God's Sovereignty

Trusting in the sovereignty of God does not give us license to live lax or laidback lives. Knowing that God is actively governing and guiding life’s events is a comforting realization. It rightly dispels fear and anxiety, but it should not quench our passion or drive to attack each day with zealous intent. Consider Paul’s confidence in God regarding the salvation of the elect. He obviously believes that “as many as are appointed to eternal life believe” when he proclaims the gospel (Ac.13:48). And yet we see his passionate determination as he describes his evangelistic fervor: “Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” and “God is making his appeal through us:  we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2Cor.5:11; 20). There is no “letting go and letting God.” Rather, there is an underlying confidence in the providential work of God as we give ourselves wholeheartedly and passionately to the work he has called us to do. So whether it is evangelism or financial planning, prayer or childrearing, the biblical model is to trust God fully and work at it with all of our heart.

Confession

The Bible instructs us to “confess” our sins (1Jn.1:9). While many think that means to say “I’m sorry” to God, the word actually precludes most forms of modern apologies. The word confess in the Greek New Testament is a compound word which is made up of the words “the same” and “to speak”. The idea is that when we confess our sins, we are saying the same thing about our sins that God says. God, of course, sees our sins as detestable (2Kgs.21:11), appalling (Jer.2:12-13), shameful (Job 31:11), grievous (Eph.4:30), wicked (Gen.39:9), offensive (Pr.17:9), and even nauseating (Rev.3:16). Popular sentiments like “I’m sorry if I offended you” or “I’m sorry you were hurt by my actions” is a long way from calling our own actions detestable or appalling. True biblical repentance always includes seeing our sins for what they are and agreeing with God about the sinfulness of sin. That is why passages that depict biblical repentance include phrases like “this godly sorrow has produced in you… indignation, alarm and readiness to see justice done” (2Cor.7:11). So let us be careful that we don’t mistake a half-hearted “I’m sorry” for biblical “confession” of our sins.

Feelings

Our Maker tells us in his word that our volition can and should take charge of our emotions. God has so designed our minds and now insists that we not be tyrannized by our feelings. It may not be easy. At times it will be a fierce battle, but our decision-making must not be conscripted by our fickle moods and emotions. Consider the Psalmist who taught God’s people to marshal their inmost being: “Praise the Lord, O my soul; and all my inmost being, praise his holy name” (Ps.103:1). Even when fears grip the psalmist’s heart his response is, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid” (Ps.56:11). Circumstances will obviously ignite our feelings, but God has designed us and called us to take charge and lead with our volition and not our emotions. If we let our feelings lead we will inevitably be driven and tossed by the tide of our circumstances. May God’s Spirit embolden our minds to lead and allow our feelings to fall inline.

Stand for Truth

God warned of a great apostasy as the end of human history draws near (2Th.2:3; 1Tim.4:1-3; 2Tim.3:1-5; 4:3-4; et al.). This is not a promise of a religion-less world. On the contrary, the end times events are filled with references to popular and influential religious organizations (Rev.17:1-18). What God’s word predicts is the loss of true biblical faith in Jesus as the “only way to the Father” and in Jesus as our “sovereign Lord” (Rev.17:1-18; Jn.14:6; Jude 4). We must not let this forewarned slide into relativistic religion take us by surprise. We must stand on the objective truth of God’s word regardless of how unpopular it may become. Though God’s truth is timeless, we should expect increasing portions of society to mock it and malign us for adhering to it. As J.C. Ryle once wrote, “if a man studies the Scripture and labors continually for the conversion of souls… he will probably be thought a firebrand and ‘troubler of Israel.’ But let men say what they will. Such are the truest friends of the Church who labor for the preservation of the truth.”

Relationship God's Way

The newspaper recently reported that what people are looking for these days is a “spiritual” experience without any “religious” guidelines. That’s nothing new, so were Adam and Eve. We tend to want a relationship with God our way. The problem is “our way” is “sin” – which by definition is the lack of conformity to “God’s way”. God and his holy standard are what they are. Wishing or wanting it to be the way I’d prefer it won’t change the reality of God and his revealed standard. The goal of biblical Christianity is to see our thoughts, hearts and lives conformed to what is holy, just and right – according to God’s definition. Which, believe it or not, is best. And because God, the perfect One, has made us for himself, in the end, what is holy, just and right will be exactly what we want. In our fallen state, human desires are all over the map, but when God restores his children, first internally at regeneration and then externally at his coming, we realize that God’s commands “are sure and altogether righteous… more precious than gold… and sweeter than honey” (Ps.19:9-10).

--Pastor Mike 

Good News

To trust in Jesus as the sole provision for my acceptance before God is the essence of the gospel. But by definition this gospel cannot be the same as a gospel which allows you to trust in Jesus plus something else. Many are glad when they find those who “love Jesus” and are quick to consider them participants in the gospel. But the gospel found in the Bible requires more than “accepting Jesus” – it requires that I relinquish my trust in any other means of approval before God. To think that “adding Jesus” to my life is the secret ingredient for salvation is to miss the “substitution” that is at the heart of biblical faith. I cannot add Christ to my efforts, works or good deeds. Christ must replace these! Paul, in describing his personal efforts to do good testifies, “whatever was to my profit I now consider loss” (Phil.3:7). He goes on to say, “I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ” (Phil.3:8-9). The gospel calls us to forsake any trust or confidence in ourselves and instead to trust exclusively in Jesus Christ as the sole provision for our acceptance before God. Adding Christ to a spiritual portfolio or loving Christ as an additional spiritual asset is “another gospel” - which God in the letter to the Galatians goes to great lengths to show is “no gospel at all” (Gal.1:6-7).

-- Pastor Mike

Creation

While many of us affirm the truth that God made the world and that it displays his handiwork, and while some of us go so far as to say that it is God’s strategic source of “general revelation” to mankind, it is unfortunate that most of us take so little time to utilize God’s creation as a catalyst for worship. David states that “the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his hand… day after day they pour forth speech and night after night they display knowledge” (Ps.19:1-2). That was not just a theological assertion for David, it was most often a stirring prompt to pray, sing and worship the Creator. In Psalm 8 for instance, David recognizes the various ways God’s greatness is seen in the created order (from the stars and the moon to the varieties of herds, birds and fish) only to frame his observations with heartfelt praise: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth” (vv.1, 9). While the world is often enamored with God’s creation, yet failing to honor the Creator (Rom.1:25), let us not miss the daily opportunity given to us through the sunsets, constellations or crisp ocean air to specifically and sincerely praise the Creator whose craftsmanship is on perpetual display.

-- Pastor Mike