Thanksgiving for God's Election

"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." [Rom 9:15]

As this will be the text of my Thanksgiving Day message, I wanted to post a thought or two, and a few questions.

First, God is sovereign. This means he is just. So whether he has mercy on some, but not others, it is still death and hell that we all deserve. His mercy is not injustice. How so? Well, he says, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy." [KJV] So He, as God, has a right to show favor to one but not others. This was Cain's Big Issue.

Second, Thank God for his election. This is the one thing in life that you cannot do for yourself. Cain, for example, was not favored--not at first. God gave him the chance to "do what is right" though, which I think was the opportunity to please God. God's favor on Abel cost him his life. God's favor to Cain was different, but equally "full of grace and truth." So even though you cannot earn God's favor, it is given to all, "for God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." [2Pet.3:9]

Praise God who has compassion on whom He has compassion. If nothing else, THIS we can be thankful for. I often complain inwardly about what my life is or isn't, or the role I seem to lack in changing the world for God. But I am thankful to tears for his compassion upon me, for I'm most certain that I deserve none of the grace He has shown me thus far.

Using disaster to call for repentance

A week ago my study of Jeremiah led me to chapter 44, that final-nail-in-the-coffin message to Israel that the destruction of their nation was really the judgment of God against their idolatry. To prepare my sermon, I did what I always do. I studied the passage, read and found out what the general gist of the passage was, wrote study questions and outline, prayed, and wrote.

I think there aren't many today who deal with such passages honestly. But I did. Jeremiah said that the disaster was God's justice against his people. He disciplined them so harshly in order to turn them from sin. And he does this in his own hate for sin and jealousy for the people he loves. Jealousy is a violent emotion, it can lead us to the vilest of sins and the noblest of heroics. But it leads God to righteous wrath.

In my reading through Martyn Lloyd-Jones' wonderful book Preaching and Preachers, I came across the pleasant discovery that I had handled this passage exactly the way he (MLJ) insisted upon—with honesty, not bending it to say something pleasant. He says that "anything that happens in the world, anything striking, any phenomenon, is something we should always take advantage of" in our preaching to point out the fleeting nature of life and the final Judgment that is coming, and to call sinners to repentance.

And so I had asserted in my sermon that if God raised up Nebuchadnezzar to strike down his own Chosen People, we can rest assured that God is raising up leaders here and now. They are sent by God sometimes for our good, or to punish us. To the remnant in Egypt God says in v.27,

"For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed."

There is no twisting this to say what we would rather it say. I don't think God is going bless America just because we sing "God Bless America". We are ignoring God's word as a nation. We are removing God's laws, persecuting his prophets, and destroying the faith of our children. No, I think if God still loves us he is driving us to repent. And repentance is most assuredly what America needs now.

My friend Bill pointed out to me 2Timothy 4:3, groaning as he watched the election returns:

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."

But to me this verse isn't so much a comment on how bad people are. It is the reason for the action demanded in the verse just prior:

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction."

Padding all our words with warm fuzzies and avoiding any condemnation of sin or call to repentance isn't correcting, rebuking or encouraging them. It is to encourage sinners to continue down the broad way of destruction. It is malfeasance as preachers.

So if you consider this week's election a disaster, understand that the same God who did not save Israel from Nebuchadnezzar, an idol-worshipping war-monger, but handed them over to the him, is the same God we serve now. If he has handed America over to liberals who are hostile to traditional Christian values, it is entirely because we have not smashed the idols and sufficiently challenged their priests of Baal. Many Christian ministers are sleeping on the job; some have gone over to Baal. (I am using Baal in the non-specific sense that can include any god or human official that is venerated or sacrificed to.) A few have even gone over to Molech (a specific god who was usually given children as burnt sacrifices.)

I am speaking of the religion of State, and the "General Will" that assumes the Majority to be always holy and righteous, and therefore makes speaking against what is acceptable to the majority a crime. Most people reject such false religion in theory, but sacrifice to and appease it all the same, as when preachers succumb to the "political correctness" and refuse to call "sin" things condemned in Scripture. If we fail in this, from what shall we call them to be saved? What need have they of a Savior if nothing is sinful?

I don't think God is eager to punish and "get us". But I know He is jealous as I know He loves us, loves America. So I am confident he will humble us. And since we ignore his gentler judgments (from natural disasters and terrorist attacks), maybe now Christians will stop giving little pinches of incense to Baal and get serious about preaching the gospel, not a politically-correct gospel that avoids offending anyone, but one that offends all idols, breaks and smashes them, and does violence to the sinful nature in all, so that sin may be utterly sinful and we may hate it as God does, and turn to Him in humble contrition, both individually and as a nation.

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

It's natural to praise my wife or children, or myself. So everyone knows what it is. Praise means joy, pleasure and recognition to the one who has done something well. "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." [Gen 1:31] This is praise for the creation. Psalm 150 is praise, not for specific works, but for who God is.

I have gotten completely out of the habit of praising the Lord. I sing the hymns on Sunday, of course. But to just cut loose and praise God is something I think I've gotten too intellectual to do. I mean, I think too much to praise the Lord simply and joyously as the psalmist does. I mean, where can I do this? His sanctuary is too staid and solemn any more. Even when people are having "praise time", they just listen to the performers mostly.

Maybe I need to go to a Christian concert. But Christian entertainment isn't exactly the same as being in the sanctuary with God's people, praising the Lord. Perhaps I should find a Pentacostal church to visit. The Commonwealth Chapel in Richmond was so refreshing, the one time I visited. Of course that's too far. Perhaps at the Harvest Festival this weekend in Washington I can really praise the Lord. I should take along my tambourine and instruments. I hope they don't think I've lost my marbles if I whip out a kazoo or something and join in. I think young people expect conformity in these things, even though they talk otherwise.

Here I am writing about praise, as if that will remedy my lack of praising God. No. I am writing devotionally a journal entry on the Word in Psalm 150, because the Word will remedy my lack of praise. The Word of God is the revelation of God, and when we have seen Him, praise arises very naturally.

I have a feeling the Native Americans knew all about praise. It was a great pleasure meeting Don at the Cub Scout Pow-Wow last weekend. He spoke to me at length about the spontaneous nature of the music he plays on the flute each day. He said it was for himself, and no matter how spontaneous, it was perfect. Perhaps he is just easy to please. When I play piano, I'm usually not that satisfied with my playing. I want it to be my best effort, not a poor offering. Anyway, whether it is perfect or not, I must offer it as praise to God, with singing and joy and sincerity.

Lord, restore the spirit of praise to me, to worship you daily as you reveal your glory and love to me in the Word.