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The Journey That Led to Athens

Acts 17:16-18

Acts 17:19-21

Acts 17:32-34

Matthew 11:28

Introduction

“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. Some said, ‘What does this babbler want to say?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,’ because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.” (Acts 17:16–18)

“And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, ‘May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore, we want to know what these things mean.’ For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.” (Acts 17:19–21)

Before we look at what happened in Athens,  consider the journey that brought Paul there.
It began in Philippi, where Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. At midnight they prayed and sang praises to God, and God miraculously opened the prison doors. The jailer came in, fearing the prisoners had escaped, and was about to take his own life rather than face the Roman authorities. But Paul called out, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”


By the beginning of Acts  17, Paul had traveled to Thessalonica. As was his custom, he first went into the synagogue and preached to the Jewish people. Many believed. Others rejected the message, stirred up the crowd, and recruited troublemakers to form a mob. Paul’s life was in danger; his friends urged him to leave.


From there, Paul traveled to Berea. The Bible says the Bereans were more noble, or fair-minded, than those in Thessalonica. They listened carefully to Paul’s preaching and searched the Scriptures to see whether what he was saying was true. As a result, many believed.


Unfortunately, the opposition from Thessalonica followed Paul to Berea and stirred up another crowd. Once again, Paul’s friends urged him to leave for his own safety. They escorted him to Athens.


That is where we find Paul in this passage.

The Sadness, Idolatry, and Deception

Paul had asked Silas and Timothy to join him as quickly as possible, but they had not arrived yet. While waiting, Paul walked through Athens. The population of Athens was about 10,000 people, yet historians estimate there were around 30,000 idols in the city, three idols for every person.


As Paul walked through Athens and saw that the city was wholly given over to idolatry, it grieved his heart. He came from a very different background, growing up studying the Old Testament under Gamaliel, one of the most respected teachers of the Law in that day. Then everything changed.


Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus.


Before that encounter, Paul had zealously opposed Christianity. These followers of Jesus seemed to contradict everything he had been taught. But after meeting Christ, Paul returned to the Scriptures and discovered this “new way”, he saw that Jesus was the Messiah promised throughout the Old Testament.


The same zeal Paul once used to oppose Christ became the zeal with which he preached that Jesus is Lord and God had proved it by raising Him from the dead.


But, behind the idolatry in the city was  the deception of Satan.


The King James Version says, **”**Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.” Other translations say they were “very religious.” But, religion without God is nothing but superstition!


Paul had met the Savior. He knew there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved. None of the names written on those thousands of idols could save anyone. There was only one way to heaven, and that way was Jesus Christ.


There is freedom of religion in the United States. God Himself gives people the freedom to love Him or reject Him. Likewise, our nation gives people the freedom to be Christians, atheists, or followers of other religions.


Sometimes people begin to think it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere. That is a lie from the pit of hell. It does matter what you believe!


The place where Paul spoke was the Areopagus. The Greek god associated with that place was Ares, while the Romans worshiped the same god under the name Mars. That is why it is often called Mars Hill. It was a place where people gathered to debate ideas and discuss philosophy.


Paul warned us to be careful that we are not “cheated through philosophy and empty deceit.” Satan is the father of lies, and one of his greatest tools is deception. He wants people to believe that any path is acceptable or truth doesn’t really matter.


There are many issues in our culture today where people, regardless of political party, fail to line up with God’s Word. This is not a political statement, nor is it an attack on individuals. But when our laws begin to approve what God’s Word says is wrong, we must stand with the Word of God.


Waves of philosophy and empty deceit continue to come against people today. Paul understood that personally because there was a time when he had been deceived, traveling in the wrong direction, sincerely believing he was doing God’s will, until he met Jesus Christ.

The Message That Could Have Brought Salvation

When some certain philosophers heard Paul preaching, they asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be proclaiming foreign gods,“ because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.


They invited him to the Areopagus.


In one sense, that’s a good thing. People should be willing to listen and examine ideas honestly.
Paul accepted the invitation and began by saying, “I perceive that in every way you are very religious.” As he walked through Athens he  saw their many idols and beliefs. They were religious, but they did not know the true God.


Paul did not begin by attacking them. He began where they were and pointed them to the truth. He told them about the God who made the world and everything in it. This God does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything. He is the One who gives life and breath to all things.


The God they needed to know was not another idol among thousands. He was the Creator of all things. The message Paul preached could have brought salvation to every person who was willing to listen, repent, and believe. But sadly, not everyone was willing to hear the truth.

The Message That Did Bring Salvation to a Few

When Paul spoke of the resurrection of the dead they cut him short. When he spoke of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked him, while others said they would hear him again on the matter.

Yet the message did bring salvation to a few.

“When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’ So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” (Acts 17:32–34)

Some people might have looked at Paul’s ministry in Athens and thought he had very little success. But God does not measure success the way we do.


The message brought salvation to Dionysius, Damaris, and others who believed. Much depends on the attitude of those who are listening. Will they be like the Bereans, searching the Scriptures to see whether these things are true? Or will they allow prejudice and preconceived ideas to keep them from hearing God’s Word?


For those who believed, the difference was that they listened. They believed the Word of God and came to the one true God through Jesus Christ.


You could have pointed to any of the idols that filled Athens and asked, “Did this god die for you?”


No!


Or ask, “Did this god die and rise again?”

No!


The gospel of Jesus Christ is different.


The good news is that although we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Because He is the Son of God, His sacrifice was sufficient for every person in every generation. His death was the complete payment for sin.


Yet not everyone is saved because not everyone accepts the gift He offers. Jesus offers salvation freely, but if someone rejects Him, there is nowhere else to turn. With Christ, there is hope. Without Christ, there is no hope.

Will You Reject the Deception of Satan and Accept Christ?

Are you fully trusting Him, or are the philosophies of this world, the pressures of society, and the lies of the enemy pulling you away from God?

The world pulls against us. What we hear in the media, what we see on television, and what our culture celebrates can cause people to question God and doubt His truth.

Friend, there is an answer. There is a way. 

Will you reject the lies of Satan and simply trust Jesus? Will you trust Him completely for your salvation? Have you truly placed your faith in Him?


If you have, praise God. But if you’re not sure you’ve ever really done that, then there is an invitation from Jesus Himself:

“Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

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God’s Instructions for a New Nation

Micah 6:8

He has shown you O man, what is good; 

and what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

Love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

God’s Instructions to a New Nation

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Introduction

“I can’t get in!” said George Duffield, the new Presbyterian pastor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His friends watched him standing at the locked church door and called, “Come over here!” He followed them to the side of the church, where they opened a window and pushed him in. He then opened the doors for them. Duffield faced opposition to his ministry even before the Revolutionary War. His support for independence later caused him more trouble, but he eventually became accepted and preached for more than 50 years.

One of Rob Morgan’s 100 verses that made America is Micah 6:8. John Winthrop referenced this verse in his famous sermon, A City on a Hill. John Adams frequently mentioned it, and George Washington referenced it in his 1783 Circular Letter to the States.

God’s Instructions to a New Nation | Do Justly

At the beginning of the war, the British put a price on George Duffield’s head! He went into hiding to protect his life. British soldiers took possession of his church, turned it into a hospital, and burned the pews to keep their soldiers warm. Still, Duffield continued to be an active military chaplain.

There is an old saying often attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville: “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” The passage of Scripture we are focused on tells us to do justly. One translation puts it like this: “do what is right.”

An old friend of mine, Stan, owned a carpet company with his brother. One time a church made a large carpet purchase from his company. Unfortunately, the carpet didn’t hold up well, and the threads began pulling out. Stan called the manufacturer to make it right, but they would neither replace the carpet nor compensate him.

Stan knew replacing it from his own inventory would cost him a lot of money. Still, he did what was right and replaced all the carpet the church needed at no charge. It seemed Stan lost a lot of money that day, but word got around that his business had integrity and stood behind its product. Who knows how many sales came over the years because he did what was right?

The world tells us to look out for number one. It would tell Stan the defective carpet wasn’t his fault, so why should he lose money? Let the manufacturer deal with it! But the Bible says to do justly. Do what is right.

God’s Instructions to a New Nation | Love Mercy

Stan was also a friend I went to high school with, and he showed that same integrity even back then. We had study hall together. If you’re smart, you’ll get your homework done and study. If you’re like a lot of us, you go in there and mess around.

There were only four of us in the class. One of the coaches was our teacher, and he felt there were better things to do than sit with four students. He told us, “Hey guys, I’m not going to be in here,” and gave us freedom to have fun in the gym. I asked if we could go outside. “Sure,” he said, “as long as you don’t go around the other rooms.” It was going to be a great year. We’d just had freedom handed to us.

One day Stan and another friend, Steve, were playing tag. Steve ran into the gym with Stan chasing him, then held the door shut from the other side. Stan got an idea! Holding the doorknob, he put his foot on the door frame. I heard a cracking noise. The crack went up both sides and across the top. Just like that, the door fell open.

We had torn up the gym door, and we knew it. Steve got as far away as possible. Stan and I thought maybe we could fix it quickly, but the ag teacher walked up. Have you ever done something you know is your fault and wondered what the consequences would be? I wondered if I was going to get kicked out of school. Our parents could have been called in. There could have been a school board meeting.

Instead, the ag teacher, who was known for being a Christian man, looked at the damage and told Stan, “The shop is right over here. Let’s get the hammer and nails.” They came back and fixed the door frame. Justice could have come down on us that day, but he showed mercy. Do justly. But also, love mercy.

An old story is told about a soldier under the great general Napoleon who deserted his army. He was caught and brought back, facing a penalty that could have been death. His mother learned he would appear before Napoleon for judgment and somehow made her way around the guards to plead for her son.

Napoleon told her that her son deserved the justice coming to him and that he wanted to make an example of him. She did not argue his innocence. She fell to her knees and said, “Sir, I do not ask for justice. I ask for mercy.” Napoleon was so touched that he granted mercy and allowed her son to live.

The Bible tells us to do justly, to do what is right. Those words of Scripture were applied to this new nation. We were told America is great because she is good. She does justly because she shows mercy. But if America ever ceases to do good, she will no longer be great.

The world says, “Fight back! Take care of number one.” But Jesus said, “Turn the other cheek.” Hanging on the cross, He looked at those crucifying Him and mercifully said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” We can know Christ as our Savior because Jesus is merciful to us. On our behalf He said, “Father, forgive them.”

God’s Instructions to a New Nation | Walk Humbly with Your God

There was a man whose life stretched from the Civil War into WWII. Granny Clampett called the Civil War “the war of northern aggression!” It was a time in America we aren’t proud of, when human slavery was taking place. George Washington Carver was born into slavery during this time. When he grew up, he became an important part of the Tuskegee Institute, one of the early Black colleges in America.

