Awestruck by the Sovereign LORD

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Ephesians 5:1-5 In the midst of our congregations, we have a cacophony drowning out the righteousness of Christ. Much to the relief of some readers (and this writer), I am not speaking of those who sing along in church poorly (and loudly). Instead, we have a tumor in our tongues. We are in great need of a spiritual biopsy of our tongues. We wonder why there are so many congregations splitting over the insignificant issues ...

I have found that even with the Christian men with whom I associate and in whom I confide, we do not talk about the problem of sexual sin. I think part of the reason that many of us do not discuss it is because many of us are just hoping that it will go away. As I study the idea of fighting sin, I realize that sin just does not go away. Instead, we must “by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body” if we want to live (Romans 8:13b). Our congregations have produced a weak breed of boys (not men) who think that we can “continue in sin that grace may abound” (Romans 6:1). This shows a misunderstanding of God’s grace and a lack of zeal for the things of God. “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2). Since we have ignored the plague of sexual sin among us, we have become poor leaders, bad husbands, and disgusting brothers. We have devalued the grace of God, slandered the holiness of God, and mocked the cross of Christ. However, there is hope. “If we confes...

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 ...

“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...

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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...

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...