“For you do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
Psalm 51:16-7 NASB
“You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the Court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says 'You fool' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”
Matthew 5:21-2 NASB
Holy Week 2008 is upon us. Never have I written a more important piece for your attention than this one. I sense that if I can successfully bury the Mark Applegate part from this piece and shine the light on the One deserving of praise, it will fulfill its purpose. Like a cross between the one who long ago screamed from down
by the river Jordan “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! (Matthew 3:2 NASB)” and a slightly more sane version of the homeless man on the streets of New York with a “The End is Near” sandwich board duct taped to his beat up Yankees sweatshirt, I come to you with an urgent request. Use this Easter as an opportunity to “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Corinthians 13:5a NASB).
As we near the completion of David's humble psalm expressing sadness, embarrassment, and fear to the Lord, we come to a critical theological point. David was guilty of breaking every Commandment (see Exodus 20) in the events surrounding his affair with Bathsheba. Some would say the biggest violation was the fact that he sent Bathsheba's husband into a position of sure death in battle with the intent of covering up his own scandal. That theological red herring aside (what sins are the most sinful?!), David knows his predicament. Murder is horrendous. There were specific sacrifices available for most sins. Some were fairly basic dove-type offerings for minor offenses. Others were “an-eye-for-an-eye” type. Many laws, many payments/offerings available to have your sin covered. Alas, scour Leviticus or any Book of Moses for anything to cover Murder and Adultery and you will quickly be redirected to stoning techniques. David knew his only hope was to throw himself on the mercy of the court and hope the Judge would pardon him. He was a perfect storm of feelings between fearful of punishment and sad that he offended God. (The terms broken and contrite fit him well.)
Exit David's courtroom scene. Enter your own. “Hey! I have never killed a fly! Take
your Bible-thumping to the real sinners!” you might say. I would have too, before I realized the reality of God's standard...absolute perfection even in our “hidden life”. Jesus, in Matthew 5, rocked the entire Jewish world. Not the least of which, Jesus “tightened”, if you will, the Sixth (Murder) and the Seventh (Adultery) Commandments. Have you ever externally or internally “flipped off” a driver who beat you to the good parking at the movie or cut you off in traffic? Have you ever screamed at the telemarketer working to support his/her family for calling during supper? Have you ever wailed at a referee for blowing a call? Join me in murderer's row. By the way, reread the adultery clarification as well. How do you really feel about Internet pornography? Read Matthew 5 again. If you need a modern example for these, I recently heard a good one on wayofthemasterradio.com. Have you seen Dateline NBC's special they do about once a sweeps week called “To Catch a Predator”? It is a special where police pretend to be teen girls on the Internet. Once the guy shows up for the expected illegal sex, the police jump him. The man hadn't committed the main crime yet, but already had in his heart. Throw the book at him! No one would say “Hey, he wouldn't have done anything, except possibly trying to lie his way out of his situation.” Same with us on Commandments Six, Seven, and the rest. Great shape externally, but filthy rags on the inside!
So, why do I bring this stuff up? There is nothing in your world more important than being sure you are a Christian. I am not after your money or your anything. I just care for you. Now... I want you to temporarily delete all you ever have known about church. Find a quiet place to think for a little bit, if it helps. Why did you become a Christian? Were you always one? What was your mindset like? What were you saved from? Were you happy before, during, and after? What is your part in the process? What was the sacrifice you made, that King David (you know, the guy people call the man after God's own heart) struggled to figure out, to gain pardon for your crimes against God? Have you been Born Again (See John 3)?
As you make your semi-yearly trip into church (I am not judging you...I skipped church for nearly five years when I first got married!), think about your sin. What have you done in public and secret? What have you thought of doing? Then think
of Jesus Christ. He died as your Sacrifice. He paid for our sin on the cross. With a broken spirit and a broken/contrite heart, call on Him to be your Savior and let Him be Lord (Absolute Boss) going forward. If you pridefully say you are good enough to get to Heaven, you are not contrite. Dictionary.com defines contrite “Caused by or showing sincere remorse”. Are you sorry for your sins? Do they make you sick, not for fear of getting caught, but because they are directly against such a good God? Examine yourselves this week. See Jesus on the Cross and know it was for you and me that He died.
Verse for the week: 1 John 1:9 again.
