Meditations on 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

2Co 3:7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,
2Co 3:8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
2Co 3:9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
2Co 3:10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.
2Co 3:11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
2Co 3:12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
2Co 3:13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.
2Co 3:14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.
2Co 3:15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.
2Co 3:16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2Co 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect[1] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

What more can I say! Do you feel the weight of that passage, the ultimate glory of the eternal glory which has been unveiled by the redeeming lamb? I hear many say that Christianity is a condemning religion, one that only sees people to Hell. I say that is not so, or it not be so. Christianity is a religion of hope, glorious hope. The thought, that the old covenant which was brought as condemnation by Moses, was even yet glorious but now we have the new covenant of freedom which was brought by Christ, which is the most glorious of all! Let us not revel in the boredom of religion lets glory in the freedom which is brought about by the Spirit of the Lord. What a glorious hope we have in salvation, let us Praise the Lord for what a glorious ministry he has accomplished through the death of His son and that he left the Glory of the Spirit as an eternal guide to our lives!

New Posts To Come

Well it has been a while since I last posted...I plan on posting again here soon. After a busy summer I will have more time to post notes on a more regular basis!

Great Music Resource

For all those of you who are desiring new music this is a wonderful resource to download high quality music for free! I have fallen in love with the music here, it is refreshing to find music that is theologically full, truthful, and to even find old hymns that have been rewritten. I cannot fully endorse everything you will find on this site but take a look, I think you will find it refreshing! There is music for almost every taste, contemporary, pop, jazz, southern gospel, and even conservative sacred! All the music is Biblical in taste so take a look!

Mars Hill Church - Seattle

Listen to a Sample

Note: The Dawning Light does not endorse every aspect of Mars Hill Church, please browse with discretion

Thoughts that push us to Praise the Lord

This is a sermon I preached this week that was a real challenge to my life so I thought I would share it with you guys. The text is Psalms 103:1-5, all verses were taken from the KJV for class purposes only. Hope it is a blessing as it was to me, these are God's thoughts so they should move us!


