The foundation is the key to the strength and stability of any man-made structure. It bears and evenly distributes the weight of the structure to the earth beneath. The taller the building, the deeper the foundation needs to be to ensure stability. If the foundation is poorly constructed and begins to deteriorate, everything that is built on top of it is in jeopardy of collapse.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. If a person's key, or foundational, beliefs and ideas are built on a solid, doctrinal understanding then everything else that is built on that foundation will be solid as well. If the foundational beliefs are at fault then the resulting structure of beliefs on top of that foundation will be faulty.
Psalm 50:21 says this (God speaking):
These things you have done and I have been silent;
You thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. (ESV)
In context, God was speaking to wicked people, listing out their wicked behavior. They kept silent about their wicked behavior as well as the wicked behavior of others. They were approving and being approved. God saw all of these things and was silent. These people thought His silence must've meant His approval or indifference. They thought God was like them. And therein lies the problem. People have an image of God, made up in their own heart, and he's just like them.
As I stated in the last post, the church, for the most part, doesn't know what the gospel is. I think it is a fair statement that the lack of understanding of the gospel comes from a lack of understanding who God is and that is where we are going to start this exploration of the doctrines of grace and the gospel. We are going to take a look at God and who He is. That's going to be the focus.
To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
and compare me, that we may be alike?
Those who lavish gold from the purse,
and weigh out silver in the scales,
hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
they fall down and worship!
They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,
they set it in its place, and it stands there;
it cannot move from its place.
If one cries to it, it does not answer
or save him from his trouble.
Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, 'My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,'
calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.
Isaiah 46:5-11 (ESV)
These are the words of the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah. God is clearly setting Himself apart from all other things. There are no other gods. He is the one and only God. There is nothing like Him. There is nobody like Him. He alone is worthy.
This same Isaiah saw the Lord:
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Isaiah 6:1 (ESV)
This is a proper view of God..."high and lifted up". This verse is speaking to His holiness because He is separated from everything else..."high and lifted up". Verse 2 speaks of the seraphim that are above the throne. They have 6 wings: with two they cover their face, with two they cover their feet and with two they fly. There are a couple of things here about these seraphim in the notes of the ESV Study Bible, as we take a detour off the main path. The seraphim were fiery, angelic beings. It translates the Hebrew word SERAPIM which means "flames”. These were not ordinary, run-of-the-mill beings. It is also very much worth noting that, in the words of the ESV Study Bible, these perfect, superhuman creatures humbled themselves, by covering up, before the all-holy God.
We continue. In verse 3, this understanding of holiness is further corroborated because one of the seraphim calls to the other seraphim:
Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!
The Hebrew word here translated "holy" is the word QADOWSH, which means sacred, holy, set apart. In what Isaiah saw, God is high and lifted up because he is holy or "set apart". It is also worth noting here that the word HOLY is repeated three times in succession. This is THE ONLY attribute of God that is treated this way in the entire canon of Scripture. According to the MacArthur Study Bible, the 3 fold repetition of HOLY is called the TRIHAGION and it's primary function is to emphasize God's separateness from and independence of His fallen creation, though it also secondarily implies that God is 3 persons.
In verse 5, we see Isaiah's reaction to what he saw:
And I said, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
I like the way that the KJV translates the first part of this verse. It says, "Woe is me! For I am undone". There are 2 Hebrew words from which this sentence is translated. "Woe" is translated from 'OWY which is a passionate cry of grief or despair. "Is me for I am undone" is translated from DAMAH meaning "to cease, cause to cease, cut-off, destroy, perish". So, putting these together, Isaiah's response was something like this..."Woe! I'm going to die!". He saw God sitting high and lifted up, or in His holiness, and thought he was going to perish. This is a proper reaction to God and His holiness. Next time, we are going to look at a few more examples, from Scripture, of what it looks like when a person has an encounter with the living God and contrast those encounters with the nonsense that is happening today.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Sunday, January 12, 2020
The Gospel...An Introduction
"I felt like I was walking on egg shells all the time because it felt as if, at any time, I could go to hell because I'm not doing enough. And that's where you see a lot of people who grew up in churches where the gospel might not have been fleshed out...where they become atheists because, it's like, I can't do enough to please Him anyway so why? Why trust Him? Why believe in Him? I'm still the same person. I'm still wicked. I'm still sinful."
