Games with David P. Field

When listening to a reporter on the T.V or elsewhere make a habit of disagreeing with what they say, for example:

Reporter - "Jack straw will be visiting Iraq today"
Reponse - "No he won't"

Reporter - "There has been a train crash in Reading"
Response - "No there hasn't"

Reporter - "We hope that never happens again"
Response - "No we don't"

Let us learn slowley but surely that just becuase someone says something - doesn't make it true.

Luther on Galatians 2v16

Gal 2v16 "yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified"

So great is his work on this verse that some of his comments needed posting:

"For the sake of argument let us suppose that you could fulfill the Law in the spirit of the first commandment of God: “Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart.” It would do you no good. A person simply is not justified by the works of the Law."

"With Paul we absolutely deny the possibility of self-merit. God never yet gave to any person grace and everlasting life as a reward for merit"

"God sent His only-begotten Son into the world that we may live through His merit. He was crucified and killed for us. By sacrificing His Son for us God revealed Himself to us as a merciful Father who donates remission of sins, righteousness, and life everlasting for Christ’s sake"

Let us agree.

How does the cross work? (Matt 22v13)

Matt22v13 "Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there wil be weeping and gnashing of teeth"

in a recent talk I noted three points to the sinner's punishment:

1. utter powerlessness: “Bind him hand and foot”
2. utter loneliness: “cast him into outer darkness”
3. aching painfulness: “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”

We then saw how the cross works as Jesus dies in the place of sinners:

The man Jesus was made powerless: “bind his hands and feet”. ("Put you finger here, and see my hands" - John 20v27)

The man Jesus suffered loneliness – the “outer darkness”: ("And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabacthani?" which means, "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?" - Mark 15v34).

The man Jesus suffered physical pain – the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” ("In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence").

This is how the cross works, Jesus takes our place.

Enemies in Psalm 22v8

1a “He trusts in the LORD
2a let him deliver him;
2b let him rescue him,
1b for he delights in him!"

Notice that David’s enemies know the covenant name of God, and they know, although presumably do not believe, that Yahweh’s nature is to deliver those who trust him. Strikingly then we are told that David's enemies are members of Israel, but from what we have seen of Israel in v3:

"Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel"

they are not true Israel.

Christians encounter with a man in a cage

During this life I’ve seen a man,
Who slumped, eyes rolled, and with folded hand,
And he sighed as if his heart would brake-
“What means this?” said I, as his body did shake,
“What means this?” said I, as his body did shake.

Said the man – “I am what I was not once”,
To which my pitying reply – “what were you once?”,
“A fair and flourishing professor of Christ was I”,
Saying; “CELESTIAL CITY WILL BE MY HOME WHEN I DIE!”,
Saying; “CELESTIAL CITY WILL BE MY HOME WHEN I DIE!”

“But what are thou now? (for you are not so fair)”,
A groan from his cage “I am a man of despair”,
“How came you to be so bent?” said I,
“I have hardened my heart that I cannot repent”,
“I have hardened my heart that I cannot repent”.

“Why is there no hope for a man of such dress?”
“I have crucified my Lord to myself afresh,
I have counted his blood as an unholy thing,
And never more for his promise shall sing,
And never more for his promise shall sing”.

“For what did you set yourself into this strife?”
“For the Lusts, Pleasures and Profits of this life,
Desire for them led my body to squirm,
Now even those gnaw me like a worm,
Now even those gnaw me like a worm”.

“God hath denied me to repent,
His Word gives me no encouragement
Eternity, eternity I despise my eternity
Once Jesus my surety, I must now burn for he,
Once Jesus my surety, I must now burn for he.”

“Let this mans misery be remembered to thee,
In order that thou from sin would flee”,
“God help me from my lusts to fly,
Celestial city will be my home when I die!
Celestial city will be my home when I die!”

Based on John Bunyan’s “A Pilgrims Progress”

Bunyon's righteousness is in heaven

One day as I was passing into the field . . . this sentence fell upon my soul. Thy righteousness is in heaven. And me thought, withal, I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God's right hand; there, I say, was my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, he wants [lacks] my righteousness, for that was just before [in front of] him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, "The same yesterday, today and, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed. I was loosed from my afflictions and irons; my temptations also fled away; so that from that time those dreadful scriptures of God left off to trouble me; now went I also home rejoicing for the grace and love of God.

John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners