“God, be Merciful to Me a Sinner!”

Luke 18:11-13 - "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'”

Jesus, in telling this parable, tells us that the Pharisee stood praying “to himself”. Obviously, Jesus chose His words very carefully and with great purpose. Jesus gives us the meaning to this parable up front. The Pharisee was in the Temple of God and praying to himself, not God. It is his self-centeredness and spiritual deadness that causes him to offer up prayers to himself rather than to God. How sad this is, yet, how incredibly common it is as well. This Pharisee, and the vast majority of souls who have lived on this planet, created a god in their minds that is satisfying to them, but utterly useless to their eternal status. These self-edifying gods of their own creation are like heavy anchors tied around their necks as they stand at the end of the pier called ‘life’. The key word in this whole story about the self-righteous is “himself”; and his prayer illustrates this damning truth. Whereas the key word in the testimony of the tax collector is “sinner”; for he understood his unworthiness, his utter wickedness, and his desperate need of forgiveness. He understood, unlike the Pharisee, that the true God is holy, and that he was unholy – just as Isaiah did in the Temple. “I am a man of unclean lips”, is the same cry as, “be merciful to me, the sinner!” Notice he says, “the sinner”, and not “a sinner”? The Holy Spirit had so opened his eyes to his unworthiness that his focus was not on comparing his plight with anyone else, as the Pharisee had done, but he was singularly focused on his own grave situation before a holy God. And thus, “he who is humbled will be exulted.”

The Holy Spirit’s crushing ‘gift of awareness of sin’ is like a physician who re-breaks a bone in order for it to heal properly. If you are a child of God, thank the Holy Spirit every day for replacing spiritual death with spiritual life, and for opening your eyes to cry out, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!”

Abide in Him!

“If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)

“Whatever you wish.” What enticing words to our flesh. The fallen, fleshy mind starts thinking of all the self-serving, self-pleasing, self-gratifying possibilities. Then, like a bucket of cold water poured over our heads the Holy Spirit directs us back to the beginning of the verse - “If.” “If you abide in Me,” Jesus says, as a condition to being able to “ask whatever you wish.” “If you abide in Me.” But wait, there is more; if “My words abide in you.” Abide means to stay, remain, or continue. The divine beauty of this verse, this statement from the Lord, is that “If” we are living in faith, trusting Christ, loving Christ, subjecting ourselves to Him, including our wants and desires, then ‘whatever we wish’ will be in line with what God desires. His desires become our desires when we truly abide in Him and His words abide in us. Notice it then says that this ‘shared’ desire (of us and God) will be “done for you”, not ‘given’ to you.

If we want to see God working through us (by means of us) then we must abide in Him in faith, and trust in His promises, while at the same time we are working hard to renew our minds with His powerful word (scripture). Again, this does not mean, as some have proclaimed, that we get whatever we want, but rather that through discipline, self-control, prayer, meditation, and effort (reading and believing His word) our minds become more conformed to the mind of Christ. Then we can know that “it will be done for you”. What will be done? Newly-formed godly desires like; serving God by serving others; loving God by loving others; becoming stronger in faith and bolder in evangelism; mentoring others; becoming a prayer warrior; supporting missions, and on and on.

Brothers and sisters, strive hard to abide in Christ, in word and deed and prayer and thought and love, and “it will be done for you.”

No Shame

“They certainly were not ashamed, and they did not know how to blush.” Jeremiah 8:12

This statement was a ringing indictment against the nation of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, by God. And, it is an indictment of our nation as well, and undoubtedly the whole world. Everywhere one looks, people are “not ashamed” of their sinful and debauched behavior. In fact, in our world today the lack of shame has evolved into ‘in-your-face’ flaunting. People flaunt their sins with a remarkable lack of shame. Cultural shame is all but gone – babies out of wedlock are the norm, animalistic sex is promoted, jail time is a badge of honor and manhood, cheating and stealing is applauded, and irreverence is encouraged.
The fact is, as the text says, “they did not know how to blush.” The Israelites, and most people today, have become so rebellious, so self-centered, so engrossed in selfish sin that they have forgotten how to blush, forgotten how to hear their consciences. These are the walking dead, and without the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit of God, they are walking straight to hell.
Friends, weep for these souls, share the good news of Jesus Christ with them, suffer their scorn, and rejoice that God chose to open your eyes and hearts and save you despite your own lack of shame and inability to blush. Allow the Holy Spirit to deeply convict you of any sin – a conviction that brings shame and blushing, a conviction that brings repentance, a repentance that brings forgiveness, a forgiveness that brings restoration of your relationship with your Father in heaven. Praise Him for His kindness, mercy, and grace! Amen.