Jackie Hill-Perry, taken from the DVD documentary American Gospel: Christ Alone
I'm not here to do a review of this film. I'm not here to critique it, recommend it, de-bunk it or praise it. That is not the purpose of this post. However, I would like to use this quote as a spring board. I hesitate to write this post because I'm afraid that a lot of what I have to say is going to be a rehashing of what I've already said. At the same time, I think some things bear repeating.
The church today, for the most part, does not know what the gospel is. Let me attempt to expand that out a little bit. I think that most churches are what you could call "Statement of Faith" orthodox or "What We Believe" orthodox. What I mean by that is most churches will have a Statement of Faith or a list of "What We Believe" as a church that will be spot on as to what the gospel is. But, when you hear the preaching, or look at the emphasis of the church, it becomes clear that it is not the gospel at all. It's all law. Here is an example. There are a ton of churches, and I mean an absolute ton, that have a vision statement or mission statement for the church that goes like this, or something very similar....."Love God, Love People". That sounds nice, right? Putting God first, then loving folks because of that? The trouble is that it's not the gospel. Not even close. It is the law in total. Matthew 22:34-40 says:
"But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.'"
The point I'm trying to make is that the focus of the church is on doing things, which is all well and good. But the doing of a thing is not the gospel. You can go down to the food pantry and volunteer all you like. You can even feel good about yourself for doing it, thinking how nice of you it was to spend your time doing that. But, unless you give the gospel to them, they are on their way to hell with a full belly. That is the problem. People equate doing good things and acting a certain way as the gospel and that's backwards.
Michael Horton said it very well in the aforementioned American Gospel: Christ Alone. He said:
"The gospel isn't What Would Jesus Do; now go and do that. The gospel is What Has Jesus Done; now believe that. This distinction between the law and the gospel is, really, the most important thing to remember. And it's one of the things that we're forgetting."
This is so true. You can add to the What Would Jesus Do mentality. You can also say What Would Jesus Not Do. And this makes me think of my son. This is what my wife and I taught him...the law. We completely yoked our son to the law and his behavior. As he grew older, he began to realize that not only could he not live up to the burden placed on him; neither could his parents. He saw Debbie and I not be able to do the very thing that we expected him to do. He saw the hypocrisy. He saw the impossibility and it left him in despair. Eventually, he threw in the towel altogether. He knew he couldn't do it. Why try?
Parents, your children are sinners. They are born sinners. They were conceived in sin. So were you, if I may. They have an inherently sinful nature. So do you. Even if they, or you, are saved by grace, there is a war taking place between the old nature and the new. And sometimes, no matter how hard we try and as bad as we don't want to, we sin. It is inevitable. Even the apostle Paul fought this battle. Romans 7:14-15, 19 says:
"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate......For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."
Not even the apostle Paul was good enough. No one can ever be good enough. Parents, stop saddling your kids with works righteousness. It's killing them. As a matter of fact, stop saddling yourselves with works righteousness. It's killing you.
Watching this DVD and thinking about my son has caused me to want to explore the gospel a little bit. I think that an investigation of the gospel is in order. So, over the next however many posts it takes, we are going to explore what I believe to be the best summation of the gospel...the Doctrines of Grace, tied up nicely with the bow of the TULIP. If you do not know what I am alluding to in the acronym TULIP, it stands for:
T....otal Depravity
U....nconditional Election
L....imited Atonement
I....rresistible Grace
P....erseverance of the Saints
I hope that y'all will stick around with me as this investigation is as much for me as it is for anyone else. I am constantly learning about, and stand in awe of, the grace that has been extended to me. It truly is amazing.
Jackie Hill-Perry, taken from the DVD documentary American Gospel: Christ Alone
I'm not here to do a review of this film. I'm not here to critique it, recommend it, de-bunk it or praise it. That is not the purpose of this post. However, I would like to use this quote as a spring board. I hesitate to write this post because I'm afraid that a lot of what I have to say is going to be a rehashing of what I've already said. At the same time, I think some things bear repeating.
