Sin – Page 34 – The Nexus

Digging in Deeper: Isaiah 44:18-20

November 15, 2017November 14, 2017Leave a comment

“They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, ‘Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?’ He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, ‘Is there not a lie in my right hand?'” (ESV – Read the chapter)

This and the few verses on either side of it is one of my favorite passages in the whole Old Testament. It ranks up there for me as one of the best in the Bible. That may not be a very spiritual answer to the question of what this preacher’s favorite verse is, but read it again for yourself. It’s hilarious. No other passage in the Bible captures the sheer idiocy of idolatry quite so well as this one does. And it does it with a sarcastic sense of humor that resonates really well with my own. Read the rest…

Love Amid the Mess

November 13, 2017November 9, 2017Leave a comment

In part two of our series, The Big Story, we dug into the tragedy of the Fall. While creation was originally adorned with not just beauty and splendor, but holiness and righteousness, it didn’t stay that way. We broke it. And yet, God refused to let sin have the last word. Even in the midst of the mess of the Fall there was one thing God kept doing. Keep reading to find out what this was…

Love Amid the Mess

Have you ever totally blown it? I’m not talking a little explosion. I’m talking, you rolled out the big guns, pointed them right at the stockpile of ammunition, and blew the whole fort to pieces. If you’ve lived very long we’ve all done that at least once. You may still be trying to recover from it. Usually explosions that large leave a crater that even when once the ground has recovered from the blast still leaves a mark that everyone can see years later. Where we came from near Petersburg, VA, there is the Petersburg National Battlefield Park. The highlight of the drive through the Civil War battlefield is known as “the Crater.” It’s this giant hole in the ground where the attacking Union soldiers exploded a mine up next to the defenses of the Confederates stationed there in order to breech the lines and win the battle. The hole is still there. They even named a road after it: Crater Road. Read the rest…

Morning Musings: Psalm 115:8

November 13, 2017November 13, 2017Leave a comment

ing”Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

One of the things that begins to become clear throughout the Scriptures is that we become like the thing we worship. Whoever or whatever it is that we give our highest devotion gradually shapes us to more and more reflect its identity and character. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Galatians 6:1

November 8, 2017November 9, 2017Leave a comment

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

Paul has in various other places had some pretty tough words for folks in the church who fall into sin and refuse to get unstuck. They range from giving them tough love to kicking them out of the community entirely until they are truly interested in getting themselves back together. Read the rest…

Morning Musings: Isaiah 53:5-6

October 23, 2017October 26, 2017Leave a comment

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

Here, some 700 years before it would happen, Isaiah declares what is perhaps the deepest wonder of the cross. On the cross, Jesus bore our sins. All the things we have done wrong were placed on His shoulders. He took the punishment that should have been ours. And by ours, I mean everybody’s. The sins of the whole world living at the time, of those who had died before He did, and of those who have lived in the years of human history since were credited to His account. Read the rest…