Saved By Grace Through Faith

Ephesians 2: 8-9 KJV; Reformation Sunday; There is no good works that will justify us. We are saved by God's grace through Faith in Christ Jesus.

The Word Is True

Psalm 119:153-160 KJV; The Word is true. The word has not changed just because it's the 21st century.

Faith Alone In Christ Alone

Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

                                                                                 (Gal 3:3-7 KJV)

We are indeed foolish if we think that we can be saved by keeping the law for not a one of us can keep the law perfectly. There is only way to be saved. We are saved by grace through faith in the promises of God. We are saved by faith in that Jesus died for us; for our sins.

Just as Abraham was saved by his faith in the promise of God so shall we all be saved by faith. And, where exactly would we expect our faith to come from? It comes from hearing the Word of God. Faith comes from hearing the promises. How can anyone possible believe something that they have not heard? As our reading for Transfiguration Sunday reminded us; "Listen to him." (Matt 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35) Listen to him!

Rejoice, oh sinner, by faith alone in Christ alone you have been redeemed to live  in peace; to live in the presence of Almighty God for all of eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J

It Is Their Fault

 "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."

                                                                            (Gen 3:8-13 KJV)

It started way back then; this attempting to justify our sins by blaming others when we can no longer keep our sins in the dark so that no one will find out the truth. 

As the story goes Adam was naked in the garden. After eating the fruit that God told him not to eat Adam was fully aware of his guilt. He knew that the fig leaves he wore were not going to cover up the fact that he disobeyed God so he tried to hide from him. 

The reality is that we all stand naked before God. We cannot hide from God. He knows exactly who we are and what we have done. There is no covering anything up so that God does not see. In spite of our guilt; God loves us still....  He loves us enough that he would send his Son, Jesus, to be the cover for our sins. Those measly figs leaves that we have fabricated to hide behind are ripped off and we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 

When confronted by God about disobeying him  Adam did what so many if not all people have done since that day. We attempt to cover up our sins; to disavow them, by pointing the finger at someone else's guilt in the matter. On more than one occasion when hearing attempts to justify ones actions I have had to remind them that they can only confess their own sins and not the sins of others. 

Years ago while attending worship with a congregation that had the tradition of sharing testimonies; prayer requests; praise reports; and sometimes confessions at the beginning of the service. The woman I attended with stood up and confessed that she was sorry for the way she treated her sister-in-law who was also at this worship service. She asked forgiveness from this woman as she proceeded to let everyone know that she would not have treated her so badly if her sister-in-law hadn't treated her so badly in the first place. Not so unlike Adam and Eve she confessed: I sinned; but, it's really not my fault. She made me do it. 

As we go through life we will sin... even daily, hourly...  We get to own our own sins. No one else is to blame. It is on us to choose to do right or wrong. It is on us to confess that we are sinners and not lay the blame on everyone else. We have a loving God who forgives our sins. 

Let us us confess our sins and not try to hide them by confessing the sins of another. St. John wrote: 

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

He will indeed, out of his great love for us, forgive our sins. St. John wrote:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"

                                                                                         (Eph 2:4-8)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood..." (Rev 1:5)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Tears To Joy

PSALM 126 KJV

When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.

The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

+++

Times can be very difficult. People can be very mean to one another. Without thought; without care, they will slander one another just to feed their own self-righteous egos; to attempt to justify their own sinful natures.

Psalm 126 is a reminder that though we may have tears in our eyes today we can also have hope. We wait and hope for the day when those tears will turn to joy as the Lord has promised. Trust in the Lord for He is with you through these troubled times.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Lord's Or The World's Way?

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

                                                                                   (Colossians 2:6-9 KJV)

I have heard often that the government tells us something is good for us and years later I hear that it is not. Some things we are told are bad and later we find out that they are actually good for us.

There are lots of stories about how certain things are good for you and others  things are okay for you to participate in. Some of these stories are akin to fake news. What seems good to the world is not necessarily good. Sometimes those things which are purported to be good are really just out there so someone can make a name for themselves; profit from it; or even justify their own sinful natures.

The voices from the world around us recommending what is good and what is bad come from many directions. They often contradict each other or themselves at a later date. Fortunately, we live in a country where we can make most of the choices for ourselves. It is imperative that as we are being told what is good for us by the world, that we listen to the word of God so that we do not end up doing that which is contrary to the word of God and hurting ourselves and others.

We do have the word of God! Listen to him! As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him!

