Buried in the obscurity of the OT Minor Prophets lies this gem.  Thank God that our salvation originates with Him!

God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation
by Andreas Kostenberger and David W. Jones

Galatians – Reformed Expository Commentary
by Phillip Graham Ryken

God, Marriage, and Family is a must read.  Kostenberger and Jones handle the subjects with great scholarly care, yet they temper their writings with a gentle pastoral hand.  Very easy to read and a great encouragement for the Christian of what marriage and family ought to be based upon the Scriptures.

Phillip Ryken’s commentary is a great commentary for the book of Galatians.  It flows in the vein of expositional commentaries and makes a great compliment for the person working through this book in their devotional time.  Easy to read, yet in depth and very helpful.  Ligonier Ministries rated this commentary in the #1 spot in their best commentaries blog series.  I highly recommend.

• Man was created first, Woman was created second.  Paul sees purpose in God’s chronological ordering of man first, woman second.

  And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed (Gen 2:8).

  Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man (Gen 2:18, 22).

  I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.  For Adam was formed first, then Eve (1 Timothy 2:12-13).

• The woman was made for man.  Paul see purpose in God specifically making woman to help man, not the other way around.

  Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”  The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him (Gen 2:18, 20).

  Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man (1 Cor 11:9).

• The woman was made from man.  Paul sees purpose in God specifically creating woman from the man’s side.

  And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man (Gen 2:22)

  For man was not made from woman, but woman from man (1 Cor 11:8).

• Man received the divine command.

  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen 2:16-17).

• Man was presented with the woman.

  The rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man (Gen 2:22).

• Man named the woman with a name derived from his own.

  Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Gen 2:23).

  The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living (Gen 3:20).

Both the man and the woman are to rule as God’s representatives on earth (Gen 1:28), but they are to do so by acting out different roles.  The man works out this representative rule by being “in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15).  The woman works out this representative rule by being “a helper fit for him” (Gen 2:18).  Both are equal in their God ordained task, yet distinct in their roles of how to fulfill this God ordained task.

* Kostenberger, Andreas J., David W. Jones, God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010.

“For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth–the Lord your God has chosen you to be His own special treasure!” Deuteronomy 7:6 

God highly prizes His people. Yes, it is impossible to say how highly He prizes them. Those are wondrous words, “For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own special treasure!” Psalm 135:4

Did the shepherd prize his flock? God calls His people, “His flock, His beautiful flock.”

Does the miser prize his wealth? God says of His people, “You shall be a special treasure unto Me above all people; for all the earth is mine.”

Does the prince prize his jewels? God says of His people, “They shall be Mine, in that day when I make up My jewels!” 

Does the bridegroom prize his beloved and dearly purchased bride? It is written, “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride–so shall your God rejoice over you!”

Does the reigning monarch prize his crown? God has said, “You shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”

What wondrous love, such expressions as these represent! How precious must the Lord’s people be to Him! Truly they are His special treasure!

God CHOSE them to be special unto Himself. He chose them out from among others. He chose them in preference to others.

He chose them out from others, on purpose that they may be a special people unto Himself. And in so doing, He acted FREELY. It was not on account of anything He saw in them, or on account of anything He expected from them; but in the exercise of His most free and holy sovereignty–He chose them to participate in the glory of His Son!

In choosing them, He acted also DELIBERATELY. It was no hasty choice. His thoughts had been eternally filled with them. His heart had been eternally set upon them. Therefore He chose them in Christ before the foundation of the world!

In choosing them, He acted WISELY–as He really desired to have them. For each one of them is ready to confess that if God had not chosen them–that they would never have chosen Him! The nature regulates the choice; and as our nature is carnal and impure–we would never have chosen God, who is spiritual and holy.

His choice was just an early expression of His LOVE. The love which chose them–would do anything for them, and give anything to them! Therefore God spared not His own Son–but delivered Him up for them all; and in so doing, gave them the assurance that He will also freely give them all things in Christ.

O the wonders couched in electing love!

This act of choosing such creatures as we are, to be a special people unto Himself, displays . . .
such grace,
such condescension,
such infinite wisdom and love!

God’s election says, “The Lord loves you!” Loves us! Yes, and with a love that is eternal, immutable, sovereign, infinite, and free! All the love of God is lavished upon us as His special people in Christ. Oh, those wondrous words of Jesus, “You have loved them–even as You have loved Me!” John 17:23

“Redeeming the time.” Colossians 4:5

“That you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way.” Colossians 1:10

Thief 1. One of the greatest time-wasting sins, consists of idleness or sloth.

Thief 2. The next thief or time-waster, is excess of sleep.

Thief 3. Another time-waster, is an inordinate adorning of the body.

Thief 4. Another time-wasting thief, is unnecessary pomp and extravagance in household furniture and domestic entertainments.

Thief 5. Another time-wasting sin, is needless feastings, gluttony, and drinking.

Thief 6. Another time-waster, is idle talk.

Thief 7. Another thief which would steal your time, is vain and sinful company.

Thief 8. Another notorious time-wasting thief, is needless, inordinate sports and games–which are masked with the deceitful title of recreations.

Thief 9. Another time-wasting thief, is excess of worldly cares and business.

Thief 10. Another time-waster, is vain, ungoverned and sinful thoughts.

Thief 11. Another dangerous time-wasting sin, is the reading of worthless books, plays, romances, and novels. And alsounprofitable studies, undertaken but for pride and vain-glory, or the pleasing of a carnal or curious mind.

