Ear-tickling for Itchy Ears - Part 1

 

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I read an article by Dr. Michael Brown in Charisma News that addresses one of the root problems in the Christian church in influencing our culture and associated society to make a difference in a lost and dying in sin world for a godly change towards making disciples through the peace of Christ. I have witnessed this issue personally in a couple churches that I have attended and realize that “ear-tickling social ministry” has both an agenda and a negative effect on conviction of sin and actually allows sinners to be comfortable in their sinning and rebellion against a just and holy God by leaving out details and distort the real message of the gospel and the truth, thereby creating a false salvation and security, in reality deceiving people and keeping them hell bound on the wide road to destruction. Here is an example of how it works: remove the first half of Romans 6:23 (above) and only preach the second half. That’s an incomplete thought and an intentional half-truth. It is the reason that many [not all] churches are not a part of the solution to the problems in our sin-sick society, but a part of the problem.

Dr. Brown explains that Paul warned Timothy that the "time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4). That warning proved true in Timothy's day, and it has proved true many times since, especially today, when we have a multitude of ear-tickling preachers. How can we recognize them? [Instead of making “disciples” of all nations, they are in the business of making “friends” of all nations.]

[Illusionists (aka magicians) can be very entertaining when that is what we are intentionally going to watch. We like seeing misdirection and slight-of-hand that tricks us and makes us say: “how did they do that!”] We know that deception is very deceiving and that no one is willingly duped. And we know that no one stands up and says, "What I'm teaching is false doctrine meant to deceive and keep you hell-bound in your sin!" We also know that it is arrogant for any one of us to think that we alone have sound biblical doctrinal teaching while everyone else is in error. Yet the Apostle Paul did not warn Timothy in vain, nor is he warning us in vain, and so we must ask ourselves what, exactly, are the distinguishing characteristics of ear-tickling preachers.

1.     Ear-tickling preachers bypass self-denial and the cross. Jesus told His disciples that if anyone wanted to follow Him, they had to deny themselves and take up the cross (see Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; in Luke 9:23 where He says we must take up our cross daily). And Paul taught that "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24).

Saying no to self and taking up the cross—meaning, giving up the claim to our own sinful lives, dying to this sinful world and renouncing its god-rejecting claims—is a fundamental part of discipleship. Yet ear-tickling preachers will not talk about it. The reason is obvious: It is not what our flesh wants to hear, therefore convicting and offending “self”. 

2.     Ear-ticking preachers go light on sin. Throughout the Scriptures, both Old Testament and New Testament, including the Gospels, Acts, the Letters, and Revelation, there are warnings about the dangers of sin and calls to turn away from sin. Sin is the root problem in the world, our culture and society, not more importantly, separates people from their Creator God and is sending them to eternal damnation in Hell.

Of course, it is absolutely true that through the death and resurrection of Jesus and by the power of the Spirit we have been given victory over sin. And it is absolutely true that the message of the grace of God, rightly understood, turns us away from sin (see Titus 2:11-14). But that doesn't mean that as Christians leaders, we no longer need to warn our hearers about the deceitfulness of sin or urge them to vigilant against sin. [In reality, they put loving your neighbor as yourself ahead of loving God with all your heart, your mind, your soul and your strength. Truly, sin is the root cause of all problems. It caused the death of the spirit in humanity, the separation between man and God plus the sin nature of the flesh, so that people not only have no conviction of sin in the God-rejecting world today, but are comfortable in their sinful lifestyle, enjoy their sin for a season in thought word and actions against the just, holy and sovereign Creator God of heaven and earth and see no reason to change]. To the contrary, grace is by faith and because so much grace has been given to us that repent and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, our responsibility before God is even greater (see Hebrew 2:1-4; 10:26-31; 12:25-29). The free gift of God is offered, but must be received. 

Let's continue Dr. Brown's message on ear-tickling preaching in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Eternal Lives Matter

 

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

There are many political and societal distractions taking place this election year in America which are magnified or exaggerated accusations, and chaotic demonstrations in the middle of a global pandemic. “Candidates and Causes” take priority over the epidemic outbreak, colossal illness numbers, and immense death rates worldwide. “Never let a serious crisis go to waste” is their battle-cry as ridiculous demands and treasonous violence, destruction and militant occupation in Civil unrest and disobedience are promoted by the political groups, the Press and mainstream Media. Every detail and truth is not examined and not reported to advance an agenda beyond legitimate reason and responsibility, and the original issues and problems are lost in blind rage and lose of self-control. Such is the way of a lost in sin and dying atheistic and secular humanistic culture. What a shame. Proper priorities and procedures for resolution are misplaced and adrift causing disruption of order, harmony, peace, serenity and tranquility in the social direction within community. For clarification, “dying” is in terms of Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” What do I mean? Is anyone fooling God? 

Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

The United States Declaration of Independence clearly states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” All lives matter because the Creator (God) created every single person in the human race equal. Brown, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. The real issue is faith verses unbelief (the light of godly truth verses the darkness of sinful self), and root cause of all problems is inequity, trespasses and sin in the world and the hearts of mankind. Iniquity is defined as: injustice; unrighteousness; a deviation from rectitude; evil, immorality, wickedness. Trespass is defined as: literally, to pass beyond; hence primarily, to pass over the boundary line. To commit any offense or violate any rule of rectitude to the injury of another. In a moral sense, to transgress voluntarily any divine law or command; to violate any known rule of duty; knowingly stepping over God’s line. Sin is defined as: the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law. And there are consequences as a result, as we see today.

Galatians 5:19-23 “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery (drug abuse), hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

The cause truly is “Eternal lives matter”. Saved souls means transformed hearts, minds and lives as the Fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit flows in, through and out of the regenerated spirit reconciled and connect to God through Jesus Christ. John 3:14-21, 35-36 explains, “As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

It doesn’t really matter what is the latest trend or how many "Followers" or "Friends" you have on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter. It matters how many Followers Jesus Christ has. In Matthew 7:13-14 the Lord Jesus instructs us to “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Enter the narrow gate of Jesus and take the path to Heaven. Eternal lives matter.

In Christ, Brian

The Love of Our Heavenly Father – Part 2

Continuing Pastor Kyle’s message, he asks, do you want to know where our own path leads? Our own path leads to Noah’s flood, Jonah’s whale, unnecessary wrong roads in life’s journey and lumps, bumps and bruises along the way that Jesus already paid for. Our path does not speed up anything; if anything, it slows us down, gets us off-track with God and, if not changed, ultimately shuts the door on the Ark of Salvation. Unbelievers may say, “Look at the cruelty of God in allowing all those lives to perish in unbelief”, but in reality, look at the patience of God giving non-believers so much time to repent and choose life before having to say, “that’s enough, let’s move on with the harvest”. 

The third trait is that Jesus fought so we could be forgiven and free. The Apostle Peter writes that baptism saves us. Baptism is a physical act that we do, but the appeal to God from our heart is what saves. Why wouldn’t a bible-believing Christian want to be baptized? It is one thing that the Lord Jesus said to do. It is important as a symbol of your faith to all. It is an outward expression of your inward reality of what happened in our heart.  The Apostle connected baptism to Noah’s flood for a couple of reasons. (1) we are to think of our old sinful lives like we died and never resurfaced. Every part of that Godless life got buried at the bottom of the ocean, so to speak. During physical baptism, when you go down into the water, it is a symbol that your old sinful life is dead and the new life that you live as you rise out of the water is the life you now live in Christ. Justification by the blood of Jesus in His atoning sacrifice forgives sin, transforms our heart and regenerates our spirit, receives the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us and reconnected us to God to discern truth and commune in prayer and worship to our heavenly Father as a child in God’s family and a citizen of the kingdom of Heaven. But, we are still in the flesh on this side of glory and the process of sanctification (growing into the holy image and likeness of Jesus Christ) has begun. Those who have been walking with the Jesus for any time quickly learn that the reality of overcoming our sin nature is like unwinding an intertwined knot and takes a long time to grow as we walk in the Spirit. But, the idea that we should have in our head is that our old God-rejecting sinful life is gone, dead and buried. 

(2) It’s a reminder of the second chance and the lifeline that is offered to all that repent of their sin and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The eight people in Noah’s Ark, that survived the global flood, were not perfect. But, they had great gratitude that God gave them a second chance at life. That is how we are supposed to think about our lives also, in light of the reality that we have been crucified with Christ and have been risen to new life with Him in His resurrection. We should wake up daily, thanking God for this new day and our second chance at life because He rescued us from our old life that was dead in trespasses and sin. We may not be where we want to be in Heaven for eternity yet, but thanking God that we are no longer who we used to be. 

