As is often the case, my writings stem largely from what God is showing me from scripture, and at times events that happen in my own life.  There is a desire in all of us to be liked and accepted by those around us.  That desire, while not bad in and of itself, is increasingly at odds with a culture that wants to chip away at Biblical authority, doctrine, and ultimately God Himself.

So it happened, that I found myself having a conversation with someone I know about homosexuality, and the Biblical/Christian view.  It’s not the first time I’ve had this conversation, and I know it won’t be my last.  I start usually by apologizing for the church’s poor performance in dealing with all sexual sin, but especially homosexuality in the past.  My personal view is that the church was too harsh in the past, however, now (in part to cultural changes) it has seemingly swung the pendulum to the other side seeking to justify actions that the Bible clearly lists out as sinful and not in line with God’s design.  Second, I am quick to humble myself and say that I’m no better than anyone else, we are all sinners, and we are all in need of the grace of God.  I want to empathize as one sinner to another, how difficult it can be to wrestle with sin.  I want to put this issue in context with an eternal view, pointing back to Jesus – we are not married in Heaven, we will not have romantic relationships, but we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.  Most important, I want to get to the gospel, to remind others, that while we may not understand how or why God does everything, we know He loves us, and He demonstrated his love for us in dying in our place on the cross for our sin.  Because Jesus atoned for our sins, we are not in bondage to them, and we have an eternal hope in Him.  In short, life is not about sex, it’s not about personal relationships in this life (ultimately), it’s about our relationship with Jesus.  Compared to everything else, that’s the only thing that matters.

Sometimes the above answer is good enough, often it is not.  Usually it turns to an emotional argument about how they don’t believe God would give someone emotions they can’t act upon / He created us for relationships, so why would God be against a “loving relationship” between two people of the same gender.  Some have educated themselves enough to have read some recent commentaries by some on the underlying Greek word used in 1 Corinthians 6:9, and 1 Timothy to say that the word doesn’t necessarily have to mean homosexual relationships.  (Mind you, this ignores Romans 1, Matthew 19, and all of the Old Testament verses on homosexuality/marriage)  So I will listen, and with as much patience and kindness as I can ask a few questions.

1.  If the Bible does say that the practice of homosexuality is sinful, what would you do?
2.  Are you more concerned with offending a person/being rejected by culture, or offending God/being rejected by Him?

With those two questions, every time I will uncover a larger issue in the heart of the person.

With the first question, the answer always comes in the form of – I wouldn’t believe in a God who would do that, or I would only believe it if Jesus said it, not Paul or another “author” of the New Testament.

With the second question, we come to heart of the matter.  Where does your allegiance lie?  Does it lie with God or with the world?  The world hates God, rejects His authority, and is at war with Him in all things.  God tells us in James 4:4 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

People change, culture changes, churches can change, but God’s word does not change.  Isaiah 40:8 – “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”  In short, it is not my job to convince someone else of what God’s Word clearly teaches, it is their job to decide whether they want to submit to God or not.  That is each of our choice, and we must make it daily.

My encouragement today, whatever your struggles with sin is, each day is a new day in the Lord.  Your past does not determine your future, and God will meet you where you are.  The walk home to God is not always and easy one, but there is no better place to be than in the will of your Creator.  You are loved, wherever you are, by Him.  Let us not be people who conform to the world, but let us be people to are transformed by the renewing of our mind from God’s Word, continually entrusting ourselves to Him.  Let our steps not be full of half-measures or obedience when it easy, but let people look at the hard obedience of our lives as evidence of the exceeding worth of Jesus and our hope in Him.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

Luke 18:9-14 – “He (Jesus) also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:  “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

My encouragement today, is in how we should walk in a daily relationship to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  As Christians, we have a heightened awareness of our sin with the Holy Spirit to convict us.  Although we begin our walk of faith, with a confession, a declaration that Christ alone can atone for sins, and He has done so through His death, burial, and resurrection, we are tempted thereafter to pursue peace by doing good rather than bad.  It is right to hate sin.  It is right to pursue good, to push back the darkness in our world by being light.  We must be careful with our hearts though.  We must never allow ourselves to despair in our sin, nor find peace in our perceived righteousness.

