According to John MacArthur, “It is significant that one of the name’s of Christ is wonderful counselor”. The Psalms are a perfect evidence of what the mature believer does in times of trouble, distress, confusion, anxiety, doubt or fear…turn to the Lord. Why is that? Because every need of the human soul is ultimately spiritual. David is a great example to us all of what it looks like to run to God in all things. He knew that God had the ability and the answers to all life’s problems and issues. The sufficient God revealed Himself in His sufficient Word.
Psalm 19 gives evidence to the sufficiency of Scripture. In it David talks about distinguishing characteristics of the Word of God that give legitimacy and power to His faithfulness. First, we see that Scripture is powerful, restoring the soul. That means it is perfect and powerful enough to change lives. Second, Scripture is trustworthy, imparting wisdom. We want to base all things on TRUTH which is evidently God’s Word and not on personal experience. Third, Scripture is right causing joy. That means when we learn to obey God’s counsel and His wisdom we will find true joy and happiness. Scripture is pure, enlightening the eyes. That means it brings understanding where there is lacking information or ignorance. Fifth, Scripture is clean, enduring forever. Scripture needs no updating, it is completely true and relevant for every society, age and time period. Scripture is true and altogether righteous. That means that only believers have the truth about everything that is true and righteous, we have the truth about what really matters. And lastly it is much more than fine gold. That means that it is and should be more precious and valued than anything this world has to offer. Christians however tend to take their Bibles for granted. However, our spiritual health depends on putting the weight of everything on the Word of God.
The answers to life do not lie “deep within” as much of psychology would teach us. We learn from Scripture that actually what lies deep within is deceit, corruption and filth. When we reach down within ourselves we get lies, not answers. Even Christians however are not exempt from deceit. We need to seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit and pray for Him to enlighten us to the truths in Scripture that it may cause us to be refined and matured. Scripture does what no psychology could ever do…it pierces our hearts, it is a sword. Hebrews 4:13 teaches us that “God’s Word reveals the deepest thoughts and intentions of the human heart---so much so that all are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. We as believers must become people of the Word. It must mark our lives. God’s Word is able to fulfill every desire, need, want, longing etc. You’ll never know what the Word can do if you don’t study and apply it. And as the commandments throughout the New Testament instruct us, we need to counsel with the Bible…we are called to spur one another one, to encourage and admonish one another with the WORD OF GOD!
The Holy Spirit reveals truth to us. We can turn to him to discover that. The Spirit does the job of sanctifying us internally. The witness of the Spirit within us is proof that we have received salvation. Because of psychology and the culture today there is more reliance on “self” than on the Spirit for change. God and His Word through the testimony of His Spirit and the work of the cross is all we need.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Thursday, November 06, 2008
A Life Set Apart
As I was attempting to come up with a topic to talk on this week I realized that I have never talked on why I chose "A Life Set Apart" for the title of my blog...
The Christian life is marked by something we call "holiness" which in essence means to be set apart, different...and radically different at that. As "Christians" in a fallen world we are going to look different, act different, respond different, and live differently then those we consistently interact with. There will be questions, there will be mockery, there will be slandering, there will be encouragement...and in each of these situations our righteous response should be thankfulness.
Romans 12:1 reads, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." This verse is the verse behind the title of my blog. As Christians we are to live our life as a sacrifice to the one who redeemed us, who pulled us from the destruction we were to encounter and rescued us to be one of His. But what does it mean to present ourselves as "holy"?
Holiness in the Hebrew is defined as "sacred, set apart" in the Aramaic as "separate", in the Greek as "undefiled, pure" and in the English as "exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness, divine". As we see within these definitions, being holy is anything but common. It is anything but typical and it is rare at that. Therefore how can God call us to something that seems nearly impossible? He is not commanding perfection in our holiness but rather progression. A seeking, a desire, and a drive to be more holy, more like Him. Here are some verses to exhort us in our pursuits of holiness...
