Reverence For God's Word

In today's church we get sermons that are 23-60 minutes long and people complain and murmur about the length. I was in one congregation that actually yelled out jokes at the preacher because he would go longer than the senior pastor did. And people laughed. The pastor laughed. Read this passage from Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 8:1-3
And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

Nehemiah didn't even preach. He read God's Word for about 5 hours straight. No one complained. No one left. No one sat down. No one got bored or fell asleep. This how much they revered God's Word. Look at what this did to their hearts.

Nehemiah 8:5-6
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

When is the last time you saw this happen in church?

Look at how the day ends.

Nehemiah 8:9-12
And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

This is what church ought to look like. we ought to come in and be overwhelmed by the power of God's Word and it ought to penetrate our hearts causing us to weep and worship. Then we should rise up and go celebrate the day in view of the greatness of our God and the power of His Word and then share what we have in honor of what we have been given.

 What To Do With Anxiety

Philippians 4:6–9

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

We all struggle with worry and anxiety. Yet Paul gives us a command here to not be anxious. This is not a new command; Jesus gave the same imperative in Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Yes, this is an imperative. To worry is to lack trust in God and to not believe His promises. Romans 8:28 tells us that “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

If we believe that God is sovereign—which the Bible fully teaches—then we can trust that what He says, He not only can do, but He will do. He promises that all things are being worked out for good for His people.

Yet we all wrestle with anxiety and worry. So Paul gives us the solution: “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Pray to God and tell Him your worries and concerns—and then believe His promises. Once we give it to God, we must let Him have it. We cannot hold on to what we just gave to Him.

When we do this, His peace—which is incomprehensible—will guard our hearts and minds.

There is one more thing that Paul adds to this equation: this is all conditional.

Philippians 4:8–9
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

The conditions for the God of peace to be with us are that we think about the things that are true, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. This is a pretty good description of Jesus.

Paul commands us to practice the things that we have learned, received, heard, and seen in him. In other words, read your Bible and do what it says. Then the God of peace will be with you. Then your faith will grow. Then you will believe God.

This is the disconnect many of us have: we believe in God, but we don’t believe God. We don’t read His Word, and we don’t make it what drives our thoughts. Instead, we fill our minds with the things of the world, and we let the world dictate how and what we think.

We do not need to be anxious or worried. But we must saturate ourselves with His Word and spend our time in prayer, always thinking of Christ. We must surround ourselves with other believers who will encourage us in this. We must sit under sound, biblical teaching. We must be in Christian community more than we are in worldly community.

There is peace to be found—but only in Christ.

What is the Good, God is Working in Romans 8:28?

 You don’t need to be around me long in any setting where a discussion of life and faith is present to know that I quote Romans 8:28 a lot. I don’t like to say I have one favorite scripture—the Bible is just too full of incredible passages to choose only one—but I do believe Romans 8:28 is a truth we must hold onto and turn to almost every day of our lives.

Suffering is a real fact of life. No one escapes life without seasons of trials and storms. Far too many Christians have yet to grasp the theological implications and aspects of suffering. To understand these truths, one must believe the biblical fact that God is sovereign. The Bible teaches repeatedly that everything in our lives—whether good or bad—is completely under the sovereign hand of Almighty God. As R.C. Sproul once said, "There is not one maverick molecule if God is sovereign." The Bible declares that God is sovereign. And that settles it.

Look at Romans 8:28:

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

We should never make Scripture say what it does not say. This verse does not promise that life will be easy or trouble-free. The Bible is clear on that. Jesus stated this truth in John 16:33, saying:

"In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

What a great verse and promise! But also within that promise is the assurance that we will experience tribulation. Romans 8:28 assures us that despite our sufferings—whatever they may be and for whatever reason they happen—God is working them for good.

But for what good? Most of us have been through things, or at least know people who have endured things, that seem to have no apparent good outcome. I could provide many examples, but I think we can all recall times when something happened, and we just couldn’t see its purpose or understand what good could come from it.

So, isolating Romans 8:28 from the rest of Scripture doesn’t give us the full picture. But I have good news—Paul answers that very question in the next verse. Unfortunately, many people spend so much time arguing over doctrine that they miss the answer, which is quite clear once you see it. And this answer explains suffering and why it even exists.

Take a look at Romans 8:29:

"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren."

