Marrying Someone Not Willing to Go (John Piper)

"You ought to marry someone who's willing to go anywhere for God. If they're not, they're out." - John Piper

Self-pity and Christian Hedonism (John Piper)

The Christian Hedonist -- who has made delighting in God, not self, be the project of his life -- shouldn't boast in his successes or wallow in self-pity over his failures. But in victory and loss, he clings to the neck of another. The Christian Hedonist hugs. - John Piper

Excerpt: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/winning-like-a-christian-hedonist

"How easy it is to begin to assume that I should be comfortable. How quickly I can start to expect ease and hassle-free ministry.

But I tell missionaries just the opposite. Life is war. Life is stress: the language is stress; the culture is stress; the food is stress; the kids’ education is stress; relationships are stress. Get ready for incarnation and crucifixion." -John Piper

Excerpt: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/irving-hetherington-self-pity-and-service

The Gospel Is the Power of God Unto Salvation (John Piper)

"The gospel is the good news that God gave us his Son, so as to obtain for us everything that would be good for us. Therefore the gospel is the power that gives us victory over temptation to despair and to pride and to greed and to lust. The gospel alone can triumph over every obstacle and bring us to eternal joy. Whatever it costs, stand in it, hold it fast, believe on it, feed on it, savor it, count it more precious than silver or gold. The gospel will save you. And it alone." - John Piper, Romans 1:16b

Excerpt: The Gospel Is the Power of God unto Salvation

The Humble Christian (Jonathan Edwards)

"The eminently humble Christian has so much to do at home and sees so much evil in his own that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts." - Jonathan Edwards

Excerpt: Undiscerned Spiritual Pride

Getting to the Root of Radical (David Platt)

"The message of Christianity is not that we need to do more for God, but that we need to trust in what God has done for us" - David Platt

Excerpt: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2010/05/25/getting-to-the-root-of-radical

Preaching Is A Gift (John Newton)

"Be punctual in waiting upon God in secret." - John Newton

"Preaching is a gift. It cannot be learned by industry and imitation only, as a man may learn to make a chair or a table: it comes from above; and if you patiently wait upon God, He will bestow this gift upon you, and increase it in you. It will grow by exercise." -John Newton
Excerpt: The Gift of Preaching--Advice to a Young Preacher

Joy and Mission (Timothy Keller)

"The lack of joy in your life is due to your lack of mission." -T.Keller

When People....(after preaching) (Mark Driscoll)

"When people have follow-up questions, they are helping you learn what you missed in your sermon. When lost people want to talk about the message, they are helping you learn to do evangelism. When people are confused, they are helping you learn how to communicate more clearly. When people need prayer, they are helping you learn to love well. When people criticize you, they are helping you grow in humility. When people praise you, they are helping you stay encouraged." - Mark Driscoll

From: http://theresurgence.com/2012/12/05/5-ways-to-get-better-at-preaching-and-teaching

Moralism vs. Christ-Centered Exposition (Tim Keller)

Excerpt: http://www.monergism.com/moralism-vs-christ-centered-exposition-tim-keller

A BASIC OUTLINE FOR CHRIST-CENTERED, GOSPEL-MOTIVATED SERMONS
The following may actually be four points in a presentation, or they may be treated very quickly as the last point of a sermon. But more generally, this is a foundational outline for the basic moral reasoning and argument that lies at the heart of the application.

The Plot winds up: WHAT YOU MUST DO.
“This is what you have to do! Here is what the text/narrative tells us that we must do or what we must be.”

In every text of the Scripture there is somehow a moral principle. It may grow out of because of what it shows us about the character of God or Christ, or out of either the good or bad example of characters in the text, or because of explicit commands, promises, and warnings. This moral principle must be distilled clearly. 

The Plot thickens: WHY YOU CAN’T DO IT.
“But you can’t do it! Here are all the reasons that you will never become like this just by trying very hard.”

But then a crisis is created in the hearers as the preacher shows that his moral principle creates insurmountable problems. The sermon shows how this practical and moral obligation is impossible to meet. The hearers are led to a seemingly dead end.

The Plot resolves: HOW HE DID IT.
“But there’s One who did. Perfectly. Wholly. Jesus the—. He has done this for us, in our place.”

Then a hidden door opens and light comes in. The sermon moves both into worship and into Christ-application when it shows how only Jesus Christ has fulfilled this. If the text is a narrative, you can show how Christ is the ultimate example of a particular character. If the text is didactic, you can show how Christ is the ultimate embodiment of the principle.

The Plot winds down: HOW, THROUGH HIM, YOU CAN DO IT.
“Our failure to do it is due to our functional rejection of what he did. Remembering him frees our heart so we can change like this…”

Finally, we show how our inability to live as we ought stems from our rejection of Christ as the Way, Truth, and Life (or whatever the theme is). The sermon points out how to repent and rejoice in Christ in such a way that we can live as we ought.

Trust Christ alone versus Trust Christ by trusting His People

I have two friends, a Catholic and a Protestant. The Protestant quoted Kevin DeYoung, "You cannot trust Christ truly unless you trust Christ alone."

Then the Catholic argued, "Trusting God means trusting those He sends. He sent Christ so we trust Christ. Christ sent people (disciples) so we trust also the disciples (John 17:18 & John 20:21). Belief in Christ does not negate belief to the rest of the household of God. The Head is part of the Body. Therefore, belief & love for Christ is never "alone", it must extend or mirror to those whom Christ loves (primarily those who with Him in his heavenly family)."

