When God Shuts It Down - Job 38:8-11

          “Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; when I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors; when I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!’” - Job 38:8-11

    My claim is that I am a Reformed Christian, a Confessional Christian, and a Calvinist; all of which, to paraphrase the “Prince of Preachers,” Charles H. Spurgeon, are merely nicknames for Biblical Christianity. While many who claim the mantel of “evangelical Christian” couldn’t be further from the real deal. There is no such thing as liberal Christianity - such notions are heretical at best! True Christianity doesn’t seek to be inclusive, diverse, or otherwise open to everyone. True Christianity is closely defined because we may not violate the parameters set by a sovereign God!
     “You lie!” You say, and scurrying to your Bibles point to Christ’s admonition that He came not to save the righteous but the lost. You are right . . . this far you may come. But your position is untenable because while Jesus did come to save sinners, He came to us, “and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” - Mark 1:15.
    Yes, Christ came to save sinners - to SAVE sinners - not to accept them in their sin and let them remain there! We are all sinners, every one of us. The gift of redemption awaits us all. But how many will accept the invitation that God puts forth. He doesn’t say, “Come to me with your sins. Come to me with your pride.” For those who refuse to repent and accept Christ’s gracious gift of salvation, God says, “This far you may come (as you are), but no farther . . . .” The Bible clearly points out that there are only two ways to enter and according to Jesus Himself - “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” - Matthew 7:13-14. Christianity is not an inclusive faith; that’s why heaven has a gate!
    There have been many good commentaries on the description of the narrow and the wide gates. One of the best suggests that the wide gate is wide because it allows us to bring in the baggage of our sins with us, while the narrow gate allows us to come to Christ only with ourselves, relieved of our sinful baggage. Limited atonement - Christ pays the price for our sins so He may take them upon Himself; He does not pay the price for our sins so we may keep them. If this were the case then why did He have to die to save us from our sins?
    We all know how far we may go before we must stop. It’s called “conscience.” It’s why criminals flee from capture; they know they have done something wrong! We continue forward in our depravity only because we still believe we can get away with it. With ourselves? Positively! With our husbands or your wives? Perhaps. With our employers and co-workers? Maybe. But not with God. “I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.” - Zephaniah 1:2-3.
    May we all step back and take stock of our lives. How will we fare when God, ultimately, shuts it all down!

As Long As You Live - Deuteronomy 31:12-13

“Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”
- Deuteronomy 31:12-13

    In the iconic Sinatra tune, “My Way,” he sings, “Regrets, I’ve had a few . . .” Couldn’t we all make that same claim? And when you’ve reached my age there may certainly be more than a few. But my greatest regret is that I failed to come to saving faith before I had reached the ripe young age of fifty. I think of the years I squandered my chances of finding rest in the Lord. And there are many in my life who still hold reservations about the veracity of my faith. I hold no grudges; all of us will be judged, myself and my detractors.
    My second greatest and most painful regret is that I failed to bring my children to Christ. I know well what our Savior had to say about those who are the cause of another’s unbelief. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” - Matthew 18:6. My consternation is not with my children; it is with myself - I am the one who failed. It is my fervent hope and prayer that one day my children will pick up a Bible and let the Holy Spirit open their eyes and hearts.
    Reflecting on our title verse we see there are four basic tenets tied neatly together by a final declaration by God - hear, learn, fear and observe - as long as you live! The law was provided not only to show us how to live but also to act as a witness against us when we fail to live as instructed. For those of us who refuse to comply with God’s law, it would have been better for us if there had never been any law! But we have the law and the command of God -  “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” - Deuteronomy 6:6-7.  I challenge any living pastor or theologian to contradict the command of God. No vagaries will do. There is no ambiguity: we are to teach our children! This is no window dressing for appearance sake; this is what we are to do. We are to do this for our children’s sake - “and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” - 2 Timothy 3:15.
    This is the day - this is the hour - this is the moment. Let us rejoice knowing - “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” - 3 John 1:4. That we may all find rest in Christ the Savior, is my fervent prayer.

