confession

  • Profitable Preaching ~ Kenneth Stewart: "And your soul will be a damp squib..."

    I've previously blogged about a couple preachers who have had a huge impact on my life:  the late Martyn Lloyd-Jones and John Piper (for more info., please see the links at the end of this post). Because there is a lot of harmful teaching and preaching running rampant, we need to be on constant guard and to test all things. But let's remember, there is nothing new under the sun. The very same thing was happening in the days of the early Church – hence all the warnings in the New Testament for us to guard the Gospel and to be rightly rooted in doctrine, and so on. The devil is constantly prowling; he is seeking to steal, kill, and destroy, and one of his most insidious means of doing so is through deceitful preaching within the visible church. He doesn't come in with a pitchfork and horns, but he comes as an angel of light, taking the truth of God's Word and subtly twisting it, with the intent that we might not enter into and enjoy the life abundantly that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, came to give to His sheep. Remember: Satan is Christ's adversary and the adversary of all who are Christ's. The devil is a wily schemer, and he is a murderer and a liar and the father of lies. The apostle Paul warned us that fierce wolves would rise up within the church, and they would not spare the flock (see Acts 20:29-30). We must take heed to our souls, and we must remember if we are taking garbage in, garbage will inevitably come out! GIGO! Our eternal souls are at stake! Doctrine is not optional, or a throw-away, it is vital to our soul's well-being! We only have so many hours in a day, and we must be wise in what we read, watch, and listen to. We should be seeking to feed our souls with profitable preaching. Throughout the book of Jeremiah, there was a continued lamentation and rebuke that Israel had gone after that worthless things which did not profit (e.g. - Jer. 2:8, 7:8, 12:13, 14:14, 16:19, 23:32), and because of her turning away from the Word of the LORD, Israel ended up in exile for 70 years in Babylon.

    Both Dr. Lloyd-Jones and Dr. Piper (as well as all the preachers and teachers I'm drawn to, and whom I recommend to others) preach a felt Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones' preaching was spoken of as "logic on fire." These men preach of an experiential/experimental religion (please see here for more on that). By experimental religion I mean religion of the sort where, as God's Holy Spirit sovereignly moves, the doctrines of the Bible are imparted in power to the soul, such as what happened to the disciples on the Emmaus road: "Did not our heart burn within us... ?" Or, consider David's description about the Word of God in this way: that it was sweeter than honey and the honeycomb! There are certain times, as God's sovereign Spirit blows, when religion becomes more than notion, as Joseph Hart penned:

    True religion's more than notion,
    Something must be known and felt.

    These men also both preach from a Reformed perspective, i.e. - Calvinism, or the doctrines of grace, or TULIP (see here). In Calvinism there is a high view of God: the glory and majesty and holiness and sovereignty and beauty of God is emphasized, and along with it, the total depravity and inability of men. Consequently, the most excellent glory of God's love, mercy, and grace in providing salvation – from beginning to ending (foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified! ~ Romans 8:29-30) – to helpless, hopeless, dead, powerless, vile, and worthless sinners through the Lord Jesus Christ is most wonderfully displayed and highly exalted.


    Salvation is of the LORD.
    (Jonah 2:9)

    Not to us, O LORD, not to us,
    But to Your name give glory,
    because of Your mercy,
    And because of Your truth.
    (Psalm 115:1)

    Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

    For who has known the mind of the LORD?
    Or who has become His counselor?
    Or who has first given to Him
    And it shall be repaid to him?

    For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things,
    to whom be glory forever. Amen.
    (Romans 11:33-36)

    For those of you who aren't familiar with Calvinism, in  "A Defense of Calvinism," Charles Spurgeon wrote:

    I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor.

    "If ever it should come to pass,
    That sheep of Christ might fall away,
    My fickle, feeble soul, alas!
    Would fall a thousand times a day."

