If you follow my twitter feed you would know that a couple months back my snow leopard upgrade disc disappeared. I had bought a family pack back when Snow Leopard was introduced, but because of Cricket Wireless not supporting Snow Leopard I had to downgrade. Since I no longer need Cricket Wireless I wanted to upgrade again, but the disc was gone. Since no one around here has a retail version of the operating system, I had resolved myself to having to purchase it again.
I went in the Apple Store today to ask if there was any way to install the OS from a restore disc from a different computer (because i had access to one of those). While there isn’t a way to do that, they did look up my purchase from last year and gave me a retail copy of the OS.
Microsoft would not have done that.
I’ve decided to attempt to blog through David Bazan’s “Curse Your Branches” album one song at a time.
As much as I disagree with pretty much everything he says, it is actually one of his most articulate albums. It’s also his saddest album as he deals with his reasons for abandoning Christianity.
So hopefully the first post will be up by Monday. That’s my goal.
This past Sunday I had the privilege of preaching on Acts 4:23-31. In that passage we see the Apostles who had just been arrested go back to the church and relay the harsh threats against them. The religious had at a minimum threatened violence against them and likely threatened to kill them for continuing to preach in the name of Jesus. So in Acts 4 we see the church react to these threats, and their reaction was to petition God for the boldness needed to face their opposition. But it is critical to note that the boldness they sought was not based in their own abilities. But they sought a boldness that was founded on a confidence in the sovereignty and power of God. They prayed in such a way that declared they could be bold based upon God’s promises and purposes.
This past week I was reading Psalm 56 and in this passage we see David make a similar declaration of his confidence in God. Psalm 56:3-4 reads: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” Here David declares that the answer to anxiety and fear is found in God.
First David praises the word of the Lord. Why are the words of God praiseworthy? Because they are in every sense truth. God’s word is true and it is to be praised. And in God’s written word, the Bible, we find the reassurance of God’s care for his people. One famous example of this is found in Matthew 6:25-34. God deeply cares for and provides for his people, and he tells them as much. His words are true, and they are to be trusted and praised. When trouble arises, trust what God has said in his word and praise him for his trustworthiness.
Second, David affirms his trust in God. He started this refrain by saying that his reaction to fear was to trust in God, and he repeats that thought again. Why did David so confidently put his trust in God when trouble arose? Because he knew God. He knew the complete goodness of God would mean that God’s actions toward him would be only good. He knew the purposes of God were only good, and that God would not allow anything to happen to David that would not result in the praise of God’s glory. (Rom. 8:28-29). Nahum 1:7 declares “the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” David knew of the complete goodness of God and rested comfortably in it.
Finally, David declares that he will not be afraid. How could he be? If he knows God’s word to be true, and he knows the character of God is to be trusted, if he knows the goodness of God toward his people, how can there be any room for fear? All the space in David’s mind has been taken up by adoration, praise, and trust in God! David realizes that fleshly man is impotent against the all powerful Spirit God. To doubt God’s power over man would be to doubt God’s very deity. So David confidently rests in the knowledge of who God is, his relationship to God, and God’s power over man.
Passages like Psalm 56 go a long way in bringing us back into focus when trouble comes. The big question is whether or not we really believe God to be who he says he is and to do what he says he will do.
Two weeks ago when Kirsten and I announced to the church that we were expecting our first child, I mentioned how fascinated I am by pregnancy calendars. These pregnancy calendars tell you about your baby and what it is like according to how many weeks the woman has been pregnant. We are currently 10 weeks into this pregnancy. Here is an excerpt from one pregnancy calendar I enjoy explaining the baby at conception:
“Although you won’t know it for months yet, the gender of your baby and his or her eye and hair color, and even to some extent his or her personality, has all already been determined. The moment sperm met egg and you and your partner each chipped in your 23 chromosomes to create this new person, all of that was instantaneously worked out.”
