The Widow's Two Mites

Recently, I received this note on my desk. It came attached with a small gift for Generations Hall (a new facility at Lexington Baptist). My heart is thrilled that God does so much with so little. To HIM be the glory.

Mark 12:41-44
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Handling Guilt

Guilt from previous sin, even confessed sin, causes a great deal of angst. It reveals much about the nature of sin, the fallenness of the mind, and the persistence of emotion. Wrestling with guilt requires a basic understanding of several universal truths, a filter for guilty feelings and a biblical plan for victory.

Point one: We are all guilty. Did you get that? Guilt isn’t reserved for the seedy, deceptive reprobates of our world. Humanity is guilty before God, and that includes you (Rom. 3:10-12). Every person is deviant. Every person is liable for their unholy behavior. Each one of us is without excuse. Therefore God will hold all of us accountable for our action. If you struggle to cover your guilt now, how well will it go for you when examined by the eternal, omniscient, righteous Judge? If you sense your guilt, be thankful because the overwhelming sense of guilt was created in us to search for a solution to escape the weight of our condemnation.

You will choose one of three ways

First, there are those who feel no guilt and offer no excuse for their sin because they have a seared conscience. 1 Timothy 4:2 speaks of lying, hypocritical, faith-deniers who de-activated their natural conscience. Don’t be fooled by their actions. They are guilty, but they have subverted guilty emotions by believing the doctrine of demons and listening to deceptive spirits (1 Tim. 4:1).

Second, there are believers who feel guilt for the right reasons. This person is devastated by a sense of remorse over sin and seeks relief from their burden. Their good conscience is accompanied by a pure heart and sincere faith. If this is you, be thankful for the Spirit’s work in  your heart because you’re exhibiting a biblical conscience. However, guilt from a biblical conscience is a path, not a destination. It’s designed to lead you, not cure you.

Third, there are believers who suffer with a weak conscience (Rom. 14:1-2, 23). These individuals suffer from hyper-active, pharisaic self-mastication. In effort to produce righteousness in addition to the Gospel, they impose religious standards and fundamentalist regulations – all in an effort to overwhelm their guilty conscience by doing good works.

There is an answer

Please begin with the truth: We are not innocent, but guilty. Because of our guilt we are without hope. Our only hope outside of ourselves is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Gospel declares us righteous from our sin by faith in Jesus Christ. God himself assures of us of our “forgivenness.” But complete freedom from sin and its accompanying guilt is reserved for eternal life. So overcoming guilt is less about feeling better about our condition, and more about believing the faithfulness of God about the Gospel. Victory over guilt is a hopeful anticipation of future glorification. What God has declared us to be in the Gospel, he will ultimately make us. “We will be like him for we shall see him as he is” (1 Jn. 3:2).

Confessing Sexual Sin

As promised from Sunday’s sermon on Proverbs 5:1-23, 6:20-35, and 7:1-27, the following series of posts will focus on course correction for the struggle with sexual sin. Proverbs 28:13 reveals both the danger of unconfessed sin and the blessing of mercy. “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

Confession never comes before conviction. God, as a loving Father, convicts his children in order to change them. This is a stressful, sometimes embarrassing, always painful process of sanctification. AND it is always GOOD! If you’re regularly convicted of sin, especially moral heart-issues, this gives evidence of your genuine faith. Hebrews 12:7, “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”

Conviction leads nowhere without confidence in God. When confidence in God is related to conviction of sin, it becomes like a bathroom faucet. Turn the left knob for hot water, and turn the right knob for cold. Both are useful under different circumstances, but normally it’s a balanced mixture of both that cleans your hands. Our confidence in God works exactly the same way. Both the heat of his correction and the light of his grace cleanses our soul. When we sin and refuse his correct, we’re assured of his discipline and judgment. But if we sin and confess, we’re equally assured of his grace, forgiveness and healing. Which part of confidence in God motivates you to confess? Do you confess because you HAVE to, or do you confess because you GET to? Both work, but his goodness is more enjoyable than his judgment. “Do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead  you to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4)

