Is it Sin or is it Sins? Are we doing it wrong?

[Have we been doing it wrong?]

From Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer

The Gospel is a Message About Sin. It tells us how we have fallen short of God's standard; how we have become guilty, filthy, and helpless in sin, and now stand under the wrath of God. It tells us that the reason we sin continually is that we are sinners by nature, and that nothing we do, or try to do, for ourselves can put us right or bring us back into God's favor....Thus it leads us to self-despair. And this is also a necessary step. Not until we have learned our need to get right with God, and our inability to do so by any effort of our own, can we come to know the Christ, who saves from sin.

There is a pitfall here. Everybody's life includes things which cause dissatisfaction and shame. Everyone has had a bad conscience about some things in the past, matters in which he has fallen short of the standard which he set for himself, or which was expected by others.

The danger is that in our evangelism we should content ourselves with evoking thoughts of these things and making people feel uncomfortable about them, and then depicting Christ as the One who saves us from these elements in ourselves, without even raising the question of our relationship with God.

But this is just the question that has to be raised when we talk about sin. For the very idea of sin in the Bible is of an offense against God, which disrupts man's relationship with God.

Unless we see our shortcomings in the light of the law and holiness of God, we do not see them as sin at all. For sin is not a social concept; it is a theological concept. Though sin is committed by man, and many sins are committed against society, sin cannot be defined in terms of either man or society. We never learn what sin really is until we have learned to think of it in terms of God, and to measure it, not by human standards, but by the yardstick of His total demand on our lives.

What we have to grasp then, is that the bad conscience of the natural man is not all the same thing as conviction of sin. It does not follow then, that a man is convicted of sin when he is distressed about his weaknesses and the wrong things he has done.

It is not conviction of sin just to feel miserable about yourself and your failures, or would it be saving faith if a man in that condition called on the Lord Jesus Christ just to soothe him, cheer him up and make him feel confident again.

Nor would we be preaching the gospel (though we might imagine we are) if all we did was to present Christ in terms of a human's felt-wants ("Are you happy? Are you satisfied? Do you want peace of mind? Do you feel you have failed? Are you fed up with yourself? Do you want a friend? Then come to Christ--He will meet your every need--as if the Lord Jesus Christ were to be thought of as a fairy godmother or a super-psychiatrist).

No; we have to go deeper than that. To preach sin means not to make capital out of people's felt frailties (the brain washer's trick), but to measure their lives by the holy law of God. To be convicted of sin means not just to feel that one is an all-around flop, but to realize that one has offended God, flouted His authority, defied Him, gone against Him, and put oneself in the wrong with Him.

To preach Christ means to set Him forth as the One who, through His cross, sets man right with God again. To put faith in Christ means relying on Him, and Him alone, to restore us to God's fellowship and favor.


[How do we know we are doing it right?]

Conviction of sin is essentially an awareness of a wrong relationship with God.

It is not just a wrong relationship with one's neighbor, or one's own conscience, but with one's Maker, the God in whose hand one's breath is and on whom one depends for existence every moment.

To be convicted of sin is to be aware of one's need of what Ezekiel called a "new heart" (Ezekiel 36:26) and of a "new birth" as Christ told Nicodemus in John 3:16.

J. I Packer goes on to say:

Perhaps the shortest way to determine if a person is convicted of sin or not, is to go to Psalm 51.

V. 1. Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

V. 2-3. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,And my sin is always before me.

V. 4. Against you, you only, have I sinned
And done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

V. 5. Surely I was sinful at birth,
Sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

V. 6. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
You teach me wisdom in
the inmost place.

V. 7. Cleanse me with hyssop,
and I will be clean.
Wash me, and I will be whiter that snow.

V. 8. Let me hear joy and gladness.
Let the bones you have crushed
rejoice.

V. 9. Hide your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquity.

V. 10. Create in me a pure heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
-- Psalm 51: 1-10


In this psalm David is confessing not only his specific sin (with Bathsheba and Uriah) in verses 1-4, but also the depravity of his nature in verses 5-6 and seeks cleansing from both in verses 7-10.

Probably the best way to find out if a person is convicted of his sin or not is to take him right to this psalm and see if his heart is speaking anything like the psalmist is in these words.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.
I John 1:9

My Funeral

Some years ago Art and I both made our funeral arrangements -- what they call "pre need" -- and they are paid for--"pre-paid pre-need."

