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Hymn on Romans 9:20-23

Election sovereign and free. Romans 9:20-23. Isaac Watts Behold the potter and the clay, He forms his vessels as he please: Such is our God, and such are we, The subjects of his high decrees. [Doth not the workman's power extend O'er all the mass, which part to choose And mold it for a nobler end, And which to leave for viler use?] May not the sovereign Lord on high Dispense his favors as he will, Choose some to life, while others die, And yet be just and gracious still? [What if, to make his terror known, He lets his patience long endure, Suff'ring vile rebels to go on, And seal their own destruction sure? What if he means to show his grace, And his electing love employs To mark out some of mortal race, And form them fit for heav'nly joys?] Shall man reply against the Lord, And call his Maker's ways unjust, The thunder of whose dreadful word Can crush a thousand worlds to dust? But, O my soul! if truths so bright Should dazzle and confound thy sight, Yet still his

A Vanishing Mist

“What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” As I walk through my life, I find that self-sufficiency is like a tumor haunting me. I continually find myself fighting against the idea that I can do anything on my own power. It is easy for a Christian to give lip-service to grace, to talk highly of it. Oh, but to be consumed by it is rare. I spoke with someone recently over dinner, and I was astounded by how quickly I became a hypocrite. Passionately describing how fleeting life is and how precious grace is, I found such inconsistency in my own life. If I believed firmly in even what I understand of God’s sovereignty, I would be such a different Christian. Instead, I find myself often without the zeal for God that is so important to me. James 4 was a banner over that recent conversation, challenging my pride. “As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” Oh, is there ever a moment free from such boasting in ar

T-Shirt

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The Christian Experience of Faith, Hope, Love, and Joy Unspeakable

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9 When those who claim Christ doubt their salvation today, the question often on the lips of the pastor is, “Have you ever prayed and asked Jesus into your heart?” or “Have you ever accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?” Is this the essence of your Christian experience? Is that the core of your salvation that will be your refuge in times of suffering? If you summarize your salvation with those statements, will it comfort you? Will that summary stimulate your faith and encourage you unto hope? In Matthew 7, Jesus says that the Christian experience is likened unto building a house on an unshakeable foundation, so that when (not if) the rain falls and the floods come and beat upon the house, your house will stand! As we look at this text, it is

Be Appalled!

Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:11-13 In looking at the astonishment called for in verses 12-13, we notice that it is based upon the idea of idolatry. Therefore, a correct concept of idolatry is paramount for our understanding of this text. Moreover, I hope that once we have covered this passage, we can state and understand the alternative. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and bird

Friendship with God

“…and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’ —and he was called a friend of God.” James 2:23 Let us first look at James 2:23. It states that Abraham was called a friend of God. It is at the core of salvation to be able to be called a friend of God. If we were to discuss the essence of salvation, we could entertain two questions: From what are we saved? To what are we saved? If isolated from the other, each question leads us to something other than the gospel. Hopefully, the first question is answerable. If our response is hell, then we are again only partly right. The nature of hell is that the unrelenting wrath of an omnipotent and holy God is being poured out upon its inhabitants. The second question rarely receives proper address from the pulpit or any other venue. To what are we saved? Again the location is only indicative of something else. Therefore, heaven is only the beginning of the answer. If the wr

Final Exams and the Spiritual Analogue

I'm watching my students take final exams, and I am left wondering. Their greatest immediate concerns are their grades on this exam and this class. As a teacher, I want to make them understand the importance of being ready. This semester should have been one of preparation. This week should not have been one of cramming. Where is the joy in learning? This test should mark the end of a great semester of learning! Instead, I see misery and terror. Students hold the tests and are apoplectic. Several students will leave and be faced with failing grades in my class or other classes. I want to make something clear. I am their teacher. I love my students and would very much like for them to succeed. Where is their passion? I am sure that many parallels can be drawn between this situation and people's spiritual lives. Since most of them are obvious, I will end with two quotes: "If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the reward

Let Us Go At Once

A humble essay on corporate prayer, especially with regard to revival “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even inhabitants of many cities.The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and toseek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.’Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.’” Zechariah 8:20-22 [1] A Note from the Author: Being impressed by great men of God who desire revival, I have been encouraged to write an appeal to some of the men of my church to come together in corporate prayer. It should be noted the mode of prayer discussed in a corporate sense is not of a modern evangelical slant, but a historical and Scriptural prostrating of one’s self before God. This is not an exhaustive treatise on prayer-based fellowship. This is a briefer look at Scripture and historical revival. I think it is important for me to say that corporat

Our Weakness: Fearful and Fainthearted! Our Strength: The Sovereign Grace of God!

And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say,“Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.” Deuteronomy 20:8 I find it interesting that Moses, before sending the Israelites into the Promised Land, gives the exhortation, “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 20:1). Let us think about the great, peaceful rest we can have in this truth. From the moment we are redeemed from the slavery of our sin, we are promised residence in the presence of God Himself. As we struggle in this life, we wander in the desert of our sinful flesh and fallen world. Where is our vision? I hope we can say along with Paul that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruit

The Love of God Revealed in the Cross

Be Thou my Vision O Lord of my heart Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art Thou my best Thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord; Thou my great Father, I Thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one. Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight; Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight; Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower: Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power. "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through th

The Severity of God's Holiness: Wrath Deserved

In Isaiah 6:1-5, we read: (1) In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (2) Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. (3) And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (4) And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. (5) And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” I hope that the meaning of this passage permeates your life. Upon seeing God, Isaiah notices two things: God’s holiness . The majesty of God filled the temple, and angels proclaimed the glory the holy God. Often, we think of God as this aged man, sitting on a throne, somewhat

When Sorrows Like See Billows Roll

There are those days that seem hard. Those trying times come crashing at your doorstep, and you think your life will never go well again, that is, if it ever went well. I've been there, and I still have my "hard" days. Many people have had harder lives than I have had, so I'm not going to put forth some sob story, trying to convince anyone of anything. What this leads me to is a difference. If we all have our trials, then what makes the difference? Sure, some people may have more difficult times, but is that really the difference? If so, how do you categorize hardship? It seems too arbitrary. How do you compare pain? Short answer: This emphasis is misguided. Some people are able make tribulations turn toward triumph, and others are entrapped in seeming trivialities. Even in approaching the issue on the issue of triumph, what do we consider triumph? What is triumph? Is it Oprah, after growing up in abject poverty and molested, building an empire? Is it the starving art

What's the best thing about heaven?

When I was around three years-old, I used to ask my mom to read to me about heaven. She proceeded, like the awesome mom she is, to read from Revelation 21-22. Here we are greeted by a splendid description of comfort, hope, and physical beauty. I was amazed at the precious stones whose names I couldn't pronounce, the measurements I couldn't fathom, and the purity of it all. Over the years, I've rested in the promise of God that my future home is in such a wonderful place. In the past few months, I've reviewed the passages, and I've been startled at what God has shown me. It takes my child-like faith and deepens it to a passionate love for the glory of God. I could expound on each part of the description, but let me just summarize. The beauty described isn't coincidental; it isn't brilliant because God is sustained by it. The reason there is such brilliance is because God is there. "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and sh