R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 540

Announcing Live Stream and Social Media Activities — 2012 National Conference

The 2012 Ligonier National Conference, "The Christian Mind," starts Thursday at 1pm EST. During the conference R.C. Sproul will be joined by Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Michael Horton, Steven J. Lawson, Albert Mohler, Stephen Meyer, R.C. Sproul Jr., and Del Tackett. Together they'll consider the importance of building a Christian worldview, the role of education in the Christian life, science and God's natural revelation, defending the faith, and many other topics.

This year's conference promises to be an edifying time of fellowship and growth for the students in attendance, but what about those who cannot make the trip down to Orlando? For them we're pleased to announce the entire conference will be streamed live.

Simply visit live.ligonier.org, give a gift of any amount to help cover this significant cost to the ministry, and we will provide you with a link to watch the 2012 National Conference live. However, if you are a Ministry Partner, attending the conference, or cannot afford to make a donation, we offer you the live stream without additional cost.

We'll be sharing the conference through a variety of social media channels too, and with your help this conference can be an even more enriching time for everyone—both those attending in person and those participating online.

Tell the World

We will be updating Facebook, Google+, and Twitter with the latest from the conference.

If you're on Twitter or Google+, please use the official #lmnc hashtag to introduce yourself to the other Ligonier students who will be attending, or append it to any conference related tweets and Google+ updates you make.

I'm attending the 2012 @Ligonier National Conference. 2 days and counting! #lmnc

For Facebook users, please "Like" the Ligonier Facebook Page and then tag us in any conference related status updates.

As we update the Ligonier Blog with highlights and news from the conference, please share our posts with family, friends, and the world.

Show the World

Throughout the conference we will be updating Instagram with pictures of the conference.

If you're uploading pictures to Instagram or other photo sharing sites, then please use the official #lmnc hashtag so we can all see them.

Download the Ligonier 2012 National Conference App

If you're atending the conference, did you know you can plan your conference experience with the official Ligonier 2012 National Conference app? View the conference agenda and create your own personal schedule as you select which sessions you plan to attend. Have easy access to the campus map, information about Orlando, and more.

Download it now on your iOS or Android device.

Register for the Conference

It's not too late to register for the 2012 National Conference. To register, please call 800-435-4343. For more information, please visit here.

It's Not About You

After a particularly difficult marriage counseling session early in my first year of ministry, I called a mentor to debrief and decompress. He patiently heard me out and then offered a convicting assessment: “It sounds as if you’re more concerned about being right than you are about the couple you are counseling.” I knew immediately that he was right, but I made a mild protest and changed the subject. I didn’t want to face that truth about myself. It’s still hard to face the facts, but I can see now that in many different areas of my ministry, the focus has shifted from selfless service to selfish gain. It’s all about me.

I’m not sure you could notice, looking in from the outside. It’s not as if I’m some kind of Elmer Gantrylike character on the prowl. The shift in emphasis is subtle: Did I really connect in my sermon? Did I spend enough time pursuing visitors? Did I give the right advice to the parents of a troubled teen? If I had done something different, would the result have been better? Slowly but surely, the terms of evaluating my ministry have become highly self-referential.

Continue reading It's Not About You, Eric Landry's contribution to the March issue of Tabletalk.

Sit At My Right Hand — The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology

Psalm 110 is one of the kingship or royal psalms. It is one of the most frequently quoted psalms in the entire New Testament (cf., Matt. 22:44; 26:64; Mark 12:36; 14:62; 16:19; Luke 20:42–44; 22:69; Acts 2:34–35; Rom. 8:34; 1 Cor. 15:25; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3, 13; 5:6; 7:17, 21; 8:1; 10:12–13; 12:2). According to its title, David was the author of this psalm, a fact that is crucial to its interpretation within the New Testament.

110:1

Yahweh says to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool."

These introductory lines are important because of what they say about the Messianic king. The first words of the verse following the title are: ne'um yhwh indicating that this is an oracle of the Lord. The words la'doni are translated "to my Lord." It is significant that David speaks of the king in this psalm as "my Lord." Another translation of these words is: "my master." In short, David himself expresses submission to the king who is to sit at God's right hand. The authority of this king is derived from Yahweh who promises to extend his rule by putting all of his enemies under his feet (cf. Ps. 2:8–9). The "footstool" metaphor indicates absolute control.i

110:2–3

Yahweh sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies.
Your people will offer themselves freely
On the day of your power, in holy garments;
From the womb of the morning,
The dew of your youth will be yours.

