And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Mark 4:1-20

And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Mark 4:9

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 4:1-20, starting with vv1-9 which is the text for the first (of three) division per the commentary. Excerpts from the commentary's introduction to vv1-20 and the first division:  

• "Main idea: Jesus calls His followers to hear, respond to, and share the gospel, while sin, the cares of this world, and opposition hinder kingdom growth."
• "Mark 4 teaches us there also is a spiritual connection between the heart and the ear. In verse 3 Jesus says, 'Listen!' In verse 9 He says, 'Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!' In verse 12 He speaks of those who 'may listen and listen, yet not understand.' And in verse 20 He speaks of those who 'hear the word, welcome it, and produce a crop.'"
• "(1) Parables provide insight into the nature, coming, growth, and consummation of the kingdom of God. They give us pictures of this kingdom that “has come near” (1:15). (2) Parables are by design provocative and surprising. (3) Parables are used to stimulate thinking and cause the hearer to contemplate what they are hearing. (4) Parables use everyday objects, events, and circumstances to illustrate spiritual truth, usually with a new twist. (5) Parables reveal more truth to those with receptive ears, and they hide truth from others. This is critical to understanding 4:10-12. (6) Parables make up 35 percent of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels. (7) Parables usually, but not always, focus on a single truth. We should not allegorize them seeking a meaning for every detail. (8) Parables in the Gospels ultimately draw attention to Jesus as God’s Messiah and call us to make a personal decision concerning Him."
• "The parable begins with a challenge for Jesus’ hearers to pay careful attention. A spiritually alert heart and hungry mind are needed to understand what He is teaching. The message of the parable for Christians is clear: we must sow the seed of the gospel that others might hear and respond. Responses will vary, but that is not our concern. Our assignment is to sow and sow generously, even promiscuously! God is responsible for the harvest (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)."  

The commentary also suggests the name of the text here should be the Parable of the Soil vs the Sower as the takeaway we should get is that good soil is key.  We should strive to prepare our hearts and mind to hear, receive and respond appropriately to His Word.  That is why we should pray for the Holy Spirit to help us before we read scripture.  I recommend reading John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally. At the same time, as the commentary states, we should in response to God's Word and what is doing in our own hearts and lives - sow and spread the Good News generously as we should feel as Peter did in Acts 4:20 as "we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God You are an awesome God who loves me and who gave me a heart inclined to hear Your Word and accept You as my Lord and Savior.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You softened my heart and saved me. My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family,  my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.

Daniel 8

 And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. Daniel 8:25

I continue my study of Daniel in conjunction with a disciple/small group study with my church's men's wake up call. This morning my focus is Daniel 8:15-27 as I lean on my commentary for this text - which my commentary outlines as having one division - God Sent Gabriel with an Interpretation - with three subdivisions.  The commentary for this text starts by sharing how "God’s revelation of himself in the Bible is a gift. God’s interpretation of his revelation is a double gift."  God reveals Himself in nature and creation through general revelation and He reveals Himself through His Word (special revelation).  In v16, God commands the angel Gabriel to help interpret Daniel's vision.  My commentary describes this moment: "Though under no obligation, God, in grace, helps Daniel in “trying to understand it” (v. 15)."  

• Understanding God’s Word requires divine assistance (8:15-17): God sends Gabriel to Daniel to interpret his vision
  
• Understanding God’s Word prepares us for what is coming (8:18-26): God wanted Israel to know that their suffering (albeit brought about by their own transgression (v12), would, according to the commentary "not be indefinite." The commentary describes the suffering, particularly under    Antiochus Epiphanes, and how Daniel's prophecies all come to pass in truth.  Ultimately, Antiochus Epiphanes falls - not by human hands (v25) as God reigns over all, including all nation states and their rulers.  The revolt by the Maccabeans in 164BC is described in the commentary and how this revolt of course is orchestrated by God and how Jews still celebrate Hanukkah in remembrance of this event.
  
