I think you will be blessed and encouraged with this quote that Ted and Betty McJunkin lifted out. "We were so encouraged by these words from John Owen in his book Communion With God. What grace!!!"
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By the grace of sanctification, our natures are continually cleansed. We are naturally unclean and defiled, and that continually (Job 14:4; John 3:6). We are wholly defiled and polluted. The grace of sanctification, purchased by the blood of Christ, removes the defilement of our natures (1 Cor 6:11, Titus 3:3-5). By this cleansing, the soul is made fair and beautiful in the sight of God. Though the sin that defiles remains, yet its continual defilement is taken away.
By the grace of sanctification, all the pollutions of our actual transgressions are taken away. Every actual sin defiles. Our own clothes make us loathsome (Job 9:31). A spot, a stain, rust, wrinkle accompanies every sin. (I John 1:7). Besides the defilement of our natures which he purges, he takes away the defilement of our actual persons caused by our foolishness. “By one offering he perfected forever those that are sanctified.” By himself, he ‘purged our sins’ before he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high (Heb 1:3).
By the grace of sanctification, our best duties are cleansed from defilement. Even our very best duties are defiled (Isaiah 64:6). Self, unbelief and formalities insinuate themselves into all that we do. God has promised that the saints’ good works shall follow them. In fact, if our good works were tested and weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, it would be just as well if they were buried forever. But the Lord Christ, as our high priest, bears the iniquity and the guilt of our best works and washes away all their filth and defilement. He is like a refiner’s fire to purge both the sons of Levi and their offerings, adding sweet incense to them so that they may be accepted (Mal 3:3). Whatever is of the Spirit himself, or of grace, will remain. Whatever is of self, flesh and unbelief, that is wood, hay and stubble. These he burns up. The good works of the saints shall meet them one day with a changed face so that even they will not recognize them. That which seemed to the saints to be black, deformed and defiled shall appear beautiful and glorious. Saints shall not be afraid of their works, but rejoice in them.
This cleansing of our natures, persons and duties has its whole foundation in the death of Christ. So our washing and purifying, our cleansing and purging is brought about by his blood shed and sprinkled on us and our works. The sprinkling of the blood of Christ comes from the Holy Spirit whom Christ promised to us as purchased by him for us. The Holy Spirit is the pure water by which we are sprinkled from all our sins. The blood of Christ not only removes the defilement of sin, but also gives purity.
Actual ability to perform every spiritual duty is given to us. Without Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Believers continually depend on Christ for new influences of grace or for supplies of strength from the Spirit. For every new act, believers need new grace. Christ must work in us to will and to do for his good pleasure Phil 2:13).
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Another Wesley Hymn
When I open the John Wesley hymn book I find the same message time after time - a clear message of God's grace, poured out through Jesus. I detect a note of unworthiness yet a strong determination to get on walking with God.
Listen to the heart of John Wesley:
John Wesley
HYMN 339.
1 0 Thou, to whose all-searching sight
The darkness shineth as the light,
Search, prove my heart; it pants for thee;
O burst these bonds, and set it free!
2 Wash out its stains, refine its dross,
Nail my affections to the cross;
Hallow each thought; let all within
Be clean, as thou, my Lord, art clean!
3 If in this darksome wild I stray,
Be thou my Light, be thou my Way;
No foes, no violence I fear,
No fraud, while thou, my God, art near.
4 When rising floods my soul o'erflow,
When sinks my heart in waves of woe,
Jesus, thy timely aid impart,
And raise my head, and cheer my heart.
5 Saviour, where'er thy steps I see,
Dauntless, untired, I follow thee!
O let thy hand support me still,
And lead me to thy holy hill !
6 If rough and thorny be the way,
My strength proportion to my day;
Till toil, and grief, and pain shall cease,
Where all is calm, and joy, and peace.
Listen to the heart of John Wesley:
John Wesley
HYMN 339.
1 0 Thou, to whose all-searching sight
The darkness shineth as the light,
Search, prove my heart; it pants for thee;
O burst these bonds, and set it free!
2 Wash out its stains, refine its dross,
Nail my affections to the cross;
Hallow each thought; let all within
Be clean, as thou, my Lord, art clean!
3 If in this darksome wild I stray,
Be thou my Light, be thou my Way;
No foes, no violence I fear,
No fraud, while thou, my God, art near.
4 When rising floods my soul o'erflow,
When sinks my heart in waves of woe,
Jesus, thy timely aid impart,
And raise my head, and cheer my heart.
