Annie, my wife, and I have been looking at houses for the last year-and-a-half. We love old houses. With five kids, there is only so much fixing up that is realistic, so there are a few issues that we ask about in every house we consider. One of the issues we always check is the foundation. It is simple really, if the foundation is not good, then the house is not good.

Long ago, a foundation was begun with the setting of the cornerstone. At some point, the advances in modern construction moved the cornerstone from its functional use to a ceremonial use marking the date and architect of the building. Nonetheless, the principle of a cornerstone is plain. The cornerstone was set first and then all the other foundation stones were set in reference to it. By extension, you could say the rest of the building was built in reference to this first stone set. The cornerstone is the standard for the rest of the building.

In 1 Peter 2.6-8, Peter quotes three Old Testament passages applying each of these passages to Christ. All three of these passages deal with cornerstones or a stone as the standard. He writes,

⁶For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
⁷So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
⁸and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do (ESV).

Peter’s message to the elect exiles to whom he writes is that Christ is the cornerstone on which their faith and life are to be built. Peter’s audience in this letter was Christians who had been exiled to a new and foreign land paganism and idolatry were the norm. In such a land, the opportunities to compromise one’s faith for the sake of some fleeting temporal security would have been many. Peter wrote to encourage these believers in the security and hope they had in Christ. He wanted them to know that a hope in Christ was a well placed hope and that a hope in anything else was like erecting a building around a poorly set or shaped cornerstone, it was doomed to fall.

Isaiah’s message to the people of Ephraim and Jerusalem was essentially the same. He writes,

¹⁵Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the overwhelming whip passes through
it will not come to us,
for we have made lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
¹⁶therefore thus says the Lord GOD,
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
¹⁷And I will make justice the line,
and righteousness the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”

The people of Ephraim and Jerusalem, acting in their pride, found their hope and in security in their vain attempts to establish their own name. They had built on a misshapen and poorly set cornerstone, and God was foretelling, through Isaiah, the coming destruction. Peter’s letter to the elect exiles is written that they may avoid a similar fate.

In our day, there are multiple opportunities to compromise everyday. We are constantly faced with the illusion of and temptation of self-security. Occasionally, as with the recent economic downturn, we get an honest look at the instability of our foundation. However, the issue for the people of Ephraim and Jerusalem was not simply that their foundation was weak; the issue was that it was sin. Failure to acknowledge God as the true and living God is sin. Finding our security and hope in something outside of the God’s plan of redemption through Jesus Christ and him alone, is idolatry and sin. The reason the walls built on this misshapen and poorly set cornerstone are doomed to fall is because the cornerstone is fundamentally flawed and our use of it reveals the fundamental problem of our heart, we are sinful idolaters.

We can learn much from the Peter’s letter to these elect exiles in Asia Minor. We would do well to hear and heed Peter’s encouragement to live in this world with Christ as our cornerstone rather than the misshapen and poorly set options the world has to offer, yet we must recognize this is not a passage given merely to self-help. Peter’s use of the cornerstone metaphor from Isaiah and Psalms is a call to repent of our idolatrous and sinful attempts to find security in something other than Christ.

Below is a prayer guide for the upcoming General Assembly of the PCA that came across my desk. I found it helpful. Please join me in praying for the commissioners to this years GA as we carry out the work of the church.

A GUIDE FOR PRAYER

38^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America

June 29 through July 2, 2010

Nashville, Tennessee

Pray that the Commissioners will have an ear only to the Word of Christ, as delivered in the Scriptures, as the rule for settling all substantial matters before the Assembly; that they will exercise prudence and good sense in all matters merely circumstantial; and that they will have the wisdom to so distinguish among the matters before the Church.

Pray also that the Commissioners will engage in debate with a sense of fair play, integrity and charity, and that they will be so moved by the Spirit of God, as to put aside selfishness, pride or party spirit, in order to glorify Christ in His Church and edify His people; pray that in times of work, worship & fellowship, the bonds of love & unity among our Elders would be strengthened; pray that Pastors who come in discouragement would be heartened & encouraged to be faithful in their labor.