It is amazing to me that as soon as the baby’s life begins, everything about it has been determined. God has made this process in such a way that the baby inherits characteristics from both parents. The baby will look, act, and speak like us because it has inherited our DNA. But one thing that is chilling to me is the fact that my child inherited more than just DNA from me. Because my child will be born of the seed of a sinful man, my child will have also inherited sin from me. This is the reality of our fallen condition. This sinful lineage started with Adam, and it continues to this day.
Romans 5:17 states “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man…”. In one sense, because Adam represented all men as the head of the human race, his sin condemned all who would follow (Romans 5:18). But in another sense, because Adam’s flesh became corrupted by sin, all those who are sons of Adam are born with a body corrupted by sin. In fact, the Scriptures refer to this fallen condition as “the flesh.” My child will be born in “the flesh”, and in need of the grace of God (Romans 8:7-8).
This is why I am so thankful for the One who was born who was not of the line of Adam, but was born of the Spirit of God (Matthew 1:20). Jesus was born free from the guilt of indwelling sin. Jesus also lived a life of perfect obedience to the law of God, and thus was able to die in man’s place to pay the price of their sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 1:21-22). And those who have faith in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are saved and “born again” to new life with God (Ephesians 2:1-10; Philippians 3:9-11).
This is why I have begun to pray for my child that they would come to know and love Jesus. I pray that my child would one day be drawn by God’s Spirit into the grace of God the Father to Salvation through God the Son. From me my child will inherit sin. From Christ, my child will receive an “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4).
One thing I have learned as a bulldog owner: When the dog is in another room and is making a lot of noise that isn’t snoring, it is typically bad. Normally this means Zoe is chewing on something she shouldn’t or scooting on the carpet or something else that is undesirable. The other day I noticed a lot of noise so I did what any good owner would do: I grabbed the video camera and investigated. This is what I found:
Dog Noises from rob pilkerton on Vimeo.
I got a new desk for my office and I like to offer stuff to friends/family before I donate it. So if you would like the desk below, just let me know and it’s yours. It’s obviously used, but it’s not in terrible shape.
On Monday, January 25, I was working on changing the lock of the house we just moved into when Kirsten came home from work. I asked her to give me a hand and when she came back from changing her clothes, I could tell she was a little aloof. I asked her if everything was ok. She started crying and walked toward me holding up a white stick with two pink lines on it. I was stunned. After all, I’m trying to change a door lock! We hugged and cried and both of us felt scared and a little overwhelmed. These were not tears of disappointment. I want to make that clear. It’s just that neither one of us exactly had “baby” at the top of our To-Do List. However, we said from the beginning of our marriage that if God were to grace us with a child unexpectedly then we’d be excited at His grace toward us and go from there.
We chose to tell very few people for the first three weeks because of the risk of miscarriage. But today we had our first appointment with the OB and we got to see the baby’s heartbeat on the sonogram (click here for picture).
So we are excited to tell everyone now that we are 8 weeks along, and are due to have our first child on September 30, 2010.
How can you pray for us?:
- Please pray for Kirsten’s Health.
- Please pray for the health of the baby.
- Please join me in praying for our baby to know and love Jesus.
- Please pray for wisdom for Kirsten and I as we have big decisions to make about a lot of things in the coming months.
Developing….
In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus makes three HUGE statements about himself that would have rattled his hearers to the core (especially his Jewish audience). These statements should shake us up today, as well. What are they?
Matthew 12:6 – “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”
What was the temple? The temple is where Jews would go to make sacrifices, worship, and to communicate with God. For centuries, the temple had been the very dwelling place of God. And Jesus is saying that something greater than the temple had arrived. R.T. France writes that “it is hard to overestimate the shock value of this pronouncement.” Jesus declared that his presence was greater than the temple. What could be greater than the place where sacrifices are made for sin? Jesus, God come to earth, to be man’s ultimate sacrifice for sin.