5 Saviour, where'er thy steps I see,
Dauntless, untired, I follow thee!
O let thy hand support me still,
And lead me to thy holy hill !
6 If rough and thorny be the way,
My strength proportion to my day;
Till toil, and grief, and pain shall cease,
Where all is calm, and joy, and peace.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Theologian's Danger
C. S. Lewis has a way of blowing all cover - to reveal the truth. I had to think a while when I read his Jan. 18 thought.
The Theologian's Danger
There have been men ... who got so interested in proving the existence of God that they came to care nothing for God Himself ... as if the good Lord had nothing to do
but exist! There have been some who were so occupied in spreading Christianity that they never gave a thought to Christ. Man! Ye see it in smaller matters. Did ye never
know a lover of books that with all his first editions and signed copies had lost the power to read them? Or an organizer of charities that had lost all love for the poor? It is the subtlest of all snares.
The Theologian's Danger
There have been men ... who got so interested in proving the existence of God that they came to care nothing for God Himself ... as if the good Lord had nothing to do
but exist! There have been some who were so occupied in spreading Christianity that they never gave a thought to Christ. Man! Ye see it in smaller matters. Did ye never
know a lover of books that with all his first editions and signed copies had lost the power to read them? Or an organizer of charities that had lost all love for the poor? It is the subtlest of all snares.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Think about it for a bit! A good Advent reality.
I love this CS Lewis thought. I think you will, too.
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Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.
**********************
Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.
Friday, September 10, 2010
What Kind of Kingdom is this?
Luke was a Gentile in love with Jesus Christ. With that in mind I am rereading his Gospel. What drew his attention? What excited him so much about his Jesus?
As I read I saw he used the phrase, "The Kingdom of God," more than forty times! Luke also saw the believers as children of their Heavenly Father, a family of love and unity. But he was intrigued by the center phrase of Jesus' prayer, "Thy kingdom come on earth as in heaven."
I began to ponder this Kingdom. It take some doing to think of a world-view that defines a kingdom as having no borders, no common culture, no army, no Parliament, no courts, no common language or culture, no man-made Constitution, no book on parliamentary procedures, a kingdom in which the greater serve the least, in which enemies are loved, not destroyed, where forgiveness, humility and heart-felt love are the prime virtues and where faith in the Lord Jesus Christ make all things possible.
This is a strange kingdom where the King, instead of asking his subjects to die for him, leaves his throne and dies himself, on the Cross, so that they can be near him now and forever. Our King wears a crown of thorns. He reigns in grace and truth.
This morning I see in my mind's eye this amazing Kingdom spread across our planet. I have had the privilege of getting to know brothers and sisters in more cultures than I can count. They have the same stamp on them, they are citizens of the Kingdom of God, as I, by grace, am. That is our nation. That is our "land." That is the most dramatic display of God's grace imaginable - a new thing that spreads and flourishes by the power of the Holy Spirit alone.
Thank you, Dr. Luke, for introducing us to the essence of Jesus' Kingdom that continues to amaze and thrill.
As I read I saw he used the phrase, "The Kingdom of God," more than forty times! Luke also saw the believers as children of their Heavenly Father, a family of love and unity. But he was intrigued by the center phrase of Jesus' prayer, "Thy kingdom come on earth as in heaven."
I began to ponder this Kingdom. It take some doing to think of a world-view that defines a kingdom as having no borders, no common culture, no army, no Parliament, no courts, no common language or culture, no man-made Constitution, no book on parliamentary procedures, a kingdom in which the greater serve the least, in which enemies are loved, not destroyed, where forgiveness, humility and heart-felt love are the prime virtues and where faith in the Lord Jesus Christ make all things possible.
This is a strange kingdom where the King, instead of asking his subjects to die for him, leaves his throne and dies himself, on the Cross, so that they can be near him now and forever. Our King wears a crown of thorns. He reigns in grace and truth.
This morning I see in my mind's eye this amazing Kingdom spread across our planet. I have had the privilege of getting to know brothers and sisters in more cultures than I can count. They have the same stamp on them, they are citizens of the Kingdom of God, as I, by grace, am. That is our nation. That is our "land." That is the most dramatic display of God's grace imaginable - a new thing that spreads and flourishes by the power of the Holy Spirit alone.
Thank you, Dr. Luke, for introducing us to the essence of Jesus' Kingdom that continues to amaze and thrill.
