In the last three weeks of our Gospel Doctrine series we have:

1) met the I Am who is sovereign and supremely good above all, who has always been and ever will be;

2) learned that the I Am created us to behold Him, and, in beholding Him, to find our joy in Him, and, in finding our joy in Him, to glorify Him;

3) seen how far we have fallen in sin from God's intended design, how we are broken people, now only able to turn to human-dug broken cisterns in search for soul-satisfaction that will never be found apart from God.

What a devastating plight. But O what hope there is in such awareness and such an acknowledgement. God is merciful and just. He has made a way through His Son for lost sons and daughters to be brought to Him again. This is the day of salvation!

May God grant us salvation and sustenance through Christ the Lord as together we look into the life of a fellow sinner, King David, "a man after God's own heart." He too was a broken man; in fact, David was an adulterer and a murderer. Who among us would let such a wretch off the hook of divine justice? "No not one." But One did, and--praise the Lord--He still does today! Otherwise, there would be no hope for any of us.

But how can such a "free pass" for David be counted righteous on God's behalf? How can God simply "pass over" his sin without violating His own holiness? How can He do what any human judge would be thrown from the bench for doing? Is God truly righteous? Is He truly a just God?

Where is your hope before the Almighty, the great I Am? Grab a copy of God's Word and be silenced in humility and brought to rejoicing today through this week's Gospel Doctrine of forgiveness purchased by the blood of God's Lamb.

Today's passage:

51:1 Have mercy on me, O God,according to your steadfast love;according to your abundant mercyblot out my transgressions.2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,and cleanse me from my sin!3 For I know my transgressions,and my sin is ever before me.4 Against you, you only, have I sinnedand done what is evil in your sight,so that you may be justified in your wordsand blameless in your judgment.5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mother conceive me.6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8 Let me hear joy and gladness;let the bones that you have broken rejoice.9 Hide your face from my sins,and blot out all my iniquities.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,and renew a right spirit within me.11 Cast me not away from your presence,and take not your Holy Spirit from me.12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and uphold me with a willing spirit.13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,and sinners will return to you.14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,O God of my salvation,and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.15 O Lord, open my lips,and my mouth will declare your praise.16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;build up the walls of Jerusalem;19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;then bulls will be offered on your altar. -Psalm 51 (esv)

It's devastatingly true that, despite our human condition of sin, so few humans have even heard of it; and, if they do, they're quick to dismiss it as "a religious crutch for the ignorant who lack the mental capacity to come to grips with the harsh reality of evolution."

However, the apostle Paul was clear in Romans 6 that every human on the planet is born a slave to sin, serving master satan, without God, without hope in this world. That is unless the Light of the World breaks in and sets the captive free!

So how does satan rule this world? Where did he get such authority? And what do we make of the fact that, rather than feeling enslaved or dominated by an evil master, so many feel right at home under his government, fat and happy, with a remote in each hand.

Answers to these and so many other questions are provided for us in this third of five Gospel Doctrines, as we look into many passages in God's Word, with special emphasis in Ephesians 2.1-3.

Today's passage:

2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. -Ephesians 2.1-3 (esv)

Why does anything exist? Chances are, most of you know the reason. Don't discount that knowledge, my friend. Knowing all exists for the glory of God provides a view of the world that answers so many questions. Perhaps as you survey the canvas of human sin, the knowledge that all things are supposedly made for His glory produces more doubts and questions that you care to admit? "Is all this sin, sickness, disease, destruction and death really supposed to be glorifying God? How does that work?" Glad you asked!

As we saw last week, our lives are built on what we believe. Join us this week for a very important look into God's Word. By grace, may He answer our tough questions, granting us the Truth upon which to stand in hope until we see Him face to face... in Glory!

Today's passage:

43:1 But now thus says the Lord,he who created you, O Jacob,he who formed you, O Israel:“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have called you by name, you are mine.2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,and the flame shall not consume you.3 For I am the Lord your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.I give Egypt as your ransom,Cush and Seba in exchange for you.4 Because you are precious in my eyes,and honored, and I love you,I give men in return for you,peoples in exchange for your life.5 Fear not, for I am with you;I will bring your offspring from the east,and from the west I will gather you.6 I will say to the north, Give up,and to the south, Do not withhold;bring my sons from afarand my daughters from the end of the earth,7 everyone who is called by my name,whom I created for my glory,whom I formed and made.”3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. -Isaiah 43.1-7, Ephesians 1.3-6 (esv)

Where would you begin the Gospel? Where would anything have to begin, for that matter? As we begin our exploration of the Biblical doctrines that uphold the Good News of the Scripture, there is no better place to begin than where Moses began his relationship with the Most High, with the simple question: "Who are you?"

We've an enemy lurking. According to Jesus, satan seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He's been a liar, deceiver and thief from the beginning. If he can rob your joy in Jesus, he can silence your proclamation of the Gospel. Fleeting is our joy when it is not built on the solidarity of God's Word. What are you staking your hope in?

"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks," Jesus said. Does the Gospel permeate your heart and mind? Do you find yourself sharing hope in God with strangers, family and friends? Is the Good News a regular part of your thinking, speaking, praying, loving and living? Or perhaps you are fearful or shameful of the Gospel? Could the problem simply be that you know so little of it?

Our hope in this series is--by God's grace--to fill up on Biblical certainty, Scriptural Truth, God's Word, in order that we would stand upon the rock-solidarity of Jesus Christ, and live in the generosity and joy that honors and glorifies our faithful Father.

I'd say we have a lot of work to do. Won't you join us?

(This series is being paralleled over the next five weeks in our Restore families. It's been nearly two years since we last went through Sustain 101. As always but now especially, you're invited to one of our Restore families during the course of this study, and beyond.)

Today's passage:

13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. -Exodus 3.13-15 (esv)