[sound doctrine pt. 5]

Something I think I’ve been learning lately is that Christian discipleship is largely growth in being satisfied in Jesus. We were created in God’s image to glorify and enjoy Him as the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism so directly reminds us:

Q. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

The tragedy is that, as sinners, we are bent and deviant from this end. We take God’s good created things–other people, our abilities and talents, prestige, sex, food, whatever–and try to make enjoying one or many of those created things our chief end. We are idolators. And we self-destruct in pursuit of these things that, divorced from the enjoyment of God, can never satisfy. Whenever delight in God is first, all of these lesser delights fall into their proper place and can be truly enjoyed with gratefulness toward their Creator.

The Gospel is the good news that God has given us Himself in the life, death, and resurrection of the God-Man Jesus Christ. He has paid the price of our idolatry, and wants to put away our sin so that He, the only One Who can satisfy, can be the treasure of our hearts again. As John Piper has put it, God Himself is the Gospel.

Once God has rescued our idolatrous hearts, we begin the painful and joyful process of cultivating joy in Him above all. We are all trying to get to the place where we can say with Asaph in Psalm 73,

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

There is nothing that I desire besides You; that is, literally, there is nothing I want as much as You. We have other good desires, but all of them ought to pale in comparison to our desire for God Himself and be tempered by gratitude towards Him.

So this song is a musical meditation on that Psalm, and hopefully it will be of some use to us in cultivating satisfaction in Christ. You can get the audio by clicking on the title.

All I Want (Psalm 73)
music and lyrics by Jonathan McGregor
I’ve looked around, and I’ve seen
All the violence and the riches of the proud.
I’ve looked around, and I’ve seen
That righteousness is vanity.
I’ve felt the rod of wrath,
And I have walked a hard and narrow path,
And I have found no rest,
Just a bitter bleeding in my chest.

[tag]

I look to You, and I see
Your glory in the sanctuary.
I look to You, and I see
You governing with equity.
You hold my hand, and I know
To be near You is good for me.
And You will spare no cost to bring
Me with You into glory.

[tag]

Oh, all I want is You.
Oh, all I want is You.

(It cost the cross to bring me near to You.
It costs my life for me to come to You.
My heart, my flesh will fail, but You will not.
You are the Rock Who bears up my heart.
You are my refuge; I will hide in You.
There is no one for me in heaven but You,
And none on earth I want beside You.
You are Your gift, and I receive You.)

[smooth stones, pt. 2]

Ah Lord! this mercy I humbly beg, that whatever thou givest me up to, thou wilt not give me up to the ways of my own heart; if thou wilt give me up to be afflicted, or tempted, or reproached, I will patiently sit down and say, It is the Lord; let him do with me what seems good in his own eyes. Do anything with me, lay what burden thou wilt upon me, so thou dost not give me up to the ways of my own heart.

Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, pp. 50-51

[a perpetual forge: anti-idolatry resources]

“The human mind is a perpetual forge of idols.” -John Calvin

The theme of idolatry has figured greatly in my meditations of late. Here are some resources I have found helpful in seeing how the Gospel smashes the false gods of our hearts so that we may worship the true God.

Tim Keller:

Gospel Realization

Gospel Communication

Gospel Incarnation

These three sermons on Jonah come from The Evangelists’ Conference 2007: Smashing False Idols.

The Grand Demythologizer: The Gospel and Idolatry

This sermon comes from The Gospel Coalition Conference 2009.

C.J. Mahaney:

Discern Your Heart

This sermon comes from the New Attitude (now known as Next) Conference 2007.

David Clarkson:

Soul Idolatry Excludes Men Out of Heaven

Clarkson was a Puritan pastor who lived from 1621-1686.

Martin Luther:

The First Commandment

This study comes from the Reformer’s Large Catechism.

[iconoclast!]

Iconoclast! I would bear
asdfthat name–
Smashing my heart’s high
asdfplaces and
Hacking her Asherah
asdfto bits.
Let no pagan-passion King
asdfAgag
Live in my consecrated
asdfseat of
Thought and affect.
asdfI stand
Destructive with that man
asdfof God,
Dread Samuel, bearing a
asdffell blade.

