MAKING DECISIONS IN THE NEW YEAR

I ran across this article recently and I thought it contained some excellent advice. Consequently, I am sharing some of it with you. John MacArthur offers us seven principles for making good decisions in the New Year.

         Will it benefit me spiritually?

All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify (1 Cor. 10:23).

• Will it bring bondage?

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Cor. 6:12).

• Will it defile God’s temple?

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

• Will it cause anyone to stumble?

Food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak (1 Cor. 8:8-9).

• Will it further the cause of evangelism?

Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved (1 Cor. 10:32-33).

• Will it violate my conscience?

He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).

• Will it bring glory to God?

Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

That verse is clearly both the summary and the goal of all the principles listed above. Isn’t our heart’s cry to glorify our Lord and Savior with our lives? Think about your decision—Will He be glorified, honored, and praised through it? May we say along with Jesus, “I glorified You on the earth” (John 17:4).

So the next time you face a decision where Scripture is less than specific or overt, run it through the principles above and enjoy your freedom in Christ. Happy New Year from Grace to You! (The excerpts above are from John MacArthur’s article “Decision Making to the Glory of God”, 2010. If you wish to read the complete article, click on GRACE TO YOU.)

 

 

 

MAKING THE BEST USE OF TIME

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV)

Another year comes to an end. Wednesday night at 12:00 a.m. a New Year begins. It is an unfortunate attribute of aging that time seems to go by faster and faster. The clock and calendar seem to have wings. Time is short and there are so many responsibilities to perform that we often neglect our spiritual essentials.

The welfare of our souls in this life depends on using our time wisely. Time is precious, “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14 ESV) We too, need time and fellowship with our Father. (Luke 2:49 ESV) We have a short time to prepare for eternity.

A NEW SOUL

G. K. Chesterton:

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.

 

CHRIST IS YET TO COME AGAIN

J. C. Ryle:

Christ is yet to come again. The Great High Priest is yet to come forth from the holy of holies, to bless all the people who have believed on Him. One part of His work He did when He died upon the cross; another part of His work He is still doing, interceding for us at God’s right hand. But the third part of the High Priest’s office remains yet to be done. He has yet to come forth from the holy of holies, as the high priest did upon the day of atonement, to come forth from within the veil to bless the people. That part of Christ’s work is yet to come. He is now gone into Heaven itself, He is within the holy of holies: He is gone behind the veil. But our Great High Priest – a greater one than Aaron’s – shall yet come forth one day. He shall come in power and great glory. He shall come as He left the world, when He went up in the clouds of heaven. He shall come to gather from the north and from the south, from the east and from the west, all who have loved His name and confessed Him before men, all who have heard His voice and followed Him. He shall gather them together into one happy company. There shall be no more weakness, and no more sorrow, no more parting, and no more separation, no more sickness, and no more death, no more disputing, and no more controversy, no more fighting with the world, the flesh, and devil, and, best of all, no more sin. That day shall be a happy day indeed, when the High Priest comes forth to do the third, last part of His work – to bless His believing people.

SOLOMON

Charles H. Spurgeon:

“It is worthwhile to listen to what Solomon has to say…and to listen carefully to what so experienced a man as Solomon has to say to young men. But I must remind you that a greater than Solomon is here, for the Spirit of God inspired the Proverbs! They are not merely jewels from earthly mines, but they are also precious treasures from the heavenly hills, so that the advice we have, here, is not only the counsel of a wise man, but the advice of that Incarnate Wisdom who speaks to us out of the Word of God! Would you become the sons of wisdom? Come and sit at the feet of Solomon! Would you become spiritually wise? Come and hear what the Spirit of God has to say by the mouth of this wise man!” (1895, Sermon #2406)

A HEART OF STONE

Augustine:

Can we possibly, without utter absurdity, maintain that there first existed in anyone the good virtue of a good will, to entitle him to the removal of his heart of stone? How can we say this, when all the time this heart of stone itself signifies precisely a will of the hardest kind, a will that is absolutely inflexible against God? For if a good will comes first, there is obviously no longer a heart of stone.

