CHRIST RECEIVETH SINFUL MEN!

 

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

 

CHRIST RECEIVETH SINFUL MEN!

 

2 Cor 6:16-18

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

 

          Relationship is established with God when we trust Christ as our Savior but the blessings of fellowship rest upon the contingency of our obedience. We are, by nature, sinful. We are like show-pigs that can be scrubbed clean and a fresh curl put in our pink tail but when the show is over we return to roll in the mud.

 

          Paul is not referring to strangers here but those who were “temples of God.” He urges them to disavow, disagree with, and disassociate from the idols of Belial. We no longer belong together. It is upon this disassociation and separation that God’s riches blessings are promised.

 

The words to an old hymn, “Christ Receiveth Sinful Men” were written by Erd­mann Neu­meis­ter, Evan­gel­isch­er Nach­klang (Ham­burg, Ger­ma­ny: 1718). He based this hymn on his ser­mon which be­gan “Jesus nimmt die Sün­der an! Saget doch dies Trost­wort allen.” Emma F. Be­van trans­lat­ed the hymn from Ger­man to Eng­lish in her Songs of Eter­nal Life (Lon­don: 1858).

 

Sinners Jesus will receive;
Sound this word of grace to all
Who the heavenly pathway leave,
All who linger, all who fall.

 

Christ receiveth sinful men,
Even me with all my sin;
Purged from every spot and stain,
Heaven with Him I enter in.

 

Refrain

 

Sing it o’er and over again;
Christ receiveth sinful men;
Make the message clear and plain:
Christ receiveth sinful men.

 

Dear Lord, please receive us and refresh us today. We found ourselves in the mud again. AMEN

 

DO YOU NEED A REDUX?

 

Monday, March 23, 2026

 

DO YOU NEED A REDUX?

 

Rev 2:4-5

4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

 

          The word redux (pronounced re-ducks) is from the Latin and means “to lead back.” The Roman Goddess, Fortuna Redux was "one who brings another safely home." But it was the "brought back" meaning that made its way into English.

 

          The Ephesian church had forgotten and abandoned their first love of Jesus. This required repentance and a redux! They needed to be led back again to a fresh start. The consequence was the loss of their light or messenger. Perhaps we need a redux as well.

 

          Revivals have fallen out of favor because they are viewed as moldy tents hastily erected upon soggy soil with dim electric lights encircled by bugs. The preaching is viewed as unlearned and harsh. Notwithstanding it is revival that our churches and our culture needs.

 

           Why, even our own government is long overdue for a redux. When Australia's government shut down in 1975, Queen Elizabeth II's official representative in Australia, Governor General Sir John Kerr, simply dismissed the prime minister. He appointed a replacement, who immediately passed the spending bill to fund the government. Three hours later, Kerr dismissed the rest of Parliament. Then Australia held elections to restart from scratch. And they haven't had another shutdown since.

 

          When unredeemed people assemble to worship a God with whom they are unacquainted and unfamiliar, the result can only be hypocrisy. Shame and sincere grief because of sin is conspicuously absent from modern worship. King David, in sackcloth and ashes, would be a stranger.

 

Dear Lamb of God let me remember our first love and ever fan the flames of it in my heart. AMEN

 

HE THAT HATH EARS TO HEAR!

 

Sunday, March 22, 2026

 

HE THAT HATH EARS TO HEAR!

 

1 Sam 3:9-10

9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel.

 

          If you travel north in this third chapter to verse eight you will note that Samuel heard and misunderstood the voice of the lord three times! I wonder how many times every day that we hear His voice from someone else? I am reminded of an old Simon & Garfunkle song which contained these words: “the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls – and tenement halls.” If we are to hear the voice of God, we must listen carefully and sometimes pay attention to those whom the rest of the world ignores.

 

          Now our nation and our churches are stumbling in the darkness of extravagance and wastefulness, in the relaxation of disciplined morals, and in the widespread rebellion against God. At these times God calls not just for a servant but for a prophet. The call often comes during ordinary days and ordinary activities. He called Samuel while lying down to sleep. Peter, James, and John were called while washing their fishing nets.

 

          Chance encounters seldom are! We are encouraged in Hebrews 13:2 to pay close attention to strangers because they may be unsuspected angels. I think it would also be wise to listen to strangers and perhaps to children for the voice of God.

 

          Paul’s classic question, “who art thou Lord,” after being blinded by God’s glory was to verify what he suspected. Who are you? I suspect you may be the Lord! His next question changed his life. He asked: “What wilt thou have me to do?”

 

Dear Lord, in the midst of the noise of this day, please speak to me the words I need to hear. Let me listen carefully so that I might hear your voice from unsuspected places. AMEN