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We had a Valentine’s Banquet at RML this past week, and by all accounts, we had a GREAT time! It was a lot of fun, and at times, downright silly. But some of the themes discussed throughout the evening pertaining to marriage need to be taken very, very serious. As a pastor, I desperately want to model and mold strong marriages for the glory of God.

A few weeks ago, I suggested that you listen to Brian Branam’s series of sermons called Smart Marriage. I know that some of you have been following along. There are two sermons that all of us need to hear, and I want to strongly recommend you take some time to listen to them. Both men and women should listen to both sermons. Here are the links:

Be a Man

Be a Woman

The sermon from last Sunday, called Cross that Muddy Jordan, traces the use of the Jordan River throughout Scripture and its application for us today.

Yesterday, the sermon brought particular focus to the practice of confessing our sins, both to God and our fellow believers.

Both of the message found their root in Matthew 3:5-6 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

These messages can be heard at the Rock Mountain Lakes Baptist Church website.

Here is a book that requires very little introduction, and very little review. In fact, it might be said that Packer’s classic has been reviewed to death. Christians love it. People who read it, usually recommend it and call it a powerful work that helps them “know God” better.

I join the ranks of those who heartily recommend Knowing God to others. It is one of those books that dives into some of the depths of Christian theology, but that is written in such a way that is accessible to most folks, if they give it a good try. Not only that, but it is written to the end that Christians would know God better, and thus is not dead orthodoxy, but rather a tool the living God has used to draw many closer to His heart.

J.I. Packer is one of the best know evangelical theologians writing today. In July, Lord willing, Packer will turn 84 years of age, and continues to speak and teach as Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has written, or co-written, dozens of books and articles, but none better known than Knowing God, which was originally published in 1973, and has easily sold more than 1 million copies worldwide.

Essentially, the book is a collection of articles originally written for a magazine, but that have been brought together by virtue of their similar themes, mostly related to the person of God, and how people might know Him better, and come closer to Him.

The 22 chapters of the book are divided into 3 major sections: Know the Lord, Behold Your God! and If God Be For Us. It might seem obvious where Packer goes in each of these sections, and it is. The strength of the book is not in the uniqueness of the topics covered. Many hundreds, and indeed thousands of books cover these same basic topics. Rather, the strength of the book lies in how Packer discusses each issue. His style is exceedingly readable, and indeed, he has made theology, which has seen some very boring days, into a page-turner.

R.C. Sproul comments on the book: “A masterpiece by a master theologian.” Elisabeth Elliot, wife of martyred missionary Jim Elliot, has said of Knowing God that it “plainly shows us ordinary folks what it means to know God.”

If you are not in the habit of reading your Bible, you should repent, change your ways, and dig into God’s Word. This may not be the book for you if even the Bible does not hold your interest.

But if you are student of God’s Word, and you are longing for the heart of God, this book will only help in the process. Be aware that knowledge, for knowledge’s sake, is not Packer’s goal. So many Christians wrongly seek deeper knowledge just as some form of entertainment, or in order to be smarter than others. Neither Packer’s work, nor biblical truth will allow that. I suggest you read Packer, not because he is a well-known theologian, or a good writer, or to be able to show others how much theology you know, but rather to help you re-focus your attention on the God who lives eternally, and who saves graciously for His own glory.

For many more reviews on Amazon’s website, click the book cover below.

There are incredible amounts of trash, filth, and otherwise non-helpful material online. In many ways, the internet is a cesspool of human depravity in a digital format. This does not mean we should do away with the internet, but rather, like everything else, through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and His love, we should redeem the internet with materials that reveal and promote the lordship of Christ.

One place online where this kind of redemption is found, is the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University. Edwards was a faithful, intelligent, and articulate pastor who lived during the first half of the 18th Century. I highly recommend the JE Center, which collects most, if not all, of his works into one place, and you can read all you want without paying for books!

As another resource, I recently translated Edward’s most famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, into a modern English version.

The preaching this Sunday (hear the sermon here) came from Matthew 3:5-6, with a particular focus on the place John the Baptist established his ministry, the Jordan River. This unimpressive river, as far as length and width is concerned, is nonetheless a powerful symbol in understanding what God is doing in His work of Redemption. Here are four lessons we learn throughout Scripture from the Jordan River.

1. The Jordan River pictures the difference between living by the Spirit and living by the flesh. (Abraham and Lot)

2. The Jordan River pictures the cleansing power of death. (See Namaan and Romans 6)

3. The Jordan River pictures the change that happens to a person who, Spiritually speaking, crosses it. (Jacob was changed to Israel on its banks)

4. The Jordan River pictures the final obstacle standing between a believer and Rest in the Promise land, in the very presence of God. (Hebrews 4)

1. The Bible is a collection of words that communicate to us the Person and Plan of God, helping us know Him better. Knowing Him is the highest calling of man (2 Tim. 3:14-16; Heb. 8:11).

2. God shares His love for us as we read and meditate upon His Word (Rom. 5:8).

3. Just as Jesus is the Logos (the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us) who came to reveal the Father to us, so the written Word provides a divine vehicle through which God manifests Himself to His people (Jn. 1:1-14; 1 Thess. 2:13).

4. God’s Word, when studied carefully and especially in the context of a healthy Church, provides true knowledge for wise living (Prov. 1:1-7; Eph. 4:11).

5. When applied to life, the Word of God grants to us incredible weapons with which to fight the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil (Mt. 4:1-11; Eph. 6:11-15).

6. Studying the Bible gives the believer an accurate view of world history from beginning to end, and his or her place in that history (Gen. 1; Rev. 19-22).

7. A rich mining of the treasures of Scripture edifies the heart with joy in ways that nothing else can (Ps. 119:24).

8. Knowledge of the Bible leads to our sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with more accuracy and with more passion (Mt. 28:19-20).

Psalm 20:7  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Instruments of war, powerful political figures, and government policy often replace God in our culture. Some things never change.

As the people of God, believers in Christ should quickly abandon these methods of supposed security, and place our full trust in the Lord, not just for the initial moment of salvation, but for all of life. Rather than allow anxiety to control our thoughts, and swell our fears, let us turn rapidly to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, our Savior Jesus Christ. All the promises of God are “yes” and “amen” in Him.