Loving words to Loving Friends: The Speech I gave to my friends Graeme and Zoe on their Wedding Day

Thank you so much Graeme and Zoe for inviting me to enjoy this wonderful day with you both. To see my dear friends married makes me joyful beyond words. I am so blessed to be here and I cannot thank you enough for including me in this awesome day.

And thank you so much for your wonderful friendship. You have both blessed me in amazing ways but most of all you have blessed me by being incredibly loving friends to me. I am so grateful to God for bringing such wonderful friends into my life. Our friendship is another display of God’s grace in our lives and another reason for us to be full of thankfulness and gratitude to him.

But as wonderful as our friendship is it is not perfect. We are fallible and sadly we let each other down. As you begin your lives together it brings me joy to remind you of one who will never fail you, who will always be there for you, who will never stop loving you. The bible says,

“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

(Psalm 86:15)

“Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.” (Psalm 36:5)

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

They are new every morning;

Great is your faithfulness.”

(Lamentations 3:22-23)

I would also like to share with you my experience of what a faithful friend Jesus has been in my life. Many are the times when depression has plunged me into the dark depths of despair. But he has been there to comfort and care for me even when my whole world seemed to be falling apart. It has been in my darkest days that I have experienced his love most intimately and intensely, seen his sovereignty in action most clearly, and been blessed by his grace to get through another day. You have a friend who will stick by you no matter what happens in your lives. In days of joy and sadness he promises to remain faithful to you and to always set his loving affections on you.

Graeme and Zoe, I am not a wealthy man. I don’t have a financial nest egg to fall back on. I don’t have many expensive possessions. I don’t own my own house. I don’t have a high earning job. I don’t have an advanced education. I don’t have a long list of friends. These are all the things the world we live in esteems as valuable. But what I and you do have that eclipses all of these is Jesus Christ. He is infinitely more valuable than anything the world esteems as valuable. The bible says,

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross.” (Colossians 1:15-20)

And Jesus, pointing to himself as the one who satisfies the deep spiritual longings of your soul and your longing to know God, says,

“I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me shall not hunger,

and whoever believes in me shall not thirst.”

(John 6:35)

As you begin your lives together I hope and pray that each day you will point each other to the treasure that can never perish, whose love never fades, and whose grace will always be amazing. You were made for someone bigger than yourselves and bigger than each other. You were made to enjoy Jesus forever.

Recently I read these words from John Piper which I hope will encourage you as you begin a new chapter in your lives. He writes,

“Marriage is not mainly about prospering economically; it is mainly about displaying the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church. Knowing Christ is more important than making a living. Treasuring Christ is more important than bearing children. Being united to Christ by faith is a greater source of marital success than perfect sex and double-income prosperity. So it is with marriage. It is a momentary gift. It may last a lifetime, or it may be snatched away on the honeymoon. Either way, it is short. It may have many bright days, or it may be covered with clouds. If we make secondary things primary, we will be embittered at the sorrows we must face. But if we set our face to make of marriage mainly what God designed it to be, no sorrows and no calamities can stand in our way. Every one of them will be, not an obstacle to success, but a way to succeed. The beauty of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church shines brightest when nothing but Christ can sustain it.”

Graeme and Zoe, thank you so much for having me here to enjoy this day with you both. I wish you all the very best for the future. God bless and much love to you in our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ.

The Many Wives and Concubines of King Solomon

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed o their gods. (1 Kings 11:1-8)

One of the arguments brought against the bible by critics is, "doesn't the Old Testament endorse multiple wives since it does not prohibit it." But as can be seen from this passage, not only does the Old Testament prohibit polygamy it gives warnings as to the consequences of practicing such a defilement of the covenant of marriage first given in Genesis 2:24 with the words,

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife,

and they shall become one flesh."

Since this passage concerns Adam and Eve we can see from the very beginning marriage was to be between one woman and one man, and as God's revelation was unfolded in Exodus 34 he commands the Israelites, as they on the verge of going into the promised land, to drive out the peoples who live there, "lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare to you." (Exodus 34:12) And "you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods. (Exodus 34:16) Marriage was therefore to be between a man and a woman and those who belonged to Israel were not to marry those who belonged to foreign nations, who were outside Israel. This is the very thing which King Solomon, who had begun his reign with great obedience and wisdom, now failed to do. Instead of marrying one woman, as stipulated in Genesis, and marrying a women of his own nation, as stipulated in Exodus, he took multiple wives into his bed and therefore his heart and gave himself over to the very gods that the LORD had commanded him to reject. It is simply not true that the Old Testament does not reject polygamy. It warns against it and whenever it is practiced there are always dire consequences. A primary example of this is king Solomon. 

