Prayer Is for Sinners

“Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)

God answers the prayers of sinners, not perfect people. And you can become perfectly paralyzed in your praying if you do not focus on the cross and realize this.

I could show it from numerous Old Testament texts where God hears the cry of his sinful people, whose very sins had gotten them into the trouble from which they are crying for deliverance (for example, Psalm 38:4, 15; 40:12–13; 107:11–13). But let me show it from Luke 11 — in two ways:

In this version of the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2–4), Jesus says, “When you pray, say . . . ” and then in verse 4 he includes this petition, “and forgive us our sins.” So, if you connect the beginning of the prayer with the middle, what he says is, “Whenever you pray, say . . . forgive us our sins.”

I take this to mean that this should be as much a part of all our praying as, “Hallowed be your name.” Which means that Jesus assumes that we need to seek forgiveness virtually every time we pray.

In other words, we are always sinners. Nothing we do is perfect. As Martin Luther said, on his deathbed, “We are beggars. This is true.” Even if we have achieved some measure of obedience before we pray, we always come to the Lord as sinners — all of us. And God does not turn away the prayers of sinners when they pray like this.

The second place we can see this is in Luke 11:13: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus calls his disciples “evil.” Pretty strong language. And he did not mean that they were out of fellowship with him. He did not mean that their prayers could not be answered.

He meant that as long as this fallen age lasts, even his own disciples will have an evil bent that pollutes everything they do, but doesn’t keep them from doing much good as they rely on his grace and power.

We are simultaneously evil and redeemed. We are gradually overcoming our evil by the power of the Holy Spirit. But our native corruption is not obliterated by conversion.

We are sinners and we are beggars. And if we recognize this sin, renounce it, fight it, and cling to the cross of Christ as our hope, then God will hear us and answer our prayers.

John Piper 

Christmas Solidarity

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)

The assembly line of Satan turns out millions of sins every day. He packs them into huge cargo planes and flies them to heaven and spreads them out before God and laughs and laughs and laughs.

Some people work full-time on the assembly line. Others have quit their jobs there and only now and then return.

Every minute of work on the assembly line makes God the laughingstock of Satan. Sin is Satan’s business because he hates the light and beauty and purity and glory of God. Nothing pleases him more than when creatures distrust and disobey their Maker.

Therefore, Christmas is good news for man and good news for God.

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). That’s good news for us.

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). That is also good news for God.

Christmas is good news for God because Jesus has come to lead a strike at Satan’s assembly plant. He has walked right into the plant, called for the Solidarity of the faithful, and begun a massive walkout.

Christmas is a call to go on strike at the assembly plant of sin. No negotiations with the management. No bargaining. Just single-minded, unswerving opposition to the product. We won’t be a part of making it anymore.

Christmas Solidarity aims to ground the cargo planes. It will not use force or violence, but with relentless devotion to Truth it will expose the life-destroying conditions of the devil’s industry.

Christmas Solidarity will not give up until a complete shutdown has been achieved.

When sin has been destroyed, God’s name will be wholly exonerated. No one will be laughing anymore.

If you want to give a gift to God this Christmas, walk off the assembly line of sin and don’t go back. Take up your place in the picket line of love. Join Christmas Solidarity until the majestic name of God is cleared, and he stands glorious amid the accolades of the righteous.

John Piper 

Loving Someone Right into Hell

In our foolish attempt to be loving to a sinner, we opt for just saying nothing of their blatant sin. As a sinner we know that we do not like to be told of our own sin. It's uncomfortable, it brings us to examination of our lives . We identify because we also are bent toward sin! So, what do we do? We stay quite. We are commanded to make disciples, give biblical instruction to the lost, pray for conviction of the lost, help the poor, help the sick, care for orphans and so own.  

Lord. make us bold. Give our hearts convicting words with no arguments, just plain talk of consequences to sin. Lead the lost to repentance. Amen  

 

Matthew 28:18-20

[18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Ezekiel 33:8-10

[8] If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. [9] But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. [10] “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’

Ezekiel 33:14-17

[14] Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, [15] if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. [16] None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live. [17] “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just.