Thank God that we now know the “right” path, the righteous road, and are on it with the Holy Spirit, aligned with God’s perfect Word, Will and Way. The difference between you then and now is that before your repentance, accepting Christ, conversion and transformation, you didn’t know the “right” path. We should thank God for His grace and forgiveness. We should thank God for our freedom that we have in Christ. The Apostle Peter makes sure that we know that we were not just forgiven, but in Christ we are truly free from the bondage of sin. 

Baptism is about forgiveness, but it does not stop at forgiveness. God makes sure that you know you can live life with a clean conscience. Some know that they are forgiven, but struggle to find freedom from their past sins against their just and holy Creator Father God. They buried the hatchet, but left the handle sticking out of the ground to come back to. If you are in Christ, you have been forgiven and you have been freed. Today, God offers you freedom and a clean conscience as Christ has paid the sin debt in full. 

Jesus suffered so that we could be safe, He is patient when we are on the wrong path and He fought for our forgiveness and freedom. 

Psalm 103:11-13 “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.”

That is our Heavenly Father.

In Christ, Brian

The Love of Our Heavenly Father - Part 1

1 Peter 3:18-22 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.”

Last Sunday, Pastor Kyle continued through our church’s Sermon series through the book of first Peter with a Father’s Day message. He pointed out that in the Bible, we fine the doctrinal teaching of the “Trinity” principle of the Heavenly Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost or Spirit; on God in three persons. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to ready with a defense of the faith answer in order to give an account to anyone who asks for the reason for the gospel hope that that is within us, doing it with great kindness and respect. Verses 16-17 talks about how not everyone will take that message well, but our calling as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ is that when people ask, to speak and put our answer out to them, regardless whether they are going to receive it or reject it. Jesus modelled rejection for us and His message of forgiveness, redemption and salvation remains the same and saves souls still today. It is God’s plan. 

In 1 Peter 3, we see Jesus’ traits that reflect the heavenly Father and shows us how we should live as disciples (student/followers) of Christ, our Lord and our life. The first trait is that Jesus suffered so that we would be safe. Christ suffered and died upon the Cross for our sins to bring us safely home to God. Safety often comes at the cost of someone else’s sacrifice and suffering. Between safety, wisdom and impact, we have to make decisions as to what is best in a given set of circumstances. Freedom isn’t free and neither is safety; it costs someone’s sacrificial service as the good of another. If everyone only did what was safe in their life, then nobody would do anything extraordinary. Jesus suffered to bring us spiritual and eternal life., but we must accept this gift of God and take His hand. 

We are, figuratively, hanging on the edge of a cliff in this fallen world. The reality of our mortality is evident and clear today, and we see that we really are not safe on planet Earth. It is a lost in sin dying world, but the Christian is secure in this world because they have taken the hand of God unto His blessed assurance in Christ. Everyone is truly one breath away from eternity. The myth that society has bought into is that we are safe, but when we took an honest look at everything around us, we realize that there that there must be something more than what we experience on this side of Heaven. Jesus suffered on the Cross to bring us safely off the cliff of sure death and bring us into the blessed assurance and certain hope of eternal life. Jesus took a beating unto death for you! He suffered on the Cross so you would be saved and could be safe. 

The second trait is that Jesus has always been patient when we are on the wrong path. We may wander and get lost, stumble and fall, but the point is God’s patience. The Bible story of the global flood that destroyed all life on land, except for Noah’s family of eight in the Ack, was not about God annihilating life on earth because of sin. It was about God saving the world. God is patient with us today, but those who choose to reject their Almighty Creator and His sovereign reign and rule as Lord come to the point when God gives them over to their hardened hearts, their godless desires and their chosen sinful ways. God continues to wait on us time after time, not desiring any one to perish but to come to repentance and return to Him through Christ. We know exactly what we are doing when we get off track by our selfish and sinful choices. God isn’t fooled by us, and we are not really fooling anyone else either. Sometimes, we think that our path to happiness will get us to where we want to go faster. The reality is that we start looking around for shortcuts and end up shorting ourselves. 

Let's continue PAstor Kyle's message on the traits of Jesus in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

What’s So Amazing About Grace?