FULFILLING WHAT THE WORLD LACKED

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. (Isaiah 9:2 ESV)

Dr. John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York:

Up to the time that God took upon himself our human nature and was born of Mary, and entered into, and anointed, flesh and blood – “He was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary” – the world had lacked a human being perfect in holiness, distinguished in wisdom which inherent righteousness can bring to humanity. A child pre-eminent in love, compassion and forgiveness revealing the fatherhood of God. Humanity did not need a new religion; it needed a Divine presence in human flesh. …

God, in Jesus Christ came to save – not to judge. He lived in our unloving world, exiled from its Creator, for as long as we allowed him to. In the end, it wasn’t that Jesus rejected us because of all our failings, faults and a refusal to change, but that we rejected him. …

At the birth of Jesus Christ the world began to live a new life. Religious beliefs were translated out of words into humanity, life and spirit, out of the intellect into the simple impulses of the soul: “A child has been born for us, a Son given to us.”

And this Son’s character is “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6b). Yes! His rule is characterized by everlasting justice and righteousness …

As followers of the Prince of Peace we are to be peace-makers rather than peace-lovers, and this is a challenging calling, but it is what we must be if we are to be true followers of Jesus Christ.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light: those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined … for a child has been born for us, a son given to us…” (Isaiah 9:2, 6).

The details of the new-born child in the manger and the visit of the shepherds emphasize the simple human aspects of Jesus, while the angelic song shows us the divine purpose to be achieved through him.

God works through human agents to achieve his purposes. So let us feed those who hunger with the Bread come down from heaven. Let us give shelter to the homeless with him who could find no room in the inn. Let us welcome him into the inn of our lives, so we might be fully alive, fully human again.  Amen. (Excerpts from Christmas Sermon, 2012)

CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

R. C. Sproul:

I can’t think of anything more pleasing to Christ than the church celebrating his birthday every year. Keep in mind that the whole principle of annual festival and celebration is deeply rooted in ancient Jewish tradition. In the Old Testament, for example, there were times when God emphatically commanded the people to remember certain events with annual celebrations. While the New Testament doesn’t require that we celebrate Christmas every year, I certainly see nothing wrong with the church’s entering into this joyous time of celebrating the Incarnation, which is the dividing point of all human history. (Ligonier.org)

JESUS OR HEROD?

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, (Matthew 2:1-5 ESV)

In Matthew’s second chapter, we see that Jesus’ birth creates a conflict about who is King. It was in the time period of the reign of Herod the Great. Herod endowed his realm with massive fortresses and splendid cities, as well as a new Temple.

Herod the Great also used his office to glorify himself. He considered himself to be the protector of Israel from the gentiles. He believed the key to saving Israel was through politics and absolute rule. Many people today still believe in the government as savior. The true savior, however, willingly dies upon the cross to reconcile us to God. Herod gives glory to himself. Jesus gives all the glory to God.

GOD WITH US

Octavius Winslow:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:23 ESV)

Immanuel is God with us. We here ascend infinitely above the human. It is not merely an angel that is with us – a man that is with us; it is Deity who is with us, none less than Jehovah Himself, Israel’s covenant God and Keeper. We cannot do with anything short of Deity. If Deity does not come to our aid, if Deity does not stoop to our low estate, if Deity does not save us, we are lost to all eternity. When we fell in the first Adam, our humanity lost all its original righteousness and strength. If Deity did not interpose on our behalf, if God did not Himself embark in our rescue, the inevitable consequence must have been the shades of endless death. But a plan of deliverance had been conceived from everlasting. God, in the infinite counsels of His own mind, resolved upon the salvation of His eternally chosen and loved people. He saw that there was no eye to pity them, and no arm to save them. He resolved upon our salvation, embarked in it, accomplished it; and eternity, as it rolls upon its axis, will magnify His name, and show forth His praise. (The Works of Octavius Winslow)

GOD WITH US

John MacArthur:

“If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: ‘God with us.’ We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!”

