"Harlots and thieves will enter God's kingdom before you". Matt. 21:31

"To appreciate the radical and scandalous nature of what Jesus said [Matt.21:31], think of a modern day counterpart. Go first to the wealthy, prestigious church in your city where the pillars of the community sit every Sunday hearing message after message about moralism deliberately designed to make them feel good about their own outward morality. As a result, they are taught nothing about the nature of their sin and the repentance required of them by God. ...When they think of the word sinner they think only of others.

Now go to the maximum security unit of the state prison system and attend a chapel service where the clear message of the Gospel is preached. On the front row sit a murderer, a rapist, a child-abuser, and a man convicted of armed robbery. These men sit with tears in their eyes as they hear the message of the Cross and realize their heinous sins have been forgiven. ....

The contrast between these two groups couldn't be greater. ... The second group enter into the kingdom of God while the first group, if they continue in their way, ultimately plunge into everlasting darkness. That is the radical message of the Gospel.
Which group are we in? Most of us would probably answer "neither." We don't want to be identified with the self-righteous rulers, but we're not comfortable seeing ourselves in the company of extortionists and prostitutes--even if they are repentant. But Jesus did not give us that choice. Either we are like the self-righteous Jewish rulers who feel no need of repentance, or else we see ourselves as sinners--along with the murderers and rapists--in need of a Savior. ..."the ground is level at the foot of the Cross." ...we never get away from our desperate need for the Cross because the truth is, we are still practicing sinners every day in thought, word, and deed. ... So the awareness that we stand in need of continual repentance throughout life likewise never ends in this life." -Jerry Bridges (From TableTalk, September issue)

The Gospel of grace is the power that saves a sinner, and also the power that works in our daily lives, so that we should walk in love and honor Christ.

I like to remind myself by that great quote: "But for grace of God, there go I".

Repentance?

In our culture today, repenting is something that is shrugged off, and even put away. In other years it was a principle used to batter people. And there shall always be extremes to the truth of God's Word; the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and His Apostles.

Here's a short & sweet teaching from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, which hits the nail on the head, and drives it down deep into the soul, (if you will grasp it), so that it is anchored firmly in your heart of hearts:
"We are ...to preach the motives of repentance--that men may not repent from mere fear of hell, but they must repent of sin itself. Every thief is sorry when he has to go to prison; every murderer is sorry when the noose is about his neck; the sinner must repent, not because of punishment of sin, but because his sin is sin against a pardoning God, sin against a bleeding Savior, sin against a holy law, sin against a tender gospel. The true penitent repents of sin against God, and he would do so even if there were no punishment.

We are to tell of the source of repentance, namely, that the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of sins. Repentance is a plant that never grows on nature's dunghill: the nature must be changed, and repentance must be implanted by the Holy Spirit, or it will never flourish in our hearts. We preach repentance as a fruit of the Spirit, or else we greatly err."

"Father Let Me Dedicate" -Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864

"Father let me dedicate all this life to Thee
In whatsoever worldly state Thou would have me be
Not from sorrow, pain or care, freedom dare I claim
This alone shall be my prayer, glorify Thy name

Can a child presume to choose where or how to live?
Can a Father's love refuse all the best to give?
Let my glad heart, while it sings, Thee in all proclaim
And, whate'er the future brings, glorify Thy name."




"...I fell in love with this hymn. It's everything a worship song should be--biblical, poetic and relevant. And these things are also the reason why the lyrics transcend many decades and remain powerful even to this day. It was initially a hymn to be sung on New Year's Day, but it felt far too powerful to only make an appearance once every 365 days. So I made a little tweak in the first line, replacing the word 'year' with 'life'. The Church needs more songs like this. Lyrics which speak of worship as a choice to be made in every circumstance of life: "Not from sorrow, pain or care, freedom dare I claim; this alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Thy Name." -Matt Redman