    I've mentioned this to a couple of my friends here – @AmyDoo and @stephensmustang – that for quite a while now, I've been wanting to give you a list of some of the preachers to whom I've been listening (Ah! the iPod – it's a beautiful thing!) – and now, having set forth some of what I value in preaching, tonight I'd like to introduce you to the preaching of Kenneth Stewart, currently the pastor at Glasgow Reformed Presbyterian Church in Glasgow, Scotland.

    The following is an excerpt from the latter part of Kenneth Stewart's sermon "Gains and Losses (2)" <http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=319121440382> on Philippians 3:7.

    7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

    God saved Saul of Tarsus, as he calls himself a chief of sinners. He did that just to show that can be yours too. Yours! That can be your experience. This man was what? Somewhere in his thirties perhaps... but his life was turned upside-down for God, and so can yours be.

    Will you not start to live like that, friend? Will you not confess your brokenness and your sin and your hopelessness and helplessness, and come to Christ – that this new life may begin in yourself too. He finds a righteousness.

    But the righteousness isn't all he finds. He finds a life as well. He doesn't just get a ticket to heaven – he gets a new type of life to live. That's the point of justification after all. That's the point of being put legally right.... Once we're put legally right, everything else can be sorted out.

    The whole purpose of our justification is that sanctification can begin. We start to know God. We just start – and we go on – to know Him better. After all, he says, first of all in verse 9, he wants to be found. This is a reference, I think, to the judgment seat. He wants to be found there, not having his own righteousness, no – which is from the law – but that which is from faith in Christ – the righteousness which is from God by faith.

    "That I may know Him," he says. "I don't just want to be set free by Him, I want to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death."

    What's he's saying there?

    Well, Christ isn't just giving him an inheritance, He's giving him a new life.

    What is eternal life? Well, Jesus answers that question in John 17, verse 5: It's to know God, to know the Father, to know the Son – through the Spirit. That is life. That's when life begins. They say life begins at 40, or whatever. It begins when you know God. When you call Him your father in heaven. When a relationship is struck between your Creator and you. That's when life starts. Anything else you live, friend, I don't care how racy it is, how adventurous it is, how exciting it is, it's not life!

    Life begins when you know your Creator, and you enter into a relationship with Him. Anything less than that is not life at all.

    That I may know Him. He says, "Yes, that's what I want. . .

    What is it to mean to know? Well, to know is not just to know intellectually, but to know in the heart. He wants to know Christ as a person. He wants to know more and more of who Christ is and what He has done for him. A righteousness and a life.

    And you'll notice that he describes that especially in verse 10 in these terms:  knowing Christ consists in knowing the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

    That I may know Him. "Yes," he says, "that's what I want."  You know that's what I want too. I hope I want it enough. I hope I want it as passionately as Paul wanted it: to know Christ. Do you? Do you want to know Christ better, deeper? If you do, you'll want to know the power of His resurrection. What is that?

    Well, simply the power He gives by virtue of His resurrection. It doesn't mean the power that actually raised Him from the dead, but the power He possesses as the resurrected Lord, a power that He sends into your life by the Holy Spirit. It doesn't feel like electricity. It doesn't crackle like that. It's not that kind of power. It's not that kind of dynamism. It's a spiritual power, it's a spiritual power that carries with it all things needful for life and godliness (Second Peter, chapter 1). That's what you want. In other words, you want what He gives you in terms of knowledge, understanding, judgment, peace, love, joy, discernment. You want that kind of spiritual power coursing through your spiritual veins. You want that. The power of His resurrection. It's a way of saying that God has so much to give. That Christ has so much to give you. He can give you so much of that love for others. So much of that compassion for a fallen world. So much desire to make a difference. He can give you so much love that you will overflow with that love, and so much joy and peace. You want it!

    I want to know that Christ, and I want to know that resurrection power in me, filling me through His Holy Spirit . Yes, he says, that's what I want to know. I want to know that Christ, and I want to know Him with that fullness.

    Some of you tonight want this, not because you've never had it, but because you've tasted some of it. And when you taste a bit of it, and you remember what the taste is like, you really want it. Sometimes in our foolishness, we do forget it. But just like life, you know, sometimes a smell takes you back. Sometimes just a word takes you back. Sometimes something is said and done, and you'll remember, "Yes, yes, that's what a Christ-centered life was like."