Art actually has two paid for: one for a cremation and the other for a casket burial. Here's the deal about that: I don't approve of cremation, so if he goes first, I will bury him in casket in a grave. If I go first, people can follow his wishes for cremation, or do anything they want!

I originally wanted all the traditional service arrangements -- embalming, viewing, etc.

And I wanted the song, "What a Wonderful World," to be sung by a soloist.

I don't really like that song anymore. The first few verses are about God's beautiful nature and that part is great. But then he starts talking about people -- seeing friends shaking hands and saying 'How do you do?' -- they're really saying 'I love you!'

No, that's not what is happening a lot of times. Often people are saying, "Hurry and get out of my way," or "I don't really care how you are doing, I just want to appear polite and interested, which I am not, either of those, in fact."

And sometimes the people we are saying hello to are selling drugs to kids, or serial killers!

Some time ago I became cynical, I guess. I don't remember when it happened. Life has become like a 'pop-up' book and all the pop ups are unkind and evil. (Not always)

So I feel differently now. I just want a graveside service. Closed casket. Nothing more.

I want the officiant to read some scripture -- not about grass withering in the field -- but about the certainty of God's love.

And then I would like everyone to hold hands and repeat together the Apostles Creed:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,

Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy Christian church,
The communion of the saints,
The forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body
And the life everlasting.

Amen

The part about Jesus descending into hell bothers us sometimes. Some people say it was translated incorrectly when the Creed was translated into English -- that it should be "Hades," and that is what Bro. Mike was talking about a few weeks ago.

I heard Tony Evans today talking about Christ having the "keys to death and Hades" as recorded in Revelation 1:18. I've been thinking about that. In the Old Testament, in Job and other places, we see Satan running "to and fro" over the earth and even before God's heavenly Kingdom! And accusing Joshua the High Priest in Zechariah.

Then later in Revelation we read about an angel who has the key to the Abyss and the angel locks up Satan for 1000 years in that Abyss and then lets him out again for the last battle.

I don't know if that is to be taken literally or not. But it does lead us to speculate that when Jesus died He did descend into Hades and took the keys from Satan, because, Christ, at the cross, defeated Satan and death, and proclaimed victory!

But if you want to leave out the line about Christ descending into hell, it's OK with me.

It's an old creed -- some of the lines date back to 100 A.D. And it defines very clearly what I believe, and so that defines were clearly who I am (or was.)

I don't think there is anything else that needs to said at my graveside service.
Maybe a bagpiper playing Amazing Grace would be nice. But not necessary.

After all, I won't be there! And being safely with our God sure beats the alternative!

(US) Providence - Part #2 - Also A City in Rhode Island

Just a few years before the Westminster Catechism was written (in the 1640's, by English and Scottish Christian theologians) Roger Williams was over here, in colonial New England, having disputes with the leaders of Massachusetts Bay Colony.

He was politely asked to leave and go elsewhere to start his own colony, which he did. About 1636 he settled at Narragansett (Rhode Island). It was a beautiful area, and appeared to be very productive. He made a treaty with the Narragansett Indians and purchased the area, naming it God's Merciful Providence.

We call it Providence today.

Remember Squanto? Well he was from one of the local tribes and helped Roger Williams and the settlers who were flocking to the area. Roger Williams directed that this area have complete religious freedom. With Squanto's help, he compiled a partial dictionary of the Indians' languages. Today it is the only key to those historic local languages.

The Indians and the settlers in that area had a strong, friendly relationship. Later, when other settlers began moving in and the religious nature of the colony began to change, the friendly climate also changed.

Anyway, Roger Williams was acknowledging the 'merciful providence of God' when he named his settlement.

The Westminster Catechism was not the first such document. In the 1570's (about 70 years earlier) some German theologians wrote The Heidelberg Catechism. It used the same "Question and Answer" format as the Westminster (and Socrates), but was divided into 52 parts so that churches could use it every Sunday afternoon to teach the individual lessons.

The popular Westminster Catechism begins:

Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

(Bro Mike talked some about that last Sunday in his message on Heaven -- what a great day that was -- and what a great day that will be -- When we all get to heaven -- that will be the first day of the rest of our lives!)


