How
often do you ponder your struggles with sin? Do you ever do so? If
you don’t you will never have the complete realization of the full
depth and breadth and boundlessness of God’s grace upon you.
Think
on the time when you did not know, and think on the times
when, though you do know, you still fail. Very often I find myself in
such a mood that I need to be convinced (or, as the case may be,
re-convinced) of the facts: Whatever my circumstance, it is better
than I deserve.
At
the risk of you, Dear Reader, thinking too highly of yourself, let me
make my point clearer. More than most other people, I can look back
on the time (20 years of time) when, as an adult, I was
the most virulent form of atheist. I
would angrily deny God,
rage at the mere mention of anything of faith. I would mock people of
faith—especially
those of Christian faith—mercilessly.
And I had gotten so good at that self-deception that it even came to
the point that a local newspaper, seeking a debate in their opinion
pages, asked me to write an article in which I would defend my views.
I
never wrote that article.
For
once in my miserable life I decided to be honest about myself and
told them that I’m just a guy. I was so good at what I was doing
that I even had trained journalists completely fooled.
It
would still be some years before I would know how dreadful a fool I
was. The one wearing the
jester’s hat was not them, but me.
Truly,
when a person has—whether
they knew it or not—already rejected the Truth, by what
means do they discern a lie?
I
was a wicked, evil person—and
so were you.
Oh,
don’t go running for the exit, now! You know it’s true! Of course
it’s true, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God 1.
And we know that the author,
there, does not consider this to be some triviality, to be treated
with some blasé, laissez-fair
attitude, because that same man also writes that the wages
of sin is death 2.
Surely,
you consider death to be a serious matter, especially when it might
involve you, or one you love. I hope so, because it is. We are, in
fact, talking about eternal matters, here.
There
are churches—and some of them very prominent ones—that do not
seem to agree. It is from
personal experience that I write
to you, now. Many years ago I came into acquaintance with a
young, married couple, with the woman being fabulously
attractive—and, not being properly bonded
to her husband., she thought it was perfectly fine to seek out
the company of other men—even with
her husband in tow. I would show up at a church function and
she would abandon her husband to accompany me. I sought whatever
escape was available at the
time, of course. I was amazed at her ability to zero in on the
pain of any man—except that of her own husband, who would stand
there mortified at what she was doing in front of, not only him, but
at times, the entire congregation.
Truly
this woman was either shameless, or brainless—possibly both. The
fact that I wound up accused, rather than her makes one wonder about
the leadership of that place, as well. As it is written, “and
you are proud! Should you not rather grieve?” 3.
I tell you, steer well clear of a place such as that!
Do
you see, were I not well aware of my own weaknesses
and under the close guard from above, what could have
happened; what consequences might have freely flowed?
This
is why I ask you about your sin. Have you pondered it? Have you
considered, seriously considered,
the dreadful consequences from which
you have been set free? Your eternity hangs in the balance,
and Satan prowls about, like a lion, seeking whom he may devour! 4
Jesus
tells us, in Luke’s account 5,
to prosecute ourselves so that we will not be the avenue
through which other people are tempted, that it would be better for
us to be drowned in the sea.
Do
you think that might be important enough to listen to, or do you
enjoy the wrath of God coming upon you? It is only the fool that
invites their own demise when
another course is available.
How
senseless it is to invite into your life eternal destruction when
another course is shouting out to all who will hear and respond, in
faith, to the voice that calls to them.
Yet
how few respond, with that still, small voice being drowned out by
Partytown, USA! How often do I see people come into our ministry
homeless and destitute—but, oh, they have their music
players and “smart” phones tuned in and turned up—loud—to the
latest distractions, headphones plastered to
their heads like plastic appendages from hell!
Satan
will do everything he can to keep you bound and chained to that
darkness of hopelessness and despair. If your ears cause you
to sin, cut them off and throw them away! Better to go into
Heaven with no ears, than, keeping your ears, be cast into Hell! 6
Silence
is not an enemy, but a friend that allows you to tune into and hear
the very voice of salvation and grace, being the very voice
of God. Turn off your gadgets and listen for the voice of the
One who calls.
Tonight
I watched a movie, so what am I talking about to you? The movie I
watched was put out by a company called Pure Flix. It is called, “Do
You Believe?”, and at the very start it puts up on a black screen a
translation of the admonition of James that faith without works is
dead. 7
And
that still, small voice was neither.
By
the end of this movie I was fighting tears. Just look at the cast:
Sean Astin, Mira Sorvino, Cybill Shepherd, Lee Majors, Brian
Bosworth, and Ted McGinley, with some of these serving as associate
producers as well as giving their acting talents to the enterprise.
As
the movie finished, I prayed thanksgiving for having been
allowed to find and watch such a wonderful use of technology that,
far too often gets turned to the services of Hell.
It
is not normative, in today’s world, for such an enterprise to see
the light of life, and when it
does you can be certain that the minions of Hell will raise a
ruckus all around it, and try to drown it out so that whatever effect
it might have would be minimized. Satan is far from pleased at this
movie’s release.
Far
more often what we find are constructions that are simply designed to
drown out the voice of Heaven’s calling. So why do we fill our
senses with such bilge?
That
still, small voice has a tendency to tell us things that, while
perfectly true, we do not want to hear. Remember, though, that it is
the Truth that will set you free, and not the demons’ lies inspired
by Satan and carried out by his thralls. They will tell you what you
want to hear, but God will tell you what you need to know. Satan
would keep you on an endless treadmill of despair, but God will give
you rest. Hell will spew out fear, but God will bring you peace.
In
the midst of life’s inevitable and unavoidable trials peace is a
quite remarkable thing. When we are faced with tasks we cannot
accomplish or with obstacles we cannot overcome peace comes not from
within, but from above. It comes from a source that
we can neither fathom, nor master, nor control. It comes from
God. It comes from Jesus Christ.
There
is no other source for the peace that will bring you through the
attacks of the Devil’s
delights. Oh, please hear me! For I spent many long years in
the struggles that many of you live with every day, thinking yourself
sufficient, thinking there is no other
way, thinking there is no
one there to help you.
In
the words of the Newsboys song: “Hallelujah for the Cross!” The
pain of separation from God, which for us would be eternal, has been
taken up, removed, and cast away by One who is of infinite breadth
and depth and length and strength and power and value and worth.
There is therefore now no need for us to suffer it, for it has been
taken away by Jesus Christ. The infinite conquers the depraved. By
the shedding of His own life’s blood He spears the hell-borne pride
that would separate us from our eternal Father—and kills it!
All
we need do is recognize and repent of our sin and filth and rebellion
and greed and lust and arrogance and self-aggrandizing foolishness
and turn to depend wholly and completely upon the Savior
who went to our cross for
us. All we need to
do is recognize and repent—and let Jesus do the rest, and indeed,
God will bring you peace!
1-Romans
3:23
2-Romans
6:23
3-1
Corinthians 5:1
4-1
Peter 5:8
5-Luke 17:1-3a
(in the NIV it is the first
paragraph of the chapter)
6-Matthew 5:29-30;
18:9; Mark 9:42-48
7-James
2:17