• Understanding God’s Word can be personally overpowering (8:27): The commentary describes how Daniel is "undone by the vision of chapter 8. It was more than he could bear." Although Daniel's initial reaction to the vision was overwhelming, he ultimately continued in his ministry, comforted in knowing God was in control.  My commentary wraps by sharing "Daniel did not let it [his vision] paralyze him. He did his job, and he trusted in his God. He is an example to all of us."
  

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who reveals Himself to me - thank You Jesus!  I am comforted by how You reveal Yourself to me - and undeserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the sid effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

Hebrews 2

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? Hebrews 2:1-3a

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 2:1-3a, the first of three divisions in Hebrews 2:1-9, and this first division exhorts believers to - in light of how Jesus and His messages are more superior than angels (Hebrews 1) - heed the "warning signs of spiritual drift."  The commentary describes this drift as a nautical image whereby such drift is not one wave at a point in time but instead a slower, meandering process, where we fail to take Jesus' words to heart.  This of course happens both corporately (by churches that water down theology in an effort to gain believers) and individually by those who fail to drop "the anchor of our souls in the deep waters of the Word of God" and allowing for reading of God's Word supernaturally, and enabling spiritual hearing which the commentary defines as "believing, obeying, and submitting to what is heard. Right hearing is more a matter of the heart than a function of the ear. We must hear with our hearts."  The devotion ends with with both good and bad news. "The gospel is good news. The good news is only good, though, when it is accepted in place of the bad news. The bad news is we are truly deserving of hell for our transgression of God’s righteous requirement. The really bad news is we will be even more accountable to God if we reject Christ. The seriousness of the gospel cannot be overstated. The gospel is good news for those who repent of their sin and trust in Christ. It is terrible news for those who do not."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great, great God and Your Word is worthy of my close attention as it is Good News!  Thank You for sharing this Good News with me and saving me.  I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[F]or I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose[.]’

[F]or I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose[.]’ Isaiah 46:9-10

This afternoon, I completed John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, moving on beyond the final chapter (27) covered yesterday to the conclusion.  Here, Piper leaves us with a few encouraging statements to recap his book.  His dismisses those across the ages who see the Bible as less than perfect in its structure and presentation.  Piper writes that "God knew exactly what he was doing when he inspired all of these diverse authors and diverse writings that we have in this one inspired book?  That is what I believe." He is prayerful that "many would turn from [this] book to God's book with new zeal and aggressive attentiveness and active reading.  We are to "pursue the natural act of reading the Bible supernaturally."  Finally, Piper invites us to join him as "[i]t is the only way for your life to be of lasting service to the world, and for your work to show forth the glory of God, and for your soul to be fully satisfied forever."  

 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are amazing God and Your Word IS perfect and it is You and You provide it for me to help me see and savor Your Glory and for me to grow in my understanding and love of You - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You provide You Word for me and for You bless me in immeasurable ways! My sin continues...worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The Lord is good and right; he points sinners to the right way. He shows those who are humble how to do right, and he teaches them his ways.

Pages: 285-292

The Lord is good and right; he points sinners to the right way. He shows those who are humble how to do right, and he teaches them his ways. Psalm 25:8-9

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter nineteen - Reading the Bible by Faith in His Promise to Instruct Us. Here, Piper seeks to build on the previous chapter where he focused on the 3rd letter of APTAT to trust or believe that God will help and guide us in our understanding of the Bible. His guidance from the last chapter was to "attach to specific promises of God, rather than dangling vaguely in the air of God's goodness."  This morning's chapter provides specificity around which promises we can use. 

Piper starts with Romans 8:32, where Piper says that "[t]here is no greater foundation (God's sacrifice of his Son in our place) and no greater structure built on that foundation-the promise that God will give his children all things."  He stresses that this promise "does not include every comfortable thing in life." Instead, Piper writes that God gives us what we need: "God will give us what we need in order to do his will and reach the goal of likeness to Jesus."  He points to Philippians 4:12-13 and 19 to further demonstrate a focus on needs vs desires or wants.  