If you missed it, let me highlight it for you:

"To become conformed to the image of His Son."

So why does God cause all things to work together for good?

So that we would "become conformed to the image of His Son."

God is using every event in your life to do the work of sanctification. He is not wasting anything. Romans 8:28 tells us that God causes all things to work for this purpose. Even our sins, the sins of others against us, and the most painful experiences in life—God is using them to shape us into the likeness of Christ.

Your cancer, your grief over the loss of a loved one, your job loss, and every other hardship you face—God is using all of it to conform you to the image of His Son.

Our sole purpose is to glorify God, and the best way to do that is to become more like Christ. The most powerful witness to the world is when they see Jesus in us.

Romans 8:28 is my go-to verse when life overwhelms me with sorrow and fear. But understanding that everything happening in and around me is being used by God to make me more like Jesus helps me endure each day. My faith grows because I know what God is doing, even if I don’t always like it.

My prayer for all of you reading this is that you will make this promise of God real in your life. Memorize Romans 8:28. Study it. Meditate on it. Share it with others. Believe this truth and rejoice in it. It is truly life-changing.

Learning to Pray

 Did you know that prayer is a taught discipline?

Luke 11:1

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

For some of us, prayer comes easy. For me, God has taught me to pray through the sorrows and struggles of my life. I cannot make it one hour without praying. 

But for others, prayer can be a struggle. The answer is simply to ask Jesus to teach you to pray.

Funny thing is, in order to ask Jesus to teach you to pray, you have to pray. So, start there. Pray that Jesus would teach you to pray. 

But anyone who ever took lessons to play an instrument or to hit a baseball or whatever, you know you have to practice to get better at what you are learning. 

So, pray. Pray about everything. Soon you will find yourself being completely dependent upon Jesus. Soon you will understand how it is possible to live out 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (which commands us to "pray without ceasing."

This will change everything.

There Are No Maverick Molecules

The world we live in continues to look as if it’s spinning out of control. War, inflation, crime, disease, and a wealth of other issues weigh heavily upon people. It even seems we have returned to a world where nuclear annihilation is once again a real possibility. People are anxious and fearful. 

Brothers and sisters of the Christian faith, this is not our calling. We are called to a life of faith that results in peace and contentment in the midst of the turmoil. Scripture is filled with statements such as do not be afraid or anxious. 

How is that possible you ask? 

The answer is simple; it is found in scripture. If you want to live a life free of worry and anxiety, you must learn who God is. You must understand His attributes. One key element of God you must understand, is that He is sovereign. This theological truth is stamped all over scripture. As you read the stories in scripture, start looking for who God is. The Bible is His revelation to you. In it you will learn about God and find out who He is and what he is like.

The sovereignty of God is clear but most of you have fallen into the trap of Satan, whose job is to deceive you. He does that by twisting the truth. He has many of you convinced that man is in control of the world. He is not and the Bible is clear about that. 

This morning I began the Book of Ezra. In the very beginning of Ezra, we see God moving the spirits of men to accomplish His will. 

Ezra 1:1-2 

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Cyrus was not a believer in God. He had no care about God’s house. He was in charge of those Jews being held in captivity in Babylon. But see what God does?

“…the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia.” God moved the king of Persia to do His bidding. Even Cyrus understood who puts all authority in place.  “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth.”

Stop reading your Bibles as if it were an assignment from your 8th grade literature teacher. Read it and meet God there. Start looking for Him in every story and what you will see, is that God is running the world. And if God is running it, then let Him and simply trust Him in it. 

Just a few sentences later we again see God moves the hearts of people. 

Ezra 1:5 

Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem.

“Everyone whose spirit God had stirred.”

RC Sproul said this when teaching on God’s sovereignty. 

“I like to explain it this way: if there is one molecule in the universe running loose, outside of the control of God’s sovereignty, what I like to call “one maverick molecule,” then the practical implication for us as Christians is that we have no guarantee whatsoever that any future promise God has made to His people will come to pass.”

But there are no maverick molecules. Not one. Sproul goes on and adds this, “If we have one maverick molecule running loose out there, we have no assurance whatsoever that this single molecule may not be the grain of sand in the machinery of God’s eternal plan. It may be the thing that runs amuck and makes it impossible, ultimately, for Christ to return to this planet. It may be the thing that destroys any hope for the consummation of the kingdom of God, leaving all those promises of God unfulfilled. There are no maverick molecules in a universe where God is sovereign.”

