Tag Archives: Sin nature

The Fading Glory of Creation

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Don’t Accept A Cheap Substitute

When we refuse to give God the glory He alone deserves, we exchange the glory of an immortal Creator for the glory of created things. In other words, we accept cheap substitutes. When we could have gloried in an eternal, immortal, all-powerful Creator, we glory instead in the fading glory of a creation that groans and dies under the weight of sin’s curse. James wrote: “Let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits” (James 1:9-11).

Beauty Queens and Hip Replacements

That means beauty queens grow old and decrepit. It means sports stars age, get hip and knee replacements. If you value anything more than God, you’ve exchanged the “imperishable” for the “perishable.” You’ve traded a diamond for that rotten peach that’s been in the back of your fridge for the last three months! You’ve exchanged gold for a rusty bolt. In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, he says that when you dismiss or deny God’s glory, you exchange the truth of God for lies of sexual perversions: “…God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie…” (Romans 1:24-25).

God Is Not The Killjoy In The Sky

Listen, God is not the big “sex killjoy” in the sky! He’s not a prude! He created sex. Contrary to what some people seem to think, sex wasn’t our idea. God created sex, and the reason He restricted sexual activity to a husband and a wife is because He loves us. His way is the best way for us. All sexual activity—outside that which is between a husband and a wife—will always result in painful, negative experiences. Humanity keeps ignoring God’s glory when it comes to sexual conduct, so God delivers them over to sexual impurity, Paul says. Our society is bent on degrading their bodies because they’ve believed all the lies of sexual perversions. There’s a really important principle here!

Living With Regret

You can glory in the lies of sin and get some momentary pleasure out of it, but the pleasure is soon gone, and what remains is regret. Or you can glory in the truth of God and gain happiness and joy that does not fade in this life—a joy that actually carries over into eternity. You can live without regrets now! Give God the glory due His name. Redirect any praise that might come your way to Him. Humble yourself before Him. Admit that you’re not a self-made man or woman. You’re made in the image of God for His glory. If you’re a follower of Jesus, His Spirit indwells you, and He is making you into the image of Christ. Everything you have—yes, everything—comes from Him! Don’t take any credit for your accomplishments; that’s what unbelievers do. Stand with the Apostle Paul: “As for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). Brag on the cross and Jesus’ work for our salvation!
 

The Glory Due His Name

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About New Year’s Resolutions

Why do resolutions at the start of a new year rarely work? I recently did a Google search for “New Year’s Resolutions” and came up with 18,600,000 hits in 0.54 seconds. There are more than 18 million articles, blogs, posts, sites, and news stories dedicated to the subject of New Year’s Resolutions! What does that mean? Well, I’d say, among other things, it means that people are always longing for change! They’re looking for strategies and formulas to help them eat less, exercise more, quit smoking…yada, yada, yada! Can I make an observation?

The Problem With Self-Focus

Full disclosure here—I am NOT against “New Year’s Resolutions”! I am not against “self-improvement”! But, I’ve come to believe that the reason New Year’s Resolutions and other methods for self-improvement aren’t very successful is because they’re all “self”-focused!  As a Bible believer and disciple of Jesus Christ, I agree with the doctrine of man’s fallenness. I see the depravity and brokenness in my own life. I’ve learned that I can’t trust my fallen nature, so I’m not surprised by my inability to keep promises and resolutions to myself. I need help. I need a Savior. Here’s what I’ve seen in my life and the lives of countless others through the years—when I quit focusing on myself and focus my heart, my thoughts, and my energy on Jesus Christ, change begins to happen.

What About God’s Glory?

Personal change happens when I stop being absorbed in myself and look at Jesus over and over again—meditate on Him and memorize His words. For change to take place, our greatest preoccupation must be with God and His glory. We exist for His glory. So, if we don’t live our lives for His glory, we miss our purpose, or our very reason for existence. We live a wasted life. I don’t like the sound of that, and I’m sure you don’t either. Preaching on the doctrine of “God’s glory” is difficult because it’s as deep as God’s character, which is eternal, inexhaustible, and indefinable. It’s also difficult because it’s easily misunderstood—“Why is God so concerned about His glory? He must be some kind of glory hog!” And then, it’s difficult to understand the part we play in bringing God glory, all of which means that we don’t really know how to define it adequately, do we?

