It is exceedingly difficult to get into another habit of thinking in which we clearly separate faith and works of love. Even though we are now in faith, the heart is always ready to boast of itself before God and say: “After all, I have preached so long and lived so well and done so much, surely he will take this into account.” But it cannot be done. With men you may boast, but when you come before God, leave all that boasting at home and remember to appeal from justice to grace. But, let anyone try this and he will see and experience how exceedingly hard and bitter it is for a man, who all his life has been mired in his work of righteousness, to pull himself out of it and with all his heart rise up through faith in the one Mediator. I myself have been preaching and cultivating grace for almost twenty years, and still I feel the old clinging dirt of wanting to deal with God so that I may contribute something, so that he will have to give me his grace in exchange for my holiness. Still I cannot get it into my head that I should surrender myself completely to sheer grace; yet I know that this is what I should and must do.

The power to turn away from everything that keeps us from intimate fellowship with Jesus (lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely); and the power to endure for the long haul in the Christian life, comes to us by looking to Jesus. This is one way the Bible describes what faith is. Saving faith is gazing at Jesus with the eyes of the soul, seeing in Him all that our hearts long for. And it is doing this over and over again as we encounter Him in the pages of His Word, the Bible.

This gazing at Jesus is what we must seek after with all our might in 2012. For, it is in looking to Jesus that we will find the grace to love, serve, be patient with and forgive others, even as we see Him doing all that and more for us. It is in looking to Jesus that we will find the boldness and courage and kindness to speak about Jesus with our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, acquaintances and family members. It is in looking to Jesus that we will discover the freedom of grace, knowing that our sins have been wiped away forever, that we are clothed in His righteousness, that we are accepted and loved and delighted in by Him and the Father and the Spirit. Oh what freedom and joy and peace will fill our lives in 2012 as we gaze at Jesus with the eyes of faith.

At the conclusion of my sermon on Christmas morning, I quoted from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the well-known Baptist pastor who ministered in London during the mid to late 1800’s. Spurgeon gives us some practical help on what it means to “look to Jesus” every day in the new year. He says,

It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, “Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you do not have the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold on Jesus.”  All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self. He tells us that we are nothing, but that “Christ is all in all.” Remember, therefore, it is not your hold of Christ that saves you – it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you – it is Christ; it is not even your faith in Christ, though that is the instrument – it is Christ’s blood and merits. Therefore, look not so much to your hand with which you are grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to your hope, but to Jesus, the source of your hope; look not to your faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by “looking to Jesus.”  Keep your eye simply on him; let his death, his sufferings, his merits, his glories, his intercession, be fresh upon your mind. When you wake up in the morning, look to Him. When you lie down at night, look to Him. Oh! let not your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus. Follow hard after Him, and He will never fail you.” 

May God be gracious to us and open the eyes of our hearts this new year to look to Jesus Christ, our worthy Redeemer and King!

For Christ and His Kingdom,

Dave

No gloomy uncertainty as to God’s favor can subdue our lust, or correct our crookedness of will. But the free pardon of the cross uproots sin, and withers all its branches. Only the certainty of love, forgiving love, can do this. Free and warm reception into the divine favor is the strongest of all motives in leading a person to seek conformity to Him who has thus freely forgiven them all their trespasses. A cold admission into the paternal house by the father might have repelled the prodigal, and sent him back to his lusts; but the fervent kiss, the dear embrace, the best robe, the ring, the shoes, the fatted calf, the festal song – all without one moment’s suspense or delay, as well as without one upbraiding word, could not but awaken shame for the past, and true-hearted resolution to walk worthy of such a father, and of such a generous pardon. ‘Revelings, banqueting, and abominable idolatries’ come to be the abhorrence of those round whom the holy arms of renewed fatherhood have been so lovingly thrown. Sensuality, luxury, and the comforts of the flesh have lost their relish to one who has tasted the fruit of the tree of life.  

