Consider therefore, Him that endured such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Hebrews 12: 3 & 4
The portion of the Word of God that we call the letter to the Hebrews is all about our Lord Jesus. This letter was written to Hebrew believers for the purpose of stirring them up to consider Jesus as Messiah. In the providence of God, we have this letter for our sake, that we may consider Jesus. The gospels record the human life of our Lord, and ALL scripture speak of Jesus as Messiah.
Our purpose here is to consider what He experienced while here upon this earth. Satan tempted Him. His own people planned to kill him (Matt. 12: 1-14, 21: 33-49; John 5: 1-18; Luke 4: 16-30, 11: 45-57, 19: 45-48). The Hebrews also sought to stone Jesus (John 8: 48-59, 10: 19-39). Jesus’s own brothers ridiculed Him (John 7:1-8). All this because He spoke the truth.
Our Lord Jesus appeared in flesh to take away sin, being sinless Himself. For, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin (Heb. 9:22). There is an incident that I often consider about our Lord when I grow faint and weary in my mind. Let’s look at John chapter 19: 1-7. These verses tell us that Pilate had Jesus scourged. The Roman flagrum, used to scourge, was a short whip made of two or three ox-hide thongs connected to a handle. Knotted on these thongs were pieces of metal at various intervals. At times bone or heavy bronze pieces were tied to these thongs. Hooks may have also been used on the ends of these thongs.
Flagrum were designed to remove flesh from criminals’ bodies. Romans did not have a limit to the number of times a person could be hit with a flagrum. Often the criminal was scourged to the point of death, being stopped just prior so the criminal could be hung on a cross. I do not wish to be gross here, you can research this yourself. In verse 4 of John 19 Pilate tells the Jews, “…I find no fault in Him.” In verse 6 Pilate again tells the Jews that he found no fault in our Lord, as the Jews cried, “Crucify, crucify Him…”
I imagine our Lord tied to a post, continuously being slapped with a flagrum. Blood flowing, flesh hanging, and we read of the affect of this beating in our Lord’s walking to Golgotha. Our Lord Jesus, the Christ endured this without a sound, without complaint. He endured this because of my sin, for the sin of His people. I, have not shed my own blood striving against sin.
“Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and grace to help in time of need.
I have had this book for awhile now. I found it amongst Allen’s books. My intention is to post select portions as I read through this book. In this article, I begin with a quote from Muller on page four.
” I never remember, in all my Christian course, a period now (in March, 1895) that I ever sincerely and patiently sought to know the will of God by the teaching of the Holy Ghost, through the instrumentality of the Word of God, but I have been always directed rightly. But if honesty of heart and uprightness before God were lacking, or if I did not wait patiently upon God for instruction, or if I preferred the counsel of my fellow man to the declaration of the Word of the living God, I made great mistakes.” George Muller
On page six is HOW TO ASCERTAIN THE WILL OF GOD, again by Geroge Muller
I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of it’s own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this atate, it is usally but a little way to the knowlwdge of what His will is.
2. Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
3. I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also, If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to Scriptures and never contray to them.
4. Next I take into accoount providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s Will in connection with His Word and Spirit.
5. I ask God in prayer to reveal His Will to me aright.
6. Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my miind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective.
