The Fountain of Blood

The Fountain of Blood

June 20, 2014 at 7:48am

There is a fountain
filled with blood
drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged
beneath that flood
lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief
rejoiced to see
that fountain in his day;
And there have I,
though vile as he,
washed all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb,
Thy precious blood
shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God
be saved, to sin no more.

E'er since by faith
I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply
Redeeming love
has been my theme
And shall be till I die

When this poor lisping,
stammering tongue
lies silent in the grave.
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing Thy power to save,

Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared,
unworthy though I be,
For me a Blood-bought free reward,
a golden harp for me!

’Tis strung and tuned for endless years,
and formed by power divine,
To sound in God the Father’s ears
no other Name but Thine.
`
~ There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood
    by William Cowper

But now the righteousness of God ...
through faith in Jesus Christ, 
to all 
and on all 
who believe..
for ...
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, 
through faith, 
to demonstrate His righteousness... 
that He might be Just 
and the Justifier 
of the one 
who has faith 
in Jesus.
...
Therefore, 
having been justified by faith, 
we have peace with God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom also we have access 
by faith 
into this grace in which we stand, 
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 
And not only that, 
but we also glory in tribulations, 
knowing that tribulation 
produces perseverance; 
and perseverance, 
character; 
and character, 
hope. 
Now hope 
does not disappoint, 
because the love of God 
has been poured out in our hearts 
by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

For when we were still without strength, 
in due time
Christ died for the ungodly. 
For scarcely for a righteous man
will one die; 
yet perhaps for a good man 
someone would even dare to die. 
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, 
in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. 
Much more then,
having now been justified
by His blood, 
we shall be saved from wrath
through Him. 
For if when we were enemies 
we were reconciled to God 
through the death of His Son, 
much more,
having been reconciled, 
we shall be saved
by His life. 
And not only that, 
but we also rejoice in God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
through whom we have now 
received the reconciliation...
those who receive abundance of grace 
and of the gift of righteousness 
will reign in life 
through the One, 
Jesus Christ.

~ Romans 3:21,22,23,24b,25,26;5:1-10,17


The blood of Jesus Christ, 
His Son, 
cleanses us 
from all sin.
~ I John 1:7

They have washed their robes 
and made them white 
in the Blood of the Lamb.
~ Revelation 7:14

But Christ came as High Priest ...
with His own blood 
He entered the Most Holy Place 
once 
for all, 
having obtained eternal redemption...
how much more shall the Blood of Christ, 
who through the eternal Spirit 
offered Himself without spot to God, 
cleanse your conscience from dead works 
to serve the living God?...
And for this reason 
He is the Mediator of the new covenant, 
by means of death...
that those who are called 
may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance...
without shedding of blood 
there is no remission...

For Christ...
has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
And as it is appointed for men to die once, 
but after this the judgment, 
so Christ was offered once 
to bear the sins of many. 
To those who eagerly wait for Him 
He will appear a second time, 
apart from sin, 
for salvation...

Therefore, brethren, 
having boldness to enter the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus, 
by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, 
through the veil, 
that is, His flesh, 
and having a High Priest over the house of God, 
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, 
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience 
and our bodies washed with pure water...

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, 
the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, 
to God the Judge of all, 
to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, 
and to the blood of sprinkling 
that speaks better things than that of Abel...

Now may the God of peace 
who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, 
that great Shepherd of the sheep, 
through the Blood of the everlasting covenant, 
make you complete in every good work to do His will, 
working in you 
what is well pleasing in His sight, 
through Jesus Christ, 
to Whom be glory forever and ever. 
Amen.

Hebrews 9:11,12,14,15,22,24,26,27-28;10:19-22;12:22-24;13:20-21



His blood be on us 
and on our children.
~ Matthew 27:25



Are YOU washed in the Blood of the Lamb?

