Well the books of the Bible at least. Pete Myers offers some helpful tips: Memorizing the Books of the Bible

Ray Ortlund on being Truly Reformed

HTs: Justin Taylor and Dave Bish

Had a good time the last couple of Sunday evenings thinking about Christ in the Psalms. Indeed, it is a good, helpful and encouraging thing to understand the big picture of the whole Bible - what, or rather, Who, it is all about. Some have described the pinnacles of the story line as: Creation, Fall, Redemption and Glorification - but of course there are many more. But Who does the whole Bible point to? Obviously and explicitly the New Testament is focused on the Lord Jesus. For instance Mark’s gospel opens with these words:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1, ESV)

Likewise the apostle Paul writes about “…gospel of our Lord Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 1:8, ESV) in his first letter to the Christians in Thessalonica. But, what about the Old Testament, what is that all about? Here are some words of the Lord Jesus on the subject of the Old Testament scriptures:

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me (John 5:39, ESV)

He also explained how the Old Testament (the Law of Moses, Prophets and Psalms) was all about Him to some of his disciples:

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

… he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

(Luke 24:27, 44, ESV), emphasis added.

The whole Bible points to the Lord Jesus. If you fancy digging deeper into the big picture of the Bible, aka Biblical Theology, here are a few helpful resources I’ve enjoyed in recent times.

9 Marks Ministries discussion on Biblical Theology (with Mark Dever, Mike Gilbart-Smith, Michael Lawrence, and Jonathan Leeman). Download the free MP3 here.

Ligon Duncan on Covenant Theology - two MP3s from a conference in 2002, (HT: Martin Downes). Covenant Theology sees God’s covenants as an important thread that can be traced through the Bible. You can read an extract from the first talk: What is Covenant Theology?

For introductory reading on the big story of the Bible, Vaughan Robert’s, God’s Big Picture, (IVP, 2003) is excellent. For more on Biblical Theology, Beginning With Moses has lots of resources.

A while ago I posted some preaching and teaching resources. There have been some helpful consideration in recent times on the difference between Bible-teaching and Christ-preaching.

Michael Jensen recently left us with something to think about: Bible Teaching? - where he highlights how we often talk about bible teaching rather than Christ preaching in our Churches.

Thanks to Dave Bish for highlighting those thoughts: Teach The Bible, or Preach The Christ?, and also to Adrian Reynolds for some more helpful commentary on the issue here: Preaching or Teaching

This reminded me of one of Abraham Piper’s pithy 22-word observations: If sermons are mainly about transferring knowledge, most of them are failures.

Good and important thinking. Did a quick search of the ESV, and even from that brief and incomplete survey, it seems that proclamation and preaching go hand in hand with teaching about Jesus as the Christ in the New Testament:

• ESV Search “Teach” and “Christ”
• ESV Search “Preach” and “Christ”

 

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Acts 5:42, (ESV)

Update: 20/07/08: here is yet more: Scrivener on Two Ways to Preach

Justin Taylor shares Jim Packer’s five favourite books.

Another for the master list!

Here’s a striking, challenging and encouraging contrast in one of King David’s prayers . The men of the world are satisfied with worldly things. David is satisfied with God.

v14 … men of the world whose portion is in this life …

v15 … I [David] shall be satisfied with your likeness [i.e. the Lord].

Psalm 17:14-15, (ESV)

This reminded me of something Jeremiah Burroughs wrote which I quoted more fully here: The Mystery of Contentment:

A little in the world will content a Christian for his passage, but all the world, and ten thousand times more, will not content a Christian for his portion … a [Christian's] heart … can be filled by nothing in the world; it must only be God himself.

Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, taken from “The Mystery of Contentment” (1648)

You may remember this story from a while ago: The Uniqueness of Christ and the Church of England

David Phillips of The Church Society has offered some further news in the Summer 2008 edition of Crossway: No Other Name - The Uniquness of Christ for Salvation (pdf). HT: ACL

Here are some more helpful resources on books and reading:

• Stephen Altrogge on 7 Tips For Better Book Reading, (The Blazing Center)
• Tim Challies on How to Begin a Commentary Collection, (Challies.com)
• David Ould on 5 Books to Read before You’re 20, (and after 20 too!)
• Essential Reading Curriculum: Church Youth & Parents, (Doctrine Matters)
• Don Carson on How To Read 500 Books a Year, (Denny Burk)

 

If you liked them, you might like this little series here: Reading Christian Books.

