Living As Children Of Light

The aftershock of the "Noah" movie continues to trickle onto the web in the form of articles written by bloggers and Facebook friends' comments, giving their impressions and opinions of director Darren Aronofsky's pathetic attempt to use creative license and portray the Biblical account of the flood.

Ken Ham of answersingenesis.org wrote an excellent critique for Time's online magazine.  Ray Comfort, who was asked by a "popular television program" to view and critique the movie, wasted no words when he weighed in.  Needless to say, my friends' comments on Facebook are filled with either remorse for having thrown good money after bad, or outrage that they were duped by their church leaders into watching this outlandish fable.

In a sense, I'm glad to see that those I respected for their faith have been convicted that they erred.  Sometimes, we learn lessons the hard way.  God has a tendency to cause us to spiritually grow through them, and we can be sincerely thankful that He doesn't allow us to wallow too long in the mire of the realization that we were wrong.

What God does expect, however, is that we don't continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.

I sat down this morning to read Charles Spurgeon's morning devotion and didn't bother to notice the date at the beginning.  Instead of the devotion for April 2nd , my Kindle, which has, of late, been misbehaving, had opened to a January 5th devotion.  If I had been paying attention, I would have skipped this particular exhortation and taken the time to reset it to the current date.  To be honest, I'm grateful that I didn't, because it struck me how neatly it fit into the niche (or ditch) of depravity in which we often find ourselves.

It's dark in that proverbial ditch.  And it's a place true Christians can find no comfort.  But all too often, Christians, including this wretch, find it difficult to remove themselves completely from the mire and insist on continuing in fellowship with darkness.  That's when we need Christ's light to show us our foolishness for being there in the first place, and for it to guide us back where we belong.

The apostle Paul knew the propensity followers of Christ would have to occasionally return to the muck of sin and fall back in with those who delighted in it.  He exhorted the Ephesians to "not become partners with them;  for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.   Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.  But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,  for anything that becomes visible is light.  Therefore it says,

'Awake, O sleeper,
    and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' 

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."  (Ephesians 5:7-17)

It is my hope that the following miss-timed (yet certainly timely) devotion from Charles Spurgeon will give my readers something to meditate on.   The world is fast becoming a darker place and we need to be equipped to deal with all that will come our way.  By remaining in the Word of God and applying it to every situation we find ourselves in, the Light that dwells within us will overcome the world, even in a darkened movie theater.

~ ~ ~

"And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness."

Genesis 1:4

Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness, "Let there be light."  We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it than we are, and see more of God in it and by it.  Light physical is said by Solomon to be sweet, but Gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal things, and ministers to our immortal natures.

When the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual light, and opens our eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we behold sin in its true colours, and ourselves in our real position; we see the Most Holy God as He reveals Himself, the plan of mercy as He propounds it, and the world to come as the Word describes it.  Spiritual light has many beams and prismatic colours, but whether they be knowledge, joy, holiness, or life, all are divinely good.  If the light received be thus good, what must the essential light be, and how glorious must be the place where He reveals Himself.  O LORD, since light is good, give us more of it, and more of Thyself, the true Light.

No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than a division is necessary.  Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them, let us not confound them.  Sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness.  The children of the day must be sober, honest, and bold in their LORD's work, leaving the works of darkness to those who shall dwell in it forever.  Our churches should by discipline divide the light from the darkness, and we should, by our distinct separation from the world, do the same.  In judgment, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction which the LORD made upon the world's first day.

O LORD Jesus, be Thou our light throughout the whole of this day, for Thy light is the Light of men.

~ ~ ~


 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   He was in the beginning with God.   All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.   In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.   The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

John 1:1-5

 

The "Noah" Movie: A Word From Me In Defense of God and His Word

"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." ~ Gal. 6:7

I am seeing on Facebook a number of professing Christians who have thrown their hard-earned money into Jewish atheist Darren Aronofsky's pocket and visited their local theater to partake in viewing this abomination he directed, which is exactly what Aronofsky had predicted would happen and, I am confident, is extremely delighted that they have.

Some of my friends and family said they wanted to make their own determination on its accuracy.   Others were merely curious.  And the worst excuse, they just wanted to be entertained.  But it's my humble opinion that there is no excuse, simply because all were warned about its blatant misrepresentation and abuse of Scripture long before the movie was released.  I might also impress upon them that God's Word should not be seen as "entertainment."