The church today, for the most part, does not know what the gospel is. Let me attempt to expand that out a little bit. I think that most churches are what you could call "Statement of Faith" orthodox or "What We Believe" orthodox. What I mean by that is most churches will have a Statement of Faith or a list of "What We Believe" as a church that will be spot on as to what the gospel is. But, when you hear the preaching, or look at the emphasis of the church, it becomes clear that it is not the gospel at all. It's all law. Here is an example. There are a ton of churches, and I mean an absolute ton, that have a vision statement or mission statement for the church that goes like this, or something very similar....."Love God, Love People". That sounds nice, right? Putting God first, then loving folks because of that? The trouble is that it's not the gospel. Not even close. It is the law in total. Matthew 22:34-40 says:
"But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.'"
The point I'm trying to make is that the focus of the church is on doing things, which is all well and good. But the doing of a thing is not the gospel. You can go down to the food pantry and volunteer all you like. You can even feel good about yourself for doing it, thinking how nice of you it was to spend your time doing that. But, unless you give the gospel to them, they are on their way to hell with a full belly. That is the problem. People equate doing good things and acting a certain way as the gospel and that's backwards.
Michael Horton said it very well in the aforementioned American Gospel: Christ Alone. He said:
"The gospel isn't What Would Jesus Do; now go and do that. The gospel is What Has Jesus Done; now believe that. This distinction between the law and the gospel is, really, the most important thing to remember. And it's one of the things that we're forgetting."
This is so true. You can add to the What Would Jesus Do mentality. You can also say What Would Jesus Not Do. And this makes me think of my son. This is what my wife and I taught him...the law. We completely yoked our son to the law and his behavior. As he grew older, he began to realize that not only could he not live up to the burden placed on him; neither could his parents. He saw Debbie and I not be able to do the very thing that we expected him to do. He saw the hypocrisy. He saw the impossibility and it left him in despair. Eventually, he threw in the towel altogether. He knew he couldn't do it. Why try?
Parents, your children are sinners. They are born sinners. They were conceived in sin. So were you, if I may. They have an inherently sinful nature. So do you. Even if they, or you, are saved by grace, there is a war taking place between the old nature and the new. And sometimes, no matter how hard we try and as bad as we don't want to, we sin. It is inevitable. Even the apostle Paul fought this battle. Romans 7:14-15, 19 says:
"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate......For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."
Not even the apostle Paul was good enough. No one can ever be good enough. Parents, stop saddling your kids with works righteousness. It's killing them. As a matter of fact, stop saddling yourselves with works righteousness. It's killing you.
Watching this DVD and thinking about my son has caused me to want to explore the gospel a little bit. I think that an investigation of the gospel is in order. So, over the next however many posts it takes, we are going to explore what I believe to be the best summation of the gospel...the Doctrines of Grace, tied up nicely with the bow of the TULIP. If you do not know what I am alluding to in the acronym TULIP, it stands for:
T....otal Depravity
U....nconditional Election
L....imited Atonement
I....rresistible Grace
P....erseverance of the Saints
I hope that y'all will stick around with me as this investigation is as much for me as it is for anyone else. I am constantly learning about, and stand in awe of, the grace that has been extended to me. It truly is amazing.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Resolutions
Today, January 1st, is the day people talk about New Year's resolutions......
I'm going to exercise more....
I'm going to lose weight....
I'm going to..... fill in the blank
As a young convert, Jonathan Edwards "resolved" to do some things. Allow this list to challenge you, as it has me.
The resolutions are not in numerical order but have been grouped together, roughly by topic.
the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards
I'm going to exercise more....
I'm going to lose weight....
I'm going to..... fill in the blank
As a young convert, Jonathan Edwards "resolved" to do some things. Allow this list to challenge you, as it has me.
The resolutions are not in numerical order but have been grouped together, roughly by topic.
the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Christmas Thoughts
We, as Christians, are going to celebrate the coming of our Savior tomorrow. There are many passages in the Old Testament that refer to the arrival of the Savior. There are also many passages that refer to the reason WHY He arrived. The book of Isaiah is full of both of them.
I do not want, in any way, shape or form, to downplay the importance of the coming of Jesus, the son of God, in a human body. He had to put on human flesh if He was going to redeem a human remnant for Himself. But, I know from experience that around this time of year, people's thoughts can sometimes get stuck in the manger, gazing at the baby.
On this, the eve of what is traditionally recognized as the day of our Savior's birth, allow me to share this from Isaiah the prophet, written approximately 700 years before the arrival of our Lord......
"Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
As many were astonished at you-
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind-
so shall he sprinkle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.
Who has believed what he has heard from us?
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned--every one--to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors."
Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 ESV
The baby in a manger became a full grown man. And that full grown man went to a rugged cross and died a horrid death for the iniquity of many. That is the reason for the sinless God-baby in the manger; to grow into a sinless, full grown God-man and propitiate the sins of His people. Keep that truth close to your heart this season.
God bless y'all.....
I do not want, in any way, shape or form, to downplay the importance of the coming of Jesus, the son of God, in a human body. He had to put on human flesh if He was going to redeem a human remnant for Himself. But, I know from experience that around this time of year, people's thoughts can sometimes get stuck in the manger, gazing at the baby.
On this, the eve of what is traditionally recognized as the day of our Savior's birth, allow me to share this from Isaiah the prophet, written approximately 700 years before the arrival of our Lord......
"Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
As many were astonished at you-
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind-
so shall he sprinkle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.
Who has believed what he has heard from us?
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned--every one--to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors."
Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 ESV
The baby in a manger became a full grown man. And that full grown man went to a rugged cross and died a horrid death for the iniquity of many. That is the reason for the sinless God-baby in the manger; to grow into a sinless, full grown God-man and propitiate the sins of His people. Keep that truth close to your heart this season.
God bless y'all.....
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Update on Bethel
Here is a video posted by Pastor Chris Rosebrough just a little earlier this afternoon with an update on the situation at Bethel Redding.
They've hired a PR guy to start damage control.
Bethel Church in Redding, CA is Demonic.......
This video is roughly 52 minutes long but it is an informative, eye opening 52 minutes. It is from a guy named Chris Rosebrough. He is a Lutheran pastor and is in charge of a teaching and discernment ministry called Fighting for the Faith. He is a dependable source for truth and comparing what is happening in the world of the "church" against the Scripture.
In short, here is the reason for this video from Pastor Chris....
There is a church in Redding, CA called Bethel Church. If you aren't familiar with this church then you need to familiarize yourself with them. It is a heretical, demonic cesspool and should be marked and avoided. Amazingly, because of the lack of any kind of biblical discernment within the church, Bethel is highly influential. If you are familiar with contemporary Christian music, then I am sure you've heard of Jesus Culture. They come from this church.
The church is led by Bill Johnson and Kris Valloton. Beni Johnson and Jen Johnson are also leaders. They are Bill's wife and daughter-in-law respectively.
In the past few days, a prominent family in this church had their 2 year old daughter Olive die quite unexpectedly. Instead of burying this little girl and the family grieving this devastating loss, the little girl is still at the coroner.....being prayed for.....that she will be resurrected. I'll just leave that right there for a minute to let that sink in.
Pastor Chris takes this video and breaks down what is said and done with Scripture, comparing the 2 side by side.
This is not the only video he has done about Bethel. But it is the latest in a sad history.
Again, if you do not know who these people are, familiarize yourself with them because they are not even remotely biblical in what they teach but they are influential within "christian" circles.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Sovereign Over All or Not Sovereign at All...Round 2
Humans are selfish and proud.
Period.
End of paragraph.
End of Story.
In our fallen, sinful nature, we, in a passive-aggressive fashion, give lip service to God while at the same time telling the world to "Look at me!!!" . People boast about their financial success and how much they are "blessed" with a "#BLESSED" license plate on the front of their Cadillac Escalade. People boast about how spiritually "blessed" they are by taking an obviously staged photograph of their "quiet time" complete with 87 bibles, the entire MacArthur commentary series, notebook, pen, highlighter, dog and cup of coffee and will post said photo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or all 3 platforms at the same time, telling everyone how wonderful their "quiet time" was...under the hashtag #blessed. It's known as "humble brag" and it nauseates me. But I am just as guilty of pride as the next person so please do not think that I am trying to say that I do not do such nauseating things because I do. I have a fallen nature, too. I am guilty of boasting and pride and all kinds of nausea-inducing behavior. But, as I said before, humans are selfish and proud and we cannot always see how nausea-inducing our behavior really is. We are more than happy to "put ourselves out there", so to speak, and let the world see how wonderful our life is and how much God has "blessed" us.