In 1 Kings 11:9 we read, 

And the LORD was very angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded. Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this has been you practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear this kingdom from you and will give it to your servant." 

All the riches, wisdom, and rule that Solomon had was to be stripped from him and given to his servant.  The kingly rule of Israel will be given to him who was once the king's servant. All that he enjoyed, the wealth, the possessions, and his privileges and rights as king were to be taken from him so that he who was beneath him will now rule over him. And as a consequence of Solomon's polygamy, a dynasty of malevolent rulers, dispersed with the exceptionally benevolent, ruled over Israel and far from leading the people closer to God led them into further depths of idolatry and depravity which would result in their being ruled over by a foreign king and being taken into captivity to a foreign land.

So what can we learn from this sad episode in the life of Solomon? How is this biblical account relevant for us today? I believe there are three lessons we can draw from this biblical passage.

1) Marriage is not a social institution created by man but is a covenant created by God between one man and one woman. In this age, when marriage is being redefined and broadened to include same sex relationships, Christians are going to find themselves put under more and more pressure by the surrounding culture to cave in when it comes to what the bible defines marriage to be. Just as Solomon caved in to having multiple wives and so redefined marriage beyond the biblical parameters, which resulted in horrible consequences to the nation of Israel, any person and any ruler who rejects the biblical definition of marriage will reap personal and national catastrophe as has been attested by the Greek  and Roman empires which have long since passed into history.

2) Marriage for the nation of Israel was restricted to within its own people. For the Christian today marriage is restricted to those who confess and possess faith in Jesus Christ. Marriage for the Christian is defined not only as being between one man and one woman but is also defined as being between those who have Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. This is why Paul wrote, "do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)

3) Untold pain and hurt can be avoided if the Christian follows the biblical parameters given to him or her for marriage. I have seen the carnage and havoc caused to the Christian who has a relationship with the non- Christian, and the conflict and tearing away at their beliefs that occur to the point where they deny their faith altogether and prove that they never believed in Christ to begin with. Great sadness, hurt, and sorrow, can be avoided, but even more the protection of a person's faith and salvation is what is at stake.

A great Hope in Depression

"Deep calls to deep

at the roar of your waterfalls,

all your breakers and your waves

have gone over me."

(Psalm 42:7)

Introduction

What is amazing about the Psalms is the honesty of the writers before God. There is a candidness and forthrightness as we read about the thoughts, the experiences and the emotions of the writers. Sometimes the writers express joy and praise because of the love or the mercy of God- the emotional peaks of bliss. At other times there is sadness and depression because of persecution, sin, tragedy, or simply because of the difficulties of living as an imperfect human being in an imperfect world- the emotional valleys of darkness. Here in the Psalms the full range of emotions for the Christian are lain bare which should give us great encouragement to approach God and talk to him no matter how we are feeling. 

Through it all the Psalmists approach God and pour out their hearts before him, their inner feelings and thoughts, their concerns and wishes. So we find in the Psalms, "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." (Psalm 62:8)  Dear Christian know that God loves you no matter how you are feeling, and he accepts you no matter what you are going through. He desires for you to be with him and to share with him the emotions of your heart and the thoughts of your mind. Because of Jesus nothing separates the Christian from communion with the Father. On the contrary through Jesus the Christian can go before the Father with confidence. "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

In this Psalm the Psalmist is enduring a time of depression which has been triggered by those who have surrounded him and are mocking him and his God. They say to him, "where is your God?" (verse 3) In other words, "you say there is a God, where is he, show him to us. If he exists where is he to help you?" He is therefore feeling downcast because of the torrent of abuse that is directed at him as they belittle him and God. Through this dark time the Psalmist, "thirsts for God, for the living God" (verse 2) to comfort him and give him strength to endure. And he longs for a time when those who mock him will be put to shame and he looks to a time when joy will once again flood into his life again. "These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go to the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival." (verse 4)

For those who suffer from depression they desperately hope. They hope that tomorrow will be a better day than the horrible day that has just gone. They hope that the end of this bout of depression is soon rather than later. They hope for the endurance to last another day when so many dark days have almost brought them to complete breaking point. They hope for a joy to return, a joy they remind themselves of as they look back to better days. They hope for a God who will help them, who will stand by them, and will bring them through this dark, dark, depression. Most of all they hope for a day when depression will be no more. For those who suffer from depression there is great hope in this Psalm.

