The Prayer of the Lord by R.C. Sproul

This is a Reformation Trust review. They send you a PDF file of the book, you review it on your blog and they then send you the book.

I use The Lord’s Prayer every Friday as a template for my praying. So I wanted to take the opportunity to review a book on it.

Like The Truth of the Cross, this is a relatively short book on a subject that has a wide interest. The reading level of this book would be ‘popular’ or a little deeper than introductory. At 130 pages it’s not imposing at all. Whenever there is a term that might need explaining, he does so concisely and in a well understood manner. As long as the read is familiar with the Bible and has read the Lord’s prayer, this book will be very accessible.

Sproul uses anecdotes sparingly but wisely, always dealing directly with what he’s teaching as opposed to trying to entertain or tell funny stories to try to keep the reader’s interest.

The first chapter is How Not To Pray. Of course in learning how not to pray one also learns in very general terms how to pray. This is a helpful first chapter that introduces the account of the disciples asking Jesus how to pray.

The main body of the book of course deals with each section of the prayer. These are expository (explaining what it means) as opposed to looking at it from the audience’s culture, point of view, politics, Jesus’ Jewishness etc. That would be for another book.

In the chapter on Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread, he writes of providence and provision as if they are synonymous. This was rather confusing to me because I thought that providence is God ordering of things and provision is God providing for us. I realize there is some overlap and in God’s providence he provides for us but more of a distinction may have been helpful so that readers wouldn’t confuse the terms.

Unlike many other writings and sermons on this prayer, Sproul spends a whole chapter on Yours Is the Kingdom which is the last part of the prayer that some Greek manuscripts include and some don’t.

Chapter 10 is Questions and Answers which deals “other issues surrounding the practice of prayer and the Lord’s Prayer specifically.” This chapter is a helpful bonus.

And yet another bonus is If God Is Sovereign, Why Pray? Anyone who wrestles with this idea will be enlightened and encouraged by reading it.

I felt this endorsement was the closest to how I feel abut the book:

I love listening to R. C. Sproul teach, and this book sounds just
like him—penetrating truths strikingly illustrated. His good
quotations and pastoral wisdom make him as easy to read as he
is delightful to listen to (and the short chapters help!). Sproul
clearly explains the Scriptures with sentences that are simple and
accurate. He knows enough to say important things concisely
and clearly—truths about the kingdom, the fatherhood of God,
history, and, of course, prayer. There’s even a helpful question-and-answer section at the end. This little book now takes its
place with the classics on prayer.

–Dr. Mark Dever
Senior pastor
Capitol Hill Baptist Church

For those who have read books on prayer that cover the Lord’s prayer well, books on the Sermon on the Mount or commentaries on Matthew, this book may be somewhat of a review as far as the chapters that deal directly with the prayer. If you recited this during church but never deeply pondered what it really means or are unfamiliar with this portion of Scripture, this is an excellent book for you.

Read a sample chapter.

See excerpts on Facebook.

Hardcover: 130 pages
Publisher: Reformation Trust Publishing (May 31, 2009)

Buy it at:

• Ligonier Ministries
• Amazon

I would like to give away some of my images for use in web pages, blogs, etc. I think I will do them one at a time. In the Categories area on the right sidebar you will see Free Photos. This category will only be used for free photos so that you can click on that to see them all.

Many won’t be large enough to use in print materials but I will try to get some larger ones up in the future.

Here is the first one. This is the full size picture. Windows users right click to save. Mac users are smart enough to know what to do.

Also see Scripture in Pictures for a lot more free pictures.

These images may be used for the web for non-profit use. If you use an image directly to sell a product, it would be nice to be compensated in a small way. If so, contact me using the address listed in the sidebar to the right. If you have banner ads on your blog or affiliate programs, that doesn’t matter. If in doubt, don’t worry about it.

Looks like Crossway has some good stuff coming up (gallery of eight book covers).

They all look good, especially these two for me:

I found a list too if Facebook is a problem:

• Scandalous by D. A. Carson
• Leaders Who Last by Dave Kraft
• Ruth: Under the Wings of God by John Piper
• Liberating Black Theology by Anthony Bradley
• A Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ by Sam Storms
• Be Still, My Soul by Nancy Guthrie, ED
• Mighty Acts of God by Starr Meade

Mitchell at ve’al timkor is discussing the meaning of Genesis 6:3. Please go see his post and another thought . . ..

