Almost ten years ago, Randy Pausch’s last lecture went viral. The Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor was dying of cancer and took the opportunity to deliver a final lecture in which he talked about the lessons he had learned from life and his illness, and also gave advice to students on how to achieve career and personal success.  Pausch’s irreverent lecture later became the basis for a bestselling book.

Many other final lectures have been given since where academics and other thinkers present the last message they would give if they were about to die.

What would you say? What would be your last lecture?

More importantly, what would God’s last lecture be? What would be his final message to the world before he wraps it all up and brings everybody’s life on earth to an end?

We don’t need to guess or speculate because he has revealed it in the Bible (Revelation 14: 6-7):

Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

God’s last message to everyone will be, “Fear me!” Not what you were expecting, is it? But now that we know, we should prepare for it, shouldn’t we?

The fear of God is a theme that God has been impressing deeply on my soul in recent weeks, mainly because it’s so prevalent throughout the whole Bible, but also because it’s so missing in our churches and our nations. Indeed, it’s way too small in my own life. I want to change that, starting with myself, which is why Shona and I have started reading together through Pastor Al Martin’s excellent short treatment of the subject, The Forgotten Fear: Where have all the God-Fearers Gone? (RHB). 

I’ve been stunned at the frequency with which this theme appears in both the Old and New Testaments, especially when contrasted with the infrequency with which it appears in our lives and churches. Little wonder that Arnold Frank’s fine book on the subject, The Fear Of God: A Forgotten Doctrine (RHB), also incorporates “forgotten” in the title. Frank’s study highlights Puritan thought on the subject. See, for example, John Bunyan’s The Fear of God (in updated English).

In his wonderful book, God’s Wisdom in Proverbs, Dan Phillips makes the case that “all of Proverbs actually centers on a particular theme, a theme that Solomon characterizes not as “one of the most important things” he knew, but the most important thing, the sine qua non of knowledge and wisdom. Without that foundational reality at the very start, there’s no knowledge and no wisdom. That theme is the fear of Yahweh” (see his blog post on this).

If you want to hear some sermons on the fear of God then you could listen to Al Martin’s series, which formed the basis of the book. Or, if you want a single sermon to listen to, try Dr. Steve Lawson’s powerful sermon, Whatever happened to the fear of God?

I’ve also posted links to a few blog articles below. Let’s use all these resources to prepare for God’s last sermon by fearing him before he announces his text.

UPDATE: I’ve just been pointed to a sermon series on the subject by Jerry Bridges and also a book he wrote called The Joy of Fearing God.

Blogs on the Fear of God

A Letter from Kabwata: We have lost the sense of God | Conrad Mbewe

What Does it Mean to Fear God? by R.C. Sproul | Ligonier Ministries Blog

Are We Really Supposed to Fear the Lord? | Gentle Reformation

Exchanging Fear for Fear | Kevin DeYoung

Fear of God vs. Fear of Man | Permanent Things

Fearing the Mic | The Cripplegate

Blogs

Precious Clarity on Human Sexuality: The Nashville Statement | John Piper, Desiring God
“The Nashville Statement is a Christian manifesto concerning issues of human sexuality. It speaks with forthright clarity, biblical conviction, gospel compassion, cultural relevance, and practical helpfulness. There is no effort to equivocate for the sake of wider, but muddled, acceptance.”

A Necessary Change in My Preaching | Cody Deevers, LifeWay Pastors
“…I also developed a bad habit of using insider language. I assumed knowledge of Bible stories and church ‘rules.’ As an insider, I rarely considered the thoughts and perceptions of new guests or ‘outsiders.’ Furthermore, no one ever brought my use of insider language to my attention. Thankfully, while preparing to plant Valley Life Church in Peoria, AZ, my friend and coach, Brian Bowman, pointed out my habit and reasons I should take pains in breaking it. Here is what I learned and am still learning.”

Standing Firm on the Slippery Slope | Richard D. Phillips, Reformation21 Blog
“The slippery slope simply notes that those who remove the restraint against worldly conformity place themselves in peril of further and more damaging accommodations.”

Who Should Discipline? Mom or Dad? – 10 Principles to Guide Your Family | The Apollos Project
“Ideally, moms and dads are on the same page in terms of correction. Mom carries it out when dad is not around. She only refers the ‘big things’ to him. Dad makes sure that the family has a plan and the children are under control.”

