Enjoying God Blog

In Hebrews 8 the author of that epistle cites Jeremiah 31 regarding the New Covenant. There God spoke through the OT prophet and said, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Heb. 8:8b).

But wouldn’t that mean that we, the Church of Jesus Christ, have no membership in this covenant and can’t benefit from its blessings? After all, most of us are Gentiles and have not descended physically from Israel or Judah. No, it means no such thing! Continue reading . . .

In Hebrews 8 the author of that epistle cites Jeremiah 31 regarding the New Covenant. There God spoke through the OT prophet and said, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (Heb. 8:8b).

But wouldn’t that mean that we, the Church of Jesus Christ, have no membership in this covenant and can’t benefit from its blessings? After all, most of us are Gentiles and have not descended physically from Israel or Judah. No, it means no such thing!

This is a huge theological question that I can only address briefly. So let me say just a couple of things.

First, when the apostle Paul quotes the words of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 11 and tells the Church about its responsibility to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, he explicitly mentions that this is the celebration of the New Covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31. That makes no sense unless Jeremiah’s prophecy is applicable to the entire Body of Christ, the entire Church, which is comprised of both believing Jews and believing Gentiles.

Second, in 2 Corinthians 3:6 Paul explicitly says that we are the recipients of and ministe

In the previous post I asked whether or not Jesus is really all we need. I hope your answer to that is Yes! But that leads to yet another question: how do we know Jesus is up to the task? What gives us such confidence? What makes him so special? Continue reading . . .

In the previous post I asked whether or not Jesus is really all we need. I hope your answer to that is Yes! But that leads to yet another question: how do we know Jesus is up to the task? What gives us such confidence? What makes him so special? How is he any different from Buddha or Mohammed or a really gifted counselor or close friend or Bible teacher? The answer is found in the seven-fold description of him that we read in Hebrews 7:26-28. Here is how it reads:

“For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever” (Heb. 7:26-28).

R. T. France perhaps put it best when he said that the words in vv. 26-28 point to the “total goodness and godliness” of Jesus (102). Let’s look at them closely.

(1) Jesus our high priest is holy. This isn’t the normal word for “holy” in the NT. This term (hosios) means morally pure. It is the utter opposite of impious. It points to the fact that Jesus alone was devout, pious, and always pleasing to God (see Heb. 5:7-8 and 10:5-10).

Sadly the word &ldqu

What do you need most? An increase in salary? A new laptop computer that’s faster than the one you now have? Greater respect from your peers? A more satisfying sex life? Would it strike you as hyper-spiritual and unrelated to the most pressing needs of your daily existence if I were to answer that question by saying: What you need most is Jesus Christ as your high priest. Continue reading . . .

What do you need most? An increase in salary? A new laptop computer that’s faster than the one you now have? Greater respect from your peers? A more satisfying sex life? Would it strike you as hyper-spiritual and unrelated to the most pressing needs of your daily existence if I were to answer that question by saying: What you need most is Jesus Christ as your high priest. Yet, that is precisely what we read in Hebrews 7:26 – “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”

The translation at the beginning of this verse isn’t the most helpful and I sense that it fails to communicate the force of what our author is saying. I would render it something along the lines of: “For it was appropriate for us to have a high priest” like Jesus, or it was “suitable” or it “perfectly meets the needs of people like us” to have Jesus for a high priest.

This is nothing short of profound when you think through the implications. He’s telling us in no uncertain terms that this is what we need. Jesus Christ in his capacity as our high priest is the perfect answer to whatever questions we might ask. Whatever is required for you to experience maximum satisfaction and joy in life now and hereafter, Jesus acting on your behalf as your high priest will supply it. Jesus as high priest, and Jesus o

We’ve come to the tenth and final theological trademark noted in John Piper’s book, Doctrine Matters: Ten Theological Trademarks from a Lifetime of Preaching (Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2014). It concerns the Christian life as one characterized by Paul as “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10). Continue reading . . .

We’ve come to the tenth and final theological trademark noted in John Piper’s book, Doctrine Matters: Ten Theological Trademarks from a Lifetime of Preaching (Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2014). It concerns the Christian life as one characterized by Paul as “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10).

