Overview sermons of the bible

I've been listening to this guy, Mark Dever, who put together an overview of the entire bible, the OT, the NT and each book in the bible.

And as he puts it, there are some things you can get from a greater height that you don't necessarily see up close. Well worth the investment of time, if you ask me.

Click me for the OT sermons

Click me for the NT sermons

May the LORD bless you as you study.

The I.O.U.S. of prayer

This is an acronym from John Piper. While this is posted in his article How to Pray for the Pastoral Staff, (as well as mentioned in his series When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy, taken from the 2005 Regional Conference), I find that this is an excellent prayer to lift to the Lord before your own bible reading as well:

1. Ask God to give us an inclination to his Word and not to money or fame or power (Psalm 119:36), and to open our eyes to see wonderful things when we read his Word (Psalm 119:18), and to have hearts united in the fear of God rather than fragmented over a dozen concerns (Psalm 86:11), and to be satisfied in his steadfast love (Psalm 90:14). (This is the IOUS acronym I use almost every day in praying for those I love.)

Here they are for you to pray through:

Psalm 119:36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,

and not to selfish gain!

Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold

wondrous things out of your law.

Psalm 86:11 Teach me your way, O Lord,

that I may walk in your truth;

unite my heart to fear your name.

Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,

that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Grace to you

The purpose(s) of God's Word

Psalm 119.105
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.

This verse means more than just that the word of God tells us where to go, it also teaches us that God's Word shows us where we are.

Let me explain. Imagine yourself walking in a dark forest with nothing but a lamp. Now, look at your feet, since, after all, you can see them because of the light. Does that tell you where to go? No. It shows you where you are at right at that very moment! The path shows you where you are going.

Here is another passage which supports this:

Romans 3.19-20
Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Through the Law, we see our sin. We see where we fall short of God's glory. I recently did a post about Law and Gospel hermeneutics, where we understand that there is law revealed even in the New Testament. We are taught by God's Word where we fall short in Paul's epistles as much as in the Ten Commandments. For instance, Philippians 2.14 commands us to do everything without complaining or arguing. But I doubt very highly that anybody can accomplish this.

Consider these two verses:

James 3.2
[W]e all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

How much clearer could it be?! So you see, God's Word is powerful. It reveals to us (those who have eyes to see and ears to hear) that we fall desperately short of God's moral standards. We must rely on the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5.17) and was the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2.2), thereby justifying all who believe (Romans 3.28, 5.1; Galatians 2.16, 3.24). That last verse (Galatians 3.24) shows us the very purpose of God's Law. That we will be driven to Christ to be cleansed by His shed blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin (Hebrews 9.22).

For all who may read this post who don't know what any of this means. Read the verses I've linked to and also read the beatitudes, found in Matthew 5.1-7.29. God has shown us how we miss His moral standards of PERFECTION by giving us the Law. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus accurately explains the Law of Moses (the Ten Commandments) and explains that God's moral standard is so high, NOBODY can reach it. That is what Romans 3.10-18 and Romans 3.23 mean.

THAT is why the Law is good. God has revealed to us our shortcomings, rather than simply judging us and rightfully condemning us. Do not be condemned by the Law, my friend. See it for what it is; a blessed gift of mercy to show us our shortcomings. For God could have simply written us off and punished each one of us for our sins. But He did not! He sent His one and only Son into the world to atone for our sins. To appease the wrath of God against a sinful, rebellious world. What a gracious act of divine mercy!

This, my friend, is the gospel:

1 Corinthians 15.1-4
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

The proof?

1 Corinthians 15.5-8
and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

When Paul wrote this letter, it was less than 30 years after the crucifixion. The claim "most of whom remain until now" means that most of the witnesses to the resurrection were STILL ALIVE when Paul wrote the Corinthian church! The claim was verifiable!

So what must YOU do to be saved?

Acts 16.31
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved

Praise God!

Lessons on Romans

This series, taught by Tom Browning - Arlington Presbyterian Church (PCA) - is a must have for any serious Christian.

One of the best teachings on the book I've heard. A series of 43 downloadable MP3's.

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/mp3/romans_browning.html

Blessings

Why do you believe Scripture?

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed

What caused you to believe (assuming you do) that the bible is the infallible Word of God? Did someone tell you that there is a prophecy in Isaiah that was fulfilled eight centuries later? Did someone disclose the coherency of the bible - how it is written by 40+ authors in three different languages over 1500 some-odd years, yet contains one main theme? Did your pastor tell you it is? Did you just grow up believing it? Are these the arguments which "convinced" you that the bible is indeed the Word of God and not just some work(s) of men?

This question is probably one of the most impactful questions one can consider. Because the answer which, if biblical, will not be any of these reasons. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, we see him quoting Isaiah and he tells us that the men who crucified our Lord, the religious scribes and pharisees, did not understand what was in Scripture, but Paul and his audience do. And how they understood what is written in Scripture is said to be because "God has revealed it to us by his Spirit" (1 Cor 2:10)

John Calvin puts it like this:

"Let it therefore be held as fixed, that those who are inwardly taught by the Holy Spirit acquiesce implicitly in Scripture; that Scripture, carrying its own evidence along with it, deigns not to submit to proofs and arguments, but owes the full conviction with which we ought to receive it to the testimony of the Spirit. Enlightened by him, we no longer believe, either on our own judgment or that of others, that the Scriptures are from God; but, in a way superior to human judgment, feel perfectly assured—as much so as if we beheld the divine image visibly impressed on it—that it came to us, by the instrumentality of men, from the very mouth of God." [1]

Furthermore, it is stated that our very belief in Christ comes from God as a gift. Many people disagree that Eph 2:8 (by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God) is speaking about faith being given to us. But that is precisely what is going on here. It is saying that the gift is two-fold. We are saved by the grace of God (that is the first gift) by being shown the truth of the gospel (that is the second gift). This fact is stated explicitly in Philippians 1:29 "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ .. to believe on him".

I know what you're thinking. "If it is God who causes someone believe, then what is the point of apologetics? Why not just sit around waiting for God to save whom He has chosen to save?" Paul was an example for us in Philippians where he said "for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me." (Phil 1:7b). Paul both defended and confirmed the gospel to his hearers.

God has also decreed means to accomplish His ends. Paul also says, in reference to salvation:

Romans 10:14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent?

You see, God has not only determined the result of an event, but He has also ordained the cause. Who is going to believe that the bible is the Word of God if nobody proclaims it? The answer is 'nobody'. So, why are we not to sit around waiting for God to save whom he will? Because He saves through the proclamation of His Word. It is the GOSPEL which is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16). It is the GOSPEL that reveals a righteousness which is from God (Rom 1:17).

This is an incredible relief! Oh, the times I've heard people (including myself) trying to convince someone that the bible is true by using the best apologetics, archaeological evidence, textual criticism, and you name it. The responsibility for convincing someone of the truth of the bible is not in our hands. It is in His. To quote again from the Institutes:

"If at any time, then, we are troubled at the small number of those who
believe, let us, on the other hand, call to mind, that none comprehend the
mysteries of God save those to whom it is given."[2]

This notion is confirmed with Scripture.

Ephesians 1:9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

and again:

Colossians 1:25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Salvation is an act of God from beginning to end. Praise God!

[1] Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I, Ch VII, Sec V (emphasis added)
[2] ibid.