In Evil Long I Took Delight

Here is the poem by John Newton that I quoted on Easter Sunday:


In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear;
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopped my wild career.

I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agony and blood;
Who fix'd His languid eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood.

Sure never till my latest breath,
Can I forget that look;
It seem'd to charge me with His death,
Tho' not a word He spoke.

My conscience felt and own'd the guilt,
And plunged me in despair;
I saw His blood my sins had spilt,
And help'd to nail Him there.

A second look He gave which said,
I freely all forgive,
This blood is for thy ransom paid,
I died that you may live.

Thus while His death my sin displays,
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of His grace,
It seals my pardon too.

With pleasing grief, and mourful joy,
My spirit now is filled,
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live by Him I killed.

Surrendering The Secret

Last night I was privileged to participate in a very unique memorial service. This funeral service was for the aborted children of three ladies. Please, stay with me.

These ladies had participated in a support group that the local pregnancy center sponsors. The purpose of the group is to help women who have had abortions to cope with the fallout, emotional baggage, shame and guilt that came with their choice. Of course, Christ is shared with these ladies so they can find the true source of forgiveness. Even if they are saved there is still great baggage that they need to work through.

After the service was over there was a reception. I sat around a table with 5 women who had abortions. Some were over 35 years ago. The emotional trauma had been shoved down and repressed for all those years. After seeking God’s hand, this service was a huge step in the process of catharsis.

The program that these ladies go through is called, “Surrendering the Secret”. I began to ask them questions about their sin, struggles, and relationship with the church. What I heard was priceless.

First of all, contrary to what the media and Planned Parenthood portray, abortion is hard on women. These ladies told me that they have struggled in every area of their life. Not one area is not affected by the choice to abort their child. The worst part is that they can share that struggle with absolutely no one. Men don’t understand. They can’t talk to their family about their struggles.

Well, what about the church? No way! All they hear from the church is how horrible abortion is, and that is true. But, the response of many in the church towards those who have had an abortion is not loving and redemptive, but often times mean and judgmental.

I wish that I could convey to you the power that was present at this service and reception. God was there. There was brokenness over sin that I have rarely seen. There were emotional scars and wounds shared freely. There was healing and encouragement from the Lord.

I don’t think that my sermon at this service was all that great. One lady did tell me that it was meaningful for her to have a pastor of a church tell her about the forgiveness that is real in the Lord Jesus Christ. For them to have a pastor welcome them in the church, extend to them the gospel of forgiveness, and accept them in Christ, meant a lot.

I was challenged by these ladies. I believe the Bible and so I am passionate about the issue of abortion. I must speak out against this horrible crime. But, I also need to be aware that I must speak about the issue redemptively. It is not just a theory, it is something that affects people. I must speak the truth in love. The church is supposed to be the place where sinners can come, not where they should be shunned. No more scarlet letter sins.

Mental notes I made:
- Abortion not only takes the life of a child, it takes the life of the mother.
- Every single one of these ladies that had an abortion has seriously considered suicide.
- 43% of women 25-40 have had at least one abortion
- Jesus is a friend of sinners, I should be too.
- Jesus spoke against sin and still loved, I should too.

Whiter Than Snow

Psalm 51:7

"Purge me with hyssop and I will be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow."

Being from Texas and not familiar with much snow, Colorado was amazing to me. It was like a postcard! Every rooftop was covered with over a foot of snow. There was no bare ground to see, all was covered and with white. It was so vivid and picturesque. It was absolutely beautiful.

I have heard that there are different types of snow. I could actually see some subtle differences. The most obvious was the difference between snow that man had tread upon and the untouched snow. Tracks of any kind, human or otherwise, show up very distinctly. So, the pure stuff, the completely virgin, unadulterated snow was a sight of unique perfection.

This made me ponder on Psalm 51 verse 7. This is David's famous song of confession for his sins in the incident with Bathsheba and Uriah. He confesses his sin, expresses a repentant heart and seeks the mercy and forgiveness of God. It is in this context that David appeals to the cleansing hand of God and states that if God cleanses him then he shall be whiter than snow.

After being surrounded by pure snow, I am not sure that there is anything that can be whiter than snow. This seems impossible. And that is exactly what Psalm 51 is indicating.

My sin is so grievous that no amount of human scrubbing can completely remove all indications of its filth. Sin not only is filthy it stains. The stain of sin cannot be removed by any natural means. It takes a supernatural effort. Indeed, it takes a miracle to cleanse the human heart to the point that it is "whiter than snow."

This is exactly what God has done. Psalm 51 verse 7 alludes to this miracle when it says, "Purge me with hyssop and I will be clean." Hyssop was a plant that the branches of were used ceremonially in temple worship. Specifically the branch of hyssop was dipped in the blood of the sacrifice and then sprinkled for atonement from sin.

It is blood that cleanses us from sin. Not just any blood, but the perfect blood of the spotless Lamb of God. Jesus Christ shed His blood for our sin. He gave His blood so that we can receive the miracle of forgiveness.

This is the forgiveness that cleanses from sin. This is powerful cleansing. It doesn't cover over dirt but removes it completely. It is only through the blood of Jesus that you and I can be "whiter than snow."

Thank You Jesus for your blood. I too confess my sin and ask you to purge me, cleanse me, and make me whiter than snow.