Millennials and the Collision of Worldviews

In the 1940s, many young Americans lied about their age to join the armed forces in the fight for freedom, understanding that loss of the war would mean an end to their liberty. They were willing to risk everything, including their lives, to preserve this liberty for future generations. In the face of fear, they stood and triumphed and returned home as heroes, many in caskets draped with the American flag. Some of these men are alive today, and when they hear the national anthem, they lift their weak, feeble bodies in respect of the men and women who sacrificed themselves for freedom. They came home to become husbands, fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers, sacrificing more of themselves for their families as they believed the only things they were entitled to were those things for which they worked. It was a generation that believed that fear must not cripple a people but, rather, compel them to persevere in spite of it. It was also a generation that learned what every generation before has had to learn: that when worldviews collide, the results are tragic, even if their side is victorious.

On Wednesday, the day after the election, I woke up and was exasperated when I read several articles showcasing how a particular demographic (a majority of them millennials) responded to the results of the election. To be honest, I am surprised at the level of desperation many are succumbing to in an attempt to reverse the election results, and it only further demonstrates why the millennials are perceived among society as a generation that lacks credibility and rationality. In this culture that we have all helped to mold in some way or another, losing is simply not an option to them. Don’t believe me? Turn on the news.

Some want Hillary Clinton to sue the United States of America because their candidate did not win. Never mind the fact that one cannot contest a free, fair, democratic election by suing the country that allows you to have a free, fair, democratic election because the results of that free, fair, democratic election did not go your way. Others have signed a petition to try to overturn the results by pressuring the electoral college to ignore the landslide victory and trot off to Washington in opposition to the American people because their candidate did not win. The fact that this would most likely ignite a war within our country aside, our government, which was so ingeniously designed, functions the way it does to protect us from the tyranny of the majority (mob-rule)—the very reason why we do not elect our presidents directly by popular vote but by the votes of our electoral representatives. You are free to not like this process and you are free to complain about it. You’re also free to petition, but you cannot expect nor demand that the petition overturn a democratic election that did not go your way.

There are also the preposterous conclusions many are coming to because their personal political ideology was, to them, shockingly rejected. Racism, bigotry, misogyny, sexism, white supremacy, etc., have all been to blame because this generation cannot possibly conceive that their supposedly tolerant, inclusive values could be rejected, so they resort to becoming intolerant and exclusive of those who oppose them. How dare a people they continuously and relentlessly characterize as bigoted, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, sexist, and whatever else reject the exact message that fueled those labels in the first place.

The “love trumps hate” slogan was apparently thrown out the window about a millisecond after their candidate lost as social media feeds erupted with the call to assassinate someone who won a free, fair, democratic election. Evidently, love only trumps hate until your candidate loses, wherein your feelings of being offended and upset at the outcome can call for the literal killing of the winner because “it’s not fair”… in a free, fair, democratic election. As social media has been quick to point out, perhaps the “everyone gets a trophy” idea has had some incredibly devastating consequences.

But there’s more. Colleges have created help centers for students who need to cope with election day anxiety and, subsequently, election day results. Some professors needed a day to cope, so they called off classes to “deal.” Many college atmospheres have pretty much turned into an adult daycare center, complete with sidewalk chalk and “safe zones.” This is a far cry from the generation at the introduction of this post, the ones who lived through two world wars and The Great Depression. It’s also a far cry from many of their parents who lived through the actual assassination of John F. Kennedy, Vietnam, and other stress and anxiety causing events. And yet while those generations triumphed in incredible ways, many of them missed something of greater significance. While 60’s and 70’s saw the Sexual Revolution and Vietnam, this generation brings the LGBTQ, “tolerance,” and political correctness (among various other things). But one thing is evident in all of these generations: worldviews collide and cannot live harmoniously with each other. Political ideology is one of the world’s solutions (“fix” things through the government), but society after society and generation after generation has had to deal with the failure of this solution since the beginning of humanity.