Piper contends that “what the world needs from the church is our indomitable joy in Jesus in the midst of suffering and sorrow” (162). When most people read 2 Corinthians 6:10 and then take note of Piper’s observation they think this to be an impossible expectation. They typically resort to the conclusion that the joy the apostle Paul had in mind comes only after the suffering and sorrow have passed. Certainly it can’t be expected that a person can entertain in one’s heart both experiences simultaneously. But that is precisely what the apostle calls for. We are “always” rejoicing, not just after the cause for sorrow has lifted but simultaneously with it. Says Piper,

“I turn with dismay from church services that are treated like radio talk shows where everything sounds like chipper, frisky, high-spirited chatter designed to make people feel lighthearted and playful and bouncy. I look at those service and say to myself: ‘Don’t you know that people are sitting out there who are dying of cancer, whose marriage is a living hell, whose children have broken their hearts, who are barely making it

Today is Halloween. I hope that you all survive. But October 31st should be remembered for something far more significant, indeed, something that in God’s providence changed the course of human history. Continue reading . . .

[I wrote this article several years ago, but thought it might be good if we revisited the subject on October 31!]

Today is Halloween. I hope that you all survive. But October 31st should be remembered for something far more significant, indeed, something that in God’s providence changed the course of human history.

It was on October 31st in the year 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door at Wittenberg and in doing so launched (without intending to) what we know as the Protestant Reformation.

Luther was born on November 10, 1483, at Eisleben in Prussian Saxony. He died in the same city while passing through it on February 18, 1546. He was a contemporary of Michelangelo who was born in 1475 and painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1512.

After the Reformation began, Luther was frequently slandered by his Roman Catholic opponents. In particular, it was said that Luther's mother had sex with the devil and that Martin was their offspring!

At the age of 18 he entered the University of Erfurt and received his Bachelor of Arts in 1502 and Master of Arts in 1505. Following his father's wishes, he prepared for a career in law. However, two events changed the course of his life. First, he was shocked by the sudden death of a close friend. Second, shortly after this, on July 2, 1505, he was caught in a violent thunderstorm near Erfurt and was so frightened that he fell to the ground and cried out: "Help, beloved Saint Anna! I will become a monk!" [Anna was the patron saint of miners and people in distress in thunderstorms.] He immediately joined the Augustinia

On Monday of this week, October 27, 2014, Bob Willis, a good friend, long-time member, and Elder at Bridgeway Church succumbed to the effects of a glioblastoma brain tumor. He was diagnosed in early February of this year. Bob would have turned 54 in a couple of weeks and is survived by his wife Sherry, and two daughters, Katie and Kristen. Continue reading . . .

On Monday of this week, October 27, 2014, Bob Willis, a good friend, long-time member, and Elder at Bridgeway Church succumbed to the effects of a glioblastoma brain tumor. He was diagnosed in early February of this year. Bob would have turned 54 in a couple of weeks and is survived by his wife Sherry, and two daughters, Katie and Kristen.

The reason I’m mentioning him in this blog is that his age at the time of death was so very close to that of Jonathan Edwards. Edwards, born in 1703, was a few months past his 54th birthday when he died. You may recall that on February 16, 1758, Edwards was installed as President of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). On February 23rd he agreed to receive a somewhat experimental smallpox inoculation from which he contracted a fever. He died on March 22nd.

Edwards and his wife Sarah had eleven children (eight daughters and three sons). The only child to precede Edwards in death was Jerusha who fell extremely ill not long after the death of David Brainerd, with whom she had fallen in love. Edwards’s final words were written to his daughter Lucy:

"Dear Lucy, it seems to me to be the will of God that I must shortly leave you; therefore give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her, that the uncommon union, which has so long subsisted between us, has been of such a nature as I trust is spiritual and therefore will continue forever: and I hope she will be supported under so great a trial, and submit cheerfully to the will of God

The ninth of ten theological trademarks from Piper’s long and distinguished ministry concerns biblical manhood and womanhood. For those of you just joining us, we are working our way, chapter by chapter, through his new book, Doctrine Matters: Ten Theological Trademarks from a Lifetime of Preaching (Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2014). Continue reading . . .

The ninth of ten theological trademarks from Piper’s long and distinguished ministry concerns biblical manhood and womanhood. For those of you just joining us, we are working our way, chapter by chapter, through his new book, Doctrine Matters: Ten Theological Trademarks from a Lifetime of Preaching (Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2014).

