I was on myspace this morning and saw a bulletin that read "Please, bail me out my fine is $***." I thought to myself I am sure that this is another list of wrong things but let me see anyways. Sure enough it was a list of sins, most of which were immoral and some illegal. So I went down the list and began to total my fine. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He said, "Remember what you preached last night about repentance? Remember how you said true repentance means that you turn so much from your sins that even the remembrance of them makes you ill? You do not look too ill as you are about to broadcast and brag about how sinful you have been." So I responded, "I will not repost the bulletin." He responds to this, "No I want you to repost it, without the list and the true cost." So here is what I posted.
Please, bail me out my fine is HELL
The survey says this is fun to do. Remember the sins from which you repented and see the cost associated. Now add them together and post as the above mentioned title with the amount at the end. Well I broke one of these moral laws and therefore, the cost is HELL. Once again I find myself with a decision to remember sin and laugh, and broadcast my former self for all to read, or declare that I am dead with Christ, yet I live, but only by the power of Christ living within me. I decided to declare Christ and not repost a list of sins we all should avoid today and try to forget if committed yesterday. It might have been fun for you but it cost Jesus every drop of His blood. Remember the outcry over The Passion Of The Christ by Mel Gibson? That was mild violence when compared to the actually history books recordings of scourging and crucifixions.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
There is no such thing as free salvation?
Sunday morning I was greeting people in the parking lot. I offered Carl Ternullo a bulletin as he got out of the vehicle. He asked how much it cost and I cleverly replied that it was free like salvation. However, I awoke with this morning with my mind troubled and the realization that salvation is not free. We preachers often preach free salvation to all who will come, repent, and recognize the complete truth about the sacrifice of Christ. Indeed it is true that Christ offered the living water freely to all who thirsted. So why did I wake up with the compelling idea salvation is not free? The truth is we do not pay for our salvation but it is still not free.
Think about the approach of Christmas. My children will open freely gifts provided to them without cost to them. However, my wife (who does the budget far better than I ever could) will be crunching dollars and cents between now and then to ensure those gifts are purchased. They are not free as far as we are concerned. I pray I am teaching my children to appreciate that which they are given because they understand it cost their mother and me something to provide them. If they appreciate this then they will take care of the gifts and treat them as precious because of their regard for us their parents.
So now I finally come to the point of the title. Salvation cannot be free if we use phrases like "the sacrifice of Christ" or "redeemed" or even "born-again." Have you ever seen a lady right after giving birth? Angela was exhausted, in pain, and shivering when it was over and it took sometime for her to recover. The physical toil of the muscles left her very sore and the loss of blood left her weak and cold. Being born once cost our mothers physical health for nearly two months of recovery time. Salvation is not free. What did it cost?
It cost Jesus his lofty place in heaven as He was God manifested in flesh and come to His own but His own rejected Him. It cost Him a life of comfort and ease. Prior to His open ministry there was probably some dads who wanted Jesus to marry their daughters. After all He would make the perfect son-in-law. But this was not His path as He set His face towards Jerusalem and got about His Father's business. He became a man of sorrow and despised of people. Salvation cost Christ before the first blow was delivered. Then that fateful day when He bled in the garden while praying, was beaten with the hands of priests, drug all over Jerusalem from one trial to another, beaten with the whip and rod, and then nailed to a cross where every drop of blood drained from His body and His heart ruptured. Yes, it pleased God to bruise Him and by His stripes we are healed at no cost to us, but salvation was not free.
I pray we learn to appreciate the cost of our salvation and treat this gift from God through Jesus as precious. Do not do this because it is the greatest gift ever, do it because you really do have and hold a regard for Christ. A regard so great that great is too weak a word to really describe what you feel deep within you. May it be so great that only the Holy Spirit can pray your true love as you thank Jesus for paying for your free salvation.