God is sovereign. Open up you Bible and start learning who God is and you will find that God is in charge and nothing falls out of His sovereign hand. If He is God, then He has the power to stop everything that happens. If He doesn’t stop something, then it means He allows it. If He, in His infinite wisdom allows it, who are we to question it?

We don’t have to fear anything except Him, if we reject Him. We have no cause to worry or be anxious. This is the key to faith, believing who God is. And the Bible tells us who He is. 

Be A Doer of the Law

Today’s command from Paul finds itself imbedded within this passage.

Romans 2:12-13 

For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

I want to reemphasize this point again and again. We are not saved by following God’s law. We are saved by grace and grace alone. That is the truth of the Gospel. But as Paul states here, that does not mean the law has no importance in our salvation. 

To be justified is to be saved. And Paul directly states that “it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”

If this seems confusing or contradictory, it is not. In order to fully understand scripture, you must interpret it by scripture. We must fall back to the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Then look at Hebrews 10:15-16

And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds…”

That verse is a quote from Jeremiah 31:33 

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Jesus fulfilled the law by writing it on our hearts. And what Paul is saying is that we are to obey the law God has placed within our hearts. We are to obey this law in our hearts because God, in His mercy, has sent Jesus to die on the cross for every single sin we have or we will commit. 

Has your heart been changed my friends? If it has, then your attitude about violating the laws of God, is different. This is what repentance is. A change of heart. 

Paul goes on to say this in the rest of this passage from Romans 2:14-16, 

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

My prayer for each of us today, is that we humble ourselves to the commands of God and let the Holy Spirit, who lives in the heart of all believers, lead us to a righteous life that brings glory to God by showing that the work of the law is written on our hearts.

The Importance of God's Word

This is the verse my morning meditation was on.

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 

And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

In its historical context, it is God speaking through Moses in respect to the king God will choose to rule over them. But certainly, we have a spiritual application that speaks to us today.

First, we would be much better off, if we elected men who put God’s Word up as the standard by which they would govern. Realistically though, this is not a Christian nation and that probably isn’t going to happen. Yet, when Christians vote, we must look to this principle when we elect leaders.

There is a second principle that is more personal for us. It is the principle of reading God’s word. Why do we need to read, study, and prioritize God’s word? Let Moses answer that.

“That [you] may learn to fear the LORD [your] God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that [your] heart may not be lifted up above [your] brothers, and that [you] may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that [your] may continue long in [your life], [you] and [your] children.”

God has given us the way to do life. We have a map. It is called the Bible. We cannot know God’s Will unless we listen to Him. And He speaks. He speaks through His Word. 

Colossians 3:16 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

The Commands of God - Live by Faith

Today I begin a new journey, or at least, a different path to the same place. Over the last several months I walked through the Gospels with the goal of pulling out the things Jesus commanded us to do as He walked the earth in the years of His incarnation. The overall object of this journey is to find out what it is God commands us to do. For Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” I want to love Jesus. To do that, I must know what he asks of me. 

The writers of scripture wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. When they speak in the Bible, it is God speaking. Today we begin in the Book of Romans.

Paul doesn’t waste much time in giving us the first commandment of this letter to the Romans.

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

The righteous shall live by faith. 

This is not an option. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists…”

Faith means believing without seeing. It means trusting in God and in His plan, without necessarily understanding it. It means when things happen that we do not like, or that bring suffering and pain, we do not fall apart. We don’t get mad at God. We don’t give up. No, we walk in faith, trusting that the Word of God is true. Believing that Romans 8:28 is true; And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.

The righteous shall live by faith. May we live this out each and every day.

Looking Upon Jesus

This morning in my time with God, He spoke to me through this passage.

Numbers 21:4-9 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

There is so much packed in here for us to take away, as we read this story.

First, notice how so often we behave like Israel did. Like them, we have been given God’s Word, He has promised us all things we need to survive our journey through this life. Yet, we expect God to make things easy and we, too, get impatient with Him as we wait on Him to fulfill all our prayers. I’m not sure we really grasp how often we complain against Him. Or how often we simply do not do things as He calls us to. 