The results of the election are even being compared on social media to a horrific terrorist attack on American soil, and slogans such as “11/9 is the new 9/11″ have received several retweets and likes. According to this generation, their emotions as a result of this election are comparable or worse than the deaths of thousands of individuals in the direct attack and the subsequent wars. But I don’t blame them entirely; this type of extreme self-focus has been drilled into them since childhood through the media and education system. Interestingly enough, many of this generation were either not born or too young to remember 9/11, but I wasn’t. I was a junior in high school. I remember exactly where I was sitting when the announcement came on the loudspeaker to have the teachers turn on their televisions, and I remember how the rest of the day and week was filled with the constant replay of the sights of the twin towers crashing to the ground, sealing the fate of those inside. The names of the individuals who were murdered scrolled across the bottom of the screen as we watched the replay of the footage of the other areas that were under attack—not to mention watching people who jumped to their deaths out of windows to avoid being crushed by the weight of a building. And I remember watching our Commander-in-Chief refuse to apologize for being America but demand that those who were responsible receive justice.

We weren’t given chalk or safety pins or “safe places.” We didn’t get days off to “deal.” We were given lessons in life that taught us that things aren’t always fair, that we can’t always have our way. We learned to grow up and think as mature Americans (from a worldly perspective), that evil does, in fact, exist, and to push forward in spite of fear. We even thought that unity among incredibly polarizing ideologies is possible if we understand that we are all on the same vehicle and regardless of who is driving, neither of us really wants it to crash (well, except George Soros; yes, he probably wants it to crash). And yet this unity was just a facade that lasted mere weeks as opposing views once again collided and the War on Terror was the cause of even greater division.

What the last few days has proven to me as I try to digest the deepening divide in our country is that what has been ingrained in this generation since they were children is an absolute and absurd lie. It’s the false gospel of relativism that states that truth is up to each individual. Those encouraging that message, however, can’t seem to survive in the opposite and actual reality. That’s why they resort to rioting, because they can’t fathom that their version of the truth is wrong, that their entire worldview is on a foundation of sinking sand that will slowly but inevitably overtake them and be their ultimate demise if they remain in this delusion. So they demand that it be right by force, thus violating the supposed autonomy of those they are subjecting to their intimidation. See, if truth is relative, then your worldview is just as legitimate as that which is diametrically opposed to your worldview, so trying to enforce your worldview violently on those who differ just shows the irrationality and illegitimacy of your entire worldview.

But, praise God, truth is not subjective, it’s not relative; it’s objective. This objectivity proves that humans cannot possibly be autonomous but are subject to a higher moral authority, and our conscience bears witness to this fact. The biggest problem is that even though we are subject to this authority, we cannot obey this authority because we are inherently opposed and rebellious to this authority. This is why we try to rule ourselves and come up with all sorts of theories that try to hold onto our belief in autonomy while destroying ourselves in the process. Because there is objective truth, there is One who defines what that truth is—and He has. He has graciously shown us what that truth is, shows us the truth about ourselves and our absolute inability to conform to that truth, and gives us a way to be able to not only be conformed to that truth but also enjoy being conformed to that truth. He shows us our rebellion has its origin in the fall of Adam, that Adam’s sin nature is given to us and that our disobedience proves that nature exists. He, in His grace, shows us the depth of our depravity so we can understand that we are utterly unable to change ourselves, but must be changed from something outside of us. He shows Himself as the just and righteous and holy One who will not allow the wicked to go unpunished. He then, in His love, shows us the mercy of Christ who came in the flesh and interceded on our behalf to the Father, who took upon our flesh nature and paid the penalty of death we rightfully deserve. He teaches us that just as Adam’s sin was imputed (credited) to us and our sin imputed to Christ, Christ’s righteousness can amazingly be imputed to us and we can stand blameless before the Father in Him. He shows us that His wrath is just, and that Christ satisfied that wrath due to us so that we can become One with Him and adopted as sons and daughters. He shows us that Christ’s death was not the final act, but that He was raised for our justification, and now we, who were at enmity with God, can be made right with Him, that we can be brought near to Him by the blood of Christ.