He then comes back to the "crucial" point that "we fasten our faith to two or three clear expressions of this all-embracing promise in Scripture...[and that] hazy hope provides weak motivation." We are encouraged to memorize specific verses for us to attach our faith.  Piper provides the following examples:

• 2 Chronicles 16:19
• Isaiah 41:10
• Psalm 23:6, 84:11, 34:9-10, 25:2, 8-9, 12, 32:8, 73:24
  
• Matthew 6:33
• 1 Corinthians 3:21-23
• 2 Corinthians 1:20
• Proverbs 2:6-7, 3:5-6
• Luke 12:11-12  
  

Of course there are examples the apply based on specific needs including finances, pride, sexual temptation, etc. 

Piper also wants us to understand that while greater understanding may be provided to teachers (and greater accountability - see James 3:1-2), His guidance may be over time and through circumstances.  However, we should be certain that "God will help us see in the Bible all we need to see in order to arrive safely in his presence at the end of our lives, or at the day of his coming."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed great and worthy of my constant praise and worship.  Thank You for Your Word, Your Son, and the Holy Spirit - all of which You provided to me through grace alone...thank You.  I am wholly undeserving.  My sin continues...daily.  Divided heart, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

Pages: 277-283

So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? Galatians 3:5

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter eighteen - Reading the Bible by Faith in the Promises of God.  Here, Piper seeks to unpack the 3rd letter of our "practical and biblical guide" - APTAT - and this 3rd letter "t" represents trust. Piper points to Hebrews 11 for scriptural evidence of how God wants us to walk and live - to do everything - by faith.  Piper writes that "the necessity of doing everything by faith - including reading the Bible - is that this is the only way God will receive the glory he should have from us in every action."  He goes on to say that "[t]rusting God for his help in what we do draws attention to his power and trustworthiness...[it] turns every act into a God-exalting virtue." Piper goes further and provides Galatians 3:5 to show us that "law keeping is not the channel through which the Spirit flows as he does he powerful work.  Rather the channel through which the Spirit flows is faith.  When we trust the promises of God, the Spirit moves to do his powerful work."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are trustworthy and faithful as all of Your promises come true - I can and do believe in the promises You make.  I have seen the work of Your hand in my life and have faith - thank You Jesus!  Yet I am undeserving of Your faithfulness as my own faith and trust in You sometimes falters - please forgive for this and for my many sins which continue...daily...including worry, etc.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sins towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Pages: 234-249

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. James 1:21

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter fifteen - Humility Throws Open a Thousand Windows.  Here Piper builds on the previous chapter by exploring how we "act the miracle that God causes?" Piper provides a five step process using an acronym - APTAT (video describing this process here):

1. Admit: admit that without Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5)
   
2. Pray: pray for God's help, whatever form of help I need (Matthew 7:7, James 4:2, Psalm 50:15)
3. Trust: trust in a specific promise of God that is tailor-made to my situation or a general promise (Isaiah 55:11, 41:10, Matthew 10:20, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Philippians 4:19)
4. Act: act in obedience, expecting God to act under and in and through my acting (1 Corinthians 3:6-7, 15:10, Philippians 2:12, Romans 8:13)
5. Thank: thank God for whatever good comes - give Him the glory (Ephesians 5:20)

Piper states that it "begins with humility" - one of the most-oft discussed topics in the Bible. He writes that "[i]t begins with a real sense of how depraved and distorted our minds are, and how readily our hearts desire other things more than we desire God." Piper uses child-like humility to discuss how we should be humble: "[t]he humility of a child, rather, is his free and willing awareness that he cannot provide for his own needs and must have an adult to meet all his needs." The Holy Spirit is central here to "humble us so that we relish the glory of Christ more than we relish our self-exaltation."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who has blessed us with the Holy Spirit to humble us so that we may receive Your word, to see and savor Your glory so that we may be transformed day-by-day into Your image until glorification when we see You face to face.  Oh what a day that will be!  Thank You Jesus for all of this and all that You do!  Yet I know that You are not yet finished me and I am undeserving - there is more sanctification as my sin continues.  Please forgive me Jesus for my sins - worry, etc. help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Pages: 224-240

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, moving on to Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter fourteen - God Forbid That We Despise His Natural Gifts.  Here Piper seeks to unpack the paradox he refers to in the title of the chapter - his "aim...is to encourage a deep dependence on God and the fullest use of your natural powers in the supernatural act of reading the Bible."