The Silent Witnesses - John 3:19-20

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. - John 3:19-20

“Chicago Police are on the hunt for five or six men who live streamed on Facebook the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl to an audience of at least 40 people — none of whom said a word to law enforcement, authorities said Tuesday”. - by Safia Samee Ali for NBC News, March 21, 2017

    The concepts of good and evil are as fixed and immovable as the stars set in the night sky. Their systematic immutability is fundamental to the correct understanding of the doctrine of salvation as taught by John in his Gospel. It is this understanding of the difference between good and evil that separates the lawful from the lawless, the citizen from the criminal, and right from wrong. There must be a foundation to build both a doctrine of redemption and a doctrine of salvation because without the former there can be no latter.  Without such a foundation we are adrift in a turbulent sea without headings, rudders or moorings . . . for all eternity.
    If the actions of men are not held to a standard of righteousness who then can condemn them or their behavior? There’s no standard; to each his own. “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Judges 17:6. Are we still foolish enough to believe that the criminal mind is incapable of recognizing the difference between right and wrong? Can those of us who do nothing to prevent or stop wrongdoing excuse our actions with our indifference? Can we justify our inaction as we watch it unfold before us?
    There can only be one explanation for our participation in or silent assent of, in the face of iniquity and one warning - “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” - Isaiah 5:20. There is, as John boldly states, “condemnation” for these darkened souls. As for those who sit by indifferently and allow the unrighteousness to continue. It is as though they silently assented to the iniquity - they too are guilty!  “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” - Romans 1:28 -32.
    It makes no difference whether the criminal is a foreigner, a visitor, a sojourner, a neighbor or a family member; they are criminals! Do not be fooled. God will not be mocked and His eternal justice will prevail, over the perpetrator, their advocates, and those of us who remain silent in the face of iniquity.

On Civil Disobedience - Hebrews 3:18-19

  
 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. - Hebrew 3:18-19

    We live in a tumultuous time when citizens take to the streets daily in an attempt to disrupt civil society. At the very core of their behavior lies the deliberate intent to refuse to obey the law of the land. Forgive me for going out on a limb here but I am of the opinion that these very same miscreants seldom find a seat in the congregation on Sundays. After all, violating the law is their raison d'être. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” - 1 John 3:4.
    Human choice is the primary area where sin has taken up residence. While many make the right choice, far many more do not, as is evidenced by daily life. The litterer in the car in front of you; the pushy person at the grocery store; the obnoxiously loud person at the theater, and the list goes on. It certainly would be hard for human law enforcement to keep up with the petty wrong-doings of the citizenry. Look at how difficult it is for them to contain serious crime. So is there no recompense for daily disobedience? Far be it. “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” - Hebrews 4:13.
    God has made it clear in many Scriptural passages that there is nothing hidden, even behind the facade of respectable or non-serious transgressions. “For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” - Ecclesiastes 12:14. And if every work is brought into judgment would that not include serious civil disobedience? Our sovereign Lord has made it clear that all authority comes from Him and that included our civil authorities from the local meter readers up to and including the President of the United States! And unless the person in authority is demanding that we as Christians break God’s laws, then we are compelled by God’s word to respect and follow the law of the land. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” - Romans 13:1-2.
    Most of the current civil disobedience that we are subjected to on the nightly news is being committed by avowed anarchists and there is nothing that chafes the soul of an anarchist like the binding authority of God! They will not obey because they do not believe in the authority that God Himself has put in place. As a result of their unbelief, they will not enter His rest - a very bitter pill to swallow for a fleeting feeling of personal autonomy.
    Let us be reminded that all authority on earth comes from the providence of God and unless that authority rebels against Him we are to follow it to the letter.