Why It Takes Five to Seven Years to Become the Pastor of a Church | Thom Rainer
“In most established churches, there is a prolonged period before the church members as a whole will truly embrace you as pastor. When that time comes, most pastors enjoy their greatest and most joyous years of ministry. But the majority of pastors never make it to year five, much less year seven. So why does it take five to seven years to be embraced as the pastor of most established churches? Here are seven common reasons.”

New Book

Christ and Covenant Theology: Essays on Election, Republication, and the Covenants by Cornelis P. Venema

Kindle Deals

For your non-Kindle book buying needs please consider using Reformation Heritage Books in the USA and Reformed Book Services in Canada. Good value prices and shipping.

The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation by Michael Reeves ($2.99)

Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work by Tom Nelson ($4.99)

The New Atlantis Journal is a non-political, non-Christian publication that aims “to improve public understanding of the social, political, ethical, and policy implications of modern science and technology.” It tackles some of the biggest questions surrounding technology and human nature, and the practical questions of governing and regulating science — especially where the moral stakes are high and the political divides are deep.

One of my colleagues recently sent me a link to its Fall 2016 issue which publishes A Special Report on Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences. Some of the key findings are below. You can click through and read the whole report here. Note the opening words:

This report presents a careful summary and an up-to-date explanation of research — from the biological, psychological, and social sciences — related to sexual orientation and gender identity. It is offered in the hope that such an exposition can contribute to our capacity as physicians, scientists, and citizens to address health issues faced by LGBT populations within our society.

In other words, it is based on general revelation (science) not special revelation (the Bible). The key findings are:

Part One: Sexual Orientation

● The understanding of sexual orientation as an innate, biologically fixed property of human beings — the idea that people are “born that way” — is not supported by scientific evidence.

● While minor differences in the brain structures and brain activity between homosexual and heterosexual individuals have been identified by researchers, such neurobiological findings do not demonstrate whether these differences are innate or are the result of environmental and psychological factors.

● As many as 80% of male adolescents who report same-sex attractions no longer do so as adults.

● Compared to heterosexuals, non-heterosexuals are about two to three times as likely to have experienced childhood sexual abuse.

Part Two: Sexuality, Mental Health Outcomes, and Social Stress

● Compared to the general population, non-heterosexual subpopulations are at an elevated risk for a variety of adverse health and mental health outcomes.

● Members of the non-heterosexual population are estimated to have about 1.5 times higher risk of experiencing anxiety disorders than members of the heterosexual population, as well as roughly double the risk of depression, 1.5 times the risk of substance abuse, and nearly 2.5 times the risk of suicide.

● The rate of lifetime suicide attempts across all ages of transgender individuals is estimated at 41%, compared to under 5% in the overall U.S. population.

Part Three: Gender Identity

● The hypothesis that gender identity is an innate, fixed property of human beings that is independent of biological sex — that a person might be “a man trapped in a woman’s body” or “a woman trapped in a man’s body” — is not supported by scientific evidence.

● About 0.6% of U.S. adults identify as a gender that does not correspond to their biological sex.

● Studies comparing the brain structures of transgender and non-transgender individuals have demonstrated weak correlations between brain structure and cross-gender identification.

● Sex-reassigned individuals were about 5 times more likely to attempt suicide and about 19 times more likely to die by suicide.

● Only a minority of children who experience cross-gender identification will continue to do so into adolescence or adulthood.

● There is little scientific evidence for the therapeutic value of interventions that delay puberty or modify the secondary sex characteristics of adolescents.

You can watch an interview with the authors here.

Blogs

God Made You a Writer: An Invitation to Every Christian | David Mathis, Desiring God
Here’s an encouragement to those feeling called to any kind of writing ministry:

Whether you think of yourself as a writer or not (and on the whole, it might be better if less people did!), I’d love to extend to you God’s invitation to find your ways of proclaiming his excellencies (1 Peter 2:9) in written words.