Introduction: Have you ever experienced a time in which you felt unworthy to worship God? A few years ago I went through a time in which I felt as if I was unworthy, and unable to properly praise the Lord. During this time I entered into a study of worship and soon found that worship is not based on our work, nor on our failures but worship is out of Praise of the one who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. In Psalm 103, we see a psalm in which we are told to, in essence, worship God. Today will you look with me at Ps 103 verses 1 and following. The Psalmist begins this passage with the words “bless the Lord, O my soul” for it is with the soul that proper praise is lifted to God. It is not out of tradition, nor out of requirement that David praises the Lord. And again in verse 2 he cries “bless the Lord, O my soul”, not in vanity nor for lack of words but out of the heart that has known the emptiness of Godless activity. But David understands why he must praise the Lord, for in the latter half of verse 2 he declares to praise the Lord because of His benefits. You see, David understood that We are to praise the Lord! He understood that the heart that knows God -- praises God, he understood the benefits that tell us Why we are to praise the Lord? For you see from the heart that knows God comes a cry that we are to praise the Lord! And so in the next 3 verses David gives us 3 benefits that ought to compel us to praise the Lord.
I. We are to praise the Lord because of His mercy (3)
Verse: “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases”
Explanation: The two benefits listed in this verse relate to the mercy of God. These mercies are a progression of sorts, in that the first produces the second. Where forgiveness is not, there is no healing. And so we can see that the Lord forgives our sins.
A. He forgives our sins (3a)
Explanation: It is no coincidence that David chooses the forgiveness of sins to be the first of all the benefits of God. You see, without the forgiveness of sins there is no other benefit, for without forgiveness of sins no person would be able to Praise the Lord, for to Praise the Lord one must first be forgiven. So it is as a result of the forgiveness of our sins that we are to praise the Lord. But He not only forgives our sins, but he forgives all our sins. It is all our in-equities that the Lord forgives, all our acts of impurity the Lord forgives, and so in result we are to Praise the Lord. Our stains have been wiped, our transgressions removed, and our guilt swept away! Let us praise the lord because of his forgiveness. But also the Lord shows us mercy in that he restores our health.
B. He restores our health (3b)
Argumentation: The word health does not simply mean physical health but also spiritual health (תחלואים tachălû'iym)
Explanation: And so our physical and spiritual health is restored. You see by sin, spiritual and physical sickness entered the world and by the forgiveness of sin sickness will be taken away. When the cause of sickness is taken away the effect will no longer survive. So, by the forgiveness of sins, we have the restoration of health. It is through the forgiveness of sins that our health is restored, for by the forgiveness of sins our Lord becomes our physician, our healer. Once again though we must not forget that he restores all of our health “No disease of our soul baffles his skill, he goes on healing all, and he will do so till the last trace of taint has gone from our nature.” So by his healing let us praise the Lord!
Illustration/application: Betty Laoppke was girl raised in a home shattered by alcohol. Every time her parents faced a problem they moved and became more dependent on the vice of alcohol. Right after her 18th birthday, Betty attended church and soon accepted Christ as her Savior and the hurts and pains of her life where turned to joys and jewels. Listen to what she said of her life “Over time, His power changed the junk in my life into jewels. He took the victim and made her a victor. My destiny of hope has become a journey of joy as I walk with Jesus in his power and in his victory.” The same forgiveness of sin and restoration of health through God’s mercy that Betty enjoys is the same mercy that tells us that we are to praise the Lord! It is through His healing and his forgiveness that we know of His mercies, and that propels us to Praise the Lord!
Transition: Not only are we to praise the Lord because of his mercies, but also We are to praise the Lord because of His redemption. It is in verse 4 that David takes the next step of progression of the Lord’s benefits. For by the mercies of God we have redemption.
II. We are to praise the Lord because of His redemption (4)
Verse: “Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;”
Explanation: It is from the forgiveness of sins that the Lord is able to redeem us, but this redemption is very specific for…
A. He preserves our life from destruction (4a)
Argumentation: The KJV says “Who redeemeth thy life from destruction”, but the word for destruction is simply another word for “grave”. And redeem for preserve, So more specifically the Lord preserves our life from the grave, which is where our bodies return after corruption. David is not saying that we will live forever, he is saying however, in continuation of the previous verse, that when spiritual sickness may come in our life we will be preserved from spiritual destruction because our Lord is our healer. The forgiveness of sins produced the restoration of health which produces the preservation from destruction. Had sin not been removed there would have not been any preservation from the grave. And so let us praise the Lord because of his preservation. But the Lord also gives redemption in that he crowns us with love and mercy.
B. He crowns us with love and mercy (4b)
Explanation: “who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;” So the effect of the redemption from destruction is that he crowns us with love. Forgiving, healing and preserving are not enough he must make us kings and crown us. The imagery of this phrase is so beautiful, think of it this way. The crown we are given is far more precious than any crown of gold and diamonds, for this crown “is studded with gems of grace and lined with the velvet of lovingkindness; it is decked with the jewels of mercy, but made soft for the head to wear by a lining of tenderness.” And so out of this heart that has been preserved from destruction, then crowned with love and mercy, David cry’s out “Bless the Lord, O my soul”.
Illustration/application: The fictitious story goes, that there once was a poor beggar who wandered the streets of a magnificent land, day and night this beggar searched for some person to show him loving kindness, to bring him in and to feed and clean him. For many years this beggar slept in pain and agony from the hard rocky ground. Through the winter cold, the summer sun, this beggar struggled for survival. When he was old arthritis made his bones ache, night nor day brought relief from the pain until one day a man, a rich man, came and brought this beggar to his home. He cleaned him in the master wash room, he clothed him in the nicest cloths, and he sent away for the best doctors in all the land to come and heal this beggar. In time the beggar was healthy and clean. When the time came for the beggar to move one, the rich man did something that was against all thought, he gave the man an inheritance in his riches and then the rich man revealed that he was the king of the magnificent land, and all this time that King was blessing this beggar with benefits which no person deserved. You see, you are that beggar and that king is our God! We have been brought into the inheritance of our God, we have been forgiven and healed by his mercies, and we have been preserved and crowned through his redemption. And because of these benefits we are to praise the Lord!
Transition: And so in verses 3 and 4 we have seen we are to praise the Lord because of his mercies and that we are to praise the Lord because of his redemption. But in verse 5 David takes the final step of progression of the Lord’s benefits. For by the mercy and redemption of God he fills our desires. You see, We are to praise the Lord because of His replenishment
III. We are to praise the Lord because of his replenishment (5)
Verse: Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Explanation: And so by the forgiveness of sins we have redemption, but by these benefits the Lord supplies replenishment in that He satisfies our desires.

