Eternity, To infinity and beyond!

Hey readers,

I know there are probably only like 2 of yall out there now since I haven't posted in like 4 months. But i still appreciate the patronage, loyalty or whatever you wanna call it. I have been extremely busy with THE hardest college semester I have ever taken and have literally been writing and reading all semester. So, necessarily I dont gravitate to reading and writing in my free time because I am so tired of it, despite certain materials like the Bib-ul, the Reformation by Stephen Nichols, Radical by David Platt, The Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney and The Doctines of Grace by J.M. Boice and P. G. Ryken. Which I recommend all of them to you. But this has been quite a stray from what I want to write so, off to the races! (just an idiom, stay put)

So, through this difficult semester the LORD has taught me many lessons in the realm of discipline. And though, I know that this is actually a sign of His love and that I am his son (Heb. 12:7-11) it still hurts and is painful! But a truth that I have been struggling with when I am frustrated with my school work is "How important is this in light of eternity?" Or many of my friends when I vent to them or they hear me say something of my struggling encourage me with, "Think about eternity." And these are both great things to hear in the midst of looking at temporal difficulties or tasks, but does anyone else have trouble with thinking about eternity. I dont know about the rest of yall but I cant conjure up eternity in my mind as the comforting notion its supposed to be.

Upon hearing statements like these even in smooth or easy times I strive to focus upon this "thing" called eternity. I will let you venture into my mind for a few moments (although it may be scary) I instantly may see, with my mind's eye, a vast array of stars and galaxies that as I fly past them they just keep coming (yes, kind of like hyperdrive)! Well, this does nothing for me but exhaust me as I continue to fly through space seeing almost the same things over and over again! Much like the way the old movies did scenery behind a car driving in the countryside.

Or I begin to ruminate about being on the New Heavens and New Earth serving God forever. This would seem to be a great encouragement for Revelation 21:4 says that there wont be "mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore". Well, this would seem a glorious thought, and truly is when I can comprehend it. But the times when I can understand the notion of a painless, griefless, suffering-less, sinless and deathless eternity are when times are good or the road is easy. For when the pain, grief, suffering, sin and death stand assault me during the difficult days, my limited human mind cannot possibly get beyond this world! (Eccl. 3:11) But I dont have to. . .

Whenever I hear the statement "Just think about eternity, brother!" or "What does this look like in the light of eternity?", in my mind I should substitute 'Christ' for 'eternity'! NOW the statements become a tangible, understandable being that was manifest into this very natural world! For "He is the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15) and "in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Col. 1:19) so that we could see, touch, feel and know the ETERNAL GOD! And that this Eternal God though he was a "mystery hidden for ages and generations" (Col. 1:26) and unknowable to any man because of our sin and limited natures, has "now revealed to his saints. . . the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:26-27)

Now, this is Great News for us as we suffer and deal with pain! No longer do we have to conjure up poor pictures of eternity as stars, galaxies or perfect Kingdoms that mean little or nothing to us in moments of trial! For "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" and not only did Christ live in a human body but "we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, FULL of grace and truth." (John 1:14) Please, brothers and sisters, if this doesn't excite you to perservere I dont know what will! For "he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death" (Col. 1:22) our "righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30) that we may spend ETERNITY with Him, the tangible, loving Savior!

Also, along with substituting 'Christ' for 'eternity' in the question, "What does this (present issue) look like in the light of eternity?" the answer is found in Revelation 21:23:
"And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb." Therefore, this question is quite helpful. For to think of what circumstances, actions, trials or sufferings look like in the "light of Christ" is to see Him greater. For as the Hymn says,

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in his Wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Daily Martyrdom

So, its been awhile and I could list numerous excuses but considering I never made a statement to post at a certain interval I will just get to the post. I hope the Lord uses this revelation to renew your mind as much as He did mine.

While upon a cemetary hill in Coosa County, Alabama I was reading the Word while sitting in my grandfather's golf cart and the Sovereign Lord directed me to Psalm 116. And the verses that stuck out to me were the following:

12 What shall I render to the LORD

for all His benefits to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

14 I will pay my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all His people.

15 Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of His saints.

