Sinking Into "Unthinkable Depths of Cruelty"

A truth not to be underrated is that evil not only accosts its victims, it also squeezes the life out of it's adherents. Evil is not a force to be trivialized simply because it's not at our front door. By the time it arrives on our door-step, it is too late to do anything about it.

The desire of the treacherous is for violence (Proverbs 13:3b). Evil men delight in their atrocities. Richard Wurmbrand, former 14 year prisoner in Romania, who founded "Voice of the Martyrs," said of his captors: "What the Communists have done to Christians surpasses any possibility of human understanding. I have seen Communists whose faces while torturing believers shone with rapturous joy. The cried out while torturing the Christians, 'We are the devil.'" They did not respond to any basic objection to torture. As Wurmbrand puts it, "For them nothing besides matter exists and to them a man is like wood, like and eggshell. With this belief they sink to unthinkable depths of cruelty." But, the way of the treacherous is their ruin (13:15b). Well, some of them were ruined right away, for the communists were no friends to anyone. Often, according Wurmbrand, those who were the perpetrators of torture became themselves objects of torture. So, there is absolutely no grace in these kinds of evil men. 

God designed us to know and to love Him, and to be loved by Him. What a stark contrast to the loneliness faced in prisons. What palpable isolation faces every sinner. Regarding God's intention for the human race, Tozer says, 

God was saying to Abraham, "You may have some other idea about the design and purpose for your life, but you are wrong! You were created in My image to worship Me and to glorify Me. If you do not honor this purpose, your life will degenerate into shallow, selfish, humanistic pursuits. 

Is this not what happened to the communists, and to those like them? They "degenerated into shallow, selfish, humanistic spirits." This is what happens to us all when we ignore the living Bread, Jesus Christ. Death fills the soul, Satan lives freely in there and the result is the unbelievable hatred for all life, and the willing torture of God's creation. Satan incarnate. From such men, Lord deliver us. More importantly, from such a willing denial of your beauty, Lord, please also deliver us! For want of worship, man reduces himself to a piece of bread. God's intention is much higher, much nobler. Seek that.

Will Believers "Marvel" at Jesus When He Returns?

In yesterday’s sermon, it was my privilege to accentuate the awesome truth found in 2 Thessalonians 1:10, that at the judgment, when Jesus appears to make all things right, the saints will “marvel” at their Lord. I was forced, due to the weakness of our human flesh, to also point out how negligent we are to admire the Lord Jesus due to the selfish implosion we suffer whereby we interpret even worship itself in light of how we feel, what we like or dislike. Often Jesus is not our focus at all! The 19^th century Christian fiction writer, George MacDonald, known for his theological depth, writes the following which could help to set us on the right path if we would be hear him. 

God is so beautiful, and so patient, and so loving, and so generous that he is the heart and soul and rock of every kindness and every gladness in the world. All the beauty in the world and in the hearts of men, all the painting, all the poetry, all the music, all the architecture comes out of his heart first. He is so loveable that no heart can know how loveable he is – can know only in part. When the best loves God best, he does not love him nearly as he deserves, or as he will love him in time.

Dying to self is no small accomplishment, but it is a must if we are to love Christ. Lord, help us die that we might fulfill our God-intended purpose!

Unworthy? Oh, No! Prayer Overcomes Satan!

Paul Billheimer wrote a wonderful little book entitled Destined To Overcome: Classic Biblical Tools For Defeating The Enemy. As the church has grown more "culturally relevant" she seems to have lost sight of the power of the blood of Jesus Christ over the enemy of all men's souls. This must be recovered along with so many other truths repressed in our softening Christian culture. In short, we must get back to the Bible and believe it! 

For those who feel unworthy of prayer, or stymied in the process by the enemy, hear what Billheimer says:

Prayer is not answered on the basis of worthiness. Because no one who prays is absolutely morally perfect, (many are far from moral perfection) the crucial factor in getting answers to prayer is not primarily spiritual superiority but simply the boldness, courage and faith to pray regardless of our sense of unworthiness. If we are conscientiously walking in the light God has given, we are never to permit a sense of unworthiness to hamper our prayer life. This is made clear in Hebrews 4:15-16: "For we have not a high priest who cannot be touched wit the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

God knows all about our weaknesses, frailties and unworthiness; because He was tempted in exactly the same way, he knows exactly how we feel, yet He invites us to come anyway. He invites us to come boldly not because we are worthy but because He is worthy. He has planned that prayer be an apprenticeship, a learning experience to prepare us for rulership in the ages to come.

That the church is in training for eternal rule is the theme of Billheimer's other work: Destined For The Throne. Read this one for sure to understand the larger work that God is doing in the Body of Christ, a work largely overlooked! Once we begin to see this work which Satan would to keep hidden from the church, our attitude will become victoriously powerful in Jesus Christ! Are you ready to realize the truth that is included in Scripture on these matters?

Victorious Faith - Two Ways

“If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ (Deuteronomy 7:17–21)

Israel was like us, looking at the size of the problem and letting that control their hearts. "How can I dispossess them?" is like saying, "How can I pay my bills?" "How will I make it after the death of . . . ?" This is where we all start. But it is not where we all end. What makes the difference? What differs is how we respond to to what immediately follows:

You shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So will the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 

Remember . . . 