I read this in the NLT which reads:

Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”

So naturally at first reading I thought this is why the lifespan of Adam and his descendants living around 900 years and then they got shorter. However Mitchell doesn’t see it this way so I looked it up in other translations and found this:

Genesis 6:3 NET
So the LORD said, “My spirit will not remain in humankind indefinitely, since they are mortal. They will remain for 120 more years.”

My question is why are these translations so different? Any Hebrew people want to tackle it?

I can’t stop at the end of each day’s reading. I think I’m going to get done early. I’m just going through the Old Testament though and then keep reading about it.

Also see:
Bible Reading Roundup

Here is the most concise quote I’ve seen on Augustine’s idea of seeking and doing God’s will and it can be distilled down to this:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). Augustine said, “Love God and do as you please.” Because if you’re really loving God, you want to do what pleases him.

–Randy Alcorn on Facebook

John MacArthur spoke a very good sermon on it. Here is a quote:

You say, “But…but…but…but what about me?” Are you ready for this? Hum, if you’re saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, suffering, and saying thanks, you know what God’s will is? Whatever you want. You like that? Do whatever you want. Go do whatever you want. You say, “You’re kidding.” No, I’m not kidding…No, I…you say, “What do you mean? How can…I can’t just go do what I want.” Yes, you can, because if that’s how you’re living, guess who’s in charge of your wants?…

But you really have to hear or read the whole thing to really know what he’s getting at. This quote is near the end of the sermon.

Lately I’ve been having thoughts about the genre of poetry in the Bible and how people can easily dismiss it as inaccurate or greatly embellished. I found a quote that expresses what I’ve been thinking (and is related to Genesis 1):

Second, “poetry” is not some lesser form of literature that tolerates nonsense. The Israelites did not think, “Well, it is just poetry so we can say some whacky things we would never dare say in narrative.” The opposite is the case. The Psalms were used in worship. The presence of the cosmic battle motif in Psalms actually tells us how important this notion was to them for praising the Lord. He is worthy of praise in part because of the defeat of his ancient “foes.” That is how the Israelites understood it.

–Pete Enns, The BioLogos Foundation

See the rest of the post at the link.

Disclaimer: I’m not familiar with Pete Enns or the BioLogos foundation. For all I know their basic tenets may be against mine. I just like this quote.

HT: Joel

McHugh identifies three primary characteristics of introverts. First, he says, introverts are energized by solitude and drained by social interaction. (Extroverts, on the other hand, derive energy from external sources and find both inactivity and too much solitude draining.) Second, introverts tend to filter information and experiences internally; thinking generally precedes speaking. Third, introverts prefer depth over breadth in both relationships and interests. They may look calm on the surface, but their brains are “bubbling with activity”; thus, they require less external stimulation than their extroverted neighbors.

–Adam S. McHugh, author of Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture as quoted in an article on Christianity Today titled Introverts for Jesus, Unite!

Being an introvert and having chronic fatigue, social occasions are especially draining. Sometimes I want to plug my ears because of the cacophony of sound. For some reason it takes energy to speak and think when in a group of people. Most don’t understand except those who are introverts. But I know it’s good for me in small doses.

John 3:16 KJV
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

As most people know, this English is hundreds of years old and because most new translations are too afraid to mess with the Bible’s most popular verse (although I read that “judge not” has now surpassed it which is for another post). The first part of the verse to our modern ears sounds like it’s saying, “God loved the world so much”. But in that time it read like, “this is how God loved the world”.

Most of the readers of this blog already know this, but I thought I’d point out a quote by Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) which explains it in those words:

“And all this will be aggravated by the remembrance, that God once loved us so as to give his Son to bring us to the happiness of his love, and tried all manner of means to persuade us to accept of his favor, which was obstinately refused.” [emphasis added]

Which to me is some confirmation that this is really how it reads in English much less the original Greek which I can’t comment on.

So now we have some brave new translations like these:

John 3:16 HCSB
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 NET
For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 ISV
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his unique Son so that everyone who believes in him might not be lost but have eternal life.

I suppose God does love the world so much, but God wants to emphasize what He did because of it. The whole gospel message would fall apart if we just emphasized “God loves the world so much” wouldn’t it?

Mitchell Powell at ve’al timkor has written a posted called some of why i think what i do about genesis 1. Take a look and let him know what you think.

He’s braver than me!

I have yet another injection tomorrow. This will be a cortisone injection for a moderately herniated disc in the lower thoracic area. This isn’t nearly as bad as the lumbar stuff but it’s uncomfortable so I’m going to see if this helps.

