A Much Needed Message for Today

Last night I listened to this awesome sermon. It starts out slowly. It is my impression (I may be wrong) that this topic is one that is very different from his usual topics. The first 10 minutes of the sermon, it seems to me, is given to prepare his congregation for this new message, in the attempt to shore up his listeners so they will not turn away from the severity of this subject. He wants his listeners to know that he has given this topic a lot of research, and tears, and devoted study of God's word, to learn the whole council of God on a matter that has caused much damage to many people, and caused many in the church to abandon what the Bible has to say about it. It is approximately an hour and twenty minutes long. I hope you will take the time to listen:


It's Evening in Sodom from Grace Chapel on Vimeo.

The Fool Says in His Heart....

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 Today my mind kept thinking on this Bible verse:

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:14  (ESV)

I'm guilty of sometimes (often?) going round and round and round in an argument I cannot win. I still am infected with the idea that if I can find the correct words to say I can convince others of the truth, and can save them from their foolishness and their ultimate self-destruction. My husband chides me about it. He often says to me "A stupid person doesn't know he is stupid". He's great about coming up with such witticisms. He's right you know. How often have I done really foolish things without realizing just how foolish it is? I don't want to answer that question on the grounds it will definitely incriminate me. And then I find a wonderful quote like the one above (which reminds me of the P.T. Barnum quote: "There's a sucker born every minute")...and realize just how easily people will believe a lie, any lie, over the truth.

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. 
Psalm 14:1 (ESV)

and

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
 Proverbs 26:12 (ESV)

Ok, that one pinches a little...


A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
Proverbs 29:12 (ESV)

OUCH!

Thankfully the Lord is patient, and LONGsuffering, and my trust is in Him to teach me His ways. Woe is me if I trust only in my own wisdom to carry me through. I have had much experience in viewing my life in hindsight and in that rearview mirror I can see that the Lord has been patient and gracious with me for a very long time.... even when I was VERY foolish.

 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 
Psalm 146:2 (ESV)

Amen, thanks be to God who is merciful and forgiving forever!

A Proper Response

 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.  And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep.
For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. 
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry;
for the joy of the LORD is your strength.  
So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.   And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. 

Nehemiah 8:8-12 (KJV)

I've been thinking about the joy of the Lord being our strength in the light of people wanting to idolize a celebrity who takes his own life. Atheists want to claim him as a fellow atheist and Christians say he spoke openly of his Episcopalian association therefore that he was obviously a Christian. He made fun of his Episcopalian denomination calling it Catholic-lite. God only knows the real truth about this situation and we know that He is merciful and forgiving, however I don't think it is right to force God's hand in these situations by saying the things people do about it. Suicide is a very serious thing, and it is a sin. To make light of it and say people can definitely commit suicide and still go to heaven is saying something that God doesn't say in His word, the Bible. He also doesn't say that people who commit suicide definitely go to hell, but there are plenty of things said about perseverance and that the ability to persevere comes from God and not anything good in ourselves.

When the people of Nehemiah's day heard and understood the law they wept and grieved. Why? They were convicted by what it said. That is a proper response to reading and understanding the law, but it doesn't end there. Once they understood and were truly humbled and truly sorry, Nehemiah and Tirshatha and Ezra as well as the Levites taught the people not to focus this on themselves but to focus on the Lord and to find their joy in the Lord  which is their strength, not themselves.

I often see this portion of the passage taken out of it's proper context to condone behaving like lunatics as being "the joy of the Lord". No. They first recognized and mourned their sinfulness in light of the law, and then were taught by the Levites the proper way to have joy in the Lord and to rejoice and celebrate. There is nothing wrong in celebrating. There were many feasts mentioned in the O.T. (people often focus on the law and the battles being the only lessons found there). If we take these things in their proper context and their proper order we see that the proper response for truly understanding the law is sorrow for sin, and that we have a God who loves us enough to see our sins and forgive us of our sins and to strengthen us through the joy that comes from truly knowing and loving Him.

On Finding Contentment With God Part 2

In a recent post on this blog I mused about finding contentment with God. Paul said he had found the secret to finding that contentment:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, 
for 
I have learned 
in whatever situation I am to be content.  