Deuteronomy is book about memory. Written after the 40 year wandering is over and on the cusp of entering the Promised Land, Moses preaches these sermons in order to engender a faith that enjoys God. The first truth we pick up in these verses is that present faith depends on how we view past victories. First, do we even remember them? God gave us memory in part so that we can connect our present plight to past successes. If the grace of God accomplishes much for us, of what good will it be if we negligently forget it? Second, if we remember our victories, do we make it a point to keep them ever before our eyes? Remind yourself, then remind others, and on some occasions, tell Satan. He hates God's victories. If God did it before, he will do it again. There's hope in this thought.

Admire God . . .

Moreover, the LORD your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed. You shall not be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

Another reason not to fear man is that our God is 1) with us, in our midst, and He is 2) a great and awesome God. We may have reason to fear if our God were not with us. But in fact, he is! Children feel very secure in rough situations as long their parents are there, right? So, too here. And the greatest reason given for our faith goes to the character of God. Because he is "great and awesome" therefore we should find all the reason we need to trust him and not ourselves. All faithlessness is in essence an attack against the person of God and of Jesus Christ. Either he can keep us or he cannot. I think when we begin to realize this, we might be less prone to given in to anxiety in any situation. Get to know God better not just things about him. He is great and awesome!

Watch Out! More Eroding Relgious Freedoms!

Of Circumcision and Prayer
 
Does it matter that San Francisco may ban circumcisions?
 
Or that a federal judge has prohibited prayer at a Texas graduation?
 
Yes.  And for more significant reasons than the media reports suggest.
 
First, the news.  In what has, until now, been a private family matter, a group seeking to ban the circumcision of male children in San Francisco has succeeded in getting their measure on the November ballot.  If the measure passes, circumcision would be prohibited among males under the age of 18, a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine up to $1,000 or up to one year in jail.  There would be no religious exemptions.  The end goal of the measure’s supporters is to make circumcision a federal crime.
 
Now to Texas.  A federal judge has ordered a Texas school district to prohibit public prayer at a high school graduation ceremony.  The judge’s order also forbids students from using specific religious words such as “prayer” and “amen.”  Going further, the judge banned students and other speakers from any and all religious language in their speeches, including such words or phrases as “join in prayer,” “bow their heads,” “amen,” and “prayer.”  He also ordered the school district to remove the terms “invocation” and “benediction” from the graduation program.
 
The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by the parents of a single graduating student.  The judge agreed with its tenets, and declared that the family and the son would “suffer irreparable harm” if anyone ended up praying at the ceremony.
 
No one would deny the rights of a group of people to put a measure on a ballot for consideration by the wider population.  No one would deny the right of a family to file a suit against a public school district about an educational matter involving their child.
 
But is that what is at hand in these cases?
 
Hardly.
 
Consider the ban on circumcision.  Supporters say that male circumcision is a form of genital mutilation that is unnecessary, extremely painful and even dangerous.  They say parents should not be able to force the decision on their young child.  “Parents are really guardians, and guardians have to do what’s in the best interest of the child,” say Lloyd Schofield, the measure’s lead proponent.  “It’s his body.  It’s his choice.”
 
Opponents say such claims are alarmingly misleading, and call the proposal a clear violation of constitutionally protected religious freedoms.  Not only is circumcision widely practiced (80% of American men are already circumcised), but medical groups uniformly say that the practice is not harmful.  Further, international health organizations have promoted circumcision as an important strategy for reducing the spread of the AIDS virus, based on studies that showed it can prevents AIDS among heterosexual men in Africa.
 
But let’s get back to the religious dimension.  The circumcision of males is a requirement of Jewish law that dates back to Abraham in Genesis.  To ban it would be a direct assault on Jewish practice (Muslim practice too, for that matter).  Further, the writer of the bill, Matthew Hess, writes an online comic book titled “Foreskin Man” with villains like “Monster Mohel” (a “Mohel” is a Jewish person who performs ritual circumcision).  The Anti-Defamation League has already issued a statement saying the comic employs “grotesque anti-Semitic imagery.”
 
And the ban on prayer?  We can have honest debates about whether this is a needed step to prevent the promotion of a specific religion, or whether it's unfairly keeping religion out of the public square.  But the ruling did not seem to be overly concerned about any one religion's unique tenets being unduly imposed on impressionable minds.  It seemed most concerned with airbrushing away any and all things religious, even preventing someone's speech from referencing their personal convictions.
 
And most disturbing of all, like the circumcision case, the argument seems to be promoting the harmful nature of what has been a mainstream religious practice.  Take note again of the judge's ruling:  prayer would cause the graduating senior to suffer "irreparable harm."
 
Prayer?  Irreparable harm? 
 
This is precisely the argument being made by the new pop-atheists, such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens.  No matter where you stand on the role of religion in the founding of our country, to say that the First Amendment was penned as a necessary protective measure against the corrosive influence of young Valedictorians tipping their hat to a Creator is revisionist history at its worst.
 
