One of the theologians I took special interest in during seminary was Augustine. Augustine, was Bishop of Hippo and his life was a journey marked by his pursuit of selfish pleasures in his youth to a conversion experience that caused him to be placed by “force” as a priest in Hippo. In just 5 short years, he became Bishop of Hippo and remained in that position for the next 35 years. As I look at the life of Augustine I am filled with conviction, hope, and encouragement. Augustine’s priority was ministry and his writing and scholarship came as a result of his experiences serving the people of God placed under his care.

Both in Augustine’s day and in ours, humanity is seeking after wisdom. They look for wisdom in a variety of places hoping that the acquisition of wisdom will save them from hardship and provide a benefit for their future. Augustine took great care to write about wisdom in a way that would be of use for those that God called to his care. Even more important, Augustine points us to pursue wisdom through the context of the Gospel and in light of the scriptures. He breaks down the pursuit of wisdom into seven steps in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: First Series, Volume II St. Augustine: City of God, Christian Doctrine

First, Fear:

It is necessary that we should be led by the fear of God to seek the knowledge of His will – Augustin

In many ways wisdom begins with humility. Our understanding of who God is and who we are should produce a holy fear. Augustine helps us see that this holy fear should cause us to seek the knowledge of God. As we understand the knowledge of God we are able to align our desires with those of God. As we come into alignment with the will of God, our choices, motivations, and actions will begin to reflect the wisdom of God.

Another key aspect of fear is the recollection of who we truly are apart from Christ. Our mortality and fragile nature will come to the forefront causing us to run into the embrace of the Creator and lay down our prideful notions of idolatrous self worth.

we should be led by the fear of God to seek the knowledge of His will – #Augustin
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Second, Piety:

It is necessary to have our hearts subdued by piety – Augustine

Augustine is asking that we allow our hearts to be subject to properly honor and respect the Word of God. It can be easy for us to neglect or even run away from Scripture. The Word of God is both life giving and offensive as it exposes our sin. Our response to scripture however should be filled with humility and a willingness to allow God’s Word to direct and change our life. Augustine also encourages us in our inability to understand Scripture at times. Rather than thinking we should be able to understand and beating ourselves up over our inadequacy, we should rest in the truth and sufficiency of God’s Word. Whatever is written, even if it is hidden, is better and more true than anything we could conjure up with our own wisdom.

It is necessary to have our hearts subdued by piety – #Augustine
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Third, Knowledge:

God is to be loved for his own sake, and our neighbor for God’s sake – Augustine

As we jump into the Scriptures to gain knowledge we will find the truth of the human condition apart from God. We have been entangled in the love of this world and taken in fleeting and momentary pleasures only to find our selves more broken and hurting. Therefore, the fear of the Lord and our pious approach to the scriptures give us a renewed sense of hope and we see the truth. As we become captivated by the beauty of the Gospel we see that God is to be loved for his own sake and that in grace he saves and restores fallen humanity to enjoy Him. The more we understand and grow in our knowledge of the scriptures we have a greater sense of the despair we were in but for Christ. So we become humble and not boastful, meek and not proud, and seek to serve not to rule.

God is to be loved for his own sake, and our neighbor for God’s sake – #Augustine
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Fourth, Strength and Resolution:

He extricates himself from every form of fatal joy in transitory things – Augustine

As you may notice, Augustine seems to be building on each of these points. As we have gained knowledge and understand the truths of scripture there is a need for response. The heart that has been redeemed and restored turns from the fatal and fleeting pleasures of this world to fix our eyes and gaze upon Christ. We fix our affections on eternal things that stir up our love and joy in Christ.

There is also a sense of resolution that takes place. A commitment to submit ourselves to the Gospel and in humility subject ourselves to the Kingship of Christ in all areas of life.

He extricates himself from every form of fatal joy in transitory things – #Augustine
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Fifth, Counsel Of Compassion:

He exercises himself diligently in the love of his neighbor – Augustine

In the most basic manner our pursuit of Godly Wisdom will result on our reflecting the character and nature of Christ. As Christ loved us so we love our neighbor. Even more so, we begin to show compassion and love towards our enemies and those that mistreat us. Our story becomes one that is defined by the love of Christ.

