The Greatness of Grace

The whole plan of the way of salvation is for this end: to glorify the free grace of God. God had it on His heart from all of eternity to glorify this attribute; and therefore it is, that the device of saving sinners by Christ was conceived. The greatness of divine grace appears very much in this: that God by Christ saves the greatest offenders. The greater the guilt of any sinner is the more glorious and wonderful is the grace manifested in his pardon:

"Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." (Romans 5:20)... The Redeemer is glorified, in that He proves sufficient to redeem those who are exceeding sinful in that His blood proves sufficient to wash away the greatest guilt, in that He is able to save to the uttermost, and in that He redeems even from the greatest misery.

From "Great Guilt No Obstacle to the Pardon of the Returning Sinner" in the The Works of Johnathan Edwards, Vol. 2, reprinted by the Banner of Truth Trust.

Jonah Did the Unexpected (Part 2 of 4)

  
GM17-148

Series: Jonah: The Gospel of Grace

Title: Jonah Did the Unexpected (Part 2 of 4)

Date:

Text: Jonah 1:4-6

Main Idea: Jehovah in response to the disobedience of Jonah sent a storm against the ship that was so severe it frightened the crew members.

Purpose:     To inform my people that disobedience brings the chastening hand of God upon those who willfully sin against God.

There is Only One Gospel!

‘Mr. Whitefield told me he and I preached two different gospels'’(his meaning was that he preached particular and I universal redemption); ‘and therefore he would not join with me, but publicly preach against me’

From the Works of John Wesley (Letters from 1751)

Sunday Sermon Back Next Week

The Sunday Sermon in Jonah is in process and will be posted next Sunday, Lord willing on the 26th of March. Please forgive the delay.

Support for Prosecution of Thugs & Criminals

This is in response to those who oppose the prosecution of rioters. 

Here is what you have to understand - it is not the free right of peaceful assembly that we object to; it is the wholesale criminalistic and immoral behavior of thugs who riot, disturb (destroy) the peace, damage and destroy property that is not their own, disrupt commerce, and injure, maim, or kill other people that needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Protest all you want peacefully without injury or destroying property and I support you. But if you burn, loot, break, destroy, interrupt the flow of traffic, and etc. you are nothing more than a thug and criminal. 

This is what we law abiding, tax-paying, hard working families are fed up with. The hard working merchants are not responsible for laws, policies, and/or social activities that you do not like. They only pass your destruction on to hard working singles and families to cover the cost of your infantile tantrum. But truly, more so than merely or simply being infantile your behavior is criminal and needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

I spent 6 years in the USMC to ensure you have the right to peaceful assembly, but I did not serve one day for thugs to disrupt and destroy property or lives. Your constitutional freedom does not allow for, permit, or approve of the behavior that has been utilized in recent months.

And no, if you haven't or are unable to guess, I am not "politcally correct". I have no desire to be and see no reason to be. Political correctness is nothing short of governmental and societal approved, if not mandated bullying.

The Tell-tale Conscience

If your conscience is not troubled when you sin, that’s not because you have a superior understanding of grace. It's a sign you're probably not a partaker of grace at all.

-Phil Johnson

What Think Ye?

Jonah Did the Unexpected * Part 2

GM17-148

Series: Jonah: The Gospel of Grace

Title: Jonah Did the Unexpected (Part 2 of 4)

Date:

Text: Jonah 1:4-6

Main Idea: Jehovah in response to the disobedience of Jonah sent a storm against the ship that was so severe it frightened the crew members.

Purpose:     To inform my people that disobedience brings the chastening hand of God upon those who willfully sin against God.

The Night of the Lost Hour

Here it is again - this time of year,

the one Saturday night we fear.

No one minds an hour in the spring,

but to lose an hour is a different thing.

It seems such a silly thing to do,

I think it is crazy, how about you?

Wouldn't it be nice to be like Arizona?