And then, all of a sudden, the wheels fall off the wagon.
In September 2016, my wife and I lost our son, Nathan, through suicide. He was 25. Just a few month's later, my mother's health took a nose dive and in September of 2017, we placed her in a nursing facility because she has Alzheimer's disease and cannot live on her own. In late March-early April of 2018, my father was diagnosed with a brain tumor and in September he was gone. Rapid fire heartache over the span of 2 years.
Our marriage, and our relationship with God, began to crumble after our son passed and progressively got worse. Debbie and I went in the opposite direction. Debbie, as any mother would, clung to our daughter. She had already lost one child. She wasn't losing another. I, as most guys would, withdrew into myself and put up a stone face as if to say, "I'm ok. I'll be alright'". But I wasn't. And after my dad passed, I threw in the towel.
All of this time, Satan and his minions were working in the background of my mind. I was thinking thoughts that were absolutely ludicrous. "Deb doesn't care about me. All she cares about is Holly. She won't leave the house. She won't do anything with me. She shows no interest in me. She doesn't love me." These thoughts were there day after day and I allowed them to take over my mind. Ultimately, I committed the most grievous sin any man can do to his wife. I committed the sin of adultery. I had an affair.
Now, why do I tell you all of this? A couple of months ago, I talked about God sending Satan to Job to assail him and Job glorifying God in the end by saying that the LORD gives and the LORD takes away...blessed be His name. That's the Stockhover Paraphrase. Today, I'm talking about God allowing stuff to happen with Him getting the glory in the end.
I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that God did not make me commit the sin of adultery and have an affair. I can also tell you that God knew it was going to happen and used my sin sinlessly to achieve His purposes. That is what happened through the affair. I know the context of this story isn't the same but......Remember when Joseph's brothers tossed him in a pit because they were jealous? Then they decided it'd be better for them to make a little money off of him than to just leave him in a pit and let him die, because he was their brother after all, so they sold him to a caravan on the way to Egypt? Later, when Joseph was in a position of power in Egypt, his brothers came there because of the famine. He recognized them but they didn't recognize him. And, in the end, after he revealed to them who he was and the entire family had come from Canaan to Egypt, what did Joseph say to them? Again, the Stockhover Paraphrase.... in Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brothers that they meant evil against him but God meant those things for good because it saved a whole lot of lives, including his own family. Now, does that mean God caused Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery? It is entirely possible but I don't think so. Why? Because the human heart is sinful enough and doesn't need prompting from God to do evil things. But God, in His sovereignty, knew what the brothers would do and it was all according to His plan. He didn't cause them to sin. He didn't make them sin. He didn't author their sin. But, he used their sin to bring about His divine purpose.
The same is true of my affair. God didn't take over my body and mind and make me sin. I can sin all on my own. He did, however, use my sin to achieve His purpose. What purpose? I firmly believe that if you are one of God's chosen, even though you sin, He doesn't leave you there. He may chastise you and discipline you but He doesn't forsake you. Take David, for example. He sinned with Bathsheba, then murdered her husband to try and cover it all up. Nathan came to David and rebuked him. David admitted his guilt, repented of his sin and was restored in relationship to God. That didn't alleviate the consequences of David's sin. There would be strife within his house for the rest of his life. The child born out of the original sin committed with Bathsheba would die. But, God didn't leave David in his sin and abandon him. He put David back on the right path. And, ultimately, God received the glory. He has done the same with me.
After I found out my dad was going to pass from his brain tumor, I went into feel sorry for myself mode. My son was dead. My mom was losing her mind and now my dad was going to die. My wife and daughter didn't care about me or so I thought in my warped mind. I felt totally and completely alone. Satan and his minions preyed on that sentiment. I allowed them to do so. It felt good to be all "woe is me" and I let myself go to a place where I should not have gone...emotionally and spiritually. Ultimately, it was selfishness and pride on my part because I wasn't getting the kind of treatment from my wife that I thought I deserved. Never mind the fact that her son had just taken his life not too long ago and that she was an absolute wreck. I was not getting what I thought I deserved. It led to my downfall. But I didn't stop there. Nooooooo. Even after I was found out, I would still make contact. I was so incredibly entangled in sin and bereft of any common sense. I was absolutely a different person. Sin had turned me into something that, if you knew me, you would not have recognized. Mind boggling, is it not? Debbie knew I was not myself and she was able to hold on, with God's help.
