A Panoramic Vision of God

We have started a sermon series through the book of Isaiah. Here are 15 scenes of God's glory in Isaiah from this past Sunday morning:

1.       God’s frustration over His people’s sin (Isa 1:10-15; cp. Isa 65:1-7)

2.       God’s glorious future for all people (Isa 2:2-5; 66:23)

3.       God’s passion for justice (Isa 3:13-15)

4.       God’s majestic holiness (Isa 6:1-8)

5.       God’s righteous wrath against an evil world (Isa 13:6-13; 24:1-13)

6.       God’s perfect redemption (Isa 25:6-9)

7.       God’s awesome greatness (Isa 40:12-18)

8.       God’s constant faithfulness (Isa 40:27-31)

9.       God’s complete forgiveness (Isa 43:25)

10.   God’s incredible power (Isa 44:24-28)

11.   God’s excellent sovereignty (Isa 45:1-7)

12.   God’s promised Servant-King (Isa 52:13-53:12)

13.   God’s amazing mercy (Isa 54:7-8; 55:1-2)

14.   God’s remarkable future for Israel (Isa 60:18-22; 65:17-25; 66:18-20)

15.   God’s full blessing for His servants (Isa 65:13-16)

39 times over 20 chapters (41-60), God speaks of who He is for His people: “I am your God…” (cf. Isa 41:10; 43:15; 46:9; 51:15).

This week's “things” from the wonderful wide world of the world wide web…

• Something that, though I appreciate the creative, out-of-the-box thinking behind it, is still a little too weird for me.

• Something I intend to use as a tool to help us pray for Muslims (Muslims will finish observing the holy month of Ramadan tomorrow).

• Something we need to ask ourselves regarding worship (you gotta read the whole article but the question is toward then end).

• Something well said about relationships and the truth of the Gospel.

Identifying the Idols in My Life

The place to begin is with knowing what an idol is and what an idol does. We are not referring to literal, pagan idols like the ones which dominated the ancient world of the apostle John's day or like those that dominate the Eastern world of our own day. We are referring to idols in a metaphorical way (which is the way the apostle intended in 1 John 5:20). As a metaphor, and according to the Bible, an idol may be defined as 1) anything which removes God from His rightful place and/or 2) anything which removes from God that which rightfully belongs to Him.

With this in mind, we may further identify three types of these “idols”:

1. Idols of God’s De-Glorification – of which John is chiefly concerned (bad theology or false doctrine; e.g., open theism, prosperity gospel, etc. cp. 1 John 2:18-24; 4:1-6; 5:7-10) “We call all too easily think we have him sewn up, we know all about him, we can predict his responses and even condition them. But what we have is not God. It is an idol of our own making, a thinly veiled excuse for worshipping ourselves.” (Jackman, p. 172)
2. Idols of Self-Glorification (i.e., wealth, fame, success: “The world is filled with self-made people who worship their creator.” cp. Psalm 10:3-6 and Matt. 6:24)
3. Idols of Self-Gratification (i.e., materialism, sexual sins, covetousness, any other pleasure pursuit; cp. 1 Cor. 10:5-7, 14; Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5)

First, we must note that the worship of these idols is often quite subtle and sometimes those who succumb to idolatry of this kind aren’t even aware of it – in fact, they may even believe they are worshipping the God of the Bible! Second, we must also be aware that frequently when we find we are following one of these idols, we are in actual fact under the influence of all three! Third, we must identify the motivation behind such idol-seeking – control. Think about it. Idols are made by men so that men, who believe that the gods can be manipulated, may use them to bring about their own desires. God frequently points out the irony of idol-worship to His people in the Old Testament (cf. Isa. 44:9-20).

But Jesus has given us an understanding so that we may know Him who is true (1 John 5:20)! “(Jesus) will win the supremacy he is owed. And he relentlessly undermines all that is not god to make room for the God who has redeemed our hearts.” Dan B. Allender and Tremper Longman III, Breaking the Idols of Your Heart (InterVarsity, 2008), p. 17

So, being mindful that we are all recovering idolaters (1 Cor. 6:9-11; cp. 1 Cor 12:2; Gal. 4:8-9), we must be vigilant in keeping ourselves from further acts of idolatry.

Why keep ourselves from idols?

1 John 5:21

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

We must not fail to keep ourselves from idols for idols will not fail to keep us from the joyful confidence we should enjoy as the children of God.

"Every Day"

In Your grace, You know where I walk
You know when I fall
You know all my ways
In Your love, I know You allow
What I cannot grasp
To bring You praise

Thank You for the trials
For the fire, for the pain
Thank You for the strength
Knowing You have ordained
Every day

Your great power is shown when I’m weak
You help me to see
Your love in this place
Perfect peace is filling my mind
And drawing my heart
To praise You again

In my uncertainty, Your Word is all I need
To know You’re with me every day (repeat)

By Joel Sczebel and Todd Twining
As recorded on the album "Come Weary Saints"
© 2008 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)/Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

Video from Our 30 Year Anniversary

"Secret Sins" - More Than You Bargined For

Obadiah Sedgwick (1600-1658) writes on how harboring a secret sin ends up being more than you bargined for:

"There are, at the least, three horrible sins that you commit at once:

"First, that very sin that you would so conceal. Perhaps it may be a sin of the deepest dye. Yea, mark this: the most damnable sins are usually such that are committed insecret, as Sodom’s adulteries, and such fearful kinds of pollutions, murders, and treasons, etc.

"Second, hypocrisy, which is a screen to your sin, a holy cover for an unholy heart and practice. [This] makes thesinner so much the more vile in God’s eyes, by how much the more that he not only sins against God, but wrests, as itwere, something from God to cover and palliate his rebellion against Him.

"A third is atheism. If there is not formal atheism, yet, there is a virtual atheism. [It is] as if God were not God in secret, but only in public; that He could see in the light and not in the darkness; that His eye is as the eye of a man only, whereas He is a universal eye and is a Light without all darkness.Outward occasions can incline to secret sinnings. Beloved, there lies a snare against us in almost all society. We have such vile natures that as a spark of fire will easily kindle a box of tinder, [just] a word spoken, many times, kindles aworld of passion, of malice, of revenge within us! Yea, the misplacing of a look begets in us secret disdain and discontent! Yea, the casting of an eye may enflame the heart with excess of lust. Need we not then (putting all these things together) to search our inward frame to see what care we have about and against secret sinnings?"

Joy Defined

“Joy is an attitude produced by Holy Spirit which motivates us to maintain our focus on the Lord regardless of the situation and which enables us to recognize Him and offer praise to God for His power, provision, and grace.”

A Sovereign Protector I Have

A Sov’reign Protector I have,
Unseen, yet forever at hand,
Unchangeably faithful to save,
Almighty to rule and command.
He smiles, and my comforts abound;
His grace as the dew shall descend;
And walls of salvation surround
The soul He delights to defend.

Inspirer and Hearer of prayer,
Thou Shepherd and Guardian of Thine,
My all to Thy covenant care
I sleeping and waking resign.
If Thou art my Shield and my Sun,
The night is no darkness to me;
And fast as my moments roll on,
They bring me but nearer to Thee.

Kind Author, and ground of my hope,
Thee, Thee, for my God I avow;
My glad Ebenezer set up,
And own Thou hast helped me till now.
I muse on the years that are past,
Wherein my defense Thou hast proved;
Nor wilt Thou relinquish at last
A sinner so signally loved!

- Augustus Toplady (1740-1778)