$130 million was spent to produce this movie and its opening weekend box office take was estimated at $44 million. In other words, far too many Christians took the bait dangled in front of them by their so-called pastors who encouraged them to go and to succumbing to grave deception, and it won't be long before Aronofsky and his producers begin to realize a very hefty profit.

But at whose expense?

I'll answer that question:

God's expense.  His glory and honor.  His Holy Name.  His covenant He made with Noah.  His WORD.

Equally as dire is the thought that a Christian could use this ill-conceived tripe to evangelize an unbeliever.   That particular encouragement was pressed upon congregations all across the country.  But tell me, how do you use a lie to express the truth of God?  (A genuine Christian can only answer, "you can't.")

Atheists are jubilant over the reconstruction of Scripture's account of Noah and the flood.  They understand that their fellow atheist, Aronofsky, has just provided them with another good laugh at God's expense.  In one offensive and profane article written for the God-hating crowd, five reasons are given why atheists should watch the movie.  The list is ended with, "So get out there, enjoy the film and lap it up like the deity that you’ve always wanted to be!"

Does it sound logical that the use of this movie in your Christian witness would actually convince an unbeliever, let alone an atheist?

Pastors.com writer, Phil Cooke, lists many reasons why Christians should go see the movie, and not one of them is legitimate.

Here are a few more articles about Christians "leaders" encouraging a viewing:  this one ... this one ... and the most telling, this one.

In a recent interview, Christianity Today spoke to Aronofsky about his movie, but not once brought him to task by correcting his gross errors and his taking far too much creative license with the Biblical account.  But that shouldn't surprise those of us who view Christianity Today as a secular rag unworthy of our perusal.

I could post more, but the point should be clear:  men who openly profess and even teach Jesus Christ have no problem with misrepresenting the Word of God, and far too many weak professing Christians believe anything they are told by their "shepherds."

To those of you who are thinking of enriching Aronofsky and gleefully helping him succeed at maligning the Word of God, please reconsider.    God will not be mocked, and this is nothing but overt, blatant mockery in its worst form.  Don't be a party to sin.

If you want to know the true account of Noah, the ark, and the flood, save your money and your heart, stay at home and open your Bible, and begin reading through Genesis chapter 6 to chapter 9.  God will be greatly glorified, Jesus Christ will be revealed, and the truth will be preserved.

Matchless Patience

As I sit and watch the world unravel with astounding speed, even though I know the answer, I often find myself asking God why He didn't end man and his wickedness long ago.  I am sure I'm not alone in pondering the question.  After all, as I pointed out in my last post, man is wretched, depraved, wicked, and often evil beyond our imaginations.  His ability to conjure up new ways to prove that assessment is endless.  If you disagree, I strongly suggest you go back into the Word of God and examine yourself with a microscope.  I'm confident you will find the microbes of sin and debauchery embedded deeply in every fiber of your being.

Not only was all mankind affected by the disobedience of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3), but all of creation.  Imagine Yahweh's delight in fashioning every creature that creeps, crawls, walks, swims, and flies in, on, and over the earth.  After He formed Adam from the dust, God gave Him the responsibility of naming each one, and giving Adam "dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  It was Adam's responsibility to be a good steward over all of God's creation, including the plant life that was created to provide food, both for the animals and also for Adam.  (Genesis 1:11-31)

But when the wiles and cunning of the serpent, Satan, convinced the man and woman God had created to disobey, all creation suffered a mortal blow.  Death came upon man and all that had been created, turning the perfection of Eden into a world fallen from grace, and bringing condemnation down upon Adam and Eve who tried to cover the shame of their nakedness from Yahweh with leaves (Genesis 3:7).

What happens next is not often considered, other than the fact that God did it.  He turned to the animals He had so lovingly formed, killed some, then fashioned garments with their skins to cover Adam's and Eve's nakedness (Genesis 3:21).

I've always wondered if it didn't grieve the LORD to have done so.  When He created the heavens and the earth and all that was in and upon them, He saw and declared that "it was good." (Genesis 1:24-25)  In other words, He viewed everything He had done with His own hands and the breath of His mouth as perfection.  Each "living creature" was created with love we are unable to comprehend.   In my mind, it only stands to reason that, when He had to take the lives of some of them to mitigate the damage Adam and Eve had done, the result couldn't have been anything less than sorrow for His creation. Although God's omniscience knew it would happen, they, too, would have to die.

