You make me want to be a better man.

Happy Reformation Day!

Critical of church corruption, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his "95 Theses" on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, sparking the world changing phenomenon known as the Protestant Reformation.

My heart today is expressed in a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer (1662):

"And we also bless thy holy Name for all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear; beseeching thee to give us grace so to follow their good examples, that with them we may be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom: Grant this, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen."

Thanks be to God for the Reformers, because of whom we are able to have and read the Scriptures in our own languages. May we appreciate and emulate their courage and passion for proclaiming the God of the Scriptures.

I don't care about the money...it's all the stuuufff.

Sunday at Providence Church I preached on the 10th Commandment, the prohibition against coveting. The following are some notes & quotes, the latter of which were particularly complimented.

(Click to Listen)

Alistair Begg ~ “The 10th commandment forbids wrong attitudes towards the possessions and position which other people hold. The 10th commandment teaches us to be content with what God has given us.”

Q: Why is coveting so bad?

1. Coveting is the engine that drives many of our conflicts and sins. (cf. James 4:1-3)
2. Coveting leads to discontent. Contentment and coveting are enemies.

Q: How do you keep from coveting?The secret is contentment in Christ.

1. Contentment comes through a relationship with Christ, not circumstances. (cf. Phil 4:10-13)
2. Contentment comes through an eternal perspective. (cf. Matt 6:19-21)
3. Contentment comes through trust in our heavenly Father. (cf. Matt 6:25-34)
   

Unknown ~ “I had no shoes and complained until I met a man who had no feet.”

Augustine ~ "You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they can find rest in you."

John Piper ~ “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

Jeremiah Burroughs~ “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”

Oswald Chambers ~ “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”

Phillips Brooks ~ “I hear men praying everywhere for more faith, but when I listen to them carefully, and get to the real heart of their prayer, very often it is not more faith at all that they are wanting, but a change from faith to sight. Faith says not, "I see that it is good for me, so God must have sent it," but, "God sent it, and so it must be good for me." Faith, walking in the dark with God, only prays Him to clasp its hand more closely.”

Gunny ~ "Contentment and coveting are enemies."

Gunny ~ "Christianity is contrary to Marxism, but Christianity is also contrary to the dark side of Capitalism, namely greed/materialism."

Hartman Family et al ~ "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

Gunny ~ "God doesn't want me to have that? I'm okay with that, because I trust Him, knowing He has my good in mind." (cf. Rom 8:28)

The Rolling Stones ~ "You can't always get what you want. But, if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need."

Louis CK ~ “Everything is amazing right now and nobody’s happy.”

Edwin Starr ~ "War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Say it again."

Pink Floyd ~ "With. Without. And who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?"

Edmund Clowney ~ “Sin starts in our hearts before it slips merchandise into our pockets, with or without a credit card.”

Recommended Reading:

• Prov 30:7-9; Luke 3:14; Phil 1:19; 4:19; Col 3:1-2, 5; 1 Tim 6:6-10; Heb 13:5
• Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

You know what the first thing they teach in women's self defense is? Yell FIRE. People don't respond to HELP anymore.

I often hear women categorized as a "minority group," which I find ironic since they make up the majority in this country. That is, there are more females than males, more women than men in colleges, etc.

I think I understand what those who like to label things are trying to communicate, but perhaps they could devise a more appropriate term to better make their case.

Yeah, well that's just like ... your opinion, man.

In the past, I've shared my negative thoughts regarding Halloween. So, I'll share a few links on the subject.

Read Dr. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the reality of evil spirits.

"The coming of Halloween is a good time for Christians to remember that evil spirits are real and that the Devil will seize every opportunity to trumpet his own celebrity. Perhaps the best response to the Devil at Halloween is that offered by Martin Luther, the great Reformer: 'The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him for he cannot bear scorn.'"

Read Randy Alcorn's perspective.

"We’ve mutated this holiday into an effective introduction to the dark side"

Read Dan Edelen's thoughts.