Celebrating His coming with you,

Dave

Jesus came to fulfill the law – Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Jesus came to call sinners to repentance – Mark 2:17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus came to serve and to die as a ransom – Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus came to do His Father’s will – John 6:38-39 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

Jesus came to give abundant life – John 10:10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus came to be Light in the darkness – John 12:46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

Jesus came to testify to the truth – John 18:37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world- to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Jesus came to redeem his people from sin – Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Jesus came to take away our sins – 1 John 3:5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil – 1 John 3:8  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

On Thursday, we left the ship early for a day in Jerusalem. Our tour guide, Svika, had also been our guide in Galilee. He is a native Israeli and very knowledgeable about his country, and about its significance in Biblical history. Our first stop was the Pool of Bethesda, which in Hebrew means “house of mercy”.  This is the site where Jesus healed a man who had been lame for 40 years. The account is found in John 5. 

From there we walked down the mountain (Jerusalem is built on a mountain – Mt. Zion) into the Kidron Valley, and up to the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane.  Gethsemane is the Hebrew word for “oil press”. Olive trees grow plentifully here, and the olives are taken to these presses for their oil. Jesus regularly came to this area with his disciples, and it is where he was arrested by the Roman guards the night before he was crucified. 

(Garden of Gethsemane)

We were taken to the top of the Mt. of Olives where we had a panoramic view of Jerusalem.   

The camel at the top of the Mt. of Olives, named Jock, was obviously eager for us to take a ride!

From the Mt. of Olives we went to our lunch spot, and then back to the old city of Jerusalem to see the Western Wall. The Western Wall is the most holy site for the Jews. It is the only part of Herod’s temple complex (1^st century BC) that remains. Jews come from all over the world as a pilgrimage to the Western Wall.

(Western Wall)

(Men praying at Western Wall)

(Gentile women at the Western Wall)

The Via Dolorosa, which means “way of the cross”, is the supposed path on which Jesus carried his cross to his execution. It was contrived during the Crusader period in the 12^th century, but cannot be verified. Today, as in the days of Jesus, that path is a bustling market jammed with little booths.

(The Via Dolorosa)

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the sites where it is believed Jesus was crucified and buried. It is actually on a spot occupied by five different churches (Greek Orthodox, Egyptian Coptic, Roman Catholic, Armenian, and Franciscan). It is difficult to sift through all the pomp and ceremony in order to grasp the true significance of what happened in this place, or some other place – that the Son of God gave His life for the sins of His people, satisfying the demands of God’s justice.   It was a very humbling place to be. We gave thanks to our God for His amazing gift of grace in saving us!

(The Church of the Holy Sepluchre)

Sunday, September 11 – Ephesus 

Ephesus was a significant port city in the ancient Roman Empire. The apostle Paul came to Ephesus on the tail end of his 2^nd missionary journey. He returned on his 3^rd missionary journey and stayed for more than 2 years, teaching and proclaiming the gospel to the young church he had planted.  The account of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus can be found in Acts 18:18-19:41.  Paul wrote 1 and 2 Timothy to his young protégé, Timothy, who was the pastor at Ephesus. And the apostle John, who was exiled to the island of Patmos (not too far from Ephesus) was the pastor there. He wrote the last book of the New Testament, The Revelation, which is addressed to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Ephesus was one of those churches (Revelation 2:1-7). John is buried in Ephesus, and we heard R.C. read the first two chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians at John’s grave.

(St. John’s Basilica – Ephesus)

(R.C. reading from the letter to the Ephesians at the apostle John’s, grave)

Today, the ancient city of Ephesus is a popular tourist destination. Only the ruins of the city remain. It was one of the highlights of our trip to be able to walk through the city and see the ancient library, the remains of the temple of Artemis, and to stand in the very theater where Paul taught the Ephesian church, and where a mob was assembled by his opponents to stir up persecution against him.

(The main street through ancient Ephesus)

(Emperor Hadrian’s Temple)

(The library of Ephesus)

(The Great Theater where Paul spoke)

(distant view of the Great Theater)

After boarding the ship, we sailed from Ephesus to the beautiful Greek island of Mykonos, where we enjoyed a day on the beach and a great lunch at a street-side café.  We are at sea all day Tuesday. On Wednesday we will dock in Naples and see the ancient city of Pompeii as well as the Amalfi Coast.  We will arrive in Rome on Thursday morning where we will catch a flight to Atlanta, and then arrive in Tampa on Thursday evening, Lord willing. This has been the trip of a lifetime! We are so thankful for the opportunity and look forward to sharing more pictures and stories when we return.

