Evident Repentance and Grace6/5/2024 ![]() 2 Samuel 12:13 ~ "David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the LORD.' And Nathan said to David, 'The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.'" What does true repentance look like? Is there a formula for bringing yourself into God's presence and receiving His mercy and grace? I think that there are many who believe that in order to be repentant, there must be some process of spiritual engagement that moves a sinner step-by-step into a position where they can then receive the grace of God. A good example of this is seen in some spiritual traditions where the penitent is given various tasks or recitations to perform in order to regain a devout heart. Today, as we consider our text, we will look into the wanton behavior of king David, and discover a pardoning grace from God that is offered to all who come to Him in real repentance. Many know the story of David and Bathsheba. If you are not familiar with it, let me encourage you to go and read it from 2 Samuel, chapters 11 and 12. If you have now familiarized yourself with the story, let us look at circumstances the prophet Nathan is leading David to understand. David was king of Israel. He was blessed of the LORD and given great authority. He was loved of God, and called "a man after God's own heart" (see 1 Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22). But David had now committed adultery with Bathsheba, tried to trick Uriah to cover up the sin and then, when the ruse did not work, had Uriah murdered by the sword of the enemy of Israel. There are a number of other sins, but these will be enough for us to understand David's repentance and God's grace. Nathan the prophet confronts David, shows David his sin through the telling of a story and then points the word of God right at the heart of the king and declares, "You are the man!" (see 2 Samuel 12:7). The charges laid against David were severe--and all of them deserving of capital punishment from the LORD. In our text today, we discover, perhaps, the most telling statement ever spoken by a repentant heart. David simply says, "I have sinned against the LORD." I want to show you three things from this confession of David. First, there was personal ownership. David did not even once attempt to deflect the blame upon another. We see this happen with Adam as he pointed the finger at Eve and then Eve blaming the serpent (see Genesis 3:12-13). How many times has "the devil made me do it" been the excuse for a person's sin? But David did no such thing. He merely said: "I have sinned against the LORD." Second, there was proper confession. David did not say "I have erred" or "I have made a mistake." Errors and mistakes can be corrected through effort. Sin must be dealt with through repentance. David said, "I have sinned against the LORD." The full measure of David's confession can be found in Psalm 51. To minimize the reality of sin is to make a mockery of the redemption that paid for it. Jesus didn't go through the cross to fix your mistakes; He died to pay for your sins. And, third, there was a preeminent recognition. David had sinned against many--but there was One higher than all that he recognized, the LORD God Almighty. David confessed, "I have sinned against the LORD." David might have held tremendous human authority, but he had no clout before God. And now he had just heard from God through Nathan and there was nothing else to be done but bow before the Divine Judge in humble recognition. Beloved, all sins are an affront to the Holy One, and all sins must be brought before the Divine Judge who will either condemn or pardon us. Psalm 38:18 gives us a clear statement of repentance, "I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin." Take time to read Psalm 38 today and hear the groaning anguish of a heart under the conviction of God. Consider Proverbs 28:13, "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." There is Divine grace enough for all who will forsake their sin. As David in his transgression before God found mercy, so all who do as he did will find the same grace. Many fear being "found out" in their sins. But realize that Nathan did not publish this report to the nation of Israel. He brought God's word to David and confronted the king with his wickedness. Dear ones, has God's word been brought to you and your own heart has been confronted? Then make no excuses before the LORD. Confess and forsake your sins and hear the promise of God through Nathan the prophet: "The LORD has also put away your sin." In His Grace, Pastor Michael
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Worth the Wait6/4/2024 ![]() Jude 1:21 ~ "Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life." There is coming a time when all things will be reconciled before God. Justice will be meted out to those who remain in rebellion and full and ultimate mercy given to those who are redeemed in Christ. How impatient we grow when the circumstances of our environment do not change for the better. How quickly we become anxious when plagued by trouble, as if God is not the One who holds all the stars in His hands and numbers every hair on our heads. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:10, "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." Hold steady, dear Christian, for the hour will come when you will rise to stand with the LORD. It is worth the wait. As we consider our text for today, we are encouraged in the waiting. Though surrounded by a world that has purposed to scoff and ridicule those in Christ, striving to disrupt the faith of all who follow Jesus, we can hold on victoriously if we consider the three things we will learn from this passage today. First, there is a place of waiting. We are encouraged, beloved, to keep ourselves in the love of God. Does God love you? He loves all who are in Christ Jesus. Our LORD told us that very thing in John 16:27, "For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God." If you love the Son of God, you are loved by God the Father. There is no escaping that truth, and God does not lie about His love given to those who belong to His Son. He does not love as we do--fractured and weak, seeking that which is satisfying to ourselves more often than not. He loves in perfection, without reservation and without end. You may experience trials and sufferings in this present life, but God's love has not failed you. And even if you do not currently experience the bliss of His love, trust the promise of it and keep yourself there. Reject any internal doubts you may have of His love for you. If you are in Christ, the Father would have to stop loving the Son to stop loving you. And if you are in difficult