Pray for the Moderator (and his assistants); the Stated Clerk; the Parliamentarians; and the office staff.

Pray for your Elders’ faithful participation in the work of the Assembly; and pray for the Lord’s blessing upon the ministry of the Word in the worship services and in the seminar options provided throughout the week.

MONDAY

11:00 am—Committees of Commissioners begin meeting: pray for the wisdom of these committees as they frame recommendations on all the business coming before the Assembly, as well as review the records of all the Permanent Committees and Agencies; pray especially for the wisdom and practical efficiency of the Overtures Committee, as it must prepare recommendations on 13 of the 27 Overtures before the Assembly.

TUESDAY

8:00 am—Committees of Commissioners continue.

7:30 pm—Opening worship service. Pray for the Lord’s blessing upon the means of grace, particularly the moderator’s closing address.

9:00 pm—First business session convenes. Pray for the election of the new moderator, that he would be wise, fair, firm and good-humored in leading the Assembly through the week.

WEDNESDAY

Seminars—pray that this non-business part of the Assembly’s schedule will enrich the faith and life of the elders attending.

Report of Stated Clerk—pray that the Lord will give the Assembly wisdom if there is a final vote on last year’s proposed Book of Church Order (BCO) amendments.

Report of Committee on Interchurch Relations—pray for the members of the permanent committee; concerning the address to the Assembly from delegates from other denominations; pray especially for a Reformed & Presbyterian unity throughout the world that does not violate the Church’s calling to be a pillar and support of the truth.

Report of Committee on Presbytery Records—pray that the commissioners will consider with care this very important portion of the Assembly’s oversight responsibility.

Informational Reports of the Various Committees—pray that commissioners will be encouraged and challenged to hear reports of the work of the General Assembly Committees and Agencies.

THURSDAY

Report of Committee on Ridge Haven—pray for the new camping season, especially that the children attending would come to know Christ or be further nourished in their faith.

Report of Standing Judicial Commission—pray for the members of the SJC, that they would have a love for justice in the administration of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, for the glory of the Lord & the upbuilding of the Body; pray for the Lord’s blessing upon the SJC’s work in completing the cases pending and in the cases adjudicated this year; that the parties involved will receive the decision of the Court with humility & grace; and that there will be repentance where there is sin; understanding where there is hardness of heart; and restoration among brothers & sisters who are divided.

Report of Committee on Constitutional Business—pray for the Committee, that they advise accurately and wisely on any disputed questions during the Assembly.

Report of Committee on PCA Foundation—pray for the work of stewardship in the PCA, and for the committee and its management & distribution of assets.

Report of Committee on Mission to the World (MTW)—pray for Dr. Paul Kooistra (the coordinator), the committee staff, and permanent committee members; and pray for our missionaries throughout the world. To that end see: http://www.mtw.org/

Report of Theological Examining Committee—pray that the Committee be careful & faithful in their work of examining GA nominated officers.

Report of Committee on Nominations—pray that able and faithful men will be elected; that those elected to office will serve well & that those not elected will not be discouraged; specially pray for those to be elected to the SJC.

Report of Committee on Christian Education & Publications—pray for Dr. Charles Dunahoo (the coordinator), and the members of the permanent committee; and for the work of Christian Education across our denomination.

Report of the Committee on Reformed University Ministries— pray for TE Rod Mays (the coordinator), the members of the permanent committee, and for the work of RUM ministers in colleges and universities across the Unites States.

Report of Committee on PCA Retirements and Benefits, Inc.—pray for the permanent committee, that they be wise stewards of the various insurance plans they administer, as well as of the investments made on behalf of the PCA; and pray for the prosperity of the retired ministers and widows relief fund.

Report of Committee on Covenant Theological Seminary— pray for the Seminary, its President, Dr. Bryan Chapell; and for the continued faithfulness of the faculty, the Board of Trustees & the students.