While doing research there, Carver prayed God would give him knowledge of peanut crops. He did all kinds of experiments, and God answered those prayers. He found over 300 uses for peanuts, helping produce a better market for the crop and becoming a well-known man in the United States.

A story is told of Dr. Carver standing in a hotel lobby one day in his everyday clothes. A white traveler walked in, saw him and said, “Hey boy! Get my bags!” Dr. Carver picked up the man’s bags, no questions asked. The hotel proprietor was shocked. “Oh, Dr. Carver! You don’t have to do that. I’ll get someone to take care of it.” The traveler realized his mistake and asked, “Are you Dr. Carver?” Carver simply said, “At your service.”

To walk humbly with our God is our third instruction. The disciples once argued as they walked about which of them would be the greatest. Jesus asked what they were arguing about, and they were ashamed. He used a small child to teach them about greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven and that they must humble themselves and become like children.

In reading the whole passage, we learn what George Washington Carver had learned. Jesus teaches that true greatness is to humbly serve others without thought of reward. Have you ever thought about how Jesus is the Lord of Glory? He was the Lord of Heaven! The Son was in Heaven with the Father and the Spirit, with angels to do His bidding.

Yet He came to earth knowing Judas would betray Him. Jesus was in the garden when Roman soldiers and authorities came to capture Him. When Jesus identified Himself, they drew back and fell to the ground. Still, He willingly allowed them to carry Him off to Pilate.

Here was the Lord of Glory humbling Himself. He became a little lower than the angels, just as the Bible says we all are. He left Heaven’s glory to come to earth and live as humans do. The most powerful being in the universe experienced tiredness and thirst. He was mocked, spit on, and had hairs plucked from His beard. He experienced it all willingly. He came to humbly serve us as a loving Savior.

Conclusion

Jesus is our King. He is The King! He is my King. Oh! He’s such a wonderful King. He is the One who was willing to lay down His power and give His life as a ransom for sin.

You and I owe a debt we cannot pay. He paid that debt in full so that we might be saved. So I ask you, is He your Savior today?

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The Blessing of Focus

Matthew 22:34-40

Ephesians 5:18-6:4

Matthew 28:18-20

Focus

At my house, we have a landing at the top of the stairs overlooking our living room. From the landing, you can see the TV. I often head upstairs only to get distracted by the TV. By the time I’m ready to get back to what I was doing, I think, “Was I going upstairs or was I going downstairs?”

Focus is the key to remembering why you headed upstairs.

I’ll encourage you to focus on  five things. To help you remember, we will state them as commands.

Loving God

 Matthew 22:34-40: The Great Commandment

When the Pharisees asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

The first command is to LOVE GOD. That is the great commandment.

The Jewish young men and women, as they grew up, learned from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 that they were to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The focus was on loving God.

In the Old Testament, the nation did well when they had a good king who loved God. But when they had a king who did not love God, the nation did not fare as well. Eventually, the kingdom split into two nations: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

During this time was King Hezekiah. Scripture says he was a good king. He focused on that first commandment to LOVE GOD, and modeled that to his nation.

When Hezekiah died, his son Manasseh did not follow in his father’s footsteps. Instead, he set up idols throughout the land where pagan and ungodly worship of false gods took place. One of those false gods was called Molech. They had a large statue that they would heat until it turned red from the fire, and they would sacrifice their children by laying them on that statue. These practices were promoted by evil kings, causing the nation to decline. Judgment was coming.

Babylon captured Manasseh, put him in chains, and carried him away. While he was in captivity, he came to his senses. He realized, “I have not been worshiping God. I have not focused on loving God, the true God, the God of my father.”

He cried out to God. He sincerely repented of his sin. God heard his prayers. He was restored as king of Judah and lived the rest of his life with God’s blessing because he returned his focus to God.

So, our first command is to LOVE GOD.

Loving Others

The commandment second to the greatest one is to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus quoted that, and someone asked Him, “Who is my neighbor?” He was looking for a way to avoid loving everybody, perhaps because some people are hard to love.

Jesus answered by telling the story of a man who was attacked by robbers. They robbed him, beat him so badly that he could not move himself, and left him without the means to care for himself. As he lay there, people came by. Some stayed on the other side of the road, some crossed to the opposite side to avoid him. One was a priest, another a Levite.

One was a Samaritan.

The Jews despised the Samaritans, yet Jesus said the Samaritan had compassion on the wounded man. He went to him, cared for his wounds, took him to an inn, and said, “Take care of him, and when I come back, I will settle up with you.”

Then Jesus asked, “Which one was a neighbor to the man who was robbed?”

It was the despised Samaritan.

These are your commands:

  1. LOVE GOD
  2. LOVE OTHERS

Loving the Church

Ephesians 5:18-6:4 teaches us what it looks like to live under the influence of the Spirit. Paul explains the importance of submitting to one another, loving our families, and living according to God’s design. He reminds husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.

Think of how Jesus demonstrated that love in John 17 when He prayed for the church. He prayed for His disciples, and He prayed for those who would come after them. He was praying for you and me as well.

A man named Brian said, “When my love for the church mirrors Christ’s love for the church, things will go well.”

Brian said Jesus was optimistic because He looked at these disciples and believed these flaky men would change the world. When Jesus was crucified, they all ran away and hid. Yet after He was gone, Jesus was depending on those same disciples to establish the church and care for it. He knew they would.

Remain committed to the gospel. This is the good news of Jesus!

A seminar I attended mentioned that each one of us should be doing whatever we can to share Christ. We were challenged to come up with a fifteen-second testimony. I want to extend this challenge to you.

If you’re saved, think of what your life was like before Christ and what it is like after. Try to find a way to tell those two things in 15 seconds.

My 15-second testimony would be: Before I came to Christ, I didn’t think anybody could know for sure they would go to heaven. They couldn’t know it until they died. After I met Christ, I found out you can be sure and I’m on my way to heaven. In fact, the Bible tells us over and over that we can be sure.

Do you have a story like that? As you go through life, there will be opportunities to take the conversation in a spiritual direction. Sometimes all it takes is asking someone, “Could I tell you a short story about my own life?”

Remember, their salvation doesn’t depend on you. You simply share the good news that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin.

That’s the gospel.

Whenever my love for the church mirrors Christ’s love for the church, I actively pursue peace and unity. When my love for the church mirrors Christ’s love for the church, I seek God’s glory and not my own.

These are your commands:

  1. LOVE GOD
  2. LOVE OTHERS
  3. LOVE YOUR CHURCH

Loving Your Family

I know a family that was a great example to others. The husband was a pastor, with a faithful wife, and they were raising their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Both sons eventually accepted the call to preach. To the shock of his family and those who had sat under his ministry, the pastor became involved with another woman, and the marriage ended in divorce.

If you identify with the husband in this story and have come to Christ in repentance, you have been forgiven. You can focus on your family where you are right now.

This story reminds us why we must focus on our families. Our choices do not only affect us. They can have far-reaching effects on those we love and those who look to us for guidance.

These are your commandments:

  1. LOVE GOD
  2. LOVE OTHERS
  3. LOVE YOUR CHURCH
  4. LOVE YOUR FAMILY

Fulfilling Your Mission

Matthew 28:18-20

 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

This is The Great Commission.

As we live out our lives, we are to announce the gospel to every people group in the world.

Some of us cannot physically go out to do that. We can support others who do, however. Our church supports several missionaries on a regular basis. They usually let us know how we can support them.

Sometimes we focus on “going into all the world” as a command to go somewhere, but as we are going through life, we share the gospel with others in our everyday lives.

This is accomplished in these commands:

  1. LOVE GOD
  2. LOVE OTHERS
  3. LOVE YOUR CHURCH
  4. LOVE YOUR FAMIL
  5. FULFILL YOUR MISSION

Keep thinking about that 15-second testimony and share it with someone this week.

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Victory in Jesus

Troubles come to each of us. But with Jesus, you can have victory over the trials and tribulations in your life.

Troubles From Without

King David and his men were hiding in a cave when they heard King Saul’s army approaching. Saul was deeply jealous of David. After David won a great victory, the people sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul took that as a slight, grew jealous, and threw spears at David on a couple of occasions, forcing David to flee for his life.

While 600 of David’s men waited silently in the cave, Saul walked inside alone to relieve himself. One of David’s men whispered, “Your enemy is here. You can get him now.” But David replied, “I will not touch the Lord’s anointed.” Instead, he secretly cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.

After Saul left and was a safe distance away, David called out from the entrance, holding up the piece of garment: “Why are you chasing me? Don’t you understand that I don’t want to kill you? I had my chance just a few minutes ago.”

Saul, who struggled with jealousy and periods of mental instability, had a lucid moment. He said, “David, my son, you have been more righteous than I because you spared my life.”

Yet David still faced troubles from without. After returning home, Saul began to dwell on what happened, letting it fester. He thought, “I should have attacked him. I had thousands of men, and he only had 600.” When he heard where David was, Saul set out with his army once again.

That night, David and his man Abishai slipped into Saul’s camp under the cover of darkness. They found the army asleep in a protective ring around King Saul, his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abishai said, “Here’s your chance again. God has delivered your enemy into your hands.” But David answered, “No. I will not do it. He is still the Lord’s anointed.”

David took Saul’s spear and water jug and slipped away. At daybreak, David called out from a nearby hillside, “King Saul! I could have killed you today. Send someone up here to get your spear and your water jug.”

Once again, God delivered David. Knowing Saul would likely try again, David prayed:

“Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;

O Lord, make haste to help me!

Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life…

Let those who love Your salvation continually say, ‘The Lord be glorified.’”

— Psalm 40:13–15

We can experience trouble from without in our own lives: at work, through jealousy, or when issues aren’t worked through and people become enemies. The hardest trouble to handle comes from people who misunderstand you and believe you’re trying to harm them when you’re not.

Troubles From Within

Then there is the struggle from within:

“For innumerable evils have surrounded me;

My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;

They are more than the hairs of my head…”

— Psalm 40:12

Many times, the problems we face are of our own making. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, and we know that the wages of sin is death. That inner struggle is the pull of sin within our lives, and sin must be forgiven and dealt with.

Paul describes this same struggle in Romans 7. He notes that there are things he knows he ought to do that he doesn’t do, and things he shouldn’t do that he finds himself doing. He asks, “Who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death?” Then he answers, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

David viewed his own iniquities as too many to count, yet earlier in the Psalm he said, “It is written in the book; I have come to do Your will.” He came to the Lord. That’s the answer for us, too.