Exodus 31:13 "You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD; who makes you holy."
Leviticus 11:44a "I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy."
Leviticus 11:45 "I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy."
Deuteronomy 26:19 "He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised."
Deuteronomy 33:3 "Surely it is you who love the people; all the holy ones are in your hand. At your feet they all bow down, and from you receive instruction..."
Psalm 33:21 "In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name."
Ephesians 5:25a-27 "...just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."
From these texts in Scripture it is evident that God is Holy and it is only through Him that we are made Holy (made like His Son). We should constantly be seeking areas of refinement in our lives so we too can be seen as living lives that are "set apart".
Service? This is supposed to be our spiritual "service" or "act" of worship. What this means is that as redeemed of the King we are commanded to live our lives as a service to Him. In all we do, think and say we should be acting in a way that is righteous and pleasing to Him. It is an act of worship. We were made to be worshippers of God and therefore in all we do we should be ascribing glory to Him as He sits on the throne in our hearts. If we are worshipping anything other than Him we have fallen into idolatry and need to repent and get back on track. Serving Him with our lives is our command.
And what does it mean to present ourselves pleasing to Him? Or acceptable? Well we know that anything in and of ourselves is not ever going to please the King of Kings or be worthy of His approval. Therefore we must rest in the blood of Jesus Christ. The Gospel teaches us that it is by His wounds that we are healed. In Isaiah 53:12 we read, "For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." He endured the pain and punishment of God's eternal wrath so that when we stand before the Almighty He will look at us as righteous and blameless as He looks at His Son! What an amazing gift of love and grace that truly is...hard to comprehend! But because of this we should seek to live righteously, obeying His commands and honoring Him in all we do.
So what does it mean then to live a life set apart? In essence it is just what it says, to live set apart from this culture. To run a race with endurance toward a prize that is unseen, to run upstream and against the current as the world attempts to thwart your course, to live to honor Him rather than yourself and anyone else, to live a life that is marked by selflessness, humility and 1 Corinthians 13 love exampled in Christ, and to pursue holiness with every fiber of your being!
The Christian life is marked by something we call "holiness" which in essence means to be set apart, different...and radically different at that. As "Christians" in a fallen world we are going to look different, act different, respond different, and live differently then those we consistently interact with. There will be questions, there will be mockery, there will be slandering, there will be encouragement...and in each of these situations our righteous response should be thankfulness.
Romans 12:1 reads, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." This verse is the verse behind the title of my blog. As Christians we are to live our life as a sacrifice to the one who redeemed us, who pulled us from the destruction we were to encounter and rescued us to be one of His. But what does it mean to present ourselves as "holy"?
Holiness in the Hebrew is defined as "sacred, set apart" in the Aramaic as "separate", in the Greek as "undefiled, pure" and in the English as "exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness, divine". As we see within these definitions, being holy is anything but common. It is anything but typical and it is rare at that. Therefore how can God call us to something that seems nearly impossible? He is not commanding perfection in our holiness but rather progression. A seeking, a desire, and a drive to be more holy, more like Him. Here are some verses to exhort us in our pursuits of holiness...
Exodus 31:13 "You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD; who makes you holy."
Leviticus 11:44a "I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy."
Leviticus 11:45 "I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy."
Deuteronomy 26:19 "He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised."
Deuteronomy 33:3 "Surely it is you who love the people; all the holy ones are in your hand. At your feet they all bow down, and from you receive instruction..."
Psalm 33:21 "In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name."
Ephesians 5:25a-27 "...just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."
From these texts in Scripture it is evident that God is Holy and it is only through Him that we are made Holy (made like His Son). We should constantly be seeking areas of refinement in our lives so we too can be seen as living lives that are "set apart".
