Clear Vision musings

Richard Sibbes was one of the most influential preachers/ theologians  of the early 1600’s. He only authorized 3 volumes of his works to be published, 2 of those being collections of sermons. In  The Bruised Reed, one of those collections, we see the "foundation and essence of his ministry. "Richard Sibbes writes and preaches as a man constrained and compelled by the love of Christ. He cannot know enough about Christ. For more than anything else, Christ defines his existence. And he has found Christ to be the source of everything good and needful." "His words carry with them the wisdom of one who has spent many hours at the feet of his master. He preaches as one whose sins have been forgiven, whose heart has been filled with Good News. And he speaks with the peace of one who knows what the final outcome of the battle will be". This book was written "at the desire, and for the good of weaker Christians," and is the first in the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge.

I just found out about this challenge last week, so am only a little over half way through The Bruised Reed so far. I am hoping to get "on track" sometime next week and begin The Mystery of Providence for February. But I will post at least once my thoughts/notes on The Bruised Reed.

Quotes from  Richard Sibbes and The Bruised Reed by J. William Black, reprinted on Fire and Ice.

Yesterday I challenged you to to read dead guys. (See yesterday’s post or the Puritan Reading Challenge image in the sidebar.) Perhaps you were unconvinced. You see no reason why anyone would want to do this.

I gave you one good reason, spiritual maturity. Fluff reading (or non-reading) keeps Christians as babes on milk. They need to grow and enjoy a full well-rounded meal. That should really be enough. But for a nice list of a few good reasons, read Colin Adam’s 20 Reasons to Read (Good Christian Books). And I’ll try to get my own post written soon on why I think reading dead guys is important.

SDG,
Lisa

““Fluff” is the enemy of every Christian seeking to become spiritually mature.” (Stephen Newell)

I’m taking a challenge that I’m praying for grace to complete. I have several books by Puritan authors, but there are many more I’d like to read. To help keep me consistent, I’ve joined the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge.

I am going to try to keep up with the reading schedule of one book per month, from their list (below), as well as writing at least one blog post about each one. I’d also like to re-begin my Valley of Vision (alternate link - leather bound) daily reading along with this too, but that may be a bit too ambitious.

If you’d like to join the challenge or read more about it, click the image here or in the sidebar.

List of books: (if you want more info on the books, or for links to read each on line - or download pdf or listen to audio - check our webpage here.)

January: The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes (128 pp)
February: The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel (221 pp)
March: The Godly Man’s Picture by Thomas Watson (252 pp)
April: Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks (253 pp)
May: Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ by John Bunyan (225 pp) - Click Monergism image link below to search and order.
June: The Mortification of Sin by John Owen (130 pp) - this link not the Banner of Truth edition. Click here The Mortification of Sin to order Banner of Truth ed.
July: A Lifting Up for the Downcast by William Bridge (287 pp)
August: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (228 pp)
September: The True Bounds of Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton (224 pp)
October: The Christian’s Great Interest by William Guthrie (207 pp)
November: The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter (256 pp) - on audio
December: A Sure Guide to Heaven by Joseph Alleine (148 pp)

My current read: Ashamed of the Gospel by John McArthur.
In reference to: Charles Spurgeon and the down-grade controversy.

Some quotes (so far): “It [current minstry philosophy] caters to people whose first love is themselves and who care not for God - unless they can have Him without disrupting their selfish lifestyles. Promise such people a religion that will allow them to be comfortable in their materialism and self-love, and they will respond in droves.”

2 Timothy 4:2-4 - “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

“The preaching of the Word must be the very heart of our ministry philosophy.”

“Real success is not getting results at any cost. It is not prosperity, power, prominence, popularity, or any of the other worldly notions of success. Real success is doing the will of God regardless of the consequences.”

SDG,
Lisa

The message yesterday reminded me of a book I read a little over a year ago - How Can I Be Sure I’m a Christian by Don Whitney.

BTW, after listening to the sermon recommended in my last post, go back to Sermon Audio and look up all the sermons by Paul Washer. Be sure to listen to the 2 part, The Beatitudes - Clothed in Christ. Excellent.

SDG,
Lisa

Greetings from Me and My House,

Most of the time I use the Bible alone for meditation and my daily quiet time with God (”devotions”). I feel no one should get between me and the Spirit of God. I am far more interested in learning from the Spirit and the Word and God working directly in my life, than reading about what others think of a passage.

The above forms the majority of my life in God alone, but I do also learn from great heroes of the faith, and other faithful pilgrims just passing through this world. We learn from teachers, but we are not their followers. We are not with them 24/7 as we are to be with our Lord. They just help point us to Him.

As mentioned in Dec., my dh and I have begun a study of Jesus’ commands. We are now 1/4 of the way through. This year long study has given us a weekly passage to meditate upon and daily encouragement and illustrations to read. We are greatly enjoying it, and others have joined in also.

It is through meditation on and observing the Word that we will have “good success” in life (Josh 1:8). And Psalm 1 :1-3 says the one that meditates in God’s Word day and night is blessed. It is the one diligent in truly learning God’s Word, in His heart and spirit, not just mind - one who truly meditates in God’s Word - who is blessed and successful. It is the one who has forsaken the things of this world to learn and follow the ways of the One who made him and all things, that is blessed with the sweet fellowship of his Maker and Redeemer and who grows to be more like Him. Lord, continue to make me that one.