A Working Definition Of Glory

Let me try to illustrate “glory” for you. While stopping at a store in Hollywood, Christian music artist Lecrae pulled a very ordinary, plain cotton T-shirt off a rack to check its price. Thinking it must be mismarked, he pulled another one only to find the same price on the tag. Incredulous, he approached the sales clerk to question the exorbitant price of $640. He was told that was the “special” sales price! When he asked what could possibly make it so special, the clerk said, “It’s the designer’s name on it that adds value to it.” Get the illustration? The reason God alone deserves all glory is because He’s the designer of everything. His name is on everything! And it’s His name that adds value to it! So, when we speak about God’s glory, we define it as “the essence and beauty of His Spirit,” or the beauty of His character.
 

Abraham Believed God

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A Biblical Picture Of Sanctification

When God makes an entrance into Abraham’s life, He calls him to leave his home & go to a new land where He promised to make him into a great nation. That presented a problem, because, Sarah— his wife— had been unable to conceive (see Genesis 12). The rest of Abraham’s “story” is just one crisis of belief after another—but, this is what God uses to grow him spiritually! Abraham presents us with a Biblical picture of a sanctified life; and, how God achieves it. This is how God works in the life of everyone who comes to Him by faith!

He Was Justified By His Faith

The scripture tells us that Abraham was “justified” by his faith.  “Abraham believed God,” His story, in Genesis, says, “and, God CREDITED it to him as RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Genesis 15:6).  And, the rest of his life presents a study, in SANCTIFICATION, as he is progressively set free from the power of sin. Isn’t that the hardest part of the Christian life? Growing in our “sanctification”? I mean JUSTIFICATION is really quite painless. It’s just applying the truth of the Gospel and accepting God’s pardon for sin, right? And, GLORIFICATION? I mean, yeah, you have to DIE to get it! But, the actual process of BEING GLORIFIED, like Jesus, sounds awesome! But, SANCTIFICATION? That can be quite painful as God turns up the heat, on our lives, in order to bring our sins to the surface where they can be dealt with by His Spirit!

Promises Answered In The Future

So, let’s talk about how Abraham is a picture of the sanctified life.  Genesis ch. 12 begins with these words: “The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” But, Abraham never saw that promise, of God, fulfilled in his lifetime! The writer of Hebrews says: “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise” (Heb.11:8,9). That phrase, “…he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise…” reminds us that this world is not ours to claim! We’re “aliens” here (1 Peter 2:11).

Where Do You Claim Citizenship?

The Apostle Paul wrote the Church of Philippi— “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).  Like Abraham, we need to confess that we’re “…foreigners and temporary residents on earth” (Heb. 11:13). We can’t hold onto this life too tightly if we hope to grow spiritually! Jesus told us to let go of this life; and, to die to self every day as we wait for the promise of our GLORIFICATION— to be completed in the “Land of Promise.”  It’s interesting that Abraham purchased some of the land that God had promised him, for his burial (Gen. 25). It was his act of faith that he believed God would come through on His promise! Let us follow his great example!


 

What Are Your Attachments?

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*TAKING SOME VACATION TIME* *RETURNING JULY 31ST*

Raised With The Messiah

My sinful life was the OLD me! But, that’s no longer who I am. Sin has no power to rule over me anymore than it had power over Jesus. In His resurrection, Jesus left the tomb! And, so should we! We’re no longer “dead” if we’re “in Christ.” We’ve been made “new”; or, ALIVE in Him. We’re no longer a dweller among the tombs! Do you know who you are? Do you identify with Jesus? Is He your Lord & Master as well as your Savior? The Apostle Paul says, “…if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God” Colossians 3:1. 

It’s An Imperative

“Seek what is above,” he says! That’s an imperative! He’s commanding the Colossian believers to be seekers of something. That has everything to do with your “heart” or your “affections.”  We always seek after the things that our heart desires; what we’re attached to! Your ability to live in your identity in Christ; and your ability to defeat sin, has everything to do with the things that your heart is attached to! What are you ATTACHED to here? Where are you focused? If your heart & your affections & your attachments are in this world, you won’t be very effective in purging sin from your life.

Seek What Is Above

Your spiritual growth & sanctification will be stunted; and, the weeds, of SIN, will grow out of control in your life. Look at Paul’s words again:  “…if (or SINCE) you’ve been raised with the MESSIAH, SEEK WHAT is ABOVE, where the MESSIAH is…” Set your heart & your affections on Jesus! He’s the TREASURE our hearts ought to desire! None of the created stuff that so easily turns into idols will last. One day it’ll all burn up & pass away! Your spiritual growth has a direct correlation to how highly & how often you think of God; and, how little you think of yourself!

Set Your Minds

“Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth,” Paul says in the next verse (Col. 3:2). Your spiritual growth & sanctification depend on what you “…set your minds…” Your ability to be kill the weeds of sin in your life is dependent on your thought life— the things you dwell on; and, think about. To mature spiritually, you have to see everything against the backdrop of eternity; not, this mortal world. We can no longer think like we did when we were still “dead in sin”; when we lived like this world was the only thing that mattered! He specifically tells us not to set our minds on EARTH!

Where Is Your Citizenship?

It’s so easy to get swept up in the nationalism & the politics & the drama of our nation! It’s so easy to “set our mind” & our conversation on those things, isn’t it? But, that’s not who we are!  We can no longer self-identify as an “American Christian”— that moniker says we are an “American” 1st and a “Christian” 2nd.  NO! “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul wrote the Church of Philippi. The Apostle Peter agreed! He called life, on planet Earth, a “temporary residence.” Don’t make country an IDOL! We belong to HEAVEN! We are heaven’s AMBASSADOR!  As such, our sole purpose for remaining on this planet is to “reconcile” the lost with the Father! That is the mission our Savior left us: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20)
 

What Does Spiritual Growth Look Like?

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Serious Gardening Looks Like This

My parents were not “hobby” gardeners! A lot of gardening today tends to be more “recreational” than essential to life, doesn’t it? That was not the way it was for me growing up! It really was “life or death” for us! If we didn’t grow our food, we wouldn’t have had anything to eat. We had 2 huge gardens & it seemed like we grew every kind of vegetable known to man. My mom canned everything; and, by the end of the harvest season, the cellar was stacked full of canned food.

The Battle Against Weeds

But, let me tell you the most vivid memory I have about my parent’s garden, growing up— it was the daily battle we waged against undesirable and troublesome plant life that grew profusely where it was not wanted…WEEDS! According to the dictionary, weeds are:  “a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop.” Every summer my dad preached the same sermon to us—  “We have to kill the weeds; or, the weeds will kill our crops.” So, every morning— early, before it got too hot— my sisters & I made our way to the garden, with a garden hoe in hand, to kill the weeds before they killed our crops!

Our Sins Are Like Weeds

The parallels to our spiritual life are obvious, aren’t they? Our sins are like weeds in the gardens of our lives, and just like weeds harm & injure the desired garden crops we’re growing, so, the remaining sin in us will stunt our spiritual growth & development! Sin, like weeds, has to be rooted out of our lives and killed! The old Puritan, John Owen, warned that “We’ve got to be killing sin; or, sin will be killing us.” That is what Biblical, spiritual growth is all about! Paul taught the Church of Rome:  “If you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” Romans 8:13.  And, that’s what we call “SANCTIFICATION.”

Bible Knowledge Is Not Enough

It should resonate with you that SANCTIFICATION = SPIRITUAL GROWTH! Just adding more Bible knowledge is NOT sanctification or spiritual growth if we’re still entertaining sin in our lives! The goal of our salvation is NOT HEAVEN! The goal of our salvation is JESUS! By faith, in Him, we are remade in His image! According to Paul, that transformation work is done in our lives by God’s indwelling Holy Spirit—  “…IF by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body…” The work of rooting sin out of our lives is the Spirit’s work.

Here’s What Life Is All About


 It’s imperative that you understand what this life is all about! It’s NOT ultimately about your family, your job, or your retirement! It’s NOT about you or the “American Dream”!  It’s about your SANCTIFICATION! That’s why you’re still here! If you’re a genuine believer in Jesus Christ, a follower & disciple of His, then you were JUSTIFIED when you humbled yourself & accepted His payment, for your sin, on the cross! At the moment you believed, God JUSTIFIED you! He pardoned you; and, set you free from the penalty of your sin; which, is death! And, one day you will be GLORIFIED! You’ll be given a new GLORIFIED body like Jesus; and, you’ll be set free from the very presence of sin! Hallelujah!  “If there is an earthly body, there is also a spiritual body.” 1 Corinthians 15:44-58
 

God Makes You New, Part I

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If Anyone Is In Christ

If you’re a believer, in Jesus Christ, you’re no longer the OLD you! You’ve become—and, you are becoming— a NEW you; a work that God promises to finish once our lives end here! I love how the Amplified Bible renders 2 Corinthians 5:17— “Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, all things have become new [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].”  Throughout his writings, the Apostle Paul breaks down our salvation into 3 parts; and, understanding this is VITAL to your spiritual growth & to your spiritual sanity!

