Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. (Isaiah 55:7-8)

Slamming The Gospel Message Right Into Reverse

At Apprising Ministries we present the link to an audio sermon called Revolution of the Soulby Erwin McManus which is readily available on the net. As you listen to it you will hear the usual self-help motivational message which is so popular in today’s megachurch “tell me the great things God has in store for me” that so easily passes for the Christian faith today. Essentially it’s the same shallow centered on the self misunderstanding of the Bible that you will hear from Rob Bell and Joel Osteen. And while there is talk about “wisdom” and “what Jesus wants” and “God has a great life for you,” I never once heard “SBC” Pastor McManus mention the Cross or repentance.

In stark contrast a real man of God, Charles Spurgeon, comments on the verses of the opening text above by talking about what happens when a person truly comes under the conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning how horrible sin really is. As he does this man powerful in Christ illustrates for us what is missing in today’s shallow self-centered Ecumenical Church of Deceit of the new evangelicalism. These man-loving fools like Rick Warren and Brian McLaren are actually following the new reformation of the man-centered theology of Robert Schuller and have turned this whole process exactly backward with their gross misunderstanding of God’s love.

However, like a refreshing oasis in the dry dusty desert of the rapidly apostatizing evangelical camp the weary traveler will find the absolute truth of God’s Word within what Spurgeon shares below:

At first, men have very low ideas of sin. It is a trifle, a mere mistake, a failure of judgment, a little going aside; but when the Holy Spirit begins to deal with them, sin grows to be an intolerable burden, a fearsome thing, full of horror and dismay. The more men know of the evil of sin, the more astounded they are that they ever should have found any pleasure in it or could have made any excuse for it. Now, it is well when men begin to see the truth about themselves, for even if that truth breaks them into pieces, it is well that they are delivered from the dominion of falsehood.

Sin is great, and for that reason the sinner thinks it cannot be pardoned, as if he measured the Lord by his sin and fancied that his sin was greater than the mercy of God. Hence, our difficulty with men who are really awakened [to the gravity of their sin] is to raise their thoughts of God’s mercy in proportion to their raised idea of the greatness of sin, While they do not feel their sin, they say that God is merciful and talk very flippantly about it, as if pardon were a trifle. But when they feel the weight of sin, then they think it impossible that sin should be forgiven. In our text God in condescension helps the sinner to believe in pardon by elevating his idea of God. Because God is infinitely superior to man, He can abundantly pardon.

(At the Master’s Feet, December 15)