Report of Committee on Mission to North America—pray for TE James Bland (the coordinator), and the members of the permanent committee; for capable men to plant churches; for the work of church planting, particularly among people from other cultures; for Bethany Christian Services; for the PCA Chaplains; and that the Assembly exercise wisdom in the creation of new presbyteries. Pray in particular for the Assembly’s consideration of a proposal from the chaplains to adopt a declaration concerning the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the U.S. Military with respect to homosexuality.

Report of Committee on Covenant College—pray for the College, its President, Dr. Niel Nielson; and for the faculty, the Board of Trustees & the students.

Report of Cooperative Ministries Committee—pray for the members of this committee as they seek to foster cooperative ministry among General Assembly Committees and Agencies and provide a forum for resolving issues of inter-agency conflict. In particular pray that the Lord would guide the Assembly in considering the very important and perhaps controversial 2010 PCA Strategic Plan.

Report of Committee on Administration—pray for the staff and the members of the permanent committee; pray for good stewardship in the approval of the budgets. Pray in particular for the consideration of an important new funding plan for the committee.

Report of Overtures Committee—Many of the difficult issues before the Assembly will come in the 13 overtures from Presbyteries reported by this Committee. Pending are proposals: to amend The Book of Church Order to address the matter of women and the diaconate (from competing points of view), to address the means by which the non-Constitutional portions of The Directory for the Worship of God may be amended, and to revise the rules governing the organization of new churches; that Assembly planners be directed not to use intinction (the practice of dipping the bread into the wine at the Lord’s Supper) at Assembly worship services; to adopt a declaration concerning the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the U.S. Military with respect to homosexuality; and to form a study committee on the question “What are the duties of the visible church relative to political and economic justice?”

Pray that the Lord would provide grace, patience and perseverance for the Assembly if there is a late night session.

FRIDAY

Adjournment, 12:00 noon—pray that the Assembly makes this goal for adjournment.

Pray for a safe journey home for all, and for God’s favor in blessing that work which is according to His Word, and for His leading to see and correct that which is not.

Many of the men who have had a great impact on my understanding of Scripture and what it means to follow Christ have been great lovers of mountains. Craig Loibner, my pastor through Jr. High and High School, who still challenges me to think through my faith and ask questions, cannot go long without two things – preaching from the gospels and visiting the mountains. Francis Schaeffer was a mountain dweller, ministering to all kinds of folks that had questions at L’Abri high up in the Alps. Dr. Bryan Estelle, a seminary professor at Westminster Seminary California, came to RTS as a visiting professor to teach a class on the prophetic books of the Old Testament. He spent one week, lecturing for about 6 hours a day, dramatically shaping how I understood the Old Testament. At lunch Dr. Estelle told stories of climbing the big walls in Yosemite Valley, his attempt on Denali, and other time spent in the mountains. J. Gresham Machen, founder of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia and author of Christianity and Liberalism, a book I reference frequently, was also a lover of mountains, spending many days climbing the notable peaks of the Alps. You can read his essay, “Mountains and Why We Love Them,” here.

So, what is it about the mountains that is so fascinating, so captivating? Mountains are majestic. Mountains refuse and refute our pride. They have a way of giving us perspective. Mountains force us to deal with our smallness. They prod us to ask questions. In short mountains bear witness to the greatness and wonder of God. Paul writes, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1.19-20, ESV). Mountains leave us without excuse.

Is there truth? This, of course, is an age-old question that has been answered in various ways by various philosophers at various times. It is easy enough to debate this question in a purely cerebral way without ever dealing with the consequences of our ideas. However, if we alter the question slightly such hypothetical discussions become much more difficult and unhelpful. So… Are there standards? Well, the obvious answer is yes. For instance, if there were no grammatical standards written communication would be impossible. What about in parenting? Are there standards in parenting? Here is an article from ABC News about a woman who tries to say answer this question in the negative. She is leading the way in movements called un-schooling and un-parenting.