Psalm 116:12-15

If you ask the question of verse 12 to yourself and acknowledge that when you speak of what you can give the Lord as a wicked and depraved chief of sinners you should only have one immediate response. NOTHING! And if you dont believe you are a wicked and depraved chief of sinners then you should go read 1 Timothy 1:15 and Isaiah 6:5 and check to see if your life lines up with either Paul the Apostle of Isaiah the Prophet when it comes to "righteous acts". So, back to the question of what you can, as a sinner, render to the Lord for His blessing upon you. Although "nothing" seems a holy and true response, in the sense that you or I cannot repay God for His lovingkindness or mercy or grace or faithfulness or justice or love. But the Psalmist says in the next verse:

"I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,

I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people."

The act of lifting up "the cup of salvation", calling "on the Name of the LORD" and paying vows "in the presence of His people" is the act of giving glory to God through offering thanksgiving for His redemptive gift (the cup), unashamed proclamation of His all-powerful Name, and to keep the commitments of the everlasting covenant in reverence to God and in view of His Church!

Also, when we truly experience the Gospel it breaks us free from any bond of action or works and allows us to proclaim the only action and work that can save: Jesus' Atoning Death, Burial and Resurrection!

But the next part really transformed my thinking of the previous verses because I saw an ambigious meaning a rather significant word in the Christian faith. The Psalmist says:

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15

This verse is probably most commonly known as the 'martyrdom promise' and I know has been the theme verse for Voice of the Martyrs. But although actual physical martyrdom is "precious in the sight of the LORD" (Rev. 6:9-10) I realized that the call to die for the LORD is universal to all "His saints". So, this verse isn't exclusive of those who do not die a martyr's death, or even those whose time hasn't come but are still upon the earth; but for those who do as Jesus says:

"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to
them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take
up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will
save it." Mark 9:34-35

It is the daily "taking up our cross" and losing our life for His sake and the gospel's that is "precious in the sight of the LORD"! For this is truly rendering God what He deserves because by His grace, we are "dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:11) and "it is no longer (we) who live, but Christ who lives in (us)." (Gal. 2:20b) For how can we as sinners give glory to God? Only to allow the all-perfect Christ shine through us, by rich grace!

Therefore, go and be "precious in the sight of the LORD" and render unto him "a living sacrifice" (Rom. 12:1) by crucifying your flesh and losing your life for the sake of Christ and His Gospel!

By Grace Alone,

A fellow martyr

Micah's Joy

I haven't written in awhile and I know I still need to give yall the part 2 of Sin and Temptation but this treasure has been given to me and I know I need to share it! First before you read this if you have time, and if u dont have time read the book of Micah! It only takes like twenty minutes and I promise, and the Bible promises (Isaiah 55:11), that you will be convicted, rebuked, encouraged or strengthened toward the Lord your God, if you are His child.

So, I read through Micah today and the Lord showed me numerous truths about about my condition and soul-splitting conflicts in walking with Him. Also, He made many things clearer about what following Him is. So, here is pieces of His wisdom imparted to me:

1) To start with a quote by John Piper on The Fight for Joy:

"A person who has no taste for the enjoyment of Christ will not go to heaven. “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed” (1 Cor. 16:22). “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37). . . Therefore there is no more important struggle in the universe than the struggle to see and savor Christ above all things—the struggle for joy."

2) Micah, a prophet of God, during the reigns of evil kings of Judah, saw visions from the LORD God about Judah's sin and God's judgments.

The LORD brings judgment against sin and iniquity: "All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, all her wages shall be burned with fire, and all her idols I will lay waste, for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them, and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return." (1:7)

3) Proper response is felt by Micah as he crys: "For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make lamentation like the jackals, and mourning like the ostriches, For her wound is incurable. . ." (1:8-9a)

4) A proper warning for some of us to heed, when we begin to plan out sin, we act as the heathen, like the one estranged from God. "Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand. . .Therefore thus says the LORD: behold, against this family I am devising disaster, for which you cannot remove your necks, and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be a time of disaster." (2:1,3)

5) Deliverance is promised for those in the Lord: "I will gather the remnant of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men." (2:12) much like the passage in John 10:9-15 where Jesus claims to be the door and Good Shepherd and that He knows and gathers His own.