Piper starts by stating that "[w]ithout God's supernatural intervention, we would have no motivation to read the Scriptures in the hope of treasuring Christ above all things (1 Kings 8:58, Psalm 119:36)." It is God who grants us the heart and eyes to see His glory. The critical point here is found in Philippians 2:12-13 as Piper writes that we "work out" or effect our salvation because God is already at work in us through a saving relationship.  He continues that this salvation is the..."specific daily deliverance from the soul-destroying works of the flesh (1 Peter 2:11)-things like anger and self-pity and greed and lust." Proverbs 2:1-7 is also used to help us better understand how God works in us. "We do the [reading and] thinking-the rigorous effort to read with understanding; God creates the miracle of supernatural light in processes of our thought."

God gives us the will to read and see His glory and we do the act of reading - and ultimately the seeing and savoring of His glory...through which we are transformed day by day.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and I know You are at work in me and giving me the will to read and the eyes and heart to understand Your Word - thank You Jesus!  Amazing and I am truly grateful!  Yet I am undeserving.  My sin...of many kinds...continues.  Please forgive me.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

God’s word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him, and to him we must explain the way we have lived.

Pages: 211-221

God’s word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him, and to him we must explain the way we have lived. Hebrews 4:12-13

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, Part 2 The Super Natural Act of Reading the Bible, chapter thirteen - New Testament Pictures of Bible Reading as a Supernatural Act.  Here Piper seeks to help us understand how the "Bible describes [the] act...[of] God giving [believers] the decisive ability to see the all-surpassing worth of the glory of God" - in other words, what scripture points to how God helps us read the Bible supernaturally?

Piper starts by saying that "we must be born again-we must be given spiritual life-in order to see the things of the Spirit as they really are-more beautiful and more precious than all earthly treasures....[and this] new birth happens through the word of God."  Piper gives us several key passages that describe this - starting with James 1:18-21 and 1 Peter 1:23-2:3. Both passages point to processes where our soul is saved and Piper writes that "[n]atural processes do not save the soul[.]" Piper also uses 1 Thessalonians 2:13-14 to show that is a supernatural process - by "the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe." Piper then moves on to show God is at work in us as an ongoing process from sanctification to glorification - see Hebrews 4:12-13. Piper extends this supernatural reading process by showing how we can overcome Satan by "word of God abiding in us" - see 1 John 2:14.

Piper wraps up this chapter by encouraging us to understand that "we are to listen to Jesus as he speaks to us in the Scriptures so that his joy-the supernatural joy of the Son of God-might be our joy, and ours might be full (John 15:11)."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and You give me eyes to see and ears to hear Your Word - and I am grateful.  I am able to see and taste Your glory and it is amazing.  I am grateful for all that You have done and continue to do in and through my life.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the many blessings You pour out for me.  My sin, gossip, worry, etc. continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

...[B]ut I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

Pages: 197-210, John 5, 8 and Ezekiel 11, 36

...[B]ut I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” John 5:42-47

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, Part 2 The Super Natural Act of Reading the Bible, chapter twelve - Why the Pharisees Couldn't Read.  Here, Piper seeks to help us understand more deeply what stops us from reading the Bible supernaturally.  He uses the Pharisees and the Sadducees as examples of those who had read the law but did not recognized or believe in Jesus and so misinterpreted both the law and who Jesus really is; Piper states that the problem was "moral and spiritual....What prevented the reading that Jesus expected was not skills they lacked, but sins they loved.  The problem was not mental deficiencies, but misplaced desires."  Piper then goes on to list those misplaced desires as desire for "human praise, money, etc."  He points to John 5:42-47 where the Jewish leaders are challenging Jesus and seeking to persecute Him.  Piper then points to John 8:42-44 where Jesus then "links this love of self-exaltation to Satan.  "[Jesus] says that [the Jewish leaders] cannot welcome the words of Jesus because their desires are in sync with the Devil[.]" 