Service? This is supposed to be our spiritual "service" or "act" of worship. What this means is that as redeemed of the King we are commanded to live our lives as a service to Him. In all we do, think and say we should be acting in a way that is righteous and pleasing to Him. It is an act of worship. We were made to be worshippers of God and therefore in all we do we should be ascribing glory to Him as He sits on the throne in our hearts. If we are worshipping anything other than Him we have fallen into idolatry and need to repent and get back on track. Serving Him with our lives is our command.
And what does it mean to present ourselves pleasing to Him? Or acceptable? Well we know that anything in and of ourselves is not ever going to please the King of Kings or be worthy of His approval. Therefore we must rest in the blood of Jesus Christ. The Gospel teaches us that it is by His wounds that we are healed. In Isaiah 53:12 we read, "For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." He endured the pain and punishment of God's eternal wrath so that when we stand before the Almighty He will look at us as righteous and blameless as He looks at His Son! What an amazing gift of love and grace that truly is...hard to comprehend! But because of this we should seek to live righteously, obeying His commands and honoring Him in all we do.
So what does it mean then to live a life set apart? In essence it is just what it says, to live set apart from this culture. To run a race with endurance toward a prize that is unseen, to run upstream and against the current as the world attempts to thwart your course, to live to honor Him rather than yourself and anyone else, to live a life that is marked by selflessness, humility and 1 Corinthians 13 love exampled in Christ, and to pursue holiness with every fiber of your being!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Only Skin Deep?
As Christian women we need to understand the vanity of external beauty and the difference from what this world represents to us in comparison with what our Loving Father in heaven has designed. Vanity is a huge problem that is rampant in society, it is part of the narcissistic culture of "self love". Most women have found themselves falling prey to this at some time or another. But what one must realize is that vanity is sin. The love of beauty is sin. Being overly focused on our outer appearance to the point of control is sin. Vanity is however empty, futile, vain and worthless. It is the pride in appearance. Isaiah 3:16-26 gives us a picture of just what God thinks of vanity...He pours His judgment out!
"16 The LORD says,
"The women of Zion are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,
flirting with their eyes,
tripping along with mincing steps,
with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
the LORD will make their scalps bald."
18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.
24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench;
instead of a sash, a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;
instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;
instead of beauty, branding.
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle.
26 The gates of Zion will lament and mourn;
destitute, she will sit on the ground."
So how do we overcome vanity in a "self absorbed" culture?
I. DISCERN THE SIGNS- ask yourself these questions regularly
a. Are you OVERLY concerned about your looks?
b. Are you unable to graciously receive compliments?
c. Are you depressed because you are , "too fat", "too thin"
d. Are you on a quest for thinness that drives you to abuse your body
e. Are you overspending on clothes, makeup etc.
f. Are you constantly comparing yourself to others around you
g. Do you say things to elicit compliments, to fish for them?
h. Do you refuse intimacy with your spouse because you are fat/ugly?
i. Do you apologize for how you look?
j. Are you dressing in a sensual and immodest manner?
II. What does Scripture teach?
a. OT- Beauty is vain "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30, Psalm 4:2
b. NT says a lot about what is to be praised
1. Gentle and quiet spirit 1 Timothy 2:9-10 "ikewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.
2. Adorned with proper clothing and good works 1 Peter 3:3-4 "our adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."
c. If you have a heart that loves God, you will want to please Him
d. True modesty shows how great God is and not how great "she is"
1.Ask Christian men and they will tell you that they wish with all their hearts that they didn't have to capture that thought or struggle. They have to fight often to not resent those that are sinning in immodesty
e. Good works- Acts 9 teaches that that is a servant's heart and that we should adorn ourself with this
f. The world says: Body image problem-low self esteem, but the Bible says women are...