What the secular world ignorantly calls "mother nature," bears the scars of the fall.  Consider that the animals God created were originally vegetarians (Genesis 1:29-30).  After the fall of man, man and some animals became carnivores and began to turn on each other, fighting for position at the top of the food chain.  For those of us with tender hearts, it can be disturbing to watch that cute, fuzzy animal become prey for another creature.  Often, the brutality of the hunt causes me to have to turn away and settle for the explanation that they, too, have to eat to survive.

If it were not for Yahweh's grace given to both man and all of creation, the earth and its inhabitants would have succeeded in bringing utter ruin.  God holds together every atom of this universe.  Without His constant and faithful stewardship over His entire creation, mankind's depravity and wickedness would abound.

When I consider the absolute holiness and righteousness of Almighty God, and recall accounts of Him pouring out His anger on men and justly giving them what they deserve, I have to marvel at His matchless patience.

"Grace is the free favour of God, the undeserved bounty of the ever-gracious Creator

against whom we have offended, the generous pardon, the infinite, spontaneous

loving-kindness of the God who has been provoked and angered by our sin, but who,

delighting in mercy, and grieving to smite the creatures whom He has made, is ever

ready to pass by transgression, iniquity, and sin, and to save His people from all the

evil consequences of their guilt." ~   Charles Spurgeon

As undeserving as we are, but as deserving as we are of His wrath, God's plan of salvation has not yet been brought to completion.  There are still those whom He chose for His Son Jesus Christ, before time began, who have not yet been drawn to receive the gift of pardon and eternal life.   There is still work to be done for His glory and His Name's sake.  In the meantime, God will delay the ultimate justice He has sworn to bring until the work is finished to His satisfaction.

"What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,  in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom He has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?"  (Romans 9:22-24)

Abounding grace and matchless patience.

That's the answer to my question at the beginning of this post.  That's why God, in His sovereign wisdom, delays the inevitable.

That's why He is God and I am not.

While He tarries, all creation must endure what was brought about in the beginning by the first man and woman.

 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.   For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.   For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.   For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.   And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.   For in this hope we were saved.  Now hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what he sees?   But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."  (Romans 8:18-25)

With the Holy Spirit's help, we, too, are given degrees of patience.  It certainly doesn't equal the patience of our Creator.  But as long as we cling to the hope that has been so graciously gifted to us, the little patience we do have is sufficient to see us through whatever the world brings next.

Almighty God is sovereign.  He is full of Grace.

And thankfully, His patience with His creation is matchless.

I Am Truly A Wretch

This morning, I sat down to continue on in the book of Romans.  I have been reading small portions each day from my MacArthur ESV Study Bible, including John's commentary, which greatly enhances the study.  My late Pastor Paul, who worked under MacArthur, once told me that John MacArthur preached on the book of Romans for 10 years.  Paul, himself, preached (if I'm remembering right) about 3 or 4 years, plowing through the rich mine of wealth that's to be found there and faithfully passing it on to the congregation.  If you have been blessed to have a pastor like Paul or John, who will devote himself with such tremendous passion to the Word, you have been blessed, indeed!

Today's verses gave me a serious pause, but only after seeing myself through the eyes of God.  As I read chapter 3, verses 9 through 18, the words resonated in my mind and penetrated my heart.  I found myself reading the verses out loud, then re-reading them a couple more times out loud.  It became obvious that the point was being driven home: I am a wretched sinner, and I needed to be reminded just how wretched I truly am.

Because of our profession of Jesus Christ, we often forget that the sinful baggage we carried in the past still has the propensity to rear its ugly head, now and then.  Forgiven, we are, and nothing, nor anyone, can or will separate His children from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:35-39).  But because we are still in our flesh, we continue to sin.  Most professing Christians don't want to be told that.  They would prefer to ride in on the laurels of their new-found state, declaring, "I'm definitely not as bad as THAT guy!"  The difference between a true believer and a pretender is that when the true believer sins, conviction is immediate and repentance comes quickly.  He understands that he is just as much a wretch as the next guy, regardless of the degree or severity of the sin.  The pretender uses his self-perceived position of salvation to justify his behavior or sin.  He flippantly brushes it away, using the false and damning excuse that he's only human.  "After all, Jesus died for every offense I will commit, right?  So, no sweat!  I've got this!"

But the Word of God tells a very different story.  And although the Bible is full of evidence, from beginning to end, of the total depravity of mankind and what man is capable of, Romans 3:9-18 is perhaps the most compounded, undeniably clear, broadly construed assertion that we aren't what we pridefully confess ourselves to be.

We are wretched.

