Chloë, Daddy, and Psalm 133A.
Josh February 18th, 2008
Archive for the 'Devotional Thoughts' Category
Trust Not in Yourselves, But in His Promise
Josh February 17th, 2008
Blessings to each of God’s elect this Lord’s Day!
I am about to partake of the bread and wine at the Lord’s Table. I have been struck anew at the privilege of being called a son of God. I am so thankful that He’s a friend to sinners (some), for I feel like I’m much more classified as a sinner than a son.
So as I partake this morning, after much examination, I trust not in my own failures; I trust not in my own accomplishments; I certainly do not trust in my “righteous” acts, nor can I place my trust in my transgressions of His Law. No, friends, I trust in but one thing: God’s promise that He will save me to the uttermost by virtue of His imputed righteousness afforded me through His blood. For my good intentions, the greatest of my righteousness, my deeds…all of these are counted null and void due to the condition of my nature.
So I gladly cast away all thought and hope that might be found in myself…even my own feelings of inadequacy. I plead my fears and failures before the throne of grace and cast myself at the mercy of Christ, Who will save all those Who call upon His Name. Yes, it is in this objective fact that I place my trust; for God is not a liar, and He will save His sheep. He is my Shepherd. Child of God, if you have believed His promise then trust not in your own works or inward feelings. Trust in His promise.
Blessed be His Holy Name!
Confession on This Lord’s Day
Josh February 3rd, 2008
It is of utmost importance, Brethren, that we be quick to acknowledge, confess, and repent of our personal sins against our longsuffering, patient, but just God. However, I fear that while we are mindful of such things, we forget to confess the corporate sins of the Church (particularly within its sphere of influence–whether it be a city, town, or nation), and pray for God’s revival to be brought replacing the apathy of the Church at large.
Since I am in America, I am reminded of the Church’s laxity in dealing with all the moral and social ills. I am most reminded of how said ills have drastically worsened due to the Church’s withdrawal from nearly all realms of society (Social charity–widows, orphans, etc; Art; Music; Education) and a retreat into a fallacious mode of Sacred vs. Secular mentality (Forgive any broad brushing, I’m just meaning the Church at large, not all Churches without exception).
In our withdrawal from these things, we’ve allowed the godless state to take over and chaos has ensued. Ought it not burden the Church’s conscience that godless men see the Church’s inactivity in taking care of the poor etc, and are so incensed thereby that they become active in planning to put an end to such things (although their plans fail miserably in accomplishing such goals)? Shame on us. May it not be so any longer! We, of course, have the only viable (and the most perfect!) answer. It is the Gospel. It is speaking the truth in love, while acting according to that truth toward those Whom we’re seeking to win.
Now, of course, we’re not just speaking of social involvement, but social outcries as well. How long will the Church stand by uninvolved while pseudo-legislation advocates the murder of the unborn? How long will She tolerate such madness? We should be on our faces before God and be zealously decrying these things in the public forum (note: speaking the truth in love). We have become accepting of the fact that it exists in our culture to the point that we’re not zealous enough to see it be gone. This is also true of homosexuality, illicit heterosexuality, ___________ (fill in the blank with whatever abomination). We need repentance starting with the Church.
This Lord’s day, while in prayer individually, with families, and their corporate local churches, may Christians see the need for the Church to turn from her contentedness, and die to themselves, praying on behalf of the Church as Daniel prayed on behalf of Israel:
Daniel 9:3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.
8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.
13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.
19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”
May it be so. Blessings to each of God’s elect this Lord’s Day.
Don’t Wait for the New Year
Josh December 28th, 2007
A new year is coming upon us, indeed. However, why do we wait until January 1st to start pursuing a goal of sorts? Well, there is a Christian duty (one of several) in which we should never be found dull, neglect, or waning. It is one in which we must be constant, consistent, and continuous if we profess to know the God of Scripture. This duty, this absolute necessity, this practice is called Mortifying Sin.
As I have alluded to elsewhere, John Owen once wrote, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” This is precisely why one cannot wait until January 1st. In fact, you cannot afford to defer another moment from this duty! You must resolve yourself this instant to dedicate your very essence of existence to this task. Why? Because the wages of sin are DEATH. Now surely I have some qualifications to make.