This Psalm Addresses a very Wrong Belief

As I have read and re-read this Psalm over the years one verse has stood out to me as being extraordinary. It can be easily missed until a person stops and thinks, "what is being said here and what does that mean?" Verse 7 in this Psalm says something that goes against all that the majority of Christianity believes in, in this country. And it addresses the question, "where is God in depression?" I am looking at this aspect because I suffer from depression. And for years have heard many Christians distance God from this suffering. "God knows about it and he can use it but he can never will it," is the catch cry I have heard for much of my Christian life from fellow Christians. But this Psalm in verse 7 will not allow this to stand. It flies like an arrow to pierce the belief that God has no hand in depression and by so doing reveals below the surface just how wrong that belief is.

A little while ago someone asked me, "why do you get depressed?" I could have said, "because I was born with a disposition to get depressed." Or, "when I get over stressed that triggers it." Or, "when financial or relational problems become too much I am susceptible to depression." All of these are true. But I know from my bible that none of these are the ultimate reason for why I get depressed. As important as they are they are all subordinate to a sovereign God. The fullness of Scripture teaches that God wills, and governs all things including my depression. God is the cause behind  all that leads up to and culminates in my depression. This is what the Psalmist is saying when he writes, "Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls, all your breakers and your waves have gone over me." (verse 7) If God is sovereign, (which he is) and he works all things for the good of those who love him (which he does) then depression has a purpose that can only be for the well being, benefit and eternal good of the Christian as hard as it might be to endure its dark days.

God's Sovereignty over Depression

But where exactly is God's sovereignty over depression found in this Psalm?. This a very important question the answer to which needs to be fleshed out from the Psalm especially verse 7. So from this verse what is being said and what does the Psalmist mean?

In this verse the Psalmist draws on nature and his observation of it to describe the depression that has afflicted him. He takes what can be seen in the creation around him to describe what can often not be seen in the heart and the soul of those who suffer from depression. The Psalmist begins the verse with these words:

    

1) "Deep calls to deep." From these words the following can be gleamed. (a) There is a harmony that exists in nature such that the various aspects come together in waterfalls, waves and breakers. Just as there is in nature there is a harmony between the aspects of life that culminate in the waterfalls, waves, and breakers of depression. (b) There is an intensity of power in nature. This intensity which is seen points to the intensity of power of depression that afflicts the sufferer. This intensity of power also points to God whose hand governs and directs not only the seen world of nature but the unseen world of the mind. (c) It also points to the source of nature as being one so deep that it is outside the control of men just as depression in its source is outside the control of the sufferer. It comes and goes by a force which he often knows little of. (d) It also points to this force of nature as being one which cannot be predicted as to how long it will last since it has a mysterious quality to it due to the deep depths of its source. In my own life there has never been a time when I could ever say how long depression would last or how intense it would end up being. That was outside my knowledge.

2) The Psalmist then comes to one of the results of what happens when, "deep calls to deep" with the words, "at the roar of your waterfalls."What does the Psalmist mean here? I think he means the following. The word roar indicates an intensity to nature, a turmoil of raging water that culminates in a roaring waterfall. Likewise in depression there is an intensity that churns up emotions and thoughts and culminates in the raging waters of the soul. Roar is an apt word for the voices of accusation, hopelessness and despair that torture those who suffer from depression.

3) The Psalmist ends this verse with the words, "all your breakers and your waves have gone over me." The words, "breakers and waves" only serve to further intensify the Psalmists picture of nature from a roaring yet localized waterfall to a vast ocean which collides with the coastline and churns up its beaches. So it is with depression. It never remains localized in its impact. Nor does it remain localized in its effect. It inevitably crosses any borders that are erected to contain it. For as it grows in intensity it can no longer be hidden behind a mask of polite Christian etiquette. It consumes the whole life, mind, heart, soul and body in an ocean of negative, dark, and hopeless thoughts and emotions. It effects how we view ourselves, how we view others, and how we view God. 

4) Finally the Psalmist ends with words that are often read over with little thought paid to the enormity of their meaning in a Christian culture that has largely distanced God from suffering and depression. He uses one word to describe where the depression in his life has come from. "All your breakers and your waves have gone over me." Who is he talking about here? Who is the your described here? Well, it could be the ones who are mocking him earlier in the Psalm when they say to him, "where is your God?" After all it is their persecution that has triggered this bout of depression. Or it could be Satan who will inevitably be behind the scenes instigating and encouraging the mockery that is directed at the Psalmist by these men. But I think it is neither of these. The answer to the question, "who is the your in this verse?", is found in answering the question, "who is the Psalmist talking to?" This becomes plain as we read the words at the beginning of this Psalm, "as a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God." The whole of this Psalm is a prayer to God. So when he says, "your breakers and your waves" he means those that God has ordained and willed to be in his life since the one the Psalmist is primarily talking to in this Psalm is God. 