I know how to 
be brought low,
and
I know how to 
abound. 
In any and every circumstance, 

I have learned 
the secret 

of facing 
plenty and hunger, 
abundance and need.   
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:11-13 KJV)

In that blogposting one of the questions I ask is:

"One day we will die and stand before Jesus.What will matter in that day?"

Will what I had for breakfast, lunch or dinner on any given day matter? Will what I wear today matter on that day? Will what I think of myself...

The Pathology of False Disciples

John MacArthur nails it. Wow.

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

In the days of Ezra the walls of the city of Jerusalem were broken and Ezra asked the king, Artexerxes, to rebuild the walls of the city. When the walls were restored, Ezra gathered the people (Nehemiah 7:5) because the Lord put it on his heart to record them by their geneologies. While they were gathered there he read the book of the law to them. I love what it says in Nehemiah 8:8 :

They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. (ESV)

The words of the law were explained clearly so the people understood exactly what was being said...and it caused the people to weep, because they understood the words of the law and recognized their fallen condition. But Ezra told them not to weep because the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemian 8:10)

When we understand the Bible correctly, it causes us to see our sinfulness and it is not pleasant to see that ugly condition. There are many ways to react to this understanding....

The Sound in the Mulberry Trees

This sermon by C.H. Spurgeon is lovely and refreshing. I hope if anyone hears it, they will take the full time to listen all the way through...to not make a judgment at the 5 or 10 minute mark and decide they don't need to hear more, because you will rob yourself of some of the richest blessings that come from hearing the full of it all the way through. What a sweet, sweet blessing.

Aha Moment

Joh 17:1  These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
Joh 17:2  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Joh 17:4  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Joh 17:5  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Joh 17:6  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
Joh 17:7  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
Joh 17:8  For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
Joh 17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
Joh 17:10  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
Joh 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Joh 17:12  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Joh 17:13  And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Every once in a while I have one of those "aha moments"...and what is REALLY COOL is when my husband and I have one together. This happened while at church a few months ago. Our pastor, Kent Clark  was speaking on what Jesus went through on our behalf, and then made a startling comment. He said that Jesus did not give Himself to us but gave Himself to the Father and then the Father gave those whom He had chosen to the Son. My DH and I both almost jumped up out of our seats and looked at each other and said "wow!" Pastor Clark, or rather the Holy Spirit through pastor Clark delivered a powerful word that hit us both right at the same time.

So often we hear about Jesus offering Himself to us, and that is completely incorrect. He offered Himself to the Father. If the Father rejected His sacrifice, it all would have been for nothing. But the Father accepted Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. THAT is the defining moment, when the Father accepted the sacrifice and out of that the Father gave to the Son those whom He had chosen.

 Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Street Preaching 3: A Personal Testimony

The last couple of posts were concerning street preaching, and a street preacher named Tony Miano. There were some comments made about Mr Miano and about his personal life that made me want to dig a bit further. Today I found where Tony has put his personal testimony of how he came to Christ, and some thoughts about the charismatic movement (where his faith in Jesus had it's beginning). He tells about how it went from casual to crazy, and ends his thoughts about the movement with these words:

Excerpt:

The only thing, the only One who can bring spiritual addicts out of bondage is the true Holy Spirit--the Third Person of the Godhead. Only the Holy Spirit can take a heart and mind that craves what is false and change it to love what is true. Only the Holy Spirit can so regenerate the heart of the spiritual addict, enabling them to come to genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. While I don't question the salvation of my Christ-loving, Bible-believing, gospel-sharing, discerning Charismatic friends, I most certainly do question the salvation of spiritual addicts who seek the gift with no concern of who the giver might be. I do question the salvation of those who ignore what the Bible says about discerning every spirit and, instead, simply swallow whatever the latest spiritual snake oil salesman is selling. I do question the salvation of those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit by attributing to the Holy Spirit that which should rightly be attributed to Satan (i.e. the magical appearance of gold dust and gold teeth, fire tunnels, healing evangelism, treasure hunting, trips to heaven, swine anointing (I can't make this stuff up), toking the Holy Ghost, and other outrageous, man-centered, Holy-Spirit degrading, demonic, blasphemous activities).
My hope for those addicted to false spiritual movements is not their eternal demise. On the contrary: my hope and prayer is that the Holy Spirit will bring them to their senses and extend to them the most precious gifts--repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And may the Lord bless His Church and the world with yet another Great Awakening, true revival that brings true glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Read the rest of this testimony here

I still have more digging to do regarding Mr Miano, however, thus far I am not convinced by those who have so much to say against him.