Gift thanks for we have received a great gift! Give thanks for life in Christ!  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

For your own sake and the sake of others, live in him! Live in His Way!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love Is...

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor 13:5-7 NRSV)

These verses from Corinthians are a favorite among those who are about to be married. They are about relationships. However, they are not specific to marital relationships. They apply to us all.

The Youth Correctional Facility, that I previously worked at, used Cognitive Behavior Therapy to try to help these young men to live fuller lives after they were released. They were called on every arrogant and rude thing that came out of their mouths and every arrogant and rude act that they committed. The hope was that they would learn to have empathy for those who they would otherwise victimize.

One of the goals we worked with the teen-agers on was to not be attempting to justify their words or actions with more words or actions. Simply put, the "blame game" was often played. It was a ruse to make themselves look better than others. Words were used to try to explain why they were right in what they said or did because someone else was wrong. Of course, when someone employed the "blame game," they were not totally direct about it. They often insinuated things in hopes that they would not be called on trying to justify their own harmful words or actions.

Unfortunately, it is not only those who are incarcerated who attempt to justify their sinful actions. Many Christians also have a tendency to try to justify their words or actions by pointing their fingers at someone else. They sometimes try to manipulate people into believing that they are right and everyone else is wrong. Often, they are arrogant enough to think that everyone around them is buying their stories.

There is one who will never buy the lie. That is God. He knows our heart's intentions. He knows every one of our thoughts. We are very fortunate that He is a loving God and gives us many opportunities to turn around and follow in the Way that He would have us go. 

These verses in First Corinthians about love are about relationships. They remind us that we are to love God and one another even as He loves us. That means that we ought not be rude or arrogant to the people around us and we definitely should not be blaming others for our rudeness or our arrogance.

May God help each of us to love and respect one another and to not be attempting to justify our own sins. Jesus is our only justification. He bore the penalty for our sins so that we could live new lives in Him. Let us live those new lives!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Slow To Anger

 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 

                                                                                                           (James 1:19-26 NIV)

Not many people care to be around bullies for too long. It is not pleasant to be around someone who can become angry at the drop of a hat. They may say they are standing up for what they believe, But, in fact, usually, their outbursts are attempts to justify their (or someone else's) self-centered desires and lifestyles.

James reminds us that "everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." (vs 19) Anger does not produce righteousness. It produces unrighteousness. It produces drama, anxiety, and all kinds of other evils. "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." (vs 21)

We, who look to Jesus who is our righteousness, ought to consider the needs of others before we speak or act so that, with the help of God, others may be blessed.

God's Peace - Pr. J

When You Abuse Others; You Abuse Jesus

 

     “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

   “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

   “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

   “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’"

                                                                                                      Matthew 25:37-46 NIV

I have had a lot to think about over night. I spent yesterday at the Sheriff's Department in Domestic Violence Training for clergy. I've been around for awhile so I'm pretty well aware of all of the symptoms and signs of abuse as I have witnessed a lot of it. But, I needed some help in what I, as a pastor, could possible do about it. How do I confront it in a way that is helpful to the survivor (and prayerfully there is a survivor)?

Often Christian survivors of abuse will make excuses; justify the abuser's actions, by using misperceived notions about what God demands of them in a relationship. They actually use scripture to justify the abuser's actions. They assume that God would want them to keep the vows that they made to obey the other without considering that Jesus has commanded us to love one another. Abuse is not love. We are to love one another even as Jesus loves us. Jesus does not and has not ever abused us. He has only loved us so unconditionally that he was willing to be abused for us! When someone abuses the person they have promised to love for the rest of their lives they have already broken the covenant that's been made between the two of them. The survivor should not feel as though they bear the burden of guilt for the broken covenant. (Psalms 55:20-21)

Jesus told the disciples and he tells us that what we do to others, and that includes our spouses, we do to Jesus. Would you really assault Jesus? Would you make excuses for anyone abusing Jesus?

What we do to others we do to Jesus!

May God teach us to love Him and others even as He loves us all.

God's Peace - Pr. J

No Swearing!

The Second Commandment.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)

I confess that every now and then my lips will release a word or maybe two or three that should not be spoken. I am very aware that I have sinned as soon as something slips out of my mouth that ought not to have.

It is troubling; though, that it seems that there are so many who do not even recognize when they have taken God's name in vain. I am pretty sure that they love Him; but, for some reason they don't always recognize when they are speaking against Him. Sometimes, it needs to be brought to their attention.  