The whole un-philosophy is built on freedom and autonomy. When asked about rules she said, “Because we don’t punish, we don’t use the term rules.” Here is the problem. Even if I decide not to use the term gravity, it still exists.  If gravity exists, I had better understand the rules that apply before I get to the edge of a cliff. Denying standards does not mean they do not exist, it simply means we are out of touch with reality.

In the end, the un-mom’s practice betrays her philosophy. When teaching a mom how to un-school and un-parent (a conundrum in and of itself) an issue came up with how many cookies to let the kids eat. Her answer? “When you set up things with limits, you’re setting up a scenario of kids sneaking things.” Wait a minute. You don’t want the kids sneaking cookies, so you let them have as many as they want?

There are two underlying assumptions that are problematic. First, there is an assumption that it is bad to sneak things. This assumption is not problematic because it is wrong, this assumption is problematic because it is right. By operating on the assumption that sneaking things is wrong and letting the kids have as many cookies as they want, you are still submitting to the standard.

The second assumption is more subtle. The thought of the un-mom goes like this.

1. Sneaking things is bad.
2. If I give my kids whatever they want, they won’t sneak things.
3. If my kids don’t sneak things, they aren’t doing that thing which is bad.
4. Therefore, I will give my kids whatever they want.

The deadly assumption is that if we curb an undesirable behavior then we’re all good regardless of the motivation behind that behavior. This is simply un-true. Sneaking things is a symptom of selfishness, flesh-worship, and a lack of self-control. Eating a whole bag of cookies because you want to is also a symptom of selfishness, flesh-worship, and a lack of self-control. The symptom is not the problem, it only alerts us to the problem.

The article states, “Martin said she has ‘such a present-based mind-set’ that she doesn’t think about her kids’ futures, and that she just wants them to be happy.” In the end, a standard does exist. Her kids’ happiness is the standard. None of us wants our kids or ourselves to be unhappy. However, when we set up human happiness, whether it is ours, our kids’, or someone else’s, as our standard we are setting up a fleshy idol.

While we may not be as open with our idol building as the un-mom, we are all guilty of serving our flesh in our pursuit of happiness rather than God’s glory. This is sin. When our flesh becomes the standard, we are guilty of the very thing Paul writes about in Romans 1.18-32. Professing wise, we have become fools by exalting ourselves, the creature, over God, the Creator. Nevertheless, there is good news, for the gospel says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5.8, ESV). Yes, while I was still walking in sin and justifying myself with all kinds of un-excuses and un-philosophies, Christ, the one who knew no sin, became sin for me that I might become the righteousness of God. Christ subjected himself to the standards, which I denied that I might be forgiven for living as a fool.

A couple months ago I saw a Facebook prayer posted in someone’s status that read, “Dear Lord, this year you took my favorite actor, Patrick Swayzie. You took my favorite actress, Farah Fawcett. You took my favorite singer, Michael Jackson. I just wanted to let you know, my favorite president is Barack Obama. Amen.” This silly prayer has raised lots of questions for me that I think are good for all of us to think about. Feel free to respond.

1. Is this funny? Why/why not?
2. What makes something funny?
3. Does this prayer accord with the Word of God?
4. Does this prayer take the Lord’s name in vain?
5. How do I reconcile such a prayer, even if we take it as humor, with Peter’s exhortation to “honor everyone” including the emperor?
6. How do I reconcile such a prayer, even if we take it as humor, with Paul’s exhortation to Timothy that “supplication, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions…”?
7. Is it necessary for humor to accord with the Word of God? Why/why not?
8. Why do I find pleasure in such vain entertainment?
9. Why am I not so offended by sin that it is not entertaining?