The authority of the Messianic king will be extended to the point that all of his enemies will be forced to acknowledge his rule. The interpretation of verse 3 is difficult but seems to indicate that the king's people will voluntarily consecrate themselves to serve him in battle.

110:4

Yahweh has sworn
And will not change his mind,
"You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek."

To say that Yahweh has "sworn" indicates the existence of a solemn oath. In this case, the oath refers to the covenantal promises he has made to David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:13). He declares, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Melchizedek was a priest king over the city of Salem (cf. Gen. 14:18). Like him, the Davidic king was a priestly-king (cf. 2 Sam. 6:14, 17–18; 1 Kgs. 8:14, 55, 62–64). The perfect union of priesthood and kingship is ultimately found only in Jesus (cf. Heb. 5:1–10; 7:1–28).

110:5–7

The Lord is at your right hand;
He will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
He will execute judgment among the nations,
Filling them with corpses;
He will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.
He will drink from the brook by the way;
Therefore he will lift up his head.

The final verses of Psalm 110 declare the coming victory of the Messianic king. Hans-Joachim Kraus helpfully summarizes the significance of this psalm's statements about the anointed king. "In summary, four points should especially be emphasized: (1) Yahweh himself exalts the king and places him at his right hand, he nominates and empowers him as the coregent; (2) the enthroned is adjudged to be of heavenly birth; (3) he is declared to be a priest (after the order of Melchizedek); (4) through him and his presence, Yahweh, the world judge and war hero, overcomes all enemies."ii The authors of the New Testament recognized only one figure who fulfilled all that this psalm portrayed, namely Jesus of Nazareth. This psalm would become central to their proclamation of his exaltation.

iSee Willem VanGemeren, "Psalms" in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, ed. Frank E. Gaebeliein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan 1991), 697.
iiHans-Joachim Kraus, Psalms 60–150, trans. Hilton C. Oswald (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993), 353.

Adapted from From Age to Age by Keith Mathison. ISBN 978-0-87552-745-1
Used with permission of P&R Publishing Co. P O Box 817, Phillipsburg N.J. 08865 www.prpbooks.com

From Age to Age is available in the Ligonier store.

Twitter Highlights (3/11/12)

Here are highlights from the various Ligonier Twitter accounts over the past week.

If John Calvin was the greatest theologian of the church, ...Spurgeon surely ranks as its greatest preacher —S. Lawson bit.ly/xJQvGi

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) March 3, 2012

Feeding on Christ is the most enjoyable thing that could be done (Letham).

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) March 5, 2012

@LigonierToday we have released another new course - The Person and Work of Christ, taught by Dr. R.C. Sproul bit.ly/ADwAYP

— Ligonier Connect (@LigonierConnect) March 6, 2012

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). He is the Seeker; we are the ones who are running. —R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) March 6, 2012

When I cannot read, when I cannot think, when I cannot even pray, I can trust (J. Hudson Taylor).

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) March 8, 2012

Just received copies of Michael Haykin's The Christian Lover in Portuguese. Now available from @EditoraFiel instagr.am/p/H9WLarLbJL/

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) March 9, 2012

Reformed theology so far transcends the mere five points of Calvinism that it is an entire worldview. —R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) March 9, 2012

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:

Ligonier Ministries | Ligonier Academy | Ligonier Connect
Reformation Bible College | Reformation Trust | Tabletalk Magazine

Love God? Sometimes I Hate Him

So Luther responded when queried about his love for God. He was honest enough to admit that while God is altogether lovely, Luther was a sinner, and his response to God showed it. We can have a love/hate relationship with that which matters to us for one of two reasons, or a combination thereof. In Luther's case God doesn't change, but Luther does. Sometimes, however, the object of our love changes while we don't. Sometimes that which we love behaves in an unlovely way, and our love flees. Still worse, sometimes that which we loved changes so radically that love is difficult if not impossible.