Our affections are so stirred up for Christ that we can not help but become agents of his mercy and love. We carry out our mission as ambassadors of Christ and the ministry of reconciliation. Therefore, our love of our neighbor and enemy produces a Godly wisdom.

He exercises himself diligently in the love of his neighbor – #Augustine
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Sixth, Purification Of Heart:

For men see Him just as far as they die to this world; and so far as they live to it they see Him not – Augustine

The process of our purification forms us into the image of Christ. As we live in light of the Gospel we will be so pure in heart that we can’t step aside from truth for any reason. The thought of pleasing man or even our own desires fade in comparison to the brilliant and beautiful light of Christ. Our purification of heart and mind cause us to see this world for what it is, a temporary living place until the return of the King who will create and form the new heavens and earth.

Our purification will also allow us to see God. As we die to this world and live for the Kingdom our clarity of the King becomes clearer. Sadly, those that live for this world are unable to see the King or His Kingdom.

Seventh, Ascend To Wisdom:

For the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom – Augustine

Peace and tranquility is found by the person who processes these six steps and finds it’s culmination in Godly wisdom. It is a full circle as we are brought back to the truth that the fear of God is in fact the very beginning of wisdom.

“From that beginning, then, till we reach wisdom itself, our way is by the steps now described” – Augustine

For the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom – #Augustine
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P.S – If you would like a copy to read I recommend the following edition. Click the link and grab your copy!

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^[1] Augustine of Hippo, “On Christian Doctrine,” in St. Augustin’s City of God and Christian Doctrine, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. J. F. Shaw, vol. 2, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1887), 538.

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In 2013 I set out to earn a second Master’s Degree. I had just completed a Master of Science in Organizational Psychology and was faced with an opportunity to earn a Masters Degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Knox Theological Seminary. The offer was too good to pass up and I love being a student so I embarked on a 2.5 year journey. Recently, I finished all course requirements and finished my degree. As I’ve been reflecting on my time in Seminary I’ve come to realize that much of what I learned and will take away with me are the intangibles. The following are five of the most important skills that Seminary taught me aside from the standard academic goals of proficiency and aptitude in the area of theological and biblical studies.

Pursuing Excellence in the Area of Time/Calendar Management:

Throughout my seminary journey I balanced a full time job at Faithlife which had me traveling over 100K miles a year around the world. I did my best to be a faithful husband and loving father to my three sons. I also attempted to be apart of the local church and serve to the best of my ability. Somewhere in that mix was serious study time for seminary which included lots of reading and writing. Oh, I also had to fit in fantasy football and watching and playing basketball! I’ve been constantly asked, “How do you manage it all”. I typically responded with, “It’s really just the way God wired me”. As I reflect on that season of my life I agree that God has definitely wired me in a way to enjoy balancing multiple projects, however; I think an overlooked skill that was forcibly developed was pursuing excellence in my time and calendar management. The most important part of this for me was redeeming possibly wasted time. For instance:

• Get all my reading and as much of my writing done during airplane rides instead of falling asleep (which sadly I did to often!).
• Create blocks of time that was dedicated to school, work, family, and fun/activities. I built this in my iCal and shared it with my wife so we had visibility in my schedule.
• Evaluate my calendar and how successful I had been the previous week – I learned quickly how much I could manage and had to make some difficult decisions in different seasons on things that I had to lay down in order to get my priorities done. For instance, I took a 4 month break on this blog to finish seminary strong and achieve the grade point average I needed to have a competitive application for a PhD program

Ultimately, this allowed me to finish my goals without having to many things slip. If they did slip, it would be taken care of in the evaluation of my previous week. Learning this has been vital and really has overflowed into every area of my life.

