hound of heaven spurgeonrandy edwards obituary
We weep because we are dying and we live in a dying world. Do you believe this?. We are well familiar with the precious words of Hebrews 4: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [24] For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. He came down here, and He entered into our toil, our frustrations, and our tears. It was included in the Oxford Book of . The sadness we endure now is like that of Mary and Martha. Her response shows she has still not transcended the explanation to which she had earlier gravitated (vs.2).. How should we think of, and describe his reign? In order to do that, we must be knowledge about what He says in His Word. [xii]. My hope is that these notes will be edifying to those who are interested in seeing how this man Jesus had an amazing power during His earthly life. [34]And he said, Where have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come and see. [35]Jesus wept. It was about a one-day journey from where Jesus was ministering across the Jordan River to Bethany near Jerusalem. 20:14-16 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. His power is immutable, as are all His other qualities. In this we look to Him the author and finisher of our faith, and our true Friend and Brother. "The Hound of Heaven" is a 182-line poem written by English poet Francis Thompson (18591907). His power is so exacting, so overwhelming that at the mere mention of His name soldiers, criminals, and traitors eat the dirt their bones were fashioned from. But how is that achieved? Furthermore, we can rest in the fact that it is God the all powerful who is working within us. Spurgeon adds, there is no man so ignorant that he can claim a lack of intellect as an excuse for rejecting the gospelit is not any lack or deficiency there (in the mind)through the fall, and through our own sin, the nature of man has become so debased, and depraved, and corrupt, that it has become impossible for him to Christ without the assistance of God the Holy Sprit.[vi]. These are not two separate items. When you are lazy in your learning, you hurt the body of Christ and cause other people (and yourself) pain in at least two ways: 1. You use the Sword of the Word in an unwieldy way and lead others astray, therefore causing great pain and spreading sour milk (to use the authors dairy term) around the church. It is but the effect of the fall, that man should love sin better than righteousness, and the ways of this world better than the ways of God. It runs between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives some 200 feet below the base of the outer court of the Temple it was on the west side of the city that Jesus was crucified (Pink/Josephus/Carson). He basically says, Fine, you want these things? Jesus you are so powerful, so profoundly majestic, so good, so gracious and so loving, that if you had but been here in our presence You could have stopped this tragedy from occurring.. [iv], And so he stops and levels this charge against them (read verses 11-12). This is something that David realized as well: Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. These realities are expressed in Peter and in the lives of millions of lost people around the world. What we read here is that we naturally RUN from the light. Mary beholds two angels sitting inside the tomb where Christs body had been laid. 13:15). [i] Ligonier has a devotional published about the kingdom of God which cites these verses in Ephesians: http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/seated-at-gods-right-hand/, [ii] John MacArthur sermon on Revelation 20 (Part 1): http://www.gty.org/resources/print/sermons/66-73. And yet here it seems as though Jesus is saying that He has died for the entire world, and that all we need to do is believe. In fact, the New Testament opens with John the Baptists announcement of the kingdom: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2). His character is certainly made known in many ways through suffering just think of all the times that men and women who have endured sickness have testified to the great and glorious character of Jesus Christ. We dont have the strength when it comes down to it, we dont even have the desire! Similarly, God doesnt love the world because the world is inherently good. I fled Him down the nights and down the days. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If heaven is rejoicing at these things, ought we not to give them our attention as well? Spurgeon early learned to know both. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3), o And Paul writes in 2 Corinthians the following, And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. It is treating His message with seriousness, and laying hold of His promise of eternal life by faith. I hope you respond by recognizing the depth of your depravity and your sin and that apart from Christ you were a wretch without merit enough to last one hour before the Holy One. We would have reacted the same way. [iv] In fact, we as gentiles ought to praise the God for including us into his promises. 