No Small Task

Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” - John 10:27-30.

"When I deposit my life or my soul in faith into Christ's care as I trust Him for salvation, where does my soul go? The text tells us first that it goes into Christ's hand. Then it tells us that the hand of God the Father is also involved. So my soul is held in the two-fisted grip of the Father and the Son! Good security, wouldn't you say? And the Bible tells me that the Holy Spirit plays a part, also. The Holy Spirit immediately seals me in Christ the very moment I trust Him for salvation (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). I am sealed in this total arrangement - in Christ's hand and in the Father's hand (in eternal salvation) - by the Holy Spirit.

Now, if the devil is to get me out of this position, what must he do? First, he must break the Spirit's seal. No small task, because the Spirit is fully and totally Almighty as God. But if Satan could break the seal of the Spirit, he then would have to break the grip by which God the Father holds me. No small task! You may be sure that Satan does not have the power to accomplish it. But if he could break the seal of the Spirit and the grip of God the Father, then he would have to break the powerful grip of Jesus the Son. No small task! If Satan accomplished all this, he would have totally overcome God Himself in all of His Personhood and Power. Of course, this is totally impossible. However! If Satan can break the seal and the hold of God on even one of His children, Satan can do it with any and all of God's children!! If Satan can get one saint out of his position of security, he can get all saints out-because no single saint has any more or any less security than any other saint. All born-again people are equally secure in Christ...Thus, if Satan can get one Christian out of his position of security in Christ, and he does not get all Christians out, the only possible reason is that he must not want to (because if he can get one out, he can get all out.) Therefore, if that were true, any person who gets to heaven finally GETS THERE ONLY BY THE GRACE OF THE DEVIL!!! What kind of salvation is that, anyway? No, once the salvation deposit is made, it is secure forever!"
- Herb Hodges, "Fox Fever" pp. 24-25.

Bad News: Santa Clause Is Coming To Town.

Joseph's FIRST 3D movie experience!

"A Christmas Carol"

Christmas cookies!!!

Glory to God in the highest.

Something we learned this morning in church from Pastor Ray Ortlund, Jr...

There was a celebration the day Jesus was born. So much so that the heavens opened up. Luke 2:14 tells us the words the angel and the multitude of the heavenly army were using to praise God that day. They said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" Notice the order. God first, then peace. Not peace, then God whenever you get to work Him in. It's all about the glory of God! If you don't put Him first or leave Him out of the picture all together, then there is no peace. But who is the peace for? The peace is for "those with whom he is pleased!" Fast forward 30 years or so from this day, and flip one chapter to Luke 3:22. This is right after Jesus had been baptized, and the heavens opened up again. But this time, we see that it was God who was doing the talking. Hear His words to Jesus. "You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased." God is pleased with Christ, and if you're in Christ, He's pleased with you too.

His glory ("Glory to God in the highest...") and our peace/happiness ("...and on earth peace...") go together in Christ (among those with whom he is pleased!).

God is greater than our heart.

Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" Hear what Martin Luther has to say about speaking to one's own heart...

"From our own (guilty) conscience certainly only accusing thoughts can come, because our works are vain before God, unless He himself is [effective] in us by His grace. We, of course, may easily excuse ourselves. But that does not mean that we have satisfied God or fully kept His Law. But from whom, then, do we obtain the thoughts that (truly) excuse us? Only from Christ and in Christ; for if the conscience of a believer in Christ reproves, accuses and condemns him as an evil-doer, he quickly turns from himself to Christ and says: 'He has atoned my sins. He is just and my Justifier, who died for me. He has made His righteousness my own and my sins His own. But if He has made my sins His own, then I no longer have them but am free from them. And if He has made His righteousness my own, then I am righteous because of His righteousness, for He is God, blessed forever.'

So, then, 'God is greater than our heart' (1 John 3:20). Far greater is He who defends me than that which accuses me, indeed, infinitely greater. God is my Defender, while my heart is my accuser. Oh, what a blessed relation! But so it is, just so! 'Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?' (Romans 8:33) No one! Why? 'It is God that justifies! Who is he that condemns?' No one! Why? 'It is Christ (and He is God!) that died, yes rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.' In short, "If God be for us, who can be against us?''' - Martin Luther, "Commentary on Romans"

I Don't Need No Booze Or Drugs...

Who's To Blame?

"The mistake (of condemning others though guilty themselves) is committed by all who are outside of Christ; for, while the righteous (true believers) make it a point to accuse themselves in thought, word and deed, the unrighteous (unbelievers) make it a point always to accuse and judge others, at least in their hearts. For this (fact) there is an explanation. The righteous (always) try to see their own faults and overlook those of others. Again, they are eager to recognize the good things in others and to disregard those of their own. On the other hand, the unrighteous look for good in themselves and for evil in others." - Martin Luther, "Commentary on Romans," pg. 52.

Christians should not be finger pointers. A Christian should not say, "It's your fault, Mr. President, that our nation's economy is plunging," rather, "I'm the reason for this recession. Oh Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. Forgive me of my greed and my unbelief, in which I trust in things rather than You, Jesus. Forgive me. Save me from myself."

"Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness..." - Isaiah 58:9.

Can't Fight The Fuzz

Rhinoceros... http://www.myspace.com/fuzzmcduff

If only...

"Why are we not more fruitful? Is it God's fault? We tell ourselves, 'If only I had more time, if only I had a better wife/husband, if only I were married, if only my job weren't so demanding, if only I had more money, I'd really live for the Lord.' We tell ourselves, 'If only we had contemporary music in our church, if only we'd keep that contemporary music out of our church, we'd be the church we ought to be.' 'If only this, if only that...' These are all excuses. At bottom each one implies a criticism of God, as if he hasn't already given us all we need to live well for him. 'His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence...' (2 Peter 1:3)." - Isaiah: God Saves Sinners, Ray Ortlund Jr., pg 67.

If we come, it was God who drew. We come because we want to.