One of my biggest mentors was the late Pastor D. James Kennedy. I only briefly met him twice in person, but his weekly Christian television broadcasts (The Coral Ridge Hour), daily radio broadcasts (Truths That Transform), recorded sermons and topical special feature presentations on cassette, CD, VHS tapes and DVD, his Christian books and his Evangelism Explosion program taught me countless truths about the Bible and the Christian faith, and I am so grateful for His ministry for the saving of souls through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

In an article by Dr. Kennedy on the grace of God based on the beloved Christian Hymn “Amazing Grace”, He asks why is it that grace is so astonishing? Let me try to name the ways. The word “grace” is defined as, appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from Him. Kennedy explains first. That grace is amazing because it is so rare. This world doesn’t operate by grace. Grace is virtually alien to it.  At best, we operate on a quid pro quo basis – “a tit for tat, this for that.” You pay so much, you get so much in return. This is the basic operative principle of this world. It is the antithesis of grace. Therefore, we don’t see grace in this world, and that is what makes something amazing.

Romans 3:20-24 “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Secondly, grace is amazing because it is so undeserved. That, Dr. Kennedy thinks, is probably the first thing that hits people’s minds. How many people, especially people who grew up in a Christian home, think they have done pretty well, thank you. And surely, they have contributed something to their salvation. It is not so at all. Grace is given to people who are enemies, not “A” students in the class, because we are all infected with this root problem of sin.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The late great American Evangelist Billy Graham described the devastating, destructive aspects of sin which has destroyed this world: “The cause of all trouble, the root of a sorrows, the dread of every man and woman lies in the one small word – sin. All mental disorders, all sicknesses, all destructive behavior, all wars and riots find their root in sin.” 

Ephesians 2:1, 4-9 “And you He [God] made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

It is sin. Every one of us has that horrible disease in our hearts. Does God want sin in Heaven? No. He threw sin out, and will always throw it out. It is only through the blood of Christ and the grace of God that sin can be removed and we can be acceptable to Him. Grace is never sought. People don’t seek God by their own conscious reasoning. It is the grace that begins to work in our hearts that causes us to seek Him.

2 Peter 1:2 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

Grace is amazing, thirdly, because it is so incredibly powerful. There is nothing in the realm of human life which is as powerful as the grace of God. It is the most transforming power on this earth. It breaks the shackles and transforms addicts: drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, or whatever else a person is addicted to. It turns the homosexual straight – thousands attest to that. It makes the lascivious, the vile, the profane, and the vulgar clean. It is the most powerful force in the world.

Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”

Our Finest Hour - Part 2

Michael continues, Oswald Chambers’ devotional for November 1 says, “If God’s plan for my life is to break my heart to accomplish his will, then thank him for breaking my heart.” He’ll pick up the threads of our broken hearts and weave them together again according to his plan and his purpose: that we would be vessels fit for the master’s use. Disciples of Christ are disciplined to follow in their master’s footsteps. After his prayer in John 19, Jesus taught by his example three essentials of godly servant-leadership:
1. He stood in the face of danger.
2. He bore up under suffering
3. He sacrificed himself for the good of others.

Jesus stood in the face of danger. When He walked out of Gethsemane, He knew all things that were coming against Him. He said to the Roman cohort of 600 soldiers that came to arrest him, “whom do you seek?” He asked them twice. When they said, “Jesus the Nazarene”, he said, “I am He.” They all fell backwards at His words. Jesus bore up under suffering. While he was being tortured and hanging on the cross, Jesus prayed for the soldiers who drove the nails through his hands and his feet, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Through the pain and suffering Jesus taught us the meaning of Romans 5:3-5, Tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope. And hope makes not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

A godly leader sacrifices himself for the good of others. Jesus Christ who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we would be made the righteousness of God in him. Purpose in your heart to glorify God through the trial and trough the tribulation. In John 19:26, Jesus had the presence of mind to take care of his own family. He ordained the Apostle John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” to look after his mother. Jesus saw men and women not as they were but as they would be. 

Hebrews 12:2 is God’s answer to Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is Jesus’s example as the culmination of Hebrews chapter 11, God’s “hall of faith.” 

According to Hebrews 12:1-3: “Wheefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses (of the faith of believing believers,) let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. His joy was your redemption from sin’s eternal damnation in Hell and mine. The purpose for which He was called was to become the perfect payment for sin on our behalf that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. His ultimate purpose was to sacrifice His innocent life in exchange for our guilty lives that we could be saved, set free, redeemed, and made righteous. That we would be holy and without blame before Him in love, to the praise of the glory of God’s grace! Yet, we must repent of sin and accept this gift of God’s grace in salvation through Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the Cross for our sins. Joy is not the absence of pain in this life, rather joy is the presence of the Lord.

Therefore rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!
Your brother in Christ, Michael

Our Finest Hour - Part 1

This week, Michael writes how God works in mysterious ways. Isaiah 55 says, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so much higher are his thoughts than our thoughts and his ways than our ways. 