Let's take it verse by verse, with convincing snippets of Pastor MacArthur's commentary following each verse in italics. I would encourage you to read the following verses out loud.  They do carry an impact.

Concerning verses 9 through 18, MacArthur states, "Paul strings together a series of OT quotations that indict the character (vv 10-12), conversation (vv 13-14), and conduct (vv15-17) of all men.  Nine times he uses the words such as 'none' and 'all' to show the universality of human sin and rebellion" (emph. mine)

"What then?  Are we Jews any better off?  No, not at all.  For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin ("completely enslaved and dominated by sin"), as it is written:

• "None is righteous, no, not one;" (Ps 14:1-3 and 53:1-3) - "Man is universally evil" (cf. Ps. 14:1)

• "no one understands;" - "Man is unable to comprehend the truth of God or grasp His standard of righteousness (see Ps. 14:2; 53:3; ;cf. 1 Cor 2:14)  Sadly, his spiritual ignorance does not result from a lack of opportunity (Rom. 1:19, 2:15), but is an expression of his depravity and rebellion (Eph. 4:18).

• "no one seeks after God." - "See Ps. 14:3.  This verse clearly implies that the world's false religions are fallen man's attempts to escape the true God - not to seek Him.  Man's natural tendency is to seek his own interests (cf. Phil 2:21), but his only hope is for God to seek him (John 6:37, 44).  It is only as a result of God's work in the heart that any seeks Him (Ps. 16:8, Matt. 6:33).

• "All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;"  - "See Ps. 14:3.  This word basically means 'to lean in the wrong direction.'  It was used to describe a soldier's turning the wrong way, or deserting.  All men are inclined to leave God's way and pursue their own (cf. Isa 53:6).

• "no one does good, not even one." - See note on verse 10.

How are you doing?  Still need more convincing proof?  God gets a bit more forceful describing our nature in the following verses.  Let's continue...

• "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongue to deceive." - "See Ps. 5:9.  Graves were sealed not only to show respect for the deceased, but to hide the sight and stench of the body's decay.  As an unsealed grave allows those who pass to see and smell what is inside, the unregenerate person's open throat - that is, the foul words that come from it - reveal the decay of his heart (cf. Prov 10:31-32; 15:2, 28; Jer. 17:9; Matt 12:34-35; 15:18; James 3:1-12).

• "The venom of asps is under their lips." - "See Ps. 140:3 ["They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's, and under their lips is the venom of asps."]; cf Matt 3:7; 12:34 [Jesus calls the Pharisees a "brood of vipers"]" 

• "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." - "This is quoted from Ps. 10:7.  It refers to wanting the worst for someone and publicly expressing that desire in caustic, derisive language.  'bitterness.'  The open, public expression of emotional hostility against one's enemy (cf. Ps. 64:3-4).

• "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." - "3:15-17 - This is quoted from Isa. 59:7-8.   'ruin and misery'.  Man damages and destroys everything he touches, leaving a trail of pain and suffering in his wake.  'way of peace'.  Not the lack of an inner sense of peace, but man's tendency toward strife and conflict, whether between individuals or nations (cf. Jer. 6:14)

And now the piece de resistance, the profound summation of all the above accusations:

• "There is no fear of God before their eyes." - "See Ps. 36:1.  Man's true spiritual condition is nowhere more clearly seen than in the absence of a proper submission to and reverence for God.  Biblical fear for God consists of 1) awe of His great glory, and 2) dread of the results of violating that holy nature (cf. Prov. 9:10; 16:6; Acts 5:1-11, 1 Cor. 11:30).

In verse 19, Paul writes, "Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law [Jews, through the written law of Moses, and Gentiles, who have the works of the law written on their hearts], so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God."

The Law was written in order that man would see his utter inability to keep any jot or tittle of it and point him to Jesus Christ, and because man is unable to keep it, he is cursed by that inability.  In simpler words, his mouth is zipped shut and he's without any excuse.  We know that the law makes sin known, but we also know it can't save us.  Instead the Law condemns us.  As Scripture tells us, if we have broken one commandment, we have broken them all (James 2:10).  If you believe you aren't guilty, I challenge you to take this short quiz.

So, what do we do?  How do we solve this sin problem?  The answer is that we can't do anything to make ourselves less of a wretch and clean ourselves up by attempting to adhere to and keep the Law.  Our works, our deeds, our good intentions are worthless and ineffective when it comes to pleasing God.  The prophet Isaiah summed it up in this verse:  "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.  We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." (Isaiah 64:6)    When one understands the meaning behind "polluted garment," or as the NIV translates it, "filthy rag," the meaning of "unclean" becomes quite clear.

