Had he seen what he thought he saw? The cold breeze rustling the fallen leaves only added to the chill in his soul. Had it not been for the few remaining minutes of nightfall, the long shadows of the trees would have been indecipherable from the darkness on the ground. As he looked back to … Continue reading Something in the Darkness: A Horror Story
This weekend, I had the privilege of preaching a couple of sermons at the First Christian Reformed Church in Artesia. This sermon looks at sin and its consequences through the life of Gehazi in 2 Kings chapter five. There are times when the hand of God is heavy upon us because of our sin, but … Continue reading Sin and Its Consequences
If we have been nursing secret sin and not been exposed, that is because God has not decided to reveal it up to this point. Nothing we do is unknown to God, and in his omnipotence, he could expose us at any moment if he so chooses. Sin is only as hidden as God allows. We see … Continue reading Sin is Only as Hidden as God Allows
Sin is filth. It is soul pollution. It makes us vile in the eyes of God, and no matter how much pride we take in our sin now, we will one day even be offensive in our own eyes. As sinners, we may do everything we can to maintain our delusion that we are honorable, but every … Continue reading The Filthy Will Be Filthy Still
David thought it was over. His sin had been exposed, he had sought the Lord's forgiveness, and it had been granted. A right spirit had been renewed, and a clean heart had been created. Then came the news that his child was gravely ill. The revelation threw David to the floor in anguish as thoughts of his sin filled his mind. Months had … Continue reading The Haunting Effects of Sin
If you are a Christian, you battle with sin. I do not need to list examples of the struggles with the flesh you may have. The minute you read the title of this post, you most likely had a specific battle in mind. You have within you both flesh and Spirit, and the two are … Continue reading 5 Truths About Your Battle with Sin You Hate to Admit
Run for your lives! Do not stop anywhere in the plain. Do not look back! Escape to the mountain, or you will die! (Genesis 19:17). This is still the gospel message. We are in danger of God's judgment and must escape from it if we would live. We must not stay anywhere in all the … Continue reading Living on the Borders of Sodom
Warn those who are idle. - 1 Thessalonians 5:14 Take heed of an idle and slothful spirit. An idle life and a holy heart are far apart. By doing nothing, men learn to do evil things. It is easy slipping out of an idle life, into an evil and wicked life. Yes, an idle life is of itself evil, for … Continue reading The Dangers of Being Idle
Our cold hearts tend to wanderand fancy for its flightWhen sin we start to ponderwith darkness reunite The warning’s loud and clearthe Word of God proclaimTo Christ we must adhereor cause Him open shame Do not be led astrayby enticements of this worldFor some have gone awayto be entirely unfurled Remember what was saidabout those … Continue reading Our Cold Hearts Tend to Wander
You have done all the evil that you could. Sure, there is more you could have done, but you pushed your sinning as far as you were comfortable. There were still certain family and societal structures in place you were afraid to defy. Even in sinning, cowardice can hold sway. In it all, you polluted … Continue reading Returning to God After a Time of Sin
The Fight of Faith 