Think about the approach of Christmas. My children will open freely gifts provided to them without cost to them. However, my wife (who does the budget far better than I ever could) will be crunching dollars and cents between now and then to ensure those gifts are purchased. They are not free as far as we are concerned. I pray I am teaching my children to appreciate that which they are given because they understand it cost their mother and me something to provide them. If they appreciate this then they will take care of the gifts and treat them as precious because of their regard for us their parents.
So now I finally come to the point of the title. Salvation cannot be free if we use phrases like "the sacrifice of Christ" or "redeemed" or even "born-again." Have you ever seen a lady right after giving birth? Angela was exhausted, in pain, and shivering when it was over and it took sometime for her to recover. The physical toil of the muscles left her very sore and the loss of blood left her weak and cold. Being born once cost our mothers physical health for nearly two months of recovery time. Salvation is not free. What did it cost?
It cost Jesus his lofty place in heaven as He was God manifested in flesh and come to His own but His own rejected Him. It cost Him a life of comfort and ease. Prior to His open ministry there was probably some dads who wanted Jesus to marry their daughters. After all He would make the perfect son-in-law. But this was not His path as He set His face towards Jerusalem and got about His Father's business. He became a man of sorrow and despised of people. Salvation cost Christ before the first blow was delivered. Then that fateful day when He bled in the garden while praying, was beaten with the hands of priests, drug all over Jerusalem from one trial to another, beaten with the whip and rod, and then nailed to a cross where every drop of blood drained from His body and His heart ruptured. Yes, it pleased God to bruise Him and by His stripes we are healed at no cost to us, but salvation was not free.
I pray we learn to appreciate the cost of our salvation and treat this gift from God through Jesus as precious. Do not do this because it is the greatest gift ever, do it because you really do have and hold a regard for Christ. A regard so great that great is too weak a word to really describe what you feel deep within you. May it be so great that only the Holy Spirit can pray your true love as you thank Jesus for paying for your free salvation.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Love and Glory
Following the resurrection of Jesus Christ he appeared to His disciples on several different occasions. During one of these appearances Jesus carried on a very pointed conversation with the ever talkative Peter. As we ease drop on the final texts of their conversation there is a great lesson that the church must learn today if Christianity is to survive.
John 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
John 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
John 21:19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
John 21:20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
John 21:21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
John 21:22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Did you see the lessons? First Christ asks Peter, “Do you love me?” Peter is upset because this is the third time has been asked this very question. Peter replies with the emotional response, “You know I do because you know everything.” Then just as quickly Jesus responds, “Prove it by your actions.”
Jesus declares to Peter that his, like ours, love for Christ will be proven by our response to humanity. We must lose ourselves so greatly in the desire to see people come to mature relationships with Jesus that we ourselves our willing to die to make this possible. We must become so powered by the Holy Spirit that we fear no one or anything in this pursuit. Unfortunately this is not the case of Christianity today. Today I am afraid that we fear men more than God. How else can we hear messages on the radio that carry a message of God’s forgiveness without first expounding upon the severity of sin? God’s word is clear in the book of Romans and Galatians that the purpose of the law was to make sure no one could stand before God without excuse for their action and that this law would act as a guide to bring us to the knowledge of sin and seek a savior. Yet today the vast majority of Christianity is a “lawless” society. Do not get me wrong, I am not promoting legalism. I detest the faintest scent of legalism to the point that I like Martin Luther could formulate papers denouncing the traditions of men in favor of the truth of God’s word. So what am I saying? I am saying that there are black and white issues that must be addressed in this society and we need not fear declaring these.
When we fear loss of membership over truth, when we fear loss of tithe over truth, when we fear loss of income over truth, when we fear loss of possessions over truth, when we fear loss of positions over truth, then we can rest assured that God’s love is not perfected in us. 1John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” This is to say that we do not have a love that would drive us to the cross for someone else. We cannot stand with Paul and wish ourselves accursed nor can we even say that we are dead to self so that Christ might live in us. Oh, that I might die soon for Jackie has lived far too long. You see when I die I will have no problem feeding you. If I am dead, broken, and poor like a slave then there is nothing anyone can do to me to make me less than I already am “the chief among sinners.” The ability to minister to others and demonstrate Christ’s love comes through the victories Christ pours out through the glaring holes of my faulty character. I then, unlike Peter in our passage, will stop looking to see what God is doing with others but will consider myself blessed for what He is doing to glorify Himself through me.