For Christ and His Kingdom,

Dave and Lynn

Tuesday evening we toured a castle in Acre (Accor) built by the Crusaders in the 13^th century. We also enjoyed a wonderful dinner inside the castle with the entire Ligonier group.

Wednesday -  On Wednesday morning we boarded the buses and drove about 45 minutes east to the Sea of Galilee, which is actually a large lake. It’s approximately 8 miles wide and 12 miles long. Our first stop was Capernaum, from where Jesus carried out much of his Galilean ministry. We saw an ancient synagogue, which is built on top of an even older synagogue where Jesus most likely taught and performed a miracle on a demon-possessed man. Capernaum is also Peter’s hometown. Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law in a house in Capernaum. There is a church built on top of what is believed to be Peter’s home.

From Capernaum we drove to the site where it is believed Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. There is a beautiful panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee from the mountainside.

From the Mount of Beatitudes we drove to the eastern edge of the lake for a boat ride. The water was dead calm; there was no breeze; and the temperature was blazing hot, being that we were 600 feet below sea level. While we were on the boat, R.C. Sproul gave a message about Jesus’ miracles which occurred on the Sea o f Galilee. He reminded us of the disciples’ response when Jesus calmed the raging storm and the sea became still. They said, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:27).  Jesus is unique among all men because He is not only fully man, but fully God, who is sovereign over His creation and His creatures. And He is alone, therefore, worthy of our worship.

We ended the day with a stop at the Jordan River where it is believed that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.  It seemed that the large muskrats, eager for our food, received more attention than the river.

August 31 to September 15, 2011

On Wednesday evening, Lynn and I left JFK, bound for Rome to embark on a 15 day tour of the Holy Land with Ligonier Ministries. Our journey begins in Rome where we arrived mid-morning on Thursday and were taken to our hotel, The Hotel Imperiale, inside the old walled section of the city. Thursday afternoon, we got on a bus for a tour of the Roman Forum (Palatine) and Senate building, Mamertine Prison and some of the famous fountains of Rome. Our guide, George, was a fabulous historian, tracing the founding of Rome to today.  The photos show the Forum, the Mamertine Prison where the apostles Peter and Paul were kept before they were executed, and Mussolini’s office building, from where he wielded his power for two decades until he was overthrown after World War 2.

(The Roman Forum)

(The Mamertine Prison where Peter and Paul were kept before their executions)

(Mussolini’s Headquarters in Rome. He gave many speeches from that 2^nd floor balcony to the crowds gathered on the square)

On Friday, we boarded a bus and headed to the ancient Coliseum, which is actually known as Flavian Amphitheater, named after one of the Roman Emperors, Flavius. The workers were on strike that day, so we couldn’t go inside. But, our guide, Gracie, gave us a wonderful walking tour around the outside of the Coliseum. After a bus tour through Rome, we stopped for lunch and then went to Vatican City to see the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. The artwork in the Vatican museums, and especially inside the Sistine Chapel, is stunning. It was a great thrill to stand beneath the ceiling of the Chapel and look up to see Michelangelo’s famous rendering of God creating Adam, their fingers almost touching. The Sistine Chapel is where the Cardinals meet to elect the new pope. We saw where they place the oven in which they burn the paper ballots, the white smoke indicating to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square that a new pope has been chosen.

St. Peter’s Basilica and Square in Vatican City

Saturday morning, the buses picked us up @ 11:00 and took us to the ship, which was moored in port city of Civitavecchia, which means “old city”. The Celebrity Cruise Lines newest ship, The Silhouette, was waiting for us. Her maiden voyage was July 23^rd, so we her fifth cruise. The Silhouette is decked out from bow to stern with every modern luxury and convenience imaginable. It is 5-star accommodations on the high seas. Our stateroom is on the 11^th floor, looking out the port (left) side. It’s very spacious and we have a great view looking out of our floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors onto the veranda and onto the Mediterranean Sea.