“Open wide thy mouth”
In the account written by Mr. Muller dated January 16, 1836, respecting the Orphan-House intended to be established in Bristol [England] in connection witht the Scriptual Knowledge Institution for Home and Broad, we read, ‘On December 5th, the subject of my prayer all at once became different. I was reading Psalm 81:10″Open wide thy mouth and I will fill it.” I thought a few moments about these words, and then was led to apply them to the case of the Orphan-House. It struck me that I had never asked the Lord for anything concerning it, except to know His will, respecting its being established or not; and then I fell to my knees and opened my mouth wide, asking Him for much. I asked in submission to His will, and without fixing a time when He shoould answer my petition. I prayed that He would give me a house, i.e., either as a loan, or that one might be given permanantly for this object; further, I asked Him for £1000; and likewise for suitable individuals to take care of the children. Besides this, I have been since led to ask the Lord to put it into the hearts of His people to send me articles of furniture for the house, and some clothes for the children. When I wasasking the petition, I was fully aware of what I was doing, i.e., that I was asking for something that I had no natural prospect of obtaining from the brethern whom I know, but which was not too much for the Lord to grant.’ December 10, 1835 – ‘This morning I recieved a letter, in which a brother and sister wrote thus, “We propose ourselves for the service of the intended Orphan-House, if you think us qualified for it; also to give up all the furniture , etc., which the Lord has given us, for its use; and to do this without recieving any salary whatever; believing that if it be the will of the Lord to employ us, He will supply all our needs, etc.”‘
This book was published by The Bible Institue Colportage Association, Chicago, and complied by A.E.C. Brooks. No date is given.
A Small Book About A BIG Problem Meditations On Anger, Patience, and Peace Edward T. Welch
This book is a 50 day walk through, looking at anger, patience, and peace. Welch looks at anger from a Biblical perspective and what the solution is. Although anger in and of itself is not sin, anger can quickly lead even the most patient person to sin. Anger can lead to sin, not just in our behavior, but most importantly, in our hearts. Welch uses the Bible to explore anger, patience, and peace.
Day 1 A slow fifty-day walk
To be human is to get angry
Anger can manifest in actions and attitude
To be angry is to destroy
We have all experienced destruction by someone’s anger; We have also caused destruction by our own anger
Why fifty days?
It is hard to keep important matters in mind
Scripture declares that reflection and meditation are essential to a wise and flourishing life (Proverbs 1:33, 7:1-4; 4:13, 20 & 21; James 1:22-25).
Read only one a day; answer the questions; spend time thinking about what you are reading; discuss with a friend or family member because this issue is relevant for everyone.
Day 2 Have your reasons
It takes work to control anger and pursue peace
Each one of us need our own reasons why we need to tame our anger
Some reasons from other people
“I heard anger just about every day of my life, and I don’t want to pass it on to my children.”
“A friend told me that I am angry. I don’t see it, but I respect my friend and want to take the comment seriously.”
My angry words have gotten me into trouble.”
“There are things that happened to me years ago that still make me angry.”
Scripture affirms these and goes deeper
Proverbs 14:29; 15:18; 16:32; 19:11
There are two paths we can take, wisdom and folly
Wisdom – life, honor, good relationships, good reputation, coveted insight
Folly – comes naturally, akin to death, separates and causes misery
We have to work at wisdom. Are you interested?
Day 3 What is anger?
Think about the last few times you were angry.
What are the elements of most of your anger?
Do you think your anger is your legitimate response to stupid people?
If so, you are destined to become even angrier; our lives are full of people who make our lives inconvenient
Anger is about making judgements
Anger says you wronged me; think of a judge who defers judgment to another judge when the case involved is personal; anger says I am judge, plaintiff, and prosecuting attorney
Anger acquits itself
Anger does not seek its own bias and help; anger declares, with great confidence, “I am right.”; in this attitude relationships are harmed and maybe even destroyed
We might be right concerning what has made us angry, but we often are not humble
Perhaps we were right, but we did not love (Mat. 7:1&2)
Anger specializes in indicting others but is unskilled at both self-indictment and love
How do you define anger
Day 4 Judging the Judge
We all make necessary judgments every day
We should speak out against wrong, even when we are wronged
Those judgments must be made with diligent self-examination first
Matthew 7: 1-2; we must use the same criteria in judging ourselves as we use to judge others
We manipulate facts to vindicate ourselves and condemn others
We see others offenses in high definition, and we see our own offenses through filters
Matthew 7: 3-5; Jesus tells us to judge ourselves more rigorously than we do others
Imagine submitting to judgment before we judge
Speaking with respect, for the good of others, relationships, inviting responses
Speaking with humility and not pride, speaking to build up others, speaking with gentleness
Striving to be able to help our bother with the delicate task of taking a speck out of his eye
Can you imagine that!?
