Sunday, August 30, 2009

He Will Do Right!

Far be it from you to do such a thing--to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right? Genesis 18:25

When God saved Noah in the ark and destroyed the rest of the world’s inhabitants - He did right!

When God saved Lot and his daughters and destroyed Lot's wife and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah - He did right!

When God saved the first born of Israel during the Passover and destroyed the first born of all Egypt - He did right!

When God saved Peter who denied Christ and destroyed Judas who betrayed Christ - He did right!

When God redeemed one thief on the cross and destroyed the other - He did right!

When God judges everyone and convicts all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him - He will do right!

When God justifies the wicked that cast themselves upon Christ and destroys the wicked that reject Christ - He does right!

Whether God saves you or destroys you - He will do right!

There's Dust Enough!

"There is dust enough on some of your Bibles to write 'damnation' with your fingers." - Charles Spurgeon

Friday, August 21, 2009

Do You Wish To Be Made Clean?

Jesus Christ did not come into the world to show sinners how to save themselves, he came to save sinners who could not help themselves.

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8

We so often want to rid ourselves of the leprosy of sin by the power of our own corrupt flesh, but in doing so we cut ourselves off from the only arm of Salvation - Jesus Christ. Can an Ethiopian change his skin, or a leopard his spots? Can a dead man raise himself up, or a blind man restore his own sight? Neither can a sinful man purify himself! It is a physical impossibility!

Is the leprosy of sin still eating at the flesh of your soul? Do you wish to be made clean? Then see now leper in Mark 1:40 running to Jesus and join with him in his plea! Fall to your knees and beg Jesus saying, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

Why will you not do that? Have you not seen what Jesus did for the leper? Have you not read that it was with compassion that Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man saying, "I am willing, be clean!" and immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. Mark 1:41-42. Will he not also do that for you?

If you would but call on his name, if you would but run to him and cast yourself upon his mercy, you would see that he is a kind and compassionate saviour - both willing and able to make you clean!

How many lepers where there in Jesus day who would not come to Him out of pride?

Saturday, August 15, 2009

These Are The Signs And Evidences!

"Sense of sin and deep hatred of it, faith in Christ and love to Him, delight in holiness and longing after more of it, love for God’s people and distaste for the things of the world, – these are the signs and evidences which always accompany conversion." - J.C. Ryle

Friday, August 7, 2009

The Great Malady Of Sin!

Sin is transgression of the law. In 1 John 3:4 we read "everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact sin is lawlessness". Now if that were a mere transgression of some abstract rule that God set forth for men to keep it would be bad enough, but we must rightly understand what the law is, more importantly who gives it, so that we may see the hideous nature of sin. The exceeding sinfulness of sin! Now the moral law of God, the commandments given to Israel on Sinai – the law which our consciences bear witness to - is not some arbitrary thing that God has created for us to live under – as if it were below him. Nor is it some higher overarching constraint above him which he himself must live up to. No, this law proceeds from the very being of God. It comes forth from the very character, the very nature of God. The law is what the law is because God is who God is. It is a tangible expression to us of his holy nature, his righteous character, his perfect will.

So when we say sin is transgression of the law we are saying that sin is disobedience to his perfect will, a disagreement with his divine character - a crime against God himself.

Sin is an affront to God. He distains it! It is a usurping of his will. It is a clench fisted, openly defiant rebellion against his rulership, his authority, his being. It is a joining with his enemies to tear him off the throne. It is evil intent and wicked practise.

Sin turned angels into devils, toppled our first parents in the garden of Eden and brought down a curse on all mankind. It brought down the great flood on Noah's generation, fire down on Sodom & Gomorrah, laid waste to a generation of Israelites in the wilderness, and will lay waste to us. As the scripture says, "the soul that sins shall die". Sin digs every grave!

Sin is the committal of the will to the principle and practise of pleasing self! I WILL DO WHAT I WANT TO DO! I will lie when I need to, steal what I want to, hate who I choose, lust for what I like, live how I please, get drunk when I want, sleep with whoever I will, spend what I get on my pleasures. It is the result of a heart that says "I will be the God of my own life. I will not bow down to you, Oh God, and I will certainly not do what you tell me to do!"

Sin has made its home in the heart of every man! We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are hell deserving sinners.

But Beware! God has promised that he will punish sin wherever it is found, and in whomever it is found. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" says the Lord.