11:28-29When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, The Teacher is here and is calling for you. [29]And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. The Master-Key, Opening the Gate of Heaven "And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good.". Specifically, of course, on the revealing of the glory of the Son, which MacArthur says, blazes in this passage against a dark backdrop of rejection and hatred on the part of the Jewish leaders.. We love Monday night football more than we love reading the Scripture. Spurgeon sees great, if perhaps accidental, wisdom in Marys mistaking Jesus for the gardener: She was mistaken when she fell into supposing him to be the gardener; but if we are under his Spirits teaching we shall not make a mistake if now we indulge ourselves in a quiet meditation upon our ever-blessed Lord, supposing him to be the gardener., It is not an unnatural supposition, surely; for if we may truly sing, We are a garden walled around, But let us go to him., It wasnt a terribly common thing in second temple culture to use the euphemism fall asleep for death, but if we scan the entirety of Scripture we see it is actually a very common phrase/word overall especially in the books of Kings and Chronicles (examples: 1 Kings 22:40, 50; 2 Kings 8:24, 10:35). The Rev. I have sung How Great Thou Art at full tilt with other men and women in the small chapel that sits firmly ensconced upon that shore. For those of you who have heard this message and are followers of Christ, I urge you to take this calling seriously and work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Therefore, the discerning Christian/growing Christian is marked by time in Scripture and prayer. The difference between Peter after Pentecost and before is manifested in a big way here in John 18. http://www.gotquestions.org/phileo-love.html#ixzz3FWIhOYPt. In these ways and many more, Christ is the suffering servant; He is the very heart of love. For example: Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. 1094. It is the good life it prioritizes the self ahead of others, and the temporal before the eternal. Certainly there was a hope for the future in what Martha terms the resurrection on the last daybut what happened next never occurred to anyone present. Scripture supports what Dr. Piper is saying. What God does He does in such a way as to indicated that He is God, AND that He is good! An epic poem of magnificent prose that tells of the Hound of Heaven seeking to save the lost hares of this world. It would have taken an amazing effort to have accomplished this this was a coordinated effort. The daylight period of his ministry may be far advanced, but it is wrong to quit before the twelve hours have been filled up Carson comments. They point to many times, both in Scripture and in the time since Christ, when Christian influence has changed the world for the good. Its now been several days since her brother died, and Jesus appearance has opened the wells of her sorrow, and she bursts forth in tears. (Matthew 22:41-46). When I read this passage several years ago I thought (rightly) that I cant teach anyone now, but realized that my inability wasnt God telling me not to teach, but rather it was Him calling me to learn and grow closer to Him in obedience in order to teach when the time presented itself. This is a truth rooted in the prophets He had a specific group of people upon whom He had set his affections: For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. This is important to note simply because we see by this timeline that Christ, knowing all that was going on here, did not kill Lazarus by not coming right away. They were completely bewildered. Only the Holy Spirit can effect that change in a mans heart. So when Christ says, let us go to Judea again we can perhaps understand the nature of the disciples concernthey knew full well the danger of what Jesus was suggesting. I find this extremely important when figuring out questions of interpretation. Man in his best estate was not to live in this world in a paradise of indolent luxury, but in a garden of recompensed toil. These are great ideas to reflect upon in the coming days, and a marvelous reminder of the richness of Scripture. Wayne Grudem says, Those who are said to be reigning with Christ for the thousand years are Christians who have died and are already reigning with Christ in heavenThis view is called Amillennialism because it maintains that there is no future millennium yet to come.[x], The Amil believe that the millennium is now, the whole period from Jesus ascension to his return. But never think that imagination can picture heaven. [i]. [viii] These are foundational truths, as John MacArthur says, the phrase is equivalent to the gospel of salvation by faith rather than works. It has been a few months since you studied these passages, so let me just remind you that Jesus had come into Jerusalem riding on a colt people triumphantly praising His arrival, which John details in chapter 12. (f) I think, besides this, that the respective positions of the disciples and Christ, when they first saw Him, may possibly be intended to represent the respective positions of Christ and His people during this dispensation. Because it is such a popular verse, people often use this verse as a proof text for universalism this is probably mainly because A. Jesus doesnt claim in this verse exclusivity and B. David was not speaking about himself, but rather prophesied about one to come a holy one whose body would not see corruption or be abandoned to Hades. This holy one is the Lord Jesus who defeated death. That is what is going on here Jesus has come to usher in the exodus and as He does this, He establishes His kingdom. For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered., [37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [x] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, Pg. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. Then, John records an extraordinary series of teachings from Jesus to His disciples in the final hours of His life before the early morning events we read about in chapter 18. Let us take this restoration as a reminder of the open arms of Christ, and the charge he gives us upon restoration. But in this account I believe that Jesus is almost certainly referring to the revealing of His person/deity and not specifically seeking praise. A.W. If grave robbers stole the body of Jesus why in the world would they A) take the linen cloths off of His body and B) set the facial shroud neatly folded in a separate pile. (b) I think the lack of success in catching fish, which the disciples had until the Lord appeared, was meant to teach that without Christs presence and blessing ministers can do nothing. Ryken says, The word sinners was the catch all for people who had a notorious reputation for bad behavior thieves, drunkards, prostitutes, and anyone else who refused to conform to the holy habits of the religious community.[1]. If you were in the garden, in the courtyard, at the temple, you would also have betrayed Christ. [16]And the free gift is not like the result of that one mans sin. John 3:16 may perhaps be the most famous Bible verse in the world. They dont want to hear that they are sinners and that their sin is wrong. Paul then goes on to say, [10] these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. [xi] John Frame, Systematic Theology, Pg. But he is correct that from what I have read at least, letters (a), (b) and (c) are universal in their appearance in the minds of many commentators, and definitely appeared in my mind as I studied the passage. But needless to say that the God whose hand was in the suffering and death of His Son is also in your life not just to make you appreciate the good times, but to fashion you after His Son in order that you might have true joy both now and forever in heaven. [10] For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. Was it because they had never heard of the resurrection? The man who benefits from the miracle has been dead for fully 4 days. In Isaiah 6 the response of Isaiah to the holiness of God is similar: [4] And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, (Hebrews 2:11), It is for discipline that you have to endure. Heart Savor The Lion Roars. The Man standing before her was the one whos words sent cosmos flying into existence. To argue a distant futurist reign of Christ is to argue the opposite of how the Bible describes the efficacy of Christs work on the cross. He has won them an everlasting inheritance, and is going to the Father, as will all who believe upon His name for everlasting life. She unashamedly states that, in her opinion, if Christ had been with Lazarus, he never would have died. The second thing I think is notably here is the reaction of Mary she quickly rose up and went to find Christ. Our sins are recognized as that which is an offence first and foremost against God. Whence arise these things? In a recent biography of John Stott, Stott refers to Thompson's poem. It takes a lot to get up that early in the morning. There is a spiritual element of the Kingdom that has existed since God started redeeming men. We are here as workers for him, and as workers together with him. As the hound follows the hare, never ceasing in its running, ever drawing nearer in the chase, with unhurried and unperturbed pace, so does God follow the fleeing soul by His divine grace. The Elevation of Worship in Todays Culture, Reformation Month Devotionals: Thoughts from Richard Baxter. 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. May his words bring you the comfort they brought me: If God had willed it, each of us might have entered heaven at the moment of conversion. Its about Him giving us a preview of the rest of our lives. After that he must be released for a little while. For they know in their hearts that any good they do is completely and totally owed to the sovereign work of God. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. DESIRE. And it should do the same for us. Chosen and made peculiar ground,. Now our response must be carefully assessed. What caused Peter and John to leave like this? Jesus gives us a preview of what the consummation of His mission will look like when He comes back. For the longest time I didnt understand exactly how this worked. That is to say that we are called out of the world, we are to not to our minds on the things of the world, and even that the world will hate us.. " The Hound of Heaven " was first published by English poet Francis Thompson in 1893. In verse 11 we read that He was going to drink of the cup that the Father had for Him. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (Ephesians 6:13-18 ESV), Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. So when the Son willingly took the suffering of that recompense on himself, every footfall on the way to Calvary echoed through the universe with this message: the glory of God is of infinite value! We are all sinners, we have all acted against the law of God which has been emblazoned on our consciences. [11] Romano, August 24, 2013, mens campout, personal notes on his lesson. The Hound in the poem is the Lord who continually seeks the writer even though the writer keeps running from Him. [5] Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Luke, Volume Two, Baker Books, Pg. And thats what this is about. They like their sin. As Geldenhuys says, the shepherd considers no trouble, sacrifice and suffering too great to find the lost sheep and bring it back.. It is but human nature, fallen human nature, that man should love this present life better than the life to come. If