... all tears will be "wiped from their eyes"

Belgic Confession, Article 37:

The Last Judgment Finally we believe, according to God's Word, that when the time appointed by the Lord is come (which is unknown to all creatures) and the number of the elect is complete, our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, bodily and visibly, as he ascended, with great glory and majesty, to declare himself the judge of the living and the dead. He will burn this old world, in fire and flame, in order to cleanse it. Then all human creatures will appear in person before the great judge-- men, women, and children, who have lived from the beginning until the end of the world. They will be summoned there by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the divine trumpet. For all those who died before that time will be raised from the earth, their spirits being joined and united with their own bodies in which they lived. And as for those who are still alive, they will not die like the others but will be changed "in the twinkling of an eye" from "corruptible to incorruptible." Then "the books" (that is, the consciences) will be opened, and the dead will be judged according to the things they did in the world, whether good or evil. Indeed, all people will give account of all the idle words they have spoken, which the world regards as only playing games. And then the secrets and hypocrisies of men will be publicly uncovered in the sight of all. Therefore, with good reason the thought of this judgment is horrible and dreadful to wicked and evil people. But it is very pleasant and a great comfort to the righteous and elect, since their total redemption will then be accomplished. They will then receive the fruits of their labor and of the trouble they have suffered; their innocence will be openly recognized by all; and they will see the terrible vengeance that God will bring on the evil ones who tyrannized, oppressed, and tormented them in this world. The evil ones will be convicted by the witness of their own consciences, and shall be made immortal-- but only to be tormented in the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. In contrast, the faithful and elect will be crowned with glory and honor. The Son of God will "confess their names" before God his Father and the holy and elect angels; all tears will be "wiped from their eyes"; and their cause-- at present condemned as heretical and evil by many judges and civil officers-- will be acknowledged as the "cause of the Son of God." And as a gracious reward the Lord will make them possess a glory such as the heart of man could never imagine. So we look forward to that great day with longing in order to enjoy fully the promises of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Mending Bruised Reeds

One of the marks of a Christian is confession of sin. Because we know that there is now no condemnation for us (Romans 8 ) and that when we sin, we have an advocate with the Father (I John 2) we can go before the throne of grace for the forgiveness of sin again and again without deceit and without fear.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1)

The question I think we should ponder, is how willing are we to receive other sinners when they actually are humble and transparent enough to admit they've fallen? What do we do when someone admits fault? Do we point them to their navels, or to Jesus, who is faithful to forgive and has cast all our sins into the sea of His forgetfulness?

 Lord assist us by your grace to mend bruised reeds

and help us to move forward in love because you have first loved us.

"...and such were some of you, *but..."

"...and such were some of you, but..."

"Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. ***And some of you used to be like this. ***But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." ~I Corinthians 6

Two things stand out to me.

1. Because we were this way, we ought to have empathy for those who are failing and struggling in these areas. Regardless of our pet sins, we all have dark histories that have dishonored God and degraded His image.

2. The fact that we are no longer these types of sinners, is not that we no longer sin. We are at once justified and sinners (simul justus et peccator) according to the same Apostle who penned I Corinthians. (See Romans 7.) We are no longer identified by our sins, *because we are identified in Christ, and by what has been performed by our Triune God.

So, during Gay-pride month, remember to love your neighbor, and to give thanks to God Who does marvelous things for all kinds of sinners, like you and me. Point to the Father, Who sent His Son to redeem us; to the sinner's Savior, Jesus Christ, who bore all our shame and guilt; to the Spirit, sent to live in us and change our course in this life, so that we can enjoy fellowship with Him and one another forever. #Gay #gaypride2021 By way of help, I have a great resource from John Fonville for those who have struggled and failed in the area of sexual behavior/lusts, whether homosexual or heterosexual. If you have not already, listen to this series, "Do You Not Know...?" I guarantee you'll find hope and healing here. If you've listened and are blessed by this series on a personal level, please message me. I am assisting John with a project related to this series. This is part 1/9. Listen to all 9! https://www.paramountchurch.com/sermons/sermon/2012-06-17/do-you-not-know-part-1?fbclid=IwAR2LNDuzjsmMxZkOUmQiEHcka-vUTFUFz-lQfcEAQOgcAgpVAPTlSOdWhi0

#LawGospelDistinction

It is vitally important to understand that while the Law of the Lord is good, it is command. It is what God demands. There is no mercy involved. Do it and live. Break it and die. By contrast, the Gospel is all grace and mercy. It is what God has provided for us, outside of us in Christ. Only the Gospel is "the power of God unto salvation." That is *never said of the Law. #LawGospelDistinction

