Keep Talkin' To Yourself; People Will Think You're Crazy

By George Lawson

There is a scene in the Pixar film Cars where Lightning McQueen is complaining out loud to himself as he is serving his sentence for ruining the main road through Radiator Springs.  While talking to himself, he passes by a car named Lizzie sitting alone on a porch who says… “You keep talkin’ to yourself; people will think you’re crazy.”  McQueen sarcastically says, “Thanks for the tip!” to which Lizzie replies, “Uh- what?  I wasn’t talking to you!”

“You keep talkin’ to yourself; people will think you’re crazy.”  In some cases that might very well be true.  But is talking to yourself a clear indication of insanity?  The Psalmists didn’t think so.  On several occasions these biblical counselors made an appointment with their own souls.  Here are a few examples:

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.
Psalm 42:5

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits;
Psalm 103:1-2

Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
Psalm 116:7

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
Psalm 146:1

Thomas Vincent, the English Puritan, in a similar way counsels his own soul in the book, The True Christian’s Love to the Unseen Christ.   Listen to his words:

“Why do you hang downwards, O my soul?  Why do you bend so much to the earthly things?  What is there here below that is not beneath you and altogether unworthy of your love?  How empty and vain and thorny are these things?  Do not waste your time, weary yourself for every vanity’ do not prick and wound yourself with these things anymore.  What ails you, O my soul that you are so backward to the love of Christ…O my soul are you so drenched in the flesh that visible objects shall have more power to draw down your heart than this most glorious object shall have power to draw up your heart?”
(p. 77)

Do earthly things have more power to draw your heart down than the most glorious Christ has the power to draw your heart up? 

What a powerful and convicting example of self counsel that we would do well to imitate.   Friends, we need to make frequent appointments with our own souls.  How many sins would we avoid if we were resolved to preach the truth to ourselves? “If we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged” (1 Cor. 11:31).  

“You keep talkin’ to yourself people may think you’re crazy.”  But sometimes talking to ourselves is the only way to keep their accusation from being true.

The True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ:   Hardcover | eBook | Free Google eBook

What's In a Name?

By George Lawson

What's in a name? Well, it depends on what you mean by that.
 
Shakespeare said, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

But I’m talking about more than the title by which we refer to something or someone.  When Paul said “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,” he meant much more than simply doing everything while pronouncing the word “Jesus”.  There is something much more profound in Colossians 3:17.

To do all in the name of the Lord Jesus means we are to do all things…

1. In Association with Christ’s Person
2. By the Approval of Christ’s Authority
3. By the Assistance of Christ’s Power
4. In Agreement with Christ’s Character
5. And in Adoration of Christ’s Glory

As Christians, the name of the Lord Jesus should permeate everything about us.  Every word and action should be marked by the evidence of Christ’s power and presence in our lives.  There is no other name that is worthy of this kind of devotion.  Not only does this verse reveal the priority of Christ but it also points to His deity, because only God could demand this of us! 

Can you imagine doing everything you do in the name of fame, or in the name of fun, or in the name of fortune, or in the name of (dare we say it) ourselves?  No other name is worthy of dedicating your life to besides the name of the Lord Jesus.  He alone is worthy of this supreme place and may God forgive us for living for anything less.  

“What’s in a name?”  Well, if we’re talking about the name of Jesus the answer should be “everything!” 

Open Up The Bible

Still having trouble getting into a Bible-reading routine?

The Good Book Company has created an entire website to helping Christians - young and old - get into their Bibles.  Visit the site Open Up The Bible to find articles, videos and resources designed to assist your daily Bible reading and study.  They're also in the process of developing an app for daily study here. You can follow their progress on their Facebook page or The Good Book Blog.

I've used their children's resource, XTB (eXplore the Bible) with two of my girls and they've really enjoyed it. The Good Book Company offers free trials for many of their resources, so be sure to check them out.
 

BCLR Ministries Resume This Week

Our men's Bible study groups resume meeting this week.  Pastor Tim Senn and Pastor Paul Hamline will co-lead a group on Wednesday evenings from 6:30p to 8:15p in Room 211 at the Bible Church.  There is also a group that meets every Friday from Noon to 1p at the FamilyLife Building on Ranch Drive, led by Aaron Wilson. 

The book being read and discussed this semester is Jerry Bridges', The Discipline of Grace.  If you haven't obtained your copy yet, you can order from Amazon here and you can also download the Preface and first full chapter here for free to prepare you for this week's reading assignment.

Please note that most of our other studies resume this week as well, including Student Ministries, Awana, and the Women's Wednesday Study (the Women's Tuesday morning study will resume on January 10th).