Thank God for Pastor Don Green in Cincinnati. Debbie and I had been going to his church because we couldn't find one close to home. The whole time we went, I was neck deep in this sin. He rebuked me...severely. And that is what God used to open my eyes. I was brought to my knees because of what I had done to Debbie, the mother of my children, a woman that I've been with for nearly 30 years. But, more importantly, I was brought to my knees because of how I had sinned against God. He is the one I had wronged. I had broken His law, not Debbie's. He was gracious and loved me enough to send Don Green my way and use him to rebuke me soundly. He was also gracious enough to allow Debbie to forgive me for my despicable, sinful actions. He did not leave me in my sin. He did not leave me where I was...and He got the glory.
The experience has been traumatic. Of course there have been consequences to my actions. But, Debbie and I are committed to each other and to our marriage. As we move forward, our relationship with God and each other grows stronger by the day and we are doing very well, considering the circumstances. But it doesn't go without road blocks from time to time. Consequences for actions taken. Again, He didn't leave me where I was. His purpose was accomplished. Debbie and I were brought back to Him, and each other, through this situation. We were given a love for each other that is deeper than it was before. Most importantly, we have been infused with a trust in God and a love for Him that is more than we have ever had. As we look back at what happened and where BOTH of us were at the time, we can see how His hand was sovereignly moving and directing all along to accomplish His purpose, which was ultimately Him getting all of the glory.
There is nowhere else the glory can go. There is nobody else who could've done what He did. He alone is worthy.
Period.
End of paragraph.
End of Story.
In our fallen, sinful nature, we, in a passive-aggressive fashion, give lip service to God while at the same time telling the world to "Look at me!!!" . People boast about their financial success and how much they are "blessed" with a "#BLESSED" license plate on the front of their Cadillac Escalade. People boast about how spiritually "blessed" they are by taking an obviously staged photograph of their "quiet time" complete with 87 bibles, the entire MacArthur commentary series, notebook, pen, highlighter, dog and cup of coffee and will post said photo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or all 3 platforms at the same time, telling everyone how wonderful their "quiet time" was...under the hashtag #blessed. It's known as "humble brag" and it nauseates me. But I am just as guilty of pride as the next person so please do not think that I am trying to say that I do not do such nauseating things because I do. I have a fallen nature, too. I am guilty of boasting and pride and all kinds of nausea-inducing behavior. But, as I said before, humans are selfish and proud and we cannot always see how nausea-inducing our behavior really is. We are more than happy to "put ourselves out there", so to speak, and let the world see how wonderful our life is and how much God has "blessed" us.
And then, all of a sudden, the wheels fall off the wagon.
In September 2016, my wife and I lost our son, Nathan, through suicide. He was 25. Just a few month's later, my mother's health took a nose dive and in September of 2017, we placed her in a nursing facility because she has Alzheimer's disease and cannot live on her own. In late March-early April of 2018, my father was diagnosed with a brain tumor and in September he was gone. Rapid fire heartache over the span of 2 years.
Our marriage, and our relationship with God, began to crumble after our son passed and progressively got worse. Debbie and I went in the opposite direction. Debbie, as any mother would, clung to our daughter. She had already lost one child. She wasn't losing another. I, as most guys would, withdrew into myself and put up a stone face as if to say, "I'm ok. I'll be alright'". But I wasn't. And after my dad passed, I threw in the towel.
All of this time, Satan and his minions were working in the background of my mind. I was thinking thoughts that were absolutely ludicrous. "Deb doesn't care about me. All she cares about is Holly. She won't leave the house. She won't do anything with me. She shows no interest in me. She doesn't love me." These thoughts were there day after day and I allowed them to take over my mind. Ultimately, I committed the most grievous sin any man can do to his wife. I committed the sin of adultery. I had an affair.
Now, why do I tell you all of this? A couple of months ago, I talked about God sending Satan to Job to assail him and Job glorifying God in the end by saying that the LORD gives and the LORD takes away...blessed be His name. That's the Stockhover Paraphrase. Today, I'm talking about God allowing stuff to happen with Him getting the glory in the end.