Day 5 Murderer
It is difficult to judge ourselves accurately.
This is a natural tendency
Matthew 5:21&22; Jesus links anger with murder
Have you ever murdered someone?
May be not physically, but have you ever been angry?
Jesus links both anger and murder as a condition of our hearts
Jesus equates simple name calling with murder
Why does Jesus say this?
Anger destroys
Jesus offers life, to which we cannot turn to until me acknowledge the murderer within
Identify yourself with this – murderer
Day 6 The Many Faces of Anger
Having the tendency to minimize our anger wisdom suggests that we seek anger out
Hot anger: jealousy, wrath, murder, explosions, envy, violence, oppression
The more hard-hitting we are in examining ourselves in identifying our angry words and listen to what we say the better success we may gain in controlling our anger
Sarcasm: ‘You are stupid.’ Then adds, ‘Just kidding.’ As you enjoy your self-righteous vantage point
Complaining: the common refrain of all anger, ‘I WANT!’ and I’m not getting what I want
Gossip: publicizing our own verdict and then trying to convince others to pronounce the same verdict
Withdrawal and silence: nasty, forms of punishment, wanting those who have harmed us to beg for forgiveness and make amends
Indifference: possibly the worst form of anger, we simply no longer care for the person who has offended us; we have exiled them so the bothers us no longer
Envy: desires what others have, leading to broken relationships
Jealousy: ‘I deserve what you have, and you do not deserve what you have.’, taking envy one step further
Anger in our hearts leads to hate in our thoughts, and eventually comes out of our mouths. Anger cannot be contained and always hurts those around us. Even when we use innocent-sounding words, like, ‘I’m just being honest,’ anger can do damage.
What are your innocent-sounding words and what are they really saying?
Day 7 Run Toward Wisdom
As we look at anger, we must also look at its opposite, wisdom.
Wisdom is anger’s opposite and has much to offer
Patience, peace, self-control, humility, as well as other goals
The core of wisdom is a forsaking of pride and the putting on of humility
Listen, proverbs 2:1-5, listen to God and to other people
Anger looks down upon and judges; humility looks up and beyond ourselves and asks about others
Anger destroys; humility has others best interests in mind, building up
Humility is not your enemy; it does not destine you for mistreatment
Humility does not necessarily have to be silent, and just turn the other cheek
Humility is not passivity
Humility can rebuke, overlook offenses, and invite or get help
Humility is the foundation for all wisdom.
Servant – servant of Jesus, the Christ
When we see ourselves in Jesus, our model for manhood, as his servants, that knowledge has a huge impact on our anger
We take less offense when people offend us, thinking, ‘How can I represent my master?’ (John 13:13-14)
Being in Christ, and Jesus having served us, how can we be angry with others
Anger is a forgetful nature – it acts as if you are alone
No one is going to care for you like you do, so just do it alone
How could you not get angry when things do not go as you plan
Wisdom remembers God is with us
He has served and does serve us
He is the righteous judge
This wisdom turns into love, the opposite of anger
Anger – disdain, hatred, contempt
Love – patience, gentleness, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness (Galatians 5:22)
Take the low road today, serving in love
8 Anger And Our Desires
The other person made us angry
We have an interaction with someone who says or does something
We were not angry before, therefore this person made us angry
The logic is airtight, right? Not so fast, a delusion is taking shape with this thinking
Angry is already in us
It is not something that comes upon us unexpectedly
Angry, in its embryonic form is what we call desire
We desire – power, pleasure, peace, comfort, love, respect, this list could go on and on
When we desire something and don’t get what we want, anger is already in us
It just takes the right circumstances to bring it out James 4:1
James speaks of passions and selfish desires that are at war
Selfish desires that serve you, no one else, not even God
The hardest thing to learn about angry is that it comes from within us
You are the problem
There are good desires, such as love
There is great difference between desiring love and needing love
Demanding that we be loved, thinking that we deserve love
Quarrels and fights are sure to follow when we begin to demand things
Do you desire respect?
