John Piper on worship: So you can see what is happening in the New Testament. Worship is being significantly de-institutionalized, de-localized, de-ritualized. The whole thrust is being taken off of ceremony and seasons and places and forms; and is being shifted to what is happening in the heart – not just on Sunday, but every … More Worship Happens in the Heart, Every Day and all the Time
From Cornerstone Church in San Francisco, “The Commission” 2002 Easter Play
“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared” (Ps. 130:3-4). Sam Storms comments at EnjoyingGodMinistries.com: On first reading, something seems terribly askew. Would it not have made more sense for the psalmist to have said: “But with you there is justice, … More Forgiveness: the Foundation for Fear
1 Chronicles 15:13 Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.” 14 So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders … More Spurgeon: “make a mistake here, and it will be fatal to you.”
Already: Decisively and Irrevocably Free, Not Yet: Finally and Perfectly Free John Piper, August 28, 2001, Taste and See article (References in Colossians, where we are in our reading this week, are highlighted in blue.) What we have learned from Romans 6 and 7 is that when we trusted in Christ as our Savior and Lord (as … More Already…Not Yet
In Luke 8, a common theme we see is that we need to truly HEAR God. If we have ears to hear, let us hear. (v7) The parable of the soils is all about the different ways we HEAR. “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it … More Take care how you HEAR!
In Psalm 129, we come to yet another instance of an “imprecatory” Psalm. Theopedia.com explains: Imprecatory psalms are those those psalms that contain curses or prayers for the punishment of the psalmist’s enemies. To imprecate means to invoke evil upon, or curse. Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137 and 139 all contain … More Spurgeon on Imprecatory Psalms
In our Bible reading through 1 Chronicles, we come now to the story of Uzzah, for the second time. (The first time was in 2 Samuel.) Here is the post that I wrote on May 16: The ark of the covenant was being transported in a cart. This was not the way it was supposed … More Holier than mud?
John Piper on legalism: Let me define what I mean by legalism. The New Testament does not use the word “legalism” and, therefore, it is thrown around today pretty carelessly. I want to try to define it in such a way that you can see that it is evil and that the New Testament does … More Flesh Tank and Peashooter Regulations
Colossians 2:12 “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. “ John Piper, in a sermon, “What is Baptism, and How Important is It?” Second, baptism “expresses union with Christ in His death and … More United to Christ
