Hell in Leviticus

I've been reading through Leviticus and it has been more exciting and convicting than one might think. This book is filled with the Judaic laws in reference to worshiping God in the Tabernacle. Last night I was reading chapter 6 and was hit with the picture of hell and God's wrath demonstrated there and in the animal sacrifices. The sacrificial system was set up as a precursor that pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It is impossible for the blood of animals to take away sins. The people needed to see the effects of their sin and understand the requisites for God's justice for forgiveness and removal of guilt.

In verses 8-13 of chapter 6 there is such a strong emphasis for the fire on the altar to be kept burning continually because of it's repetition.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ⁹ “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law for the burnt offering: the burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire on the altar is to be kept burning on it. ¹⁰ The priest is to put on his linen robe, and he shall put on undergarments next to his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire reduces the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. ¹¹ Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.¹² The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. ¹³ Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.

In the Hebrew, Jeramy told me that the negative (NOT) is the intensive form of the negation as opposed to the passive form. It called to remembrance what Christ teaches about Hell in the New Testament. He repeats Isaiah 66:24 for emphasis also.

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, ⁴⁴ where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] ⁴⁵ If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, ⁴⁶ where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] ⁴⁷ If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, ⁴⁸ where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. (Mark 9:43-48)

Imagine worshiping in the Tabernacle and meditating on God's holy justice that requires death as a consequence of sin since the Fall. I considered that this picture of the altar is an image of hell in the Tabernacle, that a perpetual atonement was needed because of God's eternal, infinite nature. Imagine your body continually burning in fire on the altar! And being reminded of that every time you sin! But how is it possible to atone for one's own sin and receive God's forgiveness at the same time? That's why Christ came - to be the substitutionary atoning sacrifice in our place that we might receive forgiveness and live as God intended: free from the bondage of sin.

Christians Who Don't Read?

I've had the privilege of befriending a young woman who works at the front desk of my gym. She's not a believer but does quite a bit of reading and we share many of the same interests. She typically reads non-fiction, self-improvement type books and was very excited when I shared a few small booklets, Resources for Changing Lives (NANC) entitled: God's Love: Better Than Unconditional and Motives: Why Do I Do the Things I Do? Both are excellent and Jeramy and I love to read these and glean new insights as well as distribute them through the ministry (at or below cost) and to individuals we may meet personally.

In the Motives booklet, Edward Welch brings the reader to the reality of idols - any time that we are serving someone or something else other than God. These Resources are great because it causes the reader to assume the authority of Scripture.

Sometimes we come across individuals who claim Christianity as their religion (I use that term loosely) but they don't read Scripture. The next question I ask myself is, "Are they serving some idol and not the revealed God of Scripture?" If we are not diligent to remain in the Word of God, constantly studying it for ourselves, interpreting Scripture by Scripture for a complete picture of who God has revealed Himself to be, then how do we know that the person we think is God really is God and not some idol we just call by the same name? The Enemy would just love to deceive us into believing that something else we call by the same name is God when it really is not.

We need to challenge the people we come in contact with, especially professing believers, that if they don't read the Scripture, then they won't know the true God.

. . . . . . . . .

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 29:29

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

John 15:1-2, 4-7, 10-11

Open The Eyes of My Heart, Lord

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you will know what is the hope of His calling,

what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints

and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

Ephesians 1:15-19

In this prayer Paul gives thanks to God for the faith of other believers and prays for God to continue to reveal Himself and His wisdom to them in Christ.

I consider that the hope of God's calling is that, as He has chosen us, we will not be abandoned to death and everlasting hell, that Christ will never leave us or forsake us and that He will accomplish all that concerns us for His glory and our good.

The riches of the glory of His inheritance have its roots in the promise God made to Abraham, that He would show him a land for his posterity. But in Christ, our inheritance is in heaven, a little section designated just for us. See 1 Peter 1.

The surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe is explained in the verses that follow. Only by the omnipotence of God can He raise a Man from the dead and place that Man at the top of the spiritual chain of command. And not only this but continues to do this - to give life to dead people and place them in a state of spiritual authority - when He regenerates a heart that was once at enmity against Him and now worships Him joyfully! Just think of what we once were without Christ and where we might be now had God not changed our hearts!

New Beginning

INCOMPREHENSIBLE, GREAT, AND GLORIOUS GOD,

I adore thee and abase myself.

I approach thee mindful that I am less than nothing,

a creature worse than nothing.

My thoughts are not screened from thy gaze.

My secret sins blaze in the light of thy countenance.

Enable me to remember that blood which cleanseth all sin,

to believe in that grace which subdues all iniquities,

to resign myself to that agency which can deliver me from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

Thou hast begun a good work in me

and canst alone continue and complete it.

Give me an increasing conviction of my tendency to err,

and of my exposure to sin.

Help me to feel more of the purifying, softening, influence of religion,

its compassion, love, pity, courtesy,

and employ me as thy instrument in blessing others.

Give me to distinguish

between the mere form of godliness and its power,

between life and a name to live,

between guile and truth,

between hypocrisy and a religion that will bear thy eye.

If I am not right, set me right, keep me right;

And may I at last come to thy house in peace.

See Romans 6

(The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Ed. Arthur Bennett. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1975. pp 174-175.)

Wow!

That's all I could say after watching, hearing this snippet message of why a sinner should repent. I think the preacher is Kevin Macleod.

God deserves our worship even if we don't get heaven in the end. He demands our obedience. God will get no glory out of a life lived in human wisdom, human strength, human effort and He will receive no glory out of a humanist philosophy: one that lives for Him just to get good things from Him. Why am I a Christian? What is my motive for reading God's Word, memorizing Scripture, claiming allegiance to Christ, prayer, rejecting evangelical feminism, worldly philosophies and all the like? Why does anyone repent? Salvation is by grace through faith, both of which have been given as a free gift in and through Christ. As a gift, it is our own; He will not take it back from us. What thoughts dominated my mind when God granted me the grace of godly sorrow that led me to repent and surrender to the Lordship of Christ? I remember thinking that Christ had given His all for me and I hadn't given myself totally to Him and He deserved all of me.

What Reminds Me to Be Grateful

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called, "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands- remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY AND TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR, for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2

Christ Is Enough

"I have no longings for another; I'm satisfied in Him alone." Is Christ enough for us? I pray daily for a grateful heart, remembering that I could just as easily have been on the fast track to hell, but by His grace alone, I am not. There is nothing else on earth that can satisfy like Christ who "is all in all" (Ephesians 1:23 NASB). In Heaven we will be able to be enamored with the beauty of Christ's face. If we don't want this, then we don't want Heaven. I Will Glory In My Redeemer, if you click on the song title in the list, you will hear the first verse. If you order anything from Sovereign Grace Ministries, shipping is free and their prices are very inexpensive.

I Will Glory In My Redeemer

I will glory in my Redeemer

whose priceless blood has ransomed me.

Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails

and hung him on that judgment tree.

I will glory in my Redeemer

who crushed the pow'r of sin and death.

My only Savior before the Holy Judge:

The Lamb who is my Righteousness.

The Lamb who is my Righteousness.

I will glory in my Redeemer.

My life He bought, my love He owns.

I have no longings for another;

I'm satisfied in Him alone.

I will glory in my Redeemer.

His faithfulness, my standing place.

Though foes are mighty and rush upon me,

My feet are firm, held by His grace.

My feet are firm, held by His grace.

I will glory in my Redeemer

who carries me on eagle's wings.

He crowns my life with lovingkindness.

His triumph song I'll ever sing.

I will glory in my Redeemer

who waits for me at gates of gold

And when He calls me it will be Paradise:

His face forever to behold!

