Col 3:12 “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”
In the epistle for New Year's day we have sufficiently explained the meaning of "putting on"; how by faith we put on Christ, and he us; how in love we put on our neighbor, and our neighbor us. The Christian apparel is of two kinds faith and love. Christ wore two manner of garments one whole and typical of faith, the other divided and typical of love. Paul here has reference to the latter garment, love. He would teach us Christians the manner of ornaments and apparel we are to wear in the world; not silk or precious gold. To women these are forbidden of Peter ( 1 Pet 3, 3), and of Paul (1 Tim 2, 9). Love for our neighbor is a garment well befitting us -that. love which leads us to concern ourselves about the neighbor and his misfortunes. Such love is called the ornament of a Christian character an ornament in the eyes of men. by Martin Luther New Year’s eve address
December 31, 2004
December 30, 2004
Preach repentance by Eric Wilson
Mark 6:12 “And they went out, and preached that men should repent.”
So what is it to repent? What are we commanded to do? Repentance is toward God (Acts 20:21). It is not merely knowing your nature or confessing that you sin against someone but it is being brought to the knowledge that you have spit in the face of the Lord and your nature is total rebellion against His authority. Your repentance is toward the one whom you have offended, it is toward the one that suffered for that sin and nature, it is seeing that each sin against His holy law was one more hammer of the nail that drove into His flesh of His hand. It is weeping that yours and your nature alone was the spear that pierced His side. Repentance is a life long journey that continues to bring us closer to Christ (Rom 7:15-25). Both repentance and faith are necessary and we will not have one without the other. Without repentance releasing the filthy rags it once clung to, faith would not have had empty hands to grasp His grace. Without repentance hating what it once loved, faith could not love what it once hated. Faith could never cry for mercy, if repentance didn’t cry unclean. Repentance is more than just confessing your sins it is a state of heart (I Thes 1:9). It is loathing your flesh and praising His righteousness. It is turning from your sins and turning to God. And so I pray by His grace I shall carry both faith and repentance with me all the way to the gates of Heaven. For each day by His grace as I grow repentance shows me the evil and sins I abhor more and more while faith shows me the light and promise He has provided that I love and rest in more and more. Taken in part from Heart of Doctrine "Do you need to Repent?"
So what is it to repent? What are we commanded to do? Repentance is toward God (Acts 20:21). It is not merely knowing your nature or confessing that you sin against someone but it is being brought to the knowledge that you have spit in the face of the Lord and your nature is total rebellion against His authority. Your repentance is toward the one whom you have offended, it is toward the one that suffered for that sin and nature, it is seeing that each sin against His holy law was one more hammer of the nail that drove into His flesh of His hand. It is weeping that yours and your nature alone was the spear that pierced His side. Repentance is a life long journey that continues to bring us closer to Christ (Rom 7:15-25). Both repentance and faith are necessary and we will not have one without the other. Without repentance releasing the filthy rags it once clung to, faith would not have had empty hands to grasp His grace. Without repentance hating what it once loved, faith could not love what it once hated. Faith could never cry for mercy, if repentance didn’t cry unclean. Repentance is more than just confessing your sins it is a state of heart (I Thes 1:9). It is loathing your flesh and praising His righteousness. It is turning from your sins and turning to God. And so I pray by His grace I shall carry both faith and repentance with me all the way to the gates of Heaven. For each day by His grace as I grow repentance shows me the evil and sins I abhor more and more while faith shows me the light and promise He has provided that I love and rest in more and more. Taken in part from Heart of Doctrine "Do you need to Repent?"
December 29, 2004
Confess your sins by Eric Wilson
(I John 1:9-10) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
All men are responsible to walk in the light that God has given them (Eph 5:8). Unbelief is not a passive thing. If you go to hell it is based solely on your sins. As much as redemption is only on the price that He paid, damnation is only on your transgressions you made. The sinner does not go to hell because Christ did not die for them but because they are rebels against God (Rom 1:18-20). In the justice of the Lord it is fixed so that those who die in their sins, those who die in unbelief are without excuse. Don Fortner wrote, “If you go to hell, you will have to scratch and claw your way there. Fighting to your last breath against the light God has given you.” God has commanded all to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15). And those He died for shall be made willing and will freely repent. Those who do not see the necessity of faith and repentance in the presence of election and grace know not yet the depths of their sin and true mercy. For when you are brought to a place by the grace of God where you loathe your self you willfully and helplessly cry for this mercy and repent. Stated in the scriptures and as a commandment it is a necessity but more than a need it becomes for the broken sinner, presented for the first time with a grace filled heart, a desire. Does this contribute to redemption; no. This is the result of His work in you. Does not repenting and believing contribute to someone fallen into eternal damnation; yes. This is the result of their works (Heb 12:14). Taken in part from Heart of Doctrine "Do you need to Repent?"