Depression is not a random act of nature that is somehow outside the control of God. God is sovereign King over all that happens within his kingdom including the dark depression that grips his much loved children. If this be not so what hope does the Christian have that any good will come from his depression? What hope is there that depression will not ultimately win? Because God causes depression in its weight and time there is hope that great good will be the result of all the black days of depression he brings into the Christian's life.

Great Hope

What good can come from depression such that it gives hope for the sufferer of depression as they look to the days, weeks, and months ahead? As we look at this Psalm we can gleam the following points:

1) Better, more joyous days are ahead. It will not always be the way it is. Things will change. The Psalmist writes, 

"These things I remember,

as I pour out my soul:

how I would go with the throng

and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise,

a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God."

(Psalm 42:4-5)

There were joyous days in the past and there will be joyous days in the future. Because God was sovereign over the Psalmist's depression he could be encouraged as he looked back to a time when he shouted with gladness and sang with praise that it would be so again. God would restore him so that he could once more lead the throng in procession to the house of God. It probably does not seem like it, if you are suffering from depression, but there is an end. No one can say when that will be. But what can be said is that the same God who brought depression into your life will one day take it away by the almighty hand of his sovereign power and you will sing out your heart to him in joy once again. You will once again praise him as your salvation and your God.

2) There is a faithful friend who will stand by you and who will never leave you. No matter how black and miserable the days become he has pledged to always be by your bedside to love you and care for you. The Psalmist writes,

"By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,

and at night his song is with me,

a prayer to the God of my life."

(Psalm 42:8)

The Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the all powerful King who rules and governs all things is also your closest friend who will stand by you with steadfast love. While humans may be fickle in their friendship and will fail you, this friend is faithful in his nature, steadfast in his covenant of love with you and will be committed to your well-being and care in, through and beyond the dark days of your depression.

3) Your emotions in depression are not an accurate indication of where God is and how he relates to you. The Psalmist writes,

I say to God, my rock:
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of my enemy?"
(Psalm 42:9)

In his depression God felt distant from him. He felt as if God did not care and had forgotten him and forsaken him. Depression has such a dark impact upon the mind, leading to negative and wrong thinking, that it then flows into the emotions. 

Greatly beloved sufferer of depression who has a relationship of Fatherly love and care with God through the Lord Jesus, your negative thoughts and emotions in depression are not the truth about where God is as you suffer. His infallible word, the bible is. What God says in his word is true. What you are thinking and how you are feeling is not. Please go to the bible and remind yourself of what God really says not what your negative thoughts and emotions are telling you what God says. Remind yourself of the love of God that is so amazing in nature that it has its pinnacle in the dying Son on the cross who saves you and reconciles you to God and which flows from the cross in tender loving kindness to this present day. Your God, your Father, cannot forget the one for whom the Son came to die for, save and reconcile to himself. Those who the Son dies for will never be forgotten by the Father.

4) No matter how deep or dark the depression God is able to save his children and bring them out of it. No matter how hopeless the situation may seem there is great hope because of God who is sovereign over all things including depression and who is able to release you from its grip and restore your downcast soul so that you will once again praise him.

"Why are you downcast, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God."
(Psalm 42:11)

Conclusion

The only way there can be hope in depression is if a loving God is sovereign over it such that he brings it in its weight and duration for the good of those who endure it. Take away the sovereignty of God over depression and there is no hope that in its weight and duration it will not crush those who sufferer from it or that it will recede and come to an end. There is also no guarantee that any good may come from it. It may simply go on day after day causing the sufferer to lose faith, to become cut of from relationships and the outside world, and to become so distorted and negative in their thinking that they eventually commit  suicide. Oh but what a great hope there is for those who belong to Christ and yet have to sufferer from depression. There is the hope that a loving Father is in control of the weight and duration of depression so that he will never allow it to crush you. There is the hope that God brings depression for spiritual good as he deepens trust and faith in him as you learn to look to him and lean upon him and rely upon him as the only one who can sustain and as the loving, comforting friend who knows your sorrow and pain and who is faithful to you. There is this great hope because of God. 

Absolved of all Guilt through Jesus

"For we hold that one is justified by faith 

apart from works of the law."

(Romans 3:28)

Introduction

Justified is not a word that we are very familiar with. It is certainly not a word that is likely to be used in conversation amongst friends even in Christian circles. Because of lack of understanding and use we scarcely plumb the depths of the immensity of this one single word as it appears in sacred Scripture. In this one word sinners are declared to be righteous before a just and holy God. 

Throughout the epistle Paul lays out two ways by which people can be righteous. By works of the law or by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Or to put it more simply by our imperfect works or by the perfect works of Jesus that are accounted to undeserving sinners by God. This is deep, because there is not a single person who is not born with the disposition to work their way into heaven. Even as Christians we must fight against the tendency to be accepted before God through our obedience. And so to grasp this, such that it sinks in, frees us from the works based ethics that we are born with and which we carry over into our relationships with God. 