I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that God did not make me commit the sin of adultery and have an affair. I can also tell you that God knew it was going to happen and used my sin sinlessly to achieve His purposes. That is what happened through the affair. I know the context of this story isn't the same but......Remember when Joseph's brothers tossed him in a pit because they were jealous? Then they decided it'd be better for them to make a little money off of him than to just leave him in a pit and let him die, because he was their brother after all, so they sold him to a caravan on the way to Egypt? Later, when Joseph was in a position of power in Egypt, his brothers came there because of the famine. He recognized them but they didn't recognize him. And, in the end, after he revealed to them who he was and the entire family had come from Canaan to Egypt, what did Joseph say to them? Again, the Stockhover Paraphrase.... in Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brothers that they meant evil against him but God meant those things for good because it saved a whole lot of lives, including his own family. Now, does that mean God caused Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery? It is entirely possible but I don't think so. Why? Because the human heart is sinful enough and doesn't need prompting from God to do evil things. But God, in His sovereignty, knew what the brothers would do and it was all according to His plan. He didn't cause them to sin. He didn't make them sin. He didn't author their sin. But, he used their sin to bring about His divine purpose.
The same is true of my affair. God didn't take over my body and mind and make me sin. I can sin all on my own. He did, however, use my sin to achieve His purpose. What purpose? I firmly believe that if you are one of God's chosen, even though you sin, He doesn't leave you there. He may chastise you and discipline you but He doesn't forsake you. Take David, for example. He sinned with Bathsheba, then murdered her husband to try and cover it all up. Nathan came to David and rebuked him. David admitted his guilt, repented of his sin and was restored in relationship to God. That didn't alleviate the consequences of David's sin. There would be strife within his house for the rest of his life. The child born out of the original sin committed with Bathsheba would die. But, God didn't leave David in his sin and abandon him. He put David back on the right path. And, ultimately, God received the glory. He has done the same with me.
After I found out my dad was going to pass from his brain tumor, I went into feel sorry for myself mode. My son was dead. My mom was losing her mind and now my dad was going to die. My wife and daughter didn't care about me or so I thought in my warped mind. I felt totally and completely alone. Satan and his minions preyed on that sentiment. I allowed them to do so. It felt good to be all "woe is me" and I let myself go to a place where I should not have gone...emotionally and spiritually. Ultimately, it was selfishness and pride on my part because I wasn't getting the kind of treatment from my wife that I thought I deserved. Never mind the fact that her son had just taken his life not too long ago and that she was an absolute wreck. I was not getting what I thought I deserved. It led to my downfall. But I didn't stop there. Nooooooo. Even after I was found out, I would still make contact. I was so incredibly entangled in sin and bereft of any common sense. I was absolutely a different person. Sin had turned me into something that, if you knew me, you would not have recognized. Mind boggling, is it not? Debbie knew I was not myself and she was able to hold on, with God's help.
Thank God for Pastor Don Green in Cincinnati. Debbie and I had been going to his church because we couldn't find one close to home. The whole time we went, I was neck deep in this sin. He rebuked me...severely. And that is what God used to open my eyes. I was brought to my knees because of what I had done to Debbie, the mother of my children, a woman that I've been with for nearly 30 years. But, more importantly, I was brought to my knees because of how I had sinned against God. He is the one I had wronged. I had broken His law, not Debbie's. He was gracious and loved me enough to send Don Green my way and use him to rebuke me soundly. He was also gracious enough to allow Debbie to forgive me for my despicable, sinful actions. He did not leave me in my sin. He did not leave me where I was...and He got the glory.
The experience has been traumatic. Of course there have been consequences to my actions. But, Debbie and I are committed to each other and to our marriage. As we move forward, our relationship with God and each other grows stronger by the day and we are doing very well, considering the circumstances. But it doesn't go without road blocks from time to time. Consequences for actions taken. Again, He didn't leave me where I was. His purpose was accomplished. Debbie and I were brought back to Him, and each other, through this situation. We were given a love for each other that is deeper than it was before. Most importantly, we have been infused with a trust in God and a love for Him that is more than we have ever had. As we look back at what happened and where BOTH of us were at the time, we can see how His hand was sovereignly moving and directing all along to accomplish His purpose, which was ultimately Him getting all of the glory.
There is nowhere else the glory can go. There is nobody else who could've done what He did. He alone is worthy.
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