Treasure Your Marriage | Tim Challies
“If God has given you a wife, he has given you a precious gift. He calls you to treasure your marriage, and to treasure marriage, you must treasure your bride. If you are to treasure your wife, you must learn from Jesus Christ how to love her well. Here are four marks of a husband’s love.*”

Feeding on Christ Diagnostic Decision Making | Nicholas T. Batzig, Feeding on Christ
“There are also a number of questions that we derive from God’s word that help us discern what decision we are to make in any given life situation. In his excellent little book Discovering God’s Will, Sinclair Ferguson set out the following diagnostic questions to ask when we are confronted with numerous life decisions:”

On technology and preaching | Mike Pohlman, Southern Seminary
“If it really is God speaking through the preacher (which it is) then God forbid we miss one word he’s saying. And technology use (whether screens up on the stage or in a listener’s hand via smartphone or tablet) dramatically increases the risk of this happening. ”

My Dark Night of the Soul | Jon Bloom, Desiring God
“For me, it’s fitting that a solar eclipse occurred this week. Twenty years ago, in the spring of 1997, I experienced an eclipse of God. And twenty years ago this week, light dawned in my darkness (Psalm 112:4)…”

“The Life of the Professor” — My Talking Points for our New Faculty Workshop | Jonathan Pennington
Guidance and motivation for teachers beginning another school year:

I was asked earlier this week by the provost here at Southern to come in and speak to our new professors… I put together a brief talk that focuses on three areas of the life of the professor — Teaching, Scholarship, and Mentoring. Here are my far from perfect and far from comprehensive talking points for those who might be interested.

To Faithful Pastors in Forgotten Places | Stephen Witmer, Desiring God

“Dear small-town pastor,

I’m a small-town pastor myself, and I want to spur you on in the ministry. We labor in places we dearly love, but few others have heard of. We have a wide range of responsibilities, which may include (but not be limited to) typing the bulletin, doing pest control for the church building, helping at Vacation Bible School, performing emergency toilet repairs, and preaching.

The conferences we attend, the books, magazines, blogs, and websites we read, and the podcasts we listen to are produced by big-city, large-church pastors. Gradually, though no one has ever said this to us, we may have come to feel like we’re junior varsity. We have not been gifted or called to influence the influencers in the big city. We’re doing the best we can, seeking to be faithful pastors in our forgotten places, but sometimes we may wonder whether we’re missing the real action. If that’s you, I want to encourage you in four ways.”

Think Beauty and Artistry Aren’t Important? Think Again. | Amy Simpson
“…a person who claims beauty, creativity, and quality don’t matter is missing something important about who God is.”

Kindle Books

For your non-Kindle book buying needs please consider using Reformation Heritage Books in the USA and Reformed Book Services in Canada. Good value prices and shipping.

Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung ($3.19)

God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life by Gene Edward Veith Jr. ($3.99)

Work and Our Labor in the Lord by James M. Hamilton Jr. ($3.99)

A new report from The Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity provides confirmation of what many of us have been increasingly feeling. We’re losing our minds….to our smartphones.

Researchers studied the hypothesis that smartphones are producing dumb humans and found that even the presence of a phone (not using it, just its physical presence) diminishes cognitive resources and performance. That means that even if it’s on our desk while we’re studying, it puts a hole in our brain.

Basically, even when we win the battle not to use our phone, that battle is draining significant intellectual resources from our task. The fact that our phones are the source of so many satisfying stimuli creates a stronger gravitational pull than, say, having a book on our desks. So, even if we’re not using it, attentional resources are being used up in resisting its pull.

Together, these investigations of phone-related distractions provide evidence that mobile devices can adversely affect cognitive performance even when consumers are not actively using them.

A visible cellphone can impair performance on tasks requiring sustained attention by eliciting awareness of the “broad social and informational network … that one is not part of at the moment.

While most of us are aware of the performance deficits in driving and education due to interaction with digital devices, the idea that even the presence of an ignored or unused phone drains our brains is new to most of us.

The research also found that individuals who most depend on their phones will suffer the most from their presence—and benefit the most from their absence.

Tactics and Fixes

The researchers briefly addressed tactics to mitigate this brain drain and found that intuitive “fixes” such as placing one’s phone face down or turning it off are futile.

The data did suggest one simple solution that actually worked: planned separation. Although previous research had found that being separated from one’s phone undermines performance by increasing anxiety, participants in these past studies were unexpectedly separated from their phones and forced to hear them ring while being unable to answer.

In contrast, participants in the current experiments expected to be separated from their phones and were not confronted with unanswerable notifications or calls while separated.

Researchers concluded that defined and protected periods of separation may allow consumers to perform better not just by reducing interruptions but also by increasing available cognitive capacity.

They also found that dumbphones (stripped-down basic devices) made people smarter in that they did not create the same gravitational pull or drain on mental resources.

