God really does know what’s going on in our country, in our cities, and especially in our own hearts. Listen to what was confronting David in Psalm 55:9-11

Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech,

for I see violence and strife in the city.

Day and night they prowl about on its walls;

malice and abuse are within it.

Destructive forces are at work in the city;

threats and lies never leave its streets.

David could have written this today or just about anytime in history and for the future as far as we can see. We think it is worse today than it was back then because we have so many more ways to do violence and have strife in our cities. I don’t need to list the problems. Besides, if I did, some of you would actually agree with some of the malice and abuse. Then you would be yelling at me.

But this is for sure, regardless of your belief system, destructive forces are at work in the city. Satan is wreaking havoc. There are threats and counter threats by those who are wicked or very much deceived by those who are wicked. So we have lies that never leave the streets.

Sounds mightily depressing, doesn’t it? But David and I have faith that the Lord is in control. He tells us in verse 22

Cast your cares on the Lord

and he will sustain you;

he will never let the righteous fall.

The cities may fall, and I can guarantee you that the wicked will pass away. But if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will outlive them all in eternity. If you don’t know Him, you are in trouble because David says in verse 23, “But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption.”

Want to know Jesus? Watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.

What’s in a Name?

What is so special about a name? Why do we get upset when someone mispronounces our name or spells it wrong? Our name is a representation of who we are. When bullies call us names, they are trying to demean us and make us less than who we are.

So, what about God’s name? What does it say about Him? Psalm 54:1 says, “O God, save me by your name.” Right there we should sit up and take notice. The name of God is connected to salvation. David was only thinking about being saved from his enemies. But it foreshadows more than that. But let’s look at some other verses that mention God’s name to see what else God’s name reveals.

In Exodus 3:14-15, God revels His name in two ways. First, He says He is “I Am.” Not exactly a name but it tells us that He exists only because of His own person. Not created and always exists from eternity past and to eternity in the future. No beginning or end. Then He says His name is “The LORD” a form of “I Am.”  English Bibles use LORD in all capitals, but the Hebrew is YHWH which we pronounce Yahweh. They wouldn’t pronounce it because His name is holy.

When He appeared to Moses in Exodus 34:6, He said His name twice and explained that His name reveals that He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

In Psalm 20:1, we learn that the name of God protects us. Psalm 79:9 connects His name to salvation and atonement for our sins. Isaiah 30:27 reveals that there is also judgment in God’s name.

Then we come to the name of God who is Jesus. Matthew 1:21 and 23 tells us that Jesus is the one who will save us from our sins and that He is also called Immanuel and that means God is with us. God put on humanity and came to bear our sins. Acts 4:12 tells us that there is salvation in no other name than Jesus.

If you think messing up your name is an insult to you, think of what an insult it is to God to use his name flippantly. Just using “OMG” without proper respect of God and all He is, is a violation of God’s third commandment.

Breaking any commandment is sin and results in condemnation for eternity because the wages of sin is death. But remember there is salvation in the name of Jesus. That means turning to Jesus for salvation will take away even the sin of abusing God’s name. If you want to know more about salvation through Jesus, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.

After Repentance

What are some important things we need to understand after we have repented from a grievous sin? David provided some insight in Psalm 51:12-13.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.

It is common for us to think that our sin has caused us to lose our salvation. This happens even though the Bible makes it clear if we are truly saved, we can’t lose our salvation. The problem is that we lose the joy we had when we were walking in harmony with the Lord. Our guilt gets in the way. Feelings overwhelm the truth. That’s why David asked the Lord to restore the joy of God’s salvation after he repented, and we should too.

Having admitted sin and repented, it then is important for us to make sure we don’t get caught in that same sin again. This is why David asked to be upheld with a willing spirit. When we ask the Holy Spirit to keep us from falling into sin, He gives us His power to sustain us. This is particularly important when we face sins that we know we are about to commit. We should immediately admit our inadequacy and ask for His help.

Then David makes sure we know that telling others how to live a better life when we are caught in the middle of our own sins seldom does any good. If sinners see us sinning in the same way they do, they aren’t particularly interested in overcoming their sins. After repenting and overcoming sin by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to teach others how to overcome and return to the Lord.

The first sin any of us must master is that of unbelief. If you haven’t believed in salvation through Jesus, all of this is just nonsense, except the guilt feelings. If you want to overcome your unbelief, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.

When Saved

What happens to us at salvation? David gave us a preview in Psalm 51:10-11

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

David asked for that which he couldn’t do for himself. He asked God to cleanse his heart. The problem with every person who has been born since Adam and Eve, except Jesus, is that we all have hearts that want to rebel against God. R.C. Sproul identified that as cosmic treason.

Because we are rebels, we have no natural desire for the one true God. Yes, we may desire other gods or other ways to God than by Jesus Christ. But those ways are all rebellious.