1. Not grateful- 1 Thess 5:16-18
2. Not content- 1 Tim 6:6
3. A lover of self- 2 Tim 3:2, Romans 12:3
4. Lust for beauty- James 1:14-15
5. Fears man and not God- 1 John 2:15-17
III. SO WHAT NOW?
a. Instead of being jealous, be glad- 1 Cor 13:4
b. Learn to accept compliments graciously- Phil 4:8
c. Realize that true beauty lies inside and not out- 1 Peter 3:3-5
d. Look to Sarah as an example- 1 Peter 3:5-6
e. Look to Christ, stay focused on Him- Isaiah 53:3, Psalm 27:4
f. Don't love self but serve God- Romans 12:1
For many of us, it will be a battle that continues on for a long time, but with Christ all things are possible and the more we stay focused on Him and loving Him and serving Him and pleasing Him, the less we will on ourselves.
Ask yourself the question...is my beauty only skin deep??
"16 The LORD says,
"The women of Zion are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,
flirting with their eyes,
tripping along with mincing steps,
with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
the LORD will make their scalps bald."
18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.
24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench;
instead of a sash, a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;
instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;
instead of beauty, branding.
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle.
26 The gates of Zion will lament and mourn;
destitute, she will sit on the ground."
So how do we overcome vanity in a "self absorbed" culture?
I. DISCERN THE SIGNS- ask yourself these questions regularly
a. Are you OVERLY concerned about your looks?
b. Are you unable to graciously receive compliments?
c. Are you depressed because you are , "too fat", "too thin"
d. Are you on a quest for thinness that drives you to abuse your body
e. Are you overspending on clothes, makeup etc.
f. Are you constantly comparing yourself to others around you
g. Do you say things to elicit compliments, to fish for them?
h. Do you refuse intimacy with your spouse because you are fat/ugly?
i. Do you apologize for how you look?
j. Are you dressing in a sensual and immodest manner?
II. What does Scripture teach?
a. OT- Beauty is vain "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30, Psalm 4:2
b. NT says a lot about what is to be praised
1. Gentle and quiet spirit 1 Timothy 2:9-10 "ikewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.
2. Adorned with proper clothing and good works 1 Peter 3:3-4 "our adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."
c. If you have a heart that loves God, you will want to please Him
d. True modesty shows how great God is and not how great "she is"
1.Ask Christian men and they will tell you that they wish with all their hearts that they didn't have to capture that thought or struggle. They have to fight often to not resent those that are sinning in immodesty
e. Good works- Acts 9 teaches that that is a servant's heart and that we should adorn ourself with this
f. The world says: Body image problem-low self esteem, but the Bible says women are...
1. Not grateful- 1 Thess 5:16-18
2. Not content- 1 Tim 6:6
3. A lover of self- 2 Tim 3:2, Romans 12:3
4. Lust for beauty- James 1:14-15
5. Fears man and not God- 1 John 2:15-17
III. SO WHAT NOW?
a. Instead of being jealous, be glad- 1 Cor 13:4
b. Learn to accept compliments graciously- Phil 4:8
c. Realize that true beauty lies inside and not out- 1 Peter 3:3-5
d. Look to Sarah as an example- 1 Peter 3:5-6
e. Look to Christ, stay focused on Him- Isaiah 53:3, Psalm 27:4
f. Don't love self but serve God- Romans 12:1
For many of us, it will be a battle that continues on for a long time, but with Christ all things are possible and the more we stay focused on Him and loving Him and serving Him and pleasing Him, the less we will on ourselves.
Ask yourself the question...is my beauty only skin deep??
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Lets Cut to the Chase...The Sinfulness of Sin
American Christianity loves preaching a "feel good" message in every way possible. From the sermons that consistently teach us about how much Jesus loves us to the sermons that teach us that being a Christian is merely asking him into your heart, the Gospel message has been twisted, perverted, and watered down to being nothing more than a lie. The Truth no longer is preached in churches across America and what is even more disheartening is much of the people who proclaim to be "Christians" today are nothing more than fakes. Why?? Because they have missed the message of the Gospel... they have failed to realize what the Gospel message is and what Christ is saving us from. They have failed to humble themselves and get honest with their problem...SIN! And we all have it.
