Tag: Perseverance

Book Briefs: “Assurance: Resting in God’s Salvation” by William P. Smith

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment


The latest addition to P & R Publishing’s “31 Day Devotionals for Life” series has just been released. Assurance: Resting in God’s Salvation by William P. Smith is an encouraging look at the important doctrine of assurance. But this book is more than just an academic treatment of a biblical subject: it is a devotional celebration of the richness of the Gospel of grace.

With each of the thirty-one readings, Pastor Smith invites the reader to a warm and personal one-on-one chat. He unpacks God’s role in our salvation and repeatedly stresses our part is to receive. Our love falters, but God first loved us. We didn’t conceive ourselves, being God’s children is His plan not ours. Our failures and missteps were known ahead of time: and just as Jesus foresaw Peter’s denial yet prayed for and loved him anyway, so to will Jesus be faithful despite our frailties. Each reading includes a section for reflection or action, and the book includes recommended resources for further study.

A few quotes can capture the spirit of this little gem of a book:

Does your love for him seem weak and feeble at times? Try looking at it from a different perspective: Do you have any love at all? Since you used to have none, the presence of some tells you that right now, he loves you. (58)

God is not surprised that your life doesn’t perfectly reflect his glory. But he does intend it to. Jesus did not die for the mere possibility that you might end up a little bit better than you used to be. He died to guarantee that one day you would be pure and perfect, just like him. (76)

If God can transform Jacob, he can transform you too. (82)

You have much greater confidence in your ability to ruin your life than in God’s ability to rescue you from yourself and to redeem you. (84)

Smith deals with several of the passages that doubters often worry most about — the unpardonable sin and the warnings for those who deny Christ, among them. His treatment takes to heart Jude’s admonition (Jude 22) to “have mercy on those who doubt.” He explains, “Mercy to the doubting must characterize God’s people, because it characterizes God” (85). That said, I do think a word about true apostates could be in order, since today many of us have close friends or family who have walked away from the faith: leaving us to grapple with our own faith as well as their departure. People can shipwreck their faith – so what does that look like when we talk about assurance?

My own quibbles aside, this is a helpful and hope-building book that deserves a wide audience. Many are weak in the faith and beset by doubts. This book can fortify their faith. I highly recommend it.

Pick up a copy of this book at any of the following online retailers:
Westminster Bookstore, Amazon, ChristianBook.com, or direct from P & R.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.

A Survey of the Reformation: Its History and Doctrine

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

This Fall marks 500 years since the start of the Protestant Reformation. October 31, 1517 is the date that Martin Luther nailed his “Ninety-five Theses” on the church door in Wittenberg. His Reformation ideas quickly spread over all of Europe by means of the movable-type printing press… and the rest, they say, is history.

In honor of this anniversary, I am re-posting my teaching series entitled, “A Survey of the Reformation: Its History and Doctrine.”

I developed this teaching series in 2012 and have taught through it for adult Sunday School classes in two different churches. The audio files are primarily from 2012, but one of the lessons had corrupted audio and so I made a replacement recording in 2014 the next time I taught the material.

My goal in this series is two-fold: to introduce people to the history and ideals of the Reformation, and to give an introduction to the doctrine known as the five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of Grace. I have found that understanding and appreciating the doctrines of Grace is easier when one is led to understand the history of the Reformation as a whole. Also stressed in this study, are the Five Solas, and the Reformation emphasis on God’s sovereignty.

The Reformation doesn’t stand or fall with the doctrines of Grace, but that understanding flows directly from the heart of the Reformation. And while Luther may not have agreed on all the particulars of how the five points came to be articulated, he is in fundamental agreement on God’s role in salvation — as were all the original reformers.

Feel free to use the .pdf and .mp3 audio files freely, I just ask to be credited as the source of this presentation. May God grant the spirit of the Reformation and its doctrine, to continue to occupy a warm place in the hearts and minds of God’s people.

∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼  ∼

A Survey of the Reformation: Its History and Doctrine

HISTORY

  1. Introduction & An Overview of Church History • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
  2. Forerunners of the Reformation • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
  3. The Protestant Reformation • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
  4. Puritanism & The Legacy of the Reformers • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.

DOCTRINE

  1. Reformation Doctrine: The Big Picture • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
  2. Total Depravity & Irresistible Grace • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
  3. Limited Atonement • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
  4. Unconditional Election • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
  5. Perseverance of the Saints • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
  6. Answering Objections • Download the Audio ∼ View the Slides.
  7. Why the Reformation Matters Today • No audio (see note below) ∼ View the Slides.

Note: You may notice that the audio deviates from the slides more and more as the lessons progress. This is due to the fact that the slides match the 2014 audio, which is unavailable. The 2012 audio files line up closely with my older slides available here. 

I used a variety of resources for this series, but the four I recommend to my SS class are listed here below:

Sermon Download: Waiting with Hope

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

Last summer, I had the privilege of preaching at our church again in St. Paul. The sermon I delivered was poignant and personal. In light of recently posting about our family’s trials, I thought sharing the sermon here for my readers would be appropriate and offer a window into our world.