1 Timothy 4:16

[16] Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Acts 20:28-30

[28] Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. [29] I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; [30] and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

James 5:19-20

[19] My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, [20] let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Hope for the Worst of Sinners

“I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” (Exodus 33:19)

Moses needed hope that God really could have mercy on a stiff-necked people who had just committed idolatry and scorned the God who brought them out of Egypt.

To give Moses the hope and confidence he needed, God said, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, “My choices do not depend on the degree of evil or good in man but solely upon my free, sovereign will. Therefore no one can say he is too evil to be shown grace.” That would imply God is not free, and election is not unconditional.

The doctrine of unconditional election is the great doctrine of hope for the worst of sinners. It means that when it comes to being a candidate for grace, your background has nothing to do with God’s choice. That’s good news.

If you have not been born again and brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ, do not sink into hopelessness thinking that the excessive rottenness or hardness of your past life is an insurmountable obstacle to God’s gracious work in your life. God loves to magnify the freedom of his grace by saving the worst of sinners.

Turn from your sin; call upon the Lord. Even in this daily devotion, that you are reading or hearing, he is being gracious to you, and giving you strong encouragement to come to him for mercy.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

John Piper 

God Doesn’t Grade on a Curve

“And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” ROMANS 2:3-4

 

PONDER THIS

Have you ever broken the speed limit but not been pulled over? Most of us have. Your sin may go undiscovered by people. You may be able to “get away” in some sense in this life. But you will not escape the judgment of God.

Too many people have the idea that God’s going to grade on a curve. They say, “We’re bad, but we’re not as bad as somebody else.” But God demands absolute perfection, and none of us can provide it. That’s why we need the Gospel. That’s why we need the righteousness of God that comes by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Would you say you’ve kept all of God’s Ten Commandments? Of course not. You may say, “I’ve only broken one.” I don’t believe that, but let’s suppose you’d only broken one. Here’s a man dangling over a fire by a chain of ten links. Nine of those links are made of forged steel and one of them is made of crepe paper. “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). We are all desperate for the righteousness of Christ to cover our sins.

What are some things you have tried to hide or cover up? What changes when you know something cannot be covered up?

When have you acted like a hypocrite in your relationship with God? How have you responded to this realization?

PRACTICE THIS

Confess any sins you have tried to cover to another believer and ask him or her to pray for you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Prayer Is for Sinners

“Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)

God answers the prayers of sinners, not perfect people. And you can become perfectly paralyzed in your praying if you do not focus on the cross and realize this.

I could show it from numerous Old Testament texts where God hears the cry of his sinful people, whose very sins had gotten them into the trouble from which they are crying for deliverance (for example, Psalm 38:4, 15; 40:12–13; 107:11–13). But let me show it from Luke 11 — in two ways:

In this version of the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2–4), Jesus says, “When you pray, say . . . ” and then in verse 4 he includes this petition, “and forgive us our sins.” So, if you connect the beginning of the prayer with the middle, what he says is, “Whenever you pray, say . . . forgive us our sins.”

I take this to mean that this should be as much a part of all our praying as, “Hallowed be your name.” Which means that Jesus assumes that we need to seek forgiveness virtually every time we pray.

In other words, we are always sinners. Nothing we do is perfect. As Martin Luther said, on his deathbed, “We are beggars. This is true.” Even if we have achieved some measure of obedience before we pray, we always come to the Lord as sinners — all of us. And God does not turn away the prayers of sinners when they pray like this.

The second place we can see this is in Luke 11:13: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus calls his disciples “evil.” Pretty strong language. And he did not mean that they were out of fellowship with him. He did not mean that their prayers could not be answered.

He meant that as long as this fallen age lasts, even his own disciples will have an evil bent that pollutes everything they do, but doesn’t keep them from doing much good as they rely on his grace and power.

We are simultaneously evil and redeemed. We are gradually overcoming our evil by the power of the Holy Spirit. But our native corruption is not obliterated by conversion.

We are sinners and we are beggars. And if we recognize this sin, renounce it, fight it, and cling to the cross of Christ as our hope, then God will hear us and answer our prayers.