(Jim and Eileen Hollenbach, and Lynn at Hotel Imperiale waiting for the bus to take us to the ship)

(Getting ready to board the Silhouette!)

(Our stateroom, #1597 – not too shabby!)

(1^st Dinner on the Silhouette with Jim and Eileen Hollenbach, Jeff and Mary Simpson, and Ed and Beth Beck from Naples)

Sunday morning we attended a worship service in the ship’s theater. Dr. R.C. Sproul  preached from Isaiah 6 and Galatians 4 about how God, in the fullness of time, sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Redeemer.  After a 45 minute run on the treadmill, Lynn and I cancelled all that work by having a great lunch overlooking Sicily to the east and the tip of the boot of Italy to the west. As I write this, I’m looking at the Navigation Channel on our stateroom T.V. It shows that our ship is southwest of Italy, heading toward Israel. We will skirt the southern tip of Greece tonight, be at sea all day Monday, and dock in Ashdod, Israel early Tuesday morning ready for our travels through the Holy Land. I will write another update in a couple of days.

In the Father’s Care,

Dave and Lynn

(Sunday morning on top of the ship, overlooking the boot of Italy as we sailed through the Messina Strait)

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself  (Luke 24:27) 

Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing wither he went to create a new people of God.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,” now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.”

Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his foolish friends.

Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther who didn’t just risk leaving an earthly palace but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk his life, but gave his life to save his people.

Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.

Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us. He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread. 

The Bible’s really not about you – it’s about him.    (adapted from an article by Tim Keller)

We can provide our kids with their own beds for a good night’s sleep, but only Jesus, the Good Shepherd, can make them lie down and find rest in the green pastures of His grace.

We can offer encouraging words to our children, but only the Lord can restore their souls.

We can give advice to our sons and daughters, helping them make good choices, but only Christ can lead them in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.

We can do our best to protect our children from harm, but only God can walk with them through the valley of the shadow of death, comfort them, and deliver them from evil.

We can try to provide for their many needs, but only the Lord can spread a table for them in the presence of their enemies and make their cups overflow.

We can shower them with our love, but only God can fill them with His never ending goodness and mercy.

We can give them a temporary roof over their heads, but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ can they dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Read the 23^rd Psalm today and ask the Lord to make its truths active and powerful in the lives of your loved ones.

Pastor Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City writes:

“Unless we come to grips with this terrible doctrine (the wrath of God), we will never even begin to understand the depths of what Jesus did for us on the cross. His body was being destroyed in the worst possible way, but that was a flea bite compared to what was happening to his soul. When he cried out that his God had forsaken him, he was experiencing hell itself…If a mild acquaintance denounces you and rejects you—that hurts. If a good friend does the same—the hurt is far worse. However, if your spouse walks out on you, saying, ‘I never want to see you again,’ that is far more devastating still. The longer, deeper, and more intimate the relationship, the more torturous is any separation…But the Son’s relationship with the Father was beginning-less and infinitely greater than the most intimate and passionate human relationship. When Jesus was cut off from God, he went into the deepest pit and most powerful furnace, beyond all imagining. And he did it voluntarily, for us.”

His point is this: The measure of how much you love someone is determined by how much you are willing to give up, to sacrifice, in order to ensure his or her welfare. What does this say about the love of God as it relates to His wrath against our sin? It says that He loves His own people such that He would rather bear the fury of His own judgment than see us pay for all of our wrongdoings and sins. Once you grasp the wrath of God as more than a mere doctrine, but a life-transforming power, you are humbled to the dust, and you even learn to delight in the God who is angry at all sin, which violates his holy character. Only Christianity, as revealed in the Bible, shows us a God who takes the initiative to make peace with those who have declared war on him (Romans 5:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 3:13-14; 4:4-7). You do not know how much God loves you unless you know how much He has suffered for you, and that suffering is demonstrated in God’s greatest act of judgment – the death of His only Son on the cross.