon “A Christmas Question” from Isaiah 9:6 preached by Charles H. Spurgeon at Exeter Hall on Sunday, December 25, 1859.

Now there is a proclamation gone forth today and it is a true one, too, that Jesus Christ has come into the world to save sinners. The question with you is whether He has saved you and whether you have an interest in Him. I beseech you, give no sleep to your eyes and no slumber to your eyelids, till you have read your “title clear to mansions in the skies.” What, man? Shall your eternal destiny be a matter of uncertainty to you? What! Is Heaven or Hell involved in this matter and will you rest until you know which of these shall be your everlasting portion? Are you content while it is a question whether God loves you, or whether He is angry with you? Can you be easy while you remain in doubt as to whether you are condemned in sin, or justified by faith, which is in Christ Jesus?

Get up, Man. I beseech you by the living God and by yours own soul’s safety, get up and read the records. Search and look and try and test yourself to see whether it is so or not. For if it is so, why should not we know it? If the Son is given to me, why should not I be sure of it? If the Child is born to me, why should I not know it for a certainty, that I may even now live in the enjoyment of my privilege—a privilege, the value of which I shall never know to the full, till I arrive in Glory?

Again—if it is so, another question. Why are we sad? I am looking upon faces just now that appear the very reverse of gloomy, but maybe the smile covers an aching heart. Brothers and Sisters, why are we sad this morning, if unto us a Child is born, if unto us a Son is given? Hark, hark to the cry! It is “Harvest home! Harvest home!” See the maidens as they dance and the young men as they make merry! And why is this mirth? Because they are storing the precious fruits of the earth, they are gathering together unto their barns wheat which will soon be consumed. And what, Brothers and Sisters, have we the bread which endures to eternal life and are we unhappy?

Does the worldling rejoice when his corn is increased and do we not rejoice when, “Unto us a Child is born and unto us a Son is given”? Hark, yonder! What means the firing of the Tower guns? Why all this ringing of bells in the Church steeples, as if all London were mad with joy? There is a Prince born. Therefore there is this salute and therefore are the bells ringing. Ah, Christians, ring the bells of your hearts, fire the salute of your most joyous songs, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.” Dance, O my Heart, and ring out peals of gladness! You drops of blood within my veins dance every one of you! Oh, all my nerves become harp strings and let gratitude touch you with angelic fingers! And you, my tongue, shout—shout to His praise who has said to you—“Unto you a Child is born, unto you a Son is given.”

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Evangel article December 20, 2007.

Livingstone's Prayer

The 19th century Scottish missionary David Lingstone wrote this prayer:

Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me.

Lay any burden on me, only sustain me.

Sever any tie but the tie that binds me to Thyself.

JTR

Jesus and the Family

Here are the headings for the five concluding points from last Sunday's message on "Jesus and the Family" (Mark 3:31-35):

1. Jesus taught a radical form of discipleship that places loyalty to him above loyalty to everything else, including our families (see Matthew 10:32-39; Luke 14:25-27; Mark 10:29-30).

2. The family is a God-given institution that is highly valued by God as an instrument for establishing and building his kingdom, but it is not ultimate. Only Jesus is ultimate.

Simply put the family is only the means to an end. It is not the end in and of itself. The end is knowing and serving Christ. The family might be an instrument to get us there. But if we have a lovely family life, yet still do not know a passion for Christ then we have still failed miserably.

3. Our union with the human family is only temporary. Our union with Jesus is permanent (see Matthew 22:30).

4. Although our relationship with Jesus is ultimate, but this does not mean that our relationship with our family is unimportant or that we might not share with those who are our natural relations also a rich spiritual relationship centered upon a common commitment to Christ.

Some run the risk of neglecting or sabotaging their relationships with their families in some high-minded but wrong-headed attempt to put Christ first.

It does not have to be either my family or Christ, but a real blessing occurs when it is my family alongside me in loving and serving Christ. It can be my family and Christ.

