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| Michael Jackson: That's Not My King! |
| Saturday, June 27, 2009 |
 It's happened at least three times before in my lifetime-- an icon dies! A god is dead.
I was just a kid when J.F.K. died, but I still remember hearing about it. Then, in 1980, I was in my fiancee's apartment waiting for her to get home when I heard about John Lennon's death. Another "god" died in 1997. It was my wife's last day of work as a practicing nurse when news hit the world that Princess Diana had died. And now we hear that Michael Jackson is suddenly gone.
All kings and queens in their own right....but, friends, I can assure you THAT'S NOT MY KING! While the world grieves its loss of another mortal god, I still celebrate my gain of salvation through the resurrection of the King of kings.
And nobody says it better than that old Baptist preacher, S.M. Lockbridge in this clip as he exalts the Lord Jesus Christ.
Take three minutes to listen to it. You'll be glad you did, and I'm guessing you'll come away saying: NOW THAT'S MY KING!!! |
posted by Alan Harstone @ 10:42 AM   |
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| Kate Gosselin And The Divine Scandal |
| Tuesday, June 23, 2009 |
 We live in an age of scandal. If it isn't Jon & Kate Gosselin, it's Perez Hilton and Carrie Prejean, or swimmer Michael Phelps and his bong. The darkness inside of us thrives on human train wrecks; it feeds on the demise of people that our world has made into little gods. We scream "hypocrite" every time we see good people go horribly wrong, as a way to justify our own bad behaviour.
This is why Jehovah God needed to remove the scandal that hung around His own good name for thousands of years. Accused of hypocrisy, He was seen by unbelievers as a two-faced God. On the one hand He demanded holiness; on the other hand He was the friend of sinners. Men like Abraham, Jacob, Moses and David.....all men steeped in sin.....all men He dared to call His friends.
First, there was Abraham, a coward, a man who farmed his own wife Sarah out to other men in order to save his life. Yet God called Abraham "the friend of God"?
Then there was Jacob, the liar and cheat. Yet God identified Himself as "the God of Jacob"?
And how about Moses, the murderer and fugitive from the law. Wasn't he the one that God gave His holy commandment to "Not Kill" to wave before the people? Wasn't this pure hypocrisy on Moses' part, and bad judgment on the part of God?
And then there was David, an adulterer and murderer: God actually called him "a man after God's own heart". Doesn't that seal the scandal for those who don't believe? How could a holy God keep company with, and exalt, such seedy and imperfect men as these? Wasn't this a scandal of epic proportions?
Yes it was!!! God knew that it wasn't righteous or just to forgive guilty sinners and not punish them: He said so Himself. So how could He keep company with these kind of men, calling them "friends of God", and "men after His own heart"? Wasn't this the ultimate in unholy hypocrisy?
Without question it was a stain on God's good name for almost 4,000 years. Until He sent His Son Jesus, He had to endure the catcalls and accusations of people who questioned His integrity. But then, He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for Abraham, Jacob, and David's sins...going all the way back to Adam....and all the way forward to you and me.
"To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be known as just, and the Justifier of those who believe." (Romans 3:26)
In Christ the scandal is removed! In Christ God punishes all our sin. In Christ God fellowships with believers from every age, so that even men like Abraham (and you and me) could be justified and pardoned through the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 4:1-8).
The cross is the scandal removed! Not only does it remove the stain of our sin from our own record, it also removes the stain of apparent hypocrisy on God's part. In Christ He carried out justice for all our sins, and cleared His own Name in the process!
Amen to that?
Labels: blood, salvation |
| posted by Alan Harstone @ 2:19 PM |
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| Fusspot Theology? |
| Wednesday, June 17, 2009 |
I'm not sure what your experience has been, but I've bumped into more than a few Christians over the years who regularly express moral outrage at not only "the big issues" on the cultural landscape, but also at the little ones too. In fact, I have had a rather regular encounter with a fusspot I meet in the mirror every day. But I recently read something both simple and profound from a man who always scratches my itch and anoints it with the healing balm of compassionate wisdom. His name is Brennan Manning.
Reflecting on Peter's words to "wrap yourselves in humility" (1 Peter 5:5) Manning writes: THE HUMBLE MAN IS SURPRISED BY ALL THE GOOD THAT HE SEES AROUND HIM RATHER THAN BEING SCANDALIZED BY WHAT HE CANNOT JUDGE ANYWAY.
I've put it on my wall, right behind my computer screen. Maybe I'll stick it on my mirror too. Labels: humility |
| posted by Alan Harstone @ 11:46 AM |
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| About Me |
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Name: Alan Harstone
Home: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
About Me: Senior Pastor
Saskatoon Evangelical Free Church
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