J.C. Ryle on Mercy Without Christ

"I warn you plainly that all notions and theories about God being merciful without Christ, and excepting through Christ, are belles delusions and empty fancies.  Such theories are as purely an idol of man's invention act he idol of Juggernaut.  They are all of the earth, earthly.  They never came down from heaven.  The God of heaven has sealed and appointed Christ as the one and only Savior and way of life, and all who would be saved must be content to be saved by Him, or they will never be saved at all" (Holiness, J.C. Ryle).

Surrendering the Secret

In recent months the media focus on Planned Parenthood and abortion has brought about protests, opinionated blog posts, and caused a heated political issue to become even more so.  But this Sunday our desire at ElmCreek Community Church is to sift through all the heat and get to the crux of the issue for the church of Christ today: the love of Christ to heal from the spiritual and emotional pain abortion leaves in it’s wake. 

The words of David Altrogge speak strongly to this in his article on desiringgod.org.

"We must stop looking the other way when it comes to abortion.  Yes, it's uncomfortable.  Yes, it's awkward.  Yes, people will get mad at us.  But until we start talking about abortion and what it is and who it affects, we will never see change. 

"Until we learn to love the women who choose abortion, and the men who encourage abortion, and the babies who lose their lives to abortion - until we learn to love them the way Jesus loved us, we will never see change. 

"The lives of women and children are at stake.  We cannot remain silent.  We must love with Christ's love, the love we have been shown.  We cannot look the other way."

This coming Sunday we will be having a special guest and special focus.  Karen O’Kane will be giving her testimony and speaking of the healing power of God to overcome the shame, regret, and pain caused by abortion.  Join me in praying for Karen as she speaks of the truth of God’s healing power and may we as His church not only be a place where sin is condemned but points to the power of God to heal through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known,

Pastor Mark

Malaise

What is malaise and what does it have to do with me?  Check out the post by Desiring God below.  I hope it is encouraging to you.

Malaise is a mercy that feels yucky.

Malaise is that feeling you get when you’re getting sick but you don’t quite know it yet. It’s a vague sense of dis-ease. Your energy is draining. You just want to lie down. Emotionally, you might feel discouraged, irritable, depressed, or cynical for no identifiable reason. You ask yourself, “What’s the matter with me?”

Precisely what you’re supposed to ask. Malaise is the early warning system God designed for the body. It’s telling you something destructive is attacking your bodily systems. It’s a messenger running ahead of an invading enemy alerting us to get our defenses in place.

The soul also has its diseases and they are more deadly than the body’s. Soul diseases attack our belief systems. Corrupted beliefs can be very serious if left untreated. They grow and spread, wreaking destruction in us. And when contagious, as they frequently are, they harm others. Such diseases can result in soul-death.

Mercifully, there is a malaise of the soul. I’ll bet you know what I mean.

Because hope is to the soul what energy is to the body, soul-malaise manifests itself as a flagging hope in God. It’s a vague, doubty, spiritual discouragement. You wouldn’t describe it as a crisis of faith. You might avoid talking about it because it’s hard to describe. You just feel spiritually sluggish. You don’t feel like doing anything spiritually significant. You ask yourself, “What’s the matter with me?”

Precisely what you’re supposed to ask. This malaise is the early warning system God designed for the soul. It’s telling you something destructive is attacking your belief systems. It’s a messenger running ahead of an invading enemy alerting us to get our defenses in place.

So what should we do when we experience soul-malaise? Similar to bodily malaise, we pray and get prayed for, get plenty of rest, seek to identify the source (what is draining my hope in God?), head to God’s pharmacy (the Bible) for some meds (promises) and if needed (as it often is) we get some help from soul-physicians (friends or pastors) who are skillful at treating these diseases.

It’s not wise to ignore malaise. Left unchecked you will get sicker.

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching (1 Timothy 4:16)

Improper Boasting

Ephesians 2:9 (ESV) Not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

A number of Christmases ago I built an advent calendar for my brother and his wife.  It wasn't very fancy but through much trial and error I finally had it finished where it wouldn't fall apart.  I was very proud of that calendar.  It was the first (and so far the only) I had ever built.  When they opened their present that Christmas I began to tell them how I made it, how long it took, how many times I made mistakes, and I'm sure boasted too much for my own good.  It was my calendar made with my own hands.  If it was beautiful it was because I made it that way.

Sometimes we can have the same attitude towards Christ.  We claim that Christ saved us from our sins but then proceed to tell how "I" made the decision to follow Christ and how "I" wouldn't have been saved if "I" didn't trust in him.  It's amazing how we give ourselves the credit for something that we had absolutely nothing to do with.  Yes, we did choose Christ but He chose us first (John 15:16).

Even further there are some who believe that we can work our way into God's favor.  What foolishness.  TableTalk has a good explanation on this.

People who trust in their works think they can boast in them, but all such bragging is futile.  Yet those who understand that salvation is not of themselves or their works at all can boast properly (Eph. 2:9).  They can boast of the great mercy of God that was poured out on them when they least deserved it and give the Lord all the glory for their salvation (2 Cor. 10:17; Gal. 6:12-14).

The mercy and grace we have received from God is not given to us because we deserve.  That defeat the purpose of mercy.  Mercy is given when least deserved and so we who are reconciled to God through the death of His Son Jesus Christ should stand in awe of the greatness of the glory of God.  We are his children because He made us His children. Boast only in his great mercy and glory.  Amen.

Puritan Prayers: Divine Mercies

My Eternal God,
Yours is surpassing greatness, unspeakable
   goodness, super-abundant grace;
I can as soon count the sands of ocean's 'lip'
   as number your favors towards me;
I know but a part, but that part exceeds all praise.
I thank you for personal mercies,
   a measure of health, preservation of body,
   comforts of house and home, sufficiency of food
      and clothing,
   continuance of mental powers,
   my family, their mutual help and support,
      the delights of domestic harmony and peace,
      the seats now filled that might have been vacant,
   my country, church, Bible, faith.
But, O, how I mourn my sin, ingratitude, vileness,
   that days that add to my guilt,
   the scenes that witness my offending tongue;
All things in heaven, earth, around, within, without,
      condemn me -
   the sun which sees my misdeeds,
   the darkness which is light to you,
   the cruel accuser who justly charges me,
   the good angels who have been provoked to leave me,
   your countenance which scans my secret sins,
   your righteous law, your holy Word,
   my sin-soiled conscience, my private and public life,
   my neighbors, myself -
      all write dark things against me.
I deny them not, frame no excuse, but confess,
      'Father, I have sinned';
Yet still I live, and fly repenting to your outstretched arms;
   you will not cast me off, for Jesus brings me near,
   you will not condemn me, for he died in my stead,
   you will not mark my mountains of sin,
      for he levelled all,
   and his beauty covers my deformities.
O my God, I bid farewell to sin by clinging to his cross,
   hiding in his wounds, and sheltering in his side.

                  (The Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Devotions)