The Battle Over My Sin

 The battle for victory over sin is a difficult one and if we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we lose the battle more often than we win it. We try and try to stop certain behaviors. The battle for pure thoughts in our minds is even harder as we live in a world that is constantly attacking us. 

Jesus warned us in Matthew 26:4, saying this, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Yet, we cannot excuse our behavior, there is never an excuse for sin. He tells us we always have opportunity and the ability to say no to our sin nature. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Yet, we fail Him daily. Reading this morning in Psalms, it is clear that God’s people in the Old Testament were just like us. In Psalm 78, we read of the repeated failings of the people. 

Psalm 78:10-11  

They did not keep God’s covenant but refused to walk according to his law.  They forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them. 

Psalm 78:17-19 

Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness? 

Psalm 78:21-22  

Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,  because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power. 

Psalm 78:29-31  

And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.  But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,  the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel. 

Psalm 78:32-37  

In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.  So, he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.  When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.  They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.  But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.  Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant. 

Whoa, these people were messed up. Despite all God had done for Israel and all that He gave them, they still sinned against Him. 

But if we look closely at our own hearts, are we any better? For all God has blessed us with, even giving up His own Son to die for our sins, we turn back to our selfish desires habitually. We complain, we whine, we live our lives in fear and anxiety and we simply don’t obey His commandments. We are just like Israel.

But there is more to the story in Psalm 78 then the failings of God’s chosen people. There is an amazing description of how God responds to His people, even in the midst of their failings.

Psalm 78:38-39  

Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.  He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again. 

It is popular these days to say to people, “God is not angry with you.” Uh, not Biblical! 

Exodus 32:9-10  

And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.  Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

Those were God’s people He was angry at. Look at the next verse, it says so.

Exodus 32:11  

But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

Yes, God’s wrath can burn hot against His own. Was Moses not one of God’s chosen and favorite people?

Exodus 4:14  

Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses…

Of course, God can be angry with us. But back to the comforting words of Psalm 78.

Psalm 78:38-39  

Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.  He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again. 

This is a picture of the Gospel. He atoned for their iniquity. That is an OT picture of Jesus. This is the beauty of the Gospel. Despite our sinfulness and our continued return to sin, Jesus paid the price for our sins, once and for all. He restrains His anger.

The Psalm doesn’t end here. It goes on to show that the people of Israel continued to fail God. 

Psalm 78:40-42  

How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!  They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel.  They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe.

Just as they rebelled against the God who brought them out of captivity in Egypt, we rebel against the Savior who delivered us from the captivity of sin.  

Psalm 78:56-59  

Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies,  but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.  For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.  When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel. 

The Psalm goes on to explain how God disciplined His people. 

Psalm 78:62-64 

He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage. Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song. Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation. 

He vented His wrath on them. He came down hard.

But then the Psalm ends with this reminder that God has sent a shepherd to lead His people home to the safety of His sheepfold.

Psalm 78:70-72  

He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds;  from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.  With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand. 

Once more we see in the Old Testament, a picture of our wonderful Savior, Jesus, who, with His upright heart, shepherds His people and guides them with His skillful hand.

I don’t think there is any question but to conclude Psalm 78 is a picture of the Gospel. 

Yes, we fail Him daily. But it won’t be our faithfulness that saves us in the end, it will be the faithfulness of Jesus by which we shall persevere. The words of Psalm 78 bring great comfort to the heart of a repentant sinner, who is humbled by the failings of his own heart, but who looks to Jesus to bring grace and mercy to His people. 

Turn to Jesus today. It’s our only hope. But it’s a sure hope.

Thankful Even in the Midst of a Pandemic

Our purpose in life, the reason God created us, is to glorify Him. Isaiah 43:7 tells us why God created us, “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” 

One way we bring glory to God is to be thankful. God tells us that in Psalm 50:23, saying that “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

But maybe today we are finding it hard to be thankful because we are living in the strangest and most difficult circumstances many of us have ever seen. 

God has a response for us about that.1 Thessalonians 5:18 says we are to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Let us all be thankful, not just today, but every day, in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for us. 

God Knows We Are Just Dust

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.  He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;  as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. - Psalm 103:8-14

Every day I fall short in my quest to please God and to be like Jesus. But God knows us, He made us. He remembers that "we are dust." This is why Jesus came. This why we need to surrender our lives to Him. This is why we must receive Him as Lord and Savior. 

These verses from Psalm 103 are the Gospel. They are amazing truths about God and about why we can live in hope. They are why He is worthy of all our praise and worship. 