Think Critically about Literature and Scripture:

Until I got into Seminary I didn’t realize how much of my reading was on auto pilot. I took almost everything I read to be fact without really engaging and thinking critically about what was being said, why it was being said in that way, and if I even agreed with what was written. This showed up specifically in engaging with commentaries, modern surveys, and biographical research and study on influential people such as Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, and Augustine. It is easy to just assume what they have to say is correct because of the great platform they have in the development of theology and doctrine. However, I was forced to come to terms with parts of their writings I didn’t agree with or where they missed the point or were simply negligent in. This is not isolated just to writing but the life that was lived. For instance, for all the good that Edwards has done for the church the fact is he was also a slave owner. Some how in his study, this was a blind area of his life.

Thinking critically about literature and scripture caused my mind to work in ways that it hadn’t previously. I found my self asking different questions which led me to a deeper and better understanding of scripture and theology.

Funnel my Scholarly Pursuit Through the Lens of Ministry:

One of my honest fears of Seminary was that I would turn into a snobbish academic elitist with little time for ministry and people. I didn’t want to become a modern Pharisee who was so caught up in the details of the scripture that I missed the heart and mission of God. This fear actually served as a lens that I funneled my academic pursuits through. I made it a habit of asking the simple questions, “How and why would this relate to my church or the body of Christ?”. Crossing the bridge of application between the scholarly and ministry worlds is so important. I think its when we neglect this bridge that we lose our way. Again, I am greatly influenced by Augustine who spent 35 years as Bishop of Hippo preaching up to two times a day and still accomplished academic excellence. It took Augustine 16 years to write his influential work on the Trinity in his “spare time”! Possibly my favorite Augustine quote is:

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Better is it that scholars find fault with us, than that the people understand us not – #Augustine
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Being an Academic and Still Have a Relationship with Christ:

Another fear going into seminary was that my heart would turn cold towards God and that the scriptures would become a textbook filled with information that needed to be studied and researched. Again, this fear propelled me to engage with the Lord personally through seminary. I made a commitment to read books that were more devotional in nature and caused me to realign my heart with the creator of the universe. Dr. John Piper’s Desiring God was monumental for me in seasons where I felt myself slipping.

While this is a serious danger, especially as I consider further academic pursuits; I am encouraged that there are those out there that have also been down that road and are more in love with Christ than ever before as a result of their academic journey.

Being a Perpetual Student of the Word of God: There is no “Arriving”

Just because you graduate with a diploma and have the ability to add a few letters after your signature doesn’t mean you have “arrived”. Throughout my entire seminary process what became more and more evident is how little I am and how much there is to learn and grow in. This goes for both the academic and spiritual parts of our life. We will ever be servants of Christ and it bodes us well to position our selves in humility before the creator of the universe. That he reveals himself to us through his Word is evidence of his grace and love for the people whom He created. This sense of humility allows us to approach the scriptures with an eager mind and humble heart.

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Well the new year is here and everyone is jumping on the new resolution band wagon. Like most, I’ve been guilty of having some lofty resolutions only to find my self the following December realizing that I haven’t accomplished much of what I set out to do. However, if there is a resolution that you should keep, it’s to spend more time reading. The benefits are countless! Earlier I posted a quick review of the best books I read in 2015. 

Related: Best Books Of 2015

I wanted to give you my 2016 reading list. Some may wonder how I compiled this list? It’s actually really simple. I typically turn to people or other sites that I trust. I compile list based off of their recommendations. I also make sure to leave some breathing room for new books that set to release in 2016!

My Recommended Sites/Blogs:

• The Gospel Coalition
• Desiring God
• Derwin L Gray

After surveying what seems like hundreds of books, I landed on adding the following to my 2016 must read list.

Must Read Books For 2016

What Does The Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality, Kevin DeYoung – In a culture that that is seemingly getting more complex in regards to gender issues, I’m excited about taking a look at what Kevin DeYoung has to say from a gospel centered Biblical framework.

Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel, Russell D Moore – As Christians we need to engage culture. A seemingly significant challenge for many is keeping the Gospel central in our engagement with our culture.

