Unequaled Greatness by Art Azurdia

This powerfully Christ-centered sermon (an excerpt) is by Pastor Art Azurdia, one excellent preacher. Articulate, clear, genuine, passionate, and most importantly, biblical, is how I would describe his preaching ministry. Personally, his effective, and I mean effective, combination of varied tone and tempo that accompanies his faithful exposition is what stands out the most to me. If a preacher brings his listeners back to the Lord Jesus Christ and the cross, then there probably is no higher objective to aim for in the very event of preaching (at least in my opinion). This is exactly what Azurdia accomplishes in this sermon. Again, just an excellent preacher!

You can listen to more of his sermons by clicking here.

Credit: Truth Crossing

Proper Theological Methodology

One of my favorite systematics is A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith by Robert L. Reymond (Thomas Nelson Publishers). Though I've never read it in its entirety (it is my goal to begin reading it this month from cover to cover), every time I've referred to it I've never been disappointed by it. R. Kent Hughes describes it as "a theology which will cast a gracious shadow into the next millennium. Students will turn again and again to this book, not only because it bears the grandeur of the best of Reformed thinking, but because the writing is so relevant and warm" (backcover). Buy it here.

Here is how Reymond describes his theological methodology, which I wholeheartedly agree with, and is itself worth the purchase:

"It must be ultimately God-centered in all its pronouncements and resist every human effort to intrude an unbiblical 'analogy of being' (analogia entis) into the biblical thought forms, that is to say, to put an 'and' or 'plus' where the Bible puts 'only' or 'alone.' For example, in theological methodology it must not say, 'I understand and I believe,' but 'I believe in order that I may understand'; in soteriology it must not urge 'God and man,' but rather 'God only' as Savior; it must not teach 'faith and good works' as the instruments for justification, but ratehr, 'faith alone'" (p.xix).

By the way, this quote reminds me of what Anselm of Canterbury, the brilliant medieval theologian, once wrote:

"I acknowledge, Lord, and I give thanks that You have created Your image in me, so that I may remember You, think of You, love You. But this image is so effaced and worn away by vice, so darkened by the smoke of sin, that it cannot do what it was made to do unless You renew it and reform it. I do not try, Lord, to attain Your lofty heights, because my undertanding is in no way equal to it. But I do desire to understand Your truth a little, that truth that my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand so that I may believe; but I believe so that I may understand. For I believe this also, that 'unless I believe, I shall not understand [Isa.7:9]" (Prosologian in Anselm of Canterbury The Major Works, p.87).

Desiring God

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth."

-Psalm 73:25

"Whom have I in heaven but you? David declares that nothing, either in heaven or on earth, except God alone, and that without God, all other objects which usually draw the hearts of men towards them were unattractive to him. And, undoubtedly, God then obtains from us the glory to which he is entitled, when, instead of being carried first to one object, and then to another, we hold exclusively by him, being satisfied with him alone. If we give the smallest portion of our affection to the creatures, we in so far defraud God of the honour which belongs to him. And yet nothing has been more common in all ages than this sacrilege, and it prevails too much at the present day. How small is the number of those who keep their affections fixed on God alone!... And being with you, I desire nothing on earth.* This expression amounts to this: I know that of yourself, apart from every other object, you are sufficient, yes, more than sufficient for me, and therefore I do not let myself be carried away after a variety of desires, but rest in and am fully contented with you. In short, that we may be satisfied with God alone, it is of importance for us to know the plenitude of the blessings which he offers for our acceptance" (John Calvin, Heart Aflame, p.171).

Preservation from God Alone

Here is a short and helpful observation from John Calvin on God-centered faith and perseverance:

“Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You…”

-Psalm 70:4a

"We may infer from this, that our faith is only proved to be genuine when we neither expect nor desire preservation otherwise than from God alone. Those who devise various ways and means of preservation fro themselves in this world, despise and reject the salvation which God has taught us to expect from him alone. What had been said before, those who seek you, is to the same purpose. If any individual would depend wholly upon God, and desire to be saved by his grace, he must renounce every vain hope, and employ all his thoughts towards the reception of his strength" (John Calvin, Heart Aflame, p.165).

