Forgiveness and Happiness

Knowing that we are truly forgiven should naturally give rise to real joy and genuine happiness. When forgiveness is real, having been secured by those contrite sinners who have thrown themselves on the grace and mercy of our forgiving God (who has paid the ultimate price in redeeming us from the penalty of our sins) then they should encourage their hearts to rejoice in the good fortune of this amazing transaction. David wrote these seemingly obvious lyrics for Israel and the church to echo throughout the centuries: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him” (Ps.32:1-2). The word “blessed” translates the familiar Hebrew word “asher” – the name given to Jacob’s eighth son in response to Leah’s delight over his birth. The word “asher” means “happy” – the joyful or jubilant disposition of someone who has become the recipient of something good. Amid the domestic politics of the patriarchal drama of Genesis 30, Leah could not contain her joy at the arrival of the newborn son. Their little “Asher” had brought her profound “asherness!” That was certainly good for her, but nothing could be better for us than having our list of damning sins accusing us as sinners being totally and completely erased! Praise God, with great joy, that the transgressions which should assault you on Judgment Day are not and will not be counted against you. Rejoice afresh in the “covering” of your sins by God himself. Tell your heart to be glad that you will never know the dread of being condemned before your Creator. Do something today that expresses and reflects the happiness of a forgiven life!

The Gospel

Rightly understanding and properly responding to the gospel is of paramount importance. Nothing could have broader or more profound consequences than being right or wrong about the content and demands of the message that determines our placement in eternity. While that seems self-evident, it is amazing how many people have taken little or no time to seriously consider or diligently research what God has or has not said about heaven and hell. It makes no sense that our knowledge of this topic would be limited to the paltry concepts and limited explanations acquired from a few three-page tracts or a short set of extra-biblical phrases picked up in Sunday School or summer camp. We must all commit ourselves to assiduously studying the biblical gospel and not simply traffic in the findings of others. Like “good Bereans” (Ac.17:11), we must read God’s word with care to make sure that what the preachers preach on this topic is actually what the Bible says. We must never be satisfied with trite, shallow or superficial explanations when it comes to the gospel. The message is too important and eternity is at stake. Give this study your all and be sure about your findings!

-- Pastor Mike

For more devotionals sermons and resources go to http://www.focalpointministries.org/

Baptism and Salvation

“Does baptism save you?” The best answer is actually a question: “Which one?” Unfortunately, the word “baptism” causes students of the Bible a lot of confusion because, like a few other select Greek words, it is not translated – it is simply transliterated. Were it translated it would naturally provoke our follow up question. The word “baptizo” is rightly translated by the phrase “placed into.” “Baptizo” is utilized in two primary and distinct ways in the New Testament (e.g.: Mk.1:8; Lk.3:16; Jn.1:33). If someone asked you, “Does being ‘placed into’ save you?” You’d likely ask, “Placed into what?” – which is precisely the clarification needed when responding to the use of the word “baptizo” in the Bible. If one means “placed into” Christ by God’s Spirit, then the answer is “yes!” (Rom.6:3).  When we are placed into Christ at the moment of repentance and faith, we are “clothed in Christ” and we become his “sons” (Gal.3:26-27). Instead, if one means “placed into water” as an expression of our repentance and faith, the answer is “no!” (Ac.8:36)  After saying that “baptism saves” us Peter clarifies, “not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God” (1Pet.3:21). Both “baptisms” in Scripture are commanded – one saves us, the second memorializes the first.

- Pastor Mike


For more devotionals sermons and resources go to http://www.focalpointministries.org/

 

Death

It is a popular platitude for people to say that “death is simply a part of life.” But in reality nothing could be more antithetical to life than death. From a biblical perspective, death is an intrusive and disruptive enemy. The only thing “natural” about death is that all of nature has been unwillingly made subject to it. The Bible reveals that God’s creation was not initially designed to undergo physical death. Death was the penal response to the rebellion of our archetypal parents. Their sin and ours remind us of why life’s enemy is the sentence we each must bear. But thankfully Christ has come to battle our enemy for us. At his first coming he won the war. At his second coming he will depose our enemy. So instead of trying to “accept” death as a part of life, let us stand with our Redeemer who promises that together we will look back on our memories of life’s enemy and say with him that “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1Cor.15:54).

-- Pastor Mike

For more devotionals sermons and resources go to http://www.focalpointministries.org/

 
 

Opportunities to Witness

God calls us to always be looking for opportunities to help people understand the urgency of turning from sin to live for Christ. Paul depicts this Christian responsibility as telling the people in our world to “wake up” (Eph.5:14) – a duty not always eagerly accepted. While the thought may be intimidating, the prospects are exciting. Especially when we realize that Ephesians also reminds us that the results don’t rest on a set of well-crafted words or a skilled apologetic. Because the problem is spiritual death (and not simply an intellectual or moral deficiency), it is ultimately a work of God. As God sovereignly uses our ambassadorship, he periodically takes the reiteration of biblical truth to immediately transform and eternally redirect the lives of lost men and women. It is an awesome transaction to witness – one we wouldn’t want to miss because we weren’t looking for it. In the words of Ephesians 5, “be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (vv.15-16).  May God use you this week to make a difference in someone’s life.

For more devotionals sermons and resources go to http://www.focalpointministries.org/ 

Christmas Forgiveness

In this season of giving and receiving gifts, let us never lose our focus on the incomparable grace that was bestowed on us when God decided to give us everything that was needed to free us from the consequences of our sins through the life and death of Jesus Christ. It would seem only right that God would have walked away from our rebellious world, taking all his benefits and gifts with him. But instead, because of our Creator’s incredible love, he paid the high price of redemption by sending his Son to suffer in our place as our judicial substitute. Just as the Apostle Paul pondered the “surpassing grace of God” in 2 Corinthians 9:15 we should all be quick to say “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

Merry Christmas!

Keeping Grace In View

We are prone to forget, especially as we compare our relative righteousness, that our salvation is all of grace. We must never fail to remember that everything about our lives – our spiritual efforts, our moral resumes and our celebrated accomplishments – are all exchanged for Christ’s. Our salvation is secured in the same way as the “jail cell convert” or “deathbed penitent”. All that we are and all that we have done are substituted for Christ. We must not forget to continually count everything a loss and count our good deeds as rubbish, in order that we may gain Christ and be found in him, not have a righteousness of our own (Philippians 3:8). Our acts of “righteousness” count for nothing; Christ is all that counts! Such a mindset will keep everything in perspective. We will have no room for pride or questioning God’s “fairness”. Keeping the grace of salvation in view will leave us in a place of humble worship and thanksgiving, right where we should be.