A. He satisfies our desires (5a)
Argumentation: “Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things” The word for mouth here is translated in Arabic, the Septuagint and the Latin vulgate as “thy desire”. In other places this word is used as “thy age”. So, our Lord satisfies our desires with good things. But the interpretation of this passage at first look could be that the Lord gives us whatever we want and desire, but to understand this verse you must first understand what “good things” is talking about. When we think of God, especially after reading the previous 2 verses we think of a God who gives us more than we deserve, a God who gives us what we truly need. So when we read this verse we must understand that our soul will be satisfied with “good things” given from a “good” God who desires to fill our desires with his desires.
Explanation: So, David here is saying that our Lord fills all our desires, all our wants, and all our needs with his desires, with His wants, and with His will. Our god truly satisfies our desires! Not the earthly desires we may have, but he satisfies His desires which he gives to us. “Soul-satisfaction loudly calls for soul-praise, and when the mouth is filled with good it is bound to speak good of him who filled it.” O let us praise the Lord for He replenishes us by satisfying our desires! But the Lord also gives us replenishment by renewing our strength!
B. He renews our strength (5b)
Explanation/application: “so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.” The exact interpretation of this verse has been debated, many think that this verse relates to the molting of wasted feathers from the Eagle, but the word eagle can be translated as vulture and vultures do not molt their feathers like the eagle. So I don’t think that we should relate this to the shedding of extra wasted weight, even though that is not a bad thing. The point I believe here is simple; that the Lord, by satisfying our desires, renews our strength. It is automatic, when God’s desires become our desires, we become refreshed in his strength. David’s point here is this, the grace and mercy which is bestowed to us by our redemption satisfies our desires, and renews us with strength. Thus David can stand and say, “Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” And so, let us praise the Lord for he replenishes us by satisfying our desires and by renewing our strength!

Illustration: It is said that prison houses are often the most depressing places on earth. To be cramped in a 10 foot by 6 foot cell for 10-15 years, only be allowed outside once a day for a quick walk around the building, never being alone, never quiet. Imagine with me that you have been in a cell of Statesville Prison in Chicago Illinois. You have been incarcerated for more than 15 years. You recently were released, this being your first time out of the prison, your first time in 15 years to be free to do whatever you choose. Now imagine with me what you must feel like, for the first time in over a decade you are allowed to eat out, to drive a car, to talk to family members without the hindrance of time or bars, or your first time to talk to your wife. Imagine the relief and joy that this moment brings you. O Christian you have been renewed, you have been released. No longer are you living for earthly desires but now you have God’s desires, your strength has been replenished, and this ought to drive you to Praise the Lord.

Conclusion: So how can a man who has known the depth of sin cry out in praise to God? Often we feel inefficient to Praise the Lord because of our in-equities; but, it is these in-equities that ought to drive us to cry out, “Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”. You see, David knew that God benefits us with Mercy, that he blesses us with redemption and that he fills us with replenishment. It was these three things that drove David to bless the Lord, and it is these three things that must drive us to bless the Lord. And so, Have you ever experienced a time in which you felt unworthy to worship God? Well today will you see that when we dwell on the benefits of our God, we will be driven to praise the Lord. For, we are to praise the Lord because of all his benefits!

