What Can God's Elect Do In A Reprobate
Age?
II Thessalonians 2:13-14
Without
question, we are living in a reprobate age. Ours is a generation under the
judgment of God. Read the first chapter of Romans and tell me that I am
mistaken! The marks of divine judgment are evident throughout our society:
spiritual blindness (II Thess. 2:8-12), moral perversion (Rom.
What can we do in this reprobate age? If
we could outlaw abortion, shut down the peddlers of smut, banish all drugs from
our culture, and eradicate homosexuals from the world, it would not move our
generation one step closer to God. Our problem is much deeper than these
things. They are only the branches. The root is in the wicked heart of man.
Nothing can deliver us from the judgment of God but the grace of God. Yet,
there are some things we can and should be doing.
WE CAN PRAY! If God is pleased to work his
works of grace in this age he can. And if it is his purpose to do so, he will
do so in response to the fervent prayers of his people. "As soon as
"O LORD, revive thy work in the midst
of the years." The word "revive" might be better translated
"preserve alive". I am not a pessimist, or an optimist. I am a
realist. I try to deal with things as they are. Though I have prayed much for
revival, I do not do so much any more. I only pray for things that I expect God
to do. And I do not expect revival in this day, at least not in the sense in
which we commonly think of revival. If God is pleased to send something again
like the great awakening, I will rejoice in his goodness. He certainly can do
it! But that does not appear to be his purpose. I am praying that our God will
graciously preserve alive his church and his truth. And I know he will!
"In the midst of the years make
known" - Pray that God will make known the gospel of his grace, and that
he will make all men to know his greatness, his grace, and his glory in Christ.
Though the prophets of Baal and those who follow them to destruction may not
repent, I pray that our God would make himself known to this generation by us
(I Kings
"In wrath remember mercy!" There
is yet a remnant, chosen of God and redeemed by Christ, who must be saved. Let
us plead with God, putting him in remembrance of his covenant (Isa. 43:26),
that he might have mercy upon some, even in this day of
judgment.
WE CAN AND MUST GIVE THANKS ALSO TO GOD
FOR HIS GRACE TO US (II Thess.
If in the midst of this reprobate age you
have been snatched out of darkness and translated into the
WE CAN AND MUST PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THIS
REPROBATE GENERATION (Rom.
Don Fortner