Our God did not look at you and decide that you were more righteous than others and therefore He saved you.  No, the Bible is clear in Romans 3:11-12 – “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  Rather, it was only the mercy of God that saved you.  Romans 9:15-16 – “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”

Our God is merciful.  Abounding in steadfast love.  A love that is greater than all your sin.  A love that is greater than the pride that accompanies self-righteousness.  My exhortation is to rest your heart in the finished work of Jesus.  Plead his mercy on your life, and trust that He eagerly seeks to give it.  Do not be afraid to be weak before God, that is the only way any of us can receive Him daily.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – “he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

As you trust alone in the mercy of God, know that He has a plan for you right where you are.  Walk one step at a time, and know that God is with you the entire way.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

John 16:33 – “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

My hope is that today’s word will be an encouragement to those of you who are going through a particularly difficult season, whether a struggle related to your own sin, a struggle related to the sin of others, or a struggle related to the sin of the fallen world in which we live.  We make war against our own sin and unbelief, so that we can know and enjoy the peace of God towards us in Christ.

Jesus did not talk about trouble as if it were something that might happen, he spoke of it as something that would happen.  So the first thing I want to encourage you with is that whatever you are working through now is not a surprise to God, and He will walk with you through it.  He loves you.  You are and adopted son or daughter of the King, and nothing can separate you from His love.

Ten million years from now, whatever sufferings we endure now will not compare to the glory of God which we enjoying forever, and that is our identity, our inheritance forever.

Romans 8:35-38 – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written,

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What does it mean that we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us?”  Sin and your past identity was conquered in the death of Jesus on the cross.  But that is not the end.  The very sin, the struggles that have been conquered now serve to remind us of the love of God towards us, that things are not as they ought to be, and in love God came to put an end to sin and suffering, redeeming us in His blood.  Even more, we are not merely saved from sin and suffering, we are saved to Christ.  We are his Holy possession, guarded by the Holy Spirit, His bride, and the wedding is coming.

Colossians 3:3-4 – “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”  

Stay encouraged, God is always with you, and for you.

1 Peter 1:3-7 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

My exhortation is this – do not believe the lies of the enemy that you are defined by your sin or circumstances – God has told you what you are through Jesus.  You are so much more, and God loves you more than you can fathom.  Keep looking to Christ daily, and entrusting yourself and your situation to Him, knowing He cares for you.  Make war on sin and the urge to despair amidst hard times, and grab hold of the peace of God for you in Christ.

 

I hope this finds each of you well!  I was asked recently (yesterday as a matter of fact) what I felt like God’s calling on my life was.  In truth, I do not have an exact answer.  I feel like God calls each of us to different things at different times, in different seasons.

My hope is that in whatever season God has you, that He is bringing you means of regular refreshment in your faith, giving peace to your souls; that in every circumstance, we can find joy in the God of our salvation, Jesus.

In the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews, we are presented with a long list of persons, “heroes of the faith”, that were no different than you or I, yet are examples of faith in action within a fallen, sinful world.  With that as a foundation, we are meant to be encouraged in the gospel in Hebrews 12:1-4 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

There are three observations, that I want us all to see as Christians (knowing that the book of Hebrews was written to Christians).

1. We are not alone in our fight against sin, and it is expected that each of us as Christians has sin in our life.  There is not an expectation of perfection of you and it is silly, unhelpful, and wrong to put that weight on yourself – that is not your weight to bear, Christ has already born the wrath of God for all your sin.  No, it is expected that we have sin, but as adopted sons and daughters of God, in faith, we are believing the gospel, that our sin was judged in Christ, and we are righteous in Him.  Therefore, we are battling against the sin in and around us, seeking to manifest this gospel truth outwardly.
2. This battle is not something that is won in a day and we should not have expectations that it will be.  Instead we should prepare ourselves like a marathon runner, to be running this race and battling sin for the rest of our lives.
3. The source of our endurance is joy.  This joy is not ultimately rooted in this world, but in gospel, our assured hope of eternity in perfect peace, perfect love, free from even the presence of sin, in the next with Jesus.

