Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!

I've been thinking a lot about the past tonight and I'm really astounded at how much God has done in my life and continues to do. I still know that without the loving discipline of the Holy Spirit I would forsake social morality out of my own insatiable desires. I walked in the passions of my flesh for so long with not a worry, and I don't for a second imagine that I'm not still capable. Without God, there is no one to serve but me. Even acknowledging God exists is not enough - we are all capable of deceiving ourselves and suppressing the truth just enough to remain comfortable in all the sinful stuff that we consider fun. I love God because first loved me. Not the other way around. It's not as if God was waiting around for me to go "OK i'm done with this scene, think I'll give God a try". Had God not wrought a work in me I would still be where I was. More than likely a whole lot worse. And if God where to abandon me tonight I have no doubts that I'd plunge myself headlong back into the slime of my former life without a hesitation. Thanks be to God that He's promised not to do that. Thanks be to God that he sent his Son to live a perfect life on this earth and then to be nailed to a wooden cross to pay for my filth. And then to raise him from death on that glorious Sunday as proof that he will raise those that are his. It's incredible.

My heart's desire is to know and love God. The God who's not defined by me or my wants. The God that IS. But not because I'm better than anyone. Not because I have some spark of good in me that seeks to know the truth. But because God out of his tremendous mercy has called me out of the darkness and into his glorious light. I'm a weak, feeble, cowardly sinner with nothing to offer. Not one thing. But I've been given everything.

You know what?

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Pro 1:7 ESV)

If you don't know God, you don't know anything. Because nothing has purpose without the God who made it all for a reason. Doesn't matter how smart or intelligent or learned you are - if you don't know the reason for the stuff you know then you don't really know it.

Living without the knowledge of why you're here or why anything at all exists is purposeless. No matter what the goal of your life, if it's not in line with the goals of the Almighty you will fail. Be it true happiness, wealth, nirvana, or whatever it is you're chasing it will all come to naught. Why are we here? The only way to know that is to know what God had in mind when He put it all together, and why He continues to hold it all together.

If God does not exist and everything is just a random chance, a one in a million flash in the pan - then your life is pointless.

"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." (Psalm 2:12 ESV)

Fanatics

Want to guarantee that people will die for your cause? Create a system of works salvation and then give people assurance that they'll bypass a life of slavery to legalism by their death for the cause. The knights of the crusades where told they would skip purgatory if they died in holy war, and the suicide bombers of the jihad are told of rich rewards in the afterlife for their martyrdom.

It works. Heck, if I believed I had anything to do with my salvation and someone convinced me that my death for god would allow me instant access to heaven I'd blow myself up too. The idea of having to work for salvation IS that hopeless.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1-4 ESV)

Great things!!

"For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol." (Psalm 86:10-13 ESV)

The Lord is great. He has done great things so we don't have to. I can rest in the work of my God even when life seems hard. The Lord is utterly unique and so unlike anything we know that we can not understand Him fully, but He is so great and able that He has made Himself known to us in a way we can understand. Praise God!! Praise Him while you have breath in you. The time is short and the day is fast approaching when the mercy that is shown to all the tribes and peoples will come to an end and the judgement will be swift. Repent and believe - Jesus Christ came as a ransom for many. Resting in our works will only result in due payment for them - and I can honestly say that my due payment would be horrifying to say the least. He has done great things - He has cast my sin as far as the east is from the west.

"O for a thousand tongues to sing

My great Redeemer’s praise,

The glories of my God and King,

The triumphs of His grace!"

"Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! (Joel 2:21 ESV)

Life

Millions of people living, dying, and being forgotten in a matter of decades.

Whats the point?

If the dead are not raised, there is no point.

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57 ESV)

I've been listening to a lot of Paul Washer and reading a bunch of Michael Horton, and this is what happens....

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9 NAS)

Paul talks about being 'called' in the same sentence as talking about the gospel. They are inseparable. What does called mean to Paul?

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30 NAS)

Only those that God calls are justified in his eyes. Salvation is a sovereign work of grace alone. The only way anyone makes a true choice to believe and be saved is if God raises them from spiritual death to life. Resting in a decision for Christ is resting in works. A view of salvation that leaves the end result in the hands of people alone is no different than the Pharisee in Luke 18. Maybe the prayer of the modern Pharisee now looks more like this:

"Lord I thank you that I walked the aisle and made my decision for Christ. I thank you that I wrote the date of my decision in my Bible so that I can be assured that I am saved"

That kind of decision based salvation is no better than basing salvation on infant baptism. It's a false gospel. It is NOT the gospel of the Bible. When the tax collector leaves all his works and cries out to God for mercy, he is seeking God in the only way God can be sought - by faith. His faith is a gift from God, not by his own doing. (Eph 2:8) God is the one who saves by his own sovereign will and there is nothing we can do to affect that in any real sense. If you want God, it's because God is working in you. If you see your sin for what it is, and realize that there is nothing in yourself that can save you, it's because God is working in you. If there is any true desire in you to know the only God who is over all creation it's not coming from you but from God alone. None are righteous, none seeks God unless God himself condescends to change the very will of the sinners he wishes to save so that he might manifest his glory in them. If you got to the gates of heaven and God asked you why you think you're saved what would your answer be? "Because I was a pretty good person" will not cut it. "Because I prayed a prayer" will not suffice.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:22-23 KJV)

Many people that cast out demons and do miracles while claiming the name of Jesus Christ will not enter heaven. Only those that God has saved by his own decree and the sacrifice of Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Does God know you? Or do you just think you know God?

Just occured to me...

I love Christ. I really do. But I have a tendency to amass all kinds of hobbies and things that redirect my focus. Temporarily, but still it gets redirected. I like hunting and fishing, and there's nothing wrong with either of those things, but I seem drawn to picking up new hobbies even though some days I'm that guy who's saying "Oh ya I was gonna study my Bible, but I just didn't have time". How many days do I not have time for God but somehow find ways to jam a hunting trip into my busy schedule? Unbelievable, especially since I'm keenly aware that the only way to be truly at peace and satisfied is by looking to Christ.

So many Christians suffer from the same sickness. Love Christ, but fill our spare time with every diversion available because the world says we need to guard our recreation time. Now there's nothing wrong with the occasional hunting trip, but my brain that's so easily distracted could probably use more time with God in His Word than time blasting ducks.

God help us all.