To view my Facebook album on Law/Gospel distinction, go to https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=MarissaNMark&set=a.10219042789084318

Christians Who Sin... and Sin Wickedly

Sometimes Christians sin... and sin wickedly. Sometimes we fail in the struggle with our flesh

and look like our pagan neighbors. We love sin and hold on to it with white knuckles like Gollum with his "precious". When we do that, we destroy our own lives and tarnish the reputation of the church, but it does happen. Sometimes we can be very slow to repent... And it takes even longer if we fail to understand the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Then our propensity is to hide in fig leaves because of slavish fear. As Walter Marshall puts it, we have a "secret suspicion that God is really our enemy." We think that we have trusted Christ as Savior, but the Father is an angry tyrant, and we are very slow to return to our God. And why would we, given our misperception?

But there is a God Who paved the way from eternity past to be in loving fellowship with us through Jesus our Substitute, Mediator, and Advocate. He is longsuffering, patient, kind, and moved with compassion. "He remembers that we are dust." And He draws us with cords of love. We return when His Spirit sheds His love abroad in our hearts; when we begin to understand that His love for us really is greater than all our shame, and greater than the wrath we deserve. It is only then that we begin to desire Him in return, and can live at rest instead of running in vain; instead of clinging to that which destroys. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A21%3B+1+Timothy+2%3A5%3B+I+John+2%3A1%3B+Psalm+103%3A12-14%3B+Hosea+11%3A4&version=RSV

Old Covenant Offerings: Shadows of Christ's Sacrifice For Us

On the Emmaus Road, Jesus discloses to the Disciples how Christ fulfilled the Old Testament types and shadows. 

..."These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Luke 24:44

So, how does Jesus fulfill the sacrificial system in the Old Covenant? In Nancy Guthrie's book The

Lamb of God, she provides rich insight. Here is some of the material she covers with regard to the Levitical sacrifices and Jesus' fulfillment.

🐑 Burnt offering (Propitiation/satisfying God's wrath (Leviticus 1 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+1&version=HCSB):

~1 Peter 1:18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.

~Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.

🌾 Grain offering (Dedication: Leviticus 2 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+2&version=HCSB):

~John 6:48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

🕊️ Peace offering (Fellowship: Leviticus 3 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+3&version=HCSB):

~Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. 14 For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh,

💦 Sin offering (Purification: Leviticus 4&5 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+4-5&version=HCSB):

~Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

~Hebrews 13:11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify[a] the people by His own blood.

😔 Guilt offering (Restitution: Leviticus 5&6 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+5-6&version=HCSB):

~Isaiah 53:10 Yet the Lord was pleased to crush Him severely.

When You make Him a restitution offering,

He will see His seed, He will prolong His days,

and by His hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished.

~Philippians 3:9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift in the person of The Beloved Son, the Lamb of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the Righteous!

What is Necessary for A Christian to Believe? (Heidelberg 22, 23)

 What is Necessary for A Christian to Believe? 

In an evangelical culture where there is a veritable buffet of options and variations of institutions and individuals who profess Christianity, it is vitally important to understand and know what Christians believe and have believed from the beginning. So, what exactly are "The Essentials"? And

What, then, must a Christian believe?

All that is promised us in the gospel, 1

which the articles of our

catholic and undoubted Christian faith

teach us in a summary.

1.Mt 28:19; Jn 20:30, 31.

What are these articles?

1. I believe in God the Father almighty,

Creator of heaven and earth.

2. I believe in Jesus Christ,

his only-begotten Son, our Lord;

3. he was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary;

4. suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

he descended into hell.

5. On the third day he arose from the dead;

6. he ascended into heaven,

and sits at the right hand

of God the Father almighty;

7. from there he will come to judge

the living and the dead.

8. I believe in the Holy Spirit;

9. I believe a holy catholic Christian church,

the communion of saints;

10. the forgiveness of sins;

11. the resurrection of the body;

12. and the life everlasting.

Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 22, 23. The Apostles Creed (AD 390) See also: Sermon: Served to Serve, 4; Paramount Church: John Fonville https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IkNr5eIvRs&ab_channel=ParamountChurch

Only One

 

There is only one Gospel that is the power of God unto salvation. It is Christ's work. Full stop. That is a hill to die on.