Look out on today's world and the condition it's in.   The world is a HUGE a mess of decay, debauchery, unrighteousness, and outright wickedness.  Evil abounds in every corner.  Abortion is universally encouraged and accepted under the guise of "personal choice," even within the church which largely avoids speaking out against this child sacrifice to Molech.  Homosexuality and every form of sexual deviancy fills every nook and cranny of a society that demands Christians be tolerant.  Porn, not only rampant outside the church, but within it.  Lying and not being called on it.  Adultery.  Covetousness.  Disrespect of parents, elders, and society at large.   Blasphemy.   Wolves standing behind the pulpit preaching falsehoods and filling the minds of their hearers with heresy and gleefully emptying their congregant's pockets.  Unbelief and outright enmity and antagonism for God and His Word.   Violence on every street of every nation.  Hatred of all that is moral and virtuous.  Ethnic wars being waged and hostility poured out upon our brothers and sisters who are persecuted in over 60 nations.  Governments corrupted with the pride, arrogance, and greed of their leaders...

...the list is endless and only limited to man's vile and malevolent imagination - and it's getting worse each day.

It kind of makes your head want to explode, doesn't it?

"There is no fear of God before their eyes"

That's us, folks.  Mankind in all our flawed "glory" (and I use that term very loosely).   Having been made in the image of God by His own hands, but doing everything we can to malign and denigrate that image and to thwart and negate His very Word.

If you could look at yourself through God's eyes, what would you see?  Would you see a son or daughter clothed in the blood of Jesus' righteousness, striving to keep firmly entrenched in the Word of God, standing on His  foundation, and continuously repenting of your ever sinful thoughts and actions and striving to finish the race well? (2Tim 4:7-8)  Would you see the wretch you truly are when you consider God's great power and glory?

Or does that image of you reflect a pseudo you; one who wears the badge of Christianity, yet secretly, or even openly, revels in godlessness and arrogantly thinks God doesn't notice or shrugs His shoulders because it's just a little straying off the pathway, a short jog in the road, and, after all, you are all you were meant to be?  No one is perfect, right?

Let me answer that:  there was only One who was perfect, but we are supposed to strive for His perfection, putting off the "old man" and putting on the new (Eph. 4:17-24).  In other words, we need to get out of the gutter.

Do you see yourself as you should?  Like I see myself?  A man or woman much worse than the next; a wretched sinner, chief among them all, grieving the Holy Spirit daily, and unworthy of the deep, abounding and abiding love and providence God continues to pour out on us?

Each one of us should tremble at the thought that the day is coming when we will stand before Almighty God in all His glory and holiness - an image we can't even begin to comprehend! - and the unrepentant life we led, thoughts we had, and things we did or did not do will be splayed before us.  Even more dire is that they may condemn us: 

"On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness...’" (Matt 7:22-24).

"There is no fear of God before their eyes"

For those who are true professors of Jesus Christ, they understand that Scripture isn't talking about the kind of fear that causes dread and anxiety.  They know it to mean reverential awe, admiration, and submissiveness to Almighty God and a "good understanding" of His righteous standards of holiness and justice.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding." (Ps. 111:10)

However, within the body of Christ, there is a growing number of professing Christians who are not being told that the "wisdom and instruction" contained within the Word of God is there to benefit them in their spiritual growth.  A whole new breed of "fools" are being reared in the church through apostate and heretical teaching, ungodly entertainment, idolatry, complacency and apathy, and a watered-down, seeker-sensitive Gospel that is void of its very essence - the actual Gospel!

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov. 1:7)

They "despise" the truth of God when it's presented to them; after all, that's not what their pastor told them!  "He told me he didn't believe in total depravity and that there was good in all of us!"  (I actually witnessed a pastor utter those words in his sermon - and it was the last one I suffered through).  They are quickly becoming deficient in making good judgment, and unwisely following after the world and its cunning wiles because they are witnessing it from their pew within the very church they attend and, as described above, straight from the mouths of those who are supposed to be leading them towards Christ's righteousness.  And as they blithely trip along throughout their lives, once in a while dipping their toes into the polluted waters of sin and foolishly thinking there is nothing wrong with an occasional  hiatus away from holiness, they are proving God's admonition and point:  

Man is wretched to the very core of his soul.