The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings, Philip and Carol Zaleski – I’m a huge fan of both C.S Lewis and J.R Tolkien. One of the areas I hope to develop in 2016 is my writing, and there is nothing better than to study the lives of these literary giants!

The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming A Lost Vision, Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan – As I’ve gone through seminary I’ve been amazed at how so many of the theological giants in the past were both scholar and pastor!

Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism, Timothy Keller – This book covers two areas that are important to me. First, preaching and communication. Second, evangelism within our cultural context. When it comes to the topic of cultural context I think Tim Keller is a leading thought developer.

Doctrine of Repentance, Thomas Watson – This book was mentioned by Trevin Wax in an interview he did with the Gospel Coalition and peaked my interest. I enjoy puritan writing and am excited to jump into this one.

The Resurrection of the Son of God, N.T Wright – This has been on back log for some time and I think 2016 is the year to tackle this!

What’s on your 2016 list? Let me know by commenting on this post or on Twitter or my Facebook page!

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*(All opinions are my own. I make a commission off of the affiliate links, however I do not endorse products that I do not use myself or believe in)

The post My 2016 Reading List appeared first on Joel's Travels.

Each year I set out with a task to create and compile a reading list. While the term may be cliche, I really do believe that the best leaders are readers. Prior to seminary, my list was somewhat expansive. However, since starting seminary over a year ago, my reading requirements for school have taken a toll on my reading list. However, I have still been able to get around to some great books and would recommend the following.

Books That Should Make Your 2016 Reading List!

The Rise Of Theodore Roosevelt – Edmund Morris

I was out to dinner with the CEO of my company, Faithlife, and during our conversation he recommended The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Bob expressed how much he appreciated Teddy Roosevelt. A practice I’ve always had is to jump on any books recommended to me from my bosses, so I got this book on my Kindle and jumped into the life of Teddy Roosevelt. What I found was incredible. A child who was prone to sickness and suffered life threatening bought’s with sickness multiple times rises to become a historical pillar of the U.S in both political and military categories.

Doing Theology: Reformed Theology – Dr. Michael Allen

While I typically refrain from including Seminary books in my list, I had to include Dr. Michael Allen’s book on Reformed Theology. Dr. Allen masterfully takes Reformed theology and breaks it down into its most core and important aspects. Further, it is written in a way that will appeal to both the serious theology scholar and the brand new Christian. While I would align myself with the reformed tradition, I believe this would be a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about the reformed tradition even if they may not fall in that camp.

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently

A core function of my job is communication. Whether it is communicating in a small room teaching a workshop or in front of 5,000 people sharing how awesome and life changing Logos Bible Software is, I am communicating a specific message to a particular group of people. This book was recommended to me from my supervisor, and needless to say it has been a game changer. John Maxwell masterfully teaches us the basics and fundamental’s of not just communicating, but connecting. So, if you are a business or ministry leader, or have a desire to become one, this book is a must read.

The High-Definition Leader: Building Multiethnic Churches in a Multiethnic World – Derwin L. Gray

If you are a ministry leader, pastor, church planter, or someone who is dreaming about being a church planter, this book needs to jump to the beginning of your reading list. Derwin unpacks the biblical mandate to plant Multiethnic churches by taking us to the scriptures and showing us that this concept is not new. Rather, this multiethnic fusion has been the heart beat of God from the beginning and the Apostle Paul reflects this by planting multiethnic churches! In the midst of our current cultural climate with racial tension daily increasing, this book is incredibly timely and provides us with a framework of how to begin the process of racial reconciliation.

Evil and the Justice of God: N.T Wright

The thought of unpacking N.T Wright for my own personal reading apart from seminary initially was unthinkable. However, I realized that I needed to continue to unpack Wright’s literary works and this particular book was incredibly timely considering the long list of tragedies that have been taking place in our world. As a Christian I believe in the sovereignty of God and also know that after Genesis 3 sin destroyed our relationship with God and infected us with a desire to destroy and pursue our own selfish desires. Needless to say, the impact of sin on our society and the public has caused many to question the faithfulness of God and also how a good God can allow evil to take place in our world. Wright lays out a theological foundation that will help us to engage with this topic and starts by helping us understand the character and nature of God which includes His Justice and how it interacts with evil.