Diet update: I now weigh 268.6 after a temporary? 10+ pound flu-induced weight loss this week. I have lost 67.4 pounds which surpasses 20% of my entire original body weight. I have 83.6 pounds to go. Almost half way there! I'll change my picture when I hit 100 pounds lost. FYI, at my biggest I was an unknown weight. I had to be weighed on the “special scale” because the doctor's 350 pound scale was not sufficient. I started this diet at 336 pounds.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
Psalm 51:16-7 NASB
“You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the Court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says 'You fool' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”
Matthew 5:21-2 NASB
Holy Week 2008 is upon us. Never have I written a more important piece for your attention than this one. I sense that if I can successfully bury the Mark Applegate part from this piece and shine the light on the One deserving of praise, it will fulfill its purpose. Like a cross between the one who long ago screamed from down
by the river Jordan “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! (Matthew 3:2 NASB)” and a slightly more sane version of the homeless man on the streets of New York with a “The End is Near” sandwich board duct taped to his beat up Yankees sweatshirt, I come to you with an urgent request. Use this Easter as an opportunity to “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Corinthians 13:5a NASB).As we near the completion of David's humble psalm expressing sadness, embarrassment, and fear to the Lord, we come to a critical theological point. David was guilty of breaking every Commandment (see Exodus 20) in the events surrounding his affair with Bathsheba. Some would say the biggest violation was the fact that he sent Bathsheba's husband into a position of sure death in battle with the intent of covering up his own scandal. That theological red herring aside (what sins are the most sinful?!), David knows his predicament. Murder is horrendous. There were specific sacrifices available for most sins. Some were fairly basic dove-type offerings for minor offenses. Others were “an-eye-for-an-eye” type. Many laws, many payments/offerings available to have your sin covered. Alas, scour Leviticus or any Book of Moses for anything to cover Murder and Adultery and you will quickly be redirected to stoning techniques. David knew his only hope was to throw himself on the mercy of the court and hope the Judge would pardon him. He was a perfect storm of feelings between fearful of punishment and sad that he offended God. (The terms broken and contrite fit him well.)
Exit David's courtroom scene. Enter your own. “Hey! I have never killed a fly! Take
your Bible-thumping to the real sinners!” you might say. I would have too, before I realized the reality of God's standard...absolute perfection even in our “hidden life”. Jesus, in Matthew 5, rocked the entire Jewish world. Not the least of which, Jesus “tightened”, if you will, the Sixth (Murder) and the Seventh (Adultery) Commandments. Have you ever externally or internally “flipped off” a driver who beat you to the good parking at the movie or cut you off in traffic? Have you ever screamed at the telemarketer working to support his/her family for calling during supper? Have you ever wailed at a referee for blowing a call? Join me in murderer's row. By the way, reread the adultery clarification as well. How do you really feel about Internet pornography? Read Matthew 5 again. If you need a modern example for these, I recently heard a good one on wayofthemasterradio.com. Have you seen Dateline NBC's special they do about once a sweeps week called “To Catch a Predator”? It is a special where police pretend to be teen girls on the Internet. Once the guy shows up for the expected illegal sex, the police jump him. The man hadn't committed the main crime yet, but already had in his heart. Throw the book at him! No one would say “Hey, he wouldn't have done anything, except possibly trying to lie his way out of his situation.” Same with us on Commandments Six, Seven, and the rest. Great shape externally, but filthy rags on the inside!So, why do I bring this stuff up? There is nothing in your world more important than being sure you are a Christian. I am not after your money or your anything. I just care for you. Now... I want you to temporarily delete all you ever have known about church. Find a quiet place to think for a little bit, if it helps. Why did you become a Christian? Were you always one? What was your mindset like? What were you saved from? Were you happy before, during, and after? What is your part in the process? What was the sacrifice you made, that King David (you know, the guy people call the man after God's own heart) struggled to figure out, to gain pardon for your crimes against God? Have you been Born Again (See John 3)?
As you make your semi-yearly trip into church (I am not judging you...I skipped church for nearly five years when I first got married!), think about your sin. What have you done in public and secret? What have you thought of doing? Then think
of Jesus Christ. He died as your Sacrifice. He paid for our sin on the cross. With a broken spirit and a broken/contrite heart, call on Him to be your Savior and let Him be Lord (Absolute Boss) going forward. If you pridefully say you are good enough to get to Heaven, you are not contrite. Dictionary.com defines contrite “Caused by or showing sincere remorse”. Are you sorry for your sins? Do they make you sick, not for fear of getting caught, but because they are directly against such a good God? Examine yourselves this week. See Jesus on the Cross and know it was for you and me that He died.Verse for the week: 1 John 1:9 again.
Diet update: I now weigh 268.6 after a temporary? 10+ pound flu-induced weight loss this week. I have lost 67.4 pounds which surpasses 20% of my entire original body weight. I have 83.6 pounds to go. Almost half way there! I'll change my picture when I hit 100 pounds lost. FYI, at my biggest I was an unknown weight. I had to be weighed on the “special scale” because the doctor's 350 pound scale was not sufficient. I started this diet at 336 pounds.
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