See Galatians 1:6-9 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+1%3A6-9&version=HCSB

What Is The Gospel?~Zacharius Ursinus:

"The term gospel signifies, 1. A joyful message, or good news. 2. The sacrifice which is offered to God for this good news. 3. The reward which is given to him who announces these joyful tidings. Here it signifies the doctrine, or joyful news of Christ manifested in the flesh; as “behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2: 10, 11.)

...The gospel is, therefore, the doctrine which the Son of God, our Mediator, revealed from heaven in Paradise, immediately after the fall, and which he brought from the bosom of the Eternal Father; which promises, and announces, in view of the free grace and mercy of God, to all those that repent and believe, deliverance from sin, death, condemnation, and the wrath of God; which is the same thing as to say that it promises and proclaims the remission of sin, salvation, and eternal life, by and for the sake of the Son of God, the Mediator; and is that through which the Holy Spirit works effectually in the hearts of the faithful, kindling and exciting in them, faith, repentance, and the beginning of eternal life. ...the doctrine which God revealed first in Paradise, and afterwards published by the Patriarchs and Prophets, which he was pleased to represent by the shadows of sacrifices, and the other ceremonies of the law, and which he has accomplished by his only begotten Son; teaching that the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; which is to say that he is a perfect Mediator, satisfying for the sins of the human race, restoring righteousness and eternal life to all those who by a true faith are ingrafted into him, and embrace his benefits." So, the Gospel is a precise thing. More specifically, it is particular news. Good news that is announced to us by Christ, Himself, though the means of preaching. It does not depend on the person in need of it. It is all Christ and what He has accomplished for us and for our salvation. There is only one Gospel: "...Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
4 that He was buried,
that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures..." (I Corinthians 15:3-4).

See also: Faith Comes from Hearing with

John Fonville

/

Paramount Church

: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxpfwPHv2P8 Sermon begins around min. 32.

What is the Covenant of Works?

The Covenant of Works (Adamic Covenant):

Westminster Confession:

7:II: The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works,b wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to his posterity,c upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.d

b Gal. 3:12.

c Rom. 10:5, Rom. 5:12-20.

d Gen. 2:17; Gal. 3:10.

The Covenant of Works Distinguished from the Covenant of Grace:

7:III. Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second,e commonly called the Covenant of Grace: whereby he freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved;f and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto life his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe.g

e Gal. 3:21; Rom. 8:3; Rom. 3:20,21; Gen. 3:15; Isa. 42:6.

f Mark 16:15,16; John 3:16; Rom. 10:6,9; Gal. 3:11.

g Ezek. 36:26,27; John 6:44,45.

7:IV. This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in the scripture by the name of a Testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ the testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed.h

h Heb. 9:15-17; Heb. 7:22; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25.

Resources on the CoW: https://heidelblog.net/category/covenant-of-works-2/

Was the Covenant of Works Gracious? https://heidelblog.net/2009/11/was-the-covenant-of-works-gracious/

The Mosaic Covenant (Republication of The Covenant of Works):

https://heidelblog.net/tag/republication-of-the-covenant-of-works/

The Whole Package

So many Christians live with anxiety about what they are doing, and how God is relating to them. Listen. Everything that is needed for salvation is provided by our Triune God. Repentance, Faith, Obedience, Justification, Sanctification, Glorification, the whole package of salvation

is provided *for us. He gives.We receive. Even the works we do (which are gift, not meritorious) were determined before the world's foundation (Eph 2:10).

The Westminster Shorter Catechism provides us with so much comfort, as we read Who it is that is the primary Actor from start to finish...

Westminster Shorter:

Question 87. What is repentance unto life?

Answer: Repentance unto life is a saving ***grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.

Question 33: What is justification?

Answer: Justification is an act of God’s free ***grace, wherein He pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

Question 35 - What is sanctification?

Answer: Sanctification is the work of God's free ***grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness. Such good news! The whole package of salvation is ours. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. ~Ephesians 2:8-9

From Rags to Righteous

School children in this country used to learn the alphabet by repeating for the letter "A": In Adam's fall sinned we all." All have sinned and are sinners. But it is abundantly evident that Jesus relates differently to sinners who recognize their sinfulness, and those who have no clue.

There is not a shred of goodness we can produce that undoes what we are by nature or can earn a right standing with Him. In fact, they are *all filthy rags (Isaiah 6:46). The problem with the Pharisees, and even at times His followers who err, is that they are looking inward to achieve merit and favor with God and man. It will never work. Attempts at attaining His favor are exactly what He rejects. Resting in His merit is exactly what He desires and works in His people.