 

The Word Justified

The word justified is a legal term. It is a word that sits comfortably within the courtroom and it is from this context that Paul takes the word and applies to sinners and God. In the Greek the word is dikaiousthai. This word as Paul uses it has several important parts to it.

1)All people every where are guilty. There is not a single person who is has escaped the judgement of God as being sinners and deserving of his wrath.

2) A Christian is cleared of all charges that relate to their sins before God who sits as supreme judge over all mankind. Therefore a Christian is declared to be "not guilty" not only for past offences but also for all the offences they will ever commit. This is not because the Christian is not guilty but because any guilt is to born in the person of another.

3) This word entails in it the great declaration that the Christian is righteous. That is all the standards have been met to be right in the sight of God. God can never look upon the Christian as being anything but righteous. This is not because a Christian is righteous in and of themselves but because of one who will account to them his righteousness. 

4) All sentences of "guilty" are removed, the standard of God is achieved on behalf of the Christian and the Christian is elevated to such a status that they are declared to be "the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

5) Since the verdict of "not guilty" has been declared by God no future punishment can ever be exacted against the Christian for the sins they have committed. This is because the punishment has been dealt with once and for all by one who stands in the place of the Christian.

Sadly far too many Christians do not grasp the importance of this word when reading their bibles. And this language has been largely stripped from the pulpit as being "too hard to understand." But this word is at the heart of the gospel. It is the truth that is entailed in this one word which sets the Christian free from the impossible task of trying to reach God's perfect standard in order to be accepted and approved by him. It is this word that takes the shackles from the Christian, places the verdict "not guilty" over his or her life and declares "you are right in the presence of God."

The One who makes us Righteous

The great dilemma we had is that we were not only guilty but we could never meet the high standard of perfect obedience that a holy God requires. It was simply an impossibility for us to escape the guilt that we deserve and the standard that condemned us every single day. On the one hand we could never be right before God, and on the other hand the more we tried the more guilt and condemnation resulted from our efforts. And so when Paul wrote about faith he was pointing us to a faith that is not exercised in our attempts to be right before God but in another's. This faith is not in self but in another whose life and death will make sinners right before God. One who was to be sent into the world as the only one who was without sin and so could fulfil the high standard of perfect obedience that a holy God requires and bear our guilt as the unblemished lamb of sacrifice for our sins. 

Just a few verses before Romans 3:28 we read in Romans 3:21-25:

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the Prophets bear witness to it- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."

The one who makes us right is Jesus Christ. Therefore to be made right before God is to put our faith in him to make us right before God. This is so simple yet so hard for us to believe. To be made right before God is not to try harder. It is to give up all attempts, to give up our schemes of self righteousness that fall so pitifully short and trust in Jesus. Having said this what can be gleamed from this passage of Scripture that gives the basis for how the Christian is made right before God.

1) A righteousness has been revealed that does not depend upon man's attempt to obey all of God's moral law although the law points a person to it and the Prophets declared it. This righteousness: (a) Is a righteousness that comes from God, and, (b) is a righteousness that is manifested in the person of Jesus Christ.

2) This righteousness is not one that is given to all but is only given to those who have faith in Jesus Christ through whom this righteousness exists and is gifted. The means by which a person is made righteous is faith and that faith is in Jesus.

3) This righteousness is not just a requirement for the "worst" people so that other more "good" people are right before God because of their moral lives. This righteousness is needed by all since all sin and there is no one who reaches the perfect standard God requires.

4) This righteousness of God is a gift of grace. It is not something someone can get. It is not something someone can work towards. It is not something that anyone deserves. It is given freely by God. 

5) This gift of grace justifies. It is able to make a person right before God. It is able to free them from all guilt and to make one who is not righteous, righteous.

6) This gift of grace that justifies comes in the person of Jesus Christ. And Jesus justifies by: (a) Redeeming the sinner from the slave market of sin by the cost of his own life. (b) By satisfying the wrath of God for sinners by taking upon himself both the sins and punishment for those sins. (c) The blood shed by Jesus satisfies God's justice towards sinners. (d) Jesus was put forward as the agreement of love between the Father and the Son to save lost. 

7) Access to this righteousness is through the act of faith which is given as a gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8) It consists of: (a) Giving up on all attempts to be right before God and accepting the hopeless state a person has before the high standard of God. (b) Turning from self to God as the only hope to be made right. (c) Believing that Jesus can and does justify all who turn to him so that the sinner is acquitted for all their sin and they have clothed with the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. They are made right in the presence of God. 