3 Big Theological Words

He uses 3 big theological words— our “JUSTIFICATION”; our “SANCTIFICATION”; and, our “GLORIFICATION.” Now, don’t start snoring on me! Give me a chance to help you understand. You need this; because it’s all about your “identity” as a disciple of Jesus Christ. If you ever struggle in your faith, it’s because you don’t understand how your faith works— your “JUSTIFICATION” is all about the “WAS” of your salvation; your “SANCTIFICATION” is all about the “IS” of your faith right now; and, your “GLORIFICATION” is all about the “IS TO COME” part of your salvation!

The Apostle Paul’s Explanation

Paul explains it like this in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14—  “But we must always thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  In your Bible, write down “JUSTIFICATION” next to “…belief in the truth…”  At the moment you believed, in Christ, you were JUSTIFIED by God; and, set free from the “PENALTY” of sin—ALL of it! As far as God is concerned, it’s just as if you’d never sinned because Jesus already paid the price for ALL the sins of ALL humanity for ALL time when He died, as a substitutionary atonement, on the cross! I’ve known believers who struggle with that truth—they believe all their sin, up to their salvation, was forgiven; but, they think they have to keep asking for forgiveness of future sins!  

How Far Is The East From The West?

But, that’s faulty thinking; because  ALL of our sin was “FUTURE” sin when Jesus died on the cross 2000 years ago! When God saves us, He tells us that He’s removed our sin “…as far as the east is from the west…”    (Psalm 103:12). He says He “…buries them in the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19); and, my favorite is that He “…chooses to remember our sins no more” (Heb 10:17).  ALL our sins— past, present & future— are GONE! That’s what it means to be JUSTIFIED! Satan doesn’t want you to know that! He wants you to grovel in your sin & your inadequacies! Every time you stumble & fall he wants to accuse you; but, don’t listen to his lies! God no longer condemns you—Romans 8:1. (Next Week: Part II)

Church Community Encourages Growth

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Celebrate The Differences

During our 41 years of marriage & ministry together, my wife and I have had several opportunities to minister to some married couples who were struggling with their relationship.  And, more often than not, they were fighting over the very things they originally found attractive about each other— their differences! Oh yes, indeed, opposites do attract! I have never yet met a couple who were matched up because of their likenesses.  And, if you don’t celebrate the differences from the start of the marriage, you’ll begin to see them as irritants after a while.

Diversity Adds Strength

Those differences were obvious early on; and, they were seen as complimentary because each one filled in some deficiency in the other person. That’s also true in the faith community that makes up every local church.  Have you noticed how different each individual member is in your church? We all have different backgrounds & upbringings; and, that diversity adds strength to the faith community! But— like marriage— those differences can become problematic to our fellowship if we’re not careful. We can look at how different we are & conclude that we just can’t fellowship with those people! When we go there we make the same mistake as the troubled married couple! The differences that my wife & I brought into the marriage gave us perspective; and, stretched us because they exposed our individual weaknesses & our need to make some changes in our lives.

How God Uses His Church

I believe we are each a better person because we’ve grown in those areas, to be more like the other person. God uses His church to accomplish the same thing in our lives— our differences and our diversity make us stronger! God often exposes our weaknesses & our sinful tendencies through the strengths of others. Our interaction, within the faith community, is one of the MOST significant ways that God grows us spiritually! It’s the friction that we encounter, in our church family, that gives the Holy Spirit the necessary traction to grow us! So, don’t ever look condescendingly at anyone! The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Roman believers, points out the fact that there are individuals— within the church—  who are strong spiritually; and, others who are weak! And, that can be said of every local church! No two people are ever at the exact same level of spiritual maturity!   

Spiritual Infants Need Your Help

In every faith community, some are spiritually weak in their faith. Perhaps they’re a spiritual “infant” because they’ve never been discipled. Their greatest need is for someone spiritually mature in the faith, to come alongside them & show them how to grow.  Others are weak because they’ve been wounded or hurt— it could be spiritual, emotional, or physical pain that they’re dealing with! Again, they just need someone to love them enough to come alongside them & take the time to listen; and, to help! God intends for the Church of Christ to do the work of Christ! That’s why He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell every believer so that we could reconcile people to God! In the letter from Paul to the Roman believers, which I alluded to earlier, the Holy Spirit inspired him to write:  “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” It is our spiritual obligation to leave no believer behind. Build them up!