God teaches four important life lessons. The first lesson is, Life is hard. Jesus said, in this world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. The second is, It’s not about you. Our purpose is that despite the tribulation, we would be to the praise of the glory of God’s grace. Third is, I’m not in control, God is in control. Therefore, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding... In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy paths. He’s called us to empty ourselves of ourselves in service to Him. This is the essence of the abundant life. The fourth lesson is, We are finite being; we’re all going to physically die. To live unto Christ is to die unto self.

This is our finest hour. Our lives are a calling to be remarkable, uncommon, and extraordinary for the kingdom of Heaven. We are the elect of God, a peculiar people, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, separated from a sinful world of darkness to spread the light of the gospel of truth in Jesus Christ. Our finest hour is the precious occasion where we can praise and glorify God and not ourselves. Our finest hour is our opportunity to empty ourselves in service to our Lord by serving others the Bread of Life – Jesus, the Savior of the world. 

According to James 1:2-4, count it all joy when you encounter trials. For the testing of your faith works patience. Then when patience has completed her work you will be perfect and entire wanting nothing.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed three times, Father, if there be any other way, let this cup (of pain, suffering, humiliation, and death for the sins of the world – past, present, and future) pass from me. Then Jesus concluded his prayer, “nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” This is the definition of prayer: to align my heart with God’s heart. Jesus often slipped away from the crowd and separated himself to pray in the wilderness with his inner circle of Peter, James, and John. William Wilberforce said, “there are seasons where we need to get away and join our hearts with the Lord. These precious moments of prayer are the golden bonds that transcend this earth and unite us with heaven’s purpose.” When Jesus walked out of the Garden of Gethsemane in John 18:4 he was ready to do His Father’s will. He said to Peter in verse 11, “shall I not drink the cup that my Father has given me?”

Jesus, God incarnate, experienced all things like ordinary men yet without sin. His actions proved His words, “I always do my Father’s will.” Jesus gladly submitted to do His Father’s will. He was convinced of His Father’s loving kindness and tender mercy. Jesus knew by experience God’s answer to Paul’s prayer in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My strength is made perfect in thy weakness. My grace is sufficient for thee.”

According to Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Let's continue Michael's message on "our finest hour" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian

To Live Is Christ

Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Today, I read a devotional form one of the most influential spiritual leaders in my life – Pastor D. James Kennedy. He unpacked the Bible for all to understand the truths for our lives, both now and eternally through Christ. He asks, if someone asked you what you live for, how would you respond? Some people seem to live existentially for the moment, the people, places and things around me. Others live for their entertainment, excitement and the thrill. Still others live for the latest trend, cause or social media interaction. But Paul expresses the best way to live. He declares that to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Too often, people want to rewrite the verse, replacing “Christ” with “pleasure.” “For to me, to live is pleasure,” cry a whole host of voices today. But pleasures fade quickly, and this lifestyle leads to ceaseless striving for one more thrill, one more good feeling. What happens when the thrill is gone? I remember a family the was all caught up in their son’s sports. They would run from one sporting practice, game or events after another, literally having their son change uniforms and game shoes in the car in route. It consumed their “free time” entire life … until he fell and broke his arm. Life came to a stop and they didn’t know what to do. It was devastating to their family life, and you would have though that they would learn a life-lesson that there was more to life than pleasure, but when their son healed, they jumped right back into that same crazy lifestyle.

Others would replace “Christ” with “money.” “For to me, to live is money.” These people spend most of their waking hours, energy, and thoughts trying to make money and fortune. For them, money makes the world go around and the pursuit of happiness. Some of them desire to be truly wealthy, while others want just a little bit more than they presently have. A reporter once interviewed a fantastically wealthy man and asked him, “How much do you want?” The wealthy man replied, “Just a little bit more.” Do you live to gain wealth? If so, may I say that at the end of your life, your wealth will turn to ashes and somebody else spends your fortune, and you’ll find that the great deceiver has deceived you. I see millions of people in the world without clean water, adequate food, proper clothing and shelter, then shake my head at the millions of dollars wasted on frivolous non-necessities and pleasure spend daily. 