Piper wraps up the chapter by pointing to Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26 for how God gives us a "heart of flesh" to help us grow in our sensitivity to "God's worth and beauty[.]"

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are truly and amazing God and my Lord and Savior!  Thank You for rescuing me, adopting me into Your family, and for helping me see Your worth and beauty.  I am not deserving for all that You have done and do for me.  My sin, worry, etc. continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Pages: 179-196

 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1:16-19

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, starting Part 2 The Super Natural Act of Reading the Bible, covering both the Introduction to Part 2 and chapter eleven - The Necessity and Possibility of Reading the Bible Supernaturally.  Piper starts by stating plainly, "no reading and no discovery [from reading the Bible] happen without seeing all things in relation to his worth and beauty[.]" Our dependence on God to read the Bible supernaturally stems from two key obstacles: "a blinding enemy outside [Satan] and a blinding disease inside [sin]." Therefore, according to Piper, we must approach the Bible "with a deep sense of helplessness, and hope-filled reliance on God's merciful assistance."

Piper then explores five ways how God provides divine assistance in reading the Bible: 

1. He opens our minds (Luke 24:25-26, 44-45)
2. He shines in our hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6)
3. He enlightens the eyes of our hearts (Ephesians 1:16-19, 3:14-19)
4. He gives us the secret of the kingdom of God (Matthew 13:16, Luke 10:21, Mark 4:11)
5. God reveals himself to us (Matthew 16:16-17)

As much as anything this morning, I am encouraged by Piper to use as a daily prayer the passages in Ephesians (as Paul does) to enlighten the eyes of my heart.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and enlightens the eyes of my heart to the Bible, to Your glory and for me good - thank You Jesus for doing all of this and more!  My cup overflows.  I am undeserving.  My sin, worry, etc. continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

Pages: 65-73

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. 1 John 1:1-4

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, covering chapter three - Reading to See Supreme Worth and Beauty, Part 1.  Here, Piper seeks to demonstrate the third of six implications that flow from the ultimate goal of reading the Bible (as listed here); the third of the six implications is "that we should always read his word in order to see this supreme worth and beauty[.]" In this chapter, which is the first of three to explore this specific implication, Piper points to both John and Paul to provide scriptural examples that demonstrate that we are to read the Bible "to see [God's] supreme worth and beauty[.]"  

John, in not just his gospel account, but also in his epistles (1, 2, 3 John), sought to help later generations see the glory of God through his writing - using John 1:14, 2:11, 11:40, 14:26, 16:13-14, 20:29-31, and 1 John 1:1-4 to help readers see the connection between reading an eyewitness account of the glory of Christ and "seeing" the glory of Christ. Piper writes that in 1 John 1:1-4, John refers to what was seen or manifest six times...and "[t]he intention that the faith and life he received by seeing the glory of Christ, his readers would also be able to receive by seeing what he saw-the glory of Christ shining through the inspired writing." 

Paul, in Ephesians 3:3-8, "makes a rare and crucial reference to the aim of reading his own epistle." His hope is that "by reading [church in Ephesus] may 'see' or get a glimpse, into what Paul was shown by God."  The "boundless riches of Christ" referenced by Paul is then more fully described by Piper as the riches of the "glory of Christ" and Ephesians 1:18 and Colossians 1:27 help clarify this.  

Piper then encourages us to avoid focusing on specific passages of scripture that help us see God's glory, and supreme worth and beauty, but instead to see the glory of God "in and through all things," and he uses 1 Corinthians 10:31 to help us see "all things in relationship to the glory of God-starting with the most ordinary things, like food and drink." 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and whose glory I see in the Word and with every passing day I can see the Holy Spirit working in and through me to sanctify me and bring You glory.  You pour out Your mercies and blessings every day for me.  Thank You!  Yet I am undeserving.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Pages: 55-63

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, covering chapter two - Reading the Bible toward White-Hot Worship.