This week I was in Germantown, TN for a meeting. Germantown is a fancy suburb of Memphis, a town with a less than glorious reputation. As we drove around Germantown I saw a sign that read, “Say no to panhandling.” What drives us to put up such signs? There are, of course, the official reasons for signs like this. We want to protect those who might panhandle at busy corners. We want to protect property values. We don’t want to be enablers. There are systems in place to help such people. Then there are the honest answers. We don’t like people like that. They make us uncomfortable. They are poor. They are dirty. They are really trying to take advantage of me. If they can ask for spare change they can ask if I want fries with that. We don’t like beggars. If I give them some change, they are going to buy alcohol with it (nevermind the fact that you were going to use that change for a sixer on the way home from work). If I give them something, they will somehow track me down and ask for more. The Lord helps those who help themselves.

I don’t know that any of the official or honest reasons hold any water at all, but I do know these reasons reveal our heart. I do know they reveal our pride. I do know they reveal our prejudices. I do know they reveal our lack of love. I do know they reveal that we think we are better than a panhandler. I do know they reveal our refusal to view all men as created in God’s image. And, I do know they betray our claims of understanding the gospel.

Genesis 1.27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” All men are image bearers of God, and as such all men should be honored as such. When we treat people as less than us because they have less than us, we deny this basic biblical truth.

The gospel says that we are sinners with nothing to offer, that we are beggars for God’s grace. When we despise beggars, we despise ourselves. When we demand certain behaviors before we extend the love of Christ, we implicitly add works to the gospel. May we who have received freely, give freely.

Francis Schaeffer’s book, Escape from Reason, is worth reading. It is worth reading multiple times. Early in my college career, Craig Loibner, the pastor of Fellowship North – the church where I grew up, recommended I start reading Francis Schaeffer. Specifically, he recommended that I read Escape from Reason. I respect Craig, so I read the book.  The first time I read the book, I knew it was important.  The first time I read the book, I knew it was helpful.  The first time I read the book, I had no idea what it was about. For someone given to experience in life over-and-against thoughtfulness about life, this book, which is thoroughly bent on thoughtfulness about life, only shook my foudation.  However, the truths that Schaeffer set forth would, overtime, seep down into the newly formed cracks in my foundation, solidify, and eventually obliterate the fairly pure though profoundly unexamined existentialism on which I built my life. Over the last ten-or-so years, I have revisited this book time-and-time-again. At present I am finishing yet another reading of Schaeffer’s Escape from Reason and was struck again by the closing paragraphs of chapter six.

I have come to the point where, when I hear the word ‘Jesus’ – which means so much to me because of the Person of the historic Jesus and His work – I listen carefully because I have with sorrow become more afraid of the word ‘Jesus’ than almost any other word in the modern world. The word is used as a contentless banner, and our generation is invited to follow it. But there is no rational, scriptural content by which to test it, and thus the word is being used to teach the very opposite things from which Jesus taught. Men are called to follow the word with highly motivated fervency, and nowhere more than in the new morality which follows the New Theology. It is now Jesus-like to sleep with a girl or a man, if she or he needs you. As long as you are trying to be human you are being Jesus-like to sleep with the other person, at the cost, be it noted, of breaking the specific morality which Jesus taught. But to these men this does not matter, because that is downstairs in the area of rational scriptural content.

We have come then to this fearsome place where the word ‘Jesus’ has become the enemy of the Person Jesus, and the enemy of what Jesus taught. We must fear this contentless banner of the word ‘Jesus’ not because we do not love Jesus, but because we do love Him. We must fight this contentless banner, with its deep motivations, rooted into the memories of the race, which is being used for the purpose of sociological form and control. We must teach our spiritual children to do the same.

This accelerating trend makes me wonder whether, when Jesus said that towards the end-time there will be other Jesuses, He meant something like this. We must never forget that the great enemy who is coming is the anti-Christ. He is not the anti-non-Christ. He is anti-Christ. Increasingly over the last few years the word ‘Jesus’, separated from the content of the Scriptures, has become the enemy of the Jesus of history, the Jesus who died and rose and who is coming again and who is the eternal Son of God. So let us take care. If evangelical Christians begin to slip into a dichotomy, to separate an encounter with Jesus from the content of Scriptures (including the discussable and the verifiable), we shall, without intending to, be throwing ourselves and the next generation into the millstream of the modern system. This system surrounds us as an almost monolithic consensus.