8)Because justification is a gift of grace that is accomplished through Jesus those who believe in Jesus can never lose their right standing before God. Though sin is still present the Christian lives no longer under the identity of who they once were but who they now are in Jesus Christ.

Dear Christian you are righteousness because Jesus makes you righteous. You are acquitted because someone else stood in your place and received the punishment you deserved. The verdict has come from the very throne of God and he has said, "not guilty." He says to you this day, "there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) What a wonderful truth that all who believe in Jesus are released without charge, are never to have their sins brought against them again, and are righteous, here, now, so that they are being made into the very righteousness which they already are in Christ.

Dear Christian all your sins were nailed to the cross in the hands and feet of Jesus. Heaven was emptied of all judgement and punishment as it was poured out upon the Son. Why punish yourself for your sins as though Jesus' death upon the cross was not enough? Why fall into despair because of your sins when Jesus has set you free from all condemnation? Jesus did not die so that we could again put ourselves under the verdict of "guilty." His death sets you free from all guilt. The doors of heaven have been flung open to you never to be closed ever again.  

Forgiven yet not Forgiven

"Be kind to one another,

tenderhearted, forgiving one another, 

as God in Christ forgave you."

(Ephesians 4:32)

Introduction

I have thought long and hard about writing something about why I left my previous church. At the time there were a lot of thoughts running through my mind and emotions churning in me. They have since died down and I feel I am in a better place to write about this episode in my life. I write this not to degrade my old church but to be a help and encouragement to not hold grudges or unforgiveness towards those fellow Christians who wrong us and seek forgiveness and reconciliation. To not withhold fellowship when God in his forgiveness never withholds fellowship from us. This is the radical nature of the Apostle Paul's call to forgive. It is not simply accepting someone's apology (which many Christians today think it is) but it is:

1) To show kindness even when wronged. 

2) To have a tender heart (not a judgemental heart) which cares for the person who has wronged us.

3) An attitude that wants to forgive rather than one that wants retribution or punishment, this includes a cold shoulder and "cutting off" of fellowship. This is possible because of how a person sees how much they have been forgiven by God in Jesus.

4) A desire for the best for the person who has wronged us because of who they are in Christ and in light of how much God loves us despite how much we wrong him.

As time has passed I felt now is the best time to write that the reason I left my old church was because I was not shown this kind of tenderhearted, kind, forgiveness.

The Burden of Feeling Unforgiveness

We often think of our own forgiveness towards others as being a spiritual and relational burden to ourselves that stops us from living in the freedom Christ bought for us on the cross. But the unforgiveness others show towards us can also burden us spiritually and relationally so that we cannot live in the freedom Christ bought for us. This is especially true when forgiveness is withheld from those who we attend the same church as because of the closeness of that relationship.Like rocks placed upon a person's back unforgiveness from others can wear down a person and over time make it impossible to have fellowship as the bible commands and describes. To feel like you are never truly forgiven and are being scrutinized as to your actions such that you are expected to screw up (as you have many times before) is a burden too heavy for anyone to handle. The damage this causes to a person is deep and requires much healing. To feel judged rather than loved, to feel scrutinized rather than embraced and encouraged leaves an indelible mark on a person from which only Jesus can heal.

Forgiven Yet Not

For a person to have others say, "I forgive you" yet in action they do not is a painful situation. To no longer be invited out for fellowship, to no longer be texted, to no longer be invited out for coffee, to be avoided in church, to be left out of church "social circles" and yet be told, "you are forgiven" speaks volumes as to the validity of this forgiveness. To have doors, social doors, doors of potential fellowship, gently shut and firmly bolted speaks as to the shallowness of the words, "I forgive you." The bible knows nothing of forgiveness that does not first come from the heart, is expressed in words, and is validated by actions of reconciliation. This is how God in Christ forgave us. For when God forgives us he does so from a heart of love, he tells us we are forgiven in the bible, and he pours out his blessings upon us in reconciliation including eternal life with him, all because of Christ. He forgives us, he tells us we are forgiven, and he follows this up and validates his forgiveness by the great good he does towards us. All this is towards those who neither deserve nor warrant his forgiveness. And we are to do the same.

Today

I am glad I have moved on from my old church. I have been able to make a clean start without the old baggage of other people's unforgiveness weighing me down. I have been incredibly blessed by God to have brothers and sisters who accept me as I am and who deeply love me. Only recently I have been the recipient of their grace as they forgave me in such a way I seldom was in my old church. It speaks to me volumes of how much they not only know the grace of God but have experienced it in their own lives. This grace, amazing grace as the old Puritan wrote, has so impacted and transformed them such that they bear the fruit of grace. 