    Where have you left that behind, friend?

    Where? When? Why?

    For what husks did you exchange it?

    For what rubbish did you let it go?

    What was it amongst the things that you cast away ages ago, what was it that you suddenly rediscovered and polished down and was so worth it?

    Do you remember the day when every magazine was trash, every newspaper was a waste of time?

    Is it not something of that you need back, and something of that I need back too?

    Aw, it's all right to come out with the arguments that says these things are lawful. Ahhh... You can be killed off by lawful things. Your life can be destroyed by a multitude of lawful things.

    Do you understand that? The cake remains the same size. There are 24 hours in day. You cram it up with as much lawful stuff as you like, and you've got nothing left for Christ. Not a thing. And your soul will be a damp squib, and you'll do next to nothing for the Lord. But what you could do – if you started to be a bit more severe on yourself like that.

    And it's not as though it's torture. That's no hair shirt. No! That's no hair shirt, and that's no whip, and that's no lash. Because you'll discover that to give yourself back to Christ will bring you the joy and the love and peace and the exhilaration  and the sense of accomplishing something for Himself. That' s life. That's life: that I may know Him, he says, and the power of His resurrection - pray for that power, and he says, the fellowship of HIs sufferings, I want that too.

    Now, to be honest, I've wrestled with this expression quite often, "I want to know the fellowship of His sufferings." But after thinking about it, I still feel what I've essentially always felt about it. It's just means that there is a special fellowship with Christ, even in the midst of suffering. There's always fellowship with Christ, but in suffering for Him, He'll see to it that you'll get it too. In fact, He'll see that you'll don't just get it also, you'll get it especially in the midst of sufferings. Don't be afraid of them. Walk into them for Christ's sake, and you'll be lifted up in the midst of them.

    From the Christians who suffered in the Roman catacombs, in the amphitheaters, right down to the Christians who have suffered in China recently, and elsewhere, across the Muslim world; right through the martyrs of the Reformation, and Scotland itself, you'll discover that if you suffer for Christ, He won't be far away from you. Paul says, "I want that," he says. "I don't choose suffering, I'm not gonna to walk into them," he says, "but I've discovered that in the midst of them, there's a sweetness in the presence of Christ."

    . . .

    Get Christ, friend. Get Christ for your soul, because nothing's to be compared with Him.

    squib -  a small firework that burns with a hissing sound before exploding.

    damp squib (plural damp squibs)

    A firework that fails to go off, due to wetting.
    (idiomatic, by extension) Anything that doesn’t work properly, or fails to come up to expectations.

    Origin of the phrase "damp squib"

    While most modern squibs used by professionals are insulated from moisture, older uninsulated squibs needed to be kept dry in order to ignite, thus a "damp squib" was literally one that failed to perform because it got wet. Often misheard as "damp squid", the phrase "damp squib" has since come into general use to mean anything that fails to meet expectations. The word "squib" has come to take on a similar meaning even when used alone, as a synonym for dud.


    Does the Lord Jesus Christ consider your soul a damp squib?

