Playing With Fire

    “If a man does not repent, God will whet His sword; He has bent and readied His bow” Psalm 7:12

     There is a preacher I know who is now well into his eighties. He is one of the godliest men I have ever known and I have as much respect for him as any man. I was surprised to hear that this veteran soldier of Christ approached one of his brethren, a friend of his for several decades, to essentially “come clean” over an incident that had taken place nearly fifty years prior. As it turned out this older preacher had wronged the other Christian in secret and had never allowed the light of day to shine upon his actions all those years ago. He finally came to the conclusion that he could never rest assured of his salvation until he repented of the action not just to God, but to the man he had wronged. Indeed, he did not believe that he really had repented unto God until he sought to make things right with his friend.

     Does it seem strange to you that my friend would be worrying himself over something that had taken place fifty years prior? Does it seem odd that he would approach that man and apologize to him over something that man could barely even remember? I believe that my friend made the right choice. There is no statute of limitations on our sins. The mere passing of time does not lessen the significance or a sin nor does it erase the stain it leaves on our soul. When a person becomes a Christian by submitting to Christ in humble faith and contacting His precious blood in the waters of baptism (Romans 6), the sins of the past are washed clean (Acts 22:16). Part of that process is repenting of those past sins (Luke 13:3, 5).

    However, repentance remains incredibly important in the life of the Christian. The sad truth is that though the faithful Christian sins far less, he still sins. To continue to be washed clean by the blood of Christ he must be willing to continue to repent of his sins (1 John 1:8-9; Acts 8:22). 

     Let us not play with the fire of sin. When we see it in our lives let us join voice with David. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.”  (Psalm 51:1)     

Properly Placed Treasure

     “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” Psalm 4:7

      I can remember a time when I thought that if I could just manage to acquire a small fortune my life would be as happy and fulfilling as it could be. I think that a great many people who claim Christ as Lord feel much the same way. Obviously we should all know that wealth does not lead to happiness or fulfillment. A simple perusal of the magazine stand as we pick up our groceries shows us that movie stars, music stars, and sports stars are not immune to disastrous lives because of their great wealth.

     Sure, it’s nice not to have to live one paycheck to the next. I can only imagine that it’s nice to pay one’s monthly bills and still have so much money left over that you don’t even know what to do with it. But wealth is just a thing among a world of things. When a person puts all of their trust in things, whether they have a lot of things or a little, a truly fulfilling life is far from them. 

     Perhaps someone says, “I know some people who put all of their time and effort into acquiring more stuff and they seem to be awfully happy.” I have no doubt that there are some who are quite fulfilled with that type of life. But which shoes would you rather fill before God: the shoes of a wealthy man with all of his millions who forsook the health of his soul, or the shoes of a man who lived from one paycheck to the next but lived faithfully to the Lord? I know my answer.

     So we come to our title. Where are you storing your treasure? The parable of Luke 12:13-21 shows us a man who continues to exist in our world today. He was a man who spent all of his time acquiring money and things. His soul was required of him and his wealth could do nothing to save him. God called him a fool. Verse 21 says, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

     So where is your treasure? Put it in heaven and understand exactly how David could say what he did in Psalm 4:7. Only then will you know the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). 

The Owner Of Salvation

     “Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be upon your people!”

Psalm 3:8

     What do you desire more than anything else in this world? Is your greatest desire for the type of wealth that will permit you to retire early and never have to work again? Perhaps your greatest desire is for the type of notoriety that makes your name recognizable all across the world. Possibly your greatest desire is to excel at your chosen field above all your contemporaries? Maybe your strongest desire is simply to marry and enjoy the remainder of your life surrounded by family and friends?

     How strongly do you desire the salvation of your soul? In Psalm 3 David was writing during the time of his flight from Absalom. What a terrible tragedy when one’s own child actively seeks his life! With enemies surrounding him and with friends few and far between, David did what he always seemed to do—He placed all of his hope and trust in the One who had saved him so many times before. Psalm 3 reaches its crescendo in the final verse. No matter how bad it became for David he knew that God always possessed the power to rescue him from his trouble.

     I ask you to consider whether God has saved you from the worst enemy confronting man today—sin (Romans 6:23). While salvation belongs to the Lord, we are the recipients of it. The invitation of the Lord has been offered for all (Matthew 11:28-30). There is no one living who finds themselves outside the scope of Matthew 11:28-30. Are you a thief? You can be saved.  Are you an adulterer? You can enjoy salvation. Are you a liar? You can receive forgiveness. How can I say this? I can say it because salvation belongs to the Lord and His greatest desire is to save man’s soul (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).

     However, the owner of a thing has the right to stipulate how it can be used. Our heavenly Father is no different. Because salvation belongs to Him He gets to determine what man must do and be like to receive it (Romans 10:17; John 3:16; Luke 13:3; Matthew 10:32; Acts 22:16; Ephesians 4:1). 

     Salvation belongs to the Lord. If we would be saved we must belong to Him as well. Read the verses listed above and let the Lord tell you how.

A Warning To The Wise

     “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.” Psalm 2:10-12

     When you think of the Christ, what comes to mind? Most followers of Christ think of His love and compassion, His sinless life and example, His great sacrifice for the sins of the world. Why wouldn’t Christians bring these things to mind upon hearing the wonderful name of the Savior? These characteristics of His provided the foundation for His actions and for our hope. How appropriately the Baptizer spoke of Him in John 1:29 when he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”

     “The Lamb of God.” What a tremendous image as one considers the types and figures of the Passover lamb meeting their fullest meaning in the Person of the Christ! Of course, the “Lamb of God” is certainly not the only designation for the Christ to be found in Scripture. Another designation, found in Revelation 5:5, is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” That image depicts the Son as powerful and conquering. It is that image of the Son described for us in Psalm 2.

     The Jesus of great might and strength, a powerful conqueror of all those who oppose Him, is frankly a Jesus the vast majority of us are not as comfortable with. While we thrill to speak of His love and compassion, we often find ourselves less inclined to speak of His justice and wrath. Generally speaking this Jesus is not received nearly so well by the masses and can cost a teacher a willing crowd in short order should this Jesus become too demanding and unyielding. “The Lion of the tribe of Judah” isn’t as soft on the ears as is “the Lamb of God.” He is the same Person, however. To accept one is necessarily to accept the other. To reject one is necessarily to reject the other. 

     The only escape from the conquering and vengeful Son is refuge in Him. For those who reject Him, vengeance (2 Thessalonians 1:5-9). For those who accept Him, eternal life (Matthew 11:28-30). So, which Son do you intend to meet?