Daily Devotional Resources

Along with a good Bible reading plan (but only second to the Bible!) is a good devotional book. Below is a short list of some newer resources as well as some tried & true. 

• If you're using the M'Cheyne reading plan in 2012, you might want to get Don Carson's 2 volume set of daily readings, For The Love of God. Both volumes are available at WTS Books here. There is also a free online edition at the Gospel Coalition Blog here.  Follow the link then look in the right hand sidebar to get automatic updates via Email or RSS.
• Jerry Bridges has been a beloved author to many of us over the years.  His book, Holiness Day by Day is designed to be read in short, daily sections.  The hardcover is available on Amazon and at the time of this blog post, the Kindle edition is on sale for $4.99.
• The Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions is a long-time favorite.  The leather bound edition has been hard to find recently, but is now available at WTS Books along with the papaerback and audio versions here.
• Another classic is Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, available in quite a few editions here.
• A lesser known set of devotionals has been written by Sam Storms over the past few years.  He has several 50 & 100 Day meditations on different books of the Bible, including the Psalms, 2 Corinthians, Colossians and the seven letters of Revelation.  You can find them all here.
• In anticipation of Pastor Tim Senn's next expository series through the Gospel of Matthew, you might want to follow along devotionally using Matthew Henry's Expository Thoughts on Matthew available at Reformation Heritage Books for just $9. There is also a nice, leather edition of devotions selected from the entire Bible (based on the ESV) here.
• The J.C. Ryle Blog recommends a couple of devotionals based on Ryle's wonderful writings here.
• Pastor George Lawson recommends The Life and Diary of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards. Though not intended to be a "daily devotional," several journal entries at a time can be read (depending on the length) and used to provoke thoughts and prayers on any particular topic.  Hardcover and paperback are available at Amazon, and right now you can get a Kindle edition for just 99 cents!
• John Piper has a few books that aren't marketed as daily devotions, but are written in 1 to 3 page portions which work well for quick readings.  Among these are Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die (shorter) and What Jesus Demands from the World (a bit longer). Both of these are also available as free pdf downloads at the same links.
• DayOne Publications has a series of "365 Days with..." featuring excerpts from Spurgeon (6 volumes available), John Calvin, John Newton and Wilbur Wilberforce. 

And here is a quick list of other authors who have written or edited devotional readings:

• John MacArthur: Daily Readings from the Life of Christ (3 vols.)
• Martin Luther: Faith Alone (hardcover)
• J.I. Packer: Knowing God: Devotional Journal and Daily Readings for Your Spiritual Journey
• Martin Lloyd Jones: Walking with God (eBook here)

It goes without saying, once again, that these daily helps are never to replace our reading of God's Word, but we trust these will indeed be a help to you as you think on the goodness and glories of God and His Word in 2012.

Bible Reading Plans

Below is a list of helpful Bible-reading plans to get you into the Word of God in this new year:

• Grant Horner's "10 Lists" has become a favorite over the past few years. To download a pdf of this plan, which includes 10 bookmarks for keeping track of your reading, RIGHT CLICK this link and "Save Link As" to your computer.  You might also want to join prominent blogger, Tim Challies and his 3650 Challenge Group on Facebook as he takes a group of folks through this reading plan next year. There is an online tool to keep you on track here.
•  Chronological, Historical or Canonical Plan? Take your pick at Blue Letter Bible.
• The M'Cheyne Reading Plan has been used around BCLR for years now.  Download this 4-chapter-a-day schedule here.
• Here are a few other plans taking you through particular books of the Bible in only a month.
• At www.esvbible.org,  you can find several Bible reading plans - and even have Max McLean read to you!
• There is also an app called "Holy Bible" or "You Version" that has over 200 Bible reading plans.  Get the app for your iPhone or iPad here and for your Android device here.

UPDATE:  Here are a couple of related posts, some of which contain the same links as above:

• Crossway has a list of plans on their blog
•  Justin Taylor also has an extensive list of plans & resources for your 2012 Bible reading.
• Finally, Dan Phillips, at PyroManiacs has a few words on the "why's" of planned Bible reading here.

 What has been your favorite plan? Which plan do you anticipate using in 2012?

More Than a Christmas Carol

By George Lawson

"Christmas a humbug, uncle!" said Scrooge's nephew.  "You don't mean that, I am sure."

It’s a Christmas classic that has been around for almost one-hundred and seventy years.  Scrooge has taken his place right alongside of a red-nosed reindeer, a talking snowman, and a little boy named Charlie Brown.  Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without the old miser’s “Bah, humbug!”