Love Your Neighbor

Love Your Neighbor

June 14, 2014 at 8:46am

Only love can grieve. 
If you don't love, 
you won't grieve.
~ AW Tozer

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 
with all your soul, 
with all your strength, 
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
~ The Lord Jesus

(Luke 10:27;cf Matt 19:19,22:39;Mark 12:3)

"You shall not take vengeance, 
nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, 
but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: 
I am the Lord."
~ God

(Leviticus 19:18)

Owe no one anything except to love one another,
for he who loves another has fulfilled the Law.
For the commandments,
“You shall not commit adultery,”
“You shall not murder,” 
“You shall not steal,” 
“You shall not bear false witness,”
“You shall not covet,”
and if there is any other commandment,
are all summed up in this saying, namely,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love does no harm to a neighbor;
therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.
~ Apostle Paul

(Romans 13:8-10)

The SIXTH Commandment

"You shall not murder." 
~ Exodus 20:13

In this commandment 
is a sin forbidden, 
which is murder...
and a duty implied, 
which is, to preserve our own life, 
and the life of others.
~ Thomas Watson

Q. 67. Which is the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not murder.

Q. 68. What is required in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life, andthe life of others.

Q. 69. What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor, unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto.

~ Westminster Shorter Catechism

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; 
in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
(ensure justice for those being crushed)
~ Proverbs 31:8

If you are slack in the day of distress, 
your strength is small.
Deliver those who are being taken away to death, 
and those who are staggering to slaughter, 
Oh hold them back...
~ Proverbs 24:10-11

Post-Abortion Gospel: THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE BIBLICAL REPENTANCE and FAITH AFTER MURDERING A CHILD (or children) BY ABORTION

Post-Abortion Gospel: THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE BIBLICAL REPENTANCE and FAITH AFTER MURDERING A CHILD (or children) BY ABORTION

June 13, 2014 at 10:58am

"How can I be forgiven for murdering my baby by abortion?"

This gospel tract was written for you, the woman (or man) who has committed the bloody sin of murdering your child (or children) by abortion. We will focus on the sin of murder. You may, or may not, be sexually immoral. Some who have murdered their child(ren) by abortion are married to the father of their baby. In the United States over 80% of the mothers who murdered their infants by abortion were unmarried (or married to someone other than the father of their child). So, we will include sexual immorality (fornication) as one of the serious sins which you must repent of.


It is our desire that you come to biblical repentance for the sin of murdering your baby. 
That you might honor God and be truly forgiven by the only One who has the power and authority to forgive your sin: 
Jesus Christ. 




Will you escape the wrath of God on Judgment Day? 

Your eternal destiny is the most important thing in the world.
Jesus said,
“For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? 
Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
~ Mark 8:36-37

Jesus warned, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish”
~ Luke 13:3, 5

Christ clearly taught that the only way to escape the wrath of God now,
and the pains of hell at the Judgment,
is by genuine repentance of sin.

What then does the Bible tell us is true repentance?

It is important that you understand the difference between false repentance and true repentance.
Thomas Watson explains what genuine true gospel repentance is;

Repentance is a grace of God's Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed.
Know that repentance is a spiritual medicine made up of six special ingredients:

1. Sight of sin
2. Sorrow for sin
3. Confession of sin
4. Shame for sin
5. Hatred for sin
6. Turning from sin

If any one is left out it loses its virtue.
----

Let us go through the six steps of genuine biblical repentance of sin. 


1. Sight of sin.

This means to SEE YOUR SIN FOR WHAT IT IS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD.


First we must properly define the word: sin.
We do this by looking to the Bible, which is the holy, inerrant Word of God,
he source of eternal truth, and is forever settled in heaven.

"Your Word is true from the beginning: 
and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever."~ Psalm 119:166

According to the Bible SIN is transgression of (disobedience to) the Law of God, His Holy Commandments.
That is why the Bible calls sin lawlessness (I John 3:4;5:17)

God has carved His Law/Holy Commandments on our hearts with His own finger.
When we sin, we know that we are doing what is evil and wrong in God's sight.
God gave us a conscience to know right from wrong.
So, when we sin, we do it with the guilty knowledge that it is sin.
That is why we are without excuse before God when we sin. (Romans 1:20)

Consider your own life and your many sins.

Be honest.

Let's go over some of the commandments of the Lord.
Isn't it true that you have personally broken the commandments of God intentionally, repeatedly and without remorse? Have you lied? Have you stolen? Have you used God's name in vain? Have you dishonored your parents? Have you been sexually immoral (had sex with someone you are not covenanted in marriage to, which the Bible calls the sin of 'fornication')?