I love my country, for at least two reasons. First, it is my country. It is good and right and proper that we should have an affection for that which is closest to us, even if that thing is not the best. Though I've never met any, I'm quite certain there are children better behaved than my own. Should I meet such a child, however, it would be wrong to unseat my own children as the object of my love. I love my children because they are mine, and I love my country because it is mine.

Second, my country began as an experiment in liberty. The founding principles of limited government, of freedom of religion, of self-sufficiency, these resonate with me. Many of our founding fathers were true heroes, seeking sagely to apply God's wisdom to the question of proper government. I still believe in those principles.

Which in turn drives part of why I often don't love my country. Too often, naïve Christians see modern America through the lens of our history, and miss the hard truth that our nation, both its government and its citizens, have turned their backs on those founding principles. We have become a nation with intrusive government, officially endorsed secularism, and a cradle to grave welfare state. Our money has become debt, and our debts are being repudiated. Our culture has become a moral cesspool, and our children spend their days in state institutions where the state's instructors may not mention Jesus' name.

All of which pales in comparison to our great evil. We live in a country where nine justices, chosen by presidents of both parties, approved by Senators from both parties, have determined that mothers may kill their unborn children at will. That, of course, is bad, wicked, Nazi-like government. The government, however, does not kill any of those children. My country is not just its government, but its people. Those people, over a million of them every year, kill their unborn children. The rest of us know all about it. We know it happens in our neighborhoods, every day. Yet we go to bed each night wondering about this sale at the mall, that big game over the weekend, the latest release from this band. We honestly don't care. Is this a country worthy of being loved?

We live in what once was a great country, which has now embraced a great evil. Can I love a country like that? Sadly, yes. Am I deeply, profoundly, ashamed to be part of such a country? Not as much as I should be.

2012 National Conference Preview — Stephen Meyer & R.C. Sproul Jr.

Dr. Stephen Meyer earned his Ph.D. in philosophy of science from Cambridge University. He is the founder of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture and is the author of Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design.

An interview with Dr. Meyer is featured in this month's issue of Tabletalk. In this interview, he was asked if science is in conflict with Scripture and faith:

"Definitely not. I think many discoveries of modern science have positive, faith-affirming implications, including the discovery that the universe, time, and space had a beginning; that the laws and constants of physics are finely tuned to allow for the possibility of life; and that biological systems display striking evidence of design, in particular, the molecular machinery and digital information we find in living cells. It’s a great time for Christians to work in science."

You can also listen to R.C. Sproul and Stephen Meyer discuss the subject of Intelligent Design here.

Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. is the founder, director, and a teacher for Highlands Ministries and is a Ligonier Ministries Teaching Fellow. He is a professor of apologetics and philosophy, travels extensively as a conference speaker, and has written several books including The Call to Wonder and Believing God.

Dr. Sproul Jr. writes on the truncating of the gospel that is prevalent today:

"Our gospel is a truncated shell of this great reality if the good news is merely that we don’t have to go to hell. It gets only slightly better if it means that our souls go to heaven. The fullness of the gospel is found in the fullness of the kingdom. Jesus is about the business of remaking all things. He is, after all, the first-born of the new creation. He is remaking all the created order that groans under the burden of our sin. He is remaking all the political order, as all kings everywhere learn to kiss the Son, lest He be angry (Ps. 2). He is remaking the church, His bride, removing from us corporately every blot and blemish. And He is remaking every one of us, reshaping us pots into vessels of grace."

Here's a preview of what to expect from Drs. Meyer and Sproul Jr. at our 2012 National Conference in Orlando next week.

Rock of Ages & the Age of Rocks by Stephen Meyer

The contemporary media portrays the relationship between science and Christianity as one of perpetual conflict and warfare. But it was not always so, as many of the most prominent scientists in history were faithful Christians. In this message, Stephen Meyer explains why the two, when properly understood, are not in conflict and reminds us that Scripture and creation can never ultimately contradict each other.

The (True) Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by R.C. Sproul Jr.