Others would say, “For to me, to live is fame.” They give their whole lives to accomplishment. Perhaps they rise to the top of the ladder. But then where are they? Many people who “make it” find themselves saying, “Is this all there is?” Like many who have risen to the pinnacle of success, they find nothing but the same emptiness that hounded them from the very beginning. I found this to be true for myself also, when I spent four concentrated years in my High School Varsity Basketball program, and after graduating, the playing and the fame was done and gone. The same realization happened when I retired from my Design Engineering career. That stage went from “top of the game” to not, none, nil and nada. I learned much about life in them, but they were not life. Later, as a baseball manager for kids, I made sure that these youth athletes understand that games and fame were a part of living, but not what life was about. Character is the best name you can make.

“For to me, to live is Christ.” Kennedy explains that this is the secret of life; the solid foundation that we build on. Furthermore, it is the secret of consecration (the act or ceremony of separating form a common to a sacred use, or of devoting and dedicating a person or thing to the service and worship of God, by certain rites or solemnities. Consecration does not make a person or thing really holy, but declares it to be sacred, that is, dedicated and devoted to God or to divine service, which is your heartfelt desire), the secret of commitment. I do not believe that you could take the meaning of consecration and commitment and express them more succinctly than Paul has in those seven words. 

Today ask God to show you how to live so that you can say, “For to me, to live is Christ.” Then follow the way He shows you so that you may live a life consecrated and committed to Him. Live for Christ!

Assurance of Salvation

  

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

Do you know for sure that when you die, you will go to Heaven? If you’ve given your life to Christ, you can know that you’ll have eternal life because the Bible promises that to you. 

Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

John 3:16-17, 36 promises, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

Jesus said in John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

In John 10:27-28, Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

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

His Word is true. You, born again Believer, will live in Heaven for eternity.

Ephesians 1:17-2:8 “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

Finding Hope – Part 2

1 Peter 3:13-17 (ESV) “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.”

Continuing Pastor Kyle’s message on finding hope, he confessed that a lot of times, we got upset because we don’t feel hopeful because we are not looking for hope or looking for hope in all the wrong places. Have no fear of them who do not know the Lord and come against you, nor be troubled. Glorify God and in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy. That is how to find hope and life. That is how we endure hardships and get through. There are many times when we feel deeply troubled in a way that is not healthy for us. We are yet to arrive at a place in life where we have no fears and no worries, overcoming troubles.

It may not be possible on this side of heaven to get to a perfect place where we are carefree and worry free in this fallen and sinful world. But as gospel Believers, as we grow over the course of our lives, is we learn to recognize when we are afraid and worrying in a detrimental hope-robbing way. We can learn to identify when our thought-patterns are turning from the godly truth. As followers of the Lord Jesus, we can get better at recognizing and redirecting our mind’s eye back to the Holy One every day as we walk in the Spirit. The way that we filter our those negative thoughts is to seek the Lord constantly.

Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

So, go knock on Jesus’ door in prayer when you feel down in spirit, depressed by situations, or worried about issues, and when you do, expect the Lord to return a question back to you. What is the reason for the hope that is in you? The over-arching answer: Jesus conquered sin and death on the Cross and by His resurrection; so the born again Believer shall also in a confident hope by the promise of Almighty God. We must seek the Lord, our Savior, the Holy One in this dark world. When we seek Him, we are full of life and hope. Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 1 Peter 3:13 is really about us going to the source of lasting hope. But, the second aspect of this verse deals with how we give and share that hope to others.

We can only give hope, if we live hope. There is an entire field of Christianity called Apologetics about making a defense for the faith. These studies are excellent for sharing biblical truths with others. With today’s technology, there us such a vast amount of excellent Christian writings, videos and audio resource material at our fingertips at any time, that we have a literal Seminary at our disposal. But, to know the reason for the hope that is in you, you must know what you believe, why you believe it, recognize how Jesus has changed your life through it, and be sharing your story of your testimony. People want to see God in you and your life. They are looking for the gospel truth because God has put eternity upon everyone’s heart. The Seeker of The Truth is looking to see hope inside of you. Live a hope-filled life, walking in obedience of God’s holy Word, Will and Way, then people will ask you about it.

Make a defense of the faith to anyone who asks. There is spiritual power when we are honest in connecting with people. The Apostle Peter explains that it is not the crowd-pleasing speech or the convincing words that we use that wins someone over. The thing that ultimately influences someone of conviction of sin, repentance and finding hope in Christ is gentleness and respect. Know your story of how the Lord has changed you and your life, then live a life that begs the question about why you believe in God and Jesus. Live hope and you will naturally give hope. A faithful hope-filled life is passionate about the things of God. What is your passion? Use your good earthly passions to impart the God-things to others seeking the Lord, and do good by directing them to a personal relationship with Christ at the foot of the Cross.   

