Ray Ortlund

Ray Ortlund is Senior Pastor of Immanuel Church in Nashville, TN and serves as a Council member with The Gospel Coalition.
 

Oct

11

2009

Ray Ortlund|3:45 PM CT

John 7:37-38
John 7:37-38 avatar

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:37-38
The fulfillment of . . . the promise could be testified by thousands of living Christians in the present day. They would say, if their evidence could be collected, that when they came to Christ by faith they found in him more than they expected. They have tasted peace and hope and comfort since they first believed, which, with all their doubts and fears, they would not exchange for anything in this world. They have found grace according to their need and strength according to their days. In themselves and their own hearts they have often been disappointed, but they have never been disappointed in Christ.

J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John...

 
 
 
 

Oct

09

2009

Ray Ortlund|1:20 PM CT

The Positive Energy of Hope
The Positive Energy of Hope avatar

"Hope is the soul of moral vitality; and any man, or society of men, who would live . . . must be looking forward to something. . . . An institution which is not struggling upwards towards a higher future must resign itself to the conviction that it is already in its decadence and must expect to die."

H. P. Liddon, The Divinity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, pages...

 
 
 
 

Oct

03

2009

Ray Ortlund|3:01 PM CT

Christ Himself
Christ Himself avatar

Our faith is a person; the gospel that we have to preach is a person; and go wherever we may, we have something solid and tangible to preach, for our gospel is a person. If you had asked the twelve Apostles in their day, 'What do you believe in?' they would not have stopped to go round about with a long sermon, but they would have pointed to their Master and they would have said, 'We believe him.' 'But what are your doctrines?' 'There they stand incarnate.' 'But what is your practice?' 'There stands our practice. He is our example.' 'What then do you believe?' Hear the glorious answer of the Apostle Paul, 'We preach Christ crucified.' Our creed, our body of divinity, our whole theology is summed up in the person of Christ Jesus.

C. H. Spurgeon, "De Propaganda Fide," in Lectures Delivered before the Young Men's Christian Association in...

 
 
 
 

Oct

01

2009

Ray Ortlund|7:40 PM CT

Great Meltings
Great Meltings avatar

"'It was a common thing, as soon as the Bible was opened, after the preliminary services, and just as the reader began' -- here, you will observe, it was the simple reading of the word without preaching; yet such was the power upon the minds of the people that 'it was a common thing, as soon as the Bible was opened, after the preliminary services, and just as the reader began, for great meltings to come upon the hearers. The deepest attention was paid to every word as the sacred verses were slowly and solemnly enunciated. Then the silent tear might be seen stealing down the rugged but expressive countenances turned upon the reader.' . . . The word of the Lord was precious in those days."

Charles J. Brown, in The Revival of Religion: Addresses by Scottish Evangelical Leaders delivered in Glasgow in 1840,...

 
 
 
 

Sep

30

2009

Ray Ortlund|10:03 AM CT

Mirth or Fear?
Mirth or Fear? avatar

All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice,
Him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell,
Come ye before him and rejoice.

The venerable Scottish Psalter paraphrased Psalm 100 that way. It is true to the meaning of the Hebrew.

My modern hymnal changed it:
All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice,
Him serve with fear, his praise forth tell,
Come ye before him and rejoice.

"Mirth" was changed to "fear." "Him serve [not with mirth but] with fear." There is no depth of perdition low enough for editors who corrupt the Psalter, the Bible and the gospel. Should we serve the Lord with fear? Yes. But that is not what Psalm 100 says. And the Bible should be allowed to speak for itself. We have no right to replace one good thing with even another good thing, if the Bible is authoritative over us.

Why do we...

 
 
 
 

Sep

28

2009

Ray Ortlund|2:43 PM CT

Are We More Aware of Our Debts or Rights?
Are We More Aware of Our Debts or Rights? avatar

"Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?" Proverbs 20:6, NLT

A spirit of self-assurance is a gospel-denying, self-deceiving, friendship-destroying mentality. It is natural to say to ourselves, "I'm doing my part. They should be grateful." It is supernatural to say to ourselves, "I place myself under the judgment of the Word of God. I humble myself. Even if the other person is wrong, that gives me no right to assert myself. No matter what the other person does, no matter how much I am misunderstood and misjudged, I will remain in the fear of the Lord, I will entrust myself to God." True friendship thrives when, before God, each one is more aware of his debts than his rights.

If God has given you reliable friends, and surely he has, hold them close to your heart. Each one is a rare...

 
 
 
 

Sep

28

2009

Ray Ortlund|5:44 AM CT

My Church or the Kingdom?
My Church or the Kingdom? avatar

"My passion isn't to build up my church. My passion is for God's Kingdom."

Ever heard someone say that? I have. It sounds large-hearted, but it's wrong. It can even be destructive.

Suppose I said, "My passion isn't to build up my marriage. My passion is for Marriage. I want the institution of Marriage to be revered again. I'll work for that. I'll pray for that. I'll sacrifice for that. But don't expect me to hunker down in the humble daily realities of building a great marriage with my wife Jani. I'm aiming at something grander."

If I said that, would you think, "Wow, Ray is so committed"? Or would you wonder if I had lost my mind?

If you care about the Kingdom, be the kind of person who can be counted on in your own church. Join your church, pray for your church, tithe to your church, participate in your church every...

 
 
 
 

Sep

26

2009

Ray Ortlund|11:59 AM CT

Kept by the Power of God
Kept by the Power of God avatar

"If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah." Isaiah 1:9

Did you notice how God intervened this week? The Church of Jesus Christ did not go completely apostate. The Gospel Coalition did not disown its Confessional Statement. Acts 29 did not repudiate church planting. Together For The Gospel did not fragment in mutual recriminations. Sovereign Grace Ministries did not deny the new birth. And I did not walk away from Jesus.

We all sinned this week, and a lot. No surprise there. After all, original sin means our wills are unfree. But we held fast to Jesus our Savior, and for a whole week.

Truly, the age of miracles is not...

 
 
 
 
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