The one in charge must be in a coma!

Tonight you will find me at my task,

and my disgust I will try to mask;

it won't be easy, I'll tell you why,

far too many clocks we did buy!

Living room, kitchen, they each have one,

the bath and bedrooms need to be done;

I'll turn the hands and reset the time

with an hour less to rise and shine!

Listen close and I will share a secret

I will tell you if you can keep it

I have done this now for many a year

please don't scoff at me or even jeer.

To ease the pain and get in tune,

I start to turn the clocks at noon,

so by the time I am ready for bed,

the change is already in my head!

So what ever your plan, don't forget,

or you might wake in a cold sweat;

but also remember to keep from harm

 change the batteries in your smoke alarm.

How Not To Worship

My devotion this morning centered on worshiping God. Worship is such a vital part of our spiritual life and spiritual health. As usual I asked the text several questions in order to effectively wrestle with the main idea of the text. This question kept coming to mind and so as I asked it, I began to jot down some thoughts. These thoughts are not clearly thought out but I am hoping they are helpful to you as you develop your worship of our wonderful God.

How Not to Worship

• by not showing up to worship God. Whether it is Sunday morning or Monday morning, our worship should be on-going and consistent. We don't relegate worship to Sunday morning. However, each day, at some point we need to "show up" and actively worship God.

• by singing without:

• thinking on what is being sung

• not meaning what you are singing

• attempting to derive personal benefit

• thinking on other things

• enjoying singing for the wrong reasons

• not focusing our mind and heart on God and His character

• not responding appropriately to what you are learning about God

• by "diagramming" or "calculating a worship experience. Worship is not for our benefit. It is for God's glory.

So, we must show up and worship with determination. Regardless of whether we are singing in our "closet" or corporate gathering, or praying, or etc., worship must come from the heart and be for the glory of God.

Our Will Remade

Losing the Battle of Discernment

Viewer (and reader) beware. "The Shack" does not present a biblical view of Christianity or the Gospel. In fact, it misses by a mile. As Mohler points out, "The Shack is a wake-up call for evangelical Christianity. . . . . The popularity of this book among evangelicals can only be explained by a lack of basic theological knowledge among us — a failure even to understand the Gospel of Christ. The tragedy that evangelicals have lost the art of biblical discernment must be traced to a disastrous loss of biblical knowledge. Discernment cannot survive without doctrine." (Scott Lee)

The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians believes that heresies and divisions would come to their fellowship, not only would they come but that they were ordained or predestined to come, (1 Corinthians 11:19) Why? His answer is most telling! They were predestined to come to the Corinthian fellowship in order to demonstrate what or who was right or correct. 

Heresies will come, they always have. Spiritually mature believers who exercise discernment are able to emphasize, focus, or showcase what is true. Sadly, with the demise of doctrine in our so called fundamental/evangelical churches today, the "art" of discernment has all but left the building. Itching ears have prevailed.

Where Is The Sunday Sermon?

For the time being I am not preaching every Sunday as I had been for the past three (3) years. As a result I am not under the "proverbial gun" to get the Sunday Sermon done.

I am working on the next passage in Jonah and will post it when I am finished. I have found that without the pressure of a weekly sermon I have slowed down my study and research. I have also allowed myself to get side-tracked with other projects.

I will get back on track. And I will, Lord willing, complete my study in Jonah. I will post the messages weekly. Please forgive this unplanned and undisciplined hiatus. 

I am in prayer and patiently waiting for our gracious Father to reveal to me or direct me to my next "assignment." Since we are in the Lord's Army, and engaged in spiritual warfare as soldiers, I am asking God to reveal my next "duty station" and to "cut" me a set of orders so that I can get to work once again. In the meantime I am reading books, doing research, working on projects, and as you have seen goofing off with Roz.

Please pray with me that God will quickly if He pleases reveal to me a new assignment! Thanks!