The Run-Away Bride

Hosea 2:5 – “For their mother has played the whore; she who conceived them has acted shamefully.For she said, 'I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.'”

The “mother” referred to in this passage is Gomer, the harlot-wife of the prophet Hosea. She represents Israel. God saw Israel as a harlot, often turning from her true husband (God) and going after other lovers (other gods). Israel’s harlotry was compounded by her desire and lust for the things and pleasures of this world. Instead of trusting God for their needs, they joined with heathens and their gods in order to get bread and water, wool and flax, and oil and drink. Gomer’s and Israel’s eyes were on the things of this world and not on the God who made this world. How often do we, as believers, wander away from our true love, Christ Jesus, because of a desire to indulge in the material things all around us? How often do we put something above God, which in His eyes constitutes harlotry? God is a jealous God who wants and deserves our full attention, our complete love, our humble submission. He wants His bride back. The Lord commanded Hosea to go and buy back his bride, Gomer, from her life of harlotry, just as Christ bought His bride, with His own blood. And yet, still we wander away from so wonderful a husband as Christ, and think only of ourselves, our desires and wants.

Return to your first love – Christ Jesus, and determine to not let anything or anyone come between you and Him. We were once filthy harlots, but now we are His pure, white bride, and we need to act like it. Amen!

It's All About the Heart!

Psalm 2:11 – “Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling.”

We are instructed here to ‘worship’ with ‘reverence’ and to ‘rejoice’ with ‘trembling’. It describes two actions or activities – worship and rejoicing – then it describes the mind set, or heart attitude from which each action should be birthed – reverence and trembling. So many believers approach worship, either formal or informal, in a flippant, entertained, self-satisfying manner, with little regard for how God sees it. It’s always about the heart. It’s about a reverent, God-centered, repentant heart attitude. Our lives must be permeated with a reverence for God. True worship, pleasing to the Lord, only comes from a humble, contrite, reverent, and repentant heart. The fruit of this kind of worship is that we are reminded of just how holy God is and just how unworthy we are, and then just how amazing His grace is in saving us – and we are overwhelmed with gratitude and love for the Lord. Reverence and trembling usher forth true worship and true rejoicing. Bow down in reverence before a holy God. Tremble at your unworthiness and His holiness, and then in humility and gratitude rejoice in His mercy and grace; and worship Him in spirit and in truth. Allow God to prepare the rich soil of your heart by plowing and breaking up clumps of dirt and removing rocks of sin, and pulling out weeds of pride; and then watch the new growth come forth and water the fragile new plants with tears of gratitude, tears of reverence, tears of trembling, tears of rejoicing, and tears of worship. Amen and amen.

Be Careful How You Walk

Psalm 1:1 - How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

The implication in this text is that there are two kinds of people, two groups; those who walk in the counsel of the wicked and those who do not. This, we know to be true. It is clearly on display all around us. Look at how the one group of people are described – “wicked, sinners, scoffers”, while the other group of people are called “blessed”. Also, look at the three verbs, or actions, that warrant concern – “walk, stand, and sit”. The progression here is also very significant as well. Some Christians might think that it is alright to only “walk” with a few wicked friends; that they are safe. But look at the slippery slope described here – ‘walk’ with the wicked, then ‘stand’ with sinners, and then ‘sit’ with scoffers; scoffers of God. You may feel safe walking, but then, after a while, you may feel safe in standing with them for a while; and then as your feet are tired (your spiritual strength is low) you may think, “I’ll sit for just a few minutes, and then I’ll move along. Temptation is like that – “It’s only a short walk”, then, “no harm if I stand here for a while,” and then, “Everyone else is sitting. I see no harm in sitting with them, as long as I don’t scoff at God with my lips.”

