Scripture
How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
~Psalm 19:12, NLT
Quote
“The bible is alive, it speaks to me. It has feet, it runs after me. It has hands, it takes hold of me.”
~Martin Luther
I don’t remember where I was or the year but I do remember the first time I read Psalm 19 in the New Living Translation. I can tell you why some folks don’t like modern English translations and it is because they are clear and easy to understand. Since my goal in bible study is to understand, I want all the help I can get. Every human being on the planet has hidden faults. These hidden faults lay beneath the surface. There are so deeply rooted in our flesh that we don’t even know they exist. These are the faults that we do not see or recognize. When we get sick physically, we have symptoms but we don’t always know what is going on under the skin. We go to doctors, they run test, do X-rays and such and then they tell us what’s causing the problem. The same is true of our moral condition. We must have help if we are to see our hidden faults. In Psalm 19, David goes into a litany of praise for the word of God. Scripture was more precious to David than gold. You can tell a lot about a person by how much or how little they value the word of God. We must have two helps to get a glimpse of our hidden faults. The Holy Spirit must be our lamp and the word of God our mirror. These two plus grace are mandatory.
I’m not here to offend Church of Christ or Holiness but they have a flawed theology. They believe that all sins must be repented of each night or day or you lose your salvation. I tell them, “You don’t know all your sin. God has not revealed them all and if He revealed them all at once, you couldn’t handle it.” Listen folks, mankind is depraved. This means the principle of sin has tainted every part of our being. Just as a tea bad dropped in a cup of hot water will taint every drop of water in the cup, so every aspect of our life has been corrupted by sin. You and I are capable of anything when it comes to sin. You can wear your halo tight and keep it polished but the truth is–you are totally depraved and there is nothing good in you. You do good things but you do them for the wrong reasons. The one thing that frightens me most about Baptist, and many of my own family members, is their understanding of grace. We are not on a point system. We have no ability to score. Good deeds are meaningless unless they are motivated by grace. Anything that comes from the flesh, not matter how good it appears, is tainted with a selfish motive and eventually the flesh always seeks glory. Since the first family, man has tried to gain standing before God without going through His Son and it cannot be done. The blood and the cross are still offensive to the self-willed.
Greg Lane, who I think is from Hartselle [a friend of Peggy Lindsey’s] makes an interesting point in his devotional, MY MORNING WALKS WITH GOD. He reminds us that Jesus carried his scars to heaven. You and I will not carry our scars: we will get a perfect body thanks to Jesus sacrifice and resurrection. Why would God allow Jesus to carry His scars? Greg’s conclusion is that it will insure that Jesus gets ALL the glory in heaven. He will be the only one there with scars. I don’t have any scars worth mentioning but the Apostle Paul has a list of scars but heaven will not be about Paul’s sacrifice. Neither Paul nor any other believer will be the object of worship in heaven. All glory and praise will go to the Lamb who was slain.
I love the Bob Pitman’s story about the church that was going to fire their preacher. I tell it so much I imagine people get tired of hearing it. Bob was preaching a revival in a church in Tennessee and one little lady told him one night after the service…“We are going to run our preacher off when this meeting is over.” Bob was taken back and he said, “Why, what has he done. Has he had a moral blowout? Has he been unfaithful to his family?” “Oh no,” said the lady, “He is a great family man and a good pastor.” So Bob asked, “Then, what on earth is wrong with him?” The little lady said, “He is hung up on Jesus…It’s Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…that’s all he talks about and we are tired of it.” A little truth folks, if hearing Jesus constantly praised bothers you here and now, you would be miserable in heaven.
I know I am going long but good accountability partners helps. My mother was faithful to point out faults in my life that I did not see. Iron sharpens iron. Don’t be offended when friends help you see yourself as others are seeing you. I’m not saying it is pleasant but it is necessary for our sanctification.
- Day two of biggest loser and it is getting tougher. I am living on chicken and eggs but I want a pizza and a bag of potato chips and a piece of cake.
- I haven’t mentioned it but I did get a call earlier in the week and LORD willing I will be going to Sardis Springs to teach the WBS {Book of I Peter} February 11-14.
- Lord willing, I plan to check on some of our Seniors today: Hope to see most of you Sunday morning for LCBS.