Do people have to earn your respect?
Do you need it, do you demand respect?
Has desire become selfish?
Has love waned; do anger and despair take turns being in charge of your emotions?
What desire has become selfish, a need, or a demand for you?
Day 9 Keep At It
Anger is impatient
It is too important to not think, or just forget, about an episode of anger and simply move on
We will follow either one of two directional courses in our lives
Either toward wisdom or toward foolishness
The course of foolishness is easy, just follow your desires
Anger is on this path, with short-term perks; we feel as if we have power and control
Those feelings are just a mirage
The end will be miserable, overpowered by anger; leaving relationships in tatters
Wisdom is a hard but good course to follow
This path can be both pleasant and satisfying
Wisdom is the art of understanding the best life
The very core of this best life is love
Love even when it is inconvenient or even costly Proverb 3:3&4
Wisdom is developed when a new course of action is stubbornly endured
This might seem awkward at first, bur persist until wisdom becomes natural
We examine, reflect, and consider
Why bother thinking about your anger? How would you answer now?
‘I don’t want to hurt anyone else.’
“I want to have better relationships.’
‘I want to listen to God.’
Among dozens of possible answers, have one for yourself
Anger is a resilient foe; you will need a reason to stay focused
Be not quick in your spirit to be angry, for anger lodges in the hearts of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9
Anger lodges in us. It can be moved, but not in a day
Are you willing to make this a long-term assignment?
{An Exposition of The Theology and Ethics of The Westminster Larger Catechism}
Joseph C. Morecraft III
A Review
I have been blessed with a copy of this reprint commentary on the Larger Catechism. I am currently on page 143, “E. The Biblical Hermeneutics of the Westminster Standards” ; Chapter 2, volume 1 of this 3,800-page 8 volume set. My purpose for beginning this commentary was for proofreading, but I have also begun to enjoy the thorough explanation of the catechism, the confession of faith, and what the circumstances where in England and Scotland when these documents were drafted. Joseph C. Morecraft III has masterfully crafted a work that I pray is used to glorify our God for the education of the saints.
Morecraft gives the following as to the need for the Bible:
2. The Need for Special Revelation God was under no compulsion to give the human race special revelation in addition to general revelation, nor can any such revelation be forced out of Him (Rom. 11:33–34). Any revelation from God flows out of His sheer and sovereign mercy. “Jesus said, ‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matt. 11:25–27). However, a special written revelation from God is necessary for human beings if we are ever to know God, His will, and His ways.
This is true for three reasons: First, we need a special and written revelation from God because of our created limitations and the complexity of revealed truth. Our memory, imagination, and rationality are too limited and the truth of God too vast, intricate, and above us (Isa. 55:8–9). We need a written revelation of the mind of God in words and sentences that accurately reveal the mind of God and that, at the same time, are meaningful to us.
Second, we need a special and written revelation from God because of the incompleteness of the revelation in creation. General revelation is insufficient to give the knowledge of God that is necessary for salvation: “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. …we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, …which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit” (1 Cor. 1:21; 2:7–10).
Creation reveals a Creator but not a Redeemer. Even unfallen Adam needed additional special revelation to interpret what he saw in creation around him (Gen. 1:28). Mankind was created to live by the word of God from the very beginning to the very end (Deut. 8:3). To say that general revelation is not a complete revelation of God is not in any way to imply that there is any defect in general revelation. When we speak of the insufficiency of general revelation we do not wish to suggest that this revelation is as such insufficient for its purpose. It has been noted how all creation, including man’s own psychological constitution, is inherently revelatory of God. This revelation was so clear and unavoidable that man was always confronted with the face of God. But in sinning, man, as it were, took out his own eyes, so that he could no longer see God in his general revelation. Moreover, through this act of self-immolation, man not only made himself helpless but also guilty and polluted before God. It is therefore to the condition of man as a sinner, not to man as finite, that the idea of the necessity of a special or saving revelation must be attached.