My encouragement here for us all is to take a moment, stop, and consider who you are in Christ, by faith in the gospel.  By your ongoing faith that Jesus died the death you deserved for your sins, and that as Jesus was risen from the grave, you too will rise one day in glory to spend eternity with God.  What is the end of the hope of the gospel? How should our heart feel when we consider this?  Words cease where God begins.  Our minds stop now, limited by sin, where we cannot fathom the joy that awaits us there.  No more sin.  No more suffering.  Nothing but unceasing, limitless joy, in perfect relationship with our Creator and Lord, and each other.  My encouragement is to just let your soul simmer there in the gospel as long as needed, joined to Christ, until joy rises up; joy enough to power the endurance of your faith each day.  God is eager to meet you there, and that joy is secure, a joy that can never be taken away from you, regardless of what today or this life brings.

Colossians 3:2-4 – “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

 

The more I see of God, the less I think of myself.  To see God, to know Him is to see His greatness, and in the light of His glory, to see how desperately inadequate we all are.  This is good and a right response with coming into the presence of God, yet admittedly it flies in the face of our culture’s desire to glorify self, build up self-confidence, and celebrate independence.

Even within the church, we are confronted at times with messages about how God is a means to a better life.  This is true, but it ignores man’s most pressing issue, which is our complete inability to do anything good, especially not in any lasting way.  Man does not need a helping hand.  We do not need mere guidance and leadership on how to live a better life.  Consider the description of man by God in Genesis 6:5 – “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  When you read that, do you think that is describing someone else?  Even worse, do you read that and think of others and want to sit in judgment of them as if you’re better?  Genesis 6:5 describes all of us.  Romans 3:10-12 tells us again – ““None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good,     not even one.”

1 Corinthians 10: 12-14 – “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.  Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” 

When someone comes to Christ, he sees his sin, his utter helplessness before God as a sinner deserving judgment, and rejoices in the love of God through Christ to have redeemed those persons who put their faith in Christ and His atoning sacrifice for their sin.  Brothers and Sisters, my exhortation is that we never move from that place.  Every day, let your heart see your sin, yet rejoice in the love and grace of God in Christ Jesus.  Whether you have wandered far from God, or you have been running well with Him, He is near to each of us – look to Christ, and let the grace of God be sufficient for you in all things.  Whatever troubles we have in this life, are temporary, but our hope and joy in Christ is eternal.  With a right humility and meekness before God, look to Christ, cling to Christ, and hold on to the joy of your salvation each day.

In him (Christ), the relation of our nature unto God is eternally secured – John Owen

In one sentence, there is peace for all Christians who believe and hope in Jesus Christ for salvation.  You sin is not a matter of your doing, but of your being.

You were created in the image of God, without sin, to be in perfect relationship with the source of all joy, love, and good – the living God.  That nature was defiled by sin, and now our nature is broken.  But God, being rich in mercy, looked on our pitiful state, and humbled himself to take on our flesh, took the punishment for our sin on the cross, and died in our place.  Upon death, Jesus fulfilled his task in faith,“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.”  Death could not hold him.  The wages of sin is death, but the sin has been atoned for by the perfect righteousness of Christ.  As Jesus was risen, all of us who are in Christ, will rise eternally to live with God.

Christian, if you are like me, you are tempted in good ways and bad to set your eyes on the things around you.  You are tempted to listen to the voice of our enemy that would accuse you because of your sin.  My exhortation today is not to tell you to read your Bible more, or pray more, or get around Christians for encouragement more – all of these are good things, but apart from seeing and savoring the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus, they can be as much a means to send a soul to hell as licentiousness.

Colossians 3 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

My exhortation is this – settle it in your heart our Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient to save, and trust in Him.  Trusting in Him, keep looking to Him, to search the depths of who God is, and who He is for you.  Pray that the Lord unites your heart to His, that He gives your weak eyes strength to see His glory in ever-increasing measure, that he opens your ears to Truth that will free you from bondage to sin that entangles, and give peace to your soul.

Day to day, we are not promised an easy life as a Christian.  In fact, God warns us that life will be harder as a Christian, but let the world know us by our love, peace, and joy – that when they ask us why we are happy in spite of trouble, we can joyfully speak of our King and Savior, Jesus.  He is a treasure beyond anything the world could ever offer, and it can never be taken away.

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” – C.S. Lewis

We are creatures driven by desire.  Often times people believe that Christianity or following Christ is an end to that, but that is the furthest thing from the truth.  What it is, is a realignment of our heart’s affections away from those things that would never ultimately satifsy us, to seek and find our heart’s fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Living God, who is our Treasure.  Our pursuit of joy in Christ amidst all of the temptations and distractions around us is ongoing, iterative, and a struggle, but the end is eternal joy, and the path is peace for our souls.