The text is Lamentations 3:21-26, but the theme is the biblical genre of lament in general. Going through a dark time really brings home the power and promise of the Bible’s lament songs. Pouring out your soul and your distress to the Lord is part of what biblical faith looks like. All of this is designed to help us wait with hope.

I’m sharing the sermon here, and you can find all my recent sermons from The Heights Church, St. Paul, here.

If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (50 minutes), please do look over my notes.

Place: The Heights Church, St. Paul
Date: June 5, 2016
Title: Waiting with Hope
Text: Lamentations 3:21-26
Notes: Download PDF
Audio Link: Click to listen (right click to download)

Sermon Download: This World Is Not Our Home

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

This past Sunday I was privileged to fill in for our pastor at The Heights Church, St. Paul. The rapid cultural change and uncertain social/political climate formed the backdrop for my sermon.

The text is Hebrews 13:1-16, with special focus on verses 12-14, and the parallel passage of chapter 11:10-16.

I’m sharing the sermon here, and you can find all my recent sermons from The Heights Church, St. Paul, here.

If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (60 minutes), please do look over my notes. May God bless this sermon to all who hear it, for His glory and by His grace.

Place: The Heights Church, St. Paul
Date: July 24, 2016
Title: This World Is Not Our Home
Text: Heb. 13:1-16
Notes: Download PDF
Audio Link: Click to listen (right click to download)

“Day of Atonement: A Novel of the Maccabean Revolt” by David DeSilva

~ Bob Hayton

Day of Atonement: A Novel of the Maccabean Revolt by David DeSilvaMost Christians do not realize there is a large gap between Malachi and Matthew. We’ve noticed a blank page or two, but eagerly turn from the Old Testament to the New without much thought. Those blank pages hide four hundred years of turbulent history in the life of the people of Israel. Some Bibles even include additional books to fill in the missing details. I’m not advocating a return to the Apocrypha, but every Christian can benefit from an appreciation of the harrowing tale that stands behind the Maccabean revolt. That history stands behind Jesus’ celebration (and endorsement?) of the Feast of Dedication.

The Maccabean history is helpful in today’s world where increasingly Christianity is marginalized and a pressure is building for us to synthesize our faith with the lifestyle of those around us. Just water down our faith, bend a little here and a little there, and we’re sure to increase our cultural status. A similar challenge faced the Jews who would be true to God in the face of the siren call of Hellenization and Greek influence.

This story of heroic resolve to stand for the faith finds new expression in a debut novel from a scholar who specializes in this time period: Day of Atonement: A Novel of the Maccabean Revolt (Kregel, 2015). The characters in this fictitious tale grapple with their changing world in different ways. Some give in and accommodate the Greek way of life, ever giving more and ultimately finding that compromise was too costly. Others try to keep roots in both ways of life and ultimately must choose for whom they will stand. Some resist quietly and others spur on a rebellion. Then there are those who give their all: becoming objects of gruesome persecution at the hands of Antiochus IV himself. There are no easy paths to follow, but those were no simple times.

The tale itself is told masterfully and the reader is slowly drawn into the world of the second century B.C. Historical figures find their way into the tale, Antiochus IV makes several appearances, but only after sufficient time to grasp the setting of Jerusalem at that day. The account is believable and the personal touches are compelling. Detailed account of sacrifices in the Temple and personal prayers are sure to inspire devotion in the reader. Historical details are abundant and the author weaves a picture of life in Jerusalem in full color.

The backstory to the rebellion takes most of the attention, along with the personal challenges to accommodate or persevere. But enough of the action is told to satisfy the curiosity of the reader who may know what is coming. Still it made me want to pick up a copy of I and II Maccabees (or is it III and IV Maccabees?).

One feature of the story deserves special attention. The author appears to describe the book of Daniel (in the form we know it today) being written during the Maccabean period. He still has the prophecy tell the future, but not from Daniel’s hand. “The spirit of Daniel” rests on the book’s author. Since other characters betray knowledge of Daniel’s example of faith in the face of apostasy, not every reader will pick up on this point. But it seemed clear to me the author must hold to a late author for at least the visions of Daniel. This point is not vital to the storyline and the conservative who holds to a sixth century B.C. date for the book of Daniel can easily disregard it.

For a first novel the book does not disappoint. At times there were some artificial elements. The Maccabean rebels at one point sound almost like the Covenanters of Scotland. But on the whole the book does a superb job of telling the Maccabean story in a personal and poignant way. I highly recommend it.

About the author:
David A. deSilva is trustees’ distinguished professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary. He is the author of over twenty books, including Unholy Allegiances: Heeding Revelation’s Warning; Introducing the Apocrypha: Message, Context, and Significance; and Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture.

Pick up a copy of this book from any of the following retailers:

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review.