Hope is person; Jesus Christ. Hope is a place; Heaven, where we will go when we repent, believe, cleave and follow Jesus Christ – the Savior of the world – as Lord of our life. Hope is a daily decision that we make to take up our Cross, follow Jesus, and set our minds on things above, not on things of the earth. For we have died to sin and have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer us who live, but Christ who lives in us. And when Christ appears, who is our life, we also shall appear with Him in glory.

A hope-filled life is comes through Jesus. Hope is found when we are in the arms of Christ and the promise of eternal life in Heaven is our perspective. Run toward hope.

In Christ, Brian

Finding Hope – Part 1

1 Peter 3:13-17 (ESV) “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.”

This last Sunday, Pastor Kyle continued in our church’s on-line sermon series through the Book of 1 Peter. He thought that is particular passage was timely in this day and age. He believes that the world is crying out for hope today. Hope is defined as a desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety. Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God's gracious promises.

The foundation of every Christian’s hope is, in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy. Yet, only a Christian can find lasting hope in the storms of life, because only Jesus can give us true hope. Self-help without Jesus will ultimately lead to disappointment because human beings cannot give us true hope. God offers true and lasting hope to everyone who would simply repent of sin and put their trust in Him, with Jesus, the blessed Redeemer at the center of their life. Realize that we cannot give hope that we do not have. Many people have good helps, but help is not lasting hope. A hope-filled life can only come from the Lord. He is the reason for the hope that is in every Christian.

Look at this world around us now; it is full of strife, broken relationships, bias and prejudices, turmoil, financial hardships, wars, diseases and sin. This reminds us all that there is an expiration date at the end of all our names and all of us end up social distancing at six feet permanently someday, while our whole life is represented by a dash on a headstone. It is depressing, if you don’t know Jesus and have a lasting hope that there is more than this life on earth. If we are looking for hope here, then we are never going to find it. Even those Believers, who walk with the Lord, have to make the decision daily to seek Jesus to receive hope from him and impart hope to others, because we cannot give hope that do not have. We find hope by in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy. Applied to the Supreme Being (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit), holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character. We find hope by looking to the Holy One, constantly. Remembering that Jesus is the holy Son of God has a hope resetting affect upon our hearts.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

It is not that our problems disappear when we pray and seek the Lord. What happens is that the Lord gives us a new God lens to see our problems through, in light of His overarching plan and power. In light of the holiness and power of God, the worries of our life in this world get smaller and our hope capacity rises. The Apostle Peter spoke to legitimate fears and worries that people deal with. The Christian church faces persecution then and now in the world. The Apostle knew that the people had very real reason to be afraid, but was telling them (and us today) that we have even a greater reason to find hope. To find our hope, every one of us needs to be seeking Jesus, the Holy One, day in and day out. It’s hard to find lasting hope when  we are not actively looking for it.

Though our circumstances today are tremendously different from the early Christian church, our lives are just as filled by worries and fears. Hope comes when we remember the Holy One and when we choose to worship God in the midst of our fears and worries. Issues, like Corona virus and its associated consequences (home lock downs, job layoffs, financial hardships, business closures, food and household supply shortages, etc.) come unexpectedly around the corner and out of left field to cause uncertainty that leads to fears and worries in life. We know Jesus and God’s Word is in our heart, but we take our eyes off the Holy One and get captivated by the issues of the world, so hope drops and anxiety rises. The point is that we all have a lot of reasons to worry. We need to seek Jesus, the Holy One, constantly to find true hope within us. And a hope-filled life is marked by worship in the midst of our worries.   

Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on finding Hope in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

The Root Problem - Part 2

1 John 5:17 “All unrighteousness is sin.”

Continuing Pastor Herk’s message, he tells us some of the measures that we are taking against Coronavirus that we could use against sin. The first is “separating ourselves”. Since the start of the virus outbreak, we have been told to practice social distancing in order to prevent infecting and being infected. The disease is spread by contact. With the problem of sin, the general reason that we got in trouble was that we distance ourselves from God. We are doing the wrong type of distancing. God didn’t move; we did to ourselves. We moved away from God’s directions and protections. Personal revival is blocked by our sin, so how are we going to receive what each of us needs in our lives? If we don’t work towards personal revival, we’ll never affect our healing that we all need in this fallen culture. Nothing new, the Bible is full of examples of this. Isaiah 59:2 tells us, “your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” We still see it today. Distancing ourselves from God and ignoring God allows sin to take control. Hebrews 3:12 says, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.”

