Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Samuel Davies - The Annals of Hell, or the Biography of Devils

A Treasury of Ageless,
Sovereign Grace,
Devotional Writings http://www.gracegems.org/

Matthew 12:36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Davies, Samuel (1723-1761), fourth president of Princeton, was born in New Castle County, Delaware. His parents could not afford to send him to college but were determined that he should be trained for the ministry. He studied in Samuel Blair's famous school at Fagg's Manor, Chester County, Pennsylvania, was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New Castle when he was twenty-two, and was ordained as an evangelist to Virginia a year later.

In Anglican Virginia, where dissenters were subjected to constant vexations, he built up a strong Presbyterian membership and became the advocate and defender of their civil rights and religious liberties. He conducted services in seven houses of worship dispersed through five counties, riding horseback through fields and forests to minister to his scattered congregations. A sufferer from tuberculosis, ``he preached in the day and had his hectic fever by night,'' but was nevertheless ``resolved that while life and sufficient strength remained, he would devote himself earnestly to the work of preaching the gospel.'' As a principal founder and first moderator of the Presbytery of Hanover, which comprised all the Presbyterian ministers in Virginia and North Carolina, he was considered ``the animating soul of the whole dissenting interests in these two colonies.''

In 1758 Davies was elected to succeed Jonathan Edwards as president of the College, but declined election, partly because of a reluctance to quit his pastoral work in Virginia, partly because he knew that while a majority of the trustees had voted for his election, a minority shared his own belief that Samuel Finley, a member of the Board, was better qualified for the office. The trustees subsequently reelected Davies and persuaded him to accept. He took up his duties on July 26, 1759. Eighteen months later, on February 4, 1761, he died of pneumonia, in his thirty-eighth year, a few weeks after having been bled for ``a bad cold.''

During his brief tenure Davies raised the standards for admission and for the bachelor's degree, instituted monthly orations by members of the senior class (an important part of undergraduate education at Princeton for more than a century), composed odes to peace and to science which were sung at Commencement and drew up a catalogue of the 1,281 volumes in the college library ``to give Information to such who are watching for Opportunities of doing good; and to afford particular Benefactors the Pleasure of seeing how many others have concurred with them in their favourite Charity.''

Davies left his mark as scholar and patriot on his students, particularly the eleven members of the Class of 1760 whom he taught as seniors. ``Whatever be your Place,'' he told them in his baccalaureate address, ``imbibe and cherish a public spirit. Serve your generation.'' This they did. Among the eleven were a member of the Continental Congress, chaplains in the Continental Army, judges in Maine and Pennsylvania, the founder of a college in North Carolina, a member of the United States House of Representatives, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Davies was long remembered as one of the great pulpit orators of his generation. Patrick Henry, who as a boy had frequently heard him preach, acknowledged Davies's influence on his own oratory. Davies's sermons went through four editions in the United States and nine editions in England, and for more than fifty years after his death were among the most widely read of any in the English language.

At Princeton, Davies was loved and respected; as one trustee wrote another, ``There never was a college happier in a president.''

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

What Is the "God" Particle?



On July 27th & 28th, 2012, an On Guard Christian Apologetics conference was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma by the Reasonable Faith Tulsa chapter (http://reasonablefaithtulsa.org/). The conference was named after Dr. William Lane Craig's new training manual in Christian apologetics entitled, On Guard (http://www.reasonablefaith.org/on-guard-book), and featured Dr. Craig, and other first rate Christian scholars. At the conference, the speakers gathered on stage to engage in a question and answer panel with the audience. In this clip, Dr Craig answers a question about the Higgs Boson "God" Particle.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Can God's Existence be Demonstrated? (William Lane Craig)

Robert Lawrence Kuhn (host of PBS' "Closer to Truth") asks philosopher and theologian William Lane Craig about whether God's existence can be demonstrated or not. Questions explored: Can you demonstrate God's existence mathematically? Does an argument have to convince everybody in order for it to be valid? What are some of the best arguments for God's existence? What is the Cosmological Argument? What is Leibniz's argument for God's existence? Does the contingency argument depend on a universe having a beginning? What is the Teleological Argument? What is meant by Fine-Tuning and Intelligent Design? Can the universe be "designed" by chance? What is the moral argument for God? Is the moral argument just an assumption? What is the difference between an assumption and intuition? Do all cultures really have different morals? What is meant by "objective morality"? How does Jesus' resurrection demonstrate God's existence? What are some of the evidences of Jesus' death that the majority of historical scholars agree with? What is the ontological argument? What is meant by necessary existence? What is meant by possible worlds? Are religious experiences philosophically valid? Does everything must have evidence (and arguments) prior to acceptance? Can you disprove with arguments and evidences that you are nothing more than a brain in a vat? Can you disprove with arguments and evidences that you were just made five minutes ago with built-in memories that gave you the illusion of being made longer than that? What is meant by a properly basic belief? How are they not arbitrary? What is a "defeater"? Is there an absolute psychological profile for religious people? Is God just a Freudian projection? What is something that is self-authenticating?

