In James Smith's sermon titled "Your Present Affliction," the central theological topic is the nature of God’s love in the context of suffering and affliction. Smith asserts that all afflictions come at the hand of God, who is characterized as love itself (1 John 4:8), indicating that even painful experiences serve a divine purpose rooted in love. He references Hebrews 12:6 to illustrate that God's discipline is an expression of His parental care for His children, aimed at their sanctification and spiritual growth. The preacher emphasizes that afflictions are not arbitrary but are meticulously orchestrated by God to bring about reflection, repentance, and a closer relationship with Him. This understanding of suffering as a sign of God’s love and a means of grace is significant in Reformed theology, reinforcing the concepts of divine providence, the believer's need for sanctification, and the ultimate good that arises from affliction.
“Though He afflicts you, His heart is not and cannot be turned against you, for He has revealed Himself in His word as love.”
“Every affliction is absolutely necessary and could not be dispensed with.”
“Sanctified afflictions are among our choicest blessings, They wean our hearts from earth, direct our affections above, and give energy and fervor to our prayers.”
“The Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes every one He accepts as a son.”
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Sermons on 1 John 4, Hebrews 12
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Brandan Kraft
Everything that exists is a thought in the mind of God.
I spent the majority of my adult life building something I didn't know had a name. It started with the Scriptures and a lot of late nights. It ended with one sentence that generates every theological position I hold, from the nature of God to the nature of heaven and hell, without contradiction. One sentence. Thirty chapters. Sixteen appendices. And if you accept the sentence, everything else follows.
Most systematic theologies start with a list of doctrines and work through them one by one. This book starts with an ontological claim - that everything that exists is a thought in the mind of God - and derives everything from that single proposition. This is not a rearrangement of existing theology. This is a paradigm shift. Since Augustine imported Plato's metaphysics into the church in the fourth century, every major system of Christian theology has been built on a foundation the Scriptures never laid. This book identifies that foundation, names it, traces its influence across sixteen centuries, and replaces it with an ontology derived from Scripture alone. If the claim holds, this is the most significant shift in the theological starting point since Augustine. And I believe it holds.
This is not a devotional. This is not a commentary. This is a systematic theology built from the ground up by a computer programmer with no seminary degree, no denominational backing, and no one's permission. It uses the vocabulary of information theory, computer science, and quantum physics to describe realities that traditional theological language has never been able to reach. If you are a scientist who suspects that information is fundamental to reality but can't bring yourself to call it God, this book speaks your language. If you are a sovereign grace believer looking for a system that follows the logic all the way, this book does that. And if you have been told that the sharpest doctrine produces the coldest heart, this book ends with the widest arms you have ever seen in a Reformed theology.
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Isaiah 53:10, Rom 8:28-30, Psalm 23, grace, love one another
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