What this entails is God’s purposes for how men and women relate to each other not only in the family but also in the church and in society. The view Piper embraces and has long defended is known as Complementarianism (based on the word “complement,” not “compliment”; this isn’t about saying nice things to each other but rather concerns the way men and women “complete and beautify each other” in spite of their obvious physiological and emotional differences). Complementarians “believe that when it comes to human sexuality, the greatest display of God’s glory, and the greatest joy of human relationships, and the greatest fruitfulness in ministry come about when the deep differences between men and women are embraced and celebrated as complements to each other” (144).

Complementarianism seeks to walk a biblical path between two kinds of error: “on the one side would be the abuses of women under male domination, and on the other side would be the negation of gender differences where they have beautiful significance” (144). Thus compleme

Yesterday we looked at the significance of the word “uttermost” in Hebrews 7:25. There we read that Jesus “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” Today we examine the word “always”. Continue reading . . .

Yesterday we looked at the significance of the word “uttermost” in Hebrews 7:25. There we read that Jesus “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” Today we examine the word “always”.

Jesus Christ not only saves to the uttermost, but he also always lives to make intercession for you. If the word “uttermost” has a qualitative force to it, “always” has a quantitative force. Or perhaps we should say a temporal force. It speaks of duration and extension in time. It means never-ending, never-ceasing. It points to something that is incessant, eternal, everlasting.

You and I have a hard time thinking to the end of the month, much less to the end of the year. We find it difficult to envision anything extending beyond our own lifetime. We live by the clock and the calendar. Everything is measured in terms of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. It’s hard to get our minds around something that cannot be contained or limited by time.

It may actually be the case that we struggle more to understand the implications of the word “always” than we do the implications of the word “uttermost”. The reason is that even if something given to us is perfect, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will last forever. Nothing lasts forever. Or does it?

It seems that everything we experience has a shelf life. Everything we eat or drink has an expiratio

No matter how seemingly helpful the many psychological formulas that help you cope with life may be, no matter how transforming the practical counsel you might find in today’s world to help you with your problems may be, everything is either partial or periodic. What I mean by that is simply this: they only go so far and for so long before they lose their capacity to make a difference. Continue reading . . .

No matter how seemingly helpful the many psychological formulas that help you cope with life may be, no matter how transforming the practical counsel you might find in today’s world to help you with your problems may be, everything is either partial or periodic. What I mean by that is simply this: they only go so far and for so long before they lose their capacity to make a difference.

Every person, every strategy, every promise that comes your way will eventually fail you. If it’s a friend, the day will come when they won’t show up when you need them most. If it’s a formula, the day will come when it proves inadequate to meet your need or answer your question or soothe your conscience or get you over the hurdle of some obstacle in life. Everything in life ultimately fails. Everyone in life ultimately falters.

Now don’t think that I’m being a pessimist in saying this. This isn’t cynicism. This is realism. But there’s no reason why what I’ve just said should be discouraging to you. It would be discouraging, indeed depressing, if I said it and had nothing else to offer you. That is why I draw your attention to two words in Hebrews 7:25. There we read that Jesus “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

These two words are life-saving. These two words are hope-giving. These two words are joy

Will you endure in faith all the way to the end of life? How do you know that you will still be a Christian when you wake up tomorrow morning? These and related questions are addressed in the eighth chapter of John Piper’s new book, Doctrine Matters: Ten Theological Trademarks from a Lifetime of Preaching (Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2014). Continue reading . . .

Will you endure in faith all the way to the end of life? How do you know that you will still be a Christian when you wake up tomorrow morning? These and related questions are addressed in the eighth chapter of John Piper’s new book, Doctrine Matters: Ten Theological Trademarks from a Lifetime of Preaching (Minneapolis: Desiring God, 2014).

This is a massive topic, but we’ll restrict our focus to a few passages in Hebrews 3. Piper has long emphasized that perseverance is a community project. He derives this notion from Hebrews 3:12-13, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

The point of the passage is that one of the essential means by which you avoid becoming hardened in your heart and rebelling against God is other believers speaking into your life faith-sustaining words of encouragement. Here is how Piper puts it:

“God has designed his church so that its members endure to the end in faith by means of giving and receiving faith-sustaining words from each other. You and I are the instruments by which God preserves the faith of his children. Perseverance is a community project. Just like God is not going to evangelize the world without human, faith-awakening voic