Observations After 20 Years of Christian Marriage

Confession and Forgiveness

Dear friends,

You will never remove the guilt of your sin on your own. You will not succeed at clearing your conscience by punishing yourself. Please don’t get me wrong, I am all for making restitution, for apologizing to people we hurt, and seeking reconciliation. I also know that clean living in obedience to God’s Word protects us from hurt and additional guilt. Nevertheless, the fact remains that left to yourself, you can do nothing to wash away the ugly stains of that behavior, those words, those thoughts which you are ashamed of. In fact, you are guilty even if you deny that you have sinned. What then can be done about the burden of sin in the human heart?

We must go to God for help! Go to him and say something like this, “I am guilty Lord. I am guilty of __________ and I know I have offend you. Please forgive me. I believe you, Lord, when you say that Jesus came to take upon Himself the punishment I deserve. So I pray now, in Jesus Name and by His blood, which was shed for me, that you will please forgive me of my sins.”

Does God listen to prayers like that? I will let Him answer that question Himself:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:6-7).

“I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Ps. 32:5).

“David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Sam. 12:13).

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:11-12).

So instead of continuing your attempt to scrub your soul clean with your own strength, turn your hearts to your Father in Heaven and cry out for mercy in Christ. He delights in forgiveness for the sake of His Son!

Your servant,

Stephen

The Future Return of Christ Affects our Present Life

Dear friends,

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3).

I was reading one Christian writer’s* comment on this verse. He made three great points, which I will summarize here and add a few thoughts of my own to each:

First, the fact that Christ will return is the motive behind our commission to make disciples of all the earth. That is to say the reason we ought to be busy doing world evangelism is that Christ will be returning! He will come again for His people and also to judge those who have not believed in Him.

Second, the fact that Christ will return is the incentive for purifying ourselves. This is to say that we should battle sin and temptation with all our heart because Jesus will be showing up in our lives physically, powerfully, and suddenly! This reality should greatly effect the things we do, say, and think in each moment. According to the scriptures, we never know when He will appear. What do you want to be doing when Jesus comes?

Third, the fact that Christ will return is the reason for the existence of the Church. We are His bride. Our purpose in gathering together for worship, edification, the ordinances (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), church discipline, and all that we do is to prepare ourselves for Him. He will be coming to get us all and we are getting ready together.

May our meditation on Christ’s future return be our inspiration for the Christian life today!

Your servant,

Stephen

* Jack Shuler on page 151 of Climbing the Heights. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, 1956.

Be Still

Dear friends,

“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10a).

A dear friend asked me to comment on this verse. What does it mean to “be still?”

In a Hebrew dictionary, I looked up the word which we translate “still.” There I learned the word can mean to abate, cease, forsake, leave, let alone, slack, stay, or be still. While I was thinking about this, I decided that present day expressions such as “let it go” or “shake it off” would be most accurate. We use those expression when we find ourselves obsessing over some problem, insult, or failure. We tell our friend who is depressed because he did not get the job he wanted, “just let it go.” And we tell our teenagers who have been insulted to just “shake it off.”

Here in Psalm 46:10, God is telling us something similar. Earlier verses in the Psalm describe war, disaster, and trouble. Naturally, we react to these things with worry, stress, or even violent exertions of our own. But the Lord says, “Wait! I have got this! I have got you! You need not agonize over the trouble around you. I am God. Be still and you will know.”

Now this is not to say we don’t take action on our own. When our friend doesn’t get that job he wanted, we expect that he will go ahead and apply for others. But the Lord reminds us, even in our activity, our hearts ought to be still before Him. We always trust that he will take care of us in the face of adversity. This way we can remain in the midst of a troubled world, but have souls that are full of peace and repose.

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

A Mother’s Wisdom

Dear friends,

In America, this coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. I know I am just one of many millions who are thankful to God for giving them a loving mother. That is not to say, however, that my mother was not tough when she needed to be! She did not like excuses for sin. In fact I recall a time when she encouraged me to memorize the following scripture verse:

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will always provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

This knowledge made it rather difficult for me to make excuses for the things I did that were displeasing in the eyes of God (or my mother). Her efforts to plant this in my heart prevented me from getting away with excuses. But I think she knew that I would be condemned by the verse too. I was condemned by it, because I gave into temptation. And this without excuse, because every sin was an offense against God, who had provided a route of escape.

Thankfully, mom (along with my dad) was quick to bring in the Good News. Although I was a sinner without excuse, Jesus had died for my sins. Faith in Him would deliver me! So, while she would never tolerate excuses for sin, she always had the antidote on her lips. No excuses. Trust Jesus.

Thanks Mom!

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John

Five Reasons to Worship God Together

Dear friends,

Have you ever wondered, “Why do we worship God together?” Here are five good reasons:

First, we worship because God created us. In the fourth commandment he tells the children of Israel to worship for this reason:

“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day” (Ex. 20:11).

Second, we worship because God has redeemed (saved) us. He also gives this reason for worship:

“You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Dt. 5:15).

Third, we worship because God has commanded us:

“Worship the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Ps. 100:2).

Fourth, we worship because God wants us to encourage each other:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16).

Fifth, we worship because God is worshiped by the angels and people in heaven:

“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Rev. 4:8-12).

Enjoy worship with your brothers and sisters in church this weekend!

Your servant,

Stephen

In Jesus Name, Amen

Dear friends,

“If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it” (Mark 14:14).

The words of Jesus above are one of the primary reasons we end our prayers with the phrase “in Jesus Name, Amen.” I do not doubt that many millions of sincere Christian prayers have ended in this fashion and then received a positive answer from the Lord.

Nevertheless, I agree with Dr. Bryan Chapell when he suggests that we need to be careful not to just tag those four words thoughtlessly onto the end of our prayers. The idea is to make the content of the prayer consistent with the will of Jesus, to pray in such a way that He would happily sign His name at the bottom of your request. In his book Praying Backwards, Dr. Chapell suggests we do just that. Try starting your prayer in the Name of Jesus and see if that does not change your prayers.

I think if we do that, some of us will stop asking for such worldly things and others of us will be emboldened to ask for bigger, greater things! Let’s offer up Jesus sized prayers!. Prayers that bear the seal of the King and are rooted in the reality of His heavenly reign!

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

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