Gospel Living

Out of Ashes | Mark 5:1–20 Shaun Marksbury | Quacco Baptist Church Sunday Evening Service | 16 July, 2017 Thankfully, even though evil is around us, Jesus came “to destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:8).  This evening, we’re going to notice 1.) the destruction wrought from evil (vv. 1–5), 2.) the deliverance by Christ from evil (vv. 6–13), 3.) the depravity resulting from evil (vv. 14–17), and 4.) duty of the delivered from evil (vv. 18–20). Video: https://youtu.be/JibrHeKeoCg Audio: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=718171647223 Sermon Notes Out of Ashes | Mark 5:1–20 Shaun Marksbury | Quacco Baptist Church Sunday Evening Service | 16 July, 2017 I.                Introduction In his book, The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis famously said, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their...

12           Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;             forget not the afflicted. 13           Why does the wicked renounce God             and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? 14           But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,             that you may take it into your hands;             to you the helpless commits himself;             you have been the helper of the fatherless. 15           Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;         ...

Conrad Mbewe preached in the thirteenth session of the 2017 G3 Conference.  His topic was, "Satan Has Asked to Sift You." NOTE:  All content of the G3 Conference is protected under copyright law.  You can share content, but we ask that you place a link back to the G3Conference.com website or YouTube.com channel when you share.

7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;  under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.  8 He sits in ambush in the villages;  in hiding places he murders the innocent.  His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;  9 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;  he lurks that he may seize the poor;  he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.  10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,  and fall by his might.  11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,  he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” Last time, we looked at the mind of the wicked (vv. 2–6).  Because he serves himself, denies God, and creates his own reality, he will walk and talk in wickedness.  His corruption spreads from the abundance of his sinful heart (Mt 12:34), meaning that all unregenerate sinners are capable of such iniquity.  Those so given over to prayer trouble the righteous,...

4            For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;             evil may not dwell with you. 5            The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;             you hate all evildoers. 6            You destroy those who speak lies;             the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. We know that God is love (1 John 4:8), so we sometimes struggle with the idea that He could “hate all evildoers.”  The problem is that we have a limited understanding of love, for it must have hatred.  If I love my wife, I must, by necessity, hate whatever does her harm.  As God loves His children, He must also hate those who hurt them.  ...

Here, some choice offerings in biblical commentary on the Sandy Cook Elementary massacre: Al Mohler, " Rachel Weeping for Her Children — The Massacre in Connecticut " Joey Newton, " Weeping with those who weep–a first-hand response from Newtown " John MacArthur, " A Pastoral Response to the Newtown Massacre " (audio) John Piper, " How Does Jesus Come to Newtown? " Russell Moore, " School Shootings and Spiritual Warfare " Zephanja Mel, " Evil Visited This Community! "

Your anger at the recent school massacre of the Sandy Cook Elementary school students in Newtown is right.  Our stomachs churn at the sight of such grotesque evil because we bear the image of God, and so our consciences cry out against such heinous acts. As we examine our own souls, however, we must consider ourselves not in contrast to the evils committed by others, but by the holiness of God.  Otherwise, we will add self-righteousness to our anger, and in that, we would sin. No matter the level of sanctification or holiness you may believe yourself to have, the good deeds that set you apart from such dark sins, you pale in comparison to the light of God's glory.  In a somewhat lighthearted manner, R. C. Sproul illustrates the lesson we must all take deep into heart. The Difference Between Our Sanctification and Our Glorification from Ligonier on Vimeo .

My message at Lake Hills Community Church, Sunday Service, on August 18, 2012: God has a sovereign plan that is both good and just for allowing the evil that occurs in the world.  He is neither surprised by evil nor threatened by it.  The next question for us, then, is how we should respond to Him in prayer during those times. As we approach our text this morning, we are going to read David praying through a time of hardship.  We are not going to read of his asking for mercy per se, but we will read of his seeking God’s grace.  Four times in this psalm we will read of David’s seeking undeserved favor, so seeking God’s grace will be our theme for today. Trials enter our lives for various reasons.   However, because our God is a gracious God, we can trust in His ability both to strengthen us and to overcome the situation.  We need only to seek Him in prayer.  Therefore, in times of trouble, we should seek God’s attentive grace , seek God’s unique ...

This could also be an update to the 2-2-2 post .

My awesome wife sent me another moving story from the Aurora, CO shooting.  In this account , the victim was shot, in the head, and suffers little brain damage.  Here's a snippet of the account: The doctor explains that Petra’s brain has had from birth a small “defect” in it. It is a tiny channel of fluid running through her skull, like a tiny vein through marble, or a small hole in an oak board, winding from front to rear.  Only a CAT scan would catch it, and Petra would have never noticed it.   But in Petra’s case, the shotgun buck shot, maybe even the size used for deer hunting, enters her brain from the exact point of this defect. Like a marble through a small tube, the defect channels the bullet from Petra’s nose through her brain. It turns slightly several times, and comes to rest at the rear of her brain. And in the process, the bullet misses all the vital areas of the brain. In many ways, it almost  misses the brain  itself.  Like a g...

Todd Friel explained the following on this past Thursday's Wretched Radio broadcast.  Here's the paraphrase (dangerous, I know).  I missed where he got this principle, but it's interesting and helpful for understanding how God deals with mankind. So, here's the " two-two-two principle :" God deals with two kinds of people: saved and unsaved for two different reasons: pouring out wrath and leading to salvation using two different means: primary and secondary Because of God's multi-faceted plans, the "God did this because..." or "God allowed this because..." statements are too concrete, too black-and-white, to apply to tragedies capturing national attention. That, along with the fact that we have no scriptural or revelatory authority upon which to state such claims, means that we should practice prudence and be slow to speak.

The new school year has begun, but are your kids the only ones expanding their knowledge?  Here is an excellent series of lectures from Faith Bible Church  of Springfield, IL (HT: Monergism.com ), for those interested: "The History and Theology of Calvinism" by Dr. Curt Daniel (Downloadable MP3 Messages) Message Play Online Download MP3 What is Calvinism Click Here Click Here Augustine and Pre-Calvinism Click Here Click Here The Reformation Click Here Click Here John Calvin Click Here Click Here The Spread of Calvinism Click Here Click Here The Synod of Dort Click Here Click Here The Puritans Click Here Click Here The Westminster Assembly Click Here Click Here Covenant Theology Click Here Click Here High Calvinism Click Here Click Here Amyraldism Click Here Click Here Calvinistic Antinomianism Click Here Click Here Hyper-Calvinism Click Here Click Here 18th Century Calvinism Click Here Click...

Dr. William Lane Craig is not someone I agree 100% with in regards to his theology and apologetics (that would be the disclaimer for all of the mean-spirited), but I respect him, his philosophical musings, and apologetic work. And here's something I'm sure you'll really love: he tackles Sam Harris, one of the "New Atheists" and author of "The End of Faith" and other kindling to keep you warm on those still-chilly April nights. Check out this link provided by TurretinFan and his helpful review to either watch the debate on YouTube or download the MP3.

The teaser: The video description: A short snippet of footage of the debate between Christian Apologist James White of Alpha & Omega Ministries and Atheist David Silverman who is now president of American Atheist's founded by Madelyn Murray O'Hair. This debate was GREAT and was recorded in HD with audio taken directly from the sound board so it doesn't sound hollow. The check-it-out-and-buy-link .