But you must fear Him. You must fear Him so much that you have no other option, no other hope, but to live in faith and in joyful expectation of His mercy and grace.

Comfort From the Psalms

In the midst of all that is going on around us in these times, I believe we can simply trust God. Here are some words from the psalms, probably written by David when his life was in extreme peril as King Saul sought to take his life. They should comfort us and remind us that God is sovereign and if we place all our faith in Him alone, He will provide for us as He did David. Pray through these, ask God to embed them into your heart and you will find that the peace of God, will remove all your fears and anxieties. 

Psalm 56:1-4 

Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me.  My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me.   When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.   In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? 

Psalm 56:8-11 

Thou hast taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Thy bottle; Are they not in Thy book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? 

Psalm 34:4-10  

I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.  They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces shall never be ashamed.  This poor man cried and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.  The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.  O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!  O fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him, there is no want.  The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing. 

Psalm 34:15-22  

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.  The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.  The righteous cry and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.  The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit.   Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the LORD delivers him out of them all.  He keeps all his bones; Not one of them is broken.   Evil shall slay the wicked; And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.  The LORD redeems the soul of His servants; And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. 

Psalm 52:8-9  

But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.  I will give Thee thanks forever, because Thou hast done it, And I will wait on Thy name, for it is good, in the presence of Thy godly ones. 

This is just a small bite of the wonderful food of God that we find in His Word. My prayer this morning is that we stand faithful in believing the Word of God and we feed on it so that we will be strengthened by it and we stay faithful in trusting in Him for all we need. 

The One Thing We Need To Understand From The Book of Revelation

If you find the Book of Revelation difficult to understand, then at this point just lay hold of this truth from its words.

There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. - Revelation 22:3-5

The Bible story after creation begins with the curse being put upon the earth because of the first sin of Adam and Eve. This is why life is such a struggle. This why sickness and death exist. This is the root of every single problem on this earth and no matter how much man tries to defeat sickness, addictions, abuse and every other ailment that drags us down, he will not.

But the good news is that if we live by faith in Jesus and what He suffered on the cross, then there is a day coming soon in which that curse will be gone.

This is what we need to receive out of Revelation. We don't need to speculate on and argue over what symbolic mysteries it presents. We need to lay hold of the promises the Word of God gives us and live in joyful expectation of the return of Jesus when all this comes to fruition.

There will no longer be any curse. There will no longer be any night. Darkness will be gone. We will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and we will reign forever and ever.

That is what we most need to understand from the Book of Revelation.

The Call to Walk in Truth

Without love, we are nothing but noisy gongs. (See 1 Corinthians 13:1)

And the Bible is clear, love is the answer. Anyone who calls themselves a Christian but doesn't love others, is living a lie. The call to love in scripture is a call to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, our neighbors, and even our enemies. Read your Bible. Love is the number one trait that must identify who we are.

But unless we speak truth, we really are not showing love.

The Apostle John has much to say to us about truth.

2 John 1:4
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.

3 John 1:3-4
For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

John 14:16-17
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Truth is so important, that God sent us the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth, to dwell within us.

But the world is filled with untruth, with lies. Some are clearly lies. Some are harder to distinguish. The world will tell you that there are gray areas and those things we can address with compromise to the truth. That is not from God, it is from the devil.

John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Christians, we must speak truth. We must stand in truth. God's word is the only legitimate source of truth. The Spirit of truth indwells every true believer. Jesus is the truth.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

Truth is under attack, in these weird and difficult days, that has become even more clear.

What should we do?

Walk in truth.

How Can I Know I am Saved?

My morning study time finds me in a place that is deeply convicting. And that is the purpose of John's words here. I know I am not always walking in the same manner as Jesus walked. I know I'm not truly abiding in Him, for I simply fail far too often to keep His commandments.

No, we are not saved by our works. But we should never take for granted our salvation. We should never stop studying His Word, looking at our lives and seeing how we line up with the way Jesus walked. We must fall on our knees in humility, praying that the Holy Spirit will bring deep conviction to our hearts so that we can persevere through our disobedience, and let the mercy and grace of God fall upon us and be the catalyst that drives us to obedience.

1 John 2:3-6

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

When I look at myself in light of this passage, I wonder, how might I ever be saved? I am reminded of what Jesus said about salvation. (By the way, if you are reading this now, you are a rich person, compared to so many)

Matthew 19:23-25

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

But then Jesus reminds us of how this works.

Matthew 19:26

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

So, I humbly lean into God and place every little bit of faith I can muster up into believing that Christ died for me.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Thank You Jesus. I have no boast but in Him.