Then notice God’s response to their disobedience and their lack of faith. That’s what it is by the way; a lack of faith. We lack the faith to trust in God and in the way upon which He calls us to walk. God, being our Father, then brings discipline to us, just as we see here in God’s having brought fiery serpents. Our discipline may not come in that form, but just maybe things like a virus, might possibly be God moving in discipline. 

Then notice the people’s response, because it needs to be our response. The people come to Moses in confession and repentance and Moses prays for God to respond to their recognition of their sin. 

God responds by providing them a way to live, even in the midst of the judgment of their sin. 

This is a beautiful picture of Jesus. We celebrate Christmas because in response to our sin and its cost of judgment through death, if we will do as they were called to, and look to Jesus, when we see Him, we will live. The bronze serpent was a picture of Christ. 

Every time we sin against God, we can look to Jesus, at His death and resurrection by which He paid the cost of our sin, and by faith in Him, we can live. 

Let us look upon Jesus and live.

Giving Thanks

It's really easy to preach things the Bible says and since as far as I know, almost all of my friends here on Facebook lay claim to being Christian. that's what I try and do. I'm going to throw a scripture out this morning that I know is really hard to do, especially when circumstances are not what we hope for. 

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I am struggling this morning to do this and I bet many of you are as well. But the Bible is clear; this is God's will for us.

We cannot say we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and then choose to not seek His will in our lives.

So, today I am going to be thankful. Truth is, I have way more to be thankful for than I can even remember. 

Yet, I know this is hard. I keep a prayer journal and when any of you express prayer needs or sometimes I just see them in your lives, I write them down and try most days to lift them up to our God. This morning as I prayed it became clear, my problems are small and not all that bad compared to the many difficult trials many of you are in right now. Yet, the same call is upon you. be thankful in those circumstances. This is God's will for you.

It has been oft said that there is no safer place, no better place than to be in God's will. So, I encourage each of you, take a few moments to thank God for where He has you today.

How can you do that? 

By faith in him. Don't just believe in Him, believe Him. Open up your Bible and you will see that He is sovereign over all things, even your situation. He i working in them. Hos Word says that, "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 

It says even if we don't know what to pray the Spirit does. 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 

Psalms 34:17-22 tells us this,

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.Many are the afflictions of the righteous,but the LORD delivers him out of them all.He keeps all his bones;not one of them is broken.Affliction will slay the wicked,and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.The LORD redeems the life of his servants;none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Whatever you face today and tomorrow, God knows, He is working in it and in the right time He will deliver you out of it. 

This might not happen today. Or tomorrow. But we can know for sure that He will deliver us from all this mess and there will come a day when He will wipe away our tears and we shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

We must live by faith, not by sight. 

This is how we give thanks in all circumstances. 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.            Proverbs 3:5-6

How To Get Wisdom

Life is hard. I think most of us would agree. Knowing what to do and how to do it, can seem overwhelming. It is easy to get confused over even simple decisions sometimes, much less the serious ones. 

We live in a world today, that is filled with information. We can go online and Google it. We can read any number of blogs and articles that advise us how to live. Post your questions and concerns on Facebook and I promise you, there will be no shortage of people willing to throw in their two cents. There actually still are a few bookstores and libraries that carry self-help books by the dozens and Amazon can ship them to you in a day or two. Stay up late and watch TV and there will be commercials that have telephone numbers you can call and have some psycho, I mean psychic tell you what the future holds, making your decisions easy, because they know how it will all turn out. 

But Christians, yes, I’m talking to you, there is a better way. Dust off that Bible and get on your knees.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.  - James 1:5-8 

For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Proverbs 2:6-8

God has spelled it out. If you lack wisdom, (don’t we all?), then ask God. That is called prayer. And if you ask God, God has promised to give wisdom generously to all, and He will do it without reproach. 

But there are some conditions. You must ask in faith. You must not doubt. If you doubt, you won’t receive the wisdom you need and you will probably continue to flounder in your own decisions.  

We must also walk in integrity and be upright. If we do that, God will not only give us the wisdom we need, He will be a shield to us and He will guard the paths of justice and watch your way. 

