Their religion was all a pious farce!
Posted by karsten in Grace Gems on March 5th, 2010
“Go to Bethel and sin! Go to Gilgal and sin yet more! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings–boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do!” declares the Sovereign LORD.
Amos 4:5-6
“Go to Bethel and sin!” cried the prophet. Bethel was their place of worship–but every time they came there, they sinned because their worship was sin. Instead of bowing before the true God and adoring Him, they bowed before idols and gave them the honor which belonged to God alone. The more devout they were, therefore, the more they dishonored the Lord. Their great zeal, as shown in their sacrifices and tithes and free-will offerings, only multiplied their sin and heaped up sorer judgment against them!
Their religion was all a pious farce, and the more there was of it–the more of an abomination it was unto God. God cannot be pleased with mere forms of worship and with ceremonials. The more we multiply these, the more do we grieve Him–if our heart is not in them.
We may say that we have no idols now in our churches; but are we sure of this? Do we truly worship God in our church services? When we sing the hymns–are our hearts fixed upon God? When we pray–are we really talking to God? When we confess sins–is the confession sincere? When we sit in God’s house–are we truly in God’s presence, breathing out our heart’s love and worship to Him? If not, what or whom are we adoring, praising, worshiping? Empty religious forms–must have some idol at the heart of them!
The prophet told them very plainly what was in their hearts. “This is what you love to do!” You love this! You love to make a great display in your religion. This display of piety–is just to your taste. You like to cover up your sins–with forms of worship, appearing as saints before the world, though in secret cherishing and practicing all manner of wickedness!
This is God’s own picture of these ancient ‘worshipers’. We need to look honestly at it–to see if it is OUR picture. God looks at the heart! No external appearances are of any value–unless they are genuine expressions of what is in the heart! Pirate ships carry reputable flags–to cover their dishonorable character. Religious hypocrisy often puts at its masthead, the colors of devout saintliness. But God cannot be deceived.
Talkin’ Football is NOT Christian Fellowship Mark Kielar
Posted by karsten in Video Teaching on March 3rd, 2010
The Privilege to Speak of Christ
Posted by karsten in Grace Gems on March 2nd, 2010
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Ephesians 3:8
The apostle Paul felt it a great privilege to be allowed to preach the Gospel. He did not look upon his calling as a drudgery, but he entered upon it with intense delight. Although Paul was thankful for his calling, his success in it greatly humbled him.
The fuller a ship becomes, the deeper it sinks in the water. Idlers may indulge a fond conceit of their abilities, because they are untried; but the earnest worker soon learns his own weakness. If you seek humility, try hard work; if you would know your nothingness, attempt some great thing for Jesus. If you want to feel how utterly powerless you are apart from the living God, attempt especially the great work of proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ, and you will know, as you never knew before, what a weak, unworthy thing you are.
Although the apostle thus knew and confessed his weakness, he was never perplexed as to the subject of his ministry. From his first sermon to his last, Paul preached Christ, and nothing but Christ. He lifted up the cross and extolled the Son of God who bled on it. Follow his example in all your personal efforts to spread the glad tidings of salvation, and let “Christ and him crucified” be your ever-recurring theme.
The Christian should be like those lovely spring flowers that, when the sun is shining, open their golden cups, as if saying, “Fill us with your beams!” But when the sun is hidden behind a cloud, they close their cups and droop their heads. So should the Christian feel the sweet influence of Jesus. Jesus must be his sun, and He must be the flower that yields itself to the Sun of Righteousness.
Oh, to speak of Christ alone–this is the subject that is both “seed to the sower and bread to the eater.”1
This is the live coal for the lip of the speaker, and the master-key to the heart of the hearer. 1 Isaiah 55:10
Oh, live for eternity!
What poor creatures we are–if left to ourselves!
What a mercy there is One that loves us better than we love ourselves, and will watch over us all our journey here, and who has engaged, by all the varying dispensations of His providence, to prepare us for that blessed home He has gone to prepare for us.
And oh, what a place will that be!
Love Him supremely!
Live for eternity!
Live for Jesus!
Have much to do with Him!
This world is not worth living for!
Its honors, its riches, its glories are things ever passing away; but the love of Jesus is as eternal as Himself.
Oh, live for eternity! The glory of this world is fading, and is soon gone, and gone forever!
Again I say, live for a glorious eternity!
If you could have the glory, the wealth, and the honors of this world laid at your feet–how short would be the empty enjoyment of them.
Then, live and act with reference to eternity!
And oh, the glory that awaits the true follower of Christ, who has cast overboard all that the world calls good and grand, and taking the Bible as his directory, walks as Jesus did.
John Piper – Atheism: Laughable and blasphemous
Posted by karsten in Video Teaching on February 24th, 2010
A god who does not rule all things absolutely
Posted by karsten in Grace Gems on February 20th, 2010
“Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him!” Psalm 115:3
A god who does not rule all things absolutely is no God at all–but only a weak, frustrated, defeated idol, carved from one of the trees in the dark forest of man’s depraved imagination!
