repent of my repentance

Do you realize that our very acts of sorrow over sin and repentance before God are often in need of repenting of?  It can be very easy to find ourselves listening to the lie that we are doing what God desires when we repent - which is true in and of itself.  God does clearly command us all to repent of our sins, and it pleases Him when we come to Him seeking pardon.  But far too often, our motives for repenting are themselves ungodly.  

Examine your prayers of confession for a moment.  Do you have an overwhelming sense of the vileness and danger of sin, as John Owen puts it "as represented in the blood and cross of Christ", always abiding with you?  Is your motive a godly grief over sins that the Savior has spilt His blood to pardon - sins that He has already buried in the ocean of His mercy?

Or do you repent because you fear what God will do to you if you don't?  Fear what the consequences of your sins will be? Do you repent out of some sense of necessity, as if the work of repentance must be done continually in order to maintain your state of salvation? Or merely out of a desire to ease your bothered conscience, with little or no concern for Christ and the way your sins have slighted and grieved Him?  I think Tim Keller puts it best:

"Repentance out of mere fear is really sorrow for the consequences of sin, sorrow over the danger of sin — it bends the will away from sin, but the heart still clings. But repentance out of conviction over mercy is really sorrow over sin, sorrow over the grievousness of sin — it melts the heart away from sin. It makes the sin itself disgusting to us, so it loses its attractive power over us. We say, ‘this disgusting thing is an affront to the one who died for me. I'm continuing to stab him with it!"

You see what is being said here?  If our repentance is not done for the simple fact that we have seen what our Savior has done in His rich mercy, and are continually and humbly beholding our sins in the horror and offensiveness of the cross, we have not really repented!  "The heart still clings" to sin if we are merely sorry for our sin for any other reason.

So let us fix our eyes upon Jesus Christ - and leave them there.  Let us be in continual awareness of our sin and His grace as displayed on Calvary.  For how can there be any drop of arrogance, any self-centered prayer, any love for another, when we truly and rightly behold the beautiful Savior who died there for us?

And let us also behold this same Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father.  For He did not stay on the cross. He rose again. And "ever lives above, for me to intercede"!  His perfect righteousness covers my every sin - yes, even those polluted prayers.  His blood speaks a better word.

May this be our prayer today:  (taken from the Valley of Vision)

O God of Grace,

Thou hast imputed my sin to my substitute,

and hast imputed His righteousness to my soul,

clothing me with a bridegroom's robe,

decking me with jewels of holiness.

But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;

my best prayers are stained with sin;

my penitential tears are so many impurity;

my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin;

my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance;

I need my tears to be washed;

I have no robe to bring to cover my sins,

no loom to weave my own righteousness;

I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,

and by grace am always receiving change of raiment.

for Thou dost always justify the ungodly.

I am always going into the far country,

and always returning home as a prodigal.

always saying, Father, forgive me,

and Thou art always bringing forth the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it,

every evening return in it,

go out to the day's work in it,

be married in it,

be wound in death in it,

stand before the great white throne in it,

enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin,

the exceeding righteousness of salvation,

the exceeding glory of Christ,

the exceeding beauty of holiness,

the exceeding wonder of grace.

Big Changes

I am here to announce that I received a letter in the mail on Monday. It was an acceptance letter into the one and only college I have applied to since I left my local community college last year. It is the college that I looked at first when I even began considering college several years ago. Through all of the schools I have looked into, this one has always stood out. It is Grove City College in Grove City, PA. Yes, it is far away from home (over 7 hrs.) but it is indeed a wonderful school and I trust my experience there will be a much needed and very sanctifying challenge.

My classes start Jan. 19th... Just over 4 weeks away. This means plenty of preparation in not-so-much time. I will be able to start scheduling classes next week, which is very exciting. My last day of working at Chick-fil-A (at least until summer) will be Jan. 3rd. Soon I will be packing my boxes and bags to embark on the journey to the beautiful campus that will be my home for much of the next 4 years, Lord willing. I still cannot believe this wonderful blessing. God has been so gracious, and I am so thankful that He answered the prayers of many (which I am also very thankful for) that I would be accepted. I am thrilled to see what the Lord has in store as I go to study His Word in depth, make new friendships, experience a new way of life, and by His grace honor and glorify the name of the Savior!

Yes, I have my share of fears and doubts. But they soon lessen immensely when I think of the King and His goodness. Why should I fear change when the God who holds my life is Himself unchangeable? What a comfort to know that He is always faithful and full of steadfast love no matter what our situations in life. Blessed be His name! May He alone be glorified in me as I embark on this new (HUGE) change.


P.S. Did I mention that on the Friday of my first week at the college, one of my favorite singer/songwriter will be performing there with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek? Guess who??
(photo by jrossol. picture of crawford hall, administrative offices at GCC).