Here, Piper seeks to demonstrate the second of six implications that flow from the ultimate goal of reading the Bible (as listed in my previous post); this second implication is that "that the supremely authentic and intense worship of God's worth and beauty is the ultimate aim of all his work and word[.]"  Piper describes the six stages of redemptive history (predestination/Ephesians 1:5, 14, creation/Revelation 4:11, incarnation/Revelation 5:12, propitiation/Revelation 5:9, sanctification/Philippians 1:11, consummation/2 Thessalonians 1:10), demonstrating that, through scripture, worship is the goal of all God's acts. 

Piper then describes authentic and intense, or white-hot worship, writing that "there is a correlation between the measure of our intensity in worship and the degree to which we exhibit the value of the glory of God." We are encouraged to pursue not "lukewarm" relationships with Jesus, but instead ones that display "zeal" and "fervent" worship (Romans 12:11). Another dimension to this zeal and fervent worship is that it is authentic and undivided - there must be no competitors to God nor half-hearted affections. Piper points to the following scripture as evidence:

• Luke 10:27
• Deuteronomy 4:29, 10:12
• 1 Samuel 7:3
• Proverbs 3:5
• Zephaniah 3:14
• Psalms 9:1
  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who gives me inexpressible joy - thank You Jesus - in all things I see Your hand and Your ways and deeds are both perfect and full of love - for me and for all of Your children!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving for all the love and blessings You pour out for me.  I worry...please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy[.]

Pages: 37-53

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy[.] 1 Peter 1:8

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, covering the Introduction to Part 1: The Ultimate Goal of Reading the Bible and chapter one - Reading the Bible toward God's Ultimate Goal. 

Piper starts by stating that "our ultimate goal in reading the Bible is that God's infinite worth and beauty would be exalted in the everlasting, white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ from every people, language, tribe, and nation."  Piper extends this by drawing out six implications "that flow from this," including:

1. "the infinite worth and beauty of God are the ultimate value and excellence of the universe;
2. that the supremely authentic and intense worship of God's worth and beauty is the ultimate aim of all his work and word;
3. that we should always read his word in order to see this supreme worth and beauty; 
4. that we should aim in all our seeing and savoring his excellence above all things; 
5. that we should aim to be transformed by this seeing and savoring into the likeness of his beauty, 
6. so that more and more people would be drawn into the worshiping family of God until the bride of Christ-across all centuries and cultures-is complete in number and beauty."

The remainder of chapter one focuses on how from "eternity[-past] to eternity[-future] - in predestination, creation, incarnation, propitiation, sanctification, and consummation-the Bible makes explicit that God's ultimate aim in all things is the revelation and exaltation of his glory."  In the next chapter, Piper explores and discusses implication #2.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and deserving of authentic and intense worship from me and all of Your children. You bless me every day with mercies that abound!  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am not deserving.  I too often allow myself to be distracted by the things of this world - please forgive me!  Help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.....I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people[.]

 Pages: 15-33, Matthew 13, Ephesians 1

 This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.....I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people[.] Matthew 13:13, Ephesians 1:18

Today, inspired by the challenge and reward from the reading of John Piper's Providence, I started another of his books:  Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture.  I began with the Preface and Introduction. 

The premise of the book is that if we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, then it follows that "it has supernatural reading."  We are to not just read the Bible naturally (the very best of our natural reading Piper writes), using the error-prone human faculties that God gives us, but we are to read with an ability that is "beyond what is merely human."

Once again, as Piper does with Providence, he does with this book and he draws extensively on scripture. He writes that our natural seeing of God's glory is "not decisive in seeing the glory of God," and Piper uses both Matthew 13:13 and Ephesians 1:18 to demonstrate that God is at work in our understanding of His glory. For God to move in our hearts to more fully see His glory, "God [must] cut away the diamond-hard, idolatrous substitutes for the glory of God that are packed into...our heart." Here Piper points to:

• 2 Corinthians 4:6
• 2 Timothy 2:25
• Philippians 1:29
• Ephesians 2:5
• 1 Peter 1:23
• James 1:18
• Matthew 16:17
• Matthew 11:27
• Ephesians 1:18
• Luke 8:10        
  

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My Prayer: Heavenly Father, Jesus - You are an awesome God and You have given me the gift of faith and Your Word, and You daily reveal Your Word and Your Glory to me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such gifts.  I sin...daily...anger, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.