I hope some of these books make your 2016 reading list. I’ll be posting my 2016 reading list over the next week. What books are on your list? Let me know in the comments section on this post, twitter, or Facebook!

And don’t forget, the best leaders are readers!

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*(All opinions are my own. I make a commission off of the affiliate links, however I do not endorse products that I do not use myself or believe in)

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There is nothing better than the remembrance of the goodness of God and seeing how it produces fruit in our lives. I’m excited to also share a link to the entire sermon that I preached that sparked this series as we wrap it up with this post.

First, if you haven’t, take a minute and get caught up on the first two parts of the series. Also, make sure you sign up to the email list so you can get posts delivered right to your inbox.

1. Theology of Remembrance Part 1 – Our remembrance of the goodness of God stirs our affections for Jesus
2. Theology of Remembrance Part 2 – Our remembrance produces a grateful heart

Human Motivation and Action

We have a tendency to take things into our own hands. I grew up in Chicago during the days of the legendary Michael Jordan. Without fail, in the last few minutes of any game when the Bulls were down there was not even a doubt who the primary ball handler would be. Who was going to take the final shot? Of course, it was going to be MJ. I’ve listened to numerous interviews of Michael Jordan describing his thought process during these moments. It was simple, he wanted the ball and was determined to take things into his own hands to win the game.

This motivation is present in all of us, however, we begin to think that we are in fact God. We believe that when chaos in our lives occur that the best chance we have is to take things into our own hands. If we were to take an honest look at our selves we would find that we are truly not capable. It would be impossible and this creates a serious frustration. Further, we try to respond from our finite knowledge and experiences. As believers, we have a better option. We can turn to Christ and allow the Gospel to inform our decisions and actions.

God Remains Faithful In Spite Of Our Circumstances:

Why should we turn to Christ? Because he is not shaken by our circumstances. God is not surprised or taken back by the situation are your in today. Rather, as we see in Romans 8: 28-30 God is continually working things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. What an incredible truth to know that God is for us and with us! I think its important to note that this does not mean we will not go through trials, tragedy, and seasons of sorrow and lament. What we do know is that in these seasons we can trust and count on God being with us through every moment. This reality became so true to us as we experienced the goodness and comfort of God as my 9 month old son went through hospitalization and tests after he had a complex febrile seizure.

Today we can rest and rejoice in this truth. That God does not leave us regardless of our sin, failure, and unfaithfulness. Rather, he stays with us and remains faithful.

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You can listen to my sermon on Genesis 35 here

The post Genesis 35: A Theology Of Remembrance Pt. 3 appeared first on Joel's Travels.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and the blitz for family time, food, and travel is well underway and we are all in need of more grace! It always amazes me that in a season where we are asked to remember what we are thankful for, we end up being the most critical people who are unable to show grace. When I write these words I am speaking about myself first.

I realized over the last week leading up to thanksgiving that all the preparation and trying to get caught up with work so I can enjoy time with family has caused me to be short and sometimes plain mean to my family, I think the dog gets the worst of it! The journey of giving and extending grace can sometimes be long and complicated, filled with unexpected turns and challenges.

A Reflection Of The Condition Of Our Heart

Then it hit me. The extent of how gracious I am is a deep reflection of the condition of my heart. My critical nature, being short, and angry were all symptoms of a heart that really was not thankful. In many ways a thankful heart produces a gracious person. I think the Apostle Paul’s words are helpful to in this regard (Col 4:6)

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person*”

Really, being a gracious person is not an option for the Christian. As we understand and remind ourselves of how God rescued and delivered us our natural response should be to extend grace to others. Sadly, in times of stress we so easily run hard after achieving our goals that we neglect to rest in the grace of God.

How Do We Extend Grace?