Dear Christian remember that your unforgiveness not only has a great impact on your own life as you simmer in  anger, bitterness and resentment but it also has a great impact on those who you show unforgiveness towards as it causes friction, stymies reconciliation and fosters disunity. It causes confusion and in the end resentment as this "forgiveness" even when spoken is nothing but words unless it comes from a heart of love and with actions that seek reconciliation. The forgiveness of God is radical. He forgave us not reluctantly or belatedly but earnestly and lovingly. He said to us, "you are forgiven for all the wrong you have done against me." And he shows his great desire for reconciliation by sending his own Son to die so that we who were once far off have been drawn near to the throne of God.

Dear Christian when you say, "I forgive you" but fail to extend the hand of fellowship it says, "I don't really forgive you." Remember what forgiveness God has shown towards you in Jesus. How your sins are no longer held against you and how God has extended his hand of fellowship to you. Forgive as he has forgiven you, the bible says, in heart, in word, and in action. In so doing unforgiveness has no power to destroy you or the one to whom forgiveness is to be shown.

Learning that I am Forgiven

By the grace of God I have been to grow in understanding that though people may not forgive me God does. That though people may never let go of the past God through Jesus has dealt with my past, my present and my future. It really does not matter what people think of me. Whether they think well of me or not. It really does not matter whether people choose to withhold forgiveness from me. God has forgiven me for all my sins because Jesus bore the punishment I deserve for all of them on the cross. And because of this I am greatly loved, accepted, and approved of by my Father. The opinions, feelings, and verdicts of people are insignificant and mean nothing compared to the One who made me and saved me. Because I have been able to embrace God's love for me and my the identity I now have in Jesus I have been able to be healed and grow beyond the unforgiveness of people as I live in the forgiveness of God.

Alive to Sin and Dead to God

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of the world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- among whom we all once lived in the passions of the flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."
(Ephesians 2:1-3)

There is wonderful grace to come. In just a few verses the apostle Paul will unfold the wonder of salvation to sinners. A salvation that is rooted in God's love. But for the Christian to understand what this saving love is he must first understand what he has been saved from. Lest there be a superficial understanding of grace, Paul teaches the hopeless situation into which God intercedes and saves in a way that strips man of any boasting in himself so that all the glory is then given to him. 

I am convinced that many today have a shallow idea of grace because they do not understand the grave state from which they have been saved from. And many today do not understand the power of God's grace such that he not only cures sick sinners but breathes life into them and raises them from the grave.

I hope to next write on the preceding verses which focus on God's saving love. But first it is vital to understand what God has saved the Christian from if a right understanding is to be made of his immense love and grace in saving such a person from the grave. So what can be gleamed from these verses?

1) Paul sees people as being in a far worse condition than being sick and in need of help. He sees people as dead and in need of resurrection. A sick man can seek help. But a dead man can do nothing to help himself. A common analogy used today is that because of sin man is a sick patient who needs urgent medical care which he can get when he goes to Jesus. But what Paul teaches is that man is long dead, the funeral has been concluded, the farewells given, the grave dug and he has been buried. Even if he was able to know that he had a problem he cannot go to Jesus because he is unable to. What he requires is to be made alive.

2) This death is not a physical death. Nor is it a death of man's will or ability to make choices. It is a death that causes a person to be unresponsive to God and it is a death that causes a person live as if there were no God. It is therefore a spiritual death. This death came into the world at the fall along with physical death and is the result of that great sin. All then are born with a mind, a heart, and a will, that neither desires God nor wants him.

3) There are three aspects to this spiritual death. (a) We were dead in trespasses and sins. We are born by nature as sinners into the world. We are not sinners because we sin but we sin because we are sinners. What comes naturally to us is not obedience to God and love for him, but disobedience and rebellion against God. Because of our love for sin we will not and cannot choose God over it. 

(b) We followed the course of this world. We esteemed the world's values, standards and beliefs over those set down in the word of God. We were more interested in living according to the world's expectations and what the world wanted rather than God's expectations and what he wanted. This we often did by default with little thought as we were carried along.

(c) We followed the prince of the power of the air. Paul then goes on to say that we were, "sons of disobedience." In times past it was expected that a son would do the same profession as his father. It is not very common today. And so it was common for a son to follow in the steps of his father and learn from him and begin to take up his same trade. He took on the characteristics of his Father as he came under his influence. So when Paul uses this phrase he means we followed satan and were his sons in the sense that we followed in his footsteps. We bore his characteristics. We rebelled, disobeyed and sought to usurp God  just as satan did and was cast out of heaven. And as such we were under his power and sway.

4) Paul then addresses the fruit of our spiritual death in the following categories.

