This Generation - Proverbs 30:11-13

There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
Proverbs 30:11-13

    As our society and culture surely and slowly slip into crassness and greater sinfulness are we not compelled to look for the contemporary force behind the slide? Recent news stories are appalling, to say the least, and in some cases too bizarre for Godly men and women to even process. From the vestiges of our society diving headlong into the sinfulness of same-sex marriage to the full faith and support of transgender issues to a softening of the public conscience on pedophilia to a recent rash of reports of bestiality. All coincidental? I think not. “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves . . .”
 - Romans 1:24.
    Sadly enough, the push behind this wave of debauchery seems to be the Millennial generation. It appears that there is simply no criminal or moral perversion that they will not somehow defend as a human right. And certainly there will be voices that place the blame firmly on the sin-nature of mankind. While this is true an even more worldly deflection places the drift on the popular culture, liberal educators, and what-not, but despite their part in the downward drift there is still the need for a class of acolytes or minions. This is where the Millennials firmly fit in. Education : In this most fragile area of life we parents of this generation have failed miserably by allowing the liberal educators to infect our children’s minds and hearts with the poisonous doctrines of worldly pursuit rather than the pursuit of God! And what child will not seek his own desires if, not only allowed to, but encouraged to?
    “Ours is peculiarly an age of irreverence, and as the consequence, the spirit of lawlessness, which brooks no restraint and which is desirous of casting off everything that interferes with the free course of self-will, is rapidly engulfing the earth like some giant tidal wave. The members of the rising generation are the most flagrant offenders, and in the decay and disappearing of parental authority, we have the certain precursor of the abolition of civic authority.” - A. W. Pink. The Calvinist, Arthur W. Pink, made this assessment of the generation of youth during the early part of the 20th Century. As anyone can plainly see, the successive generations have continued the downward drift into today’s most pestilent sinful lifestyle.
    In the title verse we see very clearly three components of this perverse generation’s pedigree. First, there is a general contempt among them for any traditional values handed down by their parents’ generation. Within the hearts of these corrupt children nothing of their parents’ generation is worth keeping alive - all of it must be slain. To one degree or another this may be the parents’ fault.  “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” - Proverbs 22:6. As I stated earlier - we parents have failed in our duty to our children. We can not instil with words what we don’t live up to by our actions. Children must be properly “churched”; so must parents. However, this still doesn’t release children from their 4th Commandment duties. They are still bound to honor their fathers and mothers; something this generation wouldn’t even consider.
    Second, these self-absorbed delinquents are convinced of their righteousness before the great cosmos despite their lowing and rooting in evil ways. “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” - Judges 21:25.
    Thirdly, and finally, they are of a high opinion about themselves and their causes. In their minds, they are the most enlightened generation to ever come along. The generations of Aquinas, Da Vinci, Shakespear, Galileo, Newton, Jefferson, Beethoven, Lincoln, Einstein, Churchill, and King fall short of the vain imagination of a generation that worships at the altar of Nietzsche, Bakunin, Marx, Che . . . and Jay Z.
    The sinfulness of this generation is their  badge of honor. In their present state they are merely fodder for hell awaiting condemnation which will surely come at the hands of an angry God! “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” - Proverbs 16:18.
    Perhaps the Puritan, John Trapp describes this generation better than I ever could.
He says they are, “An evil and an adulterous generation, doubtless; a bastardly brood, as were those in the gospel; "a generation of vipers," that make their way into the world by their dams’ death. These monsters of men are doomed to destruction. Hell gapes for them . . .” Of their claim to purity Trapp is even more contrary - “they wallow in sin like swine, and welter in wickedness, which is filth and blood, the vomit of a dog, the excrement of the devil, the superfluity or garbage of naughtiness, and the stinking filth of a pestilent ulcer . . .” And finally, of the loftiness in their eyes he says, “The eyes are the seat of pride and disdain.”
    This Millennial generation, in my estimation, has no further to go to live up to Trapp’s commentary! They currently ride in the contempt Trapp had for them, and they are working very hard to supercede even his estimation of their sinfulness! Where can we turn away from this generation? If they achieve their ends Christianity will be outlawed and persecution will rule the day; this will be the future! Let us pray that an act of God puts the plans of the devil and this generation far away from us. Anathema maranatha.   

