Dr Paul Allen

2 Timothy 1:7 When we are facing troubles what is our default response? Do we look to God and his Word for our perfect and present help? Or do we succumb to the emotional roller coaster ride that swings between sudden distress and overwhelming panic? The Choice is Ours When life doesn’t make sense, God promises a priceless gift for the asking. When we go to him we can receive something better than relief from our distresses. It’s true. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7). Help is There for the Asking This verse in 2 Timothy helps us navigate some of life’s most difficult circumstances and instructs us as to how we should respond when life doesn’t make any sense from our perspective. Look at the bold statements used here. God has NOT given us a spirit of fear. Rather, God HAS given us a spirit described as powerful; and loving; and we have a sound mind to boot. Wow! What an amazing three-pronged promise. Power, Love, Soun...

Author: John piper. If the aim of preaching is the glory of God through Jesus Christ , and if God is most glorified in our people when they are most satisfied in Him, and if the universal human experience of suffering threatens to undermine their faith in the goodness of God, and thus their satisfaction in His glory, then our preaching must aim, week in and week out, to help our people be satisfied in God while suffering.  Indeed, we must help them count suffering as part of why they should be satisfied in God. We must build into their minds and hearts a vision of God and His ways that helps them see suffering not merely as a threat to their satisfaction in God (which it is), but also as a means to their satisfaction in God (which it is). We must preach so as to make suffering seem normal and purposeful, and not surprising in this fallen age. The forces of culture are almost all designed to build the opposite worldview into our people’s minds. Maximize comfort, ease, and ...

They are some of the more depressing words in Scripture. “For Demas , in love with this present world, has deserted me” (2 Tim. 4:10). It wasn’t always that way. Demas was doing great for a while. He was traveling with the ministry elites of the apostolic age; Luke, Aristarchus, and the apostle Paul (Col. 4:14, Philem. 24). For a time, he was even considered a “fellow worker” (Philem. 24). However, a mere five years later, and he has bolted the faith. Paul uses a word in 2 Timothy 4:10 (translated, “has deserted”) which depicts abandonment and apostasy ; departing from the faith. Demas appeared to be regenerate and a mature Christian. But, as time and truth go hand-in-hand, his faith proved to be false. Apostasy is the ultimate soul-insanity. Hell is preferred over heaven. Sin satisfies more than the Savior. The world’s rubbish is preferred over heaven’s King. Nothing is worse than that highest act of spiritual treason. Tragically, there are far too many Demas’ among the body of C...

When writing to Christians in the city of Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul instructs them, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” ( 1 Thess. 5:16–18). These words are instruction to a church newly founded by Paul, composed of people who left Greco-Roman paganism to embrace Jesus Christ by faith.  Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks in all circumstances should characterize the lives of these new Christians in the face of heated opposition from those who do not understand why people would worship a Jewish rabbi from far-away Palestine who claimed to be the Son of God but was put to death by the Romans. To command Christians to rejoice under difficult circumstances is hard to understand without a context. We can understand why people who are facing opposition would need to pray—they must seek the grace of God to sustain them during their trials. We can understand why they should give co...

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.” ( Psalm 119:1 ) The Hebrew word barak appears over 300 times in the Bible. It basically means to endue or bless with power for success, prosperity, fruitfulness, longevity, and so on. The oft-used Aaronic blessing ( Numbers 6:24-26 ) closes with, “The LORD lift up [turn] his countenance upon [toward] thee, and give thee peace,” and is initiated by the greater upon the lesser. The opening stanza of Psalm 119 identifies the traits of a lifestyle subject to the Word of God and then claims the blessing that comes as the resultof those who “seek him with the whole heart” ( Psalm 119:2 ). The unknown psalmist saturates all 22 stanzas with eight key words describing the intimate role by which inspired Scriptures empower godly behavior. Six are used in this opening testimony and prayer. Those who “walk in the law [torah] of the LORD” and “keep his testimonies” (edah) receive God’s blessing ( Psalm 119:1-2 ). These in...

And in the fullness of time, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, came into the world to secure both of these goals. He came for the vindication of his Father’s glory, and for the salvation of his Father’s children. And he did this by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. The night before he died, in great distress he said, “What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again” (John 12:27–28). Christ died for glory-belittling sinners to show that God does not sweep the dishonoring of his name under the rug of the universe. He died to vindicate the worth of his glory (Rom. 3:23–26). And he also came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He said, “The Son of Man came . . . to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). A ransom from everlasting misery to everlasting joy—“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy...

Definitions are simply descriptions of the way people use words. Words don’t have intrinsic definitions. They are given definitions by the way people use them. When I say I want to define joy for you, I am asking whose joy are we talking about, or what use of the word are we talk-ing about? I mean joy as the apostle Paul uses it in his letters, and particularly in the book of Philippians. I am not just asking about the meaning of joy in general. I am talking about Christian joy, as Paul the apostle describes it. So let me give you my definition, and then take it apart one piece at a time. Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the Word and in the world. A Good Feeling Christian joy is a good feeling. By that, I mean it is not an idea. It is not a conviction. It is not a persuasion, or a decision. It is a feeling. Or — I use the words interchangeably here — an emotion. One of the marks of the differenc...

English: An image of Psalm 23 (King James' Version),  (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven , whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity." ( Psalm 32:1-2 ) What true believer is there who is not eternally thankful for the truths found in today's verse? Sins of omission, sins of commission, sins of deliberate action, sins of the heart, youthful sins, covert sins, "big" sins, "little" sins, etc. What a thrill to know that the penalty for our sins has been paid in full, if we but accept His free gift. What rejoicing and freedom forgiveness brings. There are three different expressions for wrongdoing in this verse--transgression, sin, and iniquity. The differences in these words are not insignificant, but precise differentiation is beyond the scope of this discussion. Suffice it to say that they can be understood to mean the whole gamut of sinful activity. Likewise ther...