All Have Sinned

The Severity of Our Sin

A Lack Luster Easter

Coming off an Easter service, I have a bad taste in my mouth. It is not because of a distaste for the holiday, or because I do not observe it. No, it is primarily due to the preaching that presided over the service, and the lack of severity given to our sin in this Easter sermon. Our offence to God was reduced to merely "acts of sin" and morality teaching. The depth of our sin was reduced to a mere breaking of rules God has set in place for us. This is a gross misunderstanding of reprobation, and our offenses toward God.

I was truly unnerved by the entire sermon, as my wife would confirm, and it is not my practice to criticize a pastor's sermon. To prepare and give a sermon is quite difficult, but this is more than a poorly prepared sermon, it is a major problem I have witnessed among the majority of Christianity where I live, and often times in the popular Christian culture. We need to understand the depth of our sin, as humanity, before we can fully appreciate the work of Christ on the Cross.

Sin is our nature

The passage used as the base text ( not that any other text was necessarily referenced) came out of James 4:17. The passage is as follows: "Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him this is sin" (NASB). This, for this pastor, became the definition of sin itself, omission of the "right choice" is our sin problem. My choosing to steal a pencil in the sixth grade is why God, Jesus, descended into humanity and take up the cross? This is why he became sin, was for my omission to do the right thing? This does not seem like the need for a substitutionary death.

The issue goes much deeper than just surface actions, sins of wrong doing or immoral living. Those are merely symptoms of the problem at hand. This issue of sin is much deeper, it is a nature problem, a soul issue. Our problems stems out of our very nature to be turned against God, to have no desire for the things of God and we certainly do not pursue him (Rom. 3:10-12). This is in fact where we begin with God, we have fallen from him as a result of the fall described in Genesis.

Need for a savior

Now that it is established that our sin is much deeper than just an immoral action of omission. We now can begin to understand the need for a savior. It is precisely because we do not pursue God, nor do we have that ability because as Romans 3 tells us, no one does good. This puts us into a deficit with God, and we need to be able to atone for our offenses and general legal standing of guilt. How do we do this when we in our very nature, an attribute ingrained in us, causes us to stray far from him. This is the reason for the cross.

We need intercession. We need a mediator between us and God. The offense of our sin is so severe that the only price that may be satisfactory is death. We see this at the fall when God removes the immortality of man, condemning us to death (Gen. 3:19). We also see, in the Old Testament, that the institution of sacrificial death is the only means by which forgiveness takes place, this is done with animal sacrifice. Yet, the sacrifice of an animal was not sufficient and needed to be done continually for cleansing of sin.

It was necessary, to completely satisfy the penalty for our sins, man in the flesh would be sacrificed, put to death. But man alone can not forgive the sins of mankind, he himself is broken in sin. And God could not allow any to be forgiven without a sacrifice, and God alone is the only who can forgive sin. Also it should be mentioned, that God desired to give mercy because it is part of his nature. Therefore, it was necessary for God to become flesh (Jesus) and consisting of two natures: fully God and fully man. It was necessary for him to go to the cross, because as God he could forgive sin (the nature of our being) and as a man could be the substitutionary sacrifice to satisfy God's wrath against sin. It is in this work of Christ that the Apostle Paul can say, that in Christ, our debts have been satisfied in Christ (Col. 2:13-14).

Jesus is Much Bigger

The saving grace of Jesus Christ is more vast than we sometimes understand. We often take it for granted, and we forget that his sacrifice was so that we may have a right standing before God. His obedience on the cross was far more significant than to simply forgive me of stealing, fighting or taking his name in vain. While these are sins in action, the atonement was for so much more than just the symptoms of a disease. As Christians we mustn't forget this fact, without Christ we have no legal standing before God and are ourselves condemned to death.

Morning Routine

Mornings consist of this stack of books (priority from bottom up).

A photo posted by Matt Sheeley (@mdsheeley) on Jan 29, 2016 at 7:58am PST

 I posted this to my Instagram in January, this was shortly after my family and I had moved back to our hometown, and it was to share my new reading routine. Since then it has scaled down slightly, but it has been a huge blessing to my spiritual life. I got the idea from a Facebook post that The Gospel Coalition had done around this time.