you came here a skeptic and have felt your heart strangely warmed but our Lords offer of eternal life, then I encourage you now to repent of your sins. That enclosure needs a gardener. An important part of the gospel is the hope for eternity with God. All goodness, all illumination as far as truth is concerned comes from Him. We remain on earth as sowers to scatter good seed; as ploughmen to break up the fallow ground; as heralds publishing salvation. Primarily this, that the good intentions of men are not enough when everything is on the line. We should recall that the tension between the Jewish religious leadership in Jerusalem and Christ was at a boiling point at this time. He knew the Fathers will; He sought the Fathers mind on all things through prayer. Wesley's Journal, Vol. The basics of the gospel are the foundation for understanding greater mysteries appertaining to the gospel, and to what the author is getting at here, namely the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in this context, His priesthood. I think the difference lies in whether or not one believes that His current reign is somewhat lesser or mostly spiritual (i.e. He could save His own life, or the lives of countless millions. Thats His mission. His salvation is provided at great cost, and in a way of His own choosing there are no other paths up the mountain of God. And having spent time on this already, I will not review all that was said, except to remind you that in that prayer Jesus explicitly prayed for His disciples, and not for the world. He makes special mention of those who He came to save, and makes intercession on their behalf. [14] This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. All those who boldly proclaimed headship over their lives will suddenly realize the oxygen they suck has been a precious gift from the one who upholds all the planets by the power of His word (Heb. In that culture, one of the most tangible ways to establish this kind of friendship was to share a meal.[2], You have to ask yourself this: Are you so outwardly religious that no sinner would want to get near you? This takes discernment, but it will be illuminated (no pun intended) as we read verses 19-21 because while Jesus had not come to judge the world, the very effect of His coming exposed the darkness of this world a world filled with people already under condemnation and headed for damnation. As Jesus has already told us in chapter 10: For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. It is a kingdom built upon a rock. Remember the words of Paul in Philippians: Lastly, when the crisis comes, do not lean on your own understanding as Peter did here (Prov. 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, [2] and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. [10]For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. He made more wine at Cana than was necessary, He made more fish in Luke 5 than the disciples could take in, He made more bread and fish for the 5000 than the crowd needed, and He healed hundreds if not thousands of men and women. The Lord who remarked that a good father gives his children a fish and not a snake, gives fish in abundance. Soon I will be studying through Revelation with our Sunday School class, and I find a similar example of illogical hermeneutics applied to the millennium in that book. About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. [vii] Bruce Ware talks about how people see Christ intellectually, but they dont see him as glorious. Pride, anger, resentment had no place in this mans heart. Carson rightly says, Thus there is nothing intrinsic to the language of John 21:15-17 that suggests a distinctive authority for Peter. It wasnt enough to say these are the miracles of Pharaohs magicians, but the very reason that the men in vs. 46 came to the Council in the first place was due to the overwhelming evidence before them. This is not saying they ought all to be teachers in the sense we have today as one called to preach, but rather they must be able to convey their beliefs to others this is at the heart of making disciples (Matt. They are a love gift from the Father, and despite their wanderings, He will surely go to the ends of the earth to chase them down with His love. This is a passage I had preached a sermon on some time ago, so the notes were the same and can be found by clicking here. He is faithful, He will lift you out of the mire you find yourself in and set your life upon solid footing for eternity. The man Jesus was a threat to the socio-political stability of the Jewish state, and he needed to be dealt with. It is so difficult to understand how God can possibly have taken pleasure in the crush(ing) of His one and only Son. [53]So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. This certainly reminds of 9:4 where Christ says, We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. And 9:5 actually ties nicely in with verse 10 here, As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.. In the blessed vision the saints see Jesus, and they see him clearly. 4.18. So our need for salvation cannot be met by our own efforts to cling to Christ. Nor would thieves likely have left the wrappings, containing expensive spices, behind. The time was as solemn and majestic as that of the first creation when light burst out of chaos and darkness. The Hound of Heaven. Have puffed and burst as sun-starts on a stream. We need to build upon the foundation, not become so complacent in our learning that that were stuck in a perpetual process of groundbreaking!!! In this case, the disciples caught 153 fish. But not everyone would look at the copper snake, and not everyone will look to Christ. In the final verse we find that those who do right are okay coming into the light. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (John 3:36 ESV). Now, this would have been pretty shocking to her. If they walked in his statutes, the kingdom was to endure from generation to generation, without end, "as the days of heaven on earth." What a horrific state of affairs! I hope that anyone reading this now understands that Christianity is all about Christ. Hes using John 11 to do that, so I want you to take in as much of it as possible, knowing not only that He is using it to gradually melt away the dross of this life, but that one day (as we wait in faithful hope see Rom. Peter responds in the affirmative, and with each affirmative reply, Jesus charges Peter to Feed the lambs, tend my sheep, and feed my sheep.. Furthermore, he knows that what he has done has been an offense first and foremost against heaven. The second thing that struck me like a lightening bolt was John notation of what time it was. NOTES: They love their own sin.[v]. Lastly this verse teaches us how people are saved: by believing in the Son of God. It is the beautiful glory of His holiness which confounds men. But more than that. Prior to this verse, the Lord Jesus has been the one speaking, but many scholars believe that John 3:16 is actually John now commenting, and given the flow and narrative of the passage, I believe that this is correct. Cast away your pride and your old life and trust in the salvation that comes from believing in the name of Jesus Christ. The reason this verse (verse 5) is here is because John wanted to ensure that we understood that Christs reasoning in verse four in no way interfered with how we understand verse six. If there was no resurrection then we have no reason to believe anything Jesus said. None of this can be done alone, can it? It is a world-historical movement, following the fall of Adam, in which God works to defeat Satan and bring human beings to acknowledge Christ as Lord. [50]Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish. [51]He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, [52]and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. His love is poured out upon us through His Holy Spirit. More likely still, they would not have removed them at all, since it would have been easier to transport the body it if were still wrapped. So she takes in the view and see the linen strips and the shroud folded. Rather they knew the character of this man Jesus. Spurgeon says: o If you had a New Testament in Greek it would be very Greek to some of you, but it would do you as much good to look atthatas it does to look at the English New Testament unless you read with understanding heart.[xiv], And so now you see the thrust of what were getting at here. In fact, there will be no sun because Jesus will be our only necessary light. As Sproul points out though, Caiaphas must have forgotten Proverbs 17:15, which says, He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.. Ironically, Christ did this very thing in order make those who werent His family part of His family by sovereign adoption. This means, no doubt, that we must be continually abiding in the Word of God if were to grow closer to God, and live out lives transformed by Gods Spirit. Because the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light., Judgment in this case is the obvious result of exposure. Those who are selflessly serving others bear those Peter moments better because they are grounded in the reality that others are more important, and that their citizenship is in heaven. This admonition comes in the context of learning, therefore the call is for Gods children to have discernment about sound teaching and a developed taste for the sweetness of Gods Word. In Eden, Adam and Eve parleyed with Satan; in Gethsemane, the last Adam sought the face of His Father. (Colossians 2:15), Frame describes how the Amil views the future, Amils affirm that toward the end of this era Satan will be released briefly, as Revelation 20:3 indicates (also verses 7-8). We love our hobbies more than our conversations with the Lord. The history of Israel was one of disobedience, exile, and salvation. He knows my actions: When I sit down and when I get up (v. 2); when I go somewhere and when I lie down (v. 3). For as Paul says: o Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. [11] He says it was fitting that they celebrate. 15:11-13 And he said, There was a man who had two sons. Christ could either stay beyond the Jordan and enjoy a vibrant ministry (10:40-42), or He could fulfill the will of the Father and accomplish His ultimate destiny and mission here on Earth, by the time the messenger arrived at Jesus Lazarus would have already been dead, http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/seated-at-gods-right-hand/, http://www.gty.org/resources/print/sermons/66-73, http://www.gotquestions.org/phileo-love.html#ixzz3FWIhOYPt, http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/why-we-read-the-bible, http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-memorize-scripture, Relying on the Supernatural Power of Christ for Life and Strength, http://www.reformationtheology.com/2009/04/world_johns_ten_uses_of_the_wo.php, Steven Lawson New Reformation Ministries. The reaction to the miracles of Christ is always of interest to me. 11:23-24Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. [24]Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.. Proper 19C'19.