Mark Twain once said, “There are many things in the Bible that are hard to understand. My problem is not with the things I don’t understand, but with the things I do understand.”

The Serenity Prayer speaks to this as well: “Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change” (troubles from without), “give me the courage to change the things I can” (struggles from within), and “give me the wisdom to know the difference.”

Victory in Jesus

In the opening verses of Psalm 40, David writes of experiencing joy and salvation:

“I waited patiently for the Lord;

And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.”

— Psalm 40:1–2

David described being down in a horrible pit of miry clay. That clay is slick and slippery; if you try to move, you’re in danger of falling, or your feet become stuck.

Sometimes we get stuck in our lives, whether in dealing with other people or dealing with ourselves. Other times, we are walking on slippery places where our faith slips and slides. But God brings us up out of that miry clay and sets our feet firmly upon a rock. Through every struggle, we can have victory through Jesus Christ.

Tell Others About That Victory

When God delivers us and gives us victory over troubles without and struggles within, our response should be to praise Him and share it:

“He has put a new song in my mouth:

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”

— Psalm 40:3

David said, “I have proclaimed Your righteousness in the great congregation.” When we receive that victory, we ought to go out and tell others about the brand-new life we have in Him.

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The Absolute Necessity – Version 2

Greetings!

For the past few years, I have been the interim pastor for Ezra Chruch of God. It was a very rewarding and blessed time for me.

I have moved on from Ezra and this past Sunday and next Sunday I will be preaching at a different church.

Due to that, this is sort of a “repeat” of a sermon I preached at Ezra back in December of 2022. You can find the blog post for that sermon here

Below you’ll find the video from April 16, 2023

April 16, 2023 sermon video

God bless you! Have a wonderful day.

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When God Came Near

When God came to earth.

Max Lucado wrote a book called “God Came Near.”  I haven’t read it but the title always intrigued me, so I will borrow it for today’s post.  I’m thinking about the time that God became man to save the world.

A group called 4Him sings the song “A Strange Way to Save the World.” 

I’m sure he must have been surprised
At where this road had taken him
‘Cause never in a million lives
Would he have dreamed of Bethlehem
And standing at the manger
He saw with his own eyes
The message from the angel come alive
And Joseph said
Why me, I’m just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here, inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she’s just an ordinary girl
Now I’m not one to second guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
To think of how it could have been
If Jesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem
No lowly shepherds at His birth
But Joseph knew the reason
Love had to reach so far
And as he held the Savior in his arms
He must have thought
Why me, I’m just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here, inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she’s just an ordinary girl
Now I’m not one to second guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world

Joseph

In Matthew chapter one, we read that Joseph had learned of Mary’s pregnancy.  They were not yet married but were engaged. In those days, that was as good as a marriage contract.  He knew that he was not the child’s father. Because he was a just man, he planned to “put her away” (divorce) her privately.  Then an angel appeared to him.

Gabriel the angel came to Joseph in a dream.
Gabriel the angel came to Joseph in a dream.

Matthew 1: 18-25 (MEV)

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way: After His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, had in mind to divorce her privately. 20 But while he thought on these things, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for He who is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this occurred to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet, saying, 23 “A virgin shall be with child, and will bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is interpreted, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being awakened from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and remained with his wife, 25 and did not know her until she had given birth to her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

Why?

God became man.  Why?
I want to look at some reasons why He did.

The first was to fulfill prophesy.
The second was to show what God is like.
The third was to communicate with us.
The fourth was to identify with us in our struggles. 
Finally, to be the Lamb of God.

Fulfilling Prophesy

The passage above mentions one of those prophesies. Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel

That is exactly what took place.  That’s what Christmas is all about. The baby in the manger, born of a virgin, is that prophecy being fulfilled.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just as Micah had prophesied.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just as Micah had prophesied.

Micah prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)

There are about 300 other prophecies that proclaimed that God was going to become man.  They were all fulfilled with the birth of Jesus Christ. 

King David was told that his descendants would be on the throne forever. (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5-6)

You may wonder who is on the throne today. You can research the genealogy of David down to the time of Jesus. (Matthew 1:2-16, Luke 3:23-38)

Jesus is the king.  We don’t need anybody beyond that.  He’s still the king and will be forever, sitting at the right hand of God. 

Hebrews 1:8-9 

8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, lasts forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness, therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

It was prophesied that King David’s descendants would be on the throne forever.  Jesus, through both Mary and Joseph, is the fulfillment of that prophecy.

What God is Like

Jesus was born to show the world what God is like.
Jesus was born to show the world what God is like.

Bing Crosby played a character named Hank Martin in a movie made in 1949 called “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” which was based on a book written by Mark Twain. 

The main character was somehow transported back in time to the medieval times of King Arthur. He was in trouble because he was dressed in clothing from another century and he thought he needed to do something spectacular to avoid being arrested.

Because people of that time believed in magic and sorcery, the character took his magnifying glass and concentrated the sun’s rays on a piece of paper and burst into flames.  The king believed it was magic. 

They looked at him differently then, and he was in the king’s good graces for a time. 

Later, Hank challenged the king, saying he didn’t know his subjects as well as he thought.  The pair began traveling around the country in disguise. 

The people didn't realize the king was among them.
The people didn’t realize the king was among them.

On their travels, they overheard complaints about the king.  Arthur wasn’t used to that and almost stuck the speaker before Hank reminded him that he wasn’t “the king” right then.

Farther along, they heard some positive comments about the king, and that pleased Arthur. 

 The king was in their midst, but they didn’t know it. 

Jesus came to the earth and the King was present but many people didn’t realize it until after the resurrection. 

Undercover Boss

You may have seen the show “Undercover Boss.”  The owner of the company will go undercover and work as a regular employee and see how the actual employees perform.  Sometimes they complain about the owner, but other times they are very diligent and hard-working. 

Then near the end of the episode, the employees will hear that the owner is coming for a visit. They’re all sitting in a room and in walks the owner.

Some employees are nervous when they realize the things they said and to whom they were said. Others are just happy to see their coworker again and learn that he or she is the boss.  

Sometimes the troublemakers get fired, other times, the boss gives them another chance or more training 

Jesus came to show us what God is like. 

John 14:8-11

8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that is sufficient for us.”9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority. But the Father who lives in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me. Or else believe Me on account of the works themselves.

If you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen the Father. 

Communication with the World

Hebrews 1: 1-2


God, who at various times and in diverse ways spoke long ago to the fathers through the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the world.

In the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophets. In the days of the New Testament, God spoke to them, and us, through Jesus Christ His Son.  

Paul Harvey once told the story of a man whose wife and children asked if he was attending church with them since it was Christmas. 

The man declined. He usually just left it at a simple no, but he elaborated on his refusal this time.  

“All this stuff about God becoming man, I just don’t quite get that.”

His family left to go to church and the man was sitting in his living room looking out the window.  As he gazed outside, it began to snow.  He saw some birds on the ground that appeared to be shivering from the cold.  

They didn't understand he was trying to help.
They didn’t understand he was trying to help.

He went out to his shed, turned on the heater, and left the door open so the birds could go inside and be warmed. 

He waited for the birds to go in, but they didn’t.  He attempted to approach them but when he got close, they flitted away. 

There was food on the ground so they didn’t go far, but they eluded him. 

He tried to get near them again, but they flew away again. 

He began talking to them, “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just trying to help you.” He realized they didn’t understand what he was saying.  How can I communicate with them? If only I were a bird.”

Then it hit him. 

That’s why God came to this earth: So He could communicate with us. 

Identify with the Struggles of the World

Another reason, I believe, that He came, is to identify with our struggles. 

Hebrews 4: 14-16

14 Since then we have a great High Priest who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who was in every sense tempted like we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then come with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

He came to this earth to be able to identify with our struggles. 

You may feel that God is so distant and doesn’t know what it’s like for you.  But Jesus knows.  He came and showed us that He knew what it’s like.  

The story of the woman at the well shows His humanness. John 4:6 says He was “exhausted.”  He knows what it’s like to be tired. He knew what it was like to be thirsty. (John 4:7-8, John 19:28)  

Jesus knows the struggles the people of the world face.
Jesus knows the struggles the people of the world face.

He knows what it’s like to be rejected. He knows what it’s like to have physical pain. He knew what it was like to have to restrain His power.  He could have called thousands of angels to deliver him in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He chose not to. 

Lamb of God to Save the World

John 1:26-29

26 John (the Baptist) answered them, “I baptize with water, but One stands among you, whom you do not know. 27 This is He who comes after me, who is preferred before me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus came to the earth to be the Lamb of God; a sacrifice for our sins. 

Jesus became the sacrificial lamb for the world.
Jesus became the sacrificial lamb for the world.

The Bible tells us that we have all sinned. (Romans 3:23)  We’re all in the same boat. Some of us have what the world would consider “bigger” sins, but they’re all the same in God’s eyes. We have all sinned and come far short of God’s glory. 

The Bible also tells us that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) That’s the bad news. 

Each time you attend a funeral, you’re dealing with physical death The soul has separated from the body. Life has moved out and left behind is the shell. 

There’s another kind of death called spiritual death.  That’s when the soul is separated from God. 

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death. 

We all have a death sentence on our heads. 

But Jesus came, as John the Baptist pointed out, to be the Lamb of God.  

His listeners knew the significance of the lamb because year after year there had been sacrifices of an unblemished lamb to atone for their sins. 

God sent His Son to the earth to be the ultimate sacrifice: the Lamb of God. 

Revelation 20:14-15

14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

While everyone faces physical death, you don’t have to experience the second death. 

Jesus came to be the Lamb of God and shed His blood as a sacrifice for our sins.  He made it possible for everyone to be saved!  That’s why He came. 

Bringing Redemption to the World

That’s why God became man. 

Why would Jesus leave Heaven, where they would do His bidding, and come to this earth to be rejected (Isaiah 53;3) and crucified?

Jesus was fully God but also fully man.

Many men have died, but none could take our place.

The divine son of God became human and physically died. But because of His deity, His death covers the sins of the world. 

Jesus' death on the cross covered the sin of the world.
Jesus’ death on the cross covered the sin of the world.

That’s why you and I can be saved.  He made it possible. 

If you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

We strongly, fully believe that Jesus died, rose again, the tomb was empty, and He was seen alive more than once after He was dead. It’s not a fairy tale. 

Because He lives, we have the hope that we will live forever.

If you believe in your heart, you are very close. Romans 10:9 also says you need to confess with your mouth that He is Lord.  

Have you done that?  Do you know that you know that Jesus is your Lord?