Edited to add:

I found a Facebook page as well where Tony has posted the letters he has received from members of Parliament:

 https://www.facebook.com/OpenAirTony/photos_stream 

I posted a comment at one of the images of a letter. The letter suggested that in an open air preaching that it would be better to only speak about the love of God and not the facts about sexual immorality. I'll do a post about that later.

Memory

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As I get older, my memory seems to get worse and worse. Sometimes I'll be in cleaning in one room and realize that I need something that is in another room, but by the time I reach the other room the reason for going there completely escapes me.

Often I ponder how the memory works. Having taken anatomy and physiology courses, I know about the scientific explanations for these things; the firing of synapses, the storing of information in long-term and short-term memories, and how a song or a fragrance can suddenly bring to mind something that happened so long ago that you are surprised by it's sudden recollection...

But why do I suddenly recall a verse that Jesus spoke which has been lovingly recorded into our Bible, remembering the exact words at a time when I need them the most? Like when a temptation confronts me and suddenly the verse:

1Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

enters quietly "out of nowhere"....really? Out of nowhere? Or is it MY wondrous ability? This incredible brain that I have in my head, capable of retrieving at any instant beyond my conscious control, vast stores of knowledge, and because my brain knows that I am a Christian, MY BRAIN chooses from it's memory banks the correct Bible verse to bring to mind at that moment I NEED it the most? Is that how it works? Is that what the Bible tells us? Or does God still speak to His own today...and do most of His own take the credit for it for being so self-righteous that such spiritual thinking comes so easily of our own ability to make it so?

The gospel of John tells us:

John 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Oh, yeah, the Holy Spirit...I remember Him! He is God! And He still speaks to us, even today, when many say that God is silent and only speaks while we are reading what we read in His word, the Bible. True, the Holy Spirit does reveal His word to us while we are reading His word. But He also reminds us of the things He has said in His word. 

Does this make me arrogant? To think that I am so precious to God that He would speak to me, to remind me of His caring for me, His words of comfort, and caution, and love? No. It humbles me. It reminds me that I can do nothing of myself. It reminds me of how dependent I am of Him, and how much He cares for me. 

I am grateful that I am getting more and more absent minded, because it serves as a reminder of how much I need Jesus, need His Comforter, His Holy Spirit, Who reminds me of His love and protection over me.

But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.   

My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.   

I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.   

O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 

  

Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.   

Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!   Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles,

 shalt quicken me again, 

and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. 

Thou shalt increase my greatness, 

and comfort me on every side. 

Psalm 71:14-21

Charles Spurgeon

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This past week I've been listening to many of Phil Johnson's sermons, and my absolute favorites (thus far anyway) are his talks about Charles Spurgeon. I would have loved to have met Pastor Spurgeon and attended his meetings! What a sweet man Spurgeon was... his enemies broke his heart which is why he died so young, at only 58 years (!) of age. I'm posting the links, mostly for myself to be able to enjoy them again and again, but also for anyone else to hear about God's greatest preacher (in my opinion, and in the opinion of many others too). I thought all of the sermons on this site were accompanied with transcripts, but unfortunately there aren't any for the ones listed below...however, the second one, "The Conversion of Charles Spurgeon", does has a transcript link to click onto which provides the photos which Pastor Johnson showed in a slide presentation while giving this sermon so it adds to being able to follow along and have the full experience of the teaching.

Charles Spurgeon: His Childhood and Youth

The Conversion of Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon the Warrior

And this link has more sermons about Charles Spurgeon which I have yet to look forward to listening to.

How Deep Does God's Grace Reach?

image link (be sure to check out this link)

Or an alternate title for this post is:

Quit Trying and Trust

How deep is my sin? How deep is your sin? God's love and grace and forgiveness reaches as deep, and deeper than that!


Kent Clark is my pastor. My dear hubby and I found him through Sermon Audio, and have had the fortune of being able to visit his congregation a couple of times to hear him in person. He teaches about God's grace...and only that...Grace, Grace, Grace... and you'd think that would get tiresome and repetitive, but it isn't. God's grace is glorious, amazing, and so much greater than your sin or mine. It IS all about God's grace.