Thief 12. But the master-thief that robs men of their time, is an unsanctified, ungodly heart; for this loses time, whatever men are doing–because they never intend to do anything for the glory of God.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do–do it all for the glory of God!” 1 Corinthians 10:31

and she also got me $25 gift certificate to the Book Nook.  Here are the books that I threw down on.  As always, if you want a good website to buy from just click the pic and follow the link.

The Doctrine of the Word of God by John Frame

All Things For Good by Thomas Watson

Your Mind Matters by John Stott

A Praying Life by Paul Miller

The final live broadcast of The Albert Mohler Program will be July 2, R. Albert Mohler Jr. announced at the end of his radio show June 21, as he prioritizes other ministry responsibilities and “a different media platform.”

In an official letter explaining his plans, Mohler expressed gratitude to his listeners, Salem Communications and others who have had a hand in the radio program. Ed Atsinger and Stu Epperson, the founders of the Salem Radio Network and Salem Communications, were among those Mohler thanked for “believing in this program and for building a great Christian radio network that is not afraid to take on the issues and offer conviction.”

“I have had the privilege of talking to people all over the world each weekday through the medium of radio,” wrote Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. “I believe we have indeed developed a model that lived up to our promise of ‘intelligent Christian conversation about the issues that matter.’ I have been energized every single day by the experience of sitting behind that microphone and talking to people across the nation and around the world.”

Mohler cited the continually shifting medium of radio, ministry responsibilities at Southern Seminary and other media opportunities as reasons for the ending of the live radio show. While the radio program is broadcast on over 100 stations in the United States, Mohler noted that taking the program to the next level would likely involve an expansion to a three-hour daily broadcast. “This is just not a practical possibility,” Mohler explained, “given my other responsibilities.”

In coming days, Mohler said more announcements will be made about the new shape of his media plans. One component will be a recorded interview and discussion based program without callers. Mohler will also continue to do national broadcast commentary for Salem Communications.

Mohler expressed a measure of regret over the decision to end the live program that he knows had to be made.

“There is a sense of sadness in leaving this stage of ministry and media for another,” he wrote. “I need to be most available — at my best — for those who mean the most to me, to Southern Seminary, and to the advance of Christ’s Kingdom.”
Mohler, who also serves as Joseph Emerson Brown Professor of Theology at Southern, noted that removing the constraints of a radio schedule will allow him to be more present in areas of life and ministry.

“I need to be more present on the mission fields of the world, more present with our students and faculty and more present with friends of the Seminary.”

I received this book as an attendee of the 2010 Together for the Gospel conference and as soon as I got it I wanted to read it to see what Packer had to say.  If anyone has been around evangelical circles for any amount of time one will usually hear this argument against the doctrines of grace, “If God is sovereign in man’s salvation, then this negates the need for evangelism.  If God already knows who is saved then why do I need to evangelize?”  Packer seeks to dispel this faulty argument with this book by arguing that the sovereignty of God doesn’t negate evangelism, on the contrary, the sovereignty of God in salvation is the backbone of evangelism.

Packer gives the purpose of his book as thus, “It is a piece of biblical and theological reasoning, designed to clarify the relationship between three realities: God’s sovereignty, man’s responsibility and the Christian’s evangelistic duty.  The last of these is its proper subject: divine sovereignty and human responsibility are discussed only so far as they bear on evangelism.  The aim of the discourse is to dispel the suspicion…that faith in the absolute sovereignty of God inders a full recognition and acceptance of evangelistic responsibility, and to show that on the contrary, only this faith can give Christians the strength that they need to fulfill their evangelistic task.”

The book is split into four chapters: Chapter 1 – Divine Sovereignty; Chapter 2 – Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility; Chapter 3 – Evangelism; Chapter 4 – Divine Sovereignty and Evangelism.

Packer spends little time on the contents of Chapter 1.  He states that we are all believers in the sovereignty of God because of the way we pray.  He also states that we are all believers in the sovereignty of God in salvation because of the way we give thanks to God for our conversion, and because we pray for the conversion of others.  If there could be one negative to the whole book it might be this; this is all the argument that Packer gives for Divine Sovereignty.  But this isn’t unexpected as can be seen in his purpose statement.  If you want a more thorough treatment of divine sovereignty I would recommend A. W. Pink’s book The Sovereignty of God.

In terms of volume Chapter 3 is the meat and potatoes of the book.  Packer gives a great argument for the necessity and oughtness of evangelism by giving a thorough examination of four questions: What is evangelism? What is the evangelistic message? What is the motive for evangelizing? By what means and methods should evangelism be practiced?

For me Chapter 4 was what I was looking for Packer to answer.  At the beginning of the chapter he sums up what he has written so far and then gets to two propositions.  Packer says the biblical answer to how Divine Sovereignty and Evangelism work together may be stated in two propositions:  1.) The sovereignty of God in grace does not affect anything that we have said about the nature and duty of evangelism.  2.) The sovereignty of God in grace gives us our only hope of success in evangelism.  It is here Packer takes all that he has uncovered and shown from scripture and weaves them together.  I found this chapter to be the most helpful of all.

I recommend adding this book to your family library.  You can follow the link above to find a good price on the book.  Buy the book, you won’t be disappointed.

In these two sermons he looks at Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

His preaching on this matter is encouraging and piercing all at the same time.  You will definitely find yourself thanking God for the encouragement to stay the right course in your child rearing, and you will find yourself thanking God for the correction to your child rearing that will come from his teaching.

Take time and listen, you will not be disappointed.

Teach Your Children Well, Part 1
Teach Your Children Well, Part 2