John Piper 

Who is Salvation For

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

ROMANS 8:29-30

 

PONDER THIS

Some people wonder, “What if the devil were to take me away from Jesus?” Do you think he could? If he could, why hasn’t he? If that were the case, you’d be going to Heaven by the goodness of the devil. The only reason he hasn’t taken you away from Jesus is because he can’t. He can’t because you’re predestined to be like the Lord Jesus. You can be sure that God foreknew you were going to be saved. You can be sure that because you’re saved, you’re going to be like Jesus. And you can be sure of your calling to salvation. When Paul wrote today’s verse, he meant there’s going to be a whole family like Jesus.

Does God call some people to salvation and not others? No. Whenever the Gospel is preached, God is calling people to salvation. When you believe the truth, that’s what makes you a part of the chosen. How does God call people? By the Gospel. God’s way to salvation is clear; it is not just for the educated, the rich, or the qualified. He has made His plan for salvation clear in His Word and accessible to all who believe through Jesus. No matter how long you have been a Christian, this is the same Gospel that saved you, sustains you, and shapes the way you live.

What does it look like to live like Jesus? How is that different from the way you live right now?

What are some things that make it hard to live like Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Think about someone who lives like Jesus and ask that person to share how he or she has grown in reflecting Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Hospital for Sinners

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

ROMANS 8:1-2

 

PONDER THIS

If you’ve repented of your sin and given your heart to Jesus Christ, there is no such thing as a second-class citizen of Heaven. The Church is not a showcase for saints; it’s a hospital for sinners. We’re here to help others who need help. Which one of us is without our own sin?

In John 4, Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, who many believe was an outcast. She had had five husbands. But rather than condemning her, Jesus knew the thirst of her soul. And Jesus knew she’d been trying to find what He alone could give her. He didn’t condemn her. He saved her, brought her to Himself. And what would Jesus do today? I’ll tell you what He would do. He would do what He’s always done. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ, the same today, yesterday, today, and forever.” God is ready to heal you, restore you, and make you new—no matter your past or your sin struggle. Come to Him, repent, and be redeemed.

What are some things God has saved you from?

To whom do you need to extend God’s grace and hope?

PRACTICE THIS

Go out of your way this week to show love to someone you know is struggling.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

The Futility of Cleaning a Dirt Floor

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” JOHN 3:16-17

 

PONDER THIS

I heard of a missionary family who moved to a house on a missions compound in a foreign country. When they arrived at their new home, the wife looked at the floor, and it was absolutely filthy. So, she decided to scrub the floor. She repeatedly scrubbed and rinsed, but it was still dirty. She kept cleaning until somebody came in and explained why she could not get the floor clean: it was a dirt floor! And that’s the way our nature is.

We believe we can clean up our nature, but the problem is that we are sinful, and there’s no way you can clean up what’s at the core. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). And that’s true. Here was a man who was a master in Israel. He had many degrees, but he was blind to spiritual things; he couldn’t understand them. All the education, conferences, and books in the world cannot help you see spiritual things. We need a new nature. We need to be changed by Christ completely.

Why is it important to remember our sinful nature as we celebrate Christmas?

How have you seen the damage caused by your sinful nature? How has God shaped you?

PRACTICE THIS

Confess the ways you struggle with your sinful nature and ask God to forgive you and renew you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Hope for the Worst of Sinners

“I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” (Exodus 33:19)

Moses needed hope that God really could have mercy on a stiff-necked people who had just committed idolatry and scorned the God who brought them out of Egypt.

To give Moses the hope and confidence he needed, God said, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, “My choices do not depend on the degree of evil or good in man but solely upon my free, sovereign will. Therefore no one can say he is too evil to be shown grace.” That would imply God is not free, and election is not unconditional.

The doctrine of unconditional election is the great doctrine of hope for the worst of sinners. It means that when it comes to being a candidate for grace, your background has nothing to do with God’s choice. That’s good news.

If you have not been born again and brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ, do not sink into hopelessness thinking that the excessive rottenness or hardness of your past life is an insurmountable obstacle to God’s gracious work in your life. God loves to magnify the freedom of his grace by saving the worst of sinners.

Turn from your sin; call upon the Lord. Even in this daily devotion, that you are reading or hearing, he is being gracious to you, and giving you strong encouragement to come to him for mercy.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

John Piper 

Prayer Is for Sinners

“Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)

God answers the prayers of sinners, not perfect people. And you can become perfectly paralyzed in your praying if you do not focus on the cross and realize this.