The Saga of the Walt Disney Company

I don't get Christians sometimes. For example, Paul told the Corinthians to not "fellowship" with or eat with people who were immoral. Unfortunately they got it wrong and had fellowship with an incestuous fornicator but seemingly avoided the lost who were fornicators (but in need of Christ.) Paul had to correct that and tell them that he meant do not fellowship with or eat with those who say they are Christians and practice immorality. He said he did not mean that they were to boycott the unbelievers - as a matter of fact he said they would have to leave the world itself in order to avoid unbelievers who practice immorality.

Here is the part I don't get, why call for the boycott of the Disney Company? I wonder if Disney even is aware of the current boycott by the left who believe that Disney is a racist company? Then you have those who are boycotting Disney because they hire foreign people.

First, don't get me wrong, I have no desire to go to a movie that depicts homosexuality, but the Disney Company is not a Christian company. And I don't think anyone else has to either if they choose not to. Therefore it is no surprise to me if they include immorality in their venues. (I didn't say I liked it or approve it.)

Second, they (Disney) are no different than Safeway, Winco, Ford Motor Company, Sears, etc. who also are not Christian companies who promote immoral behavior. Again, you would have to leave this world in order to avoid individuals or companies that promote some form of immorality.

Third, I think truly spiritual and discerning believers can avoid movies by choice without calling for a national boycott of the offending company. Listen, we can vote with our seats and our dollars.

If we do not attend because of biblical discernment a place of business and we are not investing our cash, these businesses will feel the pinch. I just don't get the calls for national boycotts.

Here is an idea; let's share the gospel with as many people in the organization that we can. Let's emulate Christ. Let's point out the sin and need for Christ.

Non-Productive Friday!

This is all I seem to be able to do this Friday. Roz does not want me to work, she wants to play! So, if I don't get much done today, please don't hold it against me. 

"And I said, 'The cat whom You gave to be with me, she caused me to play, and I goofed off.'"

Six Facts Revealed in the Gospel Part 6

6.  Every sinner who trusts the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross has been chosen, redeemed, and called, and will forever be saved.


"So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.'"  [Acts 16:31, NKJV]

[It is implied here and substantiated in other Scriptures that the household must also believe. No where in the Scriptures does it say that anyone is saved by the profession or confession of another.]

"that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." [Romans 10:9, NKJV]

"For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." [Romans 10:13, NKJV]

"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." [1 Corinthians 1:21, NKJV]

These six facts cannot be denied by any logic or debate. They give great warning and great comfort. They are only embraced by those who are called by God through the irresistible ministry of His Holy Spirit.

Therefore, recognize, own, and admit that you are a sinner under the condemnation of God, not by action, but by mere conception and live birth, repent of that sin which has offended God, and plead for mercy by calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save you by His perfect sacrifice and the shedding of His blood, and believe that God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and declared Him to be the Son of God with power, and seated Him at His right hand, and the Scripture says you will be saved. There is no other name or mediator, or method in this universe that will ensure eternal salvation. Do not delay!

Six Facts Revealed in the Gospel Part 5

5. No sinner will be punished whose sins have been atoned for and the justice of God satisfied by the blood of His unique Son.

"He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, [not all] for He shall bear their iniquities." [Isaiah 53:11, NKJV] (Parenthesis mine)

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." [Romans 6:23, NKJV]

Someone once said, "The law has no claim on an executed felon." One of my favorite lines from the movie, "The Green Mile" was when Arlen Bitterbuck had been executed, Paul Edgecomb said, "...he's square with the house again." Of course he was not. It seems in all probability Bitterbuck died in his sins, but the idea was that he payed for his crime and could not be charged and penalized for it again.

"Payment God cannot twice demand,

First at my bleeding Surety's hand,

And then again at mine." 

(Author unknown)

We, for whom Christ died as an atonement to God are square with the "house." Our sins are forgiven and we will never face the wrath of God ever!