If you don’t, today is the day.  The Bible says today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Accept Him today.  

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Bearing the Yoke: Good News and Bad News

Break free from the yoke of sin.

The bad news is that the yoke of sin enslaves us all and Satan whispers lies to us. But there’s good news! God offers deliverance.

Beware of Bears

A park ranger was instructing a group that was preparing to go for a hike.  He said, “You need to be careful out there because there are sometimes grizzly bears on the trails.”  He had some items to help them stay safe. 

He first gave them some bells.  He said, “Wear these at all times. They’ll make noise when you move and the bears will know that you’re coming and hopefully, the bears will avoid you if they hear you.”

The second item he gave the hikers was a whistle.  He said, “Keep this around your neck.  If the bells don’t scare the bears, you can blow the whistle. That might keep them away.  At least it could alert someone who may be able to help you.”

Finally, the ranger handed them a can of pepper spray.  He said, “If all else fails and a grizzly is coming for you, try spraying them in the eyes with this pepper spray.”

Concerned, one of the hikers asked, “How will we know if we’re in an area with grizzly bears?”

Watch out for grizzly bears!
Watch out for grizzly bears!

The ranger responded, “It’s simple.  Just look for bear droppings.”

“How can we tell the bear droppings from other animal droppings?” they asked.

“Well,” the ranger replied, “the bear droppings will have bells and whistles in them and smell like pepper spray.”

It’s important to heed the warnings that come your way.

Volcanic Warnings

Recently, the news has reported that a volcano in Hawaii is erupting.  It’s a famous volcano called the Mauna Loa, part of the Kilauea crater.

In 1985 my wife and I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Hawaii.  We were living in the Dallas, Texas area and I was writing the science curriculum for Accelerated Christian Education.  

The curriculum was talking about volcanoes and it described a lava tube.  

Inside a lava tube
Inside a lava tube

A lava tube is a tunnel of sorts that is formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave. 

I was writing about that kind of thing so when we got to Hawaii, we went to the park that has that crater where the volcano is.  We got to walk through one of those lava tubes. 

The current eruption is shooting lava as high as 168 feet.  The thing that amazes me is the national park is still open for visitors!

There’s one road that is closed.

I think that would be a good warning to heed and not get on that road.

There are some warnings that we need to heed.

History, Parallel, and a Warning from Jeremiah

Jeremiah has some warnings that he put forth to God’s people.  I’m not going to put all three chapters in here, but I will give you the summary and enough information that you’ll be able to see what’s going on. 

You’ll see the historical happenings that Jeremiah was describing and then I want to look at the parallels between that and the entire story of redemption that’s in the Bible from the beginning to the end.  The Bible is a book of redemption.  

It’s a book that tells of the need for deliverance and it tells you how to be delivered, which is through Jesus Christ. 

As I go through this, you’ll see the yoke of sin, the lies of Satan, and the deliverance of God.  

Yoke of Sin

Jeremiah 27:1-8 contains the historical content of this.

Before I continue, I want to give you a little tip that helped me.  In these chapters, there are three names mentioned and I got a little confused.  

The first is Jehoiakim who was the king of Judah.

The second is his son, Jeconiah, who was also a king of Judah.  However, he was taken into captivity.  

While he was in captivity in Jerusalem, Zedekiah was king.

Jeremiah 27:1-2 (all scripture is from the MEV)

1 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 Thus says the Lord to me: Make bonds and yokes and put them on your neck, 

Wooden yoke
Wooden yoke

Yokes were wooden devices that were put on oxen and hooked to carts, plows, or whatever you wanted them to pull.  If you had a yoke on your neck, it would be something that was difficult. God told Jeremiah to put one on his neck as an object lesson and then send some to the kings of the surrounding countries.

Jeremiah 27:6

6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant. And also I have given to him the beasts of the field to serve him.

God refers to Nebuchadnezzar as His servant  Sometimes God will use people who are not very close to Him for His purposes.

Nebuchadnezzar had moments when he worshiped God and instructed others to do so.  Other times, he became prideful and turned away from God. 

Jeremiah told the kings that they were going to be under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar and they needed to accept it because they were going to be in captivity. 

Now let’s look at the picture of redemption.

We All Bear It

We have the yoke of sin that is put upon us.  Since the Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), everyone has to deal with this yoke of sin.

Each one of us bears the yoke of sin.
Each one of us bears the yoke of sin.

We should be concerned about the yoke of sin.

It was what caused Adam and Eve to be cast out of the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3)

It was the thing that caused the first murder to take place. (Genesis 4:8)

The yoke of sin destroys lives and it destroys families. 

The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

We all know about physical death.  We’re reminded of it often  The body dies.  Physical death came in because of sin. 

Beyond physical death, however, is spiritual death which causes us to be separated from God.  

Jeremiah 27:8

 8 It shall come to pass that I will punish the nation and kingdom which will not serve Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, says the Lord. I will punish that nation with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. 

God was telling them that Nebuchadnezzar was the world leader.  He had warned His people to “straighten up” or go into captivity.

Judah’s brother to the north, Israel, had already been taken into captivity by Assyria. 

Babylon was gaining power and was going to take over Assyria.  But Babylon was then going to go into Judah and capture the rest of them.  

One of the many lies that were put forth during this time is found in Jeremiah 27:14.

14 Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, “You will not serve the king of Babylon,” because they prophesy a lie to you. 

The remainder of chapter 27 discusses those who would lie.  

Of course, the people would like to be delivered.  Of course, they wanted to rise up and be victorious over their enemies.

But Jeremiah told them that wouldn’t be the case.  God was going to use those events to punish them.  They had been warned.

The lies continue in chapter 28. 

Jeremiah 28:1-4

1 In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year and in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years I will bring back into this place all the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went into Babylon, says the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”5 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the Lord, 6 even the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen. May the Lord do so; may the Lord perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the house of the Lord and all that was carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. 

Jeremiah knew what God had told him, but he hoped that Hananiah was correct. 

Jeremiah 28:10-17

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it. 11 Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within the space of two full years.” Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.  12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying: 13 Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus says the Lord: You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made instead of them yokes of iron. 14 For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. And I have given him the beasts of the field also. 15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah. The Lord has not sent you, and you make this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord: I am about to cast you from off the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the Lord.” 17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Hananiah was a false prophet.
Hananiah was a false prophet.

You see the lies of the false prophet, and the consequences of those lies, in this passage.

The Lies of Satan

Satan is a liar.  His lies come to us who have sinned.  We have the yoke of sin in our lives.

Satan tells us, “You’re ok.”

But we’re not ok.  We are all hellbound without God. 

Satan’s lies tell us there is no hell, and that there are no consequences of sin.  These lies are very subtle.

Some of those lies seem right to us as human beings. There are people who are openly and brazenly disobeying the commands of God but human nature says, “Oh, it’s ok.  They’re ok.”  That’s one of the lies of Satan.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)

The lies of Satan lead to destruction.

Satan's lies sound good.
Satan’s lies sound good.

But the lies of Satan can sound really good because sometimes he appears as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)

The lies of Satan provide a false sense of peace.

The yoke of sin is the fault of all mankind because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Everyone needs to be saved. Everyone needs their sin forgiven.

The lie of Satan is, “You don’t need that. It’s all a bunch of hogwash.”

The truth is that one day we’re going to stand before God and it will matter what we have done with Jesus Christ.  Whether or not we have believed in Him, whether or not we have accepted Him, and whether or not we have trusted in Him.  That’s what’s going to make all the difference when we stand before God and are judged. (Romans 14:10-12, Revelation 20:15)

There’s a yoke of sin that we all carry.  

Satan lies to everyone he can.

But there is the promise of deliverance!

The Promise of Deliverance

Hananiah had promised deliverance but he was dead and it had been 2 years and nothing happened.

While they were in captivity, they weren’t severely treated.  They were allowed to work and have areas where they could build houses for themselves. Considering they were in captivity, they were treated fairly well. 

Jeremiah delivered a message to them

Jeremiah 29:4-14

4 Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, to all who have been carried away captive whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and dwell in them; and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters; so that you may increase there and not diminish. 7 Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name. I have not sent them, says the Lord. 10 For thus says the Lord: When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11 For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you shall call upon Me, and you shall come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You shall seek Me and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will turn away your captivity and gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back into the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.

God provided deliverance. They were to be under the yoke of captivity for 70 years, although the lies of the prophet said it wouldn’t be that long.  

Then God gave them a promise. 

At the end of the 70 years, they would be released and able to go home.

There are reasons to be excited about the deliverance that God provides. 

The Bible speaks of the yoke of sin and of the lies of Satan that tell us that salvation is unnecessary.

But it speaks of real deliverance for those who have had the yoke of sin weighing down on their hearts and minds.  There is deliverance for those who have been the enemy of God and realize that they were wrong and turn their life around.

There is freedom through Christ!
There is freedom through Christ!

This deliverance comes and grabs ahold of someone like the Apostle Paul who had the yoke of sin on his life and was an enemy of the people of God. Then on the road to Damascus, he met the living Christ, got knocked off of his horse, and realized he had been wrong. He acknowledged who Jesus is and gave his life in wholehearted service to the Lord.  (Acts 9:1-19)

There are reasons to be excited about that!

One reason is that you are forgiven of your sins.  Corrie Ten Boom said, “God buries our sins in the depths of the sea and then puts up a sign that reads, “No fishing.”

He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12)

As Christians, we have been justified.  There’s a little play on words that says justified means “just as if I’d never sinned.”

Justification through Jesus
Justification through Jesus

That’s something to be excited about.

When God comes into your life, although you are born with the yoke of sin, you become just as if you’d never sinned.

Going Home

There is the promise of Heaven. They had been in captivity but they got to go home 

One of these days, you (if you’ve accepted Jesus) and I will get to go home.

When you visit people in the hospital, they will sometimes talk about going home. You might wonder what they mean. Sometimes they’re talking about going to their physical earthly home, but sometimes they’re talking about Heaven. 

I’m so glad that one day, instead of returning to the building made of wood and rock, I’ll go to a beautiful eternal home. 

These three chapters contain the whole picture of redemption: the yoke of sin, the lies of Satan, and the deliverance of God.

Don’t listen to the lies of Satan.  Believe the truth of God.  Believe in Jesus.  Come to Him. Trust in Him.  The Bible says that if you seek after Him with your whole heart, you will find Him.  (Jeremiah 29:13)

Whosoever

Some know that they have sinned and are on their way to a place that’s not Heaven.  They would like to change that but Satan whispers lies to them.  He says, “You can’t be saved.  What you’ve done is too bad. You are too far gone.”