One of the most serious scandals of the evangelical mind is the fact that it has lost any coherent grasp of the "evangel" – the gospel. Among those claiming to be evangelicals, substitutionary atonement, imputation, and justification are all denied. In this message, R.C. Sproul Jr. reminds us that we cannot have a Christian mind without the Christian gospel.

The Christian Mind: 2012 National Conference

Registration | Speakers | Schedule | Trailer (Video)

Next week, March 15-17, 2012, we invite you to come and hear Stephen Meyer and R.C. Sproul Jr. at our 2012 National Conference, "The Christian Mind." It will be an edifying time of fellowship and teaching together, helping prepare you to think like a Christian in an anti-Christian culture.

The conference is only 6 days away so be sure to register today and save $30.

The Wisdom of Listening

Wise men are difficult to find. We must go to great lengths - we must search high and low in order to find a man who is truly wise. I grieve for my children and my children’s children as I consider the future reality of a world in which wise men cannot be found. Most of my life I have earnestly sought the wisdom of older men. In seeking such wisdom, I have often had to endure admonishment, rebuke, or chastisement. And although receiving such tough wisdom was never enjoyable at the time, over the years, by God’s grace, I have been given the wisdom to recognize how unwise I am while recognizing the manner in which the wisdom of God was shining forth in all its glorious brilliance through the wisdom of my older fathers in the faith.

Throughout my life God has brought many wise men across my path, men who have taken me aside and have shared with me the hard lessons from their lives, men whom God has humbled and who have humbled themselves before me in order to teach me about how God’s ways of humbling us will make us wise, men who have recognized that it is only the wisdom of God that has enabled them to persevere through life’s most challenging circumstances. Such men are wise because they are men who have discovered the lost art of listening and have listened to other wise men. As they aged they became great men precisely because they were great listeners.

They became great men precisely because they were great listeners. —@BurkParsons

I recall the old advertising campaign of the one-time, second-largest brokerage firm in the United States of America: “When E. F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” E. F. Hutton, and presumably his representatives, had earned the right to be heard by investors. When investors want to invest their hard-earned money, they want to know where to place their money for the greatest yield; they want to place their money with those they can trust, with those who have a proven track record of wise investing. We always turn to those who are wiser when we are dealing with significant matters; we turn to those who have earned the right to be heard, and if they have earned the right to be heard, it is precisely on account of the fact that they have proven themselves to be good listeners. In fact, the greatest speakers, the greatest teachers, and the greatest preachers are the greatest listeners. Often, it is assumed that in order to be a great preacher one must merely be a great speaker. However, it must be understood (especially by men who are training for future pastoral ministry) that the greatest preachers, the most consistent, steadfast, staunchly biblical preachers are the greatest listeners. Such shepherds know their flocks; they listen to the people whom God has entrusted to their care. Pastors who listen to their flocks know the levels of maturity of their particular sheep. They know how to tend to the real, spiritual needs of their sheep and not just massage their ever-changing felt needs. Such shepherds are able to love, nurture, and feed their sheep properly because they know precisely what their sheep are prepared to feed upon, namely, the living, active, and never-changing Word of God. 

To listen or not to listen, that is the question before us all. —@BurkParsons

To listen or not to listen, that is the question before us all, but it is especially a question for those who have been called to shepherd the people of God. The greatest pastors will ask themselves incessantly: Am I listening to the Word of God, and am I listening to God' people? In the asking of these questions, and in the biblical responding to these questions, pastors are held accountable in the way God intended.

Does your pastor listen? And more importantly, much more importantly, does he listen to the Word of God? I guarantee that if your pastor is not a good listener, he is likely not a good pastor. He may indeed be a good speaker, but unless he has a proven track record of being a good listener, he has likely not earned the right to be heard. Nevertheless, whether or not your pastor is a good listener, if he preaches the Word of God faithfully, you should listen to him faithfully.

I guarantee that if your pastor is not a good listener, he is likely not a good pastor. —@BurkParsons

Throughout the Bible, God commands us to listen, and in order to discern how God commands us to listen, during my third year of Bible college I decided to engage in a semester-long study of what the Proverbs had to say about listening. It was one of the more fulfilling studies I have ever undertaken. One of the primary lessons I learned from my study is the root meaning of the infinitive “to listen.” Throughout Scripture the word is employed in various ways, but it is primarily used in the imperative voice. That is to say, it is used largely as a command. In my study I noted that the word did not simply mean “to hear” but to perceive and to heed. When Jesus sovereignly and insightfully declared to His audience, “He who has ears to hear let him hear,” He was not merely concerned that they simply heard the words coming out of His mouth but that they heeded His instruction promptly and sincerely.