Matthew 13:44-46 – “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

The question is before each of us – are you willing to give up all that you have to gain Jesus?  What can the world offer that compares with Him?  The God who created all things, holds all things together, and is the very essence of love has made a way to reconcile you into perfect relationship with Him for eternity through Jesus.  What insanity is it that has us choose sin or our own flawed desires over that?  What benefit will it offer us 10 million years from now compared to Christ?  Lewis said it right in that we are too easily pleased.  My exhortation to myself and everyone else is to set your minds on Christ.  Purpose your heart to seek to know Christ more each day, and find in Him joy.  He will give peace and rest to your souls, and the joy you find will not end, but continue to build up into eternity.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

There is nothing in this world, no moment untouched by the hand of God.  We take our breath, our food, our life for granted, until it is taken away, and each can be taken away in an instant.  God does not owe us life.  He is our Creator, and as such he has the right to do with His Creation whatever he pleases.  This thought pierces the heart and mind of sinful man.  The natural man’s reaction to this is to bristle and fight against by whatever means possible.  This is because the root of our sinfulness is the pride of life, the pursuit of autonomy and in essence to be God rather than worship God.

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God as our Sovereign Creator.  We have two choices in life – we can reject God and deny His sovereign hand over our lives, or we can confront the Truth of God – That He is Our King, He is our Sovereign Lord and reckon with Him.

Jesus Christ came to save sinners.  So often though, I’ve found Chrstians seemingly spend so much time and effort trying to hold onto our pride and wallow in shame, instead of just agreeing with God?  We’re sinners, right now, today – praise God for His mercy and grace to us!  The Lord would have been just and right to leave us in our sin, judging our sin against our infinitely holy Creator with an equal measure of infinite justice in eternity.  “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

As much as I’m able by God’s work in and through me, I never want to be someone who talks about our relationship to God as behavior, or merely calls someone to change behavior.  Instead, I want to constantly lift up the Truth of God to be seen, understood and cherished.  Changed behavior is never the goal – it is the fruit of the goal, the goal being a heart changed by the Truth of Jesus and the gospel.  Jesus is our Lord, but for a time we have a struggle with sin and our flesh that does not want to submit to Him as such.  Each of us needs to be refreshed daily, with the Truth of God and His promises to pursue joy in Him, and to prepare ourselves for the internal and external battles of the day.  Romans 8:18 – “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us.”  

My exhortation and encouragement today for myself and all of us to to not neglect the refreshing of our mind in Christ from His Word.  God help me or any of us if this blog or anything else would ever be seen as sufficient for time with the Lord.  If this blog is anything other than supplemental to your time seeking God from His Word, please stop this and go read your Bible.  My words cannot change your heart, but God’s can – working through the Holy Spirit.  Ask God to meet you there in His Word, and He is faithful to do so.  As you seek Him, ask Him to help you submit to His will for your life, joyful in knowing that the God who asks things of you, knows all of your days, loves you enough to come and die for you, and has an eternity of joy planned for you.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

 

Matthew 5:3-9 – ”

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in giving the greatest sermon ever given, is laying out the heart of a Christian in need of forgiveness, and God’s response.  These days, you’ve got a lot of people calling themselves Christians who have no idea what that actually means.  We have a President who when asked if he’d ever asked God for forgiveness said “I am not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don’t think so,” he said. “I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don’t bring God into that picture. I don’t.”  Although this response is pretty far down the spectrum of what most professing Christians would say, nevertheless that spirit of self-righteousness is present in many.

The Lord again says in Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Again the Lord gives the parable of the tax collector and the pharisee in Luke 18:9-14

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:  “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

No one will be saved apart from believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the core, foundational belief of the gospel is that we need to be saved the just punishment of God for our sin.  How many among us feel the weight of that on a day to day basis?  Look back at the beatitudes above – do you mourn your own personal sin?  Are you meek before God and others, knowing that before God, you are a wretched sinner?  Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness?  When was the last time you fasted from food, to seek God?  Are you a merciful person?  Do you see that nothing anyone can ever do to you compares to the wrong you have committed against God in your sin?  Does seeing the infinite mercy of God towards you, produce in you the fruit of a merciful heart towards others who have wronged you?  I could continue, but I’ll stop there, because today’s message is about forgiveness.  Those things above build upon one another.