Where do you run for
asdfcomfort,
O my soul? At what
asdfaltars
Do you offer up
asdfyour plea?
What ghost-town Gilead
asdfhaunts my
Heart in search of balm?
asdfFrom forth
What broken cisterns gushing
asdfgood do
I expect? O idolatrous,
asdfGentile
Heart, be circumcised:
asdfBelieve.

[smooth stones taken from ancient brooks pt.1]

I’m currently reading a book by the Puritan divine Thomas Brooks entitled Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices. The work includes a brief biography of Brooks in its front matter. In the biography, I read that Charles Spurgeon’s first published work was a compendium of quotations by Brooks, collected by Spurgeon and his fiancee Susannah Thompson. Cleverly, he called the book Smooth Stones Taken from Ancient Brooks.

I have found Brooks so far to be sweet, convicting, and pithy. So I thought I would follow Spurgeon’s lead and share with you some quotes in a series of posts.

The first, of the enemy’s method of temptation, seizing the opportunities given him by our circumstances and personalities:

Whatever sin the heart of man is most prone to, that the devil will help forward…Satan loves to sail with the wind, and to suit men’s temptations to their conditions and inclinations. If they be in prosperity, he will tempt them to deny God (Prov. 30:9); if they be in adversity, he will tempt them to distrust God; if their knowledge be weak, he will tempt them to have low thoughts of God; if their conscience be tender, he will tempt to scrupulosity; if large, to carnal security; if bold-spirited, he will tempt to presumption; if timorous to desperation; if flexible, to inconstancy; if stiff, to impenitency. (16)

[book review: death by love]

Death by Love, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.

Brutal. That’s the best word I can think of to describe this book. Pastor Mark Driscoll, of Mars Hill Church Seattle fame, is unsparing in his treatment of the death of Jesus, the wickedness of sin, and the power of the Gospel in Death by Love. The work is composed of several letters written to people Mark has met, counseled, and pastored, applying the truth of Christ’s multi-faceted work on the cross to life. Each chapter is capped off by an “Answers to Common Questions” section by Driscoll’s mentor and writing partner Gerry Breshears. The book does a good job of defining and giving Old Testament and New Testament background for Biblical and theological terms like “Christus Victor,” “propitiation,” “expiation,” “redemption,” and “Christus Exemplar.” It is refreshing in the way it combines theological depth and rigor with practical application: Theological concepts don’t float around in the air in this book. I was refreshed and challenged by the Pastor Mark’s intent on communicating the life-changing truth of the cross. Don’t expect to agree with everything in here. Driscoll’s positions are nuanced and likely to raise questions all around in matters like spiritual warfare, the extent of the atonement, and the relationship between Charismatic and Calvinist theology. Also, be forewarned that there is some rough content in here. Sin is dealt with in all its ugliness.

I learned a lot as I read the book throughout last semester. But mostly Death by Love dogged and hounded me, constantly whispering, “Look to the cross and live!” as I battled through sin and struggle. For that I am grateful.

Recommended.

[sound doctrine pt. 4]

Happy Christmas, everyone. Here’s my version of one of my favorite carols. Sorry about the sound quality.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet the words repeat,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll’d along th’ unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bow’d my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play.
And through the warp and woof of wrong,
They yet ring out their hopeful song.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play.
And through the warp and woof of wrong,
They still ring out their truthful song.

The Lord will come and make an end
Of all our woe and all our sin.
His heavy blow fell in that fray
When Christ was born on Christmas day.

Hallelu, Hallelu
Hallelu, Hallelu
Hallelu
Hallelujah

Words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Music by John Calkin
Additional words and music by Jonathan McGregor

[the bruised reed battles heaven // a sonnet]

“Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Don’t think that God will be troubled by your importunately reminding Him of His promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls.” -Charles Spurgeon

Great God of hosts, Whose
Raging wrath commands,
Compels unnumbered angel-armies,
Why do You make war on me,
Poor, pitiable wretch beset
By sin and weakness-wracked?

If You will war me, then
I’ll mount my prayers and strike
Resounding blows against
Your throne with weighty words
Of promise. Wait!  I have
From Your own hand

These weapons and this steed.
O break not this bruised reed.