Look at the world today. Look at our country. Look at the lives of so many.  It is a mess. It is a mess because we are not seeking God’s wisdom. We are seeking our own and we are putting hope and faith in godless people and in man’s way. We have no integrity. Sadly, most of us don’t even have faith. Yes, I mean us Christians. We must stop simply believing in God and start believing God.

I provided two passages from God’s Word. They are promises from God to those who seek to follow Him and to live by faith. The application is simple. Humble yourself before Him, ask Him for the wisdom you need, and then believe what He tells you. He wrote a whole book that is filled with His counsel and His truth and we simply don’t follow His way. 

Christian, do you believe God’s word? Then do what it says. Read His Word and know it, then believe it. 

I leave you with one more scripture. I really suggest you commit it to memory. Even more so believe it and obey it.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

All Things New

 This morning as I look out into the day, I see the sun is shining. The past several days have been dark and dreary filled with many periods of rain. It has been hard to get motivated. I think it could be easily said, it’s been a bit depressing.

But the way God works in the lives of His children, those who call Jesus Lord, is to work in the times of despair and suffering. Romans 5:3-5 explains this to us saying,  “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

We are called to rejoice in our sufferings, because it is in them that we are becoming like Christ. The Apostle Paul has written about suffering and resurrection in Philippians 3:8-11. Take a look.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

In order to know the power of resurrection, we must share in the sufferings of Jesus and become like Him in death. The transition of winter to spring is a picture of that process. Just as the seasons come and go here in the Midwest, so our lives have seasons of suffering and seasons of resurrection. But we have to die to be resurrected. 

The promises of God as found in the Bible are many. One of those promises is that we will have suffering. Jesus gave this promise in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Suffering is simply part of life. But we need not lose heart, for in the suffering and the death, comes resurrection. 

Just as winter is making way to spring, so is God working in the lives of His children. I close this morning with a promise from God.

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:5 

This morning look out and see how God is making all things new. 

Death Comes Before Resurrection

Maybe the  greatest mistake we make as Christians, is that we fail to understand that death has to come before resurrection. It’s sounds so simple, yet so many miss it. We come to church looking for help. Our lives are a mess. Addiction, broken relationships, loneliness, fear, and a wealth of other things have beaten us down. We reach that point where we just cannot go on as we are. So, we show up looking for Jesus to heal us and to make our lives better. We want to be born again and have new life.

But we don’t come willing to die first. 

There cannot be a resurrection of the living. For a resurrection to happen, there must be a death first. I am not talking about physical death of our earthly body here, though in the final end, that is exactly what will happen. We will die physically, and Jesus will raise us up with new bodies in which we will live eternally.

But that is the future, what about today? Tomorrow?  

No, I am speaking of spiritual death and resurrection. Death must come to our old nature, which the Bible is clear about; we are dead spiritually in our sin.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Ephesians 2:1-3 

Technically, we might say we are already dead before we come to Christ. The Bible says we are. But what’s not dead is our addiction to self, the passions of our flesh. Our sins are a direct result of our desire to please ourselves. We live for our own pleasure and seek to have the glory that only God deserves. 

It is the death to self that must occur. Look around at the world today. Almost everywhere we  go, we see that people are mostly concerned with themselves. They demand what they want, when they want it. For that matter, look inward at yourself. How many of the conflicts you find yourself in are a direct result of you not getting your way? 

Self must die. It’s all over scripture. 

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 

Jesus is the perfect example.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 

By the way, the use of the word servant in this translation is better rendered slave. 

If we say we are Christians, then we are supposed to be disciples and followers of Jesus. This means it is our primary hope to become like Him. We must become slaves to Him, not to ourselves.

To do that, self must die. Until “self” dies, resurrection cannot happen. 

The bottom line is that none of this is about us. It is about God. His glory. When we live for ourselves, we are trying to rob God of His glory. That, my friends, is a bad idea.

I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Isaiah 42:8 

Let us die, so that we can live in the resurrection of new life that Jesus has offered to us. He will raise us up to new life.

Leaving the Past to Live in Christ

We all have made mistakes and sinned in the course of our lives. Some of them are serious and the consequences of those sins make our lives, hard to bear. Or maybe it was our parents, whose sins in raising us left us hurt and living life in the shadows of abuse and neglect. Maybe in a past relationship, we were damaged severely by someone else. Or maybe we were the one who has inflicted great hurt upon those we love or were supposed to love the most. But the answer to these things is not to spend the rest of our lives with anger, bitterness, shame, or self-pity. Not to the one who lives by faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Listen to what God says to us in His Word about the past.