In the following Sermon Audio selection, Kent preaches on an introduction into the 5 points of Calvinism, about our sin, the complete horror of how deep and terrible and disgusting to God our sin is, how it reaches even into and beyond our genetics, and therefore SALVATION is ALL ABOUT HIS GRACE, and has nothing to do with any of our ability to do anything. We cannot even look up without HIS GRACE. His strength is what strengthens us. His glory empowers us. His mercy forgives and reaches out to us.

Check my pastor out here:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=222121111157

Isn't God's grace AMAZING?

Praying for Lucy Part 2

After being in a coma for 5 days, she came out of the coma last Monday (they thought it might be meningitis with fevers topping 104 F!), and here she is today!

AWESOME! 

THANK YOU JESUS!

No Arms, No Legs, No Worries Mate!

Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs. He tried to take his life when he was eight years old, but found that he couldn't do it. He realized that God had a plan for his life, and allows the Lord to use him to inspire others. :)

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Beautiful :-)

 Repost because I edited to update the video...the old one was removed (because the user removed his/her account, not because Youtube censored it) This song still gives me goosebumps! :)

Charles Wesley wrote this, and although he was an Arminian (gasp!), he sure wrote an awesome hymn!

To Where You Are

Chloe Agnew sings to her (our) forever love...so beautiful! Her voice is so light and clear, like a spring breeze:

The Humble Miracle of God's Birth Into Flesh

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Luk 2:4  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
Luk 2:5  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
Luk 2:6  And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
Luk 2:7  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luk 2:8  And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luk 2:9  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
Luk 2:10  And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Luk 2:11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luk 2:12  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
Luk 2:13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
Luk 2:14  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
Luk 2:15  When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
Luk 2:16  And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
Luk 2:17  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
Luk 2:18  And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
Luk 2:19  But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

**** from my e-sword: used English Standard Version (ESV)****

Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver

http://steveabbottfineart.blogspot.com/2011/02/apples-of-gold-in-silver-bowl.html

Proverbs 25:11

A word fitly spoken [is like] apples of gold in settings of silver.

Although that verse is in a passage about proper reproof of someone in error, I find it to be an apt description of a wonderful conversation that I was blessed to have with a patient at work last Thursday. It happens every once in a while when you just sense that the Lord brings a person your way and blesses you with the words that uplift you both and have you both praising God for His goodness and His wonderful caring ways. Such a situation occurred for me and this patient.

This patient came to the hospital because he has been experiencing some painful discomfort in his feet (which already has interesting spiritual application when you do a word search in the Bible relating to feet and our walk, hopefully you understand what I mean). While asking him the normal general questions that I do to place a few comments on the study for our radiologist, he said to me "I know this isn't in your area of expertise, but would you know anything about the disease of cancer and what I should know about it, I think I may have it..." so I asked him what makes him believe he might have cancer, and what symptoms he has that makes him think so. He then said he didn't know of any, nor does he know anything about cancer, except that it runs in his family and that he knows he is more at risk because there is alot of history of cancer in his family. He said his grandma died of cancer, so I asked him how old she was when she died, and he replied 92, but that he wasn't ready to let her go and that he felt that she was still too young to die. This number, 92, brought a recent patient I had xrayed to mind. She had broken her hip, and was yelling alot about how we  were going to kill her or cause her to have a heart attack or stroke. I related that situation to him, and told him that her problem was not with us medical personnel, but it was with the fact that she did not feel ready to face death. He then confessed that this was an issue for him also, that he feared dying, and that he could understand that 92 year old patient's apprehensions about death.

There were many things the Lord brought to my mind, during the 20 minutes (it usually would have taken me about 15, I had to take 12 xrays total...so I didn't do too badly) we had together. By the end of the exam, I said "Ok, Bible study is over" and he said "I LOVED IT!" and was beaming from ear to ear, and his eyes were twinkling with the tears he blinked back. We hugged and acknowledged that one day we would meet again.

With all of the problems that I have at work, this patient reminded me of the most important thing regarding why I work there, (besides the fact that it's helping me pay my bills) it's for the patients. Thank you Jesus for the generous gifts of such blessings in the midst of the trials.

Blessings through tears

Hallelujah!