YOU are a whosoever!
YOU are a whosoever!

But the truth of God is God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

When I was in 6th grade, I overheard 2 boys talking.  They were certain that if they died in a car wreck they would go to Heaven. At the time I thought there was no way they could know that.  I thought about that knowing all week.  Then I read John 3:16, which I probably had memorized.  I realized it was a truth of God that whosoever believed in Him would not perish but have eternal life. 

I knelt down and said, “God, Jesus, I do believe in You. I do believe you died on the cross.  I don’t know everything about all of this but as much as I know how I give You my life right now.”

The Truth of God comes and brings salvation to your soul.

Had I walked up on those boys’ conversation the next week, I wouldn’t have turned and walked away.  I would have walked up and joined them and said, “Yeah, Me too!”

I couldn’t have said it the week before because I was listening to the lies of Satan  Then I came to Jesus. 

Seek Him with your whole heart and you will find Him. Knock and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7-8)

Of course, they weren’t looking forward to going into captivity.  It was peaceful where they were living and they liked it there. Jeremiah warned them that it would not be good.  

Then they realized that they were suffering the consequences of their sin. 

He told them it wouldn’t be as bad as it could be.  They would be allowed to build some houses and live life normally, But they would long for home 

After 70 years they were going to get to go home. 

We have sinned and we have listened to the lies of Satan. We’ve been confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ: that He died to pay the penalty for our sins.  But if we claim the gift of salvation, we will receive eternal life.

The Time is Now

Have you ever come to Jesus?

Do you know Jesus now?

If you do you have reason to rejoice. Thank God for His promises, but you probably have some friends who need to know about those promises. Maybe it’s up to you to be the one to talk to them. 

In closing, I want to tell you to live life as it comes.  It may be good or it may be bad, but through it all continue to trust God. Trust Him through it all and He will bless you for doing that. 

Ask God remove the yoke of sin from your life.
Let God remove the yoke of sin from your life.

If you don’t know for sure, if you have any doubts, about your salvation, I encourage you to get alone with Jesus and ask Him into your heart.  The Bible says whosoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13)

Thank you for reading. For more faith-based posts, click here. You can also watch sermons and other videos on YouTube or Rumble.

God bless you. I pray you have a wonderful day.

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An Absolute Necessity

You must be born again.

You know, there are some things that are optional, but being born again is absolutely necessary!

There are some things that are absolutely necessary, and there are some things that are optional.

One of those absolute necessities is why we have missions. It’s why Rusty and Brenda have gone across the sea. This absolute necessity is why you have a church.

Some things are absolutely necessary.

George Whitfield

In the early days of our country, actually, before the Declaration of Independence was signed there was a farmer named Nathan Cole. In 1740 he heard that a famous preacher, George Whitfield, was coming to the area and he wanted to go hear him.

George Whitfield
George Whitfield

George Whitfield. was originally from England, but he came to America and spent seven to 10 years here. It’s said that during that time, probably 80% of the population heard him preach. This was the time that we call the Great Awakening in the United States.

Things were happening all over the world.

In England, it was called the Wesleyan Revival and in Germany, it was called patriotism.

It was a time when God was working and why America became great. Somebody who visited America said the reason why America is great is that America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, then she will cease to be great.

I’m afraid we might be in a little trouble.

Well, Mason Cole had always wanted to hear George Whitfield preach. He was out picking up some tools to work with, and a rider came by and yelled out that George Whitfield was going to be preaching at Middletown.

Middletown was 12 miles away from Nathan’s farm so he ran to his house, and told his wife to get ready. because they were going to go hear George Whitfield.

Then he ran to the barn, saddled his horse, rode up to the house, hoisted his wife up on the horse, got back on himself, and off they went. Mason had that horse galloping just as fast as it could go.

They were trying to get there on time.

As they went he would notice his horse getting tired but instead of stopping completely to let the horse rest, he would get off and run alongside. Once the horse seemed to have gotten its second wind, Mason would jump back in the saddle and continue to ride.

Off in the distance Mason and his wife saw a yellowish cloud and thought it was very unusual. Then they heard what sounded like thunder.

As they continued on their journey the sound got louder. They realized what the sound was when they saw other people on horses and in wagons riding in the same direction they were going and joined up with them.

The Middletown Service

There were 1000s trying to get there to hear George Whitfield preach. It was amazing.

George Whitfield was not a very tall fellow. He was a very slim fellow but he had a very powerful voice. He was able to preach to 1000s of people without the aid of a microphone (they didn’t exist yet) or any other amplification.

When Nathan Cole and his wife got to where the preaching was to take place, they saw that there were already many people gathered around.

In the distance, they could see a river and a boat was docking. People got off the boat. Then two or three more boats came and hundreds of people were getting off.

There ended up being 1000s of people there that day and they all heard George Whitfield preach.

George Whitfield preaching at Middletown
George Whitfield preaching at Middletown

Quite often, John Whitfield would preach on one particular verse. It is a verse where Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus.

John 3:7 (MEV)

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.

The last part of that verse, “You must be born again.” is what George Whitfield preached time and time again.

One lady who heard him quite often asked, “Why do you preach on that verse so much?”

He replied, “Because, madam, you must be born again. It is absolutely necessary to be born again.”

The Bible tells us that we have all sinned and that we have all come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

None of us are exempt from that.

You Must Be Born Again

In this verse, Jesus was talking to a man named Nicodemus, who was a religious man. He was a man who had a reputation as being a good, religious man of the religion of their day: Judaism. In fact, he was on the council that they had. Nicodemus was a religious man.

Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again."
Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.”

Jesus spoke to him and said, “Nicodemus unless you’re born again, you will not even see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

Maybe you go to church all the time. Maybe you have better attendance than I do. . I don’t know. But I know this. You must be born again.

If you’re trusting in your church attendance to get you into Heaven, well, that’s not going to do it. That’s not going to be your ticket.

I had an aunt who started getting pins for attendance in Sunday school when she was about four or five years old. The way it was if you had perfect attendance for one year, you’d get a little bar-type pin. If you went two years, you got another one that could be hooked to the one above

Perfect attendance for Sunday school won't get you into Heaven.
Perfect attendance for Sunday school won’t get you into Heaven.

My aunt got so many that she finally got to the point where she had to put it on a cloth and put it around her wrist and it became a bracelet. After a while, she had so many, she had to put it on a longer piece of cloth and put it around her waist and it became a belt. Then that became a belt with the side of it dangling down.

I preached at her funeral just a little while back and we had them all laid out on the edge of the casket.

Now I’m firmly convinced that my aunt June went to heaven, but it wasn’t because she had 85 years of perfect attendance in Sunday school.

Nicodemus was a religious man.

You might be a religious person. But I want to ask you: Have you been born again?

It’s Not Automatic

If you have you’re safe and that’s wonderful, but if you haven’t, it’s absolutely necessary.

Now, it’s not automatic that we’re okay.

Some people say we’re ok because we are Americans. We are safe. We are fine.

Well, I’m glad to be an American but that’s not enough. In fact, that might be a hindrance in some cases.

The Jewish people said, “We are children of Abraham.”
John the Baptist told them, “Don’t think because you are children of Abraham, you will be safe. God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” (Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8)

Going to Heaven is not automatic.
It’s not automatic, because you live in the United States.
It’s not automatic because your parents went to church all the time.
It’s not automatic because you had a “drug” problem when you were young because they “drug” you to church all the time.

You must be born again.

When I was young, I heard my parents having a discussion one time. They were deciding where they were going to go to church.

I didn't want to go to the church with the angry pastor.
I didn’t want to go to the church with the angry pastor.

One church was the one that my mom went to when she was young. I visited there a few times, and the pastor seemed like he was mad about something. I figured out it was me he was mad about.

We had also visited a little Freewill Baptist church down the road and the pastor there always seemed like he was glad about something.

I didn’t weigh in on their conversation, but I hoped they choose the happy church, and they did, so I started going to Mount Zion Freewill Baptist Church.

I’m glad to be part of the association of Freewill Baptists, but I’m not going to have because of that.

There came a time in my life when I realized that I was lost, that I was a sinner, and that I needed a Savior. I knelt down by an old gray chair and called upon the Lord and invited Jesus to come into my life.

I don’t remember everything I said, but I remember part of it. I said, “Jesus, as much as I know how I give you my life right now.” and I was born again.

Praise God!

I hope you have too.

I made the right decision. Have you?
I made the right decision. Have you?

Some of you may be thinking about it. Maybe you’ve been thinking it over. This would be a good time. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

In the 1970s Rhonda and I moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and I attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

It’s wonderful if you have the opportunity to go, but doesn’t make you any more spiritual or less spiritual. It gives you three years to spend studying the Bible and a chance to study techniques of ministry. It was the largest seminary in the world at that time, and I think still is.

The school had a chapel that could seat probably between 250-350 people.

We were not required to go to chapel but I went every chance I got. They once announced that a famous theologian was going to come and preach in two weeks.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

I knew him by name. He was the editor of a wonderful Christian magazine and was associated with Billy Graham Association.

I was glad he was coming but I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to understand him. I figured that he’d probably use some big theological words. (Like the word theological: the study of God)

Well, I didn’t have to worry.

He came in and got up in the pulpit, and said, “Please turn to John chapter three.”

He was preaching to a crowd of about 300 people that were preparing for Christian ministry or pastors and their wives. Some of them were ladies that were in music ministry.

It was about 300 people who would have been like Nicodemus.

I thought he would just talk to them about what Jesus said to Nicodemus and he said, “You must be born again.”

It was a great sermon. The time came for the invitation. I thought he would widen it out so that some of us could respond. But he didn’t.

He said, “If you have not been born again, I invite you to come to this altar and receive Christ as your Savior.”

There were 300 people there who were preparing for ministry. I was so glad I had been born again.

To my surprise, the song started and a young man and his wife stood up and came forward to the invitation, given to a bunch of preachers and religious leaders, to be born again.

Then somebody else stood up and then several single men stood up. Then there were more couples. I would say that probably about 20 people who were preparing to pastor churches came forward to get saved.

I’m not asking you if you go to church all the time. I’m just asking, “Have you been born again?”

If you haven’t, you can right now!

There’s a basis for you to be born again.

John 3:16 (MEV)

16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Sacrifice

In the Old Testament, they had sacrifices they did time and time again. They were blood sacrifices. We wonder about that.

The New Testament tells us that the bulls and goats could not take away sin.

A blood sacrifice was necessary to atone for sins.
A blood sacrifice was necessary to atone for sins.

