Tried With Fire

In yesterday's sermon on Zephaniah, Pastor Ryan spoke of God's impending judgment on Judah for two particular sins.  One was complacency. The other was syncretism. What is syncretism?  It's the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing beliefs and to blend their respective practices. Judah was doing this very thing by praying to Yahweh and to Milcom, the god of the Amorites. But they saw nothing wrong with this.  After all what was wrong with wanting it both ways? But what about us?  We may not be worshipping Milcom, but are we bowing to the gods of our culture?  Do we profess a desire for God and still want the best this world has to offer?  The call to be a Christian is to come and die, but are we trying to somehow reconcile that with the pursuit of the American Dream? Very often those secret idols are revealed in our aspirations for our children. It's very common to hear parents say, "We just want our kids to be happy." ...

We don't know the definition of joy.  We think it is happiness, a pleasant feeling.  But we are commanded to rejoice, and it's not a command to our emotions.  God knows our emotions can't be trusted. Joy is an abiding sense that all of reality is centered in something outside of ourselves.   No matter what, no matter how painful, God is on His throne. From yesterday's sermon on Habakkuk by Pastor Ryan Davidson.

Pastor Ryan spoke on the book of Hosea today.  It's a sad story - a story of Israel's spiritual adultery.  After being chosen by God from among the nations, delivered from Egypt, given the law, and the temple, they give their hearts to idols.  God pronounces judgment on the nation, and they are carried off into captivity. But this book is an amazing story of the God who is the faithful Husband, extending mercy to His faithless wife.  Even though they will suffer justly for their sins, He promises to restore them.  To show mercy to "No Mercy" and to make a people of "Not My People." This is our story too.  We were spiritual adulterers, giving our hearts and devotion to false gods and turning our backs on the One to whom we owed our existence.  God pronounced judgment upon us, but it did not fall on those who deserved it.  It fell upon His Son on the cross.  Thus He shows mercy to those who deserved no mercy and called us to be His people w...