The Dark Region Of Despair -1 John 5:16

If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. - 1 John 5:16

A most curious verse.  Doesn’t all sin lead to death? What sin are we talking about here? Are there sinners we should pray for and sinners we should abstain from praying for?
True, all sins leads to death - “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23. Repentance and belief in Jesus Christ rescue us from the sin that does not lead to death, but what of the sin that John speaks about?
Obviously, John is speaking of the “unpardonable sin.”  “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” - Matthew 12:31-32. Clearly, even Jesus saw at least one unpardonable sin. What is the defining difference between a sin that does not lead to death and the sin which does lead to death? Charles H. Spurgeon addressed this quandary perhaps better than anyone else - “He who has committed the sin which is unto death have no desire for forgiveness, he will never repent, he will never seek faith in Christ but he will continue hardened and unbelieving; he will henceforth never be the subject of holy influences, for he has crossed over into that dark region of despair where hope and mercy never come.”  The sin of unbelief is the sin which defies forgiveness because it defies belief in Jesus Christ! The Holy Spirit is the witness to the glory of Christ. To refuse to believe in His witness is blasphemy and as Jesus tells us it will not be forgiven the unbeliever in this age or the next. Prayers offered for the soul of an unbeliever who has consistently denied the glory of Christ are prayers which will not help that individual since his unbelief accompanied him throughout his life and across the threshold into death. But how can we know beyond a shadow of doubt who has committed this unpardonable sin? The fact is only God can know for certain - “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
 - 1 Samuel 16:7.
Since it is impossible for us to discern the heart within our fellow man, or “brother” as the title verse suggests, we cannot know for certain. We should err on the side of grace and pray without ceasing for all mankind. You see, at the end of the verse John merely says that we are not obliged to pray about it, but he doesn’t say we shouldn’t. May we always pray that the glory of Christ is illuminated in the heart of every man, woman, and child. Let there be no unbelievers among us.

A Forge of Idols - Isaiah 43:24

   
You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities. - Isaiah 43:24

“The human soul will find an object to worship, either on the shelf, on the altar, in the mirror, or in heaven. We are born idolaters.” - Dr. Albert  Mohler, “Words From The Fire.”

The 1st Commandment is terse in terms of its perspicuity -  “You shall have no other gods before Me.” - Exodus 20:3. A reasonably sane person should need no more than those eight concise words to understand his or her duty toward God. Yet we see a myriad of idols being created and worshiped daily throughout our cities, our nation, and the world. Sometimes the idols are even within our own Christian homes.
There are two things that every idol have in common: material and finitude. They are both made of some material common to all men and they all have a shelf life. From the notion of a common material we can extrapolate that the material may be as tangible as a new car or as fleeting as celebrity. In either case these idols are finite by their very being. Only God is infinite!
Most idols today require but three things to exist. First, they demand our minds, then our hearts, then our cash. As ignoble as that sounds the three are inextricably tied together.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - Matthew 6:21.
Calvin once remarked, “The human mind is, so to speak, a perpetual forge of idols.” And so we are. “For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God , boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God . . . .” - 2 Timothy 3:2-4. Whether it be our football team, our sports-car, our trophy wife, our favorite entertainers, our toys or what-have-you, we always seem to give our attention, or money, and in many cases that which is reserved for God to these idols of choice. But as I said - all these idols have a shelf-life. None of them live forever. There is no eternity in them as there is in our holy God.  After all, what is more fleeting than something that is here today and gone tomorrow? For the idolater, the ultimate source of power is their cash; it keeps his or her idol within reach. For the God-worshiping Christian our source of power is the Holy Spirit. And here’s the defining difference: idolater’s will eventually run out of cash but God is forever.
May we always praise God and glorify Him as we should . . . and keep the world at arms length, as we should.

Rejoice! - Matthew 28:9

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. - Matthew 28:9

The weekend had been particularly brutal in every aspect. On Friday, Jesus’ disciples had witnessed the utter destruction of the man they called “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And here they were on Sunday morning, wondering what the future held for them. Their expectations ranged from confusion to stark raving fear. Their consternation was further aggravated by their sense of loss and hopelessness. What would be come of them now that “He” was gone? The darkness gave way to dawn as two of the women disciples were hurrying back to the others with news of the empty grave when the Messiah approached them. His first word to them was,”Rejoice.” “REJOICE,” He said. Crucified for our sins and risen from the dead for our salvation - Rejoice! “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” - Psalm 118:24. Every sin forgiven; every iniquity forgotten. Our dirty rags exchanged for robes of righteousness. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” - Philippians 4:4. By grace our debts have been forgiven and a room in God’s mansion awaits us. By the blood of Jesus Christ we have our inheritance in heaven. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” - 1 Peter 1:3. This is why we must all rejoice! A living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ! 
“Rejoice always!” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16. May we all have a blessed Resurrection Day!
Happy Easter!

The Good Thief - Luke 23:43

And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” - Luke 23:43

Despite Catholic tradition suggesting that his name was “Dismas,” the man known as “The Good Thief” was a man without a name. There is a certain aura surrounding this criminal that we need to understand in relation to our own salvation. He is nameless, indicating that, like all of God’s elect, we come to Christ in our own anonymity. We aren’t stellar celebrities with name recognition among our fellow sinners. Yes, we are sinners, but all of us are sinners. “ . . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . .” - Romans 3:23. We come to God smeared in our own sin, not the sins of others. Like the Good Thief we start off our journey with our own form of impenitence and disbelief, but thanks be to God  - we are regenerated before our physical deaths. The Holy Spirit indwells us and we recognize Jesus Christ as our one way to salvation. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” - John 14:6. And like both thieves, we all have our own crosses to bear. “There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.” - Luke 23:32. Put to death we all shall be, but we can rise from death through saving faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. “Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’” - Luke 23:42. Which thief will we follow into eternity?

This Cup - Luke 22:20

 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” - John 18:11

In each of the four accounts of Christ’s arrest in the garden we see Peter’s angst, short temper, and devotion come into play as he swipes his sword at one of those involved. “Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.” John 18:10. Perhaps the most revealing words spoken by Jesus to Peter on the occasion were not His admonition to put away the sword, but His question regarding the cup which God the Father had given to Him.
In both Mark’s and Luke’s account of the Agony In the Garden, the writers recount Christ’s words regarding the cup He was to drink from. “And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.’”- Mark 14:36. “And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’” - Luke 22:41-42.
In his words “this cup” Christ referred to His crucifixion - His horrendous death at the hands of the religious establishment of Judea and a very misguided and jubilant crowd. But despite the enmity of the world there was a purpose - The love of God for us sinners. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10.  Christ wasn’t rebuking Peter for using his sword. He was rebuking Peter’s timing! He was correcting Peter as He had done so on many previous occasions. Peter still did not understand the need for Jesus to die. Reconciliation, was Christ’s purpose in “this cup.” Man’s reconciliation with God, despite Peter’s and mankind’s stubbornness. “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” - Romans 5:10.  Christ’s death reconciled us to God; Christ’s life of perfect obedience to God was then imputed to us for our salvation.
This cup was offered up for us by Jesus Christ. His precious blood was shed so that we could find forgiveness for our sins  and salvation in no other Name. May we praise our Lord and Savior forever!

Haters? - Proverbs 6:16-19

These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him. A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. - Proverbs 6:16-19

It is an all too common accusation used today by pop-cultural elitists. It’s generally the first smear used by them to besmirch a person who holds tightly to Christian values and ethics. The word suggests a vileness reserved for only the worst bigots, racists, and narrow-minded fools. Yes, by now we have all heard the word, “hater,” used in some context to anyone who doesn’t go along with the current multicultural diversity mind set. Don’t approve of homosexuality? Hater! Don’t give in to the latest politically correct buffoonery? Hater! Don’t believe in same-sex marriage? Hater! Don’t believe in paying for the able-bodied who will not work? Hater!
It seems that all one has to do to earn the badge of dishonor these days is to raise the voice of reason from the Christian perspective. But it seems apparent that the hate these godless minions accuse others of is the very hate they practice themselves. But we need not worry. Jesus predicted as much. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” - John 15:18.
We know from what God has spoken that these abominable people are proud lying murderers, who are wicked in heart, quick to sin and quick to cause trouble. As one of my Father’s children, I must plead guilty as charged to their accusations of hatred. For as God hates, so do I. “Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.” - Psalm 139:21-22. Perfect hatred - that’s a hatred based on sound reason and concrete evidence, not simple personal dislike or culturally contrived propaganda. While it is true that we should pray for those who practice criminal, civil, social and cultural evil, we should also pray, as we have been told, to be delivered from the evil one and his minions. “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13.
Haters? We would be worse than haters were we to refuse our Christian duty to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Ours is a true compassion based upon Christian love for our neighbors and our enemies. When we see someone descending into hell it is our duty to try to reach down and pull them out! That is love, not hatred! May we always and under every circumstance love what God loves and hate what God hates