Now, to address the sin of abortion.

Psalm 127:3 says; "Children are a gift from the Lord".  God is the One who opens (and closes) the womb. We are informed by Scripture that all human persons are made in the image and likeness of God. Every infant conceived in the womb is a person whom God has personally designed, created and sustained and given to their parents (and to the world) as His precious gift.

The Sixth Commandment says: "You shall not murder".
Have you murdered a baby by abortion, or helped someone else to kill an innocent child?

If you have murdered your baby by abortion, and if you are not married to the man you have been having sex with,
you have willfully violated God's clear commands.
In Revelation 21:8 God provides the punishment He has ordained for your sins;
 "...as for murderers, the sexually immoral...their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone (hell)"


Fear the fury and wrath of God.

Do you understand that God is furious with you for your sin?
The Bible says;
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 
~ Proverbs 1:7;9:10;Psalm 111:10

“God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm. 7:11).
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (Rom. 1:18).
If you die in your sin you will face the undiluted fury and fierceness of Almighty God.


It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

Your sin has separated you from God. (Isaiah 59:2)
Is there hope for you?
Remember that Jesus declared: "Unless you repent, you will perish!"
Let us go on to see what the repentance Christ is speaking of looks like.

2. Sorrow for sin.

"I will be sorry for my sin" 
~ Psalm 38:18


Did you know that the Bible describes two types of sorrow (grief, regret, remorse) for sin?

"For godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret,whereas worldy sorrow produces death."

(II Corinthians 7:10)

One type of sorrow (regret, remorse) is worldly and results in a false repentance.
The other is a godly sorrow and results in a genuine repentance.

Let me ask you a question:
Are you experiencing any kind of guilt, sorrow, regret, remorse for the sin of murdering your baby?
Is your regret based on what YOU have had to suffer or endure as a result of killing your child? 
Or, are you sorry for sinning against your innocent baby and against the God who gave him or her to you?
Godly sorrow is a true sense of guilt for having sinned against God and for having done harm to another.
This sorrow for sin is not superficial: it is a holy agony.
Godly sorrow is the kind which God can use to bring you to real forgiveness and salvation.

3. Confession of Sin

Proverbs 28:13 says:

"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, 
but he who confesses and forsakes them 
will obtain mercy."
Did you know that the Bible teaches that, "there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of Blood"? (Hebrews 9:22)
God requires Blood to cover (atone) for sins. The Father sent forth His only begotten Son, born of a virgin. Jesus is the Son of God! He lived a perfectly sinless life, obeying all of God's commandments in thought, word and in deed, fulfilling all righteousness. And, then Christ laid down His life. He was crucified by wicked men. Jesus died and rose again on the third day. His precious Blood was spilled to ransom sinners like us! Only those who have the Blood of the spotless Lamb of God will be forgiven of their sins.

4. Shame for Sin

The fourth ingredient in repentance is shame: "that they may be ashamed of their iniquities" (Ezekiel 43:10)

Are you struck by the great exceeding sinfulness and the guilty shame of your sins? If you are guilty of fornication, will you humbly confess your sexual sin to God? If you have committed abortion against your child, do you admit that you are without excuse for what you have done to your innocent baby? Are you willing to humbly confess your guilty sins before God and come to Him to beg for forgiveness through the Blood of His Son?  

Cry out; “God, be merciful to me, a sinner! Lord Jesus, I repent! I believe You died for me and rose again. I believe You are God the Son, the Savior. I now turn from my sin to trust You alone for salvation. Save me please, by Your grace. I long to love You, serve You, and live for You as You deserve. I want to know You as my Savior. I commit to obey You, and I cry out to You to forgive me and save me.”

5. Hatred for Sin

Proverbs 8:13 says: "The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil."

"Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, 
and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices!"
~ Ezekiel 36:31

Do you hate your sexual sin? Do you abhor that you murdered your helpless little baby?
Hatred for your sins is one of the necessary ingredients of true saving repentance.

Surely, what you hate you are willing to confess and forsake.