    Matthew 5

    13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

    14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

    Luke 14

    34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

    More about life and life abundantly through the Lord Jesus Christ:
    Second Sunday after Christmas: Is your religion true religion? (Henry Scougal)
    Advent #1 WHY HAS JESUS COME? that we might have life & life more abundantly
    Advent # 5 WHY HAS JESUS COME? So we might draw near to God | Even a Vapor
    "Who wants candles when he has the sun?" ~ Edward Payson | letter 124 on assurance & joy
    What is a nominal Christian?
    update w/ excerpt: Lloyd-Jones' sermons on the role of experience in Christianity
    The flags unfurled ... Christ's eternal banner | Lloyd-Jones ~ a third type of assurance
    The Father's Inheritance (Eleven days' journey ~ A lamentation & an exhortation)
    Is your ambition holy? / What are you living for? (Louis Paul Lehman) / The Christian's Aim
    postcards from England: are we excited over a dead fish and a car wreck?
    Resurrection Day: Don't Waste Your Life (Lecrae) | Whose Life is it anyhow?
    the infinite significance of the eternal Kingdom
    "Call to Me and I will answer you" (thoughts on holy ambition)
    Are You Working on the Wall? (redemption, spiritual gifts, the glory of God, joy & holy ambition)
    Are you robbing God? Where is God telling you to "Rise and go!" for the joy of others?
    adopting God's purpose for the nations is for your joy & His glory (Letter 76 on joy)
    Are you wasting your life living like all the other nations? Ezekiel 25:8
    every brand snatched is a brand dispatched ~ Reflections on 9/11, Redemption & God's Mission


    More about Kenneth Stewart:

    You can access Kenneth Stewart's sermons from Glasgow RP Church via sermonaudio through <http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=glasgowrpcs>, and other sermons from other churches here <http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?SpeakerOnly=true&currSection=sermonsspeaker&Keyword=Kenneth^Stewart>. You can also access Kenneth Stewart's sermons from Dowanvale Free Presbyterian Church here: <http://www.dowanvale.org/index.php/sermon-date/> (you'll have to page back).

    More about Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

    More about John Piper:

    More about my credo for blogging and doctrine...

    Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Prodigal_Son_tending_the_Swine.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}

    Information about squib and damp squib found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squib_(explosive)  / CC BY-SA 3.0

    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Box_of_squibs.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0     / Public Domain

  • O! Could it be yet a very little while | Biblical mourning & joy

     
    (Letter 143 on assurance & joy)

    ...yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts...
    Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
    and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?
    ~ Isaiah 29:5b-6a, 17

    O! Could it be yet a very little while
    That His countenance would rise, His face would smile?

    When my faithfulness is as fading leaf,
    Why would Christ ride unto me with relief?

    Why, when I sinned, caused Him so much grief,
    Unstable as water, my heart full of deceit?

    Why should my Father's heart still zealously yearn,
    When all I did was wander, gad about, and turn?

    Despised His commands, quenched His Breath,
    Spurned His fellowship – sin gave birth to death!

    Why should God in all His majesty appear,
    Give me beauty for ashes, joy for my tears?

    Why should Christ Jesus favor me, why would He take heed?
    – Only because I was born of His incorruptible seed.


    This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you,
    that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
    If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness,
    we lie and do not practice the truth.
    But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
    and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
    If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
    If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
    to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
    If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
    ~ I John 1:5-10

    Who is a God like unto thee,
    that pardoneth iniquity,
    and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?
    he retaineth not his anger for ever,
    because he delighteth in mercy.
    He will turn again,
    he will have compassion upon us;
    he will subdue our iniquities;
    and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
    ~ Micah 7:18-19

    No thorns or briers could hinder the LORD
    At an instant - suddenly! – girded with sword

    My King came riding at the break of dawn
    Rejoiced o'er me with joy, singing this song:

    "Daughter of Zion, in whom I am pleased
    My blood has ransomed you and made you clean

    "Your broken heart has proved that you are Mine,
    Bearing fruits of repentance from the True Vine

    "The poor and humble I set on high
    The meek with salvation, I beautify

    "Your pleas for mercy have been heard above
    There is forgiveness through My precious blood

    "I, the LORD of hosts, am faithful, I am just
    To cleanse you of all sin and unrighteousness!

    "Once afflicted and desolate – but no more!
    Into your thirsty soul, I abundantly pour.

    "Fear not! For the praise, glory and honor of My name,
    I welcome you, sister – stand before Me without shame!"

    For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one:
    for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
    Saying,
    I will declare thy name unto my brethren,
    in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

    And again,
    I will put my trust in him.

    And again,
    Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

    Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,
    he also himself likewise took part of the same;
    that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
    And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
    For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
    Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren,
    that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God,
    to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
    For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,
    he is able to succour them that are tempted.
    ~ Hebrews 2:11-18

    For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes...
    ~ Psalm 26:3a

    Lovingkindness set before mine eyes
    Shekinah Glory – as the Son did arise

    A lovely glimpse, brightening gleam
    My heart indites a goodly theme

    Overflowing from Zion's sparkling stream
    In my gloom suddenly shone a beam

    Heavenly manna upon the ground
    Once more His grace did abound

    Lebanon refreshed, a fruitful field
    The honeycomb dripped, the Spirit sealed

    The hills flowed with milk, the mountains wine
    Gladdening oil made my face to shine

    O! Cloudy pillar, Glory's descent
    Grace upon grace, the heavens rent!

    Who am I, but the sinner chief,
    Dust and ashes, a guilty thief!

    Why should the Rock burst forth with cheer
    When I mocked Christ, yea, I did jeer?

    Why should I receive wheat so fine?
    Why should I drink the choicest wine?

    Yet, I opened my mouth and was supplied
    With Jesus my soul was perfectly satisfied

    No single drop or morsel I do deserve
    Yet bliss gushes forth from heav'n's reserve!

    In raining mercies our God takes great delight
    Awak'ning, satisfying me with His Light

    A nest provided, but far, far more
    Fresh joy and gladness from treasure store

    Welcomed as a son, wrapped in His fold
    His love so fervent, it melts the cold

    His voice resounds, makes the deer give birth
    Effectually calls, infuses holy mirth

    Among the branches, my song displayed:
    Glory to God! Hallowed be His Name!

    Chosen in Christ before break of day
    Why me? Why me? What can I say?

    Father, Son, and Spirit, they do decide
    Grace falls like dew, He comes to abide

    My bones were lifeless, so very dry
    Yet the Sovereign Spirit, He did fly

    Upon the wind, Jehovah did ride
    The River's fullness, His mercies wide

    Rapture's transport by His drenching tide
    Ushered in to sup with God Most High!

    In His presence, pleasures and peace multiply
    How could He forsake the apple of His eye?

    Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:
    behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation;
    lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
    ~ Zechariah 9:9

    And it shall be said in that day,
    Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us:
    this is the LORD; we have waited for him,
    we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
    ~ Isaiah 25:9

    Sing, O daughter of Zion;
    shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
    The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy:
    the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee:
    thou shalt not see evil any more.
    In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not:
    and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
    The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty;
    he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy;
    he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
    I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly,
    who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
    Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee:
    and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out;
    and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
     At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you:
    for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth,
    when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.
    ~ Zephaniah 3:14-20

    Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
    Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
    for they shall be filled.
    ~ Matthew 5:4, 6

    He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
    They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
    By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
    ~ Psalm 104:10-12

    "The holiness of the High Priest (which was the thing most sweetly affecting to my soul, as it showed me that there was one, polluted as I am, which a holy God could accept for me,) would revive a deep sense of my own impurity, the purity of God, and the consistency of the plan of grace. I feared to lose these views,—views of the very thing which I had long desired to see. I wanted more of them. I feared hypocritical worship, and every thing but meekness, sincerity, love, adoration, faith, and gratitude. In the evening, at my lodgings, I could not but recommend this blessed Saviour to the youth of the family. I clearly saw, what I never so saw before, that he was a perfect medium of access to God for a whole world,—that all might come to God by him. In my bed-chamber, in secret prayer, all these views were perhaps more clear than ever. I felt that I might be saved,—that I was brought near to a pure God by this High Priest, and saw how I could approach God and be saved by him. It was easier to realize this great truth, (which had always been the most difficult of apprehension,) than any thing else. I felt that I could not pay any thing in return. It was all free, rich, astonishing grace. I was an eternal bankrupt, overwhelmed with obligation. In the light of these discoveries, all the common mercies of my life swelled to an amazing size. I wanted and longed that my wife, child, sister, father, and all my friends, and all the world, should see, adore, and enjoy this Saviour. I felt like one who had found a great treasure, and wished to have all know of it, and share it. I felt that I certainly did take firm hold of the great High Priest,—that it was clearly a right hold,—that there was not a phantom in my embrace, but the very High Priest whom Paul recommended to the Hebrews. He appeared a solid rock on which I certainly stood firm. I had even then no excitement of animal affections. All was still, solid and real; and for the first time I lay down quietly on my bed in the full assurance of hope; not a single doubt of my salvation remaining. Oh what a blessed change in twenty-four hours! This is a blessed morning. How trifling is learning, fame, every thing, to these discoveries of Christ! I feel willing to suffer labor, fatigue, shame, contempt, and even death for this glorious Redeemer. O give me this life of communion with him, and I desire no more! Never did I before make this aspiration with half so much solid reality of desire. Every thing appears like filthy trash to this. All the Bible, all truth opens, and appears solid, weighty, and glorious. Turn which way I will, light shines around me,—on every contemplation—every truth. O Lord give me faith and keep me humble! To think that after so many and so great sins and abuses of privileges, he should reveal himself to me! To think that he should from eternity ordain me to everlasting life! Why me? Why me? I am astonished. I am sweetly overwhelmed and swallowed up."

