Who's on Top?

Within believers, a struggle often occurs between our own preconceived ideas and the truth of God's Word. A classic game of who's on top. Ulrich Zwingli, a sixteenth century reformer, summarizes this struggle well,

"Alas! Here we come upon the canker at the heart of all human systems. And it is this: we want to find support in Scripture for our own view, and so we take that view to Scripture, and if we find a text which, however artificially, we can relate to it, we do so, and in that way we wrest Scripture in order to make it say what we want it to say" (Zwingli, "On the Clarity and Certainty of the Word of God").

May God grant us His grace to be submitted to and changed by His Word and not to reverse this relationship.

J

Taking Delight in the Word of God

This past Sunday Dr. Ishwaran Mudliar, a professor of OT and Hebrew at SWBTS, preached a sermon entitled "Taking Delight in the Word of God." The text for his sermon was Psalm 119:9-16. I found this message both encouraging and challenging all at the same time.

The sermon should be posted within the next few days at www.redeemeraudio.org. I will not attempt to duplicate the points of the sermon. However, his questions for application are succinct enough to be reproduced here. There are twelve:

1. Are you convinced that the Bible is the Word of God? How do you demonstrate this belief/conviction on a daily basis?

2. What is your view of revelation? Do you believe that man is in need of it or can he figure things out on his own?

3. What is your worldview? Do you look at the world the way God looks at the world; do you love what He loves, hate what He hates, and value what He values?

4. Do you put the Scriptures above other books/magazines/news articles/blogs/etc.? Not merely in ranking but in time spent digging into them?

5. Are you familiar with the basic passages of the Bible? Do you know the 10 commandments, 12 apostles, books of the Bible, love chapter, sermon on the mount, etc.? Can you locate these?

6. Do you have a habit of reading the Bible regularly (esp. cover to cover)? Dr. Mudliar encouraged the congregation to begin systematically reading through the Scriptures.

7. Do you know key passages about salvation so that you could explain it to someone?

8. Do you memorize/meditate on Scripture? Note: Eastern meditation = emptying one's mind of everything. Christian meditation = filling one's mind with the truth of God's word and actively turning it over and over in one's mind (i.e., mental chewing gum). This means thinking about the truths of God throughout the day.

9. Do you have personal and family devotions?

10. Are you over-committed in other areas of life that preclude you spending time in the Word of God?

11. Do you keep high standards for church leaders? They must be an example to the body (able to teach).

12. (a) Do you have a genuine interest in knowing Christ through His word (cf. 1 Pet. 2:2-3)? If not, you should consider whether or not you have ever come to a saving knowledge of Christ? (b) Are we seeking maturity in Christ (cf. Heb. 5:11-14; 2 Pet. 3:18).

If you have made gains in these areas, please share what you've learned. I have not been able to stop thinking about this message all day today. I highly encourage you to listen to this sermon if you get a chance. I pray you have a strong week in the Lord, seeking Him in prayer and in the study of His word.

Looking for His Return,

Jonathan