6. Turning from Sin

"I preached... that all must repent of their sins and turn to God -

performing deeds in keeping with their repentance."

~ Acts 26:20

This turning from sin is called a forsaking of sin and a turning TO God. It should be no trouble for you to turn from and forsake the sins which you have come, by God's grace, to hate. This turning from sin is called "a putting of sin far away" (Job 11:14).
Not just once.
Not just today, but,
for always.

"Repent...
and turn away your faces from all your abominations"
~ Ezekiel. 14:6

Dying to sin—is the life of repentance. 

"Let the wicked forsake his way, 
and the unrighteous man his thoughts; 
let him return to the LORD, 
that he may have compassion on him, 
and to our God, 
for He will abundantly pardon."Isaiah 55:7

Has your conscience been pricked and awakened to your need for forgiveness of your sins?
Do you admit and confess that you are an enemy of God through your wicked works?

God swears:
'As surely as I live', 
says the Sovereign Lord,
'I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. 
I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. 
Turn! 
Turn from your wickedness! Why should you die?' 
~ Ezekiel 33:11

'Turn unto Me, says the Lord—'and I will turn unto you' (Zech. 1:3).

Pray with repentant King David;
"O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me" (Psalm 86:16).

Jesus said: “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3,5).

The Lord Christ also said:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God...You must be born-again!"
~ John 3:3,7

Repent! Believe upon the Savior! Ask Him to forgive your sins and grant you new life by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Turn to Christ and live!

Thy people SHALL BE WILLING in the Day of Thy power

Thy people SHALL BE WILLING in the Day of Thy power

June 11, 2014 at 12:12pm

The salvation of any sinner is a matter of Divine power.
By nature the sinner is at enmity with God,
and naught but Divine power operating within him,
can overcome this enmity;
hence it is written,
"No man can come unto ME, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him" ~ John 6:44

It is the Divine power overcoming the sinner's innate enmity
which makes him willing to come to Christ
that he might have life.

But this "enmity" is not overcome in all - why?

IS it because the enmity is too strong to overcome?
Are there some hearts so steeled against Him that Christ is unable to gain entrance?
To answer in the affirmative is to deny His omnipotence.

In the final analysis it is not a question of the sinner's willingness
or unwillingness,
for by nature
all are unwilling.
Willingness to come to Christ
is the finished product of Divine power
operating in the human heart and will
in overcoming man's inherent and chronic "enmity,"
as it is written,
"Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power" ~ Psalm 110:3

To say that Christ is unable to win to Himself
those who are unwilling
is to deny that all power in heaven and earth is His.
To say that Christ cannot put forth His power
without destroying man's responsibility
is a begging of the question here raised,
for He has put forth His power
and made willing
those who have come to Him,
and if He did this without destroying their responsibility,
why "cannot" He do so with others?
If He is able to win the heart of one sinner to Himself,
why not that of another?
To say,
as is usually said,
the others will not let Him
is to impeach His sufficiency.
It is a question of His will.
If the Lord Jesus has decreed,
desired,
purposed the salvation of all mankind,
then the entire human race will be saved,
or, otherwise,
He lacks the power to make good His intentions;
and in such a case
it could never be said,
"He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied."

The issue raised involves the deity of the Saviour,
for a defeated Savior
cannot be God.

~ A. W. Pink
excerpted from 'The Sovereignty of God'

Salvation is of the Lord.
~ Jonah 2:9

Who's Your Daddy?

Who's Your Daddy?

June 11, 2014 at 10:08am

If your religion
allows you to comfort yourself,
and others,
in sin
and tolerate the shedding of innocent blood
in the shadow of your church,
you are not praying to the God of the Bible.
You are praying to the god of this world,
the murderer-from-the-beginning.

"When you spread out your hands, 
I will hide my eyes from you; 
even though you make many prayers, 
I will not listen; 
your hands are full of blood."
~ God
Isaiah 1:15

"You are doing the works of your own father...