James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

The big problem today is that we have distanced ourselves from God. What if we treated sin like we were reacting to the Corona virus? What if instead of distancing ourselves from God, we came nearer to God and distanced ourselves from sin? 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns us, “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” Do not distance yourself from God. All we have to do is distance ourselves from those who tempt us to do wrong in the eyes of God, our Lord and Refuge. All sin is evil. What if we distanced ourselves from those who habitually live to party, get drunk, do drugs, practice sexual immorality, lie, cheat, steal, are corrupt in business, deceive for personal gain, have racial hatred and those who verbally degrade and slander others? Galatians 5:19-23 “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy,  murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Don’t you think that would affect our culture for the better and the world would be a lot less sinful, if we could stand with God and distance ourselves from all these sinful problems like we do COVID-19?

Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.” In other words, blessed is the one who distances themselves from sin. Everyone wants to be happy in this life, and God gives us the formula for that godly joy and happiness. Distance ourself from sin and we’ll be happier and blessed.

The second thing to eradicate Corona virus is to wash our hands and used hand sanitizer often. Scientists tells us that increasing the frequency of hand washing helps decrease the infection rate of the virus. When we touch a surface with the virus, it transmits to our skin, but washing with soap separates and kills them off. Alcohol and disinfectants kill the virus on surfaces over a period of time. Keep your hands clean. But, what if we did that to sin? What if we washed away our sin? All through the Old Testament we see the ritual cleansing. The children of Israel went through some very elaborate steps, and if we work that hard to cleanse ourselves from sin, making the effort to remove sin from our lives like they were doing, it would make such a huge change.

There is a theological term for that called “repentance”. True repentance is sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of infinite benevolence, and is accompanied with the relinquishment of any practice, from conviction that it has offended God and followed by amendment of life. Repentance is a change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God. What if we cleansed our mouth from cursing and all foul language or hate-filled speech? What if we cleansed our eyes from lustful looks? What if we cleansed our hearts from envying, jealousy, and malice of others? What if we removed our hate and anger? What if we cleansed our minds of greed and all impure thoughts? What if we were just satisfied with how God has blessed us?

If we would make an effort by praying and turning to God for help, we could reduce and eliminate biases and prejudices. Praying “God, give me the eyes to see people the way that You see them.” That would be turning towards God and away from sin, and that is what God expects from us.1 Peter 1:14-16 instructs us “as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” What if we repented from our sinful thoughts and ways? We would be blessed by God! Don’t you think that our country would be blessed if each one of us, as Christians in this nation, could personally receive revival? It would change the sin and strife in our nation towards righteousness. It is sin that is causing our problems.

2 Corinthians 6:17 “Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”

Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” If we strive to remove evil from our lives, we would see a change in this world that we could not even imagine. Pastor Herk point is that each one of us has the power to change themselves, and if everyone made the effort to change themselves, we would see such an unbelievable change for the better in this world. If we worked as hard to cleanse ourselves from sin as we are with this virus going around, we would see God’s blessing. It seems like, no matter how hard we try to do what is right, we still slip and fall once and a while, but we have the ability to repent, hating the sin, turn away from it and by promise not doing it again. We all fall short of God’s expectations, so repent.

Romans 3:23-25a “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith.”

The third that we do to defeat the Corona virus is to seek medicines and vaccines to cure it. In the same manner, we need a medicine for the spiritual disease of sin. The infection rate of sin is 100%. But, we have the antidote for it. God provided that antidote when He gave His Son as a redeeming substitutionary sacrifice on the Cross to die in our place so that our sins could be overcome and forgiven. God proved the way. Romans 5:6 explains, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Galatians 1:3-4 “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” Jesus Christ died in order to be the only effective treatment of our sins. The cure is there and available by faith. 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”

John 3:19-20, 1 John 1:6-7 “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Don’t look at the people around you and their sin. What is it in your life that is keeping you from personal revival? We can overcome them and make the difference. What is keeping revival out of the church? What is keeping revival out of our nation? We have sinned against our just and holy Creator God. It’s time we treated sin like COVID-19. It’s time we took sin seriously. Romans 6:23 proclaims, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is  eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The root problem is sin. It’s time to stand before God, cleansed and consecrated to receive His promises and blessings.

In Christ, Brian