A Serious Call

About two years ago, I first picked up and read the book, “A Serious Call To A Devout And Holy Life” by William Law.  I am about to begin rereading this tremendous piece of spiritual literature. Every Christian who is serious about their faith, and has a passion to grow in their own personal walk with God needs to be encouraged and challenged by this book.  You can click on the title of the book and go to a site where you can read it for free.

Praying Pupils

“Parents, if you love your children, do all that lies in your power to train them up to a habit of prayer. Show them how to begin. Tell them what to say. Encourage them to persevere. Remind them if they become careless and slack about it. Let it not be your fault, at any rate, if they never call on the name of the Lord.”

- J.C. Ryle

Sighs & Groans

“One sigh and groan from a broken heart [in prayer] is better pleasing to God than all human eloquence”

- Thomas Brooks

A Silent Likeness

“When God and his glory our made our end, we shall find a silent likeness pass in upon us; the beauty of God will, by degrees, enter upon our soul.”

- Stephen Charnock

Living To God

We were created and redeemed for the sole purpose of praising and glorifying our Creator; and if we refuse or neglect to do this, we transgress the great law of creation, frustrate the end of existence, leave unperformed the work for which we were made, and do all in our power to prove that we were created in vain; and to cause God to repent of having made us. Should the sun refuse to shine: should the showers refuse to descend; should the earth refuse to bring forth food; or should trees in a fruitful soil continue barren—would you not say that it was contrary to nature and to the design of their creation; and that since they no longer fulfilled this design, they might properly be reduced to nothing again? And do you not see that while you refuse to praise God, your conduct is equally unnatural, and that you may justly be made the monuments of his everlasting displeasure ? What would only be unnatural in inanimate creatures, is the height of folly and wickedness in us; because we are capable of knowing our duty, and are under innumerable obligations to practice it. Let the sun then refuse to shine, the showers to descend, and the earth to be fruitful; but let not rational creatures refuse to praise their Creator, since it is the purpose for which they were created. – Edward Payson

Spiritual Adultery & Crying Out

Any true Christian with an open Bible and a pulse ought to be able to look out over the landscape of modern evangelicalism and see the abysmal shape many of our churches are in today. The situation is dire, and apart from God’s gracious mercy we are without hope.  Guilt, confusion and uncertainty pervade society. It is as if we are in the times of the Judges – everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes for they have lost sight of the Lord. The will of man has supplanted the will of God in the life of the church. We have lost a sense of the holy. We have lost a sense of the divine. Christians are in need of a lesson. We need to learn one thing. The only thing that the Church needs to learn how to do is to cry out to God.

“And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother” (Judg 3:9).

“But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab” (Judg 3:15).

“And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel” (Judg 4:3).

“And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites . . .” (Judg 6:6-7).

“And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim” (Judg 10:10).

“The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand” (Judg 10:12)

Do you see the trend here? Crying out brings deliverance. Repentance births faith. The grace of God is made manifest in the life of His people in direct response to their humble repentance and crying out for Him.  But so far we have only stood against God, obstinate to His example. We are too proud a people in our affluent culture, big homes, and fancy cars to get down on our faces, and bend our hands and knees to beg God for mercy. We are indeed a proud self-righteous people. And as long as this remains our disposition towards the Lord, He will not hear us. Slight vague appeals once a week on Sunday mornings for God to do ’something’ about our condition will not bring about the revival and reformation necessary to cleanse our nation.

The only remedy for the sin cancer infecting our land is the Spirit wrought transformation of heart and mind in every believer. We must be broken before God. We have to be willing to cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness for the many years of our unfaithfulness. God’s people have been caught in adultery. The Church is in the midst of adultery. We are in spiritual adultery against God. We are fornicating with the gods of this world. God’s people have sold their glorious birthright for a little bowl of pottage. Unless we are willing to forsake our wicked ways, beg God’s forgiveness and cry out to Him, we have no reason to expect, hope or believe He will ever deliver us.

Greater Things

“You shall guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” ~ Ps. 73:24

The Psalmist’s comforting words should set well within our own soul. Those that have their faith in the Lord can trust He is with them. His commitment is to be with them to the ends of the earth. Christians are the exclusive recipients of divine counsel. We are guided by a higher power. The Lord God has cast His special care and concern on you, dear believer, in a way in which others have been passed over. Therefore, we can come to anticipate and even expect the Lord to lead, guide and direct our paths, as we yield ourselves to Him.

And not only this, but His direction has a specific goal – we have a certain destination. God’s counsel leads to righteousness, holiness and eventually heaven. The Lord does have a wonderful plan for your life, when you understand that your life is to bring glory to Him. And in glorifying God you yourself are being molded and shaped to be received up into glory. The counsel of the Lord in your life now is preparing you for greater things. Listen to the wisdom of your Lord. He is readying you to receive into His glory. 

Study of Galatians

Christ Covenant Church is starting an expositional examination of Paul’s letter to the Galatians during our morning worship hour. This looks to be a very interesting study as we explore Paul’s arguments for such doctrines as the exclusivity of the Gospel, justification by faith alone, the nature and function of the law, differences in the Old and New Covenants, and the restoration of a fallen brother in the faith.