Inductive Evangelistic Methods

Ask Before You Answer
How to talk to skeptics, unbelievers, and mule-headed friends and family about God.
By Randy Newman

I like answering questions with questions. Maybe it's because I'm Jewish. I grew up with dialogues that went like this:

Me: How's the weather down there?

Granny Belle: How else could the weather be in Florida in the middle of July?
As long as we are on the defensive, the questioners are not really wrestling with issues. They're just watching us squirm.

Me: So, how have you been?

Uncle Nat: Why do you ask?

Me: How's your family?

Aunt Vivian: Compared to whom?

I'd like to think I answer questions with questions because I'm trying to follow the example of Jesus. Isn't it uncanny how often our Lord answered a question with a question?

When a rich man asked Jesus, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus responded, "Why do you call me good?" (Mark 10:17-18). When religious leaders asked him if it was right to pay taxes, he asked whose portrait was on the coin (Matt. 22:17-20). When the Pharisees were "looking for a reason to accuse him" and asked him "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" Jesus' response was a question, "If any of you has a sheep, and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not lift it out?" (Matt. 12:9-12).

But the most likely reason for my use of questions instead of answers is that I'm tired. After years of answering questions that non-believers posed to me, I'm simply tired of seeing that an answer is not really what they want.

There have been times (far too many of them, I'm afraid) when I have answered a question with what I knew was a biblically accurate, logically sound answer, only to see the questioner shrug his shoulders. It was as if he now had more confirmation that Christians really are simpletons.

Instead of my answer moving him closer to salvation, it pushed him further away. Rather than engaging his mind or urging him to consider an alternate perspective, my answer gave him ammunition for future attacks against the gospel. So, I've started answering questions with questions and have gotten far better results.

Role reversal
As a staff member for Campus Crusade for Christ in Washington, D.C., I've had many opportunities to practice what I'm preaching here. There was the time that a team of skeptics in a student's dorm room confronted me. It was at our weekly Bible study for freshmen guys. The host of the study, in whose room we were meeting, had been telling us for weeks of his roommate's antagonistic questions. This week, the roommate showed up—along with a handful of likeminded friends.

The inevitable question arose, more as an attack than a sincere inquiry. "So, I suppose you think that people who don't agree with you, like all those sincere followers of other religions, are going to hell!"

"Do you believe in hell?" I responded.

My antagonist had probably never seriously considered the possibility of hell. He looked puzzled, perhaps because he was being challenged when he thought he was the one doing the challenging. Finally, after a long silence, he said, "No, I don't believe in hell. I think it's ridiculous." I chose to echo his word choice. "Then why are you asking me such a ridiculous question?"

I wasn't trying to be a wise guy. I simply wanted him to honestly face up to the assumptions behind his own question. His expression seemed to indicate that I had a good point.

Another questioner broke the silence: "Well, I do believe in hell. Do you think everyone who disagrees with you is going there?"

Again I questioned. "Do you think anyone goes there? Is Hitler in hell?" (Hitler has turned out to be quite a helpful, even if unlikely, ally in these kinds of discussions.)

"Of course Hitler's in hell."

"How do you think God decides who goes to heaven and who goes to hell? Does he grade on a curve?"

From there, the discussion became civil for the first time, and serious interaction about God's holiness, humanity's sinfulness, and Jesus' atoning work ensued. Answering with questions turned out to be an effective, albeit indirect, way to share the gospel.

Another time questioning worked better than answering was a lunchtime conversation with a philosophy professor who was an atheist. He served as the faculty advisor for the campus philosophy club; I was a campus minister for Campus Crusade for Christ. We had cosponsored a debate about the problem of evil and were meeting to evaluate how the event had gone. After discussing how we could have publicized the event better and what topics we could address in future forums, I asked his opinion about the content of the debate.

