To those of who check your calender, this week was National Shepherds Conference Week.

Well, anyway, last Wednesday, Dad, Kevin and I took off the Shepherds Conference.  Coincidentally we met Jonathan, Kyle and Drew Stevens and Jonathan McIntire there.  (Okay, so it wasn't quite so coincidental).

John MacArthur.  His opening message on why all Christians should believe the Biblical six-day Creation (as opposed to theistic evolution) was good, though I'd heard a lot of it from him recently, so it wasn't really very new.  Wednesday night we got back to the session only 15 minutes early and the church was already almost packed.  We managed to scrounge some seats in the far back corner. 

Let me tell you: Three-thousand pastors (and laymen) singing hymns is quite an experience.  Nothing like it short of Heaven I'll bet.

Al Mohler spoke on preaching with authority.  In Matthew 7, when Jesus was closing off the sermon on the mount, it says the people were amazed because He spoke as one having authority - unlike their leaders.  He noted how many leaders today want to turn the sermon into a dialogue.  'Where would I be if the pilot who flew me out here wanted to have a dialogue with me on how to fly the plane?' Mohler asked.  Or, as he also noted, what if a doctor doing surgery asked the patient for his opinion on how to get the job done.  The goal of a preacher is not to discuss the message.  The goal of a preacher is to proclaim the gospel message for the glory of God. 

I'm not sure why I grabbed this picture.  Though on the last session, we were sitting in the middle section sixth row back (which you can kinda see in this picture). 

Well, Al Mohler told us to preach with authority (and he practiced what he preached).  Steve Lawson was listening to the message.  Not that I've ever heard Steven Lawson preach without authority.  The man is passionate about God.  His message on Galatians 1 exhorted preachers to 'Guard the Gospel'.  Just as in Galatia where false prophets were preaching a different gospel than what Jesus and His disciples taught, in the same way in our day, the gospel is diluted, edited, or just plain thrown out with the bathwater.  He reminded us of the testimony of John Knox.  John Knox condemned Queen Mary over the Mass.  Calling Knox to the palace, she threatened him.  Unconcerned, Knox began to preach the gospel to her while stating in no uncertain terms that what she was doing was sin.  She burst into tears and ran out of the room.

One particularly strong point he made was, "The problem with preachers today is that no one wants to kill them anymore."  How true, unfortunately.

Jubilant Sykes.  His rendition of "Were You There" was masterful and moving.  I was blessed by it.  Jubilant, he certainly was.

John MacArthur was coaxed onto the stage himself to perform a spiritual number. 

Dr. MacArthur's final message, "The Dilemma of Theodicy" was sobering, but, at the same time, very encouraging.  Theodicy is essentially the question: If God is all powerful and all loving, why is there evil in the world?  Typically, the free-will advocates try to 'save' God by insisting that either God did not plan for evil - He simply knew it would happen and prepared the Cross to save all who would accept Him (The Cross was an afterthought?) - He limited Himself purposely to allow for their free choice; Or God hadn't a clue that evil would happen and is as shocked as anyone that it occurred - As a result, God is simply reacting to our actions; trying to fix the problems we're making. 

Understand this: We may want to rescue God from the problem of evil by reducing His sovereignty, but God does not want to be rescued.  He is perfectly willing to be sovereign, despite what scoffers accuse Him of as a result of that.  God's ultimate purpose in creating the world was to glorify Himself.  God could have created a perfect world where nothing bad would happen.  But He made a deliberate choice to leave some people in their sins and shed His sovereign, saving grace on others. 

How does that work?  God's divine attributes are praiseworthy in and of themselves - His great love, mercy, power, holiness - Yet , how well would we understand His love without seeing it manifested towards us when we were dead in sins and totally incapable and unwilling to return to Him?  How would we understand His power if we did not see Him subjugate the greatest powers of the universe with less effort than it takes us to read this overly long blog post.  And particularly, how could His ultimate purity and holiness be so perfectly displayed and honored except against the backdrop of sin? 

As MacArthur noted at the end, does the existence of evil give God more or less glory?  Infinitely more! Rom. 3:5.

Let's be clear on one thing, though: James 1 and other places are clear that God is responsible for good, yet He forces no one to sin.  Can I explain that to your rational, skeptical mind?  No.  I know that nothing happens outside the will of God.  How is God responsible for evil without directly causing it?  Hard question.  Yet God puts the ultimate smackdown on anyone who questions His wisdom on this issue:

"You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”  But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"" Romans 9:19-20.

Furthermore,

"What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory," Romans 9:22-23. 

God works primarily for His name's sake.  His plan was not foiled at the outset.  The cross was not Plan B.  I can hear the protesters screaming right now: "That's not fair!  How dare God act for His own desires ahead of ours!  What an Eternal Egotist!"  Okay, so they wouldn't say it like that.  But that's essentially what's going through their minds, whether they recognize and admit it or not.  God can and does act for Himself first because He alone deserves praise, honor and glory.  He desires His creation to glorify Him - That's why He created us!

In Isaiah 43, after describing all that He does for us, God explains why He does what He does:

"Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him." Isaiah 43:7.

It's not as though these are obscure references.  The Bible is full of the truth.  The problem is inside us.  It's called pride.  Pride felled Lucifer, condemned Adam and Eve (in their desire to be 'like God'), humiliated Nebuchadnezzar, and it will ultimately send all of us to hell except for the sovereign grace of God. 

"For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:36.

As I finish up this post, I'll use that verse to tie me into my final section: Books.  I bought over a dozen books this year.  On 'The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards' by Steven Lawson, I managed to get an autograph from him.  When he autographed it, he included that verse. 

Also got a Ryle book which looks like it'll come in handy on my next paper about the future of Israel.  J.C. Ryle's book was called, "Are You Ready for the End of Time?" 

Last night before bed I read over half of John Newton's autobiography, "Out of the Depths".  Incredible story of God's grace in the life of Newton.  Consider this a recommendation (even though I haven't finished it).

Got some Piper books, John Bunyan's autobiography, "Grace Abounding" (The title won me over; jk. ) and a Puritan Paperbacks entry by Bunyan called, "The Sacrifices of God", dealing with Psalm 51:17. 

I'd pull out a complete list of books I either bought or got free, but I doubt anyone really cares all that much (except the people who went with me...and already know).  But I'll post it on comments if anyone really wants it.

Blessed week.  Soli Deo Gloria!