Saturday, September 10, 2011

Repentance or Remorse

I do not hesitate to assert that this is perhaps the most subtle and delicate test as to whether we have repented, or where we are: our attitude towards God. Have you noticed it in the psalm? The one against whom David has sinned is God, and yet the one he desires above all is God. That is the difference between remorse and repentance. The man who has not repented, but who is only experiencing remorse, when he realizes he has done something against God, avoids God...The man who has not been dealt with by the Spirit of God and has not been convinced and convicted, tries to get away from God, to avoid him at all costs. He does not think, he does not read the Bible, he does not pray; he does everything he can not to think about these things. But the extraordinary thing about the man who is convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit is that though he knows he has sinned against God, it is God he wants---"Be merciful to me, O God." He wants to be with God---that is the peculiar paradox of repentance, wanting the one I have offended!"

Psalms 51 David flees directly into God's presence and pleads, "Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me" The above paragraph is D. Martin Lloyd-Jones commenting on this passage

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Hard Teachings and Soft Hearts

In Luke 14 25-35 Jesus hits His hearers right on the mouth. As the great multitudes follow Him he tells them what  exactly expected from a true follower. If you don't hate your family, you can't be my disciple. If you don't bear your your cross, you can't be my disciple. If you don't renounce all that you have, you cannot be my disciple.

Doesn't Jesus know how to grow a church. If a pastor wants to grow a church he needs to remain politically correct. You don't want to ruffle any feathers. Preach softly, pick on pet sins that no one in your church struggles with, and certainly don't ask for repentance. After all, God is only about love and forgiveness.  Personal holiness doesn't matter. Right?

Well as you can imagine after that message, all hope was lost. Not really. Luke 15:1 tells us that after that the tax collectors and sinners drew near to hear Him. That's the opposite of what should have happened. That kind of preaching drives people away. To be honest, it probably did drive some away. The religious people probably left. As a pastor, that's when you can have church, when all the religious people leave. Then it's just us sinners left, and more importantly the Savior that has redeemed us.

The whole gospel should be preached, not just the parts that we think won't offend. The truth is offensive but His sheep will hear His voice. You know what Jesus does next? All this has set the stage for one of the greatest stories of all time. The Parable of the Prodigal Son. In ch 15, we learn that Jesus delights in the repentance of sinners. We learn about His love for us when we don't deserve it. We learn that our God is a seeking God. He went and looked for us. When He finds us, He rejoices over us.

One more note. I kind of made fun of religious people earlier. Something you learn from ch 15 is that Jesus loves them too. He wants them to come to repentance as well.

Don't be afraid to tell the whole story of Jesus. He asks for everything and somehow still manages to give us more.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Press On, Work, and Fight

Not that I have already attained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Philippians 3:12

So many of us are stuck on the performance treadmill of life. Trying hard to get God to like us is futile. Work this week not for acceptance, but from acceptance. Christian, Christ has made you His own and will keep you.

Remember this as well, grace isn't an excuse to do nothing. Grace inspires effort.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God in me. 1 Corinthians 15:10

Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Tim 6:12

Press on, work hard, and Fight the good fight. We're saved by grace, created for good works.