The significance of that was far greater than just bringing lambs and goats and birds and things like that. It was the shedding of blood it was showing that there was a sacrifice. They knew that they had sinned and that there needed to be a sacrifice for sin. If they were to bring one from their flock, they were to bring one without blemish, the very best one they had.

If there was going to be a sacrifice that would take care of the penalty of the sins for the whole world, it would have to be a perfect one.

Who was the only perfect One who ever lived? God’s Son Jesus.

So Jesus went to the cross.

us was the final blood sacrifice. Nothing else is needed.
Jesus was the final blood sacrifice. Nothing else is needed.

Kerygma

Now there was the preaching of the early church. I’m going to spring a big word on you: kerygma. It simply means the preaching of the early church. Do you know what it was? The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did make His way to the cross, He did indeed die on that cross, and He was placed in a tomb. Three days later, they came to try to find Him, and they found the tomb was empty, and He was gone! (Luke 23 & 24)

Then he started showing up to people who knew him, and they couldn’t believe it! There was Jesus. He was alive again after being dead. (John 20)

One time he showed up in front of a crowd of 500 who knew who he was before. (1 Corinthians 15:6)

You can not deny the fact that He died and rose again.

That was the preaching of the early church. That is the kerygma.

The Debt Paid

The crucifixion was one of the most horrible physical deaths there could ever be, but something far worse than that going on when Jesus was on that cross: The sins of the world were being placed on His shoulders.

He who knew no sin actually, for a little while, became sin to pay the penalty of sin for us. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

There is a debt. Jesus paid the debt that He did not owe because there was a debt I could not pay and He paid it for me and He paid it for you. Because of that, you can be born again.

A Special Kind of Belief

The Bible tells us that you must believe but there must be a special type of belief. The demons believe in God, they know Jesus is the Son of God. When Jesus was healing two demon-possessed men, the demons asked Him, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29)

They know their time is short. They know who Jesus is.

The book of Romans says all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

That word all means every man. woman, and child, every human, has sinned.

The Bible also says the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

Two Kinds of Death

We’re familiar with physical death. That’s where the soul is separated from the body, but there is also spiritual death. And that is where the soul is separated from God.

The Bible says there are 2 kinds of death.
The Bible says there are 2 kinds of death.

Spiritual death will be when that soul is separated from God for eternity and sent to a place known as hell.

The book of Revelation says, “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”  (Revelation 20:14)

There’s a special type of belief.

You can believe the facts that Jesus died and rose again. You can believe the Easter story and Christmas story.

You’re close.

Romans 10:8-9 says8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.”[d] This is the word of faith that we preach: 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, 

Do You Know the ABCs?

You may have heard someone talk about the ABCs of salvation. You acknowledge that you are a sinner You believe that Jesus died on the cross. Believe that He was the son of God. Believe that he Has the power over death. Believe that He offers salvation as an absolutely free gift. Believe that no matter how far back in sin you had gone, that gift is there. Then you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

You must be born again!
You must be born again!

If you do that, I will tell you, your life is going to change. It might be slow for some and quicker for others, but there will be a change when you come to Him.

Then the Bible says, Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13) It doesn’t say “might be,” it says, “will be.”

I want to give you the same invitation here that the theologian at the chapel did: Be born again today!

You need to know that you know. If you don’t know that you know, then you’re in dangerous territory because maybe you’re not born again because you don’t know.

Maybe you need to call upon the Lord. Night.

I preached a more in-depth sermon on this topic a few weeks ago. You can see the Rumble video here.

For more faith-based posts, click here.

If you want to talk more about Jesus and salvation, find my contact information here.

God bless you and have a wonderful day.

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One of The Most Important Questions Ever

If God is for us, who can be against us?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

In the past, I’ve posted information from the book 100 Bible Verses that Made America by Robert J. Morgan.  I’ve been going in historical order, so I’ve not gotten to the Declaration of Independence yet. The event here took place about 30 years before the signing of that important document. 

Sermon video

Tug-of-War

In the 1740s, there was a tug-of-war of sorts going on between England and France.  At the time, England had a great navy.  The whole world thought of it as being one of the best  France was trying to gain superiority.  

The Colonies, which later became the United States, had come from England at first.  During the war, referred to as “King George’s War,” the colonies were sort of the rope in the tug-of-war going on between England and France.

People in Boston were concerned, to say the least, because they had gotten word that the French navy was coming to Boston.  The navy planned to burn down the city.  Bostonians were in a panic.

The governor had no way to protect the city at that time.  It wasn’t the large city we know today.  There were only about 15,000 citizens in the 1740s.

The governor knew that they didn’t have the defense, the weaponry, or the military members that were needed to protect the city.  He didn’t know what to do.

But the community knew what to do.

They called for a day of prayer and fasting.  

October 16, 1746

It was October 16, 1746, and people flocked to the churches.  

Today if we don’t know what to do, how many people would?  How far have we come since those days?

They knew what to do.

There was a famous church called the Old South Meeting House, and hundreds of people went there on that day, knowing that the French navy was coming from Nova Scotia to attack their city.

The Old South Meeting House in Boston
The Old South Meeting House in Boston

Reverend Thomas Prince was a good friend of Thomas Whitfield  Whitfield played a large part in the Great Awakening in the 1730s.

On the day of fasting and prayer, Thomas Prince climbed onto the pulpit in the Meeting House and began to pray.  

He prayed, “Deliver us from the enemy! Send Thy tempest, Lord, upon the waters to the eastward! Raise Thy right hand. Scatter the ships of our tormentors and drive them hence. Sink their proud frigates beneath the power of Thy winds.”

The only pleasant part of that day so far had been the weather.  The sun was shining and the wind was calm.  

Suddenly, inside the church, they heard a sound outside.  Clouds had gathered and the wind began to howl. The windows shook and the huge bell in the steeple rang twice.

More boldly, Prince continued to pray, “We hear Thy voice, 0 Lord!  We hear it! Thy breath is upon the waters to the eastward, even upon the deep. Thy bell tolls for the death of our enemies!” 

He bowed his head; when he looked up, tears streamed down his face. He concluded his prayer by saying, “Thine be the glory, Lord. Amen and amen!”

Amen, indeed!

Powerful Storm

The wind came where the church was, but out to the east, the sky also became dark and the wind grew more fierce and violent. A hurricane formed.

The report said that the admiral of the French fleet either took his own life or had a stroke.  Either way, he died that day during that storm. 

The people of Boston were crowded into the churches that day, praying that God would deliver them, and God did.

There were French ships carrying soldiers.  Up to 8,000 of them died in the hurricane that day.  

After that, the governor declared a day of thanksgiving, so the city came together to give thanks for their deliverance.  

After that, a particular verse was quoted over and over. 

Romans 8:31-32 (MEV)

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Confidence

Sometimes I wish that my nervous system could become a “confidence system.” That would be good, just once.

A man put on his tool belt and was out and about.  

Confidence
Confidence

He saw one of his friends and said, “You know, my wife isn’t very confident in my ability to work with the electrical things at our house.”

The friend replied, “Well, she’s in for a shock.”

Have confidence!  If God is for us, who can be against us?

Let’s look at the first half of that.

If God Is For Us

The second part of that verse is conditional on the first part: That God IS for us.

Some people wonder if God is for them.  There are reasons for that.  One is because they feel guilty.  We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) So indeed there is that is upon mankind.  Adam sinned and that nature was passed down through the generations, but we can’t exactly blame Adam.  Everyone becomes a sinner by choice at some point in their lives.  We’re all accountable for that. 

Everyone is guilty, and unless that guilt is taken care of, you’ll continue to feel that way. 

Some people are overly inflated in themselves and have no regard whatsoever, but others are just weighed down with guilt. 

Guilt and shame can make you feel like God is not for you.
Guilt and shame can make you feel like God is not for you.

If that’s not taken care of, you may feel like God isn’t for you. 

Others believe that no one would love or care for them.  

Some are outright opposing God.  When they are in opposition to God, they are His enemies.  There is no promise here for them.  God is not for His enemies  He would like them to be saved and their lives to be changed, but if they’re going to continue in opposition against Him, they are the ones who are going to lose. 

Then some know who God is, that He is the God of love, but Satan’s lies come to their ears.  Satan’s lies are, “God does not care for you.  God does not love you.”

If you listen to those lies, you’ll be beaten down all the time. 

But Why?

Why would God be for us?  

He created us.  He created the world.  He created the universe. He created all things, but He created us.  He has a special love for us.  

A boy built a boat but lost it.  Later, he saw it in a store.  He went to the store owner and told him that it was his boat.  The man asked for proof of ownership.  The boy told him that there was a special mark on the bottom.  The clerk turned the boat over and saw the mark was there.  The store owner told the boy that he’d had to pay for the boat and offered to sell it back to him for what he’d paid. The boy didn’t have the money, so he was sad.

He made you, and He paid for you!
He made you, and He paid for you!

He went home and asked his parents for the money and they gave it to him.  Happily, the boy returned to the store to get his beloved boat.  He gave the owner the money and walked out with his boat. He looked at the boat in his hands and said, “There.  I’ve made you, and now I’ve bought you.”

That’s what Jesus did for you.  He made you and He bought you.  He paid the price for your sins.  He loves you, and because He loves you, you have good reason to believe that He is for you.  

God LOVES You!

One of the attributes of God is that He is love. (1 John 4:8)

God loves you so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that if you believe in Him, you will not perish but have everlasting life.  (John 3:16)

God also created us with the capacity to love Him back. It’s not like a computer or video game program.  It’s not mechanical.  

We are created in the image of God with the capacity to love and to hate.  He wants us to freely love Him.  

Those are just a couple of the many reasons to believe that God could be for you.

Now to transition to the second half of the verse.

Who Could Be Against Us?

A man said, “I went to the confidence store because I didn’t have any.  They sold it to me for $2,500…I think they tricked me.”

A group of engineering teachers was on a plane. A man got on the plane and informed them that the plane had been built by their own students. 

Several of the teachers got up and ran off the plane, but one man remained.  When questioned, he said, “Well, if it’s built by my students, this thing won’t even get off the ground.”

If God is for us, who can be against us?

If God is for us, who can stand against us?
If God is for us, who can stand against us?

Who can stand against us?

This is a rhetorical question.  A rhetorical question is one that doesn’t require an answer.  For example:  Do animals live in a zoo? (Yes, they do.)

The question is: If God is for us, who can stand against us?
The answer: Nothing and no one!

If God is for you, nothing can be against you.

No human, no being in the universe, no thing, can be against you if God is for you.

Romans 8:35, 38, 39 (MEV)

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities nor powers, neither things present nor things to come, 39 neither height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is nothing that can withstand God.  