There is a solution to all this.  Although the apostle Paul begins the above verses with a precise demonstration of mankind's current state of wretchedness, God's righteousness, the Law and faith and their purpose and effect, and very clearly details God's holy judgment and wrath that will be poured out upon the unrighteous, unrepentant sinner, he brings us full circle to the cure:

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.  For there is no distinction:  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins ^{[delaying judgment to a future time].}  It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Yep, I am truly a wretch.  I have fallen short of God's glory and righteousness - far, far short.  I acknowledge my depravity and sinfulness that is before God's sight each and every moment and that rises as a stench to His nostrils.  But because Jesus Christ took upon Himself my wretchedness - crediting every sin I had and will commit to His own account, shed His precious, sinless blood, and on my behalf, bore the punishment I deserved - through Him I have found favor with God.  In a way, I guess you could say that when God now looks at me, He has narrowed His lens:

• God has shown me through His Word that I am incapable of doing anything to earn His favor.

• Through Christ's righteousness being imputed to me (justified through faith in Christ and His atoning work on the cross) and clothing me with His righteousness, the Father sees me also as righteous.

• God sees that I am seeking after Him and desiring His wisdom and a "good understanding" of Him and His Word.

• Instead of viewing me as a miserable, sinning wretch He probably wishes He had never created and destined for eternal condemnation, He sees His Son's worth in me, giving me great value, and has given me His Holy Spirit to gently keep me pointed in the right direction.

• Because the Holy Spirit is continuing His work of sanctifying me, the wretch I was before He came to dwell within me is slowly and surely being transformed into the perfect image of Jesus Christ.   I still battle the world and sin, and will continue to do so until this body of flesh is replaced with perfection, but the world's appeal is viewed with great disgust and fading fast into obscurity.

I am truly a wretch but, through the work of the Holy Spirit, I'm becoming less of one every day. 

My one true desire is to finally be rid of this body of flesh and the sinfulness it brings.  I long for the day when Jesus returns to establish His glorious kingdom upon this earth and restore justice.  But while He tarries, a spiritual battle is constantly being waged in my flesh.  Further on in the book of Romans, Paul laments over the war that's continually waged in his flesh and his mind (Rom. 7:15-25), and I can definitely relate.

But it's a battle that will, with absolute certainty, end in victory, for I know the One who victoriously waged the battle for my soul.  He suffered unimaginably for His wretched children, saving them from an eternity of death, gathering them unto Himself, sanctifying them to His perfection, and He deserves all the praise for His work. 

When that day finally comes - and when I consider all that is happening in the world, it can't come soon enough - I will rejoice in eternal praise and worship and fall on my face in humble adoration before the God who saved such a wretch as me.

"How deep the Father's love for us,

how vast beyond all measure;

that He should give His only Son

to make a wretch His treasure."

Here For Such A Time As This

"For You formed my inward parts;
You knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are Your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
when I was made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in Your book were written, every one of them, 
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them."
 
Psalm 139:13-16, ESV


"God has ordained the battle, which means He has raised up the enemy so that we, His bride, could be a help suitable to the second Adam as He destroys all His enemies for His glory; for the glory of His Namesake, for the glory of His Father.  We are here for such a time as this, so that Jesus will win." ~ R.C. Sproul, Jr.

For me to add anything else in the way of introduction to this post, other than what the psalmist and R.C. wrote, would pale in comparison.

Please take 54 minutes to watch this documentary.  After you do, I hope you will share it with your church and others, and that you will see that you may have also been raised up by God for a time such as this.

Numbers 6:24-26

I seek in prayerful words, dear friend,
My heart’s true wish to send you,
That you may know that, far or near,
My loving thoughts attend you.

I cannot find a truer word,
Nor better to address you;
Nor song, nor poem have I heard
Is sweeter than God bless you!

God bless you! So I’ve wished you all
Of brightness life possesses;
For can there any joy at all
Be yours unless God blesses?

God bless you! So I breathe a charm
Lest grief’s dark night oppress you,
For how can sorrow bring you harm
If ‘tis God’s way to bless you?

And so “through all thy days
May shadows touch thee never”
But this alone, God bless thee,
Then art thou safe forever.

(author unknown)

Joseph: God's Other Divine Choice

(Editor's note: this post was originally published Dec. 15, 2010.)

As we celebrate Christmas, we are reminded of specific people, things, and events that surround God the Savior’s glorious entrance into the world.  The most prominent is usually the manger scene and our focus is placed on Mary, who is certainly a major participant in this divine event.  But what about the man God the Son chose to be His earthly father?