Today at Compass, Pastor Mike brought a convicting message and a reminder for us all of the Gospel message and of the sinfulness of sin from Romans 1:1-3.
"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?"
As humanity we are good at making excuses. In fact from the time we are young children we learn how to manipulate circumstances and scenarios in order to make ourselves look or feel good. But here is the deal...with sin there is NO excuse. If you don't admit you have a problem then there is no way for you to reach the solution.
1. NOTE YOUR APTITUDE FOR IDENTIFYING SIN (1a)
"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."
Isn't it interesting that we are so quick to pick out the sin in those around us? It is easy to identify sin in others. Now although Scripture clearly teaches that we are to judge others (don't forget that), we need to make sure that we don't become like the hypocritical pharisees and fail to turn that judging on ourselves. In 2 Samuel we read the story of David and the prophet Nathan...a great example for us of how hypocritcal we can become, or how numb to our own sinfulness we are.
2. TURN OBJECTIVE APPRAISAL INWARD (v1b-2)
"Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth."
You are guilty! Let us cut to the chase with that one. Everyone is guilty...Genesis 3 teaches us that with the fall and Adam and Eve. Although in your eyes you may have never committed the degree of sin that some other person may have committed you do not stand unashamed and free from charge. You need to start identifying sin in your own life and getting mad at that sin. Matthew 7:1 is often misquoted and misinterpreted by non-believers and believers alike as the "don't judge" verse. The problem isn't that you are judging but rather that you are not judging YOURSELF first. We get mad at people for doing the very things we do or the kinds of things we do. Don't be hypocrites...read on in the verses to follow in Matthew 7 and you will see how easily that is the case. The way you judge is how you too will be judged. But do not forget that it is BIBLICAL to judge others, the problem lies again in hypocrisy. You see what is the deal then? Well we can solve it one of two ways...1. Don't say anything to people in regards to their sin 2.Fix your own life and then call others out. Option 2 is the Biblical one. Discern errors in your own life and then in others. But why then don't we notice the sin in our lives as easily as in others? Because you're used to it...you must get outside yourself and identify it and mortify it by 1. Relying on the Holy Spirit's conviction (John 16:8) and 2. Gaining a God-ward, Psalm 139 perspective.
3. CALL SIN "SINFUL" WITHOUT EXCUSES (v3)
"So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?"
You plead full blameworthy culpability for YOUR sin. The first step in the Gospel process is admitting your sin, admitting you are utterly depraved and separated from a Holy God by your sin and repenting of that. You can never repent of something you don't confess or agree is wrong. Identify sin as a problem and fully own it. Luke 18:10-14 shows us that HUMILITY is the key. Mortify your sin, don't listen to satan's lies that your sin might not be as bad as the person's next to you...SIN IS SIN.
So what then does this all boil down to? Well let us cut to the chase...If you don't recognize sin before a holy God, you can't have fellowship with Him. So humble yourself and realize you have fallen short and lean on Him for the saving power of the Gospel. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—" -Ephesians 2:8
Today at Compass, Pastor Mike brought a convicting message and a reminder for us all of the Gospel message and of the sinfulness of sin from Romans 1:1-3.
"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?"
As humanity we are good at making excuses. In fact from the time we are young children we learn how to manipulate circumstances and scenarios in order to make ourselves look or feel good. But here is the deal...with sin there is NO excuse. If you don't admit you have a problem then there is no way for you to reach the solution.
1. NOTE YOUR APTITUDE FOR IDENTIFYING SIN (1a)
"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."
Isn't it interesting that we are so quick to pick out the sin in those around us? It is easy to identify sin in others. Now although Scripture clearly teaches that we are to judge others (don't forget that), we need to make sure that we don't become like the hypocritical pharisees and fail to turn that judging on ourselves. In 2 Samuel we read the story of David and the prophet Nathan...a great example for us of how hypocritcal we can become, or how numb to our own sinfulness we are.