The Mercy Seat

The following description is found in James Montgomery Boice's excellent book Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace?. The ladies of our church are reading through and discussing it together. This portion is found in the chapter called "Christ Alone" which we discussed on Wednesday night. It was such a wonderful time of sweet fellowship and worship of our great Savior. It is my hope that you too will be left standing in awe before the precious blood of Christ that covers us at the mercy seat.



"This brings us to one of the most beautiful pictures of the work of Christ in all of the Bible: the ark of the covenant, which was kept within the Most Holy Place of the Jewish wilderness tabernacle and was the focal point of Israel's worship.

The ark was a wooden box about a yard long, covered with gold, and made to contain the stone tables of the law that Moses had received on Mount Sinai. (The first set of tables had been broken, but a new set had been written.) This box had a cover called the mercy seat, and upon the mercy seat, at each end, facing each other, were statues of cherubim (angels) whose wings stretched upward and then outward, almost meeting directly over the ark. In a symbolic way, God was imagined to dwell above the ark, between or over the outstretched wings of the cherubim.

As it stands, the ark is a picture of judgment, intended to produce dread in the worshiper through a disclosure of his or her sin. For what does God see as He looks down upon earth from between the outstretched wings of the cherubim? Clearly, he sees the law of Moses which each of us has broken. He sees that he must act toward us in judgement. God cannot ignore sin; sin must be punished.

But this is where the mercy seat comes in, and this is why it is called the mercy seat. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the Jewish hight priest entered the Most Holy Place to make propitiation for the people's sins. Propitiation is the very word which (in Greek) was used to translate "mercy seat". Moments before, the high priest had offered (in the outer courtyard of the tabernacle) a sacrifice for his own sin and the sins of his family. Now he took the blood of a second animal, entered the Most Holy Place, and carefully sprinkled the blood of that sacrifice upon the mercy seat, which was the ark's covering. What is symbolized now? Now, as God looks down from between the outstretched wings of the cherubim, he sees not the law of Moses which we have broken but the blood of the innocent victim. He sees that the punishment has been meted out. Propitiation has been made, and his love goes out to save all who come to him through faith in that sacrifice.

Jesus told a parable about two men who went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee; the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up to pray - as everyone would have agreed he should do: "Come here, Mr. Pharisee. Stand up where we can all hear you. Be quiet, everyone. The Pharisee is going to pray."

And pray he did. He prayed a magnificent prayer - about himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like the other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." (Luke 18:11-12). The Pharisee was not lying. He really did give a tenth of his income to the temple. He really did fast twice a week. He was not a thief or an adulterer. Moreover, I am sure others would have concurred in this evaluation. Here was an outstanding man, a credit to his community. The point of Jesus' parable depends on recognizing that if anyone could hope to be accepted by God on the basis of his character or good works, it was the Pharisee.

Then there was the tax collector. He "stood at a distance" - where he belonged. Jesus said of him "He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner'" (v. 13). And why not? He was a sinner. He had plenty to beat his breast about.

It is had to imagine a greater contrast than the one between these two men: moral versus immoral; noble versus base; proud versus shameful; self-confident versus cringing. Yet when the Lord ended his story, he reversed the judgement every one of his hearers had been making and declared: "I tell you that this man [the tax collector], rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (v. 14). No cinematic melodrama or dime-store novel ever had a more surprising ending than this parable.

Why did the tax-collector, rather than the Pharisee, go home justified? It is true that the Pharisee was a sinner. He was a sinner in spite of his self-righteousness. But so was the tax collector. The only differences between the two men were that the tax collector knew he was a sinner, while the Pharisee did not know it; and the tax collector approached God, not on the basis of his good works (which he did not have), but on the basis of God's provision, symbolized by the mercy seat and the propitiation that took place there. The tax collector's prayer literally reads, 'God, be "mercy-seated" to me, the sinner.'

The prayer is worth exploring. The first word of the prayer is 'God'; the last word is 'sinner'. This reflects what happens when a human being becomes aware of the true God. When a person becomes conscious of God, he does not proceed unchanged in his supposed 'righteousness', as the Pharisee did. Rather he becomes conscious of sin, and the more so the closer to God he comes. We know that the tax collector knew God because he knew he was - and did not hesitate to describe himself as - a sinner.

Then, between the beginning of the prayer ('God') and the end of it ('me, a sinner') are the words 'be mercy-seated to me.' This shows that the tax collector also understood propitiation. He knew that between the presence of the Holy God (who looked down in judgment upon the law which he had broken) and himself there had to come the blood of the sacrificial victim. He was coming to God on the basis of the mercy already provided by God through the sacrifice. The tax-collector was saying 'Treat me on the basis of the blood sprinkled upon the mercy seat.' No one can be saved without propitiation."