This week on the White Horse Inn, Mike Horton and the rest of the WHI crew discuss the reality and the relevance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The 30-minute podcast version is worth listening too.  You can find it here.  In the “Listen Now” box click on “The Cross and Resurrection.”

For some it is quite easy to write off Christianity as myth, on par with the stories of Zeus, Athena, and Gilgamesh.  However, when we delve into the ancient worlds via the writings of historical figures we find words such as these from Irenaeus, who writes concerning his friend and mentor, Polycarp, who was himself a disciple of John the Apostle, the author of five New Testament books and eyewitness of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

I remember the events of those days more clearly than those which have happened recently, for what we learn as children grows up with the soul and becomes united to it, so I can speak even of the place in which the blessed Polycarp sat and disputed, how he came in and went out, the character of his life, the appearance of his body, the discourse which he made to the people, how he reported his converse with John [the apostle] and with the others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what were the things concerning the Lord which he had heard from them, including his miracles and his teaching, and how Polycarp had received them from the eyewitnesses of the word of life, and reported all things in agreement with the Scriptures (H.E.V. xx. 5-6) {D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, (Eerdmans:  Grand Rapids, 1991), 26}

When we take the time to study such ancient history, the historic nature of the person and work of Jesus Christ is brought into increasingly sharp focus.  We are indeed surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.  We do good to not ignore them.

The Abrahamic Covenant is found in Genesis 12, 15, and 17.  One of the divine promises in this covenant is that God would give the land of Canaan to Abraham and his offspring after him.  To be sure, the final fulfillment of this promise is the New Heaven and New Earth and the New Jerusalem found in Revelation 21-22; however, there was also, for a time, a physical fulfillment of the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.  The first fulfillment of the land promise in the Abrahamic Covenant is found in Genesis 23, which records the death and burial of Abraham’s wife, Sarah.

Abraham and Sarah had left their homeland years before to live as sojourners in the land that God had promised to them.  Now, Sarah has died and Abraham found himself still as a sojourner with no place to bury his wife.  Through a brief negotiation and the city gate, Abraham is able to buy a field with a cave in it in order to bury Sarah, his wife, in the land of Canaan.

One interesting note about the structure of Genesis 23 is that it is bookended by references to Sarah in Canaan.  Genesis 23.2 states, “And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her” (ESV).  Genesis 23.19 states, “After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan” (ESV).  These bookends, or inclusio, along with the many geographical and people group references bring the location of this story to the forefront.  Indeed, Moses is highlighting that God was at work, even through the tragedy and sadness of a spouse’s death, to fulfill his promise to Abraham.  It was through Sarah’s death and the subsequent purchase of the land for an eternal burial plot, that Abraham acquired his first small, token piece of the Promised Land.

Genesis 23 reminds us that our God is faithful and sovereign in keeping his word.  There is great comfort in knowing that God is faithful and sovereign when suffering comes.  We can know that though the reason for our suffering may not be fully understood, it is not in vain.  Indeed the greatest comfort in tragedy is not the removal of pain, but the knowledge that God is working out his good, pleasing, and perfect will for his own glory.

Such was the case with Christ as well.  Too often, we think Christ went to the cross willingly and therefore painlessly.  This is not the case.  While Christ did go willingly, it was with great anguish.  Matthew records Jesus prayer to his Father seeking the cup of bearing the sins of his people to pass.  However, Christ took comfort and was encouraged to press on, knowing it was his Father’s will.

Repeatedly, throughout Scripture, God uses some tragedy or point of suffering in order to advance his plan of redemption.  Now as the church, the body and bride of Jesus Christ, presses on in the work to which God has called us and suffers for this work, may we be comforted and strengthened not by the removal of pain, but the knowledge that we are doing our Father’s will.