Just Do Something for God and Live!

Now here's a book about discerning or enjoying the will of God that seems worth reading. Monergism Books summarizes it as follows:

"Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung counsels Christians to settle down, make choices, and do the hard work of seeing those choices through.

Too often, he writes, God’s people jump from church to church, workplace to workplace, relational circle to relational circle, worrying that they haven’t found God’s perfect will for their lives.

But God doesn’t need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He’s already revealed His plan for our lives: to love Him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like."

I think this summary itself is worth $8.79, which is what Monergism Books is selling it for Here.

I think that we belabor too much on discerning the perfect will of God for our lives rather than assigning Him the place of preeminence and in faith just going where He wants us to go, living where He wants us to live, serving where He wants us to serve, striving as He wants us to strive, struggling as He wants us to struggle, etc. I mean, we really do believe that God is sovereign and possesses omniscience? We really do trust that He knows what is best for us? We really do have faith that He who began a good work is us will surely see to it that He completes what He initiated in us?

I think we forget (or ignore) the reality that the Word of God is already the revealed will of God and instead venture into wanting more of what God has not revealed to us as if that which is already revealed is not sufficient enough or undesirable. By the way, do we ever wonder if God feels disrespected when we do that? Do we ever stop to think about how selfish we are when we are consumed with the will of God for our lives only?

I think what we should be striving for is not so much to discern the perfect will of God for our lives, but to seek even more to honor God in all our decisions and henceforth, be willing to submissively experience the unfolding of our choices before God. That is certainly more preferable, for it would make life so much more simplified, and the thought of a life more simplified makes it sensible to deduce that it would leave room for less distractions in our walk with God (at least potentially). Can we not all use less distraction in our lives anyway for the benefit of our souls (e.g., internet, TV, fastfood restaurants, etc.)?

Like Augustine said, "Love God and do what you please." Now, go live simply for the glory of God!

Warning and Encouragement Concerning the Lord's Supper

"Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord."

-1 Corinthians 11:27

Here is John Calvin's thoughts on the serious offensiveness of taking the Lord's Supper "in an unworthy manner":

"To eat unworthily, then, is to pervert the pure and right use of it by our abuse of it. Hence there are various degrees of this unworthiness, so to speak; and some offend more grievously, others less so. Some fornicator, perhaps, or perjurer, or drunkard, or cheat, (1 Corinthians 5:11,) intrudes himself without repentance. As such downright contempt is a token of wanton insult against Christ, there can be no doubt that such a person, whoever he is, receives the Supper to his own destruction. Another, perhaps, will come forward, who is not addicted to any open or flagrant vice, but at the same time not so prepared in heart as became him. As this carelessness or negligence is a sign of irreverence, it is also deserving of punishment from God. As, then, there are various degrees of unworthy participation, so the Lord punishes some more slightly; on others he inflicts severer punishment" (1 Corinthians in Calvin's Commentaries, pp.385-386).

And here is Calvin's thoughts on encouraging the weak to partake of the Lord's Supper:

"At the same time, it is not a perfect faith or repentance that is required, as some, by urging beyond due bounds, a perfection that can nowhere be found, would shut out for ever from the Supper every individual of mankind. If, however, thou aspirest after the righteousness of God with the earnest desire of thy mind, and, trembled under a view of thy misery, dost wholly lean upon Christ’s grace, and rest upon it, know that thou art a worthy guest to approach the table — worthy I mean in this respect, that the Lord does not exclude thee, though in another point of view there is something in thee that is not as it ought to be. For faith, when it is but begun, makes those worthy who were unworthy" (p.388).

So Gifted!