I can write on my Facebook wall all day to “choose love, not hate,” but the reality is people love to hate. They love evil, they love violence, they love rioting, they love disobedience to authority. In short, I write to let this generation know that their worldview is entirely wrong. Yep, I said it. It’s wrong. I write this to let this generation know that they cannot “man up” by looking at previous generations and trying to imitate them, that they cannot “choose love” because they are inherently hateful, that they cannot stop the violence towards each other in and of themselves because violence is what their nature craves. And they cannot “be the change they want to see” because their thoughts are only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). But I also write this to let this generation know that true change only comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him uniting with you and giving you His Spirit who will turn your heart towards what pleases Him, which is to love Him above all, to love your neighbor as yourself, and to love His Bride, the Church. Through Him, you can grow up in the grace and knowledge of Him into true maturity. I write to urge you to repent of your sins, to turn to Christ and to learn, through the knowledge of Him, what “love” truly is, that God sent His Son into the world to be a propitiation for our sins so that through Him you can know Him, glorify Him, and enjoy Him forever. Do not be deceived by the schemes of this world or their definition of “love”—we see their version is a hundred miles wide and a millimeter deep, showcasing their true identity by their acts of hatred and violence.

The reality is that this generation is not at all different from the former generations. Did that surprise you? I hope it did. See, the generation in the introduction did a lot of things that were heroic, but they did those things with the same sin nature, a nature that ultimately was at enmity with God. Some perhaps received peace with God through His Son, but others did not and will suffer eternally. All generations have that same sin nature, and each has their own evidences of that (my parent’s generation brought us Roe v. Wade and the sexual revolution which has been absolutely detrimental to the American family, and our generation brings a false version of love and tolerance that does nothing but tie millstones around the necks of those who need to be redeemed). Each generation may figure out different ways to try to suppress the reality of sin but they cannot ultimately escape the consequences. They also cannot escape the reality that opposing worldviews only exist in two groups: that which believes the truth and those that do not. It’s either truth or error, right or wrong. It’s either Jesus or you lose your soul. All other worldviews are directly opposed to that one worldview, the biblical worldview that sees the world through the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ–and that is what this generation hates the most. Everything we see on the news are symptoms of the problem of sin and rebellion towards God; rioting is only further proof of this.

Repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Learn what it means to know Him and to love Him and from that to impact the world through the life-changing power of the gospel.

 

Depression and Joy Everlasting

It is nearly 24 hours after I heard of the news of the suicidal death of Robin Williams, who now joins a list of many famous individuals who have taken their own lives, such as Jonathan Brandis, Kurt Cobain, Virginia Woolf, Ray Combs, and Ernest Hemingway. As you can imagine, a social media frenzy erupted immediately as the news of Williams’ death flooded every media outlet, bringing with it an awakened sense of awareness in the area of mental health issues. However, there is still a sense of mystery when it comes to depression despite the thousands of articles and books written on the subject, a mystery easily revealed in the thousands upon thousands of comments, tweets, and status updates by well-meaning individuals who are experientially ignorant of its grips.

Interestingly enough, Williams’ death comes during a time of one of the bigger depression struggles I’ve had in the nearly 20 years I’ve battled it. For those of you who know me, yes, I was only 10 years old when I began this struggle, though it’s been somewhat off and on the last 5 years. I’ve spent countless hours laying around in dark rooms, staring off into nowhere, wishing the darkness would just swallow me up in black-hole fashion. This, of course, was attributed to laziness for years by well-meaning parents and punished accordingly, though I still could never understand why I just never had any desire to get out of bed most days. I desperately sought joy in myriad things, which eventually attributed to an addiction to pornography and prescription sleeping pills as well as self-harm through cutting, which seems antithetical to seeking joy, but those who have a history of cutting can tell you there is a twisted sense of pleasure in the act, a sort of controlled release followed by a cool, numb sensation. Yet these were all only temporal and proved to be empty, wasted effort, and in ignorance I was the dog returning to its vomit, seeking the satisfaction I craved in temporal things that would never (and could never) satisfy. The idea of suicide first came to me as an idle thought, yet entertained, it grew to dominate my mind. I thought of slow deaths like starvation and quicker ones like gunshots and pills, and I thought of what I would write and who I would write to, and yet I concluded the earth would still spin, the sun would still rise, seasons would still change, and lives would move forward.