Monday, August 23, 2010
God's marvelous power to deliver, often unseen
I enjoy reading Wesley's beautiful hymns. This morning he impressed me to praise God for his delivering power. As I look back over my life, and even today, I realize that the Lord sees where I am and keeps me, in my weakness, from falling. I find this refreshing and an insight into how His marvelous grace works.
Here are two verses from a 4 verse hymn.
Hymn 238
3
By our bosom-foe beset,
Taken in the fowler's net,
Passion's unresisting prey,
Oft within the toils we lay:
Sleeping on the brink of sin,
Tophet gaped to take us in;
Mercy to our rescue flew,
Broke the snare, and brought us through.
4
Here, as in the lion's den,
Undevoured we still remain;
Pass secure the watery flood,
Hanging on the arm of God:
Here we raise our voices higher,
Shout in the refiner's fire;
Clap our hands amidst the flame,
Glory give to Jesu's name.
(I understand that Tophet was a place near Jerusalem where refuge burned.)
Here are two verses from a 4 verse hymn.
Hymn 238
3
By our bosom-foe beset,
Taken in the fowler's net,
Passion's unresisting prey,
Oft within the toils we lay:
Sleeping on the brink of sin,
Tophet gaped to take us in;
Mercy to our rescue flew,
Broke the snare, and brought us through.
4
Here, as in the lion's den,
Undevoured we still remain;
Pass secure the watery flood,
Hanging on the arm of God:
Here we raise our voices higher,
Shout in the refiner's fire;
Clap our hands amidst the flame,
Glory give to Jesu's name.
(I understand that Tophet was a place near Jerusalem where refuge burned.)
Monday, April 19, 2010
"Sightings of Jesus in Revelation"
I have been asked by HavenToday to write a daily devotional for a month for their pocket-sized booklet, Anchor. I have agreed to do so. In case you are interested, for the next thirty days or so I will post a devotional and would appreciate feedback, if you feel so moved. No pressure, just enjoy "sightings" of Jesus.
********
“The revelation of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 1:1
The Apostle John, now about ninety five years old, found his faith tested as the awesome power of Rome crashed on the churches in central Turkey, his churches. Prior to that, the church enjoyed a reprieve from Roman harassment but a new Emperor arose who demanded that everyone in the Empire, slave or free, acknowledge his divinity.
Those who had made Jesus their Lord could never do such a thing, John included. So dark clouds of persecution released a storm of persecution and death upon the flocks of Jesus Christ. John’s sentence was probably harder to bear than martyrdom which is once and over. He was forcefully taken to an island off Turkey’s coast, where the weight of all that was happening fell on his aged shoulders. He was crushed. Now, what?
As questions swirled in his troubled soul, John needed “a revival.” He needed to have faith and courage to face the present dark night of testing. He cried out to God for help.
As usual, God he did not begin by revealing a rosy future nor did He explain to John what he should do next. He showed John the only thing that can revive the heart of a disciple. He showed him Jesus, again. That is true revival, to see Jesus, again, as we are buffeted by the bewildering blast of trials.
Dear reader, you and I do not need a new experience, a new insight, a new spiritual gift, a new book on how to pray. We need to see Jesus, again, the only vision that can revive the soul of a child of God. I need to see Jesus for what I am dealing with right now.
********
“The revelation of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 1:1
The Apostle John, now about ninety five years old, found his faith tested as the awesome power of Rome crashed on the churches in central Turkey, his churches. Prior to that, the church enjoyed a reprieve from Roman harassment but a new Emperor arose who demanded that everyone in the Empire, slave or free, acknowledge his divinity.
Those who had made Jesus their Lord could never do such a thing, John included. So dark clouds of persecution released a storm of persecution and death upon the flocks of Jesus Christ. John’s sentence was probably harder to bear than martyrdom which is once and over. He was forcefully taken to an island off Turkey’s coast, where the weight of all that was happening fell on his aged shoulders. He was crushed. Now, what?
As questions swirled in his troubled soul, John needed “a revival.” He needed to have faith and courage to face the present dark night of testing. He cried out to God for help.
As usual, God he did not begin by revealing a rosy future nor did He explain to John what he should do next. He showed John the only thing that can revive the heart of a disciple. He showed him Jesus, again. That is true revival, to see Jesus, again, as we are buffeted by the bewildering blast of trials.
Dear reader, you and I do not need a new experience, a new insight, a new spiritual gift, a new book on how to pray. We need to see Jesus, again, the only vision that can revive the soul of a child of God. I need to see Jesus for what I am dealing with right now.
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