6) We can learn much from Micah, for as he sees the false prophets and diviners among Jacob and Israel, itching the peoples ears and giving them teachings that suit their own passions, he exclaims "But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin." We must be able to discern the always crushing, convicting, soul-wrenching call of the Spirit of God from the other deceptive spirits of only partial conviction. If your soul is given an ultimatum that seems to rip you to the very bones of your sinful desires and rack your stability to where you cant seem but to fall to your knees, that would be the Spirit of God! For only God convicts to that point, for if it stops short, you can almost always be assured that its a masquerade!

7) Jesus Christ is prophesied as the Messiah, from the lowliest of town of Bethlehem, for He was meant to humble Israel. For when the conviction of the Spirit is felt within your soul, restoration is coming and "He shall stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And [you] shall dwell secure, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth. And He shall be [your] peace." (5:4-5a) Jesus says to us as the devastated sinner "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30) Accept this redemption after your soul-wrenching pain and know that the sin was not just erased but defeated.

8) The LORD then pleads His case for why we should despise Him. For He says, "My people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!" (6:3) This is to put a seal of sadness upon our hearts so we can remember in the future and that there is no reason to grieve or blame the Savior saved us from sin, slavery, death and hell with His sacrifice. "I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery . . . O my people remember . . . that you may know the saving acts of the LORD." (6:4-5)

9)Then the LORD, having our attention, will remind us of His precepts that will keep us on the righteous path. For then we ask LORD I dont know how not to be back here again, we have the desire to obey but due to our fallen nature, have no guidance on what righteousness is. The Lord makes it simple for us at the beginning: "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" To do these things is echoed by Christ when exclaims in John 15:4-5:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

10) This guidance and discernment of the preceptive will of God empowers the believer to take on the enemy and masquerading spirits with a new fervor and Power. For we can say with a boldness:

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy, when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. Then my enemy will see and shame will cover her who said to me, "Where is the Lord your God?" My eyes will look upon her, now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets. (7:8-10)

This is a war chant to our dangerous enemy and our sinful nature that we are under the Lord's judgment only and because of Jesus Christ, as a believer of the new Covenant, we know there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"! What a blessing that our God is "pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance" (7:18). That "He does not retain anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love" toward all those who He chose "before the foundations of the earth . . . to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of His will." (Eph. 1:4-5)

Thank Him this day for His unfailing love, long-suffering and the propitiation of Jesus Christ's hell-damning sacrifice! Ascribe to Him the glory due His Name! (Psalm 96:8)

Hope the Spirit used Micah to impact your soul for His glorious will and has brought you to your knees before Him, our Worthy King! Praise to God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit forever and ever. AMEN!

Temptation and Sin (pt. 1)

Hey everyone,

I will be transparent with you, I haven't written in along time due to school and other such priorities. But also, I have been traveling in (and still am) a spiritual valley of confusion and darkness and could therefore not produce words to express my condition. But through many avenues of grace including the Word (of course), persistent prayers, John Piper's sermons and articles, and continued discontentment with this world I have come to a truly immaculate conclusion. So, here it goes . . .

First of all, we all struggle greatly with our sinful nature, our Enemy, and the pervading aroma of worldly desires daily, actually momentarily. Therefore, we all as depraved, hopelessly lost sinners are familiar with this suffering. Well, one of my deepest thorns (2 Cor. 12:7) has re-emerged with much vigor these past few weeks and tormented my soul and mind most days. The other night as the temptations came I had read a Desiring God blog on "common temptations" earlier that day and this Scripture came to mind:

"Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Providentially, I knew 3 things from this passage:

1) If I allow my pride in this moment to believe the "masquerading angel's" lies about sin's satisfaction or believe that I may take a stand against his lies with "philosophy or empty deceit, according to human tradition" (Col. 2:8) I will fall. Unless I take heed or in our modern english, pay attention or in Jesus-speak "watch and pray" (Matt. 26:41). But what do I take heed of? What should I pay attention to?