2) Matthew 12:41 – “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
Jonah was one of God’s prophets. The prophets in the Old Testament were tasked by God to speak on his behalf. When fulfilling their prophetic duties, the Prophets were speaking the very words of God. When God used Jonah to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh, the entire city went into a state of repentance for their disobedience to God. But Jesus declared that “something greater than Jonah is here.” What could be greater than a man who speaks the very words of God? Jesus, God come to earth as man, who would himself preach repentance to the world.
3) Matthew 12:42 – “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”
Here Jesus is referring to the account found in 1 Kings 10 where the Queen of Sheba embarked on a “fact finding mission” to see if Solomon lived up to his reputation. In 1 Kings 3 we read that God blessed Solomon with more wisdom and discernment than anyone who lived before or after him. Solomon’s fame was known throughout the world and the Queen came to Solomon loaded with her toughest questions. In 1 Kings 10:6 we see that the Queen was blown away by Solomon’s wisdom and stated that everything she had heard about him was true. So when Jesus states in Matthew 12 that “something greater than Solomon is here”, what is he saying? That the wisest king who had ever lived was still lesser than he. The wisdom of God had descended upon the earth in Jesus, the King of Kings.
In Matthew 12 we see Jesus’ claims of being the Ultimate Priest, Prophet, and King. We should worship him as such! Jesus was not some self-help guru who wanted to tell people how to feel great about themselves. He was the Sacrifice made for the sin of the world. He was the very words of God living among us. His wisdom dwarfs the wisest of all men. And he lives today! So why do we use him as if he serves our needs? We worship HIM! We serve HIM! Something greater than us is here!
Ray Ortlund writes:
How to wreck your church in three weeks
Week One: Walk into church today and think about how long you’ve been a member, how much you’ve sacrificed, how under-appreciated you are. Take note of every way you’re dissatisfied with your church now. Take note of every person who displeases you.
Meet for coffee this week with another member and “share your heart.” Discuss how your church is changing, how you are being left out. Ask your friend who else in the church has “concerns.” Agree together that you must “pray about it.”
Week Two: Send an email to a few other “concerned” members. Inform them that a groundswell of grievance is surfacing in your church. Problems have gone unaddressed for too long. Ask them to keep the matter to themselves “for the sake of the body.”
As complaints come in, form them into a petition to demand an accounting from the leaders of the church. Circulate the petition quietly. Gathering support will be easy. Even happy members can be used if you appeal to their sense of fairness – that your side deserves a hearing. Be sure to proceed in a way that conforms to your church constitution, so that your petition is procedurally correct.
Week Three: When the growing moral fervor, ill-defined but powerful, reaches critical mass, confront the elders with your demands. Inform them of all the woundedness in the church, which leaves you with no choice but to put your petition forward. Inform them that, for the sake of reconciliation, the concerns of the body must be satisfied.
Whatever happens from this point on, you have won. You have changed the subject in your church from gospel advance to your own grievances. To some degree, you will get your way. Your church will need three or four years for recovery. But at any future time, you can do it all again. It only takes three weeks.
Just one question. Even if you are being wronged, “Why not rather suffer wrong?” (1 Corinthians 6:7).
“Christianity will indeed accomplish many useful things in this world, but if it is accepted in order to accomplish those useful things it is not Christianity. Christianity will combat Bolshevism; but if it is accepted in order to combat Bolshevism, it is not Christianity: Christianity will produce a unified nation, in a slow but satisfactory way; but if it is accepted in order to produce a unified nation, it is not Christianity: Christianity will produce a healthy community; but if it is accepted in order to produce a healthy community, it is not Christianity: Christianity will promote international peace; but if it is accepted in order to promote international peace, it is not Christianity. Our Lord said: ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ But if you seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness in order that all those other things may be added unto you, you will miss both those other things and the Kingdom of God as well.”
- J. Gresham Machen from Christianity and Liberalism
At the risk of getting myself in trouble……I’ll add my own: “Christianity will help you govern well; but if it is accepted to get you elected, it is not Christianity.”