2. TURN OBJECTIVE APPRAISAL INWARD (v1b-2)
"Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth."
You are guilty! Let us cut to the chase with that one. Everyone is guilty...Genesis 3 teaches us that with the fall and Adam and Eve. Although in your eyes you may have never committed the degree of sin that some other person may have committed you do not stand unashamed and free from charge. You need to start identifying sin in your own life and getting mad at that sin. Matthew 7:1 is often misquoted and misinterpreted by non-believers and believers alike as the "don't judge" verse. The problem isn't that you are judging but rather that you are not judging YOURSELF first. We get mad at people for doing the very things we do or the kinds of things we do. Don't be hypocrites...read on in the verses to follow in Matthew 7 and you will see how easily that is the case. The way you judge is how you too will be judged. But do not forget that it is BIBLICAL to judge others, the problem lies again in hypocrisy. You see what is the deal then? Well we can solve it one of two ways...1. Don't say anything to people in regards to their sin 2.Fix your own life and then call others out. Option 2 is the Biblical one. Discern errors in your own life and then in others. But why then don't we notice the sin in our lives as easily as in others? Because you're used to it...you must get outside yourself and identify it and mortify it by 1. Relying on the Holy Spirit's conviction (John 16:8) and 2. Gaining a God-ward, Psalm 139 perspective.
3. CALL SIN "SINFUL" WITHOUT EXCUSES (v3)
"So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?"
You plead full blameworthy culpability for YOUR sin. The first step in the Gospel process is admitting your sin, admitting you are utterly depraved and separated from a Holy God by your sin and repenting of that. You can never repent of something you don't confess or agree is wrong. Identify sin as a problem and fully own it. Luke 18:10-14 shows us that HUMILITY is the key. Mortify your sin, don't listen to satan's lies that your sin might not be as bad as the person's next to you...SIN IS SIN.
So what then does this all boil down to? Well let us cut to the chase...If you don't recognize sin before a holy God, you can't have fellowship with Him. So humble yourself and realize you have fallen short and lean on Him for the saving power of the Gospel. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—" -Ephesians 2:8
Monday, October 13, 2008
Oh Remember!
Recently I have been reminded of how faithful our Lord is despite our shortcomings and especially despite our faithlessness. How often do we worry, fear, or complain about something God isn't doing or is allowing to happen to us and forget how He has as Romans 8:28 promises, worked all things together for good?! What a sad sad thing it is that we forget so often and so quickly...we forget the good things our God has done and we forget His promises that are so clearly laid out in Scripture. Although this is a topic I have written on in previous blogs I feel compelled to write about it once more because I firmly believe it is a thought process that plagues the believer so often. We look back to the Israelites and are appalled at what we see...how easily they fell back into worshiping idols for example despite the fact that God had delivered them from the hand of the enemy time and time again. But when we begin to evaluate our own lives, we do the exact same thing...
Let us examine this for a moment...Psalm 106 is a perfect example of exactly how faithful our God is and how we need to REMEMBER that constantly.
" 7 When our fathers were in Egypt,
they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses,
and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.
(Do we think about it? Do we remember the faithful promises He has fulfilled in our lives? Do we remember how He saved us from His wrath and rescued us from hell? Do we remember how He has continually provided for all our needs?)
"I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses." ISAIAH 63:7
8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
to make his mighty power known.
(That is why He did this for the children of Israel and for us as well. He saved them and has saved us for His glory, for His name, and to show himself mighty and King to all)
"Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." PSALM 115:1
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
he led them through the depths as through a desert.
(Think about how incredible that is for a moment. When we are worried or anxious about God not fulfilling some sort of need in our life let us look back to biblical examples of God's amazing deliverance and provision like here and in Exodus where He dried up a sea!)
10 He saved them from the hand of the foe;
from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
11 The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them survived.
12 Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.