Some of us feel a sense of defeat when it comes to extending grace. We may feel that we are just critical people. We are flawed and there is no hope, rather we just have to deal with the affects. However, this is true for all of us. We are all hopeless and not capable of extending grace and being a people filled with grace apart from Christ. I appreciate how Charles Spurgeon comments on this topic of being a grace filled people.

“you may have some grace in your heart, but it is dropped there like small rain from heaven, you have not got it “poured” there; you may be ever so full of grace, but Christ is more full than you are; and when you are ever so reduced in grace, it is a consolation that with him is plenteous grace, plenty that knows no lack, for grace is poured into his lips” – C. H. Spurgeon*

Spurgeon

While we may have some grace in our hearts, we have to recognize that it is nothing compared to the fully sufficient grace that is found in Christ. The real challenge happens when we try to extend and be a people of grace based on our own means or ability. Even our ability to extend grace is fully reliant on Christ who is full; even overflowing, with grace. Therefore, lets find our hope, rest, and sufficiency in Him.

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C. H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 54 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1908), 98.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Col 4:6.

The post The Journey Of Grace appeared first on Joel's Travels.

As some of you know I’m in seminary. Seminary has been an incredible opportunity to get stretched in my understanding of theology, church history, and ministry methodology. I’ve had a lot of conversations with people who wish they had the opportunity to go through seminary but it just is not a reality for them in the season of life they are in. In response to this I thought each week I would do a post called “Seminary 101”. Essentially, this will be post that covers a specific topic that I am studying in seminary for that week.

The Reformation and the Church

Currently, I am taking Church History 2 from Dr. Gerald Bray. We have been discussing the nature of the church in light of its social and political climate during the time of the reformation. The very nature of the church during the time of Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, Calvin, and the reformers was both scrutinized and being evaluated. It seems very clear that the reformers believed that the church had lost its way as time went on and therefore was in desperate need of reform. Wycliffe questioned the extravagant wealth of the church and priests. Wycliffe believed that the Bible should be accessible to everyone and therefore should be translated[1]. The church in response to Wycliffe’s outspoken beliefs responded by decreeing that no one was allowed to translate the Bible.

Internal and External Challenges

As these “internal” challenges were taking place, there was also growing dispute between the church and state. The secular government became increasingly reluctant to send troops to Palestine for the crusades, which brought upon unrest. These issues expanded even to the area of taxation as the Pope in 1298 AD decreed that the church could not be taxed on its properties, which the King of France took objection to. Eventually, after the Pope died, the King of France won; regardless, this caused further unrest and tension between the church and secular rulers. [1]

Luther and the Reformation

Roughly 100 years after Wycliffe enters a man named Martin Luther. Luther, continued the effort to see the church fall in line with the actual teaching of the scriptures. Luther was incredibly distraught over the practice of the church to take indulgences (priests taking payments in exchange for the forgiveness of sins and extended grace) and boldly spoke out against such practices. These practices made the church rich while clearly teaching a false gospel of works and not grace, which Luther despised.

All of these challenges and conversations spurred on the reformation and caused an environment for leaders within the reformation to stand up and speak out over errors within the church in regards to the interpretation of scripture, practice and ministry methodology, and the desire for growth in the area of political power. It is also important to note that Luther did not necessarily desire a revolution and separation from the church, rather a reconciliation and reform of the church to reflect what the scriptures actually taught.

How Does This Apply Today?

It’s important to look at the past to identify areas where we are prone to commit the same mistakes. Much of sin is repackaged in creative new forms throughout centuries. As we identify these areas and address them with the truth and light of the Gospel we are able to continue to reflect Christ. As we look to our practices in church it would be wise to consider if we are pursuing leadership and authority or diligently pursuing the advancement of the Gospel. Just as Wycliffe and Luther had a desire to see the church reform, we should also have that desire. We must have a desire to see an ongoing reformation that causes us to continually turn to the scriptures to ensure that our actions and practices are reflective of the Gospel.

