Don't Avoid Sin

"And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

Luke 24:45-47

When the coming of Jesus the Messiah was announced by John the Baptist, the way had been prepared with baptism of repentance.  Spearheaded by the prophet John the Jews were struck with their need to repent of their sins.  People asked, "What shall we do?"  John was a mighty prophet, and his role was not to make disciples of himself but point to Jesus.  In fact, many who once faithfully followed John the Baptist left him and demonstrated a shift in their primary allegiance to follow Jesus instead.

John preached repentance, and so did Jesus throughout His earthly ministry.  The passage cited from Luke shows that even after the death and resurrection of Jesus repentance and remission (freedom, pardon, deliverance) of sins was to be preached in His name everywhere.  For the unbeliever and disciple alike, Jesus says repentance is to remain a major point of emphasis in preaching.  It is interesting to me Jesus did not say to emphasise grace, love, comfort, or purpose - common themes of books and sermons today.  There is nothing wrong with emphasising these biblical truths of course, but these potentially more attractive themes to sinners cannot replace the need for preaching of repentance and remission of sins in the name of Jesus.

To preach repentance, it is often necessary to lay groundwork John the Baptist and Jesus did not need to with their audiences.  The Jews were well-versed in the Law and their sins before God.  Many people today have their doubts about the existence of God, and before repentance can be preached there is a need to explain sin in detail.  Most men will proclaim their own goodness (Proverbs 20:6), and these have no idea of how profound and systemic their own sin is and the fatal consequences of it.  We must be brought to believe we have a dangerous disease before we will submit to a painful and costly cure, and sinners must be convinced of their sin before they will desperately seek a Saviour.  Unless the hard hearts of sinners are made contrite and broken in repentance before a holy God for their sin, there can be no salvation.  God and His Word does the breaking - not the preacher.

Even as it was necessary for Jesus to suffer, die, and rise from the dead for us to be saved, preaching concerning repentance and remission of sins are indispensable in Gospel preaching.  Let us not be surprised there are few or no genuine converts when we cautiously avoid the very topics the Holy Spirit was sent to address:  He has been sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11).  We will be judged by our almighty Creator according to His perfect standard of righteousness, and God's Word reveals to a tender conscience how we are grossly sinful.  It is by grace through faith we are saved and by nothing we do, yet repentance is an important step in our forgiveness.  This change in us is only by God's grace as we are brought into agreement with God.

When a patient is diagnosed with a deadly illness, the doctor is forced by their sworn duty of care to inform the patient of the grave news and possible treatment options.  It is difficult for the doctor to share the bad news, and the patient is sorry to hear it.  But the severity of the illness must be communicated so the patient will respond appropriately for the good of their own health.  It is similar with Gospel work, for the disciple of Jesus must establish the need of repentance for sins before remission of sins can be addressed in Jesus' name.  Let us not shrink from this sober and joyful duty any more than a doctor or midwife prepares to bring a new child into the world by assisting a pregnant mother.  Addressing sin will be painful as the Word cuts deep, but there is healing, consolation, and comfort for all those who repent and rely upon Jesus for salvation.

Glitter and Gossip

Today I was confronted by the bane of custodians everywhere:  glitter.  At churches and preschools the only vacuums worth anything must pass what I will call “the glitter test.”  All vacuums which fail this most remedial test aren't worth much.

As I pushed an Oreck vacuum over the carpet at church, it occurred to me how glitter has a way of migrating.  A craft fashioned in a classroom manages to deposit glittery goodness on chairs and carpet throughout the whole building.  For the first time I realised glitter and gossip share a lot in common with their ability to spread – and stick.  Once that glitter is embedded in carpet it is surprisingly stubborn, and gossip once swallowed down is not easily eliminated.  Proverbs 18:8 says, “The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into the inmost body.”