I could show it from numerous Old Testament texts where God hears the cry of his sinful people, whose very sins had gotten them into the trouble from which they are crying for deliverance (for example, Psalm 38:4, 15; 40:12–13; 107:11–13). But let me show it from Luke 11 — in two ways:

In this version of the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2–4), Jesus says, “When you pray, say . . . ” and then in verse 4 he includes this petition, “and forgive us our sins.” So, if you connect the beginning of the prayer with the middle, what he says is, “Whenever you pray, say . . . forgive us our sins.”

I take this to mean that this should be as much a part of all our praying as, “Hallowed be your name.” Which means that Jesus assumes that we need to seek forgiveness virtually every time we pray.

In other words, we are always sinners. Nothing we do is perfect. As Martin Luther said, on his deathbed, “We are beggars. This is true.” Even if we have achieved some measure of obedience before we pray, we always come to the Lord as sinners — all of us. And God does not turn away the prayers of sinners when they pray like this.

The second place we can see this is in Luke 11:13: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus calls his disciples “evil.” Pretty strong language. And he did not mean that they were out of fellowship with him. He did not mean that their prayers could not be answered.

He meant that as long as this fallen age lasts, even his own disciples will have an evil bent that pollutes everything they do, but doesn’t keep them from doing much good as they rely on his grace and power.

We are simultaneously evil and redeemed. We are gradually overcoming our evil by the power of the Holy Spirit. But our native corruption is not obliterated by conversion.

We are sinners and we are beggars. And if we recognize this sin, renounce it, fight it, and cling to the cross of Christ as our hope, then God will hear us and answer our prayers.

John Piper 

Are You Lying to Yourself?

PRAY OVER THIS

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10

 

PONDER THIS

Sometimes we hide sin in our hearts. It may be big, or it may be small, but it is there. We come to church, go to Sunday school, teach the class, sing in the choir, and do other things, but there’s a secret fault.

What happens when a person does that? He or she gets to believing his or her own lie. When you set out to deceive somebody else, do you know who you’re going to deceive most of all? You are going to deceive yourself. Many of you have convinced yourselves that, after you’ve stonewalled God for a while and moved in and out of fellowship, nothing seems to happen. You still sing in the choir, you still teach the Sunday School class, you are still in the congregation, you still shake hands, and you are still friends with all the people. But you say, “Maybe God doesn’t call that sin, and maybe I am a pretty good person.” So, you begin to smooth over your sin.

How does God bring us back? God will not bring us back unless we expose ourselves to the light. If you stay in the darkness, there’ll never be any conviction. But if you, as a child of God, will step back into the light, God will shine the light of His holiness on your life. And God will bring you under conviction.

When have you deceived yourself about your sin? How might you be doing that now?

Why is it important to be honest about our sin struggles with ourselves, God, and others?

PRACTICE THIS

Take some time in prayer and talk to God about the sin you have kept in the dark.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Hope for the Worst of Sinners

“I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” (Exodus 33:19)

Moses needed hope that God really could have mercy on a stiff-necked people who had just committed idolatry and scorned the God who brought them out of Egypt.

To give Moses the hope and confidence he needed, God said, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, “My choices do not depend on the degree of evil or good in man but solely upon my free, sovereign will. Therefore no one can say he is too evil to be shown grace.” That would imply God is not free, and election is not unconditional.

The doctrine of unconditional election is the great doctrine of hope for the worst of sinners. It means that when it comes to being a candidate for grace, your background has nothing to do with God’s choice. That’s good news.

If you have not been born again and brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ, do not sink into hopelessness thinking that the excessive rottenness or hardness of your past life is an insurmountable obstacle to God’s gracious work in your life. God loves to magnify the freedom of his grace by saving the worst of sinners.

Turn from your sin; call upon the Lord. Even in this daily devotion, that you are reading or hearing, he is being gracious to you, and giving you strong encouragement to come to him for mercy.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

John Piper 

Prayer Is for Sinners

“Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)

God answers the prayers of sinners, not perfect people. And you can become perfectly paralyzed in your praying if you do not focus on the cross and realize this.