Further Study:

If you would like to jump into some further reading and study about church history and the reformation I would highly recommend the Logos Bible Software Mobile Ed Course by Dr. Gerald Bray. At the time of this post being written, it is currently still available for pre-order. 

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[1]  lesson 5, Church History 2.  Dr. Gerald Bray.  Knox Theological Seminary.  Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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In the midst of tragedy, the faithfulness of God can be incredibly difficult to believe in. Through chaos often times we find ourselves distrusting the goodness of God which results in humanity trying to take matters in their own hands. Simeon and Levi are guilty of this in Genesis 34. Further, Jacob is seemingly silent and unaware of what is taking place in his own household. As he realizes what has happened and the implications that this will bring onto his family, he finds himself in great need once again of great rescue. Then, “God speaks”. God leads Jacob out of his tragedy and shows his faithfulness in spite of Jacobs faithlessness.

Our Remembrance Reaffirms The Truth That We Are Wholly Reliant On God For All Our Needs:

Remembering how God has rescued us gives us a sense of balance and places us in a position where we are not focusing on our works, ability, or self mean, but reaffirms the truth that we are wholly reliant on God for all our needs. In the same way that Jacob is reminded that his needs were and will continue to be met by God, we can also rest in this truth. It is incredibly easy for us to be distracted with what is around us. We can begin to place our trust and hope in our own means and abilities. Therefore, this principle of remembrance is formalized for the believer. Christ gave us the command to remember him as we take communion. As we partake in the wine we are to remember the blood that Christ spilled for his covenant people. As we eat the bread we are to remember the body of Christ that was beaten and broken.

Our Remembrance Produces A Grateful Heart:

This remembrance causes us first, to be grateful to this great God who became man, conquered sin and death, and reconciled the covenant people of God back to himself. Second, it causes the covenant community to rest in the sufficiency of Christ. We are reminded that once again, left to our own means we were aliens and enemies of God (Eph 2) destroying not only ourselves but also those closest to us. What a great reminder of the goodness of God to send his Son and restore His people. The result of is a tremendous relief. We no longer have the burden to produce or perform. We are no longer slaves to the law and feel the defeat of the chains and bondage that we place on ourselves. Rather we respond from a grateful heart as a people who have been reconciled and restored. We live in the truth of the Gospel which free’s us to love people just and Christ loved us. We can now look at others and see them as Christ see’s them. What an incredible blessing to live, move, and breath in light of our recollecting the saving grace of God.

Some of us are in bondage. We are putting ourselves under the bondage and chains of the law. We are motivated from fear or expectation rather than a Gospel reality of grace. We need now more than ever to remember that we will never be able to satisfy ourselves or achieve our hearts desires through our own means. We need to remember the Gospel and live in light of Gods free and unmerited grace.

Catch Up On Posts From The Series!

Theology of Remembrance Pt. 1 – “Our remembrance of the goodness of God stirs up our affections for Jesus”

The post Genesis 35: A Theology Of Remembrance Pt. 2 appeared first on Joel's Travels.

Recently, a friend of mine asked me to preach for him as he was out of the country. Their church has been going through the entire book of Genesis, so I was asked to pick up in Genesis 35. Throughout my research, study, and preparation I was encouraged in so many ways. The most important thing that stuck out to me was the importance of remembrance in the life of the believer. Genesis 35 helps us to develop this theology of remembrance which has such great implications for us today. I’ll break this up into three part’s which reflect my sermon.

Our Remembrance Of The Goodness Of God Stirs Our Affections for Jesus

Our Remembrance Of The Goodness Of God Stirs Our Affections for Jesus
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Within Genesis 35 we find Jacob commemorating special conversations with God through the building of pillars and making offerings. The question some may have, is why did Jacob build these pillars? The reason being that remembrance causes us to grow in our affections for God. It is good for us to consider where we came from and what God has delivered us from (Col 1:13). For instance, the New American Commentary states, “The recurring motif of divine guidance appears in the patriarch’s speech to his family: “[God] has been with me wherever I have gone” ”. Therefore, Jacob’s recollection of the goodness of God causes him to remember the promises of God. Jacob is also caused to deal with the reality that God has never been far from him but continues to go with him wherever he journeys.

