LOVING RIGHT AND HATING WRONG

Hebrews 1:8-9 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

The writer of Hebrews, quoting from the Psalms, gloriously speaks of our Savior, the Messiah, the Anointed One. He was anointed with grace and power, and was clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit without measure. No one before or after ever qualified as Jesus did for the power of God resting upon him and working through him. In describing our Lord, Emmanuel, it is stated that He "loved righteousness, and hated iniquity." What a wonderful attribute in Jesus to be praised, and to desire in our own personal walk! He loved what was right and hated what was wrong. This is such a simple formula, but also a searching one. If we want more of God's blessing and anointing upon our lives, this is one area we must periodically examine. We should honestly ask ourselves: "Do I really hate iniquity?" and "How much do I love righteousness?" It is not just a matter of trying to do right, but of loving what is right. Similarly, it is not only avoiding evil, but also developing a hatred for evil. And of course, evil is not just the evil that is seen in others but also, and more importantly, the evil that is found in us. We must learn to hate our sin, including: pride, laziness, selfishness, gossip, jealousy, pro-crastination, lust, stubbornness, etc. The Bible says that Jesus had such a love for righteousness and a hatred for iniquity; "therefore", God anointed Him in an unusual way. He had unusual power from on high. We need God's power upon our lives and ministries. We need for God to work in us and through us. If we are going to be blessed with a significant measure of God's power, if the Holy Spirit is going to be comfortable filling our lives and using us as His instruments, we must live holy lives. We must develop and maintain a love for the things that are right and a hatred for sin. The Bible refers to this anointing as the "oil of gladness." There is joy that accompanies the Spirit's empowerment. The times that Christians are truly the happiest or have the most joy are when they are fully surrendered to Christ, loving what He loves, and hating what He hates.

A devotional thought by Pastor Smith of Mt. Zion Baptist Church

WE WILL NOT FORSAKE GOD'S HOUSE

Nehemiah 10:39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.

God's people had spent many years in Babylonian captivity because of their disobedience, rebellion, and idolatry. Forsaking God's law, His worship, His day, and His house had cost them dearly. By the grace and power of God, they were returned to Jerusalem. The destroyed city was being restored, the temple rebuilt, and the battered walls of the city repaired. With their past captivity fresh in their minds, they offered this great resolution: a fresh commitment to faithfulness to God's house. The Bible records their vow of loyalty to the house of God, "we will not forsake the house of our God." Our generation of Christians would do well to make a similar commitment. It is not an exaggeration to say that the house of God is too often being forsaken. One example of this is the great neglect of the place of the New Testament church in the work of God. The extremely popular, yet false belief in a universal and invisible church has caused many professing Christians to forsake the true house of God, which is the local church. I Timothy 3:15 says, "the house of God, which is the church of the living God." The house of God is being forsaken because of the neglect of Bible doctrine concerning the church. Multitudes of those who claim membership in local congregations are also forsaking God's house. They are forsaking God's house by their lack of faithful attendance to the assembly of the saints. Church attendance by some is looked at as a suggestion rather than the command of God. Others are forsaking God's house by their lack of financial support through consistent tithes and offerings. God gave His churches the responsibility to carry out His work in the world, and that work should be financed through the generous and consistent giving of the members. The house of God is being forsaken through the failure of members to use their gifts and abilities to serve in the ministries of the local church. The laborers are few because of those who are forsaking God's house. For the sake of our Savior and His great work, "we will not forsake the house of God."

A devotional thought by Pastor Smith of Mt. Zion Baptist Church

DYING TO SELF

1. When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ...THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
2. When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient, loving silence...THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
3. When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to-face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility-and endure it as Jesus endured...THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
4. When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, any interruption by the will of God...THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
5. When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown...THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
6. When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances...THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
7. When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart...THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

Are you dead yet? In these last days, would the Spirit bring us to the cross.

Php. 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

See A Sermon

I’d rather see a sermon,
Than hear one any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me
Than merely show the way.
The eye’s a better pupil
And more willing than the ear;
Fine counsel is confusing
But example’s always clear.
And the best of all the preachers
Are the ones who live their creed,
For to see good put in action
Is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn to do it,
If you let me see it done.
I can watch your hands in action,
But your tongue too fast may run.
And the sermon you deliver
May be very wise and true,
But I’d rather get my lesson
By observing what you do,
For I might misunderstand you
And the high advice you give;
But there’s no misunderstanding
How you act and how you live.

Author Unknown

Our Testimony

Christ has no hands but our hands
To do His work today;
He has no feet but our feet
To lead men in His way;
He has no tongue but our tongues
To tell men how He died;
He has no help but our help
To bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible
The careless world will read,
We are the sinner’s gospel,
We are the scoffer’s creed;
We are the Lord’s last message,
Given in deed and word;
What if our ‘type’ is crooked?
What if our ‘print’ is blurred?

