I recently received the picture from a mother who wrote:

Tonight while putting sheets on the bed for our 14-year-old son I noticed his notebook atop Vol. I of Reformed Systematic Theology by Beeke and Smalley which he packed for the trip. Opening it I saw the notes he’s taking. A few days ago he asked me for the next volumes. Oh this is the kindness of our great and gracious God to turn our son’s heart to these matters! We continue to pray for the ongoing, sustained, persevering work of the Holy Spirit in all our children—heat and light! Soli Deo Gloria!

From last Lord’s Day Sermon on Matthew 6:10, titled “Praying for God’s Kingdom to Come”.

Find the entire sermon here.

Today Paul Smalley and I sent in the final volume of our Reformed Systematic Theology (volume 4, covering the doctrine of the church and the doctrine of the last things in some eleven hundred pages) to our editor at Crossway for publication next year, D.V.

We wish to humbly thank the Lord for enabling us to complete this eight-year project and ask for prayer that God will bless it to hundreds of thousands of readers in English and in a variety of other languages into which it is presently being translated and published. Soli Deo gloria!

Make haste, sinner, for your life’s sake. The thread of your life is not yet cut, but it is growing increasingly thin and brittle. The Lord still calls to you, “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” (Ezek. 33:11).

The door of grace is still open. The throne of Christ is not yet shut. Will you hear His voice before it is too late? “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Ps. 2:12).

All those who have lived without God on earth shall be without God in hell. How terrible it shall be to experience with the rich man in Luke 16, “In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments…. And he cried…I am tormented in this flame.”

Dear friend, I desire to warn you with love. You and I cannot escape death. It is an appointment we will keep—regardless. Are you prepared to die?

From “An Appointment You Will Keep”.

P&R has released one of the greatest festschrifts (a collection of writings published in honor of a scholar) I’ve ever read. Fittingly it is in honor of Sinclair Ferguson. Edited by William Edwards, John Ferguson, and Chad VanDixhoorn, Theology for Ministry: How Doctrine Affects Pastoral Life and Practice, has 26 contributors such as Bob Letham, Doug Kelly, Ian Hamilton, David McWilliams, Phil Ryken, Ligon Duncan, Cornel Venema, David Strain, Bob Godfrey, Chad VanDixhoorn, Michael Horton, etc. I was privileged to write chapter 17: “Assurance of Faith: Pastoral Wisdom for Struggling Christians.” I pay my tribute to Sinclair in my first footnote as follows:

“I am honored to write in this volume for Sinclair Ferguson, who has been one of my best friends and mentors for the last four decades. From the days I sat under his superlative teaching and moving prayers as a PhD student at Westminster Seminary, to the numerous talks we’ve had in sharing each other’s conversion and spiritual experiences as well as on a variety of theological subjects, to the many favors he has done for me until today in writing sterling forewords and endorsements for my books, I owe him an incalculable debt. Sinclair, thanks so much for your multifaceted friendship: it is one of my most treasured gifts on earth, and I pray that it will be an eternal friendship around the Lamb’s throne!”

Learn more here.

We would love to have you accompany us on this life-changing trip. Of all the tours I’ve done over the years, Israel is always the #1 on my list, and this time we have assembled, by God’s grace, the best team ever.

God helping us, this should be an absolutely outstanding and unforgettable trip.

Click here for details.

Simonetta Carr has done it again. Reformation Heritage Books is grateful to release her 20th title in her “Christian Biographies for Young Readers” (ages 7-12), this one being on Byang Kato, who was born and converted in Nigeria, and later became the father of the evangelical movement in Africa through his preaching, teaching, and writing.

This is a great evangelism/missions title, showing how God can use one individual in a mighty way to move thousands in a right and balanced direction despite encountering heavy criticism and intense pressure. Simonetta deftly shows how Rev. Kato avoided both identifying Western culture with Christianity and mixing the gospel with African traditional religions. This book is beautifully illustrated for children, but can be enjoyed by teenagers and adults as well.

Learn more here.

“O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Vast, unmeasured, boundless free: Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me. Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love; Leading onward, leading homeward, to Thy glorious rest above!”

“O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” by Samuel Trevor Francis

Though we do not see Jesus in the flesh today, we can, by faith, rejoice in Him and His compassionate heart.

Learn more about “The Beauty and Glory of Christ” here.

Derek Thomas just sent this picture of him and Sinclair Ferguson in Scotland to me with the title, “Two old guys.” I thanked him and shot back this note: “I would say: Two special friends!”

Isn’t it true that often we don’t thank our long-standing friends enough for just being our faithful friends in Christ over the many years gone by? I love these two brothers in Christ and am so grateful for their loyal friendships—Derek for 30 years and Sinclair for 40! What a blessing they have both been to me!

Every true, faithful friend of many years is a special gift of God as we traverse the way to the Celestial City. Isn’t it time that you send a note of thanks to those who have befriended you faithfully for decades? Do it today!

Under the rubric of “A New Testament Biblical Theology,” P&R has just released a very important book by the esteemed biblical theologian, O. Palmer Robertson, “Christ of the Consummation: The Testimony of the Four Gospels, Volume 1.” This is an excellent companion to expository preachers and teachers of the Gospels, as well as every other student of the Bible who desires to grow in both knowledge and devotion to Christ.

Learn more here.