Third, we need a special and written revelation from God because of the darkness and perversion of the human mind caused by sin (Gen. 6:5; Rom. 8:6–7; John 3:19, 20; Rom. 3:9; Eph. 2:1–2). The twisting, distorting, and polluting effects of sin greatly influence the human mind along with all other aspects of human experience (2 Cor. 4:3–4). The mind’s reasoning and perceiving abilities are not reliable guides to truth and knowledge apart from the Biblical revelation and Spiritual illumination. Man’s condition after the entrance of sin is, therefore, not that of a poor innocent man, but that of a criminal who has committed high treason. Thus the necessity for a special revelation lies primarily in the subjective rebellion of man. The special revelation that must be given to man, if he is to be saved, must consist not only of the “objective” work of Christ in his death and resurrection, but also result in a subjective change from this state of rebellion to a state of obedience. The work of the Holy Spirit in granting regeneration to God’s people is therefore implied in the work of Christ.[i]
Morecraft gives these reasons for the catechism: What is the value of the Larger Catechism for the church today? [I]t contains some outstanding summaries of Biblical Doctrine,…it gives a rich and full exposition of the Ten Commandments. No other such exposition gives us a more helpful and detailed treatment of the ethical and social teachings of the Bible…it gives a full-orbed doctrine of the church, …it is a full, balanced, edifying summary of the Christian Faith, a useful aid to the Christian growing in the knowledge of the Word of God…[ii]
When I first obtained this commentary, I was almost intimidated by its size. As I have moved further and further into it, I have come to enjoy the ease of navigation (the whole of volume 8 is a navigation tool, including a complete table of contents and scripture index; among three other indices, and a bibliography) and this commentary’s easy readability. I use this commentary as a tool to do my “…best to present [my]self to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” 2 Timothy 2:15.
[i] Morecraft III, Joseph C., Authentic Christianity (Four Falls Press, 2019), 125-128. [ii] Ibid., 60, 61.
I have been a member of A Call For Men for just over a year. Through my association with this group I have used various tools to discover and overcome issues in my life. When I was young I suffered from intense anger. It is written, “Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools” Ecclesiastes 7:9 (ESV). Although I have been converted for several years now, sin remains. I do at times still struggle with anger.
I use the Bible to understand how God would have me to live. I use prayer that I may be given grace to live as God would have me to live. I use conversation and interaction with the members of A Call For Men to gain insight that I may be sure that I walk in the manner which glorifies God. I have borrowed a book from Richard, the founder of A Call For Men by Edward T. Welch. A Small Book About A Big ProblemMeditations on Anger, Patience, and Peace (2017).
This book is a 50 day ‘walk’, looking unto myself (a mentor is following along with me), that I may discover why I get angry, what the Bible says about my anger, and how I can overcome my anger. I want to look at day seven, ‘Run Toward Wisdom’, in this blog. We have looked at material in our ACFM meetings that instructs us that in mortifying sin, in this case anger, we must also replace sin with something. Proverbs chapters 1, 2, give us instruction to seek wisdom. In these chapters the Bible is pointing us to our Lord Jesus. Chapter 3 of Proverbs shows us the rewards of wisdom.
We all know of times in our lives when our anger has brought hurt, harm, and pain. Although the life of a christian is also fraught with hurt, harm, and pain, the rewards of following Christ far outway the hurt, harm, and pain which we cause in this life because of our sin. Edward T. Welch (p. 25), wrote this, “Wisdom is anger’s opposite. With wisdom we find patience, peace, humility, self-control, and other coveted goals. At the center of wisdom is the willingness to forsake our pride and get a little lower. ‘Listen’ is wisdom’s plea (Proverbs 2:1-5). Listen to God and listen to other people”.
In my listening to God He has led me to join with, and listen to other christians. My life is not sin free. Yet, we are commanded to turn from sin – ourselves – and to God. Christianity is not designed to be lived alone. Our Lord tells us to serve those in the Church as well as those outside the Church. We at A Call For Men seek wisdom from God that we may do so.
Below is the link to the publisher of A Small Book About a Big Problem