His face forever to behold!

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

This hymn reflects my thoughts from yesterday on Galatians ("He, to rescue me from danger") and here lately as the Spirit has caused me to meditate on the abundance of His grace and power at work in every believer, especially in the realm of fighting against the world, flesh and devil (O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be).  For a wonderful list of all the blessings lavished on believers, see Ephesians chapter one, some of which I wrote in bullet format here.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ . . .

Ephesians 1:3

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, 

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing, 

Call for songs of loudest praise:

Teach me some melodious sonnet, 

Sung by flaming tongues above;

Praise the mount!  I'm fixed upon it, 

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer; 

Hither by Thy help I'm come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, 

Safely to arrive at home:

Jesus sought me when a stranger, 

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger, 

Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor 

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter, 

Bind my wandering heart to Thee:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, 

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, 

Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning, 

I shall see Thy lovely face;

Clothed then in blood washed linen 

How I'll sing Thy sovereign grace;

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry, 

Take my ransomed soul away;

Send thine angels now to carry 

Me to realms of endless day.

For all the verses and a brief biography visit cyberhymnal.

My Dad

So many things come to my mind when I think of my Dad that I really have no idea where to begin.  I have fond memories of him playing guitar all the time, randomly, in the house.  I remember that he played a few of Grandpa's songs when we went to New Jersey for a Folk Festival in Spring of 2001 where he died before being able to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.  My Dad didn't play guitar as well as my Grandpa, but I always enjoyed his playing.  As a little girl I would dance to it.  When I moved out, that was the sound of home that I missed the most.

My Dad was very quiet in the house; he rarely said many words unless he was on the phone.  He loved to get out and be with his friends and at church.  He loved to joke and laugh.  He was really good at horseshoes and dug a pit in our front yard.  My Dad loved to work with wood and generally he was very handy.  I think his official job title was general mechanical expert or carpenter, something like that.  He could do plumbing, electrical, air conditioning, automotive, remodeling, tiling, etc.  You could call him a Jack-of-all-trades and all of his various trades he performed well.

My Dad was thirty when I was born.  As a kid, I remember that he would cart me around with him after school wherever he needed to go and I didn't mind, because I was with him.  I remember that he would let me hand him tools, nails and screws as he worked with his hands.  When I got bigger, he let me use the hammer and paint the new drywall in the basement.  He built several pieces of furniture for me and always gave me big gifts for my birthday and Christmas.

The Lord caused my Dad to repent at an older age.  Growing up I knew that my Dad wasn't a Christian but when we moved to Manassas he met the preacher at the church Mom and I were currently members of; God used him to draw my Dad to Christ.  There were changes in his behavior and speech.  He completely stopped drinking beer, although he was never an alcoholic, and he started serving  . . . a lot!  He served in our house by cooking dinner, cleaning, doing laundry, walking the dog - things that he didn't normally do before becoming a believer.  He served in the church by ministering to the senior citizens and doing all kinds of various building projects on the grounds.  There is not a room in the church or our house where Dad didn't do something!  It was a joy to see the fruit of the Spirit evidenced in his life as a Christian.  It brings comfort.

I love my Dad and I miss him a lot.  He died two years ago this past May just a few months shy of his 57th birthday.  He was a patient man, the true definition of bearing all things.  Honestly, one of my biggest regrets is how unappreciative I was of him while he was alive and I always wonder if we would have a better relationship now if he were still here.  It was about 6 months before he died that God convicted me and caused me to realize (through the Bible as applied through the book For Women Only) the level of disrespect I was showing him, i.e. that I was a contentious young woman.  God is sovereign and I am glad that he caused me to see how destructive my words and attitudes were/are.  I wish I could go back because he was a better man than I gave him credit for, still a sinner, but better than I believed back then.

What The Gospel Is Not

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is not simply behavior modification.  God is primarily interested in the condition of our hearts, not simply our outward habitual practices.

