August 2014

Redeeming Blood 9 - Robert Godfrey

You cannot defeat the Savior by your sinning if you'll come to Him and plead for mercy. So, the Word of the Prophet Ezekiel (33:11) cries out to every one of us here, "Turn, turn, why will you perish, says the Lord. There is abundance of mercy and compassion in Jesus Christ. There's an abundance of life in Jesus Christ." Why would you choose death? Why would you follow the shepherd death into Sheol where there is only darkness and gnashing of teeth? When the Lord of Life comes to you in His Word and says, "I will ransom you. My blood will redeem you. Come. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," says the Lord.

You cannot defeat the Savior by your sinning if you'll come to Him and plead for mercy.  So, the Word of the Prophet Ezekiel (33:11) cries out to every one of us here, "Turn, turn, why will you perish, says the Lord.  There is abundance of mercy and compassion in Jesus Christ.   There's an abundance of life in Jesus Christ."   Why would you choose death?  Why would you follow the shepherd death into Sheol where there is only darkness and gnashing of teeth?  When the Lord of Life comes to you in His Word and says, "I

Redeeming Blood 8 - Robert Godfrey

Paul wrote so gloriously in II Timothy 1:10 about the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus who abolished death and brought life and mortality to life through the Gospel. For whom did He abolish death? Can we cut Psalm 49 out of our Bibles now? Death is abolished now for each and everyone. Nobody has to read or worry about Psalm 49 any more? No, that's not the message of the Scripture. He abolished death for everyone who knows Him, everyone who is in Him, everyone who accepts Him, everyone who trusts Him; and the glory of that message is that there is no sin that the blood of Jesus Christ cannot cover.

Paul wrote so gloriously in II Timothy 1:10 about the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus who abolished death and brought life and mortality to life through the Gospel.  For whom did He abolish death?  Can we cut Psalm 49 out of our Bibles now?  Death is abolished now for each and everyone.  Nobody has to read or worry about Psalm 49 any more?  No, that's not the message of the Scripture.  He abolished death for everyone who knows Him, everyone who is in Him, everyone who accepts Him, everyone who trusts Him; and the glory of that message is that there is

Redeeming Blood 7 - Robert Godfrey

One of the things that strikes me more and more the longer I live--I know that's getting to be a long time--one of the things that most testifies to me about the reliability of the Bible, the truthfulness of the Bible, the reality that the Bible is God's revelation to us, is its coherence. It's the way it all fits together, that authors separated by thousands of years of history and remarkably different cultures, are all saying fundamentally the same message.

One of the things that strikes me more and more the longer I live--I know that's getting to be a long time--one of the things that most testifies to me about the reliability of the Bible, the truthfulness of the Bible, the reality that the Bible is God's revelation to us, is its coherence.  It's the way it all fits together, that authors separated by thousands of years of history and remarkably different cultures, are all saying fundamentally the same message.

Redeeming Blood 6 - Robert Godfrey

Very strikingly, I think we also have the law of redemption relative to the birth of the first born. Exodus 13, "Every first born of the donkey, you shall redeem with a lamb, and if you will not redeem it, you shall break its neck. Every first born of man among your sons, you shall redeem, and when it time to come your son asks you what does this mean? you shall say to him, by the strength of hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt from the house of slavery, for when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the first born in the land of Egypt, both the first born of man and the first born of animals. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the first born of my sons, I redeem." (Verse 4)

Very strikingly, I think we also have the law of redemption relative to the birth of the first born.  Exodus 13, "Every first born of the donkey, you shall redeem with a lamb, and if you will not redeem it, you shall break its neck.  Every first born of man among your sons, you shall redeem, and when it time to come your son asks you what does this mean?  you shall say to him, by the strength of hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt from the house of slavery, for when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the first born in the land of

Redeeming Blood 5 - Robert Godfrey

So from the beginning of Israel's national history to the promise of its recovery, the language is the language of redemption, the language of ransom from the hand of God. The hand of God will ransom my soul. God not only wanted Israel to remember that history and that promise, but God wanted Israel to be embraced by that reality in every moment of its living, and so the law is full of this language as well, that law that so often we kind of skip over quickly when we read through the five books of Moses.