Conviction built on confidence leads us to confession. Only confession focused on the Forgiver rather than the forgiven will merit the refreshing joy of being cleansed. Sexual sin is a persistent foe. Long after the offense, the accuser continues to enslave the forgiven with the penalty of their sin (Rev. 12:10). True confession involves more than admitting one’s guilt. It includes believing in the continuing power of the Gospel – that we cannot establish our own righteousness, but receive a righteousness that is from God by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross (Rom. 10:3). You can be forgiven and freed to live a new life (different from your past) ONLY because of the cross of Jesus Christ. Wear it around you neck, or hang it from your rearview mirror, or stick it to the refrigerator door. Joyful forgiveness demands that we see the cross every day.

The Riches of Faith & What I Own

Worldliness Sermon Series (November - Lexington Baptist Church)

Worldliness is an adulterous love for this fallen world, and according to 1 John 2:15-17 we are commanded not to love the world because loving the world and loving the Father are mutually exclusive. We choose one or the other, but it is impossible to love both simultaneously. In fact, even attempting to love the Father while loving the world is, by definition, hypocrisy. In week one, we learned that every person, every day must choose their lover. Spiritual adultery does to our lives what marital adultery does to our homes. And does is really matter whether she was blonde or brunette? What matters is that she wasn't your wife. In the same way, worldliness doesn't assume the form of cultural dos and don'ts. Worldliness is everything that we love like we should love God. John shares with us that worldliness isn't an evil to be resisted from our culture, but a sin to be mortified in our hearts where the craving, lusting and boasting manifests (3:16). In other words, all that is in the world is everything that is wrong with us. This coming Sunday, we'll consider "The Riches of Faith & What I Own." Jesus exposes the evil of materialism in Luke 12:13-15. The question is simple. Are we who we are because of what we own? Worldliness offers four lies of materialism. We'll consider the problem and solution for each one. In preparation for Sunday's message: Read Luke 12 (give special attention to the parable of the rich fool in 13-21). Prayerfully ask God to expose one area in your finances in which materialism is evident. Consider responding to Sunday's invitation to repent and confess that one area of materialism. Discuss as a family (including your children) practical ways to limit your exposure to the media's promotion of worldliness. Listen carefully on Sunday for examples given during the sermon. Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. Luke 12:15 (NKJV) Love not the world November 8th - The riches of faith and what I own November 15th - The worship of God and what I sing November 22nd - The beauty of Christ and how I dress November 29th - Love the world Visit Lexington Baptist Church HERE Subscribe to Podcast HERE Listen to the Worldliness series HERE

Humble Mornings & Evenings

Here are highlights from a wonderful read on humility. Its incredibility embarrassing how pride hides within a leader’s heart, especially the heart of an Elder who easily camouflages it as self-righteous righteousness. I should know. Its me. C. J. Mahaney peels the banana on this one showing how cowardly prideful people are. The book is titled: Humility: True Greatness.

Mahaney gives useful daily tips for cultivating humility and crushing pride. You can purchase his book HERE. May the notes inspire you to invest in the book, as well as humility.

p. 13 - “I’m a proud man pursuing humility by the grace of God.”

p. 22 - “Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.”

p. 31 - “Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon him.”

A method for daily weakening pride, our greatest enemy,

and strengthening humility, our greatest friend.

Every Morning

1. Reflect on the wonder of the cross of Christ
2. Acknowledge your dependence upon and need for God
3. Express gratefulness to God
4. Practice the spiritual disciplines of prayer, study of the Word, and worship
5. Seize your commute time to memorize and meditate on Scripture
6. Cast your cares upon him

Every Evening

1. Transfer all the day’s glory to God
2. Receive the gift of sleep and acknowledge his purpose in it
3. Enjoy someone else sustaining you