The Heidelberg Catechism starts differently:

Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?

A. That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him

.

Later, in questions 27 and 28, the Heidelberg document talks about providence.

27. Q. What do you understand by the providence of God?

A. God's providence is His almighty and ever-present power, whereby as with His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things, come not by chance but by His fatherly hand.

28. Q. How does it benefit us to know that God has created all things and still upholds them by His providence?

A. We can be patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and with a view to the future we can have a firm confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature shall separate us from His love, for all creatures are so completely in His hand that without Him, they can not do as much as move.

All things come, not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.... That's the best news I've heard in a long time! Call Katie Curic! Call Dan Rather!

Isn't it beautiful the way God's title of "Father" and "Providence" are linked together?

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting
E'er to take, as from a father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting
Till I reach the promised land.

Day by day and with each passing moment
Strength I find to meet my trials here
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment
I've no cause for worry or for fear

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best....

Help me then, in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord
That I lose not faith's consolation
Offerd me within Thy holy Word.

DOXOLOGY......Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!

Providence --not just a city in Rhode Island

When we drive to church we take CR 521 from our home on the San Bernard River about 12 miles to Cedar Lane, where we take FM 457 into Bay City.

It is a lovely route, almost no traffic, just lots of beautiful cows, goats, sheep, birds, and deer, and sometimes roseate spoonbills. I love that ride. In the winter it is just beginning to dawn (And I think of Emily Dickinson's words --

I'll tell you how the sun rose,
A ribbon at a time
The steeples swam in amethyst,
The news like squirrels ran....)

Often the colors of the sunrise are like "ribbons" unfurling in the sky. And our "steeples" are tall trees....but it works anyway!

Last week I noticed all the hay bales dotting the meadows (fields?). It was a truly beautiful sight.

I didn't always think hay bales were beautiful.

Once we visited an art museum to see a special exhibit of Impressionists' Paintings. My favorite is Monet, and I was looking forward to seeing some of his original works -- his gardens at Giverceny, the pond with the bridge over it, the flowers -- all those almost unbearable vibrant colors -- the ethereal light that transforms his glimpses of nature into radiant images.

But when I got to the museum, I realized that at least half of Monet's paintings on display were of hay stacks and hay bales! Some of the visitors gasped in delight at the detail and perfection of the scenes, at the golden light that touched the hay at just the right angles...but not me!

I came to see the FLOWERS! The POND!

But now I am a different person and so I see the bounty of God's goodness whenever I see bales of hay! It is what our ancestors called providence.

It refers to the way God's perfectly formed creation itself is designed to provide for the needs of His creatures, with or without our help. So when I see the hay bales now I praise God for the way He provided for all of His creatures!


The hay bales are beautiful to me now. As I see the golden light transforming them into perfect symbols of His goodness I hear a voice in my head reminding me that we should be a more thankful people.


Come, ye thankful people, come
Raise the song of harvest home!
All is safely gathered in
Ere the winter storms begin

God, our Maker doth provide
For our wants to be supplied
Come to God's own temple come,
Raise the song of harvest home.

Our ancestors all understood providence.

In the Westminster Catechism, which we studied as children:

Question 11. What are God's works of providence?
Answer: God's works of providence are: His most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all His creatures and their actions.

The Scriptures we learned to support the answer were:

1. Psalm 145:17 - The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.
2. Psalm 104:24 - O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all; the earth is full of Thy riches.
3. Hebrews 1:3 - Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when he had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
4. Psalm 103:19 - The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all.

Matthew 10:29-30 - Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Job 38-41 (All of the verses of these chapters)

Maybe we should talk about God's providence more. It does clash, though, with today's popular world view that does not recognize God's sovereignty
(or most often God Himself) and His concern with His creatures.

Sometimes I get tired of it all -- all the humanistic proclamations about our society and where we are, or should be, going -- from people who have 'eyes but see not' and 'ears but hear not.'

When I get really tired of all the "garbage" being touted around me, I turn back to

Even so, Lord quickly come
Bring Thy final harvest home
Gather Thou Thy people in
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
In Thy presence to abide
Come, with all Thine angels,come,
Raise the glorious harvest home!

Therefore, comfort one another with these words!

US: I have to take a break

Founding Fathers.