You are of your father the devil, 
and your will is to do your father’s desires. 
He was a murderer from the beginning, 
and does not stand in the truth, 
because there is no truth in him. 
When he lies, 
he speaks out of his own character, 
for he is a liar 
and the father of lies."
~ Jesus
John 8:44

Others May - You Cannot

Others May - You Cannot

June 10, 2014 at 8:23pm

If anyone wishes to come after Me, 
he must deny himself, 
and take up his cross 
and follow Me. 
For whoever wishes to save his life 
will lose it; 
but whoever loses his life 
for My sake 
will find it.
~ Jesus
(Matthew 16:24-25)

If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit,
He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility.
He will put on you such demands of obedience
that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians.
In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things
which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful
may push themselves, pull wires,
and scheme to carry out their plans,
but you cannot.
If you attempt it,
you will meet with such failure
and rebuke from the Lord
as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings,
but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing.
If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification
that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money,
or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries,
but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis,
because He wants you to have something far better than gold,
a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward
while keeping you hidden in obscurity
because He wants to produce some choice,
fragrant fruit for His coming glory,
which can only be produced in the shade.


God may let others be great, but keep you small.
He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit,
but He will make you work and toil
without knowing how much you are doing.

Then, to make your work still more precious,
He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done;
this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility,
and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you,
and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings,
or for wasting your time,
which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign
and has a right to do as He pleases with His own,
and that He may not explain to you a thousand things
which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.

God will take you at your word.
If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave,
He will wrap you up in a jealous love
and let other people say and do many things that you cannot.
Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit,
He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue
or chaining your hand
or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with.

However,
know this great secret of the Kingdom:
When you are so completely possessed
with the Living God
that you are,
in your secret heart,
pleased and delighted
over this peculiar,
personal,
private,
jealous guardianship
and management of the Holy Spirit over your life,
you will have found the vestibule of heaven,
the high calling of God.


~ G.D. Watson

Willing

Willing

June 9, 2014 at 8:01am

Lord,
I am willing
to receive what You give,
to lack what You withhold,
to relinquish what You take,
to suffer what You inflict,
to be what You require.
to become who You have planned.

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,)

dwelleth no good thing...

For the flesh desires 

what is contrary to the Spirit, 

and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. 

They are in conflict with each other, 

so that you are not to do whatever you want...

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

We have all become 

like one who is unclean, 

and all our righteous deeds 

are like a polluted garment. 

We all fade like a leaf, 

and our iniquities, 

like the wind, 

take us away. 

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, 

murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, 

false witness, blasphemies..

For from within, out of the heart of men, 

proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, 

thefts, murders, adulteries, 

deeds of coveting and wickedness, 

as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, 

pride and foolishness. 

All these evil things proceed from within...

Roman 7:18

Galatians 5:17 

John 3:6

Isaiah 64:6

Matthew 15:19 

Mark 7:21-23 

There is no good thing in me 

but that God Himself 

has put there. 

No.

Good.

Thing.

Except that which is owing to Christ,

to the grace of God,

and the holy influence of the Spirit. 

Left to myself, 

I am Little Miss Much Afraid. 

I am an inglorious ruin. 

I believe. 

But, help my unbelief.

Wreck me for You, dear Lord Jesus.

Comfort in Suffering

Comfort in Suffering

June 8, 2014 at 7:32am

God often GRANTS
the desires of sinners
in His WRATH,
while He DENIES
the desires of His people
in His LOVE.

~ Matthew Henry
(slightly edited) 

Job lamented;

"Look at me, and be astonished...
When I remember, I am afraid,
and trembling seizes my flesh.
Why do the wicked live,
reach old age, and grow mighty in power?..
The tents of robbers are at peace,
and those who provoke God are secure."

(Job 21:5,6,7;12:6)

Jeremiah inquired of God;

"Righteous are You, O LORD,
when I complain to you;
yet I would plead my case before you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all who are treacherous thrive?"
(Jeremiah 12:1)

James remembered the terrible suffering of God's people,
but also reminded us of the compassion and mercy of Christ:

"As an example of suffering and patience,
brothers,
take the prophets
who spoke in the Name of the Lord.
Behold,
we consider those blessed
who remained steadfast.
You have heard of the patience of Job,
and you have seen the purpose of the Lord,
how the Lord is compassionate and merciful."
(James 5:10-11)

When the cruel jaws of life
threaten to swallow you up,
look to the suffering Savior.

Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
Who comforts us in all our affliction
so that we will be able to comfort those
who are in any affliction
with the comfort with which we ourselves
are comforted by God.
For just as the sufferings of Christ
are ours in abundance,
so also our comfort
is abundant through Christ.…
~ II Corinthians 1:3-5

One Day, dear brethren,
one fine and glorious Day,
the Day of the LORD,
we who belong to Christ
shall behold His beauty face-to-face.
Keep this beatific vision in thy soul's eye.
In His Presence there is fullness of joy.
The wicked may 'prosper' outwardly
and even have a measure
of what appears to be
'peace',
but inwardly, they are wasting away.
They may look 'fine',
(even appearing better than you!)
but,
they store up wrath for themselves,
for the Day of God's wrath.
Remember,
this life is the only taste of 'heaven'
(by God's common grace)
that the unbeliever will ever experience.
But,
for those of us who have been savingly wrought upon
by the Holy Spirit,
this life is the only 'hell' we shall ever taste.

That sweet Day of unending pleasure
in the Presence of Jesus
is coming for all of us
who are born-again.

One thing
I have desired
of the LORD,
that will I seek:
that I may dwell
in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty
of the LORD,
and to inquire in His temple.
~ Psalm 27:4

Be Angry

Be Angry

June 5, 2014 at 9:34am

“Be angry"

This is a command,
from the apostle to the church at Ephesus. (Ephesians 4:26)
All anger is not sin!
How could it be, when Psalm 7:11
describes God Himself as
"angry with the wicked every day",
and, we are admonished to be
“imitators of God”? (5:1)

"Be angry"

This is a command.
All anger is not sin!
Anger can be a righteous expression of indignation,
and even sanctified fury,
over sin and injustice.

"Be angry"

This is a command.
All anger is not sin!
Righteous anger is anger that is justified, controlled and used by the Holy Spirit.
First and foremost, we should be angry against OUR OWN SINS!
Now there is a legitimate object for our anger!
Be angry enough to KILL (mortify) the sins that so easily beset YOU.

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: 
sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, 
which is idolatry." 
~ Colossians 3:5

Let our anger FIRST and FOREMOST,
be against our own personal sins
to promote the glory of God in our own souls
and drive us to Christ for forgiveness, cleansing and sanctification.

"Be angry"

This is a command.
All anger is not sin!
It is not automatically sinful to be angry over wickedness and injustice,
especially as it affects the weak and needy.

The holy scriptures teach us that the fear of the Lord
(which is the beginning/foundation of godly wisdom) 
is to HATE evil.
(Proverbs 1:7;8:13;9:10;15:33; Psalm 111:10)

We can, and must, feel angry hatred against the evil of sin.
In ourselves, and in others.

Why?

What is the single, most important reason that we are to hate evil,
be angry about it
and to oppose sin?

First, because sin is always and primarily, AGAINST GOD.
It robs Jesus Christ, the One through whom we were made,
of the glory due His Name.

Secondly, we are to have angry hatred against evil
because it threatens and does actual harm to our neighbor,
whom we are to love as ourselves.
[Note: Righteous anger should compel us to do something to rescue our neighbor from harm. Real love leads to real action. See the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. If our 'anger' does not compel us to real loving, interventive action towards the imperiled, we may not have the holy anger of God that we should covet.]

Thirdly, we are to have angry hatred against evil
because it wrongs the soul of the sinner (ourselves or someone else),
leading them into the sucking vortex of sin (as described in Romans 1:18-31).

"Be angry"

This is a command.
All anger is not sin!

Yet ...
What then, does it is mean to SIN with anger?
What is SINful anger?
Jesus commanded His disciples NOT to be angry with a brother without cause. (Matthew 5:22)
Being angry at yourself, or anyone else, without just and good cause is SIN.
That would be sinful anger.
So, seek the Lord in prayer, asking Jesus to search and try you to see if there be any wicked way in you.
Look to His Holy Scriptures and to trusted brethren when you are angry,
to be sure that your cause is justified.