This is why the apostle Paul warned Timothy to flee, to run away from the lusts of his youth. When temptation comes along, don’t walk with it at all, or you might find that you need to stand for a while to rest; and then after standing for a while, your feet get tired, so you decide to sit for a while. The wicked, the sinners, the scoffers are only happy to accommodate you. Flee temptation! Run with all of your might. Run as if your life depended upon it – for your spiritual life just might. Run, and don’t look back as Lot’s wife did. Run towards Christ, and away from temptation and sin! Amen.

Christ Is the Foundation of His Throne

Psalm 89:14 - Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

Every building has a foundation – a foundation built of solid materials, sturdy enough to support tons upon tons of other building materials. But this text says that the foundation of our Lord’s throne is not a physical foundation of stone, brick, or concrete, but rather it is a foundation of holy character and attributes. Christ’s throne’s foundation is righteousness and justice. Perfect righteousness and perfect justice upholds His throne, and it will never crumble, never age, never crack like earthly foundations. The Lord’s very character upholds His throne, and Himself on that throne. In this text we don’t read that His throne sits on gold or diamonds, but by His character and justice Christ’s throne stands firm. And emanating out from Christ and His ‘righteous’ and ‘just’ foundation, is “lovingkindness” and “truth”, confirming the absolute superiority and authority of Jesus Christ as God. Christ, himself, is the foundation and the throne. Amen!

But Now In Christ Jesus

Ephesians 2:13 - But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

How “far off” were we? As far off as light is from darkness, as far off as the opposite ends of all of creation, as far apart as ‘good’ is from ‘evil’. We were stained by both original and actual sin, and were in complete opposition to the holiness of God. We were far enough “off” that God Himself had to span the gulf with His own body. Notice, however, the wonderfully comforting word, “formerly”. For as far off as we once were, we are now so close, so close to Christ, by His blood – His substitutionary blood – so close, that we are actually “in Christ Jesus”. We were once completely outside and apart from Him; we were estranged from God, enemies of God, but His blood, by His grace, has drawn us, “brought near”, to the point that we are actually “in Christ”. We are in Christ to the point that we share His righteousness, we share His death and resurrection, and we share in His victory over death. It is all Christ! It was His blood that brought us near, His atonement on the cross that shrunk the chasm, His mercy that kept us alive, and His grace that give us life. Contemplate the distance that Christ has brought us; from sin to fellow heir, from distant enemy, to betrothed bride, and from death to life. Amen!

Perfect Love

Ephesians 1:22-23 – “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

God the Father, “put all things” in “subjection” under the feet of His beloved Son. The Father is not concerned with having greater authority than His Son, rather, He lovingly, even sacrificially, “puts” all things under the authority of His beloved Son, Christ. Once the Father put all things under His Son’s authority, then He gave His Son to “the church, which is His body”. Christ is the Head and we are the body. Somehow we, the church, His bride, makes Him full – not by any merit or goodness on our account, but by the mercy and grace of the One who “fills all in all”.

What makes this even more beautiful and remarkable is that on the day when there is a new heaven and a new earth, the Son gives it back to the Father – perfect love in full display for all of His elect and the angels to see! And we will fall on our faces in gratitude and reverence to worship the Lamb and the Father, and the Holy Spirit – One in Three, and Three in One. We become His fullness, but only because it is He who “fills all in all”. Amen!

Calling All Sinners!

Luke 5:32 - "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

It is not those who think that they 'deserve' heaven that Christ calls, but those who know that they do not deserve heaven. This is plain to see in the glaring examples of the Pharisees on one hand, and the prostitutes and tax collectors on the other hand. Think of the meal that Jesus had at Simon's house, and how they treated Jesus compared to Mary Magdalene who washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. The Lord loves a “broken and contrite heart”. "Contrite" means "crushed", and we see this truth throughout scripture. Isaiah needed to be crushed and burned before he could say, "Here I am, send me!" In the presence of God's holiness Isaiah realized that he was not righteous -that he, in fact, was a sinner; and God, after Isaiah confessed that he was a sinner, cleansed him and then called him to serve.