While Christmas may have been a “humbug” for Ebenezer, it certainly wasn’t for Charles Dickens.  What many people don’t know is that A Christmas Carol was only one of five Christmas Stories that Charles Dickens wrote. The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man and The Ghost’s Bargain were all stories that focused on this holiday.

In addition to this, Dickens authored a little known book in 1849, written expressly for his children called, The Life of Our Lord.   He never intended it to be publicized and made it clear that he had written it in a form he thought best suited his children.  He frequently told his children the gospel story and wanted to make sure the narrative of Christ was told in a way that was simple enough for them to understand.

Listen to his introduction…

“My dear children, I am very anxious that you should know something about the History
of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about Him. No one ever lived, who was so
good, so kind, so gentle, and so sorry for all people who did wrong, or were in anyway ill or miserable, as he was. And as he is now in Heaven, where we hope to go, and all to meet each other after we are dead, and there be happy always together, you never can think what a good place Heaven, is without knowing who he was and what he did.... He was born, a long-long time ago - nearly Two Thousand years ago - at a place called Bethlehem”
(Charles Dickens, The Life of Our Lord p. 1)

Dickens provides us an excellent illustration of one man’s attempt to follow the exhortation of Psalm 78:4, "We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done."

How are we telling the generation to come about the praises of the Lord? 
Are we communicating God’s strength and wondrous works in ways that our children can understand? 
What are we concealing from those that will follow us? 
Are we frequently telling the gospel story?

I am challenged and convicted by the example of Charles Dickens and while I am not familiar with all that he believed, one thing can be said for sure - it was more than A Christmas Carol - and Dickens made sure that his children knew it!
 
 "Christmas a humbug, uncle!" said Scrooge's nephew.  "You don't mean that, I am sure."

Read The Life of Our Lord online here.

Legalism: The Cross Wasn't Enough

By Tim Senn

• The legalist forbids activities that are permissible to Christians, and also require activities that are advisable for Christians, but not explicitly commanded.  
• The legalist believes that every Christian should live in the same way that he does, and demands uniformity to his or her own standard of holiness and righteousness.  
• The legalist is often harsh and critical toward others, constantly judging others for where they fall short of his or her own personal standards.  
• The legalist therefore often fights and argues about petty and trivial matters, while neglecting the most important spiritual issues of faith, hope, and love.  
• The legalist imposes his own standards and personal preferences upon others, believing that he knows best and is right on every matter.  
• The legalist rushes to judge the motives of others, and doesn’t give them the benefit of the doubt. 
• The legalist is hung up on external behavior and rule keeping, rather than on the issues of the heart.
• The legalist takes the spiritual disciplines (attending worship services, Bible reading, prayer, fasting, service, evangelism, etc.), which are given to us by God in order to experience His grace, and twist them into a means by which they believe they are earning His grace.  
• Because of all these things and more, the legalist “chokes” and suffocates the spiritual life out of others, and weighs them down with a heavy burden.  
• The legalist has cut himself off from the source of life – the grace of Christ – he smothers the spiritual life of others as well.  
• The legalists are spiritual life “chokers” rather than spiritual life “givers.” 

Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through obedience to God.  In other words, a legalist is anyone who behaves as if they can earn God’s approval and forgiveness through personal performance.
Thomas Schreiner writes that ‘legalism has its origin in self-worship.  If people are justified through their obedience to the law, then they merit praise, honor, and glory.  Legalism, in other words, means the glory goes to people rather than God’.  The implications of legalism are staggering in their arrogance.  Legalism claims that the death of Jesus on the cross was either unnecessary or insufficient.  It essentially says to God, ‘Your plan didn’t work. The cross wasn’t enough and I need to add my good works to it to be saved.’
Both quotes taken from C.J. Mahaney, The Cross-Centered Life, p. 25n (emphasis added)

Listen to the entire sermon here.

The Devil's Martyrs

By Tim Senn

Do you realize that if you decide to adopt the strategy of earning God’s favor and bartering with Him through your good works, you must obey God’s Law perfectly! You are inflicting upon yourself a double punishment!   Martin Luther calls these legalists "the devil's martyrs":

Therefore the doers of the law are rightly called the devil’s martyrs, who take more pains, and punish themselves more in purchasing hell, than the martyrs of Christ do in obtaining heaven.  For they are tormented in two ways: first, they miserably afflict themselves while they live here, by doing many hard and great works, and all in vain; and afterwards, when they die, they reap eternal damnation.  Thus are they most miserable martyrs, both in this life and in the life to come, and their bondage is everlasting.
Martin Luther, Galatians, p. 318 

Coming to Student Ministries in January 2012