Toward the end of Genesis, we are given the opportunity to listen to what the patriarch Jacob said to his sons before he died: “Then Jacob called his sons and said, ‘Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father’” (Gen. 49:1–2). Twice in this passage we read of Jacob’s exhortation for his sons to listen to him. And as we look back upon his life, the many lessons he learned, and the wisdom God gave him, we too are inclined to listen to this wise old man who was wise only because He listened to the only wise God.

$5 Friday: Reformed Churches, Suffering, & Worldviews

It's Friday once again and that means it's time for another $5 Friday sale. Today we have some wonderful resources on Reformed beliefs and practices, suffering, worldviews, theology, and Ecclesiastes.

Sale runs through the new time of 12:01 a.m. — 11:59 p.m. Friday EST.

View today's $5 Friday sale items.

The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon, New from Steven Lawson and Reformation Trust

Is sovereign grace in conflict with the free offer of the gospel?

Not according to renowned 19th-century Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon, who clung to the doctrines of grace while passionately imploring sinners to embrace salvation. Steven Lawson observes:

In one hand, Charles Spurgeon firmly held the sovereignty of God in man's salvation. With the other hand, he extended the free offer of the gospel to all. He preached straightforward Calvinistic doctrine, then, in the same sermon, fervently urged lost sinners to call on the name of the Lord... There was no cold, clinical Calvinism here—no dead orthodoxy, no “frozen chosen” religion, no empty rehearsing of Reformed doctrine for people to take or leave as they might choose. Neither was there any shallow evangelism that portrayed God as pacing in heaven, wringing His hands, desperate for someone to accept Him. Instead, here was what the Puritans described as a fire in the pulpit, yielding both the light of Calvinistic truth and the heat of evangelistic passion.

In The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon, the latest addition to our A Long Line of Godly Men Profile series, Steven Lawson explores Spurgeon's life and ministry, showing how "the prince of preachers" clung to the gospel, teaching it constantly even amid controversy and personal suffering. This biography is a passionate call for all Christians to follow Spurgeon in maintaining the proper balance between divine sovereignty in salvation and fiery passion in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"I own at least three dozen different biographies of the prince of preachers, but Steve Lawson's new book on Charles Spurgeon will from now on have a key place of prominence in my short list of favorites. Dr. Lawson understands what made the great preacher’s heart beat: it was the gospel, charged with a passion for the souls of lost people and kept steady by the doctrines of grace."

—Phil Johnson
Executive director, Grace to You,
Curator, The Spurgeon Archive (www.spurgeon.org)

Buy it for $16.00 $12.80 from ReformationTrust.com

Read a Sample Chapter

 

Buy it for $16.00 $12.80 from ReformationTrust.com

The Coming of the Kingdom

The gospel of Mark is notable for its lack of extended accounts of Jesus' teaching. Furthermore, Mark gives us noticeably fewer parables than do Matthew and Luke. However, in chapter 4 of his gospel, Mark records four parables. He begins with the lengthy parable of the sower, then follows with three short, pithy parables, each clearly communicating one central idea, as do most parables. All three of these parables teach us something about the kingdom of God.

In 4:26–29, Mark writes:

And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

In this parable, as in the parable of the sower, Jesus taps the metaphor of sowing and seed. Here, however, Jesus does not talk about the different soils into which seed is sown, but about one of the most remarkable dimensions of nature. We plant seeds and go to bed. Overnight, rain falls on the seeds. The next day, sunlight warms them. Germination occurs and tiny green shoots emerge from the ground. Soon, the crop is ready for harvesting. Jesus said the spread of the kingdom of God is much like this process. It begins small, but while our attention is elsewhere, so to speak, the kingdom grows. Like the growth of a seed, it is a mysterious process.

Continue reading The Coming of the Kingdom, R.C. Sproul's contribution to the March issue of Tabletalk.