I’ve had so many injections of different types in my back and upper rear I feel like a human pin cushion. The multiple trips are more annoying than the injections themselves. Thank God I’m not overly afraid of needles. I can’t imagine the terror for those who are and would have to go through it this many times.

Colossians 1:11-12 NRSV
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.

I’ve probably focused on those two verses more than any others in the last couple of years. I love the NRSV rendition.

Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

I’ve heard many pastors quote this as saying you should go to church. I don’t see it that way. I’m sure there are some smaller congregations where people really are encouraging one another during their meetings at some point. But this doesn’t happen in most services I’ve been to.

Then I saw this by David Black. I hope he doesn’t mind me quoting it here. It’s from January 31, 2009, 10:30 a.m. (see how hard it is to reference these things!):

I love these verses (Heb. 10:24-25, NLT):

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Wow! Does this not suggest the character of our church meetings? Does this not teach us that we are to come together for the purpose of mutual edification? Does this not challenge our deeply entrenched views about “worship”? Should we not suspect The Message of a bit of eisegesis when it renders “let us not neglect our meeting together” as “not avoiding worshiping together”?

Paul’s point is crystal clear: We come together to encourage one another. How we can get “We come together to hear the Word of God preached” from these verses is beyond me.

See the rest of that day’s writing to read more on the subject.

Hebrews 3:13 says: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (NIV) Does this mean we are to go to church everyday?

I’m not at all saying I believe church gatherings aren’t important. I’m just commenting on what I’ve thought these particular verses mean.

(I used NIV because that’s what I have them memorized in and I would guess this is the translation that many may be familiar with. So I also used NIV for Hebrews 3:13 for consistency.)

I’m very humbled to say that as of today, approximately 6,799,500,000 people haven’t seen this blog.

Here is a post by Shaun Tabatt on libraries of some notable people. I like Albert Mohler’s and Mark Dever’s the best as far as the libraries go. Pretty incredible.

Here is a video of a library that made the rounds at least a couple of times in the past that I like a lot.

I can’t figure out why the Church Connection blog by Louis McBride isn’t more popular. He regularly post about good books and subjects of interest. He’s very well read and is a mature Christian that I always learn from.

Fighter Verses is a blog I found related to Scripture memory. I can’t tell you how valuable Scripture memory has been for me.

Coming up will be reviews of The Prayer of the Lord and How to Enjoy Your Bible.

I may write general thoughts on Genesis as I read through it recently but I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. Unfortunately some parts of the Bible can’t be written about without rancor ensuing.

On February 1st Tyndale.com will be introducing a newly designed, more user friendly, and information packed site.

As a blogger and social media user here are some exciting features that can benefit you:

• Links to all of Tyndale’s social media sites
• A list of all Tyndale authors and their blogs, Facebook and Twitter accounts, etc.
• A place where you can share stories about Tyndale products that have had an effect on your life
• Under product details you can post reviews with a link to your own blog so others can see the exciting other books you’ve been reviewing

To celebrate the launch of this new site, Tyndale is giving away four books a day in the following categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Bibles, and Kids.

All you have to do is visit the site to sign up.  If you don’t win one day, keep coming back to sign up!

Please visit www.tyndale.com starting on February 1st for a chance to win!

If you have any questions feel free to email me or follow me on Twitter (@adamsab). (His email address is adamsabados @ their domain.)

Thank you and God Bless!

Adam J. Sabados

It’s pretty well impossible to sing your own praises and stay in key.

–Kevin DeYoung

Post your comments here:
Who will recommend the HCSB?

Hope for the Depressed by Ed Welch

Be sure to see the number 2 at the bottom of the page for the second part of the article.

HT: Justin Taylor

The challenge is not merely to pursue righteousness, but to prefer righteousness.

–John Piper

Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.

–Oswald Chambers

I believe we can strive to be righteous and holy as we are commanded but we more importantly need to pray that God will change our disposition so that it will come naturally.

1 Peter 1:15-16
But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

Romans 12:2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

This new book looks very interesting.
Roots: Let the Old Testament Speak by Alec Motyer

Motyer wrote the commentary on Isaiah that I’ve heard good things about and recently purchased.

This is only about $13 for a 400 page book.

Monergism now has free shipping on orders over $25 and the prices are good.

I haven’t been doing very well this week so posts are sparse. I may stick with quotes for a bit.

Top 10 Reasons To Like the HCSB at Anwoth

And:
Find Out How You Could Win a Limited Edition Minister’s Bible
at the bottom of the page

Also see:
Pre-Order the HCSB Minister’s Bible at Amazon