It is true that a changed heart is evidenced by a changed life, i.e. the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25, Romans 6, etc.).  But what is the event that is causing this change, something God did or people did?

Changing our outward behavior of our own effort will not justify us before a holy and righteous God when the Day of Judgment comes.  It is only through faith, trust and hope in Christ alone, His work of redemption and resurrection, that secure the way to eternal life.  And this is all a work of God's grace alone which He does within His elect, His beloved Church.

The motives of the heart change dramatically and are now driven by a desire to please God and remain aligned according to His will, glorifying His name.  Behavior modification is just exchanging one idol (drugs, gangs, self autonomy) for another (hobby, AA, family & children).  The Bible calls us to worship God alone.  Jesus Christ came to redeem those who He has chosen; to free them from the power and slavery to sin and give them eternal life.  

Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

John 17:3

An Unexpected Confrontation

Today Jeramy and I decided to take a walk around our neighborhood and get some exercise.  As we were heading up the hill from our townhouse a black man with a book in his hand, determined to speak with us, began admiring our children.  Immediately he asked us if we were Bible readers.  After naming specific books, Proverbs, Psalms, Romans and Ephesians, he continued to speak with us regarding spiritual things.  

My first immediate inclination in response to how quickly he began to speak of divine things cautioned me to think that he was either a Jehovah's Witness or a Mormon.  After offering us an extra-biblical book, Jeramy asked by whom it was published and my suspicions were confirmed - Jehovah's (FALSE) Witness.

Perhaps you've been stopped by them before, even at your doorstep.  My Dad was an object of such proselytization before he came to the Creator and Redeemer, who is God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, as revealed in Scripture.  The only infinitely valuable being able to endure infinite wrath against a Holy God as He became sin on our behalf.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

John 1:1-3

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

George Santayana

This heresy is just the Arian heresy (300AD) recycled in 1872 by Charles Russell.  The Church addressed Arianism back in the 300's but when it later revived, where was the church leadership at that time to refute it and herald a Sovereign Savior, Lord and God, Jesus Christ?  This sect of false religions have totally taken certain Scriptures out of context and preached a bad news gospel.

They know their bad translated text very well and can 

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

1 Peter 3:15

In fact, I believe this man might have been a preacher of such heresy.  But these individuals won't go back to the original Greek and Hebrew.  They don't spend time learning those languages to understand that their "scriptures" are full of calculated heretical support for the propagation of this false teaching and as a result make it very difficult to be dissuaded by actual Truth, who is the Great I AM, Jesus Christ.

The eye is the lamp of the body;  so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Matthew 6:22-23

Do you ever feel like living and preaching the Gospel is an uphill battle?  I think that it's more difficult to correct someone's false doctrines than to preach to those who've never heard.

Praise God that it is HIS grace that saves individuals and not our efforts to work with Him, but only our obedience to His glory, which He affects anyway, again, all to His glory!

Comforts

Giver of all good,

Streams upon streams of love overflow my path.

Thou hast made me out of nothing,

hast recalled me from a far country,

hast translated me from ignorance to knowledge,

from darkness to light,

from death to life,

from misery to peace,

from folly to wisdom,

from error to truth,

from sin to victory.

Thanks be to thee for my high and holy calling.

I bless thee for ministering angels,

for the comfort of thy Word,

for the ordinances of thy church,

for the teaching of thy Spirit,

for thy holy sacraments,

for the communion of saints,

for Christian fellowship,

for the recorded annals of holy lives,

for examples sweet to allure,

for beacons sad to deter.

Thy will is in all thy provisions

to enable me to grow in grace,

and to be meet for thy eternal presence.

My heaven-born faith gives promise of eternal sight,

my new birth a pledge of never-ending life.

I draw near to thee, knowing thou wilt draw near

to me.

I ask of thee, believing thou hast already given.

I entrust myself to thee, for thou hast redeemed me.

