Blog

Finally, the third contributor to this spiritual uncertainty comes from the proliferation of Arminian and Semi-Pelagian views of the role of man in his salvation and sanctification, from “getting himself saved” to “keeping himself saved.” When man takes the responsibility for his salvation, and the working out of that salvation, upon his own shoulders he will never feel adequate for the task. For deep down in his soul he is all too aware of the sin that so easily entangles him, and his own lust that entices and carries him away. Without a solid foundation built on the doctrines of grace and the sovereignty of our great and merciful God in our salvation, from its beginning to its end, man is left to rely only on the strength of his own arm, the power of his own piety……and, for all of us, our faults and foibles are ever before us.

Where are you today, my friend? Are you struggling with being secure in your relationship with God and living the life of faith? Are you plagued with doubts and uncertainties? Confess this to God, cry out to Him for relief, for peace in your soul, and rest for your heart. In Jeremiah 33:3 He tells to call upon Him and He will show us great and mighty things which we do not know, which, I believe, are the things of God Himself. According to Jeremiah 9:23-24 God wants our only boast to be that we know and understand Him. If that is what He wants then He has provided the means for that to take place and those means are the Word of God and the Spirit of God. In fact, in Jeremiah 1:12, He tells us that He personally watches over His word to make sure it is fulfilled, that is carried out to the fullest. Start your journey to spiritual security by reading the Psalms and in each Psalm mark with a colored marker each verse that tells you something about God; or read through the NT and make a list of what each book tells you about God. Meditate on these things and ask God to reveal to you deeper insight about that aspect of His nature and character. In Jeremiah 29:12-14 He has promised to be found by us when we search for Him with all our heart. Take Him up on that promise today.

Holiness is indispensable for all who are truly Christian. Even the term Christian, which means little Christ, evokes the notion of holy behavior in following after the behavior of Christ. In his first epistle Peter goes on to say that we are a holy priesthood and a holy nation offering up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, and proclaiming His excellencies. We can not do these apart from being holy…in all our behavior.

Sin is the greatest weapon used by the enemy against each and every Christian. We know this because it is what Satan tempts us to do. Sin itself is our enemy as it seeks to master us (Genesis 4:7, Romans 6:14). Sin interferes and interrupts the work of God. Through my sin and your sin we wound other Christians. Sin quenches and grieves the Spirit, it puts us at odds with God and brings His displeasure and discipline. Sin hinders us and makes us less useful and less effective in kingdom work, even to the point of our being put on the shelf (disqualified/I Corinthians 9:27). Sin destroys trust and relationships, and brings about death (James 1:15).

Do we rise up each day prepared to do battle against indwelling sin by putting to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13), and by putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness (James 1:20)? Have we grown comfortable with or desensitized to our own sins and therefore indulge the desires of the flesh and the mind? Is personal holiness, practical holiness, growth in sanctification important to us, and is our own Christ likeness important to us? Are we presenting a clean vessel to the Lord for Him to work through (II Timothy 2:21)? Are we identifying, acknowledging, confessing to the Lord, and repenting of our sins? Have we determined to do battle with besetting sins, putting them to death, so we may have spiritual victory in our lives? The issue is not the temptations, nor the struggle with sin, but are we having victory over sin. Can we say we are an example to those around us in this area of our Christian life?

Pastors, do you exhort your people to holy living themselves? Do you stress its importance, for now and for eternity? Do you remind them of their calling as a holy people of God, those who bear His name and represent Him before men and angels? Do you lay before them the truth that a little leaven leavens the whole lump, and that their sin affects the body of Christ? Do you explain to them that the consequence of not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of their mind is key to growing in holiness, Godliness, Christ likeness? Have you taught them to pray, “Lead me not into temptation (lead me away from temptation), and deliver me from evil (do not let evil have its way with me),” because their spirit is willing, but their flesh is weak? Have you stressed to them that a true Christian cannot have an habitually sinful lifestyle (I John 2:9-10)? Have you told them that the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and prayer to God are their weapons in the battle against sin? Have you reminded them that true Christians have been freed from slavery to sin to be slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18)?

