Minister Moose Tracks

*Adopted from a sermon on 1 John 1:5-10 preached at Riverside Christian Fellowship in Hernando, FL* Forgiveness of sins is a work accomplished by Christ alone. God has been more than generous to us by sending His Son to shed His blood on the cross, where we find forgiveness and new life (Eph. 1:7). Because of that, Christians ought never to think, "I need to forgive myself." There is no power in that notion; there is no real forgiveness in "forgiving self." Self-forgiveness, as humble as it may look on the surface, is a form of self-idolatry. Let me explain. A Christian sees his forgiveness in Christ as all-saving and all-sufficient, but does he see it as all-satisfying? When you commit a sin, you feel bad about it, you confess it, and repent...but there is something that lingers in your mind. You've believed what God has declared in His Word, you ARE forgiven of your sins, but there remains an empty space in your heart that hasn't been satisfied; there i...

I am sure you are familiar with the popular song Amazing Grace  written by John Newton, an English poet and Christian in the 18th-19th century who was a former slave trader. The first stanza of the song reads, "Amazing Grace! how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch; like me!" You and I are the "wretch" in that song, worthy to only be condemned and tossed into the fiery pits of hell because of our sinfulness in the presence of the one true holy God; Newton was very keen on this notion because of his past as a slave trader. The Lord would be just to send any one of us to damnation; it is as if every one of us are walking on doors which are ready to swing open, dumping us into the pit where the worm doesn't die. If you are reading this, then obviously God hasn't done that to you. But why? It is because of His mercy that keeps the hinges on those doors from swinging open. Mercy is about not getting what we do deserve. But then there is also grace ... When...

 The writer of Ecclesiastes makes it very well known that this is simply not true when he states, "...the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead" (Ecc. 9:3). This is certainly not the same thing as saying that humans are not able to do "good" things; they most certainly are capable since every person is made in the image of God and are able to judge between right and wrong. Nonetheless, people naturally put themselves on the throne and view God as only an accessory to be used when things aren't going well in their lives (that is, if they acknowledge God at all). If every person was only "wounded" by sin instead of being totally depraved with sin, then that would suggest that there is an "island of righteousness" inside the heart of every human being which is the part that every person can use to reach out to God and be saved. Where does this idea come...

Live and Let Live? This is a common statement for those who call for tolerance of others. By definition, it means, "you should tolerate the opinions and behavior of others so that they will similarly tolerate your own." Does this statement come from the Bible or culture, or both? Should Christians confront one another or should they just "live and let live"? Should Christians even worry about whether or not others tolerate their faith? Because this can be a delicate subject, I encourage you to pray about your motives before going out to correct a fellow brother or sister in Christ. The intent ought to always be to bring about repentance and restoration. Although confrontation is often necessary, Ephesians 4:32 reminds us of our attitude when it comes to speaking to one another: "Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done." With this kind of attitude, we are then set to "speak the ...