Yet there remained a terror, a fear of what came after. I grew up with a belief in a god, in heaven, and in hell, but my thoughts about them were shaped by speculation rather than Scripture. This fear, though often paralyzing, was a wonderful grace given in such time of rebellion, as it resulted in me seeking help through hospitalization, psychiatric counseling, and medication; however, these, too, are only temporal as they address only temporal needs rather than eternal ones, a matter I will address in the latter part of this post. Fast-forward 11 years after my hospitalization, I am 29 years old, a born-again Christian who has been married for over 7 years, has a 5-year-old daughter, and lives two states away from where I grew up.

I will attempt to explain a little more about the years I skipped later, while addressing the misconceptions about depression from the numerous comments I’ve seen the last 24 hours. Every individual’s struggle is different, so I don’t believe this to be exhaustive by any means, but I hope the “awareness” this post will bring is that oftentimes depression can be difficult to explain, and nearly impossible to empathize without experience.

Depression and Sadness are Not Always Synonymous

“He looks sad in this picture.” That’s a comment I’ve seen today in regards to a recent picture of Robin Williams. While it is true that depression and sadness can look the same, they don’t feel the same. For instance, what I feel when I am depressed is not what I felt when my grandmother passed away, though I was sad for months over her death (pregnancy hormones probably contributed to the longevity of that sadness). Furthermore, not all sad looking people are depressed while many happy looking people are – it’s why we’re shocked when people commit suicide. How often have you heard phrases like “I wish I would’ve known he/she was struggling; I would’ve reached out!” when someone ends their life?

See, depression goes much deeper than sadness. I will attempt an analogy: Imagine a large but flat rock laying upon an ocean beach. During the day this rock lays in the warm sun, while at night it is swallowed by the tides, only to be exposed to the sun again the next day. This is much like sadness. There are times of joy and happiness, when the rock is exposed in the sun and the tide is out, and times of grief and despair, when the rock is smothered as the tide moves in. Yet, the cycle continues, the grief becomes easier to bear, and new joy is found in the morning. Now take that same rock and move it off shore about 50 yards into the ocean. The tide goes out and  and the tide comes back in, yet the water never gives way to the sun above. Though the rock may feel traces of the warm sun piercing through the surface of the water when the tide is out, it is quickly engulfed with the ever-approaching incoming tide. This is much like depression. Though depressed people may have small glimpses of joy, they are often drowned out by the darkness and heaviness of depression; it encapsulates them, suffocates them.

And the thing about it is this: most of them have no idea why this happens.

Depression Isn’t Always Caused By Outward Influences

I used the term “isn’t always” because I know short bouts of depression can be triggered by outside influences, such as death of a loved one or job loss, but this is not the case for everyone. My husband had a very deep bout of depression a little over a year ago. He was in the living room in our house back in Michigan, staying up all night to adjust for his upcoming night shift when he just suddenly experienced an engulfing and overwhelming sense of emptiness, like there was no point to life whatsoever and that nothing mattered. We had been married 6 years at the time, and I had never seen him like this. Nothing brought him joy (I’m talking earthly joy here), he didn’t eat much, and he would often just stare off into the distance for long periods of time. This only lasted a couple weeks, thankfully, but it was a very dark time for the both of us. I struggled with what to do because even though I have struggled with this for a majority of my life, I had no idea how to help him. And the same for me, there was nothing that “triggered” my first bout of depression, and there is nothing that “triggers” any that I have now. I don’t wake up in the morning thinking, “Today seems like a wondrous day to be depressed,” but often it takes hold of me at the most random moments, lasting from several days to several weeks to several months. And, in the same sense, I don’t “will” myself out of a depressive bout by deciding one day to be “happy” or to desire the things I once loved again. See, depression is much deeper than just not feeling like participating in certain activities I formerly loved. It’s more like, I have absolutely no desire to ever participate in them again (or at least it feels like it in the midst). And yet because people often have a common misconception about those who are depressed…