Friday, October 19, 2012

What are some of the ancient heresies about Jesus Christ that we should know?-Timothy Paul Jones

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href="http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0JE2EJNU">Christianity.com: What are some of the ancient heresies about Jesus Christ that we should know?-Timothy Paul Jones from christianitydotcom2http://www.godtube.com/christianitydotcom2">christianitydotcom2
> on GodTube.http://www.godtube.com/">GodTube.>

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Beyond the Bible, what historical proofs do we have about the life of Jesus?-Timothy Paul Jones

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href="http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0JE2EFNU">Christianity.com: Beyond the Bible, what historical proofs do we have about the life of Jesus?-Timothy Paul Jones from christianitydotcom2http://www.godtube.com/christianitydotcom2">christianitydotcom2
> on GodTube.http://www.godtube.com/">GodTube.>

Thursday, October 11, 2012

How do you respond to the person who says my God is a God of love? - Sam Waldron -

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href="http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WDWZW7NX">Christianity.com: How do you respond to the person who says my God is a God of love? - Sam Waldron from christianitydotcom2http://www.godtube.com/christianitydotcom2">christianitydotcom2
> on GodTube.http://www.godtube.com/">GodTube.>

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Friday, October 05, 2012

Marriage, Divorce, and Singleness (1 Corinthians 7:1-40) John MacArthur

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/80-359

Open your Bible to 1 Corinthians chapter 7 and we're going to do something that I don't do very often, we're going to cover 40 verses tonight. So you're going to have to stay with us on this and this is going to be a very, very rich experience.

We have looked the last two Sunday mornings at Mark chapter 10 at our Lord's teaching on the subject of marriage and divorce. And we now come to the Apostle Paul who helps us with some of the implications of what our Lord taught. And actually, he even expands on what our Lord taught and let me show you something of the essence of this by pointing out a few verses in chapter 7....

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Dating, Courtship, and Marriage - Paul Washer

Paul Washer talks about relationships and what a biblical marriage is all about.

http://hcmissions.com

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Marriage and Women

This section of scripture is exceedingly controversial. Peter discusses the role of women in marriage and their relationship to their own husbands. This is a must see sermon for all married couples, and will help unmarried people arrange their lives in a way that will prepare them for a godly marriage.

TEXT: *1 Peter 3:1 6
PREACHER: *Pastor Mark Driscoll
DATE: March 15, 2009
h3. Introduction
Three general categories that describe many marriages:
1) Non-Christian Feminism
No distinction between the roles of husband and wife. They live parallel lives, legally married but functionally single.
2) Christian Egalitarianism
No distinction between the roles of husband and wife. They also live parallel lives, but often share some unifying, ephemeral elements (e.g. kids, hobbies, church).
3) Christian Complementarianism
Husband and wife fulfill distinct and equal roles. They live as one together under Gods authority with unified purpose.
h3. Wives are to follow their husbands leadership
Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Jesus loves the Church (Eph. 5:25); Jesus died for the Church. Jesus example guards against chauvinism and other abuses of the principle of submission.
Ways a husband can handle disagreements with his wife: Pray and discuss with your wife. Be patient. Wait for her to come around.
Appeal to a higher authority (pastor/counselor).
If the matter is pressing and/or a decision cannot be reached, the husband must decide. His wife should submit to the decision.
h3. Wives are to preach wordless sermons
Those who have unbelieving husbands should not nag or be preachy, but rather love, serve, and respect their husbands, praying that God would use these actions to soften the husbands heart.
h3. Wives are to cultivate true beauty
There is nothing wrong with outward beauty, but it is fleeting and deceptive (Prov. 31:30). Holiness is true beauty. Godly wives have a quiet and gentle spirit; they are not silent, but prudent (knowing when and where to speak).
h3. Wives should seek to know exemplary women
Peter gives Sarah as an example, and the Bible is clear that she is flawed. She is exemplary for her honesty and repentance, not because she is perfect; she ultimately did submit to God and to her husband.
h3. Wives should fight fear
Fear (what if it doesnt work out? what if Im unhappy? what if my husband makes a bad decision?) makes life miserable and should be fought against by faith.
h3. Submission Does Not Mean:
A husband is in ultimate authority.
A wife does not have independent thoughts.
A wife does not seek to influence her husband.
A wife must obey her husbands command to sin.
A wife is less intelligent or competent than her husband.
h3. Submission Does Mean:
A husband and wife are equal with complementary roles.
Wives are to submit like Jesus did in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42).
Husbands are to lovingly lead like Jesus does the Church (Eph. 5:25).
A single woman should only marry a man she can follow.
Christian marriage shows the Trinity and the gospel.
h3. Book Recommendations:
The Feminine Appeal, by Carolyn Mahaney
Marriage to a Difficult Man, by Elisabeth D. Dodds
Mrs. C.H. Spurgeon, by Charles Ray
When People are Big and God is Small, by Edward T. Welch
Calm My Anxious Heart, by Linda Dillow