I bless and adore thee, the eternal God,

for the comfort of these thoughts, 

the joy of these hopes.

[Hallelujah!  Amen.]

(The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Ed. Arthur Bennett.  Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1975.  pp 300-301.)

For Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers and grandmothers!

What makes a mother?  

Not the ability to conceive, for there are mothers who are not able to conceive.  

What makes a mother?

Not the choice she makes to keep the child, kill the child or give him up for adoption.  Because even those who deny the fruit of their womb, in God's eyes, are still parents.

What makes a mother?

Not the ability to endure the pains of labor, for there are many who do not.

What makes a mother?

Not the ability to breastfeed, for there are some who cannot.

What makes a mother?

A woman with:

The willingness to put someone else's needs ahead of her wants.

The realization that someone else's life is just as important as her own.

The vision to see the potential and innocence of babies, though still affected by the Fall.

The courage to take responsibility.

The strength to physically care for another person.

The grace of God to do all these things well.

The dependence on God to rely on His promises out of His goodness.

The wisdom to train a child up to fear, love and worship God in Jesus Christ.

The God-given ability to nurture, as at woman's creation.

The perseverance to supply the rod of discipline at the appropriate time and severity as warranted.

The spiritual insight to know that through woman God gives the gift of physical life and that by the Holy Spirit God gives the gift of spiritual life.

And the humility to know that all this revelation comes through Christ by the kindness of God.

Enjoy these comedy clips on natural child birth.

Bill Cosby: Himself

Natural Child Birth, part 1

Natural Child Birth, part 2

The Power of Words

Lately I have considered the power of our words.  My first thought of all, was how Christ is the Word.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

John 1:1-3

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  For of His fullness we have all received and grace upon grace.  For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

John 1:14,16-18

The Word is eternal, self-sufficient, uncreated, powerful and authoritative.  The Word is the Creator; the Word gives life and Light.  The Word, which was spirit initially, has taken a physical form, dwelling among a fallen humanity originally created in the image of God as the peak of His glorious creation.  The original glory of humanity was forfeited in the Fall, but Christ exhibits an even greater glory than has ever been seen - the glory of God Himself.  The Word is also described as being full of grace and truth.  This grace is without measure, for just as God is eternal and infinite in His fullness, so is His grace.  The power of God's grace in the Word, who is Christ, is powerful enough to effect a change in sinful individuals who, as a result, repent and receive salvation.  God's power as the Word, Christ, is limitless.

My second thought was the Scripture as the Word, breathed out by the Spirit of God.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless.  He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.  

2 Samuel 22:31 NIV

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Ephesians 6:17 NIV

What are words but breath exhaled over the vocal chords, shaped and formed into consonants and vowels with the aid of the mouth.  If the spoken Word at Creation, "And God said . . .", was powerful enough to create everything from nothing, then it is effective enough for all of our living, physical and spiritual.  And what is the Word of God, but that which He spoke and is, of His grace, recorded accurately for our benefit and accountability.  

He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 8:3 NASB

Scripture also calls the Gospel, or God's commands, the Word of God and the word of truth.

 

But [Jesus] answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Luke 8:21

The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

Acts 6:7

So, it stands to reason, therefore, that since the Word of God is so powerful as to create everything into existence, to give life and rescue those who are spiritual dead by effecting a salvation by grace through faith - that words incite action.  Our words have impact on those who hear.

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Ephesians 4:29

I confess that oftentimes I speak without regards to the person listening.  Sometimes the words I say, or the words others say, do not impart grace, but on the contrary suck the joy out of someone else's heart.  When believers speak, we must be conscious of those who are listening and guard our tongues.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.