circumstances as a child of God, remember Hebrews 12:6 states, "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." Don't let your present experience dictate to your heart the condition of God's love for you. Second, there is a person to wait for. We are waiting for the mercy of our LORD Jesus. He will come again and dispense His eternal mercy upon those who belong to Him. Yes, if you believe on the LORD for the salvation of your soul, then you have received mercy even now. But have you noticed that you still linger in this wicked world and still walk about it with a constant struggle against sin? The full measure of God's mercy awaits us when we are taken into glory and the body of sin is done away. Paul lamented his still lingering wicked condition when he cried out in Romans 7:24, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" As Jesus has set His guarantee upon all who believe (see 2 Corinthians 5:5), so He will come again and receive all who are His. His own promise concerning this is found in John 14:3, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." Third, there is a place after the wait. In His mercy, Christ will take us to our eternal home with Him. We are marked for eternal life, and that will be more wonderful than any words can convey. This is the place we are waiting for, our home in heaven, not built by any human hands, who's architect and builder is God (see Hebrews 11:10). It is not an earthly disposition that the saved are waiting for. We are not looking for a home here in this world that will be ours for eternity. We look toward that which Christ has promised, eternal life. Soon, beloved, our wait will be over. We will step across the threshold from here to there, from the cloudy and dismal twilight of this world of sin, to the full and bright morning of righteousness. 2 Peter 3:13 illuminates this, "But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." While we linger here in this world, let us take to heart 1 Corinthians 2:9, "But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him." Eternity, dear ones, will be worth the wait. In His Grace, Pastor Michael Wisdom from the Only God6/3/2024 ![]() Daniel 2:10 ~ "The Chaldeans answered the king and said, 'There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.'" This rant, by the “wise” men of Babylon, conveys the thought that many today embrace: that if man cannot comprehend it, it cannot be done or if man cannot comprehend it, it cannot be true. This situation is found in various forms throughout the Bible. Consider the encounter that Jesus had with Nicodemus in John 3:3-4, "Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?'" After the resurrection of Jesus, Thomas declares his great uncertainty in John 20:24-25, "Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord.' But he said to them, 'Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.'" How many times have you determined that it cannot be done or that it cannot be true simply because you did not understand or could not comprehend the situation? Let’s consider our text for today as we return to the “wise” men of Babylon. These men were faced with a terrible conundrum. The king had a dream and he demanded that his wise men interpret the dream. To make matters worse, the king would not divulge any information. No hint, no clue was forthcoming from the king’s lips. The wise men were under the gun to try and interpret a dream that they did not know. You must understand that these men had made a career out of convincing the king that they understood great riddles and mysteries. Now Nebuchadnezzar was testing them to see if they truly had any great insights or revelations that he could trust. In Daniel 2:11 we read their response, "The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh." But there was one truly wise man in Babylon—a man who believed in the Living God—that man was Daniel. Daniel called upon his friends to pray, and he also prayed, that God would reveal the dream and give an interpretation to answer the king. The next day he asked the guard to take him to see the king. Daniel spoke to Nebuchadnezzar and said, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days." (Daniel 2:27-28). Suffice it to say, Daniel interpreted the dream, saved the lives of all the “wise” men of Babylon and was elevated to a position of authority. So, who are you like? Are you like the king, plagued by mysteries and seeking answers through worldly wisdom? Do you look to the "wise men" of our age to gain insight into the mysteries that surround your life? Or, are you like the “wise” men of Babylon, when confronted by a mystery, determined that there was no hope of discovering an answer? Do you look at the mysteries around you and decide that your own wisdom is the only source for understanding, and that if you cannot comprehend and unravel the conundrum, it cannot be understood? Or are you like Daniel, when confronted by this mystery he turned to the only One who could give understanding? When you face such mysteries, do you turn to the Living God and His Word and seek understanding from Him? I want to close with a final thought. 1 Corinthians 1:20 states, "Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" All of the wisdom of worldly thinking cannot comprehend the magnitude of God. No matter how intelligent humanity becomes, there are mysteries that only God can answer. Without Him, there is no hope of finding the answer to life’s riddles. You will face mysteries. I implore you to go to the giver of wisdom—the Living God. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." When you face these mysteries, trust God to give you understanding—in His time and according to His Word. If you don’t, you’ll find yourself in the same boat as the “wise” men of Babylon: persistently confused. In His Grace, Pastor Michael The House of God6/2/2024 ![]() Haggai 1:4 ~ "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?" The people had returned to the promised land. Under the leadership of Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and Joshua the high priest, the people began to work on the development of their own homes. Much was needed to be done, for the people had come back from captivity to a land that was decimated through war and neglect. Perhaps the families found their ancestral homes; perhaps some who had been taken early in their lives now returned to the very dwelling where they lived as children. As they worked on their houses, the only house that remained neglected, that remained scarred with the conflicts of war, was the Temple--the house of God. In Haggai 1:2, the LORD confronts the very sentiment of the people. "Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD." Certainly