He told me he still thought Christians failed to present a decent answer for the problem of evil. So, I posed the question to him, "So, what is your explanation?"

He paused and then said softly, "I don't have one."

I asked him if there was an atheistic way to make sense of such things as the Nazis' slaughter of 6 million innocent people.

Again, his answer was a nonanswer.

I told him that the Christian answer to the problem of evil may have its shortcomings, but my incomplete answer was better than no answer at all. The rest of our lunchtime was a good, respectful conversation that moved us closer to each other and—I hope—moved him closer to seeing some of the flaws in his worldview.

Good questions
Answering a question with a question has some significant advantages over the use of direct answers. It brings to the surface the questioner's assumptions. It also takes the pressure off you, the one being asked, and puts the pressure on the one doing the asking. This is important because as long as we are on the defensive, the questioners are not really wrestling with issues. They're just watching us squirm.

For example, the chief priests and the teachers of the law challenged Jesus with this inquiry: "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things. Who gave you this authority?" His response was a question: "Tell me, John's baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?" After a short retreat for time to maneuver, they told him they didn't know the answer. Jesus showed them that their insincere question deserved a nonanswer by declaring, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things" (Luke 20:1-8).

In reality, the teachers' question was simply an attack posing as a question. Answering these attacks with questions not only takes the heat off us and deflects it to the other person, it also tones down hostility. People usually don't like such temperature changes and will adjust the thermostat accordingly.

Answering a question with a question also paves the way for an answer that may not otherwise be received. Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well fits this pattern (John 4:1-26). The woman's notions of righteousness, sin, and worship needed to be challenged before she would accept Jesus' way of seeing those topics. Without his questions, it is doubtful if she ever would have gotten to the point of saving faith.

To be sure, there are times when a direct answer is preferable, particularly when the questioner is sincere and would benefit from a clear, concise statement of what the Bible says. There were times when Jesus didn't beat around the bush. His direct answer to the teacher of the law who wanted to know which was the most important commandment is an example (Mark 12:28-31).

Yet often we need to hold back our answer and initiate genuine dialogue with a question. When your coworker asks you—with an accusatory tone—why you still believe in God in light of all the people dying of AIDS, ask him how he explains such a horrible tragedy.

When your neighbor asks you why you think Jesus is anything more than just a good moral teacher, ask him why he thinks Jesus was a good teacher. Has he read a lot of Jesus' teachings? What would he say was the main message Jesus taught?

Our message is too important for it to continue to fall upon deaf ears. Our answers really are what people need to hear if we could just get them to listen. The apostle Peter was surely right in imploring us to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you" (1 Pet. 3:15). But we can follow Jesus' method of doing so by answering a question with a question.

Adapted from Discipleship Journal (Jan./Feb. 2002), © 2002 Randy Newman. Used by permission. A version of this article also appears in Newman's book, Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People's Hearts the Way Jesus Did (Kregel).
Copyright © 2004 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine.
Click here for reprint information.
January/February 2004, Vol. 42, No. 1, Page 60

The Cross of Christ Chapter 1

Some thoughts from John Stott's book "The Cross of Christ" stuck out to me this morning. These are powerful words which enforce the concept of the centrality of the Cross of Christ.

"So Then, although he knew he must die, it was not because he was the helpless victim either of evil forces arrayed against him or of any inflexible fate decreed for him, but because he freely embraces the purpose of his Father for the salvation of sinners, as it had been revealed in Scripture...Despite the great importance of his teaching, his example, and his works of compassion and power, none of these was central to his missions. What dominated his mind was not the living but the giving of his life."

Verse for Thought -- January 25

1 Peter 4:11 (New International Version)

11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Verse For Thought -- January 14

These are interesting verses, something to ponder if you don't think that the Bible is serious about separation of some form. This passage is tough and challenging, something I am looking forward to digging into this semester!

2 Peter 2:13-16 (New International Version)


13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.