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“But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.” (Jonah 1:3 ESV)
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| One of the graphic lessons in Jonah chapter 1 is that God will achieve His purposes. We are blessed if we join in obediently and corrected if we flee. Yet regardless of how He directs and develops us, God will accomplish His will.
Recognizing that truth in my study of Jonah, I was reminded how it influenced one of the wisest American Christians – Jonathan Edwards. Before his 20th birthday in 1723, young Jonathan penned 70 resolutions. He based each on scripture and then read these life-guiding declarations at least once per week for the next 35 years. [That’s more than 1800 reminders of biblical purpose before his death in 1758.] Consider his introduction and these two resolutions, which speak to the heart of Jonah:
Jonah/Nahum I have just begun teaching through Jonah and Nahum. We’re studying these two prophets together because these two who speak “To Nineveh” give us a remarkably full picture of the mercy and justice of God. If you are interested in reading through my background notes, they can be accessed HERE. Study curriculum Some remarkable writers at the church where I preach [Frisco Bible Church] craft fantastic curriculum to go along with each message. If you feel led to learn through Jonah & Nahum in your personal devotion, Life Group, or group Bible study, you can access the curriculum HERE.
Whatever Happened to Manhood? We are beginning production of a new video-based Bible study using a series I did last year on biblical manhood. If you live in North Texas, you are invited to join us for the six-week study discussion and filming on Wednesday evenings beginning January 14. |
January 8, 2015 | Resolution
December 18, 2014 | Evidence, Reason, and Christmas
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“The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35 NASB) |
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When I am teaching non-Christians, they often bring this verse up. They say to me things like, “The Spirit’s conception of Jesus is just a fairy tale. It’s unreasonable.” When I ask why they say that, they reply that it lacks evidence – especially evidence through replication. They say that evidence is the only way one can know anything. At this point I begin to feel sorry for them. You see, they have adopted a tragically flawed world-view that is unsustainable. They have missed what philosophers’ call a “properly basic belief.” A PBB is something that is still rational even without evidence or arguments. It is based on the bedrock idea that evidence cannotbe the only way to know truth. It can’t! If evidence were the only way to know truth, then, in the words of William Lane Craig, “One can’t establish anything as true since any evidence given in support would itself need to be proven and that proof further proven – ad infinitum. This is called the problem of infinite regress. Nothing can be known.” That’s the atheist problem. According to the evidence-only trap, nothing can be known. That’s not to say that evidence is unimportant, but it can’t be the sole basis of truth. For more consideration of all this, I recommend Alan Plantinga’s Warranted Christian Belief. I also think you will enjoy the brief videos linked below. They were written and produced by a doctoral student in our church as a summary of Dr. Plantinga’s arguments. Defeater 1: The Possibilitiy of Christian Belief: http://youtu.be/GORwmLF06Q4 |
December 11, 2014 | No Other One
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“After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:9-11 ESV)
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My old friend Cecil Price wrote the following in his recent book about the Jesus:
Moved by Cecil’s observations, I am teaching through four unique truths about Jesus this advent season. We are examining what it means that He is eternal, was conceived of a virgin, and is both Messiah and Savior. My prayer is that this study will guide me and others to lift our eyes – to hear and see and worship the matchless Jesus. Deafened by what we think we know The universal appeal of Christmas opens this wonderful opportunity for three groups of people:
The reality is that each of us needs this study, whether we think we’ve heard everything about Christology, are really considering Jesus for the first time, or are somewhere in between. For further study I recommend: Andersen, The Lord from Heaven; Barclay, The Mind of Christ; Beitzel, Moody Atlas; Bloom, Jesus and Yahweh;Braudrick, Gospel of John notes; Bruce, Jesus: Lord and Savior; Della Valle, “The Ontology of Jesus Christ”; Erickson, Christian Theology; Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah; Gangel, “The Bodies of Our Lord”; Lee and Hindson, No Greater Savior;Lightner, Sin, the Savior, and Salvation; Lucado, No Wonder They Call Him Savior; Lutzer, Seven Convincing Miracles; McDowell, More Than a Carpenter; Pentecost, Words and Works of Jesus Christ, Things to Come; Pelikan, Jesus Through the Centuries; Price, The Unique One; Stott, The Cross of Christ; Swindoll, Behold, the Man and Jesus our Lord; Thomas, The Jesus Conspiracy; Yancy, The Jesus I Never Knew. |
December 4, 2014 | I Am Resolved
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“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.” (2 Peter 3:11-14 NASB)
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Great old song Teaching 2 Peter 3, I illustrated Peter’s great call to holy living with the old Carpenter’s Song, “We’ve Only Just Begun,” Randy Newman’s “Like Falling in Love,” Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” and the Beatles’ “Revolution.” A friend came up afterwards and reminded me of an even older song directly based on 2 Peter 3 – Peter Hartsough & James Fillmore’s 1896 hit* “I Am Resolved.” *There was no Billboard chart then, but we do have an account of 14 train cars full of students singing this song in unison as they travelled from Chicago to San Francisco in 1896.
Christmas Devotionals If you are in the Frisco, Texas area, I recommend you stop by our church offices this week to grab a copy of the Christmas daily devotional How Christmas Changed The World. Written by faculty at Dallas Theological Seminary, this guide beautifully walks one through scripture in reminder of the Messiah who came to bring abundant life. I think this small tool will help us find joy that extends beyond Christmas. If you are outside this immediate area, you can get information from Labin Duke at lduke@dts.edu. |
November 26, 2014 | Eyes To See and a Heart To Give Thanks
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“Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” (2 Chronicles 20:21 NASB)
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Jehoshaphat’s thanksgiving Good king Jehoshaphat of Judah was remarkable in many ways, not the least of which was his understanding about thankfulness. In 2 Chronicles 20, we learn how he led God’s people in a great thanksgiving celebration before they had any relief from oppression. Yes, that chapter accounts a great victory by Judah, but we notice that the thanksgiving celebration came first. This was not mere locker room bravado. Jehoshaphat saw truths about life and the Lord that were deeper and more real than his material circumstances. He recognized that God’s hesed [covenant love we translate “lovingkindness”] reaches beyond, over, and through all situations. It is indeed everlasting. Judah’s king combined those eyes to see with a heart ready and willing to give thanks. Thus, he experienced lasting spiritual victory before setting foot on the battlefield. A grieving mother’s gratitude Last week at my home church we had to bid farewell to a dear sister tragically taken by cancer. After a tearful, wonderful celebration of her life here and her eternal life with the Savior, I received this note:
As we enter Thanksgiving this week, we do well to follow the lead of Jehoshaphat and this hurting mom. There are battles still to fight and pains worthy of great grief. Yet in the midst of all this the hesed of God endures forever. We can give thanks through the tears and before the battle is won – all because we know the One who assures us eventual and eternal victory. |
November 13, 2014 | False Freedom
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“For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:18-19 NASB) |
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After I taught this piercing passage in 2 Peter 2, a friend reminded me of Goethe’s brilliant insight, drawn from Peter’s wisdom:
Genuine freedom is found in Christ alone. Thus, we:
Provide help to those escaping error. |