A Passion For Life ‘Vision for Mission’ Booklet is now available to download free from their website (pdf).

If you like this sort of thing…

http://www.clayton.tv/

Eminating from Jesmond Parish Church, Newcastle, UK

Here are the three purposes of Clayton TV taken from their website:

Godly Living: Bible based TV resources to train and encourage Christians.

Church Growth: Evangelistic material to persuade non-believers of the gospel.

Changing Britain: Programmes on ethics and social issues that will influence popular opinion and government policy.

 

HT: James Carey

A longer quote from Burroughs today. This struck me as so perceptive and relevant to thinking that sadly sometimes characterises our hearts and society. This “knocked my socks off” as they say and revealed more about the attitude of my own heart. The clean sea breeze of the centuries has helped clear my mind here…

4. ‘I think I could be content with God’s hand,’  says one, ’so far as I see the hand of God in a think I can be content’

But when men deal so unreasonably and unjustly with me, I do not know how to bear it. I can bear that I should be in God’s hands, but not in the hands of men. When my friends or acquaintances deal so unrighteously with me, oh, this goes very hard with me, so that I do not know how to bear it from men.’ For taking away this reasoning, consider:

1. Though they are men who bring this cross on you, yet they are God’s instruments. God has a hand in it, and they can go no further than God would have them go. This was what quieted David when Shimei cursed him: God has a hand in it, he said, though Shimei is a base, wicked man, yet I look beyond him to God. So, do any of your friends deal injuriously with you, and wrongly with you? Look up to God, and see that man but as an instrument in God’s hands.

2. If this is your trouble that men do so wrong you, you ought rather to turn your hearts to pity them, than to murmur or be discontented. For the truth is, if you are wronged by other men, you have the better of it, for it is better to bear wrong than to do wrong a great deal. If they wrong you, you are in a better condition than they, because it is better to bear, than to do wrong. I remember it is said of Socrates that, as he was very patient when wrong was done to him, they asked him how he came to be so. He said, ‘If I meet a man in the street who is a diseased man, shall I be vexed and fretted with him because he is diseased? Those who wrong me I look upon as diseased men, and therefore pity them.’

3. Though you meet with hard dealings from men, yet you meet with nothing but kind, good and righteous dealings from God. When you meet with unrighteous dealings from them, set one against the other. And that is an answer to the fourth plea.

Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, (1648) from “Excuses of a Murmuring Heart” (emphasis added)

My current considerations include toying with the idea of a new blog design and name:

Chris’ Considerations

Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24, (ESV)

or the new:

One Foundation

The foundation of the true church was laid at a mighty cost. It needed that the Son of God should take our nature upon Him, and in that nature live, suffer and die, not for His own sins, but for ours. (J.C. Ryle)

HT: First Importance

Header image from Rembrandt, A Scholar, (1631), taken from Wikipedia

Possibly not comedy illustrations except to our 21st century eyes. Here are a couple of funny illustrations from Burroughs’ Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. I’m not sure what today’s Doctors and nurses might say, but according to Burroughs’ 17th century medical knowledge - if you have poor digestion this could cause “evil stomach fumes” which can disorder our brains. Nevertheless, he explains ”yet [if we] still have the free use of [our] brain: this, I say, argues strength.” I’m also liking his illustration about a man and his “dish of turnips.” Shades of the legendary Baldrick. Note too the Puritain sub-pointage.

From Chapter 7, Point II, Subpoint 2

If a man is distempered in his body, and has many obstructions, has an ill stomach, and his spleen and liver obstructed, and yet for all this his brain is not disordered, it is an argument of a great strength of brain; though many evil fumes may arise from his corrupt stomach, yet still his brain is not disordered but he continues in the free exercise of his reason and understanding. Every one may understand that this man has a very strong brain, when such things do not upset him. If other people who have a weak brain do not digest but one meal’s meat, the fumes that arise from their stomach disorder their brain and make them unfit for everything, whereas these have strong heads, and strong brains, and though their stomachs are ill and they cannot digest meat, yet they still have the free use of their brain: this, I say, argues strength.

From Chapter 7, Point V

I remember reading of one Marius Curio who had bribes sent to him, to tempt him to be unfaithful to his country. When he was sitting at home at dinner with a dish of turnips, and they came and promised him rewards: said he, ‘That man who can be contented with this fare that I have will not be tempted with your rewards. I thank God I am content with this fare, and as for rewards let them be offered to those that cannot be content to dine with a dish of turnips.’

Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, (1648) from “The Excellence of Contentment”

Here’s some more from Burroughs, a few challenging extracts from the section “The Evils of a Murmuring Spirit”…

Oh, what shame and confusion would come upon the spirits of men and women, if they could but compare the work of corruption in their murmuring and discontent with the work of God that was upon their souls in conversion!

[If you're a discontented Christian] … you cry out as if you were undone and yet are a King’s son, you who stand in such relation to God, as to a father, you dishonor your father in this; as if either he had not wisdom, or power, or mercy enough to provide for you.

… a believer['s] position is that he is set apart to the end that God might manifest to all eternity what his infinite power is able to do to make a creature happy. … Oh, how low and beneath this position is a murmuring and discontented heart …

A Christian should be satisfied with what God has made the object of his faith. The object of his faith is high enough to satisfy his soul, were it capable of a thousand times more than it is.

Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, (1648) from “The Evils of a Murmuring Spirit”

It’s been a while but here’s more from Burroughs…

Note this, I beseech you: in active obedience we worship God by doing what pleases God, but by passive obedience we do as well worship God by being pleased with what God does.

Certainly our contentment does not consist in getting the thing we desire, but in God’s fashioning our spirits to our conditions.

Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, (1648) from “The Excellence of Contentment”

Today is the 499th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, born in Noyon, France on 10th July 1509. A man probably most famous for his great systematic theology, Institutes of the Christian Religion, (1559), but he was also a prolific and faithful preacher of the Bible.

John Piper has marked the occasion with this post: The Glory of Preaching the Bible. He also delivered a really helpful lecture on Calvin which you can read here: The Divine Majesty of the Word. The free MP3 is also available to download courtesy of Desiring God. There is also a chapter by Piper in his book Legacy of Sovereign Joy.

It looks like some people are preparing quite a celebration for the 500th Anniversary. If that isn’t enough to be getting on with, although I’ve not managed to listen these, Dr. Mike Reeves has delivered a number of lectures on Calvin which you can download for free at Theology Network.

Thanks to ReformationArt.com for the image of John Calvin.

I’m not normally into dancing, but I might make an exeption here. Incase you haven’t seen this doing the rounds click here to watch the dancing video over at Josh Harris’ blog - his comment is helpful too! (P.S. Apologies for the title.)

Just like it says in the title, the English GAFCON petition has now encouragingly passed 1000 signatories. There are three online petitions which were set up after the conference at All Souls Langham Place which met on 1st July 2008, (see here and here for more detail). By signing we can declare our solidarity with the Jerusalem Declaration and Statement on the Global Anglican Future. Click here to read the Declaration and Statement.

So if you’re an Anglican who agrees with the Jerusalem Declaration and GAFCON Statement and haven’t signedm, why not head on over and lend your support. Here are the links to the petitions (thanks to John Richardson for setting them up):

1. For English Individual Members of the Church of England
2. For non-English Individuals
3. For Anglican Groups and Organisations

Here is a collection of fine resources on preaching and teaching spotted in recent times which probably deserve a recommending post each!

The Call To Preach

• Al Mohler, Has God Called You? Discerning the Call to Preach, (AlbertMohler.com)

The Preparation to Preach

• David Jackman, The C D E’s of Preaching, (Unashamed Workman)
• Josh Harris, Preparing a Sermon (with John Stott), (JoshHarris.com)
• Colin Adams, Sermon Feedback Form, (Unashamed Workman)
• Thabiti Anyabwile, 10 Tips from Grudem on Bible Interpretation, (Pure Church)

The Way We Teach

• Abraham Piper, A secret influence of teaching and writing: Let your students and readers be discoverers, (22 Words)

 

Update: Preaching and Teaching?

Althought the weather might not be cricket weather at the moment, cricketing posts have been few and far between,so here are a couple of scores:

Friends Provident Semi Final:

Essex (258-8) beat Yorkshire (198 all out) by 87 runs. Read the scorecard at BBC Cricket

The Twenty20 Cup Quarter Final:

Essex (192-9) beat Northamptonshire (115-7) by 59 runs (D/L). Read the scorecard at BBC Cricket

The first test between England and South Africa is due to start tomorrow, DV.