Some guys just have it! Certain men are endowed with extraordinary gifts (plural). Some men are brilliant thinkers (such as Jonathan Edwards); some are incredible athletes (such as Lebron James); some are supreme preachers (such as John Piper); some are great singers (such a Luther Vandross [man, he’s smooth]); etc. Then there are men who seem to have it all. One who is supremely intelligent, athletic, preaches very well, and even sings well. John MacArthur is one such man. Now, while I am no MacArthurite (though I do hold him up as one of my heroes in the faith), I gotta give it up to the man. He’s one of the main reasons why I went to The Master’s Seminary and a major player through whom I was further introduced to Reformed theology or the doctrines of grace. Actually, it was God who used MacArthur as a “means” to accomplish such ends, for which I am forever grateful to Him! But going back to what I was saying, I gotta give it up to him. The man is obviously brilliant (no need to get into that), a natural athlete (could have been a professional), great expositor (unleashing God’s Word one verse at a time), and also a great singer. Yes, a “great singer”! In fact, a great singer and even a better rapper! Click Here to listen to him sing a solo. Afterward, Click Here to listen to him rap. Indeed, certain men are endowed with extraordinary gifts, but some pretty much have 'em all.

The Constant and Gradual but Never Static Goodness of God

"We are not to understand that believers are fully replenished with the goodness of God at any one moment; it is conveyed to them gradually; but while the influence of the Spirit are thus imparted in successive measures, each of them is enriched with a present sufficiency, till all be in due time advanced to perfection. While it is true, as stated (Ps. 103:5), that 'God satisfies our mouth with good things,' at the same time it is necessary to remember what is said elsewhere, 'Open your mouth, and I will fill it.'"

-John Calvin, Heart Aflame, p.155

Advice on Combating the Entertainment Lure

While all entertainment is not sinful, like most things in life it can lead to habitual sin. Somebody asked the following question to Pastor John Piper:

"I believe I do love Jesus, but most of the time I'd rather spend time being entertained than spend time in God's word. How do I break this hold that entertainment has on my heart?"

Have some (or most) of us not desired to ask that question at least at one point in our lives but were too afraid to actually verbalize it out of fear of being rebuked or perceived as spiritually weak or immature? Well, here is Piper's helpful response (you can also read, listen to, watch, or download it by going Here), and I do appreciate the patient manner and tone in which he offers his counsel:

"That's a very good question. And I think it's especially relevant because we live, I think, more now than ever, in a day when entertaining kinds of things are immediately accessible.

I was thinking the other day of the difference between our temptations and, say, 250 years ago, the day of Jonathan Edwards. Edwards would write about the folly of young people getting together to do "frivolous conversation" or other worse things. ("Bundling" it was called: getting in bed together and keeping your clothes on, that sort of thing. Just spice up life a little bit. Life gets boring in New England 250 years ago.)

Today we carry in our pockets radio, television, internet, and games, and anything that would be titillating, fun! And "fun" is a word in the church today that's just rampant! It's an adjective, it's a noun, it's a verb, because we do ministry in order to fit this mentality.

I'm deeply concerned about that. I want to stand for seriousness about God, instead of making him palatable by making him "fun"! Turning him into another piece of entertainment.

So this question is, "How do you break free from that kind of addiction?"

1. Recognizing it is a huge step in the right direction.
2. Seek the Lord earnestly about it. Pray like crazy that God would open your eyes to see wondrous things out of his law.
3. Immerse yourself in the Bible, even when you don't feel like it, pleading with God to open your eyes to see what's really there.
4. Get in a group where you talk about serious things.
5. Begin to share your faith. One of the reasons we are not as moved by our own faith as we are is because we almost never talk about it to any unbeliever. It starts to feel like a kind of hothouse thing, and then it starts to have a feeling of unreality about it. And then the powers of entertainment have more sway in our life.

And so those would be some of the things, but ultimately it's a gift of grace to feel the glory of God.

One last suggestion: think about your death. Think about your death a lot. Ask what you'd like to be doing in the season of life, or hours or days, leading up to meeting Christ. I do that a lot these days. I think about the impact of death, and what I would like to be found doing, and how I would prepare to meet him and give an account to him."