What if our hands are busy
With other work than His?
What if our feet are walking
Where’s sin’s allurement is?
What if our tongues are speaking
Of things His lips would spurn?
How can we hope to help Him
And others to Him turn?

Written by Annie Flint

Three Crosses

Mark 15:27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

Luke 23:39-43 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

THE CROSS OF REJECTION

One man died in sin. He was a dying sinner. He died with sin in him.

This is the cross of many living today. They sneer at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.... "Save thyself and us" ... just as this thief cried. He like many today wanted to be saved but not by the Christ of the center cross. To his many sins he added the greatest of all: UNBELIEF. Of such the Lord Jesus said; "... if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." (John 8:24)

THE CROSS OF REDEMPTION

One man died for sin. He was a dying Saviour. He died with sin upon him.

This cross is the wonder of all time. The sins upon the Lord Jesus Christ were your sins and my sins. We marvel at God's love for us, in that He would punish His own Son for the sins of the whole world. Christ suffered the agonies of hell so that His followers would be delivered from guilt, punishment, and eternal damnation.

THE CROSS OF RECEPTION

One man died to sin. He was a dying saint. He died with sin taken from him.

This cross brought about a last minute conversion. His sins were cancelled in a moment. No time for good works or sacraments; only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ of the center cross. What a change: morning in sin, noon in grace, night in glory. His home in paradise will be shared by all who repent toward God and believe.

THIS IS THE HISTORY OF THE WHOLE WORLD AND THE DESTINY OF EVERY MAN!!!

What the center cross means to you is determined by whether you are on the cross of RECEPTION or on the cross of REJECTION. If you want to be like the thief on the cross of RECEPTION then you need to repent in your heart of your sins and trust the Lord Jesus Christ to save you. Rom. 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Accept the message of the cross of REDEMPTION today and be saved.

The Fear of the Lord

There have been about a dozen mass-shootings in the United States in recent months, and secular experts are still trying to piece together the profiles and common denominators of these murderers. However, every one of them had one thing in common. They all lacked a fear of God. If someone fears God they won't lie to you, steal from you, or commit adultery with your spouse. They won't even lust after them. They won't hate you, harbor anger or be bitter towards you, and they certainly won't kill you.

Prov. 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

One of the major reasons this nation lacks the fear of God is that it's rarely preached from the modern pulpit. Think of what Nathan did with David. He put the fear of God in him by saying "Thou art the man. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight?" (see 2 Sam. 12:7-9). Without such a reproof David would have simply remained an unrepentant man who made an unfortunate choice in life. But the reproof revealed that he was a criminal who had despised the moral Law, and that God's wrath hovered over him for his terrible transgression.

We need to be Nathans to this nation and faithfully preach the Word, in season and out of season. We must "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." and the well-spring of our words must be love for sinners. We cannot let fear stop us from showing them that they have despised the Law, and that they have personally sinned against God, as Paul did in Romans 2:20-24.

Rom. 2:20-24 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

An excerpt from Ray Comfort's Living Waters weekly newsletter

COMPLAINING

Numbers 11:1 And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

The children of Israel were guilty, on numerous occasions, of displeasing the Lord. In this example, "when the people complained, it displeased the LORD." Their complaining angered God. They complained about the general difficulty of the journey, the presence of giants in Canaan, the lack of food or water, the absence of Moses when he was away seeking God, etc. Complaining sometimes brought God's chastening hand against His people. Most people would not consider complaining to be a serious sin, but when "the LORD heard it; . . . his anger was kindled." We all have, at some time or another, been guilty of complaining. Why would complaining so displease the Lord? For one thing, those who are complaining have usually been blinded to the wonderful things that God has done or is doing. God had delivered these people from their Egyptian slavery and given them hope and promise for the future, but those realities were momentarily forgotten. Having forgotten God's great blessings, they focused on their present lack, and the result was complaining. Complaining also indicates a lack of contentment with God and His will. From a prison where Paul was rejoicing, he wrote that we are to be content with the basic necessities of life. Not only is complaining an expression of personal discontent, it also helps to spread discontentment. Complaining discourages others and affects their attitudes and spiritual growth. Just as a grateful spirit can be contagious, a grumbling spirit can be infectious. Complaining demonstrates a lack of trust in God. God is trustworthy and He wants us to trust Him. He consistently met the needs of these Israelites by providing them with manna and water out of the rock, and by destroying their enemies. To complain is to forget all the ways God has guided and provided in the past and to assume that He has somehow become incapable of supplying now. Complaining is a serious sin and must be taken seriously. It displeased the Lord then, and we can be sure that it displeases Him now. Let us purpose to develop and maintain a positive attitude, free from complaining.

A devotional thought by Pastor Smith of Mt. Zion Baptist Church