First, in order to engage in this distinctly Christian duty, you must be a Christian. If you’re not a Christian, it is not only the height of arrogance to think for a moment that you can effectively engage in the duty of mortification, but it is also sheer futility and the compounding of your condemnation to do so. If this applies to you, I implore you to read this. If you are a Christian, read on.
Secondly, not only must you be a Christian, but you must engage in this duty by the Spirit. If you attempt to mortify your sin apart from dependance upon the Holy Spirit, your efforts are just as vain as that of an unbeliever. Though you are now a Christian, you are still affected by that residue of indwelling sin, which is exactly why you must engage in this duty! So then, you must be a Christian to do this, and you must also do it by the Spirit.
You say, “That’s great, Josh. Thanks for telling me what I need to do (and why), but then totally leave me hanging by not telling me how.” Well, my friend, this is where the Big Guns come in. I can absolutely no better exhort you in this manner than has already been exhorted by some of the godliest men of the past. Therefore, I will give you a few brief pointers, and then suggest a book or two concerning the pointers.
What is Sin?
To kill sin, you must know sin intimately. Now, don’t twist that. Don’t misunderstand. I am not saying to engage more heavily in sinning so that you might know it better. That’s utter foolishness. I am saying that you must know your enemy– that is, Sin– and know it intimately within the context of Scripture’s light. In doing this, as a Christian, you will come to have a holy hatred for your sin. Book Suggestions:
The Sinfulness of Sin-by Ralph Venning (Banner of Truth)
The Evil of Evils-by Jeremiah Burroughs (Soli Deo Gloria-buy it used if you can)
How Does Sin Work?
You must also know sin personally. By that, I mean you must know how sin approaches you, specifically. How does Satan use your own sinful nature to tempt you and bring you to a halt. You must learn his strategies. Book Suggestion:
Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices-by Thomas Brooks (Banner of Truth)
How Do I Mortify Sin?
Now we come to the clencher. And I’m not gonna say a thing. I’m going to suggest three books. One of them is a compilation of three works by John Owen. The other two are more contemporary works on the subject of mortification. Obviously, I’m partial to Owen. However, he can be a stickler to read most of the time for many, and some of the time for some. Therefore, the latter of the three suggestions are recommended, and are theologically solid, sound, and from a Reformed understanding of Scripture and the Christian Faith.
Overcoming Sin and Temptation: Three Classic Works by John Owen-edited by Justin Taylor & Kelly Kapic (Crossway)
The Enemy Within-by Kris Lundgaard (P & R)
A Fight to the Death-by Wayne & Joshua Mack (P & R)
Don’t wait for the New Year. Start killing sin now. Develop a more holy hatred of sin, YOUR SIN, each passing moment. We must truly seek to know the sinfulness of sin, and the wretched vile stinch it is in the nostrils of God. I’ll leave you with some applicable quotes from the grand ole Puritan Divines:
We do not want sin covered, but cured-Thomas Watson
Let no man think to kill sin with few, easy, or gentle strokes. He who hath once smitten a serpent, if he follow not on his blow until he be slain, may repent that ever he began the quarrel. And so will he who undertakes to deal with sin, and pursues it not constantly to the death.-John Owen
If you wish to stand firm in the midst of suffering, forewarn yourself of this fact: Temptation is never stronger than when relief seems to dress itself in the very sin that Satan is suggesting.-William Gurnall
Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world.-John Owen
When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion.-John Owen
A Great Quote
Josh December 7th, 2007
I wanted to share a great quote from Mr. Andrew Moody, Pastor of Christ Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church ins Amarillo, Texas. The discussion was revolving around the appropriateness of symbols like a bare cross decorating places of worship. Although he recognizes such decor as a circumstance of worship (as opposed to an element) he cautioned:
The cross is a symbol adopted by the church for her own use. God did not give us this symbol. It has become an icon viewed by many to have some mystical superstitious power (wards off vampires, etc). To put it plainly, the cross that Christ bore is not the cross that bore Christ (I don’t remember who said that originally, but it stuck with me)! This is a cross that isn’t visible, but spiritual. This is hell, the unhindered wrath of God poured out upon Jesus for my sin. That can’t be worn around my neck or tacked to a wall. However, it can be preached with the full power and authority of Christ through the powerful working of the Spirit!