(Think about this for a moment...are we not the same? Do we not believe God and his promises when He is faithful? It is easy for us to believe God and worship Him immediately after He does something amazing for us. In fact that should be our response...whenever God blesses us we should be so thankful and sing praises to Him constantly, but what about when we are going through a "hard time"? Do we still believe his promises? Possibly but the sad thing is that we may say we believe them but we may not actually believe them because if we really believed them and trusted them, we would exhibit unwavering faith and the ability to praise Him even in the storm. Remember it is only by His grace and strength that we could ever do this.)
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;" PSALM 95:6
13 But they soon forgot what he had done
and did not wait for his counsel.
(Isn't that the truth of our lives as well? We soon forget what He does and we then just begin acting like we are the "controlers" of our life. What a false sense of reality)
14 In the desert they gave in to their craving;
in the wasteland they put God to the test.
(As we begin giving into the flesh and the wicked desires of our heart we give in more and more. Therefore we must be on guard to our sinful hearts.)
"The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?" JEREMIAH 17:9
15 So he gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease upon them.
(Be careful what you wish for! God will give us over to our desires, even the sinful ones, if we keep pushing and asking...look at Romans and you find that clearly stated.)
"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. " ROMANS 1:24
16 In the camp they grew envious of Moses
and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD.
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it buried the company of Abiram.
18 Fire blazed among their followers;
a flame consumed the wicked.
19 At Horeb they made a calf
and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
20 They exchanged their Glory
for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who saved them,
who had done great things in Egypt,
(May this never be us. We may never say that we "forget" God but we sure live that way sometimes...We live like there is no God watching our motivations, intentions and actions. We live like this far too often.)
22 miracles in the land of Ham
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 So he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him
to keep his wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe his promise.
25 They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the LORD.
(Then during our times of distress do we grumble and complain and continue to disobey the Lord??)
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." JAMES 1:2-4
26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand
that he would make them fall in the desert,
27 make their descendants fall among the nations
and scatter them throughout the lands.
28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
29 they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was checked.
31 This was credited to him as righteousness
for endless generations to come.
32 By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD,
and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
and rash words came from Moses' lips. [c]
34 They did not destroy the peoples
as the LORD had commanded them,
35 but they mingled with the nations
and adopted their customs.
(Can we take heed from this. Do we adopt the customs of this world? Do we compromise?)
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 JOHN 2:15
36 They worshiped their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
38 They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39 They defiled themselves by what they did;
by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
40 Therefore the LORD was angry with his people
and abhorred his inheritance.
41 He handed them over to the nations,
and their foes ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them
and subjected them to their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they were bent on rebellion
and they wasted away in their sin.
44 But he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant
and out of his great love he relented.
(What an amazing God. He hears the cries of His kids and rescues them even despite their faithlessness. Despite the fact that they were unrepentant for times and mocked His grace and goodness.)
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose." ROMANS 8:28
46 He caused them to be pitied
by all who held them captive.
47 Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the LORD."
Amen! Let us praise the Lord! What an amazing God we have. He truly is sooo good. If all He ever did for us was rescue us from eternal damnation that would be more than we ever deserved. Yet He goes far beyond that. We need to examine our lives daily and see how good our God is. We need to look back on the past of not only our lives but especially in Scripture and how God has fulfilled His promises time and time again. If we only would REMEMBER constantly who He is and what He has done our lives would look radically different because we would be living by faith and in complete contentment with everything that came our way. Let us pray that God would give us the strength to remember.
Let us examine this for a moment...Psalm 106 is a perfect example of exactly how faithful our God is and how we need to REMEMBER that constantly.
" 7 When our fathers were in Egypt,
they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses,
and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.
(Do we think about it? Do we remember the faithful promises He has fulfilled in our lives? Do we remember how He saved us from His wrath and rescued us from hell? Do we remember how He has continually provided for all our needs?)
"I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses." ISAIAH 63:7
8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
to make his mighty power known.