5. Even in a Christian household the call to obey Christ must take precedence.

The good accidentally conferred by the season

I was listening to Charles Spurgeon's sermon "A Christmas Question" of December 25, 1859 on sermon audio (you can also read the text here) and reading the various posted comments. This time of year always features a debate on sermonaudio about Christmas. I thought this comment from Stephen Hamilton was particularly sensible:

The fact that Spurgeon used the opportunity conferred by the annual Christmas holiday to preach the gospel of the Incarnation in no way diluted his Protestantism, anymore than the usage of pagan names for our days of the week (Monday, Tuesday etc.,), and months of the year (January etc.,.), makes today's Christians into pagans. The old "chestnut" is resurrected every year about ChristMASS, as if every person even using the term is about to become a Papist! Some folks love to quote Spurgeon very selectively in relation to ChristMAS, rightly pointing out,of course,that he fully rejected Romanism, but conveniently ignoring his embracing of "the good accidentally conferred by the season"(CHS quote). Such people usually do not have the courage to label him a "compromiser", yet do not hesitate to condemn gospel preachers who organise their worship services in December in the same way as CHS did each year. It is patent nonsense to tar faithful gospel preachers with the same brush as the worshippers of the "pancake god", simply because they use the ChristMAS season to proclaim the truth about the Incarnation. Are these annual hobby-horse riders the only faithful custodians of the Faith? I think not. Perhaps soon they will show a similar zeal to take Janus (pagan goddess)out of January!

In this regard I also found the articles by another sermonaudio preacher, Bob Vincent of Grace Presbyterian Church of Alexandria, Louisiana to be of interest. See "A Short History of Our Experiments With Christmas" which he signs, "a recovering neurotic" and "John Calvin's Christmas Observance."

JTR

Sermon of the Week: Gregg Harris on Biblical Manhood

I went to my second meeting of the Uniting Church and Home Network in Richmond last Thursday. Eric Wallace recommended the recent teaching by Gregg Harris at Piper's Bethlehem BC 2007 Men's Retreat that can be found online here.

The four sessions:

#1 Welcome to God's Kingdom, Mr. Ambassador!- Audio and Slides
#2 A Household for All Seasons - Audio and Slides
#3 The Marriage Vows at the Heart of your Household Embassy - Audio
#4 Developing, Including and Leading your Household Staff - Audio

I'm working my way through them now.

JTR

A Glaring Omission in Packer's Biography

I just finished reading Alister McGrath's J. I. Packer: A Biography (Baker, 1997). McGrath goes into great detail about the various intrigues regarding Packer's academic appointments (reminding me of one wag's comment that when it comes to academic politics never do the passions run so high when the stakes are so low), his influence as an evangelical within Anglicanism, his break with "The Doctor" (Martin Lloyd-Jones) over separation, controversy over his signing of "Evangelicals and Catholics Together," etc.

On the other hand, he says almost nothing about Packer's personal life or family. There is some mention of his marriage to Kit but there are exactly two sentences about Packer's children: "The Packers subsequently adopted three children: Ruth, Naomi, and Martin" (p. 69) and "His children's education could be arranged" (p. 234; in reference to his move to Vancouver). Can you know the man without knowing his family?

JTR

Bumper Sticker Theology

Ed Setzer had this picture posted on his blog. It was on a truck parked in the Ridgecrest lot during the "Building Bridges" Calvinism Conference. We see a lot of bumper stickers in C-ville, but I don't think I've ever run across this one.

JTR

The Greatest Need

In preparing for the current Sunday evening series on "The Order of Salvation," I have been helped by reading Robert L. Reymond’s A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith (Thomas Nelson, 1998). In his summary of "Progressive Sanctification" Reymond concludes:

The greatest need of Christian children is to see their parents walking with Christ.

The greatest need of a congregation is to see its pastor living in true piety.

And the greatest need of the church today is a holy walk before the Lord.

We might add that the greatest need of the world is a holy church that holds forward a sinless Christ who died for sinners once for all on the cross. Let us examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). Parents, are we living godly lives without hypocrisy before our children? Those in spiritual leadership in the church, are we seeking true piety? Every member of the body, are we walking in holiness, living for the Lord in a way that is separate and distinct?

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Evangel article December 5, 2007