I could show it from numerous Old Testament texts where God hears the cry of his sinful people, whose very sins had gotten them into the trouble from which they are crying for deliverance (for example, Psalm 38:4, 15; 40:12–13; 107:11–13). But let me show it from Luke 11 — in two ways:

In this version of the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2–4), Jesus says, “When you pray, say . . . ” and then in verse 4 he includes this petition, “and forgive us our sins.” So, if you connect the beginning of the prayer with the middle, what he says is, “Whenever you pray, say . . . forgive us our sins.”

I take this to mean that this should be as much a part of all our praying as, “Hallowed be your name.” Which means that Jesus assumes that we need to seek forgiveness virtually every time we pray.

In other words, we are always sinners. Nothing we do is perfect. As Martin Luther said, on his deathbed, “We are beggars. This is true.” Even if we have achieved some measure of obedience before we pray, we always come to the Lord as sinners — all of us. And God does not turn away the prayers of sinners when they pray like this.

The second place we can see this is in Luke 11:13: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus calls his disciples “evil.” Pretty strong language. And he did not mean that they were out of fellowship with him. He did not mean that their prayers could not be answered.

He meant that as long as this fallen age lasts, even his own disciples will have an evil bent that pollutes everything they do, but doesn’t keep them from doing much good as they rely on his grace and power.

We are simultaneously evil and redeemed. We are gradually overcoming our evil by the power of the Holy Spirit. But our native corruption is not obliterated by conversion.

We are sinners and we are beggars. And if we recognize this sin, renounce it, fight it, and cling to the cross of Christ as our hope, then God will hear us and answer our prayers.

John Piper 

Are You Holding On to an Unreasonable Argument?

PRAY OVER THIS

“To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.”

Titus 1:15-16

 

PONDER THIS

Have you ever heard anybody say, “I’m not a Christian because there are hypocrites in the Church”? That’s a sin against reason. Anybody with a modicum of intelligence knows that is not reasonable. There may be some Christians who are hypocrites. Judas was a hypocrite.

Some eggs may be rotten, but you’ve probably had some for breakfast that weren’t the rotten kind. Some money may be counterfeit. Would you burn all the rest of your money if you saw a counterfeit bill? Imagine saying, “I just don’t believe in hypocrite bills. I’m going to get rid of my money.” You know better than that. It is the hypocrite who proves the validity of the real. Why do people counterfeit 50-dollar bills? Because of the worth of 50-dollar bills. People don’t make counterfeit gum wrappers.

When you say the Church is full of hypocrites, you know better. I’ve been preaching long enough to know the best people on the face of God’s green earth meet on Sunday morning to give Him glory and praise. I’m not going to let hypocrites keep me out of Heaven and then spend eternity with them forever in Hell. This is a sin against reason.

PRACTICE THIS

Have you ever been discouraged by seeing hypocrites in the Church? How do you respond to the type of logic given in today’s devotion?

Who are some people of sincere faith you have learned from?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Hope for the Worst of Sinners

“I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” (Exodus 33:19)

Moses needed hope that God really could have mercy on a stiff-necked people who had just committed idolatry and scorned the God who brought them out of Egypt.

To give Moses the hope and confidence he needed, God said, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, “My choices do not depend on the degree of evil or good in man but solely upon my free, sovereign will. Therefore no one can say he is too evil to be shown grace.” That would imply God is not free, and election is not unconditional.

The doctrine of unconditional election is the great doctrine of hope for the worst of sinners. It means that when it comes to being a candidate for grace, your background has nothing to do with God’s choice. That’s good news.

If you have not been born again and brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ, do not sink into hopelessness thinking that the excessive rottenness or hardness of your past life is an insurmountable obstacle to God’s gracious work in your life. God loves to magnify the freedom of his grace by saving the worst of sinners.