2) I should take heed that no temptation has overtaken me that is not common to man. Therefore, the enemy's lies and temptation have just been sapped of their supposed supernatural power! This is done through the acknowledgement of Jesus Christ's supremacy over our enemy and sin (Romans 8:2, 1 Cor. 15:56-57, 2 Cor. 5:21) and the blessed righteousness that he bestows upon our helpless souls! Since the temptation is common and my Savior is not common or man I am instilled with His divine and supernatural power through the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8, John 16:7-11) This is why the next part is God is faithful for he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. But how can this be? For I am a sinner, and I don't desire righteousness and will surely fall into temptation upon my own ability. In this consideration there is no temptation that isn't beyond your ability, BUT as we just examined, your ability as a believer is now fused (Gal. 2:20b) with the abilities of the all-powerful Holy Spirit. And this "ability" has been within you since the day of regeneration and "will never leave you or forsake you" (Heb. 13:5), always giving you the ability to resist the enemy and flee sin. (James 4:7, 1 Tim. 6:11, 2 Tim. 2:22) This ability may allow you to resist Satan in your mind but practically how does this work out?

3) The next portion of God's faithfulness in temptation is that he provides the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. This is the practical way to escape the temptation of sin is to accept God's escape from the situation. The question that comes to mind for me is how do I know what that looks like? Well, if you are dwelling on the Holy Spirit's power and Christ's supremacy over the situation, then I believe Jesus' command to the disciples in Gethsemane applies here as well, "WATCH and PRAY". For then through the Holy Spirit's guidance you will see the escape route, not always marked with a big red EXIT but always accessible and within reach. This is our God's promise to His children who undergo the trials of this world. For this faithfulness is ultimate and pursuing us (Luke 15) like the precious child that our Father loves dearly.

To end this part I will leave you with this idea. For if we believe Romans 8:28 which states "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Then we should begin to think about how whether in our temptation and trials we fail and fall to sin or escape by God's faithfulness that these things both "work together for [our] good". This seems a paradox in the theology of our sin and our good. But we will discuss in the next part of this blog how though this is difficult it is beautiful and true, and should once again make us fall at His feet in worship of His magnificent ways! I pray that this blog would awaken in you, as in me, a passion to fight the good fight and guard the good deposit entrusted to us by God Almighty!

Admiring His Faithfulness,

A common man

Fighting Zombies

This post is out of the sincerity of my heart and mind. Not an exposition for anything, except my wretchedness and Christ's glorious love. There is not an agenda attached to this, I am not writing for anyone in particular. Just an overflow of my current heart's condition that some may empathize with.

Today. A day of breaking, bending and all together unrest within my soul. I know not a way to describe this in English words, nor do I believe that any other language upon this earth can express the wailing of a soul in its intensest battles. As, in my last post the waging war of the law of sin and law of God persisted throughout this awful day. With much force and relentless numbers the enemy, SIN, pounded on the door of my heart and mind. And numerous times my heart and mind gave ground, though some how the fronts were held. On many occasions the enemy slipped in unnoticed over an unfortified garden wall and attacked at me from within my very ranks, before some how being dispatched. Also, numerous other times the enemy would launch missiles at my defenses and crush them as if they were made with water, but some thing in these walls held. Many times decapitated heads of my past failures and defeats would be hurled in and strike fear into the very core of my defenses, but some where within courage prevailed. A few times the dragons of the enemies would burn all that I held as strong and sure, and I would watch as it fell into piles of ash, yet some thing was solid beneath my feet.

And when the battle had raged, the missiles slowed to a halt, the assassins dispatched, the fronts quieted, and the intermission taken, and the smoke, ash and dust settled the damage was incredible, yet, no defeat had come in my heart and mind. Despite that defeats and failures were innumerable the fortress of my soul held. And as I stared at the enemy I saw clearly that every soldier was dead, every siege engine spent and broken, every weapon made of flesh and the all the dragons were but wisps of smoke and fog. They were but illusions of might, power or victory, that all I fought were ghosts and living dead.

Then I looked among me and saw the living, Almighty, Omnipotent, Glorious and Victorious fighting alongside me the entire battle long, despite my illusion of solitary efforts. And that when the fronts held and the assassins were dispatched and the walls held firm and the courage prevailed and the foundation stable it was not me or my pitiful army but My LORD, the Savior-Warrior-King, and His unfailing faithfulness and love fighting on my behalf. That if I had but turned to look at Him and His limitless strength I would not been deceived that my enemies were strong or fearsome. For with my Savior's power and majesty I would have seen that they were defeated before they came and conquered long before the battle begun. O my God, forgive my foolishness and weakness when the battle in my soul comes and I accuse You of not being around to help me fight this enemy! "For you are with me" and I will fear no evil or enemy, because they are defeated and in the grave since Your day of victory!