James 1:26

The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; 

The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Proverbs 13:3

But I tell you that men will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

Matthew 12:36

Whoa, that's convicting!  Sometimes the words we say can create a joy vacuum, or can convey critical or judgmental thoughts.  There have been many nights in my short life, where I have lost sleep over the words that have been spoken to me by believers and non-believers alike!  The power of our words can hurt, heal, encourage, edify, teach, rebuke, correct, discipline, nag, complain, reveal anxiety, reveal evil and malicious intents, and even tear down our homes without the use of our hands!  (Prov. 14:1)

For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.

Matthew 12:34b

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

How easy it is for a woman to let her feelings, emotions and thoughts create a flood of words, of which we may or may not realize their potential effects on those who hear.  How often do we "vent" or "collect" our thoughts verbally, audibly, with little regard for the person listening, while they provide a ministry to us in their listening!  How much more relieved do we feel, as women, when we've unloaded all our thoughts onto some unsuspecting listener and call it fellowship?  

What we need is heart transformation, heart transplantation.  If our hearts are changed, if we see the glory and beauty of the holiness of God, repent in utter humility (I preach to myself also!), then grace will be given to us to take "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corin. 10:5)  Our hope, as we obey Christ, is that the abundance that will flow from our hearts over time and practice will be full of the same grace and truth as the Word who is Christ.   

The Mover

O Supreme Moving Cause,

May I always be subordinate to thee,

be dependent upon thee, 

be found in the path where thou dost walk,

and where thy Spirit moves,

take heed of estrangement from thee,

of becoming insensible to thy love.

Thou dost not move men like stones,

but dost endue them with life,

not to enable them to move without thee,

but in submission to thee, the first mover.

O Lord, I am astonished at the difference

between my receivings and my deservings,

between the state I am now in and my past

gracelessness,

between the heaven I am bound for and

the hell I merit.

Who made me to differ, but thee?

for I was no more ready to receive Christ 

than were others;

I could not have begun to love thee hadst thou not

first loved me,

or been willing unless thou hadst first made me so.

O that such a crown should fit the head of such

a sinner!

such high advancement be for an unfruitful

person!

such joys for so vile a rebel!

Infinite wisdom cast the design of salvation

into the mould of purchase and freedom;

Let wrath deserved be written on the door of hell,

But the free gift of grace on the gate of heaven.

I know that my sufferings are the result of my

sinning,

but in heaven both shall cease;

Grant me to attain this haven and be done

with sailing,

and may the gales of thy mercy blow me safely

into harbour.

Let thy love draw me nearer to thyself,

wean me from sin, mortify me to this world,

and make me ready for my departure hence.

Secure me by thy grace as I sail across this 

stormy sea.

[Amen!]

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

Sing the glory of His name;

Make His praise glorious.

Say to God, "How awesome are Your works!

Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.

All the earth will worship You,

And will sing praises to You;

They will sing praises to your name."

Psalm 66:2-4

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

John 1:1-3

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Sprit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Romans 8:6-8

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10

(The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Ed. Arthur Bennett.  Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1975.  pp 12-13.)

Grace in Trials

Father of mercies,

Hear me for Jesus' sake.

I am sinful even in my closest walk

with thee;

it is of thy mercy I died not long ago;

Thy grace has given me faith in the cross

by which thou hast reconciled thyself to me

and me to thee,

drawing me by thy great love,

reckoning me as innocent in Christ though

guilty in myself.

Giver of all graces,

I look to thee for strength to maintain them in me,

for it is hard to practise what I believe.

Strengthen me against temptations.

My heart is an unexhausted fountain of sin,

a river of corruption since childhood days,

flowing on in every pattern of behaviour;

Thou hast disarmed me of the means

in which I trusted,

and I have no strength but in thee.

Thou alone canst hold back my evil ways, 

but without thy grace to sustain me I fall.

Satan's darts quickly inflame me,

and the shield that should quench them

easily drops from my hand:

Empower me against his wiles and assaults.

Keep me sensible of my weakness,

and of my dependence upon thy strength.

Let every trial teach me more of thy peace,

more of thy love.

