|
| Self-Hatred |
| Tuesday, November 24, 2009 |
My Dad, God rest his soul, struggled his whole life with self-condemnation as a Christian. I often heard him say to himself "You stupid idiot!", as he messed things up again and again. I believe that he died feeling very defeated in his walk with Christ. Somehow he had missed the secret to peace and joy.
Some of you may be in that very same place. You've given your lives to Christ, received His salvation and Holy Spirit, and yet, it seems that you just can't overcome sin -- and you hate yourself for it. You hear Paul's words "Walk by the Spirit and you won't carry out the desires of your flesh" (Galatians 5:16), and yet you identify much better with his words in Romans 7:19: "I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway."
And that's when the self-hatred kicks in. You hate your lack of progress; you hate your propensity to sin; and you feel ashamed to go to Christ over and over again, as if somehow or another you have just lashed Him again with your sins. So what do you do? You wallow around in the muck and the mire, slowly sinking in the quicksand of self-despair. And you wonder "where's the victory in that?"
Well, this isn't the way it's supposed to be friends! Let me tell you the secret that I wish my Dad had learned. You're living the devil's lie. God has made you a promise that He intends to keep -- every single time: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) "For if any man sins we have an Advocate with the Father, and He himself is the atonement for our sins." (1 John 2:1)
That's where the freedom is found, friends. In the blood of Jesus. God intends for the pricking of our conscience, not to condemn us or make us feel shame when we sin, but to remind us (and draw us back to) the blood of Jesus which cleanses us from every sin. That's the place of peace; that's the place of joy. The cross was the most significant event in history. The shed blood of Jesus was the most powerful act of love ever shared. God wants to draw us back to that again and again. And instead of feeling guilty, He wants us to feel thankful.
So throw all that shame back in the devil's face. There is no need to feel defeat. Instead we are to feel relief and joy! "There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). When you stumble back in to sin from time to time just head back to the cross, and back to the blood, and rejoice that every time you stumble in sin it gets washed in the blood of the Lamb. Isn't that both liberating and exhilarating?
God no longer condemns you when you fall. Your conscience isn't there to shame you. It's there to lead you to peace, joy, and victory which is found in the cleansing blood of Jesus --- every single time!
So why don't you try to stop hating yourself today? Labels: forgiveness, God's Grace, sinfulness |
posted by Alan Harstone @ 11:41 AM   |
|
|
|
| The Mercy Of Hell |
| Friday, November 20, 2009 |
 Many people today believe that Hell is a figment of the imagination -- that a "merciful" God would never consign unrepentant men to Hell. "God is love", they say, "and a loving God would never refuse to forgive me".
And so they continue to trample on His laws, despise His authority, abide in sin, and presume upon His mercy. "But", Jesus said, "Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt 10:28) "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish!" (Luke 13:3) There is NO MERCY for the impenitent! But for those who repent, there is salvation and mercy for all of eternity. It is the repentant who are "vessels of mercy". (Romans 9:23) "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him." (Psalm 103:11)
Okay, so we've established that. Now what about Hell? How can Hell be an act of mercy? Like this: it is God's mercy to the Elect. Wouldn't it be dreadful if God required those who are raised from the dead and cleansed of all their sin to continue to fellowship with blasphemers and the wicked forever? Hell is God's mercy to the Redeemed! In Psalm 143:12 David prayed: "And out of Your mercy cut off my enemies and destroy all them that afflict my soul; for I am Your servant." In Psalm 136:15 we read that God "overthrew Pharaoh and his hosts in the Red Sea; for His mercy endures forever." Mercy to whom? Pharaoh and his wicked host? No. Mercy to the Redeemed. "For by no means shall the guilty be cleared" (Exodus 34:7), for "the wicked shall be turned into Hell, all the nations that forget God." (Psalm 9:17)
So, while Hell is the eternal absence of God's mercy toward the wicked, it is indeed God's mercy toward the Chosen and Elect!
Can I hear an Amen to that?Labels: hell, mercy |
| posted by Alan Harstone @ 2:30 PM |
|
|
|
|
| About Me |
|
Name: Alan Harstone
Home: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
About Me: Senior Pastor
Saskatoon Evangelical Free Church
See my complete profile
|
| Previous Post |
|
| Archives |
|
|
| Sites I Recommend |
|
|
| Books I'm Reading |
|
|
| Powered by |
 |
|