Depressed People Don’t “Just Want Attention”

This is an incredibly common misconception. No, people who fake being depressed for attention want attention. In my own experience the very last thing I want is attention from other people, though this may not be the healthiest of things. For those who are depressed, where there once was a desire to socialize (I can say this as an extrovert), it is replaced with the intense desire to seclude oneself in the confines of a dark room. The sound of the footsteps of a child running to embrace them and kiss them no longer brings waves of fervent merriment, but rather floods their hearts with apathy. And even the intimate touch of their spouse refuses to enthrall the senses, but rather evokes the want of immediate distance. Of course, oftentimes the result of this is a reality of distance from those they love, because they have absolutely no idea what to do for them. Which brings me to my next point…

Depressed People Do Not Want To Be Avoided

Let me try to explain this because it may seem slightly contrary to what we actually feel at times. Understand, first of all, that when people are depressed (again, I’m just stating from my experience), their desire for socialization and interaction with people may not be there, but their need still is. And no, they don’t need a plethora of people surrounding them trying to make them cheerful, making jokes to evoke a smile. This may have the opposite effect as they can end up dwelling on their lack of ability to be entertained even by the people they love, leading to further apathy. But what they do need is a genuinely caring person to perhaps sit with them, to help make a meal for their family or care for their children, or various other things. No, they may not want those things, but it can be what they need, especially since they don’t realize it. Which brings up another point to be cautious about…

Depressed People Don’t Always Want to Talk About Their Feelings

Nope, they don’t. In fact, talking about their “feelings” may make them dwell on them. They also can often feel vulnerable to those they open up to as well, making them feel like they are making them feel like others must walk on eggshells around them. This is not a want vs. need thing, either. They often don’t need to talk about their feelings, because quite honestly, it can be incredibly difficult to explain as they often don’t understand why they feel the way they do, and they especially don’t always want to talk about them, either. They often feel hopeless and helpless, and they can’t even explain those feelings to themselves let alone another person, but…

Depressed People, Including Christians, There Is Hope!

And yes, indeed, there is hope. As I said previously, it has been about 11 years since my hospitalization, which was back in the fall of 2003, shortly after I graduated high school. In the fall of 2005, I met the man I would marry in June of 2007, and in March of 2009, I would deliver our incredibly beautiful daughter, Elizabeth (“Ellie”). In the winter of 2010, I went into the deepest depression I have ever had. I spent nearly every night for months shut away from the world in my room in complete darkness. I remember constant strife between my husband and I because I had no idea what was happening to me, and I felt like the worst mother alive because I had absolutely no desire to be spending time with my daughter. I was utterly miserable and desperate for help, but had no idea how to find it. I remember pulling my husband to the side and begging him not to leave me alone because my thoughts were consumed with suicide constantly, from the moment I would wake up until I would eventually fall asleep. It was so intense that I was actually scared, and I remember one day even sitting with my husband’s shotgun in my hands, trembling in fear of what was going through my head.

Now, backtracking a bit, in the winter of 2001, I said “The Sinner’s Prayer” after attending a youth group at a local church. I knew more about God, but I didn’t actually know Him, or rather He didn’t know me as an adopted daughter, as it was found during this winter of 2010 episode that I was not an actual, converted Christian, but a false convert, though I want to stress that it wasn’t found out because of my depression, but during it. I had the SermonAudio app on my phone, and though I cannot exactly remember why I chose to look up Paul Washer, I did, and I saw a sermon entitled “The True Gospel” and decided to listen to it. It was revealed to me through the preaching of the Word that my drive to seek pleasure and joy in the things of this world was nothing short of idolatry; my affections were not turned towards the Creator of all things, but towards the things He, in His grace, had given me. As he continued to reveal my sin and my desperate need for a Savior, my eyes were open up to the truth of the gospel, and I repented of my sins, put my faith in Christ, and became the righteousness of God through Him and His atoning work on the Cross. It seemed immediately that my depression was gone, but one thing that was immediately gone was the intense desire to blow off my head.