Thy Holy Spirit is given to increase thy graces,

and I cannot preserve or improve them

unless he works continually in me.

May he confirm my trust in thy promised help,

and let me walk humbly in dependence

upon thee,

for Jesus' sake.

[Amen!]

(The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Ed. Arthur Bennett.  Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1975.  pp 310-311.)

Why God Saves

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  

Ephesians 2:4-7

Today I was meditating on this passage and considering the Doctrines of Grace.  I have often thought that it would have been easier for God to omit the creation of Man considering the fact that Man is now fallen and completely and utterly a hostile enemy towards Him.  Why bother sending Christ?  All of Mankind is doomed to Hell - it is all we deserve for our rebellion against His commands.  His holy justice deems that there is no other option for fallen Mankind.  In hell, we would have no one to blame but ourselves.  We chose, out of our own free will, to sin against God and incur eternal wrath on our heads.  He could have left us hardened in sin and saved no one.  

But He chose to save some.  

God was not obligated to save anyone.  We have no claims on salvation.  God could have been perfectly obliged to condemn all to Hell.  All we justly deserve is eternal wrath and punishment poured out upon us for rebelling against a holy and righteous God.  Why would He save any?  Each of us has the same sinful condition.  Each of us deserve nothing but eternal torture of which we would never be able to bear or withstand.  The fires would perpetually become more intense as the heat of God's anger and justice is fully unleashed on our immortal souls for all eternity.  Just as God is infinite and we are finite, we would never know the limits of His anger against our sin.  We cannot begin to comprehend the depths of His hatred of it.

But God chose to save some.

Why?  What purpose did God have in choosing to save any?  I thought a lot on this: so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  God did it to show just how amazing, just how infinitely rich His saving grace really is.  God is incredibly kind!  The richness of God's grace is all the more surpassing, just as the "greatness of His power" at work in believers is surpassing!  How awesome!    We cannot begin to comprehend the height and the depth of His grace toward us who believe!

Amazing grace!  how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, 

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed!

Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come;

'Tis grace hath bro't me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.

When we've been there ten thousand years, 

Bright shining as the sun,

We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we first begun.

The New Birth

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."  

John 3:5-6

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Sprit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8:6-8

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of the flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were, by nature, children of wrath, even as the rest.  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . . . 

Ephesians 2:1-5

Have you ever watched a woman in childbirth?  I've not, but it must be a really awesome (and kind of gross) sight!  The infant is completely, helplessly being pushed out of the birth canal without contributing any effort to the woman's labor (though we might wish he would!).  Have you ever watched the Holy Spirit birth life into a person?  It is truly an awesome and exciting thing to watch!  Imagine . . . weeks, months and years praying, ministering, preaching to and living the gospel before a loved one who is completely opposed to the things of God suddenly show interest in reading God's Word, asking spiritual questions and awakened to the vanity of chasing after the wind to a desire to chase after Christ!!  

The Spirit is birthing one of our loved ones now and Jeramy and I continue to pray fervently for him that God would open His eyes to see the beauty of the holiness and righteousness of Christ and put off the world and pursue Christ, trusting in Him alone for salvation.  This spiritual birth comes as a work of the Holy Spirit in subjection to the will of God and not man.  No person can merely pray a prayer, walk an isle, sign a certificate or take a public bath (baptism) and receive spiritual life if the Holy Spirit has not breathed it into him/her.  There is no work a person can do in order to receive salvation in Christ.  Just as we are powerless over our physical birth, we cannot contribute anything to our spiritual birth.  Even our ability to believe is a gift of God's grace as a result of the new nature in Christ.  All the work of salvation - the new birth of regeneration, grace unto repentance, belief, justification, obedience, sanctification, perseverance, glorification - is ALL the work of God in those who walk according to the Spirit of Christ.  Realizing this makes watching the new birth all the more exciting!!!  And it makes our praise and worship of God all the more glorifying to Him!!!