STRONG OLD DOCTRINES

Charles H. Spurgeon:

It is no novelty, then, that I am-preaching; no new doctrine. I love to proclaim these strong old doctrines, which are called by nickname Calvinism, but which are surely and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus. By this truth I make a pilgrimage into the past, and as I go, I see father after father, confessor after confessor, martyr after martyr, standing up to shake hands with me. Were I a Pelagian, or a believer in the doctrine of free-will, I should have to walk for centuries all alone. Here and there a heretic of no very honorable character might rise up and call me brother. But taking these things to be the standard of my faith, I see the land of the ancients peopled with my brethren. I behold multitudes who confess the same as I do, and acknowledge that this is the religion of God’s own church. (From a sermon entitled, “Election”)

CRITICISM

Jonathan Edwards:

“Be advised to consider what others say of you and improve it to this end, to know whether you do not live in some way of sin…And though the imputation may seem to us to be very groundless and we think that they, in charging us so, are influenced by no good spirit; yet if we act prudently, we shall take so much notice of it as to make an occasion of examining ourselves … it is most imprudent as well as most unchristian, to take it amiss, and resent it, when we are thus told of our faults: we should rather rejoice in it, that we are shown our spots … we should improve what our enemies say of us. If they from an ill spirit reproach and revile us to our faces, we should consider it, so far as to reflect inward upon ourselves and inquire whether it not be so, as they charge us … they are likely to fix on real faults, they are likely to fall upon us where we are weakest and most defective.” (“The Necessity of Self Examination”)

CRAZY ABOUT CHRISTMAS?

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:13-14 ESV)

Do you know someone who is crazy about Christmas? I bet you do. Many Americans have lost their ability to think rationally when it comes to Christmas. Materialism is rampant everywhere during this season of the year. How else would you explain 200 – 300 people waiting outside a store at 4:00 AM in the freezing cold for an early opening sale? Once the doors are open, the scene is like finding yourself in the middle of a reindeer stampede. The shoppers push and trample over anything or anyone in their way. They sometimes grab items out of other shoppers’ hands or carts and curses proliferate from their mouths.

Christmas revelers go to great lengths in order to decorate their homes with all the familiar symbols of a secular Christmas. They turn their front yards into extravagant light shows to attract attention and win the approval of others. Then, they borrow money to pay for it all. Their goal is to live a crazy fantasy for a short time each year which, in reality, has nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas. The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is particularly a story of love. Christmas is all about love; a love that restores our relationship with God.

AFRAID OF FALLING?

Bishop J. C. Ryle:

In the next place, I would cheer those readers who have walked in the way of God, and yet are afraid of falling. Why should you be afraid? What should make you fear? What should make you suppose that you shall ever be allowed to fall away, while Jesus Christ lives at the right hand of God to make intercession for you? All the power of the Lord Jesus Christ is pledged upon your behalf. He has undertaken to care for all the flock that God the Father has committed into His hand. He will care for it. He has cared for it. He went to the cross for it. He died for it. He is ever at the right hand of God, and has not ceased to care for it. Every member of that flock–the weakest, the feeblest member of that flock–is equally dear to the Lord and Savior, and none shall pluck the least of Christ’s sheep out of God’s hand. Can you stop the tides of the sea, and make them not rise at your command? Can you make the waters stay when the tide begins to fall? Can you prevent the sun in heaven going down in the west, or prevent the same sun from rising tomorrow morning in the east? You cannot do it: the thing is impossible And all the power of devils, all the power of the world, and all the enemies of the Christian, shall not be able to pluck out of the hand of Jesus Christ one single soul who has been brought by the Spirit’s teaching to true union with Christ, and for whom Jesus Christ intercedes. The days of Christ’s weakness have passed away. He was “crucified through weakness,” and was weak on our account when He went to the cross. The days of His weakness are over: the days of His power have begun. Pilate shall no more condemn Him: He shall come to condemn Pilate. All power is His in heaven and earth, and all that power is engaged on behalf of His believing people.