Turn from your sin; call upon the Lord. Even in this daily devotion, that you are reading or hearing, he is being gracious to you, and giving you strong encouragement to come to him for mercy.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

John Piper 

Remember Where You Were

PRAY OVER THIS

“Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.” Ruth 1:14

 

PONDER THIS

When Ruth made the decision to stay with Naomi, not only was her life changed, but my life was changed. Did you know that Ruth, this pagan girl, became an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ? She married into the royal line and, according to the flesh, she became a part of the house of David. Before this decision, she had so much against her. She had a cursed life. The Bible teaches that there was a curse upon her. Deuteronomy 23:3 says, “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever.” The Law said, “Keep her out! She’s not worthy.” She had a cursed life. But what the law could not do, grace did for this woman. And what the law could not do for me, grace has done. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:12, “you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” But thank God, the grace of God has brought us in.

How does it encourage you to remember that you were previously without hope before God, but the work of Christ has changed everything for you?

How does this encourage you about others who also need to know Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Tell someone today about the hope you have because of Jesus.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Prayer Is for Sinners

“Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)

God answers the prayers of sinners, not perfect people. And you can become perfectly paralyzed in your praying if you do not focus on the cross and realize this.

I could show it from numerous Old Testament texts where God hears the cry of his sinful people, whose very sins had gotten them into the trouble from which they are crying for deliverance (for example, Psalm 38:4, 15; 40:12–13; 107:11–13). But let me show it from Luke 11 — in two ways:

In this version of the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2–4), Jesus says, “When you pray, say . . . ” and then in verse 4 he includes this petition, “and forgive us our sins.” So, if you connect the beginning of the prayer with the middle, what he says is, “Whenever you pray, say . . . forgive us our sins.”

I take this to mean that this should be as much a part of all our praying as, “Hallowed be your name.” Which means that Jesus assumes that we need to seek forgiveness virtually every time we pray.

In other words, we are always sinners. Nothing we do is perfect. As Martin Luther said, on his deathbed, “We are beggars. This is true.” Even if we have achieved some measure of obedience before we pray, we always come to the Lord as sinners — all of us. And God does not turn away the prayers of sinners when they pray like this.

The second place we can see this is in Luke 11:13: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus calls his disciples “evil.” Pretty strong language. And he did not mean that they were out of fellowship with him. He did not mean that their prayers could not be answered.

He meant that as long as this fallen age lasts, even his own disciples will have an evil bent that pollutes everything they do, but doesn’t keep them from doing much good as they rely on his grace and power.

We are simultaneously evil and redeemed. We are gradually overcoming our evil by the power of the Holy Spirit. But our native corruption is not obliterated by conversion.

We are sinners and we are beggars. And if we recognize this sin, renounce it, fight it, and cling to the cross of Christ as our hope, then God will hear us and answer our prayers.

John Piper 

The Souls of Dirty Sinners

We are all dirty sinners.

What separates sinners from God?

Denying Christ alone!

He is our only hope.

There is no way to God except through the blood shed on the cross.

God demanded a blameless substitute.

None was found except Christ.

1 John 2:2

[2] He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

John 14:6

[6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Revelation 1:5

[5] and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 

1 Timothy 1:15-16

[15] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. [16] But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

Romans 3:22-25

[22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

Ephesians 1:7-10

[7] In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, [8] which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight [9] making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ [10] as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Acts 17:30

[30] The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

Want the Bad News?

PRAY OVER THIS

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

(Romans 5:8)

 

PONDER THIS

A preacher and his son were traveling down a street, and they saw a house that was on fire. They realized that there may be danger inside the house, and so they went and knocked on the door, but no one answered. Finally, they broke the door down and went in. They couldn’t find anybody in the house, but they took all the furniture out of the house and set the furniture outside the house while the fire department was on the way.

Later on, the preacher thought that was a great illustration, and decided to use it in his sermon. After he told the story, the people looked at him kind of strangely. When he got home, he did as preachers are prone to do and discussed the sermon with his wife. He said, “You know somehow I thought that was a good illustration, but it just fell flat.” She said, “I’ll tell you why. You forgot to tell them the house was on fire.”

It was the bad news that the house was on fire that made it good news that they saved the furniture. Often, we fail today to tell people the bad news that makes the Gospel message good news.

How have you experienced the reality that it is the bad news of sin and eternal separation from God that makes the Gospel good news?

Why is it important to share both of these parts of the Gospel message?

PRACTICE THIS

Take some time today to reflect on the bad news of our sin that brought about the need for salvation. Thank God for the good news that He has met our need in Jesus.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers