Summary of Matthew 7:1-20

"As a brother the Christian hates hypocrisy, criticizes himself and seeks to give constructive moral support to others. As an evangelist he prizes the gospel pearl so highly that he refuses to expose it to scornful rejection by hardened sinners. As a lover of all men, he is resolved to behave towards them as he would like them to behave towards him. As a child he looks humbly and trustfully to his heavenly Father to give him all the good gifts he needs. As a traveller on the hard and narrow way, he enjoys fellowship with his fellow pilgrims and keeps his eye on the goal of life. As a champion of God's revealed truth, he heeds Christ's warning to be watchful for false teachers who would pervert it and so ravage Christ's flock."

John Stott, "The Message of The Sermon on The Mount", p 203-204

Weeping may last but a night, BUT joy comes in the morning

If we are prosperous, we devour God’s blessings without feeling that they are his, or, at least, we indolently allow them to slip away; but if any thing sorrowful or adverse befall us, we immediately complain of his severity, as if he had never dealt kindly and mercifully with us. In short, our own fretfulness and impatience under affliction makes every minute an age; while, on the other hand, our repining and ingratitude lead us to imagine that God’s favor, however long it may be exercised towards us, is but for a moment. It is our own perversity, therefore, in reality, which hinders us from perceiving that God’s anger is but of short duration, While his favor is continued towards us during the whole course of our life. Nor does God in vain so often declare that he is merciful and gracious to a thousand generations, long-suffering, slow to anger, and ready to forgive. And as what he says by the prophet Isaiah has a special reference to the kingdom of Christ, it must be daily fulfilled,

“For a small moment have I afflicted thee, but with everlasting mercies will I gather thee,” (Isa 54:7.)

Our condition in this world, I confess, involves us in such wretchedness, and we are harassed by such a variety of afflictions, that scarcely a day passes without some trouble or grief. Moreover, amid so many uncertain events, we cannot be otherwise than full of daily anxiety and fear. Wherever, therefore, men turn themselves, a labyrinth of evils surrounds them. But however much God may terrify and humble his faithful servants, with manifold signs of his displeasure, he always be-sprinkles them with the sweetness of his favor to moderate and assuage their grief. If they weigh, therefore his anger and his favor in an equal balance, they will always find it verified, that while the former is but for a moment, the latter continues to the end of life; nay, it goes beyond it, for it were a grievous mistake to confine the favor of God within the boundaries of this transitory life. And it is unquestionably certain, that none but those whose minds have been raised above the world by a taste of heavenly life really experience this perpetual and uninterrupted manifestation of the divine favor, which enables them to bear their chastisements with cheerfulness. Paul, accordingly, that he may inspire us with invincible patience, refers to this in 2Co 4:17,

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.”

In the meantime, it is to be observed that God never inflicts such heavy and continued chastisements on his people, without frequently mitigating them, and sweetening their bitterness with some consolation. Whoever, therefore, directs his mind to meditation upon the heavenly life, will never faint under his afflictions, however long continued; and, comparing them with the exceeding great and manifold favors of God towards him, he will put such honor on the latter as to judge that God’s goodness, in his estimation, outweighs his displeasure a hundred-fold. In the second clause, David repeats the same thing figuratively: Weeping will lodge in the evening, and rejoicing shall come in the morning He does not simply mean, that the affliction would be only for one night, but that if the darkness of adversity should fall upon the people of God, as it were, in the evening, or at the setting of the sun, light would soon after arise upon them, to comfort their sorrow-stricken spirits. The amount of David’s instruction is, that were we not too headstrong, we would acknowledge that the Lord, even when he appears to overwhelm us for a time with the darkness of affliction, always seasonably ministers matter of joy, just as the morning arises after the night.

Jean Calvin - Commentary on Psalm 30:5

What kind of man do I want to be?

Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?

The one whose way of life is blameless,

who does what is righteous,

who speaks the truth from their heart;

whose tongue utters no slander,

who does no wrong to a neighbour,

and casts no slur on others;

who despises a vile person

but honours those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,

and does not change their mind;

who lends money to the poor without interest;

who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things

will never be shaken.

Psalm 15

As I am trying to think through whether I keep studying, I must not forget (whatever decision I make) what kind of man I would like to be at the end of my life.

You just have to live differently from them.

"Now some of you standing here this morning find God's words easy, but others may find them harsh. What can I say? I can only appeal to what is truly Christian in you.

If you truly believe, hope, love something that's decidedly, markedly different from the Gentile Pagans, then you have no other choice.

You just have to live differently from them.

And you will just have to get used to the fact that your Faith, Hope and Charity set you apart from the unholy customs of those Gentile Pagans."

Augustine of Hippo, Sermons to the People, Sermon CXCVIII (New Years #2)

What God has spoken in these last days

"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3

The heir of ALL THINGS... died!
The one through whom the universe was made... died!
The radiance of God's glory... died!
The exact representation of God's being... died!
The sustainer of ALL THINGS... died!

FOR YOU!

Christian Community is a gift

Christian community means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it be a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ.

or for the Deutsch inclined:

Christliche Gemeinschaft heißt Gemeinschaft durch Jesus Christus un in Jesus Christus. Es gibt kein Christliche Gemeinschaft, die mehr, und keine, die wieniger wäre als dieses. Von der kurzen einmaligen Begegnung bis zur langjährigen täglichen Gemeinschaft is Christliche Gemeinschaft nur dieses. Wir gehören einander nur durch un in Jesus Christus.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

What of it?

When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares that we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell.  What of it?  Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation?  By no means.  For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf.  His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Where he is, there I shall be also.’

Martin Luther

The Atonement is the chief...

The atonement is the chief, the most exalted, article of the Christian doctrine. Faith alone apprehends it as the highest good, the greatest blessing, of our salvation, and recognizes that we cannot, by our works or our sufferings, do or merit anything in atoning for sin. The manner in which this subject is scripturally presented prohibits us from adding to it anything of human origin. But so the accursed popedom has done in the teachings of its pillars and supporters the monks, who regard the sufferings of Christ as merely an example to us. They pervert and render immaterial the fact that he suffered for us; they place the entire responsibility upon ourselves, as if we, by our own works or our suffering are to make satisfaction for our sins, to appease God's wrath and to merit grace. This is a doctrine not found in the Word of God, but is of their own trivial, self-selected, self-devised and false human teachings.

...

Oh, the shameful abomination, that in the temple of God and in the Christian Church must be taught and received things which make wholly insignificant the sufferings and death of Christ! Gracious God! what can be said for human merit--for superfluity of human merit--when not one saint on earth has, with all his pains, suffered enough to cancel his own obligations; much less to be entitled to the honor of making his sufferings avail anything before God's judgment-seat, by way of remuneration or satisfaction for the mortal sins of others in the face of divine wrath? Note, Peter says Christ left us an example that we should follow his steps; which is but concluding that no saint ever wrought or suffered enough to warrant the claim: "I have accomplished the measure-reached the limit; Christ is no more an example and pattern for me." No; the saint ought to be ashamed to boast of his sufferings in comparison to those of Christ, and ought to rejoice in the privilege of being partaker of the divine pain, of sharing it so far as he can, and thus be found in the footsteps of Christ.

The theme of Christ's passion, then, must far outrank every other. His sufferings are like pure and precious gold, compared to which ours are as nothing. No one but Christ has suffered for the sins of another. No man has ever paid the price of his own sins, great or small. Even if man's suffering could avail aught for sin, the individual could not go beyond expiating his own sins. But Christ had no need at all to suffer for himself; for, as follows in the text, he had committed no sin. He suffered to leave us an example, but yet also to bring to man the great blessing of being able to say, "My sins and the sins of the whole world were atoned for upon the cross, blotted out, through Christ's death." Peter, Mary, John the Baptist, and every soul born of woman must include himself or herself in this statement, "Christ also suffered for you."

 Martin Luther (from here)

We are neither factories nor reservoirs.

"The source of love is not in ourselves. When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, He Himself will give us the love with which to do so. We are neither factories nor reservoirs of His love - only channels. When we understand that, all excuses for our lack of love are eliminated." Corrie ten Boom

I am so sorry for trying to love in my own strength, from my own supply. Father make recognise I am only a channel, and move me where you need me to be.

The funny thing about the future is where your past finds you...

My last blog post was three years ago. It was about trying to understand atonement theology better. I said it might be a bit clearer if I actually studied it. Well, that is what I am doing now. At least for this year.

I am almost at the end of my first semester which has been a massive blur of Greek, Hebrew, some things that I have hated, and some things that I have loved. Various reasons mean it has been a crazy journey to get to this point. Talking with a friend the other day he was amazed that I'm still a Christian, let alone at Bible College. I don't often stop to be grateful that I'm here, and that I'm still with Christ. His grace towards me is so unbelievably great.

Tonight I looked up a quote I had written down on this blog... and since I'm now reading a lot, and thinking a lot, I realised this might be a good spot for the overflow of my failing brain.

"Now, who is like to that royal King, crowned in Zion! Where shall I get a seat for real Majesty to set him on? If I could set Him as far above the heaven as thousand thousands of heights devised by men and angels, I should think him but too low. I pray you, for God's sake, my dear sister, to help me to praise. His love has neither brim nor bottom; His love is like Himself, it passes all natural understanding. I go to fathom it with my arms; but it is as if a child would take the globe of sea and land in his two short arms. Blessed and holy is His name!"

Samuel Rutherford