But it wasn’t long afterwards that I discovered that my depression, indeed, was not gone, but something I believe that by the grace of God He is allowing in my life to be left in a state of dependence upon Him and His grace. So what I am not going to tell you, dear reader, is that becoming a Christian will make all your problems go away, even your depression. Now, I have many brothers- and sisters-in-Christ who have had this experience, but it is not mine. But here is what I will say: depression can often cause you to try to seek for joy in every temporal thing you can get our hand on. Maybe it’s alcohol, drugs, sex, pornography, money, fame, etc., but whatever it is, you will always be left wanting. The problem lies here: temporal things were never meant to bring eternal joy, and, quite frankly, they cannot. It is only something within the realm of eternity that can bring a joy that lasts for eternity, and the only One who is eternal is God who has revealed Himself through His Word and through His Son, Jesus Christ. He gives joy everlasting, and not a joy that is of this world, but of the world to come, and therein lies my hope.

As a Christian, it can be difficult to struggle with depression, especially when well-meaning but experientially ignorant brothers- and sisters-in-Christ end up bringing about a sense of guilt rather than appealing to the riches of the mercies of Christ and His grace for our future hope and joy that will be perfectly found in Him. And I have come to learn that if depression drives me to my knees in fervent prayer to think on things eternal and to be desperately dependent upon Him for my joy and hope in the world to come, then glory be to God that through His grace He has left it! That which consistently drives me to the God of grace and mercy is that which is good for my soul, for we are promised through the gospel that He works all things for the good of those who love Him, so that we may be more conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28). He is wise, and He is good, and in His goodness He has chosen to leave me with that which casts down my spirit in this world so that I may lift it up again unto the One in whom I will be ever-satisfied in eternity.

So Christian, find hope in the gospel of grace and mercy, knowing that you are found perfectly righteous in Him, have been sealed by His Spirit as a guarantee of your salvation, and have the promise that you will be perfectly sanctified in the world to come, where the sorrows and troubles of this world will be vanished by the greatness of His glory, to His name be the glory.

 

The Reward of His Suffering

A new video by Matt Papa. Everything donated to this cause will go to missions.

 

God’s Faithfulness Through Trials

Worth watching, just make sure you have Kleenex. This is a story about how God is faithful and good even when we’re confused or wondering what is going on through our trials.

 

The Wrath of God

‎”That God Himself poured out wrath on His own Son may seem either impossible or absurdly cruel to some when initially considered. After all, this hardly sounds like a loving God. Part of the reason this concept seems so strange is that many churches and much of what is considered to be Christianity have virtually eradicated the wrath of God from their teachings. Natural man never understands such deep doctrinal truths, nor properly appraises them (1 Cor. 2:14), because such a concept originates in the Person and mind of God – not in the mind of fallen man. The fact that God indeed does evoke holy wrath is quite often either purposely or ignorantly removed in Word-starved churches with watered-down doctrine, but it never has been erased from the Person of God or His Word – and that is all that matters.

“The wrath of God has properly been defined as His deep-seated burning anger against sin when contrasted with God’s perfect holiness. Scripture indicates the scope of God’s wrath is vastly broad and encompassing, as Romans 1;18 indicates: ‘For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man.’ This is a concept we should by no means pass over lightly; the wrath of God stands against ALL ungodliness and ALL unrighteousness. This includes our sinful thoughts and deeds: every one of them – our worst and even our smallest. In contrasting the spiritual standing of the saved and the unsaved, John wrote, ‘He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the WRATH OF GOD ABIDES ON HIM’ (John 3:36). John employed a present tense verb in the Greek; the abiding wrath is a continuous and perpetual condition that does not and cannot change by its own initiative. At this point the lost usually do not understand – or believe – that God’s wrath currently abides on them. Nevertheless it does. Unless this status is drastically altered through new life in Christ, the condition changes from positional abiding wrath to the experiential abiding wrath of God. In other words, the wrath that is already abiding but not manifested then becomes the experiential torture of their eternity, which they will most certainly know forever and ever.