All men are responsible to walk in the light that God has given them (Eph 5:8). Unbelief is not a passive thing. If you go to hell it is based solely on your sins. As much as redemption is only on the price that He paid, damnation is only on your transgressions you made. The sinner does not go to hell because Christ did not die for them but because they are rebels against God (Rom 1:18-20). In the justice of the Lord it is fixed so that those who die in their sins, those who die in unbelief are without excuse. Don Fortner wrote, “If you go to hell, you will have to scratch and claw your way there. Fighting to your last breath against the light God has given you.” God has commanded all to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15). And those He died for shall be made willing and will freely repent. Those who do not see the necessity of faith and repentance in the presence of election and grace know not yet the depths of their sin and true mercy. For when you are brought to a place by the grace of God where you loathe your self you willfully and helplessly cry for this mercy and repent. Stated in the scriptures and as a commandment it is a necessity but more than a need it becomes for the broken sinner, presented for the first time with a grace filled heart, a desire. Does this contribute to redemption; no. This is the result of His work in you. Does not repenting and believing contribute to someone fallen into eternal damnation; yes. This is the result of their works (Heb 12:14). Taken in part from Heart of Doctrine "Do you need to Repent?"
December 28, 2004
After All that I have done by Octavious Winslow
"Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God and committed adultery against Him by worshiping idols under every green tree. Confess that you refused to follow Me. I, the Lord, have spoken!" Jer. 3:13
God has laid great stress in His word upon the confession of sin. How touching His language addressed to His backsliding people, whose backslidings were of a most aggravated character; than which none could have been of deeper guilt, seeing that they had committed the sin of idolatry! "Only acknowledge your guilt." This was all that He required at their hands. "Only acknowledge." Poor penitent soul, bending in tears and self reproaches over this page, read these words again and again, and yet again, until they have scattered all your dark, repelling thoughts of this sin forgiving God, winning you to His feet as His restored and comforted child, "only acknowledge your guilt."
"What! Lord! after all that I have done, after . . .
my base returns, my repeated wanderings, my aggravated transgressions, my complicated iniquity, my sins against conviction, light, and love; do You still stretch out your hand to me, a poor, wretched wanderer as I am? Do You go forth to meet, to welcome, to pardon me? Do You watch the first kindling of penitence, the first tear of contrition, the first word of confession, 'Father, I have sinned!' Lord, I fall at Your feet, the greatest of sinners . . .
Your power has drawn me,
Your love has subdued me,
Your grace has conquered me!"
Octavious Winslow
God has laid great stress in His word upon the confession of sin. How touching His language addressed to His backsliding people, whose backslidings were of a most aggravated character; than which none could have been of deeper guilt, seeing that they had committed the sin of idolatry! "Only acknowledge your guilt." This was all that He required at their hands. "Only acknowledge." Poor penitent soul, bending in tears and self reproaches over this page, read these words again and again, and yet again, until they have scattered all your dark, repelling thoughts of this sin forgiving God, winning you to His feet as His restored and comforted child, "only acknowledge your guilt."
"What! Lord! after all that I have done, after . . .
my base returns, my repeated wanderings, my aggravated transgressions, my complicated iniquity, my sins against conviction, light, and love; do You still stretch out your hand to me, a poor, wretched wanderer as I am? Do You go forth to meet, to welcome, to pardon me? Do You watch the first kindling of penitence, the first tear of contrition, the first word of confession, 'Father, I have sinned!' Lord, I fall at Your feet, the greatest of sinners . . .
Your power has drawn me,
Your love has subdued me,
Your grace has conquered me!"
Octavious Winslow
December 27, 2004
Glory in Damnation! By C.H. Spurgeon
At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Even so, Father, for this was your good pleasure." (Matthew 11:25-26)
What!
Is God glorified in the damnation of the wise and prudent?
Yes, tremendous fact! At the winding up of this world's drama, God will be glorified in the men that shut their eyes against his grace, as well as in the men whose eyes are opened to receive it. The 'yells of hell' shall be but the deep bass of the everlasting music of which the 'songs in heaven' are the sweeter high notes.
God, the terrible one, shall have praise from the wise and prudent when their folly shall be discovered, when their wisdom shall be dashed in pieces or torn to shreds.
God, the terrible avenger of his own gospel shall be glorified when those are cast out, who having heard the gospel were too wise to believe it, and having listened to it were too prudent to give their praise to it. In either case God is glorified, and in either case Christ devoutly gives thanks. by C.H. Spurgen
What!
Is God glorified in the damnation of the wise and prudent?
Yes, tremendous fact! At the winding up of this world's drama, God will be glorified in the men that shut their eyes against his grace, as well as in the men whose eyes are opened to receive it. The 'yells of hell' shall be but the deep bass of the everlasting music of which the 'songs in heaven' are the sweeter high notes.
God, the terrible one, shall have praise from the wise and prudent when their folly shall be discovered, when their wisdom shall be dashed in pieces or torn to shreds.
God, the terrible avenger of his own gospel shall be glorified when those are cast out, who having heard the gospel were too wise to believe it, and having listened to it were too prudent to give their praise to it. In either case God is glorified, and in either case Christ devoutly gives thanks. by C.H. Spurgen
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