The 'righteous' in the text above are actually the 'self-righteous'. They think themselves to be righteous; while a 'called' sinner knows himself not to be righteous. A 'called' sinner has been awakened to the fact of his sin by the Holy Spirit. The 'self-righteous' have built their house on sand, because their faith is in themselves and not in the Lord. In the Lord's place they have created, in their minds, a god of their own choosing, a god who grades on a curve. While sinners like Mary Magdalene fall at the feet of Jesus, the true teacher, who grades righteously in His mercy and grace. And a repentant sinner receives an "A" grade. An "A" for Accepted. The reality is that we are all 'self-righteous' until the Holy Spirit blesses us with spiritual life - opening our eyes to see our sinfulness, and through that repentance, and forgiveness, and salvation, and sanctification, and then glorification. All to His glory! Amen

A Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Our spiritual worship involves our physical bodies, which reflects our inner being, what we call the heart. God, through the apostle Paul, is telling us that our deeds and actions must be disciplined and controlled to better reflect the new creation that the Holy Spirit has wrought in us. In a sense, the Father in heaven is saying, “I see you as holy and pure due to the righteousness of My Son which I have applied to you, now act as I see you.” God is well aware (and we should be as well) that in this life – in this fallen world – we will never achieve the holiness and righteousness that we will in heaven, but that fact should not keep us from running towards that goal. Why should we ‘present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable’? Because it is pleasing to God – it is our ‘spiritual worship’. We are told to worship God in spirit and truth, and in this verse we see a facet of what that means. Holy and godly living, according to the truths of God’s word, is spiritual worship. Physical living is spiritual worship. One cannot enter a sanctuary on a Sunday and successfully worship God if his intent, or even his status quo, is to live according to the flesh the rest of the week. Our bodies need to follow our spirits – our regenerated spirit, by the strength, power, and help of the Holy Spirit, not our strength alone. Our strength will get us nowhere, but our Holy-Spirit guided ‘wills’ with His strength will bring us closer to Him.

So many these days seem to think that spiritual worship is simply and only an emotional experience, when in fact it is ‘obedience’ that God sees as worship. “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:27). Holy ‘obedience’ to the word of God is spiritual worship. Obedience does not save us, obedience is worship. Is this not the case with our own children? When they obey us, does that obedient act not honor and please us? Christ is our loving Master, and we should be His grateful servants/slaves with a desire and passion to please Him by our obedient actions.

Peter, in his letter (1 Peter) quoted from the book of Leviticus, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

The apostle Paul understood this important truth, which is why he wrote, “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Amen!

He Holds Our Hands

Psalm 37:24 – “When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.”

“When he falls.” The promise in this text does not negate the reality of falling, or stumbling spiritually. Rather, it confirms the obvious – we all fall, we all stumble, we all sin. The promise in this verse is that when we do fall, we will not be destroyed, we will not be “hurled headlong” dashing us to pieces – which is what we deserve each and every time we sin against our holy God. And why are we not dashed to pieces? Because it is the Lord who holds our hand. What great security! Why?! Because the One who holds our hand has also paid for each and every sin we commit as His chosen ones. He has paid the price, bore the wrath, and now He holds our hand in order to keep us from being hurled headlong. The One who holds our hand , to keep us from falling, has done it all for us – lived a perfect life in our stead, was the perfect sacrificial Lamb in our stead, and now mediates and advocates for us as our High Priest, and still, has time to hold our hand to keep us.

Drink in the fullness of this promise. Embrace it with thanksgiving and joy for all that it means – the person and the power of God is holding us secure, even when we fall. What love is there in these words. Christ does not just look down upon us from His throne in heaven, uninvolved, distant, but He holds us tightly. Rejoice and be glad! Amen.