This clip is taken from the sermon "Trial: Marriage and Women ," preached by Pastor Mark Driscoll at the Mars Hill Church Ballard campus in Seattle, Washington, on March 15, 2009. It is the 9th sermon in our sermon series, "Trial: 8 Witnesses from 1 & 2 Peter."

To watch the full sermon, visit: http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/trial/marriage-and-women

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Marriage and Men

Jesus is the only perfect man to ever live. Because most men fail to look to Him as our example, there exists 2 extremes in men: chauvinism and cowardice. Pastor Mark Driscoll preaches to men about being real men who love God and serve their family well in this sermon from Trial.

After addressing women last week, this week Pastor Mark preached specifically to men.
1.Your father: Adam (Genesis 1 3)
Marriage is a covenant (Prov. 2:16; Mal. 2:14).
Men are the covenant head, responsible for their wife and family (Gen. 2:18; 5:2; 1 Cor. 11:2 16, 14:33 34; Eph. 5:21 33; Col. 3:18; Titus 2:3 5; 1 Pet. 3:1).
Adam and Eve both sinned, both are at fault, and both are cursed, but God held Adam responsible (Gen. 3:9).
Marriage is cursed (Gen. 3:16). Work is cursed (Gen. 3:17 19). Jesus is the only hope (Gen. 3:15).
2.Your Manhood
Like Adam, the sins of men fall into two general categories: sins of commission (doing what youre not supposed to do) and sins of omission (not doing what youre supposed to do). This leads chauvinistic or cowardly tendencies:
Chauvinism
No Sissy Stuff Sam: whatever women do, do the opposite
Success and Status Stewart: masculinity = material success
Giveem Hell Hank: angry and abusive
Im the Boss Bob: domineering and controlling; in authority, not under authority
Cowardice
Little Boy Larry: never grew up, disorganized, lives with his mother, etc.
Sturdy Oak Owen: absolutely dependable but emotionally absent
Hyper-Spiritual Henry: Hides behind religious behavior and God talk. Talks at you but not to you.
*Good Time Gary: *irresponsible life of the party
h3. 3. Your Savior: Jesus Christ (the Last Adam, 1 Cor. 15:45)
Ephesians 5:25 calls men to love their wives as Christ loves the Church. Men are not ready to be good husbands until they are a part of the Church and understand how Christ loves the Church by taking responsibility for her and sacrificing himself for her.
The essence of true masculinity is taking responsibility.
4.Your Wife
Understand that a wifes fears (1 Pet. 3:6) are legitimate; men dominate the lives of women and children, for good or for evil. Honor your wife:
Honor her maritally. Take a wife honorably. Establish right priorities, and be a one woman man—absolutely faithful to your wife.
Honor her physically. Be strong for your wife, not against her. Be protective of her and present with her.
Honor her emotionally. Be emotionally present and intimate. Take her on dates.
Honor her verbally. Speak honorably to her. Speak honorably of her, when she is present and absent.
Honor her financially. Provide for the financial needs of your family, organize your budget, and be generous towards your wife.
Honor her practically. Consider her needs and how you can serve her.
Honor her parentally. Be Pastor Dad by shepherding your children (praying with them, teaching them about Jesus, reading the Bible with them, etc.).
Honor her spiritually. You initiate and lead prayer, Bible, chats, church attendance, etc. Take responsibility for your church.
What happens when you fail to honor your wife? God ignores you (1 Pet. 3:7). Repent.
Further Study:
Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, by Wayne Grudem and John Piper
God, Marriage, and the Family, by Andreas Kostenberger
New Men, Soft Patriarchs: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands, by W. Bradford Wilcox

This clip is taken from the sermon "Trial: Marriage and Men ," preached by Pastor Mark Driscoll at the Mars Hill Church Ballard campus in Seattle, Washington, on March 22, 2009. It is the 9th sermon in our sermon series, "Trial: 8 Witnesses from 1 & 2 Peter."

To watch the full sermon, visit: http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/trial/marriage-and-men

Monday, October 01, 2012

No excuse for men to disrespect women

Mark Driscoll goes after the men at his church who have attended for years and yet still abuse, neglect, and dishonor the woman in their life. Mark has had enough of this. You can visit http://www.marshillchurch.org to download the entire sermon: Marriage and Men from the Trial Series.