An Important Reminder and An Illustration of Christ's Sacrificial Love

"... when the memory of John Newton was nearly gone, and he was an old man, that great saint of God couldn't preach anymore. He'd forgotten so many things that he couldn't carry on a conversation. But he said this, he said it seems as though there are only two things I can remember, one is that I am a great sinner, and the second is, that Jesus Christ is a greater Savior. That's the issue. That's what Jesus wanted the Pharisees to see, that's what He wants you to see. You were so great a sinner you couldn't atone for your sin, He did it for you. I read this week about a child, who was bitten by a poisonous snake, and the mother was there when the child was bitten and the mother was just struck with love for the child and so she placed her lips over the wound to suck the poison out. She succeeded in doing it and saved the child's life. But she had a little cut on her lip, the poison went into her and she died. So it is with Jesus Christ, who drained out of us as it were the poison of the serpent, and in so doing died in our place. We are great sinners, but He is a great Savior..." (John MacArthur, "Who is an Adulterer? Part 1").

Mark Driscoll to Phil Johnson

Good video! Very respectable humility on the part of Pastor Mark Driscoll. And very, very, very important reminder of what and where and on whom our Christian-ministerial emphasis should be.

ESV MSB Baby!

I recently switched to the English Standard Version (November 2009) when I started serving at our current church, New Life Christian Alliance Church. I use the ESV Minister's Bible published by Hendrikson Publishers and I hope to make it my lifetime Bible, that is, the Bible I memorize, read, study, and preach and teach from. It was a switch that I was excited to make (it actually took me several years to make the switch but that's another story). Today I am doubly excited to have discovered that the ESV MacArthur Study Bible will be coming out in August of this year (you can pre-order it here for 35% cheaper). I recall reading Phil Johnson's comment on a blog several year ago that the ESV MacArthur Study Bible was in the works. Well, it's finally here (almost)! First in the New King James Version, then the New American Standard Version, and now in the English Standard Version. Can't Wait!