A merciful and forgiving heart is as much of an indicator of someone who is a new creation in Christ as is someone who can recite the gospel.  The lack of a merciful and forgiving heart is as much of an indicator of someone who is not a new creation in Christ as is someone who cannot recite the gospel.

Immediately after teaching the disciples to pray with the Lords prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus gives this warning in vs. 14-15 – “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Right now, a great many readers are tempted to consider themselves above this, as they have no doubt forgiven people in their past.  This means nothing.  Even a non-Christian can be moral and forgiving, especially to people he/she likes.  What about people you don’t like?  What if the wrong against you was significant?  Do you still have a heart that yearns to extend forgiveness to those people because you feel the weight of God’s great forgiveness to you through Jesus?

Let’s come up with perhaps the worst example people can think about – lets say you have a child, and someone rapes and murders your child.  I’m not trying to be shocking for its own sake, but in your flesh, there is no way you would ever forgive that person.  You would desire to murder that person and perhaps torture them prior to doing so.  That rage against that sin is just and righteous, and unless that person repents and trusts on Christ, the vengeance of the Lord for that sin in eternity will be greater than you can possibly imagine.  Nevertheless, we did the same to God’s Son, Jesus.  It was your sin, my sin, that betrayed Jesus and saw Him flogged, tortured, and nailed to a cross to endure the most painful death invented by man.  We were the ones mocking Him from the crowds.  We were the ones yelling to crucify Him, and taunting Him along the way.  Nevertheless in the midst of our sin, the Love of God extended mercy and forgiveness to us.  As he was crucified, the Lord Jesus interceded for us (Luke 23:19) – “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

This does not mean we allow ourselves or others to be abused, it means we have hearts that desire forgiveness and reconciliation and follow the steps outlined by our Lord in scripture in Matthew 18:15-18 when someone sins against us.  It also means that we seek peace and reconciliation with others, perhaps even when the world would say they don’t deserve it.

Matthew 18:21-35 – ”

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.  So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’  And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.  But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’  So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’  He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.  Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’  And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.  So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

No sin committed against us is worthy to be compared to our sin against Christ.  Apart from Christ, we perish in our sins, but in Christ, the love and forgiveness of God covers us.  My exhortation is to never seek to minimize your own sin, but to see it clearly and bring it to the cross of Jesus.  As Christians broken over our own sin daily, the Lord is cultivating in us hearts of mercy and forgiveness for others in a world that is desperately in need of it.  My own goal is to be so broken over my own sin, that I can agree with Paul in saying (1 Timothy 1:15) – “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”  yet also, (2 Cor 5:17) – “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  

Let the Lord challenge you in these teachings to grow your heart, but remain encouraged.  We all are pursuing greater measures of this in our hearts, and the Lord is with us in our pursuit of Him.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

The last message we talk through the sovereign gospel.  What it means for the gospel of God to be wholly the work of our Creator, established and purposed in Him from eternity past.  Today we answer the question of motivation.  Why would God ordain things as they are?  What is the driving force behind God to ordain all things, including the creation, the fall of man, and redemption through Jesus?  The answer is love.  God’s love is not flawed by selfish needs of personal affirmation or reciprocation, it is full in itself.  The love of God overflows from His nature into all things.

The last message we looked at how the gospel was God’s sovereign plan for all time, yet in the same passage, we are told where that plan comes from.  Ephesians 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

1 John 4:8-10 – “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.“

There are many parts of the mind and purposes of God which will remain a mystery to me.  I am a finite, fallen man, and He is infinite and holy.  Deuteronomy 29:29 – “The secret things belong to the Lord our God”  I don’t have a great answer for why God chooses to save some and not others.  I don’t have a great answer for why a bad person lives to be 90, and a good person gets cancer at 28 and dies, or another person loses a child.  I don’t have a great answer for why God allows people to be abused, or any of the evil in the world when it’s in His power to stop it in an instant.  Yet, I have perfect peace with God, because while I don’t know all the why’s to those questions, I do know the answer has been given in Christ.  God’s love towards us in Christ is greater than all my unanswered questions.  I don’t know all those things, but I know God is good and loving because of Jesus.  The love of God has been made manifest to us in Christ, that in Him we would be reconciled to God and find our peace.