The plan posted by TGC was fairly simple, and actually meant to help those who adhere to the reformed tradition to be able to read through John Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion" in one year. Their suggestion was to simply read this book for 15 minutes a day and based on the average reader speed, one would be able to finish in less than a year. It is a brilliantly simple plan to follow along with, and can be found here.

As I read this, it occurred to me that this could be adapted to a daily routine. It occurred to me that I could read many other books in the same fashion, creating a theological devotion of sorts. And so, this is what I set out to do, I grabbed a handful of books I have been desiring to read and stacked them up (pictured above). Now there have been days that I missed, but generally I get to at least two of these books each morning (this does not include my bible reading).
It's pretty simple, I set a timer for 15 min. and read that book. All together it takes me a couple of hours in the morning, including my scripture reading, and I am finished. I have enjoyed it a great deal. In addition to this reading plan, I have incorporated Professor Grant Horner's bible reading system. It may seem like a lot of reading in just a couple of hours, but it is worth it. Granted the point is not to study in depth, rather to work through some great Christian teaching. And Horner's system is not meant to be a biblical study in and of itself, but you will read a lot of scripture.
The overall goal here with both plans is exposure. You are daily exposing your mind and heart to scripture, theology and Christian teaching. The purpose is repetition, to constantly be thinking about important biblical doctrines and to permeate your mind with scripture. The Holy Spirit can not help you recall what you do not know.

So, give it a try and read a book, to the glory of God.

Inspired From Isaiah 6

I dropped to my knees in the dark of night
Broken down so no longer could I stand
My heart split in half begging for his sight
It hemorrhaged from my body to hand

He appeared with thunder and quaking earth
A presences which shook my very core
Innards of my body froze and rattled at once
Time stopped in place for it did not exist

All man’s invention became rudimentary
All life seemed to open with the heavens
I stood awed and ashamed to be in his presence
Never could I consider myself a clean man

Purity I had never witnessed lifted on high
On high before me, and I could not look
The sight too powerful for human eyes
To truly see him is too much for man
Lord God is too perfect for our eyes

Inspiration From A Morning Devotional

“Our Purpose”


Hand of the Lord laid upon our hearts
takes the fear from a soul which had,
Once surrendered to dark mal whispers
Conquered are those whispers by a kingdom

Life now becomes an adventure always seeking,
Searching for ways to serve his master plans,
Plans unthinkable to our earthly minds except for
Glimpses of the hope we may some day understand

Fears washed from the soul in a pool of water
We find ourselves craving his words to fill a hunger
Our bodies ache for his healing touch, joyous bliss
If asked to, we will lay down our lives for his plan

We fear no death in his presences for surely death,
Would only bring us closer to our father above
Our dilemma of reunion with our God, and our
Earthly suffering to spread his gospel is everlasting

Until the day of his return we shall brighten the darkness
Attract them like moths to a flame in the dark of night
Leading them into his presence, always with hope and love
In our hearts we shall serve a perfect God

"1776" The Year a Nation Was Born

A solider camped out in the mud and muck late in the year, as bullets sling passed his head and cannons blow in his years, he wonders to himself what on earth is he doing fighting in this hell of a war. Probably at ripe old age of 15, idealistic and eager to contribute to something the young boy marches off into battle against the redcoats. With more than bullets to kill a man, disease, hunger and intense weather could easily have warded off any volunteers. What would have been like at that age to be fighting a battle, that in turn, would change an entire dynamic of a country; ultimately cause a shift in a status quo foreign nations had become comfortable with? Could that young man realize the impact of what his sacrifice meant to generations after him? I know at 15 years old my biggest problem was acne and learning to drive.
Finishing David McCullough’s “1776” was at times a bit of a process for me and took a little longer than desired, granted I tend to read three or four at one time, I decided to make my last effort of the race. Detailed with facts, but written in a way it almost sucked the reader in as fiction novel would this book fascinated me. At first glance the book was alarming in the sense it seemed as if this would be a British sympathy book, due to the generous words used for King Henry’s demeanor and life style. This was not the case in any sense. The author, if anything, is a fan of our most popular founding father General/President and Virginian to the core George Washington.
The book Gives us a great background into the nation’s first president. I learned a great deal about the general. He was a fascinating human being, and I use the word human being it’s because that is what he was, a man with a wide spectrum of emotions and complexities you can’t find anymore. Being mostly a military book, I believe this is why David focused on Washington with his rag tag scoundrel army. The year was filled with utter failed attacks on the British; not to mention the numerous of successful attacks made on us. We are given an insight into both camps with amazing journal entries from soldiers and ranking officers. The pain and sorrow the Americans went through almost is unthinkable, due to the lack of provisions they often fought without shoes. Disease, infectious wounds and the living conditions were so numerous and awful, it would seem to me, a quick death was all but rare in this war. Being this is a military book loaded with numerous facts and dates and a little bit of data, it is hard to say weather I recommend reading it. History buffs should be drooling over this enjoyable read. I do believe anyone who does not know our history well and/or does not like it very much should seriously consider the book. A new found respect will be found in a never say die General Washington. You will feel the pain of soldiers as they face defeat each day, and begin to loath the Hessian mercenaries of Germany, which the British hired. In all this book was rich in American culture, it kept my fingers turning pages and my hunger for the words in David’s book.