[the power of words and the wonder of God]

Video from the Desiring God national conference this weekend is up here:

Conference Video :: Desiring God

I watched Sinclair Ferguson’s message on James this afternoon, and it was good stuff.

[sanity, sin, and the gospel]

These articles by Dr. David Powlison at Boundless have been very pastoral for me. What do you think of Biblical counseling? And what do you think of this quote in particular, from part 3:

It’s crucial, by the way, to understand sin accurately. Most people think that to identify something as “sin” means saying that the person consciously chose to do some bad action. The person also has the power to Just Say No.

But the Bible comes at sin from the opposite direction. We do many wrong, unloving things without even knowing what we’re doing or why. Most sin is not a matter of conscious choice. The “high-handed” sins are conscious. But much of what we do, think and feel expresses that we are blind, self-deceived, metaphorically drunk or sleepwalking, calloused, acting like brute beasts, walking in the dark. So we do not have the power to Just Say No.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

[total war]

So often I confute the Spirit/flesh conflict that Paul talks about with a Greek idea of spirit versus body. That was the error of the Gnostics in the first century church! (Think about this: If Spirit versus flesh means spirit versus body, then Paul is talking nonsense when he speaks of “spiritual bodies” in 1 Cor. 15.) I make sanctification into a process of my mind’s high reason mastering my body’s low passion… which is a deadly simplification. The reality is that the corruption of sin extends much deeper than just bodily desires. My reason, will, and affections are, apart from Christ, just as corrupt as my bodily senses. There are sanctified, “spiritual” bodily desires, like that of a husband for his wife, and there are fleshly desires, like lust for a woman not your wife. There are spiritual affections, like the “joy inexpressible and full of glory” that Peter talks about (see Jonathan Edwards for more on that), and there are fleshly ones like the anxiety against which Paul warns in Philippians 4. And there is godly reasoning that recognizes the fear of the Lord as the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7), and there are “arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5).

And all of these reside in me. “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25)

Jesus paid the penalty for all my sins–sins of reason, emotion, and cupidity. And he broke the power of sin, even though it still abides in me in this life, so that my outer man, the fleshly man, is wasting away, and my inner man, quickened by the Holy Spirit, is being renewed day by day. So I can be confident to go after my sin in total war, on every front fighting in the power of the Spirit.

So with reference to this truth, I’m going to post a couple of things from my Art, Emotion, and Morality class on the blog–because Christian scholarship is spiritual warfare.

[sound doctrine pt. 3]

We’re going to take a break from following the flow of redemptive history in this series, [sound doctrine]. If you remember, part 2 concerned God’s revelation of Himself in the created order, in Christ, and in Scripture, which is the foundation of all our knowledge. The only reason we know about God’s action in history to redeem lost sinners is because He has revealed it to us! The song that went along with that post was my musical adaptation of Psalm 19. This week we’re gonna back up a notch for a meditation on Psalm 18.

The title of Psalm 18 tells us that David “addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.” It’s a Psalm about rescue and warfare, about the Lord going to war on behalf of David and rescuing David from his enemies.

Man, where I’ve been at this summer, this Psalm is a salve for my soul. I’ve been embattled with mind-games and anxiety and been close to despairing. Throughout the month of May the Lord was teaching me about how to daily go to war against sin and for faith, and in the ensuing weeks I abandoned that teaching and chose to believe lies. I’ve failed to oppose temptation and succumbed to sin. But the Lord went to war on my behalf, and He is mighty to save! He has delivered me from my enemies.

I can’t say like David that “The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.” (v. 20) But I can say that He dealt with me according to the righteousness of Christ, Who stood condemned in my place on the cross and bore the wrath that I deserved. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21)

The Lord has “trained my hands for war” just as He trained David’s. (v. 34) But not against physical enemies like David faced. Rather, I battle against the sin that still dwells within me, the Enemy, Satan, who attempts to accuse and confuse me, and all the other enemies mentioned in the previous post. And the outcome of this battle is sure, because part of what happened at the cross is that God triumphed over evil in Christ. “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Col. 2:15)

I don’t know if where you’re at this summer accords in any with me. But if it does, I hope you are encouraged, because you’re not alone. For all who have trusted in Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sin, God doesn’t treat us as we deserve. He treats us according to Christ’s perfect obedience. And he trains us and empowers us to go to war against our enemies, especially indwelling sin, and we can know victory just like David. This week the Lord has delivered me from a miserable month into knowing His joy again.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” (Eph. 6:10)

The song that came out of this meditation on Psalm 18 is entitled Warfare Psalm. Just like what is written above, it takes the truths of Psalm 18 and sets them in New Testament context.

For your joy in the Divine Warrior,

Jonathan

Here’s a link to the file for your enjoyment and edification, and the lyrics are below:

http://www.mediafire.com/?1i9j2gqtl3j

Warfare Psalm

I love You
O LORD, my strength.
You’re my Rock
And Fortress sure.
When I call
On Your great Name,
Worthy of praise,
Then I am saved.

You, You are the LORD;
You train my hands for war,
And my steps are secure.
You are the LORD,
Mighty in wrath, mighty to save.

You have dealt
Well with me,
Not as I
Deserve, O LORD:
According to
The righteousness
Of Your Son
Given to me.

You, You are the LORD;
You train my hands for war,
And my steps are secure.
You are the LORD,
Mighty in wrath, mighty to save.

The humble You will save,
For You equip with strength.
By You I run against a troop,
And leap a wall.
As I pursue my sin,
In this war within me,
Spirit be my strength to kill it
Until the end.

You, You are the LORD;
You train my hands for war,
And my steps are secure.
You are the LORD,
Mighty in wrath, mighty to save.

[every man a soldier, every life an epic]

I don’t normally watch a movie more than once in theaters. But today I saw Prince Caspian for the second time. I think it’s a fantastic flick, and what really gets me is the size of it. It’s a BIG movie: the armies, the battles, the minotaurs, the stakes… everything about it is huge. Musing on the film over the past few days, I found myself wishing I was part of some epic struggle, to be an honorable soldier in a noble cause. Then I realized how foolish this was… because every day, if seen rightly, we go to war:

1. Against indwelling sin that abides in our flesh.

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:13

John Owen writes,

The saints, whose souls breathe after deliverance from its [i.e., sin's] perplexing rebellion, know there is no safety against it but in a constant warfare.

2. Against philosophies, ideologies, worldviews, and heresies that are contrary to true knowledge of God.

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

This is the task of apologetics, and it begins in our own hearts, taking every thought captive.

3. Against spiritual forces of evil.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:10-12

Paul identifies two great ends of the struggle which the forces of evil endeavor unceasingly to short-circuit: the believer’s endurance (6:13), and the bold proclamation of the Gospel (6:18-20).

4. Against complacency, to remain faithful to Christ in daily life.

Paul uses warfare language extensively in his two letters of encouragement and exhortation to the young preacher Timothy.

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12

C.S. Lewis has written that the Chronicles of Narnia are not intended as allegory in the same way as, say, Pilgrim’s Progress. But for the Christian reader, or viewer, the resonance of the stories’ characters and themes for the life of faith is undeniable. What I love about the Chronicles is not that they provide escape to a fantastic world so much as they remind us what is important in the actual world.

We live life every second coram Deo, ‘before the face of God’. Our every action, word, thought is endued with eternal consequences. Our lives matter; they are significant! When you read your Bible, or pray, or share the Gospel with a friend; when you write a poem, or critically analyze the worldview presented in a movie; when you relate differently to a parent or friend or boyfriend/girlfriend because of the principles of Scripture- you go to war, noble, broken Christian, with the power of the Holy Spirit, in the greatest cause of all: the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said,

From the days of John the Baptist, the kingdom of heaven has been coming violently, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

Who are these, the “violent”? John Gill comments,

[Those] being powerfully wrought upon under the ministry of the Gospel; who were under violent apprehensions of wrath and vengeance, of their lost and undone state and condition by nature; were violently in love with Christ, and eagerly desirous of salvation by him, and communion with him; and had their affections set upon the things of another world: these having the Gospel preached to them, which is a declaration of God’s love to sinners, a proclamation of peace and pardon, and a publication of righteousness and life by Christ, they greedily catched at it, and embraced it.

O that we would be violently in love with Christ, and wage the good warfare because of it!