Man's Real Character Revealed

If you're like me, you find that it easy to go though each day thinking, “I'm okay. I'm not really such a bad person." Like most people, my tendency is to think of myself in a good light and forget what I really am, a dirty, rotten, vile, sinner, saved, justified and forgiven totally by the grace of God. Even though I’m a Christian, my human nature tends toward two wrong lines of thinking. Either I think of myself (excluding God) as something better than I really am, forgetting where I came from (dirty, rotten, sinner). Or, I remember that I’m a terrible sinner, dwelling on my horribleness, and I forget that what Christ did on the cross has removed the mark against me. I forget that God no longer sees me as His enemy but as His child, justified, forgiven and loved.

Jerry Bridges in his book "Respectable Sins" says that the only cure for this is to "preach the gospel to myself every day." because the gospel, is the only remedy for our sins. • It plows the ground of our hearts so we can see our sin and acknowledge it. • After confessing our sin, the gospel frees us up so that we can then begin to deal with the particular manifestations of sin we have first openly acknowledged. It does this by assuring us that we are forgiven, that God no longer holds our sin against us, He has already charged it to Christ. • Finally it motivates and energizes us to deal with our sin, "put it to death." "...this continuous day-by-day appropriation of the gospel, as it assures us of the forgiveness of our sins, is an important part of our dealing with sin in our lives."

I was reminded again of this when I read this morning’s Grace Gems entitled, “Deicide” from Arthur Pink's "Beholding the Crucified Christ" Here are a few excerpts:

Multitudes go through the form of paying homage to God--but it is a "god" of their own imagination. They hate the true and living God, and were it possible--they would rid the universe of His existence! This is clear from their treatment of Christ, for He was none other than "God manifest in flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). They hated and hounded Him to death--and nothing short of His cruel death by crucifixion would appease them!Here at Calvary the real character of man was revealed, and the desperate wickedness of his heart was laid bare. There it was shown, that man was capable of the blackest of all crimes! … In the treatment which the Son of God received at the hands of men--we see sin in its true colors, stripped of a disguise, exposed in its hideous reality; revealed in its true nature as contempt of God, and rebellion against Him. Here at Calvary we behold the climax of sin--and the fearful and horrible lengths to which sin is capable of going! That sin which germinated in Eden--culminated in the crucifixion! Here at Calvary, we see sin at it's apex--Deicide--in the slaying of the Lord of Glory!

Grace Gems
Friday, March 13, 2009

John Piper - God Promises Christians Pain and Trouble

I've wanted to start a series of articles on suffering and God's purposes in it. I've decided to begin with some excellent videos. This first video is by John Piper, Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In this video, John shares with us God's promise and at least one aspect of His purpose for suffering, pain and trouble.

Thoughts On Time

With this last weekend's time change, my focus has been on time. Last Tuesday I ran across a convicting little gem of an article that I posted on my Facebook page. I timely reminder that I need to jealously guard my time and use it wisely.


Pilfering of Another's Time by Hannah More

"Redeeming the time." Ephesians 5:16

Christians should especially be on their guard against a spirit of idleness, and a slovenly habitual wasting of time. We must guard against a habitual frivolousness at home; and an abundance of unprofitable small-talk, idle reading, inane drowsiness, and a quiet and dull frittering away of time.We must seriously consider--what a large portion of life we have unwisely squandered; what days and nights we have wasted, if not sinfully--yet selfishly; if not loaded with evil--yet destitute of good. In the day of judgment, the thin disguise which our treacherous heart now casts over vanity and sloth, will then be torn off.We are guilty of the strange inconsistency of being most wasteful of what we best love--and of throwing away what we most fear to lose--that TIME of which life is made up. It is not so much a lack of time--as a wasting of our time--which prevents life from answering all the ends for which God has given it to us.Few things make us so useful of the world, as the prudent use of our precious time. We should not only be careful not to waste our own time--but that others do not rob us of it! The "stealing of our purse" is a serious wrong to us. But the "stealing of our time" should grieve us even more! Pilfering of another's time is a felony for which no restitution can be made--for time is not only invaluable, but irrecoverable!Every particle of time is valuable. No day can be insignificant--when every day is to be accounted for. Each one possesses weight and importance. What a scene will open upon us, when, from our eternal state--we shall look back on the use we have made of time--when we shall take a clear retrospect of all we have done, and all we ought to have done!"Almighty God, I adore Your infinite patience, which has not cut me off in the midst of my follies. Let me no longer abuse that precious treasure, time. Let me bid adieu to all those vain amusements, those trifling entertainments and sinful diversions--which have robbed me of many valuable hours. Let me no longer waste my time in ease and pleasure, in unprofitable studies and conversation; but grant, that by moderation and temperance in my enjoyments, I may be able to give a good account of it in the day of judgment, and be accepted in and through the merits of Jesus Christ, my only mediator and advocate. Amen."

Grace Gems (choice ELECTRONIC books, sermons & quotes)
Tuesday, March 03, 2009