SDG,
Lisa

A quote from an article by James Nickel on his website,

“In the Bible, salt is connected to the covenantal sacrifices (Leviticus 2:13). Adding salt to sacrifices meant that the sacrifices, in themselves, were unsavory. Salt, as the season of grace (cf. Colossians 4:6) – the unmerited favor of God – makes the sacrifices pleasing and acceptable; i.e., “savory” to God.

Through and by God’s redemptive grace given to the undeserving sinner, God requires the redeemed to present themselves to Him as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). Salt for the life of the believer is the preservative power of fidelity and purpose of heart to be true to covenant. In this requirement to be faithful, we are kept faithful by the power of God (I Peter 1:5). ”

The article is on Salt and the Marriage covenant, but the above quote is worth contemplating on in itself also.

SDG,
Lisa

Click here for a post on some of my favorite Christian books - by John Bunyan.

Greetings from Me and My House,

“Whatever resistance we see today offered by almost all the world to the progress of the truth, we must not doubt that our Lord will come at last to break through all the undertakings of men and make a passage for His Word. Let us hope boldly, then, more than we can understand; He will still surpass our opinion and our hope.”

Does this quote ring true to you? Our world is certainly doing its best to resist God’s truth. However this quote is from around 400 years ago, when God’s Word was largely unavailable to the people, and Reformers were working to get it available to common people in their own languages. This quote is from John Calvin.

I just received my new Geneva Bible, originally published in 1599. The Geneva Bible was the first complete English Bible translated from the original languages and intended to make God’s Word available to all the people. It was the first Bible to number chapters and verses to make finding Scriptures easier. And it was the first “study Bible”, with notes, annotations, cross references, etc.

This is the Bible of Liberty. It was the Bible brought to America by the Pilgrims. “The marginal notes of the Geneva Bible present a systematic Biblical worldview centered on the Sovereignty of God over all of His creation including churches and kings.” “Thus did the Geneva Bible begin the unstoppable march to liberty in England, Scotland, and America.” “Today, these theological “marginalia” might seem rudimentary or innocuous, but when they were systematically taught from Scripture and applied to life, as was done in the commentary in the Geneva Bile, entire nations and societies were transformed.” “Because of its revolutionary format and features, the Geneva Bible became the foundation for what we call group Bible study, and was a catalyst for the acceptance of the liberating doctrine of the ‘priesthood of all believers.’”

The Geneva Bible was even the catalyst for the most popular English translation of all time, the King James Version. King James, for obvious reasons, did not like the Geneva Bible with its bringing out that kings are under God’s rule, so he commissioned another Bible translation, without notes.

Today God’s Word is readily available in miriads of English translations, yet we still see the resistance of the world to the progress of the truth. Yet, along with Calvin, we can be assured that God will “break through all the undertakings of men and make a passage for His Word”. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word of our God shall stand forever.” (Isa. 40:8) It will not return to Him void. It will accomplish what He pleases. (Isa. 55:11) Perhaps it will please Him to once more utilize this Bible of Liberty, with the Reformers systematic presentation of a Biblical worldview, to bring Liberty to many through His Truth that makes men free.

SDG,
Lisa
(Quotes taken from Marshall Foster’s article, “The History and Impact of the Geneva Bible”, in The1599 Geneva Bible, published by Tolle Lege Press, 2006.)

Greetings from Me and My House,

Oh, the Cross. I’ve heard comments saying, “If Jesus was killed by a machine gun, would we really wear them around our necks?” I know many would choose to focus on just the life that Jesus lived as a good example for us to follow, but without the Cross we are nothing more than another moralistic religion, seeking and failing to live as “good people”; focusing on the deeds we do, not the hearts we have.

Yes, I glory in the Cross of Jesus the Messiah! It is the Cross and Christ’s finished work there, that tore the veil between me (you, and every other human) and the Father. It was the Cross that made possible the exchange of my (and your…) sin for Jesus’ righteousness.

The Cross is what makes Christianity, and living it, possible. It enables us to live and enjoy a Cross-Centered Life, which just happens to be the title of a short, easy to read, but great book by CJ Mahaney. It can be read quickly, making it super for reading over and over - which I recommend.

Check out Reid Ferguson’s non-review recommendation of it. This is the only thing I’ve read at his site so far, so not vouching for any other page there - yet. It only mentions one very minor point I’d disagree on (ministry gifts as listed in Eph. 4:11), and I really like the way Adrian Warnick describes them (I am digressing, but here’s Adrian’s descriptions).
“A Pastor loves Christians
A Teacher loves books
An Evangelist loves non-Christians
A Prophet loves God
An Apostle loves the Church”

Or read Tim Challies review, of The Cross-Centered Life, where he says among other things, that “Mahaney calls the Christian to look only and always at the cross, and to find there the power to live a life that is pleasing to God.” and “He provides practical guidance on living each day so that it is centered on the cross.”

Have a blessed Lord’s Day! and consider getting The Cross-Centered Life, or CJ’s newest book (which I haven’t read yet) Living the Cross Centered Life, which blends The Cross Centered Life with his Christ Our Mediator, to read on our next Lord’s Day.

At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @Me and My House
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