Post-Election True and False Quiz

I first saw this on the Founders Ministries Blog (founders.org/blog) and thought it was a very fitting reminder of where our hope must lie both now and forever... Not in any man or any power of man, but in Christ alone and in the power of His gospel!

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, Jesus will still be King.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our responsibilities as Christians will not have changed one iota.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the greatest agent for social change in America will still be winning the hearts and minds of men and women through the gospel, not legislation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my primary citizenship will still be in this order - (1) the Kingdom of God, (2) America, not vice-versa.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the tomb will still be empty.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our children will still be more concerned with whether or not we spend time with them than with who is President.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my neighbor will still be my neighbor, and loving him/her will still be the second greatest commandment. (Do you know the first?)

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see abortion ultimately overturned will still be winning men and women to a high view of life through the gospel of Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see gay marriage ultimately defeated will still be winning men and women to a biblical view of marriage through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my retirement will still not match my treasure in Heaven.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, "Jesus Is Lord" will still be the greatest truth in the Universe.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, we will still know that God is in control.




Thanks be to our great God! Although the days ahead seem grim and uncertain, we need not despair. Our God will never change, and He rules faithfully over all. Lift up your eyes and behold the wondrous Savior! His glorious Word is our only certainty and the foundation of our hope in the midst of these storms and shifting sands.

"Neither need we fear crosses, or sigh, or be sad for anything that is on this side of heaven, if we have Christ."
"The floods may swell and roar, but our ark shall swim above the waters; it cannot sink, because a Savior is in it."
-Samuel Rutherford "The Loveliness of Christ






P. S. Please remember to pray for our nation, our president-elect, and the unborn children who are being slaughtered every day. It is every indication that nothing will be done to stop abortion or reduce it in any way while we have a President Obama. He has promised Planned Parenthood to lift all restrictions that are currently placed on abortions, as well as enact the Freedom of Choice Act. We must continue to speak for those who have no voice and fight against this horrendous "silent holocaust" that is taking place. May God hear our cries for justice and mercy upon these children!

Pray for Election Day

As I'm sure all of you know, Election Day is only two weeks away as of today. As Americans, we face a huge decision. As Christians, we face an even greater challenge of being biblically discerning as we cast our votes. And for many voters, including first-time voters like me, the uncertainties of what lies ahead for our nation can often seem overwhelming and even terrifying. I hope you will join with me in prayer for this day and for our nation in the days ahead.

God of the Nations, We praise you for your eternal sovereignty and goodness. We thank you that not only do you hold the world in your hands, but you hold our hearts in your hands. We think of your words to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 5:21 "the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will" and we rejoice! Father, in this time and always, may our eyes be continually upon You. As we look around us and see what looks to be a nation that has forgotten You and is only going further into destruction, help us to look to You, O God, the sovereign King, and remember that You work ALL things together for good to those who love You. (Romans 8:28).

We lift up to you all of Your people in this nation. We pray that you would help us to earnestly seek the wisdom and discernment that is from You and Your Word as we prepare to enter the voting booth. Thank You for the privilege and freedom we have as a nation to choose our own leaders. Let us not take this privilege lightly, but carefully and soberly consider the issues at hand. We pray that all who vote would not go into the polling places blindly, O God, but that all would realize the crucial importance that each individual vote plays in the outcome of this election and the future of our nation. But remind us again that ultimately the decision is Yours. Give us strength to be faithful with what You have entrusted to us.

We also pray for those who are running for the office of president, and other various leadership positions in this nation. We pray for much wisdom and humility to be imparted to them. Lord, save those who are lost and are seeking this position merely for selfish gain. Turn their hearts around to serve the only one true Living God and to forsake their idols of fame and wealth. May they seek Your glory and the good of this nation before their own interests.

O Savior, our souls take great comfort in knowing that our hope does not lie in feeble man. But our hope is in You and in Your cross. Whatever Your glorious will may be for our nation in these coming days, give the hearts of us Your children great delight in our Savior, our only true and everlasting hope both for now and for eternity to come! All glory be to your holy and glorious name! Amen.

My Cup Runs Over

When was the last time you were truly thankful? As weak and selfish human beings, we are so prone to forget to give thanks unto the Giver of all good gifts. We are so quick to grumble and complain when things do not go the way we want them to. Rather than being thankful to God for providing abundant rain to water the thirsty ground, we grumble because we are getting wet or because we wanted to get some things done outside. Rather than praising the Lord for granting us senses and the ability to work and interact with people, we complain when we are asked to stay an hour later to help out. No matter what the situation, somehow we can always find something to complain about. This attitude springs from pride and arrogance.

A recently-read quote by C. J. Mahaney helps put things in their proper perspective:

"Let each of us recognize every day that whatever grace we receive from God is so much more than we're worthy of, and indescribably better than the hell we all deserve."