Hondo Lane: A Review

Hot sun beating down on him, turning him hard and rusted with life, as he walked on through the desert Hondo Lane ventured on from his dead horse. “Hondo” written by Louis L’amour is in my mind one of his classic western stories. The master of describing the west brings a world of dust and harsh heat to us through this story. L’amour paints such vivid pictures of the west with this story I could almost smell the gun powder in the beginning shout out; then taken to a the smell of hot steel as he shoes a horse for a “widowed” woman. We walk with a man, raised by Indians of the west, as he navigates through the desert, and takes on a mission of virtue. The character Hondo Lane, a well known gunfighter, becomes intertwined in an unexpected romance and justice for a slaughtered army. He works his way through adversity using the skills taught to him by Native Americans, which allows him to survive the wild west. The story sucks you in from the very beginning with twists and turns that will keep pages turning. Even if you are not fan of westerns this is a story that is timeless. I give it 5 horseshoes.

A Quick Short: Inspired by a Stranger

His stomach burned with pains of lacking nourishment, due to a week long fasting, but he carries on with his work as growls rise up. Only this man filled with hunger begins to gain a greater ability of self control. The daily temptations bother him less and less with each agonizing day, he grows only closer. Muscles ache and strain with every motion of his body, coinciding with a week of no food, it is a wonder how he is still standing. Strength seems to be endless, and only increases rather than logically fail. His body explodes with power, and yet without a source of power. One would think he is plugged into an outlet or runs on gasoline. Wisdom of life is seen in his eyes, dust and dirt swirls around his work, his soul shines bright through the cloudy haze. He has a lot to give, anyone can see this without even a word spoken from his mouth.
Moving from task to task effortlessly is astonishing, and as the dirt and dust beat on sun soaked bare skin, with shovels, hammers and tools he maintains and builds what he loves. With each hammer swing a new piece of furniture for his family to rest themselves on. Every hole dug for vegetation feeds the mouth of hungry children that work along side him everyday. Every room remodeled so that they might just be a little more comfortable in a well built home. What drives a man to work this hard and be able to withstand such pain?
He walks with a walk only few really truly know and understand. It is a walk of peace and serenity that allows our human form to withstand more than we know. He walks through that dust storm shinning, and able to be seen clearly. A light has been given to him that is his light and his alone, it is something that can not be blown out if protects it. This is a light that burns deep and bright through darks times. Even if it is hard to see this light it still burns strong. No one can measure it or even replace it because it is not of man. It gives us joy and peace when none is to be found in sight; the light creates joy and peace for us. He walks with this, he speaks with this, he loves with this and he lives with this light given to him.
A gift given by the one true God is a blessing; a light given to by him is hard to understand. A promise he gave us is everlasting, but we can not ever grasp the level in which this is true. Wisdom is given to us through words left by a father for us to follow. It gives us guidance, it gives us strength, it gives us peace and it gives us a light. A light to shine through dark tunnels of earth as it caves in around you. A promise to give us honest and true hope unlike this earth has ever seen. He gives us wisdom through a book that holds true through changing times, which can lift our spirits and allow us to speak with him. We were created as creatures just shy of the angels, we know God as they can never know him, God created us and redeemed us. We are his only creatures to know God as creator and redeemer, and that is our gift from him.