I have always had a curious fascination with Joseph and the role he played.  Much more is written about Mary than her husband and, unfortunately, her status and significance has been un-Biblically elevated by the Catholic Church.  She would be the receptacle through which the Lord would come, but not the deliverer or intercessor, as they would have you think.   The Messiah she would carry and give birth to would die for her sins as well as the sins of others.  

In my mind, the blessing that was poured out upon Mary was no greater than the blessing Joseph received from God.  The Lord entrusted His feeble infancy and fledgling adolescence to the watchful care of this poor carpenter.  And Joseph accepted the responsibility of loving, nurturing, providing for, and protecting Jesus until He physically matured (Matthew 2:13-15).  Until that time would come, it was Joseph’s responsibility to raise up and teach Jesus as his own son, even training Him in his chosen trade of carpentry.

In the beginning verses of Matthew and Luke, Jesus lineage is given.  Because he was writing to the Jews, Matthew traces Jesus' genealogy from Joseph and Mary back to Abraham in order for him to demonstrate His right to the throne. (See Matthew 1:1-17)  Luke, because he was writing to the Gentiles, traced the Lord’s lineage back to Adam, emphasizing Jesus as the Savior of all people.  But what is clear from both genealogies is that Mary and Joseph were equally direct descendants of David, thereby proving and legitimizing Christ’s rightful inheritance. (See Luke 3:23-38 for Mary’s genealogy)  The significance of this is that the Christ must come from David’s seed and is proven in both gospels.  It further demonstrates that, although Jesus was not Joseph’s physical offspring, it established Jesus’ rightful claim to the throne of David as Joseph’s legal heir by adoption.

Joseph’s age is not mentioned, however.  We know Mary’s approximate age to be between 13 and 19 because girls were then considered mature enough to marry at this age due to their child-bearing ability.  Any unmarried woman beyond her teen years was not as desirable,  and she may have been considered an old maid of lesser value, her ability to produce offspring lessened by her age.  Because it was common for an older man to take a young girl as his wife to insure progeny, Joseph could have been middle-aged when they married.  This is not to say that he was, rather to give us a possible explanation for his lifespan as compared to Mary's as recorded in Scripture.

In the Jewish culture, when a man chose a wife, he became “betrothed” to her.  In other words, a promise of marriage was struck and a year-long engagement ensued.  Joseph probably looked with joyful anticipation to the day when his marriage vows would be fulfilled.  But, what must have crossed his mind when Mary, the virgin that had been betrothed to him, came to him and revealed she was pregnant with not just a child from another man, but a child she claimed was from the Holy Spirit?  Surely, Joseph would have thought she was attempting to cover up infidelity by concocting a wild story, or that she was insane.  

As Mary recalled the unbelievable account of the angel Gabriel’s visit to her, proclaiming her as the “favored one” of God (Luke 1:28), Joseph’s discomfort had to have been just as great as Mary’s.  Although she believed Gabriel’s pronouncement, she felt “greatly troubled” over his words (v29), and it probably added to Joseph’s doubt over her mental state.  For Joseph to hear her say that God had chosen her to bear His Son Who “would reign over the house of Jacob forever,” establishing an eternal kingdom of which there would be no end (v33), nothing short of quickly relieving himself of Mary would be prudent.  It would have seemed such an exaggerated tale given the fact that the Jews believed the Messiah would physically reign over Israel, and Joseph's economic status was a poor one.  Wouldn't the long-awaited King be born in less humble circumstances, in spite of what was evident in their holy scriptures?  How could he believe what Mary was telling him?  And to top it off, what would he tell his family, his friends, and worse yet, the synagogue leaders?

The social stigma for Joseph would have been tremendous.  The legal complications of the Law would have been greater still.   Because the term “just man” is used to describe him, Scripture suggests Joseph was a true believer in God and was declared righteous.  He carefully followed the Law and applied it to his own life.  For Mary to be found pregnant before the marriage was legally consummated would have been seen by Joseph and his peers as disgraceful.  Justice would have been demanded by certain pious Jewish leaders and others in his community.  As a Jew and because he knew the child was not his, Joseph had two legal choices in how to deal with Mary’s pregnancy: the remedy of stoning her for adultery (Deut. 22:23-24), or obtaining a legal divorce (Deut. 24:1), which would free him from his obligation of marriage to Mary.

