Saturday, February 7, 2015

"The Gospel" 10/25/2014


"The Gospel"

10/25/2014
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 First From Julie's Keyboard:

"Ever Learning"

For those of us who have been around for a while, we know that the learning process in this life never ceases.  Some 35 years ago was the era of my own graduation from high school.  As well as this went, it never ceases to amaze me how there's so much more to keep gaining as we now find ourselves going through high school again in our home education path with our youngest son.   This brings me to  ponder if one can every truly have the "mastery" or the "doctorate," in anything.  Mankind can certainly pass himself off as having attained it all.  Yet, if we're going to acknowledge where all true knowledge and wisdom abides, we have to know that it's limitless.

Too many times I've  been so sure of the message that was being brought, only to find later that it was full of holes.  Too many times I've been the one bringing a teaching or a lesson, only to find later that there was more going on there than I even knew to mention.  In this "moment of truth" keyboard article today, may it be understood that anything written here is more than subject to improvement.  The only thing that cannot be improved is the very Word of God Himself as written in His Holy Bible.  Everything else posted on this blog, (or anywhere else for that matter), must pass the test of His infinite Wisdom.

While we are "ever learning" in Christ, we know that we are in the quest for His Truth.  He promises to give us wisdom, knowledge and understanding in so many places in His Word.  We must desire Him, and we must trust Him to do just this.  The place of beginning is said to be the "fear of the Lord."  If we fear and reverence our God, we will desire that which honors Him and apply ourselves in this endeavor.

We may achieve great levels of academic excellence.  We may have gifts to accomplish seeming great feats and put us in the elite circles of this life.  However, If this gifting in the life of the individual is not accredited to the Giver (the Heavenly Father) and submitted to His will and purpose, then the seeming strong suit that is evident in an individual's life will be his downfall. 


"If you've got it, flaunt it!" doesn't work in His kingdom plan.  If you've got it, He gave it.  So, humbly acknowledge Him and let Him direct your path.  How blessed we are to be graced by His desire to make us His people and enlist us in a purpose that He has ordained.

Being reminded each day that I'm not my own, I've been bought with a price, is essential for me.  May living to glorify the One Who gives us life in abundance and keeps us ever learning and growing in His grace, be our chief aim.
II Peter 3:18 "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and for ever.  Amen.

I Cor. 3:18-21a "Let no man deceive himself.  If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.  For it is written, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness.  And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.  Therefore let no man glory in men."

Blessed of the Lord,

Julie

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 "The Gospel"

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep for ever. . . ." ~ Thomas Jefferson, 1781, Notes on the Sate of Virginia.

And truly His justice did not sleep for ever, Jefferson's concern here was directed toward Slavery and God's retribution upon our nation as a result of the institution of slavery being sanctioned among us as a people.  True to his concerns, the heavy judgment of a Civil War was the due penalty for our sins.  

 

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 President Lincoln years later would declare: "Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.'" ~ Abraham Lincoln

This view of God is somewhat different from the one American's hold for the most part today.  Today God is viewed as someone not so much to be feared, but one to whom we can always run without any consideration of our responsibility to Him and His Holiness.  He just loves us and rewards us no matter that our lives are riddled with sin and our nation is all but apostate.  We no longer fear His justice and judgments, our sins are no longer a concern for us. 

I am writing in this fashion to bring some clarification to previous statements and overall purpose of this blog.  Such statements as our need to return to the faith of our fathers and the benefits of the Gospel to our nation over the years, are statements to be understood relevant to their time.  To truly understand this we must know what their faith was and what the Gospel is they believed.

For most of my life I have been influenced by what I have come to call the new Gospel; it was only by the Grace of God and my study of our history that I have only began to understand the true Gospel and its foundation.   There is so much that can be said here, but time and space will not allow, for now I will let the words of those before us speak.

We can see from Jefferson and Lincoln an understanding all the way to the top leadership of this nation, that this nation was accountable to God for its actions and policies.  If we went contrary to the laws of God without an appeal for Grace, we were to expect justice and judgment to our part. 

The Gospel that rang in the ears and weighted upon the hearts of our founders was truly good news.  They understood man and his nature and God's demands upon him, thus formed a government to protect him from himself and bind him from his vices, and encourage him to the freedom of righteousness. 

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 Yet still apart from the Grace of God man is fallen and takes every opportunity to his sin.  We are unable of ourselves to do justice and seek righteousness, judgment is our lot and has been from the original sin that has corrupted our nature.

I know if you are reading this you feel it residing with you, pulling you to your self interest and selfish personal satisfaction. You feel the temptation to sin and please yourself, and without the Grace of God abiding upon us we would all run to the uttermost of our destruction.


But then there is the Gospel, O' the Gospel! To such creatures God's Grace is given, to lift us above these desires and cause us to see His wonder and desire His presence.  It is because of this Gospel the founders of our nation were given the Grace to see and understand in measures great enough to give us such a nation of freedom as we have.  But they also understood if we offend this Grace, in great measure we stand to loose such freedom.

This Gospel not only brought eternal salvation to God's elect, but it formed our civil society in order and peace, it's influence being felt upon the hearts of men yet unregenerate.  Men were taught and trained in righteous acts and deeds, honor was identified and rewarded.  Men were encouraged and emboldened to righteousness, and tho many still rebelled,  this Gospel gave this nation great hope, freedom, and prosperity.

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 Alexis de Tocqueville wrote concerning his visit to America beginning in 1831 saying;
"I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors . . . .; in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning.  I sought for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution.

Not until I went into the Churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power."
~ Alexis de Tocqueville.


O' the Gospel, how much we need the Gospel once again to be proclaimed across our land!  O' that God would grant us Grace once again to believe and trust the Gospel, to restore our hope in Him. 

Today our pulpits are aflame with self interest,  promoting a Gospel that offers personal health and prosperity, promotion and exaltation to all who would be partakers.  The Gospel that rest at the foundation of this nation is one that exalts Him to whom we have to do, commits all to Him, weights upon the hearts of men to sacrifice everything for the Gospel.  It is truly a story of Amazing Grace! 

If you are a stranger to the Gospel our founders understood, an introduction to this dangerous God can be found in an article by Tony Reinke at the following link:
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/stop-apologizing-for-god

May the Grace of God be upon each of you,

David

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