(That is why He did this for the children of Israel and for us as well. He saved them and has saved us for His glory, for His name, and to show himself mighty and King to all)
"Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." PSALM 115:1
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
he led them through the depths as through a desert.
(Think about how incredible that is for a moment. When we are worried or anxious about God not fulfilling some sort of need in our life let us look back to biblical examples of God's amazing deliverance and provision like here and in Exodus where He dried up a sea!)
10 He saved them from the hand of the foe;
from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
11 The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them survived.
12 Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.
(Think about this for a moment...are we not the same? Do we not believe God and his promises when He is faithful? It is easy for us to believe God and worship Him immediately after He does something amazing for us. In fact that should be our response...whenever God blesses us we should be so thankful and sing praises to Him constantly, but what about when we are going through a "hard time"? Do we still believe his promises? Possibly but the sad thing is that we may say we believe them but we may not actually believe them because if we really believed them and trusted them, we would exhibit unwavering faith and the ability to praise Him even in the storm. Remember it is only by His grace and strength that we could ever do this.)
"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;" PSALM 95:6
13 But they soon forgot what he had done
and did not wait for his counsel.
(Isn't that the truth of our lives as well? We soon forget what He does and we then just begin acting like we are the "controlers" of our life. What a false sense of reality)
14 In the desert they gave in to their craving;
in the wasteland they put God to the test.
(As we begin giving into the flesh and the wicked desires of our heart we give in more and more. Therefore we must be on guard to our sinful hearts.)
"The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?" JEREMIAH 17:9
15 So he gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease upon them.
(Be careful what you wish for! God will give us over to our desires, even the sinful ones, if we keep pushing and asking...look at Romans and you find that clearly stated.)
"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. " ROMANS 1:24
16 In the camp they grew envious of Moses
and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD.
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it buried the company of Abiram.
18 Fire blazed among their followers;
a flame consumed the wicked.
19 At Horeb they made a calf
and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
20 They exchanged their Glory
for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who saved them,
who had done great things in Egypt,
(May this never be us. We may never say that we "forget" God but we sure live that way sometimes...We live like there is no God watching our motivations, intentions and actions. We live like this far too often.)
22 miracles in the land of Ham
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 So he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him
to keep his wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe his promise.
25 They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the LORD.
(Then during our times of distress do we grumble and complain and continue to disobey the Lord??)
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." JAMES 1:2-4
26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand
that he would make them fall in the desert,
27 make their descendants fall among the nations
and scatter them throughout the lands.
28 They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
29 they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was checked.
31 This was credited to him as righteousness
for endless generations to come.
32 By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD,
and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
and rash words came from Moses' lips. [c]
34 They did not destroy the peoples
as the LORD had commanded them,
35 but they mingled with the nations
and adopted their customs.
(Can we take heed from this. Do we adopt the customs of this world? Do we compromise?)
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 JOHN 2:15
36 They worshiped their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
38 They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39 They defiled themselves by what they did;
by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
40 Therefore the LORD was angry with his people
and abhorred his inheritance.
41 He handed them over to the nations,
and their foes ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them
and subjected them to their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they were bent on rebellion
and they wasted away in their sin.
44 But he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant
and out of his great love he relented.
(What an amazing God. He hears the cries of His kids and rescues them even despite their faithlessness. Despite the fact that they were unrepentant for times and mocked His grace and goodness.)
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose." ROMANS 8:28
46 He caused them to be pitied
by all who held them captive.
47 Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the LORD."
Amen! Let us praise the Lord! What an amazing God we have. He truly is sooo good. If all He ever did for us was rescue us from eternal damnation that would be more than we ever deserved. Yet He goes far beyond that. We need to examine our lives daily and see how good our God is. We need to look back on the past of not only our lives but especially in Scripture and how God has fulfilled His promises time and time again. If we only would REMEMBER constantly who He is and what He has done our lives would look radically different because we would be living by faith and in complete contentment with everything that came our way. Let us pray that God would give us the strength to remember.
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