“The wrath of God may involved a cataclysmic death of those on earth, but it does not end there. Death is not an escape from God’s wrath; on the contrary, those who were not saved during their earthly life enter into the eternal abiding and active wrath of God. Scripture supports this. For instance, after only the first six seals, the terrified lost of the Tribulation will cry out to the mountains and rocks in Revelation 6:16-17, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?’ Stated differently, the pouring out of God’s wrath is not just an event but rather an entrance into an eternal condition.”

– Greg Harris, The Darkness and the Glory

 

God Is Jealous For You!

“‘Has the nation changed gods when they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate,’ declares the Lord. ‘For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.'” (Jeremiah 2:11-13)

“A synonym for broken cistern could also be just simply an idol. Something that you are running to, something that you are going to, in replacement of Christ. Something that you as an individual or the church as a whole runs to… He’s basically saying this: ‘There’s never really been a case with a pagan people that have false gods that changed their false gods.’ I mean, there are pagans who would die before they would change their gods!’ And yet He says, ‘My people that have a true God, they have changed their glory for that which does not profit.’ Now he says this, ‘Be appalled at this, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate.’ I want you to know something, you know, you may think about, and rightfully so, that adultery is a terrible, terrible vile crime against God and against the body. That’s true. Murder is a vile thing. Lying, stealing, all these things against the law of God, they are are vile; God says they are an abomination to Him. But very rarely do we hear something like this: ‘Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, and be very desolate.’ He is calling all of heaven to attention and telling heaven to literally shudder at some sin that is so vile. What is it? When we go to anyone other than God to fill us. When we go to anything other than God to satisfy us. Now again, let me go back to this. My dear believer, listen to me: God is so jealous! Now I understand the way Hollywood puts it’s twist on that and the way media puts it’s twist on it and it’s just because they don’t understand the Scriptures. What that text means is that God loves you. He really, really loves you. And that He knows there is nothing good for you apart from Him. His jealousy is motivated by His love. He knows that the best thing you could ever do is to forsake absolutely everything to claim only Him. And it angers Him to see you thirsty; it angers Him to see you poor spiritually; it angers Him to see you hungry out of His love for you, His burning zeal for you. And therefore He cries out to you, ‘Turn to Me! Turn to Me!’ This is one of the great reasons for trials. This is one of the great reasons for all the maladies that are in our life. They are God’s strong wind to blow us to Him. And I say this all the time, if you study church history in times of persecution, you see a purified people. Why do you see a purified people? Because everything is taken away from them. Every prop and every help but God… But we live in a nation that has so many props and so many helps and so many salesman and so many things being offered to fill the people of God that we so easily turn away from Him. And we look for hope and joy and peace and life and power in so many things other than simply the Person of Jesus Christ and an intimate relationship with Him. And when we do, it is appalling. It is appalling…”

– Paul Washer

 

Part 4: The Holiness of God and the Existence of Hell

God’s Mercy and God’s Wrath Meet At the Cross

The final part of the series by Tim Challies.

 

The Patient Mercy of a Holy God

Part 3 of a great series by Tim Challies

 

Paul Washer on “Decisionism”

Jesus did not say that ‘the time [was] fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, now, who would like to pray and ask Me to come into their heart?’ But rather He said, ‘Repent and believe the gospel!’ And never forget throughout all the teaching of the New Testament and the Old, repentance is evidenced by fruits, by the way someone lives. Most people today believe they’re saved because they’re trusting in the sincerity of their decision and not the work of Christ nor the power of God in salvation.

‘Are you saved?’
‘Yes.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Well, three years ago I prayed a prayer and asked Jesus to come into my heart.’
‘Really? And how many others have done that?’

The evidence of salvation, the evidence of repentance, the evidence of faith is a changed and a changing life. How do you know that you repented unto salvation years ago? Because you continue to do it today. How do you know that you believed unto salvation years ago? Because you continue believing today. How do you know that God had an encounter with you years ago? Because He continues having an encounter with you through the work of sanctification. He has not only changed your life, He continues changing your life.

Paul Washer

Remember, your decision doesn’t save you, God saves you!

 

The Just Wrath of a Holy God

Part 2 of Tim Challies’ series.