"Even now my son is missing his preschool Halloween party. That was a tough decision, but it’s a decision we made. We may not go to our church’s Halloween-alternative party, either, because I’ve never been a fan of Christians trying to redeem every worldly activity."

Read John MacArthur's answer to the following question:

"Is there anything wrong with children going out ‘Trick or Treating,’ like Halloween, and if so, what specifically is bad in it, and what do the MacArthur kids do? And, should Grace get involved in any alternatives?"

Read John MacArthur's response to the following:

"I have a little boy who is going to Christian School--he's in Kindergarten. It has come to my attention that they are going to be making 'Jack 'O Lanterns,' for Halloween and 'Black Cats.' I talked to his teacher and she said that "at Christmas they make Santa Clauses, and Easter Bunnies on Easter.' I told her, I said that, 'This is why my son is in Christian School--I want him to be separated from this. I teach him at home that we are not supposed to be a part of Halloween or this and that, but yet you are compromising, or contrary to me, to what I am saying and it is confusing him.' 'Mommy, why can't I do this; they are doing it?' And he understands he is in a Christian School. I have an appointment to talk with the principle of the school tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock--can you give me some advice?"

Read as Mr. Hyde gives some history and, though he advocates alternatives, he criticizes many of them.

"However, I think many churches fail to demonstrate and offer Christ to those who attend these events. The population simply sees it as an endorsement by churches of the holiday. In other words, people often see this as the church in essence saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, might as well join ‘em.”"

Read Adrian Warnock's rejection of the American export, but appreciation of alternatives.

"I know some Christians think differently about whether we should partake of this activity but I am very much in the 'we don’t celebrate evil' camp."

P.S. My thoughts on Halloween alternatives? If all you've done is moved the trick or treating to another location, I don't think it's much of a Christian alternative.

The pictures used were the first 5 to appear in my Google safe search for "Halloween."

I don't shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you, I throw up.

"John Quincy Adams was an ambassador by the age of fourteen. Today we consider men adolescents for whom living at home and being taken care of by their parents is acceptable well into their twenties. Men used to marry in their teens; now they wonder if they are ready in their thirties. We have an epidemic of immature men in our culture. We are simply taking too long to turn boys into men. Our forefathers may have died younger, but they lived longer in the process."
~ Voddie Baucham, Jr, What He Must Be ... if he wants to marry my daughter, 203. (emphasis mine)

Part of the problem is a lack of intentionality on training boys to become men. Let's try to make some more of them.

Part of the problem is a lack of quality roles models for men. So, we ask ...

• Q: What should a man look like?
• A: Isn't that what makes a man?

cf. Voddie's characteristics of an eligible man.

Snowman, you got your ears on?

A few weeks back I preached on the 4th Commandment and mentioned that "Sunday morning starts Saturday night," with the implication being an impetus to prepare for the Lord's Day/Sabbath.

Along those lines, I share the following from John Piper.

10 things you can do Saturday evening and Sunday morning in preparation for hearing the Word of God preached:

1. Pray that God would give you a good and honest heart. (Lk 8:15; Ezek 36:26; Jer 24:7)
2. Meditate on the Word of God. Read portions of your Bible with a view to stirring up hunger for God.
3. Purify your mind by turning away from worldly entertainment. (James 1:21)
4. Trust in the truth that you already have. (Jer 17:7-8)
5. Get a good night’s rest on Saturday night.
6. Forebear one another [before the service] without grumbling and criticism.
7. Come in a spirit of meek teachability. (James 1:21)
8. Be still as you enter the room and focus your mind’s attention and heart’s affection on God. (Ps 46:10)
9. When the worship service begins, think earnestly about what is sung and prayed and preached. (1 Cor 14:20; 2 Tim. 2:7)
10. Desire the truth of God’s Word more than you desire riches or food. (Ps 19:10-11; Pr 2:3-5)

~From the Sermon, "Take Care How You Listen" – Part 2 on Luke 8:4-18 (February 22, 1998).

Any other suggestions?