Fellow Christians, let us take holiness seriously. Let us strive together to be found as Christ was found, holy, blameless, and above reproach. Let us attack sin and be ever vigilant against it. Let us be holy as He Himself is holy, and live in the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

We serve a holy God. Holiness has been called His greatest and most distinct attribute. In looking in Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 what the angels cry out three times is “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord our God.” When Moses approached the burning bush it was God who said, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” In Leviticus 10 the Lord said, “By those who come near Me, I will be treated as holy.” God cannot look upon sin, cannot tolerate sin, cannot abide with sin, and sin cannot enter His presence.

As His children, as part of His body, as partakers of the Divine nature, as those indwelled by the Holy Spirit, God has an expectation of our holiness. In Leviticus and I Peter He tells those who are His, “You shall be holy for I am holy.” In II Corinthians 6:17 we are told to come out from the midst of the world and be separate. In Hebrews 12 He tells us that we are disciplined by Him so that we can share His holiness. In Ephesians 4 we learn that our new self has been made in God’s likeness, and has been created in the holiness and righteousness of the truth. In just these few verses, we see that God is zealous and jealous for our holiness, and that He has equipped us to deal with our sin, so as to have victory over our sin.

Yet, in spite of all of this, we still sin. Romans 7, Galatians 5, and James 1 tell us that there is an ongoing battle with temptation and sin in our life. And, accordingly, God has made a provision for our forgiveness and cleansing, which we find in I John 1:9.

Understanding this gives us insight into Psalm 119:25-32. At first blush, when just reading through, it seems as if the Psalmist is just battling the blues. But let’s look a little deeper into it. Why is his soul cleaving to the dust? Why is his soul weeping? Why does he need his heart enlarged? The answer is in this section, and we see it in verse 29. It is because of sin, because of a particular sin he has called “the false way.” We now can see that the Psalmist is in a time of oppression, a time of grief, a time of a small and hard heart, because of sin.

Let’s dig down into this section and see what is going on in each verse.

Verse 25–Oppression
“My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to Your word.” Here we see the state of oppression that the Psalmist is in. Look at how low his soul is. It cleaves to the dust. It is lower than a snake’s belly. It can’t get any lower and it cannot escape this lowly state as it clings to his very soul. What kind of sin would bring on this degree of oppression? What kind of sin would cause this state of oppression in the life of a believer?

It is unrepentant sin! In fact a particular unrepentant sin, a false way that has not been turned away from. What type of sin, what kind of sin could this be. Well, it is:
*an unconfessed sin
*a sin that is undealt with
*a settled sin, a steady sin
*a sin that ignores conviction
*a sin that disdains discipline
*a sin that despises correction
*a sin that resists reproof
*a sin that is entrenched in the mind
*a sin that is embedded as a habit of life
*a sin for which the believer has developed a bunker mentality so as to protect it
*a sin that makes excuses for itself
*a sin that rationalizes its continued existence
*a sin that has full knowledge that it is a sin
*a sin with which you do not struggle, but comply
*a sin that the greater the discipline, the tighter you hold on to it
*a sin that believes the lies of Satan, such as
     a. It doesn’t matter
     b. No one is noticing
     c. It really doesn’t hurt anyone
     d. It is only a small thing
     e. God really doesn’t care
     f. God understands
     g. Me and God have an agreement

It is not a sin of impulse or a sin of the moment, but a sin that is deliberately held on to. Therefore it is not an unknown sin, a sin of ignorance, but a deliberate sin. This type of sin could be any sin.

God is jealous for the holiness of His people. He takes our holiness more seriously than we do. He sent His Son to die for that sin, that unrepentant sin, and He will do whatever He must do to drive it out and kill it. So if we are not active in putting that sin to death (Romans 8:13), He will be.

Unconfessed, unrepentant sin in the life of a believer always brings about oppression. We usually think of spiritual warfare when we use this term, but there is a spiritual oppression, a spiritual lowliness that comes as a result of unrepentant sin in our life; and it comes from the Lord Himself. Let’s look at Psalm 32:3-4. When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Notice what is going on in Isaiah 30:18-20. Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you, for the Lord is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him. O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it He will answer you. Although the Lord has given you the bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher, will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Let’s also look at Isaiah 64:7 There is no one who calls on Your name, who arouses himself to take hold of You; for You have hidden your face from us and have delivered us into the power of our iniquities.  

Notice in the emboldened words above that it was the Lord who had given Israel the bread of privation and the water of oppression because of their sin, that it was His hand that was heavy upon them, and that it was the Lord who had cut off fellowship with them and delivered them over to their sin. So, for us as believers, when we sin and don’t confess it and don’t turn from it, we can expect the hand of the Lord to be heavy upon us, to oppress us, so that we will turn from our sin. He is serious about dealing with our sin, especially unconfessed and unrepentant sin that is deliberately held on to.

So, what must we do when we are experiencing His heavy hand upon us because of our stubborn unrepentance?  We see what our response should be in the remaining verses in Psalm 119:25-32.

119:25b…Submission
“Revive me according to your word.”
We must bring ourselves back under the authority of His word. When we sin, we rebel against His word, we act in opposition to His word (which is His revealed will), so the beginning of repentance is to submit ourselves again to His word. As Samuel told Saul, to obey is better than sacrifice.

119:26…Confession
“I have told of my ways, and you have answered me.”
 Notice here what happens when we confess…God answers. And His answer always begins with forgiveness. True confession of our sins begins with viewing our sin the way God views it, and therefore saying the same thing about it that God says (See Psalm 51). When we truly confess our sins He truly forgives our sins.
(Psalm 32:5-7, Psalm 86:5, Isaiah 55:7, I John 1:9)

119:26b…Instruction
“Teach me your statutes.”
Not only do we confess, we ask for guidance in living according to how He would have us live. Again, we know this prayer will be answered, for we know that when we ask anything according to His will He hears us and grants that request. (Psalm 25:4-5, Psalm 86:11)

119:27…Illumination 
“Make me understand the way of Your precepts, so I will meditate on Your wonders.”
Not only does the Psalmist ask to know what the word of God says, he also wants to know what it means. He is asking for spiritual understanding and spiritual insight into the word of God so as to thoughtfully and properly apply it. (I Corinthians 2: 6-14, Ephesians 1:17)

119:28…Contrition
“My soul weeps because of grief.”
Knowing, understanding, and applying the word of God to his life has caused the Psalmist to be broken-hearted over his sin. The very same soul that was rebelling against God, after comparing itself to the standard of the word of God, cries out, “O, what have I done.” These are not the crocodile tears of insincerity, but tears of true sorrow and repentance. (II Corinthians 7:9-10, Psalm 51:17, Isaiah 57:15)

119:28b…Supplication
“Strengthen me according to Your word.”
Here the Psalmist acknowledges his own weakness and asks for strength, the strength that the word gives, the strength to combat sin and its accompanying temptations; so that he will not fall back into this sin again. This is the true hallmark of repentance and contrition, the zealous desire not to sin that sin again, and the accompanying desire for holiness in all of life. (Matthew 6:13; 26:41, Psalm 119:133, Ephesians 3:16, 20)

119:29…Restoration
“Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Your law.”

The Psalmist asks the Lord to give him complete victory over this sin, and to restore their fellowship back to where it was. Sin does not destroy our relationship with God as we will always belong to Him, but it does impede and impair our relationship with Him.  (Isaiah 59:2, Hosea 5:15, James 4:6-10)

119:30…Decision
“I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me.”
After asking the Lord to remove the false way, the Psalmist announces his decision to follow the faithful way, the Lord’s way. It is a decision of a destination, a decision to follow the word of God and let it lead him, wherever that may be. Following the Lord is a choice, and here the Psalmist chooses to get back on the faithful path, the narrow path that leads to life. (Psalm 85:13, Isaiah 31:21, Psalm 101:2-4; 119:103)

119:31…Determination
“I cling to Your testimonies.”
The Psalmist is determined to not let go, to remain faithful to the word of God. This is the commitment that is required to life a godly life, to fully follow the Lord. Decision and determination go hand in hand.
(Philippians 3:12-14, II Timothy 4:7)

119:32…Direction
“I shall run the way of Your commandments.”
The Psalmist knows where the word of God will take him…ultimately to God Himself, in His presence for eternity. It is the path of life, the path of joy, the path of fellowship with God, the path of blessing. Even though it narrow, it is well marked, as it has been marked out by the resurrection of Christ. (John 14:6)

119:32b…Passion
“For you will enlarge my heart.”
Sin shrinks and hardens the heart. It hardens the heart to the things of God, the ways of God, the will of God, the work of God, and the love of God. When we walk in the faithful way and cling to His testimonies, the Lord enlarges our heart and gives us a greater capacity so as to love Him all the more; and the greater our love for Him the greater our obedience will be, and the greater our walk will be before Him.