The Protestant quoted the context of the quote, "There is nowhere else we ought to look for our salvation than in Christ. You cannot trust Christ truly unless you trust Christ alone. No matter how much you boast of Christ or talk of your love for Christ or passion for Christ, if you add anything to Christ, your boasting and love and passion are all in vain. There is no "both-and" with Jesus, only "either-or." Either Jesus is the only Savior [John 14:6], the perfect Savior, and your only comfort in life and in death, or Jesus is for you no Savior at all."

The Catholic responded, "It is not adding in the salvation or sufficiency of Christ but more on the aspect of trusting Christ so much that you must also trust those whom he sends. God is love but He does not point or exclude others to be loved that's why Christ has 2 commandments namely Love God & love others. The problem with that view is it is reductionist. It reduces the Christian idea of salvation based on love. It makes it individualistic (disregarding others). The complete picture of salvation is "communion", community, fellowship, church, FAMILY. This is an example of what I am saying.... (Matthew 10:40) "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me." Faith in Christ is not a private privilege or exclusive of others. Faith in Christ is inclusive & it logically includes to those whom he favors or sends."

The Protestant, "Your taking it out of context... I cant post the whole book here...the text is about Jesus being the Savior and salvation is found in Him alone (Acts 4:12)..."

The Catholic, "However, the Protestant approach in salvation is individualistic & most of the time simplistic to the point that it contradicts the entirety of the Scriptures... Everything is centered in Christ but those who are drawn to Christ are necessarily drawn to each other. Salvation is communion with Christ at the center."

Flawed as I am, I want to make a comment but this, "Answer not a fool, lest I become one." Therefore, I just want to make a statement here.

To take both points:

1) Trusting God means trusting those whom He sends.

First of all, people are sinners and fail. If we trust people, we are open for disappointments because people do fail. Whom God sends: family, friends, mentors, even enemies. As a reflection in the Book of Judges that God no longer removed Canaan from Israel to test them, punish them, and teach them. God sent people to test us for faithfulness, do we trust Him or people? God sent people (good or bad) to teach us a lesson, to bring about obedience to God. God sent people to mold us, to strengthen us for His purpose.

Jesus, though the Father gave him people who would believe Him, did not trust in man for He knew man's nature is sinful. (John 17; John 2:23-25)

To whom did Adam trust? He trusted himself and his wife, they fell and disobeyed God.

To whom did Abraham trust? He trusted himself and his wife, they disobeyed and manipulated God's plan.

To whom did Samson trust? He trusted himself and Delilah who took his strength and gave him to the Philistines.

To whom did Solomon trust? He trusted himself and all "good things", he was puffed up and forsook God.

By this definition that "trusting God means trusting those whom He sends", things look filthy and messy, all disappointments.

2) Trusting God alone and only Him.

We can still trust people but not so much that our trust is reliant on them than God. Trusting God is knowing who God is, His Character. When we trust a person, we usually first know the person before we begin to trust Him. But trusting man apart from trusting God alone, that's similar to point #2. But trusting man is not the same as trusting God, because man is, again, sinful and fails. God is the Creator, King, Father, Lord, and Ruler of us. He is all sufficient, complete, perfect, faithful, and everlasting.

Our Catholic friend here says that this is individualistic, simplistic, and reductionistic. I wonder why people want complicated things and make it the ultimate truth, because simple things are hard to understand in limited minds. Loving God and loving others is not like two commandments made into one. God said to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. When we learn, with the Holy Spirit's enabling, to love God, loving others come naturally to us, which loving others comes from God too. The foundation of love, trust/faith is God who has given this enabling to us through the Holy Spirit. It is not even individualistic, because we are trusting God to do what He oughts us to do or will to do according to His 2nd commandment about others, which is stretched into the 4th to 10th commandment in the Ten Commandments.

Trusting God alone is not reductionistic, we're not reducing what the Bible says. My friend is connecting a puzzle, though it fits, does not make the picture. He is actually adding the principle of the Scriptures because the Bible doesn't say anything what my friend is saying.

To whom did Moses trust? If he trusted the people God entrusted him, he's bound for failure. If he trusted his siblings, he's also bound for failure. Therefore, a servant of the Lord, Moses trusted God alone.

To whom did David trust? If he trusted Saul, he might have not become King because Saul betrayed him and killed him. David trusted Jonathan, true, but David trusted God more. When a sleeping Saul was brought into David's hands because he's the next King, David didn't kill him because God appointed Saul, therefore David had no power to kill Saul except God. David trusted God alone, yet He became King as God promised.

To whom did Jesus trust? If Jesus trusted his disciples, could we have Jesus today? Jesus' disciples left him.

To whom did Paul trust? His friends even left him.

3) Conclusion

Therefore, to whom do we trust? But in God alone. Salvation comes in God alone. Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace you have been saved (salvation) through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." (emphasis mine) Salvation comes from God. Grace comes from God. Faith/Trust comes from God. No man gives another man salvation, grace, and faith.

Though man is sent by God to bring another man to Christ, that doesn't mean the man has the power to give salvation, grace, and faith. God entrusted him, but the Holy Spirit does the work through the man.

I have spiritual parents who bore me to faith, that doesn't mean they gave me faith. Romans 10:17, "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." God gave me that faith through my spiritual parents who taught His Word to me, who led me to know God. Trusting God by trusting whom He sends is not it. Trusting God because He is God who provides, who loves, who cares, who is Father, who is King, who is Savior, who is Lord, who is what we are not, is different from "Trusting God means trusting whom He sends." It may mean that my Catholic friend here doesn't know God.

Matthew 11:29-30, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Simple, God didn't say, "Take my yoke because it's complicated."