So from the beginning of Israel's national history to the promise of its recovery, the language is the language of redemption, the language of ransom from the hand of God.  The hand of God will ransom my soul.  God not only wanted Israel to remember that history and that promise, but God wanted Israel to be embraced by that reality in every moment of its living, and so the law is full of this language as well, that law that so often we kind of skip over quickly when we read through the five books of Moses.

Redeeming Blood 4 - Robert Godfrey

Look at the way in which Psalm 49 puts a sort of refrain as it develops. Verse 12, "Man in his pomp...man in all the splendor that He can gather to Himself, all the velvet and Irwin and gold that he can wear, man in his pomp will not remain. He is like the beast that perishes." If we were doing a modern translation, we would say, You'll die like a dog. But then look how the Psalm concludes. Verse 20, "Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beast that perishes."

Look at the way in which Psalm 49 puts a sort of refrain as it develops. Verse 12, "Man in his pomp...man in all the splendor that He can gather to Himself, all the velvet and Irwin and gold that he can wear, man in his pomp will not remain.  He is like the beast that perishes."  If we were doing a modern translation, we would say, You'll die like a dog.   But then look how the Psalm concludes.  Verse 20, "Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beast that perishes."

Redeeming Blood 3 - Robert Godfrey

In really, magnificently beautiful poetical language, this Psalm (49) talks about what death is all about. Their graves are their homes forever. Their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own natives. Even the rich who are powerful enough to conquer lands and give those lands their own names--they die like everybody else. Even those who can build splendid monuments to themselves to be buried in--even if it's a pyramid 4,000 years old in Egypt, they are Indian and braves that are forever their homes.

In really, magnificently beautiful poetical language, this Psalm (49) talks about what death is all about.  Their graves are their homes forever.  Their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own natives.  Even the rich who are powerful enough to conquer lands and give those lands their own names--they die like everybody else.  Even those who can build splendid monuments to themselves to be buried in--even if it's a pyramid 4,000 years old in Egypt, they are Indian and braves that are forever their homes. 

Redeeming Blood 2 - Robert Godfrey

For those younger among you, Amy Semple McPherson was probably the most famous woman in America in the 1920s and 30s, a famous Pentecostal preacher and healer, and Dr. R.C. Sproul and I have had a friendly rivalry as to who is the greater reformed expert on Amy.

For those younger among you, Amy Semple McPherson was probably the most famous woman in America in the 1920s and 30s, a famous Pentecostal preacher and healer, and Dr. R.C. Sproul and I have had a friendly rivalry as to who is the greater reformed expert on Amy. 

Redeeming Blood 1 - Robert Godfrey

Have you noticed the careful euphemisms that we use? I seldom here any more that anyone dies. They pass on--an interesting euphemism originally coined, I believe, by the Christian Scientists who deny the reality of death, and so you just pass on; you don't die. Christian Scientists had a terrible time when Franklin Delano Roosevelt died. What headline should be in the Christian Scientist monitor? Headline read Truman becomes President.

Have you  noticed the careful euphemisms that we use?  I seldom here any more that anyone dies.  They pass on--an interesting euphemism originally coined, I believe, by the Christian Scientists who deny the reality of death, and so you just pass on; you don't die.  Christian Scientists had a terrible time when Franklin Delano Roosevelt died.  What headline should be in the Christian Scientist monitor?  Headline read Truman becomes President. 

Total Depravity 28

The Apostle John’s fifth and final book in the New Testament, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, does not shy from the truth of radical depravity. Those who hate God will also hate his disciples. “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 1:9 ESV).

The Apostle John’s fifth and final book in the New Testament, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, does not shy from the truth of radical depravity. Those who hate God will also hate his disciples. “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 1:9 ESV).

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Reformation 21

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