I need to move on from this......I am getting obsessed. I do that sometimes -- just keep on wringing it out until either I am worn out or the material is. BUT
I always come back, because American history is so important to me.

So why am I so obsessed with the Founding Fathers, especially, right now, Thomas Jefferson?

Does it matter if our Founding Fathers were beginning this nation on Judeo-Christian philosophy? Does it in any way affect my own faith?

No, it doesn't affect my own worldview in any way. But it does affect my understanding of our nation's history--especially its beginning and its early years.

I can understand our nation's history so much better if I can view it as much as possible through their eyes, through their minds.

There are nations in the world today who are cruelly hostile to the message of Jesus Christ. And the church in some of those lands is growing fast. So having a government favorable to our faith is not a prerequisite for letting our light shine.

I guess what bothers me the most is why historians and teachers would lie about our history -- is it to promote their own agenda? Is it specifically to discredit our Christian faith and its influence on our leaders? Is it ultimately to destroy Christianity? Is it to internationalize our nation and lead us to involvement in a one-world government?

Remember John Lennon's song Imagine?

I think too many of our leaders today grew up on those words and have never yet really thought them out.

Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try.
No hell below us, above us only sky.
Imagine all the people living for today...

[is he nuts? if everyone lived only for today?]

Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion, too.
Imagine all the people living life in peace.

[a world where nothing was important enough to die for -- everything trivial -- and they would live in peace -- only if they are all stoned out of their heads!]

Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world

[oh yeah, like that's what will happen! People do not share! They hoard! Did he just sleep through history class? Did he ever look around at society?
Doesn't he understand that the purpose of government is to restrain the evil that men do to each other? Did he ever read Shakespeare? What kind of zombies did he live around?]

Here's the clincher:

You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one.

Looks like some of our leaders did join him...

We have been taught so many lies.

Thomas Jefferson was not a deist. He deplored deism. He criticized some Jews of his day because they were deists. He did not mean the Jews of the Old Testament -- he cherished the Jewish scriptures -- he meant the Jews he knew -- and most Jews then, as now, are atheists or agnostics as far as religion goes. They are ethnic Jews and proud of their heritage, but most have given up their faith. (There are groups of Jews of course who still read and study the Torah and worship God, but that is a minority).

Was he a Christian? I don't know. He claimed to be, often. All of that is between him and God.

Jefferson did not like John Calvin. He did not believe in the Trinity -- he considered that heresy. But in his later years he began calling Jesus "Our Savior."

It appears he considered God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as one God with just 3 forms, or faces. He did not think they had distinct personalities.

Did he cut up the pages of his Bible and remove all the miracles of Christ from the gospels? What he did was to take out all the words of Christ from the evangels (the gospels) and arrange them chronologically -- he said it was the words of Christ that were of supreme importance, not the miracles. I don't know whether he believed the miracles. It appears he did. But he felt the words were far more important and said on several occasions that if Christians went back to the words of Christ and taught them all over the world there would be peace and liberty for everyone. He said often that the words of Christ could change the whole world.

He wrote the words of Christ in the chronological order he favored in Greek, Latin, French and English. It was this small booklet that he read every night, his family said. They didn't know what was in the book until he died. He was generally very private about his faith.

Much of our information about him comes from his correspondence. It is estimated, based on his journals and existing letters, that he wrote and received at least 40,000 letters in his adult life. And remember these were all by hand, with pen and ink.

Often he says he wrote 10 to 11 letters a day. He answered every letter he received. (Remember, he invented a copying machine he called a polygraph -- it was strapped to his wrist and when he wrote a letter it would form one or two copies, using its "arm" and "pen.")

So why try to remove all of this from history?

I can't really think of any reason except this: Secular humanists are so frightened of the power of God and His Word and the reality of the gospel message and its influence on human culture that they have to try to destroy it -- is it the same lie as always -- the one that begins in Genesis 3 and ends in Revelation?

Those who look toward a one-world government are partially right: in the future there will be one nation/world under One Sovereign Lord and King -- but it doesn't happen at all like they "Imagine."

No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.

The nations of the earth will walk in its light, and the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory to it.

Its gates never close because there is no night. And all the nations will bring their honor and glory into the city.

Nothing evil will be allowed to enter--but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Revelation 21

And praise God that the grace of the Lord Jesus is with us all......