Twice in Psalm 42 the Psalmist cries out, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” V. 5 and 11. Strange thought and strange wording, a man speaks to his own soul, but from where? It must be that the Word of God has brought about the separation of soul from spirit as spoken in Hebrews 4:12 There the Word is “quick” and powerful and pierces to the “dividing asunder” of soul and spirit… Nevertheless, the psalmist is observing the self-bending down of his own soul — it seems to have a mind of its own. Paul appears to speak from this same kind of separation in his letter to the Romans.: “Now if I do that I would not, it is no…
Healing at the Cross Posts
The sweet psalmist prayed to God, ” Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. ” from Psalm 51 a psalm of David. Never can a man do either of David’s requests but both are, nevertheless, required for fellowship with God and the God-graced life from above. For God to be the initiator and source of our life should be no surprise. He is the beginning and ending of all things. A powerful relief for us, the faithful God meets our broken hearts as we draw nigh to Him. “If we confess our sins, He is Faithful…” Thank you Lord, you are always there! ” …and just.” Thank you Lord, that you are operating justly in all of your actions towards us. “to forgive us our sins.” Forgiveness means remission, the taking away of all of my wrong attitudes, my wrong thinking, my rebellions,…
“…according as He did choose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love.” Ephesians 1:4 The First aorist middle indicative indicates that He chose us out for Himself — yes, the simple fact of it — before the foundation of the world. Not that we “should be” set apart, unblemished before him, in love, future tense. No, the assumption is that it is an actual fact already, accomplished in Him before the foundation of the World. “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who did bless us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” Ephesians 1:3 The aorist participle here indicates simply, prior action. Notice he did bless us ‘in’ every spiritual blessing “in” the heavenly places in Christ. The word “with — KJV”. is a wrong translation. Friends, let’s talk about…
“It is all grace that we have been saved. And it is all grace that God has kept us. He has allowed us to go through many transitions. No one can even remotely comprehend the grace that God has provided for life.” Carl H. Stevens Some people are “backed to the wall because they resist receiving something they do not deserve.” The word of God says, “beware, lest we be led away by the error of the wicked. We must, grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2Peter 3:18) ” The believer is saved by grace and begins his new life with God at the mercy seat. Understanding this , divine goodness and mercy follow him all the days of his life.” Psalm 23 God the Father has been satisfied: ” we are dead and our life his hid with Christ in God.”…
Subtract sin from a man and what do we get? Something very blessed and also precious results. Tears come into the eyes as mercy releases us of the captivity sin brings. Almost too good to be true, the hard driver of the soul, judged, must take a back seat at our discretion. Yes, we can affirm this morning’s reawakening, His compassions fail not, so says the book of Lamentations. As the new math would have it, then, we also add — the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. We receive what we don’t deserve, yes, in abundance. What does it mean? Well, it provides all of the Person needed to live a life hidden with Christ in God. Not necessarily a life of success or earthly failure. But one of supreme success in the secret place of the most high God, under the shadow of the Almighty. The…
At the cross I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled. away. It was there by Faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day. At a bloody cross, Jesus died for my sins. He bare our sins in his own body on a tree. He had become sin, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. God had laid on him the iniquity of us all. Surely he has borne our sorrow, and by his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53, 1Peter 2:24, 2Corinthians 5:21. Let’s enumerate some benefits of the Cross. First, Matthew teaches Christ became a substitute for us — A vicar, as in the word vicarious — a deputy who acts in the place of another. “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to…
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. John 15:3 Water baptism is such a blessed celebration in our churches because it visibly demonstrates the great inner transformation that happens to us. When we understand that we have been buried with Christ in his baptism of death, and we go down in that water, we are, in effect, saying to the world, thanks be to Jesus Christ, that old nature, that old creation , that old life with all of its mistakes and failures, that old life with everything that went on, has been separated from me forever and ever and ever. It’s gone and I believe it, and I accept it. It is buried. It is buried forever. Then our coming out of the water depicts our exit from the old life and our entrance in the ever new, eternal life God has given. Dr.…
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5 After a long layoff, I was finally getting called back to work. I had spent a lot of my free time trying to rearrange things, had made some new commitments, found some new friends. I desperately needed income and I had been scheduled for the over night shift at the strip mill. When the time came to report for work, I was overwhelmed with details of life and missed showing up. I frantically looked for a phone number to report my absence but found none. My whole life was falling apart, and a sense of dread powered over my mind and heart. And then it happened: I woke up from the dream. I hadn’t worked in that steel mill for 42 years but for one…
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100:5 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 2Corinthians 13:8 “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. John 18:37b Ephesians 4:15 teaches, ” …speaking the truth in love, we grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Truth is the ultimate weapon of the believer. It ever endures, cannot be negated through opposition. In truth we are sanctified, speaking it we grow. As we live in truth, we hear the voice of truth. The Spirit of truth guides us into all truth. (John 16:13). We gird our loins…
“To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” Ephesians 3:10 I have borrowed two short stories to help us see both our identity and purpose. Dr. Jack Hyles was going to college and pastoring a church on the weekends. Every Monday morning his teacher, doctor Bruce, would ask the students to get up and talk about what they did over the weekend. Doctor Hyles stood up and said, “well I have this little church down in…..” ” Sit down”, doctor Bruce said. “I don’t want to hear about it.” all the other men in the room were allowed to go on with their reports. The next week, doctor Bruce asked the same question and doctor Hyles stood and said, ” our little church…..” “Sit down,” I don’t wanna hear from you,” doctor Bruce shouted…