In the response of the Psalmist we see a picture of repentance. This is the result that the Lord wanted to achieve and there is a cleansing of the soul and a corresponding peace when repentance takes place. How blessed we are that the Lord takes our relationship with him so seriously, so personally, that He deals with the sin that impedes and impairs that very relationship.

                                                        Leadership and Authority

 The task of spiritual leadership may

Glen Daman

Leading the Small Church

Page 224

Spiritual leadership without character is only religious activity,

possible religious business or, even worse, hypocrisy……

The qualified leader is a man of the Book, using it not just

to prepare sermons and preaching notes, but, first and foremost,

to prepare himself.

James M. George

The Call to Pastoral Ministry

Pastoral Ministry

(How to Shepherd Biblically)

Page 91

How important it is for those of us who occupy a place of spiritual leadership to be men of character, character forged by the Holy Spirit and formed by the Word of God. Providing spiritual leadership is a daunting responsibility, a responsibility that underscores the Lord’s admonition in James 3:1 “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” This is why the Lord stresses Godly character in His requirements for those who occupy the post of pastor; and why Paul buffeted his flesh, so that after he had preached to others he would not be disqualified.

The landscape of the church is littered with the moral failures of those who failed to watch themselves.  In fact, it has become much too common.  And it is just not in the area of sexual immorality, as noted there is also the issue of the SBC having been taken to task by those within its own ranks for inflated membership numbers and an evangelastical (intentional spelling) way of counting baptisms. Speaking of the SBC, they have remained in the news due to plagiarism among high profile pastors, downplaying sexual immorality, and public non-repentant abuse of a pastor and his wife by a seminary staff. Other churches have dismissed pastors for abusive behavior. A well known megachurch in the DC area has its members filing lawsuits against the church amidst accusations of lying and manipulation by its leadership team.

These are the obvious, the news grabbing and headline making, but what about the ones that don’t make the news, the ones that cause damage just as great? I read an internet article about how Peacemaker ministries worked to reconcile a church’s pastor and elders after temper, egos, and innuendos had split them and the church. What about the detrimental effects of pride, stubbornness, selfishness, ambition, jealousy, unforgiveness, greed,  and gossip? What about those that fear man more than they fear God, those that are men-pleasers vs God-pleasers, and those who would compromise rather than confront? What about the small things that are done daily that add up over time?

I remember hearing Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, preach several years ago, and in his sermon he was stressing the need for moral integrity. He said that he had asked God to take him home before He let Bill commit adultery. Admirable, yes, but for most of us, we are on guard against the big A; but it is the perniciousness of the so called small sins that we ought to be on guard against as well. Is our prayer, “Lord, lead me away from temptation in the areas where I am weak and most easily tempted, and let not evil have any way with me. Please keep me from causing any of the brethren to stumble. Help me to adorn the doctrine I preach with the life that I live. Help me to do what is right, to love what is good, and to walk humbly with You. Let not anyone, saved or unsaved, look at me and cry hypocrite. Let me be at home what I am publicly.”

Who is adequate for this? None of us outside of the power that God supplies. There is a greater burden, a greater responsibility, for those of us whom God has called into ministry; but there is a greater grace available as well. Let us be on our guard, empowered by the grace of God, so that sin will not have its way with us, not derail us, nor render us impotent in our efforts to advance the kingdom of God in our own lives, so that we will be effective in advancing His kingdom in the lives of those whom He appointed to our shepherding. Let not the sin in our own lives be an impediment, an excuse, for those in our flock in dealing with the sin in their own lives.

Father, guard our hearts and our minds. Work within us only that which is pleasing in Your sight. We are frail and weak in our own strength, so help us by the strength which You supply to live a life worthy of the gospel of Your Son, and a life worthy of the calling with which we have been called. Empower us to be an example to the flock, living a life worthy of admiration and imitation. Guard us from our own selves, and give us a sensitivity to the sin which so easily entangles us. Strengthen us to fight the good fight of faith and finish our course without disqualification.  AMEN.