Implications

Obviously, this research has implications for the workplace, for relationships, and for education. Noting the dependence of young adults on their smartphones, the researchers note:

Given that many of them are in school, the potential detrimental effects of smartphones on their cognitive functioning may have an outsized effect on long-term welfare. As educational institutions increasingly embrace “connected classrooms,” the presence of students’ mobile devices in educational environments may undermine both learning and test performance—particularly when these devices are present but not in use. Future research could focus on how children, adolescents, and young adults are affected by the mere presence of personally relevant technologies in the classroom.

However, it also has implications for personal devotions and public worship. It’s not just using a digital device in these spiritual activities that can retard spiritual growth. The mere presence of an unused phone is not only draining our brains but damaging our connection with God.

I have sensed this for a while now, which is why I take the following steps:

1. I put my phone in airplane mode during public worship and do not use it to take notes.

2. I put my phone in airplane mode during my personal devotions and put it far enough away from me that I cannot reach it without making a special effort.

But on the basis of this research, from now on I will also ensure “planned separation” from my phone during study times.

And, yes, students, I’m afraid this just confirms my general policy of banning digital devices from the classroom. It’s for your good!

Blogs

Millennial Motherhood: Three Traps for Young Moms
“Much of what’s true of every generation throughout all time is true of millennials. We are just people. Yet, just like every other generation, we have some particular tendencies, challenges, strengths, and weaknesses that result from the time, place, and society into which we were born. Here are three harmful characteristics I’ve observed in millennial motherhood, along with ways I’ve sought to align my mothering with God’s word.”

Challenges to Becoming a Multicultural Church
Although recent events and the spectrum of extreme reactions make it hard to keep hoping for change in society, surely we have to keep up hope in the church and the power of the Gospel.

This movement to open up the Church to a multicultural face is the visual expression of what happens in the heart when God heals our land. It should not be used to beat down those who are less diverse. Rather, it can be a great way to build the family and reach the lost. After all, if the redeemed can reach across the gulf to reconcile with the lost, certainly we can join hearts and arms with those who have a little more or less melanin than we do, right?

How to Talk About Race with Your Kids
And this is where it really starts. In the home. With the next generation.

Addressing the issues of racial difference and appreciation of the other and naming the sin of racism with our children from a young age are crucial parenting choices for any Christian seeking to raise up a child who understands the imago Dei, God’s heart for the nations, and the promised redemption and unification of all races in Christ.”

My 7 Least Productive Habits
Here are some of the problems I address in Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture.

I get distracted very easily, so to get things done efficiently and enthusiastically, I need a good plan, which I will share next week. Today I want to share seven of my least productive habits, because failures are much more fun to read about.

Why is my husband so angry? Simply put, shame
As soon as I read this, it rang true for every case of porn addiction that I’ve dealt with.

As I look back on almost seven years of treating wives of sex addicts I can only think of one who said her husband didn’t have serious issues with anger.

Four myths about the wives of porn addicts

The world finds lust, fantasy, masturbation, and pornography not only acceptable, but something to be elevated and encouraged, because they’ve embraced the belief that if anyone is being hurt, it’s only the person looking at porn. This is a lie. A wife is part of the collateral damage that’s resulted from her husband’s addiction. There are four misconceptions that many hold about pornography addiction and the betrayed wife. Being aware of these myths will help you improve your counseling strategy to these women.

Arianna Huffington: How to Keep Email from Ruining Your Vacation
Probably comes a bit late for most of us this summer, but if you’ve ruined your vacation (and your family’s) once again through email, here’s a service that will help you to avoid it in future.

While you’re away on vacation, people who email you get a message, letting them know when you’ll be back. And then — the most important part — the tool deletes the email. If the email is important, the sender can always send it again. If it’s not, then it’s not waiting for you when you get back, or, even worse, tempting you to read it while you’re away. So the key is not just that the tool is creating a wall between you and your email; it’s that it frees you from the mounting anxiety of having a mounting pile of emails waiting for you on your return — the stress of which mitigates the benefits of disconnecting in the first place.

New Book

Honoring the Elderly: A Christian’s Duty to Aging Parents by Brian De Jong.

Here’s a really helpful resource on a neglected subject which Pastor Brian De Jong has developed and used over a number of years. I heartily recommend it. Only $4.99 for Kindle version.

Kindle Books

How Should I Think about Money? by R C Sproul (Free!).

How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens: A Guide to Christ-Focused Reading of Scripture by Michael Williams $2.99.

Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl $3.99. Most practical book on apologetics I’ve read.