(a) The passions of the flesh. This may not always be visible but it speaks of an inner prevalence to indulge in whatever gives pleasure. Often this is in the area of sex. But it is not restricted to this. Our bodies are drawn to all sorts of sinful pleasures because of our corrupt nature.

(b) The desires of the body and the mind. This refers to the inclinations of the fallen nature of men. It first starts in the mind where what is most desirous to us is always sinful and this directs our wills and is then followed by the body which then acts upon our desires. So it is that sin has infected the mind, the will, the desires and the body. Because our natures are sinful are inclinations are always directed towards sin and away from God because this is what was most desirous to us.

5) Finally Paul gives both the consequence and the verdict of those who are dead in their trespasses and sins. They are all children of wrath. We were all sons and daughters of Adam and Eve and as such were born with a fallen nature which bears the fruit of disobedience and hate towards God and so are all deserving of his wrath. It is the verdict over all humanity apart from the saving grace of God. And it is a verdict fitting to those who treat God with such hostility, indifference and mockery and who live for themselves rather than for him.    

Dear Christian this was your predicament before you were saved. You were dead with no hope and no bright future. You could never save yourself. A miracle had to happen. A miracle did happen and this is why you are alive today. It required nothing short of a new birth and a new life. It required one who could bring you back from the dead. It required one with the power over over life and death to intervene. I hope to address in the next post the wonder of God in saving us. It is truly amazing love, it is truly an amazing salvation.

The New Commandment to Love

"A new commandment I give to you,

that you love one another:

just as I have loved you,

you also are to love one another."

(John 13:34)

As Jesus looks ahead to his death, and his resurrection and a time when he will no longer be with his disciples he leaves them this commandment to love on another. In so doing he expects his disciples to emulate his love. It is the example they are to follow and he will soon show them at the cross that it is a love which is willing to lay down one's life for another. It is a love that is willing to forgo all rights, privileges and comforts and at great cost love another.

 So as we look at this passage what is it that can be gleamed from its words?

1) The commandment to love was not new for Deuteronomy 6:5 commanded love for God, and Leviticus 19:18 commanded loving one's neighbour as oneself. 

2) However it is new in nature because it is a sacrificial love modeled after his example. It is the love of one who stooped down and washed his disciples feet and it is the love of one who sacrificed his life for the good of his friends.

 But it was also new because it is a love that is produced through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. It is a love that is implanted in the believer at conversion, which he previously did not have, and it grows incrementally as he comes to know and understand more of Christ which the Spirit illumines to him and uses to cause him to grow in love.

3) The criteria of this love cannot be found in those who Jesus loved but it is found in his nature to freely love whoever he chooses. 

There are several criteria we use to determine whether we will love another person. (a) The likeability of a person- personality, interests. (b) The status of a person such as their profession, education, income, home. (c) The talents of a person- what they can bring to the table and contribute. (d) The appearance of a person- how they look and dress. (e) The mannerisms of a person and how they talk. (f) The achievements of a person. What they have done. Where have they been. (f) The so called "moral virtues" of a person.

The criteria for Jesus love is based solely upon himself and not us. His love is free from any influence outside himself and has its criteria in his freedom to love whosoever he chooses. And so we find he chooses to love those who:

a)  Do not deserve his love.

b) Who have nothing in and of themselves that make them lovable.

c) Who do not love him.

4) Most wonderful of all is how he showed his love for disciples. He did so in the following ways:

a) By being a servant to them.

b) By giving of his time and energy for those who needed his help.

c) By protecting his disciples during his earthly ministry.

d) By proclaiming the gospel.

e) By teaching his disciples the truth about God and rebuking them when they fell into error.

(f) By being patient with them.

(g) By providing for their everyday needs.

(h) By forgiving them for the many blunders and sins they committed.

(I) By being a faithful friend to them.

(J) By giving up his life so that they can live.

(5) Jesus' life was so much more but was not less than an example for Christians to follow. This is especially so in his love. As we look at how he interacted and what he said and how he behaved with people in the pages of the gospels we are to emulate how he loved. 

6) This love of Christ is the mark of a true Christian and a true Church. It is what defines a Christian and a church that has understood the gospel, for at the heart of the gospel is the love of God in Christ Jesus, and from the tree of the gospel it is the fruit that marks Christian behavior both inside the church and at the world at large. 

Dear Christian we are not to love as the world does based on  something someone has done or a quality they possess which makes them desirable. Christ loved his disciples because he loved his disciples. We are to love others because we love others not expecting anything in return, or expecting to be loved in the same way. Instead we are to follow Jesus and love others often at great discomfort and cost to ourselves just as Jesus has done towards us.