the people had their own priorities, their own needs. Truly there could be nothing gained from rebuilding the Temple of God before they worked on their own dwellings. The people had to set priorities, to make determinations and establish the important things first. As far as the people were concerned, it just wasn't the right time to be concerned about the house of the LORD. Let us, for a moment, consider what the Temple was meant to be for the people. God does not dwell in paneled houses--no human could construct an edifice that would contain the Eternal LORD of Glory. Consider Acts 7:48-49, "Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?'" So the Temple had another purpose. The House of God was the place of prayer, the place of sacrifice, the place where the people could go and worship the LORD (see Isaiah 56:7). The Temple was not built to satisfy some need of God (For God Almighty has no needs), but to bring His people together and meet with Him. In essence, then, to neglect the house of God was the neglect of their own fellowship with Him, their own relationship to Him and their own worship of Him. In light of this, as we consider our text for today, does God's house still lay in ruins? I am not referring to the structures of our gathering places (though that may be a telling sign of a greater neglect), but of the inner dwelling of our hearts--the passions and priorities that we set in order to navigate our lives. The church is the place where God has placed His Holy Spirit--within each believer He resides. The whole body is the structure being built by the LORD. Ephesians 2:19-21 states, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord." In a culture driven by personal gain, many have considered their spiritual lives a time-wasting experience. They will get around to it when they have the time. They consider their "paneled houses" of a greater priority than fellowship with the LORD and His people. I knew a man who told me he would get back to the church when he made enough money for himself. I can tell you, he never made enough. The greater his pocketbook grew, the more his soul shriveled. Do your own soul a great service this day. Examine yourself with the question God asked in our text. If there is spiritual neglect happening in your life, beloved, then take this moment to repent and determine to set Christ as your greatest priority. His glory and honor, fellowship with His saints in worship and prayer. Making His house--your own heart--a dwelling wherein He is exalted. When this is the case, there is a promise given. "Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD's message, 'I am with you, declares the LORD'" (Haggai 1:13). And, if the LORD is with us--who can be against us? In His Grace, Pastor Michael Wake Up6/1/2024 ![]() Romans 13:11 ~ "Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed." Do you know the hour wherein we live, dear reader? It is nearing unto daylight, for soon the Son of God will illuminate the sky in His preeminent glory and dispel the night of sin. It is time for all of God's people to wake up. The world is unaware that the return of Jesus Christ is nearer now, and they carry on as if the only matter that concerns them is the continued satisfaction of their own life. Jesus told the disciples, "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matthew 24:38-39). They have no fear or dread of the day that will bring the final judgment of the LORD upon this earth, there is no consternation in their hearts for they cannot imagine anything different than what they currently see. Peter addresses this in 2 Peter 3:4, "They will say, 'Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.'" And though it should not be, there are some who hold themselves as believers in Christ and yet have a dismissive consideration of our soon returning King. We are, however, encouraged to maintain a vigilant stand, an awakened awareness of the coming of the LORD Jesus. Our LORD says in Matthew 24:44, "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." We are commanded to "stay awake" (see Matthew 24:42). Yet, how many Christians have grown drowsy as they wait for the Master to return? Our text for today tells us that we already know the time. And, as we consider when the book of Romans was written, imagine now how much nearer is the coming of the Son of God? Now is not the time for any Christian to grow sleepy in their salvation, but to awaken their hearts to the great promise of Christ, that He will come again and it could be now. Romans 13:12 tells us how to live with such an awakened awareness, "The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." Beloved, you are, today, one day closer to the final day you spend on this earth. Paul tells us in our text, "For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed." The return of Jesus is imminent. Yet, what if it does not happen in our time? It does not change the truth of this text. Salvation is nearer--and growing nearer every day. You may have only just woken up to the salvation of Jesus and have only spent one hour walking with Him. You are one hour closer to the day you will stand in His presence. Jesus will either return in our lifetime or we will depart to be with Him when our journey on earth is done. Either way, it is drawing near. Spiritual drowsiness does not become a child of God. Do not hit the "snooze button" on your Christian life, believing that you can linger a bit longer in the slumber of your former life. Paul says in Ephesians 5:14, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Jesus our LORD chastised the church in Sardis for their spiritual stagnation, "Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God" (Revelation 3:2). Rise up, believer, out of the death-bed of this world, for you are actually alive. There is no need for you to linger any longer in a condition like those who will perish in their sins. We can walk in the light as Jesus is in the light (see 1 John 1:7). You can, in Christ Jesus, cast off the works of darkness. You can and must put on Christ. On this first day of June, as the summer draws near and the world is awake with growth and life, let it be said of us that we also have awakened to the life of Christ and will no longer slumber in sin, for the dawn of salvation has broken and the final Day is at hand. In His Grace, Pastor Michael From the Mountains to the SeaEvery step we take on this journey called life ought to be used for greater understanding. I've lived from the mountains to the sea, and this blog is my personal thoughts and observations with a desire for Biblical understanding. Welcome. Featured BookArchives
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