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing, now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. - Isaiah 43:18-19

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. - Philippians 3:13-15 

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” - Luke 9:62 

When we become Christians, everything changes. Everything.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. - 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

No longer need we seek the approval of men. No longer are our sins held against us, thus we have no right to hold the sins of others against them. Reconciliation is the theme of salvation and this must become our message as well. And we will do more for the Kingdom of God by living our lives out in the joy of our salvation and by offering the same type of grace and mercy that God showed us by sending Jesus to the cross, to others than if we devote our lives to being a witness through our words. Our words matter, but if our lives do not show the lost world Jesus, then we are simply going to ignored.

Whatever and whoever we were before Jesus, is to be forgotten and now our identity is in Him.  Take some time today to dig into your Bible and see who you are in Christ. Then ask yourself this; Am I who God says I am? Or am I who the world says I am? 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. - 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Let us live with hearts of reconciliation. 

How To Come Against the Attacks of Our Enemy

 

Reading this morning in Isaiah 36:13-15, “Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us.”

This is a picture of how Satan comes against us. Just as Rabshakeh calls out to the people and tells them not to trust their king and what he says, Satan, the deceiver and liar by Biblical definition, calls out to us in the midst of our trials and sufferings and tells us not to trust God. 

Notice how the enemy twists the truth, turning it around to make it seem it is our king we cannot believe. 

But if we continue on in this narrative from Isaiah, listen to what the king says.

But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.” - Isaiah 36:21 

The king, Hezekiah tells the people to simply be silent and not answer the enemy. But he doesn’t stop there. Read on.

It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the LORD your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’” - Isaiah 37:4

Hezekiah reminds the people that God hears the rhetoric of the enemy. And then Hezekiah gives them an explicit command saying, “lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.”

Just as they had an enemy whose method was to cast doubts upon their faith in God, so we have the same enemy. And his tactics are the same today. Satan will implant in our minds doubt in the midst of our sufferings. 

The story we read of here in Isaiah speaks of a literal enemy which threatens a literal invasion by a literal army. But behind it all is a spiritual attack. Whatever we face today, at its core we are involved in a spiritual battle. And God has provided us with a specific scripture reading that is our battle instruction.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.Read that through carefully. - Ephesians 6:10-18

We are not called to advance against the enemy, calling out rebukes and engaging in battle. No, we are called to “stand against the schemes of the devil.” So that “you may be able to withstand in the evil day.” And “having done all, to stand firm.” We put on the whole armor of God so that we may “stand.”

It is “the Lord and in the strength of his might” by which the devil is defeated. Not by our power displayed by making a full-frontal assault on the enemy. The only action we are to take is be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

Our God is sovereign over all, including the enemy, Satan knows this. Read the Book of Job. So, what he will do is just as in this OT reading, he will attempt to cast doubt in our minds and hearts. We must use the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word, to cut down the lies of the devil, while praying at all times, in the Spirit.

That’s how we do battle. We stand. And we let God. 

One of my all-time favorite passages is the prelude to the parting of the Red Sea. 

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” - Exodus 14:13-14

Again, what was the command? “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD.”

Brothers and sisters, yes, we are in a war. But we can and must stand firm and trust in our God. We cannot win these battles. But He can.

The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. And in that silence, we pray. Then we stand.

It’s worth repeating.

Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today.

Understanding the Holiness of God

 

I’ve been doing a Bible study on the attributes of God and this week we looked at one that may be as misunderstood as any other attribute. As Christians it must be our goal to study God’s Word with an extreme passion for knowing God. This task is in one way an impossible goal to fully attain, for God Himself says this in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Yet, because the Christian faith is about a restored relationship with God, through Jesus, we need to know God to love God. 

Though God’s ways are higher than ours, we can still learn of who He is through His Word, in which God Himself has revealed all we need to know about Him in order to love Him and have a relationship with Him. We must open our Bibles and we must seek the greatest possible understanding. When Jesus ascended back to sit at the Father’s side, He sent us the Holy Spirit, who lives in each believer. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and according to John 14:26, “he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” God has provided us with all we need.