I pray that this overflow of my heart is used by the Spirit to help you recognize what He so graciously showed me. Basically this:

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? . . . No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For i am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, more height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us form the love of God in Christ Jesus our LORD! Romans 8:31-35,37-39

Victoriously,

A fellow soldier and alien of this world

but I see in my members another law waging war. . .

So, these last few days have been a draining war upon my soul. I forget so often the war that rages around and in me, over my righteousness, imputed by Christ, and my own sinfulness. For I was reading the book of Romans, which is actually a letter from Paul to the church of Rome, and in the chapter numbered seven he begins to be very open with his recipients about sin. The gist of the chapter is how the law, sent by God, allows us to recognize sin as it is. For along with the linked definition, comes the biblical definition of sin as any action or motive that glorifies the creature above the position of the Creator, and is opposed to the Creator's design for the creature. This is illustrated all throughout the Bible, and especially in this letter (Romans 1:18,21-25).

But what really was impressed upon me in Romans 7 is Paul's transparency with his own sin and nature of wickedness. For I have come face to face with this numerous times in my walk, as all believers can attest to, and to know that the Apostle Paul dealt with the same suffering is comforting. But most of all, the acknowledgement of seeing the sin, as a law, in the very flesh of our beings. This doesn't mean to mutilate the flesh to try and eradicate sin, for Paul speaks of this in his letter to the Galatians as being "of no advantage to you" and that its only by "faith working through love".

But as the title says, the statement made by Paul in Romans 7:22-23, there is a very war beneath your skin, in the depths of your mind and heart where no surgeon can cut away, except Christ as the atoning antidote for our sinful disease.

" For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members."

And as many believers before Paul and after him exclaim "Wretched man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" For we are encased in decaying body of sin and death, not just the constant daily physical breakdown but the spiritual decay as well, but "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" for He became the sacrifice of sin and death to take the wrath of God from my soul! Also, so that I would not believe in His sacrifice and have to fight it upon my own dying power, He installed in me His very nature, the Holy Spirit, to combat my nature so that I may live, truly live. For to end this chapter of sin and death Paul then writes in chapter 8 about how though we are dead in our sin, we are given life by the Spirit. Here is the verse I will end on because it is the promise that I put full faith in:

"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:11

Once again, the gospel reveals another layer of the amazing pronoun switch from third person to personal first to possessive. For not only is Jesus with you, He is IN YOU!

Through the power in freedom,

The Spirit in me

Resurrection is the Word!

He is Risen!

Well Happy Resurrection Sunday everyone! For I refuse to call this day Easter, since the word is derived from the Old English Eostre, meaning East and a Norman goddess of spring. How often does the modern culture and language creep in upon Holy ordinances? For now this great day in history is named after a Norman goddess of spring, we hunt colored eggs, eat tons of chocolate and worship some large rabbit as the gift-giver! Re-dunk-u-lous! Well, enough of my ranting, for we all know that the enemy will poison all that is good, especially the day when he was defeated forever! Hallelujah!

Well I don't have much to say on this day, for its too deep in my heart and inexpressible with words but I did read a sermon that made my heart rejoice even more greatly! And no, its not John Piper, John MacArthur or any other living pastor with a great standing for incredible sermons, it is Martin Luther, the bold champion of the faith that challenged the Catholic Church with his 95 theses. This sermon shows the power of the Resurrection well before I was born and how it was transforming people to be BOLD! If you have twenty minutes read this sermon!

http://homepage.mac.com/shanerosenthal/reformationink/mlmk16.htm

Well, fellas and ladies, enjoy the rest of your Resurrection Sunday! I hope the sermon blesses

your heart like it did mine. I leave you with this statement about the Sabbath from the above

sermon:

"It signifies that we should rest from all works, should not stir, nay, should not allow any sin to

stir within us, but we should firmly believe that death, hell, sin and the devil are destroyed by

the death of Christ, and we are righteous, pious, holy and therefore contented, experiencing

no longer any sin."

Enjoying the Victorious Life in Christ,

Michael the Conqueror