God is All-Powerful

A man was talking with a group of Christians and said, “God, if You’re real, I dare You to strike me with lightning right now!”

It was something he’d said several times before so he thought nothing of saying it that time.  

Suddenly, thunder boomed and a bolt of lightning shot from the sky.  

God is all-powerful.
God is all-powerful.

The man checked himself over, and he was just fine.  He began to scoff at God but noticed that the men around him weren’t looking at him but behind him.

The man turned to see what they were looking at and discovered his 12-year-old son lying on the ground.

While I do not know if God would actually do something like that, I do know that there is nothing that can withstand God.

Right now, there are wars going on, and there are rumors of wars.  Those are terrible things. There has been talk of the possibility of World War 3. But God sits in His Heaven and men on Earth make their plans, and He just laughs at those plans. (Psalm 37:12)

We may lose a battle from time to time, but we know how the war is going to end!  I’ve read the back of the book and we win. 

Principalities will not be able to stand against God.  

No one, or thing, ultimately, will stand against you.

As a Christian, you may face persecution here on Earth.  There might be illness.  You may have some battles.  But ultimately, those things do not win.  They do not!

I’ve seen it.

Going Home

In my business, I’m around death quite a bit.  I’m around people shortly before they pass from this life. 

There are people who have an experience that you wouldn’t believe.  They know that time is short and they talk very matter-of-factly about it. 

They say things like, “My time is coming, I know it.” 

Some have said, “I’ll soon be with my Lord.”

People have said, “I’m looking forward to it.”

That’s amazing!

How can you do that?

Death seems to be the thing that is most to be feared, but it is not for those who are Christians. 

If God is for us, who can be against us?

When I say I’ve been around death quite a bit, it has been deaths of the saints, usually.  That’s who I’m around the most. I assure you, there’s victory.  Death will be swallowed up in victory. “O death where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:54 & 55)

Death is the ultimate victory when you know Christ.
Death is the ultimate victory when you know Christ.

There is victory over death and the grave in Christ if you know Him. 

There are examples from the past where God was with His people.  

Moses and Pharoah

God called Moses to go get His people out of Egypt.  Moses and his brother went before Pharoah and asked for the Israelites to be released.  It took 10 plagues, ending with the death of the firstborn child, for Pharoah to let them go.  

Even after all that, as Moses was leading the Nation of Israel out of Egypt, Pharoah changed his mind and gathered his army, and chased them to the Red Sea.

But remember: If God is for us, who can be against us?

Some of the Israelites didn’t believe that God would deliver them, but God was speaking to Moses.  

That night, God provided protection for them in the night and the Egyptian soldiers didn’t attack while they rested.

The next day, they were at the edge of the Red Sea. God instructed Moses to hold his rod (like a walking stick) out over the water, and he did.

A mighty wind came and parted the waters of the sea and the freed slaves walked across to the other side on dry ground, with walls of water on either side of them.

God was for the Children of Israel.
God was for the Children of Israel.

Pharoah and his army weren’t ready to give up, so they pursued their former captives onto the bed of the Red Sea.  God was taking care of His children, though, and the waters closed up over Pharoah’s army and they all perished.  (Exodus 3-14 contains the account of the call of Moses, the plagues, and the ultimate victory over Pharoah.)

If God is for us, who can be against us?

The Ark of the Covenant

The Jewish people in the Old Testament had a special piece of furniture called the Ark of the Covenant.  It was a chest that was inlaid with gold all around, it was a holy item that was not to be touched.  If anyone who wasn’t authorized by God to touch it did so, they would die.  It happened.  (Exodus 25:10-22, 2 Samuel 6:7)

Contained inside the Ark of the Covenant were the actual tablets the 10 Commandments were on, a pot of manna, and Aaron’s (Moses’ brother) rod that had budded. (Hebrews 9:3-4) 

The story of Aaron’s rod is, at one time there were people who were opposing Moses and Aaron.  God commanded that they be brought together.  

When they were all gathered, they all laid down their rods, but only Aaron’s rod sprouted buds.  (Numbers 16 & 17)

It was there to remind them of the goodness of God.

There came a day when the Philistines came and captured the Ark of the Covenant.  They took it back with them and put it in one of their heathen temples.  They left it inside and walked away smirking and laughing about “those people and their God.”

The Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant

When they returned to the temple, the statue of their pagan god, Dagon, had toppled over. The Philistines set the statue up again and left the temple. They returned to their temple again and saw more things had been destroyed.  They quickly made the decision to get rid of the Ark of the Covenant. (1 Samuel 4 & 5)

If God is for us, who can be against us?

The Day the Sun Stood Still

There came a point where the Israelites were in a battle.  They feared that darkness would come before they could be victorious.  They prayed and for an entire day and night, God caused the sun to stand still.  (Joshua 10)

Skeptics may say that it’s impossible; that it would throw the universe into chaos, or at least the Earth.  

But the same God who spoke the sun into existence when He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, the One who said the word and the Earth formed, (Genesis 1:1-25) was the One who caused the sun to stand still.  Any natural consequences that may have arisen from that event were under His control.  He commands it all.

There is an account in the Bible of God causing the dial on a sundial to go 10 degrees backward. (Isaiah 38:8)

God, in the form of Jesus, was able to walk on water.  He even took a frail human being and allowed him to walk on the water with Him. (Matthew 14:22-31, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21)

If God is for us, who can be against us?

No one can!

None of us can!

Nothing can!

He has the power to take care of us.

God is in Charge no Matter the Circumstances

I don’t know what the future holds, but I hope you will be able to face it with confidence.  In all of the cases I’ve mentioned, their circumstances got better.  

It’s good when God comes and changes the circumstances, but He is able to take you through anything even when the circumstances don’t change.  He can give peace that passes understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

Romans 5;8
Romans 5:8

He can give you the ability to go through a terrible situation and make it through to the other side.  

The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.  

Are You Ready?

Are you ready?

That’s a question that everyone needs to face.

The title of this post is “One of the Most Important Questions Ever.”  The question is If God is for us who can be against us?

The answer is no one can.

Do you know that God is for you?

If He’s for you, then the rhetorical answer to the question is, “Nothing can stand against you.”

But I did say that there are ways He may not be for you.  

Are you ready?
Are you ready?

One way is to refuse to repent of your sins.  If you refuse to acknowledge who Christ is, God will not be for you, If you heard that God gave His only Son for you, and you scoff at that, He will not be for you.  

Have you come to Christ?
Have you repented of your sins?

Have you called upon Him and asked Him to become your Savior?

If you have, and you truly meant that in your heart, then God is for you and nothing can be against you. 

If you would like to know more, click here to be taken to other Faith-Based posts.

I pray God blesses you.

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Overcoming Fear

Overcoming Fear

Everyone has fears about some things.  

Sermon video

When I have to get up and use the restroom in the middle of the night, I try not to turn on the light so I don’t wake my wife. One time, though, just a few feet from the bedroom to the bathroom door, I couldn’t figure out where I was.  I knew I was in my house but that was about it.

Well, we have a picture of our four children hanging on a wall in our bedroom, and I almost knocked it down but I finally figured out where I was.

It was a little disconcerting feeling.   

Personal Fears

When our oldest grandson, Avery, was little, Rusty was having a conversation with him.  Avery was going to go from my mom’s house to our house.  There’s a little path through a wooded area and the circle drive. 

Rusty thought this would be a good teaching moment for Avery so he told him that no matter where he was, he didn’t have to be afraid because God is always with him.

They were going to walk through the dark from one house to the other.  They walked across and got there safely.  When they arrived, Avery looked up and asked, “Were you scared Uncle Rusty?”

Everyone has fears about different things. 

Monk

Some of you may have seen the television show “Monk” about a man named Adrian Monk who was a detective.  His wife got killed and he had a real problem dealing with that. He had what is called OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder.  It became magnified after he dealt with the trauma of losing his wife. 

Adrian Monk
Adrian Monk

The program goes like this: He can see things that other people can’t see and he comes up with the answer.  Sometimes he’ll point someone out and say, “He’s the person who committed the crime.” 

They’ll ask, “How do you know?”
Monk responds, “I don’t know, but he’s the one.”

By the time the program ends, it turns out he was right. 

But, he has a lot of fears. Number 6 on his list was death. Number 5 was milk. 

Laugh Lines

Everyone fears something.

Do you know what the fear of giants is called?
Fe, Fi, Phobia…

Did you hear about the rock who faced his fears?  
He did it and became a little…bolder.  

Then there was the man who had a fear of monsters under his bed.  Even though he was an adult and knew it was irrational, the fear still plagued him.  So he went to a psychoanalyst. He spent months, and then years, in therapy. Still, the phobia persisted.  He finally told the therapist that he thought he should take a break from counseling.  The doctor said it would be ok.

A couple of weeks later, the psychoanalyst saw the patient in the grocery store and asked how he was doing.

The man said, “I’m doing great! I’ve slept better than I have in ages.”
The analyst then asked, “How did that happen?  What have you done differently?  To what do you attribute your success?”

The man responded, “After I stopped seeing you, someone suggested I go see a behavioral specialist.  He told me I should do something.  He took care of my problem in one session!”

Amazed, the psychoanalyst asked, “What did he say?  What did he have you do?”
The former patient answered, “He told me to go home and saw the legs off of my bed.”

Proverbs 28:1&13 (MEV)

1 The wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
13 He who covers his sins will not prosper,  but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

The Wicked’s Fears

Today’s scripture says first of all that the wicked flee when no one pursues. 

Sometimes you carry these fears around and might be wondering if you’re being paranoid or if someone is coming after you.  They flee when no one pursues. 

Everyone has something they fear.
Everyone has something they fear.

This time of year, you hear about a big red “elf” that goes around making a list and checking it twice to find out who’s naughty or nice.

There could be a feeling of guilt, knowing that you wouldn’t make the nice list. 

Also, there’s a fear of the unknown; not knowing what’s coming up or what’s happening next. Sometimes the wicked are involved in the fear of the unknown. 

There’s the fear of punishment. They have seen the result of consequences of sin and they know that they’re involved in sin. They know they’re not doing what’s right. 

So they have a fear of those consequences coming to them.  

In verse 13 we read that whoever covers the sins will not prosper. 

The way of the wicked is to go around trying to rationalize sin and trying to blame someone else for their behavior. 

Sometimes they play the victim card, saying it’s not their fault.

Seeking to destroy.
Seeking to destroy.

We know that Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)   He will come into your life and cause terrible circumstances to come.  He will put lies in front of you and you’ll begin to believe the lies after a while. If that happens often enough, it can cause you to want to flee when no one is pursuing.

