You have not dealt with me according to my sins, nor repaid me according to my iniquities, (Psalm 103:10) but you waited (and wait!) to be gracious to me. (Isaiah 30:18)
Lord, I was listening to and then reading concerning the ridiculous and sad doctrine of the so-called preacher Fred Phelps today. More directly, I was reading concerning at least three of his older children who, when they got to be of age, immediately left his family and struck out on their own, because they could not stand the idiocy of his doctrine and the hatred that was an inherent part of the false doctrine that he preached.
As I looked and as I listened, I became more and more, and more and more grateful for the grace that you have shown me. The concept of forgiveness is foreign to this man and to his family. Further, it is still foreign even to those who have left this tragic persons influence. If ever there was a man seeking to win God's favor by means of his works, Fred Phelps is that man. And if ever there was a man who, in the midst of condemning others for their failures and sins, while at the same time committing grave and horrible sin and thus failing to grasp that favor himself, Fred Phelps is that man.
Oh Lord how grateful I am that You have shown me the need to cease the struggle. That You have shown me that I needed only to come to the doorway of the Tabernacle and lay my hands on the sacrifice that then would be killed, its' blood shed in substitution, and then that sacrifice consumed to provide satisfaction to You. This is the great gift of repentance! This is the great gift that you give to those who truly belong to You!
As Your Word says: "Sentence against my evil deeds has not been executed speedily, (Ecclesiastes 8:11) but you have gave me (and again, give me) time to repent and make my peace with you," (Revelation 2:21)
You surely were in no rush to condemn and to execute sentence upon me. That was true before I came to know Christ, and it certainly has been true since I have been one of your children. You act on my behalf dear Lord, and without that action I would surely come to no good.
I thank You that I have this Advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous, (1 John 2:1) He is therefore able to save me to the uttermost, as well as all those who draw near to God as a Father, through Him as a Mediator, This is because He always lives to make intercession for His people. (Hebrews 7:25). Ah Lord, how good it is to revel in the truth of what Your Word proclaims for Your children! You have made provision for us and acted on our behalf!
What is it that sets the true children apart from the scoffers and the mockers? First, an awareness of the immensity of the mercy they have been shown and a humility in the face of that mercy coupled with gratitude for the results of that grace. Second, a real sense of the reality of how perilous the human condition is. There is no pleasure or joy in the proclamation of the lost-ness of mankind, or any kind of pleasure in the declaration of the coming judgment that awaits those who, ultimately, will find that God, indeed, will be willing to weigh them and find them wanting. This is what is most offensive about the Phelps' banter. Where Christ cried real tears over a lost people, he takes pleasure ranting and raving against those who will suffer God's judgment. Where God says He is not willing that any should perish, Freddie seems all to willing, almost drooling at the prospect.
Make no mistake, though God is not "willing" that any perish, a frightening and horrifying number will, in fact, perish. But the scene will be one of joy on anyone's part. We'll see no angel's carrying signs mocking the ones as they head toward judgment, we'll hear no songs that have catchy little tunes with words that make fun of what is about to happen. What we will see is a God Who will, in His holiness, condemn a creature made for His glory, serve that glory in a fashion other than what He would "rather"... if we can use that term in this context.
The "Hyper" Calvinist folks will yell at me for this...of course they will, and I might agree were we talking in a different context. But we're not. We're talking in terms of a hateful bozo who deigns to speak for God Whom he doesn't even know and who does so on network TV. His god is not the God of the Bible - it is a god of his own fancy molded after his own twisted and tangle psyche.
Thank You - dear, dear Lord that You have shown me (and many others) the mercy to see the truth of the Gospel and Your Word and have allowed me to serve You rightly and profitably...I bow before You and ask only that allow me so to do for Your glory as You see fit for as long as You see fit...
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