"O my soul, you have said to the LORD, 'You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.'" (Psalm 16:2)
I read our text this morning and chuckled at the understatement of it, our pathetic attempts at "goodness," our comparing ourselves with one another, not just in the world, but also in the Christian Community; and all this in the light of the Goodness of Jesus Christ-- "No one is good except God alone" (NASB). It is a never ending striving among men and cultures to show just how much better one is than others.
You have heard, I am sure, the statement made by so many religion-pursuing people, "Oh, I just live by the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount." Right. Somehow they have the delusion that this is possible. It is not, not for me, not for you, for any human who ever walked this planet. We can only walk in His Words, when we walk in, "The Word of God," Who is Jesus Christ. "No one is good except God alone," and the sooner man realizes this, the sooner revival will come, not a revival of, "look what we prayed in," or a revival of feel good religion, but the revival which brings men to repentance, a repentance which acknowledges, "My goodness is nothing apart from You," a repentance preceded by, "the sorrow that is according to the will of God,..a repentance without regret, leading to salvation."
Holy Spirit Baptized praying, preaching, will bring Holy Spirit repentance --- and revival. In this alone will the world be brought to its knees, bewailing its sin, its arrogance, "and sinners be converted and Thy Name glorified." Only then will man be able to say in the depths of reality, not in some religious spirit, "You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You."
Father, in Jesus' Name, what else can I say? Amen.
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News, Commentary: www.apf327.blogspot.com
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
I read our text this morning and chuckled at the understatement of it, our pathetic attempts at "goodness," our comparing ourselves with one another, not just in the world, but also in the Christian Community; and all this in the light of the Goodness of Jesus Christ-- "No one is good except God alone" (NASB). It is a never ending striving among men and cultures to show just how much better one is than others.
You have heard, I am sure, the statement made by so many religion-pursuing people, "Oh, I just live by the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount." Right. Somehow they have the delusion that this is possible. It is not, not for me, not for you, for any human who ever walked this planet. We can only walk in His Words, when we walk in, "The Word of God," Who is Jesus Christ. "No one is good except God alone," and the sooner man realizes this, the sooner revival will come, not a revival of, "look what we prayed in," or a revival of feel good religion, but the revival which brings men to repentance, a repentance which acknowledges, "My goodness is nothing apart from You," a repentance preceded by, "the sorrow that is according to the will of God,..a repentance without regret, leading to salvation."
Holy Spirit Baptized praying, preaching, will bring Holy Spirit repentance --- and revival. In this alone will the world be brought to its knees, bewailing its sin, its arrogance, "and sinners be converted and Thy Name glorified." Only then will man be able to say in the depths of reality, not in some religious spirit, "You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You."
Father, in Jesus' Name, what else can I say? Amen.
***********************************
News, Commentary: www.apf327.blogspot.com
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