The verse says the wicked flee when no one pursues.  

If you’re saved, you are in the category of the righteous. Even so, you have to overcome fears that come into your life. 

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

There’s the example of Elijah in the Old Testament who had a contest that he proposed between himself and the prophets of Baal. They went to the top of Mt. Caramel, built two altars, and laid sacrifices on top of the altars. 

When that was done, Elijah told the prophets of Baal to go first.  They spent hours trying to bring fire to the sacrifices. 

Once they were done, it was Elijah’s turn.  He gave instruction for water to be brought and the sacrifice and the wood were drenched with it.  They poured water all around the bottom of the altar. Then he just prayed a simple prayer asking God to light the sacrifice, and fire came down from Heaven.  

Elijah may have been afraid, but he carried on.
Elijah may have been afraid, but he carried on.

Not long after that, the people saw that God was real and Baal was false.  They actually executed the false prophets. (1 Kings 18:20-40)

Elijah had a great victory.  Then he got word that they were seeking to kill him and his fear overcame him and he ran away.

God asked him why he had run.  He told God, “I’m the only one that’s left.(who hasn’t begun to worship Baal)”  

(Have you ever felt like you’re the only one left?)

God told Elijah that there were 7,000 who hadn’t begun to worship the false god. He just didn’t know about them. (1 Kings 19)

After that, he became a great prophet of God again – he overcame his fears.

The Disciples’ Fears

The 12 disciples had walked and talked with Jesus. They spent a lot of time with Him.  He started trying to tell them that something different, that they hadn’t experienced before, was going to happen. 

Each one of them experienced his own fear.
Each one of them experienced his own fear.

They had been with Him, He had preached, and the crowds had loved the preaching. They had seen people healed. Jesus had even sent them out in groups of two and people had listened to their message. The disciples had seen people delivered from demons. They had seen all those miracles.

But it wasn’t always going to be that way.

The great popularity that Jesus had at the beginning of the week was going to vanish. 

Before the week was over, they came and captured Jesus.  

The disciples were afraid.  

The Bible tells us when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane Peter pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of one of them.  

Jesus reached down and put the man’s ear back on.

Peter didn’t know what to do after that.  He was ready to fight to the death to defend Jesus. 

Jesus told Peter that before the rooster crowed, Peter would deny Him three times. 

They arrived at the place where they were doing all the false accusations and the false trials.  The same crowds that had loved Jesus at the beginning of the week turned on Him and raised the cry, “Crucify Him!”

Jesus on trial.
Jesus on trial.

Jesus was by the fire and Peter was close enough that Jesus could look at him. Just as Jesus had said, Peter denied Him.  The third time, he swore that he did not know the Man. 

After the third denial, Peter looked up, and the eyes of the Savior fell right on him and his heart melted. (Luke 22:31-60)

The Bible says that all of the disciples forsook Him and fled.  (Mark 14:50)

Peter was close enough to the goings-on that Jesus was able to look at him. 

Persecution

In the early days of Christianity, the new converts were arrested and sentenced to be burned at the stake. 

One such man was waiting for execution in his prison cell.  There was a candle burning.  He was talking to God, telling Him how he knew He was real, but he didn’t know how he was going to get through the execution.  Curious he reached out and held his hand above the candle flame. He quickly had to pull away because the pain was too great.

Early Christians faced many fears.
Early Christians faced many fears.

Those were some of the fears that came to the early followers of Christ. 

Verse 3 also says that the righteous are bold as a lion. 

Why is that?

Miracles

It’s because of miracles that we’ve seen.

Some have seen x-rays that have actually shown “something”, only to go back to the doctor and that “something” is gone.

Only two possibilities exist.  Either it was a faulty machine or something miraculous happened.  I believe it was a miracle. 

Seeing miracles increases your confidence, as a Christian, as you go through life.

I mentioned the problem of guilt that caused the wicked to flee when no one pursues, but guilt can plague Christians, too. 

But Believers need to be reminded that verse 13 also says that whoever confesses their sins and forsakes them shall have mercy. 

The guilt is taken care of and it is removed. 

Peace that Passes Understanding

You will probably have one time, or more than one when you can’t understand how you’ll get through something. You think about how terrible it’s going to be.

But when you get dropped into the middle of that problem, you’re all at once at peace. You can’t explain why.  The circumstances aren’t any better. Any normal person would want to flee. Yet you have an unexplainable peace that passes all understanding. 

Philippians 4:7
Philippians 4:7

That increases the boldness of the righteous. 

Then there’s the resurrection.

He’s Alive!

Peter and the disciples saw Jesus crucified.  They were all feeling terrible for how they had forsaken Him. Yet, the women went to the tomb to anoint His body for burial and the tomb was empty and angels were there.

Peter and John ran to the tomb and found it to be empty. John got there first but Peter ran inside. It was empty. (Matthew 27 & 28:1-8, John 20:1-18)

That would be one thing but shortly after that, they were all in a room together (except for Thomas) and Jesus appeared in their midst.

He asked for food and they gave it to Him. He proved to them that he was not an apparition or a ghost.  (John 20:19-20)

Another time, Jesus appeared to 500 people at one time. (1 Corinthians 15:6)  Usually two or three eyewitness accounts are enough in court.  These were hundreds who saw a resurrected Christ!

They knew that there was the power of life after death. 

What do You Fear?

If you’re afraid of death, as bad things come, your fear can increase.

But if you know for sure that you’re going to come through the valley of the shadow of death and come out on the other side, then death doesn’t hold as much fear for you. 

Elijah was afraid but God spoke to him so he returned and was a great prophet again. 

Peter felt so awful for denying Jesus, but when He arose and gave instructions to tell others, He purposely said to make sure Peter knew.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter, who had been so fearful before, was greatly changed and he preached, and thousands of people came to know the Lord. Part of the reason for that was the awareness of the truth of the resurrection. The other reason was the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that came upon their lives in a wonderful way on the day of Pentecost. That power continued to help them day after day,

The power of the Holy Spirit continues to help Believers after all these years. 

All of that can increase your boldness.

Stephen and Saul/Paul

Then there was a man who thought he was doing right and thought he was doing God’s bidding. There was this upstart group that was talking about this Man they claimed was the Messiah.  He believed there was no resurrection, that His followers had just hidden the body.  

Then he was in the presence of Stephen when he was telling the story from the beginning up until the present day. It was even said that they were responsible for killing the King of Glory. 

The stoning of Stephen
The stoning of Stephen

The crowd grew enraged and wanted to stone Stephen.  Saul offered to hold their cloaks while they did so. 

Saul got letters from the religious leaders that allowed him to go into homes and arrest people who were part of this new movement they called “The Way.”

He was completely opposed to it. 

He was on the road to Damascus with the letters with the intent of arresting some people.  Then a bright light shone from Heaven and knocked him off of his horse.  Those around him said they heard thunder.  Saul heard the voice of Jesus.  The others saw the light but couldn’t comprehend what was said. 

It was the living Christ that came to him and it changed his life. After that encounter, he became known as Paul. 

He wrote much of the New Testament. 

The Missionaries

In the last century, there was a tribe in Africa that had a compound in their territory where missionaries lived. The missionaries would go out and preach to the different tribes.  

Some of the tribes were vehemently opposed to what they were doing, so they had plans to go to the compound one night and break in and slaughter the people who were there. 

But nothing happened that night.  The Christians slept peacefully that night.  

One of the tribal chiefs came to the Lord.  He later gave this testimony: “We were going to come and burn the place down.”  

When asked why they didn’t do it, he said, “You had the guards all around.  Some of them were 7 feet tall. I don’t know how they were divided up so well, but they were!”

A host of angels protected the missionaries!
A host of angels protected the missionaries!

Angels protected those missionaries in that compound that night. 

Then you have those who know that this life is not all there is. As we get older, we learn that there are some things that are far worse than death and some things that can cause even more fear.

You Can’t Scare Me With Heaven!

I was talking to a friend once and said, “Well, at least we know where they’re going.”

My friend replied, “Yes, but it’s the getting there that’s rough.”

My mother knew where she was going, and she was so excited and looking forward to it.  But getting there, for about 3 days, was awful hard to watch.

John R. Rice was an evangelist.  One time, while preaching, he started preaching about particular sins. There were some people in the crowd that day who were making money from those sins.  The crime syndicate got hold of him and took him out of town and pulled a gun on him.  He told them, “You can’t scare me with Heaven.”

The gangsters didn’t know what to do with that so they put the gun away and let him go.

A fellow church member and I went to Mexico on a mission trip.  While there, we met a man named Carlos; a pastor.

In the time since we met him, he had different groups that were meeting in the homes in Mexico. In one of those home meetings, one of the ladies had invited another lady to come. Unknown to her, the lady she invited was the wife of a member of the drug cartel.  Her husband wasn’t very happy about her involvement with Carlos’ church. 

Carlos preached Jesus, in spite of the threat.
Carlos preached Jesus, in spite of the threat.

He decided to put a stop to it.  He kept watching, and one day, he and 3-4 other cartel members caught Carlos alone, threw him in a car, and drove him outside of the city.
After they stopped, they got him out of the car and started to harass him and said, “We hear you preach Jesus. Now, preach Jesus”

Carlos looked around, and they raised up their machine guns.  He then began to preach Jesus.

How could he do that?  He knew that this life is not all there is. He knew that there is life after this.

Because Jesus rose, Christians have the assurance that if we were to die that we would be able to live. 

So Carlos preached Jesus.  The cartel members didn’t know what to do with him.  They could have killed him right then, but instead, put him back in the car and took him back into the city. 

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.   

Boldness in the Face of Fear

The man who had put his hand over the candle and couldn’t stand the heat was not the only one who had been sentenced to death.  The next day, the time came for his execution so they tied him to the post and lit the fire, and God protected him.  His body burned up, but he was able to stand it.

Boldness in the face of fear.
Boldness in the face of fear.

There have been testimonies of others who were able to sing while being burned.  Imagine that. 

How to Overcome Fear

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.  

You may not feel very bold but you can be like the rock who became a little bolder. 

You can do that by trusting Jesus.

Trust Jesus and overcome fear.
Trust Jesus and overcome fear.

Why should you trust Jesus?

If you do not know Him, if you have never called on Him, if you don’t have a relationship with the living Christ, then you don’t have a Biblical promise for boldness. 

But if you do know Christ and the Holy Spirit is dwelling within you, then you have that within you that can make you as bold as a lion. 

You might be like the man with his hand over the candle right before it happens, but God watches over and protects His children.

If you trust in Christ and the Word of God, He will make you bold!