The best way to keep a building free of glitter is to ban the use of it.  A fire dies out when it is deprived of oxygen, and gossip ceases to spread when we no longer perpetuate it.  We cannot always help what we hear, but we can help what we take to heart.  We rarely ever talk about things in which we have no interest or knowledge.  Job 34:3 holds forth a good principle:  “For the ear tests words as the palate tastes food.”  Our tongues discern the difference between sweet, sour, and savoury, and our ears are capable of knowing gossip when we hear it.

Job made a covenant with his eyes he would not look upon a maid, and we should make a covenant to refuse to listen to or perpetuate gossip.  Vacuuming glitter is easier than cleansing our minds and hearts of gossip we have laid to heart.  Praise the LORD Jesus washes us clean and atones for our sins by His grace.  Having been freed and delivered from bondage to gossip, we can speak wholesome words to edify - with permanent, positive results.

God is Trustworthy

Today I was surprised by what the Bible didn't say.  I love how God is not like us, nor does He think as we do.  Our life following Jesus is filled with our need to change and grow in understanding of who God is and what pleases Him.

Psalm 115:9-11 says, "O Israel, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. ¹⁰ O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. ¹¹ You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield."  The psalmists exhorted Israel, God's ministers, and all who fear the LORD to trust in Him.  The recurring phrase following is spoken as a matter of fact:  "He is their help and shield."  I was intrigued at the lack of a connecting word like "because" or "for" instead of a semicolon.  The implication is God is trustworthy.  He helps and shields us whether we trust in Him or not.  Isn't this true for all people?  He is our help and shield, and we ought to trust Him.

How sad it is when our lives before God are driven by what we gain from God.  To reduce prayer or faith to the level of a "deal" or business transaction is awful.  We should not trust God so He will help and shield us - though He does - but because He is worthy of being trusted.  He is not like a man we are obliged to show loyalty towards (though we owe Him our lives), nor do we embark on this relationship based upon what we offer God.  All we have is sin and wretchedness condemned before our holy Maker!  We ought to trust the One who is our help and shield, the God who has made a covenant with sinners signed with His blood.  God has established the terms and He is faithful to honour them.

This covenant is not a crude exchange of goods for services, a contract crafted to protect our interests:  it is all of grace established on what God has done.  We are required to respond to it by repentance and receiving Christ in faith, but He is worthy in Himself without a covenant being offered.  We have been provided salvation when we repent of sin and place our trust in Christ, even though we do not deserve the freedom and privilege to do so.  We were in bondage and dead in sins, senseless as heavy sleepers, blind as stones, and God helped and protected us.  Since He has done all this, isn't He worthy of trust?

Trembling Before God

"Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, ⁸ Who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters."

Psalm 114:7-8

There are many fearsome things on this planet, things like tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, lightning, and volcanoes.  These powerful, earth shaking and changing events are only the edges of His ways (Job 26:14).  There are things people are afraid of for whatever reason, and many suffer from debilitating phobias.  Though there is much on earth which people fear, and the earth fears the Almighty God!  The psalmist bid the earth to tremble before its Maker who does marvellous things.

I don't know physical trembling for people is an everyday occurrence, and trembling due to fear does not have a positive connotation for me.  But if there are things on this earth which make us tremble from nervousness, fear, or excitement, then we should definitely tremble before the God who created them.  Think of it:  if you are afraid of heights, shouldn't you tremble before the God whose presence dwells above them?  If you are afraid to swim in the oceans, shouldn't you fear the God who inhabits the depths and created all living things who dwell therein?

Psalm 114:3-4 says at the presence of God "The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back. ⁴  The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs."  The psalmist personified the sea as one who fled, and the mountains and hills skipping and scattering like rams and lambs.  The creation knows and fears God our Maker, yet man can stand proud and resolute against God.  If this great earth trembles like a leaf before God, only ignorance, conceit or folly can be reasonable answers why men do not tremble also.  The irony is God has given man unique abilities among all He has created to observe, reason, and understand - and so our pride before God is most unreasonable.

Let us remember our great God and His wondrous works, worshipping Him in humility.  He can turn the rock into pools of water and flint into a fountain.  Praise the LORD from these once proud hearts of stone He can cause Living Water to spring forth and provide salvation through Jesus!