“I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths!” Psalm 135:5-6
“All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have You done?’ ” Daniel 4:35
Worthwhile Quotes
Simple assent to the gospel, divorced from a transforming commitment to the living Christ, is by Biblical standards less than faith, and less than saving, and to elicit only assent of this kind would be to secure only false conversions. –J.I. Packer
Worthwhile Quotes
Every man is a missionary, now and forever, for good or for evil, whether he intends or designs it or not. He may be a blot radiating his dark influence outward to the very circumference of society, or he may be a blessing spreading benediction over the length and breadth of the world. But a blank he cannot be: there are no moral blanks; there are no neutral characters. –Thomas Chalmers
Just a thought…
Remember the same verse that says “all liars will have their part in the lake of fire” also says that the cowardly will meet the same fate. When did you last share the gospel with the lost? Can’t remember? Don’t want to because your scared? Then you have a problem that may be more serious than you think.
Living Waters University, Anthony and friend
Posted by karsten in Video Teaching on January 25th, 2010
Obey Your Heavenly Father
Posted by karsten in Grace Gems on January 23rd, 2010
Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Romans 3:31
When the believer is adopted into the Lord’s family, his relationship to old Adam and the law ceases at once; but then he is under a new rule and a new covenant. Believer, you are God’s child; it is your first duty to obey your heavenly Father.
A servile spirit you have nothing to do with: You are not a slave but a child. And now, inasmuch as you are a beloved child, you are bound to obey your Father’s faintest wish, the least intimation of His will. Does He bid you fulfill a sacred ordinance? It is at your peril that you neglect it, for you will be disobeying your Father.
Does He command you to seek the image of Jesus? Is it not your joy to do so? Does Jesus tell you, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”? 1 Then not because the law commands, but because your Savior enjoins, you will labor to be perfect in holiness. Does He bid his saints to love one another? Do it, not because the law says, “Love your neighbor,” but because Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” 3
And this is the commandment that He has given unto you, “that you love one another.” Are you told to distribute to the poor? Do it, not because charity is a burden that you dare not shirk, but because Jesus teaches, “Give to him that asks of you.” Does the Word say, “Love God with all your heart”? Look at the commandment and reply, “Ah, commandment, Christ has fulfilled you already. I have no need, therefore, to fulfill you for my salvation, but I rejoice to yield obedience to you because God is my Father now, and He has a claim upon me, which I would not dispute.”
May the Holy Ghost make your heart obedient to the constraining power of Christ’s love, that your prayer may be, “I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!” 3 Grace is the mother and nurse of holiness, and not the apologist of sin.
Sickened By The Ugliness Of Their Own Sinfulness
Posted by karsten in Video Teaching on January 21st, 2010
Spiritual beauty
Posted by karsten in Grace Gems on January 20th, 2010
“Worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth!” Psalm 96:9
“Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.” Psalm 90:17
Paul enjoins that, “whatsoever things are lovely” shall be in the vision of life, into which we aim to fashion our character.
We are to follow in the footsteps of our Master. Jesus Himself was, “Altogether lovely!” Song of Songs 5:16
Humanity was made to be beautiful. God’s ideal for man was spotless loveliness—man was made at first, in God’s image. But sin has left its foul trail everywhere! We see something of its debasement, wherever we go. What ruins sin has wrought!
All of Christ’s work of grace—is towards the restoration of beauty of the Lord in His people.
Spiritual beauty is holiness. Nothing unclean is lovely. Character is Christ-like, only when it is beautiful.
All the precepts of the Bible are towards the fashioning of beauty in every redeemed life. We are to put away . . .
all that is sinful,
all marring,
every blot and blemish,
every unholy desire, feeling and affection,
everything that would defile—
and put on whatsoever is lovely and Christ-like.
The one great work of Christ in Christian lives—is the fashioning of holiness in them. We are to grow away from . . .
our deformities,
our faults,
our infirmities,
our poor dwarfed stunted life
—into spiritual beauty!
The mark set before us is the likeness of Christ, which, at last, we shall attain! “We know that when He appears—we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is! And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself—just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3
J. R. Miller
Our conception of Christian living
Posted by karsten in Grace Gems on January 17th, 2010
True religion is intensely practical. Only so far as it dominates one’s life–is it real. We must get the commandments out of God’s Word–and give them a place in the hard, dusty paths of our earthly toil and struggle. We must get them off the tables of stone–and have them written on the walls of our own hearts! We must bring the Golden Rule–into our daily, actual life.
We are too apt to imagine, that holiness consists in mere good feeling toward God. It does not! It consists in obedience in heart and life to the divine requirements. To be holy is, first, to be set apart for God and devoted to God’s service, and it necessarily follows that we must live for God.
Our hands are God’s–and can fitly be used only in doing His work; our feet are God’s–and may be employed only in walking in His ways and running His errands; our lips are God’s–and should speak words only that honor Him and bless others; our hearts are God’s–and must not be profaned by thoughts and affections that are not pure.
True holiness is no vague sentiment–it is intensely practical. It is nothing less than the bringing of every thought and feeling and act–into obedience to Christ! We are quite in danger of leaving out the element of obedience, in our conception of Christian living. If we do this, our religion loses its strength and grandeur–and becomes weak, nerveless and forceless.
Our religion must touch every part of our life–and transform it all into the beauty of holiness.
J. R. Miller, “Being Christians on Weekdays” 1888 (Amazing… 1888… this is not a new problem at all)