Randy Alcorn in this brief video hits the nail on the head on the issue of pornography. Do not be naive about it. The issue of pornography in the home comes across my desk by a family in the church several times a month. It is a point issue for me this upcoming year to address with men and their leading their homes.
Read this quote this morning from Charles Spurgeon's sermon, "The Upper Hand."
Sin cannot get confirmed dominion over the child of God, because God hath promised that it shall not. “Sin shall not have dominion over you.” Oh! how I live these “shalls!” There seems something grand in them. “Sin shall not.” Ah! Satan may come with temptation, but when God says, “Sin shall not have dominion,” it is as when the sea comes up in the fullness of its strength, and the Almighty saith - “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther; here shall thy proud waves be stayed.”
If there were no other promise in the Bible but this one, and I knew no more theology than that promise teaches me, I would be most happy. “Sin shall not have dominion.” O my God, if thou sayest it shall not, then I know it shall not. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Hath he promised it, and shall it not stand good? If you trust in Jesus Christ, before sin can ever fully rule over you, God’s promise must be broken, and, beloved, that shall never be.
I posted this video once before in the short version. Here is the extended version and this might just save your marriage so it is worth the ten minutes:
I want to share with you a production that appears to be a "must-have" to your home video collection. I know there will be a copy at the Lockyer house for grandkids time with Grandpa and then lots of discussion. Here is a review of the production by Tony Reinke and a short promotional video.
I doubt any product has more potential for introducing the themes of Bunyan's classic to a new generation of Christians quite like the new DVD of the musical simply titled Pilgrim. The Pilgrim DVD is a recording of a performance at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD. The high school students from the church performed all the acting and their work is exceptional.
But the real brilliance of Pilgrim is the theology of the script. One of my favorite scenes is between Goodwill, played by an energetic Irish woman, and Christian. Christian has not yet been to the cross. Watch how the theology unfolds:
Christian: I'm a mess. I need get myself cleaned up before I get there [to the cross].
Goodwill: You can't. Oh, lots of pilgrims put off going to the cross so they can clean themselves up first, but you can't do that on your own. The King is the only one who can make you clean. He loves you, despite your dirt.
Christian: I guess it's good to know He loves me ...(shrugs) ... makes me feel better about myself.
Goodwill: Oh, laddie! He doesn't love ye to make you feel better about yerself. He loves ye because that's WHO HE IS. He died for ye to purchase ye back from the Prince of Destruction. He plans ta do a work in ye, Pilgrim, ta conform ye to His lovin' image. And He wants to make sure ye git home safely.
Christian: Home?! NO! I want to go to the Celestial City.
Goodwill: Once you git to the cross, the Celestial City becomes yer new home. Christian: Oh, right. That's why I'm here. That's why I made my decision. Goodwill: Your decision. Christian: Yeah, you know, to come down this road. I'm glad I'm finally doing it.
Goodwill: (chuckling) Ah, lad, ye think yer desire to walk this road began with you? No, Laddie. It began with the King. He put that desire in ye. He started it! On yer own, ye wouldn't have come this way. And I'll tell ye somethin' more. It's a blessed promise from that book [the Bible]. Since this wasn't your idea but His, the same One who started His good work in ye will carry it through. Right to the finish.
The Pilgrim DVD is just under two hours in length and currently sells online for $18.00. I make no hesitation in saying this is a must-have addition to your family library. We recently enjoyed the presentation for our family movie night, and we used the theology of the film as a means of further discussion on the various spiritual themes. The allegory is brought forth in striking imagery and acting and singing. And while it is a serious and sobering production--how could an allegory about the Christian life not be serious and sobering?--there is some delightful humor at times, too.
Taken together I would say Pilgrim is an epic achievement in the long Bunyan legacy.
You can purchase Pilgrim at http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=O9250-00-41. And here's brief trailer for the DVD:
Fathers and mothers are the most natural agents for God to use in the salvation of their children. I am sure that, in my early youth, no teaching ever made such an impression upon my mind as the instruction of my mother; neither can I conceive that, to any child, there can be one who will have such influence over the heart as the mother who has so tenderly cared for her offspring. A man with a soul so dead as not to be moved by the sacred name of "mother" is creation's blot. Never could it be possible for any man to estimate what he owes to a godly mother. Certainly I have not the powers of speech with which to set forth my valuation of the choice blessing which the Lord bestowed on me in making me the son of one who prayed for me, and prayed with me. How can I ever forget her tearful eye when she warned me to escape from the wrath to come? I thought her lips right eloquent; others might not think so, but they certainly were eloquent to me. How can I ever forget when she bowed her knee, and with her arms about my neck, prayed, "Oh, that my son might live before Thee!" Nor can her frown be effaced from my memory,-that solemn, loving frown, when she rebuked my budding iniquities; and her smiles have never faded from my recollection,-the beaming of her countenance when she rejoiced to see some good thing in me towards the Lord God of Israel.
Well do I remember hearing my father speak of an incident that greatly impressed him. He used to be frequently away from home preaching, and at one time, as he was on his way to a service, he feared that he was neglecting his own family while caring for the souls of others. He therefore turned back, and went to his home. On arriving there, he was surprised to find no one in the lower rooms of the house; but, on ascending the stairs, he heard a sound as of someone engaged in prayer. On listening at the bedroom door, he discovered that it was my mother, pleading most earnestly for the salvation of all her children, and specially praying for Charles, her first-born and strong-willed son. My father felt that he might safely go about his Master's business while his dear wife was caring so well for the spiritual interests of the boys and girls at home, so he did not disturb her, but proceeded at once to fulfil his preaching engagement.
One of my favorite books that I read last year was "Christless Christianity, The Alternate Gospel of the American Church" by Michael Horton. In his book he states: What would things look like if Satan really took control of a city? Over a half century ago, Presbyterian minister Donald Grey Barnhouse offered his own scenario in his weekly sermon that was also broadcast nationwide on CBS radio. Barnhouse speculated that if Satan took over Philadelphia, all of the bars would be closed, pornography banished, and pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The children would say, “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am,” and the churches would be full every Sunday . . . where Christ is not preached.
"Reverberation: How God's Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People" by Jonathan Leeman
Listen, O my people...
We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generations to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. Psalm 78:4