    ~ Edward Griffin in "Memoir of the Rev. Edward D. Griffin, D.D., Compiled Chiefly from His Own Writings" by Edward D. Griffin & William Buell Sprague (New York: Taylor & Dodd, 1839), 72-73, boldface mine.
    Related:

    Links to my series of posts on dealing with past sins & guilt
    Advent #3 WHY HAS JESUS COME? not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance
    reflections on God's Word & God's grace
    Resurrection Sunday: Two Responses to the Son (Psalm 2)
    Ash Wednesday: Do you despise yourself? | Job 42
    What is Biblical mourning? (Ash Wednesday)
    Biblical mourning, assurance and false guilt
    Christian, are you bearing fruit in keeping with repentance?
    true repentance leads to joy (Letter 37 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    He will abundantly pardon for your joy (Isaiah 55) | Letter 102 on assurance & fighting for joy
    Dearest idol, how can I find rest
    Blessed Be God for His Kindness Which Leads Us to Repentance
    Things to Look for in a Church: Humility before God leading to confession, repentance & fruits worthy of repentance
    Bible Reading: Luke--God's Kingdom Economy: Losers Who Win, or Grace Is Amazing Only to Those Who See Themselves as Wretched....
    The Song of the Speckled Bird (Rejoicing in God's sovereign goodness to the senseless)
    experimental assurance of the Father's love (letter 67 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    The flags unfurled ... Christ's eternal banner | Lloyd-Jones ~ a third type of assurance
    The Christian should not just believe the truth, and know it..." | the Father's assurance

    Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rippl_Sorrow.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / ((PD-Art|PD-old-70}}

    Work found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korea-Andong-Hahoe_Folk_Village-Persimmon_tree_and_birds-01.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0

  • The Song of the Speckled Bird (Rejoicing in God's sovereign goodness to the senseless)



    Jeremiah 12:9: Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird...

    Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on Jeremiah 12:

    "Some make her a speckled, pied, or motley bird, upon the account of their mixing the superstitious customs and usages of the heathen with divine institutions in the worship of God; they were fond of a party-coloured religion, and thought it made them fine, when really it made them odious. God's turtle-dove is no speckled bird."


    Matthew 6:22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

    24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

    Hosea 7:11 (NKJV)
    Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense—

    Hosea 7:11  Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. 12  When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. 13  Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. 14  And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me. 15  Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. 16  They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

    The Song of the Speckled Bird
    (Rejoicing in God's sovereign goodness to the senseless)

    Your holy name I have despised
    Constrain me, make me single-eyed

    I have lusted, sinful pride
    In the earthly took delight

    Affections unsettled, unsanctified
    Lust conceived, the wandering eye

    Though ransomed from a futile life,
    A speckled bird, unfaithful bride!