But because Joseph was a “just man”, he was also a merciful one.  As he “considered” the situation he found himself in and his choices (Matt.1:20), there is reason to assume he sought the counsel of the Jewish synagogue leaders.  He could have chosen to settle the matter using the stricter punishment the Law provided.  Instead, Joseph chose to spare Mary from death or further “public disgrace” by divorcing “her quietly” (v19), and to try and pick back up the pieces of his shattered life.

Through all the turmoil Joseph was experiencing, there was one thing left for God to do as He set the stage for His human birth.  In a dream, the Lord assuaged Joseph’s fears, doubts, and certain heartbreak by encouraging him to take Mary as his wife.  God assured Joseph that the things Mary had told him were true.  The Son she bore would be the long-awaited Messiah Who would be sent to “save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:18-21).  And, as God did with Mary in His declaration to her in Luke 1:31, He also did for Joseph, giving the Child's Name:   Jesus, “the LORD saves”.

Coming back to the manger scene, we find Joseph faithfully by Mary's side.  As Jesus is born into this world, the anxious father gazes down with wonder and awe at the Child.  Perhaps as he listens to the voices of the angels proclaiming the Lord's birth, he recalls the promises God made to him in that dream: promises of a King born to rescue His people; a Savior to sit upon the throne of David.  He thinks about his own lowly existence and is filled with wonder that the promised Messiah lies helpless in his arms.  Joseph accepts the fact that the infant is not from his own loins, but his thoughts are filled with the days and years ahead when he can bounce Him on his knee, and do what all devoted fathers do: teach Him all that he knows.

From this point on, Joseph became God the Son’s adoptive earthly father.

Any mention of Joseph in Scripture ends when Jesus is 12-years old during the Passover Feast that the family participated in at Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-52).  As they were leaving the city, Joseph and Mary discovered Jesus was not with them and frantically began a search for their missing Son.  Finding Him in the temple with the teachers, His parents admonished Him for causing them distress, as any good parent would do for a wayward child.

This account gives us a glimpse into the lack of understanding Mary and Joseph had of just Who their son truly was.  They had been told by Gabriel and God that the son they would raise would be a king. But up to this point, they probably still believed that He would physically reign over Israel in the manner of King David, as did even the teachers Jesus was found with and who were  also waiting for the Messiah.  Many years would go by before the realization of Jesus'  true purpose would come to fruition, and witnessed only by Mary as she watched Him suffer on the cross and rise three days later.  But as any good son would do, Jesus "...went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them…And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

Although Scripture tells us little of the man Joseph, if we read between the lines, much can be determined by what little is said.  He was a righteous man of great faith.  His heart was full of compassion and love.  He was unquestionably obedient to the tremendous responsibilities God placed upon him. And he chose public humiliation over disobedience to the Lord.  Although Jesus was God incarnate,  the Creator of all things known and unknown, as with any earthly father-son relationship, Joseph undoubtedly influenced the Son of Man as He matured, teaching Him not only what was necessary to provide for one’s life and maintain a respectable position within the community, but also about virtue and mankind’s responsibility to God through obedience and adherence to the Law and the Jewish rituals.  These were the things any good Jewish father would desire to teach his son, and Joseph would have been that kind of father.

Because so much focus is placed on her, we tend to attribute Christ’s earthly rearing to Mary and her efforts.   It is clear that of His two parents, she alone was with Jesus at the end and there is no mention of Joseph.  But let us not forget that without Joseph, who was also God’s other divine choice to lead His family, the events surrounding the Lord Jesus’ life may have been dramatically different.  God chose him for a reason, and Joseph understood the seriousness of his responsibility and assumed the role perfectly and with great devotion to God.

The account of his life and purpose in Scripture may be short or lacking other noteworthy mention, but Joseph's role in God's divine plan should never be found insignificant.  He faithfully fulfilled God's purpose for placing him on earth.  He was the father to  the young Jesus that God planned and expected him to be.

In a way, I find it sad that there is no mention of Joseph beyond the temple incident.  Even sadder is that there is no mention of his death.  I am sure that somewhere buried among the  Jewish genealogical scrolls is a line or two recording his name.  But, perhaps his seemingly insignificant role needs no further accolades because we know that, through his obedience to God, Joseph fulfilled His purpose by taking Mary as his wife and helping raise and bring the Lord safely to the completion of His purpose for being born - to claim His throne and bring salvation to His earthly parents and to the world.

And for this, Joseph received his crown.



I hope you will take a few moments and listen to the following song that was written to perhaps reflect Joseph's emotions and wonder for the Gift with which God graced the world.

 Merry Christmas, everyone.