Even on those days when it seems like things could not go any worse, we must remember that we are already receiving so much more than we deserve. What we deserve as sinful, proud, ungrateful beings is nothing less than God's wrath. We deserve hell.

We must remind ourselves daily that the very fact that we are breathing should be ample cause for humble rejoicing and adoration at the great mercy of our Savior! Not only does our God richly supply us with temporal blessings, but he also grants us the greatest gift of all - the answer to our greatest need - grace and peace through Jesus Christ and His saving work on the cross! What a marvelous gift!

I close with a portion of the Puritan prayer "Evening Praise" taken from The Valley of Vision.

I thank Thee for the temporal blessings of this world -
the refreshing air,
the light of the sun,
the food that renews strength,
the raiment that clothes,
the dwelling that shelters,
the sleep that gives rest,
the starry canopy of night,
the summer breeze,
the flowers' sweetness,
the music of flowing streams,
the happy endearments of family, kindred, friends,
Things animate, things inanimate, minister to my comfort.
My cup runs over.
Suffer me not to be insensible to these daily mercies.
Thy hand bestows blessings: Thy power averts evil.
I bring my tribute of thanks for spiritual graces,
the full warmth of faith,
the cheering presence of Thy Spirit,
the strength of Thy restraining will,
the spiking of hell's artillery.

Blessed be my Sovereign Lord!"

Give us humble and thankful hearts, we pray, O God!

Pray for our Muslim Neighbors

Yesterday marked the beginning of Ramadan, a month-long Muslim fasting observance that takes place every year. Many Christians are taking the commitment to praying each day of this month for the Muslim world. (For more info. see www.30-days.net, also where I got the photo of Mecca above.) Whether or not you take this commitment to 30 days of prayer, I strongly encourage you to cry out to our God with His people on behalf of our Muslim neighbors.

PRAY:

- That the kingdom of our God would advance and the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ permeate the hearts of many who will be participating in this observance. Pray that many would turn from worshiping false gods to faith in the one and only true God.
- For Christians who were once Muslims, and for those who will come to believe in Jesus Christ. Pray that they would gladly take hold of Christ and risk death than continue following false religion and practice.
- For Christians living in largely Muslim areas, that they would have boldness and zeal for the glory of God, and lovingly proclaim the gospel to those observing Ramadan. Pray for opportunities. Pray that through the work of the Holy Spirit, God's Word will take effect and show those who are lost that their only hope for salvation rests only in Christ, not in their confession of sin to Allah or attempts to purify themselves through their own good deeds (both of which constitute large parts of the Ramadan fasting observance) .

And above all else, May God be glorified!

The Valley of Vision: The Broken Heart

O LORD,

No day of my life has passed that has not proved me guilty in Thy sight.

Prayers have been uttered from a prayerless heart;

Praise has been often praiseless sound;

My best services are filthy rags.

Blessed Jesus, let me find a covert in thy appeasing wounds.

Though my sins rise to heaven thy merits soar above them!

Though unrighteousness weighs me down to hell, thy righteousness exalts me to thy throne.

All things in me call for my rejection,

All things in thee plead my acceptance.

I appeal from the throne of perfect justice to thy throne of boundless grace.

Grant me to hear thy voice assuring me:
that by thy stripes I am healed,
that thou wast bruised for my iniquities,
that thou has been made sin for me
that I might be righteous in thee,
that my grievous sins, my manifold sins, are all forgiven
buried in the ocean of thy concealing blood.

I am guilty, but pardoned,
lost, but saved,
wandering, but found,
sinning, but cleansed.

Give me perpetual broken-heartedness,

Keep me always clinging to thy cross,

Flood me every moment with descending grace,

Open to me the springs of divine knowledge,
sparkling like crystal,
flowing clear and unsullied
through my wilderness of life.

Amen.



The above prayer was taken from a book called The Valley of Vision, which is a collection of Puritan prayers. This book has been a great help to me in my private prayer time. The prayers are not only beautiful, but they draw your gaze directly to the cross of our Savior! I highly recommend that every Christian own this book and use it often.

Pray for China

Today marks the start of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.

Please remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in China.

My father ordered some "Pray for China" prayer bands like the ones shown above so that we can remember to pray throughout the day. (If you are interested in getting some, they are available from Voice of the Martyrs at www.persecution.com) China is a country that is very hostile to the gospel. Every day Christians are persectued for the sake of Christ. Please pray for the glorious gospel of our Lord to continue advancing boldly even in the midst of such terrible opposition.

I read on the Internet that 10,000 Chinese/English ESV Bibles will be distributed during these Olympic games. What a glorious opportunity! Let us pray for the Lord's blessing!

PRAY FOR CHINA