Pastor Sam

I was able to speak for my friend Tony at Integrity Fellowship - fun group of people.

Join our guest speaker, Pastor Sam Sutter as he examines three stories within the Word of God and challenges us to see where we fit into these stories in our own lives today.

Looking for a place where your family can go to to watch family films that costs less than a tank of gas?  We're starting up movie nights where families and adults can watch movies together. - Contact us with your phone number or email to get updated on showings soon.

What can I say, i'm a sucker for free stuff...this is a good new book by Sam Storms with 100 devotional thoughts from the book of Colossians if you follow the link to WTS books you can read the introduction and first 7 chapters for free... worth a perusal. 

hit esv.org

Many of us are reading through the book of Genesis this January. Many students have been asking a lot of questions - usually they boil down to two types of questions 1) Details Questions: Where did Cain get his wife? What's with Abraham wife/sister? Lot? Predestination? Did God choose or did Abraham choose? Did Abraham really obey God? 

But there's also another underlying question - what am I suppose to get out of all this:

Is it profitable? Given 2 Tim 3:16 - how are these stories helping me out?

Is it about Jesus? – So far, no mention about Jesus?

What do we do? – Fellow Pilgrims –

• Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Who are those in this cloud of witnesses? (Moses, Abraham, Rahab the Prostitute, Isacc) these witnesses should 1) encourage us to repent (don’t’ be like them) and run (be like them) but 2) Look toward Jesus! (two levels personal and historical) –

By looking at the stories of Genesis through the grid of Hebrews 11-12, and asking some tough questions, the stories become both profitable and point to Jesus:

Personal Level:

1) Positive:

a. How does this person’s godly example drive me to the Lord Jesus for the power to be like him? – (Dependence) (faith of Abraham)

b. How does his/her experience of God’s choosing love and faithfulness, despite his sin and frailty drive me to praise the Lord Jesus for his grace and compassion. (Jacob the deceiver is blessed)

c. His/her experience of deliverance against great odds drives me to a deeper trust that I too will be saved and vindicated by the Lord Jesus’ hand? (Esther?, Isaac? Sarah delivering)

d. His innocent suffering in the face of injustice drives me to look for One who will make things right again and give meaning to the pain. (Joseph?, Job)

e. His righteous suffering in a leadership role reminds me of the suffering of Jesus and leads me to adore him with fuller understanding (Joseph)

f. Their faithful performance in a leadership role fires my imagination with a picture of the character and work of the true messiah and whets my appetite for his return.

2) Negative:

a. His imperfect performance in a leadership role drives me to adore Jesus (by contrast) and appreciate him more fully and my only truly sufficient deliverer, friend, teacher and Lord (Abraham’s leadship skills/Jacob)

b. How does this person’s experience of God’s punishment drive me to respect and obey the Lord? (LOT)

c. His/her transformation from unbelief to strong faith fills me with wonder at the kindness, wisdom and power of the Spirit (Jacob chances from manipulation in his youth to deep trust in his old age.)

____________

Questions adapted from Ancient Love Song: Finding Christ in the Old Testament.

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Published in Freedom Fighters

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Ecclesiastes 7:2

Jonathan Edwards in his resolutions, like the Preacher of Ecclesiastes, was able to think about his fight for freedom in the whole gamut of life. When he was happy, he thought about how joyful he would be in heaven. When he was in pain, he thought about the suffering in hell.

Like a solder on the battlefield, everything around him was interpreted through the grid of the war he was waging.

In a fight for freedom half of our battle is to remember that we are in one. Edwards was committed to using every available resource to creatively remember and to get back on mission. How can we get better at using our routine, diversions and schedules to remind ourselves of the war around and inside of us?

Jonathan Edward's Resolutions... (arrangement and edits mine)

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the every-day circumstances that remind me of death.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

11. Resolved, when I think of any theological problem to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards learn about God, if circumstances don't hinder.

37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent, what sin I have committed, and wherein I have denied myself: also at the end of every week, month and year. Dec.22 and 26, 1722.

40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.

41. Resolved, to ask myself at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly in any respect have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.

42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God.

43. Resolved, to never act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether belonging to God. Saturday, January 12. Jan.12, 1723.

53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.

55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments.July 8, 1723.

69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. Aug. 11, 1723.

Great Quote: Men come and go; leaders, teachers, thinkers speak and work for a season, and then fall silent and impotent. He abides. They die, but He lives. They are lights kindled, and, therefore, sooner or later quenched; but He is the true light from which they draw all their brightness, and He shines for evermore. Alexander MacLaren

Published in Freedom Fighters

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." Mark 1:15

We're looking at the Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards and how to stay on mission in our fight for victory against sin. Edward's resolutions seem stringent and idealistic. One problem with resolutions is that we tend to throw them away when we find that we can't live up to them. But part of the gospel is that we can't live up to our righteous standing with Jesus. Failure, repentance and drinking deeply from the grace we have in Jesus in a normal part of fighting the good fight.
Edwards isn't naïve about living victoriously. He has already admitted in the first sentence his complete dependence on God for victory. Thus he plans for failure and defeat in a way that help him to return to his mission in a way that honors God. He views his spiritual defeat and failure as a way of focusing his mission rather than ending his fight.

Jonathan Edward's Resolutions (edits and arrangement mine)
3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
12. Resolved, if I take delight in knowing theology as a means of pride - I will immediately repent.
14. Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge.
15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger to irrational beings.
24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.
25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.
26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do weaken my assurance and faith.
27. Resolved, never willfully to omit anything, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.
48. Resolved, constantly, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or no; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.
49. Resolved, that this never shall be, if I can help it.
56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether ~ have done my duty, and resolve to do it; and let it be just as providence orders it, I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty and my sin. June 9, and July 13 1723.
68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

(Pastor Samuel Sutter, Dix Hills EFC - www.dhefc.org)

Great Quote: We must devote, not only times and places to prayer, but be everywhere in the spirit of devotion; with hearts always set toward heaven, looking up to God in all our actions, and doing every thing as His servants; living in the world as in a holy temple of God, and always worshiping Him, though not with our lips, yet with the thankfulness of our hearts, the holiness of our actions and the pious and charitable use of all His gifts. William Law