So, like David, we must ask God to cleanse our heart and give us a right spirit. A spirit that desires to be obedient to God. When we turn to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit changes our heart so that our spirit then desires God. Until that happens, we are still rebels. So, we don’t do anything to save ourselves because this is a gift from God.

David saw God take His Spirit from King Saul. He didn’t want that to happen to him. We don’t have to worry about that. Once we have the Holy Spirit given to us, He will never leave us because He seals us for God and is our guarantee that we will remain in Christ all our lives according to Ephesians 1:13-14.

If you want to know more about how to get your heart cleansed and be assured the Holy Spirit will never be taken away from you, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link

God’s Mercy

My previous post dealt with our greatest mistake. Well, we all sin and even our greatest sin against God has a solution. That is found in Psalm 51:1-2.

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

The first thing to do is to ask God for mercy. We cannot come to God and expect Him to forgive us if we expect to be forgiven because we’ve worked hard to make up for our sin.

We can only find that mercy when we realize that He forgives out of his steadfast love. He doesn’t forgive because we deserve it. We ask because God is love.

We can’t doubt that His mercy is limited. Because we have sinned against His infinite holiness, it takes infinite mercy for Him to forgive us.

We also must acknowledge that He is the only one who can blot out our transgressions. We can’t go to a counselor or priest or some religion to be absolved. They may help us understand our sin, but they must point us to Jesus to have our sin removed from God’s record book.

Finally, to become free from our sin, we must look to His cleansing. We can use worldly methods of mindfulness, meditation, and even denial to try to remove the guilt of our sins but the only way to be truly free from guilt is to have Jesus wash us from our iniquity and cleanse us from our sin.

To find out how and why God would do this when we don’t deserve it, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.

People’s Worst Mistake

 People make many mistakes in their lives. Some are worse than others. This one found in Psalm 50:16 is one you don’t want to make, and it is very common. In Psalm 50:16 God says,

These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

The things these people had been doing were basically sins of the tongue, lying and slander. But the real problem isn’t the specific sins, it is the attitude behind them. Because God didn’t immediately come down on them with judgment, they thought God wasn’t any different than they were.

Our worst mistake is thinking that God is just like us. We think God should judge us on the curve. We do that because we are always comparing ourselves to others and think we aren’t as bad as other people.

We have our own idea of what is fair and not fair. Therefore, we believe God should also be fair according to what we believe is fair when He judges. And of course, that would mean He won’t punish us for our sins.

I could list other ways we think He is like us. But God makes it clear that He won’t be silent forever. There will be a time when we come before Him for judgement, and He won’t be anything like us. That is a definition of what His holiness is.

The only way that we will escape from the punishments of our sins is to turn to Jesus Christ for salvation. You see, God isn’t fair. He put the punishment for our sins on Jesus so we could have His righteousness and be saved. That wasn’t fairness, it was grace to us.

If you want to know how to receive His grace and salvation, watch my video on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.

God’s Judgment

 Are you ready for God’s judgment? It may surprise you, but God’s judgment isn’t reserved only for evil people. Listen to Psalm 50:4-5.

He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
“Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”

You may say this is just Old Testament judgment. This doesn’t apply to Christians. Well, think again.  Are Christians not God’s people? Are not Christians His faithful ones? Listen to 2 Corinthians 5:10. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” Think of Jesus’ parables about servants who received money when their Master left for a while. When He returned some received rewards and some punishment.

Peter also warned us in 1 Peter 4:17. “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

Why will a Christian or a church receive a negative judgment? When Christians sin, we lose rewards that we would have received had we not succumbed to temptation. We also reap the consequences of worldly living in this lifetime. This also applies to Churches. Look at how many have disappeared when they supported immorality and heresies. The message for Christians who are messing around is to repent.

The good news is that Jesus has already taken the eternal punishment for our sins on himself when we turn to him for salvation. If you are one who has never obeyed the gospel of God, you can turn around and follow Jesus. It’s never too late. Watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.

Listen Up!

One of the phrases I heard when I was in the Navy was, “Listen up.” When one of the superiors said this, we were careful to pay attention. The psalmist is saying, “Listen up!” in Psalm 49:1-3.

Hear this, all peoples!
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
both low and high,
rich and poor together!
My mouth shall speak wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

What he has to say is for all people. If you know Jesus or not, you should pay attention. This word of wisdom is for weak people who are scorned by those who believe religion is a crutch. It is for people who are strong and think they need nothing from God or man. It applies to you and me whether we are rich or poor.

This Psalm is loaded with wisdom for people who are fearful, have been mistreated, trust in their wealth, or boast about their riches. It warns us that money or our status in society will not save us from hell. Everyone dies whether wise, fools, or the upper class. Fools, according to another Psalm are those who say there is no God. Fools are also those who trust in themselves or anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ for salvation. They all perish and end up in hell.

 Verse 15 says, “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.” How can he be so confident? How can anyone be confident of this? If you really want to know, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.