Further, we see how God causes Jacob to step into a place of remembrance. John Calvin notes, “God chooses and assigns Bethel, rather than any other place, for his [Jacob’s] sanctuary; because the very sight of it would greatly avail to take away terror, when he would remember that there the glory of the Lord had been seen by him ”. This divine direction places Jacob in a situation where he can rely on the both the goodness and promise of God. Jacob is able to trust God not only for his own life, but also for the life of his family.

By remembering the past, Jacob is ready to the face the trials of the future.

Similarly, Charles Spurgeon affirms the importance of remembrance as he states, “A revival of old memories is often most useful to us, especially to revive the memory of our conversion. ”. Spurgeon is expressing how important a recollection of who and what we were apart from God serves as a helpful and needed practice to continually remind of our great need for God. In the same way that Jacob is faced with the reality of how God had delivered him from his turmoil and tragedy when he ventured to Bethel, when we recollect our own conversion experience we can rest in the goodness of God. Our practice of remembrance encourages us to rest safe and secure in the sufficiency of God in the midst of trials we may face in the future.

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611. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 611.

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ge 35:11.

C. H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 24 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1878), 52.

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It’s taken me some time to process what was taking place in my mind but I realized I began to pray Psalm 46 earnestly to the Lord in those moments and I continued to pray it over the next 48 hours of testing, confusion, anger, and anticipation. Why Psalm 46? Actually, its because it was the first Psalm that was released as a pre-release in song form from my friends Shane and Shane. I’ve been listening to this song easily over 50 times simply because I loved their arrangement of this powerful Psalm. Little did I know that God in his sovereignty began to prepare my heart days before this scary moment as I watched my son not only go through the seizure but watch as he was subjected to multiple tests.

So, I thought I would share my prayer and how Psalm 46 encouraged me in my time of need.

Praying Psalm 46:

God, you are my refuge and strength, in the midst of my fears you are present. God I know that even if the earth falls apart or the mountains fall into roaring waters and disappear, you are near to me, and never leave. In spite of what is going on with Lucas, you are my ever present help and I will continue to praise you for who you are.

I can’t begin to imagine the city of God, where the Most High dwells. Even in the midst of mourning and tragedy, and turmoil, God you help me. I take strength in knowing that the God of all the heavenly hosts is with me. God, you are with me. You don’t leave me. In my stillness, in my fear, in my uncertainty, and doubt, I know you are God. Thank you Lord of hosts for being with me and comforting me, and being my fortress. Selah.

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I am absolutely blown away by the faithfulness of God. At a lot of conferences where I present Logos Bible Software I share the following quote from Charles Spurgeon:

“He whose own heart was broken knows how to cure broken hearts – Charles Spurgeon”
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I always follow up this quote by stating how incredible it is to know that God uses our own brokenness as a means of grace to minister to and encourage those who are broken, anxious, in despair, and confused. I realize today, more than ever, how true that is. This experience has caused me to draw closer to the living, breathing, majestic God who satisfies all of our desires, and meets us in the midst of both joy and despair.

I can’t help but consider that some of you reading this post have gone through seasons of tragedy, turmoil, and sorrow. I pray that you would be encouraged by our great God who is the Lord of Host’s, and is never far from us but is near to us. I know that he has been near to me.

I’ll leave you with Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

²  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

³  though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

⁴  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy habitation of the Most High.

⁵  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

God will help her when morning dawns.

⁶  The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

he utters his voice, the earth melts.

⁷  The Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

⁸  Come, behold the works of the Lord,

how he has brought desolations on the earth.

⁹  He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the chariots with fire.

¹⁰  “Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”

¹¹  The Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah*

I also hope you will be encouraged by  Shane and Shane as they sing this powerful Psalm.

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*C. H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 57 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1911), 77.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 46:1–11.

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