Circumcision and prayer are two of the most ancient, and foundational, religious practices of the world's great monotheistic religions.  If these are successfully legislated against in the name of their "harm" to individuals or society, then we have truly entered into a new day of aggressive secularism where the goal is not the protection of religious freedom, but its removal.
 
This is not about circumcision; it's not about prayer at graduations.
 
It’s about the increasingly aggressive attempt to purge faith from the public, and even private, spheres of life.
 
James Emery White - Church and Culture

Effective Armor Against the Enemy of our Soul

Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Ephesians 6:16

 

Few of the children of God are ignorant, more or less, of Satan’s devices. But few are exempt from the “fiery darts ” of the adversary; our Lord Himself was not. 

Many, peculiar, and great are their temptations. They are often those which touch the very vitals of the gospel, which go to undermine the believer’s faith in the fundamentals of Christianity, and which affect his own personal interest in the covenant of grace. Satan is the sworn enemy of the believer- his constant, unwearied foe. There is, too, a subtlety, a malignity, which does not mark the other and numerous enemies of the soul.

The Holy Spirit speaks of the “depths of Satan.” There are “depths” in his malice, in his subtlety, in his sagacity, which many of the beloved of the Lord are made in some degree to fathom. The Lord may allow them to go down into those “depths,” just to convince those who are there are depths in His wisdom, love, power, and grace, which can out-fathom the “depths of Satan.”

But what are some of the devices of the wicked one? What are some of his fiery darts?

1. Sometimes he fills the mind of the believer with the most blasphemous and atheistical thoughts, threatening the utter destruction of his peace and confidence. 
2. Sometimes he takes advantage of periods of weakness, trial, and perplexity to stir up the corruptions of his nature, bringing the soul back as into captivity to the law of sin and death. 
3. Sometimes he suggests unbelieving doubts respecting his adoption, beguiling him into the belief that his professed conversion is all a delusion, that his religion is all hypocrisy, and that what he had thought was the work of grace is but the work of nature. . . .

But in the midst of it all, where does the comfort and the victory of the tempted believer come from? From the promise which assures him that “when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” And what is the standard which the Spirit, the Comforter, lifts up to stem this flood? A dying, risen, ascended, exalted, and ever-living Savior. This is the standard that strikes terror into the foe; this is the gate that shuts out the flood. So the disciples proved. . . .

And let the reflection console you, that temptations only leave the traces of guilt upon the conscience, and are only regarded as sins by God, as they are yielded to. The mere suggestion of the adversary, the mere presentation of a temptation, is no sin, so long as, in the strength that is in Christ Jesus, the believer firmly and resolutely resists it. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Jesus has already fought and conquered for you. He knew well what the conflict with Satan was.

 

He may harass, annoy, and distress you; but pluck you from the hollow of the hand that was pierced for you, he never can. 

Taken from Octavius Winslow (HERE)

Ten Thought-Provoking John Wesley Quotes

The following comes thanks to Logos Bible Software


Recently, the John Wesley Collection (29 vols.) was placed on Pre-Pub. Not only does it contain the complete Works of John Wesley and Wesley’s Explanatory Notes for both the Old and New Testaments, but it also includes the authoritative eight-volume Journals of the Rev. John Wesley and an expansive, three-volume biography. To celebrate this awesome collection, I’ve put together ten of my favorite John Wesley quotes:

1. “Every one, though born of God in an instant, yet undoubtedly grows by slow degrees.”—from a letter in the Works of John Wesley

 2. “No circumstances can make it necessary for a man to burst in sunder all the ties of humanity. It can never be necessary for a rational being to sink himself below a brute.”—from Thoughts upon Slavery in the Works of John Wesley
 
3. “When I was young I was sure of everything. In a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before. At present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me.”—from a letter in the Works of John Wesley
 
4. “Though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry.”—from a letter in the Works of John Wesley
 
5. “Having, First, gained all you can, and, Secondly saved all you can, Then give all you can.”—from a sermon in the Works of John Wesley
 
6. “Passion and prejudice govern the world; only under the name of reason. It is our part, by religion and reason joined, to counteract them all we can.”—from a letter in the Works of John Wesley
 
7. “Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences.”—from a sermon in the Works of John Wesley
 
8. “Never dream of forcing men into the ways of God. Think yourself, and let think. Use no constraint in matters of religion. Even those who are farthest out of the way never compel to come in by any other means than reason, truth, and love.”—from a sermon in the Works of John Wesley
 
9. “Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergyman or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.”—from a letter in the Works of John Wesley
 
10. “It cannot be that the people should grow in grace unless they give themselves to reading. A reading people will always be a knowing people.”—from a letter in the Works of John Wesley
 
John Wesley has had an immense impact on modern Christianity, and it seems like no matter where you look in the massive John Wesley Collection (29 vols.), he’s got something of value for you to ponder. His sermons are inspiring, his essays well articulated, his letters fascinating. You’ll want Wesley’s Explanatory Notes open every time your Bible is—his perspective is always enlightening—even if you disagree with him. This is a Pre-Pub you have got to check out!