Daniel: Responding To A Crisis Of Faith

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(Note: This is the 5th in a series of posts on Daniel’s life)

Responding To Impossible Demands

Powerful individuals often demand the seemingly impossible from their subjects! So, it wasn’t really surprising that Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar would dream a dream and insist that his counselors tell him WHAT he dreamed, in addition to an accurate interpretation! His threat— to kill them if they didn’t come through— was very real.  As the story unfolds— in Daniel ch.2— we’re invited into Daniel’s life, to see his response to a crisis of faith! His life was threatened, by the king’s impossible demands, as well! Would his actions match up with what he said he believed? Or, would he fall completely apart like the rest of the king’s advisory team?

The Bottom Line Of The Story

Daniel shows us how to respond to an impossible situation— that’s the big idea behind this post! That’s the bottom line here in our story.  First, the text, of Scripture, says that he responds with tact and discretion (v.14).  Tact is “a keen sense of what to say or do without being offensive; the skill of dealing with difficult or delicate situations.” And, this is about as delicate as it gets! Arioch, the king’s captain, is at your front door & he’s there to haul you away to be executed! What would you do? Run, panic, demand your rights?

A Better Way To Respond

Chuck Swindoll has noted that “some Christians think the only sensible response to unjust secular authority is brash rebellion.” That’s certainly a sad symptom of the American church today. Though Scripture commands us NOT “…to return evil for evil…” (1 Peter 3:9 for example); or to fight like the world fights, there are many in the church today who seriously lack tact and discretion. Daniel shows us another way! A better way! A Biblically approved way! His confidence in God’s Sovereign control, of the situation, allowed him to act with tact; and, with discretion. Discretion is “that quality of being wise & careful in the way someone acts or speaks.” 

Honoring The Governing Authority

He acts, with discretion, by asking clarifying questions! And, he was rewarded with an audience before the king (v.16). He honored the king’s authority & asked for time to satisfy the king’s demands. Many, in the Western church, would do well to follow Daniel’s example; and, honor the governing authority. He stood before a more wicked ungodly leader than any American president we’ve ever disagreed with; and, Daniel doesn’t use slanderous campaign tactics! He doesn’t rail at him for being unfair! He shows tact & discretion; and, that gains him an audience and respect from the king!

God’s End Game

We must never forget that God is in the details! He removed Israel from the land; and, He raised up wicked King Nebuchadnezzar to judge them! But, that wasn’t God’s end game! He planned to humble that wicked king and bring him to faith; and, God would use his budding relationship with Daniel to accomplish that. But, only because Daniel honored the king & used wisdom, tact & discretion; and, the king took notice— “…he found him ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom” (1:21).  May God help us to follow Daniel’s example when facing a crisis of faith! Give us Holy Spirit “filters” for our mouths! Give us wisdom, tact & discretion NOT to say everything that enters our mind! Let’s remember that because we still live in our sinful flesh, many times our 1st response is a sinful response!

Parenting Adult Children

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-The Sinful Nature I Passed On

All the struggles & mistakes & rebellions of my adult children can be attributed, in large part, to the sinful nature I passed on to them! Bad parenting begets bad parenting! The answer is NOT to try harder to fix them! Your adult children will resent your “meddling” in their lives! The answer is NOT to read the newest “self-help” book on the subject, either! The Old Testament book of Genesis contains the sordid story of Jacob & Rachel and their dysfunctional family. Pick it up; and, read it all over again!  Especially read chapter 37.

-A Pattern Of Sin

What you will see is a pattern of sin learned from the previous generation. When Jacob’s sons deceived him with a robe covered in goat’s blood, they convinced him that their brother,  Joseph, had been killed. They learned to lie & deceive from their father, Jacob, and their grandmother, Rebekah, who hatched up a scheme to deceive her husband, Isaac, to bless Jacob instead of his older brother, Esau! Where did Isaac & Rebekah learn to deceive? From Isaac’s parents, Abraham & Sarah, who cooked up a story that Sarah was his sister (Genesis 20) over fear that a king would kill Abraham to obtain Sarah for his wife!