A Beggar’s Banquet - Luke 18:11-13

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
 - Luke 18:11-13


    I made a rather bold statement the other day to another Reformed Christian. I said, “We Five Pointers are probably the best elixir the unbelievers have for coming to Christ.” Naturally, my colleague stared at me aghast and asked me, “why?” I then proceeded to lay out my case by pointing to those “Christians” most believers encounter. I think you’ve seen them and I’m almost certain you have heard them pontificate on how pious they believe they are, very much like the Pharisee in Luke’s parable.
    Naturally, unbelievers are outraged that anyone would come off as though they somehow had the market on personal perfection or holiness. I know I am. I know how far I still fall from grace in my daily life. I know that I am constantly in need of repentance and make no bones about admitting it. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” - 1 John 1:8.
    I tell the unbelievers in my sphere of influence that I, more than anyone I know, need churching and continual sanctification. Now don’t misconstrue what I mean by “churching.” It is merely a concept that is easy to grasp for those who don’t practice the Christian faith. And it is certainly easier for my acquaintances and co-workers to approach me about matters of faith when they feel that I do not claim to hold a morally superior position. I am quick to tell them that all men are sinners . . . including myself. Now again, before my words are misinterpreted, I don’t imply that my sinfulness counts in my favor - “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” - Romans 6:1-2. And with my imperfections in view, there are those who are more willing to at least listen to what I have to say.
    This nonsense that we Christians are somehow immune to temptation, that we are somehow held above human weakness by a band of angels, is ludicrous. We sometimes stumble; we sometimes fall. Even the most prayerful of us is prone to a moment of human frailty and we will continue to be so this side of glory. Your sins may be different than mine but they will still be sinful. And so our lives are to be spent in a state of constant repentance. Try to remember the first of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses  - “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”  Our entire life! We are not to merely exhibit our personal holiness on “sanctifying Sundays.”
    Perhaps Paul explains it better, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20. Yes, we are to be like a city on a hill. Yes, we are to be like lamp-stands - “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. After all, our primary purpose here on earth is to glorify God (WLC #1). This is a tall order so we must present ourselves as sojourners like the rest of mankind, but set apart by the grace of God. By the grace of God! And that is the only difference between God’s elect and those trapped in the darkness of unbelief. We are all beggars attending the King’s banquet and until we are glorified in His presence we will all come dressed in rags. The only difference between our sins and theirs is that our sins have been covered and forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ at the beggar’s banquet. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7. By God’s tender mercies we who have been chosen will be purged clean.

The Tombs Of Civility - Matthew 23:27

 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” - Matthew 23:27.


    If all we’re talking about is the need for some kind of safe order in secular society then civility is a basic prerequisite. But the door of civility often falsely leads many to believe that it also provides a pretty reliable gateway to eternal salvation. Behind that door lies the tiger. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” - Matthew 7:13.
    So what can we say of the merits of civility?  Civility is often just a more insidious form of hypocrisy. It is often the smile that hides the sneer. Enemies may be civil to one another but it neither erodes nor removes their enmity. It is often the most condescending form of hostility available. It is ostentatious, a show, a practiced not because it arises from a Godly heart but because it serves our self-interests. “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” - Matthew 12:34.
    How often I have heard the words, “Oh, I believe if you do what is right, God will recognize it and reward your good works in heaven.” What they are stating is that they are basically civil (good) people. But anyone even slightly acquainted with Scripture knows - “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.’” - Romans 3:10-12. Is Paul suggesting that no one ever does anything that can be deemed good or noble? Of course not, he is merely saying that the motivation is not stemming from Godliness but from self-interest. In other words, they’re merely being civil.
    The mask of civility may fool others but God is not confused or misled. He sees the sin nature born into all of us by virtue of Adam’s fall. And while many of us may wear the smile of civility upon our faces, it is merely a gaudy death mask designed to deceive others into believing that we are “basically good people” and that we are going to heaven. Civil? Perhaps. But good? Far from it! God has already declared that pretension will never merit salvation. “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” - Matthew 23:28   
    A serpent may have a civil tongue but his throat is still full of venom. As such, civility will never stand alone as a means to salvation. Man’s total depravity will not be undone by decorum. And while it is a preferable tool to help maintain civil order in a secular society we must never mistake it for the narrow gate which leads to salvation. There is only one - “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. Let us always walk in the Way that Christ has provided for us and seek salvation in Him and through Him alone.

The Triad Of Goodness - Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8

    Justice, mercy, humility is seen as “good” in the eyes of God. But in what application? Certainly, in today’s day and age, justice would be the first to be thrown out. Justice implies that one receives what he is due. According to holy Scripture, justice isn’t what sinners want from a just God. In fact, it’s the last thing we want. “God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” Psalm 53:2-3.             
 What we really want, what we sinners really hope for, is the second of the triad of goodness - mercy. “Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.” Psalm 25:6-7.
    Knowing that justice is a rigid and harsh mistress that requires mercy for forgiveness what then is required of us? How can we fallen sinners acknowledge that justice will be met with mercy if we are not humble enough to understand that we don’t deserve mercy in light of our sins? Thus, we reach for the third and final leg of the triad of goodness - humility. A proud heart knows no humility. “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’” - Obadiah 1:3. Humility is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When we walk humbly with God we are pursuing our sanctification as God’s elect, thus it is only with this humility that we seek the Lord. It is only with this humility that we can stand in the justice provided for us by Jesus Christ, whose precious blood purchased the mercy we so badly need.            
 This triad of justice, mercy, and humility fairly represents the Holy Trinity in that God the Father demands justice; Jesus Christ provides mercy, and the Holy Spirit instills humility in us . May we always walk in the triad of goodness and in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.