Matthew 7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, *didn’t *we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and *do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

Luke 7:37 And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume...44 Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. 47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Rest from your labors. He has said, "It is finished". It is in Him that our filthy rags are replaced

with robes of righteousness. That is Good News!

No Other Gospel

 It is very alarming that certain men are so revered that they actually and ironically end up elevated to a Pope-like status. There is no man that is infallible, and the best Gospel preachers I know would heartily agree with that.

It is sad that criticism of these teachers is almost always dismissed as taking a quote or idea out of context instead of honestly assessing what is being said.

There is no misrepresenting the gospel that should be dismissed or excused. It is a life or death issue. There is only one Gospel. No variation will do. So, we have to make sure we have it right and not be afraid to speak out when someone toys with it, even when the one doing so is well-known as a faithful

Bible teacher/preacher.

" I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ." ~Galatians 1:6-7

"Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" ~I Cor 15:1-4

See also: No other Gospel: sermon series by John Fonville: https://www.paramountchurch.com/sermons/sermon/2008-11-09/no-other-gospel-part-1

Change

 

"Can a leopard change its spots?" The prophet's question has an obvious answer.  Like a leopard, we are unable to

change who and what we are. We rely on God's monergistic work for us and in us to produce true and lasting change. First, He provides salvation outside of us by the redeeming and justifying work of Christ, in His life, lived obediently in our place and His substitutionary death for our sins. Then He calls us to Himself by the Spirit through the preaching of the Gospel, and we are regenerated as spiritual life is breathed into us. We are then sanctified in a lifelong process whereby we are changed from the inside out. This sanctification is not something we do to ourselves, but as the Divines state, it is the "work of God's free grace..." (Westminster Shorter Catechism 35). We are not totally transformed or conformed to the image of Christ instantaneously but in the course of a lifetime of hearing the Word and receiving the sacraments. Then, at last, He glorifies us, just as He glorified the Son because He conquered sin and death by His life, death, and resurrection. All of this work is God's redeeming grace. And all glory is due to His name for what He has worked for us, accomplished in place of us, is performing in us, and will perfect within and outside of us. Salvation...the whole package is of the Lord. 

"I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." ~Philippians 1:6

Resources on this topic: 

*The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification: Walter Marshall: https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Mystery-Sanctification-Walter-Marshall-ebook/dp/B004G08XRW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=15G7AQ5AB4KMS&dchild=1&keywords=the+gospel+mystery+of+sanctification+by+walter+marshall&qid=1618939249&sprefix=the+gospel+mystery+of+%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-3

*The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification: John Fonville: Sermon Series: https://www.paramountchurch.com/sermons/series/the-gospel-mystery-of-sanctification

Peace To You

Jesus' first words to His disciples after the resurrection... That is after He had been abandoned and denied by all of them...

John 20:

19 In the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because of their fear of the Jews. Then Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”

20 Having said this, He showed them His hands and His side. So the disciples rejoiced when they

saw the Lord.

21 Jesus said to them again, *“Peace to you!..." But how is it that rebels and cowards have peace with God?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced because of our transgressions,

crushed because of our iniquities;

punishment for our *peace was on Him...

Luke 2:

8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before[e] them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.[f] 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:11 Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.”

13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

14 Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and *peace on earth to people He favors!

Romans 4:25 He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have *peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

How Does the Law of God Apply to the Believer?

 

Matthew 22: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”[a] 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.[b] 38 This is the greatest and most important[c] command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend[e] on these two commands.”

How does the Law apply to those in Christ? Here is a resource list on this topic: 

1. Heidelberg Catechism on the Law: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/2.html
2. Heidelberg Catechism on the Law: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/34.html **through** http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/44.html

3. The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification (Marshall): https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Mystery-Sanctification-Walter-Marshall-ebook/dp/B004G08XRW/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the%20gospel%20mystery%20of%20sanctification%3B%20bruce%20mcrae&qid=1617290480&s=books&sr=1-1&fbclid=IwAR1MKzZ883cIB8rCCHFEo69O1GCC-Gzzts-vGdVix51iAuNtxDgn6nFfGB8
4. Sermon series by John Fonville: The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification (Marshall): https://www.paramountchurch.com/sermons/series/the-gospel-mystery-of-sanctification?fbclid=IwAR3fKC1Q3qkb0Gabrp5GJ05Lq_hDEGVDva_t_-NTLtuBVs7I_cTukSolSu0
5. Law as a rule of life: https://heidelblog.net/2021/02/boston-believers-are-not-under-the-moral-law-as-a-covenant-of-works-but-as-a-rule-of-life/