-God Alone Can Fix This

You’ll also find “favoritism”, “passive parenting”, “jealousy”,  and “hate”— all being passed on from one generation to the next! “The apple never falls far from the tree!” The answer to the dysfunction in our homes— and all of our homes ARE dysfunctional— is the Gospel! The “good news” of the Gospel says, “I cannot; but, God can!” I can’t save myself; but, God can save me! I cannot overcome my hurts, habits & hangups; but, God’s Spirit can help me overcome them! I cannot fix the dysfunction in my relationships with my children; nor, can I fix the dysfunction they’ve brought into their marriages & families! But, God can— that’s the hope we have in the Gospel! God alone can help us overcome the sinful dysfunction we all bring into our homes! Jesus took all our sins, our guilt, and our shame with Him to the cross & He paid for it all! His work atones for even our bad parenting if we’ll humble ourselves & confess to Him that we’re incapable of fixing it! Extend grace to your adult kids as God did to you!

-Don’t Become Their Judges

I’ve known of Christian parents who have “disowned” their children because they’re caught up in some sinful lifestyle! But, let’s think that through! Is that how God responds to us? I don’t think so! God is always extending a loving, merciful, gracious hand! He’s always there to forgive when we humble ourselves before Him and confess our sins! If we’re going to be faithful “image bearers” we need to represent God in our relationships with our adult children! It’s easy to become judgmental when it seems they don’t want to hear our opinions anymore. Maybe we need to listen more & talk less! If we don’t change the way we parent, as they become adults, relational tension will develop between us. If you desire to be a blessing to your adult children, begin by confessing your brokenness to them & God. Then, pray relentlessly for the Spirit to work on you & your adult children! Trust God to do the Spirit’s work that you cannot do. When you act like the Holy Spirit in their life, all they’ll hear is nagging! Give them over to God! They are His!

Our Respectable Sins

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-The One Who Humbles Himself

In Luke 18 Jesus told the story of two men who went to the temple to pray: one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people— and, here come the “Biggie Sins” —greedy, unrighteous, adulterers & even like this tax collector; I fast twice a week & I tithe when the offering plate is passed.” But, when the tax collector prayed he wouldn’t even raise his eyes to heaven. Instead, he kept beating his chest and saying, “God, turn your wrath from me…a SINNER!” No pointing fingers! No minimizing his sin! He owned it! And, Jesus concluded the story like this:  “I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” 

-Pride and Selfishness

When we act toward each other as this Pharisee did to the tax collector we poison those human relationships with the subtle, almost “respectable” sins of pride & selfishness!  We sabotage, even the ones we claim to love,  by our judgmentalism & our sins of the tongue.  We destroy our friendships by our lack of self-control, our envy & our jealousy! More families have been destroyed; more churches have turned inside out against itself; and, more countries have gone to war over the subtle so-called “respectable sins” of pride, jealousy & selfishness than all the gross, appalling sins combined! Never forget the bottom line— ALL SIN IS DEADLY! It wasn’t a “biggie sin” that resulted in the fall of mankind in the garden.  Adam & Eve just plucked a piece of fruit from a tree and ate it! No “biggie”? It was devastating!

-Small Sins Can Be Just As Deadly

The murder of every Jew by Hitler was “in” that piece of fruit! All the sex-slavery, human trafficking, robberies & marriage infidelity was “in” that forbidden fruit! Don’t ever minimize your sin! The small “respectable” sins can be just as deadly! Let us be relentless, with the Holy Spirit’s help, to be killing all sin in our life; or, it will be killing us! There’s an old English word that we rarely use in the church anymore. It’s the word ‘mortify’ and it means to ‘put to death.’ Colossians 3:5, for example, says, ‘Mortify—or, put to death—what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.’ Romans 8:13 says we accomplish that by the Spirit ONLY; not by the flesh:  “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But, if by the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” To “put to death” is an update from the old KJV word “mortification.”

-Overcoming Sin & Temptation

Let me conclude this post by encouraging you to purchase a great book titled, Overcoming Sin & Temptation by John Owen. It’s a Crossway book that’s a compilation of 3 classic works by Owen, the 16th century Puritan minister.  Here’s what he says about “putting to death” or “mortifying” the deeds of the flesh: “Sin does not only still abide in us, but is still acting, still laboring to bring forth the deeds of the flesh. When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion… be killing sin or it will be killing you…” The Apostle Paul challenged the Church of Colosse to “…put off the old man…” (Col. 3:9-10); and to be “…made alive…” by the Holy Spirit! This is the constant responsibility of every believer!