The Book of Galatians has been consider, as one author called it, “The Charter of Christian Liberty.” It spells out the liberty and freedom Christians enjoy in Christ, apart from works, and apart from the condemnation of the Law. Paul was fighting for the Gospel. This letter reflects the apostle’s defense against the heretical Judaizers’ teachings.

You are welcome to join us each Lord’s Day morning as we seek to serve the Lord through the offering of our worship unto Him. For more information about our church, please call 901-494-3125 or email us christcovenant@ymail.com

Pursuing Personal Holiness

“Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.” – Lev. 19:2

Cultivating personal holiness is the most difficult, yet the most rewarding calling of every follower of Jesus Christ. It is very easy for us to fall into the practice of pointing out the sins and shortcomings of others, while never faithfully or truly dealing with our own sin, and how it affects our relationship with the Lord. We must begin to take seriously our Savior’s remarks regarding the removal of the plank out of our own eye, before seeking to remove the speck out of others.

The first step towards the pursuit of personal holiness is to flee the very presence of evil. Don’t dabble with the devil. If you give him an inch he’ll take a mile. This world is replete with many temptations. The flesh can find great satisfaction in the offerings of this present age. It is the duty of every believer to remove themselves from the people, environments, and circumstances which might easily lead to sin, and develop a spirit of holiness. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve your Savior and sin. You cannot serve the Lord and lust. You must choose this day whom you will serve.

Another element in cultivating personal holiness is to develop godly habits of mind and spirit. It is always wise to flee the external temptations to sin, but it is equally imperative that you spend time stirring up the faith that is in you. If we take the holiness of God seriously, and we understand what it means that He is holy, then this would motivate us to pursue holiness with all of our strength and all our might.

When was the last time you wept over your sin? When was the last time the fact that you are not fully pursuing personal holiness disturbed your soul? God desire nothing less from you then a sold-out, spirit-filled, Christ-centered pursuit of holiness – to be set apart for Him alone. Make your hunger and thirst for righteousness, not merely a snack, but your meat and drink – the main course. Be ye holy, for the Lord God, He is holy.

The Wheat of God

“Suffer me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God….I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.” – St. Ignatius of Antioch

This Alone

“This, and this alone, is Christianity, a universal holiness in every part of life, a heavenly wisdom in all our actions, not conforming to the spirit and temper of the world but turning all worldly enjoyments into means of piety and devotion to God.” – William Law

Substitution

“He hath made Him to be sin for us . . . that we might be made the righteousness of God. . .” 2 Corinthians 5:.21

“The modern view of the death of Jesus is that He died for our sins out of sympathy. The New Testament view is that He bore our sin not by sympathy, but by identification. He was made to be sin. Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the explanation of His death is His obedience to His Father, not His sympathy with us. We are acceptable with God not because we have obeyed, or because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and in no other way. We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the Fatherhood of God, the loving-kindness of God; the New Testament says He came to bear away the sin of the world. The revelation of His Father is to those to whom He has been introduced as Saviour. Jesus Christ never spoke of Himself to the world as one Who revealed the Father, but as a stumbling block (see John 15:22- 24). John 14:9 was spoken to His disciples.

That Christ died for me, therefore I go scot free, is never taught in the New Testament. What is taught in the New Testament is that “He died for all” (not – He died my death), and that by identification with His death I can be freed from sin, and have imparted to me His very righteousness. The substitution taught in the New Testament is twofold: “He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” It is not Christ for me unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me.”

by Oswald Chambers

Throne of Grace

“It is a throne of grace that God in Christ is represented to us upon; but yet is is a throne still whereon majesty and glory do reside, and God is always to be considered by us as on a throne.” – John Owen

Glorification

“And whom he justified, them he also glorified” – Rom. 8:30

Glorification is the end of the road – so to speak – for every believer. It is that final estate wherein the follower of Christ is transformed into that eternal consummation of their regeneration, justification, and sanctification. It is the coming together of all these things for all of time.

Glorification is that future grace awaiting those who persevere now in the faith. Today we must stand the trials and tribulations of this present evil age. For the moment, we must bear the temptation of the devil and our flesh.  As the apostle Paul illustrated it, right now, we are still in the race. The course is set before us. Let us strive for that marvelous prize.

The day will come when every tear will be wiped away by a loving and heavenly Father in who there is no variation or shadow of turning. This journey will be over – our sanctification will be complete. The pilgrims and strangers of this world will finally find their everlasting abode. What a blessed occasion this will be. The day we are glorified.

Sanctification

“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification” – I Th. 4:3

Once you have experienced the grace of God through regeneration, it is His will for you to move forward in faith through your sanctification. Sanctification is the process whereby the Lord, by His Holy Spirit, is making the believer holy, sanctified, set apart for the Master’s service.

It is truly God’s desire for you to be sanctified. He has provided for the Christian means of grace so that we can grow to a maturity in the faith. Sanctification only comes as the believer continually puts to death the old man of sin, and lives in the new man found in Christ Jesus. To be sanctified means to become more and more like Christ, hating what He hates, and loving what He loves.

Seek the Lord. Strive to be holy in all your ways. Be holy, for God is holy. And conform your will to that of God’s will, even your sanctification.