Paul goes on to direct us what to DO with our anger;
"and do not sin; 
do not let the sun go down on your anger, 
and give no opportunity to the devil” 
~ Ephesians 4:26-27

One commentary notes that there are "two checks" upon anger;

The first check is to beware of sinning;
to keep your anger clear of
bitterness,
spite,
malevolence,
and all such evil feelings.
The second is, "Let not the sun go down on your anger";
examine yourself in the evening, and see that you are tranquil.
See to it that your anger not be of a revengeful nature.

Matthew Henry writes:

"Take heed of anger and ungoverned passions.
If there is just occasion to express displeasure at what is wrong, and to reprove,
see that it be without sin." 

The bottom line is: anger, to be the anger commanded by and approved of God must beredemptive.
Unholy anger is not redemptive.
It does not seek to glorify God and make things right between the sinner and the Savior.
Unholy anger does not seek the highest good of the sinner, which is to be made right with a holy God.
In reality, ironically, if you look closely, sinful, unrighteous anger is not truly looking for the best and highest good of those sinned AGAINST, either.
In fact, it relishes the carnal emotion of anger and steeps in bitterness, resentment, dismissive judgment and seeks personal vengeance.

Holy, righteous anger is redemptive.
It seeks to glorify God the Father, His Savior-Son Jesus Christ and the powerful work of salvation by the Holy Spirit.
Holy, righteous anger always includes a call to repentance and a clear directive to faith in Jesus Christ as the only hope in life and in death.
Holy, righteous anger causes us extend ourselves beyond what is comfortable to literally, physically SAVE the victim of cruelty and injustice, with our very lives.
Holy, righteous anger that is commanded by God, should be expressed through bold love, leaving the vengeance to the One to whom it belongs;
"Vengeance is Mine", says the Lord. "I will repay"...
~ Romans 12:19

"Be angry"

This is a command.
All anger is not sin!

"Be angry"

Do what you must do,
in the strength and power of the Holy Spirit,
to give glory to Christ
and to prevent injustice and innocent bloodshed.
Then, having done all.
Stand.

Then -

Leave it to the Judge of all the earth.
He shall do what is right on that Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.

"Vengeance is Mine, and recompense,
for the time when their foot shall slip;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
and their doom comes swiftly.’
~ Deuteronomy 32:35

May the Lord Jesus reign in our hearts, minds, will and emotions
as we seek to live for His glory
and for the just good of ourselves,
our loved ones,
and our neighbors.

Amen.

Christ's Perfect Strength

Christ's Perfect Strength

June 4, 2014 at 7:03am

He said to me,
“My grace is sufficient for you,
for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches,
in needs,
in persecutions,
in distresses, for Christ’s sake.
For when I am weak, 
then I am strong.
~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"I take pleasure in infirmities"
Not in them simply considered,
but as they were made use of to his advantage,
for the exercise of His grace,
and for His more abundant consolation;
and especially as they tended
to the glory of Christ,
and made His grace,
power,
and strength
the more conspicuous:
by infirmities are meant
all outward troubles,
everything that is mean and abject,
distressing and afflicting,
whether from Satan or the world...which includes:... :

"in reproaches";
of Satan, the accuser of the brethren,
who sometimes reproachfully insinuates that they are hypocrites,
and serve God and Christ with mercenary views and selfish ends;
and of the men of the world,
who traduce them as deceivers,
treat them with opprobrious language,
and lead them with revilings and contumelies,
endeavour to take away their characters, credit, and reputation;
the faithful servants of Christ must go through bad report,
and suffer shame for the Name of Christ;
but these reproaches with Moses
are esteemed by them
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt:

"in necessities";
not of the soul...there being a sufficiency of grace in Christ
to relieve all its wants;
but of the body,
the apostle was sometimes reduced to very necessitous circumstances,
wanting the common necessaries of life,
being hungry, thirsty, and naked,
and yet cheerful:

"in persecutions";
from place to place by the enemies of the Gospel,
by whom he was severely handled
by beating, scourging, and imprisonment;
but his stripes were the marks of the Lord Jesus;
his chains were his crown,
and his prison a palace to him:

in "distresses", or "straits";
both as to body and mind,
encompassed with such difficulties
that he knew not what way to take,
or course to steer:
and all for Christ's sake;
not for any real crime done by him,
but for a profession of Christ,
preaching His Gospel,
and for the glory of His Name;
and which made all these afflictions
so delightful to him,
having in the midst of them
the love of God
to comfort him,
the power and strength of Christ
to support him,
and the grace of the Spirit
to assist him,
and the presence of all the three Persons with him;
this he suggests to be the ground and reason
of his delight and pleasure,
in such otherwise disagreeable circumstances:

"for when I am weak, then am I strong";
when he was attended with all the above mentioned infirmities,
when laden with reproaches,
surrounded with necessities,
followed with persecutions,
and brought into the utmost straits and difficulties,
and was most sensible of his weakness in himself
to bear and go through all these things;
then was he upheld by the divine arm,
and strengthened by the power of Christ;
so that he was not only able to sustain the conflict,
but became more than a conqueror,
and even to triumph in the midst of these adversities;
he could and did readily take the advice in Joel 3:10;..
"let the weak say I am strong";
for he that is weak in himself,
and sees himself to be so,
is strong in Christ,
and has a comfortable experience
of renewed strength
from Him 

~ John Gill

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It takes muscle to share the gospel

It takes muscle to share the gospel

June 3, 2014 at 9:32am

A gospel worth believing.
Is a gospel worth sharing.
Amen?

Anything that is worth doing
is worth doing well.
By doing well,
when I speak of the gospel,
I mean sharing it biblically. 

Do you remember the old joke?
One man asks for directions;
"How do you get to Symphony Hall?"
The answer?
"Practice, practice, practice." 

In order to learn how to be equipped to share the biblical gospel,
you have to practice, practice, practice actually DOING it.

Faith is like a muscle.

It's a FACT:
If you don't exercise (regularly, to exhaustion) 
you will not grow stronger.
In fact, you will grow weaker.
And, anyone who has trained to achieve any measure of fitness knows...
it doesn't take long to lose the muscle strength
that you might have gained over many months of regular exercise.

In fact, you will lose your muscles
in a shorter amount of time
than it took to build them.

For bodily exercise profits a little:
but godliness
is profitable unto all things,
having promise of the life that now is,
and of that which is to come.
~ I Timothy 4:8

A friend of mine who has shared the gospel with lost people many hundreds of times the last several years hadn't spoken with the perishing to intentionally share the gospel in a few months. After going out to the field of souls at a local campus with me, she said,"Wow. I was stiff and rusty. I was away too long." Scriptures which she used to have at the tip of her mind (and tongue) didn't come forth. As she spoke with a college student she was searching for the divine Words to help the young man see the truth as it is in Jesus, but they didn't come to her. She sort of hung back and watched, praying, because she was feeling very nervous, self-conscious and uncomfortable approaching lost people. That is only natural.
We need the Spirit's help as we step out in faith to share the truth as it is in Christ.

Jesus taught that it takes sacrifice and intentionality to become a fisher of men.
But, He will be with us, and by His Spirit we will grow and mature.
What does it mean to be 'mature' in the Christian faith?

"...the mature [are] those who have their powers of discernment trained
by CONSTANT PRACTICE (by reason of USE) to distinguish good from evil."
~ Hebrews 5:14

The Master demonstrated how to fish for men by taking His disciples out to the field of souls. Find a brother (or sister) who is mature in the faith and experienced in intentional witnessing (and preaching) and follow them as they take the seed of the gospel out to the lost. Shadow them. Listen and pray as they witness and preach, and as they give answers to those who oppose them, and to those who have good questions. Do not rush to speak. Spend as many hours as you need simply observing, and, as much as possible, try to debrief with the mature believer afterwards, the way the disciples did with the Savior. When the time is right, God will give you a voice. It may take 3 months before you begin to speak to people on your own when you are out witnessing (that's how long it took me!). But, don't wait. Begin this week and do your holy best to accompany the seasoned evangelist Christian out to witness EVERY week.

Jesus said:

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest
to send out workers
into His harvest." 
~ Matthew 9:37-38

The Great Commission lays before us. We are divinely conscripted!

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
~ Matthew 28:19-20

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