Yes, sometimes I find myself asking others not to be swearing. No, I do not always ignore it when people take God's name in vain; when they blaspheme His Holy Name. I will ask them to please not take my God's name in vain; to not blaspheme against my God. I usually stress "my God" in attempts to make it clear that because of their language they have made it evident to me and others who might have heard that He is not their God; that they do not worship Him. If He were their God, they would not be using His name in such a manner.

There have been times I've been in discussions (usually with younger family members) and I've gotten responses like OMG or Oh My God! (Father, forgive me for even writing it as an example.) My response to that is usually "I am not your God" and I walk away. To use this phrase so lightly or in anger or frustration with someone is to take God's holy name in vain.

I find the language today atrocious. There is very little respect for one another and definitely not for God in many conversations. His name is thrown around like it was something cheap and disposable. It is even used in conversations to bully others; to persecute them.

I have also been known to use the phrase "speak with integrity" on rare occasions. Admittedly, the lies have to be pretty bad before I do that. I have let people know that if they want me to understand what exactly is going on they will have to get their stories straight. Sometimes stories get so twisted, in order to justify one's own actions, that it can be difficult to glean the truth from the tale. This lack of truth-telling also blasphemes the Name of God when it is one who claims to bear the name of Christ that is speaking.

His Name is above all names and it is eternal. It ought not be used in rampages meant to hurt others or to justify our own sinful ways. It can and should be called upon for the healing of the nations. Use it wisely. May the Lord our God bless the words of our lips that we might glorify His Holy Name in all that we say and think and do.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Fall Off The Crooked Path

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.
                                                             Proverbs 10:9 NIV

When my youngest granddaughter was very young, she would sometimes attempt to blame others for things that occurred. I would simply tell her that her nose was growing in reference to the Pinocchio fairy tale. She would grab her nose and then tell me what had actually happened in an attempt to keep her nose from growing. She's not buying that story (my exaggeration and falsehood)any longer. Fortunately, I think both of my granddaughters have figured out that I can figure out when they are exaggerating to make themselves look more innocent. I cannot always prove when someone is telling me a falsehood. But, that does not mean that I don't know.

I have found that most often those who choose the crooked paths of deceits will be found out. They either fall of the path or simply loose their way and those who love them have to try to find them and bring them back even as the Good Shepherd would do and would have us do. The bringing back often involves confronting the lack of integrity; the out right lies, the gross exaggerations that were used to justify their actions and to make others look like the ones in the wrong.

It is not just children who take the crooked paths and choose to walk without integrity. They usually learn it somewhere outside of themselves. Politicians, businessmen and women, churchmen and women (and the list goes on) all have a tendency to look after themselves and if a little deceit helps our goals then that seems to be the best path at the time. But, is it? For some reason humanity just hasn't been able to figure out that those who walk without integrity will be exposed. We haven't quite figured out that no matter what we've done; trying to justify our actions or inactions with lies, only gets us more lost. We will eventually fall off that crooked path and lose even ourselves.

May God help us always to speak and act with integrity. Help us to speak the truth in love.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Who Sees Us?

As hard as we might try there is no hiding our true motivations from the Lord. The one who created us knows everything about us. There is no hiding our works of darkness from Him. We can avoid all the wasted time and trouble of attempting to justify our sinful actions by simply learning to walk in the light of Christ; by allowing Him to take us by the hand and lead us.

We can hide our sins from others, sometimes. But, we can never hide them from God. God sees all. He knows all. No sense in trying to hide anything from Him. We may as well confess them and ask Him to keep us from our own evil ways so that we may know the joy that comes with walking in His Light.

God's Peace - Pr. J

This Sinful Age

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Gal 1:3-5

That evil age that Paul spoke of continues on. We live in it. Yet, we do not have to be eager members and participants of the evil age. Christ gave himself for us that we might be delivered from sin so why is sin such a normal part of so many Christian's lives? Even St. Paul, as ardent a follower of Jesus as he was after his conversion, confessed that he did what he did not want to do, at times. We will all sin. But, we do not excuse our sin or justify our sinful actions by claiming that it is not a sin. We do not justify our sins. We confess them so that we might be justified by grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Rom 3:24) Making excusing for our sins does not justify us. We are justified by faith alone in the one who gave himself for us.

We rejoice that the sins of this evil age and all of sin's penalties no longer have power over us. We rejoice that we are children of God, who have been welcomed to live in His Kingdom, where sin does not reign.

May God keep us from participation in the sins of this evil age and grant us His peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J