So, what does it mean that God is holy? When we think of that word, we often picture it to mean perfect in the sense of never sinning. Certainly, that is true of God, He is without sin, as was Jesus when He walked the earth as a man. But the word means more than just that. 

The Hebrew word used to describe God as holy is qadosh and the meaning of that word speaks of something that is separate. R.C. Sproul defines this as “primarily that God is transcendentally separate. He is so far above and beyond us that He seems totally foreign to us.” That description lines up with Isaiah 55:8-9, quoted above. Every single aspect of God is above anything we can do or even think of. God’s love? It is a love that is so much greater than ours. No one loves like God. God’s justice? Well, all one has to do is look at man’s justice system and we can see that it is a far cry from true justice. But God’s justice is perfect in every way. Try and compare God’s creative efforts with man’s. God speaks things into existence. Man cannot touch that. 

The truth is this, God is so far above us in every single aspect, that we really don’t have words to describe it. This is why He deserves our worship. God is above all things. Way above. The only word that I can think of that helps me grasp this truth is the word infinite. God is an infinite being and man and all of man’s world is finite. We keep looking at God and questioning things. We ask questions about why suffering and get frustrated because we can’t find answers that satisfy our minds. The truth is this; God is Holy, capital H. His ways are so much higher above ours that we simply cannot try and apply our finite understanding to an infinite God. 

This is why the Christian life is to be a life of faith. God tells us that in His Word. 2 Corinthians 5:7 reminds us that “we walk by faith, not by sight.” Hebrews 11:6 says that “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” So, we must seek Him and seek Him by faith. 

But we must seek the God who is above all things, who is transcendentally separate from everything we know. And we must worship Him in a way we have never done so. We must worship Him for who He is. 

God is holy. God is holy, holy, holy. And I cannot even find words to explain this. I sat down this morning to try. I wanted to share with all of you reading this, the power of the truth of God’s holiness. I see now I cannot. I am inadequate for such a task. But please, please use this as an opportunity to seek to know as much as you possibly can about who God is and what it means that He is holy. 

Take time today to just sit in awe of our God. Look out at the snow and the sun. Find some birds. Look at the people around you. Look in a mirror. God created all this by merely speaking it into creation. It defies logic. It defies science. It is simply transcendent. 

Then open your Bible and read of Him. Read the miracles. The stories of deliverance. Look at how many times Israel failed Him. But even in those failings, God keeps loving them through it all. His mercies are new every day. His love for us is a holy love.

My worship of God never succeeds to the place it ought to be. But I must worship the infinite God with everything this finite body and mind has. One day I will fall before Him in pure worship, devoid of this sinful body, and all of the stuff I thought was important will be left behind. I will see His glory. 

God is Holy. Let us worship Him in spirit and truth.

Return to the Lord

 Come, let us return to the LORD;

for he has torn us, that he may heal us;

he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

After two days he will revive us;

on the third day he will raise us up,

that we may live before him.

Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD;

his going out is sure as the dawn;

he will come to us as the showers,

as the spring rains that water the earth.” 

Hosea 6:1-3 

The answer is clear in scripture as to what we must do. We must return to the Lord. 

This is how we must respond to Covid. Return to the Lord. To the violence. We must return to the Lord. To the division. To the oppression and to the injustices of the world. Return to the Lord.

Revival starts within our own heart. 

God has made the path clear and easy to see. We don't need a better president, we don't need more riots and protests or any of the other things we keep doing in our society. We need to return to the Lord.

These words are from the OT but they are just as relevant to us today. God does not change.

Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

Let us press on to know the LORD.

How Big Is Your God?

The God of the Bible is an amazing god. From the beginnings of Genesis 1, until the end of Revelation, we find story after story of God doing things that our science and our logic would call impossible.

Listen to opening of scripture. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Science has yet to offer an explanation for the creation of the world that proves this statement to be untrue. Even more amazing is how the Bible says He did it. 

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. - Genesis 1:3

And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. - Genesis 1:6-7

And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. - Genesis 1:9 

And on and on it was so. God said, and it came to be. Even man was created because God created him. 

Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. - Genesis 2:7

As the history of the world is recorded in scripture, we see God doing things that defy nature. He floods the earth, saving only a handful of people and animals to repopulate the earth in a restart of unbelievable magnitude. 

