Humble Arrogance

Great piece on Phillip Jensen's website on:
'The Arrogance of Humility'

e.g.
In recent years tolerance has become ‘the acceptance of all views as equally valid’. And so tolerance is valued excessively. For the move to accept all views as equally valid is to rename ‘relativism’ as ‘tolerance’. It changes tolerance from ‘a way to get on with our neighbours’ to ‘a way to think’. It is the move from political freedom to political correctness. And this move turns all knowledge and certainty into arrogance and all ignorance and confusion into humility.

phillipjensen.com

Godly Fear

Some more words of wisdom from Thomas Watson (The Great Gain of Godliness, BofT 2008).

To profess religion when the times favour it is no great matter. Almost all will court the Gospel Queen when she is hung with jewels. But to own the ways of God when they are derided and maligned, to love a persecuted truth, this evidences a vital principle of goodness. (p6)

Superstitious fear ...a hare crossing the path is by some more dreaded than a harlot lying in a bed. (p12)

'Fear is the worst prophet in times of doubt' (Statius). He who is timorous will be teacherous. (p12)

God is so great that the Christian is afraid of displeasing him, and so good that he is afraid of losing him. (p13)

Love is as the sails to make swift the soul's motion, and fear as the ballast to keep it steady in religion: love will grow wanton unless it be poised with fear. (p14)

When the soul looks either to God's holiness, or its own sinfulness, it fears, but it is a fear mixed with faith in Christ's merits; the soul trembles, yet trusts. (p14)

Thought Life

Some quotes from Puritan Thomas Watson - The Great Gain of Godliness (Banner of Truth, 2008)

We cannot of ourselves think a good thought (2 Cor 3:5), but the Spirit elevates and fixes the heart on God: 'The Spirit lifted me up' (Ezek 3:14). When you see the iron move upward, you know there has been some magnet drawing it. So when the thoughts move upward towards God, the Spirit has, as a divine magnet, drawn them.' (p78)

Certainly God is best worth thinking on. Is there any excellency in the world? Then what is there in God that made it? He gives the star its beauty, the flower its fragrance, food its pleasantness; and if there such deliciousness in the creature, what is in God? He must needs be better than all. O my soul, shall I admire the drip and not the ocean? (p78)

Think of God's mercy: this makes all his other attributes sweet. Holiness without mercy, and justice without mercy, would be terrible. (p83)

No truer touchstone of sanctity exists than the spirituality of the thoughts. What a man is, that his thoughts are: 'For as he thinketh in his heart, so he is' (Prov 23:7). Thoughts are freer from hypocrisy than words. One may speak well for applause, or to stand right in the opinion of others; but when we are alone and think of God's Name, and admire his excellencies, this shows the heart to be right.

Thoughts are freer from hypocrisy than an unblamable life. A man may in his outward behaviour be fair, yet have a covetous, revengeful mind. The acts of sin may be conceived when the heart sits brooding upon sin, but to have thoughts spiritualised and set upon God is a truer sympton of sincerity, than a life free from vice. Christians what do your thoughts run upon? Where do they make their most frequent visits? (p85)

We judge men by their actions; Gods judges them by their thoughts. (p85)

O saints, do but let your thoughts dwell upon the love of Christ, who passed by angels and thought of you; who was wounded that, out of his wounds, the balm of Gilead might come to heal you; who leaped into the sea of his Father's wrath, to save you from drowning. Think of this unparalled love which sets the angels wondering, and see if it will not affect your hearts and cause tears to flow forth. (p87)

...by contemplating God's holiness, we are in some measure changed into his likeness: 'Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image' (2 Cor 3:18).

Some complain that they have no joy in their lives; and truly, no wonder, when they are such strangers to heavenly contemplation. Would you have God give you comfort, and never think of him? (p88)

The thoughts we have of God in the time of health, will be a comfort to us in the time of sickness.' (p88)

Our thoughts of God shall not be lost. God accepts the thought for the deed. David had a good thought come into his mind to build God a house, and God took it as kindly as if he had done it: 'Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build a house for my name, thou didst well in that it was in thy heart' (2 Chron 6:8). p89

Harvest Church Plant

Another chance to find out about the new 'Harvest Bible Chapel' plant on 20th April at the Premier Inn, George St, Glasgow @ 8pm.


Harvest Glasgow Open House Invite from Scott Hamilton on Vimeo.

Easter Sunday - The Emotions

Thoughts for Easter Sunday - THE EMOTIONS

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb (Mark 16:8). The authenticity of the gospels is palpable - there is no air-punching triumphalism, no joy or celebrations. This is real. No-one expected resurrection - this was emotional and intellectual overload. Everything assumed and expected was being turned on its head. We are so familiar with the ending to the story that we become blase about it - 2000yrs ago at dawn they were getting to grips with something staggering.

How do we feel confronted by the resurrection today? It's ok to be unsettled by it - it is a life changing proposition after-all. What matters is what we will do about it. Mark leaves his readers hanging concerning those first witnesses - what will they do? Will they believe, will they go, will they tell? Will we?

Easter Sunday - The Time

Thoughts for Easter Sunday - THE TIME

Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise (Mark 16:2). All four gospels record the timing of the resurrection news. Just as the stone had symbolism so does the time. The resurrection is literally 'a new dawn'. As God began creation on the 1st day of the week, so He begins new creation. You see the resurrection was never going to happen on a Tuesday afternoon. Its very timing points us towards the start of a new era. An era in which men and women could become part of a new humanity initiated by a risen Saviour.

It is the reason that Easter Sunday is a great day on which to have baptisms - symbolising the beginning of new life - resurrection life in Christ. It is why it is a great day to preach the gospel and a great day to receive it.

Easter Sunday - The Stone

Thoughts for Easter Sunday - THE STONE

The big concern for the little group of Jesus' female followers that first Easter Sunday was not resurrection or even religion - but the stone. That huge stone disc that sealed the entrance to the tomb. Such stones could take up to 20 people to shift once in place. Even so human nature in such situations is still to 'hope for the best' or to 'give it a go'.

But the stone was more than just a physical obstacle - it symbolised the immovable seal of death. Once a tomb is sealed or a grave covered - it is all over, there is nothing we can do about it - the life has gone. The stone is a powerful image of the final separation between the living and the death - and of our powerlessness to do anything about it.

But when they looked up, they saw the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away (Mark 16:4). Pause for a moment on these words - on a spring morning 2000 yrs ago - the grave became a two-way street.

The immovable and final seal of death had been rolled away. Death was no longer unchartered territory but had been exhausted and undone. He is risen.