    Aimless conduct, fleshly flight
    Deadly journey: woe and blight

    Played the harlot, Your will defied
    Discarded the Truth, ingested lies

    Silly, senseless dove – wise in mine own eyes
    Without heart, like the uncircumcised

    Foolish fancies, profane flight
    Cherished darkness, spurned the Light

    My way corrupt, my feet did slide
    Forsook Your glory for pig sty

    Turn me, draw me to Your side
    Be merciful to me, be kind

    Will You leave the ninety-nine
    Awake, arise, and visit this vine!

    Lord, rescue me, hear my cries!
    Wash me in Your crimson tide!

    Broken hearted, mournful sighs:
    I must have Thee! – Jesus Christ!

    Blessed is the wife You chastise
    In my darkness, You shall be Light

    Though I have fallen, I shall arise
    My Redeemer has fully justified

    I have an Advocate, Jesus Christ
    In steadfast love, You do delight

    To Your Fount, I come – I swiftly fly!
    O! Wash me, Lamb of God, or I die!

    You alone are my flawless Surety
    Forgive me, cleanse me from my impurity

    To my wounds, Your balm apply
    Shine Your face, my soul revive

    Behold my mouth opened wide
    True Bread, fill me, or I die!

    For You alone I pant and cry
    Who else has the words of life?

    Came to my senses, yet 'twas not I
    Sovereign grace drew me, opened my eyes

    Apart from mercy, I was bound and chained
    But Your Spirit breathed, Your love constrained

    Through the impulse Sovereign and Divine
    You compelled and called me: "You are Mine!"

    "The thief has come to steal, kill, and destroy
    To deceive and hinder from true Joy"

    "Come to My feast, the supper Divine
    Leave your husks, return, My ransomed bride!"

    "Eat My manna and drink My wine
    Feed on Me and be satisfied!"

    Psalm 110:3  Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

    II Corinthians 5:14: For the love of Christ constraineth us...

    Luke 15:11 He also said: "A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.' So he distributed the assets to them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. 14 After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. 15 Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to eat his fill from the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him any. 17 When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I'll get up, go to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. 19 I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired hands. 20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father told his slaves, 'Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let's celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' So they began to celebrate. (HCSB)

    I John 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4  And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

    2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

    Micah 7:8  Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. 9  I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness...

    18  Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19  He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 20  Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

    Matthew 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted... 6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

    I Peter 1:13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

    17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (NKJV)

    Romans 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

    Related:

    Advent #3 WHY HAS JESUS COME? not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance
    Blessed Be God for His Kindness Which Leads Us to Repentance
    Letter 25 on assurance and fighting for joy (a strong craving ≠ His joy)
    Jesus' yoke --> fullness of joy (Letter 31 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    true repentance leads to joy (Letter 37 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    Prevail | apart from sovereign grace
    postcards from England: "Flower in the Crannied Wall" (Tennyson)
    don't waste your new year ~ teach us, satisfy us, make us glad (Psalm 90:12-15)
    Ash Wednesday: Do you despise yourself? | Job 42
    What is Biblical mourning? (Ash Wednesday)
    Biblical mourning, assurance and false guilt
    Christian, are you bearing fruit in keeping with repentance?
    Dearest idol, how can I find rest
    Things to Look for in a Church: Humility before God leading to confession, repentance & fruits worthy of repentance

    Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

    Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.  Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

    Work found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spotted_Dove_(Streptopelia_chinensis)_on_a_Kapok_(Ceiba_pentandra)_tree_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_3476.jpg / CC BY-SA 3.0

naphtali_deer

About me...

Christian hedonist in training. Pressing on to know more and more of the joy of the LORD. Pleading with God to rend the heavens and revive and refresh my own soul, as well as His Church, to His praise, honor and glory.

Thank God. He can make men and women in middle life sing again with a joy that has been chastened by a memory of their past failures. ~ Alan Redpath

My other websites

tent of meeting: Prayer for reformation & revival

(See also Zechariah821. Zechariah821 is a mirror site of tent of meeting, found on WordPress)

deerlifetrumpet: Encouragement for those seeking reformation & revival in the Church

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