In the end the world does not need anyone of us to redefine the gospel, dress it in slick programs, or write more books. It wants to see Christians who truly love God, who are consecrated to Him and not traditions, who do not concern themselves with another’s servants, but declare bodily how Christ has changed them and now lives in them. This power will come through close conversation with Christ, prayer and Bible study, and will cause us to once again be a moving force of Christianity that makes hell tremble. If you read this and care to join me let us set a time for a solemn fast and prayer that the Holy Ghost and the preaching of God’s word in Fayetteville might have full course and we might be used to bring glory to the name of the Father, the Son, and The Holy Ghost. May God be glorified as we move forward starting yesterday!
John 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
John 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
John 21:19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
John 21:20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
John 21:21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
John 21:22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Did you see the lessons? First Christ asks Peter, “Do you love me?” Peter is upset because this is the third time has been asked this very question. Peter replies with the emotional response, “You know I do because you know everything.” Then just as quickly Jesus responds, “Prove it by your actions.”
Jesus declares to Peter that his, like ours, love for Christ will be proven by our response to humanity. We must lose ourselves so greatly in the desire to see people come to mature relationships with Jesus that we ourselves our willing to die to make this possible. We must become so powered by the Holy Spirit that we fear no one or anything in this pursuit. Unfortunately this is not the case of Christianity today. Today I am afraid that we fear men more than God. How else can we hear messages on the radio that carry a message of God’s forgiveness without first expounding upon the severity of sin? God’s word is clear in the book of Romans and Galatians that the purpose of the law was to make sure no one could stand before God without excuse for their action and that this law would act as a guide to bring us to the knowledge of sin and seek a savior. Yet today the vast majority of Christianity is a “lawless” society. Do not get me wrong, I am not promoting legalism. I detest the faintest scent of legalism to the point that I like Martin Luther could formulate papers denouncing the traditions of men in favor of the truth of God’s word. So what am I saying? I am saying that there are black and white issues that must be addressed in this society and we need not fear declaring these.
When we fear loss of membership over truth, when we fear loss of tithe over truth, when we fear loss of income over truth, when we fear loss of possessions over truth, when we fear loss of positions over truth, then we can rest assured that God’s love is not perfected in us. 1John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” This is to say that we do not have a love that would drive us to the cross for someone else. We cannot stand with Paul and wish ourselves accursed nor can we even say that we are dead to self so that Christ might live in us. Oh, that I might die soon for Jackie has lived far too long. You see when I die I will have no problem feeding you. If I am dead, broken, and poor like a slave then there is nothing anyone can do to me to make me less than I already am “the chief among sinners.” The ability to minister to others and demonstrate Christ’s love comes through the victories Christ pours out through the glaring holes of my faulty character. I then, unlike Peter in our passage, will stop looking to see what God is doing with others but will consider myself blessed for what He is doing to glorify Himself through me.
In the end the world does not need anyone of us to redefine the gospel, dress it in slick programs, or write more books. It wants to see Christians who truly love God, who are consecrated to Him and not traditions, who do not concern themselves with another’s servants, but declare bodily how Christ has changed them and now lives in them. This power will come through close conversation with Christ, prayer and Bible study, and will cause us to once again be a moving force of Christianity that makes hell tremble. If you read this and care to join me let us set a time for a solemn fast and prayer that the Holy Ghost and the preaching of God’s word in Fayetteville might have full course and we might be used to bring glory to the name of the Father, the Son, and The Holy Ghost. May God be glorified as we move forward starting yesterday!
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