He chooses one man to be the start of a group of people to be His chosen ones and from whom the world will be saved from its sin. He does this by promising a child to a woman well past the age of childbearing. This feat was so impossible that the woman laughed when God said it.

The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” - Genesis 18:10-14 

Scripture is replete with examples of God doing impossible things by human standards. He parts the Red Sea so that only His people can pass through while their enemies are destroyed as they seek to follow them. God puts men into positions of authority and removes them as He sees fit. He makes a donkey speak. The miracles of scripture go on and on. And they don’t cease in the New Testament. 

We see Jesus born to a virgin. We see men raised from the dead and people healed, sometimes by merely touching the cloak of Christ. We see that Jesus controls the weather. He can stop a storm merely by commanding it to stop. We find Jesus not only resurrected from the dead, but we see Him ascend back into heaven. 

We find the Apostles given the power over sickness and death. An earthquake open jails for the apostles and angels show up to break prison chains.

I could go on and on. The Bible is filled with the stories and the miracles of God. 

Many of us have experienced miraculous events in our own lives. As Christians, we say we believe that God sent Jesus to earth to save us from our sins and that we are saved by faith alone to receive eternal life. We tell others that we believe this, and we use scripture to show why we believe this.

But in the day to day struggles of our own life on earth, we worry and fret and far too often live this life without joy and in fear. 

Why?

Because we simply don’t really believe God is big enough, strong enough, or willing enough to help us. We reduce God to a small god and in doing that, we make ourselves or others our god.

If what we say we believe, is really what we believe, then our God is big enough, strong enough, and gracious enough, to not only save us from our sins, but He is big enough to bring us through every single trial or storm we face. 

The fact is we need to believe what scripture teaches. God is sovereign. We must understand what that word means. It means He is over all things. Everything. Nothing moves on this earth, unless God has ordained it and allowed it.

The problem we have is that our finite minds cannot understand the how or the why of God’s movement. Scripture answers that question for us. 

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. - Ecclesiastes 3:11 

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9 

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. - Psalms 145:3 

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! - Romans 11:33 

We must stop reducing God to our level and instead begin to worship a God who is so much more than we can even imagine. We must believe what He says about Himself. 

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” - Jeremiah 32:27 

Nothing is too hard for God. Nothing. We must believe that. Then we must trust that all things are under His control. It all comes down to what may be my favorite verse.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

How big is your God? I can promise you this; He is big enough. I pray we would all begin to live with that God as the one we truly trust in for all things. But we must also understand this life isn’t about us, it’s about God’s will and purpose. That’s the key to being able to rest in faith, knowing that God’s purposes aren’t ours. We don’t pray to change God’s mind; we pray to change ours. 

So today, look at the God you say you believe in. How big is He? 

Trembling at God's Word

Thus says the LORD

"But this is the one to whom I will look:he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." - Isaiah 66:2

Came across this verse tonight and it struck me hard. When I read scripture do I ever tremble at it? Have I ever?

If the Bible is not God's Word, then those of us who call ourselves Christians are only fooling ourselves. 

It is God's Word. Every single commandment, every warning, and even the words of comfort, ought to drop me to me knees in worship and awe-struck praise, and cause me to tremble at the incomprehensible power and glory of the Almighty God. 

And if I truly fear the Lord, I will turn in repentance and obedience giving Him every ounce of my heart.

"But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."

Thus says the LORD.

You Can't Measure Almost

Heard a great quote today in a TV show.

"It's hard to measure almost. Because almost doesn't matter."

Almost is just a nice way of saying it didn't happen. 

Nothing will ever replace effort and perseverance. This world wants us to expect to be given things simply because we feel entitled. This is nonsense.

There is only one free gift in life and that is God's offer through His Son Jesus, to receive His mercy and grace in the forgiveness and the atonement which derives from the death of Christ on Calvary. But it wasn't free; it cost Jesus everything

We are not entitled to salvation. We did not and we cannot earn it. Only the perfect sacrificial lamb, Christ could pay the steep price of salvation.

But just because God made this glorious offer doesn't then allow us to expect all things will come free or even easy.

We are called to work hard and to persevere in our faith. We owe that much to Jesus. 

We are also called to take the wonderful gifts and blessings of God and use them for His glory. To work hard in all we do. 

Almost doesn't matter.